"Soooo....somebody called in the cavalry?" :D
[Blink]
"Um....that would be me..."
[Blink]
"Um....that would be me..."
The halfling doctor chuckles as he hops off the ramp and walks over to Fei, his coat snapping sharply behind him in an effort to keep up.
"That was a rhetorical question, my boy," he says with an affable smile. "We'll need to schedule some counseling sessions to work on that sense of humor, eh?" :D
"Now, on to business" the good doctor continues before Fei can respond to that. "The information you sent up to us was about as detailed as I could ever hope to get, so I've got a pretty good idea of what we need to do here. We've had to pull several of our field teams back to the Harbinger in the last few months thanks to...recent events. That may work out perfectly for the folks here and at your school, though, because that means I finally have a surplus of people and equipment. Seems only fair that I put them back to work, am I right?"
"Anywhoo - I'm sending a team up to Avalon to help bolster up the staff there, and I'm going to head up the crew here at the Kuros hospital (at least until things are running smoothly). Given what my folks have seen and dealt with, I can safely say we're not going to have any more people quitting on you."
"And don't worry - I didn't forget about the counseling thing. I've got a team of folks here to help with that at both locations. I know, you didn't mentions the need at Avalon, but I always try to carry spares, if you know what I mean." ;)
"Okay - great talk!! Let me get this show on the road, and I should have everything up and running before you can even have a lewd thought about the cheerleading team. We'll have to do lunch sometime - peace out!!!"
And with that, the unflappable halfling hops up on a passing transport and starts calling out orders to his medical teams. Like a well-oiled machine, the mass of vehicles splits into two groups and rumbles off toward their destinations.
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The halfling doctor chuckles as he hops off the ramp and walks over to Fei, his coat snapping sharply behind him in an effort to keep up.
"That was a rhetorical question, my boy," he says with an affable smile. "We'll need to schedule some counseling sessions to work on that sense of humor, eh?" :D
"Now, on to business" the good doctor continues before Fei can respond to that. "The information you sent up to us was about as detailed as I could ever hope to get, so I've got a pretty good idea of what we need to do here. We've had to pull several of our field teams back to the Harbinger in the last few months thanks to...recent events. That may work out perfectly for the folks here and at your school, though, because that means I finally have a surplus of people and equipment. Seems only fair that I put them back to work, am I right?"
"Anywhoo - I'm sending a team up to Avalon to help bolster up the staff there, and I'm going to head up the crew here at the Kuros hospital (at least until things are running smoothly). Given what my folks have seen and dealt with, I can safely say we're not going to have any more people quitting on you."
"And don't worry - I didn't forget about the counseling thing. I've got a team of folks here to help with that at both locations. I know, you didn't mentions the need at Avalon, but I always try to carry spares, if you know what I mean." ;)
"Okay - great talk!! Let me get this show on the road, and I should have everything up and running before you can even have a lewd thought about the cheerleading team. We'll have to do lunch sometime - peace out!!!"
And with that, the unflappable halfling hops up on a passing transport and starts calling out orders to his medical teams. Like a well-oiled machine, the mass of vehicles splits into two groups and rumbles off toward their destinations.
[Blink, Blink]
"Ummm...."
When she opened her eyes to look at him, they were pools of endless green for a moment before they cleared up and went back to their normal appearance. "I think we came to a sort of agreement," she said carefully.
There is a long pause. It's quiet. Too quiet. When the pause has gone on long enough that Lang is starting to get fidgety in spite of his training in meditation, there is a very large boom that shakes the ground for a long ways around. The vines that surrounded Ori and the nature spirit were dissolved by the blast. When things clear up, he can see Ori sitting alone in the center of the crater.
Lang was about to force his way in when suddenly the wall is gone. it takes a moment or two for things to sink in. and he remains silent as he tries to understand what has happened.
he then approaches Ori, Sifu ori? are you ok? what happened? the look in his eyes say he probably has many more questions but isn't sure how to ask.
Lang sits beside Ori, Is that a good thing?
