CHARACTER CHAT!!!!

Cricket backed away from the horse, confusedly inspecting his surroundings. Why was he so short? He looked down. Paws. And was that a tail?! He tried to say something. All that came out was a choked hiss. A'right, now I know I'm dead, he thought. I'm a cat. I'm a cat. I just got shot and now I'm a cat and why is everything so much taller than me?!

"Cricket got shot." Finn said, frowning. He pointed to the girl. "That, is his soul."

Cricket's soul blinked, smiling a little. "So...this is what it's like to be human?"

Aiolii had kept with Cricket.
"You'hre not dead," I told him. "You and youhr soul sweetched places to keep you fhrom dyeeng. And evehryzeeng ees much tallehr zan you because you 'ave a cat's fohrm now." To his soul, I said, "Yes, zees ees what eet feels like to 'ave a body."

Kim
"Alright, i think i'll wake up now," i snicker.

The phoenix fluffed her feathers, looking down upon the new cat. She flew over and landed upon the horse's back. /Interesting, interesting.../

The cat's eyes flashed to the bird. He felt like the new kid on the block. He nipped his paw, didn't feel anything. Ah-hah! This is all some crazed fantasy I'm 'aving as I slowly bleed out and die. I'm dreaming.

Finn looked at the new girl. She looked a little bit dazed and enchanted and very curious all at once. And yet, very real..."I don't think we're dreaming," Finn said.

It is, isn't it? Aiolii agreed with the phoenix. We don't know why it works, only that it does. And apparently, it works even if the person isn't a bonder! The researchers will love to hear that. This question has been bugging the researchers for a long time. And as for you, Cricket, you're not dying or dead. This was all done to prevent that.

Aye, well you're a talking horse, so I just might not b'lieve you. But on th' other hand...well, I'm a talking cat. So that means that I don't 'ave a reason not t', unless I'm just going crazy. Cricket thought, and then looked down at his tail. A black cat, aye?...Hm. Finn once called me that.

I'm not just a talking horse, Aiolii answered proudly. I'm Senet's soul.
"Eet's true," I added. "And you'hre not goeeng chrazy, Chreeket."

The girl rubbed her hand. "No, you're not dying, no, you're not dreaming, and you may make idiotic choices sometimes but you're not crazy. And don't bite your paw again, I can feel that and it hurts." Those last words felt strange to say. She looked at Finn, who looked dazed. "You alright, friend?"

"Well, my best pal 'as been temporarily replaced by a girl, but other than that..." Finn said.

"Techneecally, zees ees youhr best fhriend. She's ze second side to 'eem, 'ees ozehr 'alf."

A white doe approaches and lays down with Cricket. /Phoenix, please. No need to scare the small one./
/Not scaring, Frost, simply observing,/ the bird sings softly.

((I don't know if you realize, but souls don't make animal sounds o3o Actually, they don't make any sounds. They think into people's heads in a human voice. They don't act like animals, either.))

Who's Frost? Aiolii asked. That's not a soul name. Or is Frost this soul's life?

so his/her voice cant sound sing songy?

Phoenix shrugged, the best a bird might be able to do so. /They named themselves,/ he says, gesturing to Kim and the others. /We decided to take those./

((Well, it can sound sing-songy, sure. I just got the impression that he was singing like a bird.))

But that's not... I mean, there's one name in the Planar Universe that's the right one. You don't just pick. It's not an active decision; it comes you. Sesria, Brynnasin, and Kalmoz were not chosen as names because their lives liked the way they sounded! Soul names are always exotic. Always. Take mine for example: it's Aiolii.

Phoenix fluffs up. /When we find them we shall take those instead. For now we are called that./
The doe noses him gently. /Do not take offense.../
/I know.../ He grumbles.

Whatever works, I guess. With a glimmer in her eye, Aiolii changed how solid she was to other souls; suddenly, she wasn't a proper perch anymore.

((Yeah, souls can decide how solid they want to be when touching other souls. Aiolii just became intangible ))

The phoenix flies, grumbling unhappily. /Now can i take offense?/ he asks, landing next to the doe and Cricket.
/You may not,/ Frost says.

Ooh, that's cool.

Cricket stepped away before the souls could fall on top of him. Oi my my. Neat trick. So...how long am I going t' be a kitty?

brb in a half hour

kk

Those words hit like a brick wall: 'bullet to the chest.' He'd registered long ago that he had been shot, but every time he heard someone other than himself say so it seemed so sudden. I'm new 'ere, mate. This isn't my land. I've no idea.

I might be off for the night. Just ran out of energy, want to catch some zz's. Might be on later, idk.

((G'night then ))

Frost glanced between the two of them. /Is there a way I might be able to wake Emily up?/