Inside 70: Surprisingly Pleasant

[Recaiden]

A road cuts through the park.
Perhaps a moment ago there was not a road, but now there is.
Two lanes, brand new, asphalt beautifully flat, neatly painted lines, evenly spaces reflectors, little signs marking distance posted here and there.
And along the road comes the sound of racing feet and rattling wheels as a chariot approaches.

This chariot contains another cat. It is a rather unusual cat. It is larger than a woman-in-a-hoodie probably is, and it has two extra limbs that hold the reins of the chariot, and its horned head is on a very long neck, and it is dressed in jewels and gold.
"I heard you were looking for a pact?"
"Tell me, what it is you desire."

[Rebonack]

[Near Cormorant House]

Our heroes will find the undead wendigo without a great deal of trouble. It had just smashed open the side of a house and is busy messily devouring someone. It tosses aside half the corpse when the swordsman begins shouting at it, its skeletal jaws stained crimson, and stalks outside. Those left in the house, overcome with starvation and ravenous hunger, begin tearing at the carcass as little spike antlers begin poking through their hair. The Hart of the Forest is beating, the rhythm of its bottomless appetite pounding in the hearts of all mortals nearby. This is a virulent, corruptive, malign presence that needs to be put down quickly.

The wendigo's jaws split wide as it lets loose with a horrifying howl. All who hear it risk being gripped by hunger and terror as flesh withers and cracks with frostbite.

What an awful beast it is.

Someone had best kill this demon and add its head to the count.


[Park Inspecting]

The imps have now captured one normal and very angry cat!

The cat hisses and spits and struggles inside the contraption. There's a pretty decent chance one of the imps may get bit.


[Alex's Apartment]

Alex, as it happens, lives in a fairly posh Victorian style apartment on Steele Street. She was busy testing some old spells to see whether or not other devils may still have any degree of claim on her.

The answer, as it happens, is yes.

Due to some delicious technicalities both Sapphira and Ashmedai currently have a one hundred percent claim on Alex' soul. She's pretty sure she can leverage this particular fact to her benefit and is busy doing some brain storming on how best to apply this legal loophole when suddenly there's a knock at the door. Strange. She wasn't expecting anyone.

Closing the book she was perusing, she gets up and checks the peep-hole of the door.

Who's out there?

[bc56]

Alex's Apartment

A familiar face greets Alex as she peers through the hole. Looks like Sapphira has decided to show up in person, although she currently just looks like a tiefling whose figure puts Alex's to shame. She's clad in a chic black dress and is utterly laden with shopping bags. Did she leave Alex in the middle of that one fight to go shopping? That seems rather ridiculous. She seems to be aware that Alex is looking at her, because she gives a wave, restrained by all the things she's holding. "Do you mind if I come in?" Her voice comes through the door distorted.

[Vahnavoi]

[Near Cormorant House]

The masked figure pauses and sways as the wendigo howls at it, snow piling on its shoulder and rime forming on its muddy bare feet. Whether it sees what the wendigo's done to nearby residents, or what is happening to them, is an open question. For a moment, the figure seems to just wait for the wendigo to attack first, but then it bursts into motion, running towards the beast with the speed of an arrow, its long blade moving in arc seeking to separate the beast's right leg from its body.

[5a Violista]

[In the Painting]

Presumably, when the sun rises next morning, then June thinks everything will be back to normal and she'll be herself again. That means Yssa will be herself again, too. Unless June can somehow get her out of this situation, then that won't solve anything and she'll just be in danger of being killed by a jealous maid or possibly one of the other three - she still hasn't figured out which of the three was 'supposed' to kill her tonight. If she can, she wants to get Yssa out of this abusive-husband/adulterous love square/whatever. That's her new slight change in goals.
And if there was some mind-swap thing going on, then she can get Venus to figure something out.

Being knocked off of the maid and into the water would be really bad.
So, in order to stop the kicking and struggling, she moves her knees to pin Lilly's legs, just below the hip joints.
She also needs to shock Lilly out of this hate-and-anger loop and get her to shut up for a second. Normally, a slap in the face would be fine but unfortunately June's hands are both occupied by holding Lilly's arms down.
June sighs. I can't believe I'm actually doing this. In order to silence the maid and shock her into confusion, she plants a kiss on her, then immediately takes advantage of the situation to say, "Why would I stick around when someone I trusted hates me?" she replies. Someones, she mentally corrects, since one of the other people here wants to kill her too. Or might do it in a fit of anger, if her views of Mr. Husband are correct. "For the sake of people who are aren't the same as what I remember? No, I'd leave tonight if I could!"

