2023.08.04: Orrery Adventures: Cheese Moon

Adventures in Orrery Making: The Cheese Moon
A journey to one of Luna's realms, where all is cheese and moon mice.
IC Date	August
IC Time	Afternoon
Players	Pancake Trey Ashkii Irsa Rhapsody Evan Kaz Jackie Abril
Location	The Moon
Theme Song	The Moon is Made of Cheese

For those in the know, you got here the usual way. For those who've not yet made the trip to Mercy's place, or who have only done so once...: Branton's manor is located in the Harbor District, literally right down the street from the Island ferry. Expected guests are let through a gate into a garden that seems way too big for the property as seen from the street. But you know, magic. Whaddya gonna do! In the umbra of the garden there's a row boat sitting on the grass, and once people are inside of it, safely seated and ready to think about Up, the row boat will lift off the ground and go straight up into the air. Which is neat for like thirty seconds, and then you realize it's not stopping, is at a speed just shy of really uncomfortable, and the ground is getting *really* far away. Up and up and up it goes until popping through the cloud layer and into the edges of the atmosphere. But you can breath, cause it's the umbra, don't worry. The row boat is headed for a big ship up over head hanging in low orbit, and this is where Iris meets everyone. More or less, anyways, she's also sorta seeing to getting some things stowed and double checking travel prep. "Welcome aboard!"

Any speed of flying rowboat is probably way too uncomfortable for a lupus... Abril's got all four feet on the floor of the boat and yet, that still doesn't stop her from trying to stick her head over the edge every so often on the way up before nope-nope-noping all body parts including snoots back into the moving vessel. And there's definitely some relief when the rowboat comes to a solid stop and she can jump on out towards Mercy. << Sky boats before take enemy boat? >>

"Cheeeese! Wonderful Chee-eeese! Glorious Cheeeeeese!" A large Rat spirit pipes this out as it dances around on its hind legs around Irsa when she comes aboard. There might even be shadow-boxing and Rockette dance-kicks in there. "Pipe down, ya menace," Irsa grouses at the thing. "It ain't goin' nowhere."

Ashkii is already on the ship, coming out of his cabin dressed in a t-shirt and shorts with bare feet padding over the deck as he moves to Iris' side to watch the boat approach. Waving to the folks on the boat he calls out, "Hey hey!" Sparking up a cigarette he gets his fix while the getting is good, nodding to his packmate and giving her a wink of greeting.

Evan is trying super hard not to bust up laughing at the antics of his pack leader's familiar. Then he nods to Abirl "Could be! Also could be travelling to antarctica for a snowball fight. Have you been on one of these field trips before?"

"Yeah. I like to think of it as expanding the fleet." Mercy says to Abril with a grin, and then looks around her her newly arrived and already here crew of living, breathing people. "We got everyone? I think Trey's in the hold somewhere sleeping off his jet lag."

<< Saw boat... >> Abril points back to the rowboat they just stepped out of as she answers Evan. << When learned to Thank Prey. And journey to land of hats and cheese before? Like that? >> Turns out lupine doesn't actually have a word for France. She does whisper the word cheese though just in case it riles the Rat-spirit up any more.

Beanie nips Irsa's leg and scuttles up the mast to gossip with Mercy's spirit crew. The Rat spirit is fully at ease up there, she's a natural arboreal type. Irsa shakes her head and slides her hands into her pocket. "Need us anywhere on th' deck?" she asks her mentor.

Jackie hops out of the ferry boat, handing the trip with a bit more practiced calm than the Lupuses. She raises her hand in a wave to the others as she finds a spot on the deck so she's out of the way of the others disembarking. "So, anyone ready to clue us in on what's going on yet?"

Ashkii takes a step back once everyone gets onboard. Moving to the side a little to make sure he's downwind of the group. Smoking while letting his gaze slide from each of the newcomers there is a smile and nod of his head in greeting to each.

Kaz had paced around by the boat for several moments before forcing himself to just jump on. He kneels as close to the middle of the ferry as he can and closes his eyes as he focuses on making the contents of his stomach remain where they are. When it docks he lets out the breath he'd probably been holding the entire time and finally opens his eyes. Looking in any particular direction doesn't help so he focuses on the group he's with and slowly gets out of the ferry and onto the main boat.

"Sure!" Mercy says in answer to one of the things asked. "Firstly, no stations required, mostly I just need you all to not throw up on my boat, if you please. Do it over the side, at least, okay? It'll be smoothe sailing, mooooostly, but it's gonna look super terrifying for just a second. Secondly! You're all my chiminage! I need something, and to get it, I'm bringing a lunch party and hoping that sweet talking a lonely old spirit with a group of friends and some nibbles will be a good way to get it. WHERE we're going, I'm just gonna save that as a surprise. SO! Come this way towards the bow, find yourselves a nice seat with a good view, and let's get it on! Does anyone know how to make cocktails? You might want drinks for this." she adds while leading the way towards a place with lots of deck seating.

Rhapsody is here! Has been here, and was napping. But as people are arriving, she wakes up. "Oh hey! What's going on?" She straightens herself out and looks around. "It's a party!" Instructions are being given, and she listens carefully. She nods, and waits for further details.

Jackie nods and heads towards the bar. "I think I can manage to put some decent drinks together. Who wants what?" << Chickens come with tails already? Could add more feathers and make them more impressive? >> Strikes-Twice theorizes and provides reasons why she SHOULDN'T be trusted with barkeeping duty. Also, because she'd have to assume a form with thumbs. Though mention of meeting with a spirit to help with chiminage does get the young philodox's attention perked up and she pads on over to find a good view on the deck.

"We can do that," Irsa agrees. "Uh, I ain't one for makin' good cocktails, so I'll skip. I don't think th' old lady is gonna like boilermakers." Her Familiar is up the mast, slapfighting with another spirit over the crow's nest seat.

Kaz holds a hand up towards Jackie with the other on his stomach. "Nothing for me. I'm still making sure I will not defy Mercy's order to not throw up on her deck." He closes his eyes again not wanting to see whatever terrifying thing Mercy mentioned while he's still trying to master himself.

Evan grins at Jackie when she offers to make drinks "I bet you know what I'll drink." And then he nods to Abril "Right! Like Paris! But this time apparently somewhere stranger?" then to Mercy he adds "I do know how to be a good guest, and if we need an entertainment I can help with that too."

Trey stumbles up to the deck from below, ponytailed hair a bit sleep-mussed. He's clad in his usual jeans and tee, and squints at the light. "Yowl," he says. As if it were a word. "Hey everyone! Gah. Been a while..." He laughs at Evan's comment and says, "Isn't it always somewhere stranger?"

Flocks of birds fly under the ship like feathery fish, the sky is blacker than black and spangled with more stars than one can see from earth, even on a clear night far from civilization. The moon is simply fucknormous, bigger than it ought to be, while the sun seems smaller, more distant than it should. Mercy leaves people to Jackie's bar tending skills and her packmates' good graces while she heads to the bridge to steer this heap. She's very good at piloting imaginary space craft, so the ship movement is very gentle as she starts turning the craft upside down. Earth, veiled by its spotty clouds, rolls up and over the ship so that it's right over head. The cloud layer begins to come down towards the ship, or the ship is descending towards the earth, however you want to think about it. Mercy calls, "Please stay out of the clouds, or gravity will start working again."

