A study in the eldritch (Lunaraia;Pervy;MortalitasBorealis)

[Lunaraia]

Erfek gave a rather angry hiss at the mention of molesting it, clearly not fan of that idea at all, probably because it would be more akin to mauling due to size differences, Aya for her part couldn't help but chuckle quietly which earned her an angry glare from the Zoog, fey for her part would notice a complete halt in peppers following that comment, clearly meant as a lesson to not suggest such things in the future, though whether the phoenix-girl actually learned from it or not remained to be seen.

At the mention of a Team name Aya simply stepped in and started stroking Fey on the head "Sorry to burst you bubble dear, but we will not be operating with team names and team rankings" she said calmly even as she kept petting Fey, smothering away any and all objections with a pleasant warmth that seemed to radiate from her hands and into Fey's head as she kept petting, the effect would probably leave the phoenix slightly glassy-eyed "As for fire, that would be a VERY bad idea I fear, no one exactly know what the Abbot actually is and while many of the speculations have even hatched some outlandish suggestions like an Efreet , the chance of that is pretty much 0 seeing as the Abbots skin color is all wrong for that, it would be better to assume that the Abbot would be just as flammable as most of us are and that introducing him to fire would be unwise and would pretty much prevent any hope of taking whatever challenge he will set forth to hand over the panacea"

Aya looked over to the others and before she walked over and put herself in a position where everyone could see her "I will be honest with you here, Panacea is a wonder drug that is rare even among eldritch beings, if that is what we need to save Mistress Christine, then we cannot afford to waste the chance to get it or we might be looking for over a century to find another shot, Mistress Christine does not have a Century to wait, for that cure even in stasis like that, so I expect the lot of you to be on your best behavior in the Monastery, that means no running in the hallways, no screaming loudly, no vandalizing the interior or exterior of the building and NO BURNING, of the Abbot turns hostile towards us first, then all of this is obviously off the table, but until then..." she looked over at the group expectantly silently preying that everyone would agree, the potential for disaster here was way to high.

Before any of the other could answer the house would give a slight shudder and there would be a small thudding sound as the thing stopped moving, looking outside Aya gave a grin "Perfect timing, grab your stuff, we will be walking the rest of the way, Erfek, my shoulder if you would" looking outside the girls would be able to see why, the house had stopped at the edge of a rive and further downstream, in the distance they would see the silhouette of a city, Ulthar.

As the girls exited Aya would stop Shiroi and hand her a small necklace with a small bell on it "If you absolutely have to look like that as we enter the city, at least wear this, it's standard wear for cat servants and means you are in the service of one in this group, it should prevent too much hassle from the locals, as such a thing would be seen as harassing your "employer" and while the laws of the city is skewed to benefit the cats I doubt any of them would be to eager to face a lawsuit of harassment from a traveler with enough influence to have a servant" Aya gave the girl a friendly smile as she stepped out the door and waited for the rest of the group, before she shrunk the walking house down again and put it into a pocked inside her cloak somewhere.

As they walked the sun was slowly starting to set, casting it's golden rays over the landscape, a warm pleasant breeze was making the grass sway as it grew alongside the small road that ran parallel to the river, every now and then a tree could be seen and as the area slowly gave way to show more settled areas the grassy field gave way to fields of wheat that was still green as it was high summer right now as well as carrots and other vegetables, as well as several small flocks of farm animals overseen by shepherds who would give respectful and friendly nods as the group past after a moment or two of looking curiously at the group, birds could be heard singing over head as well, giving once more the sensation of a peaceful and somewhat surreal world, it was almost as if the group had stepped into a fairy tale, though given their location, that might not be too far off.

 

[Pervy]

Spoiler

Fey grinned over to the volunteering wyvern. "Ohoho, an offering for the mighty fire-phoenix?" She enthused, chuckling slightly at the angry hissing zoog. It wanted to enslave her after all!

"Huh.. what are you laughing about.. it's a good name.. demonic clown god? Huuuuh?" Fey seemed genuinly confused.. and a bit pouty, crossing her arms. "Well, if you aren't dedicated to team Kefkas come up with something better yourself. pff." As usual she didn't pout long. "Well, if I can't convince someone of fire, no one can." She nodded to Shiroi.

"Aww but.. but.. how can we coordinate our.. things if we don't have a team name!" Fey pouted at Aya as well, despite the petting at first. "But but.. hmnrrrr..." She crossed her arms and just hopped down, though in a way that allowed her to still be petted, looking a bit oddly trapped between pouting and wanting to be petted some more, murring ever so slightly. "Efreet, in arabic tradition a desert-jinn of fire. Word is actually interchangable with genie, primarly evil wish-granting spirits, their association with fire comes from one burning to ashes when slain, not actually beings of fire, but they can use fire and shapeshift variously." Fey informed. "Not too interesting, 4 out of 10 on the fieryness scale. Fey is a 10 out of 10 of course." She nodded, murring, seemingly mostly pacified from the team-idea after sufficent petting.

"But I like doing all of these things!" Fey resumed sulking when informed of all the things she wouldn't be allowed to do at the abbots place. That said, she didn't seem opposed, just begrudging. "Hrmnn.. I'll just be grabbing my stuff..." Fey paid attention to take extra long to pick up her assorted flames, but grew bored, quickly moving along, with a: "Bye bye housey!" As the walking house was shrunk away. hey, it could move, so perhaps it was sentient too?

Fey tipped her chin as the little odd group wandered through the landscape, looking at the fields, pondering about dream-bread. "So what err.. societal level are we dealing with anyway?" She mused. "I mean, I don't see any traktors, did we miss those or did no one dream of them? Thinking about it, don't people dream of the past and future as well and uuuh..
Bored now, Korrie, tell a joke to pass the time!" She encouraged.

(this new forum thingie is confusing, derp. )

 

[MortalitasBorealis]

Korrie and the twins mostly just looked on while Aya pacified the feisty phoenix, occasionally stifling a chuckle. “Heheh, you sure know everything that has to do with fire~ Korrie really didn’t know an efreet is a type of genie, she thought it’s just a name for fire elementals.” The wyvern remarked, both genuinely impressed and wanting to help distract the phoenix from the team name topic. She was actually a little disappointed Fey didn’t follow through after the ‘offering’, but she wasn’t desperate enough to beg yet.

“No antagonizing the eldritch horror with the miracle drug, got it.” Shiroi summed up the warning nicely and both Korrie and Kuroi nodded, with varying fervency. It was pretty obvious advice but with the severity of the situation it does bear repeating.

Even as they answered though, the house shuddered and came to a halt, and the trio quickly joined Aya at the window to see where they are. It was certainly a nice peaceful view, but more important was the silhouette of their first destination in the distance. While Korrie started to leave the house though, Kuroi was stopped by Aya and Shiroi stopped with her, both twins inspecting the necklace given to the ravenette. “Huh? This is… Oh, right, Lady Pale Moon did mention the locals might try to keep me… Maybe I should just…” The catgirl reached up to her fluffy ears that twitched, but they didn’t disappear yet, the girl seeming hesitant.

