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Post by Leafy on May 12, 2019 20:40:46 GMT -6
Antony liked to consider himself to be her caretaker. Leafy didn’t know what that entailed precisely, but she allowed him to have that title. The lab pets capable of speech always perplexed her a bit. If some could talk, why couldn’t they all talk? In fact, some of her creatures appeared downright dumb. She bit her nails as she waited for Kuru to return from his exploration. One of Kuru’s parents was capable of speech and as such, he was as well. Antony didn’t have parents, however. He had been ordered special from the labs. Leafy had ordered other pets from the labs before, but she hadn’t been the one to order Antony.
“Who was your first owner?” Leafy decided to ask.
“Didn’t anyone ever tell you that curiosity killed the cat?” he teased her. It seemed to be a running theme, though Leafy didn’t mind. “She was really sweet. Reminds me a bit of you actually. She was younger than you are now.”
It felt a bit strange to think about Antony belonging to someone else, but she was glad to learn that they hadn’t been a mean person. She was glad that he was with her now though.
(Antony 8, 15 | Kuru 6, 11)
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Post by Jack on May 12, 2019 20:52:01 GMT -6
 A pretty dreamingfly flitted around the group a little, strange dust falling off of it's wings. |
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Post by Leafy on May 12, 2019 21:14:55 GMT -6
Movement from the vent interrupted her train of thought. Leafy prepared herself for Kuru to hop down from the vent, but to her surprise a strange dragonfly flew out.
"Well at least it's just a dragonfly," she commented.
Kuru yipped and the noise confirmed that the dragonfly hadn’t eaten him or anything like that. Leafy reached up and caught the small bug easily. Once she had a good grip on it, she stored it in her backpack.
“Surely it will die if you keep it in there?” Antony questioned her actions.
Leafy simply shrugged at him. None of the other pocketpets she had placed into her backpack had died before. As she dealt with that, Kuru finally popped out of the vent. He didn’t even wait for her to catch him before diving out of it. Luckily, Leafy had fast reflexes. He squirmed as she caught him and, in the commotion,, the object he had been gripping fell to the ground.
“What’d you find?” Leafy questioned as she hopped down from the crate.
Antony had already been standing over the new object, making sure they would know where it fell. Leafy reached down and held it up to the light for inspection.
(Antony 8 1/5, 15 1/5 | Kuru 6 1/5, 11 1/5)
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Post by Leafy on May 12, 2019 21:22:08 GMT -6
Once Leafy had a good look at the object, she identified it immediately as a key.
“That’s fantastic work, Kuru!” she praised.
Antony wagged his tail in happiness as well, even though Kuru wouldn’t be able to see it. Leafy wondered if it was more difficult for Antony to interact with the blind creature. He had a lot of subtleties in his body language that added to his communication. It was a good thing both of the creatures had speech. That way they could communicate efficiently.
“Where do you reckon this goes. Did you see anywhere this might fit?” Leafy asked Antony.
The Vulticus took a moment to look around before responding to her.
“I don’t see a door. Perhaps the key opens one of the boxes,” he suggested.
It was certainly a good idea. She put Kuru back down on the ground and headed towards the boxes. She scanned them all, looking for any that might appear locked. To her chagrin, a lot of them appeared to be locked. That was nothing a little bit of trial and error couldn’t solve. Of course the process would be annoying, but she felt confident enough that the key would fit one of the boxes.
(Antony 8 2/5, 15 2/5 | Kuru 6 2/5, 11 2/5)
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Post by Leafy on May 12, 2019 21:36:36 GMT -6
She wanted to ask Antony more about his previous owner, but she didn’t want to be too nosy. She hoped that he would tell her more in time. They worked in silence for a while, though a comfortable one. Kuru entertained himself by knocking over the boxes she was finished with. Antony actually helped by pushing any boxes he could find with locks closer to her. The key itself was rather beautiful. It looked like it had come from the gemstone workshop. It glittered in the light and emitted a strange, pink glow. It looked almost magical.
“Maybe we should try finding a box with similar colouring,” she suggested.
Antony readily agreed with her and the two narrowed their search down considerably. Leafy soon came across a box that had the same ethereal, pink glow to it. Immediately she felt drawn to it. Antony helped her move the box away from the others. They both knew this was the correct one. Now it was a question of what it might contain. The air around them shimmered as they moved the box. It felt almost like reality was distorting, but Antony was quiet sure that it was the strange glow making them feel like that.
