warpweft | [popdrop] H1: Spectre & Poppy

- The goals of the Heart are to strengthen your Voidheart, find Hex’s treasures and discover the True Heart.
- Gameplay is going to consist of exploring areas, collecting items, viewing and sharing memories and talking to NPCs. The main means of progression is going to be by collecting items from one area and showing them to NPCs to unlock new parts of an area, new items, new memories and Infusions to strengthen your Voidheart.
- Powers are initially off, but may be turned back on at some point!
- All areas can be reached from the very beginning of the Heart through the hub area, the Spiraling Sea, but some will have less going on than others initially and will need an item brought from somewhere
- Items have both broad and specific applications. Some items won’t mean much of anything to an NPC, but will still get some kind of comment from them that may be useful. Some items just by way of representing a particular character can get a reaction from multiple NPCs that further opens up an area. Some items have extremely specific, personal meaning to one particular NPC. The latter type of item usually takes more effort to get and will have a bigger payoff.
- You can say whatever you want to an NPC, even attack them or grab ‘em and plant a smooch on ‘em. There will also be guided options to present an item in your inventory that may be relevant to that NPC. If an item isn’t listed but you’d like to see the NPC’s reaction to it anyway, feel free to offer it and see what happens! There’s no limits to what you can do with an NPC, although they may look at you a little weird if you shove the same plate of chicken in their face five times in a row.
- NPCs can be made hostile and once made hostile will uniformly try to whup your ass, but for most of them (most of them) you have to be really trying to piss them off that much. If an NPC gets mad enough to start chasing you around the Heart, you’ll have to either fight them or find someone or something to calm them down before you can continue progressing.

[Do you want to contact another player in the Heart that’s in another area? Focus on them deeply and your Voidhearts will be connected, allowing you to talk!]

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…

...

...

......

[CH-THUNK]

[You feel a jolt run through your entire body, jarring you awake and making you take in a sudden, deep breath and sit up straight. Immediately followed by falling back down. You feel a sensation similar to floating in water. Looking up at the sky above you, it’s dark. There’s almost no stars that you can see and no sun or moon or anything up there, but, you still don’t have any trouble seeing anything. Beneath you is a vast ocean of…space. You can see stars, mostly purple and violet, but some in other colors, even a few bright white drifting through the ocean around you. Most of the light illuminating the area comes from a lightly swirling vortex at the center. You can move, bobbing lightly in the space around you, if you wish, it seems similar to water, without the part where it makes you wet. The pain in your chest may be gradually dulling away but it’s definitely still there, though, so you may wanna wait a few minutes to move too much.]

’Please try not to move too much. I’m almost done.

[Someone else is there with you. It’s. ]

[Oh. It’s. A vaguely humanoid shaped blob of darkness with no facial features except two big yellow eyes. It had a hand (its digits ending in fairly sharp claw-like appendages) extended towards your chest, which it pulls back if you start to move. Your chest is currently…uncovered. Whatever you were wearing is either opened up or outright discarded and floating in a small pile next to you. And where you were struck in the chest earlier has been covered up with a small object, a sphere with a glass shell and lights swirling in a spiral shape near the center. It’s similar to the one you saw before, but different. The lights inside are of a different color, perhaps your team’s color, perhaps a color significant to you for some other reason. Whatever it is and whatever color it is, the sphere is part of your body, now. It doesn’t hurt and its presence seems to be what’s slowly dulling the pain in, well, most of the rest of your body.]

’I imagine you have questions.’

[He takes all this in with a few careful back and forth sweeps of his gaze, expression wary. He reaches up, careful, to touch the sphere]

I do.

[A small blue light flickers where your finger makes contact with the sphere, then travels into the spiral in the center.]

'Ask. I will answer to the best of my ability.'

Are you the one who healed me?

'I am.'

’The object you saw before is known as the Voidheart. It’s a very potent piece of magic that connects my realm, the Void, to other realms. After you were attacked, I created a facsimile of it to resuscitate you. It’s not as strong as the real thing. But it can do what it needs to...for now, at least.'

Why am I here?

In your realm.

'This is not my realm. This particular place is called the Spiraling Sea. In a more general sense… … …’

‘I know her by her true name. You know her as ‘Hex’. This is her Heart. And I am its guardian.’

'And I too would like to know why you are here.'

I am in... Hex's heart.

How is such a thing possible?

'Clearly, it is, or, you wouldn't be here.'

'Were I forced to guess, I would say this is the latest trick of the Fae.'

...ah.

That explains quite a lot.

’And to be blunt, I’m not terribly excited by the prospect of you freely exploring this place. The things you do here will have consequences. It could be dangerous for her. And it has proven to be dangerous for you. You encountered one of the more violent denizens of this place and your own heart was very badly damaged as a result. If you wander around more, I can't say I'm certain what will happen to you. Or to her.’

[But. If there could be hesitance on the face of a black blob of Void, there’s currently some on Cornelius’ face. It kind of. Bubbles a bit.]

’I have not been able to speak to her for some time now. The Fae's realm suffocates her magic and that has...frayed her. In a way that I have not been able to help with. That you were attacked immediately upon your arrival speaks to how bad it has gotten.’

[He lets out a noise that could be a sigh, a few bubbles of Void floating off of his head and shoulders in what could be exasperation. The bubbles pop a few seconds after leaving his body.]

Then what would you have us do?

...

[He looks Sye up and down a couple of times.]

’Perhaps you can help her where I am unable.’

’If we reach the True Heart, then we may be able to fix, or at least temper the sources of her anxiety and turmoil. But the way there is obscured. Particularly with… …the person that attacked you, making matters worse.’

’Explore the Heart, find Hex’s treasures, the things most important to her. It should reveal the path to the True Heart.’

May I ask what they are?

'It will be better if you don't. Discovering them for yourself will, hopefully, make the Heart resonate with you and reveal the path to the True Heart.'

Then I will try to find them on my own.

’You can use this to get around.’

[Cornelius reaches a hand out and lightly taps it to the Voidheart in Spectre's chest. A small one-person craft rises out of the...space? Water? Whatever. Its design is one that would be familiar or significant to him. And it floats, that’s the important part.]

'I will remain here if you need anything. Good luck.'

[You can proceed to exploring The Spiraling Sea]

My thanks.

[Oh hi, timey wimey happening, but she is here, a little feral, but moving over to him and has to look him over]

- Poppy?

[She makes a concerned whine, grabbing his hand.]

[Takes it, careful]

Are you all right?

[Another whine and she leans against him and her other hand taps his shoulder insistently.]

[...wraps? An arm around her? Carefully??]

[Well, this is fine.]

[Give her a few minutes to get her wisdom save in place.]

[Petting her back gently]

[Finally-] You okay?

I am fine. There was some pain, but I have been healed.

[EXCUSE YOU, I GOT STABBED IN THE CHEST.]

[And woke up to someone she Doesn't Know.]

[So that's gonna be a kick at the vaguely human blob, SORRY.]

[Her foot goes clean through his chest with a wet 'SPLOTCH' noise.]

[He looks down at it. Then he looks back up at her.]

'That's fair.'

[She actually snarls, jerking her foot back and scrambling away to get more space, looking around and-]

[His chest shifts around her, opening up so it's easier for her to pull it out. His physical from seems very, uh. Malleable.

