hugtopia | Video - End of Lasohm/start of Malom, about a day after the breach is resealed

Entry tags:

Video - End of Lasohm/start of Malom, about a day after the breach is resealed

[The city is still in a state of disarray, though the fighting is over. Everyone will surely need to pitch in for some extensive repair work to make Havenwell what it once was. Will is sitting on a somewhat mangled chair on a cafe's patio, disheveled and powdered with stone dust, looking more exhausted and discouraged than most people here have ever seen him--unless, of course, they happened to help him endure the agony of the battle's psychic backlash.

He's doing his best to smile regardless, and holds up a slightly rumpled piece of paper to show the camera; on it are some surprisingly good line art head shots of Akira, Akechi, and Kei done in pen. They may not be exactly artistic, but they're at least faithful to their subject matter; he's even helpfully tagged each with hair and eye colors, since he could only work in monochrome.]

Has anyone seen these three recently? My roommates all vanished during the fighting. I figured they must have had their hands full, and maybe they got hurt and needed to stay with someone, but.....

They aren't answering their tablets, and they're not at any of the temples. I've been searching around town, but I haven't found them yet, and Arche can't pick up any scent trails, either. I'm starting to think maybe they got sick, and..... got worse.

[Anyone who's seen or experienced the strange illness that can grip the newcomers may understand what he's talking about, and why he's so worried--people fading out of existence entirely is a frightening prospect. His voice is quieter now, as he reaches out to end the recording and submit it to the network.]

.....I'm not sure I want to stay in my house anymore.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Uh... is it...?

[LET HER THINK THAT ONE OTHER FOR A- yeah no fuck it.]

I can try with that, I guess. I've used substitute materials before, and it's more of a... conceptual focus point than an active ingredient, most times.

...Some times.

[The most helpful.]

Anyway, worth giving it a shot. Where you at?

I didn't realize you could play so fast and loose with magic. I'm at--

[A moment while he gets up to check the front door, and Will supplies the cafe name and street address. It's as good as any a place to meet, right?]

Magic is all about energy and flexibility- sometimes being brave means bending the rules. That's why you leave this shit to the experts.

[Even if she can't guarantee this'll work either way...

...anyway, she heads on over to the location he gives her.]

.....Heh. I guess I'll let you take center stage, then.

[By the time Lup makes it to the cafe, Will is sitting with his Flareon in his lap, giving her neck scritches and rolling together the loose wisps of fur she sheds from the petting. He waves as she approaches, holding the tuft up for her inspection.]

Is this enough?

[Lup is looking a bit more pale than usual, tired, scuffed, and bruised here and there; it's pretty obvious that she was in the thick of things when the fighting was going down. She's a spot better than some people who were fighting, though, in that she doesn't look like she's about to fall over.

She accepts the fur and gives it a light sniff, balling it up and rolling it around between both hands for a moment.]

Hmm... I think so? It's more than the spell usually takes. Just a matter of whether or not it'll work at all.

[There's a distinct smell of dirt and stone, from all the digging in rubble they've been doing--but more than anything else, it smells strongly of smoke. This hunting dog cooks her own prey, even if she hadn't been allowed to actually eat any of the spiders. Who knows what could be wrong with them, after all?

He's not exactly 100% himself, but Lup..... Lup looks pretty worn down. He feels a little guilty for making her come out all this way when she should be resting, honestly. Maybe he can at least make it worth her while?]

I won't interrupt you, then. But once you're done, I think Arete's recovered enough by now to do a little more healing? You look like you could use a little pick-me-up.

[Smoky fur... huh, that's cool. And seems legit, considering his dog-thing looks like it's already on fire. Definitely going to have to check that out when she's got a spare second.]

Who's doing what now?

[She tilts her head to one side, brow quirked, distracted as she reaches to her belt and unstraps a worn and well-loved book from what is essentially a holster. This is the first time she's experienced Pokemon, whoops, so the name means nothing to her.]

Oh--sorry, you haven't met her yet. Arete is my Chansey! Healing is her specialty. She's still pretty worn out from taking care of people during the fighting, but she's had some time to rest and recover energy.

[Isn't owning your own personal cleric awesome?]

Damn, dude, that's useful as hell. I won't say no to a healing attempt, though I doubt it'll do much. I think I'm just coming down with something.

[Which is weird as heck to her, since nothing unusual happened with her body, but considering Honerva's similar (though more prominent at this point) health troubles since they came back from outside the barrier, it's clearly related. Maybe souls can get sick, who knows. Kravitz and Barry aren't around to ask, and they know more about liches than she ever will.

