10/6 Game: Farouk's Areaology

[tears~fall~like~glass]

timeline: Mon, Oct. 19th


Farouk: Farouk was standing inside the gym, quite a foreign body in this setting admittedly, his hands resting on his cane, watching the students file in.

Mick: Mick trundled in, scruffing his hair a little. "So...this some kinda Defence Against The Dark Arts class or somethin'?" He yawned.

Ruth: Ruth apprehensively walked into the gym. She still wasn't used to all of this 'extra' training.

Melati: "So, is this lecture supposed to teach us anything, of are we just here to help the magnificent living Orb over there to run through some laps," Melati asked, thumbing in the teacher's direction as she walked in. "Please tell me Xavier finally decided big old F over there is a danger to the school's old staircases."

Sue: Sue paused in the doorway at the sight of Farouk in the gym. Something was not right with this picture. "I've stepped into the twilight zone..."

Jimmy: "... Why'd y' hafta say that, blud?" Jimmy groaned, "now I can't get the image of hime wit' a pink bow outta mt head."

Fabian: Fabian glanced over to Mel. "If that is the case then I am out because there are only so many things both me and the floor are meant to go through plus I've seen the pictures of him and his fencing gear and I don't want to get whipped with a foil today or any other day."

Johnny: Johnny grinned widely, "Do you think he could be led with one of McCoy's twinkies?"

Mick: "Just so y' know, I can pretty much dump any weight through a wire. He might put a li'l too much stress on it though. Download speed an' all..."

Jack: "At least we now know he'll turn out to be one of the villains." Jack said with ease.

Melati: "Maybe if we dangle it from a stick," Melati suggested. "Because healing factor or no, I'm not baiting Farouk with any food in my hand."

Jimmy: "Make that a fuck-off big fishing pole an y' migh' just be safe."

Ruth: "So, this Farouk guy... he's bad news?" Ruth asked. She still had sooo much to learn.

Farouk: He knocked the cane onto the floor for attention. "Children, I have good news for you. Yesterday night I watched a Jim Henson movie. Few of you may know that I am a fan of Muppets. As a matter of fact, I believe my love for them is what enables me to deal with you most of the days." He gave Melati a sideways glance.

Sue: "Don't need a stick - I got forcefields. I'm all for this idea." She muttered to Mel.

Callie: Callie scooted in, tying up her hair in a ponytail as she went. "Sorry!"

Fabian: "...for the record, I know I might be considered expendable by some people but I am not going to be volunteering to wear a jacket made of twinkies anytime. I'm pretty sure McCoy would maul me before Farouk." He shook his head, chuckling and leaning to Ruth. "He's not all that bad, actually. I find I like him well enough."

Melati: "Yeah, that doesn't put me at ease at all," Melati remarked, frowning in Farouk's direction.

Johnny: "...A jacket of twinkies would be so cool," Johnny decided, blinking as he processed what Farouk had said. The... Muppets?

Jimmy: "... Fuck, he ain't like ... skin us, eat our innards and then turn our skin int' puppets, is he?"

Farouk: "But I digress. The movie inspired me to schedule an impromptu psychic defense class. I asked you to come to the gym because we will need a bit of room, there may be occasional running and involuntary flailing about on your parts, as the psychic plane can be a very convincing place."

Johnny: "I think that's a yes..."

Sue: Sue took a seat on a squishy forcefield and blinked at Farouk. "I already don't like the sound of this..."

Ruth: "Thanks Fabian." Ruth paused contemplating 'involuntary flailing'..."Maybe I should just go back to bed."

Jimmy: "Shit ... he really is Umbridge, ain't he?"

Johnny: "Well, he hasn't had us carve shit into our hands yet..."

Sue: "I'm thinking more along the lines of false-Moody..."

Farouk: "Or perhaps you already have been on it since you woke up this morning and I only know will allow you to know about it. Or perhaps you are all just telepathic constructs that I have created." He smiled a crooked grin. "Isn't telepathy fascinating?"

Fabian: "All work and no play makes Farouk want to run us through with kitchen knives."

Mick: Wait, what? "Aw man, please tell me you ain't been doin' the shit my folks do..." Mick groaned. All that bullshit about a 'plane of the mind' and 'psychic one-ness' that should have died back in the seventies, as far as he was concerned.

Sue: Sue blinked at Farouk, ".... I don't want to hear that. Don't say that. This stuff already freaks me the fuck out."

Jimmy: "Gaaaah!" Jimmy did a little flail dance, "Don't go all Matrix on me man!"

Jack: "Uhh, Mr Professor, I never been on this 'psychic plane' before. DOes it hurt, and do I need protection?" Jack asked.

Callie: "You are a scary teeacher, sir!"

Johnny: "Hopefully, you'd have better things to do with your time than manipulate us..." Johnny muttered.

Farouk: "Anyway. I want you to get accustomed to move in a place that is entirely controlled by another person, unless you actually muster the strength of will to form it yourself. Welcome to the labyrinth..."

Fabian: "Don't you always need protection?" Fabian looked to Jack, just curious.

