2020-07-25: Merry-a Boule

• Log: Merry-a Boule
• Cast: Gwen Whitlock, Lan Lilac, Loren Voss
• Where: Meria Boule Carnival
• Date: July 25, 2020
• Summary: While completing a job for the Meria Boule Carnival, Gwen runs into a pair of familiar faces. Every has a good day at the fair.

---

DG: A party led by Loren Voss is now entering Meria Boule Festival Games.
DG: Party formation is now over. An Entry Challenge will now be drawn and displayed to the party.

========================<* Meria Boule Festival Games *>========================
=========================<* CHALLENGE - Funny Money *>==========================
|Type: Entry       |Dungeon Ability: Wits      |Challenge Rating: 1          |
---------------------------< Challenge Information: >---------------------------
 "Okay, so, five gella gets you one token, but if you want a bargain, think
 about purchasing our fifty gella token pack..."

 First things first -- before you can poke around the games at the festival
 in Meria Boule, apparently you'll have to buy some tokens to trade to play
 the games. That's right, they use their own currency here, and the exchange
 rate seems dubiously steep. The good news is, you'll be able to win more and
 exchange them for valuable prizes.

 One thing's for sure -- if you don't negotiate purchasing (or certain
 'discounts') carefully, your wallet is taking a hit.
=Dungeon Conditions: Injure===================================================

<Pose Tracker> Loren Voss has posed.

    He knows how it goes at this point--

    "So that's what, a difference of 250 gella if you buy singles? How are you even making money at that exchange rate, anyway? You'd have to be an idiot to not buy the bargain pack."

    --first things first, you have to negotiate buying the tickets to get in.

    As it happened, he'd been left with a few days off and not much to do with them except enter more content into his memory logs. But then Lan had come by and had asked -- pleaded, kinda, he thinks -- to go somewhere else.
    He'd agreed. Without much cajoling, even.

    So they'd done that, and largely just accomplished 'a change of scenery while Loren wrote in his notebook dutifully'. At least there had been coffee.

    And then, Lan had found a flyer for the festival.

    Perhaps she might have been surprised -- he'd closed his notebook on the suggestion, tucked his pen away, and agreed to come along.

    Is this... really the Loren she knows...?

    Which is why they're here, now, dealing with the woes that are 'buying tokens for festival games' without spending all of his stipend. He's not really sure what he's going to do with fifty tokens. Maybe they can get exchanged for food, too.

DG: Loren Voss has contributed a Wits Basic Action toward his party's challenge, Funny Money.

<Pose Tracker> Lan Lilac has posed.

    It's SO great to get offbase for a while, and not just to go knit in the desert or something. A change of scenery... honestly, it's been weeks since Lan really got out to go do something different. And if there's anything good for 'forgetting your troubles for a while', a carnival certainly must be it. Right?

    She's surely a bit rusty at most of the games, but even if Lan doesn't win any prizes the fresh air will be good for them both.

    Since gods forbid their precious asset be allowed offbase by herself - and because honestly, Loren could really use some time to do normal human things - she'd asked him to accompany her.

    It was, she has to admit, a little weird how easily he agreed. ...Scratch that. Very weird.

    Privately, she's hoping this isn't a sign that his memory loss is getting worse. If he loses everything, will there even be a 'Loren' left...?
    And would that be better than how he's faring now?

    "I don't know how the exchange rate really works, but as long as we spend all of the tokens before we leave we won't have lost any money, right?" At least not in the ways that matter!

    Fun not had is probably its own brand of sin.

    "Don't worry too much about it." She digs in her hip bag for a handful of gella, wrapped securely in a slip of paper. It was the first thing she'd grabbed to keep her Fun Money separated from her Emergencies Money. "Fifty gella, right? Sure!"

DG: Lan Lilac has used her Tool Paku-Paku toward her party's challenge, Funny Money.

<Pose Tracker> Gwen Whitlock has posed.

    GWEN HAS HAD A GREAT WEEK.

    No, really. Even if she got slammed by both Kartikeya and a beastly agent of Zophar in a little over a week or so, business has been *great*. Great clients who don't try to stiff her out of her fees, jobs that were manageable enough even when she was still sore, and this one is the easiest of all!

    Because she's delivering giant fluffy stuffed animals.

    Stretching after placing that last load, Gwe drops down from the Kingfisher, and counts off her income, whistling happily.

    Sure, she hurts, but doesn't that call for some rest and relaxation?

    And hey, isn't that...?