"Probably," she said uncertainly. "When...we first bonded...we were both so angry. And we both had really good reason to be. But a lot of innocent people got hurt, and that's not okay. I've tried to keep my distance from Kyrtzlkilliv'kk since then. I was afraid of him. Afraid of myself since we're not exactly two separate beings anymore. I think maybe you understand that better than most. I didn't fight when they caged him, and there was a lot of hurt there. Setting him free means accepting parts of myself that I'm not always comfortable with. And the consequences of blindly binding myself to a spirit when I was still a child myself." She stood up and dusted her skirt off. "Thank you for your help, Lang. I don't know how long it would have taken for us to sort things out if you hadn't helped us actually talk to each other."
Sensing her slight change in tone, Sil replies "I'm sorry. I'm not sure what happened, but sorry." It's simple, but hopefully it helps.
Morrivan stared at the floor. "Rodhas was my cousin. We were inseparable since we were babies. He followed me to Avalon. He died a few days ago, and decided not to be resurrected. There was a teacher who was able to let me talk to his spirit so I could say goodbye. But that doesn't really help much. Because it's my fault. He would never have been here if not for me. He'd still be alive if I hadn't brought him here," she said in a flat tone.
...absolutely nothing happens. She looks confused, then tries again. "Well, that was f~~*ing anticlimactic," she says boredly, before summoning a cig from nowhere. She stares at it for a moment, confused, then shrugs, lights, and begins smoking it. Jacob looks absolutely horrified. "Look. Ephebe, that's your name, right? The information I was born with is full of warning signs not to screw around with you, and you're happily retired, but could you just do me a solid and send me back home? Or just complete break this little s@#@'s mind? It's driving me absolutely crazy having to share a headspace with all of those goody two-shoes spirits. Having to spend the rest of my existence holed up with those knights and heroes and such is going to be utter Heaven."
"Is that why I've been having so much trouble? You lot think that I've retired?" she said, amused. "It's called multitasking. I'm an expert in it. And your master, former master I should say, is currently finding out just how not retired I am. I'm sure someone else will build a new realm on the rubble eventually. But not, I think, very soon. And that puts you in a difficult spot. You've no home to go to. Also, you were attached to my student via wishcraft. It may take some time extracting you. Though I am more than willing to take into account your desire to be extracted. As long as you and Jacob are in accord on the matter, I will bring in an expert to help separate you. But it will take time, and in the meantime you and Jacob are going to have to coexist." She paused. "And what do you mean, knights and heroes and goody two shoes spirits? I apologize, but Jacob is a new student, and I haven't learned his capabilities quite yet. I like to give the children some time to adjust when they first arrive."
"I'm going to guess Rodhas was around our age roughly, yes? Which means he was clearly old enough to make his own decisions. He followed you here likely because he loved you. That was his choice. You can't blame yourself for that." He pauses and lets that sink in before continuing. "Just like it was his choice not to come back. Maybe he felt like he was holding you back, or maybe he didn't want to return and deal with all the pain of whatever killed him. I'm guessing it was in the attack I heard of when I first arrived? Or perhaps he's just happy in the after life, for whatever reason. As cliche as this is, I'm willing to guess your cousin wouldn't want you to keep blaming yourself for his death and would much rather see you live life to it's fullest."
Ardiente flies back to Avalon, lands, and touches the walls. He thinks of Raelle, and follows the arrows to his girlfriend.
The arrows lead him to the infirmary where Raelle is still being held for observation. Her sisters are perched on her bed and Chara is telling a long, convoluted story about her day. Raelle smiles when she sees him.
