View source for The Hangover - RPLOG

=Participants=
* [[Cassidy]]
* [[Fenris]]
* [[Flora]]
* [[Natska]]
* [[Samira]]
* [[Sveta]]
=Date=
5/10/477
=Log=
<div></div><br> <br>The sun filters through the curtains of the fine parlor in the rooms that Flora Longtail has rented out for her LongTech employees. Though it is surely quite cold out in the streets of Snowhame, the great sea port of Thera&#39;Dor, it is pleasantly warm here in the cocoon of these fine rooms. Gentle snoring comes from the rooms attached to the parlor and from the heap of furs and blankets on the settee. It seems like everyone must have had quite a night to be sleeping so soundly! 

There is a gentle knock on the door and it opens quietly to admit a petite hen in servant&#39;s clothes bearing a large breakfast tray. She crosses the room quietly, placing her burden gently on a table, then carefully drawing aside the curtains to admit the brilliant sunlight. The hen smiles out the window, then tiptoes out as the bundle of furs on the settee begins to stir. A tiny little &quot;woof!&quot; comes from deep in the warm furs. 

A shout comes from one of the adjoining bedrooms and a hulking reindeer stumbles out into the parlor wearing nothing but a breechcloth! He bears a familiar skunk pattern in his fur, though the black parts are a striking dark blue and his tail is overly long with its single white stripe making it look like a miniature skunk tail. The strange caribou staggers over to a large looking glass and moans as he looks at his reflection. &quot;What is this!?&quot; he cries in the familiar tones of Brutus&#39;s manservant and bodyguard, Hartford! The reindeer fingers his altered antlers and gingerly touches a heavy, silver earring in his broad left ear. Soon, his bugles of distress are joined by confused sounds from the other rooms.<br> <br>Natska groans quietly and shifts slightly under the pile of furs on the couch, blindly reaching around with her hand to grab anything and everything with fur on it and pulling it in close against her chest. &quot;Caaaaaaass...&quot; she groans. &quot;What are you woofing at?&quot;<br> <br>Cassidy rumbles softly, stirring under all the furs and blankets, wrapping her own arms around Natska. &quot;Me? M&#39;not...&quot; She murmurs groggily. &quot;Ugh. My head. Someone turn off the... The colours. Ugh.&quot; She lays her head back down, eyes still pressed shut.<br> <br>A small yawn leaves Flora&#39;s muzzle as she stumbles into the parlor, her tail flicking, and the feline holding her head a little uncertainly... &quot;Flora... Flora has a headache, yes,&quot; she mumbles, eyes still only barely open, and the feline more than likely blissfully unaware of the fact that her fur is now a shining, brilliant white, with neon-orange stripes where she used to have her normal, black stripes.

Trace, the kite, is nursing a similar headache as he opens up his eyes within the shielded-off room, blinking a few times as he looks towards the hawk still resting besides him. Moments after, though, he shrieks out in abject terror as he looks down at his clothes... It&#39;s almost a good thing he hasn&#39;t discovered the fact that his face is covered in blue warpaint, too.<br> <br>&quot;...What? &#39;S most undignified, so much noise...&quot; Sveta mumbles, reaching out for the source of the noise and pausing as her fingers meet unfamiliar fabric. Bleary eyes open to see Trace wearing her fluffy red gown, and someone&#39;s tied up her new scarf into a ribbon shape and left it on the headboard. Looking down, the goshawk realises she&#39;s wearing robes which should belong just a little distance away - it&#39;s interesting how the slightest misplacement can make all the difference in the world...

&quot;Oh.&quot; Then the stink in on both Trace&#39;s and her own breath, strikes home. &quot;OH.&quot; This one has a lot more emotion behind it.<br> <br>Samira stumbles out of the door Hartford just barged through, looking a little worse for wear. Her tail-fluff sticks out at odd angles, her expression is one of confusion and surprise and her every move results in a metalic jingle. At first this perplexes the skunkette, who turns her head left and right as she tries to work out what&#39;s going on. It takes a good few seconds for her to realise that it is, in fact, her ear! Several metal rings hang from the side of her ear, overlapping enough that they jingle delicately together.

