Portside Blues Part 2

Log Info

• Title: Portside Blues Part 2
• Emitter: Aelwyn
• Characters: Slixvah, Eztli, Jay
• Place: Warehouse District
• Time: September 23th, 2022

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=    The Players    =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Eztli              4'6"     140 Lb     Sith-Makar        Female    
    A two-toned, short sith-makar.                                             
Jay                5'9"     145 Lb     Eaglefolk         Male      
    A perky male Blue Jay with a discerning eye.                               
Slixvah            5'8"     130 Lb     Eaglefolk         Female    
    A rust red/white Egalrin covered in veils, ribbons, and shawls.        
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=  As the GM  =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Aelwyn             5'3"     150 Lb     Sith-Makar        Male      
    Runt of a Dragoon. 
-=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=

GAME: Jay rolls disable device: (2)+12: 14

The music is distant, muted. The dusty windows block most details. The bluejay keeps working on the lock, which makes squeaky noises as if mocking him. An unexpected noise from the alley-cat causes him to flinch, drop his tension bar. He catches it before it falls through the grate into the water below. The simple lock is proving difficult.

The simple lock carries a lot of recent scratch marks, showing silver where certain tools have scratched in. It seems like Jay is not the only one who has tried and failed. Will he be yet another victim to the lock's lockiness?

GAME: Slixvah rolls stealth: (18)+2: 20
GAME: Aelwyn rolls perception: (6)+1: 7

Not-Slix is in the thick of it with the others, her looking between Eztli and the two bickering guys. Making a snap judgement, she grabs Eztli on the arm. "Hey, c'mon, lets get closer," the half-oruch says, pulling her towards the stairs beside the boss. "We gotta get changed."

"B-but b-boss, th-girls-!" The poor pirate attempts to explain to the very aggravated manager. "DO. NOT. DISTURB. MY. WORK." A particularly red faced gnome rages back at the guard. Papers and writing utensils flow about the room, giving the two 'dancers' plenty of distraction to get away. "TWO. PAYSLIPS! And the rum! Bring back the rum!"

"Less-- don't... good thing, die, yeah! Never, never -burb- lied to you." The Not-Presslee keeps crooning, the sound echoing in the downstairs room. It was an empty and mostly dusty room with a very wide window - unfortunately, no obvious exit. Even more so, there was someone standing in the corner of the room. Someone who would have had a particularly charming look about him if it wasn't bludgeoned from him; at least that is what the wrapping suggest. For now, he seemed to be mostly focused on the window outside.

"... where did that damn parrot fly off...?" The fancy coat wearing and bandaged pirate curses by himself.

"Oh don't worry, you don't need to pay us, it's more than payment enough to get to here mr Preslee's smooth voice." Eztli hums. "Though I could have sworn they were supposed to be a girl, I was really looking forward to that."

"Do we have to? Like I said, we really aren't needed. I want to keep listening to the song." The small makari bemoans as she's lead off. "Seriously, it was too good to interrupt like that, I don't know what the rush is. That singer had the voice of angel, I can't believe they're still only playing in places like this."

GAME: Jay rolls disable device+2: (20)+12+2: 34

The bluejay shifts around, leaning his other shoulder against the door as he fiddles further with the lock. Klik-kik, there's a sudden 'pop' and the lock falls apart in his hands. He scrambles to catch the pieces as they tumble out. Even the key, hidden in a compartment in the door. That would have been useful.

Pocketing all the pieces he carefully opens the door, slips through and pushes it flush once more. Inside, he takes a look around, seeking an easy path to follow the others.

The sneaking Jay manages to make his way inside the room. It seemed to be mostly empty as seems to be par for the abandoned looking side of the ports - but he can spy two doors. One larger one that most likely leads to the room with all the yelling and arguing - the specifics of how many payslips, rum and the cost of profit loss is very audible even over the booming music. There's also a smaller door, but this one is blocked by a pile of boxes filled with what seems to be a veritable collection of junk and abandoned ledger books. It seems to be topple ready.

