Down the Rabbit Hole (IC)

[Cyroa]

The two heroes ducked behind the thrones quickly. For a moment, one of the tray-carrying animals glanced over a for a moment before simply shrugging and continuing on it's appointed task. It seemed that they were completely unobserved for the moment....

[Cyroa]

James looked bemused and a little annoyed. "Can't believe I was actually worried. Man, if this is they way they kidnapped people, I volunteer to be kidnapped for a day." He paused. "Assuming there's no volcano or anything of course." he flashed quick grin. "It doesn't look like he's in immediate danger...unless they are drugging him. But I also can't take him and you at the same time either. And there's so much magic floating around, I can't tell what defenses and powers are gonna get thrown our way either. So...what's our plan? "

[Electra]

"We're never going to get back to the place we jumped in from," Erin said, "we'd have to fight our way through the whole hall. But they can't have this many people around him all the time. Let's wait for the moment and see what happens. Maybe the crowd will thin out, or they'll take him offstage. Like you said, I don't see any immediate danger, just so long as we don't start smelling sulfur or anything."

[Cyroa]

James chuckled softly. "Hey, I showered this morning." He nodded all the same though. "Ok, though I doubt we'll be able to hide here long. Someone is gonna see us eventually." He peeked carefully, trying to remain hidden and still see something of what was going on. "Really need to work on an invisibility spell or something," he muttered softly.

[Electra]

"Yeah, that'd come in handy..." Erin began looking around for a source of better cover. "If they do find us, you grab the civilian and get him home, then come back. I can hold them off until you get back." Erin really didn't like the idea of telling James to leave her in this universe alone, but she trusted him. If he left, he'd come back. "Buncha little melty animals, can't be that bad..."

[Cyroa]

James looked over at her steadily. "No," he said firmly. "You really need to learn Erin. There is no way in hell I'm ever just going to leave you somewhere. Not anywhere. Not ever. But especially not in some freaking wierd-ass alien dimension. Not even for five damn minutes. Even if it's just filled with little animal muppets." Leaving out the fact that he brought her here; leaving out the fact that she came from an alternate world gone horribly wrong...she was still his friend. His best friend really. He'd rather die, permenantly too, than abandon her. It just wasn't going to happen. "Don't bother arguing either. Nothing in the multiverse is gonna change that." He smiled briefly. "So...plan B?"

[Electra]

Erin rolled her eyes at his refusal of her plan, but she couldn't help the little smile the words brought, either. "Fine, plan B," she said. "Those creatures we ran into in the back of the hall weren't scared of us and didn't try to fight us. We could walk right out and say we've come to take back the civilian, then see what happens. If they go nuts, you teleport with him to the back of the hall, and I join you. I can get there in a couple of bounces. From there, I pick you both up and we get as far down the corridor as we can, till you can open a portal back to Prime. It'll probably be mayhem, but I think it'll work. Better?"

[Cyroa]

James nodded with a smile. "Better. Maybe not a great plan but definitely better. 'Sides, I like chaos. It's can be fun." He reached out to take her hand again and in a blink they were back on the other side of the hall, still on the steps. James grinned. "I really need to bring a camera or something with me on these 'trips'. This would be a great to get on film." Whether he meant the oddities of the reality or Erin trying to talk their way through anything was up for debate.

[Electra]

Erin was a little surprised to find them back at the back of the hall, but she took it in stride. "You just have to make an entrance, don't you?" she teased under her breath. Well, no way out but through at this point, since they'd been spotted by a lot more than the scant handful from the first time. She strode forward, nudging the animals aside if they wouldn't get out of her way, and headed for the dais. Everyone could see them coming at this point, given that they both were half a body taller than the average citizen.

[Cyroa]

James grinned widely. "Our entrance happened a few minutes ago. And was rather anti-climatic; besides you slamming the doors open. Now we're just showing off," he said with a smirk. "'Sides, this is your big foray into inter-dimensional diplomacy which needs some attention. And you've got your bat so we're set." He walked down the steps and started across the hall beside her. He really hadn't been trying to impress anyone. But walking across rather than 'appearing' was more diplomatic and they were going to try that option first. Violence was a trust backup plan though.

[Cyroa]

The denizens of the court watched as they descended the stairs and started down the long hall. They backed away, forming a 'path' as it were straight to the dais holding the thrones and the guard. The various animals watched the two young heroes almost inscrutably. There was quite a bit of hushed whispering in the crowds but none made any more to interfere with their progress.

[Electra]

Erin walked with a measured pace through the crowd, her skin itching with the sensation of being watched by so many eyes all at once. That was the good thing about being the plainest-looking person in a crowd of flashy heroes, no one really paid attention to you. Right now she sort of felt like a bug under a microscope. She stepped up to the base of the dais, her hand on her sheathed bat. "Who's in charge here?" she asked.

[Cyroa]

James walked beside her down the long hall, deliberately synching his steps with hers. This was like one of those movies where the heroes approach the king after defeating the big evil and getting one of those medals around their neck. Not that we've defeated anything yet, nor do I want a medal, he thought to himself as they walked. Still, he couldn't help but grin and exude a arrogant/confident stance.

