nick012000
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It's a pity that White Dragon's dead. I wouldn't have minded seeing him meet Blitzen. It probably would have been hilarious.
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With This Ring (Young Justice SI) (Thread Fourteen)
- Thread starter Mr Zoat
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Prince Charon
Just zis guy, you know?
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If she is, I suspect that she's very entertained.
Versus the Rake Men (part 4)
Mr Zoat
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21st year of the reign of King Randor I
Season of Chill
307th day, 16th bell
Talk or fight?
Fighting in here isn't optimal. Eternians can't fly but the athletic ones can be bloody quick on their feet. And the fight would definitely damage the crystal chamber. I don't know how big a deal that is; Teela Na didn't seem especially concerned about the damage Zodak's fight caused, but it wasn't that much. I have no idea what weapons are integrated into that armour, and then there's the sword…
On the other hand, while I'm not as proficient as some of the other mes I met briefly after we got grabbed by Krona, I am still a Lantern. Or.. power ring user, anyway. Eternians are tough, but they're hardly invulnerable to levels of force I can generate. This fight should be winnable.
Alternately, I could try to convince her that I'm a minor functionary while I feel her out. Find out what -if anything- she remembers of Eternia. What Hordak's been doing with her. I can turn the staff into a broom-.
Evelyn's half way to Adora already.
"Hail, friend. I am Evil-Lyn, a warrior in the service of Skeletor." Adora levels her sword at Evelyn, who stops walking closer and affects an expression of mild offence. "Is that any way to greet an ally?"
Thaaat works, I suppose. I send the staff into subspace before hesitantly following Evelyn, holding my body in a submissive posture.
"Skeletor." Probably-Adora doesn't sound entirely convinced. I suppose that Keldor isn't exactly a constant presence in… Wherever Hordak spends his time. He might just not have mentioned him to her. "This is… Eternia."
"Ah, you do know of it. I hadn't realised that Hordak was trying to send his warriors here."
"Where are we?"
"An abandoned castle I was exploring. The crystals possess a strong magic."
Adora's helmeted face turns towards me, and I make a point of dropping my eyes submissively. She discounts me immediately, not even bothering to look at the Basophil Amulet on my chest. Now, Hordak shouldn't know that King D'Vann's power outlasted him. Keldor only found out about the power of Grayskull recently, and he wasn't in regular contact with his nominal superior. But if he were here, then he'd find out fairly swiftly.
Adora raises her sword slightly, looking at the blue stone in the ricasso. "They're the same."
Evelyn shrugs. "Perhaps. The same colour, certainly." She extends her right hand. "If you'll hand it over I can check for-?"
Adora glares at her. "I'm keeping my sword."
"As you wish." Evelyn withdraws her hand. "And.. who, exactly, are you? From your armour I assume that you work for Hordak..?"
"I am Despara, a Force Captain in the Horde."
"Despara?" From the sound of her voice I don't think that Evelyn is impressed by the try-hard name. Evil Lyn isn't impressed by the try-hard name. I carefully school my expression and don't comment on dubious wisdom of projectile geology in silicate-based domiciles. "I don't believe that I've heard of you."
"My elevation is recent; long after Hordak's last contact with Eternia."
"Where is Hordak these days? He was supposedly banished to Despondos, but if he has living followers that seems unlikely."
"Hordak's great horde is in the process of subjugating the world of Etheria. There is some… Magic to the place that makes it more accessible from Despondos. Hordak can walk among us for brief spans, and his presence and voice are always with us."
Etheria… I guess that's where She-Ra happens? And I don't remember anything about Hordak having trouble interacting with the world. He was just sort of there, commanding his army and occasionally getting involved in active combat with the… She-Ra's team, whatever they were called.
"Fascinating. But how did you come here? I remember the last time that Hordak sent soldiers here, and the preparations were extensive."
"Last time?"
"Mmmmm. Fifteen or so years ago."
