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Post by Miosh on Oct 30, 2022 21:04:51 GMT -5
Being awakened at 4 am in the morning wasn't exactly Cheche's first favorite thing to do. It wasn't the second one either. The sound of a monotonous, low hum crept into her ears, under her skin, into her brain. It wasn't loud but still was quite persistent. She sat up on her tiny makeshift hammock, her shiny black eyes glinted in the hazy morning light with something that could be more or less described as murderous intent. Very little was known about the species Cheche belonged to, but one fact was certain: Never. NEVER wake a pixie up at 4. The ever-smiling and happy-go-lucky creature might show why nature planned for them to have that many sharp little teeth inside. Well, the damage was done. And since Cheche neither could fall asleep again nor find anyone to nibble on, she yawned, stretched, and jumped on the velvety ground. It was time to embark on a journey to find out where the sound was coming from. She started getting more and more curious. Her little hideout in a mushroom forest started growing up on her. She found this place only yesterday. At first, she mistook it for a city with exotic, elaborate architecture. But once she'd stepped in, she quickly found out that the peculiar-looking towers and turrets are actually giant mushrooms. They came in all shapes and colors, some of them were bouncy, and some of them seemed relatively firm. Some had fantastic patterns and ornaments on them, and some were plain. All of them had a faint glow, turning the whole place into a bright, spongy, springy Wonderland.
The forest spread into all directions as far as an eye could see. And since Cheche let Torquin hunt on his own, which could take weeks and months at times, now she had no other choice but to go and investigate herself.
The day promised to be simply gorgeous: bright colors of autumn had found their way here as well. There was not a single cloud in the sky, and the morning air gave her a pleasant chill. It smelled earthy and buttery, and suddenly a wave of coziness engulfed Cheche, making her feel very content with the day, with the place, and the new adventure ahead. She made up a little song and was purring it while making her way through the mushroom forest. Some mushrooms were shorter, but grew so densely, that one could use them as a road and improvised ladders to climb up. They gave a slight bounce under her little bare feet. She climbed as high as she could. First, she had to determine the direction of the alien hum. Was it east? Or more like southeast? She thought she'd spotted some movement in that direction, still quite far, but easy enough to reach if she were to go fast. "Oh what was it, what was it? Gianomous fluffy caterpillars? a mushroomquake?" Cheche's wings started to flutter with anticipation.
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Post by Veliky on Oct 31, 2022 17:48:33 GMT -5
The first rays of morning barely pierce the fungal canopy, adding a violet tinge to the forest's mosaic life. But it's only when Cheche ascends to the top of one of the great mushroom-trees that dawn's full, yet subtle radiance can be seen, reflecting off the sky. It seems there's one benefit, at least, to being awoken so early in the day.
But that strange noise remains - louder now, in fact. It's still difficult to tell if it's coming from east or southeast, but perhaps it's coming from both; the source is pervasive, perhaps coming from a group of some kind rather than a singular being or event. But what *is* that noise? It's certainly nothing that's ever graced Cheche's ears, and it may've never graced the forest at all, as even the critters are confused and unsettled.
Then, it happens. Some hundred yards away, to the south-southeast, one of the great mushroom-trees shifts and falls.
It took nearly ten minutes to cut through the massive and impressively resilient stalk. It must've been at least eight feet in diameter; its collapse into the clearing sends tremors through the earth. Who would've thought that mushrooms could grow so large?
"Alright, no slowing down! We're already behind schedule!"
Veliky certainly didn't. Not until quite recently.
Expansion: most people know death and taxes as the only constants in this world, but people of business, like Veliky, know this third. You need to build in order to expand, and if you aren't expanding, you're dying. But land is expensive, and clearing trees yourself is a nightmare of paperwork that's a tactlessly touched shrub away from thousands of solars in litigation. But Veliky, ever the clever miser, realized a loophole: while trees are protected by law, fungi are not. And that's when she learned of the great Mushroom Forest of Moonglade: the perfect plot for a brand-new factory. And who knows? the Mushroom Forest is an exotic place; maybe she'll even find some new Blixt™ flavours along the way.
Veliky, tiny though she may be, is a presence in the clearing, marching authoritatively among her metal entourage. Blixtbots™: golems in every shape and size, from regular humanoids to tiny spiders to giant drakes. She commands a veritable army, yet, at the moment, she's using them as a forestry unit. And they are terrifyingly effective.
Among them, there's a huge, four-legged golem with wings of fabric. Where a living being's mouth would be, it has a flat disc set with equidistant holes. From these holes, the faint sound of rushing water builds until it's sprayed out in a dozen pressurized beams! The rays of water cut through the mushroom stalks like saws through wood.
The dragon-bot is incredibly noisy in its operation, but strikingly efficient. With it, Veliky should have this place deforested within just a few days.
And the best part about having mindless constructs for employees? They don't judge her for lazing. They should be busy for the next thirty minutes or so, and Veliky hasn't slept in days. In fact, moments like these are the only times she does get to rest. They'll report to her if anything noteworthy happens.
No stranger to sleeping in dingy places, she finds a nice, comfortable spot next to the stump of another felled shroom and plops herself down. Her weary muscles give their thanks; it feels as if a 50-pound burden's been taken from her (note: the quarterling is less than half of 50 pounds). She's more than used to sleeping among the bots' deafening hisses and clanks.
She doesn't need to tell her eyes to close, nor her body to relax and lean on the barklike fungus. She's already at the verge of dream. She feels herself leaning back, as if she's sinking into a warm, feathery pillow. She feels so free, it's as if she's falling...
She *is* falling! She doesn't know what happened, but she opens her eyes and immediately yells in panic as she realizes that there's no ground beneath her - not directly, at least. All she can tell is that she's somewhere dark and terribly unfamiliar.
Her only saving grace is that her landing is oddly soft. It's still enough to knock the wind out of her and leave her rubbing a slight bump in her head, but she's relatively safe. She slowly stands up and looks around...
Where *is* she?
