TEST DRIVE MEME

[futurologists]

FANTASTIC MR. FOX Welcome to Azeria, a small single-biome planet covered almost entirely by deep, mossy forests. The natives of Azeria, a sapient foxlike species called Vulphytes, have reached out to Hathaway for help in repelling a planetary invasion. Other Vulphyte tribes have sent word of dangerous aliens descending in silver machines and laying waste to the forest, killing and capturing Vulphytes and animals in their wake. Hathaway analysts have calculated that the Merging is to blame for this sudden invasion; before, these two nearly identical universes didn't see each other, but now that they are one, these strangers are suddenly planetary neighbors. The aliens, seeing a new planet, must be searching for colonization prospects, while the Vulphytes are helpless against their spacefaring weaponry. ▸ FOR NEW VOLUNTEERS. After the freshly-recruited volunteers (i.e., newbies) are welcomed into Hathaway and given time to prepare on the spaceship Headquarters, they are sent via controlled interdimensional rift to the planet Azeria. On arrival, their magitek device announces the parameters of the mission: protect the Vulphytes and drive back the invaders. ▸ FOR OPHELIA VETERANS. Those who have already completed Mission: Hanabira are welcome to continue their leave aboard Headquarters, with Imogen sending them a message about an elective mission opportunity. Ophelia members who are interested need only head to the rifting pad on the upper deck, and they will be brought to the planet Azeria to assist the new recruits on their first mission. On greeting the Hathaway agents, the Vulphytes will initially be very awkward and surprised, or as awkward and surprised as sapient foxes can appear. The Vulphytes speak telepathically, and eventually a spokesfox explains the cause of their discomfort: the invading aliens are humans, just like most of you. ▸ PROMPTS Your mission is simple: protect the Vulphytes, forests, and native animals from the invading humans. It's not necessary to kill all the invaders (unless you want to), simply keep them from taking the planet for their own and do a good enough job to persuade them never to come back. Of course, the invaders are a bit... forceful in their methods, so it's up to you. ONE ▸ PREPARATIONS. The Vulphytes live in a cluster of burrows which are unfortunately not large enough for anything human-sized to visit, but the presence of non-aggressive aliens (that's you!) is enough to get the majority of them to pop out and curiously observe. The Vulphytes are variably black, grey, or red, with fur transitioning to moss along their backs; animals you might see in the forest, including deer, rabbits, and owls, have a similarly moss-covered look. The Vulphytes will take awhile to warm up to anyone who is human (or those who visibly look human), their telepathic tones suspicious as they ask questions about their loyalties, where they're from, and what their homeworlds are like. Those who are clearly not human will receive a much warmer reception, the Vulphytes asking curious questions and the Vulphyte kits trailing behind in fuzzy little rows. When the invaders' silver machines -- spaceships -- become visible in the sky, through breaks in the tree canopy, the Vulphytes look skyward and begin to howl. It's a pre-battle ritual, one of them explains, and characters are invited to join in: howl to the sky, to your enemies, and get ready to fight. TWO ▸ THE INVASION. The silver spaceships of the invaders crash down through the trees, sending animals fleeing in all directions. The Vulphytes stay put, snarling in the direction of the noise and waiting for the invaders to come to them. If you'd like, you can rush forward and head them off -- or stay and fight alongside the foxes. Just as the Vulphytes claimed, the invaders are human. They are dressed in armored space suits, the visors on their helmets obscuring their faces and reflecting the forest all around. Their weapons are various types of laser guns, though a few are holding axes that have laser blades, which they use to start chopping down trees as their compatriots march toward the Vulphyte dens. The invaders are surprised to see people here, but they're not interested in talking: they open fire on anyone they see, not recognizing any of the recruits as their people and thus pegging them immediately as enemies. Though they're aggressive, they're not suicidal; if a single invader encounters too much violence or are outnumbered, they'll run back to their compatriots for reinforcements, so it's best to dispatch them quickly (or prevent them for running for help in some other way). Once the invaders reach the Vulphyte dens, the foxes fight viciously, swarming individuals in a flurry of claws and snarling teeth. Kill the invaders or simply give them enough trouble to make them retreat for good, it's up to you. But either way, look after your furry/mossy hosts; despite their telepathic way of communication, the Vulphytes don't possess any magical abilities, so they'll need to be looked after in the face of laser weapons. THREE ▸ BABYSITTER'S CLUB. The baby Vulphytes are in the greatest amount of danger from the invading humans, being entirely unable to defend themselves and uncertain of what's actually going on. Hathaway has been tasked with rescuing them from their dens and whisking them away to safer areas away from the fighting where they can be cared for until the fighting is over. The only problem is that baby Vulphytes are... well, babies. They're quite upset by all the ruckus, yowling in a way that resembles crying, and aren't exactly happy to be taken away by strangers they don't know. In fact, some of them might try to make a great escape, so you'd better be quick! Those who make it to a safe area will need consoling and, once that's done, entertainment. They'll also need their caretakers to make sure no invaders sneak up on them -- since some are hidden in the woods. It's a big job, but you can handle it, right? FOUR ▸ VICTORY CELEBRATIONS. Once the invaders are finally chased off, everyone gathers together to celebrate. The Vulphytes bow (as well as a fox can) as the team enters and apologize for their uncertainty before; they see now that many of you are nothing like the aliens who threatened them, despite your similar looks. They'd like you all to stay and celebrate, if you have time. The celebrations are... a bit different than most might be used to; it's definitely not a human party. There are games with handmade balls of packed moss, which the Vulphytes seem to love. In fact, they go crazy for Fetch, a game they were never introduced to before due to their tragic lack of opposable thumbs. They "sing" for the team in howls, a rare example of adults not communicating telepathically. As for the team, they receive a congratulatory message from Imogen on their magitek suggesting they take the rest of the celebration to meet and greet with the unfamiliar faces. There won't be much time to do so back at Headquarters, I'm afraid, she adds. Drakstaden awaits, darlings! FIVE ▸ CHIT-CHAT. It's your standard network option. Make battle plans, chat about how cute the foxes are, or share good hiding places. No matter what, you get one username to identify you and one only -- if you don't enter one, it will default to your real name (for example, Voldemort's would be tomriddle.) Choose wisely... or make it assfarts69, if that's your thing. More information on the jewelcomms can be found on the devices guide. SIX ▸ WILDCARD. Do whatever the heck you want! Go pick wildflowers. Climb a tree. Hunt animals. Loot innocent fox dens, you monster. The world is your oyster. ▸ OOC NOTES Welcome to the second test drive meme of Futurology Season 2! This test drive will function as an optional mini-mission for both new and current characters, similar in feel to the missions we have in-game but on a much smaller scale. Threads on this test drive are game canon by default unless one of the participants would like to retcon it. Current characters may use TDM threads for non-!plot AC proofs. Both test drivers and current characters are welcome to top level! While current characters are allowed to tag other current characters, we ask that you please make an effort to be welcoming to test drivers as well! Since incoming characters currently don't have official specializations, we have no specialized prompts. However, feel free to play as if your character is level 1 of whichever specialization you would like to choose. Questions about the game in general can be directed to the FAQ. If you've been with us before, you might notice things look a little different around here. Make sure you check out the welcome page for the basic rundown of how your character joined up with Hathaway. For further information about the game, the full navigation has all the links you'll need. ▸ Upcoming Events (Futurology runs on timezone UTC): 01 April: Reserves open. 07 April: Open apps begin. Apps for new characters will close when all slots are filled or on 15 April. 08 April: The dossier for the next mission, Drakstaden, is released. 12 April: Welcome/CR Meme. 15 April: Mission: Drakstaden begins. Apps close.

Comments

Korra | Legend of Korra

[temperedavatar]

II. The Invasion
[It wouldn't be the first time an Avatar had been asked to help against an invasion, though Korra is certainly struck by the fact that she's once again the first Avatar to achieve something: stopping an invasion in another world. She doesn't stop to think about what kind of power she might be facing or what the ships are capable of, she rushes ahead and into the field of battle. She notices someone rushing beside her and she looks to her left. She comes to a stop at a clearing, where one of the first ships has stopped and is getting ready to allow its occupants to disembark.]

Hey. I want to try and talk these other humans out of any fighting first. Will you follow my lead?

[She knows it isn't the same--being a bridge to the human and spirit world doesn't mean she has the same weight anywhere else. But she can't just drop that mantle because she's in a new universe. She steps forward, appearing fairly confident for a young woman. She appears to have no weapon which might at least help. The first of the invading humans approaches.]

Hello. My name's Korra and I'm the---

[Before she can finish that statement, the invading human has lifted their weapon. Korra's eyes widen and she brings up her arms. The earth below her responds, forming a wall, just in time to catch the laser blast. The earth wall does little to stop it, but thankfully Korra had already started to dodge by that point. She pops back up a few feet to her right.]

Hey! You're not even going to let me talk?!

[In response there's another blast. So much for the peaceful plan.]

III. Babysitter's Club
[If Korra can keep three or four hyper Airbender children entertained, she figures this can't be too much trouble right? She takes a seat on a moss-covered root and looks out over the sea of curious and scared faces. She feels sympathy for them and wants to take their minds off of things for awhile.]

How about we play a game?

[They perk up and look towards her. She smiles kindly enough and then raises a hand. The gesture causes one of the rocks littering the ground to jump and hop over. The kits jump in surprise and many back away. She swipes her hand to the left and it follows her movement, jumping high over their heads and landing a few feet away. The kits watch this for a little bit and then go chasing after it. Korra laughs, making the rock jump again. They act more like Naga than the Airbender kids, but it's still cute.]

IV. Victory Celebrations
[Korra returns the bow, feeling like this is the most familiar thing she's experienced yet. When the Vulphytes apologize again she shakes her head, dismissing their concern.]

