Keme's expression softened. "Yeah, sure, Gramps. I'd love to go out for a run."
Nods.
"Alys, will you be joining us?"
"Yup, I'm learning from Mr Krays. He's sooo cool.... oh and Mis Ephebe, she's cool too I guess"
Keme's expression softened. "Yeah, sure, Gramps. I'd love to go out for a run."Nods.
"Alys, will you be joining us?"
"Someone once told me speaking of your ancestors draws their eye."
Their patriarch says with some mirth, as he approaches them.
"How are you both, this morning?"Alys jumps slightly, not having heard Genosuke approach. She bows smoothly and rather gracefully from her seated position, saying a few utterly unintelligible phrases. Though they have that 'too real for the real world' impact, her posture and tone leave no doubt that she just said something along the lines of 'good morning and welcome, Honored Uncle'.
Alys nods emphatically in agreement, a grin spreading across her face at the thought of indulging the fox within her.Keme's expression softened. "Yeah, sure, Gramps. I'd love to go out for a run.""Yes, it is quite different from our normal ways, but, learning how other beings in the vastness of creation live can only enrich us."
He pauses, looking imperious for a second.
"Well, that should count toward my 'sanctimonious phrase' quota for today. Truthfully, I felt like heading out into the garden, and running around for a bit. I've not had much time for some old fashion fox time. 'Frolic' is such a juvenile word, but it fits the best. I came to see if you two would like to join in. I need to let loose for a bit. Perhaps some of your youthful exuberance will rub off, I could use the recharge."
As he says the last bit, he actually looks kind of haggard, well, for him.
Alys nods emphatically in agreement, a grin spreading across her face at the thought of indulging the fox within her.
"Good. Shall we?"
He takes his fox form, but hides 8 of his tails. He nips Alys on the ankle, and dashes out of the cafeteria towards the door to the gardens.
"Yup, I'm learning from Mr Krays. He's sooo cool.... oh and Mis Ephebe, she's cool too I guess"
"Then we are also class mates, in a way. I believe you are a bit young for the part of the school I attend, but if you ever need any help with anything, feel free to reach me. I lived out here for a year or so before I actually joined the school, so I'm not quite used to not having to hunt for myself yet, and often come out here to do so. Plus, I'm not used to being around a whole lot of people who aren't...uncomfortable...around my abilities. So, that's how I stumbled across you two."
Alys nods emphatically in agreement, a grin spreading across her face at the thought of indulging the fox within her."Good. Shall we?"
He takes his fox form, but hides 8 of his tails. He nips Alys on the ankle, and dashes out of the cafeteria towards the door to the gardens.
Alys jumps slightly, then also shifts into a one-tailed fox and races out after her uncle and yipping back at Keme as she goes.
"Probobly a bit much, yeah. I'm sure iv'e aquired a vastly different set of tastes then you."Maya looks at her a little funny, and just stays put. eating some more of her own food. Mainly the dragonfruit, a the other foods far too rich for her.Lyzzie piled a second tray with plates of large stacks of pancakes covered in layers of dessert toppings, and grabs two large bottles of milk, this time in a sickly pink color, and head back to the table. "They had pink milk!" she said, excited. "It's my favorite! It's really just regular milk with strawberry flavoring added, but I think it's the absolute best! Er...it might be a little too sweet for you since you're not super into the whole sugar thing," she said, still failing to understand the concept, but trying to be considerate anyways.
"So wha bwingff you to Avvawaa," she asked through a giant mouthful of pancake.
Ignace's tears finally stopped around the same time as Chara's story finished. Raelle sent Ignace to the bathroom to clean up and headed to the kitchen.
"Hey, you two. Sounds like you're having a good time in here. Since Mom is still sleeping, how about we make a batch of feel-better cookies? Chara, you should go and tell Ignace that's what we're doing."
As soon as Chara ran off, excited about cookies, Raelle hugged Ardiente. "Thanks for being here. I don't think I could have handled both of them by myself."He hugs her back "You're quite welcome, though to be honest, there's few other places I would rather be than with you and your family."
He lets that sink in for a few moments, then says "So, baking cookies. I don't think I've ever taken part in such an activity."
"You've never made cookies?!" Chara demands, shocked, as she returns to the kitchen with Ignace in tow. "Well, you need to learn then."
"You've never made cookies?!" Chara demands, shocked, as she returns to the kitchen with Ignace in tow. "Well, you need to learn then."Ignace's tears finally stopped around the same time as Chara's story finished. Raelle sent Ignace to the bathroom to clean up and headed to the kitchen.
"Hey, you two. Sounds like you're having a good time in here. Since Mom is still sleeping, how about we make a batch of feel-better cookies? Chara, you should go and tell Ignace that's what we're doing."
