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Sethera

Fire Emblem: Curse of the Goddess [IC / Conditional Acceptance / PG-16]

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Well, Shiro didn't know what he expected. Maybe some surprised scream, some cussing in the common language... not some guy acting like an animal. Shiro looked to Gunther, unsure what to do.

"Well, I don't know why I expected anything normal." The only normal one muttered. "Penelope once told me about something called hypnotism. That could cause someone to think something that isn't true."

"Humans being able to manipulate the minds of others? Terrifying...," Shiro muttered without a hint of sarcasm. He watched as Gunther tried to calm down the man. Shiro wasn't one to do the whole 'calming down' thing, so he just opted to watch silently. However, a thought suddenly crossed his mind. "If we do believe that humans are being turned into animals because of magic, then why is this man... only in the process of becoming one? Or... is he an animal that has been changed into a human?"

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"I guess her action makes sense, yeah. I was just too worried earlier, and thought she was suspicious." Ciela had her gaze low. An unsaid feeling was left behind from her words. That for a short moment, she prioritized her own feelings of guilt over actually being helpful to Licorice. She left that unsaid. "But honestly, if i was in her position, then I would act the same in that situation."

The rest of the four's time inside was spent with more talking. It was a surprisingly nice time, all things considered, and its passing was practically unnoticeable. Licorice had eventually recovered, and the four set out of the cave. Remy was still there, thankfully, but he looked at Ciela with a scornful expression. Ciela profusely apologized to him as the rest began their walk.

"I suppose there's no reason to remain here. Hopefully by now the rest have met with the locals and have gotten the information we need."

"I sure hope they didn't end up getting into some trouble." Ciela replied dryly. Knowing this group and its rotten luck, that seemed so unlikely however. Ciela wouldn't be surprised if the four of them would come to a wrecked village and their group getting arrested again, somehow.

"So, how did you and Dariela even met in the first place, Licorice?"

----

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Well, so far so good. That was what Edrick thought anyways. This woman they'd met didn't seem to be hostile, or indeed mean them any harm at all. It seemed that she had just been doing her duty as a town guard, which had unfortunately led her to assume they were in some way responsible for all this. Really, it wasn't that much of a stretch. Strange acts of magic seemed to just happen around them, and they were the only conscious people that anyone could find in the town. On top of that they were strangers. If he'd walked into a similar situation in his home town, he'd have probably reacted similarly. He was in fact about to say something, when someone called for him.

Turning his head back, he saw that it had been this Citron girl who they had come across. And his eyes lit up as soon as she leaped into her questions about growing things. Wave after wave of nostalgia washed over him as memories came flooding back to the forefront. Tilling fields with his father, and later by himself, to plant wheat and barley. Working in one of his neighbors' orchard when he could. The cranberry bogs that the village maintained near the river. It all came rushing back, and with every strange thing that had happened lately he didn't want to do much aside from talk about this profoundly normal thing.

And before he could answer, Adelheide had eased the girl down onto her back to keep her from messing up the vulnerary. Sighing, and visibly deflating, Edrick decided that conversation would have to wait until the Wyvern Rider was feeling better. Which let him bring his attention back to the matter with the guardswoman and Catriona.

"Well," he began, the stress in his voice giving way to exhaustion again, "this town's pretty small. I don't think the others'll have that hard of a time finding us wherever we set up." He looked over Catriona after her comment on the others potentially getting lost. "So," he now turned his head towards Cora, "I think we'd all appreciate havin' a place to get some rest that's not out in the wilderness." He turned back to their fearless leader, "and I'm pretty sure the others'll be able to catch up easy enough." Did he already say that? Whatever.

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With the plan being to stop by both places, as Cora mentioned the proximity of her house to the mayor's Alois nodded saying, "basically that. Oh and," looking back to Cora he said, "no need to apologize. We're basically a rowdy band of misfits anyway. But, we're in luck.'" Looking back to Cat he then said, "now's prime time to explore if you don't want to catch any trouble. After all, those three are the most likely to get into trouble by themselves anyway." Alois  paused for a moment, seeming to be vaguely unsettled by what he just said. "Wait..." he muttered, though shook it off soon after. "But well, I guess we should go wait for them at the front." Looking to Edrick he said, "small as this zoo of a town may be, I don't think you want Penelope to think we all turned into animals, right?" Offhandedly he said, "amusing as that may be."  

Looking over to the new girl and Adelheide he said, "since you two are busy here, if the boy and his frog come back, be sure to tell them where we went." Seeing though that Adleheide was mostly engrossed in her medical procedures and that the girl, Citron, still seemed out of it, he looked to Peaches. "Well, Pinky, I'm sure you can handle it, right?" With that, Alois began to walk back to the front gate. 

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Tsetseg was a bit confused about the conversation that was going on between Penelope and Licorice, but didn't really bother to think too much on it. Sure, things changed and the people you were around changed from time to time, but Penelope still thought that didn't they wouldn't be having loads of fun time in the future. All the same, as the black fluffy tailed fox protean had finally seemed to calm down, the group was now able to joyously meet back up with the others. Seeing that the path back, though, was clearly carved out for them, as Penelope went to reassure Licorice about her actions, the girl smiled widely as well saying, "yeah! Thanks for the help Licorice!" 

It was then that Ciela spoke up again, and while the girl was still annoyed at her refusal to hand over her clearly evil dark magic experiments, she was also interested in her question. "Yeah, yeah. Dariela some kind of like, super hunter or something? She seemed to be like really, really good at seeing things." 

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Link was content to fade into the background of the conversation. He had played his part and given them a cover story; not that it had been needed, really, what with Alois having known the guard. At least their path was seemingly decided. Alois was going to wait for the rest of their company near the entrance of the village, while the rest of them would travel to the guard’s house to rest, which happened to be near the Mayor’s house. Convenient. 

Normally he would have offered to scout ahead and scour the Mayor’s house himself. With a broken arm, though, he wasn’t a very reliable scout, meaning he had to resign himself to a less proactive role for now. Speaking of being unproductive… He how Rohns was doing at the moment. The wolf cub had run off with Princess Penelope in pursuit of Licorice, probably just enjoying the chase. Hopefully he hadn’t gotten into any trouble. 



A wild hawk has appeared!

Rohns instinctively started to growl and back away. He had heard the noise before, the painfully shrill cry of a massive bird of prey. With his ears pressed flat against his head, he looked up at the sky and though it was hard to make out, he could just barely see a black dot circling above him.

Knowing such a huge bird was circling above him… the wolf cub didn’t know why, but it he was suddenly and very instinctively terrified. 

The hawk swooped down at him without warning. The distance between them closed in what seemed to be the blink of an eye. Before the pup could react the bird was only a few feet above him with talons as sharp as the longest claws extended, ready to grab him. Rohns snarled and sprang off his hind legs in an attempt to bite the bird. His teeth sank into a mass of feathers and the hawk shrieked again, but it wasn’t without consequence.

One side of Rohns vision exploded into bright colors from where hawk’s talon had slashed him across the eye. The bird kicked and hissed and pulled itself free of the cub’s jaws, flapping away, leaving the wolf to sink back to the ground with a mouthful of feathers and blood matting the fur around his eyes. 

Rohns spit the feathers out and spun around, blindly running towards the scent of his pack of two-legs in terror. Why had he ever left the pack? A cave was better than a bird trying to eat him. His head hurt, his eyes burned from the blood, and he was scared. 

He wanted Green Wolf.
He wanted his Mama back. 
He didn’t want to be alone anymore.


 
 

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Catriona had originally been expecting more contention and indecision on what they were going to do, however Alois had taken things into his own hands. Following her suggestion, the fighter began to walk toward the entrance of the village. While the woman could just leave him be--as he was a local, he would probably be fine--it still didn't do to let one of their own wander off alone.

However, as Edrick said, a place to stay would not go amiss. While time was of the essence, Catriona had seen firsthand how fatigue and injuries could force an otherwise able-bodied warrior to sit a fight out. So with the opportunity to rest in front of them, it would be folly to turn it down. With that in mind, the lord turned to Alois. "I dislike the thought of you going alone, though this be your hometown." She stated. "With that in mind, I shall accompany--"

"I'll go."

The white-haired woman turned around, noticing the other white-haired member of their party, Sienna. The Protean looked a little uncomfortable to have so many eyes on her, but she continued valiantly. "I'll wait at the entrance with Alois," she repeated. "I'm...worried about Licorice and the others." Her ears flattened uncomfortably, before perking back up.

Catriona blinked. "Acceptable. In that case," she turned to Cora. "If you could lead us to your house to rest for a spell, that would be most appreciated." The words came out slightly stilted, as she was unused to asking for favors.

Receiving an affirmative, the woman followed Cora, stopping once beside Adelaide and Citron. "I understand it is difficult to move right now," the lord said. "However, the accommodations at the house will most likely be an improvement to the ground."

