The Castle [02] (Remba, but don't let it stop you)

[Stygian]

The bat looked up at Cog again, her eyes focused and tense but not betraying any emotion, as is the case whenever someone is truly attentive or on edge. She breathed slowly, hearing him out and then staying silent for a while. Then, she slowly let out her breath and closed her eyes. Smoothly, she slid her legs down the side of the bed and pulled the sheet up over her, sitting there at the side of it and looking ashamed.
   "It was still my fault. I... can't blame loneliness, but I thought that it was all I was going to get for a shot. I can understand if I appall you." He had, after all, seen Stygian's true form back in the library, and she thought that counted for it all. "I'm saying you should leave. Not that I want you to. I don't..." she continued, then bit her lip. She hung her head a bit, then looked sideways up at him. "I'm saying you don't have to worry. I'm far from frail. I'm just a monster, after all."

[Mel Dragonkitty]

Mel awoke from her uncomfortable bed to the sound of chimes. It took her a moment of owlish blinking and staring to remember why she was asleep in a chair in a library. She was stiff from sleeping in the awkward position and her eyes felt like they had been sanded raw. "Keaton. Where did we leave off?" she asked, going back to her last memory. She didn't get a response other than more chimes so she looked around. Keaton was in a chair near the spider and Mel couldn't tell if she was asleep or awake and in a trance. Mel stood and walked to where the jackal was sitting. Perhaps she was concentrating on weakening the emotions the curse fed upon. "Keaton?" she called again, softly so as not to startle her. "Would you like some food before we start again?"

[Gareeku]

Slowly but surely, Gareeku awoke from his deep slumber. Rubbing his eyes, the wolf looked out of the window and saw that it was sometime in mid morning thanks to the position of the sun. It was then, however, that he noticed the blood and dirt stains on his clothes as he happened to glance down at himself. Frowning slightly, Gareeku hopped off of the bed and searching through the wardrobe's for any clothes he could wear. To his great surprise, the clothes inside the wardrobe only required a quick shake to rid them of any dust they had, which was surprisingly very little in the first place.

A few minutes later, Gareeku was dressed in black boots, with black trousers and a white shirt with the sleeves rolled up just past his elbow as well as the couple of buttons at the top undone. The clothes were Victorian in style, and while it wasn't the most comfortable of outfits to wear, it would do until he got his normal outfit cleaned up. With the bundle of dirty clothes under his arm, the wolf left the room and headed down the hallway. Entering the kitchen, Gareeku dumped his clothes on the floor in the corner, deciding to leave them there for the time being, though he decided to keep his katana with him.

Heading into the library, the wolf waved in greeting at the people who were there.
"Morning." he said somewhat gruffly, before sitting down on a chair. From the looks of things, a cure for the curse was unfortunately yet to found. He wasn't the most informed about curses, but decided to pick up a book and search through it anyway.

[Rloa]

Kerag never went to sleep he just sat in the kitchen were his is still stitting

OOC:(soo tired must get sleep! *cough* People always want something from me)

[Prof B Hunnydew]

a bell rings and rings in the clouds with PBH and Inescia.. PBH laying on her cloud with Inescia sleeping on her chest, Asked

"XJK9 What the Furggic, Turn off the alarm it is Saturday" mumble PBH into her pillow.
"It had to be Saturday morning, she had cottonmouth and the begins of a hangover, sure sign it was a sleep-in saturday" thought Bambi as she laid on her back.   She feeling an unknown weight on her chest, but she still turns to her side and cradling and cuddling around it.  It is warm and soft, it hugs her back.  MMM Bambi purrs with delight and doses a bit until the bell goes off again. "Grrrr Can't I dream of love a little long" thought Bambi... But she was waking up to pressing needs like her arm really needed blood flow, and she had to go to the bathroom.   

PBH open her eyes to see the sunlight in the ferret girls hair and the peaceful look on her face.. maybe for the first time in ages.  Bambi didn't want to wake Inescia, but she want to keep a working arm, too.  She slowly move her arm to a more comfortable position.  Yet that was enough to wake the pretty ferret girl.

Inescia wakes to see a nude Bambi smiling down on her with the sunlight streaming in behind from the windows.

"Would We like some breakfast, Dear heart?" asks PBH

PBH

[Cogidubnus]

Cog took in what she said, shaking his head sadly. He thought for a moment before speaking. "Loneliness, whatever." he said, waving a hand in dismissal. "I don't expect you to be a saint. You must have kicked back at least twice as much booze as I did, and I don't remember you spilling blood."
An awkward silence ensued, and Cog looked away, staring outside at the sunlit green outside the castle. The brightness seemed garish in light of what they spoke of. He looked away, and stared at his glasses for a moment. Thankfully, the lenses seemed to be intact. Small blessings, he thought.
"You don't appall me. Why should you?" he said, placing his head in his hand. "You're no angel, true. I have, however, heard fouler language from the angel we do have." he said, the humor not touching him. "You're not a monster. If so, you really would have killed Mel if you were. Or even me. No. I have seen monsters. Those are not the actions of monstrous people." He spoke with an air of finality, and nodded his head. Of this he was certain.
He stood, keeping the sheet wrapped around himself. He ran a hair through his greasy hair, and stared forlornly at his tattered clothes on the floor. He looked at Sebastian from the corner of his eye.
"I could really, really use some clothes. And a shower."

