Home 26: Rooms to let, fifty cents

[Deathkeeper]

Arletane Keep

"Oh, but I meant that I wanted to think that I was pleasant to look at like you do, not be the same height!" Oh, no. Oh, dear. Edgar was already over a quarter-ton and struggled with doors. He's glad the Golden Kettle and this town were made with large people in mind, one being made by Nahira and the other by a dragon. But there's no way he'll ever blend into a crowd now. Not that he ever really did.

[Earl of Purple]

Arletane Keep

"So you'd have preferred the eye thing? Mortals are hard." Pebbles stops and thinks a moment. "Oh! How about this." She clicks her fingers and the smell and sounds of the sea emerge once more. Edgar is back to his previous height, though he might find it linked to the tide, getting taller (and bigger) with high tide and returning to this height at low tide. He might also start associating larger frames with power, and fat frames like his with comfort. It might make him more comfortable with himself, or it might not. Brains are hard, and Pebbles isn't really very good at people.

[Deathkeeper]

[Arletane Keep]

"Oh..." Edgar hops again. He feels...odd. Maybe Pebbles was right. Is it so bad if he's massive? People who are massive command respect. He puts his hands to his middle again. Hmm. He feels...warm.
"Maybe you were right all along, Pebbles. I'm sorry I told you I didn't like your height gift. It was very thoughtful of you. Maybe..." Edgar is not aware of his new fluctuating state, and is now torn. Should he ask to be extra huge again? It would make him a giant. And as a giant he would be really lording over people. Does he want that? He doesn't know. He doesn't want to act like he's better than people but...he sort of is. That just doesn't mean he can abuse his powers.

[Earl of Purple]

Arletane Keep

Pebbles smiles and nods, waving and walking back to the diagram and disappearing back to her beach. If Edgar wants to ask her something, he really should have asked sooner. Or he could go find her, put that stone with a hole in it on a cord and wave it around. It'll naturally swing towards Pebbles' beach.

[bc56]

Arletane Keep

Edgar maybe shouldn't have left the summoning circle open.
Because something else forces its way through in a flash of light.
It looks vaguely like a person, a tall, beautiful woman in a white robe with crimson trim. She's difficult to describe. A sword hangs at her waist off a rope belt spun from the purest silver thread. Glowing white eyes regard him with hard-to-read emotion. "Greetings, Edgar Winchester. I have heard your summons. I believe you need my aid?" She radiates confidence and pride, a sense of accomplishment. "What is your problem?" She seems like the type of entity that can solve problems. She certainly is powerful.

[Deathkeeper]

Arletane Keep

Edgar was busy reading a book when the angel suddenly appears. He staggers to his feet, still in his blue outfit.
"Oh uh, hello? Um, yes that's my name. But I don't know yours. I was trying to find someone to help me with my problem that I'm uh.
Really huge and fat.
But there was a sidhe here a few minutes ago and well that kind of happened?"
The being will probably be able to sense the charm Pebbles put on Edgar that makes his size fluctuate with the tides.

[bc56]

Arletane Keep

"You can call me Pride. And Pride appears to be something you're lacking." Pride looks Edgar over. "Sure, you're fat. Is that really a problem? You've got so much else going on!" Pride's clothes shift and shimmer, and she changes into a casual outfit, simple white shirt and light gray pants. Her skin loses its unnatural luster and her hair settles down and stops blowing in the lack of wind. She seems a bit more human now, although her eyes remain the same glowing white and she keeps the silver rope belt and sword. "A lot to be proud of, really."

[Rebonack]

[Plum Mountain Park]

And lo, they manage to get everyone out of the park before something weird happens!

Thank goodness.

Of course...

Jade just created a whole lot of weird all on her own by bringing these people back.

We'll... see what becomes of it.

Hopefully she made the right choice.

...

Yeah that brother thing is going to be really strange.

[bc56]

Jade's Lair
Several days later.

