Yanyue was not quite as small as they once had been, but they were still small. A kitten, even a young one like Raiden, was built more for speed naturally than a dragon like Yanyue. They tried to call on their magic to catch up to their little brother quicker.

They speedily caught up to Raiden with a gust of wind, giving the kitten a fond nudge once they'd stopped. "Yes please! May I have a friend too, please? Perhaps one that flies, if that's alright?" the dragon asked hopefully.

Luminary was not quite sure how it had gotten to this place. It observed the natural disorder with a sense of dismay, but... There was curiosity, too.

Carefully, a bit warily, the young child approached the hat-holder, hovering lightly off the ground. Then it spoke, but it did not open its mouth, the words resonating in the air regardless. "Excuse me? I would like a friend too, if possible."

Its dual tone voice was musical and alien equally, for the way the child did not open its mouth. Some may notice, that the voice rather resembling the fox-child that had received a Bone Moth, curiously enough.

Edeltraud was met by a number of fox-imps, who laughed uproariously and went to clap her on her woolly back as though it was all some grand joke. "THAT WAS GREAT," one howled. "But no." He winked, three times, offered a pair of finger-guns and a "chk" click of his tongue, as if the "no" were actually really cool and not at all a refusal to give Edeltraud multiple familiars. Then he shoved his arm elbow-deep into the black top-hat, and fished around.

Abruptly he fell back. The hat quivered, then yawned massively, a groaning and ripping emanating from its cloth. A moment later a six-foot-tall Sailfin Singer tumbled out, bellowing musically. It stood and turned, stamping aggressively. Edeltraud would feel her link slide into place, along with the knowledge that pushing this one too far might result in her being trampled, instead of gaining a new puppet. A spike of beautifully honeycombed Pallasite formed a spike on its nose, too, that it didn't look afraid of using.

"Holy shit," the fox-imp whispered, on his butt on the ground, staring with wide eyes.

---

The hat was handed off (as it shrank down) to another fox-imp, who crouched before Raiden. This fox-imp seemed friendly enough, grinning as he fished around in his hat. What he pulled forth, ironically, was a rat: but not the usually sort of wicked, jagged-fanged rat one would find in Origin Cave. Instead, this one was a small, confused and placid-looking Crystalback Rat, blinking languid eyes, brightly-colored crystals growing along its back. It hopped down, amiable enough, and sniffed at Raiden in a curious manner. An extra, distinct shard of Kyanite formed a gemstone at one haunch.

no art :(

---

Yanyue was met with a shrug. This seemed to indicate: maybe the Lesser'd be a flyer, or maybe it wouldn't. The fox-imp fished around, while a few others came by and pulled out coins or dice, flipping and rolling as if making bets on it.

After a moment what was fished out was something that could fly: a black Flying Pitch Rat, black-eyed and afraid. It shivered and looked around, then squeaked. This one had no gemstone. Several fox-imps looked disappointed; others cheered and gathered up the dice and coins, holding their hands out for payment from the rest.

---

Last but not least, Luminary was addressed. While a few of the imps narrowed their eyes as if disapproving or suspicious, the one with the hat instead looked up to Nemean. Nemean stared back. She looked at Luminary, then the imp, then raised her megaphone to her mouth. "DO I LOOK LIKE I CARE?" she yelled down, and the imp grinned, shrugged, and yanked a two-and-a-half-foot-tall Woolly Deer from the hat. This one was--thankfully--mostly symmetrical, with no extra, misshapen limbs, though one fuzzy antler had one extra tine.

"Have fun, drone," one imp said, with a shrug and a mock salute, before wandering away.

---

All information on specific lessers can be found in the Lesser Gembound Thread! It's recommended to read up on your Lesser before posting them.

@Edeltraud @Raiden @Yanyue @Luminary

POCKET LESSERS!

Part I: Obstacle Course!

The imps put the final, finishing touches on the obstacle course, and then backed away. The course was now clearly visible: a high jump over a hurdle, and then a race over a flat area to a tunnel, then a long jump leap over a long ditch of water, and finally a flat race to a finish line (and a pink-and-gold ribbon printed with Nemean's face).

"ALL RIGHT, folks, here's the rules! You all have to stay there, behind the starting line. It's up to you to guide your new buddy--or maybe your old one--through the hurdles WHERE IS THE RING OF FIRE?! I asked for a--never mind! ANYWAY. Whoever's first across that line will win!"

There was silence for a beat, and then a slow drumroll and energetic music kicked in, the sort to prompt adrenaline.

"ARE. YOU. READY!?"

Nemean's voice rang out, and a number of images began to shimmer into the sky, visible for anyone in the audience: live feeds of the race, broadcasted with Light magic across thick screens of fog.

"THREE. ... TWO... ONE... GO!"

Huge illusory flags swept around, and then spotlights picked out the Lessers and the racetrack, the music screeching into Action Movie mode.

---

Obstacle Course - Round 1!

It's time for characters to guide their Lesser friends through the Obstacle Course!

Players should roll Other (or, if their character is Other-path, physical combat--to keep roll thresholds fair) to bypass the first obstacle: a High Jump over a bright pink hurdle!

Keep track of your Lesser's score: 1 point for a Barely, 2 for a Success, and 3 for a Crit. The highest end scores will be the fastest placements, with prizes for First, Second and Third!

A Failed roll can be attributed to the Lesser misunderstanding, failing the hurdle jump, or becoming distracted by all the light and sound, etc.

