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Who: Alex and you (With a closed to Wei Wuxian)
When: Mid to end of July
Where: Wilde, somewhere with water the world is your oyster
What: Quests and Full Moon changes
Warnings: Tentacles. Maybe some other warnings later on.

I. Wilde Quest: Ingredients
[ The idea of a weird mix and match monster with the features of predatory animals was indeed terrifying, but hearing that their nests were way up there while the feathers would be way down below helped convince Alex to give it a shot. Gathering feathers sounded like an easy and quick enough task. No water was involved either, so she would have legs to run with if needed.

But things don't always go so smoothly, like yet another change towards her more monstrous form. She actually thought she was done. How much more fish could she become after gaining gills, fins, and a tail?

As she started picking up the fallen feathers, her eyes began to lose focus. It had been happening for some time now throughout the month, moments of blurred vision. She chalked it up to fatigue from the jobs she’s been undertaking, especially since she’d regain her regular eyesight right after. This time was different though. It was taking much longer for her to focus, and she was beginning to feel disoriented. She stumbles, but reaches out and manages to steady herself against a rock.

Except this rock felt oddly soft, and seemed to rise and fall steadily.

She turns to squint at it. Then knocks her knuckles against it. It starts to move ]

II. Full moon

[ Alex finds herself once again in the nearest body of water she could find. She was able to resist on any other day of the month, but when the full moons formed, she found it harder and harder to stay away with each passing month. There was just such a calm that came with being in it, like there was nothing for her to fight against while she floated along the surface of the water. She’d gotten rid of her skirt, but her blouse remained, although completely soaked through now. Her eyes, poor as they had become this past month, were sharper in water. She didn’t need her glasses there. To think even her eye sight could be affected in that way. Maybe it was just safer for her to be in this form, to stay off land. Even the cold didn't seem to bother her.

What was it she was able to do now? Breathe under water, hear and see better than she ever had before…Others had mentioned an ability. One that allows merrow to lure people to them. Was it really more than a story? Could she so easily lead someone into the water with no resistance whatsoever? Would they snap out of it once they were submerged and could no longer breathe? Could she make them do whatever she wanted? That could seriously hurt them, couldn’t it? That’s not something Alex ever wanted to do. It’s why she’s been trying so hard to control what she could with her changes.

And yet she began to hum as brought herself back to shore, waist deep in water still as she sat facing the water. The gold scales along her spine and the center of her tail seemed to glow brighter in the dark, like coins that had spilled out of a treasure chest. Her humming escalates too singing. No actual words, just a slow, soothing vocalization of a melody she head learned long ago.

Would anyone come? Would it work? How far would she let it go? Never had she felt so curious about such a thing before.

She hears a sound behind her, but she isn’t alarmed. She turns slightly to look at you, the blue of her eyes standing out even more against her now blackened sclera. Are you her guinea pig for tonight? What will you do now?]

III. The Cold War
[ It was some harmless fun with some kids at first. Building some snow men, then getting into a snow ball fight. She had time before work and they way they insisted with their cute little pouts...she was weak. But she had underestimated them as well, not thinking they'd actually use magic to their advantage. There was no hiding she was a merrow what with her fin-like ears, and some of the kids were aware of what worked on them. The snowballs themselves didn't hurt, but the next onslaught was different. They were mushier, and she could feel them melt into her clothes. She looked up to find the kids heating them up slightly before chucking them at her, and she soon realized why.

Down she went as her legs bound together and morphed into her tail, and there she was, a sitting duck for their next attack. She scrambled behind whatever she can find for cover, still attempting to keep them at bay by throwing some snowballs back. ]

Ruthless little..!

[ Would you like to help an outnumbered fish out, or maybe you get hit by a mushy snow ball as well. Or maybe it's Alex that hits you with instead. It's a little hard to aim and hide at the same time. ]

IV. Wildcard
[ I'm open to other scenarios too! I'm down for other things in the snow or what have you. Either toss up a top-level and I'll wing it with you, or hit me up at

mightycheese ]

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[ A familiar voice, but it was hard to make out a face while she was out of the water. ]

I could say the same. [ She laughs lightly, twisting a bit more to face her. Had it worked? Or was this person simply curious about the song? ]

Come a bit closer? I can't see too well.

