Inside 70: Surprisingly Pleasant

[Deathkeeper]

[What's up, Buttercup?]

"Hey, what do you friends have?" demands Buttercup. They were supposed to be looking for bones, right? Crows and dogs like those. She's pretty sure. So she goes running off in the animals' direction.

Hector sighs. "She'll be fine. Probably. Buttercup had to have come from the grove in the center. That's just how that works. I'll help if you need me." he's not entirely sure what a glorified attack-fox can really do for a Watcher, but he can try.

[bc56]

Athena looks around. That guy's big, but he's just one guy. She's more immediately worried about the 8 thugs. "Can you get the mooks out of the way so we can confront the boss?" she whispers. A distraction to get them out of the room or just immobilization would be great.

[Rebonack]

[What's Up, Buttercup?]

The Watcher is still a normal dude at the end of the day and as noticed earlier his big guns take some time to fire. Two Buttercups he can probably handle. But what about more? Or sneak attacks? Or other things! Who knows what kinds of creepy fae might be lurking in the woods. More people is always helpful.

"Then we search the grove. We're looking for a threshold. A doorway. It could be anything, but you'll know it when you see it," Hendricks says as he steps off into the trees.

He isn't particularly concerned about Buttercup.

Whether she lives or dies doesn't matter a great deal to him. The safety of the city as a whole is more important.

As soon as Hector steps into the grove the world seems to twist around him. It's like the colors outside the forest are smudging and running as if they were an impressionist painting. They've entered a liminal space. Not really in the Waking World, but not really in the Dreamlands either. Something in between. Strange lights flit in the distance, drawing the eye and tugging at the mind. Follow me. A giggle sounds through the trees followed by the noise of a rustling retreat. A tall, oblong, moss covered stone stands crooked, sticking half way out of the earth; it feels as if the stone is watching.

"Keep your wits about you," the Watcher warns.

Meanwhile!

Buttercup goes prancing off toward the crow!

"CAW!" says the bird in reply before pinning the bone in her mouth with her feet. Then she begins pecking at it.

Wowie... that bird is REALLY up high in that long, snaggly tree. There's no way Buttercup could reach it up there. BUT! If she were to put down her iron dagger she could probably touch the tree and ask it to help. That iron's a problem, see. So long as she's holding it she can't do magic and if she can't do magic the tree won't be able to hear her.

Or...

She could try climbing the tree!

Climbing trees IS lots of fun but the crow might fly away before she gets close.

What's Buttercup going to do?


[RIOT!]

"I might be able to blindside them, but we don't know what if any powers they have," Horsetail says. "Maybe I can make a commotion downstairs? That might draw a few of them off."

Oooh, distractions.

One way or the other, her tail dips into her saddle bags and pulls out a horsetail pod. She gives it a good shake, dusting the floor behind her with spores.

[Deathkeeper]

[What's up, Buttercup?]

"What, like that rock? It's kind of shaped like a door. Either way it's giving me a vibe." Hector asks. He squints. When he's under an illusion he can kind of see out from where its eyes are, but is still seeing from where his eyes really are. It's really hard to explain.
Hector instinctively wishes he had some kind of weapon. He has to remember that he does not, in fact, actually have hands, and having one wouldn't really do him much good.
Unless he got a little back-mounted gun like an Elcor! That would be pretty sick. Cyber-fox.
Maybe he's been reading too many sci-fi novels.

Meanwhile!

Buttercup knows that her dagger is helping her, but that's to make it safe for other people. There's no one around right now. So she can probably be fine for a few seconds.
But just in case, instead of just putting it down, she sticks it into the ground with her hoof hovering over it. That way if she suddenly has the urge to go find a new friend and ignore the crow-friend she'll step on it and remember she's not supposed to do that.
Flawless planning, Buttercup.
Once she's unfettered by iron she geeeently but also really quickly pokes the trunk of the tree and channels her magic.
OkayMisterTreecanyoubenicetomeandgetthatbirdandher boneformethanks?" she says really quickly.

[Rebonack]

[What's Up, Buttercup?]

As soon as she puts down the dagger Buttercup will find that her objections to naming other people Buttercup are starting to get a little hazy.

Like... wowie! Being Buttercup is just SO MUCH FUN isn't it kind of mean to hog all that fun for herself? Maybe she should try naming just ONE person Buttercup and see if they're okay with it?

It gets stronger when Buttercup reaches out with her dryad magic and touches the tree. What was so bad about being Buttercup, again? She can feel something change, but it isn't obvious what it is. She'll just know that she feels a lot more Buttercup-y than she did just a little while ago. And that feels GREAT! Wowie zowie does it ever feel great! If she just cast two more spells she would probably be able to find her back legs again!

The tree gives a groan as its branches swiftly but gently wrap around the crow, who is quite startled and gives a loud CAW! dropping the bone in the grass.

Then, happy to help a friend, the tree leans down and offers the bird to Buttercup, the branches loosening slightly.

Hmm.

A problem.

If Buttercup lets go of the tree to pick up the bone or the dagger or the bird the spell would end and the tree will be stuck leaning over. But Buttercup would have to use her tree-friend magic *again* to ask the tree to straighten up again! It wouldn't be very friendly to leave the tree leaning over like this. What is Buttercup going to do?

[bc56]

"That'd be great. Do what you need to." Athena waits in anticipation for the results, prepared to strike once everything is ready.

[Deathkeeper]

[What's up, Buttercup?]

Buttercup blinks, immediately letting go of the tree to pick up the bone and putting her hoof down.
It might sound pretty fun. But thinking one thing one second and then another the next just doesn't seem like it's good.
Besides, her legs do feel pretty funny right now. Maybe they're just calling her other ones and they'll be here any second.
Now then...that Watcher didn't say he needed ALL the bones to help her...just Bones. So more than one?
That means she's halfway there! Wowee!
One of the other Buttercups will have to help this tree-friend, though. She feels like Hector would be cross with her if she did too much magic, for some reason.
"What's the deal with you, anyway! You can't go stealing bones, you know!" she lectures the crow.

[Earl of Purple]

Lost & Found

Up the elevators in the thirteenth floor, the architecture changes. As does the view from the windows; no longer does it appear to be in a tall office block in a city, but a tall building in a jungle. Trees come right up to the bottom of the window, and some are taller. The reception desk here is battered and scratched, the wood in desperate need of polishing- or replacing. The receptionist is a skinny lizardperson, with blue-grey scales and red and yellow feathers growing from his head and his back. He's wearing a uniform of a pair of baggy trousers and a white shirt under a black waistcoat. He's not apparently doing anything as Butler enters, and tilts his head before licking his eyeballs. "You have a package for uss? Thank you. Leave it with me, I shall take care of it."

[Dr.Gunsforhands]

[Vs. Buttercup]

Beth's intention there was jump in and bowl the lot of them over while they were bunched up, but her multi-attack shtick is a lot better when she has her skates to maintain her momentum. This time, it clearly whiffed in execution and just got one.

She stares at Apron-cup's remains for about as long as Hat-cup does.

That one disintegrated, as monsters often do when they're taken out by a thing they're weak to. The monsters Beth knows don't typically leave behind human bones, though. Did the debris next to Hector earlier have bones in it, too? I didn't notice any...

A magic spear is conjured. Beth hops into position for her split-second turn defending.

The part of her that has been hanging around with an obsessive puzzle-solver is deeply concerned. How much of the original human's soul was left along with those bones, it wonders? But, for better or worse, there's another part of her that won't be so easily suckered into showing mercy.

That part of her grins.

Beth takes a swing at the solar javelin like it's a poorly-aimed fastball. She misses, which is a shame, really. It would have been more intimidating to just stand still and let it hit her. "Huh, really?" she says. "Well, that's too bad. My turn."