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Post by Miosh on Nov 1, 2022 20:40:08 GMT -5
A darkened room. The light of magically enhanced lanterns is directed straight at the impromptu stage. There, at an angle to each other, one could see two carved chairs. Apparently, the organizers intended to create an relaxed, cordial atmosphere, yet, the tension in the room is almost physically palpable. The chair on the right is stocked with missmatching pillows of all sorts of shapes and colours - for Cheche. The other one is occupied by a tall soft-spoken elf, desperately trying to hide her greed for information, her beautiful long fingers slightly tapping the armrest - the host of the show. Cheche is almost completely covered with an oversized cloak, concealing her body and face.
- So, Ms.Cheche, tell us a bit about... Veliky. How did you two meet? What was your first impression of ...Her? - the eyes of the host are literally piercing the pillow fort Cheche has managed to create around herself.
All those gathered in the room forget to breathe, everyone is waiting for the answer. Even the chalks and writing fethers of the scribblers and artists, feverishly noting every detail of the meeting, have stopped for a moment. "How did we meet" - Cheche repeats softly, and instantly a tide of memories has flushed upon her, taking her away to that day and moment many years ago.
Plomp, plomp, boooooooooounce! Cheche jumps from one mushroom cap to another, giggling to herself. No matter what you've heard about pixies, they are actually just extremely careless and playful, no ill intent. Well, almost no. They don't really plan for you to dance with them for years and years to come, it's just the music is *that* good and they are natural party-goers. Wait, you say centuries have passed since you have stepped into the circle? Oh well. But wasn't it worth it?As for Cheche, she was also very curious. Actually, her unruly curiosity was quite often looked down upon by her own keen, but Cheche wanted to explore and go beyond. It can't be helped, it is her element! And that particular element was what brought Cheche here. We can see her balancing on the edge of one particularly large mushroom cap, dancing on her finger tips. Suddenly, quite close to her observation point, she sees a huge mushroom falling down, accompanied by that very humm, that woke her up. A flock of radiant dragonflies soars to the sky with angry buzz. The dull mechanic humm intensifies. Here and there, she can see some moving shapes, swarming like beetles, their metal shells shine in morning light. Cheche's eyes widen in surprise. She quickly jumps on the mossy ground, rolls and hides in the nearby bushes. Is this an invasion of some pervasive species? A beetle war? Cheche gasps. "Think, think, think!" - she squinches her eyes shut, and then a faint sound of a screem reaches her. Cheche opens one eye, then another. The sound comes from the nearby mushroom grove. Is it a little animal or a cute little dragonfly tangled in there? If so, she needs to help the poor thing. Who knows terrors those metal creepers bring with them! She bravely steps out from her hideout and crawls to the grove in the most deceisive manner. To her astonishment, she sees a huge dark pit in the center of it. Cheche saw similar pits before, she even thought of claiming one of them for her home, but then changed her mind: it was too dark and dump in there. She'd rather find something brighter and nicer to call her own. The faint sound she heard earlier grows louder and turns out to be the most elaborate yet elegant curse. Cheche doesn't quite understand its meaning, but is absolutely impressed by its complexity. She crawls closer, quickly snaps her fingers and makes a little spark of green light. Believe it or not, pixies can't see well in the darkness, but handy fairy dust and fay flame can help at times like this. Cheche stares into the darkness and the one who stares back at her is......
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Post by Veliky on Nov 2, 2022 12:16:39 GMT -5
Sitting on a bed of yellow and green moss, rubbing her head, is a tiny being, somehow even smaller than Cheche herself. With blonde hair, smooth skin and a minuscule frame, the girl appears a child by most any metric. Yet she wears very unchildlike, tailored clothes of bleak grey, complete with a hat and an insignia that can't quite be discerned at this distance. She even wears a pair of black gloves of some material, creating a strikingly professional accoutrement that's utterly offset by her, for lack of a better word, cuteness.
Her cherubic features are twisted into a grimace, and she's rubbing the back of her sore head. But she opens her big eyes, and Cheche's green light dances across her pale, blue irises. The ire fades from her cheeks to be replaced by confusion and wonderment.
Never in her life has Veliky seen a person like this. But she's heard stories. The elders in her village always used to tell tales about the little folk of Urmim Shresh. They called them 'enanda,' which she knows to be some melding of the words 'child' and 'butterfly.' But, in her travels, she's come to know them by another name: pixies.
But this couldn't really be one of those, could it? Is it even possible that this might be one of the titular fey after which fairytales are named?
...Not important. Is it? Maybe later. At the moment, she's trapped in a potentially dangerous pit. Now's the time for resourcefulness, not amazement.
"Hey!" calls the little person at the bottom of the pit. She definitely isn't a child - if she were, she'd be one with an incredibly low and mature voice, one that brings to mind the thoughts of taxes and paperwork, and the stress associated with both. "I... I think I'm stuck down here. Can you help?"
She struggles to take her eyes off the curiosity at the rim of the pit to look at her own surroundings. The light shines about her, casting eerie shadows behind tall and alien fungi. Dinge is something Veliky can deal with. But this? She wants out of this pit, and quickly.
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Post by Miosh on Nov 3, 2022 20:43:32 GMT -5
Have you ever stared down the bottomless pit? The ones who practice that often, say that at some point they feel the pit staring back at them.
Cheche didn't have that kind of hobby, but at that moment she seemed to understand the meaning of those words. Washed by the magic light, the darkness stepped back and revealed
a girl with the most delicate features she'd ever seen. Oh? You'd like some more details? Let's see...
Cheche grew amongst the tallest trees of Álfheimr, the girl couldn't compare with them in stature. She looked more like a flower: what she lacked in height was replenished in elegant beauty.
The groves and meadows of the Kingdom of Fay were blessed with eternal spring. But if Cheche knew winter she'd describe her as the first ice in its budding, gently covering the dark blue surface of the lake. The Fay of her keen preferred wood to all, but if Cheche knew porcelain, she'd compare the girl's complexion to the most exquisite china.
Lastly, Cheche was Fay, so she'd never met angels before and probably would never do after. Yet, if she had (and survived their deadly glow) she'd compare the girl to one of them without a doubt. Cheche knew nothing of these things, nor did she have time to think of the most fitting comparison. She only said "Oh!..." and blushed, for the person below was definitely cute as a button.
