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[Halae]

Skye's Apartment
"It's the first time, but it went pretty well," Mary replies. She appreciates the smell of the food cooking.
"Don't worry about us, we're both fine."

A Succubus Problem
"Just stand inside the circle," Sekhmet lays the iron hoop down on the ground. "This is going to hurt. But whatever you do, don't leave the circle until the ritual is done. Don't stick so much as a finger out."

Once both of them are inside, Sekhmet starts chanting and walking around the circle. The glyphs she scribed begin to glow...

[A Succubus Problem]

Sophie stands in the circle, wrapping her arms around Trick and resting her face against her chest. If this is going to hurt, holding each other close will help deal with it.

[A Succubus Problem]

Similarly, Trick hugs Sophie close, wrapping her tail around Sophie's waist. She'll also take the time to guide Sophie in wrapping Trick up in her wings and tail; Sophie likely doesn't have a lot of control over them at the moment, so keeping them bound around Trick will keep them from twitching and causing problems.

[Skye's Apartment]

"I haven't done anything of this sort before," Skye explains, her disciplined tone making sure Asami knows who's speaking, "But I'm familiar enough with the theory of soulcraft and necromancy to understand the principles. Exhaustion isn't a surprising side-effect. Though, I must admit, it feels a little bizarre for me to be experiencing your tastes, Mary. I don't think I've ever craved chocolate like this before."

... oh yeah, there might be a little bleed between them if they're stuck in the same body for long.

[[brackets lover]]

[Skye's Apartment]

"Um," Asami replies timidly, "Cool." He scans the kitchen, fixating on tiny details like tile patterns and anything they can open and close as a form of stimming.

[bc56]

A Succubus Problem
The chant continues and pain suddenly begins rising in the couple's altered anatomy. Quickly it feels like they're on fire... Actually they are on fire, smoke rising off their bodies. Nothing other than them is catching aflame though, betraying the magical nature of the fire.

Skye's Apartment
"Tell me about it," Mary replies, "When you looked at me and felt... You know, I felt it too, and that was weird." Mary has to resist shrugging Skye's shoulders; that would mess up the cooking. "Chocolate's good! It's good to have sweets sometimes."

[Meowmai]

[Flats and Cats]

Blanche blinks as she watches Elizabeth seem to suddenly deflate over the course of a single message, and her eyes drop to her younger sister's rig. Liz is too quick for her to catch the actual body of the message - but she does catch the sender's name, specifically the "Landlord" part of it. Was Liz having flat troubles or something? Would explain the exhaustion. "Cool, okay. C'mon, I think I saw a place down the road." She tries to put on her best, most personable grin.

[Flats and Cats]

Elizabeth blinks. She wasn't sure personable grins suited Blanche. But whatever.

The place they make their way too is not exactly the nicest cafe out there, but it's good enough. Not too noisy, the food is fine, the drinks are sorta decent. And, which is more than can be said for other places in the area, it's decently clean. Elizabeth orders a latte.

"So uh... You said things were busy?" Elizabeth asks, more out of just trying to fill the awkwardly empty air than actual interest.

[Halae]

[Skye's Apartment]

Skye grunts. Sweets are decadent! She turns to regard Asami as she finishes with what she's doing, setting it aside to cook; it'll give them a few free minutes, "I apologize, Asami, I just realized I haven't been a good host. Is there anything you need, or want to do?"

Uh oh; seems she noticed the stimming.

[[brackets lover]]

[Skye's Apartment]

"...Uh, eto," Asami says anxiously, "Um... Iunno. When I stayed with the Vallarms over Thanksmas we mostly just played games and stuff. I'm still not really used to... homes."

He clicks his tongue and looks away from Skye, a downtrodden expression on his face.

[bc56]

Skye's Apartment
"Seriously! Treat yourself sometimes!" Mary admonishes Skye, but the focus of the conversation has turned to Asami.
"You're an orphan?" Mary questions. She doesn't know much about where Asami comes from.

[Arkhosia]

► SHOW SPOILER

[Foxes and Felines]

Reinholdt smiles a little himself. "That they are."

People are weird.

"Oh sorry, no. I didn't mean it like that. It's really hard to dye black fur I think? Don't quote me on that. I meant, dying the rest of you black. It would be easy to pass it off as a goth phase. That way they'll be complimenting your aesthetic rather than asking about it. And it wouldn't be forever, just until you were comfortable again and ready. But I hear what you're saying too." Reinholdt shrugs. "Well, it was just a thought. I wish I could offer something more concrete and substantial." He frowns a little and decides to shift a little to something lighter.

