It makes some sense. You know a girl’s magic is intrinsic to their soul. Most girls just can’t tap into it without your help. But Alice isn’t an average girl. What if she was able to use a little bit of her magic out of reflex? She wouldn’t have been able to rewrite your mind or dominate you…But she might have had enough power to do something small and subtle—like a single idea in a passing thought? You might not have even thought it unusual. She could have struck when you were distracted or overwhelmed by some other matter. That simple idea could have been like the one mote of snow that falls in just the right spot to trigger an avalanche. Maybe that’s not the best metaphor for it. An avalanche in slow motion is more like it. One single thought leading to a small action, then another, and another—over years of time—it would explain everything: Feeling drawn to Alice, then the first shoots of emotions like personal enjoyment playing with her, then devotion to her—that paternal instinct, then more complex things like self refection and guilt.

But when did she do it? What precise moment did she change you? It had to be long ago…and she must have been stressed. You know some girls’ magic acts on reflex when they’re under duress. Jeanette’s performance when she became acquainted her powers earlier today was a good example of that…

Then, it hits you. All the way back. A screaming newborn infant laying in a puddle various fluids on cold linoleum, still connected to her mother—a mother who hated her, who saw her as an object--A mother who ordered you to “shut it up” with malice in her voice. Cold, wet, possibly hungry, alone, all alone, and scared…scared out of her little mind that’s why she did it. She must have been trying to using her magic to reach out for her mother. She found your arms instead.

-----------------------
You recall you found the whole event of Alice’s birth revolting. But yet you didn’t hate holding her afterwards. At the time you were disgusted by human fluids, their smells and textures especially, ever since you wound up coated in Ellen’s blood, as she died, on that frigid evening in London decades before ever came to know Titania. You remember Titania looked terrible that fateful afternoon, but she insisted on hunting. She didn’t want some other girl to get hurt, magical or mundane. Maybe it was a sincere desire or maybe it was the product of one of her periodic delusions. You didn’t care either way. She forced you to follow along that night under physical duress, just like every other night you spent alone with her. After all, your actions killed her friends. To her, you murdered Jessica. Titania wanted you dead, plain and simple. She gave up on trying killing you via conventional means long ago; she finally settled on waiting you out. She was going to keep you from making any more contracts. You had a lot of magic stored up from Jessica’s little group and the twins before you met her, not to mention the windfall from contracting Titania, but time and constant magic use—regenerating various injuries—would wear you down if Titania had her way. You taught her too many of your own abilities. She learned how to track you. She had gotten very good at reading your mind and she was always there, probing for any thought of escape. You might have had a chance that night, but you hadn’t thought that far ahead. Ironically, neither did Titania.

She made no preparations for her eventual labor. The poor girl spent her entire pregnancy in denial, something that was worsened by her fits. Sometimes, Titania would lose track of reality and wonder how she wound up in her current state when she came to. She did stop drinking, but only because it made her nausea worse. You knew her due date must be shortly approaching just by the size of her swollen belly, but you thought birth was still on the distant horizon. You assumed the evening you would be a night spent like many others. You were in for a surprise. Titania went about her work with gusto and fought like a woman possessed. The strange beast she found that night tried its best to escape, but fell to her blade in the end. You approached her in greeting after the battle. She didn’t acknowledge your presence. She was focused on something else. Something that became apparent to you when you drew close to her feet, poking at her shin to rouse her. Titania shuddered and groaned and you found yourself standing in a puddle of fluid. The smell was different and repugnant at the same time. You could feel it soaking into your fur.

Titania barely got back to the abandoned apartment building in time for Alice to arrive. All the while she forced you to offer what merger help you could. She twisted your arm, both figuratively and literally--If she pulled any harder she could have ripped it from the socket. You may have persuaded her to show you some mercy after you contested that you might need all your limbs to aid in delivery. Well…you learned more than you ever wanted to know about the female human and the “miracle” of birth. Looking back you were a bit traumatized, even in your emotionless state. You should have been disgusted to even approach the crying, sticky child, but you…felt…sorry for her. This child didn’t ask to be born. She didn’t decide to come into existence. She was alone, confused and doing what she had to do to survive. Just like you did by the side of that glen a lifetime ago. You scooped her up off of the floor and held the baby close to your chest. She stained your fur with her filth. You didn’t care. She wrapped her little limbs around you. It was…pleasant. She stopped sobbing. That moment must have been the beginning. You refused to get rid of the newborn no matter how much Titania threatened you. You weren’t capable of feeding the child, but somehow your warmth was enough to keep her going. She hung on for you. The rest is history. You found yourself in a cardboard box with the infant and a note that just read “My name is Alice.” Titania went off on her own way. She forgot or dropped her quest for vengeance. Her delirium was getting worse and worse after the birth, with fits coming on shortly after each other. Considering the state her mind was in, probably died or changed shortly after she left the two of you.
------------------------------------

Back in the present day, you’re in absolute agony. It feels like your mind and body are being ripped apart Judging by the many voices you can hear arguing with each other—all possessing your voice but completely disparate in message, it’s possible you really are being split apart into Alice’s protector: Octavian, the Magical Contractor: Octavian, and maybe even into others. You ignore that and the voices for now. Moving beyond your initial denial, you feel ambivalent about the news you received from the Durands. On one hand, you feel violated. Alice, like her mother, has trespassed into your mind-except, Alice has done permanent damage. She twisted you into something else, something new. But if it’s true, you’re not sure if you can call the changes damage. You still feel love for Alice, even if it’s not an organic feeling. You can’t really hold this against her. If you hunch is correct, she was too young. She didn’t understand what she was doing, or mean to cause something so drastic to happen. You know she would feel terrible if she found out that she “hurt” you.

She didn’t hurt you. She gave you a gift. You can finally understand humans. You know why they act like they do. You’ve felt happiness; you’ve felt love. You want to share those feelings with the people you’ve come to care for. In the past fourteen years, you’ve come to enjoy your life, rather than just seeking to live out of some simple biological imperative as you did in the other sixty-five. A gift is still a gift even if it was unwanted.

The noise has died down. You think you found a moment of inner peace. A nagging sensation tells you that you want to look into the Durands’ research; you might even want to go out on a limb and do some of your own. It won’t change the situation, but it might give you some closure. You might better understand Alice’s powers and in return better understand yours. Maybe that information could prove useful someday. Maybe you could use it to save a life for once…

You can feel hands running through you fur, along your cheeks and down the sides of your chest…and something wet. Fluids, water, tears, and blood--Why must you always get wet?
--------------------------------------------

You eyes slowly open. Alice is looking down at you. Her face is red and puffy in all the right places to suggest she was recently crying. Her blond hair hangs all around her head like a wet mop, and its dripping on you like one too. She’s transformed. She must have come running from the shower. You think you can hear her choking out your name, but your hearing is murky. You feel something on top of you. Someone’s wrapped you in a hand towel as a makeshift blanket. Its texture is rough compared to the silk on your sides and the satin on your back. The hands on your sides are wearing gloves, the soft fabric on your back that must be Jeanette. Her lips are moving. Her tiara is glowing. She must be trying to heal you. You don’t know if it’s working as intended, but the burning in your head has transitioned into a dull throbbing. The Durands are also on the scene. They’ve gave the girls some space, but are standing by in the periphery.

“…’Vian, come on. Say something; get up. Please God, save him.” That frantic, begging voice belongs to Alice.

You can’t really describe the sound you make in return. Your magic tries to displace the air, your normal method of speaking, but only causes a weird gurgling/rippling sound to exit your mouth at first. Alice looks inconsolable after hearing it. She must think it some strange death rattle. With great effort you finally make out the words “Sweetheart”, then “Alice”. Her expression eases up and you can hear her praising God out loud.

Still, how will you explain to her what just happened?
>Tell her a sliver of the truth: Her magic might have affected you in an odd way and after a stressful day, you got sick. Then ease her fears and concerns. You’re not mad at her and you love her.
>Tell her even more of the truth: That she might have altered your mind without understanding what she was doing. Reassure her even more.
>Tell her a white lie: You got tired from magical exertion. She remembers how tired she got at first when she used magic. You ignored your earthly vessel and pushed yourself even further. You just need to remember to take better care of yourself like you always remind Jeanette to do.
>Write in/Something Else.

>>3862572
>minor correction: The last paragraph of the opening post got cut off. I don't know how that happened, Sorry. IT should read

Still why do you feel different about Alice than every other girl? What changed? She contracted and…No, No, No. Why did you watch her for so many years? Why did you pretend to be her plaything? No you were her plaything. You enjoyed spending that time with her. She had great potential, but you could have gotten the equivalent amount of life from contracting many average girls over the same stretch of time. You made no promise to Titania to watch over Alice. It’s illogical. You wouldn’t have done that in your prior sixty-five years of existence. You clearly cared about Alice even before her contract…Maybe it is possible. Alice changed you in some way and you’re just in denial.

>>3862599
>Tell her a sliver of the truth: Her magic might have affected you in an odd way and after a stressful day, you got sick. Then ease her fears and concerns. You’re not mad at her and you love her.

>>3862599
>You have absolutely no idea what happened, and would greatly like to find out. Tell Alice (nicely) to give you moment to try and figure it out.
>Take a look at yourself, feel out your magical senses, ect, ect...
>Ask what happened after you... stopped.

Also. Goddamn. This quest is awesome dude! How deep will this rabbit hole go?

>>3862599
>Tell her a sliver of the truth: Her magic might have affected you in an odd way and after a stressful day, you got sick. Then ease her fears and concerns. You’re not mad at her and you love her.

>>3862599
>>Tell her a sliver of the truth: Her magic might have affected you in an odd way and after a stressful day, you got sick. Then ease her fears and concerns. You’re not mad at her and you love her.

>>3862759
>>3862882
>>3862914
>>3863176
>Closing the vote here. I will try to work the write in into the first response.

>>3862882
Thank you anon. deep

You take a moment to access your body. You still can't really move your limbs well, but...everything...seems to be in its rightful place. It would have been inconvenient if you actually did physically split apart in twain. There's no telling how much magic it would take to fix that. That is if you could even fix that sort of thing. Sure, you've been bashed, beaten, and chopped—mostly all Titania's doing—but she never tried splitting you into two unique sentient halves. Though, she would have found it amusing, if possible, especially during one of her giddier fits. She even would have put you back together again...eventually. One of you was hard enough to track at a time. And she might have taken some sick enjoyment out of it. Twisting, warping, and knitting living flesh, usually in the most horrific way possible, were among her specialties. You're puzzled why or how a tiny girl got that out of "I wanna fix Mama". However unnerving her skills were to the other girls, she impressed you. Her powers in some ways lined up with yours. So, you took it as an invitation to experiment. You began to take her aside after meetings with Jessica's little group. You began to teach her the skills you honed from nothing more than rough instincts over your lifetime—your art.

Titania became your eager apprentice. You had high hopes for her, to become something of a magical contractor in her own rite—an obedient puppet that could make puppets of its own. After all, you hadn’t the faintest idea how one became a magical contractor. You just gained consciousness one day. You don't know if you were created or if you were something else before this existence. You've never properly met one of your own kind, only seen and spoken with their handiwork. You were informed by one particular piece of handiwork, Hilda if you recall her name correctly, in the days shortly after your ‘birth’, that you were part of a secretive and territorial race. Those traits that were only exacerbated by the escalating war in Europe during that time. Apparently, at least one member of your species called Brittan home decades before you came to be, but he met his end to another one of your kind "sorting out an argument" somewhere in France. You did wish you could have inquired with her further—an informed magical girl is a rare commodity—or actually met her contractor. However, Ellen’s actions forced you to leave the country shortly after that. Apparently, your race—or just Hilda’s contractor—took a dim view on allowing a child to fly through the evening sky and very publically down German warplanes, even if they were strafing her country and killed her family in the process…Even if you didn’t put Ellen up to it, repeatedly warned her not to do so, and she was quite dead as a direct consequence of her actions.

Titania was an eager student, despite her anxious temperament; very curious about how the mind interlinked with the body and soul. She would often ask questions related to the subject. Despite her rapid early success with altering the human body, she had a lot more trouble with souls and was always preoccupied with the human mind. Her progress slowed to a glacial crawl. She refused your invitations to experiment on the local homeless population. She found such a thing unethical. However, she had no qualms about using herself as a guinea pig. One day, her questions just stopped. For some reason she didn’t have her usual zeal during your lesson. She was uninterested. She started acting more paranoid...well, more than she usually was.

Shortly thereafter, Jessica died. As things got worse and worse for the rest of the girls, Titania resumed asking questions—this time about magical contracts, about the system, and about you. Small questions, but they were telling ones when totaled together. You entertained them. She was your student after all. In retrospect, this was a poor decision. You misjudged how attached she was to the others; how much emotion motivated her. By the time the last of her friends fell, she had to have put everything together. You remember Titania burst into the old clubhouse to find you standing over Sophia’s comatose body. You both knew the older girl would never wake again. You remember the odd look she gave you, not a murderous glare. She looked blank; expressionless. You remember how roughly she seized you by the ears. You remember how her dress reeked of smoke and that you thought you could make out the distinctive fragrance of turpentine on her hands. You recall the pain of swinging by your ears as the girl ran faster and faster; not looking back once. She wouldn’t tell you what transpired or where she was going. She only spoke one word to you that evening: “Bastard” and was silent until the next morning. She wouldn’t let you go. That night was the first in your travels with Titania.