Her sibling of course notices this, and pats her on the shoulder with a reassuring grin. “Oh don’t worry about it so much, if you like being a kitty then stay one, we’ve got the necklace, and if push really comes to shove we’ve got our entire team here making sure we get out safe. I mean, it’s just cats, what are they gonna do if we bolt? Meow after us?” The albino rolled her eyes. She still wasn’t too sure about her sister allowing herself to become a pet like the horny wyvern or the ditzy phoenix, but there’s absolutely no reason for her not to support her sibling in staying an adorable catgirl if that’s what she wants. Besides, catgirl in a city built for cats, that’s a recipie for cute hijinks if she’s ever seen one~

“Well… I suppose you’re right…” The ravenette hesitantly agreed and put on the necklace, inspecting the little bell afterwards with a small smile. She’s honestly not sure why she’s so happy she gets to keep staying this way or why she liked the necklace so much. She really likes cute things, she knows that, but still… It doesn’t really matter, as long as it doesn’t hurt anyone.

Thus the twins joined the others outside the house and followed towards the city, enjoying the sights in the meantime. It’s hard to notice, but Kuroi seems to be in a little bit higher spirits than usual, the fluffy triangles on her head twitching occasionally and her tail swishing idly with more energy. It wasn’t too long before they reached the populated outskirts, the wyvern and the twins acknowledging the shepherds’ greetings with waves and smiles of their own. Shiroi did notice that the shepherds seem to be taking the two pets’ nudity in stride, even if by now she’s not surprised that the two pets don’t care about being seen like this. In fact she’s pretty sure Korrie at least actually gets turned on by it… Though the wyvern doesn’t look particularly aroused, just acting like normal.

“Societal level? Korrie’d estimate about medieval times with more magical gadgets, like most fantasy settings?” The wyvern pondered, then blinked in surprise. “A joke?? Uh, that’s a bit sudden…” She muttered, but tried anyway, wracking her brains for any jokes she could remember hearing. She could remember a few, but most were fairly… inappropriate. “Umm, here’s one. Why did the physics professor break up with the biology professor?” She waited a few seconds for an answer, “Because there was no chemistry. Hah…” Her voice trailed off. Having to say that joke got a heavier blush on her than walking around nude and collared in front of strangers…

 

[Lunaraia]

Aya gave an almost unnoticeable smile as Fey "The general tech level of the Dreamlands vary quite a bit depending on where you are, though it does not hit "Modern Age" or newer outside of someones dreams, though you will be able to see that for yourself once we get to town" she gave a polite nod to a passing man and woman each dressed in rather colorful clothes and carrying instruments of different kinds with them, most likely a duo of traveling entertainers, who in turn gave a polite nod back and didn't seem that surprised at all about the nakedness of the group, but instead behaved as if this was completely normal and expected.

"The perks of traveling with me is that no one will wonder why some of you are a bit, should I say... under dressed for normal people, simply put they see me leading you all along and simply come to the conclusion I have my hooks inside your pretty little heads that you no longer have any ideas of modesty left in them, well except you two twins, though your situation could be explained away as not completely lost, or actually paid help rather than charmed into total submission, it happens from time to time" she pulled both Fey and Korrie in close and idly stroked their bellies, had Kuroi been in a position where she could see it she would have noticed the slightly devious smile on Aya's face, the handler knowing full well her own current state of mind from how she had reacted earlier.

The city itself pulled ever closer and every now and then a cat could be seen sitting on a fence or having a conversation with another cat or human along the road as, unsurprisingly, they were capable of human speech Erfek shifted around on Aya's shoulder uncomfortably at the sight "Have I ever mentioned that Zoog and Cats don't get along?" it asked nervously even as it kept re-positioning itself on Aya's shoulder "Better get used to it for now, we would be spending better part of a week to reach Dylath-Leen on foot and that is provided nothing more happened along the way to delay us further" The Zoog gave an unhappy murmur but didn't complain further but instead simply curled up in the nook of Aya's neck and shoulder.

Turning to the other girls Aya looked over to see if they needed anything even as the city itself came into view further down the road, just a few more minutes and they would be entering the city, once they passed the last hurdle to so so, the City gates, which were guarded by a duo of stern, if bored-looking, men and a quartet of equally bored looking cats "Name and Errand" asked the closest cat as the group got up to the guards "We wish to stay the night at The Dancing Kitten before we take the ferry down the river" the cat in question looked at the group with renewed interest "Hmm, well there is something you don't see every day, hmm well I suppose that is fine, though keep your... vermin, under control, you will be held accountable for any damages it causes" the cat gave the Zoog an openly hostile look, though only for the second or two it took one of the other cats to tackle the first one "We are no longer at war with the Zoogs and you are to treat them with the same respect as you are any other guests!" the cat hissed angrily at the offender before it offered the group an apologetic nod, "You are all welcome in Ulthar, obey the laws and no trouble will find you, please go on ahead, I fear I have to educate the rookie... again" judging by the expressions of the other guards and cats it was obviously not the first time this had happened and Aya wisely moved the group along into the city itself.

Spoiler

The city was winding down for the evening as the group entered, with cats and humans on their way back from their days work, with exception of the establishments that operated at night of course, a few cats stopped to give Kuroi curious looks but none bothered her once they saw her necklace, for now at any rate, Aya for her part picked her way through Ulthars streets with at least some familiarity, though she did pause every now and then to look around, apparently taking in changes to the place since her last visit, though before long the group would find themselves outside a small, if inviting inn "Mind your manners inside, the people here might not be too uppety in terms of looks or lack of clothes, but say the wrong thing and we are likely going to be spending the night on the street" Aya warned as she led the group inside

((sorry for the rather erratic writing, have not been feeling too good the past few days))

 

[Pervy]

Spoiler

"Fire things are interesting.. as opposed to .. you know, non-fire things. Fire elementals were first described in greek mythology, as did the phoenix. .. funny thing, until I met owner I didn't really think it real, I mean.. never really had a reason to question why I can do the fire-stuff.." Fey enthused. She then nodded and offered her own kind of support for Kuroi on the way out. "Don't worry. If anyone abducts you I'ma burn them. With flames!" She then leaned over to whisper to Kuroi: "By the way, knowing Aya and owners stuff, you ought to check for lewd enchantments.."

"Hah! I like it." At least she seemed quite enthusiastic about Korries joke, smiling cheerfully. "Pff, wait, hold on now, I'm totally not hooked into total submission.. shame that. err.. I mean, I'm not even nude. Look!" She pointed at the flames playfully flickering over her body, admittedly not hiding much from.. the dedicated eye, as easily as they indubitably would discourage stranger gropings. That said, the same flames parted and only flickered with comfortable warmth under the belly-scratches, which also caused the Phoenix to murr and lean in closer.

"Woah, it's an actual city of cats.. figured.. I dunno, they'd be more.. humanish, bigger and with clothes or something.. humnn.. I wonder how we'll fit through the kitty-doors.." She pondered, and wisely kept silent as they approached the guards, though a sharp eye could see her flames flickering up a little at the vermin comment. Once they were inside though, she looked about with happy curiosity, taking in the feline inhabitants. "Well, bet we wont have to worry about mice. Heh. Think about if you were more of a mouse than a cat-girl, that'd be tricky!" She enthused to Kuroi.

