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Messages - Eckhart_Von_Musel

#1
Welcome Wagon / Re: Hello, I'm new.
February 06, 2022, 05:34:07 PM
Welcome to SotE! Always nice to see a new face. Can't wait to see you around!
#2
Serendipity / Cindy Hargrove, Ranger Trainee
December 03, 2021, 04:00:11 AM
____________QUICK STATS
Name: Cynthia "Cindy" Hargrove
Age: 14
Gender: Female
Species: Human
Ethnicity: Verdan
Height: 5'1"
Weight: 99 lbs.
Occupation: Ranger Trainee
Residence: Algieri, Altas Verde
Favorite Food: Milkshakes
Alignment: Neutral Good


Art by me!
Character Theme:
Sore Winner

____________IN-DEPTH STUFF

Physical Description:
Cindy Hargrove is a short, athletic teenager with dirty blonde hair. I'll write the rest later, just look at the image for now

Cindy's spirit stone is ametrine! She wears hers on a beaded bracelet.

Personality:
Bursting with energy, Cindy is beyond eager to prove herself. She has a competitive streak a mile wide, and has a bad habit of trying to make a game of everything she does- "I'll race you there!" may as well be her catchphrase. She brags alot, and gets resentful around people her age who have accomplished more than she has.

While not a bad kid by any stretch, Cindy does have a tendancy of getting aggressive with people. She often hits people when she gets upset, and many of the children she grew up with considered her a bully. Her parents hope that serving her province as a Ranger will help to temper her anger issues, though whether or not giving Cindy access to dangerous weapons will make her less violent remains to be seen.

Cindy can get a bit boy-crazy at times. Her advances are remarkably straightfoward however, and she usually ends up scaring away her crushes.

Relationships:
Cindy is a trainee in the Ranger Core! She's much to young to go on any missions and spends the majority of her time doing combat training. She's supposed to be studying Atas Verde's provincial laws as well, but she's always finding excuses to get out of doing this.

Cindy has a twin brother named Liam! She has a one-sided rivalry with him, and tries her hardest to one-up him at every turn.

Magic/Abilities:
Like all Rangers, Cindy carries an enchanted weapon- in her case, the Shoes of Entropy. Anything struck by these tap shoes will decay at the point of impact- rock crumbles into gravel, dirt turns to sand, metal rusts and flakes away, etc. The enchantment used in the weapon's creation is incredibly potent, and the shoes are infamous among the Rangers for being too dangerous for anybody to control effectively. Most expect Cindy to come to her senses and swap the shoes for a more reasonable weapon, but she has so far refused to do so...

A childhood of playing sports and gymnastics classes have given Cindy a flexible, athletic build. She's always doing cartwheels and handstands, seemingly just to prove to people that she can.

History:
Being a twin isn't easy. Growing up, Cindy was made to share everything with her brother Liam- including the affection of her parents. To make matters worse, the two siblings were complete opposites of one another, and would frequently butt heads of the most minor of differences. This caused Cindy to develop a desire to outdo her brother in every regard, and she'd frequently attempt to one-up every accomplishment he had.

So when Liam was accepted into Wyrdwood, Cindy felt it was only natural to try and beat him somehow- and ended up joining the Ranger Core. Picking out the most dangerous weapon available to her, the girl vowed to bring fame and glory to her family- more fame and glory than a wizard could ever bring.

____________THREAD TRACKER
Current Threads:

Complete Threads:
#3
"Why of couse I can!" Beatrix purred, giving a strange little curtsy with her school robe. She clearly was enjoying the attention, and she beamed happily at the boy. "It's right this way!"

Aahva glanced at his friend, an amused grin on his face as he began to follow her. Was this kid really that gullible? Made sense he was a carnie, he supposed. "I don't know. Trixie, is Susie joining the circus?"

"Oh yes, she comes from a circus family!" Beatrix warbled. "Her parents are clown, actually- you should see her juggle!"

Aahva snorted. "Yeah. You should really see her!"
#4
Northern Serendipity / Re: Hell's Bells (Shrek)
October 24, 2021, 10:46:23 AM
Steak? Wallace's hood obscured the confusion on his face. She was on a quest for steak? The man's past wasn't something he liked talking about, either- people rarely asked, and when the did they rarely liked the answers they recieved. This woman would be no different, he was sure of it...

The rain was clearing up when he finally opened his mouth to answer, and the zombie horse would slow to a trot. "Uh... a while. Like, since I was little." Shaking his head, he tried to change the subject. ""So, uh, steak... what kind of quest is this, exactly?"
#5
*BANG!*

Danny ducked instinctively at the noise, heart racing. He felt something whizz past his hairp, and Squaredancer began to run even faster. "What- what was that!?" He yelped. "Are they throwing things at us?"

"The fuck? Danny, it's a gun!" Machitisiw glanced at the Adelan boy in disbelief. "A gun, Danny!"

"I didn't know they sounded like that!"

"Danny... Is this your first day outside?"

The two were now approaching the town outskirts, but their pursuers were still hot on their tail. Another gunshot rang out, and Danny shut his eyes tightly. There were hoofbeats directly behind them now, and the young man turned his head to see the Duhjari woman from the bar gaining on them. In a sudden burst of speed she overtook them, cutting between the two horses effortlessly...

"Hah." Machitisiw muttered under his breath. "Not today you don't." He pulled out his axe, wrist twisted at a strange angle. "Pay attention, Danny- this is called 'appeasing the mob'."