Jason is awake first. He's down in the kitchen area, cooking some eggs for breakfast. He gives Jade a nod as she stumbles down the stairs. "Morning." Jade yawns and finishes shakily descending on her four paws. "Morning, Jason." She sniffs the air. There's bacon with those eggs, right?" "Nope, we're out." "Fine." Jade shifts to her human form and brushes her red hair out of her eyes. "Fine. I'll take some." She takes a seat and waits for the food to finish, pouring herself a glass of milk in the meantime. Soon, the siblings sit down to eat. "Any plans for today?" "Keep working on the camo field, you know. You?" "I'm going for a run in the park as soon as breakfast's over." Jade's clothes go from pajamas to a tank top and leggings. She stretches a little then continues eating. "Then I'll go get some parts from Bart and Hank's and come back to help you. Sound good?" "Sure sis. Don't eat anyone while you're out." "Hey!" Jade looks insulted. "Kidding! Just be safe, alright?" "Yeah sure. See you, bro." She finishes up her food and jogs to the door. "Bye!" "Bye."

[Deathkeeper]

Arlatane Keep

Edgar seems unsure.
"Well...I've been told that I look like a jolly uncle. But...I don't want to just be comforting. I'd like to settle down some day."
He frowns.
"It's easy to say that I have a lot to go for when you're a super pretty lady like that! You don't even know anything about me." he insists.

[bc56]

Arletane Keep

"Would you like to look like this? It could be done." Pride suggests. If it's easier for her to talk about pride because she is so beautiful, wouldn't it be easier for Edgar too? But she's not going to do it by force. "If you wear this shape for a while, maybe you'll understand what you have to be proud of in your own body?" She paces within the circle. "Guess I can just talk you through what I think if you don't take that option." Then she shrugs. "If you don't like that, I don't know what to say to you. You've got to stop talking down about yourself. You're a good guy and deserve to think well of yourself."

[Deathkeeper]

[Arletane Keep]

Edgar crosses his arms and pouts.
"Oh come on. That's not fair at all. I don't want to be a lady. And if you could make me look like that you could just make me buff instead of humungous. Um. Just making sure. There's no weird magic on me, is there? I'm not entirely sure what Pebbles did."
He narrows his eyes. "But I still don't know why you think you know anything about me."

[bc56]

Arletane Keep

"That's the point! You don't want to be a lady, so we make you one for a while, and you're relieved when you get your manhood back! Not quite my style, but should be effective." When Edgar accuses Pride of being able to just make him buff, she frowns at him. "I am not in the business of solving people's problems. I am in the business of helping people solve their own problems. I could make you buff, or make you happy with how you are, but then you wouldn't have learned anything." She gives Edgar another look over. "Oh yeah, she left a size-changing enchantment on you. Assuming you don't want to be nine feet tall at high tide, I could take that off for you. And don't give me any nonsense about hypocrisy. There's a difference between something forced on you and a problem with your personal outlook." She looks at him seriously. "I know enough about you. You're bound to a genie as her servant and guardian, you won this title from a dragon in a poker game, you destroyed a nest of magma creatures in the mines beneath your county. Your subjects respect you despite your oddities, you are a genuinely well-meaning person, and you have a deep-seated discomfort with your own self-image." One which has been around since before Nahira fattened him in the first place.

[Deathkeeper]

Arletane Keep

Edgar shakes his head.
”I ain’t gonna be a lady. You sound like Nahira. She wanted to make me a lizard once.”
He’s lucky she’s the kind of djinni boss who takes no for an answer.
”And like hell there is! Yeah, I don’t like how I look! Because I was a normal guy and then bam, biggest cat-man in the Nexus. I’d be shocked if they didn’t crack jokes about me and my size XXXXXL pants out there. If I still owned any.
...
...
If you could take that charm off me I’d appreciate it though.” he mutters.

[bc56]

Arletane Keep

Pride snaps her fingers, and the charm leaves Edgar... Leaving him 3 meters tall again. He towers over Pride. She looks up at him. "Oh, she layered it over another enchantment. Want me to get that one too?" She thinks about his statement. "If you hadn't wished for it, I could turn you back to a human just fine. But I'm not allowed to oppose your wish directly, and I dunno, the tiger look suits you. Very imperious." She thinks for a moment. "I wonder if I could... It would have to not be against her will... It seems like it could work." Pride looks Edgar in the face. "I could set you up on a date with someone who appreciates you. Get you all dressed up, have a nice formal dinner with a beautiful lady. Really, you just need some confidence. I'm sure that would help."

