Chapter 12 - (a few months behind schedule)
A/N: DID YA MISS ME? I know it's been forever since I've posted, and I have a very good explanation for it. You see, the situation is. AMNESIA DUST!! *sprinkles amnesia dust on everyone* BWA HA HA! YOU REMEMBER NOTHING!
But seriously folks, on with the tale.
The hotel seminar room was packed with racers as Rick briefed them on tonight's events. "It's the same procedure as always- random selections are absolute, unless the racer is too injured or sick to race. And tonight's quarter finalists are: Ryuki, Brodi, Alexia, Mairsol, Mac, and Nick. Semi- finalists are Kaori, Lilo, and Psymon. Finalists are Shadow, Demi, and Elise. Now that that's taken care of, the hotel would like to make noticed the fact that since we arrived, certain objects have gone missing. Namely, anything not bolted to the floor. We will ask anonymous parties to return the stolen items by tonight or.. come on Fisher and Psymon! This is getting ridiculous!" Risk said to the startled pair, who were in the middle of taking the pens and mugs provided at their tables. "CIRCUMSTANTIAL EVIDENCE, THAT'S ALL YOU GOT!" Psymon roared, standing up. As he did, several ashtrays, a salt shaker, some shower curtain rings, a bar of soap and some butter patties fell out of his shirt.
"Ok, I know this looks bad, but...... These are all treasured family heirlooms! And I like having them close to me at all times!" Psymon said. "They have the hotel name written all over them," Gage noted. "Uh.. coincidence?" Psymon suggested. "Nice try. Now bring all that stuff up here. You too, Fisher," Rick said. Fisher didn't move. "Come on Fisher, hand over the goods," Risk said. "Fine, I'm coming," Fisher said sullenly. From the depths of his anorak he produced two shower heads, a towel, five hotel mints, the rest of the shower curtain rings and a bellhop's hat. As the pair walked back to their seats, Fisher grabbed a basket of bread and stuffed it into his mouth. "Ged a buer! (A/N: translation: "Get the Butter!")" He shouted as he chewed. Psymon quickly snatched the butter packets, did a double take, and grabbed the sugar packets as well. "We're keeping these!" he said triumphantly as the duo bolted out the door.
"Well, now that those two idiots are gone.." Moby said. "Hey! That's my friend you're talking about!" Mac said. "Shut up and sit down half pint! Children should be seen, not heard!" Moby retorted. Mac responded by pelting Moby with paper. As the two threw paper at each other, more joined until everyone was throwing paper at each other. Oni, Boris and Inferno hunkered down under the table to escape papery-death. "We'll never get out of here!" Boris cried. "Keep it together soldier," Inferno said, folding several Paper Shuriken. "HA HA! TAKE THIS, CHUMP!" Luther roared, pelting Eddie with spitballs. "Dang! Luther's blocking the door!" Inferno noted. "Relax, I got a secret weapon," Oni said, holding an origami swan. "Pain comes with delicately folded wings, I take it?" Boris asked. "Oh yeah," Oni chuckled, grinning evilly. Suddenly, Kaori joined them under the table. "Hi everyone!" She said cheerily. Boris turned a ghastly shade of purple. "Hey Kaori. We're busting out- you in?" Inferno asked. "Yes! I think Luther is getting a little to into this whole paper fight," Kaori replied.
Suddenly, Oni faced Luther and yelled, "EAT SWAN, FATBOY!" as she hurled the swan with all her might. It flew true, striking Luther right in the eye. Luther clutched the paper bird and roared, tripped over a toppled chair and fell into the door, which gave way under his mighty girth. "We'll never make it through!" Inferno said as the cross fire increased. "Hold on!" Boris said, rapping an arm around Inferno and Oni as Kaori scrambled onto his back. "CHARGE!!" Oni said as Boris jumped on the table (which collapsed under their combined weight) and tore across the room. As soon as they cleared the doorway, Boris deposited his three passengers and collapsed on the floor.