The man would throw the Axe at Ortec's hindquarters, ignoring Danny's cry of protest. Regardless of whether it made it's mark, the axe would then boomerang back to his hand..
#6
Aahva stared at the boy in disbelief, a stupified grin on his face. It took everything he had not to keel over laughing- the mere sight of the stranger tipping his hat had nearly broken him. And what the hell did "debilitated" mean? While his grasp on the Serenian language wasn't awful, the Thanati boy still had trouble with some of the longer words. "Uh... Thanks?" he said, instinctively touching his wrist. He turned to look at his friend. "...Rainfeather is Susie, right?"

"Uh-huh!"

If Beatrix was at all put off by the newcomer, she did a very good job at hiding it. "She's probably in the library. She always does homework this time of day." Without so much as skipping a beat, she continued. "At least, she pretends that she does. She's actually enchanting rocks to fly around and hit people." The pug-faced girl shook her head, folding her arms in disapproval. "She's a real piece of work..."
#7
Grand Duke's Palace / Re: Starry Eyed
October 14, 2021, 03:54:45 PM
The man's reply was cold, and Gwendolyn's smile faded. As usual, she hadn't needed introduce herself. "...Yes." she said, nodding awkwardly. "That is me." Why did he seem so mad? It'd been an accident...

"Maybe he'd been charged with guarding the books, and now he's worried he'll be reprimanded..." she thought. He brow furrowed. "No, that's silly. Unless... hm."

"Would... you like help cleaning this up?" she murmured. "It's the least I could do..."
#8
Wester Highlands / Re: Something From Nothing (Solo)
October 09, 2021, 10:40:17 AM
After what seemed like an eternity, the girl arrived back at her dorm room. Priscilla had already left- probably off to hang out with her cool, popular friends. Quietly slipping inside, Susie sat Crackers on her bunk before quickly locking the door behind her. The orratilla began to scratch at its jaw, squeaking impatiently. "I know, I know!" the redhead whined, digging through her robe pocket. "Let me... Just let me try this, okay?"

Drawing her wand, Susie couldn't help but pause. "What are you even doing?" a voice in her head whispered. "You already know this isn't going to work."

Doubt clouded the girl's thoughts, and she lowered her wand half-heartedly. "This is stupid, isn't it?" she said quietly. She looked towards the Orratilla, eyes beginning to tear up. "I-I'm really sorry... I just, I'm not sure what to do!"

"Just try it.

Susie blinked, her lower lip trembling. "But... but what if nothing happens?"

"What if something does? You will never know if you keep making excuses."

The girl stood there for a moment, fighting back the urge to cry. Finally she raised her wand again, squeezing her eyes shut and imagining a bar of solid gold...

*THUD*
The redhead flinched as she heard something heavy fall to the floor, but kept her eyes tightly shut. Crackers chirped happily and scampered off the bed, but the girl shook her head. It wasn't possible- it was far too good to be true! The sound of gnawing filled the room, and Susie finally opened her eyes halfway...

And sure enough, Crackers was now chewing on a gold ingot laying in the center of the room. Susie blinked twice, then raised her wand a second time. There was a sound like sand fallimg to the bottom of an hourglass, and another gold bar fell to the floor. The orratilla stopped chewing, then ran over to inspect the second ingot. Susie sank to her knees, unsure of how to process what she'd just done. Eventually she smiled, which quickly became a grin, before finally becoming laughter. She scooted over and picked up one of the bars, eyes gleaming. "Hahahaha, what?! But... but I thought..."

"Oh, I'm sure you'll figure it out."
Susie froze as Juniper's words played back in her head. Had she known this whole time? At first the girl felt betrayed-how could her patron not have just told her? If she had only known she had the power to do this, her entire life would have been different from the beginning! She wouldn't have to go to this school and worry about failing classes! Obedience, Aahva, Priscilla- she never would have had to meet any of them! She could be home right now, making money for her parents by making and selling gold! They wouldn't have to live in a shack anymore! So why didn't Juniper just tell her instead of sending her here?

"But would you have believed her if she told you?"

A lump formed in the girl's throat. No, she wouldn't have- it'd taken coaxing just for her to attempt to make the dust. Was everything she'd been put through just Juniper's way of getting her to discover it herself?

Susie picked up Crackers, who yipped happily as she began to scratch behind his ears. How many people had doubted her? How many had told her she didn't belong? How many dismissive teachers and dismissive classmates? Too many to count. It had been Juniper alone who belived in her- who truly recognized Susie for what she'd always had the power to do. And now that she'd recognized it herself, the redhead felt a sudden surge of loyalty to her patron. "I owe her everything... I need to make it up to her." she realized, heart racing. She shook her head. "I will make it up to her."

She pointed her wand into her hand, creating a bite sized piece of gold and handing it to Crackers. He took it gleefully, and climbed up onto Susie's shoulder. The girld giggled. "Come on, boy." she said with a grin. "Let's see what else we can make..."

#9
Wester Highlands / Re: Something From Nothing (Solo)
October 09, 2021, 10:39:02 AM
Susie asked more people for coins over the next couple of hours, but she didn't have any luck. Most students simply didn't carry that much- or if they did, they were unwilling to part with it. She'd gotten excited when Lulu had offered to help, only to have her hopes dashed when the Connlaothian girl gave her a spool of thread and a half eaten cookie and told her to "barter with the tomato faeries" for gold. It was getting to the point where Susie was at a complete loss as to who she still had left to ask...

"Aahva has a really cool gold earring!"

Beatrix's words flashed through her head, and the girl paused. "I'm not that desperate," she decided. "There's no way that- ow!"