She may stumble a bit in the 'water' beneath her, bobbing up and down, but with some trying, she'll eventually be able to stand. The shadowy figure doesn't pursue her at all, letting her have her space.]

'You were attacked. I brought you here to resuscitate you.'

[She is going to FUSS AT SPECTRE A MINUTE.]

[It seems that is calming the feral snapping.]

[She looks over at the blob, looking him over slowly.]

[At least she's listening.]

'I have something that may help.'

[Ocean sounds play in the background. Except despite the fact that you're standing in an ocean, it doesn't sound like the ocean around you, it sounds like somebody played a recording of ocean sounds. You can hear a seagull.

Very soothing!]

Edited 2021-05-19 01:40 (UTC)

..... [Unimpressed.]

[Especially when her powers are messed with AGAIN.]

[She is going to hover around Spectre and just.]

[Close her eyes.]

[Because she can with him here.]

[And breathe.]

[He'll be right here when she wants to talk, or, more likely, he'll keep talking to Spectre, since she's in earshot and it all applies to her too anyway.]

Edited 2021-05-19 02:06 (UTC)

[~~8+5=15~~]

[It takes a few minutes, but a good wisdom score is something she's developed.]

[She is listen and-]

Who hurt us? [Her voice is more clipped.]

’You were attacked by Lillith. One of the more violent denizens of this place. I’m sorry, but your own heart was very badly damaged. I had to replace it with this Voidheart, at least until I can find a way to fix your heart.’

Edited 2021-05-19 02:12 (UTC)

My power could.

Why gone?

'I don't know. I think it may have something to do with the Fae.'

'I know their limiting of power has affected her very poorly.'

Edited 2021-05-19 02:18 (UTC)

Different. Should have sparks.

[She shakes her head.]

Hex. Danger?

[He heaves something like a sigh, a few bubbles of Void traveling off of his shoulders and popping.]

'She's isolated. From her magic. From me. It is. Adversely affecting things.' [Thus, the person who got stabby on you and Spectre, probably.]

'It's grown concerning. I am not excited by the idea of you exploring her Heart - it could have consequences none of us can foresee - but I'm growing less excited by the idea of leaving her like this every day.'

[She tilts her head.]

Heart. Soul?

'One in the same. And in some ways, her physical heart as well.'

'Things get a bit metaphysical around here.'

Hmm.

Lilith?

'She is more or less always that violent. But she rarely has this much power. Whatever you do wind up doing, I would advise you to avoid her. I don't know that I'll be able to stop her from attacking you again.'

[Hmmm]

Borrow Hex power? Buff spells?

'There is limits to what I can do to it here. But if you explore, the other denizens of this Heart may share pieces of their power with you. It will strengthen the Voidheart that you have.'

'I will try to find a way to return your own power to you in the meantime.'

...

Okay.

Going with Spectre.

’You can use this to follow him.'

[Cornelius reaches a hand out and lightly taps it to the Voidheart in Poppy's chest. A small one-person craft rises out of the...space? Water? Whatever. Its design is one that would be familiar or significant to her. And it floats, that’s the important part.]

'I will remain here if you need anything. Good luck.'

[You can proceed to exploring The Spiraling Sea. Or just follow Spectre to where he went.]

Edited 2021-05-19 03:10 (UTC)

[Honestly, it's probably a long boat, made to cross icy seas-]

[She nods and goes.]

[You stand in a vast ocean of space that stretches in every direction. The sky above is dark, but lights in a variety of colors, mostly violet, shine beneath you. You can swim in the space, or with some focus, stand on it. You also have a small one-person craft (the design of which will be familiar or significant to you) you can use to navigate the space and explore other areas of the Heart.

Cornelius is a short distance away and will speak to you if need be.

There are seven clusters of light that you can explore, each one a different direction from the center of the ocean.

There are waves in the distance. If you're not sure where to go...you can always catch a wave. Maybe it'll take you on the right track. Or maybe it'll dump you somewhere completely random.]

[North: The Spiraling Sea (you are here)
Northeast: ???
Northwest: ???
East: ???
West: ???
Southeast: ???
Southwest: ???
South: ???]

Edited 2021-05-19 01:04 (UTC)

[To the east]

[Your craft dips into the light and a few seconds later, you're taken away to somewhere new...]

Edited 2021-05-19 02:43 (UTC)

[It’s a dark and stormy night. Wind blows in your face. Lightning crackles in the sky, briefly lighting it up before thunder booms in the distance. Fog gathers around you. Visibility is low and the elements are getting worse, but there’s a single light in the distance. You push on towards it and you can hear a loud cackle echoing somewhere, like nails scratching a chalkboard. You’ve gotten through enough of the fog that near the light, you can see the silhouette of a castle in the distance. The storm has become truly awful at this point, leaving you no choice but to keep trekking towards the castle and, hopefully, shelter. You go a few more feet through the fog find yourself in front of a huge castle, but the gate blocks you from going further. There’s a metal knocker attached to the gate. You reach out and grab the knocker.

CLANG. CLANG. CLANG.

The noise echoes for a few seconds, and…]

[The fog and the storm all immediately part and the castle is gone. You’re standing on the street in front of a nice, upscale looking apartment building.]

”Oh, hold on one second! I’ll buzz you up!”

[That’s a voice coming from the buzzer. A couple seconds later, you do indeed her a buzz and the door opens. Entering the door leaves you in…a hallway. That seems a little off. Maybe it’s just for pacing reasons. But either way, there’s a door on your left.]

[Glances away down the hallway, trying to see where it leads, before turning to knock on the door]

[Someone opens the door.]

Hello! I’ve been — ooh, I guess the storm got you pretty bad. Uh, come in! I’ve got some towels!

[It’s the same voice as the one that let you. It’s a young woman, she immediately moves out of the way to let you into the apartment. It’s…a pretty nice apartment! There’s an open door leading out into the balcony (which will by the way confirm that you went from ground level to several stories up if you look out over it), a big TV hanging on the wall and an exceptionally soft looking couch, equally comfortable easy chairs positioned around it. The couch must be as comfortable as it looks, because there’s a black cat napping on it, currently catching a sunbeam from the open balcony. It regards you for a second, then goes back to lounging immediately.]

[Up on the wall, there’s a kitschy little carved wooden sign - it reads “WELCOME TO THE WITCH’S CASTLE” and it has a little painting of a witch on a broomstick on it. Three guesses who lives here.]

[You’re currently in the Living Room. You can also explore the Kitchen or the Hallway.]

My thanks. For letting me in.

Is the weather usually so intense, this time of year?

No, normally, it's just fog and some thunder. You know, just to add a little atmosphere. [She grabs a towel from the linen closet and hands it to him.] It's really been bad, lately.

[He accepts the towel and begins to pat himself dry]

Do you know what's caused it?

...usually, when bad stuff happens around here...

...it goes back to Grandmother Lillith.

Who is she?

She's the one who attacked you.

Oh. Um.

[She holds up a phone.]

Cornelius texted me. He said you might be coming.

Is Cornelius the one that I met before?

The really tall kind of. [She makes a couple gestures with her hands that don't really describe much.]

Blob.

Person?

Yes. That seems accurate.

Yes! Then he's the one you met!

I see.

