Game Session 4A - War Games

[Dray]

Forthcoming the week of Thanksgiving.

Thanks to everyone for a thoroughly enjoyable game.

[Wildfire]

I wasn't really sure what to expect with this. I thought maybe it would be us doing hand to hand stuff. This was a pleasant surprise and invigorated an element of the game that is often unseen.

Well done! I may be borrowing this method of grand warfare in the future!!

[Dray]

01.02.2133 - Game Session 4A - Wargames

The following is an account of what what transpired at Session 4, edited and revised from River's perspective.

River sat aside Temmit on the top level of the battle wagon. The latch banged closed, it had quickly become warm inside as they departed for the site of the WarGame. Temmit simply fell into himself in quiet meditation, the close quarters with the other students not allowing River and he to talk in any great depth to what Temmit had psionically observed back at the Houses.

He worried for the younger children, as he knew first-hand what the twisted priests were capable of. All he, Kristen and Emma knew was that they were testing some new technology in this particular event.

There would be a lot of Whisper Members attending this one. By River’s unspoken calculations, thirty percent of the secret guild were age 15, and whether by coincendence or evil design, many of them had not yet attended their first required WarGame.

‘So most would be attending this one,’ he thought darkly.

Each of the 24 students, packed into 4-foot square spaces in the wagon was almost immediately feeling the heat and discomfort of what was to be a long ride. Many had already tossed outerwear of their uniforms onto the floor below and were making quiet deals with one another for leg and arm-stretching space. One girl even laid out across the laps of four boys, preferring the comfort over the lack of humility.

River was so glad Kristen was with the Deaconess contingent. As dangerous as this event was, she didn’t have to put up with these inhumane conditions. He worried about her, her and Emma. They both, despite their vow of secrecy to Whisper which included a promise to keep one’s head low, wanted to prove themselves at this event. Kristen was a Keeper of the Flame, not a position of safety by any means. And his girlfriend was the top candidate to be the bearer of the torch, not only here but for the military in three years.

He needed to find a way out for both of them before then…Torch Bearer was a position with a high mortality rate.

Lost in his thoughts, River worried about everyone save himself as the wagons charged across the countryside, weather and deep snow notwithstanding.

more to come...

[Dray]

The rear hatch blasted open and with it, a nice rush of cold air. The students snapped awake around him and gathered their things, most having cat-napped the entire way. Although River did observe some “funny business” between that loose girl across the boys laps, one of them having his hand up her shirt at one point.

“File out soldiers!” had been the command. River noted that it lacked bite though, almost as if their escorts knew how uncomfortable the ride was for them.

He nudged Temmit who he discovered was already awake, and crawled out the latch and into the pre-dusk sky.

The western expanse, River had been here a few times. There was hardly a place in the world he hadn’t been. He felt no connection to this place whatsoever, for it was one of the most desolate. Not a tree could be seen for miles.

The wagons and horses were on a muddy road that surrounded a large stable. Beyond and ahead was what looked to be a large mess or greeting hall, a cobblestone walkway from the muddy road led to it. Beyond the building was a large area that had been cleared of snow. From here he recognized the stacks and stacks of two-man tents waiting at the edge of the clearing. The clearing fairly protected from snow drift by 8-foot tall walls of granite stone.
Beyond the tent area was another large building, similar in construction to the first, the side with length showing two large warehouse-like sliding panels at its front.

To the South and to his right the war machines lay in wait; eight heavy mangonels and seven, 30-foot tall siege towers with their massive spotlights atop them. All lined up behind a barbed wire fence that looked to be 300 feet long.

Hundred of yards up a hill to the north, immensely tall poles with black curtains draped between them hiding tomorrow’s surprises from view. River knew that beyond them and down a hill was also a barracks that housed the military for the West. The same military that guarded the border, also trained a contingent to perform the WarGame for the school.
Most of the students were making a straight line rush for the restrooms in the Livery, he and Temmit waited in line for their turn.

“They have opened the Mess Hall for a special feast prior to tomorrow’s game. It isn’t highly unusual but it is a rare treat. At least we won’t be eating dry rations tonight,” he stated to Temmit who gave him a nod. River knew the boy’s superior mind well, and didn’t interrupt it, allowing him his observations.

As they waited to pee, he looked out for more Whisper members, and without surprise, found many. Shannon Auvryndyr was standing in the girls line looking very put upon. She was just as good looking as Kristen but an entirely different person. River expected the hot head to land herself in the prison mines long before her draft in the military. He smiled, as he knew that is probably the way she preferred it.

