Holy Orphan Burst: S3

[17:12] * ChanServ sets mode: +o Oxford
[17:16] * Oxford changes topic to 'In case of fire: don mask first - help others second.'
[17:16] * Aori_Radidjiu is now known as Lily_Blevins
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[17:19] * BigTentacruel is now known as Henriette
[17:22] <@Oxford> A fire rages across the field. Long, black plumes of smoke rise snake upward into the faded blue of the morning sky. The iron caskets of several dozen men glow behind a wreath of flames, with the blackened remains of those who escaped curled piteously at their bases.
[17:30] <Henriette> Henriette sighs, feeling the weary ache penetrate her bones. The pendants may ward off physical damage like a shield, but they do little against the exhaustion that only comes from sleeping on hard ground and eating what stale crusts they can ration out. Lily is in her arms. She let herself plummet, willing herself beyond gravity's pull to catch up to her friend.
[17:32] <@Oxford> She catches up with Lily a few metres from the ground, and with her enhanced strength is easily able to scoop the other girl's limp body into her arms.
[17:38] <@Oxford> Over the hill, the last remnants of the armoured company are retreating back the way they came. A few survivors, crewman who bailed from their tanks before it was too late, struggle down the hill towards the small forest and the stream where Lily bathed earlier this morning.
[17:39] <Henriette> Henriette tries to recall an Albaean phrase for just this sort of situation. How did it go? "I guess the cat has left the bag..."
[17:44] <Henriette> Setting down on the ground, the acrid smell of burning flesh almost makes her gag. She finds the cleanest patch of ground she can, away from the flames, and sets Lily down gently.
[17:46] <Lily_Blevins> zzz
[17:46] <@Oxford> Up at the crest of the hill, the cocoon that enveloped Naida glistens moistly, reflecting both the sun above and the lapping flames below.
[17:48] <Henriette> "Naida?" she calls after checking that Lily isn't going to die suddenly. She approaches the cocoon. "Naida?"
[17:49] <Naida> The insectoid crust enveloping Naida remains statuesque amidst the magic-scarred ground it stands upon, still in the rough shape of a person. The pose is almost heroic in contrast to the terrifying scenery. There is no sound, but it takes little attention to realize something is amiss.
[17:51] <Naida> All local shadows have slowly twisted towards Naida. For some it is a rather subtle change in direction, others have completely flipped in opposition to the sun.
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[17:54] <Henriette> Henriette reaches out her hand to the cocoon, still clad in twisting light from her pendant. Naida expended a lot of her energy there. She can't have much strength left.
[17:55] <Naida> As Henriette approaches, her own shadow runs ahead to inspect the cocoon first. It's not long before the amassed shadows even shield one's eyes from the sun as though the rays did not reach the ground. A small tribe of wingless bat monsters appear to chant in silent anger at Henriette.
[17:57] <Naida> The alien casing around Naida suddenly begins to tremble and crack.
[17:58] <Henriette> Henriette's light wavers under the shadow, and she instinctively covers her eyes as if there were something incredibly bright before her. Instead, though, the blinding darkness seems to want to swallow her whole.
[18:00] <Naida> Naida bursts out of the cocoon with raucous coughing, wearing nothing but covered in a shimmering black ichor. The amassed shadows begin to recede, save those closest to her, and the sun's brightness returns. Just as swiftly, the ichor begins to crawl across Naida before she drops out of her magic form into her normal clothing.
[18:01] <Henriette> "Naida? Are you alright?" Henriette says, reaching out a hand to help her. Damn whatever curse touching her brings.
[18:04] <Naida> Managing to cough out black mucus which quickly dissolves into shadow, she grabs Henriette's hand. Her hands are oddly smooth and seem to be lacking in fingerprints or palm lines. "B-" Cough. "Been better," she croaks.
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[18:13] <Henri> Henriette rushes forward, wrapping her arms around Naida regardless of consequences
[18:13] <Henri> "Thank goodness you are alive. I was so worried."
[18:17] <Naida> Though the hallucinogens would certainly give Henri a vague feeling that something isn't quite right with the shadows, it's probably easy to ignore compared to Naida's unnatural grey skin, occasional shadow companion that one can see regardless of sobriety, and this new fixation the shadows seem to have on her. "Sorry...I bottled up a bit too much, didn't I. How's Lily?" With Henriette's help she shakily climbs to her feet.
