View source for 4408/Persona:WTWM - And This Little Piggy

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2016/08/09
|Location=Alberichstadt <P:WTWM>
|Synopsis=Ainsley 'chats' with the Pig, and learns some interesting things about his personality. The group finds an odd pair of Shadows, and August almost gets eaten by a vampire tree.
|Cast of Characters=894, 42, 999, 151, 513, 714, 946
|Tinyplot=Persona: Were the World Mine-1
|pretty=yes
}}
{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:894|August Kohler (894)}} has posed:'''<br>It's afternoon in Alberichstadt! That doesn't matter however, because we're going inside the Mirror Forest! Inside the clearing that the Persona Users usually enter into, it is pretty dead quiet. Only one or two Shadows hanging in the darkness of the trees, some chittering in the distance, that's it.<br><br>The White Pig is here, currently being tamed(?) by August Kohler, who is feeding it ham. The White Pig has not realized the irony of this, and one could wonder if it is actually cannibalism or not. Instead, the Pig is enjoying the ham slowly, allowing August near it for this purpose. The Mirror will close once everyone arrives, allowing security in their operation.<br><br>With the quietness of the Forest, one could actually explore for stuff, if they wanted. Of course, it has its dangers, but now seems like a better time than later!<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:42|Staren (42)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Staren arrives, meeting up with August and looking at the pig curiously. He's in his armor, of course -- just because they're not here to fight a shadow doesn't mean none will show up.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"...Are you feeding it /ham/?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:999|Emily Branford (999)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"My /goodness/, August, that's some... peculiar taste in irony you have."<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The first time anyone in this group met Emily Branford, she was standing outside the door to the very shack that August gave her directions to - something which she almost certainly reminded him of, in her own blandly-teasing way, on the way here. It's not long at all before she's walking up, just behind Staren, and taking a quick glance to confirm exactly what Staren himself just observed.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;August, you've earned a raised eyebrow. Rather sharply raised, even.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:151|Ainsley (151)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;There were some questions on Ainsley's mind, as there tends to be, and that led her to the Mirror Forest when she was called. She was dressed in her winter gear, which looked a little odd on her as she needed to make sure she didn't freeze to death... though it was the middle of Summer, it was still a risk going anywhere near Germany at night thanks to the area being fairly cold at night.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Once she had her bearings on the other side of the mirror, she produced a small bag of treats and approached, but discovered that August was already feeding the pig. As she got closer, she paused and knelt nearby, gazing at the White Pig with some strong curiosity. The Shadow seemed so strange to her. A conceptual creature that produced its own Persona. What if it was the Shadow of someone still alive out there somewhere? Or was it the condensed essence of fear itself...?<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She looked at August with growing skepticism, upon realizing that he's feeding the White Pig bits of ham. She decides to leave it alone; animals were not as picky about such things and she didn't want to make a huge scene over a bit of food. The pig was a magical mind entity anyways, not a normal pig from a farm. She lets out a sigh when Staren just bluntly blurts it out, though, and looks over her shoulder at him. "Don't worry about it," she gently advises to those that are, in fact, worrying about it, turning back to the task at hand.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Hello," she speaks softly to the White Pig, "I'm Ainsley. If you feel up for it, I want to ask you a few questions. I understand that you cannot speak, and that it is an awful lot to ask of you to endure questions when you have to live out here." She digs into her coat and produces a bag of sweets, "If you're not full..." She lays the bag down before her, open. Then she pulls a piece of paper out of her pocket, and it flashes blue for a second and burns with blue fire before vanishing into the air, activating the spell she engineered to help smooth over the process of conversation. It isn't even real light it produces.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:513|Finna (513)}} has posed:'''<br>A familiar white fox bounds through the mirror and into the wonderforest, landing almost silently on all fours.. and tail wagging energetically. For whatever reason, Finna seems to prefer fox form to her human one much of the time... this hasn't changed.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;There's probably some serious advantages to it.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;What the fox does do is trot quietly over to the pig and August... licks August's arm in greeting... then edges close and licks left side of the White Pig's snout with a single flick of hello!<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;No, the fox isn't trying to eat the pig. But it does then leap backwards playfully as if expecting a reaction from one of the two... or maybe both!