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animemetalhead Runs on Awesomeness from Ashwood Landing, ME Since: Apr, 2010
Runs on Awesomeness
#201: May 28th 2011 at 11:04:34 AM

Lena twirled her tail around her finger. Best not to be too blunt, she supposed. "I'm a succubus, I need to feed. My magic is weak, and though I'm here to find a way to live without needing to feed off of people's souls, I fear I am too weak in my current state to accomplish such a task."

Okay, maybe a little more blunt wouldn't hurt. "So basically, what I'm asking is for you to sleep with me and hope it doesn't cost you your soul." She gave what she hoped was an honest smile.

No one believes me when I say angels can turn their panties into guns.
KillerClowns Since: Jan, 2001
#202: May 28th 2011 at 11:14:43 AM

Asau blinked, and finally, coughed out a "what." Even when people were actively paying for Asau's services, they were never so blunt about it — they were hiring her as a "companion" or "entertainer" or occasionally an "educator." Whenever Asau herself spoke so simply, she was usually trying to get an especially dim-witted mage or thug to come with her somewhere quiet so she could dispose of him. After considering this, she said, her manner suddenly businesslike, "and this might cost me my soul? Enlighten me, if I survived, would I be the first? Because you are an attractive woman, yes, but I'm sort of fond of my soul."

edited 28th May '11 11:15:37 AM by KillerClowns

Dealan Since: Feb, 2010
#203: May 28th 2011 at 11:18:25 AM

"Talk to her some more, hah. I'd rather not, thank you. Besides, she seems like she's going to be busy very soon. Hope she has fun doing that."

She wasn't joking; the Carmina's movements were clearly suggesting even from where Leah standed. And the woman didn't seem to mind. Hmppm. Sucks for her. Poor Carmina was just starving. She seemed honest when she said she didn't do that anymore, but she was a succubus. Trusting a succubus would be no less stupid than trusting the Devil- or maybe there wasn't a difference at all. She rebelled. Because she fell in love with someone. Riiiiiiight.

Leitha's head felt good though. She appreciated that- though he could as well be planning to wipe out his snot. She patted his head, hoping it did not feel condescending. It always feels that way on humans, but hey.

animemetalhead Runs on Awesomeness from Ashwood Landing, ME Since: Apr, 2010
Runs on Awesomeness
#204: May 28th 2011 at 11:27:22 AM

"Of the..." Lena shuddered, "thousands I've been with, a small handful have survived, which of course has led me to believe it is the act itself that recharges me; the soul thing just comes from being a demon. Some of the sturdier species tend to survive. Humans, not so much."

She grinned. "But there seems to be more to you than meets the eye. For one, there's the hair. Never met a human with purple hair before. Tells me you're either an elf or a sprite, which ups your projected survival rate quite a bit."

Dunno if that little detail is still fact; took it from the CDT character page...

No one believes me when I say angels can turn their panties into guns.
KillerClowns Since: Jan, 2001
#205: May 28th 2011 at 11:48:24 AM

Slight worry showing in her eyes, Asau said, "sorry, still human. The hair is a mark of my ancestors' compact with the God Eater — it gave us this distinct hair so the Alasu couldn't hide among us when we were, uh..." genociding them, Asau thought regretfully "...fighting them. Isaac says it ups our chances for bone cancer, somehow, as well. Kind of standard with anything that thing does..."

She examined Lena warily, and then said, "so, you said the odds were a handful out of a thousand, right? That's not too bad..." then she stopped, and muttered to herself, "wait, no, a hundred is two zeroes, a thousand is three zeroes..." She did some quick calcluations on her fingers, then glanced at Lena in alarm. "So... good luck with that... now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to..." after considering her options, Asau dived in, grabbed a fish, hurled it onto the shore, and then rapidly exited the pool. As she threw her clothes on with a newfound sense of urgency, she said, "anyone want to help me make a fire? Because I'm feeling like some well-roasted fish. Anyone else?"

edited 28th May '11 1:29:34 PM by KillerClowns

animemetalhead Runs on Awesomeness from Ashwood Landing, ME Since: Apr, 2010
Runs on Awesomeness
#206: May 28th 2011 at 11:56:38 AM

Damn, Lena thought. Probably a good thing I didn't mention it's probably in the tens of thousands, then.

