Freshman, May Day
Altclair is Naomi's campaign, set at the college of Altclair, which is somewhere in Minnesota. Think Pamela Dean's Tam Lin or GURPS Illuminati IOU. Other source material (that Naomi's not familiar with) might include Elizabeth Hand's Waking the Moon, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and most of Charles de Lint. Players are me (Justin Thorne), Josh (Michael Conaway), Manny (Jim Gaffney), and Beth (Diometra).
From the Desk of Justin Thorne:
Justin Gets Suicidally Dumb Or, Why You Shouldn't Schedule a Mock Wild Hunt on May Day
Dramatis Personae
- Justin Thorne - insanely stupid
- Michael Conaway - my partner in stupidity, though this one's -my- fault, whatever he may say. I owe him a fencing dummy.
- Jim Gaffney - Michael's roommate, who's still got more sense than the both of us combined. I owe him Laphroiag.
- Ken Maravitch - we won't even go into what I owe him
- Diometra - exchange student from Ancient Crete. Bard and translator as well as possessor of good advice I should have listened to
- Delilah Morgan - Michael's ex-girlfriend, one of the hunters in our performance art piece
- Beth Gillespie - Michael's girlfriend. I owe her absinthe.
- Daniel Case - more helpful than I deserve, probably against his better judgement. I'm not sure what I owe him, but it's big.
- Kristi Kattapong - Best stage manager in the the Theater Department. Jim's girlfriend. I owe her for help with the props.
- Annmarie Browning - Ghost haunting the Theater
- Helen Abernathy - My ex-girlfriend, still my friend, and a much better friend than I deserve
- Dicey Tillerman - my mentor, in so far as one maker can be a mentor to another
- Rashid Ali (Mark II) - my roommate
- Sarah Lacey - diva of the Theater Department, who may be the only one on campus insane enough to approve of what I've done
- Matt Denckla - forms a Theater Triumvirate with Daniel and Sarah, and, despite his capabilities, has the good sense to realize that what I did was completely insane
This one was my responsibility, whatever Michael may say. (1)
I don't deny that it was something of a collaborative process. One thing I've learned about art, or at least my art, is that it does not, it cannot exist in a vacuum. So many of the works for which I have taken credit arose from the germ of a suggestion by Jim, a modification from Helen, a thought from Delilah, a comment from Michael, a chance word from Rashid, a conversation with Damon, a friendly hint from Matt, a dare from Sarah, and so on.
In this case, it started with a conversation tenth week of Fall Quarter. Jim, Michael, Delilah, and I were taking a break from studying, playing the games David had left with us, blissfully unaware of what the intersession would hold. I had finished my series of performance art pieces - inspired by Jim - gotten into a good working relationship with Daniel, and lined up a play to direct for the Winter Quarter, but was between projects at the moment.
Somehow, between chasing Dr. Lucky and killing Mr. Bond, (2) the conversation drifted to fox hunts. Michael, predictably, had been on a few in England. Jim, predictably, thought it was a barbaric custom. I, predictably, thought of staging something similar for one of my performance art pieces. Only, instead of a fox, Michael would hunt me. Out of deference to Jim, we'd forgo the horses. Out of a healthy concern for my skin, we'd forgo the dogs. Michael's hunters would be various ladies of our acquaintance: Delilah, Helena, Jennifer, and Beth.
I wanted to hold this hunt during Winter Quarter, but wading through three feet of snow is not what we had in mind. So, we tentatively scheduled it for the Spring, and I mapped out a vague cycle, with me hunting Michael in Fall and him hunting me in Spring. (3)
By the end of Winter Quarter, I'd already suspected that we'd have to forget such elaborate multi-year plans, if only because Michael needed to get in shape for the Olympic tryouts and would likely take a year off. But despite getting shot, he was up for the original hunt, and after last quarter and the beginning of this one, I was quite ready for the catharsis of a mock hunt.
Jim did try to warn us that having a mock hunt on May Day was stupid. We, particularly I, chose to ignore him. One would think that I would know better by know, especially given that Jim's advice tends to be good. One would think that the dubious comments Diometra made would at least have clued me in.
May morning, we donned our masks and headed for the cafeteria. Michael and the ladies circled around me, as per the plan, and I walked out through the gap in the circle. Once outside the dorm, I ran, making the most of my head start. The sound of kazoos, our horn substitutes, followed close behind.
