Personification Life IC IX - [Semi Open]

[Torsiedelle]

"No, arranged marriages aren't a thing anymore.", Katya got out through clenched teeth. After the pain had passed for the moment, she looked back at her friend. "What do you mean there's more going on? I don't understand."

Was there something going on with the people here? What did Dora mean with her saying, Katya wondered. She showed the nurse her arm for the shot.

"To hell what mother thinks.", She said sternly. "She may have raised me, but she doesn't care about Tora, and little for me. I don't see how she ended up that way. This is my choice. I'm twenty years old now, and I can make my own decisions!"

[Monfrox]

Sinyaya was amazed beyond her comprehension. What was this wondrous nebula doing? Was it really making stars? She looked back to Giovenith and brought a bit of reality back into the fantasy they were experiencing. "Babies come from hospitals? But I didn't come from a hospital. I came from my momma!" She then faced the godchild directly. "Didn't you come from your momma?" She asked curiously.

[Giovenith]

Sinyaya was amazed beyond her comprehension. What was this wondrous nebula doing? Was it really making stars? She looked back to Giovenith and brought a bit of reality back into the fantasy they were experiencing. "Babies come from hospitals? But I didn't come from a hospital. I came from my momma!" She then faced the godchild directly. "Didn't you come from your momma?" She asked curiously.

"I did, but probably not the same way as you did," Giovenith answered, suddenly taking Sinyaya's hand again. "Well, this was fun, but we're not allowed to stay for long, these things need to go on their own, and I didn't ask first before arriving. Come on, and hold your breath, dear."

Only a moment after Giovenith said such, the two of them came crashing through the water surface of Lake Pearlelei, as if the entire experience had been but a dream and dry-land the waking world. The godling quickly pulled up the little girl onto her back, beginning to swim back to the shore. It was probably going to be getting late soon, and it was never good to hang around water sources at twilight or night without an adept grown up around.

"When we get back to land, I'll make you all dry and warm again, don't worry," the older girl assured, knowing the tiny child would be probably be cold when they got out of the water. "Promise."

--

Saren smiled excitedly, copying her cheers. "Babby blue cawwiages!" He declared, hugging her back tightly, his little hind legs kicking along in excitement.

Cerril seemed to be staring at the wall, and the sound of shouting immediately made him pick up his fork, being the closest thing to a knife he had on hand. Although after looking at Pippa and Saren, he seemed to calm down, letting out a sigh of relief and finishing his bowl of soup. "Can you put Saren on my lap and nudge me over to my room, if you'd be so kind? Greatest mind in all of Tinell can't work out a self-powered wheelchair, of all things."

Happy to obey most orders from fleshies, Pippa-Michelle managed to competently deliver the baby foal to his father and (finally) get the chance to roll the wheelchair. The golem was good at things when told to do them, and thus Cerril didn't go plummeting down a flight of stairs, but safely wound up in his room.

Her delicate hand gave a little pat to Saren's head. "Bye bye?" she asked, wondering if because the fleshies was retiring that meant she was dismissed from the household. She would go if so, though she would definitely miss the baby fleshie.

[TotallyNotEvilLand]

Happy to obey most orders from fleshies, Pippa-Michelle managed to competently deliver the baby foal to his father and (finally) get the chance to roll the wheelchair. The golem was good at things when told to do them, and thus Cerril didn't go plummeting down a flight of stairs, but safely wound up in his room.

Her delicate hand gave a little pat to Saren's head. "Bye bye?" she asked, wondering if because the fleshies was retiring that meant she was dismissed from the household. She would go if so, though she would definitely miss the baby fleshie.

Somehow, against all odds, Cerril and Saren arrived unharmed. Sherril stirred away and lightly dropped the foal in his crib and rolled Cerril into his bed, snagging the blanket and laying on the floor.

Cerril smiled softly and adjusted to the bed, lifting a hand and waving softly. "Yep. Bye bye." He said. "Tell you what, if you like, you can stop by tomorrow and play with Saren, alright?" After his brief panic, Cerril did acknowledge that, despite her intelligence (or lack thereof), Pippa was competent at keeping the prince entertained, though that wasn't high praise considering that waving keys in front of his face was considered the height of wit.

Saren poked his head over the edge of his crib and waved at Pippa-Michelle, grinning excitedly. "Bye! I wanna see you again!" He declared, before falling back into his bed and covering himself with a small blanket, decorated with images of swords, shields, and cartoonish bombs.

