GLoG 94: Good place to grow up

[Gullara]

[Main Cabin]

A little like Zabb but not all the way like him is a pretty solid descriptor of Lapis.

"Yeah! I go over to the Frescots all the time they're my friends," Lapis replies with the absolute confidence of a REALLY GREAT FRIEND. "We play in the forest a lot and one time a lizard climbed on Laela's head."

It was very exciting.

Also a very immovable lizard.

It required the wrath of dad to get it to go away!

Which mostly involved Adir going, 'Go on, get' at the lizard and then it scurried away.

Khannie, meanwhile, is busy laying out the trinkets on the table. "This pretty little jewelry box. And a sparkly marble. And some sort of really old writing tablet, I think? And Tuskfang picked up a little wolf made of green rock."

The box looks to be made of fine bronze with an inlay of turquoise. True to Khannie's word it's quite pretty. The marble looks like it has some kind of glittering fluid flowing around inside it. And the tablet is a dark wooden frame with a slab of soft clay held within.

"I guess we can watch Finian?" Khannie says, popping up from her seat to smile and coo at the baby. In spite of Khannie's tough-girl attitude she's got a pretty potent MOM instinct. Which... considering her genesis that probably isn't that huge of a shock.

[Main Cabin]

"That's cool! The Frescots are my friends too. I mostly play with Cern and Gwydion but also Lucy and the others sometimes. Did you meet David Chewie-Chompers?" That would be the Frescots' pet molerat. "I did find a wolf. It's really cool. Lapis says those things have always been there but someone must have put them there, right?"

[Main Cabin]

"Wow, those are some really nice finds. I wonder how those got here. Maybe someone knows about them." Sakura muses. But she's got some coco to prepare. "I'll be right back. Hold tight." And with that Sakura slips into the kitchen.

Khannie captures Finian's attention immediately. He watches her with his big, blue eyes. "Hi," he greets, followed by some burbled nonsense words, as far as Khannie can tell.

[Rebonack]

[Main Cabin]

"Okay Mrs Frescot," Khannie says as the dryad departs. It WOULD be pretty cool if someone knew about the baubles they found, right?

Khannie is left pondering who might know about this stuff. The tablet definitely has writing on the sides of it but she doesn't recognize the triangle-looking letters are all. It's like a language made completely of the letter Y just in different directions and all bunched together.

BUT ANYWAY!

Khannie has got a baby to make faces at.

Which she does.

"Hi Finian!" Khannie replies before covering her face with her hands-

-only to pull them away but now she's making a pretty silly face at the toddler.

Lapis is, by contrast, much more interested in other topics.

"Yeah I've seen Chewy his skin is so wrinkly I love him!" Lapis replies. "I love all the Frescots they're lots of fun they've taught me all sorts of games and things and I help Mother make brownies for them all whenever I visit."

Khannie makes a face at the mention of the mole rat. Ugh. She can't stand how bad those things smell. If they were just ugly that would be one thing but the smell puts them over the top in Khannie's opinion.

[Ironsmith]

[Wormwood Cabin - Fayyaad]

Fayyaad raises an eyebrow. Is she asking him about what he thinks she is?

"No, I can't say as I have. By 'busy', do you mean...?"

[Wormwood Cabin - Fayyaad]

"[Curtaining], yes." Braon replies bluntly. "No need to be delicate about it; I've clearly been 'busy' too." She pats her belly gently, giving Fayyaad a quick reminder as to her condition, and of course, the activities that necessarily led to it. "Well and good for you. But it seems the ring-spirit I left with you feels... differently."

Easy for her to say. She didn't have to see it.

"...If she's otherwise been a burden at all, I could take her back." Braon offers. "Sort of. Technically speaking, I'd be adding more to her that would encourage her to not make such a nuisance if herself, but the effect is the same."

[Morty]

[Main Cabin]

Tuskfang grins and his tail wags. He's learning quickly that there are few things Lapis doesn't love. But her enthusiasm is infectious.

"Yeah! My cousins have a molerat too. His name is Kip. He's bigger than Chewy but that's because he's older." He looks up at Finian too. "Hi Finian!"