Lucien was there, ‘what was that kid’s last name again?’ he wondered. Good kid though, if not a bit quiet like himself. River had War Machines with him, and the kid really enjoyed tinkering with the mongerels. Yes, Lucien was going to have fun this weekend.
Harrison, River’s greatest hope but most worrisome ally in the Clergy, was ten boys behind him in line. Harrison was an introvert who had long ago befriended their future guild leader. And he knew that Emma and he were quickly becoming more than just cloth buddies. That was not what worried him though, for Emma could certainly use some compassion and love in her life. No, what worried him is that from the very beginning, almost 4 years ago when Tristan Banks had approached Harrison to make him a member of Whisper, he had been trouble. Not trouble in the sense that Harrison was ever bad to the guild or disloyal.

No.

Harrison always was and still is an antagonist to his future girlfriends father. And it was possible that the High Priest knew it too. Fresenius had assigned Harrison to that crazy Zedd out in Lakeshore in lieu of allowing the teacher-praised student his allotment of time in the central church.

And there was Marcus, who just made it to the end of the line. He watched as he saw Jena pass him in line while giving the chameleon a knowing smile.

‘Interesting note to talk to Temmit about,’ he thought.

Xavier abruptly jumped in line in front of Temmit who said nothing at the rude behavior. They had learned long ago not to fan the flame of Xavier’s odd sense of humor.

A senior didn’t have this understanding though.

“Hey man, what gives?!”

Xavier’s sense of humor evaporated from his eyes as he stared past River and at the older but slightly shorter kid.

The senior looked away, suddenly very aware of the danger.

River almost laughed as he said to his big friend, “man, you are such a bad ass,”

...still more coming...

[Dray]

River had never been in the Mess Hall before, and upon passing through the massive dark-forest pine double doors, was a bit surprised to find that there were no other interior rooms within this grand hall. From exterior wall to exterior wall it was one large 50’ by 30’ eating area.

An enormous 5 foot by ten foot granite stone fireplace stood in the middle of the Hall, it was the first thing that caught his eye. It’s gray-stone pillar chimney shooting straight up to a lofty ceiling created by massive beams of the same Safe-Haven wood. It appeared that the very section of the Safe-Haven forest which he understood had been in that very spot centuries ago was used to construct this one building. The dark color of the pine could be seen everywhere between column after column of granite stone.

The room was filled with long dark-forest pine tables reaching from the door to the doors across the hall. A raised platform, a stage, was at left-center of the left hand wall. Long enough and deep enough to have a 10 foot long table against the wall with seating enough for 5.

Within these seats currently sat the mate-heads River had expected. High Priest Fresenius, a man that River all too often saw across a dark-pine desk in his office at the Church, was at the table’s center. To his left and right, members or representative members of the Council of Five. Cyric was not in attendance, but instead his lackey Richard was there, ‘with his long-nose into everything’, River thought. The ancient prude Mindera apparently couldn’t make it, and sent along some novice girl who foolishly was wearing her mining guild tabard. Mark Jamerson, Master of Commernce and x-lawyer sat to Fresenius left, ’probably stroking him under the table, the brown noser,’ River thought wickedly. And last but not least was Trydarion Myst, who was assigned both the post of Council Member and Outer-Rim Defense Minister after his predecessor Leroy charged into an outer-rim breech without backup.

All five of them sat with arms and elbows off the table and scanned around the grand hall as the students entered. None of them appeared to have plates in front of them and may have already eaten, only steaming coffee steel cups visible.

A Judge in full uniform stood in front of the stage at its right-hand corner. His massive form fully dressed in his gold-inlaid black plate mail armor. He stood rigid like a statue while his black metal gauntlets grasped the hilt of his two-handed sword with its business end planted firmly in the wood before him. The only way one could tell the suit wasn’t empty was because the winged helm moved slowly right and left. River wasn’t sure which one it was, but knew that it wasn’t of the original three, who were more and more being pushed out of the Order by Fresenius.

Behind the Judge was a stairwell that dropped quickly into the floor.

As classmates filed in and sat at the wooden benches at the long tables they began to relax a bit despite the presence of the High Priest and his guests who merely watched on.

The room filled quickly and soon was a buzz with students glad to be free of the warm wagons, and with a lot of unspent energy to still use. No one had been offered lunch while on route, so the distinct smell of roasted turkey that emanated through the floor boards below and the stairwell soon had everyone very anxious for a feast.

And a feast it was.

