Inside 65: A Very Busy Intersection

[Deathkeeper]

[The Needle and Thread]

Artie blushes, looking at herself.
"But this is just what I looked like normally but white and blue! And...is it the...?" she trails off, putting her hands to her chest. She really doesn't think about it much, especially since she doesn't own a mirror, but she supposes that her figure is quite drawing. She could literally feel the lust from passer-by, both now and as a sincubus, but usually her animal lower body kept that to a minimum.

[Artemis97]

[Delmah Phor - Family Reunion]

"I could always sneak in like the old days. That'd be fun," Reinholdt grins at Electra before spotting Raril waving at them. The fey waves back. "Never mind, there they are. Maybe next time."

Leaving Electra's side, he goes to join Dena and Raril, quirking an eyebrow as Dena speaks up. "Not really..." Reinholdt admits. He suspects Dena tends to overplan things if how much she wanted to know about Sszy's weaknesses and escape routes and such back at the castle was any indication. At first he thought maybe it was because Sszinyon was suspected of hiring the assassin, but now he's wondering if it isn't her normal pattern of behavior.

Admittedly, he probably under plans things. He's certainly gone into every step of this without much of a plan. But that's what keeps life exciting. And keeps everyone else guessing. After all, can others predict your next move if even you don't know what it is?

"You're looking better Raril. Glad you made it."

[Delmah Phor - Family Reunion]

Raril laughs. "Yeah, I'm glad I could make it too. It wasn't a sure thing a bit ago."

[Needle and Thread]

"Those would draw attention, dear." Lillith advises. The fiend was rather well endowed herself.

[Nova_Eclipse]

[Delmah Phor - Family Reunion]

Electra chuckles, shaking her head slightly, but doesn't say more as Rein leaves her side, instead simply disappearing once more in that blue beam of hers. One last person to teleport, and then they can hopefully get this family matter settled.

[Shadowcaller]

[Delmah Phor - Family Reunion]

Overplanning is Dena's thing, the way she sees it, it is the only reason she have been alive for -redacted- years.
Dena smiles. "Raril's got more lives than a cat it seems. I'm just glad Electra, Rein and I were there in time. Could have ended badly."

[McBish]

[Parade Day!]

"well, ill be there. maybe tomorrow, i have something to do before"

He looks at the girl seeking people to judge something. Beign a member of an extremely advanced civilization and all, he can do the kindness of sharing his Superior aesthetic sense

Patti spots the troll (right?) who seems eager to answer her call for volunteers. "Hi we are looking for some judges for a "fairest of the parade" contest. Could you help us out?" Patti asks with a smile. She is a young human woman in her late 20's. She is wearing a bright green dancers leotard.

-----------------

[Delmah Phor - Xar'Cha Palace - Gardens]

"Like my collection of ledgers bound in human skin that whisper to me in the night." She taps her bottom lip with a finger thinking. While her tone is clearly joking she is wondering if she has those ledgers locked in a box that would prevent voices from escaping. "No nothing comes to mind. I might be somewhat exciting for an accountant, but live a pretty boring life by any other standard." She tells her biggest lie yet.

[Catalessi]

[Parade Day!]

"sure. i mean, i've got nothing else to do for the moment"

he is a humanoid with gray skin, yellow eyes and orange horns. he is wearing a black t-shirt whit a green symbol depicting a stylized chalice on it. he is carring only a big ancient chalice filled with lemonade

[Morty]

[Parade Day!]

Sophie does touch the staff, since it seems the little crocodile-person wants her to. She smiles.

"Did he? Well, my sign does have two "G"s. It's the Good League of Good. Why did your dad want you to find me?"

[Deathkeeper]

Parade Day!

"Daddy said a kid can't...can't grow up in a church. So I needa people to be like a mommy, and he said you and your red lady are experts at that stuff. I'm Anak...Anak...Nakus...Nak." the Pokémon explains.

[Morty]

[Parade Day!]

"Experts?" Sophie looks at Trick with some amusement. "I'm not sure if I'd call myself that. But I know a thing or two. It's very nice to meet you, Nak. Your dad probably told you, but I'm Sophie, and this is Trick. Want to ride on Jolly while I explain things?" She points to the beetle.

[Deathkeeper]

[Parade Day!]

