"Miss," the nurse calls after her, "Healer Zamarosok has already left the infirmary for the day. You can likely use the arrows to find her though," she added, helpfully.
Jessa stops to listen, then smiles at the nurse, "It's okay, its not an emergency. It can wait for tomorrow."
Cindra quickly discovers that Raelle is not in the library, she begins choosing areas at random to search.
Once inside the cloud, the mist takes shape into Ginni's form. Well, mostly like Ginni, but much, much more sexualized, her skirt just a bit too short and cleavage on display. That and the large bat wings, the claws, the sharpened teeth, and the tiny horns...This Ginni is obviously a succubus. "Why are you interfering?" Demon-Ginni pouts. "She's had her time. She's not needed anymore."
Whatever else she was going to say is interrupted by what from in here feels like an earthquake as the connection between Ginni and Repp is abruptly severed.
In the room
The sapphire in Phaezeriel's hand darkens considerably as the psychic trauma of the severed connection riles Ginni's emotions. His physical body reaches out toward Tamina, and his other mind speaks to her sounding .. younger somewhow, ::Tamina, the next sapphire, bring it to me.:: He hands her a completely black sapphire in return, its feel somehow oily and unpleasant.
He begins to direct Tamina in laying a pattern of blue and red stones around Ginni's body, a few green ones mixed in seemingly at random.
In Ginni's mind
The blue star in Ginni's hand dims almost to the point of going out before it brightens to its full strength once more.
Phaezeriel is shaken from his feet as the pillar that is Repp shatters and tumbles down; he spares no thought for trying to keep his footing. Taking advantage of the distraction and disruption to Ginni's mind, and his very intimate knowledge of it, he exerts his will to push the red clouds back past where he now lies on the ground and to erect a buffer between Ginni and her personal demon.
It is not a wall, and it cannot stop the demon, but it will cause the demon to expend a considerable amount of energy to bypass, allowing Ginni to deal with a diluted demon's will rather than the succubus at full strength.
|
The catfolk quickly slips into the ColdRoom, trying not to let the cold out, or more scientifically, the heat in.
"Well, I was hoping to meet you for dinner. Just didn't expect it to be here."
He ruffles the icebird's jet black hair.
"What has you stuck here? And are you allowed to eat stuff?"
Instead of answering verbally, he just sets the boxes on the cot next to him as he sits at the end of it, opening them up to show expertly placed sushi rolls all through one and the other full of an array of brightly colored Popsicles.
"Well... Um... I got into a fight. With another firebird." He mumbles. "He found out I'm a firebird and called me a.. a burnout. It's a bad word for firebirds without any fire related magic. Then he started making fun of me even more and I tried encasing him in ice..."
"The one time I make things to hurt just one, specific person and... aaaahhhh! He was supposed to feel his blood turning into phosphorus mere fractions of an ounce at a time as it ignited!"""No. No!" Michael yells, running towards the corpse and slamming a hyperdermic into its chest. He watches as the injection sight slowly smokes, then just burns, with no reaction from Rep. "Gods damn him!"Keme gently pulls Michael away from the corpse. "It's better this way, Michael. I know it doesn't feel like it, but at least we didn't do anything that would make Kitty unhappy or worried to hear about. And you know what she's like. She would hear about it. I wanted him to suffer too, but at least now he won't hurt anyone else."
"And he would have deserved it, but I'm pretty sure that wouldn't have done anything good to Ginni," he said quietly.
"Yeah, go ahead and take the body, Krays. I think it's best if it's disposed of as quickly as possible."
Krays drops his invisibility.
"Well done, young one." he says to Alys. He looks at the corpse, then back up to Michael and Ace and Keme.
"What do you three intend, here?"
Alys looks over at the creepy black kobold, suddenly registering that he was speaking to her. She makes a small curtsy before turning her attention back to the girl.
She holds her hand out to the girl and speaks, the words unintelligible, but the gesture and the intent clear; she is offering to help the girl return to the school.
"Yeah, that sounds like a good idea," the half-elf girl agreed with a shudder as she saw the corpse of the gnome on the ground. Between that and the smell of blood all over her clothes...she was in serious danger of vomiting all over and she didn't think that her still very sore throat would be okay with that.