It's all right. Thanks for letting me be of help and giving us the chance.

[Korra takes a seat to listen to their performance, sitting next to someone else from the guild. Her smile is a little sadder--their howling makes her think of Naga. Still, she can't help but also be amused.]

It's still somehow better than Prince Wu's singing.

VI. Wildcard
[Have something else to do with the Avatar? Let me know.]

iv.

[tropism]

[ giorno watches her return the bow, and figures that it's probably a good idea to return the gesture as well; he does the same as she does, though his isn't as dignified as hers. nevertheless, the vulphytes are happy with his actions and that's more or less what he cares about.

at her comment, giorno just smiles. ] A friend of yours? What's his voice like?

giorno giovanna / jjba: vento aureo

[tropism]

INVASION/HEALING.

[ some of the adult vulphytes are coming back with injuries; giorno, clicking his tongue, is quick to move to their side. looking to another volunteer, he tells them - ]

Hey, can you cover me?

[ not waiting for an answer, he starts a process of healing the animal, shushing it as it makes pained sounds while its bones were put back into place, wounds covered by the earth which turns into their 'skin'. he's only all too relieved that his stand abilities still work as they used to.

when he's done that, giorno glances around the ruckus and murmurs, ] They don't really know how to fight, and that's a shame. If you see any that's injured, bring them to me.



BABYSITTER'S CLUB.

[ the baby vulphytes have been frolicking around and howling at the sounds of battle and giorno is trying to herd them into their dens. he's holding a rather feisty one in his hands, however, and he's trying not to let the others go, but - ]

Ah - no - get back here!

[ mossbabies tumble out of the dens in a frantic howl, looking for its parents. as giorno tries to soothe the one in his hands, his stand will move beyond him to contain more of the vulphytes. if your character's not careful they'll be faced, suddenly, with a giant tree blocking their way, its branches spreading right across to deter any of the baby vulphytes from leaving. ]



WILDCARD.

[ hit him up. ]

babysitter's club!

[cyberware]

[ Actually, Vanadi isn't very keen on participating in this fight at all, let alone covering anyone. He'd been keeping close to the burrows, hoping that any fighting there would be nothing short of unavoidable and urgent, and he's not very happy that it's come to just that. He, armed with one little cheap defense pistol, is feeling quite underdressed for the occasion. ]

No, I — 

[ But this human, whoever he is, is already at ... whatever he's doing. Vanadi grits his teeth and drops to lean from his cover of a boulder, placing a few well-aimed shots to dissuade anyone from taking advantage of the distraction. He doesn't glance over until Giorno speaks again, and then looks surprised to see the little fox intact. He'd been quite sure that one wouldn't make it. ]

What did you do?

jester | critical role campaign 2

[sketchery]

( not apping, just here to have a good time! gimme a heads up if you'd rather avoid spoilers. )

➽ THE INVASION.

[ Technically, Jester can heal. It's one of the gifts that the Traveler bestowed on her, wherever he is at the moment ( she leaves that thought for another time ). Which makes her role pretty clear, really — stay in the backlines, help the fighters. Make sure they can keep fighting. Rinse, then repeat.

Problem: she's currently running straight for the invaders, a giant, spectral lollipop floating behind her. Her eyes have a wild glint to them that speaks less of mania and more of excitement. Time to get fucked, weirdos with strange magical weapon ... things.

And she would've had a great time, except she swears she passes by someone that just goes down and — that's less good. She seriously ( obviously ) contemplates ignoring them, but her morals get the better of her; stops, sighs, then turns back around. When she jogs back, there's a long, frustrated groan ( the lollipop floats dutifully where she stopped; the invaders that catch sight of it seem confused ).

She dramatically drops down to her knees beside the injured teammate, rolling her eyes as her hands begin to glow. The light is ... warm to the touch, especially on the wound. Which would be nice if you didn't have one (1) grumbling tiefling by your side. ]

I always have to do this, because everyone keeps getting hurt and then I can't beat up any of the bad guys. I would've been really great at it, you know! I have this cool spell that lets me ring bells to hurt them — [ A breath, and then the voice takes a certain terrible, german accent. ] but no, Jester, you're The cleric! You have to heal! [ Is she even talking at anyone, who knows. ]

➽ VICTORY CELEBRATIONS.

[ Picture: a blue haired, blue skinned girl, with horns coming out of her head, in a dress. Now picture her sitting in a circle with a couple of moss covered foxes. Also imagine a small pile of slightly sparkly rocks and maybe a couple of wild flowers, sitting in a neat pile in front of each ... sentient being.

Also picture: playing cards in front of all of them, with the foxes — Vulphytes — listening raptly to whatever the tiefling — Jester — is saying. They seem confused at best, but they've down with their savior and now it'd probably be a little rude to get up, or something ( the lack of opposable thumbs means they definitely can't play this game properly. Jester hardly minds ). ] Oh!

[ Until she notices someone else is lingering — yet another victim, nice. ] Would you like to play a card game? It's very easy!

[ Don't. She cheats. ]

➽ WILDCARD.

( if none of the options work, hit me up with a wildcard. if it sounds stupid enough, jester'll probably do it. she's very easily distracted. )

➽ wildcard idk

[carney]

[Well! Fancy meeting you here.

Being clearly Not Human and also clearly covered in lots of interesting shiny things made Molly a fast favorite of the younger Vulphytes soon after landing. Quick enough that he's got himself a small handful as a shadow as their parents warily explain their plight and nervously negotiate with the rest of the (largely human) crew.

He notices the kits creeping up behind them pretty quickly, but feigns ignorance for a while as they follow. A handful of little aliens, chattering psychically and watching with wide eyes and chasing clumsily at his lashing tail. Whe they spot him watching, he awards them with a wink, and shifts to occupy them by juggling his swords in front of him, whistling a little tune under his breath that manages to be off-key but enjoyable at the same time. Tosses the blades higher and higher to the awe of his audience, catching them a little lower to the ground for a good thrill.

Until, that is, a certain fellow tiefling (named Jester, that tiefling) rounds a corner too fast and stumbles into him and sends him just short of stumbling, himself. Rhythm broken, the sword arcing down from the sky flies a little too far behind him, a little too close to the kids for comfort. He recovers and catches it—but not before the kits can cry out and scatter in rightful alarm at the close shave.

There's a pause. The negotiations have gone silent at the commotion as the Vulphytes hackle at the perceived threat to their children and the audience of children catches its breath...and then gushes in excitement at the show of dexterity that only thumbs can really deliver. Molly carries the arc of his last-minute catch into a flourish, as if it was just a part of the trick all along. Spreads his hands into a proper showman's tada, as he gestures back at Jester with the tips of the blades.

Baldfaced and brightly—]

...my assistant, ladies and gentlemen.

["Assistant."]

Shouto Todoroki | My Hero Academia

[somelikeitcold]

i. invasion

[Todoroki doesn't spend much time trying to talk the invaders down. As soon as the weapons start coming out, so does his ice--knocking weapons out of their hands and freezing them over so as to be unusable, putting out any fires they're trying to set.

Maybe you're in trouble, trying to protect a Vulphyte and having exposed your back to the attacking aliens, or maybe you're being ambushed. Either way, there's suddenly a wall of ice coming up around you to deflect the attacks.]

Are you alright? I'll cover you if you need to run.

ii. babysitter's club

[Who put Todoroki in charge of escorting babies, anyway. He's got one tucked into his shirt and another in the crook of his left arm (since he can't very well use fire in a forest), and he's trying to lead them away without drawing too much attention, but they keep? Crying?? And Todoroki doesn't exactly have the whole soothing tone thing mastered, so when he tries to tell them not to panic, they start yowling ... louder ....

He makes an attempt to comfort one by petting it, but that turns out to be a Mistake, because it definitely bites his finger before leaping out of his arms and making a run for it.]

No, wait -- !

[He's not cut out for fox fatherhood, help.]

iii. victory celebration

[Once everything's died down, though, it turns out he isn't quite so bad with the Vulphyte kits. Some of them have roped him into playing Fetch with them, so that's what he's doing--tossing the ball over and over, and over and over and over. The kits are having a blast, and he's even smiling just a little, but it also looks like he's maybe starting to get a little tired.

The moss ball might end up going in a weird direction one of the times he throws it; hopefully it doesn't getcha in the face or anything, but if it does .... at least it's soft?]

ii. here 2 help

[hothead]

[ Bakugo isn't babysitting. He's here to watch the perimeter and make sure the people with the boring job don't get ambushed, but that still means he's paying attention when one of the kits tries to bolt for it. He intercepts, grabbing it by the scruff and turning a glare towards the idiot who let it get loose.

An idiot he happens to know. Great. ]

What the hell are you doing?

[ Is he asking about the AWOL cub? The one Todoroki's still holding? The fact that he's escorting babies instead of fighting bad guys, period? Your pick. The kit he's holding is squirming awkwardly, but it's stopped crying. ]

jonathan sims / the magnus archives.

[question]

THREE: BABYSITTER'S CLUB.
[ Jon isn't exactly combat experienced, so it's no surprise that he chooses to stay behind and protect the children. It's still disconcerting, however: his initial instinct is to treat them like kittens, despite the fact that he knows their parents are sentient creatures. But he's still adjusting, perhaps, to encountering other species.

Currently he has about three bundled in his arms, all of them crying at once. One is trying to climb his shoulder, another chewing his clothing, and the third—

Oh, bugger, there goes the third. ]

Excuse me!

