Nothing wrong with a little flirting in my book. "Not too long, a few days, maybe almost a week. Long enough for me to get felt up by more muscled butches than I'd care to relate. Cass originally passed herself off as Aphrodite, but we agreed that lying was probably not the best course to take."
*Cass sighs*
"But I was so good at it, killjoy."
*she smiles*
*Darla says with a smile*
"Nothing wrong with pretending to be a goddess if you can accept the attention."
*She winks at you both*
"So is there anything pressing happening here, or any reason why we are here that you know of?"
"Nothing that I know of. Cass and I (well, mostly Cass) have been reading at the library to try to figure out why this world is the way it is. I think maybe something can be done for mens' rights, but the men are sorely outnumbered, so even democratically speaking, the women outnumber them two to one."
*Darla thinks on this a moment*
"This is out of the norm for human societies, there is usually a pretty near even split, so something drastic must have happened, from the gods on down to cause such a discrepancy."
*gets serious, the first time you guys have seen her do so*
"I'm not the best person for research, since I can only understand what they are saying, and cannot read or speak back to them, so Cass looks to be our lifeline here. I do not want to get into another fight situation over a misunderstanding. Is it alright to stick with you two while we figure this out?"
"Of course. I wouldn't ever turn able hands away. You, Cass?"
*She leans in close to Darla and whispers and they both giggle and Darla whispers back*
*Cass grins slyly*
"Oh I don't think I would have a problem with Darla helping us out at all."
*Darla grins*
"Well perhaps we should get some clothing, arms and weapons that are period appropriate?"
"Yeah. Clothing for me, arms and weapons for you two. Men aren't allowed to carry weapons here."
I feel kind of left out when they whisper amongst themselves, but I'm glad Cass has some female companionship for now.
I'm tagging along wherever they decide to go. Being by myself will be a good way for me to end up in another word quickly.
I mention while we walk, "I heard the Greeks used to wrestle naked. I wonder if they do here. Maybe you ought to get into wrestling, Cass." No ulterior motive there, clearly.
*Cass turns around and grins*
"Oh of course not, and who would my opponent be prey tell?"
*Darla giggles and almost pipes up but thinks better of it*
*Cass smiles and pulls you in for a short kiss*
"When two women giggle in front of a man, it usually spells good things for that man, so hush it."
*They spend all day getting clothes made for them, they smile and let you stay there for the whole process, so it isn't quite as bad as it sounds, they also get you some tunics, pants and leather sandals, a few pairs. Darla seems to be treating having gems and gold, a lot of it from the looks, she also treats Cass and herself to be fitted for armor, and put in an order for Gladius', spears and swords. Darla is a pleasant woman, prone to bouts of laughing, jokes, but deadly serious when need be, Cass and her seem to be getting along grand.*
That's good. It occurs to me that maybe Cass will be leaving me and going with Darla, but I banish the thought. Time will tell, and if that's the way it goes, I'm okay with it.
I prefer these old fashioned clothes to the denims and synthetic fibers of the future, but I'd rather my armor still. I ask Darla how many worlds she's been to.
*Darla smiles*
"I've been to 9, I started on a tropical island, with a group of what I know now are versers, Jhiaxus and Geneice, they were good sort, broke the news lightly, and gave me some instruction. Then it was to a Starship, I served as a Security Officer, and I erm appropriated this Varon-T disrupter on my hip. I spent time as a Ninja, as one of Robin Hood's men, I spent time on a world, where you couldn't write or use paper or much technology at all, pretty boring. I spent time on a Dungeons and Dragons type world, where I was a mage. Then I was a short order cool in the 1960's. I was a commando in 2025. So I had a pretty varied experience in the verse, and yourselves?."
"Well, in my first world, I also met Jhiaxus; but I didn't meet any Geneice. There was another girl with him, someone else. Then I learned to be a rogue in another world, which is where I met my little desire demon. Then I was Batman in the last world I was in; so, compared to you, I guess I'm noob."
*You two compare notes, not the same Jhiaxus, simular, but enough differences that between the two of you make you come to the determination that same guy, different experiences.*
*Darla considers*
"If there is more than one of him, there could be more than one of all of us, a sobering, and perhaps a good thought. Also means could be multiple versions of people we would rather never meet."
"Agreed. Unsettling prospect, to say the least. At any rate, we're here now.
"Say, I wonder if we could find a kind elderly person who'd be willing to talk about whether their childhood was like the world is now. Maybe they'd like to regale us with some tales of their youth."
((GE Roll 19))
*Takes awhile, but you find an old letch that lucky can be bought with booze and drink, instead of women.*
"I never had no wife, no woman would want me, so I had my freedom, as it were. The old days, were a lot like this, but they have gotten worse. When I was a kid, men were able to at least wear daggers, but that has long been stripped from us. Athena passed through her profits, that the men were not to be allowed to revolt."
To Cass, of course. "Prophets? Now there's something worthy of note. Now we have liars somewhere in the world, lying for self-gain. I wonder what they're hoping to gain. Maybe he knows where the prophets of Athena reside."
*He smiles*
"Prophets reside in their temples, and it's not just Athena's that are part of it, all the female god's profits are in on it. It was an all or nothing deal, as for where you would find them, the corners and coasts of the island, with the city in the center with villages and towns in between."
*Cass frowns*
"There are at least 5 greek goddesses I can rattle off, and that's not counting the minor ones, that might be a tough order."
*Darla says*
"The good part is they are likely not working together directly, they always seem to be in competition with each other."