She leaps forward and swings with an intent to break Hat-cup's back right where her human torso meets her deer torso.

[Rebonack]

[RIOT!]

Horsetail gives a nod and her rapidly growing spores skitter off down the stairs.

Several seconds pass.

Then there's lots of yelling.

"Flux, Sabot, go find out what's going on," Riot says.

Two of the gathered gangers nod and head off, followed by two lackeys. Well... that's down to four plus Riot. Still maybe not great odds? Especially since our heroes would be going in blind.

Should they attack now? Or hope more people peel off to check downstairs?


[What's Up, Buttercup?]
Just Buttercup

Forcing the bad thoughts down really isn't very hard. Just like denying the name Buttercup, Buttercup just has to insist that ISN'T HOW SHE REALLY FEELS! It's like someone is telling Buttercup how she should think, just like how Buttercup told Buttercup what her name was. So long as she accepts it, it sticks around. But as soon as Buttercup rejects those thoughts they go away. Having her foot on the dagger helps a bit, too.

But not really. It was more a confidence thing than anything else. She has to carry iron in some capacity for the geas to be suppressed. Just stepping on it doesn't work. Buttercup doesn't know that, though. And considering the bad thinky-thoughts went away is MUST have worked like that! If someone who isn't Buttercup but could be Buttercup walked up, though, Buttercup would still start calling them Buttercup and wouldn't be able to stop until she picks up the knife again.

But that's all very complex Buttercup jurisprudence and right now Buttercup needs to tell off a crow.

"CAW CAW!" says the crow as she struggles against the branches wrapping around her.

Picking up the bone, Buttercup will feel a funny, fizzy-fuzzy feeling from it. There's a bunch of Buttercupness in that bone still. Holding that bone, Buttercup will feel it vibrating in her hands. One bone isn't enough to do something super special and fun. Not even two is enough! She needs three. And if she wanted to do something that was super extra special fun she would need three threes.

Looking up at the tree, Buttercup can see a nest. It was kind of hidden in the leaves before but now that Mister Tree is bowing for her she can see it just fine. She can see something white in there. Crows don't lay white eggs, do they? If the crow was carrying bones up to her nest then that means she might have dropped one on the way TO her nest. Maybe if Buttercup searched between the tree and the nest she could find another...

What's Buttercup going to do?


[What's Up, Buttercup?]
Hector

Obviously Hector just needs to beat up enough faeries until he evolves. Then he would have hands!

"I don't believe so. Thresholds are something you can walk through," the Watcher replies dourly. "Can you walk through a stone?"

Man this guy is so sassy. Why does he have to be jerky about this? It isn't like Hector knows about faerie things even though he used to be one.

Regardless, the feeling that the stone is watching intensifies. And not the Watcher sort of watching, either.

Does Hector approach the stone?

Or does he just stand back ogling it?


[What's Up, Buttercup?]
Beth

The spear thus sticks into a wall nearby with a thunk, digging in a good eight inches. Considering the wall was brick that's pretty impressive. Also? Vines are growing from the spear now and shoving the brick and mortar apart like roots under a sidewalk. Probably best not to get hit with those.

Beth lunges with her bat, but THIS Buttercup is ready for it! She does a dancing half-step away, the bat caressing the fur on her torso as it whizzes past. All that frolicking they do apparently leaves the Buttercups really limber! More vines begin growing from Buttercup's forearms as her hands are bathed in that fizzy, crackling eldritch glow. Then she tries to shove Beth HARD!

Not like... super strength or anything.

Not even close.

Just what a reasonably in-shape person would be able to accomplish with the extra traction four legs gives them.

The REAL hazard is those vines trying to snap onto Beth and rapidly entangle her.

"Get AWAY from me you MEANIE!" Buttercup yells.

[What's Up, Buttercup?]
Tristan

"Huh. That's gotta be the fifth one," Tristan mutters as another weird deer lady goes bouncing past the big picture windows at the laundromat. He had just started his first load a few minutes ago and then BOING! there goes some weird centaur person. At first he had assumed they were the traditional sort like his pal Arty, but then another one trotted past. Nope. Way too small. And with spots? And those ears aren't right for a horse. Deer maybe? She looked just like the first one and Tristan was wondering if she had just... turned around? And came back the same way?

When the third, fourth, and fifth soon follow Tristan is starting to wonder if there are just a bunch of identical deer people prancing around the city in the late afternoon for some reason.

Tristan, as it happens, is a normal guy and he mostly tries to avoid weird. Or at least he likes to think of himself as a normal guy. Though his three-color hair doesn't look super normal. Part white, part brown, part blond. Nor does his blue/green heterochromia look super normal. His skin-tone is slightly patchwork, too, but he wears long sleeves most of the time to cover that up. See, Tristan is a triple chimera. Fraternal triplets that fused in the womb. And when he had shown up in the Nexus a few years back some really rude witches had made the chimera part a little more mythologically literal.

Thankfully he had figured out how to fix that after a few months. Having three heads was a giant pain. But he had made some friends in the Recovering Mythological Monster community in the process.

Tristan begins typing on his phone.

>ChimeraTritastrophe: I just saw six deer-centuar ladies bounce past.
>ChimeraTritastrophe: Pretty sure they're all identical.
>RiddlesNoMore: Woah I thought it was just me.
>RiddlesNoMore: There are eight minimum at Inside University Library.
>RiddlesNoMore: Librarians have been trying to get them to quiet down lol.
>RiddlesNoMore: Where you at chimera?
>ChimeraTritastrophe: Laundromat on the corner of Styx and Pear Juice. Got here maybe 15 min ago.
>AFishNamedSal: Wowie, are we talking about Buttercup?
>ChimeraTritastrophe: Maybe? Did you talk to one of them?
>RiddlesNoMore: 'Wowie'?
>AFishNamedSal: Yeah! Buttercup is really nice and fun!
>AFishNamedSal: You should talk to her too!
>AFishNamedSal: Oh zowie, haha, I need to fix my nick.
>AFishNamedButtercup: But really you should talk to her you'll have SO MUCH FUN if you do!
>ChimeraTritastrophe: Like a specific one named Buttercup? There are a ton of them.
>ChimeraTritastrophe: Just saw three more.
>AFishNamedButtercup: What? No! We're all Buttercup!
>RiddlesNoMore: 'We'? Are you feeling okay Fishy?
>AFishNamedButtercup: Yeah I feel great, never better!

Tristan frowns down at his phone.

This situation is seriously triggering his weird-dar. Should he just wait for his laundry to be done and lay low? Or risk snooping?

[bc56]

RIOT

Athena looks for another doorway and detaches a small spherical object from her belt. A grenade? She rolls it through, where it emits a ton of strobe lights and gunshot noises. Instant distraction! Hopefully that gets more of the superpowered goons away.

What's up, Buttercup

Someone portals in near a swarm of deer dryads. She's a beautiful demonic woman with bat wings, barbed tail, red skin and six horns, wearing... Not much. A moment later, she changes, becoming a (still beautiful) human, wearing only slightly more clothes. Who does this "Buttercup" think she is? The Archfiend of Corruption needs to have a word with her. If anyone gets to spread horrible magical diseases, it's her. But maybe she can use the buttercup plague to her advantage. It certainly spreads more effectively than anything she's employed in the past. She seeks out a Buttercup to investigate.

[Deathkeeper]

[What's up, Buttercup?]

Buttercup puts her knife and the bone in her pocket. She also covers them with her shirt so the crow can't steal them when she's not looking.
She'll go snooping around the area of the nest looking for more bones!
Mostly because she can't see any right now and the nest itself is out of reach.

Meanwhile!

Hector leers at the stone.
It's rude to stare, rock.
"Sir, I know you're trained more than me, but you also weren't literally a fae for a few weeks." Hector goes up to the stone to examine it. But he'll return to the Watcher if nothing immediately jumps out to/at him.