Then I started noticing that we had more hunters than I'd remembered, and the extra ones were more flamboyantly dressed than we'd been able to afford. I got under cover, but that didn't seem to help. They went straight towards me, and some of them rode horses. The horses had red eyes.
I ran for the Theater building, getting there more or less intact, although one of the riders tore a piece out of my cape. I circled the building widdershins, reminding myself firmly that this was a game, a performance, not reality. I turned away from the building. (4)
At that point, Michael and the others caught up with me. I managed to end it quickly while still making it look good. I made a break for the gap in the circle, and Michael blocked it. I backed up into Delilah. I would never have believed I'd be relieved to do that. (5) Beth and the others closed in and wrapped vines loosely around me. They brought me to the wicker cage and blocked the view while Michael slipped me a knife. We tangled the horns of my mask in the bars; I cut the rope around my wrist and slipped out the trapdoor, leaving cape and mask behind as a human shape. As planned, I handed Michael the torch myself, and he set the wicker man on fire only after making absolutely sure that no one was inside.
And there matters should have ended, albeit with a mystery to haunt us. We saw the sunlight hit the sculpture at noon, and the shadow did indeed form a hammer and sickle on the ground. (6) We basked in the glow of the lunch crowd in the cafeteria, then retired to Jim and Michael's room to discuss the mystery. Did I summon the extra hunters or create them? Or were they simply attracted by what we had done? Had I managed to get on a mage's bad side? Was Sarah playing games?
As we discussed all of this, someone knocked on my door, loudly enough that we could hear it. I figured it was Daniel, so I went out to let him yell at me, get it out of his system, then let everyone go back to studying and rehearsing.
It was Daniel, and he had indeed come to yell at me, but I was wrong about the rest. It turned out that Jim was correct, and the extra hunters had been attracted by our performance. They were upset that we hadn't ended it the old way, which might not have been so bad if I hadn't shut them out of the finish. As it was, they were furious.
Specifically, they wanted to rip me apart and eat my heart, something Daniel was rather tempted to let them do. However, he negotiated on our behalf instead - out in the hallway. No one was passing through, but such discussions had better be kept inside people's rooms.
I suggested symbolic completion of the hunt. I think they were there, invisibly talking to Daniel. He said that if I could avoid them from midnight until dawn, about 6:20 or so, they'd settle for symbolic payment. There were a lot of questions that he said he could not answer, and it finally occurred to me to ask if we should not be discussing our plans in front of him. He said that we shouldn't, went back to his room, and was very good about answering the door every twenty minutes to field the latest question. (7)
I asked what rules were in force. He said the same ones we'd been using: keep it on campus, and no magic. This ruled out privacy curtains, churches, running water, islands, scuba gear, and several other odd plans.
I asked how many hunters we'd have to deal with. Daniel said that, thus far, I'd only attracted about half a dozen, but they might be recruiting.
Michael asked if he could retain his position as leader of the hunt. Daniel said it would give Michael some control over the hunt, but also vice versa. We figured it was a calculated risk, one which more or less paid off.
Michael fetched the Mongolian pony and a mare for Diometra, which we hoped might distract the stallions. I talked to the trees, figuring anything they did would be natural, not magical, but not to the gargoyles. I forgot that they're totally un-magical, but by the same token, that means they couldn't have done anything. Michael gave me the fencing dummy to modify with a bit of blood and hair. Jim and Beth volunteered to be decoys, which I should have known was stupid. We gave them whisky as ransom, since the laws of hospitality applied. Jim got the fraternities to throw a huge party on campus, promising his Laphroiag to whoever woke the most people. (8) Kristi supplied us with goblets from the theater, and I had a profound revelation: She is the one person who could rally the -entire- theater department around her. Not useful under the circumstances, but something to bear in mind.
Jim wove ropes with cold iron, and we set a couple of non-lethal traps in out-of-the-way places, aimed at catching folks on horseback. We also found some old firecrackers in the theater. I packed my handcuffs, stainless steel, being close enough to cold iron, as well as some other bits of iron. (9) We couldn't get rowan, so I decided to settle for holly. Delilah loaned me back the dreamcatcher, which I hung around my neck, hoping it would protect me from attacks in that quarter. Such attacks might have been against the rules or might not have; we figured it was best not to take chances, and Jim warned that the hunters might cheat.