[Cerillium]

"Perhaps." Ilun said in soft agreement; he was unaware of the relationship between the Dani human and this machine, but he was learning with each passing moment. The silence that followed as the two alien beings walked along was almost absolute, save for the prevailing noises of their movement, each step followed by a series of sounds as parts and devices fulfilled their tasks to complete each step, each sway of the arms, each turn of the head. So far, The exact purpose of this walk was not exactly apparent to Ilun; as interesting as it was, Ilun could not fathom why Darius would find this to be of any true matter, or take any enjoyment from this, especially when his very presence scared off every living thing that could sense he even existed for quite a large area.

"Where is it we are going, if I might ask?"

Darius hadn't given their destination much thought. He roamed because of doubts and frustrations. He wandered restlessly because he had come to feel resentment for the the things in his mind. He had come to feel. Resentment. He was drawn to Dani because she was Drone. She was a savior and an executioner rolled into one. He felt-

The Drone came to an abrupt halt. The Drone Empire of the unit's Empire had long suffered the frustrations of Cthulhu's creeping dread. Darius was equipped with hardware that was anything but standard. This Drone could detect and negate magic. Optical lenses flared red before taking on a blackish cast. Unit: 967-772404's weapons shifted to readiness. Not one weapon. Not two. All. It slipped into the odd and very un-Dronish method of audible information relay.

"Scanning. Cthulhu presence: humanoid male. Location: calculating - Latitude : 56.404178 | Longitude : -22.104492. Probably of Cthulhu incursion: high. Protocols demand investigation."

The unit seemed to fade slightly (yet another odd characteristic for a Drone but one perfectly suited to a unit designed specifically to destroy the supernatural and the bioengineered). It would be detectable to Ilun and somewhat detectable to the Luxans due to their technology (if they were alert and looking for him) but the strange creatures themselves would be as blind to the Drone as humans were to the creatures when they hid.

One of the Drone's "eyes" regarded Ilun. "Accompany or take shelter as is your wont. The Creatures of the Dreamlands are sadistic and deadly." Darius moved off as silently as something his size could (which was a laughable endeavor on his part given the woodland terrain).

“I believe in everything until it's disproved. So I believe in fairies, the myths, dragons. It all exists, even if it's in your mind. Who's to say that dreams and nightmares aren't as real as the here and now?” - John Lennon

“There are many who don't wish to sleep for fear of nightmares. Sadly, there are many who don't wish to wake for the same fear." - Richelle E. Goodrich

Aegis strode through the glades of the northern forest as quietly as he could but found that his robust physique made it incredibly difficult. He was trying to reach a state of mental peace one which had eluded him for some time and it was incredibly difficult with the constant cracking of leaves and twigs below his feet. He looked like a wraith with his large cape concealing his feet and hands as he glided across the ground looking up occasionally at green trees with as empty a mind as he could manage. It wasn’t enough however and his mind still wandered to darker places than he would have liked.

There were any animal nearby he could tell by the sound alone that they didn’t like his presence it was one of those strange effects he had on the wildlife but it was nothing he was ever overly concerned about. He paused and turned toward a large oak that was twisted up into a tight spiral that extended slightly higher than the rest of the trees. He placed his hand on it and listened as a subtle whisper began to fill his head. It was chitterling like the sound of walking beetles but there was also a coarse sound like a rolling tongue it began to subtlety grow in volume and Aegis drew his hand away causing the sound to stop.

He didn’t know why he heard the voices but he decided that he didn’t want to know. Instead he ignored the hundreds small animal bones that were hung from the tree and continued on deeper into the wood.

It caught sight of Aegis. It needn't approach him to find him, nor did it give any concern as to why this being would be in the woods. It only comprehended that this was an Agent. Agents lead to Creatures of the Dreamlands. He was well protected against these and cloaked (although Aegis, if he has a method of scanning for machines, might detect him).

Now he carefully moved to keep pace rather than gain on Aegis. Scanners were fully active, and these had been designed to detect Lovecraftian monsters (ooc: long story here). It would be difficult to trap the Drone. It knew that one Agent meant more, and more Agents might produce a target rich environment, so it remained far enough away to avoid drawing attention to itself.