As soon as Chara ran off, excited about cookies, Raelle hugged Ardiente. "Thanks for being here. I don't think I could have handled both of them by myself."He hugs her back "You're quite welcome, though to be honest, there's few other places I would rather be than with you and your family."
He lets that sink in for a few moments, then says "So, baking cookies. I don't think I've ever taken part in such an activity."
Ignace sighs and opens a drawer. She starts pulling out aprons. "You're going to need to wear one of these. It gets quite messy," she said, pointedly staring at Chara, who promptly stuck her tongue out at Ignace.
Ignace sighs and opens a drawer. She starts pulling out aprons. "You're going to need to wear one of these. It gets quite messy," she said, pointedly staring at Chara, who promptly stuck her tongue out at Ignace."You've never made cookies?!" Chara demands, shocked, as she returns to the kitchen with Ignace in tow. "Well, you need to learn then."Ignace's tears finally stopped around the same time as Chara's story finished. Raelle sent Ignace to the bathroom to clean up and headed to the kitchen.
"Hey, you two. Sounds like you're having a good time in here. Since Mom is still sleeping, how about we make a batch of feel-better cookies? Chara, you should go and tell Ignace that's what we're doing."
As soon as Chara ran off, excited about cookies, Raelle hugged Ardiente. "Thanks for being here. I don't think I could have handled both of them by myself."He hugs her back "You're quite welcome, though to be honest, there's few other places I would rather be than with you and your family."
He lets that sink in for a few moments, then says "So, baking cookies. I don't think I've ever taken part in such an activity."
Raelle laughed, taking an apron from Ignace and putting it on. "It's a family tradition for us. Whenever one of us is feeling sad or discouraged we make feel-better cookies. Sometimes Chara pretends to be sad just because she wants cookies," she added in a fake whisper that was clearly meant to be overheard.
After devouring his meal, Djalos makes a quick stop to his room before heading back to the library. He stays behind the curtain that separates him and his roommate's portions of the room for a few minutes, then comes out and immediately heads back to the library.
Upon reaching Sadie, Djalos sits down and begins reading with her and Dara. He then abruptly asks, "So, what do you do for fun? I am rather curious, since I have no such activities or proclivities myself."
"Well, I run the fencing club. Which admittedly is less fun now that I'm also teaching the classes, but it started out as fun. Sometimes I like to go dancing. I have some friends that are really into music, so sometimes they have me listen to their songs. When we did that obstacle race in the SIM room, that was fun. That's the sort of thing that immediately comes to mind. Sometimes it's fun to just hang around with people I like and just talk, too," she said, looking up from her reading long enough to give the answer some real thought.
Her expression softened and she reached out and took his hand. "I didn't know what love even was before I met you. I do love you, truly. I just have no idea what I'm doing and not much in the way of examples to follow. When you tell me how you feel about me...I'm overwhelmed. It's a good kind of overwhelmed, but I don't even know what to do with these feelings that are just too big. I just...I need you to know that what you want is important to me. You're important to me."
"And on that note, I almost forgot to tell you, Fortunata gave her blessing on the 'medical procedure' to fix my memories. No promises that things between her and I would continue as is, but she's not the sort...
He squeezes her had back, and smiles.
"I have to admit, I'm not the best at this either. The men and women of my village were so stoic. They didn't show a lot of emotion or affection in public, but they were always there, with each other, through everything. The couple of times anyone was foolish enough to assault our clan, men and women, partners, fought together side by side to face whatever came. Moles and earthbenders, the fury of claw and stone was terrible to behold, but, they all fought side by side.
So, while I support you, and am always there for you like I've learned to be, I could be more vocal about my feelings as well. Stoicism isn't the best in all things apparently."
He nods.
"Taking a gamble seemed to be right up her alley. I am glad she approved, none-the-less. How do you think this will change you? You mean you may no longer be Luck's champion?"
She nodded. "Yeah. It's possible that she'll move on to someone else while I'm temporarily dead. Or she may not. I won't know until afterwards when I wake up. With....there have been incidents. Not just the one with the kitsune girl. I had another patient. A boy. He's possessed or bonded with or something, some kind of Other. The borders are too thin. Anyhow, it took several hours to defrost the exam room. I kind of panicked. My winter powers are getting stronger and I worry about what that means. I worry I might have to take my mother's place. If the worst happens. It's possible that Luck may leave me to that fate. Or help me thwart it. You just never know what you're going to get with her."
Alys nods emphatically in agreement, a grin spreading across her face at the thought of indulging the fox within her."Good. Shall we?"
He takes his fox form, but hides 8 of his tails. He nips Alys on the ankle, and dashes out of the cafeteria towards the door to the gardens.
Alys jumps slightly, then also shifts into a one-tailed fox and races out after her uncle and yipping back at Keme as she goes.
