hellishtrickster

[hellishtrickster]

Orianna chuckled at the toddler's adamant answer, giants puffs of smoke and steam rising from her nostrils. This little humanoid was very sweet, and was ultimately quite lucky they'd wandered into the lair of a dragon who didn't think they were on the menu.

However, her amusement quickly turned into concern. This pup smelled wounded, and sick. She could also smell their sadness...no, not sadness. The scent carried too much weight for simple sadness. No, this was grief. Something had happened to this poor, sweet pup. Their parents could be missing or worse...and Orianna had the feeling it was the 'worse' option.

She moved her giant head forward, scales shifting colours and her golden horns gleamed. Two medium horns formed like eyebrows and went back to end just over her two long horns at the back of her head. Then there were the four medium horns, two on either side of her long horns. The formation looked like a crown. Fitting for the queen of her vast territory.

The heat of her would reach the pup first. Orianna hoped it would comfort the little humanoid. She needed them to feel they were safe around her. She would bring them further into her lair, past the gold and 'treasure' to her den. She could look after them and heal them there.

"It's alright pup. I don't know what happened but you're safe in my lair. No one could ever hurt you...or your teddy bear here."

for @hellishtrickster, continued from [x]

Benkai’l stared as the large dragon moved its head towards them, grey eyes wide with awe and mouth open in a tiny ‘o’ as the scales on the massive creature's body shimmered different colours. They were so pretty. As were the golden eyes gazing down at them.

The wolf-kin tilted their head as she spoke, confused at her question, before they let out a small gasp of horror and shook their head vehemently.

“No, no, no, no,” they said quickly in that adamant way only a toddler could. “No’ scawy. Scawy!” They pointed at her leg towards her scales, indicating they had meant ‘scaly’ and not ‘scary’. Grey eyes looked back up as a lopsided and toothy grin broke over their face. “Scawy puppy no’ scawy, siwwy puppy.”

The child giggled at the absurdity of the very idea, but the sound soon turned into laboured coughing. Their face quickly went red as they struggled, the force of the wet hacking sending them onto their bony butt. The fit passed and they were able to somewhat breath again, though their short puffs were gasped and the air they sucked in rattled around their lungs before they wheezed it out.

They were exhausted. The wolf-kin couldn't begin to fathom how long it had been since the explosion. How long it had taken them to make the trek to the Moon Lady’s mountain top shrine. How long they had spent inside the secret cave that had opened for them. How long they had further travelled to get to the dragon’s cave. All they knew was that they were tired. That their muscles were aching and sore. That the palms of their hands and soles of their bare feet were covered in scratches and blisters from near constant walking or running in both forms. That the mild burns on their back and arms and legs from escaping the fire in the smithy still throbbed even now. That their once white undergarments that had been their fresh pyjamas were signed and scorched and torn, as was the teddy bear they held steady fast in a tiny fist. That they were cold and miserable and hungry.

And most of all, that they missed their Mama and Papa.

Grief rose fast as the dragon asked her second question at the same time that thought flitted through their head. Their bottom lip trembled as tears welled in their eyes, ears drooping as their tail curled against their leg. They shook their head again and dropped their head, hugging their stuffed bear tightly before burying their nose in the soft fur of its head.

[hellishtrickster]

Orianna let the moment go for as long as her new friend needed it too. The scratches were as much a source of comfort for them as it was a way for them to offer gratitude.

She looked up at them as they urged her to settle for the night. She could at least curl up. Her new jacket was warm, and these beds were softer than anything she'd slept on in months.

The Fox Fairy jumped over to her own assigned bed and paced a few circles before curling up, facing her friend. Her head remained high, and it was clear she was watching Ben. Orianna would not be attempting sleep until she was certain Ben had curled up under the covers themself.

As they took care of themself, she took the time to puzzle over their abilities. They were of magical descent obviously, and seemed to have sustained magical wounds of some sort. There was no clarity of which community they'd come from though.

She knew they smelled of smoke, and something canine. It hardly narrowed things down, and there were no other obvious signs. Was the kid blocked in some way? Had this 'mistress' person done something to hinder their magical heritage? It was a mystery worth solving.

Ben couldn’t help but smile as Ember wound herself through their legs, huffing a laugh as her fur tickled the tops of their bare feet. They felt a warmth in their chest. If their fox friend was giving them such kindness maybe they hadn’t given her too much of a fright. She hadn’t deserved to see what was under their clothes but at least maybe this meant they were forgiven. They’d certainly not waste it and be caught like that again. Hopefully.

They didn’t notice the fox jump onto the bed, flinching and stalling in their bandage wrapping as she laid her snout on their arm. The werewolf remained frozen for a second before continuing to cover their wrist and hand in the white fabric. They could feel the pain start to leave their form, shoulders losing some tension as their injury ceased throbbing. What wonders a shower and some medical treatment could do.

Once they’d finished and tied off the dressing they reached over with their uninjured left hand and gently scratched the fox’s forehead between her eyes.

“Thanks Ember,” they murmured. They enjoyed the moment for a few more seconds before they nudged their furry friend. “Go on, go settle down for sleep. I’ll be turning in soon too, don’t worry.”

They gave her a smile before grabbing another bandage packet to wrap up their feet with. Once they had done this and sorted the first aid kit, they could take their meds and go to bed. Their body was already looking forward to it.

[hellishtrickster]

Orianna listened intently, and gently rubbed Masie's back. The little girl had fallen asleep quickly. She'd had a big day, and Ori knew it. There was something so beautifully sweet about a child feeling safe enough to fall asleep while you held them.

Ori hoped that one day she'd have the privilege of holding her own child like this. Hopefully in happier circumstances. A trip to the beach perhaps, with a swim out to the reef.

