"I think I just head who triggered the alarm, boys. Follow me!"
"We can't let that fink see us!" You whisper. "We need-"
"Leaf it to us." Ludivine replies. "I gotta routine for this, just you watch."
Diplomacy Check: Are you in any fit state to be helping?
DC 75
37+16+24=77
Bare Success
"Let me-" You begin, before you feel someone tugging on your shoulder.
"Look at me." Mirage says slowly. "The Doctor… told me what that stone can do. What did you see in there?"
"This isn't the time." You respond a touch too quickly, cursing yourself even as you see the excuse fall flat. "I'm fine, I-"
"I know what a man looks like when he breaks." Mirage quietly tells you. "You can't do this right now. Let them."
"...Fine." You reply after a moment. "Be careful."
---
Ludivine and Coyote may roll alone this combat!
---
"Oh just you watch this mistah soopah spy." Ludivine says, before marching up to the door and looking at Coyote. "You know 'Come In?'"
"Uuugh." Coyote moans. "I despise doing 'Come In'. Can't you do it yourself?"
"My old self meybbe, but not me. Eet needs a fahlsetto."
Coyote sighs. "Fine. Ahem-hem: Oh yoo-hooo!" Coyote cries out in a much higher register. "Come iiiiiin~. The door is open!"
"A dame?!" You can hear the weasel cackle from the other side. "Step aside you buckets a' bolts. This here requires a man's touch."
With the rest of you out of the line of sight, the door slowly clicks open, and the green-suited weasel struts in. "Where are ya toots?" he calls.
Martial Check: Come In
94+97+14+25+15+20(irresistible gag)=265
Opposed Martial Check:
25+16=41
Inconceivable Critical Success!
So fast it produces a shockwave and leaves an imprint in the wood, Ludivine slams the door on the toon weasel's face.Through the crack you can see the weasel fly like a ping pong ball between the robots, smashing into one after the other in a series of screams, yelps, and crashes. Finally the weasel tumbles back towards the door which Ludivine effortlessly opens, allowing the weasel to slam into the wall on the opposite side of the room. As he slides slowly to the floor, little stars and birdies chase themselves around his head.
"Gheee…" he slurs. "What a knockout."
He slumps unconscious to the floor.
One of the Cogs peeks its head inside. "<Scanning… Scan complete. No saucy dame detected. Probability of Toon Antics: 98%. Activating combat proto… pro…>"
The mechanical monstrosity stops short. "<Knockout analysis: Risque joke transitioning into slapstick pratfalls, capped with wordplay.>"
"<Humor levels exceeding recommended tolerance.>" says another. "<Warning. Warning. Ha ha ha.>"
"<Ha. Ha. Ha.>" The rest join in monotone chorus. "<Warning. Ha. Warning. Ha. War->"
As one the robot's heads begin to spark, spin, and splutter until one after another they explode, leaving the hallway empty and you alone with a very dazed weasel.
"Huh." Ludivine notes. "Guess dey couldn' take a joke."
You should be laughing. But for some reason, you just don't find this very funny.
"Wow!" Bonkers declares, practically in awe. "That was an amazing performance! I wish I could do somethin' like that, instead 'a just getting in the way."
"Are you joking?" Coyote replied. "That was a perfectly executed subversion of stealth success into screwball antics back there. Textbook."
"Really?" Bonkers asks. "But I-"
"It… it's fine Bonkers. Don't worry about it." You say.
"Well then. I guess I…" Bonkers trails off and, a moment later, a look of horror passes over his face. "No. No it can't be!!!"
"...what?" Mirage asks.
"I just put the entire group in danger through my own stupidity. I acted vastly outta character for a single gag, almost gettin' us all killed fer no reason, and yet I faced no consequences fer my actions. Nobody got mad at me, and we were all fine! That's not funny, that's annoying! Don't ya get it?!?"
Ludivine looks on with a face of dawning pity.
"I'm not just a bad toon!" Bonkers wails. "I'm the most annoying archetype possible. I'm the Scraha-ha-hapyyyyyyy Doo-hoo-hooo!"
"Oh Walt… he's right." You say slowly.
Coyote offers Bonkers a tissue, which he misses, instead wiping his nose on Coyote's fur. You want to help, but your mind is so thoroughly rattled at the moment the thought of any comforting words dies on your lips. Instead you turn to the one thing that can keep you together: Focus on the mission. You have a chance to regroup, evidence to escape with, and a very unconscious weasel. This could be an opportunity. Focus on the opportunity.
[ ] Take the weasel prisoner
Letting him see you and then letting him go is probably a poor idea, but it might be worth the risk to bring him back with you. Who knows what he could tell you about what Doom is planning.
[ ] Leave before the weasel wakes up
Taking the toon prisoner would be a considerable escalation of Doofenshmirtz's turf war...
There will be a twelve hour moratorium on voting.