Sighing, she rocked her head back, floating on her back in the water. "I miss the good old days, you know?" she asked aloud, to no one in particular. "Back when I didn't care about people and just did whatever the hell I wanted with them."

Father, she thought. As much as I hate you, at least I never starved to death under your watch.

No one believes me when I say angels can turn their panties into guns.
Gault Laugh and grow dank! from beyond the kingdom Since: Feb, 2010 Relationship Status: P.S. I love you
Laugh and grow dank!
#207: May 28th 2011 at 12:15:09 PM

Wesley paused from his history lesson, having noticed what had gone on in the pool quite close to both him and Harold. Asau exited quickly, obviously uncomfortable. Fascinating. It took being propositioned by a soul-sucking demonette to rattle this woman. Wesley felt like a spot of revenge, but at that moment could not come up with anything to either say or do that he thought would work. He returned his attention to his map.

Wesley nodded once, looking over the simple diagram Harold had drawn in the sand. The configuration and shape of the various landmasses were completely different. So his world might not be so much parallel as alternate? "Right... the Freeports. The deal with them, and the reason they're called that, has a lot to do with recent history. Most of these populated settlements are these landlocked fortified castle towns." He cast his hand over the names of some of the inland settlements and towns. "These disparate settlements preside over the territories directly around them. Arable land, natural resources- that kind of thing. Without going too much into detail, a lot of these-“ he tapped the map on a particular settlement labeled Kenshal, “are being overrun and taken over as a part of the land grab by both belligerent factions."

Wesley continued, "Fact of the matter is, they can’t hold out against the advancing Tech and Mage armies. They don’t have professional forces on the scale that either major faction does, nor do they have access to powerful magic or advanced technology. They’ve mostly subsisted on trade and while they are self-sufficient, this self-sufficiency relies on them having access to the land outside their castles. Most of the time they’re blockaded, put under siege and then starved out. Gassed and bombarded if the faction armies are feeling impatient. Point is-“ Wesley’s finger moved from Kenshal to a mark on the coast that was labeled Marin. The lettering for the city's name was noticeably more florid and embroided. “the Freeports don’t have that problem. Having access to the sea brings in a lot of money from trade and imports. This gives them the ability to buy mercenaries, train them, and outfit them such that they rival the standing armies of either Tech or Mage factions. Port cities have also, historically speaking, been places of cultural exchange so they also have access to the benefits of both Technology and Magic albeit to a limited extent."

"In addition neither of the warring factions- Tech or Mage- have particularly powerful navies. Yet. Most of their money and effort has been put into raising land armies to battle over real-estate. As such, unlike many of the land-locked settlements, the Freeports have remained free. Independent. Places the war doesn’t touch.” Wesley sat back. “This isn’t to say they don’t have their problems of course. I was stationed at Marin for a month, and crime is rampant. Some kid stole my canteen, and my officer chewed me out over it. But anyway, I asked if you were from one of these port cities because you didn’t look like a Faction fighter, and you didn’t know much of the war. It was the closest thing I could think of that would have explained it, before you brought up that whole alternate dimensions thing." Wesley shrugged as if to say, can you blame me?

Then he winced a bit, at his use of the phrase 'chewed me out'. Asau wasn't very far away. Best get his mind out of the gutter.

edited 28th May '11 12:18:52 PM by Gault

yey
Chubert highly secure from California Since: Jan, 2010
highly secure
#208: May 28th 2011 at 12:29:35 PM

Hector listened to Wesley, intensely interested. "Independent city-states, so to speak?" he asked.

He was very familiar with the formation of those.

