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World of Darkness: The Academy - Chapter 9: Everyone's Dirty Underwear


Dawn OOC

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Sylvia had actually started something akin to a growl in response to Oreili when Sean returned and announced her trek to some sort of proving grounds. The growl turned to a sigh; the teacher gave a brief glance around at the remaining students, then nodded to Sean.

"I think we can manage. In fact, I think we all might be here for a little while. Frankly, we need to get up to speed on this entire Caramine conflict, and our hosts here have a long history of holding them off."

Her gaze shifted, skewering Oreili with slitted eyes. "I don't know precisely what happened thirty years ago to result in the arrangement that was made, but we're not into appeasement today. There's an old poem in my home world that sums it up: if ever you pay the Dane-geld, you will never get rid of the Dane."

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“Then we will show her,” Yaiza promised, “and bear her safely to HeartStone and walk the victorious Warrior Sister back, stepping in celebration with her.” Vikkirri and another Midnight Ice grunted in affirmation, agreeing to go with Sean.

“Who else goes?” Oreili asked; her cadence sounded formal.

“I do,” Swan said without hesitation. The Caramine took Sean’s hand and smiled up at him, causing a warm flutter in Sean’s chest.

The leader of the Chideran looked at the rest of the team, her expression expectant. “Perhaps traveling to HeartStone will give you time to talk and ask questions. Is this agreeable?”

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Joran studied him for a moment. “I do not think so, but allow me a twist on the Chideran clock to go and find one who will. I know a fellow scholar who would be interested in you, as a subject, of course.” Joran tilted his head. “Would this please?”

“Wait, study?”

“He wouldn’t hurt you, of course,” Joran said, brushing snow off his coat. “Strictly observation. And instruction.” The strange man stared up at Ryan. “What say you?”

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"Uhhhh, ummm, yeah, I think. How long is an, um, twist? Like on this thing," Ryan showed the alien his watch an almost incongruous accessory for Ryan. The watch was a simple analog model built for impact resistance. A steel X covered the face crystal, but despite that it was still scratched in places, and clearly had been put through some punishment. "I dunno if I can wait here for long, soooo.... like, you might need to find me. They had all us in a big long house type thing. Over there," he gestured back from where he had come. "But yeah, let's do this, 'cause I don' know what the heck is happ'nin' to me, so some answers would rock."

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Lucia nodded and moved over near to Sean. "I think that is an excellent idea," she gave Sean what she hoped was an encouraging smile.

She was doubly glad they'd all packed bags now, and that she'd had more than two weeks of walking on Ahvia's world to get her used to travelling in a world without paved roads and motor vehicles. She gave Sylvia a considering look, "Maybe you could go back before we leave and make the trip a formal long-term field trip for the club?"

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"There we go." Ravi handed round the mugs and slid with his usual feline grace into a seat at one end of the oblong table. Frida and Yithaja were on one side, and Mari and Ren on the bench set against the wall. The cat-eyed young man lifted his mug in a courteous toast to Yithaja. "Thanks to our gracious guide for this round." he said with a warm smile and drank deeply as the others took sips or drinks from their own vessels as they felt the urge. Lounging back in the solidly constructed chair, Ravi let his gaze wander over the revelry around them before looking back at his companions and grinning. He winked at Mari, who blushed deep red in her furs at the knowing look in the green-gold eyes. The werecat had a way of seeming as though he knew the naughty thoughts going on in one's head... and thoroughly approved of them.

"I like this place." he declared, taking another drink and leaning forwards to prop his elbows on the table. "Tell me, Yithaja, I'm curious - what's daily life like here? I understand that the main purpose of Doorhold clan is to guard the Door, but I imagine there's all the other little daily activities that allow that to happen. Hunting and farming, for example. I see some men here, and can only assume they're not native. Your people are all warriors, yes? Do you carry out the other functions as well, or is there a clear caste system with the females on top." Though his curiousity was in earnest, there was something about the way Ravi said 'on top' that caused excessive thoughtfulness in at least two people present...

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Mari curled her hands around the thick, solid, wooden mug that Ravi had placed before her. She raised the drink to her lips and sipped from it carefully. Her eyes found Ravi over the lip of the cup and for a moment his eerily intense and golden gaze held her. He winked and she put the cup down, blushing all over again. It was like he could make her blush on command, like her heart was on a string whose other end was wrapped around his finger and all he had to do was tug to make her insides lurch. But not in a gross, I need to throw up sort of way. Mari reflected.

Renata did not miss the look, wink, or blush that followed. She dug her elbow into Mari’s side.

