Home 27: Ward-bound

[Shadowcaller]

Aetheric Assistance

"Would you mind me asking you why? Since I've been there and-" The satyr hesitates. "-actually, it would be better if you go first. Let's just say that you're not alone in feeling unease there. Though I get the sense it's a bit more than just that." Jaahlyn will look for somewhere to sit down. It might be a dream but she still didn't want to have a conversation like this while standing.

Right now she had let the dream loose so it could shift at Ana's behest. But as Ana was also a psychopomp she might be able to keep things focused here unless she started thinking of something else.

[Arkhosia]

Aetheric Assistance

The environ shifts around them, the world distorting and morphing until the duo find themselves sitting together beneath a small footbridge in Moth Park. The wooden arch crosses over a burbling brook, and well trimmed bushes seem to fill a good portion of the area beneath the bridge to their side.

"I- I... hurt someone here. Bad." The kitsune hugs herself close. She avoids looking Jaahlyn in the eye. "I just- woke up, and there was blood on my chin and all over my hands, and I had a whole second tail, and -" The water in the brook turns a deep crimson red, but as Anastasia gathers herself its intensity fades. "I don't like going here anymore."

[Shadowcaller]

Aetheric Assistance

Ah. Death.

Jaahlyn had guessed it would lead into this.

"Do you know why you hurt them?" She inquires in the same tone as before, not showing any signs of surprise or shock.

[Arkhosia]

Aetheric Assistance

The kitsune shakes her head a little. "I don't know, I - I think I was hungry? I could barely sleep due to the hunger pangs but- but they were gone once I 'woke up'." It's not a thought she takes much comfort in.

[Shadowcaller]

Aetheric Assistance

Jaahlyn nods. "So you don't remember, that's fine." She pauses a moment, giving Ana a moment to consider. "But since we're here now-" The satyr gestures around the dreamscape. "I suspect at least a part of you want to find out what really happened that night. The question is if you want to see it or not."

[Arkhosia]

Aetheric Assistance

Anastasia tenses a little, and then shakes her head. "I don't need to see what happened, I- I know what happened. I killed someone. I don't need to see it to know what I did."

The teenager seems to shrink a little more into herself, and Jaahlyn may notice a set of orange, foxlike eyes peering through the bushes.

[Shadowcaller]

Aetheric Assistance

"But it does matter, you might know what happened but not why. Especially as your mind wishes to deceive you..." She nods in the direction of the eyes. "You've dared to step this far, Ana. But I can't help you if you stop now. You said that you wanted to confront it, didn't you?"

[Arkhosia]

Aetheric Assistance

"I..." The teen hesitates, shivering in the cold night air. "I... I'll trust you," she finally answers. Some of the color seems to seep back into the dream with this, and the two watch as bushes part before them. From them emerges a lean red fox, her maw dripping with crimson. She eyes the duo with pupils the color of rust, studying them, assessing, before it stalks forward in long strides.

"Preyyyy," the fox growls. Her stomach rumbles and the stench of blood fills the air, cloying and copper. Those baleful eyes seem to bore straight into Jaahlyn, ignoring Anastasia entirely.

[Ironsmith]

[Fort Aegis Resort]

Choo!

Eun sniffles and blows her nose on a convenient handkerchief as she makes her way up toward Fort Aegis, internally berating herself for getting talked into coming out this time of the year. Sure, she's got vacation time built up, and she definitely needs to use it, but the timing just felt off. Here she is, in the early throes of hay fever season, going out to a resort of all places. Couple that with the tranquilizers she had to down just to convince herself to get on RiftLine instead of running back to Vigil with her proverbial tail between her legs, and her "vacation" is starting out a stuffy, snotty mess.

At least she didn't have to worry about losing her luggage. She's got her Hotbox tucked up under her shoulder, and she fully intends to keep it with her at all times. Of course, someone made her encrypt all of its work-related files before she got on the train, so despite her compulsion to just go and lock herself up in a room and do what she normally does until this trip is over, she's not going to have the ability.

...And this is what the next two weeks are going to look like. Eun sniffles.

[Deathkeeper]

Fort Aegis Resort

The first part of getting to Fort Aegis is to get through the main gate. Something which would normally be entirely handwaved if this wasn't Eun. The gate lies in front of the fort itself and its grounds, protected by well-maintained walls.
Next to the gate is a tiny guard booth in which resides a small reptilian bundled up in thick clothing.
"Welcome to Fort Aegis Resort and Spa? Are you here to stay with us?" chirps Gako.

