"The Big Date" Part 2 Monday, 18-Sep-00 11:01:33 *The story so far...* Leviathan Walker and Widget Bernouli have finally started their first date, although a little hesitant to do so. With the help of Gadget and some other friends, the couple eventually begin to relax. In fact, newcomers and old friends alike drop by the Coffeehouse to have a good time. Even Tenchi Masaki and Sakuya stop in (with the rest of the "Tenchi in Tokyo" crew following). But all is not right. A mysterious figure is sickened by the events in the Coffeehouse, and orders...HIM...to turn Widget and Leviathan on each other to destroy their love. HIM attempts to do so, but is stopped by Widget's Magical Female Powers[tm]. The figure then tries to hire the bumbling Team Rocket to do the job, but Jessie, James, and Meowth explain that they are symbols of love themselves: "'Evidently you don't know us," James shook his finger disapprovingly, 'if you only read all that fan fiction about us on the Internet you'd see that Team Rocket not only *promotes* True Love wherever it exists, we are its veritable symbol!' 'That's right!' Jessie added, 'All great villains have their admirers, but Team Rocket, alone among all villains, is *LOVED!!!*'" (Roy Neal Grissom) The figure sends Team Rocket blasting off (again ;) back to the Coffeehouse, all the while pondering his next move. ===== The dark figure watched the monitor that showed the events and goings-on in the Ranger Coffeehouse. To see all of this friendship, this love...it sickened him. Then his eye caught sight of someone. "Hmm...yes, YES! Why didn't I see it before? If I eliminate him... then my plan will WORK!" The figure let out a sinister laugh before picking up a nearby phone and dialing a long number. "Hello?" a grizzled voice answered angrily on the other end. "Is this the home of Negaduck?" the figure asked. "Yeah, and who wants to know?!" Negaduck shot back. "Someone who wants your services. I need you to take out someone, and I will be willing to give you a handsome reward if the job is done right," the figure offered. "Hmm..." Negaduck sat in his chair in the Negaverse (his Negaverse, not the *other* Negaverse, you Usagi-ites ;), looking out over the Nega-St. Canard. The evil duck pondered this offer--a huge payday just for rubbing someone out. It didn't take long for him to reach a decision. "Deal! Now what do I need to do?" "I will give you full instructions, and even get you there with no problems. All you have to do is promise that you--and the rest of the Fearsome Five--will get the job done with no foul-ups." "I can't vouch for the rest of those losers, but *I'll* do it right!" Negaduck replied. "Just one more thing--what's this guy's name?" "He goes by the name...Strider." ~~~~~ At the Ranger Coffeehouse, all was going well. The crowd of Rangerphiles, their friends (and creations), and a few anime stars was mingling nicely, and even Leviathan and Widget seemed to be having a good time just eating and talking amongst themselves. All the while, Strider sat at a table near the back of the main room, watching everything go down--alone. "Well, at least *Leviathan* gets to have fun," Strider thought out loud. "If only I had someone to talk to..." ~~~~~ The Fearsome Five appeared at the entrance of the Ranger Coffeehouse, ready to go in and bust up the place. Bushroot, Liquidator, Quackerjack, Megavolt, and Negaduck were primed to enter the building and finish what...HIM...couldn't. "Are you guys sure we should be doing this?" Bushroot asked nervously. "I mean, taking over St. Canard is one thing..." "Plant-Boy's right," Megavolt chimed in. "I mean, sure, blacking out the place I'd enjoy, but I'm not exactly up for THIS!" "Alright, you bunch of namby-pamby wusses!" Negaduck blurted out in anger. "Either you do what you've been told to..." The black-feathered duck whipped out a huge cannon-like gun. "...or you join Strider after I'm done with him!!" "*gulp* Yes, sir!" the other villains answered. "Now let's do this!" Negaduck turned to the door, raised his foot, and kicked the door open. ===== "Quote the Strider, forevermore." Triple-S --- Meanwhile, in a secluded corner of the Coffeehouse . . . . . . a bureau drawer opens, and a palomino, covered with mayonnaise and neckties, stuck his head out. "Well . . . this is the screwiest story I've -ever- been in!" "The Enduring Man-Child" --- Just before the door smashed open... ...a portal flashed open and three people shot out if it, as if the portal had -spit- them out in disgust. Alex McDougal, who