vintage_magic | IC Mailbox for Holly Heights

In part, certainly. The soil samples I've taken have proven interesting, however; the earth is incredibly enriched, far beyond normal parameters. It's no wonder such vines grow so exuberantly.

And then, the- [He paused, lifted his head. Those vines twitched, and the flowers had turned to face them. Recalling his own experiments with giant plants, his voice lowered.]

...Lily. You wouldn't happen to possess flame magic that's active, would you?

Is that what you've been studying in that lab at the school lately? But I reckon that would explain some things about how quickly things grow, shooting up like weeds.

[But she was a bit surprised at the sudden change of topic. And why was he whispering? Things had been rather peaceful lately other than the Landlord's pranks so being ambushed by monstrous vines wasn't a possibility that had crossed her mind.]

...Well, I can light candles with my mind if I concentrate enough. Why?

[If he was hoping for fireballs, he was going to be disappointed. Meanwhile, the vines inched closer, slow enough that most would think it was only their imagination.]

Among other things. We were discussing pH balances.

[But every time he blinked now, it seemed the vines were closer than they were before. With a hand to her arm, he drew her back with him when he retreated a step.]

...The vines are advancing. We should pick an alternate route.

...Advancing? [She looked at the vines and then glanced over at him as he pulled her back, completely forgetting about pH balances and a bit skeptical of the claim.] Are you sure you didn't just stay up too late grading papers last night?

[But there was another vine creeping closer from behind too, blossoms as large as her favorite skillet and moving towards the seat of Lezard's pants.]

For once, I did not.

[He backed another step and felt... something... touch against his backside. Were it a perfect world, there was no imminent danger and Lily decided to cop a feel, but that was definitely not a hand tugging on his pants now, followed by the sound of ripping-]

What is-!?

[He turned and slapped at the vine to dislodge it, but instead frantically reached for his shirt and tugged it down as his pants were torn clean off.]

Hel- Lily, you need to go!

[Of course, trying to grope him wasn't a thought that had crossed Lily's mind at all. And the sound of tearing cloth from somewhere behind them was unexpected. She whirled around as the remaining threads snapped and left Lezard only half dressed.]

What in the Sam Hill?!

[The torn pants were slowly being sucked inside one of the huge flowers, disappearing as if it were some bizarre slow motion vacuum cleaner. And the vine wasn't done with him yet. A tendril wrapped around one of his ankles to hold him in place as another moved closer, seeking more fibers to add to its diet. Hopefully, he hadn't worn anything irreplaceable that day...]

I'm not going to just leave you here with some monster plant!

[And with that protest, she raised an outstretched palm to send off an energy blast at the vine. But in her hurry, her aim might or might not have been off...]

[Beyond off. His hopes fizzled when an impressive blast instead singed another vine, sending it writhing. But others were slithering across the floor from all sides, working up his legs as venus flytrap-like mouths gnashed. Yet...]

Why aren't they...?!

[His legs were bare to the hips. Why wasn't it feasting on flesh? When one plant nibbled on his shirt, Lezard's eyes lit up.]

They eat cloth fibers! Lily-

[Others grasped his shirt and tore, chewing away at the fibers ravenously. For the first time in his life, was... was Lezard blushing? He was blushing. Why wouldn't he, as that shirt he'd been using as a lifeline was swiftly eaten and he was left frantically clutching... well, himself as he was calling quickly for his familiar. Damn it, why did he leave the beast back home!?]

[Great balls of fire! Where were all these things coming from?! He was practically surrounded now and not for the first time in her life, Lily wished that she actually had some talent for fighting magic. She aimed a few more blasts of the vines but the plants made quick work of his shirt, faster than an overzealous lover. Even his socks and undergarments didn't seem safe from the dang things!]

Hang on! I'll think of something!

[It didn't seem like her magic was going to suffice and the witch frantically looked around for something, anything to use as a weapon to fight off the hungry vines. Spotting a broom on a nearby house's walk (abandoned when its owner had a run-in with the vines while sweeping the sidewalk?), she snatched it up and then rushed back over to try to beat back the vines, not thinking yet of just how much of his skin had been revealed by the ravenous vines.]

Dag nab it! Get away from him!

[She was so focused on the vines in front of her that she didn't yet notice the ones creeping up from behind, hungry for a piece of her vintage dress.]

Edited 2015-05-23 01:24 (UTC)

[Why was she helping him!? This stubborn woman-]

I'm flattered, really, but you really ought to go before they decide they haven't had enough with me!

[He grasped vines and pulled. Come on, you idiotic things, enough of this! He had nothing left on him!]

...Behind you!