...he told me to come looking for items. Is there anything in this apartment that you could consider precious?

I, um....

[She hesitates, looking around. Her eyes fall on the hallway for a few seconds.]

... ...maybe.

May I borrow it?

M-maybe...

There's just. Maybe. A. Small problem.

What manner of problem?

“Mmn… don’t get me wrong. I’d like to help you and I’d like to help—“ [She pauses for a bit, she was about to say something else, but instead says:] “Hex too. But…she can be a very private person about some things. I just don’t know if I should share too much or it’d be violating her privacy…”

[Puck jumps up on the back of the couch and lets out a little ‘mrow’. He walks towards Nell, who gives him a couple scratches. This seems to give her an idea.]

“Oh, well, what if…” [She looks at you.] “Um. This might be asking too much. But um. Would you be willing to maybe. Share something of yours first? Um. I’m a witch, too, or. An apprentice, at least. So I know a little bit of magic and Puck is pretty good for a cat, too!” [She picks up Puck. He lets out another ‘mrow’.] “We can take an important memory of yours and share it with Hex…I think that’d probably make her trust you to walk around in here a little bit more, right? If you put a bit of yourself out…you can get something back!”

I... see.

How important should this memory be?

Um...well, I don't want to make you share something super private, so...

Maybe something only a little important at first, just to see if it works?

As you say.

How should I share it?

[Puck lets out another meow.]

Uh. If we're both holding Puck at the same time, just picture what you want to share very clearly and we should be able to share it!

[Hesitates]

[Then he holds out a hand]

[She plops Puck into his hands while keeping a grip on him, herself. She smiles to him.]

Whenever you're ready.

[He closes his eyes - begins to picture the memory]

Okay....

[Once you’re ready, Nell closes her eyes and murmurs something to herself for a couple moments. A soft purple light surrounds her hands and, eventually, surrounds Puck too. He lifts a paw up and whaps it on your forehead.]

[It's quiet for a moment. You can feel something in your head, but it's...subtle. Gentle. Trying to be delicate while it's in there and not mess anything up, so the process takes a few moments....]

[And then the glow is gone. Nell's eyes open again. She takes in a breath, a small smile curling on her face.]

That looked like a lot of fun. [Pie looked good, too.]

[One of the doors down in the hallway can be heard opening. Nell perks up and looks in that direction.]

[Glances that way, as well]

May I go...?

[She nods.]

Yes! And...feel free to take whatever you need to. I hope it helps you.

My thanks.

[He inclines his head, slightly, and heads off toward the hall]

[The hallway has three doors, one of which is currently open. The other two are closed and... ...locked.]

[Heading to the open door, then]

[You enter Nell's room.]

[Nell’s room has a bed, a desk and a dresser. On the floor there’s a stack of books and a tablet that mostly seems to be for playing audiobooks. In one corner there’s a big stack of music in a bunch of different mediums. There’s neatly compiled stacks of CDs, cassette tapes and there’s even a stack of vinyl records. And there’s a cassette player, a CD player and a record player all kept neatly next to each other as well. There’s even a guitar laying against the wall next to the stack of music.

On the desk, there's a loose stack of a few papers and photos.
On the nightstand, there's a framed photo.
There also seems to be something on the bed, under the covers.]

[You can explore this room or return to the Living Room.]

[He has no idea what the CDs, cassette tapes, or records are for, so he heads toward the desk, to look at the papers and the photos]

[It looks like an itenerary. There's a schedule, a list of places to go and photos of those places. Museums, galleries, parks, boutiques, lots of stuff like that. There's a letter included with them.]

[Dear Agnis,
Here's some places I thought we could go to. If there's anywhere else in Manchester you'd like to visit, please tell me and I'll look up everything about it! We can't wait to see you and I'm so looking forward to meeting you in person for the first time! <3
Love,
Nell]

[You acquired Trip Schedule.]

[Holds onto it, and crosses tot he bed, to check under the covers]

[You lift the covers. There’s a white orb resting on the pillow. It responds to your presence and floats towards you, lightly touching your chest. When it does, images filter into your mind…]

[“Here, take a look at this.”
“Wh…what’s that? That’s not one of Grandmother’s books, is it?!”
“No…no, this is mine!”

You’re speaking to Nell, your cousin. You have a big book under your arms. The two of you are hidden away in a corner of your own room.

“Where did you get it?”
“I don’t know. I found it.” You shrug your shoulders…that’s a lie. But you don’t want to tell Nell where you actually got it. It’s not that you don’t trust her, but. She’s very scared of Grandmother. Everybody is. Including you, much as you’re trying to not make it obvious. “Do you wanna see it or not?” Nell looks towards the door, then ducks down a little more.
“Y…yes.” She nods. You smile. You both get on your knees and you open it up. You’re not sure how much time passes. You excitedly point out the words that you know and get her to sound them out as well. After a while, she has a big smile on her face when she can get through most of a sentence on her own. Eventually, you both jump up when you hear the door open. You turn your head and see a white-haired woman fixing the two of you with a look.

“What are you two doing?” She asks.
“Nothing, mother,” you say. “I was just showing Nell-“
“Mmn.” She holds up a finger, cutting you off. “Run along, Nell. Your mother is looking for you.”
“O-okay.” Nell stands up and takes a second to smooth her skirt over with her hands.
“And Nell?” Your mother holds a finger to her mouth. “This is a secret, understood?”
“Y…yes, Aunt Lyra.” Nell ducks her head. Your mother smiles and leans down, giving her a kiss on the forehead.
“Good girl. Run along.” Nell looks back at you. She gives you a smile and leaves. Once she’s gone, your mother picks you up and sits you down on the bed.

“█████,” she says. “You know to keep that book between us.”
“I know,” you say quietly. “But you were teaching me to read…so. I wanted to teach Nell. She was getting it, too! She read some words and we—“ She raises a finger to her mouth and you quiet down.
“You’re so bright,” she says. “I understand. You want to show your cousin what you know. But sometimes…we have to keep our knowledge to ourselves.” She reaches an arm out and hugs you. Her other hand flips the book closed…and slides it under the bed. “I promise. Once we do what we discussed, you’ll be able to show people how bright you are.” You lean into your mother. She strokes your head a couple of times.

“…when we do what we said and Leave grandmother…can we bring Nell?” You ask in a very quiet voice.
“Maybe, my dear,” she says. The noncommittal way she says it…you don’t want to admit it, but somewhere deep in your heart, you know she doesn’t care.]

[….both Hex and Nell are a lot younger in this memory. More striking, however, is that they’re the same age in this one. But the Nell of right now seems a lot younger than Hex, almost a decade.]

[Hmmm]

[After a moment, he peers down at his chest, where the orb went, to see if it's still there]

[The white orb has sunk into the Voidheart that Cornelius implanted in your chest. If you look carefully, you can see a single white light among the others, whatever color the rest of them are.]

Then, this must be the first.

[He takes with him everything he has, gives the room one final glancing-over, and turns back for the door]

[The only things left to explore are Nell's music and books in the corner (which look neat, but you get the feeling won't yield much) and the photo on the nightstand. Besides that, you can return to the Living Room.

