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Post by Fanged on Oct 4, 2019 16:30:24 GMT -6
The creature let out a bone-chilling howl. The sound was unnerving, but the creature’s body language suggested amusement rather than hostility.
“I suppose I can see how someone might mistake that noise for a ghost.” Fanged murmured.
Rusty seemed unaffected by the noise. In fact, he seemed to enjoy it! Rusty tried to join in on the howling. His vocal cords were rather limited. The resulting noise was a long, drawn out meep. It reminded Fanged of a rubber chicken. On a scale of one to ten, it ranked a negative fifteen on how frightening it was.
“It might help if you lowered your voice, but I don’t think there’s much to be done to improve that. But as long as you’re having fun, that’s fine,” she told Rusty.
He seemed undeterred as he endlessly missed the ethereal string. A lesser animal might have given up at this point, but not Rusty.
(Rusty 7 3/5, 7 3/5)
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Post by Jack on Oct 4, 2019 16:36:01 GMT -6
Still amused, the creature stared at the halfbreed for a moment before jumping down and walking through the woman to go to the other side of the room, and then disappeared for a moment, just to reappear right in front of her with a spooky look to it. It was having fun, it hadn't had this much fun in a long time.
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Post by Fanged on Oct 4, 2019 16:49:36 GMT -6
If Fanged had to profile the creature, she would identify it as a fun-loving trickster type. That was a common archetype among pets, less so among people. It finally decided to join them on the ground. It was interesting to observe. When one might think of an ethereal being, they might assume that it would float in the air. This creature leaped down and landed on the ground as though it had weight. It appeared completely incapable of flight. (A feature that distinguished it from a ghost.) Rusty let out an astonished meep when the creature disappeared before their eyes.
"Well you are just full of surprises," Fanged grinned in amusement.
The creature appeared before her. Try as she might, the girl could not control her body as it jumped in surprise. The feeling was unnerving, but she recovered quickly.
"A useful tactic if you ever need to make a clean getaway," she remarked. "I wonder what else you have hidden in your arsenal."
(Rusty 7 4/5, 7 4/5)
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Post by Jack on Oct 4, 2019 16:54:29 GMT -6
Bobbing it's head with laughter, the creature attempted to nuzzle up to the woman for a moment before settling down in front of her and the halfbreed and starting to snooze. It appeared it trusted her enough to sleep around her, and it felt as though it would follow her anytime and anywhere she wanted it to follow.
[Congratulations, you've tamed the creature!]
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Post by Fanged on Oct 4, 2019 17:03:42 GMT -6
The sleeping creature was a sight to behold. It was practically unheard of for a wild creature to sleep near humans. Did it trust her that much? A sudden sense of responsibility took over her. This creature was now hers and she would do everything in her power to protect it. It trusted her enough to choose her to be its companion. For now she would wait for it to sleep. Rusty trotted up near the two of them and curled up next to Fanged as well. It was a bit of an impromptu napping session, but Fanged was fine with keeping watch. She wouldn't be able to sleep in room she hadn't secured. For now, she had little else to do but sit here and wait for them to wake up. Her eyes scanned both doors. She wouldn't be able to relax herself, but she would try to keep her mind occupied.
(Rusty 8, 8)
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Post by Jack on Oct 4, 2019 17:13:45 GMT -6
 A long leaf blew in through a window. Was it made of wax? |
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Post by Fanged on Oct 4, 2019 17:57:21 GMT -6
Fanged figured she must have sat still for around half an hour before her companions awoke. The Specter was the first to awaken. It stared at her with bright eyes and a grin on its face. It let out playful howl, as though announcing its presence. Fanged rolled her eyes, but she couldn't help the grin that overtook her face. The creature was a joy to be around. Rusty pounced upwards, suddenly wide awake. He seemed surprised to see the creature, as though he had already forgotten their encounter with it. She patted the Lazaru on the top of his head in greeting. He meeped in response before shaking out his fur.
"It's nice to see you becoming more talkative," she told him.