[Wormwood Cabin - Fayyaad]

"I don't mind, really. I can't hear the ring. Though I did feel... something from it when I met a very attractive and enthusiastic woman." Braon's candidness means Fayyaad stops beating around the bush as well. "It does feel a little odd to carry around a spirit who has to witness me doing thing she disapproves of, though."

[Earl of Purple]

'Braon's' Nightmare

As Sekhmet looks away from it, Prumathe's head disappears, replaced by another that has similar colouration. It should happen when Braon's not looking straight at it either, and the changes are relatively subtle- Sekhmet, who knows Prumathe, may wonder how she mistook this head for him, but there's still some resemblance.

Fayyaad's head laughs as Braon attacks Sekhmet with the tendrils.

NarTheoLoq is visible in the burnt-out wreck of a cabin, watching the women through a window. He's stood in shade, and his dark blue skin blends in quite well- the pallid leather of his harness doesn't, though.

[Ironsmith]

Braon's Nightmare
"You don't owe the world anything. Go live in as a hermit and never see anyone if you want. But if you keep hurting people, being needlessly cruel to everyone you meet, that will just make them hate you. And then they will hurt you and everything that reminds them of you. Your uncle probably deserves it, but what about your children, and their children? Would you condemn them to feel better now?" Sekhmet unfortunately suspects the answer is yes, Braon couldn't care less what happens to anyone else, even her own children. But she's not attacking, even as Braon begins to change back into the more literal monster she was when they first met. What she is doing is looking around. Something's not right, she's sure. She doesn't know who that head is, but he keeps egging Braon on (not that she seems to need it, her mood swings back and forth faster than the tail of a hungry dog at dinnertime)."What are you even hoping to gain? Revenge? You can't hurt me in any way that matters, especially not in a dream. Love? Your beloved seems awfully insistent on you fighting me, but we've never met. Is that really his voice or just what you wish he'd say? Stopping all this from happening? You know me, no matter what you'd like to believe about me, you know I wouldn't do this. You'd call it weakness, but you know it's true. Even my own husband is here among the dead."

'Braon's' Nightmare

As Sekhmet looks away from it, Prumathe's head disappears, replaced by another that has similar colouration. It should happen when Braon's not looking straight at it either, and the changes are relatively subtle- Sekhmet, who knows Prumathe, may wonder how she mistook this head for him, but there's still some resemblance.

Fayyaad's head laughs as Braon attacks Sekhmet with the tendrils.

NarTheoLoq is visible in the burnt-out wreck of a cabin, watching the women through a window. He's stood in shade, and his dark blue skin blends in quite well- the pallid leather of his harness doesn't, though.

['Braon's' Nightmare]

At the mention her children, Braon just sort of... stops. She hangs in mid-air, still glowering at the demon queen with clear murderous intent in her eyes, the tendrils from her back swaying back and forth like snakes waiting for the command to strike.

...That's not bloody fair.

Braon lowers herself slowly back to the ground, breathing belaboredly as she keeps her eyes locked on Sekhmet, taking a moment to try to decide what she needs to do. Tearing Sekhmet apart, even if it was just in a particularly vivid dream, would be immensely satisfying; she did make her life literal hell for a while. But at the same time, she's... too real. She's not like the diabolical ruler of the Scorching Depths that occasionally plagued Braon's dreams, a fabrication of self-serving memories and half-remembered motivations. No, this feels... almost like she's across the table from her. Like they're actually talking this out.

Like her choice will actually matter.

"...You're awful." Braon sneers, bringing her tendrils down like the feet of a massive beast around them. "The nerve of you, to try to- no, absolutely not." She pulls herself up to Sekhmet's face, close enough for the demon queen to feel the spittle flying from her pointed teeth. "You don't get to use my babies against me. I told you before, and I'll tell you again, I'd never do anything to hurt them." She snarls threateningly. "If you go after them because of our business, that's not me threatening them, that's you."

The ground crackles as the tendrils suddenly grip against it, sending fissures through the dirt and stone.

"And would you care to guess what I intend to do to anyone who threatens my babies?" She rumbles darkly.