[ Jon hails the nearest person, polite over the panic whether they were introduced previously or not. ]

Could you, could somebody please, I've got my hands full here, could you g̤͎̈͆r̠̞͆̍ă̡̮͊b͝ ͕̲̒̀t͍͚̂͊h̨͉͊̑ạ̾͜͝t̏͘ ̩̣̏̾V̼̖͒͠ȗ͍̬͠ḷ̠̈́́p͎̥͂̕h̻̰̓̓y͍̫͒͝t̫̟͑͗e͔̥̅̀

[ There's something staticky about the words, and whoever hears it may feel compelled to give him a hand. ]


FIVE: CELEBRATIONS.
[ Is it really a surprise that the skinny, stuffy Englishman with the greying hair isn't all that fond of parties? He shows up only reluctantly, expecting awkward small talk and obnoxious braggadocio, but hoping perhaps for alcohol.

Instead it's not really any of the above. He finds himself idly throwing the moss ball for a Vulphyte who approached him with it, is startled when the creature brings it back. It is about three throws before he realizes he's playing a game with it, and smiles a little to himself as it races back.

He does a fake-out throw, and it falls for it, racing and stopping and skidding in place as it turns around and realizes it's been tricked: Unfair. ]

Yes, well, clearly you need to be more observant.

[ But he does throw the ball properly this time. ]


TEXTING.
Username: Head Archivist

Do you think Vulphytes can be allergic to humans?

[ He's covered in sleeping baby foxes that he's finally gotten to nap and more than a little bored. ]

five!

[intercourse]

Should've known you'd be a fan of fetch. Usually the other way around, though, isn't it?

[ Because Jon spends all of his time fetching statements, get it. Although the insult breaks down a bit with any thought; technically, Tim had been just as bad when he'd been a good assistant. That was then, though. Now, not so much.

He invites himself over without any prompting, never really bothering to look at Jon. He's watching the Vulphyte instead, trying to coax it over to hand him the ball when it comes back. No comment about Jon apparently talking to himself, because a) he's probably talking to the alien fox and b) not actually that strange, really. ]

ellie / the last of us

[pocketknifing]

I | PREPARATIONS

[ Maybe she should be figuring out how to make her stand here — and she will, really — but there's so much wide, open green space with frolicking animals that it feels like stepping into a freakin' Disney movie. Girlfriend is shook. It is her time to be a Disney princess, friend of all living things. She crouches down, arm outstretched, beckoning for a mossy rabbit to come closer. ]

Hey, buddy.

[ The bunny glances over at her, which she takes as her cue to step gingerly closer... sending the rabbit running. ] Dammit, [ she curses under her breath, genuinely disappointed. She's never touched a bunny — or a deer, or an owl, or any of these animals — and that's the closest she's ever seen one up close before. Sure, it was an alien bunny, but hey, she's not picky. She just wants to pet one, goddammit.

Ellie lowers herself onto the ground, bringing one knee up and resting her arm on it. ] Aw, man. Do I smell or something? That's, like, the second time...

II | INVASION

[ Her fighting style relies way too much on bricks and bottles for this shit. Ellie's not really the type to run out Rambo-style, mostly because she likes having her blood on the inside of her body, so she sticks to the heavily wooded areas, hiding behind trees and in the shadows. She manages to take a few stragglers out without anyone noticing, which she's pretty damn proud of.

She spots a humanoid in the near distance and slips behind cover, tightening her grip on her pocketknife. Slowly, quietly, she sneaks her way around behind the figure before leaping onto their back, holding up her pocketknife, poised to stab-stab-stab them until they go down— except this one looks kiiiind of familiar, now that she's up close? Crap. Only kind of, though; it's not like she's memorized the team's faces or anything.

Still poised to stab: ] ...Are you Hathaway or one of the other guys, I'll know if you're lying so no funny business!

III | WILDCARD

[ u know how it be. ]

preparations

[cyberware]

[ Vanadi is no particular nature buff — at least, not by his standards. The higher end of his expectations probably includes actual Disney princesses, because all elves are naturey by law, even the weird scifi ones that don't call themselves elves. So with that context in mind, this human child is looking largely like a blundering menace to him. It's a little amusing. ]

You haven't anything to offer.

[ He's standing about 20 feet off, arms folded, leaned casual against a tree. Close enough to judge, at least. ]

You're some large potential predator to them; they haven't much to gain by coming nearer, you see.

D | Vampire Hunter D

[damnpire]

INVASION

[For D, there's always a code. He never fights unless he's attacked first, and, in that case, it doesn't matter who or what you are. Man or woman. Monster or human.

They fired the first shots.

D can hear the humming charge of the guns beginning before the colonizing aliens even have a chance to squeeze the trigger fully. He doesn't wait for them to fire at you, and he doesn't wait to see if you can dodge it.

He comes in like a shadow, swathed from head to toe in black--fast. The pale face and pale fingers the only indication he isn't merely a shadow. The sword is as quick as lightning and bites just as bad; the gun explodes once it's split in half down the center, and the other backfires when its barrel is shaved off the front.

The two aliens, now weaponless, turn and run, but three more mount forward to take their place. The two with the guns won't be nearly as skilled as the one with the axe. Not to him.] Go back, and you will live.

[They decide to fire.]

KITSITTING

[The kits D scooped up and rushed to safety are mostly rambunctious and a handful. He sits on the curved slope of a tree trunk, listening through the fog, and the cloak draping down behind turns out to be quite the plaything for curious mossy foxes.

Two of them spend ample time trying to swat it from the ground.

When you barrel in with more kits, D doesn't move from his perch. His dark eyes slide over to acknowledge you from beneath thick lashes and a brimmed hat. Slowly, finally turns his head.]

There's a den by the tree.

CELEBRATIONS

[Sadly, D is your typical shady-looking wallflower. Parties aren't his forte, and he spends as much time as possible along the edges, silent, as inconspicuous as a six-foot-three, looming pitch of humanoid can.

Though polite, he doesn't make any effort to play or speak with the foxes. Even when one of their balls rolls against his boot, all he does is step back to make room for them to retrieve it.

But it's easier to see him better here than in the woods, rushing after alien colonizers. His eyes are dark, yet strangely luminous when they catch anyone else's, and he's not shy about staring despite the fact he doesn't engage. He's gorgeous by any standard, skin pale and unmarked, lashes to envy, hair too perfect. A solid wedge right between masculine and feminine, and if not for the obvious stature of his body, some people may very well mistake him for a woman.

He doesn't appear to mind any looking. It's easy to turn away and move on, and he won't stop unless someone calls out to him.]

@D

If you don't want to kill, I'm willing to make traps.

Celebrations

[selfimage]

[ in contrast, Loki is dressed loudly: ostentatious green jacked lined with fur, a golden diadem in the fashion of horns, and green scale mail that makes him look like some kind of legless lizard. he approaches at an uncaring stroll. ]

The mortals have a saying for this: take a picture, it'll last longer.

i[ t's said with such casual sass that it doesn't even sound like the aggressive comeback in the context that it's usually used. Loki looks smugly pleased about it, anyway. ]

yuna | final fantasy x

[gunning]

III. BABYSITTING

[ yuna was focused on saving younger vulphytes. she wasn't particularly keen on getting involved in the gun war going on, instead trying to keep her mind occupied on decidedly non-violent things. at least for now. she's carrying one vulphyte under her arm like a blitzball (a straggler that tried to escape, she had to go back for him), yuna wades through the underbrush of the forest as quick as she can, her feet growing tireder the more laps she did from den to den.

hearing a branch crack, she freezes. she slaps a hand over the vulphyte's whining mouth, strafing against a large tree for cover. ]

Shh! Stay here. I'll take care of this. [ she whisphers this to the vulphyte as she snugly fits him into a hollow on the tree, placing two fingers to her lips than to its tiny forehead, almost like a mother beckoning her child to be good.

emerging from behind the tree, she brandishes her gun. ]

Hey! Stay where you are. I don't want to, but.. I'll shoot if I have to.

IV. VICTORY

[ yuna is frontrow for the vulphyte's performance, and.. well, she expected it to be a bit more exciting than this. and melodic. after about five minutes, her politeness wears off and her attention starts to fade. ]

Um, they're talented, aren't they? I never new foxes could hold a note for.. so long. [ so agonizingly long. ] Hey, are you having fun? Most everyone else is playing with the younger ones by now.

V. @YUNA

Hathaway doesn't happen to allow pets, do they? Just asking for a curious friend!

@Vistoso

[cyberware]

They've offered to give you anything you can dream of, haven't they? They seem a rather obliging sort to me.

[ unless... ]

The pet in question wouldn't happen to be a Vulphyte, would it?

lust ☉ fullmetal alchemist

[fingerbang]

i. FOX CONFESSOR BRINGS THE AWKWARD QUESTIONS

[ Lust knew, when she got this mission's parameters and saw the Vulphytes themselves, that this would happen. Animals have never liked the kind of creature she is. (Though she died before she could learn it, people with sensitivity to energy are just as perturbed.) Animals that can voice their feelings of unease, apparently are twice as irritating. And animals that voice their feelings by projecting a barrage of questions directly into her mind? ]

My loyalties?

[ She's trying to sound politely offended, but her unspoken internal response is far uglier–which, for all she knows, the Vulphytes can pick up on. Come on, Lust. Focus. You're probably a Negotiator now, you can do this. ]

I'm afraid you'll just have to trust me. We may possess similar appearances, but that's all we have in common which those creatures. Even the humans on this team come from very different places. You– [ hey guess what, nearby teammate, you're part of this conversation now ] –what was the year, again, where you're from?

[ She flashes the easy smile of a friendly acquaintance for whom this is previously-covered ground, despite the fact that you have definitely never talked to this woman before, ever, in your life. ]

ii. INVASION

[ There was a time she'd have laughed off damage as minor as what these attackers have to offer–which, to be fair, was technically less than a day ago–but that was before she felt her knees failing her, her charred body shuddering with agony as she used all her strength just to stay on her hands and knees and process why the man attacking her was still alive, and then the rush of searing heat just before time froze and Hathaway came for her. For the first time in her long life, she's uncertain of how many deaths she has left and feels anxiety about it rather than her usual self-assurance. Is this how humans are, all the time? Now, that's a thought she hates.