[Reinholdt]

Lost & Found

Up the elevators in the thirteenth floor, the architecture changes. As does the view from the windows; no longer does it appear to be in a tall office block in a city, but a tall building in a jungle. Trees come right up to the bottom of the window, and some are taller. The reception desk here is battered and scratched, the wood in desperate need of polishing- or replacing. The receptionist is a skinny lizardperson, with blue-grey scales and red and yellow feathers growing from his head and his back. He's wearing a uniform of a pair of baggy trousers and a white shirt under a black waistcoat. He's not apparently doing anything as Butler enters, and tilts his head before licking his eyeballs. "You have a package for uss? Thank you. Leave it with me, I shall take care of it."

[Lost & Found]

Butler looks around with a great deal of confusion, turning left and right. "Oh, I'm sorry sir. I think I got on the wrong elevator sir. This box belongs to the Charnockian Society of Friends sir and they're in a city, not a jungle sir." Therefore, Butler cannot hand the box over to the lizard person who requested it. It would be irresponsible of him.

He should probably even just get back on the elevator, ride back down, go to the LEFT one for real this time and try again. But he's polite enough to hear the lizardperson's response first at least.

[Rebonack]

[RIOT!]

"We're under attack!" come shouts from the basement just as the strobe orb goes off.

Riot rises to his feet and braces, like he's ready to fight. When he notices his minions are just standing around he points at the far doorway. "Well? Go bust there skulls you idiots!"

Off they go!

That just leaves us with Riot on his throne of pallets.

Two versus one.

Those sound like good odds, right?

Horsetail nods to her partner.

Ready?

One...

Two...!


[What's Up, Buttercup?]
Sapphira

Finding some Buttercups honestly isn't very difficult. There are, after all, quite a few of them!

Sapphira will find that a group of them are slowly working their way through a market place. It's late in the day and a bit nippy, so it isn't densely packed as it could be. It isn't too hard to watch a Buttercup walk up to a random person and begin talking to them and-

Sapphira may notice a rather potent charm thunk into her. It twists the perception of what is and isn't important. What's noteworthy to pay attention to. Specifically it renders the fact that the woman Buttercup is talking to just became another Buttercup unremarkable, un-noteworthy, and completely below anyone's notice. At least three people walked right past as the woman was sprouting a second pair of legs without blinking. One even looked straight at the new Buttercup and kept walking.

The two Buttercups then engage in some mutual frolicking before splitting off to talk with more people.

One of the two strikes up an animated conversation with another person nearby. The other has something harsh and rude said to her, causing her sunny expression to waver a bit before she shrugs and looks for someone nicer to chat with.

Specifically?

Sapphira.

"Hello Buttercup!" Buttercup calls out, waving as she trots over to Sapphira. "What are you doing in the market this evening? Oooh! Are you getting ready for Spooktober? That's why I came here. Gotta get me some PUMPKINS!"

Buttercup sounds very excited about the acquisition of pumpkins

[What's Up, Buttercup?]
Buttercup

This task is very hard.

Buttercup is slowly and methodically searching the area around the tree for one of the bones in case the crow dropped one.

And doing ANYTHING slowly and methodically is difficult for Buttercup. BUT! Not impossible. Buttercup can make ANYTHING fun! There's a pretty good chance that she'll find a way to turn searching for a bone in the grass into a really fun game! But what sort of game could it be? Well, the more fun it is the easier Buttercup will be able to focus on it. Fun good! Boring baaaaaad!

So?

What sort of game is Buttercup going to play?

Maybe she's only allowed to hope between the dead spots in the grass?

Or maybe every third step she has to do a cartwheel?

Something! But it better be FUN!


[What's Up, Buttercup?]
Hector

Hector approaches the stone!

And as he approaches the world around him wavers and the Watcher vanishes from view.

The sounds of the City fall away completely, replaced with the heavy patter of rain. Rain striking the canopy far above. Rain dripping off the leaves and plapping on the forest floor. Rain pooling and flowing into burbling streams and brooks. Everywhere everything is bright and green and new. Colorful wildflowers poke out of the earth and birds sing in the distance. Not too far away, a shaft of sunlight streams down from on high, illuminating two dryads and two nyads. One of the dryads is clearly a Buttercup, though the other is more traditionally humanoid with hair full of apple blossoms. The nyads are things of smooth stones and rushing water with garlands of water lillies in their glistening hair. They're dancing, laughing, and appear to be enjoying themselves.

Hector is, as yet, unnoticed. At least he has been noticed by the quartet of nymphs.

The stone hasn't moved.

But now there's someone standing on top of it.

Like a little lamb. And a kid. And a cat. And a calf. With a great big grin that glows like the harvest moon, eyes like golden embers, and wool that's as black as pitch.

The rain refuses to touch him.

"Hiya!" the hedley kow says, his voice full of mischievous mirth. "You lookin' for someone?"


[What's Up, Buttercup?]
Tristan

There are three other people in the laundromat with Tristan. Just... random folks doing their laundry? Completely normal person things. Sure, one of them is some sort of fish guy but hey the Nexus has all sorts right? Tristan decides to keep an eye on the door just in case-

-the little bell above the door rings.

One of the 'Buttercups' pushes the door open and steps inside, eyes bright and a spring in her step. She heads right up to the person nearest the door and begins talking with them animatedly.

Okay.

Yeah.

Nope.

There is DEFINITELY some weird going on here. Tristan can't really make a break for the door, since there's a Buttercup standing right there but maybe there's a more furtive exit he can take?

Is abandoning his laundry worth not confronting the weird?

Definitely.

Farewell, laundry, your sacrifice is admirable.

Tristan ducks into the men's bathroom and out of sight. Thank goodness it's one of those tiny bathrooms with only one stall and a locking door. That means unless Buttercup feels like violating both a sealed door AND bathroom etiquette he should be safe. Right? Ugh. This is terrible. Come on, Tristan, think! What should you do?

We can take her.
Of course we can take her we're a friggin' TANK with a built in flame thrower.
She seemed nice! Why don't we just talk to her?
Because I'm pretty sure she turned Fishy into another Buttercup. Somehow.
Maybe Fishy was just joking?
She wasn't joking, butt-snake.
Hey! That's RUDE, Leona!
Ladies, come on, no fighting remember? We get too bickery and we start sprouting extra heads. We need to share headspace PEACEFULLY.
Fiiiine. You win Ares. Sorry Drakania.
*sniff* I accept your apology, Leona.
Let's take a peek and see what's going on out there.
Okay!
Alright, fine.

That debate over, Tristan unlatches the door and peeks carefully around the corner.

There are now no normal people and four Buttercups.

The door closes quickly and the latch is thrown again.

"Oh **** I'm so screwed."

[bc56]

RIOT

Three...

Go!

Jade does the hand signals for the countdown. On three, she jumps out from her hiding place and fires a hardlight blast (still set to stun) at the huge supervillain. Hopefully his powers aren't too nasty, because it looks like it will take a lot before he goes down.

What's up Buttercup

Sapphira watches intently. A potent charm, but not one which can withstand her force of will. An impressive display too. The transformation spreads through ordinary conversation and is designed to avoid easy notice. If she could duplicate that effect somehow... Ah, perfect timing. She prepares her defenses as the Buttercup begins talking to her. "Hi, Buttercup. I'm actually here to pick up some good quality soil. I'm experimenting with some new kinds of crops." It's true, from a certain point of view.

[Rebonack]

[RIOT!]

At the same time as Athena fires, Horsetail lobs a spore pod like a grenade, sending it skipping across the concrete floor before rolling to a halt near the villain.

The blast blindsides Riot, though it only causes the hulk of a man to stagger slightly.

Dude is built like a brick wall.

He immediately turns to regard Athena and Horsetail and grins a rather nasty grin.

