*spooks on over*
yoooo, that wip/cover looks real neat!

@King Thanks! So, what kind of setting were you thinking of?

Hm...I'm not really too sure to be honest. I was thinking of maybe using one of my OCs that I haven't used in a while, like my fish boy Finnian (who's just gone under a huge redesign r.i.p) or even Dispair, I haven't used him in a while-

@King Alright. If you could direct me to a ref to whichever character you're going to use, that would be appreciated. I'll let you pick who I start with from this list. #AggronOC

Hm, I might actually use Jah'rin/Jim ( #DTWjim) because I've barely used him and using a humanoid would probably be better-
As for your OC...perhaps Pythia or Azureus?? ;w;

hang on that tag doesn't work--
#DTWjim

or it didn't for a second there XD

Hmm, I'll use Pythia then. As for a setting, tell me about this Sanctuary mentioned in Jim's ref.

The Sanctuary is basically where Oliver and most of the rest of my "good" OCs live. It's mainly a huge forest with mountains and certain areas with different climates, like a desert and a rainforest. In short, it's a large piece of magical land created by the White Stag (a protector god/spirit) to protect magical, mythical and otherworldly creatures from humanity.

That sounds pretty cool. Wanna use that as the setting?

Sure thing! :D
Do you want to start or do you want me to?

You start.

Alrighty! Gimme a sec-

Deep in the forest of the Sanctuary, Jim walks aimlessly, in search for more relaxation than searching for a willing participant to take part in his shapeshifting "lessons", as tasked by one of his peers in the Sanctuary's Security Crew. He gently pulls on his neckerchief around his neck as he walks, the action being more a nervous one than anything else. Taking a short moment, he leans up against a tree to remove a rock from his shoe, then quickly looks up at the sound of someone, or something approaching. Jim messily shoves his shoe back on, then looks around for the source.

{The sound Jim hears is the sound of a person running frantically and breathing heavily from exhaustion. As this person comes into view, they are revealed to be a young woman in a dirty blue dress that is torn and tattered at the bottom. She is running a bit to the side of Jim, not directly at him. She is completely unaware of his presence.

Noticing her and not recognising her, he stays back for a moment, cautious, then decides to go after her, deciding that her frantic running was more important. He soon catches up, attempting to talk to her while running just to the side of her.
"'Scuse...E-excuse me, miss! Are you okay?"

{Pythia turns to look at Jim. Finally noticing him, she tries to stop, but ends up tripping and tumbling across the ground a little ways, given how fast she was running. After reaching a complete stop, the woman groans in pain and very painfully tries to pick herself up off the ground.}

"Woah there! Here, lemme help you up."
He jumps back a little as she trips, a little worried that he may have caused it, but quickly goes to her aid and kneels beside her, putting his hands out to help her up.
"You look in a pretty bad state, lady. Good thing there's an outpost nearby!...I think."

{The woman looks up at Jim, fear clear in her eyes. Out of breath, she tries to speak to Jim.}"Wh-who.......are........y-you? Are......you...?"

( @King You alive?)

He smiles kindly, putting his hands on his hips in a kind of heroic pose.
"Jah'rin "Jim" Ree'al, rookie guard at your service miss! Do not worry! I'm here to help!"

(The Shacklestone curse has struck again
call my name and I shall come--
XD)

(XD) {Despite Jim's heroic posture and enthusiasm, the woman does not seem comforted. Dragging herself to a tree, she gets up while leaning on the trunk.}"Where.......am I?"

"The Sanctuary of course!"
His smile stays for a moment, then fades.
"Wait, you don't know where you are? Oh, oh! I know the name for that! It's...it's amnesia, and often happens when humans have blunt force trauma to the head!"
Looking proud of himself for a moment, he continues.
"...Though you don't look like you've been hit in the head...Did you come here by accident? No, that's impossible...is it?"

{The woman turns, her face wrought with frustration and grief.}"I-I don't know what that is! The Sanctuary? I've been running for my life nonstop for the past day because my......my home and everyone I've ever known is gone! Now I have nothing, I'm in an unknown area, I-I....I don't know what to do now....."{The woman slides down the tree trunk holding her face in her hands. It's clear that she's somewhat panicked and disoriented.}

(Just as a heads-up, it's getting kinda late here so I might pass out soon ;w;)

(Ok, want to call it soon?)

( @King Did you fall asleep already?)

