Chiyako

As the healer did her best to seal up the werewolf's wounds she felt his large paw settle atop her head. It was difficult to concentrate upon the spell while claws pet against her scalp, which in turn caused her tail to wiggle rapidly behind her. Mina certainly did enjoy getting praised! She even lost herself a bit in the moment, nuzzling not only against the creature's body but also up into his paw! If only she understood what her healing was actually doing to the wolf. Hm? What is that? A strange scent hit her nostrils. It was quite musky. Powerful. It stirred something deep within her core, brought her a warmth which confused her. Unconciously her hips wiggled and her legs squeezed together. In the process she felt the hot sheathe brushing more firmly against her legs. Even so, she tried her best to ignore it, and as the healing finished she leaned away from the hug and started to turn her gaze up towards the wolf. "It's all done!" She felt her head stop against the wolf's, as he had leaned in closer. Equal parts fear and something foreign filled her as she felt hot breath wash over her neck. A sharp breath was drawn inwards by the little rabbit when she felt the thick, sleek, wet muscle drag against her neck. Ears drooped to the sides of her head and, on instinct, she tilted her head aside, offering her neck to the massive predator for a moment before she recovered and pressed herself closer to the tongue, not so much to feel it but more to avoid giving the impression that she was giving in to being his prey. Oh! Um! This might be bad? A little bit of breathing space was offered between them, at least for a brief moment. Unfortunately her question had unintended side effects. Golden orbs widened in a mixture of shock, confusion, fear, and at least a little curiosity as her vision was suddenly interrupted by a massive red throbbing spear of flesh! She felt a confusion mixture of terror and curiosity, and perhaps something else, well up within her gut. It brought back memories of her encounter with the Kitsune and, therefore, memories of the loss of her brother. "W-wha-" The sudden burst of pre-cum completely interrupted her. All thoughts were swept away, as was her vision, as pre-cum splattered across her face and into her parted lips. A surprised squeak emerged from the bunny, who stumbled back, face red with embarrassment and the growing heat within her core as she tasted the wolf's cum on her tongue and lips. Hands moved up to wipe at her face, a hushed whimper escaping from Mina as the overwhelming barrage of emotions hit her. It's like the other one! But so much bigger! Oh gosh! Please save me Lady Lune! A large hand grasped against her body, pulling her in closer to the wolf. Her heart raced swiftly, not just from the musk or the pre-cum but also from the fear of her situation, of being around the same sort of thing which nearly defiled her before, and from the helplessness of her current state. The intense heat from the werewolf's body didn't help much either. She could feel her own body heating up, hints of sweat dotting across her petite frame. Of course she didn't take notice of the Centaur's arrival. In her current state she couldn't!

Mina's gaze remained glued upon the wolf's face while he responded to her. He was not aggressive in the least! That was very good. He also understood her questions. Clearly he was intelligent, and not just some mindless beast. The brief licking of his lips might have been a concern, but she chalked it up to his simply having a dry mouth, perhaps something brought about by stress. His gesture was quite telling. He knew how to answer beyond a simple yes or no, and yet he did not speak any words. Perhaps he can't speak? While the wolf shifted his body about to test for injuries Mina found herself suddenly under attack from the creature's massive genitals! Heat rushed to her face when she made contact with his sack, and even his sheathe to boot! She felt both brush against the softness of her thigh, partial contact made although most concealed by her skirt. Even so the brief contact informed her of not only their weight, but also the intense heat. If she were in heat then it might have become an issue. She tried to play it off, smiling as Dante returned his gaze to her. "Mild discomfort. No intense pain. Slowed healing, but I think you'll be okay. These seem to be the only injuries. I don't think they penetrated fully. It should be an easy fix." With a nod to herself Mina scooted closer still, laying her palms gently against the creature's torso. Fingers brushed into the thick fur, pressing deep to make direct contact with flesh. "Excuse me. More contact makes healing easier, especially for a big guy like you! So, um, please don't mind the hug!" Mina's short fluffy tail wiggled with glee while she leaned in and pressed her tiny body against the wolf's massive form, offering effectively a full body hug! Her eyes closed as she focused. After a few seconds she began to glow. It started soft, a faint brightness which gradually turned into a pure white glow! Warm energy rushed from her and into the wolf with a feeling akin to being engulfed in a gentle soothing hot spring. It filled each wound, and while there was some pain from the process of flesh growing and forcing the bullets out, it was far less than it might have been if it were left to be done naturally. Surface wounds were a simple fix. It did not require intense studying. She did not need to sense out the body through contact magic. Memorizing their location and the rough depth was good enough. It also helped that Dante had a natural regenerative ability. She did not need to expend nearly as much energy as she might have! By the time the glow finally subsided all six bullets had been forced out, and the werewolf's wounds were all but sealed. Mina remained as she was, distracted for the moment while she nuzzled her face into the wolf's thick fur, only to remember herself and, with cheeks burning faintly from embarrassment, she peeled herself away! "Ahem! Um! That should do it! How do you feel, Mister Dante?" Mina took the moment to brush herself off, a smile directed up towards the creature. She was left a little tired from the healing, and it might have shown through the slowed wagging of her tail. "Is there anything else I can help you with?"

