BC's Best... Cottages?

Personal homes and private lots.
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bc56
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BC's Best... Cottages?

Post by bc56 »

So far, nothing here is a cottage. But I needed a word for "house" that started with C.
Like many such threads, this is an aggregate of home-like locations used by my characters.
► Brignole Manor
► SHOW SPOILER
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[Brignole Manor]

Areshkagal has two things, technically, that are within her portfolio.

Riddles.

And portals.

That doesn't really mean portals only in the sense of the swirly magical sort. But rather, portals as in thresholds. Doorways. Halls. Liminal spaces. The locations that are between. And while she didn't take much power with her from home 'Eu' still has quite a bit of access to the specific things she's a goddess of.

Sekhmet had given directions to her home, but Eu isn't actually going to walk there. That would be kind of silly.

Instead there's simply a knock at the door.

toktoktok

If there's a peep-hole looking out through it won't reveal anyone. But should the door be OPENED then Eu and Aivu will be waiting on the other side, the former still in her absurd tourist outfit and the latter craning her neck around curiously to see all the sights.
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Re: BC's Best... Cottages?

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Brignole Manor
Knock knock.

Sekhmet peers through the peephole and sees no one. Weird. The house is far too remote for someone to ding dong ditch her. She opens the door. "Oh! Eu! Come on in!" She has her infant son cradled in her other arm. "Do you want anything? Tea?"
Sekhmet is determined to be a good host. Especially to a visiting totally-not-a-god who offered to help her.
She leads Eu into the kitchen, through a sitting area where a teenage demoness is sitting and doing schoolwork. She glances up in surprise at the unexpected guest but doesn't say anything.
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[Brignole Manor]

"It's me!" Eu replies with a laugh that's reminiscent of the distant rumble of a springtime storm, full of power and life. She follows Sekhmet in, looking around curiously. "Tea sounds great. I'm really not that picky."

Honestly she wouldn't mind some shedeh but the chances of Sekhmet having any wine made from red grapes and pomegranate are probably pretty slim.

"Ooh, a tiny child. What a cutie!" she coos at the baby, providing some requisite silly noises and equally silly faces.

While Eu and Sekhmet are both occupied Aivu slides up along side Mary and whispers, "Psst. Where do you keep the cookies?" Mary may or may not be surprised that the dragon has a voice that one would probably associates with a young, mischievous girl. More akin to one of Mrs Frescot's rambunctious younger daughters than to a majestic being of shiny draconic majesty.
Last edited by Rebonack on May 28, 2023 10:15 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: BC's Best... Cottages?

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Brignole Manor
The child laughs. "Ga-gas?" "This is Aethelred," Sekhmet says, "And that's Mary. My children." She starts a kettle boiling. "So, uh, is this visit good news?"
Meanwhile, Mary glances at the little dragon. Should she? Ah, why not? "Cupboard left of the fridge, top shelf." I'm sure no trouble will come of that at all.
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[Brignole Manor]

Aivu nods and begins ambling in the direction of what she assumes is the fridge, given that's what Mary nodded towards. Just a totally innocent havoc dragon here doing totally innocent havoc dragon things, nothing to worry about or pay attention to.

"They're both cuties. Or the baby is a cutie and the teen is a lovely young lady,"
Eu says and then quickly amends. "And pretty good news, actually! I put my head together with Desna and Sarenrae and we came up with-"

Dramatic pause.

"-this!"

It's an egg.

Or something shaped sort of like an egg, anyway. Its surface shimmers and shifts like the crystal clear water of an oasis, flashing with points of sunlight and starlight.

"Riddles, especially the riddle of eudaemonia, and the thresholds one must step through to find the answers. Dreams and journeys. Healing and redemption. Those are the wheelhouses of me and my colleagues who worked on this thing together. So they idea is pretty simple. You keep this somewhere in your realm and it provides dreams. Dreams of what has been lost. Dreams of what could be. A steady journey toward redemption and the living of a good life."

Eu sets the dream egg down on the table. Should Sekhmet touch it she'll find it's warm to her hand. A pleasant warmth, like a summer evening right after a storm. A warmth that refreshes and cleanses.

"It isn't a solution. But it might be the first step in a long voyage toward one."
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Re: BC's Best... Cottages?

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Brignole Manor
Mary was about to "a-hem" to the cutie comment, but since Eu backpedaled, it's not necessary. She's watching Aivu but not interfering.
Probably good that someone's at least watching, because Sekhmet's eyes are on the egg. "Dreams?" she asks, but of course there's an explanation. "So, uh, these dreams can serve as a, uh, motivation?" Sekhmet gingerly brushes her fingers against the dream egg, as if afraid she'll shatter it by accident. "How does it... Work?"
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[Brignole Manor]

"Dreams."