Ledgers! If there's something more attractive to a legal bluejay it's hard to say what. They can be perused! Reviewed! Entered as evidence, shredded for bedding and litigant nesting. Plus, Junk! Some of it might be shiny.

Integrity is instantly drawn to the boxes, better some quiet work than loud confrontation. Actually, he's a fan of the loud confrontation as well, but it's situational and not useful in this one. He rapidly unstacks the pile, on the basis that if it's going to fall over anyhow he might catch some boxes as they are.

Not-Slix looks back up the stairs, sighing in relief as they're able to press forward while they were occupied. But she groans. "Sugar, me-thinks Preslee is doin' some voodoo ta make ya think that. Plus, if you want a cute girl on stage, just catch me later at the TarRaCe or soemthin'," she giggles.

She gives a little huff, watching the guy in the coat for a beat before she's walking deeper into the room. "We have to get back with Blueberry," she rumbles to Eztli. "He's probably slinking around somewhere this way. Best we clear a path for him." <Draconic>

GAME: Jay rolls strength+2: (10)+1+2: 13
GAME: Jay rolls dexterity+2: (6)+4+2: 12

It's a dream come true!

Well... not the part where the boxes are so heavy that they slip and he's unable to catch them before they fall. Nor the painful impacts or loud noises as that junk bounces free.

Being buried in legal documents though, that is. Integrity is living the dream.

The excitement of legalese seems to have come to haunt Integrity, since the integrity of the boxes he was rapidly unpiling and unstacking suddenly gives out from his hands. Death by legal documents. "B-boss, wassat?" The arguing pauses for a second. "I DON'T KNOW HOW ABOUT YOU GO CHECK IT OUT." A very booming voice responds in a most not-sarcastic-sarcastic voice possible. Soon somebody was fumbling with the large door. On the other hand, the path to the door is open!

Meanwhile downstairs, the music seems to have quieted down, replaced with muted, but excited clapping. "Th-thank you, than-k mama'n-yous!" Another burp. The person looking out the window bangs his fist on the window. "KEET. KEET. Get back in here!"

A moment of quiet. Then a very high pitched voice responds, "Walking into a trap!" Yep, that parrot was definitely in on the game.

The parrot's warning is apropos, Jay is in a trap! Hearing a guard approaching he hops into the small room and pulls the door closed. There's only one other way out, he hops to it, trying the exit.

"Wait, what's that about voodoo? I really don't want to be cursed by any musicians." Eztli huffs, as she seems to come to her senses, at least a little bit. That was... weird. I don't like that at all, now that I think about it."

The small makari looks around, and sighs. "Yeah, lets find them. I can't go out on stage without my other back up dancer, after all." Eztli nods. "Perhaps something to do with the noise over there?" <draconic>

GAME: Aelwyn rolls perception: (18)+1: 19

Jay is faced with yet another conundrum. A simple looking lock. At least this one looks familiar to the one outside. "E-eh... did th'... boxes?" A voice mumbles as it shifts around the piles and piles of documents.

Not-Slix and Eztli can see a dark room. It had shelves up towards ceilings and a closed off shutter - once perhaps an office of some sorts, now it seems to have been turned into a cleaning closet. Not even that anymore though - just dust and cobwebs every where on the brooms and buckets. Some old chairs and various other miscellania fills the room. Not-Slix and Co. are probably the only ones who have entered the room in years.

"Hmmh?" The charming-not-charming guard says, turning around on his spot. "That you, Reginald?"

The bluejay stares at the lock, hands on his hips, meeting this nemesis again. This time, he's armed with a key! It's so crazy it just might work. He tries the key.

It works!

As swift as a summer breeze, the black, white and blue jay slips through the door and pulls it closed behind him, taking the time to lock it once more. Then he spins around to see just where he is; hopefully close to Not-Slix.

He appears right beside the other near the office-closet room. Jay pops his wings wide in a silent 'ta-dah!' and 'hello!'.