'Despara' doesn't move for a moment. Her eyepieces mean that I can't tell whether she's staring at Evelyn or staring into space. And while I could do some sort of ring scan, she might be able to detect it and it would be much better if we could resolve this without fighting.
"What did they do here?"
It's hard to notice, but there was a slight hesitation between the first few words of her question.
"They kidnapped the infant daughter of one of the local rulers. They never said why, but they returned through the portal back to 'Etheria' and never returned."
"What-? Was her name? What did she look like?"
"She looked like a small, crying child." Evelyn shrugs. "Archivist?"
Who-? Oh, me. "Blonde hair, blue eyes, your eminence. Her name was Ador-."
"Adora."
I bow my head. "Yes, your eminence. Have you met the young lady? Actually knowing what Hordak intends would make it far easier for us to enact his will."
"Adora. She came from here."
"Well… A city a short distance from here."
"Have its people been enslaved and tasked to labour for the Horde?"
I shake my head. "No. Skeletor has been more focused on increasing his personal power rather than conquering and holding inhabited territory. He nominally 'rules' half the world, but in fact his writ runs shallow outside of Snake Mountain."
"You are impudent to speak so of the one Hordak has placed over you."
"I try to keep a realistic view of the abilities of those around me. For example, I don't see any sign that you are a magician."
"I am not. I am a warrior."
"Your armour appears…" Evelyn runs her eyes over Despara's armour. "Sophisticated, but I see nothing that could open a portal to this… 'Etheria'."
"Shadow Weaver wished to study my interaction with this sword. Usually I arm myself with two short swords. Shadow Weaver is Hordak's greatest sorceress, and she believed that this sword would react to me in some way. I held it aloft, then… Here I was."
"That's it? No flash of light? No glow?"
"Not that I noticed." She hesitates, her attention moving to the sword. "Though most of my attention was focused on Shadow Weaver. If it was a subtle sign, I may not have noticed."
"Then what are your intentions? Do you wish to return as swiftly as possible? Or do you have other orders you wish to complete first?"
"I should return. But the ability of this sword to open portals could be an asset to the Horde, and none of my usual responsibilities are anything that another Force Captain could not complete nearly as well."
"Then studying the sword is what we will do. Archivist." I perk up attentively. "Fetch my staff and some refreshments and then meet up in the castle library."
I bow my head to hide my smile. And of course I can't refuse now, or the mummery comes to an end and we're back to fighting. Evelyn could have just told Adora that she needs help, so I don't think that she intends to betray me. Of course, that doesn't mean that she isn't trying to find out whether or not Hordak would give her a better deal if she did. Fortunately, I can monitor her while I'm away to make sure that she doesn't do that the moment my back is turned, but I just got put on the back foot something fierce there.
"At once, Evil-Lyn. I will meet you there."
Season of Chill
307th day, 16th bell
Talk or fight?
Fighting in here isn't optimal. Eternians can't fly but the athletic ones can be bloody quick on their feet. And the fight would definitely damage the crystal chamber. I don't know how big a deal that is; Teela Na didn't seem especially concerned about the damage Zodak's fight caused, but it wasn't that much. I have no idea what weapons are integrated into that armour, and then there's the sword…
On the other hand, while I'm not as proficient as some of the other mes I met briefly after we got grabbed by Krona, I am still a Lantern. Or.. power ring user, anyway. Eternians are tough, but they're hardly invulnerable to levels of force I can generate. This fight should be winnable.
Alternately, I could try to convince her that I'm a minor functionary while I feel her out. Find out what -if anything- she remembers of Eternia. What Hordak's been doing with her. I can turn the staff into a broom-.
Evelyn's half way to Adora already.
"Hail, friend. I am Evil-Lyn, a warrior in the service of Skeletor." Adora levels her sword at Evelyn, who stops walking closer and affects an expression of mild offence. "Is that any way to greet an ally?"
Thaaat works, I suppose. I send the staff into subspace before hesitantly following Evelyn, holding my body in a submissive posture.
"Skeletor." Probably-Adora doesn't sound entirely convinced. I suppose that Keldor isn't exactly a constant presence in… Wherever Hordak spends his time. He might just not have mentioned him to her. "This is… Eternia."
