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01 Sarah McGillicuddy started her morning the way she started every morning for the last 497 years 7 months, and 23 days. She woke up and lazily yawned, left the hollow of her tree, and scampered around the forest floor looking for small bugs and mice to hunt. Her thick fluffy tail twitched back and forth as her wide eyes searched the forest floor for the tiniest bit of movement. She leaned forward and got down low. She saw the slightest twitching of grass, her eyes grew wide to the size of saucers. She started to wriggle. The anticipation, the build up. She lifted one leg. It was right there, she was right on top of it. She raised the other leg. The grass was still.  She pounced. There was a squeak of surprise. Sarah looked all over the forest, the wind was strong, she could feel the breeze on her wind. It was getting close to winter, food was always scarce in the winter. She landed on top of a Fox puppy. She pinned it down with her claws, and the thing struggled yipping loudly. Her mind exploded, a cavalcade of voices speaking so fast. Their names and voices bursting through breaking her concentration. Guilt: It’s only a child you monster. Look how cute it is. Intellect: Leave her alone she’s an obligate carnivore, she can’t help it, there’s less game this season. Felinity: Oh my god so much meat in one spot, I am literally going to die. Eat it. You have to. It’s so tiny, just bite and shake. Just a small bite, a little nibble. Queen: It’s a pathetic creature and you feel sorry for it? How far you’ve fallen, it’s life is yours by right you disgusting shrew. This land is yours, all of their lives are forfeit. Empathy: You should let it go Guilt, Intellect: Shut up Em. Logic: It’s too young to be on it’s own. Watch out. Sarah took another look at the fox pup, her ears twitch, and she heard a low growl. Sarah was big for a cat, nearly 3 feet (350 cm) tail to tip. She slowly turned, and stared at the Fox, it was surrounded by pups, it was growling, and Sarah knew she was screwed. She let out an angry hiss, and the fox let out a louder growl. She took a slow step backwards, stepping over the cub. She let it go, and it yipped with a loud squeak, and then ran back to its mother. Felinity: Run RUN RUN!!! GET OUT OF THERE RUN. Intellect: If you run- Felinity: Why ARE YOU NOT RUNNING. Intellect: IT WILL CHAS- FELINITY: GET. OUT. OF. THERE. Intellect: WALK. DO NOT RUN. Empathy: It’s just trying to protect it’s young Sarah couldn’t hold out, she sprinted, and the Fox let out a yipping cry answered by it’s cubs. The chase was on, she crashed through the underbrush, running as fast as she could. The fox was hot on her trail, and they bounded through the forest. Sarah galloped as fast as she could, kicking up tiny leaves. The Fox was faster, it would be on her in a minute. She scrambled up a tree, her claws digging into the bark. Logic: You’ve seen Foxes in trees before. Erego Intellect: Keep running She looked over her shoulder and grimaced, sure enough the Fox was just behind her, climbing the tree. She crawled out to a thin branch. The Fox would never get close to the town. She should be close to it. Queen: Go to the town. You know you want to. They have a wizarding school, you could try an- Guilt: Just let the fox get you. You deserve it anyways. Sorcery: It’s fate, it’s calling to you, you can feel the magic in your bones Guilt: If fate is real, it allowed you to become this. It allowed Everything that happened. She looked over at the next tree limb. Then back at the fox and it’s cubs. They were pushing forward on the branch, it dipped slightly, she looked down at the ground. Can I make it? She waited. No answer, of course. Never when she actually needed it. She turned around, and gingerly stepped forward on the edge of the branch. It started to dip lower and lower as the Fox family encroached on her, their yipping voices were high pitched and excited. She closed her eyes, just one jump, just one jump… She leaped. Her legs were out stretched, she extended herself as far as she’d go, reaching out with her tiny paws. She seemed to float in mid air, I’m gonna make it, just a bit more. Then she reached the apex of her jump. She fell, she fell hard, for nearly 2 earth shattering seconds she fell. She stretched out her legs to spread out her center of gravity as much as possible. There was a loud thud, and all of the air left her body. She groaned. The fox did not follow, but they were already working out their way back down the tree. She looked both ways, she could run deeper into the forest, get caught by the Fox, and go through the painful process, the agony of death. She had enough of that for a century, or she could run into town. She hadn’t been there since… Since the incident. There wasn’t time. She ran as fast as she could, if she could find the main road… And get a little lucky... She jumped through the trees, and soon she heard the clopping of hooves, and knew she would be safe. She darted straight to the main road, and she saw it. A farmer’s wagon, bringing in food for the market. Sarah jumped onto the back of the wagon, and the Fox’s fell back. She pulled on her eye with one claw and stuck out her tongue. She was hungry, but she was safe, at least for now. She felt the sun as it rose to hit the back of the wagon where she was sitting. It was a long ride to town, she settled down on the back of the wagon, and laid herself down for a nap.  The wagon rolled into town, and Sarah quickly stretched herself out, and jumped down into the street, and started to sniff around. She needed food, and she didn’t feel like hunting, finding a mouse or rat in the city would be harder than she really had energy for, and her stomach was rumbling. She would need to find a person of some sort to feed her. She could feel something though, something in the town. She looked around, and tried to figure out what it could possibly be. She looked at the farmer as he set up his shop. He was a tall orc, he had mottled green skin, and rippling muscles. His hands were glowing, and he seemed to be ordering around a clay golem, who moved back and forth from the cart to the stand. A magician working as a farmer? He must be rich to be able to afford such a good homunculus. Something was still bothering her, another man, the leafy hair, and bark-like horns gave him away as a hamadryad was waving his hands, and as he did so a stand started to build itself in front of him, the dirt hardening into clay, and quickly baking as it moved. Another mage? Then she watched an Elfling, who was drawing a circle in the dirt, then