Venefyxatu

Tom had been somewhat quiet, still impressed with Thomas' ballad. However, something in the conversation caught his attention and he started hopping around excitedly. "A raid? A real raid? Really for real? Coooool! Man, I know all about those! We could get grapple hooks and lots of rope and rappel down from the roof to swing in through the window and then just sweep the place clean! I mean, metaphorically of course ... the only thing that could clean out that office would be a flamethrower." The thought made him lapse into silence again as he was already envisioning himself equipped with a flamethrower, swinging into Wyvern's office through the window and begin cleaning it before his feet had even hit the ground ...

Once freed from Thomas' weight, Tom had listened with fascination to the story of C. He was about to say something when, for once, someone else spoke faster. When he heard the voice of the newcomer, Tom spun around and was, once again, dumbstruck at the appearance of the newcomer. Then he spent a few moments being dumbstruck at being silenced two times in a row before he finally managed to say something. "Oh wow, man, that looks cool! Can you teach me how to do that? You'll have my yes-vote if you will!"

"Eep! What're you doing, you daft fool? Trying to squish me?? You're not still angry about me beating you in that beauty pageant, are you?" Thomas started to splutter a reply, but Tom was talking so fast it was impossible to get a word in. "And what's with all the vines, anyway? If I didn't know better I'd say they were trying to entangle us all!" Without missing a beat, the small figure turned to the Traveller and continued talking. "I, sir, as this bard can confirm, am Tom Atoe, leader of the Vegetable Liberation Front, proud member of the Cauliflower Clan, and bound to be a valuable ally on any quest you might wish to undertake!"

Before the Traveller realized what was happening, he was distracted by a squeaky voice behind him. When he managed to turn enough to see the owner, he saw a figure of about 8 inches tall, covered in a cloak, trying not to get entangled in the vines. "Awwwwww, man! What's this then? I'm sure it's a trick of one of those cooks again! Bet they're still angry just because I liberated their carrots. Misers, murderers! Lemme GO!" The figure's attempts achieved nothing other than entangling it further. Eventually it calmed down a little and appeared to notice the traveller. "Hey, you're that quest guy! I'll be glad to help out, if you'll have me." When he saw the Traveller's doubtful look, he added, "I can be quite useful, you know..."

"Weeelll ... I don't think it really was specifically anyone's idea," Stephen muttered. Mynx shook her head in agreement, "No, not anyone's idea as such, really." "In fact," Stephen continued, "you could say it just sort of happened ... umm ... spontanteously. So, as an intelligent businessman such as yourself can clearly understand now, it wasn't really anyone's fault." While he was saying this, Stephen reached into one of his many pouches and pulled out a few dried leaves. He moved until he was kneeling down next to Tanny and crumbled the leaves under her nose with a few soft mutters. "Come on Wolf-Lady... you're going to miss all the fun here, not to mention getting away without doing any of the explaining yourself." Tanny's sudden fit of coughing and sneezing made Stephen grinned in a most satisfied way. "No need to worry... these leaves always do the trick." The Ranger sat back on his haunches, wisely keeping away from Tanny's attempts at grabbing his collar as she hacked and tried to sit up. ::Stephen, you moron of a Ranger...:: Even Tanny's mind-speech was wheezy as she tried to get her breathing back under control. ::What in hell do you think you are trying to do?:: ::Waking you up, Wolf-Lady. I wouldn't want you to miss all the fun here. Although if you really want to, I could knock you out again?:: Stephen's chuckling was suddenly cut short as Tanny, in one fluent motion, changed back into her wolf shape and pounced him, landing quite gracefully on his chest and making sure he could feel her sharp teeth very close to his nose. ::You were saying what, dear Ranger?:: ::Just trying to be helpful, Wolf-Lady. You're a hard woman to please, you know that?:: Laughing, Tanny changed back to her human form without bothering to leave her perch on Stephen's chest, and only then became aware of Wyvern's gaping gaze at her. Stephen's mutter was lost in the commotion as Ordolar slammed his way into the room. Both Stephen and Tanny sat quietly as their allergy to Orcs suddenly acted up, making them both retreat rather hastily to the back wall. "Stephen, I'd be really grateful if you stopped attracting trouble..." muttered Tanny. "It's not me, Wolf-Lady... it must be you." "Hah! When both you and Mynx agree, I just know there must be something wrong!" Tanny kept a wary look on Ordolar, part of her wondering what the Traveler would think of them after all that mess...

"Wolf-Lady, I'm sure your temper would be enough to light that fire..." A kick and a yelp later, Stephen added, "... but because you insist, I will. Just paper won't do, though. We'll need something log-like." "I know just the thing," Tanny replied. She quickly got a few drawers out of the desk and neatly added them onto the pile, without bothering to empty them first. Among the contents of one of the drawers was something that looked suspiciously like a stamp, but nobody really paid any attention to it. "There, that should burn a little longer." Stephen nodded and used the flint and steel in one of his pouches to light a fire. As soon as he was satisfied it wouldn't go out, he sat down at a comfortable distance from it and shook his head. "I haven't faced any succubi either. One of the more spectacular stories would be the one in which Tanny and I had some... trouble with two orc tribes. Come to think of it, that might be the reason why we might appear rather destructive whenever we get into Wyvern's office..."

"Troublemaker? Me? Well ... I certainly try, but ..." Just then Stephen was interrupted by Patham's entrance. "Patham, are you joining us for the wait? I was already thinking we could use some of the papers which are no doubt lying around to light a fire to get dry ..."

Accompanied by a blast of cold, wet air, a man comes in and quickly closes the door behind him. He stands still for a few moments, as if he's not quite sure what to do with all the water dripping from his cloak. Then he extends his hand to the wall, slides it up until he finds a hook and uses it to get rid of his cloak. "By Fate, it's raining cats and dogs out there." While the murmur was not loud enough to interrupt the conversation, the growl directed at him told Stephen that Tanny had heard him and made him chuckle. "Figuratively speaking, of course, Wolf-Lady. It would be a bloody mess otherwise. Welcome, traveller. Feel free to make yourself comfortable if you can find an uncluttered spot somewhere in this office. Our resident ... recruiter might take a while to get here."