What would she even need to leave tonight, anyway? A place to head towards, a letter informing the real Yssa, a ready horse, and presumably some alibi or something.
Ugh, this is so frustrating! There's not enough time to prepare everything. And she really doesn't want to have to kill Lilly just to keep her from joining up with whoever is the other person who is going to kill her.



['Garden' Church]

Venus has found a suitable safe place to put the doll!
Sort-of.
Having thought about it, there's an alcove in the ruined church's wall that would be a decent place to keep it dry and safe from the elements while she's merged into the landscape.
While working at that bar, she can keep it in her room there.
And, while it's not ideal, she probably can't just keep it lying around here when both her and June are busy just in case someone comes by and steals it. So, until she has some way to keep it safe then she either has to leave it at that bar or carry it around with her. Between the two of them, it should be possible.

She exits the altar, gets fully dressed again (following that ghoul's advice, she keeps human legs), and then walks over to the alcove she found. She starts clearing it out and turning it into a suitable, dry, safe spot.


[Darkened Alleyway]

The redhead follows to the corner to see who's there with the child.
Reaching the corner, he stops and looks and sees...

OH NO! there's someone on his shoulders!
Fortunately, children aren't very heavy so it's not that easy for him to be knocked over just from the child's weight.
In shock, he doesn't say anything. But he places a hand against the wall and leans against it to keep balance better. And his other hand reaches up to grab at the shoulder-child's shoulder, to grab it so that he can pull him down.

[Earl of Purple]

Near Cormorant House

The half-elf also moves rapidly towards the wendigo-corpse, changing as she does. She grows much larger, a black beak emerging from her face as wings open up behind her. She drops to all fours and turns into a... thing. Half magpie, covered in black and white feathers. Half oak, made of wood and shedding leaves and acorns behind her. Half bison, with a hump and horns and hooves. And with more hands than would make sense. She's getting bigger as she goes, until she's much bigger than a bison. She's aiming to bodycheck the windigo, but even when she Drifts, she's not as fast as the swordsman.

Darkened Alleyway

The shoulder-child is pulled away, hissing as it is. The mouths on its eye-tendrils reach towards the redhead's hand, to bite him. The child has set the red-head as its 'down', so pulling it away is going to be an issue- as far as the child is concerned, this man is the only source of gravity, and will 'fall' towards him no matter where they put it.

The formerly-sobbing 'girl', meanwhile, opens her mouth, revealing a yellow-irised eye, and then her eyes extend and open, showing mouths with sharp teeth. She runs towards the man, jumping at him when she's close enough to also start attacking him.

[bc56]

In the Painting

Lilly is completely stunned by June's move. "Yssa, what? Really?" She seems very bewildered now. "Why?" She stops struggling. "Where would you go?" June probably gets the idea that she was opportunistically trying to murder Yssa, not that she had really planned it. "If you want to go, I can keep the two of them from chasing you down, maybe." Is she truthful? Or is this a ruse to attempt to kill June again?

[Chaotic Bob]

[Some Street]

Well, she was hoping to buy a llama or an alpaca but she said they didn't have any of those.

Obsidian nods.
"It's not far. Shorter if you fly," she says to the mouse who probably can't fly. But if they fly, they'll have to leave the zombie here because zombies can't fly either. "Because then you can go over the buildings instead of around them."

It's...probably? not? creepy?

Flight is a wonderful thing, especially in chaotically jumbled cities like this one...don't have to worry about that street you took last Tuesday no longer existing. Just go in a straight line.

If you would like some company, I would be happy to see you home. We could continue to talk, if it's helping you.
He's getting too old for a lot of this, but it shouldn't be too hard to at least see a distraught girl home and make sure there aren't assassins lurking near her...tree? Maybe someone should invest in getting her a more concrete living placement.

[Shadowcaller]

[Park Inspection]

Plenty of imps get wounded as the cat bites and claws, but the injured are pulled away and replaced with new ones that continue to pull the cat in and try to chain its paws and feet to the sides of the construct.

But as the cats and the imps fight, an imp that actually wears clothes comes fluttering up through a hatch. They're dressed in a long robe that seems to be made up of the sewn together remains of various black insects. They do not seem pleased. "You utter buffoons! Let that damn feline out! Why would I need a cat of all things?! A cat! they're more common than dirt on some worlds!" He declares while waving his arms around.