The group first would be taken down a street bordering a mansion that was not much different from its fellows save for its unusually large size and the gaudy draperies hanging from every eave. A single black cat, the same one whose tail she had stepped on, stood in front, head raised majestically. It sniffed at the passing party, hauteur in every line of its body.

"Is that the mayor's house?" Catriona asked Cora. It certainly looked like it could be.

The cat let out a hiss at that before it turned around in a huff and curled up in front of the doorway.

The lord blinked, but said nothing. She never could understand animals.

Continuing down the street, the group would see many houses, but none of them so well-made as the manor they first passed. When the street ended in a T-shaped intersection, they turned right. Various animals observed them, though they did nothing to impede the group. Eventually, Cora would stop in front of a house that looked a little better than its neighbor, but only by a little, still with the same half-timbered frame and straw roof. However, Catriona had also seen a small yard in the back with a rough stable that was little more than a straw canopy held up by wooden beams, which Cora led her horse toward, coming back sans horse. The action prompted the lord to look at Adelaide and Citron, who also had mounts, and would probably need somewhere to place them. Still, it looked like there was room enough in the stable, and in the yard, to hold both with room to spare.

Soon after the group was led inside, and as far as Catriona could tell, there was not much different from the hut with the naked man. The place had the same general layout, with one main deviance, or many small ones. Various crudely-made wood carvings of indiscernible depiction lay sprawled across the floor, which was little more than packed earth.

"A good home. Thank you for having us," Catriona said, tone slightly awkward. While the group really did require respite, the lord's ingrained etiquette lessons alerted her to the fact that they were still imposing on the goodwill of somebody that they had just met, laws of hospitality or not. Still, the girl had offered, so the lord ignored her embarrassment. "Is there someplace we can have the injured rest?"

--

Gunther's words did little to calm the man, despite his gentle tone. Agitated, the man shouted even more ferociously at Shiro, body slightly leaned back. His expression looked wild and slightly feral, eyes widened in fear and anger. Soon after, he growled, lunging forward head-first toward the frog Protean, mouth wide open and aimed to bite.

--

Sienna had followed Alois to wait at the entrance silently. Were the fighter to bring up any conversation, she would reply in short, clipped sentences. While slightly rude, the girl also seemed distracted, most likely concerned about Licorice. However, it would not be too long before they would spy familiar figures in the distance.

--

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"I know that's what most people believe. But it doesn't have to be that way. That's why I've learned so much. I'm in a position where I can actually cause changes. I will not let this world turn to darkness. It's only naive if I fail, right?"

"Your attitude is refreshing," Licorice chuckled. "I suppose somebody in your unique position has more power than most. Still...take care it does not go to your head. The higher one stands, the greater the fall."

"I guess her action makes sense, yeah. I was just too worried earlier, and thought she was suspicious. But honestly, if I was in her position, then I would act the same in that situation."

"Yes," the fox nodded with a smile. "Dariella has always been a good friend and mentor to me," she paused, eyes wide, before shaking her head. "Regardless, while unwise, your actions were commendable. You did what you did out of...concern," she said slowly, as if testing the word.

After everything wrapped up with Ciela and Tsetseg, and it was revealed that, no, Ciela would not be giving her aphrodisiacs to Penelope to watch over, the tactician turned to Licorice in reassurance while they stood outside.

"Well, at least you've learned something about yourself today. Plus look; you created a way to find your way back to the rest easily. And no one got hurt. I'd say your actions were rather commendable given the circumstance."

"Commendable?" Licorice's tone was wry, but the Protean did not say much more, only shaking her head. "Perhaps," she allowed.

"I sure hope they didn't end up getting into some trouble." Ciela replied dryly. 

"Somehow, I would not be surprised if they did."

Not long after, the group began to walk back, retracing their steps.

"So, how did you and Dariela even meet in the first place, Licorice?"

"Yeah, yeah. Dariela some kind of like, super hunter or something? She seemed to be like really, really good at seeing things."

"Ah," the fox's ears flattened, then straightened as she seemed to gather herself. "We met long ago. You could say that she saved me," Licorice breathed. "I owe her so much. And..." she chuckled. "While I am not familiar with the phrase 'super hunter,' if the meaning is what I think it is, then yes, that is exactly what she is. Dariella is incredibly gifted, bright, and clever. Dogged enough to keep going for her goals. It's...admirable." Her ears flattened again, head drooping. "That sort of determination...I thought I had it as well, but it seems that I am lacking once again."

And then she stopped, ears pricked, before hurrying forward into the underbrush and disappearing before the others could blink. She returned soon enough, carrying Rohns, though the way she did so was a little unusual. Rather than holding him as one would a baby, she held him by the scruff of his neck. Oddly enough, he did not seem to be attempting to bite her, but rather hung stiffly from her hand, blood dripping from one of his eyes.

"This is the cub that follows Link around, yes?" despite her question, the fox seemed confident in the creature's identity. "Ciela, could you look at him? He is injured, most likely by one of the local birds of prey. I saw one flying away when I arrived." However, would Licorice set the wolf cub down, he would recover his usual aggression, though anytime he got too wild, the Protean would pick him up by the scruff again. She seemed unfazed by the pup's behavior, as if she was used to such things, her movements brisk and experienced.

Eventually, the four of them plus Rohns returned to the path where they had separated from the rest of the group. Continuing down, it wasn't long before they reached the clearing that the village stood in. And it took even less time to actually approach the village, following the road over a small wooden bridge, and then another, till they reached the gates.

"I find it odd that there is nobody here to greet us," Licorice stated, before a screech drew her attention. Above, a rough-legged hawk, one that Rohns would find familiar, glared down at them, particularly the wolf cub, but it didn't do anything more.

"Licorice!" a familiar voice called from ahead, and, looking up, the Protean saw Sienna, standing up and waving at her. Beside her stood Alois.

"I stand corrected," the Protean mused, glancing at the others. "We have a welcoming party." Without any further ado, she hurried forward till she reached the two.

While Sienna was friendly enough to the others, it was apparent that her main concern was Licorice. Once she realized that the other Protean was well enough, the white fox stepped back to let the others talk, leaning down to inspect Rohns.

Meanwhile, Licorice had turned to Alois. "Thank you for waiting, though I'm sorry you had to do that," the black fox sighed, ears drooping. She then looked up and sniffed the air. "So the others are further in?"

OOC

Spoiler

Reunion at last! Partially. Many of us will be at Cora's house right now. Don't forget to check the map if you're unsure of where you are.

I'm briefly controlling Sienna here while Wind Rider is gone for plot and characterization purposes, but I won't be making a habit of doing so. Keep that in mind when you have your characters interact with her.

Let either me or Cow know if you need further information on anything for any actions your characters take.

Edited by Sethera

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"If we do believe that humans are being turned into animals because of magic, then why is this man... only in the process of becoming one? Or... is he an animal that has been changed into a human?"

That thought gave Gunther paused. "Honestly...why not? It's a better explanation than anything that I can think of. But, if that is the case, what is there for us to do? I'm not sure we can pacify a wild animal in human form. I can't imagine it's the same thing as dealing with a normal animal."

And true to his hunch Gunther watched as the....male thing shouted again. It was disturbing to see such a feral look on a human face. Then, they launched forward at Shiro. Gunther hadn't expected such a sudden attack. He started to step towards Shiro, with the idea he'd put his body in the path of the attacker, but something halted him. That face was more savage than any he had seen before. And the idea of those teeth sinking into any bit of exposed flesh it could find...gave the Knight pause.

"Shiro, look out!" He shouted, halfway between standing still and stepping forward.


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Penelope gave Licorice a polite smile. She had heard that before. Not letting it get to her head. She found it rather odd advice. It was as Licorice said she was in a unique position. Whereas many people wanted to make a difference in the world she actually could do so. If it was only her who had to take the risk then that would be ideal wouldn't it?

However she stayed silent on the matter. It seemed the others were voicing their curiosity about Licorice's companion. Truth be told the response the Protean gave was a curiosity in as itself. She had believed that the Proteans avoided leaving the forest. After all not much is known about them and it's not as though there are many traveling Proteans to be seen. So why was it that this girl, one who is an important and strong warrior, became so close to someone outside of their territory?

Pressing now didn't seem like a good idea. While she thought of the Protean as an ally she couldn't deny that she didn't know enough about her. Digging too deep too fast and causing the warrior to withdraw would lead to more and more issues down the line.

When they came across the wounded pup Penelope felt almost guilty. While Rohns was not a person he still had been part, albeit not an expected part, of her group. To let him be injured was her mistake. Though there was nothing to do for it besides let Ciela use her magic.

What concerned her even more, as they reached the village, was the lack of guards.

While Licorice asked Alois where the others were she scanned the gates. There was no way that a village out here wouldn't be protected. It'd be simple to raid such a village without constant vigilance. After all if this village fell how long would it take for anyone to get out to it.

How many places like this were in her own land? They would have to expand the army in order to give protection to even more places. It was unacceptable to leave even a place like this without support.

"Alois, what happened here? Where are the town guards? I need to know everything that you've seen."