"Ah, you do know of it. I hadn't realised that Hordak was trying to send his warriors here."
"Where are we?"
"An abandoned castle I was exploring. The crystals possess a strong magic."
Adora's helmeted face turns towards me, and I make a point of dropping my eyes submissively. She discounts me immediately, not even bothering to look at the Basophil Amulet on my chest. Now, Hordak shouldn't know that King D'Vann's power outlasted him. Keldor only found out about the power of Grayskull recently, and he wasn't in regular contact with his nominal superior. But if he were here, then he'd find out fairly swiftly.
Adora raises her sword slightly, looking at the blue stone in the ricasso. "They're the same."
Evelyn shrugs. "Perhaps. The same colour, certainly." She extends her right hand. "If you'll hand it over I can check for-?"
Adora glares at her. "I'm keeping my sword."
"As you wish." Evelyn withdraws her hand. "And.. who, exactly, are you? From your armour I assume that you work for Hordak..?"
"I am Despara, a Force Captain in the Horde."
"Despara?" From the sound of her voice I don't think that Evelyn is impressed by the try-hard name. Evil Lyn isn't impressed by the try-hard name. I carefully school my expression and don't comment on dubious wisdom of projectile geology in silicate-based domiciles. "I don't believe that I've heard of you."
"My elevation is recent; long after Hordak's last contact with Eternia."
"Where is Hordak these days? He was supposedly banished to Despondos, but if he has living followers that seems unlikely."
"Hordak's great horde is in the process of subjugating the world of Etheria. There is some… Magic to the place that makes it more accessible from Despondos. Hordak can walk among us for brief spans, and his presence and voice are always with us."
Etheria… I guess that's where She-Ra happens? And I don't remember anything about Hordak having trouble interacting with the world. He was just sort of there, commanding his army and occasionally getting involved in active combat with the… She-Ra's team, whatever they were called.
"Fascinating. But how did you come here? I remember the last time that Hordak sent soldiers here, and the preparations were extensive."
"Last time?"
"Mmmmm. Fifteen or so years ago."
'Despara' doesn't move for a moment. Her eyepieces mean that I can't tell whether she's staring at Evelyn or staring into space. And while I could do some sort of ring scan, she might be able to detect it and it would be much better if we could resolve this without fighting.
"What did they do here?"
It's hard to notice, but there was a slight hesitation between the first few words of her question.
"They kidnapped the infant daughter of one of the local rulers. They never said why, but they returned through the portal back to 'Etheria' and never returned."
"What-? Was her name? What did she look like?"
"She looked like a small, crying child." Evelyn shrugs. "Archivist?"
Who-? Oh, me. "Blonde hair, blue eyes, your eminence. Her name was Ador-."
"Adora."
I bow my head. "Yes, your eminence. Have you met the young lady? Actually knowing what Hordak intends would make it far easier for us to enact his will."
"Adora. She came from here."
"Well… A city a short distance from here."
"Have its people been enslaved and tasked to labour for the Horde?"
I shake my head. "No. Skeletor has been more focused on increasing his personal power rather than conquering and holding inhabited territory. He nominally 'rules' half the world, but in fact his writ runs shallow outside of Snake Mountain."
"You are impudent to speak so of the one Hordak has placed over you."
"I try to keep a realistic view of the abilities of those around me. For example, I don't see any sign that you are a magician."
"I am not. I am a warrior."
"Your armour appears…" Evelyn runs her eyes over Despara's armour. "Sophisticated, but I see nothing that could open a portal to this… 'Etheria'."
"Shadow Weaver wished to study my interaction with this sword. Usually I arm myself with two short swords. Shadow Weaver is Hordak's greatest sorceress, and she believed that this sword would react to me in some way. I held it aloft, then… Here I was."
"That's it? No flash of light? No glow?"
"Not that I noticed." She hesitates, her attention moving to the sword. "Though most of my attention was focused on Shadow Weaver. If it was a subtle sign, I may not have noticed."
