A Curious Troupe

[Geldenwing]

She grinned up at the lady with the pretty rock name, taking in her praise like a diminutive living sponge. At the revelation that the pretty rock lady had fae blood in her, Gelden shrieked and clapped her hands with the purest delight of someone who'd just found a person they considered part of their own personal exclusive club.

"A fairy! Oh, Maybe we're sisters! An' family helps family, don't they? I can try ta teach ya, what kinda magic can ya do? Don't do none in the city, they'll shoot little rocks at you an' hurt you."

She looked between both women when asked how she'd done her little trick. The wings weren't gone, only invisible, and she looked behind her as she flexed her back muscles to raise and lower the extremities. She'd tried this very trick earlier, with just Merc watching, and failed. But she hadn't tried it with another fae around. Maybe Aramyllis's powers had helped her!

"I dunno, I tried before but it didn't work but this time it did and I think it might be a'cause you're here with your fae magic too so it helped me out a little?"

She pulled the hat down a bit lower, still beaming with personal pride in her very important accomplishment, and obligingly took the lead of their little parade. If anyone was going to lead the ladies into the city, it was Geld. Just as before, she felt like she could be the head of a real human parade, with big animals and clowns and acrobats doing their tricks as they marched along. Ready to lead and near-bursting with the excitement of having two circus performers behind her, she bounced on the balls of her feet and waited for the ladies to fall in line so that they could go into the city. If Merc's guitar sounded like anything beyond a guitar she didn't notice the difference; all of the notes were pretty and ringing to her little ears, and she was again impressed by how lovely the strings could sound.

"Play a circus song, then we can tramp along and be happy!"

She grinned at her newest friends with playfulness and delight. A trio circus! This would be fun!

[Aramyllis Dae]

"Lucky?" Aramyllis echoed Mercedes, her tone betraying her incredulity despite her best attempts to squash it. She laughed abruptly, and although her humor seemed genuine, it had a sharp edge to it. Her fairy heritage had caused her nothing but grief in her youth, although, in the end, it had perhaps saved her as well.

Gabi'Rel.

"Aye, it be fae luck." She aimed a theatrical wink at the human, meeting the dare in Merc's gaze with a candid half-smile. It was a message that no matter what Myllis might happen to encounter, little could surprise her now. Perhaps it even held a challenge of its own, an appraisal. Surprise me if you can, it said.

Without further word, Myllis fell in behind Geldenwing, her attention shifting quickly to the wee woman at the mention of what sounded like---being stoned, she could only assume. "No, we won't even talk about magic if we go in the city. We'll have to fool them all. I don't know about my presence helping your magic, but we better be extra careful when we're together." Despite the simplistic words, their meaning was deadly serious.

Lulled by the music of Merc's guitar, Myllis grinned foolishly down upon the jigging fairy. She could hardly believe herself to have any blood relation to this carefree, lighthearted being; they were far from sisters, of course, but the very idea still set the muscles tugging upwards at the corners of her lips.

Wandering out of file behind Geld, Myllis strayed to the edges of the path to gather the occassional wildflower, plucking them daintily out of the dense tufts of thistles. Before long she was deftly braiding together the thin green stalks, careful not to crush the delicate white blossoms that gave off a sharply sweet perfume. Myllis had never understood why humans detested so-called weeds, even when in the form of breathtaking flowers such as this foxglove. Looping the completed strand back on itself into a circlet, she presented it to Geld with a flourish.

"Ringmaster, if I may?" Holding the chain of blooms aloft to the fairy, Myllis chanced a glance back to Merc. Her expression betrayed no amusement, though her eyes twinkled merrily. "Perhaps the guitarist should wear one, too?"

[Mercedes D'Amour]

Obligingly, Merc played something a little more upbeat than she had initially been intending. She stayed out of the conversation about magic and what would happen if either of them slipped up and were discovered. Any of them, really. There was something smelling of magic around Aramyllis that she couldn’t quite place her finger on. Despite this, Merc was certain the girl wouldn’t be flaunting anything – her reactions to both her compliment and Geld’s enthusiastic appraisal described someone who was reserved because of necessity, not from basic nature.

Her eyes half-closed, she settled into the song while keeping an eye out for a potential performing or food-acquiring opportunity. Myllis’ return dare hadn’t gone unnoticed, but she gave no indication of having received the wink with the loaded understatement attached. The offer of a flower crown caused Merc to glance at Aramyllis - displaying her own understated amusement. An indifferent shrug and a small smile was the relatively positive response to the thought of a band of flowers around her head. She didn’t much care either way, though the idea of a gift was appreciated.