[18:21] <Henri> Unperturbed, Henriette is just glad to see she's okay. "She is just sleeping. Over there."
[18:21] <@Oxford> Lily, and the entire upper part of the hill where she lays, is above the fires, but a thin oily film deposited by the acrid smoke has coated the grass around her. It's on her skin as well, a faint sheen of oil like grease from a cookfire.
[18:24] <Henri> Henriette sighs again. "Can you walk, Naida? We should get out of the open."
[18:24] <Lily_Blevins> Despite that, there are flowers sprouting around her outline.  ~Lily~
[18:27] <Naida> As Henriette spends more time looking at her, she can't help but shake the sense that this isn't quite Naida. She sounds the same, looks the same, and is fucked up all the same, but the minutiae just aren't right: moles have vanished and appeared elsewhere, the natural grain of her hair is different, scars are gone....then again, perhaps Henri just never actually took a good look at her. "Yeah...yeah I'm up enough, just a litt
[18:27] <Naida> le...lethargic." She separates herself from Henriette and takes a few steps unassisted.
[18:30] <Henri> Has Henriette ever been the sort to pay attention to the details? She wordlessly sweeps Lily into her arms and gestures with her head at a nearby line of trees. "This way."
[18:34] <@Oxford> A line of pines is at the top of the hill, a bit up from the saddle, in roughly the direction the tanks had come. There is also the forest at the bottom of the hill if Henriette would prefer, but there may be survivors hiding in there.
[18:35] * KidShuku is now known as SquidShuku
[18:36] <Naida> Given that the surroundings are still pretty dangerous and unknown, Naida calls upon the pendant oncemore. The bioluminescent pattern has changed somewhat and the magic suit remains sleeker, but it is otherwise effectively the same as it was. She glides through the shadows after Henriette.
[18:36] <Henri> She's not about to change her mind, top of the hill would give them a better vantage point. "I'm surprised you can even transform, Naida."
[18:38] <Naida> "You get hit enough, eventually you get hardier. Or at least that is what bar brawl anecdotes have taught me."
[18:41] <Henri> "Every person has their limits," she replies as they reach the edge of the pines. "Don't push yours, ma belle."
[18:42] <Naida> "Fair enough. What did I miss with Lily? I mostly remember really, really wanting to hit something and then kind of...blacked out." She grins at her own joke.
[18:44] <Henri> "Cute. She... Well, she reveres life. She wasn't pleased to have you lashing out at the troops. Or me for that matter."
[18:44] <@Oxford> Beneath the pines, there's a thick layer of needles, soft and dry despite the rain last night.
[18:48] <Naida> "...did I knock her out?"
[18:48] <Lily_Blevins> "...nnn."
[18:48] <Lily_Blevins> She stirs a little in Henriette's arms, but doesn't quite wake up yet.
[18:49] <Lily_Blevins> Her head is adorned with blood-red flowers, now.
[18:49] <Lily_Blevins> Or, to be more exact, since right before she fainted.
[18:52] <Henri> "Non... I think she was... Er... How is it said? Running on fumes?"
[18:52] <@Oxford> The trees themselves are awkward to lounge near: either the spiky branches or the oozing sap make them hard to lean against. But the pine needles beneath are like a slightly crunchy padded carpet.
[18:54] <Henri> Henri lays Lily on the pine needles, using her backpack as a pillow for the girl.
[18:55] * Lily_Blevins breathes in and out, somewhat raggedly.
[18:57] <Naida> Naida erupts from the shadows next to the pair with an eerie silence. "...did she always have those flowers on her head?"
[18:58] <Henri> Henri checks her over more thoroughly, head against her chest to listen for a heartbeat. "No. They are a new development, much like what happened to you."
[18:58] <Lily_Blevins> She's paler than usual, by far.
[19:02] <Henri> "She's not doing well."
[19:02] <Henri> "I thought she was okay, but it must be setting in slowly."
[19:03] <Naida> After a closer look Naida looks around. "Find water. Or somewhere damp to give her a mud bath. Also clean off anything that ended up on her from the fighting."
[19:04] <Naida> "...I don't mean to order her around, but...y'know, my skin."
[19:05] <Henri> Nodding, Henri silently takes to the air, looking for a stream or a pond or something. Anything.
[19:07] <@Oxford> There's the stream in the forest below, of course. On the other side of the hill is a farmhouse, which probably has a well or a pump somewhere nearby.