-and snaps his fingers.

Athena may suddenly find herself struck with an overpowering urge to fight whoever happens to be standing closest to her.

Which... in this case is Horsetail.

It might help encourage the urge when Horsetail pivots on her front hooves and aims a buck straight at Athena's midsection. The little pony is strong and getting kicked by her is 100% not fun.

"I can't- I'm sorry! I don't know why I did that!" Horsetail cries out. It was only one attack, though. No follow up. Seems Riot's riot power only lasts a few seconds at a time.

Riot stoops down and picks up a metal I-beam off the floor, slinging it over one shoulder like a baseball bat as he begins strolling toward out heroes. His other hand is held up, fingers ready to snap again.

"Well well. I was wondering when the local Protectorate chapter was going to send some flunkies. I was expecting more than two," the villain laughs. "What's with the hor-what the hell?"

Oh. Hah. He just got dog-piled by a few dozen giant spores. Seems they don't care much about his snapping. No ears. They're busy grappling him, but they're mostly just slowing him down. Riot begins swinging and stomping, trying to get the resilient plants off him. "The hell are these things? Killer weeds?"


[What's Up, Buttercup?]

Answered once.

After the first time the Cursed Name will have already latched onto Sapphira. However, it hasn't altered her outwardly in any way. It carries a geas to name others Buttercup as well. If it was cut off here, it would still spread, but the carrier would show no outward symptoms at all. However, the geas is weak. Only a pet name occasionally used. Left to its own devices, though, in three weeks someone who had answered once would progress to the second stage.

"Wowie, you're a gardener, Buttercup? That sure sounds like fun!" Buttercup replies brightly. "I don't really do any gardening. I'm just planning on bringing the pumpkins home for my kids to make into Jack-o-Lanturns! It's probably my FAVORITE part of Spooktober! Better than the candy and parties, even!"

[WindStruck]

Finally, after quite a rollercoaster of good and bad fortune, fraught with excitement Solstice had rather lived without, things were going back to normal! Well, aside from still being stuck in Nexus. She strode through the streets in her fancy new robes, somehow even nicer than the last: exquisite, sheer, minty-green silk robes delicately embroidered with intricate floral designs. They constantly reminded her of pleasant Summer mornings and breezes and springtime foliage, and in fact every slightest breeze could be felt too. Somehow Solstice still felt warm and fuzzy inside, memories of her home and friendship all contained in the gossamer fabric. The robes were a masterpiece in their own right!

Only, unfortunately, perhaps a bit late as 'Spooktober' was approaching and chill was beginning to linger in the air.

Solstice had been trying to carefully deal and bargain and find other safe means of income - which was frequently in the form of knowledge or other useful items - all with the ultimate goal of supporting herself, learning more about her surroundings, and researching a means to get home. But she still had a bit of free time. Seeing what exactly this Spooktober event was all about seemed a very wise choice to spend her day while other more pressing matters simmered in the background.

That's when, all of a sudden, passing by restaurants, shops, street vendors (some probably selling pumpkins!) and other miscellaneous buildings (maybe a laundromat too!), she noticed something peculiar. Lots of doe-like, happy-go-lucky Fae were chittering away among the streets. It didn't take Solstice long to realize that aside from garb on their head and torso, they were nearly identical, and they all seemed to be acting in the same fashion too. This was not some rigid militaristic structure where conformity in appearance and demeanor was expected. It.. wasn't really like a dance, either. These dryads, if that was accurate at all, seemed far too undisciplined and scatterbrained for that. And as Solstice paid even closer attention, people were transforming into them, adding to their ranks, right before her very eyes!

'Buttercup'

What on Earth - No, erm.. What in the world was going on?? More worryingly, it was becoming apparent that a great number of these Fae were already swelling in the streets. And Solstice found herself caught in the middle of it all. Oh... oh deer.

'Buttercup'

'Buttercup' was a word that pricked at her senses. Every time it was uttered she would feel a small tingle or a shiver. There was some kind of magic going on here, if the transformations were not blatantly obvious enough. And judging by that, it wasn't good...

[bc56]

RIOT

Athena is sent sprawling by that kick. Ouch. "It's not your fault. It's his!" Luckily she's stunned long enough that she doesn't counterattack before the effect wears off. With a wave of her hand, she generates a wall of hardlight, knee high, right in front of Riot, hoping to trip him as he advances.

What's up Buttercup

Sapphira lets the Buttercup essence inside her, then immediately surrounds it with psychic and magical barriers. It appears to be something resembling a parasitic psychic presence which overwrites its host's mind, similar in function to a virus in medical terms. It could be very useful. She begins to carefully probe its defenses, while preparing the psychic equivalent of a cloud of meat hooks and scalpels; the tools she uses to create lesser demons to possess others. She's the Archfiend of Corruption. She's going to try to corrupt this fairy. "I always liked the scary stories. But my real favorite holiday is new year's. It just feels like a fresh start." Also parties and drinking and all that. Great places to sow corruption.

[Rebonack]

[Riot]

With his focus on the swarm of spores Riot doesn't notice the wall and stumbles into it, falling over flat on his face. The spores take the opportunity to completely blanket him, covering Riot in straight jacket of steel-strong grasping tendrils. They especially make sure to bind his hands and fingers to prevent him from snapping again now that Horsetail has the wherewithall to provide them with more specific instructions.

Hard to snap when there are vines all over your hands.

"I think we got him?" Horsetail says, eyeing the bound behemoth carefully.

"Haha. You two are real pieces of work," Riot laughs from under the pile of spores. He sure doesn't sound defeated. "You've got guts, I'll give you that. Tell you what. Let me up right now and you can walk. Or hey, even join my crew if you want. I don't like holding grudges. Otherwise I'm turning both of you into grease stains. You got five seconds."

Horsetail glances over at Athena.

"One..."


[What's Up, Buttercup?]
Sapphira

Essence?

There's no essence.

Nothing so concrete.

Whatever this is? It's ephemeral and mercurial, difficult to pin down and define. It's like finding that you're someone else in a dream and simply accepting that role without thinking about it. After all, in the dream, that feels like the right thing to do. Sapphira will likely be able to tell that it's only meant to interact with a single soul. But finding so many and being at something of a loss, it only latches onto one and subsumes it with itself rather than spreading thin across a legion.

If it were denied at this point physical alterations would manifest, but it still wouldn't be complete. Withing three days it would completely take over the host. Along with it comes a tentative connection to a distant source of eldritch magic.

The source is both deep and powerful. Possibly on par with Sapphira herself. She hasn't noticed Sapphira. Not yet. But if she were to try drawing on that eldritch strength it would almost without question attract the attention of The Queen of All Who Dance in the Springtime Rain. If her goal here is to remain undetected and learn, it would be best to avoid the attention of the force behind this contagion.

"I really like New Years, too," Buttercup replies brightly, bouncing on her hooves. "But, haha, I'm already feeling like a new person this year! Wowie zowie, isn't that funny? I'm still thinking of what resolution I should make. Have you thought of any resolutions yet, Buttercup?"


[What's Up, Buttercup?]
Tristan

They are definitely multiplying. Totally without a doubt. It's like a bouncy, giggly zombie apocalypse. He's got to warn his friends. Tristan sits down on the toilet (he's gotta sit down, this is a bit too much) and checks his phone again.

