GLoG 92: Generosity, Love, Opportunity, Growth

[Purple Eagle]

Lake Girls

Karasu leans into the trunk, then watches the transformation back into girl. "Yes, yes I can." She pulls Natalie into a hug. "You didn't say 'best kettle ever', Talie. And I know you love me, but I love hearing you say it sometimes, too." She kisses Natalie on the neck, and pokes her nose afterwards. "We should get out soon, it's getting darker. Hmm... have I met Iknika? I don't think I have. Let's go find her. I'll try not to be too... abrasive." She says, aware of how she acts to anyone that isn't in her list of people dear to her.

As it happens, Zara's looking for Natalie to gush about Abi.

[Morty]

[Sophie's Office]

Sophie glances at her watch.

"Alright, then. I've got some time, so come inside and tell me about it. Do you want some tea or something else while you talk?" She has a feeling it might be a long story.

[bc56]

Sophie's Office

"Uh, tea would be nice," Sekhmet answers. She takes a seat, her tail curling around her legs as she sits. "I, uh, met my mother, I found out who and what I really am, and I almost died," she begins to explain.

[Morty]

[Sophie's Office]

Sophie quickly sets about making some tea for herself and Sekhmet, before sitting down in the room she uses for therapy.

"Let's start at the beginning, then. You said you met your mother?"

[bc56]

Sophie's Office

"She's horrible!" Sekhmet blurts out. "She's a monster. She threatened my boyfriend to get to me, and she was going to take me away to her kingdom and teach me to be like her." I don't believe Sophie knows the details of Sekhmet's parentage. "She made me want to kill her. I've never felt like that before."

[Morty]

[Sophie's Office]

Sophie held out a faint hope that Sekhmet almost dying wasn't related to her mother. Or at least, not her mother's direct fault. A foolish hope, really.

"I know what it's like to hate someone so much for the first time," she says. "So I understand some of what you feel. What do you mean by teaching you to be 'like her'?"

If Sekhmet's mother is the source of her fiendish heritage, as she suspects, this could be very literal. Then again, aren't tieflings a product of diluted fiendish blood? Or some ancient pact, like Trick said. But Sekhmet seems to be different, so she has to discard her assumptions.

[bc56]

Sophie's Office

"She's fiendish royalty. She wanted me to be a murderer and a seductress." Both are roles Sekhmet absolutely does not want. "She said she could teach me to harness my powers."

[Morty]

[Sophie's Office]

This is more or less what Sophie expected. Using your children as means to achieve your own ambitions is sadly all too common. But this is rather more extreme than a father pushing his son into an athletic career he didn't manage to have.

"How did you end up meeting her? Did she seek you out?"

[bc56]

Sophie's Office

"She could, uh, sense me, somehow. She was hunting for me." Sekhmet pauses. "Now she's sealed in a cave far from here. Hopefully she stays there." Sekhmet doesn't sound very hopeful about that.

[Earl of Purple]

Lake Elephants

"No, I didn't. Because... Well, every time you say it, or I say it, I remember that I nearly killed you the first time we met by teleporting a cast iron kettle above your head. It was the best kettle ever, but it very nearly was the worst kettle ever. I still love you, Karasu. And I don't want you hurt, especially by falling teapots, kettles or anything." Hard to imagine they only met because Natalie miscast a teleportation spell.

She'll get out of the water anyway, before going to dry off and get changed. "She was in the main cabin earlier, with Zara." Did Natalie mention Zara in the letter? She's pretty sure she did, but she doesn't want to mention the letter. It wasn't a good letter.

[Morty]

[Sophie's Office]

Sophie shares Sekhmet's scepticism on this one. A powerful demon queen is not going to stay trapped in a cave for very long. Is she going to have to step in eventually? Even now, she's not much of a fighter and diplomacy might still fail against Sekmhet's mother.

"Hopefully, but we should be ready in case she's not. How is she sealed there, exactly? Did you do it?"

[bc56]

Sophie's Office

"Uh, with help, I tricked her into entering an arcane binding circle. She, uh, can't leave or use her powers on anything outside it." Sekhmet frowns. "If it holds. She's very powerful, and she might find a way to overcome it." Sekhmet looks a little scared now. "She promised me eternal torment for betraying her, and to, uh, erase everyone who helped me from existence." She really doesn't want to find out what that's like.

