Vashrin does his best to keep a stiff upper lip about the whole situation in the face of the massive creature and its child, but is silently relieved to see that his friends and his sister have backed his play.
Dirlagraun frowns, which is super weird, because you've never seen a cat do that before. "This is not good, my little friends. There are rules to this place. It is not safe here, for trespassers."
He looks over at Candlefoot's wagon. "You will need three prizes, before Candlefoot will let you in. Which means you will need to win some. Here." With surprising manual dexterity for a creature without opposable thumbs, Dirlagraun opened the pouch that hung around his neck, and pulled out six faintly glowing dandelions. "These will mark you as special guests of the carnival. Show them to one of the booths, blow upon it, and you'll be able to play the game there. Each should last you a short while before being expended."
The big cat takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly. "I will speak with Mr. Witch and Mr. Light on your behalf. Perhaps they can grant you official entry given your circumstances. Star, remain with our friends. Keep an eye on them." Whether Star was meant to keep an eye on you for your protection, or to keep you out of trouble was left unsaid. Dirlagraun padded away down the path, seeking out the owners of the carnival. Star smiled and spun in an excited circle, imitating whats-her-name, unaware of the gravity of the situation.
"Thank you!" Vashrin calls out to Dirlagraun has he pads away.
Turning his attention to the others he says, Alright, we need prizes and these dandelions will allow us to try and do just that."
Thinking a bit he looks to Star, "Hi Star, I'm Vash and this is my sister Celeste." he glances to the others hoping that they too will introduce themselves.
"Any suggestions on the game we should try first?"
Star gets dizzy and stops spinning. "All of them! There are games where you have to be strong, ones where you have to be fast, or smart...all sorts!"
"Thank you!!!" Willow calls after Dirlagraun, although she imagines he's probably too far off to hear her. She didn't want to be impolite.
Willow grins at Star and does a little happy dance for her, thrilled that the cat-like creature is staying with them. "Oh! Star! What's your favorite!? and my name is Willow!" She holds the dandelion out in front of her, enamored of the weed. She loved to try to get all of the fluff off in one go, but decided that this wasn't really the time to test her lung strength.
"Thank you Mr. Dirlagraun!" Nuruk shouts with an almost uncomfortably loud tone, an apologetic look spreading over the dragonborn face. There was some relief that they were here now with something akin to an adult to help them. Hopefully this Mr. Witch and Mr. Light would understand why they were here. He turned towards the little tentacled panther and couldn't help but let a smile spread across his face. "Hi there Star, I'm Nuruk." Listening to the little panther, he looked around the place and knew which games he was the best for. When they built the Bastion in the woods, it was him that carried the heavy logs on his back two at a time. Life as the butcher's son led to him being just a bit more brawny than the rest of his peers. Grasping the dandelion in hand, he gave them all a nod.
"I ain't going to fail Junie. Or Karen there. Star, which games test your strength?" The pudgy dragonborn rolled back the off-white sleeves of his tunic, flexing the actual muscle underneath. "I got some prizes to win."
Sammy is too amazed to say thank you. He watches the majestic partner go away, and a moment before he's celebrating with his comrades that they earned a dandelion.
"Oh, I'mma try darts, or balls, or anything throwable!" He knows he's good at that, and he enjoys it, and thus he looks for a game that lets him use his skill.
Bash a Beholder
Armed with a cushioned wooden mallet, the contestant must bash the eyes of a dummy beholder as they emerge on stalks from the holes in its body.
Cuddle the Catoblepas
While blindfolded, the contestant must enter a
curtained booth and hug the hairy catoblepas, a foul smelling chimaeric creature that is equal parts buffalo, dinosaur, warthog, and hippopotamus.
Fold-a-Friend
This game involves concentrating on a hovering
quill pen and using the power of the mind to make it draw a humanoid creature on parchment
Name the Unnameable
Participants must deduce a name of the silent, bizarre creature.
What Time Is It, Mr. Witch?
Up to five contestants try to sneak up on a life sized dummy of Mister Witch, which is mounted on a revolving platform. The dummy clutches a pocket watch in its hand, that the winner must snatch.
Wheel of Magic
Spin the wheel, try to predict where it will stop!
Widdershins Rhymes
Three or more participants try to best each other in a rhyming contest.
"Hi Nuruk! Hi Willow! I like sneaking up on Mr. Witch, but most of the time I'm helping my papa keep an eye out for kids who get lost."
