Hello and welcome reader, to the 29th installment of the Character Development Threads! These shared story exercises help budding writers develop their characters alongside the characters of other budding writers. No sign-up is needed; just jump right in with your characters. It is recommended that you read the thread page and the last couple of pages before starting.
Discussion Thread
—Thread Page —
Trope Page —
Town Map — Wilderness Map
This is a "Main Series" thread and, as such, an element of risk is expected. Rules and participation guidelines may be found on this page.
The thread page groups active characters under the areas in which they are active, enabling you to see who is at a given location in which you might be interested or to find out where to go to encounter characters with whom you wish to interact.
Kindly add your own characters to the thread page, with a link to their initial post, under the area in which they are located and update the page if they change location.
Bear in mind that if your characters are arriving at a location, they are likely to know little more than what they see and hear as they arrive - what the location looks like, what other characters are there (both of which can be read on the thread page) and the last few lines uttered and actions taken as they are arriving (which can be found in the last few posts for that location in the story thread itself), so inserting characters need not be a terrifying or arduous process. In most cases, they don't need to know more than what you yourself can glean from reading just a few posts.
If you need help, have any questions, or want a quick recap (if the page count is daunting), head over to the discussion page, and someone is sure to help you out!
To help guide character interaction, having your character come in with at least one short-term and one long-term goal or motivation is strongly recommended. It is not required, but it does make it easier to drive the plot forward. Feel free to come up with rumors about what treasures, adventure, locations, and dangers may be found in the setting - they need not be true or accurate, just some hook on which to hang an adventure.
The setting is specifically designed to be a vast sandbox into which details can be inserted by participants (for example, you are free to decide that there is a particular temple in the midst of the forest in which something may be found or that there is a particular shop/hotel/restaurant in a section of the town), if you come up with a location that you desire/expect other characters to visit, please add it to the thread page as a sub-location of the relevant area.
Things change as the story progresses. If, for example, a massive battle occurs at a location and the area is now strewn with bodies and buildings are damaged, kindly update the thread page to reflect those changes, in order that other participants have an up-to-date description of the location prior to sending their characters there.
Special thanks to all those who helped in getting the original thread launched or provided ideas and feedback. In alphabetic order, they include:
Blackfire 667, Collen, Corvidae, daird, Darkblood Carnagefang, Eterna Memoria, Gault, Kkutwar, Killer Clowns, ladytanuki, Masterofchaos, nrjxll, Pyxo, Slysheen, Tro Partner, Will De Regio and especially Wolf 1066, whose original post I have shamelessly copied with only minor alterations.
Apologies if I missed anyone - just let me know and I'll update the post.
The dawn of another day rises across the land, heralding fresh morning air, clearer heads, opened doors, and new arrivals.
Between dimensions, and linked to the rest of the multiverse, lies a strange post-apocalyptic environment made up of various regions strewn with the remnants of past glory - ruins, lost technologies and magic. Here and there, nature has found its way back amongst the ruined temples and towns.
In the midst of the blighted landscape, a fresh new town has emerged - a synergy of technology, nature and magic; clean and eco-friendly; a beacon of hope for a brighter future - where travelers can rest, recharge their batteries (both literally and metaphorically) and get whatever they may need - technological, magical or otherwise - to aid them on their adventures.
New arrivals can turn up by diverse means in the transportation area in the north-western part of the town or by whatever other means they deem appropriate. Here they may also find for rent, lease or hire, any transport they desire from riding animals to vehicles.
The wilderness areas have not been fully explored since the mysterious apocalyptic events that ravaged the area some time ago and no one is really sure what's out there - but rumors abound.
All that is known for sure is that both magic and technology have existed here for a long time, so anything is possible...
Current Time: 10:00 AM
Current Weather: Sunny
See the thread page for updates.
Edited by Ryuhza on Feb 22nd 2023 at 1:14:28 AM
Hotel Lobby
"Alas," Rebecca said with a theatrical sigh, "but if you have other appointments, go to them when you're ready." She tapped a rotting finger against the side of her chair in thought. "If you're willing to stay, though, we could have a chat. Good company is still good company, after all, even if it's not where you expected to find it."
Forward, boys! For God's sake, forward!
Town Square (Samelin, Rosafa, Devad, Nasur, Damia)
Samelin heard a tiny hiss by their ear; the Crocotta had picked something up. Acquired many years ago under mysterious but entirely legal circumstances, the enchanted earring could eavesdrop on people nearby, perfectly reproducing their spoken words. Right now, it whispered the words of a man named Nasur, once high and mighty, and now brought low and seeking out a hotel. Only it seemed that Nasur had run afoul of someone who looked like some sort of authority figure, and was now trying to talk his way out of trouble.
"What is it?" Devad asked, noticing his boss' sudden switch of attention.
"That fella over there seems to be having a bit of difficulty."
"Are we planning to intervene?"
"... Maybe. He seems to be looking for a hotel."