"Then what are your intentions? Do you wish to return as swiftly as possible? Or do you have other orders you wish to complete first?"
"I should return. But the ability of this sword to open portals could be an asset to the Horde, and none of my usual responsibilities are anything that another Force Captain could not complete nearly as well."
"Then studying the sword is what we will do. Archivist." I perk up attentively. "Fetch my staff and some refreshments and then meet up in the castle library."
I bow my head to hide my smile. And of course I can't refuse now, or the mummery comes to an end and we're back to fighting. Evelyn could have just told Adora that she needs help, so I don't think that she intends to betray me. Of course, that doesn't mean that she isn't trying to find out whether or not Hordak would give her a better deal if she did. Fortunately, I can monitor her while I'm away to make sure that she doesn't do that the moment my back is turned, but I just got put on the back foot something fierce there.
"At once, Evil-Lyn. I will meet you there."
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Darko
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Really Evelyn?
Really?
You're not impressed with her name.
Exactly.
And maybe "Evil-Lyn"
Probably be exasperated at Paul's actions and rethink any future vacations.
Mr Zoat
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He was mentally emphasising the two parts separately.
moralrelativity
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Chojin Patriarch
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It's probably a very good thing she's unlikely to say the trigger phrase by accident. Otherwise she'd be very, very confused. And I would not be surprised if Castle Grayskull had some measure of self-repair facility about it. After all, it's the grand repository of all magical knowledge, or at least what King Grayskull had gathered.
Heh, the almighty Jan-i-tor.
Blessed with the power to clean messes with inhuman speed, no matter how large or disgusting!Thank goodness for the ally on the inside. Can you imagine the mayhem if she'd met the Sorceress first?
Well, at least she recognises the name. It would be damn embarrassing if she'd never heard of Skeletor.
Ah, a half-truth. Classic 'lying without lying' trick. because she probably has a geas of truthfulness on her...
No doubt. Logical enough that there'd be a link between sword and castle, capable of working across realms.
Oooh-kay. Also logical, since she's in unknown territory with people claiming to be friendly.
Because of course he renamed her after kidnapping her. What better revenge on Grayskull's line than to subvert it? Better than having her running around as 'Adorable-' ...Sorry, 'Adora'.
Yeah, best to play dumb, bow and scrape, until you can get a message out to the Sorceress. She probably won't enjoy having her nookie time interrupted, though...
That's... Concerning. But at least he isn't free. No doubt working through cyborg-clone avatars.
The joy of having to rely on spotty memories of the eighties series. Especially if you weren't a fan of the 'girl He-Man show'...
Oh, that's not the reaction of someone fanatically loyal. No, that's someone doing some interesting math and finding something she believed doesn't add up.
I see someone's been wondering where she came from.
Heh. Not quite the same as the original series' reveal, but I doubt Prince Adam could be here for this, what with the partying going on.
Oh, yes, she recognises that name. What's the bet she's been eavesdropping on Shadow Weaver chatting with Hordak about something.
Damn, she's stuck on the 'I'm not who I thought I was' thing. Pity percussive maintenance isn't an option.
Uh, well, about that... Hordak isn't the best recruiter of local talent...
Sometimes, you got to call an idiot an idiot.
Ah, dumb muscle. Or so she'd appear, I guess.
Oh, thank goodness for happy accidents.
So for all she knows, the shockwave of transit levelled the room. We can but hope.
...Also, she doesn't know how to return?
Not that she'd admit that to strangers.Ah, good, a chance to call for backup. Boy, the Sorceress is going to be pissed. She was so set on ruining Duncan's bedsheets. And maybe the bedframe, too.
I'm sure your innate sneakiness can help you sort this put, Lantern. (And damn, I keep wanting to hyphenate it as Lan-Tern...)
Well, off to call for help. Let's hope they don't come in all guns blazing. Maybe they can play 'flunky' long enough for Adam to meet her and use that familial connection to, I don't know, shake off the Horde conditioning? On the other hand, no matter how this turns out, I don't think the Sorceress is ever going to trust Lantern with the Castle again anytime soon... Even if this wasn't his fault.
