RPGWW

by **Shinigori V2** » Sat Mar 29, 2008 7:53 am

Shawn looked away, and took a couple of deep, calming breaths. She was bigger than this...Emotionally and...Well, emotionally at least.

"We...W-W-We can h-help you f-find your...M-Mountain weasel."

She had never been more thankful than right now that one of her brothers had not been killed by a mountain weasel.

by **Justice Augustus** » Sat Mar 29, 2008 1:53 pm

"So where did the little thing go missing? And is there any particular treat we can use to coax him back out?"

by **Idran1701** » Sat Mar 29, 2008 11:22 pm

Raging Mists

With a frown, Thesset glances to his porch. "There's a hole in the side that I've been meaning to fix for days, but Quizzy got to it before I did. He must have slipped through when he was romping around the yard. But I'm sure just about anything will ease him out, so long as he sees a friendly face, I'm sure he'll follow you out. If he does need a bit of coaxing, though, he'll eat just about anything, so long as it's edible. If you've got a bit of bread, or fruit, or meat, it'll be treat enough for him, I'm sure."

"Don't give him cheese, though," he says, without adding further comment.

by **Seethe** » Sun Mar 30, 2008 11:03 pm

"Alright, doesn't sound too hard," Rosalyn said.

Openning into her backpack, she dug into the trail rations she had brought along, taking out a bit of dried meat.

"I suppose this'll work, then," she said, then started for the porch to look around for the hole.

by **NebulaQueen** » Mon Mar 31, 2008 4:51 am

"And just how big is the lil bugger?" Anne asked, as she eyed the giant's home. While their host seemed decent enough, she knew all too well that one man's pet is another man's monster. Strange and surprising things can be found in the mountains, and she wanted to know if his precious little darling counted as such.

by **Idran1701** » Mon Mar 31, 2008 9:23 am

Raging Mists

As Rosalyn begins looking for the hole into the porch, Thesset listens to Anne's question. The giant's eyes cloud over with happy memories as he speaks in reply, "Oh, he's a little thing. Not much larger than any of you, really. But you don't need to worry, he's well trained. He's been around small folk plenty of times before, he knows to be careful around your lot."

Meanwhile, Rosalyn soon finds the entrance; a break in the wood where some's started to rot away, about two feet across. Joss and Shawn might be able to fit through with a crouch, maybe, but for the rest of them, it looks to her that they'll have to crawl through. Thankfully, though, a quick check beyond the hole shows the area having much more space beyond. About five feet of it, in fact; though some might be forced into a stoop, the trip under shouldn't long enough for it to be too much of a bother.

by **Shinigori V2** » Mon Mar 31, 2008 9:42 am

"No!" Shawn shrieked, flailing a bit. "No! We can't! I can't!"

She turned, continuing to ramble something to herself.

by **Kai** » Mon Mar 31, 2008 5:39 pm

Joss listened to Thesset's description of the problem, thoughtfully stroking his chin. It was a gesture he'd learned from his uncle, but wasn't sure if he'd ever have the beard to really pull it off. Dsedh had been a dwarf after all. Hard for human boys to compete.

Quizzy. A mountain weasel, eh? Joss had never dealt with such a beast, but he was confident in his ability to build a rapport with whatever hapless lost pet needed to be retrieved. Heroes were expected to do these sorts of things all the time, after all. They were constantly being asked to rescue kittens from trees and burning buildings, so why should a weasel receive less consideration? It was only right that Joss give the job his full attention.

He checked his bag to ensure that he still had plenty of raisins in there, and found a satisfactory supply. Raisins were an appropriate snack for the weasel, because it was unlikely that Quizzy could mistake what was appropriate to eat with what wasn't: namely any part of Joss himself. Beyond that brief consideration, Joss simply had no patience for further deliberation. He wasn't afraid of any giant weasel, wherever he was hiding.

Joss headed over with Rosalyn to inspect the opening. It was a bit of a tight fit, but if Quizzy could fit in there then damn it so could Joss. He was startled out of his appraisal by Shawn's vocal protest. He stared at her for a moment, feeling like it would be appropriately chivalrous to comfort his spazzing teammate, but also sorely tempted to chalk it up to typical stupid girl behavior.