Slixvah dips further into the room, gaze swooping about. The music is loud, it fussing with her attention some. She mutters a word, and the illusion wavers a bit to give her a dancer's top, but still wearing ragged pants and a soaked cloak. "Yeah, I know. Maybe. Let's just see what's in here to see what we can work with..." she rumbles back, stepping back into the room. <Draconic>

She whirls around at the sound of the guy's voice. No. It can't be. "Fuck me sideways," she chirps quietly. <Auran>

And then Jay is there. Not-slix in her partial dancer's outfit. She smiles! Hello! She frowns. Shit. "You're our armed escort," she chirps quickly to him, reaching out to pat him on the head. <Auran>

"Reginald?" she calls out towards the charming-not-charming guard. "No no, hon, we're some dancers trying to get to the stage!"

"I am? I can't be a dancer? I'm a great dancer!" Jay chirps back. He isn't. His crest flips up at the petting. He follows her gaze. So that's Reginald.

A second later, "Wait, what?" <Auran>

GAME: Slixvah rolls bird diplomacy: aliased to diplomacy+3+3: (4)+7+3+3: 17

"Oh, there they are! Excellent, I guess we can get ready now, then." Eztli grins. "But I don't think we can really get to the stage from here, can we? Probably ended up in the wrong spot to get there, less we want to remove a window and move in. I don't particularly want to get my clothes torn up doing that, it doesn't seem like a great idea."

"Dancers...? Nobody told me about dancers." The charming-not-charming guard leans away from the wall and starts to step closer; still out of sight, but slowly getting closer. "This is not the way to the stage, girls."

"Walking into a trap!" A familiarly high pitched sound screeches.

Dancer-half-oruch-Slix glances back, gives a wink. "You're getting-" Shit, the guy was getting closer. Quick quick quick. Uhh. Uhh. Ah! Slix rips the band off her head, her illusion wavering away as she quickly tries the rainbow ribbon around the Integrity's head. "Think of what you want to look like, you're a dancer now, and say 'Lutatio'" she quickly instructs. <Auran>

There's some quick chanting, "Eb hwta I srieed." All of her robes ruffle up, get tossed about, obscuring her visage and wings. They settle down...

And its the half-oruch slix again. With the a shaved head, olive skin, and thin frame. "... oh wow my teefies have points..." she whispers to herself before brushing her robes off, standing up straighter. "Ok cuties, we need to get past the stage," she whispers to them, cracking her knuckles.

GAME: Slixvah casts Alter Self. Caster Level: 5 DC: 16

It's a trap! The parrot warned him. Unexpectedly thrust into his flippant response, the bluejay egalrin squawks in surprise, "Lucatio!".

'Think of what you want to look like!' A simple enough command, and much like telling someone not to think of Pink Elephants, he's now unable to conjure any mental image.

Reluctance would be so much better at this. She never refuses a dare. His sister was famous for that, and now Jay is thinking about his sister. Now Jay looks like his sister.

Which is remarkably similar to how he normally looks, sparing a few details which are obvious to egalrin that cue female instead of male. His wings are slightly larger, his patterns less interesting, his feathers smoother.

He's also wearing a costume that matches the half-oruch's, they're a flock, a troop! Enswaddled in diaphanous wraps, the seven brightly coloured veils of a belly dancer.

Awwk! "I'm a dancer!"

GAME: Jay rolls disguise: (8)+10+2: 20
GAME: Aelwyn rolls 1d20+3: (8)+3: 11

Eztli blinks once, and nods, seeming to do her best to not laugh, which, given the situation and apparent risk, is easy enough. "Ah, there we are. But I'm not dressed yet. We really need to go get that sorted, don't we? Past the stage, so you know, I can actually have some privacy."

"Why'd that doofus have danc-" The voice says and then the once quite charming looking face, now indefinitely scarred with a gruesome bandage, stops in his tracks. Eyes wide, he looks at the trio. There's a long moment of pause when he attempts to parse what Eztli just said.

Another long moment later, he suddenly swipes off the hat from his head. "Well, ladybirds," Glance given to each one in turn. Especially to Jay. "Why don't we go to the backstage?"