<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:714|Sanary Rondel (714)}} has posed:'''<br> Sanary's feeling rather relieved that she doesn't need to actually get through the school this time to get to the forest. AFter hearing some of those rumors in passing just on her way out, she's definitely going to be trying to keep a lower profile the next time she shows up. Maybe some sort of disguise, too... <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; But this isn't the time to think of such things. No, this time, she's here to meet a pig! An important one, if the radio discussion was any indication. Arriving in her usual white coat and yellow t-shirt combo, the one-eyed healer's looking a little groggier today than she did last itme. <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "Hey, everyone. Where's-pig." Priorities! Spotting the White Pig by August and actually managing to sidestep around Finna's hopping, she practically makes a beeline for the pig before lowering herself to a knee and grinning broadly. "Hey there, little guy. You hungry for something other than...?" <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; ... Dammit, August. She gives him a blank stare, then starts digging around in her fannypack. "What kind of food is out here, anyway?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:946|White Berserker (946)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Its' not long after Ainsley's arrival that the bridal outfit wearing Berserker class servant materializes behind. She doesn't say much, a few grunts and groans to acknowledge those present, the Servant leans back up against a wall, resting herself on the Bridal Chest.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Her attention goes from everyone else feeding this pig to the pig itself, a light pondering through her head if she should have brought something, but it's shaken off as she listens to her master talk to this thing before them.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:894|August Kohler (894)}} has posed:'''<br>"It was on sale." Is all August replies as several people come in and start thinking badly about him for his pig-food choices, continuing to feed the pig its bretheren. When Ainsley arrives, though, he gives the pig the last of the ham, before moving towards the clearing.<br><br>As Ainsley approaches, the pig looks up to her, but first to her coat. It smells something, which she procures! It gratefully accepts the candy as she speaks, listening intently. When the spell kicks in, Ainsley can start feeling its emotion and intent, as if it were talking. "The Pig is grateful that all of these people feed it, because it really enjoys all the food they give it. Meat, candy, never had a bad meal from anyone! You guys also haven't tried to stab it, claw it, or eat it, so it enjoys that too. Except that girl with the foxes."<br><br>And then, Finna sneaks up on it. August notices it but doesn't have the timing to stop her, which leads to Finna spooking the Pig and freaking it out. "Aaah aaah monster monster monster the pig is going to die the pig is going to die, run away run away." The Pig dives away, cowering behind Ainsley, who has shown that she is safe. Sanary's approach is now met with caution, but apparently she has food. "The pig doesn't trust you but it might if you feed it."<br><br>As the others deal with the Pig, August sighs, before speaking up. "So, Ainsley wanted to speak to the pig, and I think we have too many of us here. We're going to split up, a bit. Ainsley will stay in this clearing with the pig and maybe another person to guard her, and can tell us if there's any good info or send it questions, and the rest of us are going exploring in the Forest. You guys can choose where we explore. If you have no ideas, we'll just walk in directions until we either find something cool or get beat up and have to run away." The last part may or may not be a joke, before he turns to Sanary. "Uh...screaming mushrooms?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:513|Finna (513)}} has posed:'''<br>THEEERE goes the pig, diving away from a fox that just wants to play! The fox querulously chiiiiirrrrriiiiiiiirrrrruuuuuups? the pig's way and cants her head. ... then sits down, ears flat with disappointment. Opening its maw, the white makes a deep and guttural hacking noise of irritation... then shifts.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The forest floor's dirt gets pushed around a bit as Finna assumes her human form, full mass simply rocketing outwards from the fox-body in what's almost like waves of liquid flesh and shapeshifted clothes. How she shapeshifts CLOTHES is anyone's guess, but it's probably a good thing she can do that...<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Silly pig. You're on the friends list, not the food list."<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She...<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;... she might be sulking a bit at having so much trouble befriending a PIG of all things.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;After rising to her feet and dusting her rump off, Finna turns about and faces August, playfully striking a sinuous pose with a hand up near her head, tail twisting around, curling and uncurling in a way that's... strangely mesmerizing. "Am I so scary, August?" The foxgirl asks in a tone that begs attention... then turns around to look towards the forest's expanse, the hand turning into an unneeded eye-shade.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"... The place's nature makes me wonder about direction having any meaning..."