Shadowland Park -- 13th Floor -- Tower of Illusion -- Niflheim Someone once said there's nothing creepier then a closed amusement park, and when they said that, they had this image in mind. To start out, it's dark and deserted. Iron-wrought benches painted green with smooth wooden planks for backs and seats are scattered about at random places, allowing places to sit. Fences cage in manicured bushes - "poodle bushes" they could be called. A heavy-duty brown trash can with the words "trash" sits there every other block. Closed shops, metal shutters covering the windows, fill the area, as well as closed off rides and rollercosters. It looks like a park... But it feels wrong. As if something in the darkness is awake and watching them. As if The deserted park around you could come to life at any moment. There are lights around, but not much. In fact there are only two areas that are lightened at all. A large tent is one. Hundreds of tiny white lights flash, running along the borders of a sign reading: PENNY ARCADE. The second looks like a Tunnel. Like the Tunnel of Love. Only this one says over the mouth of the tunnel: The Tunnel of Love and Despair. Swan boats able to hold at least eight people sit in the water, just waiting to be boarded. Jubilee looks, for the first time since this crap all started, actually kinda.. not sad. Ya know? Not quite happy.. not really content.. but not sad. She's not at all sad. They just freed a buncha lost souls who have been waiting hundreds of years to rest. That's a Good Thing, and damnit, Jube's proud of the team. She putters out of the arcade and looks all around, hming to herself. "Well, only other spot that looks like anything is the tunnel of love. Guess that's our next stop?" Great. Tunnel of Love, when that is about the LAST thing Jono wants to go through right now. His hands are stuffed back into his pockets, still holding onto the runes of rejuvenation, waiting to help Paige... he may be wracked by guilt and self-hatred, but he still wants to help Paige. Paige is.. not doing so well. There's also a sense of satisfaction, due to her aid in the freeing of those souls - and in nuking another Shadow woman, no matter that Jubilee jumped all over her for it. She ducks behind a building, to husk - she's not quite up to doing clothes just yet - and then returns, after rebuttoning the yellow slicker. Yeesh. She dosen't give Jono a look at all - just nods to Jubilee once. "Yeah. Seems like. Yippe-ki-yi-fuckin'-yay. Lets get a move on, I guess." And with that, Leader Paige - the untouchable one, who dosen't get hurt and is competent - coming to the fore. No accent, no sticky emotions and hurt - Just Husk the X-Man to be. Gwen Namura tilts her head, then takes Will's hand. "C'mon, Will. Let's sit together." She walks him to a boat and snuggles up on a bench. Will gets snagged by Gwen and follows her to a bench. He smiles as they sit down and leans against her supportively. He's certainly made some steps against his shyness..maybe being a girl did him some good. Well, it's good to see that some of ya'll're in a good mood, because two people in particular are not. Both of them are watching silently from the shadows, and both of them know the other is watching. For some strange reason though the area seems... stiller. None of the shadows are dancing around anymore. There's no clicking sounds, no scuttling creatures. The entire place is silent, and very dead. Except for the two sets of unseen eyes. Unseen by all those who don't have telepathic powers at least. Jonothon would be able to pick up their psionic traces. Only two of them. No more. One is destinctively more powerful then the other. And the more powerful one is also more familar. Luckily, for those present, the Elders left before they ventured up this far. They had no desire to see Lishka's prey, unlike Deimis and some of the younger ones. They are not -- just yet at least -- planning to make themselves known. But both of them have a bone to pick with the teenagers traveling through this amusement park. Jubilee, blissfully unaware of the fact that they are being watched (besides the nagging feeling you get in the back of your skull, but mostly ignore), continues on towards the tunnel of love with the group, hands clasped behind her. Why? Because damnit, PAIGE has her pockets!! Grr. "Ya know.. We've got, like, one more floor. One more. And then home.. Bet that bitch is freakin' right about now. Ya /know/ she didn't think we'd make it." Ha. Show's her. (~~..s'lets get our s'rry arses up there, get baldy, and get the bl'ddy `ell outta `ere.