(PART 2 COMING SOON, THIS IS PART 1)
*We open on the Basement, empty but not deserted as it waits for the main cast to arrive. They do so on cue, with little thrills of technologic, tropical, mythic, mystical, and electronic music playing as Jerri, Raffle, Ester, Mentos and Amp rend open their own portals, head in, and give a 5-way hand-but-not-necessarily-shake to mark the newest adventure of their friendship.*
Mentos: *snags her jar from the portal home, closes said portal, and splishes into the water to swirl around a little* Weird, like normal.
Ester: *pleased exhale of steam* I think I'm hittin' records with my shirts! And Dad's teaching me how to weave fabric out of fibers from the trees and everything!
Raffle: Ooh. Good trees on Dise (Raffle's home island)...big leaves, Dodos take shelter. Check now and then for snacks, like human checking pantry.
Amp: *prepared to launch into another rant about its siblings and fun family affairs, before latching onto Raffle's comment* (((#@+'$ @ %@~+/•¥? ("What's a pantry?")
Jerri: *smiles* Remember when I told you that a closet is a little room just for clothes? A pantry is that, but for food.
Amp: *stretches up out of its hole, paw nubbins flailing with excitement at the thought* (@~ (((€ #@\/€ @ %@~+/•¥? +#@+ $•_~/)$ (••!_! ("Can we have a pantry? That sounds cool!")
Mentos: *points with her spinal cord to agree with the idea* Could use a stash of oyster crackers. They're best when they're soggy, and *clonks cord against the inside of her jar* I come with my own soggy.
Jerri: *waves a hand excitedly* That's an adventure for another day. Right now...*taps her helmet, which flashes with a set of crimson coordinates* Jack's sent me the spot-marked X to someplace we've never been!
Ester: Uh...and we're just gonna go there? Spur of the moment, no packing or—
Jerri: *pulls Ester into a side hug (if he were human-sized, she'd grab around his elbow, but it comes more to his wrist instead)* LET'S GO, DECA-PACK!
Raffle, who can't recall the group ever actually calling themselves that in-universe: What are...*poof*
*The Deca-Pack suddenly end up in a void filled with shapes and colors; they are the only ones who don't match the incredibly abstract art style.*
Raffle: *silence for a second* We lost?
Jerri: What? No! *taps the side of her helmet* We can get back whenev—
Raffle: *panics without reason* WE LOST! GRAHHHHHRAAAAHARAAAGHRHAHAA!!!! *vines flailing everywhere*
Jerri: *sighs* Raff. Don't go wandering off, ok, this place is a lot less solid than I thought it would be...
A chipper voice from the corner: I know, right? It's great!
Ester: *thrashes himself out of the side-hug with Jerri and steps forward cautiously on the circles and macaroni-shapes to meet that figure in the distance who looks like she could easily be a background cast member of Charlie's Colorforms City (look it up)* Hey! I'm Ester, the...
The abstract Black woman in a suit that matches her surroundings: *excited gasp that shows off her tooth gap* The T-shirt dragon? Oh, it's so nice to meet you! Jack said you guys would be coming over in a few days; I was starting to think he'd finally lost his peanuts. (Like packing peanuts, because he's in a cardboard box, it's a play on "lost his marbles")
Mentos: *comes out of her jar and gives a wink* Wouldn't be any chance you've heard of Hypnotorious?
The woman: *practically squeals, her Afro puffing out extra large to indicate her excitement* You're the stage assistant! Oh, and you must be that time traveler...*points to Jerri with a slightly-triangular finger*
Jerri: *bows and flips in a somersault thanks to the lack of solid ground making it possible to float* At your service since the Tang Dynasty and before! *chuckles at her own dumb joke*
Raffle: *straightens themselves out at noticing the match-up of outfit to background on this strange new character* You...host here?
The woman: Well, are you the carnivorous plant that eats singing birds for fun?
Raffle: *confused scowl* Y-yes?
The woman: *puts her hands on her hips* Then there's your answer! I'm Strayna, Strayna Pi Meringue, and welcome to my game! I call it Blather Round, because we all gather around to blather! Isn't that right, Shapatars?
*The shapes of cubist quality around Strayna, presumably the aforementioned "Shapatars", simply float around and seem to give no indication of being alive or sentient.*
Strayna: *facepalms like she forgot the basics of her own home entities* Sorry, sorry...they're vessels for the players, they aren't really alive unless someone's in them! Otherwise, they just. *rubs her chin, shrugs* Occasionally knock stuff over. Like lethargic cats. Real fun housemates. *mumbles to herself: "That is ONE thing Rue has better than me, I guess. It's good for them and their personality, so I won't complain."*
Amp: *murmurs something along the lines of: "Oh, I'll play! Lemme, lemme hop in there, have some fun!"*
(I changed Amp's dialogue, because it used to take forever, and yes, I did decide this in the middle of writing. Think nothing about it.)
