Trog's Tavern: Roman Numerals Are Dumb

[Keeper]

"I'm not TECHNICALLY an investigator. I'm HALO's paranormal and spectral expert! Which makes me a paranormal investigator, I guess. But I'm mostly just starting out so Detective Michalson from Intersection has been letting me come on his cases to get experience." Henry isn't sure how Lenny will react to that.
"He's tired all the time but nice. Not many people would bother to spend time helping some rookie from HALO figure stuff out."

[quillpleasant]

Lenny nods, snapping their fingers. "So not exactly the type to find a missing person, aw well. Still, a paranormal investigator is pretty cool. You're probably pretty good at that on account of being ghosty yourself, huh?" It stands to reason, just like Lenny would be very good at tracking down missing pets.

"Well, if you or this Michalson are ever in need of a good nose, hit me up. I put a bloodhound to shame." Lenny taps their nose knowingly.

[Thursday Violist]

"Ah, I understand, kupo," Mogzoku says affirmatively, "That must be quite the struggle for you. Would you like some advice, kupo?" Mogzoku was in a unique position to speak on this matter, as inclined as he is to help the downtrodden.

Venus lets out another sigh.
"Yeah. Yeah, I'd like some advice. I think I've reached the point where just venting about it isn't enough."

She looks at Mogzoku.

"Well, no guarantees I'll follow the advice, though," she quickly adds. "Two of the three last times someone gave me advice, the 'advice' was just 'let me kill the people involved' and 'cut off your hand and then everything will be better'. "
She clarifies: "I'm not saying you're going to give bad advice too, I'm just saying I have a history of not following people's advice."

[Earl of Purple]

There's a sudden flash of light, and three people teleport into the tavern, in a row about a metre apart.

Or... maybe they aren't three people, as they've all just collapsed. The first is a skeleton, the bones gleaming wetly and grasping a wooden staff topped with a crystal. The bones are all well-attached by tendons, so it stays together as it falls, though some beads and buttons skitter away across the floor. The second is a naked, hairless man in his mid thirties; he was holding an arm out as though he was holding something, but he's collapsed into a pool of flesh that occasionally twitches. The third 'person' was apparently invisible besides their long black hair and beard, both braided, and dark purple robes, also holding an arm out- though after collapsing, it's clear that's now just a pile of clothes and hair.

This is one person, who has made a terrible mistake whilst teleporting.

[Rebonack]

Yeah this jeweler guy definitely sounds like some kind of paristoid monster that's going to be a problem. But Zee isn't exactly comfortable blowing it up here and now. Not until she's SURE it's a threat. Like, absolutely sure. Maybe she'll tail it when it leaves? Maybe she could-

BUT SUDDENLY!

A DISTRACTION!

A really gross distraction.

A really horrible distraction.

At the sight a few customers gag. Zee is already vaulting over the counter because she can't imagine this guy has very long to live. She needs to get the meat and skeleton back together ASAP but it's going to be a tricky process getting the bones back in there without damaging any organs. First thing she does is numb the nerves since being in horrible pain and going into shock won't help.

[Keeper]

Lenny nods, snapping their fingers. "So not exactly the type to find a missing person, aw well. Still, a paranormal investigator is pretty cool. You're probably pretty good at that on account of being ghosty yourself, huh?" It stands to reason, just like Lenny would be very good at tracking down missing pets.

"Well, if you or this Michalson are ever in need of a good nose, hit me up. I put a bloodhound to shame." Lenny taps their nose knowingly.

"Well, I admit I'm pretty new to it. But yes, being able to pass through stuff and punch ghosts (in theory) is pretty helpful. I admit that I mostly do it because I found out being rich and doing nothing is actually super boring especially sitting around with my crazy family so I kind of like...needed a job."
You'd think that Henry getting a job after wishing to live a comfortable life would mean he wasted his wish and the consequences of it. He would tell you that he went from working retail to a job with no actual expectations and now lives in a mansion (even if it's cursed) so he still considers it a win. A very loaded win, but still a win.

[Earl of Purple]

Taking heart from Zee's instruction, and finishing his drink, Adrie will leave. Unfortunately looks like Zee's missed the chance to track him. He's also really upset by the distraction and is leaving to get fresh air and maybe gag a little. Indoor plumbing is a bit of a new concept to him.