Crackers had begun to chew on her hand, squeaking angrily as Susie did her best to pry him off. "Okay, fine." she admitted, gently sucking on her now-bleeding finger. "Maybe I am that desperate..."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

It took almost an hour of searching, but Susie finally found him sitting alone in the Observation Tower. The Thanati boy hadn't seen her yet, and was staring out the window with a glum expression on his face. Sure enough, he was wearing a gold earring- though it wasn't nearly as "cool" as Beatrix had made it out to be. "Okay. I can do this." she thought nervously as she approached. "Nothing to worry about.The worst he can do is say no..."

Well. Maybe that wasn't the worst thing he could do.

Forcing herself to smilie, Susie walked up next to the boy. Maybe it was because he'd always bullied her, but she never quite registered that Aahva was shorter than she was until now. What should she say? All her past interactions with him had been negative- she'd never tried to make small talk. "Um... H-hi Aahva!" she said, trying her best to sound cheerful and not terrified. "So... Whatcha looking at?"

Aahva blinked in confusion, turning his head to look at her. "...Nothing." he said, almost defensively. "I'm not looking at anything. Why are you here?"

Susie opened her mouth to reply, but Crackers began squeaking excitedly before she could say anything. The orratilla squirmed in her hands, reaching out his paws in an attempt to reach the boy's jewelry. "Holy shit." the boy said, staring wide-eyed at the animal. "That is one fat fucking rat."

Susie went red in the face. "Um..." she stammered, trying her best to ignore the boy's profanity. "H-He's not a rat, actually, he's an-"

"Is this about her?" Aahva abruptly cut her off, causing Susie to go silent. The boy gazed back up at her, his blue eyes piercing. "I can try to keep her away from your room, if that's what you're worried about. Trixie is who you really want to ask though."

Susie stared blankly at him, at a complete loss for words. It was uncharacteristically nice of him to offer, and she found herself wondering if perhaps he had some ulterior motive. "I appreciate it," she said finally. "But I, um, actually wanted to talk about your earring."

Aahva squinted at her, moving his hand to his ear as if to guard it. "Are you shitting me? You came to me for fucking fashion advice?" He laughed in disbelief. "I'm not gay, Susie."

The redhead pursed her lips angrily. "That's not what I meant." she said, tightening her grip on the struggling orratilla. "Crackers needs to chew on gold or his teeth will get overgrown, and I don't have any! I just wanted..." The look on the boy's face made her realize the gravity of what she was asking, and she struggled to find her tongue. "Just- just thought maybe, I could-"

"You want the rat to eat my earring?"

"No! Well, yes, but-"

"No."

Things were already going horribly, and Susie was nearing the verge of tears. "P-please!" she insisted. "He's in pain, look-"

"I said NO!"

Aahva took a step forward as he raised his voice, causing the girl to cower in fear. "How many fucking times to I need to say it! This is ыеÐ-" He said something in what Susie assumed was his native language, then shook his head violently. "It- it's just important, okay? I'm not just gonna fucking give it to you!" He turned around and began to storm off, fists clenched in anger. "Just make your own fucking gold..."

Tears began to run down Susie's face. "What do you even mean, make my own!" she screamed, unable to contain her anxiety any longer. "How the hell do I just 'make gold'?"

"You make those stupid shapes out of the white stuff, don't you?" Aahva called back derisively, now making his way down the stairs. "Just make them out of gold instead, retard!"

Susie was about to retort, but stopped herself. "Make them out of gold instead..." she thought, feet frozen in place. "The rule was supposed to be that you can't create something from nothing, but... Her jaw dropped as it all clicked into place. "But... but I can do that, can't I?"

The girl was soon rushing down the stairs startling Aahva on her way down. I can't believe it..." she thought as she made her was accross the commons and towards the dormatories. "Maybe asking him wasn't a mistake after all..."
#10
Wester Highlands / Re: Something From Nothing (Solo)
October 09, 2021, 10:36:38 AM
"Oh, honey... are you alright?"

A kindly voice broke Susie out of her trance, and she quickly looked to to see Magistrix Fen-Breath staring down at her with a concerned expression on her wrinkled face. The redhead shrunk back a bit, clutching her pet tightly. The hag was a new addition to the school faculty, and there were persistant rumours about her eating students who strayed too far from their dormitories. "Um..." she started, looking away nervously. "I'm okay... Sombody said something mean, that's all..."

The hag frowned. "I'm sorry. Is it something you'd like to talk about?" 

Susie felt a pang of anxiety in her chest, and she slowly stood up. She didn't want to believe the rumours about the Magistrix were true, but... what if they were? Could she refuse the teacher without getting into trouble? The girl looked at her feet silently, prompting the professor to rest an oversized hand on her shoulder. "Come on. I have hot chocolate in my office, if you'd like."

Caving at this, Susie would quietly follow the Magistrix. She stroked Cracker's head gently, hoping to calm him down somewhat. The orratilla's behavior was becoming erratic- frequently she'd catch him biting at his nails, or grinding his jaw as if he was trying to chew something. "He's getting desperate.," she thought as the two entered the door to the Professor's office. "I need to find some gold soon, or else we'll have a repeat of what happened with Priscilla this morning."

The Magistrix's office was surprisingly homey- a sharp contrast from her monsterous appearance. Her colorfully painted desk was home to a row of plush toys, and was surrounded by soft chairs and beanbags. A central fireplace lit the room, gently illuminating the watercolor paintings that lined the walls. The hag gestured to the chairs. "Please, sit. I'll put the water on." Susie obliged, sinking deep into into the cushions of a blue recliner. "Now, first things first," the Professor said cheerily as she returned with a steaming mug of hot cocoa "Who's your new friend? He's very cute."

