| Logs |
2008 November 19
| When The Bough Breaks |
| Realms |
Retired
| Reality Fault |
General Info
 |
| Realms: Bough Logs |
First Movement, Second Duet
After the brief interview with Seneschal Rowan, the group are shown to the lodgings they've been given in Icewall Village. Mikal, however, has decided to forego lodgings and instead live in the forest to the north of the castle. She watches the people leading them towards the house they're supposedly staying at, although she stays behind Norris. As they walk, she tugs gently on Norris' sleeve, whispering to him, "Do we have to stay in the village, Norr? Do you think they'd mind if we stayed in the forest?"
Norris open his mouth, and then closes it. And then he opens his mouth, and closes it again. Just in case he expected a different result, he repeats this a third time. It's fascinating watching the big man think. "Well...not lak I doan want yew t' be comfortable, Mikal. But a house do make more sense. Unless yew's thinkin of a house inna forest?"
Mikal nods earnestly, "Yes, a nice little lair away from -- from all these people!" She seems quite nervous at the "teeming throngs" of the little town... which is likely only a few more than the village of Staunton.
Norris purses his lips. "Well, okays...that makes m' feel a little better. But yew had th' benefit of a house yer poppa already had made. Iffn they don't have a pre made house inna woods, how're we gonna get one made? Ah mean, doan wanna impose on the folk here."
Mikal grins up at Norris, clearly relieved that she's not going to be trapped in the town, "Oh, it's easy to make a nice place to stay in the woods! And besides, I hardly ever used the house in Staunton except to peg up hides to dry." She sighs, adding a bit forlornly, "I w-was going t-to use that lovely white fur for a nice warm jacket. Me and Raphael worked hard to take that khidra and her kit down!"
Norris hunhs. "Ah wunder iffn we can go back t' Staunton to pick up stuff...be easier than wait'n for n'ough awen t' make everything. An it'd take a lotta Awen t' make a cabin inna woods. Or are y' sayin we can build it? Ahm not much o a carpenter, but a kin split wood an saw wi' the best o' em."
Mikal giggles up at Norris, "Not a house house, Norr! A proper lair -- a cave or a bluff or a hollow tree. They're very comfy if you prepare them correctly!"
Norris looks a little dubious. He's always lived in a proper house. But if it's good enough for Mikal and Raph...
Mikal grins excitedly up at Norris, her eyes sparkling and almost bouncing on her toes, "Want to come with me? Right now? We can go find one?"
Norris clears his throat, shuffling from foot to foot. "Well...aright, ah spose. Aint no good idea few yew to be goin out alone, e'en wi' Raph, inna strange place."
Mikal laughs delightedly, then gives Norris a quick, impulsive hug! After that she turns and skips off towards the forest, "C'mon! Let's go!"
Norris looks at Raph. "Ya, ah know. Ahm a big softie." he commiserates with the wolf.
Raphael snorts amusedly, sitting and scratching vigorously at one ear with a hind leg before he rises, shakes his heavy coat vigorously, then trots relaxedly off after Mikal.
Norris lurches into motion, jogging after Mikal himself.
Mikal stops once they're back in the shelter of the forest, taking a moment to explain carefully to both Iron Antlers and Raphael what it is they're looking for: someplace near a stream, in thick underbrush and hidden, where they can craft a hidden shelter.
Norris watches Mikal giving the animals orders...he wonders, absently, how much they actually understand. It's not as if they speak like humans, but she seems to get her message across nonetheless. Mikal just must be special.
It takes an hour or so to circle the castle itself and into the forest widdershins of the castle. There's a few bodies of water, some streams of fresh, clear water that seems to run from the wall towards small falls that launch themselves out over the edge of the peninsula out and down into the Mirror. Iron Antlers looks somewhat half-heartedly; not being a true familiar he's more of a curious observer. Raphael however has quiet an enjoyable time of it. He bounds forward, and his barking quickly lets Mikal and Norris know that he's found someplace.