It probably involves attempting to throw them through the ruins of a burnt-out house.

Contextually, that seems to be what Braon's implying.

It's certainly what she's doing with Sekhmet.

Meanwhile, in reality...

Braon draws in a ragged gasp and rolls over onto her side, as though she hadn't just nearly willed herself out of life a few minutes ago. She's mumbling something about wanting to hurt "that bitch", but being asleep, she's not about to elaborate on who that is.

[Wormwood Cabin - Fayyaad]

"I don't mind, really. I can't hear the ring. Though I did feel... something from it when I met a very attractive and enthusiastic woman." Braon's candidness means Fayyaad stops beating around the bush as well. "It does feel a little odd to carry around a spirit who has to witness me doing thing she disapproves of, though."

[Wormwood Cabin - Fayyaad]

"Eh, I don't think she disapproves in principle." Braon says with a shrug. "Speaking as her, ah, basis for being. More likely, she's upset that she doesn't get to join in."

I... you... uuuugh! The ring flushes with a frustrated heat.

Of course, it doesn't take Braon long to process the finer implications of that statement, and a little color flushes into her own cheeks. "...That's speculation, obviously." She adds quickly. "And even if it's true, I don't see how you'd be able to, ah, treat that. It's a piece of metal, you can't just..." Her cheeks redden further. "I mean, I can't imagine it would do anything." She drums her fingers against the armrest of her chair as she tries to think up a solution.

"...Maybe it would help to just talk to her every now and then." Braon finally says. "The worst part of jealousy is being left with the feeling of being small, unseen, uncared for. I know you can't hear her, and so she can't really talk back to you, but maybe if you could still show every now and then that you appreciate her, she might not feel so left out whenever you bed someone else."

...Damn. Lady knows me.

I mean, obviously she does, she is me, but... wow. Okay.

...I guess it can't hurt?

[bc56]

Braon's Nightmare
Sekhmet is thrown through a building. She lurches back to her feet, splinters popping out of her flesh as it regenerates. "Again, do you really think I'd hurt children, any children? I'm expecting too, remember? I have to set a good example for my children, and so do you." She's expecting to get thrown through another wall soon, but did she see something moving in that one cabin over there? She "cleverly" positions herself between Braon and that cabin. Maybe if she gets tossed again, she can take a look.

[Earl of Purple]

Braon's Nightmare

NarTheoLoq is in a different cabin to the one that Sekhmet was thrown into but... Sekhmet's back is now to the building the demon is hiding in, so if she is thrown or punted straight back, she should land in the correct building.

The heads cheer breathlessly as Sekhmet is thrown; they seem to like that. Some of them vomit cockroaches instead or as well as cheering, and none of them make a loud noise- it's like a roomful of people whispering 'yay' as quietly as they can.

[Ironsmith]

Braon's Nightmare
Sekhmet is thrown through a building. She lurches back to her feet, splinters popping out of her flesh as it regenerates. "Again, do you really think I'd hurt children, any children? I'm expecting too, remember? I have to set a good example for my children, and so do you." She's expecting to get thrown through another wall soon, but did she see something moving in that one cabin over there? She "cleverly" positions herself between Braon and that cabin. Maybe if she gets tossed again, she can take a look.

Braon's Nightmare

NarTheoLoq is in a different cabin to the one that Sekhmet was thrown into but... Sekhmet's back is now to the building the demon is hiding in, so if she is thrown or punted straight back, she should land in the correct building.

The heads cheer breathlessly as Sekhmet is thrown; they seem to like that. Some of them vomit cockroaches instead or as well as cheering, and none of them make a loud noise- it's like a roomful of people whispering 'yay' as quietly as they can.

[Braon's Nightmare]

"You really don't know me at all, do you?"

The snark is accompanied by one of the tendrils shooting forward and whipping around Sekhmet's neck...

Rather pointedly not into the cabin.

More of an attempt to strangle her five feet off the ground.

"I'm not going to take you at your word on that." Braon growls, again pulling herself up near Sekhmet. "I didn't think you were the type to stab me in the back like you did, either, and now here we are. And since you were so adamant about bringing them into our fight in the first place, forgive me if I'm not letting you off the hook that easily."

