VIgil: Return of the Geneva

[Earl of Purple]

Tree That Is Secretly A Dragon And A Deer

The bird is not so dumb as to trust the tree not to grab it when the tree was not here yesterday. It has a longer memory than that, Lapis! You should have replaced an actual tree for this trick. That might have worked better.

The tree might sense some unusual senses lapping over it, trying to read the tree's biological makeup- not at a cellular level, just its macroscopic anatomy, and an attempt to find mystic patterns left by a brain. It doesn't expect to find the latter, however; I don't believe Lapis has ever generated any such thing, being too real to have telepathy work by connecting to something more mystic than just her physical brain.

[Purple Eagle]

[Battle Clinic]

"Am I discomforting you, Wenomir-sensei?" Svetlana asks with another sultry smile, then fans herself with one hand. "It feels hot in here, I cannot help myself." She giggles, staring at him.

She claps her hands together once Wenomir speaks. "Astute as always, Wenomir-sensei! In retrospect, it appears he was, although I very much doubt it was premeditated. I know of his type, the sort to betray their own mother if it meant they would go scot free. Just what has he experienced to make him that manner of man?" She looks up and to the side, thinking of this.

"Let it be known, however, that I bear no ill-will towards him... not any longer. I got to see my husband again because of it. I feel like a new woman, sensei." She looks like she'd probably hug Dr. Valiance next time they meet, given the chance. What he meant for ill, has been turned into good! Why wouldn't she thank him? "I must say, however, that I feel that Cessie-sama will take his side on this. He will play her like a violin. Hohohoho!"

The results of the scan, the footage? That, she can provide with ease. A holographic screen forms above her left hand, and she plays the videos for Wenomir. "Dr. Valiance complained about my recording his actions, but did he tell you that he created a profile for me for use with the Artificial Intelligence of his running the laboratory, without my knowledge? He also claims that such footage can be fabricated in a matter of minutes... I can assure you that such a thing is impossible to convincingly do in less than a day. Besides, what reason do I have to sabotage his chance at reform?" She bursts into laughter, once again. "Hohohoho... he needs no one to do that, seeing as he is capable of doing it to himself, hohohoho!"

[Shadowcaller]

[Bunk - 3:00 AM]

So the bear slowly awakens...
Still groggy she's pretty sure she had a dream about Blanche. Was that the person she was feeling sleeping next to her? That was cute.
But... then why was she so uncomfortable? Her whole body was aching and it felt like she was leaning over something.

So she was in the bathroom.

Why was she in the bathroom?! How had she managed to fall asleep inside the tub?!
She felt groggy but she didn't have a headache so she couldn't have been drunk. Anika knew exactly how those mornings felt.

So what the heck had happened? Well, maybe Blanche would know...

She licks the catgirl to wake her up.

[Wenomir's Villa]

"How mysterious. I think the curse was caused by werewolves being brought into my world by some crazy mage. But I dunno how those werewolves were cursed in the first place though. Maybe they were brought in from your world? How crazy wouldn't that be?" Anika ponders out loud.

[Hattish Thing]

[Bunk - 6:45 AM]

Despite the situation at hand, Larza was enjoying herself.

She hadn't slept in several days, which wasn't particularly unusual for her race.

Then again, the amount of head injuries she had sustained during that period certainly was. A little bit of a nap was precisely what she needed! Although she wasn't particularly fond of Anika's shifting magics, even she would have to admit that resting upon a bear was quite comfortable. Even if it wasn't really resting on, but mostly beneath.

This is why she's quite displeased when she's disturbed from her slumber.

"Eurgh, git yer... mingin' tongue... aff o' me, elf..."

...

...

...

"Glaikit, dumb... idiot elf..."

[Shadowcaller]

[Bunk - 6:45 AM]

Wait, did Blanche sound like that?
She certainly did not!
And she would never call her an elf.

Impostor Blanche!

The bear turns to look and confirms indeed, that voice and orange face, that's something she vaguely recalled now!

The bear makes a rumbling sound as she stares at Larza. But there would be no way to maintain this cramped up position so she starts attempting to get up from the tub.

...

It doesn't look like she's having much luck with that though however. She wiggles her bear feet in the air but doesn't quite manage to get the needed momentum to swing herself out of the tub.
If Larza would help her, she could get out but the goblin might have other ideas.

[Hattish Thing]

[Bunk - 6:45 AM]

Ack, now this was just getting worse! First, her sleep is disturbed!