"What's going on?" Fisher and Psymon asked as they carried off a large potted plant and a statue. "They've gone crazy- if it doesn't stop, someone could get a paper cut!" Kaori said. "YE GODS! THIS SOUNDS LIKE A JOB FOR PSY-MAN!" Psymon yelled, striking a pose as he dropped his end of the statue, which shattered when it hit the floor. Seeing their booty destroyed, Fisher pushed the fractured statue under a rug and walked off. Meanwhile, Psymon grabbed a fire extinguisher and said, "NOW IT'S TIME FOR ALL A YA TO COOL DOWN!" "NO PSYMON, DON'T-" But Psymon had already blasted half the room with flame-retardant chemicals. "DON'T RUN! DON'T RUN!" Psymon cackled as he sprayed the racers. Finally, when the room was completely covered, the barrage stopped. "Psymon sweetie, do you know how much it costs to get these coats CLEANED!?" Seeiah bellowed. "The time has come to depart! Come, young ward!" Psymon said, grabbing a surprised Mac as he ran out of the room, chased by an angry white horde.
Needless to say, the Hotel manager was a little more than surprised to see the group tear across his lobby. He hurried over to the seminar room and grimaced at the forms of Boris and Luther on the floor, and the broken antique statue stuffed under the rug. The fact that the seminar room was a bright white and filled with broken furniture did little to improve his mood. "I can expect that the SSX board will compensate for the damages to my seminar room," He told Rick coldly. Rick stood up, foam dripping off his face, replying, "Yeah, but some others are going to pay for this as well.."
* * *
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN GROUNDED?!" Zoe yelled at Rick. "After what you all pulled today, that's not half as bad as the minimal punishment," Rick said. "But.. we're in Japan! We'll miss out on all the cheap anime products! And pocky!" Fisher whined. "Pocky or not, no one leaves their rooms unless they need to race, or eat," Rick replied. "What if there's a fire in the hotel?" Lilo asked. "In that highly unlikely situation, then you can leave. Otherwise, all of you are to STAY PUT. Yes Brodi, even if you weren't involved," Rick said. "C'mon Rick, we were only having a bit of fun!" Gage said. "Well, if you want to keep having fun you can start paying for it with your own money!" Rick fumed as he walked out.
"Well, what a fine mess we're all in! And it's all YOUR FAULT!" Moby said, pointing an accusing finger at Fisher. "Back off, man. It's nobody's fault," Eddie said reassuringly. "Don't give me that crap! If that sticky fingered git hadn't looted half the bloody hotel, then we never would have been in this mess! Now I'm stuck hanging with you losers all night!" Moby moaned. "Hey- our nights were ruined too, but we're not complaining!" Nick said. "Listen you greaser wannabe-" Moby yelled, but Gage and Luther hauled him over to the balcony. "I think you need a time out," Gage said as they dumped him on the cold balcony floor. They immediately locked him out. "Now if you're a good boy, we might consider letting you back in," Oni said sweetly.
"All quarter finalists should start getting ready!" Rick said, passing each of the rooms. In Ryuki's room, he started to put on his boots. "Hey, good luck man. Hope I get to race ya in the finals," Shadow said. "Heh. Like I need luck," Ryuki said. "But thanks anyways," he added hastily. He joined Alexia, who was already making her way to the gondola. She stepped in to find Brodi, Mac and Nick were already inside. The gondola was awkwardly silent for a while, until Brodi popped a question. "This is the first race for you guys, right?" he asked. The three new racers nodded, making it obvious that they were all a tad nervous (except Nick, who was better at hiding it than the other two). "You all gotta relax, yo," Mac said, laughing at how tense they were. "Mac's right. If you want, I know a few quick meditations we can do for the ride up," Brodi offered. "Say no- trust me," Marisol said as the gondola began to move.
"You don't seem very nervous, Nick," Brodi noted. "Yeah. Whenever I'm in a competition like this I just think of other stuff," Nick replied, looking out the window. "Like how the cable could snap and we could plummet to our deaths before the race even began?" Ryuki suggested. "Wow. At least I'm not worried about the race anymore," Alexia said. Suddenly, the gondola shuddered to a halt as it reached the summit. "Good luck, all of you. And remember, have fun with it!" Brodi said, walking off for some pre race contemplation. "Siddhartha over there's starting to annoy me," Ryuki muttered. "Ok guys- line up!" Rick said, gesturing to the starting boxes. The group checked their gear, strapped on their boards, and got ready for the competition.
* * *
"Man, how are we gonna ditch this place?" Gage asked. "I guess we don't," Inferno replied miserably. "C'mon guys! I know how to get out!" Eddie said. "And how do you intend to do that?" Oni asked. "'Cause I got a plan," Eddie replied, a fiendish look crossing over his face. The other racers started to huddle in as Fisher went over his idea. "What is it? What's the plan?" Fisher asked. "There's no need for me to tell you now. Just follow my lead at dinner," Eddie replied as he walked away. "I got a bad feeling about this," Elise said. "Well, what else can we do? You wanna stay here the whole night?" Seeiah asked. "It's not so bad! It's just like my old dorm room! Except they don't have any mattresses on the walls. Come to think of it, I never went to college.." Psymon commented. "Fancy that," Elise remarked, rolling her eyes.
