View source for 2014.4.26:King Ketos

[[Category:Logs]][[Category:Leverage]][[Category:November]][[Category:Velok]]

{{Infobox Log
|name      = King Ketos
|summary   = Fish Lady meets the King
|icdate    = Wednesday
|ictime    = 2:00 PM
|players   = [[Velok]] (Storyteller) and [[November]]
|location  = Sea World
|prptp     = Sea World
|spheres   = [[Demon]] and [[Mage]]
}}

== Log ==
(Enter November and Velok at Sea World, a continuation from http://www.cityofhopemush.com/wiki/index.php/2014.4.23:Queen_Tursiop)
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{{tab}}Luckily for both of them, Mary didn't seem to be suspicious at all. Just another day at the water park. While November was changing, Velok remained fairly quiet, as if in contemplation throughout the matter. When they're finally out and free, the both of them remain fairly silent until they're far enough away. Finally, in the line to get amazingly delicious snickerdoodles, Velok is the first to talk. "Well, that fucking sucks." As if to just enunciate the point, he does smile though. "I try and organize a wonderfully fun, unique experience, and it turns out to be a big deal." Velok doesn't actually seem all upset, just..disappointed. Ah well. They reach the front of the line and both of them get wonderfully delicious Snickerdoodles. "I don't have any of my equipment. I got you a ticket to swim with the Beluga whale, which I'm guessing is the one they were talking about. It'll be a nightmare if they were talking about Shamu..."
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{{tab}}"Well, it will be unique, at least," she says with a little sigh, nibbling her snickerdoodle that she's swept through some icecream. Cause she couldn't choose and that's her right, goddamn it. "And it was fun too. We just get to throw a little stabby-stab in on top of things." She peers over at him for a moment with a little sigh. "You didn't bring anything with you?" She thinks about it for a second. "Can you...call it? My stabby is in the car. I can get it no problem. I can probably go get your stuff, too. It would just take me ...um... stepping across and running like hell."
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{{tab}}Velok shrugs, shaking his head. "I brought my stuff." He says quietly, reaching into his pocket and pulling out his pen. "It's always with me. The tube is in the car, unfortunately." He looks around, putting some more of the snickerdoodle in his mouth. "I don't think people suspect us or anything, so we could just go out there and get it, then come back. The problem is we'd look weird, so we'd either need to store it somewhere for later, or come back later anyway after it's dark." Velok eats some more as they walk, finding a spot close to where they're supposed to go next and plopping down onto a bench. "It depends on what we want to do. There's a ton of people around, coming back at night is the smarter option, or hiding out in the park after it closes with our stuff. Do we want to...I dunno. I'm nervous about what this Ketos says. Could change the dynamic severely."
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{{tab}}November nods. "I can get it. Later. Cause I might want my sword too." That'll have to be done sneaky-like. "I'll just go get them right before." She slides into the seat next to him, leaning her head against his shoulder as she sweeps her cookie through her half-melted icecream before slurping around the edges of the cone. "You and I can just slide over the barrier at closing. Go into a bathroom or something and do it there. There isn't a WHOLE lot of activity on that side in a place like this. I'll get your stuff, drag you across with no paradox, and we'll go where we need to go. We'll worry about what he says when we get there."
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{{tab}}Velok hasn't actually relaxed since the dolphin tank, and the moment she leans against his shoulder, she can tell he's nervous and tense. "Sounds like a wonderful plan." He whispers, turning his head to lay it along the top of hers now. "Just one day of peace. Like, one day where we don't get caught up in something, or have to fight. One day where we can just lay down on the grass and stare up at the clouds." Velok just shrugs a little bit, taking another nom. "You looked terrified." He snorts, breaking out into a smile. "Like really. Then you relaxed and I got some amazing pictures of you smiling and laughing and grinning. I think I'll post them on a wall or something..."