In the end Joss settled on a sort of compromise. "You don't need to rush in if you don't want to. Might be good to have someone scout ahead anyway." Perhaps by interpreting her inexplicable emotional outburst to a rational tactical decision, Joss could help her save face. Beyond that, he didn't know what to do with her. In the absence of anything more helpful to add, Joss ducked into the hole to see what he could see.

((OOC: If visibility in there is limited, Joss will go ahead and use his 1/day daylight effect, cast on himself to make sure it's light wherever he is.))

by **Jak Snide** » Tue Apr 01, 2008 5:14 am

Zant had remained quiet through all of this, his growing ease at being in Thesset's presence replaced by apprehension concerning venturing into the hole that, from his point of view, contained some sort of creature larger than himself.

by **Seethe** » Wed Apr 02, 2008 12:41 am

Rosalyn looked worriedly at Shawn. She could understand the girl's distress, though. The idea of facing a weasel larger than herself was a fairly disturbing thought even to the archer. But Thesset had said the animal was trained to behave itself around human-sized people, so Rosalyn wasn't too worried.

Thinking the raisins were probably a better idea than meat, Rosalyn returned her rations to their place in her backpack. Meanwhile, Joss wasted no time in climbing into the hole. As soon as he was through, Rosalyn would follow.

by **Idran1701** » Thu Apr 03, 2008 3:50 pm

Raging Mists

Joss squeezes through the hole, followed soon after by Rosalyn and Lux. Glowing with an internal light, the young hero leads the way, making a first look at what he can expect. The ever-present fog of the plane lurks even in this crawlspace, but Joss's light provides enough of a source for them to make out details nearby. Unlike most foundations, there's a thankful lack of dirt here; it's actually quite clean, with the only mess being the occasional patch of moss here and there. A quiet chittering echoes in the distance, bouncing off the walls and wooden pillars, too quiet for them to pinpoint just yet.

Meanwhile, outside the house, Shawn near-collapses in fear, the giant watching her in concern. Though he appears sorely tempted to approach her, he restrains himself, realizing this would only make things worse. Instead, he lowers his head towards her, speaking quietly. "There's no need to fear, small one. Neither of us would hurt you, I swear. You have no reason to be frightened, there's nothing to harm you here."

by **Jak Snide** » Thu Apr 03, 2008 4:03 pm

Zant cast a glance Shawn's way, not quite sure of how to handle this and not enjoying the disturbance in the slightest. He could sympathise with her about how the giant was a terrifying spectacle, but her breakdown was only worth of...well, a child. Which she did appear to be, he reminded himself, a calm inner voice soothing his irritation.

"Come now," he cooed in a soothing tone, approaching her and lower his voice, "where's the big girl I traveled to Acheron and back with?"

by **Shinigori V2** » Thu Apr 03, 2008 4:12 pm

Shawn took a couple of deep, calming breaths, though they did sound a big ragged. "I'm s-sorry, I really am.."

She turned, keeping up the deep, ragged breaths, casting a sad glance at Zant. "..M..My brother...He was..When I was little, one of my brothers was...e-eaten..by a giant..

..I w-was forced to watch.."

by **Jak Snide** » Thu Apr 03, 2008 4:30 pm

Zant glanced up at Thesset, wondering how a person, no matter how large, could eat another intelligent being. Shawn seemed sincere, though, which made Zant uneasy. Still, if the giant wanted to eat them he could easily have done so by now.

"It's...that particular giant is not present, and our friend here has proved nothing but hospitable." He kept his questions about the details of her brother's death to himself, this definitely not being the time to ask about such things.

by **Seethe** » Fri Apr 04, 2008 11:05 pm

Though she didn't expect any real danger just from walking underneath someone's house, Rosalyn did proceed carefully, keeping an eye on her surroundings as much as possible considering that visibility was limited.

"Guess we'll be depending on you," she said to Joss, his light being the only thing illuminating this place.

by **Idran1701** » Sat Apr 05, 2008 4:23 am

Thesset's home - Outside

Obviously unnerved by her claim himself, Thesset stands, stepping back from those still outside the house. He closes his eyes for a bit, before looking to Shawn remorsefully, showing a pitying frown. "...I see, small one. Well...I have no wish to disturb you further, so when your friends have finished the job, you can knock on my door. I don't wish to upset you more than you obviously are already, and I'm...deeply sorry for your kin." With a nod to Anne and Zant, he heads up, the porch creaking a bit over the heads of the explorers as he returns to his cabin.