I suppose by that measure anyone could come upon Mina and Dante then! Not that I mind. Although I think Mina will have troubles with one of the monsters, let alone multiple!

He understands me! Yay! This will make things much easier! With a nod of approval the rabbit approached, keeping her hands as they were still. Even if he did understand her there was still the chance that he could become more aggressive if she made any sudden shifts. Some of the creatures were like this. Mina had to be careful not just for her sake, but also for the sake of preserving Lady Lune's reputation with them! They were her friends after all, or at least Mina believed as such. She could never betray the good lady by turning her friends aggressive! As she made her approach the wolf's tremendous size was made even more noticable to her. It wasn't just that, of course. Mina herself was from a smaller species, and even amongst her own kind she was smaller still! The difference between her and the collosal werewolf was incredible. It wasn't just his height either. Mina was thin, rather petite, and slightly athletic in build. Dante was a huge wall of sculpted muscles. There were other huge things as well, things immediatedly noticed when the wolf readjusted his position. Oh! Oh my! Mina slowed her approach and a faint hint of pink lifted across her cheeks. She knew what the heavy sack and the large furry sheathe were for. What they concealed. It worried her a bit. Brought back some unfortunate memories. But he had not been aggressive towards her, nor was the scarier part of it all revealed in the moment. Her gaze lingered lower only for a few moments before she picked up her pace again, closing the distance to stand between the werewolf's legs. "One hole is closed" she remarked quietly to herself, looking up towards the bloodied point where a bullet had been ejected. She stood up on the tips of her toes, bracing one small hand gently against the creature's torso while she inspected the other wounds. "Debris still present. Here too. And here. Here." Settling back onto the flats of her feet, Mina lowered her gaze towards the creature's pelvis or, more specifically, the wound present in that region. "Here too. And-" Mina's gaze shifted again towards the werewolf's thigh. A hand settled against the fur near the wound, careful not to actually disturb it, or to disturb any of the flesh which might have still been sensitive, as she leaned in to look over it more carefully. This one was the easiest to inspect, and they all appeared to be from roughly the same source. "-one here as well." The little rabbit frowned, turning her gaze up towards the wolf. "It doesn't hurt too bad, does it? These should have healed already, I think. Do you have any other injuries? Any on your back? I'll fix you up real soon."

Pop pop! Pop pop pop pop pop pop! Long fluffy ears twitched to life and lifted into the air, angling this way and that until they settled on the correct direction. A moment later and the little bunny healer jerked awake. Bwuh!? Golden eyes flickered open. The little rabbit servant of Lady Lune had managed to catch herself a brief nap up within a tree, only to be woken from her slumber by the far distant snaps of some strange noise. Thin arms stretched out overhead, legs raising slightly off the tree limb as they did the same. When they settled down again her feet sat flat against the heavy wooden surface. She pushed herself up and to her feet, briefly patted off her skirt, and then seemingly disappeared with a rustling of loose leaves. From one tree to another the rabbit hopped, cutting as a blur through the woodlands which surrounded the estate. Speed and a powerful leap were two of the greatest assets she had inherited from her kind. She was also quite small and, as a result, incredibly light. Even thinner tree limbs worked well enough as temporary landing pads. Scouting in the past had developed her skills in moving this swiftly, even across dangerous surfaces. Keeping up with her brother had also been difficult at times. He had been even quicker than she was. With a soft rustling of leaves Mina made her presence known to the massive white wolf, as she had landed in the tree above the fearsome creature. Her nose wiggled at the scent of blood, and the scent of some other strange material in the air. Upon taking notice of the corpses she winced, leaping out of the tree, landing not far from the bodies. She only took a couple of steps closer before she stopped. Oh! Oh. They are not alive! Poor them! Hands clasped together, eyes closed, and her head bowed slightly. She offered a quick prayer to the two unfortunate souls. Then with a quick twirl she turned to face the wolf! Immediately her gaze traveled along the creature's form, taking in any medically relevant information first. Oh wow! He is really big! What was his name again? I think those science people said it, right? Donatello? Dont- Dante! Yes! Lady Lune's guard! "Good morning Mister Dante!" the little rabbit chirped, fluffy tail fluttering behind herself as she remembered the creature's name. "I see you were injured." After only a few steps she stopped. Her hands raised, palms open and facing the creature. It was an offering of peace. A show of her not holding any hostile intentions. She wore her brother's sword at her side, sure, but it remained sheathed. Not that she could use it very well even if she wanted to. "My name is Mina! I'm Lady Lune's servant! Or, well, um, one of them! I'm also a healer! May I approach?"