The flesh-heap blinks and twitches as Zee gets to work. The wizard can't breathe properly, as the diaphragm isn't anchored to anything and the lungs are collapsing under the weight of meat atop them, but he's not bleeding since his arteries and veins are all present and intact- though this means the bones will be dying quite quickly. His brain is panicking since that's all it really can do, but so long as nobody steps on him there's not much pain; the human body isn't intended to do this, and the nerves don't know what to report. Another customer, an off-duty nurse, also jumps into action, though they aren't entirely sure what they can do that will help, they can try to move the bones closer to the flesh-heap. Zee's working on keeping the wizard alive, but she'll probably need his bones if she wants him to walk around again.

[Rebonack]

Yeah this is definitely keeping Zee's attention pretty firmly set on one single thing right now.

With the nurse's help she'll move the flesh on top of the skeleton and then begin melding the two parts back together again. Mostly this will involve CONSTANT applications of her Shape sphere to warp the bones and flesh so that they can slide back into the proper position again.

Blood is MADE in bones.

And that means getting the bone marrow back into the bones where it's supposed to be, to.

To say that this process is complicated is a MASSIVE understatement.

It might not be beyond Zee's ability to actually accomplish what she's trying to do here, but to do it in the time frame it needs to be done in?

That's a whole different question.

"Just hang on there, okay? Don't fade on me buddy you've got this."

[quillpleasant]

"Well, I admit I'm pretty new to it. But yes, being able to pass through stuff and punch ghosts (in theory) is pretty helpful. I admit that I mostly do it because I found out being rich and doing nothing is actually super boring especially sitting around with my crazy family so I kind of like...needed a job."
You'd think that Henry getting a job after wishing to live a comfortable life would mean he wasted his wish and the consequences of it. He would tell you that he went from working retail to a job with no actual expectations and now lives in a mansion (even if it's cursed) so he still considers it a win. A very loaded win, but still a win.

Lenny chuckles. "Hah, you know, there was a time when I would have been super jealous of a boring rich life. Now though... I'm a lot more jealous of the boring than the rich." Oh, to live a life without horrifying supernatural occurrences on the daily.

"Ghosts and stuff like that are one of the few things I can't deal with. If there's no physical form, not much I can do, you know? All the claws and teeth in the world can't help with that." Lenny's ear twitches. "You got any tips on dealing with that kind of thing, beyond 'get turned into a cursed half ghost'? Can't really do that."

[Keeper]

"Um...I mean I really haven't ever actually fought a ghost. I kinda just can in theory? Throwing salt works sometimes. Some ghosts have some materials they don't like. I'm not like that, though. Unless you count sauerkraut."
Henry doesn't like sauerkraut.

[Earl of Purple]

It's not clear if he can hear Zee, unless she's using her Information sphere. Without a skull, he doesn't have earbones to vibrate and pick up sound. And earbones are probably a low priority, given it's suffocation that's the biggest threat and for that a spine and ribcage is most important- especially for the spinal column. He blinks, several times, and dies. His heart stops, he's already unable to breathe, several organs are going into failure after being crushed without bones to keep weight off them, and he's just not able to withstand the stress and trauma of being a puddle of meat.

[[brackets lover]]

Venus lets out another sigh.
"Yeah. Yeah, I'd like some advice. I think I've reached the point where just venting about it isn't enough."

She looks at Mogzoku.

"Well, no guarantees I'll follow the advice, though," she quickly adds. "Two of the three last times someone gave me advice, the 'advice' was just 'let me kill the people involved' and 'cut off your hand and then everything will be better'. "
She clarifies: "I'm not saying you're going to give bad advice too, I'm just saying I have a history of not following people's advice."

Mogzoku nods along, not particularly surprised by the range of bad advice Venus has received. "Well," he says, "Its wrong of them to depend so heavily on you and treat you poorly. That's the kind of person you should move on from and never look back, kupo." A beat. "But, if leaving's not so easy for you, you at least gotta lower their expectations. Don't do anymore than you've been doing and exaggerate how hard it is for you to even do that much. If they think you're at your absolute limit, I bet you can get away with just a little less without disappointing anyone at all, kupo!"

[quillpleasant]

Lenny wrinkles his nose. "Yeah, pickled stuff became too nasty to me when my sense of smell improved. It's all stingy." Of course, sauerkraut isn't as vinegery as regular pickles, but it's in the same wheelhouse.

"So salt, huh? I'll keep that in mind." He thinks for a moment. "On this topic- are there any places you know of that have like, unexplained hauntings? Or just have weird magic going on? I figure that might be a good start for searching." He doesn't exactly have a lot to go off of, but it could be a start.