It made her feel a bit guilty that she couldn't pet the Specter in the same way, but the creature didn't appear very deterred by that. She held out her hand and watched him nuzzle it. Though she couldn't feel anything, the effect on his mood appeared to be the same as Rusty. It made her feel a bit better about the situation. Spending so much time with odd creatures was a bit of new territory to her, but she was acclimating quickly.
(Rusty 8 1/5, 8 1/5 | Voxel 0 1/5, 0 1/5)
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Post by Fanged on Oct 4, 2019 18:17:06 GMT -6
The addition of the ethereal creature was unexpected, but it was not unwelcome. If the creature was going to be hanging around from now on, it needed a name.
“I’ll call you, Voxel.”
Voxel was some sort of computer term, but it sounded similar to fox and Fanged thought the name fit. She hadn’t owned an ethereal pet before, this would be a good opportunity to learn more about them. She knew the basics of how etherealism worked, but now she could figure it out in depth.
The fox creature seemed more intelligent than Rusty by quite a bit. Hopefully he would make a better conversation partner than the kitten did. It could be exhausting talking to a creature that was incapable of understanding her thoughts. There would still be a language barrier, but perhaps the creature could be taught to understand certain words with enough training.
“Your colouring makes you excellent at camouflage in the darkness. If we ever need to hide, you’ll be able to do so with ease,” she told him.
Rusty was excited that the Specter was joining them. The two already got along. Hopefully that continued. Rusty was a relatively easy critter to get along with.
(Rusty 8 2/5, 8 2/5 | Voxel 0 2/5, 0 2/5)
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Post by Fanged on Oct 4, 2019 18:27:08 GMT -6
He bounced along happy, trying to bat at the creature with his paws. It seemed a bit strange to even consider leaving the room, but Fanged figured they’d found all there was to find here. Taking Voxel from his home made her feel a bit guilty, but he seemed happy enough to come along.
“Perhaps you have a different concept of home than most beings. I suppose home is commonly considered the people you’re with. I’m honoured that you’ve chosen us.”
Fanged might have had previous reservation about hiding out in the mansion. Meeting Voxel had made everything worth it. She didn’t need a leash for the ethereal beast. It would be impossible to find one that would work on him. He seemed content enough to follow, which made the prospect of a leash entirely unnecessary. She wouldn’t need to worry so much about finding toys for Rusty when he had a new companion that could play with him. The thought put her at ease. She could focus now on finding them some water. She needed a bathroom or a kitchen. She was in a mansion, surely there would be some source of running water around. Then she could get clean and she wouldn’t have to worry about dying of thirst.
(Rusty 8 3/5, 8 3/5 | Voxel 0 3/5, 0 3/5)
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Post by Fanged on Oct 4, 2019 18:43:04 GMT -6
She decided to stay in the room a little while longer, if only to find something she could use to wipe her face. It might be a while before she found a bathroom. If she could get even the tiniest bit cleaner in the meantime, she would be infinitely more comfortable. Rusty tried to pounce on Voxel. His form was the tiniest bit better than what she’s seen before, but it was still far from perfect. Voxel took it upon himself to try and teach the kitten halfbreed how to properly execute a hunter’s crouch.
“A coaching session would definitely do him some good,” she remarked.
Voxel twitched his ears, as though understanding her joke. The action made Fanged feel more at ease. She turned to the shelves, quickly scanning them over for anything that could be used as a towel. She caught sight of what looked to be the robes on an old wizard costume. In a pinch, it seemed exactly what she needed.
“Alright, now to get this grime cleaned off of my face.”
The robe itself wasn’t the cleanliest of items, but it was an improvement over how she currently was. She took a moment to wipe herself clean of the worst of the grime.
(Rusty 8 4/5, 8 4/5 | Voxel 0 4/5, 0 4/5)
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Post by Fanged on Oct 4, 2019 18:46:48 GMT -6
Fanged felt like a new person after wiping her face free of most of the grime. With that taken care of, she could shift her focus to other things. Voxel waited for her to finish before narrowing his eyes at her. It appeared the dirt had shifted her appearance more than she would have liked. She felt suddenly self-conscious. Her hair was matted with dirt and only a shower would fix that. Rusty was also scruffy and in dire need of a good brush. In comparison, Voxel was the perfect image of health and cleanliness. She leaned down and itched Rusty behind the ears. The Lazaru was surprised, but welcomed the touch.