Diometra had an idea that a consort might help, as is often the case in the stories. However, I couldn't think of anyone who might fit that role, so we went on to other preparations. (10) I called Dicey to ask about the Good Folk in general, but she's had the good sense to stay out of their way. I decided not to call my mother, and I'm still not sure if that was the correct decision.
Then, I introduced Diometra to Daniel. He greeted her in her own language. Someone not only knows more about his relatives than he lets on; he also probably lied to me about not understanding Arabic. I can understand that, but it is annoying to be raked over the coals for believing him in the first place. (11)
Anyway, Diometra said that we were dealing here with a very Dionysian ritual, and it might be best if Michael, myself, Jim, and Beth were drunk. I wasn't too sure about that, figuring I'd need what few wits I had, but Michael was willing, and Beth dug up some absinthe. I had a small sip, for symbolism, (12) toasted Michael's health, accepted his toast to mine, then went to study for midterms (13) and warn Rashid. I told him very little, mainly suggesting that he stay in our room, as that was the one place I was sure would be (relatively) quiet and (relatively) safe. Even the Econ building was fair game this time.
At a quarter past eleven, I went to help Michael finish getting ready. He was very drunk, though it did not impair functioning. I was also drunk, despite having had only one sip. Accepting the inevitable, I asked Michael to pour me a gobletful of the absinthe. He handed me the goblet and the bottle. I drained the goblet, and Michael suggested that I might want to fill it with something other than air. I did this, once we'd finished laughing at that amazing witticism. We finalized plans and headed for our places. (14)
Diometra was already at the Theater, playing the appropriate music. Shortly before midnight, I poured a libation for the Good Folk. At midnight, I heard a horn, not a kazoo, blowing. Despite my instincts, I made a full circuit of the building, deosil, this time. Win, lose, or draw, this time, the proper forms would be observed. (15)
As per the plan, I ran for the library. There, Jim jumped into my footsteps and led them away. I think Diometra's mare slowed the stallions a bit. (16) I reversed my clothes and headed for the Student Union. I ducked into GALA to catch my breath, following my daylight habits. (17) This may have been the smartest thing I did. Or the stupidest - I could argue either way.
Ken was there, understandably curious about what I was doing, as I searched for holly. (18) He opened the window, grabbed a few leaves, and asked for an explanation. "Tell you all about it tomorrow," I said.
I figured the safest way out was through the window and down the holly. It cut my hands, but I was drunk enough not to notice. Ken swore and followed me. (19)
The hunt caught sight of me then. I led them to one of the booby traps we'd rigged earlier, but Michael was in the lead. He was riding his Mongolian pony, which was too smart for a trip wire, and the horses behind followed the pony's lead. Fortunately, the party was in full swing on the quad, and I dove into it, hoping to lose both the hunt and Ken. The hunt was at least slowed down, what with all the people, and having to accept drinks, and so forth. I had a few more drinks myself, and saw that Ken was right behind me. I tried to convince him to go back and lay low, but he knew something was up, and I really didn't have the time to spare arguing. So, I suggested he have a drink or two, and we kept moving.
Jim caught up with us and told me to reverse my clothes. I pointed out that I'd already played that card. "Change clothes with me," I said. "Not here!" he said, as we were, after all, out in the open. "Up in the Bell Tower."
We went up and switched clothes. Then Jim climbed down, and Annmarie reported that the hunt had taken him down in the sub-basement. Ken and I climbed down so I'd be in a position to run towards or away from everyone. Annmarie reported that Jim had managed to talk his way into the hunt's good graces, using his native wit and Irish charm. (Or should that be his Irish wit and native charm?) (20) We headed for the Theater building. I asked Annmarie to suggest a likely tunnel. She did, but warned that it led to the Econ building. I hadn't planned to play that card yet, and had rather hoped to avoid playing it at all, but as Beth pointed out, the unknown of the Econ building was better than having one's limbs ripped apart and one's heart eaten. (21)
As Ken and I headed through the tunnels, the hunt caught up with Beth and rode right over her. Michael was able to keep them from killing her, (22) but she had a couple of broken ribs, a concussion, a broken arm, and several bruises. I am going to keep reminding myself of this.