    "Lan!" Gwen waves her hand in a big arc, coming over in a jaunty jog towards the two of them. "Man, it's been a while! We need to catch up! And oh--" She looks up as she notices Loren, pausing a moment.

    Squinting.

    "... Loren, did you..." Squint, squint. "... do somethin' with your hair?"

DG: Gwen Whitlock has contributed a Wits Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Funny Money.

========================<* Meria Boule Festival Games *>========================
=========================<* CHALLENGE - Funny Money *>==========================
|Type: Entry       |Dungeon Ability: Wits      |Challenge Rating: 1          |
---------------------------< Challenge Information: >---------------------------
 "Okay, so, five gella gets you one token, but if you want a bargain, think
 about purchasing our fifty gella token pack..."

 First things first -- before you can poke around the games at the festival
 in Meria Boule, apparently you'll have to buy some tokens to trade to play
 the games. That's right, they use their own currency here, and the exchange
 rate seems dubiously steep. The good news is, you'll be able to win more and
 exchange them for valuable prizes.

 One thing's for sure -- if you don't negotiate purchasing (or certain
 'discounts') carefully, your wallet is taking a hit.
=Dungeon Conditions: Injure===================================================

===================<* Meria Boule Festival Games - Round 1 *>===================
===========================< Results - Funny Money >============================
Player                               Exhaustion                      Pass/Fail
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Loren Voss                          0 --(4)--> 4                   Pass
Investigate                         0   Wits    Effects: BASIC
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lan Lilac                           0 --(4)--> 4                   Pass
Paku-Paku                           2   Wits    Effects: Enlighten
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gwen Whitlock                       0 --(4)--> 4                   Pass
Investigate                         0   Wits    Effects: BASIC
-----------------------------------< Party >------------------------------------
Leader: Loren Voss                  0 --(20)--> 20                 Pass
Conditions: Injure(2)
Effects: Enlighten(1)
===============================< Dream Chasers >================================

DG: The party led by Loren Voss 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.
DG: Lan Lilac has drawn a new Challenge.

=======================<* Meria Boule Festival Games *>=======================
=======================<* CHALLENGE - Ring That Bell *>=======================
|Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Brute     |Challenge Rating: 2          |
--------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------
 "Test your strength!"

 It's not so much a stall as a tall pillar. On the top of it is a bell. The
 goal is pretty simple: hit the lever at the bottom to force the puck in the
 pillar to ring the bell at the top. But it becomes clear watching those make
 the attempt before you that doing this is... not nearly as easy as it looks.

 You're going to need to put real effort in to make this work out in your
 favor. But try not to hurt yourself.
=Dungeon Conditions: Wound====================================================

<Pose Tracker> Loren Voss has posed.

    At least... Lan can rest assured that he's still Loren, even if he's less of a stick-in-the-mud than usual.
    No one else would be quite that rude to a random ticket-seller. --Well, nearly no one else. It's a big world.

    Maybe it's for the best that Lan intervenes... again. For he salesperson's faux-cheery facade drops like a falling safe. "Yes, yes, I know," he deadpans at Loren, "it's such a shock we're making money at all with our prices."

    And he switches on the charm again like a light clicking on in a dark room. "Thank you, miss! Please enjoy your day at the fair!"

    Loren, in this exact moment, gives the man a look like he's just bitten into something sour--

    Something
    feels warm
    It's far-off
    but familiar

    He's turned to stare over at Gwen. Through Gwen.

    "..."

    And after a moment: "...No?"

<Pose Tracker> Lan Lilac has posed.

    It's in Lan's nature to be a peacemaker... but there are also times when honestly? It's not worth stepping in between Loren and the consequences of his rude, rude actions. Honestly, just because he can act like that in Etrenank...

    But a much sunnier surprise rounds the corner in the form of Gwen Whitlock, who Lan hasn't seen in literal months. For all that Filgaia sometimes seems impossibly huge, sometimes it's just small enough. Lan takes her fair tokens with a smile and a thank-you before turning to greet the courier. "Gwen! It's been ages!" She does make a quiet mental note - Gwen uses Loren's real name, and not 'Thomas'. So that's one less thing to worry about blabbing!

    "Come on, are you working right now? Hang out with us for a bit!" Thank the Guardians, another Drifter! Lan could just about cry - but for the first time in a while, it's from joy.

    Gwen remarks about Loren's hair, though, and Lan glances at him. Didn't they get all of the red out?! They'd used up so many lemons, too...!

