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Ace grins "Wait a sec, are you saying that there's literally *nothing* going on right now? No world ending events, no mysteries that must be solved, nothing at all?. Am I dreaming?" He teases playfully. Ginni laughed. "I know, right? It doesn't happen often. Guess we should enjoy it while it lasts. Anytime we could be interrupted by some unspeakable crisis. Like homework," she joked back.
"Yeah, pretty sure Raelle will be relieved. She felt bad about turning Mithros down." "Ummm......" She laughed. "Honestly, no, I don't have a clue. I'm going library diving this evening. And then curling up with a good medical textbook in the hopes that it enlightens me on how to make this shapeshifting business work. But I hadn't really considered what to do this morning and afternoon."
"Good! Then it's a date." he says smilingJessa smiles brightly back at him, then blushes furiously and turns to take another bite of breakfast nearly upsetting her tray in the process. Ginni laughed. "Yeah, you totally did it right this time, Mithros. Good for you. I hope you guys have fun."
Jessa stares down at her tray for a moment, then nods quickly, "I .. I think .. Yes. I think I would like that." She seems like she might say something else, but instead remains quiet. Ginni smiled. Ace: ::Ooh, looks like Mithros has a bit of a crush. And has learned how to approach a girl he likes without mortally offending her. So cute!::
Ginni blinked. Well, that was a lot to take in. It sounded like Jessa was even more messed up than she was. "Well, I'm not going to the festival thing today, so I can start looking for those records for you today if you want. You don't have to read them if you don't want. We can just find them and deliver them to the right people. Nala and Phaezeriel. He's really good at dealing with psychic trauma. Except he's kinda in a cocoon at the moment. He helped me get through my transformation, but all the demonic energy wasn't good for him. Hopefully he'll be alright soon," she said, worried.
Ace smiles at Ginni. "Yea, that definitely doesn't sound like a good idea. However, Avalon has a library that literally every book in existence, so perhaps there's information on something similar to what you're going through in a book somewhere. Research is a specialty of mine, it's how I was able to cure Ginni of her soul stealing issues my first few days here. I'll gladly offer to spend an afternoon/evening among the bookshelves to see if I can find anything to help you, once I get back from the festival I am attending later today." "If nothing else, we can find the research notes of the scientists who experimented on you. The library really does have every book in existence. It might help. It certainly can't hurt. Better information can only help design better treatments, right?"
Jessa's expression goes through several rapid changes; surprise, gratitude, worry, fear, and others. Finally she shakes her head slightly, "Thank you, Ginni. That you would make such an offer is a little overwhelming. But, even Nala was injured by contact with her mind. Every person prior to Nala was either killed or had their personality slowly transformed into a carbon copy of my unpleasant twin. I think I will refuse, at least for now." Ginni nodded. "Fair enough. It sounds like it's probably a bad idea then. But I wanted you to know that I am willing to help if it becomes necessary. You don't have to fight your battles alone here," she said. "That's how I still have my soul after my transformation. I could never have won the battle against my demon side on my own."
"You're right, Mithros. If anyone can help those poor people, then the folks here can, I'm sure of it," Ginni said with a nod. She set down her fork for a moment, contemplating her empty plate. "Jessa, if it will help, I can create a link between our minds. The downside is it's permanent. I have no idea how to undo it if it's even possible. And it would make you especially vulnerable to my enchantments. But that means I might be able to help stop you if your other half breaks free. I'm not sure that it wouldn't be bad for both of us, but your problem sounds serious, so I'm willing to take the risk in order to help you. If you want. You don't have to decide right now. I just want you to know that it's an option if you want that kind of help from me," she said seriously. "After all, what's the point in having crazy demon powers if I don't use them for good," she added with a smile.
