Event Log: May, An Inauspicious Arrival

[faileas]

Event Log: May, An Inauspicious Arrival

I. Boaltinn (1st - 3rd) Boaltinn comes around again. A handful of Mirrorbound will remember the holiday from last year, but for others, it will be brand new. In both Residential Districts, bonfires burn in central locations through the night, frequented by the residents celebrating another summer come to Aefenglom. Curiously, while last year the bonfires seemed quite segregated by human or Monster, this year, there is more of a noticeable mix at each, and Mirrorbound are invited to join the games and festivities quite happily. Characters are invited to try and jump through the bonfire's flames to burn away any poor relationship experiences, be it romantic or platonic, past or present; to aid them in this, those at the Eastern Bonfire will give those participating rune-etched accessories to protect them from the fire. The city has quite a bit to offer for this holiday: shared rose baths at public bathhouses and pleasure establishments that increase feelings of friendliness and talkativeness, poles draped in ribbons meant to be danced around, wrapping a ribbon around the pole to bring good luck for the summer, food stalls whose offerings are meant to be shared, and fortune-telling set up by Divination students of the Coven, who can tell your day is going to go. To see last year's Boaltinn prompts, you can take a glance right here! Much of it, including the bonfires, baths, and entertainments will be similar this year, so feel free to use those in your top levels.

II. An Unusual Arrival (3rd on) A full year from the arrival of the first group of Mirrorbound, the 1st passes quietly, with no one showing up in the mirror-lined halls of the Looking-Glass House. Dates and times are important in most kinds of magic, and this is strange enough that some Witches of the Coven get together on the night of the 3rd to try a probing ritual, attempting to gather some kind of clues that could be useful in prying out the cottage's secrets. Boaltinn is the best time for such things, when the boundaries are thinner, and magic is stronger. Those who are awake that night at 3 am might notice a pulse of harmless silvery light that spreads like ripples on water throughout the whole city, originating at the Looking-Glass House, but nothing further happens, and the Coven receives no answers. Well, nothing happens in the Looking-Glass House. Before long, the reports start coming in: people are emerging from mirrors, regular old mundane mirrors, all over the city. Anything with a particularly reflective surface could be an entry point for someone from another world! Inhabited homes, businesses closed and locked for the night, pools of still water in fountains or the river, these unorthodox Mirrorbound pop up anywhere and everywhere, causing chaos for the City Guard (folks aren't happy to find strangers in their bathrooms at 3 in the morning) and the Coven both. Out of nowhere, a glint of light catches your eye; your heart thunders in your ears as your body moves on its own, your mind consumed with inspecting the source. Your reflection stares back at you, just as curious from the surface - a mirror, a pool of water, your most trusted sword, something fleeting that your mind can barely remember - then ripples at your touch. If you are one of these unfortunate arrivals, it's likely a rude awakening for you, to find yourself somewhere inconvenient, somewhere other than where you've been. It only makes sense to be confused. Hopefully someone finds you and explains to you what's happened to you. Resident Mirrorbound will hear a message from Miss Nessie shortly after it begins, a call to arms: "Dears, I'm quite sorry to disturb you, but it seems your fellows are arriving elsewhere than the Looking-Glass House this month! We're trying to track them all down for the usual welcome, but we could use a hand or several! If you could just bring them by the Coven, the usual spot, that would be lovely." She'll give her usual orientation and pass out Watches, but no doubt the Mirrorbound will be more helpful in this regard, with so many arriving.