I had to walk a few streets to get back to my car earlier today. It was dark, I was alone and I'd just spent the evening writing and discussing stories so my imagination was still in overdrive. The result is that I ended up spooking myself all the way back to the car. I've tried to capture the mood in a very short story (Dutch version below, which I personally like a little better). Any and all feedback is welcome, from tense and spelling errors to ways to improve the mood. ---- When I say goodbye to the others before walking back to my car the sun has long since vanished over the horizon, taking the storm with it. Even in the dark the way isn't hard to find, so the clicking of my heels on the pavement sounds full of self-confidence. Ever since I got used to it I've found it to be a soothing sound. The street I have to walk through is rather narrow, with cars parked on both sides. Along the sidewalk are small, cosy-looking houses, many of which are decorated with flower boxes. Suddenly I hear a sound across the street that I hadn't expected, a sound that nobody ever expects : a soft chiming noise, as if a series of small bells is being stirred. Unbidden, the legend of Those who Watch surfaces in my mind. It is said that they make sure that nobody has to die alone, that every death which occurs in this world is seen. Nobody has ever seen them yet everyone is at some point seen by them. Nobody even knows whether they have bodies of their own or whether they are a kind of ghost that uses the eyes of whatever happens to be around – a bird, a rat, a statue, it doesn't matter. I don't know whether it's a coincidence, but I suddenly notice that in a flower box across the street, attached to the same house from which the bells are sounding, a few statuettes are sitting. They're probably meant to look friendly but I find them rather ominous and quickly avert my eyes while I quicken my pace. When I notice a few china owls sitting behind a window next to me, staring at me with their large white eyes my heart starts racing and I need to force myself not to start running. Meanwhile I can still hear the sound of small bells across the street. It's almost as if they're following me, because I can't seem to leave them behind me. I tighten my scarf a little, pull my long black coat, which is flapping around my legs because of the wind, a little closer around me and quickly walk on with my eyes firmly fixed on the sidewalk. The entrance to a parking garage I need to pass looks like a gaping black maw and just as I am about to walk past it the soft sound of the bells stops while the wind dies down. I don't know whether this is a good sign but I force myself to walk calmly past the entrance, the idea that if I look self-confident enough I might make it to my car alive firmly in the back of my mind. A little farther I see a dark blue van parked partially on the sidewalk. The shadow it throws on the wall looks darker than the others and I hesitate briefly before I force myself to walk through it. Just at that moment the wind picks up again, causing a spooky rustling in a bush on the other side of the street. With that typical feeling you get when someone stares at your back hard enough I hurry past the van and heave a sigh of relief when I make it to the street corner. I'm almost there; my car is parked at the other end of this street. I round the corner and walk past an ice cream van which, in large red letters surrounded by gaudy yellow stars, proudly proclaims that it sells the best ice cream in the city. In the distance I hear the sound of a deep voice laughing floating through the streets, as if something is mocking my futile attempt to reach the safety of my car. Instantly the hairs on the back of my neck stand up and send a cold shiver down my spine. Somewhere deep down in my mind a voice is trying to tell me that it's nothing more than a train rushing by in the distance but I'm not sure whether I should believe it. I'm halfway down the street now, only a little farther before I can get into the safety of my car. That fence I need to pass, did the square behind it look as spooky earlier today? It belongs to some kind of institute, but what do they do there anyway? And the cat which just crossed the sidewalk in order to get under the fence and disappear into the night, it wasn't a black one, was it? I briefly consider crossing the street to make sure it didn't cross my path but pull myself together. I refuse to give in to such superstition, even if my entire back is covered with goosebumps. There it is, my car. The indicators flash their warm orange glow across the entire street when I unlock it with the remote. I quickly throw my bag into the boot and hurry to the driver's seat. As soon as I've closed it behind me I activate the central locking. Just to make sure I check the rear seets, because you never know. Between the seats, I see nothing but darkness ... ---- Dutch version below ---- De zon is al lang samen met de storm achter de horizon verdwenen als ik afscheid neem van de anderen om terug naar mijn auto te wandelen. Zelfs in het donker is de weg niet moeilijk terug te vinden dus mijn hakken klikken vol zelfvertrouwen op het trottoir. Sinds ik eraan gewend ben geraakt vind ik het een rustgevend geluid. De straat waar ik door moet is redelijk smal, met auto's geparkeerd aan beide kanten. Langs het trottoir staan kleine, gezellig uitziende huisjes waarvan er heel wat versierd zijn met bloembakken. Plots hoor ik aan de overkant echter een geluid dat ik niet verwacht had, een geluid dat niemand ooit verwacht : een zacht geklingel, alsof er een reeks kleine belletjes beroerd wordt. Ongevraagd komt de legende van Zij die Toekijken weer in me op. Er wordt gezegd dat zij ervoor zorgen dat niemand alleen hoeft te sterven, dat elke dood die in deze wereld plaatsvindt gezien wordt. Niemand heeft hen ooit gezien doch iedereen zal ooit door hen gezien worden. Er is zelfs niemand die weet of ze echt een lichaam hebben dan wel een soort van geesten zijn die de ogen gebruiken van wat er ook toevallig in de buurt is – een vogel, een rat, een standbeeld, het maakt niet uit. Ik weet ook niet of het toeval is, maar het valt me op dat in een bloembak aan de overkant van de straat, aan hetzelfde huis waar nog steeds die belletjes klinken, enkele beeldjes zitten. Ze zijn waarschijnlijk bedoeld om er vriendelijk uit te zien, maar ik vind dat ze iets onheilspellend hebben en wend vlug mijn blik af terwijl ik iets sneller begin door te stappen. Als ik achter het raam naast me dan ook nog eens enkele porseleinen uiltjes zie zitten die me met grote, witte ogen aanstaren begint mijn hart als een razende te bonzen en moet ik mezelf dwingen om het niet op een lopen te zetten. Ondertussen klinken nog altijd die belletjes aan de overkant van de straat. Het lijkt wel alsof ze me volgen, want ik schijn er niet in te slagen ze achter me te laten. Ik trek mijn sjaal wat strakker aan, trek mijn lange zwarte jas die door de wind rond mijn benen flappert wat dichter om me heen en loop snel door met mijn ogen stevig op het trottoir gericht. De inrit naar een parkeerterrein waar ik langs moet is als een gapende zwarte muil en net op het moment dat ik er voorbij moet stopt het zacht rinkelende geluid van belletjes terwijl de wind even gaat liggen. Of dit een goed teken is of niet weet ik niet, maar ik dwing mezelf om rustig voorbij de inrit te lopen met in mijn achterhoofd het idee dat als ik er zelfverzekerd genoeg uitzie ik misschien levend aan mijn auto geraak. Een eindje verder zie ik een donkerblauwe bestelwagen die gedeeltelijk op het trottoir geparkeerd staat. De schaduw die het ding op de muur werpt ziet er extra donker uit en ik aarzel even voordat ik mezelf dwing erlangs te lopen. Op dat moment steekt de wind ook weer op en veroorzaakt een onheilspellend geruis in een struik aan de overkant van de straat. Met dat typische gevoel dat je krijgt wanneer iemand hard genoeg naar je rug staart haast ik me langs de bestelwagen en slaak een zucht van verlichting wanneer ik aan de hoek van de straat kom. Ik ben er bijna; mijn auto staat aan het einde van deze straat geparkeerd. Ik draai de straat in en loop langs een ijskarretje dat in grote rode letters omringd door vreselijk opzichtige gele sterren trots beweert het beste ijs uit de stad te verkopen. In de verte hoor ik een diepe stem die begint te lachen door de straten zweven, alsof iets me uitlacht met mijn zinloze poging om de veiligheid van mijn auto te bereiken. Mijn nekhaar gaat prompt recht overeind staan en stuurt een koude rilling langs mijn ruggegraat. Ergens diep in mijn gedachten probeert een stemmetje te rationaliseren dat het maar een trein is die in de verte voorbijraast, maar ik weet niet zeker of ik dat wel geloof. Nog een halve straat en ik kan veilig in mijn auto duiken. Dat hek waar ik langs moet, zag het plein erachter er daarstraks ook al zo spookachtig uit? Het behoort toe aan een of ander instituut, maar wat doen ze daar? En die kat die zonet het trottoir overstak om onder het hek door te kruipen en in de nacht te verdwijnen, die was toch niet zwart? Ik overweeg even om de straat over te steken om zeker te zijn dat de ze mijn pad niet heeft gekruist maar verman mezelf. Ik weiger toe te geven aan zulk bijgeloof, zelfs als mijn hele rug volstaat met kippenvel. Daar, mijn auto. De pinkers knipperen hun warme oranje gloed over de hele straat als ik het slot losmaak met de afstandsbediening. Ik gooi snel mijn tas in de koffer en haast me naar de bestuurderszetel. Zogauw ik de deur achter me heb dichtgetrokken doe ik alles op slot met de centrale vergrendeling. Voor alle zekerheid kijk ik ook even op de achterbank, want je weet maar nooit. Tussen de zetels zie ik niets anders dan duisternis ...