Meanwhile, we entered the Econ building. It didn't seem so bad. In fact, just as the photo I took promised, it was a lovely building, with fine halls and inviting classrooms. We accepted the invitation of one such classroom, and I asked Ken what the equations on the board meant. I wish I'd brought my camera, but that would have been silly. It would only have slowed me down. Anyway, the equations were a bit complex even for Ken, (23) but he said that they were describing something -- I'm not sure if chaos theory got into it, but it wouldn't surprise me. I got the bright idea of asking him if the equations were anything he could work with. He erased some parts and made a few changes, saying that he was describing the state of the hunt, and that it was in confusion. I hoped that this was just math, not magic, and it must have been or the other side would have squawked. (24)
So we might or might not have brought some time, and no rules were broken. However, the Econ building didn't take kindly to having its equations erased. The building got perceptibly less welcoming and more unfriendly. I scrawled a hasty, if barely legible, apology on the board, and signed it. Then, the lights went out.
Well, I thought about what Beth had said, that going into the Econ building was better than being torn to pieces. True, as far as it went, but the Econ building was now angry, and a quick glance out the window showed that if we left at once, the hunt would not spot us. I decided that, at this point, I would rather take my chances with the hunt than with the Econ building, especially as the hunt didn't have me yet.
We climbed out the window and ran. I headed for the library. Since it was late enough that the parties had died down, this meant that I was in the open for a wide stretch. The hunt was not slow to take advantage of this and quickly surrounded me. I set off firecrackers under the horses' noses and ran through the opening in the circle.
Michael was right behind me; Mongolian ponies don't spook so easily. I thought about cold iron. Michael is human, but surely, if he led the hunt and I cast him as hard as I could in the role of hunt leader, cold iron would affect him just as if he were one of the good folk. I almost tried it, but remembered in the nick of time, that this would count as doing magic. (25) Instead, I grabbed one of Jim's cold iron laced ropes and tripped the pony. Then, I only had Michael to deal with.
Only. Right. Actually, I did manage to knock him down. I'd hoped to get the cuffs on him, but he grabbed me first. Ken threw something at him, and he let go with one hand. I broke away and made it into the library, shutting the doors and knocking over a couple of bookcases to hold them in place.
I knew that wouldn't last, of course, so the question was: Up or down? Two floors down was the basement exit. Four floors up was the roof. According to the clock, it was about a half hour until sunrise. Down, I decided. If it had been later, I might have gone up, but this way, I figured I could maximize my options -- out of the library or up, whereas from the roof, the only way to go was down.
Unfortunately, Michael had anticipated me. He sent a couple of the Good Folk to the basement exit, and when I opened the door, they were waiting. I tried to slam it shut, but that didn't work. I swung the handcuffs at one of them, and I think I may have connected, but he avoided them after that, and they pinned me against the wall. Michael, Jim, and Diometra joined them, followed by Ken. Michael must have broken open the main doors.
I don't know how much of him was left by that time. He'd already denied the hunt its kill twice, but he still bought me some time by suggesting that the cramped quarters of the basement were not entirely suitable for finishing everything.
I played my last card. Holding his gaze, I said, "The roof. It's appropriate, isn't it?" To my relief, he agreed.
Granted, it wasn't much, but I figured every minute helped. You know, maybe the damn horse can fly. And even if it couldn't, a basement is a lousy place to die. I wanted to get out into the air. Also, being outside meant that I could see when the sun rose, although that was admittedly a moot point by now. And I hoped that we'd manage to lose Ken so he wouldn't have to see what happened next. But also, while all of this is true, I suggested the roof because it was the most appropriate part of the building. It was the right setting. And that was probably why Michael agreed, I suppose.
Of course, the horse couldn't fly. Six flights of stairs went by very quickly, and it was still a good twenty minutes, at least, until sunrise. Making matters worse, Ken tried to get the hunt to accept him as a substitute for me, and Michael made it clear that the hunt would kill him in any case for interfering. I pointed out that interfering didn't break any of the rules. Diometra pointed out that neither did killing anyone who interfered.
The next minute, I was flat on my back, pinned against the roof. About five seconds later, to my utter astonishment, Michael landed next to me. It turns out that Ken knows Aikido as well as Arabic.
Michael got up, and Ken renewed his offer. I reminded Michael that it was my blood the hunt wanted. Michael corrected me, pointing out that they wanted the god's blood, which just happened to be in me. A technicality, but an important one, as Ken didn't have it. Oh, he'd had a drink or two when we mingled with the parties, but he was sober, and he hadn't touched the absinthe, of course. So he couldn't substitute himself for me. But, said Michael, Ken could fight him for me.