The trio's bluff seems to have worked splendidly. It turns out there is a little hidden door at the corner of the empty room, leading into the rainy 'backstage'. "Now, which of you ladies needs a coat tonight?" The torches, the green door, the target in sight. Only few obstacles remained - this coat wearing fellow and another guard in the distance. Covered with lunchboxes.

Meanwhile, a new song is queued up on the track. "Y-yeah, it's hard to figur... figure 'bot, what she's all about!" There's some fumbling with the music, but that doesn't seem to stop the show. Or attempt at a one. "'color-myh-baby-mooweh-blue!"

"Walking into a trap!" The parrot reinforces.

"I'm Lucky?" The bluejay chirps in high-pitched surprise, stretching out a wing, staring at himself. Herself. Transforming into his sister suggests all sorts of issues. That should not be unpacked. There's a mission and as awkward as it is, Lucky is definitely a 'she' and Tegrity has to sell the disguise.

"I'm Lucky!" The egalrin dancer struts forward, her tail swaying as the guard leads them to the side of the stage. There's a backstage area, and steps leading right up to the platform above her head. She draws wingtip's across Reginald's chin, a light tickling gesture. "I don't need a coat! I'm so fluffy and warm! See? Thanks ever so much for bringing me here. I can't wait to get out there!"

"I'll Dance, and you can see!" Lucky's beak points pointedly at the two torches.

GAME: Jay rolls bluff+2: (10)+8+2: 20
GAME: Jay rolls performance/dance+2: (12)+performance/dance+2: 14
GAME: Jay rolls perform/dance+2: (4)+0+2: 6
GAME: Aelwyn rolls 1d20+0: (7)+0: 7

Oruch-touched Slix blinks at Integrity. Her cheeks puff out, lips pursed as she's trying to not blow a loud laugh. "You are a dancer," she manages to whistle out quietly before she swivels over to the bandaged man.<Auran>

"I dunno what doofus hired dancers that could give the dancers any damn good directions!" she fires back, stepping forward. She stops for a beat. "Oh goodness! What happened to ya?"

A side glance is given to the downright terrible song, but she shakes her head, chuckling. "Ah, yes, Lucky. I am jelous of your wings, just like her tail," she gestures to Eztli. "I'll take ya coat, honey, if ya offering?" she says to the bandaged man.

"No kidding, I wasn't sure what way we were supposed to enter from, or where to get changed!" Eztli laughs. "Oh, thank you, but we can't wear any coats on stage now, can we? They're paying us to wear less, not more, aren't they?"

"Lots of people are jealous of my tail, especially how I can shake it on stage." The small makari grins. "So lets not keep them waiting any longer, alright?"

The coats is very convincingly distracted by 'Lucky' and her charms, and he is grinning ear to ear. "You're warm, 'right." Watching Jay/Lucky do quite-average-looking-dance-to-be-honest, he was still giving suitable whistle and a clap of his hands. "Nice, still seems like someone needs a lil' more warmup." Grin to grin, hands rubbing against each other. Looks like someone's going to get their charm on.

"Eh?" The man says, turning towards Slix. Eyes squint as something trickles in the back of his mind, but then quickly dissipates. "... yeah, get on th'stage or what, lass? Lissen to yer girlfriend there," Then back towards Jay. "Your tail's cutest since Keet's,"

"Trap! Trap!" The aforementioned parrot confirms.

"Aw! You're so sweet. Sweet!" The bluejay chirps, drawing away from the guard with a long, leading edge feather maintaining contact as long as possible. Jay, embodying his sister, emboldened as she is, struts up onto the dance stage. Each step is timed to the hard beats of the music. Her tail is a metronome, switch, switch, switch, the feathers slice from side to side.

The northwestern part of the stage is open and wide, a natural dance area. Reluctance takes all of it, average dancer that she is, she works her veils in ways that only avains familiar with air-currents can. The fabric spins away from her as she twirls, helped by feather-taps, wings that catch and turn it into an extension of themselves. She shakes her hips with the music's beat, pulling a veil high to show a magically enhanced thigh.