As she looked for the park, she thought about what Masie had said.

'...home but not like home, there is no crab.'

A crab. A city that has built itself on a crab. There were whispers of such a thing from the krakens. Something about Terra Kona. Orianna knew it existed and was aware tritons were a large part of it. She'd never seen the crabs personally, and wasn't sure she'd have the pleasure of meeting them.

If this girl was a triton, she came under her mother's protection. It was rare for Thassa to show any favouritism towards her worshippers. For her to have brought Orianna here to Masie, this girl had to be something special.

She eventually found the park, and saw the house Masie had described. So that was Terra Konan architecture. It was beautiful, and grand. She turned her head towards Masie.

"Starfish, we're almost home sweet girl. Time to wake up."

Masie sniffled and went to say where her mum and dad were staying. But she remembered that it was supposed to be secret. But Lady Ori was helping her and she said that she would keep her safe from the wrong orb… maybe if she took her to near where she stayed she wouldn’t get into trouble. But then maybe the orb would come back. She sniffled again before making up her mind.

“We’re staying at the Shel’don Embassy. Father and Mother have work there.” She said quietly, “it’s the big house near the park land and it has the pillars like home but not like home the is no crab.” She said as she buried her face into Ori’s shoulder. Waves of tiredness rolling over her replacing the fear. When she got home and after she was done being told off she was gonna…. Take a nap… she thinks as she slowly succumbs to sleep.

[hellishtrickster]

"SCAWY PUPPY! SCAWY PUPPY!"

Orianna looked down at the tiny fuzzball that had entered her lair. It wasn't everyday that someone outside of a rather stupid adventuring party entered her home. In fact, she was so quiet most of the time that even adventurers didn't take much note of her these days.

Not that she truly minded. She was a solitary creature, and simply watching over her vast territory was the way she liked it. There had been multiple fights with other dragons for her land, but it was rarely a worry for her. Ancient dragons, and Greatwyrms rarely wandered from their own territories. And those were the only dragons that could truly make her decide to run rather than fight.

Orianna craned her neck to look closer at the little humanoid. The colour of her scales appeared to change between their golden, orange and red hues as the light from the moon reflected off of them. The little humanoid had more fur on it than a Human, Elf, Tiefling and most other two-leggeds. With a sniff, she identified the scent of a dog. So a Wolf-kin or Werewolf then. Wolf-kin judging by the lack of a transformation under the full moon.

She lowered her head further so she was just above the Wolf-kin's head, her golden gaze staring into the little humanoid.

"Scary? A little rude to call someone that when you've wandered into their home. Where are your parents, Pup?"

[hellishtrickster]

Orianna directed them off the High Road, and onto one of the offshoot roads.

"We're making a small detour. We need to get you some things for the road. None of this will be everything that you need but it will get you by until we reach Luskan."

She mentally makes a list of what to get Missy as they walk, only to splutter as Arrias bats his tail against her face.

"Out loud for the rest of the class, Ori."

"Urgh, right, right. You'll need sturdier clothes. The ones you have are nice but they won't last on the road, let alone if we go to wilder places. We'll need to get you an adventurer's pack, filled with the basics. You'll definitely need a basic weapon as well. If we run into bandits or something, you need to be able to protect yourself. As good as I am, I can't be everywhere at once."

"Pfft, so you admit you're fallible," Arrias snarks.

"Oh shush! Like you don't take pride in our combat skills," she says.

Arrias blows a raspberry at her, and Orianna rolls her eyes playfully.

"So, what weapons can you use? Or I guess...what weapons would you like to learn to use if you don't know how to use them?" Orianna asks.

"Ori can teach you most of them. We made sure she could at least pick up and use most things, even if it's not what she favours."

[hellishtrickster]

Orianna leaned into the scratches from her friend, and chirped at them in response to their words. She was just glad she'd been there to help. That could have been really bad. Hospital vist, bad.

However as Ben apologised to her, she whined at them. They didn't need to be sorry. Not for that, not for the way their body looked. Whoever or whatever had done that to them should be sorry.

The kid had clearly been through a lot. They were magical, and Ori knew it. It still wasn't entirely clear what they were, but she was eager to find out. The more she knew, the better she could help them.

When they came back out, and set themself up on their bed Orianna began winding herself through their legs. Ben needed affection, needed reassurance that their appearance hadn't put her off. It never could.

She jumped up onto the bed as they finished with the antiseptics. Orianna came in close, and laid her snout on their arm, just above the wrist. With barely a thought, she absorbed their pain. It cost her nothing, and would make them feel better. It was all she could do for now but that would have to be enough.

The kid was stuck with her now, and they'd just have to accept it if they hadn't already. When she was back in her humanoid form, they'd never have to worry about the necessities ever again. Everything would be taken care of for them, whether they stayed with her or not.

[hellishtrickster]

Orianna listened to Masie, and as the little girl buried her face into her shoulder Orianna rubbed her back, and began to sway gently.

"Shh, shh, shh. It's okay, I've got you. You're safe with me, and you always will be."

She wasn't sure what that magic orb was but she had the chilling feeling that's what Thassa wanted her here for. The slight sound of the ocean crashing in her ears, confirmation of her thoughts. Well then, she wasn't sure what she was supposed to do about it but if there was something, it would be done.

"Well how about I get you back to your mum and dad, hey? Can you tell me where they are, Starfish?"

Masie hugged Ori tightly once she was in her arms. She trembled as the tears flowed freely.

At the words in primordial and as Ori rubbed her back as well as using magic to get rid of the water she calmed herself slowly. Managing to steady herself to stop her tears.

