bigapplesauce | Biscuit, I don't think we're in Absalom anymore.... [Closed]

Current Music: August 27, 2013

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Biscuit, I don't think we're in Absalom anymore.... [Closed]

There's blood all over their ship.

Asmodia doesn't know what to do with herself on the flight home from the observatory. This isn't the first time she's seen corpses (it's far from even the first time she's been part of the cause of corpses) and it's not like she feels any guilt over killing a bunch of old men who'd made it their lives' mission to stamp out Stig's entire bloodline, but it's unsettling, let's go with that, to see a friend execute a defeated foe and to have it happen aboard their home away from home. She's not sure she'll ever see the deck again without remembering what it looks like right now.

She wonders what the man she killed saw before he died. He's one of the few that went down without a mark on him…and serve him right, the (literally) backstabbing bastard.

They all disperse to their own rooms once Tanna's landed the ship at the warehouse, Stig of course haring off into town to fetch his lady friend and tell her the good news. The stink of smoke that permeates the building isn't enough to ruin the comfort of coming home after a hard day, and at least fighting so close to home means she and Biscuit can have a bath afterward. She takes her time and doesn't bother going back downstairs or putting any of her gear back on afterward, but makes herself comfortable in her room with her books and settles in for a solitary night of contemplation. There are some spells she's been meaning to teach to Biscuit, and she can feel that familiar niggling feeling that comes before a new hex brings itself to mind….

At least, that's how she intends to spend her evening until the banging and clattering noises start up downstairs. Normally she'd write it off (even small explosions are pretty much par for the course around here), but after everything that's happened recently it's enough to get her out of bed. She grabs blindly for her cloak of resistance as she opens the door and --

And everything is suddenly a lot more green than it should be. "What in the --" she starts, lifting a hand to shield her eyes against he relative brightness and spinning in place on the spot, hyper-alert for anyone who might be rushing at her with a sword or lobbing a fireball in her direction. "Biscuit, where --

"Biscuit??" It's then that she realizes her familiar is gone. Her breath hitches as she casts out her senses -- and there, she can feel him! He's frightened, and hurt, and whoever kidnapped and separated the two of them will have a lot to answer for. First things first: see where she really is. A wave of her hand a few choice words should dispel whatever illusion is around her.

Except it doesn't. She doesn't even feel any magic moving through her when she does it. She tries again, and then she tries to teleport back to her room, and then to make herself a crone because maybe if she can just concentrate a little better --

Nothing, nothing, and nothing. Panicking, she tries to scry on Biscuit, and when that fails as well she stumbles over to a nearby fence to lean hard on it, feeling nauseas. It's gone. Her magic is gone and she doesn't even know how or why or where she is or where Biscuit is and why are those people staring at her?!

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Oh. Wow. Now she's spitting up mice.

The Balladeer tries to suppress his amusement at the sight - what? The mouse is cute! It'd be nice if he could speak to animals, but overall he's just trying not to talk to anyone in general anymore. It hasn't been going particularly well today.

Still, he brightens when the crow flutters over to land on his shoulder. "Hello!" He grins and lifts a finger towards it, then half-glances towards Daine at Asmodia's question. Oh, that's right, this is a wild crow and may not want random people petting it, hm? "Aren't you an ugly bird?"

...aaaaand hopefully wild crows can also get the concept of deception curses.

Daine shakes her head in response to Asmodia's questions, though it's really only the first one she can answer with any certainty. She doesn't think Flicker would nip a two-legger for no reason, but she can't promise the crow won't find one. I don't know what a familiar is, Daine explains to Biscuit. Flicker's a friend. He's the one who helped us find your mistress.

She snorts at the Balladeer's backwards comment, then hastily explains the situation to Flicker before the bird can take any real offense. Fortunately, he has a good sense of humor. He ruffles his feathers to an absurd degree, croak-chirps out an, "Uck!-leeeee," and gives the Balladeer's finger a very gentle nibble.

Figuring it's safe to leave the two of them to their own devices for a moment, Daine divides her attention between the mouse - who's slowly starting to calm down - and the newcomers. I can take you someplace safe, she says, mostly to Biscuit. This isn't the best city to get lost in when you're new, especially if you're from a different sort of realm.

"She doesn't know what that means," Biscuit explains to Asmodia. To Daine, he says, "I'm a familiar."

