The Twofold Houses 5: Rebuilding

[Deathkeeper]

[Training Day]

Koshal frowns as he takes the firearm from Adir, perhaps a bit petulantly.
"If I was eight I wouldn't have my horns or my mane." he insists, knowing that Adir is only joking. But he's very proud of being an almost-adult.
We'll see how long that lasts.
The rifle is a bit more complex than Koshal is used to, but the general idea is still the same, so safety-wise he has no trouble handling it properly.

[Gullara]

((Here are the quotes for the scene as it continued on Discord.))

[Training Day]

Waiting for Koshal and Wenomir at the end of a packed dirt road is a rather generous manor estate. A two story stone house rises out of an extensive courtyard and an overflowing garden. Flowers of every kind run rampant.

On the left side of the house is an open garage, what looks like a more modern addition to a relatively antiquated domicile. The electric door there is slid up, revealing a pickup truck, a long white box van, and a host of countless household odds and ends. Adir is in front of this, stacking up what looks like a couple heavy metal crates and duffel bags. He looks up and waves at the other two men.

Standing not far away is one of Adir's numerous kiddies, a dark skinned boy of about six or seven with a handsome face and a broad little nose. He's got a mop of cherry blossoms for hair and a pair of very long ears protruding from underneath the flowers. He looks like he's very curious. Wenomir will know this to be Cernunnos, or Cern to his friends.

[Training Day]

Wenomir waves back as he walks down to the house. This situation, where he's going to be a student rather than a teacher, is unfamiliar to him. But he is glad to visit Adir and his family and finally introduce Koshal to them. The warrior is wearing a long, light coat and, unsually for him, not a single weapon.

"Hello, Adir. And you, Cerunnos."

[Training Day]

Koshal arrived beside Wenomir, atop a very bizarre creature. Part caribou, part bird, and yet with an almost feline face, the large, long creature has no trouble carrying Koshal and his gear on its six legs. He was told the Frescots are good with animals.

“Hi Mister Frescot!” Calls the teenage minotaur from atop his steed. He forced himself to dress warm but not formally for this one. He isn’t used to dressing so...casual. But his uncle said he would look very good in flannel with buttons. He hops off the fuzzy chimera, his black dog Faye materializing from his shadow the moment he touches the ground.

[Training Day]

"Hey, boys! Wow, Wenomir. Always a trip seeing you casual," Adir extends one long-fingered hand, first to Wendy then to the newcomer. Trading grips with Wenomir is an old, familiar ritual, but he gives Koshal a firm, easy squeeze that seems to mean 'welcome'. "And you're Koshal. Wenomir says you have a little bit of experience, is that right?"

"Gosh," he glances at Koshal's companions. "I didn't think you were gonna bring the whole zoo. They don't spook easy I hope?" He glances over... to where Cern is staring agog at Koshal's companions. Maybe a little at Koshal too. A new type of person and strange animals!

"Cern," he nudges the kid. "Make your manners."

"O-- oh! Hi Wenomir! Hi Mr. Koshal! Wow. I really like your dog and your... your..." He struggles to find a word for Koshal's mount. "I dunno, it's great! Can I ride?"

[Training Day]

"Koshal has a way with animals," Wenomir says warmly. "And I know your kids like them too." He shrugs. "I have to get out of armor sometime. Otherwise it'd fuse together with my body."

[Training Day]

“I have lots of training.” Koshal assures Adir.

“Waves is a thingimajig. Message made him for me. You can sit on him. Waves, behave.” The large creature nods and squats down. The bouncing stops. For now.

“Waves is combat trained. He’ll be fine.”

Koshal doesn’t mention the same for Faye, as he doesn’t even think of her as something that would ever have to worry about that. The now-shadowless minotaur is currently occupied scratching her ears.

[Training Day]

"He's also got a magic shadow and a thingamajig. Kid's a full fledged adventurer already." The stag grins, and it brightens even further when Wenomir makes an actual joke.

Cernunnos edges right up to the beastie and, after only a little hesitation, will climb aboard. He is beaming as soon as he's on, positively ecstatic about it. His smile bears some oddly long, sharp canines.