And since the parrot has established the chorus, she keeps it up. "It's a Trap! It's a Trap! It's a Trap!"

Not-Slix gestures to herself and Eztli, "We still gotta get changed, so if ya don' mind, we jus' gonna go back there right quick," she mentions, slipping by the guy and walking towards the doors out back. A glare is shot to the parrot.

She looks back and- oh gods. He's up on the stage. He's... Slix watches. The swaying, the music, the dancing, the stage.

There's a slight rustle in her robes, and she snaps out of it, slapping her flushed cheeks a few times before muttering to herself, "Only have ta make it work once, huh...?"

The out of costume dancer attempts to get to the target door.

GAME: Jay rolls perform/sing+2: (2)+8+2: 12

"Yeah, be right back! Promise not to keep you waiting too long." Eztli smiles, heading for the torch marked door with a sway in her tail behind her.

"Hey, I know her dancing is great, but we gotta be professional, right?" The small makari nudges to Slixvah. "We won't be outdone for this."

"Lass, the warm-up-!" A voice calls out, but too late. Lucky is up on the stage and the world is hers.

Or at least, the immediate crowd of the few concert goes - most of them enjoying the swaggering attempt of a song up on the stage. "Ah, hard-" The singing breaks, when Not-Presslee turns to look at the new figure on stage, strutting her stuff. "That's a dancer." The drunk singer states flatly.

The crowd cheers. "Shake th'money maker!" "Rockin' the beat!" "You're my idol!"

Music keeps playing on, the musicians looking utterly disinterested at anything that is going on and vaguely annoyed at having to play in the rain. "... 'complicated lady, it's hard to be ah'gamblin'-!" The white leather, soaked pompadour singer seems to be picking up his voice again. The song is starting to sound quite nice. Captivating, even.

Meanwhile, the pair is blocked by the lunch hoarding guard. "Stage-" Munch, munch, "That-way." Annoyed glare given to the parrot who is walking up on the rafters, stepping back and worth as it attempts to find an opening to steal the lunch.

Lights! An audience! Stage! It's performing time! The well of the court is nowhere near as intoxicating as the runway, the lights. Integrity throws himself into it, and Reluctance eats it all up. Shake your moneymaker - she will!

The bluejay turns to the band, "You heard them! Something fast! Something climactic! A good beat you can dance to." She lifts her tail, shakes her tail, thighs like only an avian can have enticingly bouncing from side to side.

Lucky spins around again, casting a veil out across the crowd. It spreads like a fishing net, and being illusion, dissipates as soon as the last feathery contact is broken. She unreels another veil, twirling it like a tornado. "It's the final countdown!"

Arms splayed upwards, one is invitingly held towards the parrot, a possible perch in the limelight. Lucky clacks her beak, lauhing and chanting, "It's a trap!"

Slixvah grinds her teeth- oh, right, actual teeth! But still, she wipes off the grimace from her visage and wraps an arm around Eztli. "Of course, we gotta keep it /professional/," she stresses, looking to the lunch guard, aegis of lunches. "I know the stage is that way, but we gotta change inta our outfits! Can we change back there, pretty please? We gotta be professional, can't just go strippin' butt naked here!"

She bats her eyes, smiling wide.

Don't watch the dancing Tegri. Don't watch the dancing Tegri. Oh my gods please don't watch the dancing Tegri. Despite how much she wants to stare at the sight, she has to remain focused!

She steals a glance over her shoulder. You're weak, woman!

GAME: Jay rolls perform/sing+2: (6)+8+2: 16
GAME: Jay rolls perform/dance+2: (12)+0+2: 14

"I know the stage is over there, sir, but surely you don't expect me to go out dancing in these baggy robes, do you?" Eztli laughs. "And she's right, we can't strip down here, and everywhere we've been so far has had people around. We just need a moment, and we'll be right out. I don't want to leave my dance partner out there out to dry, you know?"

The lunchbox guard looks at the pair of women, then back behind at the door. Giving them another hard look - finally, he shrugs his shoulders. "'kay." A man has never been more dedicated.