Suddenly, from the stairwell below came dozens of young men and women with trays and trays of food. Each tray held a half-dozen full course meals on steel plates, one for each student. The feast consisted of roasted thigh and breast of chicken, a baked potato and a cup of vegetable soup with a big slice of honey bread.

River smiled as Temmit asked for hot water from one of the servers.

“Desperate enough for coffee that you brought that instant concoction?” he asked him. Temmit nodded.

The students, who were relaxed enough to simply talk and joke in front of the important men, were now so incredibly surprised at the feast, they were cheering and laughing very loudly. River waited for a ball to drop that never came.

The Priest made no move to stop anyone or try to regain the composure of the students. All enjoyed the feast as if they were back in their common rooms in the school district.

A hand went buy as the students enjoyed the good meal and then continued on with a bit of frivolity, expending some of the pent up energy as they did so.

Finally, one of the pair of guards at the tent area end of the Hall let in a soldier who came to the front of the Hall, at the stage, to make an announcement. As students of a strict school, you knew your brief interlude of normalcy was over.

“Attention!” the soldier yelled.

Almost as one the students rose at attention, they were after all, in a military school.

“Briefing will now begin. At ease.”

...the hard part (for me), Emma's speech coming up next...

[Dray]

Everyone sat but remained at military attention as River watched with trepidation. Kristen had told River already what was to come next; Emmanuelle’s speech, one that which was her very first in a public setting.

He looked over at Harrison who sat a table away. The other boy didn’t have show any sign of nerves whatsoever. He was either confident in her ability to pull it off after having practiced with her all weekend in Lakeshore, or, he was really good at disguising his anxiety.

River wasn’t sure which it was, but he did have one other more pleasant thought. ‘For their sake, I hope that isn’t all they did this past weekend,’ he smiled while his own memories returned to the form of his Kristen laying with him in his knapsack this past summer. The unbidden thought summoned a fierce longing in his chest to see her, and he fought to stifle the vision so he could return to the moment.

Emmanuelle Keepsake came up the stairwell from the kitchen below, her long brown hair wrapped in fine gold threads, her lovely young form caressed in a white silk dress. The sleeves ended almost at the end of her fingertips, both the cuffs and the hem of the skirt which touched the floor an elaborated lattice pattern. Another, single fine gold chain accentuated her curves as it lay loose around her waist.

 “Hello fellow class mates, as some of you know, I am Emmanuelle Keepsake, age 15 of the Clergy house and daughter to our High Priest Fresenius,” started Emma. She had a very gentle but commanding presence, and although some whispered in the Hall (as many didn’t even know Fresenius even had a daughter) they quickly quieted.

She crossed her hand in front of her and began. “Over two thousand years ago, Our Almighty Father Kaine overcame impossible odds to create a Safe-Haven for humankind, what we do here the next few days, insures that his sacrifice wasn’t in vain.”…

...more to come, I am skipping the speech though, it would have been a self-absorbing exercise that was too much of a time-sink this afternoon...

[Dray]

Her speech was incredible. Not only did it convey all the elements and responsibilities they would face tomorrow, it weaved in a harrowing tale of Kaine’s history. Even Shannon, a non-believer, was touched by the sheer artistry in its creation and presentation.

The last words were accompanied by scattered applause which erupted into students cheering and rising from their seats for a standing ovation.

River, as he was sure others had, also caught some queues meant specifically for Whisper. Little nuances of her speech that spoke to them and them alone. ‘Right under your fathers’ nose and there isn’t anything he can do about it. Well done future leader,’ River thought proudly.

He looked over at Harrison who was just at that moment giving Fresenius a stare that spoke to only one thing, he wanted the man dead. ”He has to be thrilled with her performance though,” he thought out loud.

Temmit who had followed his companions stare returned, “I imagine he is River, I imagine he is.”

...death and dismemberment to come...

[Dray]

The group of 202 students were ushered outside and back into the cold where they received tomorrow’s war uniform which included their blood powder weapons. Each uniform consisted of a simple cold weather outfit made to be worn on top of the standard leather armor uniform the students were already wearing. Each of piece if this new gear; a cloak, leather gauntlets which had bracers that ran up the arm, and loose breeches, had been imbued with a white paste.

This was the white chemical was spoken to in Emma’s speech. When touched by the red “blood” powder it would make a red smoke that would indicate the participant’s injury within the game. If smoke came from the torso, the referees in the field could whistle you dead. If the wound came from a body part, the referee’s could whistle that body part injured, which meant a combat medic would run to you and install a combat injury cast on you, which rendered that body part very uncomfortable to use.

