View source for 2020-03-16 - Pants On Fire

{{Logsummary|
Title    = Pants On Fire
|Summary = Nathan hears a disturbance -- a snake slinging fire in a bar.  Turns out Deis was feeling disrespected!  Hinoken joins later, when a patron comes out with their pants on fire.
|Who     = [[Deis]], [[Nathan Xeos]], [[Hinoken]]
|Date    = March 16, 2020
|Where   = [[Rotation Room]]
|Log=

FWOOSH!
 
"'''YOU SON OF A BITCH!  HOW DARE YOU!'''"
 
It's an evil-sounding hiss, very much unlike the beautiful blue-haired woman that was there just a moment ago.  In her place is now... well, she's still a beautiful blue-haired woman from the waist up.  But from the waist down, she's a serpent.
 
More to the point?  She's also hurling fireballs.  Inside a bar.  Full of very flammable alcohol.  Now ordinarily, Deis would be more careful than to just throw fireballs around a bar full of alcohol... but she's actually kinda drunk, and she's mad because her butt got grabbed...


Nathan Xeos meanwhile, is elsewhere in the district. Now, the commotion from one of the many bars in the area is rather noticable since well, the flames give it away... And while he isn't the police, he '''is''' however the best that's on hand at the moment. He comes through the door, sword drawn, "Alright, what's all this then?" he barely stops to block a fireball with his sword.


Deis doesn't seem to notice that she's thrown a fireball his direction -- it was instinctive, he was a new appearance.  But when she pauses long enough to understand who's shown up, she stops throwing the fireballs.  He's not attacking her, so he's not a threat to her.
 
No, instead she '''points''' at a bar patron who's cowering behind an overturned table... that is partially on fire.  "'''THAT''' guy!  Right there!  That little no-good sack of rakda manure!  '''HE GRABBED MY ASS'''!"
 
"I didn't know you was a witch, lady!" comes a frightened voice from behind the table.  And then a yelp as Deis casts a bolt of lightning at the table.
 
"'''THAT SHOULDN'T MATTER!'''" Deis hisses.  "You should know better than to just walk up behind people and '''GRAB''' them!"


Nathan Xeos has no idea what a rakda is, but very aware what manure is (Don't ask.). He flicks his sword, putting out the flames on it before quickly sheathing it. "Right. I'm thinking he learned his lesson." As a fellow master of elementalism, he casts an ice spell on the table to put out the fire to at least keep it from spreading. "Even though I would have thought it would be common sense by now." He keeps this up, and he's ether going to get a letter of hiring for the MCPD or a cease and desist.


It's less Nathan's words that actually have an affect on Deis's temper... and more the fact that he's using elemental magic that she can actually sense.  He isn't just a pyrokinetic or a cryokinetic.  It's '''actual magic'''.  Which, as varied as the people are in Twisted, has been something she hasn't actually felt very much at all since she got here.
 
In fact it's so immediate an effect that the anger disappears from her face, and she looks to Nathan in surprise.  "Oh hey... you use magic!"  Yeah, she's drunk, excuse the cameo of Captain Obvious here...


Nathan Xeos is a veritable well of anima in fact, thanks to the Bees. "Yeah? I wouldn't think magic use would be '''that''' rare." He says slightly confused. "Not with the amount of strangeness this whole city exudes on a daily basis."


"Well, no..." Deis notes.  "But you're right... I've found it surprising that I don't sense more people with magic.  Because yeah, this place is pretty weird."  She leans against a convenient piece of furniture -- thankfully she hasn't wrecked '''too''' much stuff in here, just that table that dude was hiding behind -- and leans a little closer to him, as if trying to see him closer.
 
Aaaaand while she's distracted with that?  Mr. Assgrabber gets up and runs out the door.  He's not taking the chance she'll get undistracted and start throwing fireballs at him again!  Deis does, in fact see him, and pitches a small fireball out the door after him.  The yelp indicates she might have hit her target, but she doesn't see where.  Which is kind of a pity, because there's a guy with his butt on fire, running down the street now.