[Primordial Luxa]

snip

On any other day at any other time Aegis might have detected the drone solider. But today he was meditating, he was cleansing his mind, he was trying to become as distant as he could from his senses and because of this he was completely oblivious to the machines presence. The various sensors in his mask had been switched off to provide a better sense of peace and his peripheral awareness retarded. He found himself walking slowly over to a very large hole in the ground that looked like a tree had been yanked out at the roots, the hole was at least two meters deep but it was completely absent of any roots or other signs that a tree had been there, which was perplexing to Aegis. Looking around he found a small pile of stones about a foot high, what was strange is that were no gaps in the stones despite the obvious all being from different sources and it looked a lot like a strange Jigsaw puzzle. Aegis didn’t need to investigate to know that the thing was hollow.

[The Drone Empire]

Darius's activation frightened Ilun, as 5the machine drew forth its full arsenal, weapons of every kind Ilun knew to be wielded by such battlefield terrors, and more, those that stretched even beyond Ilun's recently accelerated knowledge. He receded himself, pulling a good number of paces back; his form was formidable, but any backfire received would with ease do critical damage to his own self, something he'd rather not suffer, as he crouched himself behind a low lying boulder.

The identification call was intimidating, but the targets were... unrecognized. He himself could not recall nor locate exactly what 'Cthulu' meant, but was likely to soon find out. In the event that this newly detected threat came upon him, he himself prepared a small weapon. He knew not how to engage threats of such an unknown nature, but spontaneous improvisations were something he was quite familiar with. Ancient and degraded combat routines came back into faded view, as his body awoke, the surrounding environment was no more viewed in an eye of intrigue, but with that of a tactical mindset.

[The Carlisle]

"Aww... that's sweet," Kale said. She wondered about the whole moving part, but looking at Torii, it didn't seem like the right time to pop that question. Something about it would make this situation awkward. Kale launched herself up, bursting forth with energy, trying to land on her feet. Trying. She failed, misplacing her feet and fell back on her bum. "Ouch," she muttered. She got up from the ground normally. "I really want to see this statue now. I bet you and your girlfriend look like the cutest couple ever," she said, "Point the way captain!"

[Torsiedelle]

"Um....okay then.", Torii stuck her hands into her pockets and began walking, leading the way. She didn't beckon for them to follow, since she assumed they'd come anyway.

It wasn't a terribly long walk; it was only a couple of minutes, strolling slowly past trees, park benches, the occasional playing kids or loving couple. Torii blocked them out. She was stoic, caught up in her own mind, thinking and walking, and mumbling. Soon, it was in site. From the side, it looked strange and indiscernible, but a walk-around to the front showed the statue fully. It was the statue Torii had seen before, that they got after the big conflict against the Drones -- Torii and Tsu, hugging. She remembered what she had said, about not wanting a statue. She was humble, but she still wanted recognition. Looking at it gave her a sense of that, and she thought that, maybe, it wasn't so bad. Nobody probably still knew who she was, but the statue was for her, and she felt better now, gazing up at it. She felt like the people who requested it and put it there recognized her, and made it to commemorate her. She felt special...no screw ups, no being the bad girl or the trouble child, no being second to the good kids who never caused trouble with adults...

Plus, there was Tsu. Seeing the statue with them made her feel as if she could go home and run back to her old friend's room, enjoying muffins with her sisters and playing with toy dinosaurs, even though they were both too old. Maybe her sister could come by, with Yoshi, and they could all have a nice discussion, and it would feel like one big family...

Torii stood silent. Her gaze at the statue fell with her head for a moment, then back up. She couldn't find the words to speak...

"A family? Me and Tsu, and her sisters to have so much fun with...my sister could be the mother, always waiting for me with a nice dinner and a smile. Yoshi would comfort me and take me on little dates, like he enjoyed..."

Some dream that was. She hated her sister. She hated her sister for screwing it all up, and Yoshi for abandoning her like everyone else. She hated everyone a little bit, as selfish as it was. She felt like she was entitled to a happy family life after all the bullshit that she had to endure in her messed up life.

[The BranRiech]

Thinking that it was simply cool that someone he knew was famous enough to have a statue dedicated to them, Toscha gave Torii a respectable distance as he looked over the statue, not even noticing the other girl in the picture. He did notice Torii, and quite obviously of course, she was his friend. Wondering what came about that actually garnered the need for a statue of both of them, he strolled up right over to Torii, tail sliding effortlessly over the grass he had positioned himself on as he transitioned over to concrete.

Approaching the girl's side, he stopped, and tried to read the look on her face.

He couldn't.