“Ow, Ren, what the h…eck.” Mari protested in a whisper.

“You still haven’t given them the chocolate,” Ren whispered back.

“Oh. Oh yeah.” Mari turned sharply to face Yithaja. This time, the rosy cheeked blush that bloomed so prettily beneath her eyes was not delivered, like a secret communion, for Ravi’s enjoyment. “I totally, forgot, I’m sorry…um…Yithaja.” Mari twisted her furs around far enough that she could dig under them and root through her backpack. A couple of moments later she triumphantly produced a chocolate bar, smiled adorably, and passed it across the table. “That’s for you. Thanks…for…” she looked to Renata for help.

“For being our guide. And for the drinks…” Renata took a gulp of said drink and waved her hand expansively “and all the other stuff.”

“Right.” Mari agreed.

__________________

Height: 5'1", Weight: 102 lbs, Hair: Dark brown, Eyes: Hazel, Striking looks 4, Dexterity 4, Presence 4

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Yithaja took the candy and there was something that was probably a smile on her face. “Thank you,” she said and there was some warmth in her tone. Instead of tucking the piece away, she peeled back the wrapper and broke it into five parts. She passed it out to each of them as she started to speak.

“Our lives are simple, in comparison to some. We do our share of the work, but we are warriors first. That is our first work,” Yithaja said, her tone casual. Setting her chocolate aside, she scrapped the inside of the wrapper clean with a fingernail, talking around popping it into her mouth. “The men here are one of two kinds. They are either asylum seekers or they wish to be warriors. The latter train with us, and they do work as well. The former work for their keep, performing labors that allow us to be warriors.”

“So you all do your share?” Ravi asked.

Yithaja nodded. “If there is no man to do the task, then it must be done by a Chideran. Our girls and unblooded, sometimes even the Guttered do the menial tasks. We hunt, we cook, we farm but we are warriors, and we are that first. And we are most certainly on top.”

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

“If the Door will work to Dalton,” Oreili said. “For now, can we offer you the hospitality of our home? I do remember that there was a difference in day and night, between us. Are you tired or would you like to start your trip now?”

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Joran stared at the watch face for a time and then said, “That long branch will be there.”

“About forty minutes? So fast?” Ryan asked, surprised.

“I know where he is,” Joran said, rising, if one could call standing straight on the side of a wall ‘rising’. It seemed more like expanding. “The longest part will be to convince him I am not mocking him or trying to delay his research.”

“Uh, would you do that?” Ryan asked nervously.

“Of course I would, should it suite my purposes,” Joran said with a smile. “As it does not, he is safe. I will merely have to convince him of that.”

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"So...a world where the girls protect the men, and pretty much rule everything," Renata remarks. "If you guys had electricity and cable TV, I would totally defect." She looks around and adds, "Okay, and a decent clothes outlet."

She takes a gulp of her drink then moodily pokes her chocolate into her mouth and lets it start to dissolve.

Abruptly something occurred to her. "Hey, do you guys ever use your door?" she asks. "I mean, you guard it, but do you ever go to other places? You have to, right? How could you not?"

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Ryan thought for a moment, it was an action he wasn't terribly used to, he tended to go with his instinct instead. "What if I go with? Then you wouldn' have ta convince him 'cause I could prove that you weren' lyin'." He smiled, that actually made sense, and would mean being able to check out the door way again as it was "turned on", he didn't think he could figure it all out on his own, but trying to do so probably wouldn't hurt him. "If no though, I'll wait. It's worth it," he added as an afterthought, he figured that the invisible peeping Tom culture might be super private (which was irony enough to make him stifle a laugh) and he didn't want to press Joran.

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Sean returned Swan's smile, the surging exhiliration feeling distinctly... different in his new body from what he was used to. Not unpleasant though. This all had the sound of ritual and he was glad Swan was deciding to come along.

When Lucia added her support to the trip, it took Sean a moment to get over thinking her smile was mocking or condescending - he hadn't much experience with the Head of the Student Council - before seeing it for the encouragement it was. He nodded back, then turned back to Oreili.

"It was near dawn when we left to come through the Door, so we're good to start the trip to HeartStone now, at least I am," Sean said.

Besides, he'd rather be out and doing something rather than just sitting here and dwelling on his... situation, not that going anywhere would make him any less aware of his situation. Hell, just the sound of his voice was a neon sign pointing at his female status. He had decided to face his mother with the new... uh, him, so now he wanted to get it over with.

"I guess we should tell the others where we're going to too..." Sean added, his dark, shapely brow knitting as something Oreili said percolated. "Wait! What do you mean if the Door will work to Dalton? We have the Key, why wouldn't it work?"