[Gnrlshrimp]

[Felix's Tower]

You know, you might not think that a bull-man in this thirties who is almost two meters tall and with a considerable amount of muscle could possibly mimic so exactly the energy of a teenage schoolboy as his teacher praises him and presents him with a gift of a fancy tool.
And yet there it is, right in front of Felix.
"Oh, Felix. I hope you didn't go too out of your way for this." Krayger might have assumed it was a loaner if the handle wasn't sized for someone clearly larger than an elderly human man. Of course he could have simply taken an old wand and glued a new handle onto it. Krayger wouldn't have thought twice about that, either.

[Felix's Tower]

"Now now, don't you go worrying about that. I wouldn't give you something I couldn't afford to give you. I have all manner of prized bones taken from creatures of all sorts of shapes and sizes that have been left stored safely awaiting their purpose. This, I think, is a worthwhile purpose for this one, wouldn't you agree?" He asks with a smile, leaning forward to tap the tip of the wand, causing several strings of runes to briefly flash into existence along the wand's spirals.

"While I hope you'll use it long after its particular purpose is fulfilled, think of this wand as a sort of set of magical training wheels. While you're still getting to grips with drawing forth the magic to cast a spell, the wand's built-in reserves can help you on the way. When you try casting something through the wand, you ought to feel a gentle pull from it, a little trickle of magic that you can latch onto, to help you cast successfully. And the same will also be true for stirring. It'll help you regulate the amount of magic you're letting flow into the potion."

[Deathkeeper]

[Felix's Tower]

"Now now, don't you go worrying about that. I wouldn't give you something I couldn't afford to give you. I have all manner of prized bones taken from creatures of all sorts of shapes and sizes that have been left stored safely awaiting their purpose. This, I think, is a worthwhile purpose for this one, wouldn't you agree?" He asks with a smile, leaning forward to tap the tip of the wand, causing several strings of runes to briefly flash into existence along the wand's spirals.

"While I hope you'll use it long after its particular purpose is fulfilled, think of this wand as a sort of set of magical training wheels. While you're still getting to grips with drawing forth the magic to cast a spell, the wand's built-in reserves can help you on the way. When you try casting something through the wand, you ought to feel a gentle pull from it, a little trickle of magic that you can latch onto, to help you cast successfully. And the same will also be true for stirring. It'll help you regulate the amount of magic you're letting flow into the potion."

Felix's Tower

Krayger smiles. "I hope it's stain resistant." He reaches down to give the cauldron a stir with his new wand, doing his best to channel his magic like Felix taught him. It's not incredibly difficult. But then again, he's just dripping magic power into a big pot. It's not exactly complicated.

Arletane Keep

Pride snaps her fingers, and the charm leaves Edgar... Leaving him 3 meters tall again. He towers over Pride. She looks up at him. "Oh, she layered it over another enchantment. Want me to get that one too?" She thinks about his statement. "If you hadn't wished for it, I could turn you back to a human just fine. But I'm not allowed to oppose your wish directly, and I dunno, the tiger look suits you. Very imperious." She thinks for a moment. "I wonder if I could... It would have to not be against her will... It seems like it could work." Pride looks Edgar in the face. "I could set you up on a date with someone who appreciates you. Get you all dressed up, have a nice formal dinner with a beautiful lady. Really, you just need some confidence. I'm sure that would help."

Arletane Keep

Edgar actually hesitates. He really does tower over Pride, an actual angel. It's a bit empowering, really. She's not even at eye level with his breast at over ten feet.
"Well, you're the pride angel here. Do you think I look good extra massive? Um.
A lady? What's she like?"
Edgar begins tapping his fingers together and fidgeting almost immediately. He's not been on a date in ages. Especially not like this.

[bc56]

Arletane Keep

"You're smiling about it, I think you should keep it." Pride replies. "As for the lady, you know her already. From her perspective, you've had one date already." If that doesn't help Edgar figure out who's being talked about, he's hopeless. "Don't worry about it. You'll knock her dead. She already likes you." Pride claps Edgar on the shoulder. "You'll do great, I'm sure."

[Deathkeeper]

[Arletane Keep]

"What- who- Aethii?" he looks around at the room.
"She's a dragon, does she even do fashion? I guess I should dress all kingly for a dragon but none of my rings are going to fit now. Can you do some regalia?" Of course, Edgar knows these words and what they mean but when he tries to think of anything his brain comes up completely blank. Maybe in a hundred years or so he'll have grown a new fashion sense.

