Part 7 - Well, well, well...
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Part 7 - Well, well, well... by The Dream (GM)
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The cats make their way back to the road, through a forest which is
oddly silent. Even the motion of the leaves, dancing in the
breeze, seems to have stopped. The world holds its breath.
There is, however, a distict feeling of being watched, as if a million
pairs of eyes are observing their progress, with the utmost care and
attention to detail.
Back on the road, they turn, and start to move in the desired
direction, upwards now, away from the river in the valley, and it seems
that, with every step, the sensation of being continually watched eases
slightly. By the time they reach the ridge line, and the road
starts to descend again, it is gone completely. Around them, the
world breathes again, and the trees once more rustle in the wind.
Down into the valley they move, and the animal sounds start to
return... squirrels moving through the trees, a cuckoo calling in the
distance, the quiet progress of small creatures in the
undergrowth. Before long, the world has gone back to being its
usual noisy, active self.
Mister Pig seems much more happy, as they make their way along the road. "We are making good progress, my loyal friends. Soon we will be at the... the place where we are going to." he finishes, slightly embarrassed at having almost revealed the secret, here, where others might have heard it.
"I wonder if it is much further?"
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Re: Part 7 - Well, well, well... by Syd
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Syd sniffs at the wind, still prowling the way ahead with eyes and ears
on full alert as he waits for the Boggins to attack again, or at the
very least, another test of their cunning and skill. " Days, weeks, months... doesn't really matter as long as we have fun along the way. I get the feeling it's not far now." he says with a shrug, his eyes fixing on a bird launching into the
distance for a moment before turning back to the road ahead. He sniffs
the wind again, ...expectant.
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Re: Part 7 - Well, well, well... by Mister Pig (NPC)
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"I don't suppose it does matter." Mister Pig says, thoughtfully, as he walks beside Syd. "A day in the Dream can be a few moments in the real world, or a single step here can take a whole day there."
"I don't think we'll ever understand it, either, but it still works that way, even if we don't know how."
The road reaches the valley floor, and turns west through the
forest. The air is cool and fresh, and there is the sound and
smell of rapidly flowing water from somewhere nearby, though the water
itself is hidden among the trees.
Eventually the sky above starts to darken, as the trees begin to thin out a little.
Suddenly there is a clearing, and standing in the clearing is a
well. A stone wall, perhaps half the height of a human, surrounds
it, and there is a roof above it, supported by two posts which also
support a handle attached to a spool of rope. One end of the rope
is secured to a wooden bucket, which stands on the wall.
Mister Pig stops, since the road seems to end here, and regards the well with a certain ammount of obvious concern.
"Is that it, do you think? I have a recurring dream about a well. It's very worrying."
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Re: Part 7 - Well, well, well... by OGMO
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OGMO tilts her head up a little, sniffing at the air, while her ears twitch.
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Re: Part 7 - Well, well, well... by The Dream (GM)
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A gentle breeze blows up the valley, coming from the west, ahead of the
cats, where the sun is sliding down the sky, and something gleams
orange, faint and far off, among the trees.
Overhead the sky darkens, but ahead the orange light brightens and spreads rapidly.
Regarding the glow with some suspicion now, Mister Pig asks, quietly,
as if afraid that speaking aloud would make his fears true, "Are the woods on fire?"
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Re: Part 7 - Well, well, well... by Leon
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Leon leaps to the roof above the well, and climbs to the peak of it, peering ahead, through the trees. "I don't think so, Mister Pig. I can't smell any smoke. I'm not sure what it is."
Leon starts to change, his eyes growing larger and rounder, as he stares towards the light.
"Soon it will be clearer though."
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Re: Part 7 - Well, well, well... by Mister Pig (NPC)
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Mister Pig remains seated on the ground, not wanting to risk a leap to
the roof... not with a well, of unknown depth, so close. Instead,
he waits for Leon to tell him what is happening.
He realises, he will have to climb up on the parapet at some point, if
he wants to get his new name, but he sees no sense in taking risks
until he has to.
Of course, if the woods are burning, then he might not be able to postpone the inevitable for too long. Things might have to be hurried at the end.
