2019-10-26: Out of the Pot and Into the Fire

From Dream Chasers
Jump to navigation Jump to search
  • Log: Out of the Pot and Into the Fire?
  • Cast: Rebecca Streisand, Dean Stark, Avril Vent Fleur
  • Where: The Thames - Upper Deck
  • Date: October 26, 2019
  • Summary: Avril, Rebecca and Dean arrive shortly after their escape from Temple of Water in Spira... and find themselves aboard the Thames. The Thames needs some help. Are they bad enough dudes -- well, ladies and a dude -- to help out the crew?

DG: A party led by Rebecca Streisand is now entering The Thames.
DG: Party formation is now over. An Entry Challenge will now be drawn and displayed to the party.
===============================<* The Thames *>===============================
=================<* CHALLENGE - Beat It Up and It's Yours! *>=================
|Type: Entry       |Dungeon Ability: Combat    |Challenge Rating: 2          |
--------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------
 "Gahahaha!"

 A Walrus beastman of impressive stock, dressed in a royal red Captain's coat
 and tricorne hat, walks up towards you. He appraises you and your team
 appreciatively and bellows in a hearty manner, "So you're the new Drifters
 assistin' us today, huh? Welcome aboard!"

 He gestures and says, "If you fine folks aren't strapped up with a Gear of
 your own, you'll want to check in with engineerin' and see if they can give
 you a loaner! Maybe I'll even let you keep it! Hahaha!"

 Indeed, he has a point -- a lot of the tasks around the Thames require the
 use of a Gear with the usual scale of their operations. Whether or not you
 own one, you head down to the engineering hall and discover some terrified
 mechanics hiding behind some crates. A fallen Gear is just around the
 corner, where some... aquatic Fiend is squirming out of it.

 "Oh... w-welcome!" speaks a penguin Beastman. "I'm Hans, the first officer--
 but you've come at a heck of a time! We salvaged that Gear there, but there
 was a monster inside! You've got to help us!"

 Where the monster came from, you don't /quite/ know. But it's clear you'll
 have to beat it up to claim access to the Gear again.
=Dungeon Conditions: Treasure=================================================
<Pose Tracker> Rebecca Streisand has posed.


It's just how it goes. One minute you're fighting a Hellion with more arms than one ought to have - and finding a tablet of ancient magical lore.

The next...

Light

Rebecca squints as her vision is filled with it. And it's replaced by a bright glare and a blue sky meeting an endless horizon of another hue of blue.

Reflexively holding a hand up to her brow, her sight traces the horizon line down to a deck that's... very red, and made of rusted metal.

"Dean - Avril? Everyone alright?"

"Captain this is a disaster! Most of our fighting hands are out on a salvage run!"

Says a Dolphin in a tecnician's coat with a pair of noise cancelling head phones on.

"Gahahaha - you worry too much Hans! See?" Dean gets a cane pointed at him by the Walrus Beastman wearing an impressive coat and a tricorne hat. The cane slowly lowers to point at his ARMs instead. "The drifters we contracted are right here. We need you three to get below deck and handle the situation on our hands! Hans lead them where they're going."

Rebecca looks from Dean - to Avril, then back again, before clearing her throat. "Right... so you're salvagers then?"

"... Young lady." The Captain stops. "I." He turns towards Avril, his cane following in rhythm, "-AM A MAN-" Then towards Dean, his Cane tapping down, "-OF THE SEA!"

Rebecca just stares, "... ... ... ... Okay." She notes. "And you're a man of the sea who needs our help fighting-"

-=-=-

Several Decks below and a few minutes later.

Hans points a flipper at a rusting gear that's laying on its side like a crane dropped it. "-that!"

"I don't see anythi-" The gear scrapes, raising up sparks, as Rebecca nearly jumps, drawing her ARM. "... Did that Gear just move?"

Suddenly the whole Gear starts to turn, raising more sparks, revealing the culprit.

It's a giant Hermit Crab Fiend that's hollowed out the abdomen of the Gear, using it as a makeshift shell. Each pincer is the size of a Gear Limb unto itself. It's googly eyes and antenna are retracted mostly into the gut.

Rebecca looks startled by this development, but then quips to Dean and Avril, "I guess this is Filgaia's way of saying 'Welcome Home.'"

As for the crab, she stays at range and seeing as she's on a fire Ley point... well...

Hexagonal energy lines rise up around her as she invokes her medium. And suddenly the Gear's gut spews fire.

DG: Rebecca Streisand has used her Tool Sky Medium toward her party's challenge, Beat It Up and It's Yours!.
<Pose Tracker> Dean Stark has posed.

    Is there something about that Hellion? If everyone who essayed the Water Trial rose up against it at the end, did everyone's divergent paths somehow come together? Is that why they part and reunite in the light?
    
    Wait, what's all this about, you ask?
    
    Well it's actually pretty weird! One minute Dean was with one set of friends, and now he's with another! Not a completely different set, granted, Rebecca's still here, but Kaguya and Shalune are gone and in their place is--
    
    "Avril!" he calls, seeing that flutter of white hair. "I'm so glad to see yUGH."
    
    That would be Dean landing face-first on the deck of a ship. Because why would the light do anything but deliver him in midair?
    
    He peels himself off the varnished wood as a walrus man points a cane at him. He blinks rapidly, then looks at Rebecca. "I think maybe I hit my head?" he says, uncertain, like maybe this is a hallucination but also maybe it's reality. Beastmen are a thing! He knows that, he's met Leo! But he's just... never... met that *many*. It's what comes of growing up in an isolated frontier town. The most you can say about Capo Bronco is that it has Heal Berry orchards out front, which is pretty awesome, actually.
    
    Regardless, Dean is unfamiliar with walruses who are A MAN! OF! THE SEA!! He does at least understand salvaging and fighting and so on, though, so when everyone heads below deck and a hermit crab engages a CRAB MECH BATTLE, Dean brightens. "No kidding!" he says, grinning at Rebecca and Avril, as he pulls out his Devil Arm. As Rebecca unleashes flames upon the Crab Mecha, Dean charges and SWINGS with his significant might, the blade of the dubious eyeball-shovel arcing before slashing along the Gear's knees. Schwing! Take out those tendons!!

DG: Dean Stark has used his Tool Ace of Spades toward his party's challenge, Beat It Up and It's Yours!.
<Pose Tracker> Avril Vent Fleur has posed.

    "Dean!"

    Don't worry, he's probably just fine.

