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Post by ~*Zephyr and Loki*~ on Mar 14, 2006 21:03:10 GMT -5
It was lunchtime in Oxford and the Botanical Garden was pleasantly filled with people enjoying the warm Spring weather. Couples holding hands sat on benches and scholars from the nearby colleges studied beneath the trees. A young man wandered along the paths, stopping every now and then to small the flowers. His labrador daemon trotted at his side, a content grin on her face. "It's so calming here. Eh, Sally?" Nicholas asked, he voice rather high-pitched for his age. "It's supposed to be, y'know," she answered in a gentle whisper. They continued on their way to the fountain in the center of the gardens. However, something was different. It was far less crowded and quiet than the rest of the park. And there was a feeling of tension in the air. Zaltharia shuddered. "I don't like this, Nikki."He didn't hear her, however. The water droplets from the fountain fell slower than usual, the sound of their splashing was dulled. "Well," Nicholas thought, "This is odd.((I went to www.chem.ox.ac.uk/oxfordtour/botanicgardens/tour.html# for info on the gardens.))
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Post by dingobabe on Mar 14, 2006 22:16:36 GMT -5
Michael Deschain half walked, half ran along the walk, muttering excuse me's as he pushed past the people enjoying the park's beauty. His daemon Khari, an Alaskan malamute, was trotting ahead of him. Normally he'd be appreciating the scenery along with everyone else, not only was it a perfect day, but he didn't have any work to do. But since he'd woken up there'd been a sense that something was about to happen. Michael had gotten random hunches like this before, and 9 out of 10 times they'd been right. He never questioned these premonitions, just took them as they came. And this one had, right in the middle of pulling his right sock on this morning.
So now here he was, now flat out running, waiting for his daemon racing ahead to run headlong into a tree. "Khari!" he hissed. "Slow down, you're going to kill us!" She ignored him and finally skidded to a halt when reaching their destination, a fountain in the center of the gardens.
There was already someone else there, a boy with a Labrador daemon. Michael wasn't sure if they were part of the feeling he'd been getting or not, so he pretended like he hadn't just been running like the hounds of hell were after him, and casually walked over to the nearest bench to wait, Khari jumping up to sit next to him.
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Post by Toni and Rinto on Mar 15, 2006 16:03:13 GMT -5
Jade stared after the boy who was running after his Alaskan malamute daemon, wondering why he was in such a hurry. Her attention was soon distracted again though, by a pretty looking flower with gorgeous crimson petals that she'd seen out of the corner of her eye. She was very sensitive to nature, after all, and stood gazing at it for a moment or two, in a sort of daze.
After she'd finished looking, she carried on walking around the botanical garden, her hyena daemon, Evan, padding slowly at her side. "I think we should check out where that boy was going, Jade" he said. He had always been more nosy than her.
"Hmm..I don't think it's any of our business, but I want to check out the fountain anyway so whatever." She said, rolling her eyes. She knew the hyena daemon would pester her until she gave in anyway.
She walked slowly towards the fountain at the center of the gardens, taking her time. The sun was shining pleasantly on her bare arms and the back of her neck, making her feel more relaxed.
When she got to the fountain, she noticed there were two boys already there. She suddenly stopped, and so did Evan. They both felt the tension in the air, and didn't like it at all. It didn't seem so pleasant and calm over here, and the sun didn't seem to be as warm on their backs. They both stood gazing oddly at the fountain.
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Post by ~*Zephyr and Loki*~ on Mar 15, 2006 20:35:37 GMT -5
"Nicholas, we have visitors," Zaltharia said to him with a glance in their direction. Nicholas turned, not very suprised. He had heard the boy running towards the fountain and noticed he appeared somewhat out of breath. His daemon was a species that Nicholas had never seen and Zaltharia tilted her head. "She almost looks like a wolf. A hybrid, perhaps?" Nicholas didn't answer for there was a girl there as well. She had a hyena daemon and both of them were staring at the fountain. "You think they can feel it, too?" Nicholas asked. "Only one way to find out," came the reply. "Hello there," she said to the two daemons. "Is it us or does it feel a bit odd by the fountain?" Nicholas sighed and shook his head.
