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       #Post#: 327--------------------------------------------------
       A Chance Encounter
       By: Evil Squeegee Date: December 9, 2024, 12:53 pm
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       [float=right max=45%][img
       width=300]
  HTML https://sharedalbums.b-cdn.net/23143fac-c8c7-4123-9f4d-60b3d068f8e5.jpg[/img][/float]
       [center]Eve Solomon
  HTML https://docs.google.com/document/d/1iJ2esLecApgFVTD4catTyHrLTL2eXMZKLBg8oH-T45o/edit?tab=t.0
       It's just a problem that I'm faced with am I
       Not the only one who hates to stand by?
       Complications that are first in this line
       With all these pictures running through my mind[/center]
       Animal Magnetism | Faerie Affinity | App 5 (Captivating) |
       Legend: Red Riding Hood
       [hr]
       The jungle is hot and humid. The sun beats down like an angry
       warrior of Gaia, raining it’s fury on the surface of the… earth?
       Dreaming? Umbra? Who knows where we are. All I know is that mom
       and my uncle came through here at some point, and now so am I.
       Anyways. The point is: It’s uncomfortable outside. For everyone
       except me, that is. Inside this armor? I’m air conditioned and
       comfortable.
       And loud.
       Foliage crunches underneath my heavy boots with every thumping
       step, pistons pumping and hydraulics hissing. Whatever toxins
       might be in the air are filtered out by my helmet, resulting in
       Darth Vader style sound effect. Little computer beeps and blips
       occasionally emanate from my visor as I scan the surrounding
       jungle for signs of life.
       Oh, right. I’m also chopping my way through the vines, leaves,
       and branches using a freaking chain-saw axe.
       I’m not used to any of this, which is why it surprises me when I
       go to make another thumping boot-step and I find that, beneath
       my foot, there is no ground: I walk right off a drop-off,
       tumbling and crashing down a steep hillside and coming to a loud
       and cacophonous stop in the middle of a very shallow creek,
       looking up at the sky.
       “Oof.”
       Yes, I know. I’m such a poet.
       #Post#: 339--------------------------------------------------
       Re: A Chance Encounter
       By: crowgokek Date: December 9, 2024, 6:06 pm
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       [float=right max=45%][img
       width=300]
  HTML https://i.imgur.com/MKuWZIM.jpg[/img][/float]
       [center]The Cheshire Cat
  HTML https://docs.google.com/document/d/1k47-dz2odBaZX6ydfTrJj3bvxW8N_eUwdo-eZWrXEX0/edit?usp=sharing
       We’re all mad here.[/center]
       [hr]
       The voice, deep and teasing, somewhere between a snarl and a
       whine, would come from seeming thin air.
       ”One wonders whither wanders one
       Steel-shod steps sending shivers shuddering
       Through the thicket, thoughtlessly thrashing
       Till tumbled, tangled, tin-tread teetered
       And fell.”
       A head suddenly appears in Eve’s view; it seems to coalesce from
       the very air, its mad, wide grin and bloodied teeth the first
       thing to show, followed by yellow eyes showing every bit the
       lack of sanity the grin implies. The face is vaguely feline,
       apart from the manic smile, thin gray fur marked with black
       patterns like tribal tattoos.
       And if the head is any indication, it’s about the size of a
       puma.
       “Will you answer?” it purrs, grinning down at her.
       #Post#: 341--------------------------------------------------
       Re: A Chance Encounter
       By: Evil Squeegee Date: December 9, 2024, 6:19 pm
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       [float=right max=45%][img
       width=300]
  HTML https://sharedalbums.b-cdn.net/23143fac-c8c7-4123-9f4d-60b3d068f8e5.jpg[/img][/float]
       [center]Eve Solomon
  HTML https://docs.google.com/document/d/1iJ2esLecApgFVTD4catTyHrLTL2eXMZKLBg8oH-T45o/edit?tab=t.0
       It's just a problem that I'm faced with am I
       Not the only one who hates to stand by?
       Complications that are first in this line
       With all these pictures running through my mind[/center]
       Animal Magnetism | Faerie Affinity | App 5 (Captivating) |
       Legend: Red Riding Hood
       [hr]
       [quote]Wits 3 + Enigmas 3: WTF did he just say?