For now, the three are alone outside, with nothing but Shawn's gasps filling the silence.

by **Kai** » Sat Apr 05, 2008 2:53 pm

Depending on Joss? Of course she was! Was she surprised?

He turned to give Rosalyn a thumbs up. "S'what I'm here for." Turning away from the woman behind him, Joss sat back on his heels and then stood up. The 'ceiling' was still a little bit above his head, and Joss was briefly thankful that he wasn't fully grown yet. Once he reached his final great and heroic stature--which he surely would given time--these things would become much more difficult.

"Quizzy!" he called. "Hey buddy, you in here?" The boy started forward again, hoping that he could coax the poor trapped animal out of here without too much trouble. He wasn't certain he could force Quizzy to leave with him.

One major difference between this and rescuing kittens from trees, he thought. At least you can make the kittens come down with you.

by **Idran1701** » Sat Apr 05, 2008 3:09 pm

Thesset's home - Underneath

Joss starts forward, lighting the way for Rosalyn and Lux as the three explore the underspace of the cabin. The glowing hero calls out, receiving a quickening in the echoing chitters in response. Pressing on, the three keep their eyes and ears open, seeking out any sign of the poor lost pet. With the ground not exactly well-suited for tracks, this is something of a more difficult task, leaving little but random chance to smile on the party.

But the group continues their searching, and as the minutes pass, the chittering slowly seems to grow more directed. Joss is the first to spot the bit of movement, with Rosalyn and Lux following suit too soon for him to speak up on it. Speeding up towards the motion and noise, eventually the fog seems to part before them, showing the goal they sought: they've found the great white weasel, coiled up but looking to be seven feet long at least, with bits of moss clinging to his fur and fear in his eyes as he appraises the three.

by **Jak Snide** » Sat Apr 05, 2008 3:31 pm

Zant fought down his frustration. This was not a harmonious, pleasant chat with a local. Said local had retreated into his own home due to upsetting Shawn. She had a good reason to bawl, but it didn't stop her from ruining the tranquility of his surroundings. As such, Zant put on a friendly face and tried to help her get a grip.

by **Kai** » Sat Apr 05, 2008 3:38 pm

"Aw, poor little guy," Joss lamented. He looked so lonely and scared that Joss forgot for a moment that this creature was far bigger than he. He didn't expect the weasel to understand anything he was saying, but with dogs sometimes it was helpful to just keep talking so that they could hear Joss didn't mean any harm. "You want to come out, Quizzy?"

He sat down on the floor so that he wouldn't seem likely to advance on the trapped animal, and popped a couple of raisins in his mouth. "I bet you're hungry after being in here all this time." He held out the little trail snacks in his palm, clearly indicating that these were for Quizzy. "You like raisins? I can share."

((Handle animal check is at +4 if you need to roll for anything.))

by **Shinigori V2** » Sat Apr 05, 2008 4:53 pm

Shawn felt pretty awful at this point. Not only was she acting like the child she had made a point to try not to be, but she had scared off what was likely a very friendly..Though very large..man.

She looked up towards his door, then quickly looked away. Every part of her wanted to go apologize, and make it right again, but..She just couldn't get herself to move.

"..I'm sorry..I didn't..mean to.."

by **Jak Snide** » Sat Apr 05, 2008 9:07 pm

"It is not of concern. Come, stand up now. We all have our moments."

by **Justice Augustus** » Sat Apr 05, 2008 11:55 pm

Lux nodded at Joss' actions approvingly, though he was nervous. Broken from the rest of the group and in an unfamiliar environment they were not in a strong position, but he felt confident in the abilites of those who were present. A thought struck him in the back of his mind, of the ancient tale of the lyre-player who could calm animals with his song. Lux felt that his abilities were pretty good, but for now he'd let Joss take center stage.

by **NebulaQueen** » Mon Apr 07, 2008 3:47 am

Anne scratched the back of her head, and watched the scene play out between Zant and Shawn. While it could've gone better, she couldn't really blame the kid, especially after something like that.