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Cora sighed as he watched Alois go. "Always so quick to go off on his own." She said. She hadn't even noticed that the girl that followed him was sporting a tail. In fact as Cora stood there she lost track of what was going on entirely. Without a specific goal her mind had begun to wander.

"If you could lead us to your house to rest for a spell, that would be most appreciated."

"Oh, right, yes." Cora said. "Let us go then. Uh...this way, follow me." Still atop of her horse the girl led them through the, rather simple, path, road would be too generous, through the houses. As she passed each she couldn't help but glance into however many she could. It was somewhat frightening to think that everyone was actually gone.

"Is that the mayor's house?"

Cora gave a hollow laugh. "Naw that's Pylauses's place." She answered. "Probably lucky he's not about right now I doubt he'd let you suggest it was anyone else's home. He thinks of himself as an aristocrat. Like anyone like that would be out here in a place like this."

Eventually they made their way, not that it took long, to Cora's house. She awkwardly stood in the doorway, holding it open for people to enter, and not so subtly pushed one of the carvings out of the way. It was her attempt at carving a person. She remembered the reaction she had gotten. "That looks more like a beaver than a person."

She blushed slightly at what Catriona said, complimenting her rather humdrum home. "Aw, it ain't not much special, thanks." she said, equally awkwardly. "But, oh, right, suppose we don't want them laying in the dirt. Erm, suppose they can use my bed. I don't really mind much."

She stood around, idly swinging her arms back and forth, as the group settled in. "So uh...what is it y'all came here for again?"

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Alois simply stood around at the entrance of town awaiting the others to come back from whatever mess they probably had themselves wrapped up in. As it was just him and his unlikely companion of Sienna, the boy simply stood there quietly as he did so, not really feeling like he had any kind of thing to talk about with the fox girl with. Of course, being in silence only made him have his attention turn more to the fact of where he was, and naturally this only seemed to make him grow more impatient. Thankfully, he didn't seem to have to wait long, as the quartet of females had finally made their way into town. Much to his surprise, they all seemed to also be in one piece and without any kind of panic in their step, which Alois could only assume that meant they had actually left and come back without incident. Which was more than he could  say for this group. 

Giving a wave to Licorice as she addressed him he said, "yeah, they're just resting elsewhere in town right now." Then, as the princess turned to address him, he gave a smirk and chuckled saying, "well funny thing about that. And I know you're not going to believe this when I say it but." Giving a small pause for mock dramatic effect, he said, "there's something fucked with this town. I know, shocker." After waiting a moment for it to sink in, the boy continued, "normally the town guards wouldn't even let you think of stepping foot in this town, but, well...come on." 

Gesturing for the group to follow, upon seeing any animals scurrying about, Alois said, "so when we got here, the place had basically turned into a zoo filled with animals that I had never seen before. Conversely, no one I knew was here. In fact, no one was here at all. So, well, unbelievable as it may be, are only going theory is that somehow the people of this village became animals." 

Upon hearing this comment, Tsetseg went wide eyed thinking about everything that it could mean. "Does this mean you also come from a village of proteans? Or, or, or are we all actually proteans?" Looking to Penelope the archer asked, "do you think we could all grow fluffy tails?" 

Pausing in disbelief at the comment, Alois muttered, "what in the- no. No we're not." Shaking his head, he then said, "anyway, it's obviously not something specific to the villagers here because well, I'm not an animal. And Cora -" stopping himself he elaborated, "also a resident here - she was apparently gone when this all happened and she's also not an animal." Looking at his companions he said, "so, got any ideas?" 

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"Honestly...why not? It's a better explanation than anything that I can think of. But, if that is the case, what is there for us to do? I'm not sure we can pacify a wild animal in human form. I can't imagine it's the same thing as dealing with a normal animal."

Gunther had a point, but at the moment, the frog didn't have time to think of peaceful solution though, as the crazy animal man sprung forward, intent on biting him. "Shiro, look out!" He shouted, halfway between standing still and stepping forward. Shiro didn't like the idea of being bitten however, even if Gunther might attempt to block it, so he decided to be both a smaller and faster target.

He quickly morphed back into his human form, gracefully spinning around with his foot extended, sweeping his attacker right off his feet, the animal man falling right into the ground. The frog man then just as gracefully stood back up and moved to stand behind Gunther. "So I think he dislikes giant frogs," He said dryly, keeping his eyes on the strange animal man.

 

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Now, the funny thing about migraines, and concussions and everything else that has anything to do with damaging someone’s head or face, is that they make everything all that much harder. For example, Citron tried to furrow her brow in disappointment when Edrick cut himself off from their discussions — clearly meaning it to take place later — as she was disappointed that they wouldn’t discuss it now. After all, just because she wasn’t feeling well wasn’t an excuse to avoid talking. The issue was, she didn’t really change expressions at all, rather, her face simply continued to ache further as if it was resoundingly telling her… No, she couldn’t change expressions if she wanted to. At least not that quickly, and not right now. By the time she had managed to focus enough to pull that off, they had moved on conversations, and-

Well, she had found herself trying to get up. Someone had said something about moving to a house to rest? It was her best bet. So… There she was, trying to... Stand up. That was something she hadn’t actually done since she had woken up, had she? No, no she hadn’t. Rolling ever so slightly on her side, she did her best to prop herself up on her arm, and start getting… Up. Every movement she made ended up slower than she wanted it to be, but eventually she found herself standing; even as her legs shook; all the while trying not to mess up anything the woman who had been tending to her wounds had done. Taking in a deep breath, she steadied herself using Peaches; keeping herself from falling over or losing her balance, as she did her best to keep up with the others.

By the time they made it to the house, the guard-woman was there waiting, holding the door open for everyone. Muttering a quiet ‘thanks’, Citron found herself without her mighty steed — and balance buddy — as she tried to stumble forwards. Holding her hands outwards just a bit from her body, she winced as every step felt… Heavier, than the last; her head pounding with every movement, every turn of her head as she tried to take in her surroundings. It was a nice, little home with… A lot of little, creepy carvings, but that’s fine. She’d probably do the same herself if she was stuck in a village full of animals. Forcing a smile, she tried her best to pay attention to the conversations around her, mostly people giving their thanks or commenting on the house..

That was, until the woman who acted a lot like the leader of this rag-tag-group-of-folks she had somehow tagged along with, asked about somewhere the ‘injured’, practically feeling the verbal arrow pointing at herself and the guardsman. In kind, the guard-woman said something about sleeping on the bed, or resting on the bed or... Anywhere not the floor. Something like that, anyways. “A bed, huh?” Citron tried to smile, rubbing the back of her head. “That… Sounds pretty nice, if I’m going to be honest.” She gave a quick nod, glancing around to where the rest of the room, doing her best to… Look, for the bed. It took her longer than she’d like to admit, slowly pacing around the room, before she found it; and plopped down onto it, accentuating every ache she felt in her entire body. Probably not her best move, but… It was soft enough. “Yep. Sounds… Pretty neat.” She’d repeat herself, yawning a bit. It was pretty hard not to feel tired in this sort of situation.

All the while, she had failed to notice that her companion never did truly go off to the stables, or the yard, or really anywhere. Standing exactly where Citron had stopped using her companion to support herself whilst walking, the wyvern stood sort of… Awkwardly. Leaning forwards, and partially blocking the entrance, she began to stare inside, glancing between the people. “Skreeeee.” The wyvern let out, almost pathetically as she nudged her neck softly against the frame, as if gesturing or trying to make a point of some sort. “Skreeeeeeeeee.” She whined just a little louder, like a mix between a baby alligator and a pathetic, baby bird. Or, like a cat or dog that didn’t exactly want to be left outside.

“...Right.” Citron took in a deep breath, thumping her head against the bed, as she let out another slight groan. “This is… Sort of a strange request, but does this house have a window…? And if so, can… Someone open it for Peaches to stick her head in?” She laughed a bit, closing her eyes. “She doesn’t… Really like being alone, and feels included if people let her stick her head in. It makes her feel like a person, so to speak.”

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Link hesitated as they approached Cora’s house. It reminded him of his childhood home; a hut just barely large enough to house more than one person, with a shoddy stable in the backyard not much better than the one he had built for Epona as a boy. The only thing missing was the small stone room that Rusl used as his forge. 

He closed his eyes and shook his head in an effort to rid himself of the memories. They felt like someone else’s memories, carefree and warm, completely alien to the man he had become. "A good home. Thank you for having us," Catriona said, breaking Link out of his head. Her posture was stiff and the tone of her voice implied she was uncomfortable, which wasn’t really out of the ordinary for her; not for the first time Link wondered how a princess could be so socially inept. Not that he was one to talk anymore. The sound of his own voice was unfamiliar to him. "Is there someplace we can have the injured rest?" the princess added after an uncomfortable moment of silence. 

Cora stumbled over her answer and gestured to the bed. The Isaurian girl didn’t hesitate to all but throw herself onto the cot, but Link preferred to slip inside and claim a corner of the room for himself, putting a good amount of distance between himself and everyone else. His arm ached but the pain wasn’t nearly as bad as the thought of sitting down next to a stranger. Especially once whose flying reptile was at the door, raring to burst into the room to join them. 