"Yeah, thanks for the compliment. I'm still getting used to the new form myself," she said with a smile. "And I'm all for new starts and second chances and learning from past mistakes." "And the names was because her eyes keep changing color. That seems to be the sign of the personality switch, and I was trying to be respectful of the fact that there are two of her present. No sense antagonizing either side by not acknowledging their existence." Ace: ::Well, without actually getting in her head, there's only so much I can guess, but I would say that a little worry is warranted. But she also said that Nala was working with her, and she's very nearly as good at the mental stuff as Miss Jones, probably on par with Phaezeriel, but they have different focuses and methods. So that's at least a little bit reassuring. She's not out here without supervision or anything.::
"You know," Ginni said calmly, continuing to eat her breakfast, "you could really use some kind of signal, I mean besides the eye color, to make sure people know who they're talking to. Also, names. Calling both of you Jessa is understandably problematic. I bet someone can make a magical name tag for you that changes depending on which of you is driving the body at that particular moment." "We've met," Ginni said dryly. "And since Raelle says that we can all leave the nastiness behind, I'm going to take her at her word," she said with a look that added but I'm watching you, so don't screw this up.
"I suppose I will.""Alright. Well, just be careful.""I'm not. It's pure theory, right now.""Right, but who ever does. How are you testing this?" "Well, I'm fine with it. Not sure about Jessa and Jessa. See what I mean? We totally need to work on the names. It's awkward."
Ace, being rather perceptive especially with regards to anything resembling shape-changing asks "You're eyes just shifted color, from a blue to a bright purple. Is that normal?"Jessa sighs and nods, "Yeah, lately it is. It usually means that She is awake and paying attention. It means I have to be careful." She giggles softly to herself, then looks up at Ace and Ginni, "She used to think I was a dream she kept having until Miss Nala made it so I could talk to her." "You know," Ginni said calmly, continuing to eat her breakfast, "you could really use some kind of signal, I mean besides the eye color, to make sure people know who they're talking to. Also, names. Calling both of you Jessa is understandably problematic. I bet someone can make a magical name tag for you that changes depending on which of you is driving the body at that particular moment."
Jessa nods, "Yeah, she is a real peach, too. Is there really a club for people who have a murderous psychopath riding in the back of their head?" "Well, not formally. But yeah, it's not a unique condition around here. And I think Ace's unwanted passenger is being quiet because the containment is holding. If it stops holding," she tapped her head "I'll be the first to know. Unbreakable psychic connection." "Is that someone you know?" she asked, noticing Jessa staring at Mithros. "It's okay if you want to go hang out with your friend. We aren't going to think you're rude if you do," she said with an encouraging smile.
"Yeah," she agreed, laughing. "Because a roommate would be totally mad when your puppy chewed up all their shoes. And cuddling with an audience gets awkward....well, unless you're into that kind of thing, I guess. But the shared rooms all have dividers that can be rolled out for privacy to avoid awkward moments. So the lack of roommate is mostly because of the puppy," she said with a wink.
Still kind of out of it, but a more alert with the influx of sugar and caffeine, Jessa looks back over at them, "Nah, I am new. Only been here a few days. I like the food, though. Its way better than before. And a room to myself where no one .. anyway, a room to myself is pretty nice too!" Blushing a bit, Jessa turns back to her food. "It's okay, whatever it is, you don't have to be embarrassed. A lot of kids here come from difficult backgrounds. I didn't even have a home before I came here. You're right about the food, too. And yes, it's always this good. Have you been to any classes yet? Or were you still settling in? Sorry, I didn't catch your name," Ginni said, attempting to be friendly in between stuffing her face with sugar. The waffle has been devastated and now she's trying to eat a cinnamon roll and a chocolate croissant at the same time with less than stellar results. She has a large smear of frosting across her nose.
Ace glances over to the girl Ginni was talking about ::"Nope, not a clue. Maybe she was trying to be friendly?":: ::Probably. Well, we can be friendly back, I suppose. She might be new.:: Ginni paused from inhaling her giant pile of sugar long enough to wave back to the new girl. "Hi. I'm Ginni. This is Ace. I don't think I've seen you around before," she said, with a friendly smile towards Jessa.
