Gambit (IC)

Posts : 160 Join date : 2014-09-28

Zal-Tek examined the room, masking his surprise. He supposed he could have seen this earlier, if he had wanted to, but he had been busy worrying about other things. He watched Whitefire leave, concerned. A prize? That hadn't been mentioned before, though it was implied. Somehow he doubted it was anything he could guess.

Subject: Re: Gambit (IC) Tue Dec 23, 2014 2:12 am

At Até's request, Dee moved himself carefully between the books, eventually reaching the door and following Whitefire outside. Remarkably, he found himself standing in the same glade that the party had first encountered Até in, mushroom and all. The door to the library was behind him, and appeared to be floating in empty air between two pine trees.

Dee gazed at the door for a long moment. "It would seem Até was not lying about the presence of invisible barriers," he said quietly to Whitefire. He looked over at her curiously, noting she held a book.

Até, meanwhile, began to get exasperated. Seeing that Nuke was not removing himself from her presence, she moved the library around him, conveniently slipping him through the door. The door slammed shut after him, becoming invisible to the outside once more.

"Now," Até growled, turning to Zal-Tek, "your prize." She eyed him warily. "Zal-Tek, there is something important I wish to share with you. Something important I think you should be aware of."

Posts : 204 Join date : 2014-09-28 Age : 26

"Yes, but I'm just glad her little game is done with," Whitefire replied. "And I hope she doesn't realize I took one of her books....haha." She grinned somewhat and looked down at the book again as she opened the cover.

Absently, she rubbed her neck, which she noticed had suddenly become sore, and read a bit of the book.

Coming out of the East, the Black Death reached the shores of Italy in the spring of 1348, unleashing a rampage of death across Europe unprecedented by... Her eyebrows furrowed somewhat, and she stopped reading. Europe? Italy? Those two places were now known by different names on Ultam. "That's weird..."

Blinking, she noticed her chest begin to hurt somewhat, and her limbs became weak. The book dropped from her hands and she fell to her knees, shaking.

Subject: Re: Gambit (IC) Tue Dec 23, 2014 3:20 am

Dee looked at Whitefire's fallen form in alarm. In an instant he was at her side. "Whitefire?" he asked quietly, his voice touched with concern. He sensed pain. Pain and...something else. Something familiar. Something he had encountered ages before. He picked up the book on the ground next to her, and read the title. Quickly he set it back down, putting two and two together.

"Whitefire," Doctor Dee said, laying a hand on her shoulder, "you have become infected with the Black Death."

Posts : 204 Join date : 2014-09-28 Age : 26

Whitefire squeaked in pain, and closed her eyes, still shaking. "What on the Third Moon is that?!" She was in complete pain now, and could hardly move. Groaning, she laid herself down on her side and looked up at Dee for a moment before squeezing her eyes shut, coughing.

Subject: Re: Gambit (IC) Tue Dec 23, 2014 4:36 am

"It is a sickness," Dee answered calmly, kneeling down next to her. "One that wiped out much of humanity long ago. Fortunately for you, I can cure it." He paused, considering his words carefully. "If you let me." He then looked down at her imploringly, as if to ask her permission to continue.

Posts : 204 Join date : 2014-09-28 Age : 26

Whitefire nodded briskly, breathing shallowly. "Go right ahead, I've got no reason to say no," she said with pained grin.

Subject: Re: Gambit (IC) Tue Dec 23, 2014 5:13 am

Dee nodded solemnly. He held out his gloved hands roughly an inch over Whitefire's body. Slowly, his hands took on a white glow that became brighter as the seconds passed. In a broad, slow, sweeping motion, he passed his hands over Whitefire twice before the glow faded and he withdrew. Almost as an afterthought, he tapped Whitefire's forehead lightly.

"How do you feel?" he asked, offering a hand to help her up.

Posts : 204 Join date : 2014-09-28 Age : 26

Letting out a slow breath, Whitefire opened her eyes and looked up at him, taking his hand. Once she was on her feet, the white cat stared at Dee for a moment before slowly smiling. "I feel amazing, thank you." She shot forward and gave him a hug, purring happily.

Posts : 160 Join date : 2014-09-28

Zal-Tek returned Até's wary gaze. Something he ought to know? At this rate, he'd take any information he could get. "And what," he asked, "would that be?"

Subject: Re: Gambit (IC) Wed Dec 24, 2014 2:32 am

"You are very welco-- oh--!" Dee stuttered, taken by surprise by Whitefire's friendliness. He allowed himself to be hugged, too polite to draw away.