he touched it, and a small sparrow leaped to life, summoned by the magic. That’s when it hit her, Everyone was magical here. Queen: Disgusting, someone has been teaching the peasants Intellect: If they’re all magic, they may be able to sense you. Sorcerer: You can feel their beckoning, join into the maelstrom Hope: They rebuilt after you, and created something better. Sarah shook her head and ran into town, it was a magical place, and everywhere she saw something new. Orcs, Naiads, Hamadryads, Elves, Dwarves, Minotaurs, even the occasional demon, imp, or devil. They all lived here, peacefully with each other in some sort of paradise. It was amazing. She ran around the town, taking in all the sights. Occasionally a small child would approach her, and she would nuzzle it, purring loudly as they scritched her behind the ears. Though she sprinted away when their parents came. She was hungry though, and she had found nary a mouse, nor a rat, or even a bug to eat. All of the stands were enchanted, she couldn’t steal a bite of food, and none of the people she met today were able to realize she was hungry, no matter how much she meowed. She dare not speak in front of them, she didn’t know what would happen. Eventually she found herself on the outskirts of the town. She looked around and peered into the homes, which were laid out in a pseudo cul-de-sac. It appeared to be some form of student housing. The tenants were young, and they poured over their books. She saw they all had in their homes a cloak, with a symbol she did not recognize. These people were all cooking dinner, and she was hungry, but who to beg food from? Sorcerer: They all need to learn, but what is it you’ll teach them? Queen: Nothing, our secrets are our own. Empathy: It could be good to do something good. A.) There was a Naiad, while she poured over books, a skeleton was cooking her dinner, and the smell of roasted vegetables and chicken wafted out the window. In the small plot around her home, there were piles of bones. She had a chicken coop, and a small frog like skeleton watched guard over it. It didn’t seem to mind the cat though. She seemed put together and studious  Sorcerer: She is studious, her mind is like a sponge, we could mold her into something great Empathy: She reminds me of us, when we were young B.) There was a beastman, this one a Lizard, He was standing in his room with his hands up high. As he gesticulated things flew around his room, and quickly a knife started to dice and carve up a chicken on it’s own. There was a book open and overturned on his bed, and he seemed calm, and careful.  Queen: A necromancer was the highest class of wizard when we ruled. If we were to teach one (A disgusting thought,) He is the only one worthy of our presence. Though whoever taught the Beastmen magic should be put to the guillotine, a disgusting display. Sorcerer: He has something to prove, we could teach him to move past that and beyond C.) There was a Gnoll, She was tending to her garden, she sang to the flowers in a throaty voice, and they would bloom around her. Her books were in a neat pile with a thick layer of dust on them. She had a barbecue out in her garden, and she was grilling a pineapple, and had a heavily marinated piece of chicken on the stove. She was happy and carefree.  Logic: She is the only one outside, it’ll be easier to get food from her by the simple nature that we wouldn’t have to sneak into her home. Felinity: She has warms. We must get those warms, the sun is down, and soon the chill will come. Sorcerer: She hides her power, she is afraid of it, but it will turn her into something great. Boba Pearl fucked around with this message at 10:55 on Jun 6, 2021 |
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Nov 12, 2020 20:02
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Hmmmm.... C
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Nov 12, 2020 20:08
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Yeah C! Friendliest looking one also dogs and cats are natural allies
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Nov 12, 2020 20:33
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C!
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Nov 12, 2020 20:34
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Dog Kisser posted:Yeah C! Friendliest looking one also dogs and cats are natural allies Well the naiad could probably soak us, and the lizard man looks like a crocodile, i think we're in trouble any which way.
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Nov 12, 2020 21:08
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Votin B, yoldas
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Nov 12, 2020 21:14
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B. Lizard Wizard.
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Nov 13, 2020 02:19
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A Swimmin Kitten loves her mittens.
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Nov 13, 2020 03:50
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A she seems distracted enough to just tell the skeleton to feed us
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Nov 13, 2020 05:05
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Just a heads up, I'll be doing random choice for picking votes. I'll roll a 1dx through Orokos, where X is the number of posts made since the last update.
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Nov 13, 2020 05:35
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A
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Nov 13, 2020 06:12
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C I'm sure meeting a dog is an amazing idea.
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Nov 13, 2020 16:35
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C. The gnoll seems kind of simple minded, perfect for our manipulative cat-hero.
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Nov 13, 2020 19:48
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Arcanuse posted:B. Lizard Wizard. A lizard wizard is a wizard who is a lizard
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Nov 13, 2020 19:50
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C though I’m not convinced hyenas are dogs.
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Nov 14, 2020 17:30
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AweStriker posted:C though I’m not convinced hyenas are dogs. Hyenas are members of the Feliforma suborder but are more closely related to mongoose and civets than cats, but both are more closy related to each other than dogs.