She might find herself proud of her unwanted child, who is now squeezing your face even harder, both for the type of power Alice developed and for the possible indignity she may have forced upon you. You try to sit up to wriggle from her grasp, but the effort is in vain. You're legs aren't playing ball. Jeanette feels this and slides a hand on to your chest to keep you from trying again. Two of her fingers sandwich themselves around your paw. She gives you a much gentler squeeze for reassurance. You make that peculiar sound again before stammering out “Alice…too…tight.” The girl ceases her praise and exhalation for the divine to apologize to you; her grasp eases up. You can feel Jeanette’s thoughts attempting to snake their way into your mind. Not only can you not support the mental connection, even trying to use your magic in that way rewards you with a new sharper ache. Your whole body winces. Well, so much for communicating in that way. In response, Jeanette’s hand starts rubbing your chest and you’re greeted with a warm tingling sensation. She must be putting more force into her magic. The older woman’s eyes speak volumes. She’s clearly troubled by all of this, she probably really wants to talk about so many things, and she’s sorry for trying that.

Jeanette’s voice is wearier than usual “We’re both here for you, Octavian. Just rest, okay.”

Immobile for the time being, you turn to your senses to try to get more data. You sense of smell for magic is useless here. Alice’s raw power overwhelms it. You invite more pain to try a more difficult approach. You try to see any magical connections between Alice, Jeanette, and you. You can see a connection between yourself and both the girls. Of course that would be there. You grafted part of your soul into theirs when you made them magical girls. However, there’s no connection between Jeanette and Alice. You don’t quite know what to make of that. Jeanette could be free of any mental influence, or Alice’s power works on a different level. Maybe the evidence of such a thing is temporary. You would have had to go looking for traces yesterday in Jeanette’s case or fourteen years ago in yours.

Annoyingly, one thing you’ve noticed over your lifetime is that human magic was a very personal thing. While, there were some small abilities many girls shared in common: enhanced strength and durability, faster reflexes, often beyond that limited flight ability, and minor alteration abilities, no two girls’ magic developed in exactly the same way. While many girls could jump, hover, or fly—no one else flew like Ellen could. While many girls could enchant an object or alter their costumes, you’ve never seen a girl change a weed into a rose, and then that rose into an actual sword before Alice did just that. While girls could have similar abilities often their magic made them work in completely different ways. The twins both wielded elemental magic, but one used incantations to draw the elements forth, the other summoned it into her fists. You gave up on trying finding the mechanism that dictated these differences long ago—although you suppose personal differences in human souls and wishes tied into it—instead you spent your time studying your own magic, and making yourself a more effective contractor.

While that was all well and good, it didn’t help you in your current situation. You hadn’t the faintest idea how Alice’s mental ablates actually worked, beyond that she has them and has used them in the past on Alonso and quite possibly on yourself. You did have mental abilities of your own: telepathy, mind reading, and you could even warp human perception for small periods of time—in essence making yourself disappear or creating illusions. However, these were nothing like Alice’s powers. You had experimented with concepts like mind control. On paper, it should be as simple as altering the human body, and much less difficult than the soul. But in practice it was a different kettle of fish. All of your experiments—mostly on human witnesses, saved by your magical girls—went downright batty after your efforts. You made one attempt at doing something like that to a magical girl but it was hard to tell exactly what it did. She was a touch crazy beforehand—an emergency contract, one you’re not exactly proud of. Okay… maybe she was a total loon in retrospect. In the end, you couldn’t fix her and she wound up committed to a sanitarium somewhere. She probably didn’t last much longer than that. You weren’t too broken up by her departure. She was useless to you like that. You were also planning on testing your mental abilities on Jessica once you realized the nature of her trauma. However, that girl ran before you could try to delete or alter her memories. Even considering her fate, that was probably for the best.

Maybe someone in the room noticed something telling about your condition. You decide to query the room. “So…What happened after I…” You’re making the strange sound less frequently. At least your voice seems to be working again. However, you stumble looking for the right word to describe what just happened. “…What happened after I just…Stopped?”

Jeanette’s the first to answer. “I left you with Sam and Jon for a minute and ran off to get Alice. You just stopped doing anything. Apparently, Sam’s trained as a medic, but he didn’t know what to do with you. You started to feel cold to the touch so Alice and I tried to warm you up. When it wasn’t working, we both tried magic. You were out for about five maybe six minutes. What happened to you, Octavian?”

“I really don’t know and I would obviously like to find that out. I wouldn’t want to go through a repeat of that.” Some of that’s a lie, but the trepidation in your voice is very real.

Alice’s head fills your vision, becoming gigantic as she draws closer to you. A precocious smile is on her face. “Octavian, you’re making you thinky face, like you do when you get ideas. Surely, God told you something.”

She’s learning how to read your expressions like a book—like her mother could. “He didn’t tell me anything…but I have a hunch. As your guardian angel our souls are entwined in a special way. Most humans don’t have magic and most guardian angels don’t walk around in an earthly vessel. I think collectively this caused some sort of rare side effect. I think your magic affected me in an odd way and after a stressful day, I got sick.”

“W-w-what? What does that even mean?” Alice blurts out.

Your voice takes on a pleading quality. “Alice dear, I know you didn’t mean to hurt me and you had no intention of doing so. But I think your magic did something weird to my mind and I lost control of my magic for a little while; the magic I use to move this body. It hurt a lot too, but I’m not mad at all. I won’t let this be a problem again in the future. I’ll figure something out. Please, don’t cry. I won’t think of leaving you. I’ll always be your guardian angel. Sweetheart, I want you to know that whatever happens…I love you.”

“Octavian” She grumbles. For the first time, Alice has outright ignored one of your commands. She’s crying again.

“Jeanette, a little help please?” The older woman must have understood what you were getting at, as her hand move your body for you. As if you were a normal stuffed animal. She pushes you towards Alice’s shoulders in some semblance of a hug. Alice takes a hold of you. Eventually, Jeanette stands up and wraps her free hand around Alice too. All of this emotional reassurance for Alice and Jeanette in the past few days is wearing on you, but you figure you’re finally living up to your plush form. This is the job of a real stuffed animal, after all.

When your little moment subsides you decide to turn your attention back to the Durands. You only hack out that noise once before stating. “Gentlemen, I would like to see that research of yours.”

Alice immediately interrupts you. “Octavian, don’t even think about it. You’re sick and I got sick, so that means I have to make sure you get better. So, you’re coming to bed right now.” Her serious tone reminds you too much of her mother’s. This time, there’s no lingering threat of violence—only a lingering threat of snuggles.”

“….Maybe later” you add to your previous statement. “I’ll be up in the early morning.”

“Nu-huh! You’re going to stay in bed with me till you get better.” Alice certainly is cute when she’s pouting. Well at the very least you’ll pretend to humor her. In all reality what just happened to you was the closest thing you’ve ever experienced to sleep. You say your goodnights to the men as Alice walks off with you back to her temporary bedroom. Jeanette does the same and follows the girl.

Once you’re all back in the room, Alice hands you over to Jeanette and temporarily departs for some reason. Jeanette dispels her transformation and pulls you close to her chest. “I really thought I lost you back there.”

“Jen…thanks.” You can feel her grip around you tighten, before a door opening and closing interrupts you. It’s Alice carrying a bundle of clothes. She dispels her transformation and confirms one of your earlier hunches…Jeanette must have interrupted Alice’s shower…as Alice is standing around as naked as the day she was born.

”Sweetheart” Jeanette hastily covers your eyes and probably closes her own.

“Oh sorry—I forgot. It’s not that big of deal. I mean you’re my Mom now so it’s okay if you see me naked and Octavian’s seen me before.”

“But” Jeanette stammers out amid the rustling of clothing.

“He is my guardian angel. He supposed to be watching me all the time. He can probably see me even though you’re covering his eyes. Because that’s his job…And he’s kind of been in my room as long as I can remember. Where else was I supposed to change?” The hand comes off your face and you are handed back to a now pajama-clad Alice. She takes you with her as she gets into bed. “You know Jenny…” the girl continues. “…Octavian’s your guardian angel now too. So that means he’s going to see you naked too.”

You didn’t know a person was capable of turning that many shades of red at once. She displayed almost as many different hues as the number of times she stated “what?” in the proceeding seconds. If you weren’t starting to ache again you might have half a mind to tease the woman. You’re beginning to understand why Sophie had so much fun teasing Jessica. Instead, you just bury you face in the crook of Alice’s arm and state “I promise I’m not looking.” Jeanette doesn’t take a chance and heads off to the bathroom in a huff, returning a short while later in her night gown. She settles down on top of the sheets wrapped up in her little blanket like yesterday.

Alice says a short prayer and states” ”Goodnight God, goodnight Mom, goodnight Octavian” before her eyes close and she drifts off to sleep. However dull and achy you feel you don’t get such a privilege. How will you spend your evening?

>You really should rest the entire night. You don’t want to be in pain tomorrow. (time skip/gives a minor bonus to some rolls tomorrow)
>Jeanette’s still awake. Earlier she looked eager to talk about the Durands’ information. She’s been good to you, so you should do your best to ease her concerns. Or just address whatever is on her mind. It shouldn’t hurt to just talk…and you kind of like talking to her.
>You did want to see that research. Jeanette will want to come with you. You’ll both have to be careful not to wake Alice.
>Wait until both girls are asleep to visit the Durands. You did tell the men early morning after all. They will be up. They have a lot of work to finish before tomorrow.
>Maybe it’s not the best idea right now, but for some reason you want to practice with your powers. You’ve gotten rusty after fourteen years of torpor. And if you wind up in combat, giving up because of a little pain isn’t an option.
>Write in/something else/some combination of options

>>3865233
>Jeanette’s still awake. Earlier she looked eager to talk about the Durands’ information. She’s been good to you, so you should do your best to ease her concerns. Or just address whatever is on her mind. It shouldn’t hurt to just talk…and you kind of like talking to her.

>>3865347
Suppin'

>>3865233
>Use your new found sense of humor to find Alices comment funny.
>Jeanette’s still awake. Earlier she looked eager to talk about the Durands’ information. She’s been good to you, so you should do your best to ease her concerns. Or just address whatever is on her mind. It shouldn’t hurt to just talk…and you kind of like talking to her.

>>3865233
>You really should rest the entire night. You don’t want to be in pain tomorrow. (time skip/gives a minor bonus to some rolls tomorrow)

>>3865233
>Jeanette’s still awake. Earlier she looked eager to talk about the Durands’ information. She’s been good to you, so you should do your best to ease her concerns. Or just address whatever is on her mind. It shouldn’t hurt to just talk…and you kind of like talking to her.

>>3865347
>>3865470
>>3865610
>>3866476
>>3865782

>Closing the vote. Talking with Jeanette wins.
Just to be clear there isn't any trap in staying up or any of the voting options. I just like to indicate if there is a possible complication due to your actions(requiring a dice roll) or Octavian's thoughts behind the choice. Take for example practicing with your powers. The first statement just indicates the DC's will be higher than normal (along with Octavian's thoughts on the choice), but in return you would get better rewards for relearning how to use your powers under stress.

>Also how's the bits Octavian's backstory coming across in the past few updates? He's supposed to be a bit scattered and frazzled due to in essence failing a SAN roll and winding up in agony from the mental backlash. I've been trying to balance that with making the information digestible. If you have any questions or need something cleared up, just ask.

I hope I can get something out Tonight, but I might be free tomorrow. So, a Saturday update is possible for a change.

>>3866503
All's fine! Don't work yourself too hard, now.

You remain still for a little while, waiting to make sure Alice is deep in the throes of sleep before you get up to any nocturnal activities. Mentally, you chuckle a little bit at Alice’s earlier antics. Seriously were does that girl get some of her ideas? You’re pretty sure you can recall coming across a tale in one old tomb in Matilda’s library about the dangers of unsupervised angels spending all of their time peeping on human women. While you have certainly taught women magic and you’re currently laying betwixt two of them—however, in a much different and less metaphorical sense. You certainly haven’t sired any giants...yet...at least, none that you know of. Alice alone will suffice for the time being. Hopefully that should be enough to forestall the need for Alice to take up magical shipbuilding, along with art of sailing, zookeeping, and animal husbandry.

Although in an odd way she did have a point. You have been watching over Alice for all that time. You’ve seen and known just about everything about her, nakedness included. Heck, during your time in the box you were baby Alice’s combination rabbit shaped towel, outfit, blanket, and companion. Maybe, you really are her guardian angel in a sense. (It wasn’t a lie. It was just your heart speaking its truth in a manner she could comprehend.) You’ve Alice saved twice now—no three times. Titania would have killed the child. You’re sure of it. Even if she didn’t outright kill the babe, she would have left Alice in a dumpster to starve or freeze in the winter weather. Even if Alice compelled you chose her over your old life, it was still the right thing to do. (Of course! Saving your daughter was an obvious choice.) The warm feeling in your chest when you’re around her is payment enough for your time.