(I'm going to assume yes. Goodnight @King. Let's continue this sometime. Talk to ya at the Shacklestone RP tomorrow. :) )

(Agh, I fell asleep in the middle of writing my reply XD)

"H-hey, it's okay! You're safe now. The Sanctuary is practically the safest place on Earth!"
Jim says while kneeling next to her, gently placing his hand on her shoulder in an attempt to comfort her.
"Trust me, no bad things will happen to you while you're here."

(wEY-)

Sup. Reply inbound.

{The woman pulls herself into a ball when she feels Jim's hand.}"Bad things already happened....I only pray that they don't follow me here..."

"Well, even if they do, they'll be no match for me! I'm being trained by the very best, and in the words of my boss, I will "deck" them!"
He grins slightly, hoping that it would make her feel better. A rustle in the trees above startles him for a moment, his hand jerking back from her shoulder, though the source of the noise is quickly revealed to be a brilliantly coloured bird flying to another tree.

{The woman looks up at Jim, tears in her eyes.}"You keep saying that this is a safe place and that nothing terrible will befall me, but am I even welcome here? Is this place yours?"

"Nah, but I live here! And I'm part of the security crew! And the boss is real nice. Any sort of weird or magical creature is welcome here! After all, that's why this place was created, I'm pretty sure. Cool, huh?"

{The woman begins to wipe her eyes.}"Who is your boss. Can I speak to him?"

"Of course! Oliver's a real nice guy, and he's never too far away. In fact, around this time of day, he's..."
Jim pauses a moment, a slight puzzled look on his face as he delves into his memories, then smiles.
"He'll be in that direction--"
He says while gesturing in a vaguely Western direction.
"--at the Deep Forest outpost, likely checking up on that big deer of his. He keeps to a tight schedule, but always leaves time for anything that may come up! I'm rambling a little, sorry. Let's go! We'll be there in no time."

{The woman gets up slowly, wavers a bit, and addresses Jim mournfully.}"Ok.....Lead the way..."

Nodding quickly, he sets off at a quick pace, though regularly checking behind himself to make sure that she could keep up and adjusting his speed to suit.
"What sort of bad people are chasing you, if I can ask? You don't need to answer, just wondering. I know a lot of bad people."

{The woman follows Jim as fast as she comfortably can, occasionally stumbling and catching herself on trees. It is clear that this woman is exhausted.}"Dolorus." {She answers softly.}"He has been known to kill and assimilate entire villages...Mine was no different to him..."

"Oh geez, really? The name isn't familiar, but that's just terrible...Wait, hey, uhm, I just thought. I'm an idiot."
He stops, turning to face her.
"You're tired, been running for however long, and I'm forcing you to try to keep up with my long steps. Honestly I'm terrible sometimes, I'm so sorry. Now, let's see...a Zirulf would be big enough and quick enough."
Upon coming to an apparent conclusion, his eyes close and his body begins to change, shifting into the form of a large quadruped - a wolf-like, but strangely alien, creature. After taking a moment to assess the success of the change, he shakes his fur out and gives her a toothy grin.
"There we go! Hop abord, miss, and we'll be there much sooner."

{The woman slowly climbs onto Jim and gets a grip on his fur to avoid falling off.}"Thank you..."

He starts off slow, then picks up speed, moving into a gallop towards their destination. As they near the destination, a wooden building much like a shack can be seen through the trees and the rumbling call of a creature can be heard from deeper into the forest.
"Welp, that's a little ominous..."
Jim says to himself as he makes it into the clearing, putting his nose to the ground for a moment.
"The boss was here recently...and went off..."
He circles around a few times before pointing in another direction.
"That way."
He then looks around at Pythia, a little concerned.
"Do you need to rest? Humans and some non-humans tend to need a lot of that, and you look a little tired. There are beds inside the outpost, if you want."

(Aaa, it's getting a little late here, so I'll try to stay as long as I can before I drop dead XD though I'll keep past this comment so I don't just drop off the face of the earth like last time---)

{For the first time , the woman smiles.}"Thank you for your concern, but I'd rather find out if your boss would be ok with me staying here at all before I rest. I can go a little longer without sleep."

( @KingIt's fine if you have to go to sleep, just say so, and we can stop for today.)

"Alrighty then. I'm sure he's not too far!"
Jim runs off again, now in the direction of the deep bellow. The trees around them begin to seem darker, and the canopy above seeming further away and more dense than before.
"I always get the chills when coming this deep into the woods..."

