middaeg | [open] if you could only see

[ Vex doesn't initially notice how slack the string is getting, lost in her sighs as she is, but Trinket's ears perk up as Zack approaches, watching the human duck briefly to collect the dagger. No aggression, his pose is far too lax for that, and one might almost be forgiven for mistaking him as a giant shaggy dog. Almost.

Her head does lift from her hands when Zack speaks, however, Vex blinking twice - once for the words, and once for the offered dagger. ]

Oh. Thanks. [automatic, as she accepts the blade back, before she seems to shake herself out of momentary stupor] So it would seem!

I'm guessing you're probably not responsible for.. [she tugs her end of the string ruefully.]

[ It's clear that this woman hadn't just expected the sudden appearance of the person she was attached to, but Zack has never been one to just sit around when there's something to be done, and solving this mystery had seemed like a decent enough use of his time.

When she tugs, his hand is drawn forward in the air, though there isn't enough pull behind it to make him stumble or anything like that. For now, he holds his ground. And, if he's honest, his attention is more on the bear than the woman herself.

It's just... even with all the monsters, seeing a bear around is pretty strange. ]

Nope. Just suddenly had these strings on my fingers. I'm just going with what seems to be the usual explanation around here and assuming this is another spell gone wrong.

[ Or right? He has no idea what the initial intention of the spell might be.

He nods to the bear. ] Nice friend you have there.

[ It's interesting, watching how the mystery string acts to draw his hand forward. No doubt he could tug back and the same would occur with her. She flips the blade in her hand, and attempt to saw through - no effect, and with a sigh, Vex sheathes it more safely this time.

The bear turns his nose up towards Zack, blinking in response to all that staring. If you're expecting intelligent conversation to spontaneously occur...you may be waiting a while. Instead, jaws part in a large yawn, showing off rows of sharp teeth and a wet tongue, before he settles again. ]

What, like the mess with the mirrors a few months back? [shefell through a shield into an armory; explaining that to the owner had taken some fancy verbal footwork.] Really, if this is a regular occurrence, maybe the Coven needs to reassess their lessons.

[ It's a grouse, but not directed at him, and she ends it with a shrug.

Then a smile; compliments for the bear are always welcome. ]

Trinket? Yes, he's very good. Aren't you, buddy? [said bear makes a happy sound, recognising when he's being addressed.] No strings for him, though. And thank the Gods he's not a cat, or this might be an even worse muddle to sort through.

Oh, you were here for that too?

[ First Nero, now this woman. Zack realizes that it's impossible to have met everyone who came through that time, given that there'd been a flood of them, but the number who have returned is much smaller as far as he can tell. An interesting thing to note, all the same. Is that why they've been tied together? He glances down at his hand for just a moment.

Then he hears that the bear's name is Trinket, which is delightful enough that he turns his attention on the pair again, wearing a grin. ]

Did he come through the mirror with you?

[ It seems a safe bet. Zack can't imagine someone being so close to a predatory animal that they only met within the past month or so.

He sort of thought that the string would disappear now that they found each other, but that doesn't seem to be the case. He hazards moving another step closer, but docile as the bear might seem, Zack doesn't want to make it feel threatened either. So he maintains some distance, even now. ]

You too? [a nod] Yeah. Bit weird. Not entirely sure why I got to return. But here I am.

And this time, he came with me. [sadly, the enchanted locket he'd traveled in had then failed, but at least her bear was safe and in one piece!] I hadn't anticipated that. And I haven't seen anyone else with large companion creatures that weren't familiars, or found here.

[ Docile bear is very docile, and after determining that Zack doesn't appear to be a threat, and Vex is not concerned, Trinket shuffles again in place before tucking his paws under him and 'flopping' - no point standing when you can partially lie down, after all. ]

Did you have anything come through with you?

Yeah, me neither.

[ Not that Zack has asked everyone he's met if they happened to have a large animal travel through the mirrors with them, but the point still stands. This woman and her bear certainly stand out compared to everyone else.

When Trinket flops to the ground, Zack feels a bit more at ease. He hadn't actually expected to get his throat torn out or anything like that, but some healthy wariness also hadn't gone amiss. When the question is turned back on him, he falters for just a moment. No, he hadn't brought anything because there hadn't been anything to bring, not when he'd been bleeding out before he got here. ]

Nope! [ He shakes his head. ] Just the clothes on my back, basically. And wow, just realized I know your bear's name but not yours. Where are my manners?

[ Stepping forward, Zack extends the hand that has the string tied to it to shake. Maybe that will be enough to make it disappear? ] I'm Zack.

One of these days, maybe someone will know. Until then? [a shrug. whaddaya gonna do?]

Better than arriving without even that. [ Zack is not the only one to arrive after such circumstances. Vex at least was post-battle, a disaster of one, but mostly in one piece. (Save for her heart.) ] I haven't seen much of what wardrobes they hand out, if any, now that I think about it.

Vex'ahlia. [she notices the hand offered; she takes it, a firm shake following.] So, Zack, did you land monster or witch as your "type"?

[ It's true that Zack wouldn't have been so thrilled to show up here completely naked, and so he'll take what he can get. It could have been worse, she's right about that.

He takes her hand and makes note of her name, which is strange enough that it should be easy to remember. Even after their handshake, though, the red string remains tightly wrapped around their fingers. Huh. ]

Nice to meet you. And I'm a monster. [ Which always feels kind of odd to say, but it is what it is. ] A chimera, actually. [ The handshake may have been quick enough to miss that his fingers are stiffer and the skin harder than what would be considered normal, but Zack also tilts his chin up so that Vex'ahlia can see the dark brown feathers circling his neck. ]

How about you?