Ashkii finishes off that cigarette he was smoking and slips away to crush the butt out and throw it out. Washing up and getting some gum he returns as the ship starts move and gets himself settled in and holding on to a seat to watch as they move.

Strikes-Twice obediently flattens herself to the deck doing a good impression of a wolf-skin-rug as she does her part to make sure she's staying clear of any possible cloud threat.

Jackie takes an educated guess and comes back with a pair of glasses of Irish Whiskey for Evan and herself. Not exactly a cocktail, but it seems appropriate. She hands Evan his and settles in on the bow to watch as they leave orbit.

Rhapsody stares off at the moon, and smiles, "So beautiful." She'll otherwise move around to see what she can do to help out around the ship.

Evan grins and salutes Jackie with the provided drink and finds somewhere to watch the journey, staying clear of the railings at the warning, with a chuckle he adds "Gravity is a harsh mistress."

"Yo, Beanie!" Irsa hollers up the mast. "Quit slappin' that dude and give 'em a hand." The rat takes off like a shot, running along the lines to stand fast near the mainsail. Irsa instinctively reaches out to grip the rail, even though she knows it's completely unneccessary.

The clouds start getting very close, and the flocks of bird spirits go from over head to right alongside you, flying around and across the ship while Mercy eases it into a very particular position. Spirit crew that were up high start coming down to the deck in a hurry as parts of its tall masts start dipping into the cloud layer. There's the occasional shudder as the boat fights gravity pulling on the parts that have gone through the clouds. The ship is aimed towards the moon, and as it reaches juuuuuust the right spot, the silver-white of the moon becomes a greenish white, even moon paths take on a slightly greenish tinge. Only then does the craft begin to move forward, slowly dragging its crow's nest and sails out of the cloud layer. It picks up speed very quickly, but the body is able to adjust quickly as well, so no one should be falling over. Leaving Earth behind, the moon still appears very green-white.

Kaz opens his eyes and takes a moment to look at the moon when Rhapsody mentions it. He moves his head to avoid a stray bit of cloud as he does so finding that despite the size the moon was the most familiar thing in view. He looks around at the others and quirks an eyebrow at Trey or really what his shirt says. He tilts his head far to the side as he stares at it and then finally grunts in understanding after a few moments. He takes a few steps gingerly at first and then more confidently as the world doesn't fall away from him immediately. Stopping near the mainsail he looks around trying to figure out how the ship functions.

Trey ooohs, and watches, moving to where Iris is navigating, and says, "Green cheese time!" He grins and fingerwaves affably as Rhapsody passes, and finds himself a good leaning spot near the conn, seemingly practiced at this whole spaceboat thing. Which does not mean he's jaded -- if anything, he's even more delighted right now. "Man, I've missed this," he says with a tone of warmth. The chaos is a welcome place, apparently.

Strikes-Twice's eyes widen even more as she realizes they're GOING TO THE MOON. Still wary of the clouds they've been warned of, she does lift her head off the deck, ears perked forward as she sneaks a peek over the railing. Rhapsody fingerwaves to Trey! "Hey! Long time no see!" She moves over near Irsa, and grins, "I have not been to the moon. It's so big!" She considers if they need crackers or not for the cheese there.

Evan sips his drink and spends some quiet time watching the Moon and humming some Cat Stevens. Evan does look a bit curious when the tint goes green though.

"I've only been to th' Dark Side," Irsa tells Rhapsody, and she doesn't mean the comics or even the Force. "You missed Trey's epic dance-off with a pissed off Mage in a giant robot. And those fly dancin' pants."

The ship has some really great speed, although maybe it's more a trick of perception, the moon does seem to jump a lot closer than it should have when people aren't really watching. Time, distance, meet your match! But for real though it's not a super long trip, even by mundane standards, so you throw magic in there and the journey becomes very doable. There's yelling from up on the bridge, a rush of some spirit crew to go hang off lines or kick booms or whatever Mercy asked. She's up there workin the controls like she's in a Fast and Furious movie as a huge gaggle of greenish Lunes come streaking towards the ship. "GUARD YOUR DRINKS!" Mercy yells, and prepares to try and Tokyo Drift a fucking space boat through a small army of moon guardians.

<< Dinosaur metal man? >> Strikes-Twice asks as she hears about the Mage and Robots. And she doesn't have a drink to guard and so she goes to stand in front of Jackie and Jackie's drink, guarding the kin from the lunes?

Trey nods and tells Rhapsody, and anyone else who cares to know, "I went to see my old mentor to learn some new things... took me longer than I thought, but he seemed to enjoy all the stories." He smiles at Evan's song, and then chuckles at the memory of the dance-off. "Truth is, that robot coulda kicked my fuzzy butt. but the pants, I have with me in my pack, down below. I love those pants." Once the Lunes show up, he does what he can to help with the nav. "Welcome committee," he calls out, moving with the boat with practiced ease. He looks to Strikes-Twice and says, "Giant metal robot suit man."

Kaz is betrayed as the ground that he had just gotten around to trusting lurches out from under him. Several curses escape him as he goes down right on his tailbone.

Ashkii holds on tight as the ship starts to Tokyo drift around in space. Laughing he calls out, "HOLD ONNNNNN! If we need to grab anyone out of space... It could be a fun task actually."

Irsa sways with the movement of the ship, skidding a few inches before bracing her feet to remain in place. She eyes her drink and takes a huge swig, swelling up to Glabro in the process.

Bones snap and break, shifting and warping into a new form, as the creature before you becomes a primal, humanoid figure.

Birth form is best form. Especially when said form involved four feet and a lower center of gravity. Strikes-Twice keeps herself low to the deck and rolls with the drifting. She may not know what's going on, but she's at least keeping her own footing.

Jackie leans sideways as the ship steers into the hard turn, putting one hand over the top of her glass. Boats aren't really her thing, but sudden g-forces are. "What kind of welcoming committee are we talking about? Like, the we're about to be boarded kind?"

Evan almost loses his drink, some of it sloshes on his hand but he just licks it off. Wasting good whiskey would be a sin. Steadying himself as he looks about "Everyone alright?"

Rhapsody holds onto the rail and steadies herself. She gets a bit off balance, but only so much. "Oofff. What a landing.. is it a landing? What do you call that?"

Moonlight floods the ship, still with the greenish glow as sheets of hole-y spiritual moonlight go streaking by, their voices raised in a strikingly melodic riot of 'hey! stop it!' type yells. And yes, they're sheets of pale white with holes in them, large round holes. Like swiss cheese. They're not angry though, not that they can be seen for longer than a few seconds, more just... exasperated, really. Mercy also definitely did not hit anyone with the ship. The ship steadies out again, slowing and coming towards the now really, REALLY big moon. It doesn't really look right. Still slightly greenish, more creamy white than silver, it hasn't got raised edged craters, but more like holes instead. There are no majestic moon cities or herds of spirit cats, no moon birds or lakes of moon silver. Nope, just a lot of rough plains and bigass holes. The ship turns to place a moon that looks suspiciously like a massive wheel of cheese underneith the boat so the rowboat can land people down there.

