Being stunned when there is an angry wolf in your face can be... hazardous for one's health.
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Orchid changes shape in the blink of an eye and the silent figure finds itself confronting not a young woman but six feet of angry wolf, intent on rending it limb from limb.
Ameiko: Orchid stills when Ameiko turns her, unmoving as the lovely bard says her piece. Ameiko's dark eyes hold her, pinned like an arrow to the target and a small voice inside Orchid's head whispers. She doesn't normally listen to that voice - it normally sounds a lot like Flori when she's being disapproving. 'Orchid, brush your hair.' 'Orchid, take a bath.' 'Orchid, don't bite the boy who tried to give me a flower.'
But this once it whispers something else, something Orchid desperately wants to be true. So she plucks up her courage, leans in and slowly, oh so slowly, presses her lips gently into Ameikos.
With the horses (and Ameiko): Orchid enjoys breakfast, eating as heartily as she always does. Her nose gives away Ameiko's plan but it's still a genuine pleasure when she enters the stable and a wide, soft smile spreads across her face. For a moment Orchid looks genuinely pretty as her eyes roam over her beloved horses.
"Thank you." She says softly to Ameiko, before copying the woman's example by taking up a brush and setting to work. It wouldn't be possible without the horses, Orchid always feels better around them but even so Ameiko only just makes out the question when Orchid asks. "Why brute?" She says, not facing the bard. "Thought friends. Like you... a lot. Got flower for you. Know am... not normal. Not clever. Not pretty like you. But thought friends. Brute hurt. You not like me?" She stops talking and focuses on the long smooth brush strokes, but Ameiko can easily see the tension in Orchid's back, the corded muscles standing stiff under her shirt.
Orchid actually smiles when she notices the newcomers and makes room at the table for Ameiko to sit down next to her. When the soon-to-be princess does so Orchid almost visibly relaxes and the smile stays on her face, lurking at the edges of her mouth. She waves to Spivey but doesn't speak. There are people better at that than her.
Orchid looks around and then shrugs. At the moment her best plan is to wander the streets and look for the bird. So it's not a very good plan. Hopefully the talky people will come up with something. While she waits she begins to jiggle from foot to foot.
Orchid takes the voice better than expected - which is to say she doesn't immediately curl into a ball or attempt to rip anyone apart. Instead she cocks her head and then moves slowly towards Vigny, eyes fixed on the golden helmet. Then she leans in, sniffs deeply and then licks it... ...before turning away in apparent satisfaction. "Where is guild?" She asks, still holding the feather in one hand. It seems she wants to go bird-chasing.
Orchid finds the feather and picks it up cautiously, before taking a long sniff and then heading straight for the door again.
Orchid, with her very unsatisfactory prey gone, skulks among the crowd. She keeps most of her attention on Flori and Caitlyn but doesn't involve herself - children are not people that she can deal with well. [People are not people she can deal with well!]
Orchid finally manages to dig a chunk out of the creatures body, but not enough to make any true difference.
Orchid continues to blunt her teeth on the elemental.
Orchid nods and heads straight for the large creature, carving at it with sharply clawed hands and even sharper teeth!
Having woken up feeling much better and having 'wolfed' down a large breakfast Orchid is sharp (still not socially but at least in other ways) and when she catches sight of the blonde youth she doubles back sharply, intent on catching the figures smell. But towns are smelly places and the boy is quick so she rejoins the group a few moments later with an angry scowl plastered over her face. ------------------------------
Orchid, who hasn't stopped being a wolf yet (and snuck upstairs while the landlord wasn't looking) gives both giggling girls a flat look and then sprawls onto the rug in front of the fireplace with a distinct 'huff'. Flori's angry acrobats comment actually produces an outright whine and the wolf turns its head to the fire - clearly trying to not hear the silliness going on behind it!
With a foe coming into reach Orchid bites once more, not troubling to move her giant paws. Her massive jaws slam into human flesh despite the ninja's attempt at dodging and an instinctive twist lay her foe out across the deck like delicious dinner!
Orchid spins around, knocking down piles of coin as she goes and wriggles out of the hatch to confront the strange smells above. They smell like enemies so she sprints forwards, instinctively shying away from the flames and bites!
Orchid's reflexes are just sharp enough to avoid the flash of light as she bites at the undead once more!
Orchid is nothing if not stubborn and with the scent of a new pack member arriving she attacks with renewed vigor!