"Those do sound dangerous. Adversary always breeds both the best and the worst of humanity. Tell me, have either of the factions—Tech or Mage—developed an interest in any of the Freeports? Because if a war were to break out, larger nations have an indisputable advantage over a smaller port city—population and manufacturing strength. Even if they have all the trade in the world at their disposal, these Freeports won't be able to meet the numbers of the major factions. But that doesn't mean that they won't win the war. They'll just have to be, ah, a bit harsher than your usual government. Military leaders-for-life, oligarchy, all that fun stuff. But that's neither here nor there."

Hector's eyes traced the battle lines on the map. Tech. Mage. Two factions, seemingly locked into a long and bitter conflict with no end in sight. Or purpose, beyond raw survival instinct, Hector thought. Both sides know that if they don't shoot the alternative is death.

"Where there's danger, there's also the potential for something better. Mediation. I'm willing to bet, as traders, it's in the Freeports' best interests to not have one side annihilating the other. Total infrastructure collapse is usually bad for the economy. Freeports—they can act as third party mediators, of a sort. Untouched by war, constructing and maintaining negotiations between the two sides..."

Smiling slowly, Hector laughed again. "But that's just the idealist in me talking. If you do, however, find yourself relieved of duty for these Tech guys, you might want to check these Freeports out in greater detail. Maybe start something of your own, there. It might not be as good as this garden, but it seems like the best thing you'll get."

edited 28th May '11 3:08:03 PM by Chubert

Whatcha gonna do, little buckaroo? | i be pimpin' madoka fics
Lasty Lucaruka!! from Auld Lang Syne Since: Jan, 2010
Lucaruka!!
#209: May 28th 2011 at 12:40:57 PM

Leitha leaned into Leah. Being pet was something that used to upset him, but nowadays, and especially given recent events he just took it as a sign he was doing a good job as, well, a dog. And just because he wasn't technically a dog didn't mean he was about to shrug off all dog-related duties.

"Or not! At any rate, we will soon find out why we are here. Until then, I believe it would be prudent for you to calm down a bit and mingle."

...

"Oh, and stop with all the 'preconceiving' nonsense! Heart attacks, remember?"

Cry for the moon!
Dealan Since: Feb, 2010
#210: May 28th 2011 at 1:00:15 PM

Leah couldn't help but smile. For a talking dog, Leitha was surprisingly likable. Just don't tell him that. Besides, you're afraid of dogs.

Right. But only dogs with large fangs that bark threatingly all the time. Leitha wasn't like that.

No, Leitha was a first class dog. He's surely passed all five stages of training, she thought. And she laughed. And this time, the laugh was genuie.

"All right, then. Heart attacks. Let's see what else we'll run into."

CrystalGlacia from at least we're not detroit (Living Relic)
#211: May 28th 2011 at 1:18:16 PM

I'm a science-type myself, but not because I appreciate and want to understand beauty. I want knowledge. Cold, hard knowledge. In that aspect, I guess I'm more like Isaac.

"Yet, like all other elements of life, there is a time, a place, and a method for such actions. I think I may have assumed too much of you lot, but I see no reason to seek out the caretakers of His garden. It is not worth my while.

"I'll be happy to explain why.

"All of these soldiers here? I have something in common with them. We have all fought for our lives, having opened our eyes and seen things far faster than we should have. My enemy, however, was not an impending bullet or soldier, but my own heart.

"I grew up in such a reality, not knowing if the next moment will render my own breaths an act of futility, or leave me too weak to sit upright. It was in such a reality where I learned to appreciate each moment I spent alive and well, thriving among my peers; where I learned to treasure each and every moment I spent living life, like how anyone should do.

"Today, I may have inadvertently wandered into an ethereal garden from Central Park, but I might as well enjoy my time here while I can, instead of attempting make sense of it."

"Jack, you have debauched my sloth."
Zudak Since: Dec, 1969
#212: May 28th 2011 at 1:37:28 PM

"I suppose that is where you and I differ. For me, to make sense of something is to truly be able to enjoy and appreciate it. I do not know if there is a God - even the very planet itself did not know that. But I do see that this garden is a thing of beauty, and perhaps more worthy of the title you give it, that of a divine creation, than perhaps anything else I have ever seen, and I have seen many beautiful things in my many lives. But how much more so would it appear beautiful to me, were I to learn of how this place came to be, to learn of whose hands shaped it, to learn of the plants and animals who live here and the delicate balance of their lives, to learn even by what means those lanterns are made to float through the air? To learn such things, to learn of how such a thing was devised and how the challenge of building it was overcome, to learn the origin and nature of these wonderful light-giving trees... such a thing would only deepen my own enjoyment of this place."

