The VVC Chronicles, Part IV:
THE ROAD GOES EVER ON
Written June 23, 1995 - January 31, 1996
(C) Copyright 1996, Maximus Clarke and the VVC Writers
Group
May not be reproduced in any form without permission.
IV.1
It's time...
> Awakening
===========
There has never, truly, ever been a headache this big.
It's too big for Excedrin. And, for that matter, Extra Strength Tylenol,
Advil, codeine, Mage's Fire and all other drugs, legal or illegal, known to
most human beings in the 20th century.
It _is_ the 20th century...she knows that much, through the world-
splitting ache in her brain. It _has_ been, all along, at least for her.
And yet in the space of a few hours, a rift has opened and closed in her mind
that was centuries wide. Yes...she's beginning to remember, dimly, through the
throbbing and the rawness. _There was a fierce light, a magic blast, and..._
Something had to give. And what gave was something in her head. And when
it gave, it opened a hole...a gateway...a vortex through which--
Well, through which a hell of a lot had gone. Enough to leave her with
this historic (yeah, and futuristic too) headache. _FUCK, not even Zeus could
have had it this bad when Athena was fighting to get out!_
Her thoughts meander like this for a while, the pain a constant
background. Gradually it begins to ebb, and at the edges, something begins
coming through--static flickers of perception. It's the outside world, she
eventually realizes. Her senses have been shut down by the trauma, but now the
nerve cells are timidly stretching out their ganglia again.
It's almost worse to be aware of the world, now, with her mind in its
flayed condition. She tries not to move her aching body. But from the data
trickling in, she can tell a few things: she's on the ground, on her back.
That rustling noise--trees? And there's a warmth on her skin, a red through
her
eyelids, that means morning sun.
She draws a breath--her ribcage feels sore, but the deep draught of oxygen
revitalizes. After a few moments she can venture a glimpse between slitted
eyelids, and what she sees brings all the details back: a pillar of weathered
grey stone...
One of a circle, a circle in the woods. The woods are next to the Cafe,
the Virtual Vax Cafe. The owner's name is TRAVELER, and her own is INLERAH.
It's the morning after the rave, and the destruction of Ahannos.
Exhausted by even that amount of activity, her mind goes limp. She rests
amid the stones, gathering her strength. A single thought, a feeling really,
dwells in her mind, and fills her with peace...
_It's good to be back._
User: Traveler: Back At The VvC (Original Version)!
Date: 23-Jun 06:03 PM 803930696
IV.2
> Morning in cyberspace
=======================
It looks like a very large slumber party has been held in the kitchen of
the Virtual Vax Cafe.
Bodies are strewn across the floor, in corners, and even on counters and
tabletops. The slow movements of breathing are the only signs that this is not
a kitchen full of dead people; otherwise, nothing stirs except dust motes,
illumined by blue morning light leaking in from the White Room.
After a long while, there is movement: someone sprawled next to the large
walk-in freezer begins to toss fitfully. When the figure finally turns its
face
into the light, sits up, and squints, it looks like CADO. "Yawwwwn," he says,
thoughtfully. Then, "Whoa! We're...we're back!!" He stands dizzily and
surveys the room. Yes, this is the familiar kitchen...and the people lying
around it apparently in deep slumber all seem familiar too.
"Ha ha! We're back! Emit Flesti worked! Hey, folks, rise and shine!
Welcome to the twentieth century!" Slowly, others awaken, wipe the sleep from
their eyes, and realize where they are.
SYLVAR emerges from under the big wooden table at the center of the room,
and almost collides with ECSTASY and GHOST, stumbling out of a niche between
cabinets. "Good morrow--er, how's it going?" the librarian-cum-herbalist-cum-
Tarot dealer says, uncertainly.
Ghost and X look at each other, bleary-eyed, then back at Jon. "Raves
suck," they mutter, and head for the nearest chairs.
"You two look like I feel...and I feel like I could use some java."
"I've already got some brewing," says Cado, bustling past in an apron.
"And once the grill warms up, there'll be eggs and pancakes, and maybe some
bacon and hashed browns."
"Great, except for the charred pig parts, and I see by that can on the
counter that you're using *shudder* instant coffee. That's an oxymoron for
you! Allow me to grind some of my special blend for everyone. I'll make it
triple strength...that oughta bring everyone back to the here and now."
"Did someone mention coffee?" GRAHAM sits up in a corner, running one
hand through tangled curls. "I hope so...because I don't even want to _try_
and
face the twentieth century without coffee."
FIREFLYTE emerges from a cabinet with a clatter of pots and pans.
"Coffee is good," she declares groggily, stumbling toward the refrigerator
and opening the door. "But what my system needs--is this." She pulls out a
chilled bottle of Mountain Dew. "There's too much blood in my caffeinestream."
DELRIUM now pokes her head out from the cabinet adjacent to the one
Fireflyte was in. "Either that birthday hangover is real persistent, or
I've got a bad case of history lag." She rummages about for some tea, and
and begins heating water.
"Well, with so many forms of caffeine available," says Cado, now pouring
freshly mixed pancake batter on to the grill, "it shouldn't be hard to get
everybody up and at 'em. Say, Jon...is everyone here who's supposed to be?"
Sylvar is walking about, peering at the still-unconscious occupants of
the kitchen. "Not sure. I hate to say it, but we may be missing someone.
And--huh? We seem to have picked up a newcomer..."
User: Traveler: Instant Breakfast Mix
Date: 27-Jun 08:25 PM 804284760
IV.3
"and a lack of real spice in my life..."
User: Ecstasy: Pretention Mix
Date: 28-Jun 00:04 AM 804297908
IV.4
X: one of my favorite smiths songs...as you may have gathered...
Traveler: *delighted smile* i don't like the middle ages too much. sorry,
SCA lovers; i'm happy to be back.
User: GRAHAM
Date: 28-Jun 04:43 AM 804314588
IV.5
(MISSING MATERIAL: Post by CADO.)
IV.6
> Roll call
===========
Meanwhile, just BEFORE the above post (in which TRAVELER has reappeared
without notice :) ) takes place:
"A newcomer? You mean me?" GRAHAM asks. "I made all your acquaintances
in the Middle Ages. And yet...I seem to have made the leap to the present.
And it doesn't feel odd. In fact it's a good thing--I'd had enough of the
past. But somehow I have memories of a life here, just as I had memories of a
medieval life back then..."
"Yes," SYLVAR says, "I remember my life from that time clearly--I fit in
seamlessly. I think we were somehow integrated into that time, and are now
reintegrated into this one. But you're not the newcomer I'm talking about.
He is." He indicates a wiry man sprawled across the main table, wearing torn
and bloodstained clothes.
"I think I can explain," says DRAKEHART, slumped against one wall and just
now coming to his senses. "His name's VISION, and he's from the future."
"Maybe that explains the weird-looking implants," Jon muses. "Wait--the
future?"
"Drakeheart and I both were there," Cado says. "It's a very long story.
Maybe we should all eat first--"
"Drakehart?" says Delirium, turning abruptly from the stove with teakettle
in hand. She glances over to where he sits, and their eyes lock.
"Delirium, I presume," he whispers. She walks over to him, and they begin
talking in the warm, quiet tone of lovers.
Around the room, others are stirring. "Back to the towel room for me, I
guess," PERIGRINE says from near the cellar door. "Just as well--I was getting
tired of the stables."
"Back to the Taco Bus for me," NORM! says, sitting up in a corner. "Just
as well--I was getting tired of the Hardee Wagon."