"Ok guys, let's go," Eddie said, walking out into the hall. "This is your plan? You're just going to walk out of the hotel?" Seeiah asked. "Do you think I'm that dumb?!" Eddie asked. "Well, it's certainly not above you," Oni replied. "Zoe- you got the parcel?" Eddie asked. "Yea, with bells on it!" Zoe replied. Eddie and Zoe walked out of the room, and the group reluctantly followed. "HEY RICK! YOU WANNA COME TO DINNER?!" they hollered, banging on his door. "What are you guys doing!? You're grounded!" Rick asked, coming out of his room. "We gonna get a bite at the restaurant in the lobby. You want in?" Psymon asked. "Uh.. sure," Rick replied, stepping out into the hallway. They all made their way down to the lobby, and they had all sat down to eat, when suddenly....
"FIRE! SCRAMBLE! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!" Zoe and Eddie roared, pointing at a table candle and diving out a near by window. The rest just looked at them run, and walked out too. "WHAT?! YOU'RE ALL GROUNDED! YOU CAN'T GO ANYWHERE!" Rick roared. No one listened to him, however, and he slumped into his chair. He then noticed a tape player with a note attached that said, "PLAY ME." Rick picked up the tape player and played it. "What if there's a fire in the hotel?" Lilo's voice asked from the speaker. "In that highly unlikely situation, then you can leave," Rick's voice replied. The real Rick felt all eyes fall on him as the hotel manager came up to have another 'chat'. "I don't get paid enough for this," he muttered.
Blog- Done and done, I must say. It's good to be back on the SSX circuit. I promise to get the racing in the next chapter; I just gotta dust off the ol' SSX CD first (And beat Skies of Arcadia. And Sword of Mana. And Legend of Zelda Master Quest. And find an old SNES so I can beat Secret of Mana. And go back in time to convince the makers of Seiken Densetsu 3 to make an English version.), so it should be up soon.
peez
A/N: DID YA MISS ME? I know it's been forever since I've posted, and I have a very good explanation for it. You see, the situation is. AMNESIA DUST!! *sprinkles amnesia dust on everyone* BWA HA HA! YOU REMEMBER NOTHING!
But seriously folks, on with the tale.
The hotel seminar room was packed with racers as Rick briefed them on tonight's events. "It's the same procedure as always- random selections are absolute, unless the racer is too injured or sick to race. And tonight's quarter finalists are: Ryuki, Brodi, Alexia, Mairsol, Mac, and Nick. Semi- finalists are Kaori, Lilo, and Psymon. Finalists are Shadow, Demi, and Elise. Now that that's taken care of, the hotel would like to make noticed the fact that since we arrived, certain objects have gone missing. Namely, anything not bolted to the floor. We will ask anonymous parties to return the stolen items by tonight or.. come on Fisher and Psymon! This is getting ridiculous!" Risk said to the startled pair, who were in the middle of taking the pens and mugs provided at their tables. "CIRCUMSTANTIAL EVIDENCE, THAT'S ALL YOU GOT!" Psymon roared, standing up. As he did, several ashtrays, a salt shaker, some shower curtain rings, a bar of soap and some butter patties fell out of his shirt.
"Ok, I know this looks bad, but...... These are all treasured family heirlooms! And I like having them close to me at all times!" Psymon said. "They have the hotel name written all over them," Gage noted. "Uh.. coincidence?" Psymon suggested. "Nice try. Now bring all that stuff up here. You too, Fisher," Rick said. Fisher didn't move. "Come on Fisher, hand over the goods," Risk said. "Fine, I'm coming," Fisher said sullenly. From the depths of his anorak he produced two shower heads, a towel, five hotel mints, the rest of the shower curtain rings and a bellhop's hat. As the pair walked back to their seats, Fisher grabbed a basket of bread and stuffed it into his mouth. "Ged a buer! (A/N: translation: "Get the Butter!")" He shouted as he chewed. Psymon quickly snatched the butter packets, did a double take, and grabbed the sugar packets as well. "We're keeping these!" he said triumphantly as the duo bolted out the door.