September fell silent for a moment. She'd gotten rather carried away there, she had to admit. Spoken in perhaps a more flowery way than was strictly necessary. But she simply couldn't help waxing poetic when it came to talking of such things.

"Well, far be it from me to tell you how you ought to appreciate this place. If you are content, I wouldn't want to take that away from you."

KillerClowns Since: Jan, 2001
#213: May 28th 2011 at 6:29:43 PM

Asau grabbed the fish she'd caught and walloped it against a tree, killing it with merciful speed. No need to make the thing suffer. She then placed it on the ground, knelt by it, and said, "thank you, fish, for the meal you shall provide. May clear rivers await you." Then she looked over it; it was a decently sized... wait, no, that couldn't be right? It was a fish from her homeland, about the size of a decent trout, colored teal with distinct horizontal white stripes. Oh, of course. It was a half-dream world, and when she'd gone for a fish, she'd gotten the fish she'd expected. Technically, it had no business in a freshwater pool. But whatever — fish was fish. She went into the woods and started gathering kindling for a fire.

edited 28th May '11 6:33:12 PM by KillerClowns

TeraChimera Since: Oct, 2010
#214: May 28th 2011 at 6:46:09 PM

Some distance away, a ball of blue lightning formed. It glowed for a moment, before dumping out a dragonlike figure and vanishing.

Xavier sprawled flat on his snout, his wings in a tangle. The sphere he had been holding rolled away from him and lodged in a bush. "Ugh," he said, spitting out dirt. He pushed himself to his feet. He wasn't tall for a chimera, a little under six and a half feet, but his scales were a dull silvery color all over - fairly rare. He had a satchel slung over one shoulder.

He glanced around before finding the sphere and picking it up. "Just great," he muttered. "Everyone else uses this fifty times and it works perfectly for them. I use it once and it dumps me..." - he glanced around - "...here." He glared at the sphere, a bronze-colored globe divided into sections by lines similar to latitude and longitude, each section marked with a symbol. "I just hope I can get back home eventually."

He dropped the sphere into his satchel and pulled out a phone. He had no service, but the pictures he had taken of the sphere were high-quality enough that he could make out the symbols on it. Good. I have the home configuration. I just need to watch the battery. Fortunately, it was fully charged, and he wasn't going to be using it for anything else.

Sticking the phone back in his satchel, he examined his environment. He seemed to be in a glade, but not one like he had seen before. Odd lanterns floated above the canopy, and the leaves of the trees seemed to glow purple. The sky was... odd, but not in a way he could place. Everything had this strange, tended feel to it, but it also felt natural - it reminded him of the wildlife garden Mai had a few years ago.

He wondered if anyone else was in the garden (it didn't feel like an untamed forest, he decided). "Hellooooo!" he called out. "Anyone out there?"

KillerClowns Since: Jan, 2001
#215: May 28th 2011 at 6:50:49 PM

"You there!" Asau said, hearing Xavier. She rushed over to him, clutching a tight pile of sticks and grass, and said, "another oddity? Well, it's been that sort of day. Name's Asau," she said, offering one hand while clutching her bundle with her other arm, "Asau ul'Valmoth. Who are, you what are you, and... actually, you got a knife? I've got a fish that needs gutting."

He was definitely an odd being — between the scales and the wings — but at this point, Asau wasn't especially bothered. As long as he didn't pose a threat to her soul, she was in a very tolerant mood.

edited 28th May '11 6:51:22 PM by KillerClowns

TeraChimera Since: Oct, 2010
#216: May 28th 2011 at 6:59:51 PM

"Um, I think so," Xavier said, shaking her hand. "Hang on." He began rummaging around in his satchel. "I'm Xavier, by the way. Xavier Sunyo."