"And back to the design studio for me," ROARK says, emerging from under
the stairs. "Just as well--I was getting tired of the convent."
"All these plot threads are getting tied up so quickly, it's beginning to
look like a cat's crade in here," Graham remarks. "But we're still missing
someone..."
"Our proprietor," Jon Vallee says, pouring himself a mug of coffee from a
just-brewed pot. "Did he make the jump?"
The door to the dumbwaiter slides open. A dazed TRAVELER extricates
himself from the small compartment, as Graham and Sylvar hurry over to help.
"I had the strangest dream," he mumbles, peering around him. He points at
Graham: "You were there!" He looks over at Sylvar: "You were there too!"
Pointing at various members of the assembled group: "And you, and you, and
you!"
"We thought we'd lost you for a while there," the coffee man says.
"So, Trav, is this where you say `There's no place like home?'" ECSTASY
asks.
"Yep," the proprietor replies. "And no time like the present."
A young man with close-cropped, pink-dyed hair, huge sideburns, and
numerous body piercings wanders into the kitchen, almost tripping over his
loose-fitting bell bottoms and platform-soled sneakers. "Uh, hey. Peace.
Is, like, the rave still going on?"
User: Traveler guesses we'll never get our chronologies quite straight...
Date: 29-Jun 10:11 PM 804463919
IV.7
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
The kitchen door flies open, and a rather disheveled dark lady appears... or
should one say, materializes? She seems rather.... transparent.
A few jaws drop, but after what everyone's been through, most of the VVCers
take it in stride.
"I don't think I made it all the way," DARICELL says, her voice echoing eerily
even though the room is full of people. It sounds as though she is at the end
of a large tunnel. "I'm still in contact with you, but... just not bodily
around, it seems."
"Can you still cook?" someone asks.
DARICELL Copperpot frowns at the question. "I think so.. but the food may not
be as substantial as it once was. I'll see." She retreats into the kitchen,
but then pokes her head through the door -- literally.
"Anyone seen a tall, redheaded, see-through private eye with a cat?"
User: Should I change my name to Magistra?
Date: 30-Jun 07:00 PM 804538926
IV.8
oh, no!!!!
NOT THE VAMPIRE CAT!!!!
User: ECSTASY
Date: 30-Jun 09:25 PM 804547536
IV.9
> Bits and pieces
=================
"Oh dear," TRAVELER says. "Looks like we've come back only hours after we
left. Thanks for the pancakes, CADO. But now there's cleaning up to do...and
breakfast to serve to hungry rave kids...can you lift a spatula, DARI--er,
MAGISTRA?"
Once the Cafe kitchen is up and running again, Trav walks out to the
meadow to survey the party's aftermath. The rave circle is empty but for a
couple dozen stragglers, and technicians taking down the sound equipment and
lights. Clearly, most of the ravers recall only one night of intense dancing,
not one year in the Middle Ages; still, many of them resemble people at the
traveling fair that camped next to the Virtuous Vagabond and Comrades tavern.
There is one more person who should be here... _Ah, there behind the DJ
booth!_ The young Orpheus is quietly and methodically slipping records into
their covers, and putting them back into milk crates for storage. "Good to
see you, my friend," Traveler says. Orpheus flashes a quick smile. "Glad
you're feeling...together again. Oh, you forgot one record--here on the
turntable." Trav looks at it as he hands it to the DJ: Enigma's "Return to
Innocence: 380 Midnight Mix." "Ah yes..."
Letting his gaze drift, Trav notices something odd by the trees which
separate the meadow from the Cafe. "Horses?" He steps off the DJ platform and
heads toward the animals. It's Raindancer, Costello, and at least one other
steed from the tavern! "Hmm...certain things got carried through the time
vortex with us." He rubs Raindancer's neck. "Well, girl, we've now got a
dance club where your stable used to be. We'll have to make new arrangements."
The cafe owner heads up the wooded path back to the main building.
Halfway there, he meets SYLVAR coming the other way. "Strange tidings," John
says. "Certain things have...changed."
"Such as?"
"Remember that puddle in the parking lot that would never drain properly?
Now the old tavern well is sitting there."
"Ha! I guess it makes sense..."
"There's more. We now have two huge fireplaces on either side of the
White Room, just like back in the days. And ECSTASY says there are big casks
of ale in the cellar, tasting fresh as new."
"Hmm. Everything else is normal, though?"
"Not quite. We've had leakage from the other direction, too...there's
some hardware in the Blue Room the likes of which I've never dreamed of.
That guy from the future, VISION, and DRAKEHART both seem to have some
sophisticated cybernetic implants."
"There's one thing I want to check," Traveler says, heading off the path
and pushing aside branches and underbrush. John Vallee follows. "It was
always here...but we never knew what it meant..." They enter a small clearing,
somewhere between the stone circle and the Cafe's decorative garden. A single
mouldering tombstone still leans there, and they bend to view the faded words
inscribed on its surface.
"`J.D./His Lyfe For His Friends'," Sylvar murmurs. "Jack Dullblade,
you've been under this stone for seven hundred years...but we won't forget
you."
User: Traveler
Date: 2-Jul 05:07 PM 804704864
IV.10
VVC: [Wo]man out of Time
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
GRAHAM stumbled into the kitchen with an anthology of Anthony Hecht's
poetry and poured herself a cup of coffee. She saw Magistra and said,
"Now that we're back in the 20th century, I really have to clear one thing
up: I HATE HORSES!!! And I don't think I can even make an exception for a
horse named Costello. So how do I tell Traveler?"
Magistra said, "Just give him to me. Tell Trav you owed money on your
student loans or something."
"I think Trav might have some trouble with the plot nuances of student
loans when, technically, I've never been in the 20th century before now. But
I'll try it. After all, I've gotten two phone calls today from some annoying
guy who claims to be my ex-boyfriend. I tried to explain the impossiblity of
20th century exes, but he just kept talking about his mother."
Magistra ran her hands through her hair, washed them, and then handed
Graham a chocolate-covered pretzel. "Sounds like the plot of a Woody Allen
flick. And you look like you could use a cigarette--let's go outside and
find a place where you can smoke and we can talk. I don't know how I knew you
smoked, since i guess we've never met."
"Time-space technicalities. Let's go."
On their way to a secluded area, Graham and Magistra passed Traveler
and said hello and such. "I'll bet that hair could provide hours of bedtime
fun," Graham said, once they'd passed him. Her eyes lingered on his legs
until he went inside
"I don't know, and I don't want to find out. I'm still wondering where
I can find a certain red-haired P.I."
"Hmmm... listen, I have more important things on my mind right now.
Let's talk business. I'm wondering where I can set up a movie theater around
here. I've got a place all scoped out in L.A. and I'm ready to take it, but I
kind of like it around here. Any ideas?"
User: GRAHAM
Date: 2-Jul 07:18 PM 804712866
IV.11
a trick they do with mirrors and with chemicals?
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Magistra leans back against the oak tree, next to Graham. Or at least, she
gives the semblance of leaning back against the oak tree. In virtuality, she
is no more substantial than the smoke curling from Graham's cigarette.
"Funny," she says, "they say smoke will kill you, but now I AM smoke." She
pickes up a twig and twirls it in transparent, misty fingers. "I guess I can
still cook, though. Say, Graham, why not put your production studio on the
site of the old Blue Parrot? You could get a nice film noir feel there."
Graham grinned. "Of all the gin joints in all the times in all the univers..."