"That's great. Do you mind telling me what you have and haven't used?" Adir asks Koshal. "It'd be better if I know what kinds of weapons you're versed with so I can choose something new."

[Training Day]

"No need to worry on my account here, I've never used any kind of firearm," Wenomir says, glancing at Cern. Did he always have teeth like that? "Koshal is absolutely a full-fledged adventurer. An excellent student of martial arts, as well."

[Training Day]

The colorful chimera sits mostly still, maybe bouncing a tiny bit for the child. Mostly it just stays put and purrs so Cern doesn’t get bucked off.

Koshal thinks. “I’ve gotten training with semi-automatic pistols and rifles, bolt actions, and machine pistols. And crossbows. Not a ton, though. The armory is limited at the Fort.” He doesn’t comment on their praise, even though it makes his ears more red than usual. He doesn’t really get up to that much adventuring yet, really.

[Training Day]

"Well then, Wenomir! We'll start you off on something you can actually use and still keep a hand free for that sword. Or whatever the hell that magic thing you carry around is."

He takes out a gun and says, "Hold out your hand." But when he presses the weapon into Wenomir's palm, he doesn't let go yet. "To be clear. This is not loaded, and the safety - that's a switch that stops it from firing - is switched to on. But you gotta treat it like it's not safe, and like it's loaded. Always like it is. I know I don't have to tell you not to point it at me, but it's easy for anybody, even grown guys like us, to forget where the muzzle is sometimes." A pause. "Uh, the muzzle is the hole there where the lead comes out. Gee, this is fun." He grins.

"In any case: keep muzzle checking. Do it over and over til' it's an automatic thing in your head. Point it at the ground or point it up if it's in your hands. Finger off the trigger--" He indicates that part, showing Wenomir how to hold his finger straight along the guard instead of resting it on the trigger itself, and finishes, "Until you're ready to shoot. Got it?" Then Adir lets go.

"We gotta be careful with these things. If it stops firing, immediately stop pulling the trigger and lay it down flat. If you think something's wrong, set it down flat. Make sure the muzzle is pointed downrange when you do." Adir doesn't seem to think he has to explain what a range is to Wenomir. Surely that's what they call em' for bows as well.

"For you, kid, something a little more challenging. You're a big boy, I think you can handle it." A beat. "Say, how old are you, kid? I'm not gonna hand one of my big shooters to an eight year old minotaur, am I? That just seems irresponsible." Grinning, Adir hands it to him probably before he has his answer out. Watching carefully for good safety training with Koshal too.

[Training Day]

"The Answer isn't... I'll explain later." Wenomir wisely shuts up and focuses intently on what Adir is saying. He appreciates the pared-down explanation. "I get the impression more than one person I've met did not obey proper rules of gun safety," he remarks.

[Training Day]

Koshal frowns as he takes the firearm from Adir, perhaps a bit petulantly.
"If I was eight I wouldn't have my horns or my mane." he insists, knowing that Adir is only joking. But he's very proud of being an almost-adult.
We'll see how long that lasts.
The rifle is a bit more complex than Koshal is used to, but the general idea is still the same, so safety-wise he has no trouble handling it properly.

[Gullara]

[Sweet Dreams]

As Cessie closes her eyes, she can feel the presence more keenly. She's greeted. Instantly the headache that had been building feels as though it's splitting the back of her skull. All at once her senses go haywire. Her vision blooms with light, her ears hear nothing but a high pitched whine, her skin is on fire. Oddly contrasting her nose and tongue experience a pleasant sweetness.

[Not So Good Morning]

"Morning sleepyhead." Sakura says warmly as she walks up the hall from the front door. "I hope you're well rested." She smiles teasingly as she stops in front of him.

[Murkus]

[Training Day]

"Ah, see? I'm learning something today too," Adir laughs and grins, spreading his hands at Koshal. He laughs at Wenomir. "Was that a joke? No, I bet they weren't! And unfortunately what I'm really training you with is just another easy way to hurt people. We just have to make sure it's the right people. You've already got the right ideas in your head, of course, but we gotta work on the tricky part - your aim. How bad are we talking? Broad side of a barn? The ocean from the beach? Or are you an okay shot with things made from strings and wood?"