Alys quietly mutters another couple of words, their sound shiver across the minds of the others. Alys is not speaking directly to Talysmyn, rather it seems like she is talking to Talysmyn's .. clothing? Then it becomes clear as the traumatized girl's clothing begins to become clean; blood drying and flaking away leaving not even a stain.
As the blood goes away, another series of muttered words sets the knife holes in Talysmyn's shirt to knitting themselves back together.
Alys smiles at Talysmyn and helps her slowly to her feet. Once she is steady, Alys begins to lead her back to the school, one arm around her shoulders.
Ginni's Mind
The red mist tries to fight back, but it isn't as strong without all of the hate and fear and loathing coming from Repp. For now it is contained, but it is already searching for places to seep through.
Meanwhile, Ginni seems to be stronger. She is still sitting between the two pillars clutching the star close, but she is no longer curled up so tightly. She no longer looks like she's already been defeated. But Phaeze knows that she has a long fight ahead of her still. This won't be easy.
SIM Room 3
:Ooh, warm tide pool. Let me just see if I can drag myself that far,:: she said, seeming like she was picking herself up to fly when she sort of dove down into the rock instead, swimming out of the rock several feet below and sort of just dropping the rest of the way.
The tide pool is a combination of warm, with hints of cool, and currents that flit about between the various elevation found beneath it's surface. There's enough submersed tunnels and 'vents' for the ocean, the mixture of purple, aqua and greens, to flow in from beneath to keep the water level consistent-- and, while it might not bother the horse sized dragon-ness, the critters therein do scurry, flap, or wiggle away when able when she slips into it.
It's a soothing experience, for certain, along with the heat from the celestial bodies in the sky. Nap worthy location, to be sure.
Tryko'Sam doesn't appear to have much more to contribute, perhaps due to the situation.
Before the girls head back to the school, Ace asks them to wait, just a sec. He casts a minor spell Prestidigitation that makes Talysmyn's clothes smell like a cool spring breeze
He then looks to Keme, Michael and Krays "If you three don't need me, I'm going back to my girlfriend"
He then teleports to just outside her room(or as close as he's allowed to get) and knocks on the door.
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"Yeah, go ahead and take the body, Krays. I think it's best if it's disposed of as quickly as possible."
"Very well." With a wave of his hand, the flesh falls away and burns off of the corpse into nothing as the body rises, leaving only a clean skeleton. "Follow me", he says and the skeleton does just that. After taking a few steps, he turns to Michael. "I'm sorry if you feel robbed of your vengeance, Michael. Please know that the pain that is happening to him now is far worse, and is nigh eternal, and he will be aware of every second that passes while his soul exists. I don't know if this will give you peace, but there is no hope for Repp, only eternal anguish." at the sound of his name, a small wail escapes from the staff. Krays simply smiles. Then he turns and walks the skeleton to the graveyard, and inters it in an unmarked grave.
Nala takes her cup of tea and cradles it in her hands, letting the warmth of it soothe her. She sighed.
"As far as the Winter Court is concerned, I don't have any real information. All I have right now is guesses. Guesses made through a lens of fear and pain. Which brings me back to the other problem. These memories are holding me back. In every aspect of my life. They make me a less effective healer because I have a difficult time interacting with older patients. They certainly make things challenging between us. Not that you have ever been anything other than patient and understanding. But I'd like to be able to show affection without having a panic attack," she added wryly. "And they are coloring my judgment in regards to how I should deal with the threat posed by the Others. I'm more afraid and therefore more cautious, which makes me a less than ideal Champion, at least by Luck's standards. Luck isn't a big fan of playing it safe. I mean, I know that the things that happened to me will always be a part of who I am, including the horrific things. I just...I need to not have them be front and center all the time. Living through them once was enough. I don't want that to be the only thing in my life that defines me. I'm more than just a victim."
She stopped to take a sip of her tea before continuing. "I'm terrified at the thought of dying. Even knowing I will come back. The uncertainty... And Phaezeriel did present other options. But I also know that dismantling the connections one by one...it could take years. I'm not sure I'm willing to wait years when I know that there's a quicker option. I don't know. I'm so tired of being afraid," she added sadly.