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:714|Sanary Rondel (714)}} has posed:'''<br> You gotta be careful with what you feed pigs. They'll eat a lot of stuff, but balance is important." As if to punctuate that brief lesson, Sanary digs out a napkin from her fanny pack and unfurls it. Inside is... Banana chips! With peanut butter sandwiched between each pair of chips more specifically. She glances over at Finna, snickering for a moment before setting her own food offering out in front of the Pig. <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "Fruits and protein. Nothing too sweet or salty like candy or meat or whatever, but the ones back home like it." She gives the Pig a little wave and smile, then stands up and turns to Ainsley. "You be careful out here. I'd stick around, but..." She gestures to August and the forest, raising an eyebrow at the mention of screaming mushrooms. "... I kinda wanna see what that's all about." <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; That doesn't mean she won't give the Pig an apologetic look, of course, but still. She's got a job to do!<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:151|Ainsley (151)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Ainsley regards Finna with a significant spike of skepticism when she chooses to use the form of a fox, and a predictable outcome happens. "You do realize," she tells Finna, her voice soft yet heavily disappointed, while a hand reaches around to gently touch the Pig on top of his head to show she's here for him, "That foxes actually eat pigs, in some areas of the world. No...? To him, everyone is scary by default, try to remember that." She glances aside at August when he suggests they split up, then adds, "But... If you stick around us and show that you're a strong warrior just here to protect people, including the Pig, you can prove to the Pig that you can be trusted. Right?"<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She gently plays with the Pig's floppy ears, and wonders, "Why do you want to help us?" at the Pig, because it had occurred to her that the creature's behavior runs contradictory to its nature. If it didn't want to be in danger, why help people that are facing it regularly...? She hopes he understands, her doubts about the simplistic Pig's mentality surfacing in some weariness in her face and her smile. She offers him one of the sweets on the palm of her hand, very careful about the fact that he's still an animal-like creature so he doesn't accidentally nip or bite her.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:151|Ainsley (151)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Thank you," Ainsley adds toward Sanary, her voice sweet and appreciative of the effort she put forward here for the Pig and the courtesy shown toward the scholar herself.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:999|Emily Branford (999)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;For the most part, Emily simply watches the group trickle in and pay the attention toll to the Pig, but she does keep that eyebrow arched at August for several more seconds. However, August raises a good point; the thing's cowardly, there's a lot of them, and there's that old saying about too many cooks in the kitchen. "Right, then. A little field trip." She's very casual in the way she reaches up inside her coat and pulls out her usual sidearm, giving it an almost reflexive check-over. "I shouldn't think we'll be /too/ battered if it comes to a situation where we need to retreat. All else fails, I'm sure we can at least defend ourselves enough to escape."<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She pauses for a moment, peers at Finna over her spectacles, and then asks, "Don't ask questions you don't want the answer to."<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;At any rate, they have some walking to do. "If no one else has any objections, I think screaming mushrooms is a perfectly fine choice of directions," the butler offers up.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:42|Staren (42)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Staren sighs when Finna spooks the pig. Ainsley can handle consoling it, he handles Finna. "It's a magic pig that probably isn't really a pig. Who knows? Maybe it encountered a fox once when it was a wee piglet. Or it senses that you're actually, you know, an immensely powerful beast."<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Staren looks at the others. "I suppose we should check it out, but if the mushrooms are screaming, we should beware what /else/ might come to investigate."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:42|Staren (42)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"...Maybe it just doesn't like being licked, by things of any size. Let's hope it never gets swarmed by mosquitos."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:513|Finna (513)}} has posed:'''<br>"So a fox is SOOO much scarier than a giant feathery lizard or, oh I dunno, giant hairless apes, ten times bigger than a little fox. Right~, will keep that in mind." The white-haired young woman quips sarcastically... though seems content to leave it at that.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Instead she centers herself, drawing in deep breaths and focusing her senses. The bestial power within her starts coming to the forefront, sharpening her eyes, her nose, her hearing... time to see what's OUT there.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Or rather, see, hear, smell. The presence of creatures, the wind... the raw ambience of the forest.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:42|Staren (42)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Staren looks at Finna, rolling his eyes. "In this crazy magic world, to a crazy magic pig? /Who knows/. Maybe there's a fox shadow out there that's actually pretty freakin' terrifying. Maybe this pig doesn't realize he's big."