Adir chit-chats like this all the way down to the range, where he hands them each a magazine loaded up with shells. Adir's private range is a little stretch of his property leading up to a dirt rise, and it looks pretty well hammered by practice shooting already. There's targets set up there that look like the kinds of demons that attacked Riverside. He's set up a wooden bar for their ammo and weapons when they're not in use.

"Okay, Wenomir. Square peg, square hole. Slap that thing in there. Flick that switch I showed you - muzzle check! - and keep it pointed thataway." Adir watches Wenomir closely for any safety violations they're gonna have to touch up right away. Koshal gets a careful glance or two as well. "You too, kid."

If Cernunnos is allowed to stay on the thingamajig, he'll be there with them too, a little ways back. He watches with very large and interested eyes.

[Not So Good Morning]

"Hey, I-- well, not exactly. Something... really strange happened to me last night, baby. I don't know how to explain it so I'll try to keep it in really simple terms."

Adir goes on to describe the dream. He puts a special emphasis on how much the girls tried to assure him that it was not a normal dream, that he was really seeing them, and that they were in some serious trouble. He shows her the pad where he wrote it all down. He tries to whisper, looking around for 'Cassie' as he does so.

"It's already kinda fading. It woulda all faded if I hadn't written it down, and I... I don't know what to think... I'm really a little scared, Sakura. I know dreams can be funny like this, but gods, I was terrified. And we've seen stranger things happen around here. Hell, gifted Frescots have seen visions that saved the clan a lot of heartache and blood. Visions that came in their dreams."

"If it's real we just... we just have to touch her with some iron. It'll be really easy to test. Hell, I'm a little allergic to the stuff. If these changelings are anything like the folk back home..."

[Gullara]

[Not So Good Morning]

Sakura's expression shifts from highly concerned to perturbed as Adir's explanation ends. "Adir..." She begins hesitantly. "I know that dream scared you, but don't you think you're taking it a little far? I think I'd know our own daughter. She's been playing with Laurana all morning, just like normal." She tries to reassure. As if on cue, he can hear the familiar sounds of the girls' laughter coming from the front door.

[Morty]

[Training Day]

"I trained with a bow once, but that was... I was younger than Koshal is now," Wenomir says. "Normally when I need to hurt something at range, I throw knives. I do hope this at least means my coordination is good enough."

Loading the gun takes him two tries and he points it in a direction he shouldn't while he's at it. However, once he points the weapon properly down the range, his grip seems pretty firm.

[Deathkeeper]

Training Day

Cern should have a good time sitting on Waves’ back. The chimera prances behind the adults in a bouncing, bobbing motion for the child.
Koshal nods. He sights the rifle without loading it, and immediately runs into a problem.
”Ah, Mister Frescot? Do you have one for bigger hands?” he asks. Adir should spot the problem pretty easily. Koshal’s three-fingered hands mean he has a very large first digit, which doesn’t easily fit into the small guard meant for a human trigger-finger.

[Murkus]

[Not So Good Morning]

"I... maybe..." Adir leans his hip on the bureau in the hall and covers his face with his hands. Rubs slowly. "It was just so real. And the things they were saying weren't... dream things."

"You're right. I'm sorry. I don't wanna scare you." He lifts his face and smiles a little wanly at her, little dark circles under his eyes. Of course, he's got those about half the time with the number of kiddies they have to take care of. "You don't think I'm crazy now, do you?"

[Training Day]

"Trust me, Wenomir, if you can hit things well enough for it to matter with knives, you can shoot a gun. It might even feel too easy. That's how I took to em' after using a bow all my life."

Adir looks then to Koshal. Raises a finger. Takes a breath. "...I did not consider this. My bad, kid. One sec." He goes to his gun cases he brought down and digs around. Commes out with an extremely large bore shotgun. The trigger guard has been stripped, and a stock has been added in place of the absurd little pistol grip.

