Otherkind Air RTD

PLANESINKOMETER:
Die roll: +5
Cockpit <{....O...........}=/ Tail (and exit!)

Robert: You pound on the door until the water is up to your ankles - which is impressive, since the steep slant of the floor means you're hanging off a seat to stay near the hatch. Finally, someone answers.
"Hello?"
The latch shifts and the door pops open. There's a woman standing there in a flight attendant uniform with ruby red lipstick, immaculate hair, and an extremely serious expression on her face.
"My name's Betty," she says. "I'm here to rescue you."
She glances with approval at your makeshift bandage. It isn't very absorbent, but it's tight enough to hold the wound closed.
"Come with me," she says. "I'll get you out of here." She pulls you through the hatch and leads you down the stairs.

Harvard: The woman's mouth hangs slack, and her face is pale. Blood continues to stream down into her hair. Her breathing is shallow. Your own wound is bleeding pretty badly too, and you're starting to feel a bit dizzy, though it kind of pales in comparison to the woman's wounds.
"Help!" you cry, "someone take pity!"
Just when you think it's hopeless, a flight attendant arrives from below leading another passenger - some guy in a wrinkled, bloody business suit, which has a piece of used gum stuck on it. The attendant sees you and curses. "We need to get her help, right away," she says.
She dashes back to the nearest galley and quickly constructs a gurney out of a drinks cart and some unattached seat cushions. Together, the two of you are able to lift the woman onto it.
"Let's go," says Betty. "This plane won't stay afloat much longer." She begins leading the three of you up the plane - when suddenly, a man steps forward holding a shotgun. He's wearing a captain's uniform, and has a long gray beard.
"I can't let you go any farther," he says.

Max: You see a first aid kit hanging in the cockpit, but as you grab it, the front window bursts and water comes rushing in! In the process of snatching it away, the latch pops open and most of the contents fall out. You might have a few bandaids or something left, you're not sure.
Unfortunately, it proves extremely difficult to climb up through the plane. Boeing must have had other design goals in mind. They also neglected to make it watertight - the icy seawater soon overtakes you. You find yourself treading water in the middle of the right aisle of the Business compartment. The shrapnel wounds are bleeding profusely, and you're starting to feel dizzy and numb. Your heat and blood are both leaking out into the water.
Wait, what's that movement down there? Is that... a shark!?

Actions take place simultaneously, or if that doesn't make sense, whatever does make sense. If you want to help each other, I think it's easiest if you just both do separate tasks that contribute to the same outcome, rather than two people doing the same thing. But whatever, we won't worry about it too much.

While waiting for the attendant to return, Harv looks for ways to stave off the worsening bleeding. A big part of his sales pitch is that bananas are good for the skin, he's not sure if that applies here but with the blood loss and frantic situation, he's soon shoving fruitpulp into his wounds in hopes that the paste will do a better job than little airplane pillows.

Once Betty has helped lift her onto the gurney, Harv whispers encouraging platitudes into Ms. Handcuffed-Deathsdoor in hopes that she'll have the will to hang on though this.

When the shotgunning gray-beard appers, Harv just stares with his most pitiful sad-man gaze. Only a monster would have the callousness required to not feel sympathy for this pathetic husk of a man.

Robert screams something to the effect of WE'RE ALL GOING TO DIE WHY CAN'T YOU LET US LIVE WHY OH WHY AND ALL THE DRINKS ARE GONE BLAAAAAAAH

Lesser men might think it hopeless. Max is kind of excited, actually. But first thing's first.

Max attempts to patch up what little he can while treading water with his powerful man-legs.

After a little bit of that nonsense, he uses his man-strength Secret deodorant and attempts to spray it underwater to prevent the shark from seeing him precisely through the bubbles, and to confuse the shark's sense of smell. Aerosols probably don't work this way, but the hope is that the shark will miss just enough for Max to punch that shark in the fucking face.

Because his priorities have all just shifted down one space to make room for the possibility of punching a goddamn shark in the face.

Come oonnnn sixes.

Robert (4, 4, 4): High die, you startle the guy with the gun. Low die, you annoy Betty and she thwacks you. High die, venting your emotions makes you feel a little better. (Wow, that die roll sucked. Not much choice here. Sorry about that. What are the odds, right?* But I'm not really sure what you wanted to accomplish, so the stakes are kinda dull too I guess. So, er, it all evens out in the end? Or something.)

Harvard (2, 5, 3, 6): High die, the guy with the gun takes pity on you and won't shoot you with the intent to kill. Low die, your blood loss makes you dizzy and you stumble into the cart, sending it rolling down the aisle. High die, the guy with the gun takes pity on you and decides to explain himself before making with the bullets (which may or may not be aimed at you, depending on the first stake). The banana goo probably won't do much for your wounds, but it will make you look more pathetic (and smelly), so I'll give you the extra die, sure.