    But to make a long story short:

    Things are complicated.

    One flash of light and heartbeat later, they're still complicated, but in a rather different (and significantly more managable) way.

    "...Do you mean," Avril utters, as the captain indicates the lot of them, "us?"

    ...It would seem that it is so.

    They have been hired by...

    A man of the sea.

    "I believe I understand. A salvager is distinct from a man of the sea."

    -=-=-

    "...But in which way?"

    -=-=-

    It takes a little bit to descend belowdecks, to where fresh salvage has taken a bit of a hostile approach, so to speak. "...Ah," Avril utters, sighting the beast. Regardless of the size difference involved, she pauses but a moment to take in Rebecca and Dean's approaches before closing in with her blade--

    Which is quite rapidly not at all a blade, but an armor-piercing beam of light. She lays into the poor creature without mercy. Even if it was only trying to make a home for itself in the Gear...

DG: Avril Vent Fleur has contributed a Combat Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Beat It Up and It's Yours!.
===============================<* The Thames *>===============================
=================<* CHALLENGE - Beat It Up and It's Yours! *>=================
|Type: Entry       |Dungeon Ability: Combat    |Challenge Rating: 2          |
--------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------
 "Gahahaha!"

 A Walrus beastman of impressive stock, dressed in a royal red Captain's coat
 and tricorne hat, walks up towards you. He appraises you and your team
 appreciatively and bellows in a hearty manner, "So you're the new Drifters
 assistin' us today, huh? Welcome aboard!"

 He gestures and says, "If you fine folks aren't strapped up with a Gear of
 your own, you'll want to check in with engineerin' and see if they can give
 you a loaner! Maybe I'll even let you keep it! Hahaha!"

 Indeed, he has a point -- a lot of the tasks around the Thames require the
 use of a Gear with the usual scale of their operations. Whether or not you
 own one, you head down to the engineering hall and discover some terrified
 mechanics hiding behind some crates. A fallen Gear is just around the
 corner, where some... aquatic Fiend is squirming out of it.

 "Oh... w-welcome!" speaks a penguin Beastman. "I'm Hans, the first officer--
 but you've come at a heck of a time! We salvaged that Gear there, but there
 was a monster inside! You've got to help us!"

 Where the monster came from, you don't /quite/ know. But it's clear you'll
 have to beat it up to claim access to the Gear again.
=Dungeon Conditions: Treasure=================================================
==========================<* The Thames - Round 1 *>==========================
===================< Results - Beat It Up and It's Yours! >===================
Player                               Exhaustion                      Pass/Fail
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rebecca Streisand                   0 --(0)--> 0                   Pass
Sky Medium                          2   Combat  Effects: Embolden
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Avril Vent Fleur                    0 --(0)--> 0                   Pass
Fight                               0   Combat  Effects: BASIC
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dean Stark                          0 --(0)--> 0                   Pass
Ace of Spades                       2   Combat  Effects: Embolden
----------------------------------< Party >-----------------------------------
Leader: Rebecca Streisand           0 --(25)--> 25                 Pass
Conditions: Treasure(1)
Effects: Embolden(1)
==============================< Dream Chasers >===============================
DG: The party led by Rebecca Streisand has passed this challenge! The party gained 25 exploration! If anyone needs to
use party management commands, do so now. Otherwise, the next round's GM may begin the next round with +dungeon/draw.
<Pose Tracker> Rebecca Streisand has posed.


"Aren't you glad to see me too Dean?"

Rebecca huffs, though she doesn't seem too upset. Part of her is a little glad that she parted ways with... the others. So she doesn't think about it too much.

"Nope. We're seeing this too..."

-=-=-

Hans mid-waddle below deck answers Avril. "I've been asking that same question for years now Miss and I've never gotten an adequate answer."

-=-=-

Rebecca's flames cause the Crab to stick its head out, its whole body reddened as if it had been boiled, smoke rising off of it. Which is when Dean smashes his shovel right into its crab.

The crab shell cracks. The thing makes out a shriek - right before Avril's beam of light strikes the same spot.

Its armor is no longer any protection whatsoever. The fiend spasms... then dies.

Rebecca pats Avril on the shoulder after as they're winding down from the fight. "I'm glad we're all still... together."

In a few minutes she'll be asking Hans exactly where they are and what their contract pays for this.

The answers: The Thames - Aquvy, and 'Enough.'

But for now the knowledge that they're all here together is enough.

DG: Avril Vent Fleur has drawn a new Challenge.
================================<* The Thames *>================================
==================<* CHALLENGE - It Ain't How Hard You Hit *>===================
|Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Combat    |Challenge Rating: 1          |
---------------------------< Challenge Information: >---------------------------
 A strange and beautiful man with a rock-square jaw and permed green hair
 swaggers into sight down a grand set of stairs, dressed in a pink jacket and
 showing off powerful bare-chested ab. You may or may not know of him, the
 mysterious "Stone Joker" who answers to the name of "Big Joe".

 Some say he's claimed to be a hero from a distant past. Others say he's just
 a drunk doped up too far up on Drive. Yet others mention he's active in the
 Speed circuit here in the Thames. Whatever the case may be--

 "... s' about how hard you can get hit and keep goin' forward. So c'mon, if
 you know what you're worth, come get your worth!"

 He's taken an interest in your fighting prowess and puts up his dukes. ...
 Now, the problem isn't exactly that he's great at a fight, but rather about
 how you exhaust him without having him hurt himself or others in the
 vicinity.

 Perhaps you need a montage, so that you can rise up to the challenge of your
 rival (??).
=Dungeon Conditions: Stupify==================================================
<Pose Tracker> Avril Vent Fleur has posed.

    The fiend (with the lowercase f) falls, slumping right on out of the Gear. It might be good eating tonight.

    Avril has a moment with her friends, and actually smiles--

    "Er, actually..." Hans hazards, intercutting into the reunion that now has the space to fully (?) unfold. "If you don't mind, we're kinda shortstaffed. We could use a few extra hands for a bit."

    He hesitates and likely under the force of Rebecca's gaze finally adds: "There's payment."

    Pause.

    "You'll get a bonus?"

    Good enough, perhaps.

    "You might wanna borrow that Gear, though. Some of it's gonna be heavy lifting."

    This is the job to which Avril volunteers, ascending into the cockpit once it's gotten the water vacuumed out of it. Most of the front of the cockpit's missing due to the monster that was in it, but the important parts like the controls still function just fine. Who needs cameras if you don't have a functioning door anyway?!

