Outside: Grass touch place

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Murkus
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Re: Outside: Grass touch place

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[Hog Heaven]

"Uh, Dena, this thing is as dull as a doorknob. At most you've got a little abrasion from me thwackin you too hard. That ain't no artery! You'd be in serious trouble if it was," Tsumi laughs.

Tsumi just beams at the attention at first, propping her bundled up top on one hip... until Dena asks for her secret and mentions the rest. "Well, I, uh... spend a lot of time in the gym. Mostly. Well, if I wanted to go to a gym and bother with other people, that was. Mostly I just work out here. I live above the bar, here." She seems kinda embarrassed now that Dena points it out - she did spend an awful lot of personal time on her physique, even if it had some practical purposes. Still, she recovers gracefully enough and shows her teeth again, her canines prominent and sharp. "Yikes, though. What, am I scary to you now? Not much here to your liking?"

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Re: Outside: Grass touch place

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[Well Training]

"Right back at you," Thariza quips back as she drinks her tea. Carefully. Most teacups weren't made with Charr in mind. "I haven't busted out a half of the weird stuff I pulled from the Mists."

[Riverside Moonwell]

"Uh... beats me," Hiep admits. "They were smart enough to run away, at least, but that might be because their commander did. I've never seen anything or anyone like them."

[Hunting Lodge]

"Go on, Sekhmet." Silent Feathers' voice is firm but encouraging. "There's no way to practice it except speaking. Even if you stumble. In time you will stumble less and less."
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Re: Outside: Grass touch place

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[Well Training]

"Hmm hmm!" Emily rumbles, clearly eager for this, "So how all-out do you want to go, then? Not sure you could handle me if I went all in."
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Re: Outside: Grass touch place

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[Well Training]

Ambrosia looks between the two. "Emily does have a size advantage but you are just supposed to use your weapons here, not start wrestling or the like." She remarks with a glint in her eyes.

[Riverside Moonwell]

"Some of them look like humans. Or at least have the heads of humans." Anika observes. "So I assume they're as smart as them, right? They just seem to have been mostly uh, replaced. With this red and white stuff." The druid gestures at the closest corpse. "Also they kept saying repeating this one word when I was dunking on them. Yxia something, something. I'm pretty sure they were cultists."

[Hog Heaven]

Dena's eyebrow raises. "Whoa, whoa, you self-conscious? You shouldn't be. Since of course you're scary. Scary-hot. Which is the best kind of scary." She gestures to herself. "I'm miss snakes-for-hair, I should know all about that. It's a net positive since anyone that can't see the massive allure in that ain't worth your time in the first place."
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Re: Outside: Grass touch place

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[A Rooster's Flight]

Once Zee is gone, the remaining flames turn into just a normal destructive fire. They soon cool down to ashes, as the fire already reached limits of available fuel. Far in the distance, the bovine skeletons collapse and disintegrate, their tiny souls at peace at last.

Complete silence falls on the glass plateau. It might take ages before any living thing sets a foot on or takes root in it. The rooster is gone, but a deeper question remains unanswered: what spawned such a horror in the first place? What was the spark that set it on fire?

Is it still there? Slumbering in the soil, under the glass, waiting for something to release it?

Only time will tell.
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Re: Outside: Grass touch place

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[Riverside Moonwell]

"Or maybe they're mindless drones made out of humans." Hiep doesn't like this possibility. "I don't like it. They'll probably want to come for the other moonwells too."

[Well Training]

"That sounds suspiciously like a challenge." Thariza smiles, baring her teeth this time. She does it rarely. "Why don't you give it your all and we'll see what happens?"
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Re: Outside: Grass touch place

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bc56 wrote: May 17, 2023 11:34 pm Maids on a Train
"Stupid impossible magic nonsense," Jade grumbles. "No, I didn't do it. Which just proves my point. Magic is fickle, unreliable, and can't be verified by experiment. It's no use." At least the mermaid seems to be enjoying the flame tail. Jade has no idea what it even is.

[Maids on a Train]

"I dunno, maybe it's some kind of stochastic thingie?" the mermaid suggests, after she finally tears her eyes away from the purple flame tail. "I mean, both times it did fire stuff. So that definitely suggests some kind of pattern."

Indeed, if Jade tries another halfhearted swish and incantation, then it'll shoot out another wimpy and moist fireball. Definitely a pattern, of some kind.

She pauses and thinks, then corrects herself. "Wait, it didn't do any fire stuff when I tried it. Just changed my outfit. But! Your first one also changed your outfit, too? So...it's definitely some kind of pattern, but it's a weird one."

