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Post by Emery on Mar 23, 2024 11:08:43 GMT -6
The quest board was busy today. Emery had brought Moxie here in the hopes of picking up another job for the two of them to do, but she was starting to regret it. There were so many people here that the kito seemed uncomfortable. His first instinct upon seeing so many rushing bodies, so many moving parts, was to try and bite and eat them- but he knew he wasn't allowed to do that. He had his muzzle on for one, and Emery would yell at him for two- and she could turn her speakers up quite high. He grumbled anxiously, and Emery felt quite the same way. She wasn't strong enough or rude enough to push her way through the throng, and soon the massive crowd of people pressing in on her from all sides felt oppressive. Her chest tightened up. "Hey, are you ok?" Said a voice from somewhere over her shoulder. Emery 16 Moxie 51.1/51.1 1 (This is Emery's first time completing this quest.)
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Post by Emery on Mar 26, 2024 12:15:07 GMT -6
Emery soon found herself being led from the crowd despite herself, being pushed by it just as much as she was pulled by the stranger. Moxie followed along behind her anxiously until she found herself leaned up against a wall in an alleyway. "I'd offer you some water, but uh..." The stranger said, glancing at Emery's lack of mouth. "It's fine." She croaked. "Thank you." She said, but then moved to push herself back off the wall. "I was looking to take a quest today however, so... I had better get back to it." The woman caught her arm. "Oh! Is that all?" She said, and it was just now that Emery took a look at her. She was a calico feline mammalian, though she couldn't place the exact species. Her green eyes had an interested glint to them, and Emery wondered what she was about to get herself into.
Emery 17 Moxie 51.2/51.2 2
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Post by Emery on Mar 26, 2024 12:21:10 GMT -6
"...Yes. If you have one, I'll listen." She said, still concerned. "Great!" The woman said, pulling something out of a hip pouch. "I've been trying to get someone to take this quest all morning. I get that it's a bit of a doozy, but you seem pretty experienced! I mean, look at that kito!" Emery glanced up at Moxie, trying to catch her meaning, only for something to be shoved into her hands when she wasn't looking. She looked down- it was a clear glass sphere, about the size of a baseball. It looked like your average crystal ball, if a bit smaller. "All I need you to do is take that to The Eccentric's Mansion and fill it up! Easy peasy, right?" The woman said, her face practically beaming. Emery wasn't quite as convinced. "Fill it up with... what, exactly." She asked, turning it over. There wasn't even an aperture to open on it.
Emery 18 Moxie 51.3/51.3 3
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Post by Emery on Mar 26, 2024 12:31:01 GMT -6
The woman waved off her concerns. "Oh, don't worry about it, you'll know it when you see it! It might take a bit though, so make sure you set aside enough time for it." "...How MUCH time-" Emery attempted to say, but the woman quickly pulled out a pocketwatch. "Ah shucks, I gotta get going. Don't worry, just check back at the quest board after you finish, I'll be there!" She said, the tip of her tail flicking excitedly. "Thanks again, I appreciate it! Don't worry, you'll be well paid!" She said with a thumbs up before disappearing back into the crowd, leaving Emery utterly unable to follow her. "What... WAS that." She said, wreathed in confusion. She supposed she couldn't exactly say no now though, which meant... she was stuck with this orb. "I guess we have ourselves a quest, then." She said to Moxie, before turning to take him home.
Emery 19 Moxie 51.4/51.4 4
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Post by Emery on Mar 26, 2024 12:46:14 GMT -6
It wasn't the most conventional way Emery had ever been employed, but she wasn't about to slack off on it. She'd never get that time back if she didn't do her best. With that in mind, she knew she had to go to the Mansion, and that she'd probably be there for quite some time. So she packed her bag well- food and water for her and Moxie, a flashlight in case it got late, a good pair of boots. She didn't imagine she'd need much else, though. It was March after all- the mansion tended to be quite calm this time of year. It was a time of year full of soft, gentle grass, pastel colors, and cute fuzzy bunnies. Most people brought their baby creatures to play around there this time of month. Moxie would be... out of place to be sure, but he'd probably have a good time chasing rabbits around.