"Vash, Widdershins Rhymes sounds like something right up your ally" Celeste says. "Seriously...given how often you won't shut up repeating songs and poems when certain bards come through the Griffin, you're a natural for that one." Celeste says brightly.
Vashrin's brow furrows at his Celeste's back-handed compliment.
"I suppose you are right one that one. The Mr. Witch game sounds fun too. Vashrin says conceding his sister's point.
"Nuruk, Bash a Beholder sounds like a good one for you."
"Um... I'm gonna try Fold-a-Friend." Sam is intrigued by the concept of the game.
Willow grins at Star. "Well, we did get a little lost. Thanks for looking out for us!"
She looks around at the games, wide-eyed and in wonder. None of the games the others mentioned really interested her, but it couldn't hurt to do something by herself--especially since they'd all be near-ish to each other.
"Oooh, I want to hug the Catoblepas! I love hugs! Or the Magic wheel thingie! Are any of you interested in those?" She asks the group, gently brandishing the dandelion in the direction of the two games.
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"I'll try hugging the Catopbable...the Catoplababa...the..yes." Nuruk says as he approaches the Catoblepas stand with Willow. He approaches the booth, clearing his throat to whoever was manning the game. "Excuse me? We would like to try to hug the...hug the...the...Catopablebaspas...
The group of children, left mostly unsupervised at a magical carnival, did what any group of children would do -- they scattered.
You blow on the dandelion and it glows brightly, a few seeds scattering away but most of the flower remaining whole. The dwarf slides you a piece of parchment, and with one squnited eye, he places a sparkling quill straight up, perpendicular to the countertop, and it hovers in place of its own accord above the paper. "Ye jus' think hard as ye ken, and concentrate on what ye want yer wee friend to look like. The quill'll do the rest. Careful not ta' get distracted, mind, or it might not turn out the way ye want it to."
You do so, and smile at the pretty iridescent colors that sparkle within its puffy head, a few seedlings drifting away. The fairy woman opens a little gate for you and a few other children who had their tickets punched. Within the tent is a stuffed dummy of a gray-skinned elf, dressed in a fine suit and wearing a top hat on its bald head.[b]"You all call out, 'What time is it, Mr. Witch!' and he'll call out a number between 1 and 8 o'clock, and start counting down. When he gets to zero, he'll spin around and catch anyone too close! You need to try and pinch his pocket watch before he sees you."
A group of people, some children, some adults, flock over to the booth alongside you. The gnome begins punching tickets, and sees your dandelion. He nods for you to give it a blow, and you do so, gently, recalling what Dirlagraun said about it only being good as long as it has some seeds left. The flower shimmers and sparkles, but remains intact.
The gnome explains the rules -- everyone stands in a circle, and the oldest participant begins by speaking the first line of a rhyming poem. The next person in the circle must continue it, and so on -- if someone hesitates too long, or reuses the same rhyming word, they're out. The last person in wins!
After grabbing the blindfold, Willow grins at Nuruk and gives him a thumbs up for encouragement. "I bet we can do this! We'll totally win a prize! She dons the blindfold, not even thinking about breaking the rules of the game - they're already in a lot of trouble just being here, probably, so maybe it's best not to push it? At least in her mind, being a bit of a goody-goody sometimes.
Willow takes a DEEEEEEEEP breath before walking in, holds it, and heaeds in. She takes a few uncertain steps inside, reaching out and then...smooth, scaly, reptilian skin. Willow smiles and draws herself closer to the creature, weaving her arms around whatever she's able to wrap herself around.
Vashrin grins hearing the rules of the game and begins mentally going through an old poem he heard a while back in preparation.
To see the land of Topsy-Turvy
I was very surprised
You will be in amazement
When you see it with your eyes
The plants could grow without water
The cat was chased by a mouse
Blacksmith's work was done by a potter
Instead of people, animals would live in a house
Cutting his mental recitation short, Vashrin takes his place in the circle and urges Celeste to do the same.
Nuruk gives a shy smile at Willow's encouragement, nodding a little. If he could clean a deer, he should be able to hug some kind of creature right? Putting on the blindfold, he would take a breath before stepping into the wagon where the creature resided.
"We got this Willow." Nuruk said reassuringly when he heard something rustle inside of the wagon. Reaching out with his fingers, he began to stumble forward until his fingers sunk into the moist, heavy fur of some kind of beast. The hair gave way to pebbled skin underneath, powerful muscles that moved as he did his best to hold tight and not let his stomach go as something fierce tried to crawl up his nostrils and into his stomach.