The mermaid lays out the pattern she's seeing: "Okay, so fire stuff for you and...gothic bat vampire stuff for me?" she says, while gesturing at her half-bat head pieces. "For both of us, the first magic thing changed our clothes. For your second magic thing, it shot out a fireball. Which means my second magic cast should..."
She reaches down and picks up her feather duster again.
"I am the pretty guardian who fights for love and for justice!" The mermaid swishes the 'wand', and then crosses her arms with the free one's pointer finger and pinkie finger up. "And now, in the name of the moon, I'll punish you! Batball!"
She swishes the wand again and points it.

...
Nothing happens.
She swishes it again. "Moonball?"
And again, and starts to feel a little embarrassed. "Vampireball? Mermaidball? um....waterball windball earthball fireball um...nothingball!"
Nothing happens again.

Disappointed, the mermaid looks at Jade expecting her to try now.
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Re: Outside: Grass touch place

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Shadowcaller wrote: May 18, 2023 9:32 pm [Hog Heaven]

Dena's eyebrow raises. "Whoa, whoa, you self-conscious? You shouldn't be. Since of course you're scary. Scary-hot. Which is the best kind of scary." She gestures to herself. "I'm miss snakes-for-hair, I should know all about that. It's a net positive since anyone that can't see the massive allure in that ain't worth your time in the first place."
[Hog Heaven]

"Well, maybe about some things...?" Tsumi hedges. She doesn't really think of herself as 'self conscious'... "Actually sometimes I think I'm not self conscious enough. Then I do something embarrassing and get reminded. Oh, I don't know."

Now Dena's got the oni blushing. She puts her shirt back on, mostly, though the last few inches are missing from her stomach now. "Scary-hot, huh?" She arches an eyebrow and looks Dena up and down. Self gesturing gives her a good excuse. "I don't know. I don't think you're so scary. But the other thing..."
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Re: Outside: Grass touch place

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[Well Training]

Emily lets out a rumbling chuckle, clearly pleased, "Alright, but don't be surprised when I lay you out."

She'll go about finishing her tea, and when it's done she'll stand up with her Ssansudo, intent on getting into position for the spar.
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Re: Outside: Grass touch place

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[Hog Heaven]

"Then you have no idea how common the fear of snakes is." Dena remarks as her hand brushes past the scales of her 'hair'. "Or getting petrified. Fear is in the eye of the beholder, y'know? And so is beauty. Since a lot of people the snakes are an immediate turn-off but for others, well..." She grins and then gestures at Tsumi again. "The imagined danger makes it all the more exciting. Your case is probably different but I get the same vibes. Something tells me you know what I'm talking about, eh?" She was pretty sure Tsumi would at least have a couple of lovers.

[Well Training]

Ambrosia continues to slowly sip her tea, having gone for a second cup. "Please don't wait for me. You can go ahead and I'll just observe."
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Re: Outside: Grass touch place

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Morty wrote: May 19, 2023 5:30 pm [Riverside Moonwell]

"Or maybe they're mindless drones made out of humans." Hiep doesn't like this possibility. "I don't like it. They'll probably want to come for the other moonwells too."
[Riverside Moonwell]

"Like undead? I guess that would explain the goop." Anika sticks out her tongue in disgust again, as to emphasize her point.

The black 'goop' was leaking out of them like oil does out of a machine. Perhaps making one question just what's inside of them as there are no traces of blood or anything biological. "It'll probably mess with the vegetation n' stuff."
She turns to Hiep and nods. "Oh yeah, bad guys are always coming for our moon wells. They're natures batteries and they want to use their energy as fuel for evil stuff. Corrupted moon wells can do some pretty awful things. Like turning people into demons and these might have been demons for all we know, right?"
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Re: Outside: Grass touch place

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[Well Training]

"I was knocked around enough training that it's nothing new. It takes more than that to break an Iron Legion soldier."

Thariza picks up her hammer and axe again, standing before Emily.

[Riverside Moonwell]

"Yeah, I don't think we can clean it up by ourselves. I might ask some gods for help, but they might not want to touch this shit." Hiep grimaces. "And in this case it looks like I'll have to monitor them. Or keep an eye on them at least."
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Re: Outside: Grass touch place

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[Well Training]

The edges of Emily's mouth pull up in that sharp-toothed grin of hers, and she surges forth, sword in one hand as she charges on three limbs. Thariza will see her charge coming, of course, as she sweeps the blade up from the ground towards Thariza to take advantage of her longer reach.
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Re: Outside: Grass touch place

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Hunting Lodge
Sekhmet takes another deep breath.
"My devoted follower. One of my allies has need of aid, aid only, uh, mortal hands can, uh, provide."
And she started out so strong!
"Meet us at [location], uh, for an urgent mission."
Well, she tried. And at least it's nice and short.

