Matias’s Tuesday night odd encounter(Matias)

August 12, 2025

Date: 2025-08-12 01:00

(Matias’s Tuesday night odd encounter(Matias):Matias)

[Tue Aug 12 2025]

At Jefferson Gardens/span

It is night, about 73F(22C) degrees, and there are clear skies. The mist is heaviest At Hawthorn and Sidney/span
There is a waning gibbous moon.

(Your target discovers a cursed object in an antique shop or estate sale that begins to warp reality around them in subtle but increasingly dangerous ways. They must figure out the object’s history and how to break its hold before the distortions become permanent or fatal.)

stands a short distance from Eloa and tucks his hands into his pockets while looking around the night darkened park. The latina sitting down. “So for Aura shifting first thing you need to become aware of is your aura. This is the life essence that is both within your body and radiates out from it. Kind of like heat on a cold day. You can see auras with charms as you know. So as Arcanist you need to become aware of it and instead of BODY changing you need to shift aura. Is subtle difference but will let you shift without horrible boken breaking and also bring clothing.”

Eloa and Matias are standing in the middle of a park! Jefferson Park actually, talking animatedly about shifting auras. The latina tilts her head to the side, nodding a bit as she reaches her hand out as if trying to look at herself. “So is almost like the soothing aura… like Eloa take… everything in her range to shift?” She asks curiously.

Hands in his pockets and eyes drawn to the sky rather than in front of him like he should, Kallen wanders through the park, taking a midnight scroll apparently.

Some panties flutter to the ground. As well as a bracelet. And her shoes. Eloa(A.hyacinthinus) apparently isn’t … that great at shifting yet.

Eloa(A.hyacinthinus) apparently drops things into stash here so. A white lace thong with bow and a pair of white platform sandals lay here,

Kaelyn wanders, like she does most nights or sometimes after escaping mildly awkward conversations. Her nose and ears lead her on, something vaguely familiar in this direction but it doesn’t register quite yet what it could be. It was only then that she realized there was a parrot and Mr. Cat himself ‘hiding’ in the trees.

Kallen finally looks down again after a moment of daydreaming, spotting Kaelyn in the process. “Howdy Kael…” He pauses, narrowing his eyes before adding “I’m feeling deja vu.” in a sleepy tone, “Are you looking over at something?”

It does appear some form of lesson is happening as a light show and transformation happens on the otherwise dark park. Matias looks at the things that missed the transition and shakes his head. “Is not like healing aura.” Matias explains while lifting a hand from his pocket and holding it out incase someone needs somewhere to perch. “Is like when you stand in a ritual circle and feel energy touch the edges. Is that energy. You need to pull inward and change.” and then the sound of Kaelyn and Kallen is here and those slate-grey eyes squint out into the distance… Meanwhile Eloa(A.hyacinthinus) spies something in the grass, half buried, it appears to be a bauble like a black pearl with a glittering luster that caught the light of the shapeshifting and from the moon.

It does appear some form of lesson is happening as a light show and transformation happens on the otherwise dark park. Matias looks at the things that missed the transition and shakes his head. “Is not like healing aura.” Matias explains while lifting a hand from his pocket and holding it out incase Eloa(A.hyacinthinus) needs somewhere to perch. “Is like when you stand in a ritual circle and feel energy touch the edges. Is that energy. You need to pull inward and change.” and then the sound of Kaelyn and Kallen is here and those slate-grey eyes squint out into the distance… Meanwhile Eloa(A.hyacinthinus) spies something in the grass, half buried, it appears to be a bauble like a black pearl with a glittering luster that caught the light of the shapeshifting and from the moon.

Eloa(A.hyacinthinus) is the largest parrot in the world! At almost three feet long including her long luxurious tail, Eloa(A.hyacinthinus) currently cannot fly is slowlyyy sinks to the ground where she pecks at her panties and then caws softly. In parrot land she apparently has enhanced senses! And turns when she hears Kallen. Squawking a little.. the parrot starts heading for Kallen and Kaelyn when she’s distracted by something in the grass. Chirping in curiousity, she goes and pecks the black pearl.