"Well, now that those two idiots are gone.." Moby said. "Hey! That's my friend you're talking about!" Mac said. "Shut up and sit down half pint! Children should be seen, not heard!" Moby retorted. Mac responded by pelting Moby with paper. As the two threw paper at each other, more joined until everyone was throwing paper at each other. Oni, Boris and Inferno hunkered down under the table to escape papery-death. "We'll never get out of here!" Boris cried. "Keep it together soldier," Inferno said, folding several Paper Shuriken. "HA HA! TAKE THIS, CHUMP!" Luther roared, pelting Eddie with spitballs. "Dang! Luther's blocking the door!" Inferno noted. "Relax, I got a secret weapon," Oni said, holding an origami swan. "Pain comes with delicately folded wings, I take it?" Boris asked. "Oh yeah," Oni chuckled, grinning evilly. Suddenly, Kaori joined them under the table. "Hi everyone!" She said cheerily. Boris turned a ghastly shade of purple. "Hey Kaori. We're busting out- you in?" Inferno asked. "Yes! I think Luther is getting a little to into this whole paper fight," Kaori replied.
Suddenly, Oni faced Luther and yelled, "EAT SWAN, FATBOY!" as she hurled the swan with all her might. It flew true, striking Luther right in the eye. Luther clutched the paper bird and roared, tripped over a toppled chair and fell into the door, which gave way under his mighty girth. "We'll never make it through!" Inferno said as the cross fire increased. "Hold on!" Boris said, rapping an arm around Inferno and Oni as Kaori scrambled onto his back. "CHARGE!!" Oni said as Boris jumped on the table (which collapsed under their combined weight) and tore across the room. As soon as they cleared the doorway, Boris deposited his three passengers and collapsed on the floor.
"What's going on?" Fisher and Psymon asked as they carried off a large potted plant and a statue. "They've gone crazy- if it doesn't stop, someone could get a paper cut!" Kaori said. "YE GODS! THIS SOUNDS LIKE A JOB FOR PSY-MAN!" Psymon yelled, striking a pose as he dropped his end of the statue, which shattered when it hit the floor. Seeing their booty destroyed, Fisher pushed the fractured statue under a rug and walked off. Meanwhile, Psymon grabbed a fire extinguisher and said, "NOW IT'S TIME FOR ALL A YA TO COOL DOWN!" "NO PSYMON, DON'T-" But Psymon had already blasted half the room with flame-retardant chemicals. "DON'T RUN! DON'T RUN!" Psymon cackled as he sprayed the racers. Finally, when the room was completely covered, the barrage stopped. "Psymon sweetie, do you know how much it costs to get these coats CLEANED!?" Seeiah bellowed. "The time has come to depart! Come, young ward!" Psymon said, grabbing a surprised Mac as he ran out of the room, chased by an angry white horde.
Needless to say, the Hotel manager was a little more than surprised to see the group tear across his lobby. He hurried over to the seminar room and grimaced at the forms of Boris and Luther on the floor, and the broken antique statue stuffed under the rug. The fact that the seminar room was a bright white and filled with broken furniture did little to improve his mood. "I can expect that the SSX board will compensate for the damages to my seminar room," He told Rick coldly. Rick stood up, foam dripping off his face, replying, "Yeah, but some others are going to pay for this as well.."
* * *
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN GROUNDED?!" Zoe yelled at Rick. "After what you all pulled today, that's not half as bad as the minimal punishment," Rick said. "But.. we're in Japan! We'll miss out on all the cheap anime products! And pocky!" Fisher whined. "Pocky or not, no one leaves their rooms unless they need to race, or eat," Rick replied. "What if there's a fire in the hotel?" Lilo asked. "In that highly unlikely situation, then you can leave. Otherwise, all of you are to STAY PUT. Yes Brodi, even if you weren't involved," Rick said. "C'mon Rick, we were only having a bit of fun!" Gage said. "Well, if you want to keep having fun you can start paying for it with your own money!" Rick fumed as he walked out.
"Well, what a fine mess we're all in! And it's all YOUR FAULT!" Moby said, pointing an accusing finger at Fisher. "Back off, man. It's nobody's fault," Eddie said reassuringly. "Don't give me that crap! If that sticky fingered git hadn't looted half the bloody hotel, then we never would have been in this mess! Now I'm stuck hanging with you losers all night!" Moby moaned. "Hey- our nights were ruined too, but we're not complaining!" Nick said. "Listen you greaser wannabe-" Moby yelled, but Gage and Luther hauled him over to the balcony. "I think you need a time out," Gage said as they dumped him on the cold balcony floor. They immediately locked him out. "Now if you're a good boy, we might consider letting you back in," Oni said sweetly.