Very highly explanational.

"Dreams always serve as a motivation. This isn't just dreams like... images in your mind when you're asleep. It's about aspirations and goals and desires, too. It sounds like, right now, the demons in your realm don't really dream. There's no actual FUTURE for them. They're just a big ball of want. There's only the present impulse and that's it. This thingy will help turn their eyes toward the horizon and what COULD be," Eu says, tapping the egg with a finger. "I don't know if something like this would even WORK on any of the material planes. It's meant to work in a divine domain, sorta. The domain is yours and this thing is kind of a focus for your own power with OUR power working as a filter and an amplifier. So long as you've got it in your domain and want it to do its job it'll do its thing."

Then?

She smiles awkwardly and rubs the back of her neck.

"I'm not, ah, haha, really able to give much more of a technical explanation than that. I mostly do the magic I do on instinct alone. What feels right, you know? I couldn't explain the arcane hows and whats to save my life."

And while everyone else is distracted Aivu with expertly and stealthily slink up to the cookie shelf and ease it open to peek inside.
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Re: BC's Best... Cottages?

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Brignole Manor
"Thank you. I, uh, I understand. It will help, but..." she's run through this in her head, and it comes up short. "They're still corrupted. As long as they need to commit evil to survive, it won't be enough. I need to cure them of their, uh, hunger. And a way to make that change stick. I, uh, don't suppose you know anyone who..." A loud crash interrupts her train of thought.
You see, while she was talking, Aivu had successfully reached the shelf with the cookie jar on it. However, that shelf wasn't built to take that much weight.
It gives way, sending, Aivu, the glass cookie jar, and several boxes of crackers toppling down to the floor.
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Re: BC's Best... Cottages?

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[Brignole Manor]

"Well see that's why this is the start of the journey instead of the whole journey," Eu replies with a broad smile. "You'll need to find more help, I'll bet. If my adventuring experience tells me anything it's that you'll need three McGuffins in order to finish your quest."

Then a shrug.

"Don't ask why it's three. It's always three McGuffins."

Always.

But then DISASTER STRIKES!

Eu and Sekhmet will turn just in time to find Aivu laying on her back in the middle of the floor, the cookie jar perched precariously atop her paws and feet.

"Don't worry I saved the cookies!" the little dragon announces.
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Re: BC's Best... Cottages?

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Brignole Manor
Sekhmet turns at the sound and stares dumbfounded. Fortunately the awkward silence is broken by a new sound. "Snrrk. Hehehe. Hahahahaha!" Mary apparently can't help but laugh aloud at Aivu's antics.
"You could've just asked," Sekhmet points out, "You can have a couple, after you clean everything up." She turns back to Eu. Where was I? "Right. I think you're right. I need two other things to make this work. I, uh, need a cure for what my mother did to her subjects, to force them into debauchery. Once they're no longer dependent on it, they will be free to grow into the dreams. And, uh, I need something else, to, uh, bind the effects of the other parts into their souls so that real change can take place. I, uh, don't suppose you have any idea where I could get something like either of those?" Sekhmet's not exactly hopeful on that. She might have to do some reading. She's heard Inside has a good occult library.
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[Brignole Manor]

"But! But but havoc dragons don't CLEAN messes! We MAKE messes!" Aivu laments pathetically.

"Clean up the mess, Aivu. Just make it fun and it'll go by quickly,"
Eu insists, at which the dragon sulks and flops around dramatically but eventually gets to work.

Surprisingly, Aivu is actually doing a pretty decent job. She ends up turning into a sing-songy game to see if she can complete the whole challenge while standing only on her hind feet.

Anywho!

Eu offers an apologetic smile.

"No idea, sorry. It sounds like what you really need is help from someone with lots of experience healing souls. Or something. Honestly I've got no clue. Like I said before, I don't really KNOW magic I just DO magic. The hows and whys have never made much sense to me."
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Brignole Manor
Aivu is rewarded for her effort with two cookies! They're just normal chocolate chip ones.
"That's okay. I guess, uh, I'll have to go to a library and look for options." Sekhmet isn't sure what to do but research is always a possibility. "Is there anything else I can do for you while you're here?"
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[Brignole Manor]

"Nope! That was about it! Hey goodluck with your project, alright?" Eu says as she takes Aivu by the tail (who was sneaking toward the cookies again) and dragons the small dragon off through the door.

"Nuuuuu I wanted more!"


Wow. Life sure is interesting, isn't it?