III. The Goblin Market (All Month) Life goes on in Aefenglom, despite the addition of so many new residents. With the City Guard decidedly busy dealing with the sudden flood of break-ins (or, more accurately, break-outs?), the vendors of the Goblin Market find opportunity to set up their stalls more openly than they have since the crack-downs some months ago. They pop up all over the city, but clustered more often in the Residential Districts and the Harbor District, where there are even fewer law enforcement agents out and about to run them off. These sellers, while not as devoid of morals as those major players of the Black Market, still have very few compunctions when it comes to lying, cheating, fencing stolen goods, and misrepresenting their wares to unsuspecting buyers. It's also the place to find those things that are- not quite legal, shall we say. They won't say a word if you don't. If confronted, they are quick to pack up their things and slip away, however; they know this city and its hiding places a lot better than you do. With a brand new batch of what the natives assume are Mirrorbound, many undergoing rapid transformations into their Monster forms, many of the wares on display are potions: supposed cure-alls for aches and itches, calming draughts for the full moon restlessness, some even claim their brews can halt changes entirely! Some concoctions are meant to increase a Witch's magical ability, or decrease it, or provide them a finer control. They offer potions that they say will eliminate the need for a Bond, or temporary Bonding potions of their own that they claim are more pure, stronger, than the ones offered by the Coven. Claims are only claims, though. A few remedies for the pain of changing or some regular temporary Bonding potions can be found here and there, but for every potion that works, there are twenty more that have less than pleasant side effects. A brew that will cause everything you touch to turn to solid gold for up to an hour; a potion that will invert your sense of direction - trying to turn right will make you turn left, trying to go forward will cause you to walk backward; a potion that will remove all traction from your feet, causing you to slide around as if cobblestone are the slickest ice. Worse, some shadier vendors sell things more sinister, including a potion that gives you the appearance of being moderately to heavily infected by the Cwyld. Even if you don't drink any, the vendors are not at all careful where they're sloshing those bottles around, trying to show them off, and they all activate on skin contact.

IV. A Wilde Hunt (7th - 22nd) All Mirrorbound, temporary or not, are likely to feel it. Monsters are always affected by the full moons, but this month, it is more. Stronger. Instincts rise to the surface as the Sisters emerge full and visible in the night sky, and for many Mirrorbound, they are undergoing rapid transformations into whatever type of Monster they are meant to be. Curiously, the natives get along like they usually do, noticing nothing out of the norm, other than the increased agitation and restlessness from Mirrorbound Monsters. Monsters' aggression fades when the Sisters start to wane, but as the new moons approach on the 22nd, Mirrorbound Witches will notice their magical reserves overfilling, and will find themselves stricken with the overwhelming urge to use it, until casting spells, pushing one's magical limits, is almost a compulsion. Those who are not in proper Witch-Monster Bonds will feel it even stronger, with no stabilizing magic to consume (for Monsters) or avenues to expend magic (for Witches) other than casting spells. (For those who are interested, the Coven does offer temporary Bonding potions which can be used to help alleviate the effects somewhat.) The Coven Witches notice the signs, and they take decisive action on the morning of the 6th, the day before the full moons. So many Mirrorbound, likely to be so heavily affected by the lunar cycle this month, many of them coming into new features and abilities at a breakneck pace, only spells danger for the city. They barricade off a massive chunk of Wilde outside Aefenglom, largely free of Cwyld and totally bereft of farms, homes, and Wilder outposts. They invite anyone who feels the effects of the moons too strongly to control to come out for a Hunt. The hunting grounds will be open nightly to anyone who needs to work off restless energy or overflowing magic; all participants will be warned that their safety cannot be guaranteed from others, but they won't be able to harm bystanders out here. The woods are thick, with the river cutting through them, and full of wildlife. There is room to run and chase prey, or room to play with your developing magic. Play cat and mouse with your friends or Bondmates, or stalk a stranger. If playing games isn't your thing, there is something else to hunt out here as well. With the deep Wilde entering into Winter, this patch of land so close to the city is much warmer, and fearsome Shades have emerged to search for prey. These were once living beings, Monsters, Witches, or animals, who have been overtaken by Cwyld infection long ago, leaving them dead but for the infection, white-eyed and seeking out sources of magic to consume and infect. Anything could become a Shade, but the most common out right now are the ferocious remains of bears, wolves, and nomadic Arachne and Turnskins. If not killed, these Shades threaten the people of the Outer City, when they inevitably escape the barricade. Careful to limit your contact, though; anyone infected upon their return to the gates will be escorted straight to the infirmary.