Isn't this grand? Days of nothing but relaxing! Good food, friendly staff...it could be warmer, but what can you do? You know what I'd say about that.
She'd say Eun would be less cold if she had more to keep her warm, probably.

[Ironsmith]

[Fort Aegis Resort]

Och, Ewwwwwwwn! Eun internally snarks. Over the past few weeks, she's brought up the mental equivalent of a sound clip every time Buhan says something to that effect; a quick and hopefully effective way of saying "you sound just like my mother". At this point, it's almost a reflex.

But... yeah. It's hard to argue the point on a practical level. Higher levels of body fat would help insulate her against the cold. So would a thicker coat. Though she'd need either a parka or the figure of a manatee to not be bothered by the cold out here.

Oh, wait, someone's addressing her! It's...

A lizard... midget... guy?

...Okay.

She was kind of expecting that.

At least he's properly bundled up.

"...Um... y-yeah. Bu, Eun-Jung. I, um... I calleb aheab." She replies stuffily.

[Deathkeeper]

Fort Aegis Resort

Buhan's response is the same as it always is.
And what does that say about you, Dear?

"Yes yes, you're in the guest book. Welcome, Ms. Bu." Gako waves up to his brother on the wall, and presently the gates swing wide to admit the guest.
You might wonder why the gates aren't kept open if the fort isn't ever attacked and the only people who stop by are guests. The reason is that the kobolds think it makes each guest feel special, having the gates open just for them.
And they need the exercise anyway.
If only he knew, he'd be welcoming Misses Bu snickers Eun's copilot.

[Ironsmith]

[Fort Aegis Resort]

...Heh... Misses Bu, yeah. Truth be told, Buhan's reminder of her mother wasn't entirely unwelcome. Eun gets the feeling her mum would have loved this place. Especially if it meant some quality mother-daughter time. They never seemed to have gotten much of that.

"T-tanks." Eun sniffs, starting to walk past the guardhouse, but stopping as she realizes she forgot something kind of important. It's still customary to tip here, right? She doesn't want to make him mad if it isn't. She definitely doesn't want to make him mad by tipping too little...

A wafer of synthetic diamond should do the trick, right?

Eun quickly pulls the gratuity out of her Hotbox and sets it where Gako can reach it, before briskly striding away, not wanting to get into the awkwardness of explaining herself if she was somehow wrong about the tip. He's not going to complain, is he? She hopes not.

[Deathkeeper]

Fort Aegis Resort

Eun's swift exit means she doesn't get to see Gako's reaction to being tipped for a five second interaction. Sadly Buhan is more of a personal assistant personality and not an actual spirit haunting her so Buhan can't see anything Eun doesn't. At least in the literal sense.
Inside the gate the fort itself greets Eun. It's not exceptionally tall but it is wide. The grounds are being kept as vibrant as they can during the early spring. Some shoots are starting to emerge at least. The courtyard is open to her, though if she wants to check in there's a sign indicating the lobby through a gateway to the lower level of the keep.

Several of the gate guards smile and wave to her before letting the doors close behind her. They don't have a lot else to be doing with only one guest arriving.

[Ironsmith]

[Fort Aegis Resort]

Eun steps a little more lively when she's in the courtyard, wanting to get through the mandatory social section of her visit as soon as possible. In her haste, she seems to have forgotten how to be polite to the remainder of the gate staff.

Whoops.

Hopefully they don't judge her for that.

In any case, Eun will follow the signage to the lobby, and then in turn, to whatever looks the most like the sign-in desk.

[Morty]

[Underside Tunnels]

"It does feel like touching a rock, yes. But a bit warmer than most rocks. And very slippery, too, like wet stone. I think it's meant to make it harder to grab them," Rapnuk confirms. He then starts conversing with a goblin wearing overalls on the other side of the fence. He's asking if the kids can come close to pet the lizards.

"I think Pokemon can be just about anything," Brinika says. "Jamie has a Pokemon who's a plant. His name's Oddball."

[Shadowcaller]

Aetheric Assistance

"I..." The teen hesitates, shivering in the cold night air. "I... I'll trust you," she finally answers. Some of the color seems to seep back into the dream with this, and the two watch as bushes part before them. From them emerges a lean red fox, her maw dripping with crimson. She eyes the duo with pupils the color of rust, studying them, assessing, before it stalks forward in long strides.

