Apr 16 2020, 08:41 PM
So, from her perch at the base of his tailfeathers, she called out with a breathy voice that was more remniscient of an old woman than a near-newborn child,
@Aure
Apr 16 2020, 08:41 PM
Apr 16 2020, 08:46 PM
Wilder was staring fairly blankly at the rings, tuning out most of the world as the afterimages of her vision drifted across her mind before the sound of the cat purring next to her and pressing up against her jerked her back to reality. She flinched and looked over, a little wide-eyed, at the cat that was so close (too close a little too close) and shied away. Not right now, she was still reeling, still confused and a little out of it from the backfired magic. "Y-yeah," she squeaked back. "Having a cat friend is...great! I like having friends." But it was without her usual cheer and delight and instead quite flat and tinged with sadness. Am I worthy of friends?
She continued looking away from Aure because she couldn't face him. Not right now, not until he spoke and she turned towards him, daring to be hopeful. But by the time she saw him, he merely gestured to the wooden ring and then was turned away, like she wasn't even existing.
She felt more cracks in her heart at this rejection. She felt fear rising in the pit of her stomach as she wondered if Aure...really couldn't stand to see her. All of her fears, slowly beginning to come true. She wasn't wanted, wasn't needed, and especially by the person that she'd once thought of as her brother.
She swallowed. Okay, no, she had to stay calm. They weren't talking their feelings out now, they were trying to solve a puzzle. She could understand what Aure was implying - she could use fire magic to burn the last ring away. As soon as the mantis was out of the way, she stepped up and raised a paw, placing it against the outer ring and focusing on heating up her paw, an intense burning racing across the bottom of her foot. She cringed against the pain, but kept it going, to turn the wood into nothing but ash.
She continued looking away from Aure because she couldn't face him. Not right now, not until he spoke and she turned towards him, daring to be hopeful. But by the time she saw him, he merely gestured to the wooden ring and then was turned away, like she wasn't even existing.
She felt more cracks in her heart at this rejection. She felt fear rising in the pit of her stomach as she wondered if Aure...really couldn't stand to see her. All of her fears, slowly beginning to come true. She wasn't wanted, wasn't needed, and especially by the person that she'd once thought of as her brother.
She swallowed. Okay, no, she had to stay calm. They weren't talking their feelings out now, they were trying to solve a puzzle. She could understand what Aure was implying - she could use fire magic to burn the last ring away. As soon as the mantis was out of the way, she stepped up and raised a paw, placing it against the outer ring and focusing on heating up her paw, an intense burning racing across the bottom of her foot. She cringed against the pain, but kept it going, to turn the wood into nothing but ash.
Apr 16 2020, 11:16 PM
"Me!" Pip said. The orange tree offered Pip a branch, which she quickly accepted. She crawled up the bird's head, settling upon one of Aure's ears. "You made that bone thing shiny? Thats cool! I tried to do something but it just made a bad noise. My normal noises sound fine!" She didn't want to risk making a loud, ear hurty sound again though.
She cast her gaze downward towards the pebbly skinned one. They couldn't seem to see. She felt grateful she didn't have wet eyes if that could happen. "Well, if you're sure you're okay..." She said. Nervous about the pebbly skinned one, she watched him for a while, until he left her field of vision. She brought her attention back to the rings. She tilted her head, staring at the rings. She could see them much better from here. Pip was too small, too oblivous to fully grasp what was happening between Wilder,Poco and Aure.
It was just a bunch of weird trees making tree noises at each other. But they taught her a word! Poco and Wilder were cats! Cats! That was a new word. Cats had big ears and...fuzzy moss? She tried to concentrate on their shape, memorizing it. But Aure also had big ears. Were they all cats? Pip was quickly distracted by her inner thoughts. Wilder placed her paw on the wooden ring, burning it.
"Woah! You guys are all so cool! Can you burn more stuff, cat? Can you make another bright hot thingy? I wanna see!" Their short lived attention was quickly swept away. There was another voice, behind them. Tiny and small. Were they a tiny like her? Pip hopped in place upon Aure's ear, turning around. She leaned as far as she could, searching for the source of the voice. There was a little there! Little like her, but its' legs were placed differently. It didn't have big arms like her. "Hey!" Pip shouted to Soumak. "You're me sized! Can you see me? You're really tiny! Are you a mantis too! Morpho is a mantis! Oh, do you know Morpho? I lost Morpho!"