[Stygian]

However much the bat tried to, she could not keep her face from sinking, as she heard the wolf out and took her eyes off him, looking at the wall.
   "I am an angel. That's one problem right there... And far from a good one..." she muttered, one hand vacantly reaching toward her back, before she closed her eyes and bit together. Then, she looked up again, still as sad, still keeping her eyes away. She stayed silent a bit.
   "There are clothes in the wardrobe to your right. There should be a bathroom somewhere out in the hallway," she then said with a clouded voice, turning her face away and pulling the sheets tighter around her, laying her head down on a pillow with her back to Cog. He could see two faint lines on her back where the fur was split, perfectly set right at her shoulder blades a bit over the small of her back and the beginning of her tail.


   The ferret smiled up at the greeting from Bambi and the sight of her, slowly murring as she sat up and rubbed her white eyes a bit. She yawned, and then moved over to the side, laying in a kind of snoozing position.
   "Yeah. Sure. You go ahead," she murred and muttered, intending to sleep in a few more minutes before she would go anywhere else, it seemed.


   The book that Gareeku opened seemed to be a history account of the dealings between the Caerule and Don'Chel houses, a long and tedious record of exchanges as perceived by a set of independent scholars and bankers who had born witness to the long standing feuds between the two houses and others. It didn't tell much but names and places, occasional personal analysies and illustrations or footnotes the only real bright points in the text.
   Next to him lay another book, one entitled "The principles of Harnessing the Light and Dark" by a certain A. A. Caerule. It looked a bit more of an interesting read.

[Gareeku]

Reading the book he had just opened, Gareeku quickly became bored with it. The wolf didn't find matters such as records of exchanges interesting, and so he closed the book and put it to the side. However, as he did so, he noticed another book laying there; "The Principles of Harnessing the Light and Dark" by A. A. Caerule. Finding the title of the book to be most interesting, the wolf pick it up and opening it's pages, reading what the text within said...

[Cogidubnus]

 Cog grimaced at her words, and closed his eyes, making a light groan in the back of his throat. But of course. Bad metaphor..., he thought, and before opening the wardrobe and taking a look with what he had to work with.
He took the loosest pair of pants he could find, a pair of brown velvet pants, and a loose white shirt made out of cotton. He considered for a moment, and took a thick-looking scarf out as well. It'd have to serve for a belt. He'd look for boots and such later.
Turning around, he again paused and looked at Sebastian's back. He stared at the lines on her back and after staring at them for a moment, hung his head. Oh, no... he thought, and spoke. "I...truly, my dear, I'm sorry." he said, before opening the door softly and padding down the hall.
He walked down the hallway until the found the bathroom door open. It was surprisingly clean for something left alone for over a century. Old, yes, but it was an old house. He set the flame on the water heater and waited for the water to get to temperature. Eventually, it began to steam, and he stepped into the shower and pulled the lever. He sighed as the warm water flowed over his skin, and washed quickly.
It didn't take him terribly long to get himself clean and ready, and the clothes fit loosely enough that he wouldn't be unduly restrained by them when something attacked him. It wasn't an if, not in this place. He padded back down the hall and entered the room again softly.
He didn't know if Sebastian was sleeping, so he merely busied himself placing all his personal items back on his person. When he put his arm through a hole rather than a sleeve in his jacket, he grimaced, and decided that on next chance he'd have to visit a tailor. It was indeed hard to find true silver thread nowadays.

[Stygian]

The bat lay still in the bed, her face buried in the pillows and her shape not moving. She was intending on laying like that for a while, shutting out the world outside and ignoring the dull pain trying to overcome her until she could get up and get rid of this accursed form, this castle and these people.
   The scars that could only barely be hinted on her back, though they were quite large under her fur, were not what Cogidubnus thought, but old. Almost as old as the bat herself. But they seemed to sting anew as she lay there in her pain as she waited silently for the wolf to finish his business and go. It certainly was not just the wolf that did it, but all that had happened and the ending of a part of what she had based her whole life on all came together and bore down on the bat in her mind, an unfamiliar pain soaking in.
   She drew a reflexive, hasted breath, then another, clenching her teeth and shuddering while trying to fight it back.


