WELCOME TO THE HIVE

[rysligparasites]

MOD PLOT: HAPPY ASCENSION DAY

It's a long journey to Kulen and you’re paralyzed for all of it. The parasites aren't very delicate about carrying you there and you may get prodded with the odd pincer, but they diligently protect you from any external threats so you arrive relatively unharmed.

They carry you into a series of tunnels and into the belly of the hive where they lay you down on the ground. You lie there, unable to move or speak as more of the parasites converge on you, chittering excitedly and smelling you with their antennae. As the paralysis starts to wear off, they roughly and enthusiastically help you up and guide you through the tunnels, excitedly showing you around.

Eventually, you'll meet a parasite with human features who will give you a stilted, but genuine welcome. Apparently you are a special guest who has been brought here to help celebrate their beloved queen's first ever ascension day! While you're here, they want to learn as much about YOU and your traditions as they can so they can make this the greatest party ever.

The parasites implore you to eat their human cooking which is mostly composed of various things (both edible and not) that they've deep fried. They worked very hard and they will be very offended if you don't finish it. They also invite you to contribute to their cave paintings which are entirely composed of parasites doing parasite things.

During your stay, you'll likely run into other monsters who've been replaced by doppelgangers. Maybe some of them have been here for a while. Maybe others have just turned up.

Your quarters are dark and maybe a little cramped given that you're sharing them with a whole bunch of insectoid creatures and maybe one or two monsters. Other than that, they're relatively comfortable.

Settle in and make yourself at home. You'll be here for a while.

Comments

[hantale]

[Hmmm, neat indeed. Fran gives another bob... well, as much as you can when resting your chin on something.]

It's probably for the best, yeah. I wonder if it's also just only having to deal with it once, instead of seeing a different part of you change every week or so.

[Though, that does earn a gentle laugh, bringing a smile to the kelpie's lips that slowly returns to a soft pout.]

I can imagine... You were-monsters are always notoriously fluffy.

[Now, if only they knew where the other one had gone.]

[justbeingknife]

Damn straight. It's soft, too.

[ Was someone expecting him to be embarrassed about the fur? Probably he'd considered it, then decided it was a pointless endeavor. It was one thing if you chose to be fluffy, but since he hadn't, he might as well enjoy the fringe benefits.

One of which was that no doubt people would have paid out the nose for a coat made of his fur.

...hopefully they wouldn't actually try it, though? ]

Either way? Glad I ain't have to deal with wonderin' for months on end what I'm going to end up as.

[hantale]

[Hmmmm. Fran's eyes linger on that fur for perhaps a bit too long. It does look soft... and warm. While they'll manage in the cold, that doesn't mean they don't prefer to be warm.]

Mhm! How are you, uh... Finding it so far? Werewolves are pretty neat, in general! At least, I tend to think so.

[Totally not biased, there.]

[justbeingknife]

It's surprisingly handy, except for the part where I can barely keep my eyes open in the morning. Now that I'm a werewolf, I'm a night owl.

...but I'd say that kinda suits me, too. No regrets.

[ "Lord of the Night", indeed. ]

How's the kelpie life going?

[hantale]

[That part at least earns a soft giggle, the kelpie's horns bobbing as they nod.]

I'm glad you've taken to it so well... Most of us end up nocturnal, I only really go around in the day for arrivals.

[Since talking across the room is kindof awkward, and Fran could use the distraction, they start shuffling their way over, scooting as gracefully as one could scoot and sitting back down beside Majima.]

Being a kelpie is... Not too bad! I spend a lot more time in the water than I used to. Folks tend to think of us as horses-first and aquatic creatures second... but I kinda see it as the other way around. Aside from skin colour and hair, our physical changes aren't very extreme, either, so that's nice.

[justbeingknife]

[ There was an aura of warmth that seemed to exude from Majima's body, but he seemed to view this more as an attempt to get within comfortable speaking distance than use him as some kind of space heater. ]

Do ya have to hang out in the water, or else your skin dries out? That's how it works for mermonsters, right?

I know a guy who practically busted out of his shirt when he hulked out last month. Actually, it was kind of an improvement.

[hantale]

[Yeeees, for speaking distance. Honestly, Fran is more than fine in the cold thanks to those kelpie changes... But that doesn't mean it isn't a little uncomfortable if it isn't in water.]

Hmmm, not really! I do like the water a bit more now, so I often just find myself taking a dip even in these cold winter months. It's a bit chilly, but not.. uh- enough to bother stopping?

The real trick is finding water that isn't frozen!

[One hand shifts to cover their mouth as they giggle, pausing only as the faint sounds of bug scuttling scurry past the door to their room, yet another sound that makes the kelpie draw back into their ball nearby.]

'Hulked' out?

[justbeingknife]

Hmm... suppose it'd be rude to swim in the bath.

[ Did Bavan have indoor pools? Another thing he'd never had cause to wonder about before. ]

I'm sorta waitin' around for the water to thaw, too, but that's so I can go fishing. Although I did sorta promise to go on a swim with someone later.

Anyway, what I meant was the guy put on a lot of muscle real fast. Sound like a monster type you'd recognize?

[hantale]

Eheh, probably... Though I have gone to the bathhouse Lust runs a few times, that one's quite nice.

[The short answer is yes, there's one specifically run by a monster!]

Oh- Hmmm, it sounds like a Troll, they can get really big and strong!

How have you been, though? I haven't seen you since before the fires started in Bavan, so I hadn't really gone that way.

[justbeingknife]

Those the ones that grow and shrink? Wonder how that works, anyway... what if ya forget and end up wreckin' the roof of your house?