    One borrowed Gear blade later -- 'just in case', according to Hans, since the Gear's guns need work before anyone can even dream about using them -- they're off, headed to the upper decks.

    But a figure stands tall and proud in their path, blocking further advancement. It is none but the one, the only, the...

    ...Stone Joker? Does anyone call him that?

    Let's just go with 'Big Joe'.
    Whatever the appellation, he's here to pick a fight.

    "...Is this truly necessary?" Avril queries, staring down at him from the cockpit. "I do not believe that we have the time to--"

    "'S 'bout toughing through it all, even when times are tough!" the man insists, and has a go at Dean, who is probably about half his age and half his size.

    Avril's response is to slowly draw the Gear blade and lower it to the floor, even as he closes in. It may be like having a large wall of steel suddenly set in his path.

DG: Avril Vent Fleur has used her Tool Gear Blade - Gambanteinn toward her party's challenge, It Ain't How Hard You Hit.
<Pose Tracker> Dean Stark has posed.

    "Well yeah I'm glad to see you too! Why wouldn't I be?" Dean argues back at Rebecca. Still, she doesn't seem too upset, so he doesn't get too worked up, either. He does wonder what happened to the others, though... Maybe they also ended up on some ship or another? He really hopes they didn't end up *in* the sea.
    
    ...
    
    "Hey, where exactly *are* we, anyway?" he wonders.
    
    In any case, the poor hermit crab monster meets an early and grisly end. Dean feels a little bad for it--who wouldn't want to make a giant robot their home?--but the walrus guy and the penguin dude asked for their help, so... Either way, he'll be over it by the time it's been steamed and served with lemon and butter on his plate for dinner.
    
    He jogs over to rejoin Rebecca and Avril and grins, still carrying Ace of Spades in one arm. "Same here!" he says. "It feels kinda nostalgic, huh? Back to the three of us, just like we started our journey!"
    
    But then Hans interrupts, asking for help, and... "If you need helping, we're the ones to do it!" he says with confidence, because Dean literally cannot refuse a request for help, ever, barring extreme circumstances. He lets Avril go for this one--why not? She's strong, after all! And so the three head for the upper decks, Avril in the Gear (if it had been a Golem neither heaven nor earth would have prevented him from diving into its cockpit, but this, in the end, is just a Gear).
    
    A wild Joe appears.
    
    "What?" Dean utters, blinking at Big Joe. "W-wait, why do we have to hit each other? We're just trying to get some work done!" Dean isn't one to back away from a fight, but it would be nice to know *why* they're fighting, at least? It's just plain strange for someone to show up out of nowhere and demand punching time. He tenses up as Joe takes a swing at him--
    
    And then Avril softly, gently, lowers the Gear's blade down between the two of them.
    
    There is a CLUNK as Joe punches the blade.
    
    There is another CLUNK as Dean clobbers him on the head with the flat of Ace of Spades.
    
    "Sorry," he says, scratching his head as he puts the Devil Arm away, "but we're kinda busy, so... maybe another time?"

DG: Dean Stark has used his Tool Ace of Spades toward his party's challenge, It Ain't How Hard You Hit.
<Pose Tracker> Rebecca Streisand has posed.


"Well yeah but you... forget about it!" Is what she'd said earlier. Grumpily.

"We'd just need a Golem Arm for Avril to ride in on." Rebecca says affectionately to the other two, all smiles on the thought of their homecoming being similar to how they all met.

"Make it a good bonus." Rebecca haggles, before indicating that...

"Hey thanks. Your gear will be safe in Avril's hands-! She's a great pilot."

-=-=-

Rebecca is staring at Big Joe as if he'd grown another head.

"Are you crazy!? She's in a Gear! She could smoosh you just by stepping on you!"

Big Joe however doesn't back down.

And so the moment he finds his path barred by Avril lowering her Gear's sword...

Rebecca walks straight up to him, and a few paces away springs into the air and aims a Jumping Kick to his face.

Then another when after she lands. She's doing this on the opposite side of Dean clobbering him with a shovel.

"If Dean and I haven't hit you enough times for you to realize this was a bad idea - just let us know!"

DG: Rebecca Streisand has contributed a Combat Basic Action toward her party's challenge, It Ain't How Hard You Hit.
================================<* The Thames *>================================
==================<* CHALLENGE - It Ain't How Hard You Hit *>===================
|Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Combat    |Challenge Rating: 1          |
---------------------------< Challenge Information: >---------------------------
 A strange and beautiful man with a rock-square jaw and permed green hair
 swaggers into sight down a grand set of stairs, dressed in a pink jacket and
 showing off powerful bare-chested ab. You may or may not know of him, the
 mysterious "Stone Joker" who answers to the name of "Big Joe".

 Some say he's claimed to be a hero from a distant past. Others say he's just
 a drunk doped up too far up on Drive. Yet others mention he's active in the
 Speed circuit here in the Thames. Whatever the case may be--

 "... s' about how hard you can get hit and keep goin' forward. So c'mon, if
 you know what you're worth, come get your worth!"

 He's taken an interest in your fighting prowess and puts up his dukes. ...
 Now, the problem isn't exactly that he's great at a fight, but rather about
 how you exhaust him without having him hurt himself or others in the
 vicinity.

 Perhaps you need a montage, so that you can rise up to the challenge of your
 rival (??).
=Dungeon Conditions: Stupify==================================================
===========================<* The Thames - Round 2 *>===========================
====================< Results - It Ain't How Hard You Hit >=====================
Player                               Exhaustion                      Pass/Fail
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rebecca Streisand                   0 --(0)--> 0                   Fail
Fight                               0   Combat  Effects: BASIC
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Avril Vent Fleur                    0 --(0)--> 0                   Pass
Gear Blade - Gambanteinn            2   Combat  Effects: Stalwart
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dean Stark                          0 --(0)--> 0                   Pass
Ace of Spades                       2   Combat  Effects: Embolden
-----------------------------------< Party >------------------------------------
Leader: Rebecca Streisand           25 --(20)--> 45                Pass
Conditions: Stupify(2)
Effects: Embolden(1)
===============================< Dream Chasers >================================
DG: The party led by Rebecca Streisand has passed this challenge! The party gained 20 exploration! If anyone needs to
use party management commands, do so now. Otherwise, the next round's GM may begin the next round with +dungeon/draw.
<Pose Tracker> Avril Vent Fleur has posed.

