LunaHidesHerFace/PreGameEdited
Luna Hides Her Face, Prelude
The scene starts in media res, Shining Blossom Empress having--to Shadow Weaver's embarrassment--recently rescued him from a trap laid by several Fair Folk, somewhere in the deep East. (I'm not sure why the players didn't throw some of that in; maybe they would rather I adjudicated such things.) Of course, he tries his best not to admit that.
Shining Blossom Empress smiles. "Tell me a story, Weaver."
Shadow Weaver: "T-tell you a st-story...?"
Shining Blossom Empress: "Tell me about how you came to be in trouble, in the Wyld."
Shadow Weaver bites his lip, somewhat shy."I-... didn't get in trouble. I was prrfectly fine, grr, until you came along."
Shining Blossom Empress: "Well, you didn't look it. What were you doing?"
Shining Blossom Empress does the 'moving in syrup' thing (bloorp).
Shadow Weaver draws himself up. "That was just a RUSE, to lure them closer! What, y'think that their trap actually WORKED? haw."
Minor banter. There were five raksha to start with, according to Weaver... At one point we see some setting fumbles on the part of Weaver's inexperienced player, but if we assume they're just components of his tall tale, it's pretty funny:
Shadow Weaver: "I'd been into the Void, earlier."
Shadow Weaver nods, for emphasis. "Y'see, there's a reason I don't have as many warding tattoos as y'd usually see on a...a.... someone of my caste."
Shining Blossom Empress: "Oh?"
Shadow Weaver: "I'm a more effective hunter if I can... blend in... become part of my environment, so to speak... Full warding would keep me safe, sure, but I'd always be an outsider, easily spotted."
Shining Blossom Empress: "Sounds a bit risky."
Shadow Weaver shrugs it off, but a brief flash of... anxiety? crosses his features. "Naw. Catch me more Rrrrakshas that way." He rolls the name on his tongue, as if to savour its taste.
Shining Blossom Empress: "I see. Five rakshas, you said?"
Shadow Weaver: "Mrryeah, five. Snagged two fairly quickly, two cuts, two kills, but that alerted the rest, grr."
Shining Blossom Empress: "Y'don't say?"
Shining Blossom Empress is imagining her mighty love screaming into combat, expecting not to alarm anybody.
Shadow Weaver: "Anyway, they started to put up a fight. So I growled. And snarled. And they ran." He smirks, self-satisfied.
Shining Blossom Empress: "What did you growl like?" She leans forward, eyes wide. "Growl for me?"
Weaver continues his bragging, oblivious to why Empress is so interested. But eventually she drops the bomb:
Shadow Weaver: "..So, y'want a piece?" He gestures towards the campfire and the bits of meat on sticks, roasting.
Shining Blossom Empress eyes the meat suspiciously. "A piece of WHAT?"
Shadow Weaver munches, grinning evilly, his sharp canines flickering in the firelight. "It's meat."
Shining Blossom Empress: "I never shared your tastes for eating anything that runs, scuttles or crawls across creation. It's not an affinity i share, you should know that, my love."
Shadow Weaver: .............!! *gags, chokes!*
After a little bit of conversational stumbling about, the matter is explained:
Shining Blossom Empress: "I saw them running, they went right past me. And then I saw you, and my heart leapt. So powerful, so..." She makes a little noise. (Mrrowr) "I set off at a run, how do they move so fast through such treacherous forest? I followed you as best I could, but when I found you, you were... stopped. My first thought was to throw my arms around you, but I could see something was wrong. Aye, closer they came, for the quick kill. You moved so slowly... I WANTED to watch you kill them... but the closest made ready to gut you on his spear, and I couldn't watch that. I'd only just found you, I couldn't bear the thought of losing you again so soon."
Shadow Weaver is slightly taken aback. "Look grrl, what do YOU care, y'don't even know me!"
Shining Blossom Empress: "Do you truly not remember me? It is I, Shining Blossom Empress, your love! I live again! The miles, the millennia, they couldn't keep us apart. Oh, I've travelled so far to find you."
Shadow Weaver stands, almost losing his balance. ".....no! Grr, stop that, this isn't... you aren't..."
Shining Blossom Empress: "I aren't?" She tilts her head, smiling. "You always had a way with words."
Shadow Weaver curses loudly! "Grrrdammit, ever since Luna in his *&^ing wisdom chose to enlighten me, ghah, I've had...someone ELSE in my head!" His frown darkens. "I should kick his ass, grr."
Shining Blossom Empress takes that in. Thinks. "...Nonsense! You're Shadow Weaver, my love, reincarnated."
Shadow Weaver: "Whaddayamean, nonsense? Your... what?"
Shining Blossom Empress: "I came all this way to be with you again, to be oath-bound to you again. ... I saved your life today. You could at least thank me." Her eyes sparkle. "...the way you always used to."
This doesn't happen, of course. But they do settle down to a quiet watch, wherein Empress watches Weaver as he sleeps... let's close with a final amusing moment from that, for Valentines' Day.
Shining Blossom Empress: "You live out here?"
Shadow Weaver: "Yeah, so?"
Shining Blossom Empress: "That won't do at all!"
Shadow Weaver: "...Won't....do...?"
Shadow Weaver rolls his eyes and slips his tunic off.
Shining Blossom Empress: "Where are your servants, your... oooh!" *love hearts!*