~~) Jono mutters, darkly, casting a glance towards Paige. He'll still move to her the minute she falters, even if she'll beat the shit out of him later. "Yeah. Which means she probably has something to throw at us between then and now." And she can't manage another sunlight husk. Those take ALOT out of her - even with the rejuvenation runes. She cuts another glance to Jono, and then nods. "Yeah. Upstairs." She heads toward the swan boats, and snots. "Tunnel of love and despair? Same damn thing." She mutters under her breath, with another dour glare for anyone who looks her way. Gwen Namura snuggles Will. Will snuggling Gwen. Snuggle snuggle. Will smiles to himself as he leans his head against Gwen's and gives her shoulders a squeeze. Harhar, Jubie? Well sure, if you say so. Though to be truthful, Lishka had every intention of making sure that you got to the Tower unharmed. That was her entire loop hole. She was counting on Everett giving in so that you all could go home free. Unfortunately, Everett's chances of giving in are next to none. And she knows that now. But she still is not there to help them on their way up. But there are two guides, one of which is perfectly able to give them help. But niether are entirely willing. They don't have a reason to do it at the moment. But the swan boats are just waiting to be boarded. Hop aboard before they take Will and Gwen in alone. Well, they won't really. But still, it may be best to move along. Before some Elder comes looking for their captive souls. Jubilee hops into one of the swan boat thingys and gets herself comfortable, motioning for Terry to hop in with her. That'll stick Paige and Jono in the same boat! Which will either help them communicate a little better or make them kill eachother. Either way, it'll be a good thing. (~~...wh'n in Rome...~~) the psionic brit grumbles, moving towards the boats. Bring on the Elders. Jono'll hold the bastards down while Paige rips them to pieces with some sunlight. Paige heads into the boat, and folds her arms. She's not even going to LOOK at Jono right now. She's pissed. She dosen't care how long they're in there - she's not sayin' a damn thing. She's just going too put one foot up and wait for him, and then figure out how to get the damn things to MOVE. Gwen Namura er... continues to lean against Will. She pauses to carefully look around... then scoots a bit closer to Her Man. Will seems to find this arrangement pleasing, as he closes his eyes for a moment and lets out a silent sigh. For a nasty place, this sure is nice. No figureing required, Paigey. As soon as everyone is seated the swan jerks to life, moving forward at a slow almost rocking pace. Water splashes against the lower exterior. The two Niflmannaz that are watching in silence are responsable for it moving. Or at least, one of them is. He knows that Lishka is out of it, and her prey needs a guide through this part of the Tower, and since the little Frosty Witch can't manage to get down here and do it herself, then he will for pete's sake. See, in the end, Teiman, despite how he acts, and what he's done to Lishka in the past, doesn't exactly hate her. Don't go around talking about it, but it's the use of Tiwaz and Mannaz in his name. The runes of Justice and Mankind. It's just those pesky Isa and Ansuz runes that make up major parts which he projects for others to see. No, in actuallity, some of the Niflmannaz aren't all that bad. But of course, that all depends on your definition of bad. Once the swan boats reach the mouth of the tunnel it begins to get dark and musty smelling. And they just continue onward. Tunnel of Love and Despair -- Tower of Illusion -- Niflheim Once the swan boat reaches the mouth of the tunnel, it becomes dark and dank and dreary, with a musty smell. And quiet. No cheesy romanatic music like there usually is in a Tunnel of Love. But then again this is the Tunnel of Love and Despair. All you can hear is the quiet lapping of water against the moving swan boat. The walls around are dark and murky, and crud covered. Nothing about this place is fun or exciting. At all. And the deeper the boat goes, the further from the light source, and the darker it gets. Jubilee slouches down in her swan and frowns a little as the darkness surrounds them.. well, can't have that, now can we Jubster? "So how about a few lights, curtosy of everyone's favorite Paffer?" she says more to herself as she flicks her hands forth, flinging from them a series of colored, intensly glowing orbs which fly up from her and position themselves over the precession of swans, floating along above them. The brit iin the boat behind hrms, looking over the side.. he can't look at Paige, without kicking himself again and again.. And Paige is just as bad, folding her arms over her chest, foot up, glowering out of the water. Sorry, Jubie, they're neither going to comminicate nor kill one another. Gwen Namura gives up looking for terrors in the dark, tonight. She turns, and looks into Will's eyes. She looks up, just the tiniest bit, lips wet as she nervously licks them once. "Will? It's later, now." Will opens his eyes and looks at Gwen, into her own eyes, as her words ring a memory from before. He too licks his lips a bit, hesitates with a flash of his reflexive shyness. Then, abruptly, he closes his eyes, leans over, and graces Gwen with another of his rather ameaturish, but energetic kisses... The air above their heads crackles and a tiny bolt of electricity snaps, releasing the scent of ozone. A soft voice, like wind chimes made of ice, sounds from no where. "The Tunnel of Love and Despair seems entirely approipate a name with this group." Then in a swirl of shadows and mist, Teiman appears sitting on the head of the front swan boat -- the one Gwen and Will are in. He sighs at the two kids the boat he's sitting on and shakes his head, "Partly ironic. Partly pathetic. What do you think, Kris?" he