"Preyyyy," the fox growls. Her stomach rumbles and the stench of blood fills the air, cloying and copper. Those baleful eyes seem to bore straight into Jaahlyn, ignoring Anastasia entirely.

Aetheric Assistance

Jaahlyn's eyes widens for a moment.

A predator!!!

Then she once again recalls that she wasn't a goat. Not right now at least.
"It- she has to be the only that know what happened there. So you have to get that information out of her somehow. Perhaps by asking or... beat her in her own game." Which meant violence.

[Deathkeeper]

Fort Aegis Resort

Sheesh, Eun. It's a vacation not a race. Besides, this is a resort. You have any idea the kind of prima-donnas that probably come through? I doubt you could do anything that would actually annoy anyone here. Buhan whispers to her, as if sensing her stress. Which she is.

Walking down a few stairs into the lobby of the lower level immediately hits Eun with warm air. The lobby is covered in ornately carved wooden panels depicting kobold craftsman and a mouse with a rapier. A kobold sits at a desk, stroking the ear-fins of a shiny brass dragon the size of a dog which has fallen asleep on the counter.
"Oh, hello Miss. Are you miss Bu? We've been expecting you. Were you looking for a room down in the lower chambers, by the baths, or the upper chambers, overlooking the courtyards? And do you have any allergies?" chirps the employee.

[Arkhosia]

Aetheric Assistance

Anastasia tenses stock still, staring transfixed. The creature before them seems almost the size of a large wolf as it comes to a stop at the opposite side of the brook a few healthy paces away. It's close enough that the duo can pick out some curious details - for one, the fox has a set of two tails. The color of its fur is also a perfect match for Anastasia's hair... and its claws look wickedly sharp, vicious curves of black keratin glinting dully in the moonlight.

"W-what did I do here?! Why did you- why would I even hurt anyone??" The girl steps firmly forwards. Her sneakers sink into the grass.

"Kits shouldn't stray from their dens." The words come out in a snide, contemptuous growl. "Shouldn't prolong the hunt."

Ana balls up her fists. "This- this needs to stop! Wh-whatever you're doing to me, it just needs to stop!"

"And let you keep wasting away? Simply sit there surrounded by prey? Let prime cuts of meat like this one just stand placid? You should take her throat in your jaws and tear her apart! Sup on her blood, devour her flesh! Seize the very strength of her spirit and claim it for your own!"

The fox turns and begins to pace. The cool stone stays at their backs and yet she starts moving as if to circle around them, probe them for weaknesses.

"I've lasted a lifetime already, done things far greater than the sum total of your miserable, wretched little life. I refuse to just let us wither and fade into the black waves of the aether."

[Shadowcaller]

Aetheric Assistance

Too large to be a fox Jaahlyn thinks to herself. A predator that didn't know its own limits.

"You need her." Jaahlyn eventually remarks, her voice calm and collected. "If you were in charge, you'd already be dead. Like the scorpion that killed its own ride to safety. Too stupid, too savage, to realize its own good. There will be prey for you, the nexus is filled with it, but you need her if you're going to be able to contain yourself before you're allowed to sink your fangs into it." She gestures at herself. "I can even take you to it. A place where you just need to wait for the prey to come to you. But first we need to understand you. Understand what you need, understand what happened that night."

[Arkhosia]

Aetheric Assistance

The fox snarls and raises her hackles, snapping her gaze back towards Jaahlyn. The offense she clearly feels towards her is great, but she seems to hold herself back from just lunging towards her.

"Mn, a clever little sheep you are. Offers up the flock to save itself. No matter, I'll play your game. I know the role of the patient hunter." Those pupils shift back onto Anastasia for a moment, whose own stance and expression has not changed. She still seems hurt and angry, but she also seems defiant. Stubborn. An amount of spine on display that the dream-entity clearly approves of.

"We must feed on the source of spirit to sate a void in our soul." The fox turns bitter, almost vindictive. "It's a void that they tear into us, too jealous and vile to see us reborn. Too hateful to just let us be fruitful and prosper - no, instead they try to drag us back down to them like crabs in a bucket."

"So what, you- forced yourself into control? You could have gotten us imprisoned, even killed!"

"We would have starved if I hadn't! All your life, you only fed me with meagre scraps. Stale flesh with only a pale residue of the essence we need for us to survive, let alone let our kind prosper and thrive. I only wish you'd been awake to feel the true ecstasy of blood-soaked spirit with me, the wonderful flood of hepatic fluid down our throat. I brought us to that park to hunt, and I fed us with a spirit defined enough to give our kind a chance at new life."