"To be honest, I haven't used that rifle you're holding since before I got this big - don't ask - and I forgot I've been having to make adjustments to some of my kit. Take this for instance. It used to have a guard around the trigger here, but I cut it off. To be honest with you, though, I don't know how guys smaller than us ever fired this thing accurately. It shoots twenty-three millimeter rounds - that's the type of thing they use to shoot down fighter jets on some worlds. The barrel is repurposed from a cannon." Adir grins savagely with this bit of history. "Cool, right?"

"Okay, fellas." He indicates the range. He doesn't comment on Wenomir's mistake with pointing it a way he shouldn't, as long as it wasn't at any of them... but he watches the warrior closely. He hands them a couple things... what they will recognize as earplugs. He has to raise his voice for them to hear, but it isn't too bad for conversation all in all. "Fire at will. But! Uh. Not too fast. Squeeze the trigger, don't pull on it. Keep a firm grip but don't try to crush the things in your hands. Remember what I said, and speak up if you need help. Cernunnos!"

The boy perks up from being distracted by his mount's bouncing. With his dad's rather commanding voice he looks like a little soldier coming to attention. One imagines between he and Sakura these kids are pretty well disciplined.

"You just stay back there and don't move. Put those plugs in that I gave you. Don't distract Wenomir or Koshal, okay?"

The boy nods quickly. Now he's really watching.

The first and most difficult thing Wenomir might need to overcome is the noise. Especially from Koshal's gun. It really does sound like it was made from a cannon. At least with the earplugs it doesn't hurt to hear.

Next will be the way the thing jumps in his hands, like it's trying to escape. It's a serious challenge to find what seems like a good bead on the target and then have to readjust after each little jerk. The tech probably feels alien to him, invisible missiles placing tiny holes in the paper downrange. It will be even worse for Koshal. The KS23 kicks, for lack of a better reference, like a full grown minotaur. The shoulder stock helps, but the weapon is clearly a brutal, destructive, and difficult tool. And of course if he hits... well it probably produces the largest holes he's ever seen a gun put in something.

[Morty]

[Training Day]

Wenomir winces when the thunderous rapport of the gun blasts his ears. His aim is... decent, for someone who's never fired a gun before in his life. All this superhuman precision and grace honed through his martial arts really do help.

"Riddle. I thought were sounded loud enough when they were shot by someone next to me. Or at me."

[Gullara]

[Not So Good Morning]

Sakura smiles. "Everyone has bad dreams, honey. Don't worry about it." She reaches out to squeeze his hand. "How 'bout you go out and watch them for a bit while I clean up in here? I think you'll feel better in no time."

[Murkus]

[Not So Good Morning]

"I think you're probably right. They always get my spirits up." And they really do. He leans forward and kisses Sakura on the forehead. "What'd I do to win you, again?"

The stag lets her hand go and starts to slip toward the girls. He ducks toward the kitchen and pulls out a bottle of OJ before he goes to join the tykes. "Hey girls," he'll say, "Whatcha doin?"

[Gullara]

[Not So Good Morning]

Outside Adir finds the two sitting on the step. They've dragged out the chalk box, but seem to have discarded it as an activity. The two crane their heads around and up to look up at their dad.

"We're gonna see the bunnies." Cassie says, turning her body to face him properly. Adir would be aware of the warren of rabbits not far into the trees to one side of the yard. It's been a good spot for them since most of their predators tend to give the yard a wider berth than that.

Looking that direction he'll see Sarget standing part way to the trees. He's looking their way, perhaps in anticipation of the girls coming over.

[Deathkeeper]

[Training Day]

Koshal frowns but is able to mostly get the plugs in properly. Faye and her sensitive canine ears wait back with Waves and Cern. She expects pets from this arrangement.
Koshal himself finds himself struggling quite a bit with the shotgun. He doubts Uncle Krayger would have much trouble with it, but right now he's still got a lot of growing to do before he reaches a mature size.
"I think I'm too used to things that are meant for hunting." As opposed to something meant to blow a hole in a building.