Fortunately, while Braon isn't shoving Sekhmet into the building, her rather theatrical form of strangulation would take them both right above it. Gravity can be made the bridge the gap if Sekhmet plays this right.

[Morty]

[Wormwood Cabin - Fayyaad]

"Taking care for the spirit of a ring isn't something I've ever pictured myself doing," Fayyaad admits. "But it... or she... has helped me out of quite a predicament, so I suppose it's the least I can do. Maybe not right after I bed someone. It'd be awkward to explain. But in general."

[bc56]

Braon's Nightmare
"No, I don't. No one knows you, you don't let anyone know you. You just spit venom at them until they give up in disgust!" Selekhael still doesn't defend herself, letting the vines tighten around her neck. It doesn't stop her from speaking, apparently. "This mask should be yours, not mine." Sekhmet peels the cracked, monstrous mask off her projection's face with a free hand and tosses it towards Braon. Underneath, her face is completely normal. She's in complete control now, not tangled up in dream logic.

[Earl of Purple]

The Nightmare in Braon's Head

Up they go, and NarTheoLoq watches them head up. It stays in the middle of the ruined cabin, holding its head steady as it looks up with the six eyes implanted between its ribs.

Now that Sekhmet's untangled from dream logic, she may realise two things- first, this isn't her dream, it's Braon's dream. Second, despite being Braon's dream, she's not the one who shaped it, and the whole place feels... There's a distant similarity to Mama Gho, the raksha she met whilst looking for fertility, but it's only vague. This was shaped by an entity from the same cosmology and dimension, but not a raksha.

[Ironsmith]

[Wormwood Cabin - Fayyaad]

"Taking care for the spirit of a ring isn't something I've ever pictured myself doing," Fayyaad admits. "But it... or she... has helped me out of quite a predicament, so I suppose it's the least I can do. Maybe not right after I bed someone. It'd be awkward to explain. But in general."

[Wormwood Cabin - Fayyaad]

"Well, of course there's going to be a few bizarre circumstances." Braon replies with a shrug. "That's sort of part of the whole concept of taking a bit of a living being and attaching it to something that isn't alive so it can act like it is. If it helps, though, after a while she should end up taking more after you than me. I'm not going to be there to influence her, but you will be. Hopefully that will make it less awkward."

Braon's Nightmare
"No, I don't. No one knows you, you don't let anyone know you. You just spit venom at them until they give up in disgust!" Selekhael still doesn't defend herself, letting the vines tighten around her neck. It doesn't stop her from speaking, apparently. "This mask should be yours, not mine." Sekhmet peels the cracked, monstrous mask off her projection's face with a free hand and tosses it towards Braon. Underneath, her face is completely normal. She's in complete control now, not tangled up in dream logic.

The Nightmare in Braon's Head

Up they go, and NarTheoLoq watches them head up. It stays in the middle of the ruined cabin, holding its head steady as it looks up with the six eyes implanted between its ribs.

Now that Sekhmet's untangled from dream logic, she may realise two things- first, this isn't her dream, it's Braon's dream. Second, despite being Braon's dream, she's not the one who shaped it, and the whole place feels... There's a distant similarity to Mama Gho, the raksha she met whilst looking for fertility, but it's only vague. This was shaped by an entity from the same cosmology and dimension, but not a raksha.

[Nightmare in Braon's Head]

The tendrils tighten around Sekhmet's neck, though at this point it should be readily apparent to Braon and Sekhmet both that she's not going to accomplish anything that way; Sekhmet doesn't exactly need an unobstructed airway while in a dream, and it's not like this would be any more effective in reality.

Braon lets out a pained grunt as the mask collides with her face, shattering into hundreds of tiny porcelain shards. Having been so harmed, she releases her grip on Sekhmet, letting her plummet into the ruined cabin below, while she herself sets about extracting the shards from her face. Which could take a while, since only one of her actual arms seems to be working just this moment.

[bc56]

Somebody's Nightmare (in Braon's head)
Sekhmet wasn't aiming to hurt Braon with the mask, oops.
But she's dropped, and falls through the roof of the destroyed cabin.