BoughGM says, "EDITOR: Replace 'barking' with 'wurfing.'"
Mikal tilts her head at the quiet but odd sound, then grins at Norris, grabbing his sleeve and tugging him eagerly along, "Come on! Raph's found something, I think."
Norris lets himself be tugged...he can't help but be caught up in Mikal's enthusiasm, evne thoguh he tends to be a rather restrained fellow himself.
Mikal darts through the trees easily, effortlessly dodging branches and underbrush that grabs lightly at Norris. The big fey-stag ambles relaxedly along behind them, pausing for the occasional tender leaves off a low-hanging branch.
As the group nears Raph's sound, they hear a female voice near Raph's location snap testily, "You woke me up! Begone, you, this is my place!" Raph's wurfing breaks off in a yelp that is more startled and curious than hurt.
Norris's stomach tenses. "Whups. That aint good."
Mikal gasps softly, releasing Norris to grab her bow and really pelt through the woods! It's a bit disconcerting how easily and silently she vanishes into the trees. She bursts out near to Raphael, already nocking an arrow as she snaps, "Leave him alone!"
The tableau that meets the two as they burst onto the scene, is Raph looking oddly into what looks like a large hollowed tree, while above the hollow is lounging a large red fox. As they arrive, the fox looks at Mikal with bright yellow-orange eyes, and unconcernedly licks its nose.
Norris winces...this could get worse. He does not draw a weapon, but he does crash along in Mikal's wake, trying to get there before she gets too zealous in her defense of Raph...
He skids to a stop when he sees what he sees. "Well. That's diffrent." he comments to no one in particular.
Mikal sights down the arrow at the fox, murmuring quietly to the raptor-wolf, "Raph, you all right?"
Raph looks over his shoulder to Mikal, indicating to her that he's fine; the weird fox-thing batted at his nose, that's all, and it was more surprising than anything.
Mikal nods to Raph, then looks at the fox carefully, "Are you a shape shifter then?" The arrow does not waver at all.
It's probably disconcerting when the fox opens it's mouth and speaks; it seems to speak quite clearly without any hint of an animal-ish accent, though it does have a strong accent of some kind. "A shapeshifter?" she -- the voice is clearly female -- says indignantly. "Please! That's almost as insulting as being woken up by this fellow howling in my ear!"
Mikal studies the fox for a long moment... then just as Iron Antlers sticks his head through the branches to look over Mikal's head at the fox creature, Mikal lowers the bow and tucks the arrow neatly away. Her voice is quiet, "Raphael, Iron Antlers, Norris -- let's go. This person obviously finds us disturbing." She turns and looks around, mentally planning out which direction to try next.
Norris hunhs, and looks the fox over. "We's new around here, Miss Fox. Coul' we trouble yew fer a list of the things what insult talkin foxes so we kin avoid that inna future?" He looks at Mikal. "Well, wait now, here. Aint you the least bit curious bout a forest creature what kin talk in language? Raph and Iron caint."
Incredibly enough, the fox seems to look incredulous. "T-t-t-talking f-fox?!" The fox bounds up and scrambles to stand in front of Mikal and Norris. "Wait, wait, wait. Please. Are you saying... are you saying you've never heard of kitsune before? That... that that that wherever you come from you've never heard of us?!" She doesn't sound indignant now, but rather upset and unhappy; and, now that she's in front of them, the group can see that she has in fact three fox-tails instead of one.
Mikal gives Norris a puzzled look, "Iron Antlers does not, but Raphael certainly does. Can't you hear him speaking?" She blinks at the sudden approach of the fox, taking an involuntary step back. As the big fey-stag's head lowers to snuff gently at the top of her head, she seems to take courage. She takes a breath and straightens, saying carefully, "W-we... well, I, at least -- I have never heard of a kitsoonee. I'm s-sorry?"
