Civiron's Realm

[Felandria]

Gardens

"Why my dear, are you asking me on a date?" Cherie chuckles, and it should be clear to Felandria that she was joking. "It is up to you. I would prefer heading into the town, myself, but I would quite enjoy either, in such pleasant company."

Felandria smiles and chuckles a little as well, and it is hopefully unclear to Cherie that Fel kinda was a little bit.

Well then, let's go check the place out.

Do you wanna come too, Sniffy?

[Devixer]

Gardens

Cherie stands, and checks the collar of her coat. "I shall let you, and perhaps Sniffy, lead the way. Do you have any preference for foods? I enjoy a good shrimp linguine, myself."

[Felandria]

Gardens

Cherie stands, and checks the collar of her coat. "I shall let you, and perhaps Sniffy, lead the way. Do you have any preference for foods? I enjoy a good shrimp linguine, myself."

Never had it, actually.

Last time I had pasta, I had this yummy chicken lasagna, instead of tomato sauce, they used a cream of chicken soup.

I dunno, kinda more in a breakfasty mood, how about you?

[Mee]

[apartment that has mice]

Strawberry did decline the offer to be pushed. She hates it, although she would never admit that to anyone so kind to offer a helping hand.

When Grace cushions Amir's fall, Strawberry's mouth hangs open in surprise and amazement. Although with how horribly broken his little legs are, even falling into the goo means excruciating pain for him. Likewise, no matter how gently Grace tries to pick him up and tie the hair around him, he will squeal in pain. Strawberry doesn't try to stop Grace's actions, but seeing her darling suffer in the goo-woman's hands makes the mermaid hold her breath and clench her fists.
Then, Amir is healed. Strawberry can't believe her eyes for a second, even after wiping the copious amounts of tears out of them. The black mouse immediately starts doing what he does best: give Grace's thumb cute little kisses. And then Strawberry's thumb, after Grace hands him over (presumably?). Then, the same procedure is done to Lida, the beige mouse. Then to Zulfa, the white mouse, who doesn't even squeal when handled, as if she had already accepted her fate.
Crying tears of joy, Strawberry holds her three mice in the palm of her hand, petting and cuddling them. But they, on the figurative other hand, are way too stressed and frightened to cuddle right back, so Strawberry puts them back in their cage to calm down a little. Then, she turns to Grace and gives her a hug. But not just any hug. A very firm, very long squeeze, as if she wouldn't want to let go. She's so happy that she even gives Grace a kiss on the cheek. "Thank you thank you thank you thank you! I'm so sorry so sorry I... I almost... *sigh* Of course I... the house- I... tea..." Strawberry stammers, while still not letting go of now-deformed Grace. Perhaps she needs a moment.

It's a pretty Mice Apartment

"There you go, li'l guys. You're all safe now-" Then she gets glomped. So very, very glomped. Grace is, in fact, rapidly and hilariously deformed; with an itty bitty waist that really shouldn't be able to hold anything up at all, but somehow magically manages to.
"You are very, very welcome. I'm truly happy I could be here to help.

Iiiii would call in sick today. Or call in late. You shouldn't go to work just yet."

Felandria smiles and chuckles a little as well, and it is hopefully unclear to Cherie that Fel kinda was a little bit.

Well then, let's go check the place out.

Do you wanna come too, Sniffy?

Gardens

Cherie stands, and checks the collar of her coat. "I shall let you, and perhaps Sniffy, lead the way. Do you have any preference for foods? I enjoy a good shrimp linguine, myself."

Sniffy indeed wants to come along! And will definitely lead the way, as well!
Sniffy has the best place in mind, where the best foods can be had. And so, off he leads them!

. . .

Away from the town! He definitely has somewhere in mind though.

[Cola]

It's a pretty Mice Apartment

"There you go, li'l guys. You're all safe now-" Then she gets glomped. So very, very glomped. Grace is, in fact, rapidly and hilariously deformed; with an itty bitty waist that really shouldn't be able to hold anything up at all, but somehow magically manages to.
"You are very, very welcome. I'm truly happy I could be here to help.

Iiiii would call in sick today. Or call in late. You shouldn't go to work just yet."

[she's got only one laptop, but three wireless mice]

Okay, maybe hugs don't feel just as good if your arms just squeeze through your partner like, well, goo. Strawberry lets go and, upon seeing Grace's deformed state and almost nonexistent waist, laughs. "You might be right, I should probably do that." She wipes tears out of her eyes and calls the beach BBQ.
"Gon b sick."
"Kay m8."
With that, the call is done. "Would you like some tea, perhaps? I swear it tastes better than it loo... I mean, it tastes better than this apartment looks. Sorry for that.", she suggests, obviously ashamed of her domicile. "And I've got some pretty premium cookies, too. Bought just in case I might have a visitor one day."

