The Twofold Houses 5: Rebuilding

[Murkus]

[Adir's Dream]

"...Yeah, keep talking like this, and maybe we can get along," Adir says, eyeing the conniving old thing. "Are you gonna be watching in some definitely-not-creepy way, or is there some way I need to warn you about the attack?"

[Morty]

[Adir's Dream]

If the King in Rags is pleased with Adir's overture, he doesn't show it. He simply gets on with his explanation. He raises his hands slightly and his fingers intertwine in an overlapping, twisting pattern. When he pulls them apart, he leaves behind a thick knot of black branches in the shape and size of a ring.

"Wear this when you and your allies make your move. I will see through this and aid you. When the work is done, it will turn to ash."

[Deathkeeper]

[Sword Training]

Indeed, Koshal does not find Cora dangerous, parrying the swing with minimal effort and resuming his guard. He shuts his mouth; he doesn’t want to say something wrong that contradicts Wenomir’s expert advice.

[UncleWolf]

Cessie's Forge

Jezebel is still of enough mind to remember her manners so she'll hold the chair out for Cessie to take a seat in. "It feels as if you have climbed a mile with your mind and body both aching from use and final relief. As if every fibre of your being wishes you to collapse with a small content smile, right?" Jezebel wonders. As much as she'd love to whisk Cessie away at the moment, she lets the mage rest, choosing instead o take Cessie's hand as she settles down on the ground next to the chair in order to rest her head upon Cessie's lap with her eyes closed. "That is how I feel at least." She explains, letting out a small sigh. Despite the power and simmering lust and exhaustion, there was something quite clearly worrying Jezebel at the moment however.

"Will I forget this when the power is gone? Like being black-out drunk?"

[Shadowcaller]

Cessie's Forge

Cessie will take the offered seat using her last ounce of strength to sit down proper instead of simply collapsing into it as temptation would have it.
Turning her gaze to Jezebel, Cessie blinks as the metaphor is suggested to her. "...something like that. I haven't really put though into it yet." She smiles as she puts both her hands on Jezebel's head and starts to pat her, slowly running her hands through the former daemons crown of horns.

"You won't, Jez. Don't worry about that, everything went fine. You did great like I knew you would." She pauses as her hand brushes past Jezebel's ear and for a moment she is completely still, just sitting there looking at the purple woman. "You're so beautiful." The sorceress finally remarks in a soft tone as her hands starts to caress Jezebel's head again. "I wish I could make a drawing or take a photo of you right now. To remember this moment I mean."

[Gullara]

[Sword Training]

Cora nods and raises her sword back into position. "Um, can you show me again?" Once Wenomir and Koshal demonstrate a second time Cora will try to replicate the motion, this time far more carefully. Maybe too carefully, but it's better than lat time! She looks at Wenomir expectantly.

[Murkus]

[Adir's Dream]

If the King in Rags is pleased with Adir's overture, he doesn't show it. He simply gets on with his explanation. He raises his hands slightly and his fingers intertwine in an overlapping, twisting pattern. When he pulls them apart, he leaves behind a thick knot of black branches in the shape and size of a ring.

"Wear this when you and your allies make your move. I will see through this and aid you. When the work is done, it will turn to ash."

[Adir's Dream]

Adir takes it and eyes it. "...Okay. I guess that's all I need from you." His eyes invite the King to leave with all available haste.

And like hell he's putting it on when he wakes up. He'll tie it on a string and wear it around his neck. The king can see just fine from there.

[Morty]

[Adir's Dream]

There's something like a chuckle from the King in Rags before the dream dissolves and makes way for a normal sleep.

[Gullara]

[Return from Riverside]

"I-I really, absolutely wish it was that simple, baby," Adir says with a sad little sigh, giving Laela his best smile regardless. "I don't think I'm done beating them up just yet."

"Is everyone okay? It's okay to ask more questions," the stag tells them... and pauses. "...How much sleep did you all get last night?"

[Return from Riverside]

Now he's done it, the kids just about all start talking at once! Hopefully Adir is prepared to entertain his kids for a while longer. He might need Sakura to help him make an exit to get some rest at some point.

((And we can end there.))

[Morty]

[Sword Training]

"Much better, Cora," Wenomir says. "Once you can do it well slowly, you'll learn how to do it quickly. We'll practice this one some more and then I'll show you another one..."

The lesson will no doubt continue like that for a while.

[Gullara]

[Curious Occurrence]

One day Sakura is over with all the kids. They're together in the living room and it's a bit chaotic. Though the kids are pretty content to play with each other while Cessie and Sakura chat, though Sakura has her hands full feeding Kissa.