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"That's a very good question," Sylvia said in response to Sean's query. "You mentioned before that the Door to Dalton was blocked. We know the source of that, and have, if not eliminated it, at least have it in check for now. So is there some other reason that the Door shouldn't work?

"That said," she continued, "the Board is aware that we are here. Somehow I don't think that a stay of a few days is going to be out of keeping with their expectations or require administration approval; I'm certain that they'll see to the explanations. After all, they are as much a party to this situation as any of us. So I would not be opposed to escorting Sean to the HeartStone."

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“Of course we trade with other places,” Yithaja said easily. She was starting to relax, her green eyes softening as she slid a little lower into her chair. A hand came up and plucked at her red braid before her fingers unknotted the lace holding it and began to unplait it. “We have need of supplies that we cannot provide. Chocolate, for start. If we want magic non-weapons, we must seek them outside of Chidera. We do not make those.”

Her fingers began to rebraid her hair, smoothing her red locks back into submission. “But you do make magic ones?” Renata asked doubtfully.

“Our smiths can. It is our primary trade good.” Whatever else she was going say was cut off when a woman stepped up on the table. She was colored like Sean, which was a little offputting; her cold blue eyes swept over the table before settling on Mari. “Can we help you, Selih?” their host asked softly.

“Not you, Yithy,” Selih replied. Yithaja’s eyes narrowed at the Midnight Ice as the woman bent down before Mari. “You can, kulyho.” Her hands caught the front of Mari’s cloak and pulled her to her feet as she kissed the small girl on the lips.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

“Remain near the Door,” Joran replied, “and we will find you.” He dusted some more snow off, then disappeared from sight. Ryan could follow his progress as the man ran down the wall and jogged across the snow. When he reached the Door, he pulled back the flap and ducked through, taking no time to use Keys. It wasn’t hard proof, but it was interesting.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

“Yaiza, take them to collect the others,” Oreili ordered, rising. “See them outfitted and find Midnight Ices to take their sister to HeartStone.”

Swan slipping her hand into Sean’s, giving it a quick squeeze. He also got a quick smile from the Caramine woman, which made Yaiza’s eyebrows rise. The Chideran instead said, “Gather yourselves. We leave shortly.”

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Nails lengthened, blackened, and sharpened into claws in an eyeblink as the previously well-manicured hand on the table reflexively clenched, scoring deep lines in the hardwood surface with an audible scraping sound that those at the table heard clearly. Ravi's green-gold eyes were wide open, shock giving way to outrage as he fought to restrain himself...

And failed.

The sudden upswell of shock and outrage was too much, too soon. The young nobleman had been bottling up his passions ever since his First Change, unwilling to let Mari be prey to them, whether through sleeping with her or someone else. He had bitten back his temper at minor frustrations and petty jibes. But now a rumbling snarl filled the tavern and stopped the revelry dead as it grew in volume and eyes turned to the source.

Ravi's eyes blazed as though lit from within by green flames as he stood, his features twitching and darkening. Clawed hands gripped the heavy table and, with a twitch of reshaping muscles, sent it hurtling to the far wall with a resounding crash. He pointed one taloned finger at Selih, as though to warn her off, while his mouth worked to try and speak. All that emerged were terrible growls, and with evident frustration the formerly gorgeous student opened a mouth full of more teeth than was possible and roared deafeningly as fur sprouted across his face.

"Oh shit." Renata muttered as Mari pulled herself back from the aggressive kiss, her own face white as Ravi's companions realised what was happening, too fast to take in except as an afterthought. The clothing exploded off FitzCoventry's body in shreds as the panther took his place, muscles rolling under the sleek blue-black fur as it crouched to spring, his blazing eyes slits of enraged bloodlust and snarling in mindless, primal fury at the interloper.

He was bigger, the three Dalton girls realised. This panther was larger and more terrible than Ravi's 'normal' alternate form. Furious froth pooled around jaws large enough to take a head in one bite, and even crouched to spring the great beast plainly massed more than before. Muscles beneath the fur twitched and jumped as though it were a dozen beasts in one skin all fighting to be free, and the mad gleam in it's eye reminded Mari of that time days and lifetimes ago when she'd come to return Ravi's jacket to him and seen something terrible in the boy's gaze as he choked the life out of another student.

Click to reveal..
Giving everyone a chance to react. Ravi is in Warbeast form thanks to botching the Resolve and Composure roll. mad 1 Essence spent for an instant transformation.
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Renata, already on her feet as she prepared to slug the bitch, found herself between several hundred pounds of pissed off cat, and the one that pissed it off. She grabbed Mari and pulled her back away from Selih, providing Ravi with a clear path even though it meant dragging Mari across the floor a few paces.