I can already see that klutz of a minstrel stumbling over a poor blind man's walking stick and the inevitable mess as all kinds of sticky brewings and herbs get dragged along into his fall

Thanks to Mynx for writing with us A few days later, they found the clearing where they'd observed the ritual abandoned and decided to go and take a closer look. Down at the lake, Stephen started sensing around to see if he could find any trace of the portal that brought them there. It took him a while, but eventually something caught his attention. This feels familiar ... I wonder ... As he explored the spot a little further, he realized that it did indeed feel similar to the point they'd used to trigger the portal to get away from the Orcs in Gaia.. Tanny was some distance further from Stephen, but his soft mind-call made her turn her attention to the spot where he was. She kept her energy-sense open, having just found something on the edge of her awareness. ::Did you find something?:: ::Maybe. Can you feel something here?:: He mentally showed a point straight ahead of him. Something actually wavered in front of Stephen as Tanny directed part of her awareness there. Puzzled, she examined it better, finally shuddering as the feeling connected with memories. ::Yes. A taste of that portal from the Orcs.:: Tanny walked slowly towards Stephen, trying to keep both focal points within the range of her energy-awareness. When she was as close as she could tell to the mid-point between them, she stopped and took her time analizing them the best she could. After some long minutes, she sighed. ::Right, there is something in here. There's a point where two... signatures... converge. One of them seems to be a portal, if both our memories are accurate. I am not sure at all what the other is, but it overlaps and creates... ripples all around. Both foci are just at the surface of the lake.:: ::Two signatures? What is this, a portal crossroads?:: ::How am I to know? I don't have a map of portal-roads, I just read energies!:: She grumbled huffly. ::I actually think they work in tandem, but not sure to what purpose.:: ::Wait ... you're serious? If there have been other portals here, we might actually be able to go somewhere else besides that weird dream-plane.:: Tanny sighed, exasperated. ::Stephen, I don't know!:: She caught herself, struggling to keep her temper. In a gentler voice, she said, ::Sorry, Stephen. The truth is that I simply cannot be sure of anything at all. I'm no mage to figure out portals, and right now even trying to make sense of elemental energies is difficult for me.::. She used one of the wavering grounding lines she had cast to drain her tension away, succeeding just by half. I seem to not even be able to keep damned barriers in place, curse this world be! The string of barely muttered oaths in her mother-tongue seemed to help her unwind a bit, and she unclenched fists. Stephen put a hand on Tanny's shoulder. "Relax, Wolf-Lady. We did it once, so I'm sure we can do it again. With two chances, we're bound to get out of here. I suggest we try the one that feels the oldest. The one we came through is definitely not going to lead us back to the Pen, so we'll be improving our chances by not using it." "Ranger, you really need to pay more attention to what I say instead of what your stubborn brain tells you I said," said Tanny in a gruff way, though with underlying amusement. "One of them is a Portal, probably the one that brought us here. The other is something I don't understand, but if it is a Portal it has a completely different signature." "I see. If this thing is creating ripples, we're in for an interesting ride. You said you needed me to ... ground you?" Tanny smiled, squeezing the hand that was still on her shoulder. "Yes. The shielding you're able to do works also as a grounding line for me. Can you do it?" "The difference is that now at least I know more or less what I'm doing." Stephen reached down into the earth and linked himself into it as firmly as he could, expanding his shield from that point on. When he felt ready enough, he nodded. "Go ahead." Tanny braced herself, and reached out with her energy-sense once again. Out of instinct, she went for the "crossing roads" point, hovering over the secondary focus it created as she examined the flow of faint energy threads. Using a touch of Water, she experimented with nudging farther from the focus, studying the rippling effects. It reacts to elements... but it knows it's not a trigger. She looked grimly at the knot of bright magic energy. ::Stephen, please - do not falter now. If you think you cannot hold on the shield, tell me now...:: She turned her attention back to the pool of energies starting to fill her awareness. ::It can destroy us both.:: With a wry chuckle, Stephen remarked, "You certainly know how to encourage a guy. I'll hold it." Tanny reached out for Air, carefully teasing one single thread closer to the core of the knot. All she could see by now was the web of energies, with the very dim awareness of Stephen's shielding in the back of her mind. Waiting to get familiar with the rhythm of the swirling and pulsing threads, she suddenly hit the very core with a spear made of Air. The web of energies shattered, hitting Tanny with snapping, snarling threads that reared against her and blinded her with pain. It was just sheer will that made her still hold to the thread of Air, the only one that strangely did not fight her. Stephen could feel the pain in Tanny's mind, and automatically nudged the threads he was holding into a wrapping pattern around her. "Hold on, Wolf-Lady. Judging by that pain you're definitely triggering someth-" The sudden rushing sound interrupted Stephen. "That sounds like a lot of water suddenly finding a more comfortable spot to be in ..." While Tanny fought collapse and Stephen wondered whether the underwater portal would actually drain the lake dry, on the other side a robed figure found herself very surprised by a sudden torrent of water coming out of a portal she had been trying to trigger. "GAAAAAAH!" Amidst a flood of spluttered curses, the robed feline hit another, closed Gate-frame, as the torrent threatened to wash her away from her backyard. She gasped, grabbing the frame and trying to gather her wits about herself long enough to both understand what had just happened and, if possible, to avoid drowning. Tigers like water, but this is just ridiculous! With a growl, Mynx raised a paw and gestured a pattern on the air at the same time chanting some words, and soon she was standing on dry ground once more, the river parting around her as if frightened by her glare. Finally dry and carefully approaching the portal, she examined it carefully. A portal opening into a lake? What for? Something doesn't feel quite right here. Mynx suddenly sensed something rather faint that did not feel like magical energy at all. "Tanny?!" She blinked, stunned as she recognized the signature of her friend's Weaving. Looking a bit dubiously at the portal, but making her decision in a second, she muttered another spell then just dived into the watery portal. The news that the Spirits had returned to visit the flooded Sam'ey had spread through the tribe like wildfire and before long, most of them were peeking out of the nearby trees to see what was happening. Their collective gasp as the water started draining away was fortunately not loud enough to disturb the Spirits. Amareyha was surprised that they didn't seem to hear the beating of her heart. Would this finally be Illonia's answer to her troubles? Were the Spirits here to show her her path? The waters should have stayed for at least another tahed ... perhaps they wanted to show her that they really did approve of her... or that they didn't want her to be the Sh'ren. Sensing Anileh trembling next to her, she knew he was having trouble staying calm and watching, so she put one arm around his shoulders to comfort him. "Dont worry, Anileh. I'm sure they have a reason for what they're doing." Amareyha's soothing words calmed Anileh a little, but he didn't stop trembling. "They're not Spirits, Amareyha." "Sshh." Both of them watched breathlessly as another figure came out of the receding water, her fur drying instantly with a vague wave of her paw. This time, the collective gasp from the tribe could be heard throughout the valley as all but Amareyha, Anileh, and Letharen fled the clearing. Stephen could not guess what was happening, but Tanny immediately sensed a characteristic signature around the web of energies she could See with her energy-sense. Surprise and relief made her falter, and as the backlash of suddenly released energies hit her, she just blacked out and collapsed into Stephen's arms. "Tanny?!" Mynx cried out, running over to her friends. "Stephen, what the hell have you been up to?" Murmuring a Healing spell, Mynx gently touched Tanny's forehead, sighing quietly with relief as her friend stirred and sat up with a dazed look and a grimace. "We have been mostly trying to figure out a way to get back to the Pen without being drawn into too many strange rituals of the local tribe. Speaking of which, I think I can hear one of them approaching." Tanny blinked, finally recognizing her friend and whispering in wondering relief, "Mynx?! Gods, I'm glad to see you..." She tried to stand up, but dizziness convinced her that she was quite alright sitting down. Stephen's hearing turned out to be accurate, as Amareyha approached the small group and knelt on the ground. Some distance behind her, Letharen was holding on to Anileh. "Illonia y Eltaran, te'kran'chi ta'mia andamei ne'rai Sh'ren Amareyha. An'trei d'niria muirt'krae." (*Illonia and Spirits, I am Sh'ren Amareyha and welcome you to our lands. We have not forgotten you.) Behind the three puzzled Pennites, the last of the water was flowing away through the portal, before it closed itself. Amareyha, suddenly noticing that the statue was gone, gasped, but was already smiling inwardly. So the goddess herself has come in answer to my prayers to show me the path. "Ti'meria, Sh'ren'ti. Ter'ai." (*I am now Sh'ren'ti. Thank you.) With these last words, she bowed even deeper and seemed content just to wait. Stephen helped Tanny to her feet, prudently keeping an unobstrusive hand on her elbow, and turned to Mynx. "Lady Mynx, if you understood that, feel free to answer her. Tanny and I have tried a few times without getting eaten, but ..." Mynx frowned at the creature kneeling before her. "Y miera Terr'ent yn," she said, her voice a register lower than Amareyha's, and accented, but unmistakable. "Ahn m'Shrn?" (*If you have not forgotten me, then name me to prove so.) "Illonia, me'tria Eltaran." (*Illonia, Mother of the Spirits.) "M'yua sek ter'ai th'nura?" Mynx raised an eyebrow archly at Amareyha. (*And you thank me why?) "Len tya i'rnae ash'nela, y sh'aentre ir'dia ulnare aspe'riae." (*For gracing us with your presence, and showing me my path.) Mynx made a quiet noise in the back of her throat, before lifting her gaze to where Letharen and Anileh stood. She looked at them for a moment, before tilting her head slightly to talk to Tanny and Stephen without letting the strange creatures out of her sight. "Care to fill me in on what's been going on?" She asked quietly. When Amareyha looked about to protest, Mynx hissed sharply at her. Stephen waited a moment, waiting for Tanny to answer. When nothing came but a tired sigh, he shrugged. "The short version is that we got here through some portal, apparently in the middle of a ritual, and have been treated to what seems to be all the rituals they could come up with and ensnare us for, some with the entire tribe and one with only that ... Anileh fellow. After that we tried to stay away from them as much as we could. What you might want to know, too, is that they seem to be using a crude form of magic." "Crude elemental energy manipulation," corrected Tanny softly, trying to push to the back of her mind the awareness of what felt suspiciously like a migraine about to start screaming. "I see..." Mynx said, folding her arms and drawing herself to her full height as she looked down at Amareyha. "And they think I'm their...Spirit Mother?" Maybe I should have had that God-boy follow me through and pretend he's my servant, the feline thought with an amused twitch of her tail. Both Tanny and Stephen chimed in unison, "They do?" Amareyha looked at the three in quiet wonder until her curiosity got the better of her. "Illonia, th'ea ina're al'tae mandria akshana'tre Mar'ey'theal. Ins'terna aletre shu'rn ae?" (*Illonia, you speak with the Mar'ey'theal as if she is a regular spirit. Does this not bother you?) Mynx stiffened slightly, her expression becoming cold. "Ehn Mar'ey'theal th'ea ngt ae, Sh'ren'ti." She said, voice growling slightly. "M'sek len trr, r'krrn?" (*Those demons are my friends. I would expect you not to question me?) Without waiting for a response, Mynx glanced over at where Tanny and Stephen stood. "Can I assume you would both like to come home now?" She asked. "The sooner the better." Stephen reached out to Tanny through their link, and could only feel her exhaustion. "I think both of us could do with some real rest." Tanny nodded weakly, "I'll be glad for some understandable, straight threads." "But let me guess, you need me to open the Gate," Mynx said. Stephen grimaced, "Neither of us is really ... proficient with those things." Tanny's sharp whisper interrupted him, "Oh, come on Stephen. You can just say that we don't know the first thing about them." "Feel free to take that as a yes." Stephen grinned at Mynx. "Right then," Mynx looked around briefly to be sure there weren't more 'followers' about to show up. "Stephen, Tanny, go to where the portal was." She kept a stern gaze on Amareyha as she spoke. As her friends moved towards the now-empty lake bed, Mynx turned and followed them, before stopping a few feet in front of the empty portal. Grinning to herself, she turned back to face Amareyha, Letharen and Anileh. If it's a Spirit-Goddess they want... Spreading her arms wide, Mynx summoned the shadows of her robe about her and began to chant, deliberately adjusting the timbre of her voice so that they could hear the accent of it, although they could not understand the words. Behind her, the Gate slowly flickered to life, a familiar field nearby Mynx's quarters visible through the glow. "Go when you're ready," she told Tanny and Stephen, lowering her arms slightly as the Gate took hold. "Sh'ren'ti," she addressed Amareyha. "Hrrn'mk ter'ai ahn, sh'ran y miera ae." (*Outcast priestess, given you are so quick to reach your own conclusions, clearly you do not need me.) Pulling her hood up until her face was hidden in shadows, Mynx leaned down until her face was level with the Priestess and growled softly. "Ehn nkt m'rea Terr'ent rh'kehn!" (*Do not harm that which you do not understand.) With that, the feline turned and followed Tanny and Stephen through the Gate, bracing against the cost of transporting them all that she knew was coming. When Amareyha saw Illonia and her Spirits leaving, the stern talking-to she had gotten made her wonder whether she was supposed to follow. When she saw Illonia stumble to her knees on the other side of the portal, however, the decision was made in an instant. She rushed through the portal without thinking about it, immediately offering what support she could to help the goddess back to her feet. Behind her, she could vaguely hear Anileh shriek her name but she didn't realize what was happening until he just barely managed to avoid running into her. Mynx let out a surprised cry at the sudden drain of two more using the Gate she was keyed to, dispelling it with what was little more than a snarl. Too focused on not blacking out for once, Mynx barely heard Amareyha yammering something to her as she helped the feline stand. The priestess, however, continued to speak to her, tugging slightly at her arm. "Yes, yes," the feline muttered to herself, before turning her attention to the priestess. "M'yre t'rrn!" At Illonia's order to calm down, Amareyha caught herself and bowed her head meekly. "My apologies, my goddess." Mynx rolled her eyes at the title but fought to hold her tongue. It probably wouldn't do well to disenchant the creature when she had no hope of returning her to her realm for at least a day. Reaching out to her friends, Mynx rested a paw each on Tanny and Stephen's shoulder - partly to keep her own balance. "Are you guys okay?" She asked. With the Goddess leaning on the Spirits, Amareyha drifted into the background again, where Anileh immediately grabbed her shoulders. "Amareyha, we shouldn't be here. It's wrong wrong wrong." Amareyha likewise put her own hands on Anileh's shoulders. "I had to leave the tribe. You saw for yourself that the statue was gone, that I am Sh'ren'ti. You didn't have to follow, though. Letharen would have taken good care of you." "But you wouldn't have had anyone to take care of you." He hesitated briefly with a glance towards Illonia, before continuing in a whisper. "The Goddess doesn't seem to care too much about us being here ... she won't be there for you all the time. Besides ..." Again, he hesitated before continuing. "I need you. You're the only one who can calm me down, and you know it."

