Pulp 008

February 12, 2021

[8:26 PM] Theo: So, you guys were driving home. There was a lot of high potency booze. Sandy is driving. August is remarkably sober and is sitting up, and Joseph is somewhere in between, we'll see. Ahti and Ke are snoring away in the backseat.

[8:27 PM] Sandy: "So...that went...well?"

[8:27 PM] Theo: August:  Seems like.

[8:28 PM] Sandy: "Ok...cool.  I'm surprised you didn't get more into it, August."

[8:28 PM] Joseph: I am glad.

[8:28 PM] Sandy: "Yeah, how you feeling Joe?"

[8:29 PM] Theo: August:  My tolerance has always been pretty high.

[8:30 PM] Joseph: ... three sheets to the wind. But not four.

[8:31 PM] Sandy: "So, what do you know about this...sea god?  Is that what Ahti is?"

[8:31 PM] Theo: August:  I think he might just be a weird old guy.

[8:31 PM] Sandy: "There's gotta be more to him than being a weird old guy."

[8:32 PM] Joseph: I have no idea but it's probably better not to tempt fate.

[8:32 PM] Joseph: It's one of the old heroes, so... not always that heroic.

[8:33 PM] Sandy: "Clearly."

[8:34 PM] Joseph: The best known version is from the Kalevala, where he's actually called Lemminkainen and is... two heroes squashed together, kind of.

[8:34 PM] Joseph: He wants to fight so he leaves his wife and goes adventuring with his friend.

[8:34 PM] Joseph: ... very fighty fellow.

[8:35 PM] Sandy: "So why was he plopped out in front of a ghost house?"

[8:35 PM] Joseph: Likes beer.

[8:35 PM] Joseph: I don't know, but it IS on the ocean. Maybe somebody offered to arm-wrestle him.

[8:35 PM] Joseph: Or he wanted to raid it.

[8:35 PM] Joseph: Maybe his wife booted him out.

[8:36 PM] Joseph: They stitch him together like Osiris in one story.

[8:36 PM] Sandy: "Hmmmm.  All possible.  ...August, you fixed the suspension.  Ol Bessie's gliding on this road."

[8:37 PM] Joseph: A bee brought him back to life.

[8:37 PM] Theo: August:  Or he's just a weird old guy squatting on a deserted estate.

[8:37 PM] Theo: August:  And I just tuned the suspension. It didn't need fixing.

[8:38 PM] Joseph: Finland is nice, but they do hit you with sticks in the sauna.

[8:38 PM] Sandy: "I'm not sure how much of what Joe's saying matters and how much is just drunk nonsense.  ...or him just messing with us."

[8:38 PM] Theo: August:  he seems pretty credible.

[8:38 PM] Joseph: Birch.

[8:39 PM] Sandy: "...I should've figured that out sooner.  He didn't fit right off the bat."

[8:40 PM] Joseph: I'm the one who's supposed to read people.

[8:40 PM] Theo: August:  You get too literal-minded sometimes.(edited)

[8:40 PM] Joseph: They jump in the lakes afterward.

[8:40 PM] Theo: August:  Finnish people are weird.

[8:41 PM] Joseph: And they can drink.

[8:41 PM] Sandy: "Can't everyone drink?"

[8:41 PM] Joseph: Not like Finns.

[8:41 PM] Theo: August:  No.

[8:41 PM] Joseph: It stays light out all day.

[8:42 PM] Joseph: And wife-carrying is a sport.

[8:42 PM] Sandy: "Can we talk about...literally anything other than Finland?"

[8:43 PM] Joseph: Of course. What would you like to talk about?

[8:43 PM] Sandy: "...Ok, I didn't really have a follow-up, I guess."

[8:44 PM] Sandy: "...this was not what I was expecting."

[8:44 PM] Joseph: What were you expecting?

[8:45 PM] Sandy: "Fighting ghosts, solving ancient puzzles, searching for lost treasure."

[8:46 PM] Joseph: Why do you want treasure?

[8:46 PM] Sandy: "I don't.  I want to prove I can find it."

[8:46 PM] Theo: August:  To who?

[8:47 PM] Sandy: "...where'd you put the nitro on this?"