After a few minutes, it’s obvious Alice is sound asleep and Jeanette is anything but. You can feel the older woman tossing and turning on the mattress. Partially, you think her blanket is to blame—It is a little too small for her. You’re not entirely sure why she doesn’t get underneath the covers with Alice and you. She doesn’t strike you as the type with untoward motives and you doubt that anyone present would falsely accuse her of such a thing. You can understand her caution, but Jeanette is Alice’s mother now; if not in the eyes of human law, she is in the eyes of the person who truly matters. Jeanette did want to talk earlier. Maybe that’s what’s troubling her. You should see about that. While you’re still not feeling in tip-top shape, talking shouldn’t kill you…And you feel like you want to. Chatting with Jeanette is fun in a way, when one of the two of you isn’t moping about something. Even then it’s nice to have someone to commiserate with. You certainly can’t throw any stones over the past few days since your emotions have surfaced…You like spending time with her. That’s why she’s your human friend, is she not?

It takes something of a Herculean effort to free yourself from the covers in your weakened state. You wind up dragging yourself forward on your front paws and crawl across the pillows in the same way to Jeanette. She takes immediate notice of both your presence and your method of locomotion. Maybe, now would be a good time for some humor. You put on your best toothy, predatory grin before whispering to her: “So as your new guardian angel and by Alice’s decree, I believe it is firmly with in my duty to get to know you in a more full sense.” You tug at the corner of the blanket with one paw and the loose strap of her night gown for good measure. “So any objections or desires you would like to voice before we continue with this?” You let your rapacious grin turn into a silly one. Hopefully, that should convey your sarcasm.

She smiles and playfully flicks your ear, which actually hurts in your enfeebled state. “You perv! You couldn’t just stop with a look up my skirt. You couldn’t just window-shop; you had to have a taste of the goods…You had to come along and try to ravage me. You’re an insatiable beast in rut. No wonder why you look like a rabbit…As a woman, I must defend my virtue to the fullest extent of my ability…” She pinches both your cheeks and sticks her tongue out at you. “…like so. Otherwise I’ll never wear white again…” Her voice gets even lower, mumbling the next part under her breath. “…Although, I don’t think I ever will again…What man would want someone like me?” She continues on without missing a beat, covering her mouth with her hand to feign stifling laughter. You can guess she’s actually trying to hide her facial expression—a frown, no doubt. Despite noticing you look like a rabbit, she failed to consider that you might share the same acute hearing with the beast that shares your form. “So, why are you really still up, Octavian?”

You lamely drag yourself closer. You notice a sudden change in her demeanor when it occurs to her that your chosen method of locomotion wasn’t just for show. “Honestly…I still feel pretty shitty…and I saw you were still up. I know you wanted to talk earlier, Jen…And I want to talk with you; I don’t want to be alone.”

“Octavian!” Jeanette’s hand shoots out and immediately begins to stroke the back of your head where your ears meet your skull. “Octavian can I use my magic without transforming? I want to help you, but I don’t want to wake Alice.”

“Your healing magic, yeah…Just focus on…on whatever you do normally. It’ll come, just weaker.” As soon as you stop speaking you can feel a pleasant tingling numbness spreading from where her hand meets your head. Seconds later, it’s spread across your whole body. Compared to the pain it feels like heaven. Without any thought for your earlier conversation, Jeanette absentmindedly picks you up off the pillow and puts you belly down on top of her chest. She’s sort of cradling you on top of her breasts. You would make a fuss, considering her earlier reaction. But with her lying down, it’s easier to talk to her face to face like this. “So what was eating at you?”

“Honestly, Octavian. At first, I was a little scared about what I heard earlier. And then that happened to you…Do you think she got me too? Is that going to happen to me if I find out?”

“I don’t know. I have no bloody clue how Alice does what she does. Although, I used a bit of magic to look for mental links or anything out of place. I didn’t see anything off between you and Alice. Make of that what you will. I hate to keep owing them, but maybe the Durands eyes can come up with something better…I figure you might want to look over that fairy stuff with me? I don’t see how that pertains to magical girls at all, but any information is better than none…Oh and I don’t think you can have an episode like mine. Your body uses biological reactions to function. Mine uses magical ones. I need a degree of conscious mental control to make those happen. When the Durands broke the news…I sort of snapped and lost that control. That’s the best way I could put it. I hope that puts your mind somewhat at ease.”

“Yeah I’ll go with you. I mean you literally drug yourself out of bed to spend time with me, so I should help you out…And I kind of feel lonely too.” You feel yourself sink with her chest as Jeanette exhales deeply. “You know, Octavian. I was frightened at first. But my mind was already at ease before we even started talking. Even if Alice is mind controlling me, I’m okay with it. I don’t care.” She looks like she’s hesitating to say something.

“Jen, Jenny, Jeanette…” She smiles when you did that. “…You can talk to me about anything. We’re friends I meant that.”

“Like I told Alice, I’m sick. I’ve been depressed for a long time…as long as I remember. There’s a lot of things I’m happy about, but I don’t feel really, actually happy…I haven’t felt that way since I was a little girl. I just feel numb a lot of the time. There’s a lot of days when I wish I just stay in bed…but I find reasons to push myself along. When I was young it was dancing. In college it was Dan. After that it was the kids in my class. When I lost everything it was getting high one more time…now it’s Alice. I’ve screwed up so much other stuff. I can’t screw up being a mother. Even if Alice is forcing me to care about her, I wouldn’t have it any other way. I’m a shit person, Octavian. I don’t know why she picked me…”

“Because your not a shit person Jen. Come on! After all the things I’ve done in my life I think I’m qualified to make that assessment. Jen don’t be that way.”

“Whatever you say, Octavian. I know, I know…keep thinking like that and my powers break my soul…and you’re horrible for doing that me. Honestly I’m fine with all of this. I was just going hang myself, or blow my brains out. And even if I pussied out, it was only a matter of time before the drugs killed me; from what you told me they actually did…Then Alice comes along. She brought me back, she healed my spine and back, I haven’t felt any cravings or withdrawal symptoms…She actually wants to be my little girl. So, she took my free will away. So what!—She’ll make better choices for me than I could…And if you’re right and she’s not controlling me…maybe I wish she was. It’s possible that if she took over my mind, my depression would go away, or she could make me not think about it. Maybe I could ask her to do that for me.”

“Jen, if Alice knew how to heal your depression she would do it because she could and ask nothing in return. Alice is that type of girl. She felt terrible about Alonso. She’ll feel even worse if she finds out about me or us. You should be happy you got daughter like her.”

“We’ve got a daughter like her. Octavian, Alice our daughter, together. And I meant what I said earlier about not taking her from you.”

“Jen…Thanks. I don’t know if you can comprehend how much that means to me…You know I have a hunch of when and why Alice ensnared me. If she took me over she had a really good reason for it.”

“Go on, Octavian?”

“The moment Alice was born, Titania wanted her gone. Alice was just laying there on the floor in a puddle of gunk right where she popped out. She was just bawling for someone to come to her. She was cold, scarred, a little bit hungry, and alone. Fuck I don’t even know why I know that’s how she felt (but I just do.) I think she tried to use her magic to get her mother to love her and pay attention to her…I think she got me instead. Jen…because of that I saved her life. Now I have a daughter, a real life, emotions, and a friend. I know how you feel, Jen. I can’t get mad at her for that—Even if I tried.”

“Octavian, you really are a good man.” She smiles warmly again, this time with a bit more color in her cheeks. The tingling gets stronger as she scratches at the base of your ears. Then, she sort of closes her eyes and lets her head loll back and off to one side. You’re not sure what this expression is supposed to mean. After a moment, she opens her eyes and stifles a giggle for real this time. “Like I said…a good man.”

“You know Jen. I don’t want to bug you, but when we get up to see the Durands I want you to eat something. You threw up again earlier…I know you didn’t mean to do it…But I want you to stay healthy, okay.”

“I’m fine, Octavian. You want me to start snaking late at night. I’ll get fat and uglier. Do you really think Alice wants a tubby, ugly mom…”

“Jen, you’re anything but fat…and I don’t think you’re being honest with yourself.” You notice your exact location again. Now she’s got you feeling kind of awkward. You can’t blush, but you hope you can be more articulate than she was. “I’m not exactly sure the most qualified to speak on this subject and most of my knowledge on this subject comes from gossiping teenage girls, but you’re not ugly by any of the standards for human women I know of.”

“You’re just saying that…”

“Jeanette have you looked in a mirror lately? You’re far from ugly. I think you fit the bill for ‘attractive’ or ‘hot’ as the kids called it. I could see how you could point out that you have some flaws, but yours are the opposite of fat. I can feel your ribs with my toes; your arms are bony too. It’s fine for you to gain some weight. Plus, I heard that on some girls it goes to the ‘right places’ I’m not sure what that means but it sounds good.”

“Uhm…breasts, hips, buttocks…thighs if you’re into that.”

“I’m not sure what I’m into. I don’t even know if I sexually reproduce…or if I even reproduce at all. That doesn’t matter. I’ll bet you’ll be a real knock out with ten or twenty more pounds. I mean your breasts are already large and Sophie made that sound like a good thing.”

“Octavian, who the hell is Sophie and how do you know my breasts are big?”

“Umm one of my old magical girls; Jessica’s best friend. And I know because I’m sitting on top of them.” You can feel her chest puff up. Her eyes dart around and go wide as saucers when she notices where your paws are.

Jeanette starts putting on her kaleidoscope of reds again. She almost raises her voice, but quickly quiets back down. “Who told you could sit there?”

“Nobody, but you did pick me up and put here. You know I still can’t move my legs.”

“I did, didn’t I?” Pity joins embarrassment on Jeanette’s face. “Okay pervy rabbit. You get a pass on molesting me for the time being…”

Something comes to mind and you decide to say it before she can change the subject. “Jen, I think Alice wants a healthy mom above everything else…” Looking in the woman’s eyes you think you struck a chord considering her personal history. You decide to continue after a brief pause. “I don’t think she cares if skinny or fat; ugly or beautiful…she just wants you to stick around to love her…And for the record you’re skinny and beautiful.”

“Damn you win Octavian.” She smiles and deflects with a joke. “Pervy rabbit knows how to push all of my buttons. How can an innocent maiden defend herself?” She stifles another laugh and can barely keep a straight face as she says sarcastically: “Violate me anytime.”

You both sit in silence for a few moments before Jeanette starts speaking again. “You know Octavian…” Her voice is wavering a bit. I thought of something I could do for money if I’m not really bad looking…Remember when I mentioned my old friend from dance class…the one who helped me score.” After going almost quiet, her voice gets mumbly in addition to wavering. Jeanette’s almost tripping over each word as it comes out of her mouth. Well, Claire’s an exotic dancer now. You know a striper. She said she could get me a job dancing if it wasn’t for my bad back…I don’t want to I really don’t. I know it’s a bad environment for me and Alice. I’m not sure if Claire uses or just helps her boyfriend deal. But it’s job that pays money. I wouldn’t have to go home with my hand out like a bum. I would do it for Alice”

This strikes you as a bad idea in any number of ways. What do you say?
>Jen I’m glad you’re thinking of Alice, but you really shouldn’t do this. Alice wouldn’t want her mom degrading herself for money. I don’t want you degrading yourself either. I don’t think any of us want to entertain any possibility that might put you around drugs either. From the way you put it, I think your Dad’s just worried about you as much as we are and he just wants you home.
>Jen you wanted to go back to Madison for a couple of days before we went off to your Dad’s place. We can help you look for jobs. There has to be something better. Maybe this Claire knows of other open positions.
>Money is money. It’s worth considering, but I think it’s sort of a bad idea too.

Afterwards what do you want to do with your night?
>Well you and Jeanette did want to get a look at that research and you want the woman to eat something. Go and get to that.
>You’re feeling better thanks to Jeanette. Maybe you should practice with your powers. You’ve gotten rusty after fourteen years in torpor. (Let Jeanette get some rest or bring her with you Y/N)
>You have some ideas and theories of your own about Alice. Maybe between you and Jeanette you can puzzle something out. And you know what helps late night brainstorming sessions—midnight snacks.
>Actually, you’re feeling like you need some rest after your episode. After all, you’re still having problems moving your body. Maybe doing anything else tonight is a bit ambitious.
>Write in/something else/some combination of options.

>>3867457
>Jen I’m glad you’re thinking of Alice, but you really shouldn’t do this. Alice wouldn’t want her mom degrading herself for money. I don’t want you degrading yourself either. I don’t think any of us want to entertain any possibility that might put you around drugs either. From the way you put it, I think your Dad’s just worried about you as much as we are and he just wants you home.
>Actually, you’re feeling like you need some rest after your episode. After all, you’re still having problems moving your body. Maybe doing anything else tonight is a bit ambitious.

>>3867457
>>Jen I’m glad you’re thinking of Alice, but you really shouldn’t do this. Alice wouldn’t want her mom degrading herself for money. I don’t want you degrading yourself either. I don’t think any of us want to entertain any possibility that might put you around drugs either. From the way you put it, I think your Dad’s just worried about you as much as we are and he just wants you home

>Well you and Jeanette did want to get a look at that research and you want the woman to eat something. Go and get to that.