was on top of the pile shook his head and asked, "Are we there yet?" The dark-haired human, annoyed with the two mice, was about to demand an explanationm when A feminine moan came from the bottom of the pile. Lawainee then shouted "Get off of me...right NOW!" The two guys moved quickly to comply. - Nearby, a grey rabbit blinked and stared. "How did they do -that-?" Faith Forrester asked the nearest dragon waiter. The red dragon just shrugged. - Lawainee was not a happy mouse. But just as she began to vent her fury, the main door smashed open with a loud crash. - Kat --- The door smashed open... "He's got a gun!" Several party-goers screamed, a few threw things, one or two threw other party-goers, and a handful pulled out their own artillary. The Magic and Force users? Well, they began doing whatever exotic things they were in the habit of doing prior to wreaking terrible havoc. Jack grabbed the espresso maker, which screamed in panic as he hurled it at the Yellow-Clad-Mallard-of-Death, Negaduck! Then he charged, hoping the forces of evil would be distracted by the incoming high-octane beverage. AtticRat had vanished into the woodwork - literally - but above the front door a ceiling tile lifted away to reveal the grinning rat armed with a pot of angry live lobsters liberated from the kitchen. He poured them out into the evil doers as they attempted to crowd into the small lobby... Karl --- amidst the chaos Tuesday, 19-Sep-00 11:56:57 Quakerjack’s snapping teeth chased Dale across room. Megavolt was using a sword made from pure electricity to duel with Chipper the Jedi Chipmunk. Bushroot was causing several plants to grow up from the floor and bind half the partygoers. Negaduck was blasting away at random targets and laughing maniacally. AtticRat dumped a pot angry lobster onto the group, but unfortunately, most of them landed on the Liquidator. “Looking for that special something to hit the spot? Try LIQUIDATOR brand New England Lobsters! They’ll hit the spot all right!” He said directing a stream of water, containing the lobsters, onto the crowd. “uh..Boss” Bushroot asked nervously. “WHAT!?!?!?” answered Negaduck. “What’s this Strider guy look like anyway?” Negaduck didn’t know. In his zeal to go out and cause general mayhem, he’d forgotten to find out what he looked like. He was furious at himself for the oversight, and even more furious at Bushroot for pointing that out. “SHOOT FIRST! ASK QUESTIONS LATER!” Then suddenly, he was struck by an expresso maker. Needless to say, this was unexpected. The machine landed on top of him, and thanks to his cartoony nature, squashed him flat. It then dispensed a hot cup of expresso into a waiting cup. Quackerjack took the cup and sipped. “Now that’s service! Ha HAHAHAHAH” At their table, Leviathan Walker and Widget Bernoulli were still talking and remained oblivious to the chaos around them. Bushroot’s plants creeped up the table, with several flowers blooming. A piece of flaming debris hit the table, but Leviathan merely flicked it off the table and continued talking. Cliff --- "Hey, what's goin' on here?" --asked Strider as the mayhem caused by the Fearsome Five caught his attention. "Strider, get out! They're after you!" Kat shouted from across the room. "That's him!" a recovering Negaduck screamed to his cohorts, pointing in the direction of the young man Kat had yelled at. "Get him! Get him now!" The villians slowly made their way towards Strider, fending off Rangerphiles, fictives, and even Pikachu (thanks to Liquidator). Negaduck raised his gun, and leered evilly. Just before a punch with the force of a sonic boom nailed him in the jaw. "I don't think so, mate," Monterey Jack said as Negaduck went to his knees, holding his bill. "You wanna get to him, you're gonna have ta go through me!" "And me!" Gadget yelled as she took a place in front of Strider. "And us!" Chipper and Kuwani moved beside Gadget and Monty. "And all of us!" the rest of the Coffeehouse crew (Widget and Leviathan excluded, of course) shouted as they surrounded the F-F. "Uh, boss? We may have a problem here," Megavolt whined. "No duh!" Negaduck retorted. "Uh...heh, heh...sorry, folks... uh, wrong place...RUN FOR IT!!" And with that, the Fearsome Five ran out of the Coffeehouse--and as soon as the exited the door, they were teleported away, prompting a group "Huh?" ~~ "Widget, did you hear something?" Leviathan asked as he looked deep into Widget's eyes. "No, did you?" Widget replied, GAZING at the grey mouse. "I didn't think so." ~~ "Aw, [CITNOGT] it! I *STILL* can't get rid of that...that *LOVE*..." The figure shivered at the mention of the word. "Well, I think one thing's for sure now." The figure waved his hand (just assuming here it's a male), and a dimensional hole opened. "If you want something done right--*DO IT YOURSELF*!!" ===== "Quote the Strider, forevermore." Triple-S --- Hey! What's happening to the subject lines??? Tenchi's lady friends had interrupted fighting among themselves to join in the general rout of the bad guys, but now that that battle was over they fell to fighting among themselves once again. One of them, tired of the bickering, discretely left the group and made her way to a more quiet, secluded corner of the cafe . . . though ironically, it had been this spot where the fighting had been thickest. "Mind if I sit down?" the gorgeous blue-eyed blonde asked Strider, smiling as though utterly ignorant that one with Magical Female Powers(tm) of her calibre should not be asking to sit with a "typical male Internet loser." "W-were you talking to me?" Strider asked, looking up and not daring to believe the vision before him. He half expected her to vanish like a mirage. "Sure! I asked if I could sit here?" "Y--you're Mihoshi!" he stated in unbelief. "That's right!" she said in an absolutely groundless happiness. "Sure, I don't mind you sitting here. But are you sure you hadn't rather be sitting with someone else?" "Why?" she asked. It really was maddening when these types with Magical Female Powers(tm) didn't know their own strength. "I'm afraid I don't have a chance with Tenchi, and I get tired of all the continual fighting." Strider tried to keep from getting his hopes up. But thanks to Mihoshi's Magical Female Powers(tm), he was having a tough time of it. "Say . . . what's wrong with you anyway?" she asked, "You seem unhappy about something. Want to talk about it?" And that clueless smile remained on her lovely face. Must . . . resist . . . temptation! Strider thought within himself, putting up a terrific struggle, mustn't . . . get my hopes up! "Oh. Well, if you'd rather I not sit here then I'll just leave--" "NO!!!" he shouted, completely taken aback by his own vehemence. He blushed as everyone looked at him briefly. "D-don't go. I'm sorry. I'm just afraid I'm not very good company." "Oh, nonsense!" she said, "By the way, my name's Mihoshi." "I know!" he said, again embarrassed by his enthusiasm, "My name's Strider." "Oh, you're the guy the Bad Guys were after! Do you have any idea why?" "No I don't," he said truthfully, "I can't imagine why anyone would make a target of me." And he sounded a little sad. "Say . . . maybe some Evil Force is trying to destroy all the love in the universe and has decided that getting rid of you is the key!" She sounded so satisfied to have thought of it. Strider looked shocked. "Yeah, that's likely!" he sniffed at last, "I'm the only guy here who's never had a girlfriend!" "Oh you poor thing!" Mishoshi said with compassion, "I had no idea. Well . . . Tenchi's got all those other girls fighting over him . . . I can be your girlfriend, at least for a while." Strider was completely taken by surprise. "But . . . but . . . you're so beautiful! You're absolutely, drop-dead gorgeous! You're so intimidating!!!" "Me, intimidating?" she replied with a bit of a sniffle in her own voice, "Oh, I may be conventionally good-looking, but I'm hardly a prize. In case you haven't noticed, I'm clumsy and ditzy and no one's fighting over me." "Well, then I don't know what's wrong with them!" Strider said, instantly ashamed and covering his mouth. Mihoshi, however, was thrilled. "You really mean that?" she asked. "Well, yeah, but I'm sorry if I embarrassed you." "Oh, but you didn't!" she assured him. "But how can a few kind words from me make you so happy?" he asked sincerely. "'Cause you're nice!" she said, "what's so hard to believe about that?" "Well . . . it's just that I've tended to idealize you is all. You know, beautiful girls like you, Sailor Moon, . . . " "Sailor Moon? Oh puh-leeeze!!!" she said with a dismissive wave of her hand, "I don't know if you've ever seen her show, but despite the fact that she's the title character of the permiere Anime series of all time, she's actually quite a dork. Compared to her, Lucy Ricardo seems a graceful creature!" "I heard that!" a familiar voice said from the kitchen. And sure enough, there was Serena herself, scouring a glass with a rag. "Sailor Moon!" Mihoshi and Strider proclaimed at once. "Shhh!!! Don't call me