"I think it's the one over there," Rosafa chimed in, pointing to a hexagonal building.
Samelin came to a decision and suddenly strode over to Nasur and put a hand on his shoulder. "Nasur, buddy!" they said, "We told you not to wander off like that." They turned apologetically to Damia. "I must apologize for my friend here. He had a bit of a rough night, if you catch my drift" - and here, Samelin made a drinking motion with their hand - "and then he blundered his way into opening up a Cantoflorian hex-gate and must have ended up here on the street."
"What in the seven ineffable Hells is a Cantoflorian hex-gate?" Devad asked Rosafa quietly.
"Shh, don't interrupt them when they're improvising," Rosafa admonished. She walked over and grasped Nasur's elbow, putting on her friendliest smile. "Come, friend, we'll take you back to the hotel and get you a nice meal, yes?"
Edited by StrixObscuro on Aug 29th 2021 at 12:08:58 PM
By now, it should be clear to all except the most dense of us that sheep are secretly conspiring to kill us all and steal our pants.
[Jobe's Homestead (Mist, Maelys; Aseyu)]
Aseyu nodded and headed out back to where Jobe had been keeping an eye out for any wild pigplants. She'd correctly calculated him as a quietly tolerant but firmly pious Abrahamic of some sort, not terribly unlike some of the Xayusa back home. So she adjusted her demeanor and robe, changing her presentation from "head-turning" to "proper" with practiced ease. It didn't take long for her to convince Jobe to let the womenfolk get cleaned up. After that, and an equally smooth switch back to her previous demeanor, she returned to the kitchen. "Convincing Jobe was easy enough, so I'll be taking that shower now."
She headed towards Jobe's bathroom, but stopped at the door. She stripped off her robe in a practiced motion and tossed it into a laundry basket, then looked over her shoulder at Mist. "Care to join me?" Aseyu ul'Valmoth asked the question as casually as if offering a cup of tea. She had never needed subtlety; her mixture of beauty and wealth had long been enough. Nor was she worried about being shot down, as provoking incredulity and bewilderment was its own reward.
As per tradition, what happens if Mist accepts is left alone.
Edited by KillerClowns on Aug 27th 2021 at 6:13:07 AM
[Hotel Lobby]
"Oh, he's still asleep?" Nick said, "Well, that makes sense. Still is pretty early for everyone to be up."
"Nick, the average time you wake up is around noon," Jackson said, smirking. "Of course you would think that's early."
Nick playfully punch his shoulder. "Hey, fuck off, will ya? Cut me some slack!"
Amandus looked worriedly at Joseph when he heard Rebecca's offer. "If you still want to talk to her, we won't stop you, son. But do keep in mind we still want to make sure you're safe, even despite our...circumstances."
He was very much referring to their business with Mael, but he wasn't quite sure he would understand that. Joesph didn't seem like a fighter, much less someone willing to go against a rather dangerous mind controller, so maybe going on a journey with someone else might be safer. But would it? Mael was still out there, somewhere, and could strike at any moment.
Amandus rubbed his head, which was only slightly sore, but it still wasn't pleasant. Looks like being unconscious for hours on end wasn't the best thing to happen. He only hoped that what happened yesterday would not happen again.
Edited by Masterofchaos on Sep 5th 2021 at 8:05:01 AM
Town Square ~ Notice Boards (Damia; Nasur; Samelin, Rosafa, Devad)
Damia raised an eyebrow. "Narati? Not Nafti?" She blinked a few times, hmming, "Now that I get a better look at you, you don't have pointed ears. Or webbed fingers. Or the teeth. Case of mistaken identity it seems. Once again, my apologies," she said.
She glanced over at the three individuals approaching, "Oh, it seems some of your friends are approaching, I take it?" she asked. They confirmed that they knew Nasur, however, the implication that Nasur's current state was caused by a little too much to drink caused her to frown and shake her head in a brief moment of disgust.
With the trio kindly offering to lead Nasur to the hotel, Damia smiled, saying "Well then, I'll be going now," before turning to make her leave.
Edited by WillDeRegio on Aug 29th 2021 at 6:42:24 AM
This is my good side.
Hub Town: Town Square
Although he wouldn't dare think he was already of danger, Nasur allowed himself a brief sigh of relief. This lady didn't seem to want a fight. For now.
"Oh, no problem." He replied. "Everyone makes mistakes. It has happened to me before. I would..."
He got trailed off as the lady mentioned his friends approaching. Nasur turned around, hoping to see Joseph or one of those kids he had met before. His smile froze as three complete strangers came about, treating him like an old acquaintance.
"Oh, uhh... of course." He stammered. He had no idea what these three extravagantly-dressed fellows were trying to do, but the suddeness of it all did not sit him well. The hand on his elbow, gentle as it was, could pretty much be a metal clamp right now. Why would strangers come up, completely out of the blue, and try and pretend that they knew each other for a long time?