"So I saw you messing with locks last time I was here. Is that something you still do?"

[Foxes and Felines]

"...Huh. Yeah, I guess that would be easier. I have a friend who's pretty into goth stuff too." It wouldn't be too hard for her to pull off, she has the connections. Though they haven't talked to Reilana in a while....
Oh gods, don't tell me you're seriously considering it.

"I still fiddle with locks though." May smiles. "I'm getting pretty good at it. Been, like, wondering if I should go to a trade school or something honestly. Mom says there's money in it."

► SHOW SPOILER

[Flats and Cats]

Elizabeth blinks. She wasn't sure personable grins suited Blanche. But whatever.

The place they make their way too is not exactly the nicest cafe out there, but it's good enough. Not too noisy, the food is fine, the drinks are sorta decent. And, which is more than can be said for other places in the area, it's decently clean. Elizabeth orders a latte.

"So uh... You said things were busy?" Elizabeth asks, more out of just trying to fill the awkwardly empty air than actual interest.

[Flats and Cats]

"Huh, this ain't a bad place," Blanche muses, lifting her own cup - coffee, black with nothing but a dash of sugar. It's the kind of atmosphere she prefers. Not too refined, the kind of place she doesn't feel out of place in, reminds her of her old mercenary days.

"Ugh, yeah, very." Blanche sighs. "There's been too much goin' on lately, so many things to keep tabs on. Everything in Riverside especially... things are a mess down there." The exhaustion is palpable in her voice.

[Halae]

[Skye's Apartment]

"Not necessarily, Mary," Skye comments, "I didn't enter a permanent building until I was eight years old, and I've known my parents my entire life. We can't assume Asami is an orphan just because she's not used to certain things you consider normal."

[[brackets lover]]

[Skye's Apartment]

Asami recoils back a bit at Mary's question, sighing irately. Skye's defense only serves to further sully Asami's mood.

"Does it matter?" he groans, a clear chip on his shoulder.

[Reinholdt]

[Foxes and Felines]

"See? Sounds like a good opportunity to connect too." Few things kindle friendship more than a shared interest. Goth girl gals is certainly a reasonable... hobby? Lifestyle? The specifics are beyond Reinholdt.

He passes off the last pot and steps away, drying his hands on a towel. "I'm sure Kitsuki means... or wait. Obriane? Which mom?" Rein scratches his head for a moment. "Whatever. Anyways, it may shock you to find out that I too had to actually learn how to pick locks. I didn't have a school and my tutor was literally the worst at being a person. But I did have this," Reinholdt performs a little flourish.

At the end of it, a padlock appears in his hands. An elaborate brass affair that looks suited for fantastical Victorian era that never truly existed. Flowers are carved along the side, entwining around the hole as if choking it and a setting sun appears on the bottom half. Looking even closer, one can see the intricately carved runes make up the majority of these engravings, actually creating a collage like effect that composes the flowers and sun. The language is unknown, some ancient species from a world long past in a universe quite dead. Fortunately the magic in this Rosetta padlock remains quite alive.

"This is what I used to train with actually. Kinda forgot I had it honestly. Every five minutes or so, it expels any intruders and the interior mechanisms shift to an entirely different set-up. You probably won't even be able to use the same kind of tool twice in a row on it. I, uh, should warn you that that time limit also comes with a small electrical shock to anyone working on it. Shouldn't be harmful, but it'll hurt. The price of 'failure' as it were."

Reinholdt offers the enchanted lock to May. "It's yours if you want it."

[Arkhosia]

[Foxes and Felines]

"Oh, wow!" May's eyes light up the moment she sees the padlock. She leans in to study the intricate designs, the blues dancing from one rune to the other. It's hard not to be distracted by the artisanal craftsmanship itself, let alone the mechanical. After a moment's hesitation she accepts it, turning the lock over in her palm. "Thank you, I'll - um, I'll have to give it a try. It really sounds like a good practice tool, lots of versatility too." She looks back to him. "I guess you've already solved it before? How long did it take you to get that good?"

[Reinholdt]

[Foxes and Felines]

"Oh, well that's the magic of the lock. Even if you do solve it once, you can just reset it and it will change again. It's like its own never-ending puzzle, specifically solved with lock-picking tools." He does take a few moments to think about her question. "So basically the idea is to get so good that you solve it each time in a row. The first solve, yeah, you're gonna remember that. But then it becomes a question of how long you can make the streak."

Reinholdt frowns a bit. "My training was... a bit intense and didn't have things like school or a social life to distract me so it only took me a few months to really master it. Maybe... four or five? Life is kind of a blur back then."