[8:47 PM] Theo: August:  If you can't find it you don't deserve to use it, I figure.

[8:47 PM] Sandy: ""Spoilsport."

[8:47 PM] Joseph: To Alan, probably.

[8:49 PM] Joseph: I have an Auburn 851 Supercharged Dual Ratio Speedster somewhere, and I would be honored if you would deign to work on it.

[8:50 PM] Sandy: "You have a...where'd you get that?  That's like...the luxury of luxury cars."

[8:51 PM] Sandy: "That's fresh off the line!"

[8:51 PM] Theo: August:  I can't say I would mind getting my paws onto that.

[8:51 PM] Joseph: It is a Good Car.

[8:52 PM] Joseph: Indiana.

[8:52 PM] Sandy: ........the company is based in Indiana.

[8:52 PM] Sandy: .......did you get it LITERALLY off the company floor?(edited)

[8:53 PM] Joseph: Of course not, that would be absurd.

[8:54 PM] Joseph: One of my secretaries got it off the company floor.

[8:54 PM] Theo: August:  What do you do?

[8:54 PM] Joseph: ... I don't understand the question.

[8:55 PM] Theo: August:  For a living.

[8:56 PM] Joseph: Oh! For a job.

[8:56 PM] Joseph: An occupation.

[8:56 PM] Joseph: I am a ... librarian. Apparently.

[8:56 PM] Sandy: "Family money."

[8:56 PM] Theo: August:  I mean before now. Are you just one of those rich people that is rich from being rich?

[8:58 PM] Joseph: No, I am one of those rich people that is rich from his parents perishing suddenly in a fairly horrific train collision.

[8:58 PM] Sandy: "Where'd your parents make the money?"

[9:01 PM] Joseph: America? Before that, France.

[9:02 PM] Sandy: "...I legit cannot tell if you're fucking with me, drunk, or just...really stupid."

[9:02 PM] Sandy: "I'm hoping drunk."

[9:02 PM] Joseph: I am really very extremely drunk.

[9:03 PM] Sandy: "What did your family do in France that made them so wealthy?"

[9:03 PM] Joseph: Escaped gettin' their heads cut off, mostly.

[9:04 PM] Sandy: "...you're descended from French aristocracy?"

[9:04 PM] Theo: August:  That'll do it.

[9:05 PM] Joseph: I'm descended from a lot of people. So's everybody.

[9:05 PM] Sandy: "I don't know if I am.  Maybe I'm magic and just crawled out of the ether."

[9:06 PM] Theo: August:  Could be.

[9:07 PM] Joseph: I don't think that's how it works.

[9:07 PM] Sandy: "Probably not.  But given half the shit I've seen...would not surprise me."

[9:07 PM] Sandy: "...you've never talked to me about your family, August."

[9:08 PM] Theo: August:  Not much to say about it. They're back in Canada. I send them money sometimes.

[9:08 PM] Joseph: Maybe you're a statue a goddess brought to life.

[9:09 PM] Sandy: "...yeah, I don't think so."

[9:09 PM] Joseph: Ah, Canada.

[9:09 PM] Sandy: "Oh, Canada."

[9:11 PM] Joseph: Don't know a lot about Canada. That's... Dalbec the hunter, Candlemas and... Jean Cadieux.

[9:11 PM] Joseph: Flying canoes, that kind of thing.

[9:13 PM] Sandy: "....step one, make the Speedster fly."

[9:13 PM] Joseph: Wouldn't it be easier to just get a plane?

[9:14 PM] Sandy: "You can't park your plane in your garage or fly it through the city.  Also, the plane wouldn't be able to switch between air and ground travel easily."

[9:15 PM] Joseph: No, you park your cars in the garages and put the planes in the hangars.

[9:15 PM] Sandy: "Precisely.  I will get the best of both worlds."

[9:16 PM] Sandy: "And then give it to you.  You're welcome."

[9:16 PM] Joseph: Well you're not going to do it for free.

[9:17 PM] Sandy: "........how much are we talking about here, exactly?"

[9:18 PM] Joseph: I don't know,  how much do you want?

[9:18 PM] Sandy: "....August, I think I'm dead and this is Heaven."