The look on the lamir's face is absolutely priceless. It starts at disgust, then it turns to worry as she checks her connection to the Abyss, the shock, then genuine horror. "I was going to make so smarmy comment about you going soft, but... yeesh. I didn't even know that we had intestines. Or that we could feel pain for that matter." The lamir drops her cigarette, which immediately dissipates once it's loosened from her grip, and sighs. "Holy Heavens, this puts me in a... difficult situation. On the one hand, it'd be nice to see my home. On the other, I don't want to be broken down into my component parts and rebuilt into something completely loyal to whatever demon lord gets their hands on me. I'd like to stay-" Jacob's eyes bug out, "-but I get the feeling that's not going to be a viable option. Free will's a nice feeling, and I'd rather not blow up in... three hours or so because you lunkheads won't let me go on a proper rampage. Oh, and there's a bunch of weird spirit-y things up in the kid's head. One looks like some kind of paladin that they tell stories about to scare dretches, another looks like some kind of nerdy elf, oh, and this really snotty firebird prick with a huge bow. They're the only ones who really stay for very long. The others are kind of in-and-out."
"I'm going to guess Rodhas was around our age roughly, yes? Which means he was clearly old enough to make his own decisions. He followed you here likely because he loved you. That was his choice. You can't blame yourself for that." He pauses and lets that sink in before continuing. "Just like it was his choice not to come back. Maybe he felt like he was holding you back, or maybe he didn't want to return and deal with all the pain of whatever killed him. I'm guessing it was in the attack I heard of when I first arrived? Or perhaps he's just happy in the after life, for whatever reason. As cliche as this is, I'm willing to guess your cousin wouldn't want you to keep blaming yourself for his death and would much rather see you live life to it's fullest."
"We were only a month apart in age. Yes, he died in the attack. He was in the infirmary when it exploded. And he said he was afraid that if he came back that I would leave him behind, and he and his best friend Joneh were having fun exploring the afterlife. None of which makes me feel any better about things or feel any less responsible. If anything, I feel worse. Because he should never have had to feel like he didn't measure up. He did. No, he couldn't bend like I can, but so what? He was important. And now he's gone," she choked on tears that she couldn't bear to shed, taking deep breaths to keep from totally losing it.
"We were only a month apart in age. Yes, he died in the attack. He was in the infirmary when it exploded. And he said he was afraid that if he came back that I would leave him behind, and he and his best friend Joneh were having fun exploring the afterlife. None of which makes me feel any better about things or feel any less responsible. If anything, I feel worse. Because he should never have had to feel like he didn't measure up. He did. No, he couldn't bend like I can, but so what? He was important. And now he's gone," she choked on tears that she couldn't bear to shed, taking deep breaths to keep from totally losing it.
"So he's off, having what sounds like the adventure of his life with his best friend, and you're here feeling guilty and wishing he was still alive. I'm sorry he felt like you would somehow leave him behind, as I get the feeling that wouldn't be the case, but he sounds like he's happy. Why can't you be happy for him too?"
Arthur smiles and shakes his head "it's fine, I can make you another, maybe we can even improve on the design! And until then you are welcome in my arms"
Mel shyly smiles at Arthur's request. Just so you know, I still am getting over Kai's death. but it is nice to have people I can talk to about it.
she steps closer, take me to the roof, please.
"Probably," she said uncertainly. "When...we first bonded...we were both so angry. And we both had really good reason to be. But a lot of innocent people got hurt, and that's not okay. I've tried to keep my distance from Kyrtzlkilliv'kk since then. I was afraid of him. Afraid of myself since we're not exactly two separate beings anymore. I think maybe you understand that better than most. I didn't fight when they caged him, and there was a lot of hurt there. Setting him free means accepting parts of myself that I'm not always comfortable with. And the consequences of blindly binding myself to a spirit when I was still a child myself." She stood up and dusted her skirt off. "Thank you for your help, Lang. I don't know how long it would have taken for us to sort things out if you hadn't helped us actually talk to each other."
Lang gives Ori a friendly hug. I'm glad I could help. he then quickly takes a step back after the hug.