Meanwhile, Até slithered down the pile of books and held herself at eye-level with Zal-Tek. "As you hinted at during the gameshow," she stated, "your companions are not all they seem." She paused, considering her words. "Yes... They are much, much more than what they seem. I can't tell you anything about them without breaking the rules, but if I were you, I would be incredibly wary." She stared at him searchingly for a long moment, as if trying to read his thoughts. "I assume you have questions, no? Perhaps I can answer... one of them. Maybe."

Posts : 204 Join date : 2014-09-28 Age : 26

Whitefire laughed at Dee's reaction, and let go of him, smiling. She straightened her flower crown and looked at him imploringly. "What exactly are you anyway?" she asked innocently. "Because I like you."

Subject: Re: Gambit (IC) Wed Dec 24, 2014 3:12 am

It was then that Dee smiled ever so slightly. Whether this was due to Whitefire's question, or something else he found delightful was anyone's guess. Without pause, he replied, "I am a doctor."

Posts : 204 Join date : 2014-09-28 Age : 26

"A doctor?" Whitefire's eyebrows furrowed as she studied him for a moment. "Well you definitely don't look like a doctor to me, but I'll believe you," she grinned, and took the flower crown off to look at it. "And how'd you do that thing to the flowers?" She distinctly remembered the flowers being different colors.

Posts : 141 Join date : 2014-10-01 Age : 29

Nuke stood listening to their conversation with interest. He was going to heal Whitefire, but Dee beat him to it. He was definitely interested in those books in the library, but he hadn't taken one since he usually tried not to steal.

Subject: Re: Gambit (IC) Wed Dec 24, 2014 11:39 pm

"I could not mend them back to their original colors," Dee explained, a degree of sadness in his voice, "I rather like the color orange." With that, he reached down and retrieved the fallen book. He stared at a moment, his emotions unreadable, before tucking it inside his coat.

Posts : 204 Join date : 2014-09-28 Age : 26

With wide orange eyes, Whitefire watched him with a cat-like interest. "Well, it is a pretty color..." She made a small chirrup sound as he picked up the book. "Isn't that going to make you sick?" she asked incredulously.

Subject: Re: Gambit (IC) Wed Dec 24, 2014 11:57 pm

Dee smiled once more. "No fear," he said. "Long ago I helped fight the same sickness, though the world does not remember it that way. One could call me immune."

Posts : 204 Join date : 2014-09-28 Age : 26

Whitefire tucked her wings to her sides and chirruped again, reassured. "Okay!" she replied, and turned her attention to the door, ears pricked. After a moment, orange eyes blinked slowly, and the white cat promptly sat down. "Zal-Tek is sure taking a while. I wonder if he's alright." Pursing her lips, she narrowed her eyes at the door, then grinned. "He's probably fine," Whitefire said, and tapped her boots toes together as she sat.

Posts : 141 Join date : 2014-10-01 Age : 29

"Indeed he is" agreed Nuke. He then walked over to Dee. "May I see the book?" he asked him. "I am immune to its effects."

Subject: Re: Gambit (IC) Thu Dec 25, 2014 5:08 am

Dee turned to Nuke, considering his request. Quietly he asked, "What do you wish it for?"

Posts : 141 Join date : 2014-10-01 Age : 29

"I wish to learn its contents" Nuke replied. "I seek knowledge, it is one of the most valuable things in existence. I only wish I could have read the other books in her library"

Posts : 160 Join date : 2014-09-28

Zal-Tek narrowed his eyes. One question, and it likely wouldn't be answered in a straightforward manner. He paused to consider. "Why are we here?" he asked, then realizing how broad that was, added, "That is, teleported out of wherever everyone was, in their own worlds, to here?"

Subject: Re: Gambit (IC) Fri Dec 26, 2014 3:41 pm

"A reasonable request," Dee conceded, nodding. He reached within his coat and withdrew the book once more. "Do be careful with what it touches, and I would like it back eventually."

Até blinked once, thinking. "For study," she answered. "If you had not noticed, I like to know things. About people. About things. Hence my library here. Do with that answer what you will, and know that I am not directly responsible for your being here. Personally I would have asked what I was up against." She laughed quietly, slithering back up her pile of books. "Take care, Zal-Tek. Watch your friends closely, and mind who you tell what I have told you." She winked at him. "Some might not take it so well. Now begone."

Posts : 141 Join date : 2014-10-01 Age : 29

Nuke took the book carefully. "Indeed, this should be short" he replied, and created a vacuum bubble around the book, before opening it and starting to read while they waited for Zal-Tek.