Between them the two wolves shred undead flesh!
Orchid can smell the creature far too clearly to be put off by something as mundane as mist. Her lupine form slinks forwards towards the scent of rot and decay.
Orchid prowls forwards into the darkness, her form elongating and merging with the darkness itself.
Orchid listens to Flori and pauses, before her face shifts into its odd muzzle shape and she takes several long, deep sniffs.
Orchid, who doesn't need the light, drops lightly down into the low hold. She crouches on all fours and stares into the darkness towards the rattling chains, unbothered by the cramped conditions.
Orchid's sharp nose picks up the smell of burning as soon as she arrives on the deck of the ship and she is pleased to see Shunsen snuff out the potential fire hazard. With that danger passed the shifter moves to the hatch and starts prying the nails out.
Orchid isn't going to let Flori go with anyone else - she likes Cailyn well enough but those two together would be a disaster, so she slides her sister into the strange boat and then sets out to paddle.
+1 bow should be fine but as discussed in Duscord the DW is too valuable and needs to be sold. (Also Orchid needs that gold repaid at some point soon! ;) ) If you guys can handle the selling IC the I'll sort the loot out and do splits once I'm back in the UK.
Orchid bounds at the woman who threw away her weapon and demonstrates why having your weapons in your mouth us so much more effective.
Orchid turns about and lunges for the nearest legs.
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For better or worse the most recent warrior to confront the blood-stained wolf is more capable than his fellows and keeps his balance well. This doesn't save him from the huge, bloody fangs but does stop him ending up on the floor like the others.
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Orchid wrenches another warrior to the ground, ignoring her first prone foe in favor of the slightly more dangerous one. Hearing Flori's cry of pain behind her sends protective instincts into overdrive but the wolf knows to never turn its back on a foe so she trusts in the pack to protect her sister and deals with the threats in front of her first.
Ignoring the minor wound Orchid grasps the womans ankle in her powerful jaws and tears with all the might of her enhanced neck muscles. The result is... unpleasant.
Orchid morphs suddenly into a huge brown wolf and places herself menacingly between her sister and the yelling barbarian.
"Like bears." Orchid murmurs. "Give good hugs." She takes her sister's offer of mystical protection and stands to one side of the door, ready for violence if it breaks out.
Orchid takes a few minutes to talk to the horses, communicating in the uncanny way that she has with animals. She summarises shortly afterwards. "Horses new. From away. Two days. Many horses and riders. Something big happening." She shrugs. "Big feast. I think. Should be careful."
Orchid thrusts up one hand and then beckons Flori forward. Once her sister is beside her the shifter crouches and points to the dirt ahead. "Magic?" She says, turning the word into both a statement and a question.
Orchid proves to be entirely on board with the plan to eat three dinners and does so with gusto. Oddly however she vanishes when the baths are ordered and simply can't be found anywhere... The next day she's wandering around in her usual tunic, apparently unaffected by the cold or utterly determined to invoke her Second Amendment right to bare arms. Whether through patriotism or indifference she receives even more odd looks than usual but remains as absolutely disdainful as ever. "Yes." She agrees simply when Cailyn has stopped munching long enough to speak. "Ass-Big need lesson."
Oddly perhaps, the ulfen warrior disappears during the night. Morning comes and a trail of bare feet leads to the river. There is no further sign of the man and, stranger still, no sign that he slipped his bonds first. -----------------------------
With Sandy: "Ameiko hate me?" Orchid asks, her tone making it a question rather than her words. "Said brute, which is bad." There's a long, tortured pause as Orchid tries desperately to marshal words to her thoughts and her elder brother, experienced in such situations, lets her think quietly.
"Know am not smart." Orchid says finally. "Not like Flori. Not po-lite but not brute. Not monster. Just wolf. Just me. How be better Sandy? I..." Her voice drops even lower. "Like her. Ameiko. Like like. But she say 'brute'. Not like me. Sandy, what do?" It might be the longest speech Orchid has given in years. It's certainly the most heartfelt - and probably covers topics that Sandru (quite reasonably) hoped he'd never have to deal with from his little sister.
With Vigny:
Orchid cocks her head to one side and then smiles slowly. "He jerk. Horses best - Taizo not. Too... stick-up-butt." She waits for a long moment and then sighs. "Ok. Talk to horses."
