ph_logs | Hot Devil Summer

Who: Music and you!
What: Monthly catch all
When: July
Where: The Oak & Iron, the beach

1. Catch a Tiefling by the Tail

Music’s regular sets across this month at the Oak & Iron have had a tension to them. The songs tend uptempo, her commentary is unusually curt, and she's hardly been telling stories. She's apologized for her irritability, but hasn't done much to explain the root of it.

Then, one day, she bursts in the front door, yelling and flailing, three blue crabs hanging from her tail. ”Get them off! Get these wretched things off of me!”

2. A Good Adventurer Always Prepares

Frequent beach visitors will see a new consistent face as Music begins her new training to stay in adventuring shape. From jogging to sprints, stretches to shadow-fencing (she really ought to get herself a proper sword), all to keep her mind and body limber.

If she notices you first, she might bound up to you, smile wide and tail swishing. “Ten hellos! If you have time to spare, may I ask your help a moment? I have a few exercises that are hard to do alone.”

3. Wildcard

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Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"I'll do you one better and spar you, if you want." Cerrit folds his wings back as he approaches, the pair of handaxes he carries even while off-duty clearly visible at his waist.

Edited 2024-07-12 03:01 (UTC)

Music does a light flourish with the even lighter broom handle she's using in place of a rapier.

"Just so long as you don't trounce me too utterly. I've been trained to wield blades, but I'm no grand duelist."

Though she's not often at the Oak and Iron, she's there enough to be familiar the shift in Music's demeanor. This is doubly true when she bursts into the tavern screaming about the blue crabs latched onto her tail.

They clearly have a good grip.

Valdis springs up and is by Music in the blink of an eye, gently plucking the crabs off the thrashing tail with more grace than perhaps thought possible.

"It's ok, Music, I've got them."

Finally freed, the first thing Music does is turn to shower the crabs in Infernal curses. The second thing is to grab her own tail and massage the bruised spade.

"Ah, Valdis, my hero. I'm convinced those things are actively malicious."

"Happy to help"

The crabs do not calm in her hands like Ody does, so she drops them on the table so the others can deal with them. Maybe the kitchen can make crab soup.

"They do appear to be. Let me look at your tail and make sure there's no lasting damage."

Music steps forward to hand over her tail, at worst lightly bruised under the fur.

"I've healed it at least ten times this week alone. If I wanted to catch crabs, I'd be ecstatic."

Valdis gently feels along the soft tail, checking for any tender spots or cuts. At worst Music will have some mild bruises, but there's no further damage.

"It looks ok to me, maybe just be gentle with it and avoid the beach for a bit."

While Lorenz is not a frequent beach visitor—mostly because he does not like the beach very much—he is a believer in the benefits of keeping up with one's training routines just in case. So it is that he's borrowed a headless broom handle in lieu of a proper lance and sequestered an out-of-the-way spot on the beach to swing it around. Wouldn't want to get rusty.

He stops swinging it when he catches sight of her approach, sticking one end in the sand to lean on it a bit. Exercises, is it?

"I would be remiss to refuse; certainly, I accept." He holds out a hand to shake, first. "My name is Lorenz. What is it that you require?"

"I'm Music," she responds, shaking the hand offered.

"I'd like to play a little game of invisibility tag! I'll go invisible 20 or so feet from you, and then I'll attempt to get close enough to land a good solid slap on you before you whack me with that handle of yours. I'm hoping the rocks will make this a fair challenge of stealth."

Oh, he's learning so much about other people's magic(?) all of a sudden. His eyebrows go up, surprised, and he gives the makeshift lance a thoughtful drum of his fingers.

"Then, my part is to attempt to locate you? Are you going to remain... invisible throughout? I'd hate to be unsportsmanlike." Like committing a foul with an errant swing, you know.

Imbros doesn't usually sit in the common areas of the Oak & Iron, it's not like he can eat or drink anything there. But apparently the Oddish he cares for has needs like food and water, so he's sitting in a booth reading while trying to ignore the little blue turnip absolutely decimating some crackers and soft cheese. It doesn't have hands so it's just going face first into the platter with loud nomming noises.

There's crumbs literally everywhere.

And then a distraction appears, a tiefling, who's apparently been attacked by crabs. And Imbros can't help but laugh. And laugh, and okay, this is hysterical. He does not make a move to help though.

Absent the outside assistance she expected, Music whips her tail forward to grab it while she figures out how to work the crabs loose.

"As soon as I can get these things off I'm attaching them to your tentacles!"

He stops laughing long enough to actually speak.

"Feel free to try."

Oh this keeps getting funnier as the crabs tighten their grip as she tries to pry them off.

"I presume you don't want me to cloudkill them or acid fog." Considering that would injure her as well. None of his spells have the kind of utility that would help in this situation.

But he does have one that would be very funny.

With a gesture he casts Baleful Transposition and swaps the place of the crab on the end with the crab two down.

Bursting into laughter again he startles the Oddish from eating all that cheese. Oh Imbros is having the best time.

"Ooh, ouch" Max winces in sympathy pain. Right on the tail? That has to suuuck.

"Hold still, I'll get it. Just let me..." he pries the crab's large claws apart enough that her tail could slip free but, unfortunately, it will result in Max having a crab attached to his thumb instead. He's trying not to react too strongly but his eyes are really starting to water from that pain.

"T-there...you're free."

Music curses extensively in Infernal as Max pulls the crab from her tail, and curses more as she pulls it from his thumb and tosses it disdainfully toward the door.

"Oh, Max, I could kiss you. But first..." She sings a quick, soft tune, the sound of chimes floating through the air as she heals his thumb. "A reward for my handsome savior."

He's making a note to ask her what those words meant later. He can tell they're curses but she makes them sound so fun.

"Woah. You can heal people by singing? That's so cool!" He wasn't even hurt that bad, but it's nice to not have to worry about later when it might have been irritating to use his knife with a bruised thumb.

"Can I have that kiss now?~" he asks playfully.

Thrawn's never seen a member of her species, so he gives her a quick once-over with his eyes, which is just something he does whenever he meets someone new. He doesn't realize that it can come across as creepy sometimes.

"I would be delighted. What sort of exercises do you have in mind?"

Listening to the music at the Oak & Iron reminds him of listening to the bards play and sing back in Tamriel. Sadly, he doesn't think anyone knows 'The Dragonborn Comes'.

He looks up from his drink at the sudden shouting, seeing the singer he's seen perform here come in shouting. Finn spots the crabs and stands up.

"Hold still," Raising a finger, he casts a small Chain Lightning spell, hitting all three crabs and making sure the spell doesn't connect with Music.

Nimona gasps, slamming down her milkshake on the table. "Don't worry!" she yells. "I'll save you!"

Vaulting out of her chair, sprinting across three more tables, and knocking over an empty chair in her dash toward Music, she leaps, collapses into a streak of pink glittering light --

-- and reforms as a fourth crab to latch onto her tail, too, cackling at the top of her little crabby lungs.

Snakes stares in shock when she bursts in.

"What the ... ?! How'd you manage to do this?!" he asks as he comes over to get them. He'll have to be careful plucking; he doesn't want them latching on to him instead.

Hot Devil Summer | OTA

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