GLoG

Herein lies the various threads in which our characters live out their lives
Ironsmith
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Re: GLoG

Post by Ironsmith »

[Grounds]

...She wasn't even listening?

Ugh. This girl's barely said a word and she's already getting on Braon's last nerve. She should just turn around now and take her present with her. Clearly Khannie doesn't deserve it.

Braon takes a deep breath and bites her tongue. If she turned around now, what would she say to Sophie? "Sorry, I can't be grateful to someone who saved my life because she annoys the snot out of me?" Yeah, she'll take that well.

Stick to the plan, Braon. Stick to the plan.

"I... realized I never properly thanked you." Braon begins again, drumming her fingers on the parcel. "For what you did the night my children were born. Madame Mouchabiere tells me that if you hadn't intervened, I probably wouldn't be alive today." She pulls the parcel in closer, before setting it in front of Khannie. "So I made you a little something, to, ah... do just that. To thank you."


Inside the package, there's a big, floppy, pointy-tipped, wide-brimmed hat, the sort that might be used as part of a Halloween costume of Khannie was interested in going as a witch. The fabric is a murky brown, giving it a look comparable to worn leather.

And, of course, it's magical, if Khannie has any way of telling, but it won't be entirely clear how, apart from the bit where a spirit lives inside of it.
Who're you? ...Don't matter.

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Rebonack
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Re: GLoG

Post by Rebonack »

[Grounds]

Okay yeah.

That's an expression Khannie recognizes.

Carefully controlled frustration.

...yeah she'll admit she could have been less abrupt than she just was. But Braon is just such a JERK. She tried checking in on her the night after the whole baby thing and she basically got told off. She had thought helping save her would earn at least a LITTLE respect but apparently not.

Which is, in turn, why Braon is here now?

To apologize for being a jerk and thank her?

Just a bit late for that but whatever.

Khannie's eyes flick to Braon, then down to the box, then to the feindling again.

"Thanks?" she replies a bit hesitantly before carefully opening it, half way expecting a bunch of enchanted chattering teeth to leap out and latch onto her face or something. There aren't any teeth in the box, though. Just a hat. Khannie furrows her brow at it.

"It looks nice? What sorta enchantment did you put on it?" Khannie asks, knowing full well that of course there will be an enchantment on it.
Ironsmith
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Re: GLoG

Post by Ironsmith »

[Grounds]

"I'm glad you asked." Braon says, unfolding the hat and plopping it on Khannie's head. "I'm sure your boyfriend's told you how this works already. There's a little bit of me in there. In this case, it's the part of me that holds grudges." She holds up her hand. "Not that it's malicious or anything. But I do tend to hold onto things. Piss me off and I stay pissed. Make me happy and I stay happy. Madame Mouchabiere calls it, um..." She snaps her fingers as she tries to recall it. "Roo... ru... something. You know what, it doesn't matter. The point is, the part of me that does that, lives in your hat."

"It's not a precise magic, but I have a rough idea of what it should do." She continues. "If you think of something when you put it on, it'll be played on repeat until you take it off again. If someone tries to read your mind, that's what they'll hear. Focus on a spell when you put it on, and the hat will keep doing it for you. Think of something you want to remember, and it'll remember it for you. And so on." She sits at the table with a little groan. "From what I hear, that's something you could get a lot of use from."
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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Rebonack
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Re: GLoG

Post by Rebonack »

[Grounds]

Bomph!

Khannie now has a hat on her head.

She absolutely doesn't act bashful or anything when her boyfriend is brought up. That is absolutely not Khannie's style. She does, however, adjust the hat atop her head a little.

"Okay so it remembers stuff," Khannie retorts. "That's cool. Dunno if I've had any problems with mind readers but if it can hang onto a spell formula so I don't have to that's pretty neat. Kinda like a pearl of power I guess."

Khannie doesn't have any of those.

But she knows OF them.

They're really handy!

You can imbue them with a spell formula and it'll just hang out in there until you use it! Nice for stocking up on spells.

