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Post by PJ on Jul 30, 2005 21:03:30 GMT -5
Setnick, it's a crime not to finish this. Finish it, or face the consequences!
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Post by s on Aug 3, 2005 17:28:37 GMT -5
Here you go, PJ...still not done, but I'm getting there...
Antenora had caught up with Dante. “Hurry…up!” she panted, grabbing Dante’s sleeve as she passed him. “We…must…help…Akbar! Haloman has him…cornered!” The two continued running until they reached the mob. What they saw was rather confusing. As you know, the tables had turned. This fact, however, was unknown to Dante and Antenora. Dante abruptly stopped running. “What?” he questioned Antenora. “Perhaps you were confused. Akbar has the upper hand. You needn’t have dragged me this fast. How on earth is Haloman planning to kill Akbar when Akbar is holding a gun to his chest?” “You know perfectly well that I wouldn’t have made you run like this if I knew that Akbar had the upper hand!” was Antenora’s indignant reply. “Since I last looked out the window, it’s obvious that the tables have turned…for the better,” she added as an afterthought, “and thank goodness for that.” Dante and Antenora moved through the crowd, trying to get to the center where Akbar and Haloman were standing. After shoving a few unfortunate people out of the way, they finally made it. They stood there facing Akbar for a few minutes, unsure of what to do next. “Why isn’t Akbar just shooting him already?” Dante asked Antenora. “You know perfectly well why,” was her response. “Akbar isn’t a killer. You know that as well as I do. All he ever wanted was to re-establish peace on 667. Killing Haloman would be going against everything he ever stood for.” “In other words, we have to intervene,” was Dante’s concise reply. “Precisely.” At that moment, Antenora glanced up and caught Akbar’s eye. He had a pleading, questioning look in his eyes. The message was as clear as it would have been had he simply stated, “Help me.” “But how?” Antenora asked Dante. “How do we help him? I don’t think he can last much longer…I mean, sooner or later even someone as dim as Haloman is going to realize that Akbar’s not going to shoot.” Dante did not appear to hear her. “Dante?” He seemed to be lost in thought. Suddenly, he snapped out of it. “Okay,” he said brusquely, “I have a plan.” *** P.J. searched the crowd. He had backed away as soon as Akbar had gotten the gun, but quickly realized that he wasn’t going to shoot. Now what? He surveyed the crowd, trying to catch sight of someone who could help. Sadly, the whole crowd seemed to be a mob of hopeless newbies. Suddenly, P.J. saw someone. But how could it be? Everyone knew that that someone was being held prisoner by Dante. He looked back. Yes, it was most definitely her. Antenora! And…P.J. had to blink to make sure he wasn’t seeing things…she was standing right next to a contemplating Dante. P.J. immediately began walking briskly toward them, trying to draw as little attention to himself as possible. The time for that had been several minutes ago… *** “Okay,” said Dante to Antenora, “here’s the plan. We need to hurry up and recruit as many of the old members as we can. You know the gang…Ennui, Amber, Annelise, P.J., Kobolos, BSam…any of them, and anyone else you can find. Not these useless newbies, though…” Dante’s voice trailed off. “And then?” inquired Antenora. “Once we’ve gathered several people, then what?” “It doesn’t matter,” was Dante’s rather unhelpful reply. “First things first. Go! Hurry…Akbar won’t last forever…and don’t come back until you have at least ten people or so.” “Sure,” said Antenora, and hurried off to do her job. *** After much maneuvering through the crowd, P.J. reached the place where Antenora had been standing moments back. Now, however, she was nowhere to be seen. Dante was still there, however. Had Antenora simply been an illusion? Was she still actually locked up somewhere? P.J. approached Dante. “Dante!” he exclaimed. Then, slightly more hesitantly, “Is Antenora…er…you know…free?” “Yes,” said Dante hastily. “I freed her. However, enough of that. There are more important matters at hand. Namely, Akbar. Antenora is off recruiting as many of the old members as she can find. You know, Pandora, Ennui, Annelise, all of them. Will you go do that as well? I have to stay here, just in case Akbar needs immediate help.” “Of course,” replied P.J., and rushed off in search of anyone who could help. Dante was left alone to ponder and fine-tune his plan.
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Post by PJ on Aug 3, 2005 18:01:25 GMT -5
Coolio. Writes mores. And can we expect some macho banter between Akbar and Haloman?
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Antenora
Detriment Deleter
Fiendish Philologist
Put down that harpoon gun, in the name of these wonderful birds!
Posts: 15,891
Likes: 113
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Post by Antenora on Aug 3, 2005 19:46:52 GMT -5
Thanks for updating this. Very good.
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Post by s on Aug 3, 2005 23:02:37 GMT -5
Coolio. Writes mores. And can we expect some macho banter between Akbar and Haloman? I wasn't planning on it, but I'll see what I can do.