glances in the general direction of the last swan boat and a voice answers in return, "I think it's positively discusting. Some of them came into the Tower just friends, and now they feel the need to osculate. And as for this group... They came into the Tower lovers, and now they refuse to speak to each other. I'm not really sure what to say to this, Teiman. Either Lishka has done herself a fine job, or these humans -- however powered they may be -- are just a weak as the others who've ventured here before them. Weak. And stupid." Krista's smart enough not to make herself visable, and after that Teiman puffs again and repears sitting on the head of the second boat -- Jubilee and Terry's. Jubilee forms the light orbs on top of Will and Gwen's boat into little red hearts as the two kiss.. until that rude SOB appears. Her eyes narrow and she peers up at him evilly, lips firming. She doesn't even turn around to see who spoke above Jono and Paige's boat. "Havin' feelings and screwing 'em up is better then not havin' 'em at all. I'd rather be in unbarable agony then be what /you/ freaks are." Grr. A meal! Jono turns forwards as Teiman appears, and he begins to draw once again, hoping he can recharge without getting caught. His eyes narrow as he feeds, trying to keep his chest covered. "Fuck you, bitch." Paige growls under her voice. Her gaze says it all. I killed the one bitch. I almost killed Lishka. And if I wasn't exhausted and hurt and near to the point of collapse, I'd nuke you both here and now. So scram. Terry leans her head against her hands and sighs, "Damn.. y'all ha' th' poorest taste in residences I ha' ever seen, I had n' idea tha' y' were just wannabe carnies..." She leans back again and glances up at Teiman, "Enjoyin' yuirself.. Why is it tha' s' called supreme beings seem t' think tha' this sort o' thin' is impressive.." Will turns, wanting to protect Gwen from these evil weird people. He raises a hand, which crackles with electricity. "Hey, leave us alone!" Teiman puts a hand against his chest and makes a hurt expression, but it is faked, most definately, "Oh I'm -hurt-, Jubilation. Oh so hurt. But I must say you surely do have us pegged wrong, wouldn't you say, Kris?" That voice returns, sounding like sparks flickering in the atmosphere, "Oh yes, Teim. They definately have us pegged wrong." Teiman lays back on the swan head, almost as if there was an invisable recliner there, "Yes, they certainly do need a quick lesson in exactly what the new age of Niflmannaz consists of." Krista finally shows herself. Black hair, black dress, but other wise she's Lishka's twin. Golden eyes are even the same. "We're not so bad. At least not until we become Elders. And Teiman's closer to that then I am." At that, said Shadowman's eyes narrow, and her grumbles softly to himself and doesn't say anything to Krista. Instead her focases his attentions on Terry, "Impressive? This? This isn't supposed to be impressive, beautiful. This is a storage facility. Nothing more. Do you make your prisions impressive? You should see where the Elders live." And as for a response to Will's words, Teiman just glances back at the little lightning thrower, "I would leave you alone, but your little blonde friend in the yellow coat made most of you fair game now. By right I could claim your souls right now. A couple of those souls in there were ones I'd captured." There's a soft laugh from Krista as she says, "But you won't, Teiman. You don't want..." she stops after recieving a look from the handsome blue-eyed shadowman and remains silent. Even as he feeds, Jono's eyes narrow, (~~...we ain't got n'souls, 'Kris', er `aven't y'eard? Us muties 're j'st damn `eartless, soulless killin' machines. Wots 'nother bl'ddy shadowman t'add t'the pile?~~) he says, his fists tightening as he tries to gauge the force to hold Krista against that wall while Paige husks.. Paige ain't husking. But what she IS doing is casually smacking Jono upside the head. "Oh, shut your 'mouth', Starsmore," She growls flatly. "You think they don't know? You may be able pass for being soulness - an' God knows you're *heartless*, but some of us still have our souls." Even if they're on rent, or really shredded and dirty and tattered. Will glares, standing up in the boat. "I WASN'T -asking-!!!" His other hand lights up, and he sends a pair of electric blasts at the shadowpeople. Hey, what do you want? His hormones are charged, his fists are charged, and he's tired of being pushed around. Terry flushes angrily, "Ahhh shut it," Damn damn damn here she is trapped in this hell and what happens, she gets called beautiful and she blushes. She shoves her hands angrily into her pockets, "Someha' keepin' folk trapped in a carnival doesna exactly strike me as impressive.." Sigh. Teiman and Krista look at each other from their perches on the swans' heads. Both of them look a little... bored. "You have souls. In fact, your essenses are stronger then that of a normal humans," Teiman says softly, "Not as strong as ours of course, but where a human could easily be contained with a sphere about the size of my fist, your souls would have taken up the entire game, instead of just a piece of it. And what else would you rather we put them? Would a Zoo fit