She then hunched down protectively next to Mari and muttered, "Jesus Christ he's gonna kill her...fuck..."

Her heart hammered as she looked around. A room full of warrior women with magic weapons. God-DAMNIT...

"Ravi!" Renata shouted, trying for some common sense. "For fuck's sake keep it together! We can't fight them ALL!"

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It was strange how time stood still and seemed to race past her all at once, a blur that Mari could scarcely make sense of. One moment she was sitting, settling into the warm comfort of her borrowed furs. Then, in an instant, she’d been yanked to her feet and a young woman that looked very much like Sean was kissing her flush on the lips. Mari’s big hazel eyes had gone as wide as saucer plates when she’d felt Selih’s tongue dart past her teeth, her little, shocked squeak swallowed by the fast, forced kiss. She’d only just raised her hands to Selih’s shoulders, instinctively pushing back, when she’d heard the roar.

The sound chilled the very marrow in her bones. Mari had heard it once before and then, as now, the urge to pee herself was nearly irresistible. The blood that had raced to the top of her head with a mortified blush all drained away, leaving the beautiful little teen looking uncharacteristically pale.

OhGodRavidon’t the words popped in Mari’s brain like flash cards, one right after the other. And then she felt a strong pull from the side and hit the hard ground hip-first. Renata was dragging her across the floor, Mari registered. "Ravi!" Her friend’s voice sounded distant, "For fuck's sake keep it together! We can't fight them ALL!"

“Ren!” Mari gasped as she came to her senses, a dull echo of Ravi’s roar still thundering in her ears, and in her soul. “Ren, let go! I have to stop him!” She wriggled desperately, squirming free and scrabbling to her feet. Renata was left holding two fistfuls of heavy white furs. Mari flung herself forward, sliding to her knees between Ravi and Selih.

“Ravi, stop!” Mari yelled, throwing up her hands. The beast before her was gargantuan, primordial, its muzzle twisted into a snarling rictus of hate that made Mari squeal with terror and turn her face away. She forced herself to believe that Ravi was still in there somewhere. That he could hear her. “please!” she added, her whole body shaking like a leaf.

__________________

Height: 5'1", Weight: 102 lbs, Hair: Dark brown, Eyes: Hazel, Striking looks 4, Dexterity 4, Presence 4

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"Why not?" Autumn shrugged, slowly getting to her feet as she gauged the effect of the alcohol on her coordination. She felt pleasantly warm, and wouldn't have minded a nap, but nothing was spinning when she bent to retrieve her messenger bag. That was definitely a good sign. She had no idea where they were going, but Ms. Dorn had a point. The school administration would probably need to make certain allowances for their absence, so the only thing she had to worry about was her roommate, and she had plenty of time to think of a good story. Sure, it was the weirdest school outing ever, and she was pretty sure there were hallucinations involved, but the only way to get through a trip was to ride it out... and the last thing she wanted was to start seeing things by herself.

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Mari was still looking away from Ravi when she felt someone grab her and roll her away from the panther. She smelled fur and leather but it wasn’t until the roll stopped next to the bar that Mari realized that it was Yithaja who had grabbed her. “The animal-touched to not know friend from foe when they become crazed!” the Chideran yelled as Mari struggled against her. “He will not thank me if I let him claw you to pieces.”

Selih was laughing as she drew her blade, a curved weapon that looked like a khopesh. “Come, beast!” she screamed as she settled into a crouch.

The reactions from the others varied; those closest scrambled to get away, but otherwise, the watching Chideran didn’t seem worried. If anything, they had the sense of a crowd settling in to watch a sporting event.

Click to reveal..
Anyone getting involved in the fight needs to roll Inits.
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Sean hitched his backpack up on a shoulder, fiddled with the straps to fix the fit on his new figure, and squeezed Swan's hand in return. Now, there's no way back to before, only onward, Sean thought with bitter wistfulness. He gave Yaiza a nod as the other Daltonites picked up their bags in preparation to leave.

"We're ready to go," Sean claimed, "I'm ready for HeartStone."

A slight smile crossed the petite Chideran's face. "Not yet, but I and those of your Line will see that you are, so that you don't dishonour the Midnight Ices. Come! The rest of the Daltonites were led to the Drinking Hall. We will find some of your Line Sisters there too, Sean."

"I'll go to the Hall of Midnight Ice to get the supplies needed ready, and see if any wish to see this... son of Vena to HeartStone," the brawny Vikkirri said, leaving without any further good-bye.