[UncleWolf]

Cessie's Bedroom

A little over an hour and a half after Jezebel vanished, a bit after Cessie has awoken to find her gone, a sphere of dark violet light crackles to life a short distance from Cessie's bed. Jezebel falls to her knees when the sphere fades, breathing heavily and with a glassy look to her eyes as relief flows through her. "C-Cessie?" She asks, voice wavering and thick with emotion. "I need you to draw a Circle around me right now. Please." She begs, fear plainly evident in her voice. The fear is well founded however as she was vastly different than she had been just a short time ago. Her lavender skin was notably darker, but it was the least of the changes her body had gone through. A pair of heavy grasping wings rest upon her back and shoulders with feathers radiating from back at the base through indigo into gold at the tips. Her tail coils possessively around herself, also lined with feathers, and her nakedness shows that the outer sides of her arms and legs have draconic scaling.

"I feel like I'm going to be sick." She admits quietly, trembling and holding back the urge to just cry out of both frustration and joy of being back to familiar surroundings.

[Shadowcaller]

Cessie's Bedroom

Cessie isn't actually in the room. But she does enter it shortly after Jezebel emerges holding her communicator against her ear. The sight of Jezebel leaves her mouth agape and she nearly drops her device on the floor. "Wh- p-rove that you're Jezebel." She says hesitantly even if her first reaction looked to have been to just do what she was told.
The sorceress didn't even know what she would find anything to draw with, her mind going completely blank as she hears the desperation in Jezebel's voice. Maybe she could simply summon some ash around her... she simply didn't know why she needed to do that. Seeing all this she needed some reasoning to grasp onto.

[UncleWolf]

Cessie's Bedroom

Jezebel closes her eyes for a moment and concentrates on controlling her breathing. Part of her was quite obviously hurt that there was doubt to her identity, but once the emotional kneejerk reaction was clamped down upon, it was an entirely reasonable request given the circumstances and she knew it. "Prove it? Okay." She agrees after a moment, letting out a breath. "When we visited my world, we sat side by side watching the stars go by before the ship went to Warpspace. More than that, one night when I was pacing the ship while you were asleep, I told Garn that I considered you to be akin to a snowflake. I thought you were delicate, beautiful, and I was afraid to touch you lest I stain or break you. If he has not told you such yet, then ask him now."

[Shadowcaller]

Cessie's Bedroom

Cessie could recall Garn saying that, and that she hadn't like that comparison at all. But nonetheless, that was hardly the words an infiltrator would have picked and she really couldn't see the harm of putting a circle around the visitor either way.
Thus with a minimal amount of gestures she conjures a circle of ash around the supposed Jezebel. It simply appearing as if bursting out of the floor itself.
The sorceress then feels trusting enough to close her eyes for a moment to find her center as she asks the obvious question. "What's going on?"

[UncleWolf]

Cessie's Bedroom

Jezebel gives a small nod, closing her eyes as she tries to force herself to stay calm. She reaches out to use the bed to support herself as she gets up, but she freezes with her hand just a touch away from the barrier she'd asked Cessie to make. She looks at her hand, clearly unsure if the Circle would prevent her from reaching beyond it as well as whether or not it would hurt if she tried, but after a few brief thoughts she pulls her hand away and gets to her feet the slower way by using her own knees for support. "It turns out I was just demonic enough before for that [REDACTED]-" She's particularly colorful in her language, using words that Cessie has almost certainly not heard before so emphatically that it is entirely possible that with a bit more force she'd set the linen on the bed ablaze while peeling paint off the walls. Despite it, Jezebel's emotions are quite clear. There's fear, anger, and rage as she spews out every insult and curse she could think of before finally forcing herself to stop and take a moment to collect herself. "Let...let me restart. Tellysandra ripped me out of bed and summoned me through a basin of blood into an entire celebration designed to act as a Rite of Ascension." She's gritting her teeth as she talks, making sure to bite back on the worst of her language as she makes herself remember everything as clearly as possible. "A literal festival devoted to a caricature of me for the sole purpose of experimentation."

