The Halloween Thread:

[Cptdragon9]

[Cptdragon9]

(Okay… programming note… as we all know our threads are all over the place so we’ll just keep this one contained in itself. It shouldn’t affect any other threads other than mentioned in passing. I do not foresee this leaving the Inn..

And it’ll be simple.. Everyone comes to the party… bad guys come… chaos ensues… BS places a claim against his insurance company to repair the bar… simple… Except maybe for the paperwork BS has to fill out)

Brimstone had finally come to the conclusion that there was no fricken way he was even gonna set one toenail outside the bar on Halloween night. Every time he did he got jumped by pretty much anyone and everyone looking to mess up his day: demons, gods, his own kind, zombies, soul-sucking succubae (and wasn’t nearly as fun as most guys would think it would be), and by alien killer clowns.

Enough was enough.

He figured the safest way he could celebrate the holiday was to park his partially reptilian ass in the recliner and have everyone come to his house. Being halfway up the side of a volcano would deter most trouble and he had enough security to thwart most anything that was determined enough to make the trip.

Currently he was working on the invitations. He kind of missed the kids for this task; it had been entertaining watching the wee ones working on the cards, stuffing the envelops with black and orange glitter; but now that the kids were away at school, his only hope would be that they would take a night off from studies and come visit Uncle Brimstone. For now he resolved himself to hand-writing the invitations. He’d include pretty much everyone, ‘cept maybe for Tristan (may he rot in the Vashtalian dungeon for all his days, what limited number he had left of them) but he might even allow the scum to come provided he had a proper escort. And shackles. And a inhibitor collar.

(tags anyone still rooming at the Bar and Grill (possibly Kara? Star? I might post Ashmire afterwards…)

[Power Girl]

(OOC - In other words, BS has to do the BS.)

"Good morning, Mr. Brinstone, sir", spoke Kara in cheerful voice as she came down the stairs where her bedroom was located. "I see you're preparing the invites for your Halloween Party. We have it also on Earth and it is a popular holiday especially for the children. If I remember my history correctly, Halloween began in the country of Ireland when it was known as All Hallows Eve. It was a feast for Druids priests. It was the night when the undead walked upon the land such as ghosts and witches who flew through the sky on their brooms."

The Kryptonian teenager paused and then asked quite seriously. "I've seen gnomes, elves and fairies in here but you don't have real ghosts, witches, vampires, banshees, zombies, ghouls, werewolves that live in this land too, do you?"

[Solem'cleavu]

Serenity would be walking into the bar at about the time Kara had asked her question. "Too many to count it seems and Brimstone along with the others seem to be magnets for such things this time of year. It's an issue but for some reason they seem to absolutely refuse to call for the aid of my Holy Order who are equipped to handle such things. Stubborn every single one of them however because of that is part of the reason I'm here.

Brimstone since you seem to be prone to injury at this time of year plus the fact that you generally tend to attract such problems father thought it prudent that I should be hanging around you until the halloween season is over."

The Priestess then looked over to the young kryptonian before she bowed slightly. "Do not believe we have met. I am Serenity of Dragon Clan Solem'Cleavu, High Priestess of the Vashtalian Nation."

[Power Girl]

"I am Lady Kara Zor-L of the planet Krypton, your High Priestess", spoke the lovely Teen of Steel in a respectful, friendly tone of voice. "It is nice to meet you. I am Mr. Brimstone's assistant here in the tavern where I do various chores. Also, I do sing here in the evening hours which does bring in more customers."

She then added. "I am not stubborn though. Maybe your Holy Order could bless the upstairs where I have my bedroom, study and bathroom among some other rooms there. I wouldn't mind keeping that area safe from harm.

Would it cost anything, your High Priestess? What kind of evil does show up here at Halloween? Is there anything special I could wear which would protect me? I have a major weakness when it comes to magic and magical beings."

[Cptdragon9]

Brimstone had merely snorted when Serenity mentioned that stubborn streak in him. “Yes, maybe a little blessing here and there won’t sting too much. You might be able to ward off evil spirits, but I don’t think it would have helped last time. Those were aliens that attacked us last time; not demons.

Still a ward or two might help. I do have a couple up, outside of course; if just to give me a heads up. Seems like every time Aerich comes through he mutters a few words here and there.”