Is that because of the moon, too?

[She should't come closer. It's still cold and the place is still littered with magic snow and ice from the storm. And unlike herself, she's certain Alex's powers haven't waned. If anything, they're flourishing.

Drawing her coat closer around her shoulders, Crymaria comes closer to the water's edge.]

It would be fine if you didn't remember me. We were strangers not too long ago.

Mm, if only. But my eyesight's been declining since before the full moon. And I'm not sure I remember where I put my glasses.

[ Crymaria does come closer, but still not enough for her to see. She does recognize her voice, but part of her wanted to see if she would listen. ]

It'd be rude of me not to. Could you crouch down a little?

[ She beckons her over with scaled fingers, her nails longer from her transformation as well. ]

I'd stand if I could, but..

[ She gives an embarrassed little laugh as she splashes her tail in the water. ]

[She shouldn't. She's heard enough about Monsters not always being able to control themselves, about hunting or worse during the full moon.

But there's something persuasive about the situation still, and there's something that charms her, not just in the lingering effects of the song, but in how the friendly, awkward Alex from their uncomfortable first meeting comes across in the little self-deprecating laugh. She has to be the same girl who showed Crymaria that kindness, after all.]

It's a little cold for all this, [she says, dropping to one knee so they can at least converse on the same level.]

The water is rather pleasant though.

[ She reaches up and gently touches the side of her face. It's wet and cool, but comfortably so with the heat from Alex's hand. ]

See?

[She flinches, not from the water but from the unexpectedly kind touch. The level of familiarity seems odd, but she freezes instead of pulling away, her eyelids closing briefly as she feels the temperature.]

Ah. So it's summer, after all, despite appearances.

You're lucky you won't have to rely on those heat rocks like some others.

[ Her hand tingles from the subtle sensation of magic coming off of Crymaria. A witch..makes sense. Alex lingers a moment longer before pulling away. ]

I think I'd dry up if I did.

[ Light hearted as her laugh might have been, there was something predatory in the way she eyed the other woman. ]

Do you want to come in? It's quite relaxing.

[The brief moment of connection has an equally lulling effect. She's calmer afterward, though she also finds she feels less tired than she did before.]

I don't know if I'd fare as well without your scales.

[She seems hesitant, but not adamantly so. Though she doesn't show any signs of joining Alex in the water, she does remove the glove on her right hand and leans forward to feel the water herself with her fingertips.]

Do you know any magic to keep yourself warm?

[ That was something witches could do, wasn't it? That, and she was curious to see what things she was capable of. ]

Or what kinds of things do you know?

It's not that I'm unable to do anything with magic. [Alex didn't even make that assumption, but Crymaria feels compelled to dispel it immediately, not wanting to be see as weak or useless...by anyone here, but especially not by someone who's already seen her vulnerable. She folds her arm across her waist protectively.]

With the moon in this phase, it feels strange to cast anything. Well, I've been practicing barriers recently. Maybe...

[She closes her eyes, trying to muster some self-confidence in a spell that could protect her from the cold.]

You aren't lying to me, are you? About the water.

[ Alex watches her intently, waiting to see what would happen. ]

I have no reason to lie to you.

[ And she really wasn't. At least, to her the water felt nice.

Now she wanted to see what exactly Crymaria would do with the her magic. ]

It's so strange, just how easy it is to listen to you.

[She knows it isn't quite right, but the allure is stronger than the uncertainty. And stronger still is the need to show that she's capable of doing something, even if that something is as small as warming herself against the cold.]

Fine, I can show you some of the things I've been practicing.

[She removes the coat she's wearing and spreads it out flat in front of her, then tries casting a form of the barrier she'd been using for blocking snowballs on the fabric itself. She doubts its integrity for long, especially using it a little outside its normal application like this.] That should manage at least for a minute or two. I'll leave if it's overwhelming.

