"Oh, sure, no problem.... and uh... I did for a while..." He answered the less awkward question first, though the topic made him wince. "That was a couple years ago though. She...decided to pursue a relationship with someone who..." He looked for a way to put it, trying not to be as conflicted and bitter as it was easy to be about the matter. "Didn't require more help than she was ready to handle. She stayed for a couple months after..." he cleared his throat and let it trail off. "She just couldn't deal with it."

For that he didn't entirely blame her, it was the speed at which she'd hooked up with one of the other guys from the track that bugged him. The new, flashy guy, a little younger than Falco, who the press had quickly forgotten him for.

"...On the other one...nothing so chivalrous and dramatic." A wry smile. "I race...sorry raced... motorcycles. There was a crash on the track." He wasn't clear on all of the details, Someone had clipped him, or there had been something on the track, but he'd lost control and the bike hand flipped.

Vesta felt her heart drop when she heard that. How could any woman do that to a man she loved? Maybe that was the point to the curse. Love could be equally fickle and eternally faithful. She hung the bridle from the wall and walked over to Falco.

"I'm sorry" She said extending a hand to one of his, her eyes showing a softness and caring after seeing the hurt this man kept on the inside. Maybe this explained some of his temper towards the Orcs, "That's unfortunate. It has always ben my feeling that it's as much a woman's duty to look out for her man no matter what comes as it is for the man to look out for her. It's what love is all about. I apologize if I have stirred up any bad feelings."

She stepped back. She wished she could have taken her question back. But it was already out there. Only thing left was to make the best of it.

"Besides, you certainly didn't lose your handsome good looks. And in your time of need what woman would be so foolish to pass up a chance to hand bath you every night?" she giggled and winked at him.

As she stepped away to remove the saddle she thought about something else he said. It would give both of them a welcome opportunity to get away from this tender topic. Least till the had some wine in them. Over her shoulder she said "By the way, what kind of animal is a Motorcycle? Is it related to a horse?"

She began to muscle the saddle off the horse using the same device she just used to get Falco out of his saddle.

Michael scratched his head. Hilbert certainly didn't give him much choice in the dinner invitation. He looked around at all the debris he had brought with him on his trip to this world, a one way trip, as it was starting to look. Michael wasn't sure he wanted anyone near anything that didn't belong in this world. And 'strapping young lads' had a tendency to pocket things that looked interesting. Leaving the 'room' unattended was also something he didn't particularly enjoy the thought of, especially being in the middle of a field.
He looked back toward Britney, then back at Hilbert. "We're not married, no... but, thank you for the invitation. Uh, I think I.. we.. can handle the clean up ourselves. It might take a little longer, but, at least we'll know where everything is."

Falco, not for the first time, caught himself flushing bright red with embarassment. She was damned talented at having that particular effect on him, and he wouldn't be surprised if she only half knew she was doing it.
"Well...I just... It's... It's a big deal for people to go through, I can't really put all the blame on her. I was a bit of an ass..." He admitted, though he hated to do so. He felt half justified, half not in his caustic behavior. Her last question made him almost laugh though.
"It's not a horse, though it does have horsepower..." He joked. "Motorcycle, two wheels and a motor?"

Hilbert nodded. "Ah well, you and your companion may join me once you done with your cleaning if you like." Hilbert said.
He studied the parts around him and wondered where any of this would go. The gnomes would certainly love to see this stuff. They loved mechanical things like these.
"I live in the the base of the large oak at the bottom of the hill. You can't miss it. It also houses my shop. I dine at 6:00 sharp. I hope to see you there."
With that Hilbert stopped to strike a match and light the pipe he had spent the last few minutes packing. The tobacco was aromatic and inviting. He took a couple of puffs and then blew out a perfect smoke ring. Then he walked a good distance away, over to a nearby and very comfortable stump and sat watching his new neighbors begin their cleaning occasionally puffing out other smoke shapes including squares, triangles and other multi sided shapes.

================================================== =


Vesta nodded understandingly. "Well sometimes we just can't work things out." she said "But you seem to have learned a bit from the experience and seem to have mellowed from what I can tell.