If you don't want to start it up I'll do so in a bit! Edit: Oh wait I just saw you post. Sounds good!

Could be a good place to start Mina at now that I think about it. Go to check to see if their local friendly(ish) guard needs healing! I imagine she would do the same if he got into a scuffle with one of the other residents, like with Szo. Peacemaker bunny!

She was already almost forced to become one! I'm sure it won't take that long for her to actually take the plunge.

I'm assuming we just drop our character wherever. But then I am confused as to why there are different areas in Topic and also a different area for roleplays. Do we conduct roleplays in the roleplays channel? Or the various sections in topics? May start Mina at The Heartstone Core. Unless I just want her started in some area conducting some pertinent business, such as cooking or cleaning or healing for someone or something.

There sure are a lot more monsters than there are Hunters! Then again Mina is less hunter and more servant and support.

Mina added! Definitely followed a similar layout to @AsBloodTurnsEverCold since it looked nice. If Lune needs me to change anything let me know! I am fine with adjusting things as need be (in case she might not want Mina as a servant or such).

Mina "Adventurer, healer, and servant!" Species Name: Rabbitkin Age: 18 Gender: Female Size: 3' 9" (114 cm) ---------- Personality: Bubbly, curious, and seemingly filled to the brim with energy, Mina is always up for adventure and exploration! She can be somewhat naive, having been mostly sheltered by her older brother for much of her life, and can often times be a bit clumsy, especially when it comes to things she hasn't had much experience with. Offsetting these flaws is her insatiable desire to learn more and a nearly endless supply of optimism. She loves to help others, almost as much as she loves the praise for doing so. Mina is honest, almost to a detriment at times. Magic is also something she is greatly interested in, and she practices it whenever she can. While not a coward she is clever and knows when not to pick a direct fight. ---------- Physical Abilities: Like most Rabbitkin Mina's body is not built for direct head on conflicts. She is quite small and her body cannot withstand as much punishment as most other races. When comparing her to a standard Human adventurer her arm strength is below average at best. Even amongst her own kind Mina is built mostly slim, and has not focused much upon power or endurance. These shortcomings are made up for in other areas. Mina's speed, like other Rabbitkin, is a force in its own right. Few other species can keep up with her, and this combined with her agile movements and her small form make her incredibly difficult to pin down. Her body is quite flexible, capable of bending, squeezing, and twisting in ways which might seem unnatural to others. A Rabbitkin's senses are enhanced, especially when it comes to hearing (although this can be a detriment against foes capable of attacking with sound). Despite being more frail than other species she has a great deal more energy than most others, and while her overall physical power is hardly an issue for more species this is not the case when it comes to her legs. A Rabbitkin's legs are typically quite powerful, allowing for great leaps, and should not be underestimated. ---------- Other Abilities: Mina herself is a mage or, more precisely, a healer. She has trained in the healing arts and is capable of casting healing and defensive spells. Due to her time traveling as roughly the sidekick for her older brother, Mina has also developed her skills with cleaning, cooking, mending uncomplicated items, scouting, and tailoring. ---------- Physical Description: As is the case for almost all Rabbitkin, Mina is fairly small, albeit a little smaller for others of her species. Her overall build is best described as petite, with a slim athletic body which only barely shows muscle, slightly fuller thighs, and hips a little wider than her shoulders. She is almost flat chested, her breasts quite tiny, really only slight mounds of fat with soft pink areola. Mina's skin is a lighter fair shade, bordering on pale. She has no scars, having been proficient with healing from a young age, and her body is hairless. When she is at work Mina wears her hair in a couple of long ponytails, both reaching to her rump, and slightly longer still when she wears it loose. It is a light blonde color, as are the long fluffy bunny ears atop her head, and the slightly long fluffy bunny tail (roughly a foot in length) set just above the gentle curve of her rump. Her eyes are a golden color and her teeth are a little sharper than a Human's. ---------- Sexual Characteristics: Like other Rabbitkin Mina's body is very flexible, capable of handling partners from other larger species with more ease than one might originally expect, at least once her body has warmed up to it. She has also inherited her people's seemingly ending reserves of energy, which shows itself especially well when it comes to sexual activities. Her ears and tail are both sensitive, especially the base of each and the outer edges of her ears. While occasionally male Rabbitkin have genitalia closer to that found on male rabbits, females always present in the same way that Humans do. Being quite small and entirely inexperienced, as well as having healed herself from even minor wounds for the sake of training her magical capabilities, Mina's body is incredibly tight. When she does go into heat it can last for some time, and it can be incredibly intense. While she has yet to have sex herself she has spied on her brother with other women in the past, and nearly had her first (nonconsenual) experience with the anthropomorphic fox mage who slew her brother, which did awaken something of both a fear of and curiosity towards knotted genitalia. She has a faintly sweet strawberry taste. ---------- Bio: Orphaned alongside her older brother Klaus from a young age, Mina's early life was filled with hardships and struggling for survival. Klaus kept her safe from dangerous creatures in the wilds, and in a moment of intense need to save her brother from his injuries Mina unlocked her capability to perform healing magics. She spent most of her life acting as her older brother's sidekick and traveling companion, healing him up while learning to take care of other chores around the camp. Together the two learned how to become proper adventurers. Roughly a year and a half ago she lost her brother during a particularly brutal contract involving a powerful anthropomorphic fox mage, who not only slew Klaus but also nearly ended up capturing Mina, a fate which would have surely seen her taken as his slave. She only barely escaped the encounter thanks to the arrival of the adventuring lady Lune, who took it upon herself to 'distract' the fox mage. While he did end up getting away Mina was never the less grateful to her savior, and promised to join the woman after a period of grieving for her brother. Only a couple of months ago did Mina finally arrive. She pledged herself to serve Lune, and can often be seen around the sanctuary, primarily on cleaning or cooking duties, or fetching things for customers as requested. Of course she offers her healing services whenever requested as well!