Keme follows suit, sticking to the one-tailed fox form as well since it seemed that they were going for the not calling attention the themselves version of things.
"Yes, you are a quite proficient teacher," Djalos says. He's part of the class, although it's apparent that Djalos doesn't really need the instruction, and is just filling up his schedule. "If you require assistance running the light blades course, I could provide it."
To Sadie's comment about the SIM rooms, Djalos nods, once again a display that he's making a conscious effort to be more... socially presentable. "Indeed. The SIM rooms provide a rather interesting challenge. And the time dilation facilities allow for more time to complete assignments."
Djalos pauses for a moment. "Sadie... do you like me? I know I am a burden, socially, and my... mannerisms are strange. My background isn't exactly conducive to friendship either."
She nodded. "Yeah. It's possible that she'll move on to someone else while I'm temporarily dead. Or she may not. I won't know until afterwards when I wake up. With....there have been incidents. Not just the one with the kitsune girl. I had another patient. A boy. He's possessed or bonded with or something, some kind of Other. The borders are too thin. Anyhow, it took several hours to defrost the exam room. I kind of panicked. My winter powers are getting stronger and I worry about what that means. I worry I might have to take my mother's place. If the worst happens. It's possible that Luck may leave me to that fate. Or help me thwart it. You just never know what you're going to get with her."
"Your mother. Ugh. At least I know you'd do a better job, even if it's not the best thing, like ever, to consider. Would you have an opening for non-rapey, were mole as a winter knight, or even better a winter consort?" he asks with a wink. "Look, if I said I was cool with the death route, I'd be lying. It scares me too, so you're not alone there. I wish we could rely on Phaez and not have to go that route at all...but, it is what it is. Let me know when you're ready, and I'll get Krays up to speed."
"Your mother. Ugh. At least I know you'd do a better job, even if it's not the best thing, like ever, to consider. Would you have an opening for non-rapey, were mole as a winter knight, or even better a winter consort?" he asks with a wink. "Look, if I said I was cool with the death route, I'd be lying. It scares me too, so you're not alone there. I wish we could rely on Phaez and not have to go that route at all...but, it is what it is. Let me know when you're ready, and I'll get Krays up to speed."
She nodded. "Yeah. It's possible that she'll move on to someone else while I'm temporarily dead. Or she may not. I won't know until afterwards when I wake up. With....there have been incidents. Not just the one with the kitsune girl. I had another patient. A boy. He's possessed or bonded with or something, some kind of Other. The borders are too thin. Anyhow, it took several hours to defrost the exam room. I kind of panicked. My winter powers are getting stronger and I worry about what that means. I worry I might have to take my mother's place. If the worst happens. It's possible that Luck may leave me to that fate. Or help me thwart it. You just never know what you're going to get with her."
"There's no one else I would ever consider as consort, love," she said, trying to smile, but it came out as a sickening grimace and he could feel her whole body tense as she spoke. "Technically in the absence of a winter princess, the queen's consort can and usually does serve temporarily as the winter knight. So that job would be yours until such time as we had a child and she was of age. Because there is no way I would ever do to a child what my mother did to me," she said with a shudder. "Sorry. There's not a lot of good ways to talk about this without dealing with all the trauma at the same time."
"The death part can be done at any time, but I still need Phaezeriel to deal with the memories afterwards. There isn't anyone else capable of doing the psychic surgery necessary. Well, maybe Miss Jones, but she's been acting a bit off lately, and I feel more comfortable letting Phaezeriel do it. I'd rather get the whole thing out of the way sooner rather than later, but with Phaeze in a cocoon," she shrugged. "It has to wait a while longer I guess."
"I'm scared," she said softly. "All the time. I try and hide it as much as I can, but it's always there. I'm so very tired of being afraid."
"Yes, you are a quite proficient teacher," Djalos says. He's part of the class, although it's apparent that Djalos doesn't really need the instruction, and is just filling up his schedule. "If you require assistance running the light blades course, I could provide it."
To Sadie's comment about the SIM rooms, Djalos nods, once again a display that he's making a conscious effort to be more... socially presentable. "Indeed. The SIM rooms provide a rather interesting challenge. And the time dilation facilities allow for more time to complete assignments."
Djalos pauses for a moment. "Sadie... do you like me? I know I am a burden, socially, and my... mannerisms are strange. My background isn't exactly conducive to friendship either."
"Well, I don't dislike you. Friendship isn't something that happens instantly. I would say we're still at the getting to know each other stage. I get that you don't always understand, and I'm trying to help. I think that we could become friends if we try to," she said calmly.
"Are you also students of Avalon?"Grim is about to make a childish retort at him seemingly being ignored when the winged man starts talking to him "oh um cool. I'm Grim Jr. Most people call me Grim around here, but some call me Jr."
