intro log: august

[faileas]

Intro Log: August

I. ARRIVAL 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. A moment later, you feel a tug, and you find yourself stumbling into a dark, musty room. Behind you, a mirror stands ornately decorated with reminders of home wrought in brass and wood: the faces of people you know, and symbols important to you; all things that send a pang through your chest with the desire to return to them. Touching the mirror's surface does nothing but leave the stain of your fingerprints. When you turn to survey the room, you find there are hundreds of other mirrors. None of them are as decorated as yours - they're plain and dusty, speckled with age. Then you realize a second thing: You're not alone. Distantly, the ringing bell of a clocktower can be heard. But no matter its distance, the time is clear to make out: it chimes three times, stark, resonating like a pulse of something in this mirrored hall that you and many others have found yourselves in. For those familiar with magic, they might feel the power of the witching hour upon them, though it will feel different from what they're used to - in fact, everything does. You're certainly not the only ones here, however. On the first floor, with the doors wide open behind them in the foyer, is a small group headed by two individuals. As people begin to arrive, to come from the higher floor, they're waiting - and they're waiting for you, and your questions. Explore the rest of the mirrored halls you've now found yourselves in, or proceed to the foyer? Leaving the Looking-Glass House makes it obvious that the clock striking three was for 3 AM - the night sky is faintly cloudy, but the stars are brighter with the absence of the sister moons in the sky - it's the new moon, after all. The Looking-Glass House is rather nondescript two-story cottage made of grey brick, sitting at the edge of The Coven's courtyard; stones which glow as you step on them mark the path to and from the two buildings. While fairly small and plain on the outside, the inside has been enchanted to be the size of a large library, with hundreds upon hundreds of mirrors hanging, standing, and resting inside its walls. Some are broken, some are cracked, and some seem completely uninjured - but all of them are just as plain as the cottage itself, showing age in the silver beneath their glass and in the greening of their metals... Well, all except a character's personal mirror; to characters, one mirror - the one they came through - will be decorated lavishly with metal-and-wood-wrought reminders of home, and the surface will be as clear as a brand-new mirror.

II. THE WELCOME PARTY Whether you've decided to find a way out of the building you've arrived in, or decided to explore the rest of the Looking-Glass House - and perhaps finding a few familiar faces among the crowd - you feel a pull towards the foyer of the first floor. It's like a firm suggestion, as if to take you by the hand and draw you to where it begins, and the source of it becomes quite apparent upon finding one's way to the front room: a tall, comfortably-dressed older woman and her even taller wolfish companion. "There's always a right lot of you coming in, aren't there." The woman sets her hands on her hips, with her Bonded casting a glance at those looking confused - newly arrived - and those who may have followed them in to talk to the newest addition of their mirrorbound bunch. "About time for introductions though- this here's Mhairi Ainsley, ambassador to the Parliament and my Bonded, and I'm Nerissa Bell, Head Witch of the Coven - but you can just call me Miss Nessie, you can," she adds, winking. "The lot of you must be as tired and confused as the last batch - hullo to those who've joined us, too! - so just a moment, dearests, I'll set all you right up—" With nothing more than a wave of her hand, rows of insanely colorful seats are summoned; half of them are wooden (sturdy and comfortable besides that), with the rest being misshapen and bag-like. Regardless, the seats fill the foyer and spread out a ways into the lawn behind them, making room for all of the new arrivals as well as the previous batch, should they have come to check on things. The Witches and Monsters that accompanied Nessie and Mhairi move to make room, and some disperse into the building itself to see if there's anyone who needs tending to. Mhairi steps forward as the chairs materialize. "Please, those who are able, join us for a moment. There are many questions that I'm sure you have - we will do our utmost best to answer them, and you may take any that we can't as a promise to find some sort of solution or answer." NOTE: If you wish to interact with Nessie and Mhairi, please comment here. You have the option of handwaving the IC interaction to OOCly ask what questions your character might have for them, for us to summarize an answer for, or you can request an IC thread. Simply specify in your comment's subject and we'll respond accordingly. Additionally, those with notable injuries or sickness will be attended to ASAP by Coven-based witches, and should anyone be curious about what they are - if they have magic potential, or if they swing a different way - then this can be done during this and the general hour or so the new arrivals are within the Coven's grounds. There are ongoing classes on magic, monsters, and Bonding as well, though they take place more during the day than at night - feel free to have your characters attend them at any time!