Kallen follows Kaelyn’s gaze over to the parrot, just as it swoops down and picks up said panties. “I didn’t know birds could be panty thiefs…” He comments quietly to himself without much thought about how particularly large this parrot is, “Exotic though, didn’t know new england had this sort of wildlife.”

The black pearl is easy enough to pick from the dirt but there is some kind of leather length connected to it and a setting that connects the pearl to the leather. It is partially rotted and could be dug out as well or it could be torn away. As Kaelyn and Kallen notice the fluttery panties Matias walks up from elsewhere having followed the colorful bird. “Good evening.” he says in a low rumble of a voice.

Kaelyn raises a hand when Kallen speaks to her, “Just a little stroll. But, hey.” Her head tilts looking a little close, “If I remember right…” Shaking her head, the woman holds that close to the chest. “Might not be a thief.” She moves closer to get a better look, being a snoop but not intentionally attempting to interrupt just yet. Instead she looks back Kallen, only to jump as she was caught. “Good evening, Sir.” She says in a higher pitch to Matias.

Blue wings flapping in the air as Eloa(A.hyacinthinus) picks up the pearl, Eloa(A.hyacinthinus) starts dragging and tugging at the leather length that’s buried in the soil. There’s a flutter of wings as she tugs… but given the lack of ability to fly and her long tails and wings, Eloa(A.hyacinthinus) is pretty helpless in the pulling department.

Eloa(A.hyacinthinus) is however. OBSESSED with the shiny.

“…Do birds wear panties in this strange little town?” Kallen asks Kaelyn after a pause in a tone that was far too genuine for the situation. Then, just as some sort of punchline was waiting, he catches Matias’s own greeting, “Yo. Park is busy at night… Should I be worried about biters or is that just a stereotype?” He asks, quickly dragged along his own thoughts again.

“No I imagine vampires prefer bars and the full moon has passed.” Matias supposes in response to the comment about ‘biters’ as a hand comes up to adjust his spectacles. “Those are Eloa’s we were doing a lesson on how to aura shift.” he explains not moving to grab them and instead looking for the colorful bird with a whistle. Meanwhile the leather snaps with Eloa(A.hyacinthinus)’s efforts to pull it but not having enough strength to unearth it. With the pearl free and a short scrap of leather to carry it by, it successfully gains the shiny black pearl.

Gaining the black pearl successfuly, Eloa(A.hyacinthinus) squawks and turns around proudly to the source of the noises to show off her ill gotten pearl. Her wings flap in the air and she kindofff takes off but doesn’t really, ending up half hopping half dragging her tail towards Kallen and Kaelyn while turning her peak about proudly.

Kaelyn’s eyes dart to Kallen with a small shake of her head before returning her attention to the professor. “She mentioned practicing the other day.” Kneeling down, she smiles at the Eloa(A.hyacinthinus), “You’re a pretty parrot. Still working on the flying?”

“Oh, it’s Eloa?” Kallen asks with a few blinks back over to Eloa(A.hyacinthinus), “Huh… Honestly wasn’t going to be my guess. I’ve been a little… Slacking in my arcane studies. I should really see if I cannae find a tutor or something.” He muses to himself as he fixes his curls back into a tie, “Seems to be solid though, the transformation I mean.”

Cocking her head this way and that as she approaches the two K’s, Eloa(A.hyacinthinus) caws as much as she can without dropping the pearl and flaps her wings. Her head dips towards the ground and she seems to be pointing her beak upwards at Kallen then Kaelyn’s arms? Hard to tell with a bird before flapping about a bit more.

“It is.” Matias confirms to the group as the Eloa(A.hyacinthinus) attempts to communicate with the trio of standing people. The pearl in the colorful birds mouth seems to glint in the moonlight and in this old park in the middle of the night, over an hour past midnight… The sprinkles all turn on, a bit of bad luck to be sure as the go *ffffst* as it sprays everyone including Eloa(A.hyacinthinus). As it does Matias lifts an arm to shield his face and looks around before suggesting, “Maybe we should get by a copse of trees.” luckily there are several and many have ribbons.

