Keeper's Homes, Forts, Estates and Places

[Rebonack]

[Unicorn Dreams]

...

What the heck would 'unicorn business' even be?

Whatever.

Khannie gives her dad a little kiss on the nose.

A fox kiss.

Which mostly means a lick.

Whatever works.

Then she'll kind of... Just burrow away out of sight. Bye!

[General Shrimp]

Butterfly Bay

Codebreaker rubs the little hint of beard he has under his chin. "I guess it could be marketed as a safer alternative to the other shit on the market. But like, what kind of business did you have in mind? You never really gave me a good idea of how many people you've got at your little werewolf sanctuary. You might have to do a lot of recruiting besides the land ownership issue. And that's fine if you're keeping the supply to your followers but if you plan on selling it that's another whole thing."
He looks down at the bag of powder.
"And I assume you have some seeds? You can't plant ground-up powder." CB says this knowing that Atreyu knows how seeds work. He's a druid.

Butterfly Bay

"Well the whole sanctuary thing's sorta been a bit, ah, unofficial?" Atreyu answers awkwardly, scratching the back of his head. "Ain't really a formal thing anywhere, but there's a lotta wilderness out there where someone with some wild shapin' ability could, y'know, make a camp ground, plant a few euphoria trees, that sorta thing." Yes Codebreaker, your good friend(?) Atreyu has basically been living out in the woods for, well, a while. With just the occasional confused werewolf in need of some guidance for company. "As long as folks have got some degree of tolerance fer, ah, consumable goods, I ain't ever had issue gettin' it approved fer sale before. Folks are skeptical, sure, but they test it and they discover there ain't anythin' bad about it."

[Keeper]

Butterfly Bay

”Okay. So…you’ve done this before?” CB asks, thinking through what Atreyu just told him.
”And tree-magic would probably make things easier.”
He glances around, considering.
”So really you already have the logistics. You just need money for actually getting the people and building materials.”

[Wolfbane]

Veronica's Place

It sounds like a plan. And I love you, Veronica. Well and truly. You've the patience of a saint, dealing with all of this without complaint. He chuckles, which given his voice is telepathic is a strange thing.
Well, my Saint of the Bluewood. I will say again what I said when I gave you that necklace. I am yours, everything I have and am. Stay by my side, and I will be by yours, always.
There is a warmth, a spark offered. The love of a very small god.

Veronica's Place

The Harpy leans over, kissing his brow again and even reaching over to scratch Zebes along his jaw. "I love you too, Jace. And you couldn't get rid of me even with a ten foot pole. Though I will say calling me a Saint is a bit much." She points out with a warm smile as she reaches up to place her wing on the necklace to feel it, loving the little fuzzy warm feeling it brought her. "I've the patience of one perhaps, but I am by no means a saint. Your Muse would have a better ring to it I think. And feel a little more right. And I can sing!"

[Keeper]

Veronica's Place

"That works. Though you know, legends say unicorns are some of the only celestials that can bestow magic upon witches and warlocks. So 'witch' or 'sage' is also entirely possible if I end up rubbing off on you.

I think I promised your siblings not to let you sing while they're around. But they're not around, are they?" Jace almost manages a mischievous look.
And properly speaking, as they've already sworn oaths of devotion and their intent to stay by each other, Veronica has already fulfilled all the requirements to be Jace's witch partner. She just needs to not reject the little spark of magic that will develop in time. Luckily, she already likes blue.

[Wolfbane]

Veronica's Place

"Witch or sage? I dunno about those. Besides, I wouldn't want to steal my sister's thunder since if I turned into a Witch I would require the biggest floppiest hat imaginable. Bigger than her's!" Veronica points out with a smile before letting out a long breath she didn't know she had been holding this entire time. Stress seemed to leave her. "And I would love to actually sing more, but maybe once we get this all sorted. Thankfully though, this much isn't too bad and can be dealt with. Just gotta take some time."

[Keeper]

Veronica's Place

"Well, when we fix up the place it'll be just us. For a while at least. And...all of the pets."
They do have a bunch of those. Maybe they need to build a little place for them.
"I can't quite sing myself anymore. So you can be my Voice, as well. Time, at least, is something we have."

