week 2; wednesday with belph

[alchemenace]

[ so after yesterday's adventure someone should really be resting since he was stabbed.

Instead here he is, in the lab with a raccoon on his shoulders, seemingly taking stock of things??? Who knows but here he is.

Weirdly enough his arm is looking a lot better. Wow I wonder what that's about ]

Comments

[axilium]

[... well then. belph will just casually approach him.]

Looks like someone's doing better.

[alchemenace]

[ Varian does a full body 180 to turn to look at Belph, and lets out a breath when he realizes who it is ]

Oh. Yeah. Stab wounds. They... heal.

[ this is believable. ]

[axilium]

... Was it our generous healing title, or have you been concocting weird things up here?

[alchemenace]

[ there's a look of SHEER AGONY on his face at the healing title, and he grabs at his arm with a grimace ]

Um. Both, technically. Fane taught me. I did mean it when I said I wasn't a doctor. Healing potions are more "wizard" territory back in Corona.

[axilium]

[well, he'll just move on from the healing title.]

... Heh. Sounds like you have a good partner, then.

[alchemenace]

He's... pretty nice.

[ which is probably not what anyone thinks of when they think of fane, but. he is. ... to varian. ]

Even when he's being condescending.

[axilium]

Well, I get the feeling he's not a complete dick. He's just operating by a different species' viewpoint, right?

[alchemenace]

Yeah. I believe so long as you consider it cultural differences, it's a lot easier to understand and explain why some of the stuff he says or does is ... the way it is.

[ yeah. ]

Except ripping off faces. Understanding that one does not help to deal with it. Heh. Ugh.

[axilium]

... Ripping off faces?

[alchemenace]

Face Ripper? It's on his tapestry. He ... collects faces from the dead. For. Reasons.

[ if he thinks about it for too long he wants to die tbh ]

[axilium]

O... kay...

[......... anyway]

Well, moving on—I actually wanted to talk to you about yesterday...?

[alchemenace]

[ oh no ]

Y...essssss? What about it?

[axilium]

[you can't escape!!]

You said you'd explain in private.

[he gestures to their surroundings.]

So...

[alchemenace]

[ oh my god why did he say that. because he was in pain and panicking but why did he say that ]

... So I did! Let me explain.

[ there is a distinct silence following this. ]

Did Stephie already explain.

[axilium]

Nope. You're on your own for this, buddy.

[alchemenace]

[ kill him. ]

Okay. So. There is a perfectly good explanation for why we were in the woods.

[axilium]

I'm sure.

[alchemenace]

[ belph is killing him. varian is going to die before thursday. ]

So... We were compelled.

[axilium]

[rip]

... Compelled? Like what happened with lighting the hearths stuff?

[alchemenace]

Yes! Yes. Precisely.

[axilium]

... Wow. Your and Steph's luck sucks.

[alchemenace]

... I will not disagree with that.

[ varian's raccoon gives him a few pats ]

[axilium]

So, then what happened?

[ur not getting out of this]

[alchemenace]

Wolves? Mainly.

[ that crushed steph's leg??? ]

[axilium]

... So you just waltzed into the woods, got mauled by wolves, and then waltzed back out? That's it?

[a beat.]

I mean, that's awful, but it seems almost... mundane for this place.

[alchemenace]

There... might have also been some kind of bird monster involved.

[ a beat ]

Not the one that moved us. I believe that one was a phoenix, though it was kind of hard to analyze between the excruciating pain and the suddenness of it.

[axilium]

... Yeah, that sounds more like this place. So, no hallucinations or anything?

[alchemenace]

That's... specific. Did it happen to someone else?

[ which is a yes on the hallucinations, but he's more curious than anything ]

[axilium]

Shirasu and Natsuo had a fun time last week.

[which is pretty much the extent of what he knows.]

[alchemenace]

[ oh my god when will he stop feeling bad about natsuo and shirasu's adventure. is the answer never? it's never, isn't it. ]

So the castle is staying consistent with itself. Great.

[axilium]

[repent]

Ah.

So you dealt with them too.

[alchemenace]

Oh, right. The trees had eyes and were... whispering?

[ which varian can't recognize as a reference to disney's snow white but i do and i suffer ]

It was a bit freaky.

[axilium]

... Freaky definitely sounds like one word for it. What were they whispering?

[alchemenace]

They were ... telling us to keep going.

[ and these smart kids listened ]

[axilium]

And you listened.

[alchemenace]

We didn't listen, we simply... continued our advance in spite of it.

[ this is? different. ]

[axilium]

Mm-hmmmmmm.

[alchemenace]

[ let him die ]

A-anyway, is that all you wanted to know?

[axilium]

You should maybe try acting less suspicious, but sure, I'll let you run free now.

[alchemenace]

I... have never been suspicious once in my entire life.

[ this is such a blatant lie even rudiger is just staring at him ]