Squawking as it starts to rain, Eloa(A.hyacinthinus) looks around in wonder because well, she’s too short to see that it’s from sprinklers. Her wings flap about a bit.

Still kneeling, Kaelyn offers an arm to Eloa(A.hyacinthinus) with a curious look. Was this what she wanted? Her arm lingered there until the sprinklers started the terrible attack. She pulled herself away, buttoning up her flannel to hide the unfortunately reality of white shirts and water. She moves to stand but pauses, collecting the assorted clothes that had been scattered about. Bundling them she peered at the bird making sure it was moving to ‘safety’.

Kallen glances between Kaelyn and Eloa(A.hyacinthinus) as the arm is offered, “Ah… That makes sense actually.” He comments before looking back over to Matias, “Not a bad idea, I actually haven’t looked much around this park, pretty new in town, more-or-less at least.”

Cawing, Eloa(A.hyacinthinus) jumps up onto Kaelyn’s arm and grips Kaelyn with those strong claws which probably dig in a little without her realizing. She flaps her wings about a bit when Kaelyn collects her clothes which thankfully isn’t all of her clothes and rides along bird style! Still with that black pearl in her mouth. She chirps a little at Kallen, not seeming to mind the wet.

Kaelyn hisses as the claws dig into her skin and once more staining her poor flannel with tiny flecks of blood. All prizes secured, however, Kaelyn retreats carefully from the spitting sprinklers.

Squawking apologetically as Kaelyn hisses, Eloa(A.hyacinthinus) tries to grip less tight and promptly starts to fall off of Kaelyn’s arm.

Kaelyn now wobbles as the weight on her arm begins to shift, “No. No. I’m okay. It’ll heal. Don’t fall. Please.” She hoped it wasn’t going to come down to sacrificing the clothes or the bird.

Tightning her claws, Eloa(A.hyacinthinus) grips back on and siddles along Kaelyn’s arm and startts grooming locks of Kaelyn’s hair with her beak.

As the group johs, walks, runs towards a nearby copse of trees the sprinkles continue but it seems the ones near the roots have long since been disabled by the growth of the tree roots. Matias presses a hand against the trees as he gets to one no longer being spritzed with water. The black pearl glints again and the lucky break with the sprinklers near the trees seems to be off set by the trees slowly beginning to shed leaves, just dying leaves falling on the group slowly at first but soon enough it will become noticable. “I do not know why she does not change back, she might be fighting with the macaw’s instinct… or she is embarassed because of him being here.” he looks at Kallen with a chuckle.

Taking a few moments to put together the connection of the panties and the oversized parrot, Kallen eventually perks up in recognition, “Oh- Huh- Alright yeah that makes sense.” He chimes in a surprisingly sleepy tone for such a revelation. “I could turn around or cover my eyes, whichever works while she gets dressed again.” The fellow offers without much fuss.

When Matias points out that Eloa(A.hyacinthinus) can shift back. The parrot blinks those big gold rimmed eyes at Matias and promptly shifts back. On Kaelyn’s arm. Which of course can not longer support her weight and she falls to the ground onto her ass, causing her to yelp. At least she’s still dressed! In a white dress! That is totally getting soaked and clinging to her body. At the same time the leaves start shedding. The black pearl somehow is kept in the change and Eloa(A.hyacinthinus) almost swallows it as she falls so.. there’s some hacking and choking as she coughs up the pearl into her hand. “Sorry I forgot I could change back until you mentioned it.” The latina comments while her cheeks flush red. “Also what is this thing?”