She thought a bit on what he said next. She still at this moment was uncertain what this Motorcycle thing was. And her curiosity peaked she strode right in to learn more.
"My father being a wizard I am more learned then most women. I understand cycles. The seasons work in cycles as do plants and many other things in nature. A repeated order to everything. And you say this Motorcycle has the power of a horse which I can only assume means it is very strong, or fast, or both. And two wheels, but I still don't understand one thing. What is this word you use? what is a motor?"
With this last statement she leaned in close, curiosity burning in her eyes. Her need for answers making her forget for a moment her modesty. If anyone had been watching they would say that this man had made her forget her modesty many times, but this man was a puzzle. And puzzles were always her greatest weakness. And the biggest reason she was in the trouble she was.

He still hadn't stopped blushing from the previous occasion, so it was hard to tell if her current attentions made him turn even redder, and he caught himself staring for a moment, trying to figure out what to say before he forced himself to break eye contact and stumble through an explanation. She was either the best actor he'd ever seen or...
There was just no way she was just a game pixel. If she was he'd feel really strange.
"No I mean..." He definitely hadn't mellowed, he thought, he still loathed it, every waking hour of it, "...Well the cycle part refers to the wheels, the motor, it's it's a machine that drives the motorcycle, sort of like...um...water...powering a waterwheel, but there's a lot more parts..."

Mike smiled, nodding pleasantly to Hilbert. "Thank you. We'll keep that in mind."

When Hilbert was turned and walking away, Mike smiled, shaking his head. "Companion, huh?" he muttered just under his breath. He climbed back up into the 'room' that he'd arrived in. Think I like the sound of that.

"You interested in helping out with a quick clean up?" he said to Britney. "Hopefully, not everything fell apart when it got transported here, so we can get it all. Just wish we could do something about the biggest chunk."

Watching her huddle in the corner of the room, he was filled with a little concern. Not something he was accustomed to, but given the subject, he wasn't suprised. "Are you alright?"

Vesta put away the last of the riding equipment and guided the horse out into the pastor out back as she listened carefully to Falco's description. Cycle being used to describe wheels she could understand. Cycles were often depicted as being circle like, much like a wheel. But what he described next was a little harder to wrap her mind around. What ever a motor was it acted like a water wheel. Did this mean that a motor used water to move the wheels? So much to learn but she realized at this moment she had promised Falco dinner and it was getting very close to sunset. It was best if they ate soon.
"I am very interested in hearing more about this motor and how it powers the wheels much like a water wheel works. But I believe I promised you dinner and I wouldn't be much of a host if I made you spend all of your time out here with the horses." She said with a light sound to her voice.
"If you would follow me up the ramp into the house we can continue this discussion over dinner."

With that she made her way up the ramp that led into the house, her hips swaying all the way. She stopped at the door and held it open for him gesturing inwards.
"Coming handsome 'knight'?"

Through the door was a kitchen that sounded alive with people busily cooking and working hard to prepare a meal.

==================================================

Britney, through it all, waited for the voice in her ear to tell her what to do. To explain what happened and what she needed to do. Anything to make this insanity, seem that much more sane. But the ear piece remained dead. With out it she was on her own. She wasn't sure how she ended up in the country side or where the midget had come from. He seemed pleasant enough, sorta like a country shop keeper.

But now the person she arrived with, mike, was talking to her again. He wanted to clean up. She wasn't sue what he meant until she realized he must mean trying to put things back together in hopes of getting back. Her hopes were set on being found. But till they arrived she would help Mike.

"Sure, I can help clean up. Where would you like to start?"


Up on the stump Hilbert blew out a smoke egg, followed by a smoke chicken which promptly sat on the egg. "Guess that answers that old question." he thought with a wry smile. But what was he to make of his new neighbors as they went about there work of cleaning up. As much as he didn't want to seem inhospitable, he hoped they weren't planning on staying long. It wasn't he didn't like them or wasn't a good host. He just worried about the Ogre who slept under the hill. He seriously hoped that the impact hadn't awoken it. It may have been dumb, even for an ogre but that still didn't stop it from causing no end of trouble.

He turned rolled after her obligingly, glad for a brief reprieve on trying to describe the inner workings of a motor. Waterwheel? God that was stupid, but he'd been flailing. He was quite glad for the ramp, though depending on the number of steps he could have forced the issue and gotten up them as well, but he rolled after her smoothly, which was also a demonstration on why he had strength in his upper body that had vanished entirely from the lower.
"It's, not a very good explanation really, it's, I dunno." If she was faking, god she was good. He'd never realized how hard it would be to break down the concept of 'motor' and explain it to someone.