She sees the unfamiliar guns and feels one's volley narrowly miss her, and, embarrassingly, she simply reacts. Nobody gets time to retreat or call for backup. Nobody gets time to cauterize their wounds. Invaders are simply firing one second–maybe on you, who can tell!–and frozen the next, transfixed through the head or the throat with long, strange-looking black projectiles which retract in an instant. With nothing to hold them up, they drop, and she repeats the process. It happens over and over again, and pretty soon it's not hard to track the spears back to their source, no matter how quickly they come and go. Tell her off for causing all this wanton bloodshed, if you want! And if an invader's doing the same thing, hoping to eliminate lady knifehands while her attention is on preemptive, long-distance lancing, maybe warn a girl? Just try not to get in the way of those claws.

After they finally retreat, she wastes no time in finding a stream and washing the blood off her hands. Hope you weren't gonna drink from that. ]

iv. FOXING LOSER SITS BY HERSELF (christ, just look at her, sources are saying)

[ The Vulphytes' embrace of Ophelia hasn't quite extended to Lust, since it's not like slaughtering a bunch of invaders has changed the fact that she's made of screams, but they're being very magnanimous! The babies are just, you know, keeping a wide berth from the log she's sitting on.

Which is fine by her, since she'd much prefer to think about what she's just revealed and plan her next move. All her coyness during the interview process, her effort to answer with technical truth while also talking around each question, comes to nothing when a decent chunk of her teammates have seen her in action. It makes her look untrustworthy, which is both highly accurate and the last thing she needs. If she's to complete her term of service and get what she wants out of it, she'll have to at least keep on decent terms with these people, at least until she can pinpoint who among them won't be put off by her real nature. She can't kill them, and she's starting to realize she doesn't have the luxury of lying unconvincingly. Honestly, how frustrating. She'll–

A moss ball cuts off this endless self-important internal monologue when it hits her in the side of the head, bouncing harmlessly off her lovingly-animated hair and hitting the ground. Lust leans down to pick it up in one black-gloved hand, but her eyes sweep the forest to her side, looking for the mystery thrower. When she thinks she's found them (and, likely, the kit who's still hanging back), she raises her eyebrows and speaks, dryly, but not unkindly. ]

Is this how you're introducing yourself to all your new teammates, or am I just lucky?

[ In reference to Imogen's message, of course! See, it's a joke. She's a fun lady who can be kinda sarcastic and was absolutely not thinking about killing half the team thirty seconds ago. ]

vi. WILDCARD

( come at me! i swear i'm done editing this comment now, good god. )

i. sup girl

[mikilomorphae]

[Well guess what lady. Miki aka Miko aka 'don't call me Miko' Kuroda is kind of privy to these inhabitant's distrust of humanoids, so in an attempt to actually make friends for once, she's shifted into her big honking spider form which, while horrifying to anyone with a healthy sense of arachnophobia, is comforting to the sentient telepathic fox creatures of this planet.

She's not even paying attention to Lust when she's addressed, and scuttling around to face her, she kind of just glares at the woman...her teammate, with all six of her eyes.]

20XX.

[A pause, and her mandibles twitch. Pretend that she's actually given a year instead of a placeholder year.]

What's it to you?

Ciri | Witcher 3

[rejoins]

• INVASION

[ It seems one common factor among the universes is people like to act before thinking. Ciri included. The assault by the invaders leaves a sour taste in her mouth, but she's keen on trying to help the poor Vulphytes. It's what a Witcher would do — a contract Geralt would have taken without question.

She's quick — zipping across the small clearings between trees to close distance. Her sword drawn, she makes a point to find the target furthest from the group of invaders, the one who was encroaching on their position. With a swing, she slices right across the chest, her form slamming her knee directly into their gut to knock them down.

If you're on the defense with her, Ciri snaps her gaze back, right in time to let out a warning — ]

Hey, behind you!

• BABYSITTER'S CLUB

Are you sure they don't need another capable fighter out there? I'm not experienced in —

[ Okay, the babies weren't her strong suit, even if they were more along the lines of pet creatures. She knows they're smart enough to have fears... who wouldn't at all the noise? Ciri feels a pit of anxiousness grow in her stomach, a bit awkward at the fact her sword was sheathed in favor of wagging a small toy to a Vulphyte.

The crying doesn't stop and Ciri looks a bit panicked, reaching to you for guidance. ]

Hey? Do you know any lullabies or some such? If you can keep them busy, I can go venture out...

[ AKA run away from babies. Please. Help her. ]

• TEXT DIRTY TO ME | @Zireael

This is the oddest source of technology I've seen, but it's quite fun! Can you tell me what A/S/L means? I'm unfamiliar in the term, but it seems to be a common question. Much thanks!

• WILDCARD

[ None of these doing it to you? Feel free to apply the other prompts or send me a PM! I can work with anything. Thanks! ]

Invasion

[whiteknightling]

Hm? [Zaratras lifted his head up in the middle of swinging his sword down to cut apart one of the invaders' guns before they could fire it. Another one had crept up behind in the thick of it, raising their weapon to fire at Zaratras' back. When he fired, he struck nothing--a trail of electricity showing where Zaratras had ended up--just to the right of his assailant. He had vanished before the bolt could strike him.]

Thank you, miss! [He spoke just before driving his blade hilt forward, cracking his ambusher in the jaw, knocking them out cold. Zaratras lifted his head again to smile Ciri's way, looking fairly appreciative.]

It's a bit strange, fighting these kinds of weapons. They're rather difficult to counter directly.

hermione granger / harry potter series

[obliviate]

i | babysitter's club

( A ) Oh, stop it!

[ It's like herding cats — or foxes, more accurately. She's attempting to wrangle two sibling Vulphytes, neither of which want anything to do with her, if she's reading the signs correctly. ]

Can't you see I'm trying to help you?

[ She finally manages to scoop one up in her arms, although it's wriggling and wailing; the other one makes a dash for it, and she fumbles for her wand, quickly taking it out with a swish and flick— ] Wingardium Leviosa. [ The free Vulphyte baby gently lifts off the ground, floating a few feet in the air. It stops crying only out of sheer confusion, glancing down at its feet.

Hermione looks to her nearest ally, blowing a strand of hair out of her face, exasperated. ] Fetch him for me, would you?

( B ) [ She casts a silence charm on the babies to keep them from crying all day. It's not exactly consoling them, but it does the trick. They eventually calm themselves anyhow, once they realize they're in no real danger from her. She keeps them from wandering off by entertaining them with small spells, like creating small streams of water from the tip of her wand and making it dance or turning leaves into birds; nothing much, but she supposes it's exciting for a creature who's never seen magic like this before.

She even gets into Fetch a little bit, not that she'll admit it. ]

ii | network

[ un: hermione. creative, i know. ]

I don't know if any of you've noticed, but there is very little actual planning going on! We should all have a plan for when the invaders arrive, and a back-up plan for if that goes wrong. We can't just expect it will all work out -- we must prepare for the worst possible outcome.

I suggest capitalising on the element of surprise while we can, and overwhelming them before they can call for reinforcements. If we can't, we must decide on a place where we can safely regroup. I took the liberty of doing some scouting, and the waterfall south of the main Vulphyte settlement is the easiest landmark to spot whilst still being far enough from the battlefield. I say we fall back there if we're overcome.

[ If you want something done right, you have to DO IT YOURSELF. ]

iii | wildcard

[ do whatever you want, go hog wild. ]

a

[dominance]

[ at first, hermione just seemed like a woman who knew what she wanted and wasn't afraid to put her confidence on display. she reminded him of clarke, with how she took charge of situations (some she didn't even understand). that reason alone had comforted bellamy when he chose to put his trust in her and unite with her to go fetch all these cute little creatures. ]

[ well … that was until she pulled out a stick, pointed it at the vulphyte, said something that sounded like it could be in latin, and the creature was pulled into the air. stupefied, bellamy remains where he is, looking up at the floating vulphyte with confusion. with a furrow to his brow, he doesn't even look at hermione — he can't! what if he looks away and the vulphyte falls? this mom can't let that happen on his watch! ]

What the hell are you doing? [ it doesn't sound as rough as it should ... confused, slightly annoyed, but mainly just confused. ]

[ bellamy is usually good — decent? subpar? — in the face of strange situations ... he usually takes them in stride here! but this ... he has time during this mission to open pandora's box and start questioning everything. ]

jessica jones | marvel tv

[hardedged]

three | babysitter's club

[ what the fuck is this shit.

jessica jones didn't sign up for this captain planet nonsense, nor did she plan on spending her time babysitting. they recruited the wrong girl for this crap. however, as the world's most reluctant hero, ultimately jess is propelled into action. after fighting off multiple invaders, she finds herself in an isolated cave, where she protects a few of the small creatures that require her help. two of the vulphytes are coping with the chaos well enough, but the third ... ]

Jesus. Just stop, okay?

[ her intimidating demeanor only frightens the vulphyte further, causing the poor animal to yowl even more. #nailedit, jones. ]

five | chit-chat (un: alias)

[ once the pandemonium of the invasion subsides, jess takes advantage of the momentary peace to explore the network. she even decides to post a message of her own, and of course, she selects a topic of the utmost importance. ]

Where the hell can I find a decent drink in this dump?

six | wildcard

[ have another idea? go for it! ]

three

[whiteknightling]

I've got it. [Zaratras' entrance had been in him dragging an injured Vulphyte over along using his breastplate as a sled for the unhappy creature. The injury was a broken leg but it wasn't exposed or visible at that time. Zaratras set his breastplate down by the younger Vulphytes, giving Jessica a fairly half-hearted smile, given his own level of stress.]