That's fair. My character I intend to be a servant of Lune. I am leaning towards rabbit healer adventurer who has pledged herself to help Lune. Maybe works on keeping the place tidy. Maybe indebted to Lune for something? I suppose she might fit more in the Hunters section then.

Fun! I suppose mine technically counts as a monster?

I'm considering either a Rabbit. . . Or a mouse! I'll probably add more information once I see an example of what all you want posted for characters.

I intend to make a servant for Lune! Don't know who yet. Not a Human.

Missy was not completely wrong, and Alicia answered her pondering aloud with a slight grin. It helped sometimes to be thought of as a monster. Some of the people who might normally assault someone like her were also superstitious or simply afraid of the monsters of myth. Fear could be leveraged against even a mob of people. Sometimes that benefit outweighed the negatives. Alas, it often times was what got her into trouble in the first place! That and the experiments. The little bump to her shoulder was unexpected, and nearly threw her off her step, although it was not unwelcomed either. It was the sort of thing people did with one another when they were on friendly terms. She knew that much. If it had been a proper shove then Alicia would have probably lost her balance. One of the downsides of being shorter. It generally meant less mass, especially so in Alicia's case for she was also rather thin. "An interesting way to look at it. But then a monster who is confident enough in their own abilities might make it obvious. Or one who is foolish enough to think their abilities are enough." She did have a point when it came to those sorts of people. If they would run Alicia out of town they might try to do the same for someone like Missy. Maybe not with the same level of commitment, but it was something they shared all the same. The thought reminded Alicia that she still had to research into how Missy did what they did. She was interested in Missy for the same reason she was interested in Mister Carlo. "A stage?" Alicia pondered, glancing down over herself. A soft giggle escaped from her. "I think it will be some time before anyone would rather see me up on a stage. No, I much prefer the safety of my laboratory. Tonight proves that it is where I belong." When Alicia noticed movement she immediately stopped and pushed a hand into one of the concealed pockets of her skirt, the other holding Carlo's coat against her body. She had only time enough to thumb over the ivory handle of a small derringer before she recognized the figure and, just as importantly, the voice it belonged to. A moment was taken to compose herself, and to withdraw her hand from her pocket. It gave her enough time to get her accent in order. "Jack Beckett. Good evening. You are a sight for sore eyes." Alicia went quiet, allowing Missy to relay the information. It gave her a break from speaking, which was always appreciated. This was another reason she tended not to go out. Her accent, around the wrong people, could be used to trace where she came from, to learn more of her past. Of course some of the rumors had already caught up to her, but not everything, and she would keep it that way for as long as she could. "Men ahead" she mumbled, casting her gaze towards the woods between them and her home. "Undoubtedly the work of Aldert Helsink." Missy's suggestion turned her smile into a flat line. It was a good one. The right move, given everything. But it also meant being away from her laboratory for longer than she would hope for. Even so, if she wanted to make a move for it then it would be better to do so during the day, and perhaps even with an escort. She took a minute to ponder whether there might be any other way to move forward, to instead continue on their path. "My experiments will need to wait then. A shame, but it is for the better. Let us make haste for the Lincoln Palace" she finally spoke, a slight smile returning to her lips. "A change of clothes will be appreciated. I would like to keep the coat though. There are some solvents I wish to test." What sort of clothes might she have in mind?

