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RESPITE GENERATOR - AFTERNOON
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Narrator: May's got something of an exciting day! A reactor upgrade has arrived from Sarn. Very new, quite potent, it was a sealed module that slotted in, and would notably upgrade the power output of the reactor through Science. It was a little bit of a volatile upgrade, but thats what shielding is for, and compared to the more recent generator incidents, it was on balance safer too. Now, all it had to do is have it taken out of the box, and slotted in safely. Not "Easy", but well within May's wheelhouse.
Maybelline stands near the box, reading through the manifest. The 'upgrade' is quite welcome, delivered as part of the construction effort underway to expand the town. The whole lightning thrower incident strained the generator's output outside preferable levels, nothing dangerous, but undesirable in the long term. Stabilizing that and preparing for a population increase is a big task, but relatively mundane, and the officials in Sarn have spelled out the whole installation process in the manifest, it'll just take a bit of tweaking to fit into May's unique generator design.
Narrator: At about the same time, Strix comes a visiting. In truth, and the kobold wouldn't ever admit this, he was lonely, and hadn't properly gotten to show something off in a while..still, he was afraid of all the Sarn business coming after him and wasn't willing to come to somewhere 'indoorsy'. Those two impulses had fought each other for a while, until finally, Strix was knocking at the door, eager to show off what he has made for himself.
Maybelline sets the notes aside, answering the door, expecting a second delivery or a service call perhaps, instead she brightens up, "Oh! Strix! I figured you'd be someone asking for help... or, uh, are you asking for help?" She shrugs, "Anyways, come on in. I'm just opening up a parts shipment."
Strix: "Oh! That's great" He eyes the Sarn labeling nervously "Oh, right. Sarn stuff! Cool, Cool" He focuses on the matter at hand "Don't stop for me! Strix has made new shiny potion!" He flourish the vial "It's a Adaption Potion. You drink it, and then when you get into trouble, it makes you able to not explode! Or ..other bad thing. Makes you do a notdie" He downs it with a flourish "Uh...Strix needs barrel of water. For showing off"
Maybelline lets Strix in, walking with him back towards the crate. "Yeah, I just need to get this open and start sorting through the parts. There's a new amplifier array in here that I got to be careful with... a new potion, hm? I'm still a bit uncertain about the potions after what happened to Jennica... though you got that all figured out, I suppose. Mostly, right?" She shrugs. Strix's work is always fascinating, even if May barely understands the science behind it. She points towards her work area, "I've got some water set aside right over there though! Feel free to use whatever you need from my bench there too."
Strix: "Great, Great! Yes. Strix worked out tricks. Will not koboldify drinker anymore. Would not want to test with extreme problems like lava, but Strix think 'Potion fails when dipped in lava' is acceptable risk. Most things fail when dipped in Lava. Strix fail. Except arm. Arm probably work in lava" There's another pause "Anyway!" He wangs his head into the barrel and starts to burble away. This is, apparently, all part of the plan. After about thirty seconds... Strix sounds burbling "Ah! Strix breath barrel now! Working! Now! Tell Strix about Mayshinybox, and what inside Mayshinybox too, Strix supposes" But the box looks pretty cool. What could be cooler than the box? The contents!? Madness
Maybelline watches Strix dunk his head and... drown himself? She starts to walk towards him anxiously when he pulls his head back up. She breaths out a sigh, always a bit nervous during Strix's demonstrations, "Ah! Well, good! Adaptation seems like it could have all sorts of um... uses. Lava withstanding. You'll have to tell me what you do to make the potions some time." She grabs a crowbar from nearby and begins prying open the box. It's only just larger than she is, so there's a bit of effort. "Hnng... It's not much Mayshiny. With the construction along the south, I sent a requisition order for some part upgrades to increase the generator output. So, the city planners approved, and Sarn sent this along." The crate opens with crack, several smaller boxes inside, mostly metal fittings and assorted parts, but one is particularly well packaged in a solid metal container, with a reinforced lid. "And that is almost certainly the amplifier..."
Strix: "Oh. Sarnshiny" There's a little bit of a nolikey vibe there "Well, Strix will take..safe distance" To the edges of the building "Can look at May do work!" He's content to mess about with the adaption stuff, and would idly show off that it works for pokey things too, by hardening his scales. "The more horrible the thing happening, the faster it works. Strix not want to test extremes. Strix not find moral way to check everything" He looks at May continueing to unpack "Still. Shiny very cool, even if Sarn"
Narrator: Off to the side, some of Elizabeth's wild magic has stuck around, the room has been scrubbed, and scrubbed again, but the issue with curses is they're sticky, and to a certain point refuse to go away unless something horrible has happened with it. Right now it's just there, crackling ominously, but out of sight, and out of hearing.
Maybelline starts to sort out the parts, "Will the potion work on not living things? I guess a metal box can't really 'drink' it? But maybe you could coat it like a special sealant and then dunk the box in lava? I... don't know where you'd get lava in Respite. Maybe best not to test the extremes, yeah." She gets to work, idly talking through the (relatively mundane) process with Strix, "Sarnshiny might not be too exciting by itself, but it'll still take some work to get it fitted into the MayShiny, because MayShiny is pretty special." She glows with pride at that.
Strix: "Well, potion not not work on nonliving things. Had to make it consider metal parts on living people, like Strix's arm. Otherwise might make arm fall off, which would be bad, so..uh..potion can think that metal proper part of living person" Strix nods along with May's explanations. They sort of make sense, and Strix would occasionally ask rather odd clarifying questions, but was trying to be 'good' "May's shinies make other shinies better. Is true. Strix trying to learn Sarntech language, but..well, Strix think maybe Sarn plans only work for Sarnstuff"
Maybelline is also getting better at speaking Strix, though she definitely still defaults to Sarntech talk. Still, the implications of an adaptive potion that could be used in the generator has her thinking. "May has had a lot of help. Brunilda and Strix all contributed to make Mayshiny the best it can be. May has put a lot of love into this." Again, the pride. But it's more than that. She hefts up the metal box and carefully begins unlatching it. "I guess Sarnstuff just isn't cut out for Strixshinies, but nothing wrong with that. Your shinies are plenty amazing too. They make me want to make my shinies better." She slowly removes the amplifier. It's a dangerous piece of tech. Probably shielded sure, but not something you just want to toss around.