You're right. I'll ask Traveler. Wehn I ask him about Costello."
Magistra looks at the horses. "I doubt I could ride Costello... in this state,
anyway... but I'll keep him if you want him. What I'm wondering is, are my
vintage wines still in the cellar? and have they turned to vinegar yet?"
"If they have, let's send them to my ex as a present."
"What a lovely, charming sentiment! I entirely approve." Magistra stood up,
ran her hands through her hair, and sighed. "I'd better get back to that
kitchen. I left one of those weird little ravers in there to flip eggs and I
want to make sure he isn't using 'smart tobasco' on them."
User: Editor Lady/Magistra/Daricell CopperPot -- the unholy trinity?
Date: 3-Jul 00:17 AM 804730690
IV.12
VVC: The future looks like the 40's...
--------------------------------------
"No, wake up -- tell me about the stimulants," pleads Jon Vallee, hoping to
enhance his java with knowledge from the future. Jon grumbles as the newcomer
refuses to stir.
Tightening a few steam gaskets, he brings the coffee machine into working
order. With a puff of dark aroma, it swings into gear. By the time Jon can
find several clean mugs, glasses, and demitasses, the first batch has already
landed in the spill drain.
Ghosts almost as pale as Chef CopperPot straggle in from the rave site.
Like the land they walk on, they look used, recycled, and used again.
(Venkpersons will kindly refrain from commenting on the plots we use.)
"Izzat coffee?" croaks a tired patron with a hoarse voice.
"Espresso. Triple-strong. Think you're up for it?"
"Pour it. *Then* I'll be up."
Sweet dense coffee hits cold porcelain and is immediately pitched into a dry
mouth. The patron holds it out for another dose, then trembles slightly as the
first takes effect. She waves Jon away.
"Whooo! That's it. Thanks!" she calls over her shoulder, halfway out the
door en route to the Boston Marathon.
User: SYLVAR: Fresh goes better with espresso, fresh and full of life!
Date: 3-Jul 01:30 AM 804735095
IV.13
everyone has their fetishes around this place...
User: Ecstasy: pass the crystal, spread the tarot...in illusion comfort lies
Date: 3-Jul 02:03 AM 804736996
IV.14
DL: heh heh heh "looovely, charming sentiment" indeed!
and i just bought two bottles of wine today. wonder how long it takes merlot
to turn to vinegar?
User: GRAHAM
Date: 3-Jul 04:36 PM 804789406
IV.15
Damn it's hot outside!
-----------------------
But, meanwhile, in virtual time, GRAHAM is sitting in a cool corner of
the VVC, reading _The Merchant of Venice_ (for pleasure rather than for legal
themes as she must in real time), and wishing for some of SYLVAR'S expresso and
a little company...
User: GRAHAM
Date: 3-Jul 04:51 PM 804790278
IV.16
> The next level
================
TRAVELER enters the kitchen. "Oh Dark Lady of uncertain apellation," he
calls to DARICELL/MAGISTRA, who is mostly supervising the other kitchen staff
due to her semitransparent state. "Have you gotten a call or message from
ZOROASTER yet?" She responds in the negative. "A classic dilemma," he says.
"Who watches the watchers--or rather, who's watching the detectives? If you'd
like, we can try to call him from my office. I need to talk to him as well.
Uh, I'll dial if it's giving you any trouble..." They heads upstairs and are
on the phone for quite a while.
"It sounded like they talked to Zoro at first," says PERIGRINE, now
downstairs at the White Room bar. "I could overhear a few things from the
Towel Room. Then I think he was on the phone with some kind of building
contractors..."
"Probably the ones who do all the VVC's renovations," says ECSTASY. "They
helped with the Ivory Tower, not to mention the Towel Room."
"Well, the Dark Lady is back in the kitchen, and GRAHAM is upstairs now.
Don't know what they're discussing."
"What makes you think they're...having a discussion?" X says.
Traveler walks out of the kitchen, preceded by Graham. "We've been
having a discussion," he says. "As soon as the rest of the ravers have cleared
out--say, in an hour--I'd like all staff to meet in the Red Room. I have some
important announcements to make."
"What kind of announcements?" Peri asks.
"Well...let's just say some things will be changing around here." Without
further explanation, Traveler and Graham turn around and head into the Red
Room. There they find Jon Vallee busily pulling espressos at the coffee bar.
"SYLVAR...I need your help," the cafe proprietor says. "What kind of design
software have we got in the Blue Room?"
"Some good stuff. DRAKEHART's been downloading from out of his head all
morning, including some eye-popping CAD programs."
"Hmm. Could you show me?"
"Sure...but who'll mind the coffee?"
"I'll take over here," says Graham, with the grin of a true java fiend.
In the Blue Room, Trav, Jon and Drakehart are huddled at one of the
multimedia terminals for the rest of the hour. Finally, they return to the Red
Room, Drake wheeling in some sort of high-tech projector on a cart. The
projector is set up near the stage at one end of the room; Sylvar unfurls a
stand-up movie screen in front of it.
Traveler takes the stage. All the Cafe staff (except a skeleton crew) and
most of the regulars are gathered in the wood-paneled room before him. "I'm
sure you're all wondering why I've called you here today. First of all, as
part of an effort to keep the VVC in step with current events--as opposed to,
say, past or future events--there will be fireworks in the meadow for the
holiday. No need to thank me. Now, the main announcement...since everything's
back to normal, it's time to consider the future of the VVC. I've talked to a
few friends, and here's what we've come up with. Syl?"
Jon, in the time-honored role of A/V geek, flips on the projector. A
brilliant 3-D computer rendering of the Virtual Vax Cafe appears on the screen,
rotating slowly. But there's something different about this version: it has
three stories instead of two.
"Presenting: the next level of the VVC..."
User: Traveler
Date: 3-Jul 11:17 PM 804813496
IV.17
vvc 3?
User: GRAHAM
Date: 4-Jul 03:34 AM 804828891
IV.18
can i finally get my own torture dungeon added on?
User: ECSTASY
Date: 4-Jul 04:06 AM 804830810
IV.19
I want an art nouveau mansion. :)
In fact, I think Daricell/Magistra/Dark Lady/whoever I am will purchase a
manse. All good ghosts need a mansion to haunt. Now, maybe Spielberg will
sell that Casper house......
User: Editor Lady will continue to woman the kitchen, too. :)
Date: 4-Jul 03:11 PM 804870731
IV.20
Graham: you should have phrased the question "When does VVC^3 come out?"
:)
X: hey, what about that cabinet full of S&M equipment up in the Ivory Tower?
A pretty nice torture nest, no?
User: Traveler
Date: 4-Jul 03:12 PM 804870765
IV.21
> Make a new plan, Stan
=======================
"Another level?" asks Joe Java, a fictional cafe-goer and conversational
foil I just invented. "But what about the hot tub, the terraces and the
greenhouse? Won't they be covered over?"
"No," replies TRAVELER. "We aren't going to add the level on top."
"The cellar?" Joe says. "But then where will you keep the wine?"
"No, we're not going to use the cellar."
"You surely can't dig _below_ the cellar--the bay would flood in!"
"Nope, we're not digging any deeper. Observe closely." He presses a
button on the remote control in his hand, and a picture of the current VVC
appears on the screen (WARNING: ASCII ART AHEAD!):
. ..----.. .
+ . . . |@| @@ |@| . ****
. . . |_|____|_| *** +
+ . . + \ \ / / ****
. . . || || . *** .
. . + __..............._:| || + **** .