better? Originally this entire place was a library, and each book inside the library contained a soul. But they decided that was too.. old fashioned. And settled on an amusement park. But, I'm getting off track here. My point is, in the end, Lishka brought herself some quite valuable prey here, didn't she, Kris?" Why the heck does he always bring Kris into the conversation like that? Teiman is just weird. That's the only word for it. "I'd have to agree yet again, Teiman. Quite valuable. They'd be worth more then all those souls they set free. All of them together would be worth even more then Li.." She shuts up at another look from Teiman. It's obvious who the most powerful one here is. And of course, this is when Will's blasts head towards them. Eep. Well, here's the funny part. You know what Niffys are made up of? Shadows and Ice. Mostly shadows. Hense why their name means Shadowman. They get hit by the blasts, but it appears as if their body... fades briefly. Lossing it's solidity. It's clarity. Even the colors look less real. Teiman throws a look at Will, and eyebrow quirking slightly, "We are not harming you. We are just here to... help the time pass you by. This trip isn't exactly the shortest after all." The psi would frown if he could, thinking (...bad move, Will...) as he continues to feed off the shadowlings, trying to get a feel for their mental barriers.. "If we're so goddamn vulable and strong, how could you have contained all of us at all? Those souls are small - we're not? Bullshit. Soul isn't a matter of fucking genetics!" Yeah, you're just LOOKING to piss off the already angry hayseed, aincha? Paige's eyes are narrowed to blue slits. "We can pass the fucking time ourselves without having to listen to a set of walking smoke and mirrors. Go bother someone else." Terry rubs the bridge of her nose, "Ha' can we possibly be valuable t' y'.. we're just people who played a game.." She glances over the pair, "Some would claim y' ha' a sort o' Peter Pan complex.. " The redhead flicks a gaze to Will, "Calm down an' rest wi' Gwen.. we all need t' conserve our strength.." Will stands there for a moment, fury visible in his eyes...then he lets out a sigh and sits down with Gwen. Krista and Teiman share glances again, and for the first time Krista speaks without prompting, "And -you- wanted to help -these?-" She talks about 'them' like they're nothing more then old clothing, or perhaps she sounds like those people who sometimes critize those who spend a lot of their time working at charities to help the needy or the disabled. Teiman growls and looks all mighty, "You -agreed-." And Krista raises a finger, as if to correct him, "No. I agreed to help -Lishka-. This is her own mess she's getting herself in. I'm gone. Help her by -yourself-." And with that, at least one of the said 'smoke and mirrors' vanishes. Teiman though stays there for a moment, grumbling softly. "Wanted t' help?" Paige's brow arches, looking at the pair. "Help Lishk- Ah, fuck." Paige folds arms over her chest and turns her eyes to the handsome Shadowling. "So, 'Teiman', what's your story? What's it to you, if Lishka wins or loses?" She asks curtly, eyes set on him as he grumbles. "Help? Why d' y' wan' t' help?" Terry cocks an eyebrow, "Wha's in it fer y'? Y' dinna owe us anythin' we already settled th' agreement fer th' blood.. wha' d' y' wan'?" Grumble. Teiman folds his arms in a mock of Paige's position and then shrugs briefly, "It's none of your consern. Let's just say that I care a lot more about Lishka's wellbeing then I do about yours. Now Deimis on the other hand... I never did like the bitch, so I don't care that you nuked her ass back into the bloody Stave of Life. Good ridence to her. I hope the Elders never utter her name again." He shakes his head again and looks at Terry, "Let's just say that we are not all that different from you. We have feelings. They're just different. When you're nearly a thousand years old you learn a thing or two about the value of certain emotions and the disadvantage of others." (~~...they're god d'mn V'lcans..~~) Jono mutters. Yeah, he's seen an episode or two of Star Trek. "You want to get hit again, don't you? You're a fuckup, not a comedian, Dr. Starsmore." Paige mutters sourly under her breath before turning to Teiman. Venom? Oh yeah. "Yeah, I bet you do. 'Certain' emotions. Though I think now adays I'd like to do so myself." Then she wouldn't get her heart broken. And she wouldn't be here in this damn swan boat hating every minute and wishing she could just toss herself overboard and drown. GRRRRRR. Yeah, she wishes she was emotionally 'off'. "Okay I dinna need th' ninties sensitive guy lecture from some damn shadow person, wh' clearly does na' appreciate life.." Terry would stand and yell but she's in a boat and god knows what's in that water. The brit cringes at another barb from Paige, and withdraws into himself just a bit more. Teiman shakes his head sadly, "That is entirely wrong, lovely one. I do have a value for life. Just I value some more then others." He turns his electric blue eyes on Terry for a long moment, just looking at her. His eyes the exact color of the sky the instant before dawn. A deep, luminecent blue. He inclines his head and adds, "I believe