This Place Is Dark... and Evil... and Awesome (Seika, Open)

"It smells funny," Seika sang out loud as she stepped over another giant bone shard. 'The original bone it came from must have been monstrously large', she pondered, but her thoughts were quickly disrupted once again by the strong attention her outward senses had to her current environment. The stench was... potent, to say the least. In fact, Seika knew precisely what she was smelling- death, as blatantly present as oxygen in this place. Probably more so to be honest.

Given that there seemed to be so many dead things lying about, Seika was surprised that she had yet to be attacked. Ever since wandering into this place, she found a bit of refuge that was unusual when it came to Sin. Over the past few weeks Seika had spent in the nation, she had been the victim of many murder attempts and other nefarious deeds. So in a way, being in this pseudo graveyard of giant creatures' remains was a pleasant vacation from the tedium of threats to her life.

But it really did smell funny. Death was a weird scent and not altogether pleasant, despite the reprieve from worrying about watching her back.

Suddenly, a gigantic skeletal figure seemed to sink out of the mist, emerging right in front of Seika. She immediately paused, startled as she threw her arms up in the air and waved them in pinwheels. "Ehhh? What- I didn't see that there at all!" After a few more minutes of visible astonishment, she finally stopped the theatrics and cautiously stepped closer to the giant bone tusks.

"The only way out is through!" She announced loudly to the gloomy surroundings- this declaration was certainly not true, since she could have easily walked around the monumentally sized skeleton, but... minor details. Seika traipsed forwards and into the mouth of the long-dead beast.

Inside, it was rather dark, not unexpected but a bit annoying as now she couldn't see. She didn't want to simply walk down this passageway with no knowledge of what remained behind there. Furthermore, entering when there could be some unfriendly entity was probably unwise.

"Helloooo? My name is Taneda Akies, Seika if you don't mind! Um... can I come in?" Asking was always the most polite option, wasn't it? If she got no response then she would consider herself welcomed, whether that was proper or not.

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"Here for a reason? Well, um, maybe?" Seika shrugged and laughed thoughtlessly. "But Mister Skeleton, it doesn't seem that dangerous! I'm alive, so... " she paused before going on, "Thanks for the welcome! But, I'm not a cat?" Seika tilted her head with a questioning expression before her eyes widened. Wait, what if she was a cat? And she didn't know it?

Momentarily sent into a flurry of panic, she started patting her face all over and moved onto reaching for her shoulders, back, legs, all the way down to her feet. Somewhere along the way, she dropped her glasses. A couple moments later, she found them and leaped back to her feet. Holding them in her hand, (because ew, they'd just been on a dirt covered some kind of floor) Seika squinted at the two hulking figures. "Nice to meet you, Noel and Dapper Fellow Ami! Um..." her smile faltered a bit when Noel casually threatened to kill her, but it quickly sprung to life again as she heard the skeleton's laugh. "Oh my god, you're so cute! So so cute aah~" Seika wanted to squeal, but she reined herself in enough to semi-focus on what Ami...Ami... she couldn't remember the rest of their name, but what it was saying.

"Um... Scorpions are cats? Wait, if I'm a cat... am I a scorpion?" Seika logic'd out his words slowly and then came to the conclusion that her superpower was now being a scorpion. "Wait, am I a shapeshifter!? Otherwise... I really don't know what I do. I'm surprised i haven't died yet. I just made it over the wall a couple weeks ago but up until then I lived in Pergrande, so..."

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The peachy haired girl couldn't help but smile as the two of them kept breaking into random bursts of laughter; it seemed it was contagious. But when they began to explain, she struggled to concentrate and understand. "Ohh, naughty fellows! Yes, I know what those are! Very bad, yes yes..." Seika shook her head in disapproval, but as soon as Noel laughed again she broke her attempt to remain serious and couldn't help but wave her arms in excitement. "So cute! Noel, you're such a cutie pie, really. Um, thank you for your kindness! In introducing yourself and... thinking I don't deserve to be eaten. I don't wanna be eaten, so, thank you," Seika beamed.

"My name is Taneda Akies, but, I like being called Seika better! So, if you don't mind, call me that, please!" She bowed to Noel quickly in an attempt to do a polite introduction.

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"You're so pretty," Seika squeaked out, blinking at Sweetie in awe. "Just like Noel! I don't know why you say she's not a cutie. I think he's really pretty! He has such a cool laugh. I wanna be a skeleton someday! Then I can have a big cape like his. And... and stuff. Cool stuff!" She nodded emphatically and then realized that another individual had made an appearance, or at least, she could hear their voice. The area was still pretty dark, and her eyesight wasn't spectacular or enchanted or anything, so Seika couldn't technically see the origin of the voice, but... it sounded neat! Since, the person who said something had "Sir" in their name.

"Okay, I'll follow you! I wanna see a puppy!" Seika responded quickly to Sweetie, and cooperated happily, allowing herself to be dragged further into the unknown underground city. "Um, so what is this place? It looks cool! But it smells really funny, you know? Like, I was outside, and I almost wanted to hold my nose. Cause it stunk. But nothing attacked me, so I think the stinkiness is good luck!" Seika said thoughtfully.

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"Elysium? That's so pretty! Just like Noel, and Sweetie, and- Oh my god, Noel's laughing again!! Aahh, so cute!" Seika immediately became side tracked upon hearing the skeleton's adorable cackle, as she could think of nothing else. Distracted, she barely noticed they were walking into a better-lit area until all of a sudden a booming voice smacked her straight in the face, rattling through her eardrums and head.