>>3867457
>Jen I’m glad you’re thinking of Alice, but you really shouldn’t do this. Alice wouldn’t want her mom degrading herself for money. I don’t want you degrading yourself either. I don’t think any of us want to entertain any possibility that might put you around drugs either. From the way you put it, I think your Dad’s just worried about you as much as we are and he just wants you home.
>Actually, you’re feeling like you need some rest after your episode. After all, you’re still having problems moving your body. Maybe doing anything else tonight is a bit ambitious.

>>3867501
>>3867506
>>3867816
>I'm leaving the vote open for a little bit just in case any one wants to vote still.
As of right now

>Vote 1: option one is winning.
I'm not surprised. I know there was kind of an obvious answer. I almost wrote option one into the story, but I wanted to give you another choice related to Octavian's morality besides telling lies. Option one is the "good" choice, option two: neutral--by another position Octavian didn't just mean sweeping up or bar-tending, he actually left dealing drugs on the table. Option three was supposed to be the "evil" option, but maybe I didn't make him sound greedy/eager enough. It was a little hard to get that to jive with his current characterization.

>Vote two: Going to bed is winning by a one vote margin. I'm honestly a little surprised by this. I thought more people would be interested in the plot hook--research, or seeing what Octavian can do with his mental powers. I kind of just threw in "sleep" because it is something you could choose to do.
>If option two holds would you mind if you had one more choice (not one of the ones currently presented) before going to bed. Also there is the matter of eating with Jeanette to attend to.

I am shooting to get at least a short update out today. I'm spending some time out with my friends in the evening, so I have to leave the house by six. I'll keep an eye on the thread and announce when I lock the vote.

>>3867816
Changing 2nd vote to
>Well you and Jeanette did want to get a look at that research and you want the woman to eat something. Go and get to that.

>I'm going to close the vote here. If you still have anything to add on the second vote feel free to voice it as that won't come up exactly in the next update.

>>3868201
I hope I didn't coerce you into changing your vote. I did have something planned if anons didn't just want to time skip to tomorrow. a little bit of an extra choice of pov's. I'll run with the changed vote if that's what you'd like.

>>3868276
I just want to get started on this research subplot ASAP, since this could explain how Alice performed resurrection and possibly Octavian's own origins.

>>3868539
Very well. Right after this.
----------------------------------
Yeaaah, uh…no. This whole proposition strikes you as a bad idea on so many levels. The words come to you almost automatically. There’s no way you’re going to let Jeanette seriously consider this. “Jen, look I’m happy you’re thinking of Alice and I understand making sacrifices for her sake, but you’re right. This is a terrible idea; you really shouldn’t consider going through with it. I know Alice wouldn’t want her mom degrading herself for money. I don’t want my friend doing that either. I can’t abide by it in good conscience. Jen…I’ve exploited a lot of people to keep myself alive—I exploited you too when we first met. But you saw to it to forgive my transgression and you became my friend anyway. I’m not going to allow anyone else choose to exploit or harm you…even if it’s something you’re doing to yourself Jeanette.”

Jeanette’s mood brightens up a little bit. “That’s really sweet and thoughtful of you Octavian. Thank you. Hearing that means a lot to me. Seriously, I really needed to hear that.”

You smile back. “I know Jen, Alice and I care about you...” You let your voice get a bit sterner as you continue. “…Which is why I don’t want you thinking about entertaining any possibility that would put you around drugs, be it a job or anything else. Alice wouldn’t want that, I don’t want that, and Jen I don’t think you even want that either…” You pull something from a memory at the comer of your brain. “…Just say no.”

You don’t even get to finish your thought before Jeanette snorts with laughter. She immediately bites the edge of her hand and looks over to Alice. Thankfully, the girl is still stone-faced, frozen in sleep. Jen mutters out: “Okey-Dokey, Officer Octavian. I’ll make sure to be a good girl and do just that…In all seriousness, you’re right and I’ll listen. I really don’t want to wind up hooked on anything else. That’s why I turned down that beer earlier…But…” She’s really trying to stop the laughs now. “Where the hell did you hear that line?”

“Some class I went to.”

She looks at you incredulously “You went to DARE classes? When? Why, looking for sober contractees?”

“Well I went in a matter of speaking. I was present in the classroom, but I didn’t see anything…I was in Jessica’s backpack. She liked to take me everywhere when she was in middle school. That included class.”

“So you have been to middle school after all. Shame, I was hoping to put you through the curriculum along with Alice.” You can’t help but smile back at the grin Jeanette’s making.

“You can still try. I really didn’t graduate. And that was a long time ago—I think you would have been a really little kid then. I bet things have changed since I was there.”

“It always changes. It was changing when I was still working...Although…” She points to herself. “English teacher. Sure we get a new book now and then but it’s mainly the same-old-same-old from year to year. Now the math department—I feel for those poor souls.”

You both spend a little while quietly attempting to giggle with each other. Then, something occurs to you. “Jen, I’m sort of suspicious of this Claire person. Did she contact you out of the blue? Because someone tainted your drugs with magic, remember? I suppose it could be an accident…but that would be an awfully strange accident because the set up seemed a heck of a lot like a curse. Nine times out of ten, in my experience, curses aren’t accidents, especially death curses.”

“Wait…you think Claire cursed me? That’s impossible I’ve know her since I was ten and we were friends and…She…She always seemed kind of jealous of me…Until I got hurt. You think she might be a witch?”

“Jen she could be a witch, an old magical girl, normal person, or even totally innocent. I couldn’t tell the source of the magic from the drugs. However, if you can get me away from Alice, I could tell you if she has from smell alone. Heck, you might be able to sense her on your own if she really is running around with dark magic.”

“Well…whatever she is, I don’t think I want her around Alice. Claire’s been trouble since we were still kids. I guess that’s why I liked her. I was already in my rebellious teenager phase at ten and she was the older girl into black clothes, dark makeup, and smoking…But yeah, she texted me while I was changing earlier. Honestly, she just seemed really worried about me. She didn’t bring up buying drugs once. She kind of sounded like my Dad…”

“Jen, don’t stop; what’s the matter?”

“I just can’t help but feel like a disappointment…like usual. I just don’t want him to see me like this. I mean even if you take my old habit off the table, I’m almost twenty-nine, freshly divorced, with no job, no money, and now…a kid. I can only imagine the lecture I’m going to get when I walk through the door. I know he’s going to rub it my face.”

“Jeanette” you say solemnly. “From the way you put it earlier, I think your Dad just as worried about you as much as Alice and I. And if he knows a fraction of what we know about you, he has every reason to be worried for you. Jen, I think he just wants you to come back home. If it was me, and Alice was in your shoes, I would give anything just for her to come home safe. I wouldn’t care what she did and I would forget about any disappointment really quick. I would just want my baby girl at home with me.”

“Octavian” is all she makes out before looking down at her clavicle, lost in thought. “Okay” she says after looking back up, bobbing her head in a nodding motion. She locks eyes with you and stares deep into your pupils. You’re not sure what she’s looking for, but you feel like you can’t look away. You wish you could understand what’s gotten into her.

Wordlessly, she does that thing with her head again. Thinking about it again, it sort of looks like the face Jessica made when she ate those weird candies with her friends. What were those called again? Oh, warheads! What a strange name for a food. You can feel yourself rise into the air as Jeanette inhales deeply. She opens her eyes and brings her head back closer to you. She also grabs you around the shoulders and moves you further up her body. She settles on resting her forehead against yours. You can feel her breath tickling your fur and ears.

She’s warm and her cheeks are red. She just stopped talking. Maybe she’s feeling a fever coming on. You hope she hasn’t gone into magical fatigue for your sake. “Octavian, have you ever kissed a girl?” She finally whispers into your fur.

What an odd question. “Well of course I’ve kissed Alice goodnight on the forehead and on the cheek…I think she’s kissed me a few times when I was incognito; I’m not sure those count. I didn’t really do anything.”

“No silly, not like that…like kissed-kissed.” She looks a little disappointed that you’re not following. “Like a romantic kiss, you know like in the movies. You’ve had to have seen a kiss before.”

“Ohhhh. No. I’ve never felt the need before. Why?”

“Of course you wouldn’t! “ Jeanette brushes some of her hair back nervously. She’s blushing a deeper and deeper hue of red, as the moments pass. “Would you like…to learn…you know t-try it out…” her voice gets even more hushed “…w-with me? I…I wouldn’t mind. I…I…I’d sort of like t-that.”

>Sure…if you want. I’m mean if it’s something you’d like to do. I…Man all this emotion business sure is strange. I like to do things with you; I like you. So, what I’m trying to say is I’d like that.
>I don’t quite follow. It would be my first and I remember Jessica said that is a big deal to humans or something. Do you like me? Because…I think I like you. Did I just say that out loud?
>I don’t quite follow. Why do you want to kiss me? I mean, what’s the point of that?
>Jen is clearly not thinking logically, as she is not in a logical state of mind. We should help her think through this decision, logically. Yeah…
>Politely decline…Politely…because kissing means saliva. And saliva is wet. NO…NO MORE FLUIDS!

>>3868577
>I don’t quite follow. Why do you want to kiss me? I mean, what’s the point of that?
How would that even work given my... physiology

>>3868664
Octavian does have a mouth with lips, teeth and a tongue. So physiology wise he is capable. Beyond that he's a moving stuffed toy rabbit...so yeah.

I'm stealing the physiology line as that's deliciously awkward. I've really been having too much fun with the past few updates. The puns in the last one were amusing to come up with. I had the same amount of fun with these awkward responses. I probably should have put stranger danger, bad touch, or I need a different adult on the last one to go the dare slogan earlier. And maybe I should have had one smooth line of dialogue, because Octavian is a canon smooth-talker. But that wouldn't be as fun.

Originally this was supposed to come up if you took Jeanette up on that "date" on her birthday on the eighth of April. But she wasn't lying when she said Octavian was pushing her buttons and option one hit a bunch of them. She's lonely, has self-confidence issues, likes the company and reassurance, and is really into family men. Remember, she wants kids and the family that comes with that.

I hope anons are okay with romance being an option in this quest as long it stays within certain bounds.

>>3868577
>I don’t quite follow. Why do you want to kiss me? I mean, what’s the point of that?
>>3868771
I'm fine with romance, but Octavian's mouth creeps me out.

>>3868771
Romance seems like it could be a lot of fun. I don't know if it's something that I will support pursuing yet, but if the other Anons want it I certainly won't complain.

>>3868577
>I don’t quite follow. It would be my first and I remember Jessica said that is a big deal to humans or something. Do you like me? Because…I think I like you. Did I just say that out loud?

>>3868995
Let's go for this, see what happens... and stuff, yeah stuff.

>>3868664
>>3868836
>>3868995
>>3869837
>I'll close it up here. I kind of want to continue on writing right now, but as I have just arrived home thirty minutes ago and I'm really starting to feel sleep deprived--I don't think that choice would do my (normally lacking) prose any favors.

>To further narrow down the scope of the vote. Does Octavian have any particular questions to voice to Jeanette beyond general shock and lack of understanding of romance?
>Are you okay with me merging the two selected choices as per usual? One is much more telling than the other.
are you against going through with kiss? I had it going down in most of the options for comedy's sake. Also if you are curious about Jeanette's exact frame of mind and why she thought up such a thing--She is one of the two OOC POV's you can select after the course of tonight's events. And before anyone asks, Yes you can pick both. And I would encourage that strongly.

>>3868836
That's a valid conclusion. I haven't given him a very define canon appearance beyond: white, plush, and otherworldly and I sort of like it that way so you can imagine him as you will. Sometimes I imagine him as write as Max of Sam and Max fame, but that appearance wouldn't fit this world at all. Honestly I could see him looking pretty creepy(in an uncanny valley sense), especially when he's moving, flashing a toothy grin, or talking. At least Octavian's real mouth is properly on his face and isn't mounted on his back or concealed by a trap door. Fucking Kyubey!

I kind of brainstormed possible appearances in my head after a couple of glasses of scotch while I was out with the boys. once again none of this is canon--just some ideas I had if I do want to flesh him out: Dolls set me off more so I could see him having forward facing glassy-looking eyes that follow you across the room, boring a hole into your soul looking for any trace of magic. I could see them glowing in the dark or with magic use and possibly having an odd pupil. I also thought up that if he closes his eyes and mouth it appears that he only has stitched details for eyes and a mouth,(possibly also seams across his body and around his limbs) but on very close inspection it's actually a keen version of biological mimicry and the stitches are just a fine pattern in his fur on his eyelids and around his mouth to conceal his true lips. (along with being present on his skin if you shaved him--like a cat's stripes)

>>3868903
I hope my writing can live up to making it fun and seem organic-ish.

>>3869870
Combining answers, KISSing and double POV's... all for it baby.

>>3869874
I see one for I wanna rock and roll all night and...uh write every day.
I'll try to keep an eye on the thread for others while I'm not passed out in bed.

FYI: the pov's come after tonight's events. I still have to try to make my notes resemble a vaguely scholarly sounding piece for the vote prior concerning the reaserch. Something I've done in similar conditions of sleeplessness and dubious sobriety in long past days. Let's see if I feel up to the chalenge today.