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:894|August Kohler (894)}} has posed:'''<br>The Pig keeps hiding behind Ainsley. "Fox is scary and will eat the Pig, the Pig wants the fox to go away." It seems that Finna shouldn't be in this group right now; the Pig is honestly afraid of her. However, it likes Sanary, and her food! It chomps up the peanut butter chips, staring at her for a moment. It then returns to Ainsley. "Travellers don't try to hurt the Pig. The Pig can give help in exchange for living, and the Travellers also feed the Pig. This is worth it." There's obviously more to it than that, but that's how the Pig answers that question! "The Pig has a question for the Travellers. It wonders why they keep causing trouble in the Forest. Things get too loud and scary when they do things."<br><br>Meanwhile, August gets a band of adventurers! Looking into the trees, he waves to the group. "Alright, so we're looking for the screaming mushrooms. They were...somewhere this way? Follow me, keep your wits sharp." And then he heads off away from the clearing, leading the others!<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:42|Staren (42)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Staren looks at the pig. "We don't cause the trouble. Bad things in the forest cause trouble in another world, and we have to come here to stop them." He looks between August and Ainsley, unsure if he's going or not. The pig talking is actually really interesting, but if it's too crowded, maybe he could go.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:151|Ainsley (151)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Because..."<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Ainsley thinks about the question pretty intensely. How to frame it in the best way for him? Her face shows how hard it is to come up with the best way to say it, an effort spawned by her feeling some degree of empathy for him. She waves off Staren, indicating he should probably go. She gives him kind of a pleading look, too.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Because we're afraid, too," she begins, "The things in here, the Shadows that might attack you if you catch their attention... The ones you run away from? They aren't staying in here. They're going out of the mirrors into another world. They're hurting people. Killing people. We fear for their lives, for their families, for the damage this could cause. It would be worse if we just ran from this, and so that is why we are in here, causing problems for the Queen and her subjects." She leans to get a look in the Pig's eyes. Eye contact is important. "Being afraid is something true of most living things. We just also have courage to fight when we need to... because if we didn't, wouldn't both of these worlds be in danger? If humanity isn't protected... this place could disappear. You might disappear. The Queen has to be stopped, somehow, someway."<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"So we face our fear and fight anyways, even if it's dangerous, even if it's scary, even if it hurts our hearts in ways we can't be ready for," Ainsley tells the White Pig. "Have you ever heard of Courage?" she wonders, since this is an entity that probably never thought about such a thing before.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Ahh... for instance, I asked a friend to make something for you, to protect you, because I fear for the danger your help would cause for you... and I have the courage to ask for help when it's needed."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:894|August Kohler (894)}} has posed:'''<br>As August leads the group into the Forest, eventually they find another clearing. It's kind of boring, with a smooth glass log sitting in the middle. They've been here before; this place in the Forest is usually the way out of that clearing!<br><br>There are, however, two paths out of this clearing that seem new. Without the Pig, they can't really find anything specific, and the screaming mushrooms seem to be gone. Both clearings are also, oddly, visible.<br><br>One leads to what seems like an /organic/ tree, though part of it is growing glass. The other part seems to be growing strange alien fruit, and plants nearby it. The other clearing has, in the middle of it, two small Shadows. They seem to be...writing? Drawing? Etching something, atleast. Well, one of them is, while the other dances around it in a circle. They're the only Shadows in the clearing, both by sight and smell. Additionally, for anyone capable of reading body language, the Shadows seem entirely harmless...like they wouldn't even know to attack if spooked.<br><br>August stands in the clearing. He's not sure what to do; both of these are interesting. "What do you guys want to do? Either's fine, and we can take a look at both if you want, but we're a bit short on people if a fight breaks out."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:999|Emily Branford (999)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;When a brisk walk through murder-infested woods takes them to a clearing she's already seen before, Emily is about as calm as one can really be in such a situation... until she realizes the clearing has changed. Then there's tension in her form almost immediately, and she's subtly taken a posture that would make raising her pistol easier.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;But...<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"...be on your guard, and all, this has changed, but those things over there..." She gestures towards the Shadows. "...they're harmless, I think. Heedless little things."