While they're talking, Lucy is walking toward the door. She peeks her head outside. "Lucy, sweetie, stay here." Sakura calls after her, but she's not listening. She walks right out of the room. Sakura sighs. "Cessie, can you run and grab her please?" Garn might have, but he's busy with another task right this second. Oh well.

[Shadowcaller]

[Curious Occurrence]

Grab her? Cessie couldn't move too fast in her robes so she will simply aim to walk faster than Lucy. Running was unladylike anyway.
She would just manifest a eldritch wall or something similar, but these were children, they could run into them and hurt themselves and a elemental might scare them.

[Gullara]

[Curious Occurrence]

There's no urgency to the situation, nor does Sakura look concerned. More likely she just doesn't want Lucy wandering around unsupervised. "Thank you."

Of course, Lucy was already just about outside of the room when Sakura noticed her, and when Cessie follows her she's already out of sight. But wait, why is the front door open? If Cessie looks outside, she won't have any trouble finding the girl. Lucy is standing by the pair of trees that used to make up the portal between the Frescot and Mithar homes before the former was burned to the ground. These days the trees are just that, trees. They're only notable because they still form the arc that was once the portal.

[Shadowcaller]

[Curious Occurrence]

The door should be locked...
Cessie frowns, something strange was going on. Was Lucy the source? She wouldn't be the first Frescot child that inhabited strange powers, or perhaps something else was afoot?

"Lucy, stay away from that. The arches aren't safe." Cessie remarks as she approaches the girl.

[Gullara]

[Curious Occurrence]

Lucy turns around to look at Cessie with her big, curious eyes. "But they're friendly." She says with a smile. Without warning she skips her way between the arched trees. Pink motes of light play around the little girl as she spins around to look at her auntie again. "They miss their friends." She pouts and her eyes start to shimmer with light.

[UncleWolf]

Cessie's Forge

Jezzy gets a smile as her head is caressed and leans her head a bit into it. "If I new how a camera worked, I could probably make one but I wouldn't wish to try right now. The last thing I need to do is meddle with technology I don't understand." She says, still smiling before rolling a bit to be able to look right up at Cessie. "And you're one to talk. You're absolutely beautiful too, you know. Even from this awkward angle." She teases a bit, reaching up to set her chained hand upon Cessie's shoulder. "I have perhaps a bit of power left. Is there something else I can do for you, however selfish you may feel it to be?"

[Murkus]

[Molerat Mayhem]

This took a lot more planning than Adir had thought. He has returned home with a curtain-covered cat carrier under one arm and various pet supplies under the other. Bags plastered with images of squirmy insects and clipped roots, a folded up doggie bed with a roof, toys he mostly just took wild guesses at.

"Now Cern. Gwydion," Adir is saying to the boys exasperatedly, "I gotta go get rid of some stumps and big rocks for your mom's garden. I'm just gonna be here for a minute, and then I need you to look after him by yourselves for a little while. Can you handle that? You need to be careful not to spook 'im. He's not gonna know who you are yet. This place is gonna be scary. You might not want to try to touch him yet-- are you two listening to me?"

Cern and Gwyd both look up from staring at the cat carrier. "Yes sir!" Cern pipes, but his eyes immediately dart back to the carrier.

Adir rolls his eyes, but there's a smile hiding just behind the tiresome expression. "Okay, sure. Just fill these bowls I got him then, Gwyd. Make sure you let him outside if he needs it. There should be a couple shady spots he'll be okay to do his business."

Gwydion nods dutifully, ever the responsible boy, and Adir gives him an encouraging wink before opening the carrier. The three Frescots step back to watch.

[Morty]

[Molerat Mayhem]

As the carrier opens, a fat, pink nose pokes out first. The two Frescot boys will no doubt recognize it as similar to that of Kip, the pet molerat belonging to Tuskfang and Brinika's cousins. The nose takes a few cautious sniffs, and then the entire critter comes out. It's a fat molerat, smaller than Kip but with a heaviness to his limbs that suggests he'll grow big someday. For now he's just a cub. His skin is a bit darker and more brownish than Kip's, his teeth not quite so large and his snout shorter.

The molerat walks out of the carrier nervously, sniffing around intensely. His tiny, beady eyes and nose fix on the Frescots and he takes a few hesitant steps, making a sound between a grunt and a squeak. Those two-legged things aren't anything like the two-legged things he knows. This is weird.

