Midna-Phobia@The Man Emperor@Restalaan
It was a bit confusing following everyone’s trail of thought as they talked about the upcoming plan in whispers. Even Min-Ji was moving to help despite her initial reluctance. Good for her, good for her.
Still, they seemed to be getting all on board, even if talking about far away cages was puzzling. Something about electricity? River currents?
Humans. Psh.
Speaking of humans and those who aren’t, Kailani raised a hand to give a little wave to Randolph as he stalked off. He was using his large words again, like ‘sequentially’. He was funny like that. Then again, maybe it was a thing from his species? If she could eat enough ghouls to morph one and imprint their language maybe she’d understand.
“Someone’s cut the power, everything’s shut down.”
The alien’s pondering was cut short at the whisper from the woman beside her, honey eyes instantly dilating and the fine little hairs along Kailani’s arms rising. She didn’t even notice Marina leave following her statement, everything in her being zeroed in on the apparatus strapped around her face. Her teeth ached as the thought of biting into something with actual mass, with solidity, was becoming a very real possibility. Drool was beginning to pool in her mouth, Kailani’s heartbeat drumming in her head as her thin, little human fingers began to tremble.
As though her thoughts were a physical manifestation there was a sudden movement behind her head and the muzzle slipped off her face. Kailani’s gaze followed it as a gloved hand removed the contraption - bite the metal and swallow the wires - placing it beside the woman who did it. The alien’s eyes snapped up to meet Julia’s, and for a moment she regretted not just eating the muzzle the instant it came off. It was still possible, especially as Julia pat her on the shoulder - crunch the bones and rend the flesh - but she needed time. Just a little more patience.
Her teeth kept aching.
"You wouldn't mind breaking the piece of metal bound to my ankle, yeah? You can eat it after we take it off. Deal?"
The human words man was talking. It was hard to concentrate as everything around Kailani was suddenly edible again, suddenly within reach. It took a quiet reminder - ’follow the plan or you’ll starve again’ - to focus on the men at the table adjacent.
Right. Right. Release them and they will assist her as well. Right.
Rather than respond verbally and even risk drawing attention to herself, Kailani grinned at Alfred - a wide, stretching thing that showed deceptively flat teeth. Taking the opportunity, she slipped beneath the table as though getting away from the escalating confrontation between the women nearby - taking Julia’s bowl with her and biting right into the side of it in a glorious mouthful. It was hard to focus - if this fails, when will she next eat? - and so she had to keep moving. To the first man who requested her assistance, with the giant encasements around his arms. She didn't even bother calling for him, just reaching out to grab the chain between his ankles and tugging them to get the man to shuffle closer, to hide her work.
And then it was a fantastical shatter of metal, the quiet snapping virtually muted beneath the cacophony of arguing nearby. The links disappeared into Kailani's mouth but it wasn't enough, even with all that she was fed that morning. She followed the chain right to Körbl’s ankle, the restraint crumbling before she used her hands to yank the other half of the cuff off and slam into her mouth. It was only the slight sting of her own teeth scraping across her fingers that had her stopping from reaching for the ankle too. Focus. Focus!
With the ball and one cuff gone, Kailani forced herself to merely bite the other cuff, carefully and regretfully avoiding skin. She patted Körbl’s leg before crawling further down the table, to Alfred. With him it was even easier - harder to control - as she grabbed his leg to bring up to her mouth.
She licked his ankle briefly.
Then the dampener around him folded like sand beneath her teeth, and as the rest of the device dropped she grabbed it to shove in her mouth in lieu of Alfred's flesh. As the last splinters of metal disappeared, drool dripping onto the floor, Kailani tried to focus once more. There wasn’t anyone else, so finally, finally she could feast. But where? Who? There were so many options - she could literally just bite into the table she was currently under, or the guard only feet away trying to stop Iris and Ameliya.
And then she caught sight of them. Her target.
Kailani kept low to the ground, wiggling between Abby and Alfred’s legs to shimmy to the next table, then crept underneath the one right at the argument. It had the perfect view, Kailani peeking out of the edge on the end of the table upwards. The balcony containing armed guards was along one side of the wall, an ever-hanging threat with their painful guns and height advantage. In this guise, the alien was as helpless as anyone else against them.
But now the muzzle was gone, and with it the collar that kept her from changing forms.
As the table began to glow a molten orange, and the sound of guns being readied and aimed even further above accompanied it, a guard shouting for the pyromancer to stand down, it took only a second for Kailani’s form to change. Like a shark breaching the waters the large form of the Devourer burst forth from beneath the table, the molten material clinging to her form. Jaws locked around the guard closest, his legs collapsing to the metal catwalk as the rest of him disappeared. Huge claws clung to the balcony, the whole structure shuddering from the weight - and as some turned to begin firing uselessly on the alien, as screams and shouted commands and even excited cheers were beginning to break out, Kailani bit down on the balcony and shook her head like a dog to a bone.
The whole thing shuddered, before it broke beneath the onslaught and split in two. A chute of delicious humans sliding right towards their awaiting, molten death, screams echoing in tandem with the excited, alien shriek.