Melati: "Is that why I haven't been able to find my other shoe this morning," Melati asked, cocking her head as she looked at the Professor with a frown on her face. "And woke up in a bed other than mine?"

Jack: "Well, yeah, but never say no to the chance when you don't need any." he told Fabian, adding a wink.

Sue: "Mel, that's normal for you." Sue patted Mel consolingly.

Ruth: "Maybe you just had too much to drink last night Melati..." Ruth said smiling.

Johnny: "Or maybe she's just made to think it's normal for her..." Johnny chimed in.

Mick: Jim Henson - Labyrinth - "Oh hell no."

Jimmy: "... Did ... did he say labyrinth?" Jimmy asked, the colour draining from his face.

Farouk: He hit his cane on the floor once more, and the gym's walls just fell over, revealing a hilltop from which a huge sprawling labyrinth could be seen, on its far end a castle. "I will be over there, if you don't mind." He grew a pair of batwings and just took off towards the castle.

Mick: "Not it f' the handsy bit!"

Melati: "Great, we're in the Matrix," Melati commented dryly.

Ruth: "Dance magic pants dance? Somebody call David Bowie..."

Sue: ".... Nope. We're in the Labyrinth and he's David Bowie.... and I think I feel sick."

Jimmy: The image .. it wouldn't go away ... Farouk ... in the leggings, "Nnnnnghaaaahhhh! It burns! It buuuuuuurns!" He shrieked and clawed at his head.

Jack: "Holy crap... how can those wings carry him?! Their span isn't wide enough."

Johnny: Johnny's brow furrowed at the change in scenery, and his head tilted a Farouk sprouting wings. "That's... what I want to know..."

Callie: Callie let out a little scream. "That is seriously not right!"

Fabian: "...so, who's for just going to find him and me try to burn him out so we can go get some lunch?"

Melati: "Now I believe whatever it is a did or did not do last night, I'm definitely not drunk enough for this. "

Johnny: "I'm for this plan."

Ruth: "I don't think any of us are drunk enough for this."

Jimmy: "I need my brain puuuurged!"

Jack: "Seriously, look at that," Jack pointing at farouk, "He looks like an overweight Moogle."

Johnny: "Lunch will have to involve lots of drinking."

Sue: "I want tea.... and a shotgun.... shooting bat-winged teachers is allowed right?"

Melati: "Hell, if tiny wings can lift a dragon in fantasy stories, I guess something should be able to make Farouk fly, too," Melati remarked, running a hand over head. "In his dreams, anyway."

Farouk: Farouk's face grew out of a stone wall nearby. "Anyway, any questions, or are you ready to leave?"

Ruth: "Well, it's his fantasy land..."

Callie: "Ready? Maybe?"

Jimmy: "ARGH!" Jimmy shrieked and leapt towards the nearest thing to cling too, which happened to be Fabian.

Johnny: "Can we go back to the gym?"

Farouk: "I will be monitoring your moves, children. I can't have a mindworm bore itself into your consciousness. Very gritty business, this."

Ruth: "I'm with Johnny. Let's go back to the gym. I'd rather do some laps."

Sue: "Do we have to find Hoggle?"

Fabian: "His fantasy land involves less hentai than I would have imagined." Fabian observed, walking about until suddenly he had Jimmy clinging to him. "No! Don't break the bubble!"

Callie: "I think we are in the gym. We're probably all lying on the floor in a horrible trance or something."

Farouk: "There may be a Hoggle somewhere," he said, ignoring the cries for return.

Mick: "Think this is his dreams, tha's the point..." Mick had gone pale and was shaking slightly. He'd let someone else make his coffee that morning, thinking heeey, it'll be fiiiine.

Callie: Callie poked at the wall. "It's solid."

Farouk: Then he nodded at Callie. "Yes, you are right. You haven't physically moved. Or, well, maybe I am bending you into funny shapes while you can't object."

Ruth: "Do you think he drugged us? Something powerful maybe?"

Sue: "He's a telepath. He doesn't need drugs."

Callie: "It's his mind - he's very psychic, Ruth. And Professor Xavier will fire you if you do something untoward to our bodies!"

Mick: "Pleasedon'tmentiondruggin'." Mick took a deep breath. He wasn't the only one seeing this. That meant - as fucked up as it was - it was real. It had to be. "Oh god..."

Johnny: "...I think I hate telepaths."

Melati: "Yeah, I don't think he has any need to," Melati said. "Who knows, maybe Xavier is helping him pose us like ragdolls, while the two of them giggle like schoolgirls in the real world."

Ruth: Ruth agreed with Johnny. "Ditto." She took a deep breath, ready to do whatever Farouk threw her way.

Johnny: "I also suddenly fear what positions we'll come to in..."

Sue: "Well look... let's just... get through the labyrinth, save the baby and go home." Sue started for where there was a small fountain.

Callie: Callie poked along the wall - she didn't see an opening. But there seemed to be some weeds. She tried to make them grow, and grow they did. "Hey, I made a ladder to get in."

Melati: "See, this is why I prefer dealing with problems I can punch." Melati caught up with the others and trudged along, always wary.