*grooOOOwlll*

Dang. She needed some food soon. What kind of town doesn’t have a food joint on the edge of it? Most places had a market in an easily accessible location for passers-by. Perhaps this place didn’t take so kindly to passers-by either. Fantastic. It looked like she had wandered into the wrong end of it too, if the condition of the buildings was any indication of the economic status of its inhabitants. Oh well, at least she wasn’t alone…though travelling alone could definitely have its benefits in a city like this. A sidelong glance was cast at her companions. Would they be able to keep up if things got hot? She certainly hoped so, ‘cause in her condition Merc wasn’t sure if she could get herself out, let alone flighty fairy and a wandering girl.

“Well, keep your eyes peeled for ‘nyplace that might look like the servin’ type. Heck, even a stage. Should pro’ly make some coin *before* tryin’ to get some food, eh?”

Merc’s words were lazily spoken, belying her weariness a little more openly than she would have liked. She was just as unable to control it as her fingers that had slipped into a minor key and were playing a rather sad tune.

*Need me to take over?*
~Yer just as tired as me. Don’ worry, ‘ll be right ‘s rain with some grub. ‘sides, you can’t play – and we need coin.~
*Alright, just…don’t overdo it.*
~Bes’ you catch a nap while you can. I don’ plan on bein’ in this creepy town long.~
*Good luck, Mercy. Wake me up if you need me.*

Her sister’s reminder of assistance went unanswered as Merc continued to examine the buildings clustered along the street.

[Geldenwing]

If it were possible for Gelden to be any happier, the little fae would've exploded all over the place. She was actually shaking from contained delight when the pretty rock-name lady offered her the chain, her smile wide enough that her pudgy cheeks had swelled to nearly double their normal size. She took the circlet and thunked it gracelessly on her head, shrieking out her delight and bouncing on the balls of her bare feet.

"Eee! Eeeee!"

It was the best she could produce, unable to form words any longer for the sheer joy which overturned her thought processes. She could only assume that she looked absolutely amazing with the rock lady's blooms settled atop her noble brow. Complete with imaginary baton and following circus, she was the very image of a ringmaster. Not that she'd seen a real ringmaster or knew what they really looked like.

They were in the streets soon enough, Gelden's arms waving wildly about as the imaginary baton performed feats a real baton was incapable of managing. Merc-like-murky-water had asked them to look for anything that could serve them some food, but the fae hadn't been in a tavern since meeting the dragon lady. The only place she knew was the cavern, where even now her new family might be enjoying a nice delicious meal of something stew. Gelden never knew how Illilli made such delicious stew, but she knew it had to be something.

The fae was too busy twirling, spinning and bouncing to notice much by way of scenery. If there was a promising tavern or bar on their way, she passed right by, occasionally squealing with delight with the invisible baton did a particularly impossible weave throught the air.

[Gizmo]

Gizmo's story is continued from here

http://www.tharshaddin.com/rp/viewtopic ... a&start=30


Down a rutted and potholed little side street that interrupted the otherwise firm and serene stretch of dirt between Marn's water tower and theater, a mere two hours before the winsome party of three had touched the lapels of the river, another trio was in a spot of bother. The condition of the road rendered its intended purpose rather ironic, for the hard packed dirt upon which it was built would not have suffered such pockmarks of deterioration as now scarred its once-navigable surface. The irony was not lost on the Pockberts three as they twisted levers and rocked Gizmo back and forth in a desperate attempt to free themselves from one such gigantic "pockmark".

T'was a bit of a tangent that had led them to lodge their vessel rather incommodiously into the suspiciously form-fitting concavity: Regibald, the eldest of the three, had always wanted to see the theater entrance up close, having gazed languorously upon it on many a midnight vigil by the Ofriyu Mar. It was the site of many great plays that he would never see from within the bowels of the blue beast. For two years now, he had contented himself with the odd manuscript or pamphlet. Their passing on this night had seemed a fine opportunity to take a closer look! The other two gnomes, in a rare moment of courtesy and thoughtfulness, had decided to oblige him. It was, after all, on the way out of town. Such generous moments would undoubtedly become rarer still, following the group's extrication...

Irony upon ironies, Regibald found little comfort in their excellent vantage point. Already, the gilded sideboards and gaudy salon entrance had lost their luster for the fractious old gnome, and he rued the childish fancy that had coaxed him to petition the others for a "brief stopover".