Welcome to May's Fourth Wall event, An Inauspicious Arrival! The comms are now open to comments from all registered users and will be until June 1st. Current players, if you don't want fourth wall characters tagging your posts, just say so in your text. Fourth wall characters can use this post for their own network top-levels, or this post for log top levels. This event is game canon; threads from this fourth wall can be used as application samples later and current players may use these threads for AC. As always, be courteous to each other! Let the mod team know if there are any problems and we will handle things.

As always, please direct your questions to this thread!

Comments

[plasticasshole]

Oh, so they've been here for a while?

[Even better, they'll hopefully have somewhere for her to stay until this is solved.]

I might know them, who are they?

[As for her question-]

I was among the first group of Mirrorbound to arrive, yes. It's been... well, interesting to say the least. I've learned a lot about myself, and I've met some exceptional people.

[...and lost them, too.]

That's not to say it's been perfect, but I like it here. And I'm used to being a Merrow now.

[ranyaulf]

( there is no taste, which is a good thing--- he smacks his lips a few times to try to discern any kind of flavor but finds it to be nothing. yet, he can feel a warmth pool in his stomach which soon travels to his extremities; from the tips of his ears to the end of his tail, ranulf isn't sure what to make of this bonding thing right away. it's not like anything has changed immediately, though as soon as he opens his mouth to say something and looks to soren to see his reaction...

ah.

it's his first time and while ranulf doesn't expect some kind of outpouring of emotions, it's a feeling of weight. it's comforting and steadying and that brings him some of that same. he's lucky and he'll certainly count his stars later, because to have his first bond with soren and not someone else is a blessing. it brings him joy as well. how could he not be happy?

having a part of home here... )

Okay. ( with a confident nod, he faces the water and closes his eyes. before, there was no feeling of control; what happened, happened. he was lucky that nothing backfired. but now? he can feel the ice stream from his fingers while whispering to himself (is it some kind of incantation? maybe he's trying to steady himself with self-inspiring words of confidence). he draws a pattern in front of him before smoothing out the air in front of him.

the water shimmers, then freezes. a perfect swath imitating the motions he made seconds prior.

and when he's done, ranulf opens his eyes. he already expects the results, and his tail bobs in excitement. )

Soren, look! Did you see that? Man... Skrimir's head would be spinning if he saw this.

[trost]

[ There's definitely a mismatch here, so his hunch that she's from an earlier point of time appears to be correct. ]

We defeated those titans. [ Years ago that would be said with some congratulatory cheer, but now that they know the truth about the titans, killing them doesn't feel like a victory at all. ] No, Commander Pixis, and the other men who drank the wine.

[ It's a joke that as a soldier who dedicated his heart to humanity he has to kill one of the commanding officers, that he's killing his own people at all, but at this point, it's fairly clear that their entire world is one big, cruel joke. It still doesn't make sense to him that Eren, who had the founder, couldn't have changed them or Connie's mother back, but speculating about that is diving into a whole mess of things he doesn't understand. Maybe it's not possible after all? He doesn't want to think that Eren simply doesn't care. ]

I was right then. I'm from a later point than you are. It just doesn't make sense, because you were with me the whole time ...

[killuwatt]

[ Killua's chin drops onto the pillow. He watches Gon in silence as he struggles through his explanation, then trails off. When he doesn't continue, Killua moves to sit up. ]

...yeah. [ he agrees, quietly. ] I know.

Looking at some of them... is weird.

[sparkstrikes]

Don't speak too soon.

[Lightning comes at it out of the shadows from behind, with the only light being from the magic she's tried to imbue into her sword. It crackles on contact, causing the Shade's skin to sizzle before it tries to maul her with one of its giant paws. It nearly grazes her, and she can feel the heat of its poison on her skin as she dodges backwards.]

