Welcome to Gaia! ::

Sei would feel a bit dizzy, the impact having knock him around a good bit. It would be easy for him to come to... once he realizes who the other flailing body in the water was. Despite his own pain, Sei was now faced with the grim task of witnessing Mik's death.

Sei can roll to help Mik.


Caoimhe charged toward Addie, realizing at the last moment that she lacked the hands to scoop the toddler up. Whoops! Quickly, she diverted her route and aimed for the fat gut on the finman. The collision was sharp, and it sent a white hot pain shooting through her veins. The impact would have snapped her neck in her other form, but in this one, the rubbery body accepted the shock. Inching backward, Caoimhe swept her flat back fins to Addie, scooping the girl on to them. Wow, it was a bit surprising how dexterous she was with them. Determined to keep the girl safe, she backpedaled on her stomach, sliding back toward the group in the pool.

The finman cursed and pointed a finger at the selkie. "I'm not leavin' wit'out ya, silkie. YEW WILL COME T'ME!" His voice boomed, but Caoimhe did not react, just continued to slide, having no idea what she was supposed to do, or how she could change back. How could she be useful without thumbs?!

Caoimhe will roll to evade the finman longer.
Addie can roll to be more awesome. If she wants.


Mik just sank. And he sank hard. He didn't quite black out, but he probably was incredibly disoriented.

Mik can roll to have magical intervention!

((Reposted below!))

With a combination scoop/hop, Adelaide found herself on the back of the water puppy. OH HAPPY DAY! She was momentarily able to ignore how tired she had gotten hopping around the room and how scared she was and how she had no idea how they would get out of this. In one joyous flop, she buried her face in Caoihme's fur, giggling in delight. She looked up at Caoi's face and said sincerely, "I loves you, water puppy!"

((Will decide if I do anything else, when I find out how awesome I am... not as awesome as past times, but awesome enough, it would seem))

Her previous hatred of Caoihme had completely dissipated when the teen had turned into the world's cutest water puppy. And now, from the back of her trusty selkie steed, Addie was ready to take on the world. She scooted higher on Caoi's back, making it easier for the seal to maneuver, and gripped her fur in her fat black fingers. Her crimson eyes surveyed the room, trying to come up with a new plan. She leaned forward, whispering to the selkie the first thing that came to mind. "Let's bite him! LOTS! You eat fishies, I seen you. LET'S EAT HIM!" And she waved her hand in the air like she'd seen all those horse-riding girls in the cartoons do and shouted, "CHARGE!"

((Repost for continuity, rolling to see if his action in this post is good.))

Okay. Okay. Dusty could sort of breathe again. Some struggle determined that he could get at least one more step higher, out of the water, as well. Probably wasn't going to fall back in, not unless he was very clumsy. That was pretty good. Better than whoever the hell it was behind him, splashing and making so much noise.

Managing to prop an elbow up on the poolside, Dusty exhaled. He was wet. Covered in wet. He was getting his lungs back, but he wasn't fully sure that he wanted them. There was shouting, and even though his eyes were pretty fuzzy and he was pretty sure that there was still a decent fog that he couldn't blame his swirling head for, he thought he saw something. His otter buddy? And... the little black thing....

Otter buddy was having trouble. The little black thing looked like an awful handful for the creature. It only made sense then that Dusty should stagger up to his feet - not entirely steady, maybe, but at least vertical - and pick up the tot once she came within arm's reach. That seemed to be what otter buddy must have in mind, anyway.

"Gotcha," the boy murmured, hoisting Adelaide uncomfortably up near his shoulder so that she was just covered by the chestpiece of his armor, then slogging the rest of the way out of the pool. He had his feet under him. That was good enough. Now he wanted to know where his sword had gotten to... preferably without slipping in the puddle his drenched fur was making.

Sei was walking through molasses, dragging a slowly dying pal. Not the best news in the world. With the mist of the finfolk quickly depleting, the water began to stir in response, as if it could feel the waning magical powers of the intruding band of dark wizards. This movement in the water could help propel the pair forward... or it could do other bad things.

Roll to find out?


Dustin takes a hold of Addie. And does not fall back into the water! Most excellent.

Roll if you'd like... for something you can define.


The leader of the finfolk had not counted on a human getting involved. He thought all of the humans were upstairs and totally oblivious to what was going on downstairs. Apparently one slipped through the cracks. The bulking wizard hit the ground -- hard -- with a squish of sea water shooting out. He tried to kick at the Dude, but his blows did not find purchase. Instead, he staggered to his feet, limping away. The magical energy of the finfolk was fading fast. They were not designed for long battle, but rather, more of a snatch-and-run fighting style. With a clap of his hands, the finfolk leader called all of his remaining members to him -- his eyes shooting a plan they all knew. The Dude was lucky. If the leader did not have more important things to worry about, he would have killed Sean on the spot.

Roll to stay safe! Or to go help the others!


Caoimhe felt a combination of morning sickness and the warm tinglies at adorable Addie being adorable. She had kept the girl safe for now, but she doubted she could keep it up. As much as she was happy that the girl was safe, she shot Dustin a thankful look -- could he tell with these eyes? -- and felt prickles of relief to be free of responsibility for the child. Maybe in the future Caoimhe would let Addie pretend she was a pony. MAYBE. But not now. She needed to focus on not being a seal anymore. And getting away from the bad guys.

But... it was nice to have a hug from a child, especially with her fate looming so precariously before her. Addie would find comfort in Dustin; he would keep her safe, even if he wasn't as fun as a water puppy.

Addie can be cute... but Caoimhe will try to keep her away.


Mik continued to hold his breath. Very impressive.

Roll for magic! Just kidding. Hold your breath.


