Magda_Adair

It's alright. Thorgar posted what happened on the second page to let people know. Curiosity is natural, and nothing bad.

I don't even know where to start... I only just found out about this today.

To Thor, Rena, and Bug: I love you guys still. Always have, and always will. Know that every time she and I talked about you guys, there was a deep and abiding love there in her words, her voice and her eyes.

Salsa was... my twin. They lived with us for many years, and past normal roommate irritations, I loved this silly woman more than I can rightly describe. I hadn't had many female friends... but she and I connected so well that we could just sit for hours talking about nothing. We would sometimes sit out on the porch and just throw silly at eachother until we couldn't stop laughing. We talked about plans for the future, never wanting what we had to vanish. About building up a business together, what we'd sell, how we'd decorate the place. We made characters together often, giggling over the way, without talking about it first, we'd come out into Outbreak with almost identical characters.

We finished eachother's sentences all the time.

That she was blindingly intelligent and intensely creative, anyone who knew her already knows. She was kind, thoughtful, sweet and she squeaked when tickled.

My only regret... is that after she and the girls moved out of our place... I lost touch with my sister. Take that as a lesson. Don't -ever- let go of those you love. Don't -ever- let them go away mad. Don't let anything get int he way of making sure they know how damned much you care about them.

I will never forget you, sisseh. I love you.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eAfyFTzZDMM

===

And some memories of she and I.
--
Two of our pairs. First our 'us' characters... Rowan and Kestral:
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a47...2-04-55-12.jpg
Second, our blood elves turned into CoH characters, Illyris and Lysindrae:
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a47...0-03-36-43.jpg

which leads me to....

5-manning Onyxia for my birthday one year.
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a47...mahbirfday.jpg
*
2-manning ZG before 80
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a47...anZGJeklik.jpg
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a47...ZGMandokir.jpg
*
Fun with Scholo before 70
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a47...g?t=1245733091
*
3-manning AQ20 between 75 and 80
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a47...409_232345.jpg
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a47...409_223903.jpg
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a47...g?t=1243325370

I'm beginning to miss the good old days back in 2004... crappy computer... minute long loading times when zoning... minimum graphics with strange stripes, and landscape sometimes having a vertice stretched out into infinity.... ahhh the 'good old days'.

Like many I've been experiencing the memory allocation failures since i20. Fun part was that neither of my roommates have ever had this issue (and one is on a non-modified emachine from Wal-Mart... =/ ) The time between crashes varies from 20 minutes to a couple of hours, depending on how often I zone, how many players are around me, and whether or not I'm doing trials or TFs. (and let me tell you how fun those constant crashes are when I'm in the middle of a fiddly bit of base-building..... )

I've contacted tech support, and all I got was 'turn off other applications, fullscreen the game to your native resolution'. These clearly haven't helped =/ Heck, I was even playing SW:TOR on high settings with no crashes (just lag =P). But COH is my first love, and has always drawn me back to it. I miss being able to sit down with a bunch of snacks for a good long, lazy day of playing when I have a day off of work!

So. As requested, first, the lookup, second the NCApplicationslog.log file...... which is sporking -wierd- when compared to the others I've seen here... there are technically 10 of them. From the un-numbered one to numbers 0-9. All exactly the same except for the timestamp...

============
Microsoft Windows [Version 6.1.7601]
Copyright (c) 2009 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

C:\Users\KesWolfe>nslookup cohlive.patcher.ncsoft.com
Server: UnKnown
Address: 192.168.2.1

Non-authoritative answer:
Name: a1755.g.akamai.net
Addresses: 24.143.193.50
24.143.193.35
Aliases: cohlive.patcher.ncsoft.com
cohlive.patcher.gtm.ncsoft.com
cohlive.patcher.ncsoft.com.edgesuite.net
============
First, there's this, from 18:55:50 etc, to 19:40:50.

'2011-12-26 18:55:50.1914 : 1 : Info : Attempting transition...
2011-12-26 18:55:50.1992 : 1 : Info : Cancelling ForceDownloadUpdates, user has not played or updated in 30 days!
2011-12-26 18:55:51.1914 : 1 : Info : Checking to see if the game (CoHTest) can apply transition DownloadUpdates.
2011-12-26 18:55:51.1914 : 1 : Info : Attempting transition...
2011-12-26 18:55:51.1914 : 1 : Info : Cancelling ForceDownloadUpdates, user has not played or updated in 30 days!'

All the same thing... over and over... then it moves to this:

2011-12-26 19:41:56.3574 : 1 : Info : Patcher: BeginOp: Checking for updates. : () : 0%
2011-12-26 19:41:56.3583 : 1 : Info : Patcher: BeginOp: Getting Current Version : () : 0%
2011-12-26 19:41:56.3583 : 1 : Info : BasicDownloader: Downloading 1 files for a total of : bytes.
2011-12-26 19:41:56.3583 : 1 : Info : BasicDownloader: Downloading from "http://launcher.patcher.ncsoft.com/NCLauncher/Main/Manifests/CurrentVersion.xml" to "C:\Users\KesWolfe\AppData\Local\Temp\tmp355.t mp".
2011-12-26 19:41:56.9550 : 1 : Info : BasicDownloader: Response Host "launcher.patcher.ncsoft.com" IP 0 = 64.208.159.43
2011-12-26 19:41:56.9550 : 1 : Info : BasicDownloader: Response Host "launcher.patcher.ncsoft.com" IP 1 = 64.208.159.24
2011-12-26 19:41:56.9550 : 1 : Info : BasicDownloader: Download of "http://launcher.patcher.ncsoft.com/NCLauncher/Main/Manifests/CurrentVersion.xml" completed successfully.
2011-12-26 19:41:56.9560 : 1 : Info : FileVerifier: Verifying: 'C:\Users\KesWolfe\AppData\Local\Temp\tmp355.tmp' Expected Hash = '' Expected Length = -1
2011-12-26 19:41:56.9560 : 1 : Info : FileVerifier: PASS: File exists, and there is no hash or length to test against.
2011-12-26 19:41:56.9560 : 1 : Info : Patcher: EndOp: Getting Current Version : () : 0%
2011-12-26 19:41:56.9570 : 1 : Info : Patcher: BeginOp: : () : 0%
2011-12-26 19:41:56.9570 : 1 : Info : Patcher: EndOp: : () : 20%
2011-12-26 19:41:56.9570 : 1 : Info : Patcher: EndOp: Checking for updates. : () : 0%
2011-12-26 19:41:57.3349 : 1 : Info : Checking to see if the game (CityOfHeroes) can apply transition Run.
2011-12-26 19:41:57.3349 : 1 : Info : Attempting transition...
2011-12-26 19:41:57.3388 : 1 : Info : Checking to see if the game (CoHTest) can apply transition DownloadUpdates.
2011-12-26 19:41:57.3388 : 1 : Info : Attempting transition...
2011-12-26 19:41:57.3388 : 1 : Info : Cancelling ForceDownloadUpdates, user has not played or updated in 30 days!
2011-12-26 19:41:57.3476 : 13 : Info : Patcher: BeginOp: Checking for updates. : () : 0%
2011-12-26 19:41:57.3574 : 13 : Info : Patcher: BeginOp: Getting Current Version : () : 0%
2011-12-26 19:41:57.3583 : 13 : Info : BasicDownloader: Downloading 1 files for a total of : bytes.
2011-12-26 19:41:57.3583 : 13 : Info : BasicDownloader: Downloading from "http://cohlive.patcher.ncsoft.com/CityOfHeroes/Main/Manifests/CurrentVersion.xml" to "C:\Users\KesWolfe\AppData\Local\Temp\tmp73E.t mp".
2011-12-26 19:41:57.4921 : 1 : Info : Checking to see if the game (CoHTest) can apply transition DownloadUpdates.
2011-12-26 19:41:57.4921 : 1 : Info : Attempting transition...
2011-12-26 19:41:57.4921 : 1 : Info : Cancelling ForceDownloadUpdates, user has not played or updated in 30 days!
2011-12-26 19:41:57.6855 : 13 : Info : BasicDownloader: Response Host "cohlive.patcher.ncsoft.com" IP 0 = 64.211.162.75
2011-12-26 19:41:57.6855 : 13 : Info : BasicDownloader: Response Host "cohlive.patcher.ncsoft.com" IP 1 = 64.211.162.83
2011-12-26 19:41:57.6865 : 13 : Info : BasicDownloader: Download of "http://cohlive.patcher.ncsoft.com/CityOfHeroes/Main/Manifests/CurrentVersion.xml" completed successfully.
2011-12-26 19:41:57.6865 : 13 : Info : FileVerifier: Verifying: 'C:\Users\KesWolfe\AppData\Local\Temp\tmp73E.tmp' Expected Hash = '' Expected Length = -1
2011-12-26 19:41:57.6865 : 13 : Info : FileVerifier: PASS: File exists, and there is no hash or length to test against.
2011-12-26 19:41:57.6865 : 13 : Info : Patcher: EndOp: Getting Current Version : () : 0%
2011-12-26 19:41:57.6875 : 13 : Info : Patcher: BeginOp: : () : 0%
2011-12-26 19:41:57.6875 : 13 : Info : Patcher: EndOp: : () : 20%
2011-12-26 19:41:57.7275 : 13 : Info : Patcher: EndOp: Checking for updates. : () : 0%
2011-12-26 19:41:58.1904 : 1 : Info : Checking to see if the game (CoHTest) can apply transition DownloadUpdates.
2011-12-26 19:41:58.1914 : 1 : Info : Attempting transition...
2011-12-26 19:41:58.1914 : 1 : Info : Cancelling ForceDownloadUpdates, user has not played or updated in 30 days!
2011-12-26 19:41:58.7470 : 1 : Info : Checking DirectX Version : 9.0c Or Higher (C:\Windows\system32\d3d9.dll - 6.1.7601.17514)
2011-12-26 19:41:58.7470 : 1 : Info : System meets DirectX reqs.
2011-12-26 19:41:59.2119 : 1 : Info : Checking to see if the game (CoHTest) can apply transition DownloadUpdates.
2011-12-26 19:41:59.2119 : 1 : Info : Attempting transition...
2011-12-26 19:41:59.2119 : 1 : Info : Cancelling ForceDownloadUpdates, user has not played or updated in 30 days!
2011-12-26 19:47:00.1923 : 1 : Info : Checking to see if the game (CoHTest) can apply transition DownloadUpdates.
2011-12-26 19:47:00.2109 : 1 : Info : Attempting transition...
2011-12-26 19:47:00.2109 : 1 : Info : Cancelling ForceDownloadUpdates, user has not played or updated in 30 days!
2011-12-26 19:52:01.1914 : 1 : Info : Checking to see if the game (CoHTest) can apply transition DownloadUpdates.
2011-12-26 19:52:01.1923 : 1 : Info : Attempting transition...
2011-12-26 19:52:01.1923 : 1 : Info : Cancelling ForceDownloadUpdates, user has not played or updated in 30 days!
2011-12-26 19:57:02.1972 : 1 : Info : Checking to see if the game (CoHTest) can apply transition DownloadUpdates.