Yaiza led the adventurers from Dalton through the village under the golden light of late afternoon, snow crunching beneath their feet. As they approached one of the only lit long houses, the group sudden heard the rumbling, thunderous roar of a feline predator, and more faintly a woman's laughter and the indistinct murmurs of rising excitement.

"Jesus! What the fuck is that?" Sean exclaimed, looking around, trying to keep the girls behind him, to Yaiza's annoyance. "You gu- girls have wild animals coming right into the village?"

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Sylvia heard the sound as well... and as she did, every muscle in her body went taught, her attention raptly focused on the direction of the primal cry. She knew that roar.

Sean's words did not bring her to relax, but they did elicit a response. "Yes they do, Sean. Us," she said while setting her pack on the ground... then crouching further.

Drawing deep breath, Silvia let it whisper out from her lungs, and then changed, shedding (and to some extent, tearing) her clothing as she became the other half of her soul, the black panther.

Without any further hesitation, she bounded off in the direction of the roar.

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Ryan heaved a put upon sigh. Waiting was, in his estimation, the worst kind of torture. He brushed some snow from the parapet and sat down to wait however, he wanted this, he needed this. There were seven kinds of crazy going on and he needed to understand at least how it all applied to him. Behind him, somewhere off in the camp-city thing, something that sounded, very large, very angry, and very mean made a sound that Ryan was certain was not ever possible to confuse with warm and fluffy happiness. He looked, but couldn't see, and even with Rydar he couldn't tell what it was, where it was, or what was happening. "I think I'll wait," he mumbled to nobody.

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Everything was madness in the dim, primitive tavern. Renata and Mari were staring at Ravi from several feet away, looks of shock and fright etched upon their faces. Many of the Chiderans had backed away, but many more sat at attention, the poise of a spectator observing the gladiator's arena. But Frida did nothing. She sat, still occupying a chair that no longer partnered a table, her eyes wide with surprise. She followed Mari's movements as the silly chit tried to throw herself in front of the beast.

Well, that would certainly eliminate the competition.

She blinked with surprise at the venom of her own internal monologue, but it wasn't until another one of the Chiderans grabbed her by the arms and hauled her up out of the chair that she finally took her eyes off of Ravi.

"No sense blocking the view, girl."

She turned away from the scene, looking up to meet the other woman's eyes. The warrior woman looked at her, a bit startled at first at the coolness of the Daltonite girl's skin, and the eerie blurriness that clung to her that she hadn't noticed at first. Frida tilted her head at her, her dark and misty gaze studying the Chideran calmly, her voice still eerily resonant.

"If he kills her, will your people be angry with us? Or is death via dueling common amongst your tribe?"

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Well, this is just all sorts of diplomatic. Lucia signed in annoyance, but to those that were still standing about. "Well, we should probably make sure they aren't eating guards or horses. Or whatever."

To their guide she gave a brief bow, "My apologies." And then she was off, sprinting through the snow as quickly as she could.

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Sean blinked, staring in surprise as Panther Dorn ran off in search of the source of the roar, followed shortly by a sprinting President of the Student Council. Stepping through the Door was turning out to be a mistake - it was turning them all into freaks.

"Shit! Someone is gonna get fuckin' killed!" Sean cursed. He slipped off his backpack and ran after Lucia and Ms. DOrn with long-legged strides, hoping he could keep them from getting hurt.

Swift as he was, after only several steps, Sean had to hold an arm across his chest to restrain his unsupported breasts from bouncing around wildly during his sprint. Damn things! They're better to look at and touch than wear.

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Ravi wasn't slow to respond to Selih's challenge. Almost before the Midnight Ice had finishing uttering her defiance the huge panther was on her, steel-hard claws flashing in the flickering torchlight and digging deep into the woman's shoulder. In the same smooth movement the beast dragged his razor-keen talons free through flesh and skin, causing a spray of blood to pattern the floor under the two combatants.

Ravi snarled thunderously, both disappointed that the woman's quickness had saved her from worse wounding and eager to shed more of her vital fluid. Quick and balanced on his huge paws, the great beast circled the Chideran warrior, tail switching to and fro as he regarded her with bestial hate.

Click to reveal..
Strength 7 + Brawl 3 (claws spec+1) + 2 for Claws + 3 for 1WP - 4 Defence = 12

Owns-The-Night *rolls* 12d10: 3+2+9+7+3+2+8+6+2+5+1+5: 53

[Owns-The-Night] 5:17 pm: And it sucks.