"Could you perhaps tell me a little more about that house you were talking about?", Strawberry asks, beaming with excitement and happiness. Why did Grace even think she would refuse such an offer?

[Mee]

[she's got only one laptop, but three wireless mice]

Okay, maybe hugs don't feel just as good if your arms just squeeze through your partner like, well, goo. Strawberry lets go and, upon seeing Grace's deformed state and almost nonexistent waist, laughs. "You might be right, I should probably do that." She wipes tears out of her eyes and calls the beach BBQ.
"Gon b sick."
"Kay m8."
With that, the call is done. "Would you like some tea, perhaps? I swear it tastes better than it loo... I mean, it tastes better than this apartment looks. Sorry for that.", she suggests, obviously ashamed of her domicile. "And I've got some pretty premium cookies, too. Bought just in case I might have a visitor one day."

"Could you perhaps tell me a little more about that house you were talking about?", Strawberry asks, beaming with excitement and happiness. Why did Grace even think she would refuse such an offer?

Reeses Meeses?

Well, gentle hugs and Grace actually feels just like hugging a normal person. Even moderate hugs, she squishes a bit, but it's minor, and she could pass as a human for the mooost part. It's just the squeezy hugs where she can't. At all.
Anyway, by the time Stawberry's off the phone, Grace has gotten herself all sorted out physicaly.
"I'll never turn down tea. That would be lovely, thank you! I'm afraid I'll have to pass on the cookies though. Actual food -- especially potentially crunchy ones -- and I don't always seem to mesh well.

Yeah, of course!" Grace then goes on to describe a very nice sounding house. Sounds to have about five rooms; a fairly spacious kitchen, a comfortably sized bedroom fit in around a king sized bed (Grace enjoys having a large bed to herself. She likes to sprawl), a living room large enough to host guests and house a few couches, then a few other odds and ends rooms. One of the off-rooms she's turned into her recording studio, but Strawberry would be more than welcome to turn it into whatever. There were also closets and a bathroom and all the other things that go into a house.
The only drawback is it is a good ten, fifteen minute drive from where they were now.

[Cola]

Reeses Meeses?

Well, gentle hugs and Grace actually feels just like hugging a normal person. Even moderate hugs, she squishes a bit, but it's minor, and she could pass as a human for the mooost part. It's just the squeezy hugs where she can't. At all.
Anyway, by the time Stawberry's off the phone, Grace has gotten herself all sorted out physicaly.
"I'll never turn down tea. That would be lovely, thank you! I'm afraid I'll have to pass on the cookies though. Actual food -- especially potentially crunchy ones -- and I don't always seem to mesh well.

Yeah, of course!" Grace then goes on to describe a very nice sounding house. Sounds to have about five rooms; a fairly spacious kitchen, a comfortably sized bedroom fit in around a king sized bed (Grace enjoys having a large bed to herself. She likes to sprawl), a living room large enough to host guests and house a few couches, then a few other odds and ends rooms. One of the off-rooms she's turned into her recording studio, but Strawberry would be more than welcome to turn it into whatever. There were also closets and a bathroom and all the other things that go into a house.
The only drawback is it is a good ten, fifteen minute drive from where they were now.

[mouse pun]

"Tea it is, then." Strawberry gets a kettle, fills it with tap water, and puts it on the stove. Then she fills some grocery store tea shreds into a tea ball and lets it plop into the kettle. "No offense taken. But what or how do you eat, then?" The tea is done boiling. Already. Somehow. Strawberry puts the kettle on the table, along with cups, sugar, and a half-empty carton of milk. No food, though. If her guest won't eat, then she won't either. "Aaaaaand to pick up on what I wanted to ask earlier on the beach but then I was cut off by the phone call and... well, of your world has every kind of people, as you say, what's the most unusual species there is? I once saw someone on TV who was a sentient plant controlling a mechanical body and communicating with scent, because that plant had like the best sense of smell ever."

Strawberry's eyes sparkle as Grace describes the house. She has never lived in something even remotely as big and comfortable as that. "Ooooooh a king sized bed! I could coil up in that, so my tail doesn't stick out at the bottom of the bed." The mermaid is longer than every average-sized bed, and the bed in this apartment is definitely too narrow to assume any sleeping position but straight. "I wouldn't even know what to put in all those rooms. Say does it have a large bathtub, too?"

[Mee]

[mouse pun]

"Tea it is, then." Strawberry gets a kettle, fills it with tap water, and puts it on the stove. Then she fills some grocery store tea shreds into a tea ball and lets it plop into the kettle. "No offense taken. But what or how do you eat, then?" The tea is done boiling. Already. Somehow. Strawberry puts the kettle on the table, along with cups, sugar, and a half-empty carton of milk. No food, though. If her guest won't eat, then she won't either. "Aaaaaand to pick up on what I wanted to ask earlier on the beach but then I was cut off by the phone call and... well, of your world has every kind of people, as you say, what's the most unusual species there is? I once saw someone on TV who was a sentient plant controlling a mechanical body and communicating with scent, because that plant had like the best sense of smell ever."