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Nov 14, 2020 20:20
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02 Choosing a Post: 1d12 6 Anias posted:A Sarah took a look around the student housing, and stopped for a moment. She could smell warm food, and her stomach growled. The Naiad Necromancer had a skeleton cooking dinner, it should be easy enough to beg some food from her. Sarah walked up to the door, and started to drag her claws over it. She meowed at the door, and waited. Surely the servant heard her, she thought. There was no answer, she meowed again, louder this time. Still no reply. Not to be deterred, she moved to the open window and sat on the windowsill. She stared right at the Naiad, and let out a tiny chirp. A squeak that announced her presence. Felinity: She is ignoring us? How dare she, we must rectify this at once. Intellect: We have no way of knowing if she’s a “cat” person, let’s be a bit cautious Felinity: Rub your teeth on her leg, let her know what will happen if we are not pleased Queen: Merely take the food, and make a break for the door. The Naiad barely looked up from her books. Sarah was a little perturbed, it had been many a year since she looked in the mirror, but she knew she was meticulously clean, and also adorable, she had lamented over how cute she was many a day, staring at her reflection in the ponds and puddles found throughout the forest. She knew she wasn’t terrifying to anything much larger than a mouse. She made another loud meow, this one deep and drawn out. She stared right at the Naiad. Felinity: Bite her. Queen: Just take the food, and be quick about it. Sarah slipped in through the open window, and gently trodded up to the Naiad, as she got closer she noticed a slight glimmer in the air. There was some sort of barrier around her. Sarah got as close as she could and squeaked her loudest longest squeak she could sustain. The Naiad didn’t move. She can’t hear me. She walked over to the skeleton who was cooking. Sarah waited until the skeleton’s back was turned to her, and she jumped on the counter, and scarfed down some of the fat the skeleton had trimmed off of it. Logic: Trimmed chicken thighs, saved to the side Intellect: Not health conscious enough to avoid thighs altogether Logic: Chicken fat can be used in rituals where tallow is needed, though it doesn't hold together as well. Also an excellent oil with nutrients that can be used for cooking Intellect: She respects the chickens enough to make sure no part of their body goes to waste Felinity: There was barely anything here. Go over to the frying pan. The skeleton turned around and looked at the cat with his big empty eyes, the cavities where they were dimly glowing in the candle light. It gingerly picked sarah up and put her down on the ground. She yelped as the bony hands reached under her and touched her fluffy belly. Felinity: He’s taking our FOOD BITE HIM  Sarah lost control for a second, and chomped hard on the bony fingers. It was like biting iron, and her teeth ached a little with the pressure of the bite. She immediately stopped and tried hissing. The skeleton was unphased and placed her down on the ground. Felinity at this point had started to scream for the food, and it pushed out all her other senses. She tried to focus past it but the voice was too loud, too overpowering. Then the skeleton went back to it’s meal, pouring a mixture of roasted potatoes, onions, garlic, and chicken. The room smelled of rosemary, thyme, and Chicken. It walked over and tapped the Naiad on the shoulder, there was a quiet pop, and a small whoosh of air. She looked somewhat surprised and moved her book over to make room for the food, though she did not move it so far she couldn’t read it. She pointed at the closet, and the Skeleton walked into it, and slowly disassembled himself and placed his parts one by one into the dresser, finally pulling the door shut with his remaining hand. Sarah had not had enough to eat, and there was a plate of food right there. She looked at the table, then back at the window. Her instincts were screaming to go get a bite, but she was frightened that the Naiad would not be friendly to her presence. She couldn’t hold back anymore, she jumped onto the table, the Naiad started and let out a tiny yelp. This could have gone better she thought to herself. She meowed at the Naiad, who gingerly put her hand out towards the cat. Sarah nuzzled into it. The Naiad started to gently scritch the cat on the top of her head. Her sharp nails sent chills down Sarah’s back, and her fur twitched slightly to the touch. She couldn’t control it, she started to purr loudly, encouraging the Naiad to pet her more. She turned around, and the Naiad started to roughly pet her back and sides. “Well, you’re a friendly cat,” while the Naiad was petting her back, Sarah scooch forward just a little bit more. Almost there… So close… She reached the plate, and started to hork down the chicken cutlets as quickly as she could. “HEY! THAT IS MINE MISSY.” The Naiad pushed the Cat to the ground off the table. Sarah stood up on her hind legs, and put her paws on the Naiad’s legs. She meowed frantically. The Naiad groaned, “Of course, I should have known.” She picked up some of the chicken off the her plate and dropped it on the floor. “And here I thought you actually liked me.” Sarah ignored her while she scarfed down the food as quickly as possible. She could feel it’s warmth filling her, and her tiny belly felt like it was about to burst. Empathy: She feels used, she wanted you to like her for her Guilt: Em is right, you owe her. Sarah didn’t know what to do, she had gotten her food, but it was so warm in the house. She looked around getting a feel for it. It was a tiny cottage, in one corner was a Queen sized bed that laid under a window with a small plant with teeth. There was a bookcase that was mostly empty, holding small knick knacks and trinkets. Sarah realized she could see the entire cottage from the Window sill. There was a small kitchenette, a pantry, and the utility closet the skeleton had come from. She saw a bathroom in the back, she walked down that way, and it was connected to a mudroom that opened to the backyard. Logic: She didn’t put you outside, and she’s not chasing you Felinity: You’re being watched. “Is everything up to your standards miss kitty?” The naiad said. Sarah looked at her and gave a friendly chirp in agreement. “My name is Emily,” She said to the cat, “And you’re the friendliest thing I’ve met in this town.” Empathy: Go sit with her, she needs this. Felinity: We need warms. After big meals it is the time for naps. Sarah trotted over and jumped in the Naiad’s lap, who absentmindedly stroked her back. The Naiad went back to reading her book. “I’m Emily by the way.” She said to the cat, “I wonder if you have a name?” She continued to pet the cat, and looked across the room. She grimaced as she realized she had left her pen and paper on the book case. She tried to reach it without disturbing the cat. “Grim? Grim!” She whispered. There was a clamor from the utility closet, and in a few minutes the skeleton had reformed, “Get me my study stuff, from the book case over there.” The skeleton grabbed her things and brought it to her. “Thank you,” she said, and gestured to the closet. “I’ve only had Grim to talk too,” she said to the cat, “I’ve been so busy studying I haven’t made many friends,” her face was a grim slash, and she shook her head, her curly hair bouncing around her neck. “Or any friends. I have my finals coming up, and before that were midterms, there was just no time.” She looked at the Cat and put her face in her palms, “And now I’m talking to a cat.”  Empathy: Poor thing, you’re doing a good thing sitting with her “Well if I’m going to talk to you I’m going to give you a name. You look quite regal, the way you sit. Like a queen from the old days, when we had Queens. ” Queen: drat straight. “I’ll call you… Queensly.” Sarah looked up at her, and hoped her face showed how much she hated that name, “Maybe not Queensly. What about… Drottning. It’s supposed to mean Queen in one of the ancient tongues. Not that I speak any of them, but I was learning about the fore-runner language in my ancient history class. Apparently a long long time ago, the fore-runners spoke a myriad of languages. Isn’t that crazy? I wonder how they managed to get things done when not everyone understood everyone else…” She scritched the cat behind the ears. Sarah purred some more, and soon she fell asleep. “I’ll call you Ning. I think tha-” Sarah wasn’t sure what Emily had said after that. Sarah woke up some hours later, as light poured in from the window. She was sitting in the chair with the naiad, who was hunched over on the desk, Sarah looked at the book, it was open to a page talking about Fore-runner ruins, and the time before magic. There was a small puddle of drool on the table, and Emily’s head was on the desk. Grim, the skeleton left the utility closet and started to cook Emily breakfast Emily seemed surprised that Sarah was still in the house, and even better, she shared her breakfast with Sarah, who greedily gulped down the eggs and chicken filets that Grim had made. Emily ordered the skeleton to make a special plate for the cat. She quickly got dressed, and packed a number of books, journals, and pens into her bag. She closed the window to a small crack, and lodged a piece of bone into it, “Grim, don’t let this window open more then a foot or so.”