2011-12-26 19:57:02.1982 : 1 : Info : Attempting transition...
2011-12-26 19:57:02.1982 : 1 : Info : Cancelling ForceDownloadUpdates, user has not played or updated in 30 days!
2011-12-26 20:01:42.9218 : 1 : Info : Patcher: BeginOp: Checking for updates. : () : 0%
2011-12-26 20:01:42.9238 : 1 : Info : Patcher: BeginOp: Getting Current Version : () : 0%
2011-12-26 20:01:43.1083 : 1 : Info : BasicDownloader: Downloading 1 files for a total of : bytes.
2011-12-26 20:01:43.1083 : 1 : Info : BasicDownloader: Downloading from "http://launcher.patcher.ncsoft.com/NCLauncher/Main/Manifests/CurrentVersion.xml" to "C:\Users\KesWolfe\AppData\Local\Temp\tmp1E59.tmp" .
2011-12-26 20:01:44.3896 : 1 : Info : BasicDownloader: Response Host "launcher.patcher.ncsoft.com" IP 0 = 64.208.159.43
2011-12-26 20:01:44.3896 : 1 : Info : BasicDownloader: Response Host "launcher.patcher.ncsoft.com" IP 1 = 64.208.159.8
2011-12-26 20:01:44.3896 : 1 : Info : BasicDownloader: Response Host "launcher.patcher.ncsoft.com" IP 2 = 64.208.159.24
2011-12-26 20:01:44.3896 : 1 : Info : BasicDownloader: Response Host "launcher.patcher.ncsoft.com" IP 3 = 64.208.159.41
2011-12-26 20:01:44.4326 : 1 : Info : BasicDownloader: Download of "http://launcher.patcher.ncsoft.com/NCLauncher/Main/Manifests/CurrentVersion.xml" completed successfully.
2011-12-26 20:01:44.4775 : 1 : Info : FileVerifier: Verifying: 'C:\Users\KesWolfe\AppData\Local\Temp\tmp1E59.tmp' Expected Hash = '' Expected Length = -1
2011-12-26 20:01:44.4775 : 1 : Info : FileVerifier: PASS: File exists, and there is no hash or length to test against.
2011-12-26 20:01:44.4833 : 1 : Info : Patcher: EndOp: Getting Current Version : () : 0%
2011-12-26 20:01:44.5039 : 1 : Info : Patcher: BeginOp: : () : 0%
2011-12-26 20:01:44.5039 : 1 : Info : Patcher: EndOp: : () : 20%
2011-12-26 20:01:44.5048 : 1 : Info : Patcher: EndOp: Checking for updates. : () : 0%
2011-12-26 20:01:48.7480 : 1 : Info : Checking to see if the game (CityOfHeroes) can apply transition Run.
2011-12-26 20:01:48.7480 : 1 : Info : Attempting transition...
2011-12-26 20:01:48.7929 : 1 : Info : Checking to see if the game (CoHTest) can apply transition DownloadUpdates.
2011-12-26 20:01:48.7929 : 1 : Info : Attempting transition...
2011-12-26 20:01:48.7929 : 1 : Info : Cancelling ForceDownloadUpdates, user has not played or updated in 30 days!
2011-12-26 20:01:48.8388 : 13 : Info : Patcher: BeginOp: Checking for updates. : () : 0%
2011-12-26 20:01:48.8769 : 13 : Info : Patcher: BeginOp: Getting Current Version : () : 0%
2011-12-26 20:01:48.8769 : 13 : Info : BasicDownloader: Downloading 1 files for a total of : bytes.
2011-12-26 20:01:48.8769 : 13 : Info : BasicDownloader: Downloading from "http://cohlive.patcher.ncsoft.com/CityOfHeroes/Main/Manifests/CurrentVersion.xml" to "C:\Users\KesWolfe\AppData\Local\Temp\tmp359B.tmp" .
2011-12-26 20:01:49.6787 : 13 : Info : BasicDownloader: Response Host "cohlive.patcher.ncsoft.com" IP 0 = 209.18.46.73
2011-12-26 20:01:49.6787 : 13 : Info : BasicDownloader: Response Host "cohlive.patcher.ncsoft.com" IP 1 = 209.18.46.32
2011-12-26 20:01:49.6787 : 13 : Info : BasicDownloader: Download of "http://cohlive.patcher.ncsoft.com/CityOfHeroes/Main/Manifests/CurrentVersion.xml" completed successfully.
2011-12-26 20:01:49.6796 : 13 : Info : FileVerifier: Verifying: 'C:\Users\KesWolfe\AppData\Local\Temp\tmp359B.tmp' Expected Hash = '' Expected Length = -1
2011-12-26 20:01:49.6796 : 13 : Info : FileVerifier: PASS: File exists, and there is no hash or length to test against.
2011-12-26 20:01:49.6796 : 13 : Info : Patcher: EndOp: Getting Current Version : () : 0%
2011-12-26 20:01:49.6806 : 13 : Info : Patcher: BeginOp: : () : 0%
2011-12-26 20:01:49.6806 : 13 : Info : Patcher: EndOp: : () : 20%
2011-12-26 20:01:49.7519 : 13 : Info : Patcher: EndOp: Checking for updates. : () : 0%
2011-12-26 20:01:51.2148 : 1 : Info : Checking to see if the game (CoHTest) can apply transition DownloadUpdates.
2011-12-26 20:01:51.2158 : 1 : Info : Attempting transition...
2011-12-26 20:01:51.2158 : 1 : Info : Cancelling ForceDownloadUpdates, user has not played or updated in 30 days!
2011-12-26 20:01:51.6191 : 1 : Info : Checking DirectX Version : 9.0c Or Higher (C:\Windows\system32\d3d9.dll - 6.1.7601.17514)
2011-12-26 20:01:51.6191 : 1 : Info : System meets DirectX reqs.
2011-12-26 20:01:52.2382 : 1 : Info : Checking to see if the game (CoHTest) can apply transition DownloadUpdates.
2011-12-26 20:01:52.2382 : 1 : Info : Attempting transition...
2011-12-26 20:01:52.2382 : 1 : Info : Cancelling ForceDownloadUpdates, user has not played or updated in 30 days!
2011-12-26 20:06:52.5117 : 1 : Info : Checking to see if the game (CoHTest) can apply transition DownloadUpdates.
2011-12-26 20:06:52.5126 : 1 : Info : Attempting transition...
2011-12-26 20:06:52.5126 : 1 : Info : Cancelling ForceDownloadUpdates, user has not played or updated in 30 days!
2011-12-26 20:11:53.3007 : 1 : Info : Checking to see if the game (CoHTest) can apply transition DownloadUpdates.
2011-12-26 20:11:53.3007 : 1 : Info : Attempting transition...
2011-12-26 20:11:53.3007 : 1 : Info : Cancelling ForceDownloadUpdates, user has not played or updated in 30 days!