Farouk: "Good, that's a bonus for finally getting started." The stone face nodded at Callie. "Also, perhaps Xavier allowed me to put pretty bows into your hair if you take too long and I get bored..."

Callie: "Save the baby?"

Fabian: Fabian, still trying to free himself from the grasps of Jimmy, squirmed for the ladder. "If we come across anything to punch we'll throw you right at it, Mel."

Farouk: "Getting to the castle will suffice. I would also appreciate a lack of attempts on my life."

Callie: "What baby?" She asked as she went up the ladder.

Ruth: Ruth followed the sounds of the foot steps. "They had to save the baby in the movie."

Sue: "You've never seen the film, have you?" Sue shook her head disappointedly at Callie.

Jack: "Ah! Ow, " Jack sucked in air as he stopped and leaned against the wall, other hand rubbing his foot. "No, don't worry about me, just stubbed my foot."

Mick: Mick followed, trying to calm himself down with a mantra about reality and how this was...well...real, ish. He was fine. He wasn't hallucinating, there were no chalk figures trying to knife him and hell, he'd even seen the movie, he knew (roughly) what to expect. He would be fiiiine.

Callie: "I'm so lost as to what you're all talking about."

Johnny: "Somehow, imaging Farouk going out baby snatching like Bowie isn't that far of a jump for me..."

Jimmy: "We don't have to go climbin' after no freakin' babies do we?" Jimmy asked, letting go of Fabian.

Sue: "This is based on a movie called The Labyrinth that stars David Bowie and Jennifer Connolly. It's pretty good really...." She started up the ladder.

Melati: "Hey, Ruth, want something to hold on to," Melati asked, turning around to look at the blind girl. "Wanna grab my tail or anything?"

Callie: "I've never heard of it."

Johnny: "It's an older movie."

Sue: "Deprived! You're watching it later. No Buts.... but lots of trouser bulge if you're into that kind of thing." She grinned.

Ruth: "Thanks Melati! That's a great help. I'm not good with ladders." Ruth grabbed on to Melati's tale thankful for a friend.

Melati: "No problem," Melati replied, chuckling, and made sure the other girl could keep up with her. "You'll find there are few problems that can't be solved with a tail. It's such a handy tool, really."

Jack: "Okay, I really gotta know... if this is all in our minds... why can't Ruth see anything then?" Jack asked, hobbling a bit trying to ignore the thudding sensation in his foot.

Jimmy: "I just though ... Ruth, since this isn't like ... real, you should be able to see?"

Jack: "Great minds." Jack told Jimmy.

Jimmy: "Totally."

Farouk: The stone face crawled along the wall and followed the students. "I want to point out that, on the psychic plane, everything you can imagine in enough detail will happen. So, Miss Ruth, if you want to, you can actually see."

Callie: Callie started humming some Queen, and jumped down into an open court area. There seemed to be different ways to go, corridors went off in random directions.

Ruth: Ruth hadn't thought about being able to see. "Thanks for the hint Farouk. I'll give it a whirl.

Fabian: "...I think I love it here." Fabian just couldn't decide what he wanted to imagine first but none of it was constructive.

Sue: Hmm. Imagine with detail.... Sue walked along the top of the wall and concentrated on forming a ball shaped forcefield. Unlike in the real world, it was visible how she always saw them.

Mick: "...Wonder if tha' means I can just...imagine a wire from here to th' castle and port us all along it? Or would tha' be waaaay too easy?"

Jimmy: "I dunno about you guys, but I'm all for visualizing some booze right now," Jimmy suggested.

Melati: "So, you mean, telepaths carry their own Danger Room around in their heads," Melati asked, giving the others a look. "That's actually kinda cool. Makes me loathe them even more, though."

Fabian: "That would be no fun. I, for one, vote luck dragon."

Jimmy: "... Seconded! Falcor this shit up!"

Melati: "Why booze?" Melati gave Jimmy stern look. "You gotta think big, kid. I'm picturing a brewery right now."

Sue: "I could, in theory... carry us all there on a forcefield...."

Jack: Jack paused. "Um... maybe I should try and keep my mind empty until we're done, just to keep the innocence around here." Jack suggested.

Jimmy: "Luck dragon would be way more epic though," Jimmy told Sue.

Mick: "Imagine me naked, bunny boy, and I get a new rabbit fur blanket."

Melati: "No worries from my position," Melati tossed in. "My mind is usually empty, anyway."

Ruth: Ruth set imagining the way she thought everything and everyone should look. Stone walls, dirt path, Melati with a long curly tail... She could do this

Jack: Jack started to repeated hit his own head trying to get the idea of Mick naked out of his head now that it was suggested.

Fabian: "Don't worry, I know you can't help what you imagine, Jack." Fabian teased him. "And if you do go for seeing, Ruth, you'll have to let me know if I live up to your expectations."

Farouk: A huge Farouk face appeared in the clouds over the labyrinth, just smiling, as if it was asking people to try and cheat their way above or through the labyrinth.

Jimmy: Naked? Jimmy's eyes lit up and he started to concentrate very hard on Professor Gallio naked.

Johnny: Johnny followed along with the others, grinning, "I'm sure he pictures all of us naked."