[Shadowcaller]

Cessie's Forge

"I think I got all I want right now." Cessie remarks with a soft laugh.
"Well, I suppose I wouldn't say no to a bed to lay down in just about now. But I still need to finish things up with Ambrosia out there." She gestures at the door and then puts her hands on Jezebel's horns again. "So what are the deal with these? I didn't expect you to go bald quite this young. In fact, I didn't expect you to go bald at all." The sorceress teases. "Think I might sting myself on these, they're quite sharp you know?"

[Curious Occurrence]

How was she doing that? Could a child really do that on her own? She wished Ambrosia or Jezebel were here, they could probably tell more that was happening here.
"Lucy, be careful. Whatever you're doing, it could be dangerous. Spirits are attracted to these things."

[UncleWolf]

Cessie's Lap

Jezebel reaches up, frowning slightly as she feels her own horns. "Hrm. I suppose you're right. They are rather pointed. What would you prefer then? Perhaps a nice wide pair of handles?" She asks, using both of her hands to mime a pair of large curved horns going from the side of her head and back. "I could certainly see them getting more use from you." She says with a grin, more than happy to tease back. "I had no control over my initial shape, but perhaps it would be worth exploring a change or two."

[Gullara]

[Curious Occurrence]

"What's dangerous?" Lucy asks, very confused. "I can help! I know where their friends are!" She grins again and turns away from Cessie. "My house." She steps forward and vanishes... The air splits where she stood and a breeze blows between the arched trees. Suddenly Lucy is visible once more through the trees, and past her the new Frescot home. On this side of the portal the packed trail to the arches ends abruptly with disturbed ground on the other side. The same pink motes are settling all over the ground on the other side of the portal, slowly fading away.

[Shadowcaller]

Cessie's Forge

"I'm afraid my experiences with Harnel's horns weren't all that great and these are a bit like his you know..." Cessie counters as she runs her hands along the newly formed horns. "They're nice to look at, but not terribly practical." Her hands move to touch Jezebel's chains. "Though neither are these." She pauses. "Are they for me, by the way? Do they symbolize how you restrain yourself for me?" Her hands continues running along it. "I don't think chains have ever symbolized something good, I hate to think I'm feeling like you're chained. I want you to be able to be yourself around me, Jez." Then for a moment, she looks away. "But I suppose that's hypocritical of me to ask, isn't it? Considering that I'm pretending not to love you while we're seen together."

[Curious Occurrence]

Yes, the idea had started to occur to her this would happen. If the spirits had taken Lucy...
No, she couldn't think like that. She was likely safe at Sakura's home. She had to be.
"Lucy?!" She calls out as she approaches the portal while picking up her communicator to call Adir. He was back in their home right now so if the portal had appeared there, he would be able to see it and hopefully Lucy as well.
Then Lucy simply reemerges back through the new portal. "Thank Artaris, you scared me, Lucy. You can't just go off like that. I've read stories where people that step through portals like that never return."

[Murkus]

[Curious Occurrence]

"Cessie? What's up?" It sounds like Adir is just waking up from a nap. Or... no, not that. He definitely isn't using his family's absence as time to catch up on sleep, no. She will hear him yawn and something creak as he sits up.

[Molerat Mayhem]

The boys eyes are practically sparkling. They stand almost completely still, staring. Gwydion even puts his hands on his cheeks and gasps.

"He's our..." Gwyd mumbles.
"First pet," Cern pumps his fists.

When the cub moves a little towards them, the boys freak out a bit. "Daddy, what do we do?" Cern asks in a hushed tone. Perhaps he is only just realizing his new responsibility, or perhaps this is too new for him.

"Heck kid, I dunno. I only do the above-ground stuff. Try feeding him this and saying hello," Adir suggests, grinning the entire time. He hands off a chunk of beet-root to Cern, and the boy crouches down very slowly, very respectfully. He puts out a quivering arm and tries to see if the molerat will pluck it from his chubby fingers.

[Morty]

[Molerat Mayhem]

The molerat takes a few more steps towards the two kids and their dad. This person isn't one of the people who usually give him food. But... he takes a few more sniffs. He smells nice. The big rodent isn't sure why, but this two-legs seems trustworthy. And this thing he's holding smells very tempting. The big rat waddles over to Cern and grabs the beetroot in his large teeth. He then proceeds to hold it down with his clawed paws and bite into it eagerly. His teeth work through the vegetable with brutal efficiency.

