Roleplay

There was a weird eyeless... creature, wagging its tail. It kinda creeped Thassius out. But it seemed, happy? And non-threatening. It was like a dog, but it very clearly was not a dog. Thass debated petting it for a moment, before deciding not to.

The next thing he noticed was a bird. It was just sorta. Sitting there. That was cool, he supposed. He guessed birds were pretty great.

He looked down to Mink, trying to figure out his reaction. Mink was scared of Benji, and of Destiny. How would he feel about the eyeless not-dog?

“A bird? A BIRD?!” A snake from under her wing lunges at him before stopping mere centimetres from his leg. “Sorry about that, natural instinct. I pride myself being 60% quail, 20% snake and 20% magic-based.” She awkwardly shuffles under the seats to avoid her embarrassment and puffs up into a ball of feathers.

(note: she mind reads because who doesnt like magic cockatrice quails)

“Here, Omen,” Mama Dragon called and whistled for the beast as she went over to the couch. He followed her with a rather happy little bark and clambered up to lay on the couch beside her when she sat. On the table was the pie, as well as a few plates now and a knife to cut the pastry. “If you’d like, you can sit back down again and enjoy some pie, ask more questions. I know the more recent arrivals may want to do so. If you’re not interested, you can explore further; just know that, at some point, if you continue to wander around the forest, you may end up right back at the cottage. It’s not endless, you know. But there are some things out there, like Omen-“ she patted the beast by her side- “and also like you all. Other visitors, I mean. Regulars that don’t always stop by the cottage during their visits.”

Reathan raised an eyebrow at that as he stood behind an armchair, leaning over and resting his crossed arms on top of it. “That’s a bit weird. It’s a little rude to just invade someone else’s home without even letting them know, isn’t it.”

Mama Dragon only smiled in response. “I know when they visit, don’t you worry. No one can sneak up on these old bones.”

"Monsters? I wouldn't call them that," Mink added, thinking about the many creatures he had met. Sure, they could be considered "monsters" but it didn't seem very fitting. Even the most... well, terrifying beast had its own society. He knew that there was some manticore had great villages. They weren't as threatening as some of things, but he had never been there so his judgement on that was limited.

He glanced back at the roof for the ghost he saw. She was still hiding. The smell of something sweet caught his attention. He sniffed the air, yes it did smell good. It was much better than the food that the pirates made. It would have been more upsetting if he could have been able to eat it. The loud barking broke through his thoughts. Mink jumped up at bit at the noise. He didn't want to look at the rest of the group for he felt ashamed.

The person standing in the doorway was not the face he had expected. He really thought it would have been a dragon. 'This is Mama Dragon?' he thought. Huh, well that was surprising. The thing that scared him was the creature sitting near her. He was about ready to just run out of there. That thing could really bite him into pieces. It was like a dog? Maybe it was a lion? He stared at it, checking back at the group for their reaction. They seemed... okay with it? He guessed it was alright. He still held on his necklace for support. He could hide there if he need to do it. Well, the necklace would need to let him. It hated when he was being a coward. "Hello! Thanks for letting me into your home," he greeted Mama Dragon, not really sure what to say. He never went to visit other people's homes. He noticed another person there.

"Oh a cockatrice!" he exclaimed. That was he only creature that he recognized from the group. He had been to a small town with cockatrice farmers when he was alive. They were very nice. That's all he really remembered from that trip. He wasn't surprised to see the snake parts. That was a standard. He watched Mama Dragon begin to pet Omen. He was still wary about it, but it seemed to be a pet. He went over to the couch, sitting near the cockatrice. "Hello! I'm a chimera," he introduced himself, "I haven't seen your kind in a while." He glanced at the windows for the ghost.

Wait did Mama Dragon know about all visitors? Did she know about the ghost? "How many visitors are there now?" he asked, looking back at Mama Dragon. Did they know about her?

A, cockatrice? That wasn't something Thass had ever heard of before. He decided he was going to keep his distance from her. It freaked him out that she had heard something he hadn't even said. His thoughts were not going to be read. Nope. Not today. Plus, he had to look for Benji. He still sorta felt bad, and wanted to make sure that the dragon was doing alright.

Though, the idea of staying for pie tempted him. Pie was a luxury, one he was never able to afford. He survived off of almost exclusively fruits and bread. Nothing grew in the desert, so it was all imported from Aslamore. That was the terrible thing about living in Sekratha.

"Has anyone seen Benji?" He asked. He did not add his fear of making the poor guy feel bad about accidentally scaring Mink.

Destiny flew into the cabin with them, but not before spotting an odd, bluish clump of mist at the edge of the cottage. Another visitor, perhaps? Maybe it would come in soon.

She alighted on the very edge of a couch, not wanting to take up a seat that someone else might like to sit in. Besides, she was much more comfortable with a perch a little higher up, as well as a place she could actually find some purchase with her talons. She settled in a little more, preferring for the time being to stay silent. Traveling worlds could be exhausting.

Her eyes landed on the little cockatrice that had recently come in. Cute. She tried not to think about how it might taste.

Her gaze shifted to the woman sitting on the other couch, whose smile was warm and friendly. She had been expecting her? That was new. Apparently, this “Mama Dragon” was the creator of this place, but Destiny was a little skeptical. Still, she seemed nice. The pie looked warm and inviting, and reminded her a little of the milkberry tarts back home.

The falcon was mostly a carnivore, of course, but due to her... abilities, she could probably take a small bite of the pie if she really wanted. Her stomach grumbled quietly; traveling worlds also made one hungry. Was there anything to hunt here?

She tried not to look back at the cockatrice-

“How many? Well, around the house...” Mama Dragon closed her eyes for a moment and focused. After a second or two, she opened them up again and looked back to Mink. “Well, about 7 nearby. Though there are many more in the woods.” She began to cut the pie in slices, placing a few full plates around the table with forks. Reathan gladly took a piece and started to dig in.

“That’s actually a good question,” he said to Thass between bites. “I haven’t seen the big guy around in a little while... maybe he wandered off?”

Destiny looked at the plates and forks cluelessly.

Thassius decided that pie was important. Not more important than Benji, per se, but still important. He decided he was going to have some. He rarely got the chance anyway. Might as well make the most of it.

The pie was amazing. Of course it was. It was pie. All pie was supposed to be good. He made a mental note to have more pie. And to bring Raz some pie.

Raz, that's right. She was the reason he had even gone to take the satchel in the first place. At the thought of her, Thass felt a pang of guilt. She was, in a way, the reason he was here. And he needed to go see her, as soon as possible. How could he forget her in all this excitement? He kicked himself for that. He had to go, and soon. He had to make sure she was okay. He mostly looked down at his pie after that.