Max (5, 5, 3, 6): High die, your ruse works, you confuse the shark and get a chance to punch it in the face. Low die, the shark shows up before you have time to patch any wounds and you have to drop the kit into the water. Low die, you start to feel numb and will have difficulty moving. You can make jerky, spastic movements with numb limbs (like punching), but not coordinated ones (like climbing out of the water, or continuing to tread water.) That information would have been valuable if you hadn't gotten such a good roll.

I wish to take this opportunity to remind you all that a single, clear action with a clear intent is most ideal.

If I can't figure out what the main action is, or easily combine everything into one thing, I'll probably just pick my favorite of the things you're doing and whether you get the others or not is my whim. Maybe make them into additional stakes, if I can relate them to the main thing. But maybe not.

If you supply a clear intent ("the hope is that the shark will miss just enough for Max to punch that shark in the fucking face"), then the rule is that high die (5-6, maybe not entirely on 4) means you get your intent if it is at all reasonable.
If you don't, it's up to my interpretation, which may or may not be what you actually were trying to accomplish. ("Sure, your six means you successfully punch the shark in the face... and make it angry, so it bites you! That's what you were going for, right?") I mean, I'll try to go with what I think you probably wanted, but I might be very wrong.

*1 in 36 that the same number would show on all three dice. 1/216 that it would be four on all dice. I think it's about 1/3 that a three-of-a-kind would have happened by now for the number of 3-die rolls that have been made.

I'm good with interpretations and whimsical stake-making. It is oodles more entertaining that trying to play this like something to "win".

5 - Waterproof sports bandaids, check.
5 - Limber limbs, check.
6 - And I punched it to the ocean floooooor
Not suggesting I literally mean to punch it to the ocean floor, to be clear. Unless that's what you go with.

4 - THE GUY IS STARTLED
4 - Uh. Betty kind of half-thwacks? Because uh...because startling the guy opened up a path for diplomacy!
4 - I HAVEN'T FELT PROPERLY EMOTIONAL (or sober) IN YEARS!

Boy golly this guy is feeling exponsitiony (6)
I mean he still wants to kill you, but maybe he'll talk enough to give you a chance to act (3)
I don't know if it's the bananas or what, but you aren't too dizzy right now! You clench your lover's hand and stabilize the cart. (5)

PLANESINKOMETER:
Die roll: +1
Cockpit <{....O...........}=/ Tail (and exit!)

Robert: Your shout startles the guy. He lowers the gun slightly and gives you a funny look. Betty glares at you but does nothing. You're still in deep trouble, but the emotional outburst made you feel a little better!

Harvard: "Look," says the man, glancing back at you after the unexpected outburst, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry that any of you had to get involved in this. I'm sorry we had to endanger innocent passengers. Betty, I'm sorry you were on this flight - you've been one of the best flight attendants I've had the pleasure to work with. Whoever these poor wretches are- DROP THE PURSE!"
The man waves the gun at Betty, who was in the process of retrieving something from her purse. She scowls and drops it on the ground. You and your fellow passenger can both see the hilt of a revolver poking out of it.
"That's better. Keep your hands where I can see them, please.
As I was saying, this is too important." He points the gun at the woman on the cart. "This woman is too important. She has to come with us. If that means the death of everyone else on this plane, then that's a price worth paying."
"Captain Orson," says Betty, in a dry, level tone, "think about what you're saying. Whoever this woman is, she's worth killing an airplane full of innocent people over? Why?"
"I know she doesn't look like much," says Captain Orson, "but she's the Queen."
Queen? What? Queen of where? Betty looks just as perplexed as you feel. You squeeze the woman's hand for reassurance, incidentally getting banana goop on it.
"That's enough talk," says Captain Orson. "Give the woman to me, and I'll let you join the passengers on the raft. Otherwise, I'll just have to kill you here and now. Honestly, that might just be the quicker, easier death. There's no land anywhere near here, and we've arranged things so that nobody will come looking for the plane."

Robert: As the guy's speech comes to an end, you feel a vibration in your pocket. It's your cell phone. Probably Edwards getting back to you about that little accounting snafu he noticed. If you can't convince him to keep quiet about that, it could be your job on the line. Except if you try to answer it, this guy's probably going to shoot you in the face with a shotgun.

Max: You slap some bandaids on your wounds, stretch your arms and legs to limber up, and spray your aerosol deodorant into the shark's face, causing it to veer to the side - right into the path of your descending fist.
WHAM!
You're not a part of this shark's system! You're an ADULT!
The force of the blow sends it spinning end over end through the water. When it stops, it comes floating back up to the surface, where it bobs like a cork in the water next to you, upside down. You probably haven't killed it, but it's out like a light. Whatever you want to do with this shark, it's yours.
The water level rises a bit while this is happening, and you are now floating within reach of the next tier of seats. You'll probably be able to climb out of the water and proceed on foot up the steep incline without too much difficulty.