[She brought the broom down on another of the vines, knocking it away from him.]

That's just why I'm not leaving you here! What if these things decide your clothes were just an appetizer and try to take a chunk out of your backside next?!

[Because she wasn't going to abandon him to a supernatural peril like this.]

[But the vines finally seemed to be realizing that there weren't any scraps of cloth left on him and started to unwind from his legs. His warning distracted her a moment and caused her to send an energy blast in his direction, shoving him towards some nearby bushes.]

[She whirled around, managing to deflect the vine in question with a swipe of the broom. But the vines that had been attacking Lezard now latched onto her skirt, unraveling warp and weft threads alike to reveal the petticoat underneath.]

Land sakes! Let go of my dress!

[Lily got in a few more whacks of the broom before one of the flowers latched onto the ends of her hip-length hair. A scream left her throat as it tugged her head back.]

Edited 2015-05-23 05:23 (UTC)

Oof- [Into the bushes he goes, but he manages to catch himself. Good; he had some decency for the moment. Now they were chewing on her dress, and munched away a first layer. How ridiculous... they really did like fibers! They ignored him now that there wasn't anything left worth eating-

...Spoke too soon. Lezard moved without thought and pushed out of the bushes, seizing the end of her hair in one hand and the vine in the other. Muscle taut, he tore plant fiber and flower, prying it away.]

Miss Ivory, what of your backside!?

...Give them something to eat as a decoy! Remove something!

[Lily was starting to panic a tad and had dropped the broom at the unexpected tugging. But the pull on her hair was soon alleviated although the wavy locks were now missing an inch or two.]

Thanks. But what the heck would I give them? I didn't exactly spend much time accessorizing this morning!

[She hadn't even tied a scarf around her hair that morning! Did he expect her to surrender what bits were left of her dress?! She swatted at the vines and even browned a few tendrils in her irritation but they still kept coming, one latching onto her sleeve and tearing the threads that held it to the rapidly disappearing bodice. At this rate, it was soon going to be evident that her underwear was also the old-fashioned variety to match the vintage dress.]

[He absolutely expected her to surrender what was left, because they were going to take it otherwise! He assisted in tearing off vines, but with the sound of more cloth being torn he wished he had his teleportation spells. Then he could get them both home in short order, but he was sadly lacking.

Rather, he reached out and seized her hand.]

I see an opening! Let's go, before we both become a public spectacle!

[Well, he was right about that! The delicate bits of old cloth weren't any match for the persistent vines and they tore away what was left of the bodice as well as a chunk of her retro brassiere despite her efforts to get them away. Even her shoes and the netting of her petticoat were getting ragged as the vines searched for any fibers they could feed on.]

Sounds good to me!

[She didn't protest as he grabbed her hand and ran after him, not even questioning where they were going.]

[But the motion did in the remnants of her bra, the scraps fluttering to the ground. What remained of her Keds also flew off as they fled, helping provide a distraction. The vines set on the undergarment scraps and tattered canvas sneakers like a pack of ravenous dogs on a bone.]

[For now, she was so focused on escaping that she still didn't completely register the fact that Lezard was nekkid and she herself had lost more clothes than was decent. Or the fact that her house keys had been in her dress pocket and therefore gone as well...]

[It hadn't exactly registered for him, either. Instead he ran with hands clutched, idea in mind that he needed to start bringing his knife wherever he went, for lack of any flame magic. Fire Lances would have made short work of these, but he couldn't so much as conjure a spark. Shame...

Once breaths were short, he stopped for air, heart racing as he wasn't exactly a swordsman of thick arms and thicker upper trunk. His body was... decidedly average for a man of his age, subtle angles and fine lines against his skin marking musculature that could be more prominent if he took up a heavy blade and trained, but he was more for tossing fireballs. It was a sight he soon realized when he looked up, saw her, widened his eyes, then turned to himself.]

...Oh.

[Oh indeed. He wasn't exactly of sound mind to even make a joke. Not after what he'd admitted to her.]

[Lily was glad to finally stop, panting as she tried to catch her breath. Even if her arms were toned from the many loads of laundry she did at the shop, she wasn't exactly athletic and her figure was pretty average. Although slender enough to fit into most vintage dresses with their smaller sizes, she had a fair amount of curves rather than being fashion model skinny.]

[...A fact that Lezard possibly noticed when he looked over her way. With how the breeze created by their running had blown her hair back over her shoulders, even less was left to the imagination than with the Landlord's previous tricks of forcing her into sexy costumes. (Heck, once she realized her current indecent state, she would have gladly worn that dang witch costume or even the maid outfit!)]