Strix: "Strix understands! May's work important. Good to feel good about" Perhaps if May had her magic detection equipment on, and pointed at the amplifier at the time, it could have caught the infused magics cursing the amplifier. There was a mixture of magics indeed that had gone into the generator, and most of it good, but there was one part, that just wanted to tear everything apart, and render it do naught. It was there now, buried deep in the core. The magic had escaped detection up to now, because it knew how to evade the sensors designed to test for such things....
Maybelline nods eagerly, not really watching the amplifier as she holds it carefully, focusing on Strix instead as her emotions rise up a bit. "It does. You're the one who taught me be more open in my work. Alright, let's get the amplifier set-in and I can start a test suite. We can brainstorm some ideas for your potion. I kind of want to try it on a few things? You've made me awfully curious." She starts to carry the cube towards the rigging she's just set-up. It should be as easy as sliding the cube into the tray and locking it into place!
Narrator: It would be that easy. And ...in another world, the generator would have accepted it, and when it went to power on, the power cell would have revealed its corruption, and..suffice to say, matters would have been tragic, but May's generator is special. It's not quite 'sentient', but at the same time it's got a certain awareness to it, and when the amplifier was locked in, it groaned horribly. It was wrong, bad. It needed to reject this. The generator started to shake, and groan, before all the safety systems activated at once, and there was a blast of energy, as the amplifier was blasted back out of the locked tray, as far away from the generator as possible. It was aiming for the door, as the generator had awareness of May, and the building itself, so it knew the doorway was the softest exit point. It did not know that Strix was standing in the doorway.
Maybelline slots in the upgrade, and starts to power things up, when all hell breaks loose. She's a professional, shouting back for Strix to take cover while she does her thing, working the generator controls while fighting down her own deja vu. What she doesn't foresee is the generator actively 'Rejecting' the upgrade, literally blasting it out of newly installed tray, severing the connecting lines and everything, and then suddenly all systems are back in the green for operating parameters. "The hell was that!? Strix? Strix are you okay?!" She turns back to find the Kobold, glancing around the room.
Narrator: The amplifier had exited through the doorway, and..well...through Strix, not to put too fine a point on it. He wasn't there, and there was just a blasted apart doorway, a rather dramatic furrow ploughed in the ground outside, ending in a small crater, which was glowing gently, a glow that slowly subsided, even from where she was, inside the generator still, May could see that there was some figure there that at the very least, had the correct number of limbs. That in itself was miraculous considering the forces involved. Strix had had that adaption potion, but well...how does one develop an immunity to that?
Maybelline gives one last glance back at the Generator, seemingly quiet now, all readings back to normal? What the actual hell? But as long as it's not going to explode right now, that mystery can wait. She quickly scampers out the door and towards her friend in a panic, she's definitely banking all her hope on that crazy potion doing... anything to help him survive as she cries to herself, "Shit, Strix, no... please be okay, please be okay, please be okay."
Narrator: Well, there was ...someone..something in the crater? A feline figure, youthful, with, upon a closer look, oddly..artificial. Like made of a very realistic casting of the same material of the amplifier. Which was missing, incidentally. Also, while perhaps it was never entirely clear what sex Strix had been. This cat was female. The lack of clothing made that much clear. She wasn't moving, though there was a very gentle sound of breathing, and the chest (which May probably shouldn't stare at) was moving up and down softly. Finally, on her shoulder was a small Sarn mark, one that was to confirm that the technology marked so was safe, and legal for use in the field...
Maybelline glances around for any other sign of Strix, but the evidence in the crater is pretty damning. Sarn marking; adaptation potion; magical backlash; it all adds up to paint a very unhappy picture. Strix or no, she can't leave this cat here. She does her best to heft her up gently, her strength surprising her in the rush of adrenaline she's experiencing, and get... her(?) to Plume's clinic. She's muttering to her, or maybe just to herself, "I'm sorry... shit, I'm sorry..."
Narrator: She's not that heavy. Strix's weight + The Amplifier to be exact, though there's no reaction right now from the kitty. Breathing was probably a good sign maybe, that being a distinctly alive action, both in the "Living" and the "Organic" sense. So, good call on the doctor. She may also need a mechanic. It's entirely uncertain what's going on here....
Maybelline is, for the moment at least, too distraught to be considering the possibilities, all she knows is that something has happened to her friend, and she needs to be sure they're okay, and May will have plenty of time to blame herself for whatever has happened once she reaches the Clinic...
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PLUME'S CLINIC - SHORTLY AFTER THE ACCIDENT
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Maybelline walks through the clinic a bit stunned. The adrenaline wore off some time ago, and with 'Strix' now in a bed, and Plume having made sure her breathing and what vitals they can check are good... there's little for May to do here other then wait, so now she's just pacing through the clinic, trying to stay out of Plume's way.
Nesseth is resting upon Plume's desk, having decided to just rest while Plume goes about their afternoon duties. Even May rushing in with Strix didn't disturb him, since he was pretty well asleep at the time. Now, though, May's pacing does catch his attention as he starts to wake up from his nap.]
Maybelline sighs, walking towards Plume's desk. She reaches out to skritch the lizard perching there, trying to calm herself down by giving a bit of attention to Plume's pet... when did Plume get a pet? Well, not like Plume had likely met Mayfeld, so it sorta makes sense.