I'm good with interpretations and whimsical stake-making. It is oodles more entertaining that trying to play this like something to "win".

It's not so much about "winning", more about you having a voice in where things go. And clear, direct action + intent makes it easier for me to come up with something interesting.
I mean, I'm not saying you guys haven't been doing this stuff. Gnauga, your last go had both clear action and clear intent. It's just something to consider.

Max straps that shark to himself with the seatbelt and spritzes it with his can of secret just to make it smell less fishy (that doesn't have to count for an additional dice roll)

Max then attempts to climb up the plane with the shark in tow. He sings a loud victory cheer, and keeps an eye out for anything sharp enough to cut a shark. He's leaving with a prize, goddamnit.

Before this moment, part of Harvard would probably have welcomed a swift gunshot to the chest, though self-preservation would have most likely made him cower from it. I mean, JAPAN? to sell BANANAS? sure the business there is probably lucrative, but the truth is, he didn't have anything keeping him in the states. But now...

Harv clenches Queen GummyHand even tighter. With what resolve he can manage, he stares the Captain rather weakly in the eyes and pleads.

"If you can keep her safe, then take her, but please...let me come too." (intent to not get shot and go along with the captain, also that they actually want her alive)

Sensing a pause, he quickly mentions: "There's...there's something special between us! Even one of your own men saw this and handcuffed us together!" (add credibility to his story, also make captain think of logistics of having to remove handcuffed corpse from the body)

Robert just doesn't care anymore. He reaches into his pocket and slips his phone out (stake for being noticed)...

Wait. His phone is ringing...so he has signal...so the satellite relay's still up...so he still has signal. Edwards can wait, it's not as if he hasn't before. He tries to hold on to the phone without the captain noticing that it's vibrating, covering its sound with questions as to what queen and why should we care?

Robert (5, 4, 1): High die, you successfully conceal the phone. Low die, he decides to shoot you rather than answer questions. High die, Edwards gives up and you can use the phone to call someone else.

Harvard (6, 1, 1) (I am so, so sorry!): High die, he lets you come along... for now. High die, he removes the cuffs from your arm (rather than either bringing you along cuffed, or shooting you and THEN removing the cuffs from the arm of your probable corpse.) Low die, he ultimately wants her dead.

Max (3, 6, 5): High die, you reach the conflict with Captain Orson from an advantageous position. High die, you realize something's up and stop singing before you give away your presence. High die, you find a... knife? On an airplane? Eh, we'll say it's a sharp piece of torn metal from the crash.

You can die if you assign a 1 to something that's likely to kill you.

5 - Max's MAN-SENSES are tingling. He shuts up and listens.
3 - Man, this ain't a knife.
6 - Nice view from here. Is that a gun? Better get his seatbelt out. Max's watch is wrecked from the water, but he's guessing it's somewhere around man-thirty.

6 - The captain agrees to let Harv come along,
1 - Since he can't uncuff him, and doesn't want to have to drag a corpse along
1 - Though eventually, they'll both be corpses, but he's not going to tell them that.

4 - Robert stuffs the phone down his pants.
5 - No shootans plz.
1 - Edwards doesn't give up. Robert now has a vibrating phone in his pants. Mmmmmmm....

PLANESINKOMETER:
Die roll: +3
Cockpit <{.......O........}=/ Tail (and exit!)

Robert: You surreptitiously stuff the phone down your pants. If anyone were paying attention, they might wonder why your crotch was vibrating. Fortunately, they aren't. Less fortunately, Edwards is being really stubborn. Whatever he has to say, you guess it's probably important? I mean, probably not as important as the shotgun that's pointed at you, but.
You cover the sound of the vibrations with some questions: "What queen? Why should we care?"
Captain Orson looks sternly at you. "I have no reason to tell you anything," he says. "I don't think you'd believe me if you did. As for why you should care," he pats the shotgun, "I should have thought that was obvious. But I'm done talking. Either she comes with me now, or you all die and THEN she comes with me."

Harvard: Orson sees the cuff on your arm. He frowns.
"There isn't time to get that open, is there," he says. "I guess I have no choice but to let you come with us. Don't think this is your lucky day - I'll probably just kill you later. I'd kill you now, but then I'd have to carry your corpse." He grabs the cart and pulls it towards him, yanking you along with it. "The rest of you, stay perfectly motionless or I'll shoot you." He begins backing away up the aisle, dragging the cart with the woman and, by extension, you.