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:42|Staren (42)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Staren looks around, briefly. The shadows get a wary look, but he does eventually decide they're the most interesting thing here.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;A couple of fly-size drones fly out of his bag and head over to get a closer look at the shadows.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:513|Finna (513)}} has posed:'''<br>There's something almost DISTURBING the way that Finna steps through the forest. Her steps are light and pace irregular. She moves like a native of the wilds, periodically stopping to sniff the air or tilt her head to listen to a faraway sound. "Shadows here, Shadows there... no normal animals... nanimals?" Is she trying to figure out the scheme by which people shorten words? Maybe.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;If so, badly.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Thought so! Look at the log and paths. Did we go the same way as before? Don't think so. Same same log... new paths. So the path we take means more than the direction."<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;... What the hell kind of logic is THAT? Path differing from direction?<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;It's a leap of logic that only someone who's navigated the Wyld for a month would be at home with, where Creation's concerned.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She gazes down each of the paths... "Trees that aren't all glass... Shadows busy with things, look harmless... instincts say the trees are not to be trusted. Lure travelers in... then SNARE SOMEHOW. But worth investigating! How about go say hi to the Shadows? Natives always know the most stuff!"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:714|Sanary Rondel (714)}} has posed:'''<br> A glass log, some strange paths... And they really were looking for mushrooms? Interesting. Sanary's on guard well enough, at least, strapping the buckler to her forearm and keeping that same hand on her gunaxe as the group proceeds into the Forest. At the sight of the Shadows, however, the healer squints a bit as she tries to figure out just what it is they're doing. <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "They look... Different from that kid from last time." She comments, glancing over at Emily and nodding towards her, then at the tree August has drawn her attention to. The radio chatter gets her brain going some, and Staren's drones draw her attention back to the Shadows again. <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "Try not to make any sudden moves at 'em... Er. Guy. I dunno how mind trees work, but if they're flammable..." Sanary doesn't finish that thought, turning to Finna with another slow nod. "Yeah, probably. Hmn.. Think they'll understand us?" <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; She's not going to be the one to find out, at least. Instead, Sanary's moving towards the tree! She reaches out with her axe first to give one of the fruits a light tap to see what'll happen. If nothing sudden happens, she'll just try and twist one of the fruits off carefully next.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:894|August Kohler (894)}} has posed:'''<br>The pig listens intently to Ainsley's entire reply. It takes a moment to think. It's actually thinking, too; it's a pig, but it's not unintelligent, just...a pig. Finally, a reply forms. "The pig wonders why. What do these people do for you? Why are you helping them if they don't give you anything or help you survive in return? It wonders why you'd endanger yourself for others who aren't endangering themselves for you. It seems foolish." The reply has no hostility to it. No dark emotions, no anger, no frustration. It's just a simple answer for the Pig, the first thing it thinks of. "The pig isn't very familiar with courage. But it doesn't like courage. It doesn't have a good experience with courage. Hiding is easier to the pig. Safer. The pig likes you people because you help it, and so that's why it helps you back. But if it gets dangerous, the Pig is going to hide." The Pig then nuzzles against Ainsley. It wants more food.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:894|August Kohler (894)}} has posed:'''<br>It seems like the group's splitting up. Trusting Emily and Staren to be fine on their own, August chooses to go with Finna and Sanary to investigate the trees. "They're probably flammable enough. If they try to eat us, we burn them." He shrugs, before heading to split into that clearing, waving Emily and Staren off.<br><br>TREE SIDE: The clearing with the tree ends there, a single entrance to a fruit-bearing tree. The tree itself is rather large, with leaves and roots of glass, and fruit of both organic substance and some sort of...soft glass substance. Finna will notice a few things with her scent: the tree smells a bit like some sort of Shadow, but doesn't seem very hostile. The glass fruit smells just odd, and seems inedible to humans, if edible to anything at all. The other fruit, however, in colors of green and purple, smells a bit bitter, but does actually seem edible. It doesn't smell toxic, and smells similar to various earth fruits, like apples and peaches. Additionally, it seems low enough on the glass-branches to grab one or two!<br><br>SHADOW SIDE: The clearing with the two Shadows opens up in three long, winding paths, leading to who knows where. Two Shadows sit calmly in the middle, one etching something onto a slate of glass, and one dancing around it, tossing its arms up and down. They're both the weaker kind of Shadows, though something seems off about them, especially in their eyes. They have no hostile aura, and seem very deadset in what they're doing, with zero intention of stopping at this point. Also, at a closer inspection, it seems the Shadow is /drawing/ something, but to find out, you'd have to take a closer look. Though to get a good look at their eyes, that'd require deeper investigation anyways.