Unknown to him, there was a whole lake's worth of memories swimming around in Torii's head, events and faces that he would never see, or never hear about. He was so inexperienced with the way the apartment worked, yet he had experienced so much in the short amount of time, but realized that those there before him had experienced so much more, and had probably been through so much more, there seemed to be no way to fit in for him besides the friends he had made already. They would always be bonded by the events that moulded them, while he wouldn't . . .

With all the complex thoughts in his mind, he didn't really think of what to say, and all that came out was "Nice statue."

[Primordial Luxa]

Eventually Aegis realized he wasn’t going to reach a state of peace and tranquility any time soon and so he turned to depart the area. He felt very defeated about the entire experience, it was like his peace and mind was fleeing from him through a river of oil. No matter how hard he struggled he couldn’t find his sanity and rational. And when he did find it the current carried him away or it slipped out of his hands crudely before disappearing. He still heard it in his dreams and felt it when he breathed. The horrors of Carcosa were a part of him more than either of his allies and he dared not think about the reason why it was so. There was a thing here that was the cause of his pain and suffering, and he swore he would not let it harm him again.

He supposed that the trip hadn’t been a total loss, there was something about this place that was clearly not of this world and he considered investigating further for a moment before discarding the idea. It was a foolish one that would see him dead before he learned anything useful. He would come here again and meditate, maybe he would philosophies in this grove that seemed like a very entertaining idea.

As he rounded the fat body of the bone tree he came into view of the larger Drone machine and stopped suddenly surprised by its sudden appearance. He waved his hand briefly in front of it attempting to blind its mind while a rune burned itself into his hand, but he could feel instinctually that it wasn’t having an effect and stopped to simply watch the thing.

[The Carlisle]

Kale walked up to the statue of Torii and her girlfriend, smiling and blushing a bit. They were a cute couple. Kale turned to Torii, smiling, but it faded as she saw Torii's face. Something... wasn't right. She could read it off her face. She was concerned for her friend, but she didn't know if it was the right time or place to ask. She felt a bit helpless in that regard, but she wanted to do something at least.

"It's a very nice statue. It's supercool that you and your girlfriend have one," she said, "What's her name?"

[Torsiedelle]

"Tsu.", Torii replied. "Her name was Tsu. She was the first friend I ever made when I moved here. She left last November, around Thanksgiving."

She looked to one side, at Kale, then Toscha. "Yea, I guess it is a good statue. She's really pretty."

She wiped a few tears from her eyes and laughed. "I'm such a softy.", She said between giggles and a few more tears. With a smile on her face, she pulled her companions close and hugged them. "I wanted to see it, like a kind of farewell. I didn't get to see her when she left, so this is my way of doing things. I never loved anyone since, but, can I share a little secret with you guys? I've had a crush at one point or another one quite a few girls here, but I was always too scared to talk. So, who do you think will be next?"

She let them go and stepped back, jostling the Victoria's Secret bag on her arm. "Wanna stay here, or have some more fun? I'll let you two lead the way. Maybe stay here? Go home? Up to you."

[Rygondria]

Sir Reginald finished cleaning rifle. He said to himself," i am not in the mood for swimming today". So he decided to go to the bar at the building as he walked in to the bar he saw it looked like a type of bar he would of gone to before he was transported to the future it had a stuffed lion a counter displaying the types of alcohol but there was no bartender. So reginald Just made himself and gin and tonic And took a seat in one of the stools. He thought to himself at the buildings bar," hmm this place is very empty perhaps i should go out soon". Then he continued to drink

[The New Velociraptor Empire]

Sir Reginald finished cleaning rifle. He said to himself," i am not in the mood for swimming today". So he decided to go to the bar at the building as he walked in to the bar he saw it looked like a type of bar he would of gone to before he was transported to the future it had a stuffed lion a counter displaying the types of alcohol but there was no bartender. So reginald Just made himself and gin and tonic And took a seat in one of the stools. He thought to himself at the buildings bar," hmm this place is very empty perhaps i should go out soon". Then he continued to drink

A nervous looking man entered, he had blue eyes that seemed to glow a small bit. "I can't believe he's gone. Why him? Could they know? Or are they just trying to draw him out?" he muttered to himself and poured himself a strong drink. After quickly downing the drink he noticed Sir Reginald as he poured himself another. "Oh hello, are you new around here?" he asked in a friendly manner, trying to regain his composure.

