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Post by Kristofor on Oct 6, 2020 15:19:52 GMT -6
The Questing Board is decorated again this month. This time it seems to be a kitschy 'spooky' Vai Min Mur Display. A few very fake flat skeletons that glowed in the dark danced on each side, the bones held together by tacks. Orange, Purple, and Black construction paper was cut into different shapes to decorate as well, with white ghosts flitting over a pumpkin patch in the dead of a full moonlit night. Whenever you get close, you can almost smell the glue and glitter. What a mess!
Despite the fancy decor, it is easy to see that there are quite a few people needing help. There is also a rather fancy invitation to a costume party.
However, when you read over it, it doesn't really give a whole lot of information, other than to wear a costume, go to a certain address on a specific night, and that it was allowed to bring animals. You recognize the address though, and by the address it is quite obvious that you will probably run into trouble...
The address on the paper is quite obviously the Archmage's Tower. Wasn't there a giant monster there last year? Hopefully there wouldn't be anything like that this year. It did seem like a lot of fun, and food is promised. Perhaps you should go?
On the Board
In Order to Succeed: Roleplay going to the costume party. Feel free to control how your night goes! Some folks will undoubtedly have a fun time mingling with the other individuals before leaving. If you stay until three in the morning through, you must fight a completely Mature (final form) Corpse Construct! (Feel free to roleplay the fight if you want to, or leave it out if you want to.)
Prize: Whatever it is, it can't be a good thing...
Challenge Rating: Hard
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Post by Kristofor on Oct 6, 2020 19:44:07 GMT -6
I bathed the cat with horns' panilla before returning her and getting paid for my outing. Reality twist indeed, barely a few hours had passed since I'd set foot inside. Thankfully with my black fur, most of the caked dusty blood specks weren't visible. Or the cat just didn't notice. An amicable fellow, I might see if he needs help again. While on my way back from the kennel of the cat, a small crowd of people around the board caught my eye, about to take the stairs back to my little metal box. "You think its a real invitation?" "Probably, its the time of year for a costume party." "But why at the Archmage's tower?" "Big space, heck, who knows. Says we can bring animals." "Wear a costume, go here... eeeh, I'm not sure bout this." "Its a costume party, what could go wrong?" "Filling space on a board of needy people, all this rubbish decorations." "Party pooper." 1
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Post by Kristofor on Oct 6, 2020 20:11:02 GMT -6
Perhaps someone saw me looking at the board. Its not in Laiyan, so I don't understand what it wants. I need to bathe and get this dusty crusty blood off me anyhow. But hanging on the post of my kennel gate, is a very fancy... dog themed hat? It looks like half a head when I pick it up, examining it. Inside was a curled note, in strictly scripted Laiyan. "Part of Pethian humanoid culture is to go to parties and get to know people. Take your translation guide and perhaps your pet and go have some fun. Wear this costume. ~Kevin" Yep, that birdish chocolate loving woman did see me looking at the small crowd. She even took the time to print out the address on the flyer for me in Laiyan; what a kind human woman. If thats the case. Letting myself in, I check up on Mira, who was getting a bit twitchy in her sleep. It would take a long time to draw up enough water from these faulty pipes to be able to bathe though. 2
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Post by Kristofor on Oct 6, 2020 20:15:31 GMT -6
Thankfully, Kevin is a mind reader of sort. I come back down to inquire about a sort of public bath, since the pipes were still faulty. She points me towards a public bath out towards the tower. "Just keep on going to the party once you're finished." she tells me. My directions gotten, going back upstairs, I find myself a clean set of clothes, something a bit closer to the mask that I finally pick up and carry out. Mira's food and water is replenished, and she doesn't appear to have soiled anything somehow. Was it just because I wasn't there for a few hours? It wouldn't be kind to take her along right after a nap. Who knew how long Mira would sleep through the night; usually she'd sleep longer then I could. The public bath I couldn't imagine. Was it somehow standing in the rain? Or just walking off into a pool? 3
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Post by Kristofor on Oct 6, 2020 20:45:34 GMT -6