[Well... it won't hurt to take one final look before he heads out]

[Going to check the music, and then the picture]

[There's music in a variety of genres, from a variety of bands. Most of them....won't mean anything to you! What does rolling rocks have to do with anything? Isn't a beatle a kind of bug? What is any of this. But there is stuff to play all of it, nearby and it's probably not too hard to figure out where the tapes go, where the CD's go and where the records go....

... ... ...also, there's notes with helpful little pictures on which form of media goes where. Did Nell make this? Why did she make this?]

[It's a framed photo of Nell and Hex, both of them dressed up like witches, complete with the pointy hats and broomsticks, presumably for Halloween. Puck is with them, but he's huge. It's not clear whether this was done by photoshop or if he was actually made that big with magic for the photo.]

[You acquired Halloween Picture.]

[It's worth noting - clear age difference between Nell and Hex of nearly a decade in this picture.]

[He sets all the music parts down, very carefully, and leaves them where they are]

[The picture he takes with him, since he's supposed to be collecting important things. Then, he tuns to head out again]

[Nell greets him again when he comes out.]

Hi! Did you find anything useful?

I found some things that seem as though they might be important.

[Heading over to show her]

Oh! Like what?

[You can:
>Show Nell Halloween Picture
>Show Nell Trip Schedule
>Tell Nell about Reading Memory]

[Shows her both the picture and the schedule]

[She looks at the picture, first.]

Oh...hehehe. That was a really fun night. I was so excited about wearing my costume and seeing other people's costumes...and that was before I even found out about the candy! Eheheh!

[Then, she looks at the schedule.]

Oohh....we haven't had a chance to do this trip, yet, but we're gonna do it, someday! It's gonna be great!

I saw an event, as well.

[He hesitates, then describes the memory]

Oh...

Wow. That happened a really, really long time ago.

[She looks down, pensive. Conflicted.]

...it was hard, back then, but. I really did enjoy that time I spent with her. That was how I started learning how to read, after all.

May I take these with me?

I believe they will serve well for what has been asked of me.

Edited 2021-05-27 00:41 (UTC)

Oh! Yes, of course!

You can have anything that you think will be able to help you!

My thanks.

Then, I'd best be on my way.

Okay! Good luck!

If...you think you can find anything that will help you open the last room here, feel free to come back!

Some manner of key?

I'm not sure...it might not be a literal key. It may just be something important to Hex? Something that'll make her feel comfortable enough to trust you with going in there?

I wish I could be more specific, but I'm not even sure myself. If I think of anything, I'll let you know.

My thanks.

Then, I will continue my exploration.

[You can proceed to one of the following locations:

North: The Spiraling Sea
Northeast: ???
Northwest: ???
East: The Witch's Castle (You are here)
West: ???
Southeast: ???
Southwest: ???
South: ???]

[To the west!]

[Your craft dips into the light and a few seconds later, you're taken away to somewhere new...]

[Hello, I will knock on this door, looking for a Spectre. He'd probably be polite.]

[Someone opens the door.]

Hello! I’ve been — ooh, I guess the storm got you pretty bad. Uh, come in! I’ve got some towels!

[It’s the same voice as the one that let you. It’s a young woman, she immediately moves out of the way to let you into the apartment. It’s…a pretty nice apartment! There’s an open door leading out into the balcony (which will by the way confirm that you went from ground level to several stories up if you look out over it), a big TV hanging on the wall and an exceptionally soft looking couch, equally comfortable easy chairs positioned around it. The couch must be as comfortable as it looks, because there’s a black cat napping on it, currently catching a sunbeam from the open balcony. It regards you for a second, then goes back to lounging immediately.]

[Up on the wall, there’s a kitschy little carved wooden sign - it reads “WELCOME TO THE WITCH’S CASTLE” and it has a little painting of a witch on a broomstick on it. Three guesses who lives here. Spectre is already here and has already gotten a towel.]

[You’re currently in the Living Room. You can also explore the Kitchen or the Hallway.]

....I guess. [What is being worried about rain.]

[She will come inside and]

[Oh]

[She's never seen Anything like that.]

This place...

Hi! You're a friend of █████’s, right? [Her mouth is fogged over whenever she says….whatever that word was.] This is her apartment! Well...our apartment. Both of ours, because. I live here with her.

I'm Nell, her cousin. Nice to meet you. Oh. [She reaches over the couch and places a hand on the cat napping there. He lets out a ‘mrrp’ and rolls over.] And this is Puck.

Edited 2021-05-19 03:41 (UTC)

....her true name?

[....cat]

[IMMA PET THE CAT.]

[Makes a murring hello noise and]

[I mean, her talk to animal ability is based on physical reading and having grown up in the wild for some years, did Hex fuck with that-]

Oh. Uh. Yes. You know her as..."Hex", right?

[Puck meows pleasantly and leans into her hand.]

[Loosely translated, he wants more pets.]

[Yessss, good. This is still normal.]

[She will pet more, she is good at that.]

Yes.

[This is helping her nerves.]

And this is her home? Are you a witch too?

Yes. We both live here together.

And I'm kind of uh...

An apprentice?

Oh. Hers?

...I still have the memory after sharing? Its sharing, not taking?

Oh! Yes! Of course, I wouldn't want to take something of yours away from you.

[Puck meows. It's mildly indignant, at the assumption that he'd do something so hack-ish.]

[She looks at Puck.]

Ah, you'd do it.

That does make me feel better.

I can share a memory. What kind?

Um...well, I don't want to make you share something super private, so...

Maybe something only a little important at first, just to see if it works?

....I remember meeting my daughter.

Which isn't as private as one would think such a thing.

Oh!

[Wait. Meeting?]

...did you adopt?

Yes.

Awwww.

[She gets a fond little smile on her face.]

Uh. Well. If you'd be okay with sharing that, I would be honored to help you show it to Hex. Here. [She holds up Puck.] If we're both holding him at the same time, that should be enough for me to do the spell.

Well...it really wasn't a private affair.

[Listen]

[It was during a cult attack. Stupid shit happened. DnD shenanigans. Maybel may have wanted revenge on her parents killers-]

[Poppy shouldn't have kids.]

[She will put her hands on Puck.]

[The memory starts in the woods and in the distance, they can see a cultist camp. They see the cages, the captured villagers. They talk about their plan.]

[There is **** (Poppy) taking in the lay of the land, the dragonborn, Roscoe, in heavy armor saying how he'll be a hard sneak, a half orc, The One, not much better, but he's not as talkative. There is a barbarian Cyrel who thinks maybe he can pretend to be a wandering cultist too. It's the purple tiefling in robes who comes up with a plan.]

[He's going to pretend to be a buxom maiden using magic while they surround the camp and move in.]

[He goes in, and manages to deceive them enough to get their attention and wondering if she'd be worth selling as a slave or having a fun time now as Herb tries to flirt his way out of chains as they all move around the place.]

[The cultists move in to grab him and that's when the rest of them move. Poppy rushes in as a giant elk, right by Herb, bucking a cultist away so he can get on her back....they didn't talk about this before hand.]

[Herb thinks he's made a magical new friend.]

[Poppy is fine with this, keeping him out of range as he casts Firebolt, and bucking some cultists before dashing away. The fighters tear through the cultists.]

[Cyrel is having a little trouble with the one in charge and he tries to get him away after getting stabbed with the sword, and-]

[He's tripped.]

[By the small child they had been making serve them.]

