and now I am a duck | 2

[repeatingsun]

[There is a duck on the second level! It's perched on one of the random blocks, preening itself. After a moment, it starts to speak and

Comments

[walksonrooftops]

Fix it now. Please.

[Asato's voice isn't demanding. It's outright pleading. He doesn't want to look like this, all teeth and claws. He can't fit in doorways in this shape, so he can't even just hide in his nest. He's forced to walk around looking like this, like something that, by all laws of the natural human earth, shouldn't even exist. Something that, by the laws of his own world, is a feared and hated animal, a predator, something to be pursued by bounty hunters who can turn in his head for a hefty reward.

His black ears twitch until he spots the duck, jaws parted to let out a pathetic whimper quite unfitting for a creature as dangerous-looking as he.]

[repeatingsun]

[The duck quacks sadly before waddling over.]

I'm - I'm so sorry, dear. I'm not very good at these things as I said and, besides...

[She holds up one of her webbed feet.] It's rather difficult to do, well, anything without opposable thumbs.

[She quacks again, gently.] I promise you I will have this fixed as soon as I can. That's all I can do, right now, and I am sorry for that.

[walksonrooftops]

[Another whimper before he nudges the duck with his nose, exhaling a puff of hot air. He looks like death and reeks like a corpse....but there seems to be little aggression in him.]

Thank you.

[repeatingsun]

[She nudges back with her flat beak-bill-thing, more imitating Asato's gesture than anything.]

For what it's worth, you don't seem that awful...though you could use a bath, I think.

[It's almost light-hearted - she doesn't actually seem distressed by the smell. Really, it's more like she's just giving practical advice.]

[irrationaling]

[ There's a white rabbit too, looking rather.. well, confused as she peers at the duck. ]

... So we are all animals now.

[repeatingsun]

[Sola quacks and ruffles her feathers.]

It would seem so.

[irrationaling]

And do you perhaps have any idea just what exactly caused this as well?

[repeatingsun]

Magic. Someone decided to toy around with polymorphic effects. Whether it was a prank or an accident, though, I'm...not sure.

[She sounds genuinely upset at this.]

[negcapability]

[Raf's tail swishes unhappily, almost cat-like, if the cat were stalking prey.]

I don't think all right is remotely the right phrase.

[He looks a little murderous, but hey, he's a fox and that's a duck. He's pretty sure he could take it.]

[repeatingsun]

[ALARMED QUACK! Sola waddles as far away from the fox as possible.]

When I said "all right," I meant uninjured! I'm well aware this isn't all right at all, that's why I'm going to try to fix it!

[negcapability]

[Raf stalks after the duck.]

You can make it better by explaining how such a transformation was possible. Although I would suggest doing so quickly.

[repeatingsun]

[Unsurprisingly, her voice is tinged with a bit of distress at the prospect of being followed by a huge honkin' fox.]

Naturally, it was magic! A wide-range polymorphic effect, and I have no idea who would think that was a good idea!

[A pause.]

Un...less it was one of the pranksters in town...or an accident.

[bloody_pens]

[Castle is a very happy-looking Cocker Spaniel.]

So... do you know how or why this happened in the first place?

[repeatingsun]

[Not another predator!]

Magic. Wide-range polymorphic effect. Either it's a prank or an accident. Please don't chase me like that gentleman who was trapped as a fox did, it doesn't help anything.

[bloody_pens]

I have no intentions of chasing anybody, thankfully. It won't make me change back any faster, after all.

Magic. Right. Every day this place gets more bizarre.

[repeatingsun]

Thank you. [She sounds distinctly relieved at this.]

I suppose...You're not from a world that has magic, are you?

[warriorscribe]

*There is a large swan here with a very slight ice-blue tint to its feathers. Enoch thought he'd find answers on the second level, considering he can't move very well on the first.*

So I'm not the only one who's become an animal... How did this happen?

[repeatingsun]

[FINALLY, SOMEONE WHO ISN'T A PREDATOR.]

How...well, that would be magic, of course.

[She 'shrugs' her wings slightly.] Either it was a prank or an accident...and if it was a prank, I sincerely hope the responsible party got transformed too.

[Ruffles her feathers in clear annoyance.]

[warriorscribe]

*Yep! Hello there, fellow waterfowl. Enoch arches his long neck forward.*

Hmm...the only being with such power that comes to mind wouldn't play pranks, or at least I don't think so.

[repeatingsun]

Is that so? Then it was probably an accident...but I can't rule out the possibility that it WAS a prank. Thank you for telling me just the same.

[Quacks in a friendly fashion.]