The girl looked at her very seriously, as if unsure if the words she was going to speak would reach the pixie. Her initial surprise and confusion long changed into determination, and here is what the girl said:
"Hey! I... I think I'm stuck down here. Can you help?"... silence fell on them.
Hard to say, what did Cheche expect, but still she didn't anticipate hearing such a low, deep voice. Intensified by the echo of the pit, it carried well, and gave Cheche a feeling, that the person below is very used to speaking in public, or rather commanding that public and treating them as she pleased. "How refreshing" - she thought and smiled to herself.
Cheche nodded. "Such a charming person is not to be kept in a moldy dark place full of creepers and crawlers." - she thought. Actually, how timely! Quite for a while now, she'd been itching to test That.
>>>>Rewind. Marrowvine mansion. A big room decorated with dark wooden panels. A huge marble fireplace is lit, enveloping the room in warmth and the soothing aroma of burning pine. Dark red velvety curtains look almost black now, concealing everything that was about to happen in the room any minute now. Thick ornated carpets from the rare lama wool imported from the Ashen lands gently cushion the steps. A huge polished wooden desk in front of her is filled with rarities and scrolls. Closeup at Cheche's hands. She is carefully lifting the cover of the box with her name on it. One can see her little olive fingers removing the crispy wrapping. We see a... graft - a pair of self-implanting magi-mechanical bat wings that can protrude and be retracted at will. They are gorgeous and are even made in green-gold color to match her own. There's nothing else in the box except a little piece of paper with the inscription "Don't be late for dinner. Love, Mom" on it.>>>>>>>>>
Well, that's odd - you'd say. But Cheche was raised by the council of elders, so it's not like the message could be proven wrong. And what is not straightforwardly wrong must be right. The wings did look beautiful. So, Cheche just went with it et voila - now she had two pairs of wings, turning her into something like a miniature dragonfly for the lack of a better word.
The new pair of wings proved to be sturdy. Cheche flew down the pit in a flash. She took the girl's hands in hers, and, using the power of her double wings (and imagination), slowly lifted her high enough to help her out of the pit. The day was in its full swing now and the warm autumn sun was generously pouring its light onto the two tiny figures, lying motionless on the moss. One of them breathes heavily and looks completely drained of energy.
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Post by Veliky on Nov 5, 2022 2:26:23 GMT -5
Wordlessly, the woodland being swoops down to Veliky on gossamer wings. Her eyes widen in fright; in only a few, fleeting heartbeats, the green light surrounds her, blinding in its intensity.
"Wha-..." She raises an arm instinctively, both to blot out the light and to defend herself from whatever intention the green-skinned butterfly bears.
...
She isn't sure what happened after that. There was a feeling of rapid ascent, reminding her of that magical broom she'd ridden in the past - the one which she'd unfortunately left in the care of one of her golems. Yet this was, somehow, even simpler, even more delicate. She feels like a flower being picked from the grass.
And, now, she's lying on another bed of moss - orange - staring at the dawn-lit sky through the fungal canopy. If she closes her eyes and blots out the mechanical chorus in the distance, it's as if she's a child again, lying on the wet grass in the Braddock Hills...
She should move, shouldn't she? Veliky can't remember the last time she felt so lethargic. Perhaps it's the softness of the moss at her back; or her own exhaustion, adding such encumbrance to her every movement. Perhaps it's the mesmerizing, oppressive menagerie of colour that she sees in the forest above her, such an overdiversity of visuals that she yearns for the homogenous black behind her eyelids.
But there's another sensation, one that urges otherwise: a warm, soft texture brushing against her fingers.
Waging battle against apathy, she lifts her head to gaze about. And there, beside her, lies her rescuer: a peculiar, olive-skinned being with elegant wings splayed out beneath her, rosy cheeks and a large nose that reminds Veliky of folktale imaginations. But, certainly, this can't be one of those pixies that she's heard stories of since youth; after all, this one towers over Veliky, standing a quarter over her height.
Her knuckles graze, again, the strange girl's flushed fingers. She quickly pulls away at the realization. But, then, she realizes something less embarrassing and more concerning: the pixie-ish girl's breaths are heavy and ragged. She sounds exhausted.
At first, Veliky doesn't know what to do. She doesn't know this girl's intentions, her abilities or even her nature. But this olive-skinned bauble, a curiosity however she may be, saved her. If nothing more, Veliky wants - no, should help her, to learn more about who, and what, just saved her from the pit.
"A-Are you alright?" A stutter? Veliky doesn't normally do that. The stifling feeling is unfamiliar in her breath.
...And it was a silly question, regardless. The pixie-ish is clearly drained.
Veliky reaches into her coat and pulls out a glass bottle of some strange, brown-red fluid[1]. She holds it toward the other girl.
"Here, drink this. It'll help." But does the girl even have the strength to sit up? "Just don't waterboard yourse-... Actually, here, I'll help."
There's hesitation, to be certain. But this girl already lifted Veliky to save her; this isn't any less justified. She gently places a hand beneath the girl's head and raises her - with some difficulty - to a sitting position. Finally, she uncorks the bottle with her own teeth and holds it in front of the pixie-ish again.
1. (Flask of Feijoada) Blixt™ Feijoada
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Post by Miosh on Nov 9, 2022 21:54:04 GMT -5
107 years of a pixie life is not quite the same as those of humans. And Time itself, what is it - melted amber, sparks of the fire, someone else's dream watched over their shoulder, or, maybe, just a smoke of the burning fields? Pixies perceive time as colour: bursts of golden-green when they are born, yellow-red when coming of age. What colours would come when getting older? Pixies live long, epochs spent in joy and fooleries, days filled with charms and crafts. Cheche was still very young for nostalgy. But green of her time had already started mingling with yellow. And that very moment, when she was lying on her back, eyes wide, following the ever-changing patterns of the clouds, she felt just like in childhood. The sun-kissed grass around her had only started to wither, it was rough but pleasant to the touch. She closed her eyes and breathed in. The smells of soil, fungi trees, a faint aroma of flowers and a novel scent of machinery all mixed together came to her at once . She remembered spending time just like this: when the pixie young would just fall into the autumn folliage, exhausted after laughing too much, and stare into the faiding sunset, unable to speak or move. She smiled.