Or maybe he knew them? His time in the caverns, completely alone, felt like a blur whenever he tried to remember, any important memory piling up without distinction, and some parts, where he had been more distraught, were almost compelte blanks. Maybe he had met with these three before?
Besides, they offered to show him the hotel, which was what Nasur was looking for from the beginning. So, seeing no other exit from this situation, he decided to play along.
"Of course, of course. How silly of me." He said. He tried not to get too offended about what the first person had implied, and ignoring the look of disapproval that the lady had given him. Nasur was not a heavy drinker, or at least not enough to make a fool of himself in public. He turned to the one that was holding his arm, giving her a friendly smile. "I would certainly like that." Then, he turned to the tall lady. "Farewell then, do take care." He gave her a bow as best as he could, then he turned to the other three. "So, shall we go, friends?"
As the group walked away, Nasur decided to ask. "I don't... know from before, do I?"
< Hub Town - Hotel, Lobby >
Joseph glanced uneasily between the two parties, parties who seemed to take little interest in one another except through him, as though he were the sole conduit for all fountainside relations.
To Rebecca, he quickly tried to explain, "I might have some time to chat in a few minutes, but," he gestured wildly at the others, like a sign spinner with no sign, "there's this other thing I've got to sort out first."
Facing the others, he said first to Nick, "I mean, hey, he's usually up hours before I am, but after yesterday, I... y'know I just... I think it's good to just let him sleep."
Then he lifted his head to Amandus, answering, "You don't have to worry about me, I'll be alright in town. I don't think-" he stopped and hesitated, gaze lowering to his hands as he squeezed them together, "I'm not ready to go back out there today."
Amandus's protectiveness sent a pang of guilt straight to his gut. Old regret, made new with every glance. He had to speak, before he lost his chance again."
"And... listen, I'd still like to talk to you and James about that day. Back in the desert. There's something I've gotta say." Now. Now. Now! "...when you aren't all caught up in... circumstances."
Addressing the group at large, he added, "Oh yeah, before I forget, do you still have your- er..." he shot a quick, sideways glance at Rebecca, followed by a strange, toothy grin. "...'rock collection'?"
this place needs me here
Town Square (Samelin, Rosafa, Devad, Nasur, Damia)
"Nah, we ain't met and I don't know you from Walden," Samelin replied, "But you look like a man who's in some trouble, and I thought maybe we could help you, and in exchange, maybe you could tell us where we are."
"It's my fault, you see," Rosafa added. "I created a machine for looking into other worlds, but it seems to have opened a portal instead, and unfortunately, I am unable to re-open the portal on this side, so we seem to be stuck here until we can find someone around here who can make portals."
"So the deal is this," Samelin said, "You help us figure out where this is and maybe how to get home, and in exchange, we'll help you with whatever problem you have. We can hammer out the fine details over breakfast. Sound good?
By now, it should be clear to all except the most dense of us that sheep are secretly conspiring to kill us all and steal our pants.
[Hotel Lobby]
Amandus and James's eyes widened.
"You...you want to talk about that night?" James said, "Oh. I-I didn't think you'd remembered and..." He sighed. "There's some things I regret too. Like I wish I didn't snap at you."
Amandus kissed his husband's cheek and gently rubbed his back.
When Joseph asked about their rock collection, Amy's eyes perked up in excitement. "Oh! Yeah!" She pulled some moonstones "Right here! Why'd you ask? Do you need them?"
"Do remember what we told you about the side effects, dear." Maria said, "It's no joke."
Would he even be effected? Nick thought, I mean...we used it on him before. Well, on the other him. But would he even remember? Ah, this shit is so confusing.
This is my good side.
Hub Town: Town Square
The three strangers didn't seem menacing at first glance, but Nasur still didn't lower his guard. "Alright, then." He replied when told they hadn't met before. Staying polite wouldn't hurt either. "It's just that some of my memories are rather... indistinct, so I though we could have met before. Would have explained how you knew my name." He said the last part looking at the person that had called him by name.
"Unfortunately," He went on. "I'm just another stranger in this place. I know as much about it as any of you right now. Otherwise I wouldn't have been in search of directions." He shrugged. "My deepest apologies if it inconvenienced you. I'm still grateful for helping me out of that predicament." He glanced back, trying to see if the tall lady was still around. Although she seemed to have taken her leave already.
"Still, if you would help me find the hotel, I would be even more grateful." He added, smiling. "I don't have much to offer, but if you need anything, I will do my best to see it through, as much as I would be able to." He was sincere in this. He still didn't fully trust these people, but they seemed rather honest in their intentions. "May I ask for your names? Youa lready seem to know mine."
Hotel ~ Bonnie & Carol's Room (Bonnie, Carol; Henry, Joseph)
Carol raised an eyebrow at Joseph, shaking her head, "I've no clue what you're on about..." she muttered, before returning to the kitchen. She glanced back as Joseph tripped on his tail and fell flat on his face, causing her to snort and shake her head.