[ It had been a little while, hadn't it... ]

I've been findin' out more about this place. Can't believe it's been five years already, and no one's been able to figure out how to get home.

[ IT WAS LOOKING GRIM. ]

Talked to a bunch of people, started a business, did a little magical tourism...

[hantale]

Probably best to get a hang of your monster abilities before settling into a smaller house then! Or just find one with a lot of room!

[There's a soft giggle to accompany the shrug that followed.]

Of course, could always just not live in a house, that'd be the easiest way to go about it!

[One eyebrow raises, their right hand lifting up to rest their chin and cheek on for something a bit more comfortable. Though their lips curl into a smile, eyes widening a bit as the questions keep rolling.]

Oh? The business we talked about before... that involved making clients feel welcome? And what did you go see!

[They actually seem a bit more excited now, curiosity piqued by the trickle of information.]

[justbeingknife]

[ He shook his head. ]

The cabaret? Nah, I started a financin' company. Business has been pretty brisk. Though I do try and make it a point to provide a solid customer experience, anyway.

As for the sightseein', Dyster and that arcade the Fourth God keeps. Although it looked to me more like an arcade and apartment complex. Fancy stuff. Wouldn't wanna live in either place, though.

[hantale]

[Finan- Mmm- Their head tilts a bit more, cocking to the side in what is possibly the universal signal for confusion.]

Well... The first question then, what is a financin' company? [Heaven help this nerd if they ever had to actually manage their money.] But travel seems nice!

If you're looking for something scenic, strand's watch was very nice to walk through, the winter beaches can be very stunning! Just be careful~

[justbeingknife]

Basically, I loan money to people. Maybe they need to fund some remodeling, or expand their business. Provided everythin' goes according to plan, they pay me back over time with interest.

[ Majima looked more interested at the mention of the watch. ]

Careful of what, exactly? I might pay it a visit if the fishing's decent.

[hantale]

[A few short nods, mostly getting the gist of things.]

Hmm? Oh- Of the cove, in general. It's mostly rocky cliffs, caves, and steep slopes. If you're not used to mountainous climbing, especially in the winter, it can be very dangerous.

[The usual warnings that come for such areas. Nature can be strangely deadly when it wants to be! Though, for now, Fran's tone settles into something a little less tired.]

When it warms up a bit, though, I could show you the cove.

[It's something to do, and something to think about.]

[justbeingknife]

I think I can deal with that much. Gotten a lot easier to make my way around nature, now that I discovered my inner furry animal.

[ The claws probably helped dig into grass and dirt, too. ]

So yeah, pencil me in. They got any good sunsets around there?

[hantale]

Mmmh- I suppose it would, yes. Especially if you travel at night time.

[There's a brief, soft smile. Fran is VERY familiar with werewolves and their helpful little quirks. They're all good monsters.]

Hmm, you'll mostly be looking for the west coast for that... Though it is very nice from Strand's Watch as well. If you want to avoid the fog-forest, you'll need to go to the lighthouse.

[justbeingknife]

Fog-forest? Ya talkin' about Lager Woods?

Have ya ever been there?

[ The only thing about the claws was that they made some more delicate operations a little difficult, if not impossible. He bet manticores had retractable ones. ]

It's mostly on account of stayin' up till sunrise is pretty rough on me now.

[hantale]

[A short nod, their expression shifts to something bordering on uncomfortable for only a moment before returning to a more neutral look as they explained.]

Yeah- I've done some short trips inside... As much as I love nature, there's some strange things... The forest plays with your mind, even if you try to avoid the fog, you might end up inside.

[The kelpie offers a light shrug, leaning back against the wall and half-closing their eyes.]

Mmmmh, honestly, you might just want to shift to a nocturnal pattern entirely. It's where most monsters end up out of necessity.

[justbeingknife]

Y'know that only makes it sound more fascinatin', right?

[ ie Majima just put it on his list of places to visit, if it wasn't there already. ]

What I do these days is get up in the afternoon and stay awake till it's so late no one in their right mind'd be up. Works so far.

[ And besides, Majima enjoyed those hours of the day when he still looked human. ]

[hantale]

Eheh, if you say so~

[That does bring out a little laugh, lips curling into a softer smile as they listened.]

Hmmm, I suppose that works! The sun'll still be up at some point during a normal day, so morning or afternoon are both fine.

I got into a nighttime habit since I lived with a werewolf, and we both preferred being active then~

[justbeingknife]

Oh? Anyone I'd know?

[ Then again, he had mentioned the past tense, so maybe said werewolf was

nahhh. ]

Do kelpies usually do the nocturnal thing?

[hantale]

I don't think so... That was mostly before you arrived.

[Alright, let's change the topic, their lips are starting to tremble. Newf had already picked up on it, shifting closer to Fran and leaning into their hand supportively.]

Not normally, no. But I was pretty nocturnal before I arrived, so there wasn't much of a need to change that.

You were a human, right? So you were mostly active in the day?

[justbeingknife]

Day and night -- I didn't get a lot of sleep.

[ And Fran could take that howeeeeever it suited. It seemed to have some sort of added meaning, anyway, from the way Majima looked away at a skittering parasite before continuing. ]

Since I started sprouting fur, it's the most solid rest I've ever gotten.

[hantale]

Oh? By choice, or by situation?

[They're not soooo naive they've never met a human with odd or poor sleeping habits... Though they are rather close.

Either way, the conversation is a suitable distraction. Fran's fingers fidget, sheepishly tapping and twiddling over each other. It's a rather stark contrast from the winter festival, where they were happy, playful, and even a bit flirtatious.]

Not all changes are bad... The feeding and skin colour wasn't great, but I can handle the rest, for example. How are you finding it, so far?