"So... Thanks for the hat. And, I guess, sorry about being a butt when you asked me to stop setting off the fireworks. I didn't have to be a jerk about it," Khannie says after a few seconds of hesitation. Admitting that yeah, she probably wasn't being very nice when she reacted the way that she did is tough. She has a tendency to really double down on things. Hopefully Braon will appreciate it.
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Re: GLoG

Post by Ironsmith »

[Grounds]

...Come again?

Was... was that an apology?

Granted, Braon doesn't know Khannie that well. For all she knows, this is typical behavior of her.

But this has to be the first time, in a long while, that anybody's ever admitted to ill treatment. Everyone else has been content to simply stay on irreversibly hostile terms... even Sophie more often than not would just shrug off any retaliation without making any actual concessions.

So for a moment, Braon just sits there, completely speechless.

"I... well..." Braon awkwardly clears her throat. "I half-drowned you and your dog immediately afterward. How about we just call it even?"
Who're you? ...Don't matter.

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Rebonack
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Re: GLoG

Post by Rebonack »

[Grounds]

Huh.

Speechless wasn't really the reaction Khannie was expecting there. Blowing it off, maybe. Or rubbing it in. But not honest to goodness surprise. Is this lady just totally unfamiliar with people treating her nice?

Well, whatever.

"Yeah I guess we're even then," Khannie replies, turning her attention back to her book.

Altering the binding like THAT should strengthen the illusions a bit more. If she can reinforce the shadows to take three tolls before they scatter that should hypothetically give Khannie enough time to deck whoever is ringing the bell.

"Okay Maridia," Khannie says, the fairy dragon perking up at her voice. "Ring the bell. One time to start."

The bell tolls, clear and clean.

Spirits in the area find the sound extremely distressing and will likely try to flee.
Last edited by Rebonack on Mar 16, 2023 3:17 am, edited 1 time in total.
Ironsmith
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Re: GLoG

Post by Ironsmith »

[Grounds]

"ACH!"

At the sound of knees hitting dirt, Khannie will likely find herself turning to see Braon collapsed to the ground, one hand over her heart and the other furiously attempting to unclasp her cloak, which is flapping in some unfelt wind and pulling away from her, coming across Braon's neck as a result and throttling her in the process of trying to flee that awful sound.

The hat Khannie just got will be doing something similar, blowing off her head and rolling away from her across the ground, just a bit slower than she can run; if she hurries, she might be able to catch it before it hits the lake.
Who're you? ...Don't matter.

Want some rye? Course ya do!

Here's to us!
Who's like us?
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And they're aaaaall dead.
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Rebonack
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Re: GLoG

Post by Rebonack »

[Grounds]

Khannie's teen girl illusion flickers very briefly, but otherwise holds. And a buncha other stuff happens, too. Like Braon acting like that hurt and clothing fleeing in every direction.

Oh right.

Enchantments bind spirits to stuff, don't they?

"Heckin BEANS"

Khannie mostly ignores the hat flopping away and heads straight from Braon.

"Don't ring that bell again Maridia!" Khannie yells over her shoulder at the fairy dragon who was about to give the bell another clap. "Heck I didn't think that would do anything to enchantments sorry are you okay?"
Last edited by Rebonack on Mar 16, 2023 3:16 am, edited 1 time in total.
Ironsmith
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Re: GLoG

Post by Ironsmith »

[Grounds]

"What does it *ack* look like?!" Braon demands, shoving her fingers under her cloak in an attempt to make room for her trachea. "Can't... breathe!"

The hat, meanwhile, promptly plops into the lake nearby and "swims" to the bottom. It's not likely Khannie will be able to retrieve it without help.
Who're you? ...Don't matter.

Want some rye? Course ya do!

Here's to us!
Who's like us?
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Rebonack
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Re: GLoG

Post by Rebonack »

[Grounds]

Okay that is kind of a jerk way to reply but being fair Khannie's question WAS kinda dumb. Dumb questions or no it's time to roll up her sleeves and help.

Rolling up her sleeves, in this case, involves peeling the teen girl illusion off her arms to expose her paws. Mostly because without the illusion she can interact with ghosts, spirits, and other insubstantial entities as if they were physical things.

She's going to grab that cloak choking Braon and drag it back toward the fiendling. Or less grab the cloak and more grab the spirits IN the cloak.