"Don't tell her that," hisses Asmodia just as though Daine and the Balladeer aren't standing right in front of her...or as though she believes they won't understand what she's saying. Also, as though anyone knowledgeable wouldn't have already guessed. "And how can a magic user not know what a familiar is?"

"He conveyed that he knew someone who could help me," says Asmodia for the benefit of the group, pointing to the Balladeer, even as Biscuit is translating for her. "Also, that it's dangerous here? He's having trouble with details."

The Balladeer is no longer completely attending to the conversation. It's not like he can communicate well with either of them anyway. That doesn't seem as frustrating as it has, though, because he's got a bird on his shoulder! And one with a sense of humor, even; he grins as the crow fluffs his black feathers up fluffier than he'd even thought they could go. "Hey, look at you!" he says quietly, chuckling a little at the finger-nipping.

Being pointed at is enough to get his attention though, and he glances up at Asmodia blankly for a moment as he tries to catch up on what he'd tuned out. "She's human," he explains for Daine's benefit. "And no one has cameras around here." You see his concern, right?

Magic works different in different realms, Daine replies with a one-shouldered shrug. We don't have familiars in mine.

But that's not important - not compared to the pickle Asmodia and Biscuit are in. Almost everyone here is human, she explains to Biscuit, and most of those who aren't at least look it. You both stand out more than you ought to, and the natives have ways of capturing your image - like a drawing or a painting, but better and faster. Biscuit, at least, can be popped back into her bag if necessary, but there's no hiding his mistress. Daine frowns as she strokes a finger between the mouse's ears. Can your mistress change her shape? Elsewise we'll just want to get you both underground as quick as we can.

Biscuit turns his gaze away from his mistress, whiskers quivering as he surveys the people -- yes, watching them. "They can make images of us," he informs Asmodia, not bothering to explain about the differences in magic -- lots of magic-users don't have familiars, and he's not the least bit bothered by the question of how she could be so ignorant. "She says you should make yourself look different."

"And how am I supposed to do that?" snaps Asmodia, increasingly frustrated by the demands of this strange place and these people who can't even speak directly to her. "I can't -- nothing is working for me, I can't seem to do any of my magic and I can't even stop telling you about it --!"

The hand not supporting Biscuit makes an abrupt, angry little gesture, fingers clenched into the fabric of her cloak. Biscuit turns to look at it, then pokes Asmodia rather hard in the collarbone with his nose. "Then put that on," he says very practically.

Asmodia rolls her eyes and holds it up to show him better. "It's --" she starts to explain that it's the wrong cloak, but then she actually looks at it...and seems to wilt a little. "Oh," she says in a small, embarrassed voice. "It is. I'm going to -- uh. Right."

And with that, she sets Biscuit down (he immediately goes limp and flops on his side, to her mild consternation), whips the cloak around her shoulders, and abruptly stops looking anything other than human.

Oh, look at THAT! The Balladeer looks up from his attentions to the bird for a moment, and suddenly Asmodia is human. "That's inconvenient." Could she do that the entire time?

More to the point, is she going to have to do that from now on? There's not a single person who doesn't look human living in his building, and surely there have to be more of them around than just her. The Balladeer doesn't really know a lot of what ROMAC does, but if nothing else they're some kind of government bureaucracy. Even if not deliberately malicious, those can be cruel. Right now it seems like they're just trying to do their best to him, but all the same he wouldn't rat out anyone who didn't want to report there. People are more important.

"I guess we should not take her back to ROMAC HQ?" he says, looking to Daine. She's been here long enough to know

Daine blinks in surprise. Asmodia had announced that she had magic, but Daine knows enough about the Gift to know changing your shape isn't always easy. To have it done simply by putting on a cloak is fair convenient. It doesn't entirely distract her from the flare of sympathetic pain she gets from Biscuit, though. She lets the mouse dart into her sleeve as she drops into a crouch, giving Biscuit a comforting pat. You ought to tell your mistress it hurts for your paws to touch the ground, she says.

The Balladeer's suggestion prompts such a strong emotional reaction in Daine that Flicker squawks in objection, opening his wings as if he might take off (or simply give the Balladeer a whack). No! she says to all available parties, punctuating it with a vigorous shake of her head. No. You definitely don't want to go there. I can take you somewhere safer.