2 Lethal damage to Selih

    
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Renata, for her part, watched the fight with wide, horrified eyes as she tried to think through the terrified animal bleating of her hindbrain. But when Ravi lunged, Renata could see past him to where Mari had been manhandled by the amazon who'd grabbed her.

There was something she could focus on!

Renata dashed cross behind the panther and straight to the warrior woman who had Mari. She took hold of Mari's hand and gave the woman holding her a warning look.

"Let her go. I'll make sure she doen't get hurt."

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Yithaja nodded and released Mari, rather like one would release a hot potato. She eased out from under the slight girl - it had been easiest to hold her from behind, a strong arm locked around her shoulders - and gave her over to Mari. "As I told her, the beast-touched don't know their friends when they become enraged. Keep your woman back or watch her bleed."

Mari is up. You have until Monday to post.

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When Mari rose to her feet, the fear and uncertainty had left her face. She still looked every bit a girl child, young and innocent and vulnerable, but her eyes had changed. An agelessness had come over them, a strange and terrible calm that was entirely at odds with Mari's slight and unimposing frame. The arm that Renata held was blazing hot. And suddenly Mari was bathed in light, almost aflame.

She opened her mouth and spoke, and her voice was hers but not hers. The girl spoke as if in a trance, the words spilling from her "They who take up the sword against my people shall be met with tooth and claw and I will execute great vengeance upon them with furious anger; and they shall know that I am the LORD, when I shall lay my vengeance upon them."

As the last words tumbled out of her, Mari went limp in Renata's arms, sinking back into her friend. She was still feverishly warm, but the blazing light had gone out of her.

Those still outside the longhut could see a ray of purest sunlight lance down from the clouds like a missile, striking the thatched roof and disappearing within.

__________________

Height: 5'1", Weight: 102 lbs, Hair: Dark brown, Eyes: Hazel, Striking looks 4, Dexterity 4, Presence 4

Click to reveal..
Selih, and only Selih, gets -2 to her dice pools as long as she fights Ravi...because THE PROPHET IS PANGRY.
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Upon hearing the roar, Micah draws his baseball bat. When Ms. Dorn and Lucia begin to take off in the direction of the roar, Micah begins sprinting in the direction of where the roar seemed to have come. His long legs and athletic training allowing him to eat up the distance to the source fairly quickly. Once outside he steps inside, letting his eyes take in the scene.

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"What the fuck?!" Sean shouted - not screeched, I assure you - as he held an arm across his eyes against the searingly bright beam of sunlight, all the brighter for the deepening dusk. Amazons and giant panthers who were actually people - people he knew even - weren't enough, now there was someone calling down magical artillery strikes?

Afraid at what he would find inside, but undeterred, especially with Frida, Mari, Lucia - and Renata too he, supposed - in potential and imminent danger, Sean darted into the Drinking Hall, hands raised defensively as his eyes adjusted to the torchlight and hoping he wasn't too late and ended up finding a disemboweled classmate.

Then she saw the ginormous black cat with the crazy eyes and slavering jaws and his concern started turning towards himself.

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Somehow, despite the fact that Renata's legs didn't have the strength to stand, her arms were able to fold around Mari and hold her even as Renata sank to her knees in shock. The light, the change in Mari...it wasn't like the others, it wasn't just some comic book superpower. For all Renata's affected cynicism, she'd been raised Catholic and like Jesus himself, that teaching had never died. Superstitious dread crawled along her skin, and she half expected to burst into flames of wrath just for daring to touch Mari.

But she couldn't let go. If Ravi turned on them now, they'd both be clawed to ribbons, and Renata would be helpless to so much as lift a finger. Her arms and hands were numb, nerveless...holding Mari up through some instinct in the cells themselves, with no intervention from her brain.

"Mari," she finally managed to say in her ear. "Wake up."

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"Wuh?" Mari's head snapped up from Renata's shoulder. She looked around in confusion, her hands going automatically to Renata's arm. The last thing Mari remembered was getting jerked away from Ravi and being held in the steel-corded grip of Yithaja. Now she found herself half seated, half pooled against Renata. And in spite of having cast off her furs to escape Renata's first attempt to hold her still, Mari felt strangely warm.

A few yards away from her, Ravi and Selih still stalked each other, looking for an opening. Yithaja was still close by, Mari saw, and then Sean came racing into the hall. It took Mari a moment to recognize the football player. Sean as a woman was going to take some getting used to...but Mari didn't have time to marvel over that peculiar transformation just now.

"Sean! You have to stop them--someone's going to get killed!" Mari yelled urgently over the top of Renata's head.