___:'.=================.`: ||
::::::::::::::::::::::|| | |__|__|__|__|__|__| | ||::::::::::::::::::@@:::@@@
.............---------|| | | | | | | | | | ||----------.....@@@ @.@ @@
.. .. .. .'-----====-''-.'-|--|--|--|--|--|--|-`.``-----------`. @ @ @@ @
. . . .. |______________|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|______________| @ @@ @ @ @@
. .. .. | | | [5m \/ \/[0m | | | |
. . . .. | | | [1m CAFE[0m | | .^. .^.|====@===
. . /| O O O |o| | ..... | |o| :.: :.: |\ @ @ @ @\\ @
. /' |____________|_| | |x|x| | |_|____________| `@ @=@ @=@
. .|`------------_-.__`--ooooo__|x|x|__ooooo--'__.--------------@ @@ @ @
. | _.- .- |_OOOOOOO_______OOOOOOO_| \ @ - @ - @ \ @ @ @ @
. | __.- _.- |_______| |_______| \ - @ - @ - \@ @ @ @ @
. ~~~~~/ _.- | | ------------ || || |
__________/..-- / \ || || |
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
== ===== ===== ===== ===== ===== ===== ===== ==
_______________________________________________________________________________
"We're going to add the new level _between_ the first and the second."
The crowd gasps. "How, you ask? Well, the VVContractors can do anything.
After all, this is virtuality. They'll just jack level 2 up a story--it'll
become level 3, and `the new number 2' will be built in the middle. Observe."
He touches a button on the remote, and the image changes:
. + ..----.. .
. . . . |@| @@ |@| . ****
. . |_|____|_| *** +
. . . + \ \ / / ****
. . . || || . *** .
. + + __..............._:| || + **** .
. ___:'.=================.`: || . .
. . || | |__|__|__|__|__|__| | || . . +
+ .---------|| | | | | | | | | | ||----------. .
.'-----====-''-.'-|--|--|--|--|--|--|-`.``-----------`.
::::::::::|______________|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|______________|:::::@@:::@@@
..........| | | | | _ _
.. .. .. | | | [5m \/ \/[0m | | |_| |_| |@ @
@@ @
. . . .. |______________| | [1m CAFE[0m | |______________| @ @ @@
@ @@
.. .. | |--|_________________|--| | | | ||
. .. | _| | | |_ .^. .^. |====@===@\ @
. . /| O O O |o| | ..... | |o| :.: :.: |\ @ @ @ @\\ @
. /' |____________|_| | |x|x| | |_|____________| `@ @=@ @=@
. .|`------------_-.__`--ooooo__|x|x|__ooooo--'__.--------------@ @@ @ @
| _.- .- |_OOOOOOO_______OOOOOOO_| \ @ - @ - @ \ @ @ @ @
. | __.- _.- |_______| |_______| \ - @ - @ - \@ @ @ @
. ~~~~~/ _.- | | ------------ || ||
__________/..-- / \ || ||
"Neat, huh?"
User: Traveler
Date: 4-Jul 03:21 PM 804871294
IV.22
"I second the request for an art nouveau mansion - but between the first and
second floors would be fine, I'm sure," piped up a voice from one of the darker
corners of the room.
"But I'm not sure from the rendering who you'll be wanting that done. Gravitic
projectors would probably be more effective than hydraulics is you're just
going to jack up the upper floor. But, you could just reroute your access paths
across a couple of subdimension...hmmm, make it much easier to add on to and
could , er, expand your clientele" continued the bespectacled gent with a
rather bemused look off to noplace-in-particular.
"Who the hell are you? And haven't I seen you someplace before?" demanded
DRAKEHART.
"We served together on the Ghost Wheel, " continued the stranger as he starts
wiping the dust off his glasses with a handkerchief. He looks up and stares,
dropping his voice a major third "Surely you recognize a Null Trooper when you
see one."
User: Null Trooper
Date: 5-Jul 08:31 AM 804933120
IV.23
You had something to say, Mr. Old Wave? ;)
Magistra studies the plans. A fiendishly clever plan forms in her head.... and
she prepares to propose it to Traveler.
User: Magistra, nee Daricell
Date: 5-Jul 06:30 PM 804969036
IV.24
*harrumph*
the ivory tower will become entirely devoted to litcrit and S&M. after all,
they are the same thing...
User: ECSTASY
Date: 6-Jul 08:09 PM 805061376
IV.25
Is that another of those "form follows function" observations ?
User: Null Trooper
Date: 7-Jul 07:55 AM 805103718
IV.26
> And a one...
==============
"The VVC will not be adding on an Art Nouveau mansion, though I'd love to
see something Gaudi-esque go up in the neighborhood," TRAVELER says.
"NULL0TROOPER, perhaps some of your suggestions can be put to good use by the
contractors. But let me explain what exactly _will_ go on the next level."
A new picture appears on the screen. "This is a familiar map to all,
I'm sure. It's the first level of the Cafe, of which the Red Room here is of
course a part.
MAP 1: Traveler's Virtual Vax Cafe *
w (First Level) * *
| * * * *
s<--+-->n * * * * *
| _______________________ * * * * * *
e | _________________ | * * * * * * * *
T H E | | | |* * * * * *
| | | | * * * * * * * @ @
B A Y | | | |* * * * @ @ @@
__| | BLACK | |__ * * * * * @ @ @ @ @
______________| _: ROOM :_ |...............TO CLIFFS->
| ____________...|s| _____ |e|...____________ : @ @ @
| | \ _ --_____-- _ / | | @
| | - _\-d s-/_ - | | @
| : BLUE | | KITCHEN | | RED | : DEC.
| : ROOM | |_ | | ROOM | : GARDEN
| | -_/ -_____- \_- | |
| |____________...__ / --_____-- \ __...____________| |
|______________ |e| |s| ____________..: @
* * * |__ : WHITE : __| @
* * * | | ROOM | | @ @
* * * * * | |F F| | PRODUCE @ @ @
* * * * | | | | GARDEN @ @ @
* * * * | |_______..._______| | @ @ @ @
* * * MARINA PATH :.......................: @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @
* * <-- @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @
___________________________ _____________________________
___/' | | `\___
/' /' __ `\ `\
| P A R | |__| | K I N G |
| | Well | |
| `\______/' |
`\____ ________/'
`\______ __________/' . . .
. . . . `\_________________ ___________/' . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . R O A D . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
"You can see where a few modifications have been planned. Elevators to
replace the stairs at the northwest and southeast corners, for our disabled
patrons. The stairs in the kitchen are being moved slightly; the road is being
diverted so that the parking lot and the well will be right next to the
building. The White Room fireplaces are left over from our medieval adventure.
"Okay, now the good stuff. The new second level..."
User: Traveler
Date: 8-Jul 01:58 AM 805168780
IV.27
> And a two...
==============
A new picture appears on the screen:
MAP 5: Traveler's Virtual Vax Cafe (NEW Second Level)
w
_________________ |
| | s <--+--> n
| The | |
| Atlantis | e
| Room |
_| :_
_______________|s \ / e|_______________
| \ \___.....___/ / TRAVELER's |
| GRAHAM's __: |d___s| : Cafe Office |
| Cinema |1|2| |_________________|
| du Java |_|_| Lobby | ZOROASTER, |
| : : P.I.'s Office |
|________________/ _.._______..__ \________________|
|e / | \ s|
LEGEND | S p a c e |
| Available! | e = elevator
| .. = walls | Mail:traveler@ | d = dumbwaiter
: .. = doors | freenet.ufl.edu | 1 = projection room
s = stairs |________|________| 2 = box office
"We'll start on the west side with the Atlantis Room, the new gourmet
dining area featuring a beautiful view of the bay. I leave it to ROARK to
fine-tune the decor (though it will definitely have to incorporate some of the
interesting debris to wash ashore after the destruction of Ahannos' ship), and
Chef Copperpot to design the menu.