"What do you see, Leon?"
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Re: Part 7 - Well, well, well... by OGMO
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OGMO sits quietly, her ears swivelling as she looks around.
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Re: Part 7 - Well, well, well... by Leon
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"It's water. Lots of water." replies Leon, his own voice now low and filled with awe. "The
sun is low in the sky, and the water is reflecting the light through
the trees. The whole world looks like it is on fire."
He jumps down to stand near Mister Pig, "Just a trick of the light, my friend."
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Re: Part 7 - Well, well, well... by Mister Pig (NPC)
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"Ah... there was talk of a Sea of Flames near the well." Mister Pig says, sounding now a little happier, though his eyes keep straying, nervously, to the well.
"Could that be what was meant?"
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Re: Part 7 - Well, well, well... by Syd
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" Fire on the water?" Really?" Syd asks
curiously. He had been sitting quietly grooming himself, more concerned
about maintaining the sheen of his coat when they stopped to rest than
worried about boggins and followers in the dark. At the mention of such
a strange trick of light, his curiousity is piqued, and he jumps up
onto the wall, looking out at the setting sun.
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Re: Part 7 - Well, well, well... by OGMO
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OGMO sits, and looks at Mister Pig, curling her tail around to cover
her feet. "I believe we have privacy," she says. "There is
one final test of the location. Sit upon the wall; it has been
assured that you will know what to whisper, when you have arrived."
It has to be a mystical property of the true Well, she's sure. The King told him that he would, and Mister Pig never really knows what to say...
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Re: Part 7 - Well, well, well... by Mister Pig (NPC)
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From his vantage point, Syd can see the orange light dancing on the
water beyond the trees, lighting up the forest in that direction with
the illusion of flame.
Antonio sits quietly for once, perhaps overawed by the mystical nature of this place.
Mister Pig looks at OGMO, and for a moment she sees fear in his
eyes. Then he stands and shakes himself. He turns towards
the well, and with a determined expression he moves forward and springs
up to the parapet.
A momentary pause, followed by a quiet, "Ah... of course... "
Leaning forward, he whispers into the darkness. For several long
moments it seems that nothing happens, and then the cat turns away, and
leaps to the ground.
"I have my new name. The well gave it to me, just as the King said it... "
And in that instant, Leon, his fur melting and morphing into gleaming
black scales, drops from the top of the well and attacks him!
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Re: Part 7 - Well, well, well... by Syd
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Syd smiles as Mr. Pig tells them he has been given the object of their
quest, but his eyes go wide as a trusted friend suddenly reveals
himself to be something else entirely! " LEON! NO!!" he yowls, and then the moment of shock is quickly replaced with an
intense anger at the betrayal. His eyes narrow and he growls from deep
within his heart. Syd crouches for only a heartbeat to strengthen the
recoil of his leap - and then launches himself at their attacker with
claws wide open and the hackles along the back of his spine on full
alert...
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Re: Part 7 - Well, well, well... by No-longer-Leon
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The creature which had been Leon seems to unfold its limbs, until it
resembles some grotesque spider, with far two many joints in its
legs. Fingers and toes, seven on each hand or foot lengthen and
sharpen, as it reaches for Mister Pig's neck. And then Syd
crashes into it, giving the newly-renamed cat an opportunity to throw
himself clear.
The thing leaps easily to the top of the well, where it squats, hissing angrily through rows of needle teeth. "Sssstupid catssss! Not all off ussss wassss beaten on the road! And now I knowssss your ssssecret."
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Re: Part 7 - Well, well, well... by OGMO
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"I see you have been studying my technique," OGMO comments,
casually. "Wise," she compliments. Her own fur bristles -
not as you might expect of an ordinary cat, but more like she's
suddenly crossbred with a porcupine. Something sticky glints at
the tip of each spine, while her eyes glitter in anticipation.
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Re: Part 7 - Well, well, well... by Antonio
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Antonio moves to stand close to Mister Pig.
He doesn't bother shapechanging, except for the relatively simple
adjustment of bristling his tail up to about twice its usual
size. Then he waits, watching the Boggin which used to be Leon,
ready for it to make the first move.