"I am. I was led here by Settro. He's a teacher now. As for your abilties? It's hard to unnerve me. I mean, look at me."
"So wha bwingff you to Avvawaa," she asked through a giant mouthful of pancake."Probobly a bit much, yeah. I'm sure iv'e aquired a vastly different set of tastes then you."Maya looks at her a little funny, and just stays put. eating some more of her own food. Mainly the dragonfruit, a the other foods far too rich for her.Lyzzie piled a second tray with plates of large stacks of pancakes covered in layers of dessert toppings, and grabs two large bottles of milk, this time in a sickly pink color, and head back to the table. "They had pink milk!" she said, excited. "It's my favorite! It's really just regular milk with strawberry flavoring added, but I think it's the absolute best! Er...it might be a little too sweet for you since you're not super into the whole sugar thing," she said, still failing to understand the concept, but trying to be considerate anyways.
"I was led here by the latest addition to my ever expanding pantheon, "Justice"."
"There's no one else I would ever consider as consort, love," she said, trying to smile, but it came out as a sickening grimace and he could feel her whole body tense as she spoke. "Technically in the absence of a winter princess, the queen's consort can and usually does serve temporarily as the winter knight. So that job would be yours until such time as we had a child and she was of age. Because there is no way I would ever do to a child what my mother did to me," she said with a shudder. "Sorry. There's not a lot of good ways to talk about this without dealing with all the trauma at the same time."
"Ahh, yeah, sorry. I didn't mean to make light of it. Just know that I would follow you to the depths of Hell if I had to."
"The death part can be done at any time, but I still need Phaezeriel to deal with the memories afterwards. There isn't anyone else capable of doing the psychic surgery necessary. Well, maybe Miss Jones, but she's been acting a bit off lately, and I feel more comfortable letting Phaezeriel do it. I'd rather get the whole thing out of the way sooner rather than later, but with Phaeze in a cocoon," she shrugged. "It has to wait a while longer I guess."
"So you want to do it all at once, then.? We're going to wait for Phaezeriel?"
"I'm scared," she said softly. "All the time. I try and hide it as much as I can, but it's always there. I'm so very tired of being afraid."
He gives her hand a tight squeeze.
"Well, you're the strongest scared person I know. You have such a tenacity about you, one of the things I absolutely love about you. I'm scared too, although it's more about Winter court bureaucracy than anything else. Can M...your mother do anything to lay claim to your soul that would prevent your resurrection?"
"Yes, I want to do it all at once. In case there are any complications. I would feel safer that way. So yes, we have to wait for Phaezeriel. And no, I don't believe that there is anything that my mother can do to prevent my being resurrected. Especially not with Krays there. Patrons do so love to pull rank when it comes to a contest," she said, with a slightly better attempt at a smile.
"You help me be brave, you know. It's just a little bit easier having someone else on my side."
"I was led here by the latest addition to my ever expanding pantheon, "Justice".""So wha bwingff you to Avvawaa," she asked through a giant mouthful of pancake."Probobly a bit much, yeah. I'm sure iv'e aquired a vastly different set of tastes then you."Maya looks at her a little funny, and just stays put. eating some more of her own food. Mainly the dragonfruit, a the other foods far too rich for her.Lyzzie piled a second tray with plates of large stacks of pancakes covered in layers of dessert toppings, and grabs two large bottles of milk, this time in a sickly pink color, and head back to the table. "They had pink milk!" she said, excited. "It's my favorite! It's really just regular milk with strawberry flavoring added, but I think it's the absolute best! Er...it might be a little too sweet for you since you're not super into the whole sugar thing," she said, still failing to understand the concept, but trying to be considerate anyways.
"Uh-huh," she said, trying to be polite. "So you gonna sign up for classes? Or just taking a tour? I mean, it's cool whichever. Just trying to make conversation really cause I think we sort of exhausted the topic of food already," she said with a giggle.
"Yup, I'm learning from Mr Krays. He's sooo cool.... oh and Mis Ephebe, she's cool too I guess""Then we are also class mates, in a way. I believe you are a bit young for the part of the school I attend, but if you ever need any help with anything, feel free to reach me. I lived out here for a year or so before I actually joined the school, so I'm not quite used to not having to hunt for myself yet, and often come out here to do so. Plus, I'm not used to being around a whole lot of people who aren't...uncomfortable...around my abilities. So, that's how I stumbled across you two."
"Hey I'm not that young! I'm 12!"
Keme follows suit, sticking to the one-tailed fox form as well since it seemed that they were going for the not calling attention the themselves version of things.
While they might be trying to be inconspicuous, a trio of foxes running together is unusual, at least to a girl who spent ninety eight percent of her life locked up.
So it was that when Serrin spotted the leash she shifts into her bird form and flies after them.