(aaa
I might die now
; w ;
Getting a little too hard to keep my eyes open--
(I really need to sleep better lmao--))

( @King Ok then, let's call it. I'll do my reply, then part ways until next time.)

{The woman gives a look of concern.}"There's nothing....malicious in this forest, is there?"

whoa epic picture

(*slides around at the speed of sound*
I'll be spookin around--)

@King I believe you were next to reply.

(yEP AND I TOOK YEARS--)

"Oh no, nothing evil's in here. Or even in the entire Sanctuary! It's completely against what the main guy of this place, the White Stag, made this place for, and that's peace and protection for all sorts of magical creatures."
He says happily while padding along.
"It's just...it gets a little creepy down here."

{The woman nods in understanding, then clings a little tighter to Jim's back. Pythia felt that she really couldn't relax until they were able to meet with the guy in charge and she knew for sure that she wouldn't have to flee this place as well.}

They travel for a while longer, until a large dark shape in the distance can be seen with a much smaller being trying to get it's attention. As they near, the large shape looks to be an enormous dark-furred deer, while the smaller one looks to be some kind of human/deer hybrid.
"Heeeey Boss! I brought someone to meet ya!"
Both of them turn to face them as they approach, the large deer much slower than the hybrid, who's appearance is now a lot clearer and looks like a young boy in his mid teens, who smiles at them.
"Hey Jim! It's nice to meet you, miss. I'm Oliver, if my extraterrestrial friend here hasn't said already."

{Pythia looks up at the enormous deer nervously before looking at Oliver.}"N-nice to meet you....Are you the one in charge of this place?"

"Yep! That's me!"
The boy grins, putting his hands on his hips.
"I'm guessing there's more to it than just meeting me, huh?"
"Kinda! I'll let Pythia explain."
Jim says while laying down, allowing her to get off if she so wished.

(I don't recall Pythia ever telling Jim her name. It's cool though. XD) {Pythia steps down from Jim's back uneasily. She addresses Oliver with sadness in her voice.}" Hello, Oliver, my name is Pythia. I'm a priestess from a town a little ways from here. I have come here seeking refuge from a great evil that has destroyed my home and everyone I held dear. I have been running nonstop for days without shelter or sustenance. I humbly request to stay here, until I regain my strength. Afterward, I will leave your Sanctuary in peace."

(Oh wait heck yeah
f r i c k -)

He listens patiently, his eyes looking towards Jim for a moment as he resumes his humanoid form and stands next to her.
"Huh...that's quite a problem. I mean, you can stay here as long as you like, providing you don't hurt the others here, but...a great evil?"
"You think it's Brink?"
"No, he'll be laying low for a while after last time. He wouldn't send his lackeys to destroy an entire town in the state we left them all in."

{Pythia shakes her head, getting more upset as she forces herself to recount past events.}"No, his name was Dolorus. He's an evil Quetzalcoatl dragon who commands other necromancers and legions of the undead. He attacked us without warning....I-I was the only one who.....who....made it out at all....Oh god...Bella I'm sorry....." {Pythia kneels down, sobbing at the unpleasant memory.}

"Hey, hey, it's okay. You're safe here now...and if it helps, we've loved and lost too. And, you never knoe, someone else might've made it out too!"
Oliver kneels and places his hand on her shoulder, looking quite sympathetic. Jim kneels too, then transforms into a small felinesque creature to provide some comfort via rubbing his head against her, unable to find the right words.

(Hey, I might head off now, otherwise I might pass out in the middle of Shacklestone tomorrow XD)

{Pythia doesn't look up. Instead, she just speaks in a low, mournful tone.}"No.....I know I'm the only one........I know because I saw them all die...."

@King ok, sorry for disappearing. Until next time! :D

(and next time iS NOW-)

The young hybrid looks quite sad for her.
"Ah...I see...Well, at least we can offer our protection to you."
"Yeah! You'll be fine here!"
Jim pipes it with a slight meow.

{Pythia speaks between sobs.}"....Thank...Thank you.....can...can I...really stay? What...if //He// followed me?"

"Be rest assured, the Sanctuary is possibly the most protected place on this planet. In the thousands of years it's been standing, there's been less than one hundred attacks, and after every attack we just grow stronger!"
Oliver smiles warmly.