Kaz replies to Rhapsody with, "That was a... what's the phrase? Controlled landing? Did the boat have the same issue?" He stands up and brushes himself off after briefly rubbing his bum.

"Cheeeeeeeeeeese!" Beanie pipes up, sliding down the mast and leaping onto Irsa's now much-broader shoulders. The Bone Gnawer sets down her empty glass and cracks her knuckles. "Now there's a sight," she rumbles. "Looks like somethin' outta every Tom an' Jerry cartoon I've ever seen."

Evan finishes his drink and looks around "What, and I say this with all due reverence, the Fuck." as he spies the Cheesey Landscape.

Strikes-Twice has not seen those cartoons but she is looking curiously between the holey spirits and then the giant wheel of cheese they're landed on. A nod of her head as she seconds the Galliard's reverant what-the-fuckery.

Jackie sips her drink as she looks over the beam of the ship towards the ground, such as it is. "Uh, did we miss and land on the wrong moon? This one seems... defective."

Trey damns. "I didn't bring crackers. Or meat for a charcuterie board..." He sighs softly. "I've lost my touch. I'm going to weep." He's not. His expression is filled with delight, despite the words.

Rhapsody looks around. "This seems.. off." She nods to Jackie, "This is the umbral version of the real thing. I did not realize it could... really be like this." She grins and goes to her bag that was around her body, but the bag part in the back. She opens it up and offers to Trey and the others. "I did bring a big of snax? There are cracker pieces in here!" Because she's learned from Pandora to always have something.

Ashkii stands and stretches out once they come to a stop. Winking to his packmates he gives Mercy a thumbs up for flying as well as she did. "See. If we had that spirit whale flying us around it would have been a smooooooooth ride all the way here." Patting down his pockets he finds his cigarettes, lighter and fetish blade hanging from his belt. "Did I miss it? What's the plan?"

Kaz blinks a few times as he stares at the landscape. He shakes it off quickly and hops onto the row boat. The landscape was hardly anything he expected but it was a LAND scape so he's eager to get to it and off this clearly untrustworthy contraption they were on now.

It takes a minute for Mercy to finish up on the bridge. Gotta check the telescopes and make sure there's a clear landing space, make sure the ship isn't too high, get it locked all synched up with the moon's path, all that. But soon she's bounding back to the deck and beaming excitedly. "TA DAAAAAAAA!" she yells while running through the group so she can get all her crap and make for the landing party. And what luck! Her supplies consist of a shark cootery board! And a ton of other stuff. Home jarred olives and peppers, utensils, different salamis, assorted fancy crackers, home made cheese, bottles of Stuff, just all kinds of shit, I tells ya. "It's just one of the moon's umbral realms. A little to the left of the one most people know. It's an old wives tail, basically. We're gonna go find the Great Green Cheese Man, which shouldn't be hard, and uhhhhh, see what happens, I guess. Fit lunch in there somewhere. And no smoking on the moon, you'll get its health and safety rating lowered, and then how's it gonna pay rent?"

<< Can smell way to Cheese Man? >> Strikes-Twice offers. She may not have actually seen said cheese man but if he's Great, she's willing to point in the strongest Cheese Smell Direction is the way to go.

Trey accepts a fistful of snax because hey, food! He grins and thanks Rhapsody for the treat, and begins popping bits into his mouth as he watches Mercy disappear -- and come back with all manner of tasties. "Oh man, kitty treats." He stretches a bit and asks Mercy, "Any form preference here?" He offers a hand with the comestibles as well, content to amble along through all the weirdness with a happy smile.

With a thought the Nuwisha shifts from his homid form into his manabozho form. Now standing in the powerful form that is a mix of coyote and man he gives the coyote fang fetish at his hip a friendly pat of his hand then grins at Trey as he asks about form preferences. "Hopefully, this one?" Laughing he follows and joins the landing party when its made.

Jackie finishes her drink now that things have steadied, and heads for the rowboat. There's really not much chance this is going to make any sense, so trying too hard to work it out is going to just be a short cut to a headache. "Ok then, meat and cheese. Makes sense. Maybe we should bring wine too?"

Primal Figure snickers and steps into the rowboat. "Want me t' carry that for ya?" she asks her mentor. "I can do it all day long in Hyde form here."

Evan blinks a couple of times as the Elder explains and then just goes "Aight." And he nods in agreement with Jackie and ducks into the lounge to grab a bottle or three.

Kaz looks over as Laughs-in-Moonlight steps onto the boat in his war form. He looks around for the threat that prompted such a shift and not seeing anyone else shift into a similar fighting form he grunts. He didn't understand most of what Mercy has said but that wasn't unusual to him. He learned already to just go with things and react from there as he needed to.

"Whatever form ya want, just remember you're walking on dense cheese and edges may crumble. Feel free to experiment, I bet they're all gonna be handy and weird there." And Mercy adds to Jackie, "Got it!" And since Irsa offered, Mercy hands her some of the load. And to anyone else, for that matter, she don't wanna carry all this shit! She taps her nose with a nod at Strikes Twice, "That's my thinking too. Uh, fair warning, the Great Green Cheese Man has a reputation for not smelling very good, but be kind and try not to show it. You'll go nose blind to it in a few minutes anyways, once we find him. HEY! Trey, meet Ashkii, and Ashkii meet Trey! Brothers!" she says while hugging both her pack mates.

"I can help!" Beanie insists. Neanderthal Irsa snorts and fishes around in her pockets, coming up with some twine to fashion a itty-bitty makeshit pack for the rat. "There, you got th' capers and some crackers. Don't go eatin' the whole moon at once." Because you know it's gonna happen, even Ratkin dream about this place.

It's hard to carry without hands, but already Strikes-Twice's nose is a-twitching and the philodox begins to wander towards the cheesiest direction, though she stops every so often to make sure she's not getting more than a few paces away from the rest of the group.

Trey grins and returns the hug, and says to Ashkii, "Trey Treads-on-Thin-Ice. Tilau beast-born Qualmi. Lynx, that is. Welcome aboard, and I'm guessing that weird is gonna be just fun to you," he notes, assessing the coyote-man with a chuckle. "Sorry I wasn't here sooner to meet you -- I was lining up some kitten-making action for next year." He might be kidding. He might not.

Evan will stay in homid for the moment, moving carefully and keeping his senses as weak as he can as he follows along, helping to carry the booze supply like a good Fianna.

Throatcrusher shifts into his natural dark furred wolf form. He sniffs the air several times and stays close enough to his tribemate to cover her if she needs it.

