Home 18 - Where Everybody Knows Your Name

[Shadowcaller]

[Certain Home]

I shall retreat back until you need me further then mistress. And crawl up in some distant corner of Certain's mind and ignore that icky sexuality. It might even have to throw once or twice just thinking about it. Ew.

[Ionbound]

Certain smiles thinly as she's kissed, and hears the demon's discomfort, before trying to pull Hretka into a passionate kiss, and then trying to pull the curtain.

[Beans]

Certain smiles thinly as she's kissed, and hears the demon's discomfort, before trying to pull Hretka into a passionate kiss, and then trying to pull the curtain.

[Certain Home]
After which, Hretka curls up with her on the couch with a blanket and a big pile of books.

[Ionbound]

[Certain Home]
After which, Hretka curls up with her on the couch with a blanket and a big pile of books.

As they're curled up, Certain kisses Hretka and says, "I'm glad I did this...That was the best thing I've done in a long time."

[UncleWolf]

Pizza Place

Jace just smiles and lets her lean on him. "That sounds fine. We'll work something out later." he says softly.
Why was he thinking this way anyway? He hadn't ever actually thought over her as a means to an end, but he hadn't ever really intended on getting into a relationship with that date. Maybe he'd been kinda hoping, but he'd really just thought it'd be a harmless way to beat Libra. A nice day or two, letting it fall apart when the girl inevitably doesn't' like him and his weird magic and little brother tag-along. He hadn't ever really thought that it'd end up as really anything, but she actually came back after all that crap, and he feels glad about it without just not wanting to have hurt someone. It's not really what he thought he'd have thought about anyone who-
[Boss?] Yeah? [Shut up and go with it.]
Jace just smiles. And eventually, he laughs at her comment. "Well, we'll just have to remember to only ask for things that seem reasonable. I will warn you now though, I am a person involved with magic. My life can get strange, although it's never been so in-my-face as last week. Usually it's just meeting people with odd problems and a minor hex here and there. But come on, your brothers are probably holding a seat for us." he says.

Pepper Oni's

"That's alright. I'm a member of the news, remember? Color me naturally curious and reckless. Magic and weird stuff is fine." She says, looking up at Jace with a grin before lifting a wing to wave to her siblings who did indeed fetch a table for them inside the cave. The entire place is cool, almost a bit too cold to be comfortable, but the seats look comfortable and there are blankets on the back of the booths that can be used if necessary.

The three younger Harpies seem to have already gotten their drinks and when they see the newcomers, they wave eagerly and Veronica smiles. "Anything else I ought to know about you?" She asks as she slides in next to the older of the two boys. "Oh, excuse me. The boys are Richard and Samuel."

[Deathkeeper]

Pepper Oni's

"Uh, there are two tenants at my place who are the same person and I once helped stop a demonic invasion of my homeworld?" he says casually as he slides into the seat across from her.
"Hiya. he says to the kids with a smile. I'm Jace, but you probably picked up on that. You guys order already?" he asks.
Zebes sits next to him, and for now is more than enough to keep him warm.

[Recaiden]

[Woods - Felix's Home]

Having clambered down the edge of the ruin and back into the forest, Felix and Felia make their way here. It's a bit of a distance, but they follow these glowing railroad tracks most of the way, so it's pretty easy not to get lost. They arrive at some sort of village. Houses made of piles stones, all different sizes, with the gaps between them filled in, each built around a tree trunk for structure, and wooden non-residential structures. Some sort of mill (there's spinning, but it's not clear where it's coming from) made of wood sits at the center of the place, driving belts that run to various other wooden structures.

"That was a strange place. I think that's all we can say about it, eh, cat?"

There's the sound of hammering from inside one of the buildings, singing from that house, a crocodile basking in the sun atop a fallen log.

[Arkhosia]

[Woods - Felix's Home]

Having clambered down the edge of the ruin and back into the forest, Felix and Felia make their way here. It's a bit of a distance, but they follow these glowing railroad tracks most of the way, so it's pretty easy not to get lost. They arrive at some sort of village. Houses made of piles stones, all different sizes, with the gaps between them filled in, each built around a tree trunk for structure, and wooden non-residential structures. Some sort of mill (there's spinning, but it's not clear where it's coming from) made of wood sits at the center of the place, driving belts that run to various other wooden structures.