Also just to spur discussion while I'm gone: Octavian does feel the full spectrum of human emotions in it's entirety now. I was trying to get across in the text before this that Octavian felt a little crush on Jeanette before all of this happened, but he had a hard time understanding it as he lacks the biological underpinnings that contextualizes such feelings. I mean who hasn't made a new friend of their preferred sex and found their emotions twisting into a crush. (it's particularly frequent in pubescent individuals/teenagers. You know like Alice) Speaking of Alice. Octavian feels like he's her father thanks to his condition and Jeanette is/wants to be her adoptive mother--Mommy and Daddy. Alice's understanding of such relationships might be skewed by her upbringing. However, it's a safe bet to think she finds mommies and daddies are supposed to love each other. Because of this, they might even kiss! Then, they made a family and lived happily ever after! You know just a thought; don't read into it too much. However feel free to discuss it.

>>3869870
I'll take a merger.

>>3869870
I'm for the merger, against going through with the kiss.
If the kiss vote is tied when you want to close voting, I'll swap to break the tie.

I’m wQBCP90D here >>3868995
I’m fine with the kiss and whatever.

>I spent most of yesterday a bit hungover in bed. However, I'm off today. I have some errands to get done first, but I hope to get to writing this afternoon so I can push the update out this evening or early tomorrow morning.

We're almost out of the first two intro chapters. So is there anything you guys would like to see or do? Would you like more combat? More of Octavian getting in over his head? ect.

>>3871712
I'd like to see Octavian getting in over his head.

>>3871712
Missy kissu~

This got a bit long. I had to add in exposition because someone had to go and roll a one right in the middle of my info dump. And said info might be needed for future stuff to make sense. Not that I didn't like that one too~b-baka.
-------------------------------------
Jeanette’s looking back at you, a mixture of nervous energy and clearly eager for an answer. On some level her smile makes you feel uneasy, a rare feat for a human, It’s almost like she’s the predator and you’re the prey item that shares your form. “Jen I’m honored” is the first words to exit your mouth. Followed by: “But, I don’t quite follow…Why do you want to kiss me? What’s the point given my physiology?”

“Why?” She softly purrs right into your ear. “B-because I do.” She abruptly snaps. After an awkward silence, she lays her hand on your lower back. Her fingers move up your spine to the tips of your ears. Knowing you wouldn’t take that for an answer, she continues. “Because you’ve been really sweet to me. Because you’ve shown me you can be a good dad for Alice. You really do seem to care about both of us despite your dangerous side. You’re just a bit mysterious…” She draws out the final syllable in dangerous a little too long your liking. “…And you saved my life when you pushed me out of the way of that bullet earlier. Are those enough reasons?” You just let her rhetorical question hang in the air. Her hand snakes back down your ear and traces your face. “Physiology—let’s see about that: Really, really soft fur. My, my—such big eyes, all the better to see me with. Cute bunny nose…” She bops the tip your nose right as she says this. Her finger travels down further. “Mouth; lips—Ah found them.” She lets her finger circle around them, before clenching her hand back together and running her thumb across your slightly parted lips. “Big bunny teeth and I can feel a tongue behind them…Although…you do have a lot of teeth and they’re not all in the places I expected them, Octavian. Wow those are sharp. I need to be careful of those…But your lips are silky-smooth. They’re nice, Octavian. I’ve never felt anything quite like them…Honestly, now I really want to kiss you just to feel them on mine.”

“Thank you” you mouth out, recognizing the compliment, before the rest of your words rapidly come tumbling out. “But Jen this is human courtship behavior. I’m not human. I’m not equipped like a human man…” She just cocks her head and blinks at you in response. “All the humans I’ve known made a really big deal over courting. I’ve never done it before. Heck, this would be my first kiss. Isn’t that supposed to be a big deal? I mean Jessica made it sound like it was…” Your mouth is moving a mile a minute. You’re letting your stream of consciousness escape your mouth in the form of poorly thought out words. “...Do you really like me in that way? Because…I think my emotions are trying to tell me I like you that way even though I kind of shouldn’t, but I like spending time with you, and talking and…Did I just say that out loud?”

“Yeah you really did. And I do like you in that way.” Jeanette answers. “Look Octavian, courtship, and we tend to call it dating these days, isn’t just about finding a partner for sex—Neither of us are wild animals. It’s about companionship. It’s about finding someone you want to spend your time with…because one day you might make a family with them. I think we both know we stand on spending time with each other and we sort of made a little family already.” She has a point there. “Octavian, I get this is weird and new to you. And in a lot of ways this is weird for me too…I’m willing to overlook certain things and I really don’t mind doing so…because…Well, I have my reasons. Can we leave it at that?”

You don’t give a response. You almost feel like retreating into your own head again. A wet sensation near the top of your head blocks your escape—Jeanette kissed your forehead. “See how easy that was Octavian? The real thing isn’t much harder. I know this is your first, so I’ll even set the pace and take the active role—girls don’t normally do that, by the way. I’ll be patient if you mess something up. I said I would teach you and I’m a woman of my word…Just don’t bite me, okay. With how sharp your teeth are, it would really hurt, I would definitely scream, and that would certainly wake Alice.”

“I wouldn’t want any of that” You say pensively. “O-okay. I’ll play along. What should I do?”

“Well, start off by pursing your lips…like this. Um, I’m going to need you to move your head back a little…Actually tilt it to the side a little too. Sorry, your head’s a little smaller than I’m use to and normally the guy figures out this stuff.”

“Jen, it’s alright. Just guide my head where you want it. Use your hands.”

“Right, I guess I can do that.” Her hands encircle the back of your head. You allow yourself to go slack, putty in her hands to reshape as she sees fit. You can feel her fingers knit together behind your head. She leaves her thumbs on your cheeks; every once in a while, she rubs your fur with them. “There. That should be good. Now you can close your eyes or look into mine…I like to close my eyes when I kiss, so maybe you should do the same. It might feel awkward just to stare at me.”

“I already feel awkward. I don’t think that will really change anything.”

“I understand, Octavian.”

“Is there anything else?”

“Yeah, you should try to match what I’m doing with my lips. You know, kiss me back…You might to do something with your hands. You can touch my face like I’m doing to you or hug me around the neck…Actually, play with my hair…” She blushes again. “…I…I-I really like that.”

You take her suggestion, sliding your paws behind her ears. You burry your digits into the sea of brown hair until you feel scalp. Jeanette seems to approve based on the “mmm…” that escapes her lips. You take the opportunity to pucker your lips like she said to do and close your eyes. The world disappears, leaving only the feeling of her hands to attack your senses.

She took this as a signal. “Well then, here I go…” There’s nothing. Then suddenly, you feel a pressure on your lips…something soft. Her lips are soft too, different from yours, but soft in her own right. This is pleasant. She lets up…then comes right back in again. Her fingers tap at the back of your head. Right, kiss back. You press your head to hers and wrap your lips around hers. Moisture, saliva registers with your senses. Part of you feels disgusted, but you don’t want to let down Jeanette. It’s from her…It’s part of her; so you will abide it. You can feel her breathe in. She kisses you deeper this time. You try to match the intensity with your own. From your lower body, you can feel her heart beating out a faster rhythm in her chest. You can taste something amid the saliva. It’s a little too dilute to make out.

Jen breaks the kiss. She’s breathing pretty hard. “That’s…pretty good. You’re a quick study, Octavian…You might want to keep your mouth a little smaller, though…Let me catch my breath. Unlike you, I need to breathe…After that, I want to try something a little different.”

“What?” You on the other hand feel fine. Actually, better than fine! Your aches and pains are gone. You feel a bit numb and stiff, but your limbs seem more cooperative.

She pants a little more before blurting out “French kiss.” You look at her clueless. “It’s a kiss with tongue. Same as before but we…Honestly knowing you, it’s better if I show you. Just follow my lead again.”

You give her a nod and scratch at her scalp. She smiles and scratches the back of your head in return. She presses her lips back to yours and you can feel her tongue slip past your lips. You can feel the saliva in your mouth this time. You fight back revulsion.

She breaks the kiss. “Actually, forget what I said about making your mouth smaller. I need to get past your front teeth…I want to try again, okay.”

You really want to say no considering the moisture, agitating your senses. However some part of your brain has the bright idea to say “Okay.” You do as you were told and she lines herself back up for round two. She kisses you again with a greater urgency than before. Once again, her tongue and its fluids find their way into your mouth. Her lips lock around your lips, while her tongue presses into yours. That’s when you finally make out the taste. It’s magic…It’s her magic...Jeanette tastes of magic. The same sort of magic released when she first contracted. You can feel it in your body. It’s like electricity is arcing through you. You press back into her kiss hungrily. Her tongue writhes around yours. Right, right…follow. You let yours fight back, before moving forwards into her mouth. It’s really wet, but you keep yourself together. Your mind comes up with a little chant. This is Jeanette’s mouth. You like her. She likes you. So you will like it…And you like her magic. You really like her magic…delicious magic.

You would take some time to ponder this unexpected phenomenon, but you’re a little tied up at the moment. Both of your tongues are wrestling with each other. Jeanette is getting really into this. She smashes into you as if she’s trying to make your skulls occupy the exact same space on an atomic level. Her heart is hammering away even faster. She’s red-faced. You put everything you’ve got into matching her intensity. The result overloads your senses. You feel like your melting into her. You swear you’re seeing light blue stars. The sensation inside your body is electricity mixed indescribable chaos. Your paws sweep back her hair as you lose your grip on her. Wow! This is something else. How did you live without feeling like this?

Jeanette gets in one more smooch, before breaking the kiss once again. Her head falls away from yours rapidly, leaving her to slump back into her pillow. She’s very much out of breath. “Oh God, Octavian...That…was…good…really…way…too…good.” You share her sentiments. She takes her hands off of you. Her right goes up to her forehead to further mess up her hair; her left snakes back under the blanket, close to her body. “Damn…” She just closes her eyes and pants. You feel a bit worried for your human partner, until she starts speaking again moments later. “That...that’s not just kissing. That’s what you call making out. It’s intense, right?”

“That’s one way to describe it. I…think I need to reevaluate my stances on certain human pursuits in light of this. Honestly, I need to reevaluate my thoughts and assumptions on a lot of things when it comes to people. I think I set myself up like the astronomers of old. I had the Sun revolving around the Earth in a matter of speaking.”

Jen smiles at you. “I’ll take that as you liked it. I’m glad you did. I really enjoyed myself too.” She turns to look at Alice, blissfully asleep. “Thank goodness I didn’t wind up…well…wind up waking her up. I think she would like to see us together, but dear God, would we have some explaining to do.”

“So should we inform the Durands to expect a rain of brimstone on our current location?”

“I think we’re good, Octavian. It’s been a while since I read the Bible, but I think those angels weren’t down for any human loving…Speaking of loving. I think I’m falling for you, Octavian…Jeeze, this really wasn’t where I saw my life going. I wonder what fifteen-year-old me would say if I told her in fourteen years she would be walking around without pain, have magical powers, fight monsters in her Mom’s Halloween costume,, and she made out with a white, talking, Scottish bunny thing that came with her adopted daughter—did I mention your future daughter’s just so happens name Alice? No she’s not British or from Wonderland…”

“Probably something about pills and taking too many of them?”

“No, she would say nothing and go looking for the head nurse, because clearly a lot of people didn’t do their jobs right. Some anesthesiologist must have really botched his math when he dosed her future self up on ketamine and someone needs to be fired for letting a post-surgical patient go wandering around in a drug induced haze. Then she would wonder if she’s still hallucinating and if she succeeded in clawing her eyes out.”

“Jen that sounds oddly specific.” You say with concern.

She shutters for a moment as if she’s re-experiencing something painful. You start trying to get up. You really want to comfort her after she shared so much with you. “Oof, oof…easy with the feet…You know, girls get sensitive there; me included.” You didn’t mean to kick her right…in those…yeah, smooth move. You immediately start mumbling out apologies. “I’m okay, Octavian. It’s no big deal and keeping me from thinking of that is a welcome relief. All I’ll say on the matter is fuck ketamine, fuck clowns, fuck Dr. Williams, and the lame horse they all rode in on.”

“Wait a minute, what did you say before all that? Before talking with your future self?” Confusion is apparent in your voice.

“I’m falling for you, Octavian. Do you need a girl to spell it out…I’m…falling…in…love…with…” Her hand shoots out towards you. A single finger bops you playfully on the nose, for the second time tonight. “You!” Her grin turns more serious before she continues. “Look, Octavian. I know you’re clueless about this stuff and I might be moving way, way too fast. I don’t want to ruin everything just because I’m lonely and emotionally needy…but it’s been a really long time since I’ve met a guy who’s been remotely nice to me. I don’t want you to get away. I don’t want to lose another one.”

“Jen, I’m not going anywhere, not without Alice and you.”

“That’s not what I mean, but I like hearing it anyway...” She’s beaming as if you handed her the entire world on a silver platter. “…We should still get to know each other more; actually date a little before one of us does something stupid.”

“I’m not opposed to it, if we can kiss more.”

“Are you trying to negotiate another deal with me, Octavian?”

“Another one, Perhaps? Maybe, we could hash it out over a meal and some light reading? I saw a cooler back in the kitchen that wasn’t there earlier today. I think the Durands brought more food back with them. Possibly some frozen things—like ice cream—clearly for my lady.”