"Jolly!" declares Nak, leaping up into the air with his legs flailing. Hopefully Sophie was holding on to that staff. The instant he touches the ground he's skating away on little water jets. After two quick leg motions they send him into the air so he can land squarely on the beetle's back.

[Earl of Purple]

London, England, Not-Nexus

Alfred had just got a new smartphone- a good one, too, quite high-quality and a serious upgrade from his old one, with its broken camera and dodgy battery. And the first thing he did with it was download Pokémon GO!. Sure, the excitement for the game has died down, but his last phone wasn't really good for games so he hasn't played before. Dismissing the option for a starter, he decides to go out and catch one.

Alfred's a tall young man, just entering his twenties, with tanned skin, brown hair and blue eyes. He's wearing a pair of jeans and a black t-shirt with the words 'What does the Sloth say?' in pink emblazoned upon the front, and there's a small satchel slung over his shoulder. Turning away from the phone shop, he enters the game and looks for a pokémon. Ooh, there's one. Not too far, either, just around this corner... Ooh, a Bellsprout! Throws a ball- and Alfred trips on a curb, falling over and dropping his phone. When he looks up, things are different...

PokéStreet, Inside, Nexus

Alfred reaches for his phone, but... No, that's not his phone. The shape's wrong, though the colour and size is about right, and it's in a similar case to the one he bought with his phone. He looks around, nothing else is nearby, just a tennis ball. Actually, what is it? It doesn't look like anything he's seen before, but there's a label here. It says 'Pokédex'. What? And that tennis ball looked odd, too. Alfred glances at it; it's red and white, and vibrating. Alfred picks it up; certainly looks like a pokéball, and it feels like he'd always imagined it to. Experimentally, he presses the button, pointing it at the floor.

Out pops a yellow flower on a narrow, spindly-looking body and with a pair of green leaves. "Bellsprout?"
"Everything's gone weird. I think this is my pokédex, but it's not the same as my new pokédex. Wait, why can't I say pokédex? Oh, this is going to get confusing, Ben." Alfred looks around in confusion, his Bellsprout standing next to him and just as confused.

[Morty]

[Parade Day!]

Jolly the beetle is content to carry the little Pokemon on his back.

"Now, then. Is your dad looking for someone to help him raise you?"

[Reinholdt]

[Delmah Phor - Family Reunion]

"Hey now. No need to be insulting," Reinholdt says, grinning at Dena. Though of the adventurers in the Nexus that he knows of, Reinholdt is pretty sure Raril was the one who could give him the biggest competition for most scrapes survived. With survived being defined very loosely.

"This is kind of your family home, huh?" Further examination proceeds as Rein looks around the place. "So how have you been otherwise?"

[Deathkeeper]

[Parade Day!]

"Daddy doesn't have a body so he has to let Krok take care of me and he says that isn't good." Nak says, though he's highly distracted wiggling his claws around as if he was holding a steering wheel while he rides the beetle.

Pokestreet

Sam Bacon, who is just exiting Miltanks' Ice Cream bar, nearly trips over the young man fumbling with his pokedex on the ground. He was supposed to be Jace in this scene but every time Jace shows a nexus newcomer around they end up living at his house somehow.
"Oh, geez, I'm sorry. Are you ok? Did you break your phone-thingy?" asks the spigre as he barely manages to avoid dropping his ice cream on the lad's face.

[Slii Arhem]

[Cleansed Inside and Out]

"Jim! What are you-" Syela gurgles as she falls back into the water. She gets her head back above water, choking on some water. "You *******!" She shouts as she tries to shove him away with a sudden impact of her hand.

Cleansed

The responding laughter is deep and bassy, but unmistakably feminine. Not like Jim at all. Syela's hand briefly contacts something, but then there's nothing there as her hand sails through empty space. The hot spring goes dark, not even the light of the surrounding city or stars above penetrating the inky blackness, and Syela might feel a pull at her clothing, trying to pull her down further from below. The springs, only chest height at best before, now seem endlessly deep and it's difficult to tell which way is up.

Cleansed Inside and Out

Jim stiffens, looking very angry as his light stops flickering. Normally, he would give Syela a pass. But he's a bit drunk. And "Jimbo" rhymes with "jumbo," an unfortunate coincidence that he was reminded of very, very often being the fat kid growing up. Had he ever told Syela not to call him that? He can't remember. But he does know that she's just killed his mood. He moves sideways towards the wall, and doesn't indulge in Syela's tickling. He isn't ticklish and usually just fakes it for Syela's sake. Now's as good a time as ever for her to figure it out. "No thanks."