All of this he spoke between mid-licks of each envelope. Now that the stack was done he turned to Kara. “Oh there are all kinds of baddies out there, or so’s we all discovered. Kind of why I don’t take the kids trick or treating anymore, or take them to the fairs. Just too damn dangerous. Zombies. Vampires. Evil Killer clowns. Possessed rabbits. Seems like anything with a perchance of inflicting terror comes crawling outta the woodwork. Which is why….” He stood up, handing an invitation to Kara and a stack of them to Serenity,”… we are having the party right here in the sanctity of the bar. Anything comes a knockin’, I got plenty of ordinance in the basement to tell them to go home… with emphasis. Seren, darlin’; if you’d be so kind and distribute those to your kinfolk and those of mine that insist on sponging off of ya for room and board, I’d be obliged.” He paused a moment. “Unless you got the means to magically mail off this whole stack of mine and save me some legwork?”

[Cptdragon9]

While they were chatting Ashmire walked through the main part of the bar, and would have kept going too had he not spotted Power Girl.

His jaw hit the floor.

Then within seconds he regained his composure and came drifting over, a moth caught up by the flame, to stand uncomfortably close to Kara. How they’d managed to miss each other for 2 weeks was almost understandable, given the actual size of the Bar and Grill in it’s entirety, the network of caves that extended into the mountains going for miles in some sections; but between Star and his brood, he’d clearly been distracted.

And boy was he distracted now.

He gently took up her hand. “I don’t believe we’ve been properly introduced. I’m Ashmire, and I must say you are quite enchanting.”

BS face-palmed himself. If Ashmire was closely related to a certain telepathic Rex, he was failing every so grandly as imitating that creature. For one Kara stood at least a foot taller than Ash, so much so that Ash couldn’t look her in the eye. Of course there were those other reasons why he couldn’t look her in the eye, and as grand as they were, poor Ashmire didn’t have a chance. Even now, BS cleared his throat, adding the other ever-so-important ingredient into why this shouldn’t be happening in the first place. “Excuse me, but don’t you have a mate and kids to look after?”

“Oh I’m quite sure Star’s around here somewhere….” He still couldn’t tear himself away from Kara’s ‘attributes.’

[Solem'cleavu]

"Just Serenity would be fine Kara, this "your high priestess" phrasing is too clumsy to keep saying." Quirking a brow when Brimstone mentioned the aliens from last time. "You still tend to not let us know if you need help. Good thing my brother was with you last time..."

She took the stack of invitations, thought about it for a bit then just teleported the whole stack out. "We'll just let father deal with the invitations." Moving over to Ashmire then before she just picked him up and carried him back over to the entrance to their little part of the bar. "Ashmire why don't you go find your mate before she both finds and kills you for staring at another woman." Then she just practically tossed him down the stairs to the lower levels.

[Power Girl]

(OOC - Is Karla in characters supposed to be Kara or is there a Karla?)

"It is nice to meet you, Ashmire", returned Kara politely. "Thank you for the compliment but could you please step back a foot. You're practically right on my body and I do not appreciate that. Also, do keep in mind that my eyes are on my face and not on my bosoms."

Power Girl was quite grateful to Serenity for picking up Ashmire and moving him to another part of the bar and grill. "Thank you, Serenity, for doing that. I was beginning to feel a bit uncomfortable with him almost touching me like that. I was considering to do something like that myself but if he's a friend of Mr. Brimstone here I didn't want to upset either one of them."

The Kryptonian teenager then confided to her. "As I mentioned to you, I have no defense against magic nor psychic attacks. Do you have anything which could defend me against them?"

Kara then asked Brimstone. "Sir, would you like me to sing at this Halloween party of yours like I do normally here in my cowgirl outfit? I do know quite a number of Halloween songs from Earth. Also, is this a costume or a masquerade party?"

[Cptdragon9]

((Karla is one of Seth’s many Vashtalian characters, but I don’t think we’ve ever met him/her except in passing. That’s the list that he plays. I don’t think I have enough room to list all mine….))

“Ashmire why don't you go find your mate before she both finds and kills you for staring at another woman." Then she just practically tossed him down the stairs to the lower levels.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

There were several bumps and thumps as Ashmire clearly went tumbling down the staircase in the dark, followed by a small bit a silence before the cursing began. It was clearly in the same tongue that Brimstone used (and the Rex, as Kara would know back from her brief excursion with him on Earth). The cursing became louder as he stormed back up to the stairs….