III. THE HAVEN After an hour or two of general chaos, questions that the natives attempt to help with, and injuries tended to for those who arrive in poor condition, it's time to make a trek through a bit of leftover ice and snow to where you'll be staying while Nessie and Mhairi continue to search for a solution to the situation. As you're leaving with a few Bonded for guides, peculiar-looking devices - watches, the native Witches explain, compliments of Parliament - are passed around to all the new arrivals; they're given a quick rundown on their functions and bid to test them out when they can. They can even do it as they make their way out of the Coven's courtyard and to the Haven. Formerly part of the Aristocratic District, The Haven is just as well-kept and brightly-lit as the district it hails from. The houses err on the tall and ornamental-side, large enough to fit several families (or, according to the upper class, their one family, several dozen servants, and guests), especially closest to the Aristocratic District. They become a little more modest and smaller as one gets away from the realm of high society and nearer to the Residential District proper. Newcomers are shuffled here and invited to find somewhere to live - the Coven is currently handling expenses for the houses themselves in a program implemented by the Parliament, though if your character wishes to have anything extra - like maids, chefs, and so on - they'll have to pay for them themselves with their own earned money. Much of the landscape and fixtures are the same as in the Aristocratic Districts, though it lacks formal emergency services due to its roots as part of a district that already did. Much of the housing already has furnishing due to the speed at which homeowners were relocated; they were given enough time to collect their valuables, but standard furniture such as kitchenware, couches, beds, etc. were left behind for those moving in. Other houses appear the same, but the dust on the floors suggest these houses were left before the new arrivals even showed up - a reminder that the Cwyld can strike just about anyone, regardless of standing. Another portion of this district has been opened up to the new arrivals: the barracks, the row of buildings pressed against the very edge of the Bright Wall. As the city's military force no longer has the same presence it previously did, the barracks have gone into disuse, and a cleanup effort has been in place since before the new arrivals came through the Looking-Glass House. For those who desire something a little less opulent, the barracks might just be the answer. The barracks can also be used for business, for a welcome center, a communal space, for anything that the residents of the Haven see fit to use it for - so long as the legality isn't questionable, on the surface. To help with filling up the larger houses - and even some of the smaller ones, and the shared rooms in the barracks - the Witches put together a little roommate finding service, on a smaller scale from the grand opening of the Haven. For those who aren't entirely sure who they want to shack up with, they have a small survey for them to fill out and post on the board they've magicked up in the center of The Haven. The board also very helpfully reads aloud each form for everyone to hear in a cheerful, monotone voice. It isn't able to be shut up, nor is it easy to ignore, being imbued with a kind of amplification magic. It reads simply the information you've offered up yourself, or that someone might have written up for you, should that be their idea of fun.