[bc56]

Arletane Keep

"Yes of course!" When Edgar announces his doubts about Aethii's fashionability, Pride shrugs. "Dragons know what looks good. But I'll help her with her outfit as much as I'll help you, if necessary." She looks him over a couple times, circling around him. "I think for this event, regalia is the wrong choice. Something more modern would be good. Aha!" She snaps her fingers, and Edgar should find himself wearing a sharp, well-tailored suit. "How's that look? How's it feel?"

[Deathkeeper]

Arletane Keep

Edgar looks at himself. He tugs at the sleeves and pockets, checking the range of movement.
"It feels hot, and it does restrict my movements a little..." he blinks.
"Sorry, Pride. The part of my brain that lets me know if clothes look good got cut out in a high stakes poker game. Unless you give me another one of those I can't actually give you an opinion."
"Nahira kind of made this body for togas and silks and jewelry. So that's all I'm used to. No clue if I looked good in the old thing. But I guess it's good to cover my gut." he says with a shrug.

[bc56]

Arletane Keep

"Would this be better?" Now Edgar is wearing a white silken toga with gold trim. Not so modern, but quite regal. A thin gold circlet worked in the shape of leaves complements it. "I unfortunately can't help you get your fashion sense back, so you're just going to have to trust me." How would she even do that without breaking the Rules? Maybe Love would have an idea.

[Deathkeeper]

Arletane Keep

Edgar smiles and he moves his arms around. Much less tight.
”Much less stuffy. Thanks.” he thinks the outfit probably looks good. He still can’t tell. His belly is still showing again but...well if Aethii really does like it maybe she’ll like looking at it?
”So what do we do now?”

[bc56]

Arletane Keep

"Now, we just wait until this evening. She'll be along for dinner." Pride waves a hand and Edgar's clothes return to how they were before. No sense in letting them get messed up while they wait. "Would you prefer a carriage or a limousine? Or something else?" Pride asks. She's trying to set Edgar up with a ride as well.

[Deathkeeper]

Arletane Keep

"Well, I have a palanquin that moves by itself. Oh no, is it going to be too small for me now?" Edgar actually seems really worried about that. He likes that fancy chair!
"Well, you'd need a pretty big crew to pull a carriage big enough for me. It sounds comfier than a ten-foot-high limo but I don't want to be a bother..." he's tapping his fingers together again. They make faint clicking sounds as his claws touch, although like a tiger they are usually retracted.

[bc56]

Arletane Keep

"Carriage it is. Would you like to go back to your old size?" Pride asks again. If Edgar is concerned about being too large, she still is able to shrink him. "Any other concerns? Anything else scheduled for tonight?"

Unless Edgar has other concerns, all that's left to do is wait for Aethii to arrive this evening.

[Deathkeeper]

Arletane Keep

"You just told me I should keep it! I dunno, you're an all-knowing angel. I feel cool being tall but now it's gonna be even harder to squeeze into things because I'm...how much heavier do you get when you get a bunch taller? We'll just say big. What if Aethii likes her tigers extra extra big?" The answer in Edgar's case is over three times heavier, meaning he's now around a ton.
In Edgar's case, his palanquin is magic and was luxuriously large before, so it should have more of a throne-like fit for him now.
Edgar is pretty sure he doesn't want to be this massive but...he feels powerful being bigger than Pride.

[bc56]

Arletane

"I'm not all-knowing. Sometimes I need to make educated guesses." Pride looks Edgar over again. "You're going to have to decide for yourself really. Being big is powerful. But it's also inconvenient in a world made for smaller people. Here's what I say. Stick with it for now. But if you decide you want to shrink back down, just call me up again. Do the same ritual, and ask for 'The Blade of Surety.'" She draws her sword for a moment as she says her name. It's so sharp it cuts the air around it, incandescent light burning around its edge. Then she sheathes it again.

[Deathkeeper]

Arletane

Edgar nods. That makes sense.
"Okay. So...now I just kill three hours?" He has a book. That's probably fine. He should also really close that summoning circle.

[bc56]

Arletane Keep

Three hours later...

Someone arrives at the gate. Aethii shows up in a yellow cocktail dress. Her makeup and hair have been done, she's got gold hoop earrings and a diamond necklace, and she's walking a little awkwardly in a pair of high heels. Even as a servant is running to inform Edgar, Pride has already done so. "She's here! Go! You're going to do great!" In a moment, he's back in the fancy clothes. "Hurry! Don't make her wait!"