Nesseth yawns and is about to properly wake up to see who is pacing about, only to instead hum contentedly at the pets. He sets his head back down, but still lazily opens his eyes to see who it is. He blinks when he sees May. "Uh... hi, May."]
Maybelline blinks, her hand snapping back as if it were bitten, "H-holy shit it can talk. I mean, uh, you... you can talk? Or is it like a pet parrot?"
Nesseth lifts his head back up and tilts it as May recoils. "Oh, uh... yeah. Yeah, I can talk. It was hard at first, but Erika helped me figure it out on the way back into town."]
Maybelline steps back towards the lizard, examining him more closely, "That's... amazing? I had no idea Erika was that talented..."
Nesseth shrugs a bit, then gestures at his mouth. "It was mostly a matter of learning how to work my jaw to talk like normal. A wild lizard's mouth isn't the same shape as what I'm used to..."]
Maybelline blinks, "It's... not? Wouldn't that be the mouth you've always had...? I mean, it's still amazing and all... I didn't even know lizards could like, comprehend what we were saying."
Nesseth gives a good approximation of a smile and a laugh. "Of course I can, May. I wasn't always like this." He wiggles his frills a bit, "I'd say I'm surprised, but... well, I guess I do look way different right now."]
Maybelline pauses, examining the lizard closer... "G-GAH! Nesseth!? S-shit! Shit! What happened? When did this happen?"
Nesseth nods at May when she realizes who she's talking to. "Yeah... it's me, May. Erika and I kind of ran afoul of some plants up in Mean Peak earlier in the week. Bit of a long story, but... well, we're stuck looking like wild animals until Plume can prepare the cure again."]
Maybelline sighs, putting a hand on her head. "Crap... sorry... I heard about that happening to Erika before, but... ah, hell, today is... is too much. First Strix, now you... you're... actually okay though, right?"
Nesseth nods again. "Yeah, I'm fine. I'm honestly just waiting for Plume to remember that they threatened to stuff me in a terrarium if I got into trouble like this." He pauses, glancing towards the ward, both to see if Plume is there and out of curiosity, "And... Strix? What happened? I'm guessing that's why you're here?"]
Maybelline sighs, slumping slightly, "Yeah, I don't even KNOW what happened. I was fitting in an upgrade to the generator, and Strix was showing me an 'adaptability' potion she'd created... and then the whole thing was shaking, and the generator basically spit out the upgrade somehow, striking Strix and... changing them..." She walks to the nearest chair and climbs into it to put her head in her hands. "Covered in metal... looked like a cat... Plume made sure she's alive... but that's all we know until she wakes up."
Nesseth watches May as he listens, tilting his head curiously as he does his best to absorb the info he's hearing. "So... some kind of weird mishap, and Strix just happened to be in a prime position to get hit by the thing the generator, er... spit out? And now he's... a she, and also some kind of metal cat thing?"]
Maybelline nods, "It's insane... but then, I'm talking to a lizard, so..." She sighs. "I should've double checked the array."
Nesseth laughs a bit as he redirects his attention to May. "Well, if it makes you feel any better, you're not dreaming, at least. I am Nesseth, stuck in the form of a feral lizard..." He pauses, then continues, "But what kind of upgrade were you trying to do?"]
Maybelline takes a few deep breaths, trying to calm herself, "Amplifier array sent in from Sarn. It should have balanced the containment, it's been a bit dodgy ever since the dragon dumped gods know how many volts into the system. It's been behaving fine, but the readings get odd every so often. Then, the amplifier would have increased the output to account for the expansion being built onto town."
Nesseth tilts his head again. "And when you say the generator spit it back out... what, was there some kind of explosion that launched it out of wherever you put it, or...?"]
Maybelline: "More or less... Not like a disasterous one, not like the last generator. But the amplifier is... definitely merged onto Strix somehow. Their whole 'adapation potion' must have... eaten it? Or something, hell... it's Strixshinies and Strix logic... but it's still my fault the amplifier failed in the first place."
Nesseth raises a claw to idly scratch at his head, or at least as best as he can compared to his usual tic. "Strix was showing you something he'd developed... and I take it the amplifier hit him when it got spit out... Which brings us to where we are now, of course. And when you say he transformed... I'm guessing you mean a full change, no-longer-a-kobold sort of a change?"]
Maybelline glances up at Nesseth and nods, forcing a smile. "Like a Cat... she looks like Vix. And... I mean, pretty certain she's a she. I always assumed Strix was male? I... guess I don't know for Kobolds..." She glances a way, a bit embarrassed at that fact.
Nesseth shrugs a bit. "I never thought about it, myself. Strix never seemed bothered when I referred to him as a male, so... it just kind of stuck, I guess? I guess I'll eventually see what Strix looks like once they've recovered enough to walk around the clinic."]
Maybelline nods. "I just hope he... she... they're okay. You and Erika too, for that matter... can... I get you anything? I'm sorta feeling useless here."
Nesseth nods over at the ward. "Just gotta wait on what Plume says, I think. Magic's not their forte, but they'll make sure Strix comes out okay." He smiles a little, "But that might be a little while, so... if you're intending to wait for Strix to wake up, maybe you could grab some snacks from the bakery and come back? We can chit-chat while we wait."]
Maybelline smiles slightly, "I... I can do that. Can lizards eat cupcakes?"
Nesseth chuckles. "I hope so. I know I can eat them just fine normally, but... eh, I'll take the negatives as they happen like this."]
Maybelline nods, "Alright then. I'll grab some muffins too for the clinic... I... probably could use the walk anyways." She tilts her head at Nesseth with a smile, "I'd say don't go anywhere, but not sure how fast you could get anywhere like that anyways. So uh, I'll be back?"
Nesseth laughs and shakes his head. "Not very fast at all. Don't worry, May, I'll be here. Some fresh air should help clear your head a little, too, if you've been here for a bit."]