[Rygondria]

Sir Reginald finished cleaning rifle. He said to himself," i am not in the mood for swimming today". So he decided to go to the bar at the building as he walked in to the bar he saw it looked like a type of bar he would of gone to before he was transported to the future it had a stuffed lion a counter displaying the types of alcohol but there was no bartender. So reginald Just made himself and gin and tonic And took a seat in one of the stools. He thought to himself at the buildings bar," hmm this place is very empty perhaps i should go out soon". Then he continued to drink

A nervous looking man entered, he had blue eyes that seemed to glow a small bit. "I can't believe he's gone. Why him? Could they know? Or are they just trying to draw him out?" he muttered to himself and poured himself a strong drink. After quickly downing the drink he noticed Sir Reginald as he poured himself another. "Oh hello, are you new around here?" he asked in a friendly manner, trying to regain his composure.

Sir reginald looked at the nervous man and said," Yes Old chap i am new here. you can saw even though i am 26 i am living relic because i am not from this era".

[Mincaldenteans]

Primordial didn't return the smile, it wasn't him being rude but out of principle he tried not to smile. He considered it insulting to both himself and his honor. The beer had a sugary sweet taste to it a product of it being brewed from spider silk and containing a large liquid gemstone at the bottom. It was incredibly therapeutic and relaxing causing a persons muscles and mind to open up and relax. "Not well to say the least." he said "But I highly doubt you went off on some horrible quest and saved something or other to hear me bitch about my problems. So tell me what did YOU accomplish."

"You mean what did WE accomplish!" The Klingon boasted loudly, snagging the petite woman in a near bone crushing hug. His grin showed the jagged rows of his teeth and his chin held high in pride, his mek'leth in his free hand rested upon his opposite shoulder. "We honored the city of Varth, paid homage to the guild that took us in and brought nothing short of glory to our lineage. We slew a blight this universe has yet to endure with nothing more than sword and might; we braved the zones of which only madness could comprehend and looked upon the darkness that would make the most stoic cower in fear! And we celebrated in victory with song and wine. Our journey has been filled challenge worthy of tales and our family, friend and even our enemies will know of us for generations to come! There is no greater honor!" Mezran said triumphantly.

"Where are HanS and Ru'Hoff? They were here only moments ago," Mezran said almost deflated. Yes, the Klingon had hastily poked and prodded the human named Reginald for but a moment but it couldn't have been so soon that his other friends would suddenly disappear. He wondered if they were called to other matters but did not speak his thoughts out loud. Instead, "We will need to have a celebration in honor of our return!" He proclaimed with a wider grin, wondering if ChryS would feel the same way.

[The New Velociraptor Empire]

A nervous looking man entered, he had blue eyes that seemed to glow a small bit. "I can't believe he's gone. Why him? Could they know? Or are they just trying to draw him out?" he muttered to himself and poured himself a strong drink. After quickly downing the drink he noticed Sir Reginald as he poured himself another. "Oh hello, are you new around here?" he asked in a friendly manner, trying to regain his composure.

Sir reginald looked at the nervous man and said," Yes Old chap i am new here. you can saw even though i am 26 i am living relic because i am not from this era".

"Oh time travel, did you have a choice? I'm Jonathan Davenport, accountant for an era yet to be." the man introduced himself, extending his hand to shake. "Let me guess, you come from Victoria's Britain? Or are you from an alternate timeline that is not quite the same?" he asked. For a simple number cruncher, Jonathan seemed very knowledgeable.

[Rygondria]

Sir reginald looked at the nervous man and said," Yes Old chap i am new here. you can saw even though i am 26 i am living relic because i am not from this era".

"Oh time travel, did you have a choice? I'm Jonathan Davenport, accountant for an era yet to be." the man introduced himself, extending his hand to shake. "Let me guess, you come from Victoria's Britain? Or are you from an alternate timeline that is not quite the same?" he asked. For a simple number cruncher, Jonathan seemed very knowledgeable.

Sir reginald said," yes sir i do come from the jolly old Victorian Era. I got sent to the future because i shot a wizard in India because he was terrorizing the village. He was wounded when i was reloading he said a spell in Hindi That sent me into this era. When i arrived in future i thought it was a dream so i shot a killed a tiger but i was nearly arrested for so called poaching. I escaped now i am here". Then he took a sip of his gin and tonic.