"Your armour appears…" Evelyn runs her eyes over Despara's armour.
"Then what are your intentions?
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BR549
This is filth! FILTH!!
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Mr Zoat
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A single continuety.
Thank you, corrected.
You aren't familiar with the expression 'meet up'?
Thank you, corrected.
BrotherofaStudio
Know what you're doing yet?
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So it is Adora, well this will be interesting. Paul and Evelyn figured out a plan and got into character pretty quickly, I hope it works and that Adora will wind up working with them. Any other alternates you're planning on and are willing to reveal?
Pinklestia
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Hace you seen the new series? You know were Keldor gets offered either the Sword Of Power the cursed staff of Havok without being told the staff was cursed? The Sorceress is not beyond using trickeryif it suits her.
After all Keldor was a sorcerer, even if he wasn't evil already he would have picked the magic staff.
Doccer
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I am very glad we aren't getting time skips about this.
Are you trying to do a star trek thing?
You have got to tease her relentlessly later. At the first opportunity.. It's required.
BrotherofaStudio
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I am glad for not skipping as well and yes, Paul needs to tease her about this at a later date.
Mr Zoat
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No, I'm trying to keep my modern writing good.
Coda
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she hit last time
moralrelativity
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Of course I am. I just thought there was a possiblity that there was another typo and you meant 'us'. Hence my use of the question mark indicating that it could go either way.
Mr Zoat
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Thank you, corrected.
Cuchulin
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A Dresden Files He Man crossover? Ok, I can roll with it.
Doccer
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I've gotta start waiting till I'm fully awake. I thought for sure I typed star wars!
Versus the Rake Men (part 5)
Mr Zoat
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21st year of the reign of King Randor I
Season of Chill
307th day, 16th bell
The Basophil amulet glows as it sustains the simple levitation spell I've cast to carry my load.
One staff, temporarily bequeathed to me by Sorceress Teela Na.
Another staff, this one topped with a crystal ball which allows her to call upon 'blue crystal magic', a title which makes me long for some sort of guide to pre-invasion magic use. Is the colour coding significant? Is it a matter of authorisation to use part of a planet's magic system? Does the colour indicate that they're better at certain tasks but the energy field itself is undifferentiated? Are there racks of crystals sitting somewhere, ready for use?
One plate of pastries and another of fresh fruit. I have no idea where Teela Na gets them from. The forest outside of Castle Grayskull does contain some fruiting trees, but nothing like enough to sustain the larder I visited. She hasn't shown me any sort of hydroponics system, so maybe there's a matter re-sequencer of some sort? If she was just conjuring it she wouldn't bother building up a store…
And the device Teela Na attached to Evelyn's staff to neutralise it, which I'm going to drop off there, just outside of the library, because I might want to grab it again really quickly.
I knock, though I know perfectly well what they're doing and what they've been talking about. Evelyn's plan appears to involve me -as the total unknown- staying in the background as a subservient character while she takes point.
"Come!"
I gesture with my right hand and the door opens, allowing me to walk in, calling Evelyn's staff into my left hand. The two of them are sitting at the table I was occupying, Despara's helmet laying next to her right elbow and her face. Blonde, short-cropped hair and brilliant blue eyes are accentuated by dark eyebrows and a black curve painted along the bottom of her eye orbits. I think the Ancient Egyptians did that to reduce the effect of the sun's glare. Perhaps the part of Etheria where she was stationed was equatorial?
"Polished up nicely, Evil-Lyn."
And just in case, I did actually polish it.
She glances at me from the corner of her eye, then raises her right hand and summons it to her in a flicker of purple light. She catches it without looking, briefly makes the head glow and then lowers it to lean against the table, her left hand resting against the shaft.
I take the opportunity to sit down next to her, though I note that she put the staff on the opposite side from me. A wave of my right forefinger and the plates deposit themselves on the table between them.