[9:19 PM] Theo: August:  WE're probably still in the haunted house.

[9:19 PM] Joseph: ... this is definitely not any heaven that I have ever heard of.

[9:19 PM] Sandy: "We'll write up some papers.  Word of warning, you are SO gonna regret this in the morning, Joe."

[9:20 PM] Joseph: I will not.

[9:23 PM] Theo: August:  You mean I'll write up the papers. You are terrible at the paperwork.

[9:23 PM] Joseph: Details.

[9:23 PM] Sandy: "That is, in deed, what I mean."

[9:24 PM] Sandy: "I am not terrible at it, though.  It and I have an agreement."

[9:24 PM] Joseph: You'll need a cat.

[9:25 PM] Sandy: "...why a cat?"

[9:25 PM] Joseph: Any good shop has a cat.

[9:26 PM] Theo: August:  I suppose that's what's been missing.

[9:27 PM] Sandy: "Sounds good.  Alan did not allow us to keep a pet.  Said it wouldn't be fair with all the travel."

[9:27 PM] Joseph: I am not Alan.

[9:27 PM] Joseph: loosens his tie a bit.

[9:28 PM] Sandy: "I am aware."

[9:28 PM] Theo: Joe, your tie is missing.

[9:28 PM] Joseph: blinks.

[9:28 PM] Theo: Ahti seems to be wearing it.

[9:28 PM] Joseph: ... looks better on him anyway.

[9:29 PM] Sandy: "He's wearing it around his head."

[9:29 PM] Joseph: It'll be all the rage, you'll see.

[9:31 PM] Sandy: "Doesn't go with his beard, frankly."

[9:31 PM] Sandy: "...she says like she knows anything about fashion."

[9:32 PM] Joseph: It's a very fluffy beard.

[9:33 PM] Ke: opens her eyes “been a long night”

[9:33 PM] Sandy: "Yep.  How'd you sleep?"

[9:34 PM] Joseph: Needs a beard bead, like the old raiders had.

[9:34 PM] Ke: Surprisingly ok for being in a vehicle.

[9:35 PM] Sandy: "...well, we found a nice open...empty road."

[9:35 PM] Sandy: "...and I think I found the nitro button."

[9:36 PM] Joseph: Oh, good. ... can I get that on the Aerodynamic I've got?

[9:37 PM] Theo: August:  It'd probably be necessary.

[9:37 PM] Sandy: "Well, we can give him a test run first to decide.  Might jostle them awake."

[9:38 PM] Sandy: "Assuming you're up for it August.  Your car, afterall."

[9:38 PM] Theo: August:  Go for it.

[9:38 PM] Sandy: punches it!

[9:39 PM] Sandy: will also take a back way to Swan Lake so we avoid main roads.(edited)

[9:39 PM] Theo: You're going faster.

[9:40 PM] Theo: You can roll for driving if you want to.

[9:41 PM] Joseph: Is this as fast as it goes?

[9:42 PM] Sandy: ((Five successes and a critical success.))

[9:42 PM] Sandy: "You wanna go faster?"

[9:42 PM] Sandy: smiles

[9:42 PM] Theo: You drive fast.

[9:42 PM] Joseph: Yessssss.

[9:43 PM] Sandy: takes it as high as she dares go.

[9:44 PM] Theo: You eventually run out of juice.

[9:44 PM] Sandy: "...only good for short bursts, unfortunately.  But I think you got the gist of it."

[9:45 PM] Sandy: "If you want, I can probably install it in your Aero."

[9:46 PM] Joseph: Yes. I would like that.

[9:46 PM] Theo: So, eventually, you get back to Swan Lake.

[9:47 PM] Joseph: J-527.

[9:48 PM] Sandy: slows it down as we approach so Alan doesn't know she was speeding so recklessly.

[9:50 PM] Joseph: This is a Good Car.

[9:50 PM] Sandy: "August's pretty good at this too."

[9:51 PM] Sandy: "Also, boasting about the Coupe after the Speedster...not as impressive."

[9:51 PM] Sandy: will park us in the garage.

[9:51 PM] Joseph: ... boasting?

[9:52 PM] Ke: gets out of the car pretty much as soon as the engine stops.

[9:54 PM] Sandy: exits.

