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Post by Fiera Ferella on Aug 28, 2024 8:10:20 GMT -6
The water right now however was few and far between. The month of August- Ebbedian- was a "tide's out" sort of month, the monsoons of July finally starting to fade away... but not without leaving some goodies in its wake. There was still enough water for aquatic pets to be a viable option out here, but those salt water pools were often split up by tall, sandy dunes. Fiera cast a longing glance behind her as the front gate of the mansion got further and further away, more and more hidden by the towering shapes of the dunes. She wasn't too familiar with this month- she hoped she was making the right decision. Of course, she hadn't died in the mansion YET... but it could be any day now, really. Still, she forged ahead through the dunes, mentally preparing herself for anything she might see. From what she had heard though, Ebbedian was a pretty easy month to deal with.
Fiera 17 Savitri 12.2/24.2 2
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Aug 28, 2024 9:27:14 GMT -6
The humanish climbed a dune, feeling the loose soil flow over her boots. She was glad they were tightly sealed- she didn't want to be washing sand out of her socks for the next month. As she crested the dune, she finally saw what she was looking for- a series of bright turquoise pools. Closest to her- and the periphery of the mansion's grounds- they were spread far and apart, but closer to the mansion itself they clustered together until they formed a shallow sea. Very shallow, in fact. Fiera was pretty sure she could wade through it up to her waist if she really wanted to. Or at least it looked like that from this distance. Knowing how the mansion worked, it could warp into some sort of... acid pit by the time she finally got over there. "But hopefully not, eh Savitri?" She said to the seryn, who simply gazed excitedly at the pool.
Fiera 18 Savitri 12.3/24.3 3
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Aug 28, 2024 9:32:19 GMT -6
She slid down the other side of the dune, trotting towards the first pool. It looked like this one had enough links to other pools that Fiera could make it all the way to the mansion without carrying Savitri. Not that that was necessarily an issue- he wasn't very heavy- but she knew that the dragonscale seryn had an ego. Or at least a sense of "humor" that meant he was very prone to pranking Fiera when he felt he had been slighted. He might put up with being carried for a while, but in the long term she had the feeling it was best to not push her luck. Sure enough, Savitri wriggled out of her arms all on his own before she had even finished sliding down the hell, tumbling down the remaining few feet. After taking a moment to stop being dizzy, he hopped back up and began wriggling towards the water.
Fiera 19 Savitri 12.4/24.4 4
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Aug 28, 2024 9:40:34 GMT -6
It was an awkward movement. He wasn't related to anything that knew how to move on land, so it was a bit like the awkward flailings of a person that didn't know how to swim... about thirty seconds before they drowned. Savitri couldn't drown in air, but it didn't make him look any better. Finally however he managed to flop into the water, sinking down into the warm depths. Fiera gave him a few seconds before he popped his head up again, splashing happily. "Feel better?" She asked rhetorically. She was sure it did- even though he wouldn't DIE in air, that didn't mean that being constantly exposed to it, unable to properly move and reliant on the care of another creature probably wasn't PLEASANT. Now that he was where he needed to be however, Fiera turned towards the direction she had seen the mansion in when she was standing at the top of the dune.
Fiera 20 Savitri 13.0/26.0 5
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Aug 28, 2024 9:55:32 GMT -6
It wouldn't be too hard to find, even if she couldn't quite see it past the dunes anymore. After all, she knew that the pools linked up and lead right to it- not wandering about required, necessarily. It was a pleasant enough walk- or at least, Fiera had had more difficult walks. Savitri stuck close to her too for now, which was a relief. He certainly enjoyed wandering off on his own, but this wasn't the best place for that- not the least because Fiera knew there could be dangerous creatures about. Luckily by this point Savitri could hold his own against them- being a fire breathing fish tended to be pretty intimidating to most beasts. And yet... he was still small enough for even a normal dog to overpower, so it was for the best that she stayed close to him. Besides, what if she needed his help with something?
Fiera 1 Savitri 13.1/26.1 6
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Aug 28, 2024 10:01:30 GMT -6
Still, the walk was safe and, mercifully, uneventful. Fiera was able to pluck an interesting shell or two out of the dunes, but nothing that screamed "expensive." Maybe she could throw them in a decorative jar and sell that or something. It was within her nature to look for value in everything she touched- just another facet of her personality. Which was mostly terrible. Savitri got in on the game too, swimming down to the sandy bottom of the waves and picking up shells that he'd then spit at her. He was probably mostly trying to hit her legs as part of his pranking games, but he did find a couple of pretty ones that she was sure to thank him for. Their little walk couldn't go on forever, though. Soon the small pools melded together into larger lagoons of the turquoise water, and soon the omnipresent dunes shrank and melted away.
Fiera 2 Savitri 13.2/26.2 7
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Aug 28, 2024 11:05:48 GMT -6
Soon Fiera could see the mansion- or at least, its outer shell. It looked a bit like a beach cabana. The floor plan was open concept- Fiera could see right through the walls, with only waist- height dividers between "rooms", the roof consisting of woven palm leaves with minimal wood. In many spots the roof was open, allowing a view of the stars- stars? Fiera looked up. Sure enough, at some point while she was walking, day had turned to night, even though she had arrived quite early with her pet. She knew of course that this was an illusion- just another sign that she was walking further and further into the mansion's grasp. She accepted it willingly this time- after all, she was here to harvest some goodies just like any other time, and was happy to accept what it threw at her. It wasn't always a bad thing, after all.