"You jerks settle down," she chides the spirits.
Last edited by Rebonack on Mar 16, 2023 3:16 am, edited 1 time in total.
Ironsmith
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Re: GLoG

Post by Ironsmith »

[Grounds]

Thankfully, it's just the one spirit. And even failing to account for their physical disparity, spiritually, wrestling it down is something like a contest between Khannie, a fully-evolved Zoroark, and... an ant. The sort that crawls between cracks in the sidewalk.

The cloak settles immediately, dropping down into placidity as though it were made of lead.

"Huuuaaaah!" Braon gasps raggedly, her breath slowly and shakily calming back down to something resembling normalcy, her other hand still over her heart. Her pulse still seems to be going absurdly fast; Khannie will be able to hear it, even without any enhanced foxgirl senses.

"...Let... let me see that bell." Braon wheezes, sitting up against a nearby tree trunk.
Who're you? ...Don't matter.

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Rebonack
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Re: GLoG

Post by Rebonack »

[Grounds]

Geeze.

The bell really freaked Braon out. Not just her enchanted stuff, either. It really made Khannie's hackles stand up the first time she heard it. She had ALMOST backed away like that weird rat spirit did. But if course she was being responsible for the kids at the time and there's no way she was going to shirk that responsibility.

"Uh, sure?" she replies, taking the bell with one paw from Maridia. "Just be careful with it, okay? The creep we had to answer riddles from to get it called it an angel treasure."
Last edited by Rebonack on Mar 16, 2023 3:16 am, edited 1 time in total.
Ironsmith
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Re: GLoG

Post by Ironsmith »

[Grounds]

Braon picks up the bell and turns it over in her hands. "If it is, it's not the sort of angel you'd want to deal with." She says, audibly struggling to keep her voice level. "Maybe you didn't notice, but spirits went running in every direction when you rang this thing. Do you have any idea just how many of them there are, in the immediate area alone?"

Braon slowly shakes her head. "Four score, at least. You only saw two, but I have a third inside of me that was also not too happy about that. And there are more everywhere who simply don't make themselves known. Spirits of nature, of the dead, radiant soul echoes... if you know to look for them, you can find them." She gives the bell a little shake for emphasis, her hand clamped down around it to keep it from sounding. "This thing is not a toy. Every time you use it, you hurt people, a lot of people. Use it in the wrong place, at the wrong time, and you could kill some-"

Braon cuts herself off, looking the bell over for a moment, before going to pocket it. "You shouldn't be playing with this. I'm going to have to take it away." She says, in her best this-is-for-your-own-good voice.
Who're you? ...Don't matter.

Want some rye? Course ya do!

Here's to us!
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And they're aaaaall dead.
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Re: GLoG

Post by Gullara »

Thursday Violist wrote: Mar 07, 2023 5:11 am [Treasure Hunting]

The treasure hunter helmet came of remarkably easily1 Manja's glad for that.

She does find it a little hard to nap, though.
First! There's that irritating bell sound! Ugh, it's really irritatingly beautiful! And just regular irritating, too! It needs to stop! Plus, the awful smell of weird gross berries gone bad, and then it makes Khannie's hand suddenly feel weird and less warm! And, even worse, it all happens at the same time!

Yeah, Manja decides it's an irritating bell. Makes it hard to rest.

The kitten looks down from Khannie's hand, and decides she's going to bail if a chance comes up. If the ground gets close enough. She looks, and waits, and if an appropriate time comes, tries to hop back down to the ground. It's probably about time to leave this cave, anyway, she thinks. Especially with that rotten berry smell.
The kitten looks annoyed at the pooka for smelling so weird.
And then, (if she did manage to get down!) crosses back over the rainbow bridge, to lead the way back. Y'know, in case anybody gets lost on the way back, she can lead the way and make sure no more rats show up.
Rebonack wrote: Mar 07, 2023 3:41 pm [Treasure Hunting]

Okay what the heck just happened?