Maybelline pushes herself up and drops down from the seat, "Probably too long, without anything to do. I should probably probably do a double check to ensure the Generator is running fine and all locked up too... Be back shortly, Nesseth."
Nesseth waves a claw. "See you in a bit, May. If Plume finishes early, I'll let them know you'll be right back."]
Maybelline gives Nesseth a slightly shakey thumbs up, and heads out towards the door, struggling a bit but feeling better in making herself useful.
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PLUME'S CLINIC, SOME TIME LATER
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Jennica is sitting in the waiting room's chair, holding her packaged-up wrist as she's mostly waiting for the painkillers to kick in. She grumbles quietly to herself, cursing her own tech exploding on her on a pretty innocent attempt to make a love-enhancing trinket. Making a mental note to be more careful and use less intense source next time, she sighs and leans back. Nothing to do but wait, now.
Narrator: In the main room, just inside and visible where Jennica was, there was the sight of a very odd cat, almost like some sort of construct, but far, far too realistic for that, and yet...undeniably inorganic on the outside. She opens her eyes, irises glowing a soft purple as they slowly rise up, looking around "Uh..hey, is..anyone there?" It's a rather pleasantly pitched voice, almost musical "I.." There's a pause, then a look down at herself a sort of...chest poke, before a look at both arms "You know, I really feel like I should probably be freaking out more than I am right now" She looks at Jennica "Oh! Hey!" She waves "Jennica! Could you..uh..maybe explain what's happened here?"
Jennica blinks several times as her self-blaming reverie is interrupted. She looks up, then blinks again a couple of times in surprise: "Who uhm what me? Hi. H-have we met? O-o-or I think not, but you know me?"
Strix: "Of course I know you! We're friends.." There's another pause "Wait..." She looks over to the mirror "Oh..Oh! I don't look like me! That's..why! Right!" She points to herself "It's.uh...Strix. I..well, I'd explain, but I can't. I'm ..really confused right now" She runs her finger over her skin, which is just far too uniform in colour to be normal "I...Okay, that's super weird. Maybe I should freak out just a little" Still pretty calm all told.
Jennica gets up, wincing slightly at her wrist as she does, but her focus is on her... friend? She runs her mouth open and closed a couple of times: "S-strix? How uh..." She blinks, glances at her tail, then gathers herself: "What happened?" The cow is doing a good job of potentially building up a freakout on the not-kobold's behalf.
Strix: "Right, so..last I remember, I think I was with May? Yeah...I.." She rubs her ears, a little embarrassed even "I was just looking for someone to talk to really, and..well, she had some new thing she was doing with the generator, amplifier for the outboard circuits. It loops all the energy around the system, and uses that energy to draw up more magic, and it then folds back on itself from there..." She trails off "Sorry, Sorry, off track. It's really cool is the point. Anyway! She was putting that in..and then I woke up here..like..well...like this"
Strix pokes at her chest again "What even are these things?"
Jennica listens with curiosity, trying to build an image of the situation in her head and kind of failing. "A new... system? And it caused this? I didn't know Maybelline did something like that." She pauses, blinks and blushes bright at the last question: "O-oh. Those are like, u-um." She trails off, definitely not qualified to explain despite her own sizable mammalian mammaries.
Strix: "What? I thought it was fluff or something, but no..they're firm..well, sort of firm. There's a bit of give. Counterweights.." She pauses, and flick her tail "No, that's what the tail is for...maybe shock absorbers if you fall?" She pokes, and eeps "Nope. They'd be really non-sensitive then..and these are extra sensitive"
Strix: "Mammals are weirddddd"
Jennica blushes brightly: "Eh uhm... yeah they uh umm..." She trails off, really wishing Emmeline was here to explain this. "They're like um... i-if you get kids and they need... youknowwhatsonotexplainingthisrightnow." She gives a sheepish grin, explaining nothing further.
Strix: "Oh. Well, I don't have kids, so I suppose I don't have to worry about it then" She's giving Jennica a weird look, for being so weird about this "Well, that mystery aside" She takes the blankets off, and looks herself down "All the limbs work" She slowly swings over, and lands herself on two feet "I can still walk, and stuff..so..that's good, right?" She turns to Jennica "So..uh..I should probably stay here, until someone tells me what's going on, right?"
Strix: "I feel fine though"
Jennica blinks, glad for the topic change: "Y-yeah, probably. I have no idea, a-and I don't think my abilities really can help here, but I'm happy you feel fine, if, uh, not quite yourself?"
Strix: "Huh" She looks at herself "I'm..uh..well, some sort of cat..tech..thingy, but..otherwise, still myself. Right?"
Jennica shrugs, feeling more nonplussed about this change than she perhaps should. Funny how spending few weeks as another species can change that perspective. "I guess? Feeling you're like... you, that's more important, y-yea?" She steps closer, looking Strix over: "It's odd, you look like you're just as alive as before, but like... tech. Like my trinkets, but on... you?"
Strix: "Well, this body feels like me, even though it's very different! Oh! That's it, I remember I was tinkering with that potion you took, and I was worried about that sort of thing happening again, so I wanted to add a little magic bit to make sure it wouldn't make a person into something they were uncomfortable with..so if that was involved, yeah. It would make sense I'd be okay with it?" She squints "Or is it because of it I'm
Strix: comfortable" There's about ten seconds of silence as she sidetracks on that point mentally "I..don't think it matters, either way..Anyway!" Her brain bounces off the topic to something new in a very familiar fashion "I..think that.." She pokes her skin again "..The skin is..alive, but..not..fleshy?" She comes over, and holds out her arm "I can feel it, but..it's..weird"
Jennica takes Strix's hand, carefully, tentatively at first but more firmly as she feels it: "Wow. That's... that's definitely something. Hard to tell what but like... more than just tech. Huh." She blinks, her brain rewinding the conversation for a moment: "You tinkered with the... potion?"