"Oh!" Susie exclaimed, the tension beginning to leave her shoulders. She held up her new pet and gently placed him on the desk, where he began sniffing curiously at an inkwell. "This is Crackers! He's an orratilla, my patron gave him to me yesterday!" She beamed, happy that somebody was finally taking an interest. "He's one of the gold ones too! They're really rare!"

"Really?" Professor Fen-Breath said. She reached down to pet Crackers, only for the rodent to pull away shyly. "That was awfully generous of your patron. She must have heard about-" She stopped herself, as if thinking better of what she was about to say. "You have one of the Whitechalks, yes?"

Susie nodded, taking a sip of her drink. "Mistress Juniper, yeah." The girl paused to take the inkwell away from Crackers, who had been trying unsucessfully to get into.it. "Ahaha, sorry. I still need to get the right kind of metal for him to eat, so he's been stressed all day..."

The professor sat down, tilting her head quizzically as the rodent scampered around the desk. "Hm. I see." She looked back at Susie. "Now then, you said somebody hurt your feelings? Was it the Chatterjee boy again?"

Susie shook her head. "N-no. It was one of the boys who hangs out with Plutonious... I don't know his name. I thought Pluto could maybe lend me some gold coins to give to Crackers, but the guy wouldn't even let me talk to him..." She looked away uncomfortably. "He said it was because I'm Verdan..."

Fen-Breath blinked in surprise. "My. That's... quite the reason." Once again she tried to stroke Crackers' fur, but the rodent scurried to the other side of the desk. "I suppose it's not entirely surprising. Wyrdwood doesn't get many students from your province. There are bound to be some who use that as an excuse to bully." She gave the girl an understanding smile. "It's best you you just ignore them. If you try your hardest, they'll come around."

Susie smiled nervously. "Um... thanks." she said after a moments pause, uncertainty audible in her voice. "I, ah, feel better about it now." Truthfully the girl didn't think it was very good advice- but saying that to the hag's face seemed like a bad idea. It'd be better to just change the subject. "I'm still worried about Crackers, though. I don't have the money to feed him, and I don't know who could lend it to me..."

The girl looked up at the teacher innocently, but was met with a concerned expression. "Susie... I'm sure your patron meant well by giving you this gift, but..." The hag paused, as if trying to find the correct words to use. "I think it would be best for the animal if you gave him to somebody with the resources to properly care for him."

The redhead blinked, heart skipping a beat. "But... but we're mages!" she said, shaking her head in disbelief. "We turn things into animals all the time in class! Why can't you teach me to, like, turn a rock into gold or something?"

"Oh, Susie... I'm afraid that's just not possible for me." Maggie said sadly. "The magic to do it certainly is, of course- magic can do anything- but the act of transmuting material into gold is illegal in this province." She smiled weakly. "There's simply no way to go about it without breaking the law, and I can't do that for you."

Susie felt as if her heart had been frozen. "But- but that's stupid! There's really nothing I can do?" she stammered, picking up the orratilla as if she thought it was about to be snatched from her. "T-there's no way around the law?" She shook her head. "Can't you just... y'know... magic it into existance? Without the transmutation?"

The Magistrix sighed. "Susie, we went over this in class. Gewert's Second Law of Transmutation is..."

She trailed off, waiting for the girl to finish her sentance. Susie looked down at her feet. "Right.. You can't create something from nothing..." She looked back at the Magistrix, lower lip trembling. "It's just... it's just not fair! Look at him! Look!" She held up the orratilla, who was in the middle of chewing his own fingers. "He needs help now!"

Professor Fen-Breath nodded, smiling kindly. "Yes, I can see that. Tell you what- I'd be more than happy to give you some coins to tide him over while you work on finding new arrangments for him." Susie gave her a relieved smile as she pulled a small coin purse from her robe pocket. "Let me just- ah, hang on..."

Using a single, overseized finger, the hag rummaged through the bag. For a while she struggled to pull anything out, and she'd eventually dump all of it's contents onto the desk. Susie instantly recoiled- there were a myriad of spell regents among the coins, including giant toenail, live spiders, and what looked to be a chunk of stew meat. "Now, I should have some shiins in here some-"

"EEEEEEEEEEEK!"
Susie let out a terrified shriek, retreating to the back of the room. She pointed a shaking finger at the assortment of ingredients, eyes nearly bulging out of her head. "Wh-what i-is that?!" she squeaked, squeezing the now terrified Crackers tightly. "W-w-w-what is it and why is it moving?!"

"Why is it moving." the hag mouthed wordlessly, looking utterly baffled by the girl's sudden reaction. She looked down at the contents of her bag, squinting her yellow eyes in confusion. "Susie, I'm not sure what you- oh!" Letting out a bemused laugh, she picked up the chunk of flesh. It pulsated rhythmically in her hand, making an unsettling squelching sound as it did so. "Did you mean this?" she asked. "It's just a reanimated heart, dear- nothing to be afraid of!"

"R-reanimated?" Susie repeated, voice getting progressively higher as she slowly edged towards the door. "W-why is it reanimated?"

The Magistrix gave her best attempt at a comforting smile, but on her monsterous face it made her look rather sinester. "Oh, it's just part of my upperclassmen curriculem." she laughed dismissively. "We're going over Thanati-style necromancy next week and, well, you know how those islanders can be. 'Still-beating heart of a virgin girl' in every ritual!"