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:999|Emily Branford (999)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;With the group splitting apart, Emily takes to the fore, striding at a brisk, crisp pace towards the peculiar Shadows. Her firearm remains in her hand, but she doesn't adopt an aggressive posture; rather, she walks very casually, appraising them as she goes. Best if she acts as though nothing is amiss about this. She'll come to a stop a couple feet away, in a position that allows her to get a peek at that slate of glass. "I say, what is that you're making, there, if you don't mind my asking?" They don't seem particularly flighty, so it doesn't hurt to ask.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:151|Ainsley (151)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Ainsley's brows knit for a moment, surprised by the notions she caught flickers of... but she quickly comes to accept the idea. She gathers another piece of candy for him and contemplates some alien confusion that the White Pig showed to her. She tries to form an answer to explain Courage, using morality, using classic notions of right or wrong, and she comes up short. In fact, when she opens her mouth, she practically freezes, being able to sense that she was about to create a fabrication. It creates a flicker, like her self-awareness roadblocked such a thing the moment she tried.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"I was alone once," she tells him.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"I spent my childhood being told that I wasn't meant to have an identity, or feelings, or ambitions. I struggled against it, but the teachings were not something I could just shrug off like an old winter coat."<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"I spent years after I discarded their teachings feeling like I should be something strong, heroic, moral. That I should save others, and in that I would find my answers. But the answers never came. I found only hardship, disappointment, frustration... I found that I still felt empty inside, because I couldn't find my answer despite all I did."<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"And then, I did something drastic. I looked into myself with a very special mirror," she tells him, placing her hand on her chest, "I looked to find my <span style="color:cyan">truest self</span> and there I found that my struggles had ignored a very simple fact: I was alone because I refused to acknowledge others, to reach out to them the way I tried to reach into myself. My answer was always there, waiting within my heart, waiting for me to look outward, instead of inward, instead of creating a lie around it that could never satisfy it. I was afraid of being alone, but it took a long time to realize that I was never really alone. Even the people that told me not to be a person wanted me to be a part of a group, with people to rely on. Even my enemies saw me as a person. My friends saw me as someone to trust. Strangers make me feel like I'm not alone, because I see that others feel the same things I do: Happiness, anger, sorrow, and fear."<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"So that's why I help them. Even if they can be a little frustrating sometimes..." She closes her eyes and looks so... weary.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:513|Finna (513)}} has posed:'''<br>The TREE GROUP reaches their destination. Finna wrinkles her nose. "Shadow. Smell Shadow, just faintly... think it's coming from the tree." Whimsically, Finna reaches up - her arm seems a BIIIIIIIIIIIT too long for a moment there but she snags the glass fruit regardless. Was that just a bad viewing angle, or was her arm REALLY two feet longer for a moment there?<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;It's hard to say.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;It might be even harder for AUGUST KOHLER to say, because she did this while standing right next to him, and he'll... well, he'll probably find concentrating hard for a moment. Because in the moment of proximity, the foxgirl's fuzzy white tail's somehow managed to COIL around him in an upward spiral, ignoring the laws of physics, facts like foxes not having prehensile tails, and matters of length.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;And she only affectionately tightens when he notices.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Wanna share, handsome?" She jokes, head tilted at a silly angle while she nimbly SPINS the fruit on one finger... in spite of however oddly-balanced it might be.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Well. Struggling free of the tail won't be hard at least. And it doesn't look like Finna SERIOUSLY intends to actually eat the fruit. She tosses it upwards and snatches her prize out of the air and instead starts examining it, trying to identify just WHAT KIND of fruit it would be, were it not glass.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;And maybe pondering nibbling. Or licking. Her lips purse questioningly.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"... Yeeeaaaaah I've got no idea here."