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Meander
Jul 21, 2024 18:53:13 GMT -6
Post by Elvye on Jul 21, 2024 18:53:13 GMT -6
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Venrek ♂ Level 0 | Loyalty 0 (0/5) | (0/5)
Stamina: 2 Strength: 1 Resistance: 1 Dexterity: 4 Mentality: 2 Special Abilities: Keen Senses, Light Weakness, Sonar Sense, Poisonous Skin Moves: Ping Trained: n/a
Encounters: On
Character(s): ○ Elvyra, "Elvye"
Relevant Skills: ○ Magical Awareness
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Meander
Jul 23, 2024 10:44:39 GMT -6
Post by Elvye on Jul 23, 2024 10:44:39 GMT -6
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It was true.
Elvye had heard so many tales of the impossibility of the city—the strange magics that seemed to circulate so readily around the labs. Her steps had halted only briefly at the gates of the mansion, confirming the information she'd been passed was correct. And it was. The edifice crowned in driftwood, guarded by an incomplete moat of saltwater pools and baking sand. Already, the heat of the sun descended with an intensity expected of summer. Reflected against the rolling sands, Elvye felt a strong desire to dive below the waters and escape.
More than herself, however, she needed to get Venrek inside. A faint clicking echoed in the full-covered carrier in hand. The young tzaru was entirely unsuited for direct sunlight. Already, she could imagine the heat had crept its way in, and he was likely getting restless.
Another monster of the labs. Not the tzaru—though she supposed, in a way, he was—but the mansion itself. An ever-changing reminder of the powers she faced.
The gate creaked loudly as her shoes began to sink into the sand.
Elvye (12/20)
Venrek Level 0 (1/5) | Loyalty 0 (1/5)
July 1
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Meander
Jul 23, 2024 11:02:25 GMT -6
Post by Elvye on Jul 23, 2024 11:02:25 GMT -6
✦ For many, the motion of loose sand might be an unpleasant feeling. The unsteady steps, shifting underfoot and scattering up across, even into her shoes, was not unfamiliar. It was not exactly comfortable, but had its own way of comforting her. She knew the mansion behaved in a strange series of cycles, predictable now that so many others had explored its secrets over the years. She had chosen, not the mansion, the environment with which she would be greeted. Water. The element had drawn her to sandy shorelines all her life. Though it was beach sand, not the packed, gritty sand along the stream shoreline of her home, it was an echo of the past. Though her steps slid into unsteady divots, she was grounded.
Her eyes scanned the pools as she passed, but she kept her feet away from their edges. She had read the warnings, too. The mansion was not deadly, but it also wasn't safe. She needed to keep her wits about her, and get inside before Venrek suffered from the heat. The walk had already been long enough.
Her hand wrapped gently across the water-worn, driftwood handle. The front door opened, more smoothly than the gate, and she felt a sudden pull. It was not a physical sensation, nor could she place it as she tried. There was something here, about this place. The magic was nearly tangible.
Her footsteps steadied on the thinner carpet of sand inside, as the door slammed shut behind her.
Elvye (13/20)
Venrek Level 0 (2/5) | Loyalty 0 (2/5)
July 2
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Meander
Jul 26, 2024 14:28:01 GMT -6
Post by Elvye on Jul 26, 2024 14:28:01 GMT -6
✦ She turned with a start, her breath caught between parted lips. As the sand settled around the doorframe, her breath slowly joined it. No amount of theorized preparation could actually prepare oneself for a mansion with a will of its own. She was shut in, but not locked in. She needed to expect this, and everything unexpected—even amidst familiar, coastal terrain.
A deeper clicking resounded from the carrier, and finally, she agreed it was time. Nestling it carefully beside the mansion's front door, she unlatched the lock and stepped back. Curious clicks, softer than his irritated protests, began before the beak prodded its way forward. Venrek was hesitant, it seemed, to exit into such a large, unidentified space.
"It's alright," Elvye coaxed, offering a gloved hand to his nose. No sense in risking the irritating oils of his skin coming into contact with hers—though she found gloves on this hot day a bit less pleasant than ideal.
Whether it was her familiar scent, or a closer target at all, it was enough. Venrek hopped forward, swishing his tail against the grainy floor. It was hard to imagine what he thought of it, as his swishing became more forceful. Was that playful, or angry? Well. They had much to learn of one another.