[Purple Eagle]

[Karalie and Friends]

"All this time when you spoke of nearly killing me with a kettle, I thought you were being figurative." Karasu hugs Natalie for a bit, to make her feel better. "I admit that if I'd spent more time being aware of my surroundings and less of it watching you practice peacefully I could have dodged it. I'll also admit that it wouldn't have killed me, Talie. It wasn't that far above my head, a couple inches at the most. I fell out of the tree because I got surprised, but landed safely with a roll. It's best kettle ever because I'd never have revealed myself otherwise, and we'd never have met." She does beam brightly after getting Natalie to profess her love, and kisses her on the lips.

After getting out of the water, drying off and getting changed back to her clothes, she'll join Natalie to head for the main cabin, holding hands. "Ah, Zara, the letter mentioned her. I'd want to meet her, too." Karasu, blunt as always, has no qualms mentioning the letter. After all, it led to them getting back together!

Zara's not entered the main cabin yet, having stopped by Evergreen Cabin to eat and clean up. She's headed for the Main Cabin and will show up next post.

[Earl of Purple]

Karasu & Natalie & Others

"It was cast iron, quite chunky. It might have, if you'd been unlucky. Hit you just right, so it connected in the right way to snap your neck." She sighs and hugs back. "That letter was poorly worded, Karasu. I'm... sorry about that. The hurt feelings. It's worked out, but I still regret the language I used." She smiles, glad it worked out but still regretful of her language.

[Morty]

[Sophie's Office]

"Of all the things I've been threatened with, being erased from existence is new," Sophie remarks with a surprisingly light tone. She hopes that projecting confidence will help Sekhmet feel a bit safer. "If it's possible she might get out, we need to be ready in case she does and tries to hunt you down again."

[Karasu & Natalie & Others]

Iknika is indeed still reading her trashy novel in the main cabin, unaware of the events happening elsewhere.

[bc56]

Sophie's Office

"Yes, but, uh, there's not much we can do. She's so powerful that if she, uh, actually tried to kill us, it would be almost impossible to stop her." Sekhmet seems very uncomfortable with the topic, and rather terrified of her mother.

[Shadowcaller]

[Woods]

Domhnall starts in surprise. He was hoping for it to talk, but he wasn't expecting a lightshow.
"Oh. Ah, yes. I do. Uh, whom do I have the pleasure of speaking to?" asks the ebeul formally. Whoever they are, there's clearly some magic going on.

[Woods]

"Pleasure? I can't imagine you feeling anything of the sort now." A pause as whoever is acting behind the creatures eyes seems to take in more of their surroundings. "But to answer your question, you may call me... Jal. I am the current head of a scientific project investigating wells much like the one you're standing in front of. What you're looking at me talking is... I suppose you could call it a biological drone if those words mean anything to you. I am unsure how it- he have sustained such injuries however. If I may ask, who are you and what are you doing here?"

[Purple Eagle]

[Teen Girls]

Karasu sighs, seeing that Natalie's fixated on the worst that could have happened. Too bad, she loves the saying. She keeps quiet for now, though she'll bring it up at a later time. "It's okay, Talie, it led to us getting back together, didn't it?"

Once they meet Iknika, Karasu would let Natalie do the introduction, turning back upon recognizing Zara's voice, who walks in after them. "Shalom, Natalie Fl- Karasu?" The wavy-haired girl steps forward and hugs Karasu, who hugs her back. "You're back!"

"Ah, so you're the Zara she was talking about. I shoulda known. Yes, I'll be around on weekends, Natalie's the girlfriend I mentioned back then. You're in the League now'?" Karasu asks, smiling. "Well, I did celebrate my 16th birthday a few months ago, and remember I've always said I wanted to work in social services. GLoG will allow me to help the whole of the Nexus from here!" Then, Zara glances at Natalie, nodding in approval. "You and Natalie? Wonderful, she's a nice person! I can just call you Natalie, then. Or Tal. Or LiLi."

After catching up, Zara goes to sit beside Iknika. "Do you know Iknika?" Karasu smiles and looks to Natalie. "I'm about to."