Brimstone’s timing was perfect, slamming the door in Ashmire’s face, sending the hapless pony-tailed mutant right back down the staircase. No cursing followed this time. In fact it seemed very quiet but Brimstone didn’t seem to worry over the silence. Instead he turned back to Kara as if nothing had happened. “I apologize for him. Somebody has to play the part since there seems to be a bit of a vaccum. “ He left it at there, not wanting to even think about where Tim was and what he probably had brewing. After things shook out at the castle he was finally brought up to speed and it was something he didn’t want to dwell upon now.

"Sir, would you like me to sing at this Halloween party of yours like I do normally here in my cowgirl outfit? I do know quite a number of Halloween songs from Earth. Also, is this a costume or a masquerade party?"

Brimstone sighed. “Please stop calling me Sir. Brimstone will do just fine.” He looked towards Serenity. “I’m beginning to feel your pain about titles and such.” Then he turned back to Kara. She had indeed been doing a bang up job entertaining the folks that visited the bar; which mostly amounted to Thursday night karaoke when the gnomes came by to visit. They were a bit wary of the woman, especially since she towered over Brimstone, much less themselves; but she eventually won them over with her singing voice. She’d even managed to coax BS into a jig or two, finding the battered and scarred man was actually quite fluid and graceful on the dance floor, when she was able to get him out there.

In fact he seemed very animated about this party. “Oh yes, most definitely costume party. It wouldn’t be Halloween otherwise. I still haven’t made up my mind yet. So many cool ideas floatin’ around out there it’s so hard to pick just one. Maybe I’ll do costume changes throughout the party, just to show off.”

[Power Girl]

(OOC - I believe Kara would be wearing what the normal young woman would wear in this area. (Wearing her superheroine outfit all the time would not be a good idea. What do young women and 18 year old wear here? Is modern or is it Medival, 15th Century,16th Century, 17th Century, 18th Century, 19th Century, 20th Century? Is Brimstone place the most modern in this area? What are the people like in the villages and towns closest to Brimstone's Bar and Grill? What do they wear and what are villages like and the people in them? What occupations do they have?)

I know, a lot of questions.)

IC - "Mr. Brimstone, sir, I know Ashmire has been rude and vulgar but I do hope he isn't hurt", spoke Kara showing some concern. "He was quite quiet on the way down. You may have knocked him out. Also, I could help not notice that you and Ashmire spoke the same language as Tim as Ashmire did his best to act like him. If I recall though you did say you knew Tim Rex and were related to him."

When Brimstone told Kara to stop calling him sir, she replied back. "I was only showing you respect. After all the you have been my host and guide here ever since I arrived here and have been kind towards me. If you want me to just call you Brimstone then I will do that but, to me, it is a little less respectful.

I'll help out here with the decorations and maybe we can do a dance routine or two together at this Halloween party. Your guests and coustomers do seem to enjoy us dancing and me singing and dancing.

Perhaps I can dress up myself as Xena, Warrior Princess. Dressing up as a witch may offend a real witch. Especially an evil one.

Are witches here good or evil or both? Will they be coming here to this party? Also, will Tim Rex be attending this affair of yours?"

[Solem'cleavu]

"Kara I wouldn't worry about upsetting anyone by doing something to someone that you're uncomfortable with. Besides Ashmire will heal and be back up here soon enough anyway. He just better be thankful I didn't teleport him a few hundred feet up in the air. As far as defenses against magic the only surefire way to protect you from magic is to use magic. Suppose we could enchant a small crystal to emit a kind of anti-magic field around you which should help buffer magic used on you but that would probably defeat the purpose since you yourself are quite sensitive to magic. In short your best bet is to probably just hang around someone who knows magic so they could defend you from it."

Serenity just took a seat at the bar then. "Brimstone can you get me a glass of water?"

[Cptdragon9]

"Mr. Brimstone, sir, I know Ashmire has been rude and vulgar but I do hope he isn't hurt", spoke Kara showing some concern. "He was quite quiet on the way down. You may have knocked him out.”

“I can only hope,” Brimstone muttered.