Cora stood around, idly swinging her arms back and forth, as the group settled in. "So uh...what is it y'all came here for again?"

Link cleared his throat and put on his Histian accent again. “To replenish our supplies. We lost most of them to bandits, and this was the closest place that I knew of to stop.” He was lying again. He was rather talented at it when he wanted to be though. His face betrayed nothing. If the princesses chose to reveal their purpose, he couldn’t stop them, but he could provide them a plausible cover story until they made that decision. 



 

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Cora gave a hollow laugh. "Naw that's Pylauses's place." She answered. "Probably lucky he's not about right now I doubt he'd let you suggest it was anyone else's home. He thinks of himself as an aristocrat. Like anyone like that would be out here in a place like this."

Catriona blinked but said nothing. After all, normally the girl would be right. Normally aristocrats would avoid such a place like the plague. At least, most of the noble children that the lord had met acted like that. Her father had had her meet with many of them, but she had never really taken a shine to any of them, save for Anaïs. Well, the young daughter of Lord Sebastian did not seem so bad, but Catriona had only seen her a handful of times, the girl not really taking to any of the social gatherings and tea parties that young nobles were so wont to attend. Understandable. I would have avoided most of them myself if I could.

So, if one were to ask Catriona to choose between a "dirt-ridden hamlet" such as this one or a gilded ballroom, the hamlet would win every time. What does that say about me? She shook her head. It did not do to mull on useless matters. She did not regret her choices, nor did she regret the way that the border had shaped her either. She was no scented lady, but a woman who stank as badly as her peers, trudging through muck to get in position and charge the enemy. While Phar's smell could be compared to a pigsty, its architecture to a child's attempt at mud castles, it was still a home to many people, and therefore precious.

After entering Cora's house, it seemed the girl felt equally awkward about the situation. Still, she was nice enough to let Link and Citron use her bed, though only the latter ended up actually using it. Link, as expected, did not.

"So uh...what is it y'all came here for again?"

Before Catriona could reply, she was interrupted by a plaintive screeching from...Peaches. She was still not used to that name. While Catriona was not quite sure what the matter was with the beast, its owner seemed to understand.

“...Right.” Citron took in a deep breath, thumping her head against the bed, as she let out another slight groan. “This is… Sort of a strange request, but does this house have a window…? And if so, can… Someone open it for Peaches to stick her head in?” She laughed a bit, closing her eyes. “She doesn’t… Really like being alone, and feels included if people let her stick her head in. It makes her feel like a person, so to speak.”

But she is a wyvern, not a person. Still, it was not Catriona's business whether this creature wanted to be a person or not, or whether its rider felt the same. Glancing around for a window, the woman saw an open one nearby. "Like that one?" she asked, nodding her head at it.

Link cleared his throat, his Histian accent once more coming into play. Catriona did not think he had been in this country that long, but perhaps he was easily influenced by his surroundings. “To replenish our supplies. We lost most of them to bandits, and this was the closest place that I knew of to stop.”

That worked. Relieved she would not have to think up a cover story, the woman nodded in agreement. While she was not comfortable with the idea of lying to anybody, it would be sheer foolishness to give away the full nature of their quest to anybody who asked. "Yes, that is correct." She glanced at Edrick and Adelaide, hoping the two would follow along as well. "Unfortunately, it appears that we will not be able to resupply anytime soon. At least until the problem plaguing this village is resolved." She looked curiously at Cora. "You said there were no animals here when you left?" If that were the case, then what could have happened in such a short span of time?

--

The man let out more of those strange shouts as he struggled to get up from the ground, eyes unfocused. Finally managing to stand on all fours, he ignored Gunther and Shiro as his head swiveled from side to side, obviously on the lookout for the giant frog from before. Eventually, seeing nothing, he stopped trembling, and turned his attention back to the two in front of him. Staring at them, his lips curled back into a sneer as he let out another low growl.

Meanwhile, at the entrance to the hut, a large gray wolfhound appeared, trotting into the hut as confidently as if it owned the place. It had a slight limp and some silver fur around its muzzle, but it looked healthy enough. Right on its heels was the beaver from before. The dog paused, snuffled, and then barked at the man as if to get his attention.

The man reacted immediately, jumping slightly before staring at the dog in confusion, head cocked to the side.

--

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It seemed that Alois knew something of what was going on in this village. Licorice frowned as she followed the fighter through the village. The explanation he gave was unbelievable, and yet...it made sense. The way the animals behaved was too strange, and the lack of human beings was also unsettling.

Tsetseg's eyes widened. "Does this mean you also come from a village of proteans? Or, or, or are we all actually proteans?" Looking to Penelope the archer asked, "do you think we could all grow fluffy tails?"

What?

Pausing in disbelief at the comment, Alois muttered, "what in the- no. No we're not."

Deciding not to address the larger issue of why exactly the girl would believe this, Licorice spoke up. "Not every Protean has...fluffy tails," she smiled helplessly. "Shiro being a good example."

"Anyway, it's obviously not something specific to the villagers here because well, I'm not an animal. And Cora -" stopping himself the boy elaborated, "also a resident here - she was apparently gone when this all happened and she's also not an animal." Looking at them he said, "so, got any ideas?"

"Going off of what you said," Licorice nodded at the boy. "I would assume there must have been something that happened while you and Cora were gone." She stopped and closed her eyes, appearing to be concentrating heavily. Stiffening, the Protean opened her eyes. Her body language had changed entirely, ears flattened on her head and tail flicking from side to side in agitation. "We should leave," she urged. "This kind of spell, it is something that only a very powerful spell-caster could do, or multiple people working together. Either these villagers managed to anger somebody they shouldn't have, or they did this themselves." Her tone was solemn. "Regardless, they are at fault, and if we help them, we might get caught up in it as well."

At that, a couple of foxes that had been drawing closer to the Protean barked sharply at her. The girl's eyes narrowed at them. "I will not apologize. You know I am right. You are lucky you aren't dead."

The group passed by the barracks and town hall as they walked further into the village, eventually reaching the market square. "I do not see, hear, or smell the others. Did they leave?" Licorice said, and then paused as a slight breeze picked up. "No, Gunther and Shiro are nearby."

OOC

Spoiler

Catriona, Edrick, Link, Adelheid/Adelaide, and Citron are currently in Cora's house right now. Take the opportunity to chat, rest, or whatever. It's mostly downtime right now.

Gunther and Shiro are in the hut at the edge of the market square with the naked man but now a dog and the beaver from before are here too. React and stuff.

Alois, Penelope, Ciela, Sienna, Tsetseg, Rohns, and Licorice have been walking through the village and just reached the market square. Talk and walk and stuff.

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"so when we got here, the place had basically turned into a zoo filled with animals that I had never seen before. Conversely, no one I knew was here. In fact, no one was here at all. So, well, unbelievable as it may be, are only going theory is that somehow the people of this village became animals." 

A village empty of people. But full of animals. No signs of combat. No signs of a rushed exit. Yet someone from the town, who had been away for several hours, was perfectly fine.

There was really only one conclusion she could come to. One that Licorice seemed to agree on. "Magic, a curse, or some sort of enchantment. That is the only answer. Either it caused the people to vanish, and the animals came in once they realized the town was empty and full of food and shelter, or they, themselves, are the animals."

She said this matter-of-factly and without even a hint of teasing. Then she shook a finger at Alois. "Also, language. Mind it." She told him.

Then, stepping into the town, she began to scan the buildings and, frankly, everything. Trying to see some kind of rune, or perhaps a sign of magic gone afoul. "Could you lead us to this 'Cora' I'd like to examine her. See if this magic is in the people or the town itself."

She gave a smile towards Tsetseg. "Perhaps you will grow a fluffy tail after all."

While they agreed on the situation, the princess and the Protean disagreed on the response. "You do not need to aid them if you do not wish to. In fact if it's dangerous I'd prefer the rest of you wait outside. However I cannot leave them be. This village has no one looking after them. Something like this happened and likely no one would know for a long time if we left. I told you did I not? I want to make things better. Well, I cannot do that if I turn my back on those in need can I?"


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"So I think he dislikes giant frogs,"

Gunther stared, flummoxed, for a moment. He had seldom seen such quick reflexes. Were all of his kind like that? He remembered that Sir Cyrus was rather skilled but could he have been holding back?

The man, while clearly not happy, seemed to calm slightly upon Shiro's change. "Er, you might be onto something there." Gunther said. And then the man growled at them again. "Though perhaps he just doesn't like anyone."

And to add onto the strangeness a wolfhound, followed by the beaver, came into the hut with more confidence than Gunther felt he could ever muster.

The oddness of the behavior, for an animal, especially these two animals being together without second thought, combined with the interaction between the man and dog, made a crazy thought come to Gunther's mind.

So he moved towards the wolfhound and got onto one knee, trying to be closer to eye level, and spoke. "Er, are..." Gunther blushed red. Hardly believing what he was saying. "Are you the owner of this place?"