The pixie turned her head and looked at her new friend. The girl was squatting near her with a worried look on her face. Thankfully, she seemed to be unharmed, and Cheche breathed a sigh of relief. The girl reached for something in her pocket and took out a vial with something dark in it. Sensitive to smells, Cheche picked up an unusual aroma that made her nostrils tremble a bit. She was not able to tell what was it, but it seemd both familiar and strange.
"Here, drink this. It'll help." - said the girl, her voice a little bit hoarse. Did she catch a cold after all? Cheche just knew it! Siting in such a dump cold place would freeze anyone to their bones, not to mention a fragile child like this. But what a kind soul, she helped Cheche up! She even uncorked that fiery drink for her!
Cheche nodded with gratitude and drank a little. The taste was incredible! One more sip. So nourishing! A bit salty, beany, meaty - that was an entire meal in the bottle! Moreover, the drink was bubbly and light. Cheche felt her energy filling her once again, actually, even more than ever. She licked her lips, akeen to a cat, lifted the bottle up and made sure there was nothing left in it. Her wings started trembling, as if electrified. Waves of colour passed through them, sending dapples to the nearby fungi. "It's just like the last time when the rainbow suddenly exploded, hahahah, those were the days!" - Cheche bursted into a silvery laughter and looked at the girl, wiping little tears in the edges of her eyes.
- Thank you, friend! Cheche is well now. And that is all thanks to you. For the joy of the world, that drink was miraculous! - she sat up, cross-legged and tucked some stubborn strands of hair behind her pointy ears. Now she could see the girl better.: she looked unsure and a little bit lost. Was she in pain after all? Cheche felt a little panicky.
- Ah, wait! But what about you, are you hurt somewhere? How did you get into that hole? And....what can I call you?
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Post by Veliky on Nov 10, 2022 13:24:06 GMT -5
Veliky can't help but jump back at the sudden liveliness of the woodland girl. In a forest coloured with every shade of the rainbow and then some, this pixie-ish being - Cheche, she called herself? - manages to be a sight of outstanding variegation. And what was that about an exploding rainbow? Is this girl not sane?
If the sensory menagerie before had just whelmed, the colours reflecting off the girl's wings are overpowering. It's dizzying in the literal sense, so much so that Veliky has to turn away to spare herself nausea. She regrets her inability to watch further; as her wooziness is, by no means, a symptom of disgust; but her slowly crossing eyes had been warning enough.
"...I'm fine. Just a bump." Still looking away, she rubs the back of her head. Yet, even as she sits on a bed of moss and with a slight flush in her face, she somehow retains a distinct, no-nonsense aura. If she tried, she could probably keep a straight face while dancing with a walrus.
"My name is Veliky. No-" She's interrupted by the stray idea that this woodland being might not care for surnames at all. "Just Veliky."
She looks around. Despite having just been rescued from it, there's a moment before she's able to locate the pit she'd fallen into prior. She leans forward, on her hands and knees to peer inside. It's a deep pit and a dangerous drop; that she survived is incredibly fortuitous. An Autumn morning's breeze blows through, shivering her to her core.
She sits back onto the orange moss and risks a glance at the green-skinned anomaly beside her. Rainbow speckles dance erratically across the Veliky's cold cheeks, wavering in tandem with the faint movements of the pixie-ish's trembling wings. Cheche's auburn hair is delicately braided and likely better-cared for than Veliky's own. Sane or not, there's something utterly fixating about the mosaic-winged curiosity.
"Thank you for your help." In spite of the strangeness of the whole situation, her tone maintains a certain professionalism. "If you want payment, I have some more drinks. Or solars. Either works."
With slightly narrowed eyes, she reaches into another pocket and produces another bottle. This one contains a similarly ecstatic liquid, but of a pure, light blue that recalls the Summer sky[1]. She lays it on the ground between them. If the blanket below were made from checkered cloth instead of orange moss, this conversation would almost feel like a picnic. Of course, there are other dissuading factors: to name a few, picnics are not usually accompanied by the distant noise of mechanical hissing, do not normally take place under fungal canopies and are not typically had in the half-light of Fall morning. And, of course, there are more ordinary partners to hold them with.
"I'm... going to ask an extremely rude question. I hope you don't mind." There's a hint of discomfort, or perhaps trepidation, in her voice. "What are you...? And what are you doing out here?"
1. (Holy Water) Blixt™ Lite
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Post by Miosh on Nov 14, 2022 1:49:56 GMT -5
Cheche closed her eyes for a moment. The feeling of sun rays on her skin felt nice. She liked its warmth. It was getting considerably cooler by day, but as if unwilling to part with the pixie, the Sun lingered, and its touch was tender. Her senses calmed down a bit and the radiance around her subdued. Now it was just a trace in the air, just some fairy dust tangled in her braids. She opened her eyes again and looked at the girl in front of her. Veliky wore a very curious expression: awkwardness mingled with surprise, a bit of defiance and shame? "How cute" - she thought. " she's probably just very shy around strangers. Did I scare her?" It had barely been half an hour since the rescue operation, yet, Veliky seemed strangely familiar. Just like she knew her. How odd, that was, without any doubt, their first meeting. She would remember that face, had they met somewhere before. Can it be, they started bonding? Moved by this sense of familiarity, Cheche answered, surprised at her own frankness:
- I am a síogaí, Veliky. People in these places would probably call me a pixie. I...- she paused for a moment studying the palms of her hands, somehow reluctant to utter what was coming - I don't really belong here. My home is in the other plane, I crossed into Charon following will-o'-the wisps leading me to a portal. I have no means to return. - her smile grew a little bit sad. She shook her head and made a helpless gesture. - But never mind! I'm trying to settle down somehow. And this - she continued, with a newly-found determination - is my new home!
She smiled again, this time reassuring, and stood up. Then she reached her hand to Veliky to help her up. The distant buzz became louder and louder by the minute. Cheche frowned and gave a light squeeze to Veliky's hand.
