xinoehp512

But Butt had no social life, so it was fine.

The sound of the footsteps grew in volume as their source emerged from the dark. A familiar face. "Hi?" said Max uncertainly.

"Whoever it is, they're getting closer," said Xinoehp. "Undoubtedly they've heard us by now."

Michael sighed and rubbed his eyes. From the vast surrounding darkness, the faint sound of footsteps could be heard.

Michael gave her a sideways look. I... wouldn't put it that way, he said. In fact- All of a sudden, he cut off. Did you here that? he said softly.

I can assist in sleep, if desired, said Michael offhandedly as he doodled something on the ground.

But they did make for great laundry detergent.

So he bought some laxatives.

It was a cause of much consternation to Butt.

"If you never knew them, how do you know they weren't dark magic users?" asked Chakra, puzzled. @Bluest

Called CUA for short.

"So it is a curse," said Chakra with interest. "Neat! Morpheus has, like, seventeen dozen of those. Is that why you're so powerful?" @Aragorn

He saw it as a testament to his ability to irritate.

Which was seen as a good thing.

Michael sighed and sat down. Wait, he said. Whatever the issue is the tracker has run into, it'll be able to find its way around them eventually. Besides, we've been traveling for a day now, and we have someone with us that needs sleep on a regular basis. He nodded towards Granite.

Apparently a chemical released during its decay had unusual effects on their metabolism.

They only ate to survive.

But ghanderflaffles loved it.

It measures everything, Michael pointed out. If he could control that, we'd all be dead.

It was often spread over toasted breadmunk.

Well, I *almost* got Master... if it hadn't been for Elandera's vote on me in 3.2 I would have made it before dying. *sigh* I got completely mixed up the first few cycles on how EP works... oh, well. I also had a crippling fear of insanity bonuses, so I didn't actually complete the Gram the turn I got attacked. Although, would it actually have helped me to finish, or would it just have blocked one of the attacks on me? So there was a dead doc? I was curious as to why I didn't receive a link. I guess because my death was delayed, the GM's forgot. Green Rover turned elim after accidentally viewing the doc? Heh. Well, I enjoyed this game! I hope I get the chance to play it again.

“Go mingle,” said Morpheus to Chakra as they approached the queen. “See what you can learn. I’ll call you if I need you.” He didn’t expect to need the spirit any time soon, but you never knew- best he stayed within calling distance. Morpheus came to a stop in front of Queen Celeste, dropping on one knee into a bow. A little wobbly, to be truthful, but passable. He’d visited enough royal halls in his travels to know proper protocol, even if his origins were humble. And this was technically his kingdom, so he might as well make a good impression. “Welcome, Morpheus,” said the queen. “I see you received our invitation.” “Yes, Your Majesty,” said Morpheus, keeping his head bowed. “Your humble servant is most grateful indeed.” The queen waved him off. “No,” she said, “It is to you that we must be grateful. A hundred invitations could not even begin to repay the favor you have done us in recovering our eldest daughter from the hands of the dread sorcerer Malchezius.” “I live to serve, my queen.” “Well,” said the queen after a pause. “Let it not be said that those who serve the Iron Crown go unrewarded.” Morpheus heard the rustle of silk as she gestured to the priest standing beside her. He heard the sharp sound of a sword being drawn from its scabbard and swallowed. Even if he knew his skin was safe from its edge, there were too many bad memories associated with that almost-musical tone for him to ever feel fully comfortable hearing it. I wonder how much she knows? he wondered as the flat of the blade tapped him once on each shoulder. Did she plan that specifically because she knew it would unnerve me? Probably not; but you could never be sure, not when she was involved. Rumor had it she had informants in every hamlet, village, and city in the entire kingdom. Morpheus doubted her intelligence web was that dense, but there was no denying that Queen Celeste seemed almost omniscient at times. But of course, the piece of Celeste’s knowledge that would pose the most danger to him wasn’t going to be any of his pet peeves or phobias. No, what he was really worried about was the prophecy. Not many people knew about it, but unfortunately for him, she was one of them. And he had no doubt she knew exactly how to use it to best serve her purposes. Morpheus' thoughts were interrupted by the queen speaking. “Rise, Sir Morpheus, Knight of the Order of Iron.” He rose, lifting his eyes to meet Celeste’s cool and calculating gaze. He took a breath to speak, but was interrupted before he could get words out. “A life-debt is not so easily repaid, of course,” continued Celeste. “Especially considering the rumours that have reached us of your other feats- which, if true, would more than qualify you for knighthood. No, you have earned something more.” She leaned forwards. “A favor,” she said in a lighter tone. “Riches, treasure, magic… anything your heart desires. Within limits, of course.” She leaned in even closer, her eyes boring holes in his skull. “Including our daughter’s hand in marriage, should you so desire.” There it is, thought Morpheus with gloom. He could feel fate tightening around him, like steel coords binding him to a single path. Celeste knew the prophecy. Which meant that she knew that he had to follow it, no matter the personal cost. And if the only interpretation he could find was that he would marry the princess, then marry her he must. “Of course, you need not declare a favor right away,” continued Celeste, leaning back in her chair. “In fact, we insist you deliberate your choice for a time. One week should be sufficient, yes?” Morpheus bowed his head slightly. “Your Majesty is most gracious.” “One week it shall be, then.” She clapped, and a servant scurried over. “Prepare a room for Sir Morpheus,” she commanded. “And notify your superiors that that room will be occupied for the next week.” The servant nodded and scurried off. The queen turned back to Morpheus. “You may go to your rooms whenever you choose- simply ask any servant to direct you to Philodius, he should be able to handle it. Until then… I believe Andromeda is somewhere in the hall, should you wish to converse with her.” The queen raised an eyebrow. “I do believe she never got a chance to thank you.” Morpheus gave a final bow before walking away to mingle with the crowd. –– Chakra floated as the wind through the crowd. So many, he thought, fascinated. Morpheus almost never went out in crowds. In fact, Chakra didn’t think that he’d ever been in a crowd before now. So much potential for chaos… too bad that Morpheus would disapprove. So many humans, he thought, fascinated. Flesh and blood and bone… but no power. According to Morpheus, very few humans had power. Although a lot of the people that they’d killed had had some. Maybe Morpheus had something against people with power? He had power, but apparently it was only ‘borrowed’ or something like that. Well, whatever the reason, Chakra was happy to help Morpheus kill them. All of a sudden, Chakra noticed something. Two Fae, standing as clear as air in the midst of the party. Now, that was a rare sight. He rustled past people’s clothes as he drifted over, sifting through scraps of overheard conversation to try and learn more. What he heard intrigued him greatly. The first was, apparently, a guardian- whatever that meant. People didn’t seem to be talking a lot about her for some reason. The other one, however… they were most certainly talking about her. Lynn Stormwind, he thought with fascination as he listened to what was being said about her. A dark Fae, apparently- and a powerful one, to boot, if half the rumours he heard were true. Which was odd, because she didn’t seem very dark. There was shadow there, to be true- some kind of curse, maybe?- but there wasn’t much of the aura he’d expect from a dark mage. Whatever magic she had done, she’d paid the rightful price for it. As he reached Lynn, he realized something. She had the gift of True Language. She could talk to him! He hadn’t spoken to anyone but Morpheus in forever. And he could ask her questions, too! “Hello!” he said cheerfully in Lynn’s ear. “You’re name’s Lynn, right? I’m Chakra! A lot of people seem to think you’re a dark fairy. Which is really weird, because you don’t have any dark aura! What’s up with that?” @Aragorn

His core had rotted.

Armed with a spoon and a mason jar, he went to work.

But she was too slippery.