This all makes me a little nervous. How fast are we moving? Would it be possible for anyone to know where we are? I wouldn't let my guard down if I were you until we're safe in the Arcanopolis.

I say enjoy yourselves but keep a crossbow and sword nearby encase any other little fucker feels like ruining your day.

>>512266
>keep a mundane weapon
>nessie can shoot fireballs

don't think they need it.

Brom 2013/05/24(Fri)02:06 No. 512269 ID: 0eef61
File 136938638927.png - (253.86KB , 800x600 , 119.png )

"How fast we going, Grett?" asks Oren.
"Uh, well that's the speedometer, and it says... around 70 miles an hour? Or so?" Grett whistles. "This thing's quick."
"You think anyone knows where we are?" Oren's listening for the water to start up.
"I think we're safe," says Grett.
"Well, if you think we're safe, I'd put money on it," says Oren. "We got any swords or anything on board?"
"Of course," says Grett. "Although if you still think you need those to protect yourself, you've got a lot to learn."
"Well, it can't hurt to have protection." Oren bows out of the control room. "Don't crash into anything, now."

Nessie is singing "Bazooka" by Polo Roko loudly in the shower. Handy for sneaking up on her.

"And I want a bre-ye-ya-ye-yaaAAaa Spirits, Oren. Do mages not knock?"
"Your siren song carried me unto you, lady of the rocks."
"You heard that, huh?"
"Kind of hard not to. I like your voice."
"That ain't all you came looking for, judging by little Oren down there."
"Guilty as charged."
"We aren't cops any more, remember?"
"No we ain't. I told Helman as much. You shoulda seen him."
"Pissed?"
"Hopping mad. Still, it was nice to kind of flip off Blejwas out in the afterlife, one last time. Even if he did save my life." Oren sighs. "I'm gonna sort of miss it."
"Being a cop?"
"Yeah."
"I'm not even gonna sort of miss it. I liked being a deputy."
"Do you like being a mage?"
"I don't know. It's flashier. I'll get used to it."
"Hey, now, honey, we ain't lost the most important thing we had back in that old precinct. Come here."
Nessie squeaks a little as her feet leave the ground. Then she breaks into a grin. "No we certainly ain't," she says. "Howdy there, sheriff Loper."
"I recall you daring me to try and stop you calling me that."
"Are you?"
"I think I actually kinda like it. Got anything else you want me to try instead?"
Nessie laughs, and the sound sends a shot of dopamine right through Oren's brain. She shifts, and kisses him, and they come together.

Brom 2013/05/24(Fri)02:06 No. 512270 ID: 0eef61
File 136938641092.png - (7.96KB , 800x600 , 120.png )

For the next two hours Oren Loper and Nessandra Squires take back what Anchorturn tried to steal.

They stumble out of the shower, take a brief detour in the hallway, accidentally find the pantry, refuse to let that stop them, and finally collapse into bed, laughing and kissing. They have wild, bucking, ear-biting sex and make slow, deep, gasping love. They fuck like giddy teenagers, like wild animals, like the immortal spirits of the Divines. They hold each other so tight Oren can't think of a world outside the rise and dip of Nessie's neck or the smooth valley of her hips. He doesn't want to. Their hearts hammer against their ribs, trying to get to each other. They make damn near enough noise that Grett probably has to stuff his ears with cotton, poor sod that he is. They twist up the sheets and the blankets something awful. Oren remembers the day Nessie saved him, and the night she saved him twice over. He remembers the feeling he got when he thought she was dead, or worse. He lets it flow from him with the rise and fall of her chest against his. He clings to her like a sailor adrift. He never wants to let go.

After it's over they both hold each other, breathing long and exhausted breaths in accidental syncopation. They stare into each other's faces for what seems like an hour, neither willing to shift an inch from the other.
"Damn, boy," says Nessie, finally, softly. "You wore me the heck out."
"I did?" Oren raises his head a quarter inch, then lets it fall back down. "Oh. Well, you fought boldly yourself."
"Can you feel your legs?"
"I can feel yours okay. That's probably more important. This is the start of something big, isn't it?"
"Actually that right there was the end of something big," says Nessie. "Looks like it's already halfway back, though."
"I mean," says Oren. "Us going off, like this. Out into, what?"
"The unknown," says Nessie, stroking his chest."
"The unknown," echoes Oren, thoughtfully.
Nessie shifts up to her elbows. She gazes into Oren's eyes, and she asks him a question he finds vaguely familiar. "You scared, Oren?"