Then, this stupid elf starts writhing around! Big dumb bear person, druids were the absolute worst.

She'll attempt to slither out from beneath the great, awful bear. The colorful goblin is clawing at the bathtub all the while, slashing and ruining the material! At this point, there was only escape! She'll chitter and shriek as she attempts to scuttle up a wall and leap onto the ceiling. In between pants, she'll hiss forth, "Trch, eejit bear! A'm free noo, 'n' ye'll ne'er catch me!"

"Ack hak hak!" She grins evilly, sharp teeth clattering!

[Shadowcaller]

[Bunk - 6:45 AM]

That damn laugh!
It aggravated Anika more than anything else and in her sudden surge of rage she changes into something else.

All of sudden there is no bear in the tub.

Probably since there is very little tub in sight. In fact, there's very little bathroom as most of it is now occupied by a terrifying white shark.

...

Of course, being a shark, it can't actually do much on land besides flopping around uselessly. It might just get Larza stuck somewhere with its sheer size but otherwise it won't actually interfere with her escape.

[Hattish Thing]

[Bunk - 6:45 AM]

Larza had never seen a shark before in her life.

She had no idea what a shark even was, or what one would look like.

Doesn't sound that bad on its own, the lettering wasn't too sinister. Now though? Now she knew what a shark was, and she did not like it! The wet, rubbery thing expands to fill the bathroom space, threatening to trap Larza as it expands. She's safe from any sort of attack, being stuck somewhere around the creature's tail. This terrible 'shark' thing was really, really inconvenient.

The goblin has been trapped! Rather than surrender, she'll flail about madly with her claws and teeth!

Still shouting, "Nrrrghhh! Let me oot, let me oot! ah dinnae wantae be 'ere!"

"Glaikit, filthsome fish! Howfs lik' garbage, fish-elf!" She'll start to bite down hard!

[Shadowcaller]

[Bunk - 6:45 AM]

The shark scarcely notice the bite, what it does notice however is that its too small for this room and that its hurting even more now. It couldn't even breathe properly up here!
It will press its body against the annoying goblin once and then disappear in the same green cloud of energy it appeared in. Now leaving a groaning Anika bent over the edge of the bathtub.

She was gonna get that goblin!

She... just needed a moment or two first.

[Hattish Thing]

[Bunk - 7:00 AM]

Larza furrows her brow as she realizes her teeth weren't penetrating!

This was so frustrating! Things were never just easy for her, were they? Everything was always so hard!

Still, she'll keep on gnawing. She was a persistent creature, after all. Finally, it seems as if her determined attempts at champing at the shark had worked! Anika had reverted to her humanoid shape! Unfortunately, Larza is no longer stuck to the wall, her position having changed once the big, awful shark expanded to fill the bathroom space.

As such, she immediately plummets from the ceiling, landing within the sink below. A faucet breaks, and water starts to spray everywhere. It's a terrible mess. Larza is in pain. Both of them are.

What a terrible evening this has been. Now in pain and sopping wet, Larza attempts to slide out of the sink. "Haw! ye... Ye wilnae stoap me, elf. A'm twa steps ahead o' ye! Ah will... Ye'll ne'er fin' me!"

"Ack hak hak!" Although she's laughing, she's also coughing and clutching at her shoulder.

She attempts to make a run for the door! Only...

She's looking back over her shoulder.

Not at the door.

[Shadowcaller]

[Bunk - 7:00 AM]

Anika crumples backwards to the floor just as Larza attempts to escape and gets a upside down view of the goblin running right into the door.

What follows is her hysterically giggling as she didn't feel up to do much else at the moment.

"You- you're the dumbest, funniest goblin I ever seen!" She declares before letting of another fits of giggles.
But as she eventually stops she adds. "Keep the bra. Just give me, uh, the rest." The druid is turning herself around so she isn't looking at the world upside down anymore. "Then- then you can go." It looks like she's going to make an attempt to stand.

The druid wasn't really planning to just let the goblin go however. She just needed a bit more time and then she'd pounce that awful creature and take what was hers. She feigns weakness as she readies herself to leap at the goblin.

[Morty]

[Battle Clinic]

Wenomir remains disturbed and doubtful. Did she really see her husband? It's unlikely, but what does he know? People actually come back from the dead now and again, seeing someone who's dead after a mental breakdown isn't impossible. Regardless, now there's something concrete in front of him.

