Backdated to bone-flower clock liminal

[wolvering]

Tho—

[The would-be mental shout cuts off before the first syllable is even finished. There’s a brief pause, and then Pod’s actual voice comes back, and it’s all filtered away from baby Rose.]

Those spineless, mealy-mouthed, Hornet-hoofed, pustulant offspring of asps and dark mages! They can’t claim me! I belong to Kerras. I don’t—

Argh! Goddess curse them to never find rest nor hearth.

Comments

[fridgeninja]

... You got marked?

[wolvering]

Yes, curse them all to the worst of Gifnu's hells.

[The hot edge of anger is gone, replaced by sullen resignation. She's not happy, but she can't undo it either.]

[itsananimalthing]

[Yeah, Riddick knows what that ranting means. He sounds both amused and resigned when he responds.]

Welcome to the club, kiddo. Which one got you?

[He's pretty sure it won't be Moon, so that makes two people he cares about knows well, chosen by different Trumps than him. Not something he's happy about, really, though he's not going to tell Pod that off the bat.]

[wolvering]

I'm not sure. From what I can tell, it's a woman dressed as a Beast Healer sitting on a lion with some other animals. It's hard to see clearly without a mirror.

[itsananimalthing]

C'mon down to the forge, I'll see what I can do about a mirror for ya. Or some livestreaming, if you want, get you a better picture.

[wolvering]

I'll come down! A mirror would be very helpful.

[A little pause]

But maybe not the second part. I don't want to be like the purple man when he was... yelling about his.

[itsananimalthing]

[There's a chuckle.]

I can send a picture just to you, nobody else. But we'll do whatever you wanna do. C'mon over, I'll be here.

-> action

[wolvering]

Maybe. It's on my chest and side, a little bit, so...

[She lets that trail off purposefully, and certainly doesn't dawdle when marching over.]

Richard, I'm here!

[private]

[mysunnydisposition]

...did you talk to the lion too, then?

[private]

[wolvering]

I did. He gave me a ride and-- That was the Trump?

[private]

[mysunnydisposition]

Yeah, I'm pretty sure. He marked me too.

I... sort of agreed to it, but still.

[private]

[wolvering]

My overlay didn't even get asked. That was especially rude.

[A moment of silence.]

She probably would have agreed to it too, but...

[private]

[mysunnydisposition]

I'm sorry. It doesn't really seem fair to me when they ask infiltrators, either - they don't really know what they're actually agreeing to... But the Trumps never seemed like they were that interested in being fair. Or... not being rude.

Did he say anything to you?

[wolvering]

He gave me his name, but we didn't talk much after he rescued me. I guess he had a lot to do, if he was going around rescuing people.

[There's a pause.]

I don't think he's bad for a god. I'm just mad because I'm already sworn to a god and he didn't ask!

[teamsad]

Whoa! Uh... don't get me wrong, I completely support cursing about every part of this messed up situation, and great word choice by the way, but since you're doing it in our heads... you think you can back up and explain why you're yelling?

[wolvering]

One of the Trumps marked me, put a claim on me, and I belong to the Great Stag, not one of them! It's blasphemy!

[There's a pause.]

As powerful as they are, I guess they wouldn't necessarily have to defer to other gods, but it's still quite rude to claim someone who's already sworn to a different god.

[teamsad]

[ Jess pauses, and sounds more amused than anything else when she answers: ]

Have you forgotten they kidnapped us? There are a few things I'd call them before rude even made the list, but yeah, that's true as well.

[wolvering]

The gods do mysterious things sometimes. I don't like it, but if they needed us to help other worlds, that's less rude and more just... being a god.

[In Pod's mind, arguing with the gods really isn't a good idea, even if she can't hold back about some things.]

[teamsad]

Hah. The gods I know still get punched if they don't treat people like people. It's the only way they'll learn.

[wolvering]

By other gods, maybe, but I can’t imagine anyone getting away with punching a god where I’m from!

[awitchdidit]

I came here bearing a mark myself, and they simply put on another one. We are, however, only as "claimed" as we allow ourselves to be.

[wolvering]

I'm certainly not going to follow them!

[There's a long-ish pause.]

But what if their mark interferes and makes Kerras abandon me?

[awitchdidit]

Hm. I don't know Kerras. What are they like?

[wolvering]

Kerras of the Golden Antlers is the Great Stag and god of all beasts wild and tame, from the great Truedragons of the northern mountains, to the meekest mouse. He claims Beast Healers as well, and bestows on us the gifts we use to heal, and in turn we swear fealty to him.

Kerras is swift and powerful, but patient. We Beast Healers have as our charges all animals at his command, but part of that is understanding the order of the world. If a Healer interferes and heals a deer instead of letting the wolf pack take it down, the wolves will starve, and so on. ...It isn't always easy to do that, but!

That's part of why we Beast Healers all have a brother-in-fur. We help them, but they help us. They are a bridge between our human hearts and the sometimes harder lives of beasts. And other things, but I've wandered in my description a bit!

[awitchdidit]

Oh, don't apologize, he sounds wonderful! And I sincerely doubt such a wise and patient patron would forsake you because another claimed you against your will. A wild horse might be corralled, branded, even broken, but it would still be his, wouldn't it?