ORIGIN

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This noise was infuriating. How was Remus supposed to get any beauty sleep?! He had had enough! It was time to investigate.

The noise came from the palace. And inside the palace there was more noise coming from a certain room.

And in and around this room there were at least five or six other creatures. Remus got the strange feeling that he had met some of them before. But he definitely didn't know some other creatures here. For example, the giant kaiju or the very loud puffin, and Remus made sure to steer clear of them.

There was one creature that Remus recognized immediately, though. She had the same kinds of plants around her as last time. But it also looked...different? Maybe she was like him, and her plants changed like his feathers were.

He didn't focus on anything else after that. He decided to imitate what she was doing. It wasn't a very conscious decision. It just felt like something he should do. So he looked at the pots and saucers lackadaisically and focused more on how the plants would shift each time she moved. Whether this imitation was subtle or not was the least of his concerns, although he probably should have cared more considering who he was dealing with.

TECHNICALLY Remus is attempting to investigate the pots and saucers.

As the Gembound began to crowd into the space, the broom-creatures grew more and more reticent. Each of them fixated on their visitors, beady-black eyes just barely visible behind their bristles. A cluster of them immediately took to cleaning up the dirt all of them were tracking in. Others focused more on defending the various bits and bobs. Attikias's curious hands roaming over the oven were met with several hearty, full-body smacks. One attached itself to the end of Talys's walking stick, gnawing with razor-thin teeth to no real avail.

Kindly, they allowed Beast to simply observe them.

The dishware wasn't anything particularly special by our standards—just a collection of plates, bowls, some crockery for stews... but, perhaps, they might be significant to the visitors. Despite their possible age, they were smooth and well-kept. Some were glazed with a matte or shiny finish, painted in various colors; others looked to be completely bare, with a rough texture and being simply terracotta.

Those approaching the stairwell discovered merely one new detail: the voice at the bottom'd gone quiet; sort of like when one's heard a noise in the house, and are waiting to see if it's a fluke or not. As soon as Attikias had rapped on the doorway, the mumbling ceased. "Everything okay?" received no immediate response except for pitter-pattering feet. Catafay's raucous voice? Oh—"oi! Who is that making all that racket upstairs?"

Steps creaked rather heavily as the creature(?) down below continued to (more clearly) mutter under his breath, "by the Creator; Isra'd said it was all quiet and Eggbert actually has time to sleep now..." It—no, he trailed off towards the top, just in time to step into the light...

... and stare wide-eyed at the sheer number of things in his kitchen—his kitchen! He recognized none of them as his helpers (except for the living brooms, of course.) How could he? Most of them were so small. Only three of them were bipedal, and the one was covered in mud and dirt and whatever else.

The centauresque creature lifted one of his good hands and pinched the bridge of his nose, continuing to mutter, "oh, no—this won't do. Where's the usual 'hired' help? Oh, Nedies, we're really in for it now..." His tail swished side to side as he shoved past everyone crowding the doorway to stare into his oven, "out of my way, I've got a fire to start for this Feast." Just a little while to prepare, that'd been all he'd needed...

Without any regard for what any of the creatures present were or were doing, he started to ramble, "all of the meats down in the cellar's gone rotten—turns out that's what a few hundred cycles does to it, mmm?—so none of it's good for a Feast. Is that rabbit," he jabbed a finger in Anselm's general direction, "anyone's pet or good to eat?" In any case: "go and catch some meat so we can get that roasting. Good stuff, too. If I see one bat or rat, you're all fired—I don't care what Isra says about a short staff."

Oh, and for the little guys—"we need stuff for side dishes too. Anything sweet you can find... that'd be just swell. Fruits, herbs, roots... whatever you can—" (He swatted to the side.) "—get on short—" (Swat.) "—notice. We're on a short schedule, would you knock it off?" Nedies twisted to shoo off more of the brooms, which had apparently decided that his apron was just far too dirty to tolerate. "Chop chop! The Feast is nigh! We must showcase all the culinary wonders of these Caves!"

Orders apparently given, he set right to arranging his dishes.

The NPC Nedies has been revealed! He seems to believe that the Gembound are... kitchen staff? He's asking them to gather ingredients of any sort for something he keeps calling the Feast...

Participants are free to stay and ask questions, try to help in the kitchen itself, or exit to search for ingredients across the Caves. This can be done by hunting for meat (through any methods you can think of...) or rolling Other attempts in various caves for herbs, fruits, vegetables, et cetera. You do not need to Request GM for these, unless you are hunting a dangerous Lesser.

Any found ingredients can be brought back and presented to Nedies in this thread. Please do Request GM for this! c:

@Talys @Beast @Tema @Carja (Kehtri) @Attikias @Anselm @Remus @Catafay (Madhukar)

Sprig wasn't one to just wander far away from home, but of course, he wasn't by himself. Comet had brought him here to do some exploring. It was more like something Adonia would do, but it was hard to resist when you could see if there were any new foods and animals in other caves that could be used to mix and make yummy food.