[9:55 PM] Sandy: "Ke, can you carry Ahti with you?"

[9:55 PM] Joseph: clambers out and then tries to help Ahti out.

[9:55 PM] Theo: Ahti is not moving.

[9:55 PM] Theo: I mean, like, he's alive, but seems to have wedged himself in.

[9:55 PM] Sandy: "Or at least help Joe and me?"

[9:55 PM] Theo: August: .... I guess he's not going anywhere.

[9:56 PM] Joseph: ... I need that book.

[9:57 PM] Sandy: will help search him for the book.

[9:57 PM] Theo: (...what book?)

[9:57 PM] Joseph: No, no, Unspeakable Cults. It's in the library.

[9:57 PM] Sandy: ((Oh, sorry.))

[9:58 PM] Sandy: "...we should let the others know he's here."

[9:58 PM] Sandy: "Ke, can you move him?"

[9:58 PM] Joseph: Can't leave a drunk man alone. Might aspirate his own vomit.

[9:59 PM] Sandy: "Or vomit in August's car."

[9:59 PM] Ke: I will stay here with him you let the others know we are back

[9:59 PM] Theo: Alan and Perry come out.

[9:59 PM] Sandy: "...this also works."

[9:59 PM] Theo: Alan:  So, how'd it go?

[9:59 PM] Joseph: I am drunk.

[9:59 PM] Ke: Strangely

[9:59 PM] Joseph: This is a Finnish god.

[10:00 PM] Ke: Maybe

[10:00 PM] Sandy: "I'm really hoping we were supposed to kidnap the groundskeeper."

[10:01 PM] Joseph: We did not kidnap him.

[10:01 PM] Theo: Perry comes down and peers into the car window. "There's no one in here."

[10:01 PM] Ke: looks in the car

[10:02 PM] Sandy: looks in the car

[10:02 PM] Theo: Ahti is gone!

[10:02 PM] Joseph: You will have to take our word for it, then.

[10:02 PM] Theo: .... until Perry says 'Oh, wait, no, he's sleeping on the floor.'

[10:02 PM] Sandy: "...yeah, that seems right."

[10:03 PM] Joseph: ... where's Miss Crafter?

[10:04 PM] Theo: Ahti:  Is that you, Wild Jack? I have misplaced my Sampo again.

[10:04 PM] Theo: Perry:  I still have no earthly idea what a Sampo is.

[10:04 PM] Joseph: It's a magic mill.

[10:04 PM] Joseph: Unlimited flour, gold and salt.

[10:04 PM] Theo: Wild Jack just bodily picks up the old man. "What did you give him?"

[10:04 PM] Joseph: Hooch.

[10:05 PM] Sandy: "Special brew.  Homemade."

[10:05 PM] Joseph: We didn't have any beer and the sauna wouldn't fit.

[10:06 PM] Ke: He seemed to like it

[10:06 PM] Theo: August:  He drank up the rest of my special reserve.

[10:07 PM] Joseph: It was very... very.

[10:07 PM] Theo: Alan: Nemo's inside.

[10:07 PM] Sandy: "You got him, Wild Jack?"

[10:08 PM] Joseph: Oh, good.

[10:08 PM] Joseph: ... be careful, he's very.... fighty.

[10:08 PM] Theo: Jack clearly does. You all go inside, where Jack gets Ahti settled in a bed, and you guys find Nemo in the library.

[10:09 PM] Sandy: "Miss us?"

[10:09 PM] Joseph: looks for Unspeakable Cults.

[10:10 PM] Theo: Nemo:  I don't think you were gone long enough for me to miss you. HOw'd it go?

[10:10 PM] Joseph: ((What DOES Nemo actually look like?))

[10:10 PM] Joseph: It went very ... alcoholically.

[10:11 PM] Theo: ((Nemo is a pretty girl with dusky mixed-race heritage, glasses, and dark hair cut unfashionably short for a woman of this time period.))

[10:11 PM] Ke: And ghosts

[10:11 PM] Theo: Nemo:  Well, obviously.

[10:11 PM] Sandy: "We got an old guy to come with us by getting him blasted on moonshine."