The dark elf cocked her head towards Henry, "We've got a few aether crystals, I'm sure we could probably whip something up to send you home," she said.
"Carol, I'm a medic, not a dimensional analyst," Bonnie said, folding her arms, "And Lily's a flight mage." She shook her head in annoyance, "Trans-dimensional magic is tricky business. Not knowing what you're doing could very easily put someone into space. Or worse, drop them in the Void."
Carol shrugged her shoulders, "It was worth a shot."
"Anyway, I'm sure we can find someone who might know how to get you home,*" Bonnie said, before digging into her plate of eggs, beans, and SPAM.
At the mention of the lack of participation in fending off the wyvern, Carol raised a fork in objection, "Don't feel bad— it's not your job t'fight these kinds o'things. Look, I'm trained in fightin' monsters, and despite puttin' all my effort into it, all I did was ineffectively smack it in the shins. There's nothin' wrong with runnin' away from a battle you can't win." She glanced over, noticing how her girlfriend was giving her an incredulous stare, "What? I'm all for a reasonably fair fight, not bein' used as an overgrown lizard's chew-toy."
Jobe's Farm (Maelys, Mist; Aseyu)
The maid and the valkyrie went their separate ways: the former heading outside to field strip and maintenance her numerous firearms ranging from the anti-personnel hand-cannons and hall-sweepers to the large-caliber show-stoppers and mammoth-maulers; the latter accompanying Aseyu to the Jobe's bathroom.
At Aseyu's invitation, Mist coyly smiled. "With pleasure," she said, stripping herself of her armor before disrobing. Their time in the shower started tamely enough, but before long, honest cleaning turned into more... passionate exercises, as the valkyrie began showing off some of the "combat techniques" she had learned over a millennium. Techniques such as the "Reverse Waterfall", the "Malleus Maleficarum", the "Hand of Demon's Bane", and the "Lightning Lariat"; though, most of these were executed in modified ways due to a lack of space and "proper equipment".
Hub Town ~ Hotel Lobby (Claire, Lulu; Rebecca; Joseph; the Hunters & Co.)
Claire Magnus, witch-thief extraordinaire, had attempted to sneak up upon the unsuspecting group before her— until Lulu sneezed. Loudly.
Standing in at 168 cm, or 5'6'', the twenty-year-old witch had her blond hair drawn back in a short, braided ponytail, with her wispy bangs swept to her right. Her left eye was a bright, sparkling blue, her right gold with faint strands of mysterious black that seemed to form strange runes.
She was dressed in primarily black with gold accents: A fascinator bearing a small witch's hat, an Inverness cape atop a midriff-bearing waistcoat that covered her ample bosom, fingerless leather gloves, and a gold belt holding up a pair of knickerbockers that were tucked into a pair of well-worn leather mountaineering boots.
Hooked to her belt was a coiled length of titanium chain, with strands of woven orichalcum laced through its length, ending in a fist-sized ball of platinum, and a small satchel containing everything a traveling adventure could hope for and more.
Her shorter companion, who was currently wiping her nose with a handkerchief, was Louella "Lulu" Sitri, the former heir apparent to the Sitri family of succubi/incubi. Standing in at 152 cm, or a smidge under 5', she was a blue-haired, pale-purple-skinned young woman. Her curled horns, which could be mistaken for ornaments for her voluminous hair bunches, her wispy, spade-tipped tail, and her diminutive bat-like wings, all of which glowed a faint purple, betrayed her demonic linage. Her red eyes were brightly observing all of those in front of her as she mentally took note of who and what she was dealing with.
She was dressed in a black, sleeveless, halterneck leotard; loose, low-cut pants held up with a silver-buckled black leather belt; black boots; and black finger-less gloves. Nestled in her left arm was a hefty metal-bound grimoire that served as her magical focus, primary weapon, and expansive encyclopedia of the arcane.
"There you are, Joey! I've been looking all over for you!" Claire exclaimed, giving a big, excited wave to the salamander-man. She gave an equally excited wave to the others, "Hey y'all! I take it you guys had a good night's sleep?"
She caught a glimpse of the moonstones in Amy's hands, causing her to grin, "Oh... shiny..."
Meanwhile, Lulu had begun to drift over to where Rebecca was seated, shyly waving at the necromancer. "Good morning, ma'am," she said to her.
< Hub Town - Hotel, Bonnie & Carol's Room >
Henry shook his head, waving his hands in sideways, chopping gestures, "No-o-o, no space, no voids, thank you very much. It's important we get home, but it's actually more important that we don't die."
Hearing Joseph's remark about not fighting the wyvern, he looked from his friend to Carol, then down at his plate of food, his own flippancy diminishing. After a moment more of silence, he spoke.
"Thanks Carol, but I think... what he's getting at is..." he sighed, "it's not so cool of us to sit here complaining about sore this or tired that when we're here enjoying this very fabulous hotel food banquet, while your friend—er- Lily, yeah—plus that Mayatan woman and the metal guy..." he leaned back in his chair, searching the ceiling for the honest line between optimistic and dramatically dire. "Well, they're not."