    Avril, in spite of everything lately, even giggles. "Yes, it does, doesn't it? ...Perhaps the others are not far away. It appears to be a rather large ship that we are on."

    ...This whole thing is a ship? It must be the size of a small city...!

    But while there's quickly a paycheck on the table... it comes with a small bit of trouble, in the form of a rather large man.

    Who quickly finds that there is a problem with challenging a person in a Gear to a fight--

    Specifically the part where even a Gear blade weighs several tons and is about as tall as a good-sized wall. Big Joe does not slam into the side of the sword: recovering, he rounds on Dean in the newly foreshortened space--

    --receives a kick to the side of the head as he takes a swing at Dean--

    --and then gets shoveled.

    He crumples like an empty paper bag before Rebecca can so much as make her second aerial kick. She may well land atop him.

    The good news is, he's still breathing.

    ...There is no bad news.

    "That man was strange," Avril says, before carefully retrieving her blade and urging the Gear on -- and around -- Big Joe's still form.

    No one else seems to much notice or care. Perhaps this is... normal, around here?

DG: Dean Stark has drawn a new Challenge.
================================<* The Thames *>================================
======================<* CHALLENGE - The Market is Open *>======================
|Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Wits      |Challenge Rating: 2          |
---------------------------< Challenge Information: >---------------------------
 "Come one come all!" calls a hawker.

 You've come across the open-deck markets of the Thames at their busiest.
 It's a thriving, bustling labyrinth of stalls and converted containers and
 other such clever repurposing of the carrier's features. You can find
 everything from street food to ARMs and Gear parts and other supplies for
 your journey--

 "Not five Gella more! Nuh uh!"
 "I'd prefer Refractors, actually!"

 But you'll have to haggle, for such is the camaraderie of the Thames. Loosen
 your lips and bust out the charm!
=Dungeon Conditions: Treasure, Stupify========================================
<Pose Tracker> Dean Stark has posed.

    "Avril wouldn't ever do that, though," Dean whispers to Rebecca, even though, he has to admit, she has a point. Big Joe doesn't know Avril wouldn't do that! (Not to mention, the Ice Queen is a total different story.)
    
    Regardless, Big Joe goes down. "Sorry," Dean repeats as the three go around his crumpled form and move on.
    
    "Yeah, that *was* weird," he remarks to Avril. "There's all kinds of people in the world, huh? Hey, I wonder if they've got any Golems on this ship...!"
    
    He's starting to get excited!!
    
    The team does their work, and soon comes to the markets of the Thames on the top deck. It's really busy up here, and only the fact that one of their number is in a Gear lets them cut throug the crowds with ease. Actually, it might be even easier for Dean and Rebecca to ride of Avril's Gear-arms. As it stands, though, with them on the ground, they can see all the cool stuff for sale. Stuff like...
    
    "Rebecca! Avril! Look!!" Dean triumphantly thrusts out a pair of Golem arm-shaped water wings, eyes sparkling. "Aren't these perfect?! And they're only 5000 gella!"
    
    "Each," the hawker adds, hawkishly.
    
    (rebecca stop him, the danger sphere knows nothing)

DG: Dean Stark has used his Tool Danger Sphere toward his party's challenge, The Market is Open.
<Pose Tracker> Avril Vent Fleur has posed.

    It's indeed easier to give Dean and Rebecca a lift as they head on upwards to the deck -- though Dean may want to mind the missing middle finger on the left hand. It's an easy fix, once it's in the shop -- for something submerged and previously home to a monster, the Gear handles fairly well.

    Sticks a bit when turning right but nobody's perfect.

    On their ascent up they cross the Thames market, set here amidst the upper levels of the enormous ship.

    "Oh, we should stop and see if they have anything useful for sale," Avril remarks, bringing the Gear up short of the outer limits of the market and disembarking. "Or, perhaps, something to eat? ...It has been some time since I have eaten."

    In fact the last thing she consumed was some hot chocolate. It was very good hot chocolate, but that still isn't a meal.

    With a little negotiating and hunting around, Avril is soon in possession of--

    A simple rolled fruit crepe. It's not precisely a meal but it's at least got some fruit in it...?

    "Dean? Whatever did you find?"

    Waterwings? Those could be handy if they are on the high seas the way that the subtle bucking and shifting of the Thames suggests they are. But... that price...

    She looks to Rebecca, thoughtfully. "As I recall... even 10,000 gil would be pricy for an object of this sort in Spira. Moreover, a single gella seemed to be worth more than a single gil. I cannot say what this should cost, but..."

    She might lack the street smarts Rebecca possesses but at least she can infer.

DG: Avril Vent Fleur has contributed a Wits Basic Action toward her party's challenge, The Market is Open.
<Pose Tracker> Rebecca Streisand has posed.


Rebecca doesn't argue that Avril wouldn't do that. She can think of a few circumstances where Avril might, and that's not a disquieting thought to her anymore. "Of course not Dean - but if he's gonna run up to people in Gears... it's going to happen to him one day."

Luckily he crumples pretty quickly.

Rebecca had been on the lookout for the possibility that the others were around, but mostly she'd let that thought go until Dean brings it up, "Hmm... I'm not sure. It is a big ship, but I have the feeling things would be louder if Kaguya were around here somewhere."

Before - Golems.

"I've mostly seen Gears but - hey they're Salvagers. It's... not impossible they've brought one up."

-=-=-

At the Market though, Rebecca had mostly been sorting through supplies, picking up some Aquasols and food when... "Hey Avril - do you need any Rosesols? We were in Spira for a long t-"

Dean thrusts a pair of Golem Arm Shaped Water Wings. "-ime."

Rebecca looks at the Golem Arm shaped Water Wings. Then at the Hawker. Then back to Dean. For a moment her eyes just narrow, but then that is gone, like she relaxed and it was just imagined.

"Hey good thinking Dean." Wait she's actually giving him credit?, "I mean, we're out at sea - and you haven't learned to swim yet."

Rebecca then smiles at Avril, "Does seem a little pricey to me too." She then looks at the Hawker, "I'm just going to check the books and see if we can afford it."

Wait books?

Rebecca pulls out her poetry journal. And starts flipping through it. "Uh huh. Uh huh. Right. I thought so." She then asks the man, "Do you know what the debits and credits all say after I looked through them?"

"That... you're going to buy my goods?"

"Nope. They don't say anything - because there aren't any."

Rebecca suddenly slams the book down at his stall loudly causing the man to start - as she glares at him.