"Yes, I want to do it all at once. In case there are any complications. I would feel safer that way. So yes, we have to wait for Phaezeriel. And no, I don't believe that there is anything that my mother can do to prevent my being resurrected. Especially not with Krays there. Patrons do so love to pull rank when it comes to a contest," she said, with a slightly better attempt at a smile.
"You help me be brave, you know. It's just a little bit easier having someone else on my side."
He smiles warmly at her.
"That's what couples do. They come together to make one stronger whole."
Keme follows suit, sticking to the one-tailed fox form as well since it seemed that they were going for the not calling attention the themselves version of things.While they might be trying to be inconspicuous, a trio of foxes running together is unusual, at least to a girl who spent ninety eight percent of her life locked up.
So it was that when Serrin spotted the leash she shifts into her bird form and flies after them.
"Uh-huh," she said, trying to be polite. "So you gonna sign up for classes? Or just taking a tour? I mean, it's cool whichever. Just trying to make conversation really cause I think we sort of exhausted the topic of food already," she said with a giggle."I was led here by the latest addition to my ever expanding pantheon, "Justice".""So wha bwingff you to Avvawaa," she asked through a giant mouthful of pancake."Probobly a bit much, yeah. I'm sure iv'e aquired a vastly different set of tastes then you."Maya looks at her a little funny, and just stays put. eating some more of her own food. Mainly the dragonfruit, a the other foods far too rich for her.Lyzzie piled a second tray with plates of large stacks of pancakes covered in layers of dessert toppings, and grabs two large bottles of milk, this time in a sickly pink color, and head back to the table. "They had pink milk!" she said, excited. "It's my favorite! It's really just regular milk with strawberry flavoring added, but I think it's the absolute best! Er...it might be a little too sweet for you since you're not super into the whole sugar thing," she said, still failing to understand the concept, but trying to be considerate anyways.
"I was told to come here in order to better myself. So, I suppose that does mean signing up for classes."
"I was told to come here in order to better myself. So, I suppose that does mean signing up for classes.""Uh-huh," she said, trying to be polite. "So you gonna sign up for classes? Or just taking a tour? I mean, it's cool whichever. Just trying to make conversation really cause I think we sort of exhausted the topic of food already," she said with a giggle."I was led here by the latest addition to my ever expanding pantheon, "Justice".""So wha bwingff you to Avvawaa," she asked through a giant mouthful of pancake."Probobly a bit much, yeah. I'm sure iv'e aquired a vastly different set of tastes then you."Maya looks at her a little funny, and just stays put. eating some more of her own food. Mainly the dragonfruit, a the other foods far too rich for her.Lyzzie piled a second tray with plates of large stacks of pancakes covered in layers of dessert toppings, and grabs two large bottles of milk, this time in a sickly pink color, and head back to the table. "They had pink milk!" she said, excited. "It's my favorite! It's really just regular milk with strawberry flavoring added, but I think it's the absolute best! Er...it might be a little too sweet for you since you're not super into the whole sugar thing," she said, still failing to understand the concept, but trying to be considerate anyways.
"Well, what kind of classes are you interested in? They've got lots and lots of classes, so I'm sure you can find some that will interest you. Well, they'll have a list you can look through when you go to the office to enroll and they'll be able to tell you what's required too."
A firebird with most unusual, coloration flies over the three foxes, and lands in front of them, before blurring into Serrin. She sequels in delight "Oh my gosh you are all so cute!"
"Well, what kind of classes are you interested in? They've got lots and lots of classes, so I'm sure you can find some that will interest you. Well, they'll have a list you can look through when you go to the office to enroll and they'll be able to tell you what's required too.""I was told to come here in order to better myself. So, I suppose that does mean signing up for classes.""Uh-huh," she said, trying to be polite. "So you gonna sign up for classes? Or just taking a tour? I mean, it's cool whichever. Just trying to make conversation really cause I think we sort of exhausted the topic of food already," she said with a giggle."I was led here by the latest addition to my ever expanding pantheon, "Justice".""So wha bwingff you to Avvawaa," she asked through a giant mouthful of pancake."Probobly a bit much, yeah. I'm sure iv'e aquired a vastly different set of tastes then you."Maya looks at her a little funny, and just stays put. eating some more of her own food. Mainly the dragonfruit, a the other foods far too rich for her.Lyzzie piled a second tray with plates of large stacks of pancakes covered in layers of dessert toppings, and grabs two large bottles of milk, this time in a sickly pink color, and head back to the table. "They had pink milk!" she said, excited. "It's my favorite! It's really just regular milk with strawberry flavoring added, but I think it's the absolute best! Er...it might be a little too sweet for you since you're not super into the whole sugar thing," she said, still failing to understand the concept, but trying to be considerate anyways.