Ginni raised an eyebrow. ::You know her?:: she asked Ace telepathically. ::Or should we introduce ourselves. Maybe after she's had some of that coffee and can distinguish faces...::
"Yeah," she agreed, setting down her tray at not the usual table. Because if things were going to be different anyways, well...this was easier somehow. "I would have to say worst week of my life so far, and you saw that I had quite a few doozies to compete with it. Or maybe you didn't. I'm still not sure how much you did and didn't see inside my mind. So I'm glad that we're able to move on, change the old patterns and create new ones that will be better from here on," she said with a cheerful smile. "There will always be people like that who lash out because they're jealous or they're scared or there's just something missing in their hearts. No sense getting dragged into the mud with them, right?""I saw some, but it honestly doesn't matter. Your past, nor your true nature, doesn't change my feelings for you. I did lot of soul searching and personal examination this last week, and I'm hoping to be a better person overall now. Also yea, some people just suck like that, we should definitely try to avoid such jealous, hateful souls" She kissed him and then smiled. "Right answer," she said with an impish grin. "Now let's eat breakfast before it gets cold." She sat down and started digging into the nauseatingly sweet sundae that she'd turned her waffle into. "Mmm. I wasn't sure that the caramel and the strawberries would mix, but that's actually pretty good," she said with her mouth full.
He hugs her close "Ya know, I was *sorely* tempted, or at least be a lot meaner. But the last time I picked a fight, well, let's just say we both had probably the worst week of our time here at Avalon, if not our lives" He says, dancing around the topic of her murder. "Yeah," she agreed, setting down her tray at not the usual table. Because if things were going to be different anyways, well...this was easier somehow. "I would have to say worst week of my life so far, and you saw that I had quite a few doozies to compete with it. Or maybe you didn't. I'm still not sure how much you did and didn't see inside my mind. So I'm glad that we're able to move on, change the old patterns and create new ones that will be better from here on," she said with a cheerful smile. "There will always be people like that who lash out because they're jealous or they're scared or there's just something missing in their hearts. No sense getting dragged into the mud with them, right?"
"So just because you didn't know her true nature, that somehow makes it OK?" Ace's form blurs, and suddenly there's a rather attractive blonde in his place. "Unsure how my or Ginni's form matters" She says in sultry voice, before she alters appearance once again, this time becoming an ugly, hunchbacked old man. "True beauty is in the soul, and Ginni's soul is gorgeous. Trust me, I know, I saw it.", in a voice weighed down by years. He then reverts back to his 'normal' self. The boy backs away, horrified. "Freaks!" he yells before taking off. Ginni laughs. "Oh, the look on his face! That was absolutely priceless! Thanks. For telling him off for me. You know," she said, with a smile, "instead of starting a fight."
Ace chuckles at Ginni's new found appetite, "I'm going to guess that being in a coma for a week really ramps up one's hunger huh?" He gathers his usual several large, diverse plates of food, then summons a minor entity to carry his food so his hands are free to assist Ginni, should she need it. "Apparently," she said, a little bit sheepishly, as she piled her tray full of every breakfast sweet she could get her hands on. "Or my metabolism changed with the new shape. Guess we'll have to see if it's a one-time deal or not." She had a little bit of trouble with the tray as she stepped away from the line, but with Ace there to help avoided an embarrassing tumble. "Er, thanks. I know this is gonna get less awkward eventually." "I see you're showing your true colors now," a boy sneered as he walked past. Ginni winced. She recognized him the boy who had forcibly kissed her at the beginning of the school year and had part of his soul sucked out. She grimaced remembering being forced to vomit it out.
Ginni was feeling very self conscious as they entered the cafeteria. She still hadn't figured out how to manage shapeshifting, and her more demonic appearance was bothering her. At least she was getting a little bit steadier on the hooves with practice, but it still felt pretty precarious to her. It seemed like forever since the last time she was here. Thanks to Phaeze's work helping her mind work through the trauma as he reassembled her mind, she just felt sad when she saw that their normal table was empty, not the too familiar feeling that nothing would ever be okay again. She missed Joneh and Rodhas, just like she missed the other friends she'd lost over time. But she knew that being sad all the time just wasn't possible, so for now, she tried to set the feeling aside. At least long enough to get breakfast. "I don't know about you, but I am definitely in the mood for some less than healthy breakfast. I think waffles maybe. With syrup and whipped cream and fruit and chocolate chips, and cinnamon rolls, and maybe some chocolate croissants. Ooh, and muffins."