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{{tab}}November nods just a tiny little bit, letting out a sigh, sweeping the last bite of her cookie through her icecream and offering it up to him. "We'll get it. And it isn't like EVERY day is like this. Just most of them. And we get the chance to do something good. I mean.. like.. I don't give a fuck about dolphins.. not really.. but ..." She shakes her head, motioning back over that way. "LIke... they're INTELLIGENT. They have thoughts and feelings and they're being TORTURED every night and then... then fucking HEALED so that it can be done again. Like.. what the fuck? That ain't gonna fly. Especially if it's a goddamn shark doing the deed. FUCK sharks."
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{{tab}}Velok actually smiles a little bit, nodding. "Fuck Sharks." He agrees with her, finishing his food and wrapping his arm around her body. "They don't deserve to be tortured, no one does. Torture is cruel." She knows Velok's not at all a fan of torture, just like she's not at all a fan of sharks. "I'm sorry you have to work today. I'll make it up to you. I'll get us more tickets and they'll thank you and it will be awesome, I promise." Velok pushes himself up from the bench, checking his watch. He turns, leaning down to take November by both hands and help her up. "The dolphin mentioned a man that did the healing, not Mary. Until we know who it is, let's put on our best smiles."
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{{tab}}November nods, sighing quietly, finishing off the last little bit of her icecream. She smiles up at him as he pulls her to her feet and follows along with him. "On a positive note, I'm VERY happy about getting to see the whale. And for taking down some fuck wads... so the smile will be honest enough."
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{{tab}}Velok brings November a bit closer, nodding. "I can't necessarily bring a whale into a bathtub, so I have no doubt. Truthfully I've never really talked with a whale, I don't know how they'll be. Taking down fuckwads is always fun." November gets a single kiss, and then Velok turns, taking her by the hand and guiding her towards the door. The exhibit is clearly labelled 'Wild Arctic' and looks surprisingly similar to the one they were at an hour before. This time, however, there is not a woman that's standing outside the door, but a man. The man is leaning against the wall just next to the door smoking. He has light brown hair cut rather short, and the typical sea world uniform of light blue and tan shorts. He's wearing glasses that hide rather beady looking eyes. 
<br>{{tab}}When Velok and November get close, he quickly extinguishes the stick in a little bin, putting on a bright (And clearly rehearsed and fake) smile. "Welcome to the Wild Arctic!" The man says, reaching out and offering to shake both Velok's and November's hand. "My name is Brian, are you two here for the Beluga Interaction Program?" Velok shakes the man's hand and shows him the ticket. "Velok and November, oh, you were at the dolphin exhibit!" The man smiles a little wider, a little TOO cheery. "Hitting all the sights today I see, well we're so glad to have you. Mary told me all about your fun adventure riding with the dolphins, you must be like a marine savant!" The saccharine behavior is enough to make Velok sneak a disgusted look to November before adding his own fake smile. "Well come right this way!"
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{{tab}}November is all smiles as she approaches, her arm wrapped lightly around Velok. When the man speaks, she giggles. "Kidnapped by dolphins! It was the greatest thing ever! I've never had more fun in my whole life!" She moves along, sharing that look with Velok, but putting a little bounce to her step nonetheless
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{{tab}}Brian smiles, nodding several times. "Wonderful, wonderful, well hopefully you have just as much fun feeding our Beluga." He opens the door and guides Velok and November down a very similar looking tunnel and into a changing room. He goes through the same safety instructions they received in the dolphin exhibit, with several fairly bad jokes thrown in. "And don't try to swim in the whale's mouth, trust me. We just had to pull out Pinocchio out yesterday and it's a nightmare!" See? Terrible, but Brian laughs at them. Brian reaches up several times, pushing his glasses along the bridge of his nose before he leaves the pair of them alone in the changing room. Velok doesn't look all that nervous, but he does collect November's things so that she can get into her wet suit. "So Beluga whales are like the white whales. From like, Moby Dick. If the story has any truth to it, they're probably pretty pissy or something. I don't know how you're going to play it, but don't forget. You're here to have fun."