IV. LÙNASA Just like three months ago, those new to Aefenglom have found themselves brought to the city in the middle of a celebration. From dusk of Aguril 1st to the dusk of Aguril 3rd, Aefenglom celebrates something fairly special: Lùnasa. Traditionally, Lùnasa celebrates all kinds of traditional marriages sanctioned by Parliament, generally of the arranged kind, and handfastings, a ceremony based more on love and how long it lasts. The Coven's Bonds err on this side of things, though some Witches do have official spouses - Miss Nessie and Mhairi are an example of this, though not everyone marries their Bonded, either. Many of them are made during this festival, prompting the city to dress for the occasion just in case they find themselves in the middle of a ceremony, and just as many of them are formally renewed. Like during Litha, shops offer lovemaking potions, but only to those renewing vows or taking them; smaller fireworks, like sparklers and fountains, are also a common sight. Lùnasa is also home to the city's largest fashion show, showcasing fun and upcoming trends in the city. No experience is required to sign up to show off designs or to model them, and hundreds of tailors and needlework experts come together to quickly make dreams into reality for the end of the festival, when the show happens in genuine. The clothing is often wild and sorted into three categories: children, where those 14 and younger can submit their designs and model them as well; popular, where those 15 and older can do the same to try and vie for the judges' vote on what's in and what's out; and bonding, where all ages aspire to modify and make personal the traditional garbs of marriage and handfasting. While circumstances might be a little weird - and the month is a little cold coming in, given the snowstorm that happened at the end of last month - there's plenty to do, plenty to see, and plenty to take your mind off of just what a weird experience this all might be. Though those who have been in Aefenglom for a while now might notice something different over the course of the festival: they're a little more powerful than before, almost similar to the free-feeling that Boaltinn encouraged. Spells can still go awry, but the results will be much bigger - but it's frowned upon to use magic during festivals. Then again, characters will feel as if they're about to burn up if they don't use it a little... Well, just one spell beneath the shadow of the new moons wouldn't hurt, would it? a. JUST IN CASE While the city is dressed up on the off chance they might be roped into an impromptu wedding ceremony - it's likely that those who aren't native to Aefenglom don't have such luck. Thankfully, the tailors of city are offering free clothes on the caveat they advertise for them by wearing them around the festivities - they're long yet breathable garments, with colors that are fairly muted oranges and reds, not unlike the coming fall. It'd seem the fear of red skies from Litha has started to fade as nothing else too terrible has happened to the city at large, at least on the surface. And as it turns out, those offers might be better timed than they think: characters will be pulled into ceremonies at random to act as witnesses, to serve as dance partners for lonely folk, or just because they really needed someone to even out the numbers. b. ON THE CATWALK An annual occasion, the Aefenglom Fashion Show is always a bustling, bright time for those young and old to strut their stuff and try their best to either follow the latest trends, or spark them into being. Unfortunately, they're running a little low on models this year - many of their other ones decided to try their hand at sewing themselves - and so they're accepting volunteers! Willing or not; many of the more aggressive youths aren't above dragging those they deem perfect enough to wear their clothing to the back of the stage set up in the center of the Shopping District and pushing them out onto the catwalk dressed to the nines in all sorts of ridiculous-looking styles. c. EYE-CATCHING A few of the newest fashionistas in town have tried their hand at some rather... peculiar-looking clothing - but none so peculiar as those found in Precogstitchin' or Arwel's Tailory, in two completely different ways. While those who try on a piece or two of Precogstichin's wares will find themselves the center of attention due to their rather avant-garde shape, color, and pattern choices - not to mention accessories and rumor of being made of arachne silk! - those who try on Arwel's wares will find themselves being stopped quite frequently in the street despite the rather plain and dull colors and formless shapes the tailory provides as free samples. d. NEW MOON RITES While native Witches bemoan their weakened magics - some even expressing relief the new moon happens to land on a festival this year so they don't have to notice just how weak they are, mirrorbound Witches will find themselves feeling just the opposite: they're stronger. For those that chance a little magic despite the unspoken rules of the festivals in Aefenglom, they'll find the expelling of energy to be very relieving, as if a weight lifts off their shoulders. For those that refuse the siren's song of release, however, sparks of magical energy will fly from them, with a myriad of results - enchanting inanimate objects, transforming animals from one thing to another, starting small fires, creating illusions of the person or creature they fear the most... and so on.

Welcome to the intro log! While mingling on the log itself is highly encouraged, feel free to make your own logs; take the prompts offered and go wild, go crazy, go stupid, have fun. The network system is free to use once characters have their watches as well; information on that can be found at the bottom of the Setting page, while any extra questions about it can be found in the FAQ index. Quests can be picked up now as well! While new characters will have to get settled in, you can go ahead and put your name on some by replying to the August's Quest Pickup thread on the Quest Board. Finally, if your character is getting into any Shenanigans, let the mods know, and if you have any questions about the log, ask them here!

Comments

Lunasa 3

[long_live_the_queen]

[Kaede hadn't been thrilled about another festival. It meant at least three times as many people crowded into the places she usually haunted, let alone the actually bustling ones. Though...the prospect of free clothes was a bit harder to take issue with. Especially since the changes to her form necessitated nearly everything the Chimera wore be customized, which got expensive. Her smaller form made slipping away after the fitting easier, though; she'd gotten away with a muted red shawl, a burnt orange vest with buttons suitably large enough for her claws to fiddle with reliably, and a brown skirt with a seam for her tail to fit through without fuss. And she didn't have to be a witness for anybody. Yet.

Still, it'd gotten far too noisy for her. Especially with how sharp her hearing felt nowadays, loud sounds made her either jumpy or irritable. Today was a bit of both. A pub wasn't the first place Kaede would have chosen, but if she spent any longer outside she was going to claw the next person who approached her. And one was doing so right now, walking towards her purposely and hopefully like he had some task to ask of her and Kaede wanted nothing to do with it.

She ducked inside, and the man didn't follow her. The Chimera didn't look back. It was surprisingly quiet in here, compared to outside. Still clearly occupied and busy enough that her arrival didn't merit immediate attention, but not so bad.