"A list would be nice. I'm honestly not sure. The gods want me to improve, but I've got no clue how I possibly could."
Asha breathed a sigh of relief as the boy finally went away.
"Okay, let's get some breakfast then...you might want to change back for that. Pretty sure it's easier to carry the tray with hands then it is with wings," she joked to Sil.
Sil turns back into his human form "Breakfast sounds like a lovely idea. I'm not sure if you've had them yet, but my current favorite are these berry pancakes which are blueberry pancakes, top with sliced strawberries and cherry sauce!" He says, his step quickening slightly in anticipation of said yummy meal.
Keme follows suit, sticking to the one-tailed fox form as well since it seemed that they were going for the not calling attention the themselves version of things.While they might be trying to be inconspicuous, a trio of foxes running together is unusual, at least to a girl who spent ninety eight percent of her life locked up.
So it was that when Serrin spotted the leash she shifts into her bird form and flies after them.
Alys looks like a red fox that was dipped in ink, save for the white tip of her tail. When she runs through a patch of sunlight, the red highlights in the tips of her fur light up almost like she is on fire.
A firebird with most unusual, coloration flies over the three foxes, and lands in front of them, before blurring into Serrin. She squeals in delight "Oh my gosh you are all so cute!"
Alys yips at Serrin and runs around her feet, nipping playfully at her heels.
"Turns out the whole cosmic contest thing was a giant scam. I guess the angels and demons that got caught up in it are in a whole lot of trouble now. And nobody is trying to sacrifice Cho now, thank goodness. She's with a family in town. I just got back from taking her there. They seem like a really nice couple. They lost their child during the virus outbreak, and they wanted to do something positive with their lives to give them something besides grief to focus on. With their help and regular treatments at the clinic, they think that eventually Cho can learn to have some measure of independence, although her mental processes will never be totally normal. So, I'd say that things pretty much worked out in the end. And I can't say that I'm sorry to be done babysitting her. Trying to take care of someone with an adult body and the mind of a small child is definitely not in my wheelhouse. But I'm glad I did what I needed to to protect her," he said with a shrug.
"Indeed. Your actions gave her a better life that she would never have had otherwise - few gifts are as precious as that."
"That's great that you were able to find people who could help out at the clinic and the infirmary. With as many disasters as we seem to have around here, gods know we can use all the help we can get."
"It seems we are both heralds of glad news - it has been a good morning all around," he continues with a small smile. "I hope it continues to be so." (^-^)
The young monk then gestures for the two to walk a bit further from the Cafeteria door before speaking again.
"I was actually heading to the firebird encampment when you found me...the prisoners from last night are no longer here, and I suspect they have been taken there. Given their...capabilities, I think it would be wise to be present in case something happens. I would be glad for the company if you wish to come as well. If they will have us there, of course."
Andromeda's face fell, her expression genuinely horrified. "Jasper, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to! I didn't even think...I was trying to be so careful and then I just forgot for a second...I'm so, so, so sorry," she said, tears coming to her eyes. "We were having such a nice time and then...I'm such a screw-up. You're my friend, and I never, ever meant to take advantage. It was just supposed to be a figure of speech. I'm so sorry, I'm such an idiot," she babbled before the tears were too much and she had to stop talking to wipe them off her face and search through her pockets for a tissue. She never remembered to bring tissues.
The djinn shrinks down to a slightly more comparable size, hugging her with two arms as his other two conjure a handkerchief behind his back to hand to her.
"Hey, hey. It's alright. I was just gonna make a portal to my place and let you drop them off anyways."He pats her back gently. "I know you wouldn't intentionally use it against me, and it isn't your fault that I have issues."
He looks her in the eyes of she'll meet his "besides, that's one down before it's not a problem any more, right? I'm glad it was that and not something stupid or cursed."
"I... thank you." Djalos quickly buries himself in the books once again.
A firebird with most unusual, coloration flies over the three foxes, and lands in front of them, before blurring into Serrin. She squeals in delight "Oh my gosh you are all so cute!"Alys yips at Serrin and runs around her feet, nipping playfully at her heels.
The white fox sits and watches the interaction.
Andromeda's face fell, her expression genuinely horrified. "Jasper, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to! I didn't even think...I was trying to be so careful and then I just forgot for a second...I'm so, so, so sorry," she said, tears coming to her eyes. "We were having such a nice time and then...I'm such a screw-up. You're my friend, and I never, ever meant to take advantage. It was just supposed to be a figure of speech. I'm so sorry, I'm such an idiot," she babbled before the tears were too much and she had to stop talking to wipe them off her face and search through her pockets for a tissue. She never remembered to bring tissues.The djinn shrinks down to a slightly more comparable size, hugging her with two arms as his other two conjure a handkerchief behind his back to hand to her.
