Lord of Fools

((Kip's current form: will apply Evo sometime during the RP.))

"-and the giant floating eye did something, and next thing we knew, we were outside of the city, and the doors were closed! Can you believe that shit? I was pretty pissed, but Angort & Zio were much, much sadder than I was." It was hard to gauge just how long Kip had been rambling to the black, winged snakeblob to his left. After coming to something of an agreement, they departed the fair as it closed. Evrah had picked a direction & started meandering at a slow, steady pace, and Kip rolled & bounced along beside.



Their travel had been silent at first...which didn't last very long. "Did you always live here in the sands?" Kip began. "I guess you could say I live up in the mountains. Was born there, too! Seems like a lifetime ago." He chuckled a bit at his own dumb joke (only being, at most, a month old now), then told the tale of how he was born, meeting his first 2 friends (Zio & Angort. He hoped they were doing alright!), and their rejection at Reinala's city. Every once in in a while, Kip got a bit too excited & had gotten ahead of Evrah, so he stopped & waited. Well, stopped moving, at least: he never seemed to stop talking.



With a friend to travel across the sands this time, the thought hadn't even crossed his mind to keep an eye out for the prismermines. Besides, he was riding high on his recent arena victory, and was confident that his prior reflex training might get him out of the way if they tried to blind him!



"So, uhh..." Kip finally stopped and glanced back at Evrah. The green blob had been prattling on for so long, that he wasn't sure if Evrah just couldn't get a word in edge wise, or just had nothing to say. "...Where the hell are we goin', anyway?"

For the first time since leaving the fair, Kip had finally shut up.  "Forti...what?" Kip stared back with a puzzled look, his head (all of him, really) tilting to the side, trying to discern just what it meant.   "I asked ya-"

A small suspicion niggled at the back of his mind: maybe Evrah didn't care in the slightest.  No, certainly not! Evrah was just lost in thought, Kip surmised.  The fair, and his tale of Reinala's city, had been a bit too much to take in.  He did say he wasn't a fan of crowds, and things had moved rather quickly after that.  And besides, Evrah had asked for his help.  Evrah wanted him, and Kip was already willing to go through with anything to push his own goals forward.  *That's fine,* the green blob thought, *not everyone can take this all in stride like I can. Cut 'em some slack!* He still felt the buzz from the arena, parts of him quivering in anticipation for the next fight. There was no way his new companion was putting a damper on that, intentionally or not.  Besides, this was supposed to be a partnership!   If they were going to work together, they needed to at least try to get along.

"Look, Evrah, ya gotta be a bit more open with me."   Kip eventually spoke up again, giving him a half smile, but not averting his gaze in the slightest.  He was going to try the diplomatic approach first.   "You want my help, 'n I want yours.  We're in this together, right?"  He scooted a bit closer, breaking eye contact to try & give Evrah a friendly nudge.  "So cummon, then, stop being so uptight!   Where we goin', what are we doin'"?

((Sorry it's short, work is gonna be a bit of a bear today & I wanted to get 'something' in before it started!!))

Really, he was hurt?  Naw, no way.  It seemed like Evrah was putting on a bit of a show.  His new companion was rather theatrical. Hell, he was a real diva.  Yet, Kip liked him.  "Yeah...yeah, alright.  That makes sense."  Kip gave Evrah a satisfied nod.   "We can wander about a bit here, see if there's anyone else we bump into.  I know there's 2 here at least, Maoul & Clou'Lin.  They're pretty friendly if we bump into 'em, but I don't think they'd be interested in joining us."  He glanced up at the sky as he spoke: the stars that hung overhead never seemed to move, or change.  Which certainly had it's uses, as he gestured up above.  "But if we need to get outa here, if we just put that green one above us 'n keep walkin', we'll get to my home in the mountains, eventually."

"Maybe 'uptight' is the wrong word.  But ya seem a little tense."  He spoke without thinking of the consequences.  In his mind, everyone should be an open book: the more people know about what you're thinking, the more informed decisions everyone can make.  Besides, as far as he was concerned, he had nothing to hide.  "Maybe it's 'cause of how formal you seem.  Gotta loosen up a bit, is what I mean!"  He gave Evrah a reassuring smile.  "You ain't trying to impress anyone right now, it's just me.  Ya know, unless I'm completely off base here.  If so, my bad."  

After that discussion, Kip moved a few steps ahead, onto a small raised bump of sand, trying to get as much of a vantage point as possible.  "As for the wildlife..."  It was strange, so unlike the mountains that he was used to.  There, the mountains stretched as high as he could see, with an exciting bit of uncertainty at what is around the next corner.   Here, it was all flat, and almost featureless.   He squinted to get a better look, and stood rock still for a moment to listen for any movement.   He tensed up slightly, ready to roll out of the way of any Prismermines that might try to take them by surprise.   From Evrah's point of view, Kip might of looked more serious than he had the entire time they had known each other. Something like a warrior. A little.

