Things had gone from bad to worse, so much worse than Kiyo had thought possible. Her friends and loved ones had suddenly, one by one, become infected by the glowing mushroom spores, had begun growing crystals from random orifices, or had begun going crazy altogether. Much of Ashen had been unscathed, except, to her horror, 3 of her 5 grandchildren and her son. Kitsune was growing mushrooms from, well...everywhere, and crystals sprouted from Ikigai, and Hattori and Takeshi were going verifiably mad. She had never thought the day would come when she would actually be afraid for her life being around the Shogun, after all, he had come from her very womb, but any time she got close to him he seemed to think she was out to get him. He wasn’t safe, for himself or others, so she’d instructed his companions to stick close to him and report back to her should he try anything foolish.

She’d been up for days trying to care for them with very little sleep to keep her going. The woman desperately needed a moment to rest, and so she’d ventured to the Hot Springs. The winter, mixed with her exhaustion, did her weary bones no favors and so she decided a dip was well in order. Upon arrival, she did her best to pick a pool with little to no crystals in it, though it was difficult to do. Fog rolled across the water more than usual, and the days had turned into eternal night, but the crystals cast an eerie glow on anything. She hesitantly slid into a pool, a sigh escaping her lips as she closed her tired eyes in bliss.

"Speech"

Things were changing all over the place in the Armada, many infected with some strange oozing from all kinds of places and then others growing crystals or mushrooms from places that shouldn't be growing these things. Magnus was thankful these things hadn't started happening to him, but he could only wonder what that meant. Was he immune to the infections or would he only get something much worse? It was a looming thought, but with the ache in his joints he couldn't think about much else for long before the dull throbbing permeated his thoughts again.

That was why he hobbled off to the hot springs, his gait slow and muscles tense from days without a release. The hot springs were an invaluable source to him and provided him the most relief. Of course their were herbs and things, he probably should have been taking, but the springs were real. It provided much more to him than just the medicine did, this way he could actually relax.

The mushrooms and crystals growing around were beginning to become as common as the blue lights that swarmed. He thought little of them as he walked and arrived at the springs. He often didn't care which pool he rested in, but with the sudden influx of those growing these strange things from their face, Magnus did his best to find one with the least amount of crystals growing from it. He was pleasantly surprised to see that the woman he had met previously, who had unfortunately lost her antlers, had done the same.

"Mind if I join you?" He asked as he walked up to the edge of the pool, hoping that she didn't mind her peace being disturbed.

"Speech."

Kiyo hadn’t expected anyone to join her in the Springs that evening, and a part of her had hoped that she would be alone, but the sound of footsteps dashed those thoughts quickly. The pattern of the steps sounded familiar, however, like there was one missing entirely. Then, the three-legged wonder himself emerged from the forest and hobbled over to her pool, wisely of course. She had, after all, picked the one that had felt like it would be the safest.

He asked if he could join her, seeming to be ever the gentleman, and she squinted at him, more playful than actually suspicious. Her warm silver gaze looked him over, her submerged body shifting so she could inspect his body from all angles. “Well, you don’t seem to be growing anything you shouldn’t, or spewing odd liquids, so I suppose you may,” she said, sitting back into a comfortable position once again. “I realized that I never got your name last time. I am not the type of woman to snuggle up to just any wolf, you see, but you caught me in a bit of a...situation.” Kiyo tried not to wince in memory of losing her antlers. They were still in her room in the palace, wrapped preciously and stowed in a corner until she could figure out what to do with them. Until then, they mocked her.

"Speech"

The woman narrowed her eyes at him and looked him over as if she was judging him and looking for signs of any infection that he may have. She was a smart woman for doing so, and in that moment Magnus wondered if she was covered in anything strange as well being hidden under the water the way that she was. He supposed that she wouldn't be scrutinizing him if she was infected, so he trusted his gut and slowly started to work himself into the warm pool. Sitting down on his bad hip, he used his good leg and his front hand to maneuver himself into the pool carefully. Regardless, he caused a bit of a splash since he couldn't walk straight in and he struggled a moment before catching himself on the edge of the pool, then smiled sheepishly at her as if embarrassed for his own difficulties.