that! I'm here as 'Serena!'" she told them. "But what were you doing back there?" Strider asked. "I'm helping Shag and Scooby with the dishes. They're here from Chateau Pax," she added by way of explanation. "Oh," Strider and Mihoshi said. "But anyway, how dare you, Mihoshi, imply that I, the absolute queen and ruler of all Anime, am anything other than a completely overpowering heartthrob???" "Strider here's feeling like girls don't like him," Mihoshi whispered, though Strider heard her. "Oh, shoot! Don't let them get you down!" Serena said, instantly gregarious and down to earth, "I'm the prettiest girl you'll ever see, and I'M a dork! There are stories I could tell . . . " Mihoshi had an idea. "Excuse me," she said, interrupting Serena, "but I think I have an idea on how to cheer our friend here up. There are plenty of us in here now, aren't there?" "Yes, so???" "LADIES!" Mihoshi announced, and instantly all the females in the room stopped what they were doing and approached to see what the problem was. "Ladies, meet Strider," Mihoshi said, "somehow the evil Force that is trying to destroy love has singled him out as its special target. Yet this young man feels that women don't like him. What are we gonna do about it?" There was a general murmer of sympathy among the females present. There were all the girls from "Tenchi Muyo," Misty and Jessie, Gadget, Kat, Kuwaini, Lawhainie, even a Joy and Jenny had wandered in somehow. In fact, even Widget Bernouli had joined them. "Oh, you're all so wonderful!" Strider said, "but . . . " and he became sad again, "the problem is you're all characters. You're not real." "Well, that's true," Mihoshi said, "but you are friends with real females. There's Natasha and Julie and Kat and Rachel--all the females at the Acorn Cafe. They're really your friends, and their friendship will protect you from ever being a stereotypical Internet-addicted, male loser. So cheer up!" Strider actually smiled. "Yeah . . . yeah, I guess you're right! I just never thought of it that way before." "Okay ladies," Serena said, "put the setting on 'stun;' we won't to help this guy, not break his heart!" "Lock and load!" Mihoshi said. Then all of them--every female in the room--opened wide their feminine eyes and GAZED upon him! There was one, of course, to whom this was totally sickening . . . . ****************************************** TO BE CONTINUED "The Enduring Man-Child" --- [:scratches her head:] Tuesday, 19-Sep-00 20:58:03 E-MC said:"In fact, even Widget Bernouli had joined them." Huh? I thought she was with Leviathan? Do you mean Widget Hackwrench? Oh, wait...she's married...hrmm... [:shrugs:] Anyway, back to the story... --- "I always feel weird when that happens." muttered Kat as she blinked. "At least it's for a good cause" thought the cat-earred human. Then she remembered what Mihoshi just said about the Bad Guys and laughed. "What's so funny?" asked Grace. "It wouldn't have worked." explained Kat. "Strider may have created Leviathan, but he isn't the only Writer who can use him. Naw, whoever sent Negaduck and company only succeeded in tipping us off to what's going on." "But who sent them?" asked Lawhiney, who was surprised (and a little disappointed) that -she- wasn't Negaduck's target. "Good question." Kuwani stated the obvious. "Who would stand to gain the most if there were less love in the universe?" Everybody thought for a moment... Kat --- The obligatory "meanwhile. . ." Tuesday, 19-Sep-00 21:20:13 [...unWARP!!!] Good evening. ************* The Jaguar was once again in the shadows, discreetly licking his wounds. With the shout of "He's got a gun!!", he immediately unwarped and charged at the F-F They had powers of their own, so he was badly electrocuted and water blasted. Ivy ran up his legs, trying to pull him down, but his claws remedied that. With correctly timed warping and unwarping, he was able to get quite a few good punches, and slashes. He still remembered Negaduck from the Ultimate Coffehouse Brawl. . . With them gone, and with him tending to his injuries, he overheard what the females were talking about. Destroy all the love in the Universe? Could that be the TEP he was sensing a while back? And if Stryder wasn't the main target, who could it be. . .? This lonely Panther, who was yet out of luck again, because none of the Sonic Characters (and Bunnie) were available at this time? Naaaaaaaahhhh. . . ************* Until next time, remember: I AM THE J.A.M. Good evening. [WARP!!!] The J.A.M. --- New recruit Tuesday, 19-Sep-00 