As that man goes running down the street with his ass on fire, another man with a fiery disposition is walking by, and just happens to take notice. Yes, it's Hinoken, and he's soon sauntering into the bar with FireMan behind him, just in case. "Hey now, burning stuff down is supposed to be '''our''' job." he remarks, glancing at both Nathan and Deis. Oh, that's a face he remembers alright. "Heh. You really are a girl after my own heart, aren't you? Didn't take you for an arsonist though."


"Well, I can't say he doesn't deserve it, but it probably wasn't necessary." Nathan's moved a little closer to the center of the room, to get out of the way of Mr Pantsonfire and to not be blocking the door. "I wasn't burning anything down." Not at the moment anyway.


It's probably also a tail Hinoken remembers, since Deis is in her half-serpent/lamia form at the moment!  Deis waves at Hinoken!  "Hi!" she greets, far too brightly.  Yeah, she's drunk.  The flushed cheeks are pretty clear on that.  "Oh, that guy?  He decided he was going to grab my butt, so I decided to set his on fire!  I figured it was a fair trade~."

To Nathan she nods.  "Admittedly, if I wasn't several sheets t' the wind right now, I prob'ly woulda just turned around 'n socked him one."  Which would have done its own damage, but probably less than she did as things stand.  Fortunately the place isn't too messed up.  Should be easily replaceable.


Hinoken definitely remembers the tail, yes. And he can tell she's had too much to drink, even if she wasn't flinging fireballs everywhere. "Well, guess he got what he deserved." he says with a shrug, then waves an arm towards the destruction. "I don't think the rest of the bar deserved to burn for it, though." He also nods to Nathan. Oh, he understands.


Nathan Xeos was just the one who arrived first after the fireballs started flying. He's also a mage, which apparently help distract the snake lady. "I doubt the owner's going to lose sleep over some cheap tables and chairs. Anyhow, I take it you two know each other?"


Deis pouts at the mention of the rest of the bar.  "It's not that bad," she protests.  Though in all seriousness, it really isn't that bad.  A couple tables got burnt, one was scorched by lightning.  It shouldn't be that difficult to fix.  And all in all, for a literal drunken goddess's rampage, it's incredibly minor.
 
Nathan's question gets an affirmative, "Mhm!  Though we only just met once, and only a little while ago.  He was surfing, and I was swimming and sunning."


Hinoken shrugs at Nathan's words. "It ain't the Usual, but I'll take your word for it. Either way, I'm not paying for damages." he says, then smiles and nods as Deis answers Nathan's question. "Yep, just acquaintances. Talked a little bit on the beach, is all."


Nathan Xeos nods. "Well, that clears that up. Could be worse, fire could have spread." Not like anyone here's going to be on the hook, not with Sir Flamingarse out there. "Not the best way to meet up for a second time."


Meanwhile, Deis is actually starting to help clean up the mess.  She'll need to do something to offset the cost -- maybe she can try to bless the booze for a while or something.  That'll come later, though.  For now, just picking up the trashed bits should be enough.  "Not to worry... Hinoken, was it?"  She's only met him once before.  "I'll take care of it.  It's my fault, so the least I can do is pick it up."
 
Fortunately, the guy's probably gotten it put out by now.  Likely in the cartoony fashion of jumping in a lake or something.  Possibly the ocean if he made it all the way down to the beach with his butt on fire!  "Hey, I've had worse meetings -- first time '''and''' last meetings," she says to Nathan.  "Ever entertained guests completely naked?  In my human form, now.  Directly after waking up from a five-century sealing-away."


Hinoken shrugs, moving to help clean up as well... and put out any fires that may still be smoldering. "Nah, I'm here already, may as well." he responds, righting a chair that had been knocked over. FireMan, in the meantime, just awkwardly stands around, staring at the flamethrowers he has in place of hands. Why, oh why...


"Well, that's... Slightly different." Nathan's helping with the cleanup as well. He's most certainly not actually using magic to undo some damage. "I try to keep clothing within arms reach usually, even from the grave."