A frightened scream issues out from inside as Sekhmet comes face to face with the creature behind this whole mess.

But she's not too scared to draw forth her flaming hammer and brandish it at Nar'Theo'Loq.

[Gullara]

[Main Cabin]

"Okay Mrs Frescot," Khannie says as the dryad departs. It WOULD be pretty cool if someone knew about the baubles they found, right?

Khannie is left pondering who might know about this stuff. The tablet definitely has writing on the sides of it but she doesn't recognize the triangle-looking letters are all. It's like a language made completely of the letter Y just in different directions and all bunched together.

BUT ANYWAY!

Khannie has got a baby to make faces at.

Which she does.

"Hi Finian!" Khannie replies before covering her face with her hands-

-only to pull them away but now she's making a pretty silly face at the toddler.

Lapis is, by contrast, much more interested in other topics.

"Yeah I've seen Chewy his skin is so wrinkly I love him!" Lapis replies. "I love all the Frescots they're lots of fun they've taught me all sorts of games and things and I help Mother make brownies for them all whenever I visit."

Khannie makes a face at the mention of the mole rat. Ugh. She can't stand how bad those things smell. If they were just ugly that would be one thing but the smell puts them over the top in Khannie's opinion.

[Main Cabin]

Tuskfang grins and his tail wags. He's learning quickly that there are few things Lapis doesn't love. But her enthusiasm is infectious.

"Yeah! My cousins have a molerat too. His name is Kip. He's bigger than Chewy but that's because he's older." He looks up at Finian too. "Hi Finian!"

[Main Cabin]

Finian is quickly taken in by Khannie. The little boy's anticipation is palpable before he bursts out laughing at her silly face. He's overjoyed at all this attention!

[Rebonack]

[Main Cabin]

There's a very strong possibility that Khannie will continue to play with the baby until Sakura gets back unless something else pulls her away. She continues her game of peek-a-boo, making a different silly face each time.

Lapis, meanwhile, decides to check out the trinkets!

"Are the mole rats just like dogs like how different sorts of dogs are for different things or are they just pets that don't do any jobs?" Lapis asks as she picks up the metal stylus that goes with the ancient clay writing tablet and pokes a few funny shapes into the soft clay.

Nothing mysterious happens when she does this.

So instead she looks over at Finian, wrinkles her nose a little, and then begins carefully making little marks on the tablet.

The marble and the lock box are still on the table, looking very sparkly.

None of this stuff shows any sign of being magical but it IS all neat.

[Morty]

[Main Cabin]

"Some molerats are used to find stuff underground. And explore new caves. My uncle told me that molerats used like that aren't as friendly as the pet ones." Tuskfang wanders over to the marble, picks it up and shakes it. "Goblins keep lots of animals."

[Rebonack]

[Main Cabin]

Nothing distracting Khannie?

That means the silly-face train will continue without interruption.

Lapis, meanwhile, seems to be really busy drawing something into the soft clay of the tablet.

This doesn't appear to prevent her from being able to focus on other things at the same time, however.

"Mother says most animals aren't very friendly and that the Frescot kids are just special," Lapis replies as she continues working on the broad strokes first. "When I try making friends with animals they usually run away."

It's true!

They can probably sense the spiritual void the little seraph represents and get creeped out.

She doesn't hold it against them.

When Tuskfang swirls the marble it makes a soft ringing sound, like rubbing one's finger along the rim of a glass. It's a clear, pure, crystalline tone.

[Morty]

[Main Cabin]

"Whoa." Tuskfang shakes the marble again. "It makes a cool sound!" He then tries to swing it gently in a circle, to see if it'll make a different sound. "Animals like Frescots. I think it's because their mom's a dryad. Have you seen the wolves at Thanksmas? Normally kids aren't allowed near the wolf pens but Thanksmas magic makes them friendly. Mom says they belong to a rich, grumpy goblin."

Meanwhile, Hornclaw has climbed onto a nearby table and is staring at Finian. He makes a croaking sound.

