middaeg | Octeuril Catch All

Entry tags:

Octeuril Catch All

Who: Kaede and you! And people doing quests.
When: All month where convenient
Where: Within the City, The Slums, Outside the City
What: Another monthly thread container!
Warnings: Goose. Will update as needed.

I. Duck, duck...duck? [River Temese Bridge]

[One of the bridge's occupants doesn't seem interested in an argument, at least for the moment. Nor the lanterns, nor the decorations. No, Kaede's leaned over the rail and staring over the side, her scarlet feathered tail lashing in agitation behind her. She isn't being too mindful of where it's going, and smacking people in the ankles with it is a very real possibility. There's a stiff core to the tail, under all the fluffy feather.

Get close enough—an easier proposition this time, as she's distracted—and one can hear her mildly distressed muttering.]

...those ducks have shells on them.

[What the fuck. How long have they been this way. How long has this been happening.

This is messing her up.]

II. Garden Troubles [Slums]

[Seeing a garden—one that wasn't a mess of weeds, or a vandalized sunflower field—was nostalgic, in a way. As was...seeing parts of it all torn up. At least the pawprints around kept it from reminding her too much of that.

Kaede had split up—the better to flush the wolves out of whatever burrow they were hiding in. She could be quiet when she wished, her senses were sharp despite the rain, and she could get into places someone more human-shaped couldn't.

Something rustled the plants in a row nearby, and Kaede stilled. She couldn't see through to the other side—there was a heavily laden trellis in the way—but she could pinpoint the sound quite easily. The Chimera gathered herself, coiling her legs and back like a cat about to pounce, and sprang up, almost ten feet up, until she could clear the trellis and come back down on the sound.

...and, hopefully, what was rustling on the other side of the trellis was one of the creatures they were after, and not a person. That would just be dreadfully inconvenient, wouldn't it.

At least the Chimera's on the smaller side.]

III. honk [Outside the City]

[Kaede didn't choose this quest. It chose her, with a yank on her tail. And a sharp pain from a few of her feathers coming away, but mostly from the sheer indignity of it. The Chimera roars—a proper one, not a grumbly mumble—and whirls about, but the culprit was already dashing away down the dirt road, a few of her scarlet feathers clutched in a clawed hand.

The goose-feathered Harpy finds this all quite hilarious, shrieking with laughter as he dashes off, the Chimera hot on his heels. He's quite fast, though, even without flying. The Harpy occasionally makes a few fluttering hops when she gets too close, but he doesn't take off.

Occasionally, Kaede's chased the Harpy up onto some building—a barn, a cottage, a stable—and is sitting crouched at the bottom, tail lashing like a frustrated cat. The Harpy looked fairly smug up there.

Sometimes Kaede doesn't make it that far, though. Her knees had been prone to aching lately, sometimes going a bit numb. And this time they crumpled entirely, sending the Chimera toppling facefirst into the road. It wasn't raining today, but the ground was still plenty damp—and mud got on her clothes and once-bright feathers immediately. Kaede tried to get back up, but only pins and needles answered where her legs should have been.

Worst of all, the Harpy was impossibly far away down the road now. His off-white feathers were mockingly bright against the fading summer colors.]

Get back here you little shit—

[Kaede's opinions were intact! She'll probably live. After she gets back up.]

Wildcard

[For prompts or closed threads not seen here! My plotting post is here for ease of use. ]

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Actually I was thinking something a little more... outside the box.

Say we have to chase them into a lake. You don't want to get wet, right?

[One of the Chimera's ears turned towards Chariot, in lieu of a raised eyebrow. What was she getting at?]

Any more than I am, anyway.

[Kaede starts to--and again resists the urge to shake herself off. Chariot was still within a ten mile radius, she'd definitely get the mud and water on her.]

Well... yes. But for now let's get back on the trail. I'll show off the spell once we've found whatever body of water this harpy's using as a hideout.

[ She deflated slightly, realizing she couldn't do much for how soaked Kaede already was. But it was probably then Kaede might notice how oddly dry Chariot was in comparison to her... ]

[The irritation flowing through the Bond remained a quiet, disgruntled constant, but none of it had flowed in Chariot's direction. Kaede's ear flicked back--it didn't dislodge any water, but it was the thought that counted.]

Fine.

[Kaede had noticed how free of damp the Witch was, and had been a bit jealous about it. But maybe Chariot just hadn't been out here as long. And hadn't fallen into any puddles chasing stupid geese. It reinforced her thoughts of staying still and not rubbing her face on the Witch's sleeve like a dog.

She did tug on it though, pulling Chariot along with her. She'd spotted another footprint in the mud leaving the path, and it formed a reasonable enough trail to her. The harpy wasn't flying, just jogging along on the ground. Alongside some irrigation ditch, silent but swollen with rain.]