Qasar had not even glanced at the old building, and was instead preoccupied with working his platform controls in tandem with Junior in an effort to roll Gizmo out of its unfortunate resting place. After a full twenty minutes of puzzling, twisting, groaning, and jerking, both son and father collapsed despairingly at the controls and joined Regibald in the Living Room. "We's near waist-high, men. T'only thing we kin do now is keep our telescopes wary an' wait fer a guard te show up. How in hell 'ave they let a whallopin' 'ole like this'un sit 'ere fer this long?"

Flipswitch, the youngest, furrowed his lips at this. "We don' know 'ow long et's bin 'ere, Sir. Matter o' fac', mebbe this oughta be reported. Could be summat afoot whut's tryin' te 'ave a go at us. Le's fill up our flasks an' git back ta stations. Fer all we know, et could be a trap."

Qasar huffed and puffed arrogantly at this. "Boy, yer a dam fool now 'n agin. Thur's not a reason in the world that anyone other'n us'd know us ta fancy strollin' down this 'ere sorry excuse for a street. If'n a trap's gonna be set fer us, it'll be out'n the woods, near one of our meetin' spots. The fac' is, the town es downrigh' lazy, an' they've left a big stinkin' 'ole righ' in front of the theater. Although, et is mighty queer... I could 'alf unnerstand it if et was in the slums, but there's some swanky folk what come by here... Ye'd think they'd git right on summat like this..."

Regibald, who was not about to give up the coveted Red Armchair, shifted his weight further into its depths as he spoke, as if to emphasize his state of obdurate comfort: "Tha's right, Junior. We's sitten tight fer now. Why doncha look over the plates in the meantime, we might be here a few hours yet."

Junior sighed, snatched up a bag of tools, and trundled off towards the hatch that led below the equator. Regibald chuckled under his breath. The sound of tapping and tinkering was a sweet, ferrous symphony, an ode to the lighting of his pipe. Yes, there was nothing quite like the unwilling labour of the young and lazy to complement the idyllic pastimes of those that had earned their rest.

[Melonious Braddin]

It had been several days since Melonious had packed his meager belongings and began trudging toward Marn. He had spoken to Youlin before he made the actual journey, which was the reason for his delay, having to travel a day and a half in the opposite direction before locating him near his encampment. It didn’t take long for the two to begin a chat, informing his friend of the events that had transpired and of his journey to seek the last of his family. The conversation had been particularly hard for him, as he forced himself to relive everything in detail for his comrade. They spent a day together, reminiscing on their stories of family, drinking heartily with laughter, tears, anger, and pain coming through their facades. Though the offer had come from the wolf's lips, Melonious had declined his company, reasoning that this was a trip to be made alone. They left on the same terms as when they had gathered, with the promise of an update as soon as was possible.

As he made his way from his friend to his future, thoughts and fear washed over him. What if his sister wanted nothing to do with him? How would she take the news that their mother had died? He was able to reason that she wouldn't care for his father, but that wasn't something he would not be able to hold against her. She'd never met him, or even known that he had existed. There was much at risk in his mind; too much unknown compared to what his lifestyle was used to. Yet even with these thoughts there was an excitement coursing through the human-troll. He had a purpose again, more than just waiting for the death of those he loved.

Passing Shim he continued to the woods that stretched out thereafter. The mood he was in lightened greatly as he made his way. A smile adorned his oddly shaped face, and there was a near skip in his step. In his mind he was genuinely making progress now, having passed his hometown several hours back. The night air was cool and comfortable, while the leaves whispered pleasantly in his ear, and the moon brightly lit his path. He had been tracking game for a time, and was almost upon it when something of greater interest caught his attention. He had no idea what it was, though it seemed to be a blue… ball. It had been rocking back and forth for a moment, and Melonious had taken the opportunity to get a closer look. Kneeling in the brush a hundred yards from the creature, he tried to recollect what it was he viewed, though to no avail. In all the scouting he had done around Shim and the plains, he’d never come across a beast such as this. Confusion flooded his head first as he thought, how do beast live? There no… face, no mouth to eat, nothing. It just… a ball of fur. It can’t get out of rut without legs. Must be for food.

Believing this to be an opportunity for some easy meat, the half-troll readied his bow and began creeping towards the creature, curiosity and hunger getting the edge on his uncertainties. Slowly he proceeded, unsure as to whether or not this being should really be considered a threat, or prey as he was hoping.