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:714|Sanary Rondel (714)}} has posed:'''<br> Taking some of the fruit off that tree, Sanary re-straps her gunaxe before.. Wait. Did Finna's arm...? Right. Weird animal transformy powers. She probably shouldn't be all that surprised, really, but... Dammit, that's still weird! Sighing lightly to herself, she picks one of the glass fruit and two of the green and purple fruits out for for herself, letting out an odd noise at the squishiness of the glass fruit. "How... Wha. Uh. Hey, do either of you know how to cure poison or..." <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; As she turns back to August and Finna, she raises an eyebrow slowly when she notices the latter's show of affection for the former. Instead of balking, however, the healer just snickers and shakes her head while blushing just a bit. <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "Hey, hey. Save the flirting for later, huh? We gotta figure out what to do with these things." Another shake of the fruits, and then she taps on the side of her head. "I got some magic in here that should be able to fix you up if you really want to try eating it, but... How do you think something like this even happens?" She taps on the tree next. "I mean... Besides weird mind shit." The healer pauses, then grunts and nods slowly with a quiet "oh yeah" to herself. <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; She just answered that question already, didn't she?<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:894|August Kohler (894)}} has posed:'''<br>The pig chomps at the candy, and in return listens to Ainsley once again. It's actually a pretty good listener! Eventually, it replies, thoughtfully. "The Pig can understand that, kind of, but still wonders why you go through all this trouble. They didn't risk their lives for you, why are you risking your life for them? It doesn't seem like a fair trade." It then asks for more candy. It seems that listening and replying costs you!<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:894|August Kohler (894)}} has posed:'''<br>Finna weirds August out. This isn't news. However, when she wraps around him, he jumps, and then is tightened. This kind of freaks him out. He doesn't reply, but he seems...a bit irritated? And also anxious. He's just going to try and ignore her and focus on the tree in case it tries to murder them, despite her being super hard to ignore. Damn it, Finna.<br><br>And then, Sanary and Finna might notice something. While the fleshy fruits smell edible, the glass fruits have a different scent /inside/ them. The scent of blood. Strange blood of different types, human, animal, Shadow. And the answer to what kind of fruit it would be? A seeding fruit. No specifics.<br><br>August turns to Sanary, shaking his head. "Nope. If you want to know if it's poisonous...taste it?" It's a joke. Obviously. Hopefully Sanary can tell it's a joke. Right? Meanwhile, he doesn't actually know, but it seems a small vine is poking out of the tree, slowly slithering as quietly as possible, trying to poke him in the leg. And cut it. For what purposes, who knows?<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:42|Staren (42)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Staren watches them, curiously. Emily went to talk to them, but he's not sure that's a good idea. For now, he tries to get one of the drones closer to that plate of glass for a look. He radios to Emily, &lt;&lt;Careful. Are you sure they want to talk?&gt;&gt;<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:151|Ainsley (151)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Ainsley really wonders how a pig can think in such strictly pragmatic terms. She looks pained by trying to come up with a sane way to explain this. "Well, life's not really that clean and even," she tells the Pig, "I don't really need to be feeding you candy or going out of my way to ask for tools to protect you, either, if we go by that thinking. You can't always account for whether it's worth helping someone, so I don't really tend to worry about how valuable they would be to me when I do it. Sometimes it works out. Sometimes it doesn't. For me, it isn't really about coming out of it with a fair trade, that's too much to ask of people with different ideals and personalities." She offers another piece, but holds it a little bit away from the Pig so he has to stretch out for it a little. Testing his attitude toward this, to see if it might offend him. "What you do is important, but it's not completely proportional to what we do, because that's not really how these things work for us. If you just stopped because it wasn't convenient to continue helping us, there's little we could do to stop you. I trust most of those I work with to stick with me even if it doesn't feel like it will benefit me directly."<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"And I like to see stories like this from the inside, sometimes," she adds, perking up a little and looking around the spooky forest.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:513|Finna (513)}} has posed:'''<br>"Not even a blush? Do I need to start TRYING?" Finna remarks teasily, leaning her head August's way just a bit. The tailgrip loosens though as she instead snakes it around and down to gently press down on the vine that she HASN'T alerted anyone about... unless they're watching her tail, anyways.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;It's not just a poke though. For she starts shivering weirdly, facing the tree.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;What's not obvious is that these weird shivers and vibrations aren't consulsions. Her fingers move like leaves, her gaze hard as bark...<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;It doesn't MATTER if this tree has no apparent eyes. Or even if it doesn't speak any kind of langauge.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;It KNOWS, in the swaying of Finna's flesh and the angles of her eyelids that she's questioning its intentions, warning it not to get freaky on the three of them.