Thinking a few steps ahead, Reinholdt puts fresh popcorn into the microwave and offers May a fresh smile as well, honestly happy she took to it so well when she seemed so despondent earlier. "I won't keep you from your new toy, but if you like the muppets, I hear there's a showing."

[Arkhosia]

[Foxes and Felines]

"Oh yeah, that makes sense." She looks at the lock again. There really is a lot of mileage to this thing. She could build her skills immensely just from this, and it's no wonder Reinholdt was able to train himself entirely off of it. Though quite frankly, she doubts she'd have the same level of dedication to just slam her head against a brick wall without other and simpler locks to learn from on the side. For once in the past week or so, May returns a confident look. "I'll try and manage it in a year."

"...and y'know, muppets doesn't sound too bad actually." The girl smiles, glancing back at the other kids. She hasn't really been there for her siblings lately, has she? "Kitty might be pretty mad at you if she comes back and finds out you've been letting me shock myself for an hour or something."

[Reinholdt]

[Foxes and Felines]

Start with some basics first! Unless May has an extensive amount of tools she's willing to break learning the hard way. Being able to open up locks and really examine the insides matters a lot too and that is one flaw of this padlock. You don't want to tear it open like that. "A year, huh? I'll have a celebration planned then and wait for the good news." It'll be an escape room for sure.

"Oh that'd only be a plus, hah. If she's mad at me, that means she still has passionate feelings for me." Reinholdt grins wryly and winks. That's one kind of passion, certainly... "Go ahead and make yourself comfortable. I'll bring the popcorn out in a moment. Extra butter or no?"

[Arkhosia]

[Foxes and Felines]

May makes a face. "Hey, can we not talk about my mom having passionate feelings for you? I really don't need to think about that." She's not stupid, and after that one visit a while back she can put two and two together pretty well. "And uh, butter's good."

[bc56]

Skye's Apartment
Mary is taken aback by the resistance of both Skye and Asami to her question. "I guess it's not important," she relents. Her expression on Skye's face shows that she really did think it was important, at least to her... Skye probably picks up on that regret.

[Keeper]

[Askeladd’s Hideaway]

"What now? Hmm. I have an idea." Askeladd's form briefly glows silver and before Krayger knows it, his boyfriend has transformed into a spotted brown bird. He hops onto the window next to Krayger. "If you're not yet tired, we can see the countryside from above together."

Askeladd's Hideaway

Krayger immediately makes a corvid noise, fluffing up his feathers a bit. He seems positively unsure of what he's supposed to be doing about this and eventually decides on resting his beak against the back of the other bird's head in the best sort of hug he can manage.
"That sounds nice."

[Halae]

[Skye's Apartment]

Skye frowns for a moment at Asami's response, and Mary's, but isn't sure what to say.

Instead, she turns away from Asami for a moment and puts a hand over her lips to whisper just to Mary, "I believe she may be jealous of you."

[[brackets lover]]

[Skye's Apartment]

Whispering in the same room with no other noise going on wouldn't be too hard to hear, especially for Asami. If Skye was able to whisper at the bare minimum volume, he may only be able to make out indistinct sounds. Otherwise, Asami would give an annoyed groan and cross his arms, slouching forward slightly. Either way, he's giving off strangely avoidant body language right now.

[bc56]

Skye's Apartment
"What? Why? I grew up homeless too." Mary whispers back. She's not sure what the deal is right now, Asami looks uncomfortable.

[Ironsmith]

Benedict's Manse

This has some similarities, but it's quite a bit bigger, and clearly has had several architects looking it over and designing it. It's been added to several times, but it's still quite cohesive and it's been build properly. Also, Earl said they were leviathan bones, not whale ones.

"I will." Although Earl's less sure it'll stick, since Benedict's ancestor stole the tower nearly seven hundred years ago, by murdering a village and flying off with it.

One of the skeletons nods its head and turns to trot off, jogging towards the manse. The rest of the patrol remains where they are, remaining vigilant. They aren't a serious defence, either, but intended to slow down attackers for more potent defences to be activated.

Unless Jubilee says anything to Samantha- who isn't going to initiate conversation, as she fears the skeletons can hear them and will report back to their master all that they say- it's going to be a minute or so before the skeleton returns, accompanying a dark-skinned man with green eyes wearing a purple suit, striding along with an elegant walking-stick and his wife, a human woman with dark skin (though she's paler than her husband) and dark eyes, with brown hair and wearing a pair of jeans and a jumper. "Greetings, neighbours. I am Benedict Beaulieu, esquire, and this is my wife, Mergei. Would you like to join us in the house? I have a coachman who will look after your horses. They aren't skittish, are they? My coachman... takes a little getting used to."