Deis offers a positively beaming smile to Hinoken.  "Aaah, thank you so much~," she chirps happily.  And no, she's not going to put her share of the work on someone else.  She's lazy, not a deadbeat!  Now, she hadn't really noticed FireMan up to this point... thanks to being drunk.  But since he seems to be looking as though he's confused as to how to help?  "Hold still there, you can carry stuff, right?" Deis inquires.  And she'll make to place the charred debris over his arms.  "There, now you can help!"
 
Nathan's words of keeping clothes in arms' reach gets a chuckle.  "Usually I try to, yeah.  But when your sister's four chosen warriors decide you're an evil demon and that they need to seal you away to keep your 'evil' contained, they generally don't give you time to put on your best clothes," she notes, amused.
 
Should FireMan have allowed her to pile up stuff on his arms, she'll head over and pick it up from his arms (if not she'll have been making a neat pile of it) once things are mostly cleaned up.  "I need to find a dumpster for this."  Pause.  "Oh, right."  She'll also give her contact address to the bartender, just so he doesn't think she's running out on the bill.  "That's probably it for me as far as drinking tonight.  There's only so drunk I allow myself to get.  But... yeah.  Gotta throw this stuff away.  Take care, if I don't see you guys again tonight~."


Hinoken laughs a little at the explanation of Deis's history with her siblings. "Wow, sounds like some crazy family issues. And here I thought '''my''' folks were bad." FireMan, in the meantime, seems to actually be quite happy to have found a way to help, even if it's as a glorified shelf for stacking broken things on. Once Deis goes to leave though, Hinoken nods and waves her off. "Seeya later!"
 
FireMan finally speaks up at this point. "Maybe I could have burned the trash?"


Nathan Xeos may have accidentally caused a paradox and made one of the chairs rapidly decay into rotten wood, but thankfully it was one of the ones already getting thrown out, so no further damage done. "And that is why you don't drink and cast..." He waves Deis off. "I'd ask, but from the sounds of it the answer would only be more confusing." He shakes his head. "We just avoided a fire, plus I'd rather not test the ventilation here. I suspect the building codes were more vague suggestions."


Hinoken grins at FireMan, patting the Navi on one of his oversized boxy shoulders. "'Ey, there there. You'll get a chance to burn something sooner or later, pal." he says, then recalls FireMan back into the device at his side with a flash of red light. Turning to Nathan, he chuckles and nods. "I think he meant outside, not in the bar."


"I'd hope so. The fewer places burning down the better." Nathan nods. He's seen a couple cult hideouts burn down. Mostly his fault from overheating, but the cult never really gave him much time to cool off. "Ever consider taking up wood burning?"


Hinoken raises an eyebrow, curious. "Wood burning? You mean for things other than campfires or smoking steaks?" he asks, stroking his oh-so-pointy beard.


Nathan Xeos nods. "You know, carpentry wood burning. I've seen some people take a plank and burn art into it. Not easy, since you don't want to set it on fire entirely, but it can get super detailed if you know what you're doing."


Hinoken nods as well. "Ooh, I see. I think I've seen things like that. Sounds like something I could get into as a hobby, sure. Maybe even sell some on the side for some extra dough."


"Exactly. Lumber's not hard to get, and heat shouldn't be an issue." Nathan catches a clock out of the corner of his eye. Well, this has been a rather long detour. Well, I guess spellcasting snakes do that. "Gah, is that the time?"


Hinoken chuckles and looks up at the clock as well. "Yeah, seems that way. Guess we should get going. I'm Hinoken, by the way, pleasure to meet you." he says and offers a hand for Nathan to shake.


Nathan Xeos gives a good hearty shake. "Nathan Xeos. A pleasure as well. Serial bounty hunter nowadays. Thankfully I've kept out of the papers so far." He heads to the door, "Speaking of which, I should make sure to stop by the bounty office."


Hinoken grins at the hearty handshake, heading for the door as well. "Nothing so exciting for me. I'm just the chef at the Usual. Anyway, see you later, Mr. Xeos!"
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