She cast her gaze downward towards the pebbly skinned one. They couldn't seem to see. She felt grateful she didn't have wet eyes if that could happen. "Well, if you're sure you're okay..." She said. Nervous about the pebbly skinned one, she watched him for a while, until he left her field of vision. She brought her attention back to the rings. She tilted her head, staring at the rings. She could see them much better from here. Pip was too small, too oblivous to fully grasp what was happening between Wilder,Poco and Aure.
It was just a bunch of weird trees making tree noises at each other. But they taught her a word! Poco and Wilder were cats! Cats! That was a new word. Cats had big ears and...fuzzy moss? She tried to concentrate on their shape, memorizing it. But Aure also had big ears. Were they all cats? Pip was quickly distracted by her inner thoughts. Wilder placed her paw on the wooden ring, burning it.
"Woah! You guys are all so cool! Can you burn more stuff, cat? Can you make another bright hot thingy? I wanna see!" Their short lived attention was quickly swept away. There was another voice, behind them. Tiny and small. Were they a tiny like her? Pip hopped in place upon Aure's ear, turning around. She leaned as far as she could, searching for the source of the voice. There was a little there! Little like her, but its' legs were placed differently. It didn't have big arms like her. "Hey!" Pip shouted to Soumak. "You're me sized! Can you see me? You're really tiny! Are you a mantis too! Morpho is a mantis! Oh, do you know Morpho? I lost Morpho!"
Apr 17 2020, 02:45 AM
Wilder's paw pressed to the outer ring. At first, it seemed almost to be working: fire on wood, a resonance that came smooth and natural. Aure's idea seemed to be getting closer to the root of the puzzle, in any case.
But then, the ring rejected it. The searing heat reversed, burning up her legs, hissing and smoking as it took fur and limb with it. It would cause severe burns, though no loss of limb; still, she might lose the use of her limbs, for awhile. It wasn't impossible that it would send her into her chrysalis to recover.
The ring remained unharmed.
The bone-like ring, meanwhile, did not react in any way--but the tiny mantis would find that it was impervious to its nibbles. How strange.
But then, the ring rejected it. The searing heat reversed, burning up her legs, hissing and smoking as it took fur and limb with it. It would cause severe burns, though no loss of limb; still, she might lose the use of her limbs, for awhile. It wasn't impossible that it would send her into her chrysalis to recover.
The ring remained unharmed.
The bone-like ring, meanwhile, did not react in any way--but the tiny mantis would find that it was impervious to its nibbles. How strange.
@Wilder @Aure @Pip @Soumak
Apr 18 2020, 06:24 PM
She thought it was going to work for a moment. She touched the wood and it began to heat up, faster and faster, until there was an intense stinging on her paws and she was cringing against the burn. But then it went horribly, horribly wrong and Wilder screamed and collapsed as her legs were burned, the scent of burnt fur rising from her skin as she scrambled away from the rings. Her legs were were covered with wounds, almost all of the fur burned away and they trembled as she flopped onto her side, the burning heat at last dying down as she was left wounded and unable to stand.
She panted, eyes glazed with pain, staring off into the distance, eyes caught on...something with the head of a leopard, yowling for information. It didn't occur to her through her pain-glazed mind that this was strange and she threw her magic forward to touch her mind.
There are rings...they are dangerous...don't come closer. She breathed heavy, heart beating, and she looked up, instinctively, to see if Aure would come help her. It didn't occur to her at this moment that she always had to rely on him and never gave anything back, it didn't cross her mind as a bad thing that she always needed to ask for help from him. All she wanted was for the pain to stop.
@AureShe panted, eyes glazed with pain, staring off into the distance, eyes caught on...something with the head of a leopard, yowling for information. It didn't occur to her through her pain-glazed mind that this was strange and she threw her magic forward to touch her mind.
Apr 18 2020, 07:52 PM
Serendipity ruffled her jacket.
Out of the gathering of gembound, only really one of them seemed to know what they were actually doing. He gave out orders, and people seemed to listen to him. Except-- they also seemed to be doing it horribly wrong, because people seemed to be getting hurt left right and center.
The rings would need powerful magic. Dip assumed this right off the bat, and she was one to trust her gut intuition on things. It had gotten her this far, after all, and she wasn't dead yet.