"What is the wrong thing to say.. like.. Shouldn't tell people to stop giving us such a cat-titude? Heh.. hehehe.." She pondered at Aya, seeming genuinly unsure. To her, not setting something she disliked on fire was the height of proper etiquette after all. "Side note, I totally expected scratching posts. Oh oh! Got a foolproof plan if theres trouble." She grinned, creating a little dangly bit of string-like flame. "Super Phoenix technique: Feline Mesmerization Flame!" She enthused, then looked over to Kuroi, extending the string and dangling it infront of her temptingly. "Huuh.. huuuh? Don't worry using the non burning pretty decoration flames.. you can't fight the string can youuuu" The dangling would continue until Fey was rebuked or ignored, making her scuttle into the tavern.

 

[MortalitasBorealis]

“M-Maybe burning is a bit harsh…” Kuroi chuckled a little, both feeling safe around her group and sorry for whoever might try to target her. Between her older sister, the phoenix, the wyvern and the succubus, well… Erfek can testify as to how bad of an idea that is. She did give her necklace a wary look though. Should she…? Well, she could ask her sister to inspect it later, she doesn’t feel any different right now.

“So this kind of thing is common, huh…” Shiroi muttered thoughtfully, gaze trailing after the passersby for a brief moment. If this sort of enslavement is seen as the norm, then they’ll have to be all the more careful of any locals they come across in the future. Their encounter with Erfek did start that way afterall, the next one might not be so… unprepared.

The soft pleasured moans and panting from the belly-rubbed pet wyvern drew her attention for a few seconds before it shifted over to her sibling, who was trying to be discrete while eyeing the two pets. The fluffy triangles twitched, and a hand hesitantly moved towards her own belly before quickly dropping back to her side like nothing happened. Neither of them could see Aya’s face as they were tagging along behind, but Shiroi could easily imagine their guide having much the same smirk on as herself, just less innocent. Maybe she should sate her sister’s pampering needs herself later, if just to make sure her adorable kitten of a sibling doesn’t play too easily into Aya’s hands. That, and who wouldn’t want to pet a cute kitty like that?

Soon enough, the actual feline citizens of the city could be seen, and the trio couldn’t help but stare at some of them curiously. A talking cat might be a relatively tame sight in an eldritch land of dreams, but it’s still not something a non-local sees every day. “Yes, we’ve heard about that before. I hope it won’t be too much of a problem…” Kuroi nodded, remembering what Lady Pale Moon said about zoogs and cats. Hopefully the animosity won’t be that bad, otherwise Aya would’ve found something to hide Erfek with, right?

Once they reached the gate, they allowed Aya to handle things as usual, tensions rising and falling as they got a taste of the current interspecies relationship between the felines and the zoogs. At least most of the cats are going to be civil about this, but it’s probably best Erfek not wander off for any merchanting on his own, Shiroi thought to herself.

That aside, the city of Ulthar itself let the three of them easily forget the momentary unpleasantries, looking around at the quaint medieval town. Korrie continued sticking close to her handler, while Kuroi couldn’t help but smile and wave at the cats who she caught staring at her. The catgirl’s protective sister had to resist the urge to glare at the felines, content to stay closer to her sibling for now.

“Actually, do the cats here hate mice as well? Are there talking mice too?” The ravenette pondered after chuckling a little at Fey’s quip.
“Maybe? There might even be dog cities too, would be kinda weird if only the cats could talk.” The albino shrugged, “But yeah, good thing you’re more of a cat-person than a mouse-person. Cuter, I’d say. Plus, who ever heard of a mouse-burglar?”
“Sister…”
“Heh, sorry~”

Once they reached the Dancing Kitten and Aya gave them a quick briefing, Korrie and Kuroi nodded while Shiroi mimed zipping her lips shut. The wyvern rolled her eyes a little at Fey’s pun, though she still smiled amusedly. “If anything will get us thrown out of there it’s bad cat puns… Korrie wouldn't even blame them for it.” She remarked before the three followed Aya inside. At least, the twins were about to before the ravenette was distracted by the phoenix’s antics again, eyes drawn towards the fiery string and a hand slowly reaching for it… for a few seconds.

“…Nice try, but as tempting as that is, the fact it’s made of fire is still a bit dissuading for someone not fireproof.” The catgirl smirked and gave Fey some head pats before heading into the inn with an amused sibling.

 

[Lunaraia]

Aya couldn't help but chuckle as she watched Fey's antics and the rather predictable response, before she turned towards the twins to answer their question about mice and dogs "There might be talking mice and dogs, I have never met any or seen a city with them, but that does not mean they do not exist, as the Dreamlands are quite vast, after all and seeing it all would take a life time" as they entered the inn the group would find that it was a cozy place with a happily burning fireplace, where two girls where playing with the fire by making small fiery animals that would run around in the air before dissipating back into the main fire only for a new fiery creation to emerge. Fey would feel a pleasant warmth from where, in the real world, her amulet would be, clearly those two were elemental in nature just like she was.

The common room was pretty empty aside from the duo playing at the fire and the Innkeeper, a jovial looking dwarf- like individual, aside from the grey skin, red eyes and a small scar running over his nose, as the group entered he looked up and grinned "Well now, tha's a mug I haven't seen in almost a decade! How are ya doin' lass!" the dwarf jumped over the counter with a surprising ease, black beard flying around him and hurried over to the group before burying Aya under a hug that would most likely have snapped a weaker person in half "Uncle... Flint... can't... breathe" the statement only made the dwarf laugh harder "Well that should teach ya to keep in touch with yer Uncle now shouldn't it" Aya extracted herself from the dwarf, albeit with great difficulty "Everyone meet uncle Flint, before you ask we are not related by blood, he is the adoptive brother of my Mother" The dwarf snickered again "How is the hag-sister of mine anyway, still datin' tha incubus father of yers?" Aya gave a wry grin "While their respective duties keep them both busy they are still as lovey-dovey as when they were staying here" The dwarf gave a shudder before he turned towards the rest of the group "Oy there all of ye, names Grom Flintlock, Flint to friends and family..." he turned towards Aya "Err.. they are still able ta act and think on their own right? I don't fancy them suddenly startin ta drool or-" Aya's laugh cut him off "I wouldn't worry about that Uncle, these ones aren't mine, they belong to my Mistress, as for cognitive functions, they are able to think on their own, although some of their thoughts have been... helped in the right direction" Flint gave a curious look, before mumbling something under his breath "Oh... sandstone lass, how many times have I told ye to stay away from da eldritch stuff, nothin' good ever comes out of it" He shook his dead before turning back to the group "Sorry about that, where are me manners, come in come in, won't do if I keep ye all standing here at the entrance, now then Welcome to The Dancing Kitten, me humble inn, I hope that ye find the place to yer likin', so how long are ye all stayin?" he stretched out his hand to grant the rest of the group with a stone hard hand shake as he spoke, clearly there was a lot of muscles in his small frame, which could probably explain the feat earlier "As much as I would love to stay a few days to catch up, we will be taking the ferry to Dylath-Leen as quickly as possible" At the mention of the ferry Flint's eyes looked surprised "Well lass I am sorry to say tha-" "AYA!!!" Once again the handler was buried under another body, this time a tall woman with golden blond hair and rather pointy ears "Nice to see you too Maeve, though just like with flint I can hardly breathe" The elven woman just laughed and dragged Aya, and by extension Erfek, away much to the Aya's protests, leaving the rest of the group alone with Flint.