    Maybe she'd better intervene... "C'mon! Do you need some tokens? I think between me and Loren we've got enough to buy out the fair." This is not, mathematically speaking, true. But they've got enough to share. "Check it out, it's one of those games with the big hammer! I saw a Beastman actually knock the bell off of the top once. She was really apologetic about it..."

    There's not a line so it only takes a second or two for Lan to hand over a token, pick up the unwieldy hammer, and give it a test swing. "Oof! Okay, here goes...!"

    Well, at least she manages to hit the lever on the first try?

DG: Lan Lilac has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Ring That Bell.

<Pose Tracker> Loren Voss has posed.

    It had taken him a moment to remember. Maybe it was the sense of heat, or maybe it was his own corroding memory. But he'd placed it in the end. Gwen knows his name now. Gwen knows who he is now.
    Gwen is no longer useful as a tool. At least, not for him.
    He considers a good number of things in those moments that follow, before finally exhaling a breath and looking back over at Lan. Who is looking at him as if...

    ...as if she were looking more at his hair. He tenses a moment, and maybe she can see his jawline tighten.

    But fortunately, Lan intervenes vocally at this point. "We're," he starts, looking at Lan.

    Who has already spotted one of the festival games. Loren sighs, reaching up a hand to pinch the bridge of his nose.

    "Seriously? Is this the sort of thing people here," at least he didn't use Lambs or surface-dwellers, "find entertaining?"

    loren the last time you came here you ate like eight whole pies

    He hestitates again for a long moment, before with a sigh of resignation picking up the hammer and -- with a sudden heady rush of indignation -- takes a swing for the lever.

    If he fails here at such a silly game, will he have failed his nation in some sense...?

DG: Loren Voss has contributed a Brute Basic Action toward his party's challenge, Ring That Bell.

<Pose Tracker> Gwen Whitlock has posed.

    The same reaction seems to float through Gwen, as she stares at Loren- or perhaps, through him.

    But like him, all she can seem to register it as is--

    "Your hair looks great!" She gives him a thumbs up, as if Loren hadn't likely tried to shoot or blow her up at some point.

    Well, to be fair, the most recent attempt was before when Loren was in disguise, sooooo

    "Wellllll...." Gwen laughs. "I suppose I should! I got some cash t'spend-- oh, you have tokens? If you're offerin', I can always borrow a few~"

    Watching Loren and Lan go, Gwen gives them both a giant grin. "Lesseee... would it be cheatin' if I give it a try?"

    Taking the hammer from Loren, Gwen readies herself and slams it down, already confident in the result.

DG: Gwen Whitlock has used her Tool ARM-ored Fist toward her party's challenge, Ring That Bell.

=======================<* Meria Boule Festival Games *>=======================
=======================<* CHALLENGE - Ring That Bell *>=======================
|Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Brute     |Challenge Rating: 2          |
--------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------
 "Test your strength!"

 It's not so much a stall as a tall pillar. On the top of it is a bell. The
 goal is pretty simple: hit the lever at the bottom to force the puck in the
 pillar to ring the bell at the top. But it becomes clear watching those make
 the attempt before you that doing this is... not nearly as easy as it looks.

 You're going to need to put real effort in to make this work out in your
 favor. But try not to hurt yourself.
=Dungeon Conditions: Wound====================================================

==================<* Meria Boule Festival Games - Round 2 *>==================
=========================< Results - Ring That Bell >=========================
Player                               Exhaustion                      Pass/Fail
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Loren Voss                          4 --(10)--> 14                 Fail
Force                               0   Brute   Effects: BASIC
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lan Lilac                           4 --(10)--> 14                 Fail
Force                               0   Brute   Effects: BASIC
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gwen Whitlock                       4 --(8)--> 12                  Pass
ARM-ored Fist                       2   Brute   Effects: Strengthen
----------------------------------< Party >-----------------------------------
Leader: Loren Voss                  20 --(20)--> 40                Pass
Conditions: Injure(1)|Wound(2)
Effects: Strengthen(1)
==============================< Dream Chasers >===============================

DG: The party led by Loren Voss 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.
DG: Gwen Whitlock has drawn a new Challenge.

========================<* Meria Boule Festival Games *>========================
=========================<* CHALLENGE - Cucco Racing *>=========================
|Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Wits      |Challenge Rating: 2          |
---------------------------< Challenge Information: >---------------------------
 "Come on up and place your bets!"

