RITUAL 13 - the MOST high-stakes ritual of war and bloodshed

[crittersheep]

WHO: All y’all!
WHERE: The pasture!
WHEN: Day 38, high noon

[ dang! it’s been a while since any of the little empty-vessel sheep gained sentience and personalities, right? well . . . today you might find yourself pulled towards the fountain area in the middle of the meadow, where two little Rose sheep are very active, very aware, and capering on the rim of the fountain! one is wearing a headband with fake kitty ears and the other is wearing a headband with fake puppy ears.

also there is blood on the ground and they have fully summoned a demon already, each twin patting the head of the respective animal they favor. oops. there's two large, empty pet food bowls sitting on the ground in front of them as well, which is a little weird.

they speak in unison:]

“Did you know; did you know?”

[the cat-eared one smiles, very sharp.]

"Some rituals lately had a bit of a bite--wouldn't you say, Tot?"

[the dog-eared one is more... well, hangdog, though you think it might be exaggerating a little.]

"It's so easy to let yourself get distracted by emotions..."

"That's no excuse, Tot! All that energy, all that conflict--for what? Nothing serious happened."

"How could there have been…? There was… no food involved. At all."

"Eeeeexactlyyyyyy!!"

[the cat-eared sheep hisses. the dog-eared one staggers in despair and looks on mournfully, little sheep hoof held up earnestly over its heart.]

"...what if they had a reminder of what's really worth fighting for, Tater?"

"You don't think-- the food bowl-- they might really-- after a thousand years?!"

"Take a deep breath…! Even waiting since the beginning of the universe, we remember what's important…”

[and, once again together:]

"We're all made of meat!"

[they beam at you, little fangies prominently on display.]

"--oh yeah, if you didn’t catch it, my name’s Tater! Meow!"

"And my name’s Tot… woof…!"

"Do your best; the CatDog Demon is very hungry! Eeheeheehee!"


RULES | ROOMS | ENDGAME | WINNERS & PRIZES & PENALTIES

Comments

[finalbows]

I want to shine like a star!

[electricflock]

[trills]

Brightest in the sky!

[finalbows]

And the sea. ...or lake, in this case.

_{[ speaking of. they've soon come to a stop floating over the surface of the water. ]}

[electricflock]

[wraps his arm over angel devil’s shoulder, leaning over to look at the water down below]

3… 2…?

[finalbows]

1~!

<sub>[ down they go!!!

splish splash, dropping like a stone ]</sub>

[electricflock]

WHOO HOO!

[he reflexively holds his breath when they hit the water, but then he laughs a burst of bubbles and twists away with a swish of his tail. muffin pulls his shirt off and ties it around his waist to uncover his GILLS: one pair opening on his neck and a larger set under his ribs]

[finalbows]

<sub>[ Ooh, lookit those! That feels better, doesn't it? I know I already do.

the normal heat was fucking stiiiIIIIFLING but the cool water is like. wowzers. he didn't even realize how much he wanted to be in this water before he was in it. he experimentally sweeps his arms, trying to get the hang of a whole new kind of locomotion... it's much clumsier than his absolute grace in the air. ]</sub>

[electricflock]

[for once, Muffin actually tries to think back at Angel Devil. just a simple “way better,” but he doesn’t expect it to be heard. he’s a gryphon/temporary shark, not a psychic sphinx.

but he chirps aloud too! his bird calls especially carrying through the water like a dolphin’s clicks and whistles.]

Yeah! Feels like I was out-of-breath before.

[swimming back to circle angel devil with a shark’s leisurely ease— he’s had a couple laps in the lazy river to figure out his tail]

[finalbows]

<sub>[ Right? Though that sun's still pretty bright, only this far in...

He lets himself sink a little further down, with each sweep of his limbs. Lower definitely feels nicer. He openly admires the easy course Muffin's setting-- head turning to follow. A normal person might be harder to read, like this... but Angel Devil consciously goes out of his way to telegraph, to start with. Expressing 'interested' with a new body is just a new puzzle. ]</sub>

[electricflock]

[muffin follows him down into the depths, still circling. he shows off a little with a few loops and twists, doubling back over his long tail like a slower version of angel devil's chase after the light earlier]

Have to go deeper if you're going to shine! Sun is too bright for fair competition.