She laughed as if she'd told a particularly funny joke, but Susie's face was now frozen in a state of panic. "V-virgin girl? But.. but I'm..." she thought as she got ever closer to the exit, a horrible realization suddenly clicking in her head. "All that stuff people said about her... I-I gotta get out of here!"

Before the professor could say any more, Susie made a mad dash for the door. Thankfully it was unlocked, and the redhead was soon bolting down the hall. "Wait! It's not what you think!" the hag called after her. "It's ethically sourced! I have a friend who-"

But it was too late. The professor was soon out of earshot, and Susie wouldn't slow down until she reached the Central Hall...
#11
Wester Highlands / Re: Something From Nothing (Solo)
October 09, 2021, 10:35:08 AM
The Central Hall was quiet when Susie arrived- it was a weekend, and and most students had chosen to sleep in. She ate a quick meal of porridge, setting aside some dry oats for Crackers. The orratilla nibbled at them halfheartedly, though it was clear he'd rather be eating something else. Frowning, Susie hurriedly finished her meal and left without clearing her place. "Right. If I were Plutonious, where would I be?" she asked herself as she walked. "He likes flying, so maybe the courtyard? Unless he's riding it through the halls again..."

Sure enough, upon going outside Susie could see a figure on a broomstick zipping through the air happily. Making her way to the school's small playing field, the girl became aware of the crowd of students gathered below the rider. Suddenly feeling very anxious, the redhead held Crackers close to her chest as she watched Plutonious make a trick landing. The boy's hair was windswept, and he grinned dreamily as the crowd cheered. The girl felt her heart jump, and her face turned a deep red as she continued her approach. "Um... Ex-excuse me? Plut-"

"Ahem. What, exactly, do you think you're doing?"

A fashionable looking boy with green hair had stepped in front of her, blocking her from moving any further. Susie looked up, startled. "I-I just need to talk to Plutonious for a-"

"And you think you can just speak to him without going through our vetting process? Have you even filled out the application yet?" The boy crossed his arms. "One can't simply make conversation with a member of the Kingshield family- especially not someone of your status."

Taken aback, Susie's eye twitched. "What do you mean, 'my status'?" she bristled, squeezing Crackers a bit tighter than he would have liked. "Priscilla is a Kingshield, and I talk to her literally every-"

"Oh, please." the boy said, cutting her off a third time. "If I had a glint for every time I heard that excuse..."

Susie was about to snap at him, but the muffled squeaks of her new pet caused her to falter. She quickly loosened her grip, giving the young man a poisonous glare. "Fine." she huffed. "Where can I fill out this stupid application?"

The olive-haired boy smirked at her. "Mmm, sorry. I'm afraid you've already been rejected. I'm afraid your attitude doesn't quite fit what we have in mind..." He pointed a finger at Susie coyly. "Also, Verdan. Ew."

The girl stared at him for a moment, genuinely speechless. Finally she spoke, a tear forming in the pit of her eye. "Well... Well fine then!" she yelled, causing Crackers to cower in her hands. She quickly stormed away, feeling far too angry to cry this time. "No Verdans, really?!" she growled under her breath as she made her way back inside. "But that's so... so stupid!"

"As if our culture wasn't disrespected enough..."
Juniper's words from the previous day echoed throught her mind, making her feel even worse. Was behavior this really commonplace? Finding an empty hall, Susie slumped down against the wall and buried her face in her hands. Crackers jumped onto her shoulder, his wiskers tickling the young girl's ear. Ignoring him, Susie began to murmur softly. "It's not fair... It's not fair... It's not fair..."
#12
Wester Highlands / Re: Something From Nothing (Solo)
October 09, 2021, 10:34:19 AM
It was very nearly curfew when Susie reached her dorm, and most of her roommates were already asleep in their beds- save for her bunkmate Priscilla, who reading a heavy-looking book on volcanoes. Quietly getting changed into her pajamas, the redhead sat crackers down on her pillow. "You can sleep here tonight." she whispered as she clambered into her bunk. "Don't wake the other before morning, okay?" Closing her eyes, the girl drifted off to sleep...

"AAAAAAAAAH!"

The sun was only beginning to rise when a loud shriek startled Susie awake. Leaping out of bed, she turned to see Priscilla struggling to pull Crackers off her chest. "RAINFEATHER!' she screamed, grabbing the Orratilla by the scruff of it's neck. "Get your stupid squirrel away from my necklace!"

"Aah! Oh no!" Susie rushed forward to help, desperately trying to pry the girl's jewelry out of the rodent's hands. "I-I am so, so sorry!"

After a few moments, the two girls managed to pull Crackers away from the necklace. The Orratilla squaked indignantly, reaching out with his paws in a final attempt to grab it. Priscilla immediately slid backwards, clutching her jewelry. "You need to get that thing fixed. You couldn't have gotten a nicer pet?"

Susie glowered at the girl. "I said I was sorry." she bristled. "And Crackers is nice! He-he's just hungry, that's all!"

Priscilla raised an eyebrow. "Mhm. Why don't you feed him then?"

Susie faltered, then looked down at her feet. "Because I don't have the gold he wants..."

Her bunkmate smirked. "Of course. Silly of me to forget, you wouldn't have any." The raven-haired girl giggled. "Can you even afford a cage for him? I hear they need to be custom built."

"I... I could probably build one..." Susie said, suddenly feeling very unsure of herself. "I used to help my Pa with house projects all the time."