[It makes it a lot easier for Cyrel to kill him then.]

[They free the villagers, much to their gratitude. Poppy turns back into a Tiefling, much to Herb's surprise.]

["I'm a druid. You really should have known," Poppy said with amusement.

"Maybe that's why my mother wanted me to be one. I could never get that camping thing down," Herb said in that rambly way he does. "I guess I'm not magically gifted with special animals."

"Just me, I'm afraid," Poppy said and she looks to the side and there's the little girl, looking in awe.

"You can turn into a deer!"

"An elk, but yes. That's the power of nature, you know," Poppy said

"Can you teach me?!"

"I don't have time, I'm afraid. We have work to do and we have to get you back to your parents."

The girl looks away. "My parents..."

There is a silence as the others take notice. "...did they both...?" Poppy asked quietly.

The little girl nods. She then looks up. "Are you going after the people who attacked our village?! I want to help! Let me come with you!"]

[There is some debate between your group because its a little girl, but Poppy is still staring at the little girl. She wasn't much older, after all...]

[Cyrel was impressed with her help.]

[The One doesn't care.]

[Roscoe has doubts.]

[Herb thinks its an important growing opportunity.

[There is a look at Poppy, to see if she'd protest.]

[Poppy holds out her hand to Maybel and smiles. "I guess I'll be able to teach you after all."

[~~This is what happens when the voice of reason has every reason to say yes to the terrible idea~~]

Edited 2021-05-24 03:43 (UTC)

Okay....

[Once you’re ready, Nell closes her eyes and murmurs something to herself for a couple moments. A soft purple light surrounds her hands and, eventually, surrounds Puck too. He lifts a paw up and whaps it on your forehead.]

[It's quiet for a moment. You can feel something in your head, but it's...subtle. Gentle. Trying to be delicate while it's in there and not mess anything up, so the process takes a few moments....]

[And then the glow is gone. Nell's eyes open again. She takes in a breath, then a frown appears on her face.]

Oh...I'm so sorry that happened to all of you. That must've been so difficult...

[One of the doors down in the hallway can be heard opening. Nell perks up and looks in that direction.]

[That....isn't the worse. She's had mind invasions before, but its certainly the nicer version of it.]

....it was hardest for her. [There had been Sympathy Of A Sort.]

That way?

...mmn. Dealing with something like that at a young age....

[She trails off and lets out a sigh. She looks down the hallway.]

Ah, yes. There's three rooms down there. Um. Feel free to take what you need.

She'll have help. [Whether this is Good Help Is Highly Questionable.]

....should I bring a knife?

[I mean]

[Just in case???????]

...I...can't think of any reason why you would need one?

[Shrugs.] Its good to know.

I'll see if I can find an important item to her.

[Tooo the hallway.]

[The hallway has three doors, one of which is currently open. The other two are closed and... ...locked.]

.... [I won't try to pick those YET.]

[Into the open door.]

[You enter Nell's room.]

[Nell’s room has a bed, a desk and a dresser. On the floor there’s a stack of books and a tablet that mostly seems to be for playing audiobooks. In one corner there’s a big stack of music in a bunch of different mediums. There’s neatly compiled stacks of CDs, cassette tapes and there’s even a stack of vinyl records. And there’s a cassette player, a CD player and a record player all kept neatly next to each other as well. There’s even a guitar laying against the wall next to the stack of music.

On the desk, there's a loose stack of a few papers and photos.
On the nightstand, there's a framed photo.
There also seems to be something on the bed, under the covers.]

[You can explore this room or return to the Living Room.]

[BOOKS]

[Immediately to look over the books.]

[There's a few textbooks, in varying subjects at varying levels, from probably well below Nell's age (she looks, what, like, late teens?) to a little above it. They all look like they were procured at the same time, though.

There's books on social skills, how to fit in, how to show confidence.
There's a book on how to develop useful studying habits.
There's "For Dummies!" books on...a lot of different stuff. Technology, transportation, etc. etc. And how-to books on an equally wide range of subjects.

....and there's some YA fantasy aaaand yup. Hidden at the bottom is a couple romance novels. Yes, they're about witches. Oh, this one is about a witch who falls in love with a dragon that can turn into a cute boy!]

[....I wanna read most of these.]

[OKAY, she will skim through the social skills one.]

Can ask her later, right....

[It's a book giving advice on how to fit in with people, how to talk to them, reading social cues, common phrases, etc. It basically comes off as advice for someone who has no idea how to talk to people. As you flip through the book...images start to filter into your mind.]

[Nell is sitting on her bed, reading the book. You enter the room and take a look at her. She looks a little younger than she does right now. Mid-teens as oppose to late teens.

"How is it going?" You ask.

"It's...going fine," she says. "I-it's just...it's kind of a lot. What if." She purses her lips. "What if I mess something up?"

"Then you mess something up," you say. "Nobody expects you to do everything perfectly on your first day of school, Nell. I didn't." You wave a hand. "It's just a small class with other people who are in...similar situations. Just do your best and if you feel overwhelmed, call me." You give her a smirk. "Look at me. I was in the same situation as you and now I'm a highly respected academic. A genius, that everyone flocks to. A master of both the mundane and magical," you say, sparing no amount of superlatives for yourself. Goddamn, you're great.

That gets a smile and a giggle out of Nell. She nods.

"Y...yeah. I'll just do my best." She takes in a breath and you can see her releasing some tension. "Thank you."

"Any time," you smile back and leave the room, leaving her to her reading.]

[Then, you're back in Nell's room, kneeling next to her books.]

Edited 2021-05-19 20:19 (UTC)

[....this is a very good book.]

[Maybe she can ask Hex for a copy. And on the others.]

[Oh-]

[That's. A familiar scene, in a sense.]

[Hex is kind of cute.]

[Let's see the papers and photos on the desk.]

[It looks like an itinerary. There's a schedule, a list of places to go and photos of those places. Museums, galleries, parks, boutiques, lots of stuff like that. There's a letter included with them.]

[Dear Agnis,
Here's some places I thought we could go to. If there's anywhere else in Manchester you'd like to visit, please tell me and I'll look up everything about it! We can't wait to see you and I'm so looking forward to meeting you in person for the first time! <3
Love,
Nell]

[You acquired Trip Schedule.]

[................!!!!]

[MUSEUM! GALLERIES! PARKS!!!!!!]

[She wants to go. '-']

[She will Keep This, see what Nell's says.]

[Let's look under the covers, maybe there is more cat]

[You lift the covers. There’s a white orb resting on the pillow. It responds to your presence and floats towards you, lightly touching your chest. When it does, images filter into your mind…]

[“Here, take a look at this.”
“Wh…what’s that? That’s not one of Grandmother’s books, is it?!”
“No…no, this is mine!”

You’re speaking to Nell, your cousin. You have a big book under your arms. The two of you are hidden away in a corner of your own room.

“Where did you get it?”
“I don’t know. I found it.” You shrug your shoulders…that’s a lie. But you don’t want to tell Nell where you actually got it. It’s not that you don’t trust her, but. She’s very scared of Grandmother. Everybody is. Including you, much as you’re trying to not make it obvious. “Do you wanna see it or not?” Nell looks towards the door, then ducks down a little more.
“Y…yes.” She nods. You smile. You both get on your knees and you open it up. You’re not sure how much time passes. You excitedly point out the words that you know and get her to sound them out as well. After a while, she has a big smile on her face when she can get through most of a sentence on her own. Eventually, you both jump up when you hear the door open. You turn your head and see a white-haired woman fixing the two of you with a look.