Norris looks between the strange mutant fox, and Raph. "Well, first off. no...Raph aint never said nothin t' me. Guess mah ears aint good enou." And then he looks at the fox again. "Sorreh ma'am, no ah aint...but then, there's lotsa thinks ah never heard of before comin t' a place wi' worl' eating wasps." he explains.
Mikal adds puzzledly, "Are you all right? What happened to your tail?" She gives Norris a startled look, then whispers in an aside to Raphael (while the fox is looking at Norris), "Hey, Raph! Say hi to Norris, would you please, so he can hear you?"
The fox "gnrks" and makes a wildly dramatic showing of despair. "Oh! The loss, the misery! This is a sadness heaped upon me that I cannot--" She breaks off and says sotto voice to Mikal, "Gimmie a moment, girl, I'm on a roll." Then she launches again into her drama: "This is a sadness heaped upon me that I cannot bear but to cry unto Inari! Hear me, oh goddess! Woe to you oh Yamato for your loss, woe to the Heavens for that which has been taken from you, woe to the Nine-Tailed Ministers who are no more!" Then, somehow, the fox manages to elaborately swoon and collapse onto the ground.
Norris is quite rendered speechless by this display. He looks at Mikal. "Did we jus' watch a fox faint?"
Mikal blinks startledly, watching in wide-eyed fascination. As it goes on, a sparkle starts up in her eyes, and a grin starts to curl the corners of her lips -- and after the collapse she laughs delightedly, clapping enthusiastically, "Bravo! Wasn't that wonderful, Norris?"
Norris looks quizzical. "Yee---ess?" he responds, not sure what just happened.
Mikal grins up at Norris, "She's an entertainer! Like the ones that come through with the caravans sometimes, you know? She must be -- she's very good!"
That makes the fox's eyes pop open, blinking at the applause, which makes the fox leap up onto her hind legs, bowing grandly. "Domoo arigatou gozaimasushite! You have soothed my delicate ego. Ah, so long it's been!"
Mikal beams at the fox, applauding more as she grins up at Norris again, "See? You should clap too!"
Norris ohs. And claps his big beefy hands together, displacing a lot of air.
The fox straightens, and begins to fastidiously groom her tails, brushing the leaves and miniscule amounts of dirt which got there. "Thank you, thank you so very much, the both of you. Though it does underline the tragedy of the situation if you honestly have never seen a kitsune before...."
Mikal grins at the fox after they've clapped a bit, "Hello! My name is Mikal, and these are my packmates: Norris, Raphael, and Iron Antlers. What's your name, pretty lady?"
Norris's brow knits. "So...A kitsoone...issa fox actor?" he asks for clarification.
Mikal says, "Oh! I'm sorry -- I didn't realize your name was Lady Kitsoonee." She smiles, unwittingly looking rather cute and young, "Nice to meet you."
The fox straightens, and poses on her hind legs quite dramatically. "My name... is Michio Okori Aiko, Three-Tailed Kitsune of the Golden Quincunx!!" She holds the pose for a few moments, before ears and tails droop a bit, and she settles onto her haunches, looking chagrined. "Though I sincerely doubt there are very many kitsune left at all, really."
Mikal impulsively steps forward and gently hugs the little fox woman, her voice soft, "It's all right, Goodwive Meechee. We're all alone here too."
Norris hunhs! "Well, ahm sorreh t' hear that, Miss Aiko. Must be difficult when there aint many o' yourn left around." he replies solemnly. "An ahm sorreh we interrupted yer ah..." He looks around at the others. "Rest? Er were ya practicing fer a performance?"
To Norris's sight, being hugged is the last thing that Okori expected, and her facial expression -- remarkably human-like for a fox -- is one of surprise and curiosity. "Ah... it's, ah... uhm, Okori, just Okori, thank you." She loks like she isn't quite certain if she should be scrambling away... but she likes being hugged. "Ah... strictly speaking, Norris-kun, I'm not an actor. I'm a trickster. Or once was. Not terribly much call to be a trickster anymore, and... frankly, going out into the Mirror scares the Thousand Hells out of me."
