Escape From The Gingerbread Castle

Moth raises his eyebrows at Eva. "Apparently, you do. Which probably means you and your family are boned." He's just. Not gonna mention the whole proposal thing for a while. This kid really does take everything seriously, and Moth's not sure he's ready for that kind of commitment to explaining his own jokes. "But hey, we can totally find someone who's actually good at sniffing out sheep. Or protecting them. Or getting anything done. We'll be fine."

 

"OH!" He fair beams with joy at that, previous trouble forgotten in a flash. "I supposed I have! Are you any good at hunting? I'm pretty good at it, but this beasty's bigger than anythin' I ever saw. And fast too! It grabbed three wee lambs yesternight before I could run it off. Smells foul, too. I got a better nose than my brothers, and it's awful!"

He winkles his nose and makes a face.

 

Oh thank all the stars and salted seas, he's not the monster eating the sheep.

"I've a, er, fair hand at hunting and sheep wrangling, one way or another. How far to your farm?"

Of course, if she's perfectly honest with herself, she's utterly crap at both tasks when she has thumbs. Now she'll have to perform the awkward dance of "I'm not human, please don't freak out when I nearly double in mass and start dressing in furs," because she's still unsure about his other side and can't just say it.

 

Outside, mid-cuddle, Eva O'Brien sits up abruptly as a great and terrible howl ripples through the night.

The sound rolls through her, shivering down her spine. It grabs at something deep in her hindbrain and twists. It's wrong, broken, evil. No true wolf sings like that, not even the Hunger-mad.

Her hackles rise as an inhuman growl tears from a throat shaped all too wrong for the sound.

 

Moth's heart drops into his stomach. "Is that--? Are you--?" But there isn't really any way to... like... go about talking about this. It reeks of things Bigger and Badder and Deeper than he's comfortable with, and it feels just out of his little Squib grasp. As so many things seem to be. Still, any old human can be scared of things in the dark woods, even if they're blind to the Otherness of them.

He squirms away from the sound in Eva's throat but doesn't run. Better the devil you just met.

 

@Salem @Aviari @Lizardlicks

Aerian hurries out of his inn room and rushes outside immediately after the first earthshake, even though it's smol, bolting for the door... He knows basic earthquake safety, growing up in a land where they frequent, and aftershocks are likely a problem. If it's not earthly nature taking it's course, it's probably some god or other strong supernatural being who's VERY pissed off... And then it's still best to get outside because then you know where to run and/or hide.

So he gets downstairs and bolts through the door... tumbling into and onto the three werewolves he had previously successfully avoided.

 

For the second time in about five minutes, Moth is thrown bodily to the ground outside the pub. He shrieks as someone hits him from behind and hot shock races up from his chest to the tips of his ears. It's whatever is howling out there! he thought. Or rather, what he thought was EEIEAAAUGHFUFCJK! but the basic idea was the same.

He also SAYS something like "EEIEAAAUGHFUFCJK!" as he falls and scrambles back up again in full fight-or-flight-or-maybe-just-piss-your-pants mode, blood dripping from a skinned knee and a badly bitten tongue. Apparently it's NOT whatever is howling out there, but instead a jittery, petit humanoid.

 

As soon as Ambrose has physical contact with everyone ((I am assuming everyone, @Bel Capricorn, if you want to leave @Cyprian in the castle. well...)) they appear in front of the tavern. Ambrose turns to Chance. "Do you know what that was? I'm assuming the castle isn't trying fall down on its own but-" he looks up and sees the four beings they just appeared in front of. "Oh. Hello!"

 

"What just happened. What just happened. Do you understand any of what just happened?" Cyprian is still trying to process what Victoria had said about torture and killing and..... He hasn't even gotten to the part where someone died in front of him.

 

Eldritch howling, her new friend screaming as something abruptly tackles him and now the air suddenly reeking of vampire all around her has Eva shoving Barnaby down and behind her.

She crouches on all fours, her heels popped up out of her worn shoes to kick them off in a hurry. Her loose skirt is easy enough to wiggle out of, and her shirt and simple bodice won't be much of a bother around the limbs of her true form, should it come to that.

She snarls, hackles up, blue eyes shifting to amber and--

--she blinks, swallows her growl and rocks cautiously back onto her heels, elbows on her knees.