"Well, there's only a few things out here that I know about."   Kip started to explain, looking over at Evrah to make sure he was paying attention.  "Only animal I know of out here is the Prissese...Prisisim..Prismermines."   Kip finally found the word, giving an enthusiastic nod at getting the pronunciation right.   "They're smaller than us, and usually hide in the sand.   They'll jump out of the sand & blind ya with a flash of light.  They think it's good fun, I think it's obnoxious."  Funny that, Kip calling something else obnoxious.  The irony was completely lost on him.

"Couple plants that I can think of, too.  One's called a blob eating plant...haven't seen one myself, but I hear they've got nasty teeth 'n will scarf down any blob that gets close.  Is it weird I wanna find one, see what the big deal is?"   This was the most 'long term' goal he had, actually.  Blob eating bulbs were the most dangerous thing he had heard of on this world so far: besting it would set himself above everyone else, in his mind.   If he could take on one of those, he could take on anything, or anyone.   "And there's Chromillia, the nice ones.  Taller than some of the hills back where I'm from, petals that are every which color, and *freaky* looking smiles in..."   Kip opened his mouth in a wide yawn: after stopping for just a couple minutes, the excitement of the day seemed to be catching up with him.   "...in the center.   They're nice to you if you're nice to them, we could probably find one 'n catch some shut-eye."

Feeling pretty proud of himself, he turned back to Evrah with a droopy, sleepy grin.  "Whadaya think?  Maybe we should rest up for a bit, see what we bump into later?"

Alright, progress!  Kip smiled widely, sleepy but joyful at his new friend opening up a little.  "No kiddin?  You were handlin' yourself at the fair pretty well, seemed like you owned the place."  He nodded, more than happy to take the lead and them both to someplace they could relax.  "Sounds like a plan to me.  Come on, Evrah!  I'll fine us some shade, and we'll both feel better."

He hadn't even taken two steps ahead before realizing something was off.  He glanced backwards and noticed that Evrah had not moved at all.  His words and posture seemed even more standoffish than before.  It looked like he was making some headway, So what was this?   It almost like he sounded back when they first met.  A bit disdainful, like Evrah wanted Kip away from him as soon as possible.  And asking what Kip even reached out for, when that lead to where they are now, just didn't make sense to him.  Not noticing how 'out of character' it was, Kip sighed and fully turned back around.  While he did want to give Evrah a chance, he couldn't help but feel irritated, giving a bit of an eye roll of annoyance before he'd compose himself.

No.  It was more than that.   A strong, almost supernatural feeling seemed to burrow its way in, twisting his emotions.  He was frustrated with the lack of progress with his new partner.  As Evrah tensed up and regarded Kip with suspicion, his own body tensed as anger and rage bubbled to the surface, the adrenaline washing over any feeling of fatigue.  "What the hell are you talkin' about?" Kip growled, taking his own step to the side, beginning to circle Evrah.   The green blob was upset at the sudden change, like his emotions were being toyed with.   He was angry that Evrah seemed to be wasting his time.  And for what?!?  Was the snakeblob just screwing with him?

The pair had failed to noticed a camivian, mostly buried and perfectly camouflaged against the sand. The bird-like creature, unnoticed, had reached out to manipulate their emotions, to try and separate the new companions. Though it was unknown how much it had swayed Evrah, its hold on Kip was absolute, twisting his annoyance into a deep anger.

"You know exactly why we're here.  I thought we were supposed to be helpin' eachother!"  Kip's voice raised to a shout, his voice rumbling in his core like gravel.  The camivian watched as he continued to circle, Kip cracking a grin and lowering himself a little, ready to pounce.  "So what do ya get out of this, just jerkin' me around?  You wanna see another fight, buddy, you're gonna be real close to this one."

"I think we're well past that."  Kip replied, inching a bit closer as he and Evrah circled each other.  His body seemed to be shaking a little, and his reply had changed in tone: he almost sounded happy.  The camivian might of been stretching itself thin manipulating the two, but it had tapped into something unexpected with Kip.  While his frustration and annoyance was still twisted into anger, it seemed to circle back around to a certain amount of joy.   He was absolutely quivering with anticipation of another battle, and he just couldn't wait to fight Evrah.  To hurt him.  To beat him so badly he couldn't open his mouth to spew any more of his confusing, deceptive venom.  All Kip needed was an opening.
 "Honor?  That's rich, comin' from you. You want me to fight all your battles for ya, 'n you wanna talk to me about honor?" 

He kept quiet for a moment, a sly grin plastered to his face as Evrah continued.  He let it fester, building the rage.  All it took was the snakeblob second guessing himself and taking a step back before he started his charge forward.  "That's ENOUGH from yo-"

*Squeak*

Kip stopped dead in his tracks, his posture and expression taking a complete 180.  Looking a bit scared and exhausted, he stopped and stared at Evrah circling him in a defensive posture, and was left confused.  Why were they just about to fight eachother?  The shakes in Kip's body told him that he was expecting a fight, but what for?  What could of possessed him to want to try and tear his new friend apart?   "Evrah?" Kip asked softly.  His tone had changed completely, the question coming out like a whimper.   If gravel could whimper.  "A-are you ok?  The hell's goin' on?"  He couldn't even remember what he was angry about in the first place . A little annoyed, sure, but Evrah had done nothing to make Kip see red the way he had not two seconds ago.   The thought that something that could do that to him was utterly terrifying.  The green blob stole a glance down beneath him, to the small mound of sand he had stepped on, and slightly bounced in place.