She was certainly straightforward, wasn't she? But she was friendly enough, even if her clothing did leave a bit to be desired. He could live with that, though, especially since her name implied she wasn't from any Earth he knew. If anyone knew about cultural differences, it would be him. This might be perfectly ordinary where she came from.

The "another oddity" bit intrigued him, though. Was this garden some kind of magnet for weird stuff? It certainly was odd in and of itself.

"Here," he said at last, pulling a knife from his bag and handing it to her. "Sorry it took so long, this bag's a bit bigger than it looks." Quite a bit bigger. And why didn't I fill it up? Oh, well; too late to worry about it now. "Do you know anything about this place, or did you just sort of pop in here, too?"

edited 28th May '11 7:00:16 PM by TeraChimera

KillerClowns Since: Jan, 2001
#217: May 28th 2011 at 7:15:43 PM

Asau examined the knife, then, taking it, said, "perfect. Yeah, I'm not from here either. Place is some woman's dream, but something decided to give it a boost, attract people at random. Anyways, if you're looking to ask about the details, some of the people here are trying to play scientist and figure things out. I'm just going to cook myself a fish and try not to stare at the naked sex demon who just propositioned me." She sighed, then added, "By the way, I don't know if you're into humans, but even if so, stay the hell away from the winged chick."

She continued, "oh, and there's a talking dog. You'll get used to it. And the guys with the map are a pair of soldiers who have had their brains good and fried by war — stay away from them unless you feel like joining their support group." She then emerged into the pool clearing, and dumped the tinder and kindling into a pile. "That should do for a start," she muttered, "now if I can just find some rocks... unless I'd like to just pray this place isn't as flammable as reality." Then she turned to Xavier and said, "oh, silly question... Xavier, was it? Do you perchance breathe fire? I don't need any yet, but it would simplify matters."

edited 28th May '11 7:16:12 PM by KillerClowns

TeraChimera Since: Oct, 2010
#218: May 28th 2011 at 7:26:54 PM

"Yeah, I can breathe fire," said Xavier. "Just say the word, and I can set this place ablaze. I'd much rather prefer not to, though; I'm not completely fireproof, and a burning forest is not a fun place to be."

He looked up. "You know, if this place is a dream, I wonder how I fit into all this. I mean, I've got plenty of memories, good and bad, and I definitely think I exist, so am I a self-aware dream? If I am a dream, I probably exist only in relation with the dreamer, but I don't even know who that is yet. And what happens if she wakes up? Do we poof out of existence? Do we get put into 'storage', per se, until the next dream? Do we remain aware while she's awake? What if she just thinks this is a dream, and she's really awake?" He looked back at Asau. "And now the discussion is about existentialism. Oh happy day.

"Anyway, would you mind telling me how you got here? It might help me figure out what's going on. If not, it'll be interesting anyway."

edited 28th May '11 9:03:41 PM by TeraChimera

KillerClowns Since: Jan, 2001
#219: May 28th 2011 at 7:37:10 PM

Asau said, calmly, "well, it's not likely we're dream creations. A human mind isn't powerful enough to make multiple consciousnesses. Real dream beings are like characters in a book... they seem real, but they're not. Just fragments of reality, shadows of creatures of blood and bone. So really, suggesting we're some woman's dream is as silly as suggestion we're fictional creations." She laughed at the absurd notion.

Then began pacing, trying to think of where she could find rocks... in the pond, she supposed. She glanced over at Lena, with her tail flicking back and forth, and her beautiful, inviting curves, and... no. There had to be a better place for rocks. Asau shook her head to clear it, then remembered the second half of Xavier's question. "Oh, right, you asked how I got here? I just went to sleep, and found myself here. With my priestly outfit," she motioned down to her sparse clothes, "which I didn't have on when I went to bed. Then, I was wearing Earth-style underwear. Rachel gets so flustered otherwise."