When Matias points out that Eloa can shift back. The parrot blinks those big gold rimmed eyes at Matias and promptly shifts back. On Kaelyn’s arm. Which of course can not longer support her weight and she falls to the ground onto her ass, causing her to yelp. At least she’s still dressed! In a white dress! That is totally getting soaked and clinging to her body. At the same time the leaves start shedding. The black pearl somehow is kept in the change and Eloa almost swallows it as she falls so.. there’s some hacking and choking as she coughs up the pearl into her hand. “Sorry I forgot I could change back until you mentioned it.” The latina comments while her cheeks flush red. “Also what is this thing?”

Kaelyn grumbles as the macaw begins messing with her hair, with some maneuvering she wiggles the clothes under her arm to lightly bop Miss Macaw on the noggin. Barely even a bob really, “Behave yourself.” Her gaze looks between the two men, “Might be able to, uh, hide behind one of the trees.” The first leaves start to fall, one landing on Kaelyn’s head. Her mouth opened only to find herself toppling over from the added weight. Meeting the ground with Eloa and a yelp, Kaelyn was helpless as more leaves began to cover her. A moment, nothing broken, a little pain but fine. She opens her mouth to fus about it until glancing at the other woman and laughing. “If you forget from that try not to fall asleep in that form.”

Eloa looks back and giggles at Kaelyn, covered in leaves and totally wet, the latina’s white underwear is totally showing underneath her white dress a little. “Eloa is not good at shifting! Hey Kallen.” She greets while her cheeks are all red. The pearl is held up while she stays on the floor. “Did anyone lose a pearl?”

“What is what thing?” Matias asks as he looks up at the trees with some confusion as they start to shed leaves like it was October and not just the middle of August. The man murmurs something and flexes his hand against the bark but the trees continue to shed leaves and the bark even begins to dry and split in some places. “Odd…. What is it you found?” he wonders to Eloa with a look at Kaelyn after a bird turns into a latina on her arm. Seeing the results of it there is a shake of his head. MEANWHILE the black pearl that almost gets swallows and gags Eloa glints as she spits it back up and up above a lightning bolt… from a cloudless fucking sky… lances down and hits the trees which are shedding leaves which are now burning and so burning falling leaves are descending upon the group and the sprinklers all just turned off… What is happening?!

“You don’t need to tell me to behave! I was gonna be a priest y’know, basically the most chaste person in town.” Kallen mutters in defense to Kaelyn before at least doing the minimum of glancing away from Eloa.

Yet, just as the awfully stereotypical bit was playing out, lightning strikes, leaving Kallen to almost jump out of his skin in an exaggerated flinch. “Fuck me!” He yelps, eyes flicking over to one of the trees, “…You think we should call the fire brigade? It is still pretty dry out, might get out of hand.”

“Wait you are most chaste person in town Kallen? Thought you just um.. candodoling with Noel.” Eloa teases, her lips turning into a grin before Eloa starts screaming as the lightning bolt hits the trees above them. Eloa hugs to hug the closest thing which happens to be Kaelyn. As the fire leaves start falling though, Eloa pulls back as she gets to her feet. “Oh my god! Lets get out in the open. Is this pearl thing cursed?” Eloa calls out, slapping it into Matias’s hand before trying to pull Kaelyn up,

“I wouldn’t really say candodoling… That’s a chat for another day anyway!” Kallen mutters with a click of his tongue before flicking out his phone.

“It wasn’t you I was telling to behave,” She responds to Kallen before looking around. Oh. Now it was starting to dawn at Kaelyn that something odd was going on. Still on the ground she frowned up at the tree. The bark was strange, something making her feeling itchy. Not right. Not exactly natural. Though she doesn’t have enough time to ponder the feeling before hell reigns loose. Half scrambling upward or trying to as she was hugged, those green eyes look around in a half panic. Her ears were ringing slightly from the sound, but she eases once the first imminent danger passed. The second of a fire storm posed more of an issue. Still, she accepted the hand up, nose in the air.