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{{tab}}Pinocchio! That's a hoot! Or something. November laughs as appropriate and moves on through with the promise that she will not try to get into the whale's mouth. "Right. Maybe. Who knows," she murmurs, moving along, speaking quietly. "Might as well go ahead and turn on the link. See if we can find Ketos straight up. Maybe see if you can tune into other people too."
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{{tab}}Velok just shrugs, closing his eyes. He starts to mumble, "Beluga whale, white, probably around 1.5 tons, 15 feet?" Velok seems to be talking to himself, shaking his head a couple times. "Ketos, wise whale, something like that." He opens his eyes and smiles, nodding. When November is done, Velok opens the door and walks out with her, setting their stuff aside. The pair move down the considerable long tunnel to where, presumably, Brian is waiting.
<br>{{tab}}When the pair arrive outside the tunnel, it looks very similar to the enclosure with the Dolphins. The only difference is the taller walls around the tank are adorned with 'artic' decorations. Iceberg formations and pictures, though none of them are real or they'd have melted. The tank is much bigger as well, large enough for a whale to swim comfortably. A ramp leads up to a platform that allows swimmers to wade into the tank, and sure enough Brian is there waiting. He has own his own wetsuit, those nerdy glasses pushed up on his face. There's larger buckets to accomodate bigger fish, and Brian is messing around with them. "All ready?" He asks. When the pair look into the tank, they see a fairly smallish white whale. It look fairly similar to the dolphin, except it's mouth is more rounded and its forehead has a hump on it. It has distinct baby face syndrome and a perpetual smile on its face.
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{{tab}}"Ready," November tells the man with a happy smile. She looks around briefly and then moves up toward the edge, drawing on the experience with the dolphins still fresh in her mind. "Aaw..." she says with genuine girlish wonder. "Oh, LOOK, baby! Look at him!" She turns around toward Velok and then back toward the whale. "Look at you, pretty boy!" <<Are you Ketos?>>
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{{tab}}Brian puts on a nice smile, reaching a hand up to offer November help in stepping into the tank and onto the platform. Velok takes up his normal spot at the side of the tank, lifting the camera that's slung over his neck. "I know, he looks so happy. He's smiling!" The whale does indeed look like he has a perpetual smile on his face, even when the mouth opens and reveals the rows of vicious teeth. The whale is surprisingly smaller than she might expect, slowly wading its way along the tank. "Now, I know you went to the dolphin show early and those are some acrobatic creatures" Brian starts to say, obviously following along with a speech he's made numerous times. "And you're probably thinking Well these are twice as big, that means they'll jump twice as high, but it's probably not going to happen." Brian starts to laugh, and he has that geeky version of the laugh that can make some cringe.
<br>{{tab}}<<Oh wonderful, another one of you.>> Comes a new voice within November's mind. This one is very deep, very masculine, and oddly enough very...depressed sounding. Every thought seems to come with an accompanied mental sigh, as if she was talking to Eeyore's big brother. <<Here to fill the woefully dull morning with more demands?>> Ketos asks, poking his head up out of the water to stare at November. An eerie matching given that look of happiness on his face.
