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Post by Morgan on Dec 31, 2021 14:39:22 GMT -6
Happy times were few and far between enough for Morgan that they remembered even the little stuff pretty strongly. This was going to be one of those, they were very sure. "Well well Whisper." They said, voice ending in a cooing lilt. At the very least, Whisper didn't seem permanently bothered about the almost having tripped thing. They dropped the brick to the ground where it was and then moved on, careful not to walk through any more drifts anywhere near them for fear of more bricks. They had no idea why there would have been a brick there, to begin with. They huffed, a bit of condensed breath floating on the absolutely frigid air, and then they moved forward with their arms crossed over their chest to keep them more warm. It was more cold than they would have preferred- maybe even more cold than it was when it was snowing on their last trip.
[85]
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Post by Morgan on Dec 31, 2021 14:53:56 GMT -6
Morgan shivers, even under their several layers of clothes- just as much as Whisper does. Perhaps the trip today had been an ill-fated one from the beginning; perhaps they should just cut their losses and head home. They hadn't found much of anything this month anyway and they probably wouldn't find anything in an hour that they hadn't seen before. However, something made them want to check in the house- just the first room of the house, to see if anything of any note was there at all. They set their eyes on the front door of the mansion. It always did look really cozy this time of year. They had a slight hunch that maybe they'd get lucky and find a ton of stuff under some really kitschy holiday tree for them to take home and study. Wouldn't that be interesting? Maybe they would have better luck during the next month, at any rate. It was their favorite month so far at the mansion.
[86]
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Post by Morgan on Dec 31, 2021 14:59:44 GMT -6
Morgan hoped to be able to finish up their collection relatively soonish, which was why they were so serious about exploring the mansion during December when they otherwise would not have the time to. They didn't feel like they'd found very many things the last December they were here, and they were aware that there were generally a set of items each month. This project of studying this strange mansion was a multi-year project of theirs, and they wanted to at least get to the conclusion drawing point once in the process before they began really just enjoying the changes. They wanted to figure out which months would be fun and which months (like the summer ones) that they should mostly avoid if they wanted to be safer (like this go around, where they were bringing a creature that could not even hope to defend itself at all). Whisper watches Morgan's face as they trek towards the mansion across the yard.
[87]
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Post by Morgan on Dec 31, 2021 15:12:00 GMT -6
The mansion was an odd thing that often managed to do the most annoying and frustrating things at the most inopportune times. Even right now, Morgan felt the tell-tale pull of the mansion's space-changing... Psychic trick thing. Morgan really had no idea what to call it; and they were thankful that they weren't giving a seminar on it at the very least. They didn't have the knowledge about it yet to use specific and descriptive language for the phenomenon that were shown on the property. That being thought along with those caveats, Morgan felt like they recognized the way that the sensation felt across their skin when the mansion began to do it. They cussed, this time actually beneath their breath. They most likely would not be getting to the mansion itself in time to check the main room in the first place. They'd most likely have to turn around now if they were going to get out in a timely manner.
[88]
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Post by Morgan on Dec 31, 2021 15:19:32 GMT -6
It still took the bespectacled human a moment to actually turn around, because they really hoped that the mansion (against all logic and reason) would simply stop doing the reality stretching thing and would just snap back together like a rubber band (that was what it felt like, anyway) as if it were saying 'haha just messing around, just kidding, you can come on in'. Of course that didn't happen though, so they heaved a big sigh. "Okay mansion, you win this time." They grumbled, and then they turned around towards the gate. Perhaps, just out of spite, they'd clear out an hour of time towards midnight to visit with Kaodie. He was much better at snatching stuff from the mansion grounds than Morgan had ever been, and together they did just perfectly well. "Well Whisper, I g-guess we're headed home." They murmured to her. "Treats when we get there, okay?" Of course she had no idea what Morgan was babbling about.
