"Could be they are so wrapped up in being themselves that even they lose sight of the bigger picture. More likely though, they're jealous they did not choose dragons as Champions" he says with a grin.
He'll go over and sit next to Ephebe, hoping to comfort with his presence...
"That might be it." Lysander admits.
Ephebe hiccuped as the sobs slowed, the warmth of the fire helping to calm her emotions. She leaned against Krays as she tried to slow her breathing and calm her tears. On the one hand, she really wished she spent less time crying around him, and on the other she was grateful for his support through all of her numerous issues.
She laughed just a little at the comment about the other patrons being jealous that they didn't have dragons as Champions.
"So, what's in this anyway?" Michael asks as he forces down another bite of onigiri.
::It's amazing how versatile something can be, isn't it?:: Lysander sends to Ephebe gently through the flame.
"So, what's in this anyway?" Michael asks as he forces down another bite of onigiri.
She giggled. "It's okay, you don't have to eat it if you don't like it. It's a rice ball filled with pickled plum juice and fish and wrapped in seaweed....I'm pretty sure it's an acquired taste."
::It's amazing how versatile something can be, isn't it?:: Lysander sends to Ephebe gently through the flame.
She smiled a little as she wiped the tears off her face.. ::Yeah, it is.::
"Sorry about the tears," she said out loud. "Sometimes it's just the only way I know how to deal with things when they get to be too much. I'm feeling better now. I'm not really looking forward to my next conversation with Kronos, but I'll be alright."
"Just tell Kronos the big bad Watcher will be watching and you'll come out ahead on that conversation." Lysander -for the first time Ephebe can remember- jokes.
He falls over yet his guitar keeps playing. He had been at it non stop to keep everyone calm. He still had no idea what was going on but he was glad the fiends were gone. He pulls himself into a sitting position, he pushed himself back to his feet and shook out his arms. Placing them back on the guitar he moved on, no rest for the bard it seemed.
"That is what this thing is made from!? Ugh... I think you're right about acquired taste. The problem is eating it long to actually acquire it."
"Can't believe you'll eat this when you think the gene-splicer and incubator in Alchemy are wrong... I mean, really, who had the idea to pickle plums and then add fish?"
"Just tell Kronos the big bad Watcher will be watching and you'll come out ahead on that conversation." Lysander -for the first time Ephebe can remember- jokes.
Ephebe laughs. "Yeah, that should be a great ice-breaker for that conversation."
"That is what this thing is made from!? Ugh... I think you're right about acquired taste. The problem is eating it long to actually acquire it."
"Can't believe you'll eat this when you think the gene-splicer and incubator in Alchemy are wrong... I mean, really, who had the idea to pickle plums and then add fish?"
Kitty giggled again. "Not sure who invented it, but to me it tastes delicious. But I have been eating these since I was little so I'm sure my tastes are different.....You might not want to try sushi either. Consider that fair warning," she added, eyes twinkling with amusement.
He sighs.
"At least they gave me some shrimp. I don't know how much of the food you like can take." He pokes the sushi. "This doesn't even look like it was cooked."
Ephebe laughs. "Yeah, that should be a great ice-breaker for that conversation."
"I'd do it." Lysander says he flicks a bit of white flame from one finger to another, making it dance. "Liven things up a bit."
He sighs.
"At least they gave me some shrimp. I don't know how much of the food you like can take." He pokes the sushi. "This doesn't even look like it was cooked."
"Err....well....mostly it wasn't. You should probably stick to the tempura...that's the stuff that's been breaded and fried. Sorry about this. Next time we can get the kind of food you prefer," she said, trying to hide her smile at his reaction to discovering the food wasn't cooked.
Ephebe laughs. "Yeah, that should be a great ice-breaker for that conversation.""I'd do it." Lysander says he flicks a bit of white flame from one finger to another, making it dance. "Liven things up a bit."
"In general I think things are lively enough on that front, but...I think it might be time for me to be a little less blindly obedient," she said, watching the dancing flame, fascinated by the level of control he had over it.