>StoneColdSnek: Hey guys I think something weird is going on with all these deer people.
>StoneColdSnek: Oh you've been talking about it already ::snekisslow::
>AFishNamedButtercup: Wowie I was wondering when you would get on Snek! *hugs*
>AFishNamedButtercup: You shold definitely talk to Buttercup youll have SO MUCH FUN!!1!
>RiddlesNoMore: Yeah definitely don't talk to Buttercup, Snek.
>ChimeraTritastrophe: Can confirm. It's some kind of assimilation thing.
>StoneColdSnek: ::snekohsnap:: Uhh... what should we do?
>RiddlesNoMore: Did you actually see them do it? I've been looking for it and haven't noticed anything.
>ChimeraTritastrophe: No, but when I went to the bathroom there were three people and one Buttercup. When I peeked out there were no people and four Buttercup.
>StoneColdSnek: ::snekdoinaconcern::
>AFishNamedButtercup: Aaww stop it yu guys! your ruingin the surprise!

--AFishNamedButtercup has been banned--

>GloriousChicken(Mod): Okay I've read over what's going on and booted Fishy ::sad::
>GloriousChicken(Mod): If it looks like someone else has been Buttercup'd @ me and I'll kick them.
>GloriousChicken(Mod): We don't need them spreading the fake news.
>GloriousChicken(Mod): Stay safe out there Mythies.

Tristan heaves a heavy sigh. He can't just stay here holed up in the bathroom. What should he do? He looks to the locked door. Then over at the window with heavy iron bars on it. He could probably fit through the window if the bars weren't there... Maybe he could...

I say we transform and roll out. Burn the whole building to the ground and dance on their ashes.
Leona no! We haven't transformed for eighteen months!
Yeah I'm with Drakania. We're not falling off the wagon for a bunch of ditzy deer.
*sigh* Fine. Put me at the helm and I can rip those bars right off the window. We can sneak out the back.
We left a bunch of our stuff out front. We would be leaving it all behind. Fishy was hinting pretty hard that FUN happens because of talking to Buttercup. I think I can navigate whatever verbal landmines they toss in front of us and get our things.
I guess I could just run out the front door REALLY fast... But I think I like Ares' idea best. Didn't we leave our wallet on top of the washer?
CRAP we did. We can't lose that. It's got the keykards to the apartment.
And the pictures from home.
Okay, Ares' plan then.

Tristan takes a deep breath and focuses. He doesn't really change. Not physically, anyway. He becomes visibly more calm. More collected. And, somehow, his androgynous features appear just a little bit more masculine.

"Okay. Here we go," Tristan says as he unlatches the door and steps out into the laundromat.

Two Buttercups immediately zero in on him. Apparently the other two left already? They share a look, giggle, and then one of them prances over to Tristan.

"Hi there Buttercup! Fine night for laundry right?" she says, her voice overflowing with jubilant mirth.

Buttercup.

That name is insidious. Fishy wanted them to talk to her. It HAS to have something to do with conversation. Tristan can feel the intent. Get him to answer to that name. That's gotta be it. So instead of replying he shakes his head, touches his mouth, and touches his ear. Immediately Buttercup's expression falls, her cervine ears drooping.

"Oh... you can't hear me? That's really sad, I'm sorry," Buttercup replies. And then, before Tristan can react, she leans in and gives him a full-on hug, her chest pressing up against his. She smells like the forest and springtime rain. "I hope you get your hearing back, friend!"

Then she releases him and pronks out the front door with the other Buttercup. As they're leaving he can hear the both of them lamenting over Tristan's deafness and how sad it is that he won't be a Buttercup, too.

Tristan releases the breath he was holding. Phew... that worked, right? Ares steps back from full control (doing the super charge thing for long is exhausting) and Tristan quickly gathers what he can carry and hurries out the front door of the laundromat.

There are giggling dryadeer prancing everywhere. This is truly the end of days.


[What's Up, Buttercup?]
Solstice

It's a mess, that's for sure. The weirdest thing is that many of the Buttercups are just... going about their business as if nothing had happened? They're still shopping, though every time a Buttercup stops at the stall of another Buttercup it looks like they're just GIVING things away. That might seem offensive to Solstice. Though if you're giving something from yourself TO yourself does that really count as giving something away? There are plenty of conversations between Buttercups and non-Buttercups. Some of those end in more Buttercups. Others in one disappointed looking Buttercup and one irritated looking person. Though, oddly, Solstice's attention will be SHOVED at when she tries to watch someone actually becoming Buttercup. A compulsion to disregard it as unimportant. Though given that Solstice is fae, she may be more resistant to such wiles than your average human. Others have started dancing and frolicking and laughing but eventually they break off to find more people to talk to!

Because Buttercup ALWAYS wants to make more friends.

Which means it's only a matter of time before one of them comes bouncing right up to Solstice.

She's wearing a fuzzy, colorful sweater and a knit cap. Both are big on black, purple, green, and orange with little bats and pumpkins on them.

"Hi Buttercup! How are you doing today?" asks Buttercup. Once again, there's the prickle of magic behind that name.

Buttercup.

Not too far away, an androgynous looking person in a denim jacket, a black graphic tee with a picture of some sort of three headed dragon on it (two heads are glaring at the third, who's bobbing her like a derp), and blue jeans steps out of a laundromat holding a basket full of laundry. He starts off down the street, spots Buttercup talking to Solstice, and looks briefly conflicted. After a momentary pause he grabs the wallet off the top of the basket, drops the basket on the sidewalk, and begins jogging toward Solstice and Buttercup.

[bc56]

RIOT

Athena gives Horsetail a look. She wants to call this guy's bluff, but she's not so sure. She has an idea though. The problem is, it would make Horsetail mad. "Let me try to do the thing. That would stop him." At least temporarily. Athena's assuming Horsetail knows which "thing" she's talking about.

What's up Buttercup

Sapphira nods. "I want to make things right with my daughter." Again, true from a certain point of view. Not from the point of view most people would take.
This is strike three. She's preparing to study what happens to the Buttercup she has trapped now. Were she a puny mortal, this would be where she transforms, so if it looks like she should change, she will. Likewise, she'll filter her behavior through what Buttercup would try to control.

[Gnrlshrimp]

[Kraken Open a Book]

"May I ask what you are doing?" comes an austere voice as the books are gathered up. The source of the voice is a small, elderly man in tweed vest and a button up shirt. A deeply wrinkled face, wispy white hair, thick glasses. It would be hard to imagine a more librarian-like person if you tried.

He's holding a rake menacingly.

"Eep, gotta go!" Zee says before abruptly shrinking out of existence. She's outta here!

[Kraken Open a Book]

"Really, Minion? Is that all you can carr- oh, hello old person." Suzie is momentarily perplexed by the sudden arrival of an old person.

And the sudden vanishing of that peasant lady! How mysterious!

"Ah, your words betray you. You must be that dreaded librarian person the peasant lady talked about. Well, we are claiming these tomes of forbidden knowledge for the glory of Suz'- of Suz'- of me, and there is nothing you can do to stop us!" She declares with a cackle, sweeping up the remainder of the books in one of her tentacles.

[Deathkeeper]

[What's up, Buttercup?

Buttercup plays a game alright.
But you'd be hard pressed to make out what the rules are. She's stepping, wheeling, and occasionally clapping on her way around the area but...
Consistency?
You're asking an awful lot from a Buttercup.
It's doubtful there's even any rules in her head.

Meanwhile!

Hector really should have seen this coming. Honestly.
He frowns, quickly getting soaked. His illusion flickers and fizzles. He doesn't bother to keep it up.
"Something, actually. And it looks like I already found it." he says simply, remembering not to say 'thanks.' The fox backs up, hoping that the rock effect was just proximity-based and he wasn't actually moved.

[Earl of Purple]

Lost And Found

"Thiss iss the Charnockian Ssocsiety of Friendss. I have a bussiness card to prove it, too. The windowss are lying, there iss not really a jungle outsside. Jusst the csity, which iss not ssuch a pretty ssight." The lizardperson reaches into a drawer in his desk and produces a business card, with the words 'Charnockian Society of Friends' emblazoned on it quite large.