Empathy: She would like the company on her walk. She wants you to stick with her Sorcerer: There’s a whiff of destiny on the air. It’s electrifying. Intellect: She won’t let harm come to you, following her may be a safe way to explore the town.
Felinity: This place is now ours, we should expand, let the world know we are alive and fierce Sorcerer: The winds of destiny are a maelstrom, blowing every which way, grasp the strands of opportunity. Queen: We should embroil ourselves in the local politics, we could easily become the advisor for a Duke or some high ranking noble.
Intellect: We’ve been gone for hundreds of years, we should read, and see what the basic information is for this world, what they’re teaching in colleges and academia. Studying is important. Empathy: If we’re still home when she gets back, Emily will be ecstatic
Guilt: Go back to the forest, you don’t belong here. Logic: The longer you stick around, the sooner you’ll get caught Intellect: You’ve been gone for hundreds of years, there’s a small chance that they even remember you. Sorcerer: There is a dark calling in the woods. You are embroiled in Destiny, and it will find you wherever you go. Felinity: We must guard our territory, or we risk losing.[/list] Boba Pearl fucked around with this message at 10:55 on Jun 6, 2021 |
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Nov 15, 2020 00:25
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C
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Nov 15, 2020 03:04
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A.
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Nov 15, 2020 03:54
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A
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Nov 15, 2020 04:31
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A
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Nov 15, 2020 05:34
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A We have not yet gotten to swim!
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Nov 15, 2020 05:53
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Hmmm.... both A and C seem reasonable choices. We'd like to learn more about this era, since the era we were... bipedal... was so long ago. That said, if our new friend is going to a school, that may very well meet our needs regardless... and we do smell destiny on this child. Choosing: A (By "we" I refer to all the voices in our head, of course. Queen, Felinity, Intellect... and all the goons as well, I'm sure) Iunnrais fucked around with this message at 12:51 on Nov 16, 2020 |
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Nov 16, 2020 12:49
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C
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Nov 16, 2020 12:57
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C. Learning is important guys. Might also tip us off to some of the new threats that have come around since we last dealt with the world.
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Nov 17, 2020 00:53
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03 Picking a post: 1d8 3 Emily grabbed her cloak, and threw it over her shoulders, her school’s emblem shining in the sunlight. Sarah followed her happily, walking down the street with her. Emily smiled down at the cat. “Guess I can’t keep you inside can I?” Sarah took in the town as they walked, Emily didn’t say much, but seemed pleased to have the company. They walked down what looked like a main street. Emily walked a few blocks to a bench, and sat down. Sarah was confused, she didn’t seem to be moving. Sarah jumped onto the bench next to her, and Emily seemed to be mostly engrossed in a book. She sat there for 10 - 15 minutes, before Sarah heard an ominous rumbling, something loud was coming, there was an intense whoosh of air, and a large cart filled with people alighted to where Emily was sitting. She grabbed her things and got into the shuttle.  Sarah was confused, but hopped on with her. Emily deposited some coins into a tin, and tried to move further inwards when the ground slipped out from under her, lifting up to make a wall. A voice clicked on and stopped her, “incorrect fair, please pay Familiar Tax.” He said pointing at Sarah. “Oh right of course, My… Familiar…” She looked down at the Cat, and scooped her up, she placed her in the hood of her cloak, she dropped in a few extra coins. “If you’re going to come with me, it might be safer for you up here.” She walked onto the shuttle, inside there were seats. It was far larger on the inside then the outside. There were at least 30 or 40 people already in the one cabin of this car. As Emily walked forward, she tapped on a set of seats, and the Car seemed to get a little longer, and a new row of seats appeared. Sarah stared out of the window as the hanging shuttle ascended on the rail. She hadn’t even noticed them on her walk of the town, but as it raised into the air, she got a view of the whole place, and in the sky there was a criss crossing network of shuttles like the veins of some giant beast looping around the town. The village, or what she believed to be a village in the last 500 years had grown, it was no longer some small bustling town, it was a full on city. It was laid out in a grid, all connected by rail. Sarah and Emily rode the shuttle for nearly an hour, Emily busied herself with a book that Sarah read over her shoulder. ...And then Peregrine grabbed Passerine and held her close, she whispered in her ear. Passerine’s heart beat heavily. They breathed in unison, she could feel Peregrine’s breath on her neck, time seemed to slow to a stand still. “I don’t love Heron, she… She’s gone, I ended it yesterday. I don’t care what my family says, you’re the only one important to me” Passerine was so happy. She grabbed Peregrine’s fa- Sarah stopped reading. This wasn’t like any book she had ever read. She shifted in the cloak to try and read the spine of the book through the reflection of the window. “Birds Of Paradise by J. Bird ” Queen: She is taught to read, and she does This with it. Disgusting. Felinity: BIG CLICKY CLACKS, WE’RE SO HIGH UP, WE. ARE. GOING. TO. DIE. Logic: This is not academia, so it must be entertainment. Intellect: Reading for fun? Who writes books for entertainment? Does that mean more than just nobles read? Who would write the books otherwise? What happened while we were gone? Queen: We must be careful, and educated society is a dangerous society. Sarah’s hand glowed, and she pressed it against a line of wire that lined the windows of the shuttle, the Shuttle clicked quietly, and lowered itself onto the ground floor where Emily stepped out. The street they found themselves on was narrow, not many people got off the shuttle, and Sarah’s eyes were wide. Emily’s school was a fairly large campus. Emily walked towards a large building, it had a steepled roof like a church, and a giant stained glass window that moved. It was a looping image, a young person reading a book, then a bright flash of white light, and the person was larger, beautiful, streams of energy passing over their body. Over it was a banner that shined “Betterment of Self, is it’s own Purpose.” Felinity: I’m hungry, Big One has chicken. Sarah looked around at the other students. Some were old, some were young, and there were so many different kinds of people. There were Gnomes, Minotaurs, Bullywugs, Kobolds, Pixies and Satyrs, Nyads like Emily, but Dryads as well, Tieflings with sharp horns and long tails, Dragonkin. All together talking, chatting, smiling. Some had a bird perched on their shoulders, while others were flanked by dogs, cats, weasels and a number of other small creatures. Sarah had never seen so many people just… Doing Nothing. Emily climbed a set of stairs, and settled into a class room, it was as Sarah had remembered Academia, a large amphitheater, filled with 10 - 12 students, and a lecturer.  “Hello Class,” he said, as he spoke Emily took out a notebook, written on the front was “Quantitative Measurements in Human Archaeology 9000” and touched a feather with a glowing hand, it started to write the date. 11/20/452 Sarah didn’t recognize it, she was confused. “Now remember, at the beginning of the school year, I told you that we may get a chance to go on a real dig, and that you should be ready to go at a moment’s notice? Guess what.” He clapped his hands and opened them wide, “That day is today. If you have plans, or other classes to go to then you can leave now, but we’ve gotten permission to go to an Active dig site, and what more, I pulled some strings to actually allow us to go Inside the structure they found there. What’s more, the dean has allowed us to use the teleportation circle, as we’re going to be traveling a few hundred miles out of the city limits.” Felinity: Get the chicken. Sarah quietly crept out of Emily’s cloak, and slipped into her bag. Where was it? She thought to herself, she rooted around quietly, until she had found a parcel of parchment paper, wrapped in a twine. She chewed on the paper until it shredded, and found what she was looking for, a grilled piece of chicken, expertly seasoned and prepared. She heard Emily whisper, “Ning?” She looked in her cloak, and around her chair. “Ning? Oh no. Ning?!” Sarah let out a little meow, but Emily didn’t hear it. Logic: She thinks we’re a normal cat Guilt: She thinks she lost us. Intellect: We have no way of getting back home, if she doesn’t take us with her to this site, we won’t be able to get back home. Guilt: Good, we don’t deserve to live in such luxury. Sarah let out a meow, and Emily looked down at her in the bag. “I… ugh, I can’t take you with me, but will you be able to find your way through the city?” Sarah nestled deeper into the bag, trying to make it harder to get rid of her. Guilt: Leave. Intellect: Just stick with her on the field trip, as long as you stay put, you’ll be fine. Felinity: Why did we stop eating? Emily groaned again, the class was walking out the door. The professor stopped at her desk, “Is something the matter Emily?” “Sorry Professor Daniels, I… This cat has been following me, and it’s sticked with me for a day, and I let it, but now we’re going on a dig and…” The professor laughed, “You’re thinking of making it a familiar, aren’t you.” “Well I’ve only known it for a day, and from what I understand, there needs to be a strong emotional bon-” “Ah that's Bull, you don't need a strong bond with a familiar, but you’re worried that it’ll get lost before you’re bonded? I was in a similar position when I was… Well I was much younger than you, in my secondary school… Still, I have something for the younger students.” He walked back to his desk, and rummaged through it, before he pulled out a small ribbon, written on it was ancient runes, and a small vial. “Here, put this around it’s neck.” Emily, looked down at Sarah, and tied the ribbon around her neck. Intellect: You have no idea what that is Felinity: Do Not Touch The Neck. DONOTTOUCHTHENECK Sarah tried struggling, but the professor placed his hand on Sarah’s back, and pinched her neck. Sarah went limp. Felinity: Mommy Hugs! Don’t move. Together they got the ribbon around her neck, and the professor had Emily put her finger on the ribbon, and gently pricked it with a needle. “There, now say it’s name.” “Professor I don’t know if I want a fam-” “That’s not what this is, just say her name” Daniels cut her off. “Ning…” The ribbon tightened around Sarah’s neck, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. “There, this is a temporary binding, for the next 24 hours, if she runs off, you can call her, and she will be teleported to you. Now, you can see if you have an emotional bond on the field trip, without worrying about her getting lost.” Professor Daniels said. “So it would be ok to take her with us to the Dig Site?” Emily asked nervously. “Of course! If you’re considering her as a familiar, you’re going to want to have her used to travelling, especially the teleportation process.” Intellect: Sorcerer knew this was going to happen. They’ve been awfully silent on this. Queen: Now we’re collared as a simple beast, how far we’ve fallen. Sorcerer: Keep my name out of your mouth, you do not rule in realms of magic. Sarah had teleported before, and the walk to the teleportation circle was brief. She marvelled at the thought of teleporting 13 people. The reagents alone would be incredibly expensive, no matter how far this society had progressed, Gold was still Gold, and you needed a little less than the weight of the thing you were sending. It was a round trip too. “Show of hands, who here has teleported before,” Professor Daniels said to the class, no-one raised their hands, “Yeah that’s because it’s expensive as hell, luckily, the school is paying for it this time.” he looked over the class, “So make sure to take a deep breath before you step in the circle. There’s a bit of lag.” When it was time for Emily to step into the portal, both her and Sarah took a deep breath. There was a loud pop, and then darkness. It was suffocating, it seemed like they would be there for an eternity. Sarah realized, too late, that her lung capacity was not what it used to be, that as a smaller creature, she might not be able to hold her breath long enough. She started to claw at her throat as she ran out of oxygen. She tried to take another breath, but couldn’t. She started to gasp and writhe, when suddenly there was a pop, and they were in a green field. Sarah panted heavily, and Emily gently reached into her back and scritched her neck underneath the ribbon. Professor Daniels was talking excitedly with a man, and led them over a hill to a pit where they had been digging. The ground was carved out and there was an entry way made of steel. It looked like something had ripped it’s way inside, two doors laid on their side, outside of the metal structure.  