"I don't know how easy or difficult it is to falsify those," he admits bluntly. His technological illiteracy is well-known. "I know Dr. Valiance will argue they are, so we'll need to verify them. But why do you think his goading wasn't premeditated if you think he's capable of it?"

[Hattish Thing]

[Bunk - 7:00 AM]

The colorful goblin crashes directly into the closed door for a second time.

This time, it wasn't quite so bad. She hadn't been leaping straight for it. It still hurt quite a bit! Ow, ow!

Larza unleashes a string of particularly foul curses before calling back over her shoulder, "Shut yer dumb moufh, elf! Ye dinnae ken me!" Strange blue blood starts to dribble out of her nose. Rather than stand around waiting for Anika to catch her, she slams the door open and scampers free!

Oh no! Now she was released! What would the populace do? As she flees, she's cackling madly! "Ye'll ne'er catch me nou, neither ye nor a'body else! A'm freesome, ye bloody bastards!

"Ack hak hak!" That awful laugh! It's so loud!

[Shadowcaller]

[Bunk - 7:00 AM]

Anika runs after, ignoring how her body was aching with every movement for a moment. "I'm gonna 'ken' you good!" She had no idea what it meant, but she was sure gonna do it!

She's going attempt to leap at Larza once they're both out of the bathroom.
This might either end with her grabbing some part of the goblin or leaping right into a part of her own furniture.
It should be noted that the front door is also closed but Larza have probably learned to open the doors by now.

[Hattish Thing]

[Bunk - 7:00 AM]

Larza is quite pleased with herself! In fact, she looks over her shoulder to glare smugly!

However, in that split second she's spent gloating, Anika manages to snatch her around the ankle! Larza is caught!

Who knows for how long, though? Those big, pointy boots weren't coming off anytime soon - there were about thirty straps and buckles! She's about six feet up the wall, near the ceiling. Unfortunately, Anika is quite tall. Larza's long claws dig into the wall, though she still begins to slide down. She starts to shriek all the while, "Ack! Stoatin, fatsome elf! Ye weight tae bloody muckle! Let gang o' me!"

She'll start to kick at Anika's face with her other boot. It's heel is sharp, but not as sharp as its pointed tip!

[Shadowcaller]

[Bunk - 7:00 AM]

"Ahaahahah! Got yohhh-" Just as Anika jubilantly proclaims what she think is her ultimate victory her face is flattened by a goblin boot.

"I-" Another kick. Ow! that one looks like it hurt.
She now got a nosebleed and tears are involuntarily running down her face as tends to happen when your nose is kicked in.

But through the tears Anika can see an opportunity.

With one hand she attempts to reach into Larza's pocket to get a hold of whatever's in there while her other hand attempts to grapple to leg Larza was using to kick her. She got a size advantage so could grapple with it!

[Hattish Thing]

[Bunk - 7:00 AM]

Larza is strangely somewhat displeased to see tears running down Anika's face. This mud person was very ugly when they cried!

Yes, that had to be it - the explanation for the strange, guilty feeling wriggling about in her gut. Or maybe she simply hadn't had anything to eat in a while. Yeah, that was definetely more likely than anything else.

Larza starts to wail as Anika grapples at her leg! Oh no, she was going to he pulled off of the stupid wall again! But then, Anika reaches into a pocket. She'll feel a bunch of squirmy, awful things in there! Oh gods, this pocket is full of bugs! Centipedes and roaches and awful things!

Why! Why!

Aaaaaaaaaa!

[Shadowcaller]

[Bunk - 7:00 AM]

Ha! Anika isn't afraid of bugs!

She once ate a whole worm as a part of the chicken challenge!

Then a big roach, but only half of it.

Point was, she wasn't going to get turned away by that. She reaches deeper into the pocket and using it as something to grab onto she will attempt to pull Larza from the wall. Either that or she breaks the pocket.
If she does manage to pull Larza down, the druid will then attempt to pull herself on top of the goblin and grab her arms so she couldn't stab her again.

[Purple Eagle]

[Battle Clinic]

"Are you not familiar with technology, sensei? I could... teach you." Svetlana licks her lips slowly.

"Hmm, that is a good question..." She thinks about it for half a minute. "I believe that he simply reacted to my report to Cessie-sama by defending himself... by which I mean 'slandering me to make himself look like the victim'. As you saw, I apologized to him earlier and he seemed to accept, even telling me about Obsidian-chan. Yet, when the opportunity presented itself, he was all too willing to slander me in front of Cessie-sama."