"That was a strange place. I think that's all we can say about it, eh, cat?"

There's the sound of hammering from inside one of the buildings, singing from that house, a crocodile basking in the sun atop a fallen log.

A sort of exhausted Felia nods.
Yep, that's the ruins in a nutshell! Then again, that's pretty much the Nexus in a nutshell too, so it's not too surprising.
She replies, looking around with interest.

[Lost_Deep]

[Trick's Home]

The tiefling's face turns a darker shade of red, "Breasts!? Why is that the first thing you focus on?" She's not the most confident person in her appearance, and extraplanar spirits implying directly that she's entirely flat hurts.

The blue one stops in front of her. "Well, some people like them, and some don't, so I checked! If you don't want them, that's fine!"

"Yeah! Same with the part where the legs and body meet. Do you want that different?"

[Halae]

Kate's Mindscape

Kate looks over her shoulder at him, seemingly confused.

"You're dreaming!" Copi exclaims, and Kate blinks. She shakes her head as if to clear it, and then sets the fishing pole down.

"No, I don't," Kate says. "But here I'm trying, and I keep catching... not fish. Crabs, lobsters, cuttlefish-hey, none of those live in rivers in the first place. This is weird."

[Kate's Mindscape]

"Such is the nature of dreams, yes," Eric says, "They don't have to make sense to be good ones. Anyways, We're here for a reason. Copi?"

The blue one stops in front of her. "Well, some people like them, and some don't, so I checked! If you don't want them, that's fine!"

"Yeah! Same with the part where the legs and body meet. Do you want that different?"

[Trick's Home]

Trick breathes out, "alright, you can do both if you want," It's just dress-up after all. She can change back.

[Lost_Deep]

Kate's Mindscape

"Right, the issue is that you have two sets of memories that aren't divided. I would propose to make distinctions between the two, so that you can tell the two apart. Immediately, instead of with some thought as you do right now. I think that over time something similar might happen naturally; this is more just speeding or ensuing the process."

Kate blinks. "Uh, okay, but... will I remember this explanation? This is a dream..."

"Yes, I can ensure that you remember this clearly."

Trick's Home

"Well, what do you want?"

"Yeah! The point is to make you look the way you want to look!"

There will be an odd feeling, as if someone is pushing on the inside of the skin on her chest, and Trick will gain a cup size. Her clothes grow with it, keeping her comfortable and covered. "Just tell us what you want, and we can do it!"

[Halae]

[Kate's Mindscape]

"Copi has shown herself to be extremely gifted in dealing with mindscapes, yes," Eric says, "It's a simple enough fix, if you want it to happen, but we felt it prudent to ask your permission first."

[Trick's Home]

Trick blushes as she looks down at her chest, "I don't know. Large, maybe? I'd like to try it out, at least."

[Lost_Deep]

Kate's Mindscape

"Well... will it help me to actually remember memories instead of just... weird feelings?"

"Likely? I'm proposing a method of least interference, in theory after this you should be able to check for one memory set or another."

"Well... it's better than nothing."

Copi will nod, and unless Eric has something more to say the pair will be back in the Archives.

Trick's Home

There will be a strong push, and Trick will be very large; a good bit larger than is commonly seen as natural. Her clothes stretch to fit, but now look a little silly on account of the fact that they simply are not designed with this in mind. "Tada!"

The blue one reaches down and places her hands on Trick's hips (not touching). "You want the other parts bigger, too? Or smaller?"

[Recaiden]

A sort of exhausted Felia nods.
Yep, that's the ruins in a nutshell! Then again, that's pretty much the Nexus in a nutshell too, so it's not too surprising.
She replies, looking around with interest.

"Some places are other things in addition to strange, neh?"
He leads her into the village, waving to the crocodile, which lifts a paw in response.
"You want to get some rest, girl? You look tired."