Masie looks up at Ori’s face, “there was a glowing orb with wrong magic. It followed me and didn’t stop until you came back.” She replied back in soft primordial. “I want my dad and my mum.” She sniffles not caring that she didn’t use her offical words for them and buries her face into Ori’s shoulder. “And I want to go home,” she mumbles into it.

[hellishtrickster]

When Lady gave the signal, Orianna crept over she crept over. She scratched gently behind Lady's ears, before carefully adjusting Fourteen's beanie.

"Clever girl," she whispered "Think we can tuck them back in bed now?"

Lady gave another gentle 'boof' before crawling backwards off of Fourteen. With a smile Orianna picked Fourteen up in a bridle carry. Christ, the kid was light, even factoring in their Borg implants. It was an outright concern.

She made her way out, and down the hall. Orianna could hear Janeway directing Seven to follow them, while she got a sample of the yellow goo.

Orianna smiled at the words. One of these damn days those two would get their shit together. She knew it. Kathryn knew Seven better than anyone in the universe. Seven couldn't hide anything from Kathryn no matter how hard she tried.

Orianna knew Kathryn had registered the Ex-B's concern for Fourteen. She figured Seven would be for Fourteen, what Kathryn had been for her.

She placed Ben back in their bed, and tucked them in. Lady, who had followed them to the bedroom, jumped onto the bed. Orianna blinked in surprise. Lady often lived up to her name, and would wait until she was invited up onto a bed. Apparently the silly two-leggeds weren't doing what she could do to help the canine Ex-B.

When Seven walked in, Orianna gave her a tight lipped smiled. Seven took up the chair in the corner, and nodded at her. She took Seven's cue and made to leave the room. Orianna gave Seven's shoulder a squeeze on the way out, and made her way down the hall to help with the sample collection and clean up.

hellishtrickster​:

Orianna watched as Lady got Fourteen to sit down. She cringed as the pup’s knees buckled, hitting the tiled floor. That had to have hurt. Once Lady had them in Deep Pressure Therapy, Orianna moved herself to sit beside the door slightly away from them. There was no need to overcrowd Fourteen when they were in distress.

Kathryn, and Seven found them like this and sat beside Orianna. Kathryn tapped Orianna on the shoulder to grab her attention. When the young woman turned toward her, Kathryn began to sign in ASL.

‘Are they alright?’

Orianna lifted her hands into view, and began to sign back, unfortunately leaving Seven out of the loop.

‘No, the poor thing is overwhelmed and clearly in pain. They also threw up blood mixed with some sort of yellow goo that wasn’t vomit.’

‘Did you clean it up?’ Kathryn asked.

‘No, maybe we could take a sample and figure out what it is. Might be what is making them sick,’ said Orianna.

‘I agree. Seven didn’t react like this when we disconnected her from the Collective. There is more going on, and I don’t think they’re able to tell us.’

Despite their plans, the women waited. Too much movement could make Fourteen panic, and they needed calm at this precise moment.

The former Borg was oblivious to the presence of the three women, barely coherent after their bout of illness. They were also oblivious to the silent conversation, and even if they had seen (and understood) they’d be no help to their questions. They wouldn’t know that the yellow goo was the by-product of the drugs pumped into their body over their imprisonment with the Queen, and that now they had been without a new dose their nanoprobes were finally able to purge their system of what hadn’t been absorbed into their body yet. They may have been able to point out the colour connection, that the goo was the same shade as the casing on the Ambrosia hyposprays their Mistress had the most favour in using, but other than that they would be utterly useless.

As their breathing slowed they could feel the exhaustion press into the edges of their consciousness, limbs and muscles getting heavier and heavier. They knew they should get up and apologise for being a burden, for being bad, but they couldn’t. Not only because it was so hard to move, but also every time they tried to so much as shift the wolfdog on top of them would nudge them to stay down, putting more pressure on their frail frame and continuing to lick the neck at various intervals. The weight and the warmth eventually lulled them off to the first sleep they’d had in years, the beanie that was barely hanging onto their bald head acting as a makeshift pillow.

Lady was aware when they had fallen into slumber, their breathing changing and their hand now still and loose in her fur. Carefully she tilted her head and met Orianna’s gaze, giving a gentle ‘boof’ to indicate all was calm.

[hellishtrickster]

Having finished her meal while Ben was in the shower, Orianna had curled up on the bed to snooze as she waited. When the door crashed open, and Ben all but fell through, Ori's eyes snapped open and she immediately looked at the source of the commotion.

Her ears flicked forward at the sight. Ben was struggling to breathe, and she could see they'd been going for their pocket. Orianna got to her feat, and leapt to the floor, dashing for the jacket. She quickly nuzzled her way into the pocket where the smell of medicine was strongest, finding the inhaler. Grabbing it, she ducked back out of the pocket and ran over to her friend. She depositied the medicine into their hand, and booped their wrist three times.

Come on, come on, come on. Use the inhaler!

As she waited, Orianna took the time to look over the kid. Ben was extraordinarily skinny, even for a homeless person. Then there was all the scarring. The kid was practically walking, talking scar tissue. The kid was a mess, and clearly needed help.

Orianna didn't know what had happened to them, but when she had her humanoid form back she'd get them the best help money could buy.

When the door was safely closed, Ben sagged against it and let the mask slip a little, hanging their head as they allowed the exhaustion to overcome them. They held it for a moment before exhaling harshly and shifting their attention to the job at hand. After placing the pile of clothes on the nearby chair and the razor by the sink, they started to remove the last of their outerwear they hadn’t hung up with the jacket and flannel – a simple zip up hoodie. Ben hung it on the hook screwed into the back of the bathroom door before struggling a little with their shirt, dropping it to the floor leaving them in just their vest.