Joseph nodded, smiling a little despite the mood. Whatever minor squabbles they had, Henry generally got the way that he thought. He sometimes forgot to appreciate that.
this place needs me here
Rebecca sat bolt upright when she heard something about a 'rock collection'. While it was a long shot that things were related, she did have one magical gem, which she kept very close to her heart. Err... where her heart used to be.
"What's this about rocks? I'm certainly no geomancer, but if there's anything unique about them, well, another set of eyes is better than nothing." She tried to sound only academically interested, but it was probably a lost cause at this point.
Forward, boys! For God's sake, forward!
Town Square —> Hotel Lobby (Samelin, Rosafa, Devad, Nasur)
"Name's Samelin," Sam offered as they walked. "On our world, I used to be a Inquirer for the Exalted Confederation of States. Used to investigate crimes and solve them, but I... left that organization as we had some... differences of opinion. Government, it turns out, doesn't trust Inquirers who share half their genetics with the people they happen to be at war against."
"Breaking the law probably didn't help..." Devad muttered.
Sam ignored the remark, and pointed to Rosafa. "Now, this vision of sweetness and light here is Rosafa, a former magical-weapons developer for the ironically-named Kurnoz Kralluk."
"It is ironic because the name means 'cunning kingdom', but they are not terribly bright at all," Rosafa explained helpfully. "It was not very hard to escape them." She smiled. "It is nice to meet you."
"And this tall glass of sour milk over here is Devad. Don't let the fearsome appearance fool you, he's a Danyari, and a former Liberator at that. Not the easiest folk to befriend, but they're as noble and loyal as it gets on our world."
"It's not like I'm here for the fantastic pay and benefits," Devad muttered. He turned to Nasur. "Well met."
"As for how I knew your name," Samelin continued, "I'm afraid that's not much of a mystery This earring," - and here they pointed - "Is the Crocotta. It has an enchantment that causes it to repeat what others say around me, and it happened to overhear you when you were talking to that lady. Your body language told me you were in need of something, and I thought that helping you might net us information about this place."
They reached the hotel. "Sorry for the deception, but the offer still stands. We're stuck here 'till we figure out a way back, so the way I see it, we have time to help you with whatever troubles you have. How about we discuss it over breakfast? You can explain your predicament, and ask us anything you like about us, and if you decide to trust us, we'll help you. If not, well, at least you got breakfast out of the deal. Sound good?"
By now, it should be clear to all except the most dense of us that sheep are secretly conspiring to kill us all and steal our pants.
< Hub Town - Hotel, Lobby >
The guilt only intensified as James shared his own regret; it seemed so mild in comparison to what he'd done. David's words from the previous night came back to him.
"...there are so many situations and mistakes in life that you can't resolve, Joseph..."
"...so if you have the chance..."
And he had the chance.
"Yeah, I do. There's some things I need to tell you, but... later. When it's just, you know, us three— give or take a Pancake."
He couldn't sit in the moment for long, as Amy responded to his 'rock collection' inquiry with gusto, whipping some of them out right there. And far short of growing disinterested as he'd hoped, Joseph's mention of the 'rock collection' brought Rebecca to full attention.
It wasn't that he distrusted her outright, simply that he didn't know her outside a few minutes of light conversation. The moonstones sounded incredibly powerful— the kind of power that could do great harm if it fell into the wrong hands, and though she surely couldn't know of that power yet, she now at least knew who was carrying the stones and where they were kept.
Maybe there was a way to ask his questions discreetly enough to underplay that power, but that was a house of cards his clumsy tongue was destined to collapse. So instead, he gently pushed Amy's hand back to where the stones came from, saying, "Yeah, wow, cool, just checking really. Maybe I'll ask you about them later, but not now 'causssse..." he clenched his teeth, scanning the room to find an interruption. "Oh look, Claire!"
He was about to wave her over before realizing that she was already heading their way. To his further surprise, she declared that she'd been looking 'all over' for him specifically. "For me?" He struggled to recall what he might've said to her the night before to elicit such interest, but the whole night was a drawn-out blur; a rather arduous cap to an already long day. And maybe the attention was just one of those byproducts of being a man-sized lizard. Or maybe...
He glanced down at his fuzzy blue wristbands.
...maybe they were mystical fuzzy blue wristbands.
Whatever the cause, he was developing quite the small crowd there at his fountainside seat. Claire had even brought along a friend of her own, one who seemed interested in Rebecca. As the crowd thickened, he scooted back atop the fountain's walled edge, as though getting his legs out of the way would make all the difference.
And once again, there was a distinctive plock as his tail slipped back into the water behind him.