[10:11 PM] Joseph: ((Like a buzz cut? Hair is pretty short right now IIRC.))

[10:12 PM] Theo: Nemo:  Must have been some moonshine.

[10:12 PM] Theo: ((She has the 30s equivalent of a pixie cut, I suppose.))

[10:12 PM] Theo: ((Short on the sides.)

[10:13 PM] Joseph: It was moonshine. I think.

[10:13 PM] Theo: August:  My best stuff.

[10:13 PM] Joseph: We brought Ahti back. Lemminkainen.

[10:13 PM] Joseph: The Islander.

[10:14 PM] Sandy: "He's been sputtering about Swedish mythology the whole way back."

[10:15 PM] Joseph: I have not.

[10:15 PM] Joseph: Ahti is Finnish.

[10:15 PM] Theo: Alan tosses Nemo an empty bottle of moonshine. She sniffs it and eyes August. "You made this?  Huh."

[10:16 PM] Joseph: It is smoother than you would think.

[10:16 PM] Joseph: picks out the Unspeakable Cults book.

[10:16 PM] Theo: You find it!

[10:17 PM] Sandy: "Why are you looking for a cult?"

[10:17 PM] Theo: Nemo:  It's a little magic.

[10:17 PM] Joseph: I am not.

[10:17 PM] Joseph: It's a very rare book.

[10:18 PM] Joseph: ... it is?

[10:18 PM] Sandy: "...August, you didn't tell me you made magic booze."

[10:19 PM] Theo: Nemo:  Yeah. You might want to try out some alchemy at some point. Alchemy isn't magic, of course, but magic certainly helps.

[10:19 PM] Joseph: ... what does it do?

[10:19 PM] Joseph: ... can you magic someone sober?

[10:20 PM] Theo: August shrugs.

[10:21 PM] Joseph: ... are we going to turn into seals?

[10:21 PM] Theo: Nemo:  Theoretically but it's probably not worth it.

[10:22 PM] Theo: Nemo:  The only enchantment was potency, but it's still normal alcohol. Just drink a lot of water.

[10:23 PM] Sandy: "...ok, so among your tricks August, you're a master brewer.  Good to know."

[10:23 PM] Sandy: "...so...did we pass?"

[10:23 PM] Joseph: Oh, good.

[10:24 PM] Theo: Alan:  well, you brought back Ahti, which was the point. But tell me about what you found there?

[10:24 PM] Joseph: ... I would like to be less drunk just now.

[10:24 PM] Joseph: We invaded their privacy.

[10:24 PM] Sandy: "There were two ghosts.  Both warlocks, we think."

[10:24 PM] Ke: Ghosts a dead couple and magic rings in a basement.

[10:25 PM] Joseph: It's not our business.

[10:27 PM] Theo: Alan:  Yes. They were both warlocks, very in love and dedicated to their art and each other. They performed a ritual that would bind them in death. But the husband died in Europe. The wife soldiered on, but received the attention of a suitor who did not take rejection well, and murdered her. So they were reunited in death and killed her killer.

[10:27 PM] Theo: Alan:  They let us use their home to test some of our initiates.

[10:28 PM] Sandy: "So...they're kinda Aeon Society members too."

[10:28 PM] Joseph: ... they know? Oh thank goodness.

[10:28 PM] Theo: Alan:  They are quite happy where they are and are actually quite pleasant when they're in a mood for company.

[10:28 PM] Sandy: "And not chucking stone chunks at your head."

[10:28 PM] Ke: It was wood

[10:28 PM] Joseph: They were very polite once they worked out we wanted to help.

[10:29 PM] Ke: Yes

[10:29 PM] Sandy: "Yeah."

[10:29 PM] Theo: Alan:  The point was not just the puzzle, but to see how you would react when faced with this sort of thing.

[10:30 PM] Joseph: ... we barged into a lovely couple's house and proceeded to antagonize them and very nearly got ourselves killed, while reminding them of a very painful part of their lives.

[10:32 PM] Sandy: "We were investigating for clues to learn about a tragedy of the past in the hopes of setting it right."

[10:32 PM] Theo: Alan:  Nemo had a chat with the ghosts after you left, so we know how you carried yourselves.

[10:33 PM] Sandy: "...how did we?"