Professor Daniels looked to his assistant, then back to the class. “Well this class is going to be a little unorthodox, but you all, well you’re going to be the future of this industry, and having some hands-on experience is going to be great. This is the first intact ruin we’ve found in nearly 20 or 30 years.” The professor continued, “We’ve gotten an outline of the ruin, and it seems to be a transportation vessel of some kind, Yes, Turi, what is it?” An older Tiefling, middle-aged it seemed, spoke up. “How do you get the outline of the ruin? Human artifacts are extremely resilient to magic.” Professor Daniels smiled, “Ah well,” he looked over at his assistants, “We’ve recently, and I mean extremely recently, we received a human artifact from the college. It can send out strong rays of energy, and then when it hits something, it bounces back and we can create an image of it. We used this artifact pulled from a previous dig to see the complete outline of the ruin. If we can figure out how it was made, we’ll be able to mass produce them for archaeologists everywhere.” “Now we think this ruin was, at one point, a transport, because of the giant treads on the sides, whatever it was, it was secure, the doors alone were thick steel.” He started to walk inside the Ruin, and talked as they moved through it. “Now so far, we’ve seen rows and rows of rooms, each with a cot, and a toilet. We think it was used to host a large amount of Humans. Now the leading theory is that Humanity, before it’s ultimate demise, did not have magic. So there would be no way to transport large groups of humans without feeding them, and without magic, they would only be able to go so fast. So we think this was for humans who were re-settling.” The inside of the transport had rows and rows of rooms, nearly 50 feet up, stair cases snaked through them, leading to the ground floor, the professor pointed them and explained different theories about why they would need a giant opening like this in the middle. Then they reached the front, “Now this is where things get really interesting, while this structure could support up to 50 or even 100 humans, the brain of it only needed 2 or 3 to actually guide the device, now, whatever powers this machine, still works. We find that there is a universal key to the humans, that seemed to hold great power over their people. A lot of human artifacts respond to this code, though we know not what it means.” The professor pressed 5 or 6 buttons, and a green light on the console shined, and the door swooshed open. The runes on the keys, and the screen was indecipherable to Sarah  “Excellent, well students, this is the first step anyone has taken into this room, in nearly 2 or 3 millenia.” The cockpit of the room was large, it had one seat in the middle, a row behind it looking at now dim empty displays, and another two in front. There were consoles all over it. When the professor stepped inside, the machine came to life. The hum of electronics filled the air, and a red light started to flash. The professor looked shocked, “Well, this is interesting, I didn’t actually think everything would turn on.” From the ceiling an arm fell down, and bathed the room in a green light, it’s beam refracting over the dust in the air, making swirling patterns. Suddenly, the machine started screaming, a loud siren being played. From the ceiling a large set of pipes fell. Professor Daniels looked shocked, and Sarah’s eyes grew wide. She looked out of the bag, and saw one of the consoles was flashing. Sarah had seen this before, and wracked her mind. Intellect: The barrels are going to start spitting lead at a high speed , everyone in the room will die. Intellect: There’s a bare panel in the room, if you can get there before the violence starts, you should be able to easily be able to unplug the power to the room. Well, as easy as it is for a cat to do something. Sorcerer: Fate is pushing you closer to destiny, take the reins! Felinity: The bag is warm, and we have been fed, might be a good time for a nap. A.) Quick run to the panel, and unplug the cable that intellect points out. B.) Whisper in Emily’s ear, quickly, what she needs to do. C.) Scream to the room what to do, whoever closest can get it. D.) Write-in... Boba Pearl fucked around with this message at 10:55 on Jun 6, 2021 |
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Nov 18, 2020 11:26
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B
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Nov 18, 2020 13:32
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A or B. To do it ourselves, when we may not personally have the strength and capacity to do so, or to involve our pet Naiad, who is as of yet innocent of our nature. C is out of the question, of course. Hm. I think if we try to do it ourselves, our pet Naiad may follow regardless. If we can demonstrate what we’re trying to do, she may help anyway without having to resort to audible speech. Hey, felinity! Aren’t we supposed to be good a body language and making our will known non-verbally? Help out here! Nominally A with the additional write in of a healthy measure of trying to get our Naiad to help via non-verbal means.
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Nov 18, 2020 15:44
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B - lets see what she's got. What's in our bag of tricks, Boba?
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Nov 18, 2020 16:28
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B
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Nov 18, 2020 17:17
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D, run out of the cockpit. They're just people we can find more.
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Nov 18, 2020 18:42
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B - Speaking Kittens Get Chickens
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Nov 18, 2020 19:37
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A
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Nov 18, 2020 20:10
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hmmm tricky. B
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Nov 18, 2020 20:53
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04 Picking a post: 1d8 4 Queen: No. Under no circumstances, No. Just leave, they’re worthless. Guilt: This is such a terrible idea Queen: I forbid this. This is unconscionable risk for no reason. We can just walk away. Intellect: It’s a good plan, we may not be able to unhook the coupling on our own. Felinity: He- “Shut up.” Sarah whispered to no-one in particular, she climbed up Emily’s shoulder as quickly as she could. Emily looked at the Cat shocked, she winced as claws punctured her body, Sarah whispered in Emily’s ear as quietly and quickly she could. “Listen to me right now. That thing is going to start blowing holes in people the moment the computer finishes the scan. There’s a power coupling, a long tube covered in rubber, so it will loo- Look I don’t have time, follow me.” Sarah bolted across the room, the Naiad followed, and as they moved the turret tracked their movements. It started to spin faster. There was a high pitched whine as it reached it’s maximum speed, and a staccato of bangs started to tear apart the cockpit as the thing spun. Sarah moved fast, much faster than Emily. “Emily what are yo- Everyone out, out now!” The Professor started to herd his other students, and they ran as quickly as they could out of the room, away from where the turret was pointing. Sirens started to go off all over the ship, and there was loud thunks as the doors seemed to slam themselves shut. Emily didn’t make it in time, she huddled behind a console, as the turret had caught up with her, bullets shredding her exposed legs, leaving giant ragged holes. She screamed loudly, the turret started scanning the room again as Emily ducked, she covered her mouth to try and quiet the screaming, the turret wound down. She touched her hands together and they glowed, she reached down and touched her leg, and green foam bubbled over and found her wounds. The foam staunched the bleeding somewhat, but the wound was still there. Sarah could see the bullet lodged in her leg, and knew that it would prevent any healing until it was removed. Memory: That smell… She’s whispering an