Revealing that most her wrath was not directed at Dean, but at him. "Because I'm just a small town girl that didn't learn how to keep the books. What I do have though is the common sense to know when you're trying to con a friend of mine because you saw he's a Golem Enthusiast."

Picking the book back up again, she smiles at him, "Now how about we try again and you shave that pricetag down to where it's really worth. Because my other friend Avril - right there?"

She uses a thumb to point at Avril, "She's going to be less nice than me if she finds out you're trying to take advantage of our good friend Dean."

DG: Rebecca Streisand has used her Tool Rebecca's Travel Diary toward her party's challenge, The Market is Open.
================================<* The Thames *>================================
======================<* CHALLENGE - The Market is Open *>======================
|Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Wits      |Challenge Rating: 2          |
---------------------------< Challenge Information: >---------------------------
 "Come one come all!" calls a hawker.

 You've come across the open-deck markets of the Thames at their busiest.
 It's a thriving, bustling labyrinth of stalls and converted containers and
 other such clever repurposing of the carrier's features. You can find
 everything from street food to ARMs and Gear parts and other supplies for
 your journey--

 "Not five Gella more! Nuh uh!"
 "I'd prefer Refractors, actually!"

 But you'll have to haggle, for such is the camaraderie of the Thames. Loosen
 your lips and bust out the charm!
=Dungeon Conditions: Treasure, Stupify========================================
===========================<* The Thames - Round 3 *>===========================
========================< Results - The Market is Open >========================
Player                               Exhaustion                      Pass/Fail
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rebecca Streisand                   0 --(0)--> 0                   Pass
Rebecca's Travel Diary              2   Wits    Effects: Enlighten
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Avril Vent Fleur                    0 --(0)--> 0                   Pass
Investigate                         0   Wits    Effects: BASIC
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dean Stark                          0 --(0)--> 0                   Pass
Danger Sphere                       2   Wits    Effects: Resilient
-----------------------------------< Party >------------------------------------
Leader: Rebecca Streisand           45 --(25)--> 70                Pass
Conditions: Stupify(2)|Treasure(1)
Effects: Enlighten(1)|Resilient(1)
===============================< Dream Chasers >================================
DG: The party led by Rebecca Streisand has passed this challenge! The party gained 25 exploration! If anyone needs to
use party management commands, do so now. Otherwise, the next round's GM may begin the next round with +dungeon/draw.
<Pose Tracker> Dean Stark has posed.

    'Dean? Whatever did you find?'
    'A KNIFE! :D :D'
    But no.
    
    "Now that you mention it... I'm starving too!" Dean exclaims, clapping a hand on his stomach. Of course, he's a growing boy, so he's always starving, but still. To Rebecca, he pauses, then muses, "Yeah, there'd be a lot more chaos with Kaguya around... I wonder if she's got anything to eat? You gotta eat right when you're sick! And when you're healthy. Boy, I'm hungry!!"
    
    Before he can find something to eat, though, his attention is caught by those water wings. Wings! In water! To let you fly when you would otherwise drown!! And they're fashioned after Golem arms!!! It's basically the coolest thing ever and Dean wants it immediately, even though if it were anything else save actual Golem arms he would think that price is ridiculous. Avril's not exactly a savvy negotiator either, and when she muses aloud that she's not sure if it's a good price or not, the hawker's eyes gleam.
    
    "Ah, but this is the regular going price for such important tools of the sea!" he declares. "That said, I'm far from an unfair salesman! For you, I'll make a special discount--four thousand. Each! That's a good twenty percent off!!"
    
    "Right? I thought the same thing!" Dean gushes to Rebecca. "Plus they look like Golem arms! They're so cool!!" Then she talks about books. He blinks, then smiles. "Oh okay!"
    
    The hawker starts to look hunted.
    
    Negotiations ensue. In the end, the hawker shrinks away, mumbles something about cutting his own throat and sells the water wings for 50 gella. Each.
    
    "Wow, what an incredible deal!! Thanks, mister!" Dean gushes, carrying them off.
    
    A couple minutes later: "I'm still hungry, though."
    
    Maybe Avril could share a bite of her crepe...?

DG: Rebecca Streisand has drawn a new Challenge.
===============================<* The Thames *>===============================
===============<* CHALLENGE - Hybrid - Hell Custom (ver. EW) *>===============
|Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Combat    |Challenge Rating: 3          |
--------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------
 "We got a situation!"

 A distress call crackles loud over the radio. A loud monstrous screech
 offers the Thames its first-line warning that a giant monstrous creature is
 approaching. A siren starts blaring, and warning lights pulse throughout the
 hallways.

                               -= WARNING! =-
             < A Huge Battleship 'Deathscythe' is Approaching! >

 This is a Deathscythe, a Gear-sized aquatic stingray monstrosity with a
 skull for a face, infamous for drawing salvage and fishing ships into a
 deadly waltz into the endless depths of hell.

 A Gear can capture its attention and more importantly give it a lasting
 impression. You'll want to focus efforts on just communicating escape plans
 to the citizens stuck above deck as well!
=Dungeon Conditions: Maim, Injure=============================================
<Pose Tracker> Rebecca Streisand has posed.


"Yeah. Thanks Mister." Rebecca smiles sweetly, even waving at the guy.

As they turn away though, "I think I saw a food stand making noodles... we could stop...b-"

WARNING

Sirens alarm and Hans shouts excitedly into the Loudspeaker, "Deathscythe! Deathscythe spotted Larboard side! All hands get to your gears! Everyone without a gear evacuate the deck!"

BGM Change: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yw49mOVybuE

The entire ship shakes as a stingray like tail severs a crane.

It's instant pandemonium in the market as merchants hastily shut down their booths, those still up top trying to get somewhere else.

"... Avril's got the only gear." Rebecca realizes, stunned. And it's not that she doesn't believe in Avril.

It's just... lately she enjoys fighting alongside the other two. And this is one fight she can't really join in.

"You don't have to go." She says to Avril, as if it's an offer that the three of them could stay out of this - try to stay safe. She knows that might be a hard sell to Dean but... "But you're going to... right?" She's absolutely worried about the prospect, but she buries them.

-=-=-

After a hectic escort of Avril to her Gear, Rebecca indicates to Dean. "We should keep away from that. Not much we can do on foot. This hangar seems pretty safe... we should direct people still out there over to here... but... how do we get their attention...?"

Rebecca looks at Dean's Shovel. "So... Dean... got a weird idea..."

