Welcome to Gaia! ::

A black limo zine awaited Samantha outside her manor. As soon as she had come close to it, she saw the side door open. The unrealistic, plastic "proportions" of Steph came stepping out of the vehicle. She had been dressed in a gown of a blinding pink, adorned with a matching fur hat, and held another cigarette between her fingers.

"Samantha, you look absolutely gorgeous, darling! I simply adore your fashion sense!" She stepped to the side, and made room for Sammy at the door. "Please, have a seat in my limo, if you would."

"Oh-HOhohoh!", Steph laughed, the back of her hand on the side of her mouth. "That isn't champagne, darling. It's sparkling water. Look at the label again." She was right. It wasn't champagne at all. "You know I can't STAND alcohol. It's one of evil's many roots." Holding her cigarette in her mouth, she opened the bottle of sparkling water. Then, she poured a glass to hand to Samantha. Next came a glass for herself before closing the bottle.

"Rodger, I do believe we're ready to go now! Could you drive us to the theatre?" The limo began to start moving as an answer to her command.

Steph put out her cigarette in a matter of seconds. "It will be a short while before we reach the theatre. Would you care to talk? The show we're going to be seeing is called 'Botteleir Pepper: The Musical'. Shall I briefly tell you what it's about?"

"Oh, don't worry!", said Steph, "I'm certain you'll love this one! Botteleir Pepper, as the name implies, is about a man named Pepper who becomes a botteleir. He's in charge of serving drinks to a lovely duchess, and the two of them will learn to fall in love."

Conversations continued from there until their vehicle had finally reached their destination. The theatre was absolutely shining with colourful neon lights in the nighttime city. And a red carpet lead the way inside, past their ticket booth. Steph and Sammy had come out of the limo, and onto the leading carpet. Steph's driver, Rodger, had silently come with them.

Several other patrons were waiting in line to get tickets, but the one in the back saw Steph, and let her cut through line with Samantha. Then the next let them in front, then the next, then the next. This would continue until they were in the front of the entire line. "You see, Samantha. When you have a body like mine, the general public will give you the royal treatment. You're welcome, by the way!"

"Three tickets for Botteleir Pepper: The Musical!" Steph paid the ticket man, and she went into the front doors with Samantha and Rodger close behind.

The interior of the theatre was even fancier than the exterior. Yellow walls with complex white patterns decorated the room, and complemented the jeweled chandelier hanging above them. "Exquisite place, isn't it?"

"You're a good reader, darling.", said Steph "They have balcony seats, high above the others. What better place to watch a show than from there?"

"Oh, you said you were peckish, didn't you? Rodger, would you please purchase some confectionaries for my motherly friend? And do come back with large portions. She has to feed for two." Rodger nodded to Stephanie's will, and began to run towards the snack stall. "When he comes back with your nourishment, I shall guide you towards our high-class seating."

Once Samantha had returned from the bathroom, Steph stood there waving. Besides her was Rodger, holding a large tub of popcorn, and a variety of different candies. "I do hope you're feeling refreshed now. Come with me. Let's find our seats."

She lead Samantha and Rodger up a flight of stairs, and to the place they'd be sitting from. Four seats were in this balcony spot, just as the other balcony at the other side of the wall. "Lovely seating we have, don't we?" Steph was the first to sit down, occupying the two middle seats at once. Rodger sat to her right, leaving the seat to Steph's left for Samantha.

Rodger picked some pieces of the popcorn for himself. He continued not to speak, but he seemed grateful. "Only a short while before the show starts!", Steph said excitedly, "I'm absolutely thrilled, darling! Do you feel the same?"

People were gathering in the seats below. At this point, most of them were filled, and the patrons were being quiet for the show. Though a few of them eating snacks could be heard if you listened closely.

And so, the show began. Both Samantha and Stephanie sat quietly to watch.

It all started with an old man in a fancy outfit. This was the duchess' botteleir, who had come down to the wine cellar to fetch some wine. He had been down here many times before, but this time was different. He thought he saw shadows running by. And then, a gunshot. The botteleir was dead.

A scene transition was accompanied by a song. It started grim and mourning, considering the first scene had somebody die. But when the shock was starting to wear off, it became a sea tune. Fishermen were singing in their harbor of Crackerdale.

Pepper, one of the fishermen, goes over to check on their net. Unfortunately, they still haven't found any fish. And no fish meant no business for them. And now Pepper had finally had enough of these fishless days they've been having. He quits his job to find work elsewhere.

He returns home to his younger sister, Salty, who is paraplegic and needs crutches. Pepper gives Salty the bad news about his newfound unemployment. And Salty proceeds to sing about how much she used to look up to him, and that they can get past this rough spot in life. Though Pepper eventually leaves, deciding to go drink at the pub, Salty continues her song and her prayers.

Unemployment is becoming a real problem in Venezuela, and now Pepper is one of the many drunks trying to remember an easier life. A money-grubbing bartender hoping to exploit the situation for profit gives him bad advice whilst serving him drinks. He tells him to wait, and let all of his dreams come true by themselves, and that the only thing he needs is patience. Apparently, the other drunks at the bar were all given the same advice, and have been regulars here ever since. Though this makes Pepper decide to do the opposite. He's going to work hard, and come out of it even better than ever.

Pepper leaves the bar, feeling motivated to find a new job. He even sings a song about it.

[We can skip the entire show from any point we want, or we could make up the story together. Whichever one you want to do.]