Strawberry's eyes sparkle as Grace describes the house. She has never lived in something even remotely as big and comfortable as that. "Ooooooh a king sized bed! I could coil up in that, so my tail doesn't stick out at the bottom of the bed." The mermaid is longer than every average-sized bed, and the bed in this apartment is definitely too narrow to assume any sleeping position but straight. "I wouldn't even know what to put in all those rooms. Say does it have a large bathtub, too?"

Nup Esoum

Grace just kind of half shrugs. "Liquids. Water, juice, tea, whatever. Ingested liquids get turned into more, fresher mass. That gets used primarily, and older stuff gets washed away in the shower. So thiiis is perfect,
thank you~" Grace says, before nodding a bit of a thanks, before sipping at her cup of tea. She added some milk to her tea, but left it plain other than that.
"Oh gosh. Um. Most unusual like most uncommon? Because I'm pretty sure actual 100% humans take that slot. But those are boring, and you probably mean most interestingly . . . strange.
Uhhhh." Grace actually looks kind of at a loss. "I mean. Everyone was pretty unique. There really was no one in particular you could look at and say 'oh you're really strange'. Because that described everywhere.
I, uh, I'ma have to go back to humans. The, like, two of them we have. They're just so unique because they're, well, they're not unique. You know? That one saying from I think he was a president: "When everyone's super,
no one is". It's really kind of interesting."

"Yeah you could!
Iiiit does not have a bathtub. Currently. You could definitely get one installed though, I'm sure."

[Cola]

Nup Esoum

Grace just kind of half shrugs. "Liquids. Water, juice, tea, whatever. Ingested liquids get turned into more, fresher mass. That gets used primarily, and older stuff gets washed away in the shower. So thiiis is perfect,
thank you~" Grace says, before nodding a bit of a thanks, before sipping at her cup of tea. She added some milk to her tea, but left it plain other than that.
"Oh gosh. Um. Most unusual like most uncommon? Because I'm pretty sure actual 100% humans take that slot. But those are boring, and you probably mean most interestingly . . . strange.
Uhhhh." Grace actually looks kind of at a loss. "I mean. Everyone was pretty unique. There really was no one in particular you could look at and say 'oh you're really strange'. Because that described everywhere.
I, uh, I'ma have to go back to humans. The, like, two of them we have. They're just so unique because they're, well, they're not unique. You know? That one saying from I think he was a president: "When everyone's super,
no one is". It's really kind of interesting."

"Yeah you could!
Iiiit does not have a bathtub. Currently. You could definitely get one installed though, I'm sure."

Who is 13 cm / 5 " tall, wears colourful clothes and has butterfly wings? The pixie guy! And who is fluttering around Grace's old house and peeking inside through every window? The pixie guy! "C'est vraiment une maison de rêve, tellement bonne.", he says to himself. And it's located in such a good part of town, too. Strawberry doesn't deserve this. Even though the mice have been saved (which he admittedly is kinda glad about, they were cute and innocent after all), he figures the scare effect is still there. So he uses his teeny-tiny smartphone to write an SMS.
.

[Nup Esoum dolor sit amet,...]

Strawberry had never seen anyone shrug with only one shoulder before. She puts neither milk nor sugar into her tea, and waits a minute or two for the cup to cool down to a decent temperature. "But, can you really get all your nutrients from liquids only? Do you drink lotsa smoothies and stuff, or... or do you, like, put a regular meal into a blender?" A weird thought, since even a perfect meal might become a nasty mess once you blend everything together.
"I see. Then, let's say, what was the thing that deviated most from the standard human form? And... are you saying everyone is unique in your world, or am I getting something wrong? No two people are alike, physically?" A hint of blue spreads across her cheeks, for some reason. Looking back over this scene, Strawberry really tends to blush a lot.

Strawberry's enthusiasm gets curbed just a little."Oh. I still don't have any money to pay for a bathtub, though. You see, it's not like I don't like showers, I just have problems using them. They're pretty much all made for standing upright in them. But no worries, I'll figure something out." Her cellphone makes that sound that cellphones make when they receive an SMS. Immediately, her happiness ceases. Already expecting the worst, Strawberry slowly takes her phone and reads the message. She looks shaken."Maybe... I'm so sorry, maybe I shouldn't take up on your house offer." She shows the message to Grace.
"I would strongly suggest not moving into the house. With kind regards, mousey leggy breaky maker."

[Mee]

Who is 13 cm / 5 " tall, wears colourful clothes and has butterfly wings? The pixie guy! And who is fluttering around Grace's old house and peeking inside through every window? The pixie guy! "C'est vraiment une maison de rêve, tellement bonne.", he says to himself. And it's located in such a good part of town, too. Strawberry doesn't deserve this. Even though the mice have been saved (which he admittedly is kinda glad about, they were cute and innocent after all), he figures the scare effect is still there. So he uses his teeny-tiny smartphone to write an SMS.
.