Bones creaked a little as they bent over to unlace their boots; the leather scuffed and worn, the laces frayed and mismatched. They let out a faint groan as they pulled their feet out of the shoes, rolling their eyes with a sigh as they spotted a few areas of dried blood. Clearly they’d managed to gain a few more serious blisters whilst on their errands today. That’s what they get for taking a few days off to rest. They’d just have to dress those too along with their hand. With a slight hiss they carefully peeled the socks from their feet and threw them directly in the bin. They never would have thought one of the things they’d go through most on the street would be socks.

Ben grabbed the towel they’d dried Ember with from the floor and placed it in front of the sink, a measure to catch as much hair as possible. Standing back up they leant on the sink and took a moment to look in the mirror. They looked awful, their face as tired and ill as they felt. Before they could fall into a spiral of hating their reflection (the main reason they hated mirrors), the young werewolf plugged the razor in and turned it on.

Keeping their eyes fixated on their hair rather than their face, the teen made quick work of their overgrown (in their eyes at least) mane. She had always liked their hair long. More for her to grab and twist. Or maybe she just hated taking the extra time to get it cut, only doing so when absolutely necessary – which made the experiences so much worse. To them cutting it all off to a slight fuzz all over made them feel, not only closer to what could be their own self, but also like they were taking back some sort of agency. Taking a stance against her, and telling her to fuck off –

Oh no, that was too far.

With a grunt and scrunch of their nose Ben shoved their warring sides away before the need to rebel and the need to be good clashed too much. They did not need a worse headache or to feel sick to their stomach.

Turning the razor off and placing it down, the witchling rubbed their head to wipe away some errant hairs – feeling a moment of comfort in the sensation (and seeing the image of a blonde with a warm smile in their minds eye for a brief second). Without looking at themself in the mirror they turned and hobbled a little over to the shower, turning it on and letting it heat up. They eased off their jeans and boxers before shrugging off their vest. Adding the items to their shirt they created a proper dirty laundry pile, Ben huffed and stepped into the shower.

They took a long moment to just let the hot water wash over their naked form, doing their best to enjoy the sensation. The heating nature of the experience was appreciated, their bones and muscles craving it, but the pressure of even this dingy motel was rough for their mangled form. The droplets were harsh on their sensitive skin, the sensation of the rivulets trickling over and around the thick and thin scars that littered their flesh making them shiver despite the heat.

Eventually they shook themself out of their haze of mild pain (for a change) as they realised they had to actually wash themself. Since they had shaved they didn’t need shampoo or conditioner, so they just stuck to using the body wash all over. When that was all washed away, Ben took a deep breath and started to unwrap the bandage from around their right hand. It took a lot of effort and gritting of teeth to not swear up a storm as they peeled it away. Once their limb was free they gave a harsh exhale before dropping the dirty and sodden bandage to the shower floor, knowing they’d dispose of it later, and examined their hand.

It looked better than the morning but still wasn’t pretty. Then again it was never pretty, even at it’s best. Still, the new antibiotics would hopefully ease it back onto the less awful side. That didn’t help them right now, and since they’d promised their fox friend no more spells, they had to brave the only resource they had. So, with a deep breath, they stuck their hand under the water stream. They had to lean against the tiled wall as pain shot up their arm, breathing through it as they washed both the back and palm of the limb. By the time both sides of the wound were thoroughly cleaned, they were shaking and having to hold their wrist steady with their uninjured hand.

Ben moved their hand out of the stream and gave a shaky exhale as the worst of the pain subsided. They turned off the shower and rested their forehead against the nearest damp tile. The shower had definitely helped them feel cleaning but now their hand throbbed and the rest of them wasn’t far behind. They couldn’t stand around and wallow in it though, they still had things to do before they could turn in for the night. Some things could wait until the morning before they left true, but others definitely needed done.

With their uninjured hand they pulled the shower curtain aside –

And almost fell back inside as they caught sight of a blurry reflection in the fogged up mirror that made their blood run cold.

The approached the mirror slowly, fear pooling in their gut and overriding the pain. The reflection shifted but they knew what it was. Red hair, green eyes, red lips pulled in a lecherous grin. When they reached the sink, they paused, swallowed thickly, then swiped their uninjured hand across the condensation.

To reveal their own face staring back at them.

Ben chuckled wryly and sagged with relief. Of course it was just them. They were fine. She hadn’t found them. She wasn’t there. All was fine. So fine.

As they moved to the chair to retrieve and put on their underwear, they could feel their breathing pick up. No, stop that. There was no reason to panic. She hadn’t been there. It was a trick of the mind, the pain making them see things. They were just being a pathetic mutt, she’d be so disappointed.

Despite knowing the logic, their mind was already starting spiral – caught between their fear, their pain, their worries. Her voice.

They gripped the sink with their good hand, trying to regain control of their breathing and of their anxiety. But it was too late, the stupid panic attack had already begun and was quickly moving towards an asthma attack. They could feel their chest growing tighter, breathing becoming more difficult.

Inhaler.

That was the only coherent thought they could make. So even though they were only clad in their boxers and would rather be caught dead than half-naked by their friend in the other room, the werewolf lunged for the door and threw it open. Lurching through the doorway they tried to go for their jacket and the inhaler in the pocket. To add insult to injury however, they tripped over their own feet. Pain racked through them as they hit the floor with a thud, making breathing all the more difficult. Silent tears started to trickle down their cheeks as they curled up into a tight ball, wheezing pitifully as they gave up and tried to ride it out.

[hellishtrickster]

Orianna tilted her head as Masie ran towards her. The little girl had watery eyes, and fear rolled off of her in waves. Something was very wrong here.

When Masie slammed into her legs, Orianna gently untangled Masie's arms from around her, immediately switching to Primordial.

"It's alright Little One. Shh, shh, I've got you."