I'm sorry, that may have been a little out of line He bows to her, I am sorry Sifu
The look on the lamir's face is absolutely priceless. It starts at disgust, then it turns to worry as she checks her connection to the Abyss, the shock, then genuine horror. "I was going to make so smarmy comment about you going soft, but... yeesh. I didn't even know that we had intestines. Or that we could feel pain for that matter." The lamir drops her cigarette, which immediately dissipates once it's loosened from her grip, and sighs. "Holy Heavens, this puts me in a... difficult situation. On the one hand, it'd be nice to see my home. On the other, I don't want to be broken down into my component parts and rebuilt into something completely loyal to whatever demon lord gets their hands on me. I'd like to stay-" Jacob's eyes bug out, "-but I get the feeling that's not going to be a viable option. Free will's a nice feeling, and I'd rather not blow up in... three hours or so because you lunkheads won't let me go on a proper rampage. Oh, and there's a bunch of weird spirit-y things up in the kid's head. One looks like some kind of paladin that they tell stories about to scare dretches, another looks like some kind of nerdy elf, oh, and this really snotty firebird prick with a huge bow. They're the only ones who really stay for very long. The others are kind of in-and-out."
"Interesting. I suppose that's why your master wished to corrupt this child, but it won't stand. I have rules for a reason. As you say, free will is a good thing, and you and Jacob both need to be able to exercise such. Until we are able to separate the two of you, I can arrange appropriate rampages. Some people deserve destruction. And their souls will add to the ranks already in hell, so win-win really. As long as you only rampage where you're told, there won't be a problem. I also ask that you keep me informed as to the frequency you require...require, not desire. It isn't easy to set these sessions up. No need to be wasteful. And I can make inquiries for you on the matter of a new boss, with a non-dissection caveat. Or you can work for me. But as you can already see, I am very serious about enforcing contracts quite strictly. So don't sign on if you plan on being insubordinate."
"We were only a month apart in age. Yes, he died in the attack. He was in the infirmary when it exploded. And he said he was afraid that if he came back that I would leave him behind, and he and his best friend Joneh were having fun exploring the afterlife. None of which makes me feel any better about things or feel any less responsible. If anything, I feel worse. Because he should never have had to feel like he didn't measure up. He did. No, he couldn't bend like I can, but so what? He was important. And now he's gone," she choked on tears that she couldn't bear to shed, taking deep breaths to keep from totally losing it."So he's off, having what sounds like the adventure of his life with his best friend, and you're here feeling guilty and wishing he was still alive. I'm sorry he felt like you would somehow leave him behind, as I get the feeling that wouldn't be the case, but he sounds like he's happy. Why can't you be happy for him too?"
"Because he left me here!" she snapped. "Because it wasn't supposed to be like this! Because it hurts!"
"Probably," she said uncertainly. "When...we first bonded...we were both so angry. And we both had really good reason to be. But a lot of innocent people got hurt, and that's not okay. I've tried to keep my distance from Kyrtzlkilliv'kk since then. I was afraid of him. Afraid of myself since we're not exactly two separate beings anymore. I think maybe you understand that better than most. I didn't fight when they caged him, and there was a lot of hurt there. Setting him free means accepting parts of myself that I'm not always comfortable with. And the consequences of blindly binding myself to a spirit when I was still a child myself." She stood up and dusted her skirt off. "Thank you for your help, Lang. I don't know how long it would have taken for us to sort things out if you hadn't helped us actually talk to each other."Lang gives Ori a friendly hug. I'm glad I could help. he then quickly takes a step back after the hug.
I'm sorry, that may have been a little out of line He bows to her, I am sorry Sifu
She smiled. "No need to apologize. I don't mind."
She looked around. "Now, uh, how do we get home? K doesn't know the way because he's been in a cage all this time, and this is my first trip....well, technically second I guess, but first conscious trip to the spirit world."
Kitty takes the tiger cub back to its enclosure, and gets it all settled in, playing with a string ball. She's quite sure that the gate is properly latched and she can't find any holes that Miu could get through. She leaves and continues her tour of the animal hospital, but pretty soon the tiger cub has once more escaped its pen and is stalking her through the aisles. She turns and catches it as it leaps at her, and staggers a little as the kitten lands in her arms and starts purring. "Oof! How?" She sighed. "Michael, it's a good thing you're a cat person, because I think Miu is going to be staying with us for a while," she said in an exasperated happy tone.