Strix: "Hey" She pouts cutely at the implication "I wanted to get it right! I was making good progress too. It was working that it could change someone to keep them safe in bad enviroments. It was going to be really handy, in a bunch of scenarios!"
Jennica blinks, taking her hand off of Strix's arm: "O-oh, no wasn't saying it's bad! Well, um, probably. This is not bad, right, just different?"
Strix: "It's..uh..different. Yes. I.." She looks at the mirror again "I don't know. May always cares about looking..what is it..uh..cute?" She looks back to Jennica, eyes widening just a little, glowing softly as she asks the key question "Am I cute?"
Jennica pauses, tilting her head as she looks Strix over. Finally, she nods with a smile: "...I t-hink you are pretty cute, now."
Strix: "Oh! That's good!" She nods a few times "It's weird, but..I..think that might be important? Ah..I..well, maybe there's some differences? Since..I've never really wanted people to look at me up to now, because..well, then they might start coming after me, but..now..well..I..don't feel that? It's..nice..I think. Not being scared"
Jennica shrugs with a wry smile: "I'm scared a lot of time. You get used to it."
Strix: "I..had, it's" She seems to struggle a moment "Like, you've been running around with a weight on you, and now it's gone. I don't really know how to feel about that"
Jennica tilts her head: "I suppose that makes sense of sorts. Being always looked down upon, or ignored... kinda different from me, I just sort of want people to ignore me if they're not Emmeline."
Strix: "Yeah. That's it. Should I be worried?" Her ears tilt back a little, before they perk back up again, determined "No. If..If it's different, then it's still making me happier, so I'm not going to get scared about not getting scared" She pauses then giggles charmingly "That would be really dumb, right?"
Jennica giggles softly: "Maybe, yeah. Work with what you get, like I did when I was a kobold... it helped me see things differently, that it did."
Strix: "Yeah, so..that being said" She sits back down on the bed "What should I do now? Uh..work out what's going on with this body, I suppose" She has a hospital gown on, and is clearly moving to take it off. For Science!
Jennica hums, slightly averting her gaze even if she is also admittedly curious, resulting in a not-quite-looking-away kind of look: "Oh uhm. Well, s-someone must have brought you here, yeah? They'd know what next. Or, um, Plume."
Strix: "Yeah. That makes sense" She's female, certainly. Those are certainly female bits "Huh, so...there's these things on my chest, that you won't talk about, and then there's fairly standard stuff elsewhere, for eggbearers" She pauses "Huh, you know, I've never seen any mammal eggs"
Strix: "Also..I've never really thought about that. There was no other kobolds around for bearing any of my eggs, so..I never really worried about it"
Jennica blinks at that last conclusion, if it counts as such: "Mmnuh. I mean, no. We don't really do... that. Eggs, I mean." She starts to get a mental image of herself laying an egg and quickly attempts to wipe it from her head. "Ggeh. I'm not really one to talk about reproductive biology, it's just more plumbing to be maintained."
Strix: "I do wonder why that uh 'plumbing' is there, but.." There's another head tilt "Wait..no eggs, then..how? That makes no sense!"
Jennica sighs and rubs the bridge of her snout with her good hand: "Just um... leave that bit for later, y-yeah?"
Strix: "Okay, if..if you insist" She thankfully puts the gown back on "I get the feeling there's some sort of..taboo? Or something I'm missing?"
Jennica shrugs, blushing a bit: "Um it's... most people keep sex stuff p-pretty private. Me included." She gives a nervous smile, rather hoping Strix finds her answers elsewhere.
Strix: "Oh. Uh..so, I..have to find someone to tell me?" She pauses "So, I need to find a partner, that seems super inconvenient"
Jennica frowns: "W-well, no, but uh... well, for most it's just growing up thing to learn." She takes a breath and gathers herself: "Just um... if you don't find the answers, g-get me on a day where meds aren't making me this jittery and um..." she blushes: "W-we can talk I guess."
Strix: "Oh! Thanks. I won't press it. If its just because you're jittery, I can find someone else, I'm sure" She smiles "So, to change the subject. Is there anything I should know about being a mammal?"
Jennica: "Umm... about being... well, assuming you are, compared to kobold, we're more like... warm. Warm-blooded, I think is the term? Less sensible to outside weather and temperature." She pauses, frowning: "...if that is how it works. I'm not sure."
Strix: "Oh. That sounds handy. I normally really hate cold. If I'm warmer now, that could be handy" Her tail flicks happily behind her, before she notices "Oh! I've a new tail too" She pulls it in front of her "Sort of..thinner, but more bendy than before. Nifty. I think this is a cat thing though. Instead of a overall mammal thing. Lots of different tails with mammals"
Jennica glances at her own tail, nodding slowly: "Y-yeah um... definitely not my department now, that." She sways her thick, short and scaly tail, giving a soft sigh though it's accompanied by a smile. The cow is getting used to that being her tail and there's not to be ashamed of. Mostly.
Strix: "Well. That's a very nice tail. Even if I'm a little biased" She smiles "Ah..that's something different!" She goes and feels up her mouth "Bigger smiles! That's a really nice feeling. Sort of..brightens me up just by doing it"
Jennica blinks again, then giggles, smiling herself: "Y-yeah, I guess it does. D-didn't really notice cause I was like... n-not smiling all that much then." Smiling once more: "It looks good on you."
Strix smiles again "Thanks! It's..nice, I..haven't really gotten any compliments about myself before. Just my stuff. Which was nice too, but..it feels nice to feel pretty? I..think that's it?"
Strix: "Is..is there ways to be prettier?"
Jennica pauses, then nods with a smile: "Y-yeah. Yeah! I'm not really good with that, but Rhask is, and she knows like most people in that sort of business?"
