World Tree MUSH

    They loomed over the curious object like one would examine a freshly shaken snow globe, clicking with disapproval. "Ah, that one always was strange. What do you think they get out of playing with the Shaped?"
    "Unsure. But if they wish to play at being a moon..." The second one reached out, curious at an event happening at the very periphery of the gossamer dome that defined the borders of Home's sky "...is this... New?"
    The other one examined the new bulge on what they had considered a tumor in the vast untamed spaces of the Wyld with a sigh. "Time is still difficult. Probably?" And so the two ineffable unshaped things peered in on the new thing, great presences in the untamed sky...
    At the center of the little pocket of shaped reality was Syd Fortis, chanting in the Old Tongue, willing the spider-silk threads to coalesce from the chaos into patterns more suited for mortals to exist in. If such things were being spun into thread, then Syd was the spinning wheel pulling them into coherency. And he needed protection from the Wyld things that would surely object to the intrusion and destruction of their local eternity. So he had asked for companions to see to it that he was not disturbed while the shaping happened.

     The white haired woman was on high alert, body tense and cautious. To keep the nervous energy from exploding she's taking the time to braid the long mess of hair back messily. She takes a few steps, stalking in a wide arc around Syd like a large feline. She's actually wearing shoes! Her face is betraying her nerves. To self soothe she hums quietly an old melody that sounds similar to a lullabye.

    Dante didn't need much convincing to help Bea and Syd, when they filled him in on the situation. He keeps calm and carries on, clutching Rebellion in hand while he stands alert and waits. There's always gonna be some nasties that come out to greet them, it's just a matter of when, not if. So Dante's just pulling security. He also listens to Bea's tune, bobbing his head to the melody.

    He wishes he brought some tunes.

    To say that the Wyld contains all possibilities is accurate, though it is not often one has to contemplate precisely what that means in practicality.
    Case in point: Humanoid shapes emerge from the misty boundaries of the mountain valley Syd is crafting, bearing lanterns and wearing hooded robes with bright and colorful patterns that dance along the fabric. And they're singing, though not the lullaby that Beatrix is humming and Dante is enjoying. The melody is strange and seems to have a life of its own. The figures bear lit lanterns, in spite of the light of the Midnight Sun at noon pouring over the newly born lands.
    "In noreni per ipe. In noreni cora. Tira mine per ito. Ne domina." Or so the ear can discern of the lyrical ambitions of the music. There is an air of the primal in the singing.

    The moment Dante hears spooky latin, he's up and alert with his sword. "We got company." He says casually, as he gives Rebellion a twirl while approaching the source of the singing, those shadowy figures. Dante being Dante, he's going to just address these guys. "If you're not here to help, then back off." Dante calls out, "Otherwise, I think I can manage a little scrap. Let's see how ugly you guys get." A smirk grows on Dante's face as he motions the robed men closer, taunting them.

     The tall woman nods at the misty kaleidoscope patterns of figures. Her voice comes out softly "Be wary of them." she gestures, standing straight and moving a hand up at chest level with two fingers raised, thumb out, two curled to her palm in a modified 'Be not afraid' mudra as if prepared to try to negotiate should they get hostile. She is not aggressive, but does look prepared. She still seems almost cattish with her body language. "Do not strike unless they strike, the rules are unclear at this moment but should calcify soon." she offers to Dante, reaching with her left hand to gently touch his chest to make sure he heard her. "Please do not start a fight, but should one arise, do not hesitate to quash it." she clarifies with her face pulling into a somewhat stormy displeasure.

    The figures don't move with any hostile intent, but neither do they really respond to Dante and Beatrix. They gently form a circle around Beatrix, Dante, and Syd, singing. With that singing comes apparitions of stories. Stories never told in the past, new and frightening ones of a world where the cycle of betrayal begins with the gods' rebellion and the Exalted's victory. Of Great and Terrible curses. Of a Contagion that swept across the plane of Creation. Of the enormous consequences of becoming a Scarlet Empress.
    They watch the singers come upon the trio. "Do you think that we've been telling the wrong stories?"
    The other muses "T'would be more interesting than the vast infinity of Shape that our cousins made."
    When the story's phantasms have completed, showing but an corrupted world polluted with a green sun, the singers fall silent, watching Beatrix and Dante expectantly as Syd continues weaving new pieces of the world. Overhead a strand of brilliant gold strikes down into the mountain like a bolt of lightning, crackling with newly defined existence.

    Dante looks confused for a second as the men show little hostility, and he stows Rebellion on his back as he watches them warily. "Huh. Was expecting demons." He shoots Beatrix a nod, before he begins to back up slowly toward Syd. "We're uh...well, I'm just here as muscle. They can explain what we're here for better than I can."