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Re: Part 7 - Well, well, well... by No-longer-Leon
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The boggin studies the cats for a moment, before making its move... a
long leap towards the trees, on the side of the well which is farthest
from the most cats. It doesn't jump nearly far enough, and lands
awkwardly, in a flailing tangle of limbs, but quickly rights itself
before making a desperate run for the presumed safety of the forest.
OOC: Anybody wanting to pursue the Boggin, which
now has the secret location of the Well of Names, should make a Legs
roll. It only managed to get a single even, so anybody who
matches that will be able to keep it in sight, and anybody who gets two
or more will be able to actually catch up with it, and start teaching
the creature a lesson it won't forget.
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Re: Part 7 - Well, well, well... by Antonio
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"And now, you's die!"
Having waiting for the Boggin to make its (last) move, Antonio explodes
into action the moment it is clear that the foul [fowl] creature lives
up to the chicken-part of their traditional ways.
With ease he catches up with the critter and, as he flies by, takes the
time to use its back as a scratch post - serving both as an attack and
as an efficient break to slow down the red devil so he can end up
facing it.
"You's is not goin' anywhere, punk, 'sept t'yo' grave, so cut me some slack, Jack... Preach it loud, bruddah!"
He almost starts to sings, as if the taunts were his war cry or something.
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Re: Part 7 - Well, well, well... by OGMO
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OGMO hmphs. All this jumping and running around wasn't her idea
of a proper way to conduct a slaughter. If the Boggin was stupid
enough to reveal itself, why couldn't it be stupid enough to stand
still?
Nevertheless, once she starts moving, she quickly builds up momentum,
and moments after Tony bounces off the creature's back, her spine'd
form juggernauts underneath its long legs, the spines scraping at its
underbelly while she fixes her fangs on one of its legs.
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Re: Part 7 - Well, well, well... by Mister Pig (NPC)
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Mister Pig also sets off after the hideous thing which he had believed
was his friend. He can see what happened now... Leon must
have lost the fight on the road, against his doppelganger, and now the imposter had learned the secret of the Well.
It must not be allowed to escape with that information.
As soon as he comes within reach, he springs, and seems to hang in the air for a moment, an almost leisurely pause while he selects his target, before raking with his claws...
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Re: Part 7 - Well, well, well... by Syd
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Syd recovers from his flying tackle against the Boggin, but is lost in
the confusion of the little demons escape. He jumps up on a wall in
pursuit, realizes its the wrong wall, then bounds back in two quick
leaps to the other wall as he leaps to keep up with his friends. Syd
was never much for the chase, his game was more about stealth and
attack, but he tries to keep up.
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Re: Part 7 - Well, well, well... by No-longer-Leon
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The Boggin doesn't get far before Antonio hits it with all of what
weight he has. The horror staggers sideways under the impact,
stinking ichor oozing from a series of parallel gashes in its flank...
Unfortunately the falling to one side slams it up against the
spine-covered OGMO, who sinks her fangs into one of its front legs,
filling her mouth with its foul taste. The thing slows to a halt
as the heavy cat hangs on to it. It slashes at her, twisting
frantically to reach around with its free paw in a vain attempt to get
at her eyes.
And then Mister Pig hits it hard, his claws raking along its ribs, and
knocking it over. OGMO feels bone snap beneath the pressure of
her fangs as the creature falls, twisting out of her mouth, and the
Boggin hisses... It scrambles to its feet, glaring at the cats,
and hisses again as one of its front legs refuses to support any weight.
Syd arrives, having finally caught up with the thing's sudden
directional changes. Now, though, it looks considerably less
agile.
"I will sssspeak your ssssecret to every one of my kind that I ssssee, catssss. They will all know about your well!"
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Re: Part 7 - Well, well, well... by Syd
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" Damned if you will without a tounge!" Syd
snarls before pouncing once more on the fleeing Boggin. His claws
catch, but not deep enough, tearing open a moderate sized scar across
the seething creatures face. His intent is to tear out that slippery
tounge, but unfortunately, he was unable to hook a claw into its mouth
to do so.
