Inside 68: Dawn of a New Season (or two)

[bc56]

Indoor Beach

Sekhmet knows about hunting, or rather the moray in her does. "I am feeling a bit hungry." She briefly wonders if she's really hungry, or if it's her eelish body which is. If she eats as a moray, does she become full as a Tiefling? If she eats raw fish, could she get sick when she turns back? She pays the thought little mind. She is an eel right now, and she'll act like one, since it feels like what she's supposed to do. She follows Dawn down, smelling the water for prey as she goes.

[Recaiden]

"You should check out Trog's Tavern sometime. They have rooms. So does the Black Dragon's Den, I think. Or is it the Dancing Fox Inn? I can't remember, I've not actually been to either." Something she should change. "Or, if you don't mind heights, there's a small campground on that roof, there." Jack points at a five-storey grey brick tenement with a few brightly coloured tents just visible on the roof. There's no clear way to get up there, however, unless you've got wings like Jack does.

Or wings not like Jack does.

Tao looks up at the building with the tents just visible on top. It's beautiful. He should check it out when he's done here.
"Thanks. I'll look into them."
He has three names and a place to investigate! And no idea that he's about to be swept up in robot nonsense.
"Maybe I'll, ah, nevermind."

[5a Violista]

Indoor Beach

Hopefully Sekhmet doesn't mind the possibility that the fish they're going to eat are possibly other people...

Dawn goes right down against the ground, and starts taking advantage of both her color and texture camouflage as she moves along.

...
She moves up to a shrimp, blasts a jet of water at it (also uncovering a couple other ones near it), and then while strobing color patterns, shoots out her sucker-tipped tentacles at it.

She's really trying out all her hunting skills. Some of them are pretty neat, she approves. "This is pretty cool. I should learn how to do these when I'm normal," she comments. She then turns her body to see how Sekhmet is doing.

[Earl of Purple]

Bazaar

"I visit Trog's quite a bit, and I have stayed at the campground. They're both good places, though I'm not sure if the campground's a good place to be in winter." Since it's awfully exposed up there, to the winds and the rain and the snow. But hopefully by then Tao will have found somewhere more permanent.

[Halae]

[Southpaw Boxing Gym]

"A sparring partner, you said? I suppose after coming all this way, it would be a waste not to try," Calm Reed says. "We should be careful, however. I think a proper fight between us might destroy this place."

[Southpaw Boxing Gym]

"If you're up for it, I'm game," Emily says, standing, a hint of a smile in her voice, "Most of the guys around here don't want to get in the ring with me since I outrange all of them." It's not difficult to see why, given that Emily is an enormous woman; her armspan is easily more than twice that of a normal human, "Do you want full contact, or arms only?"

[Morty]

[Southpaw Boxing Gym]

"Full contact," Calm Reed says, with supreme confidence. "I assure you I can take it. As long as we're mindful of our surroundings."

[Halae]

[Southpaw Boxing Gym]

"Hey guys! The monk wants a shot at me!" Emily calls out to the gym, her voice carrying easily over the din of the gym, and it catches everyone's attention, "Clear the ring for us, this is gonna be a doozy!" In spite of interrupting a sparring match in progress, everybody looks excited. Emily is something of a popular figure here; every couple weeks, somebody takes a run at her, and usually ends up losing pretty hilariously, so it's become something of a spectacle whenever it happens. The massive scaled woman steps up into the ring, moving over the ropes in a single smooth motion, and her feet echo when they touch down inside.

Southpaw himself stands at the edge of the ring, and looks to Calm Reed, "I'll tell you what I've told everyone else that tries her; there's no shame in avoiding it. She's enormous, and even in a friendly bout, you could get hurt by accident. If you still want to try it, go ahead, but nobody will blame you for staying out of the ring."