I think... we need to find a way to trap it. No way this thing's going down without a fight.

[She pulls the trigger of her gun to try a bullet, but without the magic, it's useless. It sinks right into its skin and is eaten away into more black sludge just as easily as it had left the barrel of her gun.]

Just fighting it off isn't gonna work.

[But with nothing but trees around them, it puts them in a tight spot.]

[plasticasshole]

He starts to give Markus an address, then realises it won't mean much to him. So he switches to directions there from the cottage instead, knowing Markus will remember.

"If you happen to get lost I'm sure someone will point you in the right direction, but... I doubt you'll lose your way."

Markus is more competent than that.

This is now on my to do list. So much to do, so little time...!

[purposefulnonsense]

The question is one that sets Hythlodaeus thinking. The towering man briefly slips into his thoughts, hand poised before his mouth in contemplation. The Coven... no, he hasn't spoken with them yet. Truth be told, he has been so focused on others that he has somewhat neglected to consider his own needs. If Hades has been here for months, after all, he may end up being so as well.

"...I have not. Do you think they would be able to help?"

[sparkstrikes]

I'd rather the puddle than a cloud.

[She accepts the handkerchief without so much as a grunt of protest, if only because taking it brings more attention to the fact that she's dripping water all over the place. She appreciates it! Truly!

She's a little less graceful about using it, using it to dab her eyes dry and to absorb the water in her hair. Of course, it's completely soaked by the time she's done that.]

Can't imagine that'd be a fun way to come back. You'd have to dig me out of the ground instead.

[finesseblade]

[ Being a gigantic wolf, even if only for one night a month, definitely has its perks. Out here, in the element of beasts, he has the advantage of his senses to rely on.

Others, though... Felix whuffs quietly, as though disgruntled by such a foolish question. ]

The wind. [ He curls his claws, raising a single digit and pointing in the direction from which the breeze is coming. ] I can smell them. They reek of death. Which means they're that way.

[ He turns a golden eye on Sougo, appraising. Honestly, the boy is... not much to look at, at a glance. He may have made a poor choice in partners. ]

Please tell me you know how to fight.

[trost]

So everyone's an 'Ultimate-something'? Is that normal in a school? I didn't go to one for very long.

[ Joined the military at 12............ ]

A title like that would probably inflate some egos.

lottie person | snotgirl | vampire

[oomfies]

AN UNUSUAL ARRIVAL

[ When she's spit out, from her brightly lit hotel bathroom (mid-breakdown, and in a few seconds - full breakdown), she's submerged in pitch black darkness. Lands hard onto the ground, just barely missing her face catching the fall when her shoulder rams into the wood flooring. In the seconds it takes for her to rule out she's not having a hallucination from her medicine, she starts to cry. Fumbles around on the ground for something, anything, to help her escape.

It's when her nose starts dribbling snot, feels tears blur her sight and starts to shake violently, does she have purchase on.. Fabric? Velvet? After a second of investigation she finds out something amazing - they're curtains. ]

Help, [ They're swung open, finally bringing in some natural light from the streetlights, revealing that every damn store - at least, she thinks they're stores - are closed. Hardly anyone on the street save for you. With hands desperately knocking on the glass (barely noticing the growing spider web of cracks every time her fists meet the window), she calls out, ] help, please! I-I think I'm locked in!

THE GOBLIN MARKET

[ Whoever spilled these beans, she hates you, so much. And, to no one's surprise, it's her. She spilled the coffee beans. And she's been counting them for the past couple minutes, insisting that you wait because this was her idea. Lottie is sorely regretting being a nice host, but it's a good way to shield the tears of frustration budding from being seen. But hey, at least the drinks are already made? ]

Sorry, I just.. I-I don't know why I can't stop.

