Backpacking Trip: London Below, Friday Evening

[thatsamilkshake]

The Portalocity portal was supposed to land the Fandom High graduate travelers (and their luggage) in a private lounge at Heathrow Airport.

Oops?

Instead, the travelers (and some of their luggage; Francine at least was staring at the empty hand that had been holding a duffel bag a few seconds ago) would find themselves in a dark, grimy, rusted-over maintenance area, with one flickering overhead light. Chipped and faded London Underground signs are still (if barely) visible on the walls, and there was only one apparent exit: a tunnel that was no less rusty-looking, and only slightly better-lit.

[OOC: Open! First of 2 posts; sleeping accommodations will be up a little later. AIM chat is fhbelow !]

Comments

Arrive! Bitch! Moan!

[undersiders.livejournal.com]

Check your luggage, touch a handrail then make faces as you wipe the grime off on your jeans, call Portalocity to bitch them ou--- oh wait, you can't. No signal.

Your Multi-Passes do seem to be working, but they're showing that you're not meant to be picked up until next Friday, and wherever that departure portal is, it ain't where you are.

Re: Arrive! Bitch! Moan!

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"...Again?" Dinah grimaced as she looked around. "Well. Nothing's on fire?" Yet?

Re: Arrive! Bitch! Moan!

[thatsamilkshake]

Francine blinked down at her empty hand and gripped her backpack tighter with the other. "How do you lose somebody's luggae when they're holding it? My duffle bag is gone; it had all the souvenirs from Vegas and Vancouver and New Gotham in it!"

Re: Arrive! Bitch! Moan!

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

Dinah turned to stare at Francine's empty hand, then stare around them, wondering, "Okay, maybe they just -- shifted us? I mean, last time, it was San Francisco, but the wrong year. Maybe this is London, just, well, like the sign says. Underground?" She could hope, anyway. She pointed. "Looks like that way's out, wherever we are."

Re: Arrive! Bitch! Moan!

[iamnotallgirl]

Jill stared at Dinah. "Why do you say these things? You're going to jinx us!"

Re: Arrive! Bitch! Moan!

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

Dinah facepalmed. "...because I do not learn from experience. Apparently." She sighed and dropped her hand from her face. "Okay. Let's just-- aim upward, and get out where we can?"

Re: Arrive! Bitch! Moan!

[wantstodirect]

"Oh, man. Not again!"

Re: Arrive! Bitch! Moan!

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

Dinah shot Tony a look of I know, right? and sighed. "Sooner we start walking, the sooner we're outta here...."

Squeak!

[undersiders.livejournal.com]

Hey, what's that there in the opening to the tunnel?

Oh good, there's rats, too.

Well, one rat. He's just kind of sitting there looking at you curiously, though. Feel free to freak out, scream, try to kick him, try to feed him, try to...talk to him? Not that he speaks English, but he'll squeak rather excitedly at you if someone mentions Fandom High.

Re: Squeak!

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"Is it a good sign or a bad sign that there's rats?" Dinah wondered. "I supposed it means the tunnels aren't flooded?" She looked around. "If I see one wearing a little hat with a notebook, I'm going to ask it for directions."

Re: Squeak!

[wantstodirect]

"You think they're reporters, like the squirrels in Fandom?" Tony asked. He looked at the rat. "Do you understand English?"

Re: Squeak!

[undersiders.livejournal.com]

This rat had no hat and no notebook, but close inspection would reveal that he did have a sort of tiny harness apparatus wrapped around his back and forepaws, like a wee backpack, with an equally wee tube for carrying messages.

He was already sitting up to look at them, but at Tony's question, he rose to his full height and squeak-chittered back.

Not, of course, in English.

Follow That Rat!

[undersiders.livejournal.com]

Into the tunnel, which opens onto... well, not Heathrow Airport, that's for sure. Or even a working Underground station.

Instead, it's an open space (http://iambicnut.com/rpg/door/scenes-ratspeakerslair.jpg) lit by lanterns, candles, and fires in trashbins, with the odd red flashing LED light moving about, attached to one of the many, many grungily-dressed people.

Who all stop what they're doing and stare in the direction of the tunnel opening when the Fandom High grads arrive.