   The book was indeed as intriguing as its title suggested. The foreword itself, pertaining to the deeper and more symbolic meanings of light and darkness, of the many facets of it, and of the creatures, the symbols and the events that signified such complex concepts and the relations between Good and Evil, Heaven and Hell and the many tie-ins in between, and where the simple, meager soul fit into all of this was a revelation in itself. It only hinted at the real knowledge behind it all, but opened up for such thoughts and speculations that the wolf had to put the book aside just to ponder for a while before he continued his read.
   The book seemed to be an in-depth analysis and explanation to, putting it simply, light and darkness in divine and magical terms, and the connection between the divine and magical itself. It spoke very much about the significance of symbolism and binding, how powerful entities and gods had bound to them powers of elements and aspects, most notably among these the few angels who had risen to a divine status of being. It also stated how certain powers or entities may be shaped, bonded or trapped, and apart from a number of new magical techniques the wolf hitherto had not known, how to deal with them.
   Needless to say, it was an overwhelming, if not completely dazzling read. Simply put it was too much information to process all at once. And the thoughts it sparked were mindboggling. It was plain to see that whoever had bound the archangel to the castle had used the knowledge of this book, if it had not been the very same person.

[Prof B Hunnydew]

Bambi places a light kiss on the ferret's cheek, and then hastely leaves the bed to a privy  Bambi jumps out of the bed and Doesn't touch the bed clothes or the clothes on the floor and search around the room.  Closet,  Closet, Hallway(flashing  a full view of herself the outside hallways before she quickly shutting the doors, which can be heard most likely by those in the library)  Finally a Bathroom. she rans in...ahh  The magics that keep the water running still work if sluggishly with brown water at first.  Bambi freshens up and returns to find the ferret asleep again. 

PBH is still tried, too, and lays down beside the sleeping ferret.  She playing and petting the girls hair and fur, as she doses and watches the sleeping ferret. 
PBH knew the girl need her rest, and let she sleep, but she couldn't leave the girl for fear of what her ghosts were about. PBH wondering who or what was going on in the girl head, and thought,  "If all her ghosts were gone or just sleeping too?  I need to get back to Mel soon." 

PBH would give Inescia a few more moments of peace, before the girl had to talk to the other adventurers or her ghosts.

PBH

[Rloa]

Kerag had a small book open and was slowly reading it he read it over and over again and again. It was about when a Cubi used the spell to summon a dragon and what happen to him. Kerag sighed and closed the book and sticks it back into his pocket. His sister Taught  him the spell but said to never use it. "you more then likly will die as it Consumes  the soul." muttered kerag the same word in which his sister told him.

[Sunblink]

The tiny, opalescent globe rested, pinched, between two slender digits, the light contained within its thick surface swirling and churning.

Flick.

All it took was one, negligent flick of the thumb to launch it upward, the marble somersaulting in the air for a brief moment before it was magnetically drawn back to Keaton's thumb.

Flick.

Again. This time Keaton chose to aim it a bit further, the marble sailing over the armchair but once more, reliantly returning.

Flick.

Again. Keaton didn't notice Mel's first question, too distracted with her marble antics to listen. As short-lived as Keaton's ire was, it seemed as though the jackal had momentarily forgotten about how her negative emotions influenced the strength of their curse during her miniature tantrum. Deciding to start on something slightly more productive than smoldering in her rage, she fished the enchanted marble out of her pocket and started to play with it, losing contact with the rest of the world as she flipped and spiraled it into the air with every jerk, twist, or slight rotation of her thumb.

It was a birthday gift from her older sister when she was a child. No matter where she rolled it or launched it, it would always return to her thanks to the ward placed over it.

Keaton, however, DID hear Mel's next question. Freezing, she clenched her fist, the marble obediently rolling out of the cradle of her palm and perching itself on the back of her hand. "Huh?" she asked, turning her clearly exhausted eyes in Mel's direction. "Oh, jeez, I'm sorry." Slapping her other, free hand to her forehead, she shook her head, about to open her mouth to respond to her question, but she was curtly interrupted by a sudden, thunderous rumbling from her stomach.

Blinking, Keaton looked down at her taut, athletic stomach, snapping her fingers. The marble travelled down her body, winding about her curves until it returned into her pocket, tucking itself away. "Uh..." she poked her stomach. This... was entirely new. She hadn't been hungry in nearly five hundred years. Sure, she liked to eat occasionally whenever the whimsy struck her, but...

"Yeah, I think I could use something to eat."

~Keaton the Black Jackal

[Aisha deCabre]

It had taken a little while, as the stains of blood and dust were set deep in the fabrics, but once Aisha found a washroom it was otherwise just a little work to get her adventuring outfit clear and back to its navy-blue color...only to get it dirty again soon enough I bet, the panthress smirked ironically to herself.  She was thankful at least that the uniform itself had a few magic properties in the threads...the holes in the back of the cape and the shirt where a wraith had almost gotten her were mended fully as if it had never happened, once the water touched it.