“What are you two doing?” She asks.
“Nothing, mother,” you say. “I was just showing Nell-“
“Mmn.” She holds up a finger, cutting you off. “Run along, Nell. Your mother is looking for you.”
“O-okay.” Nell stands up and takes a second to smooth her skirt over with her hands.
“And Nell?” Your mother holds a finger to her mouth. “This is a secret, understood?”
“Y…yes, Aunt Lyra.” Nell ducks her head. Your mother smiles and leans down, giving her a kiss on the forehead.
“Good girl. Run along.” Nell looks back at you. She gives you a smile and leaves. Once she’s gone, your mother picks you up and sits you down on the bed.

“█████,” she says. “You know to keep that book between us.”
“I know,” you say quietly. “But you were teaching me to read…so. I wanted to teach Nell. She was getting it, too! She read some words and we—“ She raises a finger to her mouth and you quiet down.
“You’re so bright,” she says. “I understand. You want to show your cousin what you know. But sometimes…we have to keep our knowledge to ourselves.” She reaches an arm out and hugs you. Her other hand flips the book closed…and slides it under the bed. “I promise. Once we do what we discussed, you’ll be able to show people how bright you are.” You lean into your mother. She strokes your head a couple of times.

“…when we do what we said and Leave grandmother…can we bring Nell?” You ask in a very quiet voice.
“Maybe, my dear,” she says. The noncommittal way she says it…you don’t want to admit it, but somewhere deep in your heart, you know she doesn’t care.]

[….both Hex and Nell are a lot younger in this memory. More striking, however, is that they’re the same age in this one. But the Nell of right now seems a lot younger than Hex, almost a decade.]

[.....well, that sure sounds like talk of a murder attempt or an escape there.]

[Which, fair if Lilith is that bad.]

Time magic? [THAT is very odd though.]

[Is the orb around? Did her orb in her chest change?]

[The orb in your chest seems to have absorbed the orb holding the memory. If you crane your neck, you can see a very tiny white light in there now among all the others, whatever color they happen to be in.]

[....huh.]

[Let's check out this photo frame.]

[It's a framed photo of Nell and Hex, both of them dressed up like witches, complete with the pointy hats and broomsticks, presumably for Halloween. Puck is with them, but he's huge. It's not clear whether this was done by photoshop or if he was actually made that big with magic for the photo.]

[You acquired Halloween Picture.]

[It's again worth noting - clear age difference between Nell and Hex of nearly a decade in this picture.]

[Well, more items to test!]

[Will step into the living room with it.] Puck was awful big.

Oh...eheheh, you saw my photo, huh? Sometimes, he gets really big! It's his secret talent! [Puck is back to sunning himself at this point.]

I guess my room was the only one that opened up, huh? Seems like the other two are still locked...

A respectable talent. A lot of use comes in changing sizes.

Seems like that's the case. Why are you two drrssed like that anyway? [What's a Halloween?]

Oh, those are our Halloween costumes!

Basically, you just dress up as something else, for fun. I didn't understand it at first, either.

Like....a masquerade ball sort of thing?

Oh. Yes! Kind of like that. Except instead of staying in one place, children go door-to-door and get candy. Adults tend to just go to parties, though.

That many houses have candy?

Oh yes. They sell bags of it at the shops for just a few pounds.

Oh, uh. Pounds are our money here.

That seems like it'd get heavy fast.

I thought so too! But they're actually paper!

[She takes a 5 pound bill and shows it to Poppy. She points at the woman on the front.]

That's Queen Elizabeth.

[=O]

How is paper so valuable?

Uhh, well, the paper is just paper, but because the government says it's worth that much, that's what it's worth!

Oh.

Like how some pottery is super expensive even though it's not that much better skill level.

Uh, yes, I think so!

Well. One thing Cousin Hex told me once, was, "Anything is worth what someone is willing to pay for it."

True. That's what most magic items are.

Paper WOULD be a lot easier to carry a lot of money. Gold gets heavy....

I think that's the idea. I think the bank has a lot of gold somewhere that's supposed to represent the actual value of the paper...? I'm not sure.

A...aaanyway. I'm sorry only my bedroom opened up. If you'd like to try again, maybe another one will make the other two rooms open up, and you can see if there's anything for you in there?

I'm not sure if a government has ever been that reliable with money.

Hmm, maybe. I was curious about this trip schedule though.

Museums and things.

I can't ask all the questions I want, but I'm going to ask Hex about them later. [DETERMINEd.]

Ohhhh....yes, both she and I are really, really looking forward to that. We picked out a lot of places within the city!

If you'd like to know more about that trip...uh...maybe you'd like to go...in a northern direction, next?

Northern room, or north from the start?

Um.

The latter. I think.

All right.

So you need another memory? Does type of memory have an effect?

I don't....think so?

Sorry. I'm still learning this kind of thing, like I said, I'm just an apprentice.

Never apologize for learning. Learning is important.

...

Heehee.

[She perks up.]

You kind of sound like her.

She has a lot of good thoughts.

Even if she's lacking understanding of nature and it's power.

Oh. Um.

When people say 'nature', she usually thinks of.

Camping.

I mean, that's the weak way to commune with nature.

She says it's barbaric. She, um.

Really likes living with all of the modern and expensive stuff she likes.

Funny, when all this stuff comes from nature.

It does?

[She looks around.]

...even the TV?

[She looks over at the TV. She walks over, tapping it.]

The screen is made of glass. Super heated sand. Sand is just certain kinds of stone ground to almost dust by water.

[She tabs the plastic.] Hmmm, I'm still not familiar with what this material is. But unless people are summoning material from someone like the Astral Sea, it should be made of something from nature.

Oh...well. I guess everything is manufactured from something you find on the Earth...

That's an interesting way of thinking about it!

I mean, that's how it is.

Its why nature magic is the most versalite magic there is. Holy people have a range of life and death magic plus their god's domain. Wizards can't heal at all. Warlocks, sorcerers, bards, they only retain so much even with diverse choices.

Nature magic may not as be an effective healer as a holy person, or as destructive as a wizard, but we can fulfill the needs of our people because we adapt.

Mmn...it sounds incredible.

I want to become a witch, but. I've only ever learned one kind of magic.

...it'd be nice to be able to learn others.

Everyone is capable of learning nature magic. At least back home, though I don't see why it'd be beyond people in other worlds. Nature is everywhere.

Um...

[She starts to say something, then waves her hand. Apparently, she doesn't wanna talk too much about that.]

A-anyway! Like I said, I don't think it'll matter too much what kind of memory you share...as long as it's one that's at least kind of important to you, hopefully it'll work!

Hmmm. Okay. [And now she will touch/pick up Puck for memory!]

[She doesn't often make things for people. At least not permanent things. But she loves architecture and she knows what its like to feel like you can't be somewhere.]

[Its why it was important, to make Spectre something good. And even if he fights it, unsurprising, she can tell he's happy.]

[It's Worth It.]

Oh...oh wow.

Did you make that room for him?