Mick: Mick thought for a moment. Then his form shifted until he was his character from Warcraft - which included a lot of nice, heavy armour and oh hey, a big axe. "Oh thank god, I feel safe now."

Mick: (( http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_mbhr5 ... o1_400.png Mick's new look))

Sue: ".... That is the best idea ever!" Sue stared at Mick. "I want that!"

Jack: "Okay... okay, I think I got everyone in clothes now... just don't do anymore suggestions about nudity, hard enough to keep things inside my head without you lot adding more to it."

Jimmy: Naked Selene. Naked Selene. Naked Selene.

Ruth: "Oh Jack. Imagine me how you want... Just make sure that I am still wearing my leather jacket."

Fabian: "Anyway, lets get this shit done." Fabian tried to find any source he could for Farouk's power, intent on burning it out so they could just call it a day...this was sort of fun, though.

Melati: Melati remained looking as her old, usual self, mostly because she already considering herself the epitome of awesome perfection.

Mick: Mick checked over his armour and stuff. "Hell, I even fit in with this place." He sighed happily - best thing was, it didn't even feel heavy. It was like how he wore it in the DR - unless he imagined it heavy it wouldn't be. "...Think I could get used t' this. So. Which way?"

Sue: Sue concentrated on visualising her own character and imagining herself wearing the paladin tier two set. Pretty. She cracked an eye open to see if it worked. And hell yes. ((http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb2 ... n_Lady.jpg))

Jimmy: Jimmy pointed a figure in triumph towards an arch, "Follow the naked hottie!" He said, as a naked Selene slipped away from them.

Mick: "...Dude, you are not imaginin' a professor's wife naked, are you?" Holy shit did she have a nice ass though...

Sue: "Oh now that's distracting..." Sue blinked at the surprise naked.

Jack: "Noo, Ruth, digging your own grave now... just wearing leather jacket... must... imagine... pants as well...Wait where?" Jack yelled and opened his eyes to spot and RUN for the naked hottie.

Fabian: "Can you blame him?" Fabian pointed out, gladly following.

Johnny: Johnny looked between his sister and Mick, slowly shaking his head. Then, the naked figure caught his attention. Oooh... "Definitely not."

Mick: Mick grinned at Sue. "High five for the armoured geeks right here?"

Jimmy: "I fuckin' just did!" Jimmy took off after her, "Quick, everyone start thinkin' about Guthrie and Salvatore in the nuddie!"

Farouk: Farouk wondered whether he could use the scene unfolding in front of him as blackmail material to make some of the students polish his knife collection. Yes.

Melati: "Oh come on, you guys got your prize there, now someone imagine a naked Sergeant Hotpants for me, okay?"

Ruth: "So I'm betting a big orgy won't help us get out of Farouk's mind hell. Focus people, Focus!"

Sue: Sue gave Mick the high-five requested with a grin, shouldering her pole-arm.

Melati: "If anything, it'll keep us here for longer," Melati tossed in.

Fabian: "Sergeant Hotpants?" Fabian lost all of his concentration on burning out, just trying to figure out who would go with that nickname.

Mick: Unfortunately for Mick, the first thing that came to his mind was not a naked female. A naked JP fled giggling after Selene - the image of him walking in on him and Reed had burned into his min, apparently.

Fabian: "...who's to blame for that?"

Jimmy: Jimmy skidded to a stop and screamed, "Who did that!?"

Johnny: Argh... Naked guy! "Not cool!"

Jack: "I'm liking it all!" Jack just called.

Jimmy: "Not cool man, not cool at all! Why's the fag chasin' after th' naked bird anyways?"

Mick: Mick just coughed and fidgeted with a long, pointed ear and followed after, glad of the new skin-tone - no blushing for him! "Uuuuh. Aren't we meant to be gettin' outta here?" He pointed out.

Callie: Completely puzzled by what her friends were doing and talking about, Callie imagined a princess dress in sea-foam colour to appear on her. "So, where to?"

Melati: "Any direction seem as good as the other," Melati said, looking around. "Hey, think we can try to, you know, imagine ourself an easier path through all this plant crap?`"

Fabian: "After the naked people." Fabian did go ahead and imagine his good luck flying friend because like hell he was going to be walking through whatever everyone could imagine.

Callie: "Um...is that furry dragon dog thing?"

Fabian: "...I was a very bored child." Fabian defended himself.

Callie: "Can I ride on it too?"

Sue: "Luck dragon!" Sue grinned and bounced happily, ears bobbing up and down too.

Jimmy: "Duuuude, Falcor," Jimmy had to resist the urge to pet it.

Mick: "Hey, Sue, he gets a luck dragon. What epic mount you gonna use, baby?" He winked at her, before concentrating - there was an unholy shriek and his Deathcharger cantered up to him. "Farouk, I love this place." He swung himself up into the saddle easily.

Callie: "If this weren't the mind of our professor,t his would be a really good theme park type thing."

Mick: (( http://www.warcraftmounts.com/images/sk ... purple.jpg ))

Farouk: The big Farouk cloud came down from the sky and just stopped barely in front of Mick, just continuing to smile the whole time, daring hims to take off.