[19:08] <Henri> She races for the farmhouse. They'll probably have a bucket and less chance of problems with their water supply.
[19:11] <Lily_Blevins> Considering the blood red color, and her own affinity with fungal growths, Naida thinks it's a parasitic plant that feeds off its hosts fluids.  Considering the color, it's blood, and Lily's not doing well from the sudden bloodloss.  She's probably really dehydrated and lacking in meatier nutrients like Iron.
[19:14] <@Oxford> As she gets close, Henriette can see a rusty hand-pump a little ways down the hill from the farmhouse. A few windows face toward the pump, though as far as Henriette can see the building is unoccupied.
[19:16] <Naida> Trailing Henriette, Naida stops to consider the various possible scenarios. The plan could be indicative of or tied to Lily's health. If exhaustion dropped her, it's likely food or water she needs, either for a person or a plant. But perhaps it's a magical parasite? Like a leech that's gorged itself on her blood. It would need to be severed as soon as possible, or perhaps the magic needs to be reversed?
[19:19] <Henri> Henri rushes the pump, looking around carefully for a means to collect the water. But first, she gives the handle a sharp jerk to make sure it's even working
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[19:23] <@Oxford> There isn't a bucket here, but the excess water seems to flow into a small wooden trough. The handle moves, letting out the groan of metal moving past metal. If there was anyone in the house, they could scarcely avoid hearingit.
[19:25] <Henri> Who cares? Are they going to attack an angel in their yard? Unlikely if they saw any of the wreckage beyond. She waves to Naida as she runs the water over her hands, splashing it onto her face and wiping the ash and blood away.
[19:30] <Naida> Naida takes a quick step through the shadows to bring Lily over to Henriette. "Focus on cleaning her up and giving her better skin contact with any soil or water. I'm going to try to get a feel for whether the flower is actually stealing from her or just along for the ride." She looks closely at the base of the flower to see how it's attached to Lily's head.
[19:31] <Lily_Blevins> The stem goes down to the scalp, and seems to go down past it, just like a flower in dirt would appear.
[19:33] <Naida> With a deep breath, Naida carefully pinches the stem, stopping immediately if it triggers a negative reaction from Lily.
[19:34] <Lily_Blevins> Lily involuntarily gasps
[19:36] <Naida> She lets go immediately and carefully helps Henriette give Lily a proper spa treatment....for a flower. She takes care to avoid any contact with Lily's skin.
[19:37] <Henri> Henriette follows orders, running water loudly into the trough and using rags from her backpack to wash Lily carefully.
[19:39] <Lily_Blevins> The color starts returning to Lily's face a little as you give her water and get her washed up.
[19:42] <Henri> "Lily?" Henriette says nervously, wringing out the rag and resoaking it.
[19:43] <Lily_Blevins> Her eyes open slowly, hazily.  She sits up to look at Henriette, and then staggers a little in her sitting position, her head swimming.  Once she's steady, she nods.  "I'm...awake."
[19:44] <Naida> A small creature that seems to be half man, half beetle sits next to Lily, mimicing her movements.
[19:45] <Lily_Blevins> "I'm...really hungry."  Did her canines get longer?
[19:48] <Naida> "...hungry for what?" The bug-like mask gives little indication of Naida's full reaction.
[19:49] <Lily_Blevins> She rests her forehead on her hand.  "Meat.  From a squirrel or a cow or a rabbit, I don't really care right now..."
[19:49] <Henri> "The- Excuse me?"
[19:49] <Henri> "Who are you and what have you done with Lily?"
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[19:50] <Naida> "...do you want the meat cooked?"
[19:50] <Lily_Blevins> Her throat's a bit raspy from being a bit dry.  "Sorry, I'm...it's a little hard to talk."  She closes her eyes tight for a moment.
[19:50] <Lily_Blevins> "..."
[19:50] <Lily_Blevins> She seriously thinks about this.
[19:51] <Lily_Blevins> "...rare."
[19:51] <Henri> "Have you both gone insane?"
[19:51] <Naida> "Henriette. I believe Lily has become a dracula. A plant dracula."
[19:51] <Lily_Blevins> "...a what?"
[19:51] <Henri> "Maybe I'm dreaming. I'll wake up any moment now..."
[19:53] <Naida> "Teeth and blood sucking. You kn- VAMPIRE! That's the word I wanted."