[Halae]

[Kate's Mindscape]

Eric will have nothing more to say; it's time for them to get to work. Or at least for Copi.

[Trick's Home]

"Uh, this is a bit too large, don't you think?" Trick says, cupping her newly enlarged chest with wide eyes. Oh my.

[Lost_Deep]

Kate's Mindscape

The file drawers will open, and the files flit out. Copi begins to run her fingers over them. "I'm going to take it slow to minimize shock. If you want to look around somewhere else, now is the time."

Trick's Home

"It is?" Says the pink one from behind her.

"It's okay, it's easy to fix," the blue one says, and reaches forward. Her hands should pass right through Trick's, pushing the breasts back and limiting them to still large but not ridiculously so.

[Halae]

[Kate's Mindscape]

"It feels a bit like an intrusion to do so," Eric says, frowning, "But there's several things I want to see around here. Do you believe she'll mind?"

[Trick's Home]

Trick watches incredulously, but nods, "Yeah, that's a lot better. And... You know what? Do whatever you want. I'll play doll for you two for a bit. I'm curious to see what you'll do with it, and I already made you promise to change me back if I'm unhappy." May as well throw caution to the wind, since there's a safety net.

[Lost_Deep]

Kate's Mindscape

"Not for most things. She'll likely want to hear what it was like, though, and for the things she would mind I can keep you from seeing." Copi smiles at him. "I can even act as tour guide if you want."

Trick's Home

"Oh!"

"Really?" The pink one pops up over Trick's head, her hands on Trick's shoulders. "Oooh! We'll have so much fun!" The pink one runs her fingers along Trick's horns, exaggerating the spiral a bit and smoothing them.

"Yeah!" The blue one chirps, placing her hands inside Tick's hips and pushing them outward, making them a bit wider.

[Halae]

[Kate's Mindscape]

"I'd appreciate that, Copi. It'd keep me away from the things that I shouldn't see, while letting me fulfill my curiosities." Eric nods, "Where to first?"

[Trick's Home]

"Y-yeah. Have fun, do whatever you like. If I'm upset or don't like it, I'll get you to change it back." Trick is a bit worried about what they'll do, but it could be worse.

[Lost_Deep]

Kate's Mindscape

Copi shrugs. "That's your choice, isn't it? I'll point you in the right direction, if there's some part of Kate's subconsciousness you want to meet in particular. If you're really not sure, I might have a suggestion."

Trick's Home

"We should giver her wings!"

"Make her a new color!"

"And pretty new clothes!"

Trick's clothes will vanish in a flurry of excited pink-and-blue blur. Her skin turns blue, at first bright blue, but quickly switching to a dark, royal blue. From there, one or both of the spirits begins to make artistic silver markings on her skin, varying from waves to ferns to simple, elegant swirls. In under thirty seconds every inch of her body will have some kind of art on it.

[Halae]

[A Summoning Chamber]

It's a dark, dank cellar here. The shadows cling to everything, and the only light is that of a set of candles, spaces strategically around the room to maximize their effect. Upon the ground is a trio of concentric rings; the innermost is bronze, the middle is silver, and the outer is made from iron. Each is useful for different kinds of beings, and so each are here. The silver circle was the most expensive, but it had proven its worth already in denying several devils from exiting the circles. Each circle is etched deeply with various runes and arcane writing.

Standing a short ways away is an albino man, white even in this darkness. He stands facing the circles with an open book in his hands, reading it with the one eye not covered by a large leather eyepatch. He slowly starts incanting in a language one can't understand without extensive knowledge; he'll be down here for an hour, simply chanting, with a few breaks to take a swig of water from the floor due to the strain on his vocal chords.

At the end, he kneels down, and taps the rings, one by one, to summon the being he's attempting to call: Shayner, the duality of life. He's hoping he gets both aspects, male and female, as they'll moderate each other, but he may end up with only one of the two.

[Kate's Apartment]

Eric sighs, "Don't take this the wrong way, but I've always been morbidly curious about Kate's sex drive. In all the time I've known her, she hasn't pursued any kind of relationship. In fact, it's like she actively spurned it, given cosiellio."