"Now, if it were my pet, I could just commission a cage." Priscilla warbled as she rolled out of bed. Quickly pulling on her clothes, she hovered over the small cage on her bedside table. Opening the door, she gently reached inside. "Soleil, sweetie?" she purred "Why don't you show Susie how a [i[?]good[/i] pet behaves?"

There was a shuffling from inside, and a fluffy hamster poked it's head out from underneath the bedding. Shaking itself off, it rushed towards Priscilla's hand. "Ah-ah-ah!" the girl chided. "Clothes first, remember?" The hamster stopped, then ran to the corner of her cage. After a few moments, she came back wearing a hamster sized dress and crown. "There's my widdle pwincess!" Priscella squealed as she scooped up Soleil, holding her up for Susie to see. "Now see, this is proper behavior."

Susie stared at the hamster, then at Crackers. The orratilla was eying Soleil's crown jealously, chirping softly. "I guess he does need to be trained..." she said begrudgingly. "But that should be easy once I find some gold for him! Um..."

Priscilla rolled her eyes as Susie shifted her weight uncomfortably. "Uh-huh. Just gotta do that, then." She placed Soleil on her shoulder, gently scratching the hamster behand the ears. "You know, you could just give him some suns. Those are gold, at least partially."

"I don't have any suns..." Truthfully, the redhead had never so much as held a sun, much less owned any. Suddenly, she had an idea. Looking at her roommate hopefully, the redhead put on her best puppy dog eyes. "Say, um, Priscilla?" she asked sweetly, gently putting Crackers into her robe pocket. She placed a finger to her lips innocently. "You have a really big allowance, right? Do you think, maybe...?"

Priscilla snorted. "Fat chance, Rainfeather." she sneered. "That kind of thing might work on my brother, but I'm not so easy mooch off of."

Susie paused, eyes lighting up. "But... it would work on your brother?"

"Oh, he'd piss away our fortune on beggars and leeches if we let him. He hasn't an ounce of- hey, where are you going? I was talking!"
#13
Wester Highlands / Re: Something From Nothing (Solo)
October 09, 2021, 10:33:24 AM
The sun had begun to set when the carriage finally arrived at the school. Giving an awkward goodbye to the kulshedra driver, Susie rushed up the stone steps to the main entrance. "I hope I won't need to give him up..." she thought, gently scratching her new pet behind the ears. "Maybe the school will lend me some gold I make him my-"

"Susie, is that a Guinae Pig?"

Beatrix Evans had stepped out of the shadow of a gargoyle, and was now approaching her curiously. Susie winced, instinctively clutching Crackers to her chest. Of all people to run into, why did it have to be her? The redhead shook her head, taking a step back. "...No..." she replied carefully. "It's an Orratilla. My patron-"

"Oh, an Orratilla!" Beatrix exclaimed, cutting her off mid-sentence. She leaned in to get a closer look at the animal, who immediately began to sqeak and squirm in Susie's grasp. "...You know, my uncle in Featherfall actually raises these. He's like, totally rich because of it. Sometimes he lets me play with them, it's pretty great."

Susie took another step back, eyes glazing over. There was no point in contesting the girl's obvious lie- doing so would just lead to another story, and would only be a waste of time. "Neat." she said, clearly unenthused. "I gotta go now, so..."

Susie began to walk away, making a face as she realized Beatrix was now following her. "So your little guy is gonna need gold and silver, right?" the girl warbled. "I used to have a ton of gold, but I left it at home in my parent's secret vault. Didn't want it stolen, of course."

"Of course." Susie repeated flatly, lips curling into a grimace. Her pace quickened, and Crackers began to chirp nervously. "I'll find gold for him, don't worry..."

She trailed off, hoping the conversation would end there. To her increasing annoyance, it didn't. "Aahva has a really cool gold earring!" the pug-faced girl said cheerily. "He'd never give it to you though. He won't even let me see it!"

"Well, that's really interesting Beatrix!" Susie said, pace getting even faster. "I really, really need to get back to my room though, so I'll talk to you later please!"

"Susie, one more thing."

The redhead jumped as a cold hand grabbed her shoulder, a jolt of fear running through her body. She spun around wildly, clutching her pet tightly to her chest. "W-what?" she said, a bit louder than she'd intended. "W-what do you..."

It was then that Susie paused. Beatrix's smug expression had faded, a look of genuine concern on her face. The girl's black irises had shrunken considerably, and for a few seconds her eyes almost looked normal. "It's nothing, just..." She glanced at Crackers nervously, ignoring the animals obvious discomfort when she did so. "Don't let her take this one from you. If she starts something, tell me, 'kay?"

Susie stared at her for a moment, dumbstruck. Aahva must have told her what happened with Obedience the month prior, but Beatrix had never shown her a shred of compassion before- quite the opposite, she'd actually gotten Susie in trouble on multiple occasions. Had something changed, or had this side of her always been there? Finding her toungue, Susie gave the girl a determined nod. "Yeah. I'll let you know. Thanks."

She stared at Beatrix for a few moments more, before finally resuming walking. This time, she wasn't followed.
#14
Wester Highlands / Re: Something From Nothing (Solo)
October 09, 2021, 10:32:37 AM
The rest of dinner went by quickly. Juniper seemed mostly interested in the friends Susie was making- or the lack thereof, as was the case. "Half the value of this school is the connections you'll make," the teenager explained. "There's nothing wrong with spending time with the Hargrove's child, but you might want to consider talking to some more... notable students as well. You said you share a room with the Kingshield's daughter, right?"