She pauses to think some more. "Upon further thought, he did not seem to thrilled at the thought of me watching over him, from the start. Perhaps his friendliness was but a facade... the sure way to ascertain whether that is the case is to play the long game and see if he attempts to get rid of my replacement. One could also get him to slip up with his words, a man like that with no honour who talks too much is bound to talk himself into trouble." She says, sagely.

Although she's still so smiley, serene and flirty; she manages a moment to be serious. "I have no illusions about where I stand right now, sensei. If I did not already plan to leave for HALO after my recent encounter..." She smiles wistfully for a moment, then continues. "I would be fired, perhaps even removed from active duty. The upside is that in HALO I have even less chance of worrying about the likes of him, I can work in peace... I can help people. Of course, I still wish to be your student, sensei... I would not trade that for the world. That being said..."

She bows her head low. "Between you and I, sensei... I am sorry for disappointing you, for failing to apply your teachings. Please, forgive me." Tears start to drip from her eyes, but she quickly wipes them.

[Morty]

[Battle Clinic]

Wenomir sighs deeply when Svetlana blames herself. She's not wrong and it's good she doesn't try to evade responsibility. And yet...

"The fault is mine as well, Svetlana. As your teacher it was my responsibility to teach you to be better than this. And to see how troubled you were. I didn't. You're right that we'll very likely need to discharge you after this. You weren't in a sound mind when you threatened another member with a weapon... but you still did. Whatever happens, though, I will still teach you if you want. I don't cut my students loose when they stumble. But you might also need help I can't give you."

[Hattish Thing]

[Bunk - 7:00 AM]

The pocket is torn! Centipedes and roaches go flying!

It's such a mess, and now Anika's room is full of the awful, wriggling creatures.

As she grasps wildly at Larza, she manages to tear the goblin down from the wall! Several inches of fishnet stockings worn beneath her boots are torn! All the while, she's absolutely wailing and continuously kicking at Anika. "Git aff, git aff! Ye'r tearing me stockings! Ye creep, ah hawp this hurts!" She'll kick at Anika one last time! This one probably really hurts, as she's no longer holding anything back!

The colorful goblin starts to claw and throw punches as she's thrown onto her back! "Ack, git aff o' me! Trch, dinnae ye mak' me..."

Realizing the dire situation she was in, Larza resorts to her least favorite tactic.

Rather than risk killing the dumb elf with a bite to the throat -

- she'll roll her eyes and kiss her on the mouth!

...

...

...

Hopefully the poison kicks in. This was gross.

Then again...

[Murkus]

[Gym]

"I don't need you to." Ilpholin assures him. There was a time where she couldn't live without that external validation. Where acceptance would mean everything, regardless of its source. That was yesterday. Now she is compleat. "But I'd be willing to put your mind at ease if you want to meet Tauron, I can introduce you. Honestly, I think he has a lot to offer, especially if you intend to hunt more demons. It's no different than what your Empress did to you."

Made him too tall, that's for sure.

"Are you training Sakura and the baby deers in self-defense? Do you need silver weapons? I bought em all up awhile ago, but there should be more out there by now."

[Gym]

"...Yeah, I guess I wouldn't mind scoping the guy out. But... the Empress thing was a big commitment. I don't know if I want to do something like that again." Adir gives her a critical look, seems about to ask if she's sure she's alright, and then thinks better of it. "Sakura knows a little, but I'm having trouble just getting her to let Cern have a training knife. Y'know, a little dull piece. It's... a whole thing..." Adir sighs. He wants the family to be able to defend themselves, but Sakura's heart just is never gonna be in it, and the kids are all still too young. It's pretty clear he thinks training the kids to fight is gonna be quite a hurdle with Sakura.

[Shadowcaller]

[Bunk - 7:00 AM]

"Oh, you hurt?!" Anika proclaims after taking yet another kick to the face.
Next she's expecting a bite to the throat but Larza's not the only one that can reuse old tricks.
So she's going to headbutt Larza, again. Just as she's about to kiss. Something Anika assumes is a bite attempt and she doesn't want to die to something as lame as this goblin.

[Hattish Thing]

[Bunk - 7:00 AM]

Larza sneers and struggles, hissing and spitting all the while.