"Durned woman, I were trying to tell Aya that the Nightmare that hit yesterday put the ferry out o commission for a few days, it aint goin nowhere til it's fixed, bah, can I trust ye to tell her once ma wife finally release her?" Before he could say any more there was a happy squeal from the fireplace where the duo playing with the flames had noticed Fey and happily ran over "Look-look Flare, another fire-person!" "So I see-see Pyre, hey Flame Lady play with us!" without waiting for an answer the duo dragged her to the fireplace to play with them, apparently the inns floor were fireproof as despite the fires dancing around the girls' feet as they walked the floor boards remained unscathed. the duo smiled happily up at Fey as they reached the fireplace the fire behind them danced happily, almost inviting Fey to get creative with it, closer inspection of the play-space they were in would reveal glyphs lining the walls, floor and the ceiling around the fireplace and any flames that went outside those glyphs instantly vanished, allowing Fey to pretty much do what she liked as long as she kept it confined to that space.

"Well now, didn't expect Flare and Pyre to have a new playmate, err... she is fireproof, right? the last one turned out not to be and.. well let's not talk about that, either way, nice ta see them make friends, haven't been easy for em ta do so, considering their taste o games" he shrugged a bit, but if Fey started to play with the fire as well the dwarf would look quite relieved as he turned back to the Korrie and the Twins, as Erfek had still been on Ayas shoulder as she was dragged off, noticing the bell around Kuroi's neck he stepped in closer and inspected it "Disguising yerself as a handmaiden to avoid bein jumped by the cats eh? smart choice, not only can only powerful and rich people afford ta keep handmaidens, they usually have one heck of a salary, but the cats usually won't bother someone who is powerful and rich enough ta have one, was that Ayas idea or yers?" once Kuroi answered Flint would laugh and reach up to give her a friendly pat on the head, despite the heavy hand and strong grip from earlier the dwarf clearly quite skilled at petting, most likely from being in this city for some time "Well yer secret's safe with me lass, a friend o Aya is a friend o mine" Flint looked over Korrie with an appraising eye "I would love to claim I knew what ye are, but I have never seen anything quite like ya, either way as long as ya don't make a mess o the place I don't mind one bit" Flint gave Korrie a scratch behind her dog ears before leading the group over to the bar, and offered the group a glass each with a sweet nectar drink "Can't peddle anything alcoholic for another hour or two, but these should be nice enough I hope" The Innkeeper chuckled as he saw Aya across the room, clearly being grilled by Maeve about everything that had happened for the past decade or so, much to the delight of the Dwarf apparently as the group enjoyed their drinks keeping up small talk and answering any questions the three might have.

((sorry for the delay))

 

[Pervy]

Spoiler

Fey eyed her fire-string, moderatly disappointed at its lack of effect, twirling it about and pondering. "Need to pimp my fire. Perhaps different colors?" She mused to herself, her flames puffing up like a pouty feline when patted, though she followed along in without much hesitation afterwards.

"Thinking about it, a lifetime in the dreamlands is like.. not a lifetime in the real world, so could totally explore it all." Fey mused. "Oooh look! Fire animals. Someone knows how to party!" She cheered, only briefly distracted with trying to find the family resemblance between the dwarf and her companion, not that she'd judge.
"Hello G.F. I'm Fey!" Fey enthused at the dwarf. "I only drool for joghurt-peppers." She informed, with a squeezing of her hand, which she afterwards waved, almost casually, her normal healing ability letting her not mind the grip much.

"..bye Aya!" She waved, when their handler was 'abducted, only to be distracted by the fiery kids, not that she needed an extra inventation, she grinned. "Oh hello, I'm Fey. I'm a phoenix-elemental! I like your names." She commented, accompanying the two and hopping down, warming herself in the fire-place, looking at the.. flames. She didn't really understand, or care for the protective runes when there was fun to be had! "Play with you humnn. .. Fire animal battle!" Fey enthused, positively suprised to meet someone able to use her fire-shaping abilities, raising two fingers in a quick motion of concentration and forming a tiny fiery-bird that chirped out a ray of sparks and 'charged' forward, spiralling about in the fireplace, with her happily puffing up her feathers and leaning back into the flames, fashioning one into a makeshift pretend pillow, one finger directing the flames.

"If you don't like fire-animal battle we can play fire-chess or fire-wrestling." Fey mused, not actually knowing the chess rules very closley. But people usually let her win if she set the board on fire.

(( all good. bit short post from me, nues! *flails*

 

[MortalitasBorealis]

Korrie and the twins looked around as they entered the inn, getting a feeling of the general atmosphere. It was cozy, especially with the two fire elemental kids playing by the fireplace, and despite the innkeeper’s intimidating appearance and what Aya warned them about, the dwarf looked surprisingly cordial and eased their nerves. His friendly and familiar greeting certainly helped the image, though eyes were widened when his relation to their handler was revealed. The two sisters exchanged a glance, not saying it out loud but the silent quip shared, and it was quickly confirmed by Aya anyway.

While Shiroi rolled her eyes as their mental functions were questioned, the wyvern was quick to get to formalities. “I-It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Flintlock! Korrie’s name is Korrie, and d-don’t worry, Korrie won’t drool all over the floor…” She introduced herself with a rigid bow, like a nervous teen meeting the girlfriend’s parents for the first time. It certainly felt similar, this being her handler’s family, she has to be on her best behavior!

The albino smirked a little, watching the half-dragon from the corner of her eyes; third-person speech-induced redundancy aside, it’s rather cute how she’s trying to stand extra straight to maintain good posture, inadvertently flaunting her assets in the process. The pet wyvern probably didn’t even notice any of it. “I’m Shiroi, and this is Kuroi, my sister.” A polite bow from the catgirl, not quite as awkward as the wyvern, “Pleasure to meet you Mr. Flintlock, or can we call you Uncle Flint too?” She introduced herself and her sister as well, giving the innkeeper a casual smile and shaking his hand, wincing a little at his strength. It’s a good thing she ate those vitality fruits, that handshake could’ve left some bruises otherwise.

All of a sudden their handler was pounced and dragged away by another excited family member, and Fey was soon led away by her kin, leaving the trio with the dwarven innkeeper. “The ferry’s delayed…? Don’t worry, we’ll tell Aya as soon as she’s available.” Korrie nodded, her posture still rigid, though some worry seeped through her expression nonetheless. She knows they have time to get the panacea, but delays like this still didn’t sit well with her, especially one that’s several days…

“Fey’s as fireproof as fire itself. …Does that even make sense? Point is she’s gonna be okay, I’d be more worried about the inn.” Shiroi tried to give a clever answer (though she’s not sure if it worked), looking over at the fire elementals having fun.

“It was Aya’s idea, I don’t know nearly enough about this place to come up with countermeasures like this.” The ravenette admitted, though kept the part about her not being a natural catgirl to herself. Her enjoyment of her feline parts was a fact she’s much less willing to openly confess, at least to those who didn’t already know. While she flinched when Flint reached up to pet her, remembering the powerful strength of his, she relented a second later out of politeness, leaning down to help him and quickly decided she made the right choice. The sounds she made were as close to purring as they could get without being purrs, eyes closed, ears twitching and tail swaying leisurely, subconsciously nuzzling the muscled yet oh so gentle hand. Her doting sibling watched the whole thing closely of course, her heart beating faster and having to resist the urge to join in on the petting immediately. She can wait until they have a little more privacy but god her sister’s so CUTE.

