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[boutant]

[ Caer Scima had not been a place Ariadne had wanted to return to after the previous month. But when searching for the feathers and feather thief pointed the trail in that direction, Ariadne had returned both her mare and her bandersnatch to her manor. Bentley the imp would look after them, and with the offerings (offerings, of all things) being left at the gate, she doubted finding others to employ would be as difficult as she'd feared. She uses her ability to move through shadows again for the first time, and combined with the fairy ring, she is soon back at Caer Scima.

For the best, she supposes; she has to pick up Ser Pounce-a-lot anyway.

As she opens the locket, Ariadne twirls a blue feather in her fingers; another one she'll have to give back to the imps, though she wonders if perhaps she ought to see if she can turn into something decent at tracking. Catching thieves is hardly her strong suit. ]

I have a confession to make, [ she starts, forcing herself to look at the locket. The twirling of the feather is a nervous gesture. ] Last month, some of you encountered a large shadow creature -- horned, with giant claws. Some of you were injured by it.

[ Some saw others killed by it. ]

The creature attacked the Station, Caer Scima, and Caer Glaem. It was at Caer Glaem that it was brought down and returned to its true state.

[ She takes a breath. ]

Me. And I'd like to apologize for what I did as the creature; I didn't have any control over it, any conscious thought at all.

[ She would not, at least, have attacked the Station or Caer Scima or her friends. Caer Glaem... well, she had been there before because she had been ordered to. ]

I have already been punished for it; I was in the dungeons of Caer Glaem, and I'm sure I'd still be there now if things were different. [ If Razul of the Larks had not been sent for her. ] I just thought that I should explain.

So. Now you know.

Comments

[chaoticwhimsy]

[The circle probably seemed harmless enough? Lumina's arms swung at her sides, her steps were loose and wild. She just couldn't stand still.]

Man. Wrong place wrong time, huh. At least you seem to have gotten out of it?

[She smirks.]

You eat anybody?

[boutant]

[ It helps that Lumina's pretty obviously twelve. ]

A dog had to rip my throat out.

[ But, yes- at least it wasn't permanent.

Ariadne makes a face. Yes, yes she did, and she really doesn't want to say that outloud. ]

Unfortunately.

[chaoticwhimsy]

[Lumina leans forward as if examining said throat.]

Well you look much less dead than you could have!

[Oh man, she ate somebody.]

...Uh. Did they survive? I mean, you were pretty big, right? So one gulp and maybe you'd live. Like being swallowed by a sea monster!

[boutant]

I think it just pulled the shadow part away. It was weird. I mean, I had all sorts of scrapes and bruises, but that was about it.

[ why is everyone so interested in this ]

They wouldn't exactly have had anywhere to go.

[chaoticwhimsy]

That doesn't actually answer my question at all, you know.

[Hands on hips, amused look.]

[boutant]

[ She sighs. ]

No, I'm fairly certain they didn't survive.

[chaoticwhimsy]

Man.

[Lumina continues to examine her.]

I wonder where they went. ...Do you feel fatter?

[boutant]

No, but I was that thing for almost a week- that's probably enough time to digest a person.

[ She thinks. Maybe. ]

[chaoticwhimsy]

Maybe.

Do you know who you ate?

[boutant]

No. Some guards, I think, and people at the Station -- no one I knew.

[chaoticwhimsy]

Well, as long as they weren't people you know.

[Why yes, that was mocking sarcasm with an eye roll.]

[boutant]

[ fff- ]

That's not what I meant.

[chaoticwhimsy]

But it's what you said. People are always accidentally saying what they mean...

[She shrugs, spinning around on one foot, her arms outstretched before coming to a stop facing her.]

So you felt any different since then? I bet that kind of thing leaves marks.

[boutant]

[ Ariadne crosses her arms. ]

I think this conversation is over now.

[chaoticwhimsy]

Aw come on. The least you can do is talk about all this with someone who is clearly willing to forgive you for eating their...[What was a good word for it...] ...pet.

[boutant]

I'd rather not.

[chaoticwhimsy]

[Lumina huffs, crossing her arms and tapping one foot on the ground irritably.]

Okay, okay, I'm sorry. [She was! Maybe. Kind of.] You can't blame me for being curious about it, though.

[boutant]

You can't blame me for not wanting to talk about it much, either, [ Ariadne points out, head tilted. ]

[chaoticwhimsy]

I guess it makes sense to be scared of it.

[She uncurls a bit, arms swinging at her sides again.]

So, shadow travel, huh. What's that feel like?

[boutant]

[ Scared of it? Not of talking about it, not really. But of it happening again, of what it did to her... yes, that she's scared of. ]

Honestly? It's a little cold.

[chaoticwhimsy]

Cold. [Well that sort of made sense.]

Does it take time or is like, one minute you're somewhere, then you leap in a shadow and BAM, you're somewhere else?

[boutant]

Both, actually. There are times where I can step out of the shadows and be anywhere I've ever been, but there are other times I can only go for short distances.

[chaoticwhimsy]

I've never had that problem. I could always go wherever I wanted...till I came here. Now I have to go find places first.

[Lumina clearly does not approve of this.]

[boutant]

I had to walk everywhere before I came here. [ So really, even just going short distances through shadows is fantastic. ]

[chaoticwhimsy]

Isn't teleporting so much better? Walking is sooooo boring.