you have a doorway waiting for you on the roof. You should proceed forward." And as soon as he says that the swan boats stop, and there appears to be an off area which leads to a set of stairs. "Good luck." *POOF* Byebye Teiman. Let Paige outta this goddamn bird-boat! Now! She practically LEAPS over the cringing Jono and stalks some distance off before she stops and waits for the rest of the group. "Thank GAWD!" She exclaims, and then runs her hand through her hair. "One more minute or smart ass comment and I would have throttled him.." "Suddenly I feel a tad dirty," Terry flushes for another moment and reaches her hand down to Jubilee, "C'mon ou' o' th' boat.." More Shadowland Park -- 14th Floor -- Tower of Illusion -- Niflheim The first thing one might notice, is that you're still in the Amusement Park. Only there's a big building in front of you which has the words, 'To the Roof' painted on it, and a big padlock on the door with a really small keyhole. It'll be difficult to pick, that's for sure, so the easiest solution would be, to find the key, yes? Near-by, there's a a car from what looks like a circus train. Painted in bright color red on the roof, thrust between the silver bars is the head of a metal lion. It's carnmal colored face, and dark mane look completely fake. Obviously not a real lion. It's muzzle is open in a wide smile and a mechanical voice calls out in a recorded series, "I'm Leo The Paper-Eating Lion. I eat all kinds of things. Surely someone can feed me." Alright. Once you all are out the swan boats and up the stairs and step out of the exit building... you find yourselves back in the amusement park again. But obviously due to the fact that there's a big building with the words 'To the Roof' painted on it, that you're now on the last floor. Yippie! This place is just as dead as the place below, except for one thing. A mechanical voice calling out into the darkness, "I'm Leo The Paper-Eating Lion. I eat all kinds of things. Surely someone can feed me." Jubilee mutters evil, dark things about evil, dark people as she trudges up the stairs and comes out of the building.. all of which stops as she see's the building before them. "Oh thank /Gawd/!" With a newly regained speed, Jube starts quickly over to the doors of the building marked 'To the roof', totally ignoring the lion. After all, she has no paper, and wants to get /out/ of here. Paige is far, FAR more cautious. Her only thought really it to get some more space between her and Jono - and then get home. And then, well, she's going to decide on weather to try and kill herself again, or live just to spite the world. She glances over at the rest of you, her lips purse, and then looks over at the Lion. Mmmm. No... lets not get into another problem. That'd just be bad. Oh this is /good/. They're almost to the /top/! No more back-aching walking through the many floors, not to mention the prospect of home! Sam's face says exactly how happy he is, the thought of being hom growing in him to the point where it's almost too much to control. He makes it up the stairs with little difficulty, eyes stuck to the door that leads to the roof. "Well, looks lahke we made it..." He says in a low tone, listening to the robotic voice with caution. Just a few steps take him over to the lock on the door, examining it closely. "If smashin it off ourselves dunna work, ah bet it's the lion that's gotta do it foah us...." Heh, such a quick thinker.... Gwen Namura shrugs. "Yeah, but it can't hurt for us to do it ourselves. Well, not much." She walks over to the lock, licks her finger, and touches it, carefully. Then she extends a golden probe from her finger to the inside of the lock. The growling, guttural voice calls out again, "Leo's always hungry. So feed me." The lock on the door looks very sturdy. But you all can try to paff it, or blast it, or bang on it. But there's key words here. Magic and real. This floor is real. And it's a safe bet that almost everything here is magical in some way. In fact, if someone lifts the lock up they would see Berkano, Eihwaz, Elhaz, Thurisaz, and Uruz. All runes with some form of protection. But of course no one sees those because Gwen jumps the gun and tries to do it herself. There's a bright flash of light, like when her field impacts something, and an invisiable barrier made by the rune Thurisaz keeps her probe from going inside. Jubilee narrows her eyes as she watches Gwen's probe bounce off the.. force field or whatever around the lock. "Oooookay." Her eyes turn towards the Lion and she starts to head over towards it, peering at the thing. "Alright. So maybe if we feed this thing he'll cough up the key or somethin'.. Huh Mister 'Leo'?" Her eyes turn from the lion head thing and start to look all around for anything made of paper.. a flyer or ticket or /something/. "Anyone got anything we can feed this thing?" Paige gets into the pockets. "Actually, you had some recepits in yoah jacket pockets." Paige says, rummaging around in the pocket. She produces two receipts, and three dollars. "Well. Two recepits and paper money. Think that works?" She says, looking up with said items in her hand. Sam slowly crosses his now thin arms across his chest, letting out a deep breath. "Well, ah reckon