Despara regards the pastry selection blankly. Alright, her armour probably has all kinds of protective enchantments on it, but now that her helmet is just sitting on the table the seal to the interior has been broken. The air of this room should now contain just enough dead skin cells and hairs for me to be able to read her genetic code…
Match found.
So unless she's a clone or Hordak's genetic engineering technology is a lot more advanced than anything I've seen -and given that Sir Duncan didn't know what a gene was until I told him I rather doubt that- then this is indeed Princess Adora of Eternos. And her armour didn't appear to detect my scan, which is nice to know.
Evelyn picks up the bread roll that had Adora's attention. "It's not poisoned, if that's what you're worried about."
"What is it?"
"Bread. Ground grains mixed with yeast and water and then baked in an oven."
"And you eat it?"
Evelyn raises her eyebrows slightly, then tears off part of the soft roll and puts it into her mouth.
I nod. "Yes, Force Captain. Bread is a very common foodstuff in this part of Eternia. Most farmers bake their own, and any settlement of any size will have at least one baker. Hordak's horde does not?"
"We eat ration bars, made in the Vittles Factory."
I shake my head. "Eternia lacks the technology to produce nutritious ration bars. It's usually easier for armies to carry flour, jam, sausage… Easily portable preserved food, and feed on that. Or to provision themselves through forage. Though with an army of any size, that can rapidly starve a region."
"The logistics must be complicated."
I nod. "Hordak's horde did a number on the place. Even paved roads are something of a rarity. Much of what was once farmland has returned to nature."
Her eyes narrow. "You speak treason!"
I shrug. "Hardly. I'm sure that Hordak had a plan for the place, and starving an enemy is usually more efficient than meeting them with equal force in the field. I merely observe that moving an army is easier in a place with good infrastructure. Or with a way to supply by air."
I gesture to the pile of books still on the table.
"I was attempting to study Hordak's invasion, to learn from his example. Sadly, few quality records survived. Does the horde have better records?"
Adora appears to have calmed slightly. "Not that I have seen."
"That's a shame. It's usually worth knowing what hasn't gone according to plan in the past in order to avoid repeating those mistakes. Well!" I reach over and pick up a fruit that looks like a cross between an apple and a passion fruit. "Perhaps -time permitting- I could ask Hordak himself for his recollections at some point in the future. I'm sure that future generations would benefit from his wisdom."
I bite down and… Yes, pleasant taste, kind of messy. Puts me a little in mind of a peach in that regard, except that rather than dribbling juice it dribbles seed-rich slime.
Evelyn finishes her roll and reaches out to push the plate a little closer to Adora.
"Are you sure that you're not hungry?"
I nod, lowering the dripping fruit from my mouth and swallowing. "If this is a trust issue, I'll gladly eat a bit of whatever you're worried I might have poisoned."
Adora stares at me for a moment, then grabs a roll apparently at random and tears it in half, hard crust cracking and depositing fragments onto the surface of the table. She looks at the soft interior for a moment and then awkwardly bites at it as if the crust was an inedible fruit skin and only the interior was for eating. Her chewing motion is a little awkward, which… Would make sense if she's really been subsisting on ration bars for her entire life.
Though from the way she's chomping it down as if she's afraid that someone will take it away from her, I would guess that the experience is a pleasant one.
I take another bite of fruit as Evelyn leans forward. "Have you been to Eternia before, Force Captain?"
Adora needs a moment to swallow, and I notice Evelyn looking my way out of the corner of her eye again. I nod, apparently to myself, and Evelyn returns her full attention to Adora.
"No. I was born in the Whelping Chambers in Hordak's domain on Etheria. I have spent my entire life until this day on Etheria."
"Are you certain?"
Adora's eyes narrow for a moment, before putting the crust down and grabbing a fruit a little like a small pineapple.
"Yes. Shadow Weaver told me, and so it is true."
"Could not she be mistaken? Forgive me if I'm wrong, but a place called a 'Whelping Chamber' hardly sounds like a position of high honour. Would they really bother keeping track of every whelp?"