Couldn't resist Leaning on the Fourth Wall...

animemetalhead Runs on Awesomeness from Ashwood Landing, ME Since: Apr, 2010
Runs on Awesomeness
#220: May 28th 2011 at 7:44:18 PM

Lena sighed. She had seen the glance; hard not to, all things considered. With what felt like considerable effort, she returned her wings and tail to their former state, preserving what little modesty she possessed.

Asau deserved an apology. The woman had done nothing, and Lena had practically asked if she would give up her soul for a complete stranger. She swam slowly to the bank, climbing out and grabbing her cloak.

The brown cloth proved adequate enough as a towel, and soon Lena was seeking out the purple-haired woman. With a polite nod to the newcomer, she cleared her throat softly.

"I'm sorry," she started, her voice feeling tiny. "I... didn't mean for things to come out that way... I was thoughtless."

No one believes me when I say angels can turn their panties into guns.
KillerClowns Since: Jan, 2001
#221: May 28th 2011 at 7:49:25 PM

Asau shook her head and said, "fear not. I've said, and done, stupider things." She looked over at Wes, painfully aware of this. Sul'ah always had a strange sense of justice... she had inspired lust and fear in Wesley, and so Lena had done the same to her. She took Lena's hand in her own and said, "for what it's worth, I hope you find someone who can be with you safely. It seems wrong that you cannot enjoy yourself without causing others suffering." She then sighed, and went to the pool. Kneeling at the edge, she began gather likely looking rocks.

TeraChimera Since: Oct, 2010
#222: May 28th 2011 at 7:56:03 PM

Xavier followed Asau. "You just... woke up here? Odd," he said. "Anyway, I got here by using this thing." He pulled out the sphere.

"Someone I know found it in an old temple - Olmec, I think it was - and took it in to study. After a bit of experimentation, we discovered that these panels can be pressed, almost like buttons. Now, they have symbols on them - see, this one is a bird-like thing right now - but when you press a panel, the symbol changes." He pressed it to demonstrate. "Waves, clouds, mountain, river, blah, blah, blah-" - he started cycling quickly through them - "-and back to bird. There are about twenty-five or so symbols per panel, and with a hundred and forty-four panels, that comes out to something like thirty-six hundred combinations.

"Now, once you have your selected combination, if you press the circles on the top and bottom simultaneously, you get warped or something to some kind of parallel universe. It can simply be a timeline where something is changed, like the New York housing riots spreading across the country and causing civil war, or a completely different world; one guy apparently made it to a planet that had been ripped apart and was held together by massive chains. However, you normally can't interact with the world in any way; it's as if you're a ghost. So," Xavier finished, spreading his wings and arms wide, "what makes this place so special?"

I forgot to mention, the sphere is about a foot in diameter. Also, ninja'd. Darn long post.

edited 28th May '11 9:03:16 PM by TeraChimera

Gault Laugh and grow dank! from beyond the kingdom Since: Feb, 2010 Relationship Status: P.S. I love you
Laugh and grow dank!
#223: May 28th 2011 at 11:43:29 PM

Wesley leaned in, likewise interested. "You know quite a lot about this, it seems. Maybe something similar happened in your world? And I’ve thought about being a mercenary myself, yeah. I dunno. I mean, it’s all I really know how to do.” He trailed off. It was a subject over which he had ruminated quite often over the course of his tour of duty. The Tech Union made a habit of executing deserters on the spot, so he hadn’t really been given a viable opportunity. It was a better prospect than suicide, at least, which was also something he had considered. They both had the same results if he happened to fail. Wesley was beginning to look conflicted, and quickly changed the subject.

He nodded. “Yes, the Freeports are ruled by a collection of powerful Merchant houses the heads of which could be described as a sort of oligarchy, though it’s not so much of a military dictatorship as it is an economic one- though there are shades of it. Their soldiers are mostly mercenaries after all, and will do most anything they’re paid to. Though incidents are not frequent- I think the rationale is that kind of thing would scare off customers. They’re mostly there just to keep the peace. For all intents and purposes, the Freeports operate as these Merchant houses’ own private city-states.” It seemed the two soldiers shared an interest in politics and the development of socio-political history. It was an engaging and enlightening change to the direction of the conversation. Getting away from all that depressing stuff about psychological scarring and emotional trauma for a change.