[Nup Esoum dolor sit amet,...]

Strawberry had never seen anyone shrug with only one shoulder before. She puts neither milk nor sugar into her tea, and waits a minute or two for the cup to cool down to a decent temperature. "But, can you really get all your nutrients from liquids only? Do you drink lotsa smoothies and stuff, or... or do you, like, put a regular meal into a blender?" A weird thought, since even a perfect meal might become a nasty mess once you blend everything together.
"I see. Then, let's say, what was the thing that deviated most from the standard human form? And... are you saying everyone is unique in your world, or am I getting something wrong? No two people are alike, physically?" A hint of blue spreads across her cheeks, for some reason. Looking back over this scene, Strawberry really tends to blush a lot.

Strawberry's enthusiasm gets curbed just a little."Oh. I still don't have any money to pay for a bathtub, though. You see, it's not like I don't like showers, I just have problems using them. They're pretty much all made for standing upright in them. But no worries, I'll figure something out." Her cellphone makes that sound that cellphones make when they receive an SMS. Immediately, her happiness ceases. Already expecting the worst, Strawberry slowly takes her phone and reads the message. She looks shaken."Maybe... I'm so sorry, maybe I shouldn't take up on your house offer." She shows the message to Grace.
"I would strongly suggest not moving into the house. With kind regards, mousey leggy breaky maker."

Mouse House

Shrugging with one shoulder is a Grace specialty. She's honed the art over many, many seven attempts.

"Yup. Just the liquid itself. Doesn't reaaaaally matter what type, just that it is, in fact, liquid. Flavor's still important though, so yeah, I do tea, smoothies, coffee, alcohol, water, battery acid for science, you know, the usual. It's like, you could probably live on, Iunno. What can people live on. Uh. Potatoes? We'll go with it. You could live on potatoes alone, but it would get really really lame eating the same thing with the same flavor the entire time.
Same sorta thing still applies."

"Oh, probably me and my folk, really. We're mostly just amorphous blo-" And then Strawberry gets the message.
And Grace just frowns. "Theeeeeen. Come move in with me into Civvy's place. There's no way he can get you there, and the portal, as we've already seen, basically takes you directly to work."

[Cola]

[Mice Hice]

Strawberry makes a strange smiling-frowning-scrunching expression. "Batt... I know 'for science!' is a fun and noble and especially fun excuse, but... what? How does battery acid taste like? And ugh, I know what you mean about the variety. I actually had to eat nothing but onions for two weeks straight once." She shudders.
"Say, have you ever tried, well, milk-based tea with a little butter? I know it sounds strange, but it's like liquid tea candy!", she explains while fidgeting with her finger webbing, maybe a little apologetic for bringing up such a preposterous idea. Especially right after having made some regular water tea.

Strawberry's eyes widen with hope, but then she pauses to think for a moment. Moving into Civvy's world just like that kinda feels like she'd abandon her faith on a whim. Not that there's much left of it, but still. Also, some things happened in her past that she's really, really not proud of, and moving into an omniscient being's realm would put them at risk of being discovered. Also also, speaking of omniscient: does that mean she won't be able to have some alone time behind the curtains without being watched? Before she can think too long about that decision, another SMS arrives. This time, it is a link. Strawberry moves around the table and parks her wheelchair right next to Grace's regular chair. So they can both see the screen at the same time, and because of the subconscious desire to be close to someone trusted when bad things happen. She opens the link.
Much to her surprise, it is not something threatening, but an online ad for an apartment on rent-well-spent.nx . A fairly spacious studio apartment in a small-ish coast town near Inside, good traffic connections. The building has an elevator and is fully wheelchair-accessible, it is close to the sea and fairly modern. The previous tenant left his furniture inside, including a minotaur-sized single bed that could snugly fit Strawberry's entire length under a blanket. There's also a bathtub, outfitted with an additional hose-bound detachable shower head. Pets are allowed. No notable criminal activity in the area. The rent is very affordable, too, because a dozen of these huge apartment buildings were constructed in anticipation of a population boom that never came.
Strawberry stays silent for a moment, then looks at Grace. "I... I think I should take that one?" She seems very unsure, but at least not terrified. "Not that I don't like you or Civvy, not at all, but... I really really don't want whoever is sending these messages to possibly hurt the mice again."

[Devixer]

((Apologies for the delay, I've been on vacation.))

Gardens

"Breakfast food is quite lovely as well! I'll admit, it is not my specialty, but it is always a treat." Cherie follows Fel and Sniffy, noticing that this is not at all the way to the town. "Seems our small friend has other ideas."