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{{tab}}November nods to Brian as he speaks, barely hearing a word of it. She's listening just enough to know when to nod. <<No. I spoke to Queen (whatever her name was. The player forgets). She says that there is a bad person who comes at night and tortures you. We're here to help. But I need you to play along so that I can know HOW to help you.>>
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{{tab}}<<Oh, Play along, excellent. That's wonderfully easy for you to say.>> Ketos drawls, despite sinking down into the water and swimming around the tank. <<Let's switch places, shall we? Why don't you jump into the tank and swim around, and I'll stand up there several times a day waving my flippers around, demanding you degrade yourself further for food. If you want to find out who's really the one that tortures, you need only look into a mirror.>> Ketos is...kind of a bitch apparently. He does swim up to the platform when Brian starts to move his hands around, but November can easily tell that his black, rounded eye is focusing on her. <<Though I suppose Tursiop has been sharing her stories. Queen though, that's fucking classic. Make sure you don't let that black asshole hear you say that.>>
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{{tab}}<<Look, dude. You want out of this shit hole or not? Cause I can just get Tursiop free and leave you here. How about THAT?>> Yeah, she don't take shit off no fucking whale. November follows along, doing her thing, only barely paying attention to the whole thing. <<We need to know what happens. Tursiop was a little.. high strung. Let me help you. Let US help you.>>
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{{tab}}<<Free?>> This concept actually seems to draw curiousity into the Beluga's actions, swimming around a little faster. <<Do you actually plan on freeing us from this hellhole, or simply eliminating the nightly problem?>> Ketos takes in water, spitting it out to the side at the apparent instruction of Brian. <<Uh oh, time to pet me. Quick, act natural!>> Ketos scoots up next to November. She can see his white skin is slippery, no doubt most of it being blubber. "You can pet him, if you'd like. Or feed him a fish!" Brian doesn't seem all THAT excited to be there, but he's at least putting up a show. <<Yes, Fish. I know that word. I choose the fish. I'll tell you what you want to know for a fish.>>
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{{tab}}\\I don't know. If I can show that you've been abused, I might be able to get you out of here. COuld you survive in the open ocean? I've heard about animals that have been in captivity too long.\\ She reaches foward to pet, giggling happily. "Can I do both?" She leans forward to pet him AFTER she snags a fish, tossing it to the little whale.
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{{tab}}<<An interesting concept, and an interesting idea.>> Ketos responds, nudging his head up against November's hand after that fish disappears into his gullet. For all his dreaty attitude, he does seem to enjoy the contact. \\I've never really thought about it. I've been here since I was young, I grew up in captivity. I think I might enjoy being free, even if it will be difficult. I don't exactly think Tursiop would have told you the same thing. That dolphin loves performing.\\ Ketos turns in the water, dipping back underneath for a moment. His smallish tail comes up out of the tank, waving towards November. <<As degrading as it is, it's an easy life. Except for the Shark bitch, I suppose.>>
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{{tab}}<<Then if we freed you, that might actually be signing your death warrant. Let me help you get rid of the shark bitch and then we'll decide whether you should go be free or stay here and we'll make sure that you're treated well.>> They have ways of assuring that, believe it or not. When the tail is waved, she reaches for another fish, holding it up and in waiting for the fish to surface. "Baby! Are you recording this? He waved at me!"
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{{tab}}Velok has the camera lifted up and is taking lots of snapshots, his lips wide in a smile. She can see though that not all of the pictures are aimed at the whale, but some are aimed at Brian, and some are aimed specifically at her. "I think he likes you! It's totally you and not the fish, honest!" <<She is a Rokea. Wave Rider, or so she loves to say. She can't get away with actually killing any of us, but I guess we taste good, and hurting is no problem. A servant of Qyrl.>> The whale pops its head back up and takes the fish, swallowing it practically whole, then spitting out more water to the side. <<Every so often she comes into the tank, chases after us. You can never really escape, no matter how hard you swim. She bites, she eats. I come close to death every week, and get brought back. Her mate can heal the physical, but the mental...that stays.>> It might be more understandable why Ketos isn't exactly as cheery as you'd think.
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{{tab}}November giggles happily, grabbing another fish, making him work for this one.. because why wouldn't she? It's to be expected. <<Sorry. I have to. Forgive me.>> THEN she waves her hands about to make him do a trick. <<We'll take care of her. Does she come every night? Is that man her mate?>> Her eyes lift and slide over to Brian, giving him the biggest of grins. "He's SO cute. Can I take him home?" She giggles and reaches for another fish, tossing this one into the air so he can catch it.
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{{tab}}<<Ugh.>> Comes Ketos's immediate response, but he does the trick. He rolls around several times, waving his fins towards her each time, then comes back and steal the fish. <<Every night? No. Most nights she eats fish, our fish. She seems...limited.>> Ketos says, popping his head back up out of the water. Slowly he inches forward until that oversized forehead bumps into November. <<Or more, he seems limited. Yes, the man next to you. She knows she can't kill us or there would be questions, but the man who heals us, makes us whole again, he seems limited. I don't know why, but whenever he fixes us, he seems...tired, then he doesn't show up for work the next day.>> Ketos pushes himself out of the water, snatching the fish and letting it disappear into his mouth.