Ryuzo gets a determined look on his face. "I will help you with whatever you decide. If you want to wait it out and try Phaeze's method, or if you wish to die to be free of this, I will support your decision any way that I can. I will be by your side at every step." He moves as close to her as he can with out upsetting her, and looks her in the eye. "We will beat this." he says simply.
Lang finally speaks up, Ignace, I'm sorry. I never meant to upset you. I hope we can still be friends, and we will see how thing develop in the future.
Turning to Ori, I hope you are doing well with your bonded spirit. Have you been doing the stress relief exercises I recommended?
in the middle of the infirmary an image suddenly materializes. looking much like a hologram. it looks like Mel in her regular school uniform and sporting a wide brimmed straw hat.
she is playing a guitar apparently rocking out but there is no sound.
Ginni's Mind
The red mist tries to fight back, but it isn't as strong without all of the hate and fear and loathing coming from Repp. For now it is contained, but it is already searching for places to seep through.
Meanwhile, Ginni seems to be stronger. She is still sitting between the two pillars clutching the star close, but she is no longer curled up so tightly. She no longer looks like she's already been defeated. But Phaeze knows that she has a long fight ahead of her still. This won't be easy.
The barrier is designed to allow the demon to push its way through. There are weak spots in the barrier that will allow the demon to diffuse through. The plan is for her to get through in small concentration and weakened so Ginni can better fight the erosion of her mind.
Phaezeriel knows the barrier will fail completely before the contest is resolved, but he is hoping it will give Ginni a better chance to live.
After studying it for a while he turns and walks back to Ginni, ::She is held back for now; the loss of the negative emotions caused by Repp's death has weakened her. But you cannot stop this change. Ginni, you must embrace the fact that you are, at least in part, a demon. But you can still be yourself as well. The barrier will hold her back for a while, and give you some time to pull yourself back together and come to terms with this impending change. Do that swiftly as you can. Then, when she starts to break through, you must not fight to keep her out, you must take the parts of her that make it through and make them yours. You will get stronger as she gets weaker.::
Alys quietly mutters another couple of words, their sound shiver across the minds of the others. Alys is not speaking directly to Talysmyn, rather it seems like she is talking to Talysmyn's .. clothing? Then it becomes clear as the traumatized girl's clothing begins to become clean; blood drying and flaking away leaving not even a stain.
As the blood goes away, another series of muttered words sets the knife holes in Talysmyn's shirt to knitting themselves back together.
Alys smiles at Talysmyn and helps her slowly to her feet. Once she is steady, Alys begins to lead her back to the school, one arm around her shoulders.
Talysmyn can't seem to stop talking as they walk. "He was dead. That gnome was dead, wasn't he? I mean, of course he was. You can't exactly be alive with an arrow through the eye. I mean, duh. I just never saw anybody die before. Was I dead? Only that was an awful lot of blood you cleaned off of me. Oh, man. Mom would totally freak out if she knew. She sent me here cause this was supposed to be a safe place, you know? Cause I was so tired of always moving around. She's way paranoid, my mom. Ever since my dad died I think. Not like I remember what she was like before that though. I was too little. I don't even remember my dad at all. Maybe Mom was always super paranoid. I guess I wasn't paranoid enough. I mean, really, I can't believe I fell for that. It's so obvious in hindsight. Of course Zane wouldn't be inviting me to go for a romantic walk in the woods. I don't think he even knows my name. It was totally an illusion. Like, duh, Lyzzie, of course it wasn't real."
SIM Room 3
:Ooh, warm tide pool. Let me just see if I can drag myself that far,:: she said, seeming like she was picking herself up to fly when she sort of dove down into the rock instead, swimming out of the rock several feet below and sort of just dropping the rest of the way.The tide pool is a combination of warm, with hints of cool, and currents that flit about between the various elevation found beneath it's surface. There's enough submersed tunnels and 'vents' for the ocean, the mixture of purple, aqua and greens, to flow in from beneath to keep the water level consistent-- and, while it might not bother the horse sized dragon-ness, the critters therein do scurry, flap, or wiggle away when able when she slips into it.
It's a soothing experience, for certain, along with the heat from the celestial bodies in the sky. Nap worthy location, to be sure.
Tryko'Sam doesn't appear to have much more to contribute, perhaps due to the situation.
Once she can move her wing muscles without wincing, Andromeda climbs out of the pool onto some drying rock and shifts back into a human girl.