I can take care of these two, miss. Would you mind getting water?

Zaratras | The Seven Deadly Sins

[whiteknightling]

Wanna pet 'em
[The melancholic look struck near permanently on Zaratras' face made him seem pensive and distant from the group. In his full plate armor, he watched groups of the Vulphytes hop around and avoid their new human guests, wishing they would wander close to him so he could pet them. He tried to seem very still, knowing forest animals tended to run when they suspected someone to be dangerous.

The Vulphytes had spoken to him and he had been as curt and direct as possible, talking about how he had come to them close to death. They had seemed somewhat passive, if not neutral when he conversed with them but a number of them decided to scamper off when his thoughts drifted to his inward desire to rub them behind the ears.

Out of nowhere, he grabbed his head with both as if in pain, screaming internally where only he could hear his embarrassing wails and everyone else could see him.

'They'll never let me pet them if I keep thinking about it! Stop! Stop!]

Invasion

Ho! Watch out, sir, you'll disturb our local hosts-- [The invaders had arrived and they came in full force with fairly small looking cylindrical weapons. Had Zaratras not been briefed on those kinds of things, he might have been caught off guard but he gained a fair understanding of what they could do, anyway. The first few people he spotted broke through the brush after their landing, spacing out to cover ground.

It was the sort of formation Zaratras was used to dealing with. Zaratras lifted one hand to shove the flat of his blade up--his sword managing to parry the laser blast set in his direction into the sky above. He was careful to make sure it didn't touch any of the trees, at least. Despite the dexterous parry, Zaratras feigned a stupid expression, clearly trying to look perplexed.]

That's a terrible way to act as a guest in a neighbor's home.

[Vanishing in a little wisp of static electricity, Zaratras sidled up next to the offending person who tried to shoot him, setting his arm around his shoulder.]

Do me a favor and stay put a while. [Electricity ran through the invader's body immediately, just as they screamed in surprise--dropping to the ground in sudden silence. They were unconscious. Zaratras leaned aside just as other laser rifles were pointed in his direction, lifting his sword. A current of electricity rose up from his feet and shocked the whole group, dropping them to the ground all at once.]

...Well, I'll let the locals take care of you.

[With that, he rushed to intercept more of the invaders, throwing bolts of electricity around at anyone carrying one of the same weapons as the first few. It was clear that, even as he had his sword drawn, Zaratras' whole intent was to simply disable the invaders or destroy their weapons. He wasn't aiming for any bloodshed at all.

Hopping in front of a new compatriot, he flashed a smile and nodded his head.]

Having any trouble?

Fun and Games

[Zaratras once had a gigantic, fluffy dog as a child. He never had one in adulthood, realizing he was too busy in his career to properly care for one. So, when a few of the Vulphytes he defended approached him after the battle and expressed their thanks, he felt an unhealthy amount of longing for animal companionship.

A few of them looked at one another and they seemed to shrug the way only a creature with four legs could. What's the harm? I don't mind if you pet me they said, realizing just how choked up Zaratras was when he finally had a chance to interact with them properly. It wasn't the most important thing in the world to him but after he remembered his own death and the suffering his brother had gone through to cause it, Zaratras needed the time to do something simple and pleasant. He needed his mind to be elsewhere, even if it was over something immature and unimportant. He sat there, a grown man enjoying memories of being a young boy, looking more at ease with himself than he had in a long time.

More importantly, he remembered his little brother insisting he gets a chance to play with their dog, too.]

Remember, I'm not a pet. [The young Vulphyte spoke to him telepathically with a serious tone even if his shut eyes and pleasant, canine smile betrayed it.]

Ah. [Yanked out of his fond memories, Zaratras turned red and kept petting, albeit with a bit more focus on moving said memories out of the moment.]

S-Sorry...

Invasion

[notthatjason]

[As Jason dropped one of the invaders with a well-placed blow to the head, Jason's hair stood on end in a familiar feeling. Was there a storm nearby? No, it was apparently just another user of lightning or electricity -- it was difficult to tell which. He looked around just as the man hopped in front of him to block the approaching group of ready invaders. This group appeared to be carrying laser axes of all things.

Jason had to admit, that was new, but he wasn't very impressed.]

Uh...not really. At least not until the new group showed up.

mikhail | drakengard 3

[triesdouble]

I. PREPARATIONS (kind of?? n-not really)
[The Vulphytes were cautious of humans, because they looked like the creatures that had been attacking them for some time now.

Dragons, however...

They were cautious at first, of course. A big, scaled monster with carnivorous teeth and shearing claws and all. But as Mikhail sat in a nearby clearing, his massive, ax-tipped tail flicking and swaying as he did his very best (and then his secondary very best!!) to understand what had suddenly happened to him in joining this whole "Hathaway" thing, he slowly comes to realize that he's surrounded. A crowd of curious mossy foxes had wandered up, some of the smallest cautiously approaching his twitching tail.] Huh? [He leans forward onto the claws of his wings, casting his head around in a wide arc to look at all of them.] Hey. Hey!! D'you guys wanna play?

[The telepathic response is a layered chorus of affirmations and excitement as the creatures continue to edge forward, sniffing at him with curiosity (some reeling back after doing so...).] Okay! How do you wanna play, huh?

[Fast forward about five or so minutes when the young dragon's voice is heard quite loudly in the area surrounding his clearing, just off of the main Vulphyte settlements...]

No! Noooo! Noo, no, ahhaaha, no no!! Ahhaahah!

[Should you be drawn in by the mixed cries of outrage broken by loud bouts of laughter (it was quite distracting), you'd find the noble dragon Mikahil laid out on his back, completely beset by a group of about twenty or thirty Vulphytes. A large group is crowded onto his chest and near his neck, telepathically chattering amongst themselves about the strange creature they have found, inspecting (tickling!!!) him carefully. A few more examine his wings, the bony crest around his head, and some are even clinging to the end of his tail. He's trying his best not to suddenly lash out and send any of them flying (he doesn't want to hurt them!!), but they're so fuzzy! So tickly! He can't help but devolve into a fit of giggles, hind legs occasionally kicking out (the only part of him the Vulphytes have mercifully left alone).

Ohh, he hopes Zero doesn't find him like this. She'd be so mad. ...If she's even here, that is.]

II. INVASION
Hey! Hey, you!

[There's a hell of a lot going on, what with the silvery bodies of the spaceships descending from orbit and finally making their push on the Vulphytes' forest home. With the foremost of them falling through the sky and beginning to crash through the topmost canopies of the trees, the fox-like creatures screeching and yowling and running about, and all of the mobilization from the deployed Hathaway forces, you might almost miss the dragon crashing over in your direction, eyes bright and intent in their dark, sunken sockets. Almost. Except he's a fairly large dragon, with wings and horns and swinging ax-blade on his tail and all, despite a voice that sounds incredibly youthful.]

We gotta stop these bad, bad guys from hurting the cute foxes, right? Well, c'mon, c'mon! [The dragon dips his chest towards the ground, extending a wing; there is, indeed, a harness and saddle set upon his shoulders, and he's offering a clear route up onto it.] Climb on! We'll do better together!

[In all honesty, Mikhail, despite being a dragon, doesn't really like killing people. He's not even a big fan of killing animals (much to Zero's chagrin, whenever he returns from eating some carrion corpse he'd managed to find in the woods). But! Maybe he can scare them off! And maybe this person will agree that that's the better option!

Or maybe the bad, bad guys are wyverns. That'd make it easy. Mikhail hates wyverns and has no issue killing them.]

VI-ish. NOT-SO-WILDCARD
[This is a catchall for Mikhail, at some point after fending off the armored invaders and celebrating with all of their new vulpine friends, bounding up to your particular Hathaway recruit and addressing them with a very important question:]

Hey! Hey, have you seen someone named Zero? She's, uhhh... human-sized... long white hair... one of her arms is all black and mechanical, she's probably covered in blood, and, oh! She has a flower in one of her eyes. And she's super mean! [He lists this off as if it's another of her physical attributes, not really seeming to notice any sort of lack of cohesion to it.

There's one thing of note of the dragon posing this question to you. He... doesn't smell great. A cursory gaze would show that his legs, tail, and the lower portion of this wings are caked in mud and god-knows-what-else, and there appears to be all sorts of debris speckled across the rest of him. As he continues to speak, well, his breath ain't great either:] It's really important I find her!

[This baby dragon has a lot of problems on his claws, it seems.]

VI. THE REAL WILDCARD
[Anything else! I'm open for all sorts of hi-jinks! Hit me up!]

ii

[flexing]

[ Zarya, armored up and so, so ready to go at the first sign of those silvery ships, pauses in the charge she'd been about to make toward battle. This, by all accounts, is a dragon, straight out of some fairy tail. But... why not, she supposes. If they have vampires in Hathaway, why not dragons?

So she takes it in stride and turns toward him, hefting the enormous cannon at her side. There's a big strategic advantage in having the upper ground, she would love to take this dragon up on its offer, but... ]

This gun, it is very heavy. [ So is the armor, so is Zarya herself. Altogether, she's a pretty imposing weight. ] Is this a problem?

asirpa | golden kamuy

[citatap]

1. HAPPY EASTER YA FILTHY ANIMAL

[you're walking in the woods... there's no one around and your magitek is dead.... out of the corner of your eyes, you spot her--]

Don't take another step!

[Sure enough, whoever's just stepped forward has just narrowly avoided stepping into the rope trigger of what appears to be a hunter's trap. A small, bright-eyed girl pokes her head out of the branches of a nearby tree, an adolescent Vulphyte kit in her lap and a bow at the ready.]