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“This is… Sort of a strange request, but does this house have a window…? And if so, can… Someone open it for Peaches to stick her head in?”

"Oh. Yes." The leader of the group pointed out the window and Cora nodded. "Yes, she can use that." She smiled slightly at the girl. "Abel used to be much the same. You might notice that door is kinda off. He actually broke the old one down trying to get in during a meal."

“To replenish our supplies. We lost most of them to bandits, and this was the closest place that I knew of to stop.”

Her question had been answered by the injured man. Who had gone off on his own in a corner. Of all this group he was the one that concerned her most. He seemed different somehow. She just couldn't work out how. The girl confirmed his answer, bandits. And posed a question to Cora.

What was that expression the girl had given? It was only a brief flash but she could've sworn she saw something when the other one had mentioned the bandits.

"Well, no, that is there were animals of course but not of this variety and number. Nothing seemed different from what I recall. And I don't believe I was gone that long."

While the biggest mystery was the disappearance of the villagers she still had to wonder. "Haven't seen many bandits lately. You must've gone pretty off course looking for supplies. People don't tend to come here passing through." She looked at Link. "Is that how you got injured? Bandits?"

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"Er, you might be onto something there." Gunther said. And then the man growled at them again. "Though perhaps he just doesn't like anyone." That seemed about right.

"Well, we are trespassing in his home," Shiro commented. Suddenly, a wolfhound came in with more confidence than Shiro felt he could ever muster. It seemed Gunther had more than him however, as he approached the dog and got onto one knee.

"Er, are... are you the owner of this place?" There was a lot of confidence displayed in front of Shiro to directly ask the animal like that. Still, it made sense to the frog man. However, he didn't like the way this was going. He would need a quick escape if he deemed it necessary to make a quick escape. He looked around, from the windows, to the walls, and finally the chimney. That seemed like his best bet. He slowly walked over to it as Gunther spoke to the animals, inspecting it, looking to see if he could climb up it if need be.

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As the others seemed to reach about the same conclusion everyone else had, it did little to actually solve the problem. The boy then looked a bit stunned as the princess gave him a finger wagging, muttering, "excuse me?" All the same, as they reached the market square, Alois was surprised as Licorice seemed to know something about more the magic that was used here. All the same, as she said the villagers must've angered someone, the boy shrugged saying, "I'm sure a witch was just looking for a place to sleep here and they slammed the door in her face. Sounds about right to me."

Then, as the princess made her declaration, Alois shrugged saying, "well there you have it." Turning to Licorice he said, "looks like we're in it for the long haul here. Besides, much as I'd like leaving them like this, there's also something appealing about them owing me and a bunch of outsiders one." And, well, things would probably be much rougher for Cora if nothing changed. "Gunther and Shiro went to investigate a house. Apparently there's someone else in it who's also human, though, I don't know more than that." Turning to the princess he said, "and Cora's house is down that way. It's near the wall and well, there'll probably be a pink wyvern there so you probably won't miss it."

Tsetseg, who had been marveling at the idea of having a tail of her own, seemed shocked at the mention of a wyvern and suddenly much more wary. Alois, however, tried to figure out if he forgot to mention something else to them. Well, it probably wasn't a big idea. Going towards the house Gunther and Shiro were in, Alois said, "feel free to pay her a visit. I'm going to go make sure the other two don't get lost." 

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Citron liked to think, once upon a time, that there were ups and downs to everything. One example she could think of, is that when crops weren’t great, that meant that next year, if they made it that far, people would be clamoring for more because stock was limited originally. Another was that when you get sick, people say that your body gets stronger, and better at fighting off curses! In a similar vein, she’d heard that when you broke a bone, if it healed right, you might have a stronger bone, or something like that. She was pretty sure that the last two were fake, but the point still stood: she tried to tell herself that everything had a positive to it.

 

The same couldn’t really be said about this situation, so far. At first, she had told herself that she had met new people - new customers - and that it was all worth the broken stall. But the longer this went on, and the worse her migraine got, she couldn’t really keep telling herself that. Taking in a deep breath, she forced herself into a sitting position as she took in a deep breath, her head shifting. She could swear she felt a vice around her head with every movement, particularly behind her eyes, but… Well, she was just going to have to tough it out. No one sold anything - certainly not enough to cover a broken stall - while asleep. They also didn’t learn anything about who they’d be selling to, which was also an issue.

 

“Um…” Citron cleared her throat, trying to smile. “I, um… I know I introduced myself to all of you, but I um… can’t help but realize that I don’t know what to call any of you that aren’t named Alois, or Cora?” She’d laugh nervously, scratching at her cheek. “And, uh… Unless you want to be Alois two, and Cora two--” She’d point towards Catriona and whoever was closest to the guardswoman. “--I guess I should ask for your names…?” She ask, her tone tapering off. “And… Y’know, if any of you know anything for relieving a skull-aching pain?” She’d add on, simultaneously both in jest and not.

---

All the while, having the window pointed out to her, the Wyvern would have excused herself from the doorway in a rather clumsy fashion, nudging the frame in the process; causing it to creak ever-so slightly. Carefully making her way around the house - about as careful as an almost-but-not-quite fully grown Wyvern could be - upon finding the open window, Peaches made her way to it, and, unceremoniously, shoved her head right in. “Skreee!” She let out, very happily and almost contentedly, as she stared directly at anyone who would make eye-contact with her, her tongue sticking out as she closed her mouth.

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"Is that how you got injured? Bandits?"

Link shook his head and the corner of his mouth twisted in a wry grin. “Unrelated accident,” he said. She didn’t need to know that he had broken his arm tumbling down a chimney. “We were ambushed near the old cathedral. Not a hard fight for a company like ours, but a lot of supplies were lost in the melee. Phar’s the only place I could think of that wasn’t backtracking.” None of that was necessarily a lie—they were in a fight at the cathedral, and Phar was the closest village—it just wasn’t the whole truth. 

About that time a huge reptilian head poked through the window and screeched. 

Link instinctively went for his sword and, being left-handed with a broken left arm, was blindsided by the pain that erupted throughout his arm. It was to his credit as a soldier trained to swallow any and all signs of weakness that he only grit his teeth and cradled his left arm with his right. “. . . .” Embarrassed by his reaction, he turned to face the source of the noise, and locked eyes with the goofiest looking creature he had ever seen. He still wasn’t sure what he had expected a wyvern to look like (he had never traveled far enough Southeast to encounter one), but it probably involved teeth as long as knives, claws that could be mistaken for swords, and cords of muscle rippling beneath hardened scales. A creature fit to be the apex predator of the skies. 

‘Peaches’ was anything but that. Too small, too lean, too… pink. Not to mention how adorable she looked with her tongue lolling out the side of her mouth. Link wasn’t scared of her; yes, he dreaded the thought of ever raising his sword against her, but not because she was intimidating. She was adorable. 

Against his better judgement, he reached out with good hand and—cautiously—attempted to pat her on the head. Peaches hesitated for a second, before leaning into his touch, nestling against his gloved hand. All hesitation melted away and he started to scratch her behind the ear, smiling softly, and as he did the soldier wondered where Rohns had gotten off to. He hoped the wolf cub came back soon. Having the pup around had been a welcomed distraction. 

Link came to his senses a moment later. Realizing where he was at, he stepped away from the wyvern and cleared his throat. He had let his guard down. That could have proven a lethal mistake, if not for him, then potentially the princess. He couldn’t let it happen again. 

Returning to the conversation, Citron was asking for their names. “M’name’s Lincoln,” he muttered, and for just a moment his accent slipped. Damn it. He needed to focus. “Most people call me Link.” He returned to form with his voicework. He once again sounded Histian; specifically a native of Ithome, mostly because he had only learned how to mimic the dialect in an attempt to avoid questions about being Galtean in the notably anti-Galtean sector.
 

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Of all the people Citron had expected to give their name, the quiet Histian guard was the last one she expected to be first; though, he was also the last person she had really expected to get friendly with Peaches. As adorable as she was, she wasn’t exactly the most personable herself. Still, she’d take the name in stride, nodding.

“Nice to meet you, Link!” She replied with an almost forced glee, inwardly wincing at how strange it had to sound, before turning to the guy she had heard mentioned as a farmer. “Oh! And you’re…” She paused, trying to remember what the armored-woman who acted like their leader had called him. “Edrick, right?” She absentmindedly rubbed her hands together, eyes lighting up. The boy in question had just been getting ready to sit himself down somewhere on the floor where he could put his back to the wall and try to get at least some amount of sleep. In fact the unexpected mention of his name was enough to startle him, resulting in an odd step that took his feet out from under him and sent him stumbling to the floor with his head knocking heavily against the wall.

“Aoleu,” he groaned after a moment’s delay. It hadn’t hurt that much, at least compared to most of what he’d gotten while traveling with the group, but it was enough to at least daze him. It also brought out the colorful patterns on the walls...no, wait, he was seeing stars. Maybe he’d hit his head harder than he thought… “Da, eu sunt-” he stopped when he realised he’d lapsed into his native tongue. “Uh...yeah, I’m Edrick.”

