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 Posted: Mon Jun 15, 2009 10:52 pm
It had been, needless to say, an interesting morning for the newly formed prophet. After a really freaky dream involving animals the sound of pounding drums, she awoke in time to pry off her tightening clothes despite the horrendous muscle spazzums and the head splitting headache, before finally collapsing, tangled in blankets and ripped pajamas, knocked out from the pain.
She woke up to her aunt screaming in horror at the fact she was now sixteen years old, taller then many adult men with awkwardly long arms and legs, and for the most part naked.
To which she just screamed right back.
Keeya considered herself lucky that her Uncle was away, and that her aunt was as spiritual as she was. Once their screamfest was over, her aunt let her borrow an outfit -- it was roomy enough that she looked relatively normal in it -- and listened to her explain, vaguely, about Edinkira, avoiding mention of the game and the fact that she was already a part of it.
She now wandered the streets towards where she first met Fish, needing an explanation as to why she was now at risk of hitting her foot tall tree head on door frames and needing to purchase a whole new wardrobe. Its not like she had actually, you know... Fought any battles, done more then occasionally summoning her spirit leopard and make trees grow systematically to practice her abilities in secret. Was that it? I mean.. Other then asking Edinkira for help?
Standing in the alley way she had been found sobbing in months before, she sighed, wondering if she should start crying out at windows and hope the right person answers.
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Posted: Mon Jun 15, 2009 11:33 pm
Someone had burnt something, and whatever it was had been reduced to a smoldering crisp in the toaster oven. Needless to say the whole apartment smelled like deep-fried s**t now, and Fish needed some fresh air. He climbed through the window out onto the fire escape like a refugee and took a few deep, gasping breaths before looking around the alley below.
Seeing the tall young woman identifiable mostly by her unique hair, a smile crossed his face. Keeya! Again, he was not particularly dressed for game action - jeans, sneakers, a tee-shirt today proclaiming the name of a rather major cleaning supplies company - but this was a special occasion. He vaulted over the side of the fire escape, landing with a bit of a crunch on the gravel below.
"Keeya!" he said happily, and for a moment hoped that he was right in presuming it was Keeya. "When did this happen?"
If it was recently, then it was beyond a shadow of a doubt that she was confused out of her wits. He knew he had been.
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Posted: Mon Jun 15, 2009 11:45 pm
Hunched over slightly, as if trying to hide her new height and uncomfortable with being so high up in the air without stilts, the girl found herself more looking at her scaley companions eyebrows then anything, and silently lamented at her sudden growth spurt making looking up to someone painfully ironic.
"It happened last night -- I had to be awake for most of it too since my PJs were too small for me to begin with before.. Well.. This happened. I practically had to tear them off to keep from getting crippled." She rubbed her arm, her muscles still aching horribly, "When I finally came too after passing out from the headache to my aunt screaming at me... And My screaming... And... Well... Eventually we both managed to calm down but.. what did I do? I thought you were supposed to fight someone or win something to.. I dunno, 'level up'? All I did was make a fool of myself and grow a couple trees.. and Learn how to summon a giant ghost leopard, but that was before I became a giant myself."
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Posted: Tue Jun 16, 2009 12:10 am
"Nah," said Fish, waggling his eyebrows at her. "That's the second time you grow. Either you fight someone or something or, if you're like me, you get royally buggered on the floor of a temple and can't sit for the next three days. But hey, don't worry about that right now."
He smiled. "First one's a freebie. You talk to enough people, you learn enough things, and eventually it happens on its own once your god realizes if they don't do it, they'll be at a serious disadvantage."
"Ghost leopard, huh?" he asked. "Sounds pretty cool. How about..."
He thought for a moment. Something like this deserved a proper celebration. "How about I buy you a drink, and you tell me more about it?" he suggested.
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Posted: Tue Jun 16, 2009 12:36 am
"Yeesh" Keeya made a face, not quite pleased with the mental image of whatever being buggered ment, "Though.. It did come not too long after I started getting a hang of growing my powers and giving Edinkira a power boost by growing a bunch of trees for her after a nice heart to heart about being sent into a game without any way to fight back."
She rocked on her feet, looking confused, ".... A drink? I am rather thirsty, I suppose..."
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Posted: Tue Jun 16, 2009 9:49 am
"That's the spirit," said Fish. He'd been in a significantly better mood lately - things were quiet and he was attempting to lead a normal life within the confines of the circumstances he'd been given. "Boosting her powers might do it," he added, taking it into consideration. That was the difference between Poseidon and Keeya's goddess, it would seem: Keeya's goddess had a strategy, and Poseidon just did whatever.
He waved for Keeya to follow him out of the alley. "So, uh, I guess your family's in on this now?" he asked.
"Well," he continued, "I'm kind of glad you're here. I didn't properly show you around the Scene last time, but I think you're old enough for it now."
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Posted: Tue Jun 16, 2009 10:11 am
"Yeah.. At least my aunt is... New Broadway is still a good location for me since I'd blend in with all the other costumed street performers, and my aunt is really, really spiritual." She put her hands into her pockets as she continued to hunch over, scraping her too-small sandals on the ground occasionally, still not used to how long her legs were, "I didn't tell her about the game, though I did tell her about Edinkira, that the trees growing was me, and how the blackcoats were attacking people who were also touched by Gods and Goddesses. Cause.."