23:49:32 The mystery figure reconsidered taking matters into his own hands. After such a massive display of Magical Female Powers(TM), He/she/it felt his powers weaken slightly. Returning from whence it came, the being considered his next plan of attack. Finesse hadn’t worked. Brute Force hadn’t worked. Team Rocket wouldn’t try. (Well, it was worth a shot.) What he/she/it needed was someone powerful, yet immune to Magical Female Powers(TM) Several holographic images appeared before him depicting evil and dangerous persons from across time, space, and parallel realities. Mosnwrath? Robotnick and Hyper Metal Sonic? Anubis, Dark warlord of Cruelty? Mirage? Dracula? The magnificent, marvelous, mad madam Mim? The being then considered sending an entire contingent of Kaiju (Giant monsters) to the Dragon planet, to flatten the cafe. It would have been fun to see the entire TOHO gang there, but then a name caught his eye. With a thought, the being caused a rift to appear before him. Through it stepped a tall man with long gray hair and piercing green eyes. On his back hung a huge curved sword. He appeared to be in a trance as he stepped through. “Awaken.” Commanded the being. The man snapped out of his trance and searched his surroundings. “Jenova?” he asked. “No. She is gone. You have failed in your quest and you have died.” The man looked as if he were going to speak, but the being silenced him. “If you kill these three, I will bring her back. And you will destroy that which you hated so much.” Images of Leviathan, Widget and Strider appeared, surrounded by the other characters and rangerphiles of the cafe. A faint emotion appeared across the man’s otherwise cold face. “They will be destroyed. And so will everyone else.” The dark figure then stepped through the wall of the chamber, on his way to begin his task. “Go and destroy them.....Sephiroth.” (Cue creepy sephiroth theme) http://relyc.com/sephiroth/images/ff/sephiroth/seph05.jpg --- In another nearby room: Wednesday, 20-Sep-00 00:17:53 "What'd you get?" "This bag of weird toys, and a hat with a plug thing on top. How 'bout you?" "This big cartoony cannon thing." "Wanna trade?" "Nope, me and big cartoony cannon things go together just REAL well." Jack smiled, then went on "So, what does a rat do with a bag of vicious, killer, toy chattering teeth?" "Me? I just collect stuff. Especially if it's shiny." AtticRat replied. Outside, Gertie tossed away the broken table leg she'd been clubbing evil-doers with, and slapped Hawnurra on the back. "Hon, ah was 'fraid y'all was gon' be on theyah side!" "Gertie, please!" The professional villain remonstrated, "I was off the clock!" He glanced at the Coffeehouse, then added. "After a fellow feline joined in, I really had no choice. It was a matter of honor." "You cats have got some funny ways." "Indeed, so we do." "You don't look so good." "I'll be fine after I wash the taste of Bushroot out of my mouth. What a sap!" Gertie was still giggling as they re-entered the Coffeehouse. In another time, another place... You lost your WHAT???! The Fearsome five were discovering that a few items had gone missing. Karl --- New arrivals settel in... somehow... Wednesday, 20-Sep-00 11:09:56 *sorry, i posted twice before, not incluiding the one that made it, but alas, my posts got lost... Thanks to Kat for picking it up for me* While Aivars was considerably angry about the duo getting him - second time on same trick, no less! - he had to admit, timing of their arrival was excellent. Straight into the chaos. He kicked away one of broken jumping claws, that had tried to get to him. Luckily, someone had managed to smash it before he was bitten. whoever it was, he missed, as he was too busy trying to survive the attack to notice it. - Two others were not better off. "My new dress," Lavainee hissed. "My hair... My dress, the mood killed... Why they!" Alex backed off of the angered female. "They are gone," he said. "What?! They get away?" "More looked that they ran away as fast as they could, after being assaulted by everyone there..." "Alex, watch Aivars, while i try get my dress in the order," Lawainee stormed toward the restroom. "Why bother," Alex grinned, as soon as she disappeared around the corner. "You definitely looked sexy in that wet dress fitting you as glove..." He then decided to join his writer at the one table deeper in the hall, that had survived assault somewhat intact. - After getting some breath back, Aivars looked around, trying to spot familiar faces. Aivars --- Careful what