Susie scratched her head. "I mean yeah, but Priscilla is so..." she trailed off, grimacing at the thought of her bunkmate. "Mean..."

Juniper scratched her head, a blank on her face. "Okay, well, I believe the Justicier's sons are both attending. Why not start with them?"

"No." The girl replied immediately, her voice uncharacteristically forceful. "I do not like them."

Juniper blinked in shock, clearly taken aback. Quickly regaining her composure, she gave the girl an odd smaile. "Wow! You can't just drop that on me without an explaination." she laughed. The teenager leaned forward, resting her head on her hands. "What happened between you and them? I thought Arthur was positively charming when I met him this morning."

Susie's face turned beet red. Had she said that out loud? "I-I mean, nothing ever happened..." she stammered, glancing from side to side as if worried someone might overhear her. Her voice lowered to a whisper. "But, Arthur... He's always talking about souls and stuff. Like... in the illegal way."

Juniper raised an eybrow. "The illegal way." she repeated flatly. "...I see. Interesting. Well, I suppose you wouldn't want to be caught up in that, then."

Susie nodded sheepishly. "Y-yeah... I really don't want to get in trouble." She gave her patron an apologetic look. "Sorry..."

Juniper leaned back, waving her hand dismissively. "It's quite alright. You don't have to be their friend if it bothers you." The young woman gave Susie a firm look. "Just remember, the friends you do make could go on to shape your future. You must choose them wisely."

Susie remained silent. She wasn't sure why Juniper was so hung up on this- it wasn't like she'd been hanging out with Beatrix this whole time. "...Right." she finally affirmed, having no idea if the promise she was about to make was one she could keep. "I'll, um, try to talk to Priscilla's brother. He seems nice."

"And he's handsome." she added to herself. "He probably won't pay me any attention, though..."

Juniper nodded, seemingly satisfied with this response. She glanced at the clock, pursing her lips. "It's getting late. Before you head back, though, I do have something I'd like to give you." Juniper stood up, clapping her hands together. "Fiorina, be a dear and fetch Susie's gift?"

The Kulshedra bowed her head before disappearing into the back room. There was a clatter as if something had fallen over, and Juniper turned to give Susie an exasperated look. "This always happens." she sighed. "Every day she forgets she has a tail, and she knocks something over with it. I swear, if I didn't like her..."

The servant girl quickly re-appeared, carrying a large wooden cage in her arms. A small animal was moving inside, golden fur glittering in the candlelight. Susie gasped, covering her mouth in shock. "Oh. Oh Myyla." she said softly, struggling to process what was being presented to her. "Is... is that really..."

"A Tarnished Orratilla. I know they're you're favorite." Juniper said, a smile creeping onto her lips. She opened the cage, gently picking up the rodent and handing it to the girl. "I hope you find him... adaquate?"

Susie nodded breathlessly, taking the orratilla in her hands. The animal squirmed in her grasp at girst, but quickly relaxed when the girl scratched him behind the ear. It had been her dream to own an orratilla since she was very little, but her parents had always told her they were too expensive- they were a species of burrowing rodents, and they needed a steady supply of precious metals in their diet to wear down their teeth. A sudden pang of anxiety struck as she realized she was holding an endangered species. "I... I can really have him? It's, y'know... legal?"

"Of course it's legal." Juniper cooed. "I have a contact back home who breeds them." She leaned over to scratch the orratilla's head. "You don't need to worry about a thing."

The redhead sighed in relief, giggling as the the Orratilla twitched his wiskers at her. "He's so cute!" she whispered. "I'm gonna name him... Crackers!"

Juniper glanced at the clock. "It will be dark soon." she said calmly. "You should probably get going."

Susie flinched as Juniper took her by the shoulder. "Um, but wait!" the girl squeaked. "Won't I need gold to feed him? My parents always said that's why I couldn't-"

"Oh, I'm sure you'll figure it out." Juniper quickly cut her off, an odd smile on her face. "Now hurry or you won't make it back before your curfew!"

Susie was shooed out of the room, and before she knew it she was in the carriage once again. "But..." she whispered to herself as the carriage began move. "But how will I be able to take care of him without gold?"
#15
Wester Highlands / Re: Something From Nothing (Solo)
October 09, 2021, 10:31:55 AM
The two entered the inn, taking the staircase to a row of doors upstairs. Juniper unlocked the second room, holding it open and motioning for Susie to go first. As the girl set foot inside, he eyes widened. The suite was much larger than she'd expected- nearly double the size of her living room back home. Floating orbs of light illuminated the space, and caused the antique furniture to cast long shadows over the carpet. Ornate tapestries hung from the walls, each one depicting a god from the Serenian Pantheon. In the center of the room was a long table loaded with food much nicer looking than what was served at Wyrdwood. Waltzing towards it, Juniper pulled a chair and beckoned for the girl to sit. "I do hope it's to your liking." she said floatily. "It was the best I could manage that wasn't a day's trip away."

Susie sat down, eying the food eagerly. "No, this is amazing!" she replied. "Y-you didn't have to go to all this trou-"

"Nonsense." the older girl cut her off, taking the seat opposite of her. "You are my favorite, after all." Taking note of Susie's expression, she smiled.  "Now eat. There's much to discuss today."

Nodding in excitement, the redhead picked up her knife and began to cut into the pheasant breast in front of her. It'd been broiled with a light pesto sauce, something she hadn't had since she'd left for school. As the taste filled her mouth, her mind was flooded with memories of home- the scent of her mothers's cooking, her father's booming laugh, the view of the mountains outside her bedroom window. A smile crept onto Susies face as she chewed. "This is really good!" she said in between bites. "It's just like my mom's recipe!"