Hugging his packmates and then giving a little laugh there is a nod from the coyote head. "Ashkii Nahimana of human name. Among the fera I am Laughs-in-Moonlight, Nuwisha of latrani birth." Introductions complete from Laughs-in-Moonlight he nods in agreement to Trey and Mercy and then gets to work helping to carry anything that's needed to be carried. For what he gathers he moves to grab a large blanket, wraps it up within and then straps it across his body to wear like a pack. Following the landing party he points to his nose, "This thing is very good at sniffing, hopefully I don't go nose blind forever."

Rhapsody remains as a homid, as it is the form she knows the best. She has a grin when seeing the hugging of the pack before they are ready to shop off on the row boat. "Anything we should be sure to bring? Can I help with anything you want to take?"

Primal Figure rummages through her own pack and redistributes some things to Rhapsody. "Wanna carry this? It's a hard candy mix from th' Dollar Tree. Oh, and Dante's sister made some candied rose petals last night. Think th' spirits will like 'em?" she asks.

The row boat ride down is real quick once everyone's carrying their share, and in mere minutes you're standing on cheese! It's slightly springy, but definitely holds one's weight. Since Strikes-Twice seems to be working on their tracking, Mercy follows and fills in the group about how a moon can be made of cheese. "The idea that the moon is made of cheese has been around almost as long as cheese itself has. A little kid looks up in the sky and asks what the moon is or what it's made of, and their mom teases them a little and says it's made of cheese. Maybe it's orange, maybe it's pale, but it tracks for homids. And the kid grows up, maybe they still believe it or maybe not, but when *their* kid asks, they tell them what their mom said, it's made of cheese. Thousands of generations of children all over the world being told it's cheese, and asking about what it's like up here, asking about what lives here, and viola, you have a Realm."

<< What do they say Sun made of? >> Strikes-Twice asks even as she keeps on smelling. Despite all the many cheese smells (and there are so many of them) there is clearly one odor of the day that's about as clear a path as can be.

Evan chuckles and nods at the Elder's explanation "Stories have power that way. That's a major point of my tribe's teachings to its galliards. The right story can change the worlds."

Beanie has been singing and warbling to herself, but decides to hop over and perch on Evan's shoulders. "I don't care what the scientists say, the moon is made of Cheeeeeese!" she sings, belting out an obvious chorus. Irsa eyes the Galliard and shrugs helplessly. Better him than her. "So is it like, all cheeses, or just one?" she asks. "I reckon it's all, but do they have like, Cheddar Dunes an' Parmesan Fields or somethin'?"

Throatcrusher keeps sniffing the ground and air. He paws at the squishy ground a few times in curiosity and goes so far as to give it a lick. He tilts his head as he considers but opts not to try to take a bite out of what might be sacred cheese.

<< Many different cheeses. >> Strikes-Twice confirms as her nose working overtime to process all of them. << But the smelliest of them all this way. >>

Rhapsody mmms and takes what Irsa gives her. "Sure. These petals are from the tenement roses, right?" She thought there were a few less flowers on the bushes this morning, and she'll be glad that they were used. "I think these will be great." She looks out over the cheesey moon and grins. What a dream this is.

Trey reaches down and captures a loose 'rock' of cheese, and sniffs it. "Hrm. Strong." He licks it absently, emboldened by Throatcrusher, and huhs. "Not bad. A little aromatic." He offers it over to Ashkii with a chuckle. "Here, try it."

"Moon Cheese." Mercy says while they track their way towards the stinky caretaker of the planet. "Just cause there's so many kinds of cheese, and taste can be subjective. Kinda like how there's a special kind of silver on the moon, there's a special kind of cheese. Its sort of all of them but none of them." It's tasty, though! Unique, yet familiar. Assuming you've ever had cheese before, that is. It's Strikes-Twice that'll catch sight of a small crater ahead surrounded by a legion of tiny white mice, but the rest of the group wont be much later in spotting it. they're peering down into the crater and rushing around it, chittering madly and trying to get a better look.

Moving along with the landing party there is nod of Laughs-in-Moonlight's head as he listens. Looking to the others as they speak he grins and then accepts the cheese from Trey. Lifting the rock to his nose he gives it a sniff and then looks to the others, curious before shrugging and taking a bite to test it out. "Mmmmm, different but not bad at all." Finishing the rock of cheese he grins, "We should bring some back."

Strikes-Twice stops as she catches sight of those white moon-mice all clustered about the crater. The crater she had been leading them right to. Her wolfish head swings back towards the cluster of theurges and Mercy in particular. << Cheese man? >> She thinks he's there, clearly. But the cliath isn't gonna be the first one to make a diplomatic overture on the Moon, cheese or not.

"Yeah, I didn't think you'd mind," Irsa admits to Rhapsody. "Th' bushes were lookin' super full, and Dante asked if it was cool. That's just th' first batch, he said Andrea is makin' more tonight." Her attention shifts to the mice and sighs as her familiar hops off Evan's shoulders to go take a look herself. "Well?" the Bone Gnawer demands. "Whaddya see?"

Jackie strolls along with the group, also staying in homid form. "If we're here to meet with a cheese man, maybe we don't want to start mining out his home? Besides, is phantom space cheese even good for you?"

Throatcrusher watches the mice intently until he's sure they aren't a threat. Seeing Trey and Laughs-in-Moonlight eat the sacred cheese makes him question his previous decision. He gives into his curiosity and takes a bite out of a nearby "rock". After finishing that bite he takes another.

Evan totally does not mind having a passenger and will go with the theatrics while they're there and then he's sniffing at the cheese himself and says to Jackie "Fair point. But really it might be worth it if its good cheese."

Rhapsody mmms, "Nah, don't mind. Rather they be used for something good besides looking pretty and the nice smells." She sees the mice as they move along and she says, "We probably want to ask permission before we take a lot of cheese here. Don't go eating someone's home without checking first."

As the group draws closer, the soft chittering sounds more like tiny laughter. There's a certain Smell here, an unpleasant stinky cheese odor that anyone not actively tracking can pick up at this point. "Whew, yep, definitely the cheese man." He can be heard grumbling unhappily from up ahead. The mice themselves spot the group as well, and as the word of the intruders is passed along, the mice begin bolting, fleeing in all directions, teeny white shapes running for little holes in the cheese to dive in and hide! Mercy decides to head towards the crater, giving a wave to the group so they know it's okay for them to come with. Down in the crater is a true giant of a stinky cheese-crafted man. He's not very good looking, he smells terrible, but he's gotta be some twelve feet tall or something. "Uh... Hello." he calls up with an odd sort of shyness. "Any chance you could uh... Help me out?" He stands amidst the broken remains of cheese, having ended up in something of a pit trap.

"Oh shit!" Irsa blurts out when she spots Giant Cheese Dude. "Yeah, hold tight, we gotcha. Nice t' meet ya, by th' way!" she adds. "Kaz an' Evan, can ya get around t' that side? Me an' Rhapsody and Jackie got this one."

<< Boats have ropes? >> Strikes-twice remembers from previous boat lessons. In case Mr. Cheese is in too deep for more than just a helping hand or five to suffice.

Evan nods and moves as his pack leader directs, more worried that someone needs help than what they might smell like. Cautiously as he approaches "Should we bulk up, how strong do we need to be?"