She couldn't break free like this, Anika was significantly larger and somewhat stronger than her.

Just as she gets close, hoping to put the dumb elf to sleep, Anika cracks her head up against Larza's own. That really, really hurt - this elf had a ridiculously hard head. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Larza shrieks out immediately, "Ack, ye made me bite me tongue! Whit th' hell is wrong wi' ye?!" At this, she'll start to bawl! Great, fat tears - it's quite a miserable sight.

Her makeup has started to run even more. She looks so pathetic! Only a heartless fiend would pursue this fight!

The tears are fake, of course. But fae are excellent liars.

[Shadowcaller]

[Bunk - 7:00 AM]

Anika isn't going to pursue the fight.

She's going to go through Larza's other pocket.

She felt somewhat bad but her priority was to get what was hers. Then maybe she could... well, she wasn't sure what to do with Larza at this point, but she wanted her stuff back and sleep!

[Hattish Thing]

[Bunk - 7:00 AM]

Despite being so small, her clothes are full of pockets!

There are dozens on the inside of her jacket alone, with extra areas within her stockings.

Anika manages to stuff her hand into a pocket, only she'll likely find her hands pricked by what appears to be a pocket filled entirely with sharpened jacks! Why in the world would she have these in her pocket? Even worse, they're somewhat rusty! Meanwhile, Larza has quickly realized that her strategy wasn't going to work. She'll immediately stop crying in order to growl out, "Nrgh, ye sook! Bas elf - nobody likes ye!"

Hopefully, Anika is at least somewhat surprised from jabbing her hand into sharpened jacks, surprised enough to loosen her grip!

Just enough for the colorful goblin to push her heels against the floor and slide forward!

She was so close to the exit, just a few feet now!

[Reinholdt]

[Gym]

"I'm sure you'll reconsider once you meet him." Ilpholin says with unnerving certainty. "Meet me at [Tauron's Temple] in [Outside] this weekend and I'll introduce you."

Ilpholin's not surprised by much, but she's a little surprised to hear how irrational Sakura's been acting and raises an eyebrow. "Really? Even after getting attacked and having your house burned down? Most people generally flock to self defense after something traumatizing like that." As they reasonably should, though the nymph doesn't know why they keep waiting until after they narrowly survive to do it. She would only imagine the safety of the kids would be a top priority as well. All the better they learn young. "Well if you need to sneak one or two at a time out to learn the basics of hand to hand, let me know. I'm sure they're all just as durable and stubborn as you. They should pick up on it easy."

[Shadowcaller]

[Bunk - 7:00 AM]

Larza obviously had them as caltrops, Anika had hanged out with a rogue of Larza's size that used that sort of thing all the time.

This knowledge doesn't comfort Anika at all when she cuts herself on them. It wasn't a bad cut, she was being a bit more careful going through the pocket this time, but its enough for her to shout and swear.

Then Larza slipped away right underneath her!
The druid reaches out to grab the goblin's clothing hoping to rip something, anything, from her before she got out of her reach. Since this time she didn't have the energy to get up in time.
No, instead she's going to spend her last energy at shaking her fist at the escaping goblin while calling out her name angrily.

"LARZA!!!"

[Hattish Thing]

[Bunk - 7:00 AM]

The lacerations will be particularly rough, for the edges are notched.

Anika is accurate in her assessment, the sharpened jacks appeared to serve as caltrops of a sort.

What sort of person would create their own caltrops, rather than simply purchase them from a merchant of repute? They were inexpensive, and often came in far larger number than what is discovered within the colorful goblin's pocket. The answer is perhaps unsurprising: the goblin simply found the idea of transforming a child's toy into something painful to be of particular satisfaction.

As the goblin makes her escape, Anika will manage to tear a patch of fabric from her jacket, but it hardly seems to stop her.

She launches herself up into the air, miraculously landing upon the ceiling, cackling all the while.

Without stopping, she'll crawl across the way and land in a roll at the front door!

Unless stopped, she'll open it and flee around a corner. Oh no!

"Haw, ye'll ne'er catch me, elf! A'm un-bloody-catchable, a'm!"

[Shadowcaller]

[Bunk - 7:00 AM]

Darn, Anika was hoping to at least get another pocket space.

Now she can't even reply. All her energy went to that last defiant call of Larza's name.

Instead she picks herself up, closes the door, and then collapses into her bed.

Probably bleeding all over it. Ew.