May 18th - Mary's Little Lamb

by **Samantha McManus** » Sun Feb 13, 2011 4:43 pm

"...what you're assuming is that you're talking to one of the ones that cares what you think about her, morsel..." came the response, floating on the wind between the trees.

by **Melpomene** » Sun Feb 13, 2011 4:47 pm

"I'm sure they're aware of what is happening. How else would they be holding your leash?"

by **Samantha McManus** » Sun Feb 13, 2011 4:50 pm

"They know better than to come in here..."

by **Melpomene** » Sun Feb 13, 2011 4:55 pm

"Really now? Maybe they just haven't had the incentive to..." she smirks and tries to drop seeds to sprout into undergrowth of her own design.

by **Samantha McManus** » Sun Feb 13, 2011 5:00 pm

The ground was... not particularly fertile. Perhaps in one of Nemain's realms those seeds could have been nurtured, but here the ground was choked with weeds, and any wants but Samantha's could find no purchase. Yes, there were borders to where Badb could run riot, but within those borders...

"...you can run, if you like. You might even make it to the Border Marches. Of course, that's usually only if you're on the path..."

by **Melpomene** » Sun Feb 13, 2011 5:07 pm

"If you think the things running wild here scare me then you clearly don't know me well enough." Mel points out. Some of it is a facade of bravado but she does dust herself off and set out to make her way through the forest. If there is one thing she knows her way around it are darker urges.

by **Samantha McManus** » Sun Feb 13, 2011 5:10 pm

There was laughter on the wind.

"That was a courtesy. You see? I can be taught! Macha always wants the hunt to be sporting, but it always comes down to the deck being rather stacked against the prey..."

There was a baying of... something... in the forest, followed by several dark shapes barreling through the undergrowth towards Melpomene.

by **Melpomene** » Sun Feb 13, 2011 5:18 pm

"How cute. You still think I am the prey."

On her rather rough trip through the undergrowth she had dropped her dagger somewhere but that doesn't stop it from coalescing in her hand again from the shadows. And as the shapes bear down on her she side-steps them with a slash at one of the creatures' flank.

by **Samantha McManus** » Sun Feb 13, 2011 5:29 pm

"Oh, don't you feel special? Morsel, in here there's nothing else you can be..."

The beast yelped, and with a snarl launched onto Melpomene, biting and clawing.

"Here, you're entertainment, or you're dinner."

by **Melpomene** » Sun Feb 13, 2011 5:39 pm

It was hard to admit to herself but it seemed she had tried to bite off more than she could swallow in this particular part of Sam's head. She needed a distraction and she needed it soon. She has precious little concentration to spare while trying to keep the beast from clawing her face off but she had to divert at least a bit of it...

In the physical world she rammed her heel into Sam's shoulder once again to get her attention while sending off a quick mental command to... the pillows a barely conscious Nailah was lieing on. "Hurt her!"

by **Will Stanton** » Sun Feb 13, 2011 5:42 pm

And with that, one of the two pillows reared up, tossing Nailah aside as it came forward with a steel blade aimed right at Sam's face, as she was pinned by Mel!

by **Samantha McManus** » Sun Feb 13, 2011 5:49 pm

In the real world, Samantha was forced to struggle to fend off the pillow of death, as awkward as that was while pinned.

Within her mind, the beasts around Melpomene melted into the shadows of the forest as more immediate needs came to the fore.

by **Will Stanton** » Sun Feb 13, 2011 5:52 pm

"Bye-bye, Sammy," Will grinned, straddling himself on top of her. "Auntie Mel's gonna make you ALLLL better."

From behind them, the SECOND pillow also started reforming, into "Willow", headed for Nailah.

by **Melpomene** » Sun Feb 13, 2011 5:53 pm

And that was all the breather she would hopefully need. Knowing when to cut her losses Melpomene rushed to make it to the edge of the forest.

by **Samantha McManus** » Sun Feb 13, 2011 5:57 pm

As Melpomene ran, crystal nodules began to appear in the trees, light emanating from them. Eventually she was still in a forest, but one where the trees were all luminous crystal.

She could tell by the feel that this forest spread... pretty much throughout the whole land. There was very little it didn't touch.

In the real world, Samantha was rather shocked by who she saw.

"...Will?"

by **Will Stanton** » Sun Feb 13, 2011 6:01 pm

"Yes, she will!" Will said, laughing, and bouncing his weight hard down on her chest.

Meanwhile, Willow smirked over Nailah's downed form, and kicked her, hard.

by **Melpomene** » Sun Feb 13, 2011 6:04 pm

It didn't take long for Melpomene to realize that this is what she was after. From here she could reach everything, as close as a center of Sam's mind as there probably was. Raising her dagger it darkens as shadows gather in the blade, turning into what looks more like a tear in reality before she brings it down, ramming it deep into the trunk of one of the crystal trees and letting the shadows spread forth.

by **Samantha McManus** » Sun Feb 13, 2011 6:07 pm

And now, the boundaries between the various regions of Samantha's mind were suddenly... negotiable.