Neither in fact. A squat wood and plaster building that appeared to go farther back into the area, a man greeted me with a big smile and I swear he must've had cat teeth. Chattering at a pace of speech only someone of his language could understand, guiding me back to an enormous heated spring. The building is open in the back, allowing the steam to go into the sky. The man hands me a little net, gestures at my fur... ah, to catch my dregs. I see. He leaves me to my bath. Didn't even try to mention money? Or did I just miss that. Something cattish skulks in the corner of my eye, watching with large milky eyes before vanishing around the corner. It had multiple tails. Another creature? Or was that a person? The water beckons, as I shed my human clothing and step down into the water on fours. Aaaaah. 4
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Post by Kristofor on Oct 6, 2020 22:03:51 GMT -6
While I paddle around the steaming pool, the catlike creature comes again, with a round wooden bowl in its mouth. Bowing its head, the creature deposits it into the water, and pushes it forward with a long snout. Before stealing my clothes and running for it! Wait! "Don't worry child, the spirits are just doing their jobs..." came a weedy sounding voice. Like that older animal who had been in hte same care area as my father. "Let them clean your things; they are good cleaners. Just focus on yourself..." the voice seems to dissipate with the steam. and I understood it? Oh don't worry, I can definitely focus on myself. On the floating bowl came different choices of soaps and wet combs for both thicker and thinner kinds of fur. Its almost paradise for cleaning. The soaps sudse up my fur as I scrub one that smells of the woods in, the smell reminding me of home. And it doesn't even sting my eyes while I wash my face. 5
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Post by Kristofor on Oct 7, 2020 10:41:10 GMT -6
"The water is wonderful isn't it." the weedy voice comes again. Mmm, yes indeed. "Its filled with dried worm salts; its quite good for the skin." With a pause, I look down into the water to see if any worms are swimming around in the water with me. "hohoho... no no, salts child. Salts dissolve in water." Right, I... knew that. The thick steam fills my lungs when I breathe in, a relaxing aroma to the senses. "Can the spirits help you out with anything more child?" WHen I open my eyes, tehre's a little old man with a steaming clay cup of tea in his hands. And I mean little. He's probably no taller then those cat creatures. His mouth is partially obscured by a white bottlebrush of hair, and covers either side of his head, but not on top. Balding? No... No, I am good, I tell him. Does he hear my Laiyan or just barks and growls and yips? He nods, and takes a deep swig of his tea. The old man wears drapery that could be seen in stories, similar to the man at the door, but its in muted coloring. 6
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Post by Kristofor on Oct 7, 2020 10:45:48 GMT -6
The comb helps remove all the loose fur that's been accumulating on me for hte last few weeks. While a dry brush can get the outer dregs of fur, a wet brush works much better. Little worms of blonde fur float on the surface while I groom. It feels so good to drag some sort of bristle over my wet fur, setting it straight. "You groom while wet, I see." the little man observes, not having left this time. I nod, running the thicker comb carefully through the gapped fur on my neck. Its warm in here, and naturally makes me want to shed more. "What an unusual black fox, you have blonde and white hair too..." I am a silver fox, elder., I tell him with a sigh. SIlver foxes can always change. I was born white and cream. "ho hoho... so you are. So you are. A dark fox. I suspected melanism, but that doesn't make sense." ...melanism? 7
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Post by Kristofor on Oct 7, 2020 10:47:19 GMT -6
"The genes of being purely black. Skin and fur alike. A rare sight, about as rare as an albino..." the man sips his tea again and I continue to groom myself. The dregs slowly become more numerous. Like the 'dried worm salts', only made of dregs of wet fox fur instead. The net proves handy to gather the dregs floating among the surface. I don't think I've seen my fur this dark since I originally started shedding my cub coat. Dregs collected into a wet pile of fur on the floating bowl, I take a few more paddles around the pool, occasionally ducking my head down to wet the fur on my head and face. The soap and bubbles dissipate in the hot water. With a small splash, and coming to the surface, I might resemble a drowned rat. I know when getting out my tail will take hours to dry if I don't wring it out. 8
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Post by Kristofor on Oct 8, 2020 22:36:26 GMT -6
What time is it, elder, I ask the little old man who I can hear still nearby. Sipping his tea audibly. Slurrrrrp. "About close to sundown, 6 after the noon." he answers somberly. "If you intend to go someplace before dark, I would make haste, I would." Haste indeed. The pool isn't crafted to be crawl-out-able, so I have to get out on fours or twos. A towel drops on my head. Its thick and fluffy and through my wet fur, I can see the wide grin of a catlike 'spirit' with a folded pile of clothing in its grip. Laying them at my feet, it sprints back into the recesses of the room. Thanking the spirit? thing, I sit on my haunches to dry myself off. It puts all my shorter black fur on end. Like a wet porcupine with short quills. But when it tries, occasionally I've seen bits of silver tipping the ends. 9