-=-=-

Cut to the Near Future. How did they get there? Well it all started with a suggestion, but right now Rebecca has set parts of the deck aflame like a trail of road flares using her Medium.

And at the end of it is Dean... who is directing traffic by waving...

"Go go go-!" Rebecca calls the all clear to a crowd of workers who start to run... "You'll know you're almost there when you see a guy with a flaming shovel! Go to him!"

DG: Rebecca Streisand has used her Tool Sky Medium toward her party's challenge, Hybrid - Hell Custom (ver. EW).
<Pose Tracker> Avril Vent Fleur has posed.

    "That was quite clever," Avril says, once they've parted from the stall, golem waterwings and all. "I would not have thought to approach him with such a tactic. ...I see that I have much to learn," she adds, before taking a bite out of her crepe. It's not precisely a meal but it might do until--

    Klaxons blare.

    Avril's gaze darts over at Rebecca and Dean as she continues to rather hurriedly chew and swallow her mouthful of crepe. "--I-- I think that does mean me," Avril says, glancing between the two of them. The Gear might not be entirely 'whole' but it should be good enough for a fight against...

    She doesn't have to go. She could make any excuse not to go.

    But before she even says a word, as she looks at Rebecca, the answer's already as plain as day in her eyes, isn't it? She's going to go.

    "They are... most of their defenders are not here. If I am able to, I must." She pauses. "...Please hold this for me," she says, handing over her partially eaten crepe. "I promise that I will not do anything reckless."

    After that she's away, negotiating her Gear ever close to the launch location--

    "It will be alright," she tells an engineer, who seems (understandably) concerned about her Gear's... condition. "I will attempt to harry it rather than engage directly."

    Maybe this is good enough. Maybe they're just that desperate in this particular moment.
    She's helped to launch.

    BGM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQi7vk9Yzdk

    Clearest ice glazes over the gap where the cockpit's door should be just before she takes her leave of the Thames. It will hold, for now. Though it is itself no long-term solution.

    "...I see you," she murmurs, taking up the borrowed blade as she surges across the waves for the hovering monster, even now on its approach for the Thames. She doesn't so much as swing the blade as use it as a large lance, using her current speed to her advantage. With the other pilots, together they might be able to defeat it...

DG: Avril Vent Fleur has used her Tool Gear Blade - Gambanteinn toward her party's challenge, Hybrid - Hell Custom (ver.
EW).
<Pose Tracker> Dean Stark has posed.

    Noodles...! Fried noodles sounds amazing right now. Dean's already licking his lips at the thought and looking around, sniffing the air for the scent, when the warnings blare. He looks around in alarm, bracing for a fight--but the fight getting picked is one bigger than he can handle on foot. Even Dean knows when it's wisest to cut and run... and while Avril might be the only one in a Gear, he trusts in her and her strength. It's not like this is her first time in one, either. Even if that Gear isn't in peak condition, he has faith. Rebecca will find this an easier sell than she might have expected.
    
    "Don't worry. We understand," he thus tells Avril, giving her a firm nod. "We'll take care of things down here, make sure everyone gets away safe." He grins and raises a fist. "You go punch out that oversized flappy fish!"
    
    And so the three part ways, Avril to her mech, Rebecca and Dean to help those still on deck evacuate. He nods to Rebecca. "Yeah, as long as they stuck to the walls, the hangar seems safe. But how to get everyone there? --Hm?"
    
    A few minutes later...
    
    "EVERYBODY! THIS WAY!" Dean bellows, waving Ace of Spades, whose eye is wilding even more wildly than usual on account of it being on fire. Nobody likes being on fire. Not even weird, possibly sentient devil-shovels. "FOLLOW ME! WE'LL GET YOU TO SAFETY!"
    
    Once everyone's along the way, Dean pauses in signaling with his shovel long enough to turn and watch the Gears launch towards the Deathscythe. It's easy to tell which one is Avril's; the cockpit is covered in ice. He pumps a fist. "GO GET 'EM, AVRIL!!" he shouts at the top of his lungs.

DG: Dean Stark has used his Tool Ace of Spades toward his party's challenge, Hybrid - Hell Custom (ver. EW).
===============================<* The Thames *>===============================
===============<* CHALLENGE - Hybrid - Hell Custom (ver. EW) *>===============
|Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Combat    |Challenge Rating: 3          |
--------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------
 "We got a situation!"

 A distress call crackles loud over the radio. A loud monstrous screech
 offers the Thames its first-line warning that a giant monstrous creature is
 approaching. A siren starts blaring, and warning lights pulse throughout the
 hallways.

                               -= WARNING! =-
             < A Huge Battleship 'Deathscythe' is Approaching! >

 This is a Deathscythe, a Gear-sized aquatic stingray monstrosity with a
 skull for a face, infamous for drawing salvage and fishing ships into a
 deadly waltz into the endless depths of hell.

 A Gear can capture its attention and more importantly give it a lasting
 impression. You'll want to focus efforts on just communicating escape plans
 to the citizens stuck above deck as well!
=Dungeon Conditions: Maim, Injure=============================================
==========================<* The Thames - Round 4 *>==========================
=================< Results - Hybrid - Hell Custom (ver. EW) >=================
Player                               Exhaustion                      Pass/Fail
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rebecca Streisand                   0 --(0)--> 0                   Fail
Sky Medium                          2   Combat  Effects: Embolden
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Avril Vent Fleur                    0 --(0)--> 0                   Pass
Gear Blade - Gambanteinn            2   Combat  Effects: Stalwart
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dean Stark                          0 --(0)--> 0                   Fail
Ace of Spades                       2   Combat  Effects: Embolden
----------------------------------< Party >-----------------------------------
Leader: Rebecca Streisand           70 --(20)--> 90                Pass
Conditions: Injure(2)|Maim|Stupify(1)
Effects: Embolden(1)
==============================< Dream Chasers >===============================
DG: The party led by Rebecca Streisand has passed this challenge! The party gained 20 exploration! If anyone needs to
use party management commands, do so now. Otherwise, the next round's GM may begin the next round with +dungeon/draw.
<Pose Tracker> Rebecca Streisand has posed.


Rebecca doesn't dispute it. Taking the crepe, even smiling at her. Though her smile contrasts with the worry in her eyes. "I'll have it waiting for you when you get back."

Wrapping it up, she'd gingerly tucked it into her pack of supplies on the top, trying to make certain it stays safe.