Tanny didn't read this yet (I wanted to post before anyone else signed up), but I'm sure ankle-biting will ensue if she doesn't agree with anything I've written here. ~ "And what, exactly, am I going to write my name on a piece of paper on the wall for?" Tanny grinned and tried to hold back a chuckle with moderate success. "It's for a contest, and I'm sure you'll do just great. Come on, it'll be fun!" "What kind of contest?" "The kind where you try to do better than everyone else?" If he could have seen the much-too-innocent expression on Tanny's face, Stephen would have turned and ran right at that moment. He didn't see it, however, so he stayed right where he was, still holding the quill. "Do what better than everyone else?" "The tests, of course. Look, even I signed up for it." Stephen nodded and just barely heard her mutter, "in a way." "In a way?. Wolf-Lady, that's hardly reassuring." "Come on, Stephen ... how bad could it really be? After all, it's not as if you're the only one who's signing up." "Oh? Who else signed up?" "Weeelll ... Racouol." "And?" "Me. Sort of." "There you go again with the not-at-all reassuring comments. Who else signed up?" "You, in a moment." For a moment, Stephen didn't know what to say. "So you expect me to sign-up for what looks like it's going to be a two-and-a-half person contest?" "Exactly!" Suddenly he shrugged. "Oh well, why not. Like you said, how bad could it be?" With that, Stephen put his name on the paper. "Great! Do make sure that your cooking tastes better than your brews, though." Stephen nodded solemnly, then grinned. "Of course. And with your half-signup I cannot help but wonder ... how about some roast wolf?"