>>512270
A little. You're heading into a whole new world, now. New job, new eye, new culture. With her by your side you know you'll be just fine, though.

Things will work out in the end.

>>512272
Or maybe Oren is enough of a man to not be afraid of the unknown. I mean, you'd think he'd be used to it by now, what with his job and all.

I dunno, really. This could lead into great things. It's exciting, but scary? Maybe not.

>>512270
"I'd say terrified, but I think I used all my fear up earlier. Maybe tomorrow."

don't know, I'll tell you when we get there. But with you with me I think I can manage just about anything.

>>512269
Subtle Polo and Rokoa reference there.

"Scared? I don't think that's the right word. Excited. Invigorated. This is a whole new journey, something completely different from what I thought I'd ever come across. I'm kind of savoring the anticipation. Were magi now! We have power beyond what most can ever dream of! Spirits, Nessie, and I'm marrying you? I feel like I just won the lottery."

>>512341
In every parallel universe Polokoa come to exist!

I recommend not feeling fear.

Brom 2013/05/27(Mon)23:42 No. 513047 ID: 0eef61
File 136972336641.png - (9.98KB , 800x600 , 121.png )

"I don't think I am any more." Oren strokes the small of Nessie's back, pensively.
"They say fear of what you don't know about's the strongest kind of fear there is," says Nessie.

"Yeah, well." Oren kisses her again. "They never had Nessie Squires in their corner."
"Nessie Loper." Nessie yawns and props her head up. "Ugh. I'm gonna fall asleep. I wanna stay up with you."
"Now don't you talk like that, Deputy," says Oren. "You love sleeping."
"Yeah. Well." Nessie yawns again and buries her head in Oren's chest. "That was before real life got better than dreams."
"In real life we're runnin' for our lives."
"Yeah. We are." She puts a warm hand on his chest. "But we are."
"I love you, Nessie."
"I love you, Oren."
"Deanna," she mutters, as she's drifting off.
"Hmm?"
"If the first one's a girl I say Deanna. You get it if it's a boy."
"Shoot, baby, I'm terrible at naming things."
"Mmmm."
"How bout I handle the dog?"
Nessie giggles, faintly.
"Ranger," says Oren. "Scout. Skip. Allan, if it's one of those little yappy ones. Whatcha think?"

"Baby?"

"Nessie?"

Her eyes are closed. Her breathing is low and even.

Brom 2013/05/27(Mon)23:43 No. 513048 ID: 0eef61
File 136972340038.png - (82.69KB , 800x600 , 123.png )

In her dream, Nessandra is standing on a windswept cliff, staring down at everyone she has ever known. On the foreheads of Joseph Bird, and Grease Galvin, and her mother, and her father, and her grandma, and all the cadets at the academy and even the old family dog, an unblinking oculus stares back at her.

Oren stands behind her, watching her. Her fists are balled up tight.

"What are you waiting for, Sheriff?" The undertaker stands next to her. "You gonna introduce yourself?"

>>513048
Say hi!

>>513049
Don't forget to be polite

>>513048
Did we actually introduce ourselves? It might be more fun to see how some of this takes place and change it up completely.

Brom 2013/05/28(Tue)01:13 No. 513057 ID: 0eef61
File 136972880720.png - (12.43KB , 800x600 , 124.png )

Oren walks toward Nessie. He steps over a low boulder on the ground
and past Ipsen, who's coming along pretty good for having the depth perception of a cuttlefish.
Most of the cadets don't hardly hit the bullseye one time out of five so far, but Cadet Loper's taken to the bow faster than anyone. The Rangemaster's having him go up and down the lines giving out tips, but Oren don't quite like the attention-slash-plain-old-tension that brings with his classmates, so he don't step in much.

Well, sometimes he has to.
Take the new girl, here. This is the second bowstring she's snapped.

"Well," she says. "Fuck." She looks back to see if she should tell someone, and catches sight of Loper right behind her. "Oh!" She sort of tries to hide the bow behind her back. "Didn't see you there, uh, Cadet Loper. How's, um, how's my shooting?"

She gestures nervously to the target. Two arrows lie entangled in the net behind it, with three sunk into the white outer ring.
Not exactly a sterling performance.

the string snapping means something weird is going on. get a new one and watch how she handles it.

>>513057
>>513048
So everyone has an oculus except us two?
Maybe Nessie doesn't actually want this?