-Veliky, we need to leave and fast! there's danger lurking between the mushrooms! - the girl had no time to answer. Suddenly, a swarm of shiny metal constructs spilled onto the clearing. They were made in all shapes and forms, tall and short, rounded and elongated, but all of them pursued a single aim. They were cutting down the mushroom trees and stomping away the fluffy moss under their tracks. They knew no mercy. Cheche screamed in terror and yanked Veliky behind her, in order to cover her with her wings and body. They had to flee that very instant.
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Post by Veliky on Nov 16, 2022 2:04:52 GMT -5
A síogaí? Veliky thinks it a peculiar name, one which she's never heard before. She doesn't think it for long, of course, as Cheche confirms the suspicion that Veliky had been dreading. She's a pixie. It's no wonder she casts such colours; if the legends are to be believed, she comes from the very place that rainbows are born. That place, it's said, where colour can be felt like the rays of the sun; where one can speak with the rivers, with the trees and the skies, come to know them as friends; where magic is as constant and timeless as air.
It's truly amazing, even to someone so cynical as Veliky. But it's overshadowed by an accompanying realization that she can't ignore, however much she might wish to. Indeed, it can be denied no longer. Veliky is smaller than a pixie.
It upsets Veliky deeply, far more than it should. Perhaps it's because it lends real credence to all those things she was called as a child... whatever its source, it's an unreasonable feeling, to be certain. It doesn't change her expression.
Veliky doesn't have a clue what a will o' wisp is; in her mind, she dismisses it as, surely, some otherworldly fauna or phenomena. But when Cheche says that this is her home? Well, it's concerning to Veliky, and this *is* a reasonable feeling, for reasons that need not be stated. Along with the pixie's scintillating wings, it's another thing that makes Cheche difficult to look at.
But she does look to Cheche when Cheche stands, and a hand is offered to her. She stares hesitantly at the pixie's smooth palm. Is it okay to accept? She touched the pixie before when she helped her to sit, but hands are far more personal. The businesswoman feels as if her hands are somehow unfit for the pixie's, despite having met in the middle of a fungus forest and being generally better put-together than her.
But, at this point, refusing would just be rude, wouldn't it? And it does seem somehow appropriate, as Veliky had propped Cheche up mere moments ago.
She lightly clasps Cheche's hand, even as she mostly stands on her own, not wanting to impose. Only, Cheche doesn't let go quite yet; and Veliky feels the breath catch in her throat when the pixie squeezes.
"Veliky, we need to leave and fast! there's danger lurking between the mushrooms!"
Danger?! Veliky immediately scans the mushroom-line. Why hadn't Cheche said anything sooner?! Veliky's already been in the forest for some time and she hasn't encountered resistance of any kind. Wait... yes she has. Grim realization crosses her face: the danger is hers.
Flesh of tin and claws of iron: familiar to Veliky, but she can understand how the sight, tearing through the fungal arbor, would be unsettling to others. She recognizes her creations: her trio of faithful bodyguards, her troupe of mechanical beasts and, of course, the metal drake on the sailcloth wings. They won't hurt her - they won't even hurt Cheche. Veliky's stone-cold and mountain-calm... until she's yanked behind the pixie's wings.
"Wha- Cheche, wait!" Her voice is of dire concern. The bots aren't programmed to attack without reason, but if they see Cheche forcing Veliky about...
Too late. One of the golems - that stands on two feet - leers at the woodland being that's holding Veliky captive. The thing's eye - singular - is long and thin, like a knight's visor, yet empty: a lens of crimson glass.
"Local units, report: hostile detected," the machine groans. The sound does not come from its head, nor does it have a mouth; it comes from somewhere deep in its chest, as if its heart were speaking. But these things have no hearts - this much is clear from the utter lack of emotion in its tone. And its voice, as artificial as its make, is marked by a sound like creaking wood.
The golem raises its sword: loveless in its design, yet cruel in its innovation. Lightning courses up and down the blade[1].
Veliky steps back. Subconsciously, she'd started clinging to Cheche's ragged cloths, and she's yet to realize that she still is. It's difficult to see between the pixie's glimmering, shimmering gossamer, but Veliky knows, well enough, that Cheche's in danger.
"Cheche, stop, they're-" There's a commanding sternness in her tone, but it doesn't last. She takes another step back, and her voice catches. She's tripped over nothing, as there was no more ground behind her! That same pit?! No, another - in a heartbeat, she's on her back and she's sliding down some dusty slope. And unfortunately - or perhaps fortunately, given the alternative - she pulls Cheche with her.
Tumbling and stumbling, slipping and sliding, the tiny two are trapped in a perilous descent down a steep slope, between the mushroom trees! The unnatural hisses of the bots are quickly replaced by the sound of their own clothes, sliding against packed dirt. The businesswoman can't attain any stable orientation for more than a heartbeat before being rolled about. She's screaming - hush; you would, too, in her shoes.
It's often as one asks 'how could this get any worse?' that things do, in fact, get worse. This is no exception. Just as the thought crosses Veliky's mind, the slope at her back is gone. She's falling again.
Knowing that she has no control over her destination, her fate, is deeply disturbing to Veliky. Luckily, she has exceedingly little time to process the existential dread before she makes contact with some soft surface below her, sinks... and *bounces*. The bounce is considerable, as well; she can't gauge it with any accuracy, but she must've risen at least thrice her own height before she began to plummet again.
SPLASH
She lands in water... or something, she can't tell yet. But it's wet, it's cold and it's far less lethal than a stone ground. It does intrude on her lungs, as she'd been mid-scream at the moment of landing, but it's preferable to broken bones.
Veliky's a far better swimmer than she used to be - that is, she can swim now. It's a panicked and terrified scramble, but it takes only a moment to breach the water's surface. She's a mess: sputtering, shivering, soaked hair hanging over her eyes, but she's alive. She feels about until her hand grazes a root at the waters edge, and she clings to it, dragging herself onto a shore of soil.