She reminded him that the in fact hadn't exchanged names the last time they had seen enough and her words made him laugh a bit, before speaking his name. "Magnus," He said as he clung to the wall of the pool, too afraid to swim out into the middle where he had nothing to catch onto. Despite already being in the water, he decided to tease her about his earlier thought when she had given him the once over. "How do I know you're not hiding any kind of oozing or growths under the water?" He raised a single brow, a smirk playing on his lips.

"Speech."

Kiyo watched as he clambered into the pool rather gracelessly, returning his sheepish smile with a gentle, non-judgemental one of her own. Though he lacked a limb, Kiyo didn’t think that it made the Armada wolf any lesser, neither in terms of admirability nor handsome appearance. She supposed she’d always liked the rugged ones, her ex-husband had been covered in a myriad of scares himself, after all. Perhaps that was part of her foolish mistakes, perhaps she should be running the other way, but she couldn’t deny that she was intrigued by the man in front of her and his story. Whether it was romantically or platonically, she didn’t yet know and it would take more than two meetings for her to know anyhow.

He introduced himself as Magnus, a fine, strong name, and she dipped her head formally in greeting. “Kiyo, a pleasure to make your acquaintance.” Then, his expression turned into a playful one of his own, accusing her of hiding her own malformations, and she scoffed. The Apothaker turned, pulling herself gracefully from the water and onto the pool’s edge. The water ran in rivulets from her long, downy, silver fur that clung to her sleek body, seeming as though molten silver itself fell from her and into the water below. She lifted her chin, though perhaps a bit quicker and harsher than she had intended to, used to the weight of her antlers atop her head. Then, she did a little turn, allowing him to see her at all sides. Better?” she asked, her own brows rising in question. A small shiver crossed over her spine, flinching her skin as a waft of cold air chilled her wet body. She lowered herself back in, resting on the submerged ledge she had found.

“How are you doing, with all of the oddity that surrounds us?” she asked, her tilting curiously. She wondered if he had been affected as personally as she had, if he was crumbling a little beneath the surface too.

"Speech"

Her name rolled of of her tongue and he mentally played it back over and over in his mind. Her name was different, unique, and he wanted to remember the way that she said it. When the woman scoffed, he hardly expected anything but a smart answer and a coy smile. The last thing he expected was for her to pull herself from the water and show herself off to him, careful to give him a look at both sides and plenty of time to do so as well. He would be a liar if he said she wasn't beautiful, soaking wet and missing antlers or not.

When she asked if that was better, his purple eyes drew away from her body and to her own silver eyes a bit slow. While he was pleased to see that she wasn't infected with any of the afflictions that plagued the wolves of the Armada, he had to admit that it actually wasn't on his mind until she reminded him of it by speaking. He had to swallow hard to collect his thoughts, laughing awkwardly in response to her question as he failed to come up with any words. She lowered herself into a ledge within the water, asking him how he was faring with all the changes lately.

"As well as I can, I suppose, with some of the Armada wolves being infected.. You?" It was easier to answer her questions than to think of any of his own. He wasn't sure if the infection was contagious or not either, and wondered how far along anyone was with figuring it out. So far, he seemed fine, but what would tomorrow bring? He tried to limit his time around the sick wolves, but as their numbers grew, it was becoming difficult. He was pleased to know that despite losing her horns, nothing bad had happened to her.

"Speech."

Firefly Shoppe- Kiyo

It comes for us all... but you are safe... for now.

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:

• Xtra Grow Potion- 2 /
  It comes in an extra large bottle. There’s way more than one drop!
  
• Firefly Fone- 1 /
  It’s actually just a bunch of fireflies in the shape of a phone. Use it in any thread (and post in Maintenance) to summon the Firefly Shoppe to your location.
  