"We don't have to, but... yeah, probably best if I don't eat something that was swimming less than an hour ago..." Michael says as he moves on to fried food. "Or at the very least doesn't look like it was. Nothing against you, of course, it's just weird to me."
"We don't have to, but... yeah, probably best if I don't eat something that was swimming less than an hour ago..." Michael says as he moves on to fried food. "Or at the very least doesn't look like it was. Nothing against you, of course, it's just weird to me."
"It's okay. The food here tasted pretty weird to me when I first got here. Before I learned that I could order the kind of food I liked instead. Most of it tastes too sweet to me. And the milk and cheese make me really sick. I guess it's because it's not something I ever ate growing up."
With the help of the Little Guys and by following the distinctive sound of stone and slab being ripped up, reshaped, moved and patched, Nasima is able to eventually locate Aananda. She trots up to the fearsome woman and waves shyly. "Hi! Um! Professor Aananda! There's a...an...issue in the girls' room down by the cafeteria? One of the new students -- Vai -- is sorta turning into a dragon? And I figured, since being a dragon around here seems to be dangerous for one's health, I should tell someone with, um, experience. Oh and also she's really unhappy about becoming a dragon and wants to turn back but I don't how or if she can so I thought maybe you could help her with that too?" The sylph gives her a silly and hopeful smile.
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There is a sliding, clicking sound coming from somewhere in your room.
There is a sliding, clicking sound coming from somewhere. It is very difficult to hear over the many conversations and other noises.
Aananda looks surprised. "She must be the new student Tam messaged me about. Thanks, Nasima. You did the right thing coming to get me," she said, taking off for the girls bathroom at full speed. Which was in general pretty darn fast.
"Hello?" she called as she walked in. "Ummm......" She quickly checked her wrist comm. "Vai. was it? My name is Aananda Sunwake and I'm the gym teacher here at Avalon...Errr...I'm here to help with your little difficulty."
Kitty sits up abruptly. "Did you hear that?"
@Kitty: *klikklik*
*sssshhhhhkkkkkkkkkkslp*
*clicklikchk*
*sssshhhhhkkkkkkkkkkslp*
It's echoing all over, maddeningly consistent now that you can hear it. Coming from the air vent.
Kitty jumps up and climbs up on the desk chair, pulling the cover off the air vent so she can look inside, one hand full of throwing stars just in case.
The vent is typical of institutional HVAC, which is to say small and dark. The opening is six inches high and about a foot across and pitch black. For the distance you're able to see, there is nothing untoward save for a couple hefty dust bunnies.
The sound is more focused with your head up by the opening, but its source is clearly far away, whether it's actually in the vents or simply being echoed and carried by the vents is unclear.
From your new perspective you hear a distinctly unpleasant wet clicking sound, like what someone's mouth makes when they're talking.
Aananda sees Vai step out from the stall. Her wings are folded, and her claws are fully extended, with dragon-like fangs growing from her mouth. She's holding herself stiffly, as if still in pain. "I don't know how to change back! I didn't mean to do this.. how do I make it stop? How do I make it not hurt?"
Aananda sees Vai step out from the stall. Her wings are folded, and her claws are fully extended, with dragon-like fangs growing from her mouth. She's holding herself stiffly, as if still in pain. "I don't know how to change back! I didn't mean to do this.. how do I make it stop? How do I make it not hurt?"
Aananda moved forward and hugged Vai. "It's okay, it's okay now. The first thing is you need to calm down. The first transformation is the hardest. It always hurts a little, but much more when you don't know how to manage the change. The first thing you have to do is stop fighting it. Let it happen, let your body finish the change. Stopping midway through and then trying to go backwards is one of the most painful things you can do to yourself. It's alright, it gets easier, I promise," she said in a soothing tone. "Just let it go for a minute. You're almost done with the transformation and once you're there I can show you how to change back, okay?"
"Hear what? Kitty, what is it?"
1d20+8
"Hear what? Kitty, what is it?"
