The Quest for Rusticaville

Was cleaning up on some old YM conversations (i save the interesting ones from time to time).

I was pleasantly surprised to find a previously unpublished chronicling on one of Soloflite's legendary journeys.

--Names have been changed to protect the innocent.
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The Lore_Master: Hmm... my story? Here goes...

The_Lore_Master: Once every year, at the eve of the first course card...

the_acolyte: (course cards. course cards, ahh!)

The_Lore_Master: the secret society known as TLS embarks on the sacred pilgrimage called The Teambuilding

The_Lore_Master: are you familiar with this tradition, young one?

the_acolyte: (i took a bath of flour in one. yes, i am familiar. go on, please.)

The_Lore_Master: In any case... the site of this particular story is the Great Baguio TLS escape known as... "Rusticaville"

The_Lore_Master: yes. i will not go into the hidden details on what happens in "the Teambuilding" but rather, the brave quest of the one known as Soloflite as he tries to find the secret path to Rusticaville

the_acolyte: (soloflite was left behind?)

The_Lore_Master: That year, the TLS team scheduled to go to Rusticaville via bus in one large group.

The_Lore_Master: ...but horror of horrors, another ancient tradition, called The Practicum pulled Soloflite back and allowed him only TWO of the FIVE days of alcoholic teambuilding

The_Lore_Master: so, on the Thursday morning, the majority of the TLS left by Bus towards baguio...

The_Lore_Master: ...leaving soloflite with a map. And with another TLS member who knows the secret path to Rusticaville

The_Lore_Master: And so that thursday morning, soloflite slaved with his practicum...

The_Lore_Master: ...and continued until the sun had set on the friday of that week...

The_Lore_Master: The Other, ancient TLS staffer who knew the path to rusticaville... we shall call The Rhapper

the_acolyte: (The Rhapper, heh)

The_Lore_Master: ...so friday evening, the one known as The Rhapper calls up Soloflite... and asks that they meet at the bus terminal in Pasig.

The_Lore_Master: Soloflite arrives early in PASAY and awaits The Rhapper

the_acolyte: (OMG!)

The_Lore_Master: ahh yes

the_acolyte: (hahaha)

The_Lore_Master: and remember, texting was not yet in the vogue during that time...

The_Lore_Master: and all communication between the two from thereon... was thru PAGERS. these little unreliable predecessors of modern texting.

the_acolyte: (pagers, heh)

The_Lore_Master: ahhh.... until now, nobody knows who made the mistake... The Rhapper telling the wrong terminal, Soloflite remembering the wrong place... or the idiot in between who texted the wrong message

The_Lore_Master: in any case, Soloflite realizes that The Rhapper is in the OTHER terminal. hence, he just pages The Rhapper... "Its ok. lets meet in Baguio. I'll get on this bus now."

The_Lore_Master: this is around 10pm of the friday after the eve of 1st coursecard...

The_Lore_Master: luckily, Soloflite brought a cellphone. And so he opens his bag to call the other TLS friends just in case...

the_acolyte: (lucky cellphone)

The_Lore_Master: ...and realizes that he left the cellphone (big hulking mass of black) in the terminal.

The_Lore_Master: Along with the map.

the_acolyte: (OMG!! - again)

The_Lore_Master: ahh yes... where was I?

The_Lore_Master: Soloflite then realizing the situation... also realizes the Idioticity of his last text... as baguio is apparently larger than Megamall...

the_acolyte: ....!

The_Lore_Master: and did i mention that the hero, Soloflite was standing up? Because he only decided to get the tickets that evening

The_Lore_Master: ...and oh, that the trip to baguio is 8 hours?

The_Lore_Master: ...and even more if you have a flat tire?

the_acolyte: (i think his last name is murphy. really.)

The_Lore_Master: ...and thus... our hero was left standing stupidly aware of every idiotic thing he did that day for the next TEN hours

The_Lore_Master: ...ahh, but fortune smiled on our hero that night. he was able to convince nearby passengers to use their phone to page his friend The Rhapper

the_acolyte: (charm comes handy every once in a while)

The_Lore_Master: ahh yes. Charm is very handy.

The_Lore_Master: and Soloflite was also able to call the cellphone he left in the terminal, which was to his amazement, sent home by an anonymous stranger

The_Lore_Master: along with the map.

The_Lore_Master: anyways... going back...

The_Lore_Master: Soloflite transmitted the message to The Rhapper successfully... "Meet me at the FIRST stop in Baguio"

the_acolyte: (lucky for him)

The_Lore_Master: ...which would have worked...

The_Lore_Master: had not the bus been delayed by around 2-3 hours

The_Lore_Master: ...so by the time Soloflite arrived at the FIRST terminal, he had no way of knowing
if The Rhapper had indeed been there already...

The_Lore_Master: Hold on. Brb.

The_Lore_Master: where was I?

The_Lore_Master: oh yes... Soloflite's charms are still to be used my friend... :D

the_acolyte: (soloflite and The Rhapper's star-crossed meeting)

the_acolyte: (go on)

The_Lore_Master: Soloflite, realizes that The Rhapper has either gone on without him, or have waited then gave up...

The_Lore_Master: ...so he goes on a quest to find the mythical path to Rusticaville himself...

The_Lore_Master: and so... lugging around his numerous bags and other stuff... he goes to the nearest taxi driver...