__________________

Height: 5'1", Weight: 102 lbs, Hair: Dark brown, Eyes: Hazel, Striking looks 4, Dexterity 4, Presence 4

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As Micah and Sean gaped at the sight before them, Selih laughed and swung her slashing blade. The great cat yowled as the precise slash tore through his fur and flesh, dealing him a grievious wound. But it wasn't enough to kill him, and the pain only enraged him.

And Selih was still laughing; to her, this was no serious matter. She had kissed a girl and the cat-boy took offense to the matter. They would fight and one of them would win. It would be best if it were her, of course - but the fight was the prize, not the result.

Click to reveal..
Selih's attack: 5 Lethal

Carver *rolls* 13d10: 8+4+10+4+9+4+3+9+6+9+4+2+7: 79

New round, Ravi is up again. You have until Tuesday (extra day granted due to lack of internet access) to post.

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The pain, the noise, the shouting, and the almost joyous laughter of Selih all served to further enrage the beast Ravi had become. Even as the gash she'd carved along his shoulder and back began to knit and heal, cruelly-hooked claws lashed out with the speed of a striking snake. The great paw slammed into Selih's gut, talons latching on and dragging the Chideran warrior to the ground before ripping free, tearing out her innards as his rear paws raked at her groin. The scent of blood and bowels filled the air and the woman stopped moving, laying still as her blood steamed in the air. The whole process had taken maybe an eyeblink.

As the monstrous panther stood over his kill, he cast a baleful eye over the ring of people, all keeping well back but watching him, weapons drawn. Some of them were his friends, a dim part of him knew, but right now he couldn't pick friend from foe in the crowd. He stepped off Selih's body and paced a tight circle around it, snarling terribly as he eyed them all. He was trapped and knew it, and voiced his challenge to them all in a thunderous roar that pressed with physical force against the listeners, causing the wooden beams and walls to shake and the air to quiver as he crouched low, back to the wall as he cast a malice-filled gaze in the direction of the door - and those between him and freedom. His tail lashed once... twice...

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Sean almost lost his lunch, seeing glistening tendrils of pink and purple sliding from the gutted Chideran. Mari was yelling at him to stop them, but how the fuck was he supposed to stop a panther the size of a particularly large tiger, one with mad green-gold eyes and who had disemboweled a fierce amazon warrior with one swipe. He might have looked like a Chideran, but he didn't have any of the funky powers or weapons.

Still, he couldn't just let Ravi eat all the girls, especially considering he probably - hopefully - wasn't aware of what he was doing. Either he was going to end up killing a lot more people or the other Chiderans were going to cut him to pieces. Sean swallowed, jaw tightening, seeing the massive cat staring at him, tail lashing. I am going to die.

Sean took a slow step forward, then realized the blazing gold-green eyes were only incidentally on him, they were actually focused on the door. If bad kitty wants out, he can have it.

Sean slowly, carefully backed up, trying his best to look non-threatening. He spread his arms protectively in front of Lucia and Rosa, who were standing in front of the door, and urged them and everyone else crowding the entrance to the Drinking Hall to the side.

"Guys, everyone, uh, clear the way to the door," Sean said, his voice wavering as he tried to keep it steady, soothing, but at least it wasn't the panicking shriek he was afraid. "If Ravi wants out, I say we let him. C'mon! Back-up, give him space."

Sean kept moving the girls back, keeping himself between them and Ravi, his eyes straying to the Chideran on the ground, wondering if any first aid would be too late. It didn't look good.

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Renata felt her stomach drop out onto the floor when Ravi slaughtered the Amazon. Not literally, of course. Not like the Amazon. She reflexively put her hand on Mari's cheek and forced her face away even as she grappled with her own gag reflex. Fortunately her fear and shock numbed her to her own physical responses, for now.

We're all going to die, she thought as she wrenched her eyes from the slain warrior woman and looked around at the ring of her friends. All armed. All strong. Ravi would take a few with him, but he couldn't fight that many. And the rest of them had no chance whatsoever.

"I'm sorry," she whispered to Mari's ear, pressed against her lips. "I should have told you. I should have done something."

This was all because the psycho kissed Mari, and Ravi went batshit. If he'd already given up on her...if she'd been mine already...this would have been a fistfight, not a battle to the death. Everything would have been all right once the bruises healed.

"I'm sorry," she repeated, not just to Mari this time, but to the fallen warrior, who had deserved better. To her friends and family, who definitely deserved better. And even to Ravi, who was responsible, but not wholly culpable for the actions of his feral self.

I'll fight them when they come for us, Renata silently promised Mari in her arms. Her breath came out of her lips in frigid puffs as she shivered. Had it been this cold before? It didn't matter now. I won't just give up. I'll keep you safe until I can't anymore. And then...I guess you go back to Heaven, and I see if Mom was right.