Maids on a Train
"Just because the first two were similar doesn't make there a pattern." The mermaid's attempts at magic highlight this. "See? Fickle and unreliable. What works for me doesn't work for you."
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Re: Outside: Grass touch place

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[Hunting Lodge]

Silent Feathers nods. This is about what he expected.

"You might want to add a bit of a flourish. 'I know I can rely on you, who have kept your loyalty to me'. Make them feel appreciated. Aside from that, you'll need to practice. Repeat it until you can deliver the speech without hesitation."

[Well Training]

Instead of trying to dodge, as Emily might have expected, Thariza clashes her weapons together and briefly blazes with red light. An indistinct image of a female Charr appears above her and a command is faintly heard.

"Ash Legion: fall in!"

When that happens, a ghostly form of another Charr manifests between Thariza and Emily. He slashes around him with a flurry of daggers, which can't harm Emily but may disrupt her and break her momentum.
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Re: Outside: Grass touch place

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[Well Training]

Emily is indeed disrupted, her momentum broken and forcing her to edge around the ghostly charr. As this happens, though, both Ambrosia and Thariza will be able to see puffs of light whenever the blades would hit Emily, and if they're particularly observant they may notice the outline of a hooded lantern hanging from her waist, but it vanishes as quickly as it appears.

Emily makes a show of being off balance, however, quietly hoping Thariza moves in taking the bluff.
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Re: Outside: Grass touch place

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Hunting Lodge
"I'll, uh, do that."
Sekhmet will spend the remaining time until nightfall practicing and refining the message. If Feathers wants to add other suggestions, or Hiep wants to interrupt, now's the time, otherwise things will progress quickly to the sending of the message.
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Re: Outside: Grass touch place

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[Well Training]

Thariza does fall for the ruse, but she doesn't close in. Instead she tries to capitalize on Emily's perceived lapse in concentration and swings her axe, creating a rift in the air that will try to pull her to the left. Of course, Emily is more steady on her feet than Thariza thinks.

[Hunting Lodge]

Silent Feathers will listen to Sekhmet's practice and give some suggestions here and there, about details rather than the message. Hiep doesn't show up, for which Sekhmet is no doubt grateful. Eventually the time will come.
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Re: Outside: Grass touch place

Post by Halae »

[Well Training]

The light of that lantern on her hip will shine once more, and where Thariza would assume she was about be tilted off course by the rift, Emily instead surges forward again to the charr, using the long reach of her enormous arms, the Ssangsudo that was built for those long arms, and the surprise that no doubt will hit to stab Thariza with the end of her blade.

Of course it's a training weapon, so it won't actually stab, but it might take Thariza off her feet.
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Re: Outside: Grass touch place

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bc56 wrote: May 20, 2023 8:16 pm Maids on a Train
"Just because the first two were similar doesn't make there a pattern." The mermaid's attempts at magic highlight this. "See? Fickle and unreliable. What works for me doesn't work for you."

[Maids on a Train]

"If you already knew what works for me and you are different, then why did you first copy my magic spell that changed my clothes?" the mermaid says, feeling a little smug as if she just caught Jade in a contradiction. Checkmate, mathematicians. This is basically proof that Jade knows more about magic than she's letting on, because even though she claims there wasn't a pattern, she still tried copying with "blah blah blah magic legs" or whatever she said. Ergo, she must've known that it would have worked, in spite of claiming it wouldn't work.

The mermaid sighs and stops looking smug.
Instead, she looks wistful, and leans her head against the armrest.

She groans. "Uuuugh, it's no fair." The mermaid then twists a little and smacks her fins against the train window, and reaches out into the aisle between them. "You can turn into a fox whenever you want, all those maids could magically turn other people into maids, and even those dumb slavers and those dumb cultists could use magic to do whatever they wanted. But me? I can swim around, I guess. And hop. But there's all these stories about mermaids who go onto land and then meet a prince and magically get legs. But..."

The mermaid stops herself.
She props herself up and looks at the fiery purple outline of a tail.
Then looks at Jade.
"Hey. I know you say you're not an expert at magic, but you're the closest we've got to one here. Remember how both of our spells that changed our outfits, how both of us said in our chant to give me legs? What do you think the chances for my gothic-vampire-stuff or the fire ears and tail you gave me, what do you think the chances are that one of them will actually give me legs if I do something right?" she asks, as she does her best to not get her hope up. It's actually a bit easier to keep her hopes down, since she's expecting Jade to say 'magic is random and fickle so probably zero chance' or something along those lines.
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Re: Outside: Grass touch place

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[Well Training]

Emily's lack of reaction to her trick throws Thariza off-balance and the thrust strikes home. The Charr makes a rather comedic startled yelp as she staggers forward and almost falls on her back.
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Re: Outside: Grass touch place

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[Well Training]

Emily lets out a little laugh at that, stepping back a touch so that Thariza can get up, "Come on, surely you've got better than that!"
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Re: Outside: Grass touch place

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[Well Training]

Ambrosia have helped herself to more tea as the two engage with one another and is occasionally sipping it while watching the fight impassively. Her tome now out taking a few notes as it floats besides the scholar.