And he immediately gags and pulls away, making sounds reminiscent to a hiss and an animalistic growl as he struggles to get air that hasn't been tainted by such unwholesome scents.
The old man began. "There once was a lad from Waterdeep..."
The fat, spoiled looking boy didn't have much between his ears, and completely blanked. "Oh, sorry, kid, you're out!" the gnome said, ushering him away. "Now you start a fresh one, girly!"
The pretty girl thought for a moment. "Drizzt the elf he had a cat..." The grown woman with the bad haircut and permanent frown lines chimed in with, "And that there cat she ate a rat..."
What. Had. You. DONE. A whole minute? You weren't about to last a whole second in here. The smell. Dear gods, THE SMELL. It was like rotten corpses, humanoid waste, and every skunk in the world had all come together in your poor nostrils. You blindly fumbled around, seeking the door. Your hand felt something small and squishy, about the size of a cat, and it MOVED. Jerking your hand back, you felt the small creature hop onto your shoulder...then another, onto your head. And another, on your back, clinging to your hair.
In a sudden panic, you tried to brush them off you, but found yourself momentarily stunned and unable to muster the strength to lift your arms. The one on your shoulder laughed in your ear, a small, horrible, mean sound. You felt something draining away from you...like you were bleeding, but it wasn't your blood. It was something else...something important. And now it was gone.
The little creatures leapt off you, and your hands moved at last, finding the tent flap and running outside, tearing off the blindfold, bending over, and retching on the boardwalk.
WHY DID YOU DO THIS? This is the worst thing you have ever smelled or imagined smelling. As you gag and lean forward, you hear a stifled little cry from Willow. Throwing caution to the wind, you pull off the blindfold to find your friend, but your eyes water immediately from the stench. Through the tears, you see...things...crawling all over her. They look like little frog people, and they were doing something to her.
You rush forward to try and help, but they all turn to face you simultaneously, and you find your stride slowing as you're suddenly wobbly on your feet. The creepy little creatures SPROING over to you, one on each shoulder, a third atop your snout. Willow flees. They pry open your mouth, and for a moment you feel panic thinking they intend to crawl inside you -- but instead, the one atop your nose seems to pull something out of you. You can almost see it, like a faint little magical orb. One of them pockets it, and they all bounce away and out the back of the wagon.
Feeling bile creeping up, tears streaming down your face from more than the smell now, you rush out after Willow, meeting her on your knees as you, too, empty your stomach onto the ground.
The twins, having survived round one of the Widdershins Rhymes, continue on.
"And as a result became quite fat..." Vashrin adds.
Celeste follows with "Well at least until he threw up in the old man's hat..."
The new round of rhyming begins, this time with Karen beginning the rhyme. She tried to think of a harder word to rhyme with, hoping to get someone out. "Tiamat was a really big dragon..." and it rolls to Vashrin's turn. After he and Celeste rhyme correctly, the old man thinks a moment and bows his head, stepping out as he fails to think of a rhyming word. It was then Vashrin's turn to begin a new rhyme.
Rolling for round 3:
Vashrin grins toward his sister and starts off "Let's hear for sisters, the world's greatest pest..."
Glaring at her brother, Celeste continues, "But when it comes to jerks, all know brothers are best..."
The pretty girl grins and chimes in with, "Enough of all the bickering, I really must protest," and everyone looks to Karen to finish the verse. She struggles to recall what rhymes are, and gets frustrated. "Wipe those smirks off your little faces, or I'll wipe them off for you!"
The gnome man apologizes and ushers the lady away, then points at Celeste -- her turn to start.
While the gags and retches may have started out as from the scent of the creature within, they were now more from the heaving sobs tearing out of her chest. Her small frame shook while she struggled to catch her breath, her mind a jumble: something was gone, but she wasn't sure what yet. She felt disgusting; needed a bath. Willow reached out to grab Nuruk's hand, his arm, to try to feel something familiar and grounding.
"Are you...hic...okay, Nuruk? She asked, worried. All the sobbing and gagging had given her hiccups. "Something...hic...happened in there. I don't know what. *hic!* We should find everyone and...hic...get Junie and get out of here before something worse happens!" With each hiccup, her frustration grew, and her voice got higher and higher, until the last phrase, where one could almost sense dogs in the surrounding area perking up and looking a bit worried.
This place, this carnival, was scary. It looked pretty, but it wasn't. Willow felt a deep sense of dread building in her stomach and fought off more tears. She pulled herself up off the ground, not bothering to brush off any of the dirt, and held her hand out to help Nuruk up, too.