"Moving clockwise, I'll have a new office--all the more space for my
apartment on the next floor. It's nice to be the boss...heheheh. Next door
to my office will be that of ZOROASTER, P.I. and his trusty sidecat Maharet.
Keep an eye out for those two.
"On the east side, there are still two areas open. Got an idea? Send
me mail--we'll talk!
"And on the south side, I'm pleased to announce, will be GRAHAM's movie
theatre! Never again will this town lack a venue for classic and artsy movies.
But I'll let her tell you more about that later.
"A beautiful marble-floored lobby, accessible from the stairs and
elevators at the corners, will lie in the center. And that's the scoop on the
new level..."
User: Traveler welcomes you to a higher level...
Date: 8-Jul 05:06 AM 805180085
IV.28
yay! my very own cinema...though i dunno about the word "artsy"...
:)
i'm really happy.
of course the popcorn will have real butter, and the first two films to be
shown when it opens...well, GRAHAM has her ideas...
any suggestions?
User: GRAHAM
Date: 8-Jul 05:26 AM 805181163
IV.29
"In a sense she still smiles very sweetly..."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
GRAHAM and TRAVELER are standing in the kitchen, talking business with
the semi-transparent MAGISTRELL :) , and Graham is sucking on a
freshly-cooled lollipop. "Mmm. These are really good," she says.
Traveler clears his throat. "Uh...what flavor did you say those
lollipops were, Daricell?"
Graham licks the lollipop once more, looks from Daricell to Traveler,
holds his gaze for a moment, and smiles. "She _didn't_ say. Cherry."
Daricell seems very amused by something on the floor.
Graham says, "By the way, thanks for arranging the cinema for me.
The VVC is just the place for it, and I couldn't really get too excited about
moving to L.A. Once it's finished, I plan to open with a double feature.
I think I know which films I'd like to show, but I'm open to suggestions."
User: Graham
Date: 8-Jul 05:51 AM 805182694
IV.30
"So...how many licks _does_ it take to get to the center of one of those?"
TRAVELER says, indicating GRAHAM's lollipop in an offhand way.
Graham considers for a moment. "The world may never know."
"Well, I'd be willing to personally research the question..."
"Has the exhaust fan in here stopped working," the Chef Lady says, fanning
herself, "or is it just me that perceives a sudden rise in temperature?"
"Say," Trav says, "I hope you settle on a name soon. Just to make things
easier, you know..." He turns back to Graham. "Well, your movie theatre idea
seemed like the perfect addition to the Cafe. The roster of films is up to
you, but I have one condition." He whispers something in her ear.
"I think I could live with that," she says, nodding.
"Okay, I'd better get back out to the Red Room then and finish my
announcements. I told everyone we'd just have a brief intermission..."
User: TRAVELER
Date: 8-Jul 06:44 PM 805229058
IV.31
> And a one, two, three
=======================
TRAVELER takes the stage in the Red Room again. "For the record, here's
what the top floor will look like now:
MAP 3: Traveler's Virtual Vax Cafe (Third Level)
w
LEGEND _________________ |
| | s <--+--> n
-- walls | | | |
.. doors : | 1 | e
| |
_| __...__ |_
_______________|s|._ -- _..._ -- _.|e|_______________
| | _-|_ _|-_ | |
| ___ | | |d| :s| 6| | .._ |
| 4 .'''. :'10 : : 5 |.._| :11 `| 2 |
| `.9.' :.___: : __..___..__ : : _.| |
| | | 7 | 8 | | '' |
|_________________.|_ `-.__|__.-' _|._________________|
|e| --__...__-- |s|
| ===== 3 ===== |
KEY | ======= ======= |
| ======[ ]====== |
1 West Terrace | ======= ======= | 5 TRAVELER's apartment
(private) |_________________| 6 Apt. Bathroom
2 North Terrace 7 Apt. Bedroom
(public) 8 Yes, even a guest room!
3 Greenhouse 9 Hot Tub
(private) 10 Towel Room
4 South Terrace 11 Base of Ivory Tower
(public) s stairs to levels 1 & 3
e elevators to 1 & 3
"And that's that.
"We've come through quite a bit here at the Virtual Vax Cafe. Truth is,
it would be nice to settle down and let things just drift along for a while.
The stories have been epic and grand; but we shouldn't let them get in the way
of having a cool place to hang out.
"So the next phase of the VVC will emphasize just that: the Cafe as a
place for gathering, for playing, for a little magic, where (if you'll pardon
the cliche) `everybody knows your name'. No epic adventures for the time
being. If anyone wants to start a story of their own, feel free--as long as it
doesn't affect the Cafe at large too much, and you are willing to keep it going
yourself.
"Believe it or not, I have no more clever plots planned out at this point.
I just want to sit back, soak up the ambiance, and--"
Jon Vallee clears his throat conspicuously and looks at Traveler. He
holds up his hands, which appear to be enmeshed in a cat's-cradle of tangled
string.
"Oh...right," the cafe proprietor says. "There are just one or two more
things..."
"There are always just one or two more things," Joe Java murmurs.
User: Traveler: Exposition Edition
Date: 9-Jul 01:05 AM 805251965
IV.32
> Looking back, and forward
===========================
"First of all, there are the `Best of the VVC' reruns announced so long
ago. I've arranged with GRAHAM to show them in the Cinema du Java as a regular
matinee series, starting with excerpts of the first story, `The Indigo Toucan'.
"Secondly, I'm happy to say that the VVC will be expanding in yet another
dimension--on to the World Wide Web. Thank you for the hint, Jon. The Web
version of the Cafe won't be ready for visitors for a little while, though.
The plan is to make it a distributed web site--each room will be in a different
person's home pages, but the rooms will all be linked. Hopefully we'll even
have some photographs! Should be fun.
"And that's the news from the VVC. We've been here for one year, nine
months and three days so far...and it looks like we'll be around for a while
yet to come. So eat, drink, and be merry (hopefully the latter for real, even
if the first two are virtual); and enjoy your stay here, as long as it lasts."
There is scattered applause as TRAVELER steps off the stage, but soon the
usual bustle of conversation resumes. He threads his way through the maze of
tables till he reaches the bar; then he turns right, on a random impulse to
wander. In the Black Room, the day-shift DJ is spinning funky cuts from _The
Trip Hop Test, Part One_; little knots of goths and ravers congregate at
opposite ends of the bar. ECSTASY smirks and waves as she mixes drinks.
In the Blue Room, DRAKEHART is absorbed in programming or hacking--or
both--at a terminal with a 30-inch monitor. There are about fifteen
overlapping windows open on the screen, which he jumps between rapidly. Other
people are logging on, playing networked games, or reading old-fashioned hard-
copy books; in an empty corner, VISION kickboxes with an opponent visible only
on his VR goggles. CADO emerges from the southeast elevator and walks over.
"Just doing a routine security check of the second floor--soon to be the third.
Oh, also, I put the Tarot cards in your office safe. Seemed the best place for
them."