[But it only slowly dawned on her with Lezard's "Oh" and widened eyes. Her own eyes roamed down his torso and she looked away, cheeks coloring as she realized the vines hadn't left him with a single stitch. And then as her eyes moved down to assess the damage to her own clothes...]

Jiminy Crickets!

[She blushed even more as she quickly crossed her arms over her exposed chest and yanked her long hair to the front to help conceal her bare skin.]

We've got to get back to the house without being seen!

[Unfortunately, in their hurry to flee, they'd run away from their house instead of towards it and were now a dozen blocks away. Something she was realizing with a sinking feeling as she looked at the number on the nearest house. At least, this street seemed to be deserted at the moment.]

[Grimacing, she stepped behind a tree and tugged off her partially eaten petticoat after she was sure her panties were still intact. Keeping her eyes averted and an arm over her chest, she held out the layers of netting to him. It was somewhat scratchy and not the most opaque thing but it was better than nothing, right?]

Here.

[Now they had a task ahead of them. A task, and no keys. It would be fixed by morning, but that left them with the hope that someone was home to let them in lest he break a window to break into their own home.

He looked incredulously at the offered petticoat.]

...You can't be serious...

[Well. Once that bit of his masculinity had a moment to frown at the idea of wearing such a thing, he realized logically it was this or walk around with your most vulnerable parts out in the open. Frowning, he accepted the petticoat and tried to get the thing on- it would cover his waist if he grasped it and tied it tight like a sarong, because securing it normally wouldn't fit on his broader waist.]

I suppose it can't be helped... how is your climbing skill?

[She wished she was joking but as ridiculous as it was, this seemed like the only thing available to make him look somewhat less indecent. He certainly wasn't going to fit into her panties! And she hoped he had the decency not to stare at them now that they were the only thing she had on.]

Climbing skill?

[Now it was her turn to look at him incredulously.]

You're not suggesting we make our way back through the tree tops, are you?

[Because trying to climb a tree in their current state just seemed like asking to be poked in uncomfortable places with twigs and leaves.]

The fences. If we're quick, we can cross through yards and cut our travel by a significant amount.

However, it leaves us open to having neighbors spot us...

[She stayed huddled close to the tree, trying to make herself seem as inconspicuous as possible.]

While it would make being seen by random pedestrians less likely, I'm not not sure if it'd get us home any quicker with having to climb the fences between every yard. What if someone had a dog out in their yard too?

[A critter like that would be sure to start barking if two nearly nekkid strangers suddenly dropped into the yard, alerting anyone who might be home of their predicament and forcing them to flee again.]

Or something even worse... I've heard of other folks keeping lions as pets around here!

Maybe, we could make our way back on the streets and hide if we see anyone coming...

Right... I hadn't thought of guard dogs or even lions.

[But he nodded.]

We'll have to go in that fashion.

[So he sighed, and proceeded to lead the way, keeping his wits about him. It was a nice enough day that most had decided to head to the ponds and parks for their leisure. He just hoped they'd have no trouble.]

Folks around here seem to have strange ideas of pets.

[...Said the witch with a gobgoyle/piggy familiar back home. But she was glad to not have to climb over any backyard fences with the possibility of being chased by a pet lion.]

We can try to hide behind parked cars and trees and bushes, I reckon.

[And with her own sigh, she followed after him, keeping low and trying not to stare at his butt. Whenever possible, she ducked behind whatever obstacles there were along the street to be less exposed even if the streets seemed empty. But after a couple of blocks, she asked in a hushed tone...]

Do you hear something?

[At the sound of an approaching car, she grabbed his hand and ducked into a crouch behind a parked car.]

Edited 2015-05-24 20:28 (UTC)

[He visibly paled with the mention of hearing something and was alert, looking around. But his hand was grabbed and he was pulled along, and he saw no reason to fight it.

Once behind the car he hunkered down, feeling his heart race.]

...Clothes-eating plants... I never...

[Thinking aloud. That's new.]

[She shook her head in agreement and let out an exasperated huff, waiting for the car to pass by.]

I sure as shootin' never thought I'd see such a thing. Or be sneaking around town nearly nekkid because of them. I hope we can get back home without anyone seeing us. Do you know if Eagle and Lion planned on going out today?

[It'd be too humiliating if anyone ever found out. Doubly so if it was one of her friends.]

[He opened his mouth, then closed it, eyes narrowing as he looked ahead.]

...If they did, they did not speak of such plans with me. If they aren't home...

[He looked to her.]

How are we to get inside? My keys were in the pants that were eaten, and I don't imagine you have spare keys tucked... anywhere...!

[He gestured vaguely to her.]

IC Mailbox for Holly Heights

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