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The Madcat
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Post by The Madcat on Mar 16, 2006 12:02:22 GMT -5
Having already been hanging around the fountain, Joanne Nichols watched disinterestedly as each newcomer stopped to stare at the attraction. It was pretty, but nothing new. Jo, as she much preferred to be called, simply rolled her eyes and focused on a knot in the wood of the bench she was sitting on. Her dæmon, perched calmly next to her, had a way of scaring off any other potential bench-occupiers with his fierce, red gaze; typical of a mature Northern Goshawk.
"Is it us or does it feel a bit odd by the fountain?"
Kinden ruffled his feathers. "Hear that?"
"Hear what?" Jo glanced down at him.
"They think something's up with the fountain. Now that they've mentioned it, it does seem a little --"
"They're imagining things, Kin," Jo cut him off. "It's a fountain." However, she returned her attention to the boy who'd spoken, the one with the Labrador dæmon. Kinden was shuffling from talon to talon in agitation, but for now Jo was content to simply sit back and watch.
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Post by Toni and Rinto on Mar 16, 2006 15:32:26 GMT -5
Evan's unusual yellow eyes flicked in the direction of the labrador daemon who had just spoken. "It's not just you," he said, "we feel it too. It sort of feels..tense. Not right." He shuddered at this, as did Jade, but neither of them knew why.
They carried on staring at the fountain, watching the water droplets falling slowly, almost unnaturally slowly.
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Post by dingobabe on Mar 16, 2006 16:13:11 GMT -5
"Is it us or does it feel a bit odd by the fountain?"
Michael started and Khari lifted her head up. They'd had been watching all the people start threading in with slight dismay, figuring if something was going to happen, it would happen with less spectators. But now...
"we feel it too. It sort of feels..tense. Not right."
Khari jumped off the bench and turned to the hyena. "You all feel it? What's going on?"
Mick got up, tense and not wanting to be caught off-guard, then relaxed slightly. "This is stupid. I mean, it's a fountain," he said, half to himself. "It's not going to come alive and eat us." he paused and eyed the fountain warily. "At least, I don't think it's going to."
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The Madcat
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Post by The Madcat on Mar 16, 2006 16:33:28 GMT -5
"This is stupid. I mean, it's a fountain. It's not going to come alive and eat us. ... At least, I don't think it's going to."
At this Jo smirked slightly, her attention now fully on their conversation. "See?" she murmured to Kinden without looking at him. "He agrees with me."
But even as she spoke the words a tremor of uncertain shuddered through her. She shifted her gaze away from the fountain, trying to ignore the fact that whatever it was that was disturbing everyone seemed to be getting stronger and more obvious.
Kinden, however, was harder to ignore. He bunched off his feathers and bristled, appearing almost twice his already impressive size. "Something's going on, Jo."
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Aaron
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Nerd Girl, Turaco Boy
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Post by Aaron on Mar 16, 2006 21:29:03 GMT -5
Calabré Tyssachr was there, right in that spot. However, he also happened to be in a different dimension, which was why he saw none of these goings-on. However, he had made a great discovery, just a week or so after his first success with barrier thinning, and he was ready to test his theory. "Alright, Kusa, so I think that you'll be a focus for my power, and I'll sorta reach through the barrier, with you as a hand, and...stick you through." He stood in front of an array of complex magical instruments.
"But Cal," she said agitatedly, "you know how I hate to be far away from you."
The mage explained calmly, "You won't be far away from me. You'll be right in this spot. I'll be right there watching. I'll just be in a different dimension. No big deal. I'll be right there, and if anything goes wrong, I'll pull you back." She looked comforted, and Calabré closed his eyes. He imagined that Kusa was his arm, a great arm that could reach far away. He reached for the now-familiar sensation of the Oxford universe, pressed against the barrier, overcame the resistance, and his arm breached it, right up the to the shoulder, but no further. He remained frozen there, in that awkward position between worlds.
Kusa, the "arm", found herself coiled around something made of stone, and soaking wet. She blinked her piercing orange eyes several times, and realized that she coiled many times about a fountain, wettened by the spray. Uncoiling, she slithered to the ground and looked around. Unused to the idea of speaking aloud, she actually said, "Well, I'm certainly not in Ryada'a anymore." The reticulated python dæmon allowed her full 28 feet (8.5m) of orange and black tail unfold behind her, then, drawing her head up to Cal's eye level (had he been there), she suddenly realized that there were people all around. And other dæmons. Physical ones. And she was physical too.