Throatcrusher spits out the last bit of cheese he was chewing and moves as his alpha commands. Rather than looking in the pit he looks around the area to see if there is more out there than they know.

Jackie steps around the hole as well, her eyes looking outward rather than inward. Who the hell builds a cheese trap on a cheese moon, anyway?

Laughs-in-Moonlight pulls off the pack like large blanket he was using. Gently dumping out the contents he starts to wrap the blanket up like a long, thick rope. "We can throw him this. Tug on it or I can cut it up and quickly make it a longer rope too so we don't have to go back." Looking to the others and then the cheese man he grins and motions around. "As long as we're careful and don't fall in too."

Rhapsody will get on the side with Irsa and Jackie. "We'll get you out." For that she will shift to her Glabro form at least.

Mercy looks back the way they came, the boat is inconveniently far away. "Oh wait!" she says, and whips out String. "I can do rope, but it's gonna take a minute!" she tells the others while they're getting into position. She, meanwhile, starts weaving String around and around and around to try and make a rope that's long enough and thick enough to help. It can be infinitely long and all, but it's still only as thick as a piece of yarn, so it takes a hot minute to bulk up with layers. "Here, add it to this!" she tells Ashkii for his blanket contribution. Cheese Man, for his part, just patiently waits in a deep cheese pit gnawed out by moon mice. He's not hurt or anything, just stuck, making an understanding gesture to those that call down to him.

Strikes-Twice keeps to her four legs. Sturdy those legs. But looks towards Ashkii and the blanket and the string and waits for there to be something she can bite on. She'll help tug of war the cheese man out.

Trey wrinkles his nose, more because the scent is strong than unpleasant, but moves along with everyone else, grinning over to Ashkii, "We should. Make grilled green cheese with bacon." Because everyone loves bacon, right? He lopes up alongside Mercy, carrying his pack with a share of the food among other items, and waves down to the cheese man amiably. "Absolutely," he says with a smile, and offers his aid in looping String around the blanket. "I've got some leather straps in the bag if that'll help, too."

"Beanie, swing out an' make sure nothin' out there is gettin' hostile ideas," Irsa tells her rat. As the rope is being worked on she scratches her head and checks out the depth of the pit. "Anythin' poking at ya down there?" she asks the Cheese Man.

Laughs-in-Moonlight uses the straps that Trey offers to wrap around the long blanket to help hold it more in that thick, rolled length that will also help as handles for those pulling. When its set he lets tray get String tied on to the blanket then nods to Strikes-Twice, "You can be the anchor for them pulling." Grinning to the group he holds it out for her to take with her teeth. "Toooo easy!"

Cheeze it, the moon mice are on to the group's efforts to free the Cheese Man! Little white heads poke up from holes in the landscape, chittered messages are passed to those under ground, and now the race is on! Free the cheese man, or become trapped yourselves! The mice chew and burrow under the springy surface of the cheese moon, gorging themselves while carving out the ground under the working shifters, hundreds of the tiny things working together towards a common goal. But the rope is 'ready', hopefully, and the cheese man answers, "No more'n usual, no." when asked if there's danger coming at him. No apparent danger, just the occasional mouse checking on things from a tunnel.

Throatcrusher snarls as his bones twist and reshape into his crinos form. He lopes over to the blanket and string combination. He grabs ahold of a free position on it and waits for the command to pull. He snarls again as he pulls with the might of war form muscles.

"Firm th' edge up, front and back," Irsa tells her pack. "It'll make it easier t' haul him out." She takes up a spot on the rope once that's done and growls. "One, two.. three!" she snarls, hauling for all she's worth.

Protector-of-Hope will help with firming things up and when the "rope" is ready she's right there next to Irsa and ready to help get the cheese man pulled out. On the count of three, she hauls with all her strength and then some it seem! "We.. got.. this!" She snarls as she pulls.

Evan only bulked up to glabro, still not sure what the other parts of the plan are but he does know how to pull on a rope, so he pulls.

Strikes-Twice sinks her fangs into the rope and digs her paws in to the cheese-ground up above the crater. She doesn't really do much pulling but she doesn't do any sliding and tat's kind of a anchor job, right?

Laughs-in-Moonlight makes sure the blanket and string rope in use is good to go for the group and walks along the line to help tighten up or help make sure a good handle can be made on the rope used to pull the cheese man out. Nodding in approval to those he passes there is a smile as he cheers them on once they start pulling. Seeing they get the cheese man about half free he jumps into a spot on the line to help with the next heave. Trey moves to take a spot on the makeshift rescue rope, pulling hard, not shifting -- yet, at least. "We can do it!"

Those with claws on their toes find their feet digging in to the cheese a bit, blunt toed shoe wearers less so, but it doesn't impeed the efforts at all either way. The cheesy giant takes care not to jerk or pull too hard while climbing, being as careful as he can be with his foot holds so that he wont slip downwards. The unseen work under the group's feet continues...

Throatcrusher feels the ground shifting under him so and unlike when the floor of the ship betrayed him earlier, this time he is ready. His clawed feet dig up the ground as he continues to pull but he shifts them and avoids falling in the pits the mice are making under him easily.

>> Haul. ASS! << Hammer-Tooth snarls, exploding into Crinos and tugging on the rope with all her strength. She digs her clawed feet into the cheesy surface to brace herself and keep from backsliding into the pit.

Laughs-in-Moonlight gets in place to help pull on that rope. He's feeling pretty good about himself if that big coyote grin is any indication. Getting ready to pull on that rope the cheese ground gives way under him and in classic Wile E Coyote fashion one would think he just floats there for a moment before looking down and dumping right into the cheesy traps and helping out in disapproval. Trying to figure out if he can get himself out he starts slapping at the swarming mice with a loud growl and yowl of disapproval, "They got me, they must smell the cheese on breath! Or... fur?"

Jackie dances around the outside of the crater, dodging holes as they open under her feet. She looks around in exasperation. "There's too many of them!"

Treads-on-Thin-Ice growls, and doesn't let go, but while he's holding the rope, he draws on his rage and shifts up to a half-man-half-lynx, his warform giving him just enough of an edge to let him miss the hole opening under his feet. "Ash--!" Another hard tug, trying to get the cheese man to the surface. "I'll get you in a sec, man, hang on!"

Collector-of-Tales mutters welsh obscenities, its a fun language to swear in, Shifting rapidly up to Crinos to pull more strongly as he scrambles some fancy foot work to keep from getting sunk himself.

Strikes-Twice digs in even more. Luckily, far back as she is from the crater's edge anchoring the rope she has less of the collapsing cheese to worry about.

Protector-of-Hope has the rope behind Irsa, and helps her tug and tug too. "Together... pull!" She is helping as much as she can!