Those invaders are about to come to this part of the forest. [Asirpa's tone is clear and commanding; the Vulphyte telepathically chirps her agreement.] I've set traps everywhere so that they'll leave this place alone. Find somewhere to hide, quick! And watch your feet!

[We're gonna kick their butts!

Asirpa puffs out her chest.] We are.

2. FOXY LADY

[The rest of you maniacs can go murder the invaders all you like, but Asirpa refuses to kill. No excuses, no exceptions, nothing. To that end, she's taken on babysitting duties, and it seems like... she's actually doing an amazing job. There's a number of kits curled around her and on her fur coat, and she's got an armful of smaller ones snuggled up to her for that extra bit of reassurance.

It's not an ideal situation-- she's trying very hard not to think of what's going on outside-- but it's sort of comforting, to be doing this much here. It's enough.

In time, she closes her eyes and sings quietly to soothe the kits to sleep. Any bystanders will notice the words aren't translated by the Magitek: this is an Ainu lullaby, and Asirpa wants every last syllable of the song intact.]

3. HARVEST

[Once the celebrations are over and the rest of the team is mingling, Asirpa wanders off. The mingling with the rest of Hathaway-- well, it'd been fine, she guesses, but she'd been brushed off one too many times by the adults of the team to be comfortable. Instead of socializing, she's hanging out with a collection of eager Vulphyte kits and a single Vulphyte elder, who sticks close to Asirpa's side as the younger foxes bound around the lush forest clearing.

She plops down in the soft grass to converse (telepathically) with the elder for a minute or two. And to watch the kits, who seem to be plucking some sort of blue grass from the earth...

Finally, one of them scurries over to pass her a bloom. She grins wide, and plucks a bit off-- which is about when she spots a spectator.]

Hey, teammate. Look at this herb that the Vulphytes are sharing with us.

4. WILDCARD

[(t.i. voice) u can have whatever u like yeaaaah]

1

[temperedavatar]

[Korra stops walking, blinking in surprise as she turns her head in the direction of the voice. At first she thinks she's in trouble or has been caught by some invaders but...no it's definitely someone from their side. Which makes this all the stranger. However, when she's given an explanation she relaxes, even smiles a bit.]

That's a brilliant idea!

[She looks around before crossing to another tree and helping herself up into the branches as well.]

What kind of traps exactly?

takeshi kovacs | altered carbon

[interior]

I. PREPARATIONS
[Simple mission parameters are deceptive, most of the time. Takeshi has spent the five minutes since they were announced waiting for the complications; the only surprise he feels for finding out the identity of the invaders they've been sent to ward off is that the fact made itself apparent so quickly.

He doesn't flinch. If anything, it makes the work easier, even if fighting something non-human might have been a more interesting introduction to this new service he's in. The first round of telepath-fox questions that swim through his head get concise, easy answers. Then "homeworld" gets dropped, and being 250 years dead and in some other universe doesn't stop the cold spear in his chest.]

You know you don't wanna warm up to us.

[Low, Ryker's voicebox rolling blunt gravel over the words he's swallowing down. Like this. Trees. Blue sky. Under attack. Just like this.]

Your invaders are the norm. This save the forest bullshit is exceptional human behaviour.

[Parameters hadn't said anything about fostering good diplomatic relations.]

II. BABYSITTER'S CLUB
a) [The battlefield's unbalanced. No co-ordiantion has resulted in too much force up front, a tactic that might work if they crush them quickly enough, but leaves holes. Scooping up babies for relocation isn't a task Takeshi wants to take on, but the need makes itself known, and he doubles back to the dens.

They don't like him. He isn't gentle about it. Several of the tiny, wriggling furballs crammed into a pack over his shoulder (enough space to breathe but hopefully not enough to get out), his hands are full with two more as he hears the heavier footfalls of armoured humans approaching through the trees behind him.

Which is why the nearest Hathaway agent he crosses paths with gets a yowling fox baby shoved into their arms.]

Take the fucking fox. [He isn't looking for an argument, already using his newly freed hand to pull a gun.] Run. [A sharp gesture.] That way.

b) [Playing caretaker could be taken as another complication on the simple mission parameters. It isn't one that Takeshi feels the need to pander to. The cubs are relocated, but there's still the sound of battle ringing through the trees in the distance. The smell of burning and ash in the air.

He's taken a sentry position at the clearing, back against a tree, eyes watching the surroundings. Completely unmoved, it seems, by the three baby Vulphytes tenaciously using him as a big human shaped climbing frame.]

III. CELEBRATIONS
[The Vulphytes are bowing. Being taught to play fetch. Celebrating. It's like ash in Takeshi's mouth, the whole scene, and he sticks to the outskirts, watching his fellow agents, how they interact and party a job well done.

They're going to come back. No talk had been preferable in the moment, efficient, but violence only communicated violence. The invasion they'd fought off might as well have been a scouting party. All their show of force would have inspired is the need for more bodies. Bigger guns. It makes the effort pointless, the party an empty act. He tells himself he doesn't care, but his fingers itch and there's a burning lump in his chest, and he stops the next Hathaway agent that circles near.]

Know anyone around with any cigarettes?

[He's going to have to break Ryker's nicotine addiction, if he's stuck in this sleeve. But that's a problem for another day.]

IV. WILDCARD
[Hit me with whatever!]

2b, sup

[elfstoner]

I think they like you.

[ Wil isn't sure he does. He's caught glimpses of the guy's winning personality throughout the day, snippets of bad diplomacy included. The thing is, he couldn't decide if he disagreed at the time, and he still isn't sure — humans are a mess. Trust is a nice thought, but these things might be better off taking the isolationist approach.

He picks up a kit that's struggling to crest Takeshi's shoulder and holds it, petting it without much thought. It squirms a bit, playful, but ultimately it's content with the attention as it chews harmlessly on his fingers. ]

You think they're gonna find us this far in?

Inquisitor Adaar | Dragon Age

[farslayer]

[ooc: World state is here and storyline decisions are here if you care about that stuff.]

ASSASSINATION

[Every now and then, an invading human abruptly seems to fall over. Closer inspection would reveal an arrow, neatly wedged in fatal joints in their armor.

As the Inquisitor, Adaar had done a lot of strange errands. Being Tal-Vashoth, she hadn't been able to afford herself the luxury of waving off some of the more base requests that Thedas asked of her. It would have been twice as difficult to recruit followers if she'd been allowed to be herself for too long.

But in this case, it seems the opposite. She'd seen the fox-like creatures run from humans, but they seemed less frightened of her (something she's almost certain she'd never see in her lifetime again). It endears her to the creatures more than she'd care to admit. And so she sits, perched on a cliff with her bow drawn, carefully tracking individuals foolish enough to peel off on their own. Below, there is a den of Vulphytes that she seems to be defending.

Really, its a bit of a comical sight -- her species was not exactly small, and her long legs are clearly uncomfortably cramped in an attempt to fit in the small space she's found.

Her attention is easily drawn by rustling brush, and its only her keen and bright orange eyes that keep her from letting an arrow lose at whomever has come to join her.]

Thank the Maker -- can you get them out of there? They're invading too fast for me to do both.

[Her voice is accented, tone somewhat frustrated by having her focus interrupted. She gestures downward at the den below her.]

BABYSITTING

[Growing up Tal-Vashoth meant that Miahi was missing some crucial nurturing elements that turned out to be necessary in soothing frightened kits, but she's doing her best. Low hanging branches make it somewhat difficult to keep up with the ones that are running, and all of her tools -- well, they're designed for assassination and hunting, not to humanly trap foxes.

Its clear she's growing a bit frustrated when the branch she leaps for instead of trying to duck (once again) snaps with her weight.]

Seven hells--you!

[She shouts to the nearest person, holding the horn that she had bumped on the trunk on the way down. Her ears are still ringing, spots in her vision.]

A little help? They're getting away.

FETCH!

[With the invading humans pushed back, Adaar is happy to take a break. She's content to let the kits scale her like a tree when she sits down, and spends most of her afternoon repeatedly tossing a moss ball for whichever Vulphyte will fetch it.

But when she's joined by someone else, she's quick to toss another up to them in a sort of expectation.]

Well, get to it. I only have two arms.

WILDCARD

[Anything goes! For starter purposes, Miahi is a qunari bow-assassin and stands just shy of 8 feet tall.]

babysitting

[blight]

[ Lucky for Miss Inquisitor, Emilia is a bit of an animal whisperer. Master Survival, biiitch! She doesn't love being shouted at — she's more of a shouter, not a shoutee — but she does love collecting adorable baby foxes, so she lets it go for now. After clapping a few times, she whistles and calls, ] Calenhad!

[ Her faithful Mabari trots up in no time, having just been sniffing around the area. It's all very new to him; she imagines it must be confusing suddenly being in another world entirely, but he's taking it in stride. ]

Grab that little one, please. [ It's all about proper manners when talking to your dog! She points to one of the Vulphytes scurrying away and Calenhad runs off in pursuit. She knows he's faster than she is, and perhaps the babies will be less frightened of another canid.

He returns moments later with the baby Vulphyte by the scruff, dropping it in her hands when she holds them out. She holds the Vulphyte to her chest as it wriggles. ] Why, thank you, sir. [ Turning to look at Miahi, she says, ] I'm sure Cal wouldn't mind helping you out some more. He's the very best boy in all the world. [ She glances at him. ] Aren't you? Yes, you are.

noctis lucis caelum | ffxv.

[rev]

one — preparations.