[ Which is a lie - she's already run into some kids who weren't very nice to the age old rule that vampires have to pick up anything that falls in front of them or something. It's the worst, and it's probably made her coffee lukewarm by now. Ugh. Lottie chances a glance up at the crowd roaming through the market, at the shade that ends just a couple inches from where she reaches out to clean up her mess. And then, looks back to you, sitting pretty at the table next to where she bought her 'illegal beans' from. ]

But I need like. Five more. Is that okay?

A WILDE HUNT

[ Being out in the woods with all those other weirdos doesn't do it for Lottie - despite going through bodily changes that are just as horrific as they are terrible, she still thinks herself somehow better than everyone else. That she doesn't need to go savage out in the woods, or something, like a dog!

So instead, she enlists your help. It doesn't matter how she coerced you to join her - either through dumb luck, your generosity, or a flyer, of all things (more than likely her incessant cries of, 'I'm confused, I'm always cold! My teeth fucking hurt. I look like a freak. And I'm scared.'). But she's here, sitting alongside you in your home, wherever it is you may live, in the middle of the night. Lottie is too awake, mind running a million miles per hour, to try and pretend she's not freaking out. ]

Is it always this bad? [ So she voices it, the forced inflection of normal, pure nonchalance, as she clutches at the blanket around her frame tighter. Lifts her gaze up towards the moon, ] I feel like I'm dying.

WILDCARD
[ or throw something else at me! if you want to hash something out specifically feel free to PM this account or PP me over at snottie! ]

[npc_admin]

Yes, I was. [ He smiles -- or rather, he continues to smile. The ex-AI seems to be quite pleased with himself. He folds his hands on the table and hums a little happy tune. Ah, that's new. ]

You do seem like a completely desperate individual. [ Father Kotomine nods along that he's certain that Jean has failed his fair share and is more than capable of failing even more. ]

It's nice that your face continues to crumble, though. It means that you still have hope.

[blankpieces]

[Near points a scaled finger toward the door.]

All the official government buildings are in the Aristocratic District. That's west of here. [He pauses to frown.] ...I think you would be better off asking for the Coven itself if you want anyone to understand you.

It's a very distinct looking building. If all else fails, you can follow the wall west until you reach a building with a large courtyard. If you reach the docks you've gone the wrong way. If you reach the river you've passed it up somehow.

this is killing me... SOREN'S NEVER HAPPY I'M SO

[silentsavant]

( soren can't even help himself — he chuckles at the remark, a tiny skipping sound in his throat that almost never happens, not to him. and he's smiling, and the size of his irises have reduced to something less absurd, a bit more human.

he hasn't laughed in... ages. he's never been given to laughter, and when amusement strikes, it's usually one sharp puff of air through his nose. but this is pure laughter, quick-lived but real. his voice remains warm and bright. he shakes his head. )

He wouldn't know his tail from his head. Next thing you know, he'd be begging me to help him... but even if he could use magic, his attempts would be catastrophic at worst, failures at best.

( he would get impatient, as he is wont to do. but skrimir has it in him to shut up and listen, especially when soren is talking. in his rush of euphoria, soren swings his arms out and clasps ranulf by the hands, minds the sharpness of his own claws, looks him in the heterochromatic eyes. )

Tactile reinforcement is another thing you should know about. It serves to strengthen the connection between us further, which helps us both.

( and ranulf's excitement over improvement mixed with their joking over skrimir resounds like an echo chamber, leaving soren happy in return. )

[northernmist]

[ That might actually be fun. At least it'll be more interesting than being stuck as he is with nothing to do. ]

Oh? So humans have dog ears and tails now? That's funny. I don't remember seeing everyone else wagging them around.

[ But after the sarcasm, he rolls his eyes. ]

Just drink it. You want to see what it does or not?

[jichengren]

[ There's obviously a lot to cover. Fifteen whole years, two deaths... Zixuan imagines it's a lot to sort through in A-Ling's mind. ]

You thought what? It's alright, you can tell us.