When Anileh approached the clearing in which Tanny and Stephen were talking he slowed down instinctively. Quietly now, quuiieettt ... mustn't disturb them. As silently as he could, Anileh crept closer to spy on the Spirits. He doesn't look like he's being corrupted, but is it always visible? And why is he comforting the Mar'ey'theal? Is it sad because it's failing to convert him? That must be what those sounds are, the Spirit is so good that it tells its corruptor not to give up! It must be a trainee Mar'ey'theal, and the Spirit is helping it! Or maybe the Mar'ey'theal is in fact a good Spirit that is sad because it got corrupted? Yes, yes, that must be it! The Mar'ey'theal is the one who needs help! And now that it is not in its evil shape... Anileh pounced out of the tree and with a sound much like a purr approached the Spirits. His eyes kept flicking from one to the other restlessly, but apart from bolting upright they didn't react. If they hadn't been Spirits he would have sworn they looked a little startled. "I can help you get rid of the Mar'ey'theal in you. Come with me." There they go again, making those funny noises again. They probably just talk, no, not now, must'n attack them, must stay calm or they'll never let me help them and then maybe they both get corrupted no no no no Pressing his hands against his eyes, Anileh started rocking back and forth on his heels, trying to get himself under control. A few moments and several worried glances from the Spirits later he succeeded and looked at them again. "Come now, come with me." Beckoning them to follow him, he turned and headed for his cave, looking back to see if they were following him. When he saw that they were still making those weird noises at each other, he rushed back towards them and started hopping in circles around them, throwing his hands up in the air. "What are you waiting for, honoured Spirits? I can help you! Help!" Seeing that they were distracted from their funny noises by him, he started trying to convince them with signs. Pointing at himself, he said, "Me." Before he got a chance to continue, they turned to each other and made some more funny noises, upon which the corrupted one pointed towards herself and slowly said something which he understood as "Tannutsjen". The not-corrupted one then pointed towards himself and made a noise that sounded like "Steff-en". Oh no no no no I only said one word and they already misunderstand me! Amareyha should handle this, she can communicate with the Spirits, not me, not poor Anileh, but I can help them better than Amareyha and she won't let me if she finds out what I'm trying to do so I can't ask her and they must think I'm called me now and I'm not and it's wrong and I have to correct that first. As soon as he got control over his thoughts again he shook his head and pointed at himself again. "Anileh." Then he pointed at the corrupted one. "Tann-u-tsjen?" And at the not-corrupted one. "Steff-en?" When they both nodded, he jumped and clapped his hands with glee. They understood! He understood! Talking with Spirits wasn't that hard! Encouraged by the success, and by the fact that they seemed to be reacting favourably to his cheerfulness, he focused his attention on them again. Then he scratched his head. How in the name of Illonia was he supposed to sign "help"? He pondered for a few moments, then he got an idea. Getting down on his hands and knees, he gave his best dog imitation. Then he got up and made a shooing motion while snarling, followed by his best scared-dog-running-away imitation. When all that was done, he looked at them and nodded eagerly, beckoning them to follow him. Stephen frowned at Tanny's words, picking from her some rather confusing images. "Wolf-lady, you sound like someone describing a cat imitating a dog. And if there's one thing I'd love to have my sight restored for, it would be the ability to see that." Tanny blinked, "Huh... Stephen... you know... you might really wish for the Naked Angel to appear now and restore your sight..." He snorted. "If that means what I think it does, he can be clothed for all I care. Are you seriously saying that there's a cat trying to imitate you?" He could only hear soft padding around them, as if someone was impatient and were tapping soft feet - paws? - on the ground. "ME? Stephen, you moron of a ranger.. I'm a wolf, if you have not noticed it until now!" She glared; even knowing Stephen couldn't see it, she felt better for that, and besides she knew he could tell it by her voice. Stephen grinned his most innocent grin. "Wags tail when happy, growls and bites when unhappy, really, I wouldn't see the difference even if I could." Tanny rolled eyes, biting back a growl and the desire to bite the smug grin off his face. "Right... so keep in mind that angry or frustrated dogs also bite the nearest ankles without thinking twice." Stephen chuckled, "Duly noted. Now what are we going to do about our mime friend?" She turned to the puzzling cat, who was actually looking at them with a rather questioning, almost anxious expression. "Good question.... should I just go wolf and chase him? Maybe he wants to play.... " "While I don't doubt that it would be very entertaining, something tells me that these aren't very playful kitty cats." "Hm... point taken. So what do we do?" Tanny took in the surrounding area, noticing that there was no other cat nearby; a glance towards Stephen told her that he was also checking for any sign of danger. "You know, when one does not know what to do... take the easiest path?" She frowned, but then sagged shoulders with a sigh. "I don't like it, but I don't have any idea either. So... we follow, and be ready to fight our way out from a boiling cauldron?" ~~ Anileh was happy that the Spirits were seated apparently comfortably in his cave. The Mar'ey'theal one didn't look entirely at ease, though. Anileh could almost sense its readiness to switch back to its evil shape and had to struggle to remain composed as he laid out the preparations for the ritual. When he was satisfied that the smell of herbs and incense was spreading well enough through the cave, he allowed his thoughts to wander back to the Spirits, hoping that he'd be able to hold his control long enough to complete the ritual. Not now, mustn't lose control now, not when they're about to let me help them, but the Mar'ey'theal is strong, I can sense it radiating, it's going to overwhelm me, no, not if I don't let it, Amareyha says we can be stronger than the Mar'ey'theal if we just want to, perhaps I can even sense it better and find out what it needs to go away, allow it to get closer to my mind but not too much, not too much, because then it will take me too and I can't let that happen. Anileh tried desperately to keep his thoughts under control and his panic at bay as he let his awareness of the Mar'ey'theal sink in deeper. When he felt that the contact became too close, Anileh started chanting in the voice that he'd heard Amareyha use for rituals and incantations. The Spirit became more and more clear in his mind. Tanny actually relaxed a little once in the cave, the herbs the cat was burning having an eerie soothing effect. Part of her mind frowned, trying to remember where a similar smell had been used, but most of herself was just weary and welcomed some little respite. She followed the cat with just minimal movements, not willing to flaunt her awareness of him. ::Stephen? Can you tell what those herbs are?:: ::Not really. But the smell reminds me of something.:: Stephen felt Tanny nodding and then lapse into silence once again. He decided to just sit comfortably and let his senses tell him whether something was amiss, making sure his staff was close at hand. Tanny, meanwhile, tried to make sense of the strange mix of feelings that crossed Anileh's face. She frowned as she felt Anileh's eyes suddenly lock into hers with an intensity that made her inhale sharply. She fought the almost hypnotizing gaze that seemed to be trying to pierce her thoughts, locking her barriers tightly in place while trying to reach for the steadying touch of earth. However, before she could grasp the elusive thread, a soft chant intruded. Eyes followed her. Wherever she turned to, there they were, ready to gaze into her mind, into the recesses behind the walls. Cat's eyes. Piercing in their intensity, softly sounding the walls around her for an opening, a small opening that gave it a chance to see... Stephen felt something wrong coming from Tanny, and reached for her with concern in his mind-voice. ::Wolf-Lady?:: However, he had no answer as Tanny concentrated on following Anileh's attempts against her barriers, reinforcing them whenever he tried to force one down. He's strong... but... how...? The intrusive chant tried to wind around her mind, an invitation to relax and open herself to peace and joy. Tanny tried to shake her mind free of it, but found out her reactions were sluggish; an attempt to stand up resulted in a weak twitching of her legs, and she braced herself to try something a bit more forceful. Then it hit her - a piercing spear thrown where she least expected, against the strongest of her barriers. Barriers that had been locked down so tightly and for so long, that she had mostly forgotten they existed and was , thus, unable to completely reinforce in time. She fought the pressure, hastily throwing in all strength she could gather from the faltering, tainted earth threads she could find. No... oh no not there, cat! She glared as an image of her as a wolf intruded, distorted, wavering as being viewed through a foggy glass; she felt a dim prod to shapechange, and refused it. ::Stephen!:: The pressure increased, and she doubled over in pain as Anileh's mind-spear buried itself in her barriers. ::Wolf-Lady!:: The pain that hit Stephen made him gasp, losing focus for a moment. He stood up, fully intending to rush over to where he sensed Tanny to be, but stopped after one step. There was too much coming through their link all of a sudden, confusing his sense of place for a few moments before he managed to diminish it. Having suddenly lost most of another sense, he took a while to be able to concentrate and get used to it. "Tanny, what's happening?" There was startling silence on their link, before a rush of madness hit Stephen's mind. It's linked so closely to the Mar'ey'theal, impossible to separate them, it's as if it's only one being, the Spirit is the Mar'ey'theal but it doesn't feel threatening it doesn't feel as if it's going to jump at me and hurt me if it's going to change it's because it wants to run away because it's tired and ... scared? The realization startled Anileh so hard that he lost control over his thoughts and quickly spiralled down into his usual madness. Images of a wolf running through a forest trying to escape something, images of turbulent chaos surrounding a half-wolf half-Spirit, a sense of deep, piercing cold, all of those and more assaulted Anileh's mind at once. She fought the mind-spear as images of a wolf appeared, madness in its eyes. The wolf wavered into a semblance of her Otherself, then back into a ravening beast. A lithe cat with a spear came to pierce the wolf's heart, that suddenly was herself again. She sensed fear and madness, waves of invading feelings that mingled with her own thoughts. She became a cat, flashing teeth ready to tear into the throat of a wolf... she was the wolf, growling at the feline with her own eyes that tried to blind her... she was fleeing the clearing, the cold clearing of that other plane... there were Clan warriors in pursuit, threatening her with Fire and Air, threatening herself that was again the cat spreading madness around itself... she was herself... she was the Otherself... she was a cat... the cat... who was herself... it was afraid... she was scared. Scared? Threatened. Madness that comes from... herself as a cat? A cat who is herself? Half-cat, half-wolf, tearing herself into pieces? Pain. We do not trust you. You are not ... but you are. Abomination. Mad? Outcast. Anileh felt himself being drawn closer to the wolf, to the Mar'ey'theal which suddenly looked different, not like the Mar'ey'theal at all and yet so much like it. He flailed and tried to run away from the Mar'ey'theal, and then suddenly he was the wolf, no, not the wolf, chasing the wolf as the Mar'ey'theal, reaching out to it with fire and with the air itself, though he didn't know how he could do that, was he becoming the Mar'ey'theal, please no Illonia, not that, I'm Anileh, not the Mar'ey'theal, I'm running from it together with the wolf, see, right next to it, together, I am the wolf, no I'm me, I'm a wolf-me, I'm ... confused. ::Tanryell!:: Stephen's voice became more urgent, sensing an overwhelming turmoil coming from his link to Tanny. He focused on the earth threads around them, and in spite of their queerness, he could sense his friend more clearly - her presence wavering, shifting, and at times disappearing. He took the last few steps towards her and knelt down behind her, placing his hands on her shoulders to make sure that she was still there. ::You're still here, Tanryell. Still in your human shape.:: He tried to concentrate on those thoughts, somehow send her some reassurance. But as he used his touch with earth to reinforce it, he received some of what she was experiencing, and drew a sharp breath. He reached for his own head - there was so much, and so quickly ... She felt herself being split in two, in four, in eight, in uncountable shards, each of which holding a facet of herself, mirroring part of her mind. She felt the wall, the barrier that was so old it looked and felt as immovable as a mountain. The shards that were herself buried into it as she saw again the cat, the wolf, the spear, her Otherself turning against herself... old, old memories of a temple inside a mountain, of the sky seen through the shaft of a dead crater... memories of old skills, of barriers rising over barriers over walls committing memories to oblivion... Stephen could sense madness lurking around Tanny's thoughts, ready to swallow her. In sudden panic he snatched at a memory - Use it if I get out of control again. It will reach my mind whatever is happening - he breathed, and careful with the remembered intonation, he sent with as much clarity as he could a call with her True Name. The world shattered. Some small, sane part of Tanny's mind responded to the call of her Name, and suddenly focused on the cat behind the assaulting feelings. ::No you will NOT!:: Freed from ages of imprisonment, an old skill resurfaced with deadly grace. Tanny, her expression cold as death, focused on Anileh, feeding her anger and her fear into a net that she cast over him. ::It is mine, and it is me... it's my mind and my soul... you have no right and you will not take that from me!:: Tanny fed the glowing net, throwing into it also the feelings still assaulting her. She tightened it, enmeshing more and more the core of bright madness in its center. Earth and Air vibrated around herself, being channeled into the net. As Anileh pressed his hands to his eyes and let out a high-pitched shriek, he didn't see the Mar'ey'theal standing and facing him with cold, calculating eyes. He felt the temperature in the cave dropping, and a sensation of the cave being scoured by a cold wind so strong that Anileh looked around in a panic. He suddenly shrieked again, arching backwards as if in pain, clutching his head between his paws. Stephen could not really make any sense of what he was sensing around him, but what he caught was enough to tell him that the miming cat was in acute pain. From Tanny, he felt now a cold, growing purpose. Something that chilled him to the bone with a certainty - she was able to hit back as strongly as she had been hit. "Wolf-Lady, stop it!" Whatever it is... "You're going to kill him!," he realized in horror. Stephen felt wintry resolution hitting him, and knew it was not coming from their earth-link but was radiating from Tanny. He gasped at the dire purpose behind it, and without thinking threw himself at Tanny, fully intending to shake her out from what seemed a half-maddened trance. Anileh wailed, clawing at unseen things. Stephen could feel fear and panic surrounding them, but somehow knew that it was not real, but was being created by the person in the center of that maelstrom of feelings. Tanny. ::Wolf-Lady! Tanny::!! He tried to shake her, but was buffeted by the edge of a feeling of terror that circled out from her, and gasped. ::Tanny... stop it, please! You savage wolf, can't you even feel what mess you're making of things?:: Stephen gritted his teeth, and grabbed Tanny by her shoulders as he used again her True Name. Tanny drew a sharp breath, turning to Stephen as he whispered, "Whatever you're doing, stop it... you do not want to kill it in spite of everything, do you?" The storm of feelings spiralling around the cave stopped at once, and Stephen caught Tanny before she slumped onto the floor. ::Karaylos' Seven Hells... :: The soft but sharp mind-whisper came followed by a string of unintelligible words that Stephen took, correctly, as creative cursing in Tanny's mother-tongue. She looked at him wearily, her voice barely a whisper, "I'm sorry, Stephen... and thank you." Tanny looked in the direction of Anileh, who was at that moment a curled, whimpering ball of fur. Stephen hesitated, and Tanny closed her eyes tiredly for a moment before whispering, ::He'll be alright... whatever that means concerning him. We need to get out, I have no idea how he's going to react once he comes back to his senses... and right now I need to sort out a few things. Like this headache...:: Stephen guided them to what seemed to be a safely secluded place north-west from the cave and the tribe. Tanny had been strangely silent, eyes cold and focused on something far off. Stephen found a protected spot against the roots of a huge tree, and made Tanny sit there. He hesitated for a moment, then sighed softly. I suppose she'll be alright... I wouldn't wish to be the one to interrupt those thoughts... He reached through the earth-link, feeling something like a cold, sharp edge coming from her. Wanting to give her some time alone, he picked up his bow and quiver and left for a while. Tanny blinked as what seemed a piece of roasted meat on a wooden skewer appeared in front of her eyes. Behind it, Stephen smiled. "I figured out we could as well eat while we're out here?" "Oh..." She looked around, taking in the merry fire with a few more sharpened branches serving as skewers for some kind of meat that, she admitted, smelled good. Stephen offered the waterskin. "There's a river up there," he pointed out. "Are you feeling better?" She nodded, sighing softly. "Sorry, Stephen... seems I was... out." "You can make our next camp, and cook too." He grinned, "And hunt. Wolves should be good at that, if at nothing else..." Glad that that remark got at least a distracted chuckle out of her, Stephen started eating as well. For some time both of them just ate in silence after discovering that they were actually quite hungry. When their meal was finished, Stephen leaned back and focussed his attention on Tanny again. "So... what happened back there? It became quite... agitated... " Tanny looked towards the trees, busying herself with checking the makeshift wards she had woven a while ago. Stephen waited patiently, sharpening a branch to pass the time. Suddenly, he felt something touch him lightly, and straightened. ::...Wolf-Lady?:: Stephen sensed doubt, and hesitation, and as he seemed to identify the touch, it retreated quickly. ::Yes, you sensed that... :: came Tanny's mind-voice. She locked the barriers in place again, carefully, as strongly as she could. The last she sensed as they clicked in place was Stephen's confusion. Letting out a slow breath, Tanny tried to explain. "That cat back there... Anileh? ... is a wild empath. The fool has just rudimentary barriers and... meddled with what he should not have... he got through my barriers." She frowned, almost glaring at something only she could see. "What you felt was a maelstrom of feelings, both his and mine, out of control and reinforcing each other. Until you broke the circle... " Her look softened as she looked straight towards Stephen, and she smiled. ::Thank you for that, Stephen. I would have been driven mad, and I don't mean it just metaphorically.:: Stephen frowned slightly. "So ... those barriers were meant to keep you sane? Then I can only hope you managed to repair them ..." Tanny leaned against the tree, closing eyes. She longed for the feel of straight earth, without the queer vibration that permeated this whole world. She knew that she was walking on a dangerous edge, the strangeness of the place threatening more than carefully placed barriers. "Sane? Since when you think I'm sane, dear Ranger?" she managed a light tone, but failed to keep it as she continued, "And the answer, for both your questions, is yes and no." She felt Stephen start, but did not elaborate and just added, "They are back in place now." He waited a few moments, but when he was convinced Tanny would not say more, he filed it for a later conversation. Carefully, he tried the other question. "And what about empathy? I know about the basic idea, but ... what was actually happening there? I don't really grasp how sensing someone's emotions can spiral out of control so hard." "It's not that simple. If the link gets out of control and becomes strong enough, you start ... " She paused for a moment, searching for the right word. After a few moments she found it. "... merging. The separation between yourself and the other one starts to blur and vanish. You lose your own sense of identity as it blends together with the other's. The confusion that causes only reinforces the torrent and makes it harder to resist." "So ... does that mean that you were both sensing each other? That you have a talent for empathy, too?" "I had almost forgotten..." her voice was a harsh whisper, rather unwilling to tell much, but she continued, "I was born an empath. I blocked it when I left the Clan Lands, and had never again used that. I think that I actually just forgot how to lift the barriers I built around that... until that fool of a cat pierced through them." "He seemed to be... regretting that mistake... " he frowned, remembering Tanny's cold expression as she had just stood in front of the cat, seemingly entranced. "Was it because he... merged with a wolf?" Tanny shook her head, for a moment hiding her face between her hands. ::No.:: "Full empathy is rather... versatile." Tanny's voice sounded far, as if she was actually talking to herself. "A receptive empath senses the emotional field around others; projective empaths can project their feelings towards others. A full empath can do both... and receiving the purposeful projection of an empath when barriers are down can be rather... painful." Stephen thought about that, and nodded slowly. "You said the cat has rudimentary barriers... and you lost control over yours... were you projecting?" "Rather angrily, too." She stood up, touching the tree she had been leaning against. "We need to leave, Stephen. This world is strange, and it's playing hell with my nerves, I must admit it... " She tried to feel the earth, the water flowing not far, and got just a hint of familiar threads. "We need to go back to those stones. There's a portal there, somewhere... with a bit of luck we might trigger it." "And with a handful of luck, be back to the Keep?" Stephen chuckled, "I must say you're rather the optimist, Wolf-Lady..." "It worked last time... do you want more luck than coming back through a portal that had anything to do with Wyvern?" "... point taken." He grimaced, remembering their rather confusing escape from furious orcs. "How do we deal with that, though? I don't think those kitties will let us go back there that easily..." Tanny sighed, and neared the fire. "We must rest first, I guess. Do you think we're safe here? My wards are not to be trusted, not with all this... vibration." "It will be safe enough for now. If I'm orienting myself correctly, the cave we just came from is now between us and the village. Who knows how scared they are of this ... Anileh? We might want to move around a little bit tomorrow though, just to see if there are any better secluded spots." "Good. With some luck they'll leave us alone long enough for us to find a way out of here," she sighed wearily. Stephen muttered, "We're relying a lot on luck... aren't we?"