[Wormwood Cabin - Fayyaad]

"I'm willing to see where it goes. I've never been one to back down from something just because it seems strange," Fayyaad admits. "Do let me know if you ever need help, even just a sympathetic ear." He has a feeling Braon needs one. she seems... very alone. And he has a feeling she might normally be pushing people away, but he's an exception.

[Earl of Purple]

Nightmare in Braon's Head

The heads silence themselves, the cockroaches disappear into hiding, and it begins to rain fresh water.

"So she brought you to this dream too? How interesting. I am NarTheoLoq, and I mean you no harm." The demon speaks with three overlapping voices, a deep, masculine voice, a softer feminine one and the high-pitched tones of a child. They are a tall, gaunt humanoid with pale blue skin stretched tight over a skeleton that has unpleasant-looking twists, with spikes and hooks emerging from its ribs, hips, humerus and femur. The long bones of arm and leg seem to twist, with ridges spiralling along the outside, looking vaguely like a helter-skelter. Its elongated head is almost all mouth, with no eyes or nose, and teeth grow from its head in place of hair. Six eyes peer asymmetrically from between its ribs, no two matching and all shockingly human. It has six long tentacles on each hand in place of finger and thumb, and its legs end in barbed points, yet it has no difficulty balancing. Its sole garment is a bandoleer made from human skin, from which hangs a crude serrated dagger of black iron. "I was unjustly banished to the realm of dream, and have been drifting hopelessly from mind to mind ever since, unable to escape." This is a lie, in part at least; the banishment was for a purpose, and to Nightmare, not Dream, though NarTheoLoq is able steer itself through the realm with some degree of control.

[Rebonack]

[Cavorting with Witches]

It's hard work.

Time consuming work, certainly.

But work well worth the effort.

Mary grows steadily better and bring out the beauty of her Labyrinth and it should become quickly apparent to Sekhmet that the more positive emotions Mary is surrounded with the easier it is.

Witches feed on negativity.

But positivity builds hope.

Watcher her hope steadily blossom is a wonderful thing, especially after seeing the state she was in to begin with.

But...

She's still little more than a soul trapped inside a gem.

How could such a girl ever have a life again?

[Gullara]

[Main Cabin]

Sakura returns now with a tray carrying three steaming cups of coco. Each one has a dollop of whipped cream on top. "Here you go, kids." She announces as she sets the tray down for them.

[Ironsmith]

Somebody's Nightmare (in Braon's head)
Sekhmet wasn't aiming to hurt Braon with the mask, oops.
But she's dropped, and falls through the roof of the destroyed cabin.

A frightened scream issues out from inside as Sekhmet comes face to face with the creature behind this whole mess.

But she's not too scared to draw forth her flaming hammer and brandish it at Nar'Theo'Loq.

Nightmare in Braon's Head

The heads silence themselves, the cockroaches disappear into hiding, and it begins to rain fresh water.

"So she brought you to this dream too? How interesting. I am NarTheoLoq, and I mean you no harm." The demon speaks with three overlapping voices, a deep, masculine voice, a softer feminine one and the high-pitched tones of a child. They are a tall, gaunt humanoid with pale blue skin stretched tight over a skeleton that has unpleasant-looking twists, with spikes and hooks emerging from its ribs, hips, humerus and femur. The long bones of arm and leg seem to twist, with ridges spiralling along the outside, looking vaguely like a helter-skelter. Its elongated head is almost all mouth, with no eyes or nose, and teeth grow from its head in place of hair. Six eyes peer asymmetrically from between its ribs, no two matching and all shockingly human. It has six long tentacles on each hand in place of finger and thumb, and its legs end in barbed points, yet it has no difficulty balancing. Its sole garment is a bandoleer made from human skin, from which hangs a crude serrated dagger of black iron. "I was unjustly banished to the realm of dream, and have been drifting hopelessly from mind to mind ever since, unable to escape." This is a lie, in part at least; the banishment was for a purpose, and to Nightmare, not Dream, though NarTheoLoq is able steer itself through the realm with some degree of control.

[Nightmare in Braon's Head]

Speaking of things that wish Sekhmet harm...