I asked what rules would be in force for that. "Rules?" asked Michael, as if I were a half wit. It boiled down to no interference, on either side, no weapons -- Michael had made sure not to carry any -- and two falls out of three. The only reason it took three falls was that the first was a draw.
The hunt then asked for alternate prey, and remembering I'd promised symbolic satisfaction, I held out my arm, figuring I could spare a pint or two. But Michael reminded me of the fencing dummy, which had been anointed with my blood, and hence, the blood of the god. (26) I told them to take it with my blessing and led them to it, leaning on Ken and explaining to him that I wasn't giving them a live human being.
I was surprised, but not very surprised, to see that when the fencing dummy was ripped apart, that it had somehow acquired a flesh and very bloody beating heart which everyone shared except Ken and I. I admit I would have liked to see how it tasted, but it would not have been ritually appropriate, I suspect, and it would have been damned rude to Ken.
By then, the sun had risen, and Michael, Jim, and Diometra were back to their usual selves. The Good Folk departed, and I asked after Beth. Michael said she'd been hurt and he'd left her by the Theater. Diometra pulled me up behind her on her horse, and we went there, confirming that no one had moved Beth. I called for an ambulance while the others caught up with us. After sending off the horses and discussing which story to tell the paramedics, Jim suggested the obvious: Tell no story. We said only that we'd found Beth there, and could the nice paramedics help her?
After that, we went back to the dorm. I banged on Daniel's door to let him know I was alive, gave Ken the longwinded and long overdue explanation I'd promised him, and indulged in the nervous breakdown and total collapse I'd promised myself. (27)
When I was functional again, I checked with Daniel to make sure his people were satisified, told Beth's professors that she was in the hospital, and told Rashid that it was safe to come out now. He was praying for me, and had apparently been doing so for some time. He invited me to join him in a prayer of thanksgiving, which I was happy to do. Who am I to say that it didn't help? If nothing else, it may wind up being my contribution to Delilah's project of building bridges and taming beasts. Although there is always the question of who is taming whom here. (28)
I don't think that the trees did anything to help or hinder either side, but I thanked them anyway. I asked Michael and Daniel if the Good Folk took any serious losses, and I visited Beth in the hospital. Not only does she not want to rip my heart out; she apparently learned nothing from almost dying in one of my crazy schemes because she's invited herself along on another, the nineteenth century trip.
I thanked Kristi for helping us with props. I called Dicey and told her everything. She agreed that I'd been stupid and gave me what advice she could about staying out of trouble.
As for the other fallout:
The school paper has an article about how folks are searching for the vandals who broke into the library. I asked Jim if I should 'fess up, but he said that "Don't summon what you can't put down" applies as much to School Administration as to the hunt.
I haven't heard anything from Econ. If they do bother me or Ken, the picture I took might get them to back down. But I'm not sure if that's a price we should be paying. Need to check the math on that.
Ash's summer garden was wrecked by the shenannigans. I offered to help him repair it, so I'll be bleeding on it on the Solstice.
Sarah thinks I'm golden. Matt thinks I'm nuts. He didn't say anything, but he stared at me when he came in to do the lights and sound for Noises Off. So, I'm enjoying all of this far too much. (29)
I tried telling myself that it was not fun, but Dicey said that if I kept doing that, I'd only be lying to myself. "Say, "It was fun, but the price was too high"," she told me. I thought about this, then told her that I could not honestly -quite- say that the price was too high. She suggested "risk", and with that, I will agree. The risk was far too high. (30)
Then, there's Ken. I need to figure out where I stand with him, where I want to stand with him, and how to handle the cast party without hurting him, but also without backing down from Sarah on this one. Helen was good enough to give me some advice. Sometime between now and the cast party, we're going to have to talk. (31)
And I am going to have to talk to my mother. It will be a minor miracle if she forgives me for being so stupid in the first place, for not calling to warn her before the fact, for not calling afterwards to tell her what had happened, and for not calling after that until I learned that Michael could probably use her advice about being the Summer King of Altclair.
But since he -is- the Summer King, and since Mary says the elements, particularly Fire and Earth, will listen to him, I think he should talk to Mother. And that means that I had better talk to her first so Michael won't have to explain trying to kill me.
We need all the advice we can get, for Michael's had dreams which he takes as a warning that we'll have to do this all over again in October, only this time, he'll be the prey. I won't hunt him, though -- we want to break out of the cycle and give it back to the Good Folk. So, I've made some preliminary plans and warned Michael that it feels good to be hunted, just as it feels good to hunt. He's promised to tell me which is better, and I intend that he will live to keep that promise. (32)
Daniel,
Casualties acceptable on our side. How are your people?