Melati: "We totally should steal it for a DR program," she suggested. "Maybe add more gnomes serving beer, though." Just as Melati had said that, a grumpy looking fellow waddled up to her and offered a pint on a tablet. "Well, screw me! Sweet!"

Mick: Mick blinked at the cloud. Then smiled, patting the dead horse. "Can't fly on this. Hey, guys...don' think we're allowed in the air..."

Sue: "Ooooh good question... but there really is only one choice." She'd farmed for months for those ashes. ((http://leviathyn.com/wp-content/uploads ... jpg?9d7bd4))

Callie: Callie clambered up, onto the dragon. "It's soft and fuzzy!"

Ruth: "The things the mutant mind can dream up... Hey you, you there with the beer. I'll take one too."

Mick: "See, if I can't teleport, figure flyin' would be too easy too. So...which way?"

Jack: Jack had run off for a short while, trying to chase the naked people, only finding more naked people to chase. Eventually he returned to the party, exhausted. "Out... of reach... just can't get to them."

Fabian: "Maybe he just wants to give you the look?" Fabian offered, deciding he would try and take off anyway and also see if he could attempt to burn out the Farouk they were seeing.

Mick: He eyeballed the cloud, pulling the weapon from his back. Okay. This wasn't the DR. There wasn't buttons. He just had to...to think he had these abilities, right? It was just another raid. Oh god, he was spending way too long with Danger if he was starting to think in those terms...

Melati: "Hey guys, wait up," Melati called after the others, running with her glass in hand, trying to drink at the same time.

Ruth: Ruth looked around her and noticed that everyone was gone. She took one long chug of her beer, threw down the glass and took off in Melati's dust.

Mick: He edged his horse around the cloud, the hooves ringing unnaturally against the stone as he headed carefully for the arch the naked people had gone through. "What I c'n remember abou' the movie? Markin' shit's gonna be useless. An' this place changes. If it's Farouk, it's gonna be worse."

Sue: "We should look for that little worm with the adorable red scarf."

Fabian: "Can't we just make the little worm with the red scarf?"

Mick: "Got a hunter alt? Track mobs would be well useful."

Callie: "Hey, there's a door over there with some faces! Let's go and look."

Sue: "Nope, priest and a mage and a druid... Never could be bothered to level a huntard..."

Jimmy: Jimmy, who'd hitched a ride with Fabian on the luck dragon, leaned over, "You have any idea what they're talkin' bout?"

Johnny: "You'd have to speak nerd," Johnny answered.

Callie: "None," Callie replied, who was also on the dragon.

Fabian: "Not really." He answered Jimmy, attempting to steer their creature.

Melati: "You think we should knock," Melati asked, heading over to the doors. "Well, I'm mostly looking for excuses to punch something in the face, actually."

Farouk: Farouk got bored, so storms happened. Instead of rain, there were cherries.

Jimmy: "Oh good, so it ain't jus' me then," Jimmy settled back and relaxed.

Johnny: "Ow!" Johnny complained as he was suddenly pelted with cherries.

Mick: "Mine's like...level two. No good t' us." He shouldered the weapon as he looked around, pulling in his horse and eying up the doors. "Don' they...what the hell." He looked up as cherries alternately bounced off or squished on his armour, rubbing the tip of a grey ear and wincing. "Ow?"

Callie: "Eeek!" Callie imagined a large, sturdy umbrella, and held it up.

Jimmy: Jimmy frowned impressively, "The fuck mate?"

Sue: "Doors with faces are good! We should ask them where to go! Or just pick one." She formed a forcefield over herself but it glowed like the paladin bubble.

Melati: "Oh hell, what's this now?" Melati tried covering her head, before she saw what Callie was doing an attempting the same.

Mick: He muttered something uncharitable and put up a freezing shield. "...Oh hey, I can use this shit. Awesome."

Ruth: "Owww. I don't like cherries anymore." Ruth imagined an umbrella and stury boots that could handle the the fruit. "This is not cool."

Melati: Instead of an umbrella, all she managed to conjure up was a frilled neck. "Oh, nice..."

Mick: "Ooooh. Path of Frost on th' Bog O' Stench, yes or no?"

Jimmy: "Oh my god!" JImmy tapped Fabian on the arm, "Mate, look at Mel! Look!"

Mick: Mick turned at Jimmy's words, and cracked up. "Nice one, Mel!" Then the doors got eyed up. "Don' these talk in the film?"

Fabian: Fabian looked back, nomming on one of the cherries, honestly not too bothered. "What's your problem now?"

Sue: "Hell yes, I don't want to step in that."

Melati: "Hey, watch what you're saying, I might be able to spit poison now, too," Melati warned the others, holding up a clawed finger. "Actually, I hope I do, because that would be awesome."

Jack: "Can you just imagine what I can do..." because he couldn't.

Mick: The Deathcharger stamped a foot impatiently, snorting frozen air. Mick decided to edge up to the door, poking one of the knockers with a gauntletted finger cautiously.

Sue: "Just knock... the doors are supposed to open..."

Mick: "Yeah, I jus' know what's meant t' be behind that shit."

Callie: "What's supposed to be behind them?"