The Deathscythe shrieks a terrible scream in response to Avril's approach, the air around it chilling...

And a Gear Blade approaches en route to impale it.

"No not that way - those other flames are caused by something blowing up!"

They go the wrong way looking for the boy with a flaming shovel.

Just as pieces of a salvage Gear fly towards the ship. They skitter across the deck and crash - cutting off the sight line to Dean.

"AVRIL!"

Rebecca cries in alarm.

She needn't have worried though.

It's not her Gear.

A moment later the creature overseas lets out a terrible moan.

As Avril impaled it clean through - out the other side, spitting it like a spear fisher with a particularly large catch.

It dies before it can imperil any civilians further.

-=-=-

When Avril gets back, Rebecca seems far too calm. Perhaps it's because she's trying not to let her feelings from that little scare show too much. "Welcome back. You were amazing out there. Everyone's talking about it."

She also presents her crepe in it's wrapper. "I held onto it for you."

And then she looks off to the side. "You may... want to wait for it to cool a bit..."

How is that possible?

Well, when she found out it had become cold in the interim...

... she'd absolutely used her medium to warm it up.

DG: Avril Vent Fleur has drawn a new Challenge.
================================<* The Thames *>================================
==================<* CHALLENGE - Hybrid - Fuel in the Fire *>===================
|Type: Final       |Dungeon Ability: Agility   |Challenge Rating: 2          |
---------------------------< Challenge Information: >---------------------------
 The day has come to a close. A bell soundly rings out in the direction of
 the cargo bay -- it's feeding time for the Gears! There's a hearty laugh
 from the workers, salvagers and deck crew all cheer resoundingly as they
 steer their rides towards the hangars and dismount. There's a jolly
 sensation as people work, whistling as they scrub armor plates, clean inner
 joints and--

 "WHOA!"

 A pelican beastman gets knocked off his feet as an errant Gear fuel hose
 springs loose from his Gear's fuel feed. A crew member attempts to arrest
 the snake-like hose, but gets smacked on the nozzle and falls flat on the
 gas!

 "Help!!"

 The hose itself is far too large for any Drifter to arrest on foot -- you'll
 need your Gear for that! But while the Gear's reigning in the pressurised
 hose, there's lots of crew members to save and evacuate!
=Dungeon Conditions: Suffer===================================================
<Pose Tracker> Avril Vent Fleur has posed.

    The blade slides straight through the creature; caught neatly on it, all the monster can do is writhe as it is peppered by gunfire from the other fielded Gears.

    Transit back is a simple matter. Landing the Gear on the cleared deck -- the ice shield melts away cleanly, freed from her will to keep it there -- she soon dismounts and hurries over to see to her friends.

    "We did it," she says, with a smile that is only slightly weary.

    Her gaze lingers on Rebecca for a moment. "...?"

    Though perhaps the mystery may be (partially) solved when she takes the crepe into her hands. It's warm!

    "Thank you." Because, really, what else can you say?

    And under any other circumstance that may have been the last of it--

    But a shout rings out from the nearby hangars, where most of the other pilots have directed their Gears, soon after returning from the sortie against the Death Scythe. It doesn't take much more than a glance to realize what the problem is.

    The escaped fuel hose dances in the air, spewing valuable (and flammable) fuel all about the hanger. At that weight and with the way it's moving -- it's dangerous to anyone who gets too close, if not fatal! It certainly can't be tamed by a person alone. But a machine could...!
    But the hangar is all the way on the other side of the top deck, which is absolutely enormous.

    Avril hands over her crepe to Rebecca once again and hurries to reboard the Gear.

    This time she moves to bring Dean and Rebecca within as well. It's going to make for a cramped cockpit, particularly after she again ices it over but--

    She hits the red button that says TURBOCHARGE.

    Hopefully Rebecca and Dean can find something to hold onto.

    ...It's going to be a quick trip across the deck, that's for sure.

    She lets them out once they arrive. ...However rattled and dazed they may be.

    "Hurry! Help save them!"

    Because that's a task best done on foot. She, meanwhile, urges the machine forward and grasps for the wildly dancing hose.

DG: Avril Vent Fleur has used her Tool Turbocharger toward her party's challenge, Hybrid - Fuel in the Fire.
<Pose Tracker> Dean Stark has posed.

    Dean hadn't thought of the fire on his shovel getting mistaken for other fires. When people start heading over towards a more dangerous fire, he starts to get alarmed, shouting, "HEY! NO! OVER *HERE*!" Fortunately, Avril slays the Deathscythe like a pro. With the worst of the danger passed, it's just a matter of putting *out* those fires, then meeting up with the victorious heroes.
    
    "Yeah! You were awesome out there!" Dean gushes to Avril, chiming in after Rebecca. His stomach rumbles at the passing of the crepe, but... Judging by the bell, it sounds like it's time for chow anyway. He can afford to wait a couple more minutes!
    
    Except then *another* disaster happens.
    
    "Woah!" Dean utters, seeing the massive fuel hose fall before it's supposed to, then start writhing like an injured snake, spewing fuel everywhere. There's no way anyone could get that under control by foot, so--
    
    "Right! Let's do this together!" he says to Avril, clambering into the Gear cockpit with her and Rebecca. If it's a tight, squeezy, skin-to-skin fit, he doesn't seem to notice, so focused on saving people is he. "If we get us in between the hose and everyone else, we can be a shield for them, protect them from the spray!" he says. "Let's gWOOOAAAHHH"
    
    TURBOCHARGE TIME. At least he manages to get his footing in time for when Avril lets him and Rebecca out. From there, it's a matter of hurrying to those who've already slipped, helping them up, and getting them out of dodge while Avril gets the hose under control.

DG: Dean Stark has contributed a Agility Basic Action toward his party's challenge, Hybrid - Fuel in the Fire.
<Pose Tracker> Rebecca Streisand has posed.


"You did it." Rebecca replies back, "She was wasn't she? She was incredible!" She gushes, perhaps so as to hide how she worried some. "And hey - you're welcome! Wouldn't do for the conquering hero to come back to a cold meal right?" Rebecca has this sort of silly grin at that.

And then a shout happens. "What is it with this ship!?"

She's beginning to figure out why this place assumed they're hired drifters with so many disasters.

The fuel hose is a daunting sight from a distance. "That's... you said it Dean."

Taking the crepe back, she gingerly stuffs it away again, before hopping up into the cockpit in a series of quick, acrobatic leaps.

