2023.12.18 I Jest
| I Jest | |
|---|---|
| Zeller gets a strange text inviting him to Icepeak Tavern, becoming an unwitting victim to one of Jester's pranks | |
| IC Date | 2023.12.18 |
| IC Time | Noon |
| Players | Eirlys, Zeller |
| Location | Snow Fang Peak - Icepeak Tavern |
| Spheres | Changeling |
<Phone> (Text to Zeller) Greetings ser Zeller... you are humbly requested to join for merriment in the iciest of mountain taverns... if you are not already spent!
<Phone> (Text from Zeller) u know... icy refreshment sounds just right. be right there.
The tavern isn't TOO rowdy, seeing as the noon time of day is more for having a nice snack... but then again, this is the mountain. In winter. Times of day can be weird here, and there's always merriment to be had! Still, among the patrons of the strangely colorful place, the form of the dark Satyr is nowhere in sight. Strange....
Zeller makes his way into the tavern and quickly scans the room for the other. Fonding no success, he moves toward the hearth and throws his little half cape back away from his shoulders. It settles in folds between his shoulder blades and highlights the shortsword at his hip. He settles in at a bench near the hearth and after a moment looks deep in thought.
<Phone> (Text to Zeller) My my, a handsome goat, nothing so rote! I know you look cozy, but why don't you give the table in the corner around the bend a looksee....
Distracted as he is, Z starts at the vibration. Peering down into his lap, he can be seen then glancing left and right to look for the bend and the table therein. Ultimately deciding on what must be the table in question, he moves toward the corner. "Eil?" he calls out quietly as he approaches.
Looking around the place to find what he THINKS is the table in question, he would see the raised wood only bears two empty stools and a freshly empty mug. That is until, stepping around the table a bit more, it becomes clear the stool -isn't- empty... there's something there. A... plushie? A plushie of a fantastical animal... like a nightmarish two-legged canine with a pot belly, much too long neck, and even longer arms bearing mitts with golden claws each like their own knife. Its head hangs like its neck is broken, bell-tipped floppy ears hanging lifelessly as a golden-toothed grin stays fixed on its face. Only buttons cover its eyes... but they still feel like they're watching. Its fabric is aged but well-kempt, and the zipper down the entirety of its front offers much to the imagination as to what it's for.... And, what's more, a familiar phone sits next to the thing. Well, that solves one mystery... maybe!
"Eil...?" Z peers around the tavern once more, peeking back over his shoulder. He approaches the plushie and picks it, and the phone, up. Once again, he takes a look around the room, before resting a his butt on the tabletop and staring hard at the zipper. After a pensive moment he takes the zipper pull between his fingers.
The plush feels slightly heavier than it would appear, the fabric surprisingly soft to the touch. It has a bit of give, insides feeling squishy... almost like memory foam mixed with corn syrup, or something far stranger. The zipper feels pleasantly cool to the touch, as one would expect, and yields without further fanfare to his pull. The teeth of the zipper open, sharp like the dangling teeth of the thing, soft folds of its insides shrouded in darkness. If there's something in there, it must be fallen to the bottom... he'll have to stick his hand in.
- ZZIIIIPPPP***The weight of the thing and the squishiness of the interior have him hesitant to reach inside, but he does so anyway, as he begins to worry that something may be wrong with Eirlys and this may be a clue as to what had happened to her.
As he reaches inside, the first thing that strikes him is it's -wet- and -warm-. It's almost fleshy, though certainly not human flesh... no, it's far too slick for that. It hugs around his hand, the cavity seeming to go further down than one first might think. But, if he persists, he'll find something hard and cylindrical inside. If he slips it out, he'll see a glass bottle, corked, with a note inside....
Concern for his friend beginning to mount, Z does indeed persist and fish out the little bottle. Pulling the slightly slimy bottle into the light, he uncorks it, dumps the note out onto the table and smooths it flat to read it.
The note is very simple, written in cursive. "It's so nice to finally meet. She's in the Mage's Retreat... bring me with you for a treat!" That's... it. Only that and his hand covered in that strange slimy substance.
"Mage's retreat?" Zeller ponders. He glances around the tavern again, and huffs. He stuffs the phone and the bottle into a pocket in the lining of the half cape and starts to step out of the tavern. On his way, he wipes his arm off on one of the furrier patrons playing it off as clapping the creature on the back "Take care man." He mutters as he continues past.
It doesn't take all too long or much asking around to find this Mystic's retreat mentioned on the note, the place of magic knowledge and potential opening before him with all its sents and sensations. If he glances at the held plushie, he'd find the zipper mysteriously zipped back up on its own, though there's not much time to ponder the thing he's carrying before, in a little nook towards the back of the space, he finds her. In a chair at a desk next to a space clearly meant for the inscribing of magic circles upon the stone, she sits. Well, -sits- is a strong word, as she appears to be collapsed over the desk, face down, horns up. Perhaps she fell asleep...?