[bc56]

Indoor Beach

Sekhmet smells a prey fish and swims towards it, moving against the rocks and coral to stay out of sight. She lunges at the unfortunate fish and bites down, her pharyngeal jaws clamping down on it and dragging it into her throat. The smell and sight of blood in the water and the taste of the raw fish shock her. She's never killed anything, not violently. Her Tiefling self wants to shudder, while her moray self exults in a successful hunt. She's not sure how she's supposed to feel; elated or disgusted, proud or ashamed. Her instincts win out, and she shouts to Dawn, "Did you see that? I got one!"

[5a Violista]

Indoor Beach

"Cool! Yeah, I saw it!" Dawn replies. "I only got a shrimp, but this is giving me new ideas on things I can do after we leave." Camouflage is pretty interesting when your skin's the color of blood, but she's sure she can do it. Plus, tendrils of flame? That would be neat. Blasts of hot air. Strobing waves of fire. And so on. "What do you think? Fire tentacles."

Dawn goes on towards Sekhmet, to find some other small fish that were spooked and moved when the tiefling-eel attacked.

Meanwhile, two more people entered through the door.
One's a clownfish and the other's a tiger shark.

[bc56]

Indoor Beach

"What are you talking about?" Sekhmet doesn't understand Dawn at all. Fire tentacles? For what? She forces herself to stop hunting for a moment and just admires her view of the reef; she probably won't see something like this again for a long time.

[Morty]

[Southpaw Boxing Gym]

"Thank you for your concern," Calm Reed says, putting her hat aside. Many Dragon-Blooded would be insulted by such implications, but she knows he means well. "But I have fought people her size before. I believe I can hold my own." She then steps into the ring, bows and assumes a ready stance.

[Halae]

[Southpaw Boxing Gym]

"Alright," Southpaw says, nodding, "Then let's see what you can do."

Emily's stance is low, with her legs placed wide to keep her center of gravity closer to the ground, as well as to put her upper body a little lower; it's usually awkward to reach for your target when you're trying to hit them because you're too damned tall. Her arms are held upwards, to keep her chest and head protected, a solid boxer's stance, and Calm Reed will likely see even just in her stance here that she considers herself an endurance fighter, ready to take blows and dish them back. Given the raw power in limbs the size which she's sporting, this isn't an obvious combat style for her - most people this large and powerful would rely on rushdown tactics, to defeat an enemy before they can be defeated themselves. Emily does no such thing, instead waiting for Calm Reed to make the first move.

[Morty]

[Southpaw Boxing Gym]

Calm Reed circles Emily slowly, her arms raised in a loose, fluid posture. Suddenly, she moves, closing the distance and aiming a series of quick jabs, punches and knee-kicks. She's probing Emily's defences rather than trying to seriously hit her.

[Rebonack]

[Bazaar]

"From off the shoulders of a robot," Myriam replies factually.

And likely unhelpfully.

At the question about friends, she and her lamb cast their gaze about!

Which quickly falls on Jack and Tao.

Hmm.

It seems very unlikely that they would all be here in the same place at the same time.

And yet here they are!

"They helped me last time," she says, pointing at the pair.

[5a Violista]

Indoor Beach

Apparently cuttlefish can't see color even though they can mimic colors with their camouflage.
So Dawn doesn't have quite the same view as Sekhmet.

"Like, fire tentacles," Dawn repeats. "Don't you think they would be cool? Like, you're just walking along and then suddenly, pow, fire tentacle shoots out and grabs someone." She demonstrates by grabbing another fleeing shrimp with her paralyzing tentacles.

[Leostales]

The Palace Fight

Metalhead finds it curious that his weapons can be strengthened, he fires at the giant monster's weak spots. "I really hate to destroy another robot...especially one this well designed" he mutters glumly.

OOC: If everyone was waiting for me, I'm really sorry, I've been out of town a lot this Summer.