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Post by Dante on Aug 4, 2005 3:11:22 GMT -5
Yes, good on you for paying heed to PJ's violent threats. This is good.
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Post by Akbar Le Grey on Aug 4, 2005 5:27:42 GMT -5
Very nicely done, SetnicK. But when is there going to be more? I want more! MORE!
And, incidentally, I loathe macho banter.
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Post by PJ on Aug 4, 2005 5:50:42 GMT -5
And, incidentally, I loathe macho banter. Well, what else is there to do when you have a weapon trained at an defenceless villain? Just stand there? Haloman:"Well, aren't you going to shoot me then?" Akbar:"..." Haloman:"Well?" Akbar:"..." Haloman:"Hello?" Akbar:"I don't like banter."
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Post by Akbar Le Grey on Aug 4, 2005 6:23:07 GMT -5
And, incidentally, I loathe macho banter. Well, what else is there to do when you have a weapon trained at an defenceless villain? Just stand there? Haloman:"Well, aren't you going to shoot me then?" Akbar:"..." Haloman:"Well?" Akbar:"..." Haloman:"Hello?" Akbar:"I don't like banter." Haloman: lyk rnt u gonna sh00t me??///// Akbar: No, I don't belive in needless gun usage. Waste of bullets. Haloman: den wat?/// Akbar: I'll strangle you. Akbar: *strangles* Haloman: *dies* Akbar: And I'll shoot you for good measure. Haloman: im ded
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Post by SF on Aug 4, 2005 18:24:27 GMT -5
Nice job SetnicK. I laughed when PJ came up in the story, as he asked to be in it but was turned down, and ended up being in it anyways. I was a bit apprehensive about the whole Dante capturing Antenora deal, seemed a bit out of character, but all for the sake of fiction. In conclusion: write the ending!
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Post by Carma on Aug 4, 2005 19:07:55 GMT -5
wow, that's good. so i guess there'll be more caracters popping up?
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Post by s on Aug 4, 2005 23:24:58 GMT -5
Here's more...
*** Akbar and Haloman stood facing each other, each glaring at the other. After several moments of silent hatred, Haloman spoke. “Well, are you, like, gonna shoot me?” “Perhaps,” was Akbar’s ambiguous reply. “It depends…” “Whaddaya mean? Depends on what?” “Depends on whether I think that you’re stupid enough to kill. I’m sure that I’ll realize the answer is ‘yes’ if you continue talking, though…” After spending several minutes with a confused look on his face, Haloman fell silent, and the glaring began once more. Akbar continued to hold the gun to Haloman’s chest, perspiration beading on his forehead. *** Several minutes passed. Both Dante and Akbar became more agitated. Finally, Antenora returned, bringing with her Amber, Annelise, Kimia, Kobolos, BSam, Ennui, Pandora, James, and Derik. Shortly afterward, P.J. also returned, with Alice, Celinra, and Rikku. The crowd had assembled. Dante’s plan was about to be put into action. Akbar was about to be rescued. “Okay,” said Dante, his voice commanding but no longer cruel, “There are, including myself, fifteen of us. We must form a circle around Haloman. A rather large circle…stay in the front row of the mob. Blend in. Then, slowly, I’ll take a small step forward. The people next to me must follow, then the people next to them, and so on. Be as quiet and inconspicuous in your movements as possible: we don’t want Haloman to realize what we’re doing. “I will be stationed directly behind Haloman. Once we are close enough, I will grab his ankles and trip him…rather than carry him away to join some secret organization. Anyway, then one of you must use this (he removed the belt from his trench coat) to bind his wrists together. Does anyone else have a belt? Or a rope of some sort?” “I have a towel,” said Derik. “Will he work?” “Er…perhaps Colin can gag Haloman?” Dante suggested, referring to Derik’s towel, whose name was indeed Colin. “Sure,” replied Derik, his voice gaining momentum. “As vile as it must be inside Haloman’s mouth, it’s for a good cause. Colin will sacrifice his cleanliness for the good of the forum!” “That’s the spirit,” Dante commented dryly, “but we still need a belt…does anyone have one? We have to tie both his wrists and his ankles…” This time, Kimia replied. “Oh, I completely forgot! Here, have my scarf. It’ll work perfectly…” “Here,” said James, taking the scarf from Kimia, “I’ll do it.” “Okay,” replied Dante. “Tie his ankles with that. Use the Devil’s Tongue…or rather, the Sumac. That’ll hold better. And…who will take the belt?” Pandora volunteered. “Great…okay, well, that’s about it. Spread out…and for goodness’ sake, don’t stop paying attention or forget what you should be doing. Constant vigilance, as Moody would say. Now go, already. And try to remain inconspicuous!” Dante motioned for everyone to leave as he too moved toward his position.