[The BranRiech]

"Well, I honestly think we should be getting back now, but hey, I suppose I have no plans, I can stay around and have fun if you guys want." Toscha nodded as the two finished observing the statue. He figured Torii's admittance of having a crush on them wasn't something that carried over to the Lamia, simply because Torii seemed to well . . . Not like men? Yeah, that seemed right. He stood back a ways and watched his friends chatting as he tried formulating things they could do in his mind.

[Monfrox]

Sinyaya did as she was told and let Giovenith put her on her back. It was a magical and wonder-filled time for sure. One she would not forget any time soon. She waved to Am before giving a brief yawn. She was pretty worn out after that trip, but she was still quite young too. She hugged the girl who carried her and let her carry on until they came ashore. Once again she couldn't help but think back to how Varona had told her to handle the situation, and this time decided to go straight for the throat. "Can we be friends?" She asked.

[Swith Witherward]

The sun was gently fingerpainting the crests of waves in playful shades of umber and red as it set far out at sea. A soft breeze scattered a few early-shed leaves across the neatly trimmed lawn outside of the Building. An curled oak leaf rolled along until it fell into the valley of the sidewalk. It hesitated there, caught on a stern green grass blade, before the wind lifted it and sent it rolling again. Round and round it tumbled until it reached the hedgerow and settled between two tan paws.

A pair of eyes regarded the wind's gift. These eyes were the same warm tone as muddied desert sand, a color also reflected by the creature's leathery nose, and the belonged to a smallish canine with large ears and a bushy tail. Whiskers as black as the velvet night sky drew forward to express curiosity, and then swept back again once the creature determined that a leaf really was just a leaf.

A sneeze was followed by the soft thk thk thk cadence of the creature's hind paw as she scratched the side of her neck. Tawny shed hairs frolicked in the air before settling onto the ground. She sneezed again (because she was in fact laughing), and then she shook herself out and went in search of a fat beetle for supper.

[Mincaldenteans]

The sun was gently fingerpainting the crests of waves in playful shades of umber and red as it set far out at sea. A soft breeze scattered a few early-shed leaves across the neatly trimmed lawn outside of the Building. An curled oak leaf rolled along until it fell into the valley of the sidewalk. It hesitated there, caught on a stern green grass blade, before the wind lifted it and sent it rolling again. Round and round it tumbled until it reached the hedgerow and settled between two tan paws.

A pair of eyes regarded the wind's gift. These eyes were the same warm tone as muddied desert sand, a color also reflected by the creature's leathery nose, and the belonged to a smallish canine with large ears and a bushy tail. Whiskers as black as the velvet night sky drew forward to express curiosity, and then swept back again once the creature determined that a leaf really was just a leaf.

A sneeze was followed by the soft thk thk thk cadence of the creature's hind paw as she scratched the side of her neck. Tawny shed hairs frolicked in the air before settling onto the ground. She sneezed again (because she was in fact laughing), and then she shook herself out and went in search of a fat beetle for supper.

Rustling of leaves and soft dirt skittered across, gentle thump thumps would echo to only the most sensitive of ears. It played among the leaves which fell like thick blankets across the ground. Like plunging into a sea, the warm leaves enveloped and brushed upon its spotted and striped fur, its embrace unhurried nor possessive while it launched itself out and back into the pile again. Oh! It's dark honey brown eyes caught the sight of a yellow leaf that reflected the past afternoon's sun. It hadn't seen that before. Or it had, but some other time perhaps. It tilted its head and launched itself in a pounce before jumping away and back into the soft pile of leaves.

Small ears poked up from the bed of leaves, it sniffed the air and felt a brief change. Figuring it was the wind that changed the scent of the area (really, who could catalog these things), it came back out and rolled itself on the ground, an itch on its back had taken its attention from playing. Its tiny paws scrubbed its narrow face and its striped tail wagged about while moving its body in friction to stop the itch that ran along its spine. Yawning, it rolled around and back on its fours, spotting another in the vicinity; so maybe that was the scent it picked up, but who knew. It tilted its head the opposite way and wondered what it was looking for while approaching with light feet and a lazy pace.

[Giovenith]

Sinyaya did as she was told and let Giovenith put her on her back. It was a magical and wonder-filled time for sure. One she would not forget any time soon. She waved to Am before giving a brief yawn. She was pretty worn out after that trip, but she was still quite young too. She hugged the girl who carried her and let her carry on until they came ashore. Once again she couldn't help but think back to how Varona had told her to handle the situation, and this time decided to go straight for the throat. "Can we be friends?" She asked.

"We already are, little one. We already are."