Alicia held her tongue still as the two made their departure from the music hall, offering Carlo yet another gracious nod of her head briefly before they exited the doors out from the hall and into the cramped and noisy reception area. As they pushed through the crowd she felt herself slip further and further into an honor debt with Missy Fisher. She was quite literally shielding the short woman from the crowd. Comforted the little monster with a squeeze against her shoulder. How pleasant. Whispered rumors persisted of course, the sort of things she was all too familiar with. It had been her fault. She had murdered the man. The Vampire had lept upon him and drained his blood right there on the stage. But there were other whispers abound. Police ineptitude. Cries for refunds. And for once, she wasn't even the main target of people's negative reactions. A ghostly killer had thankfully stolen the spotlight from her. She didn't need to be told twice. Alicia was more than happy to stick close to Missy as they pushed their way through the crowd, and once they reached the outside she drew in a sharp breath of chilled air. It was refreshing, especially given the coppery scent which clung to her clothes and which had, until now, dominated her senses. Another minute passed as the two stepped quickly away from the crowd. Alicia felt herself turned towards the direction leading to her home. Save for the occasional clacking of shoes against cobblestone roadways and the steadily dulled conversations of the slowly dispersing crowd, the night was rather quiet. That is much better. Crimson orbs drifted up and to one side, turned towards the taller woman while they pressed on. She was trying to decide what to say when Missy instead took the initiative. As Missy complimented Alicia she also returned to her some of her personal space. It was certainly appreciated, although she would have been lying to herself if she had said that she wouldn't miss the comfort of having someone closer. To request that would have been too much. Missy had already done so much for her tonight, and it would have been far too embarrassing a task. Fight or flight. Well honed from a life on the run. "It is a medical practicioner's duty to tend to the wounded" she decided to reply. "Any good doctor would have done what I did." Not that I am a morally good doctor, but I am a good doctor. A great doctor! "You are right. I should be more careful. But then I am used to people trying to lynch me. Doing nothing will do little to protect my neck from the gallows." She paused for a moment. She decided Missy was perhaps not the sort of person to be frightened her. She decided upon a quick little experiment, a joke even, and offered a sharp toothed smile towards the woman. "Or perhaps I should say that it would not protect my heart from a wooden stake." Her attention was drawn away as they crossed into an intersection, pulled ahead and to the right. A long, old, cobblestone road diverted up a gradual incline towards an old mansion surrounded by a simple stone wall. Her home, perched atop a tall hill which dominated the western edge of the young city, lay at the end of that road. Even from where they were it could be seen. She turned to take the road and grew a bit more wary of her surroundings. A few shops closer to the intersection faced into the long road, but about a third of the way up saw the edge of the city, with some thin stretches of wooded areas splitting her home from the city proper. Hardly enough to get lost in, but enough for a few unscrupulous men to take shelter within. If I were to ambush me it would probably be there. However. . . While they ventured up the gentle slope of the road Alicia returned her attention to her companion. Missy's presence might deter others from acting. Or it may end up pulling her into something she didn't deserve to be party to. Alicia felt guilty enough as it were. "You might wish to leave me here. I would rather not sully your reputation, or risk your getting harmed. People might have something to say about the young woman who involves herself with a monster."

Who leaked Alicia's plans!? Those were secret! Ahem. I mean, they are completely innocent and only for scientific research purposes, and a possible side hustle. Everything is above board.

Alicia probably would have tried, had she not been so occupied by other things. Like being accused of murder. Or worrying about Aldert or corrupt lewd deputies. Also getting clean. She is really going to be putting experimental cleaners to the test. So many garments to clean, and oddly so many that aren't even hers'!