mah hunch was raght, no?" If Gwen can't get through it with her powers, what hope do the rest have? Yep, the key is Leo, and Sammy boy knows it. "Alraght, Leo, c'mon out n' have sumthin ta eat. Ah got sumthin' real nahce...." His tone is tired and full of exhaustion, obviously fed up of taking this whole mess seriously. Heh, he just tries to call the lion out near the door, not sure how exactly he will get him to /bite/ the lock. For some reason, he doubts that Leo holds the key, assuming the keyhole was just an added touch to keep them all busy, and puzzled. "Anyone got a steak in their pocket?" Hell, Sam can add a bit of humor to this mess, can't he? He as well rummages through his pockets, coming out with his wallet, three shiny keys, a stick of gum, and one lone mint. "Hmmm..." "Leo eats all kinds of things. Paper, plastic, metal. Won't someone feed me? I'm SOOOOOOOOOOO hungry." the voice calls out again. The lion doesn't move though. He stays completely still, his painted amber eyes staring forward, his carmel colored muzzle open wide waiting for something to eat. He's not exactly close enough to the lock to bite it, but he's not all that far away. Maybe Sammy should rethink his approach? But to anyone who looks -really- closely at Leo the Paper-Eating Lion, inside his mouth is an assortment of things. There's a few pieces of paper, some empty vials, things that look like broken rune pieces. And something silvery and small and shiny. Jubilee wrinkles her nose as she looks into the lions mouth, seeing the little shiney object.. "It's in his mouth.. We gotta get it." And he eats everything.. so if they put a hand in there to get it, he's gunna bite off the hand.. and that's gunna be perminant. "We need somethin' ta hold open his mouth with so he won't bite down when we reach in ta get the key. Hey Gwen?" She turns her eyes towards the girl and furrows her brow. "You got some kinda pipe or somethin' in that little swiss-army-knife power of yours?" Paige waves a hand. "Don't botha. Y' got y'-" *SHRRRRRIIP* "'pipe' raht heah." Paige does her best to NOT fall over. She's tired - but those adamantium arms should do the trick. "Somebahdy get those Rejuve runes from Jono. Ah'm gunna need 'em in a moment." She looked over at Jubilee and then sighed softly. "Jubilee, c'meah. Ah know y' don't trust me, but y' gunna have ta. This requires something who can move quick, an' y' the only one with the reflexes t' get this. Ah'm he opens his mouth, Ah'm gunna block his jaws from closin' with mahne arms. Y' gonna have to get in and get the key an' get out. Got it?" She says, as she stands by the lion, taking those 'papers' (since he did claim to be a paper-eating lion) and waving them before his amber eyes. Sam just sort of stands there, tons and tons of thoughts racing through his head. Most of those thoughts being ideas. "A pipe won't do it, he eats metal..." The Paige steps in, always one to solve the problems. "Jube's, wait..." He steps right next to her, turning on his blast field with a roar, and then expanding it to cover Jubilee as best as possible. He will not let her stick her arm in without any protection. Sam strains to keep his blasting as quiet as possible, hovering slightly in the air. "Make this quick, hon. Gwen, go on ovah n' help Paige..." Such a team, ain't it beautiful? When Jubilee moves her arm to grab the key, Sam is sure to focus his firld to conform to the movements, hopefully keeping her protected. Gwen Namura blinks at Jubilee. "Well... do you _want_ me to get the li'l shiny thing out of his mouth? I could do it... but I dunno... Maybe we should feed him some paper first just to make him happy." She gestures, a whip extending from her left hand. It easily changes into a golden spoon. "Put the paper in, Paigeio. Let's see how hard his chomp is. Like, before you stick your hand in, maybe something I can regrow without worrying?" Gwen Namura adds, "Inna spoon, not inna mouth." Jubilee grumbles something under her breath as they all eye the lion head before she nods to Paige, then again to Sam. "Here goes nothin'. Lets hope this thing doesn't suddenly come ta life. I really like this hand." With that, Jube lifts said hand, wiggles her fingers a little in that deft 'I'm about to steal something' way she does as she studies the inside of the mouth and the shiney objects position as relating to everything else.. Then with one quick motion, she darts her hand inside and makes a grab for the key, then pulls it out. Even if she can't get the key on the first quick try, she pulls her hand out ASAP. She can always give it another go (provided her hand makes it out! Eep!), and too much weird stuff has been happening for her to trust the mundane aspects of the lion's head. And Paige waits, adamantium hands at the ready, incase it's got to be pried open again. Sam waits as well, his field ready to blast the utter hell out of the lion if it bites. Gwen Namura sighs, and watches. "You guys are, like, totally freaking out." Feeling the key nearly instantly -- since she'd been aiming for it in the first place -- Jubes gets her fingers on it. The second her fingers touch the key something begins to happen very, very fast. The carmel-colored plastic face begins to flow, melting, like