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Freddy did his best not to outright make a face at the eggs, because he could swear there was the expected sulfur-y smell of rotten coming from somewhere. Possibly another cluster of eggs somewhere nearby, if not the cluster that Pippa was currently looking at. They were in one of the parks near the university, in an area that seemed to be under maintenance given the state of things.

"Pip," he said while also trying not to sound too disgusted. The lurch of his stomach as he leaned closer and the smell somehow intensified was hard to ignore. Still, the young man did his best…

"Pip," he tried again, this time straightening back out to get further away from the smell. It only barely worked, which was…well. "I really don't think we ought to be touching these, according to…pretty much everything I've read and heard about them in the news."

Sara Draconia

He doubted he'd ever get used to his sister "powering up" or whatever it actually was, but Freddy had seen it enough times that he at least wasn't freaking out about it anymore. Admittedly, he preferred it when she did this kind of thing with him around, so he could at least keep an eye on her. Though in this powered state he had a feeling she could do more to keep him safe rather than the other way around, but her approach to fights was…

Far more direct than he liked.

"Maybe," he said, sounding a bit more nasally because he pinched his nose as he again leaned over her to try and get a better look at what she was doing, "but doesn't mean staying away from it is bad advice. I–"

The smell that came from the cracked egg made him gag as well, a pinched nose doing absolutely nothing to keep it at bay. "******** sake," he choked out as he stepped back and unexpectedly into something. The smell at that point had induced a headache, and Freddy was still making a face when he heard the lowest gurgle of a cluck from behind him.

He didn't need to think. On Chillingham's warning, he moved to duck but wound up throwing himself into the bush just beside the egg cluster she'd been inspecting.

"Is it a chicken?!" he called, voice muffled as the top half of his body was in the bush. "I heard a cluck! It sounded murderous!"

– [ ] –

Kiringul felt the aura pop up nearby and headed for it, the rest of the evening having gone far too quietly for his comfort. He was used to encountering small ******** during his patrols. Mostly youma being youma, which was more challenging than dealing with agents in some ways because they were creatures that he could neither control nor intimidate with his signature RBF.

As a result, he spent a lot of time running while he thought of a plan.

He spotted a familiar pink and blue duo from a distance, the familiarity bringing about the smallest sense of worry that started needling into him. And for good reason, apparently, because one of hell's chickens came up on them soon after that.

"Oh, come on!" he yelled up to the universe as he quickly made a grab for his weapon and sprinted toward them. He channeled his magic and blew into the fancified horn, hoping to provide them all with a bit of insight into how to get rid of this damned thing.

And maybe insight for the kid that was halfway dunked into one of the bushes.

Squire — Kiringul takes a deep breath and blows into the horn, however no sound comes directly out of it. Instead, the sound goes directly into the ears of anyone within a 10ft radius; the sound varies between listeners.

For opponents it causes the listener to become disoriented in some way (the sound and how it disorients the listener is up to the player) as their mind becomes lost in the vastness of cosmic eternity. It essentially renders them unable to focus as long as Kiringul is channeling his magic, and they can feel confused and dazed and out of place with their surroundings.

For allies it gives the listener a soothing sort of clarity, as though they have come out of a peaceful eternity, and allows them to focus better as long as Kiringul is channeling his magic. The sound has a maximum duration of 30 seconds.

Sara Draconia

It was rare for his sister to be hesitant about anything, so he imagined the thing must have been some kind of grotesque abomination to get a reaction like that from her. As much as he wanted to help her, though, he was a bit...preoccupied, what with being currently face-first inside of a bush and all. He felt his legs free but despite his efforts (and the sudden clarity that hit him–though the insight of, "Not much for doing while I'm in this bush," wasn't particularly helpful) could not find a way to get any leverage to pull himself out of said bush.

"Hang on!" he called, not wanting her to think he'd abandoned her or anything. Because he hadn't! He was just quite literally stuck. "Just fend it off 'til I get out of this thing!"

Which, when he spotted what looked like the handle to some kind of tool on the ground just there and quite possibly within his reach, hopefully wouldn't be much longer! Freddy reached for the handle, face scrunched up with the effort because it felt like the branches were purposely digging into him now that the hope of escape was in sight.

"Got it!" he cried out, quietly thanking their father's family for their genetic make-up that resulted in his long, gangly arms that he'd hated for most of his life.

Freddy hadn't expected much to happen beyond feeling the grimy old gardening tool–it turned out to be a trowel of some kind–in his hand, but it came with the weirdest sensation of something cold and strange yet still somehow familiar rippling through him.


As if that wasn't strange enough, he could swear he'd worn short sleeves today.

Though hearing another familiar voice, he shoved the mild confusion and self-doubt aside in favor of getting his attention. Kiringul, was it? The rainbow-flavored equivalent to whatever Pippa was when she powered up.

"Oi! Get her in the clear of whatever that thing is, yeah?!


Hell of a greeting from both of them, but the Squire was mostly relieved that they seemed to be fine. The chicken thing just nearby had stopped in its tracks and was still madly flailing its head about despite the fact that he was no longer channeling his magic.