-Thorne
Thorne,
Thanks for checking, but I haven't asked.
Footnotes
(1) Naomi (about Michael's and Justin's attempts to claim responsibility for the hunt): Both of them are too damn good at emotional check grabbing.
(2) Josh brought over his collection of Cheapass Games, including Kill Dr. Lucky and Before I Kill You Mr. Bond. We decided to play them in character, and Naomi justified this by explaining that Professor Corbet had dropped them in the PCs' laps, suggesting they take a study break.
(3) Justin began laying the groundwork for this in Winter Quarter. The first day of the quarter, he walked into the cafeteria carrying a fake head, which he tossed to Delilah. This was meant to show, at least in retrospect, that Justin was the Winter King who had just beheaded the Summer King. Sarah Lacy responded to this performance by leaving a fake leg sticking out of Justin's forge.
(4) In game terms, Justin was using his creativity trait, fringe version, to assert control over the situation. I rolled a 12, very good in OTE terms.
(5) Justin tends to get on Delilah's nerves and vice versa. By the end of Winter Quarter, Justin found the solution to their communication problems: The Post-It Note.
(6) Naomi took this sculpture from the University of Chicago. The man who designed it was a Communist.
(7) Daniel is at least part fae, something Justin had figured out. However, Daniel had previously played dumb on the subject, admitting to longevity, but claiming ignorance as to the cause. As Manny put it, "Daniel's just blown his cover big time."
(8) It was won by Sarah Lacy's sorority. Their speakers were surprisingly effective.
(9) Originally, the rules Naomi seemed to be using allowed stainless steel to be effective, but later, Daniel explained that stainless steel was useless unless enchanted. This started a whole new, unplanned, but quite amusing, plot thread.
(10) Relevant Gamequotes:
Jim: Do you have a true love on campus?
(Justin breaks into snickers, then a coughing fit)
Jim: Or a woman pregnant with your child?
Justin: Not as far as I know! (glances at Helen)
Helen (playing along): Of course not! I was careful!
Jim: See where being careful gets you!
Helen and Justin got nowhere near far enough for a child to be a real possibility, and while the others may not have realized it, they had a friendly breakup at the beginning of the quarter when Justin told her that he thought he might be gay.
Somehow, during the consort discussion, the subject of Justin's mother came up.
Justin: We're leaving my mother out of this!
Jim: No, mothers don't count as true loves.
(11) Actually, Daniel didn't lie. Naomi came up with a perfectly good explanation for Daniel to know Minoan, but not Arabic: His relatives are known in Diometra's culture, but not in Arabic culture. Sure, there are probably stories and tales of similar folks, but that's not the same thing.
Daniel did not rake Justin over the coals for not knowing to come to him before going ahead with the mock hunt; he raked Justin over the coals for general idiocy.
(12) Justin's intent was to drink more as the evening went on, as necessary, but he wanted to start out sober.
(13) Justin did try to find the silver lining in the evening's activities.
Justin: If I don't survive, I don't have to study for my midterms.
Jim: Are you sure? Consider Annmarie.
Justin: Um. Point.
(14) This business of drinking from an empty cup was actually my misunderstanding some of Josh's pantomime and our deciding to play it as it happened. I think Naomi coined the term for this sort of thing: Play it as it lies.
(15) The Theater was chosen as the place to start since that's where Justin interrupted the ritual by shutting the Good Folk out.
(16) Diometra made sure that the mare would be impregnated by one of the fae stallions.
(17) During Winter Quarter, Justin got into the habit of going to GALA whenever he needed to get away from everything else on campus and bury himself in scutwork. On the player level, I had some idea of where Naomi was guiding the plot, so I came up with an in-character reason to make it easier.
(18) Justin had a little trouble remembering exactly what he was looking for:
Justin (searching through pockets, pouches, and so on): Okay. Holly. Cold Iron. Ah! Whiskey!
(19) Relevant Gamequotes:
Beth: Ah! The consort.
Lisa: Yes, but Justin hasn't figured that out.
At that point, Justin thought of Ken as a friend and the person who gives him scutwork when he needs to be kept to busy to think.