"There's something....some kind of creature....I thought it might be in the air ducts," she said, peering into the darkness, "but I think that it's just echoing through the air ducts from someplace. I think that I hear something that might be talking, but it's hard to tell."
Vai nods and unclenches her muscles. Pain floods her body, and the transformation into a full blue dragon finishes. Not a full-grown dragon, she barely manages to fit into the bathroom. A small whimper escapes the dragon, who looks to Aananda.
"Maybe a tiny demon got in the vent or something. Do we go get a teacher or do we go looking for it?"
Vai nods and unclenches her muscles. Pain floods her body, and the transformation into a full blue dragon finishes. Not a full-grown dragon, she barely manages to fit into the bathroom. A small whimper escapes the dragon, who looks to Aananda.
Aananda runs a gentle hand across Vai's scales. "I know you don't feel like it right now, but you're actually quite beautiful like this. Such a lovely color."
"I was twenty six when I first found out I was a dragon. The same age my children are now. We age a little more slowly than normal humans so I was more like seventeen in human years. It was pretty traumatic for me and I was born this way. I can only imagine how hard it is for you who was forced to be this way. Just know that you will have as much support as you want from me and my family."
"Now, take a deep breath and clear your mind. It's like contracting your muscles, but only in your mind. Keep the image of your human form firmly in your mind and will yourself to be in that form."
"Maybe a tiny demon got in the vent or something. Do we go get a teacher or do we go looking for it?"
"I don't know. If it's small we could probably handle it ourselves. And the teachers are pretty busy with clean-up right now."
"I guess we should go looking for it. If it's something we can't handle we can get more practice on our running away skills to go find someone who can."
She sighed.
"I guess there's no point in putting things off. I'll only be gone for a second of real time. I'll see if I can ask a favor and get Kronos to run time a few hours faster for you, Krays, so we can all go back to the school instead of waiting around here for Madness to attack us again. I'm not sure we can take another attack. Every one has gotten a little harder than the last and I'm frightened to think what he could send next."
Vai nods again, almost bashing a sink in doing so. The dragon's yellow eyes close. After a few moments the dragon begins to shrink, sinking down onto the floor into a blonde half-elf. The clothing had melded when Vai stopped resisting the transformation, but the rips from the wings bursting out her back were still there. She looks up to Aananda: "The pain is gone, oh thank the gods." Vai stands up, shaky, and reaches out to Aananda so she doesn't fall. "You.. you're a dragon too?"
"In general I think things are lively enough on that front, but...I think it might be time for me to be a little less blindly obedient," she said, watching the dancing flame, fascinated by the level of control he had over it.
Noticing Ephebe's fascination, Lysander smiles faintly and starts making the fire bigger, recreating a fight between a serpent and a desert fox, manipulating them with hand gestures.
"You can do this too, you know." When Ephebe returns.
"Sounds good. I may go have a talk with the boss myself, see what insights he has on the situation."
Vai nods again, almost bashing a sink in doing so. The dragon's yellow eyes close. After a few moments the dragon begins to shrink, sinking down onto the floor into a blonde half-elf. The clothing had melded when Vai stopped resisting the transformation, but the rips from the wings bursting out her back were still there. She looks up to Aananda: "The pain is gone, oh thank the gods." Vai stands up, shaky, and reaches out to Aananda so she doesn't fall. "You.. you're a dragon too?"
Aananda smiles gently as she steadies Vai.
"Yes, I am. I'm an amethyst dragon. We're quite different from blue dragons. Different from any dragons you might meet in the Empire. And the few of us who are left spend most of our time as humans. I won't blame you at all if you have trouble trusting me. After what you've been through I doubt that it is easy for you to trust anyone at all. Having your body changed without your permission..." She looked sad.
"Something similar happened to my daughter when she was captured by a demon. I still feel guilty that I wasn't able to protect her. She spent the first few weeks afterwards trying to keep it a secret, convinced that we would love her less if we knew. It wasn't at all that way of course. But it took time to convince her that she was still the same person and we loved her just the same."
"I know we've just met, but you need to know that too. You're still the same person and just as deserving of friendship and love as you were before."