Once past the Wargame gear line, the students moved to the tent area.

Trained in the fundamentals of camp setup since they were five years old, the students quickly divided into teams to either set up three large bonfire or their two-man tents. Within the packs was also chocolate, snow-mellows and granite cracker treats that became the highlight at the evening bonfire.

After returning to Temmit’s side after his lieutenant had a contest of wills with Marcus, he warned him about the flammability of the blood powder, then walked off to tell all the other whisper members, asking them to pass on the information to their units tomorrow.

“Hello River,” Marcus said to his backside as he walked the camp.

River ignored him and kept on walking. He heard, “you are on the wrong side,” before passing out of earshot.

...this is getting a bit sloppy, as I have a 6-year old vieing for my attention...

[Dray]

The next morning was incredibly cold, but through the thanks of the Lord Kaine (or whatever god the Whisper students believed in) there was no wind whatsoever. All of the students were assigned one of four general posts.

 The first, and perhaps most important tactically, was the mangarel, a four-man light catapult. This catapult vaulted fifty pound sacks of blood powder at an incredible maximum range of 1000 feet. Modified for the war game, a very light steel wire was attached to each pack of ammunition, with increments of 20 feet marked along its entire the length. When loaded, the wire would be wrapped around the range-marker (a wooden post attached to the side of the mangerel) at the distance decided. After launched, when the ammunition reached the distance denoted, the wire would allow it to go no further and rip off the covering, scattering blood powder in a 30 foot radius explosion of red dust.

The second, was the Siege tower, a thirty-foot tall structure that served in this game as more of watching post, each having a two-man operated tower light. From this vantage the mangerels could be directed more accurately.

The third, was the front line defense. Beyond a fence of 300 yards long made of barbed wire, the footmen, armed with pike, bow, shield and sword awaited the frontal assault from the military men who would be playing the part of the Karh’Thul.

The fourth, was the position held only by clergy students, the combat medics. It was their thankless job to put on the injury casts when directed by referees. They also had to decide who to let live and who was expendable, for they had the important task of healing the critically wounded on the field when they thought necessary. They had five vials of (fake) potions to heal, and had to use them wisely.

...I know that I am leaving out a lot of stuff, but

you guys were there
*I am running out of time

...[/color]

[Dray]

The battles went very well and years of military school had paid off for every one of the 202 students. Another contributing factor to the victories was the Whisper Guild members being scattered about the four different regiments. With their leadership and encouragement, the waves of Outer-Rim Defense soldiers (playing the part of Kahr’Thul) were defeated time and time again. It was only when the spider machines advanced on them (with the young children driving) did the students actually see real battle.

But in the end, the entire invading Kah’Thul army had been vanquished and, more importantly, no one on either side had been killed or even seriously injured.

It was now night, the evening after the battle on the third day of the new year. River stood alone in the stables, his back against the wall of one of the stalls. He had been brushing out Ruse, Kristen’s Deaconess charger and had stopped to take a break. The other students had long since abandoned the stables, along with all of their equipment, and gone on to the mess hall where a celebration was being held in their honor. River lacked the enthusiasm for so many people and decided to stay behind to take care of the dozen or so horses. They kept him far better company than the foolish children from his school.

His long-time friend Ruse nuzzled him with her nose. He smiled knowing that he was going to have to brush her out an additional time if he wanted a good report from her going back to Kristen. He continued on happily.

When Leslie appeared out of nowhere behind him, he nearly jumped out of his skin. The girl was getting very good at her stealth and he had no idea how she had gotten into Ruse’ stall with him seeing her come through its opening.

“What are you…” he began but she put up a finger to her lips. The look in her eyes stopped his speech as much as the hushing motion. He suddenly heard a group of boys enter the other end of the barn. He turned his head and then took a few steps to the gate of the stall to hear them better. They were laughing and carrying on about someone mating a horse. It sounded like that there was at least five or six of them. Although neither River nor Leslie could see them from their vantage point, there was also no way to leave the stall without being seen.

He looked back at her for a signal as to what was going on. Something told him that this wasn’t simply an innocent story of a few boys wandering away from the party.

His instinct was verified when he saw the fear in the little girls’ eyes, one of those baby blues still seeing from under a large yellowing bruise that the poor kid had endured only a week ago at the hand of a kidnapper.