[Shadowcaller]

[Cessie's Bedroom]

Yes, that was quite unlike how she had ever heard Jezebel, who she was getting increasingly convinced this actually was as somehow this felt more like her than anything else despite not ever hearing any of this before.

"But... why? Experimentation?" Cessie could hear herself say. Her voice a sharp contrast to Jezebel's as it seems to be completely devoided of emotion. She wanted to be as angry as Jezebel was sounding but it was simply too much to take in. Jezebel was coming before her like a sea of rage and she could only muster to drink a drop of it.

[Sweet Dreams]

Cessie panics a bit as soon as she feels the presence invades her mind and starts to recite one of Artatis prayers. Many tried to shut it out by closing their eyes but often ended up helping the spirits as they were in reality shutting out the real world. Instead it was best to look at something dull like a wall or the ground and do a repetative and monotone task, such as the prayer she was now reciting.

[Gullara]

[Sweet Dreams]

Cessie doesn't need to put up much resistance. The presence recoils almost immediately when her pain and discomfort are evident. Instead she can simply feel it looming.

[Shadowcaller]

[Sweet Dreams]

With the presence withdrawing from her Cessie stops her prayers and starts to slowly look around to see if there was any way she could perceive this presence. She had no idea what was going on here and whatever this was wasn't giving her any answers. Only more questions.

[UncleWolf]

Cessie's Bedroom

" I don't know. " Jezebel admits, her fury taken from her as quickly as it came as she resigns herself to her situation. Her shoulders slump, she sighs, and eventually settles back down on the ground in the middle of the circle, holding her knees to her chest and wings close to her back to avoid touching the edges. She starts again, her voice softer as she recounts every last detail of what happened. She tells of her sudden summons, the blood pit, "Idabolg", how she was tempted to grab a cellphone but figured it was a trap, and even about the stupid "ceremonial" robes she wore trying to play up to the situation. She even goes into detail about her fight, nudging the gunblade with her foot to accentuate it, before finally pausing to rub her face. "I was so damned frightened I wasn't going to get out of there alive, but I was ready to try and cut my way out if I had to. Don't even know how the damned thing works, but I'd have tried it." She admits before finishing her story.

"Maybe I should have played along with it more fully, letting the Anex believe me to be what she wanted, but I know the type. She'd have asked me to bed her if I had kept that up and I'm still half expecting her to extend that invitation." She gives another sigh, feeling and looking exhausted as she looks up at the mage. "Still think I might not be who I say I am?"

[Shadowcaller]

Cessie listens. She will sometimes ask for clarifications on minor details but otherwise she is quiet as she tries to take in everything she's told. The idea of Jezebel was taken out of bed by some warlock while she was asleep was downright terrifying.

However, by the time she finishes it looks like the sorceress have heard enough. "Jezebel... I think we both need to wind down." An elemental is conjured from a stream of magma-like light coming from underneath her nightgown. It lifts the comfy armchair in the corner of the room and places it inside Jezebel's circle without disturbing the ashes.
Cessie then walks into the circle and will put her hands on Jezebel's shoulders. "Sit down." That's a order it seems. Though if she obeys, Cessie will sit down in her lap so that she's facing her. "We're two of the most competent people in the world. We're going to fix this. All of it." She promises as she puts her arms around her. "But first we're going to relax, okay? Otherwise I think I'm going to set fire to the drapes and I happen to like those. That or collapse from mental exhaustion after hearing all this." Cessie smiles and then softly presses her head against Jezebel's chest. "I hope that answers your question." She coos.

[UncleWolf]

Cessie's Room

Jezebel does as asked, tucking her tail around her side as she settles in the chair. She's a bit surprised when Cessie steps right on into the circle, but she smiles and reaches out to take her hand in order to help the mage settle in upon her lap. "It might have been for a short time, but I desperately missed you." She murmurs, smiling as she wraps her arms around Cessie to holds her close. "I'm still pretty though, right?" She asks, feigning self-consciousness as she smiles. Cessie had certainly broken through to her.

