Session 72 Report

General Summary

Swift's Log

The first day of vacation was… an interesting one to say the least. A proper rollercoaster of spirits. We got to our hotel but were instantly mistaken as performers for a show. I’ve got no idea why, but Moon Planter felt oddly enthused to go along with it and he, myself, Tangent, and Wicker Wind found ourselves on stage. I could only entertain it for so long as loyal as I am to the team, but this was not the fun I came to have, rather the fun was staring me right in the face from the front row! I made my leave and Moon Planter and I had a nice sit and chat with Fireheart and Jinx. He does seem like the most appropriate of company for a double date, his head screwed on the straightest. He and Fireheart seemed to hit it off well. Triple Sevens had his own admittedly impressive little magic card show going on, sleight of hand is a specialty of his. Though everyone eventually started filtering out and we found our way to the bar. It was hard to keep track of everyone until we convened at the bar where I spotted Misty and Sarsy and several empty drinks around them and decided to make quick work of apologizing and making Misty feel less upset. The sisters made up, but I still feel there’s some work to be done in getting completely comfortable between them… Very tricky, but I do like a challenge. I could at least tell Sarsaparilla was enjoying herself and provided great life to the party. Thumbtack was up to his antics messing with Tangent who hilariously snatched the bird out of the air and used him on the pool table. A few other games of pool were played with friendly wagers given and taken. I sat comfortably at the bar and watched Fortuna run around with Thumbtack trapped in her box. Soon we decided to look for our rooms. It appears our Bellmare—Belle Hop was not mentioned without a groan from her coworkers and was told to find her in the boiler room. Wicker Wind was able to find her and when we all convened at the elevator, she operated it to take us to the penthouse suite at the top of the hotel. Even knowing A Pimp Named Buckback, I was stunned by the grandeur of his penthouse. Something to really make you feel on top of the world, like a king even. Something that one could easily get hooked on… We explored the penthouse, though it wasn’t massive and we noticed there was only 4 sets of bunkbeds in a room. Belle told us there was a floor with individual rooms, but we were free to use this as a room for some partying. Well it came with a great view over the city and an even more spectacular view of Jinx, Misty, and even Angel Scales dancing up on the table which caught my interest for the majority of the time. Duk, Ping Wing, and Fortuna played music to accompany them. Sarsparilla as adventurous as ever looked for a way out of the top floor, Angel Scales using a door knocker to create a door and we decided to venture even higher up, to the roof! After a bit of stargazing, Sarsparilla and Moon Planter flew far down to investigate a flashing light, returning and being utterly befuddled by what they’d seen without giving any real explanation. Belle flipped out and insisted we were here to steal her job, having recognized us from an amazing magazine cover—though we had no intention of doing so. As disgruntled as we all were, we decided to help in exchange for promise of the best vacation ever afterwards. On the 13th floor of the hotel we experienced rage-induced haunts and ghosts that tried to jump into us. Just as angry from having our vacation interrupted with work, there was little prestige or flair in slicing through ghosts until we found a large ghost in a cowboy hat spouting nonsense that I was far too buzzed to really pay attention to. Belle did most of the talking and investigating, the ghosts apparently wanted a ‘room’ to themselves. The solution for the haunted floor of the hotel was signing over the rooms for ghosts to use and that seemed to make them happy. This was done through a call in the boiler room on the 1st floor. However we were unhappy. We moved up from the boiler room to the 2nd floor, which had been completely rented out for us to quickly claim our rooms. I’d say I hit the jackpot finding the room with a premium bathroom, extra-large tub, and an extra bed. All I needed was my guests—we all needed our guests off the roof! We went up to gather them. Sarsparilla seemed the most disappointed with the evening however, perhaps understandably while drunk, she tipped Belle to leave her alone and went to the beach with Thumbtack. Triple got snappy with the kirins and struck my own nerve. His whole attitude has been horrendous for the 8 weeks or so and frankly I’ve nearly fully ran out of patience with him. We all decided to turn in from there. At least my night got a bit better as Jinx and Misty showed their appreciation in having defended their honor. The next morning we were served breakfast in bed and had a universal plan to go to the beach—but not before a quick trip to the shops for some appropriate swimwear. Tangent and I bought a pair of fashionable shades, Moon Planter went off with Fireheart alone, and the rest of us got what we needed for a day at the beach. When we arrived at the beach, mares and stallions split up to get into our gear. Not everyone normally wears anything anyways—but I get it I suppose. At the least it left a marvelous show of the dames walking down their path with the kirins absolutely killing it in their wear. Jinx and Misty as brazen and confident as you could imagine, Angel Scales in a surprisingly revealing two piece, even Fireheart impressed in the same regard, though clearly more nervous. Ivory Drop seemed the most out of place. Lastly Tangent forewent a swimsuit and Fortuna had on an… interesting look with her own bikini. Coincidentally I Sarsy and Thumbtack had chosen this beach to pass out on, in clothing that indicated they had their own fun out on the town. With everyone together we were able to have a quite enjoyable, uninterrupted second day of vacation on the beach. Being fresh water and NOT being a stickler, I was happy to go in the water myself while Moon Planter set up a bonfire and began a long cooking of Heatfang’s heart, a very brutal but symbolic event that drew a number of reactions from the party. Though I had been skeptical at first, Sarsy’s gem from the pyramids had made for a rather entertaining robot companion. An interesting design that came with drinks of all kinds for the party to enjoy! Thumbtack harassed Tangent some more for the previous day’s antics, Triple somehow surfed on Fortuna’s box, there was a kirin splash fight, and I was treated to a number of delightful kirin sounds along with some other antics... It seemed to be a great day for everyone, and as the sun went down and it got cooler, we were gathered around the campfire where I tried a part of the heart that Moon Planter insisted on. It was spicy, and an experience to say the least. No one else seemed very particularly hungry for the heart, but I shared my genuine appreciation for Moon Planter, the moment, the work to cook it, and the gesture. Then at a patio along the road we all shared more drinks, and stories as we fished for happier tales. We were able to see ghosts and spirits freely flying in and out of the 13th floor, even recognizing some coming all the way from Wati. The bartenders made sure not to overserve us and we returned to the hotel. I mingled a tad more before turning in. We work hard and travel together through horrid conditions for timeless glory, and this vacation is well deserved. These bonds are strong but everyone is entitled to their own method of rest and relaxation and ponies deserve to enjoy their rest and relaxation however they want even if it’s not with the entire group all the time. That’s some advice I may take myself tomorrow as I feel I could still focus better on particular things... I may have forgotten some details but it’s been an eventful two days and it’s a lot to keep up with. I’m only up writing because I feel too good to let this night end. That second bed came in very handily to say the least and they might need a crane to get me out of this room in the morning. I’m thinking a new title may be in order… Swift Sail the Kirin Tamer has a good ring to it next to The Dragonslayer.