From his spot up against the wall by the door, Ace chuckles at the tiger cubs antics "It would appear you have found a new best friend Kitty. I take it I did good, in organizing all of this?"
Smiling back, the young monk asks "Is it alright if I come in? Your room is already a little crowded, and I can wait till your sisters leave, if you would prefer" He says with a slight bow.
The lamir snorts. "Yes, ma'am. Oh, by the way, no joke, kid did the calculations wrong. I have around three hours before I blow up. And I'm definitely going to sign up for the lady who's scary enough to keep everybody else from doing... well, doing their thing, essentially, here."
Sil makes an attempt to put a comforting arm on her shoulders, but if she shies away, he'll back off. "Yes, loosing a loved one will of course hurt, for a long time. While I'm sure he truly didn't intend to leave you here, at least not at first, he has, and you need to forgive him, and yourself. Eventually. Now, let me ask you something, was there anything Rhodas was working on, a project or a special assignment maybe, that you could help complete, as a way to honor his memory? Doing so will also hopefully help you get over his passing."
From his spot up against the wall by the door, Ace chuckles at the tiger cubs antics "It would appear you have found a new best friend Kitty. I take it I did good, in organizing all of this?"
Kitty smiled a little wistfully. "Yes, thank you. Thank you all so much. I...I got a little lost in the pain. It's still there, but.." she was interrupted by Miu taking a playful swipe at Saffire. "Miu! No! Bad! Saffire is not a toy!"
Kitty smiled a little wistfully. "Yes, thank you. Thank you all so much. I...I got a little lost in the pain. It's still there, but.." she was interrupted by Miu taking a playful swipe at Saffire. "Miu! No! Bad! Saffire is not a toy!"From his spot up against the wall by the door, Ace chuckles at the tiger cubs antics "It would appear you have found a new best friend Kitty. I take it I did good, in organizing all of this?"
Keme laughed. "Well, now I know you'll be too busy to worry with those two going at it." He walked over and put out an arm for Saffire to land on to assist Kitty in restoring peace. "I had a hard time coming here too at first," he said softly enough that only Kitty could hear. "But it gets better. And everyone here wants to help. You don't have to face any of it alone." He steps away and hands Saffire over to Michael, sliding a small parcel into Michael's pocket when he isn't paying attention.
And then he carefully fades into the background, as he is accustomed to doing.
Ginni smiled, leaning against Ace, at least partially for balance, although she's getting a little better at standing. Especially since the floors outside of the infirmary weren't quite as slick.
"You did good," she said quietly. "Not sure how you found time to organize it all, but it's impressive. It's good to see Kitty smiling again."
Smiling back, the young monk asks "Is it alright if I come in? Your room is already a little crowded, and I can wait till your sisters leave, if you would prefer" He says with a slight bow.
"No, don't go," Raelle blurted out and blushed. "Umm...please, come in."
Smiling back, the young monk asks "Is it alright if I come in? Your room is already a little crowded, and I can wait till your sisters leave, if you would prefer" He says with a slight bow."No, don't go," Raelle blurted out and blushed. "Umm...please, come in."
Fieri laughed. "Okay, girls, I think that's our hint that it's time to go," she said.
Chara wrinkled her nose. "Because they're going to be all mushy? I don't like mushy stuff. It's gross," she pontificated, with all the wisdom of a seven year old.
"We'll see you in the morning," Ignace said, primly, giving Raelle a quick hug before turning to go.
Chara gave her a longer hug and a messy kiss on the cheek before taking Fieri's hand and letting herself be led out of the room.
"Don't pout, Chara," Fieri said, amused. "You're already up past your bedtime anyway. We're all very happy Raelle is safe, but you still need your sleep." She turned back before they were all the way out the door. "Mom and Dad will be back to check on you in a little while, and if you need anything just call me."
"Okay. I'm fine. Really."
"Don't even bother telling us not to worry," Fieri said with a snort.
The lamir snorts. "Yes, ma'am. Oh, by the way, no joke, kid did the calculations wrong. I have around three hours before I blow up. And I'm definitely going to sign up for the lady who's scary enough to keep everybody else from doing... well, doing their thing, essentially, here."