[Trick's Home]

"Sorry girls, do you mind if I stay red?" she's never liked blue. She sees it as too much of a passive color, "I'm loving the silver designs so far, though."

[Lost_Deep]

Kate's Apartment

Copi, another one, tries to take Eric by the shoulder from behind and direct him to the exit of the archives. "The one representing her libido is less common than you would think. Her appetite for a relationship is similarly rare. She, in short, doesn't have a healthy view of such things. You're either looking for lust, the deadly sin, and you don't want that, or her motherly side."

Trick's Home

"Aww... okay." she changes back to red, but it's a different shade. A deep red, one might even call it blood red. Her horns turn silver, with large round garnets set in them. There is a sharp tug on two spots on her back, and she is suddenly up two wings. Large ones, too, they might even be able to let her fly. The silver designs quickly cover them, too.

[The Bushranger]

[A Summoning Chamber]

It's a dark, dank cellar here. The shadows cling to everything, and the only light is that of a set of candles, spaces strategically around the room to maximize their effect. Upon the ground is a trio of concentric rings; the innermost is bronze, the middle is silver, and the outer is made from iron. Each is useful for different kinds of beings, and so each are here. The silver circle was the most expensive, but it had proven its worth already in denying several devils from exiting the circles. Each circle is etched deeply with various runes and arcane writing.

Standing a short ways away is an albino man, white even in this darkness. He stands facing the circles with an open book in his hands, reading it with the one eye not covered by a large leather eyepatch. He slowly starts incanting in a language one can't understand without extensive knowledge; he'll be down here for an hour, simply chanting, with a few breaks to take a swig of water from the floor due to the strain on his vocal chords.

At the end, he kneels down, and taps the rings, one by one, to summon the being he's attempting to call: Shayner, the duality of life. He's hoping he gets both aspects, male and female, as they'll moderate each other, but he may end up with only one of the two.[/COLOR]

The rings shimmer and sparkle, and after a few moments a figure...a single figure... a rather feminine figure, in fact, that materialises. The figure is quite...voluptrous, almost matronly, but in way that anyone who found the female form attractive would agree was the pinnacle of lively womanhood, with long hair, soft and silken and pale, billowing behind her.

And she smiles at him.

"Why hast thou summoned me here, mage?"

[Halae]

[Kate's Mindscape]

"Now that's something I'd love to see," Eric says, intending to follow where Copi leads.

[Trick's Home]

Trick looks at the wings with wonder, flexing them carefully to get a sense for how they feel, and letting the cotton candy spirits do as they please for the moment.

[A Summoning Chamber]

Hadlin quickly clears the disappointment at getting only one of the aspects off his face. When bargaining, it does not do well to offend the spirits you've called, "Greetings, lifemother Siala. I have called for a pact, requesting the gift of eternal youth in exchange for what price you would ask of me. A simple trade, for one of your stature and grace, though one i understand does not come cheap for a mortal like me. What would you ask of this humble summoner?"

[The Bushranger]

[A Summoning Chamber]

The spirit taps her chin in thought, examining Hadlin with curiosity. "Many ask," she says, her voice melodic and warm, "yet many are unprepared for there to be a price, unlike you, it would seem." She sounds slightly amused, her full lips turning up into a smile. "You are lucky today, for I believe I may grant you this boon - if you pay my price. To be filled with eternal life," she says, her voice becoming almost sultry, "you must be capable of bearing new life."

[Lost_Deep]

Kate's Mindscape

"Go that way," Copi points, "Find the suburb. In a two-story house with white paint and blue siding. Ring the bell or knock on the door, either way. You're visible, but that's unlikely to be an issue with how introverted Kate is."

Trick's Home

Trick gains a good amount of height, up to about six and a half feet tall. She also gains muscles, some definition but not a lot. Her feet then shift to being digitrade.

"Wait, what did you do?"

"I made her feet like this."

"Why? Is that pretty?"

"I think it's interesting!"

"I don't know..."