Khannie tries whispering to the shadows to get them to listen to her but they're... scared? Like the sound of the bell scared them away. Some kind of dispel? No, that isn't it. She's learned about dispelling at school. That's just fouling active spellwork. Inserting gibberish into the formula so it doesn't process right anymore. This is something different. Like the spirits her sorcery relies on are too worried about the bell to hear her. And it messed up the... what even is that thing?

A boogiemonster?

It sounds like its magic got messed up, too.

Whatever that bell is, spirits seem to be leery of its sound. Even the boogiemonster is backing away from Lucy since she's still holding it.

At Tuskfang's question Khannie makes some zoroark noises and touches her throat with one paw. She can't talk like this, at least to people who aren't pokemon. She HAS been learning a translation spell just in case her illusions fail but she hasn't quite got it yet so fox sounds it is. Seeing that Lucy is absolutely freaked out by the weird looking black monster Khannie steps forward and uses some communication that pretty much any animal can understand.

She bears her teeth and snarls at the pooka.

"Haha, fine fine I get it!" the creature titters as he prances further away, receding into the dark until only his luminous eyes and grin are visible. "I won't follow you, I promise."

Then the eyes close and the smile wanes and the spirit is gone again.

Khannie glares at where it was a few seconds longer before padding over to the treasure chest and grabbing the handle on one side with her paw. Then she gestures at the opposite handle with her OTHER paw before gesturing toward the mouth of the cave. Manja has already set out! That means it's time to go!
Morty wrote: Mar 07, 2023 6:40 pm [Treasure Hunting]

"Yeah, let's go!" Any fear or apprehension Tuskfang may have felt about the spirit is gone, replaced by their triumph as treasure-hunters. "We can show everyone what we found!"
[Treasure Hunting]

Lucy looks at the spot where the spirit vanishes for a moment before she agrees with a nod. She helps to heft the chest and is more than eager to leave the cave. That little reveal has soured things a bit, and it shows. Hopefully they can do some cheering up.
Image
~Images by Soushiyo
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Rebonack
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Re: GLoG

Post by Rebonack »

[Grounds]

"I don't really sense spirits or whatever. I've gotta go all-" Khannie makes a vague poofy motion with her hands, the meaning and intent of which isn't really clear. "-in order to really see 'em. Dunno what sorta angel the treasures came from this is the only thing that seemed serious."

When it's mentioned someone could have died Khannie seems taken aback. That doesn't even make SENSE.

"Have you got a spirit powered pace-maker or something?" she asks, half seriously. "I feel it every time I use it, too. It's creepy and makes me wanna find a hole to hide in. I-"

Then Braon says she's not giving it back.

"What? No! It's MINE I did a whole treasure hunt thing to find it."

She's already moving to try to take her bell back.

"I know it's not a toy I'm doin' science with it give it here!"
Last edited by Rebonack on Mar 16, 2023 3:15 am, edited 1 time in total.
Ironsmith
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Re: GLoG

Post by Ironsmith »

[Grounds]

"No. I just have him bound to my heart and if you agitate him enough, he'll evacuate and take a couple of vital organs with him." Braon replies completely seriously. "And that's not unique to me. What about those magical girls that come around every so often? Or what if, Adea forbid, some other fiendling turns up here at GLoG?"

She can already think of one prominent example, but she won't say his name out loud. Both she and Khannie would likely see him being bodily ripped apart by several hundred fleeing spirits going on a diaspora to be an absolute win.

Holding the bell up over her head to take advantage of their height difference, Braon continues. "Whatever you mean by that, it involves ringing this thing where dozens of innocent spirits can hear you and you're going to end up hurting them, repeatedly. I don't care why you're doing it, I'm not going to let you do it. End of story."

Her expression softens as she glances out over the lake, to the ripples where the hat dove into the water to avoid the bell tolling. "...Look, I'm not unreasonable." She says, contradicting years of evidence, "I'll make it up to you. You know that I can. If you can think of anything you'd want in exchange for the bell, I'll give it to you. Is that better?"
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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Rebonack
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Re: GLoG

Post by Rebonack »

[Grounds]

"What do you have a spirit stuck in your heart for that's weird," Khannie retorts.

Because that is totally weird.

Why would you want spirits inside you?