Strix: "Oh! Maybe I'll ask her. Oh! And, Maecy. She said she's in fashion..which is pretty clothes making?" She considers that "I still have to make that Spider silk cutter for her. It's nearly done though, so I'll be talking to her soon"
Jennica hums, smiling: "Sounds good! It's good to have a goal." She glances at her bandaged wrist: "Even, if uh, they end up blowing up at times."
Strix: "Oh..right. I..might have blown up" She gasps "Wait. May! I'm..so selfish, I haven't even thought about her. Is she okay?"
Jennica shrugs, her smile waning: "Haven't seen her, sorry."
Strix: "Oh..well. She's not here, so..she's.." She takes a breath "I'm going to say she's fine. She's gotta be fine" She's still worried "May's way smarter than me, and way better at safety stuff. She's fine"
Jennica nods reassuringly: "She is. She's smart, and does the safety things really well."
Strix settles back down "I..I'll wait here. I shouldn't leave, at least"
Jennica nods, walking back to sit down: "Me neither, really. Plume said to wait 'til I am sure my wrist doesn't feel like it's exploding again."
Strix would continue to talk about the intricacies of their new form for a while, as well as Jennica's own status.
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RESPITE STREETS - LATE AFTERNOON
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Maybelline is running back to the clinic with a box of sweets. She's made a quick stop by the Generator to make sure nothing is exploding, gotten a test suite started, and made sure everything is locked down, then gone to the baker's to get some cupcakes and muffins for the clinic, still overthinking things and worrying now that she's done the work that was in her head.
Erika is walking down the street towards the clinic as well, carrying a sizable bucket of various herbs, roots and fruit in her mouth. The feral okapi seems rather confident walking around compared to last time, though still earns more than a few confused looks. Still, despite everything, she is in a good mood: back home is good, is safe, and most importantly, back with friends.
Maybelline turns the corner towards the clinic, lost in her own train of thought, the stoat walks between the okapi's legs with a bit of a sigh.
Erika blinks as she realizes someone brushes... under her? She cranes her neck, then speaks through the bucket's handle with a smile in her voice: "Mhay! Mheyo!"
Maybelline stops, turning her head back to try to find who called out to her, "Bah? Hah! Wha-?" The answer still isn't immediately obvious as she looks past the weird horse. "Hello?"
Erika leans down to drop the bucket on the ground to be able to speak better: "Maybelline. Hi!"
Maybelline takes a moment for her brain to process this, as she looks fairly shaken by this, even as she realizes what is happening. "Oh heck, Erika?"
Erika doesn't grin, though she might as well justifying from the elation in her voice: "In the flesh! Or fur. But yeah, we're back!"
Maybelline nods slowly, the poor stoat's really been through a lot today, "Y-yuh uh, I already spoke to Nesseth... I... uh, I'm... sorry? Sorry for what happened to you, that is."
Erika shakes her neck in an approximation of a shrug: "Kinda our own fault really. Shoulda recognized the flowerbed we slept in. Eh well, happens." If she is bothered whatsoever by her present form, she's not showing any discomfort.
Maybelline closes her eyes trying to take a few breaths, "I just... first Strix, then Nesseth, it's just... it's been a day... but you're okay, eh? You look like you're doing okay..." She finally glances down at the bucket. "Guessing those are for the clinic too."
Erika nods, looking down at the bucket: "Yeah, just whatever I could get from the garden without tools. I can dig up stuff quite well, but the herbs for the cure are more important right now." She pauses, humming: "Strix, though? He gone feral too? How?"
Maybelline shakes her head, "N-no... not feral, just... different. It's... a long story, and I'm only guessing, but basically there was an accident at the Generator, and Strix is... well, not hurt, I don't think. Just changed..." She grows silent, worry quite clearly growing on her face. "And it was my fault."
Erika tilts her head, then shakes it in quite a wide way: "I don't believe you. Not your fault." She looks at Maybelline with those big eyes of hers, leaning close: "Was it, really?"
Maybelline hesistates, staring into Erika's eyes uncomfortably. She fidgets a bit, then slumps a bit, "Y-yes? Maybe... I... I don't fully know. I just... Strix is a good friend."
Erika leans her head back up, satisfied: "Then let's go see Strix, and find out. No use blamin' yourself before we know everything! Or in my case, anything, but like that's ever stopped me."
Maybelline chuckles sadly, holding up the box, "I... I was heading that way. I did promise Nesseth some cupcakes... do you know if lizards are supposed to eat cupcakes?"
Erika picks up her bucket, smile in her voice despite her still relatively expressionless face: "Mnuh. Dunno. Buh cupcakes, so good."
Maybelline nods, hefting the box a little more confidently, "I... could use one myself today. Let's go in and check on our friends."
Erika giggles from behind the bucket: "Sounf goof! Promished Plume I'd be back soon, too." She starts walking towards the clinic, some bounce in her step but trying to not get too careless as she goes.
Maybelline walks in with Erika, having to take big steps to keep up with the okapi even at a casual pace. They drop off the baked goods and ingredients, and enter into the patient area to find Strix.
Erika has to move extra carefully once inside, and she ends up just peeking at the doorway as Maybelline enters.
Strix was up, in front of the mirror, examining the current most interesting part of anatomy. Teeth. She's got her mouth open, one lip pulled back, and looking through all the teeth. She seems Erika, and May! in the mirror, and turns around "Maybelline! I was so worried you'd been hurt!" She lets out a little happy 'nya', a sort of nervous tic "I knew you'd be okay..but..still! I was worried!"
Nesseth is still on Plume's desk at the moment, watching Strix in a bit of bemusement at seeing... well, the fact that the kobold is no longer a kobold... and female now, apparently. He follows Strix's look towards the door, only to give the two arrivals a look of confusion.
Maybelline brightens up immediately seeing that 'Strix' is awake. She starts to move forward, awkwardly uncertain if she should hug her or Something! But her expression darkens instantly at hearing Strix's voice, or more appropriately, her mannerisms. "S-Strix? I... yeah, I'm just fine. You took the brunt of it, and... and... are You okay? I mean... besides these... changes?"