The large amount of gembounds gathered in a room in the palace drew him in. He would usually never separate from someone who was the only familiar thing to him in a strange place, but he felt like he just needed to go see what was happening! Once he arrived, he stood at the back of the crowd, not feeling comfortable with forcing others out of his way to get to the front.

His large ears swiveled to catch the instructions being shouted out. Cooking? With fruits and plans? Why this was perfect! He almost couldn't wait to start helping.

Attikias had winced at the immediate screaming, flinching back- and noticing just how many people were here, despite his attention to the oven. "Where-?" He'd begun to say, staring in silence.

He only remembered coming in with Carja.

Nonetheless, he'd drawn away from his investigation, seeing as the little brooms did not like his touching of the object. Was it their's? He'd continued looking over it, glancing to the doorway, before turning his head fully to Kethri's words.

Hands? She wanted to... See his hands? Attikias's eyebrows furrowed as he brought them out for the owl's investigation. "What about them..?" He turned them about, then held his arm up, perhaps offering for Kethri to perch on it.

Whether she took it or not, she wouldn't have much of a perch to take, as it was a split second later that Attikias was startled from Nedies's arrival. He'd jumped, tail whipping as he swiveled on his heels, turning to face the newcomer. Shit, he looked pissed. Taking in a quick breath, Attikias stumbled back as Nedies stepped into the room proper, turning to the oven and fiddling with it. "Hired?"

He looked between Nedies, the oven, the brooms, and the rest of the room, and it clicked. A feast? No- a Feast? Attikias lit up, turning back onto Nedies as he began to give out orders, pointing to the others and going about the room. Larger ones get larger beasts- there were deer outside?- and smaller get fruits, and- "I don't think a Lesser would wander in here on its own," Attikias finally offered in a low voice.

But, he stepped forward anyways, adjusting the strap of his spear. "Can I help cook? I can cook." Despite his height he had started to just slightly curl into himself, offering his services as he glanced around the place. He hadn't used his kiln to cook before, but would the knowledge of it help here? He could prepare meats and such, too. And- "I have some jerky back at home and some fermented uh- fruits, and some of the alcohol from them," he offered, stepping around to watch Nedies go about his business.

SNAKE TONGUE, SPLIT AND BITE

She had decided to take a walk, as a lovely little break from her work. She had a purpose at hand, of course, and preparations for that purpose took up most of her free time, but—even someone as diligent as her needed a break every now and then. And it was a lovely little long walk indeed, trampling plants and hunting down the occasional lesser to crush beneath her hooves, but it seems the world has more important things to show to her.

The gathering catches her eyes as soon as she hears it, vents flaring as she gives a huff of interest. Oh...? She's never seen this many Gembound in one place before...

...and if there's anything she knows about crowds, she knows they're perfect for a little chaos. It's easy enough for one to get lost in them; easier for something to bounce unseen from one Gembound to another.

She doesn't even bother being subtle as she sidles up to the back of the crowd, hooves clicking on tile and tail dragging behind her with an ominous rattling sound, like bones being knocked against each other as they crawl out of a grave. She notices quite quickly that she towers over most of the other creatures here, all dwarfed in the shadow of her legs... the sight gets a small chuckle out of her, her vents clicking briefly to accompany her statement.

Were all creatures in the caves this small, or did she simply come across a gathering of dwarves?

Her train of thought is quickly interrupted, however, by some far more interesting news. There is to be a feast...? And—he is asking them to help?

More specifically: he is asking her to help? A strange Gembound who wandered in at the last second... who knows what she could bring back?

Who knows what she could do?

If she could grin, she would; as it is, her tail simply lashes in amusement, that horrendous rattling sound evident with every sweep of it, and she takes a few steps forward, brushing past whichever smaller creatures may be around her. "It would be my pleasure to help—" she tells the chef, "—but I must ask, do you know how many will be attending this Feast?"

It would help to know how much she has to hunt, to bring back—

—more importantly, she would simply love to know how many she'll be attempting to poison with this.

edit: Tsetse is asking Nedies about the Feast.

Carja was tempted to shake her head to get the owl off, but she didn't, leaving her alone. She did keep her head stable as the owl talked to Attikias, feeling a bit irritated, but she was polite enough to shut her mouth.

The sudden appearance of the chef made her flinch, head bumping into the ceiling and making the owl very quickly depart. She ducked and backed up, knocking something over, wincing and stilling. She was too big to be in here.

”A-ah- I'll go get a few deer,” she said, slowly backing out.

”I'll uh meet you later, Attikias,” she mumbled, quickly retreating into the hallway before she trampled someone.

There were too many gembound in one space, thought that was mostly because she took up so much space herself. She poked her head into the room briefly, though.

”I'm going to get deer!”, she said, ”Does anyone wanna come? I'm headed to Pegasus.”

That other elf looked like he could use a hand walking, so perhaps he could ride in her saddle. She didn't mind.

”Do you want to come?”, she asked kindly, ”You could come fly with me if you want!”