Even though the group lost one of its own to a cheesy grave, the giant cheese man does manage to make it up to the edge. A gigantic hand and forearm hoists up over the edge of the crater, followed by the other, and soon his big, lumpy, cheesy head. While the group catches their breath, he gets a leg up over the edge and crawls up and out. He smells. So. So. Bad. And here you lot are, huffing and puffing and a lot of you with your sensitive animal noses. "Whew! I thank you, little friends. I assume you're friends, if you helped me, any how." Speaking of noses, Ashkii's safe from the Cheese Man's scent, but not from the mice, who are totally fine with shoving their heads up his snoot holes. Mercy, who mostly just tried to avoid micromanaging the efforts like a harried mom, calls down the hole, "Don't worry, we'll sing songs of your valiant death!" while trying to reel in the makeshift rope to make use of it again.

Laughs-in-Moonlight swats at the mice and tosses them away as best he can from his soon to be cheesy tomb. Calling back up to Mercy and the rest, "TELL THEM I WAS THE BEST NUWISHA EVER!" Fake gurgling noises follow before he adds, "AND! I WAS THE SEXIEST!" More fake sounds of choking and dying a horrible cheesy death follows.

Strikes-Twice is gonna keep herself and her nose at least a few paces away from giant cheese man, conveniently where she had been holding the rope as the anchor and totally not because going closer would risk her wolf-nose being completely overwhelmed.

Protector-of-Hope is searching around, looking to see which mouse could be their 'el capitan', so she can figure a way to help get them to leave.

Treads-on-Thin-Ice calls back, "We'll remember you well!" He then decides to try something clever. Or funny, either or. He RRRROWLS loudly at the mice on Ashkii, hissing and spitting as he pokes his head down and looks at them, Crinos cat-head in full effect, teeth bared. "HISSSSSSS! RRRRRROWL! HISSSSS!"

Alright, let's have Evan and Irsa's rolls, Manip+intimidation vs 6 for Irsa, Charisma+Intimidation vs 6 for Evan, I'll make a collective roll for the mice, and this will thin out the herd a bit for Rhapsody's efforts to find a commandable victim! If anyone botches, Ashkii gets a mouse all the way inside his nose.

Collector-of-Tales nods at the cheese man and nods as he says 'Friend' before he calls out >>Brace yourselves!<< And he throws back his head and HOWLS. It is the warning that you are being hunted, that you are Prey. He trusts his allies and friends to know he doesn't mean them but its still magical and fucked up to hear.

Protector-of-Hope will looks around and finally spots one mouse! "You! Mouse! Take the others - and LEAVE! NOW!" She says with a forceful tone, as she commands it to go.

The mice are... annoying, but not super dangerous. VERY numerous, but only so smart. In the hole with Ashkii, it's a lot of excitement, confusion, curiosity, and a lot of super invasive behavior. But they don't hurt the Nuwisha, they have super little claws that barely scratch, there's no biting, but there's some fur pulling while he's crawled on and explored. And then... the *snarling*, the HOWLING! The cheesy landscape vibrates with the Galliard's hunting howl and mice bolt in all directions, either diving into holes in the ground or leaping off of Ashkii to get into their tunnels. Irsa's snarling speeds them on and adds more panic, so some of the mice simply burrow into Ashkii's fur to hide. They're bright white though, so not all that hidden. Cheese Man is unaffected, he's basically a minor god, so scary werewolves aren't high on his worry list. The mice are terrified though! It leaves a few that are a bit more brave, but they're still freaking out a good deal. When they're told to GTFO though, they shove each other like 'you heard her, go go go!!'. Protector of Hope totally knows how they feel, if it weren't for the aura of inspiring badassery from Kaz, she'd have done what she commanded as well! But at least now Ashkii can be rescued without interferance or squishing any mice.

Hammer-Tooth lopes over to cover Jackie, rising up on her hind legs to loom protectively over the Fenrir's right flank. Beanie pops her up head up out of a hole and struts over to join the group. "And don't come back!" she pipes up, hucking a small cheese rock after the fleeing mice.

Throatcrusher lets out a howl of his own. Not one to evoke fear but to remind everyone that they are Garou or servants of Gaia and these are literally but mice!

Smells and Sounds, Strikes-Twice lets out a quiet little grumble. Someone might not be so fond of cheese moons after all.

Treads-on-Thin-Ice grins at Jackie and notes, "You never know what you'll wind up running into on one of these trips. At least this time Mercy didn't wind up hit by a snowball the size of a tractor-trailer."

Hammer-Tooth pages: Jackie looks around as the mice scatter, and steps onto more solid ground. "You know, of all the problems I thought we could run into, a cheese tunneling mouse horde would not have been one of them."

Collector-of-Tales will pitch in to helping rescue Ashkii from where he wound up and he laughs >>We don't have enough crackers for a cheeseball that big.<<

Laughs-in-Moonlight calls out, "Huzzah!" as the mice are scared off and the rope is dropped down to him. Grabbing on to the rope he uses it with the pulling that goes on to get on out to lay on the ground, covered in some cowering mice and sticky cheese. "I would have been a badass story. You know, like this could have been an epic that just grows and grows..." Laughing at the wise crack on the cheese ball he shakes his head and then asks, "What happens now?"

"Oh, they're not so bad." the cheese giant rumbles, voice kept quiet, gentle and shy, "They're just energetic, maybe a little greedy. They try often to keep me from shepherding them so they can eat more cheese. Getting out of this trap was a lot quicker with you here! I give my thanks, wolf folk." He hasn't noticed that Ashkii is not a Garou, let alone Trey. Mercy launches into why they've come in the first place while starting to unpack all the lunch stuff the group brought: "Great Green Cheese Guardian, we've come to tempt you with a fine lunch and great stories, and we hope that you might allow us to take just a little of your cheese home with us."

Hammer-Tooth snorts out a lupine laugh and looks up, up, up at the giant Cheese Man. >> Well met! I am Hammer-Tooth, theurge of the Bone Gnawers, << she greets him.

Protector-of-Hope nods! "We have brought special snax and treats." She then introduces herself, "I am Protector-of-Hope, theurge of the Black Furies."

Throatcrusher shifts back to his breed form. >>Kaz, Ahroun of the Shadowlords<< He says to the giant cheese man. Now that the adrenaline of the traps and mice has worn off the smell returns. He bows his head to the cheese master and moves away where the smell is not as bad.

Treads-on-Thin-Ice chuckles. "A cheeseball that big would be *epic*," the Qualmi agrees, and then turns to the Giant Green Cheese Dude, hmphing playfully and shaking his head. "A pleasure to meet you, great spirit. My packmate's request is accompanied with food!" He motions toward the discarded bounty that Ashkii left behind, and then reaches for his own backpack to add those treats to the mix. "I'm called Treads-on-Thin-Ice of the Qualmi." Jackie looks up, and up, and up at the jolly green cheese giant, and waves at him. "I am Jackie, kin of the Fenrir. Hello!"

Collector-of-Tales grins at the giant cheese man >>I am Collector-of-Tales, Tale-singer of the Fianna. I've got plenty of stories to share if you'd like entertainment to go with your snacks.<<

<< Strikes-Twice, Half-moon of the Shadow Lords. >> said Strikes Twice still staying in the back of the group with introductions.

Laughs-in-Moonlight moves into a seated position with his legs crossed under him. Looking to the others as they all introduce themselves he nods and then motions to himself, "Laughs-in-Moonlight of the Nuwisha." Speaking in the spirit tongue he smiles to the others and then looks back to the large cheese man.