[General Shrimp]

Butterfly Bay

"Somethin' like that, yeah. Although settin' up somewhere more official-like outside of th' woods would be kinda nice too. It can be a little bit much fer some of the city folk werewolves sometimes. Or the wererats. You get a lotta wererats from cities." And don't even get him started on the werelions and weretigers and werebears, oh my! "But yeah, if yer lookin' fer a venture to get you some more income, I reckon I can do a decent job of it. I've at least got a track record fer doing exactly that. And magic plant powers."

[Keeper]

Butterfly Bay

Codebreaker considers this. He still seems a little leery.
"Well, it sounds like you'd need quite a lot of money up-front. It would be a while before we went in the positive, unless your druid magic can make them go from seeds to trees in a week flat. And um. Well I got to be honest with you. I trust you, but considering the subject matter and the amount of money, I'd have to be involved a lot."
Would Atreyu be willing to take Codebreaker on as a business partner?

[Keeper]

Jace's Place

As the evening rolls in, Veronica should get a text on her phone.

Can you stop by after work? -J

[General Shrimp]

Butterfly Bay

Atreyu chuckles and waves a faintly glowing hand, causing a thin vine to start curling its way up Codebreaker's chair leg. "A week ain't achievable, that's fer sure. But there's room to make things, well, at least a bit quicker. I can ensure the ground we plant on is rich and fertile regardless of its initial condition, I can keep the weather ideal for the euphoria fruit's growth, and I ought to be able to speed up growth enough to generate an extra harvest each year." He waves again and the vine immediately flowers. "Means tappin' into a fair chunk of my reserves every day, but if that's what's needed fer you to be happy it's a safe investment, I'm happy to do so."

[Keeper]

Butterfly Bay

"Well, I guess we can discuss the details." Codebreaker doesn't seem entirely convinced. But maybe he's just never had to handle the logistics of starting a business.
"...how'd you learn your magic anyway? I guess I'm technically a shaman. But I don't really know much about what I'm supposed to be doing."

[General Shrimp]

Butterfly Bay

Atreyu raises an eyebrow. "Yer- huh, yeah, I guess technically a shaman sorta makes sense, don't it?" He'd never really thought about it that way. But then magic is at times almost an afterthought to him, just a handy bag of tricks to be reached for every now and then.

He probably shouldn't be so casual about it.

"My old man made damn sure I picked up his art. Can't say I was a good student, ta be honest. Ain't capable of a fraction of what he can do."

[Keeper]

Butterfly Bay

Technically he might be considered more of a medium, given he's a conduit for one specific spirit.
"I dunno. You seem magic enough to me. How'd you think you might have learned if it wasn't in the family.
I feel like...I don't know. I like my life here, but I can't just sit on my ass here forever. I should probably do a little more to help b get established but really I don't know anything about spirit-calling and whatever."

[General Shrimp]

Butterfly Bay

"Haaah. I dunno, kid. A lotta druidic stuff is all about feelin' things. Ain't the easiest to teach someone more sorta...bookish." Atreyu runs a hand through his hair, mulling it over. "Which, I dunno, I get the feelin' yer prolly the sort who learns better from books n' details an' stuff. Not sure if me tellin' you to go outside, dig yer toes into the mud, n' just feel nature all around ya would really accomplish much."

[Keeper]

Butterfly Bay

"You callin' me a nerd?" Codebreaker asks with feigned offense.
"I'll have you know I never went to college, spent most of my adult career running around abandoned houses with a hatchet. And I survived Maesdan knight training regimens."
Or at least having a Maesdan personal trainer.
"Wiggling my paws in the dirt still sounds kinda sucky though."

[Wolfbane]

Jace's Place

As the evening rolls in, Veronica should get a text on her phone.

Jace's Place

Veronica gives an affirmative, with a smiley face after it. It takes a couple hours, but it isn't too long before she's visible in the air flying. She lands deftly, taking a moment to preen and settle her hair and feathers before raising her voice. "Honey, I'm home~" She calls out with a grin. Should she have brought flowers? Alfalfa? What does someone bring a unicorn BF to show affection?