[Keeper]

"Hmm." Henry ponders.
"Well this time of year haunts are all over the place. It's festive and stuff. Once Spooktober dies down the haunts that are left will stick out more. And there's always the Inside schools. Lots of weird magic going on around magical hormonal teens." he suggests. He mostly kept away from all of that. Most of his life he was just Henry Smallfoot, retail IT and cashier.

[quillpleasant]

Lenny ponders in response. There's a lot of pondering going on here.

"Schools might be a good place to search, actually. On the other hand, that's kind of tricky without looking pretty shady. Not many twenty year olds just hanging around a highschool being all nosy." She could probably pass as a senior, but her rather distinctive appearance wouldn't help very much in that regard.

"Oh but hey, do you have one of those little portable phones? I learned about them the other day and managed to get one, they're super useful. You could let me know if you run into any especially weird hauntings." Reaching into her jacket, she pulls out a small, cherry pink smartphone. There's a little teddy bear charm dangling from it. Oh, this is stolen. She definitely stole this phone from a child.

[Keeper]

"Oh. Um. Sure." Henry reaches into his pocket and pulls out his phone which he writes on a napkin.
"You stay out of trouble, okay?" Henry is a little distracted by how kiddy that phone is. He's not going to make any accusations but uuuuuuuh...

[quillpleasant]

"Cool, cool cool cool," mutters Lenny, glancing at the napkin before pocketing it. His left eye seems to be twitching a little. Should probably get that checked out.

"Will do, no trouble for me boss," he says with a grin, flicking a slightly ironic salute before looking a bit more serious. "But for real, thanks for the talk. You go a little crazy with no one but rats for company. Or food." The first rat is pretty good, but they get old fast.

[Zefir]

A new person enters the Tavern.
As he stands in the door he looks confused. He obviously hasn't planned to end up in this Tavern. He looks back where he came from and notice that it's not the place he came from. Stil he seems to be rather calm about this. He steps futher into the tavern gazing around. Especially the other patrons catch his most intresst. Some kind he never saw.

He himself seems to be in his late teens His dark hair lies havy on his head . He wearsa long brown robe that also seems heavy on his shoulders. Dirt covers the cottom of the robe as if he walked through a dirty road.

[Keeper]

”No problem. Like I said, look for those support groups. They should be able to help.”
Henry hops off his stool.
”I should hit the library, though. I probably should be able to give a better answer about ghosts if that’s what Halo is paying my checks to do.”
Does Halo pay? It probably does. Though maybe it depends on who you ask.

[quillpleasant]

"Yeah, support groups. Definitely gonna follow up on that." They're not really expecting it to help, but who knows.

Lenny gives a wave, ears twitching. "Good luck with your books. I'll be here, drowning my sorrows." Which is a cool thing to say, except for the fact that they can't actually drink alcohol. No sorrows are really getting drowned in cola. Just damp and sticky.

[Rebonack]

"Damn."

Zee didn't move fast enough.

But then again, moving fast might not have made a difference. Having all your bones removed is...

Well.

Not usually the sort of thing that people survive.

The barmaid will shoo customers away from the corpse (especially that curious looking necromancer over there) and call up one of the nearby hospitals. There isn't much to be done about death but at the very least they can get the body out of her bar.

A new person enters the Tavern.
As he stands in the door he looks confused. He obviously hasn't planned to end up in this Tavern. He looks back where he came from and notice that it's not the place he came from. Stil he seems to be rather calm about this. He steps futher into the tavern gazing around. Especially the other patrons catch his most intresst. Some kind he never saw.

He himself seems to be in his late teens His dark hair lies havy on his head . He wearsa long brown robe that also seems heavy on his shoulders. Dirt covers the cottom of the robe as if he walked through a dirty road.

"Oh hey a new person!"

Of course this gets Zee's attention.

"Welcome to Trog's Tavern! Come on in, don't be shy. Looks like you just stumbled your way in here. Don't worry, happens all the time and is only occasionally permanent."

Occasionally.

No big deal.

"You look a little on the young side so the first drink is on the house rule probably isn't the best thing to go by. Anything I can get you?" the completely normal barmaid inquires.

[Zefir]

The boy does give the corpse a glance as the barmaid shoo the others away. Even if Magic and all that is normal in your world there isn't any death by no bones incident.

As he is greeted by the barmaid he walks over to the bar. His steps creak as if he is much heavier then he looks (Which is caused by an aura making him and all he wears heavier).

"Occasionally permanent?" he asks. "Is this kinda common?"

Suprised by her behavior he goes on.

"Yeah not really of age for alcohole," he says then points at Lennys drink "but what is that?"