Korrie’s nervousness only increased under Flint’s inspection, sweat starting to bead around her forehead, though she relaxed a lot after some nice ear scratches. She’d even forgotten she had those dog ears, no wonder he was confused! “Korrie’s a wyvern, though she wasn’t born as one. The dog ears aren’t usually there neither, they’re, umm, Dreamlands only.” She tried to explain, following him over to the bar and sipping the offered drink. Sweet!

“It’s alright, don’t wanna risk getting drunk.” Shiroi nodded, sipping her own glass of nectar. “So… I’d ask about the weather if it’s not so cliché, and I don’t want to ask anything too personal, so how’s life around these parts? I hope the cats haven’t been treating you badly, I heard the law’s really biased in their favor.” The albino started some smalltalk, smiling casually. There wasn’t much that’s mission-critical they can’t ask Aya herself, and she’s not sure if she should mention details on their quest, so she may as well see if she can’t learn something about the city of cats. They’ll have to stay here a few days afterall, the more they know about it the better.

 

[Lunaraia]

Fey's bird would not remain flying peacefully for long as a fiery cat about twice it's size would suddenly suddenly come flying out of the fire and swipe at it, quickly followed by an even bigger wolf like creature with two heads that went after the cat "This is fun-fun, you have great ideas Flame-Fey!" "Yeah fun-fun, your game if awesome Fire-Fey!" the two girls squealed excitedly as they would try to counter both Fey's and each others creatures in different creative ways, their hair taking on a fiery look and fires dancing along their arms as they grew more excited about the game, the two clearly approving of Fey's choice of game.
As the battle between the three raged on Fey would get to see a plethora of interesting fiery creatures that the two knew about that clearly was not from Earth, like a giant fiery tortoise with a snake for a tail or and other fantastical creatures which would likely spice up the battle, which was rapidly getting more and more frantic and fast paced as the game went on, causing sparks and fire to fly everywhere, though none of the flames crossed the wards that had been set up.

Flint looked over to the trip for a moment before looking back at the trio of girls "Bah, the inns boards are made of Magma Oak, ye'd need to submerge the entire thing into lava just to singe da stuff and even then it would not be burnin, it was an expensive but worthwhile investment, as it has saved it from a few potential fires every now and then, none were the kids doin' mind ye, tha lil' uns are always careful not to set things on fire outside of their lil play circle" he chuckled as he resumed cleaning the pint glass he had been scrubbing when they entered "As for tha cats, they are fine, bit full of themselves, and their laws put in really strict penalties for harming a cat, but aside from that they are bright enough to realize that tryin to go all Tyrannical Despot or Dictator on da biguns would be a bad idea, they are several times their size after all and cat claws can't do much ta plate mail, it's more a statement to say "this is our town so our laws" kind o thing is my guess" He put the now spotless glass away and looked over to where Aya were sitting, trying desperately to get a single word in edgewise against the constant drone of Maeve, which seemed to have an infinite supply of air in her lungs to talk with.

"Yer handler ain't gonna be free of me wife for a few more hours at this rate, poor thing, well better her than me I suppose" the Dwarf chuckled even as he shook his head ever so slightly at his own attempt at humor "Hey Kids, bring her fiery new play-mate over here for a moment, got an idea fer ya all" The play area, which by this point was just a giant whirl of flames and sparks entrapped inside the wards continued to blaze for a fe moments, before Pyre and Flare came dragging Fey along "What idea idea papa?" "Is it fun-fun?" the two kids looked at the Dwarf with an hopeful expression "Why don't ye head over to Marrog's and play fer a bit, that way our guests can relax a wee bit and see the town fer themselves" Considering the delighted squeals from Flare and Pyre this Marrog was apparently someone the two liked to play with "Sorry ta pull ye away from yer game with the kids, Fey was it? But I figured you and yer friends would like ta know there is a festival in town right now, and I figured you would maybe like ta see it without having to stop every five seconds because Flare and Pyre wanna play a game or nag ye for candy" The dwarf handed the girls, a map showing the inn as well as giving a detailed direction to the town square where apparently the festival was taking place "Dinner is served here in a few hours still, so ye have time to take a look now if ya wanna, if not I am certain Aya would be happy for a rescue from Maeve, though don't expect to escape her yerself if ye attempt that heroic feat, she will be talking yer ears off until dinner" if the grin of the dwarf was any indication the quip was meant as a friendly jest not anything malicious.

((brain isn't cooperating that much right now, can't really get anything juicy going but this should be enough to atleast keep things interesting, even if it is a bit abrupt, Mortalitas, sent a PM to you and Pervy a few days ago, please read it if you haven't))

 

[Pervy]

Spoiler

"Why thank you, I most certainly do.. is Fire like a sur-name for you?" She chuckled, happily joining into the fight with a variety of fiery animals, then finally she pointed to the embers, were her bird had been taken down. "Also! That wasn't a normal bird you can just pounce with a kittey. That was a Phoenix. It comes back in flaaames. woo!" Fey enthused, as her first fire-creation returned. "Wohohohooo!" She enthused. Normal humans weren't this hair-on-fire type of fun. Her flames blazed up a little from enjoying the playtime as well, it seemed Fey could be left in the fireplace unattended for a while without any worries of her growing bored and wandering off.

"Humnn?" Fey made, before being dragged out along after thet wo fiery girls, chuckling a little. "Humnn who's a Marrog?" Fey pondered, then looked over to the dwarf. "Hooh Festival.. sounds fun. Let's go check it out, hold on though, what kind of candy.. also.. also.. errr..

We don't have any dream-money, so if theres fees for things or for candy.." Fey mused, whereas the dwarf might realize he shouldn't have brought up candy, because now Fey wanted to know what kind of candy the fiery twins enjoyed here. And if Marrog had fun things in general. Someone would have to pull her along if they wanted Fey.

 

[MortalitasBorealis]

While they chatted with the dwarf, Kuroi regularly looked over towards the three fire elementals, her sister and Korrie did too sometimes but the catgirl was particularly attracted by all the flickering lights from the fiery creatures, begging for her attention from the corner of her eye. It was an impressive spectacle, frightening as well, frighteningly impressive one might say. The possibility of the flames escaping the ward kept gnawing at the back of her head, until she heard Flint mention the inn’s special building material and relaxed. One doesn’t just house two playful embodiments of flame without being prepared.
Shiroi nodded while Flint explained the local situation with the cat population. “True. Plus, I’d think opposable thumbs would make a pretty big difference if push comes to shove.” She remarked, glad to hear things should be fine as long as they keep to themselves. It’ll be just like dealing with snobby aristocrats.

“Heheh, Korrie thinks it’s nice her family’s so close with her.” The pet wyvern smiled, watching her handler and the talkative elf with a mixture of sympathy and longing. While it’s no doubt awkward for Aya, she couldn’t help but want to experience having a doting relative or family member, even if just a notch less extreme. A cool uncle who’d ruffle her hair and trounce her at video games, an aunt who’d hug her and pinch her cheek and ask about her love life, a grandma overly sensitive about her health and keeps shoving lovingly cooked food in front of her she can’t refuse…

Beside her, the two siblings inched just a little bit closer together.