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{{tab}}<<Fucking mages>> Her eyes flit up toward Velok apologetically, then she giggles and waves her hand about in one of the moves and then tosses him a fish. <<Alright. When was the last time? Do you know? I don't know how good you are with time.. or if you count it the same as we do.>>
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{{tab}}Velok squinty-eyes, considering it's a MAGE letting her do what she's doing right now! <<Mmmmmm, Fish.>> The beluga whale props up onto the platform and gets very close to November, so that she can practically lay across it. <<Sadly, she's not at all mysterious. Tonight she will be torturing Tursiop. They rotate the trainers. If you met her with Tursiop, then she will be in their tank tonight, and tomorrow this one here, Brian, will be sick. That is, I suppose, unless you stop it, but I don't have any idea how you plan on doing that.>>
<br>{{tab}}Brian seems innocent enough, and with November as close as she is, she can get a good summarized look at him. He seems fairly...unexpected given what she's been hearing. He seems absolutely normal and dull, the kind of person that you would expect spends most of his time in the library. For a man accused of torture, he gives off a surprising lack of 'threat'. He's guiding November through the motions with a smile, though they seem to be running low on fish.
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{{tab}}<<Neither do I. But tonight will be the last. Promise.>> Unless she's going to be rehosting in that 7 foot black man. Then she'll just try again. And as for Bryan, maybe he's being somehow compelled to do this. Who knows. He still had to die. Fuck those bastard mages. Not you, baby. But fuck the rest of them that torture poor, innocent dolphins. \\I am Asmodyl. Angel of Death and Suffering, Slayer of the Unjust, Glory of the Night, Keeper of the Shadows. I promise you that I will do everything within my power to rid you of this problem.\\
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{{tab}}The whale stretches up alongside the platform, that black eye peering straight at November. <<Well, Asmodyl, Angel of Death and Suffering, Slayer of the...night...glory of...>> Okay, he's a whale, give him a break. That's a LOT of titles. \\I must admit I underestimated you when you arrived. You aren't just another twolegged selfish fish lady. I wish you the best of luck, and I will sing songs of your bravery, but not to that Shamu fucker. He can go drown.\\ Yes, the worst of insults from one aquatic creature to another. He can go drown. With the fish gone, Ketos slips back into the water. If November thinks he's leaving, she's totally wrong, as he soon pops back up. While before he was squirting water left and right, this time the water gets squirted directly onto the small woman, getting her all wet. <<That's the finale, they make me do it. Sorry.>> Ketos says. He's not THAT sorry. It was pretty funny to Ketos.
SQUEAK! November gets a facefull of water and she laughs! That's really kinda awesome. She doesn't mind and the squeak and the laughter are fine with her. "That's okay," she says aloud. "I forgive you." She chuckles and slides back a little bit and blows the whale a kiss. Fishy hands and all.
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{{tab}}Brian laughs along with November, reaching out and rubbing the whale on its head even as Ketos starts to slide away. The whale plunges down and lifts its tail back up, waving at November again and then swimming deeper into the tank. "You're a natural, have you been a trainer before? You should consider becoming one because they seem to take to you pretty easily." Brian looks back to Velok who's lowering the camera, having snapped lots of pictures. "Well I have to take its temperature and stuff, but I hope you had a lot of fun. Do you know the way back to the changing room?" Brian asks as Velok steps up to the platform as he did before and opens up the towel for her.
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{{tab}}"Nah. I guess I just have a way with things." November steps into the towel, wrapping it around her and reaching a corner up to wipe her face. THen she looks at Bryan, confused. "Take... its... temperature?" That makes NO sense whatsoever. None. Zero. Zip. But yeah. Whatever. "I'll find it. Thanks." She steps back to follow along with Velok