Zee hadn't gone this far from home since she'd been rescued, but now with infection spreading and her wolves becoming less sound of body and mind, she took the opportunity to sneak outside the borders in search of.. something, anything that could help. Each step was like agony as the fungus sprouting from her rubbed at what felt like was her bones themselves. Her eyes, her ears, even her horns were touched by clusters of the disgusting fungus, and around where the mushrooms grew leaked a blue liquid that had stained her tawny pelt. Why she'd come to the Orchard Zee wasn't sure, she was walking for the sake of walking. Her paw squished against a fallen apple, breaking it open and reminding her of how she'd got infected in the first place - stepping on that damn mushroom. A painful fit of coughing came on her suddenly at the memory. All this, from a mere miss step? It wasn't fair. Once the coughing had subsided, Zee reached for the broken and rotting apple. Didn't people get drunk off this shit? She wasn't entirely sure, but she also couldn't remember the last time she felt relaxed and worry-free. The idea was tempting, and she leaned down to give the apple remnants a sniff. "Speech"

Things were freaky, that was for sure, and while Ashmedai would fight any mortal being, he didn't do Feelings or God Things or Supernatural Shit or things like that. Sure, call him a coward, he might even agree, but currently, he was running from his worries with his best alcoholic intentions in mind. He tipped and drank the crisp alcoholic drink and while he wasn't sloshed, he was very at least slurring when he came upon the horned woman. He was sure he had seen her before- and look at her, sniffing rotten apples! Ash lobbed his half-empty bottle towards her feet. "Ma'am, I do believe this will be a good deal better- and stronger- than any wormy ground apple." He saddled on over, still some good distance away. "It's good for chasing worries away, emboldening, and making some bad decisions without too many regrets. Which are you trying to do?"

Zee was so focused upon the rotting apple that she hardly noticed the stranger's approach, not until a half-drank bottle rolled toward her paws. She eyed both the man and his lobbed bottle carefully and tried to scent the air, but all she could smell or taste was mushrooms, spores, and ooze. "Thank you." Zee gave her hesitant reply, watching as he settled a respectful distance away. Already the woman had been enslaved not once but twice, and this soon after finding her home once more she was not about to let down her guard. "Are you, uh, afflicted too?" Eyeing him, she thought she could see some crystals breaking out from within him. It must be more painful then mushrooms were, and she frowned. She took her drink, licking her lips as it burned down her throat. Could alcohol also burn away fungus? Zee could only hope, as she felt another coughing fit brew in her lungs. Recapping it she rolled the bottle back toward the man. To his question on why she was seeking drink, Zee simply answered with a short laugh, "All of the above." "Speech"

The woman thanked him and asked if he was afflicted too. Ashmedai shifted to remove his floral shirt, revealing a large patch of jagged geode-like crystals growing between his shoulder blades, "Sure looks that way, huh?" He went to flash a smile, but his breath hitched and he coughed for several moments. Eventually, he looked back to her, eyes watery, "Part of it too, I reckon," he rasped. Ashmedai made the effort to readjust his shirt while the woman indicated that she was looking to drink for a multitude of reasons. His eyes flashed to her for a second while he shrugged the collar over some crystals. "That so?" He hummed, working his shirt finally back into place before he gave her another quick glance. All of the above huh? "You can always make some bad decisions with me if you wanna," he said with a lopsided smile, reaching down to drink some of the alcohol. Ahh, yes, that soothed the throat... or just numbed it. Same difference, right? His eyes fell back to the woman. "Before you get mad, I'm joking, mostly." Ashmedai flashed her a grin before breaking into another coughing fit for a second. "Gotta shoot my shot before I fie via haunted crystals, right? Guess I should mention that I don't really remember who you are, but I DO know you. Ashmedai, by the way, if the confusion is mutual."

The man had kept his crystals mostly hidden beneath his shirt and she grimaced as he exposed them. "Doesn't that hurt?" The mushrooms were painful if touched, how could he manage to wear clothing overtop the protruding rocks and not feel like he was being impaled further? It seemed it was more then merely the Armada wolves who were sick, and Zee wished she could place the man's face somewhere in her memory and know from what pack he came from. He offered for her to make some bad decisions with him and Zee let out a sudden wheezy bout of laughter that quickly devolved into a hacking, wet cough. Once the bout was over she offered him a smile in return. "I'm afraid my husband would kill you, then me." She gave back, clenching her chest to try and hold back another round of spore-infused coughs. "Pass the bottle back, if I'm going to die it's going to be of alcohol poisoning not some fungi taking over my heart and lungs." Her paw stretched out, gesturing for it. "My name is Zee, and the confusion is definitely mutual." The man didn't seem familiar, but if he felt he knew her then he must be right.   "Speech"

The woman asked if the crystals hurt and Ashemdai laughed so loud and abruptly that it came out as a bark. He jostled the bottle with his paw, "It DID hurt. Remember, daddy's got his own medicine. He blinked away some glowing fluid in his eyes and shook his head lightly, "No, but seriously? Word of advice, do NOT pull them out. Fuckers jammed damned near into the bone if I had to guess." Ashmedai flashed a smile. It was painful. The woman said her husband would kill them for fooling around and Ashmedai shrugged, "All the more reason- sounds like a quicker death for the both of us." She asked for the bottle back and introduced herself as Zee. Ashmedai tossed the bottle back, "Well nice to actually meet you, Zee." A moment of silence lapsed and Ashmedai hummed, "I remember when the most of my worries were when was the volcano gonna stop eruptin'," he said, settling down. He was getting rather tired and his shoulders ached. "And before that it was just which family member's getting disowned for fucking their relative." Ashemdai laughed, but it was empty. He tasted the bitter glowing liquid in his mouth, "Alright, pass it back. Before this, what was your biggest life drama?"