Huh. They've got a wolf too. This one doesn't smell right, like he doesn't fit in his own skin. Doesn't want to. A Bitten One then. Poor lad. Well then,

"Top o' th' evenin', I s'pose. For what it's worth, I think we're as confused as you are."

 

Cyprian sits down abruptly in the middle of the street. "I need to think. I'm...Everything keeps happening. Where are we? Who are you?" He probably shouldn't have even asked. He probably won't even remember the answers in a few minutes, with everything going on.

 

Moth yelps AGAIN as MORE THINGS happen DIRECTLY BEHIND HIM. He skitters to the side, away from the suddenly-batshit drinking buddies, the jittery newcomer, and the even newer CROWD in the square. As soon as he can distinguish individual heartbeats, he squeaks: "If you all could warn me next time, that'd be peachy." A bubble of blood and drool slides down his chin and he spits to his side.

 

"There was a vampire up in that castle, who deserved killing, because she had people hanging from her rafters to die slowly, so I killed her, and apparently that summoned something that's trying to break down the castle gates," Maggie said. "Also I'm Maggie, I don't think I introduced myself earlier."

 

Chance spoke up. "Yeah. We can do that again, I'm Chance."
"Ambrose," Ambrose offered. "Sorry I didn't explain my ability, and of course, I had no idea you four would be here, but there did seem to be a bit of an emergency."

 

Barnaby had pressed himself obediently to the ground when Eva leaped over top of him. He'd flattened out like a leaf, ears back and teeth bared without realizing they'd gone all pointy again, singing out a long, nervous whine while his claws dug into the earth. What had been that awful sound? It had taken him by his ears and rattled his brain around in his skulls with bad and frightful feelings. Then she was sitting up, seemed to relax and try to talk with the strangers that just appeared (Appeared! Like magic!) the path near them. The sensed the All Clear before she said it.

It was almost as crowded now outside as it was in the tavern! He sat up with slow caution, looking first to the small woman who'd gone almost as fuzzy as him, and then to his other new friend who-

"Oh, Moth!" Barnaby whined again and descends like a furry broody hen, patting at him carefully. He remembered himself enough to pull out his handkerchief from his satchel instead of trying to lick Moth, and dabbed gently at the blood dripping from his chin. "You're bleeding! Are you alright? Where are you hurt?"

 

Aerian looks up at the three werewolves he'd stumbled onto, then at the suddenly MORE VAMPIRES that appear seemingly out of nowhere? Aaaand one of them just introduced themself as a Vampire Killer... great... just great. He decides for now to stay on his hands and knees where he's fallen.

Aerian looks away when Barnaby starts wiping Moth's chin. Blood's good but... probably not werewolf blood. He keeps his eyes down, avoiding glancing up at the other vampire or the hunter with them, hoping he can simply sneak away yet again.

 

Moth pushes Barnaby's hand off his ch-- wait. He yanks Barnaby's hand back towards him and spreads his fingers. Yup. That's pretty furry. He looks up, into Barnaby's face, which is now much pointier and furrier and toothier. Alright. Confirmed.
"You're a bloody fucking blaidd-ddyn? Well that would have been good to-- Eva! Hey! He's a--" Glancing over at Eva, he scoffs. "Jesus, Mary, and-- you too? When were you gonna TELL me, both o' you? My bloody conversation starter was that I'm a son of a goddamn witch and you didn't feel the need to share this with me until now? Speaking of," he says, elbowing past Barnaby and marching into the midst of the new arrivals with more confidence and bravado than a powerless human really ought to have, "what in the name of Ma's misinterpretation of Morrigan are YOU people? Because you aren't bloody human, I know that."

Having finally exhausted the single breath he had taken, Moth fell silent for once. He shifted his weight awkwardly before deciding that crossed arms were slightly more intimidating than balled fists and adjusting accordingly. The effect was ruined when his nose started running in the cold night air.

 

Maggie blinked. "Well I'm a human, I'm pretty sure. Though some fairies did come and bless me when I was born?"

 

Eva grins sheepishly, horribly conscious of the intimidating length of her eyeteeth.

"Planned to, but I haven't generally had good results with 'Pardon me while I double in mass, grow fur and casually gnaw on this femur."

 

Cyprian's brain has decided to skip over the killing for now, which leaves him in the present. "Are you....like me?" He asks Eva finally. It's the only thing he can bring himself to say.