[19:54] <Naida> "Alright, you stay and comfort the one that loving made sure we were all okay while I go and find something." The hunter slips away to look for some game.
[19:54] <Naida> *lovingly
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[19:54] <Lily_Blevins> "I...wouldn't eat humans though..." ... "..." ... "...maybe if there was nothing else."
[19:55] <Henri> A pause. Henriette seems like she didn't even hear Lily. "What is a dracula?"
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[19:58] <Lily_Blevins> "It's a...thing...from a book...and they made a movie..."
[19:59] <Lily_Blevins> "The guy marries girls and eats them or something."
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[20:00] <Henri> "Gross." She pumps more water from the spigot. "Do you think anyone is in that house?"
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[20:01] <Lily_Blevins> She goes back to lying down.  "Don't know."
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[20:02] <Henri> Henri gets up to check, giving Lily a second glance in case something else goes wrong. "Not a dream," she mutters once she's out of earshot.
[20:03] * Henri (~bt@59160C.2DAFF2E4.DE6D5023.IP) Quit (Quit: Bye)
[20:03] * BigTentacruel is now known as Henriette
[20:04] <@Oxford> Naida slinks down into the next low area, between the hills, where the forest grows up around a small stream. She sits a moment, silencing her breath as she listens for her prey. After a moment she hears it: the faint scratching of a squirrel moving through the branches.
[20:11] <Naida> Poor little Ratatoskr. He has no idea Nidhoggr is no longer confined beneath the roots. She steps through the shadows above the squirrell. Though she can't mask the scent or prevent the refraction of the shadows, a rust-colored cloud bursts from Naida's hand and covers the squirrel, asphyxiating it before it can move. The cloud disperses and Naida returns to Lily with her prize. "Here."
[20:12] <Lily_Blevins> She sits up, looking at it
[20:12] <Lily_Blevins> "..."
[20:12] <Lily_Blevins> She jumps up in a bit of a pounce and snatches it from Naida, tearing right into it with her teeth and...did her nails get longer?
[20:13] <Naida> "...returning to civilization after all of this just got a lot harder, didn't it."
[20:18] <Lily_Blevins> She sits up from the squirrel, the bones picked quite clean, and licks some of the blood on her lips.  She looks down at her dress, now splattered with blood, and even more flowery than before.  "Can I just not wear this?"  Her nails go back to normal.
[20:19] <Lily_Blevins> "Or do you think Henriette is gonna' be mad?"
[20:20] <Naida> "...'mad' is probably not the right word. Where'd she go?"
[20:20] <Lily_Blevins> her tail swishes left and right, a bit more active than usual, somewhat hampered by the dress.  "...she needed a walk."
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[20:22] <Lily_Blevins> She starts licking her hands of all the blood, and purrs a little.  "Not as filling as I'd like but I do feel better!"  She smiles.  There's some viscera from the squirrel caught in her teeth.
[20:23] <Naida> The quiet sounds of disgust from Naida seem almost contradictory from her nightmarish appearance. She drops out of her magical form to get some water herself.
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[20:25] <@Oxford> The water is clear and cool, and has a slightly metallic taste. What's left of the squirrel lays on the ground at Lily's feet like a deflated balloon.
[20:26] <Lily_Blevins> She gently moves it over with her foot towards Naida.  "If you want any."
[20:27] <@Oxford> Meanwhile, over by the farmhouse, Henriette can see in the windows on the ground floor. The house consists of a large kitchen with an iron woodstove, and past that a dining room with a long table for the farmhands to eat at.
[20:28] <Naida> She looks at it, then back at Lily. "...are you joking or have you finally become a house cat at heart?"
[20:28] <Lily_Blevins> She blinks, once, twice. "...right.  I'll go bury it then."
[20:28] <Henriette> She tries the nearest door, front or back, in an effort to check for occupants. Worst case scenario is she has to intimidate yet more people who can't actually fight back.
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[20:29] <Lily_Blevins> "Gotta' pee anyway."
[20:29] <Lily_Blevins> She picks up the squirrel and looks for soft earth~
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[20:33] <@Oxford> The front door isn't locked; doesn't, in fact, have a lock. The inside of the house feels empty, like half the furniture has been taken away. There aren't enough chairs for the size of the table, and no lamps or sidetables.
[20:36] <@Oxford> Lily finds a suitable spot to bury the squirrel's remains, or to relieve herself if that's something that requires soft ground now.
