It seemed like a good idea at the time...

[maddeninghatter]

Date & Time: 2698, fin-de-millenium, just prior to the formation of the United Earth
Location: Las Vegas
Characters: Break, Kevin, Gilbert, Oz, Elliot, Alice, Allen, Lenalee, Rosette, Chrono, Chrysos
Summary: Fear and loathing
Warnings: Showgirls and Gilbert weeping.

The statement “Let’s go to Vegas” exists as the multiverse’s quintessential definition of, “well it seemed like a good idea at the time.” Even in this case, it really had, between zombies, insurrection, and the day to day tedium of life on the moon. Besides which, Xerxes Break has a new sentient (sentient-er) weapon, which in a stunning show of good judgement is too dangerous to test on the moonbase, nor in any concentration of people. Las Vegas, set against the backdrop of the vast, desolate Mojave desert, seemed to be a perfect choice.

When our heroes wink into existence, squinting against the early-morning desert sunshine, they’ll find themselves duly welcomed. Come play in the casino. When you feel a bit peckish, indulge in all you can eat. Take your winnings and go shopping; at night, take in a show. And if you’ve done really well gambling, unwind in a ridiculously luxurious suite.

…or is this how you’re spending the night?

Thirty-six hours in Vegas, what could possibly go wrong?

(ooc: feel free to start threads willy-nilly, name your time and place, threadjack and mingle)

Comments

[devotedtothecore]

Tumulus...? [ He's not sure he's heard it before. Brings clouds to mind, for some reason.

It's the bit about aging backwards that doesn't quite make sense (and gets toyed with in the corner of his thoughts, turned over and over like a puzzle block with each step they take down the sidewalk, the rise and fall of Oz's voice registering moderately in the background.) If the future was one's past, and therefore one already knew what would happen in the future, didn't that mean that one could direct events in the present to change the course of said future? But then that would mean that Merlin's remembered past itself would be altered, or perhaps he would have memories of an alternate stream of time, in which case, how could he be so sure that events would play out in the way he thought--- but then if he was right in his memories throughout the story, then did that mean that the real future of the rest of the world was immutable, and whatever he did in the present only served to create a series of events he not only knew would happen but couldn't alter...?

...

There's a little too much in this train of thought about a perfectly fictional eccentric wizard in a perfectly fictional story that hits close to home right now and it needs, he decides firmly, to stop.

(time travel, rerouting time, changing known futures, when did his life become more bizarre than fiction)




To the external observer, there just appears to be a steady escalation over time of the number and depth of wrinkly lines on Chrys's face, as he listens to his companion chatter on. ]

[velveteened]

A tumulus! It's —

( and he's gesturing, speaking, to indicate a mound of earth, almost cave-like, placed over graves like ancient people did — not so ancient in the time period of the story, of course — as he's read about elsewhere, studied even in his own world, people making earthen monuments to the dead. not, of course, that merlyn's to die, only rest, all the doing of a woman called nimue and it's hard to say, isn't it, if she's evil or not and maybe she just recognizes he'd like the rest too.

oz may be excited, but he doesn't get so lost in his book talk, history talk, to miss chrysos's distraction. so he lets his gaze wander, idly, to posters they're passing that speak of various shows, and gestures at one; it showcases a girl in a lot of sparkle and feathers and more or less nothing else. )

— and I was thinking about seeing this while we're here!

( he wasn't, much as he's a sixteen year old boy, but he's watching closely to see the reaction that'll get. )

1/2

[devotedtothecore]

[ There's more to the story that just that one thread of it, anyway, it's the boy-king's story, not the wizard's, and it does seem like it would make a curious read to pass the time and ah, wait, something about a show, what's that he's indicating---

---hrrngrgngk ]

2/2

[devotedtothecore]

[ STARING POINTEDLY FORWARD and it's impressive how fast those ears went from pale to red in seconds ]

---how is that legal--?

[velveteened]

( too innocently — )

Would you be interested in seeing it, too?

[devotedtothecore]

NO!

[devotedtothecore]

[ throat clear, deep breath

MORE CALMLY: ] No. I would not.

[velveteened]

( don't laugh don't laugh don't laugh don't laugh

don't laugh


don't —


pfft. )

[devotedtothecore]

[ ...............ah. ]

Oz.

[ how much disgruntled disapproval can be injected into one syllable, here's a contender for the world record ]

[velveteened]

( there seem to be a lot of contenders that he knows, and he can't imagine why )

That was such a good look on your face!

[devotedtothecore]

[ it is certainly a great mystery of the world. Another great mystery, in Chrys's opinion, is why he keeps being registered as a contender for these things in the first place ]

.....you were jesting all along, weren't you.

[velveteened]

No, of course not! ( because — ) I never joke about literature.

[devotedtothecore]

[ LOOMING ]

This is not literature.

[velveteened]

The Once and Future King is.

( TAKE YOUR LOOMING ELSEWHERE BRO he's used to gilbert.

and has no sense of self-preservation. )

Ah! Unless you're insulting my taste in books — ?

[devotedtothecore]

I meant your taste in this!

[ STABS AN ACCUSING FINGER AT THE POSTER still glaring at him.

Unfortunately pointing at things that aren't directly being looked at sometimes results in pointers landing on rather inappropriate parts of the things in question. ]

[velveteened]

( looks at chrysos

looks at where his finger has landed.





he has nothing more to add to this. )

1/2

[devotedtothecore]

[ looks at oz

follows oz's look



..... ]

[devotedtothecore]

[ slaps both hands to oz's cheeks and smooshes ]

Moving on.

[ cohorent words through that level of redface are an accomplishment, it must be said ]

[velveteened]

( FACESMOOSHED. )

Well, you may have a point.

[devotedtothecore]

Indeed.

[ SMOOSH SMOOSH GLARE SMOOSH



...lets go and glances at the other posters on the wall. Showgirls (SKIMMED OVER), showgirls, magic, showgirls, show???? (....???), a circus, blue men (????), showgirls, knights on horses, showgi--

--hang on, back to the knights on horses bit again. Did it say something about "King Arthur's Arena"---? ]

[velveteened]

( he looks over too and

and

knights on horses. )

— it says currently playing!!

( actually it says currently jousting, cleverly )

[devotedtothecore]

[ and it says nothing about girls.

Acceptable.

Folds his arms as he looks over to Oz. ] Would you be...?

[ "Interested in seeing it", except that it's an echo of what Oz said two minutes ago about That Show and he's not finishing that sentence because Oz can do it for himself. ]

[velveteened]

( luckily, that's all the invitation oz needs — more than enough, really, because he's already reaching for one of chrys's sleeves to give it a tug. )

If we hurry, maybe we can make an earlier show! It says there are shows all afternoon.

[devotedtothecore]

[ ...ah, this is Oz's sincere enthusiasm... he really should've known better.

A quiet sigh (not an entirely unwilling one, mind) and he follows along. ] Let's move along, then.

[ If nothing else, it's something to do that isn't questionably legal or unquestionably indecent. ]

[velveteened]

( the sigh goes duly ignored, and oz trots along at what isn't quite a run but neither a walk. they happen upon curious flat escalators to help people walk down these long hallways faster, and oz considers that perhaps chrys has had enough shocks for the day already.

then again, perhaps not.

a tug in that direction, then. )

This'll be faster.