GLoG 93: Something something something babies

[Beans]

Cherry Cabin - Lessons

Sekhmet knits inexpertly in silence for a while, occasionally getting things tangled up and needing to unravel them. After a while, she asks, "Uh, if it's not too personal, uh, why were you made?" No one makes someone else without a reason. She's curious.

"Oh, I was to be a military officer's personal assistant. Having a custom-grown hybrid assistant was a... well, a status symbol. He could have just had a regular secretary, but to be seen with me was to broadcast that he could afford me." She smiles wryly. "I actually think I had crochet and knitting somewhere in my flash-training regimen for me to pick them up as quickly as I did---but mostly, I was part secretary, part aide-de-camp, part walking testament to power and money."

[bc56]

Cherry Cabin - Lessons

Sekhmet nods. She sort of understands that. Then she feels the need to share herself. "I was, uh, made to be a commander. A conqueror. My, uh, mother, she wanted me to build an empire in her name." A more glorious fate than the assistant to a wealthy officer, but not one Sekhmet wanted to fill. She's much happier as an apprentice blacksmith than she'd be sitting on a throne.

[Beans]

Cherry Cabin - Lessons

Sekhmet nods. She sort of understands that. Then she feels the need to share herself. "I was, uh, made to be a commander. A conqueror. My, uh, mother, she wanted me to build an empire in her name." A more glorious fate than the assistant to a wealthy officer, but not one Sekhmet wanted to fill. She's much happier as an apprentice blacksmith than she'd be sitting on a throne.

She blinks, smiling without humor. "How lovely... I went from private property to state property when I showed myself better at my owner's job than he himself was, and ultimately I became the administrator of many military and police affairs---almost exclusively the worst ones, I'm afraid. It doesn't sound like you did much, or hopefully any, of what was set out before you." She looks at the scarf she's working on. "I hadn't been built for it, but my nation's regime made me into their butcher... but, well, look at us now. You live somewhere you like, you have a craft you enjoy, you have a spouse who loves you. I'm starting my road out of monsterhood, doing something that helps people." Her smile turns healthier.

[bc56]

Cherry Cabin - Lessons

Sekhmet smiles at Hysmine with genuine warmth. "I was rescued, uh, kidnapped really, when I was very young. I dread to think about what would have happened otherwise." She leans over to the older woman and gives her a hug. "It's okay. I forgive you, whatever you did. You're welcome here."

[Beans]

Cherry Cabin - Lessons

Sekhmet smiles at Hysmine with genuine warmth. "I was rescued, uh, kidnapped really, when I was very young. I dread to think about what would have happened otherwise." She leans over to the older woman and gives her a hug. "It's okay. I forgive you, whatever you did. You're welcome here."

Hysmine is still as she's hugged. She carefully puts down the scarf. "... You mean that, don't you? I could go on about my body count, everything, and it wouldn't change your mind." She does hug back gently. "... Thank you, Sekhmet, I think I needed that."

[Gullara]

Hawthorn Cabin

"I'll, uh, see." Sekhmet heads to the kitchen with Ellie padding at her heels, leaving the children free to choose their next move. They could follow and maybe get tea and scones or biscuits. But what if it's a trick and Sekhmet really is a witch and wants to bake them into a pie? Going in the kitchen with her would make it so much easier.

[Hawthorn Cabin]

If Sekhmet is deceiving them, then she's done a good job. What a crafty witch! Lucy scampers after her, eager for a snack. Russell seems more reserved, but he keeps pace with his sister anyway.

[Murkus]

[Sapling Cabin]

"They're captains too?" Lucy says, looking eagerly at the map. It seems everyone has a fancy title but her! "How do we go find it?"

[bc56]

Cherry Cabin - Lessons

"If I, uh, held a grudge against you, it would just, uh, make it harder for you to do the right thing. I'm, uh, who I am today because people believed in me, even, uh, when the prevailing thought was otherwise." Sekhmet rubs her back and winces, remembering something unpleasant.

Hawthorn Cabin

Sekhmet grabs a teakettle, fills it, and sets it on the table. Shouldn't she heat it up? Apparently not, because it starts whistling while she's rummaging in the cupboard. She retrieves some teabags and a package of iced biscuits. "No scones, uh, sorry."