"Eil?" Z whispers as loud as he feels is acceptable, "What the fuck man?!" his voice starts to rise at the end, and catching himself, he lowers his volume again. "Gotta say as pranks go, this was pretty damn creepy." He moves across the room and reaches out to shake her gently.
She is, thankfully, warm to the touch, and the shaking elicits a long, drawn-out `uurrrrrrrrghhhh.` She shifts a bit in place, mumbling `if there's a time limit or something for here... I'm sorrryyy... just... mmmtaking a break....`
"Eil... hey..." Z asks gently, what are you doing here, he looks around the desk tonsee what she may have been reading or studying and glances at the summoning circle with a furrowed brow. "You ok?" He lashes the plushie to his sword belt with a loose leather strap and kneels down next to Eirlys.
He can see a book on the desk titled "Encyclopedia of Chimera by Environment" as well as "The Art of Winter: A Debate on Practioniners" and one more that's too wedged under her to make out. Eil, meanwhile, seems to grow a bit more in lucidity, turning her head sligthly up to blink one of those dark-scelera'd eyes up at him. `Err... Zzz... zeller? How'd you find me here...` she mumbles, before glancing down to his waist. Her eyes widen a bit more at that. `And why the hell are you... oh... goddammit Jester.`
Zeller glances at the chimera at his hip and an O forms on his mouth. "So you're the one, I've heard so much about." He frees the plushie from his belt and sets it in an open chair. Continuing to address it, he adds "Thank you for taking care of her. You are doing an excellent job." He then turns his attention back to the satyr woman. "It looks like Jester thought you might need help... Welp, what are we looking at?"
`What do you mean need help? I'm in the dan library here just mindin' my own business... ugh.` Eil groans, pulling herself up more. The page initially sticks to her cheek, then falls. Seems it's open to some kind of page depicting a fancy looking altar... like one you might see at the head of a temple. `What are we looking at? I dunno what you mean by we, but I'm just learning stuff... y'know. Lots of stuff to learn, whole new world!`
Zeller exchanges a glance with Jester, nods and regards to woman, "Ok. Well if you don't need my help then, I suppose I should leave you be, but that's some pretty heavy duty content, and judging by the looks of it, I don't think you should dive into it alone or rashly." He shrugs, still kneeling next to her and looking up into her purple eyes. "I've been doing a lot of reading myself lately, actually. Maybe, I'll just sit over here... and do my own research."
Eil sits up more, glancing away, grumbling. `Heyyy... I don't say I wanted you to leave!` She sighs, then furrows her brows a bit at the plushie now sitting on the desk. `Since it seems Jester thinks so -little- of me, it's probably best you stay so he doesn't get any ideas again. You're lucky he didn't eat you or something, he looks hungry....`
"Oh." Zeller tilts his head at Jester, "Next time I'll be sure to bring treats then." He swivels his head back. "So, what are we working on? I'll tell you what I've been researching if you do?"
`Oh uh... you might have a difficult time with that one. He feeds on fear, worry, that kind of thing, I think. Pretty good about getting it himself.` Eil hums, organizing the books before her as she lets out a yawn. `And, well... several things at once I suppose. Since you said last time I couldn't decide on a form, I thought I might look through some chimera to pick one for next time... which also comes into this history book right here. I wanted to see what kind of things roamed around at certain periods, perhaps when I was around before, but I don't have much to go on to pinpoint what time my last incarnation was in.`
"Ahh haaa....." Zeller nods. "So, maybe, just maybe, we could work together. Hear me out. I wanna go into the Dreaming amd talk to... like... an oracle." he says excitedly, "We could ask what form would suit you best and I could ask my question!" he quirks an eyebrow at Jester and mutters "you were TRYING to makee worry about her?! Touche sir, touche."
Eil sighs, pushing out her chair a bit to cross a leg over the other. `Sealgaira is doing some kind of augury on the solstice... it's only 3 days away now. All the nobles will be there to help get to the bottom of what's going on with me, so you don't need to worry about going through the trouble yourself. They're extremely determined to get to the bottom of things, especially Sealgaira, as you might expect!` She smiles a tad, glancing at Jester. `Yeahhhh... he's real good at his job. I bet he went after you because he -knows- we have the best, most juciest emotions.`
Zeller's brow furrows deeply, "I only have three days?" He shakes his head. "Fuck. Okay. Umm... I gotta go." He gathers himself up, and starts moving towards the exit. "Later Eirlys. Don't do anything rash. Jester good to meet you... take care of her. Next time I'll be a harder target."
`Yeah you only have... wait, what? What happened to staying here and studying with me?!` Eil questions, standing from her desk, looking actually concerned for once. `Where are you going?`