Celeste contemplates for just a moment before beginning. "Long ago, the world was torn asunder..."
Vashrin patiently waits for the pretty young girl to continue the rhyme, thinking of what word to use. plunder, thunder, blunder...hmmm
The girl's eyes go wide and she looks to the gnome man. "She said a swear word, I think she should be disqualified!" she demanded, not being familiar with the word asunder. The gnome chuckled, "Oh, sorry dearie, 'disqualified' doesn't rhyme! You're out! We're down to the two lookalikes. To make things fair, I'll start you off...'This round is a little bit different...'"
"All the same, this game is magnificent!" Vashrin says, continuing on.
Celeste smirks. "As usual, words come from his mouth as a torrent." she says, gesturing to her brother.
Having each continued on, the twins look to the gnome to see if he is continuing to play this round.
The gnome looks back to Vashrin, waiting for him to continue, with a smile.
Vashrin nods, "If I'm gonna be like the bards someday, It'll pay the rent...
Celeste rolls her eyes and says, "Sure if you plan on living in a tent..."
"Now now sis, no need to be beligerent..." Vash says with a smile.
No, not at all, I'm completely innocent..." Celeste continues with a wicked grin.
Knowing full and well that neither he nor his sister were "innocent", Vashrin just laughs, unfortunately for him, this prevents him from retorting in time.
The gnome laughs in delight. "Ah, we have a Widdershins Winner! Your prize, my dear."
He hands over a small but delicate looking item to Celeste. "It's a bookmark of memory! When you open a book with this inside, you'll recall every word you've read in it previously, with perfect clarity!"
Sam concentrates strongly on the quill, trying too draw the head. He thinks of a big balloon with two handled as ears, then thinks of two circles... The eyes... Isn't that too simple?
"I'm learning!"
He tries something different for the body. Instead of trying to draw it, he makes a mental image of the body he'd like to use - in this case, the panther's. Black, feline, um... yeah, more or less.
"Hey! That works!"
So, the legs... Normally, he would have put panther legs matching a panther body, but... At the last second, Sam's attention shifts to Juniper.
Owlbear legs, it is, then.
Or whatever.
"Wow! That's a really neat prize! Thanks!" Celeste says, obviously pleased with the bookmark.
"Congrats, sis. We should go see how the others are faring" Vashrin says, his pride only a little wounded. If he had to lose, at least it was to Celeste.
The twins wave to the gnome running the game and make their way to meet up with the other Defenders.
Sammy's drawing was...terrifying. It had a perfectly drawn panther's body, yes. But the face was a bloated horror, with unblinking eyes and oversized ears. And the legs...he'd intended the legs to look like Junie's legs, but instead, the hind legs were bird legs, like the owl part of an owlbear -- skinny, with sharp talons.
"Here's your Fold-Up-Friend!" The dwarf taps the picture Sammy's quill drew with a wand, and the creature peeled itself off the page and turned to look at Sammy. "Muuuggghghhhhhh.." it groaned quietly, mouthlessly muffled, eyes staring at him.
The dwarf gave a little shudder and turned his attention to the next patron of his booth. The terrifying fold-up-friend suddenly skittered around the side of the booth, into the space between it and the Mr. Witch game.
Meanwhile, at the Mr. Witch game, what's-her-name was trying to sneak up on the dummy. All the other children yelled "What time is it, Mr. Witch!" The dummy croaked out "It's two o'clock...Two...One..." The halfling tried to freeze in time, but the dummy spun around and a spotlight shone down, lighting her up along with a couple other kids. "It's dinner time..." he growled menacingly. A trapdoor opened below the feet of the spotted children, and the halfling found herself sliding down a whirly, twirly, corkscrewing slide. It was fun, until she saw the giant mouth at the bottom, the slide disappearing into a black void between the teeth.
She heard one of the other kids yelping in fear as they went through the mouth, and then she followed right behind...and landed with a soft thump on a pile of cushions in the back of a covered wagon. Looking up, there was no sign of the slide or the mouth, just the wagon top. A couple other kids looked as awestruck as she felt, and scampering out, she found herself right next to the tent where the game had been.
"GET OFF OF HER!" The dragonborn shouted, his voice losing that childish sound with the roar and rumble of his true heritage. Yet the tears obscured his vision as he swiped at them, stumbling on already clumsy feet. He struggles to keep his mouth close, little bouts of flame erupting from it before that shining orb of something precious was pulled out of him. They jump away and out the back, far too fast for him to follow after. Desperate to follow, he hears the sobs of his friend outside as he stumbles out beside Willow. He tries to comfort her but his stomach revolts, his freshly cooked fish spilling out into a bush as he struggles to reclaim his breath.