--huh. She knew that hat. Kaede's antlered head perked, and she made her way closer for a better look--as if it was possible not to spot that pale hair. But that man might still be lurking outside just waiting to ask her something. Can't have that. The Chimera would take a seat instead.

Not too close, though. Maria seemed to be in a bit of a mood--she could tell within a few steps. She'd just take a seat on a stool not too far away, and--

The seat vanished as Kaede tried to sit down on it. And with her weight fully committed already, she couldn't just stop so easily. A long arm shot out and tried to grab the counter, but only succeeded in scratching the varnish. On her ass she went with a half-stifled yelp.

What Kaede landed on wasn't the floor, though. It was peaked and her legs folded awkwardly when she landed on it, and some other leatherwork with jangly bits on it clattered to the actual floor in front of her. This was not a stool. This was a saddle. Where'd that come from? The pommel came perilously close to somewhere unpleasant.]

[whomthebelltolls]

[Honestly, she looks over just in time to see that mass of pink hair go tumbling for the floor, and it takes Maria a brief moment for her thoughts to catch up to her. She knows this one. This one is... a roommate, even. Hm. Maria wasn't even sure if Kaede would be turned away by the bartender for her apparent age, but she supposed the fur and feathers are starting to make that more of a moot point.]

Kaede...? Are you alright? [But now that Maria remembers who this is - yes, even though they live together - she can ask that. Because she sure is sitting on a saddle on the ground, and Maria has no idea where that came from.

Honestly.]

[long_live_the_queen]

[That was going to be her next question. Next several questions. The bartender had raised an eyebrow at the Chimera's appearance--a young looking but also harried looking girl walking in like she was getting away from something. She seemed too young to be here, had the scruffy half-down-half-feather plumage of an adolescent, but the antlers of an adult. She might belong, or she might not.

Less poignant but more immediately important--]

I--guess? Why is there a saddle here?

[Kaede scooted herself away from the pommel, untangling her feet from the loose stirrups and harness straps.]

[whomthebelltolls]

I'm not sure, it was a bar stool a moment ago. [Seriously, she has no idea. And it's a little bit sobering to wonder what happened.

Which is a problem, so she turns back to the bar to order another drink herself, and...] Do you want something, as well? [Her offer.]

[long_live_the_queen]

[There, now she was free to stand--though one of the stirrups did its best to steal her sandal. With a grumble, Kaede was able to reach up to the bar counter and pull herself up. It was only after the fact that she thought of how...odd that felt. The pains in her joints had come in fits and starts, but had been ignorable with medication. Ursula didn't want her taking any more sedatives, there weren't any stipulations about painkillers.

No matter. The Chimera was on her feet now, and shuffling to the bar stool next over.

The bartender seemed concerned, but more about Kaede twisting an ankle or something else that could have made her fall like that instead of whether or not she belonged here. He asked--"Are you all right?"--and Kaede answered as she usually did.]

I'm fine.

[No requests to see proof she was old enough, if...this city had such things. It probably did, but Kaede never had much reason to look into that before. Delinquency accomplished?]

I guess I'll have something.

[What, she didn't know exactly. But alcohol had dimmed even the moons' call last time. It'd certainly be enough to mitigate the annoyances of being dragged to the weddings of complete strangers.]

[whomthebelltolls]

Do you have a preference? If not, then I'll just order two glasses of what I'm having. [Given they're short tumblers, Maria is having neither beer nor wine; which means it's something harder and probably more likely to end in regrets.]

It'll help dull the pain, if you did injure yourself, either way.

[long_live_the_queen]

[Kaede looks at the glass by Maria's hand--it seemed quite small. Surely something manageable.

She has no fucking idea.]

No, I don't.

[The Chimera glanced at her ankle--and by proxy the...saddle--again. Her ankle didn't hurt, and the saddle was definitely still a saddle. But the pressure and aches in her joints lingered like some morbid promise. The last time something similar happened, she'd ended up with antlers.

There was more to come, Kaede was certain.]

[whomthebelltolls]

[Thanks, high ABV values.] Alright. I'll take two more.

[The bartender hops to it with a smile and a shake of his head, and Maria looks down at the saddle on the ground.] ... I wonder if it will turn back? [She has no idea she even did anything. She does, however, spare a quick glance around in case there's some youngsters snickering in a corner somewhere like they were the ones that did it and not, specifically, her.

Hm. Nothing so far.]

[long_live_the_queen]

[RIP.]

[The bartender seemed to be handling all of this well, all things considered. Maybe this was just a Tuesday for him, or at least just another festival day.