[ for anyone that knows Noctis, they may not be very surprised to see what he is spending his time doing when he and the rest of the team should be preparing for an inevitable counterattack. the Vulphyte are far too cute for their own cute, and though they are capable of speaking and showing their feelings in words, he simply can't resist trying to earn their affection. unfortunately, no one really knows Noctis here, so they will have to see this poor boy spending the better part of an hour desperately trying to overcome their skepticism.

to his dismay, he is hardly successful. far from it. they either snarl at him or hop away while saying not-too-nice things telepathically, leaving him to sigh and succumb to defeat. talk about a bummer. he didn't sign up for this.

only when he's preparing to drag his feet away from the group he's been hanging out with do things begin to look up. sort of. literally, anyway, because the Vulphyte are looking towards the sky at their invaders and pierce his eardrums with a collective sort of howls. they let him know the reasoning for it and he's forced to just stand there, awkwardly squinting at the machinery as he rubs the back of his neck. ]

Awoo. Awooo... oooo... Awoo—? Ugh.

[ he's really pumping up his Nikes for this battle, alright. ]

two — invasion.

[ the battle's begun and things are going about as well as everybody could have expected considering the fight is going on in the middle of a forest. between laser beams being shot in every which direct and armored individuals that look eerily similar to MT's charging the field, Noctis doesn't even know where to start. he's used to the act of swinging his sword at a target and evading death by mere inches and is probably one of the reasons he has been recruited for this mess, but the scale of things was often... smaller.

so to say he wasn't prepared to navigate the area like he normally does is an understatement. where-as most people remain on foot or in a single area, Noctis has been on the move. he's focused on disabling groups of invaders in masse before moving on, leaving the clean-up for others more focused on one-on-one combat. this results in him using his warp magic to traverse, and for the most part? it goes smoothly. until it doesn't.

a poor, unfortunate soul (read: you) may have just noticed a sword flying right across your face. maybe it cuts a lock of hair, a piece of fabric or leaves a nice, thin scratch across your cheek. maybe it just scares the crap out of you. either way, Noctis was mid-warp when he realizes his Engine Blade is inches away from impaling someone, leaving him to cancel out at the last second. what does this mean, exactly? well. it sends him flying forward and into you until you are both now on the ground. at least you aren't dead or something. ]

three — victory celebration.

[ Noctis is able to succeed going through the rest of the battle without stabbing someone on the same side on accident. that's as good of a victory celebration you can ask for. does that mean he's going to stop hitting people on accident? absolutely not. admittedly, the object hitting someone else (read again: you) is moss and therefore much softer and less likely to lower your life expectancy. it doesn't stop the Crown Prince from wincing and hunching over, hands on his knees. ]

Man, my aim is off. [ he gives a glance at the Vulphyte he had been playing with, making a face that read off as an apology for losing their moss. it's not the worst thing to sacrifice after the mission, but still. another look is given to the unsuspected target of said moss. ] Sorry. Hope I didn't get your clothes too dirty.

four — obligatory texting option (un: noct gar).

so... magitek. that's a thing.
anyone else have that back where they're from?
wasn't exactly known for powering my text messaging before here.

five — wildcard

( you know the drill! hmu w/ something if none of the above prompts work, thank! )

@YUNA

[gunning]

Mmm, not quite.
But it reminds me of something similar.
Have you ever heard of machina?
They're ancienct technologies that can do some extraordinary things.

Eli Vanto | Star Wars

[vanto]

i.PREPARATIONS

[The familiarity of the situation is comfort enough. A long military career aimed at either protecting civilians or putting down rebellions has made Eli well prepared for this mission. Protect. With clear cut sides from the information obtained, Eli has no qualms about using force to protect the Vulphytes; this is, after all, a clear violation of their sovereignty.

His knees are damp from kneeling, the gesture an attempt to appear less threatening to the Vulphytes, and Eli casts his eyes skywards, feeling the eerie stillness of the forest. A split second of silence where harmony is about to be disrupted and then the howling starts, chasing away the stillness as the ships appear.]

iv.CELEBRATIONS

[While Eli is glad for this victory, it has left behind more questions than answers. Of course these must be put aside because how can anyone resist the Vulphytes' insistence to play fetch? Certainly not him.

He picks up the moss ball and hurls it as far as possible, watching as a couple of Vulphytes take off after it at surprising speeds.

Eli shakes his head, fond.]

Heh, cute little guys.

iv.TEXT [@ELI]

I'll be the first to admit that that went better than expected. Everyone doing alright?

iv. WILDCARD
(ooc; feel free to throw ideas at me if you'd like!)

SLAMS IN HERE also wildcard;

[mitthrawnaruto]

[There is no basecamp to be reached this time, no deep briefing beforehand where infiltration and subtlety are considered to be uniquely necessary— and so when Thrawn steps through the rifting pad all that meets his gaze is vibrant, misty viridian: a forest seemingly without end, filled with elusive creatures who now know one very real, very recognizable fear.

Humanity.

Thrawn at least does not fit that description, and so within short order his initial delve into the Vulphytes' world leaves him flocked by skittering foxes with curious eyes (and far more curious thoughts); all their questions patiently answered, though the kits in particular are tirelessly interested, and on more than one occasion Thrawn finds himself pausing so as not to unintentionally step on their rapidly padding paws.

But eventually the mist breaks. A subtle shift in milky white scenery, revealing a darkened silhouette against the light. An unmistakable glint of facial heat to Thrawn's infrared vision, and as if reaching a moment of simultaneous recognition the Vulphytes and their kits scatter, darting away into the underbrush—

Human.

Unsure of their affiliation while their back remains positioned towards the Chiss, Thrawn's hand rushes to grip the blaster at his hip, that artfully crafted weapon leveled in a clear warning— ]

Catherine Chun | SOMA

[arkproject]

    > I. PREPARATIONS

[ Catherine is a scientist, not a fighter, but that doesn't mean she can't help. She's going to stay firmly out of the fighting, but in the lull before it breaks out, she puts her new skill as an Inventor to use, outright delighted in how things seem to just come to her, and work. She likes contributing and she likes mechanical tasks.

It also helps keep her mind off of the incredible weirdness of having a humanoid body again, which is a great bonus.

She's sitting cross-legged down in the loam, getting her uniform leggings dirty as she puts together makeshift laser-deflecting armor plates to Vulphytes and chattering with them amiably. She's not oblivious to the chilly reception she gets as someone ostensibly, visually human, but Catherine pushes past it with her normal bullheaded optimism. The Vulphytes are adorable, but notably, she has no trouble whatsoever treating them as fully functioning, autonomous sentients. ]

There you go! You show them what for. [ She looks up from the ground at the next person. ] Did you want something? I'm apparently pretty good at this.

    > IV. VICTORY CELEBRATIONS

[ After the fighting, Catherine is pretty bemused to find herself playing Fetch for a crowd of younger Vulphytes yipping encouragement as she throws the moss-ball. All the sensory stimulation is a lot for her, but she finds herself enjoying it as time goes on, even a little wistful.

As an idle comment to whoever's nearby: ] It's beautiful here, isn't it?

iv.

[somelikeitcold]

I hadn't really thought about it.

[Sorry, he's one of those overly serious, hyperfocused types that only really pays attention to what they need to do to complete their assigned task. He's getting a bit better about it, but Todoroki still isn't exactly the type to stop and smell the roses, as it were.]

...It's pretty different from where I lived, I guess.

[Given that he's from the urban jungle as opposed to, yanno, a natural one like this.]

Odinson / Marvel 616

[deemed]

Victory celebrations

[The celebrations are in full swing when a man slips in at the edges. There's no fanfare announcing his arrival, he just walks in from the dark forest as though he's been there all along.

Before he can take in the situation he has to duck a mossball and the horde of young Vulphytes chasing after it. Smiling, he watches them chase it, then turns back to the group of animals and Hathaway agents, clearly looking for someone.]

[Later he can be found being regaled with the heroic efforts that led to the victory by a group of young Vulphytes. He's an attentive listener, even when they start to drop off to sleep one by one and he's left with a group of them curled up and dozing on him.]

[selfimage]

[ before Odinson knows, Loki knows that he's there. he keeps tabs on these things, utilizing his unique brand of sorcery to track those that he so chose. it's not long before Odinson shows up that there's a shadow following him. actually, the shadow has been falling him for a little bit.

either Loki's making a point, or he's sour enough to follow at a distance until he's noticed. ]

Grunt | Mass Effect

[317]

PREPARATIONS

Yeah, I get it. Humans aren't all bad though. Worked with a few.

[Grunt had rapidly been swarmed by many of the Vulphytes, and though he replies in a deep monotone, he actually seems like he might be enjoying himself. The smaller kits seem to be circling him, intent on trying to figure out how to scale his armor.

When one of them gets brave enough and hops up to find purchase on it, he reaches back subconsciously to catch it before it falls, and allows it to jump back down on the ground like nothing happened.]

Don't get too excited. Probably won't see any more krogan around here. Not many of us to start with.

[When more people start to arrive, several of the kits try to use Grunt as their own personal bomb shelter, crowding around his feet.]

Don't do that. They won't bother you. Probably.

[He glances upward toward the nearest person, as if expecting them to confirm for him.]

INVASION

[THUMP. THUMP. THUMP

Somewhere in the trees, there is the disturbing sound of bodies hitting the ground or the trees. In the middle of all that stands Grunt, who's latest hobby is charging and throwing full grown humans straight into tree trunks to knock them out. Its quite a spectacle.

He gets so into his activity that he might have a hard time differentiating who is a Hathaway-human and who is a non-Hathaway-human. Whoops. Are you going to stop him before he throws you?]

Upsie-daisy!

WILDCARD

[Anything goes!]

prep

[damnpire]

[The Vulphytes are wary of him at first because what can be seen of his face and hands in the conglomerate of black appears to be human.