Keeya shrugged, smiling softly as they continued moving deeper into the Scene, "She came in to find me practically naked with Leopard marks and these bumps on my legs, I couldn't exactly get away with 'I've been drinking my milk'. It's kinda creepy, though, since its gone from being like an adoptive mother to almost worshipping me."
"She says you're welcome by the theater anytime, and she's going to make an excuse to try and keep me undercover." talking with her hands, she gestured, then looked at her arms which were incredibly long even for her new height, "Say I'm visiting family on the other side of the city, and that this new.. Giant Me... Is a new actress renting the guestroom... At least until I can get a job and be able to rent my own place. But even after that, I am welcome.. As well as my Allies -um.. You basically... Though we gotta figure out a password first. We could reorganize the basement area and use it as a headquarters within New Broadway."
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Posted: Tue Jun 16, 2009 10:57 am
"If you've still got a place to live, then you're already doing better than three quarters of the players who make it this far," said Fish, shoving his hands into his pockets. "I lived at home for a bit when I first grew - my parents weren't particularly observant - but I had to leave once the blacksuits started poking around. I've been here for over a year now," he added, nodding towards the balcony behind him.
"Anyway," he continued, and gestured to the streets around them as they walked, "This is the Scene. I'd hazard to say it's like your neighborhood's dirtier, more promiscuous pothead little brother."
Which was probably true. He gave her a bit of a smile. "So, anywhere you want to go? It's kind of early in the day for any kind of nightlife, but the clubs are always open."
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Posted: Tue Jun 16, 2009 1:15 pm
"I figured. I'm going to try and move out as soon as I can but... I'm scared." She closed her eyes, shaking her head, "I'm 12 years old, Fish, no matter what my body may say. I don't have an education for someone my age. And I have a tree growing out of my head -- best chance at finding a job I'd have is handing out fliers like I have been, or seeing if that Florist Shop we all went to over a year ago will hire me."
She went silent for a little while, her whole body hunched and head low, trying to look shorter then she really was, "...Maybe somewhere that'd help me get used to this new body of mine..?"
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Posted: Tue Jun 16, 2009 9:39 pm
Fish gave her a sympathetic look. "Not gonna lie, the fact that you recognize that you're still twelve years old makes you smarter than three quarters of the players who make it this far."
He shrugged. "I don't know if it's different for others, if their brains really do get as old as their bodies, but at least for me it took me a few months to really catch up. Even now I'm never quite sure I'm all the way there."
He waved to someone passing on the other side of the street. "I'm getting there. Maybe. Anyway, how about I help you figure out how to act your age? Again, if you see anywhere interesting we can stop in."
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Posted: Wed Jun 17, 2009 12:47 pm
"I don't get how people can just go from being a kid to suddenly being a teenager like this and not be totally jarred by it for at least a week or so." Keeya smiled playfully, "I might have to increase my studies so I'm not seen as a total moron and can try and get some sort of job.."
She slowly unfolded, smiling softly, "However.. I would like that. A Crash course in being.. Whatever age I am now physically."
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Posted: Wed Jun 17, 2009 11:33 pm
Fish turned back to her and gave her a look up and down. "Sixteen," he said, though he sounded a little doubtful. "But with your height you could pass for older."
"And trust me," he assured her. "It took me far longer than a week to get all my s**t in order."
He motioned to a row of newspaper racks as they passed them. "Read the papers," he advised. "Keep up with the news. But, like, find things that interest you. I spent a lot of time thinking about all this, and what it comes down to is if you spend all your time angsting over whether all the s**t you're going through is because of your god or not, you're wasting all sorts of time. I don't know what the life expectancy is for anyone in this Game, so you might as well live it up, right?"
Admittedly, he'd been much happier since deciding on this philosophy. He wished he'd known about it sooner.
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Posted: Thu Jun 18, 2009 9:41 am
"Oh, I do hope our lifespans are a little longer then some of the others involved have been." Keeya smiled softly, "I mean... My goddess is more interested in supporting those who are non-destructive and will allow her to continue growing more trees - Push back and purify the desert- then winning. Though...."
She smirked playfully, stretching. Now that the ache of the growth was fading away, she was starting to feel stronger, more energized then she had before, and it made the tree haired girl grin, "if it means survival and keeping a god of destruction from taking over, she will fight to make sure she wins."
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Posted: Thu Jun 18, 2009 10:13 am
"Well at least she's got a plan of action," said Fish, laughing. "My god... Sometimes I wonder if he's in this to win or if he's in this to put me through hell."
Poseidon bubbled indignantly in the back of his mind. Fish motioned to a few shopfronts ahead of them.
"I mean, anywhere you want to stop, go for it," he said. "My treat."
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Posted: Thu Jun 18, 2009 10:19 am
Slowing by a clothing shop, Keeya paused to look down at her borrowed and still ill fitting and mismatched threads. I look like Africa threw up on me.
"...I can pay for myself, but I need some clothing that doesn't belong to my aunt. " She shook her head, "I could get it on the way back -- Guys and clothing shopping don't exactly mix well, usually. At least thats what I've been told.."
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