Ace chuckles, both at the antics of the cub with Kitty, and at Ginni "You would be surprised what you can accomplish when you're only getting around two hours of sleep a night. Between homework, keeping an eye on you, tracking down well you know, and organizing and helping with this little project for Kitty, sleep wasn't all that important." Ginni hugged him. "I'm not even gonna give you the lecture on why too little sleep is bad for you. This time. Mostly because I don't think I would have done any differently in your shoes. But for heaven's sakes, you can at least rest now," she added, laughing a little at the absurdity of a demon saying something silly like for heaven's sakes.
Ginni smiled, leaning against Ace, at least partially for balance, although she's getting a little better at standing. Especially since the floors outside of the infirmary weren't quite as slick.
She sighed. "I'm sure they would help to some extent, but I think that maybe expecting to get the hang of it all in one go is a little ambitious. It's possible that I'm just tired out from the transformation in the first place. For now, I'll gladly take some help with staying upright," she added with a smile.
Ace lays a hand of support on Ginni's shoulders. "Try changing all at once. View yourself in your mind before the transformation, and flow into it. One trick I taught myself was to keep repeating that this form is my true form, who I really am. That might help you as well, to remind yourself that while this is what you look now, you're still Ginni." "How I look and who I am are separate things," she said with an exasperated sigh. "I had to learn that a long time ago. Otherwise I would have believed all those people who told me I had to be evil because of how I looked. And I look even more like that now. That's not the problem. The problem is the actual changing. I've never been mutable before. I don't know how to flow. I know I can do it, because succubi can. But it's not as easy to do as to say," she said, frustrated.
Ginni frowned and bit her lip, concentrating very hard as she glared at her hooves. For a moment they seemed to start flowing into a more elongated shape, and then they stopped and went back as Ginni yelped. "Owowowowowowoooowww! That is a lot easier said than done!" "Well, what I am is unwelcome in a lot of places. Also, shapeshifting is a natural ability of mine, so technically it's a part of what I am. And I know how to walk on feet. But I don't know how to make them," she said, exasperated as she glared at her hooves.
Ginni frowned and bit her lip, concentrating very hard as she glared at her hooves. For a moment they seemed to start flowing into a more elongated shape, and then they stopped and went back as Ginni yelped. "Owowowowowowoooowww! That is a lot easier said than done!"
"personally I figure it'd probably have been better to research demons before you got to this point....""Yeah, pretty sure that I don't have any special new dietary requirements...I think....I may need to do some research on demons actually..." "Well, it's not like I knew I was going to need to know....most half demons are pretty straightforward. It's not like I knew my mom was a special kind of succubus and that I was going to turn into a full demon when I grew up...which annoyingly enough kind of proves your point. But I thought I had a handle on it!" she pouted.
"Yeah, pretty sure that I don't have any special new dietary requirements...I think....I may need to do some research on demons actually..."
Ace flashes Nala a grin "Sweet, thanks!" He turns and hugs Ginni "Alrighty, I'll miss you, but if you think that's best, then that's what we'll do. Now come on, I have a special surprise awaiting a good friend" "Well, alright then," she says, smiling and standing up unsteadily. "Just don't expect me to go anywhere fast. Hooves, tiles, joints that bend the opposite way they used to...it's a recipe for disaster."
"Well, you're more confident than I am. And I don't think it's a good idea to risk a diplomatic incident over it. I have a lot of things to learn, and who knows how long any of that is going to take? I think I'd rather skip the high pressure situations for a little while."