"End SIM," she says, smiling. "That was seriously awesome."
Keme shuddered a little at the scream from the staff as Krays left. Once he was pretty sure the kobold was out of earshot he spoke up. "Yeah....I've seen him use that staff once before. On someone that hurt Ephebe. Pretty sure if he thinks it's bad enough to be a fitting punishment for the guy who tried to hurt his pregnant wife, then it probably is as bad as he described it. Maybe worse."
"Come on, Michael. Time to get you back to Kitty so you can tell her the good news and get scolded for not bringing her along. Ah, hell. So we can both get scolded for not bringing her along," he said, as it finally occurred to him that he was going to be in hot water for that too.
Ryuzo gets a determined look on his face. "I will help you with whatever you decide. If you want to wait it out and try Phaeze's method, or if you wish to die to be free of this, I will support your decision any way that I can. I will be by your side at every step." He moves as close to her as he can with out upsetting her, and looks her in the eye. "We will beat this." he says simply.
Nala's expression softened. "When you say it I can almost believe that it really is possible." She reached out a hand and gently touched his face, only for a moment before she pulled it back, keeping both hands wrapped firmly around her teacup. She was shaking again. "I love you. I didn't used to think I was capable of love, but turns out I was wrong." She took a deep breath as the enormity of her decision weighed on her. "I'm going to do it," she blurted out. "I'm going to die. And not in the creepy suicide pact kind of way that came out sounding like," she added, suddenly feeling very self-conscious. "In a supervised medical setting with plans in place to bring me back right away."
Lang finally speaks up, Ignace, I'm sorry. I never meant to upset you. I hope we can still be friends, and we will see how thing develop in the future.
Turning to Ori, I hope you are doing well with your bonded spirit. Have you been doing the stress relief exercises I recommended?
"I'm sorry too," she said quietly. "I may have overreacted. A little."
"I'm sorry too," she said quietly. "I may have overreacted. A little."Lang finally speaks up, Ignace, I'm sorry. I never meant to upset you. I hope we can still be friends, and we will see how thing develop in the future.
Turning to Ori, I hope you are doing well with your bonded spirit. Have you been doing the stress relief exercises I recommended?
Ori beamed at the both of them, pleased to see things moving in a positive direction.
And then groaned when Lang asked her about the stress relief exercises. "I tried. I really did. I just want to make that clear. I am taking this seriously. It's just...I'm not sure we're on the same page as to what constitutes stress relief."
"Come on, Michael. Time to get you back to Kitty so you can tell her the good news and get scolded for not bringing her along. Ah, hell. So we can both get scolded for not bringing her along," he said, as it finally occurred to him that he was going to be in hot water for that too.
Michael's eyes turn brown again and he sighs, putting away the sword and drinking another vial down to make the claw and fangs go away.
"You think that's bad? I had to be careful how I said what I was going to do so she didn't know I was lying or something..."
"Come on, Michael. Time to get you back to Kitty so you can tell her the good news and get scolded for not bringing her along. Ah, hell. So we can both get scolded for not bringing her along," he said, as it finally occurred to him that he was going to be in hot water for that too.Michael's eyes turn brown again and he sighs, putting away the sword and drinking another vial down to make the claw and fangs go away.
"You think that's bad? I had to be careful how I said what I was going to do so she didn't know I was lying or something..."
"I know, right? I mean, how does she always know? She's harder to pull one over on than my grandfather. And that's saying something. If she weren't my best friend I'd be terrified of her...no, scratch that. I'm still a little bit terrified of her."
"It's not that she's that good. Not entirely. I just can't seem to lie to anyone old enough to form coherent sentences."
The barrier is designed to allow the demon to push its way through. There are weak spots in the barrier that will allow the demon to diffuse through. The plan is for her to get through in small concentration and weakened so Ginni can better fight the erosion of her mind.Phaezeriel knows the barrier will fail completely before the contest is resolved, but he is hoping it will give Ginni a better chance to live.