"I thought it was my other cloak," mutters Asmodia, the blush that would normally be hidden under her dark skin visible on her illusory human face. She frowns down at Biscuit, trying to decide if she's ever heard of anything called ROMAC, when the bird suddenly goes haywire and Biscuit gives a surprised jolt under Daine's hand. "What did she--?" she starts to ask, but the familiar cuts her off.

"She says don't go there!" says Biscuit emphatically. "It's bad! We should go where she takes us!"

"What's bad about it?" asks Asmodia sharply, looking rapidly back and forth between Daine and the unnamed man. So far he has seemed as though he's trying to help, but for Daine to react so strongly to his reverse suggestion...."

"Woah, you okay?"

If it helps, the Balladeer seems taken aback by the reaction as well, or at least the part of it he can perceive through his new crow friend. Half this conversation is completely hidden from him, but given that he's just made a suggestion, it's not hard to draw the connection between that and what Asmodia is saying. Really? Is it that bad?

"We have to," he says mildly, though he still looks confused. "If you have a better idea?"

Daine stands, scooping Biscuit up along with her and urging Flicker to calm down. ROMAC isn't safe, she says bluntly. Not to folk who aren't human, anyway. If the Balladeer even suggested it, he must have wound up with them and not had a terrible experience... but he's a two-legger. There's no reason for them to put him in a cage. A person with horns and a tail and magic might not get off so lightly. They put a friend of mine in a cage, and they might do the same to you.

She attempts a placating smile for the Balladeer's sake - there's no need to worry him with this - then turns back to Asmodia. I know folk who won't cage you. It's not too far to walk. If they can just let her take care of it, this'll be so much simpler.

"Why aren't you standing on the feet the gods gave you?" Asmodia mutters to Biscuit, still not realizing the others will be able to understand. Is Biscuit that enamored with this Daine that he's going to be dramatic so she'll pick him up? Someone's going to get a talking-to about paying attention to other people.

"They hurt too much when I touch the ground," says Biscuit simply, and he perhaps enjoys her stab of guilt over not noticing more than he should. As his mistress's features set in a perturbed frown, he adds in a hurried explanation that just makes Asmodia's face contort into a more and more alarmed expression as he goes, "She says those people put people in cages for not being human, but she says there are other people who don't."

"WHAT." Asmodia gawps at Biscuit, then turns an accusatory snarl on the Balladeer (it's much less impressive now than it would have been a minute ago). "You were going to take me somewhere they put people in cages?!"

The Balladeer has mostly been standing, confused, and watching Asmodia, Daine, and Biscuit the Weird Guinea Pig Thing exchange significant looks and the odd muttered comment. Why is he even still party to this?

"What?" Human or not, he looks affronted at the accusation.. "Yes! Who - " Daine must have said something about cages, and she can't speak to him right now without spewing small animals. Right. "I've seen tons of cages there!" He lives in a very nice apartment, especially for the price - where are all these cages?

Apparently having Asmodia keep mum about the cages was too much to hope for. Daine sighs, wishing she had a third hand so she could rub her forehead without letting go of Biscuit. What a dratted mess.

He wouldn't know about them, she says firmly in the Balladeer's defense. They don't exactly show them off. She passes Biscuit back to Asmodia - give her something to focus on besides her own misplaced indignation, then digs out her phone, transferring the mouse to her bag in the process. She probably should have done this a while ago.

She opens her notes app, deletes the things she'd said to the Doctor, and types for a few moments. Then she steps up to the Balladeer, holding the screen so he can read it: Don't worry about it. I'll take care of them.

Asmodia's perfectly happy to take back her familiar; awkward a load as he is she feels better having him in her arms. She's not entirely mollified by the donkey rat relaying Daine's latest message, though if she trusts anyone here it's safe to say it'll be the druid girl.

"What is that?" she asks uneasily, eyes on the little box Daine is now showing to their companion.

"Okay..." the Balladeer says doubtfully, leaning over to read Daine's note. "You'd do a worse job than me." Since apparently there's a bunch of stuff going on around here that he plain doesn't know about. That's not a feeling he's used to. He's supposed to be in the know about everything.

Maybe he should keep his ear to the ground a bit more.

He doesn't quite ignore Asmodia's question, just glances at her and shrugs slightly. It's hard to name specific objects right now, friend.

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Biscuit, I don't think we're in Absalom anymore.... [Closed]

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