Hmm, yeah. He just wanted a basic room.

But if we could make anything, then we should.

That's because of, um. The Fae, right?

[While this conversation happens, you can hear a door opening in the hallway.]

That must be so amazing, to live in a place like that...

...it was really nice of you to do that for him. It looked like it made him really happy.

Yes.

Well, that's a bit of a mixed bag. Though honestly, that can be a lot of interaction with the fey. Sometimes good, sometimes a nightmare. But I did like getting to work on so many rooms!

....he has a hard time making himself happy.

So I'm gonna. Until he learns. And then I'm gonna kill the person who hurt him like that. [:D]

S-so....

Someone hurt him.

And it. Wasn't someone in that place where the Fae all brought you to?

No, it wasn't the fae.

But druids know how to walk planes. I just have to get a little stronger and I'll find him.

'Him'?

Wh-who is it?

Spectre. I'm going to find Spectre.

Oh. Um.

[She waves her hands. Embarrassed.]

I-I mean. Sp-spectre is your friend and Hex's boyfriend, right? I just mean. Wh-who's the person who hurt him?

[Wait, Hex's what.]

Wait, Hex is his girlfriend?

--- you should go check the room that was just opened!

I, um.

I think something is burning in the oven!

[And she scurries off to...her own room. Not the kitchen. Okay.]

Wait a second!

[She will follow Nell to her room!] Does Spectre know?

S-sorry, I can't hear you over the shower!

[...there isn't a shower in that room.]

[I will barge in here.]

Nell, is this a thing she's talked about to Spectre, or is this....romantic feelings?

[...the door opens a tiny crack.]

....I-I know I'm technically just an abstraction that represents Nell inside of her Heart, but...

I don't want Hex to get mad at me for blabbing.

Thus is important information that can end in a lot if hurt if not handled correctly.

Th-that's why I don't wanna say anything! I already said too much! I-I don't want someone to get hurt cause I shared something she wasn't ready to share yet!

[Well, that's. Kind of an answer.]

Okay.

So its romantic feelings. That's good. That means nothing terrible has happened yet.

[Because Spectre is A Mess and she knows just how deep it goes.]

Oh geez, I went and said everything, anyway.

This is for the best.

This could have been really bad otherwise. Now I can talk to her.

I'm gonna check out the other room now. [Which one unlocked.]

[You enter Hex's Study]

[Hex’s study is… … …weird. The exact kind of weird you would expect out of someone who proudly proclaims her witchhood to every person she meets but is also extremely annoyed to go without her coffee or her phone for more than a day. There’s a desk with both a laptop and a desktop computer one it in one side of the room. The other side has a freaking cauldron with something green and bubbling in it and…are those teeth? There’s an ebook reader propped up on a little stand and on the other side of the room there’s a bunch of dusty old books and tomes that unironically talk about recipes involving shit like “eye of newt”. Basically, it’s at the same time very modern and has all the things you would expect a modern slightly luxury-obsessed woman like Hex to have but also has a bunch of borderline comically stereotypical witch stuff in it.]

[There’s a table with a small sign on it reading “Treasures, Vol. 1”. It has a number of things either underneath glass cases or sitting on small pillows. There’s a small booklet next to the sign.]

[...more of these tvs, huh.]

[But books! And-sign.]

[Okay, sign first, then books.]

[Let's go see this booklet.]

[The booklet is apparently a list of all of the "Treasures" she's gathered up, corresponding with the stuff on the table. One is a small piece of metal with wires sticking out of it called 'Jinzo-ningen Processor.' One is a large white fang called 'either a basilisk fang or a dragon fang, requires more research'. One is a ticket called 'Deadly Draw entry'.

All of them are locked under glass except the last one, a small black diamond-shaped piece of glass with black and white points of light slowly floating through it...it kind of has the same feeling as the pseudo-Voidheart in your chest and both of them pulse a little bit as you get closer to it.]

[Huh.]

[....well, first, she will look at the fang, see what she can tell through the case.]

[She does know dragon fangs and has a great nature score.]

[Unfortunately, because the fang is just an abstraction of the actual fang, Hex's lack of confidence in what it is it is reflected in it. It simultaneously has some of the features of a dragon fang and a basilisk fang. And also a saber-toothed tiger, somehow? How did she think that was even a contender.]

....that's annoying.

[OKAY. Picking up orb.]

[When you touch it...you can hear whispers. They're not anything intelligible, just whispers Somehow, they don't totally unnerve you, they feel....reassuring, if anything. Like you're not alone, but in a good way.]

[You acquired Voice of the Void.]

[This close to the table, you notice there's a small folder underneath the table as well, behind one of the legs.]

[.....well, that could be worse.]

[Let's see this folder!]

[It's a list of printouts of stories and pictures. Tracking...something? Someone? Some kind of magical phenomena? It's missing too much context to fully understand, but it looks like Hex was looking for something and had compiled her research on where it might be in this folder.]

[You acquired Sightings.]

[Huh. Things to ask Nell about.]

[....okay, book time.]

[The books are a mix of a few things. There's academic textbooks and manuals on teaching and a bunch of stuff to do with a place called 'University of Manchester'. There's spell books and recipes for potions and tomes about 'Communing With Beings Most Exotic And Infernal'.]

[One that seems the most well-read of all is a book about the Void. It's mostly theories and conjecture, because the Void is so poorly understood by mankind. A lot of Nessa's own notes are scribbled in the margins in some fairly difficult to decipher handwriting.]

[MORE THINGS! TO ASK HEX ABOUT!!!!]

[Will take a closer look at that void book tho.]

[....and the infernal book.]

[The tome about communing outlines how to draw summoning circles, create contracts and commune with various beings, from the exotic, like the sphinx, to demons, like what are always on fire and whatnot. A lot of the pages are angrily crossed out and have 'NOT VOID' written over the name of whatever creature it is. Seems like Hex was searching for how to commune with something from the Void and got frustrated when this book didn't have it. 'Cept the pages on Succubi and Incubi. Those are still fine.]

[The Void book looks to be pretty old and has a lot of notes from Hex written in it. It refers to the Void as "an endless spiraling sea" ("close, actually") populated by "men made of black water" ("they're not water and men is not really accurate") and "every drop is a person and every person is one" ("Kind of, but not really"). At the end of the book, Hex wrote something in the back cover.

"The author used Dreamwalking to commune with the Void. Frankly, extremely ingenuitive. He was ahead of his time. But it led to some bad information and half-remembered half-understood conclusions. Cornelius doesn't remember talking to him. My current goal is to find an Umbral who did. I need to know how many other humans, however partially, have successfully communed with the Void."]

[Showing your kinks, Hex. Also gosh, some of these spells are very suspect.]

[The void thing is definitely interesting. Something to ask more about because, hey, she's for everything is one and separate sort of thing.]

[Hex may be a pioneer.]

[Okay, gonna head out.] Nell? You done freaking out?

[Nell pokes her head out again.]

....yes.

Sorry.

[She looks ashamed.]

[What is shame.]

I was wondering if you could tell me about these sightings?

Oh. Um.

Cousin Hex was looking for someone.

...and every time I ask who, she sprays me with a water bottle until I stop.

So this isn't an object to use on you. What about void voices?

[She looks at it.]