Groaning, he gripped the edge of the fountain with one hand while fishing his tail out with the other, this time holding it to one side as he shifted to sitting cross-legged. As he did so, he looked to Claire and asked, "What about? Er- what for? I mean..." he took a deep breath, then beamed with a tight-eyed smile, "how can I help you?"
this place needs me here
[Hotel Lobby]
Amy tilted her head in confusion as she put the the moonstones back in her pocket, but that quickly turned to excitement when she saw Claire.
"Claire! Hi!" she said cheerfully. She quickly raced over and hugged her gently. "Are you going to have breakfast with us today?"
"I'm guessing why she came down here, Amy." Maya said, "Anyway, y'all can keep talking, I'm gonna get my breakfast ready."
Adam, meanwhile, turned to Rebecca, his eyebrows quirked. "Sooo, what did you need to recruit Joseph for, anyway?"
This is short cause this is literally all the energy I have for this lol
"Well, I guess you could say for security," Rebecca responded. "I'm looking for magical artifacts of all stripes, but as I told him, the wilds can be a dangerous place." She shrugged idly.
"I may be undead, but that doesn't mean I'm invulnerable. If something happens to my body, it wouldn't be good for me. And if there's something out there that destroys magic- that would be even worse. Besides, I'm a necromancer. I have some knowledge of most forms of magic, but I'm at my best when I have bodies to work with. And obviously, that's not a resource you can guarantee will be around in decent quantities."
Forward, boys! For God's sake, forward!
Hotel ~ Bonnie & Carol's Room (Bonnie, Carol; Henry, Joseph)
Carol stirred her eggs a few times with her fork, "Hmm, she'll be fine; she's the ace of our class," she said, before raising the food-laden fork to her mouth. She chewed a few times before starting on her beans, before giving a nod towards Bonnie to explain further.
Bonnie nodded slightly, "Lily stayed behind to keep the wyvern distracted. She's got a sound head on her shoulders; she won't stick around longer than necessary. She can easily outpace a crimson spitfire in flight," said Bonnie. She continued, "Lily's got a radio on her. Once she's within range of us, she'll be able to contact us— let us know she's safe."
"I'll give her an hour, two at tops. If she doesn't contact us by then, I'll go out and look for her," Carol said.
This is my good side.
Hub Town: Town Square
"Oh, it's a pleasure to meet you all." Nasur nodde again, as they four of them made their way to the hotel. He let himself lower his guard a little. These people started to not seem that bad. "I see we are all exiles, in one way or another."
He took a step away from Samelin, Rosafa and Devad. "I don't think I introduce myself to you properly." Nasur then procceeded to make a proper bow to them. "I am Nasur, formerly from the city of Nocturna. Once an Archon of my Family, and third in line for its leadership. Now, I'm little more than a vagrant." He straightened up. Since the others had talked about their origins, he felt it was appropiate to explain his own. "Nothing much to say, seriously. Just a backstabbing incident involving everyone I trusted." Nasur shrugged, trying not to give much credit to the incident, although he showed a tinge of bitternes in the last sentence.
"Very interesting object, that 'crocotta'." Nasur couldn't help but comment on Samelin's earring. "Back at home, we would use similar tactics to spy on political rivals. Although most of the time we just bribed servants to listen. Enchantments can be detected if you know what to expect." He tapped his temple with a finger, as he resumed walking with the group.
"As for your offer..." He started, then hesitated. The offer of breakfast was rather tempting to Nasur. His constant hunger was sated for now, but more mana wouldn't be unappreciated. However, the rest of Nasur's group, especially the kids, had been quite reserved when it came to their 'complicated matters'. If these people turned out to be spies, it would be dangerous to guide them to the rest of the group.
"I would be honored to take you up on it." He finally said. "You see, I've been travelling with a group for the past day. I can't say I know the proper details of their problems, but they seem to be pursued by someone with resources. And abilities." Nasur tentatively pulled out the enchanted moonstone he had been given yesterday. He wanted to check if Samelin, Devad, or Rosafa recognized it. "Are you... familiar with this?"
Then, came out an honest question, as Nasur started feeling they had been walking for quite a while, almost in circles. "Uhm, you do know where we're going, right?"
< Hub Town - Hotel, Bonnie & Carol's Room >
Henry nodded, satisfied with Carol and Bonnie's shared assurance. "And if—by some miracle—there's anything either of us bozos can do to help," he gestured his fork between himself and Joseph, "just say the word."
Joseph, with a spoonful of beans stuffed in his mouth, shot an annoyed look at Henry, before quickly relenting with a shrug and a nod of his own.
He ate quietly, not keen to add a mouthful of food to his linguistic difficulties. Plus, even in his hungry scarfing, eating had become another peculiar experience amongst many. It wasn't so much the flavor—things tasted more or less the same at their core, and to his great relief he hadn't developed a craving for insects or anything else unusual—but rather the scale of everything.