"I guess we should go looking for it. If it's something we can't handle we can get more practice on our running away skills to go find someone who can."
"Time for Saffire's first hunting lesson then." Michael says as he stands up. "Let's hope it's not fast enough to catch us if we have to run."
@Michael: Now that it's been pointed out, you hear the sound as well. The echoes are tangled and clangy. There is a thudding sound, like someone banging on a closed door with the meat of their fist.
Nasima stands behind Aananda and watches the exchange between her and Vai. After the half-elf has changed back, she smiles. "There. See? I told you; you're welcome here, and in good hands. You're gonna be fine."
This time she went straight to the hall of mirrors. She walked away from the gallery to the place she knew would be there. An alcove between two windows where a small table was set up and laid with tea things. The old man sat drinking his tea.
"You can't put me at ease by acting like my grandmother. I'm not getting along with her very well right now either," Ephebe said, warily.
The old man smiled wearily. "Humor me, child. Even for me it is not easy having to face up to old mistakes."
Ephebe shook her head. "No, I don't want to talk here. It's intimidation tactics and I don't like it. Just face me and talk."
The hall of mirrors faded away and she found herself facing the old man in a sandy desert that stretched in all directions.
"I thought that I would never use this landscape again. He surprised me, you know, telling you the truth about the things he worked so hard to hide. And yes, I helped. I did not want to expose my own failures either."
Ephebe got a particualrly stubborn expression on her face. "Yeah, well, now that the cat is out of the bag, so to speak, there's a lot of things we need to talk about..."
The hall of mirrors faded away and she found herself facing the old man in a sandy desert that stretched in all directions.
"Just like I remember." Lysander thinks as a split-second flash of memory goes through his head.
Vai stretches, then jumps as Nasima makes herself known. "Oh, it's just you Nasima." Vai lets go of Aananda, and stands on her own, and looks at Aananda, a piece of the blonde hair fluttering into her face."Aananda... you're Professor Sunwake's wife? Does that mean he's a dragon too?"
"In general I think things are lively enough on that front, but...I think it might be time for me to be a little less blindly obedient," she said, watching the dancing flame, fascinated by the level of control he had over it.Noticing Ephebe's fascination, Lysander smiles faintly and starts making the fire bigger, recreating a fight between a serpent and a desert fox, manipulating them with hand gestures.
"You can do this too, you know." When Ephebe returns.
Ephebe looked tired when she got back, even though she'd only flickered away for a second.
"I can? Really? I worked so hard to control it enough to make it into weapons...it never occurred to me that it could be manipulated in other ways. Or with so much detail," she said, admiring the scene between the serpent and the fox.
"I guess we should go looking for it. If it's something we can't handle we can get more practice on our running away skills to go find someone who can.""Time for Saffire's first hunting lesson then." Michael says as he stands up. "Let's hope it's not fast enough to catch us if we have to run."
Kitty nods. "Should we start on the roof, or in the basement? I don't think there are a lot of things that could get to the roof so the basement might be better...."
"The basement then. Let's just hope this doesn't end up like a horror story, where you keep thinking 'No, don't go down there!' or something."
Vai stretches, then jumps as Nasima makes herself known. "Oh, it's just you Nasima." Vai lets go of Aananda, and stands on her own, and looks at Aananda, a piece of the blonde hair fluttering into her face."Aananda... you're Professor Sunwake's wife? Does that mean he's a dragon too?"
"No, dear. My mate started out as a normal human, although after an encounter with a silver dragon went very wrong we had to have him reincarnated. And he ended up as an elf, which I really can't complain about since it means he lives longer and therefore I get more time with him," she said with a grin. "Our kids complain that we're still so sappy even though we've been together almost three decadces,' she added with a wink, "but I don't think that's a problem."
"The basement then. Let's just hope this doesn't end up like a horror story, where you keep thinking 'No, don't go down there!' or something."
She giggled. "Maybe we should grab somebody on the way who's good at fighting. I'm just good at not getting hit."