Her unfortunate situation is made even worse when Flora walks in, the early morning light reflecting off her gleaming fur. Falling onto one of the plush carpets she curls up, head buried in her ruffled-up tail. &quot;Make it stop...&quot;<br> <br>There had been a party last night, hadn&#39;t there? Alexander Snowmark had invited the visitors from Sweetwater to the Snowmark villa for a banquet, right? Hartford, the new reindeer stands, almost nude, prodding and pulling at his unfamiliar face. After a moment or two more, he looks around and his jaw drops. &quot;Uh,&quot; he stammers, &quot;Highlady Flora?&quot; he asks, staring at the tigress&#39;s newspaper color palette. 

Under Natska and Cassidy&#39;s furs, Cassidy finds a warm little tongue licking at her closed eyelids and Natska&#39;s face is batted at by something fast and furry. 

Loud snoring echoes from the room where Brutus is still sleeping. The others are left to tend to their embarrassment in private. For now.<br> <br>Natska groans loudly at the sounds of shrieks and the other voices, waving a hand at whatever keeps hitting her. &quot;Aughraghrab,&quot; she grumbles, finally sitting up to wrinkle her nose and peer around the room at everyone else, ears folded. After another few moments, her eye twitches, and she lifts one of the fur blanket up to cover her front again... then the jaguar blinks and her ears perk as she digs the puppy out of the pile of furs. &quot;What.&quot; She tilts her head to teh side, then looks over at the others in the room. &quot;... what?&quot;<br> <br>Cassidy curls her lips on reflex as she finds something licking at her face, slowly starting to sit up. &quot;What is all the noise for. What&#39;s going... On.&quot; She glances around the room before settling her eyes on Natska, then on the puppy, then back to the room. &quot;Ugggh. No.&quot; Her eyes close and she starts to lean forward onto Natska, resting her head on the feline. &quot;It&#39;s too early to deal with this.&quot;<br> <br>Flora groans softly, her eyes cast over the room as she watches Cassidy and Natska with a raised brow, still blissfully unaware of the change in her fur, before blinking a few times towards Hartford... &quot;Flora... Flora has no idea what happened last night,&quot; she mumbles after a while, looking towards Hartford, almost as if expecting him to either continue his sentence, or let it slide.

Meanwhile, Trace is working off Sveta&#39;s gown as quickly as he can, mumbling softly. &quot;I... I&#39;d like my own clothes back... After that, we&#39;ll figure this one out, okay?&quot; he mutters, nuzzling up against sveta momentarily... &quot;And we should probably get something to drink... Presuming you&#39;re as thirsty as I am,&quot; he mutters with a groan.<br> <br>&quot;I...yes. Some water would be fine. And I want my gown and gloves back, too.&quot; Sveta&#39;s already up and on her feet, rolling away from Trace and off the bed, picking at this strange change of clothes, her bare hands instinctively finding the slight swell of her stomach. &quot;There&#39;s something wrong here. I&#39;m not supposed to drink. I wouldn&#39;t have knowingly done so. So how...?&quot; Her face falls, then twists through several expressions before settling for as best a stiff upper beak as she can manage under the circumstances, finally getting Trace&#39;s robes off before tossing the bundle at him and receiving one in kind. &quot;You just stay here. I&#39;ll get dressed and get us a drink, then we can figure out who I have to kill.&quot;<br> <br>It&#39;s just a little hard to tell is she&#39;s joking with that last sentence, or not.<br> <br>Samira remains curled up for the moment, although she does manage to open here eyes enough to observe the other occupants of the room. A light flick of her ear results in another loud jingle and she moves a hand up to keep the offending rings still. &quot;Flora? Hartford?&quot; she whimpers from her place on the carpet. &quot;Why does everything hurt?&quot;<br> <br>The excited little Maneback puppy barks once at Natska and proceeds to lick her face happily. Unfortunately, he seems to be the only happy person in the room. Hartford is still alternating between pulling at his thick, blue fur and tugging at his new earring as he slumps heavily on an empty couch. He does not seem to notice that he is nearly nude in the presence of FOUR women as he lets his big, shaggy head rest in his hands. &quot;Why am I a reindeer?&quot; He asks piteously, &quot;And why does the Highlady&#39;s fur look the wrong color? And where did this earring come from?&quot; 