"So, if we can surreptitiously come up with reasons why a few of the goddesses would want men to carry weaponry, maybe we can split them up... the one of the best ways would be to ignite a disagreement between one group and another, and get them to fight each other with one side using men... that's how it went in the world I was born in, and the former slaves faced a lot of difficulty for many years thereafter, but they eventually won a lot in the way of civil rights once the ball got rolling."
*Cass shakes her head*
"What I think Darla is saying, something went wrong from the Gods and Goddess on down, and until we fix whatever happened, I don't think that the followers will change their ways."
*Darla says*
"I may be completely wrong, but there is a logical disconnect between the gods and man here, and there really shouldn't be, like there is a barrier up. Usually in this type of world, tech doesn't work well, and magic and psionics do, and they don't. It could be natural, could be artificial, but we are here, so it's as good of an idea as any to occupy our time right?"
She's right.
"Since technology works, the logical conclusion is that somewhere here, there's technology beyond what we're seeing on the surface. So, our first step in unravelling what's going on here should be to find out where the technology is; the people here probably think it's magic."
*She smiles*
"The translator is a interesting object, but it's hard to say if the tech level is high, or I am good enough at it's use to make it work a lot of places. I think the first step is to figure out the history of this place, and for that we need more research."
((You do have 2 and most of a week left on the old GE roll for the information you wanted))
*nods* We'll continue our studying when we're able.
*It's a slow mostly three weeks, it takes 50 different books with the two of you writing down the information in another book you bought with blank pages, to get the history down. It seems 400 years ago, there was a week of thunder and lightning with no clouds in the sky, and after that, nothing, the gods were not heard from again. It is within that week that the female deities followers, militarized their temples, began training women to fight. Eventually through feminine wiles, trickery, deceit, and everything else, began to play the men and towns against each other in war, when it was all said and done, the men had been broken, and the women assumed control.*
*Darla whistles*
"Well that is harsh, now that we know what happened, what can we do about it?"
*it should be noted for the past 3 weeks, Darla has been flirting pretty constantly with both of you, it is up to you if you want to pursue anything on that front*
Personally, while I find her attractive, and the flirtation is accepted and returned, as I'm spoken for I won't pursue anything with her.
"Really, it's hard to know. Lightning from a clear sky for that amount of time suggests some kind of power unnatural to humans; and why would the women want to do such a thing as they've done, or the men acquiesce to it. At any rate, we've determined some reasoning, so let's roll with it; it seems like the temples are the highest lawmaking body here, so we've got to use them to our advantage if we're going to do something lasting here."
*Cass is following your lead on that, and it's just Darla's personality, she probably would, but is respectful with the playful flirting*
*The Temple to Athena is in the city, the the guards in the city are all in their service*
"Very good, then. Let's visit the temple; we'd better check first that I'm allowed in, since I'm probably not. In that case, Cass goes in to talk with them, and Darla waits outside with me to make sure I don't get stolen."
*You all make your way to the Temple, white marble stone and statues greet you, as do 12 warrior women with traditional greek armor, spears and shields. Cass speaks to them and goes inside*
*An hour passes, no word*
((GE roll 18))
I move up against Darla and lean on her slightly, hoping to evince a submissive, feminine expression for any passers by while we wait. I feel for the scriff sense to see if I can tell if she's still inside about every fifteen minutes or so.
*She is inside, and Darla plays it up without going over the line.*
*Another hour goes by*
Does she seem to be above ground or below?
There's nothing that I can do to stop her without seeming suspicious, not that I would now that I've gotten to know her better; besides, I do enjoy the role that I'm in here. It's a pleasant change of pace.
*She seems to be above, she is not moving*
*another hour goes by*
*quietly* "She's still alive. I wonder if she's okay, she hasn't moved in a while. I have a responsibility to her, so I might have to go in after her; you don't have to come, it's going to be a suicide mission, but I'd appreciate it if you would escort me as far as my equipment, then leave once I've got my weapons. I don't want you dragged into this."
*You and Darla walk back to your room, it's a half an hour walk, 15 minutes into it, Cass is moving again toward you*
Wait wait, I said I might have to; and actually, it occurred to me to just go in barehanded, because I'm probably a better fighter that way.
((She is going to be in there 3 hours and 15 minutes from the GE the roll, so revise your actions accordingly))
Okay, alright, we'll start walking back for armor, so when I feel her position we'll turn around and head back to her.
*She is heading out, her lip is bloody, but the guards give her nods and don't seem so hostile.*
*You meet her halfway*
*Cass is irritated, you really haven't seen her this way*
"Bleeping c****, said one who wasn't worthy in Athena's eyes wasn't allowed in the temple, and wasn't allowed any knowledge. They said someone had to beat three of their best at once in order to get respect."
*She grins wickedly*
"Hope they have dentists here, since they are missing over half their teeth now."
"Good work, I was about to come in after you; I thought it prudent to armor up first."
*She smiles and produces a book*
"Here is the real history, only the students of the temple are given it. This should make things easier."
*She spits out blood, but her teeth are fine*
"We should go home and get you patched up, then pore over this tome."
*She nods, she is cut and bleeding in her lips, a few bruises on her body, but for three on one, she looks pretty good.*
*You start on the tomb, it speaks of the female gods sick of the cheating, the games, and the lies, so one day they lured all of the male gods to an orgy, and introduced them to Medusa, once that was done, the goddesses stuck down the male gods temples using Zeus's thunderbolts, and started having their followers kill the male followers of those gods. Hence the low male population and keeping those here, downtrodden.*