Unless you're like, eating them or something. But if you eat them they aren't just hanging out inside you anymore. They're eaten. And ostensibly they wouldn't try running off when a threatening jangle happens.

Being totally honest here, Khannie has eaten more than a few spirits and ghosts before. It's that or eating things literally alive. She's pretty sure she's getting the same sort of nutrition from both. Some sorta ethereal stuff or whatever? She's got no idea that's still an ongoing learning project.

Sort of like the ongoing learning project Braon is now interfering with.

"Magical girls haven't got spirits they're just got their soul stuck in a jar," Khannie clarifies. "If the bell made people's souls go flying out then it would mess up everyone."

That seems like a pretty obvious point to her, really.

A beat.

"And you don't mean Lord Buttface do you? He's the only other person like you I've seen and he's a jerk."

Maybe not kill him level jerk but if the bell could make him shut the heck up just by ringing it then-

"Wait, you don't want the bell to mess him up, do you?" Khannie inquires, suddenly suspicious. But that inquiry is quickly interrupted by Khannie aiming to just climb Braon to get her bell back. "Seriously, give it here. I'm figuring out how to ward my shadow spirits against it."
Ironsmith
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Re: GLoG

Post by Ironsmith »

[Grounds]

Braon frowns. Dammit, is she really that predictable? If Khannie could see that coming, odds are, so could her uncle. And clearly, the bell is detrimental to her own well-being anyway; she really shouldn't hold onto it just because.

But then again, she's already taken a hard stance here; if she gives the bell back to Khannie, she'll just look weak. And if Khannie takes the bell back on her own, even more so. So the only real option is to continue to withhold the bell.

"DId I stutter?" Braon demands, pressing a hand against the top of Khannie's head in an attempt to foil any further progress up her body. "I'm not giving it back. It's too dangerous."
Who're you? ...Don't matter.

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Rebonack
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Re: GLoG

Post by Rebonack »

[Grounds]

Oh no!

The dreaded adult hand on the head technique for thwarting small children!

Khannie makes an agitated snorting noise and ceases her useless flailing. "No it isn't! Give it BACK!" she huffs petulantly. Then she just stands there and GLARES at Braon.

Just long enough, as it happens, to get the feindling to lower her guard a bit. Because as soon as that hand touched her head she had shed her teen girl illusion like a snake sliding out of its skin and slipped away invisibly. Braon had already talked about being able to see spirits or something so fading to the ghostly realm would probably be a bad idea. Instead she just obscured herself, circled around to the fiendling's other side where she's holding up one arm with the bell, and lunged at said arm.

Getting tackled by a fully grown zoroark out of the blue is probably pretty surprising. She isn't exactly small. But in spite of the weirdly floaty incorporeal looking fur Khannie is actually pretty dense for her size, weighing in at nearly one hundred and eighty pounds. Getting glomped by something that size is definitely not fun.
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Re: GLoG

Post by Morty »

[Sapling Cabin]

One day, Sophie arrives in GLoG earlier than usual. Before she goes to her office, she needs to deposit a pair of baby tieflings into the daycare. Anyone looking for her can find her there, fussing about her newborn sons a bit more than is strictly necessary.
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Re: GLoG

Post by Ironsmith »

Rebonack wrote: Mar 16, 2023 2:47 pm [Grounds]

Oh no!

The dreaded adult hand on the head technique for thwarting small children!

Khannie makes an agitated snorting noise and ceases her useless flailing. "No it isn't! Give it BACK!" she huffs petulantly. Then she just stands there and GLARES at Braon.

Just long enough, as it happens, to get the feindling to lower her guard a bit. Because as soon as that hand touched her head she had shed her teen girl illusion like a snake sliding out of its skin and slipped away invisibly. Braon had already talked about being able to see spirits or something so fading to the ghostly realm would probably be a bad idea. Instead she just obscured herself, circled around to the fiendling's other side where she's holding up one arm with the bell, and lunged at said arm.

Getting tackled by a fully grown zoroark out of the blue is probably pretty surprising. She isn't exactly small. But in spite of the weirdly floaty incorporeal looking fur Khannie is actually pretty dense for her size, weighing in at nearly one hundred and eighty pounds. Getting glomped by something that size is definitely not fun.
[Grounds]

"Oof!"

