Hand of the Mist
Committed
Roleplay posts: 57
Registered: Mar 26, 2021 0:51:23 GMT -5
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Post by Hand of the Mist on Jan 22, 2022 21:44:26 GMT -5
Here in the thicket, deep within whisperwood, is a place that needs no predators or dark magic to be as dangerous and threatening as it is. Every tree and bush is lined with a dangerous amount of thorns varying in all sizes. Vines and rocks littering the ground make the ground uneven. The question as to why one would come here is answered mostly by the abundance of fruit that the trees bare, attracting all sorts of life that come to rot beneath the roots of the thicket. |
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Post by Alistair Venator on Jan 22, 2022 21:46:51 GMT -5
The cat let out a yawn when it felt the sun dip below the horizon. Thus far it hadn't found anything of any particular interest to captivate it. Though the woods were, at the very least, a pleasant change of scenery. Batting aside the covering of bark it had placed in front of the entrance to the little hollow within the tree, it had once belonged to a squirrel whose bones were littered inside.
Oozing out of the entrance to the den the cat meandered up into the branches. Its form was distinctly indistinct in the moonlight. The shadow of a cat layered over the actual thing a small mass of darkness with two glowing points of red light that stared out imperiously into the forest. Thus far he did not approve of this new land. He hadn't found a single settlement of humans yet only animals which were... Well, he could eat them but they were so dull to play with. They couldn't beg properly and sometimes the small rodents died of heart attacks before he was even ready for the kill.
Still, he was sure if he kept looking he would find some prey worth toying with. With that decision in mind he lifted his nose to the air and inhaled trying to catch a scene of something interesting. Then he hopped effortlessly to the branches of a nearby tree, casually strutting through them as insubstantial as smoke as he meandered through the branches almost entirely invisible. A whisp of smoke with intent and will blowing in the breeze.
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Post by Huey and the Thralls on Feb 8, 2022 20:38:23 GMT -5
Prancing away in the forest was little Mira.
She wore a maid’s dress that was already getting dirty at the sleeves with soot. Atop her head, covering her face, was a white mantilla with flowery patterns all across it. She held a piece of flint and a steel fire starter in her hands.
The child moved like a ghost through the woods, weaving her way through the briars and the scratchy branches without so much as a flinch. Her leather boots crunched through the foliage, the only thing betraying her airy form. Something about the way she moved forward spoke of purpose instead of an aimless meander. Mother had finally returned and given them each a task to do. Huey was organizing things at Sevintera, Theophania and Emilius were off to find The Desmodus, the triplets were “helping” to find the lost families of Pannoa, and Mira was assessing the nearby forest. She really wanted to find something to burn, but Mother warned her not to start fires in dense foliage. She would have to find something solitary and surrounded by dirt, which was rather upsetting, but alas: an order was an order.
In the midst of her prancing, the child suddenly stopped and became still as death. Her head swiveled on her neck until she was looking down a dense covering of trees.
“Who’s there?” she called out in her delicate voice. “No need to be shy.”
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Post by Alistair Venator on Feb 8, 2022 21:28:26 GMT -5
The Cat stretched out its spine languidly as it observed the child. Flowing like water along the branch as it peered down imperiously as it considered what to do about the little thing.
On the one paw, he was dying for a good bit of sport. The slaughter on the boat the other day just hadn't done it for him he craved something more stimulating. He was terribly full so he could torment her for hours before he got bored and hungry enough to eat her. However, the fact that he was full meant he was inclined to think a little further ahead.
He rolled onto his back and raised the other paw absently. The question of what the young thing was doing out here without any parents was certainly one worth asking. But he was more interested in where she had come from. He was rather interested in finding some kind of settlement, creatures that could talk were always the most fun to play with.
"I'm not shy."
The Cat deigned to answer making no effort to make himself more visible to the little girl.
"If you can't see me that is entirely your problem."
He rose to his feet and absently leapt from one branch to another. A small mass of darkness among the dark as he began to circle her from above.
"Don't children usually have care takers? Where is yours? Don't you know there are monsters in the woods?"
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Post by Huey and the Thralls on Feb 10, 2022 19:53:33 GMT -5
Mira's head swiveled to follow the sound of his voice. She kept her eyes level and did not seek out the shadow in the understory, but she did tilt her ear up towards him.
"I suppose it is my problem. Are we playing hide and seek? I never was very good at it," she told him, crossing her arms. "I am very good at hot potato, but we don't have potatoes anymore."
The hem of her dress swept the thicket as she turned, suddenly a live person once more instead of a pale doll of an item. "Mother asked me to come out here. I am supposed to look through the forest to understand what is here. Perhaps she will be amused to know you are here." The child placed one hand on her chest. "My name is Mira. Who are you?"
She was devoid of fear, this little one. So much of her voice was drained of emotion in general, but a sly inquisitiveness peeked through like an ember in dry grass.
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Post by Alistair Venator on Feb 11, 2022 10:12:17 GMT -5
"One of us might be. I certainly am not trying to hide and don't need to seek. But you seem to need to do the latter."