The Cheese Man smiles a little and settles himself down to sit on the ground nearby. He's keenly aware that he's not the sort of person people seek out for company, he knows he smells, that he looks unappealing, and that his job is not particularly interesting, so while there's a hunger for the company that's offered, he takes it upon himself to sit apart from the group as it currently is, attempting to sacrifice togetherness for the sake of his new friends' comfort. "It's so nice to meet you all. I might have a proper name, but I cant recal. You can just call me Cheese Man if you like, everyone does. I would enjoy a story, yes," he says bashfully, "What sort of adventures have you had? I've never had an adventure before, though I have had to run from enemies now and again. Smaller things not unlike yourself, though very unkind, and more willing to steal the cheese and hurt the mice." Having a glass of wine is like Gandalf taking a glass from a Hobbit, it just holds a sip for him, but he's gentle with the glassware.

Mercy's Messenger also totally gets her intro in there cause her player just realized she missed that. >.>

>> I have a good tale, << Hammer-Tooth ventures. >> But I will let our Galliard decide what he wishes to do first. He is very, vey good. << She turns and pokes Collector-of-Tales with a claw. Poke poke poke.

Evan relaxes back into his human form and gets some snacks and a drink also "Lots of action adventure stuff, fighting minons of the wyrm and stuff. Sometimes it can get super duper weird though. Like bioluminescent scarab beetles the size of corgis that spit corrosive venom that set your nerve endings on fire. My training is mostly as a singer, and I've been told I do a passing fair job of it. So I'll sing you a story, its not my story personally but it could have been me easily. A story of a young minstrel gone off to war." And he settles in to sing, his voice clear and resonant. Echoing across the hills https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUo7kr7Em6c

Protector-of-Hope is glad they have their galliard along with them! She loves to hear his songs!

Laughs-in-Moonlight nods and says to the group, "I could tell a tale too if there is time and the desire to hear one of the Nuwashi tales." Smiling in a way that they all can easily see with his coyote head he looks to Evan as he speaks and then nods his head along as the galliard starts to sing.

Hammer-Tooth howls her approval. >> Excellent! << she praises her packmate. >> I do not have his skills, but I do make many things. I have a gift for you, Cheese Man. I made it last night, as I thought of our trip here. I can tell you a story after the others do as well, if you like? << She shifts back to homid briefly to retrieve something from her pack. She holds up a necklace made of aluminum and brass wire strung with milky, pastel-colored pendants of sea glass -- light blue, green and white -- that pick up and reflect the moonlight with a soft gleam. The central pendant is in the shape of a wheel of cheese, made of hammered aluminum and polished until it shines. It's big enough for a Crinos to wear as a fashion accessory, but might serve as a bracelet for a giant spirit like this one.

All that stuff Mercy had people carrying adds up to a real feast of finger foods and cracker toppings, but the major piece to the chiminage is a masterwork serving board. Live edged and made from a slab of tree, it's decorated with venerations to Luna and Cheese on it by way of careful wood burning. Mercy moves around making sure everyone's getting some wine and food. The Cheese Man closes his eyes a bit and smiles, swaying to the singing and just *really* obviously enjoying the performance as well as the legends of places he's never seen before. Life gets lonely when your only company is mice that keep trying to trip you up, so this is a real treat. "That was wonderful, you have such a lovely voice." It's even swayed the curious moon mice, the tiny little buggers caaaaaarefully sneaking back towards the group. "Oh my, this is too much, really..." he says in a quiet, embarrassed rumble, though it doesn't take much prodding to get him to put a wrist out for his new bracelet. "Why, I don't believe I've ever had a cheese as shiny as this. Thank you, Hammer Tooth, and Collector of Tales, you're very kind."

Throatcrusher is content to sit quietly and listen. This is not his role. He narrows his eyes at the mice and bares his teeth at them as a reminder to keep their distance.

Protector-of-Hope is not a tale teller, she's good with spirits and crafts. She admires what Irsa has made and oos and aahs over it.

Treads-on-Thin-Ice is enjoying all of it -- talesong, food, company. He's settled in with his packmates, having decided, apparently, that Laughs-in-Moonlight is a keeper. He asks Mercy, quietly, in between other words and tales, "Are we Meros' Pack of Pokemon now?"

>> You are very welcome. I am glad you like it, << Hammer-Tooth replies. >> The story she shares is summed up for time, but it's a hilarious caper. It's all about a pair of young Cliaths who Challenged their Mentor for Fostern rank, and their wild escapades chasing down an ice-cream truck spirit in the heart of the Scab.

Evan grins and bows before taking seat after his performance and going back to eating and drinking, and listening to the story his pack leader has to tell.

"I have a tale to tell too if you all are interested." Laughs-in-Moonlight motions to Evan adding, "It won't be as well done or sung as that was done. But. It is a story of one of my fellow tricksters." Looking to see if its ok to launch into his tale he nods and thinks over the story before launching into it.

"Pluto's Pack of Pesky Pokemon?" Mercy asks Trey back quietly with a grin, grabbing the new pack name and building on it, as is the tradition of the pack. Shy typers are free to get their anicdotes out there off camera, it's alright! Mercy laughs at Irsa's tale and says "That was so much fun, we'll have to do that again some time just for grins. Whatcha got, Ashkii?" she looks to the 'yote when he mentions having one. Cheese Man is quiet, but looks really happy and listens with interest.

"Once, not long ago, a clever and adventurous Nuwisha named Kangee, roamed the land. Kangee, known for his pranks and tricks, had a thirst for stories and secrets, and there was one secret in particular that had eluded him for a long time: the secret of the Moon's Shadow. While it wasn't Luna, it was A moon." Laughs-in-Moonlight motions to the moonscape about them to show what he means.

"As the stories went, the Moon's Shadow was the dark side of A specific moon, a place of power and mystery where spirits of old slumbered and wisdom lay hidden. Yet none, not even the eldest of the spirits, knew how to find it. It was said that only the one who could outwit the moon itself could uncover its shadow. Kangee, the ever-curious and cunning trickster, took it upon himself to discover this secret." Pausing to look at the group and the large Cheese Man he reaches into the leather pouch at his belt opposite the coyote fang fetish. A pipe and tobacco are pulled free, the pipe packed quickly.

"One night, under A full moon's glow, Kangee sat on a hilltop and began to speak to the moon. He praised the moon's beauty, the way THAT moon illuminated the night with its soft light, but wondered aloud why it only showed half of its face. He questioned if it was because the other half was not as beautiful. If it was marred by craters and dark spots.

That moon, being proud, assured Kangee that its other side was just as beautiful. It claimed that only the worthy could behold it. Kangee responded, 'Then, dear moon, would you not test me? If I am found worthy, would you not grant me a glimpse of your full beauty?'" Placing the pipe stem between his lips, he holds it with his teeth and sparks up the bowl, puffing the tobacco to life to fill the air with the rich scent of fine pipe tobacco.

