[ We find Our Heroes... sleeping in, mostly. ] [ It is now three days into the rebuilding of the campus of the Bygasse School for Adventurers. The rubble of the buildings burnt down has been cleared away, but new structures have yet to be begun. Most of the students killed have been brought back to life by now, with only half a dozen remaining. ] [ You have all been involved either in helping clear the charred remains of the building, or of preparing for future adventures. It's been tiring work, which might be why some are still sleeping. ] [ But some of you are up, even at this time of day. Let's see what you're up to. ] [ Session Start! ] * Istvan is currently down in his forge, as he has been for pretty much the last two days straight. * Max is at the front door, a bag sitting on top of his Book with him upside-down underneath. He knocks. *knock, knock-knock knock knock, knock-knock* * Istvan hears the door, as he's currently just sitting down waiting for Seylin's armor to cool. When he doesn't hear anyone open the door, he sighs, trudges upstairs, and opens the door, covered in soot. "Hey Max." Hi! *waves from under his Book* I've got most of the supplies for Kenji's little project. Is he awake yet? Dunno, but I've been down in my forge for most of the last coupla days, so he could've been running around the house being eaten by mice and I probably wouldn't have noticed. * Max chuckles. "Let's hope that's not the case. Can you imagine Kenjimice? And, um, may I come in?" 'course. *steps aside* Doesn't the blood rush to your head when you're like that? * Max floats on in. "Nope! It is kinda hard to write like this, though. The ink keeps running out the top of the pen nib." So what're you working on? * Max reaches up and grabs the edge of the Book in front of his legs, pulls them off of the bottom of the Book, hangs for a moment, lowering the Book down to a couple of inches off the ground, then drops to his feet. "Kenji wants a headband set made that allows thought-sharing between those wearing them." He dusts off his hands, and has the Book set down on the table, its bag still on top of it. I finished buying the odds and ends necessary this morning - some of the shops I had to visit keep -really- wierd hours, until you remember this is a college - and now I need his presence for the binding of magics into the items. Hmm. Could be useful. Would it only share the thoughts you send, or anything that pops into your head? Just the thoughts you want to send. It's a varient on the spell I used while we were fighting the Linnorm. Like that time, only a few will be in the link. Kenji only wants four of the headbands. I suppose I'll have to use the spell to link the rest of us into the group. * Istvan frowns. "I'll pass. I do not need Kenji in my brain." Oh, no no. No eavesdropping. It's just like talking, you just don't have to move your lips or exhale, and it works over any distance. But don't worry, anyway; you're not one of the four he wants 'em for. Not like that. s'more that I have a hard enough time trying to tune him out without him speaking directly into my thoughts. Oh, I see. ^_^ *pushes his glasses up his nose* How goes the forging of stuff? Looks dirty, if nothing else. I've got Seylin and Tia's gear mostly done, and I'm probably gonna get to start on Will's by the end of the day. Good job! * Istvan wipes his brow, leaving a streak of soot there. "I'm gonna have to leave Alcinoe's for last, 'cause her gear needs the most work, and it requires some rarer materials that I can't get my hands on right this moment." Hm. Anything I can help with? Nah. Need supplies that got destroyed in the attack. The forgemaster can get them, but it's just gonna take a few days to get here. Oh, okay. * Istvan pauses. "And when I said I was mostly done with Seylin and Tia's gear, I meant the prepwork to get them ready for enchantment. The actual enchantment and the post-enchantment work are gonna take a good chunk more time." I might want to look into acquiring some armor of some sort for my own projects, in the near future. Oh, lots of magic to bind to them? Decent amount yeah. The upgrades Alci wants are gonna require a whole ton of magic, which is part of the reason I need to wait for supplies. * Max nods. "Understandable. I had to fly a good distance to get some of the stuff in that bag." The cost of all this in terms of raw materials is fucking mind-boggling... if the Forgemaster hadn't taught me ways to conserve raw materials in preparing gear for enchantment, we'd probably have to sell the dorm to finance all this. Heh. For what I was planning, it'd take a small fortune, as well. Unfortunately, recent developements *his glance out the window indicates what he's referring to* have necessitated a restructuring of my priorities. Several things will just have to wait, probably until we're back from Rokugan. * Istvan nods. "Also helps that we have me to serve as free labor." *smirks* * Max smiles. "We're glad you're willing to do it. You're a good friend." I'm a master dwarven smith in training. It's good practice, if nothing else. I think you're going to need to eat fewer veggies to be a full dwarven smith. *pointedly stares way up from his spot standing on the floor, at the top of Istvan's head* ^_~ Ha ha. Master of the dwarven smithing techniques. Better? No. I can't tease you about that one. ...you do know I was just teasing, right? Not