Talk of a festival snapped them out of their individual thoughts though. “A festival? What kind of festival? Because I have serious reservations about going to a clown carnival.” Shiroi mused jokingly, examining the map with her sister and the wyvern. A festival, huh… On one hand, she’d originally planned to keep to themselves during their stay to minimize the chances of cats looking for trouble, extra so without a local like Aya to handle any pestering felines, but on the other hand it’d be a shame not to experience a local festivity like this. “Well sis? Interested?”

“I think it wouldn’t hurt to have a look, I wouldn’t want to interrupt Aya’s family bonding time.” Kuroi giggled sheepishly, looking over at their handler again, “That said, Fey raises a fair point, we don’t have any local currency with us, and I doubt anything other than entry would be free.”

“That’s true. Awkward as it is to ask, do you have any change you can spare, Uncle Flint? I’m sure Aya can pay you back for it~”
“Shiroi!” The wyvern glared at the albino who smirked back unrepentantly. “Don’t take her seriously Uncle Flint, sir, we’ll only have a look around if that’s how it is. We’re willing to help out around the inn if that’ll earn us some spending money though. Isn’t that right, Shiroi?”
“Whooah, since when did you start taking charge? Really wanna impress the family, huh?” The albino raised an eyebrow, “But yeah, we’ll do some chores if that’ll be enough.”

Korrie’s glare lessened as she turned towards her sister pet. “And how about you, Fey? Want to come see the festival with us? Korrie can keep an eye on these two on her own if you want to stay with your kin.” She said, noticing the phoenix'’s kind of on the fence about where to go and okay either way. Her fiery sister pet certainly looked like she was having fun having two other fire elementals to play with, and whoever Marogg is, they sound like they have experience with entertaining fire elementals too.

 

[Lunaraia]

At the mention of money Flint laughed, it was a hearty, friendly laugh, the kind one would expect from an amused grandfather who could not hold back his mirth "Right, you obviously wouldn't have any coin ta spend on the fair or any of tha activities now would ye, well fret not kiddo's Uncle Flint got ye covered, as for Morrag, she's a Fire Nymph and tha kids' babysitter, nice enough lady as long as you can withstand tha heat she gives off, in tha literal sense, has ways of handling fire elementals who try to be naughty without settin' tha entire area ablaze, been invaluable in keepin those two out o trouble, helps that they really like her I guess" with a grin the dwarf would hurry out of the room and return later with 4 small pouches "Here ya go, one fer each of ya, should be enough fer a decent bit o fun, just don spend it all in one place, oh and here, better read this before ye go, it will probably help decide where ye wanna head out" The dwarf handed the quartet a parchment where it stood, with stylized letters:

The Midsummer Faire

It is with great pleasure that I, Kithrata Whitepaw leader of the Faire Committee, can announce the start of the Midsummer Faire, everyone in the city is invited to join in on the festivities, be it traveler or citizen, the festivities will start at sunset and will last for the next three days, despite the havoc caused by the nightmare we managed to pull through this year as well and we hope everyone will enjoy the fun, games and amusements in the main square.

Underneath this announcement was a map of the city which marked the different locations where there would be things to see or do, with pretty much every conceivable form of medieval entertainment up and ready, ranging from mundane Jousting tournaments, a market faire and medieval carnival games, to more supernatural inclined ones like a wizardry tournament and a Wyvern riding contest, with areas marked all over the map for different activities.

Of particular interest for Fey she would see that there was a Lava Swimming Pool over at the north side of town with a notice stating that only fire elementals or otherwise immune to lava would be allowed to enter, for obvious reasons, considering the contents of the pool, there were also a fire dancer show, a fire eating competition, which anyone could participate in, as well as a menagerie that claimed to have access to beasts from the elemental planes as well as other exotic places.

Of interest to Korrie would probably be the note that there would be a delegation of real Dragons in town who would, for a very modest sum, teach harmless but useful cantrips as well as show off some relics from their own home and otherwise entertain the people of the town with various magical escapades, they were also offering flying lessons for young winged creatures should they feel the need to have someone teach them, there was also a gaming tournament, though considering the medieval setting of the place it would likely involve some form of cards or dice, or physical activity.

The Twins would likely find the dragons interesting as well given the chance to learn some spells, though there were also Madam Goya's Fortunes that might help shed some more light on the fortune that Aya herself had given them, the Wizard tournament might also be of interest to the two since there was an option to enter the Team competition, where one could create a team of up to four people to fight for the grand prize, unfortunately what exactly the grand prize was was impossible to say, since there was some spillage on the parchment, a closer inspection would have a sweet honey like smell come off the stain, most likely mead.

A final note on the parchment noted that at midnight there would be a fireworks show courtesy of the Dranonic delegation and that they had promised it would be even more spectacular than last year, something that seemed pretty impossible to the author of this note if the wording was anything to go by, which probably meant it would make any mundane fireworks from earth, no matter how expensive, seem like a rather boring setup.


If the girls actually took the time to investigate the pouches they would find that they were filled, not with gold, silver, copper or even platinum coins, but with iron coins, about the size of a dime each having the emblem of a mug of beer with a pickaxe and a hammer crossing in a x pattern behind it, most likely coins from somewhere Flint had lived before, if the metal shield with the same emblem on the mantle of the fireplace was any indication.

The door to the Inn bust open and Flare and Pyre ran in, past the group, disappeared into their rooms and returned a moment later with what looked like a strange scaly bathing suits "Hurry-hurry, Flare, Morrag said she would only take us if we were quick-quick" Flare, who were following as fast as she could gasped out after her "I know-know Pyre, so let's get back fast-fast!" the two didn't even offer the others a glance as they rushed back outside, they had apparently left as the girls were busy reading the parchment and if their clothes they just fetched where anything to go by they were headed with Morrag for the Lava baths. "If ye decide ta skip dinner, do me a favor and be back afore sunrise, I fear Aya will skin me if ye don't" Flint were smiling as he talked, but something about the way he glanced at Aya, as well as what the girls knew about her, made it quite clear that it might be less of a joke than it would seem like at first.

 

[Pervy]

Spoiler

"Huh, I thought nymphs were all about water.." Fey pondered. "Is she hot?" Fey pondered, still seeming torn between going to the fair and accompanying the fire-elementals, then again, by the sound of it this was kiddo stuff, and she was a mature hot-head. She even got poket money, which she listened to whilest jingling the bag a little.

Fey took a closer look at the markers, grinning and elbowing Korrie at the 'wyvern-riding contest' with an added in wiggling of her eyebrows for good measure. "I wonder what a wizardry tournament is.. ooh. Does it say lava-swimming? That's fun! Ooh a fire eating competition! I wonder if its quality or quantity. I'ma go lava-swimming, who else is coming!" She enthused, not expecting many volunteers, but pretty much burning up (hah) to go right away, bouncing a bit on the spot.

After discovering the fiery attractions Fey actually stopped reading, missing out on the fireworks, well, those would be easily noticeable later, likely. "Ooh going to the lava-pits eh?" Fey enthused at the two fire-elementals, grinning and flexing. "Welp, I'm off doing the Lava-pits myself. Or the fire-eating competition... Wooo!" Fey enthused, short breathed, bounding and bouncing off into the city on her own and with great enthusiasm if nothing stopped her. She wasn't that great at orientation herself, so there was a chance she got lost a bit while trying to head north of the city, but she'd indubitably get there, eventually, with a figurative and literal sparking in her eyes at the dream-festival opportunities.

