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["Dragon pile on Caine!" "I'd pay to see that. Hell - I did pay to see that!"]
Ilk asks Jean about Qrelon's note. Pieces of several creationists have turned up in the white wing statue place; presumably killed by Julian's men. Ilk decides to pass the buck, and sends Neville a note.
"Neville. It appears that an area for which you are responsible is infested by the enemy. Please report immediately. -- Savior of Chaos."
"Ilk? Are you around here?" Neville states that Julian's men are not the major threat - it's that he can't gain access to the computer. Auricle could help with that.
Ilk looks for Auricle and Zack. Nothing. He tells Neville. Neville tries to trump Zack. Nothing, although the trump is cold.
Neville asks Ilk about the hole in the dome. Ilk gives Neville Shiryu's synopsis -- wait a few thousand turnings -- and tells him the story of the bet.
Neville trumps Caine to ask about the hole in the dome.
The dragon that Ilk was talking to reaches through Cailin's gate and taps him on the shoulder. "I thought you should know that we knew that you were eavesdropping on us. When Cailin explains that he was staying remote because he knew that dragons considered him to be a lesser being, the dragon states that he admires the way Cailin's mind works -- it is somewhat dragonish.
The claw hooks Cailin and pulls him through his visual-only gate.
The claw reaches out a second time and pulls through a stream of butterflies. Rainbow coalesces out of them with a slightly embarrased look on his face. "Now that we have all of the representatives who are interested present, shall we continue?"
The dragon asks Cailin and Rainbow for their concerns.
Cailin states his concerns as to the progress of his investigation into Toram's lands. When it is realized that Cailin was assigned this task, the dragon points out that they would feel more comfortable if one of their own number were assisting his investigation. Cailin agrees to a dragonish addition to his investigation team once the hunt is done.
Nearby Jeans are noticing a regular, colored movement across Chaos. It's a brown color. They seems to be converging on this conversation. Jean realizes that they are fudgesicles, and decides that he doesn't want to be nearby. He contemplates acquiring gunships or mecha-Jean. Unfortunately, mecha-Jean is in the Paths of the Dead. He masses gunships nearby and prepares an assault.
Cailin walks off. The dragon flies off. Ilk tendris the rest of the way out and prepares to follow Princess Chandra's lead. Princess Chandra raises an eyebrow at Snarsht. Snarsht gives a very enigmatic grin, and settles his paws down on the bit of a butterfly that he's caught.
Jean approaches, notices the party, and waits. The first wave of fudgesicles becomes visible. The butterfly screams, "Nooooo!"
Cailin makes it about three ways away and finds himself somewhere he doesn't expect - it's a well-appointed cavern. A kettle boiling over a stove, a comfortable chair, a plate of something like cookies... "Is anyone home?" No responce. There doesn't appear to be a ways behind him.
Cailin yetis out and arrives at the far end of the cavern.
There is a very dejected Caine sitting there in what appears to be a captain's chair. There are the remains of a dagger, completely flattened, a few molecules thick, on the desk in front of Caine, in the center of a handprint.
It turns out that Caine doesn't seem to be currently capable of leaving this place. Caine and Cailin snit at each other for some time. Cailin tries a bibliomancy token and fails to go anywhere. Cailin returns, grumps at Caine, then goes back out into the other room to try to conjure a Sauron-Jean.
He gets a bonsai-sized Sauron Jean tree.
Ilk is aware of being with Jean in a small tree, deep in the bowels of Chaos.
Cailin and Jean discuss leaving. Cailin decides to leave a note. Ilk speaks up. "That might not be a good idea."
Cailin and Jean discuss leaving, until Ilk points out that they are probably there for a reason.
Cailin pipes up. "Caine? Caine? Would you come in here please?"
Neville gets trump contact with Caine for a merest moment before he blinks out and reappears in a stone cavern, behind Caine. Caine is now in front of Neville with his sword out. "Neville. How good to see you."
"I was meaning to ask you a question... over trumps."
"Trumps can be eavesdropped upon, you know."
Cailin hears conversation and walks out into the hallway. He sees Caine and Neville.
Neville asks Caine about his bet with Gerard.
Caine - "That just came up a few minutes ago."
Neville - "How long ago was that?"
Caine - "About five or ten minutes ago."
Neville - "No, the actual bet."
Caine - "Before Zack was born."
Neville tries to get more details, but fails.
Neville - "So, where are we? Is this where the King of Chaos hangs out these days?"
Caine - "Yes."
Neville - "I like Amber better."
Cailin - "So do I."
People are confused.
Neville pulls out his trump deck. They're all warm. Not room-temperature warm, but soft-toast warm.
Ilk tells Jean internally of his suspicion that this is Shiryu's place, and they probably shouldn't help anyone leave without checking with Shiryu first.
Neville - "What method does one use to get out of this place?"
Caine - "Whatever method one finds efficacious?"
Neville - "Whatever method do you find efficacious?"
Neville grumbles. He walks down the hall and tries to Pattern-shift his surroundings. Neville tries on his way back, and notices that the the tree is now eating a constant stream of cookies. The stream makes his armor feel warm.
Neville - "Let me guess - we're all trapped in here."
Jean - "I'm not."
Neville - "You can leave?"
Jean - "I'm already not here."
Jean points out that Ilk is also here. Some discussion occurs regarding Ilk being here, not somewhere else.
People discuss inviting Calla into the cavern. When Calla is told by Jean that she'd be stuck, she declines to come.
Jean tells the archivist that Cailin is in Shiryu's ways.
Neville asks Jean to tell Hamster Gerard not to trump Neville - he would get stuck in Shiryu's ways.
Ilk asks Jean to leave a note for Shiryu telling him that his ways are filling with increasingly antsy people.
Calla trumps her father. He's still drunk, but it's no longer contagious.
Calla - "It's nice to see that you're sobering up, dad."
Janus - "Asprin. I need asprin."
Janus claims great experience with drunk - this isn't drunk. He's annoyed at the rat in his mouth.
Janus tells her not to be too close to relatives. She tells him about Gil being under Neville's bed, and not trumpable, and the daggers, and wants Caine's trump. She gets the trump.
Caine whips around, Logrus blade drawn, and says, "Hello, Calla."
Calla is bombarded by non-sequiturs, and ends up eating cookies. Jean looks for Shiryu. Neville and Caine snipe at each other.
Caine pulls out a deck of cards. He starts with a game that nobody else understands, and then switches to poker.
Jean searches for Shiryu, and finally finds him in Chaos.
"Lord Shiryu."
"I'm busy."
"Let me know when the time is right for me to tell the fudgesicles to build a city."
"Why?"
"So I can sacrifice it to Verra."
"Sounds reasonable."
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