Emery 20 Moxie 52.0/52.0 5
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Post by Emery on Mar 26, 2024 14:41:29 GMT -6
As a result, Emery didn't feel the need to bring anything else with her. It would take time, but not a lot of effort on her part.
Oh, how wrong she would be.
Emery and Moxie arrived at the Mansion early the following morning. Moxie was still half-asleep, unhappy to be woken up before the sun. The part of him that was a plant was still waiting for dawn, but Emery wanted to get this out of the way early. She opened the iron gate, and it creaked as she let her and her pet in. Then, it slammed shut behind her with an odd feeling of finality. She looked around her. Sure enough, fields of short, perfectly manicured grass stretched on and on before her. There were trees in the distance that looked more like cartoon lollipops than plants, and various colorful eggs were scattered across the lawn. Moxie sniffed at one curiously.
Emery 1 Moxie 52.1/52.1 6
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Post by Emery on Mar 27, 2024 10:44:06 GMT -6
Everything looked good- but Emery felt something in her hip pouch. She opened it, and inside was the orb. She held it in her hand, wondering what had happened when all of a sudden it jerked, spinning wildly from side to side in her palm, like an animal lashing its head back and forth. Emery stumbled backwards, feeling like she was about to vomit as the world around her started changing too. It was like someone had taken their finger and run it across a piece of smoothed out fabric, bunching it up and dragging it around, interrupting whatever patterns had been printed on it. As the world smeared and changed, it was all Emery could do to keep ahold of the orb and Moxie's leash. Based on his distressed shrieks, it wasn't just an illusion cast on her- this was really happening. Within a few moments though it had stopped, and Emery could finally survey her surroundings.
Emery 2 Moxie 52.2/52.2 7
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Post by Emery on Mar 27, 2024 14:26:07 GMT -6
The first thing she noticed- the temperature had dropped several degrees. After a moment she realized it was much darker too, and her eyesight had to adjust, which is why it had been so difficult for her to see at first. Emery took a few tentative steps forward. The whole structure of the mansion had changed- instead of being made of bright, child friendly, chunky shapes, it was made of tall, spiraling shapes, crystalline and flying. The whole thing looked so delicate. The sky shone with stars. Was this... had the orb unlocked a secret area, of sorts? It was clear she hadn't moved from the same spot on the lawn. She walked forward a bit, leading Moxie along. The kito didn't want to move, but she urged him forward regardless. She kept an eye on the orb as well- she noticed that a small light was now growing inside it, pale blue in coloration.
Emery 3 Moxie 52.3/52.3 8
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Post by Emery on Mar 27, 2024 14:51:09 GMT -6
Emery's steps were far from delicate, and every foot she put down on the grass made it sparkle with bioluminescent light, her and Moxie's footsteps lit up in a train behind them. She wasn't paying attention to them though. Instead she looked at the orb, the way it pulsed and sparkled. The light quivered, like it was trying to move. As Emery paced up towards the mansion's front door, she saw it twitch violently. The woman finally reached the front door and pulled on the handle. Perhaps she shouldn't be exploring while the mansion was in this state, but she couldn't think of anything else to do. When she ripped open the door, the light in the orb gave one final twitch, and finally "came loose". Instead of sitting stationary in the center of the sphere, it now floated freely, swimming around the interior like a tadpole. It wasn't fuzzy in shape anymore either.
Emery 4 Moxie 52.4/52.4 9
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Post by Emery on Mar 27, 2024 14:53:17 GMT -6
Instead it had a form more like a tadpole, round with a taper at the end of it like a comet, swinging close to the walls but never touching them. Emery watched it in awe. Then, she noticed something else in the center- a little round fuzzy shape. A second light. The moment it appeared however, Emery felt another sickening lurch. This time, Moxie wasn't putting up with it. Before Emery could even step foot into the mansion he pulled himself loose, bolting away into the mansion's expansive gardens. "Moxie! Come back!" She called, but he wasn't good at obedience commands on his best days. She stumbled after him, but the lurching of the mansion grounds was too much for her, and she fell to the ground again, praying that it would stop soon. When it finally stilled, she looked around again, and was met with a very familiar sight.