Safety... no, not safety! She has no clue where she is! Struggling between coughs, she brushes away the waterlogged hair that had blocked her vision, to see her new ordeal.
She now sits in a clearing at the bottom of a cliff. There's a clear pond behind her - one she's already been acquainted with, unfortunately - and the clearing is surrounded by giant mushrooms, topped with blue caps that are polka-dotted with violet. Had that been what Veliky bounced on? It's a silly thought, to be certain, but she can think of no other explanation.
Barely a drop of the morning light makes it this deep into the forest, but the clearing is illuminated, nonetheless, by a glow from the pond's surface, produced by colonies of bioluminescent algae. There are tiny critters lingering or meandering between the stalks: predominantly, some massive, blue species of beetle that Veliky has never seen before. And there are also little swarms of torch flies - those, she is familiar with. Other varieties of whimsical fungus, too, inhabit the spaces between the towering toadstools.
So it would seem that her safety has been confirmed. Her fit having subsided, she lets out a sigh of relief. Then, she looks around, to see if Cheche fared as well.
1. Sigil's Blessing [Lightning Rune] (Rook)
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Post by Miosh on Nov 17, 2022 21:56:19 GMT -5
First thing she hears is the sound of drops falling onto the stone. Clip -clip- clip -clip..... Cheche sits up, she lifts up her hand to remove the bangs from her forehead. The hands move slowly, her head is throbbing. She is sitting on the ground, surrounded by huge boulders. What even is this place? Is it underground? Cheche can't tell. Her mind is hazy after the long drop-down. Her vision is blurry too.
It takes her some time to get her eyes adjusted to the never-changing twilight of this place.
Memories come as a series of ragged flashbacks. That was her first encounter with high-end modern technologies, so she has some difficulty giving it a name. She didn't feel any mana in the metal-coated creatures, which meant they couldn't be alive. But they moved and even spoke... Cheche shudders remembering this particular part, the voice - croaky and dead. That could mean only one thing - malicious wizardry. Whatever these creatures were when they were alive, now they are bound to be mere puppets for the evil will of their master - a necromancer. How awful! The very thought of a practice like this existing in the world terrified her. And for a good reason: pixies are a manifestation of the rambunctious but vibrant power of Nature. Dark arts, at least from Cheche's point of view were seen as an abomination. Something that never should have been brought to the world. Little did she know, that the metal knights she nicknamed Canbies were actually the fruit of the human inquisitive mind, the cutting edge of engineering thought. At the risk of preempting myself, let me tell you, she eventually learned. But it took her some time. Pixies are simply not cut for this type of thing. Even now Cheche still avoids using machines, clearly voicing her preference for wood, cloth and pumpkin. Yet this tale is for another storybook. Let's return to where we left her - on the bottom of seemingly bottomless pit, surrounded by fluorescent mushrooms, absolutely alone and utterly confused.
A sharp realization comes as lightning: Veliky! She's lost her! She stands up, first on her knees, groans, and then she is standing. Shaky but definitely upright. She needs to move, the other girl was too frail and delicate! She must be hurting somewhere right now. Cheche starts moving, but sharp pain pierces her left hand all the way up to her shoulder, it is bleeding. After a brief examination, the wound appears to be shallow, but it still needs to be cleaned. Cheche sighs and starts walking. She heard droplets of water somewhere close by, if she is lucky enough, she'll find the source of them pretty soon. And hopefully, Veliky is somewhere close, unharmed. They were falling together, so she has to be nearby.
Cheche tries calling her new friend by her name, but strangely enough, her voice is not carrying far. "Just what kind of place is that?" - she asks herself time and time again. Suddenly, she has an idea. Her magic light should still work, it's bright enough to draw attention, so Cheche concentrates her will on the index finger of her right hand. A small light appears. It is warm and reassuring, it feels good, and Cheche's mind clears up from the fog of the fall. The little pixie starts walking towards the yet invisible water.
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Post by Veliky on Nov 19, 2022 16:08:04 GMT -5
Somewhere above, a gust of autumn wind whistles between the caps of the mushroom canopy. The half-drowned halfling rubs her arms to battle a shiver. She's fortunate that her suit[1] is mostly waterproof, but her hair and skin is not so safe.
Cheche is not here, that is clear. They must have been separated in the fall. A faint worry builds at the back of Veliky's mind; she'd been lucky to survive with only a few bruises and an electrifying dip in a freezing pool. What of Cheche? Would her fragile wings have survived the fall?
"Ch-Cheche?" Veliky whisper-calls into the woods, trying to stifle her shivering. She can still hear the Blixtbots™ searching above; if she's too loud, she might draw their attention. "Cheche!"
Nothing. Veliky curses herself for letting the pixie get involved in this; Cheche's far too frail and delicate for this sort of misadventure! Eyes downcast, she grimaces; can she go one day without making some stupid mistake?
It seems there's nothing she can do, now. Cheche's either wounded or separated, and gone either way. Guilt weighs in Veliky's stomach, and she hugs herself for warmth as she rises from the damp soil...
Then, a light, distant and between the trees! Her eyes widen; it's the same green spark that Cheche had first held when they discovered one-another. It's her!
A gentle relief warms Veliky's cheeks, almost begetting a smile - almost. She rushes to the treeline and creeps between towering stalks, between colourful insects and dubious flora, until she can see the pixie walking through a clearing... where she stops. She stops and thinks, carefully, as the warmth fades from her face.
Should she go to Cheche? Veliky hasn't been seen yet, and she's covert enough that she could easily depart, unnoticed[2]. Other than a minor cut on the her hand, the pixie's unharmed; the burden of guilt is gone. Veliky could easily call for her bots and have them collect her in just a few minutes, with a warm blanket and a bottle of Blixt™ Super+ to ease her aches and soreness. Really, what further obligation does she have to the pixie that she'd met mere minute ago? Should she even bother?
...Yes, she should. Harmed or not, Cheche created the light because she wanted Veliky to find her. For what reason? Was the pixie as concerned for Veliky as Veliky was for the pixie? Perhaps; but, whatever the purpose, Veliky would feel terrible for abandoning her now. Steeling herself for whatever consequence awaits, she takes a deep breath and steps into view.