The first thing Falco saw upon entering the busy sounding kitchen was the lack of bodies to go along with the noise. And next was the fact that the food and utensils were busying themselves with food prep without a single person touching them. Knives and other utensils flying through the air. The whole of the kitchen seemed like a mishmash of things. The oven looked like the head of an iron dragon with the mouth lowering to accept loaves of bread. The 'icebox' literally had icicles and a thin layer of frost coating it and looked more like an outhouse then a refrigerator from the outside. Many of the other furnishings had the same odd look that the outside possessed giving it a surreal feel that it was assembled by someone who went to a Pier One and shook out just what they needed.

Vesta moved past this scene without being at all bothered.
"That's okay, we can try and work out what it is and how to explain it over dinner. Which would be a good thing cause of you think I am interested wait till you get the third degree from my Dad about it. He will be absolutely fascinated." she giggled.

"Oh and please forgive the state of the kitchen. They are incredible cooks but not very neat. At-least until it's time to clean up. Then you would never tell there had ever been any cooking going on. Let's head into the dinning room. It looks like they are ready to serve."

And she continued through another door into the other room.

Falco paused in the doorway, watching Vesta drift fearlessly through the gauntlet of invisible people wielding hot food and sharp objects, jaw agape. It was like something out of one of those 'Fantasia' specials. "They uh..." He hesitated and then edgily attempted to follow her, trying to find any sign to tell him if he was going to run into someone...or something, telling himself he was being ridiculous and should look out for wires instead. "How can you tell?" He asked, rolling after her, shoulders knotted and waiting for something to fall over him as he tried to catch up with her again. "W...Why are they -invisible-?" They were invisible right? He wasn't just seeing things?
Oh lord, how was he going to explain this stuff to her father? What was her father like anyway? Curious obviously. And very... ... ... eccentric, judging by the construction.

Vesta stopped short in the doorway to the dinning room and turned back to Falco.

"Finally something he has never seen" she thought.

"Yes," She said pleasantly like someone proud of her house and wanting to show it off to an honored guest "they are invisible. Well a few of them are invisible servants. Some of what you see is animated objects moving around on their own and doing their duties."
She pointed at a tray of cooked pheasants moving from the oven to the counter. "that would be an invisible servant getting the pheasants ready. I hope you like pheasants?" She said as an aside.
She pointed at a set of knives chopping up vegetables and a bowl and mixer which appeared to be making cake batter. "Those are just animated objects"
"What you will see coming out to serve us will be the invisible servants. The animated objects aren't allowed outside of the kitchen."

"Shall we go sit down" she said turning back toward the dinning room. "It looks like they are ready to serve the first course."

He was so dumbfounded by the entire afair that he didn't bother to make the obvious joke that he was already setting down, and nervously navigated the kitchen after her, hoping that any invisible servants didn't take offense. "Never had pheasant actually." He admitted. "...Just animated objects?" He asked, emphasizing that he didn't think that that was any more common than an invisible servant. "And why are they invisible?" He was faintly reminded of "Beauty and the Beast", only without the cloying musical numbers and insidious little dancing teacups. Actually all in all he hadn't seem much 'Disney' about any of this. "If there invisible, how are you supposed to avoid running into them? I mean I don't want to back into anyone or roll over any toes by accident."

Vesta walked to the Table that looked like it could seat six comfortably and slid the chair at the head of the table back against the wall. The table appeared to be the perfect Height for Falco's wheelchair. "That's good" thought Vesta, "I'd hate to have hauled out any more magic then I had to. He is already nervous enough with the kitchen staff." She thought this was odd after he had been transported here but didn't question it. Magic was different the world around and maybe where he came from there were no invisible servants and animated cooking wear.

"Oh, no need to worry about them. They are really good at not getting bumped into or stepped on. And yes, they are just animated. Nothing more special then that."

She snapped her fingers and the candles in the center of the room lit. A simple cantrip, she didn't think that could be unheard of. Any daughter of a wizard would know that one.