Also, I could help not notice that you and Ashmire spoke the same language as Tim as Ashmire did his best to act like him. If I recall though you did say you knew Tim Rex and were related to him."

“Unfortunately yeah. Tim n’ I are from the same vat. We think Ash was from the same material, different vat. We think. We’ll never know exactly, and it seems our current cadre of Militant’s wasn’t privy to that information. Or they’re not sharing.”

When Brimstone told Kara to stop calling him sir, she replied back. "I was only showing you respect. After all the you have been my host and guide here ever since I arrived here and have been kind towards me. If you want me to just call you Brimstone then I will do that but, to me, it is a little less respectful.

BS gave a dopey smiled to Serenity. “Ya hear that. Respect. I think I’m gonna like this little lady workin’ fer me.”

Dressing up as a witch may offend a real witch. Especially an evil one. Are witches here good or evil or both? Will they be coming here to this party?

“Yeah, we’ve got both, and we might have one or two pop up. And I don’t think Morg’ll get offended if you call her one. She’s cool like that.” It actually had been some time since he’d seen Morgaine and her brood, and again in lieu of everything that had recently happened, he was hoping to touch base with her, if just to make sure their adopted family was okay.

Also, will Tim Rex be attending this affair of yours?"

Brimstone noticeably stiffened. There were only a few privy to what had happened of late and he really didn’t want that circle to get much wider. “I should hope not,” he replied. “Lazy good fer nuthin’d eat up all the candy then try to walk off with all the women. Don’t think so.”

He then looked up to Serenity as she asked for some water. “Sure thing. Be right back,” and he lumbered into the kitchen to fetch her a glass.

[Power Girl]

"Perhaps a crystal which would protect me from magic and psychic attacks wouldn't affect me, Serenity.", stated Kara. "On Earth, they didn't. We could try it and if that doesn't work go to Plan B by sticking close to someone who could protect me. Also, could please do some blessings to ward off evil and magic upstairs.

I really don't want any surprises when I'm in my bedroom or taking a bath or when I'm doing some research in my study."

She paused for a moment and then asked Serenity. "Is there law enforcement in this land? Something like the police, sheriff or a marshal. On Earth I worked with them in capturing all kinds of criminals and bringing them to justice."

Power Girl then spoke to Brimstone. "I bet you a lot of people respect and likes you, Mr. Brimstone. I have a feeling that Serenity here does too.

Now I know Tim Rex truly believes he's a ladies man since I've seen how he acts and how many women are attracted to him and have had children with him. Maybe having sex with him drove Thorn mad and a murderess. She gave birth to a baby black dragon.

I wonder what became of the child.

Maybe you can introduce me to Morg, Mr. Brimstone."

[Solem'cleavu]

Serenity fished around in the pouch just on the inside of her robes a bit before she brought out a small pair of earrings and handed them over to Kara.

"This should do the trick, it has a barrier spell embedded within the gemstone that has been modified to help block magical effects on you. It isn't 100% fullproof but it should still help quite a bit at least against most lower level spells. The other earring should help scramble any attempts of a psionic attack against you, once again should help in most cases but it's not going to stop someone who puts all their power into such attacks. As far as any evil critters lurking about my presence here alone should be enough to ward off most of them however I'll work on more permanent wards later."

[Star]

::The door leading to the underground caves burst open and Star entered carrying a battered and bruised Ashmire... "Anyone wanna tell me why my mate here is laying at the base of the stairs and wont even speak to me in nothng but stammers??? Her hyacinth blue eyes were filled with concern as she held Ashmire like a dead rabbit by the back of his shirt with his feet on the ground for now.... "Why its almost like he has been a bad boy? Dad, is Ashmire acting up again??".... Star continued to call Brimstone Dad despite the fact that it rubbed Ashmire the wrong way. She had enough muscle behind he rto keep her mate firmly in place and she gave him a pointed look the bespoke very painful head and spinal injuries if had been making himself a pest.::::

[Power Girl]

Thank you very much, Serenity, for these earrings", returned Kara with a smile. "If there is anything I can do to repay for this, please let me know. I am still trying to underatand the currency and commerce here. Everything is so new to me.

I guess there would be different level spells. What are lower level spells? I assume there are also mid and high level spells. What exactly would those be?"