Firstly, he had to consciously change his travel path from plate to mouth, since muscle memory would have him daubing his chin and neck with a bean goatee that was all the wrong kinds of tasteful. He couldn't even track his spoon with his eyes very well, since his salamandrine snout was broad enough and stuck out so far as to totally obscure anything below it. Lacking sight, he could either rely on the smell getting stronger (which, at that range, was like telling whether water was getting wetter) or the heat of whatever he was eating against his skin... if it was hot. Or the third and most likely option: the sudden addition of a tasteful bean moustache to match his goatee.
Some napkins later, he found himself simply tipping his head up, opening his mouth wider than felt necessary, and going straight down the middle.
Which brought him to the second, more pronounced strangeness. Sticking utensils designed for roughly human-sized and human-shaped mouths into his oversized gob accentuated just how cavernous it really was. A 'mouthful' had a whole new meaning, and the same shift of scale applied to all that was in it. His teeth were slightly more numerous and all quite a lot larger, the front ones having taken on an almost sharklike pointedness, while the rear ones remained flatter. His tongue was large enough that he figured—if he did not have such good table manners—he could fit a spoonful of each item from his breakfast plate on it at once and still have room to spare. Grody! Furthermore, his mouth was long enough end-to-end that he had a full semicircle (and then some) to insert his spoon into. He wasn't sure what was odder: the sensation itself, or how compelling it was. There was nothing quite like sticking a spoon into the far side of one's abnormally long mouth, except, of course, sticking a spoon into the far side of one's abnormally long mouth again. Even after he'd finished everything on his plate, he just left the spoon in there, idly rotating it back and forth as he wondered how many toothpicks he could hold onto at once.
"Hey."
The hand touching his shoulder snapped Joseph out of his deep reflection. Holding his spoon still, he glanced to the side, where Henry had fixed him with a look of incredible sincerity and concern.
"I didn't mean to be insensitive. I know how much this is affecting you."
Joseph blinked, dumbfounded for several seconds.
And several more.
And- OH!
Resisting the urge to slap himself across the forehead, he finally withdrew his eating utensil (which was definitely not a toy) and relinquished it to his empty plate, before saying, "Ah, tha's okay. I mean... thanks."
"And don't worry, I'm sure we can find a way to get you back to normal for good. Sure, the gems didn't do it right— maybe there's something else to this thing, something we're missing. But in a place like this, there's got to be some way, some answer. I just..." Henry winced slightly, "...don't know if we can find it in time."
Joseph cocked his head. "In time?"
Henry was about to answer, then hesitated, turning so that he faced the other two as well. "Well, let me just lay it out. We went to Squak Mountain Saturday night, right?"
"Looking for the 'hermit' guy, yeah."
"It was a long shot but, circumstances as they were- ...look I-" Henry shook his head, "anyway, no hermit. Instead: holy mackerel, we wind up here. And it's broad daylight. Like, what, mid-day?"
Joe shrugged.
"And from then to now was what, fifteen, sixteen hours? More? So cautiously assuming that time here and there flows constantly, that puts us pretty deep into Sunday, right now. When do your parents get home?"
"You mean my mom an' Rick?"
"Yeah, sorry, 'boyfriend', you know what I mean. When do they get home from their hiking trip?"
A sudden sense of unease seeped into Joseph. "...Sunday night. Maybe late."
"And how do you suppose things are going to go when they come home to find that you're gone and that Miki is off with some babysitter Rick didn't hire?"
"And barring that, I'm supposed to be back at the auto shop Monday morning. And Shandra is going to think I'm a huge a-hole if I don't call her to apologize for not calling her this weekend. Plus, don't you have school?"
Joseph covered his eyes, dropped his head to the table and cackled an odd cackle. Yes, he was a giant lizard in fantasy land, chased by a wyvern and accompanied by specialists in the magical arts. But didn't he have school? Somehow, Washington's crossing of the Delaware had all but slipped his mind.
"...okay, maybe perfect attendance isn't of vital importance, but the rest still stands. Just imagine the shhi-s-sleet storm if Rick and his fed buddies open some kind of investigation by the time we get back. There's no getting on top of that one, Joe."
Henry looked his friend over as his laughter turned to quiet distress. "But... if you're keen on staying longer... if you want to take that risk, I'll stick with you."
"No. We can't. I have to be there when they get back."
"I... alright." He looked from Joseph, to Bonnie, to Carol. "Then we've got a handful of hours."
this place needs me here
[Jobe's Farm, Outside (Maelys; Ethani)]
While Aseyu did what Aseyu does, Ethani joined Maelys, watching with curiosity. Looking over at one of the larger weapons, Ethani said, "what is that for? Punching a hole in a Dying World tank?" However, despite a hint of amusement at the scale of some of the weapons, Ethani was genuinely impressed with the armory Maelys was bringing to bear. A tool for every occasion, and it was clear as she worked that Maelys was no mere amateur collector of compensation. This was a professional. Ethani had already cleaned her weapons this morning, or she might have joined Maelys. Instead, she said, "if you don't mind my asking, how many of these were you issued? And how many did you collect yourself?" For her part, every weapon Ethani carried was of Kykvelsha make. Usually the weapons that her country's own firearms were knock-offs of.
