Yolo rides back to The Old City in a coach and reflects on what has just happened.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Start Date & Time | |
| Previous Scene | [[011. Waking Dreams]] |
| Current Chaos Factor | 5 |
| Scene Type | Expected |
Relevant Entities
- [[Daxter Biggby]]
- [[Watcher Yarlson]]
- [[Lindiwie Kimura|Lindy]]
Game
- GME
- Is she alone in the carriage.
- 50/50 -- No
- Lindiwie "Lindy" Kimura, strong investigator but bad archaeologist
- Is Lindy Lee's man?
- Very Unlikely, Yes
- Does Lindy know Dax?
- Likely, Extreme Yes (They were friends)
- Is she alone in the carriage.
Scene
Yolo waits impatiently at the carriage house. She's been up for hours now. She couldn't fall back asleep after the attack; it would have been foolish to do so, and even if she had tried, she would have been too rattled.
Yolo
Could have sworn I put the fear in them.
sigh
More the fool me, I suppose.
Game
- GME
- The carriage pulls up to the house just as the dawn is breaking. Seems they rode here through the night. A handful of people disembark.
- Yolo
- I take a closer look at them, what sort of folks are these?
- That's a modest task, say a 4.
- I put one point of intellect into it.
- I'm in danger and my senses are heightened.
- 3 then
- 16 is a strong hit
- GME
- Is there anyone interesting getting off the wagon?
- Very unlikely, No
- You see family returning from holiday. It's a laborer, his wife, and a small child. There are a few others getting off, lumberjacks it looks like, and a militia man.
- There is someone interesting at the carriage house though. Another traveler walks up, sets down a rucksack next to you on the bench.
Lindy
Right on time, wonderful.
Looking at Yolo on the bench
Could you watch this for a second? I need to go talk to the coach master and buy myself a ticket.
She slips a wallet out of the top of the bag and disappears into the building
Yolo
to Lindy's back
Umm... sure?
Game
The stage hands unload the people from the carriage as the driver walks into the building. A moment later a fresh driver comes out with a giant keyring. He takes several moments unlocking the undercarriage of the coach. With a groan the thing swings open, and the passengers' goods are removed and handed to them. A bag of mail goes into the building with one of the stage hands.
A short moment later, the coach master comes outside, followed by Lindy.
Coach Master
Good to see you again miss. Can I take your ticket and your things and load them onto the wagon? You'll want to keep some food on you for the trip, but any weapons and valuables should be stowed.
Yolo
I rifle through my bag for some rations and water, put them on my person, and then hand my bags over to the coach master.
Coach Master
Looking at Lindy
And you too Miss Kimura.
Lindy
Lindy hands her rucksack to the coach master along with a small amount of coins.
Coach Master
Thank you. If you two ladies would go ahead and board? We've got to change out drivers and guards, but we'll be underway in just a few minutes.
The coach master doesn't wait for them to embark; he simply turns around and returns to the building.
Lindy
After you
gestures at the open door
Yolo
Thanks.
Climbs into the carriage
Seems like an awful lot of security, but I've never really heard about the carriages being waylaid or anything.
Lindy
Because of the precautions. They're not attractive targets.
Headed back to The Old City or just passing through on your way to somewhere else?
Yolo
Headed back to the Old City. I've been away too long, and I've got business there to attend to. Are you traveling for business or pleasure?
Lindy
Bit of both. I love to travel, but I'm out here for work, and now I need to get back to the Old City before I head out for the next assignment.
Yolo
What sort of work do you do?
Yolo starts a bit as the carriage door shuts, the driver climbs on top, and the vehicle lurches into motion.
Lindy
I'm a courier. I deliver messages and things from place to place. What about yourself? Whatever you do, it looks like it must be exciting.
She gestures to the blood stains on Yolo's pants
Yolo
Looking at her own clothing, and realizing she's covered in blood spatter
Oh gods, I didn't realize it was that bad.
Someone broke into the inn I was staying at and tried to steal from me. When I discovered them, they panicked and attacked me, I fought back.
Lindy
I can empathize with you. Brigands are everywhere these days. Getting to the point where a person can barely relax, even in town. Did the inn keep at least cut you a break on the room?
Yolo
she blinks for a second
I didn't even think to ask.
Lindy
Lindy laughs. It starts off as a giggle, then becomes a full throated thing. She slaps her thigh.
You could have asked him for the sun and moon and he'd have tried to give it to you to keep you quiet about getting attacked in his inn. You missed a golden opportunity hon.
She digs around in her bag, pulling out a flask and a pipe
Well, if he didn't offer to do you a good turn, I certainly will. You had a rough night, and there's nothing like something strong to calm the nerves after that sort of night. Do you prefer brandy or the pipe miss?