Melati: "I imagine it involves laying coloured eggs," Melati suggested, shooting Jack a toothy grin.

Sue: "Well we know there's helping hands behind one and then an ubliet... don't know about the other one. She never opens that."

Ruth: "Try imagining a key and a keyhole."

Callie: "Open sesame!" Called shouted at the doors.

Mick: "I dunno, see she'da been fine if she hadn't been cocky." Mick bit his lip, before swinging off the horse and knocking on the left door.

Jimmy: "Just picture a bulldozer, whoosh, job done."

Mick: "Only bad shit happened after she was cocky or a bitch."

Sue: "Oooh mystery door. Brave." Sue would have knocked on the right door herself. She knew that one.

Melati: "Let me try something," Melati said, stepping up to one of the door sporting faces. She balled a fist and raised it. "Open up, or I'll make you!"

Mick: "Course I am, I'm a friggin' Death Knight." He winked.

Farouk: Melati's door opened.

Sue: She laughed, "Is that a dig at my class choice?"

Fabian: "Threats work." Fabian slipped down to the ground, ready to go through Mel's door.

Jack: "I'm on Mel's team!"

Farouk: It revealed a wind up monkey with cymbals.

Mick: "Totally! Nah, my main before Wrath was a loladin, can't talk. And apparently they do..."

Melati: "See?" She smiled smugly. "Told you there's hardly a problem that can't be solved with the help of a tail. For all others, just just a fist."

Mick: "...Fuuuuck fuck fuck killit!!"

Melati: "The hell?" She frowned at the monkey. "Did we... did we win?"

Callie: "Are we expecting the Phantom now?"

Ruth: "Is it a riddle?"

Sue: "I'm not a loladin. I'm awesome." And to prove it she swung her shiny pole-arm at the creepy monkey.

Mick: "Ain' no one seen Woman In Black? Evil!!"

Farouk: The monkey just dodged the pole-arm.

Sue: "Oh I hate when they dodge!"

Callie: Callie made some vines wrap around the monkey. "It's kind of cute."

Farouk: The monkey dodged the vines too.

Melati: "Too bad we didn't got Jess with us," Melati said, chasing after the weird evil monkey. "Pretty sure in here she could shoot webbing out of her butt to catch it or something."

Ruth: "Maybe its indicative of our career path if we can never get out of here."

Callie: "Are we supposed to follow it? It seems to be wily."

Jimmy: Jimmy snickered at Mel's suggestion.

Mick: "...Maybe it can talk..." Mick wrinkled his nose at the thing.

Fabian: "I don't have a career path. What does that say about me?" Fabian wondered, walking up curiously to the monkey.

Melati: "It's a monkey," Melati explained, pausing to look at the others. "By definition, that makes it evil."

Farouk: Farouk's head appeared in the wall again, with hands that were rubbing his temples. "It's a wind-up doll, children. An acceptable course of action might be to wind it up, not to attack it."

Callie: Callie scrambled down and went to wind it up.

Melati: "But that's my speciality."

Sue: "It's creepy!"

Ruth: "Of course Farouk, go with the obvious to throw us off." Ruth muttered.

Fabian: "But we like to attack." Fabian laughed, stepping back as Callie wound it up. "I, for one, think it's just going to try to squish us between it's cymbals."

Ruth: Ruth took a step back as Callie wound up the monkey. She was concerned something odd might happen

Mick: "I don't like wind-up dolls. Blame th' folks." He leant on the massive axe and grumbled, his Deathcharger snorting behind him.

Callie: Callie set it on the ground and took a step back. It merely marched off down the path, chittering away, with the little cymbals making a tinkling noise. "See? Harmless!"

Melati: "Yeah, until it explodes," Melati remarked warily.

Fabian: "So far anyway." Fabian pulled a face, nodding with Mel.

Farouk: The monkey started to speed up, running through the open door.

Jimmy: "Or it turns around and pulls out the knives."

Ruth: "Quick, follow him!"

Fabian: "Here goes nothing then." Fabian ducked in with it.

Melati: "Famous last words," Melati said as she followed through the door.

Callie: Callie held up her long dress and ran after them.

Sue: Sue decided the forcefield was a necessary precaution again as she shouldered her pole-arm once more.

Jimmy: And Jimmy heroically brought up the rear.

Mick: Mick shouldered the axe and did the same, muttering things about evil monkeys and the horse fading as he banished it.

Ruth: Ruth made it through the door just in time.

Farouk: The monkey led them through a long and winded corridor, barely lit by glowing flamingoes sticking out from the walls.

Melati: "Yep, certainly not a trap at all," Melati muttered, pushing to the front. "Guess that's my call to take point."

Callie: "I'm scared."

Mick: "I dunno, this is the part I usually yell 'stay behind th' tank' down Vent..."

Fabian: "This is just nuts." Fabian commented, walking along still.

Melati: "Don't worry, just use Jimmy as a human shield," she told Ruth, looking back over her shoulder and grinned.

Mick: He smiled at Callie. "No worries, you're with a pair of heavily armoured people used t' dealin' with crazy shit...alright, it's a game, but yeah." He chuckled. "We'll be fine. Jus' stay close."