"Very well." She snapped her fingers and an aschen appeared, contract in hand. "Just sign here. Don't worry, Jacob. This contract is only binding for the lamer, not for you. And once that's taken care of, I have just the place to take you," she said, pulling a small device out of her desk drawer. "It's a long ways from here, but this will take us there immediately."
Sil makes an attempt to put a comforting arm on her shoulders, but if she shies away, he'll back off. "Yes, loosing a loved one will of course hurt, for a long time. While I'm sure he truly didn't intend to leave you here, at least not at first, he has, and you need to forgive him, and yourself. Eventually. Now, let me ask you something, was there anything Rhodas was working on, a project or a special assignment maybe, that you could help complete, as a way to honor his memory? Doing so will also hopefully help you get over his passing."
She sniffled and hastily wiped her nose on her sleeve. "He was trying to start a sports club. It was a game that he and Joneh had invented themselves. They thought that it would be fun and help get everyone's mind off of all the serious stuff that was going on."
The lamir signs the contract with a flair, not bothering to read the precise terms of it. Underneath the abyssal rune, she pauses, thinking, before writing "Roxie" in quotation marks beneath it. "Now, let's bust some heads, shall we?"
I'll be sure to ask Cait Sidhe to keep an on her." Michael laughs, watching Saffire puff up and flap at the cub. "Saffire, don't eat the animals."
The lamir signs the contract with a flair, not bothering to read the precise terms of it. Underneath the abyssal rune, she pauses, thinking, before writing "Roxie" in quotation marks beneath it. "Now, let's bust some heads, shall we?"
Ephebe nods and the contract vanishes. She hands the device to Jacob. "All you have to do is hit the button. Don't worry, I'll come with to make sure you don't get into any trouble you're not supposed to. And don't feel at all bad for these people. They've made a career out of torture for fun and profit. When we get there just...let Roxie do the driving so to speak. She knows how to handle this."
She sniffled and hastily wiped her nose on her sleeve. "He was trying to start a sports club. It was a game that he and Joneh had invented themselves. They thought that it would be fun and help get everyone's mind off of all the serious stuff that was going on."
"A sports club huh? That sounds pretty neat. If you're interested in trying to get that up and running, I would gladly offer any assistance I could. We lycans can be pretty competitive, so maybe I can get my sister to help as well" The young shaman offers hopefully.
Ace chuckles, both at the antics of the cub with Kitty, and at Ginni "You would be surprised what you can accomplish when you're only getting around two hours of sleep a night. Between homework, keeping an eye on you, tracking down well you know, and organizing and helping with this little project for Kitty, sleep wasn't all that important."
Jacob nods. "Alright. If it's, um, any consolation, Roxie, I think one of them has taken a shine to you?" He points awkwardly at his head, then slams the button.
It's Ardiente's turn to blush, at Chara's comment "Uh..I..um, wasn't planning on being uh, 'mushy'..but.." He stammers, as Rae's sisters leave.
He walks in after them, and sits on the edge of her bed. "You doing OK?"
It's Ardiente's turn to blush, at Chara's comment "Uh..I..um, wasn't planning on being uh, 'mushy'..but.." He stammers, as Rae's sisters leave.
He walks in after them, and sits on the edge of her bed. "You doing OK?"
She shrugged. "Physically? Yeah. Clean bill of health. But they're keeping me here for observation just in case there are any complications from the ritual magic they tried to use on me. That's how they explained it to me anyways. Emotionally? I don't know. I thought my sister was in trouble, and then when I went to save her I ended up being attacked by a group of soldiers. I fought as hard as I could, but I'm not exactly the combatant type, you know? And when I woke up, I was in the infirmary being fussed over by my family and told that my grandparents kidnapped me and tried to do some kind of spell to erase my personality. So, yeah. That's gonna take some time to process. I hear you were pretty heroic with the rescuing and stuff," she said with a wobbly smile, reaching out and taking his hand. "So, thanks for that. I'm really glad I'm still me."