Then she had set to polishing her weapons as well.  The boomerang's razor edges and the dragonblade's glittering surface were soon restored to a glorious shine, no longer carrying the scent of the things they had slain many times over...as if back to being virgin blades once again.  Then she regarded the holy sword, with stilled fascination.  There was no more dust on the surface already, and little blood, for the blade never had to touch the skin of the monsters to kill them.  The flames that were conjured did that well enough.  Still, she also restored the shine.  I wonder if anyone dubbed the blade.  I would like to know what I'm holding.  And where in infierno the sheath is, her thoughts finished with a light sigh, but a smile at her work.

Aisha finally knew that her time there was done once a low grumble came from the pit of her stomach.  She hummed and let her outfit in the room to dry, taking her belt with her, weapons strapped back onto them.  The panthress tugged lightly on the clothes she had on, mostly a mixture of things she found in the drawers; a dark silver-colored shirt with frilled sleeves and a vest that fit over it, a bit of a deeper black color.  The trouser-like split skirt was red, one of the only aspects that kept her wearing women's clothing from another era.  At least for the time being.

She found her way through the maze-like corridors, no longer maze-like thanks to her sense of direction having taken a memory to much of the first floor's layout.  Aisha found the library again where the others were, already starting the day by having their noses placed in books.  She passed them and put her belt on a table.  "I daresay my mentor would like all of you, muchachos," she laughed, crossing her arms humorously and leaning the edge while trying to bring some light-heartedness back to their somber purpose.  "Studious."

It was then that she remembered the chiming noise that had seemed to continue on since she heard a bit of it passing the library before.  Her ears flattened against her skull.  "What was that, anyway...?" she muttered.  "The door?"

[Mel Dragonkitty]

Mel greeted Aisha with a nod. "I think we're going to take a break for a moment and look for food. Let's see what Sebastian brought back that might be turned into breakfast. Everyone will feel better and think better if they eat. I think we all need to be in top form to break the curse." Mel started across the library then added, "If we're lucky someone else is ahead of us. On my best day I've been know to reach as high as mediocre with my cooking skills."  Mel almost managed a smile for the first time since entering the castle. What a pair to be scrounging food, a cubi who probably barely recognized food anymore and herself, who considered cooking to be the name of a class she had been made to take in school.

As they passed down the halls the chimes continued to ring and she wondered what they were. If they had been louder, coupled with the huge chapel this place held she might have thought it was some sort of automatic reminder of a prayer service, left ringing pointlessly all these years.  But this didn't seem like that. This was more of an annoying, insistent bell, demanding attention. She turned to Keaton. "What do you think that noise is? With our luck that's the starting bell for the morning shift of monsters to start work."

They reached the kitchen and Mel stared at her nemesis, the cook stove. She reminded herself that the fire was small and contained and unlikely to burn her. If she could handle her jeweler's torch why couldn't she manage a stove without always hurting herself?

[Sunblink]

Without further commentation, Keaton lifted herself from her seat, giving her stomach a sharp poke with the tip of her finger, obvious confusion engraved in her sharp facial features. When Aisha entered she regarded her with a wave and a nod of her head. "G'morning," she said, rubbing at the corner of her right eye with the back of her fist. It was then that when her fist grazed her nose that she realized how much she needed a bath... Keaton's nose wrinkled distastefully, her eye twitching. Looking down, she stared at the congealing, ugly spots of blood saturated into her now rather threadbare, black clothing. Gross. Gross gross gross.

Another complaining growl from her starved stomach garnered her attention once more. She remained quite engrossed by this apparently interesting phenomenon for the next few moments, up until the chiming resumed its monotonous ringing. Blinking, Keaton's ears tilted up, facing the direction that the ethereal sound had originated from. "Buh?"

That was the first time she had heard the chime. Unsurprisingly, in her entranced state from before, she had been too busy playing with the marble to hear much of anything. It had worked to defuse her anger, but it severely dulled her observations. "I... have no idea what that is," she admitted to Mel, "Does this place have a belltower? I..."

Once more she nearly smacked her forehead. 'Do castles even HAVE belltowers?' she thought as they walked into the kitchen. Mel separated to examine the stove, which she apparently seemed to be rather unenthusiastic about using. Not thinking much of it (after all, she couldn't cook to save her life herself--maybe it was the entire 'food not being necessary' thing) Keaton scavenged the marble from her pocket and balanced it on one of her fingers, looking around the room for something reasonably edible and non-moldy to eat.