It was a bit confusing following everyone’s trail of thought as they talked about the upcoming plan in whispers. Even Min-Ji was moving to help despite her initial reluctance. Good for her, good for her.
Still, they seemed to be getting all on board, even if talking about far away cages was puzzling. Something about electricity? River currents?
Humans. Psh.
Speaking of humans and those who aren’t, Kailani raised a hand to give a little wave to Randolph as he stalked off. He was using his large words again, like ‘sequentially’. He was funny like that. Then again, maybe it was a thing from his species? If she could eat enough ghouls to morph one and imprint their language maybe she’d understand.
“Someone’s cut the power, everything’s shut down.”
The alien’s pondering was cut short at the whisper from the woman beside her, honey eyes instantly dilating and the fine little hairs along Kailani’s arms rising. She didn’t even notice Marina leave following her statement, everything in her being zeroed in on the apparatus strapped around her face. Her teeth ached as the thought of biting into something with actual mass, with solidity, was becoming a very real possibility. Drool was beginning to pool in her mouth, Kailani’s heartbeat drumming in her head as her thin, little human fingers began to tremble.
As though her thoughts were a physical manifestation there was a sudden movement behind her head and the muzzle slipped off her face. Kailani’s gaze followed it as a gloved hand removed the contraption - bite the metal and swallow the wires - placing it beside the woman who did it. The alien’s eyes snapped up to meet Julia’s, and for a moment she regretted not just eating the muzzle the instant it came off. It was still possible, especially as Julia pat her on the shoulder - crunch the bones and rend the flesh - but she needed time. Just a little more patience.
Her teeth kept aching.
"You wouldn't mind breaking the piece of metal bound to my ankle, yeah? You can eat it after we take it off. Deal?"
The human words man was talking. It was hard to concentrate as everything around Kailani was suddenly edible again, suddenly within reach. It took a quiet reminder - ’follow the plan or you’ll starve again’ - to focus on the men at the table adjacent.
Right. Right. Release them and they will assist her as well. Right.
Rather than respond verbally and even risk drawing attention to herself, Kailani grinned at Alfred - a wide, stretching thing that showed deceptively flat teeth. Taking the opportunity, she slipped beneath the table as though getting away from the escalating confrontation between the women nearby - taking Julia’s bowl with her and biting right into the side of it in a glorious mouthful. It was hard to focus - if this fails, when will she next eat? - and so she had to keep moving. To the first man who requested her assistance, with the giant encasements around his arms. She didn't even bother calling for him, just reaching out to grab the chain between his ankles and tugging them to get the man to shuffle closer, to hide her work.
And then it was a fantastical shatter of metal, the quiet snapping virtually muted beneath the cacophony of arguing nearby. The links disappeared into Kailani's mouth but it wasn't enough, even with all that she was fed that morning. She followed the chain right to Körbl’s ankle, the restraint crumbling before she used her hands to yank the other half of the cuff off and slam into her mouth. It was only the slight sting of her own teeth scraping across her fingers that had her stopping from reaching for the ankle too. Focus. Focus!
With the ball and one cuff gone, Kailani forced herself to merely bite the other cuff, carefully and regretfully avoiding skin. She patted Körbl’s leg before crawling further down the table, to Alfred. With him it was even easier - harder to control - as she grabbed his leg to bring up to her mouth.
She licked his ankle briefly.
Then the dampener around him folded like sand beneath her teeth, and as the rest of the device dropped she grabbed it to shove in her mouth in lieu of Alfred's flesh. As the last splinters of metal disappeared, drool dripping onto the floor, Kailani tried to focus once more. There wasn’t anyone else, so finally, finally she could feast. But where? Who? There were so many options - she could literally just bite into the table she was currently under, or the guard only feet away trying to stop Iris and Ameliya.
And then she caught sight of them. Her target.
Kailani kept low to the ground, wiggling between Abby and Alfred’s legs to shimmy to the next table, then crept underneath the one right at the argument. It had the perfect view, Kailani peeking out of the edge on the end of the table upwards. The balcony containing armed guards was along one side of the wall, an ever-hanging threat with their painful guns and height advantage. In this guise, the alien was as helpless as anyone else against them.
But now the muzzle was gone, and with it the collar that kept her from changing forms.
As the table began to glow a molten orange, and the sound of guns being readied and aimed even further above accompanied it, a guard shouting for the pyromancer to stand down, it took only a second for Kailani’s form to change. Like a shark breaching the waters the large form of the Devourer burst forth from beneath the table, the molten material clinging to her form. Jaws locked around the guard closest, his legs collapsing to the metal catwalk as the rest of him disappeared. Huge claws clung to the balcony, the whole structure shuddering from the weight - and as some turned to begin firing uselessly on the alien, as screams and shouted commands and even excited cheers were beginning to break out, Kailani bit down on the balcony and shook her head like a dog to a bone.
The whole thing shuddered, before it broke beneath the onslaught and split in two. A chute of delicious humans sliding right towards their awaiting, molten death, screams echoing in tandem with the excited, alien shriek.