She's a strange sight, stepping out onto a nearby ledge, soaked head to toe in water. The confidence in her stride is rather diminished by how she hugs herself for warmth. There's a bruise on her cheek, but the real threat is the potential of hypothermia. Still, she is alive, and that much is a sure sign of fortune.
"G-Good, you're ok-kay," she chatters. Her voice is decisive and matter-of-fact, feigning the impression that she'd only just discovered Cheche's status[3].
Her expression is earnest, though, when her eyes fall on the cut on Cheche's hand. She winces; it's a minor wound, but it's her fault, nevertheless. It was a completely needless, careless accident. She can't just leave it be. And so, still shivering and hugging herself, she takes a seat on the ledge and meets Cheche's eyes with severity.
"D-Do you have water? To c-clean it? I do, if you n-need it."
Her hands, shaking as much as they are, have great difficulty in navigating to her side, where a dented, tin flask is held.
1. Morph Suit 2. Exalted Stealth 3. Smooth Talking
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Post by Miosh on Nov 22, 2022 1:23:45 GMT -5
* magic orb zooms in on smiling Cheche. She covers her eyes from the sun and turns her head slowly. You can see her lips moving as if she is saying something. But what is it? Wait. Wait a bit.. p...u....n...s...c....h...? But, why, Cheche, why? Oh! That is not it. "promise" - this is what she's saying. The vision gets darker until it fades away. We hear a sigh. Next we see someone's hand is covering the orb with a cloth*
Let's wind back, shall we? <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<______________________________________________________ We see Cheche slowly shuffling through the rocky path between the fungi. The cave where she ended up is fascinating. The ceiling of the cavern is lost in the darkness, thick as a thousand midnights. Even her light cannot reach it. There's rich mushroom vegetation around, present in many shapes and colors. The place is gorgeous. She also notices something unsettling: wherever she looks, her gaze falls onto stalagmites. A trace of the water that found its way under the surface and made the marbel floor melt. Despite their beauty though, they look deadly. Cheche thanks her luck for helping her to land on a mushroom cape. Cheche's light dances on the columns, moss-clad boulders, porous surface of mushrooms, and finally slides upon the curls and bangs of Veliky. Her porcelain skin bears a nasty bruise. She's shaking, utterly wet and cold as she was. Conflicting emotions rise in the pixie. She is overjoyed and relieved seeing her friend alive, making it in one peace. Cheche shudders at the memory of the stalagmites. However, it pains her to see Veliky acting tough and thinking about Cheche first, despite being in such a sorry state herself! Cheche frowns, her little feasts clutch and then unclutch themselves. She sighs. Since the very beginning, she knew it: Veliky is strong. She shouldn't upset her by aggravating the mood. There was something more important than feeling sorry for her, she had to help them both. She looks at the flask with water handed to her and gently returns it to Veliky. - Thank you, friend. Later. Cheche is fine! - she slowly moves her injured hand to show just how well-working and articulate it was. The hand moves clumsily, but it moves. Cheche feels proud of her limb. - We should go see if we can find a place to dry our clothes. Actually, if you don't mind it too much...- she rummages in her sack, which seems to be strangely more spacious inside than outside. She takes out an old patchwork quilt and hands it to Veliky. There's something else she's found, but for now, she hides a minuscule item in her hand. She is unsure whether this item works where they currently are, and there's nothing more bitter than broken hopes. After some time, they manage to find a dry place a bit farther from the lake and the underground river. The surface looks more like soil than rock so Cheche decides to try. She opens her hand and takes out a tiny pumpkin seed given to her on the night of the Ball. She plants it in the ground, borrows a flask with water from Veliky. A single drop is enough, and an eternally-long moment later they face a perfect little pumpkin cottage. Sheer madness in a place like this, how has it even worked? Yet here it is - rough green walls, a roof made of vines. Several windows and light glowing inside. Cheche looks at Veliky and smiles trying to read Veliky's reaction. -Well, this is our home for tonight. So... welcome home. I guess...- she adds, somehow flustered.
Used Pumpkin cottage
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Post by Veliky on Nov 24, 2022 21:50:51 GMT -5
Veliky stares up in astonishment at the ribbed façade of the gourd-house. She's fixated, awkwardly holding the bottle in one hand and the quilt in the other, having forgotten about both items. Has she seen stranger? Certainly: she's bore witness to the shimmering caverns of Sunset Ridge and the glassed fields of Dragon's cradle; she's met half-demons and half-angels as well as demons and angels, themselves; she's walked in the Field of Pyres Ever-Burning and even a layer of Hell itself. But, in her travels and years, never before has she seen something quite so...
"Twee... (Cute...)" She would never say such a thing to be heard, but she's confident that Cheche won't understand her Halfling utterance.
Still in something of a trance, she reaffixes the bottle to her belt, steps forward and slaps the cottage's wall. The sound is just like that of a hollow, if thick, pumpkin. She steps back, amazement reaffirmed.
"I-It's a pumpkin!"
Strange though the situation may be, the humour in the obviousness of Veliky's statement is not lost. She notices it, too; with a jolt, she snaps free from her hypnosis. Her face shifts back into a neutral - if shivering - image, as if one sculpture were suddenly swapped with another.
She looks for something to busy her hands, and decides on the quilt that had taken her attention so briefly before the cottage's fruition. With many a drip from her soaked clothes, she wraps herself in the quilt. Despite it being crafted for such tiny beings like Cheche, it nearly drags along the ground when donned by the yet-tinier Veliky. It's like a cocoon, or a mage's hooded robes. And, with it, the Autumn chill is not so... chilling. Her shivering slows in speed and decreases in severity.
Veliky turns to Cheche, but doesn't meet her eyes. Stray locks of golden hair, flecked by droplets of water, hang just shy of her brow. By the apparent timidness, it'd be easy to assume that she's embarrassed. But she knows how her serious gaze can offset her words at the worst of times; she doesn't want to seem disearnest. Or, maybe, that's just an excuse. She wouldn't be sure, herself.
"...Thank you for the blanket. And for letting me stay... with..."