She picked the little girl up, resting her on her hip and holding her tight. Orianna wasn't sure what had happened, but it had left Masie shaking, and that was enough for her to know whatever it was had scared the poor darling. She rubbed soothing circles firmly on her back, drying away the dampness from Masie's clothes and hair effortlessly.

"That's a lot of tears Starfish. Do you want to tell me what gave you such a big scare?"

Masie smiles widely as Ori takes her necklace and watches her put it on. It looked like it belonged more with Ori than her. The green gem looked nice against her pretty clothes.

As that thought occurred to her, her eyes widened at the reply in primordial. Ori could be just like her, a triton, or maybe even a Selkie or a Locathah! As Ori walked forward she took a step towards where her new not human friend was going. Oh but she wasn’t supposed to leave this spot….. Maybe if she watches with her head under water once Ori goes underwater and takes human breaths she wouldn’t get in trouble. After all the water was up to her chest so it wasn’t like she’s moving into the water deeper. Just kneeling down will get her face under the water, and the currents here was just the ebb and flow of the small waves. So she would be perfectly safe putting her head under and she wouldn’t be disobeying Ori. A small smile forms on her face at her very smart thinking. Her Dad would be so proud that she is helping a friend and following the rules!

She didn’t have to wait to long before Ori dived. It was practiced motion that said she was as comfortable in the water as out of it. Ori did the pretend breath that she was told she must do when she dives and dove down again. But she didn’t come up again to pretend to breath… Maybe she could still see her under water? She slowly puts her head in the water and sees nothing. No fish, no crabs, no rays. It’s as if all the animals had left the area. Which is wrong because this area had so much life in it. Where did it go? Feeling of wrongness continued as she pulls her head out of the water looking around to see if she could figure out what’s making the wrong feeling happen.

As she scanned the area, a trick her uncle taught her, and she was very good at spotting him with this trick. She noticed something off. up in the sky was a small ball of light. But it wasn’t the sun it was very close. Close enough if she jumped up she could probably touch it… but the way it feels… the magic… it is wrong.

She takes a step back and the orb follows her still at the same height but keeping the same distance between her and it. She takes another step back it follows her. The worry that she had turns to icy fear and she turns around moving as quickly as she could with the water pulling back at her legs. She wades as fast as she can back to the shore. As the warm dry sand touches her sandals the feeling suddenly disappears.

She looks up and behind her to see the orb is gone. Leaving that section of the sky empty. The soft sounds of the soft breaking waves lapped quietly, there were no birds calling, no wind moving through the trees. It was too quiet.

At the sound of Ori’s ‘Got it’ she jumps and spins around. Ori smiling and holding the music box. Fearful tears pricked in her eyes as she dashes over to her. Slamming into Ori’s legs to hug them tightly not caring if she is still wet. Her heart still beating fast and she was shaking from the unknown orb in the sky with its scary wrong magic.

[hellishtrickster]

Orianna watched as the regenerative energy calmed, and slipped back under Missy's skin. It left the Time Lady glowing beneath her own skin as she slept. Ori watched closely, fascinated by the magical reactions taking place.

The glow of the energy moved around Missy's body quickly at first, slowing more and more as time went on. Orianna assumed this meant that the effects of the potion were settling and finishing the changes to Missy's body.

Once the glowing stopped, it was less than five minutes before Missy woke up. Orianna smiled at her, and gently skimmed the backs of her fingers over Missy's temple and down her cheek.

"Hello Ne Fiest Esc Simalis. How do you feel?"

Missy had been in a regenerative coma before, but this was different. Those were dreamless; this time her mind was anything but blank. A sea of visions swirled in her head: snippets of sounds, a vague whiff of a smell, unfamiliar faces that she could sense would become familiar in time. The peal of a bell, as a newfound calm washed over her, everything else clearing away. She sighed contentedly.

She opened her eyes, unaware that her irises were now each encircled by a thin ring of gold. She could, however, tell that she was no longer glowing or tingling, so it must be over.

She didn’t know how long she’d been out, but it still appeared to be daytime, and Ori was of course still by her side. She felt more relaxed and rested than she had in a very long time, possibly ever. Missy shifted gently, leaning over to kiss her partner’s cheek.

“Hello,” she murmured.

[hellishtrickster]

Orianna waited in silence for Missy's cues. This whole situation was ultimately down to her. Orianna simply focused on being a rock for her wife to cling to, sending waves of comfort down the bond.

Upon hearing Missy's question, and feeling the squeeze at her arm, she looked down. Missy was practically blinded by her own tears. There was no sense making things harder than it needed to be, especially hearing the pain in Missy's voice.

"I can do you one better darling. I'll be gentle. Open your mouth."

Orianna uncorked the bottle, and lifted it to Missy's lips. She waited for Missy to open her mouth before slowly pouring the potion in. The hand on Missy's belly gently rubbed soothing circles.

She could see the horns growing in slowly. They would certainly be interesting once they had fully come in.

Missy nodded slowly, to show she was listening, keeping her eyes closed. She felt the kiss, and sent a wave of affection over the Bond. She didn’t smile, worried that it would tug on the affected area, but she appreciated her wife’s support immensely.

A few minutes went by, and then her discomfort started to get worse again, because of course the horns weren’t uniform in circumference, and were growing wider as they continued to emerge. She inhaled slowly (‘I don’t need the potion’), held it for a few seconds, and exhaled slowly. It hurt, but she was tough. She could get through it.

('I don’t need the potion.’)

The pain kept getting worse though, and she found herself arguing silently with her pride. Why didn’t she just use the potion? ('I don’t need the potion’). Because it meant she couldn’t handle it? No one was meant to handle this sort of pain on their own. ('I don’t need the potion’). Who would judge her? Ori? Never. And no one else would know. How would they know?