[ The red string doesn't disintegrate after they shake hands, which wasn't why he offered (probably) but both perhaps hoped would end up being the case. She twines her end around and around, before releasing it again. ]

Also a monster. [imagine that!] I was a dragon last visit, but apparently my rapid changes in Maiuril mean everything's dragged to half speed now. I think my eyes are the primary change so far.

[She concentrates a moment, eyes briefly unfocusing, before the irises shift from brown to bright gold, and the pupil becomes slitted. When she relaxes, the slit remains but the gold begins to fade back slowly.]

I suspect I'll have more to show off once I get my first change.

Huh. Seem to be running into a lot of dragons.

[ Aqua, Viren, Nero, and now Vex'ahlia. Whether there just happen to be a lot of them or Zack's somehow drawn to them for reasons he can't understand, he couldn't say. It could just as easily be coincidence too. ]

Yeah, guess you'll probably have wings and horns and a tail before long.

[ He glances down at his hands for a moment. ]

During the full moon I partly transformed, so I at least have some idea of what I'm gonna end up with now.

Really? [that does surprise her] I've only met two others myself. And one had far more obvious changes than the other.

[she wrinkles her nose a bit] I can't say I'm thrilled by that, to be honest, but whatever happens will happen, I suppose. I just don't like the idea of ruining good clothes to fit a tail. And can you imagine trying to sleep with wings?

[ Petty complaints, in the grand scheme of things, but better than whining about their inadvertent mirror kidnapping.. ]

Oh really? [she can't deny interest] Was it painful? The transformation, that is. [then, a thought:] And did these connect you to any other new monsters?

[ They could probably compare notes about which dragons they've met, and Zack is curious to do so, but he also figures there are more important things to discuss right now. Not to mention the fact that they still need to figure out how to get red of this red string binding them together.

Even if they seem like small complaints, it's not like Vex'ahlia is wrong. They're going to need to learn to live with their monstrous additions, with their bodies changing around on them in ways they never expected or asked for. ]

Probably gonna have to find out, one way or another. I'm gonna have wings too.

[ He shoots a glance over his back toward his shoulder blades, which segues neatly into Vex'ahalia's next question: Was it painful?

Returning his attention to her, he shrugs. ] It hurt a bit, yeah. [ Understatement of the year, but he doesn't want to freak her out either. ] The memories after that get kinda fuzzy, though. Wasn't really in control of myself... [ Awkward. ]

[ They really should! Honestly, mirrorbound monsters should probably hold monthly meetings, keep tabs on one another. Shared experiences might make the entire prospect of transforming, of future physical and psychological changes much less intimidating. ]

I had wings, briefly. One the flawed first visit, that is. Mind you, the moon magic seemed pretty messed up, since it was triggering changes whenever the phases felt like, rather than just the full moon.

[did it hurt? it hurt a bit, yeah.] ..I can't remember if it hurt last time. Maybe that's due to the "fuzziness", like you had. Control was certainly...a thing. [her nose wrinkles, then eyes drop to the string] Didn't have this, though. I don't suppose the colour is meant to represent anything?

Yeah, I remember.

[ Some of the people who'd come through the mirrors the "wrong" way had ended up going through some rapid changes. Zack thankfully hadn't been put through that, though he's had a taste of it now thanks to the full moon. At least he knows what to expect for the future.

They can compare notes on their monstrous shifts all they want, but ultimately they do need to solve this string problem. Zack shrugs at Vex'ahlia's question. If the red is meant to mean something, he's clueless. He's never seen anything like this. ]

Not sure, honestly. The way magic works here doesn't really match up to what I'm used to from home. Got any ideas? There must be some way to get rid of it...

[ He uses his other hand to scratch at the back of his head, pausing when he remembers that there are now feathers in his hair as well. That's going to take some getting used to. ]

It sort of does, compared to my home? Though they don't have druids here. Nature magics don't really seem to be a thing. [or just classified differently. since she's not a magic user any more, Vex hadn't looked into it further] I lost the few spells I had before, which is pretty frustrating. I don't know how useful this monster form is going to be in comparison.

[ She may not have had much of it, but Cure Wounds was clutch. Never mind Speak With Animals.. ]

There must be. Not sure what reason it has to bring us together..Unless it's Bond related? [she can't help but raise an eyebrow, before her tone turns playful] You're terribly handsome, darling, but I don't even know you.

[ Druids? Nature magic? None of that means much to Zack either, though he does think of Aerith and her ability to make flowers grow where they never would have otherwise. Maybe just a different way to describe the same thing, not that Aerith's abilities had ever been defined in any way. Part of her status as an Ancient, maybe?

Well. It's not like he can ask her now.

The half-flirtation has Zack raising an eyebrow and grinning himself. He can't help but be interested in someone who can keep up with him when it comes to that, even if he isn't exactly in the mood as of late. ]

Hey, you're pretty cute yourself, and I love that you have a bear companion, but I'm kind of at a loss here.

[ But then, with little fanfare, the string vanishes. Zack draws his hand back in shock and gives it a glance over. ]

Huh? It was that easy?

[ He's not even sure what they did. ]

[open] if you could only see

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I thought i replied but apparently DW ate it! >( Sorry for the late!

no worries! hate when that happens

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