[Halae]

[Southpaw Boxing Gym]

While it may not be as much of a problem for Calm Reed as it would be for a mortal, the Dragon-blood will likely note that Emily's reach and power are staggering. The first time the monk comes in, Emily will use jabs as a way to keep her at bay, each one moving at speeds greater than her cumbersome size would suggest; she's done a lot of training to be as fast as she is today. But she's not fast enough to prevent the dragon-blood from getting inside her arm's reach and getting in towards her stomach, which is one of the least armored targets on her body.

With the rapid jabs, Calm Reed will likely get several hits in before Emily's knee comes up to meet her - if she doesn't defend against it quickly, it could likely knock the wind out of her, even through the empowered strength of her defenses.

[bc56]

Indoor Beach

"I... don't, uh, understand." Sekhmet isn't sure why you would want to randomly grab people with fire tentacles. It seems somewhat mean and unnecessary.

Bazaar

"They'll do." The monster moves towards the pair. "Hey, you two! This lady tells me you're capable and trustworthy. Want some work? It'll be dangerous, but it pays well. Goes for you too, miss." The last bit is directed at Myriam

[5a Violista]

Indoor Beach

"Don't worry," Dawn says, thinking that it's the 'imagining what it would look like and how it would work' part that that she's not understanding, "I can show you when we get back to normal."

Dawn swims around in circles, imagining what it will be like and the physics of it. Using fire to grab someone is pretty difficult, to be honest.

[bc56]

Indoor Beach

Sekhmet doesn't protest, thinking Dawn will explain why it's a good thing, rather than how to do it. She swims towards another fish, once again pressing against the reef to avoid being spotted.

[5a Violista]

Indoor Beach

The shark swims over the reef, looking for targets.

Rather than hunting more, Dawn notices the shark and stops moving, using her skills as a cuttlefish to pretend to be a rock.

"Hey. Getting eaten isn't one of my favorite things to do, so I think I'm going to head back."

[bc56]

Indoor Beach

"I guess." Sekhmet heads towards the door as well, not paying attention to the shark but rather enjoying swimming while she still can.

[5a Violista]

Indoor Beach

Oh no!
Sekhmet would have been safe so long as she stayed near the ground, the rocks, and the coral! Because sharks don't like missing and accidentally eating a large rock.

That's what Dawn's doing, moving along the ground while pretending to be a rock.

The tiger shark is alerted to Sekhmet's careless swimming and turns to face her. It looks like the shark's going to strike any moment...

"Hey! Pay attention," Dawn alerts.

[bc56]

Indoor Beach

"What?" Sekhmet twists around in the water, seeing the shark too late and leaving herself wide open to its attack. She wasn't expecting to be preyed upon, since her instincts tell her that she is a predator in this form.

[5a Violista]

Indoor Beach

Sekhmet, because of her foolishness, pays the price.

She gets bitten in half. It's not as painful as you might assume, and it's over really fast. Sekhmet will quickly lose consciousness.

Just before she blacks out, she might see Dawn racing towards the door and holding the clownfish hostage for safety on the way there.


And she'll regain consciousness inside what appears to be a changing stall, separated from the rest of the changing room by a curtain. She'll feel a little tingley and numb around her waist, but no pain and the numbness and the tingles will quickly fade. She can take her time to walk out, if she wants.

Shortly afterwards, she'll hear Dawn's voice echoing in the room. "Hey! You, are you alright?" she yells (to be loud enough to be heard over all the other chatter and noises), as she realizes she doesn't really know Sekhmet's name.

[Shadowcaller]

[New Inside Embassy]

Michalson gives the shabby people and their belongings a look that looks casual to all but the most perceptive observers. Hmm...

"Of course. I hope this doesn't take long," he says politely, his mind working fast. He absolutely has to talk to at least some of those people. The chief diplomat might make it easier or much, much harder.

[Tangentially Related to Speaking With Goblins Discussion]

"So what are we doing? Did she have some solution?" Anika inquires, hoping they could get back to the action. The giant flesh-creature looming in the distance was a situation that had to be dealt with as soon as possible.

