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Post by Fiera Ferella on Oct 15, 2023 20:34:32 GMT -6
Fiera stood up and brushed herself off. It looked like she wasn't escaping getting dirty this time around, that was for sure. Still, could be worse- though she made sure to not say that part out loud. Then she turned around and took a much more careful look at her surroundings. Walking over the graves was apparently a recipe for disaster, but she could see walking around the perimeter turning out fine. There was even a little pathway made of beaten, grassless earth around the edge, still far enough from the ominous looking trees for Fiera to feel relatively safe. "How about it, Arethusa?" She said, turning to the equillion. Arethusa raised her head- she wasn't scared of any of this crap. She could take being slightly close to some creepy trees. Fiera liked the sound of that (or lack thereof) and took hold of her lead, bringing her towards the path.
Fiera 13 Arethusa 9.3/9.3 8
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Oct 15, 2023 20:45:02 GMT -6
From there, the walk was surprisingly uneventful. Sure, there were plenty of strange snapping twigs out in the woods that had Fiera stopping to stare for red, glowing eyes every few minutes. And sure, Arethusa would sometimes throw her head up to growl relentlessly at the clouds. And sure whenever Fiera looked at the mansion itself, it seemed to creep a few feet forward at a time, as if it was approaching her whenever she glanced away. But other than that, it was all pretty standard stuff, really. Over time Arethusa even seemed to relax and loosen up a bit, enjoying the cool night air. It was certainly a difference from outside, where they were going through an unusually warm October day. Fiera found herself having a nice time too- most likely just because she had Arethusa with her, and she was pretty sure her equillion could beat whatever the mansion threw at her.
Fiera 14 Arethusa 9.4/9.4 9
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Oct 15, 2023 20:47:00 GMT -6
Soon though, they came back to the starting point of their walk, just a few feet in front of the front gate. Fiera could even see the now empty hole in the ground where she had fallen through. The mansion loomed ominously, as if inviting her to continue her journey... but Fiera wasn't stupid. She came in for a brief walk, she got a brief walk, and now she was leaving after she had finished her brief walk. Arethusa had gotten her exercise, Fiera had found a few trinkets scattered across the path, she wasn't going to push her luck. That was how the world worked- quit while you're ahead. The gate to the mansion felt more badly rusted shut than usual, but she was sure that was just because it didn't want her to leave. "Sorry man, you're just going to have to suck it up!" She said, stepping through. "But don't worry. I'll be back later."
Fiera 15 Arethusa 10.0/10.0 10
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Post by Silver on Oct 24, 2023 19:02:30 GMT -6
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Oct 27, 2023 9:11:37 GMT -6
As Fiera turned to leave however, she felt a... pulsing sensation. She stopped, halfway through the gate, and heaved a deep sigh. Arethusa looked at her sharply, as if to ask what the hold up was. Yes, a remnant crystal WAS what it would take to get her to walk back onto the mansion grounds. "Okay, well played!" Fiera said, throwing up her hands and backing Arethusa up again. She tied the equillion's lead to the gate, just to be safe. "Stay here, ok? I'll only be a minute." She said, and following the humming noise. She could feel it like a string wrapped around her heart, tugging her in the direction needed to find it. Other people found it exhilarating, but Fiera found it a distinctly uncomfortable sensation, and she was always relieved when the feeling vanished as she finally touched the crystal. She went down a little slope, feeling the fluttering grow in intensity.
Fiera 16 Arethusa 11.1/11.1 11
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Oct 27, 2023 9:38:31 GMT -6
Finally, she found it- and a small creature crouched over it. It came up to about her hip (or at least, she suspected it would if it stood up to its full height) and appeared to be made entirely of stark white bone. The minute their eyes locked and Fiera managed to stammer out a "What the f-", the creature crouched down protectively over a little hoard of items and, most importantly- the remnant crystal. Fiera sighed with frustration as Arethusa nickered behind her, as if warning her to be careful... or, perhaps, to offer to kill this beast for her. Fiera wasn't going to resort to that though, or at least not unless she could help it. The creature continued rattling its bones as she walked a few steps around it, the noise sounding like a rattlesnake. Lets see... what did it have, and what could that mean for her?
Fiera 17 Arethusa 11.2/11.2 12
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Oct 27, 2023 10:02:26 GMT -6
It had a couple of fallen leaves, but it was hard to say if it was actually guarding them- the surrounding area was covered in leaves, and these ones didn't seem particularly special. They could have been there when the creature started building its hoard. And then the remnant crystal, and a particularly... sticky... jar full of... what was that? Teeth? Teeth. Lovely. Well, the teeth she could see- it would make sense that a creature made of bones would collect them. And then the jar, the slime, and the crystal... something shiny? Something hard? Was that what it enjoyed? She could see that being the general theme of the hoard- but that meant that she had to offer something else to get it to abandon its stash. Fiera set down her backpack, rummaging through it as the bone beast watched her curiously. Hopefully she had something interesting in here.