Elvye (14/20)
Venrek Level 0 (3/5) | Loyalty 0 (3/5)
July 3
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Meander
Jul 26, 2024 14:52:51 GMT -6
Post by Elvye on Jul 26, 2024 14:52:51 GMT -6
✦ "Now," Elvye righted herself, taking in the space for the first time. "Where to begin?"
The tzaru, well-suited to the quiet, began to chatter his way forward. The behavior was odd, but fascinating to watch. She'd seen this only once before, when she'd first brought him in to her fold. The careful, measured pacing, head turning and beak clacking along with the almost melodious clicking produced in his throat. The pattern of clicks and clacks meant nothing to her, but somehow, it showed him everything. Her vision came only from the globe-shaped sconces upon the wall, lighting the mansion in a warm, glowing light. She navigated all this with her eyes—the very thing Venrek lacked.
Every few paces, though irregularly, his tail would flick violently against the sand, scattering the little piles into tail-shaped ruts. She would've thought the noise would distract his navigation, but it all seemed to be part of the process. That, or perhaps he had something against piling sand.
As they remained in the entryway, she was content to watch, observe, and try to puzzle out this curiosity of a creature.
Elvye (15/20)
Venrek Level 0 (4/5) | Loyalty 0 (4/5)
July 4
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Meander
Jul 26, 2024 15:52:15 GMT -6
Post by Elvye on Jul 26, 2024 15:52:15 GMT -6
✦ She had brought him here with intention. He could see what she could not, and perhaps she could serve a similar purpose for him. When she'd taken him in, she was told of the impressive senses the breed carried. With his lack of sight, all others seemed to be heightened in return. To find the magic hidden throughout the mansion, his fine-tuned abilities may be the perfect tool. So long as she could harness them.
"Which way will we go, then?" she tried to encourage him, and her voice was met with another slap of the tail. Had she interrupted?
He clacked his beak twice, loudly, before hopping forward again. He reminded her, in some ways, of a strange little bird.
In time—his time, as it seemed it needed to be—his path branched out from the central space, directed now for one of the doorways. His clicking became almost imperceptible, a low, droning tone as he moved intently forward. He stopped, reaching the door, and swished his tail furiously. It was time to move on.
Stepping up alongside, Elvye pulled open the door.
Elvye (16/20)
Venrek Level 1 (0/5) | Loyalty 1 (0/5)
July 5
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Meander
Jul 27, 2024 19:24:00 GMT -6
Post by Elvye on Jul 27, 2024 19:24:00 GMT -6
✦ The door opened easily, at first. And then it opened on its own. Elvye leapt back as a wave of water poured out, soaking her legs halfway to the knee. Her shoes sapped the water immediately, now weights against her steps. And Venrek. Where was he? In her surprise, she'd lost sight of the tzaru, and immediately feared the worst. Did he know how to swim?
A splash in the room ahead drew her attention, and revealed a number of intriguing details.
One: Venrek was fine, and seemed oddly competent as he trudged his way forward, still intent on the destination ahead.
Two: That destination appeared to be an ornate sofa, which would be befitting a mansion, if not aimlessly adrift in the water.
Three: The water, which now seeped down below the floorboards with unusual ease at her feet, held, in the strangest sort of magical field, within the room. Looking straight ahead, it was as if a glass retainer held about a foot of water at the threshold.
What had she expected?
Stepping over the imperceptible barrier—on the off chance disrupting it would cause another flood—Elvye followed, into the sitting room.
Elvye (17/20)
Venrek Level 1 (1/5) | Loyalty 1 (1/5)
July 6
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Meander
Jul 29, 2024 21:50:48 GMT -6
Post by Silver on Jul 29, 2024 21:50:48 GMT -6
BANG!
A loud explosion goes off behind you, like someone firing a cannonball right at the door. You swear you could hear a cackle immediately after... or was that just the ringing in your ears?
[Nothing significant happens.]
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Meander
Jul 30, 2024 15:20:41 GMT -6
Post by Elvye on Jul 30, 2024 15:20:41 GMT -6
✦ It was more temperate than expected, but terribly inviting. The heat of the day outside had entirely melted away as she eased into the room, slow steps sending ripples up to other buoyant furnishings. A side table bobbed lazily beside her, having lost its position near the sofa as Venrek charged between them.