That's because it is your mom's recipe." Juniper replied, smiling as she picked at her roast potatoes. "Thought I apologize if the pesto tastes... off. None of the local markets here have Shug Puzzle seeds, so we had to make do with pine nuts. As if our culture wasn't disrespected enough..."

"No, it's fine..." The redhead frowned, brow furrowing slightly. "What do you mean we're not respected? Nobody's ever said anything to me about being Verdan."

"Never? Not even about your accent?"

Susie pursed her lips. People had made fun of her for that. "I don't have an accent." she said defensively. "Everybody else does."

The teenager chuckled. "That's a good way to look at at. In any case, though..." Juniper gestured to the tapestries behind her. "Notice anybody missing?"

Susie paused, glancing upwards to inspect the images on the wall. She coud see Kia in both her incarnations, Fyarion traversing the stars, an antlered goddess she didn't recognize, and...

Her eyes widened. "Wait, where's Myyla?"

Juniper smiled, although she didn't look happy. "Where indeed. We've been part of Greater Serendipity for centuries, but there's not a single province who recognizes our patron goddess." Her smile faded, and there was a bitterness in her voice that Susie had never heard before. "Kia and Moonspear's horse god get aggressively pushed on all of us, all the while Myyla doesn't get a single shrine outside Altas Verde. If that's not disrespect, I don't know what is."

The teenager stared at Susie as if waiting for affirmation, and the redhead quickly looked down at her food. She'd always been vaguely aware that Myyla was mostly just worshipped in Altas, but she'd never given it much thought until now. Memories of the other students looking at her funny when she prayed flashed through her mind, and the girl began to feel angry. "You're right." she said, hand balling into a fist. "That's not fair."
#16
Wester Highlands / Something From Nothing (Solo)
October 09, 2021, 10:31:12 AM
~Continued from Left Out In The Cold~

While Susie had ridden in carriages before, there was something uniquely different about the one she was in now. It was too unreal- the wheels made no sound as they glided over the road, sailing over bumps and potholes with nary a jostle. Looking out the window, the young girl watched as the scenery slowly changed, the forested school grounds disappearing behind them as the road they were on took them through a snow-covered meadow.

Finally, the carriage began to slow to a halt. Juniper, who had stayed silent for the duration of the trip, stood up and stretched her arms. "Look like we're here." she said lazily. "Fiorina? The door, if you would."

There was a shuffling outside as the driver dismounted, and the door to the carriage swung open. Susie instinctively shrunk back as a grotesque figure came into view, though the evening sun obscured the details of their face. After a few moments of hesitation, a horrifically burnt hand was offered to her sponsor. Juniper accepted it graciously, allowing the disfigured servant to assist her off the carriage before beckoning for Susie to follow.

As the young girl cautiously stepped forward, the drivers features became more visible. The woman was a Kulshedra- a kind of dragon-person that Susie had only ever seen in books. Burn scars covered half of her body, blackened scales peppered by small flecks of green. Seemingly having noticed the girl's terrified expression, Fiorina gave Susie an timid smile before lifting the redhead up and out of the carriage. "There you go." she said softly. "Nothing to worry about."

"When you've finished staring at her, we really should be heading inside."

Juniper's voice broke through the Susie's thoughts like an ice pick, and the girl forced herself to look away from the Kulshreda. "R-right." she stammered, walking hastily to catch up with her patron. "Sorry..."

"Quite alright." the noblewoman breathed, the ghost of a smile on her lips. "I'm sure Fiorina is used to it by now."
#17
I'm totally down to plot with you guys if you want, sure! You can feel free to message me in discord with ideas and stuff :)
#18
Welcome Wagon / Re: Hey y'all!
September 01, 2021, 02:09:13 AM
Hello MK! Welcome to SotE!
#19
Zantaric / Re: An Assassin in a Haystack (Eckhart)
August 25, 2021, 09:45:46 AM
*BZZZZZT*

The reptillian shrieked and slumped to the ground, blood gushing from his neck. Randal cheered as Sarah emerged from the alleyway, rushing towards her. "Whoah! That was so cool!" he yelled, practically bouncing on his feet. "I never get to see you use your powers!"

Sarah smiled, scratching the back of her head sheepishly. "Aw. It's not that cool..." she giggled, clearly happy with being praised. "Your magic is like, way better!"

Cautiously, the assassin knelt by the fallen creatures neck. Placing a finger to the wound she'd inflicted, she grinned wildly. "Dead!" she exclaimed triumphantly. She looked over to her cousin, who'd just caught up to her. "I practiced for something like this to happen, like, a million times! Normally I use binoculars though, so I was like, super sure I was gonna miss! But look!"

Griselda gave Sarah a thumbs up, eying Sage suspiciously. Randal's eyes widened. "Ewan, it's him again!" he hissed, nudging the redheaded boy's ribs. "Come on, we should leave..."
#20
Grand Duke's Palace / Re: Starry Eyed
August 24, 2021, 09:32:50 AM
As it turned out, somebody had heard it.

Almost immediately after the books had fallen, a man had jumped in from balcony, brandishing a sword. Gwendolyn immediately took a defensive stance, stepping behind her shield before the absurdity of the situation hit her. "At ease, soldier..." she murmured softly, seemingly more to herself than to the stranger. Upon a closer glance at the man, she smiled faintly. "You, ah... have a thing, there." she said, hesitantly pointing at his sword with her free hand. "It looks stuck..."