As Eloa tries to pawn off the pearl into Matias’s hand… it sticks to hers… In fact she cannot physically rid herself of the item. As the trees burn and the leaves continue to fall the fire engulfs all of the upper branches and the light/heat radiating off it would surely push the group away… Especially after the thunderous *BOOM* of the lightning strike right above their head. Matias looks at his hand and then looks to Eloa and shouts due to ringing ears, “Probably, if you can no let go.” and he reaches into his pocket to produce a saint minted coin. Hold ing it in hand it briefly crackles with blue arcing energy and a wind kicks up whipping through the trees and guttering the fire as he also moves away and back to the wet grass since the sprinkles are off and all. After nearly a minute the trees glow a weak ember hue where there is still heat between the bark and all the leaves are blown away… Hopefully not to start fires elsehwere in town. Kaelyn does not seem to mind the magic that Matias uses but the black pearl which refuses to be separated from Eloa’s body feels wrong to her. It smells like the ozone from hairspray only it does not dissipate and irriates the nose and makes her sinuses ache. It almost repels her with its unnatural magical energies and then it glints again and in the distance there is a shout! “Look out!” which some of them may hear despite the ringing ears but CLIPCLOP the glue factory avoiding horse on its last leg is galloping through the park having been spooked by who knows what!

“Oh no… Eloa can’t drop it.” Eloa calls out as she puts her hand palm side down in mid air and shakes the pearl. Nope not coming loose. “Lets get out into the open! Our father who art in heaven hallowed be thy name!” She cries out as she runs with.. bare feet in the grass because she dropped her sandals. “Ow ow ow!” She whimpers as she tramples on some of those spikey thorn thingies and some branches because it would just be her luck to be shoeless. “Fuck! Oops forgive me god!” There’s some shaking of her head as the weird smell of ozone which she usually loves before rain starts giving her a headache and then clipclop is galloping through the park. “Oh no! clipclop!” She cries out, trying to run for the horse, shoes or no shoes.

Kaelyn moves further from the tree and now a little in part from Eloa or rather the pearl’s smell. It was a little too much for her and flight or fight was starting to kick in. There was a time when it would have been flight, instead instinct was leaning towards fight. Not that she actually knew how to fight whatever this was. The ringing of her sensitive ears was only starting to settle when the call came, the woman herself missing it. Only when Eloa moved to catch the horse’s reigns did she realize. Keeping her distance from the bad luck charm, Kaelyn looks towards Matias. “Any recommendations on how to unstick that thing?”

“You think the lightning could still happen when you’re inside?” Kallen poses as the chaos goes on around him, no real room to break his clearly sleepy disposition right now. “Actually I’m not sure how smart that would be to test… Sadly I don’t think I’m much help here.” He adds with a slight, awkward chuckle.

Making a sprint across the field, Eloa just manages to grab clipclop’s reins and rein the horse in, soothing it’s muzzle with her .. non pearled hand. “How does Eloa get this off Matias??” She asks shaking her hand palm down again. She tries to rub it against a rock to see if she can rub it off.

The pearl cannot be released and after saving clipclop there seems to be a pause… The ground is soggy, the sky is clear, the burning trees is out, and the horse is safe… Eloa is unable to get it off. Matias looks at Kaelyn and Kallen and asks, “You two… If you are willing to help Eloa. See if you can pass the pearl between you. It may have refused to pass to me because I can sense cursed items.” his baritone of a voice still loud clearly his ears still ringing from the earlier thunderlcap. “If each of you gives and accepts it from the other, may cause a lot of bad things to happen, but also is possible that giving it away means you cannot get back so when last person try to give it maybe just fall to ground.” he suggests it seems odd but then he adds, “Also am going to dampen magic on the three of you whole time and hope when it triggers bad luck or disaster maybe it cannot keep connection and fall. Are you two willing?”

Turning those big hazel, doe like eyes to Kaelyn and Kallen, Eloa looks at one of her good friends and the other soon to become a good friend person with not puppy dog eyes or puss in boots eyes, but DOE eyes. Her thick lashes blink a little as she pouts out her lower lip and holds the bad luck pearl out towards the other two. “Get this thing off of me please!” She begs while she holds onto the reins of her horse.