But he doesn't feel entirely human, and upon further inspection, when the brim of his hat lifts, it seems he's probably entirely too beautiful to be human, too.] I intend no harm. [However, he stays a few feet away, standing without budging.]

They like you.

Futaba Sakura | Persona 5

[akg]

I. PREPARATIONS

[ Futaba is definitely here to help save this delicate ecosystem that's suffering at the hands of all these horrible invaders. No doubt, very much first priority. However, there's a reason she's not a Negotiator, and that's because she couldn't diplomatically solve her way out of a paper bag—she's not really sure how to ask her own teammates for help, much less work to help bridge any human-Vulphyte tensions.

A. So... she doesn't, mostly. She seems extremely occupied staring into the forest, or amassing a pile of leaves with a deeply furrowed brow, occasionally swiping some dirt onto her cheek as she tries to clear a sweatdrop or two. Seems she's working on something, though she's concentrating far too deeply to warn anyone who might be stumbling into the traps she's set. (Or to notice anyone sneaking up on her.)

B. Alternatively, she's only human. While one of the Vulphyte is distracted, she stares for a moment, then wiggles her fingers forward, slooowly and cautiously reaching for its tail. It's right there, taunting her with its swishing. Her restraint has limits, she has to. Must pet. ]

II. INVASION

[ These assholes really take no prisoners, and Futaba—really, she's not a huge fan of getting blasted into laser dust. But the Vulphyte aren't either, and she's not about to stand around and let these bullies get their way—once the fighting starts, she helps with the retreat deeper into the forest, but keeps an eye out for trouble as best she can.

For anyone that seems to be struggling in their fight, she forgets to be an awkward loser long enough to shout— ] Hey, ugly! Over here!

[ Wham. One of the invaders gets pelted with a log tied to a vine, swung down from a tree, delivered straight to the face. Classic, and very satisfying, but not enough to distract them long—she motions for any teammates to follow. They need to get out of dodge. ]

III. BABYSITTER'S CLUB

[ When it comes down to it, Futaba isn't used to fighting in the real world. Might not even be aware that she can. This is the longest she's been outside... ever, and god did tripping over roots suck, and the ground is uneven and she knows she just trampled a few sticks that probably gave her away. She wants Joker to take the heat off her or Queen to bludgeon them into the ground—something, from someone (from her friends, who she already misses).

But even if she's scared and she never wants to see a tree again, she doesn't stop ducking under branches and running for fear of the kits' safety. Somehow, she's managed to grab a few runaways, which are now very unhelpfully clambering in her arms, another bobbing in her hood as she runs, tiny paws dug into the fabric. But she isn't really built for this sort of thing—when was the last time she even ran a lap? Winded, she still has the lung capacity to duck behind a nearby tree and shout at their pursuers— ] G—Go away!

[ Or maybe it's not a tree? Maybe it's you. ]

IV. VICTORY CELEBRATIONS

[ While their cat ('cat') at home would tolerate her gentle-ish poking and prodding, he was not all too keen on playing around. The foxes are much more accommodating—Futaba throws a lump of moss as far as she can, and a growing pile of scampering Vulphytes brings it back every time.

A. After a couple good back and forths, she's amassed a small army of new fox friends. Energized, Futaba gives the moss ball a good, solid toss, and it goes up and up and—plonks right on some unfortunate stranger's head. ]

Oh, oops.

[ The Vulphyte charge, merciless. ]

[ B. Alternatively, here lies Futaba Sakura, holding out a moss ball for dear life as her hubris has her cornered by a swarm of baby Vulphyte, having completely run her over in an effort to steal her herbaceous treasure for themselves. ] I'll never surrender! [ A baby Vulphyte jumps on her head, a critical hit. ] Aurghhhrhh— [ Man down, send help. ]

V. CHIT-CHAT

[ Though she agreed to join the team, that doesn't mean she's really part of it, not in a proper sense of belonging. Right now that's as daunting as the mission is, but cruising the network isn't so bad. Like joining a new forum. No big deal, right? ]

Username: alibaba
think I could get one of these fox dens for myself?
they're looking reaaal cozy right now

*. WILDCARD

[ hit me up with anything! i'm game for any and all of the prompts. ]

v bc i'm a lazy ho, un: LISSA

[healstaffs]

why would you want a den when you could have a fox instead
they're soooo much cuter!

Alexsandr Kallus | Star Wars Rebels

[turningtraitor]

- The Invasion -

[The Vulphytes may prefer to wait for the invaders to come to them, but not everyone was so patient- or perhaps so interested in a head-on battle. As is the case of the man that barrels out from the mossy tree he had taken cover behind, heading at the side of a passing invader, a burst of speed with all of his weight behind it. He hits the armored figure low, just at their hip, knocking their legs out from under them and onto the ground, ignoring the sharp cry and the fresh bruise he gets from angling his shoulder into their armored side. Once on the ground he scrambles, hooking his fingers into their helmet, slapping aside the rifle they raise to defend themselves with. The fist he drives into the space between their helmet and their chest plate is unyielding, and he ignores the flailing fist that clips across his face as he does it again- and again, until they are dazed enough that he can wrestle the laser away from them, slamming the butt of it into their helmet with a sharp crack, the sound of it not quite disguised by the sounds of battle around him from the other people who had gone out ahead.

It's at this point he realizes he's not alone- even besides the prone body at his knees, and the rifle comes up in a clean and neat arc, the stock at his shoulder before he recognizes his mistake- no armor, no helmet- and tips the muzzle back towards the ground. Outside of the slightly heavy breathing and a bruise around his eye- already beginning to fade, he looks relatively calm.]

My apologies, I did not realize I wasn't alone. [he pauses for a moment, almost too long before he adds-] Are you armed?


- Babysitting, of a sort -

[To say that Kallus is ill-suited- and clearly uncomfortable- with the role of babysitter is an understatement, but needs must, and there was some relief to be found in the fact that there were people better suited to caring for the creatures directly, leaving him with perimeter duty. It was, despite the crying and carrying on in the relative safe haven at his back, a task he was comfortable with, hands relaxed but ready on the grip of the rifle that was beginning to feel familiar in his hands. Of course, he could not be sure how many more times the blaster would fire before it ran out of whatever projectile or energy it used.

He glances sideways, taking his eyes off the trees for a moment to look at his partner in this task- or at least along this stretch of the perimeter, giving them a quick but thorough once-over.]

Anything yet?

[He quite likely already knows the answer.]


- Wildcard -

(Hit me with your best shot~)

I'm sorry (Invasion)

[mitthrawnaruto]

I am, yes. [There's a flicker of recognition that washes across inhuman features as glowing eyes catch the all-too-familiar sight of an Imperial uniform, now spattered with mud and moss. Stepping forward from his position towards the treeline, it is easier to search the front of his companion's chest for some recognizable indication of his rank and branch—

ISB.

With a deliberate ease to his stride, Thrawn lifts the finely crafted blaster at his hip to more clearly display it, though he does not aim it at his companion directly when he moves in to bridge the distance between them:] ...Agent.

alisaie leveilleur / final fantasy xiv

[adelphoi]

i; invasion

[ alisaie would not consider herself a particularly.. violent girl, but she does enjoy a good fight, especially when it's been awhile since she's lifted her sword, and when it's in defense of adorable little telepathic moss animals!! there are few better things worth fighting for, and these little foxes are absolutely darling, intelligent, and in need of a shield. she's more than willing to comply.

for her part, alisaie fights mid-field - far enough ahead of the fox dens to be able to intercept any wayward invaders, but not so far in as to get herself surrounded. she'll snag whatever stragglers manage to break through the vanguard.

speaking of which - ah! here comes one now, brandishing a humming, laser-edged axe. lifting her crystal focus, alisaie casts a quick and effective tether spell, a ring of aether forming around the attacker's ankles and binding him in place. he reels, puzzled, which offers more than enough time for her to aim a powerful verfire, and follow it up with a hard clap of the butt of her rapier to his temple, denting the helmet and dropping him cold to the ground. whew. ]

Satisfying.

ii; foxsitting

[ they're so.. cute!!

alisaie isn't terribly good with people. children are a little easier, they have no real expectations of you, they don't judge you or harry you about who you should be, or how you should behave. animal children are even better than that.

but by the twelve, they have quite a lot of energy. she's told a hundred stories, enough to make her throat raw, but still they are bouncing around and tugging at her clothing and running over her lap, energetic and excitable. ]

All right, all right, mayhaps.. hide and seek? Have any of you ever heard of it?

iii; festivities

[ ah, there's nothing quite like a gratifying victory celebration. as far as she's concerned, they only fulfilled their duty with this mission, and alisaie would not have expected nor asked for a reward of any kind, festivities included.

still, it warms her heart to see them happy, and free of the threat that had loomed over them so recently. still, gods, it's been a long few days, and without the tension of looming battle in the air to keep her tense and alert, alisaie is feeling her fatigue. she yawns widely into her sleeve, struggling to stay awake, but her eyelids feel.. so heavy..

perhaps she'll just. rest her eyes for a moment. just a few moment. the crackling fire is so warm..

welp. soon enough she's falling slack against the log she had been sitting against, her heavy head dropping, chin to chest. aaaannnddd she's out. ]

foxsitting

[damnpire]

[It's natural to be unnoticed, and D prefers it that way. Even over six feet--fulms to Alisaie--and swathed in variations of black and grey, he is so stil land so silent, there's no notion of him until the Hide and Seek begins.

A few of the kits think it perfect to hide in the long, dark cloak that folds around his shoulders and arms, draping down to conceal most of his ankles and calves, too.

Unbothered, he stands there, allowing them sanctuary regardless of whether or not they are too eager not to sometimes peek out around the edge of the material. When Alisaie opens eyes and looks around to begin searching, D will be standing there much like a statue with at least three kits around his feet, hiding.]