Finally she thought, 'fuck it, I do need the potion,’ and opened her eyes, reaching for the bottle. She could hardly see, her vision being blurred by involuntary tears, which she could feel making cool, lethargic tracks down her cheeks. Swallowing her pride, she closed her eyes again and gave her wife’s arm a slight squeeze.

“Darling, would you..hand me the potion…please?” Missy managed to ask. The last word came out half like a groan.

[hellishtrickster]

Orianna gently takes the necklace from Masie and attachs it to her wrist. She smiles and gently ruffles Masie's hair. The little girl seemed to be chastised after her slip in 'human' behaviour, and to show she wasn't mad Orianna switched to Primordial.

"Thank you sweetheart. Stay here, and I'll be back in a few minutes."

She winks, and turns towards the ocean. The little girl's worry for her safety was sweet. But Orianna was aware of how unwarranted it was. Only creatures of the depths could beat her swimming ability. A gift from her mother. The oceans were Orianna's home. What sense was there in her being carried off by every current she came across.

Orianna waded into the water, and once she was out deep enough she dove under the water's surface. She quickly popped her head back above the surface for Masie's benefit. Orianna had never needed that extra gulp of air, but had learned at a young age that not resurfacing after diving scared most folks who didn't live in the water. She didn't know what Masie assumed she was and so she ensured the little girl was given that reassurance.

She swam toward the coral shelf, her gills, claws, fangs, third eye lid, webbed hands and feet, and the fins on her calves reestablishing themselves. The fish gathered around her, nuzzling at her body.

"Here for the pretty box, Sissy?"

"The small fry was nice. Is she yours?"

The questions didn't stop, but they made Orianna chuckle.

"Yes, I came to find the pretty box, and no the small fry isn't mine. I don't know why I'm here. Mama sent me here...wherever here is. Who am I to say no to helping a small fry, huh?"

The fish around her giggled, continuing to nuzzle at her. She only ever called Thassa 'Mama' around the fish. They were sweet and simple creatures most of the time. They called her Mama while the rest of her siblings called Thassa, Mother.

As they made it to the shelf, Orianna looked down and to either side of herself. She spotted the box to her right. It was down a fair ways. Maybe a hundred metres or so. She turned back to the fish with a soft expression.

"Stay here, darlings. The current is strong down there. I don't want you to get hurt."

The fish backed away, and Orianna began her descent. It wasn't too difficult but it did warrant the fins on her elbows growing in, and the webbing between her fingers and toes becoming thicker. There was also a rather feisty eel she had to slap on the nose after they tried to strike her. Rude.

She quickly collected the music box, and swam back up to the reef, and back to the shore. Her brothers and sisters swam around her as an escort back to the shore. It was sweet.

Orianna surfaced and walked back onto the shore, a small ways away from Masie. She hoped the little girl hadn't seen too much of her transformation.

Once back on the shore, she held up the box with a smile.

"Got it!"

Oh! Yeah! That’s right she was supposed to be playing human! And humans don’t speak primordial… at least Ori was very nice about telling her off. But she would still tell her dad and mum that she accidentally let someone know that she speaks primordial.

“Ok Ori but be careful of the currents near the caves they are strong and will push you into the rocks if you are not careful. And I am sorry for speaking primordial. I didn’t mean to I just wanted to help. And I won’t tell people I promise, and I promise to stay here until you return.” She says with a small smile. Hopefully she will be back quickly.

Oh maybe she needs a good luck present for searching? Something that is special…. Like the necklace her dad and her made! “Ori before you go searching you can borrow my necklace. It is a good luck charm that will protect you. She wades a little into the water and takes off a small necklace that wouldn’t fit Ori’s neck but it could be a bracelet for her while she searched. The black braided cord necklace had a jade with a wave pattern engraved into it. It was her and her dad’s best work her mum had said. So it must be true.

“This will protect you Ori, please come back soon.” She says with a smile on her face and her hand outstretched holding the necklace out to her.

[hellishtrickster]

Orianna sighed at Arden's question, tapping her own three-quarters empty tankard. That was a hell of a set of questions, albeit fair ones.

How was she feeling? Well...

"I can't speak for Ben, but I'm feeling quite overwhelmed at the moment. It's a lot to take in, and not a change I expected in my life. Although, I suppose there are extremely few people who expect to become a were-creature. As for what's next..."

She takes a sip of her ale, calm enough now to actually savour the drink.

"Well...I sent a letter forward to Rangrim, explaining what happened. I've asked him to make me some Damascus steel chains for a werewolf form."

Orianna hears a gasp from Delilah at that, and she turns to look at her friend.

"What? I made friends with a Tiefling. I know how people treat your kind, and I decided I didn't want to be ignorant and just listen to people talk disgusting nonsense without piping up. I know...Demascus steel can imprison Infernal folks...and sometimes it hurts," said Delilah.

Orianna shrugs and nods at Delilah's explanation.

"Thank you for educating yourself...I appreciate it. And yeah, Demascus steel can hurt us but...I'd prefer that I get hurt when I transform than risk hurting others. I've never heard of a Tiefling transforming into a werewolf before, and so we don't know what to expect. If there's anything that would be different from a human, elf, dwarf or halfling."

She refuses to bring up her own more unique heritage. That was something she kept largely private. But right now it felt like an anomaly that even she was scared of. Orianna had no idea how it would affect her now.

The only thing she felt certain of, even so early in her transition was that something was developing within her. A change not only to her body, but to her very nature was occurring. As the curse took hold, something was infusing itself into her very essence.

Orianna knew Ben talked about their wolf as being both a different entity, and an intrinsic part of themself. If that was the case, she'd have to welcome her own wolf and make peace with it. Even if it felt like an invader of her very being at this moment in time. Well, she had a month to adjust and try to make peace with it.