 Maybe this is the sort of thing you would only see in Aquvy. It's a
 small-sized oblong racing track with four pens with cuccos within them on
 one end. Some are feistier than others. Others are more sedate. And the
 manager is about to start up the next cucco race.

 Which one of them is likely to cross the finish line first? You'll need to
 place your bets shortly. And... is there anything that might be possible to
 affect the outcome of the race, somehow...?
=Dungeon Conditions: Stupify==================================================

<Pose Tracker> Lan Lilac has posed.

    Lan (and perhaps more unfairly, Loren - scion of a military family, carrying the pride of his nation on his skinny shoulders) fails spectacularly to do much more than 'lift the puck about halfway'. "Not to worry folks," the operator assures them, "There's always another try for another token, now that you're all limbered up--"

    wh-CLANG!!!

    The man's words die in his mouth as Gwen oh-so-handily smashes that button with enough force to nearly unmount the bell from its moorings. The whole apparatus, quite frankly, now looks like it's seen better days. "...Uh... once repairs are done," he finishes a bit weakly, before fumbling in the pocket of his apron. He passes over a handful of prize tickets to Gwen, never quite taking his eyes off of the bell...

    Frickin' Drifters.

<Pose Tracker> Gwen Whitlock has posed.

    Loren had no use for Gwen, UNTIL NOW.

    Gwen rubs her hands together, interlacing her fingers together and stretching them above her head. "Just like I thought it'd go, ehe~" Her confidence drops as she looks up and sees the results of her destruction. She gives the poor worker an apologetic smile. "... I'll, uh, come back when I'm done here n' see if there's anything I can do t'help with repair work..."

    This had to have happened before. Gwen has to just *assume* this happens on a regular basis whenever someone like her or a beastman (as Lan claims), or she'll feel guilty the entire trip.

    Maybe something a little less destructive is in order. Something like... gambling! Wholesome, nonviolent gambling, always great for a thrill!
    
    "Any of you guys feel lucky? Lan, your name starts with L, that's gotta mean somethin', right? Which cucco looks lucky to you?"

DG: Gwen Whitlock has contributed a Wits Basic Action toward her party's challenge, Cucco Racing.

<Pose Tracker> Lan Lilac has posed.

    "There aren't fancy books or those 'terminals' here," Lan whispers sideways to Loren, hopefully out of Gwen's hearing range. "It's not like E-- like where you're from." You brat, she thinks to herself as he takes his turn. It's a tiny bit mollifying that he didn't do any better than Lan. So much for the 'innate superiority' of his sky people blood.

    But she keeps smiling anyway, because that's what Lan would do.

    "If you get enough tickets, are you going to go for one of those really big stuffed animals?" she asks Gwen as they meander towards a familiar sound. Huh... "Oh look, cuccos!" It's... a race?

    She looks at the stable of contenders. And looks at the numbers above their pens. "Wouldn't that make Loren lucky too?" the Baskar muses, slipping a hand into her pocket for a token... and for that slip of paper. "Here, let's see. Eenie-meenie-miney-moe..."

    The paper is folded into its favored shape in the span of a breath, and Lan mutters the charm under her breath while opening and closing it several times. The Paku-Paku, sacred tool of her people... declares the most lucky of numbers to be 'three'. "I guess I'll put my token on number three then," she laughs. "How about you guys?"

DG: Lan Lilac has used her Tool Paku-Paku toward her party's challenge, Cucco Racing.

<Pose Tracker> Loren Voss has posed.

    "I guess," he allows, at Lan's quieter interjection. He shakes his head, as if to underscore what he thinks about that.

    Loren then gives the lever everything he's got but--

    ...in the end, it's a dismal showing. His shoulders slouch. He looks away pointedly, as if he were attempting to force down his pride.

    And there, into the middle of his shame, there comes a loud ring as Gwen gives it what-for.
    In fact, did she just break it?

    He regards Gwen for a long moment after, as if to silently say 'is that even fair?'.

    But Gwen provides a thorough diversion, directing them off towards another stall: cucco racing!

    "What's the difference between a chicken and cucco, anyway?" Loren wonders, leaning against the fence. And then, his mood already veering dangerously towards 'cranky baby', he straightens when Gwen remarks on Lan's name.

    "My name starts with an 'L', too," he points out, in a contender for petulant-moment-of-the-year. But then Lan also voices a similar remark and, he's left feeling terribly off-kilter for it. He instead looks, again, at the birds that are on the field. He looks over at the listed odds. It's better than focusing on other things. "...Hmm."