“Nice ta’ meet’cha, Edrick!” Citron gave a thumbs up as she crossed her legs on the bed; swaying back and forth, both out of excitement and… Well, due to the headache she was sporting. “My name’s Citron, of Paridisi farms! And Iiiiii was gonna ask ya’ ‘bout your farm! Or, well, I started to ask you earlier,” She stumbled over her words, rubbing the back of her head. “Still a little out of it, but I figured we could pick up where we left off ‘nd all, because heck yeah, farms.” At least her stumbling through opening the conversation up meant Edrick had enough time to make sure he wouldn’t end up answering in Pontic again…

“Umm...yeah. Farms!” Not that he was really any better at breaching the subject, tired as he was. It felt like his thoughts were oozing out of his ears. “I think you asked about fruits? Well...I uh...I didn’t grow much fruit. Most people on the banks of the Lanti grow grains. Wheat, barley, sorghum, you know.” It was pretty obvious that wasn’t the answer Citron had been looking for, so the boy spent a few tense moments wracking his brain for something else. Thankfully, he found it. “Ah! But right up against the banks, the whole town’d had these huuuuge fields of cranberries and we’d harvest them every Autumn.” Just thinking about it brought him back, and he could practically feel the cool waters coming up to his thighs.

“Cranberries?” Citron asked curiously, putting a hand to her chin. “I’ve… Not really heard of those, if I’m being honest? I lived in a pretty, um…” She’d gesture vaguely around the room, particularly to places devoid of… Stuff. “Desert-y climate, so we could only plant really, really specific stuff. What’re cranberries like?” She’d finally ask, tilting her head to side. Now it was Edrick’s term to get excited.

“So! They’re these little,” he held up his right hand and brought his thumb and forefinger together until he had an approximate size for a cranberry, “red berries that grow on vines that run really low along the ground. So instead of breaking our backs bending over to harvest them, how we’d do it is we’d flood the fields and the berries would just float right up to the surface! Then you just take a basket and go along and skim them off the top!” It seemed like he was about to start bouncing, and then he hit his head again. “Vai! A-anyways, we’d have these week-long harvests of them, and of course everyone’d eat a bunch of them right off the water. Oh...they were so good…” he trailed off, trying to figure out how to describe the taste. Now, Citron, she very much was bouncing, with the conversation; eyes practically sparkling with every word.

“Woooaaaah! They sound so cool!” She grinned, rubbing her hands together. “Were they juicy? Berries are generally juicy, so I bet-- Oh man, I bet you could just make the BEST lemonade by combining the two!” She exclaimed, her voice genuinely excited. “I have GOT to find them during my trip, so I can try it out!”

“Yeah! But they also have all these little, hard seeds inside of ‘em so you gotta be careful when you bite down. Plus the rind can be kinda bitter. Really they’re best when you pickle or make ‘em into jam. I dunno what lemonade is, but if it’s tangy or sweet then I’m sure they’ll mix really well with it! Just...just gotta...get back...home…” the boy trailed off, once again finding himself overcome with that familiar, homesick longing.

“Oh, that’s a good point,” Citron’s excitement fell similarly, though, it only trailed off as her migraine had found a way to catch up with her; her movements slowing. “I forgot to ask, about where are you from? If, you don’t mind me asking,” she smiled, rubbing the back of her head. “I also understand if that’s like, a sore spot or too personal or anything like that.”

“No no it’s fine, just-” he paused, unsure how to move forward. Either confident enough to go forward or too tired to care, he went with the plainest approach. “So, the Lanti river’s pretty far East of here. It feeds into Lake Amphis...on the border between Locris and Pontus.”

“Ooooh…” She nodded, getting a rather… Vague, idea of where he meant. She had glanced over the maps time and time again, trying to make sure she followed in her Grandfather’s footsteps, but those still only helped so much; she was certainly no master of geography. “That sounds right enough,” she nodded, smiling. “Anyways, I guess I should stop bothering you, ‘nd let you get some rest, huh?”

“No, no I can...I can stay…” his efforts at protesting her letting him rest were interrupted by a yawn. However much he didn’t want to go to sleep, it looked like the little of it he had gotten so far was going to get the better of him sooner rather than later. “Alright. It was...it was good talking to you, Citron.”

“It was good talking to you too, Edrick.” She smiled, lowering her voice a bit. “Get some rest.” She encouraged, nodding. He was well ahead of her in that, scooting himself into a corner and leaning his head back so that he, hopefully, wouldn’t end up falling and hitting his head again.
 

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"Of all the ways that things went badly for our group... this is certainly new."

It was amusing at least. Ciela opted to remain silent as Alois and Sienna explained the group's current situation, which was quite a baffling situation to find themselves in. On the plus side, for once the bad thing happened mostly to the people the group were supposed to visit, not themselves. As the group went in, Licorice went and said her take on the situation. It was fair for her to say that, but just like Penelope, Ciela ended up disagreeing with her.

"And you know, with our luck, who to say that whoever did this to them, could actually had been targetting us all along instead? Our enemy's reach was so omnipresent that they could hire mercenaries to stand against us so fast after we leave for our destination. So, who knows, right?"

With this in mind, Ciela believed that whether they stay or whether they leave, the chance of this being connected with their journey somehow and would screw them later in some ways would be quite close to 100%. Fun odds.

---

"The name's Adelheid. I'm not usually a healer but our knucklehead of one just, well, left us to dry earlier a few hours ago."

Adel had taken a break from taking care of Citron, and now she was on her own, trying to figure out what even was happening on the village in silence, only chiming in again after Citron asked for their names. Seeing Edrick and her going so well from early on was quite nice to watch.

Though, no matter what she think, she kept ending up on a roadblock of thought. This situation made way less sense than what Adel would ever expect even for a magic-related shenanigans to go. So ultimately, her attempt of cooly figuring out the situation ended up being just her standing alone being confused in a lame way.

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"I'm sure a witch was just looking for a place to sleep here and they slammed the door in her face. Sounds about right to me."

"Perhaps..." Licorice mused. She then frowned as Penelope, Alois, and Ciela said their pieces, all in favor of staying at the village. The Protean shook her head, expression growing more frantic. "You don't understand! This is--" she cut herself off. "No, never mind." She sighed. "If that is what you have decided, then I suppose I'll stay and help out too."

"Gunther and Shiro went to investigate a house. Apparently there's someone else in it who's also human, though, I don't know more than that." Alois stated. Turning to the princess he said, "and Cora's house is down that way. It's near the wall and well, there'll probably be a pink wyvern there so you probably won't miss it." He began walking toward a house at the edge of the square, "feel free to pay her a visit. I'm going to go make sure the other two don't get lost."

The fox frowned again as she watched him leave, and then turned to Penelope as well. "Shall we go?"

Walking down the streets, they ended up following the wall around like Alois had said. Most of the houses they passed looked the same though there were a couple ones that stood out. Namely the one with the black cat standing in front of it. Eventually, the group came to a stop before a house that didn't stand out in any way, shape, or form, aside from two things. The stable in the back, which held a horse and a familiar-looking pegasus, and the large pink scaled...thing. It was hard to tell what exactly it was, actually, as only its body could be seen, the head itself poking through an open window.

"Is this what he meant?" Licorice asked. "I guess that does look like it could be a wyvern..." She approached hesitantly, and then knocked on the door.

--

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There were two conversations going on, and neither of them currently involved her. Catriona wondered, once again, what she was supposed to do in this scenario. Which conversation should she participate in? The one between Link and Cora, or the one between Edrick and Citron? While she disliked the idea of adding to the lie, she knew nothing about farming, so there was little to contribute to the latter conversation. To the side, Adelaide seemed content to let things flow as is, which would normally be what Catriona would do, but also, as leader of the group--or at least the person who started their quest--she had a certain responsibility to make sure that things went as they wanted. Namely, finding the Great Dragon. She itched to stand up and interrogate this person, to demand answers, or at least some sort of clue. Despite Link's smooth explanation, the only reason they came here was to get information.

However, there was a method to these things, and the last thing the princess wanted was to be run out of town, or worse yet, find out that Cora was some sort of Pontic informant. Catriona was unskilled in wordplay, but Link seemed to be handling himself well, at least. He sounded practically like a Histian native, which certainly lent his tale some credence.

While Link turned his attention to the wyvern, Catriona took over the conversation. "How we came here matters little," she shook her head. "Suffice to say we are here now. What is more important is figuring out what exactly is going on with your village." She didn't want to believe that this was a magical issue, but she had to admit that it was looking like a strong possibility.

However, between them, there was little more to speculate without further information. And they couldn't get that information without doing some investigating. Catriona felt a little helpless. Their hands were tied until the others returned, especially with Link and Citron injured like they were.