Having the same issue. Resubbed monday, and getting the error "Account [account name] is not allowed on this server. Reason: Public access to this server has been disabled"


>:|

/sadfaise.

(( Combined Post ))

Shiro nodded towards the doctor. The look of concern on his face was evident, even though he had no idea who she was. Doctor Stevens stood, straightening out her uniform before speaking, "If you are able, lift her gently and carry her into the room and place her on the bed." Shiro did as he was instructed. He slipped his hands underneath her knees and back, lifting her gently. The orderlies moved out of his way as he carefully entered the the room. He placed her softly onto his bed.

Tessa's exhausted body and mind drifted as she lay there in the hallway. She dreamed of the briefing they'd gotten before they left.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ++++++++++++++

"Now, you know this will be dangerous. Are you certain you do not want more people to accompany you?" Ms. De'Vore asked kindly.

"Non. It will be better if it is only the two of us, Madame. We know each other too well, and others might get hurt. If it is only us two, then the chances of us coming back raise, even a little." Tessa replied. She smiled at Shiro, taking his hand in hers, holding it tightly. "And if it is to be our last, I would wish to be with no one but my love. I do not wish to risk others." She looked resolutely back up at her friend and the leader of their resistance.

Shiro squeezed his love's hand back. He smiled, his cool green eyes shown with confidence, as he spoke, "That is right, Ms. De'Vore. I will gladly risk my own hide, but others I am not too keen on." He gave Tessa a smile and a wink, "I would say my love should stay behind and just let me go alone, but I know that she would still find away to come along anyway. We are ready for this Ms. De'Vore. We will be back, you can bet on that."

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ++++++++++++++


Shiro kept one eye on the prone woman and one eye on Doctor Viridian. She stepped towards the bed, her eyes glancing between the two. She recognized the woman. She was the Jane Doe in Room 7-C, three doors down. She scanned the woman's prone form. A green sheen glossed over her eyes as they moved up and down the woman's form. She sighed, and a soft green wisp of vapor appeared from her mouth. The green wisp hovered over the woman, before sinking into her body.

Tessa's eyes flutterd open, wincing at the bright light, and the pain in her mind, she looked around her. She saw the doctor, and shook, unable to decide if she should tremble with fear or relief. Her eyes found her love, and she smiled, a few tears falling quietly onto the pillow.

"Oh mon amour, vous êtes sûr! Que s'est produit? Où sommes-nous?" she babbled at him rapidly in french, unable to stop the tears falling.

Shiro stared at her. It was as if his mind knew what she was saying yet he didn't know how he knew french. He gave her a smile, "Umm... I'm sorry, but..." He was cut off by Doctor Stevens coughing, she stood watching them. Shiro looked at her then returned his gaze to Tessa, "Do you know who I am?"