       1, 2, 4, 2, 6, 3 = no successes[/quote]
       “...Yes,” I say, taking a completely random stab in the dark
       because I can only barely follow what the head is saying. So I
       guess.
       I push myself to my hydraulic feet, watching the grinning
       maniac. Guess that settles it, I’m in the dreaming. Or the
       Umbra. Not in some earth jungle, though I suppose it’s possible
       I could just be having a mental breakdown from the stress of all
       this learning-about-Mom and magical spellcasting I’ve been up to
       lately.
       [quote]Rote: Chimerical Creation (Prime 2 + Mind 3 + Spirit 3)
       Diff 6
       Arete: 7, 2, 4[/quote]
       I reach into one of the many pockets on my utility belt, and
       pull out a little disk. I hold the disk in my hand, and from
       it’s center projects upward a small hologram of Mom.
       Sure, I’ll get a little starwars in my 40k in my alice in
       wonderland in my jungle in my peanut butter in your jelly. Why
       not?
       “Wondering whether one with.. Uh… this face has wandered through
       here before?”
       #Post#: 374--------------------------------------------------
       Re: A Chance Encounter
       By: crowgokek Date: December 11, 2024, 4:25 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       [float=right max=45%][img
       width=300]
  HTML https://i.imgur.com/MKuWZIM.jpg[/img][/float]
       [center]The Cheshire Cat
  HTML https://docs.google.com/document/d/1k47-dz2odBaZX6ydfTrJj3bvxW8N_eUwdo-eZWrXEX0/edit?usp=sharing
       We’re all mad here.[/center]
       [hr]
       The cat backs off, and Eve can see it is emaciated, seeming
       almost skeletal, literally little more than skin on bones. It
       settles to watch her with its yellow eyes, and one ear flicks,
       the gold hoop pierced through it catching the light.
       It comes closer at the hologram, examining it minutely, nodding
       finally, and settles back on its haunches. “You certainly look
       the part to carry such a thing,” it notes dryly. “I cannot say
       if she has wandered this way, but that face, I have seen before,
       yes. It has been some time, though, and it was in a different
       place.”
       The cat cocks its head at her. “You are young, to be seeking,
       alone. The last unsupervised child I ran across had such
       adventures! I was very nearly envious. Might I ask your name?”
       #Post#: 375--------------------------------------------------
       Re: A Chance Encounter
       By: Evil Squeegee Date: December 11, 2024, 4:47 pm
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       [float=right max=45%][img
       width=300]
  HTML https://sharedalbums.b-cdn.net/23143fac-c8c7-4123-9f4d-60b3d068f8e5.jpg[/img][/float]
       [center]Eve Solomon
  HTML https://docs.google.com/document/d/1iJ2esLecApgFVTD4catTyHrLTL2eXMZKLBg8oH-T45o/edit?tab=t.0
       It's just a problem that I'm faced with am I
       Not the only one who hates to stand by?
       Complications that are first in this line
       With all these pictures running through my mind[/center]
       Animal Magnetism | Faerie Affinity | App 5 (Captivating) |
       Legend: Red Riding Hood
       [hr]
       A different place? How very… helpful.
       “What place? Can you take me there? It’s very important that I
       find the person this face is attached to,” I explain as best I
       can.
       I pocket the hologram again, and walk over to where my
       chainsaw-axe settled when it fell. I bend over, pick it up, and
       sling it back over my shoulder. I don’t know if it’s possible to
       carry this thing non-threateningly, but I do my best!
       “And how can you be so sure I’m young?” I ask.
       Notably, I don’t give them my name… yet.
       #Post#: 376--------------------------------------------------
       Re: A Chance Encounter
       By: crowgokek Date: December 11, 2024, 4:53 pm
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       [float=right max=45%][img
       width=300]
  HTML https://i.imgur.com/MKuWZIM.jpg[/img][/float]
       [center]The Cheshire Cat
  HTML https://docs.google.com/document/d/1k47-dz2odBaZX6ydfTrJj3bvxW8N_eUwdo-eZWrXEX0/edit?usp=sharing
       We’re all mad here.[/center]
       [hr]
       “Perhaps,” the cat answers, flicking its ear again. “But she is
       almost certainly not still there, and the trail would be quite
       cold.”
       The cat watches her haul the axe, not seeming threatened in the
       least. At her last question, though, that mad grin seems to
       widen ever so slightly, the eyes narrowing in satisfaction. Its
       skeletal tail flicks, and it feigns a disinterested gaze off to
       the distance. Its answer comes in a dry, almost bored tone.