From the muffled sounds of activity from outside and the sun streaming through the window, it must be nearly midday. The breakfast tray on the table and its accompanying pitcher of water remain untouched on the table.<br> <br>Natska grunts, then rests her head against Cassidy&#39;s, her eyes squinting at the puppy. &quot;Well he&#39;s a cute one...&quot; she starts, gently placing him on Cass&#39; chest. Her notched ear flicks, and she looks over at Flora. &quot;Mmmmmm... Flora? Have you always been that color? What... what did we do last night? I remember there was that Snowmark party, but then things get a little blurry after that...&quot;<br> <br>Cassidy brings her arms up to cradle the puppy, slowly opening her eyes. &quot;I... Well. We did want to get a puppy. I guess... We did that, then. But... I don&#39;t remember what else we did. It&#39;s all a blurr. I hope whatever else we got up to was as good an idea as this.&quot; She quickly pulls the blankets back a little to peer down at herself, making sure SHE didn&#39;t end up as something else. Everything still -looks- right at least, save for black fur going more grey with the lack of dye-access.<br> <br>Flora mutters softly, before looking down at her hand. &quot;Flora... used to be orange, yes... And this part used to be black... It&#39;s... White and bright orange now,&quot; the she-cat mubmles after a moment of staring at her hand in utter and complete confusion. &quot;Flora... Flora isn&#39;t sure... But Flora gets the idea that we need to talk to the Snowmarks, yes,&quot; she mutters, tail swaying in an agitated manner.

Meanwhile, Trace offers Sveta her own clothes, quickly slipped into his own clothes, smiling encouraging and nodding lightly. &quot;We... We&#39;ll work it all out, hon. It&#39;ll be okay,&quot; he chirps softly, before he stumbles out of the room and down the stairway, blue face and everything.<br> <br>Sveta sighs, slipping on her gloves before following Trace out and down. &quot;Don&#39;t get me wrong, I&#39;m not a violent being. But I do certainly feel like someone needs to die here.&quot; This statement is punctuated by a groan, and another sigh as she takes in the mess that awaits downstairs.<br> <br>Samira slowly picks herself up off the carpet and trundles over to the table and refreshments in a manner vaguely reminicant of how the undead move. Thankfully she manages to make it there without tripping over the floor and soon pours herself a glass of water, quaffing the entire thing before slumping into the chair. A few light tugs at her earings confim that they are very real and that she probably shouldn&#39;t be pulling them.<br> <br>Hartford finally notices his lack of clothing and hurries back to his room. &quot;Let me make sure that Mister Brutus is alright,&quot; he says, &quot;And I will come along.&quot; That leaves everyone to gather themselves for a moment.<br> <br>Natska rubs her nose against Cassidy&#39;s cheek, then thinks for a moment and peeks under her own blanket herself. Satisfied that nothing is too amiss, she carefully wraps the fur blanket around herself as she rises to her feet, then begins looking around for her clothes. &quot;Goodness!&quot; she says, although her tone is still muted. &quot;I wanted to have an -adventure- in Snowhame, but... I wanted to remember it, too. I&#39;ll come with you, Flora. As long as Cass wants to, anyway. And I like the earrings, Samira.&quot;<br> <br>Cassidy reaches up to brush the trio of silver rings that were pierced through her ears before looking over at Samira. &quot;I don&#39;t see what the problem is. Looks good, yes! I&#39;ve had mine for yeaaars. They look nice.&quot; She flashes a reassuring smile before she starts to stand, holding the blanket to her chest to keep her modest, the puppy cradled in her other arm. &quot;I will go, yes. I just need to... Dress, first. I&#39;m not walking outside like this, certainly.&quot;<br> <br>Flora blinks and nods lightly, her tail flicking behind her lightly as she moves to look into a mirror... It looks like, phyisically, she got the weakest blow, though she appears to be nursing a major headache. &quot;Flora suggests you do that, yes... Not good to go out into the cold without clothes, yes,&quot; she mumbles, blinking a few times as she looks up at Trace.

Trace, in kind, blinks back groggily, trying to figure out what piece of clothing he missed, exactly, though he soon moves to stand besides Sveta, arm wrapped around her shoulder. &quot;It&#39;ll be fine... Lets not murder anyone just yet, okay, hon?&quot;<br> <br>Sveta sighs and eases up a little at the warmth of Trace&#39;s touch, moving to wriggle out of his grasp to make for the water pitcher. &quot;I just want details. For now.&quot; Furious one moment, morose the next. Useful activity, that&#39;s the ticket - it&#39;s in short order that water is served - one for herself, another for Trace, and the rest laid out in glasses until the pitcher&#39;s empty. Hopefully there&#39;s enough for everyone.<br> <br>Samira gives her ear another little flick as if to make a point. &quot;But... but how do you deal with the jingling?&quot; she churrs. &quot;I guess I can always get smaller ones...&quot; A sigh passes her lips as she slumps onto the table, staring contemplatively into the half-full glass. At the very least she doesn&#39;t need to get any more clothes, although some grooming might be neccecary to make her tail look less like a fir tree.<br> <br>After a bit more scrambling, the group is finally ready to set out to find out just what had happened last night. Hartford reemerges from the darkened bedroom. &quot;Mister Brutus is very sorry,&quot; he says, &quot;but he will not be joining us.&quot; 