Tessa's eyes looked shocked, and hurt. She reached out for his hand, squeezing it as he held it out to her. "I should have known. You are Shiro. The Ace of Coins. You are my protector, my partner, my love. I do not know how we got here, but please remember. Remember our fight? Do you remember it? Mother Mayhem, and her Children... Ms. De'Vore sent us to gather information to help in the fight. She almost got us... please try to remember." Her eyes clouded over for a minute as she reached for his mind, trying to find the connection they once had. It was still there, but buried deeply, almost locked away. She sent a warm pulse of feeling down that link, and opened her eyes to look into his, and see if there was any sign of recognition.

Shiro's eyes opened wide. He stumbled a bit nearly falling over, luckily he was standing in front of a chair. He sat down, he was given alot of information. He wanted answers, and they seemed to be the truth. Doctor Stevens eyed the pair, an eyebrow arching at the mention of Mother Mayhem and Vanessa De'Vore. Shiro breathed in deeply, trying to acclimate to the answers. Then he felt it. Felt her in his mind, felt her completely, and knew that what she was saying was the truth. His cool green eyes fell onto her once more. "Ma cherie..." his voice was soft.

Tessa smiled happily as she felt him recognize her. "Oui mon amour." She looked up at the doctor. "Please... I am confused. I do not understand where we are. We were sent to Mother Mayhem to get information. We needed to stop her. But she found out we were there, and set a trap for us... unfortunately we fell right into her trap... I only just managed to get us away. But I think she found a way to intercept our becons, as this is -not- our world. Please... how did we get here? Where are we?"

Doctor Stevens took in the sight of the happily reunited lovers. A small, brief smile slid across her stern face. "My name is Doctor Valerie Stevens. You are currently residing in the Warhawk Clinic. It is a hospital designed specifically for those with extraordinary abilities. My I ask for both of your names? You two were quite a mystery for us and we need more information if we are to treat you two."

"Ah, yes. I am Tessa Adele Rousseau, this is Shiro. What other information would you like?"

Shiro's eyes glanced over at Doctor Stevens, a clipboard had appeared in her hands. She scribbled their names down on their charts. "Does Mister Shiro have a last name?" She began cooly. She watched as the pair shook their heads. She nodded, then continued, "Miss Rousseau you were found in the emergency medical transporters on site a week ago. Mister Shiro here, was brought in three days after being found by a local hero in Steel Canyon. He had apparantly fought off some Outcast. He was also in a coma-like state. We would like to know the nature of your powers, so as to provide the best care we can."

Tessa nodded and explained the phantoms she could summon, the ability to convince the mind to harm the body, and the protective shields she could place on those she needed to protect. She explained about her ability teleport, and to create a small ball of pure energy with which to knock foes out of her way, or keep them away from her.

Shiro listened as his love, Tessa, explained her powers. Doctor Stevens nodded in places, "Typical Carnival training for Illusionists. The teleportation and protective fields must be your own addition to the mix, or perhaps the Carnival of Light have much different training methods. That also explains some of the brainwave patterns we noticed during you CAT Scan." She turned to Shiro, "You on the other hand, do not appear to the run of the mill Carnival Strongman. The Carnival of Light must have different training methods for men."

Shiro shrugged. He may know who he is, but that still didn't help with everything. "I have no recollection of any powers, Doctor Stevens."

Doctor Stevens nodded, "I see. Your CAT Scan also had some odd brainwave patterns, nothing like your companions psychic abilities, just odd. Perhaps Miss Rousseau you can enlighten me on the Carnival of Light's male training program."

"All I can tell you for certain is what I have seen him do. He is très têtu... very stubborn. He refuses to back down from a fight, most often when I am in danger. Though we have argued about that, and he knows I am not a china doll to be wrapped in
cotton." here she grinned at him, wondering if he would remember that partiular fight. It was spectacular, her yelling at him in french and english, him just sitting there watching her with those lovely eyes, remaining calm in the face of her wrath. "About his other abilities... I have seen him pull from his own psionic energy and form weapons in his hands. Most often blades. Pour certain, I do not know if this is regular training or not." She stopped, wincing and closing her eyes for a moment.

"I see," Doctor Stevens commented as she continued scribbling away on the page, "You have abilities that are just now becoming known in Paragon City, Mister Shiro..."

"Just Shiro, please," He said with a smile.

"Okay then, Shiro," Doctor Stevens continued undisturbed by his interruption. "Can you demonstrate them Mis... I mean, Shiro."

Shiro shook his head. He had listened to Tessa's account of his abilities but could not began to fathom that he could do that. He gave Tessa a soft smile. Giving her the impression that yes he remembered the argument, but also what had preceded the
argument.

Tessa sighed, and looked back up at the doctor. "Please... I know you are trying to help, but I am so tired... can I rest for a while? I will not avoid your questions, I promise. I just need... to rest I suppose."

Doctor Stevens smiled, "Of course, of course. You both should rest. Luckily, this room was the only room available for you, Shiro at the time." Shiro finally took in his surroundings. It was a double. Another bed lay on the far side of the room near the window. "I shall let the staff know that room 7-C is vacant and I have authorized her to be moved into this room. Now rest you two."