"All quarter finalists should start getting ready!" Rick said, passing each of the rooms. In Ryuki's room, he started to put on his boots. "Hey, good luck man. Hope I get to race ya in the finals," Shadow said. "Heh. Like I need luck," Ryuki said. "But thanks anyways," he added hastily. He joined Alexia, who was already making her way to the gondola. She stepped in to find Brodi, Mac and Nick were already inside. The gondola was awkwardly silent for a while, until Brodi popped a question. "This is the first race for you guys, right?" he asked. The three new racers nodded, making it obvious that they were all a tad nervous (except Nick, who was better at hiding it than the other two). "You all gotta relax, yo," Mac said, laughing at how tense they were. "Mac's right. If you want, I know a few quick meditations we can do for the ride up," Brodi offered. "Say no- trust me," Marisol said as the gondola began to move.
"You don't seem very nervous, Nick," Brodi noted. "Yeah. Whenever I'm in a competition like this I just think of other stuff," Nick replied, looking out the window. "Like how the cable could snap and we could plummet to our deaths before the race even began?" Ryuki suggested. "Wow. At least I'm not worried about the race anymore," Alexia said. Suddenly, the gondola shuddered to a halt as it reached the summit. "Good luck, all of you. And remember, have fun with it!" Brodi said, walking off for some pre race contemplation. "Siddhartha over there's starting to annoy me," Ryuki muttered. "Ok guys- line up!" Rick said, gesturing to the starting boxes. The group checked their gear, strapped on their boards, and got ready for the competition.
* * *
"Man, how are we gonna ditch this place?" Gage asked. "I guess we don't," Inferno replied miserably. "C'mon guys! I know how to get out!" Eddie said. "And how do you intend to do that?" Oni asked. "'Cause I got a plan," Eddie replied, a fiendish look crossing over his face. The other racers started to huddle in as Fisher went over his idea. "What is it? What's the plan?" Fisher asked. "There's no need for me to tell you now. Just follow my lead at dinner," Eddie replied as he walked away. "I got a bad feeling about this," Elise said. "Well, what else can we do? You wanna stay here the whole night?" Seeiah asked. "It's not so bad! It's just like my old dorm room! Except they don't have any mattresses on the walls. Come to think of it, I never went to college.." Psymon commented. "Fancy that," Elise remarked, rolling her eyes.
"Ok guys, let's go," Eddie said, walking out into the hall. "This is your plan? You're just going to walk out of the hotel?" Seeiah asked. "Do you think I'm that dumb?!" Eddie asked. "Well, it's certainly not above you," Oni replied. "Zoe- you got the parcel?" Eddie asked. "Yea, with bells on it!" Zoe replied. Eddie and Zoe walked out of the room, and the group reluctantly followed. "HEY RICK! YOU WANNA COME TO DINNER?!" they hollered, banging on his door. "What are you guys doing!? You're grounded!" Rick asked, coming out of his room. "We gonna get a bite at the restaurant in the lobby. You want in?" Psymon asked. "Uh.. sure," Rick replied, stepping out into the hallway. They all made their way down to the lobby, and they had all sat down to eat, when suddenly....
"FIRE! SCRAMBLE! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!" Zoe and Eddie roared, pointing at a table candle and diving out a near by window. The rest just looked at them run, and walked out too. "WHAT?! YOU'RE ALL GROUNDED! YOU CAN'T GO ANYWHERE!" Rick roared. No one listened to him, however, and he slumped into his chair. He then noticed a tape player with a note attached that said, "PLAY ME." Rick picked up the tape player and played it. "What if there's a fire in the hotel?" Lilo's voice asked from the speaker. "In that highly unlikely situation, then you can leave," Rick's voice replied. The real Rick felt all eyes fall on him as the hotel manager came up to have another 'chat'. "I don't get paid enough for this," he muttered.
Blog- Done and done, I must say. It's good to be back on the SSX circuit. I promise to get the racing in the next chapter; I just gotta dust off the ol' SSX CD first (And beat Skies of Arcadia. And Sword of Mana. And Legend of Zelda Master Quest. And find an old SNES so I can beat Secret of Mana. And go back in time to convince the makers of Seiken Densetsu 3 to make an English version.), so it should be up soon.
peez