Ben gave Arden a grateful nod as he placed the ale in front of them, mirroring Orianna in taking a large swig of their drink. Their eyes shimmered yellow briefly and they smiled as the liquid burned a little stronger than usual down their throat, realising the barkeep had put a shot of werewolf whiskey in it. That was a pleasant surprise and definitely helped take the edge off the strain of the past few days.

The werewolf grimaced as Orianna told the pair of their escapades on the previous full moon night, tips of their ears folding slightly with guilt and sadness. They were quick to chug some more of their whiskey laced ale to get the memory of their sister’s blood out of their mouth. Yet another horrid thing to add to their ever-growing list of nightmare fuel.

They felt sad for Delilah as she gasped. It wasn’t easy to hear your employer was related to a child enslaver, let alone that they had tried to kill some good acquaintances of yours. At Orianna’s nudge they gave a soft hum in their throat only she would hear, their tail brushing across her lower back – letting her know they understood and offering her comfort.

“None of them showed any remorse for their decision, sticking by their despicable brother slash ex-employer to the end.” Not entirely true perhaps as the flash image of the snivelling crying one they had taken care of entered their mind, guilt flaring briefly in their gut. But they shoved it away as quickly as it came. He likely only felt regret because he had seen his brother die and knew he was next. Grey eyes flicked to Delilah. “We took care of everything. By all accounts it will seem like they left town. If anyone asks you can just say you went on lunch and when you came back everything was locked up without explanation. We can cover any lost wages you may need and more until you start with Arden or someone else. Probably not best to move on to a new job right away, less suspicious.”

“Thank you, Ben,” the blonde said with a smile, reaching to take and squeeze their hand before she did the same for Orianna with the other, “Both of you, thank you.”

“Of course,” the wolf-kin said, offering her a smile back.

Arden cleared his throat softly, tapping at his half-empty glass nervously.

“How are you both feeling? And perhaps more importantly, what are you going to do?”

[hellishtrickster]

Full Moon

Merry Christmas @hollowshadowwolf/ @oneandahalfwolf!!!! I hope you’re having a fantastic day!!!!

❄️❄️❄️

“WHERE IS IT?!?! WHERE IS THE BEAST?!?!”

Orianna huffed quietly. Anyone who might have been close might have thought the unnaturally large hound had laughed. But no one was near her. She’d been playing with these hunters for almost an hour.

She and Ben had known they were coming for them on the full moon. The hunters were clearly inexperienced, and the were creatures had caught their scent, and seen their tracks a few days before the full moon.

The sibling duo put their heads together to strategise after they became aware of them. They had no choice but to transform on the full moon. The hunters knew this, but what they couldn’t know is that both were-creatures had full control of themselves regardless of the full moon. And neither the Hound nor the Wolf would allow the hunters to get to their cabin, their den. This mountain range was theirs. It didn’t matter if you asked the Tiefling and the Wolf-Kin or the Hound and the Wolf. They’d carved out this territory for their own peace. A place to come back to, to call home when they weren’t adventuring.

On this night, under Lady Lunar’s full light it would be the Hound and the Wolf answering the challenge. The hunters wouldn’t be making it out alive.

Per the strategy Ori had been playing with the Hunters. Appearing and then disappearing into the darkness. Despite the Were Hellhound always burning and putting out smoke, she had better stealth than most creatures could claim. She could hear Ben circling closer, ready to make the hunters regret their choices when they were tired and realised there were two were creatures to handle. They were getting close to that now.

Orianna rose from her crouching position and made her final pass making sure to sow chaos through the group as she ran through them. She could feel the silvered tips of arrows fly over her, and a silvered chain narrowly missed her flank.

The Hound could hear their panting, and their hearts beating double-time in fear. They definitely weren’t experienced hunters for her to be able to corral them like this. Especially given that her control over the Hound was so new. Orianna had almost a year of controlled transformations under her belt but that was nothing in the grand scheme of things, and she was still learning a lot.

As she ran to safety, Orianna put her nose to the air; quickly finding Ben’s scent. Following it, she found them in a glade. As she slowed and walked closer to them, she shook her great, horned head, chuffing as she did.

“They’re ready. They’re scared.”

Ben growled back quietly, flicking their ears back and forth.

“You made it sound easy from here. Silver?”

Ori chuffed again, twitching her snout.

“Lots, but their aim is shit.”

Ben let out a series of chuffs as though they were laughing. Inexperienced hunters had made the mistake of entering these ranges many times before. One experienced party was almost completely wiped out with only a few of them making it out with melted weapons. No experienced hunters had bothered to come after that. A well bonded pack, even one as small as theirs wasn’t worth the risk in most cases.

Ben got up from their position, their black shaggy form slightly larger than their sister’s sleeker one. Especially now that Ori had figured out how to help them put on weight. They were doing much better and even their healing factor had improved. They rumbled at their sister as they turned away from her.

“Let’s take them out. I’d like to go for a run before the moon goes down.”

Orianna rumbled her agreement and ran in the opposite direction to her sibling. They’d planned for this. Come at the hunters from two different angles, and then tear them apart.

Neither canine had much mercy for werewolf hunters. They were the reason why Orianna had been turned in the first place. Had endured painful transformations and hard lessons over the last few years, putting both of their life goals on hold.

Orianna circled around the hunters to come in from their left side. This time she made an effort to actually hit them with her paws and rip them apart. Her body temperature raised and it began to melt the weapons in her vicinity.

The scent of fear was pungent in the air, and it only got worse as a loud howl sounded from the hunters’ right flank. Another were creature to join the fight.