The only time she even as much as raises an eyebrow is when Thariza summons the ghost host to aid her. She hadn't done much of that before...

[Riverside Moonwell]

Anika gives Hiep an surprised look. "Wha- gods? For cleaning? Like... cleaning gods?" A beat.

"You got cleaning gods?"
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Re: Outside: Grass touch place

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[Well Training]

"Right on. I'm just getting started." Thariza steps forward, bashing her weapons together as another image of a Charr appears above her. This time it doesn't attack, but seems to make her stronger. She throws her axe, which lands behind Emily... and then she teleports to it, spinning around to deliver a blow to the larger woman's back.

[Riverside Moonwell]

"No, no." Hiep waves her hand. "I'm talking about the gods of woods, mountains, fields and rivers around him. It might be hard to convince them to touch this goop, but they might also want it gone."
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Re: Outside: Grass touch place

Post by Halae »

[Well Training]

Oh, this trick again? And this time she even knows exactly where Thariza is teleporting to, given that axe throw. The charr is going to have to deal with Emily delivering a kick at chest height to where she assumes Thariza is going to appear! It'll likely foul up Thariza's attack, of nothing else.
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Re: Outside: Grass touch place

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Maids on a Train
"I didn't," Jade counters the statement about copying the mermaid's spell. "You said something about a moon prism and held your wand above your head. I pointed my wand at you and just said whatever came to mind. You tried to give yourself legs, I tried to give you legs. They're completely different."
The complaints about magic being unfair draws out a sympathetic expression. "No, it's not fair," Jade confirms. "I didn't want magic at all. I'm an engineer, not a wizard." Could the mermaid get legs through magic? "I don't know," Jade responds, "As I said, magic is fickle and unpredictable. It might give you legs, but it might not."

Hunting Lodge
When night falls, Sekhmet takes a seat on the shrine cushions and closes her eyes. What happens next takes only a couple minutes from an outside perspective.
► The First Dream
► The Second Dream
After the messages are sent, Sekhmet slowly snaps back to wakefulness in the grove. She looks shaken by what she's seen,.even more uncertain than usual.
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Re: Outside: Grass touch place

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Shadowcaller wrote: May 20, 2023 7:24 am [Hog Heaven]

"Then you have no idea how common the fear of snakes is." Dena remarks as her hand brushes past the scales of her 'hair'. "Or getting petrified. Fear is in the eye of the beholder, y'know? And so is beauty. Since a lot of people the snakes are an immediate turn-off but for others, well..." She grins and then gestures at Tsumi again. "The imagined danger makes it all the more exciting. Your case is probably different but I get the same vibes. Something tells me you know what I'm talking about, eh?" She was pretty sure Tsumi would at least have a couple of lovers.
[Hog Heaven]

"Oh, hey, I'm... wary enough of snakes," Tsumi admits. "But not so much when they're attached to somebody. That wouldn't seem fair."

"And the whole petrifying thing, well. I figured if you were gonna do that to somebody, you coulda done it already. So either you can't do it, or you can turn it on and off. Which is pretty convenient," she decides. "Not that I think you have any trouble making people turn to stone without it."

"I'm not really much of one for, uh, danger. In that way," she says. "I like to relax. You know. Take things slow. Until it's time for not-slow. I guess."
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Re: Outside: Grass touch place

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[Well Training]

Thariza's attack is indeed stopped in its tracks, but she doesn't give up easily. Her axe is in her hands again and she swings her weapons from up and down, trying to trap Emily's leg between them and then yank it to the side.

[Hunting Lodge]

Silent Feathers Drifting is still there, waiting patiently. For all that Hiep and his elves made him out to be a hedonist in his own right, he's certainly been rock-steady in his dealings with Sekhmet.

"Is it done, then? You seem troubled."
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Re: Outside: Grass touch place

Post by Halae »

[Well Training]

Emily is yanked! If Thariza was larger, she might have been able to throw Emily further off balance, but given the crocodilian woman's enormous bulk, the most she can do is throw Emily's leg aside.

On the upside, this does still mean that her footing is fairly off, but between the tail and Emily's ability to readily move on hands and feet, whatever she does to capitalize on this lack of balance is going to have to be fast; she has too many ways to recover.
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Re: Outside: Grass touch place

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[Well Training]

Thariza doesn't let this opportunity go to waste. She bounds forward in a feline leap and tries to bring her hammer down on Emily's stomach, bringing them into a close melee.
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