The_Lore_Master: "Bossing, alam nyo po yung Rusticaville?"

the_acolyte: (aww. a solitary journey. solo flight, indeed.)

The_Lore_Master: "...rustika...bil"

The_Lore_Master: Soloflite groans inwardly. but it WAS close enough...

The_Lore_Master: "Opo. rustikabil... alam nyo yun?"

The_Lore_Master: "A... oo alam ko yun... sa may.... saan nga ba yan?"

The_Lore_Master: "Ser. ndi ko po sigurado tlaga"

The_Lore_Master: "Alam ko na yan! nakita ko yung bandera nyan!" Later our hero will realize that Rusticaville is just a big house that gets rent out every once in a while... and no banners

The_Lore_Master: But. Soloflite's danger sense is still wary...

The_Lore_Master: "Boss... kung sigurado kayo, sabay ako sa inyo..."

The_Lore_Master: "...dahil kung hindi, tapos iikot lang po tayo... " Our hero applies his Charm Monster Special ability... "...wala po ako pambayad pabalik"

The_Lore_Master: "Sigurado ako!!! Malapit lang yan. Pag ndi natin mahanap.. ibabalik kita!"

the_acolyte: (naks.)

The_Lore_Master: The Charm Monster ability does not seem to work on pretty girls though... going back...

The_Lore_Master: ...and thus, for the next 30 minutes, Soloflite is given a free joyride around baguio looking for the wild goose chase that was Rusticaville...

the_acolyte: (hehe)

The_Lore_Master: ...30 minutes later. Soloflite is back at the terminal, and apologizing profusely to the driver who shakes his head and drives away.

The_Lore_Master: ...our devious hero THEN does the same thing to the next TWO taxi drivers...

the_acolyte: (it's a good thing he didn't get lynched)

The_Lore_Master: It is a mystery indeed... until now, the Baguio taxi drivers still speak of the
freeloading ghost of Rusticaville in hushed tones...

The_Lore_Master: anyway, after 3 tries with taxis, our hero realizes that he needs to find a
different way to find it.

the_acolyte: (freeloading ghost of rusticaville. haha.)

The_Lore_Master: so he goes to to the town proper and finds the nearest telephone and sends yet another pager message to a TLS friend

The_Lore_Master: "Im in baguio. Im lost. Help"

The_Lore_Master: ..as luck would have it, this TLS friend DID NOT join the alcoholic exercise in baguio and was, in actuality... in MANILA

The_Lore_Master: let us call him... the Crusader

The_Lore_Master: the Crusader, in parallel, realizes our hero's dillemma and calls up the folks in
Rusticaville... here is their conversation...

The_Lore_Master: "....ugh... Crusader, we all have major hangovers... what the hell are u calling about?"

The_Lore_Master: "Soloflite is in baguio... he's lost. he doesnt know where you are."

The_Lore_Master: "...ughh... ok. click"

The_Lore_Master: I kid you not, That was how it happened...

The_Lore_Master: in the meantime, Soloflite is scouring the bagiuo telephone branches looking vainly for an entry called "Rusticaville". Again, there is no real Rusticaville... as it is only a home rented and marketed as rusticaville in manila

The_Lore_Master: after 1 hr and feeling a bit tired of slugging around twenty pounds of belongings, soloflite decides to go to... the post office

The_Lore_Master: in the meantime, the TLS folks have recovered from their hangover...

The_Lore_Master: "Who were u talking to this morning?"

The_Lore_Master: "Oh... The Crusader... ummm... something urgent i think"

The_Lore_Master: "Ahh i remember now! Soloflite's lost!!!"

The_Lore_Master: The TLS people look at each other...

The_Lore_Master: and come up with their unanimous response...

The_Lore_Master: "Poor baguio."

The_Lore_Master: Back to the teambuilding...

the_acolyte: (haha)

The_Lore_Master: In the meantime, The post office, Soloflite realizes... is closed on Saturdays... hence he then hikes towards... The police station

The_Lore_Master: ...At the police station, Soloflite explains his story. As usual, nobody has ever heard of Rusticaville...

The_Lore_Master: so Soloflite looks for a map of baguio and points towards the area to where he believes rusticaville is (he did see the map remember?)

The_Lore_Master: And again... the police officers tell him... there is NO Rusticaville there.

The_Lore_Master: Soloflite even calls up the individual police outposts in the area... and still no Rusticaville

The_Lore_Master: finally, our hero, dejected decides to return to Manila and record his first REAL failure in life...

The_Lore_Master: ...and as he walks towards the bus station... an idea comes into mind which re-energizes him in a mad dash BACK to the police station...

The_Lore_Master: ...Soloflite then CALLS the most logical police outpost (Based on the police map, the map given to him and of course his uncanny luck)... and asks... "May malaking bus ba na nakapark dyan?"

The_Lore_Master: ...and yes there is! "May sticker ng ....? Paki-kausap ng driver?"

The_Lore_Master: And the police, charmed as well by our swashbuckling hero DRIVE him towards the place known as ... RUSTICAVILLE

The_Lore_Master: ...THE END...

The_Lore_Master: methinks there really is an angel xero and a demon murphy :D

the_acolyte: methinks you're right. :D

The_Lore_Master: helluva sparring match between them eh? :D

the_acolyte: helluva, yeah. :p

the_acolyte: oh hey. got to fly.

The_Lore_Master: ok. bye