"Actually, you'll have to ask Dad why they are invisible. I always assumed it was so they wouldn't bother the wizard when he worked. Plus I think the wizard who initially created the spell must have wanted to impress his guests." she said and winked confidentially.

She walked down to the tail of the table where the chair slid out for her and back in when she sat.

"Well, then i hope you enjoy the pheasant, it smells delicious."

Platters flew into the room and settled themselves on the table. Along with the pheasant were roast turnips and potatoes, Green beans, a steaming loaf of bread and two bottles of wine. One of the glasses in front of Falco's seat filled with water from out of thin air. "Just ask for anything you want and the servants will put it on your plate" She said. "Would you like to bless this meal to your gods?"

He had to wonder about that, were the animated servants actually people? Or were they sort of like the knives, an invisible something or other? A fancy bit of code or magic? Seemed a bit awkward to ask, and he sort of had the vague idea that they might not actually be people, partially from the way she'd described them, and second because they were so creepily quiet.
"It smells great." He admitted, which it did. It had a bizzare cross air of being in a really expensive restaurant, only crossed with one of those weird Rennesance faires... and and an weird invisible animatronics show.
He paused at her last question, shooting her a look as he considered weather or not to jokingly pray to Kawasaki and Harley Davidson, and other assorted variety of motorcycle, but based on her earlier reactions, she'd probably take him seriously. That would just be weird. "...I'll uh, pass if that's alright."

Unaware that they were still being watched, Mike looked around the inside of the room they had arrived in. Most everything seemed to be present, just scattered about the floor.
"Well, I suppose we could start with making sure everything out there-" he pointed with both arms toward the ousides of the room, "Gets back in here." He brought his hands together, both pointed at the floor to emphasize the point. "I think I counted something like ten or twelve balls of computer componenents, though I think I might have missed some." He looked around the room. "Maybe then we can put something back together that'll at least tell us what happened."
Mike looked back at Britney. "Are you alright? You looked a little dazed just a second ago."

"I'm fine, I think." Britney blurted out. "You think you know how to put this all back together?" was her next statement. This surprised me as she had no clue what any of this was. Not without help. She wasn't fine but she wanted to try and maintain an illusion that she had some control of this situation even though she was about to completely go insane. She staggered to her feet and moved towards one of the openings in the wall and then stopped dead in her tracks. "Who was this man?" she thought. He was so calm and took charge so easily. Plus he was so charming
"Who are you exactly?" She asked turning back to face him. All I know about you is a name and a vague sense you work for someone" She waved her hands in the air as if trying the conjure the group he worked for out of thin air. "If we are going to be stuck together till they come get us, where ever we are, then I would at least like to know who you are.

Winchester woke up in the darkness to a great clamor outside. He had no clue what the noise was but with one final thud it ended. He scratched his head dully in the dark and decided he might as well go check things out while he was awake. He grabbed his club, more of just the trunk of a very big tree and dragging it behind him headed for the exit. Besides, the short guys always had great stuff.

Targen Third Half Torilson Dodger June Boy Moon Day Kratchix looked through his distance glass, his own creation, and saw all of the shiny metal objects fall on the Halflings' hill. It was all so amazing, the tubes and long pieces of metal and glass of every shape. Maybe he could talk the Halflings out of it, assuming they hadn't made salvage claims on it yet. He would grab Flatblap Jug Norfids Gilson Hammer Lock Hill Binder Lord Nordfia and they would rush right over in his Dragon Wing to make their own claim.

Hilbert blew out another smoke shape, and this one puzzled him. He'd seen armored maidens on horse back, a wise looking wizard, clerics of the Order of Herp with their boards, but this shape he could not make heads or tails of. It had two wheels in line with each other, a set of horns and three eyes on its head and butt. He just scratched his head and just watched it till it dissipated.

================================================== =

"Then let us begin" said Vesta "You'll have to tell me how everything is." She would have to wait until after the guest had eaten before she could eat. She could try to eat and drink around the veil but anytime she had tried that before it only made a mess. And from what she could see out the window it wouldn't be long before she wouldn't need the veil or any of these other clothes once again.

She looked at him, there in his chair. He looked so powerful, yet so vulnerable all at the same time. And even though she had learned a lot about him there was still so much to learn. And then there was "The Game" that had brought him here. This still interested her. What kind of game flung it's participant, possibly, 100's of leagues from their home with no clear clue what they should be doing. This didn't sound right and she wanted to know more.