( @King in a bit, //He// is going to show up at the edge of Sanctuary. Be prepared for his evil! XD)
{Pythia stands up, trying to calm down. Wiping her eyes, she turns to the pair.}"I....I hope you're right. I'm sorry, I'm just exhausted. Jim, if it's not too much to ask, I'd like to go back to that building with the beds you mentioned."

(je suis prepared---)

"O' course! See ya later boss!"
Jim says while transforming back into the wolf creature, laying down to allow her to climb back onto his back.
"May the White Stag shine on you both!"
Oliver says as he begins to wave them off.

(Heheh, that's "I'm prepared" in french, right?)
{Pythia climbs aboard and grips Jim tightly.}

(eh, pretty much XD)

He bolts in the same direction they came from, quicker than before, sensing the exhaustion the entire event had caused her.

{Holding tighter, Pythia speaks in a low tone.}"Jim, if he does come, promise me he won't beat you. Promise me you won't die."

"Huh? Of course I won't! I'm hard as nails, a shapeshifter, and I don't even come from this planet! He won't beat me or anyone else that easy!"
He says with a large amount of confidence in his voice, smiling happily.

{Eeeeeey, sorry, I got called away abruptly. See you in the Shacklestone RP tomorrow.}

{After this response, Pythia spoke in a low tone.}"Just.....be careful. Please...."

"Don't worry, I'll be fine! Trust me."
They reach the shack not too long after this. Jim pads up to the door and crouches down again, allowing her to get down from his back.
"I don't think anyone else is here at the moment."

{Pythia dismounts Jim and walks inside. Making sure the building was empty, Pythia gets into one of the beds.}"Thank you Jim..."

His form becomes much smaller, akin to a regular wolf, then he trots in after her, leaping up onto an adjacent bed.
"You're welcome! It's not a problem at all."
His tail wags for a moment before he circles around and lays down, looking to her for a moment.
"I'll be right here if you need me, okay?"

re. I am glad that you like my picture

{Pythia nods at Jim and quickly drifts off to sleep due to her exhaustion. After days of frantic flight, she was finally able to rest. }

He watches her for a few moments before resting his head down, listening to the wind in the trees for a while before closing his eyes, trusting himself to wake at the first sound of danger.

{For a long while, all was peaceful. After the sun has gone down, a noise came out from outside. However, most would have thought nothing of it. It was the sound of running, but not people, however; rather, small animals in large groups, and flocks of birds furiously beating their wings, seemingly to escape something.}

Jim wakes upon hearing a thud on the shack walls outside. Frowning slightly, he jumps down from the bed and paces quietly out. At first, he only sees the source of the sound - a bird that was twitching gently after flying into the shack, then he hears the other sounds. Bewildered, he looks around at the fleeing animals, then scrambles back as a deer sprints past him, it's shining antlers signifying it as a messenger.
"I have a really, very bad feeling about this..."
He says quietly, fear slowly creeping up on him.

{As they run by, one small field mouse stops. Waving its little paws to get Jim's attention, it points back in the direction from which it came, as if trying to warn him of something.}

"What's the problem little guy? There's something over there?"
Looking off into the distance, he sees nothing. Grimacing, he looks back at the hut, feeling bad for his decision to leave Pythia unguarded, but knows that the safety of the Sanctuary comes over friends. Leaping into the air, he transforms into a bird and flies in the direction where whatever it was that spooked the animals is.

{Jim flies for a while until something most unusual comes into view. Cutting through the forest is a wide trail of dead foliage, trees, and small animals. The trail of death is roughly five meters wide and stretches into the horizon. The trail itself is leading ever deeper into the woods. }

His heart beats fast in his chest as he looks over the carnage, diving down and following the path of destruction. He looks on sadly as he passes corpses of various animals, though is glad that the more magical creatures had retreated away to avoid the damage.

{Upon closer inspection, the bodies of the animals themselves are in a puzzling state. They are rotted through in some places and perfectly fine in others. As Jim follows along, the sound of someone humming can be heard and movement can be seen up ahead.}

Once close enough to the ground, he shifts back into his humanoid form, kneeling to take a closer look at the bodies, his unease increasing by the moment. Upon hearing the sound of humming, his heart practically leaps out of his chest as he gets up, swiftly scanning the area for the source before setting off along the same track, continuously looking around.