He was still so intent, but it surprised Elvye just how little regard he had for moving about quietly. To navigate with sound, and to make such racket—
BANG!
She felt cold engulf her face, and sickened, dizzy. Her ears were ringing. Hands struggled to right herself in the water. She'd fallen, but she felt no pain. Had she been hit? Where was Venrek?
She turned back, as quickly as she could manage, to the source of the sound. The door, still ajar, was empty. And the room, too, was just as it had been—except her tzaru was nowhere to be seen.
Elvye (18/20)
Venrek Level 1 (2/5) | Loyalty 1 (2/5)
July 7
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Meander
Jul 31, 2024 10:56:28 GMT -6
Post by Elvye on Jul 31, 2024 10:56:28 GMT -6
✦ "Venrek!" she called out, as the ringing in her ears subsided to a dull, repeating thud. Her pulse remained frantic, pounding against her hearing as she fought through her dizzying worry.
The mansion had made itself agonizingly clear. She, and her companion, were not welcome. As she raced to the spot she'd last seen her tzaru, the taste of bile crept over her tongue. He wasn't there. What had happened? Was he injured? The sound had been closer to her, certainly, but it had been temporarily deafening. To a creature with such finely tuned senses, she couldn't begin to imagine what such a sound could do to him.
As her hearing slowly returned, a new sound came into focus. So faint, at first, it took time to sink in, for her attention to fully grasp its significance. Scratching. Coming from the hearth.
Splashing carelessly through the room, feeling the weight of the water pulling against her, she raced to its source—and released a cry of relief as a familiar tail swished into view.
Elvye (19/20)
Venrek Level 1 (3/5) | Loyalty 1 (3/5)
July 8
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Meander
Jul 31, 2024 11:45:43 GMT -6
Post by Elvye on Jul 31, 2024 11:45:43 GMT -6
✦ "Where were you going?" she laughed in relief, easing her hands carefully up into the chimney. She still needed caution around her exposed skin, so as not to directly contact the tzaru as she dislodged him and gently lowered him down. The dangling tail, descending just slightly into the visible area of the hearth, had been an unexpected but very welcomed sight. How he had managed to climb his way up so quickly was left, for the moment, a mystery. She'd never seen him move quickly, but his mannerisms seemed unchanged as she brought him back down into the room. His head turned as he began to navigate again, with his usual rattling clicks.
As he carried on, her eyes turned around the room. Watercolor paintings in neat frames, sconces lit with a deceptively inviting light. She had thought coming this month would be almost welcoming. Now, she knew that was wrong. Whatever tricks and magic lurked here wanted her gone, and knew perhaps too well how to achieve it. To have brought Venrek along with her had been a mistake. She'd put him in too much danger. He was still so young.
Elvye (20/20)
Venrek Level 1 (4/5) | Loyalty 1 (4/5)
July 9
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Meander
Jul 31, 2024 13:26:08 GMT -6
Post by Elvye on Jul 31, 2024 13:26:08 GMT -6
✦ Yet as she watched him, the little tzaru gave her a moment's pause. Clearly, the sound had alarmed him, enough that he'd squeezed himself up into such a tiny space as the narrow chimney. But he was already back to his earlier mission—the tantalizing secrets of the sofa. Perhaps she hadn't given him enough credit. Still, she must remember, this was only the beginning. A warning shot, perhaps, had been fired. It was time to take their leave.
"Let's go home, Venrek," she urged, wading over to where he had scrambled up onto the cushions. The water ran easily off his skin, but just as easily from the upholstery. To some degree, the couch was designed to withstand the wetness of the room. Such an odd detail. His beak clacked in protest, and his tail whipped up against her sleeve, but he made one last lunge into the cushions with his snout before he was lifted off, and gently carried back toward the front room.
"What did you manage to find, hm?" she asked, trying to catch a glimpse as she set him before his carrier. He stood, motionless for several seconds, before silently hopping inside.
There would be another chance. Another time to uncover the mansion's secrets. For now, Elvye had been humbled. Her lack of preparedness, and inexperience with her own companion, had been more than enlightening. Next time, she would be ready.
Elvye (1/20)
Venrek Level 2 (0/5) | Loyalty 2 (0/5)
July 10
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Meander
Aug 13, 2024 4:44:54 GMT -6
Post by Nadia on Aug 13, 2024 4:44:54 GMT -6
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