[But for now there's something thrilling, weirdly, about the danger, about doing something she shouldn't do just because she's been promised to enjoy it. Wrapping the coat protectively around her shoulders, Crymaria reaches into the water before tentatively descending back-first into it.]

[ Alex watches eagerly as Crymaria casts her magic, wading back deeper into the water as Crymaria does so. ]

So? Do you feel anything?

[ She asks as she swims around behind her to see what her magic will do. ]

[She winces a little as she slides the rest of the way into the water, unable to suppress a slight shudder. Even if the weather was temperate right now, it would take longer for her to adjust to the water than someone whose body was made for it.]

... Still cold. But I don't think the water's soaking in. [She holds out an arm that still appears to be dry.] Much better than nothing, anyway.

[ With her arm held out, Alex can only take that as an open invitation to check it out. She reaches for Crymaria's arm with her own soaked hand, wrapping her scaled fingers lightly around it. ]

Do you feel that?

[ Whether she meant the cold water or that little transfer of magic, she didn't specify, but there was a soft but sharp inhale that came just before she said that. ]

[As always, it's so difficult to not flinch away from being touched. She sees it coming and does her best to steel herself, to not recoil. The cycling of magic makes the gentle touch feel more natural than it might otherwise; she exhales in time with Alex's breath.]

Yes. Mostly. It's different, but that could just be... [The magic, or the water, or whatever strange effect the transformation might have had on Alex's skin. She sighs and shakes her head, and the water ripples just slightly around them as she settles into it.]

...It's a little inconvenient, isn't it, this time of the month? [How hard it must be to even feel human at all. She thinks she can understand that much, at least.]

[ Oh, she did notice. Her hand slips lower Crymaria's arm, till it slides off her hand. ]

It..can be, yes. But..!

[ Alex looks back up at her, not wanting the other to feel anxious. ]

I've..I've been able to keep it in control. Mostly..I won't hurt you, though.

[ She clasps her hands together under the water to try and emphasize that point. ]

[Alex's hand slips away from Crymaria's arm, so she lowers it back to the water slowly, movements made cautious by the shift in Alex's demeanor.]

... So that's really what it makes you want to do? [There's been enough talk of the effects the moon has on Monsters. But hearing it spoken so plainly makes the understanding feel more tangible.]

That's not--

[ But wasn't it? Even if the incidents before were more of obtaining something she wanted or defending herself, ultimately, didn't she still hurt people? ]

I don't know if it's what..I want to do but..it's what ends up happening..

[ Alex didn't know much of anything about merrows, so she wasn't sure what they were like. Hell, before this, she didn't think they existed. But she also had to wonder, was it the instinct of the merrow that was surfacing, or was is the effect of not having a bond? ]

..Do you want to leave?

I probably should.

[Crymaria looks back to the shore, wondering how quickly she could pull herself out and run away in the cold if it came to that. Could Alex kill her before she was able to stop it? But then, would it be so bad if her nightmare ended early?

Pushing thoughts of fleeing or dying down again, she looks back into Alex's eyes. As alien as they are she thinks she sees a familiar guilt in them.]

But you haven't done anything yet, have you? It seems to me like you're able to control it.

[Strangely enough, it's a brief surge of envy that bubbles up inside her. It can't be easy, but Alex has managed it this far tonight.]

[ Her ears droop slightly, but Alex wouldn’t hold it against her. It would feel worse if she ended up harming her in some way, but she also couldn’t deny that sinking loneliness that she felt.

Crymaria’s sudden vote of confidence comes as a surprise, a mixture of concern and a hint of hope in her eyes as she wades much closer to the other woman till she’s almost face to face with her. ]

You..you think so? Do you think I can do it?

[ What an odd but pleasant feeling, someone believing in you. ]

Does that mean you’ll stay?

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GOING HARD

if you can't go hard in horny monster game, where can you?

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