She shook her head, and turned away from them. She shouldn't be looking at this - this was something private. For a moment she glanced towards the hole, before she walked towards it. They probably had the weasel thing under control, but it couldn't hurt to keep an ear open, just in case.

by **Idran1701** » Mon Apr 07, 2008 6:00 am

Thesset's home - Underneath

Watching the three cautiously, the massive weasel sniffs the air, tail wagging. His ears perked at Joss's speech, his forelegs twitch slightly before he slowly steps forward. With a slightly-ticklish lick, he picks the raisins from Joss's hand; they're little more than seeds to him, but he seems to enjoy them well enough. Sensing that these fellows mean no harm to him, Quizzy looks to relax. With an odd clucking noise, he watches Joss for a bit before nudging him with his head; for someone his size, the gentle shove is almost enough to knock Joss over, but he manages to keep his balance. Quizzy clucks again before settling flat, apparently ignoring Rosalyn and Lux for now.

by **Justice Augustus** » Mon Apr 07, 2008 10:33 am

Lux smiles when he sees the results of Joss' performance, mentally applauding him. For now he maintains his back-up role, waiting to see what happens, and attempting to exude an air of calm about himself, so as not to upset this delicate new relationship.

by **Seethe** » Mon Apr 07, 2008 9:25 pm

Rosalyn was relieved that the weasel seemed to take well to Lux. Once Quizzy had relaxed, the last of her own uncertainties also went away. So now all that was left would be to lead the creature back to the entrance.

by **Kai** » Wed Apr 09, 2008 4:06 pm

Joss laughed as Quizzy shoved at him with his head, and had to quickly readjust his weight to keep from toppling back to the ground. "I see how it is!" Joss stood and reached down to rub the fur on the top of the large white beast's head. Clearly all the weasel needed was a little kindness and sympathy, and Thesset was right. Quite a friendly animal.

"Well, I guess we'd better work on getting you outta here, huh?" Joss asked the weasel. He reached into his bag and pulled out the whole box of raisins, opening it a bit for Quizzy to smell. "You want some? We'll go eat the rest outside if you come with..."

Joss started backing up, closing the lid of the raisin box to keep Quizzy out until he'd earned a reward. "All right guys," he said back to the others. "We should be all right as long as he doesn't tackle me and steal all my food."

by **Idran1701** » Wed Apr 09, 2008 4:23 pm

Thesset's house

Quizzy watches the box as Joss holds it out, sniffing its contents and stretching out to take it for his own. Joss pulls it back just in time, bringing the large weasel to stare at him, his ears flicking back. Giving him another cluck, he seems to understand, though he looks little happy about having to wait. And so the three head back, Quizzy bounding about them impatiently, weaving in and out of the trio, brushing against them and leaving bright white strands of fur deep in their clothing, embedded to that mysterious degree that all pet owners are long since familiar with.

Outside the hole, Anne can hear their approach long before she sees them emerge from the fog, though Joss's glow brings a sparkle to the droplets a good five or ten paces before they can be seen. Shortly after, the three plus their temporary companion emerge, and Anne moves out of the way just in time to avoid a giant weasel cheerfully running forward and leaping through the exit, hopping about outside and looking at all present. Forgetting of the food for now, he indulges his curiosity, scampering first up to Anne before trotting towards Zant and Shawn, watching them fearlessly as he approaches.

by **Justice Augustus** » Wed Apr 09, 2008 4:41 pm

As Quizzy bounds off gleefully into the light, Lux turns to Joss. "That's quite a gift you have there, there's not many who can make such a kinship with animals so readily."

by **Seethe** » Thu Apr 10, 2008 4:05 am

"I'd say," Rosalyn piped up, finding herself in agreement with Lux. "I have to say, I'm pretty impressed.

After proceeding to follow Quizzy out through the hole, Rosalyn stood up and dusted herself off. After that trek, it was nice to be able to stand up straight again. She watched the animal running around for a moment, glad to see that it was happy to be out of the hole, then climbed up onto the porch and gave a knock on the door.

"Hey, Thesset?" she called. "We found 'im. Quizzy's out here now."

by **Kai** » Thu Apr 10, 2008 2:30 pm

Joss watched with an approving nod as Quizzy hurried forward to inspect the others. "Animals are very honest creatures," he replied to Lux and Rosalyn. "Sometimes I think it'd be nice if people could be so honest about their feelings and intentions. Although..." He laughed as Quizzy checked out Anne and Shawn. "I think that the females of the species might not appreciate dudes sniffing them in public to say hello. What do you think?" he asked Lux. "If it's worked for you by all means let me know. But I've got my doubts."

