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Post by Leafy on Feb 9, 2023 16:35:19 GMT -6
Something caught her eye as she started to turn away. A piece of paper. She immediately leaned over and snatched it up, her eyes roaming greedily over the paper as she tried to work out what it was.
It was folded in half. On the front, someone had written "1."
She opened it and read:
"It has been a while since I've heard from you. We received word of your escape. Please make contact ASAP.”
Certainly, an ominous message, but not one that was of much concern to her. Still, Leafy decided to hang onto the note for now. Mostly in case she found more and needed the additional context of the first. She was unlikely to simply remember it on her own. She glanced over at Kilowatt. He had listened when she read the note aloud, but its words were meaningless to him. As were concepts such as reading and writing.
(Kilowatt 1 3/5, 11 3/5)
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Post by Leafy on Feb 9, 2023 16:52:18 GMT -6
She turned back to the wardrobe. She searched it quickly, trying to find more notes, but eventually came up empty. A quick glance at Kilowatt confirmed that the Wiurn had managed to haul himself up onto the bed. He had scored one of his talons across the fabric of the closest pillow, sending a torrent of feathers into the air. He dropped into a hunting crouch and reared up to slash at the feathers.
Leafy laughed and shook her head. She closed the wardrobe and moved on to searching the room. It was almost as barren of proper treasure as the other one. She ran her fingers along the walls, looking for any sort of hidden compartments or switches. With a room as unremarkable as this, she certainly had to be missing something. She gave it a quick search, but couldn't find anything else. This room was certainly disappointing her.
(Kilowatt 1 4/5, 11 4/5)
9
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Post by Leafy on Feb 9, 2023 16:56:49 GMT -6
She sat down on the floor and pulled out her journal, flipping to a blank page and writing a quick note to herself. She scrawled "I'm starting to think this is all a scam." Kilowatt chose that moment to jump straight off of the bed and thump down next to her.
"Alright buddy. Time for us to try the next room," she told him.
He stood up, a quizzical look on his face. The room they had entered hadn't been the only one after all. There was another one directly adjacent. She watched him walk over to it and scratch at the base of the door. Another room. This one was much larger than the last one. And, although it had a similar layout, the decor had changed dramatically. There was a single, large table. A simple wooden frame with a layer of stone slabs resting on top. A decidedly better place for journaling than the floor.
(Kilowatt 2, 12)
10
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Post by Leafy on Feb 9, 2023 18:46:45 GMT -6
She scanned the rest of the room, noting the various furniture that had been crafted from stone. She didn't think that sitting on a stone chair would be particularly comfortable.
Kilowatt scurried along the ground, moving as one might expect a salamander to move. He scuttled with purchase, beelining straight for a stone end table and clambering on top of it. From his new perch, he scanned the room for any signs of prey to catch. Leafy watched him pounce from atop the table, catching the leg of a stuffed doll and pulling the toy towards him. Like most of the room's furnishings, it wasn't particularly well-made.
“Rip it’s head off, Kilowatt!” Leafy encouraged him.
The Wiurn didn’t need much encouragement to tear the doll to shreds. He didn’t quite manage to pop its head off, but Leafy considered it a victory either way. She beamed down at him as he rolled around in the doll scraps.
(Kilowatt 2 1/5, 12 1/5)
11
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Post by NPC on Feb 9, 2023 18:57:40 GMT -6
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Post by Leafy on Feb 9, 2023 19:58:49 GMT -6
After a minute or two of playtime, the Wiurn noticed her watching and bounded over to her. He looked up at her expectantly. He seemed to be asking for permission to attack the rest of the room. She shrugged down at him.
“Just don’t break your claws or teeth on anything,” she told him.
It wasn't long before proper prey showed up in the form of two tiny birds. Kilowatt approached them with a low growl.
"No killing them though! Those are pocketpets they're actually worth some good money," Leafy pointed out.
Kilowatt looked momentarily disappointed before he began to stalk the avian pocketpets. His tail lashed out in interest as he approached. His objective had been made clear to him, capture not kill. A hunt that didn't end in bloodshed was still a hunt. He leaped on the first a little clumsily, but he managed to get the job done. Once it was pinned, Leafy moved to capture it.
(Kilowatt 2 2/5, 12 2/5)
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Post by Leafy on Feb 9, 2023 21:00:47 GMT -6
Capturing a tiny bird was actually harder than it sounded. Sometimes the pocketpets could be a bit slippery and liked to nip. But with Kilowatt on top of it holding it down, Leafy had no difficulties scooping it up and securing it in her backpack. She beamed down at the baby Wiurn.
"Great job, partner! You're a total natural!" she told him.
Kilowatt preened under her praise and turned to deal with the second piece of prey. He wriggled his body into proper position and stalked forward, this time moving with a touch more grace. He leaped forward, scooping up the tiny bird before it could even sense him coming. Leafy thought his friend might have warned him, but it appeared that the two birds had no affinity for each other. Perhaps the backpack would be enough to build them a bond. A bond that would last until Leafy shoved them to the shops to sell on her behalf.
(Kilowatt 2 3/5, 12 3/5)
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Post by Leafy on Feb 10, 2023 22:56:34 GMT -6
Soon, she felt the strange, familiar thrum of magic that called to her on an instinctual level. She drew closer to the source, not surprised when her fingers were quick to make contact with a remnant crystal. They were a specialty of the mansion after all. A quick scan of the room revealed a few random trinkets as well. Leafy quickly finished counting everything she had found and moved on to the next room. She opened the door, only to find a simple closet.
Kilowatt tilted his head in confusion as he followed her into the tiny room. Leafy had a hunch that there was more to the closet than first met the eye. She reached back for a flashlight to help her see through the darkness, but paused as something caught her attention. Something hanging inside the closet. It was a tattered sack, almost like a small burlap bag.