• Shrink Potion- 1 /
  This bottle is shaped like a pear and within it swirls a sparkly gold liquid. The label shows a crudely drawn image of two wolves of vastly different sizes, with a green checkmark over the smallest one.
  

Firefly Shoppe- Magnus

It comes for us all... but you are safe... for now.

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:

• 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.
  
• Equalizer- 3 /
  A small bag in which you can see two sickeningly green cookies, on the bag is a small tag with instructions: “Afore the eve of war, when the outcome is yet to be drawn eat one biscuit and leave the other for your opponent and all battlefields shall be made equal.”
  
• Mushroom Based Acid- 2 /
  A small vial with a convenient handle that almost makes it seem throwable. Upon the label is a skull and crossbones symbol beside a shattered shield.
  

Kiyo wasn’t ignorant, she noticed the way the man looked her over when she stood from the warm pool...and a part of her felt a rush for it. It wasn’t uncommon for men to look at her with wanting eyes, and those men she took no heed to, but for a man to look at her with such admiration...it was a look she hadn’t experienced before. Hideki had only ever looked at her with controlling desire, a possessiveness that she had never found appealing. The ghostly woman was not, and never would be, a prized doll to put on a shelf for display. It had been so long since she’d felt anything other than fear at the thought of being with someone, and perhaps it was a sign that she was finally healing after years of domestic abuse.

He spoke, confirming her suspicions that the Armada was infected too, and she opened her mouth to reply when, suddenly, her silvery gaze went out of focus. In her mind’s eye, she had been teleported to what felt like another plane, and when she saw what waited there, terror squeezed her heart. The cloaked figure, with his table of goods, sat in front of her once again, though this time he felt even more menacing somehow. She felt herself beginning to shake, both in her mind and in the real world, her form quaking as her auds pressed back to her head. Her silvery gaze looked down at what was presented to her this time, one of them seeming to be a growth potion, one a grouping of fireflies shaped like a phone, and a shrink potion. As much as she didn’t want to see the being in front of her again, she knew she didn’t want something that was going to affect her body in the way the others promised to. So, with shaking paws, she pushed a mushroom forward. “I-I’ll take the phone...please,” she said quietly.

"Speech"

After he spoke, he noticed that Kiyo seemed to disappear from this world. Her eyes seemed distant and lost, her face blank. Magnus was confused and he began to move towards her, concerned, but soon his own vision began to blur and suddenly he too was in another world. Before him, a cloaked figure. Was this who took Kiyo's antlers the last time he saw her? Magnus wasn't sure, but as the cloaked being motioned towards his wares, he moved forward and looked at each. One was an interesting ball of mushrooms, sticks, and mud it seemed. In response to the puzzled look on his face, he was informed of it's intention. To style his coat exactly as he has always wanted? Well, he didn't quite like whatever had happened to his coat... The next item were cookies, two sickeningly green things that Magnus wouldn't have eaten had they given him super powers and regrew his leg. The final option was a strange, oddly throwable-looking vial with a strange picture. He wasn't sure what the picture meant, but the strange liquid inside didn't look like a good time.

His purple gaze focused on the clump of... things then and he gave a slight nod in it's direction as he spoke. "I'll take the... 'bath bomb'," He said with somewhat of a questioning tone. What was a bath bomb? Whatever it was, he slid two of his possessions over, a single mushroom and a single crystal.

"Speech."

Firefly Shoppe- Kiyo

You gain:

• Firefly Fone- It’s actually just a bunch of fireflies in the shape of a phone. Use it in any thread (and post in Maintenance) to summon the Firefly Shoppe to your location.
  

You lose:

• Currency (x1)- Used in Firefly's Shoppe, and perhaps elsewhere...
  
  

Firefly Shoppe- Magnus

The figure looks at the quizzical wolf as he makes his purchase. He nods reassuringly as he slowly fades into the mist, leaving Magnus with the bath bomb between his paws.


You gain:

• Mushroom Bath Bomb- 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.
  

You lose:

• Currency (x2)- Used in Firefly's Shoppe, and perhaps elsewhere...