Doctor Stevens ushered the orderlies out of the room and gave the pair a quick look as she too, stepped out of the room.
Tessa thanked the doctor with a warm smile, and looked back to her love. He honestly could not remember much, but hopefully that would change soon. She sighed, and scooted over on the bed, patting the space next to her. She was a slight girl, so she did not take up much room. "Please, love. I just need to hold you, to know you are here, and real."

Shiro smiled, the smile reaching his cool green eyes. "Of course, ma cherie," he spoke smoothly, sliding beside her.

Tessa curled up beside him, relaxing for the first time since she woke up. Her cheek on his shoulder, she lazily drew circles over his chest. "Mon amour, you should probably find pants before these people think we are oddballs." She chuckled, and smiled up at him. A wave of dizziness swept over her and she closed her eyes and yawned. "I'm for sleep... so tired..." she said, her speech slurring a bit as she drifted off.

"I will ask, when we awake, ma cherie," Shiro chuckled, "For now, we should rest."

As they drifted together down the river of sleep, her mind finally began to reknit some of the damage, connecting with his, and sharing memories, words, thoughts as they used to. Even in sleep, they could not help talking, and reminiscing... helping eachother to fix whatever had gone wrong, forming a tighter bond.

[ QUOTE ]
"Heheh...cheer up it looks like Mother Mayhem did you a favor, now you're in a spa!"

[/ QUOTE ]

Tessa looked up and tried to smile, pulling herself up by her courage, and trying very hard not to break down on this stranger who was being kind to her, even though he didn't have to.

[ QUOTE ]
"Hey, I know, if Mother Mayhem adjusted your beacon to send you here, isn't it possible that this Shiro guy was sent here too..?"

[/ QUOTE ]

At those words, Tessa's eyes opened widely, and she smacked ehrself for being stupid.

"Mon deiu!! How could I have been so stupid?!" she exclaimed.

Gathering her energies, she launched herself into a mental search for him. Just scanning around for signs of him, like a gopher putting it's head up to look and see if things are safe. She knew his aura, would always know it, so if he was... There! Back in the direction she came from.

She turned to Void Blazer, a sort of distant look in her eyes. "Pardonnez-moi, monsieur, now that you bring it up, I can see him. I must go. Thank you so for your help. Perhaps we shall meet again."

Without waiting for a reply, she sprinted back toward the room she had "escaped" from, surprising several nurses and other staff who'd not seen her come this way the first time. The nurse who had seen her smiled at her and waved. She smiled back, and kept on, she didn't notice the nosebleed, the limp, or the fact that the hallway danced and swirled around her like a top.

At the hallway now, she shouted "Shiro!!" and stopped behind the group of orderlies, panting heavily, and collapsing to her knees against the wall.

Again she whispered his name, and then keeled over in a dead faint from so much exertion so soon after their ordeal.

(Void Blazer)"Okay then, first of all, you're at the clinic it's basically a hospital and spa for heroes. Though, I don't know how you would get here without knowing it."-

"I do not know either. I activated our beacons, and passed out... I think I dreamed, then I woke here."

(Void Blazer) "Now, about Tyrant's minions. I mean, there's a bunch of them y'know. You'd have to talk to the portal corp technicians to direct you to the right portal to send you to the praetorian dimension. But, if you don't have high enough security clearance, you might not be able to go there.

"Vous voulez dire que ce n'est pas cet endroit ??" she took a deep breath and tried again. "You mean to tell me this is not the place where Tyrant rules?" she felt weak, and sat where she stood, holding her head as he continued.

(Void Blazer) "Now, about the uh, whole, "why is it so peaceful?" stuff. Could you perhaps, clarify your question? I mean, come on, this is a hospital, where we can RELAX, why would we want hustle and bustle, what are you, some kind of 'city chick' or something? Do you dislike the quietness of this? Personally, I kind of like the peace and quiet, it can get too loud in the other parts of Paragon City."

She shook her head, refuting the idea that she was opposed to peace and quiet. "Non... I do not despise peace nor quiet. But where I am from you do not find it anywhere, pretty much. It almost does not exist. All I know is that I am not from here. My partner Shiro and I were on a mission to gather information about Mother Mayhem, and she did something with our beacons... and I woke up here."

She looks at the water in the pool with a lost, and scared look on her face, pulling up her knees to her chest and resting her forehead against her knees. Her shoulders shook with silent sobs as the reality of what had happened to her finally hit her. She was lost. Totally and completely lost. She was somewhere far from her home, and while this gave her a respite from the horror of her normal life, all those she cared about were still there.

She continued calling to Shiro, and her mental voice took on a note of pain, and fear.

Tessa felt his disappointment and started to walk away, then heard his stumbling attempt to communicate, and she smiled a bit.

"Oui. I am Tessa, and I am very confused... Where are Tyrant's minions? Why is there quiet and peace outside? Where -am- I? Where is Shiro? What happened to us?"

Here she took a breath and stopped her headlong rush of words, cringing that she had let so much slip, and tried to trust this man so much as to ask what she had.

"I... I am sorry. Something happened to my partner and I, and I am very confused. If you cannot help, can you kindly direct me to one who can?" She tried to make him feel at ease in her presence, sort of a harmless-innocent-no-ill-intention sort of feeling, but not much, just a little influence. It was a coping mechanism she'd developed as a young child on a world where Statesman's other self held sway.

