vintage_magic | IC Mailbox for Holly Heights

Ducks? Is there a reason why you especially like those? [Since he mentioned them by name and they're not something folks usually keep as pets.] There aren't any others I especially favor, I reckon. I'd probably appreciate cats more if I weren't allergic but I guess pictures are okay.

Oh, were you worried about the folks back home because of the aliens? [His world sounded as if it were in serious need of help.]

Edited 2015-02-26 20:58 (UTC)

Well, I have a very special one back home. At least I think she's a duck. Could be a penguin. A friend sent her to me from a different planet. [ Elizabeth is really more of a friend slash old man in a sheet than a pet, but of course Katsura is bilssfully unaware of that. He's a little taken aback by the mention of allergies; ] Ah, what a shame! I do apologize for pushing them on you, in that case. I hope you did not have any unpleasant experience...

Yes. Moreover, a good friend of mine was in dire need of help right before I was taken here. [ It's actually true, and part of quite a bit of glooming around during his first weeks. ]

...An alien duck? Or penguin? Didn't your friend tell you what it is? [Does it look that different from his world's ducks that he's not sure what it is?] I take it this critter is your pet back home then. And I reckon you couldn't have known. I guess it's the dander so only being near a real cat actually makes me sneeze.

I see. I guess you're in a hurry to get back there then. [She had been the same when she first arrived because she had someone to rescue back home although that's been taken care of since.]

Technically, I think she may be a Renho... but that wouldn't tell you anything, since we don't have them on Earth. [ Yes she's... pretty different. ] Yes indeed. How about dogs, though?

Yes. At least I was, I suppose. He's here too now, so I assume things worked out somehow.

A renho? I've never heard of those. [She's imagining something much smaller that looks like a cross between a normal duck and a penguin...] And I don't have that problem with dogs, just housecats. I don't even sneeze much around Lion and his sister.

The Landlord brought your friend here too? I reckon you don't have to worry about him now at least.

Oh! That's good to hear. [ he sounds a little hopeful again. ] I have a lion, if... if you'd like to come over and pet him some time.

[ IT'S A DATE ]

Yes. While I would rather be back home, I'm glad I can keep an eye on him at least. I think he's enjoying this place quite a lot.

Land sakes! You have a lion at your house too? Is it tame? [She's not sure if it's a good idea to pet strange lions!] But I reckon I get enough lion petting at home. Lion's sister acts more like an overgrown housecat and is always coming up the the rest of us, looking for attention.

I guess it's something. I reckon this place is safer than your world at least. There haven't even been any monsters for a while.

Mostly, yes. [ a mildly pained pause, then a little too merrily, ] Understandable! Do let me know if you change your mind.

Yes. Safer, more peaceful... more convenient. It's suspicious.

Mostly? It hasn't bitten someone, has it? [Okay, now she's really sure she'll just stick to petting Lion's sister!] How did you end up with a lion anyway?

Do you suppose that dang Landlord might be planning something soon? It's been a while since he's caused much trouble.

Not badly, no. [ Like all cats, Guenevere sometimes just chomps a limb for no reason, but it hasn't landed anyone in hospital, so... it gets written off as endearing. ] Ah, it was a gift. From one of my daughters. Or, well, another version of me I suppose, but I grew to love them all the same.

[ Annnnd now he's frowning. ]

It's possible. But I'm not talking about that. Even when he does cause chaos, it's relatively... harmless, at least it can be. I think there may be some kind of dark secret regarding the very nature of this place.

[...Not badly? Okay, she's definitely not petting this lion!] You have a daughter? I didn't know that. ...What do you mean another version of you? [That sounds a bit odd.]

You think he might have some ulterior motive for all of this? [Not that the Landlord's motives had ever seemed very clear...] It is strange how much magic he seems to have. More than one person should have.

I had a daughter. Here, not an actual -- I'm not that old yet! Well, apparently I have been here before twice, but I have no recollections of the first time. It was me, but also not me, if that makes sense...

Yes, definitely. To both. I do not believe he brought us here just to give us comfortable lives, well, to the best of his understanding, anyway. There has to be something else. Perhaps he draws power from living beings. Perhaps we're to be a part in some grand scheme, a sacrifice or an experiment...

Huh. I've heard some folks mention that before. People going home and then being brought here again with no memory of the last time. So, it happened to you. Must have been strange, I reckon.

Even if paying the bills is easier, I wouldn't exactly call our lives comfortable with the tricks he likes to play. Land sakes! You think he might be performing sacrifices for some kind of ritual? But if that were the case, why send people back? [She is pretty irritated by his pranks but she's not sure if she's ready to assume the Landlord has been sacrificing folks when some who disappeared turned up again later.]

Well, yes. I came in, lost, and there was a bunch of people who knew me. Or thought they knew me. Quite alright, though, it saved me some work on establishing new friendships. I don't believe any of them are still here now, however.

Ah, yes. His tricks are fairly harmless, wouldn't you say? Minor inconveniences. [ compared to back home, this is pretty much heaven, considering most of their series is them struggling to keep a roof overhead and feed themselves. ] Of course, that is no reason to underestimate him.

That is a possibility. People going back might also not be a part of his plan... or a part of some bigger endeavour, still.

I suppose that would be helpful. Does that include that fellow you said was a gorilla? [She hasn't actually talked to him since that one time they met.] But I guess you already knew him back home...

That's true. He has more magic than is right for any one person, bringing folks here across time and dimensions. Using it to play tricks seems a bit of a waste. [Not that she'd want the fellow to start doing more malicious things with his magic.]

I've tried to find a way out of this town though and never came up with anything so I don't know if it's reasonable to assume they found their own way home somehow.

No, I believe we got here at the same time. It was messy. Besides, yes, I knew him back home. Not closely, of course, I'm not that kind of a man...

Exactly. It is suspicious if nothing else. Either he is trying to fool us about the extent of his abilities, or there is something else, more powerful than him, in play.

Well, I have, at least. I think. Of course that doesn't mean everyone necessarily does. Would be quite unsettling if it turned out he chains them in a dungeon or something.

You're not suggesting there's an even more powerful being than him behind all of this, are you? [Considering the Landlord already seems able to bend time and space, that's an alarming idea!]

Land sakes! I hope he hasn't been hiding a dungeon from us! Even with all the weird things that happen around here, I've never heard rumors of folks getting locked away in one!

It is but one of the possibilities. [ Indeed. And not a very hopeful one either... ]

Ah, see, that is the problem with not knowing. It could be just about anything, and our imagination runs wild in the meantime... although a dungeon is a rather mundane establishment, to be honest. I would be surprised if he doesn't have one. [ pause ] Please keep an eye on anything, however insignificant, that might give us more clues about our predicament.

I'd hate to think that's true. [Or what if it was a whole coven of powerful beings and the Landlord was the only one who ever showed himself? Clearly, her imagination was starting to run wild...]

Of course. Lots of strange things happen around here so it pays to be careful. [And as she's realizing what time it is...] If you'll excuse me, I've got to finish getting ready for work and go open up the shop.

Hopefully we can find out more. [ That would be rather terrifying, would it not? Still, imagination was an excellent thing. The broadsword to fight reality with, in most cases, even if right here it didn't do much in that regard. ]

Oh yes, of course. I hope you have a good day.

You too. Bye, Katsura.

[And she ends the call and goes to get ready for work.]

IC Mailbox for Holly Heights

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