Time passed, and even the lord began to get a little sleepy doing nothing in the small, cozy house. However, she kept herself awake and alert. "You should rest," she urged the others, though she sent a pointed glance to Link in particular. "I'll keep watch." Much as she wanted to trust Cora would not do anything, she could not make herself let down her guard around this girl. Still, it was a little awkward. Without the buffer of others keeping conversation, it became apparent just how much a fish out of water she was here, in this place.

Eventually, the group's rest would be disturbed by a knock.

"I'll get it," Catriona said, heading to the door, a hand on her sword. Opening the door, however, she was relieved to see the missing members of their group, the ones who had gone off to find Licorice. Sienna was there as well. But her attention was mainly captured by Penelope. Nodding to herself at seeing her sister safe and sound, the girl said nothing, merely stepped aside to let them in with a glance toward Cora. "These are some of the others in our group." Remembering what Citron had said about names, the white-haired woman decided to do some introductions. "This is Penelope, Ciela, Sienna, Tsetseg, and Licorice." She gestured toward each person in turn. "This is Cora. She's a friend of Alois who is letting us stay at her house for now. And over there is Citron. We met her in the village earlier. She's a traveling merchant. That wyvern over there is hers, Peaches."

Licorice nodded, "Nice to meet you both," and then looked down at Rohns, who she had been holding. She had almost forgotten about the wolf cub with everything that had happened since entering the village, and his eye still had not been seen to. She held him out to the green-garbed soldier. "Rohns got injured, we think by a hawk." She looked a little guilty. "Sorry. If it weren't for me, he wouldn't have been out there. You should probably take a look at that eye, or have a healer look at it." By now, however, enough time had passed that, healed or not, there would probably be a scar.

The fox backed up, seeing that the house was getting a little full. "I'll wait outside," she said, and stepped back through the doorway, Sienna following her out like a pale shadow.

--

Alois would have no problem getting to the house, though he would have problems getting in, as there was not only the beaver from before, but a large gray wolfhound standing in the doorway as well. Still, both animals seemed calm enough.

The wolfhound nodded and barked once at Gunther's question, then turned its attention to the man, who looked positively fascinated at the sight of the dog. Approaching the man, the dog held its paw out, causing the man to sit down with a thump and put his hand over the dog's paw, as if to shake. However, rather than grasping the paw, he just held his palm flat out over the paw, bobbing it up and down. The action seemed to calm him down, and he looked up at the three intruders, mouth slightly open to show his tongue. He perked up at seeing Alois, and emitted a couple happy shouts, but otherwise stayed where he was.

The beaver made a noise that sounded remarkably like a scoff before walking over to join the rest of them.

The wolfhound let its paw drop before turning to the others and giving a couple barks, tail wagging slightly when it saw Alois. Pacing in a circle, it started barking again, pointing at itself with an outstretched paw, then at the man, and then at the group before it pointed at itself again.

OOC

Spoiler

Partial reunion! Now, everybody but Alois, Gunther, and Shiro are back together with Licorice and Cora. For some of the characters, it's their first time meeting Citron, Peaches, and Cora, so react. Meanwhile, it looks like the wolfhound is trying to communicate something.

Also at least an hour or so passed between Catriona and company getting to Cora's house and Penelope and company arriving there as well. Enough time to get some rest in.

 

Edited by Sethera

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It seemed that Alois came to join this animal house, which now had a man trying to shake a dog's hand and a scoffing beaver. Yup, this was all insane and now so was everyone else for having to endure this. Still, it was harmless enough, but it seemed that they would get no more information here.

"Hello Alois," Shiro said. "The man we found? He's acting like a dog. He hates my frog form, and it seems the actual dog owns the house," He looked over to the one sane person of the group. "So, what did you all learn?" He hoped it was something good, because right now, nothing was making sense to the naturally occurring magical shape shifting frog man.

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So this was it then? Gunther had finally lost his mind. That had to be it. Why else would be be talking to a dog, and having said dog respond? So, this was the dog's house then? In that case this man was....no. He lost it. There was some sort of connection here that he should be getting but he just couldn't grasp onto it.

Even as the dog made the strange gestures. "I was never very good at that game." He muttered. "I apologize. I'm...not quite sure what you're trying to tell me. Do you, er, know who did....whatever this is?"

Gunther looked up at Alois as he entered and immediately felt self-conscious about his position. Kneeling on the floor. Speaking with a dog. With a naked man nearby. It was all sorts of absurd. "I think." He began. "There's something very wrong with your hometown, Alois." Gunther said, almost apologetically.

 


 

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“And, uh… Unless you want to be Alois two, and Cora two--”

Cora raised an eyebrow at this. That's right, this girl was a stranger to all of them. She supposed that told her much about the group that they helped out this girl despite that. It somehow made her feel somewhat better about all this.

It wasn't as though Cora still wasn't suspicious. Lincoln's excuse, and the leader's hand waving, felt weird to her. It still didn't explain what they were doing out here. Not fully. But the girl was right. At the moment it seemed clear they had nothing to do with this. And if they could help figure it out...well, that was for the best.

"It's nice to meetcha. Wish it was in...better circumstances. Though I guess if it weren't for all this y'all might not have been let inside to begin with..."

They all, for the most part, made themselves comfortable. With Cora apologizing for the lack of comfortable places to sit for all of them. She remembered them mentioning more in the group and worried. Could her little home hold all these people? She doubted it at this rate.

As if to test her thought a knocking came to the door. She was about to shout for whoever to come on in, then remembered that whoever it was was likely not one of the villagers.

"These are some of the others in our group. This is Penelope, Ciela, Sienna, Tsetseg, and Licorice." 

"Nice to meetcha." Cora said, repeating her earlier statement. Penelope. What a curious name. Had she heard it before? No, probably not. No one named Penelope around these parts.

It wasn't until a couple of the group decided to leave that Cora realized something...odd.

"Er, don't mean to pry." Cora said, once they had left. "But did they have...tails?"


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"How curious." This became like a mantra for Penelope as they went through the village.

They only found one other human? How curious.

Licorice seemed to have an idea of what this could be, and was wary of it? How curious.

A pink wyvern with its head stuck in a window without flailing about trying to get out? How curious.

She was watching the unusual beast as she entered the house and thus didn't realize at first that the girl who lived there had greeted her. Snapping back to attention the princess gave the girl a charming smile and nodded. "Thank you for letting us into your home. It's rather generous of you given the circumstance."

She almost smirked as Cora questioned the Proteans. "Goodness you're right, perhaps they, too, are being affected by the magic here."

Cora's eyes widened and Penelope waved it off. "No, it's nothing to do with that. Do not fret. What I'm more curious about is what happened here. Are there any that practice magic in this place? Has there been any unusual visitors as of late?"

She noticed the girl hesitate and realized that this Cora seemed rather uncomfortable with her for some reason. Realizing that perhaps she was being rude somehow, Penelope relented. "I suppose that can all wait. We all should rest a while before getting too far into this."

That's when she noticed Link. "And what did you do to get yourself in such a state?" Penelope scolded. "I'm gone for less than a day and this happens?" After his response her attention would turn towards Peaches.

She'd step over towards the wyvern and observed them as closely as they could. She had read much about wyverns but hadn't had the chance to see many in person. "Did you know that some say Wyverns are born of the Great Dragon themselves? That they were created to be the Great Dragon's guardians? There are legends that say every wyvern, whether they know it or not, contain some part of the Great Dragon in them. And that, when the time comes, the Great Dragon will use this to call all of the wyverns of the world to their side once more."

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Peaches yawned as Link gave her the attention she so desired, nuzzling her head against his palm. Despite the fact that he was smelly like a wolf - a large, spooky critter - he knew how to give good scritches. They were almost as good as Citron’s, though, that was a hard mountain to topple. Tongue lolling out to the side, she continued to push against the scratching hand until it stopped. And when it did, no one was quite as disappointed as she was; the Wyvern lowering her head in a bit of disappointment, letting out a quiet noise as she tried to figure out what she had done wrong.

 

That was, until a knock at the door rang out. While none of the humans were surprised, the Wyvern herself couldn’t help but be surprised; green eyes trailing to the door as the armored woman approached it to open it, like a fool. “Skreeeeeeeeee?!” Peaches let out hesitantly towards the door, as several people filed inwards, once again none of the humans really… Paying them any mind. Lowering her head again, as far as she could, she did her best to relax, even if it was only a half effort. The group itself looked… Mean. Two of them smelled like critters, that much she could tell from there; and the other two had been around them long enough to carry the smell themselves. 

 

Eyeing them curiously, the Wyvern couldn’t help but find herself bringing her neck away from one of them as they approached her; talking a lot in human-speak, the words being almost more foreign than normal human speech, and that was saying something. “Skreeech.” She let out with neutral tones; eyes trained on the person as they began to… Examine her? Were they sizing her up for a meal, or doing something else…? She couldn’t quite tell, to tell the truth. If anything, the noises coming from the Wyvern could only really be interpreted as… The noises a nervous animal would be making, eyes trained on this close, close person.