It's then that she fully realizes the meaning of Cheche's words. Faint creases manifest on her forehead as the warmth bestowed by the quilt is met by an anxiety, cold and sour. Suddenly, she's much more aware of the dark cave that she resides in.
Home for the night? With somebody she hardly knows? A *pixie,* no less? Veliky's stare grows cold and distant. In the stories, the fey were always painted as tricksters and abductors. What if this had been the pixie's ploy all along: to lure Veliky into a false sense of security, only to drag her into its domain for some unspeakable ritual? It wouldn't be the first time that Veliky's been deceived with kindness and a cutesy aura.
She shifts her boots on the stone floor before risking a glance at the pixie that holds a sourceless light in its own palm. It uses magic, clearly; what other powers could it hide? The old stories, when Veliky listened to them as a child, gifted her a deep fear that's never quite left her. That fear is of charms: magic that can control a person's mind. Veliky knows they exist; she has such a spell herself. Has her sympathy for this enchanting pixie, all along, been some sort of magical trick? Her eyes narrow to interrogating slits...
And then she sees tears, welling up in Cheche's eyes.
"yyyooo.. you dddon't like pumpkins, yes? I knew it! I should have chosen that papaya seed instead! Or were you hurt somewhere? oh oh..."
The anxiety passes, just as the warmth had before it, like another self-imposed stage of grief. The next stage, as it would seem, is shame.
"What?" Veliky straightens, and widens her eyes in shock. "No! No, I-I'm okay, uh..."
Her heart thumps uncomfortably, between her lungs. Breathing becomes more strained with every second that she struggles and fails to find the words that might fix her mistake. Cheche obviously isn't plotting anything; it's just Veliky's own damned paranoia.
"Hey... I'm sorry. I didn't mean to come off like that. It was an accident." She tries to make her voice as soft as possible. It's soothing, in spite of its strength, like the wind-rustled branches outside a bedroom window.
Veliky takes the quilt off herself and, instead, blankets it over Cheche's shoulders.
"Naru, naru. (There, there.) Let's go inside, okay?"
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Post by Miosh on Nov 27, 2022 23:16:22 GMT -5
Cheche was still sobbing, though it was hard to say why. Was it a sudden change in her new friend? They had just met, but somehow Veliky reminded Cheche of her long-lost home, so it hurt to see her turning hostile all of a sudden. Maybe it was a pressure of the responsibility she felt since Veliky looked petite and frail, so had to be protected? Or maybe, a mere weariness, that had accumulated throughout that endless day? Being led into the pumpkin house by a resolute, albeit shivering girl, she caught herself thinking: what time it actually was at the moment? It had been an early rise, followed by the thrilling run through the mushroom grove, then the rescuing operation and meeting Veliky. Not to forget the unnerving acquaintance with the unholy creatures swarming the forest. And that fall through that wormhole! It had taken her some time to come to her senses and find Veliky too. It couldn't have been past midday, though. The fungi growing at the distance looked somewhat different from the ones on the surface. But they shone in a similar way, enchanting, dim, and never-changing, rain or shine, day or night. How not to get lost? It suddenly occurred to her, that she still wasn't hungry. A rare feeling, or rather, the rare absence of one. Despite skipping lunch and breakfast, which at normal times would send her into a frenzy, she was absolutely fine. It had to be that drink! She looked at Veliky with warm gratitude and utmost admiration.
-Oh, right. - Cheche quickly wiped her tears and entered the house...
Well, if everything that had happened before was a bit outside the scope of what Cheche would call usual, now was the time for a real surprise. Upon receiving the seed, she was briefly instructed about the steps she had to take to make it grow. She was also warned about the temporary nature of this dwelling. But! no one told her, what to expect inside. Being actually quite simple at heart, Cheche didn't think past "Whoah! It's a pumpkin! I can live in a pumpkin! I can EAT the pumpkin to my heart's content!" Needless to say, the reality was somewhat different.
Instead of soft orange filling, it was a little rounded hall with a tiny bench and an auburn carpet that appeared in front of their eyes. The carpet seemed to be woven, the walls seemed to be covered by carved wooden panels. It looked neat and undistinguishable from human furniture. Yet, everything, literally everything in there had simply grown this way. You wouldn't have found any seams, or welding, or nails even if you had inspected and probed every single inch of that house. Where something ended something else started. An Uroboros of a house, no less. Cheche didn't know what kind of magic could create this, but she definitely liked it! She stepped onto the carpet in almost religious awe. It felt soft and bouncy under her feet. It reminded softness of ripe pumpkin pulp, so her heart leaped in joy.
- Amazing! - she squeeked, freed herself from the quilt, and joyously wrapped it around Veliky again, making sure she had tugged it well from all the corners.
- Let's go! Let's go and see, what is it inside?- she felt elated already forgotten all about their falling out only minutes ago.
A round-ish frame led them into the main part of the house. Since it technically still was a pumpkin, the big room that they saw represented a big semi-circle. In the center of it, one could see a winding staircase with carved railing. It went all the way to the upper floor, or rather, a miniature tower. To the right one could see a round table with four little rotund chairs. There was a furnace and firewood in a neat little pile nearby. There were drawers with kettles inside only waiting for someone to cook in them. There was a little partition, which separated the "kitchen" zone from the "resting" zone. In there you could find two soft armchairs and a little table, a "tiled" fireplace with a mantlepiece. Four small round windows were facing the glowing mushrooms and the lake. There was a bathroom too, equipped with a tiny tub and gleaming shiny taps. "What would happen if I were to open a tap? Will there be water? How did they make them so snuff shiny?" - that definitely puzzled Cheche, but there was more to see. Her curiosity took her up the staircase. It was a sleeping area! There was a small bunk bed, most probably designed in such a way as to save some space, and empty shelves, protruding straight from the walls. Cheche's eyes got fixed on those.
- Aren't these perfect? Here I would put my treasures...- She said, starry-eyed and dreamy. - I always wanted to start collecting those carved little figurines everyone is talking about... and those miniature cards for the game everyone is currently into! And the novels...- she sighed again.
-Veliky? - she called - Come look at it!
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