Mikal smiles, straightening up after a moment, "You can be a Trickster for us, if you'd like? Or teach us how -- would you like that?" She thinks a moment, then adds, "Um... what do Tricksters do? That's not a type of entertainer I'm familiar with...? Oh!" She clasps her hands together in excitement, turning to Norris with shining eyes, "Jareth! Don't you think he'd be a marvelous entertainer-trickster?!"
Norris gives up on trying to understand and just goes with it. "If yew say so, Mikal!" He considers. "Ah suppose he's aready got th' trickin' part down, tho." he murmurs to himself.
Mikal beams, "Excellent!" She turns to the fox, happily adding, "Goodwive O-kee-ow, can we bring our other packmate to meet you?"
Okori preens a little, only half-coyly. "Oh, my dear Mikal-chan, I don't think you'd want me to purpsely be tricksy towards you. Not many people have liked having tricks played upon them. That's what we did. To keep the wheel of life turning and keeping things interesting." She pauses in her preening, blinking a touch startledly. "Oh, ah... please, no need to call me Goodwive, surely. Ah... your other packmate?" She looks around, and points to Raphael with one paw, questioningly.
Mikal says, "All right, no tricksing us -- you can just teach us, if you want!" She giggles, "Nono, that's Raphael! Jareth's not here with us currently -- he's in the people village.""
Okori blinks. "Oh, I see. Ah... then what brings you out here?"
Mikal says, "We're trying to find a nice den to live in, for when we're not off running missions for the Seneschal because we're mortal." Curiously she adds, "Are you mortal too?"
Norris clears his throat. "Iffn that's another insult, lemme apologize in advance." he assures the kitsune.
Mikal looks puzzledly at Norris -- then oh!'s and looks guilty, "I'm sorry, was I rude?"
"Me? Oh, good Heavens, no, Mikal-chan. And apology accepted, of course, Norris-kun, you could not have known. I'm an aethyr like the elves. Ah, but of a different lineage...." Then she plants her chin in her paws, and her elbows on her knees, giving a sigh and visibly grousing. "But just like the elves can't remember too much from before the Godswar, neither can I. I remember snippets, bits of language and people and places, but that's about it. I don't even know what the 'Thousand Hells' really are except to wish the Architect to them if they exist."
Norris looks unhappy at the kitsune's sadness. "Golly, Miss Okori, that's 'orrible. Have yew even met any other kitsune since then?"
Mikal watches silently for a moment... then sits down next to the woman and runs a gentle hand along the fox woman's back. Quietly she says, "I'm sorry. If we manage to stop the monsters, I hope you get to go home just fine." She thinks a moment, then tries a distraction, "So... do you know any other overhangs or hollow trees or stuff around here, Go- er, Okoree?"
She straightens a little. "A few," Okori says, arching her back into the petting, her tails weaving quite happilly. "Ah, thank you, Mikal-chan, that feels so nice. Mmm, there've been a few kitsune here and there, but we're not a stable lot, truth be told. Many of us are rather flighty, and they went their ways. Most went out into the Wyld to explore and see what there was to see. Me? I wanted to stay near the Winter Palace, just in case something happened with the spider-wasps." She blinks, then looking at Mikal. "Hollow trees...? Whyfor do you look for those, girl?"
Mikal says, "To live in, of course -- like you." She smiles, gently scritching through the fox's fur as she adds, "Although I think I'd like to see this wild place before I settle here." A bit wistfully she adds, "It sounds... rather lovely to me..."
The kitsune blinks again. "Huh!" she says at last. "Well, Mikal-kun, if you're that eager to live in a hollow tree big enough for you and yours, don't let me stop you. I was merely taking my mid afternoon nap before... ahem, before Raphael here woke me." She looks to the raptor-wolf and says graciously, "I apologize for bopping you on the nose, Raphael-san."