[Keeper]

Jace’s Place

Jace is laying on the new unicorn-sized couch, a blanket over him. Commissar, the old Houndour, lays snoozing at his side.
”Good evening, Veronica. How was work?” Jace ‘says’ by conjuring his voice with a spell. He’s gotten used to doing that so he doesn’t have to speak into Veronica’s head, though he doesn’t think she minds either way.

[General Shrimp]

Butterfly Bay

"Yeah, bein' one with nature ain't all it's cracked up ta be. Gotta embrace the less enjoyable things in life, n' spend a lotta time in the mud n' cold n' rain." Atreyu remarks with a shrug. "Course, that's fer doin' the nature-y thing I do. What yer talkin' about ain't exactly the same. There's maybe some ritual sorta things we could try, I guess, see if that maybe sparks somethin'."

[Keeper]

Butterfly Bay

Codebreaker smirks, looking down at Atreyu.
”Some sorta ritual, you say? That we could try, you guess? Well. I’ve never heard anything so brimming with confidence! I don’t suppose you have something in mind for this?”
It sounds an awful lot like Atreyu is completely spitballing this one.

[General Shrimp]

Butterfly Bay

Atreyu grins, "I ain't claimin' ta be an expert on this stuff, kid. Not really. But there's, ah, certain things I did ta help bond with the spirits. Ah figure we can try doin' somethin' similar fer you, maybe try'n adapt the rituals on the fly, see if it does anythin' ta help ya. AIn't makin' any promises. And we can skip over th' feet in the mud bit."

[Wolfbane]

Jace’s Place

Jace is laying on the new unicorn-sized couch, a blanket over him. Commissar, the old Houndour, lays snoozing at his side.
”Good evening, Veronica. How was work?” Jace ‘says’ by conjuring his voice with a spell. He’s gotten used to doing that so he doesn’t have to speak into Veronica’s head, though he doesn’t think she minds either way.

Jace's Place

"Work wasn't too bad, honestly. Just a fair bit of paperwork and prep today. Maintenance and broken camera gear I was helping sort out." Veronica explains, kneeling down next to Commissar to gently pet and love on him. She loved animals a lot, and he was a Good Boy, yes he was. "What's up, love? You did message for me to come on over. You doing okay?"

[Keeper]

Butterfly Bay

Well. Atreyu doesn’t seem too sure about this but he’s kind of an expert. Right?
”Well…I guess as long as the rituals don’t call a monster into my house and they don’t involve doing lots of drugs it’s probably fine. Kyrie would kill me if I went doing anything like that.”
Which does probably say something about his own priorities doesn’t it?

Jace’s Place

Jace’s face is as unreadable as ever. Or perhaps not? Somehow he almost seems more expressive than before. He’s giving an equivalent of the “I don’t know how to talk about this” face.
”Um. Well. I learned that my predecessor’s name was Jastes. He had a partner in a large Black Dog named Tchen who said he would like to keep guarding the grove for us. Um. And then I spoke to a witch named Ingrid who is another unicorn’s partner. She said marrying a unicorn is usually how people become their warlocks so I um. Might start rubbing off on you and I um. Well.”
It does say something that even when he’s using his magic to conjure a voice for himself he’s still stammering. He has no idea how to talk about this. Should he wait? No he can’t wait. You don’t put off these things.
”She said that those sick spells I’ve been having? Um. That’s um. When unicorns spend time with someone they’re compatible with and really want kids that just um. Happens. And we had that conversation a few weeks ago about trying for kids one day and- So um.
We’re having a foal?”
Oh gods this is definitely it this is when he finally breaks something isn’t it.

[General Shrimp]

Butterfly Bay

"Oh, hells nah, nuthin' that puts ya at risk of summonin' demons or anythin'. They can involve some amount of playin' with senses. Bein' in a warm room, settin' up incense, that sorta thing. But I was figgerin' we could start with some simple drummin' exercises n' see if that helps open you up."

[Keeper]

Butterfly Bay

"Oh." Okay incense is fine if it's actually incense.
"That sounds fine. Though I don't think I own a drum. Well, I have an old video game set but those are fake instruments for games." It's definitely not even close to the same thing.