[Beans]

Cherry Cabin - Lessons

"If I, uh, held a grudge against you, it would just, uh, make it harder for you to do the right thing. I'm, uh, who I am today because people believed in me, even, uh, when the prevailing thought was otherwise." Sekhmet rubs her back and winces, remembering something unpleasant.

Hysmine straightens up, resuming her knitting when the hug ends. "How kind of you to pay it forward like that. You're a woman of integrity, Sekhmet." Of course, she can't help but tell herself, it doesn't hurt that Sekhmet never experienced, witnessed, or even got secondhand testimony of what she's done.

[bc56]

Cherry Cabin - Lessons

"I, uh, just don't want anyone else to experience what I did." Just what did Sekhmet experience to make her feel this way? "You're, uh, not the only monster here, uh, trying to make a better life." Does she mean herself? She doesn't seem like a monster. Except maybe in appearance.

[Beans]

Cherry Cabin - Lessons

"I, uh, just don't want anyone else to experience what I did." Just what did Sekhmet experience to make her feel this way? "You're, uh, not the only monster here, uh, trying to make a better life." Does she mean herself? She doesn't seem like a monster. Except maybe in appearance.

Hysmine nods, certainly understanding feeling like a monster. She smiles, letting that speak for itself. After a while, she inspects Sekhmet's progress. "Well, fellow knitting monster, let me show you something a little more advanced. Now, you're going to take---yes, this purl here, and you yarn over, and..."

[Shadowcaller]

Ironoak Cabin

Pathfinder gives a small nod as he settles into his seat. Instead of eating right away, he ponders over the problem given over to him. "Setting up alarms is easy. If you seek protection however, that's more complicated. Spirits don't do things for free. They require offerings. Sacrifices. Ceremony. It would take a grand hunt of a truly fearsome prey to establish a guardian spirit over the moonwell. Something from the Hunting Grounds most likely, unless there's another monster or beast that comes to mind. But even a spirit can be overwhelmed, corrupted, or defeated in enough time. What I can offer isn't going to be a permanent solution unless tended to."

[Ironoak Cabin]

Domhnall plops down his lower body onto the grass and helps himself to a lunch portion.
"Yeah that's more or less the long and short of it." It's not like he really understands the details.

[Ironoak Cabin]

"Our ears are like yours, daddy!" Maltrika declares with grave seriousness. This is clearly an important topic for the twins.

"Our cousins have big ears too, 'cause they're goblins." It seems ears will remain a topic of the conversation for a while.

"I haven't been there, but that seems to be the case," Sophie says. "We need some way of knowing if some demons come to try and twist it, at least."

Ironoak Cabin

"Goblins have pretty big ears." Anika observes/agrees as she takes a closer look at the kids. Some of them looked more like wolf ears but they were still big so it wasn't like it got any less accurate.

She then turns back to Pathfinder and Sophie. "Spirits seems to be connected to moon wells, in fact, I helped to create a moon well once. It involved asking all the spirits in the area for permission first, which also involved doing a bunch of tasks for them. So the spirits of the area might actually already be appeased."

[bc56]

Cherry Cabin - Lessons

"Yes, I, uh, see..." Sekhmet is open to instruction and will just be working on the knitting for a while. She doesn't have any more questions for Hysmine right now.

[Beans]

Cherry Cabin - Lessons

"Yes, I, uh, see..." Sekhmet is open to instruction and will just be working on the knitting for a while. She doesn't have any more questions for Hysmine right now.

Hysmine is content to just knit with Sekhmet, showing her techniques as they go. They wrap up with some fun stitching that makes a simple but nice little sort of pattern.

[bc56]

Cherry Cabin - Lessons

The lesson ends and Sekhmet prepares to leave. "Thank you, Hysmine! It was nice meeting you."

[Beans]

Cherry Cabin - Lessons

The lesson ends and Sekhmet prepares to leave. "Thank you, Hysmine! It was nice meeting you."

Hysmine smiles warmly. "It was lovely to meet you as well. Be sure to come back, or---well, what cabin are you in?" She stands to walk her student to the door. "Either way, I hope we knit together again soon, though do feel free to carry on in your own time as well."

[bc56]

Cherry Cabin - Lessons

"My husband and I are in Hawthorn Cabin. Come and see me any time! Bye!" Sekhmet waves farewell and leaves, heading back home happily.