>> GAME >> Syd Fortis spends an Edge for: Adding On To Home

     The projections of Contagion and curses makes a few tears form at the edges of Beatrix's eyes. Like she'd lived those curses and fought that contagion for longer than any person should ever fight anything alone. The Scarlet Empress doesn't seem to overly move her, like its a fiction she's never heard of, but she just breathes for a moment. The lightning strike causes her to jump, visibly frightened for a moment. "I admit my deficiencies as a fighter and confess it brings me comfort to have assistance protecting the person I adore more than any other. "They.. thrive telling stories and living them. Syd's ability to form their flowing stories into hard reality offends them, Lord Dante." Beatrix smiles, closing her eyes for a half second to get her wits back and refocus. 
      "I think you've told interesting stories, fair ones." she rubs a section of arm that is covered in moon silver as if there should be a scar there. "The stories are infinite and ever flowing. With luck more interesting stories will become available. No more painful tragedies though." she murmurs. "Hopefully." she smiles "Thank you for not being too quick to fight."

    One of them produces a trinket for Dante, a small thing that looks like an effigy of the devil-blooded warrior, though not a literal mimicry. It is instead through the lense of how that particular raksha sees the world. A swordsman with a golden sunburst tattoo on his forehead, wielding an oversized revolver made of tarnished brass and an oversized short-sword made of a luminous silver. One might even think of it as an action figure.
    Another says to Bea. "We came to the music." They gesture at Syd. "... His song of creation." And then at Beatrix. "... your song of motherly love." And lastly at Dante "... his heart beating a song of battle and glory. It would be rude not to share a song of our own."
    As one, they bow politely in thanks, and walk onward through the border mists.
    The work continues, with strange threads being worked into the landscape. To Beatrix' eyes, they seem to be patterened after the magical materials that Autochthonia and the Alchemical Exalts are made of.

     "If.. you wish to hear me sing, I will sing for you when you request so long as I am not too busy." she offers, bowing her head, politely. "You know I lurk in the edges of your world and ours when I am learning new things. She admires the curious creatures chuckling "That looks like moon silver." she murmurs looking over the figure, rubbing her chin in thought. "They've triggered a curiousity." she mumbles, chuckling. She curiously looks at Dante, her eyes fogging as she tries to figure out if he has essence like her or Syd. She glances at Syd and then at Dante.

    "Just Dante, thanks." The white haired demon slayer asides. "My dad had plenty of lordly nonsense as it is." He takes the trinket after a pause, inspecting it before eyeing the one who handed him the item, "Huh. For me? I'm touched." He says, before stowing the drinket. It feels oddly familiar to him for some reason, but Dante pushes those thoughts to the back of his mind for now as he offers the monks a two-fingered salute. "Sorry about before, adios fellas."

    He offers Bea a shrug. "I'm half demon, thank dad. He helped defend humanity a long time ago, sealed the human and demon worlds off with a big-ass tower."

    There's a world-shaking pop as something enters the sky, screaming downward to the earth.

    The watchers peer.
    "Did you do that?"
    "No, I thought you did."
    "Oh, well this should be interesting."

    The falling object is falling directly towards Beatrix and Dante, leaving a trail of fire through the web-crazed sky. It's not breaking up and it is about the size of two oxen.

     You know how a cat will launch itself? Beatrix actually jolts visibly to one side, bristling up. "What in creation is that? It's enormous!" she hisses out, form visibly rippling to look a bit larger than it actually. "Incoming!" she warns Dante, staring at the fiery ball. There are equal parts terror and curiousity on her face. She's racking her mind trying to guess what it could be. "We're going to discuss your paternity later, as its an interesting thing and may change my understanding of your state." she offers to Dante, not having so much as a hint of judgement or disapproval only curiousity.

    Dante is quick to react as he dodges to the side in a blur of movement. "Beatrix!" He calls out, just as the falling object hurdles towards them. "Talk about it later, move!" He calls out, before grabbing Beatrix and pulling her to safety. "Hope Syd ain't the jealous type!"

    The shockwave of the impact sends Syd flying, the weaving trance broken. He gets to his feet, rushing over to check on Dante and Beatrix. "You two okay?"
    The crater is smoldering with rising ash and shimmering waves of heat. Syd approaches cautiously and cat-like. "Never seen a meteorite fall in-person."

Beatrix lets out a less than lady like snort. "Syd would only be jealous if you gave me trinkets that caught his fancy. We're connected." she offers. Beatrix's body feels... off. Like she doesn't have proper bones. She squeaks audibly at being grabbed, and yanked. She pets Dante's arm thankfully. "I'm a bit more durable than a normal mortal but I do appreciate it." She breathes a deep sigh of relief at Syd being up. "What is it, dear?" she asks towards Syd, not rushing to his side but instead making sure getting out of Dante's arms won't muss his balance.