Jacob nods. "Alright. If it's, um, any consolation, Roxie, I think one of them has taken a shine to you?" He points awkwardly at his head, then slams the button.
He is teleported to a corridor. There are large windows all along the corridor, each showing a room full of various medical equipment. Creatures wearing white coats are working in these rooms, and the muffled sounds of screams from the 'patients' fills the air.
Ephebe appears next to him. "It's a research facility. Except none of the subjects were willing volunteers. Roxie, your orders are to destroy all the workers here. Leave the subjects. I'll take care of them. Jacob, set your mind at ease, these are some of the Empire's best torturers. Just let Roxie do her thing."
Ace chuckles, both at the antics of the cub with Kitty, and at Ginni "You would be surprised what you can accomplish when you're only getting around two hours of sleep a night. Between homework, keeping an eye on you, tracking down well you know, and organizing and helping with this little project for Kitty, sleep wasn't all that important."
Ginni hugged him. "I'm not even gonna give you the lecture on why too little sleep is bad for you. This time. Mostly because I don't think I would have done any differently in your shoes. But for heaven's sakes, you can at least rest now," she added, laughing a little at the absurdity of a demon saying something silly like for heaven's sakes.
She sniffled and hastily wiped her nose on her sleeve. "He was trying to start a sports club. It was a game that he and Joneh had invented themselves. They thought that it would be fun and help get everyone's mind off of all the serious stuff that was going on.""A sports club huh? That sounds pretty neat. If you're interested in trying to get that up and running, I would gladly offer any assistance I could. We lycans can be pretty competitive, so maybe I can get my sister to help as well" The young shaman offers hopefully.
"Well, it would make my therapist happy. They keep harping about how I need to do something to help process my grief. I mean, something that doesn't involve hiding under the covers all of the time and never leaving my room. I've got piles of notebooks that they were using to make notes on the game rules. It may take some time to sort those out. They get kind of carried away with every new idea and then have to rein things back in to what's possible..." She had started to get more animated as she spoke and then stopped suddenly when she realized that she'd used the wrong tense again. Sometimes it was easy to forget for a moment, and then realization came crashing back down on her.
Ace hugs her back, "Yea, I feel like a could easily sleep all weekend. Unfortunately, I got an important diplomatic function to attend to tomorrow, that I can't back out of."
It's scary how quickly the transformation takes place as soon as Jacob relaxes his control. A slight tension leaves his body, and suddenly runes bathed in a glowing red light appear, linked in a circle around the boy. With a flash of bright light, a house-sized demon appears in his place, smirking. Without Jacob actively resisting Roxie, it seems, she can take on a form more... suited to her tastes. A soft, feminine lower half of her face, albeit with a somewhat greenish tint, is somewhat incongruous with the top half, where massive, jet black horns curve upward from where her eyes should be, in some places glowing with a strange eldritch energy.
Six segmented arms, covered in either armor or a chitinous, black exoskeleton, begin stretching and cracking their claws as skeletal wings wreathed in that same eldritch glow unfurl from her back, and clawed feet begin sprinting forward, while a wild grin spreads across Roxie's face.
Djalos suddenly pauses in the rhythmic tapping of one of the books, an ancient leather bound tome wherein the front page alternates between the ravings of a madman and repeated warnings not to open, before precisely opening the book to a page depicting... well, white fuzz, for lack of a better word. "This might fit the bill," he says calmly. "Adon, how certain are you that you actually summoned Sir Alonne? And how exactly did you summon this entity?"
Djalos suddenly pauses in the rhythmic tapping of one of the books, an ancient leather bound tome wherein the front page alternates between the ravings of a madman and repeated warnings not to open, before precisely opening the book to a page depicting... well, white fuzz, for lack of a better word. "This might fit the bill," he says calmly. "Adon, how certain are you that you actually summoned Sir Alonne? And how exactly did you summon this entity?"
adon's left eye twitches, and his reading stops, when Djalos mentioned who he summoned. He doesn't say anything, freezing up.