She giggles audibly this time. “Octavian, love to, but I’m actually feeling really cold all of sudden. Fine, I know you won’t let me use that for an excuse. Let me get my jacket and Do you mind if I bring my blanket too?”

“Jen do what makes you more comfortable as long as you eat. You’re my…partner…now. So I have even more reasons to want you in healthier shape.”

“I’m glad… But can you get off of me?”

“Yeah, sorry.” You roll off of her chest and climb back atop a different set of pillows. Jeanette rolls the other, standing up in the process. She stoops and picks her jacket up off of the floor. After bundling herself up in it, she rubs her arms together. She picks up the blanket and wraps that around her shoulders too. She’s really trying to sell you on it; this time…Actually, she does look a bit paler than usual. Maybe, she really is cold. Years of experience tell you that can help with that. “Jen I’ve been told I’m both soft and warm. I can be your scarf. Help me to your shoulders.”

“You’re the best, Octavian.” She hunches down a little and puts one hand on your bottom. The other is keeping the blanket bunched around her. Gaining any purchase on her is a bit of a feat with the blanket in the way. As you reach her shoulder, you feel the material and yourself slip. You kick your legs out automatically, trying to find a foothold urgently. One foot does find one…a nicely sized crevice…in between layers of cloth...in between two squishy but firm things…it feels warm…Oh, No. However, the expected outburst doesn’t come from Jeanette. “Silly bunny…” She says with a giggle as she lets go of the blanket and frees your trapped foot from her nightgown. You manage to wrap your arms around her neck, being careful not to strangle her in the process. The hand finds its way back to your bottom; followed by an arm. It’s a bit of an awkward posture, but you’re concerned with being upgraded to silly bunny from pervy rabbit.

“Octavian, can I...not eat the ice cream.” Her skin does feel a touch colder than usual.

“Yeah, if you eat something else…especially if it’s more substantial. I know how to make coffee or tea. I’ll do that for you too.”

“Fine” she says with a pout. “I guess heroin chic is out this year…”She sort of juggles you with her arm as right as she says: “But wearing fur is in.”

“Please, don’t turn me into a pelt Miss Lady.” You say with mock pleading. You let your eyes go wide like your defenseless “Please! I’ll give you anything else.”

“Anything? How about a kiss?” She makes her voice sound a bit gruff. It’s honestly convincing for the higher note of a woman’s voice. She seems to have a talent for imitating voices. Something she probably practiced for reading stories to her class.

“That’s a wish I can grant” Getting to her lips would be tricky, so you settle for giving her a much more chaste kiss on the cheek. Jeanette doesn’t complain. She turns her head and plants another quick peck on your forehead. You nuzzle into the side of her neck.

“He’s such a good bunny.” She says in her stage voice. “You know, Octavian, I’m going to get wayyy too use to this. How are we going to keep from canoodling when Alice is watching?”

Her concerns are valid ones that you share in common. But all you can offer is a half-hearted: “We’ll come up with something eventually.”—A worn out line that’s quickly becoming the story of your life.
----------------------------------------------------------------
“Wow, did you two trade places? How exactly did you manage that?”

“We didn’t do anything.” Jeanette blurts out defensively. You mentally sigh. Good job Jen.

It’s easy to place the speaker by the snide tone before you even set foot in the living room—Jonathan. He really isn’t one for polite greetings. Sam, on the other hand, warmly smiles—even if he did seem to gawk at the two of you for a bit too long before saying anything. “Jeanette, Octavian, How are you feeling?” Finally escapes his lips.

“Just fine; I’ll manage…” Jeanette states flatly just as you say “I’m doing much better.” You both lock eyes when you realized the simultaneous and the possible telling nature of your answers.

“Good…” If he noticed an incongruity Sam’s keeping it to himself. “So what’s keeping you up at such a late hour?”

Jeanette looks to you frantically. Seriously, she can’t have a worse poker face. That leaves you to answer. “I did say I was coming back to see that research. What can say? I have a curious mind…and Jeanette came with me. She was having a hard time falling asleep. So, she offered to help me…And uh, she’s hungry. Do you mind if I feed her?” The incident earlier and Jeanette’s incident earlier must have really knocked you off your game.

“Suuure” Jonathan drones.

“Well…I mean I saw the cooler in the kitchen, so I was just wondering if had ice cream or you mind me using more of your food… Don’t worry Jeanette doesn’t eat much…”

“I thought you said she was hungry.” Jonathan states with disbelief.

“She is”/“I am” once again Jeanette and you manage to answer in complete unison.

“…I might make some tea or coffee, would you like some?” You offer meekly.

“I might like a cup. Johnny might like one too. He’ll get them when he fetches his notes.” Thankfully Sam decided to step in and save the both of you from embarrassment.

“Yeah, yeah my notes…” For some reason, Jonathan has joined you in embarrassment. “Octavian, you should know I wrote some stuff down in there that’s more than a little hostile…I didn’t know you at the time and you’re okay in book now…No hard feelings?”

“None taken.”

“Oh, what are you guys getting up to after tomorrow?”

Jeanette takes a turn at answering. “Well I thought about heading back to my place in Madison for a couple of days just to pack more things. Then, driving over to Milwaukee to visit with my Dad. He’s got a place out in Elm Grove—I grew up there. He’s was an accountant, so he knows his way around paperwork…and it sounds like Alice doesn’t have any. I might need his help digging through records. Once we make her real to the government. I want to get the ball rolling on adoption and I’ll look at getting her into one of the schools over there—They’re all really good—if I don’t wind up homeschooling her. I’m more qualified for that than most Moms.”

“I’m glad Alice found someone else…I’m not counting you out Octavian, but you can’t exactly stroll into PTA meetings.” Sam says. You don’t take any offense at his statement. “I wanted to step in, but the girl’s a handful and I’m getting older. I really don’t know how many years I’ve got left in me.”

“I get why. I lost my Mom early when I year older than Alice…cancer…It really tore me up.”

“Sorry to hear that.” The old man adds solemnly.

All this talk of death has brought a figurate pall over the room. “Sooo…” Jonathan utters. “If you’re heading to Milwaukee, I might have some work for you. You know, so we can settle up our deal.”

You just nod to him and he keeps going. “I have a friend out that way. He’s a construction foreman. Good guy, union guy, worked his way up the hard way. I met him organizing in my college days. Jen, you probably knows all about the issues in this state, being a teacher and all... Anyway, he’s in a real bind. He’s supposed to be overseeing a remodel on an old industrial building. The thing’s apparently the cornerstone of some big land deal and everything is riding on him getting it into a usable state on time and under budget. Problem is—a lot of guys have been getting hurt on the job site. People are seeing things. The word’s going around that place is haunted and nobody wants to show up to work there. Of course, the big wigs called bullshit. They think this is all some new type of union stunt. To make things worse, some asshole in the middle of this mess is politically connected and apparently knows enough of Walker’s merry band of fuck-heads to bring in some serious political heat. Other permits for different jobs are getting lost in the system, repeatedly. He’s blackballed from taking any city jobs. ICE guys keep showing up at his other job sites; stalling everything till they’ve triple checked everybody’s papers. The whole nine yards.”

“So, I come in because you’re convinced the place really is haunted?”

“Exactly, Octavian! I started to do some research on the building. It’s been a textile mill, a factory, a brewery, office space, and a lot of other things over the years…but not one single thing in the past fifty years for very long. The building’s burnt down twice: once way back in the day and the second time more recently when it was just a bunch of empty cubicles. There’s a long history of weird stuff going on inside of it and the accidents aren’t a new thing. But the construction guys are getting worse injuries than ever…it’s trying to kill people, now. To top it all off, the workmen describe hearing multiple voices laughing when the building is empty. One day, my buddy came in early. He saw what looked flames inside the building from the windows. When guys went inside to put out the fire, they found absolutely nothing. A short time later the crew came out and said they heard women screaming, but they found no women on the whole site.”

“I get the picture, Jonathan…I…”

“Octavian, do you think Alice and I are really up to this? It sounds dangerous.” Jeanette interrupts you.

“I let you have the money. Some of the guys scraped together a few bills to help out my pal. It’s not very much, but it’s better than nothing.”

“Jen, I’ve helped girl’s fight ghosts before. They’re not that bad. We could use the money.”

“Okay” she says softly.

“Well I’ll take that as a yes from both of you.” Jonathan rises from his seat. “I might be gone for a moment. I know where my notes are, but I misplaced that book yesterday…” Jon walks off, muttering to himself. You and Jeanette head off to the kitchen.
----------------------------------------------------
You let Jen take a seat at the kitchen table and levitate over to the kitchen to work on that tea. There’s a box of earl gray on the counter, freshly purchased, and someone left the kettle out. It seems like the Durands needed hot water for some of their restoration work. You’re not complaining. You float the kettle through the air, over to the sink. You use your powers to do all the work. It must be an impressive sight for Jeanette. You turn back to look at the woman…She’s still shivering away beneath her blanket.

She noticed your worried stare. “Octavian…I’ll be fine...So, uh you know where I’m from now. How about tell me more about where you came from? Which city in Scotland are you from? Glasgow? Aberdeen?”

You’re not sure why she’s so content to make small talk, but you want to make sure she stays awake. You’ll gladly talk about whatever if it puts her mind at ease. “I’m not from any big city or any city at all. Well, I suppose it would be up in the highlands.“

“Cool. Can you tell me more about it?”

“Jen it was all so long ago. I woke up next to a glen, up in the mountains. That’s what I recall most clearly. There was a little mountain stream running through it. The water was nice and clear” You mull it over for a little while. “It was an isolated place too. There were a lot of Scots Pines there growing there and not much else.”

“That sounds really pretty. When I get Alice’s mess sorted out and I can get her a passport…we should take a trip over there…as a family. We could try to find that place.”

“I doubt it’s still there. Somebody probably clear cut the woods, leveled the land, and slapped a Tesco down on top of it.” You quip as you turn on the burner.

“I don’t care if we actually find it. I just want to spend more time with the both of you.” Her smile melts your heart. Damn, you should tell her about earlier. You can't possibly leave her in the dark.

“Jen when we were kissing earlier. I could taste your magic. It was just like when you first contracted. I might have done this to you...I don’t know if I fed off you with your permission, if this is part of how you can share your magic, or either of those combined with dumping so much magic into healing me gave you magical fatigue…or anything. I really don’t know anything for certain lately. Maybe I’ve been living my whole life clueless.

“I already told you I’m okay, Octavian… I’m a big girl; I can take it. I rather feel a little chilly than have you die on me…or make a bad contract with some kid that’s not ready for the risk.”

“Jeanette I’m not going to do that anymore. I’m not going to try to hurt people with my contracts. I’ll only give them to people who can really benefit from them--People who’ve hit rock bottom. So many of my girls saved lives, it’s my turn now. It might cost me down the line, but I think it’s worth it.”

“I agree, Octavian. But, I won’t let it cost you. Not if I can help it. Come here.”

You hop off the counter top and over to Jeanette. You climb atop one of the empty chairs and on to the table where you’re within her reach. She spreads open the blanket and encircles you in both it and her arms. She starts to kiss you, tender and light this time. It feels like little butterflies are dancing on your lips. It’s a good test of your mental focus to let her have her way with you while you remove the kettle from the stove and pour some hot water into a mug.
-------------------------------------------------
“I’m feeling much better now, Octavian. The tea helped.” Jeanette says after taking a sip from a floating cup. She still hasn’t let go of you. It’s your turn at picking a subject for small talk. You decide to appeal to her love for the arts. “So, Jen you’re scared of clowns? I take it we can’t dress up as Pierrot and Columbina for Halloween.” Recalling characters from some type of play you saw with Matilda.

“Yeah I’ll admit I’ve been scared of them since I was a little girl…And no, I wouldn’t want us to dress up like that…Because Columbina cheats on Pierrot. She broke her husband’s heart that’s why he’s so sad.” You realized you might have unknowingly tread upon a nerve. She clears her throat in anticipation of something. “No I’d think you’d make a better Pennywise…because you haunt my dreams.” You don’t get it. Jeanette is laughing out loud.

“It’s a bad pick line, Octavian…It’s like something you might say to a stranger if you trying to do the kind of stuff we did back on the bed…except you messed up and said something silly, creepy, or mean instead.”

“What’s a Pennywise?”

“He’s a monster from a book that goes around in the form of a clown and he…maybe that’s a bit too apt, Jen…You should read the book…I don’t want to spoil it. You know, Octavian, I would like that ice cream right now.”

Jonathan picks now as good time to enter the room. “Am I interrupting something?”

“U-um no! I was just teaching Octavian about bad pick up lines…Because I picked him up…you know jokes? That’s a pun. I’m trying to help him with his sense of humor.”

He looks the two of you up and down, taking careful note of your position. “Sure…Jokes.” he drops a tomb and a manila envelope on the table. “That should be everything. Have at it. Just try not to keel over again, Octavian. You’re girlfriend might still be hungry for rabbit stew…That’s a joke too. You two lovebirds have fun with being nerds together.” He walks out of the room. “And don’t feed her all my chocolate ice cream if that’s really how you roll…What would the ancestors do if the spirits showed up acting like this? To think grandpa thought he might be a descendant of Nanabozho if not the spirit himself playing some great con. Well his mother was a human woman, so maybe he or his potential progeny swings that way too.” You think the last part is directed to no one in general.”