ya ask for... Wednesday, 20-Sep-00 21:27:57 Back in Kat's Lair... The window to Mobius opened, then Bunnie led Knuckles through it. "Hey, Kat!" Bunnie shouted "Ya here?" "Kat left some time ago." a female voice replied, apparently from the storeroom. "Who's there?" asked the red Mobian echidna. A loud "crash" came from the storeroom. Bunnie and Knuckles darted down the hall to investigate. A tan rabbit (who was taller than Bunnie) with a light yellow muzzle, purple eyes, and blond hair staggered out of the storeroom. She shook a bucket off her foot and adjusted her purple cloak. "I'm Kalindra." Knuckles glared at her. "You better be a friend, cuz if you're not..." Bunnie interupted with, "Don't be silly, Knux." and gave Knuckles a Meaningful Look. "Kat asked us to pose for a drawing she's working on. Any idea where she went?" asked Bunnie. "Someplace called the Ranger Coffeehouse." replied Kalindra. "If you know how the silver arch in Kat's workroom works, you can use it to get there." "Thanx." said Bunnie, who then led Knuckles toward the workroom. "No problem." Kalindra replied. Kat --- As the fighting came to a standstill... Thursday, 21-Sep-00 00:21:24 Bedivere Fairmont hadn't moved from his seat the whole time. He'd had a loose button on his leather vest and had been sewing it back in place. When the festivities died down, Gertie sat down next to him. "So what'd ya think of that fight?" Gertie asked. Bedivere looked around. "What fight?" Gertie nearly jumped up in surprise. "You mean you didn't even notice the Fivesome Five and all that whacking and whomping?" Bedivere shrugged. "Sounded like breakfast on mah pappy's ranch. Guess you'll haveta clue me in when a scrape gets goin! Hold that thread a moment, will ya?" Gertie obliged, and Bedivere finished tying the button in place. "There! Now a Texas twister couldn't move it! Say, don't tell me there's no more action to be had!" Bedivere jumped up. "How about a mob o' sidewinders fit fer a Texas prairie bat ta handle?" Bedivere waited, but all he got was annoyed stares, so he sat and tried to pay attention to catch the beginning of the next fight. Uncle Bedivere --- Elsewhere... Thursday, 21-Sep-00 21:03:14 Two figures are walking on a grassy plain. One is obviously trying to convince the other to do something. "Aww... come on... it'll be fun!" The dragon was trying to look as safe as he could. The other was shaking his head, and had stopped. "No, Dyglo, I think not. I know you, Dyglo. I know your nature and your personality. There's no possible way that you'll convince me to go with you." ---------- Moments later.... ---------- "*groan* I can't believe I let you talk me into this." "Loosen up... It's be fun!" The two were walking along, talking as they went. "Aren't we there yet? We could have just flown, you know." "Calm down! We're almost there. Just remember, be yourself." The two kept walking, and within moments, they were within sight of the Coffeehouse. ------------ "-and so, it's obviously clear that by Thurmagen's third law, when combined with astronomical constilations, and the n'th power of pi, that my answer is the correct way of thinking." The squirrel receiving the speech just crossed his arms, and stood up straighter. "I don't care what you think. I still say the chicken came first." Further debate between the two was cut short as the door opened. A few looked in it's direction to see a familiar scaled form come through the door. "Dyglo!" they shouted, then returned to what they were doing. "Reminds me of an episode of Cheers," muttered the one entering after the dragon. The black and white fur pattern was unmistakable. The skunk had long white hair, wore a pair of pants (modified) and a shirt. His blue-green eyes looked over the place, then turned to Dyglo. "Maybe it wasn't such a bad idea coming after all." Batting his hair out of the way showed a small patch of black fur shaped like an upside-down heart. "Wait 'till you try the cappacinos," grinned Dyglo. "No thanks, just give me a nice glass of tomato soup." He turned, and tripped over an espresso machine somebody left on the floor. Needless to say, he went head over.... tails? There were three tails draped over him, all connected to the extreme lower part of his back. "Whose idea was it to put that there?" Dyglo went and helped Chris up. "It's probably better not to ask. You okay, Chris?" "Just a little hurt pride," he answered, making his way to a table. Dyglo --- AtticRat had stashed his treasures safely away: Friday, 22-Sep-00 00:01:26 