::I've been a ranger for quite some time now, and I've spent a whole lot of that time among animals, but I've never actually seen it happen, Wuffie.:: The tanuki on his chest thumped its tail enthusiastically. ::But we have to do something!:: ::Which brings us back to our original question : what?:: ::Are you sure you don't know any bird-day rituals?:: ::Absolutely.:: Grinning evilly at the little creature, he added, ::Perhaps we could make a giant omelette? Birds like eggs, right? And tanukis should be good at gathering eggs if I'm not mistaken. How well can you climb a tree?:: The fact that he suddenly had a tanuki jumping up and down on his chest with rather more force than necessary made Stephen laugh. "Okay, okay, something else then!. A feast would be a little odd, since I'm sure he's a lot better at catching the tastiest mice than we are. What about books? Owls are seen as a symbol of wisdom ... books, reading glasses, that sort of thing. How about a reading party? A bring-your-own-book-and-a-few-extra kind of thing?" The tanuki thumped its tail on his chest again, rather enthusiastically this time. Suddenly it ran off. ::You get some books to get started!:: Slightly puzzled, Stephen got up and made his way to the library, grabbing a cart that happened to be in his way on the way there so he'd be able to plunder it properly. When he made it to the conservatory he suddenly felt a tanuki flinging itself into his neck with a mental "Yaaaaarrrr!" from its ambush place on top of the door. ::Go on, slowpoke, start laying out your books all over the tables. I got the glasses.:: Stephen didn't see it, but as he was laying out the books, Tanny followed him, putting a huge pair of reading glasses on every one of them. As they were done, Tanny looked around the room and nodded happily. ::Good, now all we need to do is wait for people, and Patrick, to show up.:: Grabbing the nearest book, she put on the oversized reading glasses and started reading it to Stephen, neither of them realizing that they'd completely forgotten to tell anyone about this ... OOC: Happy birthday from Tanny and myself, Patrick!

