Does gullible mean it wasn't Kat's birthday yesterday and you're laughing at us all? Or did you just have fun pranking the boys on April Fool's day?
Gullible Arthur smiled. "I miss your enthusiasm," he said quietly. "Did you ever think of-" "No. That's really not an option, Arthur. Not your fault, obviously, but no." "You'll be welcomed if you change your mind in future." "None of us can really see the future, Art, but the misty veil doesn't look to me like it's going in that direction. Thank-you nonetheless." While they spoke the other two Warlocks were moving around the Gate and inspecting it. Now, as the blue Warlock and Arthur fell silent and dropped eye contact, the woman of the group spoke up. "We've got problems, Gray. This isn't the Power." The blue Warlock shrugged, his shoulders rolling the shrug easily from left to right like he was trying to drop a cloak from them. "Makes sense," he said. "The Tower is warded strongly against Gates. Ritual magic, then?" He looked around, frowning at the lack of blood, symbolic objects or even a choir of invokers. "Not that I can tell," said the woman. "The colour is suggestive though." "The King in Yellow, Liese? I don't see why that old demon would wake up and decide to pay us a visit." "If the tales are true it would be entirely like him to turn up in someplace that's designed to prevent it," said the remaining Warlock. "It. The King in Yellow is an it, Matt," said Gray firmly. "If you start calling the Old Gods 'he' and 'she' it's no time at all before you're thinking they think like us, and then you get fed to the horrors in the abyss." "By you?" "If I get there first, yes." Gray smiled, lightening his words slightly, but the smile never reached his eyes. "Anything more than the colour to suggest a demonic invasion?" Liese lifted a hand and waggled it from side to side. "Not the Power, it's bright yellow, something that came through it killed armed guards and there's no signs that it had any trouble with them, or that they had much time to react. I'd say it's a good first hypothesis myself." "The Gate's still active," said Matt, who had turned his attention to that while Liese spoke. He was a big, broad-shouldered man wearing heavy robes made of fabric layered with sheets of metal so thin they were essentially foil and he crackled faintly as he moved. "Maybe it's a trap?" "Then someone thinks we're extremely gullible," said Gray. "What idiot would venture down a Safe Passage leaving an active Gate behind them? Right, let's close the Gate first, then we assess the Safe-" "Passage is first," said Arthur. "Sorry Gray, but there are people here who can close a Gate, but you're the guys to sort out where the Passage goes." Gray shrugged, the rolling motion again somehow suggesting that he was dropping away from a burden. "OK, then get someone on the Gate, please, Arthur. Is there anything else that's not been done that you don't want me doing?" "Be nice," said Arthur, turning to leave the room. "And lend me your ear for a moment." The two men walked a little way away from the others, but before Gray could speak Arthur projected a bubble of air around them to conceal their conversation. "I'm not telling you this," he said, "but the King has sent people to Carcosa. The King in Yellow hypothesis has more weight than just what Liese said. And... for that reason I'm worried about where the King in Yellow might be going." "Blood and bone," swore Gray.
Greg - gullible was my attempt at marking the occasion of April Fools Day. Which I don't consider much of an occasion at all, but that's mostly besides the point.
While I do wish to know what is happening elsewhere in this story, I am quite enjoying watching things play out in London. I like the dynamic in this group, which you handle masterfully.
2 comments:
Does gullible mean it wasn't Kat's birthday yesterday and you're laughing at us all? Or did you just have fun pranking the boys on April Fool's day?
Gullible
Arthur smiled. "I miss your enthusiasm," he said quietly. "Did you ever think of-"
"No. That's really not an option, Arthur. Not your fault, obviously, but no."
"You'll be welcomed if you change your mind in future."
"None of us can really see the future, Art, but the misty veil doesn't look to me like it's going in that direction. Thank-you nonetheless."
While they spoke the other two Warlocks were moving around the Gate and inspecting it. Now, as the blue Warlock and Arthur fell silent and dropped eye contact, the woman of the group spoke up.
"We've got problems, Gray. This isn't the Power."
The blue Warlock shrugged, his shoulders rolling the shrug easily from left to right like he was trying to drop a cloak from them. "Makes sense," he said. "The Tower is warded strongly against Gates. Ritual magic, then?" He looked around, frowning at the lack of blood, symbolic objects or even a choir of invokers.
"Not that I can tell," said the woman. "The colour is suggestive though."
"The King in Yellow, Liese? I don't see why that old demon would wake up and decide to pay us a visit."
"If the tales are true it would be entirely like him to turn up in someplace that's designed to prevent it," said the remaining Warlock.
"It. The King in Yellow is an it, Matt," said Gray firmly. "If you start calling the Old Gods 'he' and 'she' it's no time at all before you're thinking they think like us, and then you get fed to the horrors in the abyss."
"By you?"
"If I get there first, yes." Gray smiled, lightening his words slightly, but the smile never reached his eyes. "Anything more than the colour to suggest a demonic invasion?"
Liese lifted a hand and waggled it from side to side. "Not the Power, it's bright yellow, something that came through it killed armed guards and there's no signs that it had any trouble with them, or that they had much time to react. I'd say it's a good first hypothesis myself."
"The Gate's still active," said Matt, who had turned his attention to that while Liese spoke. He was a big, broad-shouldered man wearing heavy robes made of fabric layered with sheets of metal so thin they were essentially foil and he crackled faintly as he moved. "Maybe it's a trap?"
"Then someone thinks we're extremely gullible," said Gray. "What idiot would venture down a Safe Passage leaving an active Gate behind them? Right, let's close the Gate first, then we assess the Safe-"
"Passage is first," said Arthur. "Sorry Gray, but there are people here who can close a Gate, but you're the guys to sort out where the Passage goes."
Gray shrugged, the rolling motion again somehow suggesting that he was dropping away from a burden. "OK, then get someone on the Gate, please, Arthur. Is there anything else that's not been done that you don't want me doing?"
"Be nice," said Arthur, turning to leave the room. "And lend me your ear for a moment."
The two men walked a little way away from the others, but before Gray could speak Arthur projected a bubble of air around them to conceal their conversation.
"I'm not telling you this," he said, "but the King has sent people to Carcosa. The King in Yellow hypothesis has more weight than just what Liese said. And... for that reason I'm worried about where the King in Yellow might be going."
"Blood and bone," swore Gray.
Greg - gullible was my attempt at marking the occasion of April Fools Day. Which I don't consider much of an occasion at all, but that's mostly besides the point.
While I do wish to know what is happening elsewhere in this story, I am quite enjoying watching things play out in London. I like the dynamic in this group, which you handle masterfully.
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