When the fire lashed back to the cat she grimaced instinctively-- but she was no healer. Either the cat went back into its chrysalis or it let herself suffer. With the assumption that, either way, it would get help regardless, Serendipity stepped forward to the rings.
Quietly, she sniffed the outermost one. It seemed alive, and she knew that living wood was only more difficult to try to catch fire. It would need a lot of heat. With a huff, she took a step back and quietly began to focus.
Bile rose in her throat, searing and uncomfortable. The discomfort only grew-- there was no relief like there was in regular throwing up. Fire flew out of her mouth in a thick bough of flames, igniting Polaris in a brief flash of orange. It hurt, even for the calloused mouth of whatever-the-hell Siren was.
It was, at least, aimed for the outer ring, and not a recently on-fire cat.
Apr 18 2020, 08:32 PM
The more powerful fire spell was...
Accepted.
The flames leapt from Siren's mouth, the strange circus-like firebreathing act rapidly igniting the outer ring.
The wood coursed with flame... and the ring turned, a slow grinding sound acknowledging the magic had worked. Soon, the sigil pointed precisely upward--and the ring ground to a quiet halt.
The flames leapt from Siren's mouth, the strange circus-like firebreathing act rapidly igniting the outer ring.
The wood coursed with flame... and the ring turned, a slow grinding sound acknowledging the magic had worked. Soon, the sigil pointed precisely upward--and the ring ground to a quiet halt.
@Siren @Wilder @Aure @Pip @Soumak
Apr 18 2020, 11:22 PM
Pip regretted her words almost immediately. She didn't see Wilder's paw get lit on fire, but she heard the screams and crackles of fire on skin. It hurt her ears, she could feel the vibrations in her very body. Pip cringed. Nervously, she turned from her spot to gaze at Wilder. "Are...Are you okay? You don't have to do that again. That looks like it hurt." It was rather obvious, but it was what swept through her tiny bug mind.
A new face showed up. Tall and purple. She blew fire on the ring. "No--dont do that! You'll burn--" Pip said, too late. She cringed again, watching the ring and waiting for them to combust. But it never came. The ring simply made a grating noise. She stayed frozen. Waiting for the backfire. But nothing happened. "Hey! The rings safe!" Emboldened, Pip leapt from Aure's ear, climbing the rings. This time she settled on the ring that hummed. Pip was gonna make music! A nice, tinkling melody. Maybe this time it would be nice!
A new face showed up. Tall and purple. She blew fire on the ring. "No--dont do that! You'll burn--" Pip said, too late. She cringed again, watching the ring and waiting for them to combust. But it never came. The ring simply made a grating noise. She stayed frozen. Waiting for the backfire. But nothing happened. "Hey! The rings safe!" Emboldened, Pip leapt from Aure's ear, climbing the rings. This time she settled on the ring that hummed. Pip was gonna make music! A nice, tinkling melody. Maybe this time it would be nice!
Apr 19 2020, 12:45 PM
Once the bug was gone, Seshat was able to breathe again and raised the crystal again in front of her, tilting it to the same position as before so she could watch what was going on, flinching when the cat began to scream loudly and fall to the ground. Her mouth went a little dry at the thought of having her body so mercilessly burned like that and let out a small rumble of sympathy. The voice touched softly at her head and she thought back, unaware that nobody would hear her,
She was simply watching for now, impressed with the humanoid's ability to burn away the outer ring so easily. This would be fun to watch, seeing all the different uses of magic against this strange wall. She was in for a treat of a show. And, for once, she wasn't jealous - she didn't know very strong of magic just yet and she was content with just watching their talents playing out before her.
Apr 19 2020, 12:54 PM
She stayed conscious, able to turn her head just enough to watch as someone else stepped forward and did her job for her, and so much better then she could have, probably. She was frozen there for a moment, staring at the humanoid before she was swept away by the overwhelming feeling of uselessness once again. She wasn't needed here. Nobody wanted her here.
She let out the smallest of whines as her eyes squeezed shut for a moment, before she picked herself off the ground, wobbly and unstable, and stumbled away despite the screaming pain in her legs. She was gonna go home. She didn't need to be here anymore.
*exit
She let out the smallest of whines as her eyes squeezed shut for a moment, before she picked herself off the ground, wobbly and unstable, and stumbled away despite the screaming pain in her legs. She was gonna go home. She didn't need to be here anymore.
*exit