[Aramyllis Dae]

Aramyllis was genuinely amused by the capering of the small faerie, whose movements were causing the small blossoms to bob and dance upon her feathery hair; just watching the boundless display of energy made Myllis feel exhausted. Or maybe it was the increasingly somber music coming from Merc's guitar. Myllis felt herself drooping. Judging from Merc's light slurring, she too was in need of a boost.

"Too bad Gelden can't share some of that energy with us," Myllis sighed in bemusement, her eyes scanning the shabby road at their feet. Knocking loose a stray stone with a toe, she kicked it along in the dirt, eyes following it until a strange bounce carried the rock a couple feet into the air. Her game was abruptly interrupted as she caught sight of a strange blue---something several hundred yards down the road; the stone fell to the ground and rolled off into the grasses, immediately forgotten.

Not wanting to further excite the faerie, Myllis nudged Merc gently and inclined her head at the strangely colored object and whispered suspiciously, "What is that?"

As the trio grew closer, it grew apparent that the brilliant shade of blue was actually fur. Myllis' eyebrows wrinkled incredulously as she drew near enough for her sixth sense to kick in: It was alive. Correction, they were alive. Three of them.

Myllis glanced at her companions, wanting to warn them but hesitant to reveal her uncanny exteroceptive abilities. So instead she squinted conspicuously at the blue ball, made a sound of disbelief, and declared in a hesistant voice, as if speculating, "Maybe it's some kind of organism."

[Mercedes D'Amour]

Aramyllis’ comment on sharing some of Gelden’s energy jerked Merc’s head up from perusing the cobbled road she was attempting to navigate. Truthfully, she could have even been sleeping – she wasn’t sure. Her fingers stumbled, which was enough to bring her to the realization that she’d been holding off this state of frame for quite some time. Deciding wasting energy on playing wasn’t going to help any when there wasn’t anyone around with coin to share, Merc swung the guitar around to a more convenient travelling position and stuck her hands in her pockets.

Taking up a more dedicated surveillance of her surroundings, Merc soon found her attention drawn to a most unusual sight. A big blue ball of fur that rocked back and forth. She had a feeling that if Gelden saw it, that would be the end of their little excursion into the city. Wincing a little as Aramyllis drew a bit more attention to it by attempting to define it, Merc did her best to brush off the peculiarity of the thing.

“Enh, it’s pro’ly just a statue. Y’know, one of those “dynamic art” pieces that’re s’posed to be com’unity centres or some fool thin’. Let’s go.”

She thumbed in a direction away from the blue ball and hoped against hope that this would be the end of it. However, she had the distinct feeling that this was only the beginning of what was going to turn out to be a very bad day.

[Geldenwing]

Gelden was so entranced with twirling and spinning her invisible baton that she didn't even notice the large ball with its pretty waving fur. She pranced and spun right by the creature, but the baton had its own ideas. Lost in the air in a particularly splendid display of impossible aerodynamics, the baton scuttled out of her grasp just the way a real one would if she dropped it. Shrieking with the joy of her game, she hop-crawled after it, her hands batting at the ground as she imagined the stick bouncing and weaving away from her clumsy fingers.

Aramyllis and Merc's comments were lost as the fae caught site of the blue-furred creature, her jaw falling slack as she stared up into its azure rows. It was a curiosity of the oddest sort, and she was certain she'd never seen such a creature before. The non-existent baton lay forgotten by her side as she stared silently up at the creature. She was not afraid; instead, she was mesmerized by the pretty fur as it swayed with the creature's rocking form.

[Gizmo]

Junior, belowdecks and thoroughly galled by the inequitable ruling of his elders, had by now set to rights a total of three misaligned plates, and was busy tapping and testing for further areas in need of maintenance. The ground enveloped Gizmo just a foot below the Living Room, which would mean that they were four feet in the ground, and their little cage seemed to fit them like an eggcup, making it quite impossible to roll out of, or even to haul themselves up out of by means of shifting plates to act as arms. The Living Room lilted ever so slightly on its axis as Junior readjusted one of five geocentric balance nodes placed on its perimeter.

On a whim, he decided to take a quick peek outside. Lazily and expertly nudging the controls on his platform, he effected a minute shift in Gizmo's surface, and took up a periscope, mounting it obliquely into the little niche he had formed. What he saw caused the hairs on his neck to riot. There was a big old brute eyeing them with a hungry look a scarce few feet away. His ill-fitting apparel and terse stance rang warning alarums in Junior's mind, and he dashed quickly up to the others. "Stations, stations! We's got summat givin' us the darkies out thur t'the south. Check west, check nort', haste, haste!"