When Star came up demanding to know on what happened to Ashmire, Power Girl truthfully told her what exactly occurred in the proper order. She did admit to her. I was feeling a bit uncomfortable since he was so close to me, like an inch away, and all he was looking at were my two front assets as he held my hand. For a few seconds I actually did believe he was going to touch them.

Thank goodness Serenity picked him up and dropped him at the stairs. I did fear that he may have been injured when Mr. Brimstone dropped the door on him as Ashmire raced up the stairs cursing and using obscenities. He became quite silent."

She paused and asked Star. "Are you Mr. Brimstone's daughter? He never told me he had one. I am Kara Zor-L and I have been assisting him here at his bar and grill since I arrived here."

[Cptdragon9]

BS returned with the water to hear the alien woman rapid firing questions on Serenity. He handed the glass to the priestess, smiling again at kara’s reaffirmation that people respected him. He was sure he did garner some respect, probably more than he felt he rightfully earned, but it was still nice to hear that he was appreciated every now and then.

He gave an audible groan when he heard hat Tim had yet another unaccounted child out in the miltiverse. He was beginning to wonder about the Militant’s claim that the genome could not flourish without outside assistance. In fact it seemed that once the mutants got off their homeworld and out of the Militant’s good graces, it seemed that they were indeed able to spawn a few children. Clearly this would need more study.

Maybe you can introduce me to Morg, Mr. Brimstone."

“I don’t see why not. She’s a pretty friendly woman. She’s got a bar down in Rhydin proper, the Red Dragon Inn. I’ll have ta drag ya down there sometime.”

Then Star blew in from downstairs, dragging Ashmire up from the cellar. Of course the ice dragon already suspected that Ashmire had been put in that basement for a reason, but before he could tactfully explain, Kara spilled the beans.

He cringed, knowing what was now in store for the boy. Not that he had much of a chance. Kara’s “assets” did stand out there, even in the peasant garb she now wore instead of her superhero tights. Still he suspected Star was going to kill him.

Best get the introductions over before the pounding commenced. “Kara, this is Star, Ashmire’s mate. Since Ash is my ward, she now insists that I am her father-in-law; and I suppose in that vein I would be though he’s not mine by blood. Of course I believe it’s about to be ex father-in-law in about thirty seconds or so. Star, honey, whatever you do, please keep the carnage to a minimum. Kara worked very hard to keep the bar nice and neat for the customers tonight and it would be sad if she had to redo all that work.”

[Solem'cleavu]

Serenity just shrugged as Kara fired off her questions about spell levels. "We use the terms low to high level spells as a rating as to how much power a particular spell initially takes as well as difficulty of control over said spell.

Most attack spells would fall under the low level range as they are usually line of sight aim-and-fire spells. Spells such as a fireball spell, ice lance, any spells in the direct fire category are usually low level because they don't require much thought to control and they don't use up very much power. Other spells that require a great deal of control such as the high-mobility flight spell raven would be considered a higher level spell due to the amount of control it requires.

However the levels are relative and fluid. depending on how much power you put into say a fireball spell it can change from being a low level spell to a high level spell on power usage alone. Such situations are exactly the reason I have stated that your best bet would probably be hanging around a mage that can help protect you against magic. Those earrings will work however depending on how much power is put into a particular spell it can easily break past the defenses those earrings provide. However a mage can gauge the power of a particular spell and cast a suitable defense against it."

She did turn to Star at that point as the young Dragon made her way into room. "I did what I felt was necessary at the time. However if you try to kill your mate at this point and time I will need to intervene Star. He's already been pushed down the stairs twice, that should be enough punishment for now."

[Power Girl]

(OOC - A peasant garb? I do hope Kara has a few other attires which would be above peasant. Do they have some kind of middle class in the 12th Century? What would a well to do female tavern worker or assistant wear? Is Kara being paid or receiving tips for the work and entertainment she is doing?)

IC - "I do ask you also not to harm your husband, Star", spoke Kara. "It is my duty to protect the weak and the helpless and Ashmire is in that condition right now. I mean look at him. He's no challenge at all to you right now.

Also killing him may be too good for him. Consider this being a woman you know there are ways to make him wish he was dead. Besides, you must love him. Why did you marry him if you didn't?"