"True...though probably because of their antiquity more than anything
else. SYLVAR, FIREFLYTE and I were examining them earlier, and they don't seem
to have any more magical properties now than any other Tarot deck. Emit Flesti
took on the form of the roulette wheel in the future cafe, and when fragmented
by the alien's blast on the way back to the Middle Ages, it took on the form of
a Tarot deck that appeared card by card. But as soon as we left the medieval
tavern, it probably assumed some other form; the cards remained like a cast-off
skin."
"So I guess we'll never come across Emit Flesti again."
"Hmmm...I wonder. If it remained in the Middle Ages after we left, and
will still be around in the future, it must be somewhere in the City right now.
I think ZOROASTER and I encountered once years ago, in the form of a clock. So
perhaps our paths will cross again."
"The aliens _were_ looking for it. Either they had a use for it, or they
knew we could use it to sotp them from integrating the Earth into their
galactic computer," Cado muses. "I hate to think that they'll come and
everything'll happen just like we saw it happening. But you know what? In
that future, the VVCers were all missing after the rave explosion. We've
already started to change that timeline--we're here."
"That's right. And maybe, whenever the aliens get here, we'll be the ones
who make the difference."
They part, and the proprietor enters the White Room. It's good just to
sit at the bar, order a bloody mary and watch the crowd. White-shirted servers
brush the fronds of potted palms; laughter echoes from the high raftered
ceiling. Traveler spots GRAHAM sitting at a table, engrossed in conversation
with a bald man and a thin, dark-haired woman; he motions their server over.
"Let me see the check for table 7." He takes the slip and scrawls "OK TRAV"
across it. "They're on the house."
"Very good, sir."
"Barkeep, another bloody mary, if you please." _Ah...this is the life..._
:)
User: Traveler
Date: 9-Jul 08:10 PM 805320671
IV.33
:)
wow, even better than denny's...
too bad it's only virtual coffee.
User: GRAHAM
Date: 10-Jul 04:32 AM 805350754
IV.34
Look on the bright side...the check is virtual, too. :)
User: CADO...Now if only all my *bills* were virtual...
Date: 10-Jul 10:58 AM 805373902
IV.35
First you get down on your knees....
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Daricell, who has determined that while in the appearance of her old
persona (however foggy that persona may be) she might as well retain that
name, knocks on Traveler's office door. "Hey, have a dumb drink with me?"
She holds two glasses, a bottle of Bacardi Black, and a bottle of Coke. "I
want to ask you about something."
Traveler shakes his head. "I never drink with --"
Daricell pours the rum and cokes anyway, adding a twist of lime. "You ought
to, to join me in a toast. To our new business venture."
"I wasn't aware we had a new business venture."
Daricell handed him the cool drink and spread out a top ten list on his desk.
"I want to open a store here. Ever since I realized my medieval self, I've
wanted to combine my two joys: business, and pleasure...of a certain kind."
She smiled. "Do you recall Guilt Addictions, the catholic lingerie store?
Carrying a fine selection of nunderwear, ben-wa rosary beads, and other fun
implements?"
"You didn't capitalize 'catholic,'" Trav pointed out.
"You're right.... and that's because, you see, I mean the word not only in
its religious sense, but in the sense of "all-encompassing." whatever
your tastes, you can indulge them at Guilt Addictions. Besides, the capital C
was trademarked. Anyway, what do you think?"
"Hmmmm...." said Traveler.
"I'll keep a pile of cherry lollipops in stock," she said sweetly, "and green
M&M's too, not to mention things in other ... flavours.... Come on, Trav, what
do you say? Will you toast our business future? I would, of course, continue
to supervise the kitchen... What do you think?"
User: Editor Lady: "i think this is the start of a beautiful friendship."
Date: 10-Jul 09:34 PM 805412255
IV.36
"Well, I do want to fill up those empty spaces on the new level," TRAVELER
says. "What the heck--you're in." He proffers a contract. "Just sign this.
Now, I know this is abrupt, but I'm going out of town for two weeks. I've been
...called away on important business."
He opens the connecting door to his apartment and pulls out a suitcase
and a backpack. "I trust that things are at a point here where you all can
take care of things?"
"We'll try not to, uh, burn the place down, tick off any ancient mariners,
or do any time traveling," DARICELL says.
"Good. I've already spoken to GRAHAM, SYLVAR, X and CADO...the group of
you should be able to handle whatever comes up. Now, I think my taxi's
waiting." He carries his luggage toward the door...
User: Travelin' Man: Go West Mix
Date: 12-Jul 10:11 AM 805543918
IV.37
She's Miss Buenos Aires in a world of lacy lingerie....
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Daricell signed the contract in her fine copperplate handwriting and waved
bye-bye to Traveler as he set off for the wild wild west. :)
"Now, if I worked at it," she thought, "I could have the store completely ready
by the time he returned." She drifted back down to the Kitchen and checked on
the day's cuisinary offerings. It was humid and warm in the Kitchen, and the
damp sticky air made her wavery and blurred, so that she looked like an
Impressionist version of herself. She drifted back out, and waited until the
cooler, drier air restored her form.
"All this damp heat can't be good for my vibrations. And I really need to be
giving my time to this new venture.... I wonder where Graham is?"
She found the young woman in the stable, staring balefully at Costello, who
placidly munched his feed and ignored her.
"I've got this idea, Graham," she said. "I'll be opening the Guilt Addictions
shop and I want to make it the finest emporium of earthy delights in the world.
I'll need to research, to establish contacts, to find the best products, the
sexiest lingerie, the most interesting condoms, the most fabulous books and
pictures and movies. You want to go with me?"
Graham's eyes lit up. "Road trip! A Magical Mystery Tour of sexuality!"
Daricell grinned. "Exactly. Pack your bags... I thought we would begin with a
little jaunt to Hollywood, to visit Frederick, before we hop a plane to England
to visit Victoria.... and of course, we'll have to drop by the Redlight
district in Amsterdam..... the Vatican is a must -- and those weird little
sex-hotels in Japan...."
Two hours later, a group of Hare Krishnas was in the kitchen to cover for
Daricell's absence, and she and Graham were on the road....
User: Dark Lady: have reason, will travel
Date: 12-Jul 11:21 PM 805591587
IV.38
Yay! Our very own virtual road trip!
But we will have to camp out one night with just a can of beans and a few
sleeping bags, in memory of the late j. kerouac...
Graham will post her update soon (unless her companion posts first).
User: GRAHAM
Date: 13-Jul 01:06 AM 805597620
IV.39
the sweetest and the sauciest, the loveliest and naughtiest....
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-==-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Early that evening, their voices hoarse from singing along to too many
verses of "Tokyo Storm Warning" and "New Amsterdam," GRAHAM and DARICELL pull
their little black sportscar into the lot of a Denny's off the interstate.
Graham smokes a cigarette, outside, while Daricell orders two bottomless mugs
of coffee in the non-smoking section. Actually, that's not true. Since this
is only a virtual tale, the two grab booth in the smoking section, because
secondhand smoke does not affect the lungs of VVC characters.
Graham lights up. "Okay, first off, let's make a pact. No serious
flirting on the road. Men will just be a distraction from the business at
hand. Just look at Thelma and Louise for godssake. Why are you looking at me
like that? Don't you dare make any comments about cherry lollipops, my
friend."
She winks but somehow looks kind of serious about the lollipops.
"Okay, just so long as we can pull out our waterguns and shoot any
woman driving a red convertible bearing a 'Mean People Suck' bumper sticker."
Darice says. They shake on it.