Mikal grins as the big raptor-wolf, flopped out relaxedly in the shade, snorts and flicks an ear. She looks back at Okio, "I don't know if they all want to live with me, but it should at least be big enough for me and Raph to curl up and stay warm together." A bit hopefully she adds, "Um... so is this your tree, or were you just passing through?"
Norris falls quiet for a bit, not having much to say for the moment. He wants to show his sympathy, but he's not as comfortable as Mikal around animals. And he looks curiously at Raph, then, crouching next to the wolf. He listens to Okori talk to the wolf, and then listens to hear if there's a response. He hmms at the wolf's curt, non verbal reply. He leans closer to the reclining wolf. "Have yew been talkin t' me an I aint been hearin it?" he asks curiously.
Raphael looks miffed a little, but grudgingly accepting of the kitsune's apology.
In answer to Norris's query, Raphael opens one eyes and seems to grin. Widely. Which on a raptor wolf can be disturbing.
Okori tilts her head to the side. "No, it isn't. I've a bower up at the top of a nice evergreen near the ocean, lovely view, but so very hard to bring nice boys home to...."
Mikal laughs aloud, "Oh, I'm sure Jareth will figure out how to visit, Miss Okaree!"
Mikal gently smoothes the fox's fur down, where she'd been scritching, then scrambles happily to her feet, "Do you mind if I take a good look at this tree, then?"
Norris's brow knits. "That's not verra helpful, furface." he accuses mildly, feeling a little unsettled, like he's the butt of a joke.
Okari looks intrigued at mention of Jareth possibly being interested. "Oooh, do tell," she purrs -- an odd sound coming from a fox. She settles down to rest her head on her forepaws. "Please feel free, Mikal-chan."
Mikal beams at the fox, then peers interestedly into the hole in the tree. A moment later she leans in, on tiptoes... then simply scrambles in. Her voice echoes a little in the tree, "Ooooh, niiiice!"
Okori watches contentedly and amusedly as Mikal examines the tree, then glances to Norris, smiling slyly. "So. You're her beau, hai?"
Norris blinks. "Pardon, Miss Okori? A Bow? No, she's got a bow...real nice one. Ah just make her arrowhead now and then."
Raph takes this opportunity to messily slurp Norris's face, making the kitsune giggle. "No, my boy! Your lover. Are you hers?"
There are rustlings and hmmming noises and occasional faint knockings coming from the hollow tree -- and a slight glow!
Norris acks, defending himself far too slowly to prevent Raph's long tongue from getting his face very wet. "Goldarn it, you..." Okay, something that blunt gets Norris's attention away from slobber. His face very quickly imitates a ripe beet. "Awhuh?"
Norris's jaw works up an down several times. "No!" he protests. And then looks embarassed at his vehemency. "Ah mean...." The look on his face seems to say he has *no* idea what he means.
Okori gigles softly, rolling onto her back in a very human-looking pose of contentment and at-ease-ment. "Never you mind, Norris-kun. I shan't pry!"
Norris barely hears Okori add, not terribly softly, and in a sly tone, "Much."
Norris pounds his chest a moment, as if some spittle went down the wrong way. "Hells bells, Miss Okori... ah's barely got to kissin' a girl afore this whole thing went down. A girl far more outgoin than Mikal..." he explains...forget about prying, he's got a burning need to explain himself to a complete stranger for some odd reason. He winces, and then lowers his voice, as if afraid Mikal might hear. "Ahm jus' sayin'...she's mah friend, yeah? Wasn't never thinkin thoughts like that..." It's true, he'd never considered Mikal as a candidate for kissing. Before.
There's a gleeful, "Perfect!" from the tree, followed by Mikal sticking her head out and calling, "Hey, Raph, come see!" The big raptor-wolf snorts amusedly in Norris's direction, then rises and ambles relaxedly over to the tree. He rears up enough to stick his head in, which causes Mikal to giggle as she's pushed back into the tree by his broad damp nose. "C'mon in! Let's see if we fit cozy!" There's a moment as Raphael's muscles in his powerful hind legs bunch up a bit -- then he leaps gracefully into the tree.