The fox's eyes shift down towards Ana's tails, stuck out all puffed and straight. "Now our pack has been doubled within and without. Even if the rutting vixen lacks the urge to run with us."

"Gross."

[Rebonack]

[Fort Aegis Resort]

Eun's VIGIL communicator buzzes.

Oh no.

Something terrible probably happened.

There's probably some sort of crisis going on and they're calling her back!

Her knowledge is needed and she's HERE at a spa instead of doing her job!

What terrible event could have possibly transpired that would require her to be called back from her vacation?

Should she check the message-

>LapisLazuli: I hope you have a nice time on your vacation Miss Eun I'll take good care of your kitties for you.

Oh.

It's just Lapis. She had promised to watch Eun's cats while the scientist was gone.

[Ironsmith]

[Underside Tunnels]

Khannie idly wonders if the paper the goblins use gets important from the surface or maybe they make it out of something else.

Maybe mushroom fiber?

Or...

Rocks?

Could you make paper out of rocks?

If you can that would make a pretty great trump card in rock paper scissors! Nothing beats rockpaper except maybe scissorspaper. But she's pretty sure scissors made out of paper absolutely would not work.

Anyway!

Rockamanders!

"Wow, they're huge!" Khannie says, walking around to get a good look at them from a couple different angles. "If I didn't know better I would have guessed they're pokemon."

They definitely have a sort of pokemon look to them.

"Do they feel like touching rocks? Have you ever touched one of them before? I touched a shark once. It felt really smooth one way but like sand paper the other way."

Khannie sees an animal.

That animal must be pet.

This is the way.

Underside Tunnels

Cheasadh looks around to see where the music is coming from, before turning back to the giant stone lizards before her. Or, since they're rockamanders, they may in fact be amphibians. If so, Cheasadh would be interested to see one in the water. "They do look a bit pokemon-y, don't they? But most of the pokemon I've met have been fluffier." Although that short list includes Khannie and (obviously) Pookie, there might not be any others on it.

[Underside Tunnels]

"It does feel like touching a rock, yes. But a bit warmer than most rocks. And very slippery, too, like wet stone. I think it's meant to make it harder to grab them," Rapnuk confirms. He then starts conversing with a goblin wearing overalls on the other side of the fence. He's asking if the kids can come close to pet the lizards.

"I think Pokemon can be just about anything," Brinika says. "Jamie has a Pokemon who's a plant. His name's Oddball."

[Underside Tunnels]

A Pokémon? Really?

...Arthfael could kind of see it. Maybe some sort of rock-type? Actually that seems almost obvious. Definitely rock, possibly something else.

Since it looks like they're going to have a minite before they can actually pet the thing (or do anything else for that matter), Arthfael comes up next to Khannie and mumbles quietly to her. "Hey, um... can we talk? I, uh, kinda need to ask you something..."

Fort Aegis Resort

Sheesh, Eun. It's a vacation not a race. Besides, this is a resort. You have any idea the kind of prima-donnas that probably come through? I doubt you could do anything that would actually annoy anyone here. Buhan whispers to her, as if sensing her stress. Which she is.

Walking down a few stairs into the lobby of the lower level immediately hits Eun with warm air. The lobby is covered in ornately carved wooden panels depicting kobold craftsman and a mouse with a rapier. A kobold sits at a desk, stroking the ear-fins of a shiny brass dragon the size of a dog which has fallen asleep on the counter.
"Oh, hello Miss. Are you miss Bu? We've been expecting you. Were you looking for a room down in the lower chambers, by the baths, or the upper chambers, overlooking the courtyards? And do you have any allergies?" chirps the employee.

[Fort Aegis Resort]

Eun's VIGIL communicator buzzes.

Oh no.

Something terrible probably happened.

There's probably some sort of crisis going on and they're calling her back!

Her knowledge is needed and she's HERE at a spa instead of doing her job!

What terrible event could have possibly transpired that would require her to be called back from her vacation?

Should she check the message-

Oh.

It's just Lapis. She had promised to watch Eun's cats while the scientist was gone.

[Fort Aegis Resort]

Eun lets out a little sigh that evolves into a snort on the way out, sending a deluge of mucus down her lip, which she quickly wipes up. Buhan's right; she's here to relax, and these people are probably way more thick-skinned than she's giving them credit for.

...Thick-skinned.

Heh.