"Yes. How else would they judge which bloodlines were worth cultivating, and for what purpose? Though… I suppose that the tracking only starts once they arrive." She looks mystified at the fruit, so I take a small knife out of subspace and offer it to her, grip first. She takes it and cuts into the flesh of the fruit. "What do you think that you know?"
"You have a certain physical similarity to a local notable. Tell me, Force Captain. Have you heard of He-Man?"
Season of Chill
307th day, 16th bell
The Basophil amulet glows as it sustains the simple levitation spell I've cast to carry my load.
One staff, temporarily bequeathed to me by Sorceress Teela Na.
Another staff, this one topped with a crystal ball which allows her to call upon 'blue crystal magic', a title which makes me long for some sort of guide to pre-invasion magic use. Is the colour coding significant? Is it a matter of authorisation to use part of a planet's magic system? Does the colour indicate that they're better at certain tasks but the energy field itself is undifferentiated? Are there racks of crystals sitting somewhere, ready for use?
One plate of pastries and another of fresh fruit. I have no idea where Teela Na gets them from. The forest outside of Castle Grayskull does contain some fruiting trees, but nothing like enough to sustain the larder I visited. She hasn't shown me any sort of hydroponics system, so maybe there's a matter re-sequencer of some sort? If she was just conjuring it she wouldn't bother building up a store…
And the device Teela Na attached to Evelyn's staff to neutralise it, which I'm going to drop off there, just outside of the library, because I might want to grab it again really quickly.
I knock, though I know perfectly well what they're doing and what they've been talking about. Evelyn's plan appears to involve me -as the total unknown- staying in the background as a subservient character while she takes point.
"Come!"
I gesture with my right hand and the door opens, allowing me to walk in, calling Evelyn's staff into my left hand. The two of them are sitting at the table I was occupying, Despara's helmet laying next to her right elbow and her face. Blonde, short-cropped hair and brilliant blue eyes are accentuated by dark eyebrows and a black curve painted along the bottom of her eye orbits. I think the Ancient Egyptians did that to reduce the effect of the sun's glare. Perhaps the part of Etheria where she was stationed was equatorial?
"Polished up nicely, Evil-Lyn."
And just in case, I did actually polish it.
She glances at me from the corner of her eye, then raises her right hand and summons it to her in a flicker of purple light. She catches it without looking, briefly makes the head glow and then lowers it to lean against the table, her left hand resting against the shaft.
I take the opportunity to sit down next to her, though I note that she put the staff on the opposite side from me. A wave of my right forefinger and the plates deposit themselves on the table between them.
Despara regards the pastry selection blankly. Alright, her armour probably has all kinds of protective enchantments on it, but now that her helmet is just sitting on the table the seal to the interior has been broken. The air of this room should now contain just enough dead skin cells and hairs for me to be able to read her genetic code…
Match found.
So unless she's a clone or Hordak's genetic engineering technology is a lot more advanced than anything I've seen -and given that Sir Duncan didn't know what a gene was until I told him I rather doubt that- then this is indeed Princess Adora of Eternos. And her armour didn't appear to detect my scan, which is nice to know.
Evelyn picks up the bread roll that had Adora's attention. "It's not poisoned, if that's what you're worried about."
"What is it?"
"Bread. Ground grains mixed with yeast and water and then baked in an oven."
"And you eat it?"
Evelyn raises her eyebrows slightly, then tears off part of the soft roll and puts it into her mouth.
I nod. "Yes, Force Captain. Bread is a very common foodstuff in this part of Eternia. Most farmers bake their own, and any settlement of any size will have at least one baker. Hordak's horde does not?"
"We eat ration bars, made in the Vittles Factory."
I shake my head. "Eternia lacks the technology to produce nutritious ration bars. It's usually easier for armies to carry flour, jam, sausage… Easily portable preserved food, and feed on that. Or to provision themselves through forage. Though with an army of any size, that can rapidly starve a region."
"The logistics must be complicated."