Lectra's Log

Time. It washes away pain and pleasure alike without discrimination. You can't collect or hoard it, still some have too much of it, and others too little. Not even Ivory Drop can do anything to hinder its inevitable march forward. There's something inspiring about the certainty of it, but I respect its power. Once I heard a clockwork tell me that our plane is a machine, and time was its fuel; Without time, the cogs of reality cannot turn. Today, I have too little time. I came to Bellmare with my new friends for some rest and relaxation after Wati. We showed up and were quickly greeted by an employee named ~~Bellmare~~ Bellhop. She seems like a nice mare, albeit a little scattered at times. As we entered the lobby of The Crescent Moon Hotel's lobby, she told us that the comedy act that she was expecting never showed up and asked if we would perform in lieu. Although I wanted to get on with my vacation, I didn't want to get off on the wrong hoof with our hosts, so I agreed to join in on a little bit of the fun. Fortunately it turns out Moon Planter moonlights as a stand up comic or something, as I watched him stride out like he owned the place and start his act. Most of us took turns on stage telling jokes, and thankfully for me most of the patrons were already drunk. As the on-stage act was winding down, we filtered into the crowd for some friendly mingling. I watch triple entertain the entire room with a really cool magic trick that I still don't know how he did without casting anything. After our little stint as comics, we went to find the most important room of the evening- the bar. As drinks flowed, I had a couple of great games of pool versus Triple, before settling at the bar counter with our resident dragon slayer, Swift Wing. A few shots of Kirin special later, I noticed Madame Fortuna messing around with thumbtack. Don't get me wrong I love that little bird, but I don't doubt for a second that he didn't do something to deserve her mischief. I had a great conversation with Sarsaparilla about how I'm hard to read for her. I completely understand why I need to, but sometimes feels insincere to say that I'm friends with these ponies with one breath, and tell them I have secrets that I can't share with the next. We had a few more drinks and eventually decided to go see our room. Bellhop led us up the elevator to buckback's penthouse, which was all ours for the duration of our stay. I... I think I danced on a table with Jinx and Misty? Anyways, I *do* remember using that door knocker I found back on Criminisle to get outside, which in retrospect probably wasn't the brightest idea as I nearly walked out and fell. I was graciously flown up to the roof by Swift, and we did some star gazing from the tip of the hotel. I had a really great time up there. The time to go back inside came all too soon, and I held on tight as Swift flew me back down through the window. I must have had far too much Kirin special, because what I remember is going back downstairs and talking to Bellhop. she told us that the 13th floor was haunted and that she was actually a ghost hunter on the side. I remember going to the 13th floor, and almost immediately after I stepped out of the elevator I felt a pressure on the back of my head and I... I... I'm sorry friends. The following morning was better, despite my terrible hangover. We decided that we were going to go to the beach, so we stopped by a store on the way there and I picked up a nice swimsuit. The beach was fantastic. I spent most of my time swimming around since the water was so nice. There was one moment that didn't sit very well with me that day though. While speaking with Duk, I was stricken with a memory of a vision that I witnessed in a past life. Surely she can't be the same mare that I saw with that changeling. I've been traveling with Ivory for years now, and sometimes it's still hard to accept certain ways that the unstoppable tide of time washes over all of us. We headed back to the Crescent Moon. Apparently Swift had reserved a room on floor 2 with extra amenities, and invited me in. The place was almost as nice as the penthouse, quite the change from the neverending dust of Wati. I spent the night with Jinx, Misty, and Swift which was the perfect ending to an eventful day at the beach. I'm looking forward to a few more days of vacation!

Campaign

The Bannermanes

Protagonists