"Uh, which party would that be, and when? If its this weekend, we can't make it cuz we're going with Tyrrin and her brother Ehos to a special Equinox Festival hosted by Ty's mother, who I believe is akin to a queen among her people. She's a High Seer, like the Headmaster, and I guess that's some sort of royalty among the elves." "Well, you may be going to the festival, Ace, but unless I suddenly master shapeshifting overnight, I'm gonna have to sit this one out. I've been on the wrong side of an angry mob before and that was just for being a half demon. I don't think they'll be happy to see an actual succubus. So, there's that." "And I think I'm just stuck here until a staff member gets enough free time to give me a checkup to make sure everything is all okay before they let me out. I think they're having trouble with organization and stuff since the guy who is supposed to be in charge is in a cocoon. They probably have to call someone else in to cover for him while he's out. So I have no idea how long I have to stay. I'm sure they'll let me out tonight at least. But I feel bad about unintentionally causing the trouble. I don't want to cause more by sneaking out."
Ginni had to wipe a tear away as she read the lyrics. "That's beautiful, Mel. Really speaks to all of us who have lost someone, recently or not."
Ginni squeezed her hand. "You have nothing to be sorry for. I think it was probably for the best. I think that it would have been bad for you to be here when I was battling my inner demon. I'm afraid it might have affected you very badly. You don't have a lot of mental walls built yet. And you were gone because you were doing important stuff to keep all of the rest of us safe. So, thank you for that."
"Oh, I think I could manage that," Ginni said with a bemused smile. "Huh. I think that when Phaezeriel put my psyche back together he left out some pieces...no," she said tilting her head and frowning, "not left out. They're still there, just...smoothed out a little. Like a sort of buffer around the really abusive stuff. Umm....so, you still don't know. I was murdered a few days ago," she continued, looking uncomfortable to be talking about it. "The murderer had a lot of psychic abilities and realized that my unbreakable permanent connection thing would give away his identity, so he shattered my psyche. It took Phaezeriel several days of psychic surgery to put me back together. And then of course the connection to Repp, that's who killed me, and a lot of other girls before me to be honest, triggered the whole demonic transformation. Because of being exposed to so much evil. Getting through that with my soul intact took a lot of help. Anyhow, Repp has been dealt with, so that's something. And I am very, very glad not to have him in my head anymore," she added with a shudder. Ginni shuddered. "Don't ask the questions. The answers are not satisfying, I promise. I mean, really, does it matter why he was psychotic? Something in his mind, and in his soul, was broken past all repair. He had no sense of right and wrong, only of personal frustration and satisfaction. And that's a lot more than I ever want to think about what his mind was like, ever again," she said firmly.
"Oh. You already know. Well, then. I'm very sorry, Melody. I know that must hurt. It sounds like you know more about what happened than I do. All I knew was that my connection to Kai was cut, which means...well, anyhow. I'm sorry I wasn't able to help, Mel. I...wasn't really myself at the time. If there's anything that I can do, I'm here for you," Ginni said, reaching out and awkwardly patting Mel's shoulder. "Oh, I think I could manage that," Ginni said with a bemused smile. "Huh. I think that when Phaezeriel put my psyche back together he left out some pieces...no," she said tilting her head and frowning, "not left out. They're still there, just...smoothed out a little. Like a sort of buffer around the really abusive stuff. Umm....so, you still don't know. I was murdered a few days ago," she continued, looking uncomfortable to be talking about it. "The murderer had a lot of psychic abilities and realized that my unbreakable permanent connection thing would give away his identity, so he shattered my psyche. It took Phaezeriel several days of psychic surgery to put me back together. And then of course the connection to Repp, that's who killed me, and a lot of other girls before me to be honest, triggered the whole demonic transformation. Because of being exposed to so much evil. Getting through that with my soul intact took a lot of help. Anyhow, Repp has been dealt with, so that's something. And I am very, very glad not to have him in my head anymore," she added with a shudder.
"Oh. You already know. Well, then. I'm very sorry, Melody. I know that must hurt. It sounds like you know more about what happened than I do. All I knew was that my connection to Kai was cut, which means...well, anyhow. I'm sorry I wasn't able to help, Mel. I...wasn't really myself at the time. If there's anything that I can do, I'm here for you," Ginni said, reaching out and awkwardly patting Mel's shoulder.