[89]
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Post by Morgan on Dec 31, 2021 15:26:35 GMT -6
Whisper did like to be around Morgan, enough that whenever danger had happened in the past she hadn't run completely away. She wasn't dumb though; she knew that there was no way that she could fight on her own. She was too small for that, but that didn't mean that she couldn't be brave in her way. She had no idea what was in store for herself, but some days she felt like there was some sort of... Something- in her chest, or between her eyes. Had she been a smart individual and not a critter, perhaps she would have realized that she was actually feeling some sort of potential for growth. However, of course she did not. She did hear the word treat though, and that was enough for her to be pleased whenever her human walked past the gates and away from the weird building.
Whisper didn't like the weird building very much at all.
[90] - [The pair go home. Morgan will be returning with Kaodie.]
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Post by Morgan on Dec 31, 2021 20:23:32 GMT -6
Morgan had decided that they were going to do something that they had done a while back when they were a young adult; spend a night during turn-o-the-month at the mansion to see if anything neat would happen. It had made them sick to do it the last time that they did; but they wanted to try it out now, while they were a more experienced mage, and with their familiar Kaodie. At the very least, Morgan was very determined to get to the front room of the mansion, where they could clearly see something that they were certain was a holiday tree set up; they were convinced that there were presents at the bottom of it. Kaodie was happy enough to come with them at least. He loved going on walks and he did not balk at the mansion's gate like most of Morgan's creatures. Even the tat-lungs didn't really like this place.
[91] - [Start with Kaodie]
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Post by Morgan on Dec 31, 2021 20:45:25 GMT -6
Kaodie was not phased. He walks up to the gate faster than Morgan has, and sits down to wait for them to get closer. "I told you to stay close." Morgan admonishes him, but there's no severity behind it. It was like going through the motions, and not at all really forcefully meant. Kaodie didn't seem too phased by it. He lolls his tongue out and squints his eyes while looking at Morgan. Sometimes he had distinctly 'doggy' sorts of movements, and sometimes he had distinctly catlike movements. The underlying 'malii' sensation rolled under those two things, in his movements and the way his tail could uncurl sometimes when he thought that Morgan wasn't looking. Morgan shuffles closer in the snow. It was a really gross evening; and already it was getting dark out. Days in the winter just didn't last very long at all. It wouldn't bother Morgan, they brought books to read in case all else failed as they waited for midnight. [92] |
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Post by Morgan on Dec 31, 2021 20:50:40 GMT -6
Beyond the gate the world morphs from a dreary and gross half melted day past a snow day to a bright holiday card. It looked somehow even happier than it had in the days previously. The place was practically incandescent with light from the inside, and because it was already quite dark (the sun dipping down as if it were racing beneath the treeline beyond the mansion's land) the light was very welcoming and warm. Morgan felt theirself being lured by it, and it was difficult not to follow the infectious feeling. They stopped in their tracks, forcing theirself to think logically. It had been their plan to go inside the mansion tonight. So what if the mansion was acting like it 'wanted them there'? It was probably some weird trick done by the owner of the facility (who they had still not seen yet but they assumed was existent due to logic) anyway. They step up beside where Kaodie is sitting.
[93]
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Post by Morgan on Dec 31, 2021 20:57:33 GMT -6
Kaodie hops up whenever Morgan gets near, onto his feet to follow them. He tilts his head and looks up at them expectantly, wondering why they were waiting to go. He glanced up and could see the mansion right across the yard, and Morgan was staring at it as if there was something odd about it. He doesn't really notice anything that he'd consider odd; but then again, his human seemed a little more sensitive to this place than he was. He just wanted to play! There were always fun things to do at the mansion. He watches as Morgan finally puts an arm up and closes their hand around the gate. Soon, they push it open, and Kaodie moves ahead of his human protectively. He knew that Morgan preferred him to walk at their heel, but he really felt like protecting Morgan would make them a little less anxious. He was right, he could see the planes of their shoulders relax.