[ He has no idea of the complications that could be holding A-Ling back from divulging the whole truth. But he is a strong man, and Yanli a strong woman. They can take whatever the truth reveals. ]

A! ♡

[doublesharp]

[Being alone in a new world is... well, lonely. Dangerous and confusing and full of mysteries, yes, but in the end, Riku can't help but dwell on it.

A bathhouse is like a little taste of home, promising comfort, so there's no wonder that he can't help checking it out. Even though he can't find anything that indicates that this side is for men (or male monsters? witches? does that matter?), this is probably the right one. There's no way to confirm, either way - even as he swallows thickly and hesitantly peeks around the corner to make extra sure there aren't any women here, seeing an empty bath doesn't bring him that much relief.

It's nice, of course - the warm water is just the right temperature, and as he eases himself down into it, it does provide a bit of much needed relaxation. But the longer he sits here alone, the more empty he feels, and he hugs his knees to his chest out of habit and closes his eyes... until quiet footsteps and a splash of water indicate that someone else has decided to use the bath too. Maybe he should open his eyes to greet them properly--]

Mo-- [He couldn't be seeing things, right?! Nobody else has hair like that!] Momo-san?!

[freecshow]

Yeah... I guess this whole situation is weird though, right?

[Gon sighs, then straightens up, his palms flat on his knees.]

Anyway, there's still about ...4 different types...

[Gon strokes his fingertip down the index, humming thoughtfully.]

It's a little interesting, because I've met some Monster people since arriving, before I realized that could be me... and I'm recognizing the people I met in the stuff I'm reading about. Like the first person I met, I'm pretty sure she was a dragon. She said she was a human like me, when she got here. So I guess she's been here for a little while...

But... it looks like with a lot of these Monster types, there's some personality changes.

[chaoticbeauty]

I can't even create a portal to take me to the other side of that fucking tree.

[ At least this time around, no one's calling her a piglet. Though, she could be vicious enough to herself if given the time and ammunition of her own failings to not reascend in the ranks of power quickly.

For all her bubbling rage, though, he does manage to earn a quick laugh. She doesn't pull away as he reaches out to touch her, violet eyes studying his face intently - her expression turning serious again. ]

I'm going to fix this. All of it. [ She just hadn't found the right person to question... yet. Until then, she'd just keep pushing herself to her limits over and over and over until she either broke down from it or broke through whatever barriers were limiting her power. The need to balance power through a bond had been mentioned, but it wasn't on the top of her list at the moment. It was hard to push herself to the breaking point of her powers if things were limited. ]

[spirialink]

Yeah, I really hit the jackpot when it came to this! Just watch, you won't be able to do anything like this with your Soma! [Connotations of being a "witch" aside, Kor sounds pleased as punch about it. Couldn't use Will Artes but now he can do All The Magic! Or at least the magic he learns.

But he decides to demonstrate for Hisui. He grabs the hilt of his Soma and draws it. Which in itself isn't that impressive. He does that all the time. But then he casts his sword spell, and a blade extends from the hilt, crackling and teeming with electricity and giving off an energy that... definitely wasn't Will.

That just leaves Hisui's other question.]

They're... still trying to figure that part out. How to get people home, I mean. It's been a couple months for me, and I guess even longer for other people here.

[killuwatt]

Yeah...

[ Weird. It's just... weird. All of it. And they both keep saying it, as if the word means everything, or anything at all.

Slowly, Killua pushes himself up and off the bed, clothes and hair nap-rumpled, the sheets finally slept-in. ]

Sounds like you have been learning. I wonder if it's better to talk more to people who came here as humans, and then realized this world had other ideas. Rather than taking direction only from resources meant to explore this place's natural species. It's probably different, isn't it?

[ He's moved closer as he speaks, standing over Gon's shoulder to peer down at the book. ]

What do you mean? Like the... behavioral differences in animals you were talking about earlier?

[ ...shit. The more they talk about this, even though he's the one who insisted that getting educated was the best idea, the worse Killua feels. For some reason, it makes him feel guilty. He got lucky, didn't he? It seems unfair. Gon has to contend with the horror of potentially transforming, physically and mentally, into a literal monster he doesn't understand.