"So what happens when your game time is up? Do you have to return to the spot you arrived or will just be snatched back to where you came from? It seems kind of unfair to make you play a game where you don't have any clue what the objective is. Would you be able to come back? In case you decided to dine with us again?"

Everlaststar: here is your first post. Enjoy.

Bryce felt the weight of the sword in his hand. It felt pretty flippin' real. Too bad it didn't have a real edge on it. He looked over a Paul who had chosen a spiked mace and Terrence who had grabbed a trident pretend to spar. He had heard incredible things about this game. It cost big bucks to play, but anything worth doing, was worth doing big. And this game was the hottest thing for those who could get on the list for it and afford it. But Mom's money and Dad's connections helped with that. This was the greatest Vir Rea Game out there. You entered it and fought all kinds of monsters. Course he'd also heard rumors you could also get it on with the women in the game. If he could break away from the others long enough he might try to see if the rumors were true. He stood there in his street clothes like a modern day warrior. He felt so cool. The room the stood in looked like something out of a science fiction movie with the large platform in the center lit from underneath and the control consols around it with helmeted technicians pushing buttons.

He posed momentarily for the blonde hostess. He knew she had been eyeing him since he got here. Not that she wasn't a looker, cause she was. Her name was Britany and she looked like the rock star of the same name. Could have been her sister. Or Twin. She smiled at him as she held a bow and quiver of arrows. It was for the fourth member of their group. Bryce knew her from school, a hottie like Britany, who had offered to fill in for the fourth spot when Jim broke his leg in football practice. Hey, it would be cool to have a girl around, just as long as she stayed out of the way and didn't hit him with the bow and arrow. And with Angela and him on the rocks maybe she could help take his mind off of Angela for a bit.

Britany turned to the final paticipant. "Your bow and arrows, ma'am." she said with a deep south accent.

Falco could have readily pointed out that he had just as much to learn about the enigmatic and veiled Vesta as he settled in sheepishly to try some of the dinner. "Uh. May I have some of the uh, quail....and...some bread?" He asked, feeling bizarre asking invisible...men...women....wahoos? For a serving of dinner. "Uh, I'm not sure, I mean I think it's supposed to be kind of open ended...which...he could have really been more clear on. I think it's kind of...geared more toward some moron with a sword who thinks he's going to stampede across the landscape fueled entirely by testosterone and rescue very busty women from dragons or something."
Not that he'd mind the ability to go stampeding across the landscape, but he'd rather do it with an motorcycle. His accident hadn't cured him of his lust to ride, and horse back riding had at best only been a weak tease.
"I mean I think yeah I could probably come back." That was the question though wasn't it. Could he really afford a second trip through? Could he really afford this one? It wasn't like he was getting advertising gigs now. He'd been smart enough, partially thanks to his ex's prompting, to put away a healthy bank account, but suddenly looking at it as something he had to live on and pay Hannah out of, it felt limp and sort of anemic.
Maybe he'd get an idea what to do. Start a new sport maybe? Wheelchair drag racing....yeah....sure.
How much time did he have left anyway? He considered, sampling some of the meat cautiously as the servants dished it out, and then pausing to raise his eyebrows at Vesta.
"What about you?" The question could be taken a couple ways, and he sort of meant it that way. He didn't know anything about her, and she wasn't eating yet. "Are you eating? And uh....well, I don't really know a lot about you other than that you ride horses a heck of a lot better than I do. ... And you hate frog melon."

"I think I do... or at least, I hope I do. Not much left to work with, though..."

Mike watched for a moment as Britney rose unsteadily to her feet, ready to rush in to catch her if she fell. Get ready to be the dashing hero, in more ways than one, he thought to himself with a slight smile. When it looked like she was able to move steadily, Mike turned his attention to one of the computer banks that looked to have an intact monitor. He was just about to pull the front panel open when Britney's barrage of questions hit. What was he going to tell her? Might as well be as close to the full story as necessary. He didn't think they would be going home any time soon.
He stood up, and turned toward Britney.