incantation, you must stop her... Her man runs in… you whip left, whip right, a scream… Skeletal hands reach out to hold them… You grab the artifact… Bang. Pink mist. Bang. Pink mist. Bang Red chunks… three corpses, they just don’t know it yet. They try to heal, but they can’t. Silence would be lovely, instead ragged breaths and slow deaths. A bright flash. Sorcerer: She doesn’t know how to fix the wound, she can not feel the ether Queen: What fool students don’t learn the basics of healing. This society has gotten soft Logic: The turret takes a second to spin up, we move very fast. Intellect: If we lay low enough across the ground, the turret may not see us. Empathy: Tell her everything will be ok. Guilt: You did this, you got her hurt. Empathy: She may not be used to pain, like we are. Sarah shook her head, trying to clear it. The turret took a second to spin up, Logic: Emily wouldn’t make it with the way her leg is, she’d need a real healer. Logic: If we wait, the professor might come back with help, but he’ll be put in danger. Queen: It’s his responsibility let him take the rist. Guilt: It’s what you’re good at, hiding. Empathy: More people don’t need to get hurt. Logic: The best course of action is to wait for the professor. Empathy: We can be better. Sorcerer: Such a heady mixture of stupidity and heroism. The ambrosia of heroism. Logic: We can’t be better if we die. Queen: Logic is right, it’s better to wait for the one who put us in this mess. Empathy: We can be BETTER. Guilt: She’s going to do something unbelievably stupid. Logic: Of course she is. Intellect: *sigh* Empathy: You can save everyone. Go. Sarah could barely focus, her nose filled with the smell of sulfur, and her mind was clouded of visions long past. She gulped. The panel was right there, she was a small cat, but she could definitely do it. Maybe. Emily gulped down her breath the best she could, she kept pouring magic into her leg.  Sorcerer: She doesn’t know she can’t heal around the bullet. Logic: We’ve already talked to her, we can’t do more harm. Sarah groaned loudly, “Pull the kula out.” Emily looked at the cat and then her leg, “The what?” Sarah gritted her teeth, “It’s a human word. It means… It’s the word for those little metal bits. The bulb, the ball. You have to pull it out.” Emily looked at her bleeding wound, and saw a tiny hole in the green foam where it wouldn’t hold. She reached into it with her finger. “I can’t…” “Yes you can, you have a pen, use leverage. Once you get it out you can heal with magic” “Why don’t I leave it in until I see the nurse.” Emily said. “We may need to run!” Sarah bit back. “Well when we’re sure, I’ll pull it out.” Emily yelled back. Queen: Insolent whelp. Emily continued to pour magic into her leg. “You’re going to exhaust yourself, either pull the bullet out or stop healing, you can’t do both.” Sarah snapped angrily Queen: Still want to save them all? “Yes, I do. Shut it.” Sarah stuck her paw out, and the scanner focussed on it, she pulled it back in and the scanner continued to run itself around the room. Sarah took a deep breath and bolted as fast as she could, she at first couldn’t get traction on the metal floor, but after a few seconds of running in place behind the console, she caught and shot forward like a rocket. The scanner started to scan her immediately. Sarah got to the panel and started to panic as the turret dropped. She grabbed the cable with her mouth and pulled. Hard. It jiggled a bit and Sarah’s heart sank. It was tight, she started to pull harder, and shook her head vigorously left and right. The taste of the rubber was bitter and dusty. Felinity: I can’t believe this is the last thing I taste before I die. The turret made a high spin whine as it charged itself up again. Emily jumped out from behind the console and yelled at the turret, “Hey OVER HERE! HEY!” It continued to spin. The turret refused to turn. One last tug. There was a bright flash, and then darkness.  Sarah realized that it was completely dark, the door had shut. She could see in the darkness. Emily was alone. Empathy: Alone and afraid. Sarah calmly walked over, and sat in Emily’s lap, “I’m here.” Emily started to breathe heavily. Heavier and heavier, she was panting, then yelling, then crying. Tears streamed down her face, and she couldn’t contain herself. Her leg hurt. She had almost died. Sarah tried her best to console her, she sat on her lap, and stared at her awkwardly. Empathy: Tell her it’s ok. “Shh… It’s ok.” Empathy: Tell her she’s safe. “You’re… You’re safe now.” Empathy: she needs a hug. “You need a hug.” Emily reached down and picked up the cat and cried into her fur, squeezing her. Sarah wheezed, “I didn’t mean me.” She said somewhat cruelly. Emily ignored her and squeezed her harder. Felinity: AIR. YOU NEED AIR. Sarah took a swipe at Emily with her claws, though she did try to be gentle. She had failed as a tiny scratch on Emily’s cheek started to bleed. She did her best to ignore Guilt as it chuckled at her, her incompetence with people. Emily hiccoughed sadly, and whispered “Sorry.” To the room. There was no way to tell the passage of time in the dark room. Sarah knew it had to have been a few hours. The professor’s scent wasl slowly fading from the room. Intellect: If this room is hermetically sealed… You’re going to run out of oxygen. Empathy: Please don’t tell her that. Emily reached into her bag and rummaged around in it. Sarah felt terrible when she realized what she was going for. The torn parchment paper she had chewed through fell to the floor accusingly. Emily’s voice caught in her throat, she seemed like she was going to cry again, as she peeled the paper back, and ate the last third of a grilled chicken breast. Empathy: Tell her she’s going to be ok. Queen: And risk getting squished again? stay away. They sat in silence for another few hours, when suddenly, and without warning, there was a loud groaning noise, it was loud unlike anything Emily had ever heard. It was loud and the suddenly, there was a tiny bit of light. There was a sucking noise as air whooshed into the room. Sarah climbed in Emily’s bag just as the construction started. A large hook was pushed through the doorway, and the sound of metal slowly being ground and torn filled the room. Then with a loud clattering bang the door fell away, and people started to climb over it rushing in. Healers in white robes ran to Emily’s side and immediately started to work on her leg, while another questioned her. “It’s not healing.” The healer said after the other had finished her questions. Emily spoke up, “It’s a… It’s a… There’s something in my leg, stopping the healing.” The healers looked at each other, then at her. One reached into her bag and pulled out a pen, “This is the only thing I have. The other nurse handed Emily the leather strap on her bag. “Bite down on this.” Emily screamed as they pushed the calligraphy pen deep in, the metal nib and the jagged lead both slowly moved through her leg. The nurse swore to herself, and jabbed deeper with the pen, catching the bottom of the bullet. Emily felt like she was going to pass out as the metal nib started to scrape across her tibia. After an excruciating 5 minutes, they finally got the bullet out and healed it. The wound healed up well enough, though the hole the bullet left never quite healed. “That looks like it’s going to scar... Like any scarred wound, we don’t really