Game
- Yolo
- Is she wearing short sleeves? Are her forearms exposed?
- GME
- 50/50 -- No
Yolo
Thank you for offering but... look, this is going to sound paranoid, but bear with me, I was attacked in my sleep last night. Could you roll up your sleeves and let me see your forearms?
Lindy
Pauses a beat
Sure, but you have to tell me why.
She rolls up her sleeves, exposing two unadorned forearms. The Sketch of cross symbol is not tattooed there.
Yolo
The man who attacked me last night had a distinct tattoo on his forearm. The guards thought it might have been a symbol from a gang or mercenary company. I'm still a little jumpy after the experience. Thanks for indulging me.
Yolo relaxes into the seat
I'm Yolo, just Yolo, and the pipe if you please, but why don't you light it?
Lindy
packs the pipe, strikes a match, and gets a good cherry going, filling the cab with smoke. She takes a deep pull, covers the top with her thumb, and hands the stem to Yolo before exhaling a rolling cloud of smoke
Careful with it, it's a little drier than it should be.
Yolo
breathes in the smoke in the cab
I had thought... well, there's no harm and nothing else to do.
Yolo pulls on the pipe, her eyes water, and she tries hard not to choke
Lindy
starts giggling and slaps Yolo on the back
Hahaha, jumping in with both feet are we? This will be a lovely trip. I'm Lindy by the way, good to meet you.
Yolo
Li..li...likewise
She chokes the return out, but where her eyes were watering from smoke before, they've now been replaced by tears. She pinches the bridge of her nose while trying to stop the tears
Lindy
Noticing that Yolo's eyes have continued watering well past what the weed should have caused
You alright hon?
she leans forward and places a hand on Yolo's shoulder
Yolo
stills herself, and wipes her eyes
I'll be fine. You just
she hesitates, looking at Lindy's face
Game
- Yolo
- Can I see if her concern is genuine?
- GME
- Roll a perception test, difficulty 5
- Yolo
- Spending 1 to ease the task to 4, 16, strong hit
- GME
- She's genuinely interested and wants to help soothe you.
Yolo
You remind me of a friend... but he's gone now.
Lindy
I'm sorry he's gone. How do I remind you of him?
she hands Yolo the pipe again
Yolo
looks confused for a second, then takes another drag off the pipe
You have his easy demeanor and charity. Not the accent though, thank gods.
Lindy
takes the pipe back and draws from it
Big bloke? Just... big all around. Mustache, shoulders, personality? Just larger than life all around?
She looks deeply concerned
Yolo
eyes wide open
Yes...?
Lindy
Son of a bitch. What finally got ol' Daxby?
Yolo
looking frightened
How... how did you know him?
Lindy
Think about it hon. I'm a courier, but we have a post service. I carry things for people who don't want the authorities involved. I carried artifacts hither and yon for Dax a time or two, brought him missives and supplies in the field too.
She takes a big draw on the pipe, hands it back to Yolo, and starts to rummage through her bag
Even if I'd never worked with the man, I'd have known him. You couldn't be in a bar with the man without him chatting you up, and those of us who live just outside the boundaries of the law tend to frequent the same haunts.
she pours a small amount of the liquor out the wagon window, then takes a big pull, and coughs
Here's to Dax. A finer bastard, the world may never know.
She offers Yolo the flask
Yolo
takes the bottle and a small pull. It's brandy, and good brandy.
Our time was so short, but to you I was an old friend. I hope I see you on the other side.
Yolo rides in silence with her traveling companion for a moment, mourning a common acquaintance. After a short while, there's a bump in the road, and Lindy restarts the conversation.
Lindy
What got him?
Yolo
A trap, of all damn things, and such a basic one. I'd seen him navigate so many traps, but somehow a set of floor spikes got him. He put his foot in the wrong place, a spike nicked an artery, and he was gone. It was... it was so fast. He died before I could reset the trap and try to save him.
Lindy
One mistake is all it takes. How long had you two been together? How did you meet?
Yolo
Oh, 3 or 4 months ago? I was down on my luck, and he saw me sleeping in an alley, cursing my luck. He promised me a meal if I told him my story. Some toughs rolled in to rough him up because he hadn't found some priceless artifact fast enough, I created a diversion, and he took me under his wing. I certainly didn't have any better prospects.
Lindy
Lindy nods along, repacks the pipe, and starts smoking it again before handing it to Yolo.
Yolo
taking another draw on the pipe
We came out here looking for it. Dead end after dead end. Do you know how many ruins there are in this blasted valley? Anyway, we finally found the damned thing.
Game
- GME
- Roll perception, 6 difficulty
- Yolo
- I'll spend again, 2, nothing
Lindy
So Yolo, what are you going to do now?