[The Hideout]


Hideouts aren't any good if everyone knows where they are.

That's why Morning Glory makes a point of not showing up around here in costume. The humble yard care mare is probably better known by the general public as HORSETAIL! A costumed equestrian with the power create and control... well. Horsetails. Like the plant. One wouldn't think that horsetail plants wouldn't be particularly dangerous BUT THEN YOU WOULD BE WRONG!

Mostly she makes a big show of arriving with her landscaping supplies in a little one-pony cart and tending to the various gardens and planter boxes around the waterfront. It's pretty well known that equestrians, earth ponies especially, And that appears to be all that Morning Glory is ever up to. Just a earthy brown mare with a dark green mane and tail and a glyph of a little white trumpet-shaped flower surrounded by a sunny yellow glow.

Nothing at all odd to see here.

Once she's done tending to the flowers she heads over toward a certain unremarkable warehouse, clearly to just put her tools away in the obviously unused building.
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Re: BC's Best... Cottages?

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Brignole Manor
"Good bye! Good luck!" Sekhmet shows her guests to the door. "Thanks for your help."

Hideout
Jason opens the door for Morning Glory. "MG? I didn't expect to see you. Here about the news?" What news? Has MG heard anything? Jason doesn't look happy, so it's probably not good news.
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[Hideout]

Jason has probably been around Morning Glory enough to pick up on equestrian body language.

When the door is opened she has that bright, sunshiney smile with her ears perked forward. And at the 'news' statement that expression wilts like a flower that hasn't been getting enough water. Her skin twitches a bit, her tail lashing as if she were trying to swat away a fly that doesn't exist.

"What news?" Morning Glory asks, her tone suddenly thick with concern. "Or should I come in first?" she asks, one ear swiveling back toward the pier in vain search for any hooligans who might be listening in.
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Hideout
"Yeah come in." No sense in leaving the door hanging open. "Surprised you haven't heard. It's been all over the news." Jason closes the door behind Morning Glory. "Jade's been indicted for murder." What? Jade is a law-abiding citizen. She wouldn't murder anyone, would she?
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[Hideout]

Glory dips her head under her cart and pulls it into the hideout, allowing Jason to shut the door behind her because, well, mostly because human doors can be something of a pain for someone with hooves.

"I'll admit I don't pay that much attention to the news. Television really isn't a popular passtime in Carousel Court," Glory replies.

And then she gasps.

GASPS!

"W-what? No! HOW? She's staunchly opposed to heroes killing. How did anyone come to that conclusion?"
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Hideout
Holding the door for your guests is just courteous. MG's hooves have nothing to do with it.
"It's not about hero business (thankfully). Even if it was there are only 5-ish people outside this room who know her secret identity." So Jade didn't get found in costume, it seems.
"So this girl got murdered," Jason begins to explain, "It's nasty stuff, I recommend you don't look up the pictures. But the murderer was, pretty clearly, a kumiho." But Jade's not a kumiho... At least not anymore. The victim was drugged and then her heart ripped out... You know the idea. But there was apparently enough noise to alert a neighbor, who managed to spot a nine-tailed fox girl fleeing the scene. The police searched the area and found exactly one nine-tailed fox, so..." Jason frowns. "I can't believe she would kill someone like that. I'm sure she was cured." She couldn't have done it, right? Right?
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[Hideout]

Morning Glory looks suitably disgusted by all this.

Mostly by the murder, which she finds repulsive, but also by the fact that-

"So they just grabbed the first nine-tailed fox they noticed?" she says, looking pretty irritated by all this. "I'm not an expert on this, but my understanding is that ACTUAL kumiho are adept at illusions to a degree that they can create a whole hallucinatory landscape. If any actual kumiho were responsible I doubt it would just... let the police grab it."

It seems to strain credibility.

"Ripping someone's heart out isn't clean. Jade wasn't bloodied, was she?"

That would definitely be a troubling bit of evidence.
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Hideout
"I don't think a real Kumiho would leave such a mess either," Jason adds. "No, but they still say they have irrefutable evidence linking her to the scene of the crime." He shakes his head. "I haven't had a chance to look into it, and I really don't want to associate Hoplite with this case if I can help it. We've got to keep our alter egos secret." He continues, "We intend to fight this as hard as we can in court, but we don't have the information we need to mount a good defense." By "we" he means himself, Jade, and their lawyer, Mr. Notappearinginthisscene Esq.
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[Brignole Manor]

"...Ugh."