Braon pulls the last but of porcelain out of her face, dropping the bloodied shard to the ground as she looks around, trying to see where Sekhmet went. Her face is covered in craggly wounds; nasty gashes, streaks of raw flesh, tracts blood running down her cheeks, all imitating the visage of a broken mask about to fall off any moment.

Braon pushes her tendrils into the ground and takes to the air, surveying the area around her. Had Sekhmet left the dream? It's possible, she supposes. Probably got out the way she came in. But she's not going to just assume that... if this is her dream, the demon queen might be able to hear her thoughts from here, and she doesn't want that. So she's going to check all these ruined cabins, just to be safe.

[Wormwood Cabin - Fayyaad]

"I'm willing to see where it goes. I've never been one to back down from something just because it seems strange," Fayyaad admits. "Do let me know if you ever need help, even just a sympathetic ear." He has a feeling Braon needs one. she seems... very alone. And he has a feeling she might normally be pushing people away, but he's an exception.

[Wormwood Cabin - Fayyaad]

"...Thank you." Braon's lips turn up into a shaky smile. "That's... that's very sweet of you."

Even so, she probably ought to let him go soon. As her roommate inadvertently reminded her, she has a tendency to spoil these sorts of relationships if she stays in the same room with the other person for too long.

"I'm, um... I'm sure you're busy." She says finally, nervously twirling a lock of her hair around her finger. "So I should, um, probably see you on your way. But before I do, can I just, um..."

Nah, it's more awkward if she has to ask for it. Better to just go for it and see how things pan out.

glomp

Fayyaad will find himself with a pregnant fiendling wrapped around him, arms at his sides, face buried in his shoulder, hands behind his back.

She's going to be there for a minute.

[bc56]

Nightmare in Braon's Head
"What are you?" Despite her initial shock, Sekhmet isn't entirely going to assume this creature is a monster... But it is wearing human skin for "clothes," which is a huge red flag.

Brain might be able to hear the two of them talking. Sekhmet's not trying to keep quiet.

[Rebonack]

[Main Cabin]

Oh boy.

That's worth ceasing making silly faces at a baby over.

"Thanks Mrs Frescot," Khannie says as she picks up a mug and-

Ah!

Still too hot.

Khannie starts blowing on it.

That's typically Khannie, really. Jumping in with both feet and then slowing down after her tongue gets burned. Honestly that explains how the whole Magical Girl situation came to be.

As for Lapis?

She doesn't really notice the coco. She's too intent on whatever she's working on. She does register the topic of wolves, though. "My sister Karaglen LOVES wolves she says the ones that Mister Dipsnig has are her big favorites."

As for the marble, Tuskfang will discover that if he twirls it in wider circles the pitch of the sound it makes drops. Bigger circles means a deeper note. Smaller circles means a higher note. With a little practice a person could probably play a song with one of these things. Or two, if there are different notes that need to be played.

[Earl of Purple]

Nightmare in Braon's Head

Most of the ruined cabins are pretty similar. Somebody cheated when crafting it and only ruined one cabin, so inside the ruins are pretty much identical- and the furnishings and internals look like Braon's memories of her cabin, though destroyed. The bedsheets are the same colour, the shards of mirror and window glass all lie in the same places, and so on. It's subtle, but after a few it's noticeable.

"I am NarTheoLoq. Some have called me a demon. I have never seen anything like me, and pulled my way out of a hole in a realm far from this one." NarTheoLoq has been called a demon, and would agree with the description. The realm was Hell, but not as Sekhmet knows it. If she ever accepted the books Pontius sourced for her and read them, it did mention demons pulling their way out of spawning pits- alongside raksha, imps and others. But perhaps Sekhmet didn't read them, as the cosmology wasn't the same and the wouldn't have helped her.

[Morty]

[Main Cabin]

Tuskfang gasps when the cocoa is brought in. He puts the marble down for now.

"Whipped cream! Thanks, Mrs. Frescot." Being somewhat less hasty than Khannie, he notices that the cocoa is hot and puts it aside for a moment. "Mr. Dipsnig? That's him. That's the grumpy goblin mom told me about. Is your sister an angel too?"