       “The younger value force. The elder value subtlety.”
       #Post#: 377--------------------------------------------------
       Re: A Chance Encounter
       By: Evil Squeegee Date: December 11, 2024, 5:08 pm
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       [float=right max=45%][img
       width=300]
  HTML https://sharedalbums.b-cdn.net/23143fac-c8c7-4123-9f4d-60b3d068f8e5.jpg[/img][/float]
       [center]Eve Solomon
  HTML https://docs.google.com/document/d/1iJ2esLecApgFVTD4catTyHrLTL2eXMZKLBg8oH-T45o/edit?tab=t.0
       It's just a problem that I'm faced with am I
       Not the only one who hates to stand by?
       Complications that are first in this line
       With all these pictures running through my mind[/center]
       Animal Magnetism | Faerie Affinity | App 5 (Captivating) |
       Legend: Red Riding Hood
       [hr]
       I feel… judged, somehow, by that. Fantastic.
       “Cold lead is better than no lead,” I say. And it’s true. I’m
       closer to Mom and my Uncle than I’ve ever been before, and I’m
       not about to give up now. I’ve raided a police station,
       blackmailed my brother, and risked Paradox preparing for an
       ill-advised journey into another world. If I don’t operate on
       the cost-sunk fallacy now, when WILL I?
       “Call me Red,” I say finally. It’s not my true name, but what
       kind of maniac gives out their true name to a strange talking
       cat when they could be dealing with faerie nonsense?
       I mean, I’m a maniac. But I’m not insane.
       #Post#: 393--------------------------------------------------
       Re: A Chance Encounter
       By: crowgokek Date: December 12, 2024, 6:20 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       [float=right max=45%][img
       width=300]
  HTML https://i.imgur.com/MKuWZIM.jpg[/img][/float]
       [center]The Cheshire Cat
  HTML https://docs.google.com/document/d/1k47-dz2odBaZX6ydfTrJj3bvxW8N_eUwdo-eZWrXEX0/edit?usp=sharing
       We’re all mad here.[/center]
       [hr]
       “Call me Red.”
       “No,” the cat says, clearly and distinctly, a flat refusal
       without explanation or much expression. With a sigh, it rises to
       fours and paces a bit, its skeletal tail lashing. “You may call
       me Cat. If you do not know who I am already, then my name would
       be meaningless in any event. But I have decided to help you. I
       am curious how this will go.”
       And with that, the big gray cat begins pacing off into the
       jungle, watching to see if she follows. As if to further its
       invitation, it casually reaches out one wide paw, the splayed
       claws slashing through a tangle as effectively as her chainsaw
       axe. Its grin is fixed, constant, and more than a little creepy.
       “Come, girl. Little point in allowing the trail to grow colder.”
       #Post#: 408--------------------------------------------------
       Re: A Chance Encounter
       By: Evil Squeegee Date: December 13, 2024, 2:56 pm
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       [float=right max=45%][img
       width=300]
  HTML https://sharedalbums.b-cdn.net/23143fac-c8c7-4123-9f4d-60b3d068f8e5.jpg[/img][/float]
       [center]Eve Solomon
  HTML https://docs.google.com/document/d/1iJ2esLecApgFVTD4catTyHrLTL2eXMZKLBg8oH-T45o/edit?tab=t.0
       It's just a problem that I'm faced with am I
       Not the only one who hates to stand by?
       Complications that are first in this line
       With all these pictures running through my mind[/center]
       Animal Magnetism | Faerie Affinity | App 5 (Captivating) |
       Legend: Red Riding Hood
       [hr]
       “Fair,” I respond when he decides not to call me red. I don’t
       offer an alternative, though, so he goes with girl.
       I could go on a tirade that I’m a woman and infantilizing me is
       sexist but I don’t think giant talking cats are particularly
       influenced by sleeper society’s social moores. So.
       Girl it is.
       I clomp along behind him. He’s sleek and dexterous and has all
       the inherent, natural silence of being a cat. I am bulky and
       armored and have all the inherent, natural noisiness of a space
       marine.
       He’s curious to see where this is going. I’m curious to see
       where he is going. So! On we go, a living cycle of curiosity
       fueling itself.
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