Hub Town ~ Hotel Lobby (Claire, Lulu; Joseph; the Hunters & Co.; Rebecca)
Interest in the moonstones turned to disappointment as Amy put said stones away. However, the disappointment didn't last long as Claire was swept into a hug from the girl. Smiling, Claire returned the hug, before nodding, "Sure. Lulu and I wouldn't mind accompanying you guys."
She then moved towards Joseph, flashing two fingers at him, "Well I've got two reasons: make sure you-know-who doesn't mess with you, and also see if my friend here can sort your friend out," she told him.
Meanwhile, Lulu, standing beside Rebecca, spoke up, "I work with magic as well," she said, holding up her grimoire. "I'd be interested in helping you," she told Rebecca.
Town Square —> Hotel Lobby (Samelin, Rosafa, Devad, Nasur)
"Croc ain't much good for spyin', normally," Samelin said, modestly. "'Fore I... acquired it, it belonged to a rich old bastard who used it to compensate for his bad ear, much as I'm usin' it now. But the enchantment in its 'eye' means sometimes it hones in on people speaking nearby. It was just dumb luck that I heard you."
They examined the moonstone. "Can't say I've seen anything like that. On our world, most enchantments use magistone, which tends to be red or pinkish, dependin' on potency, so this ain't from our world."
"If it's not mechanical in nature, then I'm afraid I can't be much help in identifying it," Rosafa chimed in.
"Nor can I," Devad added. "I believe we've reached the hotel, though." He pointed to a large doorway nearby where many people were going in and out. "This building seems to have a lot of foot traffic."
By now, it should be clear to all except the most dense of us that sheep are secretly conspiring to kill us all and steal our pants.
< Hub Town - Hotel, Lobby >
Joseph leaned back a little as Claire came closer, even though he was already well out of the way.
He had to resist rolling his eyes when she mentioned Mael, or 'you-know-who' who was supposedly out to get him. Or rather, his doppelganger, neither of whom he'd so much as glimpsed. He knew the evidence was too stacked to discount, and yet some hyper-skeptical corner of his mind couldn't help wondering if it wasn't all part of some elaborate prank.
"I mean, if you insist, but I still haven't seen hide or hair of that guy. Maybe everyone ought to be a little more concerned about the other me. Like, what if Mael already got hold of him? That might explain why things have been so breezy on this end. Although," he let go of the fountain wall, thinking for a moment with his hand against his jaw, "if I know my own troubles, the other me is probably long gone by now. Kinda... kinda had some issues with staying in one place for a while."
He was silent for a long moment, eyes losing focus as he was drawn into a distant haze.
When he re-emerged, he sounded half awake. "...David's still in the bed. I mean in bed. Asleep. Upstairs. 'Least, he was last I checked. I guess I could try waking him up, but..."
He hesitated, glancing between Claire and Lulu with renewed lucidity.
"What did you have in mind to 'sort him out?' "
this place needs me here
Hub Town: Town Square
Nasur had wandered around the square for a little while now, but still no sign of his companions. A more active search would be a better idea at this point, but where to begin?
Looking about, Nasur noticed some rather peculiar looking folk emerging from what looked like a portal, although the magic, or whatever force brought such phenomenon into the world, was completely unknown to him.
So entranced he was on the three newcomers, that he didn't see where he was going until it was too late.
"Owch!"
He walked fully into someone much taller than him. For a moment, Nasur's old habits resurfaced. "Hey!" He snapped. "Watch where you are going you...!"
He was ready to unload a whole rant at the other person, when he remembered his current state. He could have gotten away with snapping at someone else for walking into them back when he had power and high status, but right now he was a nobody, and completely defenseless. And, as it seemed right now, the... lady right in front of him was not only much taller and stronger-looking than him, but seemed to also be armed.
"Oh! My apologies!" He quickly stammered. "It was my fault. All my fault!" Her intent gaze didn't put him at ease. But she seemed polite enough to apologize.
Nasur took a deep breath, trying to appear more calm. "I'm sure you might find my tathered clothing and emaciated appearance disturbing. But I assure you, I'm not a monster." He replied. "I am Narati, of the highest noble houses of the city of Nocturna. My name is Nasur, son of Lirradne. A pleasure to meet you." He stood at his full stature and did his best reverence.
"I was looking for some of my companions." Nasur went on. "But as it seems, this place is rather unfamiliar to me. I was looking for a 'hotel', wouldn't you know where that palce would be?" He asked, giving her his best smile and trying to appear as harmless as possible.
Looking to a side, the group of outlandish-looking people were checking on the notice board near them. "Oh, that seems interesting." Nasur commented, hopefully to relieve himself of his interloper's attention. He had only glanced for a moment at them back at the board a moment before this encounter.
Edited by Pyxo on Aug 29th 2021 at 2:51:58 PM