"Hey Dean make some room...!" Rebecca says as she tucks herself in behind the pilot's seat - just as Avril hits turbocharge.

This causes Rebecca to suddenly jerk backwards from the sudden acceleration. Hooking a leg around a door handle, she braces herself. "THIS IS WAY FASTER THAN I EXPECTED!" She shouts over Dean's prolonged GWOAHHHHH!

Until finally it shudders into a stop.

From there, as soon as Avril lets them off, Rebecca uses their high vantage point to suddenly fire a shot through the fast moving hose. It strikes the ground on the other side.

She then fires it on the ground beside the Gear. "YOU SEE THAT HOLE? STEP IN IT! IT'LL TAKE YOU TO SAFETY!"

"SURE! GOOD THINKING BLOWING A HOLE IN THE DECK!" One of the crew members makes a short hop down. And suddenly finds themselves falling out of one portal, before they come out the other side, and fall back through. "Wh-OA-OA-OA-OA-OA-OA! WHAT-is-HAPPENING-to-ME!" Back and forth as other trapped crewmembers watch it with horror.

Rebecca watches the sight with mouth agape. Before suddenly firing another shot to the wall.

The poor unfortunate Sailor spills out on the deck instantly.

"Ah - sorry! Still getting the hang of how to use Lydie's guns!"

The other crew members on the other side eye the hole suspiciously, and then the threatening hose as if trying to decide which is worse...

DG: Rebecca Streisand has used her Tool Portal Guns toward her party's challenge, Hybrid - Fuel in the Fire.
================================<* The Thames *>================================
==================<* CHALLENGE - Hybrid - Fuel in the Fire *>===================
|Type: Final       |Dungeon Ability: Agility   |Challenge Rating: 2          |
---------------------------< Challenge Information: >---------------------------
 The day has come to a close. A bell soundly rings out in the direction of
 the cargo bay -- it's feeding time for the Gears! There's a hearty laugh
 from the workers, salvagers and deck crew all cheer resoundingly as they
 steer their rides towards the hangars and dismount. There's a jolly
 sensation as people work, whistling as they scrub armor plates, clean inner
 joints and--

 "WHOA!"

 A pelican beastman gets knocked off his feet as an errant Gear fuel hose
 springs loose from his Gear's fuel feed. A crew member attempts to arrest
 the snake-like hose, but gets smacked on the nozzle and falls flat on the
 gas!

 "Help!!"

 The hose itself is far too large for any Drifter to arrest on foot -- you'll
 need your Gear for that! But while the Gear's reigning in the pressurised
 hose, there's lots of crew members to save and evacuate!
=Dungeon Conditions: Suffer===================================================
===========================<* The Thames - Round 5 *>===========================
====================< Results - Hybrid - Fuel in the Fire >=====================
Player                               Exhaustion                      Pass/Fail
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rebecca Streisand                   0 --(15)--> 15                 Pass
Portal Guns                         2   Agility Effects: Stalwart
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Avril Vent Fleur                    0 --(15)--> 15                 Pass
Turbocharger                        3   Agility Effects: Quicken and Sacrifice
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dean Stark                          0 --(25)--> 25                 Fail
Rush                                0   Agility Effects: BASIC
-----------------------------------< Party >------------------------------------
Leader: Rebecca Streisand           90 --(30)--> 120               Pass
Conditions: Injure(1)|Maim|Suffer(1)
Effects: Quicken(1)
===============================< Dream Chasers >================================
DG: You have overcome the dungeon's trials! This run is a success!
DG: The party led by Rebecca Streisand has successfully explored The Thames!
================================<* The Thames *>================================
==================<* CHALLENGE - Enlarged Maximised Spells *>===================
|Type: Discovery   |Dungeon Ability: Conclusion|Challenge Rating: 1          |
---------------------------< Challenge Information: >---------------------------
 "Gahahaha!"

 The Captain of the Thames appears again as you finish up for the day. He
 takes a long drag from his pipe and winks (given his really fuzzy appearance
 as a walrus, it kinda looks more like blinking).

 "You and your folks have been a real great help. I hear you're on some real
 difficult journeys ahead of you. Here, have this as gratitude from all the
 crew of the Thames!"

 You obtain the keys to the Gear you helped refurbish at the start of the day
 -- it's yours now! Give it a great name if you haven't yet already. Or if
 you already own your own Gear, perhaps you can hand it off to someone who
 sorely needs a new ride.

 In addition, the Captain commissions a spell converter to be sent along with
 you. This Gear equipment can be used to help translate someone's on-foot
 magical talents to the Gear, which can be a boon if you have such abilities
 -- or know someone who can sorely make use of it!

 (OOC: If you don't already possess one, you obtain a Gear, whose shape,
 functionality and design is up to you! You can apply for a new form in your
 next Advancement Application.)
=Dungeon Conditions: Treasure=================================================
<Pose Tracker> Avril Vent Fleur has posed.

    At least the tight fit means that no one is going to be literally bouncing about the cockpit. That would be extremely bad. Instead--

    It's merely a bone-jarring jolt across the deck. For all its age and damage, the broken Gear certainly has good braking. It just about stops on a dime. Perhaps with some work and a little investment, it might actually be a real diamond in the rough of a machine.

    Who's to say when it was lost, after all?

    ...Though it's hardly ancient. A glance at the circuitry inside says that much, at least.

    Wrangling the hose, comparatively, is the easy part.

    The harder part is keeping a grip on it while Rebecca and Dean move to help the fallen away... and possibly while someone else of the Thames' crew hies off to get the fuel turned off so that this thing stops spewing gas everywhere.

    It's a bit of a hazard, as Dean discovers, slipping when he moves in to help the worker who had been struck (no serious injuries here fortunately; they're conscious but in a tight spot (the perks of wearing several layers of padding)). Fortunately for the both of them, Rebecca is on the case--

    Dean might also have a bit of a ride, courtesy of Rebecca thinking with portals.

    In the end the fuel line is shut down and engineers arrive to take over; once the chaos is clear and she's able to do so, Avril departs her Gear and slips back out to rejoin her friends.

    "I believe that is everything, for now," she surmises. "Perhaps we might go and see about those noodles? Oh--!"

    She turns and in doing so nearly bumps right into the Captain of the Thames.

    Who grants them not just the Gear they've used but a valuable piece of Gear equipment--

    "Ahem, and your fee," says Hans, waddling up.

    The money might go down pretty handy right now most of all.