{There, at the end of the trail is the form of a massive winged serpent with red plumage and skulls and bones adorning his dull, colorless body. His eyes are black with red irises that pierce Jim to his soul. As he gets closer, the atmosphere around him becomes heavy and sickening. Rearing up and slightly parting his wings, he speaks to Jim with mirth in his voice.}"Well, hello there! Who might you be?" ( #AADolorus)

(w o a g -
he's spooky-)

Jim stands there frozen for a moment, terrified out of his mind. Though, as he manages to take a shakey breath, he stands at his full height and puffs his chest out slightly, attempting to put some confidence into his system.
"I-I'm...My name is Jah'rin Ree'al, an-and you are trespassing and endangering life on these sacred grounds!"

{Dolorus lets out a blood curdling laugh. (Like Mark Hammill's Joker.)}"Trespassing? Endangering life? I'm sorry, I had //no// idea these woods belonged to you! Sacred, you say? Do tell." {Every word spoken by this serpent comes through the most deviously twisted smile one could imagine.}

"These woods do not belong to me, they belong to the Great White Stag, the protector of all creatures and balance on this world!"
He says with increasing volume, stepping forwards slighty.
"I must ask you to leave, otherwise I will be forced to make you leave!"

{The serpent leans towards Jim, still grinning like a maniac.}"Really? The white stag, keeper of balance? Well, what a coincidence, I happen to be an instrument of balance as well! Of course, probably not in the same way as your albino deer! Leave, or you'll force me to? Tell me, kiddo, let's say you try to drive me out, but fail miserably. Who would be left to try?"

"Many others. We protectors defend the Sanctuary to our final breath, it's what the destiny brought us here to do. One of us falls, another comes into their place. We've seen far greater evils than you, a simple death-bringing snake."
Jim's voice gradually raises, gaining confidence knowing that others will take his place if he fails.
"And if all else fails, the White Stag will enact judgement upon you, and that is a fate you cannot escape."
Most of his words are recycled from his memory of becoming part of the guard, but it served the same purpose - to threaten the reciever into obeying the laws of this land.

{The serpent just laughs in Jim's face.}"So, you have more? How many? Do they all look like you? Simple? Oh, my poor deluded friend....My purpose couldn't be more complicated. Contrary to popular belief, I have a purpose in this world, and it's far more than being a simple bringer of death! Perhaps you'd like to see?"

Grimacing slightly, Jim looks up at Dororus with a confident face, or as much of one he could muster.
"The only thing I want to see is you gone from my home!"
He says with some force. Then suddenly, his form erupts into an enormous drake, his horns almost brushing the lower branches of the giant trees. Vines and other plantlife are stuck between the armour plates on his body, though they're coloured the same red as the rest of his body, eluding that he was borrowing this form from another being in the Sanctuary. His head lowers slightly as he glares at the serpent, teeth bared dangerously.
"I'll ask you again - leave, and you may leave with all of you intact."

{Dolorus gazes up at Jim's massive new form.}"Ahahahaha! You think you're scary in that form? Ok, bucko, I'll make you a deal. Land one blow on me, and I'll leave your precious forest in piece. Permanently. Fail to do so, and, well,....you'll just have to see."

(*You know you're not thinking clearly when you misspell peace. DX)

re: yes she has a background history, which is also in work.
Thank you, I am very happy that you like my oc (♥ω♥*)

"...Very well. Deal."
He prepares himself, running through various forms in his mind, in case he needs to change mid-fight.
"Though I will assure you, I will /not/ fail, not when there is so much at stake."

{The serpent grins widely. With a mighty flap of its wings, it takes to the air. However, he just hovers there, not needing to constantly flap to stay airborne.}"Ok, have at me!"

With a roar, he leaps at the serpent, his form twisting and shaping into the same bird as before, soaring towards Dolorus with claws outstretched.

{Dolorus does not move. As Jim gets closer, the serpent's sickening atmosphere becomes nearly choking to his smaller form. Right as he's about to make contact with the serpent, the serpent's form dissipates into a black smokelike mass, allowing Jim to move right through it. As he does, Jim's exterior begins to sting and burn. It was the result of the serpent's decay magic.}"Missed me!" {The serpent taunts with glee.}

In response to the magic, his body throws him back into his original from, sending him to the ground where he writhes for a moment before getting to his feet. Being otherworldly, the magic didn't exactly effect him as should have, but it still hurt quite a bit. He examines his arms for a momemt, seeing the slight burns the sorcery had left upon them. Jim takes a few moments to take this new element into consideration. Then, after a slight run-up, transforms back into his bird-like form, albeit a slightly bigger one, and begins to circle the mass the serpent had become at a somewhat safe distance.