*squeak*

Another bounce. Another squeak.  Followed immediately by an eruption of sand, feathers, and floof from underneath Kip.

Evrah and Kip, during their circling and taunting, had drawn closer and closer to the camivian buried in the sand.  They might of even seen it if they weren't so focused on each other at that point.  Unfortunately for it, Kip had maneuvered at just the right angle, and his intended charge at Evrah landed him right on top of it.  The bird-thing must of been feeling as much frustration as it forced Kip to as its plan unraveled.  Having been discovered it burst from underneath Kip, flinging him backwards, and took off in a random direction.

Kip tumbled backwards, doing almost a full flip backwards before landing face first in the sand.   Utterly discombobulated by the most confusing five minutes of his entire life, Kip lifted himself back up, spitting out sand while gesturing towards the escaping bird.  "Was tha...PHOU ASPHOLE!!!" Kip tried to scream at it, still spitting out sand and stumbling in the same direction.   "Come on, after it!"

Kip stumbled again, cursing as he rolled face first into the sand.  He lifted himself back up, only to duck as Evrah lept effortlessly over him and chased after the camivian with a speed he hadn't seen before, and one he definitely didn't think his new companion could reach.  Where was that speed earlier?

He wasn't sure exactly how the camivian had managed to get into his head, but he was sure that it had, and Evrah's reaction confirmed it.  That roar from him was so primal, it seemed to come from a different being than Evrah entirely.  Kip's eyes lit up once again, the roar passing over him like a second wind (perhaps a 3rd wind, in this case).  The spark was back, and Kip was itching to show it who it had messed with.  The bird had done more than enough to them, it deserved to get knocked around a bit!

Physically, however, the events of today had been taking its toll.  Evrah's roar had revitalized him just a bit, and he took off, bouncing and rolling as fast as he could to catch the camivian before it got away. But between the battle and celebration in the arena and the intensity of their near-fight, Kip was exhausted.  Whatever he was going to do, he only had one shot at it.   

Huffing and panting, Kip rushed to meet the camivian, intent on slamming it back towards Evrah. As he approached, Kip took a closer look at the thing.  Its feet ended in talons that seemed to dig into the sand with ease, and it's beak could pierce right through him if he wasn't careful.  But it was scared and a bit disoriented, stumbling through the sand in an attempt to get away.  Kip formulated something of a plan, then let out his own gravely war cry, rushing the camivian to hit it with everything he had...


((Rolling to dodge, will edit the results!))
h0Puw9|r

((Also rolling attack, in case I'm happy with the dodge roll!))


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The smirk gracing Evrah’s face may have been a bit malicious as he watched Kip, even tired, land the hit on the bird. If the camivian had managed to manipulate them by more direct means rather than whatever power it had used, perhaps Evrah wouldn’t be so bitter about the experience. As it was, he wouldn’t mind turning this into a game where the two would beat the bird back and forth forever for its brazen attempt on their emotions. If only it were a reasonable thing to do. However, Kip had been wearing down before hand and after the emotional stress Evrah was ready for a good nap himself. He’d settle for a few solid hits instead. The bird should count itself lucky for getting off with such a light punishment.


((Behold a lotta low rolls ahead on both sides))


As the camivian was bounced back towards him Evrah pounced at it. He stuck the landing… if a bit off target. Slamming down beside the bird he quickly changed tactics and instead slammed his tail down at the creature. This too missed, but the camivian didn’t know that. It startled first at the main bulk of the blob landing beside it and then again as the tail whipped around to its other side knocking sand up on both flanks. With its vision partly obscured the bird bolted forward, flustered and confused, between the two impacts and face first into the middle of Evrah’s tail. The camivian’s beak, hard and sharp, stabbed into his tail. Evrah hissed at the creature, but didn't stop to inspect the wound. Thankfully it did seem it was an accidental attack and though he could feel the blood well up at the damage, he doubted it was severe.

It was enough however for Evrah to be done with this. Lifting his tail out of the way he allowed the bird time to regain its feet properly and as it began to dart forward again, he whipped his tail back around. Finally landing a hit, his tail struck with a crack and smacked the bird further away. Evrah scoffed at the creature as it chirruped angrily at him while it raced off into the distance.
He waited a moment, tracking the thing to make sure it wouldn’t loop around for another go. He hadn’t needed to worry though. Its only thought was escape and once Evrah was convinced of that, and the bird was long gone, Evrah turned to Kip. His strides back to the pace he'd used previously he went over to the green blob.


He regarded him quietly for a moment, decidedly expressionless beyond the occasional glance in the direction their foe had vanished. Then finally, in a tone that didn’t completely make it sound like a begrudging inconvenience, he offered, “Would you like a ride to one of these trees you mentioned?”