>>513057
Compliment her arm strength- it'll sure come in handy in melee. But tell her she's gotta calm down, take her time to think things through. She won't break her bow if she keeps her head. And you'll help her to shoot straight.

>>513065
Yeah, she's deathly afraid of what she's becoming.

>>513057
"Hey, Cadet Squires. Just relax. Show me."

>>513082
agreed

could use a little work but nobody is born great at anything, why don't you grab another bow and we'll try this again.

Brom 2013/05/28(Tue)15:12 No. 513176 ID: 0eef61
File 136977917655.png - (12.40KB , 800x600 , 125.png )

"Hey listen, Cadet, uh."
"Nessie Squires. Cadet Squires, I mean." She salutes, nervously.

"Okay, Cadet Nessie Squires. I'm your rank, y'know."
"Right." She laughs, nervously. "Sorry."
"You could obviously use a little work but nobody's born great at anything. Actually, I'll bet something's wrong with that there bow. Hold on a tick." Loper jogs back to his own station and retrieves his bow.

"There you go. All right, show me what you're doing. Try it now."

"Oookay." Squires takes the bow and draws it back.
"Shoulders squarer," says Oren. "Don't be afraid to draw that thing back."
"I keep snapping them," protests Nessie.
"That was the bow. Don't worry about it. Straighten up a little more. Okay: now exhale and... release."

The arrow flies a good foot above the target.

"Well," Nessie lowers the bow. "Thanks for believin' in me, anyway."

Hey, if that was a person, it would have hit dead center in the forehead! And nothing broke, it went the distance, and didn't veer off to the left or right. You just gotta practice to get the height right.

>>513176
"you never were any good with a bow, were you"

>>513176
Once more. Correct your aim. Gotta learn how the arrows fly.

Or maybe she'd like to try a crossbow instead?

>>513176
raise your arms a little. touch your cheek with your right hand and try to touch the same spot every time you draw. look down the arrow and aim. release lightly.

She is still holding the bow to low. Should be able to aim your eye down the arrow. Once you get the basic form down its just a bit of practice and building up the right muscles.

...maybe you can like, guide her arms to help her shoot?

no that's alright just adjust your aim based off where the first arrow when. A good trick when start out with a bow is to just aim your first arrow without actually caring weather or not it hits then after you get your barrings on where the arrow will go then adjust and try again. over time you'll get to the point where you'll know where the arrow will fly even without a test shoot but that's later down the road, lets focus on the now for the time being.

(if she misses again maybe you could show her how you do it and let her try again)

>>513176
Your just getting used to a good bow. That's all. Still getting tense with it as you push your old compensations with your bad bows to the back of your mind. Got really blank that shit out. Learn anew. Like, name your bow and get attached to it. Make it an arm. That'll take a bit.

I have a hunch your meant to be a good shot, I mean, look at how well those arrows are embedded into the wall! That's good penetration, that'll take down violent perps real good. Some people have real good aim but can't penetrate for their own life. Your penetrating solid walls, poor organics won't stand a chance if you can get aim down.

This is a dream and a chance to flirt, remember.

Oren should show her how to hold the bow by putting his arms around her and showing her proper firing stance by basiclly holding onto her.

Brom 2013/05/28(Tue)17:57 No. 513223 ID: 0eef61
File 136978902257.png - (14.54KB , 800x600 , 126.png )

"Well think about it like this," says Oren. "If that had been, say, me over there, that arrow woulda caught me dead between the eyes. Good penetration, too. You ain't snapping any more strings, right? All we gotta do is correct your aim a little. Try again."
"I don't really-"
"Come on. I'll help you." Oren gets behind her and closes her fingers on the bow. "That was a good draw last time. You can get this."

He gently pulls her shoulders back a little, and guides her arms. "One hand on your cheek. Sight down the arrow. Aim juuust a nudge high. Breathe. You breathing?"

"I'm breathing, I'm breathing," laughs Nessie, as Oren steps back.

"Good. Keep that up. Aaand... release."

The arrow slams into the yellow ring and quivers there.
"Dang!" Nessie looks back at a clapping Oren. "That is the closest I've ever been to bullseye."
"See how well you can do when you give yourself a bit to work it out?" asks Oren.
"Well I see how good I do when you set me up," says Nessie. "Can I convince you to just follow me around and do that for me every time?"
"Can I convince you to come back here tomorrow afternoon? There's a group of us do some extracurricular shooting every couple days. We could make a sharpshooter out of you yet."
"That'd be cool," says Nessie. "Okay! I'll, uh, see if I can swing by sometimes."