After studying it for a while he turns and walks back to Ginni, ::She is held back for now; the loss of the negative emotions caused by Repp's death has weakened her. But you cannot stop this change. Ginni, you must embrace the fact that you are, at least in part, a demon. But you can still be yourself as well. The barrier will hold her back for a while, and give you some time to pull yourself back together and come to terms with this impending change. Do that swiftly as you can. Then, when she starts to break through, you must not fight to keep her out, you must take the parts of her that make it through and make them yours. You will get stronger as she gets weaker.::
Ginni paced back and forth for a while, basically arguing with herself, before she walked out across the landscape straight towards the mist. Her expression was determined. And a little terrified. Okay a lot terrified.
When Ginni get close to the mist, the parts that have managed to seep out through the cracks coalesce into the version of Ginni that Phaeze saw in the mist before.
"Oh, hell no!" Ginni said, horrified. "I may not be able to help being a demon, but that outfit is NOT happening!" This reaction so startled her demon side that she forgot to fight back when Ginni reached out and grabbed her wrist. She dissolved into mist again, but the mist had changed color now. It was silver.
The next attack was more subtle, although she couldn't help but notice that demon her was wearing a classier outfit now. It hit her right in the jealousy next. And she had plenty of that. She'd always been jealous of people who had families. It was the only thing she'd ever wanted and the one thing she apparently couldn't have. "Okay, I get it," she snapped, frustrated. "I don't get to have everything I want. So? It's not like you're offering anything better." The demon didn't have a good answer for that one and this one also dissolved into silver mist, but it was close.
She lost count after that. It was a long, long parade of every doubt and insecurity she'd ever had. Every nasty thought, every possible perceived evil. Except...well, it was kind of...shallow. I mean, yeah these were negative aspects of herself, but...was this really all that the demon had to work with? No, it was probably holding the big guns for last. This was just the warm up act to wear her down. And to some extent it was working. Every time she faced down a piece of her demonic essence it took effort. It might be making her stronger, but it was also making her tired.
The latest one formed up. They were starting to look downright sophisticated now. Still sexy, but not slutty. "What are you holding out for anyhow?" Demon-Ginni taunted. "Love? Love is a joke. All it ever brings is pain. Are you going to try to contradict me? That boy...I know he hurt you." Ginni put her hands on her hips, totally fed up with this one. "Seriously? That's where you're going with this? Yeah, he did hurt me. So what? Do I look like the kind of girl who is just going to lay down and die because the boy I like isn't as perfect as I wanted him to be? Just no. This isn't even worth my time," she said as the latest demon vanished into silver mist.
Ginni sagged, breathing heavily. She wasn't sure she could keep this up. She eyed the barrier still....ugh.....still full of red mist. And the barrier was getting weaker.
"Phaezeriel? I don't know if I can keep this up," she said nervously.
SIM Room 3
Once she can move her wing muscles without wincing, Andromeda climbs out of the pool onto some drying rock and shifts back into a human girl."End SIM," she says, smiling. "That was seriously awesome."
Tryko'Sam lifts up his head, as if he were standing still and napping once the room reverts to the default setting.
"Happy to assist. It's stored in the global data banks now, Andromeda Flight 001. I've keyed the SIM to react specifically to your physique and such, so you can continue with work out as you want, or leisure glide. If you want more fun or what not added to it, just let me know and I'll--" he gets a facial twitch for a second and then inhales continuing, "create the adjustments. So, what's on the agenda now, more book reading?"
He grins playfully at that comment.
"It's not that she's that good. Not entirely. I just can't seem to lie to anyone old enough to form coherent sentences."
Keme laughed. "Or you're just surrounded by people who are really good at spotting lies. Guess you'll never know."
He seems much more relaxed, the frantic edge that he had been carrying around for the last week finally blunted. He smiled a little as he saw Alys and that girl ahead of them in the distance. Alys had done really well. It still seemed weird that he was supposed to look after her. After all, she was more than forty years older than he was. But that's what happens when you skip childhood altogether. Weirdness. So much weirdness.
SIM Room 3
Once she can move her wing muscles without wincing, Andromeda climbs out of the pool onto some drying rock and shifts back into a human girl."End SIM," she says, smiling. "That was seriously awesome."
Tryko'Sam lifts up his head, as if he were standing still and napping once the room reverts to the default setting.
"Happy to assist. It's stored in the global data banks now, Andromeda Flight 001. I've keyed the SIM to react specifically to your physique and such, so you can continue with work out as you want, or leisure glide. If you want more fun or what not added to it, just let me know and I'll--" he gets a facial twitch for a second and then inhales continuing, "create the adjustments. So, what's on the agenda now, more book reading?"