[Halae]

[A Summoning Chamber]

The ability to have children? Hadlin already has that, doesn't he? Well then, this is an easy bargain for him to make. He nods cordially, "I agree to your terms, Mother Siala. Shall we complete the pact?"

There's the nagging feeling that he's missing something, but he's eager to get this done; she seems to be offering quite a bit for what he already has, so may as well roll with it, right?

[Kate's Mindscape]

Eric nods, and follows the directions perfectly, walking all the way to the suburb to knock on the door; the bell seems so formal, and they're friends.

[Trick's Home]

Trick's face goes flat, "uh... normal feet please. I like being able to wear shoes properly." She can understand it with the wings, but she's starting to feel downright infernal, and that's making her panic a bit.

[Lost_Deep]

Kate's Mindscape

"Just a minute!" After a bit, Kate will open the door. She's recognizable as such, but there's a few differences: she's taller than Kate really is, even a little taller than Copi, and has a bit more more developed breasts and hips than Kate really does. She's wearing a jeans-blue jacket over a plain white shirt, and pants that have the jeans number of pockets, but aren't made of denim. She looks at Eric and smiles. "Hi Eric! How's the kids?"

Trick's Home

"Allright!" And back to normal feet.

"My turn!" And now trick has four arms. These spirits certainly seem to have a taste for the unusual.

[The Bushranger]

[A Summoning Chamber]

The ability to have children? Hadlin already has that, doesn't he? Well then, this is an easy bargain for him to make. He nods cordially, "I agree to your terms, Mother Siala. Shall we complete the pact?"

There's the nagging feeling that he's missing something, but he's eager to get this done; she seems to be offering quite a bit for what he already has, so may as well roll with it, right?

Siala beams, her smile utterly radiant...and yet, even more so, Hadlin will feel the sensation that he's missed something quite important.

"So have you wished it," she intones, "so shall it be. From my power to yours, your price has been paid."

...and Hadlin will suddenly get the distinct feeling of his body shifting its form.

And thus his male physique gains a template: [formerly]. His chest shifts, becoming very distinctly feminine indeed. (Thankfully for him...er, her, Siala isn't cruel; back strengthening is part of the package.) His waist narrows, hips and rear broadening widely; "childbearing hips" is a mild descriptor. ("And I cannot lie" may well be another.) Legs become longer and slender, and his...now her...hair lengthens, sliding down Hadlin's back. Lips become full and rich as facial features soften...and as a final subtle, yet important, shift, the axis of attraction alters, with Hadlin now, once meditated upon and realised, becoming quite attracted to the opposite gender of her new form...

Siala is doubly not-cruel in that despite the extensiveness of the alterations, they're hardly excruiating.
Quite the opposite, really.

[Halae]

[A Summoning Chamber]

Hadlin lets out a shocked gasp and doubles over from the feeling as her form changes. Her clothing, including robe, underwear, pants, and shirt, are all enchanted to self adjust to the wearer, which is a convenience that Hadlin wasn't expecting to need to make use of: The self adjustment enchantment has always been more useful for its ability to clean the outfit, but rarely she's had to let someone else borrow it anyways. Now though, it changes to fit her rather extraordinary body, expanding in the region of the hips and chest, thinning in the waist, and generally accepting the new physique of the wearer comfortably and effectively.

An incredible crimson blush colors Hadlin's face as she realizes what just happened, "... Oh. Oh damn." In his haste, he misunderstood the deal! That was the first thing she was taught to avoid!

That sinking feeling of dread settles into the pit of her stomach. With their pact complete, there should be nothing holding Siala here, but she'll get a few parting words if she wishes.

[Kate's Mindscape]

Eric smiles back pleasantly, "They're doing well! Scylla is a bit of a terror when she won't stop singing in her sleep, but they're maturing rapidly. How about you? how are you doing?" He'll step in, giving this Kate a look over. Her physique is certainly quite a bit more motherly.

[Trick's Home]

Trick swallows as she looks down, and moves her extra pair of arms around. For a moment, she attempts to cast a spell with them; a simple magelight, to see if the dexterity is the same in them.