A fly on the wall would have found the ensuing scramble comical in its seriousness. The gnomes may have been petty, bickering fools when it came to the small things, but at the end of the day, they took care of business. ...Even if they fell over each other in the process. As soon as they were all at their stations, each of them quickly and deftly deployed a variety of scope instruments. This activity was followed by a sharp report from Grandpa gnome. "Three marks off t'the west, boys. Female, no sign o' danger yet. Prolly jes' curious. Wuss this big 'un up te, laddie?"

Junior made another survey, closed off his plates, and shouted in response, holding back laughter. "He's about te shoot us wid a bow'n'arrers!"

At this, all three burst into a raucous guffawing for a good three minutes, and Qasar was brought to tears, and Regibald was left clutching his sides in pain, before the hilarity subsided.

[Melonious Braddin]

Not long. Wonder how meat taste? Must be different from normal, Melonious thought to himself as he sat on one knee and pulled the bowstring back taught. Taking sight the troll-human licked his lips in anticipation, and was just about to release the arrow when he heard a rather loud shriek of joy. The next thing he knew there was a little... something staring up at his prize with wide eyes and a curious look, followed by two women.

With a sigh, Melonious brought the bowstring back to it's relaxed position, and put the arrow back with the rest. He did not, however, move from his kneeled perch. He was intrigued by the fact that although this little girl was very close to the blue beast, it did not move or attempt to flee. Most animals would have, he knew, which implied that it was either domesticated or it was protecting it's home. That didn't seem right, though, because there wasn't any aggressiveness coming from the being. It would have been trying to attack the girl if that were the case.

A moments hesitation longer, and the brute stood up, making his way calmly to stand next to his prey, unsure as to whether an attack was still to come. As he walked he exchanged his bow for his mace. Though she was there, Melonious paid Gelden no attention at all, more interested in the creature before him. Upon closer inspection he relized that it wasn't simply not moving, it was stuck in a rut on the road. Walking around it, and behind the fairy when he came to her side, he was amazed to find what he could see as a perfect sphere.

Putting out his hand he touched the fur, only to find it seemed real enough. He'd seen a few creatures out on the plains that had thrown him off, the dragon was red, others were black, and brown. He himself changed hughs when certain whether patterns or feelings came around. Blue wasn't that hard to wrap his mind around. So, circle meat is stuck in road, but even stuck it no try get away when we come to it. No attack, no movement, just... still, his thoughts were of a curious nature, and he wanted to see if it could move.

"Maybe it dead," he spoke to himself and the blue creature as he took out an arrow. Placing the head against the "skin", he began to push, only to eventually have the arrow snap. "No blood?" he asked, thoroughly confused. "You make noise? Seem stuck, help maybe," Melonious was hoping to get something. It always made him angry when he didn't get a reaction, and his temper was already starting to flare with the presence of the little girl and her companions.

[Aramyllis Dae]

Myllis drew to a stop a good 25 feet from the motionless ball of cobalt-colored fur, unafraid but nonetheless cautious, hands draped loosely at her sides, relaxed yet ready. Her wary eyes followed the jump-skip-hopping Gelden as the faerie teetered cluelessly towards the strange object; Myllis reached out in an attempt to halt the frolicking girl, but Geld whirled away in a haphazard dance. Worse yet, there was another here already, a towering, threatening looking man who seemed to stalk the blue sphere. Myllis watched him nearing the still-oblivious faerie, who was so awe-struck with the giant ball that she had failed to notice the gruff-looking man not far away.

Watching, waiting, Myllis said nothing, made not a move, until she sensed a wave of mirth radiating from the three sources within the ball. Moreover, she thought she heard the merry roar of raucous laughter. She felt her shoulders relaxing despite herself, her curiosity returning once more as the man comically snapped his arrowhead against the furry shell. Only when she sensed his growing hostility clouding the air--like a dense vapor, colorless and odorless though it was, Myllis could still perceive its presence--did she tense once again, fingers curling around the bone-hilt of her knife, lips curling up over her teeth in a silent growl.

"Watch yourself, man," she hissed at him, his anger tingling in her nostrils and throat. The bizarre blue sphere alarmed her less than his raising temper; she knew to be heedful of that stench, especially coming from such a large, potentially brutish-looking man.

[Mercedes D'Amour]

Mercedes actually did a face-palm. Of course she noticed. Why would she waltz pass the blue ball of doom when she could walk up and pet it instead? Pulling her skin down with her hand, she spoke into her palm:

"Why me?"