[WindStruck]

While Solstice was physically all Fae, and perhaps even mentally so, spiritually there was a wee bit of a 'problem' of having that pesky soul. On one hand there was that extra degree of freedom, the ability to take a hard look at one's own thoughts and actions, and the ability to change. But that in itself left a vulnerability.. a capability of being manipulated and corrupted.

While Solstice wasn't able to see right away what was happening to everyone, she did notice the increase in numbers of dryadeers, which raised her suspicions. That, and feeling the magic throughout the air. Eventually, she was able to force herself past the compulsion to disregard the transformations. Having a soul may have made her vulnerable in this regard, but still, her will was strong. Very strong.

So when another one of these deer people bounce up to Solstice, she's really on her guard. And there's no mistaking that this one in the sweater and knit cap was talking to Solstice, what with all her jubilance and enthusiasm directed right at her.

Solstice was really expecting something far more malicious, but the Buttercup's demeanor and words really did seem harmless. Still, something was amiss, and Solstice was not eager to make friends with.. whatever this was. In much the same manner that she refused being called a 'Pardner' by Jane cosplaying as a cowboy, Solstice responded with her eyes narrowed suspiciously, rejecting all pretense of friendliness, "I have never used the name 'Buttercup'. If you wish to address me more properly, you may call me Solstice."

Stupid, confused deer person. At least get Solstice's name right. Well, her nickname. But it was one she almost exclusively used. Solstice may as well have been her True Name. But it wasn't at all.

Solstice follows up, demanding of the deer person in the sweater, "Who are you, and what are you doing to everyone?"

[Dr.Gunsforhands]

[Beth vs. Buttercup]

Oh, wow, look at that. Is every Buttercup this strong? That's worrying for at least two reasons, but it's really exciting for at least one.

"Hmm. No, I don't think so," says Beth. She raises her left arm against the shove, grabs onto one of those crackling forearms and pulls Hat-cup into a conspiratorial grapple. It's not hard, since they're both apparently in a grabbing mood. "You see, a monster named Buttercup implicitly agreed to play with me just now, and I'm gonna play this game until it ends. So, unless I'm mistaken, and you're not actually her..."

By this point, the vines have probably lashed the two monsters together as result of their mutual shenaniganry.

"It's my turn again!"

She pulls back hard on the vines that have grabbed her, the idea being to swing Hat-cup around and slam her into the sidewalk if she doesn't let go.

[Rebonack]

[RIOT!]

"Two."

Horsetail gives Athena a look back. She isn't sure if this will work, let alone her ethical issues with it.

"Three."

Whatever Athena is going to do she had better hurry!


[What's Up, Buttercup?]
Sapphira Buttercup

"Aaww... that sounds really nice! I hope it works out, Buttercup," Buttercup says, offering Buttercup a warm smile.

It happens fast. Really fast. Within the span of ten seconds, tops. The mortal body is stripped away and replaced with an effigy of wood and weeds and a few stray bones from the victim, all bound together with imagination and moonbeams. A body of gossamer. A thing that isn't. A dream pulled into the Waking World. The Cursed Name covers the original identity of the soul like a glittery, fizzy filter until Buttercup is the emphasis and the original personality is mere window dressing. Sprinkles on the top of a Buttercup sundae.

Sapphira's mass of souls now contains one (1) Buttercup. What shall she do with her?

"Oh, wowie, I've got a great idea Buttercup! Do you want to help me pick out a pumpkin?" Buttercup asks. "There's a great big field nearby FULL of pumpkins it's probably great for frolicking in!"

The captive Buttercup thinks this sounds like a very fun idea. Way more fun than whatever mean idea Sapphira had come here with.


[What's Up, Buttercup?]
Hector Buttercup

Making up the rules as you go is one of the best parts of playing games.

The only problem is sometimes mortals start playing the game too and they NEVER know what the rules are!

It's really rude and inconsiderate.

Everyone else always knows the rules why can't they?

Oh hey a bone!

The little white bone is sitting next to a dandelion about half way between the ruined effigy and the friend-tree.

That's two! Maybe Buttercup could try climbing the tree for number three?

OR she could go talk to that nice dog by the swings. Everyone knows dogs are good friends. Or maybe she could figure out what the spooky robed guy in the trees was doing? He seemed pretty suspicious.


[What's Up, Buttercup?]
Actually Hector

Hector backs up.

He is now slightly further away from the rock than he was a few moments ago.

"Oh, see, no. If you want to go back you're doing it wrong," the pooka says as he leans forward in a PLAY! bow, sticks his tail straight up in the air, and then tilts it over to one side like the arm of a metronome.

TICK

Suddenly he's standing right next to Hector, his face pressed up against the fox pokemon's. He reaches out with one foreleg to put it around Hector's shoulders.

"You get in by approaching the stone. To LEAVE you need to walk up to the stone-"

TOCK

Suddenly he's standing about half way between Hector and the stone, prancing toward it.

TICK

Now he's standing right next to it, creeping around it like a stalking cat. "-then you have to walk AROUND the stone-

TOCK

Now he's right in front of Hector again, his nose pressed against the fox'. His huge cheshire cat grin fills Hector's field of view.

"-then you walk AWAY from the stone!"

TICK

Balanced atop the stone upon one hoof, he grins down at Hector. "See? Easy! Simplicity itself, really. Of course, you probably shouldn't take my word for it. I'm notoriously untrustworthy."

TOCK

Untrustworthy and gone, the sound of his laughter scattered in the rain.

Hehehehe...


[What's Up, Buttercup?]
Tristan

As Tristan left the laundromat he did a quick check on the chat group again just to keep appraised of what was going on.

>NotAPony: Hey guys I'm going to try something. I'll check back in with what I find out.
>ChimeraTritastrophe: I made it out of the laundromat and scarified a load of laundry for freedom.
>StoneColdSnek: f
>ChimeraTritastrophe: Blew off one of the Buttercups when she talked to me. Pretended I was deaf. That seemed to work?
>StoneColdSnek: None of the Buttercups want to talk to me I'm starting to get offended.
>StoneColdSnek: ::snekpeeved::
>RiddlesNoMore: Do you think it might be a giant snake thing?
>StoneColdSnek: Probably the giant snake thing ::sneklol::
>TwoManyDogs: Oh wowie zowie! I really wish I had checked in here before I went to work.
>GloriousChicken(Mod): 'Wowie zowie'? *eyes ban-hammer*
>TwoManyDogs: Wait don't ban me! Hear me out.
>TwoManyDogs: Yeah, we got Buttercup'd.
>KrakenInABottle: Oh no, not you too Dogs ::sad::
>TwoManyButtercups: I think we're a little more lucid than the other Buttercups, though.
>TwoManyButtercups: They keep giving Lefty and me weird looks
>ChimeraTritastrophe: Both of you? Like there are two of you? Two Buttercups?
>TwoManyButtercups: Yeah. I guess we aren't as Buttercupy as the others? Like the Buttercupness was spread across both me and Lefty. Too little butter on too much toast.
>TwoManyButtercups: My spiky color split with us, too. We've both still got it on. Helps keep the fizzy-fuzzy-thinky-thoughts down. Maybe the iron?
>RiddlesNoMore: This is actually useful information, Chicken. I'm thinking don't ban him. ...Her?
>TwoManyButtercups: Her, yeah. Definitely her. Lol. Being Buttercup is great! Super-fun. Just, wowie, everything feels amazing! But...
>RiddlesNoMore: Buuuuuuut?
>TwoManyButtercups: But I think the only people who have fun being Buttercup are Buttercups. Our group is kind of about un-transforming people. Or at least coping with getting transmoged.
>TwoManyButtercups: So probably most of you aren't wanting to be Buttercups, lol.
>StoneColdSnek: Is Lefty doing okay? ::snekdoinaconcern::
>TwoManyButtercups: Lefty is fine, she's keeping watch while I talk with you guys.
>TwoManyButtercups: Wowie was I wrong! She just wandered off to pick flowers or something. I'll brb.