What if he does end up being one of the bug-looking ones? A feline Turnskin? Something else? Just thinking about it makes Killua's skin crawl, and he feels instantly even guiltier.

It's not Gon's fault.

This time, at least, it's not Gon's fault.

And he feels worse and worse thinking of it in those terms. ]

Tell me about what you learned. I'll ask around too.

[ruinedempire]

It's not? And here I thought our transformation into beast or witch was our rite of passage to step foot into the promised land of the Ancients.

[He feigns surprise, and Rufus isn't even trying to make his reaction even slightly believable. He wants the other man to know that he's being facetious about this, especially since the promised land is far from his mind and has been for a couple of years now. Although... that does make him wonder if Cloud is from the same time as him and that's quite an important thing to find out.

He's starting to think that they aren't, although, Cloud is never happy to see him. So. You know.

He'll have to at least applaud Cloud for not pulling that sword out in the middle of a street, with various people around them.]

Quite a cruel thing to slowly change into something else without any input, isn't it? [Rufus definitely seems amused by something, even though he's also fallen into that category as well.]

[freecshow]

[Gon's eyes widen just a bit as Killua moves so close, and he finds that weird of him, to be seized by this... weird...anxiety? is that it? maybe because it's been so long since they've been physically proximate, and the whole situation is so overstimulating in general, Gon's nerves are just tetchy in general. but he doesn't think he minds, exactly.]

Umm...

[Gon swallows, trying to get his head straight. jeez. he scratches his chin, blinking as he rolls his eyes up. honestly, this was...slightly easier to absorb than most things Gon's had to study, just because it overlaps with things he already knows and is already interested in, but it's sort of a morbid way for fate to conflate those things.]

Arachne Monsters are venomous... They grow multiple limbs, and lose the ability to see color, and can't see well in bright daylight...

Dragons can breathe fire, ice or acid? Depending on their aligned element, they're impervious to similar magic, and they can change shape a little... but they'll be weaker to that elemental opposite? They're strong, and have like—scales, maybe wings and stuff... like the lady I met.

Fae are good at illusion magic, and they get smaller... and they look more like bugs, it seems like. They can also enchant items; extreme cold and heat hurt them...

Harpies grow wings, talons, feathers, and apparently are really astute with...lying and stuff? And their vision improves a lot... I couldn't really see if harpy people's arms become wings, or if they grow wings on their back or something...

Chimeras are...a bunch of stuff... They're really...tough, cuz they're a lot of things put together, and adaptable... [how disturbingly familiar is all of that? Gon feels he doesn't have to elaborate too much.]

And there's Vampires, too...which is about what you'd expect...

[yesdoubt]

[That red head did look a little familiar, but with Riku's face in his knees, it was kind of hard to tell. Once he brings his head up, though, the recognition is immediate, and Momo looks practically over the moon to be seeing someone from his own world.]

Riku~! I thought that hair looked like you! [The bath isn't that deep, but it's deep enough for Momo to flatten himself out and kick off from the side of the bath to propel himself at Riku, arms out.

Ignoring the fact that they're both naked, apparently it's hugs time and there's nothing embarrassing or untoward about this. Clearly it's fine.

Also, Momo got a lot of mileage off that kickoff and he may well just end up collecting Riku into the side of the bath.]

[killuwatt]

[ Killua can practically feel his heart skip a beat at the word chimera.

That wasn't a Monster he'd encountered yet, or one he realized existed. He hasn't been researching the species as much as he has been harassing the Witches about what kind of spells could help him get home and what they've done to facilitate research in that direction. It feels like a punch in the chest.

Suddenly, his thoughts are spiraling, imagining some macabre mashup of Gon and various bestial parts, insect wings or segmented appendages or-- the way he'd looked when--

It feels like the world is sliding, tipping dangerously sideways. To steady himself, without thinking, Killua grabs Gon's shoulder. ]