@Talys for vis

Carja is offering to go hunt deer, for those who want to go to Pegasus to forage or help out, if they're small, they can probably hitch a ride on her back or talons! (Talys has been offered outright, but she's happy to give anyone else a ride uwu)

THREAD IS UP!! It's here --> /showthread.php?tid=9241&pid=82400#pid82400

When someone came up from the staircase, Madhukar couldn't help the direction of her attention. There were so many-- way too many other creatures here. Too many, too many, too many. Madhukar's tolerance for people had always been low, but more recent events had metamorphosed that tolerance into something else entirely. Lower than ever before, and hinged on completely different emotions. She had to get out of here.

The four-armed person's words were all that Madhukar held onto now. The, uh, unimpressive pottery stuff was getting real boring real fast. She wondered why it was broken if there was a "Feast" to be had. She wondered about the Feast itself, about its nature. What the heck did "culinary wonders of these Caves" even mean??? And on top of that, who had this guy expected to show up? Also, a few hundred cycles? Oldie. Anyways, ultimately her own questions would be asked by the throng of Gembounds here, so she shouldn't have to worry about asking. However. Madhukar also didn't care too much for sticking around for any answers.

She'd already been given an excuse to leave. Hunt some stuff, or find some stuff that's edible. No bats or rats, but rabbits were fine? Alright, weird taste but whatever. Carja was offering a ride to another biped... that was gonna be a big no thanks from Madhukar. No attention. No more people. Maybe it would feel good actually, to get out there and practice some magic on her own, on things that weren't... people.

Madhukar would slip out. Be back later, I guess.

Think "Speak"

NOTE THAT PEOPLE SHOULD READ: Madhukar is disguised, as usual. Her disguise DOES NOT USE MUD this time. Assume her disguise is a mess but functional, because I can't roll for it but her skills with setting it up are improving!

Disguise includes a mask and a heck ton of plants.

Madhukar's off to hunt / forage for who knows what in URSA! Thread: [Feast] Christmas Dinner

Jasmedai had been watching from the background. Lurking close enough to see the proceedings. "A feast," She whispered. She wasn't as excited as the other gembound. But the Nedies fellow had a lot of interesting stuff on him. This gembound needed things, which meant she could get things in return. As Carja left, Jasmedai slipped into the room.

"I would be glad to help." She said. She exposed her lure. Larger now, with the beginnings of a torso. It was child-like now, instead of baby-ish. But, for now, just the shoulders, arms, and head. The lure's arm's folded. "I'd be delighted to help you." She said. A smile on her lure's face. "But I don't know...thats a lotta stuff you want me to do for you. And I'm not even getting anything in return." The lure mimed thinking, humming. "I've got it! I...no, all of us need something in return." Jasmedai said.

Then, addressing the gembound around her, began to speak again. "Don't you guys think this is awfully one sided?" She said. We do all the work for him and this feast, with nothing in return." The lure puffed her cheeks, placing her head in her hand, like an annoyed child. The smile on Jasmedai's bud only deepened. The disconcerting part was her elbow rested on absolutely nothing.

"I'unno what everyone else thinks. But me? I like helping! I'm an easy sell. I'll give nectar, and gather food. I'll do it all, only foooor." She took a moment, then pointed at the whisk in his pouch. "The shiny loopy stick."

She gave Nedies her best puppy dog eyes. The plant was practically vibrating with excitement. Her vines twisting in excited swirls. She really wanted the loopy. She needed the loopy stick. Trying to come across as not excited, and completely reasonable, she followed up with: "That sounds fair, don't you think?"

((tl;dr: baby jas is trying to swindle nedies))

Talys poked slightly at the spikey thing to make it dislodge from his stick. "Hey little guy, I need that!" and nudged at it until he was able to dislodge it before looking up as the... tiger monster? came up. He started talking about a lot of things, and then about food. Talys grinned. "I can help with that. I know how to turn fruit into candy, it just takes some heat." He looked around the clean kitchen and pointed at a pot. "It uses something like that, and, uh..." He pointed at a counter. "That'd be perfect, too. I can cook them for you when I get back, if you want." Of course, Nedies was going to have to introduce the concept of washing your hands and produce to him.

He looked back at Carja when she made her offer, leaning on his stick now and considering. "That'd be cool. Pegasus is a good place to get the fruit I need, and I can see if James has anything. I'm no good with deer, though -- I've never eaten anything bigger than a fish." He was a carnivorously-leaning creature, but hunting always made him feel viscerally guilty. "I also don't know what flying feels like," he grinned, glancing over at Attikias.

He nodded at the other elf, his tail flicking, and held up the palm of his hand (a wave, more or less) in greeting. It seemed to him that this was the generally accepted mode of greeting for humanoids. Show your hands. Show you were similar. He reflected fondly on his dear brother -- he hadn't seen him in a while. Talys had absolutely no idea that Attikias was actually the creature's stone-giver.

@carja
@attikias
@/nedies

Sprig looked around, seeing if anyone could accompany him to gather food. Cepheus didn't seem to have much plants with fruits or delicious things, so he would need to go to another cave. His ear turned, hearing the large black and blue dragon offering to give animals a ride. "Can I?" she seemed nice. If she allowed, he would attempt to climb onto her back.

@Carja

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Remus

Game Master Bunny

Sprig

Attikias

Tsetse

Carja

Maw

Jasmedai

Talys

Sprig