[Mee]

[Mice Hice]

Strawberry makes a strange smiling-frowning-scrunching expression. "Batt... I know 'for science!' is a fun and noble and especially fun excuse, but... what? How does battery acid taste like? And ugh, I know what you mean about the variety. I actually had to eat nothing but onions for two weeks straight once." She shudders.
"Say, have you ever tried, well, milk-based tea with a little butter? I know it sounds strange, but it's like liquid tea candy!", she explains while fidgeting with her finger webbing, maybe a little apologetic for bringing up such a preposterous idea. Especially right after having made some regular water tea.

Strawberry's eyes widen with hope, but then she pauses to think for a moment. Moving into Civvy's world just like that kinda feels like she'd abandon her faith on a whim. Not that there's much left of it, but still. Also, some things happened in her past that she's really, really not proud of, and moving into an omniscient being's realm would put them at risk of being discovered. Also also, speaking of omniscient: does that mean she won't be able to have some alone time behind the curtains without being watched? Before she can think too long about that decision, another SMS arrives. This time, it is a link. Strawberry moves around the table and parks her wheelchair right next to Grace's regular chair. So they can both see the screen at the same time, and because of the subconscious desire to be close to someone trusted when bad things happen. She opens the link.
Much to her surprise, it is not something threatening, but an online ad for an apartment on rent-well-spent.nx . A fairly spacious studio apartment in a small-ish coast town near Inside, good traffic connections. The building has an elevator and is fully wheelchair-accessible, it is close to the sea and fairly modern. The previous tenant left his furniture inside, including a minotaur-sized single bed that could snugly fit Strawberry's entire length under a blanket. There's also a bathtub, outfitted with an additional hose-bound detachable shower head. Pets are allowed. No notable criminal activity in the area. The rent is very affordable, too, because a dozen of these huge apartment buildings were constructed in anticipation of a population boom that never came.
Strawberry stays silent for a moment, then looks at Grace. "I... I think I should take that one?" She seems very unsure, but at least not terrified. "Not that I don't like you or Civvy, not at all, but... I really really don't want whoever is sending these messages to possibly hurt the mice again."

Mice Place

"It tastes terrible. I will firmly assure you of that. As for exactly why, I was curious if battery acid would be acidic enough to react with another chemical to create a glow. Turns out it did. I was basically a glowstick for a few days. It was kind of fun, actually.
I'llll admit I haven't. But you have me curious. I'll have to give it a shot next time I'm making tea!"

Grace just listens, before shrugging again. "I take no offense. It seems a decent enough place. And I agree: the mice being hurt again would definitely be most bad."

[Cola]

[when your pets are so cute the location tag gets named after them even though it's your apartment]

Strawberry laughs out loud when she hears that. "But, couldn't you possibly have tried that in a test tube or something? You totally did that on purpose to become a glowstick, didn't you?", she asks playfully. "I would have paid money to see that."
"If I make that kind of tea, I usually put in some sugar as well, and a lot more tea mix than with regular water tea so the taste doesn't get so subdued. And you have to stir it really good, or the butter will stay as a nasty oil slick on top of the milk." She's happy that Grace is at least willing to try it.

"Okay. But thank you so much for offering all those things!" Since they are sitting side by side in this bottom conversation, Strawberry goes for another hug, this time a much more gentle one. And because Grace is sitting down they are even at the same height! The hug doesn't last long, though, because hugging too much with too little reason is creepy. She sighs. "I'm really scared, Grace. Have you seen the timing on the first SMS? Right when we were talking about the house, like he's watching... us..." She remembers the laptop is still sitting on the table and Nope is still running, because everybody just assumed it to be an unimportant background detail. So she just shuts the device off.

[Felandria]

((Apologies for the delay, I've been on vacation.))

Gardens

"Breakfast food is quite lovely as well! I'll admit, it is not my specialty, but it is always a treat." Cherie follows Fel and Sniffy, noticing that this is not at all the way to the town. "Seems our small friend has other ideas."

Maybe he smells a bacon bush!

Fel giggles as they follow Sniffy to wherever the little guy is taking them.

[Mee]

Maybe he smells a bacon bush!

Fel giggles as they follow Sniffy to wherever the little guy is taking them.

Garden -> Odd clearing (It's Naku's)

Eventually -- well pretty quickly, really --, Sniffy leads them to a clearing. It's a bit through a forest, and is basically empty. There's a pile of logs nearby, and the start of a baby fence around the perimeter that someone was obviously working on, before getting interrupted.

No one here though. Sniffy sits down, and huffs in what can only be described as a bit of a pout.
Where was the nice lady that always fed him?! She's always supposed to be there for when he gets hungry!

[when your pets are so cute the location tag gets named after them even though it's your apartment]

Strawberry laughs out loud when she hears that. "But, couldn't you possibly have tried that in a test tube or something? You totally did that on purpose to become a glowstick, didn't you?", she asks playfully. "I would have paid money to see that."
"If I make that kind of tea, I usually put in some sugar as well, and a lot more tea mix than with regular water tea so the taste doesn't get so subdued. And you have to stir it really good, or the butter will stay as a nasty oil slick on top of the milk." She's happy that Grace is at least willing to try it.