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Post by Kristofor on Oct 8, 2020 22:42:00 GMT -6
If going to this... party was going to be a thing, I didn't have the time to let my tail fully air dry. The bowl drifts lazily close enough to the edge to reach the wide toothed comb, and I take it. The teeth run through my cleaned, dust, dirt, blood free fur, and it glides. Oh the feeling is wonderful. For what I can reach myself. My back has always been slightly difficult, but the good thing about martial arts training is the increase of flexibility in my arms. I can actually touch my fingers together reaching behind and over my shoulder. Most can barely do it themselves. The shoulder of most people/animalfolk doesn't rotate that far back. One of the spirits? brings out a small mirror for me to look at myself, and lays the half-a-face-mask at my feet before sprinting away. Shy creatures. "Ho hoho... the spirits seem eager to make sure you look your best tonight, dark fox." the little old man says to me. 10
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Post by Kristofor on Oct 8, 2020 22:48:06 GMT -6
Can this really fit my face?, I ask myself aloud as I pick up the mask. Its supposed to fit over the head, like a hat, but cover the face at the same time? With a closer look, the mask has holes in the eye sockets and in the nose, almost like it was made for a long snouted animal face. Custom made? No way. Carefully, I put the mask on my head. Flattening my ears somewhat, the mask goes back down my head halfway, but rests on the upper portion of my face, leaving my lower jaw free to talk or otherwise. Looking at myself, the mask's ears are much pointier then my own. What sort of beast is this supposed to be? "Ho hoho... if I remember correctly dark fox, your mask is a recollection of the jackals of ancient times. Long face, pointy ears, and worshiped by man's royalty to watch their bodies after they died. They were known to be statued." 11
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Post by Kristofor on Oct 9, 2020 5:37:46 GMT -6
To the mask maker's own fault, they didn't expect for a pointier eared individual to wear this mask. The shape flattened out my ears and that dulled my sense slightly. Carefully taking it off, I examine the mask again. The ears... look removable? Oh that would be helpful. Each ear came off easily with the tap of a fist a few times, or with the heel of the comb. My ears aren't nearly as pointy as a jackal's though. Fitting my own ears through worked better. "Very fitting, young master fox." the jovial man who had greeted me came in, seeing me enmasked and sitting with a towel bundled around me. Angling my head in different directions to get a good look at myself. There were damp blonde tufts on top of my ears, giving some height. "I have just the stuff to make you look a peach. Wait right there." he bustles away. 12
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Post by Kristofor on Oct 9, 2020 5:41:36 GMT -6
With him gone, I dried myself off in a hurry, and finished combing out my fur. The floating bowl had a growing mound of my dreg fur, both wet and dry. He caught me reaching to get it back out, on succession to avoid having more hair in the pool. The man has... is that paint?! "Little bit of fur dye on the tips of your ears, a few swirls on the hands, maybe the shoulders, do you do sleeveless at all?" I shake my head absently no, not really. "Oh dear, you MUST. Show off that lovely fur of yours. MAKE. A. STATEMENT. Darlings, find our young master fox a suitable top. Open to the air, without sleeves." I have no time to get in a few words at all before the jovial man waves a finger in front of my face. "Ah ah ah, I am a very good eye on color, young master, and you won't be disappointed. These... office clothes are nothing to wear to a PARTY of all sorts. 13
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Post by Kristofor on Oct 9, 2020 5:45:21 GMT -6
I can hear the rapid pattering of feet of the catlike things as the man takes my arm like I'm sort of furry human doll, angling his head this way and that. With the way his hair is prepared, it looks like a peacock. Or was it the more feminine tone of which he spoke to me? Can't be sure, but he REEKS of perfumes. I can't help myself and sneeze. "Oh, I'm sorry. I dont' get many guests with such a keen sense of smell. Used to humans, after all." he sighs dramatically. "Sorry. Clean Smell!" He snaps his fingers, a bit of a breeze blows through, and the smell dies down dramatically. "Good?" Uh...yes!, its surprises me. One, that the smell isn't nearly so bad now. Two, this man knew magic? Or had a very convenient way of tricking a fox's sense of smell. HE wasn't upwind of me. 14
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