With shuddering breaths, he tried to calm himself. Her hand found his and he clenched her hand with an almost painful tightness. Turning to her, the purple eyes of her friend brimmed with tears that began to run down his face. He could see that she was beginning to panic, her voice rising higher and higher with every sentence. Yet he grinned as she panicked, finding that her worry was just...unnecessary. Things weren't that bad. Yet that didn't make sense either. He couldn't shake it though as he laughed harder, shaking his head.
"Don't worry your head. We'll have her back before bed." Nuruk said with a shrug, picking himself up and off of the ground. Stretching a bit before wiping his mouth, he nodded towards the Beholder across the way. "I'm going over there, testing my might. Join me, take in some more of the sights. Alright?" Nuruk seemed to furrow his brow for a moment. Something was...off. He wasn't sure what but something was strange. Shrugging a bit and trying to shake away the chill of that wagon, he began to hum. The reliable vibration that reminded him of bedtime songs late at night. Yet when he did, a long rasp escaped him. Something unsightly and ugly. He cleared his throat and tried again. This guttural, ugly noise left him like he was retching again, causing a few carnival-goers to step around him at distance.
"My song is wrong. My song is wrong." Nuruk whispered to himself, his eyes widening. He could feel his vocal cords twisting uncontrollably, denying him the chance to speak. Shaking his head, he would once again steel his nerves and go to the booth for Bash-A-Beholder. Stepping up proudly, he looked over the set. "Tell me the rules because I'm feeling like I need to bash a fool." Nuruk said with a frown, quickly blowing on the magical gift he was given.
Sammy's eyes open wide when he witnesses his drawing catching life and moving away. He feels a deep sorrow for the poor creature he's created, understanding suddenly how the owlpanther will feel living in such a crippled state.
"I'm sorry!" he cries. "I'm sorry! Please, forgive me!"
Running after the owlpanther, Sam momentarily forgets about Josephine and the Carnival. He approaches carefully the living drawing and tries to caress it.
"I... I didn't know... I'm sorry, is there any way we can fix it?"
Nuruk knew something was amiss, but he also knew their best hope at getting Junie and getting out of here was to win enough prizes to get into the clown's wagon. Hopefully if they left this place everything would go back to normal. I mean, that girl who kept changing colors probably wouldn't do that forever, right?
“Win a prize, win a prize! Pulverize the beholder’s eyes before you’re mesmerized!” The Witchlight worker manning the beholder game was a burly, hairy human man. Unnaturally hairy, it even grew all over his face. "Hello there, sonny boy! Care to try your strength against my beastie?" The beastie in question was a big wooden carving of a beholder, with holes where the eye stalks should be. Nuruk had seen someone else playing earlier, and the eye stalks pop out at random, quickly.
Nuruk blows on his magical dandelion, which remains intact. The man hands over a cushioned wooden mallet. "Five tries to hit the eyes! Get three or more hits and you win a prize! Don't make three and you'll see, that's not all he'll give you -- I mean, ye." The man coughed to cover his failed rhyme. "Basically if ya miss, the eyes'll shoot you with something. But don't worry, s'all in good fun and wears off. Eventually."
She would not be defeated by some dumb dummy! She gave another puff on her dandelion and was pleased to see it survived for another game. Then, silent as a mouse, the instant the other children yelled "What time is it, Mr. Witch?" she bolted forward and snatched the watch before anyone else could so much as make half the distance. It was hers! She won! "Wonderful!" the fairy working the booth exclaimed. "That's yours to keep, my dear!"
Sammy bends down and pets the creature, and his hand passes right through it. It seems like some sort of illusion magic, and not really alive. Still horrifying, but at least that meant it wasn't suffering...right?
He rose to his feet and jumped as a creepy little girl with dead looking skin and a creepy pig mask was standing right in front of him. He felt himself suddenly frozen in place, wanting to run but his legs weren't cooperating. The tattered looked, dead-not-dead pig girl placed a cold, clawed hand on his chest and all Sammy could do was stare down at it in terror. Her fingers curled closed, and he could see her taking something out of him. What was it?! She bowed her little pig-masked head and her broken teeth grinned as she backed away and disappeared into the shadows.
He could move again. And he had never wanted to so badly.