Oh hey people are talking to her again.

"Uh... yeb. Thab me. Mid Bu." She sniffs, quickly exchanging her old handkerchief for a fresh, clean one.

Well. Easy part done. Now she's just got to figure out which room she'd want. An upstairs room with a view of the grounds, presumably some big, open windows, with a bit of a trek down to the other facilities? Or a downstairs room next to the best part of this place and away from all the pollen?

Decisions, decisions.

"Ub... I'll tabe the one near the bab, pleade." Eun sniffles. "And ab for allerbies... uh, shellbish, modtly. I'm not goob wib lacdose, eiber, but id won'd hurd me." Not so much an allergy as a poor ability to digest it, but it seems prudent to warn the staff about it anyway. "And, uh... nod a fan ob pollen, eiber, obbiously." She gives the kobold a nervous laugh, attempting to smooth over the awkwardness with a little humor.

Ugh. She sounds terrible. The kobold's probably going to wonder why she came out here if she can't handle a little pollen, and while she's got her reasons, obviously, it's going to be hard to explain and-

boop-bwup!

Oh, thank god. An excuse to cut out of the conversation.

Eun glances down at her communicator, having a brief moment of panic when she realizes she's being messaged by someone from VIGIL. Oh, crap, an emergency?

Oh. No. Just Lapis.

Just Lapis being adorable.

Eun taps out a succinct and sincere reply.

>KittyKatG4l: Thanks again, Lapis. I'll breathe a little easier with you looking out for them.

Metaphorically, of course.

Literally, there's snot in the way.

[Deathkeeper]

Fort Aegis Resort

The greeter nods and writes a few notes in his ledger. Then he gets up, sadly having to leave the dragon hatchling un-pet for a few minutes.
“Very well, then. Follow me.” The kobold, who is wearing the long robe-like uniform of the bathhouse staff, fetches a key and leads Eun down into the lower level. It’s a little bit confusing but there are colored picture-signs giving directions cut into the stone and wood paneling. It’s also very brightly lit.
Eun’s room is one of the few rooms not sized for kobolds though it’s not that large. It’s very warm, understandably windowless, and as simple but elegantly decorated as the rest of the lower levels.
“Your room, Miss Bu. I do hope you feel better.” He helpfully pulls a tissue box from a nearby closet and sets it down on a table for her.

[Rebonack]

[Underside Tunnels]

"That sounds like an oddish name," Khannie reasons as she eyes the massive amphibian. Hopefully they get permission to touch it because Khannie really wants to see if it feels like those wet cave rocks. Those ones that you aren't supposed to touch because of finger oils or whatever.

Khannie totally touched them anyway.

When no one was watching.

"Yeah pokemon can be lots of things. It's like 'animals'. Animals can be birds or salamanders or starfish or whatever. They're just animals with powers."

Magic powers?

Khannie is pretty sure that moves and abilities aren't really magic. Not like spells, that's for sure.

Arthfael will find his question falling on Khannie's ears while she's contemplating moves and magic. She glances at him, then over at her smaller friends, her brow furrowing slightly. What's his deal? Why can't he just ask his question so everyone else can hear it? "What's up?" Khannie whispers back.

She knows Brinika can probably hear them anyway.

[Ironsmith]

Fort Aegis Resort

The greeter nods and writes a few notes in his ledger. Then he gets up, sadly having to leave the dragon hatchling un-pet for a few minutes.
“Very well, then. Follow me.” The kobold, who is wearing the long robe-like uniform of the bathhouse staff, fetches a key and leads Eun down into the lower level. It’s a little bit confusing but there are colored picture-signs giving directions cut into the stone and wood paneling. It’s also very brightly lit.
Eun’s room is one of the few rooms not sized for kobolds though it’s not that large. It’s very warm, understandably windowless, and as simple but elegantly decorated as the rest of the lower levels.
“Your room, Miss Bu. I do hope you feel better.” He helpfully pulls a tissue box from a nearby closet and sets it down on a table for her.

[Fort Aegis Resort]

Eun gives the kobold her best attempt at a polite smile as she enters the room, peeling off her labcoat (she wore it despite her distance from the lab) and draping it carefully over a nearby chair. Her every move now is calm, deliberate, and methodically executed, as she'd working very hard at maintaining a more pristine image than she had in the lobby.

Because internally, she's screaming.