Tessa slid from the bed painfully, she felt her inner energy reserves were quite full, so apparently she had been resting for quite some time. She phase-shifted... brought herself out of sync with reality... and slowly stumbled toward the door to the room.

Hoping no one was around, she peeked out through the door to check the hallway. She saw a group of what looked like medical people at the far end of the hall, and crept out through her door. She started off in the other direction, sliding one foot, then the other in front of her as she tried to move quietly but quickly.

I can't let them catch me, I can't let them catch me, I can't let them, can't let them...

She rounded a corner, and went through a set of double-doors, finally feeling she was able to relax her guard enough to drop back into phase with reality. She sprinted, down the corridor, and saw there was no way to get past the nurse's station without being seen, so she once more fell out of sync with her surroundings. Quietly she crept past, but began sprinting again when one of the nurses (apparently at least latently psychic) seemed to watch her run past.

She sped through doors and people, down hallways in a blind panic, finally running headlong into the fresh, clean outdoors. When she felt the fresh air blow through her, she slowed to a walk, looking around her finally, and slowing down to take in her surroundings for once. The grounds the building was housed on were well-kept and pleasant. Several people walked by once in a while, and they did not try to attack or hold her, just nodded a pleasant hello and went about their business. She was getting very very confused.

She remembered their mission, and how horribly it had failed, and still her mind called to her lover and protector. She remembered Miss De'Vore asking her to take her protector and go into the other dimension like the others had and seek more help in their fight. She knew that it might be a one-way trip, but they weren't supposed to go yet. There was more preparation to do, more planning and information gathering. This place had her utterly confused.

Where were the guards and the weapons? Where were the other signs of Tyrant's reign of strength and fear? She stumbled against a wall, and looked at the door stupidly, her mind catching up with her surroundings, she blushed that she'd run into a building this tall. She looked for a door, and opened it, wandering in. A pool.

A pool? What in the... This looks like some kind of high-class resort or something... Where the hell -am- I?

She noticed a man standing by the pool, and hesitantly walked toward him, her muscles tightening under her fear, ready to bolt at any minute. Void looked harmless, or as harmless as he could look, and she felt she might be able to trust him not to hurt her. Somehow, she was in a safe place, and in a world far different from her own. Had they actually gone to the place Miss De'Vore was sending them for more help? There was only one way to find out.

She walked over closer to the man, and phased back in again.

"Bon jour, est-ce que vous pouvez m'aider?" she didn't notice that she'd slipped into her native french, in her extreme nervousness, as she addressed Void by the pool.

(( Hello everyone! *jumps into the pool* ))

Tessa dreamed. Scenes and sounds rushed past her in a kaleidoscope of confusion. She tried to piece them together as best she could, but the pieces broke apart and swirled together again like some mad carousel spinning out of control. She felt things, people around her, but she could not distinguish them from those in dreams and memories. Her mind felt shattered, pulled part by some unknown force of malevolence as she tried to remember herself.

Days, weeks, years, or an eternity later she slept. Peace and calm found her whirling mind, a welcome change from the chaos. Slowly, her mind pieced itself back together, and her shattered sense of self began to reknit itself. She began to remember.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

"Shiro, we're not strong enough for this alone! We have to go back!" she screamed to her lover as he surged with energy, and ran for the next group of the Children of Anger, Rage, and Hate.

She heard his laughter drift back to her over the sounds of battle. "We can take them, Tess, they're just a bunch of pansies!"

"But SHE'S HERE! It's not just them, she's waiting, watching us!! We have to get out of here!!" the words were stopped before they could begin as a wave of telekinetic energy stopped her body, and another stopped her ability to do anything other than watch. She heard a wicked laugh, as if it were in her ear, and a voice...

"Come, Child. Let me have your rage, your pain. Let me show you the way to be stronger, feared by those around you. Let me show you -hate-!" With the words came a wash of red over her vision, a wave of anger and rage pulled from her very worst memories surged around her. She watched her lover being beaten down by the very foes they had been sent to stop, and she was helpless against this seductive anger.

Shaking her head, a slight motion only, she tried to clear her thoughts of the painful memories this woman had brought up. She saw her lover clearly for a moment, gaining some control over her body and mind, and cried out to him. Unfortunately, her cry of pain distracted him at a critical moment, and she watched him go down.

Moments later, her body still held by the invisible force, she watched as a woman in purple flew down to Shiro, her bodyguard and the love of her life. She watched as he screamed in wordless agony when the woman tore into his mind.

She screamed in anger and fear, wrenching herself loose of the psychic bonds the woman had held her in, running to her love. If she could only touch him, just one finger somewhere on him, and she could get them out.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw movement, and lashed out, pulling the last dregs of her own energy to form a bolt of energy to brush the attacker away. Panting with fatigue and emotional reaction, she reached down deep inside herself calling forth a few of her guardians, mentally directing them to guard her, and keep the "bad ones" away from her. One flung bolts of pure energy, one was a fire-starter, hurling napalm-like substances at it's targets, and the third forced the earth itself to rise and crush it's targets. They kept a close column around her, and moved with her as she approached Shiro.

The woman had flown off, Tess knew not where, and had left her love laying on the pavement... just a few more feet...