"Okay. But thank you so much for offering all those things!" Since they are sitting side by side in this bottom conversation, Strawberry goes for another hug, this time a much more gentle one. And because Grace is sitting down they are even at the same height! The hug doesn't last long, though, because hugging too much with too little reason is creepy. She sighs. "I'm really scared, Grace. Have you seen the timing on the first SMS? Right when we were talking about the house, like he's watching... us..." She remembers the laptop is still sitting on the table and Nope is still running, because everybody just assumed it to be an unimportant background detail. So she just shuts the device off.

Isn't it their apartment though?

Grace shrugs a bit, sipping at her tea. "I mean. Perhaps I did. Maaaaybe. Easy enough to do again, too.
That makes a lot of sense. I've got all kinds of things that can stir liquids a bunch, so that shouldn't be too big of a problem."

"Yeah, of course. Happy to offer." Grace, when hugged gently, actually feels much like a regular human. "I did notice. Closing the laptop is probably a good idea. Also maybe closing the curtains?"

[Cola]

Isn't it their apartment though?

Grace shrugs a bit, sipping at her tea. "I mean. Perhaps I did. Maaaaybe. Easy enough to do again, too.
That makes a lot of sense. I've got all kinds of things that can stir liquids a bunch, so that shouldn't be too big of a problem."

"Yeah, of course. Happy to offer." Grace, when hugged gently, actually feels much like a regular human. "I did notice. Closing the laptop is probably a good idea. Also maybe closing the curtains?"

[plot twist: the mice are actually successful stockbrokers and own the entire apartment building]

Now that Strawberry's tea isn't piping hot any more, she drinks her cup fairly quickly and pours herself a new one. She's smiling. "Is that so, you little mad scientist you? Please send me a picture then, should you maybe do it once more one day. I think you got my phone number already, right? Better yet if I could see it with my own eyes."

((At least I assume Grace / you didn't dual-mean THE curtains?))
That sure makes the hug feel a lot better! In a physical sense, because mentally, hugging Grace feels great. For Strawberry, at least. "Alright.", she says, rolls over to the apartment's only window and draws the curtains closed, but not before taking a good look outside. They're long, heavy, and made from thick cloth, so now the ceiling lamp above the table is the only light source. It's hard to tell if the apartment looks a little cosier or even more depressing now. "I don't think I saw anyone out there peeking at us. But you're right, better safe than sorry." Strawberry also notices that the mice have calmed down, and are pushing their little noses between the cage bars. "Ne? Siz erkin bolğıñız kele me?", she coos, and turns to Grace, smiling. "They're fit and healthy! Do you mind if I take them to the table? I'm sure they're curious who this mysterious life-saving stranger in their apartment is."

[Mee]

[plot twist: the mice are actually successful stockbrokers and own the entire apartment building]

Now that Strawberry's tea isn't piping hot any more, she drinks her cup fairly quickly and pours herself a new one. She's smiling. "Is that so, you little mad scientist you? Please send me a picture then, should you maybe do it once more one day. I think you got my phone number already, right? Better yet if I could see it with my own eyes."

((At least I assume Grace / you didn't dual-mean THE curtains?))
That sure makes the hug feel a lot better! In a physical sense, because mentally, hugging Grace feels great. For Strawberry, at least. "Alright.", she says, rolls over to the apartment's only window and draws the curtains closed, but not before taking a good look outside. They're long, heavy, and made from thick cloth, so now the ceiling lamp above the table is the only light source. It's hard to tell if the apartment looks a little cosier or even more depressing now. "I don't think I saw anyone out there peeking at us. But you're right, better safe than sorry." Strawberry also notices that the mice have calmed down, and are pushing their little noses between the cage bars. "Ne? Siz erkin bolğıñız kele me?", she coos, and turns to Grace, smiling. "They're fit and healthy! Do you mind if I take them to the table? I'm sure they're curious who this mysterious life-saving stranger in their apartment is."

Strawberry Apartmentberry

Grace fills her cup up with tea again as well, and sips at it. More slowly this time around though. "I suppose. Though I experiment on myself, not others. So maybe not that kind of mad scientist? But yeah. We can just do it again later. No worries. Would be better than pictures anyway."

((Grace and I both definitely did not mean that kind of curtain.))
Grace enjoys hugs quite a bit herself.
"Yeah, of course. I'd love to get to actually meet them!" After all, she did basically just sign away. . . well. A lot, in order to fix them.