Clearly the spirit of mischief is not completely dealt with though as Orchid waits for Vigny to turn away before speaking again. "Sandy like mint things. Sneaks from horses. Is good gift to him." By the time Vigny has turned Orchid is already loping away, a single word floating back over her shoulder. "Welcome!" -------------------------------------
A few minutes later she wanders down to the river, shucks off her clothes without concern for the cold and jumps into the river. The cold stings, but it doesn't hurt. Not as much as the pain in her chest at least. The next day she lopes up the caravan to reach Sandru. "Sandy? Talk? Please?"
Are they being nasty about the horses?:
Orchid lopes past, pausing for a moment to shoot a nasty glance at Taizo for bad-mouthing her beloved horses before stepping up to the animals and murmuring to them in the odd way that she does. Wolf-Orchid, muzzle still stained with blood, prowls over to the still living ulfen and bares her teeth.
Orchid lands yet another bite but this time her opponent is better centred and she can't drag him down. The wolf doesn't seem even mildly deterred though.
Orchid dodges axes and closes her jaws on another mans leg before savagely tearing backwards and leaving the ulfen on the ground with blood pouring out of him.
Orchid stalks forwards to stand before Ameiko and Flori. The moment one of the warriors comes in range she bites!
Orchid is growling at the large bird when she hears something and barks out a single word. "Boat!" In a flash the young woman is gone and a large brown wolf stands in her place who immediately circles around the fire to stand next to Ameiko, facing towards the river.
Combat Stats: AC 22 (26 if Flori hits me with mage armor), Bite +9. d8+7 + free trip. 50ft speed, LLV, scent 30ft.
The Philosopher and the Wolf: Orchid, whose wolf form is by now well known among the caravan, cocks her head at the shaman. "Me wolf. Wolf me. Change now, have both. Want same things." Her eyes drift forwards towards Ameiko and her pony - to the one thing that she wants - and her next words come out a little rougher than usual. "Good. Fine."
It seems that where most people would babble Orchid merely becomes even more terse.
Spivey:
Orchid brings the tabard at Spivey's request and crouches a few feet from the grave silently as Spivey says her goodbyes. The delay in returning to the caravan should be chafing at her as it has for the past few days but Spivey's quiet sadness resonates with a deep part of her soul and the shifter waits patiently, resisting the urge to howl for the departing. It becomes increasingly clear as they return to the caravan that Orchid's impatience has returned in full blast. She insisted on carrying the chest with the seal in it and nearly runs full pelt to find Ameiko. When the woman appears though the shifter seems to be struck suddenly shy. She steps forward and places the chest gently in front of the former-bard and then tries to retreat before Ameiko manages to wrap her in a (far too brief) hug. Much much later that night Orchid wakes up and finds herself lonely, the smells around her just aren't right, so she pulls herself up, shoulders the caravan door open and wanders under the stars, following her nose rather than any other sense. The climb up to another wagon feels much longer than usual to her sleep-addled mind, but the comforting scent is there and she wriggles into the dark, warm interior and curls up next to the pleasant, soft smelling warmth which envelops her. Orchid sleeps deeply and better than she has for many nights.
Orchid - level 4 +1 BAB, Fort, Ref
"Ameiko sick." Orchid says, laying out the truth with her usual bluntness. "Said come here. To vault. Find something. Make her better. Your kin, son daughter. Help us." If she's pleading it needs more earnestness. If she's demanding it needs more force. Knowing Orchid... its probably just what she wants.
Orchid swigs down a potion and then hands Flori another and glares until the wizard drinks it all down.
Then, since she feels somewhat better, she sets to work helping with the important work of looting! Once the brains in the group start discussing the egg, Orchid's nervous energy gets the better of her and she heads down the various tunnels looking for the target vault, but is unable to find anything useful. Thus she returns in a bad mood. "Back." She growls. "Under castle. Nother way!" Pausing to take her share of the heavy things the shifter prowls onwards, clearly unhappy about the time being lost.
Orchids lets the crossbow go and then, showing a remarkable amount of common sense, follows Flori back towards the crypt. She does stay between her sister and the flying octopus-thing but that's what protective little sisters do!
Orchid reels from the magical assault before scowling, seizing the offered crossbow and missing by a mile.
Orchid lacks fear (and some would say common sense) but she does appreciate that a foe in the air needs special methods - so she pulls her oft-unused spear from her back and leaps forward to make a kebab!
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