    Surreptitiously, he reaches into his pocket; Lan might hear the tell-tale crinkling of plastic.

    "Three, huh... not bad odds. Number six is favored but..."

    He waits for the right moment, then drops the piece of bar over the wall. Number six's 'lane' will come right around here--

    "Go and place a bet, Gwen," the medical officer says.

    Wait, wasn't he always an advocate of 'fair play'? What's fair about this?

DG: Loren Voss has used his Tool Soylent Nutribar toward his party's challenge, Cucco Racing.

========================<* Meria Boule Festival Games *>========================
=========================<* CHALLENGE - Cucco Racing *>=========================
|Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Wits      |Challenge Rating: 2          |
---------------------------< Challenge Information: >---------------------------
 "Come on up and place your bets!"

 Maybe this is the sort of thing you would only see in Aquvy. It's a
 small-sized oblong racing track with four pens with cuccos within them on
 one end. Some are feistier than others. Others are more sedate. And the
 manager is about to start up the next cucco race.

 Which one of them is likely to cross the finish line first? You'll need to
 place your bets shortly. And... is there anything that might be possible to
 affect the outcome of the race, somehow...?
=Dungeon Conditions: Stupify==================================================

===================<* Meria Boule Festival Games - Round 3 *>===================
===========================< Results - Cucco Racing >===========================
Player                               Exhaustion                      Pass/Fail
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Loren Voss                          14 --(8)--> 22                 Pass
Soylent Nutribar                    2   Wits    Effects: Resilient
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lan Lilac                           14 --(8)--> 22                 Fail
Paku-Paku                           2   Wits    Effects: Enlighten
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gwen Whitlock                       12 --(8)--> 20                 Pass
Investigate                         0   Wits    Effects: BASIC
-----------------------------------< Party >------------------------------------
Leader: Loren Voss                  40 --(20)--> 60                Pass
Conditions: Stupify(2)|Wound(1)
Effects: Enlighten(1)|Resilient(1)
===============================< Dream Chasers >================================

DG: The party led by Loren Voss 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> Gwen Whitlock has posed.

    Loren's stare is met with an apologetic shrug and grin, before turning to Lan. "I dunno? I mean, there ain't much room in the gear, so. If there's candy I might get that n' just give the rest t'you guys."

    "... Blah, I still keep thinkin' 'bout your old name." Gwen gives Loren an earnest smile. "Besides, I've always seen you as the rational sort. The sort that makes things happen with skill n' reason."

    She does feel a little bad for making it seem like she was shaming Loren for being... well, is he really that unlucky?

    ....... yeah he kinda is

    "OKAY, so--" Gwen hears Loren calculate the odds. "Yeah, yeah, just like...."

    That...?

    "... o-okay." Gwen seems so bewildered that she goes and places a bet, as ordered.

    --LATER--
    
    With Loren's intervention, what would have been Lan's losing bet turns into a winning one!

    "..... that... works." Gwen shrugs. "... maybe cuccos are more intelligent than cuccos...?"

DG: Loren Voss has drawn a new Challenge.

========================<* Meria Boule Festival Games *>========================
====================<* CHALLENGE - Suddenly Tronne Bonn! *>=====================
|Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Combat    |Challenge Rating: 2          |
---------------------------< Challenge Information: >---------------------------
 "Help! Help me! --Shoo! Shoo!"

 A scream breaks through the hubbub of the festival crowd. Rushing towards
 the sound, you find the source of the trouble:

 A young woman with a peculiarly (particularly?) triangular hairstyle has
 wrapped herself halfway up a lamppost. Below, a dog barks at her angrily.
 She shouts at it, trying to shoo it away, but it's not having it.

 Can you somehow (peacefully?) induce the dog to make tracks and save the
 day?
=Dungeon Conditions: Fright===================================================

<Pose Tracker> Loren Voss has posed.

    "That doesn't mean--" Loren starts to say to Gwen, before shaking his head. "Forget it."
    Why is it, he considers privately, that he's always ending up with the weird ones? Lan, Gwen, Anat...

    Maybe someday he'll realize what the common denominator is here.

    One winning bet later -- perhaps it would have been a closer shave if cucco number six hadn't stopped to peck at a stray scrap that had somehow gotten into the track -- they're off and wandering the fairgrounds, a pile of tickets burning in their collective pockets.

    "Are you sure? That didn't seem any different from a chicken there."