~Keaton the Black Jackal

[Cogidubnus]

Cog put on his glasses, and he was about as complete as he was going to get, for now. He still hadn't managed to find a pair of boots, but he'd tied the scarf he'd found around his waist to serve as a fairly good belt, and it held his sword to his body fairly decently. He looked more the troubadour than the ronin, but it couldn't be helped. Unless they happened to have a tailor in town, it would have to do. As he dressed, however, Sebastian's state of mind was all to obvious to him, and oddly enough, distressing to himself as well. She reeked of despair.
He turned to her, and again stared at the scars on her back. Her comments, and their location, suddenly clicked: Wings, he thought, and made a sour face. Surely whatever could permanently hurt her was dark indeed...and what a cruel way to do it. He began to understand a little about her paranoia.
He sat down on the floor, his joints popping as they twisted into a seated posture, and he took a deep breath. He risked speaking. From her shaking, he gathered she hadn't gone back to sleep.
"The wall isn't that interesting, good lady." he said, trying for a bit of humor, his head tilting somewhat. He sat in silence for a moment, and then risked another word. "You...don't have to be alone, if you don't want to. I'm sorry about last night, but...staying away won't..."
Cog scratched his neck, and felt a most strange sensation – he was at a loss for words. He thought for a moment, and then took a deep breath.
"Alone, we cannot keep ourself, for we give us neither hands nor help – a different way, friends do bring: they bid us fly, than give us wings."

[Stygian]

The bat shifted slightly, moving only a bit to the side as she tried steadying her breaths, still with her back turned to the wolf. She lay there a bit, then swung around and placing her feet on the floor again, this time not bothering much with the sheets. Her face was pained, her sharp teeth gritted and her eyes wet, though she looked as angry as sorrowful. She breathed slowly, steadily calming herself and choking those emotions and the memories dead, her face slowly settling.
   "Poetry..." she said, almost with a chuckle, closing her eyes and rubbing a temple. "Always words there are, by bards and skalds and minds so great, to say what we cannot..." This time, she gave a short, bitter smile. She only glanced at Cog, before rolling off her sheets, standing up and walking past him, now slowly and coolly in that same manner that he had seen before, as if her emotions had just died away completely.
   "Friends console each other, but they don't demand," she said levelly. "You don't have to feel or think anything for me at all, if it is not your wish. False comfort is no comfort." The bitterness of the words should have stung her tongue, but they didn't, unfortunately. She took the clothes she had set out for herself on the stool next to the wardrobe, pulling on underpants and then slipping into a black shirt and a pair of smooth black pants that were both a bit too big, before setting her feet in smooth but rough-soled black shoes that were a bit oversized too, not minding. She straightened the clothes before slipping on a silver necklace of some kind and her glasses, taking up the amulet Cog had brought the previous evening and a coat and a duster hat not entirely unlike the wolf's own in her hand, then looking at him as she stood by the door.
   "Let's get some breakfast. I will probably go back to sleep as soon as we are done for today, but I will not do so on an empty stomach."
   With those words, Stygian opened the door, and made way for the kitchen.

   Downstairs, the bat found Mel and Keaton standing and looking around awkwardly as if they didn't know whether to turn on the stove or to jump out the window. Save for the stuff that went in the fridge, the bags she had brought from before stood unemptied, and so she just sighed and urged the others out, seeing as how they could probably just make morning tea at best. She quickly switched on and fired up the stove, took out the ingredients she needed, and got to work. Soon, the smell of tea, warmed bread, some sort of soup and pancakes drifted from the kitchen.
   "I really wonder how the hell you've survived as adventurers if you don't know how to cook..." the bat said as she brough in two breakfast trays in order into the library, one with tea, honey, glasses, cups and platters with some sort of red soup on it, the other with bread, pancakes on a warmed plate and various cold servings.
   "Borstj with bread, cheese and roast beef, and creme fraiche for those who want. The plate to the left has blood in it, so that's mine. Then there's tea, juice, marmalade, jam and pancakes for those who want that," she said, placing the things down neatly, and then taking a seat in a chair and sighing.


   The ferret finally got dressed and went out of her and Bambi's room, trying to tidy her short, ruffled hair just a bit with a hand as she walked.
   "Hey," she said, siding up next to the feline and walking along. "Can we... Can you please not mention my name to the others? Let's just go with Gina for now, okay?" she asked, a bit timidly, while blushing.

[Aisha deCabre]

Aisha had nodded back to Mel and Keaton as they greeted her, and watched them walking out towards the kitchen.  For a moment she considered following them, but then decided against it...her own slight lack of cooking skills notwithstanding, the panthress didn't wish to feel like she was in the way of those two...especially the jackal, having seen how jumpy she could be while the curse was still upon her.

Smirking, the panther leapt from the table she was sitting on and bade a good morning to the others in the room, sometimes pausing to look over their shoulders at things they were reading...only briefly so as not to annoy them.  But soon she heard them come back, her head tilted at the jackal and dragon, but deciding not to ask about breakfast as soon as the smell of something cooking came permeating down the corridors and to the nostrils of the morning-weary party members.

Hearing the voice of the bat coming in, along with the smell becoming stronger, Aisha smirked in reply when she came from the shadows of the bookshelves.  "For those who save their adventuring money instead of burning it all on ale, food needn't always be made," she pointed out with a laugh and came to the table.  Her eyes widened at the spread on the trays, and with a thankful bow of her head to Sebastina she took couple of pancakes for herself, with a bit of jam and some juice.  The panthress sat nearby and started to fill her stomach, with a quiet and satisfactory purr.