Sue: "Should I switch specs?" Sue offered. "Because I'm actually a prot pally...."

Jimmy: "What? I'm too small to be used effectively as a human shield!"

Mick: "Please. I'm a tank, it's all I know." He grinned at Sue. "Ain' touched Frost since they took it for DPS."

Fabian: "Don't worry Jimmy, there's enough of us to protect so you're just a shield for show."

Ruth: "Roger that!" Ruth grinned. "It's okay Jimmy. I can imagine you bigger... that's how this works."

Sue: "Two tanks are better than no tanks." She gave a grin and a shrug.

Farouk: The monkey-led group finally emerged in a medieval cellar. There, the monkey just ran into a wall and exploded into a million pieces.

Mick: "Point! 'Specially if we end up somewhere like Icecrown, huh."

Mick: "See! It exploded!"

Jack: "Ha! Imagine him bigger. That's funny, because there's an underlying sexual innuendo right there!"

Fabian: "Good ear, Jack." Fabian deadpanned, glancing around through the cellar. "Why can't we just have imagined the monkey leading us right to him and exploding on him?"

Jack: "You know what's really surprising about the exploding monkey... is that there wasn't any candy inside... or he didn't explode into glitter or something."

Ruth: "Oh this doesn't look good at all. Looks like torture."

Sue: "I want to point out now that I still think it's creepy."

Melati: "Hey, looks like we're in the dream I've had last night," Melati commented as she looked around. "Or where I've been to. Don't know. These things get kinda blurry at times."

Callie: "Are we in the basement of the castle?"

Fabian: "So I guess we just need to imagine some stairs then?"

Sue: "Probably?" Sue shrugged, "I don't like all this mind bendy stuff. It's weird..."

Farouk: "I am proud of you, children." Farouk's face popped up out of the stone wall again. "Less eager minds would have imagined an elevator, but you are willing to walk straight up to the top on stairs. Well done."

Callie: "Ok, here I go." Callie screwed her eyes shut and imagined a staircase appearing.

Jack: "Escalator! Go!"

Farouk: "Too late, the stairs are here already. To replace them, you would have to imagine them away. Van you do that? Can you imagine nothingness? Because that is the strongest weapon in the arsenal of defending your mind."

Fabian: "Have you seen some of the people here? Of course they can imagine nothingness."

Melati: "I do that all the time during your class," Melati remarked.

Sue: "Johnny's good at that. He does it all the time."

Ruth: "Let me try. I see things, let's see if I can unsee things."

Melati: "A handy skill to have on the internets," Melati chimed in.

Ruth: Ruth took the picture of dungeon with the stairs in her mind. She closed her eyes allowing her mind to start to go blank. She imagined the staircase moving from its space and floating up into the air. She waited to see if it would really work.

Farouk: "It will only work if all of you try it together."

Sue: "Then we're screwed because I'm terrible at emptying my head."

Mick: Mick frowned. Imagining nothingness? He tried to find something that could count as nothing as he closed his eyes too. For a moment, he tried blanking his mind - no, that wasn't working, random thoughts still ambled through it. Then he thought of the completely clean slate of jamais vu...

Mick: When he woke with no idea of who he was or where, no memories and his mind was completely blank, wiped clean - that moment between coming to and the panic. That was nothingness. He tried to imagine it, when there was nothing, just him.

Jack: The black rabbit just stared off into space, a little bit of drool already gathering at the edge of his mouth. He could easily do nothingness.

Sue: "What's so bad about climbing the stairs?" She rolled her eyes. Even their brains were lazy.

Ruth: Ruth let her mind go, let all of the thoughts and knowledge go. She wondered into the space that was nothing.

Melati: "Well, how hard can it be?" Melati glanced sideways, trying to imagine nothing at all. Now she thought about how it would be to think about nothing. Well, drat.

Melati: "Guys, how does nothingness look?"

Fabian: "This is more fun." Fabian pointed out. It was at least something of a challenge, trying to clear his mind. "Imagine the inside of a bottle you've drank all of."

Sue: "Like nothing?" Sue offered hopelessly.

Jimmy: "It's not woooorrrrkkkiiiiiing," Jimmy whined, "my brain won't shut up talking to me."

Ruth: Ruth snapped back to reality. "Its just darkness and quiet. Slowly move everything out. If you do it all at once, everything comes running back."

Farouk: A small black hole started to appear in front of the students, getting bigger by the moment.

Melati: "Ooh, you mean like a truly sad place? Think I can get behind that." Melati closed her eyes. All the booze was gone, all the booze was gone, there was no booze left...

Mick: "Because he jus' told us what we need to do-" Mick paused. "Fuck. What happens when Jimmy starts talkin' shit an' stoppin' things from working? That's nothingness, righ'?"

Melati: "I don't think I want to be in this place any longer. It starts to scare me."

Sue: Sue frowned and sat down on the floor, "Lazy..."

Farouk: The hole grew bigger and bigger, developing suction power.

Jimmy: "It is?"

Ruth: "Come on Sue. We have to use our minds, otherwise, we will be here for ages."