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The only question is whether it's intelligent enough to truly compose a meaningful response. And convey it.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"See, even Sanary here's feeling the mood! The tree wants in on the action too, huh."<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;WAIT WHAT.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:714|Sanary Rondel (714)}} has posed:'''<br> Sanary narrows her eye at the odd smell, and she even frowns slightly once she recognizes it after a few more moments. She can recognize the smell of human and animal blood, at least, and Sanary just keeps a careful hold on the glass blood whatever fruit while still staring at the purple and green ones. <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "Hmm.. Alright, not gonna risk that, then." She chuckles lightly (good thing she caught the joke! Maybe.) and moves over to give Finna a playful thwap on the head as if suggesting that she should behave, but also sort of... Encouraging her? It's hard to tell, really. She does raise an eyebrow at the fox woman's mention of moods and... Trees? What? <br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "Eh? M-mood for what? Hey, I'm just watching here." She responds perhaps a little too quickly, clearing her throat and turning to look at the tree again while her cheeks darken just a bit more. "B-besides, I'm pretty sure a tree can't... Whatever it is you meant." A pause, and then she gives August a confused look as if gauging if he knows what she meant.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:894|August Kohler (894)}} has posed:'''<br>As Emily and the drones approach, the Shadows ignore them. They're capable of getting a good view of both the Shadow's faces and the drawing.<br><br>The Shadows eyes are as gold as usual, but there's something strange...swirly, almost dazed look inside them. They don't seem like they're entirely aware of what they're doing. Meanwhile, the drawing seems...pretty good, for a Shadow. It's some sort of furry face, with whiskers, cats eyes, and cat ears, but a large golden crown on top of the head. Underneath the drawing is the most startling part: there's words written, and they're in German. Broken, scribbled German, but still. They make out 'The Kindly King'.<br><br>The Shadow looks up at Emily, finally, and responds in a crisp, clear way of what it's doing. It's trying its best to be as informative as possible, as it chitters, or atleast, it probably is seeing how long it talks.<br><br>However, neither Emily nor Staren speak Shadow, so they don't understand it!<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:894|August Kohler (894)}} has posed:'''<br>It would seem, in a way, that the Pig has some manner of experiences. It has /some/ reason it believes all this, even if that's because humanity's subconscious made it this way. When Ainsley holds the candy back, it seems a bit frustrated, but it still goes to grab it, looking back up at her. And then, after she finishes speaking, it replies its piece. "The Pig guess that makes a bit of sense. It just doesn't quite see the point of putting yourself on the line when you're not going to get anything out of it. The Pig has no intention to stop tracking for you, at this time, but it doesn't fight for you, either. Not that it could, anyways. It's just a pig. However, it will think on this. This is all new stuff, and it likes the lizard woman very much. She's very nice to it." The pig snuffles, nuzzling against Ainsley. Maybe not for candy, but appreciation, this time.<br><br>And then the Pig lets off one last thought, before the spell begins to fade. "But the Pig still doesn't like courage very much. It never really liked him in the first place."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:42|Staren (42)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Staren wants to ask who the Kindly King is and why he's Kindly, but the moment the shadows chitter at Emily he realizes that will get nowhere. "I'm recording their words." he radios. "Maybe we can at least have Ainsley translate them, but I think we'll need to come back with her..."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:894|August Kohler (894)}} has posed:'''<br>The tree doesn't react to Finna. It understands her, but it doesn't react. It's a tree, after all. It will not respond. And while it refuses to respond, August stares at Finna. There is now a small blush, but he's trying to avoid it. "Can you be serious for even five minutes?"<br><br>But the tree feels threatened. Its prey has been alerted to it. The vine rapidly attempts to stab into August's flesh, trying to bleed him. A thorn cuts through, causing him to yelp, as it begins sucking his blood. After a few moments of doing this, the vine retreats wildly, as one of the branches begins to grow...something.<br><br>A glass fruit, infact. It begins to grow on the branch, growing roughly to the size that it is filled with the blood it drank. Once it does this, the Tree...up and bolts, running into the woods to hide. This isn't a safe place to prey anymore, it seems. It'll have to find somewhere else to feed and seed itself.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:894|August Kohler (894)}} has posed:'''<br>The tree has run away, and there's not really much of a way to communicate with the Shadows. The Pig is kind of tired of questions, too, so it seems like it's time to go home. Once he has wrapped his leg with some cloth, he'll return to the Mirror Pool, with the others, and let them out. It seems they've learned some interesting stuff about the Forest today!<br> <br>
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