[Benedict's Manse]

"My own attendants will be able to handle them just fine." Jubilee replies cooly, gesturing at the dullahans. "Jubilee Constanze-Dom'ni, High Priestess of the Onyx King. And this is my apprentice, Samantha North." She makes a little gesture toward said apprentice, alongside the barest hint of a genuinely proud smile. "...I'm sure I don't need to explain to you who she is."

Time to see if the man knows how to play dumb.

[Halae]

[Skye's Apartment]

"I couldn't say. I clearly don't know her," Skye whispers back to Mary a little bitterly.

[Earl of Purple]

Benedict's Manse

Should be pointed out, Benedict and his wife both look young; mid-twenties at most. Which might make what Benedict says next a surprise. "Samantha doesn't ring a bell, but North... I knew a man with that name once, Jackson he was called. A callous soul, determined to live forever. A fool's errand, frankly, which has poisoned many of my ancestors, and only three are still extant as more than bones and rot. Let's head inside, have some tea, and discuss Jackson North, his fate, and compensation for my aid. He is dead, however. I witnessed his demise, and have kept a... memento, I suppose." He turns and heads back to the house, gesturing for Jubilee and Samantha to follow. Mergei does follow, though Samantha will glance at Jubilee first.
"Knowing he's dead is good, but... I want to be sure. If... If that's OK?" Samantha hopes it is, and is... sort of expecting it to be, but doesn't quite trust her read of Jubilee yet.

If Jubilee does follow Benedict, the path leads past the small graveyard, where the mausoleum- covered in arcane wards and locked with heavy chains and padlocks- rattles and thumps as something tries to escape. Samantha will step closer to Jubi as they do. A voice will whisper in Jubilee's mind, too. "Jubilee... Jubilee, let me out, I can help you. I'll find your husband, murder him and wear his face, to ensure his allies turn on each other, and all that he has built is ruined. Jubi-lee-eee..."
"Don't listen to my grandfather. He will do as he has offered, whatever offer he has made, but will not stop there. He is one of the three I mentioned. He sold his soul for a body that does not degrade. Without a soul, the entity he dealt with was able to move in. He hasn't been in control of his actions for a century." Benedict's used to it, so he doesn't even listen to the telepathic voice any more, and this wife can't hear it due to her native abilities.

[[brackets lover]]

[Skye's Apartment]

Asami straightens his posture slightly, tilting his head slightly towards Skye but not looking directly at her. "Skye-senpai, may I insult you?" she asks politely, taking a mildly deep breath and looking uncertain.

[Ironsmith]

[Benedict's Manse]

"Well, after coming all this way and sitting through multiple unverified claims that he was dead, I was considering turning around and leaving right after this one." Jubilee snarks, giving Samantha a disapproving little frown. Why was she asking Jubilee's permission anyway? Had she not hammered in the autonomy lesson well enough already?

Jubilee barely reacts to the dead man's offer to murder her ex-husband, giving an annoyed huff that the attempt at bargaining had even been made. "So you've got an immortal psychic demon-mummy that doesn't understand emotional responses more complex than pain and pleasure. Passe." She mutters. Perhaps not the most polite thing she could have said, but perhaps it would serve as some amount of reassurance for her apprentice; if she's not even remotely afraid of the monster, then Samantha doesn't need to be, either. "Anyway, yes, let's be inside. Dreadfully cold out here."

[bc56]

Skye's Apartment
"What!?" Mary exclaims, taken aback by Asami's question. Who the heck would ask to insult someone? Who the heck would say yes?
Hopefully that doesn't get mistaken as Skye's reaction.

[Halae]

[Skye's Apartment]

Skye, on the other hand, just sighs, "It's alright, Mary. Criticism is something you need to learn to accept."

And so, Skye nods to Asami, waiting patiently, aware she's likely going to be told something she doesn't appreciate.

[[brackets lover]]

[Skye's Apartment]

Still avoiding eye contact, Asami smiles at Skye's answer. "The two of you have the combined tact of a pitbull, I feel," he says cheerfully, the act of mockey making him feel strangely more confidant.

[bc56]

Skye's Apartment
"There's a difference between criticism and insults, Skye," Mary points out.
But then Asami insults them!
"Oh that one's not so bad. Have you been studying with Professor Threepwood? His insults work better in a fight," Mary suggests.