He grins playfully at that comment.
She laughed. "Yeah, trying to avoid the books for a while. I dunno. I told that Dave guy we could hang out more later. So I should probably go find him. And check on Jasper, make sure he's doing okay. You're more than welcome to tag along. Might do you some good to hang around with non-simulated people for a while. But you don't have to if you're not comfortable with it."
"I guess... Wish me luck. I have to go to meet her family with my family tagging along. I'm probably going to die in some way at least once."
"I guess... Wish me luck. I have to go to meet her family with my family tagging along. I'm probably going to die in some way at least once."
"Please tell me you're taking some kind of recording device...that's gonna be comedy gold right there," Keme teased. "Besides, you don't need luck. Kitty loves you. They'll spare your life for her sake. But your dignity is toast."
"We'll see about that." He chuckles briefly as he stands up and looks at his bloodied clothes. "I'm going to need to get cleaned up before I see her again."
"We'll see about that." He chuckles briefly as he stands up and looks at his bloodied clothes. "I'm going to need to get cleaned up before I see her again."
"Well, that I can help with," he said, using prestidigitation to clean Michael's clothes. "But the rips you're going to have to figure out how to deal with yourself."
Knocks on the Headmaster's door again, in case he hadn't heard the first time.
Knocks on the Headmaster's door again, in case he hadn't heard the first time.
The Headmaster looks up a little startled and pushes a letter to the side before opening the door.
"I'm sorry if you were waiting long. I was distracted."
"Well, that I can help with," he said, using prestidigitation to clean Michael's clothes. "But the rips you're going to have to figure out how to deal with yourself."
"That I can handle. I got into the habit of keeping spare clothes in my locker. My years at Avalon were not kind until recently. Well, before all this, anyway. It was nice until this."
Nala's expression softened. "When you say it I can almost believe that it really is possible." She reached out a hand and gently touched his face, only for a moment before she pulled it back, keeping both hands wrapped firmly around her teacup. She was shaking again. "I love you. I didn't used to think I was capable of love, but turns out I was wrong." She took a deep breath as the enormity of her decision weighed on her. "I'm going to do it," she blurted out. "I'm going to die. And not in the creepy suicide pact kind of way that came out sounding like," she added, suddenly feeling very self-conscious. "In a supervised medical setting with plans in place to bring me back right away."
"I love you too, and you deserve to be happy. Who do we need to talk to about this? Besides Krays, that is."
Knocks on the Headmaster's door again, in case he hadn't heard the first time.The Headmaster looks up a little startled and pushes a letter to the side before opening the door.
"I'm sorry if you were waiting long. I was distracted."
"It's okay, Headmaster. Umm, it's just that Adon has had some disturbing news. I should probably let him explain. But he needs your help."
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"It's okay, Headmaster. Umm, it's just that Adon has had some disturbing news. I should probably let him explain. But he needs your help."Knocks on the Headmaster's door again, in case he hadn't heard the first time.The Headmaster looks up a little startled and pushes a letter to the side before opening the door.
"I'm sorry if you were waiting long. I was distracted."
"Of course I'll help. You may stay if you'd like. Having a friend nearby may help as well."
"I love you too, and you deserve to be happy. Who do we need to talk to about this? Besides Krays, that is."
Nala's expression softened. "When you say it I can almost believe that it really is possible." She reached out a hand and gently touched his face, only for a moment before she pulled it back, keeping both hands wrapped firmly around her teacup. She was shaking again. "I love you. I didn't used to think I was capable of love, but turns out I was wrong." She took a deep breath as the enormity of her decision weighed on her. "I'm going to do it," she blurted out. "I'm going to die. And not in the creepy suicide pact kind of way that came out sounding like," she added, suddenly feeling very self-conscious. "In a supervised medical setting with plans in place to bring me back right away."
"Phaezeriel. He'd need to supervise of course. To make sure that the whole thing actually works. I can talk to him in the morning. I'm on duty again of course. No such things as days off for Healers," she said with a shrug. "So I should see him at the infirmary. But I can send him a message just to be sure. He gets called away for emergencies fairly often. If there's one thing that this school needs more of, it's psychic healers."