This way.

[ Being tugged about was fine, really. While they were joined at the hand, Chariot could do more of her part to project some cheerful disposition into the situation. Sure, they were after a mischief maker, but that didn't mean they had to be dour about it.

But sure enough, that irrigation ditch lead them to a nearby pond that was fed into by the local creeks. The brush was deeply thick, though, making it difficult to really tell where the edges of the pond began or ended. The perfect place for water fowl... ]

[There were no new annoyances on the way there; if she could just stay next to Chariot the entire time instead of this damned goose chase, Kaede would be quite content with things.

But it didn't last; as soon as she saw the still water reflecting through the branches, the Chimera tensed up--from her thoughts to her shoulders. She stopped before they blundered further, tail lashing a few times.

The harpy was waiting for just such a hesitation. They had circled around behind the pair, crept close

The sound made the Chimera jump, stirred the flighty deer in her mind before anything else--and she launched forwards into the indistinct verge.

...while still holding onto the Witch with a vise-tight grasp.]

[ So much for all of that fun sense of adventure, or even a spell that could help them explore the watery underbrush. She'd been just about to suggest it, and cast it for them both, before the harpy HONKed them into wet, muddy humiliation as Chariot was pulled along with Kaede into the grassy wet, all with a very undignified squawk of her own. ]

[Kaede tried to whip around as soon as she realized her mistake, to lash out at the goose instead, but it was too late. Muddy water splashed underfoot, bone-numbingly cold. Or maybe that was just herself?

She was determined not to let Chariot suffer the same indignity, grabbing onto the Witch. But there was a lot of mud, and Kaede wasn't that tall to begin with. Mostly she just...sank further into it. There was a solid bottom underfoot, but she was still well above her ankles at this point.]

[ Kaede's efforts were valiant, but she should have known Chariot's sense of balance was terrible at the best of times, and even with Kaede trying to grab onto her, she still managed to slip in the other direction, feet flying out from beneath her and heading right down to the water below, backside first. ]

Chari--

[The mud didn't release Kaede's feet until she had already committed her weight, and her half-wings were far too sodden to be any help. Facefirst into the muddy water Kaede went, with no Witch snatched out of the water to show for it.

God, they were going to be a mess.]

[ And of course the harpy themselves decided to have a great big laugh over it...

but while Kaede had a stewing, scowly sort of anger, Chariot was more immediately fed up. And not even because she had a particularly short temper. Kaede knew it actually took a lot for Chariot to actually become literally angry. But this time, ruining her perfectly good bonding moment with Kaede, her ability to became cross got quite the augment.

Her wand was pulled free and aimed right at the harpy, reciting a spell and blasting it forward with probably more force than necessary. It was a conjuring spell, and what did she happen to summon?

Well. Tar, actually.

A lot of it. ]

[...well shit. That wasn't something Kaede expected to feel from that direction. It even made her pause, however briefly, while she was struggling out of the mud again.

The damned harpy was in for it now. And Kaede couldn't dredge up a single bit of sympathy for it.

The harpy's laughter turned to squawking as the wave of tar smacked into it head on, the force sufficient to knock some of its formerly-white feathers loose. A bullseye!]

You... are very rude! [ Chariot managed to pull herself up slightly, her robes now very much covered in wet and mud, reaching behind her for Kaede to grasp her hand. ]

And very apt at ruining good moments! If you don't immediately apologize and return what you stole, I've got more where that came from!

[Kaede snorted, a little smug satisfaction overlaying the irritated misery in her mind. Get that goose, Chariot.

The goose Harpy didn't answer these accusations; maybe they couldn't speak, or just chose not to. Or just had a mouth full of tar, which was just as likely.

The wind from its buffeting wings was considerable, but Kaede paid that little mind. The constant, quiet aches and pains in the Bond from the Chimera's direction had stopped.

So had feeling...anything in her legs. A clawed hand curled around the Witch's wrist while the rest of her plonked back into the shallows. The length of Kaede's arms kept the dragging to a minimum, at least.

...but she couldn't stand up again.

This might be a problem. She hissed, quietly:]

...Chariot.

[ The wind was frustrating, and she'd been preparing a retort, the glow in her wand brightening, before she came to realize what was going on right beside her, all of her attention focusing back on Kaede and kneeling beside her. ]

What's wrong? [ She could feel it, that numbness within the bond. ]

[Kaede tried to stand, but only cold numbness answered her from the knee down. The Chimera curled her hand more tightly around her Bonded's arm, trying futilely to stand on her own.]

I can't feel my legs.

[ Panic was immediate. Chariot, unsurprisingly, immediately leapt to the worst conclusions. The energy that had been about to retaliate against the harpy went full force back to Kaede, casting a mending light over her, trying to find what, if anything, was the source of the numbness.