[finalbows]

<sub>[ He wants to touch that tail... is this how people obsessing over his feel. it's gonna have TEXTURE and yes he's delicate and squishy rn but he WANTS TO FEEL IT

He's getting the hang of moving like this, too. Though he's still leading them on deeper, he makes his way closer... waiting for a moment Muffin's relatively still...

he's gonna go for it.

Mind if I...? he says, which is a bit cryptic as to what he's asking right before he reaches out to run his hand over Muffin's tail. ]</sub>

[electricflock]

[muffin startles and darts forward with a swish of his fins, suddenly moving much more quickly through the water, but just as soon he's looping back around to brush his tail back against angie's hand, chittering. he was suprised! but the touch isn't unwelcome]

That's different! Feels— like you're touching my leg, back, and my tail at same time.

[finalbows]

<sub>[ extremely angie-typical eeheeheehee + shoulders shaking w mirth because of that absolutely superb startled fish zoomies response to the touch, 10/10. the odd bendy horns on his head reflexively came out, when Muffin dashed... it seemed like there were two, earlier, but with all of them out there's actually four. biblically accurate angel devil wanted to grab but wisely did not.

My, my. That's a lot of mileage out of one little touch. ]</sub>

[electricflock]

[chatters at him, laughingly gnashing his bristly little shark teeth. hey! hey!!]

I don't know how else to describe it!

[finalbows]

<sub>[ It's not inaccurate. A body like this feels sort of snug, doesn't it? Like you're wrapped up from the hips down. I don't dislike it.
...

as they've gone deeper, indeed, there's a subtle inner glow to Angel Devil's body that grows in strength, as they drift further down from the sun's light. In places, it's almost a rosy pink. ]</sub>

[electricflock]

Feels strong too though. Or mine is, is all muscl—

[WAIT BUT WHO CARES ABOUT MUSCLES WHEN THERE'S GLOWINESS]

Look! You really are lighting up!

[finalbows]

<sub>[ he looks down at himself. oh. there it is, isn't it. the brightest of the light is in his chest... it looks so much like it should feel warm.

technically, all of him has felt too warm, though his body has slowly begun to feel less stifled as they sank. but there in the hollow of his chest, is still...


an ember of c̴o̸l̴d̸ fire.


(insurance. of a power he can no longer reach alone.)

So I am. his mental voice is soft. ]</sub>

[electricflock]

[it does look warm...

muffin rests his fingertips lightly against angel devil's chest, admiring the glow behind the silhouette of his hand]

Have never seen a star that color.

[finalbows]

<sub>[ it feels nice and cool, despite the warm pinks and reds. there's also much more of a slick film he can feel touching Angie, now that he's underwater and properly hydrated. he leans in toward the touch.

I guess that makes this one special. ]</sub>

[electricflock]

[presses his palm flat over the light]

Is one of a kind.

[finalbows]

<sub>[ ...he closes his eyes.

I wonder if I can...

...the glow gets a little brighter. it's just magic, rather than a facet of his new biology. that smile looks pleased with himself, anyway.

Guess there's no chance of losing each other down here~. ]</sub>

[electricflock]

[chirps, wow!]

Now you're a guiding star.

[finalbows]

<sub>[ With a fearsome shark as my guard. Whither now, shall we wander...?

They're gotten close to the lake bottom, an unfamiliar world full of suggestions of objects beneath the heavy layer of silt. At the very least, there's gonna be COOL SNAILS and DELICIOUS FISH down here!!! ]</sub>

[electricflock]

[his catshark instincts are ALL ABOUT the snacks that run around on ocean floors. this is gonna be a walk AND a picnic. muffin swims a step away to get his hands into the silt, chittering at the weird soft feeling of underwater mud.

he trails in a circle around angel devil to point in different directions.]

Um... not that way, that way goes towards mist. Could head to forest, then loop back to pasture? To where river flows out.

[finalbows]

_{[ Oh! That'd be a lark. I've never followed a circuit like that from INSIDE the water... ]}