“Looks like we’re making progress. You aren’t flinching away now,” she remarked.
Voxel pricked his ears forward in interest. He seemed please that Fanged was please with the interaction. Fanged smiled at him before scanning the rest of the room. She wanted to find the door now. There didn’t appear to be an obvious exit, but that didn’t mean the room was inescapable. She just needed to look harder.
“We’re either dealing with a camouflaged exit or a hidden one. A hidden door is blocked by barrier. A camouflaged door is blocked to sight.”
(Rusty 9, 9 | Voxel 1, 1)
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Post by Jack on Oct 4, 2019 18:53:20 GMT -6
  A model of the mansion sits on a nearby leaf, how weird! |
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Post by Fanged on Oct 4, 2019 19:44:27 GMT -6
“We’ll need to keep an eye out for anything suspicious. It might lead us to where the door is hidden,” she told her pets.
Voxel dipped his head, acknowledging that she had spoken. It was doubtful that he understood the exact command, but he seemed willing to listen. She was grateful to him for that. Rusty was less attentive, but his presence served to make her feel better all the same.
“Next on out agenda is to find food and water. In order to accomplish this, we’ll likely need to find a kitchen.”
Rusty took the opportunity to roll around on the floor. He was a simple creature at heart and that made him rather impulsive. For now, he was untrained. If Fanged could find some food for him, maybe then they’d be able to work on some basic obedience. For now, the leash would be his training. Voxel was also untrained, but he had better manners. She wasn’t even sure if he ate food, but she knew there were ways to train pets without food. The simple-minded creatures tended to respond to food well enough though.
“I suppose I could try some training without food, but not until we’ve completed our goals.”
(Rusty 9 1/5, 9 1/5 | Voxel 1 1/5, 1 1/5)
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Post by Fanged on Oct 4, 2019 19:52:41 GMT -6
She narrowed her eyes, searching for any levers or similar objects. There weren’t any bookcases, so she couldn’t check the books for a secret passage. Voxel stuck close to her, curiosity blazing in his eyes as he watched her investigate. The concept appeared to fascinate him which Fanged took as a good sign. She wouldn’t say no if he wanted to learn how to become a detective. Pet detectives weren’t the most unusual thing in the world. People had been training dogs to find drugs and other items for practically forever. Rusty was less interested in investigation work, but he liked exploring. Especially if she could find him objects to play with.
“I won’t fault you for your lack of intelligence,” she told him.
Before long, she found a strange switch hidden behind a box of decorations. The box itself was ragged, as though it had been left out in the rain. The only way to figure out what a switch did would be to press it. She did just that, bracing herself for something dangerous to happen. She heard the mechanical grinding of a hidden mechanism. Rusty bristled at the sudden noise, pressing his body close to Fanged’s legs.
(Rusty 9 2/5, 9 2/5 | Voxel 1 2/5, 1 2/5)
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Post by Fanged on Oct 4, 2019 21:29:23 GMT -6
“Well we’ve found the door,” she declared cheerfully once the mechanism had stopped.
Voxel followed her as she headed for the door. Rusty followed as well, but he had little choice in the matter. The door itself had strange markings on its surface. Fanged was unable to read them. If she had to take a guess, they looked like some sort of ruins. She had no leads on what they could possibly say. She didn’t have the proper education.
“It doesn’t seem to be locked,” she stated as she opened the door.
She hesitated for a moment. Some of the rooms had proven to be dangerous. When nothing immediately jumped out at her, she stepped through. Her pets were easy enough to usher through. Rusty seemed to have forgotten that the incident with the hands had occurred in the mansion. Voxel was used to inhabiting the mansion and as such, he had no fears continuing.
“Stick close to me,” she commented.
Rusty meeped in response and began to bounce up and down in excitement. The prospect of exploration had captured his attention. He didn’t seem to have much understanding over the fact that they couldn’t just rush in without scouting first.
(Rusty 9 3/5, 9 3/5 | Voxel 1 3/5, 1 3/5)
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