“What did he mean by roll, Jen?”

She’s sweating bullets. “You know we really should get to reading. Mysteries won’t solve themselves.”

She groans when you say “Ice cream first.”

>Roll 1d20+3 no crits here.

Rolled 3 + 3 (1d20 + 3)

>>3873210

Rolled 6 + 3 (1d20 + 3)

>>3873210

Rolled 3 + 3 (1d20 + 3)

>>3873210

>>3873210
>>3873210
>>3873210
Well, I don't know what your irl taste is QM, but that was some steammy plush kissing.

>>3873450
>>3873566
>>3873603
>9 passing the first threshold of DC:7. Octavian might be a little slow on the uptake with his brain damage, but thankfully
Jeanette isn't. This roll was really for her anyway.
>If anyone else wants to roll, go ahead I might consider Bo5 in the future. I hate letting votes go to waste or discouraging people from voting.

The next update might take me a little while as this last one took a lot out of me. I think this was ten pages in word and there's stuff I left off from my notes or just forgot to write as the word count ballooned. Because it's different scenes mashed together. The kiss was planned for this update. The part with the Durands came from the info-dump interrupted by Octavian's san roll--it was important for me to tell you where you are going next and what you are up to. The kitchen scene was originally much longer and was what I came up with before go to bed. Octavian and Jeanette talking to each other after the kiss.

>How did I do with portraying Octavian and Jen as a new couple?

>>3873766
Honestly I'm about as vanilla as they come, but thanks for the compliment. I wrote it thinking of Octavian as a normal, if inexperienced, guy. The only subtext I tried to work in wast the straight teenage male fantasy of the hot, experienced milf/divorcee neighbor teaching you about women--for obvious reasons when you think about the characters. Then after I posted it I realized all the other ways you could take it because Octavian's a plush bunny thing. Romance was possible with Jeanette as soon as she was planned, but it was born out of a joke rather than anything serious. If you're more curious about it see below. I feel like writing up another peak behind the curtain.

Rolled 9 (1d20)

>>3874166

Rolled 7 + 3 (1d20 + 3)

>>3874166
I understand that encouraging participation is great and all, but Bo3 already skews results a bit, and I'd prefer not to skew them further.

>>3874166
Think it was quite fitting, enjoyed it as a whole and I didn't feel that it took me out of the narrative, good work QM.

>>3874607
Agreed

>>3874210
>>3874607
>>3874875
>Duly noted. I just remember reading somewhere that d20 best of three and best of five could both work for quests. I don't really have any firm position on the matter, I just noticed that we have about 4-5 active anons in the thread and it seems some of you are up later than I usually am. So, I didn't want to penalize anyone for their time zone/QM likes to go to bed early/Being at work or school when an update goes out.
If I did go through with a switch I could obviously increase the difficulty of encounters. If crits are the problem mathematically, I could move to d100 for your actions too.but I'm a bit superstitious that those tend to roll pretty damn low. I mean look at what happened to Shirley and Joseph.

>I'm still giving you the 12 for this one, because I'm generous.

>I'll get to writing today. As usual, that means update tonight or sometime tomorrow, if all goes as planned. Also if anyone is interested in the behind the scenes look at Jeanette, I started writing it but stopped in the second paragraph. I wound up wanting to take a little break from writing anything after all. I have it saved so I can still put it out later. However, I think it's a fair assumption that the next update should take priority.

>>3874875
Also I almost forgot. Thank you. I really appreciate it.

The update might be a little late. I'm still working on it.

>Good news I'm off today, so I might be able to power through another update if I get votes in time.

“So Octavian, sweetie—um, do you mind if I call you that sometimes? Are you sure you can’t eat. I could really use some help finishing this?”

“Jen, I haven’t had any desire to try human food in my entire life. I’m not even sure if I can digest it, and that’s assuming if I can even swallow it”

“But It’s so much, Oct…”

“It’s just two scoops it’s really not. Jen, I’m not trying to do that thing that Jonathan implied, if that’s what you’re worried about.” Mentally you curse the man and, on a level you hardly understand, you want to smack him. Apparently, some humans like to fatten their partners like kine or swine before slaughter. Why they do this escapes you. However, you are sure that Jeanette did not like explaining this fact to you, and worse yet, even thinking of the concept of fattening up has set the woman off in a way. You had alternate between insisting for her to eat and distracting her with small talk to get her to touch the desert in front of her. “Really, that’s not what I want for you…I do like you but y…Jen, have you been on a scale lately?” You already know better than to ask her weight—it’s taboo enough to do so with a regular girl, and doubly so for a woman with Jeanette’s hang-ups.

“No, not for a year and half or maybe two years ago at the fertile…at the doctor’s, okay.” She was getting ready to say fertility specialist before she quickly corrected herself. You had a feeling that some of the problems from her marriage were more complicated than she let on when you first spoke. She just confirmed your suspicions. “I really don’t like scales. Just looking at them makes me feel nervous.”

“Jen, that’s alright. But, what would you say if I asked you to step on the scale in the bathroom tomorrow morning with your eyes closed and I looked at the number?”

“I wouldn’t like it very much, but I guess that would be easier…Wait, Octavian, you’re looking at the number. B-b-b-but my clothes are added weight and in the morning I would be changing clothes. I mean we’re sort of seeing each other, but I can’t have you just seeing me naked, yet...”

As much fun as it is to watch her squirm, you decide to speak in a soothing tone to placate the woman. “Jen, wear or don’t wear whatever makes you feel comfortable. I’m just trying to help you out. We’re partners, right? If you have a problem, I want to know how much of a problem it is. That way, I can find the right way to help you…So, can you get on the scale for me?”

“Octavian, I will…But could you eat the last of this ice cream for me…Please?” There was still a substantial amount remaining, but why not? You were growing curious about your own digestive capabilities, yourself.

“Agreed, so pass me the bowl and the spoon.”

Jeanette shakes her head. “It’s my turn to feed you, Octavian.” She takes large scoop of the remaining portion and points the spoon towards you, much in the way a mother would do for a very small child. “Open up.”

The things you do for this woman! “Fine.” You quip before clamping your jaws shut on the spoon. There’s an audible clang as your teeth make contact with the metal of the utensil. Hopefully, the Durands don’t notice the resulting mark. Jeanette draws the spoon away from you…Honestly, the taste of this stuff isn’t bad, kind of rich compared to magic. However, the ice in its name is true to form and you soon have a mouthful of liquid—a liquid you can’t seem to swallow. It’s like there’s no place for it to go. Your whole body starts to shudder and your mouth clamps shut. You make a gurgling sound as you attempt to wretch up the fluid in your mouth. Only worryingly small amount of the brown substance dribbles down the side of your chin, despite your hardest efforts to expel it. As your vision starts to cloud and your body sways uncontrollably, you wonder if there might have been a very good reason for your peculiar diet.

Jeanette drops the spoon to the floor as soon as she noticed the look on your face. “Oh God, Octavian, I didn’t mean to.” She snatches you up as your hands start clawing at your throat. She tries pressing around your middle and is shocked when you don’t respond as she expected. “Shit, shit, shit! Think of something Jen…” She wildly spins you around, so that you face her. With a crazy look she moves in and…presses her lips against yours. Well of the many undignified ways you could meet your end, kissing Jeanette was probably one of the better ones. Her tongue slips past your lips and starts probing around for a gap in your teeth. She tilts her head back and you into the air, along with it. That seems to help your next heave bear fruit. You can feel her tongue slide along your own mouth. You push on her hands with your to signal to be let go.

You wish you could call what you were inhaling,, but humans don’t make the same sort of god-awful racket, that escaped your throat, when they breathe. You look up to Jen as she swallows the liquid ice cream. “No more…Please, no more.”

“I didn’t you would…”

“Jen, I didn’t know that would happen either. Now, we both know I can’t eat. So let’s not repeat that experience.”

“I won’t make you eat again, but I hope you might want to kiss me again under better circumstances.” She kisses the top of your head leaving a brown mark, in the shape of her lips. “I should have known better from making out earlier. Your mouth was completely dry and hot, but not in an unpleasant way. Kissing you feels like kissing a warm breeze—it’s kind of fizzy too. I guess that’s your magic? It’s hard to describe; I don’t really have a frame of reference for it.”

You just nod and hobble over to where her left hand rests on the table and prop yourself against it. She pets you and you nuzzle back. While you’re doing this, she manages to eat the last of the ice cream. Probably, this is an effort to placate you, this time. She leaves you alone for a time to clean the dishes—you really weren’t watching her—instead you were lying flat on your back on top of the table with your eyes closed. You could hear her draw close to you. Then, you could feel something damp running across your face—a paper towel. She’s considerate enough to clean your fur…that really makes you happy. She takes a seat at the table and places you back on her lap. Once there, she uses the loose fabric from the middle of her night gown to dry your face. She drapes the blanket back around the two of you.

“So…do you want to see what’s in the envelope, still? You look woozy Octavian,”

“I would. Jen, could you do the honors. I can’t reach it from here.” You might have slurred a few of your words. Odd, you don’t know if it’s from kissing Jeanette again, some lingering effect of the ice-cream, or from your fit earlier in the night.

The woman undoes the clip and pulls out a pad of pink sticky notes and a somewhat thin leather-bound volume. The remaining notes are in a scratchy handwriting, but Jonathan’s penmanship is leagues more legible than Alice’s. The book is marked Traveler’s Compendium of Mystical Beasts of the British Isles vol. IV edition 1890 in gold leaf on the cover. The author’s name is worn away, lost to the sands of time. It certainly smells its alleged age to you. A blue sticky note protruding from the volume must make the page for the entry you’re looking for. You ask Jeanette to start with the notes. She reads them out loud and then passes them to you to look over.

Grandfather insists on helping shithead(crossed out) earth spirit(this is circled) Octavian and his little witch(crossed out)Alice. I really don’t know what’s gotten into him. Magical Contractors and magical girls—what is this ‘Sailor Moon’. Is the bitch going to throw a tiara at me. The girl or the spirit mesmerized that fiend(?) maybe she’s after us too. I could try to send them after something really lethal as part of our “”Deal””, but gramps says he would warn them—must be controlled.

What I know: According to the spirit. His name is Octavian and the girl’s is Alice. A white rabbit leading a girl around must be a fan of wonderland. According to the spirit the girl is new at this and was fixing to get herself raped by some cult before he came along—sucks if it’s true. Her soul is being corrupted by some force. Certain earth spirits can corrupt humans. Octavian-spirit takes the form of a creepy rabbit or hare—rabbits are tricksters in a lot of cultures including my own, fertility(this is crossed out) would have stayed with cult otherwise, innocence(this is scratched out numerous times), Hares are sometimes considered witches in disguise or familiars(yes along with silver coin? is written in the margin). Not seen one like him. Girl has non-standard nun outfit. Otherwise, white shirt, blue shorts—simple, plain. Spirit speaks with a vague accent. He’s not from around here. Girl is really religious—some Christian denomination—according to gramps. Thinks spirit is angel(he told her that is scribbled off to the side.

The next note that follows. Girl pulled monster to her through portal. changed weeds to flowers—commands them? Nature magic(this is crossed out) NO nature magic hates wendigos. Irish folklore. Sidhe(circled) manipulates nature, pulls things in and out of other world, can bewitch other creatures, even explains the monster’s armor…(The notes continue down the page. Jonathan must have looked things up before writing the rest). She might be a fucking fairy—or a changeling. Small/underdeveloped for apparent age. Close association with hares. Hare-Octavian warned me of consequences if I harmed her. Can’t make out her connection to Aos Si. Corruption is in the way. Is she or the Octavian a shapeshifter? Octavian is up late at night talking to Grandfather; is he connected to the cycles of the moon?

“Octavian, he must have looked at this book before writing some of this. Should we start reading the entry he bookmarked?”

“I assumed the same thing when you got midway through that page. Let’s do it.” You say with an uncharacteristic flippancy. You feel lighter than usual. Jeanette opens the book, flipping to a page on fairies. There’s a nice Illustration before the text begins.

Fairies—Also called Banshees(specific type), Bogles, Elves, Erking, Fae, Fair Folk, Pixies, Sidhe, Sprites, Tylwyth Teg, Wee-People: Are a form of spirits closely connected with nature. While they might roam the wild places of our world, their true home appears to be in a shadowy otherworld (Aos Si) that is tethered to ours at certain natural boundaries(forests, thickets, misty places, bodies of water, hills, mounds, caves, sometimes burial sites). As such we have blundered into each other since the primal days of our existence. Some regard them as old gods, some say that fairies sired those gods, some call them a representation of natural life in its most primal form, and others regard them as mere pests and pranksters. However, the few messages they’ve passed along seem to indicate that they predate the existence of humans and at one point may have owned the entire Earth. Because of this some fairies hate humans, others are indifferent, and some hold our kind in warm regard.