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Re: Part 7 - Well, well, well... by OGMO
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OGMO drops the leg, and crosses Boggin off her list of favorite
foods. She rumbles forward again for another bite, however,
grabbing for another leg, and bracing herself, her intent more to hold
than to harm. Antonio seemed to have "harm" well enough in hand,
generally speaking.
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Re: Part 7 - Well, well, well... by Mister Pig (NPC)
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Mister Pig holds on to the thing a while longer, and kicks at it with
his hind feet, much prefering to use his claws rather than get a taste
of whatever passes for a flavour on a Boggin.
"I have had enough of you and your threats!" he snarls, before leaping clear in preparation for another attack. "Your kind have no power over me now."
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Re: Part 7 - Well, well, well... by Antonio
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Having said his piece, Antonio simply lunges at the boggin again,
determined to end its miserable half-existence here and now. He
spares nothing, holds nothing back as he unleashes a devastating attack
that shows why he got his reputation as a boggin fighter, appearing to
attack the boggin from every angle, in every chink in the
defence. One could almost pity the boggin, but only almost.
The orange cats turns into an orange blur (all claws), sending pieces of boggin flying all around.
OOC: 8 evens! Take that, Mister Fake-Leon. Me-ow.
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Re: Part 7 - Well, well, well... by No-longer-Leon
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The thing which used to be a cat is starting to panic. One leg is
broken, and a second has a large, heavy cat chewing on it, and the cat
almost seems to have taken root in the earth. Slowly, painfully,
the creature manages to drag OGMO a distance about equal to her own
tail length...
And then Syd suddenly leaps up in front of it and drags his claws down
its cheek. The Boggin howls, and attemps to snap at the black
cat's paw, but he is already out of reach, and the foul creature is a
little preoccupied with Mister Pig's attempt to claw its eyes out,
which succeeds in opening a gash across its brow.
Black blood is pouring down its face from its wounds, and it raises one
hind leg, to kick at OGMO. There is a high-pitched yowl, and
whirling mass of claws and orange fur slams into the Boggin.
Claws rip and slash at the scaly hide, and the Boggin howls, as it
changes its plans, directing its kick at the feline terror which seems
to be trying to rip it apart. The foot connects, knocking the cat
away, but as he flies backwards, Antonio takes the opportunity to slice
open the thing's leg.
The blood is flowing freely now, and it may be that the only thing
keeping the Boggin upright is OGMO's grip on its leg. But it
still tries to fight its way free of her helpful jaws
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Re: Part 7 - Well, well, well... by Antonio
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Not wasting his breath on any more taunting, the orange devil uses the
momentum from being kicked to bounce off a nearby tree and fly at a
true breakneck speed back at the boggin, this time opening his jaw for
a killing strike.
It may not be as effective as his recent imitation of a tornado
infested by runaway razorblades, but it deal a fair amount of damage as
his sinks his sharp canine teeth into the boggin, not about to let go
until the critter lets go of life itself, if indeed boggins are truly
alive.
Inside his head some lyrics bounces around...
Hey little Tony what is with all the fight
Little bitty kitty want to bite, bite, bite
But, of course he would never sing with his mouth full. That would be rude.
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Re: Part 7 - Well, well, well... by OGMO
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Eyes closed against the spray of ichor, and glad that she had changed
herself to something easier to shake it off of than regular fur, OGMO
keeps her grip on the Boggin's leg. In fact, she continues to
shift her weight back, digging her hind legs in, and hold herself quite
still, except for a small, sudden, quarter-turn of her head, hoping to
flip the thing over to give the others easier fleshy-tummy access.
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Re: Part 7 - Well, well, well... by Mister Pig (NPC)
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More than a little shocked by Antonio's display of ferocity, Mister Pig
makes a mental note not to get into a fight with the smaller cat.
Then he returns his attention to the task at hand...
He hisses loudly, turns sideways and arches his back, to make himself
bigger, then skips two paces nearer to the boggin, before raking his
claws down its snout. The damage is minimal, but it seems that,
even on a boggin, snout wounds bleed just as much as on a dog.