Willow felt minor frustration at Nuruk brushing off her worries. It was painfully clear that something was wrong, but maybe Nuruk was right? If they could all win something, they could bargain to see Junie and get her back...It would be over before we knew it.
Nuruk's uncharacteristically terrible singing shook her out of her thoughts and she tried to smile at him and pat his arm for comfort. The expression was as natural as breathing to her, but her face twisted and fought against her attempts. Her eyes widened while she attempted a manic grin, but her face only fought her more. She could feel the panic rising up again - she couldn't smile? Maybe it was a temporary effect of hugging whatever that foul creature was... or maybe it was whatever swarmed her in that room.
Can't think about it now. She settled into a neutral expression, her brows furrowed with worry. Need to find a way to get a prize and rescue Juniper.
"I think I'll stick with you, Nuruk." she said, trailing after him as he approached Bash-a-Beholder. She gazed out across the crowd, trying to get eyes on the rest of the Defenders.
"Beat the eyes, dodge the beams. I should be able to tear this apart at the seams." Nuruk whispered, taking the wooden mallet in hand. The comment that it was all in good fun earned a long stare from the dragonborn, enough that burly human was a little shaken from it. Giving a nod, the worker pulled the lever and the beholder came to life! Nuruk reared back and swung the mallet as fiercely as he could.
Not seeing but briefest of glimpses of the other Defenders, Vashrin and Celeste opt for another game.. this time Name the Unnamable.
The twins approach the booth and present their respective dandelions. With a blow, more seeds float away, but both twins are pleased to see that more remain.
Try as she might, Willow was unable to spot any of the others. That was probably okay, though, right? I mean, nothing bad probably happened to them or anything. Still... She really didn't wanna be alone right now. She hurried after Nuruk, determined to keep at least that one friend in her sights.
Nuruk, understandably, had a LOT of pent up frustration. The first eyestalk popped out and BOOM, he clobbered it with the market before it could open its lids, sending it back into its hole. The second one was surprisingly fast, and he missed his swing. The eye opened and glowed green, and he managed to duck right before a cloud of sticky looking gas shot out. "Ahh, that'd be the hiccup spray! Lucky it missed you or you'd be hiccuping for hours!"
Distracted by the talk, Nuruk missed again and this time, faced down a purple eye with no hope of dodging. What would it be? Something worse than hiccups? Worse than not being able to sing, or talk normally? No... It couldn't be... But it was.
The eye stalk sprayed him with glitter, covering him head to toe. The enraged little dragonborn lost it for a moment, wailing on the beholder. He scored the requisite two more points, and the big hairy man had to take the mallet from him. "Easy, boy. Game's finished. Here's your prize!". He hands you a giant pair of gloves.
Vashrin and Celeste head to the booth in question.“It came from the unknowable, its desires are unpredictable, but what’s its name? Do you know?” the satyr woman running this game calls out. Sitting on a cushion is a strange, silent little creature. All around it, on plaques, are written little word fragments. The satyr explains that one ticket punch ( or dandelion blow) gets you three guesses. After each guess, the creature will nod for each fragment you guessed correctly. Guess his full name and you win!
Sam goes from sadness to happiness, then to surprise, then to fear... The sight of the dead looking girl is barely resistible for him.
"...!"
And again surprise when no sound comes out from his mouth.
"Mmmhh!"
Then fear again. Has he gone mute? Forever?
He runs to meet his friends, forgetting about the owlpanther, about Juniper and everything else.
"...!" he explains to the nearest one, pointing at his mouth and negating with his head. He's nervous, his eyes are wet and sweat is running down his forehead.
"..., ...!"
Celeste asks the satyr, "Can my brother and I answer separately or do we have answer at the same time for our three guesses?"
Before the satyr can answer, Vashrin blurts out, "Bog Ra Bumple Kin!"
The creature nods twice.
The satyr shrugs. "You can wait, or guess together, your choice!"
Sammy runs up to Willow as she's watching Nuruk beat the snot out of the beholder. She sees him gesturing frantically.
"Okay, great. Thanks." Celeste says to the satyr. Seeing the creature nod twice she says, "Ooh, good guess, Vash. Now which two did you get right?" she asks rhetorically.
With a cocksure grin Vashrin says, "Alright sis, I've done half the work, your turn."
Celeste contemplates the choices, thinking to herself, Hmmm...something about it just looks like a bumplekin...whatever that is... before settling on "Hug La Bumple Kin", hoping that she at least gets two right on her guess.