[10:33 PM] Theo: Nemo:  they liked you.

[10:33 PM] Joseph: Are they really all right?

[10:34 PM] Theo: Nemo:  Also they were wondering if the 'letters spelled out in glass' bit was too much.

[10:34 PM] Sandy: "No, I think it had the desired effect."

[10:34 PM] Sandy: "Maybe a bit cliche, though."

[10:34 PM] Joseph: But if you run out of glass, choose a shorter word.

[10:34 PM] Sandy: "Yeah, that was an issue."

[10:35 PM] Sandy: "...what was Ahti doing there?"

[10:35 PM] Joseph: ... you can talk to dead people?

[10:36 PM] Theo: Nemo:  Some of them. The fact that they made themselves ghosts willingly with magic makes it pretty easy.

[10:37 PM] Sandy: "They're more...there than most ghosts."

[10:37 PM] Theo: Nemo:  Yeah. Most ghosts are just echoes.

[10:37 PM] Joseph: ... ah.

[10:38 PM] Sandy: "...I am feeling so much better.  This all makes more sense now."

[10:38 PM] Joseph: We should let Ahti go back to the gatehouse.

[10:38 PM] Theo: Alan:  Ahti is one of us.

[10:38 PM] Joseph: blinks.

[10:38 PM] Theo: Alan:  He pretty much just keeps people out of their house.

[10:39 PM] Joseph: ... I think I failed the initiation.

[10:39 PM] Theo: Alan:  The puzzle wasn't the point.

[10:39 PM] Theo: Alan:  The point was the test.

[10:40 PM] Theo: Alan:  To see how you reacted to the situation. You wanted to help, you wanted to figure out what was going on.

[10:41 PM] Sandy: "And we did find what didn't belong."

[10:41 PM] Sandy: "And we didn't get scared off."

[10:41 PM] Joseph: ... who wouldn't want to help?

[10:41 PM] Theo: Alan:  You'd be surprised.

[10:41 PM] Sandy: "I wouldn't."

[10:42 PM] Ke: makes sense

[10:43 PM] Sandy: "By which I mean I wouldn't be surprised.  Obviously, I wanted to help."

[10:43 PM] Joseph: Yes.

[10:43 PM] Joseph: So.

[10:43 PM] Joseph: What now?

[10:44 PM] Theo: Alan:  Now you go sleep it off. Get some rest, make yourselves at home. We'll talk in the morning to discuss what's properly next.

[10:44 PM] Ke: isnt it morning already, pretty sure the sun will be up soon

[10:45 PM] Theo: Alan:  Afternoon, then.

[10:46 PM] Sandy: "And sleep will probably help get the alcohol out of your system."

[10:46 PM] Joseph: Methought I heard a voice cry, "Sleep no more! Macbeth does murder sleep."

[10:47 PM] Sandy: "...you are such a nerd."

[10:48 PM] Joseph: I am devastatingly over-educated.

[10:52 PM] Theo: Alan:  Anyway, get some rest. The rooms are filled with beds, just find one and fall in. Sandy, your room is where you left it.

[10:52 PM] Ke: just pick a room?

[10:52 PM] Sandy: "Yeah.  ...I'm gonna do some sketching though.  Got some new designs I wanna get down."

[10:53 PM] Joseph: What if I choose this room?

[10:54 PM] Sandy: "Blankets are in the closet by the main hall.  Pick a chair and go for it?"

[10:54 PM] Theo: Alan nods.

[10:56 PM] Joseph: turns to Nemo. "Do you dance?"

[10:56 PM] Sandy: "...I'll hold off on the sketching.  I've gotta see this."

[10:59 PM] Theo: Nemo:  Well, yes.

[10:59 PM] Joseph: Do you like dancing?

[11:00 PM] Theo: Nemo:  Historically not yet.

[11:00 PM] Joseph: Hmm. Why is that, do you think?

[11:01 PM] Theo: Nemo:  I'm not so good in the circumstances where people usually dance in.

[11:02 PM] Joseph: Really? People dance in all kinds of circumstances. Which kind do you mean?

[11:03 PM] Theo: Nemo:  Parties and stuff. Clubs.