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“Ohh...” Fuck! Mari finished the thought. She was grateful that Renata had turned her away from the spectacle of the Selih’s grisly fate, and that she did not have to look upon the bloodied snakes of Selih’s intestines slithering out onto the ground. But she had seen before Renata moved her. She had seen Ravi strike and rip the beautiful amazon open like a piñata. She couldn’t un-see that.

She couldn’t do anything, Mari realized with cold dread. Ravi was lost to her, swallowed whole by the nightmare beast he had said he could control. He had said they were one, but Mari couldn’t accept that. The beast was darkness and death. The color of its eyes may have been green and gold, like Ravi’s, but those eyes were filled with malice and hate. If she tried to reason it, if she tried to reach through it to Ravi it would shred her like a romaine lettuce.

It took a few seconds before Renata’s words could reach her through the panicked jumble of her thoughts. “I’m sorry,” she heard Renata say, “I should have told you. I should have done something. I’m sorry.”

“What? Ren, told me what?” Mari asked, shaking her head. “We have to get up!” she urged. She could do that at least. If she couldn’t help Ravi still the madness of the beast, at least she could try to keep herself from getting eaten. “C’mon,” Mari grabbed Renata’s arm and hauled, trying to drag her friend up with her, and lurching past the ring of Amazons who had stood watching the fight. She put her shoulder to a smaller side table and shoved, dumping it on its side with a clatter of spilled drinks, and then she ducked around behind it with Renata in tow.

“Oh Father who art in heaven, please don’t let Ravi eat us,” Mari whispered an impromptu prayer as she slid into cover.

__________________

Height: 5'1", Weight: 102 lbs, Hair: Dark brown, Eyes: Hazel, Striking looks 4, Dexterity 4, Presence 4

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For a long moment the great feline head turned, the snarl dying to a rumble and the jaws closing for a moment as Ravi watched Mari hide from him. Some expression other than fury and bloodlust flickered in the glowing eyes, then they became slits of frustrated rage and hate - hate for the two-legs around him, hate for himself, hate for this stinking, smoke-and-fear infested wooden cage. The terrifying maw gaped open again, and Ravi FitzCoventry, scion of the aristocracy, gave voice to his pain and anger in a thunderous sound that was as much scream as roar. The beast wanted nothing more than to go, to run free and run far. The buried human part of his mind wanted the same thing for different reasons: to escape, to be alone with his shame and bitter fury far away from the judgement and condemnation of his friends. And the way to the door was clear.

The giant panther sprang with terrifying speed and power for the open doorway, moving faster than seemed possible even for such a beast. He plunged out into the night, confronting Lucia, Autumn and the others who had paused outside the drinking hall with a bone-shaking snarl and a flash of green-gold eyes before disappearing in a flurry of black fur and white snow, leaping to the top of a neighbouring building in a single bound. With another snarl he looked back down at them for a second before disappearing from sight, crossing the roof and leaping to the next, heading for the edge of town and the dark, welcoming forest, all the while trailing roars and terrible growls behind him as he fled.

Using Alarming Alacrity for 1 round: doubles movement speed - 1 Essence

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"Well," Yithaja said in the silence that followed the roars, "that was exciting." The stench of blood was heavy in the air but none of the Chideran seemed bothered. Several were kneeling by Selih; as the Daltonites watched, the natives wrapped her in her furs - sliding her guts back together as needed to get all the pieces - and carried her out, slung between them.

"Are we in trouble?" Frida asked. "Will Ravi face charges?"

"Charges?" Yithaja asked. She seemed confused by the word.

"Will he face criminal action?" Frida tried again.

"Will they kill his furry black ass for this? Or our non-furry ones?" Renata translated.

Yithaja looked perplexed. "Why would they?"

"Ravi killed one of your people," Frida replied.

"She could have avoided the fight," Yithaja said simply. "She challenged his claim to his woman. They fought. He won. The Beast-skinned often do. That is why the Caramine have driven them to extinction."

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Ryan was starting to wonder if he'd been stood up. Then the Door 'opened' again and two forms stepped out. Ryan watched them with Rydar as they tracked across the snow, not seeming to leave a footprint. They reached the wall he was perched upon and walked up it, sitting down when they neared Ryan's seat. Joram and his companion wavered into his visual perception as well. Joram's friend was like him, only taller and skinnier. He was well over seven feet, and even sitting sideways on the wall, he made Ryan feel tiny. "Greetings. I am Becor. I am here to observe you."

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