Why is it so freaking hot in here?! It feels like they calibrated this place for, oh, she doesn't know, maybe a fire elemental or some nonsensical crap like that? That's got to be the only kind of person who would be at all comfortable in a room like this! And the lights, could they make them any brighter? She feels like she's being stabbed through the eyeballs every time she looks up! Hopefully they have a dimmer switch in here somewhere, because she's not going to be able to take sitting three inches from the freaking sun for two weeks! And compounded with her nose being stuffed so full of mucus that she can barely breathe, it's taking her every bit of self-control she has to not go running around trying to fix everything to be habitable.

That part can wait until after the kobold leaves.

Eun gives him a stiff smile and holds out another diamond wafer.

Please leave, she wants to say, without any idea of how to say it more politely than that.

Please.

[Deathkeeper]

Fort Aegis Resort

Eun, you work in a laboratory. The tunnels are probably not as bright as your workplace.
Sheesh, Eun, it's just a room. What's going on? You asked for the one next to the hot spring.

Unfortunately, the kobold seems insistent on providing excellent service. And is not blind to social cues it seems.
"Kitchens and dining are upstairs, though we have snacks down here. The crystals on the wall control the heat and lights. You need only holler if you need anything...
...
If the room is not to your liking we still have openings upstairs."

[Shadowcaller]

Aetheric Assistance

The fox snarls and raises her hackles, snapping her gaze back towards Jaahlyn. The offense she clearly feels towards her is great, but she seems to hold herself back from just lunging towards her.

"Mn, a clever little sheep you are. Offers up the flock to save itself. No matter, I'll play your game. I know the role of the patient hunter." Those pupils shift back onto Anastasia for a moment, whose own stance and expression has not changed. She still seems hurt and angry, but she also seems defiant. Stubborn. An amount of spine on display that the dream-entity clearly approves of.

"We must feed on the source of spirit to sate a void in our soul." The fox turns bitter, almost vindictive. "It's a void that they tear into us, too jealous and vile to see us reborn. Too hateful to just let us be fruitful and prosper - no, instead they try to drag us back down to them like crabs in a bucket."

"So what, you- forced yourself into control? You could have gotten us imprisoned, even killed!"

"We would have starved if I hadn't! All your life, you only fed me with meagre scraps. Stale flesh with only a pale residue of the essence we need for us to survive, let alone let our kind prosper and thrive. I only wish you'd been awake to feel the true ecstasy of blood-soaked spirit with me, the wonderful flood of hepatic fluid down our throat. I brought us to that park to hunt, and I fed us with a spirit defined enough to give our kind a chance at new life."

The fox's eyes shift down towards Ana's tails, stuck out all puffed and straight. "Now our pack has been doubled within and without. Even if the rutting vixen lacks the urge to run with us."

"Gross."

Aetheric Assistance

"Goat." Jaahlyn quickly corrects without even thinking.
If she was going to keep talking like that she might turn into a goat which wouldn't be great in this situation.

The satyr clears her voice. "Whose 'they' exactly?" She had her suspicions but it would be good to get them confirmed. "And just so you know, beast. If you are anything like the 'rutting vixen' you don't actually need to feed. Since you also know what happens when you reach the number nine, right? You die as surely as your victims." Not... quite correct, but this creature probably didn't know that.

[Arkhosia]

Aetheric Assistance

"Hey could we not call my adoptive mom that?" Anastasia protests in a low tone.

The bloody fox growls. "We are so much more than her, little doe. It was us the fey carved a chunk out of, us who suffer an imperfect rebirth. She does not need to feed - for she was simply a branch before this cycle. We were once the whole tree! And this time your kind places the rot deep inside us, the gnawing black void that demands it be filled. It's as if they feel slighted by the idea that we deserve to live myriad lives just as you have.

"You think it so bad for us to reach our kind's culmination?" She laughs - it's a growled, haughty cackle. "Our apotheosis brings fourth Eight more of us. Eight more kitsune and one more of me to thrive in this world - and eight less of you to hunt and torment us all. Feed us to angels and turn us into pawns in your twisted intrigues."

[Earl of Purple]

Underside Tunnels

Cheasadh thinks the rockamanders are cool, even if they aren't pink. And they gave her a bit of a shock the first time she saw one; they're quite dragon-y, and she's still getting over that particular phobia. "One day, Pookie's going to grow into an ursaring. Much bigger and far less cute- though hopefully less sticky." Given that Pookie's stickiness is due to his hidden ability enabling him to find honey, as an ursaring Pookie will instead be unnerving enough to prevent people from eating when he's around.