The imps all suddenly stop and stare at the clothed imp.

"...what if its Reinholt in disguise?"

"OUT!"

And thus the cat is pushed out again, likely resulting in even more imp injuries as they basically have to repeat the entire process.

[Rebonack]

[Alex' Apartment]

Well.

Of all the things Alex could have imagined happening that really wasn't one of them. How come Ashmedai never stopped by his home with gifts? Honestly the other devil is going to really have to step up his game if he wants to keep Alex' soul.

"Of course, Mistress," Alexandria says as she pulls the door open and gestures for Sapphira to enter.

The interior of the apartment is well lit and tastefully decorated, exactly what one might expect the home of an upper-class gentlemen at the end of the 19th century to have on display. Tasteful rugs, sofas, chairs, tables. A brightly lit chandelier that isn't TOO gaudy. Shelves for books and arcane curiosities that Alex has collected in her travels. All in all plush, posh, and sophisticated.

Alex gives the bags an appraising look.

"To what do I owe the pleasure of the visit, Mistress?" she asks as she closes the door behind Sapphira when she enters the apartment. "I'm not accustomed to my patrons visiting in person."

No indeed!

"May I interest you in a refreshment?" she asks as she opens her liquor cabinet.


[Near Cormorant House]

The swordsman cleaves into the wendigo's leg, but it will feel like he's struck the trunk of a particularly sturdy tree rather than a limb. The blade bites in an inch or so before being expelled by a blast of frostbite that threatens to freeze limbs and cause traumatic tissue necrosis. The wound is frozen shut near instantly and the monster aims a backhand at the swordsman to hurl him away with its hideous strength. It would have followed up that stunning blow with a pounce, but it just got blindsided by the incoming celestial that crashed into it.

Staggering a few steps away, the beast quickly regains its footing and smashes both fists into the ground, causing a wave of spikes of ice and bone to erupt from the ground toward the well-armed bisontreemagpie.

With its claws dug into the frozen earth the wendigo howls again, its voice carrying notes of winter, famine, and death. This time around it isn't the only thing to howl. More voices join it, many of them disturbingly human. It's probably only a matter of time before reinforcements begin arriving.

Work quickly, heroes.

You don't want to get caught in a feeding frenzy.

[bc56]

Alex's Apartment

"I told you, I'd contact you with more instructions." Sapphira takes a seat, her tail curling around her legs. "And I have some things for you." She sets the bags on a table. They're full of women's clothes in all manner of styles, for all occasions, all very well made, and in Alex's size. Clearly Sapphira wants to give her warlock a good selection. "Nothing for me, Alexandria." She produces a manilla envelope and a pair of reading glasses from nowhere. "Where should we begin? Oh, I know!" From the envelope, she produces something and passes it over. It's a set of new ID cards, matching the ones Alex had before. But different. For one, her new face is on all of them. For another, her name is listed as "Alexandria Simone Faust." "I took the liberty of informing the relevant people of your new self."

[WindStruck]

Well again.. Solstice really wasn't in the mood to argue with these people. And she certainly wasn't stupid enough to fight them.

Why would she anyway? She actually had wanted to stop the whole Buttercup thing from happening before, didn't she? Only she might have gotten a bit too carried away trying to be friendly with them. And honestly, as cool as magical forests were, the fact that the magic weald had destroyed portions of the Nexus city didn't settle well with her either. So naturally, she really didn't mind that this dance was being interrupted.

"Ah of course, officer. Then I'll be going immediately," she says with a bob of her head, at once both emanating some polite respect and also 'I'm getting the hell out of here'.

And so Solstice does exactly that. Buttercup crisis averted for now, no demoness to stop, Spooktober exploration plans ruined for today... yup. Time to head back and get some rest.

Solstice will make her way through the park, to the city of Nexus, and look for Trog's. That place did seem to be everywhere... Thankfully it was now a convenience for her.

[Dr.Gunsforhands]

[Goblin Fight Club]

While Fay is riding the giant with tentacle reins, the hydrant-club suddenly comes hurdling back to hit him in the gut while he's distracted.

Beth had hit the dirt to duck under the club a few seconds ago, then chose to jump after it and throw it back before it exploded again. She was suddenly met with the thought that she should probably practice her hammer-throwing, but it did enough here to keep the goblin-ogre-guy off-balance.