 

[MortalitasBorealis]

“"T-Thank you very much, Uncle Flint!"” The wyvern girl bowed her head slightly as she gratefully accepted the coin pouch, and the twins thanked him as well, opening the pouches a little bit to peer inside. The lack of stereotypical gold and silver was surprising, but currency is currency.

The three then inspected the pamphlet handed to them to see what’s in store for them. It didn’t take Fey’s teasing to make Korrie blush upon seeing the double entendre event, though it certainly made her fidget a little more, as did the albino’s knowing smirk directed her way.

“"Wyvern riding contest, huh~? Think a wyvern girl would be cheating?”"

“"P-Probably, plus, Korrie'’s really not that good at flying, especially not compared to regular wyverns..."…” Korrie'’s dog ears drooped a little and she tried to move on to the rest of the events. There was a bunch of fiery events that clearly caught Fey’s attention, though hers stayed on the dragon delegation. It looks like she might be able to learn something, being part dragon and all, and flight lessons could be useful. Plus, getting to see real dragons would be pretty cool in and of itself! There’s also a ‘gaming’ tournament she can check out afterwards, though it'’s probably not her usual form of gaming. Wouldn'’t hurt to take a look.

The twins also quickly skimmed over the list of festivities. There’s a fortune teller, which feels relevant considering recent events, but discretion may be advised in regards to their quest, might cause an incident if they get another highly irregular reading again and the fortune teller gets too interested. There’s also a wizardry tournament, which raises… possibilities.

“"Hey sis, look at this. Wanna give it a shot?"” She whispered with a grin, her competitive spirit ignited. Her sibling was less confident.
“"A wizardry tournament? Are you sure? We’re both still novices and we haven’t rehearsed any kind of performance…”..."
“"Don’t sell yourself short sis, I’m pretty sure we’re better than the average apprentice if just in terms of versatility. Plus, this is just a festival tournament, not the Grand Magic Games or something, there’s probably lots of amateurs joining for fun. We might not win a prize but we won’t embarrass ourselves too hard even in the worst case, right?”"
“"Well, when you put it like that...… I suppose there'’s no harm in trying."” The ravenette relented with a smile.

The door suddenly slammed open, causing the wyvern and the twins to quickly look over only to see the two young fire elementals return (when the heck did they leave?) to retrieve what appears to be swimsuits built for something other than water before hurrying back out again, this time quickly followed by an excited phoenix. “"Fey, wait for us!"” Korrie tried to call out, though she didn'’t try to hurry after her if Fey didn’t listen. She probably won'’t get lost. Probably.

“"Welp, guess that’s our cue to get going too. We'’ll be back before sunrise, don'’t worry about it, unless the fireworks last for 6 hours.”" Shiroi assured as she and her sibling finished their drinks and got up, heading out the door and for the festival at a more casual pace. Korrie followed suit as well, though not before another polite bow and another thank you for the pocket money before leaving. Once there the wyvern and the twins will part ways, the former heading towards wherever the dragons are, the latter towards the tournament to look for more information, both for the tourney itself, its mysterious prize, and the other potential competitors.

 

[Lunaraia]

As Fey stepped into the darkening streets she would quickly notice that the streets of Ulthar were lit by floating lanterns that cast a comfy warm light that illuminated better than most street lamps back on earth could and were positioned perfectly to provide the same illumination all over, causing great visibility even after the sun had set, she was also not the only one out and about now that the festivities were about to start, with both cats and people all walking around talking laughing and just enjoying the pleasant evening.

To her left Fey would be able to see the tell tale glow of Pyre and Flare as the crowd wisely parted way to let the fiery duo and the woman they were dragging with them pass, if she followed them she would not have to worry about getting lost on her way to the pool, though it would probably not be the case on the way back, to her right was the way back towards the gate, definitely not the way to go, unless she felt like exploring the city rather than heading straight for the lava pools.

-----

As Korrie and the Twins were deciding what to do they were interrupted by a voice behind them "If you are going to the tournament and the dragon conclave you can take the walk with Maeve, as she will be entering the tournament herself and the conclave is on the way there, besides you probably wanna know how registration works anyhow since you haven't done it before" Aya looked a bit, tired, probably from having to listen to Maève's nonstop talking, that being said Maeve gave the trio a gentle smile "Nice to meet you all, I hope that my niece hasn't been too much of an issue, or that my little darling have been talking your ears off" "Speak fer yerself ye pointy eared vixen" The dwarf gave a huff but the two shared a laugh shortly after.

If the trio took Maeve up on the offer they would be out of the door shortly after and would take a right down the main road towards the center of town, the same route that the siblings and Fey, unless she decided to explore, would have taken earlier, the girls would quickly learn why Aya had looked so pleadingly at Flint, because once Maeve started talking they were not getting a single word in edgewise, with her words coming out so fast actually understanding what she was saying was a challenge in and of itself.

((since we are going into individual scenes here it will be a bit shorter until I can get things going properly for you both))

 

[Pervy]

Spoiler

Feys understanding of waiting for someone entailed walking marginally slower, so she likely found herself alone in the streets.

Fey took a moment, leaning back and admiring the lanterns with an 'oooh' and pondering if she could take one on as a pet. The fiery silouettes heading ahead of her.. and luckily showing the way, did encourage her to continue on however.
So, with an easy path to the fire-funtimes clear, that was were Fey enthusiastically bounced towards, unless anything stopped her. "Nanananana.. Fey Fey!" She hummed along the way. She'd take the sights in first either way.

(Also short cause.. seperation setup? *chuckles* )

 

[MortalitasBorealis]

Right as they finished deciding on where to go, the trio nearly jumped out of their seats when Aya suddenly spoke behind them (or at least Kuroi did, her ears and tail standing up straight and bristling, and she may or may not had meowed in surprise), turning around to see their tired handler. When the heck did she get there?

“"Oh, you’re participating too? There’s no reason not to go together then.”" The neko recovered from her surprise well though and smiled amicably, “"Thanks for taking us Miss Maeve, we'’ll be in your care."” She agreed, and the other two voiced no complaints, though they did have some doubts internally, after what they'’ve seen the elf capable of, considering the succubus'’ state.

Thus the wyvern and the twins followed Maeve down the road towards the town square, enjoying the festive air that permeated the city, the well-lit streets and the bustle of other townsfolk. Even their fears proving true didn’t mar their good moods, though the sheer speed at which Maeve was able to talk was intimidating in its own way, none of them understanding more than a passing sentence or two amidst the machine-gun spray of words. Even subtitles wouldn'’t help in this case, Korrie thought to herself, while Shiroi wondered if there’s some kind of speech-based magic involved and this is part of the elf'’s performance. Either way, they resorted to the usual technique of pretending to listen: Just smile and nod, smile and nod, until they reach the festival.

 

[Lunaraia]

As Fey arrived at the Lava Bath, without much incident since she thankfully had decided to follow the trio ahead of her, she would find that the bath itself were not a free flowing pool of lava, but rather through a portal that was kept open by several mages, they were also stopping everyone who wanted to pass through to ask them something, which allowed Fey to almost catch up to the twins and their babysitter as they were only slightly ahead of her in the line to enter, as it finally was her turn to be asked whatever question it was to be asked by the mage, an old man with glasses and a surprisingly disinterested look despite Feys half-dressed state "Before you can enter the bath I need to know your elemental origin, so that we know that attempting to take the bath will not just incinerate you on the spot, it is mandatory to answ-" the voice, which had been the epitome of emotionless drone stopped abruptly as the old man noticed Fey's necklace "Nevermind young lady, welcome to the Pyrefall Baths, do enjoy your stay" apparently the necklace was proof enough for him, as the Fey was allowed to pass through the portal.