I tend to err on the side of letting things play out. I don't really get involved with this sort of thing unless I feel like something maybe should be said, and if what I do say might be constructive. I don't really enjoy drama between people. That is why I kept more or less quiet. I did think your little comment about being a genius was amusing, yes, which is why I reacted to it as such. I didn't and still don't think that it was really you pushing any buttons, at least not on purpose, and I actually do agree with most of what you stated in that comment. Not growing could itself be a good character trait if done right. It could be interesting. I wouldn't call it growth exactly, but I don't think that aspect of it would be bad. Although I do think that not engaging with a big part of the system we decided to use is a bit silly, even if I also think that it is fine to play it that way. You did put work into making your character work, yes. Initially you did gripe somewhat over the lore building and setting building parts of the game (the comment I remember off the top of my head being about creating canon information on the fly). Even so you still worked with that and according to the system. But enough griping over other specifics of the system over time is enough to wear on anyone MCing a game, especially when everyone is trying to explain why the system works as it does (which is something I still don't think you fully understand, which is part of the issue). When that transitions into accusing people of things, it's obviously not going to end well. The main problem is that you were so vocal about that one point to the extent that it doesn't really read like anything other than contempt for the system itself. Perhaps you didn't mean to be rude. That's not really for me to say. But they weren't really being rude when they said you could just not join if you didn't like the system. It really did seem like you just weren't enjoying the system, and I think they suggesting that maybe this game wasn't for you was a fair assessment. I probably would have suggested the same were I in their shoes, but I wasn't the MC. There wasn't really any reason for me to suggest it, it wasn't really my place to do so, and I figured things would ultimately smooth out, you might try the system, and you might even enjoy it. Or you might decide to play as you were intending and things would work themselves out. Even if your primary gripe was just focused towards one detail, that one detail is a fairly important one for the game. Nobody said that your plan was to play in an illegal manner. You were simply planning on not really engaging with an important aspect of the system, which while fine might have consequences for your character growth, which you were also griping about. Even if it did, it wouldn't be that big of an issue. Not liking that part of the system isn't even a bad thing. But your constant griping about that one aspect is something that, over time, could become frustrating for anyone intending to MC the game. And perhaps you didn't intend to come off as not enjoying the game or the system, but it did feel that way, even to me. I mean, even now you are griping over the system, and we have tried to explain it to you. The point of the system is to encourage you to do something outside the comfort zone of your character, and sometimes even to embrace what makes them, well, them. That depends on what stats are highlighted. And, again, and I feel I must stress this heavily for probably the third time now, the highlights are temporary. They change. Just because someone chooses one stat that you do not like for one session, does not mean that it will be the same for the next session. Even if you have this much of a gripe over that aspect of the system, it still isn't going to be something that is an issue some, if not potentially most, of the time. When they said that you could leave if you don't want to play, I feel like you took it more as an attack, which it probably wasn't. I'll acknowledge that sure, there might be some bias towards you from outside this game. Or there might not be. It's not really something I can comment on or know for certain because I only have knowledge of what I have seen here to go off of. But I imagine if they were that biased against you then they might not have allowed you to join in the first place. I could be wrong of course. This is just conjecture based off what I have observed. But that seems like the most logical thing to me. You think their reaction to be overblown and a result of one thing. I disagree, and I have already explained why I disagree. I don't think we are going to agree on how this went, and that is fine. These are things as I see them. Take what you will of them. I am disappointed that this is how things went, but there isn't much left to be done about it. I am sad that I didn't get to roleplay with you or the others, or your characters. I was looking forward to it. I hope we can roleplay together in another game and in a system you enjoy more. But that is really all I have to say on this, and I grow tired, so I am going to leave my part of it there.