Kaede watched him for a moment before movement caught the edge of her vision--she glanced, followed Maria's gaze, and found...nothing of particular importance. Some other patrons at tables, paying them no mind. Or were they avoiding her gaze?

The Chimera curled her tail around one of the stool legs to stop it flicking about, and returned to watching the bar. And Maria, to a smaller extent. She only recalled seeing the taller woman like this once before, and...didn't recall all that much from that time. So Kaede was a bit curious. But she wasn't about to pry--not now, when Kaede didn't even have the patience for it.]

I don't know. The last time something changed shapes like...that, he turned back eventually. But that was a person.

[whomthebelltolls]

Then, hopefully one among the bar staff is versed in the magics to make things go back to normal... [That's her thought, at least. It's a surprisingly good one, considering how deep into her cups she is this night.

Maria seems not to mind what is going on around her, either way - she's more relaxed than normal, though still not entirely without some alertness. Drink can't totally dull her senses, or her paranoia, just make it less pronounced. And also make her more friendly to the Monsters... then again, she knows Kaede. She's been a lot better with the Monsters she spends a lot of time around.

A moment later, two tumblers with little magically-shaped ice cubes in the center are plopped down on the bar, and Maria makes a motion at the one closest to Kaede, before picking her own up and holding it up for a toast.] To avoiding this festival.

[Oh shit, was that a sense of humor???]

[long_live_the_queen]

[Kaede blinked, taken a bit off guard. She didn't need too much coaxing to take the glass, though she was too busy trying to confirm to herslf that she had, actually, heard Maria make a joke. Or close to one. She'd gone along with Kaede's sillier requests when they were both drunk and wandering about Litha, though, so maybe this wasn't so out of character...?

The Chimera had to scramble to catch up and make her pause less egregious, grabbing the glass without jostling the contents too much. She was just...unfamiliar with the gesture, that was all. Obviously. Even though she'd seen a toast enough times before to know to clink the glasses together, if not what to say in response.

Her nose was still the weakest of her sharpened senses, but as soon as Kaede tilted the glass towards her face a blast of ethanol hit her like a brick. There were other, nicer things under there, but to an inhuman nose the burning smell of alcohol hit her first. Kaede didn't gag, to her credit, but her nose sure did wrinkle. Taking a sip didn't improve things--it felt like she swallowed a still burning ember.

The Chimera put the glass down heavily, shuddering.]

[whomthebelltolls]

[There's a moment, where Maria raises her glass to her lips, but pauses when she sees the hesitation on Kaede's part. It's a bit of curiosity that pauses her own sip, or rather, she takes it a lot more slowly, because - ah yes, she has to pause partway through once she sees the reaction to it.] It gets easier the more you drink.

[Case in point, the next sip Maria takes is a decent one that leaves the ice half uncovered. But there, she pauses.] ... And you have to let the ice melt a bit to water it down.

[long_live_the_queen]

Is th-- [Oh. God. Fuck, the burning was still there. Kaede coughed again, though she was able to stifle it better this time.] Is that supposed to happen?

[It felt like the line burning its way to her stomach was diffusing--outwards, until her entire torso felt warm.

On the plus(?) side, if Kaede had scraped or bumped anything on that saddle she sure wasn't paying attention to it now.]

[whomthebelltolls]

Is what supposed to happen? [Maria swirls her glass about a little, the ice clinking lightly against the glass sides of the cup.] The ice melting? Or you choking on the taste?

[long_live_the_queen]

No, not that, the-- [Kaede properly stifled her cough this time.] --burning.

[Is this a feature or a bug, please advise.

There might have been a taste of something under there--something sweeter, maybe. And the burn was subsiding a little. It was more like that sweetened wine had been than sake--but about four times as aggressive as both.]

[whomthebelltolls]

Oh. Yes, all alcohol tends to burn, unless it's diluted with something else. It will burn less if you give the ice some time to melt. [She takes another sip of hers - a smaller one, testing to see if her words are holding true, and it is a bit better than the first. Then again, her sense of taste is already dulled a bit by the drink to begin with, and she's more used to it to begin with.]

... And then the more you drink, the less you notice the taste, and many other things.

[long_live_the_queen]

[Kaede's feathers remained in their halfway-there bristle, more like a startled thing's hackles. The burning feeling was starting to subside, though, settling into an almost pleasant warmth in her stomach. Almost. She still had the trauma of thirty seconds ago to think about.]