a very good morphing effect in a movie. In a movie it might have been fasinating -- but it is real. The colors bled and change, growing olive green, then a dreadful grayish cemetery tone with steely streaks. The eyes sink in, becoming hollow pits. The mouth seems to snarl, lips pulling back in front -- but that's mostly covered from view by Paige's metal hands holding the mouth incase it falls down and tries to chomp on Jubilee. She feels teeth appearing out of nowhere, pressing against her fingers but they are not sharp enough to bother her metal form. Her hands are able to keep the teeth from biting into Jubilee's wrist, but they don't catch the four large teeth which form on the edges of the hole. They form far enough apart that Paige's fingers are between them, but close enough together that Jubilee's going to have a difficult time getting her hand back out. And at the same time, the inside of the lions mouth begins to roll slightly. The bottom where the key was resting seems to be flowing backward, like the lion was trying to swallow something. The suction effect is similar to a vaccum clearer, only much stronger. It isn't biting down though. The jaws are still stuck where they were before. "Ugh. Please. That was Gwen's fantasy. Not mahne." Paige says, as she holds the jaws where they are. "Uh. Gwen? Ya think ya can... pry out it's teeth? Or.. or maybe.. put somethin in there? MAybe it won't let anythin' go without gettin' somethin' in return foah it?" Paige scrambles for options, trying to figure out just what she can do to get Jubie and the key out of the lion's mouth. (~~..m'nd fer a tug, Jubes?~~) the brit asks as he moves towards the caught Paffer.. Sam is tense in every meaning of the word, uneasy about this whole approach to the predicament. He wasn't about to not allow retrieval of the key, that would be stupid. He's just a bit iffy for Jubilee's safety, but if there's anyone that can pull this off...it's the Asian sensation. Fists clench tightly at his sides, mind ready to trigger his kinetic blast field if he sees the first /hint/ of clenched jaws. Yes, the teeth grow, but the jaw does not close, the only thing that stops Sam from attacking the mechanical lion. "Ju--..." He mutters, quickly stepping forward to Jube's and Paige's side as it begins to morph. A look of worry is given to his sister, making sure she is able to hold the jaws open, and the teeth don't cause her a problem. This is just a bloody kick to the face, when they are /so/ close to the end, this happens. It's frustrating, damn frustrating. A hand reaches up to pull a lock of dirty and matted hair from Sam's brow, that same hand runnng along his temples as he begins to think. "Don' worry, hon...we'll get ya out..." /How/ is the million dollar question. His index finger trails along his stubble covered cheek, reaching his chin and cupping it. "Ah reckon we could jus' smash the teeth, but that may naht be such a god idea..." Suction, eh? Hrmmmm...that gives Sam an idea that may just help the situation. He reaches down to his tattered and dirty jeans, gripping onto a hole in the knee and tearing with the last bit of strength in his arms. Sam ends up with a fair piece of fabric, rather large. "Jus' hold on, hon..." He says sternly, stepping forward and pushing the fabric /into/ the mouth between the slips of the fangs. If all goes well, that large piece of fabric will be sucked into the suction, and either stop it, or cause /something/ to happen. He hopes. Well, there he stands...one naked lower leg, and one hell of an exhausted face. Terry rakes her hands through her hair frustratedly, "Damn.. t' bad Paige canna husk int' somethin greasy while she's holdin' th' thin' open.. could slick up Jube's arm an' slide her out.. th' that's probably nuts." The redhead bites hard on her bottom lip as she tries to figure out what needs to be done. Probably nuts, yeah. But Sam's idea was fairly interesting. It takes a moment for the piece of cloth to get sucked down into the lion's throat, but Jubilee feels as it brushes past her hand. That familar voice rings out again from wherever the hell those speakers are, "Leo sooooo hungry." During all this, the stone beast's head continues to morph, growing more and more deformed, until it's no longer a lion, but some metalic cyber beast with a lion shaped head. As for Jubilee's hand, the teeth don't retract, but the suction has stopped. Perhaps Sam's plan worked, or perhaps it's taking a few moments of rest. Do you all continuesly swallow? No. But then of course this thing isn't exactly alive. So I doubt it gets tired. So maybe Sam's plan worked and the vaccum got stuck. "Vaccum stopped!" Jubilee declairs as she reaches back to grab onto Jono, who volenteered without even knowing. "Gimme a tug, Jono. On Three. OneTwoThree!" As Jono (hopefully) tugs, Jube pulls her weight back, and though it certainly hurts yanking her fist out from between those teeth hugging it's sides, she manages to get out. And fall onto her butt in the process. "Owww!! Man that's /smarts/!" She rubs her poor hand, which will probably have two nice bruises on either side, as she turns it over and opens her palm, upon which rests that shiney little key. "All Hail Jubilee, Paffer and Thief Extrodinaire." she says with a light grin as she looks up at the group. And Paige jerks her hands back but fast, once Sam and Jubie are away from that thing. "Damn, Ah'm gettin' tired.." She sighs softly - and then huskes her arms so they're flesh and blood again - and then frowns at the bruises that over her palms. "Fuck. Okay, next tahme Ah try t' husk, someone smack me. Ah can't keep this up..." (~~..yer arm'ld be d'wn thot th'ngs gullet if it w'ren't fer us, Jubes.