His movement won't give him much help against being pulled under, though. He has the edge within reach, giving him a small handhold in a stone on the edge, but it's very tentative and he'll likely slip if pulled hard. He yelps, legs flailing and possibly whacking the copy in the face.

Cleansed

The edge is firm in his grip, but as soon as he kicks out and whacks Syela with a hoof, it collapses as his leg goes right through her. He finds himself floating in an utterly black pool, where the only other sounds are splashing nearby. It echoes off his surroundings, and he can't quite tell the direction because of that.

If he can tell these things, Barnabas is nearby, but isn't active for some reason. Perhaps he just needs to try again.

Stalking Inside

Hunger. Ravening, stomach-chewing, bone-gnawing hunger. It walks on hind legs, it lopes on all fours. It sniffs the ground, eyes red, mouth slavering but not allowing itself the drool. It breathes in deep, gulping breathes that push on its starkly visible ribs. It must conserve every ounce of itself and leave no trail. Nothing for hunters to find.

All of its coat was rubbed off against the rough bark of a tree outside the city. Its hide, originally deep brown and mottled, went from a bloody, raw mess to a patchwork of scabs, and finally a broken wave of ragged scars that broke up the lines of its form, somehow adding to its camouflage in the deep shadows of the alleys at dusk.

But it barely made any effort to conceal the keening noises in the back of its throat, nor the deep inhalations and grunting exhales of its breath. It wanted its prey to hear it, to know it, to move quickly and smell of fear and spread that panic throughout. The confusion and terror... When it finally chose its meal the rest would merely be thankful they had been spared. By the time any threat could come, it would be long gone, leaving as silently as it had not entered.

((Closed Scene for Lost Deep, to begin with.))

[Lost_Deep]

Stalked Inside

Not needing a car is all good and fine until you go grocery shopping.

Loaded down with an array of fairly typical consumables, Kate Kyland turns to head toward home. It's not too far away (nothing is in this city) and it's not that dark ye-

Woah, it got dark out fast. Huh, oh well. Even so the street lights are regular and reliable. What's that noise? Is that a fox noise? No, doesn't sound like a fox... actually, foxes make a lot of odd noises. Any case, she starts heading for home, pondering her budget in the near future.

[Slii Arhem]

Stalking Inside

The low, wailing howl that comes from only a block or two away likely puts such thoughts out of Kate's mind. Hunger has found satiation, and it's so close that the beast abandons all thoughts of leading a merry chase and panicked rout of fleeing bodies and merely reverts to its deepest instincts.

Kate can hear the thudding of heavy paws, punctuated by the staccato clicking and scraping of long, blunted claws. It seems to be coming from up ahead and up high, higher than street level at least.

[Morty]

[Parade Day!]

Sophie frowns, puzzled. Doesn't have a body? There's a lot it could mean, from a small child.

"Who is Krok?" she simply asks for now.

[Deathkeeper]

Parade Day!

"Krok is a krokorokorok. He's Daddy's high priest. Daddy has to speak through him because it would hurt my brain he said. Well him and the Staff. But he's never said anything through that to me 'cause my brain." Nak babbles, not a care in the world.

[Murkus]

[The Needle and Thread]

"But you aren't like this all the time," Azren says, and gives Artie a quick up and down with his eyes. He coughs into his fist. "And yes. You have remarkable bosoms. Though I think some people might find it rude to remark on them..."

[Lost_Deep]

Stalking Inside

The low, wailing howl that comes from only a block or two away likely puts such thoughts out of Kate's mind. Hunger has found satiation, and it's so close that the beast abandons all thoughts of leading a merry chase and panicked rout of fleeing bodies and merely reverts to its deepest instincts.

Kate can hear the thudding of heavy paws, punctuated by the staccato clicking and scraping of long, blunted claws. It seems to be coming from up ahead and up high, higher than street level at least.

Kate stops. THAT was a worrying noise. Sounded a ways off, hopefully-

Stopping lets her hear the thud of paws and the click of claws. Oh, that's much closer than the howl sounded. Kate will turn around and head back in the direction of the grocery store, casually, hugging the buildings and trying to stay under overhangs. Running will just attract attention to her, the best thing she can do right now is get inside, somewhere well-lit and with other people.