Max: You find a jagged piece of metal, sure. It's sort of sharp. You could use it to shred the shark into useless and unimpressive pieces. But stopping to pick up the metal gives you time to notice that something's up in the aisle ahead of you.
It looks like your arch-nemesis, Betty LeBelle, who has beaten you three years running in the Flight Attendant of the Year competition and whose confident, competent cool-headedness hs made her the talk of the fleet ever since she single-handedly saved the day during the Flight 45768 Disaster and then took out those plane hijackers during the Mayday incident. The latter time, you were there too, but your own heroics escaped mention.
Right now, she looks to be in a spot of serious trouble. Captain Orson has her at gunpoint for some reason, and is dragging two innocent passengers away on a cart. You never liked that guy. Something about his beard always bothered you.
Fortunately, he hasn't spotted you yet - and as you slip around to the side so you can get the drop on him, Betty aims a sharp, discreet kick at something on the floor and slides it across the plane to where you are hiding. It's a handbag, and there's the handle of a revolver sticking out of it. That could be useful!
Then again, it's HER revolver. Do you really want to use that? I mean, it's not like you're totally unarmed. You have an unconscious shark! AND a vaguely sharp and mostly useless piece of metal!
It's your call, of course.

Harv> The yank on your hand causes you to trip! Bananas everywhere! (might make a slippery floor for the captain!)
Oh geeze my bananas oh yikes Harv goes to pick some up and probably picks up one that is actually a gun in a purse. (intent get gun discreetly)

Guns are not for men.
Sharks are for men.

Max attempts to sneak up and bludgeon Captain Orson unconscious with the shark without him noticing.
Oh, and kick the revolver back to Betty to show off exactly how much man you are.

Robert: "What? We're dead men, we can't know?" He casts an eye around for more seatbelts, and notices Max. (intent for not revealing in his EYES) "And speaking of which, Captain, some of us are bleeding here. Permission to move?" He asks sarcastically (intent: 1. permission to loosen the captain's strictitude 2. get attention off harv and betty)

Robert (3, 4, 4): High die, you distract Orson and give the others a chance to act. Low die, you give away Max's position. High die, Orson gives you permission to move.
Max (1, 4, 3): High die, you bludgeon Orson unconscious with the shark. Low die, he shoots you. High die, you kick the revolver back to the others.
Harvard (2, 3, 5, 3): High die, you make Orson slip. High die, you get the gun possibly depending on how well Max aims his kick. Low die, your trip sends you stumbling to the floor, and you are prone next to the cart.

3 - He's not quite down for count but
4 - At least Max is not quite dead
1 - Augh fumble grargle

3 - Orson: "Permission denied. You're a dead man, why bother?"
4 - Orson: "However, I seem to have become distracted!"
4 - Orson: "There couldn't possibly be an unknown assailant coming up behind me!"

5 - BANANAS ARE MEANT FOR SLIPPING. Captain be prone.
3 - Harv fumbles to pick some back up, and does! (misses the gun through)
3 - Oh but then Harv falls too. Well more like trips, he should be fine in a bit. CLUMSY HARVARD!

PLANESINKOMETER:
Die roll: +3
Cockpit <{..........O.....}=/ Tail (and exit!)

Robert: Orson glares at you in response to your request. He opens his mouth, likely to deny you permission when-

Max: -there goes the shark down onto his head, WHAMohwaityoufumbledit! The shark flops down onto his shoulder without much force. he's fine but startled, and steps forward-

Harvard: -only to slip on a banana peel you dropped, tumbling to the ground next to you as you also fall, causing you to completely miss-

Max: -the purse with the gun, which you kicked just as you brought the shark down on his head, and which goes flying off down the plane-

Robert: -passing over your head and just brushing the fingertips of Betty as she reaches out to catch it, maybe you could have grabbed it but you don't register that the Captain no longer has a gun trained on you in time to move-

Harvard: -only to fire as it slams into the bulkhead, sending a bullet randomly into the cuffs that hold you to the woman - and snapping the chain. Then it drops into the water with an innocent splash.

Wait, the water?

You all suddenly realize that the rising water level has reached you, just as a shudder goes through the sinking plane. The cart holding the woman is jarred out of its stable position and, no longer attached to anything, begins rolling down the plane toward where the water is deepest. Robert and Betty are up to their knees, Max is up to his ankles, Orson and Harvard, being on the ground, are up to the ears, and the cart is about to be up to its everything if somebody doesn't stop it.
Meanwhile, Captain Orson is already fumbling for his shotgun, which he dropped when he fell. He looks furious and uninterested in talking to anyone anymore. And the plane is starting to slip more rapidly into the water. You can all see the square of daylight ahead and above you - if you don't make it there soon, you'll be in some serious trouble.
Or, well, you already are in some serious trouble. You know what I mean.