(Kilowatt 2 4/5, 12 4/5)
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Post by Leafy on Feb 10, 2023 23:14:53 GMT -6
Leafy peered inside and spied what appeared to be a broken vase with dried flowers scattered about the inside. She dumped out the contents and propped the bag against the wall, using it to as a marker that indicated that she had already checked the closet. She turned her back to the closet, now feeling a bit more confident in her ability to handle any surprises that might be lurking within. As she moved on to the next room, she heard a faint scraping noise. The sound of stones being shifted. She turned on her heel, reaching for the light switch at the same time. Her hand made contact with a smooth, empty surface instead of the expected switch. Kilowatt sounded a noise of amusement as he watched Leafy flounder for a moment. Instead of a light switch, they'd need to rely on the girl's flashlight instead. Now to investigate the noise.
(Kilowatt 3, 13)
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Post by Leafy on Feb 11, 2023 1:06:35 GMT -6
A bright beam illuminated the room, revealing a stack of bricks sitting on the floor. There was no sign of the perpetrator who had been messing with them. Leafy walked over to the bricks, examining their pattern. On second glance, it became evident that the bricks had been constructed to block something behind it. Whoever had barricaded the wall had been very thorough. It completely blocked the doorway. Leafy reached out a finger to try and push one of the bricks aside. Kilowatt moved closer in order to try and help her. With a grunt of effort, the girl managed to move the brick just barely. She turned to look back at Kilowatt, who was standing with his front claws on the new opening.
"Thanks," she said, patting him on the head.
Leafy stepped back out of the way so that Kilowatt could try his hand at pushing the other bricks aside.
(Kilowatt 3 1/5, 13 1/5)
16
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Post by Leafy on Feb 11, 2023 1:22:07 GMT -6
He pushed another one aside with a loud crack. Another followed suit, creating an opening large enough for them to squeeze through. Leafy took a deep breath and slipped inside, then Kilowatt followed right after her.
The two of them moved forward slowly, trying to avoid making too much noise. They managed to reach the doorway without issue and the girl was quick to yank the door open. The dim, natural winter lighting from outside gave them a good view of the scene before them. It was a kitchen, complete with a stove and sink. A tall ceiling held a massive window that acted as a skylight. An old table stood at the far end of the room, covered in various dishes and utensils. In the center was a half-empty teapot and a couple of cups. No one else seemed to be around, which meant that whoever had barricaded the doorway must have gone somewhere else.
(Kilowatt 3 2/5, 13 2/5)
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Post by Leafy on Feb 11, 2023 1:28:27 GMT -6
Leafy decided to take advantage of the situation and check the rest of the mansion before she could remember her purpose for being here.
She looked for anything that could indicate someone's presence, but didn't find any signs of recent occupation. She frowned, clearly the thing she was meant to be doing must not involve hunting down a human. She didn't think it was even possible to run into anyone else whilst they were exploring the mansion. Kilowatt clawed his way up onto the table, curious to investigate the various items scattered across it. The most interesting item was a silver bowl that sat on top of the table. It contained some kind of liquid, but both Leafy and Kilowatt couldn't identify what it was. It did seem to have a strong magical aura. As if sensing their curiosity, a pair of eyes appeared above the bowl. But when Leafy reached out, they disappeared in a puff of smoke.
(Kilowatt 3 3/5, 13 3/5)
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Post by Leafy on Feb 11, 2023 12:35:10 GMT -6
She gasped out loud and yanked her hand back to safety. She let out a sigh and turned to Kilowatt, who was looking up at the ceiling window. He raised his head and started to trot over towards the wall. She was about to follow him when she noticed something odd on the ground beside the table. She bent down to pick it up, finding that it was another, strange piece of paper. It appeared to be a note similar to the last one she had found.
This one was handwritten with a loopy script. She read the first line:
I know you're probably scared right now, but don't worry. I'm not going to hurt you. You'll soon realize that I mean you no harm.
This note was decisively a lot scarier than the last one had been. Had they been written by the same person? She pulled out the last note to compare.
(Kilowatt 3 4/5, 13 4/5)
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Post by Leafy on Feb 11, 2023 13:31:19 GMT -6
Both notes looked like they could be written by the same person. The script was equally loopy in both instances, but Leafy wasn't an expert on this sort of thing. Was this some sort of trap? It sounded like they were trying to put the addressee at ease and doing so in a terrible manner. Either way, there wasn’t much else she could do except shove it in her pocket with the other one. Kilowatt watched her with intrigue for a moment before huffing at her to follow him in his investigation. They made their way past the table and headed towards the counter. It was set against the wall with cabinets along its length. The girl opened the first cabinet and found it empty. Her shoulders slumped as she closed it. Treasure hunting was never that easy. She tried again, but still no luck. Then she heard a rustling sound coming from the next cabinet.
(Kilowatt 4, 14)
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Post by Leafy on Feb 11, 2023 23:48:26 GMT -6
She paused her search and listened more closely. When she figured out where the noise was coming from, she grabbed a hard, wooden spoon and went to investigate. Kilowatt poked his head through the gap between the cabinet doors and peered inside. There was a slight hesitation as he waited patiently, but eventually he stuck his snout forward and sniffed around. After giving it a few seconds, he managed to push the cabinet door open and crawled inside. He yawned and stretched himself out in the cramped space. Leafy couldn't help but laugh at him, then she turned her attention to the contents of the cabinet. Inside were several boxes filled with different objects. Most of them were rather harmless, just simple trinkets. Some of the things, however, were obvious weapons, though none appeared to be of any particular use. There was also a small pile of clothing, including a set of old-fashioned pajamas.
(Kilowatt 4 1/5, 14 1/5)
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