She gets a two-handed grip on her small livewood mallet as she charges behind the projectile, seeing where Fay has managed to scratch the beast. She leaps up, and once again, it's like hitting a big ball of iron, the key difference being that this time the iron is mostly molten beneath surface and she just opened up a big crack in its crust.

Beth's analogies aren't much better than her taunts, but that doesn't mean either are ineffective.

[Rebonack]

[Alex' Apartment]

"Yes, but I wasn't exactly expecting instructions in person," Alex admits as she watching the tail coiling around Sapphira's leg like a serpent. Alex still has no idea what to do with her tail. It just sort of... does its own thing. Getting a new limb is very strange. Somehow the tiefling tail is even more alien to her than all the extra Buttercup legs were.

This whole situation is really surreal.

The arch-devil went...

Clothing shopping for her?

She inspects the attire, running her fingers along it. She's got to admit, it all looks quite nice. Some prim and proper. Some rugged. Some sexy. She raises an eyebrow at a particularly risque outfit and gives Sapphira a questioning look. Does she want to know what the arch-devil has in mind for her servant?

The new ID cards are certainly a help.

Alexandria. There it is again. She may as well get use to it, shouldn't she? Apparently that's her legal name now, too. She replaces the old ID cards in her wallet with the new ones. Is she going to have to get a purse, now? Or maybe a hand bag? Women's clothing IS notoriously lacking in pockets.

"So, what of the instructions, Mistress?" Alexandria inquires. "I'm sure there must be business to see to."


[Farewell, Buttercup!]

Finding Trog's is, of course, not terribly difficult. It's nestled between two large oak trees just off the path. There a lone faun standing outside peering in through the window, looking a bit forlorn. She was really hoping for weald wine. Would wine from the Nexus' most famous pub really be the same?

The officers, meanwhile, are going to be milling around until more officers arrive and talk begins about what to do with this big weird magical bonfire.


[Goblin Fight Club]

The ogre was on his last legs.

And this time around?

The blow to the head is enough to finish him off.

It's a surreal sight. One second?

Ogre.

The next?

A huge heap of gross smelling dirt, garbage, and scrap in the rough shape of an ogre.

With a depressing sounding *plumph* the goblin remains collapse into a heap. The fire hydrant club lays nearby on the ground.

Victory!

[bc56]

Alex's Apartment

"I do things... differently than most. And I like you. You have spunk." Sapphira says dismissively. "Very well. Let's get to business." She produces, again from nowhere, an ornate and ancient looking crown. "I need you to steal this. The real one. This is a fake." As if that wasn't clear. "The crown is housed in a place called the Church of Binding Truth. There will be only a single novice priest on duty from 8:00 until 10:00 tonight. The crown should be stored in a box beneath the altar. You will break in and replace the real crown with this copy. Ideally, you will not leave any sign of foul play of any sort, and you should absolutely not kill anyone. Under absolutely no circumstances should you wear the true crown. I have provided you with plenty of clothes for a disguise of your choice, which are yours to keep. Any questions?"

[Rebonack]

[Alex's Apartment]

You bet she has spunk.

Alex managed to be a brave, defiant warrior even after getting stuffed in a full Buttercup mask. That's saying quite a bit.

When the crown is presented Alexandria will take it, turning it over in her hands. A rather nasty smirk creeps its way onto her face when the novice priest is mentioned.

"So you're saying I can't hurt him," she asks. "But he's alone. Inexperienced, and very possibly-"

She waves one hand in front of her face and suddenly she isn't a tiefling at all! She's an incredibly beautiful looking human woman with a few scuff marks on her face.

"-lonely? Maybe the sort of noble soul to be willing to comfort a distressed damsel?"

The warlock waves a hand over her face and she's a tiefling again, spinning the fake crown around her finger.

"Easy. I'll have him wrapped around my finger in fifteen minutes, tops. Consider that crown as good as yours, Mistress."

Oh no. Alex is one of those Mask of Many Faces/Actor warlocks!

[bc56]

Alex's Apartment

"Very good." Sapphira responds to Alex's smirk with one of her own. Oh yes, she chose well with this one. Alexandria did not deserve to be a man before. She's so much better like this. A femme fatale. Oh yes, Sapphira is very happy with her new warlock. "I expect it by tomorrow morning. Anything else?"

[Rebonack]

[Alex's Apartment]

"No, Mistress, I believe that will be all," Alexandria replies with a prim nod.