When Dyglo brought Chris to the Coffeehouse, so he was there to see the accident. "Wow! Last time I saw you, you were equipped with two tails. You've graduated!" "It's an honor I could do without." Chris didn't seem in a bragging mood about the additional anterior appendage. "Well, whatever! You missed a heck of a fight, the villains from DarkWing Duck tried to get somebody or other, but we drove 'em off!" AtticRat somehow managed to imply the victory had been mostly his doing... "Uhm, yeah.. I see" Dyglo was looking over the wreckage, as a seemingly endless stream of staff members in uniform cleaned up and put away various bits and pieces. "There were some intrusions of Ultimate Evil as well." Jack, the ex-Doom Marine put in. "Best be watchful, they may return." "This was a good idea, coming here. Right?" Chris questioned his friend Dyglo. --- While it all was going on... Friday, 22-Sep-00 14:29:08 One wery angered female mouse was busy in the restroom, using big warm air hairdyer to get her fur and her dress dry again. "Whoever did this to ME, really has a nerve," she hissed. "To think that he ruined my best chances to get MY story done after ten years wait!" --- Somewhere far away the Ultimate Evil Force suddenly got a burning flashlight over his head! The subtlety had failed, the Force had been met with even greater force. Arrival on person near got him vaporized... It seemed, time was ripe for some inside job... Forget those Team Rocket losers... He had just to check and to whisper few words to the right one, and he would get what he wanted. The problem now was to find teh right one to whisper to... somehow he didnt have any wish to get there for a second time in person... -- Alex plopped down near Aivars, sniffed at his glass unceremonially, wrinkled his nose and sighted. "Hoped i get something stronger?" Writer smiled. "After what we get thry, i expected that much." "Now, why you dragged me away from my home?" "Lawainee got an idea..." "And you sure agreed to it." "Try disagree with her." There was silence. "Well, i think, i can't hold it against you," Aivars said at the end. "She sure can get what she wants. By way, what were you writing, when we dropped that portal on you?" "Oh, nothing. Just translating another story from russian... 'Lawainee goes Hawaiian' by Roman..." Alex paled. "The one Lawainee hates with passion?" he gasped. "Well... technically its alternate history, so Lavainee LAIT has nothing to do with it..." "Try tell her that. Mind to ask, how far did you get?" "I just got an answer from Kat, that she had read it and corrected my errors, i was answering her questions." Aivars --- "So -that's- what she's been doing."... ...commented the cat-earred human as she stopped near Aivars's table. "I wondered what my Writer was up to; thought she was goofing off and playing those 'Might & Magic' games again." She then expected a comment from the Female Voice From Above, but then remembered that Kat (the Writer) couldn't pull that stunt in the Coffeehouse. "You didn't know?" Aivars asked, puzzled. "Didn't you get a copy if it?" Kat T'Shober shrugged. "It's probably somewhere in the Lair if I did. I always get a copy of anything my Writer has read." "Do you know what's going on here?" asked Alex. "Only that some sort of evil force has taken offense to the love that's been displayed here." "Evil force?" asked Alex. "Yeah, but my Writer doesn't know which one, so I don't either. Whoever--or whatever--sent Negaduck is bound to make another move soon, so maybe we can do somthing about it next time." Kat saw Chris and Dyglo a few tables away. "When did he get a new look?" she asked as she gestured in Chris's general direction. Both guys shrugged. "Later, guys." said Kat before walking toward the cappucino machine. Kat --- [...unWARP!!!] Good evening. ************ The TEP behind all this was watching as more and more characters entered the Coffeehouse. "All those humans and furries REEKING of discusting love. . .and now MORE and MORE of them are converging---!!" *CONVERGING* "That's it!! That was rather foolish of them, to put all their eggs in one basket!! Leviathan and Widget will just be the tip of the iceberg, and with all of them in the same place, EVERYONE will fall like a stack of dominoes, and ALL the love will be gone from the universe quicker than I thought!! Now, time for me to carry out the PERFECT plan!!" The Tremendously Evil Presence slithered about the nether-regions, devising, constructing. . . ************ Until next time, remember: I AM THE