see this very often, so maybe don’t walk on it for a bit.” The healer said. Professor Daniels ran up to Emily and started apologizing as quickly as possible. Emily barely registered his words as she walked to the portal. She limped over, and grimaced as she realized that she would have to take the bus home. She stumbled just as she reached the teleporter. The professor caught her, concern in his voice. “Look I… Well I don’t have a transport, but I know the dean does, and I’m sure he would be willing to give you a ride home.” Emily groaned and got into the teleporter. “No it’s fine…” She said, limping into the portal. Sarah was less panicked as the teleporter transported them to the school. The knowledge that even if it took longer than her lungs really had capacity for, that the teleporter would not kill her outright was deeply comforting. Emily said nothing as the shuttle came. She did not read as it took her to her bus stop, and she said nothing as she got home. She ordered Grim to draw her a bath, and before she got in, she turned to Sarah, “I have questions, I would appreciate it if you answered them for me.” She limped to the bathroom, “Grimm make Ning a chicken omelette please.” She closed the door to the bathroom. Sarah’s stomach couldn’t stop her from scarfing down the food the moment it was placed in front of her. She looked around the tiny room, and tried to ignore her thoughts. Queen: She is surprisingly strong for an insolent whelp. Under the right tutelage she could build a legacy, wi- Intellect: She is not just going to let us go, we saved her life, she owes us. Logic: Going back to the forest would be… Uncomfortable Sorcerer: She is set on a course that will blaze a new future for everyone Empathy: I don- Queen: That’s enough from you. You don’t get a say, you got us Squished. Felinity: Warm bed, we’re full let’s sleep. Sorcerer: Be careful, our words are our only weapon. Queen: We should do Sorcerer: I am my mother's savage daughter Queen: Excuse me I was talk- Sorcerer: The one who runs barefoot Cursing sharp stones Intellect: I thin- Sorcerer: I am my mother's savage daughter I will not cut my hair I will not lower my voice https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wiRnVmR6fJQ Sarah tried to ignore the singing, but the song was stuck in her head. She wanted to sit in silence, but compelled by the mind shards, she couldn’t stop herself and started to sing. “My mother's child is a savage She looks for her omens in the colors of stones In the faces of cats, in the falling of feathers In the dancing of fire In the curve of old bones” She couldn’t stop herself, when Emily opened the door. Sarah was shocked and embarrassed and kept singing. Emily watched her with an eye raised, and moved over to the bed, and started to gently hum the tune. By the end, they were both singing. Emily looked at Sarah, “My mother used to sing that to me before…” She looked away, “She used to sing it to me anyways.” “It is an old song.” Sarah said quietly, “older than both of us.” Emily looked at the cat, “Are you a human?” She asked pointedly Sarah laughed, a tinkling sound, like bells ringing. “No, humans don’t exist anymore. There are no humans, sure there are plenty who, if you followed their line far back enough, had at one point had humans in their family tree, but there are no humans that exist.” “How did you know how to stop the turret?” Emily asked. Empathy: [sub]I - Queen: Control the conversation. Sarah stood up and stretched and circled around on the bed flattening like she did in the wild, though there were no sticks or rocks to catch for. An old habit. “Human artifacts are fascinating, and I have had a lot of time to learn about them, but enough about this. Answer me this, Who are you?” Emily looked quizzical, and touched her finger to her jaw ponderously, “Well… I’m Emily. I’m a Naiad, I grew up in a village not far from here. My family were water watchers, they took care of the local pond and made sure that it was always safe to drink from and overflowing. I didn’t want to get into the family business, so I went to college. My Father was rather wealthy. The farmers were very appreciative for the water that took care of their crops, even when the nation went through a drought, so they always paid our family a tithing. I wanted to do something different, so I went to college.” Queen: Quick, if she’s answering questions, then she won’t be asking them. “That’s interesting, what are you learning at the college?” Sarah said quickly. “Well, I’m very… Well I was very interested in human artifacts, and their culture and stuff. So I was looking at being an Anthropologist. Still they require you to take a few classes on everything so that you’re ‘well rounded’ I excelled at summoning and binding, so I’ve taken a lot of classes on that. I had to take some transformative classes, but I don’t really do well at that there’s a lot of rune work, my penmanship is terrible, so anything that requires rune work has just been awful. But Summoning and Binding is just being smart with your words, and making friends with Demons.” She looked at Sarah pointedly. “I’m not a demon,” Sarah said rolling her eyes. “So what got you ont-” “Who are you?” Emily asked, cutting her off. Sarah winced, the question, the one they were trying to avoid. A.) Be as honest as the curse will let you. Intellect: We can’t say who we are, but we can let her know about our situation… Mostly. Logic: Honesty begets honesty B.) Avoid the question Queen: We have her on the hook, she is inquizitive of us, we can use this, avoid the question for now, it will endear her to us and breed Mystery . C.) Lie - a little white one, mix it in with the truth. Intellect: There’s a real chance that she might not trust us if we tell her the truth, and sorc is not going to let us leave this alone, we finally left the woods, she’s not going to let us go back. D.) Lie - a big one, construct a story that will make us endearing. Logic: If we are going to lie, it doesn’t matter if we tell a big one or a small one, she will feel betrayed just the same. So might as well construct a reliable story. E.) Write-in Sarah felt a tickle in the back of her head, she was frightened, her fur stood up on end, and the fur on her back started to twitch, her whole back moving backwards and forwards as chills moved down her spine. Another Shard? Now? I don’t want it. I don’t…. Sarah’s mind has been splintering, a new fragment forms from memories of a past life: 1.)Scientist 2.)Scholar 3.)Politician 4.)Teacher 5.)Confidant Boba Pearl fucked around with this message at 10:55 on Jun 6, 2021 |
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Nov 21, 2020 09:50
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A 4
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Nov 21, 2020 13:29
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Easy choice. A 4
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Nov 21, 2020 15:43
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A 6-Therapist
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Nov 21, 2020 17:03
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A, 1
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Nov 21, 2020 20:00
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D 1 
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Nov 21, 2020 20:22
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