“As it stands these merchant Houses are mostly uninterested in the war. Neither side is buying their weapons, having factories and artisans of their own, and preferring to take territories by force and strip them of resources to use for themselves. Besides, only either faction has access to the details of how to construct their best weapons, they’ve no reason to resort to a third party.”

“The Tech Union is the only faction with any sort of public education and scientific curriculum so they’re the only ones that have the scientists who understand how to make most of their weapons, and they construct all their equipment themselves. Meanwhile the Mages keep zealous guard over their cache of magical artifacts, most of them being relics they have recovered from when their civilization spanned the continent. Many of them are thus impossible to reproduce, even by their own enchanters. Knowledge of magic is also heavily restricted to their acolytes and, esoteric as it is, there’s really no other way to gain arcane knowledge. These are for all intents and purposes exclusive things, at least at this stage. The Freeports have access to basic rifles and low-level magic spells, but not much besides.”

Engrossed as he was in this discussion, he didn't notice Xavier teleport in behind him.

edited 28th May '11 11:44:27 PM by Gault

yey
Chubert highly secure from California Since: Jan, 2010
highly secure
#224: May 29th 2011 at 12:23:56 AM

My upbringing, Hector thought. That's what makes me so interested in this.

Hector chuckled at the end of Wesley's miniature lecture. "It's good that you know about this," he said. "It makes you more intelligent that the average soldier. Knowing more than the battle formations and rifle cadences that they require you to know indicates curiosity, and god knows we need more of that."

Wesley was interested in this because he was naturally inquisitive. Considering that he would have even gone to college on a scholarship, he was probably naturally brilliant. His nature guided the direction of his interest. For Hector, the circumstances had done that. Born into the bourgeois, the son of a prominent politician, the game of thrones was presented before him at such an early age. It was impossible not to develop an interest, and with that interest, the attitude.

But he reserved the attitude for business, and he was still on vacation.

"You asked me if something similar had taken place in my own world. Truth is—"

There were many good reasons for Hector to not reveal that he was the "White Knight." Basic security, for one. It was bad business to associate his pseudonyms with "Hector Winthrop." Good practice, for two. Relaxing in a leisure setting was acceptable, developing bad habits was not. His own appreciable levels of paranoia, for three. Being wrong about a potential threat was annoying for the first four times until it turned out that he was actually right.

But Wesley was a companion, an equal, and a friend. Didn't he deserve at least some honesty from Hector?

Once he even mentioned the word "Odyssey" to Wesley, his control over the spread of that information ended. If Wesley spoke of it to the people from the chatroom, he would be immediately associated with his screenname.

Hector lowered his voice. "—well, really, I'd rather you not speak of this to anybody else, seeing as I would like to keep my background confidential, if only in these "bridges." You see—woah are those wings?"

Scrambling upwards, Hector stood. "Uh, Wesley, look behind you."

Talking dogs were one matter. Dragon-things? Those were something entirely different.

edited 29th May '11 12:31:01 AM by Chubert

Whatcha gonna do, little buckaroo? | i be pimpin' madoka fics
Gault Laugh and grow dank! from beyond the kingdom Since: Feb, 2010 Relationship Status: P.S. I love you
Laugh and grow dank!
#225: May 29th 2011 at 12:43:26 AM

I'm not entirely sure whether he walks on two legs or four, you might want to provide a little more description aside from just being dragonlike.

Wesley craned his neck around, following Harold's eyes. "Okay, what-" Something was standing there. His gaze fell upon an apparent newcomer. It was rather large, covered in silver scales and vaguely saurian, with a pointed snout and two large, leathery wings.

"Just what in the Hell is that!?" he exclaimed, sounding panicked. He scrambled to his feet. Wesley had left his rifle lying in the grass a good ways away. All he had on him was his service revolver, which he doubted would put so much as a scratch on those thick scales. He shot a look of grave concern at Harold.

edited 29th May '11 2:00:09 AM by Gault

yey

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