Fiera 18 Arethusa 11.3/11.3 13
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Oct 30, 2023 8:57:28 GMT -6
Oh, that might work. She had brought a glass bottle- just one that she had filled with water, and drunk while on her walk with Arethusa. It wasn't magical, but it was bigger than the remnant crystal and shinier than the mud-caked jar of teeth- perhaps it would be willing to make a trade? She pulled it out of her backpack and saw the bone creature's eyes light up- literally, its luminous eyes glowed brighter as it saw the bottle. She rolled it to the side and the creature scampered after it, its hoard briefly forgotten. Before it could turn around again, Fiera dashed forward and swept up the items it left behind, shoving them into her bag. The remnant crystal finally stopped throbbing as she touched it, and she breathed a sigh of relief. That was one task down. She glanced towards the bone creature- had it noticed what she had done?
Fiera 19 Arethusa 11.4/11.4 14
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Oct 30, 2023 9:01:49 GMT -6
It would appear not. The little creature marveled over the bottle she had handed it, stroking the curves and peering through the center, the light from its eyes refracting through the glass and onto the ground. Fiera snorted a bit with amusement- what a strange little creature. With the item she wanted claimed however and the beast distracted, Fiera stood up to leave again and walked back towards Arethusa. As she untied the equillion however, she heard faint clattering behind her. She turned around to find the creature looking at her again, its face upturned and eyes gleaming as it stared directly at her. A bit unnerved, Fiera took a few steps back. The creature followed. She stepped back towards Arethusa. The creature followed again. "Ah, I see. Want to come with?" She said, and finished untying her equillion. Wordlessly, the creature continued following her, even after she left the mansion. It looked like she had made a new friend.
(DONE with taming.)
Fiera 20 Arethusa 12.0/12.0 15
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Post by Jack on Nov 4, 2023 11:19:10 GMT -6
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Jan 29, 2024 11:03:22 GMT -6
The air smelled crisp, cold and clean. There was no snow on the ground in the mansion this time of year, but anyone could tell it was still winter just by the air alone. Henri was reveling in it, hopping and tweeting joyfully. Fiera was a little miffed by it, actually- you'd think she never let him outside at all. Still, he pulled heartily on the thin lead she had tied him to, straining to see more of the area. There wasn't much to see yet, as they had only just passed through the gates, but Fiera was sure they'd find out soon enough. The moment the gates closed however, the area around her went dark, and Fiera had to blink her eyes a few times to get used to the lower level of light. Now what had happened there? She looked up at the sky and soon found her answer. Fiera 1 Henri 8.1/10.1 1
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Jan 29, 2024 11:06:56 GMT -6
Before, the sky had been covered in the faintly blue shade of a weak winter's day pasted over with a constant cloud cover. It had been threatening snow, but in the same way a fat jail warden threatens punishment to unruly prisoners before going back to his newspaper. Now though, the sky was crystal clear and full of a blanket of stars- far more than she had ever seen in any sky, but certainly more than you would expect from the level of light pollution present in The Labs City. There was no moon that she could see, but it was hardly necessary- the stars were bright enough to see by. It was clear to her that they were magical in origin, however- she didn't know her constellations all that well, but even she could tell that there were no recognizable ones here. Henri chirped loudly, breaking her out of her reverie.
Fiera 2 Henri 8.2/10.2 2
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Jan 29, 2024 11:10:10 GMT -6
The grounds were gorgeous this time of year as well. The grass beneath her feet was covered in frost and seemed to glow slightly in the starlight- or perhaps it really was glowing, but faintly. In addition, the grounds leading up to the mansion were covered in strange sculptures, twisting and spiraling in abstract shapes. Henri was currently doing his best to climb up one, presumably for fun or to get a better vantage point, but couldn't quite manage it. He strained at the end of his lead, digging his tiny claws in to try and climb higher. Fiera decided to show him a bit of mercy and approached the sculpture as well, giving him some slack in the lead. He immediately tried climbing higher, cheeping happily as Fiera investigated the sculpture herself. She placed a finger on it experimentally, and to her surprise it glowed where she touched it.
Fiera 3 Henri 8.3/10.3 3
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Jan 29, 2024 11:20:39 GMT -6
Purple light glowed under her finger as she pressed it against the structure, which while cold, she figured wasn't actually ice. Instead it was likely some sort of finely crafted glass, albeit no kind she had ever seen before, let alone in this size. She glanced over to Henri and sure enough, there was light under his paws as well as he scrabbled his way upward, leaving faint pawprints that faded from purple to blue to white before disappearing, making a track of his movements across the structure. Fiera looked back to her own hand a quickly drew a smiley face in the light as well, grunting slightly as a half-hearted laugh before it began to fade as well. By the time she looked back up, Henri had reached the top and was looking out across the mansion grounds, staring into the garden behind the mansion itself. Or presumably he was, based on what direction he was facing.
Fiera 4 Henri 8.4/10.4 4
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Jan 29, 2024 11:25:18 GMT -6
The mansion itself was incredible this time of year. It resembled a gothic cathedral in beautiful, swirled marble, flying buttresses and impossibly high towers and crenulations rising so high into the sky that Fiera had to blink away tears to try and see the top. She had actually gone in in the previous year, but this time she was planning on staying outside. The effects of the mansion were much stronger when you were inside the building itself, and considering this month had a lot to do with time travel, she wasn't planning on getting THAT lost today. Instead, she was looking forward to taking a nice walk around the gardens with Henri to stretch his legs and see what she could find before going home. She tugged on the leash gently. "Come on Henri, time to come down." She said, and he looked back at her for a moment before looking out once more.
Fiera 5 Henri 9.0/11.0 5
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