An outside observer would be forgiven for not understanding the complexities of the above declaration. The Onyx King's Head Priestess has, over the course of the previous several hundred years, developed for her own use a highly efficient tongue, comprised mostly of various groans, moans, and huffs. A fluent speaker would be able to tell exactly what she meant, but sadly, there are none present. A rough translation would show annoyance at the lengthy carriage ride up to what she was told was a manor, but which she finds to be an underwhelming cottage out in the boonies. Of particular note is the manor's mere three floors and... dear lord, is that a workshop? Do they make their own stuff here? Is she going to walk in and find this supposed demon queen churning her own butter, as well?

...Well, whatever. She's not staying for long.

Jubilee clicks open the door to her ebony carriage and grabs her scythe from its position opposite her, daintily stepping down onto the path up toward the front entrance. She gives a little wave to the dullahan driving her carriage, indicating that he should go and see if there's a proper place to park around here somewhere while she goes up to have some words with this... what was her name again? Set? Selkhet? Something vaguely Egyptian-sounding, she remembers.

...Quite a bit longer a walk than it looked, though. Maybe she should find some way to entertain herself on the way up?

"I don't want to set the world on fire~" Jubilee half-sings, half-hums to herself as she twirls her scythe offhandedly. "I just want to start~ a flame in your heart~"

Hmph. In another life, she probably could have been a jazz singer, now that she thinks about it. Maybe she should see if there are any openings at Bloodsong's. Nothing permanent, but maybe an open mic night? Something to think about.

"In my heart I have but one desire~ And that one is you, no other will do~"
Who're you? ...Don't matter.

Want some rye? Course ya do!

Here's to us!
Who's like us?
Damn few,
And they're aaaaall dead.
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Brignole Manor
The demon queen does not, in fact, churn her own butter. She, does, however, grow her own vegetables. In fact, the garden is where she is as Jubilee approaches.
She hears the singing and stands up. The queen of succubi looks probably nothing like expected. She has the right body shape, but the simple homely dress and dirt-caked hands are not common to succubi or to royalty. "Hello? Can I help you?"
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[Hideout]

"I'll admit that I'm no detective, but I feel like we shouldn't leave this alone," Glory says, giving her tail an irritated flick. "Where did this happen? Have you been in contact with Jade to find out why she was there?"

There's definitely something wrong.

Definitely something fishy. Did the fox that did this set Jade up intentionally? Kumiho are dangerous creatures. Often capricious. And almost always inhuman in their predilections. Maybe it just wanted to make Jade suffer arbitrarily? Or was she just caught in this by chance?

The first thing to do will be to check the the surroundings. No doubt Intersection is doing that already, but it just doesn't feel right to sit by and leave this all to strangers.
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[Brignole Manor]

Jubilee abruptly cuts off her song, looking down at the admittedly attractive but altogether far too dirty woman who thought she had the right to speak to her.

Uuuugh. Why do these rustic types always feel the need to do that?

"I hope so, for your sake." Jubilee mutters, a dour frown forming on her face as she gazes down at Sekhmet imperiously. "Go and fetch your mistress. I would have words with her about a rather important matter."

What was it again? Something about altering the fabric of another reality? Something on that level of tedium, she thinks.
Who're you? ...Don't matter.

Want some rye? Course ya do!

Here's to us!
Who's like us?
Damn few,
And they're aaaaall dead.
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Hideout
"She tells me she was never at the crime scene. She was in a cafe, the murder was in a flat upstairs in the same building." It is fishy. Jason agrees. Maybe Jade was specifically targeted. But why?
"I'm not great at reading nonhuman faces, but I think I know that look," Jason comments, "You want to investigate." He does too, it's just, "Intersection won't take kindly to us poking around 'their' crime scene."

Brignole Manor
Ugh. This lady sure is full of herself. At least pompous aristocrats are more tolerable than paparazzi. Still, the point of being out in the middle of nowhere is to make it more difficult for them to find this place, so Sekhmet and her family can have a little peace and quiet. "You might want to try that again," Sekhmet draws herself up to her full height, the dirt melting off her hands and clothes like water and a burnished crown appearing on her forehead. After that outburst, she's clearly less friendly and more guarded about this encounter. Jubilee may have just blown her chance.
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[Brignole Manor]

"Oh, good. Saved me the trouble." Jubilee deadpans. "But you might consider speaking up sooner next time. Poor communication kills, you know." She accentuates this statement with a knock to the head, as though Sekhmet's forehead were a door she needed to get through. "But I suppose that doesn't matter now. Waste of time, lingering on it any further."