“That’s a lot of maybes.” Kallen points out skeptically with skewed lips, “But I guess it’s better than the whole…” Rather than elaborating, he gestures vaguely over to the chaos around Eloa. “Fine, but if I die, I’m going to haunt you.” He says to her as he approaches, hand tugged out from his pocket to take the pearl into his own palm.

“Thanks Kallen. Eloa will pretend cannot just banish you to a graveyard for a month if you do that.” Eloa smiles up at Kallen as he goes to grab the pearl. Hoping it goes, she keeps her hand palm up! Easy for grabbing!

Kaelyn stares at the pearl, at least now able to make out what was being said or at least most of it. The gist, at best. She bobs her head, mentally preparing herself to touch that *thing* as Kallen steps forward to retrieve it after- well, if this magic theory worked. “Don’t die,” She adds helpfully.

As the pearl transfers to Kallen the next bad thing involves every shifter in the immediate vicinity being forced into their animal forms! Matias is making a handsign and even as the magic dampens in the immediate vicinity his skin begins to have smoke come off it and he looks down and says, “Oh is no go-” and as the smoke envelopes him a large shadowy maine coon is all that remains sitting in the wet grass letting out a miserable yowl as it goes up onto its paws and flicks its tail annoyed… Eloa and Kaelyn are not spared as both women are also immediately forced to shift by the pearl leaving Kallen presumably the only ‘human’ left and holding the cursed object.

Smiling thankfully as Kallen manages to take the pearl, Eloa(A.hyacinthinus) was about to thank him when…. she gets envloped in light and turns into a flightless bird. Squawking as she falls through the air, she flaps her wings hapharzardly and manages to launch herself into Kallen, trying to cling to his clothes with her claws and beak.

“Well, I’m not dead at least…” Kallen comments as Eloa(A.hyacinthinus) clings to his now outstretched arm, causing his entire posture to tilt slightly in that direction. After a few moments he adds a simple “I’m basically talking to myself at this point.” as he rolls the pearl over in his hand, his own mossy greens looking over the thing for anything that might at least draw his eye.

Even as the claws of the bird dig into his bare arm, Kallen barely winces, his attention drawn a lot more towards the pearl, “Maybe a ritual could work? I don’t have my notebook on me though but I swear there was something for cursed objects.” He muses quietly in a tone that was clearly meant more for himself.

Kaelyn(wolf) growls as she shifts, her poor innocent clothes were shredded. Though her attention turns to Matias(feline catus) and Eloa(A.hyacinthinus), crouching slightly as if considering going on the prowl. A grumble from the wolf before she shook her head straightening. Taking a second or two, Kaelyn(wolf) takes a few breaths. After that moment, she padded closer with another grumble. When she is beside Kallen, the pup bump her nose towards the pearl though her teeth were barred and her ears back. That thing was terrible.

Eloa(A.hyacinthinus) weights a whole three pounds which is apparently enough to tilt his entire posture. She does seem happy with her perch though, her tail shifting through the air as her hazel eyes look over at someone and squawk a greeting when the wolf comes over. Her wings open and kindof waves through the air like even in this form she wants to pet the wolf but the bird instincts are too strong and she stays on her new, custom, movable tree branch.

In his distracted state, Kallen idly pats Kaelyn(wolf) on the head a few times before catching himself and tugging his hand back. “Whoops. I grew up in a household of dogs, kinda instinct when one approaches, y’know?” He chuckles awkwardly as a light fluster grows on his cheeks, “Ah- Maybe we should have tried with gloves? To pick up the pearl I mean.”

Eloa(A.hyacinthinus) weighs a whole three pounds which is apparently enough to tilt his entire posture. She does seem happy with her perch though, her tail shifting through the air as her hazel eyes look over at Kaelyn(wolf) and squawk a greeting when the wolf comes over. Her wings open and kindof waves through the air like even in this form she wants to pet the wolf but the bird instincts are too strong and she stays on her new, custom, movable tree branch.