In the real world, Samantha's form faltered and flowed, having difficulty keeping stable after such a blow to her self-image.

by **Will Stanton** » Sun Feb 13, 2011 6:09 pm

Will, helping, reached down and ran his hands over Sam's shifting body, trying to help it flow and fluctuate more, giggling as she tried to stir.

by **Melpomene** » Sun Feb 13, 2011 6:14 pm

This was it. So close she could almost feel it. Pouring all her hatred and her twisted obsession into Sam's mind she reached out through the Crystal Forest to redraw the borders on some areas and erase others from the map. Invigorated with her impending victory it is all she can focus on.

by **Sara McDohl** » Mon Feb 14, 2011 2:15 am

McDohl opened the door, stepping inside. She blinked at the scene that was unfolding in front of her. "Mel! What the hell is going on?"

by **Will Stanton** » Mon Feb 14, 2011 2:30 am

"Sara!" Will said, bouncing on Sam more, flattening himself out on top of Sam.

"Fetch the Champagne, love?"

by **Sara McDohl** » Mon Feb 14, 2011 2:42 am

Quickly McDohl moved across the floor, yanking Will off of Sam. "Stop it!" She yelled.

by **Will Stanton** » Mon Feb 14, 2011 2:44 am

"Why?" he asked, puzzled, as Willow dragged Nailah towards the back room.

by **Sara McDohl** » Mon Feb 14, 2011 2:50 am

"Hey!" She yelled, rushing over to Willow, pulling her shoulder to face each other. "I said stop it. Why are you two doing this?!"

by **Samantha McManus** » Mon Feb 14, 2011 2:51 am

Meanwhile, there was just a look of mute horror on Samantha's face, her body still unstable and held down by the apparently triumphant Melpomene.

by **Will Stanton** » Mon Feb 14, 2011 2:54 am

"Lighten up, Sara."
"Yeah, get us the drinks until Mel gets back," Willow laughed, going back to drag Nailah again.

by **Sara McDohl** » Mon Feb 14, 2011 3:01 am

Placing a hand on her head, she went over to Sam. "Sam, Sam! Talk to me! What am I supposed to do!?"

by **Samantha McManus** » Mon Feb 14, 2011 3:05 am

Ms. McManus was in no shape to offer sage advice, seeing as she was shifting uncontrollably, and had a madwoman pinning her to the ground.

by **Will Stanton** » Mon Feb 14, 2011 3:06 am

"We do this!" Will laughed, giving Sam a nice hard kick in the ever-changing ribs.

"She's a shifter, she'll be fine! That's what you DO to shifters!"

by **Sara McDohl** » Mon Feb 14, 2011 3:15 am

Sara smiled to Will. "Sorry, I was having a small breakdown..carry on." She said softly, before taking a deep breathing and entering Mel's mind. "I've got to fix this..", she thought to herself.

by **Will Stanton** » Mon Feb 14, 2011 3:16 am

Will went back to poking and prodding, playing with Sam's shifting bodies.

by **Melpomene** » Mon Feb 14, 2011 3:21 am

Melpomene's mind was, simply put, a mess. Though her current distraction with what she was doing to Sam meant Sara was almost automatically drawn through the swirling shadows and to it's 'center'. A large amphitheater with empty ranks, only two shapes standing on the stage in the center. Melpomene, in flowing dark robes standing over a hunched over, sobbing Samantha, laughing. A cruel sound that reverberates throughout the empty theater.

by **Sara McDohl** » Mon Feb 14, 2011 3:43 am

McDohl quietly made her way up to the stage, behind Mel, her eyes swirling intently. "Sam, I'm sorry...I'm so sorry about all of this.." her voice was soft. She took a small breath, materializing a long dagger into her hand, and thrusted it into Mel's side.

by **Melpomene** » Mon Feb 14, 2011 3:46 am

"McDohl!?" Melpomene exclaims in utter surprise before breaking out into a scream, both in the mental as in the physical world as Sara attacks her. She sways and stumbles away from the shifting Sam, her grip on her mind slipping.

by **Rebecca Valentine** » Mon Feb 14, 2011 3:50 am

"'Scuse me," Becca said, fading in as Mel's presence in the crystal forest began to waver. "But to put it bluntly? Get the fuck out of my house. Also, knives are for sissies." And with that, she produced a gun and, putting all the extra presence of herself that she figured she could spare and a little bit more into it, took a shot at the bitch.

by **Melpomene** » Mon Feb 14, 2011 3:54 am

"Noooooo!" she screeches, clawing at the substance of Sam's mindscape, trying to get a hold somewhere when Becca's blast sends her tumbling out. In the physical world she finds herself clutching her head, tumbling backwards from the assaults.

by **Will Stanton** » Mon Feb 14, 2011 3:58 am

Will...and Willow for that matter...froze up.

by **Samantha McManus** » Mon Feb 14, 2011 4:07 am

"N-not yours..." Samantha stammered out, her form starting to stabilize. "Not yours..."

And lurching upwards, she lashed out almost instinctually with her mind at Melpomene, panicked and unrestrained.

"NOT YOURS!"

by **Melpomene** » Mon Feb 14, 2011 6:11 am

And now she screams out in pain in the physical world. Her defenses scattered she has nothing to put up against the psychic blast from Sam and collapses to her knees under the attack, clawing at her head.

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