"Intrigued and flattered by Kangee's request, THAT moon agreed to test him. It sent down three riddles, three tests of wit, to determine if Kangee was worthy. With his quick thinking and sharp intuition, Kangee solved the riddles one by one. Impressed by his intelligence and perseverance, THAT moon revealed her hidden side to Kangee, the first and only being to witness the Moon's Shadow." Pausing to take a heavy puff, the tobacco crackles in the pipe. Exhaling from the side of his mouth, he gently plucks the pipe free.

"In the shadow, Kangee found ancient spirits of knowledge and wisdom, untouched for eons. From them, he learned profound truths and stories about the spirit world and beyond, secrets that even the oldest, eldest, and wisest garou did not know." He smiles at his pack and then at the other garou with them before continuing.

"Having successfully tricked the moon and gained unprecedented wisdom, Kangee returned to the earthly realm. His tale of THAT Moon's Shadow spread among the spirits, increasing his renown as a trickster and a wisdom-seeker, a Nuwisha who dared to challenge A moon itself for the sake of knowledge. And so, Kangee's name echoed through the spirit realm, a testament to his wit and audacity, forever associated with the secret of the Moon's Shadow." Finishing that tale he puffs his pipe and then grins, "Maybe, there is a Moon Shadow here?"

Evan perks up again when someone else is telling a story and he prepares to comit it to memory, paying close attention to the story so he can 'collect' it. (its in the name)

Like tiny white ninja, the mice sloooowly peek their heads up out of small holes in the cheese-ground, and caaaaarefully steal some of the lunch bits during Ashkii's story of trickery and cleverness. The earthly cheese selection is, alas, not up to their standards, but they're quite interested in everything else. Mercy looks to Trey and says encouragingly, "Don't be out done, whip out the killer robot on the dark side of the moon!"

Hammer-Tooth growls with amusement at Ashkii's tale. Too bad he forgot about the no-smoking prohibition, but hey! Maybe Cheese Guy totally missed that. There's a lot of stuff here just meant for the big dude. >> Yes! That one! << she adds to Mercy's request.

Evan blinks a couple of times and then smiles "Killer robot! Yes, that one sounds like it has to be amazing. It isn't the sort of antagonist that features in that many tales."

Jackie sits on the ground, leaning back on her hands with her legs stretched out and crossed in front of her. As she's trying to avoid the temptation to overeat, she has a thought and blurts it out. "Wait a second, is smoking really against the rules here? Because smoked cheese kind of rules too."

Hammer-Tooth growls with amusement and lobs a smol cheese morsel at Jackie. >> Trouble-maker. <<

Protector-of-Hope hears talk of robots and all and she's confused if that is realy or what. Oh but cheese! Wait, smoking? "Depends on what kind of smoke it is. And that one smokes like a train."

Treads-on-Thin-Ice laughs brightly and waves off the smoke as the requests for the story come in. "Well, erm... I'm no Galliard, but... I'll do what I can." He grins broadly, and then begins, "So our intrepid group, or some of us -- including me, Mercy, Irsa, and Branton, who is Mercy's mate and not here right now, set out to the moon's dark side to learn about the anamae aboard the spirit ship that brought us here, as well. We arrived to find that wily mad-scientist wizards had settled in there to study the dark side for themselves. Now, it seemed that their team had splintered over who would gain the honor and fame for their discoveries..."

"No, not really," Mercy tells Jackie, "Just trying to gently curb a habit." She gives Ashkii a smile and says, "Just don't ash on the cheese moon." The Cheese Man isn't bothered, he's got *company!* so he just chuckles about the whole thing. And to be perfectly honest, it smells a LOT better than the giant does. As Trey begins tale telling though, she grins and quiets to listen, so that those that don't know the story can enjoy.

Treads-on-Thin-Ice smiles and notes, "Er, forgive me -- I mean to say, we were there to seek out a Moonshadow." He shakes his head, and picks up the thread again. "I had just been given a most clever gift by my packmate, a pair of fetish pants that allow me to dance mesmerizingly." He adds, with a cheeky aside, "Not that my dancing isn't already mesmerizing, but that's a cat for you. In any case, we discovered the science wizards in their spacecraft, inside, waiting for other wizards who were to come and relieve them on their watch. But to our surprise and theirs, what arrived instead was a man made of metal, a giant mechanical creature with a wizard inside controlling it, ready to destroy the other wizards for a personal affront!"

Laughs-in-Moonlight grins around the pipestem and gives a nod to the group as he puffs to fill the air with the blue-gray pipe smoke that seems to banish the scent of cheese to replace it with the more fragrant scent of fine pipe tobacco. Looking to Trey as he starts to talk of the dark side of the moon he looks to the others and then points to Trey as if to say /seeeee!/.

Treads-on-Thin-Ice says, “The wizard who had been there before, his name was Vancome, was terrified, because the other wizard inside the robot wanted to take his samples, the proof for their study work. I wasn't sure what to do -- I'm not sure any of us were -- so I decided to challenge the wizard and his robot skin to a dance-off!"”

Treads-on-Thin-Ice grins toothily, which is rather more impressive with him still being in Crinos and all. "The robot-wizard agreed. I began with an opening salvo courtesy of the Dacin' Pants -- the Macarena. And he showed off his own moves -- dancing inside the robot skin! A huge, mechanical, dancing robot! The Hammer Dance didn't stop him either, for he had some Michael Jackson moves to counter! I grabbed for the big guns then, and began to sing and dance to 'Stayin' Alive.' Somewhere in this it stopped being a fight, and we just got into the groove, and danced together, having a grand old time."

Treads-on-Thin-Ice concludes, "Finally, the robot-wizard told me that all he really wanted was his samples. Branton brought forth the sample case, and the robot wizard, Doctor Hancock, accepted them, and peace was made. And thus, Meros' Merry Macarena-ers and our dearest friends brokered a peace between wizards with dance."

Laughs-in-Moonlight laughs at the tale while it unfolds, puffing on his pipe occasionally. "I better brush up on my Macarena in case we need to do a dance line in the future as a pack to get some stuff done." Shaking his head he points to Trey with the stem of his pipe, "I like you, man." Winking at Mercy, he nods to the others, "All of you are ok with me." Putting the pipestem back into his mouth he claps for the latest tale once it wraps.

Mercy snerks a laugh at the ending synopsis of the adventure and asks, "Is Macarena-er even a word?" And the wine and cheese party on the moon just kinda goes like that, till people are out of stories and feeling sleepy. At that point, the Cheese Man grants Mercy's request for a piece of the moon. She's got a carrier all ready for it, and will need help minimg out a sizeable chunk to carry back to the boat. But once that's done and their shit's packed up - save for offerings, that is - it's back to the row boat. "I hope everyone had a good time, and that you'll come out to dinner with us more often!"

Jackie laughs as she heads back to the row boat. "Does this count as a dinner then? If so, it's a really damned weird one!"

Treads-on-Thin-Ice shrugs at the question. "It is now!" He grins back at Ashkii and notes aloud to the group as a whole, "We should come back sometime." Apparently the cheese smell doesn't bother the cat much.

~Fin~