[quillpleasant]

Lenny glances up, a little surprised at being addressed. She raises an eyebrow at the boy's heavy footsteps. That's not something you see every day.

"Oh, I'm having fox cola. Can't stomach the strong stuff. Highly recommended if your body hates you as much as mine does."

She waves a claw absently at Zee. "First round's on me. Spreading the good word of sugar free soft drinks everywhere." Sure, she hasn't actually paid for her own drinks and she looks one step away from being homeless, but she's definitely good to pick up someone else's tab.

[Thursday Violist]

Mogzoku nods along, not particularly surprised by the range of bad advice Venus has received. "Well," he says, "Its wrong of them to depend so heavily on you and treat you poorly. That's the kind of person you should move on from and never look back, kupo." A beat. "But, if leaving's not so easy for you, you at least gotta lower their expectations. Don't do anymore than you've been doing and exaggerate how hard it is for you to even do that much. If they think you're at your absolute limit, I bet you can get away with just a little less without disappointing anyone at all, kupo!"

"I should just move on," Venus says, repeating what he said, as if trying to convince herself.

...

It's not really an option, though. In the first place, they intruded into her space -twice - and she bets if she left again they'd just follow her. And she naturally wants to help people who appear to need it. And, even worse, Venus gets lonely really really easily. Realistically, if the group of cultists didn't manage to find her, she would still end up going right back to them after enough time passed.

Venus exhales, realizing what a Herculean task she's facing.

"Thanks," she says. "Lowering their expectations sounds like it'd be really hard but it does sound like it would work. Not sure if I'll succeed, but... it's definitely worth a try."

[Hraithre]

Roar of an engine can be heard from outside as someone drives and parks a motorbike near the tavern. Soon after the noise stops, the rider steps in. They're clad in black leather biker gear from the toes to their neck, their face obscured by a shining black full helmet with a black visor.

They halt just a few steps in, looking around and taking in the ambience. Then, hesitantly, they head for a bar counter, taking off their helmet as they walk. Bright brown eyes watch the other patrons warily from a pale round face. Their hair is short, dyed black with pink streaks on the sides. Their ears and eyebrows are all pierced with several silver rings.

[Keeper]

Currently at the bar is a rather massive wolf-man wearing a half-buttoned Hawaiian shirt and cargo shorts despite the autumn chill. He’s close to two meters tall with a powerful, if round, build. He’s currently nursing a canid-friendly drink and glancing around. He doesn’t think he’s been here since Kyrie started working here. And while Kyrie might be embarrassed Codebreaker has to make sure Zee treats him right.

”…from the sound, must be a nice bike.” he says quietly as the rider sits near him.

[Hraithre]

The newcomer turns to look at the wolfman, wide-eyed. "Uh, thanks, I guess", they answer hesitantly. They sound younger than they look, their voice low but feminine. They're at least 1,70 meters tall and broad-shouldered, but next to Codebreaker they look like a kid.

"Uh... people here do know Halloween came and went... right?"

[Rebonack]

By this time (probably?) an ambulance has taken the poor teleportation mishap victim away.

It's a terrible thing to be an Earl character.

Truly.

"Only occasionally," Zee confirms. "And that's a fox cola. Very popular among folks that can't stomach sugar or caffeine."

Like most nominally normal foxes.

The barmaid begins getting out another fox cola for the new kid under the assumption that he might be asking for another maybe. But hey! He might not! Still, it pays to be proactive.

"We've still got a couple days left of Spooktober," Zee points out to the biker. "Can I get you anything, too? Welcome to Trog's Tavern, by the way! Boy, we sure are getting a lot of new faces in here todayish."

[Keeper]

"Well yeah, if it was still full Spooktober swing I'd still be wearing the torn flannel and jeans that me and Kyrie were wearing." He gestures at the front door to the bouncer who is ALSO a rotund wolf-man with a light coat, though they don't look anything alike other than general shape and hair color.
"You new around here? Normally I get folks staring a little but not that much."

[quillpleasant]

Lenny's ears perk up at the sound of the bike, and they watch, still hunched at the bar, as the dyed haired rider walks in. Oh, they look cool. But more importantly, as the big wolf guy said, that does sound a nice bike. How hard would it be to steal that bike? This is a very intriguing train of thought for someone who's been having transport difficulties lately.

But it's probably best to explore other, less aggressive avenues first. "Hey! I'll also pick up your tab if you give me a ride after," they call out. How many people is Lenny going to be paying for? Shabby, barefoot, visibly homeless Lenny?

It's a mystery!