Once Sapphira is gone she'll begin her preparations, rehearse a few different stories she might employ, and then look up the location of this temple she's going to despoil. She finds documents on the layout of the temple, the practices, the beliefs, all the little bits of information that might help her finish her job and acquire her mark. Once ready, she'll set out to arrive shortly after the priest comes on duty.

This is going to be a cakewalk.

[The Church of Binding Truth]

Alexandria will be arriving wearing attire befitting for a parishioner of the Church, though slightly disheveled. The look of a person who has suffered some grave fate. Human, certainly. A tiefling might arouse greater suspicion. With a face stained with dried tears, she steps into the temple, doing her best to maintain her composure.

Clearly this damsel is distraught over something, but what could it be?

She quickly finds a secluded place to pray, though one that will place her easily in view of the novice priest.

[bc56]

Alex's Apartment

Sapphira nods farewell and vanishes through a portal.

Church of Binding Truth

The priest in question has a seat by the altar. He's absently thumbing through a heavy holy book, but he looks up when Alexandria enters. After a few minutes of her praying, he gets up and stands next to her. "What's wrong, miss? May I pray for you?" An expression of genuine concern is obviously plastered across his face. And a bit of something else. Alex is good looking, and even a priest who's supposed to avoid temptations of the flesh can notice it. Especially one without much experience, who's all alone in the temple without anyone watching his behavior. But he's trying to keep it down.

[5a Violista]

[Darkened Alleyway]

This is creepy-weird.

The one child flew back on to him, and the other jumped at him.
Fortunately, they're still children, so they don't weigh very much. That's how children work, probably.

The one that's on him is actually the easier one to deal with, because it's just gravity holding him to him. It definitely doesn't take much to grab him again and pull him away. This time, though, rather than dropping him or throwing him off, all he does now is just hold him away. The superior reach of adults is pretty great, after all.

Busy holding on to the other one, though, he can't yet fend off the girl. "What do you even want?" he asks, using his foot to push her away even as he gets bitten by her.

He did tell someone to call emergency services. If he can just get back out of the alley, then...it'll be fine.
He takes a few steps back - slower than normal, so that he doesn't lose balance.


[In the Painting]

"I don't know where," June admits. "Anywhere, probably." She is glad that that seemed to have worked, though.

With the time-limit of probably-before-nightfall, she really has no choice but to trust that the maid can help her. Especially if she doesn't want to run into Mr. Handsomeboy.
...
Actually, thinking about it, she's not entirely sure whether Lilly was referring to Mr. Abusive Husband or Mr. Adulterous Co-conspirator. Or someone else. Probably doesn't matter, though.

She doesn't get off her yet. Not until she's ready. On the plus side, Lilly doesn't know at all about the knife yet, so just in case it turns out she's biding her time...that's an option.


[Some Street]

"Okay."
Obsidian wipes off the last of her tears.

She then turns and looks at the street, and then realizes something: "But how are you going to go with me? Isn't the street too big? I won't fit on any of the streets made for you."

[bc56]

In the Painting

Lilly just seems even more confused. Now, her confusion is manifesting as skepticism. "Why? You have everything to lose. You haven't seemed like yourself. What's really going on here?" She starts to struggle again, but much less violently. "Are you trying to humiliate me in front of him, somehow?"

[WindStruck]

Solstice sees the faun. And after a brief chat, would suggest the big tree that sprung up, probably visible from somewhere.

She could get weald wine there. If she was to brave some parts of the city, first.

Ah, what a long, crazy day! Solstice heads inside the inn, and perhaps she'll just rest at one of the seats for now.

[Vahnavoi]

[Near Cormorant House]

Like trunk of a tree? All that means is that the masked figure has to cut harder with its next strike. Its arms are already moving, the long blade withdrawing and the short one arching towards the wounded leg, but the repulsive blast of cold throws the figure off-balance, and then the beast's backhand throws it against a nearby building wall.

Dazed, the maskes figure slides to the ground, then staggers on its feet. Wait, why didn't the wendigo continue its attack? Is there another weird beast now attacking it? No matter. The masked figure was already late... which means it is no longer in any hurry. It just need to hit the wendigo twice as hard with its next strike... and if that doesn't work, hit it four times as hard on its third.
If the call summons forth reinforcements, it will strike them down too. The masked figure has time, the enemies are bound to run out sooner or later.

With those thoughts, the figure shoots forward, using the half-elf's weird form as cover from the wendigo's eyes, trying to get to the side the beast and drive his swords deep into its right flank.