    Loren, perhaps, has never yet been made to understand the sheer horror that a cucco is capable of, when pressed. But someday, maybe--

    A woman's cries for help break into whatever little (awkward?) chatter they manage amongst themselves. The source of the screaming soon becomes clear: a dog has 'treed' a young woman, who has managed to rather impressively climb halfway up a lamppost. The dog continues to bark, as if it were intent on harm.

    Loren pauses a moment, then comes up from out of his medical kit in his bag a spray bottle. It's full of saline solution, but it's probably just as good when you're attempting to get a (not very large honestly) dog to buzz off as it is for washing minor wounds.

DG: Loren Voss has used his Tool Solarian Medical Kit toward his party's challenge, Suddenly Tronne Bonn!.

<Pose Tracker> Lan Lilac has posed.

    The difference between cuccos and chickens?? Isn't that something even children know?! Once again, Lan's a little surprised by just how unsuited Loren is for life on the surface. How could their fancy military school possibly turn out adults that don't know simple facts?

    "Chickens lay eggs and are pretty tasty," Lan explains with an extra breath of patience for this poor lost soul. "And cuccos lay eggs and are probably tasty, but if you try to find out you're really likely to get pecked to death." It's much better to live in harmony with them, lest they discover an innate skill for fighting and bragging.

    Gwen knows.

    It's with a bit of chagrin that Lan stows the paku-paku back in her pocket-pocket. "I shouldn't have used it for something frivolous," she sighs, appropriately penitent. This is her punishment from the gods...!

    But at least Gwen was happy to share a handful of tickets, which cheers her up a bit. And it's not like Lan to stay melancholy over small potatoes anyway.

    Especially when there's a rescue afoot! "Hold on, we'll save you!" she calls to the peculiar, particular woman halfway up a lamppost. But... it's not really a big, scary dog. Definitely not the kind it'd be okay to just, well, boot out of the way.

    Lan thinks for a moment, before pulling the cork from her glass drinking jug and flinging a spray of cool water across the dog's back. "Go on! Shoo!!"

DG: Lan Lilac has used her Tool Clear Water toward her party's challenge, Suddenly Tronne Bonn!.

<Pose Tracker> Gwen Whitlock has posed.

     Gwen coughs and waves a hand. "Uh, doggie, go, shoo shoo!"

     She's rather distracted by the lady's hair.

DG: Gwen Whitlock has used her Tool Full Metal Courier toward her party's challenge, Suddenly Tronne Bonn!.

========================<* Meria Boule Festival Games *>========================
====================<* CHALLENGE - Suddenly Tronne Bonn! *>=====================
|Type: Exploration |Dungeon Ability: Combat    |Challenge Rating: 2          |
---------------------------< Challenge Information: >---------------------------
 "Help! Help me! --Shoo! Shoo!"

 A scream breaks through the hubbub of the festival crowd. Rushing towards
 the sound, you find the source of the trouble:

 A young woman with a peculiarly (particularly?) triangular hairstyle has
 wrapped herself halfway up a lamppost. Below, a dog barks at her angrily.
 She shouts at it, trying to shoo it away, but it's not having it.

 Can you somehow (peacefully?) induce the dog to make tracks and save the
 day?
=Dungeon Conditions: Fright===================================================

===================<* Meria Boule Festival Games - Round 4 *>===================
======================< Results - Suddenly Tronne Bonn! >=======================
Player                               Exhaustion                      Pass/Fail
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Loren Voss                          22 --(8)--> 30                 Pass
Solarian Medical Kit                1   Combat  Effects: Cleanse
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lan Lilac                           22 --(8)--> 30                 Pass
Clear Water                         1   Combat  Effects: Cleanse
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gwen Whitlock                       20 --(8)--> 28                 Pass
Full Metal Courier                  2   Combat  Effects: Embolden
-----------------------------------< Party >------------------------------------
Leader: Loren Voss                  60 --(20)--> 80                Pass
Conditions: Fright(2)|Stupify(1)
Effects: Cleanse|Embolden(1)
===============================< Dream Chasers >================================

DG: The party led by Loren Voss 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> Loren Voss has posed.

    "Wait, so you're saying," and here Loren glances back at the track, "they're some sort of... attack chickens?"

    He looks... dubious. But then again, he's never seen cucco on the menu anywhere, now that he thinks about it.

    He may study Gwen closely on that front -- what, doesn't he trust Lan? Well, it's not a matter of trust precisely as much as it is...

    In any case, such things fall by the wayside as the young lady's predicament makes itself plain.