She mouthed the name ‘Marcus’ silently and a chill went through River. He quickly surmised that Leslie must of taken it upon herself to trail Marcus and had come here to warn him. And Leslie wasn’t skittish, she wouldn’t have come if she thought Marcus had simply wandered in here in happenstance, Marcus was definitely up to something.

“Shannon went to get Temmit,” she whispered.

“Why is Marcus specifically targeting me?” he replied in the same hushed tone.

As if on queue he heard Marcus yell out, “River? You in here?!”

…stay tuned, more forthcoming…

[Dray]

(OOC: don't miss the new post above as well. This all occurs the night after the big WarGames battle.)

River raised an eyebrow to Leslie in response. His initial thought was to grab her, jump on Ruse back, and charge out of the stable. But if Fresenius heard that anyone other than a Deaconess touched the charger, let alone rode it, he and Leslie would be jailed and Ruse put down. He simply couldn’t risk it.

‘Stay hidden,’  he signaled in guildspeak.

(OOC; Wildfire, I recently decided that the more experienced characters in Whisper Guild would have a form of sign language to talk to one another. This language is limited to two simple-word sentences should you want to use it in any post.)

Leslie nodded but didn’t seem committed to the promise. River raised a finger to scold her and she thought for a moment, then nodded again. River noted that her shoulders shrugged, indicating she had acquiesced to his command. He turned and stepped out of the stall.

Marcus had five other boys with him, each of which River knew. River took note of each just a moment before they noticed him. Ronald Young (age 15, Protectors House) was laughing alongside Jeffrey Collins (same age, same house). The two ‘Protectors’ were best friends in school and both heavily involved in student government. Just behind the pair were Marcus and Stu (the stooge) Fallcrest (age 16, Builders House). The hall monitor seemed to be in his glory, his brown nose held high as if he was on his own personal government mission. And closing the sliding stable doors were Stan Meeks (age 15, Providers) and Ryan Shirk (age 15, of the Clergy). River understood why Ryan would be involved with Marcus, the boy epitomized the Kaine Doctrine to its very core and almost loved Fresenius to a point of awkward oddness. But Stan was someone who was out of place to River. Stan was a quiet kid who didn’t seem the ‘thug’ type.

As their eyes settled on him, he wondered where each of them had acquired the longswords which were now carried in a scabbard on their backs. Despite the confidence in his own abilities, River felt a bit disadvantaged. They were six and with weapons, and he was one with only powers he couldn’t use.

“Ah there you are,” Marcus exclaimed in a smarmy tone.

…stay tuned, still more forthcoming, I’ll signal you guys when its okay to post…

[Dray]

[color=#00ff00][b]Turns earlier that same evening…[/b][/color]

Leslie sat, invisible, on a main beam within the rafters above the huge mess hall.

She had snuck away from the [b][i]’young kids’[/i][/b] camping area after the Outer Rim Defense soldiers had left all the [b][i]’the little kids’[/i][/b] to their own devices. Feigning an early bedtime, she retreated to her tent only to turn invisible inside it and then head in a straight-line over to the celebration within the mess hall. Once past all the students, it was an easy climb up to the beam, [b][i]‘the central fireplace could be scaled by even Temmit,’[/i][/b] Leslie thought with a giggle.

Whenever she found Marcus antics boring, she watched Temmit. Something about the older boy made her feel all squishy in her stomach. She didn’t understand why she was so nervous around him; perhaps it was because he was the coolest boy in Scribes.

Marcus did a lot of moving around, something that she noticed Temmit was also aware of. Marcus was acting like a politician before Council Election Day; combing through the students and giving people polite smiles and friendly conversation. It was quite contrary to the personality that She, Temmit, Xavier, Renee, Harrison and Shannon were exposed too. A few days ago her and her Whisper friends had compared notes at lunchtime. Each of them had the same story; that whenever any one of them had the unfortunate circumstance of being alone with him, he was incredibly vile. And he claimed he was a boy on a mission to find a group to cause trouble for the government. The Guild members however, saw right through this ruse. He meant to weed them out, and most of them were sure he worked for Fresenius in some fashion. Watching him, she was chilled by the creepiness of his dual personality. In the public at large he was friendly to everyone, and everyone was his friend. How did Xavier put it? He was [b][i]‘the man’s man’[/i][/b], whatever that meant. Shannon had thought it was funny.

Leslie sat up in alert as she watched Marcus suddenly make an unusual move.