As the bleary eyed crew staggers out and down the flight of stairs into the fine inn&#39;s common room, they are met by a hearty cheer! The lunchtime crowd cheers and applauds as the LongTech expedition winces their way down the stairs. &quot;Sing for us again, Pretty Samira!&quot; comes a call from the crowd, along with a bevy of other calls for an encore from the whole group of some forgotten performance from the previous night!<br> <br>Although Natska&#39;s ears quickly fold again as she gets dressed, then takes the puppy from Cass to let her love get her own clothes on, she becomes quickly enamored of the little thing. She is gently scritching it behind the ears as they all make their way down into the inn&#39;s room, and she winces at the sudden noise before giving them a wane grin. &quot;Uhm. Good morning?&quot;<br> <br>Once dressed and partially rehydrated, Cassidy slips out with Natska, pulling her tophat down over her ears which have each been covered with a little ear-cap! It looks kind of silly, which is probably why she&#39;s got them stuffed under her hat, now. &quot;It&#39;s lovely, isn&#39;t it? I wasn&#39;t planning to get a maneback puppy like THIS, but I can hardly complain,&quot; she says, fondly reaching out to run her finger over its head. &quot;Ooooh. We&#39;re going to give it -such- a lovely home!&quot;<br> <br>A flick of the tail, and a soft rumble as Flora looks between those present, silently watching the beings call out for Samira to sing again, her tail puffed up momentarily. &quot;Flora will have to get to the bottom of this, yes... Maybe Flora should get her Graspers, just in case,&quot; she mumbles under her breath, before shaking off the thought.

Trace is meanwhile helping support Sveta, his eyes cast to the group. &quot;Perhaps... Perhaps we should linger here, and let the others work everything out, hon? We can see if those responsible need to be talked to later?&quot; he offers, gesturing back to the room. &quot;Probably best to get rid of that hangover first.&quot;<br> <br>Sveta looks down at the undisciplined rabble below, then shouts down a few words that sound quite angry and were probably learned from her father. Mumbling to herself, the goshawk wrings her hands, and since no one&#39;s touched the water yet, gathers a number of glasses in her arms. &quot;I think it would be in the interest of everyone&#39;s continued health that I do so, yes.&quot; As she turns back to the rooms, though, she casts a glance at Trace&#39;s face - and clearly stifles a small giggle before swooshing past him and heading back up.
<br> <br>Samira stares blankly into the crowd. &quot;Singing? Does anyone else know about this?&quot; she whispers under her breath to the others, but otherwise continues wandering down the stairs. &quot;Will Brutus be okay left to his own?&quot; she churrs to Hartford in particular, readjusting her dress here and there while doing her best to groom down her tail, although it seems to want to stay as it is.<br> <br>The cheering grows to a happy roar as Sveta shouts her profanities down the stairs. Among all the cheers and catcalls, one stands out. &quot;Ha!&quot; calls a voice, &quot;I TOLD you your pretty snow kitten would like Little Dog!&quot; A lanky maned wolf waves to Cassidy. &quot;Now you will pay my price, no?&quot; he says with a smile. He must be Dacha, dressed in warm furs with a sash showing his clan and family. 

Hartford chuckles a little, still fingering his new accessory. &quot;He&#39;ll be alright,&quot; the blue reindeer says, &quot;He was just awful embarrassed is all. Looks like somebody colored his hair blue as I am now.&quot;<br> <br>Natska smiles wider at the crowd&#39;s cheer, raising her hand to give the group a small wave as her tail flicks, and then she slips her arm around Cassidy and moves further into the center of the room. She shoots her fennec a curious glance, eyebrows raised. &quot;What is he talking about?&quot;<br> <br>Cassidy rubs at the back of her head, brow furrowing. &quot;I don&#39;t remember,&quot; she murmurs quietly to Natska before turning to look at the Dacha wolf. &quot;Hmm. Yes? Sorry, what was the price, again? I had quite a bit to drink last night, and I can&#39;t quite remember! Refresh my mind, if you will? And yes, the puppy is -quite- lovely, thank you! We are very happy with it!&quot;<br> <br>Flora is blinking repeatedly, her tails still swaying behind her, and her ears flicking softly. &quot;Flora is... Not at all sure what happened last night. Can someone explain everything to Flora? Flora wants answers, yes,&quot; she growls softly, yet perfectly clear, and by the looks of things, she&#39;s expecting an answer, or else...