A drink. I wonder if they will offer me blood. More importantly, should I consume it if they do? It might be amusing to see their reactions. May be useful to stoke the rumor. While Alicia did ponder the idea of a drink she also kept within the back of her mind the possibility that this might be a trap. The man supposedly capable of seducing most women would be far more dangerous within his own territory. Alicia was already at a disadvantage. Might the risk be worth it? But then there was also the alternative: returning alone to her home. Aldert was out there. Tonight would be a prime opportunity for him to strike. Who would be surprised if the woman accused of murdering a man on stage was herself discovered murdered in the night, and especially so when that woman was accused of being a monster? I could request an escort home. But that would give someone an excuse to enter my home. Alternatively, accepting the invitation would allow me an excuse to observe other people within an environment I rarely visit. Upon Edmund's departure the little deputy immediately regained any composure that he might have lost. It might have been a curious sight if it weren't more worrying. The short woman's gaze remained glued upon Boone as he moved away and off the stage. He had surprisingly moved to assist Miss Gearhart to her feet, displaying a moment of gentlemanly behavior that felt entirely out of place. When his eyes returned to leer in her direction she actually felt a little more comfortable, for that was at least expected. Hm? What is this? A brow arched while she observed Boone reach down empty handed, only to then return to standing holding some odd piece of metal. From where she was she could not tell precisely what it was. It did however seem out of place. Not a morsel of food, not any currency that she recognized, nothing that seemed to fit within a theater. Her interest might have been lost had the man not decided to pocket it. Curious. What she had seen was tagged as a note within her head, something of potential interest to explore later, albeit not with any sort of haste. Even if she wanted to, Alicia had to be careful about how she approached the man. He could abuse his power and arrest her regardless of the truth. He seemed like the sort who might do that. He might even do worse to her. It wasn't just her either. Others had stuck their necks out for her. Alicia was not the kindest person on the planet, and even she would not classify herself as someone who was altogether good or even honorable, but there were certain things that even she dare not betray. The trust and kindness of a stranger who had defended her, especially when it could only hurt them to do so, was one of those things. There were far too few people in her life to offer that. They were something to be cherished, collected, if not at least respected and, so far as it did not harm her, protected. She might have caught sight of Willis Sloan had she not been distracted by something else entirely: Carlo's coat. The garment felt heavy upon her shoulders, but it also carried the man's warmth. For a moment it almost felt like a hug. It took a few moments for the guilt to register within her mind. Another piece of clothing had been almost assuredly stained by the crimson which covered her body. And yet even that thought did not fully push out the warmth that the coat provided, or the resulting faint heat that gathered within her cheeks. Arms crossed over her chest, hands gripping at each side in order to hold it closed. "Thank you, Mister Carlo" she nearly whispered. It smells like him. I grow warmer. What a curious reaction. No doubt a result of my chronic loneliness. Nothing more. Her gaze turned back to watch the man depart. Alicia felt Missy's hands against her shoulders, correcting the way the coat settled over her much smaller body. It felt embarrassing, as though she were being treated like a child, but then it also felt kind of nice to be pampered for once. Crimson eyes turned up towards the woman for a moment as she considered what to say, only to be drawn away towards the catwalk above when the other two deputies made the exact announcement she had been anticipating. Of course there is blood. And wires. This was not supernatural in nature. Good. This time she did not meet Boone's gaze, although she did not need to. A smug toothy grin played across her lips. Her theory had been vindicated and Boone no longer had any good reason to hold her. If she were a child she might have stuck her tongue out at the deputy, but Alicia was a sophisticated young woman. No, that she would do internally and safe within the confines of her mind. Her grin did fade when she realized that Carlo was being forced to stay behind, and when she realized that she would not be allowed to participate in the investigation. She would have liked to try her hand at this mystery, and certainly before the crime scene was further bungled by the inept deputies. Alas, she was in no position for any of that. Her freedom would have to be enough tonight. Helped to her feet by Missy, the mostly fake Vampire offered the woman a quick nod of her head and, more importantly, a holding of her tongue. She could say things here. Should say things here. But she didn't. For Missy's sake, and for Miss Gearhart's sake, and even for Carlo's sake. Boone could keep his half victory. Resigning herself to a departure from the investigation, Alicia followed close behind Missy. "I think I might take both of you up on that offer." I do hope they have something in my size. Preferably not something that a child might wear.

I think perhaps one of the biggest issues might have been how much you appeared to be against the rules as a whole. You were quite vocal about not playing around with highlighted stats that were weaker (or perhaps just the Weird stat?), which sure is fine on its own but honestly it would be a little disheartening for me to hear that if I were running the game. It felt like you were frustrated at having to play with the system as it was intended to be played, even before we got to the idea of highlighting stats (such as when we were building lore and the initial setting), which I imagine for someone MCing the game would be frustrating, especially when everyone else was excited to play with the system. I imagine it could make one wonder why you would want to join if you weren't going to enjoy playing the system we had chosen. I think it would be perfectly fine for you to just try your best to not roll with Weird (or whatever highlighted stat might be the issue), but to blatantly speak up and say you're not going to do so because you don't feel like engaging with that part of the system does come off as you just not wanting to play to how the system is meant to be played. Also it wasn't their rules, it is the rules of the system we had chosen to play with. You were also being somewhat passive aggressive towards the MC, or again, at least towards the system. They were being a bit more blunt about things regarding your dislike of that part of the system when they said that if you don't want to play the game as it is intended then you maybe shouldn't play the game, but truth be told it is hard to disagree with the sentiment. It wasn't really a statement made towards you out of spite for who you are. I could see it being frustration with your not wanting to play the game as it is intended to be played. The game is meant to be played in a certain way, and it felt like you held little to no interest in playing it that way. Again, as MC that would be frustrating. But then you were also suggesting that they just didn't like you as a person, which was a bit of a surprise, and not fair to them, when all they were trying to do was explain to you how the system was supposed to work. I mean yes, they did say if you didn't like the system that maybe you shouldn't play, but they aren't exactly wrong there. It's not really fun to play a game with someone when they don't even like the game that they are playing and, worse still, are quite vocal about it. It ruins the mood for everyone else and kills the excitement people might have towards playing the game. And then you went on to say that they were getting upset because you were questioning their authority, which isn't really what was happening. Either you didn't understand what we were trying to explain about the system, or were ignoring that, and because of that you started to get a little more hostile towards them and accused them not only of not following the rules of the system (which they were) but also that they said they could use the system to nerf you (they didn't say that, as far as I am aware). And then you blamed them for causing you anxiety which, again, I don't think is very fair. Given all that I don't really see their reaction as that much over blown. It's not like just one thing you said caused them to leave. All of us put a lot of work into this, and I imagine they were working on things behind the scenes as well. When you work on building something and then one person who you assumed wanted to join in that thing that you are building is just repeating how frustrated they are in the thing you are trying to build towards, that can get quite frustrating. Eventually it doesn't even take that much to set that frustration off.