Oh boy.
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Post by ~*Zephyr and Loki*~ on Mar 16, 2006 21:41:34 GMT -5
"Something's going on, Jo." That was an understatement. Nicholas' brain could barely comprehend what had just happened. First there was the fountain and then a huge snake appeared out of nowhere. "That's no normal snake, Nikki. It's a....daemon," Zaltharia said in awe. It was true, Nicholas could feel it. The unmistakeable aura of a daemon...but there was one small problem with it. "Wh-where's the human?" He asked, terrified. He had heard tales of humans without their daemon, tales that caused adults to have nightmares. But a daemon without a human? He felt his heart being squeezed with terror. Nicholas and Zaltharia immediately stumbled away from the creature and nearly collided with the girl with the hyena daemon. So much for a relaxing day at the park.
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Post by dingobabe on Mar 16, 2006 21:49:00 GMT -5
Mick had been slowly zoning out, staring into the fountain, when he realized the fountain was staring back. Khari gave off a surprised yelping growl and leaped to defend her human against the 30 foot python that she would never stand a chance against.
"Well, I'm certainly not in Ryada'a anymore."
Mick blinked. "Chill out Khari, it's a daemon."
Khari looked back, indignant. "It's a daemon? That doesn't mean it's not dangerous!" she turned back to the snake and growled threateningly. "Besides..." she faltered. "where's her human?"
Michael looked around, beginning to get nervous. "I'm sure they're here somewhere... I mean... it would be impossible..." Something the snake said registered in his mind, and he turned to address the snake. "Wait... what's Ry..ada?"
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Post by Toni and Rinto on Mar 17, 2006 13:22:34 GMT -5
Jade's eyes grew to the size of saucers when she saw the large snake daemon uncoiling itself from the fountain. She backed away, as she sensed that something was wrong about this. It was a daemon, but-
"Dude. Where's your human?" Evan said, his yellow eyes as large as Jade's with shock. He, too, was backing away. This ..this thing..could be a threat to them both.
He crossed over in front of Jade, shielding her in case it attacked.
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The Madcat
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Post by The Madcat on Mar 17, 2006 16:27:13 GMT -5
Jo hadn't moved except to tense herself at the sudden appearance of the huge snake dæmon. She cursed softly under her breath, not taking her eyes off the creature. Kinden, however, responded by flaring his wings, lowering his head and hissing in surprise.
"We should leave, Jo," he muttered to her. "It's - it's a ghast, maybe, or ... or something ... something bad ..."
"Not afraid, are ya?" She got to her feet slowly, fascinated, wanting to see the snake more closely. Kinden's feathers suddenly flattened in fear.
"Jo ..."
When she'd moved further away from him he flapped after her, clutching awkwardly at her shoulder. The questions on their mind had already been voiced by the others. Jo awaited its response while Kinden quietly pleaded with her to move away, talons digging in her shoulder, his grip painfully tight in his distress.
"Jo, please! This thing could eat us both!"
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Aaron
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Post by Aaron on Mar 17, 2006 17:12:40 GMT -5
Kusa stayed perfectly still. She was not afraid of these people and their dæmons, panicked as they were, because if worst came to worst, she could bite and constrict any of them, maybe even two at a time. But it was certainly not something she wanted to do. It occurred to her that these people, used to seeing dæmons and humans together, would logically be frightened. Hey, a creature as imposing as her would draw any given fearful reaction, if it appeared out of nowhere. She figured it was best to allay their fears.
"My human is here," she said, her voice feathery and flutey. "You just can't see him. Right, Cal?" she asked, tilting her head.
"Yes," he said from his home dimension, using his power to project his voice for the youths to hear, even though his power was running quite low from all this exertion.
"I'm not quite sure how to explain my presence to you," she continued apologetically. "We didn't expect anyone to be here."
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The Madcat
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Post by The Madcat on Mar 17, 2006 17:59:03 GMT -5
At the light voice of the serpent, Kinden gave a great shudder and his feathers flattened even more, making himself now appear small. He began shivering uncontrollably on Jo's shoulder, which moved her to lift her hand and stroke his chest feathers gently. The goshawk dæmon was plainly terrified, but Jo, in her abrupt manner, studied the snake and then stepped forward and addressed it.
"How come we can't see your human?" she demanded. "Are you some kind of spirit? How did you get here?"
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