Firefly Shoppe - Zeitgeist

The sickness deepens... You feel weak. Perhaps it's time to rest.

Your attention blurs and refocuses. IT feels as if you are in a dream as you find yourself alone in the mist. Fireflies gather and light the way to a table with a figure waiting behind it. On the table lay three items, with their prices beside them. "Choose w̶̢̧͉̥̻̟͈͙̽̉̆̿̈͒͋̓̇̍͌̇̎͠͝ì̵̢̝̄͐́͆̓̚ṣ̶̛͙̟͎̤̞̤͎̹̙̭̪͔̓̐̾̂͆̄͆͌̈̈́̏̚͜͝͠ȩ̴͔̱̗̜̾̉̀̓̀͆͛̊̂̍̕̚̚̚ͅl̵̢̦̲̼̠̖̜̺̮̜̺͋̈́y̴̧̨̧̪̗̥̘͇̾͑͗͜͠, and only choose o̷͕̭̊̃̌̊̏̀ņ̸̼͚͉͔̒͐̊e̵̮̯͛̔̀̑͜," the figure says, looming over the table as his eyes seem to peer into your soul. Are they... moving? "If you can afford it, that is. Beware, however, for there are many d̷̡̯͉̎̊̈́͐͠á̴̬̪̣̝̞̅̀̈́̄ṉ̸̢̠̤̹̥̙̜͋͆̚g̷̛͍̹̣̬̙͖̝̘̃̈e̷͓͕̖͓̝̤̿͐͐͜͠ŗ̵̤͚͔̟̹̳̽̒͝ş̸̛͓͔̩̥̦͛̊̈̾̐̒̓ ̴̺͔̃̇̆ahead." He does not seem like he's in the negotiating mood...


I̵̜̖͎͓͒̑̕n̸͓̗̘̫͉̗̻͐̔̿̊͆̋͝v̵̦̹̠͉̖̼̮̎̌͆ȩ̸͕̦͔̳̩̈́͜n̶͍̝̙̯̣̹̫̩͋t̶̟͈̟̲̜̙̣̋̿̓̆̅͊͝͝ŏ̶̼͊r̶̖͎̙͔̥͎͙͈̊̍͝͠y̴̧͔̭͒͆̉̕͝:

• Glittering Concoction- 2 /
  Smells like mushrooms, glitters like crystals.
  
• Mushroom Bath Bomb- 2 /
  It looks like a bunch of mushrooms, grass, and plants rolled into some mud. The seller assures you it’s good for styling your coat pattern exactly how you’ve always wanted it.
  
• Potion of Perception- 3 /
  This bottle of silvery liquid has a pair of glasses etched onto it… whatever that means.
  

Firefly Shoppe- Ashmedai

The sickness deepens... You feel short of breath, but every breath you manage glows with glowing mist.

Your attention blurs and refocuses. It feels as if you are in a dream as you find yourself alone in the mist. Fireflies gather and light the way to a table with a figure waiting behind it. On the table lay three items, with their prices beside them. "Choose w̶̢̧͉̥̻̟͈͙̽̉̆̿̈͒͋̓̇̍͌̇̎͠͝ì̵̢̝̄͐́͆̓̚ṣ̶̛͙̟͎̤̞̤͎̹̙̭̪͔̓̐̾̂͆̄͆͌̈̈́̏̚͜͝͠ȩ̴͔̱̗̜̾̉̀̓̀͆͛̊̂̍̕̚̚̚ͅl̵̢̦̲̼̠̖̜̺̮̜̺͋̈́y̴̧̨̧̪̗̥̘͇̾͑͗͜͠, and only choose o̷͕̭̊̃̌̊̏̀ņ̸̼͚͉͔̒͐̊e̵̮̯͛̔̀̑͜," the figure says, looming over the table as his eyes seem to peer into your soul. Are they... moving? "If you can afford it, that is. Beware, however, for there are many d̷̡̯͉̎̊̈́͐͠á̴̬̪̣̝̞̅̀̈́̄ṉ̸̢̠̤̹̥̙̜͋͆̚g̷̛͍̹̣̬̙͖̝̘̃̈e̷͓͕̖͓̝̤̿͐͐͜͠ŗ̵̤͚͔̟̹̳̽̒͝ş̸̛͓͔̩̥̦͛̊̈̾̐̒̓ ̴̺͔̃̇̆ahead.... wait, I don't see that you have anything to offer me. That's a shame." With that he sweeps up his items and disappears into the night, not giving Ashmedai time to react to him.