Then they plot, scheme, and devise. Among other things, they determine
that a stop in Buenos Aires is necessary to their research.
Several hours, mugs of coffee, and slices of pie later, they drive a
short distance to the bed and breakfast place at which they had made a
reservation. A few people from London are playing Backgammon in the living
room, so Graham and Daricell stop and drink a little sherry before climbing up
the stairs to their room and climbing into bed.
"I'm really glad you asked me to come with you, Daricell," Graham says.
"I was getting a little restless back at the VVC. Where are we going tomorrow
again?"
But Daricell is already asleep and Graham can't seem to remember, so I
guess we will have to wait until Daricell awakes to find out...
User: GRAHAM
Date: 13-Jul 03:15 AM 805605358
IV.40
me either. :)
new words for suspenders and young girls' backsides...
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Daricell wakes, the taste of sherry still in her mouth, and notes that her
corporeality is suddenly returning because she is getting sick of using it as a
plot device. :) Besides, how can a spirit try on lingerie?
Graham is asleep, and the sun is stretching long fingers across the lacy
bedclothes. Daricell wonders briefly whether the latter half of "bed and
breakfast" is forthcoming, and decides a trip by the local Mart-du-Wal is
definitely indicated -- she and Graham need a tent and maybe some sleeping
bags. :) "A bed and breakfast is nice, but sometimes ya gotta live rough."
A muffled cry arises from the bed. "Coffee!"
It sounds like a good idea, so Daricell pokes about in the room until she finds
a coffeemaker and -- "DECAF!!!!! What kind of hell is this?"
At her howl of anguish, Graham awakens and together they go in search of
caffeine. Minutes later, planted next to a tall silver urn with mugs affixed
to their fingers, they plan their next destination....
"Well, I thought we'd start in America, with some real cheese. And so, I give
you -- The Poconos," Daricell says, showing Graham a brochure. "It's a
honeymoon 'paradise', if you're into that sort of thing. Giant rooms with
heart-shaped tubs, personal swimming pools, and giant champagne-glass hot-tubs.
A veritable playground for sex. What do you say?"
"I say maybe we should revise that flirting decision."
"No, no, we don't want to distract ourselves from the task at hand. We are to
be objective observers. Even if those British guys were REALLY hot. :) Now,
once we're in the Poconos, we aren't far from New York, and everyone knows that
sleaze LIVES in NY. :) I've heard some stories...."
"Well, tell them. Let's take the coffee and run!"
On the edge of town, two women entered a Wal-Mart and purchased a tent, two
sleeping bags, three cans of baked beans and a coffeemaker that can be plugged
into the lighter of the car.....
User: Editor Lady: on the road again...
Date: 13-Jul 10:36 PM 805675108
IV.41
"They had known rogues and rascals and showbiz impresarios"
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
GRAHAM and DARICELL have been driving for 18 hourse, trading off, with
a short stop now and then, when they finally decide they should consume
something other than coffee and powdered doughnuts.
They pull off a large interstate highway and into rush-hour traffic in
Washington, D.C. Daricell, who is behind the wheel, says, "I know this middle
Eastern Restaurant over near the Georgetown campus. It's expensive, but they
have good baklava and hummus. Besides, we're loaded, so we're going."
She makes two right turns and then a left turn at "Barbie Trust,
Inc.," a tall, glass-paneled building where, Daricell explains, members of the
D.C. upper crust set up trust funds solely for the purpose of ensuring that
their children will have toys if their parents die.
Three blacks down from the Barbie Trust building is the location of
what used to be the Middle Eastern place and is now The Gap--The Restaurant.
A life-sized poster of Madonna wearing chinos and a metal-studded cone bra,
and drinking a Lemon-flavored GapCola (tm), hangs in the window. The caption
beneath the poster says, "Madonna wears Khakis and drinks GapCola(tm)."
"How very clever." Graham says. "Let's just find a place to camp.
Maybe somewhere in Virginia."
Daricell is getting ready to agree when a man dressed in a well-cut
suit stalks into the restaurant. He is wearing sunglasses and talking on a
cellular phone, and his red hair is standing up, ever so slightly, in front.
"I think that's Bill Gates," Daricell says. "He's such an asshole, but
there's something about him... Do you mind if we have lunch here, after all?"
"No, that's okay, but I'm sure they don't have a smoking section, even
in Cyberspace. Let me grab a quick smoke."
User: Graham
Date: 14-Jul 06:43 PM 805747400
IV.42
"It was a fine idea at the time..."
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
DARICELL and GRAHAM are standing outside The Gap--The Restaurant, and
Graham is smoking a cigarette, when a tall, thin woman runs up, teetering from
side to side on very high heels as she runs. "Did Bill Gates go in there? My
camera crew is waiting around the corner; we want to talk with him about his
fortune." She brushes one strand of her brownish bob-cut hair into her mouth
and sucks on the end of it.
"We really don't know," Graham says. Graham brushes some powdered
sugar off of her shirt. "It really sucks to eat powdered doughnuts when you're
female, don't you think? The sugar always gets caught on the ledge your shirt
forms over your breasts."
The woman rolls her eyes. She tells them she is working for the ABC
News. ("Looks like that's about as much of the alphabet she knows how to
use," Daricell will say, later.) She taps her foot and peers inside the
restaurant. She waves away Graham cigarette smoke.
She finally goes away, in silence, when Graham winks at her and says,
"So how do you feel about terrorist lesbians?"
Graham apologizes to Daricell for "being unnecessarily difficult and
bitchy to the ABC newsanchor or whoever she was," but Daricell is laughing too
hard to answer.
Finally, they go inside. Bill Gates, who inexplicably reminds her of
someone, keeps Daricell entertained while they eat their Khakifish sandwiches.
Graham draws on a placemat. But she does feel a little sad when their Venetian
waiter, Joey, brings two cherry lollipops with the check.
"You can have mine, Daricell," she says. "But only if I can have your
last doughnut."
"Welllll....okay," DAricell says.
They hop in the car and head to Virginia.
User: Graham
Date: 14-Jul 07:17 PM 805749439
IV.43
nice girls, not one with a defect...
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Daricell slips past the maitre d', Graham in tow, and manages to snag a table
next to the MicroMan.
"So, like, what'll you have?" asks the GapWaitress, who is wearing patented
slouch socks that match her nifty-fifties waitress dress.
"I don't know, what's good here?" Daricell asks, straining to eavesdrop on
Gates' phone conversation. All she hears is "Hawaii," "Congress" and
"takeover."
The GapWaitress presents Graham and Daricell with menus and the two women
study the entrees.
"Wait, what is this? Mashed potatoes and gravy, toast, chicken and beets?"
Daricell asks, raising one eyebrow, which she can't do in RL, but can in VL.
"Well, that's our neutrals meal. The beets add that just-right splash of
color," the GW explains saucily.
Graham reads another menu entree. "Blueberries, lemons, milk and squash."
"Oh, that's the blue and yellow meal -- very popular this year, especially with
those who like that summery boater look. Now, with what you're wearing...."
the GW eyes Daricell's short black dress and ultra-high suede pumps, then
continues with the assured air of an expert, "licorice and cream cheese, with a
cherry for --"
"That just-right splash of color," Daricell finishes for her, dryly. "Do the
slouch socks come with the meal?"
Graham giggles, which attracts the attention of Bill Gates. He snaps his phone
shut and walks over.
"I own most of America."
"Well, yeah,(TM)," both girls answer.
"I have more money than anyone else in the world."