[UncleWolf]

One of Jezzy's Favorite Spots

Jezebel's smile fades as she raises her shackled arm high until it pulls the chain taut from her neck. She mulls the thought over for a while, trying to figure out what it could mean before shaking her head a bit. "I've had many reasons to show restraint in my life, Cessie. Holding myself back from hanging off of your shoulders in public is not so much in the end of things. If I had not had such self-discipline, I would never have survived back home. For as carefree and wild as I may have been from time to time, such instances are few and far between. To truly cut this chain would be to show the whole world as I truly am and in a way I'm not sure I'll ever be truly prepared for that. Hiding who I am and keeping myself in check has simply become second nature to me after so long."

She lowers her hand to her neck, feeling the collar in place there with a frown before rolling to her feet to stand. "Masking our relationship is something I understand quite readily though. And even if I yearn to just carry you down the street every once in a while, it also makes these moments for us even more special, doesn't it? Rare and special moments of loving peace and embrace?" She asks before smiling a bit. Her hand twists around the chain at her neck, getting a grip, and with a slight tug she shatters the link there to let the rest of the chain dangle from her wrist.

"However, in a few days I'm going to take you on a date, hiding or not, and at the moment I'm going to do what I've been wanting to since the start since no one is here to watch now." She decides, stepping close to Cessie in order to try and pull her up from her seat for a kiss.

[Shadowcaller]

Resist, resist the wolfish location tag

"How do you understand it so readily?" Cessie quickly interjects just as Jezebel twists her hand around the chain... and shatters it.
Wide-eyed, Cessie seems to have lost interest in the question, especially when Jezebel steps up and kisses her. She hadn't been sure what was going to happen when it shattered but she had expected more than a kiss. Yet she preferred this reaction before the one she had imagined in her head.

Cessie is careful where to put her hands around Jezebel, not wanting to cut herself on something. Her body still felt alien to her, especially considering the changes Jezebel had gone through. Not to mention how tall she was. But Harnel had been even taller so it wasn't like she could complained, though Jezebel had been wrong about using her horns as "handles" as there was no way she was going to comfortably reach them from this position unless she was standing on her toes.

But once she feels like she have found a comfortable spot to place her hands, the former daemons rear, she returns the kiss passionately. But she isn't going to make it last too long as she was burning to reply to what Jezebel had said.
Pulling away for a moment, she smiles back. "A date you say, I believe we've gone on plenty of those already. I count that trip to your homeworld as a especially long one you know?" The sorceress raises an eyebrow coyly. "So it has to be something more than just that. Perhaps I should wear a t-shirt reading "I love Jezebel" while sitting in your lap?" Cessie was pretty sure that mental image would amuse her girlfriend. She still wasn't really comfortable with any of this so she knew she had to keep pushing herself even if she would never be quite ready for what she just had suggested.

[Gullara]

[Curious Occurrence]

Lucy is staring with eyes as big as saucers when she comes back into sight again. Cessie's cry had startled her, and now these words of warning were worse! "I was just helping." She shrinks and looks at her toes. Why's she in trouble?

[Shadowcaller]

[Curious Occurrence]

Cessie covers the communicator with her hand for a moment as she offers her other to Lucy. "Come here, Lucy. As long as you're safe its alright." She will attempt to gently take the child's hand and lead her away from the portal.
Then she takes a deep breath before putting the communicator against her ear again to reply to Adir. "Adir, I believe that Lucy, your daughter, have somehow used spirits to create a portal from my keep to your manor. Just like before. Could you go and confirm that? Since I'm standing in front of the portal with Lucy and I can see your home through it."

[UncleWolf]

Cessie's Forge

"How do I know what it means? I know what it is because I know myself. I may be occasionally lost as to where I should go and what I should do, but everyone should at least understand their own being." She explains, smiling a bit as she holds the mage against herself. "As much as I would enjoy such a shirt and the two of us sharing a seat, I believe that perhaps a more formal attire would be appropriate. Though maybe I should put on a collar and offer you a leash? After all, you already own my heart. Why not show it to the world?" She teases back.

"But there has been this place I've been wishing to go to near the peak of the Spire in the city. Balconies, dining, even a show all at once. High society, but I think the two of us can stomach being around aristocracy for a while provided we're together."

[Shadowcaller]

Cessie's Forge

"I am aristocracy, Jezz, and they would probably be a breeze compared to Hestopian nobility. So believe me when I say I've dealt with far worse, and so have you. I'm saying no to any leashes and collars though. You neck isn't where your heart is. That's why I suggested a t-shirt instead, but we'll see what we do." Cessie replies as she relaxes again. "But have we decided then? Maybe its best if we call back Ambrosia now..."