Void Rift (rp) - Intermission

Abigail shoots a jet of fire at the unlit campfire before sinking back into her lava pool, the pool itself ironically providing more light than the campfire. Artemis holds a mushroom-stick over the campfire happily as Katie walks over to it.

"How was the desert?" I ask, offering a mushroom on a stick to Linoa. A small bite mark can be seen on the mushroom.

 

I clearly enjoy listening, gaining information on things I didn't know.

"Yeah."
Crystal agrees.

 

Once Stephanie finishes reading the chapter, she decides to close the tome.

"I think that's enough reading for one evening," Stephanie says, her voice sounding a little weak, "We should probably go join the others. It looks like Crystal's back too."

Stephanie gets up, looking back at you as she takes a few steps toward the campfire Artemis, Katie and myself appear to be sitting around.

 

"Better without Ms. Ruby the Second over there." Linoa says bluntly, declining the mushroom. "Also, I'm sorry, but I stopped at an Anubi cafe while I was there. I'm not hungry."

Linoa hops off.
"Go catch up while I-"
She gets caught up in a conversation with Aj.

 

Abigail's lava pool simply bubbles occasionally, Abigail showing no sign of presence.

"What was the cafe like?" Artemis asks curiously, roasting a mushroom.

 

"Pretty nice, they grew their own tea and herbs there, and their sandwiches were pretty basic but tasty. Bread's made right there in the shop, and the torchlight kinda sets a unique atmosphere."

 

"Really? How did they grow it?" Artemis asks happily.

I decide to summon a bag of marshmallows and open it, piercing one onto a stick and caramelising it over the fire.

Katie gasps, "Can I have one? Please?" She asks hastily, looking at the marshmallows.

"Sure thing." I say, throwing Katie a marshmallow. Katie decides to put it and a mushroom onto a stick, cooking them both.

 

"The roots dig into the ashen soil, with little holes drilled for well water to get to the roots. Beyond that, they use solar magic to let the plants photosynthesize from the torchlight, even though they burn no brighter than a standard burning stick." Linoa explains. "It's all underground, too, which I find incredible. Everything's underground."

 

"That's quite amazing. It seems like a less-powerful version of my powers." Artemis says happily, growing a rose beside her.

"Do you play any instruments, Linoa?" I ask casually, quickly taking my marshmallow away from the campfire before it gets set on fire.

 

"It's all in a desert, too." Linoa says, respectful towards the Anubi.

"No, I don't. Music was kind of lost to the Hive Master. I'm just a fighter."

 

"Oh. We were going to have a jam around the campfire a bit later; Katie's going to sing some songs." I say, slightly disappointed.

"I don't mean to sound too egotistical, but water guardians are naturally gifted with beautiful singing voices." Katie says happily.

 

Linoa nods.
"You know, there used to be a preserver who'd been a bard. They were cursed to lose their voice's power."

 

"That's horrible!" Katie says, shocked.

"Is everything with the preservers meant to be ironic?" I ask, "Because honestly, the Hive Master knows how to run a good joke if it is."

There's a slight murmuring sound from Abigail's lava pool.

 

"Kind of. The Hive Master knew how to screw over each and every one. Like, the aromatherapist lost his sense of smell, and the general who tried to impale herself to quicken her death now is cursed to only be able to use her lance - after she yanks it out of herself first. There's even one of them who was cursed to live beheaded, only relying on their sense of touch."

 

Artemis seems rather disturbed by what she hears.

"Uh, g-guys, I'll be r-right back." Artemis says, looking a little pale in the firelight, before getting up and heading off into the dark of the forest.

"Artemis, are you ok?" I ask after Artemis, getting up and following her.

Katie giggles as her marshmallow melts over her mushroom, causing the caramelised layer of the marshmallow to cover the mushroom.

 

Linoa glances off in that direction, worried.
"Didn't mean to sicken her. Does our situation really seem that sickeningly bad to you?" She asks Katie, confused.

The armadillo-wolf, noticing your disappearance, tries its luck with getting food from Katie.

 

"Well...you did mention someone who had to pull a lance out of them and someone who's beheaded but still alive." Katie says inoffensively.

Linoa can just about hear the sound of puking in the direction Artemis and I went, followed by consolation and more puking.

 

"Well, it's true. Plus, Sapphire used to be crippled until she made herself artificial legs."
"D-don't shame me p-please..."
"There's nothing shameful in circumventing your curse."

 

"Can you change them into sea legs?" Katie asks jokingly, sitting back away from the fire before putting her legs out and changing them into a fish tail.

A pair of eyes peek out from Abigail's lava pool, before sinking back under.

 

"N-no, but everyone calls me Nessie when I r-revert..."
Linoa seems to be staring straight at Abigail as she peeks out.