She was quick to pull Kaede close, though taking care not to disturb her legs all the same, pouring out as much warmth as she could through the bond. ]

H-hold on, let's get you out of here!

Edited 2019-10-13 02:48 (UTC)

[The spell settled on her aching joints, and the burst of energy from her Bonded made Kaede feel warm again. She'd never taken on a burst of magic this big all at once before, and it left her skin feeling a bit prickly like a buildup of ticklish static.

And--it helped. Kaede grit her teeth together and forced herself to stand--in a wobbly, precarious way. The pain hadn't returned, but the feeling of numb limbs didn't leave either.

There wasn't damage to repair here--but growth. The spell seemed to vanish into the joints of her knees, like energy vanishing into coiled springs. And one of her ankles was longer than it had been before she'd landed in the pond, arching out of the water like she was just standing on her toes.]

[ So that was it... a new stage in Kaede's transformation, and while Chariot was no biology expert, she could tell that the chilly water was doing a number on those new legs of hers. Putting her wand away, she reached to scoop Kaede up into her arms and out of the water entirely, struggling with each step of her own out of the mood before she made it back to the sore, keeping herself focused on Kaede as she did so, keeping that warmth with her, that calm, despite every bit of her wanting to panic. ]

[Kaede made a little noise between a grumble and a startled 'er' when Chariot lifted her off the ground. Her feet would have kicked a little if they'd...answer her commands, but it was probably best they didn't flail about and upset the Witch's balance any further.

The Chimera settled back quickly enough, tail curling around her Bonded's arm. She did mutter every few steps when Chariot seemed to struggle, fussy thoughts flickering through the Bond. But throughout it, the slate-haired woman was calm, and projected more of the same. Those fussy thoughts were the extent of Kaede's worries.

After another moment, she--very carefully--laid her head on Chariot's shoulder, careful to avoid pricking her with the antlers.

The goose harpy, thankfully, was nowhere in sight. Some tar-coated feathers and muddy tracks were the only sign it had been there.]

Edited (what are colors) 2019-10-13 23:47 (UTC)

[ Moments later, they're sheltered beneath some old lean-to next to a long abandoned barn, a small fire started to help keep the chill off of Kaede as Chariot massaged her knew legs, to help get the feeling back into them. ]

You still with me?

[The trip was short enough that Kaede's thoughts didn't meander too much. When Chariot put her down Kaede went quietly, with just a little sigh through her nose.]

Yeah.

[She appreciated the fire, though part of her still fussed at the Witch going through so much effort for her sake. It felt...unfair, unbalanced. Like Kaede was stealing from her. The Chimera rested her hands on her knees as her tail twitched--away from the fire--in an unsettled motion. Its feathers were still soaked, but even in her morose state she wasn't going to risk that.]

Thought I was done with this by now.

[There wasn't any distress, no pain, or...much at all flowing through the Bond. Just a resigned, exhausted exasperation--a numbness like what her own legs were like.]

I guess there's still a lot we don't know about the transformation process... Or can only guess at. [ Chariot paused her work to reach and pull Kaede into a grateful hug, just happy that she was okay for the most part. She'd been so frightened, all of what she'd done so far seemed to almost happen all on its own, as if driven by instinct. ]

I'm so glad you're alright... I thought the worst had happened...

[Kaede mumbled quietly, leaning into the embrace and curling an arm around Chariot's back. The increased flow of energy that came through the contact was a distant concern at most. Chariot was warm and gentle and here right now, the gnawing hunger for mana long sated and silent in the Monster's heart. She didn't need to want for anything.

If only the guilt would disperse so easily.]

Seems that way.

[The changes to her body had seemed...detached, things she'd viewed with quiet apathy. Perhaps they were some warped penance. After the first growth, they became just another thing to endure. Her legs twisting into the form of a beast's was only the latest.]

I'm not dying yet.

[That would have been a wretched way to go; muddy, sodden, and frigid.

Kaede didn't release the embrace right away, claws curling gently into the woman's shirt.]

...sorry, for making you worry.

[ Chariot managed a smile, even if it was a weak one. Kaede's own indifference towards her transformation oddly helped Chariot not get too lost focusing on how they made Kaede's life difficult. But now she knew she'd definitely have to be sure of the temperature of any body of water Kaede stepped into... or maybe develop a spell that would help regulate her temperature better. ]

Worry is my constant state. [ It's fine. A small chuckle, the small self-depreciation hopefully not going over too badly. ]

So long as you're okay, I'm happy... [ She settled herself in closer to Kaede, snuggling against her and resting her head against her shoulder and just... letting herself stay there, focus on the Bond for the moment, and let the calm of the mana exchange wash over them both. ]

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I can finish sentences

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