[Wolfbane]

Jace’s Place

Jace’s face is as unreadable as ever. Or perhaps not? Somehow he almost seems more expressive than before. He’s giving an equivalent of the “I don’t know how to talk about this” face.
”Um. Well. I learned that my predecessor’s name was Jastes. He had a partner in a large Black Dog named Tchen who said he would like to keep guarding the grove for us. Um. And then I spoke to a witch named Ingrid who is another unicorn’s partner. She said marrying a unicorn is usually how people become their warlocks so I um. Might start rubbing off on you and I um. Well.”
It does say something that even when he’s using his magic to conjure a voice for himself he’s still stammering. He has no idea how to talk about this. Should he wait? No he can’t wait. You don’t put off these things.
”She said that those sick spells I’ve been having? Um. That’s um. When unicorns spend time with someone they’re compatible with and really want kids that just um. Happens. And we had that conversation a few weeks ago about trying for kids one day and- So um.
We’re having a foal?”
Oh gods this is definitely it this is when he finally breaks something isn’t it.

Jace's Place

Veronica's face is much more passive than Jace's as she listens. About half through she gets a feeling and takes a seat. Normally when he got so verbose, it was a sign a shoe was going to fall. A horseshoe in this case. All four of them. The names were "odd" coincidences that were raising red flags in her head. Similarities in names didn't really bode well with magical situations.

Then the bombshell lands.

She just stares at him for a bit, no smile on her face and she leans forward to rest her chin on her fingers and spreads her wings a little. Jace can tell she's thinking heavily and is quite agitated, even controlling herself from freaking out. "So..." There is an icy edge to her words. "I'm not the one pregnant, I know that. So it would be...you?" She asks, making sure she has the facts straight.

"...really not how I thought today was going to go, to be honest." She admits, raising an eyebrow and tilting her head slightly to concede that point to the world.

[Keeper]

Jace's Place

Oh gods he did it Jace actually got over her weird threshold now she'll never agree to marry a unicorn.
"Well it's not really the same thing as a normal child! Ingrid said if her partner had a foal they would simply appear in a local graveyard. So mine might just...appear? When they're ready. But um. By all accounts I am the one carrying, yes. I have had symptoms."
"He. You already have a daughter so it'll definitely be a boy." pipes in Zebes.
"Not helping, Zebes. Anyway. I know this isn't how we'd want to do this, it just happened. At least now that I know now I can avoid doing it again but um. Are you...upset?" Jace hasn't seen Veronica upset in a very long time.

[Wolfbane]

Jace's Place

"I...don't know." Veronica admits. "But I think so?" She takes a long deep breath and lets it out slow. She opens her mouth, about to speak, but stops herself and holds up a wing to hold off any comment for a moment. Eventually she gives up and just lets out a loud groan that grows into a scream. That seems to do the trick and she slumps with a sigh. "...couldn't we have made a child the fun way?" She asks, clearly grumpy but he knows that she's past any real dangerous emotion.

[Keeper]

Jace's Place

"...you know, I am just going to take it as a compliment that you still want to do that despite me looking like this." Jace says finally. It's an image he just does not know what to think about it.
"...well, maybe after I have him I can get back to my promise of getting back on two legs. I think I'd make a very handsome unicorn-satyr." He shakes his head.
"I know this is a lot. It's so much. More than anyone would have to deal with.
...if it means anything, this only happened because of how close we are. And your heart. And I'm hoping he'll have your feathers."

[Wolfbane]

Jace's Place

Veronica looks suddenly exasperated by his words and gets up from her seat. She's frowning, glaring, and stomps over to just whap his face with her wing. "Jace." She growls, trying to take his head in both hands so she can look him directly in the eyes. "...Jace. I want you. I don't want a unicorn. I want you even if you are a unicorn. I love you and I want you, and physical issues aside right this moment, that isn't going to change. Right now I am incredibly upset because despite being the one that is incredibly self-conscious about her own biological clock and would have been more than happy to have an egg with you, you somehow got pregnant and took the wind from my sails with that news since that's the sort I should have been surprising you with instead of the other way around." She explains before taking a deep breath and letting it out. "I am happy that we're having a kid, yes, and I will love him or her without fail. But I reserve the right to be very pissed right now, you dork."