(20) In addition to wit and charm, Jim had some good whisky, which he shared with the hunt. Once the hunters drank, they had accepted hospitality and couldn't kill him. They could, however, insist that Jim join them in the hunt.
Annmarie (reporting to Justin): I think they recruited him.
Justin (avoiding focusing on the implications other than Jim's survival): Good.
(21) Or, as Justin put it, "What the hell - that building's been flirting with me since first week." That's when Justin took a picture of the Econ Building that made it seem like a wonderful place to take classes.
(22) Michael was only barely able to keep the Hunt from killing Beth, and he probably wouldn't have been able to if he hadn't been falling in love with her.
Michael: She's mine!
One of the hunters: We caught her!
Given Beth's condition, she couldn't join the hunt, but Michael argued that this meant that she was no good as prey either, and at least one of the hunters agreed. I suggested that Michael might think of giving Beth a drink, since hospitality works both ways. Beth barely managed to swallow a sip or two, and the hunt left her by the side of a building.
(23) Ken's a math major.
(24) Actually, while there was no rules breach, the Good Folk might have had reason for keeping quiet about it if there were.
(25) I.e., Naomi said so. This is something that probably would have occurred to Justin since it fell into the category of Weird Creativity, but it didn't occur to me.
(26) Justin forgot about the fencing dummy because I had.
(27) Justin indulging self in nervous breakdown:
After that, Justin indulged in several hours of sleep, waking up to find that Ken had given him the bed and taken the floor. Justin was about to head out to deal with the fallout of the Hunt.
Ken: After all that, don't I get a hug?
Justin was quite willing to supply one. In fact, he was willing to go a little further, but realized, to his surprise and annoyance, that his work on a project meant that he couldn't.
Justin had previously turned one of Rashid's prayer mats into a flying carpet. He undid his work after thinking about the possible consequences of a terrorist having a carpet the floats three inches above the ground, accepts verbal commands, and doesn't seem to have a weight limit on what it can carry. Nevertheless, Justin felt guilty about doing this, so he decided to make Rashid a waterbottle that would always refill itself. This was Michael's idea, and he and Justin brainstormed until they came up with a safe way to do this. That is, the water bottle holds only water and will not refill itself until it is completely emptied. Thus, while it can still be used as a weapon, it is impractical enough to do so that the waterbottle is no more a weapon than many common household items.
Now, in order to create the waterbottle, I decided, before Naomi ran this session, that Justin would stick strictly to what he called "clean living", which meant no sex, no alcohol, and as the project neared completion, no eating, and drinking only water from the water bottle. He explained this "clean living" plan to Dicey.
Dicey: Do you do any other kind?
However, Justin now found himself in a position where he wanted to do some non-clean living, but did not want to undo all the work he'd done on the water bottle. He tried to explain all of this to Ken, who assured him that it was all right.
Justin: Wait a minute. I can start the clean living after I leave this room. I mean, after all, how am I supposed to know what I'm giving up if --
Naomi: Ken shuts you up, rather effectively.
Manny: You know, that sounds like the justification priests are using to explain why they should be given Viagra. They can't counsel people about avoiding temptation if they haven't been tempted.
(28) Justin's current roommate is involved in a complicated shellgame. His previous roommate returned to Jordan, sending his current roommate in his place. This roommate is pretending he's the same person. Justin knows all of this, as do some of his friends, but they're saying nothing. This is extremely stupid because they know that both men are terrorists.
(29) Relevant gamequote:
Justin: Oh, by the way, we weirded out Matt.
Michael: Cool. Or is that a good thing?
Justin: I weirded out someone who is a lot older and more experienced in Theater than I am. Is this a trick question?
(30) Relevant gamequotes:
Justin: It was fun, wasn't it?
Michael: It was glorious, but that's beside the point.
(31) Relevant gamequotes:
Helen: So, did they tear your heart out? Could they find it? (Justin winces) I'm sorry, did I say something wrong?
Justin: Nothing I didn't deserve.
Justin: Ken followed me through the hunt from about one o'clock.
Helen: That's devotion.
Justin: When they caught me, he offered to trade himself for me.
Helen: That's - one step beyond devotion.
(32) Michael's dreams were of him getting aroused while hunting, something he didn't want to tell Justin.
Michael: It was a weird dream. Nothing important.
Justin: Look, is this something that's going to turn around and bite us in six months? If so, give. If not, I won't ask.
Michael (realizing that six months from May Day is Halloween): Er, actually...