Ben burst through the tree line, jaws snapping left and right. They had mastered killing their enemies in one bite. A task Orianna was still mastering. The last thing she wanted was a werewolf she needed to teach, or worse a were hellhound like herself. It wasn’t clear what the transformation of anyone she bit would be. By all accounts, she should have been a werewolf with Ben’s bite.

The canine pair made quick work of the hunters, quickly burying them along with whatever silver they could bury at this moment. They’d bury the rest of the poisonous metal tomorrow when it had hardened again, and they could do it with gloves on.

Refusing to waste any further time, the pair ran into the trees. Happy howls echoed through the mountains as the pair ran, and hunted to their hearts’ content. In these mountains, and with controlled transformations, full moons were a happy occasion. There was nothing left to fear now that they could both remain consciously in control under a full moon, and life was filled with fresh opportunities.

[hellishtrickster]

New Horizons

Merry Christmas @thelibraryismytardis/ @ineedmyfriendback!!! I hope you’re having a fantastic day!

❄️❄️❄️

Orianna climbed up the wall of the old Neverwinter building. She’d been all over the universe, and seen other planets now. She’d climbed a variety of buildings to run the rooftops, but there was a certain magic to running the rooftops of Neverwinter. A nostalgia, she supposed.

And what better place to give this new body its first test run? It wasn’t as well muscled as her original but she could work on that. She could feel the light strain of her new muscles under the new blush red skin. Although, she supposed saying it was pink would be just as effective. She knew this would be a challenge.

As Orianna finally reached the roof, she pulled herself up and over; feeling new golden claws scrape against the tiling. She laid on her back and took some breaths, staring at the stars.

Gorgeous.

The stars were a view she’d never tire of. Especially after seeing them in space too. They were a view only beaten by the sight of her wife, Missy.

Looking to her right, Ori could see Vesta disguised as a chimney. The door to the TARDIS was open, and Missy was leaning against the door, a cup of tea in hand. She was dressed comfortably for the cooling weather in Faerün. A jumper and a simple pair of slacks. Autumn was quickly turning into winter.

“How was the climb, darling?” Missy asked.

Ori chuckled, her nose twitching slightly at the foreign sound. Her new voice was low like her old one but far huskier. There was also a new accent that Missy identified as an Earth Australian accent. She pulled herself up and stood, taking her time to balance properly.

“Not bad, harder than normal. The Time Lord strength is there so it definitely helped but I’ll definitely need to do this more…probably should make use of the gym too. This new body doesn’t quite have the musculature of my old one. But that’s fine, and it was well worth it to find this gorgeous view anyway,” Ori replied.

She smirked at her wife. Orianna was only half joking about the view. She found her wife’s new regeneration as attractive as her previous one. There were new things to enjoy, and she surely would soon. But for now, she would love to simply be with her wife in the moment.

Ori walked toward Missy as the Gallifreyan stepped out of the TARDIS to join her wife on the roof. It seemed Missy had adjusted to her new body better than Orianna had but that was to be expected. Her balance seemed almost effortless and Orianna supposed this quick adaptation to a new body came with the experience of regenerating multiple times.

As they met in the centre, Ori wrapped her arms around Missy’s waist. The pair smiled at each other, enjoying the peace that the rooftops of Neverwinter provided.

“You know,” Missy murmured “A new body means new skills can be learned without any restraints from old battle injuries. Your brain is somewhat reset with new likes and dislikes to discover. We could try a lot of new things…have new adventures?”

Orianna giggled. She knew exactly what her wife was getting at. They’d had plenty of adventures before the Sparks and got up to all sorts of mischief. With new bodies and no children in the TARDIS to take care of, they could do that again.

“Well then, after we get used to these new regenerations and sort out any surprises…why don’t we check out the job boards around Faerün? Get up to some mischief. Maybe we’ll even find a place to build that big cabin we’ve been talking about with Kai for years.”

Missy hummed, looking up at the stars. Orianna knew they’d both be running across those stars sooner rather than later. When the adventure bug bit Missy, there was little that could stop her. And with the pair of them being empty nesters, there was no logical reason for them not to go anywhere they wished. Orianna leaned down and kissed Missy’s neck, earning a pleased hum. Good to know that hadn’t changed.

Orianna leaned back, a grin on her face.

“Got any plans love?” She asked, telepathically.

Missy looked back down, humming thoughtfully. She took a large gulp of her tea to give herself extra time to think.

“Many. I want to go to all the dangerous places first. All the ones we couldn’t take the kids to. I want to go on adventures here on Toril again. Kick some ass, and make memories. There’s a lot I want to explore before we settle again. But when we do…we’re taking that vacation to somewhere cold.”

Orianna laughed. She knew exactly what Missy meant. Something about regeneration had lifted a weight from Ori’s shoulders, and she wanted that to last for a long while. Maybe she should learn some Artificer skills. It would help around the TARDIS, and spell circuits interested her.

“Well then, I better get in the gym and hit the books. Let’s do all of that. I want to learn new things too…I think this regeneration has a bit of a thirst for knowledge.”

Missy leaned into Orianna’s side with a smile, taking another sip from her tea.

“Well I think we have enough time to do all of that.”

The pair curled into each other as they looked up to the stars. With a new regeneration came new horizons and they’d run towards them together.

[hellishtrickster]

hey everyone be careful

I don't know if anyone has talked about this, but lately this has been happening in other fandoms too. There'll be these bot accounts that straight up steals people's posts and adds "expand" "read more" "continue" as a link in the end of the post - DON'T CLICK ON THAT, it's most likely a malware or something of the like.

so if you see a post like this: no profile picture, something that looks reposted (I've seen this happening to artists too) and a link at the end, even if the post has tags, that's a bot. Block and report it.

stay safe, and I hope @staff finds a way to stop these bots soon!