"You should just die of fright... it'll be less painful for you, in the long run!"
Not that the creature will be taking any long runs, with a broken leg.
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Re: Part 7 - Well, well, well... by Syd
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(NPC'd)
Syd takes advantage of the Boggin being held. He leaps in close
and drags his claws acros it's stinking flesh, leaving a long gash
which starts to ooze the thing's vile black blood.
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Re: Part 7 - Well, well, well... by The Dream (GM)
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OGMO holds on with her teeth, and braces her legs as the Boggin tries to escape. Suddenly she twists and pushes and the Boggin, off balance, falls heavily, landing on its back with a loud thump.
Mister Pig and Syd move in quickly, slashing at the things face, and
ichor streams into its eyes, forcing it to shake its head to try and
clear them.
Antonio pounces, and locks his teeth onto the horror's exposed throat,
biting hard. Blood pours from his mouth in copious quantities,
matting the fur of his face, and the Boggin struggles desperately to
free itself.
And then the struggles stop, and the evil gleam fades from its eyes.
OGMO and Antonio find themselves with only a disgusting black vapour in
their mouths. A vapour which flows across the earth, and brings
hordes of flies, maggots, worms and beetles crawling to the surface
wherever it touches. Finally, though, it disperses, sinking into
the ground, or blowing away on the least breath of wind. The
vermin scuttle or crawl or fly away, each in its own fashion.
The battle is over. The false Leon is gone...
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Re: Part 7 - Well, well, well... by OGMO
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OGMO sits back, blinking, and then delicately begins washing one paw, if only to get the taste of the Boggin out of her mouth.
After a moment's reflective washing, she sits back and looks at
Antonio, inclining her head towards him. "Antonio of the Lot
Behind the Pizzaria," she says, formally. "I have been more than
impressed by your ferocity in defense of all Cats, here in the heart of
the Dreamlands. I name you Antonio Dreamweaver; may your claws
rake threefold in the sleeping realm, and let all know that your
fierceness transcends the Threshold."
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Re: Part 7 - Well, well, well... by Mister Pig (NPC)
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Mister Pig sits and starts to wash himself, as OGMO makes her pronouncement. When she finishes speaking, he says, "Well spoken, OGMO. Those who speak of your wisdom are proven correct, this day."
He stands, and shakes himself then.
"My friends, you have all stood by me in this, and
for that I will always be grateful. Now, though, it is time to go
home."
"At least that should be easy, all we need do is wake up, and we'll be there in no time."
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Re: Part 7 - Well, well, well... by Antonio
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If it has been possible for one thing, and then if he had not already
been red, the ginger cat would without a doubt have turned red as OGMO
bestows him with a new title. He uses Mister Pig's speech to
collect himself, and after a quick wash he is ready to reply to her.
"Naaah, it wuz nodin', plum a necessity uh
life. Well, mah' life, anyway. Cannot live as Ah' do widout
knowin' how t'defend yo'self, at least not once ya' is to big t'crawl
into small spaces, ha!"
He wonders if he had said too much, even though he has not even
mentioned much. It was almost all he was good at, fighting.
As with the state of his coat he will not easily charm any
ladies. Indeed, that is never easy, and now it will be harder
still, at least with any lady he might be interested in.
He starts to wash himself again, more worried that they will be reading his mind than with his coat, though.
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Re: Part 7 - Well, well, well... by Syd
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Syd sits staring at Antonio for a very long pause, an expression of
impressed awe apparent in the hold of his whiskers. His own response to
the ferocity of his companion is far less eloquent than that of Ogmo,
as he says, " ...whoa." while nodding in complete agreement to the well-deserved title of
Dreamweaver. Antonio had definitely earned his scars this day.
He sits a moment longer, watching the hero tend to his wounds, while
distractedly licking the foul taste from his own mouth across the back
of one forepaw. He considers Mr. Pigs assessment that waking should be
easy, but for a moment, forgets that this all was an abstract reality
to begin with. He closes his eyes, trying to focus on the Now, trying
to remember that he was in 'reality' resting upon the back garden shed,
and not standing near a magical well by the sea...
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