[20:37] <Lily_Blevins> ~
[20:37] <Lily_Blevins> All better.
[20:39] <Henriette> Henriette wanders around, watching carefully for an ambush from behind some corner. "Anyone here?" she calls. She racks her brain for a phrase she's heard from Cimbrian soldiers before. "Nogen her?"
[20:42] <@Oxford> Nobody answers. As she turns the back corner in the kitchen, Henriette sees a flight of stairs leading up to the second floor.
[20:42] <Henriette> She climbs the stairs, mentally taking stock of where things were on the first floor. If anything moves, she'll know there's trouble.
[20:45] <@Oxford> At the top of the stairs is a railing, and an open hallway with four doors - two on each side. The three are open, and one at the far end of the house is only slightly ajar.
[20:47] <Henriette> Toes barely scraping against the floor as she floats along, Henriette seems to take up most of the hallway, like a awful yet beautiful phantasm. She looks into each room, leaving the far end for last.
[20:49] <@Oxford> The three rooms she looks into are simple enough: each has a bed and a chest of drawers or wardrobe, and a window looking out under the eaves. One room has a slightly larger bed, and a washbasin set on a side table.
[20:52] <Henriette> Henri makes a mental note to pick up the washbasin on her way out. Anyone who was here won't be needing it for much longer if this keeps up. Before that, she needs her hands free as she eases open the last door.
[20:57] <@Oxford> As the door swings open, she hears a faint gasp. Once the door is open, however, the room appears at a glance to be empty, filled with nothing aside from an unmade bed and a tall wardrobe by the window.
[21:00] <Henriette> "Nogen her?" she calls again. Maybe it was her nerves that made her hear whatever that was. She tries her best to seem like a force of good as she enters, which is probably helped by the fact that she washed herself.
[21:04] <@Oxford> As she gets further into the room, she sees a sandy-colored head of hair, pulled back in braids, hiding behind the bed. When she sees she's been spotted, the girl stands up quickly, keeping her body between Henriette and a little boy, still crouching on the wooden floor.
[21:06] <Henriette> "Err... Taler du Kimbri? Novgo?" she asks, judging whether she needs to call on her telepathic power.
[21:06] <Henriette> "Alba?"
[21:10] <@Oxford> "Kimbri," the girl says, putting one hand behind her back to grab her little brother's hand. "Hvem er du?"
[21:15] <Henriette> Of course. "Ven." She channels her power and attunes to the girl. The sandy-haired child feels a strange presence, as if there is more to their heavenly visitor than is visible in their room. With words that seem to be in all languages at once, she says, "Do not be afraid, child. The war will end soon. Where are your parents?"
[21:17] <@Oxford> "We don't know," the girl says, a little fearfully. Her voice comes back to Henriette in the same way, in the language of the thoughts in her head. "Papa told us to wait here until they get back."
[21:21] <Henriette> "Do not go outside." Her expression softens as she kneels down before the two children, placing her hands on their shoulders gently. "It is going to be okay. I will look for them." It's not communicated down the link, but Henriette feels an overwhelming need to make at least something right in the world. Sinking down into whatever core holds her power, she reads into the girl's memory
[21:21] <Henriette> and tries to track her parents wherever they may have gone.
[21:26] <@Oxford> Henriette finds herself looking up at huge man with thick, muscled arms. It takes her a moment to recognize her perspective is that of the little girl, and the man is actually a bit short. He places a hand on her head softly, and speaks with a voice that is firm but tinged with weariness.
[21:30] <@Oxford> "I need to take your Mama into town to see the doctor, sweetie," he says, "so you'll be in charge of the house, okay? Make sure your brother washes each day and has clean clothes. There's bread and cheese in the pantry, but don't eat it all at once. We'll be back as soon as we can."
[21:33] <@Oxford> The stout man puts on a wide straw hat and looks back only once over his shoulder from the doorway. Then he disappears into the morning light streaming through front door.
[21:34] <Henriette> Which way did he go? Henriette, as the child, rushes to the window to watch them leave down the road, fear gripping at her heart back in her real self.
[21:37] <Henriette> "They're coming back," she promises the children, promises herself. Her magic is strong, stronger than she ever expected it to be. It's as if the pendant taps into some otherworldly, unending presence that is slowly consuming the old Henriette. The land around the house seems to brighten, the dull smoke on the horizon completely gone, unable to blemish what is now hallowed ground.
[21:40] <@Oxford> /session