The finfolk were preparing to do something, that much was clear. They feel into rank around each other, whispering and keeping all the Fa'e in their line of sight. This had not gone their way... but they would not quit.

It appears the Finfolk might be giving up. Probably a good time for all the Fa'e to make sure that their friends are alive and well!

There was something in the toddler's voice, a devilish glee perhaps, that Dusty found altogether appealing. Soaking wet, nearly drowned, having been humiliated and shoved around and far too close to killed, he was ready to take on anything. Wryly, Dusty informed Adelaide, "Kidlet, it'd take an hour and fourteen hair dryers to see me dry. Not gonna waste that much time."

His eye caught on a glint of steel on the ground - six paces, a quick stoop, and he had his sword back in hand. It felt heavier than usual, and the tip hovered unsteadily near the ground, but there was something that Dusty held it that he had lacked earlier, something that made him, tired and weakened as he was, far more dangerous than he'd been at the start of the conflict. He had a will to use it now, and a lack of inhibition to keep him from the killing blow.

All he needed now was a target to come close enough. The finfolk had gathered themselves - the Fa'e ought to be doing the same, Dusty realized. His throat felt like crap, but that didn't keep him from shouting, "Regroup! C'mon, regroup!" He backed a few paces further away from the lineup, just enough so that he thought he would be in sight of the rest of the Fa'e. If the finfolk were about to try something, their side had better be ready to meet it in better force than their scattered beginnings.

The Dude had the best intentions. He did. But instead of helping, he slipped on the wet floor just as Sei and Mik had. Cool bonus? His fall knocked a large table into the pool, which caused a sudden swell of water in the pool. The massive wave carried Mikhail to the stairs. With Sei's efforts, Mik had his head above water on the steps. Now if he could just come to...

Sei can roll to save the Dude.
Mik can roll to wake up.
Dude can roll to magically come to.
Dustin/Addie can try to help.
Basically... let's not have anyone die!


-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------


It was a good thing that the other Fa'e were distracted. It would make capturing Caoimhe much easier.

With each passing moment, the finfolk's fog was weakening, and with it, they seemed to also falter. Their powers appeared to have some kind of balance with the euphoric fog. With each lick of it being pulled back to the water, the finmen and finwives grew pale and lethargic. It did not help that the Wonder Toddler had halved their numbers, sucking out much of their stamina -- but there were more of them waiting in Finfolkaheem. More finfolk to replace these bodies. This expedition to the shore had not gone well for them; a few hopeful finwives lingered near the males they had selected. The one near the Dude seemed the most adamant that he return with her to the city beneath the waves, but the lead finman would hear none of it.

"We cam' fir dah silkie bride. Yah git greeday an' yew enn'up like dem," he said, jerking a thumb toward the Tub of Death. The grumbles echoed over the tiles, but it was clear who held the power.

The entire group fell upon Caoimhe in her seal form, dragging her away from the other Fa'e. They used the remaining magic to keep anyone from preventing the capture. If she had been in the body she was used to, Caoi would have fought, kicked, screamed, and injured all in her path. In her seal form, she could only snap at the rotting flesh and wiggle free of their collective grasp -- but it was no use. A net was thrown over her, and Caoimhe was dragged to the center of the room, the rest of the finfolk forming a circle around her. The lead finman placed both hands on her, and each other finfolk touched their leader's back. Caoimhe let out a low, mournful bark.

The mist began racing across the floor, zooming so fast that it would cause a breeze on the legs of the gathered Fa'e. The cloud billowed around the finfolk and Caoimhe, and with a light noise, like the popping of a bubble, they were gone. Even the bodies in the hot tub had disappeared, leaving only the damaged house and Caoimhe's notable absence.






Forty-seven seconds passed.






Then -- a bubble appeared in the center of the room out of thin air. No sooner had it materialized than it popped, spitting out a familiar and yet different form. Caoimhe was bipedal again, but... she had grown? Yes! This was no longer a teenager. But... what had happened? Where had she gone?

The selkie landed on her hands and knees, head hanging down, panting. Every so often, her shoulders shook, tears staining the floor below her. When she lifted her face to the group, it was evident she had been through hell. Heavy bags sagged under her eyes. Dirt streaked her face and shirt. It looked as if she had been awake for days -- but how was that possible? It had only been 47 seconds. How was any of this possible?

Caoimhe did not say anything. She sat back on her haunches, wrapping her arms around herself and trying to force the tears down, to keep the tears from streaking her reddened cheeks. Her eyes were blank, barely registering the presence of the others in the room.

What... what had just happened?

Addie looked approvingly at Dusty's weapon and then scanned the area, trying to find something she could use. If she wasn't going to help Caoihme, she'd help Dusty. He was cool. Besides, he was almost as cute as the water puppy and was practically her twin.

She saw a candlestick rolling on the ground near to where Dusty had picked up his sword. She had either missed it on her quest for shinies before or it had somehow been transported here. She squirmed and wiggled her way free of Dusty's grasp and scooped it up, hopping over to stand next to him. She waved her makeshift weapon above her head and shouted, "GROUP! GROUP!" gazing up at Dusty in adoration.

And then the fish people made her water puppy disappear. And Addie froze, eyes wide with terror. They were winning. It was a game. No one was supposed to get hurt. She hadn't reacted when Sati had disappeared, because she hadn't been able to see it. This was different. This was real.

Tears quietly traced their way down her face and she stood, her arm still raised, and waited. She counted to 10 again and again. But Caoihme never came back.

But then, she did. Only she was different. And she wasn't a water puppy. But she was sad. And that made Addie sadder. She dropped her arm, the candlestick falling from her fingers with a clang and padded over to Caoihme's haggard form. She stopped short, foot tracing in the water that surrounded the selkie and breathed, "Hi you."