Suddenly he remembered the raisins he'd promised the weasel. He set the box of raisins down onto the slightly-springy surface of the cloud and opened the lid. He peered around the large weasel's body at the others who'd stayed outside. "You should try feeding him. He's really gentle."

by **Shinigori V2** » Fri Apr 11, 2008 10:43 pm

As Rosalyn went up to the house, she'd find Shawn already there, having shortly before walked away from Zant and Anne, heading up to the door and knocking firmly upon it.

She seemed to not noticed the weasel at all.

by **Idran1701** » Sat Apr 12, 2008 3:24 am

Thesset's house

While Rosalyn and Shawn wait at the door, Quizzy reaches Zant. He glances over the genasi, giving another inquisitive sniff before hopping off again. Not yet noticing the raisins, his attention seems to be pulled by just about anything that shows some sign of movement. And in a realm filled with steam, there's quite a bit of movement to occupy him.

His focus is gathered, however, as Shawn and Rosalyn knock on the door. While the two wait for a response, the cheerful weasel sits and stares, clucking happily as he sits. After a brief delay, the door opens to Quizzy's delight. Thesset looks to Shawn with a bit of surprise, but his face soon breaks into a wide grin as Quizzy scampers up the stairs, standing on his hind legs behind the two and watching Thesset. The giant squats down, nodding to the two as he reaches over, scratching Quizzy's head and getting a happy series of clucks in return.

"Well, I'm glad to see he's still in good spirits. Aren't you, Quizzy?" Pulling his arm back, he glances down to Shawn. "But what about you, small one? I hope you're feeling better now? I hate to upset someone so."

by **Jak Snide** » Sun Apr 13, 2008 5:55 pm

Zant chuckled softly, wondering how he could have been afraid of such a creature. Despite still finding Quizzy's size a little disconcerting he couldn't help but feel at ease around the weasel, as full of curious energy as it was.

by **Seethe** » Mon Apr 14, 2008 7:30 pm

Rosalyn was also a bit surprised to see Shawn at the door, but it was a pleasant surprise. Nice to see the girl setting her fears aside like that.

by **Shinigori V2** » Tue Apr 15, 2008 7:12 pm

Shawn nodded. "Yes, I am, th-thank you. And I'm s-sorry to have made you uncomfortable. Wh-what happened wasn't your fault, and I'm sorry to have d-dragged you into it."

by **Idran1701** » Tue Apr 15, 2008 7:40 pm

Thesset's house

"Oh, you have nothing to apologize for. You did nothing wrong to me; I left for your sake. But I am glad to see you being strong in the face of such a...horrible thing." With a sorrow-tinged smile to Shawn, Thesset calls Quizzy to him with a cluck of his own. The weasel squeezes between the two, fur rapidly brushing along their faces as he dashes forward. Reaching Thesset's leg, he hops up and climbs his body before reaching the summit, perching on his shoulder and looking across at all.

Standing straight, Thesset does the same, speaking to the party as a whole as he reaches to Quizzy, scratching behind the happy creature's ears. "Well, again, I must thank you for helping to save Quizzy. As I said, I can't reward you with much, but I can at least provide you with a gift of food before you leave." Leaning over, he pulls a small satchel - about the size of a backpack, just fitting in the palm of his hand - off a nearby shelf, kneeling again before the two at his door and offering it to one of them to take. "Vegetables and pieces of breads and dried meats. I cut the pieces to your size while I was inside, and I hope you enjoy them with my thanks. There's a small bit of silver as well; 15 for each of you. Not much, I know, but I keep little money here. If there is anything else I can do for your group?"

by **Jak Snide** » Tue Apr 15, 2008 7:44 pm

Zant inclined his head forward slightly in thanks, though he waited for one of the three who actually went to fetch Quizzy to accept the reward and offer a more vocal form of appreciation.

by **NebulaQueen** » Wed Apr 16, 2008 2:39 am

Well, that was awful generous of him, wasn't it? "Aw, thanks," she said chipperly. "I think that should be enough, though, right?"

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