[Cyroa]

The two heroes approached the dais and several of the little animals stepped forward, with weapons drawn. Considering the threats they had faced in the past, little 4 foot cats, squirrels, pigs and whatnot just didn't really seem like the threat, even with the little swords and such they carried. It was almost cute really. "Come no closer!" demanded a little donkey looking fellow as the heroes got to the bottom step.

There was a loud belch from the man sitting on the cushion. BURP. "Uh, I think that'd be me."

[Electra]

Wander turned to stare at the man. "All right," she said, looking rather skeptical about his claim to being in charge, but willing to go along for the moment. "Can you tell us what's going on here? Are you the man whose shoes and flashlight we found back on Prime?" As she spoke, she looked around for the marshmallow creature, but it was hard to spot anything in the sea of weird animal things.

[Cyroa]

The fellow sat up, reaching for a tankard of something frothy. Taking a large swallow, he set it back down. "Prime? Ya mean home? I think so, yeah. I was just a night guard back home." He looked around at the myriad of trays before him, debating on what to choose. "Here, I'm the man."

Looking around, Erin noticed that the crowds that had watched them had moved up so everyone could see and hear what was going on. It had effectively hemmed them in quite well. But despite her looking, she couldn't see the little fellow from before.

[Electra]

"Do you know what's going on here?" she asked the guard when James remained silent. "What is this place, and why did they bring you here? It's pretty obvious that you don't exactly fit in..." That was an understatement, with all three of them towering over the surrounding creatures. "It looked to us like you were kidnapped right out of your shoes."

[Cyroa]

James raised an eyebrow at the man's words. Either something was hinky or the guy had just one the mother-of-all lotteries. Food, wealth...Ok, not quite perfect lottery. There weren't any women Well, no women unless this guy was one of those 'furry' types. He quickly pulled his mind back from that image and listend as Erin asked the guy what was going on.

[Cyroa]

The man shrugged his large shoulder. "Actually...not a clue where I am. I kind of fell asleep I think. Hard to remember. Anyway, I woke up here. They said they needed me to rule. Something about me was like catnip or something I guess. They just love me! It's awesome. All the food and beer and anything else I want. I'm in charge. An no ex-wife naggin me too! It's almost a freaking paradise. Just need a couple nubile young girls and it'd be perfect!" He eyes Wander curiously for a moment before decided the athletic, and very dangerous, young woman wasn't really his type.

[Electra]

Erin looked around. "You're in another dimension," she told the man. "We followed you here so that we could get you and take you back to Earth Prime. I'm glad you've been treated well while you've been here, but it's really a much better idea if you come with us now and let us get you home where you belong."

[Cyroa]

James couldn't argue with the man. On any point really. However, James was a good deal more paranoid than this guy. And he wasn't just believing that some sort of cosmic cross network made this moron the ruler of an entirely different dimension 'just because'. He was doing his best trying to think of what was really going on, but besides assuming the worst, he didn't have a lot to go on.

[Cyroa]

The man looked at Erin like she was completely insane. "Go back? Are ya crazy? Why the hell would I want to go back?" While he seemed to think the idea was ludicrous, the servers and courtiers that surrounded them all (and there were quite a few of them) took a much dimmer view of the notion. Muted grumblings, glares and not just a few hands on weapons were pretty good indications that they were not going to just let that happen quietly.

[Cyroa]

James just smiled at Erin. He wasn't really worried in the least and it was kind of funny in an imminent violence kind of way. "Awesome," he said with a smile and chuckle. They had gone from sort-of calm and pleasant atmosphere to hostile and angry crowd in like 3 seconds flat. "That's gotta be a new record," he said smiling even as he subtly slid a little closer to her and turn a little to watch their backs.

[Electra]

Erin didn't seem concerned by the ramping up of hostility around them, but James was close enough to note the subtle tensing of her body as she prepared to fight if necessary. "Because you're in a strange place far from home, and you don't actually know what these creatures want with you or why? You know, when this sort of thing happens in movies, it's because the new chief gets thrown in a volcano after a day or two of pampering?" She shrugged. "There certainly are plenty of these folks living here, couldn't they have picked one of their own to be in charge if it were a good job to have?" Erin wasn't much of an expert on politics, but she knew movies.

"Besides, if you decide to stay here, we're going to leave, and we'll probably lose track of the dimension you traveled to," Erin continued. "If you get into trouble, or you decide you don't like it here anymore, you'll be stuck, maybe the only human being on this whole world. No superheroes, no police... no women," she pointed out. "But you're a grown man, it's your decision. If you want to stay, we'll get out of here." She made as if to turn around and head out.

[Cyroa]

The man paused, thinking. He didn't seem overly concerned about most of Erin's points but something (I wonder what) was making him reconsider. However, his little 'citizens' were not so hesitant. A little dog-looking fellow stepped forward, heft a large (to him) 5 foot spear. "NO! The Redolence King cannot leave! We will not allow you to take the awesomeness of this fragrance from us," he said forcefully in a rather squeaky voice. Several others had drawn or hefted weapons though they hadn't moved forward to attack just yet.