[11:04 PM] Joseph: Ah, you prefer not to have an audience.

[11:04 PM] Theo: Nemo:  No, I just don't like people all that much.

[11:05 PM] Joseph: Ahh, I see. That would pose more of a difficulty. Dancing typically requires at least two people, sometimes more.

[11:07 PM] Theo: Nemo:  Therein lies the trouble.

[11:09 PM] Joseph: I can't imagine.

[11:09 PM] Ke: Not everyone dances

[11:09 PM] Joseph: No, no, of course not.

[11:10 PM] Joseph: What do you do for fun, then, Miss Crafter? Or any of the rest of you?

[11:11 PM] Theo: Nemo:  I like making things. Finding new ways to combine science and magic. I once made a walking mechanical eye, but it tried to take over the world.

[11:12 PM] Joseph: Do you still have it?

[11:12 PM] Theo: Nemo:  I had to banish it to the Third Outer Dark. I'm sure its doing quite well.

[11:13 PM] Sandy: "...I also like making things.  I want to make things no one's ever seen before."

[11:14 PM] Joseph: You could always work together?

[11:14 PM] Sandy: "...that'd be cool."

[11:14 PM] Sandy: "Also, I like racing."

[11:15 PM] Sandy: "That sense of speed really gets the adrenaline up."

[11:16 PM] Joseph: That is very true.

[11:16 PM] Joseph: What other things have you made?

[11:16 PM] Sandy: "Me?"

[11:17 PM] Joseph: Both of you. Or Ke, if she's made anything, or Alan, or Jack, or Ahti.

[11:18 PM] Theo: August:  Cars and magic booze, apparently.

[11:18 PM] Sandy: "Well, I've built a couple of engines.  Some of which haven't exploded."

[11:18 PM] Joseph: Or August. Magic booze is interesting.

[11:19 PM] Ke: building isnt really my thing some small repairs to equipment.

[11:20 PM] Sandy: "You exercise, though."

[11:21 PM] Joseph: What about you, Miss Crafter?

[11:23 PM] Theo: Nemo:  Oh, a ton of stuff. Yesterday I designed a spell that should let me detect instances of Thule sorcery.

[11:23 PM] Ke: neat

[11:24 PM] Theo: Nemo:  It's kind of cobbled together from Francisco's Divination, Van Nier's Unobfuscatorium, and some magical language designed by me.

[11:25 PM] Joseph: You've made languages?

[11:26 PM] Theo: Nemo:  Any halfway decent magus has developed at least a rudimentary magical language for their own use.

[11:26 PM] Sandy: "...wow...magic is really dorky."

[11:26 PM] Theo: Nemo:  Kind of.

[11:27 PM] Joseph: ... so mages can't read each other's work?(edited)

[11:27 PM] Theo: Nemo:  Of course they can. The languages aren't difficult.

[11:28 PM] Joseph: ... could a nonmage understand it?

[11:28 PM] Sandy: "I think one already did."

[11:29 PM] Sandy: "Back at the house, you were able to translate some of the writing."

[11:29 PM] Theo: Nemo:  It's like any other language in that respect.

[11:29 PM] Theo: Nemo:  And a lot of times they're derivative or based on other existing languages.

[11:29 PM] Joseph: Oh, I suppose so. It was a combination of runic languages mostly.

[11:32 PM] Joseph: I'd like to see it some time. If you don't object.

[11:32 PM] Theo: Nemo:  Not at all.

[11:34 PM] Joseph: I don't suppose you have any examples with you.

[11:35 PM] Theo: Nemo:   Not at the moment. I can show you tomorrow, though.

[11:35 PM] Joseph: That would be lovely!

[11:36 PM] Joseph: ... I suppose I ought to retire.

[11:36 PM] Theo: Alan:  That seems like a good idea. We'll have a good long talk when you've all sobered up a bit.

[11:37 PM] Ke: indeed

[11:38 PM] Sandy: nods. "Ok, see you all at breakfast."

[11:39 PM] Joseph: Yes. ... I'm just going to look at this for a few minutes first.

[11:40 PM] Sandy: goes to the workshop.

[11:40 PM] Theo: And there we shall stop for now.

[11:40 PM] Ke: wanders around the estate.