"My name is Captain Michael Lister. I work for... well, more accurately, I'm the head director.. of a group called Torchwood. We operate above and beyond all other forms of authority. We had, in fact, detected a spike in chronal energy in the location of your building, and I came to investigate." Why didn't I learn the last time not to give everyone the day off at the same time? "The company you worked for is in the posession of technology that shouldn't exist for at least another 100 to 200 years. "

"As for myself... it's pretty complicated."

Charlotte was anything but enjoying herself as she gave the pathetic excuse for a pop star reject a once over view and rolled her eyes. She put her well manicured hand out and took the bow and arrow she was offered. Her inner diva was belittling her for even considering coming into this stupid video game to impress Bryce. Boys shouldn't be this much effort. You should only have to wear your shortest skirt and tightest top and just smile when they talk. That usually worked. Maybe this is what she got for getting sick of 'superficial boys' and trying to go for someone with more 'substance' as her mother put it. Thankfully, the bow and quiver felt good in her hands after all those years of training in boarding school. Maybe she would impress...

"Whatever..." Charlotte mumbled to the Britney, taking one final look before deciding she looked much better in her tight jeans, pink hoodie and uggboots. Too bad she occassionally caught Bryce wagging his tongue at the stupid video game character. She continued to watch the boys with little interest for a while, thinking they were more nerdy then she'd originally assumed. Eventually, she became bored and began picking at her pink painted nails with an arrowhead.

"I hope you are the first one to get eaten you vacuous tart" Britney thought. But all that came out of her smiling mouth was "Have a good time Ma'am."

She stepped back to the control panel and looked at the gathered group. The one called Bryce was the only one they were concerned about but they would need to cover the other three as well, as annoying as they were. All three of the boys had looked her up and down and made weak attempts to hit upon her. And the girl was very cold and nasty as far as Britney was concerned. She couldn't see what these boys saw in her. The girl deserved them and what ever they did to her in once the entered "the game". It didn't matter. The boy and his trust fund was all that mattered at this point. Once they got their hands on that they would be all set. This time they did better research then they did for the gimp in the wheelchair. One would think he would have had more money then he did.

The earpiece fed the information into her ear that she needed. She turned to the group and spoke to them through the microphone in front of her, "If everyone will join on the platform in the center of the room we can get you into the game now.

The one called Bryce turned towards the girl and called out "Hey Charl, hurry up. You don't want to miss this. I here it rocks more then the rides at Terror Island Park." He waved her on as he stepped up onto the platform.

Britney continued her instructions. "Once the lights start to flash stay perfectly still and close your eyes to prevent any disorientation. You will a puling sensation on your body. This is completely normal and will pass quickly. Once this has passed you will be able to open your eyes and begin play. And remember that nothing in the game can harm you so have fun."

And with that she began to power up the platform and the lights began to flash.

==========================================

Britany puzzled over everything she had been told until it felt like her head would burst. It was too much information for her to process without the help of the earpiece. Chronal energy? What was that? And who says that the Technology shouldn't exist. The Master created it. So why should he have waited that long before creating it. Was it some kind of government law about creating things? Her head started to hurt so she decided to try things that didn't make her head hurt.

"You are complicated? Are you married?" she asked

Meanwhile the watch Mike wore started to detect a build up in energy in one of the spheres out on the hillside.

=====================================

"Sorry, I am being a horrible host, grilling you for information." Said Vesta apologetically while also poking a little fun at herself. "For all you know I could be a succubus drawing you into my lair. Well where shall I begin?... You know my name is Lady Vesta of Varelia. I am the product of the joining of a noble woman and a very powerful wizard. The wizard is my father, Kevin Merlin Gildorf, and that is who I live with currently. Do to forces beyond my control my father and mother are unable to share the same dinner table. But I have grown up with him and he has taught me rudimentary Magic and other lessons that a I may grow up to be the lady you see before you today. The veil is due to a promise I made when I was very young. No man shall see of me more then you see right now, until I find my one true love. So I don't eat in front of people except for that which I can slip under my veil. Anything else you would like to know?"
Vesta leaned forward and locked eyes with Falco from across the table. And softness grew in those eyes as if a trust was growing in them.