Tristan frowns and stuffs his phone in his jacket pocket. So they got Dogs, too? How many friends were going to get struck down by the cheerful, bubbly plague?

That's when he spies the Buttercup across the street talking to some robed woman.

He...

He really wants to just slink home and hide. Let this whole mess blow over. But at the same time... that woman is someone's friend. Someone's daughter. How would he feel if someone could have rescued Fishy or Dogs from getting Buttercup'd and they decided to do nothing because that was safer?

Mad, probably.

It doesn't even take a debate among the three siblings. The decision is unanimous. Tristan drops his clothing basket on the sidewalk and breaks off in a jog toward the woman. Hopefully he isn't too late.


[What's Up, Buttercup?]
Solstice

Oh yes.

Definitely without a doubt Buttercup is talking to Solstice.

That much is unmistakable.

And when Solstice announces that she is not, in fact, Buttercup the nymph looks really disappointed.

"You... you aren't Buttercup? I'm sure you were..." she says, her ears drooping. "Yowie zowie, please don't be mad! We can still be friends even if you aren't Buttercup. You look like you would still be pretty good at frolicking!"

At Solstice's question the nymph smiles, giggles, and gives a little hopping clap. "I'm Buttercup! I thought maybe you were Buttercup, too, but I guess not! Sometimes people aren't Buttercup and that's okay. And sometimes people ARE Buttercup and that's really fun! I always like making new friends."

Making, in this case, isn't in the sense that normal folk would use the word.

Then Buttercup gasps and wheels around. "Oh, here comes another friend! I wonder if he's Buttercup? I should find out!" That said, she begins trotting toward the young man approaching Solstice, opens her mouth to speak, and-

-the young man plants an open palm against Buttercup's face and gently but firmly shoves her out of his way.

"Hey, you were just talking to one of the Buttercups and you didn't turn into a weird deer," Tristan observes of Solstice. "What did you say to her? What did she say to you?"


[What's Up, Buttercup?]
Beth

Oowie Zowie, what a smack-down!

The wind rushes out of Buttercup's lungs as she gets slammed into the pavement.

HARD.

It's pretty clear that wasn't good for her.

She's the sort that is pretty dodgy and can dish it out, but can't take a hit very well. Honestly going into melee range was a pretty dumb move on her part.

No one ever said that Buttercups are smart.

Buttercup coughs once, blinking through the sugary sap flowing over one of her eyes that's in the process of swelling shut. She isn't done, though. Not just yet.

She reaches up, grasps the vines, and magics 'em again.

The vines wrapped around Beth?

The grow thorns.

Lots of thorns. Lots of really long, really sharp thorns.

Looks like Buttercup is trying to turn Beth into a pin-cushion.

[bc56]

RIOT

Wait, did Riot just mess up his counting? No matter. Jade's doing the thing again. She looks the supervillain straight in the eye and focuses the powers of her curse on him. As with the others she targeted, if he finds her attractive, he'll be turned into a beautiful woman. Hopefully that works and distracts him from whatever he's counting down to.

What's up, "Buttercup"

Sapphira quickly stretches the captive Buttercup over herself (in a metaphorical sense) to act as a screen. From an outside perspective, she should be indistinguishable from any other one of the prancing deer faeries. She even filters her behavior through the influences. One might expect such a joyful bubbly personality to disgust Sapphira, but they'd be wrong. If anything, the kindness of Buttercup makes her sinister purpose all the more sweet to the Archfiend. But even as Sapphira is brooding and hatching plans under the surface, her body is acting very differently.
"Zowie! That's a great idea, Buttercup! I feel better already!" Buttercup happily follows her duplicate towards the field, unaware of what's going on in the back of her own mind.

[Deathkeeper]

[What’s up, Buttercup?]

Buttercup COULD ask the doggie for help.
But the doggie would want one of her bones and she needs them but she would really want to make the doggie happy. Buttercup loves doggies.
So she goes to find out what that spooky guy was up to! Maybe they’re a friend. Or maybe they’re a bone-stealer! Either way she would want to talk to them.

Meanwhile.

Ugh.
Pookas.
Hector has good authority that boogies are the worst but sometimes pookas are the worst. Like goblins. And elves. And sprites, apparently.
But the nice thing about canid brain is that he doesn’t really have patience to spend a while over analyzing things. He’s wet and miserable and at risk of being discovered by the nymphs and threatened with cuddles or worse. Hector obeys the pooka’s instructions. He’s already completely lost so he can’t get any more so if he was actually lying.

[WindStruck]

Solstice peered at the deer girl, her expression softening and growing more confused. A mistaken identity? That's pretty weird. Usually the polite thing to do is to ask someone's name instead. Or perhaps, you get a glimpse of someone or see them from behind or at a distance. You call out a name but it turns out once you get a better look, it wasn't that person? Maybe this deer girl just didn't have good eyesight. Or genuinely mistook her for someone else.

And yes! Solstice probably would be good at frolicking! ...hopefully the normal definition of frolicking. But to be fair, she had last done that decades ago, when she was just a small child...

Solstice still wasn't really sure what to make of this deer girl because she seemed like she was naive and sweet, but when she said her name was Buttercup, and kept explaining further, this raised a number of red flags.

Wait. She is Buttercup? What does she mean Buttercup, too? People are Buttercup, people aren't Buttercup? What??

"Oh, here comes another friend! I wonder if he's Buttercup? I should find out!"

Solstice couldn't fathom what was going on. This didn't make any sense! Buttercup, Buttercup.. There was definitely something magic in that name. Solstice could feel it when Buttercup spoke to her. But...

Her thoughts are interrupted when a young man in a denim jacket and jeans runs up to her.

"Hey, you were just talking to one of the Buttercups and you didn't turn into a weird deer." "What did you say to her? What did she say to you?"

Solstice blinked and looked at him with more confusion. "One of the Buttercups..?"

She quickly turned around and said, gesturing along the street, "Do you mean all of these deer people.. their name is Buttercup??"

[Rebonack]

[RIOT!]

Genderben ray!

Except... Not really.

There isn't any ray.

So anyway!

Now the giant hulking guy is a giant hulking amazon.

She doesn't even notice.

Whoops!

"TIME'S UP, LADIES!" Riot bellows moments before she...

Explodes?

She just kind of flexes as everything near her gets launched away violently. Not Shotput violently. More like they all the spores had been punched all at once. Also the pallet throne. And a nearby crate. There are chocolates all over the floor now. With a single hulking leap, Riot jumps through the air and tries bringing that steel I-beam down HARD on Horsetail and Athena!

Horsetail dives out of the way.

She doesn't want to get smeared.


[What's Up, Buttercup?]
Sapphira

Buttercup doesn't consider her purpose sinister at all. Not even a little bit! She is one hundred percent sincere and earnest in her belief that what she's doing is good. If everyone is Buttercup, then everyone will be friends. If everyone is friends, then there won't be any more meanness! It'll be all happiness, all fun, all mirth.

All Buttercup.

Off to the pumpkin patch! It isn't that far away. Especially for someone who can prance as quickly as Buttercup. Sapphira will notice a few more Buttercups along the way, but as they move further away from that particular neighborhood the number of Buttercups rapidly dwindle down to nearly none. Before long she and her friend are the only Buttercups to be seen! As for the pumpkin patch, it is QUITE festive. Aside from the pumpkins of course, there are several spooky look scarecrows set up here and there, though considering the crow sitting on top of one of their heads they must not do their job that well. And there's a skeleton!

Like...

A real skeleton.

An animated one. Several of them in fact. They're rattle around, setting up scarecrows, fake tombstones, sheet phantoms, bales of hay, and occasionally leaping out at people to spook them!