    But the assailant in this case is but a wee dog and not precisely out for blood, and when presented with reasons to go from this place unto another place, well, it bolts from the three of them, whining as it trots off at pace.

    The young lady slowly levers herself down from her precarious position and exhales a sigh of relief. "Another few minutes and my arms would've-- guess I owe you one, huh?"

    Then, very suddenly, as if she sees someone in the crowd, the woman starts. "I can't believe this. Now? --Look, I gotta go. See you around!" she says, before making tracks and vanishing into the crowd.

DG: Lan Lilac has drawn a new Challenge.

=======================<* Meria Boule Festival Games *>=======================
=======<* CHALLENGE - The Fighting Singing Robot (Please Don't Sue) *>========
|Type: Final       |Dungeon Ability: Combat    |Challenge Rating: 2          |
--------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------
 "My name is Bato / I have squeaky joints / Attack me a lot / copyright
 infringement o/`"

 You find yourself approached by a booth operator who sees, perhaps,
 something they like in your eyes. They'd like to make you a deal. All or
 nothing, staked on your success on their game...!

 Which is you versus a piece of machinery bolted together with no less than
 fifteen silver joints. Yes, they do indeed want you to fight it (in front of
 an audience no less) and despite its rust-bucket looks, it really does pack
 a wallop.

 Do you have the skill and ability to deal sufficient damage? A pile of
 tickets is waiting on your ability to defeat this bucket of bolts!

 (OOC: Feel free to have your alt in the audience if desired!)
=Dungeon Conditions: Wound, Fright============================================

<Pose Tracker> Lan Lilac has posed.

    The day... is saved! Thanks to GWEN, LOREN, and LAN!

    And some liberally-applied liquids. Ahem.

    The dog runs away, stubby tail between its legs, and they continue on. "Wow, I can't believe someone so skinny could stay up a lamppost like that. I guess desperation really is the best motivation..."

    A tune floats through the air towards them, drawing Lan's attention away from Triangle Trixie or whatever her name was. "Is that...?"

    Whatever Lan had in mind, this... clearly isn't it. She stops at the edge of the exhibit and stares. It's... like a Gear, she supposes. "Uh..."

    Sotto voce, she whispers back to her companions, "What is that?? Someone in a suit?!"

    "Hey, you three have the air of seasoned Drifters about you," the bespectacled nerd running the booth tells them. "You look like you can stand a round with Bato. What do you say?" She's grinning far too widely.

    "Uh... well, I mean... sure?" Lan ventures, taking a swig of her still-open water jug. help, what is this thing

    Once everybody is prepared, Lan ducks low under a spring-loaded arm, and uses her most powerful (non-magic-aided) kick in an attempt to disable its boxing glove attack. "Ha! You're up, guys!"

DG: Lan Lilac has used her Tool Clear Water toward her party's challenge, The Fighting Singing Robot (Please Don't Sue).

<Pose Tracker> Gwen Whitlock has posed.

    "At least the tune is jaunty enough." Gwen hesitates. Now that she thinks about it, it *is* strangely familiar...

    But what is a carnival without some lazy copyright infringement, c'mon

    Leaning back towards Lan, Gwen whispers, "there's people like that 'round these parts. They're, like, machines, but not Hyadeans either. Like... machines, created to be like people. It's kinda neat--"

    'Hey, you three have the air of seasoned Drifters about you.'

    Gwen points at herself, as if silently saying 'who, me', then looks at the other two with a huge grin.

    "Welp, you heard 'er! Lessee how the three of us do against this metal man's might!"
    
    Sure, she might still be recovering from that battle not too long ago, but that'll make this fair.

    Somehow.

    "..... Heerreee we gooooooo----" She enthusiastically runs in after Lan, attempting to use Lan's kick as a proper opening for her punch. Metal man vs. metal(??) hand, who will win???

DG: Gwen Whitlock has used her Tool Full Metal Courier toward her party's challenge, The Fighting Singing Robot (Please
Don't Sue).

<Pose Tracker> Loren Voss has posed.

    A certain tune wafts through the air, and Lan isn't the only one whose attention is so stolen--

    He blinks. Then goes so far as to readjust his glasses. "Is that... a..."

    He shakes his head at Lan's question. "It's a machine. A La-- a, an amateur machine," he corrects, probably to the displeasure of the booth operator. "Wait, is this a... a one-to-one model? And it's functional?"