---

Citron yawned lightly as Edrick nodded off to sleep, but she wasn’t about to follow suit. After all; this was the good part. After a long day’s work, it was always nice to kick back, relax, and talk amongst a group, even if her head threatened to make a mockery of her at any moment. “Adelheid, huh?” Turning her head to Adelheid, she gave a thumbs up as well as a quick nod in response to their introduction. “‘ts nice to meet you, Adelheid! And thanks for filling in for the uh, knucklehead.” She gave a soft laugh, rubbing the back of her head. “But I guess I’m probably just as bad as they are, huh?” She laughed a little more, wincing in the process. Talking itself, had gotten easier than it was only a few moments ago. Focusing on what she said, the tone of which, now that was getting harder; leaving her words sounding either too forced or too dry, with no real control.

 

A knock however, caught Citron’s attention as she dropped her hand to her sides, and glanced towards the door. Either the townsfolk were back, or, more likely, the rest of the group that had tended to her wounds had finally returned. As much as she wanted the townsfolk back, with several locals and strange animals to throw confusion to the fire, she couldn’t help but be a little skeptical. And, with a quick, introductory word from the Boss-Looking-Lady, her suspicions were confirmed. Though, it was a bit odd that the woman failed to introduce herself in the process. 

 

“Penelope, Ciela, Sienna, Tsetseg, and Liiicorice. Got it!” Citron smiled, crossing her legs as she tried to get a bit more comfortable in her sitting position. “Nice to meet all of you!” She beamed, her voice returning to it’s generally forced tones, as her smile practically beamed outwards. “As the Boss-Looking-Lady said, I’m Citron, and this is Peaches, of Paradisi Farms! Here for all your lemonade-based needs!” She explained, giving a thumbs up to the group in general, nodding all the while. “And, in addition, if you need Citrus fruits at-” She cut herself off, watching as the two called… Licorice, she thought, and Sienna? Yeah, that was right. As those two excused themselves. “Awwww, alright.” She quieted down a little, almost disappointedly.

 

Her disappointment was, as things tended to be in this emotional rollercoaster of a day, swept away as the woman who was introduced as Penelope stepped forwards towards Peaches, who was about now, looking rather curiously at the door and the group that had come from it. In fact, Penelope did much more than step towards the Wyvern, explaining some lore or theories about the origins of the small-large lizard, talking about her and the Great Dragon and... Something or another. All the while, Citron found herself nodding, while doing her best to follow what the woman was saying, even if she was failing miserably. “Um… Nope, I didn’t know that.” Citron laughed a little, tilting her head to the side in confusion just a tiny bit. “And, um… Well, I hope if that time ever comes, Peaches would take me with her, or something like that.” She laughed a little, glancing at the Wyvern. “I’d like to stick together for as long as I live, y’know?”

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As Alois split off from the rest of the group and made his way over to the house, he found his path blocked by something strange indeed. A pair of animals, ones that were again not from this village, seemed to be at the doorway. Looking beyond it, though, he found himself seeing something even weirder. Shiro was standing around, Gunther was level with the animal trying to converse with and there was...there was a naked man on all fours that seemed to happily yelp at him. Alois shrugged at frog man's question saying, "well, the girls got back without getting hurt or burning the whole forest down. And the rest of the group went with Cora.Other than that, nothing new over there." Well, there was something more, but Alois figured he'd wait to tell them everything else. 

Looking back to the wolfhound, Alois began to see it look specifically to him and start making gestures with its paws. As it motioned between him and everyone else around, Alois couldn't help but snort at Gunther's comment. "Well, that''s nothing new." After making his sarcastic comment, though, Alois put his hand to his chin as he watched the dog look to him. It definitely seemed to be trying to tell him something. And it certainly seemed like it knew him, even if Alois had never seen the animal in his life. And so, he thought about what it had done, and what Shiro had said. Coupled that with their theories on the town so far, and there was only one thing the young fighter could think of. 

"Well, I suppose this is pretty crazy but..." He looked at the dog. "Amas?" The dog nodded at him, giving a woof of confirmation. Looking to the naked man, one that he similarly didn't recognize the boy said, "so...Icelias?" The man seemed to get excited at this, sitting up straight with their head cocked to the side. Bending his head back and letting out a sigh he said, "well, guess that's that." Looking to Shiro, and with a joking tone, Alois said, "hate to break it to you, but I just don't think frogs and dogs were ever meant to be." His tone going more flat he said, "that man over there is Icelias. A dog. And this dog over here is Amas, the guy who owns this place."

Chuckling a bit he looked to the dog saying, "been awhile old man, but can't say I expected to see you like this." Going to a more pensive expression he said, "can't imagine this was your fault, but the hell did you guys do to end up like this?" 

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As Tsetseg followed the rest of the group through the village, the girl couldn't help but marvel at each and every one of the animals that she saw on her way. She wondered why there were so many here, though she could only assume that this place was some kind of strange wonderland. As such, she didn't really understand why Licorice seemed to be in such in a huff about this place. Even if they were all actually people, it wasn't like people changing into animals was particularly strange. The thought of it as well started to get Tsetsegs mind to race about what kind of animal she'd end up as if she were cursed. While the first thought that came to her mind was a fox, she realized that perhaps that was too limiting for her. Even if she would have her own fluffy tail that she could curl up with, she couldn't imagine the difficulty in trying to hug her own tail while on all four paws. As such, the next idea that jumped to her mind was a squirrel. They could stand on their hind legs easy and their tails were just as big and fluffy - no perhaps even more so - than a foxes. Plus they could climb things easy. Tsetseg liked to climb trees. 

Her own mental ramblings ceased as they made it to the house they were supposed to go to, the girl's attention captured by the thing sticking in the window. It was big. Scaly. And pink! It was so strange to her that she couldn't help but marvel, though the more she stared the more off a feeling she got from it. Unable to place quite what it was, her attention was snapped back to the door as it was answered. Smiling brightly the girl gave an enthusiastic wave to everyone saying, "hello, hello. Nice to meet you too!" Putting her hand to her chest the girl introduced herself saying, "I'm Tsetseg!" In spite of the introduction that had already happened. As the girl seemed to be curious about the proteans, after Penelope gave her answer, Tsetseg merely said, "yeah, they do. Aren't they great! They're so nice, large and fluffy. Soft to touch and warm and absolutely fantastic!" Well, she had known Sienna's was at least. Licorice tail was still a foe she had yet to conquer. 

As the young archer's eyes scanned around the room, she then noticed the rest of the scaly pink thing. That is to say, its head. Eyes going wide at the sight of what she now knew to be a wyvern, the girl let out a small yelp and jumped back, hiding behind the nearest person; that being Cora. The girl seemed on edge, her eyes fixated on the wyvern and then the person she could only assume was its owner. Not saying anything, the girl simply get looking back and forth between the two, as if simply sizing them up and waiting for something to happen. 

Edited by Skaia

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From Edrick's perspective, the time between his falling asleep against the wall and the rest of the group arriving in Cora's house passed very quickly indeed. In fact, if he was left undisturbed, then the others' arrival would pass entirely without his ever realizing it. He was, in fact, well and truly asleep there against the wall, propped up in the corner with the enormous pack he was usually seen carrying laid over his legs splayed out on the floor. His lance was...somewhere. Not immediately around him, but probably somewhere nearby. He wasn't forgetful enough to have just left it out somewhere in the village after all.

"Elba..." he muttered in his sleep. Not that he had yet explained the significance of that name to any of his companions, but at least Catriona knew he had originally left his home trying to find his horse. And as a matter of fact, that was the subject of his dream at the moment.

Spoiler

A vast expanse of largely empty plains stretched out in all directions for as far as Edrick could see, but it wasn't those outside of his home town. These were different, too many little creeks broke up the ground, and instead of grasses it was covered with poppies. Somewhere in the distance he noted a landmark, what looked like an enormous city with smoke rising from the many chimneys within. He didn't recognize it, but the sight filled him with a profound happiness for some reason. The air was cold, but much damper than along the banks of the Lanti. This too made him happy, not that he would understand why when he woke up.

Stood in a good riding saddle, braced against Elba's galloping as the red roan mare carried him faster than he was sure she had ever run, the young man was sure that everything was right in the world. Somewhere in the distance he thought he could hear an eagle crying, and he tipped back his head to answer it with a shout of his exultation to the world all around. Up ahead of him something broke the mostly flat horizon as it rose taller than the poppy plants, and he urged Elba forward all the faster. Not that she needed it. She matched, in fact exceeded, her rider's volume with a neigh as she set her hooves to the ground and set them going all the faster.

As they neared this break in the horizon, its form shifted and became more and more recognizable. It was a grove of trees, and as they came closer still he could see someone waiting for him under one of the trees. He could not make them out clearly from where he was, but just seeing them filled him with elation. Closer and closer the horse and her rider came to this person, not that he would remember who it was or why he was so intent on getting to them when he woke.

Anyone who happened to be looking at the sleeping young man might just see his lips curled up into a smile in open defiance of everything that seemed to be wrong right now.

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