[New Inside Embassy]

He nods. "I'll try not occupy your time, sir." Then without another word he leads Michalson directly to what must be the chief diplomats office on the second floor of the building. The sign reads. "Ellena Keysing" and there is a man, another guard by the looks of it, positioned outside the door. He greets Beckett with a smile and a nod. His nametag reads. "Bill Iounson."
Beckett returns the greeting and waves his hand towards the door. "Here you are. I'm afraid Iounson here have to stay outside during the meeting. Standard procedure."

Iounson opens the door for him. "Welcome, sir."

Inside Michalson will find himself in a large tidy office. Some things are standing out though such as a number of exotic decorations such as a world-globe of a earth he can't recognize, two tribal masks and a spine that must be from some huge creature hanging on the walls. Sitting behind a ornate brown deck that must be at least a few centuries old sits a woman that must be in her mid thirties. She has short brown her and is dressed in a dark purple suit. Though her most noticeable feature is revealed as she gets up and extends her hand and Michalson can see what appears to be a long metal appendage extending behind her like a tail. "Michalson, is it? How may I help you?" She asks as Iounson closes the door behind Michalson.

[Deathkeeper]

[Dib And Dob, Currently Dry]

”Well, you can put it as a ‘magical potion mishap,’ ayup. If you want to speak to the Master he’s in his ritual chamber, ‘round this hall and through the overly ‘mposing double doors.
Feel free to stay a bit if you need to. We don’t get visitors often. So it’s fun to have guests to entertain.” he winks for effect.
Melvin continues to look mildly uncomfortable. Something about this apprentice makes him feel like he’s forgetting something. Something important.

[Recaiden]

"I visit Trog's quite a bit, and I have stayed at the campground. They're both good places, though I'm not sure if the campground's a good place to be in winter." Since it's awfully exposed up there, to the winds and the rain and the snow. But hopefully by then Tao will have found somewhere more permanent.

"From off the shoulders of a robot," Myriam replies factually.
And likely unhelpfully.
At the question about friends, she and her lamb cast their gaze about!
Which quickly falls on Jack and Tao.
Hmm.
It seems very unlikely that they would all be here in the same place at the same time.
And yet here they are!
"They helped me last time," she says, pointing at the pair.

"They'll do." The monster moves towards the pair. "Hey, you two! This lady tells me you're capable and trustworthy. Want some work? It'll be dangerous, but it pays well. Goes for you too, miss." The last bit is directed at Myriam

"Maybe I'll see you at one of them." He shakes his head. "Wind and snow's no problem. I'm used to the cold." Tao comments. Wait, why is that true? What cold is he-

Well, he has no time to wonder over it, as the witch appears again. With a- Tao takes a step back upon seeing the monster. Wait, no, he's just looking for...mercenaries? Is that him? Does dangerous probably robot-fighting-related things for money? That can't be right, can it?

He considers his recently-lightened coin purse.
"Pays how well, exactly?"

[bc56]

Indoor Beach

Sekhmet shrieks, is cut in half, and falls into death. When she reawakens, she starts up, grabbing her waist and then feeling up and down her body, confirming that she is A: in one piece and B: not an eel anymore. Once she is sure she's back to her normal Tiefling self, she shakily exits the room, getting used to having legs again. She follows Dawn's voice. She was pretty sure she'd told the elf her name already. "I, uh, I'm right here!"

[5a Violista]

Indoor Beach

Well...
Dawn can't remember it.
And at this point, she feels like it would be too awkward to ask.

The elf heads towards Sekhmet's voice.
"Oh, good." She sounded a little bit worried at first, but then her voice transitions to scolding. 'You should've been paying attention, I thought you said you didn't want to get eaten." If you're going to get eaten, then at least make sure you avoid their teeth so that you can strangle them on the way down.

Then, her voice turns a little embarrassed. "W-well, anyway. Glad you're okay. Try not to eaten next time."