Characters may still join this round, and it will be assumed that they reached the starting line before the race began, but after the next round, the post will be closed to new entrants. The next post will take place on June 18th, so please post by the end of the 17th.

Note: these rolls cannot be used for character progression.

@Wilder @Cyg @Yume @Rhapsody @Anala @Sair @Mocha @Richter @Knightly @Yvan @Ryoto @Tourmaline @Hysteria @Oliver @Edeltraud @Raiden @Yanyue @Luminary

If you'd like your tags condensed, please note it in one of your posts, with a list of all your participating characters!

ANALA
From a spark to a flame

The commotion got Anala riled up, and she hopped around, trying her very best to stay behind the finish line. Her energy seemed to spur on the rat she'd been given, and it set off, bolting under and around the other lessers to get to the hurdle.

Anala cheered as it approached, urging it on and up, up and over! "You can do it!" She cried out, stamping her paws in encouragement.

The echoing grey raced on, forward, twitching its nose as it approached the jump. It was nervous, still, and she could feel it. Even so, it seemed to favour her intentions, and it jumped! The rat soared, up and up and oh-my-god-please-make-it-you're-so-close-to-hitting-the-hurdle-oh-my- OVER! He made it, and Anala let out a howl. "Yes! I knew you could do it! Keep it up! Woohoooooo!"

OOC Notes: ! point!

Mocha

'Cause I'm having a good time

It wasn't until the flags flew that Mocha might have had the inkling of an idea that something was wrong about this. He looked at his new friend, and at the hurdle, and back to his new friend... who had no legs. Hm.

"I believe in you!" He declared with a tail thwap against the floor. "You can jump! If fish can, so can you! Or... can you climb the pole? Would that count?" He glanced at the announcer who shrugged in response, and he took that as permission. "All clear, friend!"

He urged his companion on, both through the bond and verbally, an endless stream of praise. He wasn't sure they would slither at all, let alone try to jump, given how comfortable they had been wrapped around his waist. Sure enough though, the lesser snake raced off as much as a snake could race, and tasted the air at the hurdle. Its pause worried Mocha, but he encouraged it on, and it

JUMPED!

"YOU CAN JUMP!?" Mocha's eyes grew wider, a feat most would have assumed impossible. "YES, FRIEND! YOU GOT IT!" His throat was already growing raw at the screaming, but that didn't stop the shark dog as his familiar somehow sailed flopped over the hurdle.

1 point!

Sair

Despite the flags and the lights and the screens and the music, the firetongue was not excited. It was not the kind of creature who enjoyed running, seeing as it had much better luck in drawing 'friends' towards itself. If only it could do the same with the obstacles.

"Come on now, it isn't a very long race! It's just a hop-run-hop-run and you're done!" Sair sped through their description of the race, hoping to make it seem much shorter than it actually was. "Besides, I told you that you'd make friends if you won, right? And that we'd get you something to eat?" They tempted, trying to push some sense of urgency, of need, through their bond. "You wouldn't let a snake show you up, would you? Or a rat? Or a moth?" They switched to teasing instead, preying on the firetongue's sense of pride.

It seemed to work, given how quickly the beast scurried off and hopped over the hurdle with little trouble. "That's more like it!"

"Speaking." Thinking. Doing.
OOC: 2 points!

We don't know how to accept we're just a product of a chance /
And less like gods but more like plants

Hysteria is more than happy to receive her new companion - the Pitch Rat reminded her of Mr. Collector Dad. Black and serious and edgy and- oh my! She sits herself down at the line for the enterprising lesser trainers, grinning at her new companion. "I'm gonna call you... Fetch!" she declares boldly, before urging it on to the starting line.

"I believe in you, Fetch!" she calls out, right before the gun sounds off. Evidentially, her infectious cheer is plenty to get him running down the course, flying over the hurdle with ease.

2 points!

Tourmaline herself tries to remain calm, seating herself down calmly and trying to project a warm encouragement across her link to the Red Mouse. I should think of a name for you... Spessartine, maybe? Hmm... didn't seem quite right.

But that could wait. They had a race to run.

Or. not. Tourmaline stares down as the mouse not only refuses to go forward on the track, but instead runs back towards her to bite her paws. "Ow, rude..." she winces, pulling away from it.

-1 point. oops.

Oh... Oh! This was the perfect beast for sir! So much bigger than sir, but not too big that se would become lost in its fur- no, this was the perfect being for sir. Why, it would win with certainty!

Instilled with confidence as sir bat fluttered to sir, Knightly held out one little wing and peeped in utter joy. "YOU are to be my COMPANION? WOW WE! We will make GREAT STRIDES into WINNING this BATTLE OF AGILITY!" Obviously all sir preening's boosting its ego, because it bounces off easily with sir explosive words and jitters in place. Perfect. Perfect! Grinning, Knightly pointed like a general directing sir soldier, aiming it right past the starting line.

"GO, my perfect Lee! You will... do... PERFECTLY!!" So se's led to believe, anyway.

It's uh... confused, though. Staring right at sir. Walking to... sir? "No, NO! Go to the FORWARD!" Ah, maybe it doesn't understand yet. Was se not loud enough? With a hefty, exaggerated sigh that's comical on a quail chick, Knightly shakes sir head. "Fine. FINE! Rest and SAVE your energy... and explode! Ahead! Yes! This is what you will do! And we will win!"

... that's how motivation works, right?

0 points