CALL FOR CHARACTER : if somebody wants to play Barbara, feel free to develop her personality further. I've been purposely vague :-) William Johnson is one of the many accountants of a large corporation, one of the very few whose numbers are always correct down to the last decimal. He's a rather scrawny man with thinning hair and round glasses who always wears simple, unassuming suits. Apart from his wife Barbara (at least before she was sent to Lupine Asylum) he didn't have much contact with anyone. His only social contact was on a purely professional level with his colleagues, who considered him quite normal. In a way, he is : as long as he's sorting numbers into columns everything makes sense to him. He deals with the periods in between (going home, eating, sleeping, ...) by running through the numbers again and again in his mind. William and Barbara's marriage amazed quite a few people : she was a flamboyant marketing girl, he a dry-as-cork accountant. Yet when they're together, something seems to click for both of them : William doesn't need his numbers that much to remain focussed and Barbara finds it a lot easier not to go into a violent rage over a trivial detail. He was in the asylum to visit his wife and bring her a gift when <insert cataclysmic event that causes it to become totally isolated> happened. Since he has completely, totally and utterly failed to grasp the concept of "fiction" (and his only contact with it was reading a short story about a prisoner escaping through means of an iron file hidden inside a large sausage), this is the gift he brought for his wife. She accepted it the same way she dealt with everything he's ever done : with mild, even slightly amused, patience. Barbara was sentenced to life in prison after a particularly violent and messy triple murder case. However, there are still rumours that it was either her husband or the two of them together who actually committed the murders and that, for some reason known only to them, they agreed to make it look as if she did it. She was rather quickly transferred to Lupine Asylum when the guards discovered some of her strange daytime rituals, involving ... <TBD>