Game
- GME
- Roll a body / health stat check
- Yolo
- I'll spend 1, rolled 4
- GME
- Be completely truthful in your next response.
Yolo
I don't know. The thing is unbelievably dangerous: a machine for creating liches. The ruins were guarded, and I know the man that attacked me last night was after it. Lee will come after me if I don't bring the damned thing back to him, but I have no idea what he wants it for. I can't well give something this dangerous to the head of a crime family... or anyone really. It needs to be destroyed, but I need to know why he wanted it too.
Game
- GME
- Yolo suddenly recognizes her logorrhea, but she can't motivate herself to stop talking.
- Lindy is sitting back in the wagon, looking at her studiously, and digging through her bag.
Lindy
That's... quite the tale. I always knew Dax would get mixed up in something way over his head someday. How do you know it's so dangerous?
Game
- GME
- Roll a body / health stat check
- Yolo
- I'll spend 1, got 8
- GME
- That's still a miss, remain completely truthful.
Yolo
I'm a mage by education. I did some rudimentary study of the artifact after we got it out of the ruins. Between the pictures in the ruins and the results of my studies at the inn, it's obvious the thing is a tool for making phylacteries. I don't know exactly how it works, who made it, or why, but such a device would be destabilizing in any hands.
Game
- GME
- Is Lindy going to go through with her mission?
- Nearly Impossible, No.
Lindy
pulls out a paper with a sketch of Yolo and Dax
You're right. Lee is after you. That's why I was out here in Knathton, to retrieve the two of you. Imagine my luck that you saved me the trouble of finding you and hauling you back to Old Town.
Yolo
Yolo gasps, and starts looking for the door handle on the carriage, but they only open from the outside.
Lindy
she puts the paper back in her bag
Be still hon. I like Dax a lot better than I like Lee, and I'm more than capable of keeping a secret. I'm not gonna bring you in and give that short sighted little ass immortality on a platter.
She takes another pull on the pipe
In fact, if you want me to help you destroy the damned thing, I'm game. Dax would have wanted that, and I still owe the bastard a few favors. Besides, it's the sane thing to do.
She offers the pipe back to Yolo
Yolo
Is... is this why I can't lie or stop talking?
Lindy
laughing uproariously
Yeah, sorry about that. I mean, I was going to bring you in if you didn't mean to come yourself, up until you told me what Lee's game was. On the plus side, it's a pleasant high, or at least I think so. You should be able to lie again a few minutes after you stop smoking, but the mellow will last a few hours.
Lindy digs around in her bag, and pulls out short bread cookies
The hunger though, that sticks with you until you do something about it. Cookie?
Yolo
Gods... you really are cut from the same cloth. Yes. To both.
She grabs the cookie
So, how do we figure out what Lee wanted with this thing?
Game
- GME
- Does Lindy Know who the buyer was?
- Very Likely, yes
Lindy
Easy, you ask me. Lee was acquiring the artifact for Lady Eadriel, of the Mages Guild. It was never clear to me if she was using her own largess to fund the expeditions, or if the guild was and she was just organizing the retrieval.
Yolo's mouth goes slack.
Yolo
regaining her composure
You can't be serious.
Lindy
I am. Why the surprise?
Yolo
That ancient bitch was my master in the guild. Dax found me in the gutter because I refused to be her personal slave and Guinea pig during my apprenticeship. She's not involved with researching the ancients. I'll wager if she's ordering the expeditions, she's operating independently.
Lindy
Mmmm, it'll be difficult to figure out who knows what. Neither Lee's organization nor the mages are known for being loose lipped.
She pulls on the pipe again
Can you destroy the artifact now?
Yolo
Not safely. There's tons of magic in the thing, and when we unmake it, that magic has to go somewhere. If we somehow managed to shatter it, it'd probably cause an explosion large enough to destroy a small city.
Yolo pulls on the pipe again
Lindy
So, we need to know more about the thing, and the people who know the most about it are actively searching for it, don't like us very much, and are loathe to tell us about it?
Yolo
Also they're better funded. Don't forget that. Far more resources than us.
Lindy
chuckling
I see why Dax liked you. Don't worry Yolo, we'll manage.
Ending Summary
Added Threads
- Get closer to [[Lindiwie Kimura|Lindy]]
- What did [[Lady Eadriel]] intend to do with [[The Artifact Dax Died To Get | the artifact]]
- Take down [[The Watchers]]
Closed Threads
Added Characters
[[Lindiwie Kimura]]
Removed Characters
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| End Date & Time | |
| Next Scene | [[013. A Challenging Homecoming]] |
| Next Expected Scene | Yolo and Lindy Arrive in Old Town (expected) |
| Ending Chaos Factor | 4 |
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