Okori sits up a bit, looking curiously at Norris; it looks odd, seeing a fox moving like a human. "You what?!" she asks. "Wait, you're saying you've never been with a girl before?" She blinks. "Wau," she murmurs. Then she reaches over and with a paw gently pats Norris's shoulder. "It's okay, Norris-kun, don't worry about it." She goes back to lounging, and says quite contentedly, "We'll work on that for you."
Norris gets this amusingly befuddled look on his face, still blushing madly. He doesn't respond, but if someone put his expression to words, it would say 'we will?!'
Norris sits back on his rump, trying to compose himself. "Talkin an not-talkin animals seem t' be teaming up t' make mah life e'en more confusin than worl' eatin' spider wasps." he comments to no one.
Cheerful snorts and thumps and Mikal's quiet murmuring are coming from the slightly more glowing tree now.
Norris finally notices this. "Uh. Is trees supposed to glow here?" he asks of Okori.
Is Okori laughing? "If you're going to share the bower with Mikal, Norris-kun, you should probably at least poke your head in! Mmm?"
Norris clears his throat. "Well...doan know about sharin no sleepin space, but..." He *is* curious, and pokes his head in, to see what's going on.
Mikal squeaks startledly! -and there's a flash of light with no heat in Norris's eyes. A moment later she says, "Oh! Norris, you startled me! Do you want to see if you fit in here too?"
There's a little spark of light floating over Mikal's head, illuminating the hollow.
Raphael is curled up tidly about Mikal, half covered by drifted leaves and tree punk. It smells clean and dry, a sort of woody/dusty scent.
Norris waughs! at first, but then he realizes he's not on fire. This is a relief...but then he gives Mikal this look. "Mikal, doan mind helpin yew in findin a comfy place t' hang yer hat...but no way a simple tree gonna fit me comfertably." he says gently. "Ahm kinda...yannow...big."
Mikal giggles, "This isn't a simple tree, Norr -- this is a nice grandfather oak! Come on in, if you like? It's cozy, but there's room for Miss Okeeo too."
Norris squints around thoughtfully, hunhing. "Well...aright, ah spose." his complextion has recovered by now, but squeezing in throguh the existing entrance does require careful manuevering.
Mikal backs up carefully, sitting on Raphael's side for a moment while she waits. She happily adds, "Isn't it nice and cozy?"
Norris is rather stunned to find he can stand up all the way inside the tree. "It's...yeah, ah spose..." He walks around a little in the space, patting the inside walls thoughtfully. "Kin ah ask, tho...why yew feel th' need t' be so far out here?"
"'Okori,' dear, not to be a nag or anything." Okori is standing just outside the entry, peering inside curiously. "It'd certainly be a nice and snug place, Mikal-chan."
Mikal adds, "Careful, Norris -- the floor varies unexpectedly under the leaves!" She blinks at the fox, then blushes, "Oh! I -- I'm s-so sorry, Miss Okoree." She gives Norris another curious look, clearly trying to hastily change the subject, "Why do you want to be in a stinky, crowded, noisy village, Norris?"
Norris shrugs. "Ah doan know. S' how ah grew up. Kinda used t' the noises, and th' smells. Ah does work in a smithy, yannow. Plus it's close t' everythin a fella needs. But ah spose yew coul' say th' same about yew livin out 'ere."
Mikal grins and nods cheerfully, "Exactly!" She strokes the rough wood of the hollow's inside, her voice quietly contented, "A nice warm place to curl up and be quiet, to hear the creatures passing by and the tree talking and the quiet singing to you... who wouldn't want that?"
Norris blinks. "Wait...trees talk too?"
Norris looks at the tree. "Man, ah must have the worst ears in creation."
Mikal smiles, "Sure! Haven't you ever leaned against a tree for a few hours and heard it groan and creak and shift in the wind?" She laughs delightedly, gently punching Norris, "You're funny! Trees are slow, though -- they're a lot harder to hear than animals."