trying to hurt your feelings. ^^;; * Istvan eyes Max like he's just grown a second head. "Nah, 'course not. Was assuming you were doing the teacher thing and tryin' to get me to be more precise in how I word stuff." * Tia is banging loudly on her drums upstairs, though her room door is shut. She can also be heard alternately giggling and singing raucously in Draconic. * Max shakes his head. "I'm a math teacher, not a language one." Point. * Istvan looks up. "Tia's really enjoying those drums. Give me the willies a bit, though." They're a bit creepy, and overwhelming. But then, that's what they're enchanted to be. She's pretty good with them. ...though her singing could use some work. And one should -not- be trying to rhyme draconic that way. >_< You speak dragon? * Max crosses his arms and taps one foot. "I really do need to find Kenji and get started on his headbands, though. If I don't find him soon, I'm going to get to work on --hm? Oh, no, not exactly. I understand it and can be understood by those who speak it, though. Tongues spell, permanently bound to me. Did that before we left to visit the trolls." I can read, understand, and be understood in any language. Just can't write in languages I don't know nonmagically. Need to find a way around that... * Max pushes his glasses up his nose. "Sorry, got sidetracked." Ah. Magic. Cool. *pauses* Never really paid much attention to that part of magic. More interested in the things that could burn me, fry me, send me to a demon dimension... Heh. Those are the more spectacular forms of it. I was planning to make my Book protect me some from it, but... well, other projects have taken priority. Speaking of which, if I can't find Kenji soon, I'm going to have to go start on a project of my own. I can't put things off if he can't be bothered to be around. * Istvan mutters. "Go find Shernical and try'n kill her. I'm sure Kenji'll appear to accept her surrender." Tsk, tsk. Kenji'd just take the prisoner away from whoever -did- accept her surrender, then let her go. Be fair. That lapse in judgement will have to be rectified. I sincerely hope that most of us, at least, learn from this mistake. *sighs* Next time, I don't care if she personally offers her surrender to Bahamut himself. She's dead. Indeed. * Istvan rubs his neck. "By Moradin's beard, what a clusterfuck this's been." * Max looks like he wants to say more, but bites his tongue and instead says, "Yeah. But...we'll recover. I still have Alak, too. Going to have to send him home before too much longer, though." You mean the drow you captured? You're kidding, right? Oh, hardly. *grins maliciously* You're gonna send him home? Alive? In one piece? That's insane. It all depends on how many pieces he leaves his home in when he gets there. ... ah. The old exploding Drow trick. * Istvan bows to Max. "Professor, I have underestimated you." *sigh* Do not worry; I am not making Kenji's mistake of arrogant self-aggrandizing superiority. *smiles somewhat sadly at Istvan's statement* Thank you. How big an explosion are we talking about? * Max pushes up his glasses. "Politically, it's a landmine. We will be unlikely to have to worry about any of the drow from that group...ever again." He stops, thinking a moment, then shakes his head and goes on, "Please don't mention it to anyone else. Especially Tia or Kenji. The former doesn't need to be hurt, knowing a drow will be let go; the latter...would do something stupid." * Istvan tilts his head. "Political? So we're not talking a big firey cave-collapsing explosion?" * Max gestures to the window. "One explosive could not do even as much damage as all that. And you see how quickly we are recovering. It may end with the collapse of a few caves, but not through direct operation. I do not wish to merely bloody their nose, Istvan. I wish to ensure they can never, ever strike us again." ... I'm curious now. You gonna use the drow to start a war between the drow and someone else? * Max shakes his head. "I've said too much. If anyone managed to divine me explaining this plan, it would fail. But...something like that. If all goes according to plan..." He hops up on his Book, and leans in to whisper in Istvan's ear. * Max drops off, soas not to dislodge the bag. * Istvan pauses, and ponders that for a minute. "I have no idea what that means, except on the most basic level. But it sounds good to me." Anyway, Kenji's not around, so I'm going to take this stuff back to my place and get to work on some projects of my own. Sorry for disturbing you in your work. Tell Kenji I stopped by, and just need him now to actually bind the magics, will you? I'll probably not have time left today; so if he'd stop by tomorrow or leave me a note in my mailbox when I can expect him, I'd appreciate it. Don't worry about it. I needed a break anyway. And I'll give him the message. * Max pulls himself up onto the bottom of his book, sitting cross- legged upside-down once more. His hair hangs 'up' from his head and he pushes his glasses more firmly onto his nose so they don't fall off. "Thanks. I will see you later." He drifts out the door, up above the building-line, and zips off rapidly. * Istvan closes the door behind Max, shivers a bit as Tia's drum playing gets particularly loud and frenetic, and heads back down to his forge. "No rest for the wicked..." [ Session End!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!! ]