LMNO-PI

[Horab Fibslager]

I'm so dead in the future, I suck at haikus....

well ya know i better get a sword practsin here.  

[Bob the Mediocre]

I'm so dead in the future, I suck at haikus....

well ya know i better get a sword practsin here.  

Yeah, I was thinking, "Who here would have a sword?"  Then I couldn't stop laughing

[LMNO]

We made our way to a table, where a busboy, dressed only in tight jeans and an apron, was waiting with a bucket of ice and some gauze.  Mal knows how to dress up the help, I thought.  Horab and Erin made their introductions, and then he turned to me and said, "Yuo shuold knwo bteter tahn to mess wthi thsoe guys."

It was still painful to talk.  "Yeah.  I know.  Still, how..."

"I was in teh sotry next door, lokoign for my satrt button, adn word caem dwon form teh zebra that j0 were haedign to teh Caf?©.  I herad yuo had a new caes, so I deicedd to see how j0 were doign.  On my wya donw, I ran itno the Savage Intelletculas, and we all sotr of tumbeld in togehter.  Good thign, too.  Yuo're not taht good at haiku, are j0?"

"Shut it.  I was doing fine."

"If yuor plan was to get codl clokced and have this lovley peice of wrok," he motioned to Erin, who nodded her head at the compliment, "come adn saev yuor ass, tehn it went off wihtout a hicth."

Erin spoke up.  "There was one hitch, actually.  I believe it's called 'murder'?"

"Don't wrory.  Those guy sfell off teh grid years ago.  Not olny do tehy hold no statsu positoins in scoiety, a few of tehm are Abbie Hoffman disipcles, and nkow how to dukc teh systme, so tehre's nohting to track.  So L, excatly what are j0 wroking on?"

I did my best to relate the story so far through my busted lip, with Erin providing most of the details.  After he was caught up, Horab looked thoughtful.  "Yuo siad Erin got a traot card?"

"Yeah."

"Well, why haevn't j0 gon eto see teh Triple Oracle?  It wuold maek sense, rihgt?"

"I haven't gone, because it's always about doom with them.  Remember?"

"Get ovre it, L.  Evenutally, it's awlays abuot doom.  Anywya, they colud probbaly keep pointign j0 in the rigth diretcion.  And yuo can get good infromation, proivded yuo haev an in.  And I heav an in."

"Who?"

"Dind't j0 hear?  I'm srot of marired to oen of their dauhgters.  Let me go adn try to find her.  I tohught she'd be here, somehwere..."  Horab trailed off, stood up, and wandered off deeper into the Caf?©, which had more or less returned to normal, save for the two handsome baristas who were given the unenviable task of cleaning up Horab's mess.

"Did he say a 'zebra' told him where you were?"  Erin looked like she was just about out of patience with all this.  "I'll tell you, L, this is all getting pretty weird.  And what's with his accent?"

"That's just the way he talks.  Truth be told, sometimes I don't know what the hell he's talking about sometimes.  But he's a solid guy, and (when he's not killing people) he's good for a few laughs."

"He sounds like a nut job."

"Look around you.  Look at the City.  Look at what became of our country.  You should believe me when I say that Horab is merely synchronized with the times at hand."

I caught movement out of the corner of my eye.  Malaul was coming back to the table with a ream of paper.  She scowled when she saw my face.  "What did you do now?"

"It wasn't me.  I was drawn into a Haiku battle, and Horab had to kill Paul."

"Yeah, right.  So, where's he now?"  Malaul glanced over at the corpse removal job, and let out a small hiss.  

"He said he was going to look for his... sort-of wife?"

"You mean Hoshiko?  She's at the gaming tables, as usual."

I stared.  "Hoshiko?  And Horab?  Is that even possible?"

Malaul gave a wan smile, and shoved more ice into my face.  "Hush.  They did it as a joke, but it kind of caught on.  They're sort-of married, sort-of divorced, and entirely independent of each other."

"...Whatever you say.  So, what have you got for me?"

"The information was encrypted, but that didn't take too long to crack.  The problem is that the info itself is in code, or something...  Have a look."

The first few lines of the top page of the stack of papers read:

TOWER TOWER TOWER TOWER TOWER SIXTEEN16SIXTEEN16 TOWER NOD TOWER NOD 16XVISIXTEEN TOWER TOWER TOWER NEZTACH SIXTEEN...

"Now this," Malaul said, pointing to the page, "is at least somewhat familiar.  I think "Neztach" is Hebrew, and it's connected with Tarot through the Tree of Life."

I sighed.  "Looks like I'll have to track down the Oracles of Doom, for sure.  Because Erin was sent the Tower card, as well."

Malaul let out a low whistle.  "Well, you'll need some help getting them.  You better hope Horab finds Hoshiko."

"Is she still..."

"Yeah.  You know what they say.  Once a Scrabblist, always a Scrabblist."

[Malaul]

I know how to undress the help just as well as dress


I betcha a genticly modified cat would help heal wounds L is she kissed em and made it all better

[LMNO]

Admit it, Mal.  You just want to lap fresh blood from my mouth.

[Malaul]

like thats any secret

[LMNO]

[Bob the Mediocre]

Scrabble and online accents!  

And it's weird, but it's easier for me to read horab than you writing as him.

[Cain]

Better and better!

[Horab Fibslager]

Scrabble and online accents!  

And it's weird, but it's easier for me to read horab than you writing as him.

i agree dude. when people try to type like me, their making one fatal mistake...

they're trying.    lol

gave me a rofl tho.

[Burning Trees]

You do have distinctive typing, horab.


And people said that the keyboard would destroy individuality in writing!

Puhlease.

[LMNO]

Yeah, I couldn't really get the feel of it down.

If you'd be willing, horab, I could PM you your dialogue, and you could re-type it for me, and then we could insert it in the relevant sections.

[Horab Fibslager]

Yeah, I couldn't really get the feel of it down.

If you'd be willing, horab, I could PM you your dialogue, and you could re-type it for me, and then we could insert it in the relevant sections.

if you want to , but you oughta have noticed by now that my spelling is compeltely spontaneous dude.

as it stands it's a bit over the top but it works well int eh story. i especialyl lieked gutting that haikuist. take that you viloent intelctual!

[LMNO]

Yeah.  I think i messed up too many words.  

Ah well, in the published version, it can be cleaned up a bit.

[Ghost In The Machine]

Yeah.  I think i messed up too many words.  

Ah well, in the published version, it can be cleaned up a bit.

Eric?  Is that you?