She plants her scythe into the ground and leans against it, the blade resting under her chin. "My name is Jubi Constanze. You do not have permission to call me that. High Priestess Jubilee is my official title and I strongly suggest you use it. I serve the Onyx King, and..." The priestess trails off and lets out a sigh. "...And you have no context for any of that. We'll dispense with the formalities and get down to business. I heard through the grapevine that you have need of an animakinetic. For a project you're working on, regarding your citizens and their predicament. Am I correct?" She raises her hand. "Don't answer that, I know I am. What I do want to know is what you're willing to pay for my services."
Who're you? ...Don't matter.

Want some rye? Course ya do!

Here's to us!
Who's like us?
Damn few,
And they're aaaaall dead.
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Re: BC's Best... Cottages?

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Brignole Manor
When Jubilee attempts the head-knocking, she will find that Sekhmet is quite literally hot, hot enough to leave a painful burn. She is not tolerant of this impertinent nonsense and increasingly ready to kick this self-important "high priestess" off her property. "First of all, you may address me as 'Your infernal majesty, queen Sekhmet of the Scorching Depths,'" she points out. It's not even her full title, but enough of it. "Secondly, absolutely not. Even if there were such a project, I would not trust a complete stranger, especially one beholden to a power I know nothing about, especially one who claimed knowledge of a secret project and must have obtained that knowledge illicitly, especially one that is rude and disrespectful to me and my servants," (or rather someone she assumed was Sekhmet's servant), "I would not allow such a person to work on any sensitive projects of any manner, and I certainly wouldn't pay her to do so. Not to mention that you haven't even told me what services you are offering." Sekhmet doesn't seem angry so much as greatly annoyed. "I have have a mind to have you throw off my property and dragged back to town if you don't clean up your act or leave of your own accord."
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[Brignole Manor]

"...Well."

For the first time since arriving here, Jubilee manages a small smile. The burn to her hand doesn't seem to bother her so much; she apparently thinks so little of it she's willing to give Sekhmet's shoulder an affectionate punch and risk a second one, with the same part of her hand, no less. "You have no idea how refreshing it is to hear that sort of candor." She... croons? It might have seemed as though she were physically incapable of making that noise. "Very well, then, Your Infernal Majesty (I'm not using more of your title than that, nobody has that kind of time)." She leans up against her scythe and beckons to one of the plants Sekhmet was tending to, willing it to grow until it's sporting a nice, ripe tomato. "You don't mind, do you?"

Regardless of the response, Jubilee leans forward, resting both of her hands on the blade of her scythe. "I'm what you might call an inhibition specialist." She explains. "Specifically in matters of removing compulsions and inhibitions. Bringing freedom to souls that bear excessive burdens of self-denial and self-ignorance. Which includes myself, of course." She points to her mouth. "So, you know, no filter. I'm literally not capable of lying to you, even so much as it would take to be considered 'polite' by hoity-toity types like yourself. The other courtiers give me sh-... give me grief over it all the time." She gives a dismissive wave. "Can't say it doesn't bother me, but I usually get the last laugh. Idiots tend to change their tune quickly when they actually need me for something."

"And if you don't believe me, because liars tend to tell you they're not lying to you, yeah, okay, I'll give you permission to do whatever psychic pokery you need to in order to be satisfied. I know you can do it, don't bother denying it." She runs her nails along the outer edge of her scythe.

A terrible start
She would no sooner trust you
Than behead herself


"I'm well aware." Jubilee says, giving her scythe a little tap. "But frankly, that's her problem, isn't it?"

That is your problem.
She will not pay you for work
When she can't trust you.


"...Salient point." Jubilee frowns, stroking the blade. "Any recommendations?"

Silence.

"...I was hoping for something more useful than pointing out problems." Jubilee mutters to herself.
Who're you? ...Don't matter.

Want some rye? Course ya do!

Here's to us!
Who's like us?
Damn few,
And they're aaaaall dead.
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bc56
Poster from Beyond the Veil
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Joined: Jul 25, 2022 3:09 pm
Location: Sector ZZ9 Plural Z Alpha

Re: BC's Best... Cottages?

Post by bc56 »

Brignole Manor
Hoity-toity? This is coming from the woman who assumed Sekhmet was a servant because she had dirt on her hands.
Sekhmet can sense lies without having to do any invasive psychic examination, but she's still highly skeptical. After all, by not swearing, Jubilee just demonstrated that she in fact does have a filter.
"What makes you think I need someone to remove inhibitions?" Sekhmet is perfectly happy with her own inhibitions, and although she can see the usefulness to her project, that's supposed to be a secret and she's hoping feigning ignorance will get the stranger to reveal her source. Then Sekhmet will be able to close the leak, so to speak. She absolutely cannot have this getting out to her subjects before it's ready.
Avatar by me! No more outsourcing!
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