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Post by Dante on Aug 5, 2005 2:41:16 GMT -5
I rather like the idea of plotting things in secret. I liked the V.F.D. allusion.
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Antenora
Detriment Deleter
Fiendish Philologist
Put down that harpoon gun, in the name of these wonderful birds!
Posts: 15,891
Likes: 113
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Post by Antenora on Aug 5, 2005 6:14:52 GMT -5
That was good. I liked the part about Colin sacrificing his cleanliness to help us.
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Post by s on Aug 6, 2005 13:22:00 GMT -5
This segment's kind of stupid. But it ties up a few loose ends, I guess...
Surprisingly, everything went as planned. Haloman was bound and gagged in a matter of minutes. The real battle, however, was to follow. An internal battle. And this one wasn’t nearly as simple as tying up a notorious really cool member… The crowd had dispersed. After realizing that there was nothing more to see, most of the newbies had hurried off to do something their fluffy little minds surely saw as more important. The executors of the plan had left as well. Dante’s usurping the throne had caused a schism the likes of which 667 had never seen. These members were not nearly as close as they had used to be, and would probably never be again. Though a couple were friends, and most were willing to band together in times of trouble, they really had nothing in common, and many were no longer talking with each other. As soon as Haloman had been safely apprehended, each went off to do his own business. Soon, the only people left were Dante, Antenora, and a few straggling newbies. “Shoo!” Dante exclaimed, as though addressing an animal of some sort. “Leave! Can’t you see that there’s nothing more to see?” The few newbies who were still there immediately hurried away. All of them knew that Dante’s wrath was to be feared. Finally, it was just Dante and Antenora. The scene turned awkward. Then even more awkward. Dante cleared his throat repeatedly, wondering just what he should say. Finally, Antenora spoke. “It’s okay.” “What?” Dante removed his gaze from his shoes and now looked up into Antenora’s pale face. Then, as though figuring that once he had started talking he might as well continue, Dante began to speak once more. “Listen…I understand if you never want to speak to me again. And I realize that I shouldn’t have imprisoned you like that. It’s just that…well, you meant so much to me…without your support, the victory of gaining the throne, which should have been sweet, was as cold and bitter as a cup of hot chocolate, if it had been mixed with vinegar and placed in the refrigerator for several hours.” Dante tried to smile at his rather feeble allusion to Lemony Snicket’s Unauthorized Autobiography, but it turned out more like a grimace. He continued. “And…well, I panicked. I needed you, and for the first time, you weren’t there.” Dante’s words, though hesitant at first, were now flowing thick and fast. He seemed to be gaining momentum. “I had given my heart to you. I refused to believe that you hadn’t done the same, that you could just leave me like that…I needed you nearby. So I imprisoned you. It wasn’t the smartest move on my part, but it was the only thing I could think of. I’m really sorry…” he finished. “It’s okay,” Antenora said once more. “I forgive you…it’s pretty likely that I would have done the same thing. Well…maybe I wouldn’t have locked you up in a tower, but I would have panicked as well. I was just unnerved that you hadn’t let me in on your plans. I wanted to be beside you, helping you on your way to power. Instead, I was simply a bystander. So I said I was leaving, in the hopes that you would…I don’t know. Read my mind and somehow know that I really just wanted to be closer to you? It sounds so implausible, but…I don’t know. Neither of us was thinking very rationally. Can we just put these last few months behind us?” “There’s nothing I’d like better,” said Dante. “But right now,” he continued, assuming his usual, far less emotional manner, “we must go see Akbar, and make sure he’s okay. And then I must take care of Haloman…and I really think we need to undo the damage caused by the schism, if possible. You saw how everyone worked together just a few minutes ago. If they can do that, surely they can become friends once more.” Then Dante sighed. “I really need to get a grip on this place…” Antenora looked at Dante, surprised to see him talking so resignedly. He continued. “Perhaps a dictatorship will never work. All the rules, the rigidity. Nobody’s buying it. Perhaps there’s some truth to the saying, ‘rules are meant to be broken.’ Perhaps…perhaps we need Tragedy again.” Antenora stared. “But…all the effort you put in! The hours and hours you spent, just so you could reach this position? And you’re just going to give it up because it didn’t go exactly as you planned? What’s wrong with you, Dante? You’re going soft! You’re a great ruler. But dictators are rarely successful. Be a ruler, someone strong, who the rest of the forum can follow…but don’t be a dictator. Tragedy was growing old. All the years he put into the forum weakened him, aged him. It was time for a new ruler; everyone knew that. You are that ruler. Trust me…you’ll manage. Now, I believe both of us have work to do. Let’s go find Akbar. And for goodness’ sake, start acting like yourself again!” With that, Antenora turned and left, anxious to make sure that Akbar was alright. Dante, however, did not. He stayed on the street, now the only person left, and reflected for several minutes before moving at all.
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