In just a few ticks a gang of five boys had suddenly formed around Marcus. Their gathering around him was so inconspicuous that Leslie hadn’t even noticed the group form; at least not until the group, with Marcus in the lead, was walking in a straight line for the side exit. The passage was a simple door guarded by the yet still unknown Judge and Leslie watched with anticipation for the Judge’s reaction. To her astonishment, the Judge allowed Marcus and his five friends through the door without even a word! Leslie quickly looked for Temmit and realized he must have gone to the outhouse on the other side of the building. [b][i]‘Was Marcus going to double back and around the Hall outside to go get him?!’[/i][/b]

[b][i]’Wait no!’[/i][/b] Leslie said to herself as she stopped in her tracks while climbing down the stone fireplace pillar. [b][i]’What if he is after River in the barn?’[/i][/b] she suddenly worried. She made a quick decision and scampered the rest of the way down the fireplace. She had to keep her movements slow as she weaved invisibly between the students. If she moved too fast she risked being detected. [b][i]’Then it would be Leslie Marks in need of rescuing,’[/i][/b] she thought with a shiver.

She made it to Shannon, one of the few people in the guild who knew of her ability to turn invisible. Leslie just hoped she didn’t scare her out of her skin.

Much to her surprise, when she touched Shannon’s arm, it was if the older girl knew she was already there. Leslie whispered in her ear, “Get Temmit from the Outhouse and run to the barn, I think River is in trouble from Marcus.” It was all she dare say. She quickly moved back against the wall and slowly weaved towards the steps down to the kitchen. With luck, she would be able to scurry up and out the basement bulkhead without being detected.

[color=#00ff00](OOC: Okay, I am going to send both Wildfire and Johan a “Google Docs” invitation which you will receive via your respective emails. I will explain all the logistics in and around this situation. You can then ask me questions before your characters try to work out this predicament with posts in this actual thread. As your characters involve other characters (Xavier, Lucien & Harrison are also in the Hall) we can invite the players to this Google Docs as required. As you guys are working out how to get out to the barn, I am going to finish posting Leslie’s route to River (since we know it is already successful).[/color]

[Wildfire]

OOC: Just out of curiosity, is this a Game Session or an ICD...or an ICD as part of a Game Session...?

Also, would it be easier and convenient to instead of using Google Docs (whatever that is) to use the "Out of Character" forums board for discussing the circumstances and ask questions regarding this scenario?

[Dray]

Good point. I will transfer what has been written to the OCD channel!

[Wildfire]

Shannon looked at the surroundings. The side door was guarded by that black and gold suit she knew all too well (she often wondered if it was the same person inside). She looked to the front doors. Not only were they guarded by armed sentries they were also guarded by five popular girls that would rather see Shannon soil herself than give up their place in line. She muttered under her breath, “Leslie you little weirdo…you didn’t leave me with many options.”

The five girls that were waiting for their journey of relief all stood in line conversing.  Shannon knew their antics well since they were also in the Actors House. They were bubbly, giggly, and girly. Exactly what Shannon despised. They often made derogatory comments to other girls in the dormitory and would then laugh about it. They were catty and superficially feminine and got the attention of the boys. Many other girls aspired to be like them and often subjected themselves to their various hazing practices and never really gained acceptance.

Shannon wondered if she could appeal to their better nature to let her in line. Then she remembered that she had insulted them quite a bit in the past making fun of their ridiculous antics and their shallow personalities. She stood there watching them, disgusted at their very presence. Shaking her head she decided that she’d rather let River take a beating than ask them for help.

She whispered to herself, “Bollocks! How the mate can I get out of here? I’ve got an armed mountain guarding one door and a line of five bitchies guarding the other. I just may get sick asking them…for…a…” she let the words trail off. She then felt herself brilliant for the idea she had.

Shannon went to the nearest table and began eating various sorts of foods. She couldn’t help but swallow some of it because it was really just that good. But she kept some in her mouth, not too much. Then she grabbed a pitcher of water and poured herself a glass, smirking all the while. She drank the water and swished it around in her mouth mixing it nicely with the food.

Slowly she approached the front door and the gaggle of giggling girls. As she got to within hearing distance she muffled and swayed, “Ugh…I…I don’t feel…so good.” With that she lurched her head forward with a gulping sound, pretending to almost throw her meal. She built the feigned sickness up to be louder and more pronounced. Finally when she had their attention she looked at the girl in front of the line. Trying her best not to bust out laughing, she gave another lurch and spurted some of the watery mixture of food she had stored in her mouth. The stream of chewed food drew a colorful and diagonal line from shoulder to hip on the girls shirt.