{The mass solidifies into the serpent's form. Watching Jim carefully, the serpent starts to laugh.}"Hmm? You're not dead? That spell is generally enough to kill small pests. No matter, our deal still stands. Can you land a blow on me, or do you give up?"

"If Fate wills it, I will land a hit on you!"
He declares, spinning slightly mid-flight as he turns towards Dolorus again, flying towards him.

{This time, instead of dissociating, the serpent flies past Jim, too quick and too far from his talons to be caught. Stopping behind him, the serpent smiles.}If you want to hit me, you'll have to catch me first!" [With that, the serpent speeds off over the trees, deeper into sanctuary.}

He takes a sharp turn to avoid crashing into a tree, then lands for a moment, grimacing. Taking off again, he persues the serpent up through the trees, trying to remember the direction in which they were heading and what is over there.

{Looking back at Jim, the serpent starts to laugh and taunt him.}"C'mon, really? Is that as fast as you can go? You'll never catch me at that rate!" {He then dives beneath the cover of the trees, disappearing from sight.}

D E A D R P I N T E N S I F I E S

DEAD RP NO LONGER INTENSIFIES

Knowing that he couldn't let the serpent get any closer to the centre of the forest, Jim takes note of where their position was before diving into the canopy after him, dodging around the foliage with barely any hindrance to his speed.

{The forest was dark and there was no sign of the serpent. However, his chuckle could be heard in the distance. Right in the direction of Pythia's resting place.}

He's stunned for a few moments before he realizes, twisting in the air and flying as fast as his wings could carry him back towards the hut, a sudden sense of urgency awakening in him when he realises that Dolorus could do far more damage than what has initially been seen.

{When Jim reaches the clearing with the hut, Dolorus is already there. He sits, coiled on the roof, grinning down nastily at Jim.} "So, this is where you put her? Not a bad place, if I do say so myself. I can hear her stirring in there. I wonder what she'd do if she saw me?"

He lands on a long branch, balancing on the edge and glaring at the serpent, not wanting to get too close in case he did anything else.
"Don't you dare disturb her. She is under my protection now."

"Oh, //your// protection? Well, I had better just pack up my things and leave now, then shouldn't I? 'Cause there's nooooo way I could beat a big, strong guard like you!" {Dolorus says in a mocking tone.} "Give me a break! You wouldn't even be able to stop one of my minions, let alone me! Quit the tough guy act, it's annoying me!"

"Maybe you're annoying me!"
He retorts, ruffling his feathers a little.
"And I'm more than capable of stopping you or any of your minions! Just watch me! I can do far more than what you've seen!"
While that may have been a slight lie, he still has many more forms under his belt that he could use.

"Oh please, you're bl-" {He stops abruptly when he hears stirring from inside the hut. Grinning evilly, Dolorus looks right at Jim and whispers.} "Nice work, loudmouth, she's awake now. If she comes out and sees me, it might just be too much for her to bear. Now, I'm curious, will you alert her of my presence, or will you usher her off to bed, and spare her the fright. I'd much rather keep this fight between us, but that's completely up to you." {Just then, Pythia emerges from the hut, rubbing her eyes and shuffling out the door. Dolorus silently creeps back, as to avoid being seen by her.}
Pythia: "Jim? Why are you yelling? What's happening?"

Surprised, he shifts back into his humanoid form, perching on the branch with a bright blue blush across his face.
"Uh-uh...Sorry, I um...I didn't realise how loud I was being. I tend to shout when I'm frustrated about something, an-and I guess I didn't really think it through. I'll be fine though, go on back to sleep. I'll keep quiet."
He manages a slight smile, not daring to look at Dolorus in case that gave the situation away.

"Are you sure? I thought I heard someone else?" {She starts to look around a little, causing Dolorus to coil himself tightly behind the hut to avoid being seen.}

"Nope! It's just me. I kinda get a little...what's the human word for it...Dramatic! I get a bit dramatic. Saying things in slightly different voices. It's nothing to worry about."
He speaks a little quickly, trying to convince her all is well without his nervousness getting in the way.

{Pythia gives a concerned look, but she is too tired to pursue this.} "If you say so....Goodnight, Jim." {With that, Pythia turns and closes the door.}

D E A D R P I N T E N S I F I E S