"Hey, hey. It's alright. I was just gonna make a portal to my place and let you drop them off anyways."
He pats her back gently. "I know you wouldn't intentionally use it against me, and it isn't your fault that I have issues."
He looks her in the eyes of she'll meet his "besides, that's one down before it's not a problem any more, right? I'm glad it was that and not something stupid or cursed."
She blew her nose."You're not the only one with issues," she admitted sheepishly. "I may freak out a little about making mistakes. Mostly because my mistakes, historically speaking, have had catastrophic consequences.. I just....I don't want you to think that I view you that way. I know you're not property and you should be free to use or not your powers in any way you see fit without any compulsions. I'm just also an idiot who happens to be supremely prone to putting my foot in my mouth," she finished with a sigh.
Dave floats around, adjusting the random floating of zero gravity with his more purposeful flight before ordering some tea and creme brule to see how the ordering works "you sure you want to pay, I have money"Tybalt shakes his head as he hangs in mid air next to Dave.
"Nope. It's your birthday, and I'm taking care of it. Plus this system is actually pretty far away from the Agartha, and I dunno if you have the kind of currency they take here." He slides over to the console and taps next to a small port that matches the currency stick he showed earlier. "They don't take coins or even the weird paper stuff."
Before long the pillar hums quietly and turns green before a section around the middle slides open to reveal the things they'd order. Everything somehow stays stuck to the center console without floating away. Even Dave's tea remains firmly in the cup, kept in by some sort of engineered surface tension. Cream and sugar are set next to it with small bottles to apply them directly into the tea as opposed to pouring in.
Tybalt floats by and snags an orange scone off his stack as he turns in lazy loops and airleron rolls. He munches it as he explains, "The tower has like half a foot of gravity to it to set stuff on and stay at it while you're ordering. And the cups have a thing around the top that keeps liquid in unless you're drinking from it," he explains between and occasionally through a mouthful of some sweet pastry or other.
Despite him demolishing a scone at every other pass of the tower, nothing seems to be generating any crumbs or other detritus.
"They don't take gold? I thought everywhere took gold?" Dace looks amused at the tea staying in the cup, he tries turning it upside down as he lets himself float off slightly. He quickly eats his food before ordering some random cream cheese stuffed pastrie
"Yup, I'm learning from Mr Krays. He's sooo cool.... oh and Mis Ephebe, she's cool too I guess""Then we are also class mates, in a way. I believe you are a bit young for the part of the school I attend, but if you ever need any help with anything, feel free to reach me. I lived out here for a year or so before I actually joined the school, so I'm not quite used to not having to hunt for myself yet, and often come out here to do so. Plus, I'm not used to being around a whole lot of people who aren't...uncomfortable...around my abilities. So, that's how I stumbled across you two."
"I don't think I have any "scheduled" classes. I'm mostly just in ephebe's class in general. I think that's how this works? I'm not very good with keeping track of where and when I've been."
"Turns out the whole cosmic contest thing was a giant scam. I guess the angels and demons that got caught up in it are in a whole lot of trouble now. And nobody is trying to sacrifice Cho now, thank goodness. She's with a family in town. I just got back from taking her there. They seem like a really nice couple. They lost their child during the virus outbreak, and they wanted to do something positive with their lives to give them something besides grief to focus on. With their help and regular treatments at the clinic, they think that eventually Cho can learn to have some measure of independence, although her mental processes will never be totally normal. So, I'd say that things pretty much worked out in the end. And I can't say that I'm sorry to be done babysitting her. Trying to take care of someone with an adult body and the mind of a small child is definitely not in my wheelhouse. But I'm glad I did what I needed to to protect her," he said with a shrug."Indeed. Your actions gave her a better life that she would never have had otherwise - few gifts are as precious as that."
"That's great that you were able to find people who could help out at the clinic and the infirmary. With as many disasters as we seem to have around here, gods know we can use all the help we can get.""It seems we are both heralds of glad news - it has been a good morning all around," he continues with a small smile. "I hope it continues to be so." (^-^)
The young monk then gestures for the two to walk a bit further from the Cafeteria door before speaking again.
"I was actually heading to the firebird encampment when you found me...the prisoners from last night are no longer here, and I suspect they have been taken there. Given their...capabilities, I think it would be wise to be present in case something happens. I would be glad for the company if you wish to come as well. If they will have us there, of course."
"The boss had them released to the firebirds' custody last night. He had Mithros take them over. They're still in their cage though, I think. Anyways, it was something about military versus civil authority. They're firebirds who committed crimes against firebirds and need to be judged by their own people kind of thing. I'm glad to come with you since I have some rare free time, but I doubt they'll let us in. They're pretty prickly towards outsiders," he said with a shrug.