Trace, meanwhile, slinks after Sveta, muttering softly. &quot;Hey! What&#39;s so amusing?&quot;<br> <br>&quot;Quite. And... was that a mohawk?&quot; churrs the cinnamon skunkette, brow arched in a peculiar fashion as she wanders down into the crowd. There are faces she can remember along with those that she can&#39;t quite place, although she does her best as she says hello to everyone! Naturally she does have a few questions, although most pertain to Brutus&#39; current state as opposed to her new piece of jewelry, which she seems to be getting more fond of as the initial aversion to sound passes.<br> <br>The maned wolf swaggers over and gives the maneback puppy a little pat on its canine head. &quot;I gave you Little Dog last night to show to your pretty lady friend here,&quot; he says, gently taking Natska&#39;s hand and kissing it, &quot;And you promised that if she liked it you would give me this!&quot; Swiftly, the wolf turns and pulls Cassidy into a deep, passionate kiss! This act is met with approving hoots and hollers from his friends. &quot;Ah!&quot; He says, pulling back with a smile, &quot;That was certainly worth a maneback pup!&quot; 

A rather jovial looking beaver at a nearby table answers Flora&#39;s question. &quot;Musta been quite a party you folks were comin&#39; from last night,&quot; he chortles, &quot;The lot of you came in here late last night and put on quite a show!&quot; He gives Flora a buck-toothed grin. &quot;Never seen a lady dance like that afore!&quot; he says, &quot;Was good fer my soul, if you know what I mean!&quot; He breaks out into a full on laugh. &quot;And the big skunk fella with his reindeer friend?&quot; He gasps through his laughter, &quot;Absolutely priceless! You folks should come round more often!&quot; 

Hartford nods to Samira. &quot;Yep,&quot; he says, looking as though he is trying not to laugh, &quot;It was pretty amazing.&quot; Looks like this place only saw the end of the evening. The rest must have happened elsewhere.<br> <br>Natska&#39;s tail goes completly still as she stares at the Dacha wolf for a moment, wide-eyed. The jaguar is motionless for a few seconds, and then her tail begins lashing back and forth. &quot;But... -I- haven&#39;t even kissed her like that yet,&quot; she mutters. Her eye twitches and her hand clenches, and then she hands the maneback pup off to Hartford. &quot;Hold this for me, please,&quot; she says, although she doesn&#39;t leave Hartford the option of turning her down as she quickly stalks over to Cassidy and the wolf. &quot;Thank you sir but this fennec is -mine-,&quot; she says, then turns Cassidy towards her and pulls her into her own long, drawn out kiss.<br> <br>Cassidy looks absolutely taken aback at the sudden kiss, eye going wide. &quot;Wh- What?&quot; Her fur bristles momentarily as she tries to reconcile what just happened. &quot;I never- &quot; She&#39;s cut off, but this time by a much more welcome kiss, which she returns in full. &quot;Yes. I am all hers! I don&#39;t recall promising any such thing, but I don&#39;t know what happened last night, so I won&#39;t cause a scene.&quot; She narrows her eyes and glances around at the rest of the bar. &quot;But if any of you others get such an idea in your mind, I&#39;m going to have to punch you! Assuming my dearest doesn&#39;t do it, first!&quot;<br> <br>Flora blinks repeatedly, her tails still swishing behind her, and her ears twitching as she continues staring at the beaver. So far, Flora looks rather nonplussed, and at the same time, she looks completely calm... An almost terrifying calm that suggests she might just lash out at the first person to make a wrong move.