Meanwhile, Hornclaw is staring at Sakura now. This person feels good and friendly in a way his little brain can't explain.

[Wormwood Cabin - Fayyaad]

Fayyaad hugs Braon back, a little awkwardly. She seems to swing between emotions pretty rapidly. Which he knows is normal for pregnant women... and seems a typical state for Braon in general. He'll hold her as long as she wants him to.

[Rebonack]

[Main Cabin]

"I saw Mister Dipsnig at Thanksmas once he didn't seem very grumpy then but Mother says that lots of people are much nicer at Thanksmas because Thanksmas is nice," Lapis rambles as she works on a few finishing touches, the little stylus dancing over of the clay tablet. "Karaglen isn't an angel she's a little silver dragon that Mother adopted after she saved her from a really, really bad thing that wanted to do bad things to her. She's very very kind and just wants to help people I don't know why anyone would want to be mean to her."

But she could be an angel some day.

Just not today.

Lapis finally holds up the clay tablet for Sakura to see!

"Look, it's Finian!" she declares. Sure enough, she's made a little portrait of the baby mid-laugh by poking little holes of varying sizes into the clay.

Khannie, still blowing furiously on her coco, glances up. "Wow that's actually pretty good."

Not professional artistry by any means, but still recognizable as Sakrua's baby.

"I had to learn drawing things so I could draw a picture of Cora's birthday present for Mister Sticks to make but I can draw other things too, it's fun!"

[Ironsmith]

Nightmare in Braon's Head
"What are you?" Despite her initial shock, Sekhmet isn't entirely going to assume this creature is a monster... But it is wearing human skin for "clothes," which is a huge red flag.

Brain might be able to hear the two of them talking. Sekhmet's not trying to keep quiet.

Nightmare in Braon's Head

Most of the ruined cabins are pretty similar. Somebody cheated when crafting it and only ruined one cabin, so inside the ruins are pretty much identical- and the furnishings and internals look like Braon's memories of her cabin, though destroyed. The bedsheets are the same colour, the shards of mirror and window glass all lie in the same places, and so on. It's subtle, but after a few it's noticeable.

"I am NarTheoLoq. Some have called me a demon. I have never seen anything like me, and pulled my way out of a hole in a realm far from this one." NarTheoLoq has been called a demon, and would agree with the description. The realm was Hell, but not as Sekhmet knows it. If she ever accepted the books Pontius sourced for her and read them, it did mention demons pulling their way out of spawning pits- alongside raksha, imps and others. But perhaps Sekhmet didn't read them, as the cosmology wasn't the same and the wouldn't have helped her.

[Nightmare in Braon's Head]

"He's lying."

Says nobody in particular. They're the only two people in the room. The voice isn't exactly imagined, but logically it can't belong to anyone, either. It's like the cabin itself is talking to them.

"He's lying." The voice repeats. "He's lying like everyone here lies. He wants to hurt you. Use you. He's not your friend. They're never your friend. If you trust him, he's only going to turn it against you. Get rid of him. Get away from him. Find your own answers; you won't find the truth here."

[Wormwood Cabin - Fayyaad]

Fayyaad hugs Braon back, a little awkwardly. She seems to swing between emotions pretty rapidly. Which he knows is normal for pregnant women... and seems a typical state for Braon in general. He'll hold her as long as she wants him to.

[Wormwood Cabin - Fayyaad]

"...Thank you. Really." Braon sniffs, when she finally pulls away. "I... I really could use somebody in my corner." She manages a small smile and gives him a little peck on the cheek. "But maybe not right this minute. People are going to talk, right? I'll send you something later tonight, we can kind-of talk then."

[Gullara]

[Main Cabin]

"You're welcome." Sakura replies cheerfully as the kids take their treat. She goes and picks up Finian once her hands are free. The baby boy is still exuberant after playing with Khannie and he's bouncing in his mom's arms.

"Oh Lappis, that's so good!" Sakura praises. "You really took to drawing it looks like. Wow!" Sakura holds Finian to coax him to look at it. "Look, sweetie, it's you!" She coos.