[Sunblink]

As Keaton idly juggled the marble in between her hands during her Epic Search for Food (or what she liked to think of it as), partially distracted by the constant complaints of her stomach, she froze in place as none other than Stygian arrived, looking in slightly better spirits than he did last night. Ears swiveling back, Keaton's head jerked around to face him, carefully inspecting the bat of any signs of belligerence, though found none as the intoxicating aroma of fresh food wafted into the air.

Setting out trays stocked with food before them, Keaton felt her stomach roar once more, much to her dismay. Again, she found herself very startled by this reaction. Feeling very unassertive for that moment, she took the nearest item which seemed appetizing enough (it happened to be the roast beef) and seated herself, munching quietly.

In the furthest parts of her mind she pondered how she was going to break her recently-discovered news to Stygian, or any of the other curse victims. Finally, Keaton looked up to Stygian and sighed, rubbing at her forehead. "Okay. Enough with the silence. I've got some really bad news that I didn't get to tell you about last night."

Keaton sighed again, massaging her temples. "Me and Mel discovered that this curse of ours is fueled by our negative emotions, which is how it turned me into an Angel and did whatever it did to Cog. But the big problem is that unless we find a way to stop it, it'll become permanent within 28 hours."

Well that went articulately enough. Unfortunately for Keaton the reminder of the urgency of their situation somehow robbed her of her ability to eat, as the tenseness in her expression and muscles indicated. Sinking her teeth into her lip, she dropped her head into her hands, and muttered something inaudible, but it was likely a curse. She then braced herself against any future outbursts.

~Keaton the Black Jackal

[Cogidubnus]

 Cog shook his head as Sebastian left, and nodded lightly to himself. "Of course they don't demand. It's why it matters." he muttered. Her words may have sounded calm and collected...but she smelled quite different. She was just as tense as she had been. Maybe moreso. He sighed.
He took a moment to breathe, and as he was already in meditative posture, he did so. The light breeze that flowed into the room carried with it all the smells and scents of summer, and the change from the musty, old air inside the castle was welcome. He sat for a moment, taking a deep breath, and exhaling loudly. The breathing exercise helped to calm his mind, and he stood, a somewhat sturdier Cog.
He followed Sebastian to the kitchen and kept out of her way as she made her way around. She seemed to know what she was doing, and lord knew he couldn't cook. He cracked his neck, and waved hello to Mel as as he sat.
"As it turns out, she didn't want to go back to the library." he said, surreptitiously avoiding her gaze. "I don't think she was in much condition to do so anyway. I hope your research went better?"
Before she could answer, Sebastian came back with several plates of food, and Cog raised an eyebrow. That's quite a talent, he thought, before taking a plate and digging in. The spread was amazing, although he carefully avoided the serving with blood.
He listened as Keaton spoke to Sebastian, and nearly choked on his food. "Forwrhewr?" he said though a mouthful of Borstj. He swallowed and coughed, searching for something to wash the food down with.

[Prof B Hunnydew]

PBH watches the ferret getting dress, and sighs "Right Duty calls for clothes.."  and then reluctantly getting dress herself... Watching the ferret trying to fix her hair, Bambi finds her comb in her pocket and straightens her short hair for her..

"When you have long hair like mine, you insure you have a comb or something as backup.  And you would look good with longer hair." commends Bambi as they head down to the kitchen... PBH walks in silent for a moment, and then stops Inescia and leads to the side hallway...looking into the ferret eyes.. Bambi asks gentle

"I will call you whatever you wish Gina... but If there is something about your given name or something about you and the bat.. I need to know... But, First just answer this. yes or no, girl... Is there anyone else in there with you, Gina?  I heard you, and the bat believed there are more than one person in you, Gina or were before the angel was destroyed.  ... So please yes or no or don't you know? and then I will satisfied for now and I will not love you any less whatever the true.  and please hurry, because those pancakes can't wait and we can't ah... "confront" anyone on empty stomach"  PBH says the last jokingly to try and lighten her serious tone on this serious of this matter.
"It is more important to me, that you are free to know your own mind and your own self, so you free to love whoever you want."
A sad PBH with a tear or two in her eyes, steps away from the girl to lean against the wall, and lets the ferret stay or go and wondering if she is pushing the ferret too much right now.   

PBH

[Mel Dragonkitty]

Mel tensed in every muscle when Sebastian suddenly appeared in the kitchen. She watched him warily but aside from brusquely ordering them out of the kitchen he seemed uninterested in them. She followed Keaton back to the library where she noticed that both Aisha and Gareeku were bathed and had borrowed clothing from somewhere. She asked Aisha where the bathing room was and was about to make use of it when the food arrived.

She waited for Sebastian to take his plate and be seated before she approached the impromptu buffet table but barely had time to pour herself a cup of tea when Keaton blurted out the information she had found. The teacup rattled against it's saucer as she waited for an explosion of anger, but it was Cog who responded first. She focused on him rather than the bat. "That is what my research seems to indicate. My notes and the references I used are laid out on that table over there. I'm not an expert on curses so please, look them over."