&quot;Flora... Sees. Well then. Flora would like to know where we came from then, yes. Best to figure everything out right away, yes,&quot; she mumbles, not even blinking as Cassidy is pulled into a kiss not once, but twice. In fact, she appears to just shrug it off. &quot;Flora should probably go get her graspers, in case Flora made any... Unwanted promises, yes.&quot;<br> <br>Samira squints as she spots the kisses happen through the crowd, although her attention is focussed elsewhere as she returns to Hartford&#39;s side. &quot;Was he as surprised as you were? I imagine that was quite a shock. None the less, I think we should find out what happened to you!&quot; she churrs, gesturing at the reindeer&#39;s fur. &quot;After all, how many people can there be around this place that offer to turn beings into reindeers?&quot;<br> <br>Hartford takes the puppy and holds it gingerly during the exchange. He nods to Samira and grins. &quot;It looked okay on him, really,&quot; he says, &quot;But I would like to know what happened!&quot; The crowd cheers again as Natska and Cassidy kiss and the Dacha wolf laughs robustly. &quot;It is only business!&quot; He cheers, &quot;And now the price is paid in full! Take care of Little Dog!&quot; He returns to his table and his friends who welcome him with cheers and congratulatory pats and punches. 

The prosperous innkeeper, a portly penguin hurries up as it looks like Flora is about to initiate violence. &quot;Forgive me, Highlady,&quot; he grovels, &quot;But you and your friends went to the Snowmark compound last night. that is all I know.&quot;<br> <br>Natska slips her arm around Cassidy&#39;s shoulders, possessively, and gives the Stare to the rest of the room - although it fades, quickly replaced by a grin at the cheering laughing. She rubs her nose against Cass&#39; cheek, then hurries back to Hartford to reclaim their puppy. &quot;Oh goodness, love. What are we going to name him?&quot; she asks. &quot;And yes, the Snowmarks... we should go there!&quot;<br> <br>Cassidy rumbles under her breath and reaches out to gently stroke the little puppy, leaning against Natska. &quot;I am terribly sorry. I do not know what I agreed to last night, but I am shamed by it.  And... I don&#39;t know! Hmm... I am bad at names, but give me a little bit and I can come up with one? Or some, and we can pick!&quot;<br> <br>A flick of the ears, a rumble, and a glance towards Cassidy and Natska, as Flora comes back down in time for the rest of the talk, two elegantly crafted, metal-padded leather sleeves worn over her dress, each with three small holes at the top of the wrist, and with various runes running along the length in silver and gold.

&quot;We will have a talk with lord Snowmark, then, yes.&quot;<br> <br>Seeing as Flora is about to leave, Samira chooses to do so too. Staying a good distance behind the weapon-wielding feline she churrs, &quot;I... guess? Although we could also try and find out where Hartford went to end up in this state! There can&#39;t be that many fleshcrafters, right?&quot;<br> <br>The streets of Snowhame bustle with activity, many beings going about their daily business among the eclectic building styles of the port city. The great Snowmark compound looks over the busy port from a high cliffside, though it is not a long trek. The liveried puma lounging at the gate grins and waves as Flora leads the group up the road. &quot;Hello, Highlady!&quot; He calls out, &quot;Your new coat is most lovely!&quot; He stands and gives a lazy salute. &quot;I am Hugo!&quot; he says, &quot;How can I help my Sweetwater friends?&quot;<br> <br>Natska carefully passes the maneback puppy over to Cassidy, then gives her a quick nose on the cheek before she turns towards Hugo. &quot;Hey, Hugo,&quot; she greets, her ears perking. &quot;We&#39;re... ah...&quot; she glances around. &quot;Flora wants to know what happened last night,&quot; she finally says, and nods. &quot;Is Alexander in?&quot;<br> <br>Cassidy happily takes the little pup from Natska and holds it close, smiling. She lets the others do the talking for now, content to just stand at Natska&#39;s side, gently stroking the puppy and letting it nip at her gloved fingers.<br> <br>A soft rumble, and a flick. &quot;Yes. Flora wants answers, yes yes,&quot; she rumbles as she squints at Hugo, before looking back to Cassidy and Natska, her tails swaying agitatedly. &quot;Flora would like to know how... All of this happened, yes,&quot; she mumbles, gesturing at herself, at hartford, Samira, and the pup in Cassidy&#39;s hands.<br> <br>Samira nods quickly. &quot;Mhmm! One of our other friends, a skunk, ended up looking much like my friend here-&quot; she stops to motion towards Hartford, &quot;-and had a mohawk of all things. Is... is this normal? I few people did say that parties here could get wild...&quot;<br> <br>&quot;I do not know, my friend,&quot; Hugo says to Natska, &quot;I have not seen Lord Sasha since your little display last night.&quot; The cougar walks over and elbows Hartford. &quot;I did not think you would really go through with it!&quot; he says, tapping a heavy silver ring in his own left ear, &quot;But now we are both Sons of the North, Da?&quot; He gives the reindeer a friendly punch on the shoulder and grins at everyone. &quot;And the pretty Highlady too!&quot; he says with a grin, &quot;She was very brave to go into that strange machine!&quot; The puma cuts off in confusion as he realizes that no one seems to know what he is talking about. &quot;You do not remember the surprise entertainment last night?&quot; He asks, &quot;The beings from Sweetwater and their magic box?&quot;<br> <br>Natska thinks about that for a moment, scratching at her ear, and trying to not look as puzzled as she felt. She doesn&#39;t do a good job of it, though, looking over at Hartford first and then Flora, before she looks back at Hugo. &quot;... no?&quot;<br> <br>Cassidy furrows her brow, ears flicking under her hat. &quot;No. I remember nothing. But it is... I am glad I did not end up in the box. Goodness knows there was a risk of that.&quot; She sighs softly and leans against Natska, looking up at the jaguar. &quot;What did we -do- last night, hun?&quot;<br> <br>Flora raises a brow and flicks her ears, before shaking her head. &quot;Flora does not recall,&quot; she mumbles, her tails twitching behind her and her lips barely keeping a hiss from leaving her maw. Seems she&#39;s developed an automated aversion to any Snowmark referring to her as &#39;pretty&#39; after the repeated run-ins with Sven.