Erika tilts her head, staring: "Well uh. That's new." She notices Nesseth and steps over enough to give him a nuzzle and lick. "Everything okay here?"
Nesseth nods at Erika and rubs his scaly snout into her fur a bit. "Yeah, I'm fine. Plume's in the ward right now, but they should be out soon enough for the stuff you brought."
Strix: "Right..yes.." She rubs her ears "Ah..Yes. I was going over it with Jennica a bit. Still working it out, but, welllll, I think that adaption potion thing did this so I'd survive what happened when that amplifier went into the generator..Which I don't remember, but was probably bad, right?" She pauses, and picks up on May's expression "Uh..is..something the problem? You seem..unhappy, is it..because of Erika? Because..uh..I mean that's gotta suck, right? She seeeems fine though"
Strix was aware of Nesseth too, but presumably they'd talked a bit already, so greeting him again didn't seem needed!
Erika flicks her ears and looks up: "Oh. Yeah, I'm fine. Bit big and short on hands, but fine." She refrains from mentioning the severe talking-to Plume already gave her and Nesseth earlier. Mostly because it's kind of embarrassing.
Maybelline glances back at Erika, and just gives a faint nod, she takes a moment to look back at Strix, "You... don't remember? I... I don't know. I'm not unhappy just... worried. You're different... I don't... I just want to be sure you're okay. A-and... I'm sorry. I don't know what your potion may have done, but I must have made some error with the amplifier that made the generator reject it like that. And into you. I'm just... I'm sorry."
Strix: "Oh..So, the amplifier ejected, and...it would have gone through the spot I'm standing in. Then the magic was in me would have been amplified...including the adaption spells, and all the stuff in my arm would have been mixed in" She squints, clearly thinking this through. Its that same 'I've got a problem and stopping to think about' thing Strix does, though the narration is a good deal more understandable "Since everything was mixing at once, and the adaption magic would have had to prioritize speed to get something to keep me alive through out, it would have just...taken the amplifier and used it to repair all the damage being done..but that needed to rewrite everything on the fly?" She raises an eyebrow questioningly "The math checks out, except....." She clicks her fingers "Do you know why the amplifier was rejected? I need some magic with a chaotic index of..oh..6? Ish?" Which is a Sarn metric for a magic's tendency to distrupt other natural forces. "To make everything balance" She's doing all the magic equations..in her head.
Erika looks at Nesseth: "Did you understand any of that?"
Nesseth looks at Erika and shrugs a bit. "The generator's new amplifier got ejected somehow and hit Strix... and a mix of all kinds of different magic and whatnot caused some kind of issues that led to Strix becoming... uh..." He looks back at Strix again, "Like that?"
Erika nods slowly: "Yep." She pauses: "...I don't get it." She glances at Maybelline: "I hope you do."
Maybelline blinks, "Uh... that... all makes total sense yeah... like... that all sounds like how I would have said it, though. That... this... it doesn't sound much like you, Strix... th-that worries me." She starts doing the math in her own head. "Chaotic index of 6? That's pretty intense... I keep the generator scanned and clean... but..." She freezes a bit. "No... that couldn't be... could it? After Elizabeth filled the generator, Brun and I cleaned out small patches of anamalous magic for weeks, but none of it peaked over an index of 2."
Nesseth slowly head-tilts as he tries his best to keep up with the flow of chatter between May and Strix. Most of the more technical stuff flies clear over his head, but he at least does his best to latch onto the understandable details, like he would for any investigation.
Strix: "Oh, right" There's a pause, thoughtful "So, you're worried that because my wording was more..organized, that there's something wrong with me. I was discussing this with Jennica, and I did notice I'm a lot less afraid, and nervous of everything. I think that might be just from....well, sort of..a lifetime of always being scared of everything?" She doesn't just dismiss it this time "I can see how that change would scare people, but...really, I think that's it. I've always known Sarn's way of talking, and just..I was able to stop, think, and calmly work through it, so I can explain it to you in a way you understand instead of..uh..trying to get the thought of my head as quickly as possible"
Erika tilts her head at Strix's words: "I guess that makes sense, of sorts? I do know that fear of uh... of prey, really."
Strix: "Oh!" She clicks her fingers "Kobolds are prey, Cats are predator"
Strix: "You're right. That's it"
Erika blinks: "I'm right?" She looks at Nesseth, just to be sure she heard correct.
Nesseth hums thoughtfully. "So... bit of a mental shift, then, because of the species swap? I could see it, sure."
Maybelline still seems unsure, "But... is it...?" She lets that particularly disturbing thought drop for now. "I... guess? If... if you're okay? You're feeling okay? Cause... we can start finding out what went wrong and looking for a way to reverse it."
Strix: "Well, I feel fine considering I was hit with enough energy to level a city block. yes" She nods, before coming over, and giving May a hug. Strix knows May likes hugs, and was never able to conquer the fear of 'touching' to do it. It's a pretty nice hug, all told "I..know you're worried, but..if its just that I'm not afraid anymore..I..well, I'll think about it, let my brain settle a bit. It's still all new after all"
Erika nods slowly: "Change might come with... new dreams, thoughts and such. I've had 'em."
Nesseth nods a bit. "Big changes, still need some time to get used to things all around, I bet. If Plume says you're okay to go, then I guess you've a clean bill of health and nothing to worry about."
Maybelline gives Strix a careful hug back. She does like hugs, even if she's always been a bit awkward at giving them... "Just... just as long as you're still... you. If you're happy with this... w-we'll figure it out okay. I'm just... I'm sorry. Let me know if there's anything... Anything you need and I'll do whatever it takes to help."
Erika hums: "I'll help too! ...well, once I have hands, I guess."
Nesseth smiles as he can in his current form. "Same here. Once Plume's got the cure for me and Erika, we can help however you might need it."