Watching Kiyo attempt to be seductive will be pretty fun! Although it looks like things might have taken a bit of a turn here. Well. From my understanding after catching up and then going back and re-reading things. . . @Warning Nobody is forcing you to run your character any differently. Highlighting a stat is a suggestion if nothing else, a sort of reward for playing your character in ways that they might not be fully kitted out for. Even then, you aren't necessarily going to be highlighting only your worst stats. For example Kiyo so far is highlighting both her best and her worst. If I use either of those I mark experience, but nothing is forcing me to do that. I could still play Kiyo as just a Hard focused Gunlugger. I won't, because I think exploring her weaker points is more interesting, and can lead to some amusing moments, and some character growth. But if I wanted to I could ignore the Hot stat and play just fine. It'll probably change next session. Speaking of which, again, they are temporarily marked. They change per session. If Weird was highlighted for you then you still wouldn't have to engage with it, and if you lost out on some potential xp because of it then that is completely fine. Maybe I miss out on some xp for not using one of those two as well, but the game isn't about only rolling your highlighted stats for things. It is only a part of how the characters grow. If it doesn't grow as quickly as others that is fine because sometimes you will have some of your lesser stats highlighted and sometimes you'll have your top two highlighted. It's just how the system is. This game isn't meant to be competitive, and nobody is trying to make it competitive. It would only really be competitive if people were trying their best just to have only their top two stats highlighted. At the end of the day, you're not being told to run your character in any way other than what you had planned to run it, provided you do so within the confines of the game's system. As far as I can see after looking back on previous posts, we have all been following the system. The people who decide on the highlights can choose what stats to highlight according to what they think is interesting. For example, I gave my reasons why I highlighted specific stats for people, and it is because I would like to see interesting things done with them. They could ignore the stat I highlighted. They could ignore both highlighted stats. They wouldn't really be that worse off for it, save for the fact that they might miss out on some interesting things they could explore with their character. Nobody has held any bias towards anyone, at least so far as I've noticed, so I don't understand where you are getting that from. Heck, I don't even understand why you are getting upset over highlighting stats in the first place. Nobody has even highlighted one of yours yet, as far as I am aware. You are assuming that people are going to highlight your character's weaker stats and, worse still, assuming they would do so to harm your character, which I don't think is very fair. I don't think @WritesNaughtyStories has any issues with you challenging what the system is, but it is the system we had planned to run with. Nobody had intended to change it. We had gathered together to run with this system, and I assume people read what the system was before making characters. It's different in how it approaches experience gain and character development but it is a pretty fun system to play. I hope you change your mind about it and give it a shot, I do look forward to seeing how your Angel plays out and I think if you gave it a shot you would come to enjoy it, but nobody is going to force you to stay if you decide you don't want to play with this system. I really do hope you change your mind and plan to continue MCing this @WritesNaughtyStories, I was certainly quite excited for it, as I am sure are most if not all of us. If you don't though then I will understand, although I don't think I'll participate if somebody else decides to take over. That's just my two cents, anyhow. After a quick skim through. Maybe I got some things wrong, feel free to correct me if so. I am quite tired.

Am I getting that Kiyo should highlight Hot for your choice? That'll be me! Go ahead and highlight Hot. I'm interested in what sort of manipulations Jasmine might attempt against people.