&quot;Now... Flora wants more answers, yes. And Flora will get them,&quot; the she-cat all but growls, and the gleam of three metal prongs extending from her wrists is just barely visible, before said prongs disappear again, without a sound.

&quot;Is Flora clear?&quot;<br> <br>&quot;Er, F- Flora, we can probably do this without threatening them...&quot; stammers Samira, staying a good few metres away from the be-clawed feline. Turning instead to Hugo, she asks in as polite a tone as she can muster. &quot;This box... did the skunk with me use it too?&quot;<br> <br>Hugo&#39;s brow furrows in concern. &quot;Lord Sasha invited you all to his banquet last night,&quot; he says slowly, &quot;It was a big dinner and everyone was happy and even big Lord Blackback was full.&quot; He waves to his fellow guard and starts leading the group toward the big house. &quot;There was a toast, and then entertainment,&quot; he says, waving off Flora&#39;s threatening gesture, &quot;The men were invited to join the Brotherhood of the North.&quot; He shoves open a door to the main house and swaggers into the dim interior, waiting for the rest to enter, then continues. &quot;The Brotherhood is only for fun,&quot; he says, then hesitates, &quot;Mostly for fun.&quot; He waves his hand. &quot;We paint initiates blue and give them a challenge for entry,&quot; he says, &quot;Some drunk idiot told Hartford that his challenge was to use the magic box,&quot; he says, &quot;Lord Blackback and Mister Trace did not use the box.&quot;<br> <br>Natska bobs her head as she follows along behind Hugo, then looks back at Flora. &quot;We don&#39;t need to be violent yet, Flora. And that explains the guys, Hugo, what about Flora? I didn&#39;t think she knew how to have fun, so I&#39;m a little surprised that she&#39;d have joined in.&quot;<br> <br>Cassidy snrks quietly but nods. &quot;Yes. I am... Well. It seems Natska and I avoided the worst of things, but I&#39;m a little curious what happened to her, as well. I suppose if nothing else, we could always stuff her back into the box to fix it!&quot;<br> <br>Flora smiles softly and flicks her ears, tails swaying lightly as she holds up the arms, showing the fact that there are no blades shown anymore. &quot;Flora is simply... Having a headache. And Matthews wasn&#39;t in bed either, no,&quot; she mumbles, frowning clearly.