"Hey, that wasn't your fault. No more so than it's my fault when Kal's taken over my mind, and forced me to do horrible things." As he says that, he checks the device(bracelet, if I recall) that's keeping Kal at bay. Thankfully, it still seems to be fine. "I get what you're saying, and I know it makes logical sense," she said, shaking her head. "But it doesn't feel like that right now." "Melody, how long were you gone? I wasn't....exactly myself this past week. I know you were a long way aways, but I can't be sure of how long. Not sure how much you need to catch up on," she said, changing the subject.
Ginni laughed, but there wasn't any humor in it. "Greater succubus. There's a big difference. A normal succubus wouldn't have messed up Phaezeriel so bad," [I]she said, wracked with guilt over what her demon side had done.
Ace grins at the joke "Honestly, before I came to Avalon, it was a ton more of the arrogant jerk behavior. But then I met Ginni and decided to change, for her." He says, giving his girlfriend a fond, loving smile. Ginni smiles back. "Well, that might very well be a first, someone being convinced to become more good because of dating a demon," she joked and then made a face. "Okay, it still sounds so bad. I know I can't help what I was born as, and at least I survived the transformation with my soul intact. But I don't know if I'm ever going to be totally happy about this."
"Sheesh, I was just trying to be nice" The roguish young man grabs some bacon some milk and proceeds to feed Squeaky the treats. "Boys," Ginni said, rolling her eyes. "You're both pretty, now can we just eat our dinner," [i]she joked.
"What am, I chopped liver? It's a good thing I brought my own butler, I'm not a fan of this one" Ginni giggled again. "Sorry, sweetie, it appears your approval rating isn't very high with the new arrivals," she teased Ace, trying to keep the mood light since that was what Mel seemed to want.
"I can't," Ginni said, smile faltering. "I haven't been released from the infirmary yet. I'm only being allowed to wander around because my doctor is kinda encased in a cocoon right now," she added with a grimace.
Chuckling "Plenty. I haven't been an elephant before. Nor have I ever had need to be an alligator or crocodile. I've also never been a hippo, but I did need to be a rhino once. That extra armor and horn was useful for breaking through a small squad of enemy soldiers. It helped that it was incredibly unexpected as well" He says continuing to laugh at the memory.Mel whispers to Ginni, but Ace can probably overhear, I've seen him eat, he might be a hippo without realizing it. she says jokingly. Ginni giggled. She sank into a chair with relief as they reached the waiting room. It wasn't just the hooves. Her whole body ached from the forced transformation. She winced as she accidentally smashed one of her now much bigger wings on the back of the chair. "Oof. I really hope that that info on succubi is correct and I can learn how to shapechange too. At least enough to wear shoes and not bang myself up on chairs. But not enough to change into a rhinoceros. That definitely doesn't sound like my style," she joked.
"less stable? I've seen goats climb things I've never seen someone in unenchanted high heals climb" She snorted. "Last time I checked, goats have four legs. Trust me, it makes a difference."
"Outside of space and time? Yeah, that's definitely far away," Ginni said, shaking her head. "And hooves are nothing like heels! Way less stable. I guess I'll figure it out eventually though. Anyways, I kinda need to sit down now, so we're heading to the waiting room. You can join us or we can catch up later....there's some things we're definitely going to need to talk about," she added, suddenly more serious. "But I don't think it's anything that can't wait until after we've both had some rest."
"Uh, yeah, kind of a lot of things happened, and it wasn't so much a decision as an inevitable change kind of thing. I can give you all the details if you want. We were just headed for the waiting room to eat some dinner. They're not quite ready to discharge me I guess. And I'd love to hear about what happened to you....you were so far away! But I understand if you want to put that conversation off until later."
When Melody comes around the corner, accompanied by a frantic, barking puppy, she sees Ginni in full demon form, being held up by Tami because she hasn't yet got the hang of walking on hooves. "Melody!" Ginni exclaimed happily.
Mel looks around a little lost , Ginni, you alright? whre are you? Mel tries to make her way away from Arthur to find her friend. "Mel?!" she heard from somewhere nearby in the infirmary. "Mel, I'm over here! I'd come to you, but it, walking is a bit difficult at the moment!" she called out.
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