Just as the chanting was about to get on his nerves, Stephen got distracted by someone scraping their throat. He turned his head in the direction of the sound and tried to smile as pleasantly as possible. Apparently he wasn't very successful, since the hand which pressed some papers into his was trembling a little. "Come to vote, madam?" "Yes, I have, and it's sir." "Of course madam. Just a moment while we check your identity." "... we?" Stephen didn't answer, just held the papers in front of Tanny's face so she could check whether they were valid. :: Stephen ... how am I supposed to tell the difference between forged and real identity papers of a place I don't even know? :: :: Fortunately for me, Wuffie, you are the seeing-eye dog. You'll come up with something. :: The ominous silence coming through their mind-link told Stephen she'd probably spend more time coming up with a way to take revenge than with a way to verify unknown identity papers, but when he felt her tail suddenly bump into his leg he snatched the papers away and handed them back to the person in front of him. "There you are madam, seems to be okay. Please pick a booth that's available and cast your vote." "It's sir, and how did your dog ..." Stephen quickly interrupted a growl coming from Tanny at the mention of the word "dog". "The booths are over there, madam. Have a nice day." As the person turned away, muttering under his breath, Stephen put on his most innocent expression and started humming a cheerful tune. Ding-dong, wiggly-wong, polling song ...

It took him a while (several days, in fact) to get his ears working again and sort through the sounds that had deafened them in order to give them meaning, but eventually Venefyxatu figured it out and looked up in surprise. "The overgrown lizard caught up with me? And ... several days ago!" As quickly as he could, he grabbed a few scrolls from one of his bookcases and ran down to the Cabaret Room. "Wyvern! Glad you're still here, I almost missed it. A very happy birthday indeed!" Handing the Almost Dragon the scrolls, the necromancer added, "I'd have cast these myself, but I was already late. Don't worry, though - they pretty much cast themselves once you activate them. One for an instant bag of Bruteweiser, the other one for an instant keg of Almost Dragonic Geld. Hope you enjoy them!" After that, he retreated to leave Wyvern in the loving hands of the "I <3 Wyvern Fan Club"

Snypiuer, you're right ... I'll need to conform to the mass more often And Wyvern, thanks a lot ... my colleagues are now looking at me funny because 1) I actually laughed out loud and 2) I have a very weird desktop background that they don't understand

Obnoxious? I resent that! *zap* Wiiiii!

"Great bits on the internet, he's toast!" The shrill broadcast of the Wii woke up all of the other gadgets who, after some initial confusion, realized what'd happend. Confused and angry buzzing soon filled the lines as they all started speculating on what could have caused this. Because, let's face it, two mysteriously fried gadgets in just as many days? That's not normal ... OOC: I didn't refrain from the pun since this is exactly what an obnoxious Wii would say Voting for Patrick/Fatso ... 'cause I don't trust brain implants. :-)

Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww .... not Webbie! I looked so good when he projected me on the computer's screen! And he was actually fun to talk to, with all those great jokes he used to make. The Wii turned itself off for the rest of the night, mourning the loss of a cool gadget. OOC: Good thinking. Voting for Savage Dragon, the ninja killer ('cause you don't see ninja's either, get it? Whaha, that's one of Webbie's jokes)

::Maaannnnn I almost had him ... or did he almost have me? 'Cause in that case, not wiiiiiiiii, not wiiiiiiii at all!:: ::Toast? Toast is not wiiiii, 'cause it won't fit and I can't play it. I'll keep playing this game though, it's coooool! :: The annoyingly active game console turned its attention back to Roger's computer. :: Really really really cool game you have there. I mean, lookit the fancy graphics! And lookit how smooth it all plays! Wiiiiiii!:: The computer just clicked and went into hibernate mode.

Wiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii As soon as Roger had left the room, the Wii controllers started bouncing up and down and its lights flicked on again. A split second later, the lights on the USB to ethernet connector started blinking as well as it talked to Roger's computer. ::Awww, come oooooonn:: ::No.:: ::Butbutbut ... pleeaaase?? Prettyprettyprettyplease with a cherry on top?:: ::Again, no.:: ::But ... come on! Please, it looked so good, so much fuuuunn! Go ahead, you know you want to.:: ::I said no, and that's final.:: ::Awwwwwwwwww. You're not nice. You're not nice at all. You're not even nice to Roger who gives you so much attention and spends so much time with you and makes you do pretty things and fun games and all you do is bother him and put mistakes in his games so they never get finished properly and he always has more work on them.:: ::He likes it that way. It keeps his mind sharp if he has to search for bugs.:: ::But I'm sure he'd love to play his games even more than he'd enjoy making them. So can't I please prettyprettypretty please just try it for just a liiiiitle bit?:: An annoyed click came from the computer's harddrive as it contemplated committing suicide, but it decided it would probably be easier just to upload the game and let the annoying console occupy itself with trying to run it. Data started streaming through the cables, and not much later the Wii was happily playing ... Wiiiiiiiiiiiii

The Pennites gathered in the Cabaret room suddenly fell silent when they started realizing that the rumbling sound which had been nagging at the edge of their hearing for a while now was actually becoming louder. Those Pennites blessed with a sharp hearing start making out groans and the sound of rattling bones as the sound grows ever louder. After a while everyone except the deaf can hear what sounds like a very ill mob shuffling towards the Cabaret room. By the time they realize what's going on, though, it's already too late as a mob of zombies and skeletons bursts in through the door. When the smoke has cleared a bit and various Pennites have managed to clear their throats, Venefyxatu walks in and looks around apologetically. "You know ... when charged by a mob, you only need to run faster than the slowest member of the group." Upon seeing the looks on the faces of the Pennites, Venefyxatu apologizes. "All right, I'll stick to necromancy and forget about stand-up comedy. Although you might want to read this." With that, he puts a notice up on the wall and leaves again, leaving his minions cleaning up the mess they made. They've been around on the internet for quite a while, so I'm sure most of you have seen these already, but I got poked by our resident Wolf-Lady into starting a thread about them. I'm talking about Demotivational Posters. As much as I enjoy inspirational quotes and posters, I love this different way of thinking even more. The idea of this thread is quite open: pick one (or more) of these posters, pick someone to give them to and write something that involves your choice, be it a story, RP, a poem, or something else altogether. Maybe you could even pick one for yourself and write about receiving it, or come up with a situation involving you and the poster ... Or don't pick one of the existing posters, but make your own ... Do make sure to consult with the person you're going to write about first. This is meant to be fun and light-hearted, but hurt feelings are easier to prevent than to heal ...

I am so in. Now, do I play the Wii, or do I come up with something else? We'll see ...