"Married...? Uh.. no, as a matter of fact, I'm not." Mike replied, his usual bright smile returning, more out of habit than anything else. This was a subject that had crossed his mind countless times before. All the women he'd met over the years, and not a one he had brought up the bravery to propose to. All those years over which he hadn't aged a single day. That was the frustrating part of his condition. "I was actually referring to my own personal history... and the fact that there's a lot to it..." His expression became more akin to a look of distraction. "More so than most men would ever have..."
In his momentary distraction, he didn't notice the readings starting to build up on his wristband. He reached up to scratch the side of his head, unknowingly showing Britney the screen on it.

Charlotte really only listened with a half-assed attention.

Yeah yeah...shut my eyes...going to be real fun. At least Bryce looks kinda hot when he swings around that weapon. Ooooh maybe he'll want me to be his princess or something... Just as long as they don't put me in some stupid dress that hides my figure.

At Bryce's prompting, she hurried over to stand just behind him. There was a slight skip in her step and she flashed him her sweetest smile. Tenatively, she touched his arm and nuzzled up against him with a giggle. Charlie did her best to ignore the other two friends as she closed her eyes and relished the long seconds she HAD to stay perfectly still beside him. Logically, she couldn't move because the lights were flashing. She closed her eyes tightly and hoped that this would in no way screw up her make up she'd so painstakingly applied earlier in the day.

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" Britany asked. He talked weirdly and was tough to follow. But he was certainly handsome and not married.

As she admired Mike that was when she saw it. The flashing lights on his watch. "Must be one of those special watches you can record appointments in" she thought

"Well, it looks like you will be late for your appointment" she said looking at the watch. "I hope it wasn't anything important."


Meanwhile, a mile away and a hundred yards up Targen Third Half Torilson Dodger June Boy Moon Day Kratchix and Flatblap Jug Norfids Gilson Hammer Lock Hill Binder Lord Nordfia flapped furiously towards their quarry. They needed to reach it before any other Gnomes got there. And if anything could do it, the dragon wing was it. Looking like a tailless dragon flying backwards through the air, breathing gouts of fire out it's rear facing "mouth" it thrust it on while the mightly wings kept it air born. ONly a little farther they thought. And no other gnomes in sight.

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Paul took one look at Charlotte and felt a twinge of jealousy for Bryce. First it was Angela and now it was Charlotte. How was it he got all the hotties? What was it about him? Okay he was starting QB and captain of the football team. And being able to drive one of his families four sports cars sure didn't hurt his chances. He watched as Charlotte nuzzled up against him and giggled. Then Bryce put his free arm around her shoulder and said "You stick close to me. Just in case it gets scary. I'll protect you." And with that Bryce looked down at her with those big brown eyes before closing them like the hostess asked. God, there was another example. The Hostess was all over him since they got here. Paul just shook his head and shut his eyes.

And at that moment they all felt the pulling sensation, as if every atom of their bodies was being sucked through a straw. It yanked at them, pulling them forward, the flashing lights visible through their closed eyes. And suddenly the pulling stopped and everything went dark.

Paul slowly opened his eyes. The four of them were standing in the most realistic looking game he had ever seen. They were in what he could only assume was a temple to some evil god. It's likeness, easily 50 feet tall and carved in solid rock sat at one end on a black obsidian throne. Torches were set in the wall all around them. And an alter sat in front of the statue with three red robed priests blocking a good view of the alter. They were chanting over something. They seemed oblivious to the four individuals who had appeared in their temple.

"Cool graphics" whispered Paul, uncertain as to exactly why he was whispering.

Bryce pulled away from Charlotte and stepped forward his sword at the ready. "Ready guys? Charl? It looks like we have our first bit of hacking to do." Bryce said, not trying to be silent, as he looked back at each of his friends. HIs eyes lingered a bit on Charl. Damn she looked hot in those pants. He'd have to make a point of getting into them later. "Everybody all set?" he said with a gleam in his eye.

Michael missed Britney's first question. Everytime it was brought up, he always seemd to get lost in thought trying to figure out how it had happened. He knew he'd died that first time, there certainly wasn't mistaking that feeling: intense pain, then nothing. The next thing he knew, he was crawling to his feet in that hallway. He only just registered Britney saying something about an appointment.

"Appointment?" That's when he noticed the flashing light on his watch.

"That's odd..." he said, examining the readings on the screen. "Seems to be coming from outside." Mike headed toward the opening, keeping a eye on his watch to see if it indicated a direction. He looked back at Britney before heading outside. "C'mon, and maybe I can explain what's going on along the way."