[Chaotic Bob]

[Some Street]

There's a squeak from the mouse, perhaps some rodent-style laugh, and those peculiar turquoise eyes glitter some more.

He floats up from the bench, drifting slightly up and down like a fuzzy balloon.
Have no fears of me keeping up. Simply lead the way and I shall follow.

There's a glance towards the zombie.
Will your...companion need help?

[Rebonack]

[Church of Binding Truth]

The distraught woman is doing well. She's maintaining her composure. At least, until the priest asks if she's doing alright. She looks up at the priest, tears beginning to form in her eyes, and then with a shriek of grief she embraces him to weep on his shoulder.

"My betrothed is gone!" she laments. "Gone. Those... those horrid deer took him. Now he's gone forever and my heart feels like it will break with sorrow!"

Oh no.

Her boyfriend most have been caught in the Buttercupocolypse and got deered up really bad.

There's been a partial 'cure' but that really doesn't return a person to normal, just prevents them from infecting others.

Sometimes the resulting gaiad has little resemblance to the person they were in life. No doubt that's the awful realization the woman has had.

"He's probably prancing in that terrible forest now, not even thinking of me," she sniffs.

[bc56]

Church of Binding Truth

The priest hugs the distraught woman. She clearly needs a shoulder to cry on. "Shhh. Everything will turn out for the best. Let us pray for your betrothed to return to himself." Buttercup is a hell of a drug. This woman's fiance wouldn't be the only gaiad to disappear from their former life in this congregation. A few of the members, even one of the senior priests, are now bubbly deer-fairies. But Sister Iris has been adjusting well, and the flowers in the churchyard have never looked healthier.

[Rebonack]

[Church of Binding Truth]

"But... when I asked I was told he would never be himself again," the woman sobs. "There are even people online saying that... saying that everyone who was changed is dead."

The thought of that is heart breaking. That her believed is dead and replaced by some undead monster that wears a pretty face and a sunny attitude to deceive others into believing she isn't a threat.

She takes a step back, looking the priest in the face, her eyes heavy with pain, confusion, and betrayal.

"Why... why would the gods allow this horrible thing to befall us? Walter didn't do anything to deserve such a miserable Fate."

Oh no.

The priest has likely been given some training on this one.

In moments of pain and grief people often blame the gods for the misfortune.

[bc56]

Church of Binding Truth

"Sometimes Fate works in mysterious ways." The priest thinks. He thinks this lady needs to confront what it is that's troubling her. "I am certain, however, that your beloved is still alive. I think there's someone you should meet. Let me get her for you." He starts to head towards the front door of the temple. That's odd. Who could he be getting?

[Shadowcaller]

A road cuts through the park.
Perhaps a moment ago there was not a road, but now there is.
Two lanes, brand new, asphalt beautifully flat, neatly painted lines, evenly spaces reflectors, little signs marking distance posted here and there.
And along the road comes the sound of racing feet and rattling wheels as a chariot approaches.

This chariot contains another cat. It is a rather unusual cat. It is larger than a woman-in-a-hoodie probably is, and it has two extra limbs that hold the reins of the chariot, and its horned head is on a very long neck, and it is dressed in jewels and gold.
"I heard you were looking for a pact?"
"Tell me, what it is you desire."

[Park Inspection]

Once the first cat has been released and kicked out, probably running off somewhere, the woman turns to the second catcomer of the evening.
What was with the cat theme right now?
The woman looks at them with far more suspicious than they regarded the previous cat. It was way bigger for one.
This time, no whispers follow.
"Ahem What would a pact with you consist of, fey?" She inquires softly. "A promise or perhaps a hand shake? Since I desire more than one body. A clone of myself that's still me."

[Recaiden]

[Park Inspection]
"Oh, it couldn't be a handshake." since the cat has no hands, just paws and pads. "But that's a clever thing to ask for. I could make it for you." Wonder what the woman would do with another body, hmm? It's not a common thing among her fae; they prefer numerous bodies that are not them, things that will always listen and not divide their attention.
"I could take a promise if I were convinced that you could be useful." The cat looks the woman up and down with its empty blue eyes, seeming to smirk. The park inspector would have to take the initiative and do some convincing.
"Or some treasure less valuable to you than another body. Which is quite a treasure, isn't it?"

"Or if you have nothing to give, I'll take a bit of your heart, a little thing that made you...you."