As the black pearl is examined in Kallen hand there are thoughts, not his own, which seep into his mind. A cursed object that creates bad luck… What better focus for a hex or curse ritual of his own. Think of the amount of magical energy that might be bound up in this thing. It could power rituals! The glittery depth seem so alluring while Matias(feline catus) pads closer to the grope, picking its way along drier parts of the ground its tail held aloft so its floofy fur does not get to wet.

As Matias(feline catus) starts padding closer, Eloa(A.hyacinthinus)’s bird instincts starts taking over and Eloa(A.hyacinthinus) starts siddling along Kallen’s arm all the wayyyy up onto his shoulder as if scared she’ll be eaten by the cat.

Eloa(A.hyacinthinus) tries to hide her head in Kallen’s hair.

Kallen sucks a sharp breath as talons crawl up the thin fabric of his shirt, all the way up and into the messy mane of curls that flowed from his head. “It’s not a nest y’know.” He quipped as he split his attention from what was in his hand for just a second. Instead, as if busied, he rummages through his bag, eventually pulling out a small flip knife, “If we can find some clear ground somewhere, we could see about binding it or something? That’s my go-to thoughts at least.”

Try as they might all those with shifting powers are unable to return to their human forms and so must deal with Kallen talking both to himself and them with only animal eyes and talons in his back for communication… The pearl glints again and someone screams in the distance and says they are calling… Animal control… Probably that large wolf in the group.

Gripping onto Kallen’s shoulder with those razor tipped talons, Eloa(A.hyacinthinus) does her best not to claw him too much which includes lifting her talons and getting them caught in Kallen’s shirt. The bird ducks down and tries to make itself as small a target as possible, which is kindof hard with a two foot long tail which sweeps about.

Kaelyn(wolf)’s teeth and ears perk a little bit at the friendly greeting, something slotting back into place. She shakes her head again, sitting. The wolf it seemed was practicing some form of circular breathing. In. Out. In. Out. Movement. Her head turned watching the prowling cat. In. Out. Clear ground. The head tilts again. Searching and not paying attention to the small fo- critters. She stands, retreating to paw at the ground in an attempt to make a small dirt, or more likely mud. She taps at the space a few times, head tilting.

Eloa(A.hyacinthinus)’s two foot long tail sweeps into Kallen’s hand, not on purposely knocking off the pearl if it was possible to be detached from Kallen.

Kaelyn(wolf) meant to make a little clearing of mud/dirt/

The pearl cannot be dislodged with a simple swipe of a feathery tail and Kaelyn(wolf) does succeed in making a little clearing of mud and dirt with their paws while Matias(feline catus) stops its approach as the wolf gives it the might eat you eyes and then continues because… cat

With the space made, and a light fidget from the goings-on within his hair, Kallen draws the blade across his palm with another wince. As the blood collects, he lets it drip onto the dirt, which he then paths around into a particularly fine circle. “Not a bad start… I was mostly thinking that if it is what I think it is, maybe I can use it instead of my own life force to power the ritual? Although… I guess I’ll need an actual target for it, anyone not mind being hexed for a little?” He offers with a clearly uncertain tone.

Turning around on Kallen’s shoulder, Eloa(A.hyacinthinus) carefully manevours the turn with her tail outwards and then peeks over his shoulder as he cuts his palm. She can only offer a squawk in bird form so looks to the cat. Maybe she’s looking at the cat to make sure she doesn’t get eaten. Either way, it’s hard to tell because those beady bird eyes turn to keep one constantly on the cat.

The shadowy maine coon looks at Kallen with the judgemental cat gaze but having approached the others it sits down outside the fine circle and simply stares. Maybe Eloa(A.hyacinthinus) things it is at her. The pearl continues to be stuck to Kallen as he prepares to curse someone, but who?

Kaelyn(wolf)’s nose wiggles a little at the scent of blood before whining, the pearl’s scent mingling too close for her tastes. Carefully, she lowers herself down to the ground. Her green gaze flicked between the two animals. She gives a wuff of a huff before staring at Kallen. Half rising she moves to bump his hand with her snout.