Under the gazes of the others Mel found her appetite had vanished. "I think I'll clean up while you do so. If you'll excuse me." She fled the room to the bathing room Aisha had described to her. She was quickly in and out of the tub but hesitated to put her soiled clothing back on. Normally she would have just put an illusion of clothing on but in memory of Sebastian ripping all magic away yesterday decided against it. She wrapped herself in the towel and found the bedroom Aisha had described as having a wardrobe of abandoned clothing. Picking through she was glad of two things, that as a size shifter she could make herself fit whatever she found, and that the house hadn't been abandoned in a time period where the clothing was more uncomfortable. She picked out a frilly white cotton blouse and paired it with a long full pleated skirt of midnight blue with matching jacket. At least it was short enough to run in if necessary, and as a bonus the high waistband made her almost look as if she had a figure. There were even matching blue half-boots. She laughed at whomever the fashion queen of the past was before steeling herself to return to the library. She still found herself walking very slowly on the return trip.

[Stygian]

Sebastian had taken her bowl of blood-spiked soup and some rough bread, and was sitting eating carefully, sipping tea in between mouthfuls with a solemn face. She didn't seem to mind the slightly sordined atmosphere.
   Then came Keaton's revelation, and the words of Cog and Mel, and she stopped dead. She didn't make a face, didn't move, didn't do anything; she just put her spoon down, and looked into the floor a bit. There was silence. And the dragon left.
   "Let me see your research," she then said, just when the stillness had grown to its most uncomfortable point. Not angrily, not irritatedly even, just glumly and resignedly. She slurped up the last of the soup, before going over and looking through the notes that Mel and Keaton had made, strewing them about a bit as there was no need for order in all the mess and myriad of books and papers around, at least not immediately. She hummed to herself as she went through them, quirking an eyebrow here and there, while giving agreeing nods in other places.
   "Well, you are right," she said, very matter-of-factly. "I can't see anything wrong with these. And if it's true, then..." The bat sat back in the same chair Mel had been sleeping in, sniffing a bit at the draconic scent still clinging to it, the flared tip of her nose twitching as she made a face. "Well, at least we won't know that we've been cursed. That's not a relief now, but it might be then," she stated bitterly, and leaned on her hand a bit, sighing. She took up one of the papers, and stared at a particularly complex deconstructive-patterned hex circle, one which by the bottom-heavy hand but tidy layout had probably been made by Mel based off one of his. It wasn't perfect, but it seemed as if the dragon was a quick learner for magic, at least.
   The dragon...
   The bat stood up, suddenly, and walked around the table where the others sat, heading for the exit.
   "I'll be back soon. We'll work then," she said, before hurrying out, her ears twitching a bit and her nose flaring once.


   The ferret seemed a bit overwhelmed with Bambi's sudden emotions, and just looked at her with those empty eyes while blushing, as her face grew a bit sadder. She seemed taken aback for a bit, not knowing what to say. She stood for a bit as Bambi walked aside, then took a deep breath and walked over to the cat.
   "Bam... I... I think there might be more than one of me in here... But it's still just me. I am I. Please..." she said, and turned the feline around to face her. "You've been very nice to me. I really appreciate that." She looked up at the cat just a bit, before leaning up and kissing her on the mouth, just for a couple of seconds. Then, she leaned back and looked down. "I really like you. So let's not overdo it, okay? I just... want to feel calm, and normal, for a little while..." she said.


   Mel turned around another corner, and finally came within sight of the library. She hadn't taken two steps before she heard a voice from behind her though, smooth and a bit mellow. Sebastian's voice.
   "Hey, listen..." The chiropteran had somehow, illogically, just stepped out of nowhere when there was no place to hide or come out from. She stopped speaking, realizing she needed a good start to what she was going to say, and then stepped up, taking time so that Mel could see her and be sure of where she was and that she was not going to do something to her again. The bat took a deep breath, and then made a little, short bow to the dragon.
   "I'm sorry. I really shouldn't have done what I did back then. I was angry and stupid, and I am sorry you had to bear the brunt of it." Her face was not steeled or anything as she spoke, just sad and a bit tense. She looked at the dragoness directly, waiting.

[Prof B Hunnydew]

Bambi smiles a weak smile and says "snuffs" Okay I am okay... I am just want to see you thru to the point that you feeling normal all the time or most of the time.... AND No one feelings normal without food.  Come on, and Lets see where the smell of pancakes takes us"    Bambi cheers up as she talks and then takes the ferrrets hand and leads the way to the library and what is left of breakfast.

"Good Morning, everyone How has the cure research coming?" PB says cheerfully waving as she and Gina enter the library and go to see what there is to eat from the food tray.. but steering clear of anything that smells of blood.