[Recaiden]

Anchor is finally coming back to GLoG after that short trip to the sea turned into a battle with an eldritch horror, a family reunion, a trek across the countryside, a rescue mission, and more.
Hopefully there hasn't been too much trouble for Nurse Piper while she was gone.
She strolls over towards the cabins, while her shadow races off towards the lakeshore without her.

[bc56]

Front Entrance

A shadow passes overhead. It's a humanoid figure, with batlike wings and a barbed tail. A demon? It certainly looks like one. It circles a few times before it descends and lands among the cabins and begins walking casually.

[Recaiden]

That shape looked familiar. Not very familiar, but still enough to be a concern.
Anchor looks up at the demon to be sure, and then follows her to where she lands. And then she steps out to confront the demon!
"What's going on? I mean, what do you think you're doing here?"

[Deathkeeper]

Ironoak Cabin

Domhnall nods. This sounds pretty serious.
"If I can help, I will gladly do so. I only got a little magic and a sword, but I can help."
He's very insistent about that.

[bc56]

Grounds

The demoness, when approached, spins around in fear. "Aaah! I, uh, live here!" The ball of flame floating above her head sparks in alarm, and she's visibly terrified. She thought she was safe here, but now people are suspecting her.

[Recaiden]

"I live here." Anchor insists defensively.

"And I mean, what's with the new look, the wings? I thought you were all excited to look human again."
She tilts her head to look at the ball of fire and adjusts her sunglasses, as if she didn't see things right the first time.
"Wait, what happened?"

[bc56]

Grounds

"Uh, do I know you?" Sekhmet seems less terrified and more very confused now. Who is this stranger? She's never been human, right? So what is this lady talking about? "What do you mean?" She fingers her necklace, which has a little nickel disk with a shooting star emblem on it, a holy icon of Message.

[Morty]

[Ironoak Cabin]

"I don't know as much about spirits as Pathfinder, but I can help negotiating with them if it's necessary. I have a way of doing that," Sophie says.

The twins' ears are fuzzy, but long and thin at the end. Thus they look more like fox ears or bat ears than wolf ears, really. It contrasts with their older brother, who has more wolfish ears. Tuskfang also pipes up now:

"Our dad's a Wolfen and our mom's a goblin, so that makes us woblins. There's no one else like us!"

[Recaiden]

"Uh, yes. Sorry."
This is probably just a case of mistaken identities.

"See, just the other day I met this nice girl named Sekhmet, who looks a lot like you."
"But she died and had her body possessed by an eldritch horror."
Anchor reaches into a pocket of her tunic (an actual pocket) and gets out a matching holy icon.
"Now, you seem pretty alive, and I mean, looks like you're part of my church too."

[bc56]

Grounds

"What? I'm Sekhmet!" Sekhmet protests. "I think I would, uh, remember if I was killed." Like she was that one time. But her body wasn't possessed by an eldritch horror. "I've lived here for more than a year. I, uh, joined Message's church a few months ago. I, uh, don't think I met you there or, uh, anywhere else."

[Recaiden]

"More than a year? I guess that time warp stuff hit pretty hard."
Which does present an explanation.
"So either you came back and have amnesia, or I have a bunch of fake memories, or you're some sort of time-copy. I mean, like maybe the one I met was your future self, or they other you changed the past and created a parallel universe with you in it?" Or Sekhmet is a garden-variety impostor.
"I mean, there was a lot of weird magic going on there."

"Anyway, nice to meet you, other Sekhmet. I'm Anchor." When she says her name, Anchor is transformed with glory - perfect in beauty, as deep and majestic as the night itself, accompanied by the music of harpstrings, filling the heart with strength and goodness just to be near, etc. It fades away quickly; being like that all the time would be distracting and emotionally difficult, you know. "You haven't seen me around the temple because I'm another aspect of the goddess, and I wouldn't want to crowd Leah."

[bc56]

Grounds

Sekhmet bows her head while Anchor is in her glory, then resumes normal composure afterwards. That's Message's divine power all right. She can feel it. "I, uh, don't know what time, uh, stuff you're talking about." She seems confused. "When did you, uh, meet me? I've, uh, been, uh, busy all week." Busy with her husband doing newly married couple things.

[Recaiden]

Anchor breaks into a smile. It's just nice to be admired like that.
"Well, I've looked into the timelines and it's hard to say. There was a, uh, a giant monster from outside reality trying to break through. And it had some time-shifting, memory-erasing powers. But it was definitely somewhere between two weeks ago and fourteen months ago."