Daricell bats her eyelashes at him and says, "oooh, power turns me on.... as do
unending bankrolls." She kicks one shapely leg up on the table to adjust the
French seam in her stockings. "So have you framed that cover of _Forbes_ yet?"
"I papered my bathroom with it."
"Mmm-hmmmmm... and arrogant, too. damn. Graham, we'd better leave soon. He's
got all the pompous qualities I love and none of the redeeming ones." She
stands up and Graham stands with her.
"We can find a better restaurant than this anyway," Graham points out.
"Wait, can I have your phone number? An address?" Gates calls after them.
"We'll be out on the info-bahn, honey," Daricell grins as she pushes open the
door of the restaurant.
"But you never ordered!" the GapWaitress protests.
Graham takes the girl by the shoulders and shakes her, but the vacant look in
her eyes doesn't dissipate. "I pity you," Graham whispers. "It's too late to
save you."
Darice sounds a cheerful melody on the car horn and Graham joins her in the
convertible. "I think we are in need of the Rathskeller after that....."
User: Editor Lady. :)
Date: 14-Jul 07:21 PM 805749704
IV.44
Your version is better, DL. :)
And since this is virtual reality, there is no problem with the same event
happening twice...
:)
User: GRAHAM
Date: 14-Jul 07:28 PM 805750108
IV.45
Oh, wait, Darice is back? Look who just caught up... I thought Lee iced her
in the freezer way back when. (:
User: ...diqman... I should look at this board once a year, no? (:
Date: 15-Jul 02:56 AM 805776977
IV.46
i think you two gals are having a little too much fun with this....
*sigh*
i just burned out with the Sean Connery-vampire season...
*scuttles off to tampa again*
User: ECSTASY
Date: 15-Jul 03:57 AM 805780681
IV.47
Ecstasy: don't worry... we'll bring you back lots of souvenirs.
:)
User: GRAHAM
Date: 15-Jul 04:03 AM 805781032
IV.48
*grin*
I need a new flail if you two run across any....
:>
User: ECSTASY
Date: 15-Jul 01:50 PM 805816233
IV.49
X: Well, locating some of the finer implements of.... er, ah, let's stretch a
point and say "pleasure" is one of the reasons for the trip. :)
*giggles* khakifish. heh.
DiI was iced, then framed for the murder of Zoroaster PI who wasn't quite dead
yet, went through a musical trial that was much better than the OJ thingie
(foreshadowing anyone?) and then there was a long stretch in the Crusades.
I think I left a son back there.
Oh, yeah, by the way, Heather -- you get a special discount for purchasing for
the Ivory Tower. :) I gotta help ma sistah. :)
User: Editor Lady now realizes she's spelled "faraway" wrong through two posts
Date: 15-Jul 05:56 PM 805831071
IV.50
...in a very fashionable hovel...
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Twilight. A remote campground in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
A small black car pulls to a stop in front of the dilapidated shack at the
gate, and Graham reads the sign in the headlights: "Bone Orchard Campsites.
$8/night."
"Hmmmm... looks to be abandoned," Daricell says, opening the car door and
stepping out. "Hello!" she yells. "Anyone here?"
There is no response. Graham slides out from behind the wheel, leans against
the car, and lights a cigarette. "Doesn't look like there's a hope in Hades
that this place is inhabited."
Daricell shakes her head. "Maybe they've run in to town to get supplies or
something. But I don't see any other campers, either. I'll knock at the
door--"
"Hello." The two girls spin around to see a woman standing behind them. She
is fair-haired and delicate, and her looks are emphasized by the heavy hiking
boots and over-sized flannel jacket she wears. "I'm Alice. Did you want to
get a campsite?"
Graham recovers first. "Yeah, if you're open..."
"Oh, sure, we're open. But I don't advise camping on a night like this."
Alice points at the twilight sky, which now has purpling clouds scudding across
the golden remains of the sunset. "It's going to storm. You can't drive down
the mountain now, either. Come on in and stay with me."
Daricell eyes the dilapidated shack suspiciously. "If you're sure you have
room..."
Alice laughs. "Oh, no, that's just the office. The house is over there." She
points at the brush, where she had so suddenly appeared, and Graham and
Daricell can make out a faint, overgrown trail. Daricell looks at Graham, who
shrugs and says, "Sure, we'll go to your house. And thanks."
After pushing through the undergrowth of the trail, they are surprised to see
a comfortable little house on a small cleared bit of level land. Alice smiles
sweetly and leads them inside.
"I feel like I fell down the rabbit hole," Daricell confides to Graham in a
whisper, as Alice guides them around the house. A bright, clean kitchen; a
sitting room with big rocking chairs around a crackling fireplace; two
bedrooms.
"This will be your room; there's a trundle bed under the day bed," Alice tells
them. "Why don't you freshen up and I'll make some tea." She goes downstairs,
and Daricell moves to the washbasin on its decorative stand to wash her face.
Graham sits on the edge of the daybed.
"Did you see the awesome bearskin rug in front of the fire?" Daricell asks
through the suds. "What a fabulous cliche. I'll have to put one in the
store... maybe with the book display racks. what do you think?"
Graham grins. "You cheeseball, you. Maybe Alice will know where you can get
one around here."
Daricell pats her face dry and looks into the mirror, then staggers back.
"What in the...."
"What is it?" Graham asks, but Daricell's eyes are fixed on the image in the
looking glass.
"I'm Alice..." she whispers. "My reflection...."
Graham looks, and indeed, the fair, delicate features of Alice's fa arere
mirroring Daricell's darker hair and eyes.
Daricell turns away from the mirror. "We're leaving, even if we have to camp
by the roadside in a monsoon. We're getting out of here." She picks up her
bag from the floor and runs from the room, followed closely by Graham. Alice
steps out of the kitchen. "You're ready to eat?"
"I'm sorry," Daricell apologizes in a high fast voice, "but we've just
remembered that we have an appointment to keep. And we can't really press
ourselves on you like this, so thank you for the offer but we'll be leaving
now."
Alice moves forward, malice in her eyes, and grasps Daricell's wrist. "You
can't leave. They promised. I'll never be alone in the Bone Orchard." Her
voice grows raspy and hoarse, and the golden hair suddenly shifts, changes,
turns dry and grey and wispy. "You fit the identikit completely... need you
here... someone to stay..." Her hands anre clammy and cunning, but Daricell
breaks away, horrified, as the fair delicate woman withers to bones before her.
A shout from Graham alerts her, and she looks up to see the house burning
around them. Together the women run through the living room and out the door
into the night, now dark and alive with thunder.
They crash into the edge of the woods looking for the trail, and Daricell
wonders why the light of the fire hasn't made the stormy darkness any brighter.
She turns back to see... nothing. A ruined shell of a house, long since burnt.
And on the front step...
Much later, in a Motel Six on a bright, safely-lit highway, Daricell and Graham
have collapsed across the double beds, lit cigarettes in their hands.
"I never thought you'd take up smoking," Graham says.
"I never thought we'd walk into an X-Files episode." Daricell drags on the
cigarette and inhales, then blows smoke at the ceiling. "Ummm, let's go to a
KOA next time, okay?"
"Sure. But if we hadn't gone, you'd never have gotten the bearskin rug,"
Graham points out.
Daricell laughs. "Well, it was sitting there, on the front porch of the
house... of where the house was, anyway. I'll box it up and mail it back to
the VVC."
Graham sighs. "The whole thing was just beyond belief."
User: Editor Lady: "Boo!"
Date: 15-Jul 07:15 PM 805835740