Braon hits the dirt faster than Khannie can say "substantial weight class differential". It's a wonder Braon was able to hold her down in the first place.

Meanwhile, the bell goes flying off in the other direction, clattering against the ground repeatedly as it rolls toward the lakeside.

Predictably, Braon doesn't feel so good about that. Immediately, her hands are going over her heart again, but at least her cloak is pinned under her and doesn't have a chance to strangle her again.

Morty wrote: Mar 18, 2023 9:17 pm [Sapling Cabin]

One day, Sophie arrives in GLoG earlier than usual. Before she goes to her office, she needs to deposit a pair of baby tieflings into the daycare. Anyone looking for her can find her there, fussing about her newborn sons a bit more than is strictly necessary.
[Sapling Cabin]

"Looking"? No. Miranda wasn't actually looking for Sophie's opinion on this matter. In fact, she was sort of hoping to avoid her. Not that Sophie wouldn't eventually have a chance to weigh in on the subject, but Miranda was hoping to have the adoption finalized before the spiritual therapist could object.

Unfortunately for her, Sapling Cabin in on her way up to the front office. And even if she can make herself easy to miss, Alto is... probably not.
Who're you? ...Don't matter.

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Here's to us!
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Re: GLoG

Post by Hraithre »

[Sapling cabin]

Alto is indeed hard to miss, being a near-literal 800 pound gorilla. Yet, somehow, it still tries to hide behind Miranda like a scared kid. Alto does not know or at least does not understand all that well why they are going to Sophie, but Alto can sense Miranda is nervous.

On the plus side, Alto is a lot less nervous than it used to be. With Spooktober season over, there hasn't been another incident like that with the elk. Alto has occasionally remarked on the spirits lingering around the camp, but has learned by now that they bear it no ill will.
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Re: GLoG

Post by Morty »

[Sapling cabin]

Sophie's keen eye hones in on subtle changes in Miranda's appearance. She can't ignore such things even if she'd like to. The eye of the Unconquered Sun sees all. Normally she uses tact and discretion to avoid poking her nose into other people's business too much, but now she's also distracted by a pouty baby who doesn't want to lie down in one of the daycare's cribs.

"Good morning, Miranda. And you must be Alto." She turns to the two while holding the child. His skin is red and there are two bumps on his head that will grow into horns someday. His eyes are bright blue like his mom's and he has a noticeable thick, scaly crocodile tail, instead of one you would expect from a tiefling.
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Re: GLoG

Post by Ironsmith »

[Sapling Cabin]

Oh, dear.

Miranda clears her throat and puts on her most amiable smile. "Good morning, missus Mouchabiere." She greets, in a husky, sultry-sounding voice.

There's something in her eyes that doesn't seem quite right. If Sophie manages to catch a glimpse of them, she'll see Miranda looking at her with... it's not clear what, exactly, aside from ill intent. Hate? Judgement? Fury? Lust? All equally likely options. It's the sort of gaze that seems to go on, even when Miranda's attention is turned elsewhere.

"Yes, this is Alto." She confirms, giving the oversized gorilla-child an affectionate pat on the arm. "I'm taking him up to the office for some paperwork, among a few other things. Most of it regarding the long-term implications and specifics of his staying here."

Technically true. More than that, containing almost no omissions at all. Miranda simply didn't mention what those specifics are and why she, personally, needs to be involved in them.
Who're you? ...Don't matter.

Want some rye? Course ya do!

Here's to us!
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And they're aaaaall dead.
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Re: GLoG

Post by Hraithre »

[Sapling Cabin]

Alto gives Miranda a puzzled look. As a creature that's relied more on hearing than sight for most of its existence, the change in Miranda's voice has not gone unnoticed. But the reason is obscure. Is it the situation? Or this new person she is talking to? Alto may have seen Sophie once or twice, but not talked to her yet.