Strayna: *chortles* Oh-hoh-kay, little buddy, you must be from Fixy Text to be so excitable. Here! *picks the text critter up with her own magic and, kasport (yes, that is the sound), poofs it into the Shapatar to make it come to life in a whole new way*
Amp: *straightens out, noticing that it now looks like an abstract dog, and gives a squeak like, "Oh! I look so fun!"*
Jerri: *laughs in wonder* Well, don't you look like a...*feels a buzz in the back of her head and smacks the side of her helmet* Not now. *returns to the meeting at hand* You look like a...*realizes the loss of the necessary word on her tongue* Like a...*blinks in confusion*
Strayna: *smiles* Sometimes, words just sorta leave you! That's when you've gotta blather, you got me?
Mentos: *suffering the same strange malady, but figuring it may know a way out of it* You're a real ruffy mammal.
Raffle: *gives a growl* That just dog.
*triumphant little "you got it!" sound plays*
Strayna: *points up in the direction of the sound* That's how you play Blather Round!
Ester: *lets out a little "snurf"* Oh! You have to describe things, but never with exactly the right words?
Amp: *seems to chirp out: "Everything is a blanky blank!"*
Strayna: Dead on, little buddy! *pats Amp on its newly-abstract head...that might be its head, anyway; it's hard to tell*
Jerri: Ooh, ok. I'm thinking of a wibbly-wobbly—
All the other Decas in unison: Time. (Or a squeak that sounds like it)
Jerri: Dang. *adjusts her helmet and nods to Raffle to give them a turn*
Raffle: Hm. I think of small not-mammal.
Mentos: Who taught you the word "mammal"?
Raffle: You. You brain, you teach me things about humans.
Strayna: *timechecks the side chat* 2 minutes!
Ester: *thoughtful plume of steam from his nose as he strokes his little "beard"* A frog?
Amp: *understanding the rules through osmosis with the Shapatar, gives a chirp that sounds like: "You have to say what's the same and what's different, if you want to give people more of a hint!"*
Raffle: *nods their petal-head* It not anything like frog. It have two feet.
Strayna: Mm. Not in the list of descriptors. But I'll allow it!
Mentos: Fish? Wait, no, those don’t have feet, I’m thinking of that weird dream Dad gives me…
Strayna: That hypnotist is your dad?
Ester: Wait, it’s not a bird, is it? *another “you got it” sound* Woo! *pumps his fist* This is great…
Strayna: Isn’t it? *sound of a phone going off* Oh, hang on. *holds up a hand and a pause symbol appears, freezing the Pack in place*
Jerri, through gritted teeth: Aww, done already?
Jerrani, in the back of Jerri’s head: Ooh, what a LOVEly intermission timmmme…
The whole Pack, sensing the presence in unison: SHUT UP, JERRANI!
Strayna: *oblivious due to apparently being on a heated phone call* Rue, no. For the last time, I’m not bringing my players over to you just so you can…do that…*waves a hand frantically* THING you do! You know it scares me!
Mentos: *blinks curiously, wishing she could move* …scares her…wait…guys, what is Roomerang about again?
Raffle: *trying to remember that detail in the middle of everything else Jack has ever told them about his games* …Roommates with personalll…long word.
Amp: *chirps something like “Personalities?”*
Mentos: *eyes widen; would flail her spinal cord if she was currently able* Guys! Guys! I bet that host, Rue, can do the same thing Dad does to make her game possible!
Jerri: Oooh, I wanna check that out…
Strayna: *now yelling into the phone* I’VE ALREADY PAID OFF ENOUGH OF YOUR BILLS! *hangs up* UGH! *unpauses the Pack, then turns around* Sorry, where were…guys?
*They’re gone. But in reality? They’ve ported over to Patch Nine!*
Jerri, landing on the soft grass outside a very big house: Haha! Jack sure gave me a ton of these coordinates, huh…hey, guys, wait up!
Amp, still in a Shapatar body: *whacks at the doorbell obsessively*
Ester: *stands in front of the rest of the group, impressed when a figure with similar stature to him opens the door* Wow. You’re…
Rue Meringue: Tall? Haven’t heard that one before…*brushes her sleeve off playfully and picks Amp up in one hand* Lucky you, we’re in the middle of a game, and your host has some screens she needs to dust off, soooo…*smirks and points right at Mentos*
Mentos: Hu-huh? *flash of blue light; suddenly standing in a Roomie’s body (Roomies are the avatars for Roomerang)* Hmmm…ughh… *holds up their peony-pink hands and walks to the window awkwardly (they’re wearing a little suit and a very big hat that covers the whole of their head except for their eyes)* …Whoa. I told you guys coming here would be—
Rue, with just a hint of malice: Organic farmer! *claps her large hands (nearly flattening Amp in the process) and walks back inside*
Mentos: *straightens up, eyes go a dull blue* Yes…carrots… *walks inside*
*silence from the rest of the Pack that breaks down into angry yellings of “YOU CAN’T JUST DO THAT!” And “THE MAXIMUM’S 8 PLAYERS! STICK TO THE INTEGRITY!” And “MENTOS NOT MEANT FOR BODY!”…but, it stops as soon as a square portal opens from behind them*
(Expect more of Strayna and Rue, as well as an arrival from Jack, in part 2!)