[Morty]

[Sophie's Office]

Sophie drums her fingers on the armrest of her chair. She really does prefer to keep a low profile, but now is time to stop doing it. If only to show Sekhmet she has someone powerful watching her back.

"It does seem like she's a very serious threat," she says. "But there are other powerful people who can help you. Like... well, me, for instance. I don't advertise it, but I'm a lot more than I appear. I was chosen by a sun deity some time ago."

[bc56]

Sophie's Office

Sekhmet doesn't seem very reassured. She doesn't know just how powerful an exalt is, after all. At least Sophie will probably have useful holy powers that are effective against fiends. "Uh, okay?"

[Morty]

[Sophie's Office]

"I have never so much as spoken to the deity. He seems to simply have been impressed with me," Sophie explains, even though Sekhmet didn't really ask. She's just trying to anticipate possible questions. "I have investigated the limits of my power since then and they appear to be far-reaching. I don't know if I'm a match for your mother, but I should still be able to stand up to her." Although she's still not that much of a fighter. And diplomacy isn't likely to get anywhere with Sekhmet's mother, even backed up by Solar Essence. Maybe she needs to do something she hoped to avoid. "We should also inform Vigil and HALO. They're groups that oppose threats like your mother."

[bc56]

Sophie's Office

"I, uh, don't want other people to be killed solving my problems," Sekhmet responds. It's still the best course of action, but she's not entirely happy with it. "Can we, uh, talk about something else?" Sekhmet feels like this conversation isn't helping her much.

[Morty]

[Sophie's Office]

"Of course," Sophie agrees readily and smoothly proceeds to another topic. "You said you found out who and what you are. Does it relate to your change in appearance?"

[bc56]

Sophie's Office

"Uh, kinda?" Sekhmet responds. "This," she points to the flaming orb above her head, "Is from it. It's like, uh, a sign of my greater power, I think." She frowns. "When, I said I know who and what I am, uh, it's hard to explain. It's, uh, a heavy burden. I understand myself more, uh, completely than I thought possible. I can't put it, uh, into words." She does her best to explain, awkwardly.

[Deathkeeper]

[Woods]

"No, I guess not." Domhnall mutters, folding his arms.
"And it looks like your drone got whacked several times with a blunt object, hence why it's leaking its black guts everywhere. What kinda thing you experimentin' on about the well?" It's certainly magic. And he's had plenty of experience with people deciding to walk into nice peoples' forests and start poking things and/or leaking their gross fluids everywhere. Mostly hags and some particularly nasty sprites. But also orcs and various armies.
"I live nearby." Domhnall almost wishes the thing's assailant would show up. He's not liking the tone of this entity.

[Morty]

[Sophie's Office]

That's not terribly specific, but Sophie has experience with this sort of answer.

"You said you were a tiefling before. Is it true? Or have you learned otherwise?"

[bc56]

Sophie's Office

Sekhmet understands the question. "I, uh, seemed to be, but actually, uh, I'm something else. Something rarer and more powerful." she pauses awkwardly, "There's not a word for it in this language. I'd, uh, translate it to 'One who walks a knife's edge between mortal and fiend.'"

[Earl of Purple]

Teen Girls

"I prefer Natalie, Zara. Please. And how do you two know each other?" She's always preferred 'Natalie'. She thought it a little odd that Zara said her surname too. And clearly they do know each other, given their discussion. Possibly better than Natalie does, at least with regards to Zara of Karasu.

[Morty]

[Sophie's Office]

"I think I understand the gist of it," Sophie says. Being part-mortal and part-fiend is obvious enough. "I assume it comes with a host of powers, as well."

[Teen Girls]

Iknika looks up from her book, seeing that Natalie and Zara are back... with someone else in tow... wait, Karasu? Didn't she and Natalie just break up? Sure is a lot happening for one day.

"Uh, hi," she says, looking to Natalie for an explanation.

[bc56]

Sophie's Office

"Yes, but, uh," Sekhmet continues, "They're dangerous. To myself, and maybe, uh, to people around me." Maybe that's what nearly killed her. She looks concerned. "If they start, uh, acting up again, I don't want to hurt anyone with them."