It was then that her eyes caught a flash of gold. No way. A theatre. Finally a piece of luck. At least it was a recognizable landmark - something that connected her to these foreign people in this strange place. She took a step forward. Getting a job a.k.a. coin was sort of on the top of her list of priorities - right under getting food - and what better place to do so than among "her people"? Another step, but something in Aramyllis' voice halted her movement. "Man?" Retracing her few steps and leaning so as to see what the girl was looking at, Merc's eyebrows shot up as she caught sight of the half-troll. And...luck was over. That didn't last long.

Creeping up towards Aramyllis, Merc reached out her hand to touch the girl's elbow. Speaking in a conspiratorial tone, she meted out some advice.

"Hey, y'might be wantin' to cool it a bit. W'don't wannim riled."

That was an understatement. She'd lived with an orc, for crying out loud, but trolls (half or no) still made her nervous. The aftermath of a ticked off troll...she couldn't bear to bring the memory up, though it threated to broil through the surface of her consciousness and slay her with the dread and fear it always did.

They needed to leave. Who knew what might happen if they said the wrong thing...to either the half-troll or the blue ball. Mustering up all her energy, she shouted in the most excited way possible:

"LOOK GELDEN! A THEATRE!!!" (This was accompanied by emphatic pointing.) "Now we can do our play!"

Merc crossed her fingers and hoped for the best - which would involve the blue ball spitting out a buffet table, the half-troll being a doctor who merely looked like a half-troll in the shade, and the other two girls not being quite so weird. As none of those things were likely to happen, she sighed and simply hoped for the least-worst instead.

[Geldenwing]

Gelden had been transfixed in awe and wonder by the weirdest animal she'd ever seen - until the giant man lumbered into her view and broke and arrow against the furry creature. The fairy's reaction was immediate; she let out a squeak of horror and tried to scootch back, twisting her legs into a clumsy knot and collapsing onto her back. She yelped as her invisible wings pressed into her back, bent at funny angles that she couldn't see but could feel. In another moment her wings became visible again, shimmering with a myriad of prismatic colours while she tried to unsuccessfully crab-walk away. The effort left her exhausted and barely three feet further, for her coordination was too poor to crab-walk with wings and a floppy hat over her head.

She collapsed onto the ground in time to hear Merc's voice ring out, proclaiming a theater nearby. Why a theater was important when she was about to be eaten by a giant man was beyond the little fae; she curled into the tightest ball she could manage, knees drawn up to her chest and wings pressed tight against her back. She gripped both sides of the floppy hat and pulled it down over her face, hiding away in the hopes that she wouldn't be eaten or smushed. And from her lips issued a loud whining - a living teapot with pants of terror mixed into the sound.

"Heeeee...(gasp gasp) heeeeee....(gasp wheeze) eeeeee...."

Terrified, she sobbed into the hat, gasping desperately and hoping for the big man to just go away.

[Gizmo]

When the gnomes finally got a grip on their laughter, they gathered themselves up (with the usual post-laugh sighs and wiping of water from the eyes) and paid close attention to their perimeter.

"You make noise? Seem stuck, help maybe,"

It was Qasar that overheard this tidbit. "The ugly feller wants te help us outta here. Whadya reckon, men?"

Junior guffawed at that. "He'd 'ave better luck on us wid dem arrers. Mebbe he kin fetch somebody from t'e guard house..."

Regibald grumbled sourly when he heard the other woman shouting about the theatre. "Whut in hell's so damned great abou' it, eh?" He picked up the megaphone and shouted at the woman: "Damn right it's a theatre, no reason te yell yer bloody 'ead off about it, lass. I been stuck 'ere fer hours, starin' at the damn fishtin, I don' need ye goin' on about it."

(He was, of course, grumpy because it was his wish to see the theatre that had landed Gizmo in this mess.)

"An' yew, ye great troll-face lump. If'n ye really wanna 'elp a feller out, git yer mug down te the guard'ouse an' tell the cap'n Gizmo's got hisself stuck up by t'old playhouse. Otherwise, bugger off."

Gizmo stood only six feet tall, four feet of the old machine's formidable girth being submerged, but her voice still boomed surly, deep, and primal as ever, and she shook the ground tremendously as Grandpa gnome jerked his controls back and forth in a fit of rage. Qasar spoke to him through the aluminum-piped intercom horn he had designed for platform-to-platform communication. "Quit that, ol' man, ye spilled me damn coffee."