Re: Follow That Rat! -- Lord Ratspeaker

[undersiders.livejournal.com]

There's a shout of "Lord Ratspeaker!" One of them -- dressed perhaps a little more finely in a fur cloak that... let's just say some of the markings look Siamese -- moves forward. The crowd parts around him, and well they might, for he's grinning nastily and carrying a rather large knife as he approaches the group, flashing the serrated blade.

"Well, now. What have the tunnels brought us today, then? A band of upworld spies? A door-to-door gizzard delivery service?"

[OOC: Feel free to take turns pinging off him, but please do so in a single thread of conversation, so we can keep this bit moving towards your eventual rescue! So yes, first-come first served, in this thread. Chat room is fhbelow, if you'd like to keep up a pinging order!]

Re: Follow That Rat! -- Lord Ratspeaker

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

Oh, crap. Why had following a rat seemed like a good idea? Why?!

"We're not spies. From anywhere," Dinah said very very quickly. "We don't even know you people." Don't say lost, noooo. "We got -- turned around." She smiled weakly. "Hi."

Re: Follow That Rat! -- Lord Ratspeaker

[wantstodirect]

Well, it wasn't likely they'd've been able to fake being locals, anyway. "The rat led us here," Tony said. "Is he a friend of yours?"

Re: Follow That Rat! -- Chat amongst yourselves or with the Ratspeakers

[undersiders.livejournal.com]

There's stew that smells not too awful boiling in one of those rubbish bins, and people in a mix of thrift-shop clothes and furs you don't want to examine too closely are alternately peering at you or wandering back to their ongoing business. Which includes trying to grab your luggage and go through it, if you stop paying attention to it.

[OOC: this one, on the other hand, is ping-as-you will! If you would like an NPC, shout out in the OOC thread, or feel free to mod your encounters.]

Re: Follow That Rat! -- Chat amongst yourselves or with the Ratspeakers

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

One of the ...denizens, that really seemed the best word... was now inching toward Dinah's small rolling suitcase. Edging toward the luggage tag.

"Hey!"

Re: Follow That Rat! -- Chat amongst yourselves or with the Ratspeakers

[undersiders.livejournal.com]

Inching turned to snatching - and boy, that guy was quick!

Follow That Girl! ...And Guy

[undersiders.livejournal.com]

After a bit, the rat returns with two people: small girl, tall guy. One's Scottish, one's not. The one what's not Scottish (and is small) looks particularly excited.

Re: Follow That Girl! ...And Guy - Talk to Door

[notajar]

"I'm Door, and this is my friend Richard. You came from Fandom High?"

Re: Follow That Girl! ...And Guy - Talk to Door

[wantstodirect]

"Yeah! You've heard of it?" Tony asked.

Re: Follow That Girl! ...And Guy - Talk to Richard

[mindedthegap.livejournal.com]

Otherwise known as the Warrior of London Below. Or RichardRichardMayhewDick. Just call him Richard, will you?

"Richard would be me," he said helpfully. In case anyone thought it was the nonexistent other man with her.

Re: Follow That Girl! ...And Guy: Try to get to London Above

[undersiders.livejournal.com]

Along the way through the tunnels to Door's home, there's a set of rickety metal steps that lead up to a working Underground Station. "This is one of the ways up into London Above," Door says, stopping the party there for a while for you lot to check it out. "If things work for you up there and people see you, then I expect you'll be able to get back to your trip. If not... I'm sorry; it looks like you'll be stuck down here for a bit."

It's... an underground station. With a whole lot of people bustling about. None of whom seem to be paying any attention to you. No, really, like, the bumping into you kind of not paying attention.

Wander about, try to talk to people, talk amongst yourselves!

[Again, if you'd like an NPC here, give a shout in the OOC thread!]

OOC - London Below Arrival Post

[notajar]

First of 2 posts, because I want this one up and open for playing while I go about setting up the sleeping accommodations. The rest of the days will probably all be one-posters.

Ping here if you'd like an NPC in London Above to... be rude to you, or a Ratspeaker...to be rude to you!

Or if you just want to throw naked icons at us.

Random Neverwhere factoid #1: the one what's not Scottish is actually played by a Scottish actress.