Nearby there's a large van with the name LWF Labor Solutions emblazoned on the side. A pair of skeletons are unloading more bags of bones out of the back of the truck while a necromancer in a uniform animates them.

"Wowie! The Hansons even hired the Skeleton Crew to spook up the pumpkin patch this year!" Buttercup says as she prances into the patch, waving at several children running past as she goes.

"How come you got a deer for a butt?" asks a little boy without any front teeth.
"Tommy you can't ask people why they got a deer for a butt," says the little girl, who looks perhaps a year older.

"I'm Buttercup! And this is my friend Buttercup," Buttercup says, gesturing to Sapphira. "Buttercup has a deer for a butt so that's why I've got one, since I'm me."

Ooooh. That makes sense.

Sapphira may note that the children don't trigger Buttercup's geas to name other people Buttercup.

But the mom approaching?

She sure does. Without hesitation Buttercup prances up to the mother, all smiles and sunshine. The woman's wearing a wide black sunhat with a great big smiling pumpkin on it. "Hi Buttercup! Are those your kids they're so cute!"

"Mandy and Tommy? Yeah, I haven't been able to give them away to anyone yet. You want to make an offer? Mandy is good at folding towels," Mandy's mother replies.

"Moooooom you can't give me away it isn't allowed!"

"Wowie zowie, no thanks! I've already got my own handfuls. But they're too cool to come with mom to the pumpkin patch," Buttercup laughs. "Have you been to the Hanson's farm before, Buttercup?"

"No, this is our first time. The skeletons are awfully... realistic," Mandy's mom says, eyeing the Skeleton Crew

"Haha, yeah, don't worry about them Buttercup. It's just for ambiance! The Hansons are going all out this year!" Buttercup reassures the slightly worried mother.

"I suppose so. Skeletons ARE a Spooktober tradition. Just usually the decoration kind..." Mandy's mom replies, rubbing at cervine her ear with one hand.

Then Buttercup leans down to Mandy and whispers, "Hey wanna see a magic trick?"

The little girl nods.

"Close your eyes and count to twenty!" Buttercup says.

The child closes her eyes and starts counting.

There's a sound of tearing fabric, followed by the sensation of being swept up in her mother's arms and... put on a pony?

Mandy opens her eyes and- "Mommy?"

"Yeah! Hold on tight we're going to FROLIC!" the Buttercup wearing a great big black hat announces, holding her daughter with one hand and her hat with the other to make sure it doesn't get away.

The initial shock of her mom (obviously it's her mom) being a little bit different quickly gives way to whoops of glee. This is WAY better than having a pony!

"Riding on deer is dumb," Tommy pouts. Not because he actually thinks riding on a deer is dumb but because his sister is riding and he isn't.

Well!

That sure was terrible.

Sapphira will feel Buttercup's geas to name people Buttercup pretty intensely. There's that necromancer guy over there. And a young couple strolling through the patch with no children. And there are those two elderly folks sitting at a little table collecting money for the pumpkins. Probably the Hansons Buttercup was talking about. Any of those people might be Buttercup! Or maybe even ALL of them! Or... Sapphira could have pity on Tommy and give him a deer ride, too.

The knit-cap Buttercup seems satiated on the friend-making front for now and is examining pumpkins to take home with her for her children to carve into Jack-O-Lanturns. She doesn't want to be out TOO long. Especially since she would LOVE to go home and find out if her husband is Buttercup or not.


[What's Up, Buttercup?]
Buttercup

So!

Following the mysterious cloaked figure, is she?

Buttercup heads off to the tree line, no doubt prancing.

Or maybe she's moving more cautiously?

Either way, she doesn't go very deep into the woods before she spies the cloaked figure again. Really the cloak seems more like a burlap sack than anything else and ZOWIE HE JUST TURNED AROUND IT'S A TOOTH FAIRY.

See.

There are two types of tooth fairy.

One is a sort of pixie, a diminutive house spirit that disposes of old baby teeth and leaves coins behind.

The OTHER is a boogie that represents the fear of dentists and the nightmares of teeth falling out.

This is the second sort. And it just smiled at Buttercup. She probably wishes it hadn't.

"Hello," rasps the tooth fairy as it fixes Buttercup with the singular blazing silver eye in the middle of its forehead. "Are you looking..."

He opens up his hand, showing off a trio of molars.

"...for these?"

She is looking for those.


[What's Up, Buttercup?]
Hector

It works.

Now damp and without his illusion Hector sloshes out of the Enchanted Forest and back into the liminal space of the grove.

"-won't work thresholds are always something you can walk though," Hendricks repeats. "When did you get all wet?"

Considering what was being said when Hector started toward the stone it looks like he just experienced several minutes of time while in the Waking World no time passed.

Fae really are the worst.


[What's Up, Buttercup?]
Solstice and Tristan

She's figuring it out. Tristan can tell. Maybe this young woman is relatively new to the Nexus and isn't familiar with some of its particular brands of insidiousness? Whatever happened, he needs to know how her conversation with Buttercup went. Because she just talked to Buttercup and she's still normal. That means there must be something SPECIFIC that triggers the transmog.

Tristan is pretty sure it has something to do with the name Buttercup. It's the reason why they keep calling everyone-

"Pbbbft-" Buttercup sputters as she back-peddles away like a cat with an octopus on her face. "What did you do that for, Buttercup? It wasn't very nice."

Ah hah.

There it is.

-Buttercup.

Rudely ignoring Buttercup had worked before and Tristan decides to keep doing that.

"Yeah, every single one of them is Buttercup," Tristan confirms, then gives a sidelong glance at the nearest Buttercup. "But I'm pretty sure none of them were Buttercup this morning."

That bodes ill, doesn't it?

"Buttercup!" the dryad moans. "Please don't ignore me! I just want to be friends!"

"Okay, friends, great, I'm trying to talk to someone here," Tristan says, giving Buttercup a look. Then he turns back to Solstice. "Okay, so like I was asking. What did you say-"

Buttercup beams briefly. She KNEW he must be Buttercup too! But something was still really bothering her.

"You should apologize for pushing me, Buttercup, it wasn't friendly at all," she says admonishingly. "Since we're friends, and friends apologize when they do something not-nice."

Tristan heaves a sigh. "Alright. I'm sorry for pushing you. I'd like to talk to this person for a bit? Thanks." Then he opens his mouth to ask his question of Solstice again-

"AND you should apologize for lying to Buttercup about not being able to hear, Buttercup," Buttercup adds.

"Yes. Okay, fine, I'm sorry for pretending to be deaf, too," Buttercup concedes. An actual look of remorse flashes across her face. "Wowie... yeah... that wasn't a very nice thing to do at ALL. I'm really sorry about that. Would you mind telling Buttercup I'm sorry for lying to her?"

With a great big giggle Buttercup leans in and hugs Buttercup! This is the SECOND Buttercup hug that Buttercup has gotten tonight. The last time Buttercup had just gone really stiff, but THIS time she hugs Buttercup back. Honestly she could really use the hug. The last little bit of time has been REALLY stressful! So many of Buttercup's friends are worried! But everything was going to be okay now. Buttercup lets go of Buttercup, and then Buttercup prances off to go tell Buttercup that Buttercup is sorry for lying to her. Buttercup smiles, she really hates it when she fights with her friends.

Oof...

And she reaches up under her shirt and adjusts her sports bra. It's feeling WAY tighter than usual.

"Wowie zowie that took some doing! Okay!" Buttercup says, turning to Solstice and smiling a bright springtime sunshine smile. "Now that Buttercup is busy QUESTIONS. You were talking to Buttercup and you didn't turn into Buttercup. What did you say to her?" Buttercup asks as she's in the process of turning into Buttercup. She's already got cervine ears and she just kicked off one of her shoes since it doesn't fit her hooves anymore.