"I'm also in Mis Ephebe's class for all the normal stuff, and I have Mr Krays as my necromancy teacher"
The white fox sits and watches the interaction.
A firebird with most unusual, coloration flies over the three foxes, and lands in front of them, before blurring into Serrin. She squeals in delight "Oh my gosh you are all so cute!"Alys yips at Serrin and runs around her feet, nipping playfully at her heels.
Keme stalks carefully through the grass, ready to pounce at the first sign of an opening.
"I... thank you." Djalos quickly buries himself in the books once again.
"You're welcome."
After a long pause there was a clink from under the tabletop and Sadie ducked down. Djalos can overhear her side of the conversation, and if he looks he can see that words shine in the air over Dara's hands.
"No, he's not a bad person. It's not like when that boy attacked us in the meditation classroom. He just had a bad family who made him do bad things....Yes, I know he said he killed people. That was the sort of bad thing....He's just learning how to behave. I promise he's not going to hurt you."
Sil turns back into his human form "Breakfast sounds like a lovely idea. I'm not sure if you've had them yet, but my current favorite are these berry pancakes which are blueberry pancakes, top with sliced strawberries and cherry sauce!" He says, his step quickening slightly in anticipation of said yummy meal.Asha breathed a sigh of relief as the boy finally went away.
"Okay, let's get some breakfast then...you might want to change back for that. Pretty sure it's easier to carry the tray with hands then it is with wings," she joked to Sil.
Asha laughed. "I prefer my pancakes charred and covered in kerosene, thanks. Pretty sure berry sauce would send me straight to the infirmary. There's a reason why the firebird food is kept in a separate section."
Once inside the cafeteria, she grabbed a tray and piled it high with charred pancakes, hash blacks, blackened bacon, and so on until it was so heavy she could barely lift it to get to a table.
"A list would be nice. I'm honestly not sure. The gods want me to improve, but I've got no clue how I possibly could."
Lyzzie made a face as if she had just bitten into a lemon. "Uh...okay.....er, sorry, but vanity just really tastes bad, like sour and bitter and burning cold and kinda sharp. Ick. Sorry, I know I'm not supposed to read people without permission, like, duh, Lyzzie, just because you have empathy doesn't mean you have to use it all the time, but I kinda can't help it. Mostly I just pick up on the big emotions, and that one was really big. Umm....kinda think I might know what they want you to learn here now," she said, wrinkling her nose.
"Yes, I want to do it all at once. In case there are any complications. I would feel safer that way. So yes, we have to wait for Phaezeriel. And no, I don't believe that there is anything that my mother can do to prevent my being resurrected. Especially not with Krays there. Patrons do so love to pull rank when it comes to a contest," she said, with a slightly better attempt at a smile.
"You help me be brave, you know. It's just a little bit easier having someone else on my side."
He smiles warmly at her.
"That's what couples do. They come together to make one stronger whole."
"I find I like that idea," she said, smiling back, and then pulling her hand away. "Are you going to be offended if I spend the rest of lunch as a polar bear? Talking about the past makes it harder not to focus on, and I find being a bear helps. Nobody messes with a polar bear if they can help it," she said with a small laugh.
Lyzzie made a face as if she had just bitten into a lemon. "Uh...okay.....er, sorry, but vanity just really tastes bad, like sour and bitter and burning cold and kinda sharp. Ick. Sorry, I know I'm not supposed to read people without permission, like, duh, Lyzzie, just because you have empathy doesn't mean you have to use it all the time, but I kinda can't help it. Mostly I just pick up on the big emotions, and that one was really big. Umm....kinda think I might know what they want you to learn here now," she said, wrinkling her nose.
"A list would be nice. I'm honestly not sure. The gods want me to improve, but I've got no clue how I possibly could."
Her relaxed position suddenly fades, her eyes narrowing. "Kindly keep out of my emotions. Those are private." she does her bast to mentally wall herself off. It more or less just makes her seem evasive and angry.
"They don't take gold? I thought everywhere took gold?" Dace looks amused at the tea staying in the cup, he tries turning it upside down as he lets himself float off slightly. He quickly eats his food before ordering some random cream cheese stuffed pastrie
"When I tried to use it to pay for stuff when I first got here, they told me this civilization hasn't used gold coins in a long time. We could trade coins for their value as gold itself, but they don't have any specific value as coins."
The tea stays firmly in the cup, meeting some kind of flat barrier at the very edge of the cup."Besides, gotta save those coins to get your watch. I dunno how much that'll be wherever we get it. Everything here is all electric and no good for magic, but I've got a couple markets in mind."
The food arrives at the same rather quick rate the other did, ready to be eaten.
Keme stalks carefully through the grass, ready to pounce at the first sign of an opening.
"AH!!" Serrin yelps as Alys nips her feet, spinning around towards the red fox, 'exposing' her to Keme.