How long does it take before you stop noticing that?

[Kaede was learning! She finished the sentence before cautiously taking a second sip, this time sure to hold her breath. It...didn't help that much; her shoulders still shuddered, but it didn't feel like her nose was scorching first.]

[whomthebelltolls]

Hmmm... whenever the alcohol kicks in. You're small, and likely don't drink much, so I assume it will be after that first glass. [Or so... depending on fast Kaede finishes it, and how quick it does actually end up kicking in. The second drink tends to go down a little more smoothly than the first, and it'll just progress naturally.] As for on the first sip... that takes years.

[long_live_the_queen]

[Kaede snorted, ears flicking back. Great. Years of enduring feeling like her esophagus was trying to achieve self-ignition--if she kept doing this at all.

...but she'd already started on this glass. It'd be a waste to just abandon it.]

Guess I'll be here for awhile.

[There were some feelings that weren't hers sitting at the back of her mind, some...not bad, but...interesting and complicated ones. Ursula? She didn't seem to be in any danger, but what in the world was she doing?

Ugh. Emotions.

Kaede braced herself, and took a third sip. The ice cubs clinked, which was at least a nice distraction.

A thought occurred to her, as the burning subsided to warmth, and that warmth spread to her fingertips.]

It kind of burns like your magic does.

[whomthebelltolls]

If you wish to finish the glass, yes. [If not... well, it's kind of a waste of money and booze, but it's her choice. Maria doesn't care much.

Maria is fully expecting this conversation to fade into simply sitting next to each other and drinking and maybe asking what the other is having. Then there's a different sort of observation, and it pauses Maria before she can take another sip.]

... What do you mean?

[long_live_the_queen]

[The Chimera's tail finally uncurled enough from the chair leg to flick again.]

At first I just thought that...magic, in general was like that.

[And then she started touching other people, lewd.]

But I think...I can tell, now. A little. Sometimes the magic feels like cool water, or a breeze. Always alive, though.

[Kaede looked speculatively at the reddish-brown drink in her glass, while keeping it tilted away from her face.]

I suppose burning isn't exactly right, for yours. It doesn't hurt. But it prickles, like when your hands finally warm up again after being cold.

[Sort of like what this drink was doing, though she knew that was more of an illusory thing. The magic transfer wasn't, though.]

[whomthebelltolls]

[2lewd, what are you getting up to over there, Kaede. Teenage hormones finally catching up??? Maria says, as though she isn't absolutely already in the boat of "gotten laid since she got here".]

Interesting. So it is different between different Witches? [Something to do with elemental affinity, perhaps? Though she supposes "fire" is a good analogy, considering her abilities before they got here. Corruption burned as fire through her very blood; and while she hasn't been able to tap into the abilities of the rot that marked her as a vileblood in this place, that a remnant would remain doesn't surprise her.] I wonder if it is naturally - without bonds, or within, but comparatively on the same level - more powerful a pull depending on the Witch.

[long_live_the_queen]

[She's gonna come home with cooties one of these days.]

That I don't know.

[It seemed to make sense, though. Witches who'd been at this longer having a deeper reservoir to tap, so to speak.

Kaede briefly considered and resoundingly rejected the idea of touching Maria right now to test this theory.]

[whomthebelltolls]

[Ew cooties.]

An interesting theory, either way. [Some day she'll test it. If she isn't dead. Which she plans on being, eventually.

She downs the rest of what's in her glass, clearing her throat against the burn, and her tongue thlacks against the roof of her mouth. She's distracted by that so much, she might've just thrown off a few more sparks.]

[long_live_the_queen]

[As if conjured by the thought, a flicker of familiar magic settled into Kaede's arm. But it wasn't something that was simply absorbed—it spread fast, like an ember in a nest of cotton. It was far too late by the time Kaede's already sluggish distinguished between the two.

Her glass thunked to the counter, still half full. The Chimera wasn't there to hold it up now.

Instead, she was on that bar stool. Just like before, really, but...significantly smaller this time. She still had an incomplete scruff of red feathers on the head and arms, tiger stripes on the tail--and two little bone-white bumps on top of its head.

The marmoset didn't squeak, didn't fight, didn't even move away. She just sat there, blinking and baffled.

It was the bartender who eventually drifted over, a look of concern on his face as he peered at Kaede's stool.]

"Excuse me. Was that intentional?" [He asked Maria.]

[Though, granted, this was probably just a Tuesday for the bartenders here.]