PBH

[Mel Dragonkitty]

Mel jumped and spun at the voice mysteriously appearing behind her, her heart rate impossibly doubling again as she realized it was Sebastian who had snuck up on her. She was poised to flee when he appeared but the bat just bowed and offered an apology. Mel stood still and just blinked. Once, twice, three times as her brain rearranged information. Then she nodded her acceptance of the apology. "I... I understand that my own deception contributed to your doubts about me. Fault lies on both sides." She added her own bow. "All information regarding you will be locked away. Icewing guarantees."

She hadn't entirely lost her fright of him but by way of a friendly overture added, "Did you hopefully find a flaw in my research? At least in the timeline? I was not working to my strengths."

[Boog]

At the smell of food Jeremiah had completely and totally forgotten the bell he'd heard and followed the others to the kitchen. Gleefully heaping his plate with more pancakes than was probably healthy for a being his size, he joined the others in chowing down. After he listened to the various announcements going around the table and looked over those who he hadn't already seen that day he reached an important conclusion.
Yeesh, Cog looks like crap. Whuttappened to him?
The 28 hours bit was caught his attention. "Well, that ain't as bad as it could be. Not everyone's nice enough to make curses with a 'return by' date; at least there's some time."

[Stygian]

The bat shook her head a little with closed eyes and a bit of a glum expression, then looked up at Mel as she replied. The response was as expected, but not what the bat had been looking for.
   "No, please..." Sebastian said, and she reached her hand out while stepping just a bit closer, taking the dragon's arm in a loose grip. "That's not... This is really, really hard for me. This whole thing started with me treating you like dirt, for no reason, and it's only gotten worse by me doing thesame to others. I keep ruining my relations with people..." The bat turned her eyes down for a moment, and then looked pleadingly at Mel. She started anew.
   "I don't care about your family, and your deception was understandable. I just want you to stop being so angry with me, and I'll admit that I was wrong and do wha..."
   The bat stopped mid-sentence, as her eyes widened, and a look of shock spread across it. Mel couldn't see why at first. But then, she felt something. Tracing the feeling and where the bat's eyes fell, she saw it too. Sebastian's hand had moved, or squirmed, in some way. And for just a brief moment, it had been back to its normal, larger self.
   Sebastian gaped, holding her hand up before her. Then, her eyes darted to Mel. In a sudden maneuver, she grabbed the dragon's head, and planted a deep kiss on her lips, then looked right at her.
   "You're an angel. A real one! I owe you for this," she said, and then just as suddenly let go and stormed off, leaving Mel standing. "Keaton!" she shouted, her heels tromping as she hurried for the library.

   The bat practically stomped into the library, and planted herself at the desk with the most of the notes and books, taking some of Mel and Keaton's work and slapping up a book, and starting to write and draw on an empty paper.
   "So obvious... We've got it! It's right here!" she said, sketching furiously, frowning at the papers.

[Cogidubnus]

 Cog pounded his chest and managed to get the last chunk of food down his throat. He coughed once or twice, and spoke with a somewhat rough voice.
"Forever? Oh, hell no." he said, pushing his food away. He turned to Keaton. "Surely you jest. You mean, forever, until we can disspell it, right?"

[Sunblink]

Thankfully for Keaton, the violent outburst she had been anticipating from Stygian never came, replaced with a very uncomfortable silence. Still gnawing on her lower lip, Keaton anxiously looked off in some randomly selected direction, her eyes immediately locking onto a suddenly-very-interesting crack in the wall. Reaching for a nearby, unclaimed cup of tea, she tremulously raised it to her lips, taking a sip from it, as though to distract her with something besides her enchanted marble, which was resting safely in the confines of her pocket.

Cogidubnus was the first to speak after nearly choking on his food. Grimacing slightly, Keaton hastily swallowed the tea that was in her mouth, ignoring the scathing temperature as it stung at the insides of her throat. "I don't mean that. I mean that as time goes on, we'll gradually begin to believe that we have always been what we are. Our memories, in a way, will be overwritten."

Surprisingly, Stygian requested for her to retrieve the data that she had discovered before. More than happy to leave the room and the penetrating stares of those within it, Keaton set down the steaming hot cup and stood, none-too-eagerly making her exit. Following the same path she had used from the library to the kitchen, she made it to the library in no time, returning to the table where she had left her books haphazardly strewn about.

Keaton frowned as she started to sort through the assortment of books, searching intently for the one which she had drawn her revelation-inducing discovery from. Finally locating it somewhere underneath two other aimlessly discarded hardcovers, she dusted it free of grime and tucked the book under her arm, preparing to walk out of the room.

She didn't need to take another step. Sure enough, Stygian came rushing into the sanctum with such startling speed that Keaton nearly leapt out of her skin once he appeared. "Woah!" she hissed, taking a few, instinctual steps back. "Jesus, Sebastian, you scared the crap out of me. What the hell's going on?"

~Keaton the Black Jackal