(Antony 8 3/5, 15 3/5 | Kuru 6 3/5, 11 3/5)
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Post by Leafy on May 12, 2019 21:42:11 GMT -6
She made sure that Kuru and Antony were both close to her before she fit the key into the lock. It slid in with little resistance. Once she turned the key, there would be no going back.
“I would ask if you were sure about this, but I’m fairly certain you need to open that box if we ever want to leave this room,” Antony commented.
Leafy agreed with him. These rooms were always like a puzzle that needed solving. At least most of the time they were. She thought the mansion might have known that she liked exploring and solving puzzles and perhaps it catered itself to her desires.
“Stay close to me now,” she told Kuru.
The tiny Felusine moved so that his fur was pressed against her legs. The touch reassured her and made her confident enough to unluck the box. She expected some sort of explosion when she turned the key. She didn’t know why, but she had that fear all the same. To her surprise, the box slid open with ease. When nothing happened, Leafy decided to investigate further. The inside of the box was illuminated with the eerie pink glow. Luckily, it made it easier to see inside.
(Antony 8 4/5, 15 4/5 | Kuru 6 4/5, 11 4/5)
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Post by Leafy on May 12, 2019 21:53:31 GMT -6
The inside of the box was all shimmery, as though it wasn’t really there. She knew the outside of the box was solid, but the inside looked like it would melt away if she brushed her hand against it. Kuru was less impressed with the box than she and Antony were. That was likely because he couldn’t actually see it. Leafy had wondered before if her hooded Felusine could actually see without the hoods they wore, but the one time she had checked what was underneath she had vowed never to look again. The hood definitely had no impact on their ability to see.
“I wonder what I should do with this? Maybe I should touch it,” Leafy gestured to the box.
Antony nodded, looking just was perplexed as she was. The box was pretty and mystical looking, but neither of them were entirely sure what to do with it. Leafy leaned in closer, stretching out her fingers in an attempt to give the box the barest of touches. If it was poisonous, she didn’t want to catch an infection. The second her fingers touched the box, it exploded into a display of dazzling lights. They weren’t harmful, simply surprising.
(Antony 9, 17 | Kuru 7, 12)
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Post by Leafy on May 12, 2019 23:11:51 GMT -6
Leafy scooped up Kuru protectively in her arms. The Felusine squirmed in protest, not quite understanding why the girl was so protective.
“Just give me a second to make sure everything is safe,” she told him.
He stopped squirming at that, allowing the girl to creep closer to the box once it had stopped its strange display of lights. Antony growled as the box began smoking. Leafy didn’t think it was the harmful kind of smoke. It certainly didn’t smell of the usual telltale signs of fire. It was more like a thick fog than it was smoke. Leafy felt a strange sense of calm fill her senses as she got closer.
“I think it might have transformed or something,” she called over to Antony.
She was indeed correct in that assessment. The box was no longer a box at all. Instead it had melted down into what appeared to be a trapdoor. Leafy could only hope that it would be big enough for the three of them to fit through. She didn’t see any other way out of the room after all. She placed her hands on top of it, testing how stable it was. When it didn’t buckle under her weight, she lifted it up.
(Antony 9 1/5, 17 1/5 | Kuru 7 1/5, 12 1/5)
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Post by Jack on May 13, 2019 7:43:04 GMT -6
 When dreaming, certain things are bound to occur. These shards are some of them. |
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Post by Leafy on May 13, 2019 11:49:49 GMT -6
The trapdoor opened up to reveal a dark stairwell. It appeared ominous as it descended entirely into darkness. Leafy wasn’t one to fear the dark, but she would be careful as she entered the stair case. Luckily, it appeared large enough for Antony to fit without issue as well. Kuru followed without prompting. She was glad he didn’t need her to carry him again. Her arms were starting to ache. The first thing she noticed when entering the stairs were these strange swirls of light. When she investigated, she discovered that the light was emitting from a few strange crystal shards.
“I hope these aren’t harmful,” she said as she put them in her backpack.
The staircase felt like it stretched on forever. A likely side effect of walking in pitch darkness. She could have pulled out her flashlight, but often in the mansion even something like a flashlight wouldn’t be able to pierce the darkness if the mansion wanted things to remain dark. Kuru was steadily becoming more independent the more they explored. He was growing up quickly, which made Leafy relieved. Taking care of baby pets was always a lot of work. When they were adults, she didn’t need to watch over them nearly as closely.