On the stage, the heat was rising! Music beats, voices mingle, and even the band moves to a completely different tune, encouraged by the magic.

It's the final... "Hey, it's my stage." The Not-Presslee states. The crowd was also blankly staring at Lucky. The veil flutters sadly to the rain soaked ground with the final abrupt notes of the band.

It was raining. Just hard rough droplets hitting the pavement. The parrot lands atop Jay's shoulder. "A trap! A trap!" It continues to a completely quiet clearing, then flicks tail up.

Meanwhile, the pair go inside an empty room. Well, not empty. There's the green box, wrapped up in red cloth and some arcane chains. At the other end of the room, there was a window and a door. The street outside the window was lit by couple of torches. The door leading to the other street was knocked slightly ajar by the wind and rain. Or just rockin' music.

Slix lets out a long breath as the guy lets them past, her patting Eztli on the shoulder. "Thanks sugar!" she says to the guard, slipping past him and going through the door. Just before the door shuts, an olive skinned hand wraps a finger around an unseen thread. She looks over her shoulder. "Give it to 'em, Blue," she whispers under her breath. <Auran>

She stares at the box. She frowns. "... did... he lose the box again... is that his... ?" she muses aloud before shaking her head, advancing to to collect the target and get the heck out of here. "Eztli, honey, can you get the door ahead?"

"I know!" Lucky states, the bluejay egalrin turning to address Not-Presslee. Her wings pop, she nuzzles her beak against the parrots, then addresses the singer, "I'm just a poor dancer, no body loves me. A poor player, strutting the stage, fitfullly! Every sound and fury, nothing! Significantly!"

"You make the beat, that ties it organically. So!" The bluejay drops to the stage, in splits. Almost splits, he is not as flexible as she needs to be. "It's a trap! It's a trap! Everyone can see. Echo the beat, resounding rhythmically."

The eglarin is on her feet again, another veil removed and in the wind, the avian's body teasing towards being revealed, "Dance and be free! More music for me."

She... he's lost in the moment, the illusion, the pretense, concerned only with dragging it out a little longer so the others can escape.

GAME: Jay rolls perform/oratory+2: (9)+8+2: 19
GAME: Jay rolls perform/oratory+2: (11)+8+2: 21

"Yes, of course I can." Eztli nods once she's out of her robes that are stuffed into the bag, and into the dress she had kept on her just in case. Now looking like she belonged on the stage, if anyone stopped her on the way out as she went to open the door. "Guess they have been improving though, huh? That's good ,isn't it?"

Even without music, Lucky can hold an audience, it seemed. Even if that audience wanted Presslee, not a bohemian show. "Uh..." Another burb. The drummer decides to just hit a beat in time with Lucky, probably more out of boredom than any sense of camaraderie. A dark face in the window stares down, before he turns towards another dark face. "Gimme her name and address, by tomorrow." A stetson wearing voice speaks.

Still, the show had to go on and eventually Lucky was taken down from the stage. Eztli and Slixvah both make an easy get away through the empty streets, the only bother being the rain. The Ox-Strength Tavern probably felt very tempting by now as far as warmth and that curry went.

A familiar sith-makar spills out on the streets from the tavern. "No-no pay! No pay!" He stammers, then quickly gives out the promised bag of coins. "Take, take! They didn't pay!" And with that, the agitated sith-makar stomps his way into the night. An empty table with dishes of curry waits inside.

Lucky dances the night away, shaking her tailfeathers, for as long as the magic lasts. When pressed for personal details she hands over the parrot, which had become a good shoulder companion and dancing accessory. "Talk to my agent!"

With that distraction and her last veil cast, the bluejay egalrin escapes the stage and the spotlight, remembering to discretely switch back to his own appearance and attire after a few catcalls and several blocks. Several, several blocks. Egalrin are not a common sight, and the appropriate sartorial concealment likewise rare and uncertain.

Reluctantly, Integrity removes the illusion and meets up with his friends, the magic item handed back with a happy, "That went well!"

Combatty

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