Emery 5 Moxie 53.0/53.0 10
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Post by Emery on Mar 29, 2024 9:42:52 GMT -6
Intricate latticework curled around everything that could possibly be made of metal. The shape of hearts was quietly slipped in anywhere you could look, subtly, as if trying to convince you subliminally to fall in love. The colors were muted but purple, pink, red- romantic. It was Vakrah all over again. Emery had just done this, JUST been here- but here it was again in full force. How could this be? February was nearly a month ago. And then she realized- the twinkling starlight she had seen before. Was that what the mansion went through during January? Was this sphere somehow causing the mansion to switch months? She looked at it- the little light in the center was now pulsing with a pale pink color. It was as if it was... taking samples of each of these months, prying off a bit of their unique magic before moving onto the next.
Emery 6 Moxie 53.1/53.1 11
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Post by Emery on Mar 29, 2024 9:44:55 GMT -6
That was what the sphere was "collecting". Emery was miffed that the woman hadn't told her about it. Sure it was a bit difficult to explain to the layman- ESPECIALLY considering that there had to be some sort of bizarre spell in place to make it happen- but it meant that Emery was now woefully unprepared to deal with it. Sure it might be a smidge illegal, but she had stayed quiet about such things before. She glanced behind her- the front gate was where it always was, but if the stability of the mansion's grounds kept failing, it might not stay that way. She couldn't afford to bail out now though. As much as she wanted to, she doubted she'd get paid if she didn't stick it out. Plus, Moxie was still missing. The dumb brute would never find his way out of here on his own, and she didn't want to be responsible for him burning the place down.
Emery 7 Moxie 53.2/53.2 12
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Post by Emery on Mar 29, 2024 10:28:29 GMT -6
Emery reached up to a dial on her face, turning up her volume to its loudest setting. "Moxie!" She called out, heading towards the gardens. "Moxie, come here! Follow me!" She said, trying to get her pet's attention. During Vakrah, the gardens were full of rose hedges, and she could see where he trampled right through them, leaving broken stems and smashed flowers behind. Luckily he had cleared out enough of the thorns that she was able to follow him effortlessly, but he had certainly moved quickly- she still couldn't see any sign of him. She had hoped she'd catch up soon, but soon the sphere started twitching in her hand again. "No. Don't you dare." She said, her voice still shouting from what she had set it too. Soon the bright pink light broke free however, and began floating around with its pale blue sibling, bouncing from wall to wall.
Emery 8 Moxie 53.3/53.3 13
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Post by Emery on Mar 29, 2024 10:32:38 GMT -6
She immediately dropped to one knee, knowing what was coming next. The mansion around her started lurching and twisting. It felt like Emery was on a roller coaster that was rapidly changing directions, even though she knew logically that she was standing still. Or kneeling still, as it were. When the world stopped spinning around her, she put her head back up and looked around. The garden was back to soft, chunky shapes again, just like it should be in March. That confirmed it- the sphere was forcing the mansion to rapidly go through the different months. She looked inside the orb- a pale green light had started glowing. She realized though, that that meant the trail Moxie had left behind would have been changed too. Sure enough, the rose bushes he had crashed through were gone, and the only sign of him were a few plastic-looking flowers that were slightly bent.
Emery 9 Moxie 53.4/53.4 14
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Post by Emery on Mar 29, 2024 10:38:04 GMT -6
It was like every time the mansion changed, some of the 'damage' that had been done to it on the last cycle 'healed' again. Normally between months, the mansion swept away all changes that had been made to it to replace it with the next month's backdrop. The sphere didn't seem to give it enough time to properly switch though, so there was at least a few crumbs that Emery could still follow. But she was sure that by the next time it changed, these too would be wiped clean. Which meant she had no time to waste. Emery moved as quickly as she could, throwing her cane ahead of her to catch her. "Moxie!" She called again, approaching the tree line. It looked like there was a small path winding through it, bushes lining either side of it with brightly colored fruits hanging from each branch. A few of them had been torn off messily.
Emery 10 Moxie 54.0/54.0 15
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