Norris seems to have trouble with the metaphor. He is trying, to his credit.
Mikal smiles, rising to gently push Norris to rest his head against the tree, although it's clear she really doesn't have the strength to insist. She leans her head against the tree as an example, still smiling.
Norris blinks, and then rests his ear against the tree, listening hard.
Norris blinks in the dim light, listening to the sounds reverberating through the tree, looking thoughtful. The look on his face is rather akin to a new realization, a different way of looking at the world. It's slow in coming, but it's coming. "Huh." he finally says.
Mikal beams at Norris, reaching out to squeeze his arm, "You hear it now? Isn't it nice?"
Norris nods slightly. "Is relaxin, yeah." His brow knits. "Does the tree say if it minds us livin it its belly?" Okay, so maybe he still doesn't quite get it.
There is a soft, amused, 'Excuse me,' and then Okori uses Norris's back as a jumping-point, for the kitsune to reach a natural shelving a bit above the group. "Well, now," she says consideringly. "This would be quite comfortable." She sneezes. "If a bit dusty."
Mikal giggles and waves up at the fox woman, "Hello, Mizz Okow-ree! I think I like it. I'll just make a nice thick fleecy blanket for me and Raph and anyone else here with me, and we'll be all cozy and warm!"
"Mmm, yes. You'll need to consider a fire-pit as well, and also a place for your larder. And it will get a bit colder, mind you; this is the Winter Palace, after all. But all in all this could be quite cozy." Her voice is remarkably free from innuendo. Maybe.
Mikal blinks, considering... then grins cheerfully, "But we don't need food, from what we've been told! And... and I bet I can make the blanket a nice furry one, so Raph and I can cuddle up warm together?" She sounds a bit hopeful on that last one.
Okori binks, pausing in her exploration of the shelf. "Oh! That's true, but, why would you not want to eat sometimes? Well. You'll find out when the feast hall is at full swing. Yum!"
Norris hmms. "Not sure that's true just yet, Mikal. Ah mean...they say that *eventually we's doan haveta eat. Er sleep, r' worry about hot an cold. But might take a while before we's that, uh...good at it, hey?" He shakes a finger. "Member...yew still hadta thinkup a coat a while back, yeah?"
Mikal smiles ruefully up at Norris, "I still don't understand why sometimes we sleep here, and sometimes we vanish... but we'll work it out, I'm sure." She nods proudly regarding the coat, holding out her arms so Norris can see she's still wearing her nice winter clothing.
Okori shakes herself. "Well!" she says, bounding down nimbly from the shelf. "I truly should return to my bower. If you have need of anything, Mikal-chan, please do come calling, desu? It'll be so nice! having pleasant neighbors!"
Norris grins at Mikal looking all pleased in her outfit...and for a moment, a thought flits through his brain about something Jareth once said about a lady friend of his in bed with nothing but a fur on. And then the thought connects to what Okori was saying. And for an even briefer second, he brings the two together. While he's not exactly picturing Mikal being in nothing but a fur, the idea of it does still blossom. He suddenly decides to listen to the tree some more. Yep, interesting tree.
Mikal beams at the fox lady, "Miss Okow-ree, would you like to come meet our friend Jareth? I bet he'd really like you!"
Okori tlts her head, and turns around to face Mikal, her three tails curling. "Oh, actually, that sounds quite nice, yes!"
Norris hunhs. "That's gonna be an interestin' meetin."
Mikal beams excitedly, bouncing happily on her toes, "Wonderful! Let's go now, all right?" She rolls easily out of the tree's hole, landing on her feet and calling for Iron Antlers. With her departure, the hollow gets noticeably darker and harder to move around in!
Norris uhohs. "uh...wait fer me!" Dark tree is spooky.
There's an almost chuckling snort behind Norris as the big raptor wolf rises. His eyes glow eerily in the faint, diffused daylight.
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