J.A.M. Good evening. [WARP!!!] --- "I have a headache", said the cappucino machine. "OK, I shouldn't have thrown you at Negaduck. I apologise. How can I make it up to you? Scrub out your coffee grounds disposal bin?" Jack was having difficulty obtaining a cup of the strong, bitter, oily-looking brew he favored. The cappucino machine made an anatomically impossible (without extreme pain, in any event) suggestion, and Jack walked away, knowing he was not going to win this one. "Never pick a fight with the cook." He muttered. As he left, he heard the machine practically purring as it offered it's services to the next customer, a woman with ears like a cat's. Ah, well... AtticRat was still talking about the "big fight" he had participated in. It was probably the first enemy action he'd ever seen, Jack guessed. He sat and offered backup for the stories, as the few new arrivals who had not seen the fight looked suitably appreciative of their derring-do. When all else fails, tell tall tales. Karl --- A revalation (at least for me) Chatting idly with Chris, Dyglo is suddenly hit by a memory. "Hmm... mysterious villians, love, a bit of MFPs, and I'm here. Wasn't it that way last time? I just hope that the Coffeehouse doesn't explode again. That's not an experience I want to go through again," he mutters to himself. Chris looks curiously at Dyglo. "Did you say something?" "Nah. Not really." ~Funny, I don't remember Chris looking like that last time...~ "Okay. I'm gonna get a refill. Want something?" "A Mocha, please." The skunktsune then walked off to place the orders. Weaving through the crowd, a human familiar to him wanders up, and hands the dragon a note. It reads, "Dyglo, it is me, but I've decided to take my human self out of the picture. That across the table is my new representation. Show him the ropes, would you? If it's possible, try to fill him in on the history. -Chris Davis P.S. Keep him away from Rose. I'm not sure how the two would react to each other. It could be catastrophic." Crumpling the note, Dyglo leans back a bit to ponder this development. ~Hmm... that could bring up some good pranks... maybe later.~ ------------ In the corridors, a young skunkette pauses as a feeling of forboding passes over her. "Prob'ly nothing. Quit being paranoid." She shrugs it off, and continues on her way. Dyglo --- Pondering around Monday, 25-Sep-00 11:05:43 "Well, since Kat seems busy, may You tell us more about what happened before our arrival," Aivars said Kat T'Shoeber. "I mean, first time we arrived through the game of DOOM, and someone decided to set the monster difficulty to highest one once we were in... Now once we arrive, the Fearsome Five decide to pay a visit at the same time... Who is this resident Evil thing and why does he hate this place?" "Maybe he is some writer, that wants to write, but cant?" Alex relaxed in his chair, eyeing the new discussion partner thry the half-closed eyes. "Maybe all he needs is a good help from us?" Aivars --- Kat sipped her cappucino... ...and gave Alex a thoughtful look. "Hmm. I can't rule out the possibility, but it seems like there's more to it than that. And the trouble last time started -before- you guys arrived. This time, uh, several fictives said they sensed something wicked before these attacks began. Anyway, this Evil Presence seems to take offense to love, Magical Female Powers, and goodwill in general. There's quite a bit of those three things here." "But they are not exclusive to the Coffeehouse. This evil force seems hate this place in particular." Alex commented. Kat shrugged. "This is getting us nowhere. Kat, what happened before we arrived?" Aivars asked again. Kat began with,"Well, Widget and Leviathan were having their diner date and the rest of us were trying to stay out of their way..." Kat --- Re: Kat sipped her cappucino... "Hmm, i cant see there anything that could have drawn It to the Caffeehouse," Alex chukled. "Other that the habit to jump persons unsuspecting, like a certain duo likes to do," Aivars noticed. "By way, where did Lawainee go?" "Last i saw her, she was heading toward restroom to do something about her wet dress. Maybe we should ask Kat to check on her, but tats up to you, dear," Alex answered. "Maybe answer was into the first time... It had something to do with Magical Female Power diasppearing, if i remember right?" Kat nodded. "I wonder, if he is trying it again... then again, considering how my companion has near melted out, you sure havent lost your powers," Aivars smiled. Aivars ---