[Cola]

[yer a straw, Barry]

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean it as an insult!" She raises both her hands. There Strawberry goes again, being unnecessary apologetic. "But, you know, I said mad scientist, not evil mad scientist. So, yeah, not that kind." Her smile becomes even bigger, letting her shiny, black teeth sparkle in the lamp's warm light. Probably a very strange sight. "Sounds great! Say, do you do these kind of silly little experiments often? They sound fun!"
Ever since Strawberry was thrown into the Nexus, and even for a few years before that, nobody seemed to really care for her. Grace is the first person in a long time who seems to genuinely do so, and it's making the mermaid feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

Strawberry opens the cage door and lets all three jump onto her hand. She rolls back to her place at the table and lets the mice run free. Immediately, black Amir and beige Lida scurry towards Grace's hands, trying to sniff her fingers and walk all over them and generally do mousey stuff. They like being pet, and might even attempt to climb up Grace's arm if she's wearing long sleeves.
White Zulfa, the lazy bum, instead slowly walks towards the sugar jar. Her mermaid mommy puts a lid on it. "The black one really likes to give everyone kisses. He's not trying to bite, don't worry."

[Devixer]

Odd Clearing

Cherie follows Sniffles to the strange clearing. Someone was definitely building something, but this didn't seem like a place to get something to eat.

"Now, I may be a fool for saying this, but I don't think this is a restaurant."

[Felandria]

Odd Clearing

Cherie follows Sniffles to the strange clearing. Someone was definitely building something, but this didn't seem like a place to get something to eat.

"Now, I may be a fool for saying this, but I don't think this is a restaurant."

I think it might be to him.

Maybe he's looking for someone, maybe they feed him?

[Mee]

[yer a straw, Barry]

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean it as an insult!" She raises both her hands. There Strawberry goes again, being unnecessary apologetic. "But, you know, I said mad scientist, not evil mad scientist. So, yeah, not that kind." Her smile becomes even bigger, letting her shiny, black teeth sparkle in the lamp's warm light. Probably a very strange sight. "Sounds great! Say, do you do these kind of silly little experiments often? They sound fun!"
Ever since Strawberry was thrown into the Nexus, and even for a few years before that, nobody seemed to really care for her. Grace is the first person in a long time who seems to genuinely do so, and it's making the mermaid feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

Strawberry opens the cage door and lets all three jump onto her hand. She rolls back to her place at the table and lets the mice run free. Immediately, black Amir and beige Lida scurry towards Grace's hands, trying to sniff her fingers and walk all over them and generally do mousey stuff. They like being pet, and might even attempt to climb up Grace's arm if she's wearing long sleeves.
White Zulfa, the lazy bum, instead slowly walks towards the sugar jar. Her mermaid mommy puts a lid on it. "The black one really likes to give everyone kisses. He's not trying to bite, don't worry."

Strawberry's place

"No no, no offense taken. Just . . . just wanting to clear it up, was all.
I do, actually. Just drinking stuff is generally easier than finding a tube to mix them in. And as long as it doesn't explode, it's not like it can hurt me at all or anything. And generally I don't play with things that can explode when combined. But when I do, I do it safely."

Grace keeps her hands flat on the table, watching the mice clamber over her fingers. She smiles at them, quite enjoying their antics. While she might not be wearing long sleeves, she's not going to stop one if it decides to climb up her arm.
"They're adorable."

Odd Clearing

Cherie follows Sniffles to the strange clearing. Someone was definitely building something, but this didn't seem like a place to get something to eat.

"Now, I may be a fool for saying this, but I don't think this is a restaurant."

I think it might be to him.

Maybe he's looking for someone, maybe they feed him?

Sniffy starts to pace. He huffs a bit, almost grumpy.
Where was food lady?!
Food lady was always here! Giving treats was her job!
He sits down again, the embodiment of frustrated and confuzzled doggo.
He huffs again, before giving a quiet little 'awoooo~' that almost sounds frustrated.
Before getting up and pacing again.
And then sitting back down.
And then pacing again.

[Devixer]

Odd Clearing

Cherie approached Sniffy, scritching him just a little. "Oh, the poor little dear. I'd give him a snack or two if I had any."

[Cola]

Strawberry's place

"No no, no offense taken. Just . . . just wanting to clear it up, was all.
I do, actually. Just drinking stuff is generally easier than finding a tube to mix them in. And as long as it doesn't explode, it's not like it can hurt me at all or anything. And generally I don't play with things that can explode when combined. But when I do, I do it safely."

Grace keeps her hands flat on the table, watching the mice clamber over her fingers. She smiles at them, quite enjoying their antics. While she might not be wearing long sleeves, she's not going to stop one if it decides to climb up her arm.
"They're adorable."

[soon not to be Strawberry's place any more]

"Watch out, we've got an acid drinking safety advocate over here." Strawberry grins. "But, seriously? Acid and poison and all those other nasty chemicals, you're immune to them? How?" She's surprised, and seems genuinely interested in the goo lady's immunity.