But, Alto is too distressed by something else to really vocalize any thoughts on Miranda's changes. There is something else that soon catches its attention: the baby. Alto's orange eyes fix on it and its face twists in what might be fear or disgust. Alto's been around many other weird kids by now, but every time it sees something like this, it tends to wonder, with or without words, what is wrong with them. Just like it thought itself a monster upon seeing its own reflection.
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Morty
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Re: GLoG

Post by Morty »

[Sapling Cabin]

Alarm bells are going off in Sophie's head. Miranda is acting oddly. And she's trying to hide something from her. But why? She turns her scrutiny on her, trying to determine the root cause. Especially if something supernatural is at work.

Alto being nervous doesn't concern her as much. What she knows of him seems to indicate some very unusual and traumatic experiences, so it'll take a while for him to get used to everything. As much as he might otherwise be scared, Sophie has an oddly powerful air of calm around her. She is here to help and she's harmless, is what it seems to say.

"Oh, really? What kind of paperwork do you need to do? Maybe I can help. I've been helping with formalities here for some time." An innocent question and Sophie is remarkably proficient with paperwork. Uncannily so. "Oh, but where are my manners? This is Bertin, one of my baby boys. His brother Janos over there has managed to calm down."
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Re: GLoG

Post by Ironsmith »

[Sapling Cabin]

And of course she saw through that.

It doesn't take Miranda too long to weigh her options. If she comes clean now, it comes off as an innocent misunderstanding, maybe her being a bit coy at worst. If she keeps dodging the question, she's obviously trying to hide her intentions, which will only serve to get Sophie's hackles up further before she gets her answer.

"All right. I wasn't going to say anything to the staff at large until it was official, but there's no harm if you know before then."

Yes there is.

Miranda gives Alto a little smile and pats his arm again. "I'm applying to adopt Alto." She says, drumming up some sincere excitement at the prospect, which comes through in a giddy little cackle. "He already bunks in my cabin most of the time, and sooner or later, somebody's going to need to be listed as his primary caregiver. Why not make it official?"
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Re: GLoG

Post by Hraithre »

[Sapling Cabin]

Alto looks at Sophie, then back at Bertin. "Oh? You are his mother?" Alto squints, looking at Sophie again, then back at Bertin again. "You don't look much alike."

Then Miranda announces her plan. Alto glances at her worriedly. Not because of content of her words, but because of this weird excitement Alto does not understand the origin of. "Yes, what she says is true. I do sleep in her home most of the time. I do not understand why it needs to be put on a list?"
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Re: GLoG

Post by Earl of Purple »

Arrivals

Clattering up the drive towards the campsite is a Clarence carriage. It's a sinister-looking vehicle, painted entirely black and pulled by a pair of skeletal horses. The driver is a large man wearing a black suit and a bowler hat, a blank bronze mask fastened tight to his face with the only features being a pair of red-glowing eyes. The vehicle will stop in the centre of the camp, and the coachman disembarks first to open the door and lower a step, allowing the coach's occupants to exit.

First is a twenty-three-year-old tiefling with dark purple skin, small bone horns emerging from her straight black hair, white eyes with no visible iris or pupil, and six fingers on her left hand. She's wearing a bright yellow sleeveless dress, belted at the waist, with a verdigris-coated bronze dagger sheathed at her side. In her arms she's carrying a baby, just shy of a year old, with dark skin, bald, and pure white eyes like his mother's; he also has six fingers on his left hand, though he otherwise seems human. The baby smiles at the world around him and gurgles.

Next is a man, slightly older, with dark skin, black hair and piercing green eyes. He's wearing dark purple suit trousers and a matching waistcoat over a white shirt, a black cravat about his neck. He swings a purple tricorn hat onto his head after he disembarks and looks around, trying to find the daycare.
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Re: GLoG

Post by Morty »

[Sapling Cabin]

"He looks a lot more like my wife. She's his mother too," Sophie explains to Alto. "Sometimes parents and children don't look too much like each other."

Then Miranda reveals her purpose, which Sophie honestly suspected on some level. She smiles widely, finding the news exciting regardless of any concern she has.

"Really? That's wonderful. I was looking into adopting as well, before I met Trick. I hope you're happy together."

She lets Miranda answer Alto's question. While her mirth is genuine, hopefully it also encourages Miranda to drop her guard a little.
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