"But you never got much better, did you?" says Oren.
"Nope," says Nessie. "I recall beating the crud out of you more than a few times in swordsmanship, though, Deadeye."
She looks back at the target. "That shot was basically where my big old unrequited crush on you got started. Couldn't believe my luck when I got to be your deputy, even though I thought it had all cooled down by then. You and whatserface were still together. I kinda just joined archery club hoping you'd touch me like that again."
Oren laughs.
"What?" says Nessie. "We were like 17. Hormones flyin' all over the place. And now here we are."
"Here we are," says Oren.
"Am I just dreaming about you, Oren Loper, or is this some weird new eyeball thing?"

>>513223
If it's an eyeball thing it's probably your eyeball thing. You probably don't have much control over your own supercharged dream powers now, so your dragging other people into it. I hope poor Grett didn't get up in here too.

I think it's Oren's eyeball thing truth be told, you had more hell fire and blue stuff with yours

>Is this some weird new eyeball thing?
I guess, unless exchanging rings gives people magic dream sharing powers the rest of the married world has been keeping secret.

As side effects go, it's not too bad.

>>513223
Tell her you always used to have some weird dream stuff going on, but this is the first time you've been able to visit someone else's so overtly. So, the latter.

Ask her if she's alright. The dream didn't start off so well.

Probably a side effect of Oren's new powers, which I imagine he doesn't know how to control properly.

Or maybe you are just having a real vivid dream.

Tell her about your dreams and the Undertaker.

You get fire and ice and I get awesome mind powers

>>513223
oren's a dream mage now so I'm gonna have to guess eye thing.

Brom 2013/05/28(Tue)23:43 No. 513278 ID: 0eef61
File 136980983861.png - (82.71KB , 800x600 , 127.png )

"I think it's an eyeball thing for me," says Oren. "You shoot fire and crazy blue stuff all over, and I do dream stuff."
"Well some of us have all the luck." Nessie grins.
"Hey, now. I also have mind powers and things. I think. Anyway, I've had lucid dreams for forever, and there's a fella named the undertaker in most of them."
Hello.
"Hi!" says Nessie. "Um, Mr. Undertaker."
I think it might be time I moved on, you two. It's getting mighty crowded up in here.
"You don't have to," says Nessie.
I think I will. We dreamfolk don't stick around that long in one place. I've been here much longer than by all rights I should. Don't worry, Oren. I'll see you again. Heck, you're a dream mage, now.

Sooo maybe you're a little scary too. No offense.

"See? Dream mage."
"What does that mean?"
"I ain't rightfully sure."
"Well. We're going to have a lot of time to figure it out. All this magic gunk."
"Are you all right? The dream didn't start off so well."
"No. It didn't." Nessie puts a hand on his neck. She grows and fills, from a lanky 17 year old to the woman he loves. "But then you showed up." She moves closer. The scar gently reopens itself on her ear. "And when I've got you I ain't afraid of this anymore." The oculus rises from her forehead. "None of it." She folds herself in his arms. "So you'd better stick around, mister sheriff," she whispers.

He holds her to him. "Always."

Brom 2013/05/28(Tue)23:44 No. 513279 ID: 0eef61
File 136980988058.png - (83.02KB , 800x600 , 128.png )

The undertaker, satisfied that the story has run its course, or at least doesn't need him any more, flits lightly from Oren's mind, rising to freedom in the shimmering web of dreams. He smiles, in a shadowy, dreamfolk way.

Below him, the skiff lances through the obfuscous twilight, east, toward the slumbering morning. It carries them, Oren and Nessie, loose in one another's sleeping embraces, the energy of the oculus pulsing and humming and singing through fresh veins.
They are changing.
Tomorrow they start the rest of a long and interesting life, together.

He is vaguely aware, as they hold one another in dream, of her physical body, soft and warm and beautiful on his. She is paradise. She is empyrean.

They course the night. They go somewhere better.

Everything is going to be okay.

good end <3

I wonder how long it's going to take them to get there oculus colors changed?

I bet Oren and Nessie are going to be regular characters in Eivr now. Coooooooool!

>>513283
Ten bucks says they eventually become some kind of Mage cops.

>>513307
no bet

>>513324
Agreed. I'd like to keep my ten bucks thank you.