    He's no engineer -- leave that to Anaitis; Loren's talents lie with the body -- but as Lan must know by now he loves to assemble model kits in his spare time, and while the fact that this is functional does shift the equation somewhat, it's...

    ...basically like a big model to him, maybe?

    He looks, in fact, a little less than the bored self he's projected largely throughout. He looks a little bit 'revved up', maybe?

    "Huh, this is better put together than I'd thought," he remarks, stepping into the ring. "It seems like a waste to hit it..."

    Somewhere in the crowd a very middle-aged-looking middle-aged man, his feet propped up on the chair before him, watches the ongoing heavy-lidded eyes. "Aah, and if they breaks it, they not pays for damages? Interesting rules, the Blue Star has," that strange man remarks to his companion, who just gives him the side-eye.

    Down in the ring, Loren tapes up his hands with, well, medical tape. "Don't worry. I'll pull my punches!" he calls out, apparently thinking it more toy than threat, before he follows up Gwen's own strike with a surge-weave-jab of his own.

DG: Loren Voss has used his Tool Solarian Medical Kit toward his party's challenge, The Fighting Singing Robot (Please
Don't Sue).

=======================<* Meria Boule Festival Games *>=======================
=======<* CHALLENGE - The Fighting Singing Robot (Please Don't Sue) *>========
|Type: Final       |Dungeon Ability: Combat    |Challenge Rating: 2          |
--------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------
 "My name is Bato / I have squeaky joints / Attack me a lot / copyright
 infringement o/`"

 You find yourself approached by a booth operator who sees, perhaps,
 something they like in your eyes. They'd like to make you a deal. All or
 nothing, staked on your success on their game...!

 Which is you versus a piece of machinery bolted together with no less than
 fifteen silver joints. Yes, they do indeed want you to fight it (in front of
 an audience no less) and despite its rust-bucket looks, it really does pack
 a wallop.

 Do you have the skill and ability to deal sufficient damage? A pile of
 tickets is waiting on your ability to defeat this bucket of bolts!

 (OOC: Feel free to have your alt in the audience if desired!)
=Dungeon Conditions: Wound, Fright============================================

==================<* Meria Boule Festival Games - Round 5 *>==================
=========< Results - The Fighting Singing Robot (Please Don't Sue) >==========
Player                               Exhaustion                      Pass/Fail
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Loren Voss                          30 --(8)--> 38                 Fail
Solarian Medical Kit                1   Combat  Effects: Cleanse
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lan Lilac                           30 --(8)--> 38                 Pass
Clear Water                         1   Combat  Effects: Cleanse
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gwen Whitlock                       28 --(8)--> 36                 Pass
Full Metal Courier                  2   Combat  Effects: Embolden
----------------------------------< Party >-----------------------------------
Leader: Loren Voss                  80 --(35)--> 115               Pass
Conditions: Fright(2)|Wound(2)
Effects: Cleanse|Embolden(1)
==============================< Dream Chasers >===============================

DG: You have overcome the dungeon's trials! This run is a success!
DG: The party led by Loren Voss has successfully explored Meria Boule Festival Games!

=======================<* Meria Boule Festival Games *>=======================
=========================<* CHALLENGE - Prize Get! *>=========================
|Type: Discovery   |Dungeon Ability: Conclusion|Challenge Rating: 1          |
--------------------------< Challenge Information: >--------------------------
 How many tickets do you got there? ...That many? Hey, congrats! Take this
 one!"

 Fresh from your successes at the games you present your tickets to the
 person at the prize booth. They mull them over before producing today's top
 prize:

 Amazing. You are presented with a Carro Plushie. Soft, with silky fur, it's
 an adorable replica of the real thing. What's more, when you squeeze it the
 tail lights up. What incredible attention to detail...!
=Dungeon Conditions: Treasure=================================================

<Pose Tracker> Lan Lilac has posed.

    Later, after the fight...

    "So people, made of metal parts, but not Metal Demons?" Lan asks Gwen curiously. Loren had called them a La and then changed his mind, so she's going to have to ask him later on just what exactly the rest of the word was. She hoists him up a bit more securely on her back where the KO'd medical officer is being carried, his legs wrapped around her waist and his unconscious face plastered to her shoulder. Strength training or not, soon it's going to be Gwen's turn to carry him.

    Lan will gladly trade off for the three life-size Carro plushes Gwen's in charge of. She's never going to take that off of her bed back at the base. It will be her constant cuddle companion, her beloved bedtime buddy...!

    "Oh look! Churros! C'mon Gwen, let's get some!"