"Ah, it's not that bad," he said, clapping the fellow Squire on the shoulder and feeling mildly impressed considering it hadn't been that long since she powered up at all. "Anyway, you don't have to touch it. Just smash up all the eggs around here. That's what stopped the last one I ran into."

Glancing around and spotting the brother still in the bushes, Kiringul sighed and nodded toward him. "Though maybe help him out first? I'll keep ugly, over there, distracted for as long as I can." It didn't escape him that there was another Order signature floating around, and given they were siblings...

But there was at least one other thing he was more concerned about, at least for the moment, since it meant they were still in a bit of danger. The oversized chicken-demon-thing had since straightened itself out and seemed like it was gearing up for another attack as it set its beady gaze upon the two of them.

And technically half of a third, though Kiringul didn't imagine Freddy–or whatever his name was now, if he was guessing correctly–could feel the chicken's angry glare on his a**.

Bamburgh made none-too-pleased noises as Chillingham helped him out of the bush, and he was nicked and ever so slightly cut up from the bush after coming up but still in one piece. "Magic?" he said, his expression perfectly matching his tone of voice as he dusted the dirt, twigs, and leaves off of his...coat. Purple coat. Purple like his sister's coat when she was...

"Oh, god," he muttered, looking down at what he was wearing, and then at the rusted gardening tool in his hand. "Oh, god!"

But she was right. This wasn't the time to be mortified about any of this, so when she mentioned his boots and stomping—right! Eggs! Or something! The Page gathered his wits about him as best he could and then looked around almost frantically until he pointed way too enthusiastically at a curious looking patch not too far off from them.

"There!" he cried out. "That might be it! C'mon!"

– [ ] –

"Eyes on me, ugly!" he called at hell's chicken as it bore its beady little eyes into the duo. He picked up a few rocks nearby and threw them at it for good measure, a satisfied smirk settling on his face when it finally turned to face him. He had almost immediate regrets, but he didn't have too much time to process them.

The chicken-demon-thing let out a terrifying squawk before barreling towards him.

Kiringul put his weapon to lips, focused, and blew into it once more, relief washing over him when he saw the creature suddenly pause and lift its head up, looking from side to side before bobbing its head down and starting to peck at the ground in the way a normal chicken might. It repeated the pattern once or twice, its motions twitchy and erratic, until he finally had to pause to take another breath.

Lather, rinse, and repeat.

Sara Draconia

He had to admit, mid-stomp, that it helped that he had something on which to unleash the tidal wave of emotions that he suddenly felt upon this new and incredibly sudden development in his own life. While he could also use his music as an outlet of sorts, stamping out demon-chicken-eggs somehow felt quite a bit more satisfying. So the teen stomped on, looking like something of a mad man as he did. He was huffing and puffing by the end, and had just looked up when Chillingham tugged at his sleeve.

"Guess chucking this thing at it is worth a shot," he said after a few seconds of catching his breath. Luckily, though, it didn't seem like he had to. No sooner had he said it did the creature give a shrill, almost pained sounding squawk before vanishing in a smell puff of smoke.

He made a face as the wind blew it in their direction.

– [ ] –

A wave of relief washed over the Squire when the thing poofed out of existence. Sure, it smelled disgusting and rank, but better to just have to deal with a smell than with something that was actively trying to kill you. He rubbed at his nose before making his way over to the two, eyeing the expression on the new Page and seeing a reflection of himself when he first awakened however many years ago it was now.

"I wondered if you might be one, too," he said, looking thoughtful. "I've heard this could run in families. Makes me worry about my own daughter, to be honest, but in a way I guess better more equipped for everything that's out there than not at all."

Sara Draconia

Bamburgh, who was busy rubbing his nose to try and keep the smell at bay, was content to stay quiet in the background even as Kiringul came over and addressed him specifically. So this was a family thing? He wondered briefly if his parents had any idea, or if they were maybe magical as well and had just happily abandoned that in favor of living a normal life.

Did that mean he could do that, too?

He felt a spark of hope light somewhere deep inside of him at the idea, though a glance in his sister's direction snuffed it out almost immediately. All she had to do was ask him to come along on her magical adventures and even with homework looming he knew he would go, if only to remind her that they had to get home soon to do their homework. And, of course, to try and keep her safe however he could.

The new Page opened his mouth to speak when Chillingham asked her question first. Bamburgh blinked at her, then closed his mouth and sighed. He was also curious anyway, so that was fine.

– [ ] –

He more expected questions about his daughter than about himself, and he more hoped for them because he could easily deflect by saying that he'd prefer to keep his daughter out of all of this magical stuff for as long as humanly possible. With any luck that would be her entire life, but if not...

Well. He'd cross that bridge when he came to it.

But with the question more directed at him, he sort of stared blankly at the two Saturn knights for a few seconds before clearing his throat. "Old enough to tell you two to get home, get to your homework, then get to bed," he finally managed to string a sentence together, and to add to the image of him being significantly older than them he started to do a shoo-ing gesture to get them move.

"Go on. Home, homework, bed."

Sara Draconia