Even though there isn't a lot of other people at the robot-managed 24-hour grocer right now.

All the same, Kate keeps a steady pace in that direction, trying to be casual and not running like prey.

[Morty]

[Parade Day!]

This answer only raises more questions for Sophie.

"Just who is your dad?" she asks.

[Deathkeeper]

The Needle and Thread

Artie gives a shy smile under Azren's gaze. Did those features just get even more prominent as Azren stared at them? Artie isn't doing it consciously at least.
"My real form is the same with a different barrel and no one is going to appreciate me for that half. Not make people with interests like that. Libra said to make a splash but I don't know if I have what it takes to be a publically stared-at person. What do you do?" she asks the succubus though she is fairly sure she knows the answer.

Parade Day!

"Daddy is Sobek, Daddy of all crocs!" Nak declares proudly, puffing out his chest.

[Earl of Purple]

PokéStreet

""AAAAAH! Monster! With... Ice cream? Um, oh. I'm sorry, I just got a new pokédex- I mean, pokédex... Still can't say it, never mind- and was playing Pokémon GO!, when I tripped and now I'm here and my pokédex is a pokédex and Ben's real and I have no idea what's going on." For an Earthling, Sam is very shocking. He's not seen someone who isn't (or at least, didn't look like a) human before. Sam's friendliness and ice-cream seem to quickly change Alfred's opinion of him.

Ben the Bellsprout takes several steps back and eyes his Trainer and the newcomer with a little concern. He's just as confused; he was made of pixels not five minutes ago, now everything's 3D, and he can think, and smell, and he can move.

[Felandria]

Parade Day!

While judges are gathered, Felandria flips her hair in a smexy manner and applies some dark purple lipstick.

She is wearing her adventuring outfit, the strappy dark red leather number her doll is wearing in her signature, see it down there?

[Deathkeeper]

Poke Street

Sam would be hurt but it is quickly forgives the boy from his reaction.
Sam gasps, slapping hands to his cheeks with an enormous grin.
"Oh my gosh, you're a Nexus newbie! I've always wanted to do this!" he exclaims. Well, the real version. The Skyside welcome is "get out if you can."
He also tries to wrap the human in a bear hug out of habit using three of his arms. If Alfred is successfully squeezed against Sam's belly he'll find the creature warm, fuzzy, and smelling strangely of ozone.
"Welcome to our home, buddy. How about I get you some ice cream so I can explain things?" he offers.

[Morty]

[Parade Day!]

Daddy of all crocs? What could it... oh. Sophie remembers some of her childhood education. Sobek was an Egyptian deity, wasn't he? With a crocodile's head. Yes, that would explain a lot.

"Oh, I see. I think I've heard about him. He's a very important person. And now he's looking for another parent for you?"

[Earl of Purple]

PokéStreet

Alfred's initially confused by Sam's reaction, but then he's squashed against Sam's belly and inhaling blue fluff. "Uuuurf.... Urhurdle?" I think he's agreeing to ice cream. But then, who wouldn't agree to ice cream?

Ben looks up at Sam. Does... Does that count as attacking his Trainer? "Bell-SPROUT!" With the emphasis on the latter part of the word, Ben uses Growth and doubles in size so he stands at about four feet tall, and tries to look threatening.

[Deathkeeper]

Parade Day

Nak nods.
"He says he doesn't count if he ain't here and a temple ain't a place for kids." Nak says before getting distracted by blowing bubbles.

PokeStreet

Sam, oblivious, turns to the plant.
"Oh, I'm sorry buddy, don't feel left out." Sam lets go of Alf with one side so he can grab the plant Pokémon with his right hands (still delicately holding the cone with his top left). Ben might get a caring squeeze followed by a free trip into the ice cream parlor. The least Sam can do is carry them after the day they're about to have.

Unless Ben wishes to fend Sam off that is.

[Catalessi]

Parade Day!

Hidrus looks around, observing the partecipants of the improvised contest. The old chalice in his hand disappear, replaced by a notebook. With an extremely serious face, he start taking notes. He looks up at Felandria's floating illusion, then at Felandria.

"what..."