&quot;Flora does not... Mind the new look. However... Flora does mind the fact that /someone/ gave Flora alcohol, judging by the headache, yes... And Friend Sveta too,&quot; she growls softly, before gesturing to her rotund belly, suggesting that clarifies everything...<br> <br>&quot;The Highlady said that her men were cowards,&quot; Hugo says, &quot;And she would go in the box herself!&quot; The puma shakes his head. &quot;The strange people took their box away this morning,&quot; he says, &quot;Something about overstaying their welcome.&quot; He shrugs and leads the group to a small sitting area. &quot;But she is a woman and cannot be a part of the brotherhood,&quot; he says, tapping his earring, &quot;so no silver for her.&quot; He frowns when Flora makes her accusation. &quot;If you ask for alcohol, you get alcohol at a Snowmark party,&quot; he says, &quot;But if you ask for no alcohol, that is what you get!&quot;<br> <br>Natska laughs at that, and nods her head, glancing back at the others as her ear flicks. &quot;Well, Brutus and Hartford, yea. I could see that.&quot; She flashes Cassidy, and their puppy, a smile, but waits to see what else is revealed.<br> <br>Cassidy tilts her head, ears flicking under her hat. &quot;I see, I see.&quot; She shrugs softly before looking up to Natska. &quot;With all the teasing I&#39;ve been doing lately about becoming a cat, it&#39;s a good thing I avoided that becoming a reality, huh?&quot; She says, laughing softly before wrapping her free arm around the jaguar.<br> <br>A low growl, and an almost feral snarl. &quot;Flora does not, EVER order alcohol. As any of Flora&#39;s employees and friends can confirm, Flora only drinks water, applejuice, and non-alcoholic grapejuice. And yes, Flora always specifies. To even SUGGEST that Flora would ask for alcohol in her drink,&quot; the cat huffs, and the blade gleams again, before retracting... She seems to know full well that assaulting a noble /here/ would be a bad move for various reasons.

&quot;As for Friend Sveta... She only ever drinks water... So Flora is quite sure she wouldn&#39;t order any alcohol, either.&quot;<br> <br>Hugo holds up his hands in a placating gesture. &quot;I am only saying that no one meant to serve alcohol where it was not wanted. . .&quot; the puma trails off as a servant hurries into the room and whispers in his ear. The mountain lion frowns,then turns to bow low to the gathered beings. &quot;It seems that you have fallen prey to an attack from outside our walls,&quot; he says, &quot;I pray for your forgiveness.&quot; He looks up again. &quot;A special bottle was opened specifically for your party and shared only with Lord Sasha, and it seems that the house leader has been found naked on the roof, singing.&quot;<br> <br>Natska&#39;s ears perk at that, and then she frowns. &quot;Waaait. I... wait. A special bottle?&quot; she asks. &quot;Is Lord Sasha alright?&quot; She looks over at Cassidy, concerned.<br> <br>Cassidy lofts a brow. &quot;Huh. A special bottle, hmm? My, that sounds interesting indeed.&quot; She shakes her head and smiles gently at Natska. &quot;Well. At least -we- made it out pretty well, yeah? We got a puppy and didn&#39;t lose anything valuable!&quot;<br> <br>Flora blinks a few times, before sighing softly. &quot;Flora would... Appreciate it if the issue could be investigated before Flora leaves the city again. For now, Flora must retreat to solve this headache and run a few scans with the Sacred Doctor, yes,&quot; she mumbles.

&quot;Unless there are any other surprises to be sprung upon us, Flora will be off, yes,&quot; she mumbles after a moment, looking towards the door.<br> <br>It is apparent that Hugo is doing his best to keep a straight face. &quot;It seems that Lord Sasha, when he learned that you would drink only water for the toast had the bottles switched,&quot; he says, &quot;I fear that we have done you wrong.&quot; The young Snowmark is surprisingly polite! There must be a reason they keep him posted at the front gate. &quot;The drink you had is remarkably potent, but tastes like water,&quot; he explains, &quot;It is brewed by the House Leader himself.&quot; It seems like a strange story, but hard to dispute. &quot;Please, let me escort you back to your lodgings,&quot; he says leading them to the door.<br> <br>Natska rubs her knuckles into her palm for a moment and nods her head. &quot;We&#39;ll ... well. I imagine Flora will be having the appropriate words with Lord Sasha. For my part, I have no harm to claim with your Lord, but I am disappointed in your House&#39;s conduct.&quot; She pauses, then whispers a quick question to Hugo. &quot;You can send us a bottle of that, yea?&quot; She slips her arm around Cassidy, scritches their pup under the chin, and follows back out of the compound.<br> <br>Cassidy giggles softly and nods, turning on her paws to follow the others out at Natska&#39;s side, nodding. &quot;Yes. A bottle of that for our own use could be fun,&quot; she says quietly. &quot;We&#39;ll just have to lock the doors and stay in when we do.&quot;<br> <br>Hartford and Samira follow quietly after the others. &quot;Guess I just have to get used to all this extra fur,&quot; Hartford sighs, shaking his shaggy, reindeer head. But he is a little proud of being part of this Brotherhood thing. That sounded exciting! But now it was time to go take care of Mister Brutus.