[Cptdragon9]

She did turn to Star at that point as the young Dragon made her way into room. "I did what I felt was necessary at the time. However if you try to kill your mate at this point and time I will need to intervene Star. He's already been pushed down the stairs twice, that should be enough punishment for now."

It seemed that being knocked down the stair twice didn't indeed do any irreparable damages to the pig-tailed boy as he groggily came round. What first issued forth was a litany of swear words in his native dialect. They had to be swear words because even BS blushed due to the presence of mixed company, even if only half of them understood exactly what was spewing from Ash's mouth.

Then Ash lifted his head and realized who had a grip on him. That wouldn't have been as bad except on the other side of the room was the chick with the double deckers.

It didn't take any imagination to guess what was going to happen next.

OOC - A peasant garb? I do hope Kara has a few other attires which would be above peasant. Do they have some kind of middle class in the 12th Century? What would a well to do female tavern worker or assistant wear? Is Kara being paid or receiving tips for the work and entertainment she is doing?)

(kara's getting a modest stipend, probably more than what the bar seems to be bringing in, plus room and board. As to dress? I'm guessing he outfitting her with medieval wear for Rhydin (and not all peasant garb is plain peasant garb… check out the range…women's garb But I also suspect he's got barmaid and cowboy clothing to match the general theme of his bar, which is.. well let's call it what it is: honky-tonk. And I imagine whatever he's making her wear will accent her assets quite tastefully)

IC - "I do ask you also not to harm your husband, Star", spoke Kara. "It is my duty to protect the weak and the helpless and Ashmire is in that condition right now. I mean look at him. He's no challenge at all to you right now.

Also killing him may be too good for him. Consider this being a woman you know there are ways to make him wish he was dead. Besides, you must love him. Why did you marry him if you didn't?"

That caused Ashmire to wince even more. They'd never officially tied the knot. He had a whole litany of reason why, most of them getting his carcass pounded to the consistency of gravy, mostly by his own kin even; but since that buxom babe brought it up, he was sure Star would say something to him later on tonight. And he wasn't going to like it.

[Power Girl]

Kara noticed Ashmire was now awake and she stated to Brimstone, Star and Serenity. "Look, Ashmire has regain consciousness. He appears to be alright but all those words he is uttering do not sound nice at all. I know there are some parents, where I come from, wash their kids mouths out with soap for saying obscenities."

The most lovely Kryptonian teenager then addressed Ashmire. "Sir, it may be wise to apologize and ask Star for forgiveness. Both Serenity and I have asked her not to kill you after I informed her truthfully what you said and how you acted towards me. Please do look into eyes on my face and not my two large, round bosoms when you do speak to me. What you did is considered quite rude and a most impolite behavior."

[Star]

::Star pouted prettily as Serenity put her foot down and said that Ashmire had been punished enough but she did give him that level stare that clearly said..you are in the dog house buddy.... She sat on a stool after just dropping him on the floor. "She looked at the Kara and got a strange look upon her face as she said quite clearly...."Ashmire is my mate not my husband, we have never been formally wed... we just live together. Or shall I say we use to live together, Ashmire now resides outside on the side of the mountain... He can stare at as many women;s chests as he wants out there.".... Star had been her foot down as Brimstone could see the hurt flash through the dragoness's hyacinth eyes before she shook Kara's hand...."Nice to meet you, I am flying over to get the children and bring them home for Halloween. Dad? Be on the look out for Dante. He is teleporting over here from the castle.Also Siren and Junior may accompany him. I hear they are doing very well with their spells. Junior has learned to fly... Star smiled as she got up and left the bar. Outside she shimmered and took to the air. A huge white dragon that seemed to lift effortlessly up and into the clouds.::::

[Solem'cleavu]

Seren just shrugged after all was said and done. "Mate or Husband, it all means the same thing for the Dragon Clans." At that point she turned to Kara. "Also, Miss Kara, if you wish for people to not pay attention to your chest then perhaps you yourself would benefit by not mentioning your chest in the first place and drawing attention to it."

[Power Girl]

"But I don't mention them in the first place to others, Serenity", countered Kara truthfully. "In Ashmire's case, when he saw me he walked quickly to me and stood like an inch away from me when he took my hand and just gazed at them intensely. I felt most uncomfortable when he was doing that."

She then spoke to Ashmire. "Sir, if you don't want to lose her please go after her now and apologize. You do love her, don't you?"