Fabian: "You just don't think you can do it." Fabian snorted, deciding Mick was right about it being like how if Jimmy's power was working on them, emptying his mind right away with that. "...Is that what we want to be doing now?" He saw the hole...hell, why not? Fabian let the suction power start to pull him away.

Sue: "We could just walk up the stairs! What's wrong with walking up the fucking stairs?"

Jimmy: "I don't think we got a choice now, Sue!" Jimmy wailed as he was dragged across the floor and vanished into the hole.

Callie: "I'm for going up!" The black hole was terrifying.

Mick: "Because we're supposed t' be learning about defence, Sue - an empty mind is defence!" Mick grinned as he started to get drawn in. "Can't attack what ain' there, right?"

Melati: "It's like trying to insult Jimmy's handsomeness," Melati explained.

Sue: "And you're all allowing yourself to be suggested into a hole by the one playing the part of the attacker."

Ruth: Ruth felt herself be drawn towards the suction. "Relax and give in. And remember, we are still in the gym."

Mick: "For th' Horde, and all that jazz."

Callie: "Right - this is all in my head." Callie closed her eyes and made herself breathe slowly.

Mick: So saying, he actually walked to the gaping hole, hoping like hell he was right.

Callie: Callie felt herself being drawn in. I hope I wake up comfortably on the gym floor!"

Sue: Sue remained sat on the floor and closed herself in a forcefield instead.

Farouk: The hole grew bigger and bigger, making it hard to withstand its influence.

Melati: "Whoa, this feels like the best roller-coaster ride ever." Melati spread her arms and made airplane noises.

Fabian: "Either way he is essentially in control." Fabian pointed out. Plus the hole would take him away from listening to this nagging. It was tempting.

Fabian: Screw it, he went on in.

Farouk: And the hole swallowed everything...

Mick: "Won't know unless we try. C'mon, if we get it wrong we try again, simple as."

Farouk: Everybody appeared again in the gym, with Farouk leaning over Fabian, holding a French maid outfit.

Fabian: "...if you even suggest me or yourself putting that on things will happen, Professor."

Mick: Mick opened his eyes, immediately checking for Shadowmourne and muttering when he realised he didn't have the axe outside of his imagination. Then he spotted Fabian - and cracked up, curling into a little giggly ball.

Callie: "That was kind of fun. Let's go program the DR," Callie said, sitting up.

Jimmy: "... Riiiight ... I'm just gonna leave now," Jimmy said, watching Farouk warily and shuffling backwards, away from him.

Sue: Sue frowned and looked over at the professor, "So did we pass or what?"

Farouk: "...I got bored..." He stepped away. "Ahem...You weren't nearly as horrible as I expected. So you won't fail today." He shuffled off and out of the gym before anybody could start asking questions.

Callie: "He is the creepiest teacher ever!"

Jimmy: "... I need a drink, dunno bout the rest of you lot."

Fabian: "...so what was that outfit for?" Fabian didn't care one bit about the lesson. He was just worried about that. "I am for drinks though, lets go."

Mick: Mick coughed. "Actually...I wanna go wave my axe aroun' a bit more. Callie, Sue? You up f' some serious DR time?"

Johnny: Johnny commented from his spot on the floor, rubbing his head, "I'm totally in on those drinks."

Melati: "I definitely second the drink," Melati said, rubbing her forehead.

Ruth: "I'm in for a drink or three."

Jack: "Jimmy, I think I'll buy you a round, just for letting me see a certain teacher naked."

Sue: "DR? Um... I don't know... don't really... the DR's not a safe place..." Zombies. She suppressed a shudder.

Johnny: "They aren't going to bite you," he rolled his eyes at Sue, "Just go have fun in the DR."

Mick: Mick suddenly blushed hard at the memory of JP. "N-no worries, Sue, I got a long-runnin' program that hooks into the Warcraft servers if you wanna try it...actually you know, be your character..."

Sue: "I can play in the DR as my paladin?!" that was totally tempting... but DR. She chewed her lip.

Jimmy: "To the Vito-mobile, for the non-nerds!" Jimmy lead the way out of the gym.

Mick: "Hell yeah, I've been playin' as my DK all this time - it's what keeps me fit and it's been helpin' my seizures out too." Mick grinned. "An' me and Danger have it ironed out so we don't get hurt - it's still on the HP system. Seriously, imagine actually bein' able to hit things with your stick!"

Mick: "Hey! Nerds are sexy, chrome-dome!"

Melati: "Hey, that means me," Melati exclaimed, taking off after domehead.

Sue: "I.... suppose I can give it a try...."

Callie: "I'm going to go watch the shark channel and have a glass of wine."

Fabian: "Some of them are." Fabian corrected Mick, laughing and waving as he headed out with the drinking crew.

Mick: "Sure you can. Practice for a bit, then we'll try a coupla dungeons an' maybe even a raid. Trust me, you'll never look at Warcraft th' same way again."

Sue: She smiled, "Okay... tea and snacks first. Then killin' things." She got to her feet and ran a hand through her hair.

Mick: Mick gave her two thumbs up. "Can get behind tha'. C'mon." He grinned, then sauntered out of the gym, only limping a bit.