The Cat responded to that question, his tone dropping into one of boredom. It was just his luck, he found a child and it was broken. No fear came from it which meant it was either very stupid or it wasn't quite what it first seemed.
"I am The Cat. Or at least, I am right now. Tell me are you just stupid or are you broken? If Mother sent you into these woods it must be one or the other. I imagine if its the former she is trying to get you killed for being so bothersome. But if it's the latter..."
The cat paused and stretched letting out a yawn before Mira would have her first chance to catch a glimpse of it. A single yellow eye shining for a moment up above taking her in.
"I suppose being a broken child might mean you are a working something else."
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Post by Huey and the Thralls on Feb 12, 2022 19:19:09 GMT -5
"Mother says I am neither," sang little Mira. "She says I am absolutely perfect. She sent me out alone because she knows I can handle myself." All the while, her ear followed the direction of the cat lurking around her. When he became visible, her eyes flicked toward him, but the rest of her head did not follow.
Perhaps it was the circumstances that led her to Maribelthat made the girl gifted pyromancer, though she never stopped to think about too long. While she could no longer conjure fire out of thin air anymore, the flint and steel in her hands were a good enough spark to help her create a flame and spread it among the dry brush. This would provide her protection... from the cat, at least, if he decided to attack her, though it was not her first thought of the curious creature. No, she wanted very much to pet it, as he was a cat, and she loved cats. "I know some speaking cats, but not many. Of what make are you, Cat? My brother Emile would very much like you."
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Post by Alistair Venator on Feb 13, 2022 16:45:50 GMT -5
"She's probably the one who broke you. I am not an expert on small humans but they aren't supposed to enjoy the forest at night. In my experience, they get quite frightened by it and that is half the fun of chasing them."
Alistair said with a snort. What was even the point of tormenting her if she didn't get afraid? Without the fear, it all sounded pretty boring and he'd probably be better off just eating her if he was hungry. Which he wasn't currently. He absently rolled on his back and lifted a paw to the air, spreading his toes languidly and letting his claws out. He brings one down to examine the points.
"The Cat."
Was his only response to the girl. He wasn't going to answer to Cat, he was The Cat, not just a Cat. Unless he was Venator or Alistair. But becoming the former right now wouldn't really do him much good. The latter might be better suited, in theory, for dealing with a small human but he wasn't sure he wanted to. He was kind of curious about the Mother now though, he could smell something amiss and he could probably satisfy his curiosity by talking to her. Wasn't there an expression about curiosity and cats? Ah well, he couldn't remember so it probably wasn't important.
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Post by Huey and the Thralls on Feb 19, 2022 3:51:16 GMT -5
"You can chase me if you want, but I like being the one who chases more. None of my siblings like it when I'm It though. Would you be disappointed if I was it, The Cat?"
What an odd title. It was not like calling one Lord or Sir, or even Marquess. Now and again, she heard Alvaro refer to his curse as The Beast. Was this something similar? Perhaps it was, and Mira wanted to know all about it!
"Mother would never break me. She has taught me to be strong!" The little girl flexed, and alas, she had little in the way of musculature. "I am not afraid because I am not helpless. Is that what you think, The Cat? How silly of you."
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Post by Alistair Venator on Feb 19, 2022 9:31:19 GMT -5
"You would have to find me to be it."
The Cat pointed out as he didn't bother answering the question she asked. Though his curiosity was, at least, somewhat piqued now.
"Not helpless are you? Hrmmm, you don't look particularly strong."
He did not bother looking at her again, so her flexing was for naught, but he didn't really need a refresher on what a little girl looked like.
"I'm not sure I believe you. I think you might be a liar."
The Cat said drolly unconcerned as he got up and moved once more. Silent as the winter forest as he picked a new spot to lounge out of her line of sight.
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Post by Huey and the Thralls on Jul 22, 2022 21:37:14 GMT -5
“Why must I look strong?” asked the child indignantly. “Jellyfish aren’t very strong. Nor are salamanders.” Her hand tightened on the firestarter and it bent gently in her grip. The flint blackened the palm of her other hand. “But both can make the skin burn until you can’t stand it anymore.”
Mira felt a warmth stir in her chest, bubbling up until the ends of her gray lips flipped into a twisted grin. “You may be able to hide from my eyes, but how fast can you run?”
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Post by Alistair Venator on Dec 20, 2022 23:08:41 GMT -5
"Can they? I haven't eaten many of those."
Neither seemed like they would be particularly stimulating pray. Certainly the little girl didn't as The Cat observed as she clutched her firestarter. He had seen humans use such tools before he knew what they could do.
"Faster than you, you only have two legs."
Alistair said with a lazy yawn. It didn't take much to guess what the little girls plan was. Not the exact details but there were only so many things the child could do with the item in her hands.
"But why would I run from a fire? That sounds like a delightful way to warm my paws."
The cat flicked his tail, while Mira didn't seem to be the most interesting prey he was amused now. The utter lack of fear combined with the threat amused him greatly. There wasn't much fear of fire in him, he was a creature of shadow and a fire would cast many long deep ones for him to play in.
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