(Antony 9 2/5, 17 2/5 | Kuru 7 2/5, 12 2/5)
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Post by Leafy on May 13, 2019 12:23:24 GMT -6
Antony stuck close to her as they continued down the stairs. Leafy took it upon herself to keep a close eye on Kuru. The little Felusine was not at all bothered by the darkness due to his blindness. It was almost like a boon in this case. She knew the baby wouldn’t grow up to be great at battling, even if he did have some nice moves in his arsenal. Perhaps she would breed him once he was old enough and see if his blindness passed on to any of his offspring. She already had a lot of Felusine, what would be a couple more?
“I think we’ll just need to keep following this staircase and hope nothing attacks us,” Antony commented.
He was right of course. None of them were battlers. But Leafy didn’t think there was much to be found in the way of fighting in the mansion. She’d never been outright attacked here before. Sure, she’d found some wild creature, but those had been tamed with relative ease. Leafy frowned as they continued walking. The air steadily grew thicker, as though they were walking through a wall of heavy fog. She certainly hoped it wasn’t poisonous, but she wouldn’t be able to tell if it was.
(Antony 9 3/5, 17 3/5 | Kuru 7 3/5, 12 3/5)
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Post by Leafy on May 13, 2019 12:35:40 GMT -6
“Do you think there are monsters made of fog?” Leafy asked suddenly.
Antony thought for a moment, trying to remember if he had ever heard anything about a fog monster.
“Don’t you have some elemental crossbreeds in your kennel? Perhaps there are monsters that are similar to that,” he replied.
Leafy nodded, knowing precisely who he was referring to. The elemental crossbreeds were typically pretty benevolent. They had yet to attack her even if they weren’t the smartest of creatures. The Baskervillain in particular could be especially loyal if you bonded with her during the day. Without any daylight, it was a bit of a different story, however.
Kuru tilted his head as he considered her words as well. “You think monsters?” he asked, though Leafy couldn’t tell if he was curious or afraid.
“There’s lots of stories about different types of monsters. Most of them are harmless and the ones that aren’t are easy enough to avoid. Usually you can tell when a dangerous monster is about. People will talk about it for ages before anyone ever actually sees it. Monsters are good about not getting discovered. We would have plenty of warning about the presence of a dangerous monster from the townspeople,” Leafy said.
(Antony 9 4/5, 17 4/5 | Kuru 7 4/5, 12 4/5)
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Post by Leafy on May 13, 2019 12:45:45 GMT -6
Leafy glanced over at the little Felusine, worried for a moment that her chatter was scaring him. He appeared enthralled with her discussion about monsters. Perhaps monster hunting would become an interest to him. She always liked how her pets had different quirks and interests. It made them all feel special.
“Do you have any interest in looking for monsters?” she asked Antony.
“If you’re keen on hunting them down, you can count on me being there as well. Someone has to look out for you after all,” he said.
That wasn’t quite the answer Leafy was looking for, but the Vulticus could be quite secretive about his own likes and dislikes. She let him have his secrets. The staircase soon came to a stop and Leafy found herself stepping onto solid ground. It was still too dark to see much of anything, so she would need to rely on her sense of touch to get a feel for where she was. Kuru had less caution than she did. Leafy figured that trait came from his experience getting around without seeing anything at all. Perhaps it would be a skill she needed to train herself to do for situations like this.
(Antony 10, 19 | Kuru 8, 13)
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Post by Jack on May 13, 2019 12:48:32 GMT -6
You might want monsters, but monsters want you. A shrill scream echoes throughout the Mansion, getting louder the closer it is to you and your group. Suddenly it stops, but not before the hair on your body stands on end and the animals quake in their spots.
[Nothing happens for the next 5 posts as you recover]
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Post by Leafy on May 18, 2019 11:43:31 GMT -6
A sudden scream filled the air, chilling Leafy’s blood as it coursed through her veins. Antony growled as the sound echoed in the room. Kuru seemed on edge as well. Leafy figured that his hearing must be intensified as well due to his blindness. The scream would sound extra piercing to him. The scream did little to instill confidence in her while exploring this new area. She was already on edge and the whole thing felt a lot less fun than it had before. Kuru quaked a little and he made sure to press his body against Leafy for comfort. The girl leaned down and picked him up, cradling him close to her chest.
“We should probably get moving,” Antony suggested in a low voice.
The girl nodded, not wanting to vocalize her thoughts. She agreed with the Vulticus, even if her feet were frozen in place. She scanned the area and found herself presented with a couple of doors to chose from.
“Why don’t we go through the closest one. That way we don’t have to worry too much about being out in the open for very long,” she suggested.
Antony wagged his tail in agreement and the three headed for the door.
(Antony 10 1/5, 19 1/5 | Kuru 8 1/5, 13 1/5)
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