Oh. That's from her Study, huh? It's one of the things she uses to study the Void. I think she tries to use it to listen and see if anyone there has anything to say...

...there is one other thing.

I've noticed when she's really nervous, she just listens to it, without saying anything back or listening for a specific answer. She just listens to the voices.

It seems to calm her down.

Hmmm, just the white noise or is it a loneliness thing?

[...]

I don't think she would want me to say. Even if I would just be guessing.

She's. Very prideful about this kind of thing.

...is it guessing when you're part of her?

About the void or loneliness?

The...second one. Maybe.

....hm. So. Last door?

It's still locked....

Hmmnn...I think it's going to need something more than just sharing memories. Offhand, I'm not sure what, though.

Well, let's take a look.

[Time to examine the door!]

[It is still very, very locked.]

....I mean, we could just break down the door.

Please don't.

I'm pretty sure she booby-traps it against that kind of thing.

Almost definitely.

See, this is why Wild Shape is the best. It gets around so many problems.

What's a Wild Shape?

[Tata's Taffy Theme Park is an amusement park that reside on an island that's currently floating in the sky. Nothing seems to be keeping it suspended in the air, but judging by the low hanging clouds and a pink sun that feels unnaturally close, you can't help but get a feeling that yo—]

[Wait a sec.]

[You’ve somehow wound up back in the theme park. Except, it’s…a little different. For one thing, it’s much smaller, there only seems to be one road. In front of you is the Chocolat cottage, which is…the only cottage! The rest of them aren’t here, for some reason. Within walking distance, in the center of the park like usual, is the Fairy Ring. And further up the road on the other side of the park is the shops.]

“Greetings.”

[And you’ve been approached by a young man in Sorbet colors, who you…may recognize, as it turns out.]

[You are currently outside. You can go to Chocolat’s cottage, the Fairy Ring or the Shops.]

...ah.

May I ask, why are you here?

I am here to guide you.

To where?

This theme park.

In front of you is Chocolat's cottage, where Hex lives. Down the road is the Fairy Ring, where the fairies have us play games. Further down the road is the shops, where Hex spends...a considerable amount of time and money.

May I ask?

If I were looking for something important to Hex, where would I find it?

I think all three have the potential to help you, in some way or another.

But mostly, her cottage.

Then, I will begin there.

Very well.

If you need anything else, I'll be here.

My thanks.

[Inclines his head slightly, and sets out toward it]

[You enter Chocolat's Cottage.

Chocolat’s cottage looks the same as it normally does. The wine fountain is there. The Chocolat Bar is there. Javabot, Hex’s coffee-producing affront to God is there. Unlike outside, which was definitely the sparknotes version of the theme park, everything in here is pretty faithfully recreated, although when you go to see the bedrooms, it’s suddenly a little…off.

You can go to Scorpio’s bedroom, Raijuu’s bedroom, Vermillion’s bedroom, Hex’s bedroom or… …Hex’s…bedroom…?

Hex’s bedroom is there twice. The second one has a weird smelling purple smoke coming from underneath the door.]

[Hmmmm]

[Second bedroom it is]

[Your hand touches the doorknob and...]

[It instantly bursts open, white bandages shooting out, grabbing you by the waist and dragging you in. The door slams shut behind you.]

[Hex is in her bedroom, sitting on her bed. Her....skin is purple. She has a pair of nubby horns on her head. She's sitting there in a nightgown and there's long white bandages hovering all over the place that appear to have come from her.]

Well, hello there.

[There's a startled moment, as he's taken hold of by the bandages - but he really is quite good at that poker face. It's almost back in place again by the time he's inside, and he settles even more when he sees that it's her]

Ah... hello.

I'm very happy to see you.

Why don't you join me up here? [She pats the bad. The bandages tug at him a bit, trying to pull him closer.]

[He hesitates, and then approaches the bed]

...I'm here to find something.

Ohhh? And what's that?

If you've come for my heart, then you'll have to be in a bit of effort.

[She smirks.]

If you've come for my body, you're in the right place.

I have been told to find your heart, and things that are important to you.

...oh.

You mean my heart in the metaphysical way. Not the romantic way.

In this instance, yes.

What about other instances?

I do not know what romance entails.

Really.

[She lays on her side, propping her head up on her hand.]

You've never been in love? Had a crush on someone? Gotten horny for someone, for pity's sake?

[A suspicious silence,]

[The bandages pull him closer until they're next to each other. She places a hand on his cheek.]

Wwweeeelllllll?

...perhaps.

Perhaps you have!

Which one? Or is it all three?

[His cheeks are very faintly pink]

Does it matter?

Yes.

Alternatively, we could do it.

Do... "it"?

Sex. Have sex.

I am meant to be finding something that is important to you.

What a coincidence! I have something that is important to me! If only you have a way to acquire it from me, then we'd really be in business.

I see.

Then, let us do it.

Excellent.

[More bandages start wrapping around his midsection and his arms and start pulling him until he's on the bed with her.]

[He goes readily enough, letting himself be pulled - kneels on the edge of the bed, when he reaches it]

Did you have something particular in mind?

I don't know. [She reaches a hand out and starts undoing his shirt.] We've done so much already, haven't we?

We have done quite a lot, yes.

[Hesitates, then reaches out toward her, hands settling at her hips]

I don't suppose you have any favorites among those, do you?

[Her bandages lightly touch where his hands are, encouraging him further, while she goes about taking his shirt off.]

I am meant to be finding things important to you, am I not? I might ask you the same question.

Oh, my favorite was definitely the time I sat on you.

Then, would you like a reprise?

My, my!

Are you asking me to sit on you?

[Her tail curls around his arm. He gets a flash of a memory. It's from when they were in that room together, except it's from her perspective - her sitting on his face and pressing a vibrating wand between his legs.]

[His cheeks go very faintly pink]

...yes.

[He feels a burst of warmth. Pleasure. It's coming from the memory. It's pleasure she felt, from him. From his tongue.]

Then ask me. Specifically.

[The flush shades marginally darker; he does not shift, but something in his posture suggests that he is putting effort into refraining]

Please would you... sit on me.

That'll do for now. In the future, something more along the lines of, "Please, Hex, my love, sit on my face."

[The bandages start twirling more around his arms. Meanwhile, she's continuing to slip off his clothes. This didn't happen last time.]

Please, Hex, my love... sit on my face.

[He stays still for her, though he can't quite seem to meet her eyes]

Hmmmm? Is there something very interesting on the floor?

[The bandages are growing more numerous and are starting to pull his arms down to his sides.]

Not... especially. No.

But you're certainly looking at it an awful lot!

My apologies. Would you prefer I redirect my gaze?

You can look wherever you'd like.

[She starts pulling off his pants. Then, with the help of the bandages, she hefts him onto the bed so she can finish taking them off.]

I just want to know why you're looking there.

[Here, too, there are layers; there are leggings beneath the trousers, with cloth wraps from the knees down]

I find it... easier.

[She leaves those, settling for just removing his trousers. The bandages start to twirl over his legs next.]

Easier, why?

I do not have to see you seeing me.

Ohhhhh?

[She leans in a bit, but doesn't make him look at her.]

Does seeing me see you in a state of undress make you a bit...anxious?

Not... anxious.

[popdrop] H1: Spectre & Poppy

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THE SPIRALING SEA

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