With that, Giovenith took out a hairdryer from her pocket, blew it on the girl, and instantly dried her through completely. Seeing that it was getting late, she loaded Sinyaya back up into the wagon, called a warning to Am, and dragged the two along home.

---

Pippa-Michelle had run into her beloved Pretzels on her way home from the other fleshies' home. He'd been pulling back a bunch of supplies in a little wagon, and she'd been more than happy to help him carry it all back to their room.

[Cerillium]

The sun was gently fingerpainting the crests of waves in playful shades of umber and red as it set far out at sea. A soft breeze scattered a few early-shed leaves across the neatly trimmed lawn outside of the Building. An curled oak leaf rolled along until it fell into the valley of the sidewalk. It hesitated there, caught on a stern green grass blade, before the wind lifted it and sent it rolling again. Round and round it tumbled until it reached the hedgerow and settled between two tan paws.

A pair of eyes regarded the wind's gift. These eyes were the same warm tone as muddied desert sand, a color also reflected by the creature's leathery nose, and the belonged to a smallish canine with large ears and a bushy tail. Whiskers as black as the velvet night sky drew forward to express curiosity, and then swept back again once the creature determined that a leaf really was just a leaf.

A sneeze was followed by the soft thk thk thk cadence of the creature's hind paw as she scratched the side of her neck. Tawny shed hairs frolicked in the air before settling onto the ground. She sneezed again (because she was in fact laughing), and then she shook herself out and went in search of a fat beetle for supper.

Rustling of leaves and soft dirt skittered across, gentle thump thumps would echo to only the most sensitive of ears. It played among the leaves which fell like thick blankets across the ground. Like plunging into a sea, the warm leaves enveloped and brushed upon its spotted and striped fur, its embrace unhurried nor possessive while it launched itself out and back into the pile again. Oh! It's dark honey brown eyes caught the sight of a yellow leaf that reflected the past afternoon's sun. It hadn't seen that before. Or it had, but some other time perhaps. It tilted its head and launched itself in a pounce before jumping away and back into the soft pile of leaves.

Small ears poked up from the bed of leaves, it sniffed the air and felt a brief change. Figuring it was the wind that changed the scent of the area (really, who could catalog these things), it came back out and rolled itself on the ground, an itch on its back had taken its attention from playing. Its tiny paws scrubbed its narrow face and its striped tail wagged about while moving its body in friction to stop the itch that ran along its spine. Yawning, it rolled around and back on its fours, spotting another in the vicinity; so maybe that was the scent it picked up, but who knew. It tilted its head the opposite way and wondered what it was looking for while approaching with light feet and a lazy pace.

Three acorns rested between ludicrously long claws. He wouldn't eat them. He didn't eat acorns. The fact that he possessed three acorns was what mattered, until he grew bored with them, and he was sorely tempted to rush out and smack the creature that had just crossed the yard - for no other reason than those three acorns between his claws.

He was dusty shadow and dirty snow, not that he cared about his appearances, with smallish brown eyes and strange ears reminiscent of a human being. His capacity to express himself was thus limited to lips, noise and claws. MiracleGro potting soil was his scent of choice today. He rose and gave a violent shake to cast some of onto the ground - his ground - before stepping forward with long, loping strides that caused his body to rock from side to side.

Surely the strange creature crossing the yard really had come for his acorns and some 'splaining was needed. The acorns themselves, I should mention, have been left behind at this point; the thought that replaced their existence primarily revolved around identifying exactly what sort of animal this visitor was. This new animal moved with grace. Perhaps it hunted? Perhaps it knew where good food was?

He made no effort to hide his approach. The self-satisfying grunts radiating from him were a dead giveaway to any passersby, and he left a wide path in the leaves crushed under his heavy pads.

The creature came to a stop and took a step more. Now the new arrival was forgotten in favor of the sounds coming from the ground.

crunch

crunch

CRUNCH CRUNCH CRUNCH GRUNT CRUNCH GRUNT HUFF CRUNCH

This new game delighted his spirit. He bounded across the lawn this way and that - very much an outsized weasel - batting leaves into the air with heavy blows and then rolling onto the remaining piles. He came to a stop on his back with thick legs and claws raised towards the sky. His eyes saw the strange creature again. A deep snort scattered debris in front of his nose.

Hroom, he burbled while still on his back, not that he cared if the other creature thought poorly of him for his sport. (He had yet to spot the other strange creature in the hedgerow.)