The other side of the fiery gateway was quite different from where Fey had been just moments before, as she was standing on an ashen path leading to a lake of lava, with several miniature volcanoes scattered around, every now and then these mini volcanoes would erupt, sending a burst of lava as well as a fiery individual soaring into the air and into the lava lake bellow, apparently the eruptions were some form of answer to a waterslide, given the small line of people, one of which included either Flare or Pyre, to one of the volcanoes. As Fey continued to explore she would hear someone call out to her "Fire Lady, over here-here!" If Fey decided to look over to where the voice came from she would see the other sibling together with the woman she had followed earlier, still dressed and not ready to enter the pool just yet.

Spoiler

Upon hearing the kid call out she turned around and looked at Fey, offering a warm smile and motioned for her to come over as well "Well now, you must be the Fire Lady that little Flare and Pyre have been going on about the entire way here, I am Morragiranthalistakrnaxxeanethiknaltahilskaneiaka, though please, call me Morrag, it is what all my friends do, it's a pleasure to meet you" Her voice had a strange quality in it, as it would leave a warm tingling behind in Fey's head just listening to it "No need to be conservative, come join me and the children in enjoying a spicy drink and the bath itself, I am sure we will have a great time" She smiled once more as she conjured up a drink out of nowhere and offered it to Fey, if Fey accepted the offered drink she would be able to hear Morrag's voice inside her own mind the moment their hands made contact And once the children are all tuckered out and returned to their parents, maybe the two of us can get to know each other a bit better, that would be nice, would it not? There was something about how that suggestion would linger in Fey's mind that under normal circumstances should raise a few warning bells that not everything was as it seemed, it was something with how she spoke that would just resonate with her fiery heritage, making it so easy to just agree everything Morrag said or suggested.

---------

As the quartet were nearing the main square and the festivities started Maeve paused her constant chatter and looked at the other three for a few moments "You are not grasping a single thing of what I am saying, are you?" she paused for a moment, before an amused smile spread across her lips "Well it's fine, it's not like you would be that interested in the latest gossip anyway, seeing as you are just passing through, now as for the tournament, it's divided into several skill levels, as well as levels of power because of this it is important that you fill out your registry correctly, this includes what types of magic you are capable of using as well as what type of magic user you are, now from what Aya told me you are both warlocks, seeing as you have some kind of eldritch patron granting you power, I didn't ask to closely, but it's important that you note down that your Magical origin is Warlock and also write down the name of your patron, if doing so is safe, certain patrons take great offense to their name being shared, if yours are one of them, just cross out the box for Taboo Knowledge instead of writing a name" she paused for am moment to make sure that the twins had understood what she was saying before she continued "As for what magic you are using, you little Kitty are a form of Rune Mage where your words, or "runes" can turn or alter the nature of things, it's an unusual but not outrageously strange magic, should make for an interesting one, and you little ghost are a Channeler, dangerous and powerful magic that, with the only upper limit for power is what your body can endure, do be careful so you do not harm yourself"

She turned her attention to Korrie, letting the twins absorb the information she had given them "As for you little draconoid, I am certain you are curious as to what dragons actually are, whether they are anything like the stories you have heard in the waking world or not, well the truth is that Dragons are quite a bit different, in some cases, Dragons you see, is an extra-planar species, and as of such have evolved quite differently depending on which plane of existence they were born in, the dragons in the waking world are quite a bit like those in your stories and legends, while those here in the dream lands are polite, if somewhat aloof, what is true for all dragons, however, is that they are extremely intelligent and powerful, even the most accomplished mortal magic users would have a hard time measuring up to the power of even a dragon hatching in terms of sheer magic power and potential, only exceptions being warlocks or clerics who have quite a bit of favor with their patron or deity, the fact that they can grow to gargantuan sizes and their scales are lighter and stronger than steel, their claws sharper and more resilient than any mundane sword, which only adds to the already dizzying levels power and that is before you take individual skills into account, or whatever other tricks I might be unaware of, be respectful when you talk to them, but don't bend over completely, they respect decorum but loathe sycophants and never... EVER even THINK about stealing from them, it will be the last thing you ever do, oh well here is the conclave, good luck dear!" as her avalanche of words had been going they had reached a marble building in a Greco-Roman style, which was quite unusual given the otherwise medieval Britain look on the town itself, on a golden plaque above the entrance, embossed in platinum letters were the words Dragon Conclave the entrance itself were a portal of teal coloring which prevented Korrie from seeing what was inside, the only way to find out would be to enter.

 

[MortalitasBorealis]

All three of the girls averted their eyes sheepishly when Maeve finally realized they weren’t listening. "Guilty as charged..." Kuroi admitted with an apologetic smile, and the trio were glad to see the elf didn’t take offence to it. It probably happens a lot with people not used to that talking speed, Korrie thought to herself.

Thankfully, the elf slowed down to something more comprehensible while briefing them on the important stuff. The twins were fully attentive while she explained the registration procedures, though the two looked at each other upon mention of their eldritch patron’s name. "Sister? Do you know of his name? I don’t think The Mist with varying adjectives of praise is a common title..."
"Nope. Bastard never even told me the ritual was botched, much less his name. Let’s just go with Taboo Knowledge." The albino shrugged.

The twins continued listening as Maeve went on about their specific magic types. "Rune Mage… It has a nice ring to it." The kitty smiled, tail swaying happily, while her sibling raised an eyebrow with an amused smirk.

"Ghost? That’s a new one. But yeah, I’m well aware what my power can do to me, don't worry about it." The albino assured, keeping the details to herself.

Then it was Korrie's turn, who was already listening out of curiosity and remained attentive. She certainly expected real dragons to be powerful, but the way Maeve's saying it, it's making her feel both increasingly nervous and inadequate. She's probably incomparable to even a hatchling of the real deal... More cold sweat gathered at her forehead the further they went, until she was starting to have second thoughts about the whole ordeal, only to be dropped off in front of the Conclave at exactly the right moment of indecisiveness, with little more than a sympathetic smile from the ravenette and a pat on the shoulder from her sibling. No backing down now, the wyvern girl thought as she stared nervously into the teal portal. She's on her own now...

Come to think of it, this will be the first time she's alone in a long while, no mistress, handler, sister-pet or even the two sisters to accompany her in this alien, fantastical yet dangerous world, and about to come face to face with some of the most powerful beings of the realm short of elder gods. Geez, what did she get herself into... Sighing, she tried to stand up straight and steel her nerves, and then walked through the portal, telling herself it's just a town festival and it can't be that scary. It's not like she was planning to steal anything anyway, confidence, Korrie, confidence!

A long ways behind her, Kuroi watched the nervous wyvern enter the portal and bid the pet a silent good luck before putting her attention back on her own affairs. "So, about the tournament itself, approximately how does it work? Are we given tasks to complete with our magic, or do we simply make a spectacle performance?"
"And what’s the prizes anyway? The pamphlet got smudged by mead or something." Shiroi added.