[94]
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Post by Morgan on Dec 31, 2021 21:01:34 GMT -6
Morgan still grumbles at him, but Kaodie can tell that it is token grumbling. He simply walks on, staying close to Morgan out of habit. His tongue lolls out from one side to the other, as he concentrates really hard on trying to keep himself from playing in the snow. He REALLY wanted to, but he knew that Morgan seemed to be on a mission. They were making their slow human way to the mansion itself, without meandering. Usually when they explored, they meandered, but this time Morgan was heading pretty closely to the mansion and Kaodie was going to follow the best he could. He keeps his eyes out for any dangers, but he doesn't sense anything. He just knows that Morgan is very serious at the moment, and that made him want to be as well. There isn't anything that was worrying him around, but Morgan still seemed to be on edge.
[95]
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Post by Morgan on Dec 31, 2021 21:07:06 GMT -6
While Kaodie was on the lookout, Morgan was as well. They were actually looking for anything of interest. Sometimes there were random items atop the snow, as there might have been items in the grass or on trees during other months... There wasn't anything that caught Morgan's eye right away. They couldn't help but think that this was odd and worrisome. This was very abnormal for the mansion; they really weren't sure what to expect out of it. Would there be a treasure trove if they were brave enough to enter the mansion itself this month? Would there be a giant monster that would be waiting for them there? They really weren't sure. However, they were sure that whatever it was, they and Kaodie could take it head on. Kaodie was quite well trained so far (even if they did say so theirself!) and they were sure that be their own side (with their magic) that each of them would be fine.
[96]
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Post by Morgan on Dec 31, 2021 21:11:33 GMT -6
They had not had the chance yet to work with Kaodie to see if he had any magic that had been uncovered due to their bond. They heard that very rarely, a mage's familiar could manage to unlock magical powers of its own, but the mechanism was not perfectly understood (well, at least to anyone outside of the Archmage's circle, and Morgan most certainly had no interest in working with that stuffy college unless they needed to). They wondered if possibly Kaodie could be one of those familiars... Perhaps some little bit of Morgan could feel it, through their link. They typically left their link fallow between them, like a slack rope. Morgan was... A little worried to work with mechanisms that science had not fully understood; so they practiced it and went after it delicately, as if it were a specimen in the Lab. However, they were sure that if something happened- they and Kaodie would have each others' backs.
[97]
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Post by Morgan on Dec 31, 2021 21:18:43 GMT -6
The mansion did not twist itself this time, it seemed to want Morgan to come right up to the front door. The path was easy on the way there, the snow particularly soft and fluffy- and finally it broke out onto a path that nearly looked snowblowed recently. Whenever the pair of them reached the front porch and glanced behind them, it even began to snow. Morgan blinks and one corner of their mouth stretches into a slight frown. They were certainly concerned about this; but the snow looked nice and they did remember spending a bit of time in the mansion during this month before; sitting on a settee next to a nice window in a cozy blanket, reading and drinking hot cocoa... Perhaps the mansion was drawing a temporary truce between them (fat chance, they thought- the mansion wasn't a being after all)? Or maybe... They'd get to meet the owner?
[98]
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Post by Morgan on Dec 31, 2021 21:22:49 GMT -6
Kaodie followed Morgan up the front porch stairs. They were a tad slick on his little paw pads, but he managed to stay on his feet. He found it pretty fun! Had he more time (Morgan certainly would not give it him) he would most definitely have spent some time playing around on it. The steps were just the right amount of slick to make them a novelty to him. Morgan kept theirs too salted to get like this, so it was super interesting to him. However, Morgan was already going up to the front door and opening it after a bit of hesitation, so he didn't have a lot of time to check behind them for anything that might be dangerous. Snow was falling from the sky above, and beyond that a harsh cold wind rolled over the snow... Yeah, he wanted to go in now too. He didn't appreciate the way the cold felt on his metallic hind leg.
[99]
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