    Dante helps Bea to her feet before he dusts himself off, flashing a thumbs up at Syd. "We're good! Almost got hit by whatever killed the friggin' dinosaurs, but otherwise we're fine."

    "It's... " Syd starts to explain when there's shouting from the crater in the Old Tongue... or rather something like it. Dozens of arms as thick as tree branches pull a misshapen clay humanoid body the size of a small house out of the crater. Wild eyes of glimmering opal glare at Syd, Beatrix, and Dante, a half-melted mouth spitting curses as the clay man charges right for Syd.
    Syd's eyes go wide. "... What?!" He tries to dodge.

     The tall woman stares. "Thank you." she offers to Dante, earnestly before staring at the misshapen Clay. Beatrix breathes in, breathes out and moves away from Dante, looking angry, moving her hands rapidly as she focuses on her own heart. There is no mercy to her motions. She begins changing her body, rapidly getting bigger and heavier, scaled and quick. 
     The scales form armored plates as she gets bigger, bulkier, stranger. She looks a bit like an armadillo or a pangolin, but.. as big as a car. She tucks in, rolling at the monster as quickly as she's able to try to keep it from intersecting with Syd, making alien growly noises.

>> GAME >> Beatrix spends an Edge for: Time for Animal Mayhem (Armored Armadillo)

    Dante draws both pistols when he hears the yelling, and sees the clay humonculus. No hesitation, Dante starts blastin'! Ebony and Ivory open fire with bright muzzle flares announcing a truly hateful fusilade as Dante aims to tear the clay man apart with bullets, more bullets than a pair of 1911s should ever carry. Dante aims low, intending to shred the clay man's legs while Beatrix can smash it to bits.

    The clay man is shouting angrily. Syd does manage to dodge behind Beatrix, looking incredulous at the words the being is saying.
    Beatrix rolls through the clay man while Dante's bullets shred the.. mass that might generously be thought of as the monster's lower half. It stops for a moment, still...
    And horrifyingly, the clay man begins reforming itself. Bits slurp back into the main body and the damage repairs itself.
    "Beatrix, do you remember the Jadeborns' language?" Syd asks. He says something in the Old Tongue, along the lines of 'We're not enemies!'

The armadillo thinks, keenly before testing its voice. "Yes. I'm not great at it!" she answers before roaring at the monsterous creature, getting between it and Syd protectively. The strange language sounds a bit flowy and strange as she tries to explain that the group is not their enemy. She does pop out of ball mode, standing on her hind legs with vicious digging claws showing. The language flows further "I will stop the attack if you cease yours." she calls out in rusty jadeborn. It's a little disjointed like the words are hard for Beatrix. Like the language isn't meant to be spoken by humanoid mouths.

    "Pretty sure we jumped past negotiation here, guys." Dante says as he watches the clay man, just as Beatrix begins to speak its language. He doesn't follow any of it, but he does make a show of ceasing hostilities by stowing his guns and raising up his hands. He might just be prepared to throw hands if this goes sideways.

    The clay man shouts something that is almost intelligible. Accusations of being another Primordial trick. BUT, the clay man has stopped attacking, though his eyes remain wild and crazed.
    Syd furrows his brow, trying to remember. He looks at Dante and says quietly. "Hey, let's lower the guns for a minute."
    There's a loud snort from the Clay Man as he gradually learns the language that Beatrix is talking in. He moves up to Dante, squinting suspiciously at the man, smelling strongly of clay and rock "I don't trust this one. He smells like the Devas." While the word *sounds* like he is referring to angelic beings, the *tone* conveys contempt like when one references demons. Another snort, a gesture. "This reeks of the Great Maker's touch..." The clay man's mien relaxes a bit as familiar things calm him. "Show me then."

    Dante gets the message, "Hey, hey, no hard feelings." He says defensively, while he watches the clay man's reactions. He's trying to understand, but these languages are beyond his understanding for the time being.

The armadillo woman's shape shifts back to a woman. She tries speaking in Jadeborn still "I.. I would not tolerate such a ruse. I am forever scarred by the primordials' hubris." she offers simply, "They have hurt me, mine, and ours. They stole so much out of casual cruelty I'll never understand." she gestures at Syd. "My mate. The one who I am paired with. The breaker of Infinity. I am Beatrix. I have many ephitets.." She offers her hands to the clay man, offering the comfort of touch but not insisting or forcing. "Syd built this." she gestures at the land itself, repeating the last part in the common tongue. She looks to Dante. "He seems to have a special fate on his home loom." she agrees. "But from what I've seen, he's a decent man. We should encourage him to chase a worthy fate." she offers to the clay man, "Are you alright?" she asks the clay man, softly, expression soft. "Did we harm you too much? I thought you were going to hurt my mate so I apologize for the attack I launched." she murmurs.