That last group has bestowed both gifts and treasures on mortal heroes. This can include magical items—forged by fae hands, rarer still would be the act bestowing the gift of magic to an individual—teaching a person a talent or grafting one into them, or even rarer yet bestowing the gift of magic to a descendant via a fae bloodline. This being the author’s strong suspicion the cases of some beings like Merlin or Morgan le Fay—(see other work by the author: Merlin: Magician Archetype, Sorcerer’s Myth, or Real Man. & Morgan: Queen of the Witches) As alluded to above, on rare occasions, fairies have been known to take humans as lovers, sire children, and, in more dire situations, abduct humans to keep as pets or livestock.

Whatever they are, in this day and age, they are best described as rare; possibly extinct. One may consider oneself blessed or cursed to encounter one, depending on the creature’s disposition and nature.

Fairies are social creatures, like us. However as natural pranksters, tricksters, and troublemakers, they often come into conflict with each other(once again, much like us). As such, order had to be established via law and governance. This governance takes the form of courts—four corresponding to the seasons that come together to make two rival power blocks. Spring and Summer make up the Seelie Court. Autumn and Winter make up the Unseelie Court. (However take note, as capacious beings individuals might disregard the orders of their superiors. A deal with a fairy king or queen might not protect you from the whims of their subjects.) Broadly speaking, the Seelie Court could be described as good, and the Unseelie Court could be described as evil. In Reality, this is too simplistic of an assumption. Seelie fairies can play tricks with devastating consequences. In Scotland, Unseelie fairies have been known to visit respectful witches under the cover of moonlight and join in their dances across the moors. Often these fae bring gifts of profane knowledge or companionship, Sapphic or otherwise to the human women. Fairies often do not share our moral values, and in many cases do not understand our feelings. (one of the worst insults to a fae is uttering “thank you”. It implies that the sprite is now in your debt)

A better descriptor would be (broadly) pro-human and anti-human respectively. The Seelie court sought to uphold something of a peace and a mutual respect between our kinds. (Often times these agreements were of a very contractual nature due to the differences between our kinds) These spirits are the ones that often interacted with our heroes in the distant past. The Unseelie court saw humans a blight upon the Earth and declared an unspoken war upon mankind the moment we began. These fairies appear often appear at night brutally attacking humans (beating savagely them or flinging them through the air). Clever sprites bewitch farmers into destroying their crops or causing entire towns to descend into a collective madness that would make the Bacchanalias of the ancients seem like mass at Canterbury. Worst yet are the members of the winter court. They spread plagues, give foul secrets to mortals ill-equipped to receive them—spreading chaos and discontent across the land, and engineer wars by driving good rulers into incurable madness. The most vicious among these fairies had a particular affinity for human children. They snatched babes from their cribs, only leaving a poor facsimile behind to haunt the child’s family. They abducted the innocent, either alone or en masse, to fulfill their twisted desires—be it to merely kill the child or children in the woods, or to spirit them off into the Aos Si for some ungodly purpose.

An astute reader should note that this is written in the past tense. Fairy civilization appears to have been utterly devastated by a set of cataclysmic events. It is unclear if these have utterly wiped out fae-kind or left the remnants so disorganized or traumatized that they no longer venture out from deep within the Aos Si. The first of these events was a war—a magical war fought on a scale man has not yet matched. A squabble between powerful individuals within the courts over the meaning of prophesies, coupled with disagreements over relations with human-kind, led to battles between troops of fairies. This spread out until the entire Seelie and Unseelie court declared war on each other. The resulting strafe left many of the leaders of both groups dead or missing, including: Titania, Oberon, Viviane del Lac, The Lady Clothed in Fallen Leaves, The White Queen. The Skeletal Dancer, and The King of Alders and Pines. This sowed chaos among the fae. Soon all four seasonal courts had devolved into open conflict with each other, regardless of previous divisions along Seelie or Unseelie lines. The second factor was only spread by warfare, a plague—a plague of mortality.

Fairies were immortal creatures; contained within their bodies was a connection to nature’s own magic. Previously, the most grievous wounds were only a temporary inconvenience to a fae. They would fall into a blissful sleep and find themselves back in the Aos Si. However, as we humans have perfected our non-magical arts. The force of this primal magic has steadily waned. Fairies became mortal; their lives measured in magic. As the war ragged, many were shocked to find their fallen comrades gone forever. Others seized this opportunity to cultivate the human sin of murder among non-humans. The birth of human industry marked a great turning point. It annihilated the remnants of fae-kind. The war became untenable. Survival became an obsession to the remaining fairies—it appears that despite their efforts, none have managed such a feat. The last fae I have proof of surfaced in Ireland during the year of 1888. She was a fledgling, who counted her life in raindrops. A colleague of mine found her lying on a toadstool in abject agony. All he could do was give her a drop of cream to ease her pain, wrap her in a silk handkerchief, cradle her in the palm of his hand, and stand vigil over her first and last moments of life…”To witness the death of that wee lass was akin to witnessing a man whip an Angel of God like a beast of burden in the street and to see all other men ignore the travesty in favor of continuing on with their affairs. It was a sin of deep profundity; a crime against order every imaginable. It affected me on a spiritual level. If I could trade my mortal soul to allow her a human appropriation of life, I would do so willingly; without regret.”

Jeanette sets down the book for a second and wipes away what you think is a single tear. She then flips the page and skims it. “Octavian, this goes on for a couple more pages. It describes fairy powers and customs on the next page, but do we need to keep reading this? None of that really describes Alice. I mean she might have some of the powers of a fairy, but she doesn’t sound like one. This mentions nothing about fairies healing people or raising the dead…And I mean you saw her come out of her mother; she didn’t just come walking out of the mist one…”

She falls silent and picks back up the book. An index finger traces over each line of text stopping a few times. She looks down out at you wide-eyed. “Octavian…this doesn’t sound like Alice—it sounds hell of lot more like you. If this is right, Octavian, you might be a fairy. I think I can even guess what kind. The Win…”She falls silent grimacing. “Oh, Octavian, I’m so sorry.”

How do you respond
>It can’t be. It’s impossible. If they still existed I would have saw one in Scotland…where I woke up in front of a glen on a misty evening; where the fae once might have danced with human witches…Fuck…All these years and it’s been right in front of my nose: Fairy Tales. I guess some of us figured out a way to survive and its exact price in innocent blood. I wish we hadn’t.
>I’m glad to know. It might help me understand my powers and my body, but I’m not going to let this get in the way of my future. Winter Court or not, I know humanity now…and I won’t go back. Jen, I’ll cast my lot in with Alice and you, even if it ends me…You know Jen, it’s funny…it sounds like fae on both sides of the isle wound up with human lovers. Maybe we’re not so strange, after all.
>I don’t know what to think about this…(Jeanette talks about how she feels about it instead and try to relate to you in her own way)
>Write in/some combination of answers/mix and match parts of responses. If you got something feel free to write it in. I do reserve the final say, but I’m encouraging you to roleplay here. Consider write ins strongly encouraged(and I wish I could bold that in spoiler tags). What would you feel in Octavian’s shoes? He’s had two bombshells dropped on him tonight. Alice might have enthralled him, and he might be a fairy.

What do you want to do after this?
>Continue poring over of the book? The next pages might be telling.
>Ask the Durands to borrow the book. You could mail it back to them later.
>This is hitting a dead end, you do have some theories of your own. Brainstorm them with Jeanette (more options if selected to narrow down your reaserch.)
>Downtime like this might be a good time for you to practice with your powers…and you have a lovely assistant to help you.
>Just chat or play a game with Jeanette (pick one)…it might not be a date, but you can get to know her better…Wait, isn’t that exactly what a date is.
>AY…ye feel a wee bit tips-y. ‘Ats a first ye bloody basetard. “Hey Jheny lassie, your lips are looking quite kisss-abul. What’s-ya and that cream? Did ya put some smack in it? I k-now you k-now H. ‘Ats stupid. I scooped it…Jhen…Idon’t feel so good…take me to bed. (Go to bed: select which of the two outside Pov’s you want first) I recall reading somewhere that cream has intoxicating properties for fairies. Jeanette stuck a giant gob of ice cream in Octavian’s mouth…and he’s never had any. Need I say more?

File: jrf.jpg (824 KB, 2048x1488)

824 KB JPG

>>3879314
This should have been linked to this post as the books illustration. I'm a sucker for this art, the murderous rider, and order of midnight's alt art. I wound up buying foils. I knew I wanted to use the hypnotic sprite art since it was first spoiled

>Bit of a meta question: is there any other superstitions related to the Fae that you might like me to incorporate into this story.
I tried to mix a fair bit of historical beliefs in with my own story points.
>Are there any supernatural entities you might like to see come up?I might as well getting onto researching them sooner rather that later. if I do use them

>>3879326
Wooo, info dump!!!

>I’m glad to know. It might help me understand my powers and my body, but I’m not going to let this get in the way of my future. Winter Court or not, I know humanity now…and I won’t go back. Jen, I’ll cast my lot in with Alice and you, even if it ends me…You know Jen, it’s funny…it sounds like fae on both sides of the isle wound up with human lovers. Maybe we’re not so strange, after all.
Don´t think we should act all that surprised at our origin considering what we learned earlier tonight, maybe a little bummed that we herald from the qoute/unqoute bad guys, but again not surprising. Oh, and if we're continuing to the POV switch, maybe start to slurr at the end.

>AY…ye feel a wee bit tips-y. ‘Ats a first ye bloody basetard. “Hey Jheny lassie, your lips are looking quite kisss-abul. What’s-ya and that cream? Did ya put some smack in it? I k-now you k-now H. ‘Ats stupid. I scooped it…Jhen…Idon’t feel so good…take me to bed. (Go to bed: select which of the two outside Pov’s you want first)
Let's go with Jeanette

>>3879333
>>Are there any supernatural entities you might like to see come up?
Personally think we should start to come up against some big players, maybe some old blood from one of the fae courts has taken notice of us.

>>3879326
>>I’m glad to know. It might help me understand my powers and my body, but I’m not going to let this get in the way of my future. Winter Court or not, I know humanity now…and I won’t go back. Jen, I’ll cast my lot in with Alice and you, even if it ends me…You know Jen, it’s funny…it sounds like fae on both sides of the isle wound up with human lovers. Maybe we’re not so strange, after all.

>Downtime like this might be a good time for you to practice with your powers…and you have a lovely assistant to help you.

>>3879326
>I’m glad to know. It might help me understand my powers and my body, but I’m not going to let this get in the way of my future. Winter Court or not, I know humanity now…and I won’t go back. Jen, I’ll cast my lot in with Alice and you, even if it ends me…You know Jen, it’s funny…it sounds like fae on both sides of the isle wound up with human lovers. Maybe we’re not so strange, after all.

>AY…ye feel a wee bit tips-y. ‘Ats a first ye bloody basetard. “Hey Jheny lassie, your lips are looking quite kisss-abul. What’s-ya and that cream? Did ya put some smack in it? I k-now you k-now H. ‘Ats stupid. I scooped it…Jhen…Idon’t feel so good…take me to bed. (Go to bed: select which of the two outside Pov’s you want first)
Jeanette
>>3879333
>Are there any supernatural entities you might like to see come up?
Gremlins

>>3879413
>>3879487
>>3879657
>Left this open a little longer to see if anyone else had any input. As I can't sleep tonight (for some reason) I'll be getting to work.
>I will check back to see if there are any late votes.

>>3879421
noted. can't really say more about this

>>3879657
Gremlins as in destroy technology and machines--gremlins or "Don't feed after midnight gremlins. or both these statements can be true if I play with the mythology a bit.

If it's the former I think they would be a type of fae an "evil" member from the brownie line (as I can't recall the term for the opposite of a brownie--instead of fixing up your house it destroys it...ouphe?) Except gremlins eat tech. I have a few ideas on how I could use them. a bit more spoiler-y proceed with cautiona future character might be very interested in them.

>>3881628
It's the former

>>3881628
mmmmm.

Lets not jump on board the Fae boat just yet. It fits, Quite well even. But its still merely a possibility rather than certainty.

Continue reading~~~

And give your waifu a hug.

>>3883102
I, as a third party, am not going to hop onto the "Octavian is fae" train yet, but I'm not sure it's in character for Octavian to do the same.

>>3882159
gotcha

>>3883102
>Continue reading~~~And give your waifu a hug.
Should I take that as a vote to look into the book a little more--and Octavian is already going to do that regardless(although she's kind of hugging him right now)

>>3883216
Octavian is a little shell-shocked after all the stuff he's figured out tonight. It's a little hard to say what he would do. It's why I had quite a bit of difficulty writing voting choices for responses(between that and those choices are meant to be short summaries of much longer conversations). It was also why I was encouraging write-ins.

>I'm a little behind on the next update. I've only got the first couple paragraphs I wrote early yesterday. I spent most of yesterday getting some new winter clothes and watching sportsball. However, I've been having a hard time sleeping the past few nights, so who knows I might write the whole thing overnight.

>The thread is now archived.
http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive/3862572/

>I was hoping to have the next updates (as we're getting into the pov stuff)out by now but some work stuff monopolized my time. Hopefully I have more time to write today and will get to it right after my morning run. Thanks for bearing with me.

>>3883410
>>3884979
No hurries,

>>3887777
>>3887777
>>3887777

Doubles then quads for the new thread. That must mean something.