I nod. "Hordak's horde did a number on the place. Even paved roads are something of a rarity. Much of what was once farmland has returned to nature."
Her eyes narrow. "You speak treason!"
I shrug. "Hardly. I'm sure that Hordak had a plan for the place, and starving an enemy is usually more efficient than meeting them with equal force in the field. I merely observe that moving an army is easier in a place with good infrastructure. Or with a way to supply by air."
I gesture to the pile of books still on the table.
"I was attempting to study Hordak's invasion, to learn from his example. Sadly, few quality records survived. Does the horde have better records?"
Adora appears to have calmed slightly. "Not that I have seen."
"That's a shame. It's usually worth knowing what hasn't gone according to plan in the past in order to avoid repeating those mistakes. Well!" I reach over and pick up a fruit that looks like a cross between an apple and a passion fruit. "Perhaps -time permitting- I could ask Hordak himself for his recollections at some point in the future. I'm sure that future generations would benefit from his wisdom."
I bite down and… Yes, pleasant taste, kind of messy. Puts me a little in mind of a peach in that regard, except that rather than dribbling juice it dribbles seed-rich slime.
Evelyn finishes her roll and reaches out to push the plate a little closer to Adora.
"Are you sure that you're not hungry?"
I nod, lowering the dripping fruit from my mouth and swallowing. "If this is a trust issue, I'll gladly eat a bit of whatever you're worried I might have poisoned."
Adora stares at me for a moment, then grabs a roll apparently at random and tears it in half, hard crust cracking and depositing fragments onto the surface of the table. She looks at the soft interior for a moment and then awkwardly bites at it as if the crust was an inedible fruit skin and only the interior was for eating. Her chewing motion is a little awkward, which… Would make sense if she's really been subsisting on ration bars for her entire life.
Though from the way she's chomping it down as if she's afraid that someone will take it away from her, I would guess that the experience is a pleasant one.
I take another bite of fruit as Evelyn leans forward. "Have you been to Eternia before, Force Captain?"
Adora needs a moment to swallow, and I notice Evelyn looking my way out of the corner of her eye again. I nod, apparently to myself, and Evelyn returns her full attention to Adora.
"No. I was born in the Whelping Chambers in Hordak's domain on Etheria. I have spent my entire life until this day on Etheria."
"Are you certain?"
Adora's eyes narrow for a moment, before putting the crust down and grabbing a fruit a little like a small pineapple.
"Yes. Shadow Weaver told me, and so it is true."
"Could not she be mistaken? Forgive me if I'm wrong, but a place called a 'Whelping Chamber' hardly sounds like a position of high honour. Would they really bother keeping track of every whelp?"
"Yes. How else would they judge which bloodlines were worth cultivating, and for what purpose? Though… I suppose that the tracking only starts once they arrive." She looks mystified at the fruit, so I take a small knife out of subspace and offer it to her, grip first. She takes it and cuts into the flesh of the fruit. "What do you think that you know?"
"You have a certain physical similarity to a local notable. Tell me, Force Captain. Have you heard of He-Man?"
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Idkusername
Versed in the lewd.
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Hilariously broken link.
RichardWhereat
Aia airëa Fëanáro.
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Hey, so, does M'gann actually wear clothes?
Citizen
Well worn.
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Cuchulin
Versed in the lewd.
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Darko
Connoisseur.
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'topped with'
Gotta be careful in case she tries to betray you.
'Force Captain'
I'm guessing some if her training involved being starved.
'Could she not be'
She wears that red x thing.
Stsword
Versed in the lewd.
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Yes, she even hooked up Beast Boy so his clothes shapeshift into a collar when he transforms.
But as was made evident from Zoat's rendition of that conversation, I wasn't the only one who thought that Megan seemed unconvincing when the boys asked her if she was wearing clothes.
But it turns out she was indeed telling the truth.
SirKaid
Know what you're doing yet?
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Depending on the activity.
Mr Zoat
Dedicated ragequitter
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Thank you, corrected.
No, that's correct.