[Shadowcaller]

Cessie's Room

"Your still vain at least. That I'm sure of." Cessie winks. "The rest... I don't know. Harnel did have wings so it's not like much stranger than what I'm used to. My own child have those for goodness sake. But you shouldn't ask such questions until we know what can be done about it, okay? I'm still trying to take in everything that's happened and I feel like I will need a bit. Perhaps two." She shakes her head. "But as far as I can tell, you haven't really changed at all. I'd except more after all that, so that's a relief at least."

[Gullara]

[Sweet Dreams]

With the presence withdrawing from her Cessie stops her prayers and starts to slowly look around to see if there was any way she could perceive this presence. She had no idea what was going on here and whatever this was wasn't giving her any answers. Only more questions.

[Sweet Dreams]

She can't perceive it. Not properly at least. All she can see is the constellation, even more prominent than it was earlier. Otherwise the same feeling of something huge looming lingers, but she can't place anything more than that.

Then all of a sudden Cessie is falling... or is she being pushed down? The pond that she emerged through rushes up from beneath her and she's forced back through it.

She emerges back on the other side, in the middle of the pond, and it really is a pond now. She's forced to tread water to stay afloat. Thankfully the shore, and Sakura, are waiting not far away. If she swims over Sakura will help her out of the water and ask, "What happened?"

[Murkus]

[Not So Good Morning]

Outside Adir finds the two sitting on the step. They've dragged out the chalk box, but seem to have discarded it as an activity. The two crane their heads around and up to look up at their dad.

"We're gonna see the bunnies." Cassie says, turning her body to face him properly. Adir would be aware of the warren of rabbits not far into the trees to one side of the yard. It's been a good spot for them since most of their predators tend to give the yard a wider berth than that.

Looking that direction he'll see Sarget standing part way to the trees. He's looking their way, perhaps in anticipation of the girls coming over.

[Not So Good Morning]

There's a second where Adir looks at Cassie a little more analytically than is normal, as if assessing her for illness or injury. Then he hunkers down and sits between the girls, putting his arms around them. Even then, he wonders if she'll feel the same... and wonders, in his heart, about that dream. "Are you, now? You know mommy has an awful lot of trouble with those little things. They rip up her garden sometimes when she's not looking."

Adir waves to Sarget. "Now just how are you planning on seeing them? Is Grandpa gonna help?"

[Gullara]

[Not So Good Morning]

"Bunnies are hungry, daddy." Cassie says, dismissing any garden concerns. Bunnies gotta eat. She seems totally normal under his critical eye. She smiles up at him, the events of last night leaving no impression in the morning light.

"Grampa's too big to help." Laurana adds, looking over at him. "He'll get stuck in the trees." Yes, too big for where bunnies hide away.

[Shadowcaller]

[Sweet Dreams]

"I- I'm not sure." Cessie admits as she seem to have returned to the more normal parts of Sakura's mind. She had thought too much about Sakura's origins. Always assuming she was just a being of Adir's world and thus something she knew very little about. After experiecing that she wasn't so sure anymore. Had that simply been a part of the spirit which possessed Sakura or was there some more primal part of her that she simply never had seen before?
She had to talk to Ambrosia about this as she had no idea what she could even do further to investigate. "I think I might have to go. Need to get help to make sense of what I have seen I'm afraid."

[UncleWolf]

Cessie's Room

Jezebel gives a nod, closing her eyes as she just holds Cessie close for a few moments. It's in the moment of quiet that she notices something though and she leans her head back, reaching up to run her fingers over her horns. "I think...I don't know. Do you recall how I have said before that the connection I have to The Warp was always a pressure upon my will?" She asks, having trouble forming the thoughts and words to explain the change. "There's no more pressure. It's not gone, just more under control than I've felt before. It doesn't feel threatening anymore." The hand moves from her horns to rub her face, exhaustion clear on her expression. "I don't know what to make of this, but there's one thing that has to be done before too much time goes by. I can't be summoned against my will again. I need bound or sealed."