Kallen is now a disney princess with a bird on his shoulder, a wolf bumping him and even an aloof cat! Eloa(A.hyacinthinus) chirps softly in encouragement as the man starts to cast.

With one hand holding the pearl and the other currently weeping blood, Kallen takes a moment to decide to pat Kaelyn(wolf) tentatively with the back of his hand, “So… I mean, if we’re talking hexes and curses, the most ‘harmless’ one I can think of is the gender-swapping one. I guess if it really comes to it, I can use it on myself?” He muses in an unsure tone as he continues to trace out the intricacies of the circle, “Or I guess I can make myself terrible in a fight for a bit. Considering I don’t really know how to put up a fight in the first place, it’s probably the most sound idea.”

The pearl certainly powers the ritual that Kallen is casting and the ill luck it generates to bend reality seems to coalsce around the man too. In fact it is like as not that if there is not a release of energy the unluckiest thing in Kallen’s life is about to happen. Matias(feline catus) lets out a warning *mooowowowow* and then goes running away in lengthy cat strides until it climbs halfway up the tree despite the simmering char on the bar. As if getting away from Kallen and the circle.

Panicing as the cat runs up a tree, Eloa(A.hyacinthinus) jumps down from Kallen’s shoulder and grabs the pearl. Or tries away with it’s claws, trying to take it into the ground and mud.

Kaelyn(wolf) takes a step back at the mention of swapping gender. Her ears flick back and forth. Finally she sits, though a little closer to Matias(feline catus) who suddenly bolts with a yowl. Chase? Her paw lifts and the wolf makes to the base of the tree before griding to a halt, ears pressed back to her skull. Slowly, she turns to look up and then back at the circle. No chase. Through some effort she approaches the sharp ozone wanting to help but not sure how.

Kallen realizes that he’s clearly running out of time and merely sighs, “Alright, I guess I’ll curse myself, at least with the latter. Would be pretty bad karma to curse someone else just to get myself out of a pickle.” He murmurs to himself, his sleepy tone pinched with anxiety as he finishes the circle and plants the pearl into the centre.

The moment that Kallen drops the pearl an explosion of bad luck and ritual energy comes out as the energy within the cursed object is released and triggers the ritual right away. As the enfeeblement ritual rushes into Kallen , he can feel his body cramping, wrinkling, and stooping… At the same time all the shifters in the area are free too but do not have to turn back into humans and in fact Matias(feline catus) remains in their animal form sitting in a tree… watching the others as the pearl seems to not be touching anyone and not even emnate magic for the time being.

“Oh my god Kallen are you okay?” Eloa does shift back into a pantyless, shoeless human. “What ritual did you do? Also just… cancel it stop maintaining it.” She wraps her arm around the man. “Also why not use like.. banish ritual or decay or something…”

Almost knocked back by the sudden outburst of mana, Kallen is left sprawled out in a pile of grass only a step from the circle. Whilst the pain sets in and his muscles scream at him, he stares up at the night sky, leg twitching slightly. “I’m fine.” He groans over to Eloa before sighing “At least the weather is nice…”

“It was just a weakening ritual, like I mentioned.” Kallen explains with a dismissive wave over to Eloa, “I just need some sleep… Probably not a good idea to nap right here but I’m certainly feeling it.” He chuckles in a weak, forced tone.

Kaelyn(wolf) sits and then lays down on the damp, smoky grass. The last of the tension easing as the foul thing seemingly went lifeless. She watched from the distance as Eloa once more became human. Once a little more sure of herself she stood trotting over, one ear perked for animal control the other forward as she inspected Kallen.

“Just.. stop maintaining the ritual.” Eloa tells Kallen, still seeming worried. “Where are you staying by the way? Eloa has to go to… frankfurt in…” She looks at her phone, “5 minutes. But can drop you off at home if needed?”

While everyone is distracted Matias(feline catus) pads down the tree and grabs the pearl in its mouth and then slinks off… hopefully forgotten. -fin