Strix: "Right" There's a pause "There's one thing I should mention. I'm working everything out" She taps her head "You should check these too, by the way, but I'm fairly sure that without your shielding upgrades on the generator, I would have simply died from the raw energy discharge before the amplifier hit me" She releases the hug "I don't blame you, if anything, you saved my life" She hmms, and chuckles "Though, you may need to be there for when Plume does their exam. I suspect an engineer will be just as needed as a medic" She nods to Erica and Nesseth "And I'll take all the help I can get, for this exact moment in time, I'm not looking for a cure" She clicks her fingers "Though, I understand I should get clothes? If I'm a mammal now being 'cute' is important?" She's still trying her 'cute smile' , and honing it, and gives the trio her updated version, with an extra warm glow from her eyes "I think I like this idea of being 'cute'"
Maybelline blushes a bit, giving Strix a very slow, sad smile. "A-alright. Cute isn't so important... but some folks find it important. Clothes... I can get you help for clohtes. And I'll be here for you and Plume whenever you need me. I... I'll check the shielding upgrades. I set a diagnostic test while you asleep. I'm going to figure out what happened, even if you don't need a cure."
Nesseth seems more curious than anything when he sees the new "updated" smile Strix presents. "That glow is a good effect combined with the smile. But, uh... yeah, clothing might not be a bad idea still. It's getting into the Winter time, so nights are going to be getting colder for a while." He shakes his head a bit, "Wouldn't want to have you end up freezing."
Erika looks at the other two, then shakes her head: "I guess this is not a herbal remedy kind of cure. But I'm around, anyway."
Strix: "Oh! Mammals are warm blooded, Jennica told me, so that's less a problem, maybe" She nods, her smile faltering just a little at May's sadness "I'm still me. Strix is still Strix, just..a bit..uh..different looking" She flicks her head "It would be weird not to act a bit different when I'm physically this different, right?"
Nesseth shrugs and laughs. "I mean... I'm a feral lizard right now, and Erika's a feral okapi... We're still acting about the same as normal." He blinks, then looks at Erika, "At least... I think we are?"
Erika pauses at this, turning to Nesseth: "Do we act different? I mean, besides the obvious four legs stuff." She shakes her head, her mane tossing wildly: "I don't know. Don't really wanna think about it."
Nesseth nods a bit and looks back at Strix. "Just... do whatever is comfortable, I guess? As for the clothing thing... cold still sucks even when warm-blooded."
Maybelline glances around at the three, and sighs. "It's just... a lot for me to take in, and nothing even happened to me! I'm... sorry everyone. It's just... something that makes me uncomfortable to think about. But I'm still here for you all. I'm... y-yeah. You're all... amazing for even being able to laugh and smile through all this and not just scream and cry about it. It would terrify me."
Erika sighs softly, then leans her head down to look at Maybelline: "I sort of did the screaming and crying last time. It did not help."
Nesseth looks over at May and raises an eyebrow. "But you did get blown up thanks to the previous engineer's non-existent care of the old generator... I wouldn't call that 'nothing'." He lets out a little sniff and lopsided smile, "And... well... after what happened to me with the Saurs, this is pretty low-key."
Maybelline manages a short laugh, "Ha... y-yeah... fair. I'm just... don't mind me." She clearly looks unsure of herself in this situation... it bothers her, but she's trying to put on a brave face for her friends.
Strix giggles. Giggling is fun! "When have I ever wasted time screaming, and crying? I'm not going to start now at least, I've got work to do...Maecy still needs the Silkcutter made for her, and it's not quite done. I'll have to finish it up soon. I think I've got some ideas for it now" She rubs her paws together "It's gonna be awesome"
Erika sighs again, then forces a bit of cheerier voice: "I know, May. It's fine." She pauses, then gives Nesseth a nuzzle: "Indoors feels wrong for me. I'll be outside, love."
Nesseth hums warmly and gives Erika a passable imitation of a kiss as she nuzzles him. "Alright, dear. I'll come out in a little bit, I think."
Maybelline hums quietly, "Oh you're helping Maecy with the silk too, eh? Well, yes... yes you should do that for her!" She tilts her head to watch Erika go, glancing over to Nesseth as something else clicks. "Wait, love?"
Nesseth looks over at May as Erika leaves the clinic. "Hm? Oh, yeah. Erika and I are a thing, now... in addition to Vix... and Plume." He trails off a bit, a slightly sheepish smile on his face.
Strix: "Wait..that's a thing? There can be more than one at a time?"
Strix glance at May for a second, before returning a look to Nesseth.
Maybelline tilts her head further at Nesseth. "Well... for some folks. Louma and I are exclusive... but Nesseth is from a more open culture, where it's more of a thing, right?"
Nesseth blinks and nods. "Uh... yeah. Sometimes. Most folks prefer just one partner, but there are folks who can be a bit more open about things, as long as all involved are okay with it." He nods at May's question.
Strix: "Ah" Strix is 100% fine, and not saddened by this. Yup. Ignore the sad tail. Traitorous sad tail!
Maybelline does turn back to Strix with a sudden spin, "OH! I uh, I brought cupcakes and muffins, if you're feeling hungry. Hopefully Plume won't mind you having one? You did say you're feeling perfectly fine...?"
Strix: "Oh! Right. Yes!" That's a good distraction "I don't know what I can eat, but muffins sounds like a good start!"
Nesseth shrugs a bit. "You won't know unless you try. I'm a feral lizard and I fully intend to eat and enjoy a muffin, even if it might not be good for me!"
Maybelline goes to fetch the box, getting out a muffin and placing it with Nesseth, and then bringing the box to Strix and opening it to let her pick one out. "Y-yeah, I ran out to try and clear my head. I was pretty worried... I didn't even think you might think anything happened to me, or I'd have stuck closer, but uh... yeah."