She reached out, crouching surrounded by her phantoms, and touched his foot. Instantly, they were several hundred feet away on top of a building. She released the phantoms, and sank down exhausted beside him, resting for a moment before activating their emergency beacons. These were stolen from Anti-Matter's labs, and had been set up as an emergency transport system for those striving against Tyrant and his crew.

As she reached for it, she felt her mind gripped in a vice-like grip and that same voice in her head.

"Well, so you think to escape, little one? Fine then, you shall not be coming back."

As she pressed the button on the porter, she felt a tearing, searing pain in her mind, knocking her out cold, leaving her unconscious but still in the grip of that shattering pain...

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

She remembered. She screamed, and sat bolt upright in a hospital bed. Looking around, she saw nothing with which to torture someone, nor to subdue them against their will. She was confused, and terrified. She cried out mentally to the only one she could ever count on to be there for her no matter what happened.

::SHIRO!!! WHERE ARE YOU?!::

To the empty room, she whispered "Mother Mayhem... what have you done to us?"

Recluse: So... I was thinking about that sex change surgery...

Mags grinned and yawned widely, stretching like a kitten, from her head to her litle tail, and nodded, turning around in her rose, and laying down.

"Peace o'th Mother be wi' ya, Rosie."

1123: If the Storyteller asks me a second time, "Are you -sure- you're with the rest of the party?" I will reconsider.

1122: I will never again tell my Primogen "I want her HEAD!!".

1107: Just because I roll 5 nach 20's does not mean that the DM will not smack me for getting that dragon into the bag, and then releasing it on the Troll army fragment that our party of Cleric, Paladin, Druid, and Kender just happened to come across... >.>

1108: My Kender will not use "Infinity Bottles of Mead on the Wall" as a psychological torture method.

( and from me hubby...)

1109: If the rescue mission for the packleader's spouse does not pan out, I will not say "Thank you Mario, but our Princess is in another castle" even if I do get xp for it.

1110: ( BINARY! wheeee ) If the GM starts arbitrarily raising people's powers to class 1000, it's time to find a new group.

1111: The Kender is not allowed to have a fire elemental as an animal companion (we haven't started that game yet :P )

1112: My wife is not allowed to have a Resources higher than 3. Ever.

1113: If I start rolling more 10's than is allowed by the rules of probability... I should probably stop.

1114: I am not allowed to make a character for a dungeon crawl who is afraid of the dark. Ever again.

( Back to me )

1115: I will not use a portabe hole to gather blackmail material on the elf cleric.

1116: I will not use the cleric as the meatshield.

1117: I will not attempt to toss the cleric at the enemy. Especially not if my rolls are good enough to crit, and horribly squish what I am aiming at. Especially if it is a Beholder. >.>

( and the hubby back with )

1118: The answer to "do you know what happens when you mix Hydrogen and Oxygen?!" is not "you get water."

1119: Nor is it "okay, water vapor."

1120: If it makes me or our roommate (the homicidal barbarian) giggle maniacally, it is to be assumed that the gm/dm/storyteller will NOT allow it. Even with puppydog eyes. (me)

(hubby again)
1121: Likewise, if they saw it on the History, Discovery, or Science channel.

Magda giggled at Rosie, and shifted into her tiny kitten form, licking Rosie on the tip of the nose, then shifted back.

"'twere just an illusion. Th' boys be pink now!" here she fell over giggling merrily, the bells ringing out almost loudly.

Magda didn't say anything as she clung to Shiro's jacket collar. She hadn't seen the boys side yet, so she was curious... and might as well cause some mischief while she was at it. she fluttered up off of his shoulder leaving little trails of pixie dust behind her as she did so.

Flitting around somewhere around the ceiling, she began laying tiny illusions, waiting to see which ones would actually take. She turned the boys' clothes a bright, startling, glittery pink. Not all of the illusions held, but some did, and she giggled like the tinkling of tiny bells as she flew at top speed out of the room.

Magda giggled merrily as she flitted to where she could smell the flower, even his cloak couldn't hide that scent. She alit on his shoulder, and tickled his ear with her tail.

"Y'cannae get rid o' th' flower, silly boy. It be magic!" she whispered.

Magda cracked an eyelid, and pointed at Shiro's ear. Behind it grew a rose with a small spill of ivy behind it. She giggled and purred all at the same time, an impossible-sounding sound.

Magda pointed and vanished the rosebush from in front of the door, and flitted back to her windowsill, and her rose bed. She curled up, tail over her eyes, and tried hard not to giggle.

(( *hands out fresh roses from the bush just outside the window* ))

Magda yawned, and kitty-stretched, rubbing her eyes. She flitted up to Virelai, and touched her on the nose, soothing the sneezes.

"Be y'allergic t'feathers?"

"Oh aye," Mags responded to True, "tha's true 'nuff. Sleep peacefully, friend." she flitted back to the windowsill, caught a glimpse of Shiro, and caused a thorny rosebush to grow in the doorway. Giggling, she laid down on a rose on the sill and fell asleep.

Magda smiled when Truefeather smiled at the sparkles. She loved making people happy.

"Glad I be to meet thee as well." she curtsied, then fell over, shooting up in the air, and flying circles around the girl's head. She wondered about the fleeting feeling coming from the girl, but dismissed it for the moment. "Firends we shall be an tha's what tha' wishes!"