Shrugging her shoulders, she tucks the bit of fur into her book and crouches down to offer a hand out to the Flareon. Maybe checking out the creature will give her a better understanding of the spell components she's trying to use. Always important!]

Well, all the stress would make you more vulnerable to illness, I suppose..... There's no harm in trying, though!

[The Flareon stands with a luxurious stretch and shake, leaning in to sniff at Lup's hand. Whatever she smells, she doesn't seem to mind--after all, they share a workplace with Agatha--enough to deter her; she starts licking Lup's fingers, big fluffy tail wagging.

Should Lup decide to pet her, she'll find she's significantly warmer than just about any natural animal has a right to be. Nice and handy now that it's getting cold, huh?]

Yeah, and the poison, probably.

[Said so flippantly it's almost like a joke. Another day in the life of an adventurer.

Right now Lup probably just smells like the fur she'd been holding a minute ago, along with some spices from whatever she'd last cooked up at home, so at least there's nothing to fuss about. The warmth is certainly welcome, though, mostly because her body runs colder than normal even when the weather's hot- just a downside of being what she is. That alone would be enough temptation to give her a thorough petting, which of course she does immediately.]

Aww, you're a big fluffy sweetheart, aren't ya? Nice, uh, Flareon.

W-wait, what? You got poisoned?

[Obviously not enough for it to be life-threatening, or she wouldn't be out here right now, but that's still alarming, to say the least.

The Flareon, though, has no such concerns making her double take. She's just delighted to have a new person to shower her with attention, and immediately puts her paws on Lup's knees, nuzzling up under her chin and basking in the affection and praise. That's right, she is a good girl! She's the best girl, and everyone should pay homage to that fact with lots and lots of petting and treats.]

It's just an educated guess right now, but that's how it feels. Hey, just a pro tip for you? When the bots around town say it's bad outside the walls, they're not kidding.

[Oooh yes fluffy girl gets pets. She gets so many pets. Lup's pretty decent with animals but she's used to the cats she knows- much more reserved and subtle in their affection. It's a bit more rare to get eager, in-your-face affection. Hey, she'll take it.]

So there was some kind of poisonous wildlife, or poison gas, or something..... No wonder they're keeping everyone inside. What was it like out there?

[Yes good, all the pets for her~ ♥ Lup can even have an exceptional rarity, a fluffy belly that isn't actually a trap. Unthinkable!]

Short version? Miserable. Think it was poison air for the most part, but seems like it's had an effect even without breathing it in, so who knows how it really works.

[She's been around cats enough to recognize the potential trap, so sorry puffball, she's not taking that risk today. Not when she's sick and needs working fingers for spellcasting soon. She will scratch under her chin and behind her ears, though.]

How awful..... It could be potent enough to be absorbed through your skin, maybe?

[Ear and chin scratching is an acceptable alternative! Your source of spell components both wags her tail like a dog and purrs like a cat, Lup. And she's currently attempting to invade your lap, so hopefully you weren't planning on standing up soon.]

Not too sure how it works, exactly. Far as I can tell it can affect someone even without skin. Which could explain why even the robots find it bad outside the walls, monsters aside.

[....O...kay, this is her life now, it seems. Crouching like this isn't very comfortable, so she just goes ahead and sits down with her legs crossed first.]

Magic poison, then? Is that even a thing?

[Lup is the expert on this sort of thing, right? Even if she's been cunningly trapped by a ferious, fearsome, and fluffy monster. This is her life now, and nobody can save her!]

Oh yeah, it's definitely a thing- there's at least a dozen spells for that kind of nasty effect. It's not my specialty, but it can fall under a similar umbrella as my school.

I guess you had to learn magic somewhere.....

[Honey, no. Wrong definition.]

[...Well. At least he makes her laugh.]

I meant school as in category, but I did learn most of the good stuff at the Institute, so you're not totally wrong!

Heh. That's fair, I guess. What's your specialty, then?

We call it evocation- mostly revolves around summoning and controlling the elements. I can work with any of them, but my best spells are fire-based.

You really must be a sight to see.....

[Every bit he hears about Lup just paints a more impressive picture. Hundreds of years old, facing down dozens of worlds on the brink of destruction, a master mage commanding the elements..... She's pretty incredible, huh?]

That's Arche's specialty, too--fire, I mean.

With a name like "Flareon" and looking like that? It's no wonder. But yeah, maybe one day I'll put on a good show for you. Fireworks have got nothing on me.

[She gives Arche another little scritch under the chin, and then a light nudge to try and urge her off.]

C'mon, furball, I can't just sit here all day. Missing people to find, right?

(no subject)

twistedempathy - 2019-11-09 07:09 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

necromanswers - 2019-11-10 06:58 (UTC) - Expand

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only