Fiera 3 Savitri 13.3/26.3 8
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Aug 28, 2024 11:08:06 GMT -6
This month was definitely safer than July had been, that was for sure. Savitri was still swimming carefully, no doubt checking for the cold spots that caused them trouble last time. It looked like they were in the clear, though. Soon Fiera could walk no further by land- the lagoon completely surrounded the mansion, and Fiera could see elegant coral growing beneath the water. She didn't have anything like an amulet of water breathing (though she really should pick one of those up one of these days, she thought to herself) so instead she opted to simply view the sights down below, appreciating the rainbow of colors down beneath her. Sure enough, she saw another colorful shape swim down towards them in red, white, and blue as Savitri went to go explore where she could not. She was happy to leave him to it- she didn't see any other animals swimming around in there.
Fiera 4 Savitri 13.4/26.4 9
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Aug 28, 2024 11:10:20 GMT -6
Savitri was probably safe, which meant that Fiera was free to explore the premises... or more specifically, figure out how to explore the premises. After all, the mansion was pretty far away across the water. Something gave Fiera the idea that she wasn't supposed to just swim the distance. Somehow the mansion was floating on the water- or perhaps the lower levels were sunken into it? Either way, there was no obvious entry point from where she was- even if she swam over to it, she would be met with sheer walls that she wouldn't be able to climb up, with no doorways facing out. She'd just have to make her way around. Fiera started walking along the narrow spit of beach, vaguely followed by Savitri underwater. The seryn swirled his way between coral spires, and every so often he'd pop up to spit another broken piece of them at her feet.
Fiera 5 Savitri 14.0/28.0 10
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Aug 28, 2024 14:26:28 GMT -6
Fiera was appreciative of the goodies, though she knew they hardly compared to the bigger treasures down below. Still, she was just glad that there was nothing hunting him down there... yet. Finally however, as Fiera came around the bend, she saw a small bridge across the water. Finally- a way into the mansion. As she approached however, she realized it was less of a bridge and more of a... series of logs. Lashed together with worn rope. They floated on the surface of the salty water, bobbing gently, inviting her towards the open entrance of the cabana. She took a tentative step forward onto one. It dipped down beneath her weight, just barely kept from sinking to the bottom by the support of the others, though Fiera's whole foot still ended up in the water. Her nose crinkled, catlike- she was very glad she was wearing waterproof shoes today.
Fiera 6 Savitri 14.1/28.1 11
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Post by Nadia on Aug 29, 2024 21:50:51 GMT -6
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Aug 31, 2024 20:21:48 GMT -6
Slowly but surely, she picked her way across the logs, feeling each one sink under her foot as she stepped in. Savitri followed along carefully, almost touching her feet as they sunk under the water. "Don't trip me, I WILL kick you." The humanish warned, wagging a finger at him. He blew bubbles at her but retreated, no doubt not wanting to get stomped on. Fiera didn't like how unstable the path was, but at least it was getting her to her destination. She could see the mansion ahead of her- a multi-story cabana of massive proportions. This time of year, it was much wider than it was tall, sprawling out in an open concept floor plan with only a few doors- though she was sure those doors led to just as strange places as usual. Even now she knew she had to be careful and keep an eye on her surroundings- and her pet.
Fiera 7 Savitri 14.2/28.2 12
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Aug 31, 2024 20:26:51 GMT -6
To his credit, Savitri was being quite good- for now. Finally, Fiera stepped off of the log bridge into the cabana proper. Fiera noted with surprise that there were gaps in the floor. Beneath her was a floor of polished bamboo, but it opened up naturally to show a central "lane" of water. Fiera didn't even need to command him. Instead, she watched as Savitri swam under the wall of the building, popping up effortlessly into the "lane". It was like it was put there specifically to accomodate aquatic pets... of a reasonable size. Fiera snorted as she tried imagining her lasiobel swimming in here, or even her neptica. No, it seemed like Savitri was perfectly sized to travel through this space with her. "Find anything interesting, kid?" She said, twitching her ears. To her surprise though, he actually had, and spit out a few seashells at her feet. She reached down to grab them.
Fiera 8 Savitri 14.3/28.3 13
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Aug 31, 2024 20:32:03 GMT -6
As she reached down to grab it, she saw the dragonscale seryn surface with another shell. "Got something else pretty for me?" She said, and he spat it onto the ground in front of her. She reached to nab it- only for it to sprout legs and start crawling away. Fiera hissed with surprise, her tail puffing up... before she realized what it was. "...Oh. You found a hermit crab." She said, deftly reaching out and snatching it up. She turned the creature upside down, watching as it pulled its legs in to seal the entrance, protecting its softer body from what it perceived as a predator. "Well, I'M not going to hurt you." She said. "Frankly, you're better off with me than fire breath over there. I'm sure he'd LOVE some fresh seafood." She said with a chuckle. Although- would he? Fiera couldn't remember if seryn were herbivores or not.
Fiera 9 Savitri 14.4/28.4 14
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Aug 31, 2024 20:35:58 GMT -6
She shrugged. Oh well. It was something she could find out later. Either way, the hermit crab wasn't getting away from her now. It was funny, she never had these back in her hometown- it was so far from the sea, she had only ever read about them in books. Even now, it was still far from the sea... and yet, here she was, with this tiny little animal in her hand. They were both fish out of water... and Savitri too sometimes, if he decided to try fluttering around. With that done and put away, Fiera hefted her backpack back up onto her back. It was time to explore the mansion- at her own pace. She heard a splash at her side as Savitri swam up to join her again, staring at her eagerly. She gave him a smile. "Come on kid. Let's go have an adventure." She said with a wink, and started walking.
Fiera 10 Savitri 15.0/30.0 15
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