~~) Jono mutters, turning his attention onto Paige, yearning to help, but still drawing away from the mental-kick-to-the-balls of previous events. If it wasn't this time or place, Sam would be getting his groove on after his idea apparently worked. All the self-satisfaction is pushed away as Sam stays focused on the task at hand. One problem is out of the way, the suction has stopped for now, but not for a long time according to Lishka's evil traditional ways. "Alraght, she's /gotta/ get 'er hand out /now/..." He tries to hide the urgency in his voice, but finds it hard when the lion begins to morph into an actual mechanical beast. Sam's heart begins tp pump his blood just that little bit faster, beginning to beat in unison with his frantic thoughts. Tick tock, tick tock, tick tock...It's like a heart-pounding scene in a movie when the good guy is defusing a bomb. Then...said bomb is defused. "Oh thanks /gawd/!" Sam says aloud as he sees Jubilee free herself thanks to Jono. "Good job, Jono..." Sam says, crouching down to help Jubilee to her feet. "Nice work, hon. Ya too, Paigey. Ah don't think ya'll need ta be huskin' anymoah. Now, let's go /home/! Ah /swear/, we're all goin' out to the fuckin' /fanciest/ restaurant when we get back, all on me." Meaning? Someone get the damn key in the door so we can all go to the roof and beat the ice wench at her own game. What the hell, this is a good time...Sam, get your groove on! You're going /home/! "Aye Smack y' next time y' try t' husk..." Terry grins at Jubilee, "One would think y'd been born t' it y' paffer.." She stands and stretches, "Enough o' th' congratulations.. lets g'!" Now that the hand is out, theres yet another sound coming from wherever the beast speaks from. "I'll bet I'll have a tummy ache tomorrow!" The lion has stopped morphing, it's features frozen in a long toothed smile. The teeth that Paige's fingers were blocking are pointed and small, pearly white, and likely would have bitten into Jubilee's wrist pretty good if she would have panicked and jerked around. All that's left is to unlock the door and hope Lishka doesn't have something up her sleeve up on the roof. Jubilee winks an eye at Terry as she pulls herself up to her feet, saying "Ya know I was, Terry." She nods with a light smile to both Jono and Paige in thanks before moving quickly over to the door, rotating the key in her hand. Her free hand takes the lock to lift it a little as she inserts (or tries to?) and turns the key. "Big juicey steak with onions and a big baked potato with melted cheese and bacon bits on it, and the biggest glass of coke, and a chocolate lace pie for dessert.." Paige shrugs a little, just following after. She dosne't have many plans for going home - execpt having a good sob and maybe going back to the farm. Following Paige, Jono has no words now. He just wants to get a shower, and soak.. then sleep, and recharge... and with a wistful glance towards Paige's back, he wishes things could be like they used to be. Sam follows Jubilee in toe, head full of anticipation and excitement. Being on his 'guard' and 'ready' is out the window. Sam has had just about enough, if he were to be on his toes anymore, someone just hand him a rifle. "Oh, ah can't wait..." He mutters, putting an arm around his sisters shoulders, wether she likes it or not. He knows she's upset, he can sense these things. A small whisper is offered to her ear, "Ah, proud o' ya foah stickin' through all this. N' what ah said a while back, ahm sorrah. Ya didn't deserve it, n' ahm damn happy ya were heah with me..." As for what he said a while back? Well, when he said that she wasn't his sister and that she was a disgrace, all because of her bluntness to Jube's pain. Well, he's sorry, offering some up- lifting words on the side. Terry brings up the tail silently, her eyes drifting about as she follows the others. Her smile is gone as she tenses up already in preparedness for whatever Lishka may have up her sleeve. Key goes in. Key goes turny. Lock clicks and falls off. Door stands there waiting to be opened. Home is just a few steps away, ain't it? Let's hope so. Awww. Isn't that sweet. Well, to them maybe. But two someone watching from the shadows silently, it isn't exactly what he wants to see. Teiman knows this day will be looked back upon for many years to come as the failure of one of his race. Again. A -second- failure. Lishka is giving his race a bad name. And he's not about to let -that- happen. He's already beginning to think of things to do, ploting in his head. He smiles faintly, unseen, and goes elsewhere to begin with his work, hoping someday his race will thank him for what he's planning. Failure isn't even on his mind, because he knows he'll win. Failure is for Lishka. Teiman doesn't fail. No sir-ey.