"I know, right?!", Strawberry exclaims, joyfully clasping her hands together. "In terms of sheer cuteness, cats and dogs can't even compare to mice." And indeed, the beige mouse doesn't let Grace's lack of sleeves stop her from trying to climb that arm. Her teeny tiny claws are good enough to get a good grip of the gooey skin, and she climbs upwards. Where she meets a short sleeve for the very first time, as Strawberry owns long-sleeved clothing only. So what does the curious mouse do? Clamber up the sleeve, inside Grace's shirt, of course! Under that layer of cloth, her little tickle whiskers drag across Grace's skin whenever the mouse moves.

[Felandria]

Odd Clearing

Cherie approached Sniffy, scritching him just a little. "Oh, the poor little dear. I'd give him a snack or two if I had any."

Feel crouches down to Sniffy.

Hey, buddy, it's okay.

She pulls out a little bit of beef jerky from her pocket and offers it to Sniffy.

You wanna come with us and get some food in town?

[Mee]

Odd Clearing

Cherie approached Sniffy, scritching him just a little. "Oh, the poor little dear. I'd give him a snack or two if I had any."

Feel crouches down to Sniffy.

Hey, buddy, it's okay.

She pulls out a little bit of beef jerky from her pocket and offers it to Sniffy.

You wanna come with us and get some food in town?

And just like that: Purple haired lady was replaced as food offer-er.
Sniffy gladly nommed the jerky, and it vanished quickly into his maw. He stood back up, this time for realzies! He huffed again, this time ready to head to town!

[soon not to be Strawberry's place any more]

"Watch out, we've got an acid drinking safety advocate over here." Strawberry grins. "But, seriously? Acid and poison and all those other nasty chemicals, you're immune to them? How?" She's surprised, and seems genuinely interested in the goo lady's immunity.

"I know, right?!", Strawberry exclaims, joyfully clasping her hands together. "In terms of sheer cuteness, cats and dogs can't even compare to mice." And indeed, the beige mouse doesn't let Grace's lack of sleeves stop her from trying to climb that arm. Her teeny tiny claws are good enough to get a good grip of the gooey skin, and she climbs upwards. Where she meets a short sleeve for the very first time, as Strawberry owns long-sleeved clothing only. So what does the curious mouse do? Clamber up the sleeve, inside Grace's shirt, of course! Under that layer of cloth, her little tickle whiskers drag across Grace's skin whenever the mouse moves.

Strawberry's Place

"I mean. Why wouldn't I be? I don't exactly have normal human . . . well anything really. It's, well, it's just another liquid. Poison especially though. What does it have to affect? Baaasically nothing." Grace explains with a bit of a shrug. She felt it was kind of obvious as to why, but really doesn't mind explaining.

"Mmmmm I dunno about that. There are some dogs especially that are pretty darn gre-" Grace is interrupted by a mouse climbing into her shirt, and a few moments of attempting to fish said mouse out.

[Cola]

[Strabirova Manor]

Strawberry looks confused. "What to affect? Aren't there any cells or proteins or the like in your body to oooohhhhh you're a magical life form, aren't you?" For a second, the mermaid doesn't know what to think of that. She's still not very fond of magic and doesn't want any of it to touch her body. But Grace is super nice and feels great to hug, so she'll be an exception! After a few seconds of thought, a smile flashes across her face.
Also, dang, Grace got some mad shrugging skills.

The mermaid giggles when Lida crawls into Grace's shirt, half amused and half embarrassed. She stops after a few seconds though, seeing how unimpressed the goo lady seems to be, not ticklish at all. Anyway, catching a mouse should be fairly easy when you can just grow grasping tendrils or something from your skin. "I'm so sorry for that! But she's a pretty curious one, and I think it might have been her first time seeing a short sleeve. Sorry!", she apologises when the beige rodent is returned to the table.

[Celticbear]

At Some Point in a Destination of Mee's Choosing


So Dark Souls 1,2, or 3 is being played by both the estranged Harold Philips, and the cheerful hope goddess Civvy. Wonder how that's going.

[Mee]

At Some Point in a Destination of Mee's Choosing


So Dark Souls 1,2, or 3 is being played by both the estranged Harold Philips, and the cheerful hope goddess Civvy. Wonder how that's going.

Somewhere!

Most likely 3. And likely it's going quite well! Civvy is surprisingly great at the game. Especially for someone who refuses to use a shield; dodge rolls everywhere; and will only ever attack with lightning bolts because undead are 'icky' and she doesn't want to get her hands dirty.
She has to go back to the bonfire for more magic a lot.

[Celticbear]

Somewhere Indeed!

Harold is quite the opposite. He fights like a madman, dodging in mock fear at one point only to get in just the right position and making a killing blow in the next. Seeing as Harold basically lived the dark souls life, it stands to reason that this might actually be how he fights. Anywho, he's great at the game, unlike the guy who's narrating him :(