"It's nice to meet you, Mister!" she had completely missed the name he had given, but it seemed like that didn't really matter anyway, because surprise! There was a puppy! Just like Sweetie said, the bestest puppy in the world! "Oh my god, are you Lupa? You're so pretty! Who's a good pupper? You're a good pupper!" She hugged the wolflike animal before going to kneel down to better pet her. Unfortunately, it turned out that she had already been the perfect height to be licked by Lupa while standing up, so upon reaching the ground she stared up at the summon with surprise.

"Woah, you're a big girl, aren't you? Yeah you are! The bestest puppy in the world! Aww, are you giving me kisses? Here, you have some kisses!" In reply to being slobbered over on the face, Seika rubbed her head affectionately against Lupa and then gave her a kiss on the side of her head. "Mwah! You're the best pupper in the world, aren't you? You're so cute! Almost cuter than Noel! I wonder if I can be like you someday? Wait, can you understand me? How do I get wings like yours? Can you fly with them?"

She was so engrossed in asking Lupa questions and snuggling and petting her that she failed to register anything the others were talking about until Lupa barked and she pouted at the wolf summon. "What's wrong, girl? Are you hungry? I have snacks if you want them!" Seika dug into her sweater pockets and pulled out a bag of chips. She tore it open and then held the open bag in front of Lupa's snout, blinking at her with curiosity. "I don't like this flavor as much, but it's okay! They still taste really good!"

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”Lupa’s thing!~” Seika laughed and mimicked the wolf summon as she barked at Odhran. ”Woof woof! So cute, Lupa, you’re the cutest pupper!” Beaming, she clapped her hands as Lupa wagged her tail and began to drift above the ground just a little bit. ”Woah, you really can fly! Such a cutie pie! Yeah, do you like the chips? I’m so glad!” She buried her face in Lupa’s fur and gave her a fierce hug. Really, Seika wanted a pet. For a while she had been considering getting a cat, especially after that experience with her escape from the Pergrande Kingdom, but now a dog or larger animal was looking more and more appealing. The idea of getting to play with an oversized puppy everyday was absolutely a lure for the peachy haired girl.

Briefly, Seika glanced up as the soft thud of Atsuai’s landing resounded gently. ”Woah… you’re… you’re so pretty. Are you a goddess?” She gaped at the summon, not even registering her questions in favor of instead staring at her with awe and wonder. ”You remind me of um, I don’t know.” Utterly lost for words, Seika just blinked more as she continued to pet Lupa absentmindedly, still wondering how on earth someone like Atsuai existed.

”What Lupa said?” Seika barely caught what they were all saying, as she was much more focused on how soft the summon’s fur was and how warm she felt. ”Lupa is a good girl! I bet whatever Lupa says is good too. Only, what is she saying? How come I can’t hear her? I hear her barking, though… so cute!” She pressed her face against Lupa’s fur again and snuggled happily. For a moment (or more like a few) Seika completely ignored everything going on around her and just breathed in the air. It wasn’t an altogether pleasant environment, a little bit dank and with a heavy feeling lingering in the air, but somehow, with the lights and the feeling of softness against her skin, it felt comfortable. Warm. Safe. Seika hadn’t experienced this kind of feeling in a while, and she was content to just remain hugging Lupa for as long as she was allowed.

Apparently, that wasn’t a very long time. She squeaked as suddenly she was lifted up. Instead of complaining, she simply blinked in confusion and wiggled a tad bit as she was picked up. Upon realizing that it was Noel and she could see Lupa better from up here, she let out a noise similar to a quiet cheer. ”Ahh! I’m flying! Lupa, look, can you see me? Noel is like a- a- ohh,” when she was placed on Lupa’s back, the situation clicked in her mind and she clapped her hands excitedly. ”Lupa, can I ride you? Oh my gosh, wait, you look so cute! I wish I could take a picture of you… wait, hold still for a second? Pleeease?” She dug into her pockets and pulled out a disposable camera, holding it up to her face and aiming it at the wolf summon with her snout adorably stuck into the bag of chips. ”This has got to be the best day of my life. Lupa is the bestest!” She finished taking the picture and waved to Noel, Atsuai, Sweetie, Ami, and the other summons from her position atop Lupa.

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Lupa was such a good pupper! Honestly, she deserved all the compliments in the world, Seika thought affectionately as she patted the summon's neck, her head being a bit too far away for her to reach from that position sitting on her back. It was just so much fun listening to all of these people talk that she decided not to interrupt them for a little bit, instead giggling when Noel laughed again. Ahh, his laugh really was just so cute, she couldn't help but laugh along with him. Combined with his glorious cape and appearance, Seika was more than ready to idolize him. And hopefully nobody would get her started on Atsuai, because, she barely registered what she was saying, only that her mouth was moving and that her beauty was absolutely breathtaking. Eventually however, the words made their way through her ears and into her brain and she comprehended them.

"I would love to see your part of the world, Atsuai! I've always wanted to visit different realms... I heard it's super cool," she nodded sagely, but inwardly was still absolutely out of the loop and had no idea what she was agreeing to or proposing. When Amaluuk said not to listen to her, Seika blinked in further confusion before shrugging and going back to petting Lupa. Apparently Amaluuk was jealous. Well, the peachy haired girl understood that; after all, who wouldn't be jealous of Atsuai? She got to play with Lupa all day! And she was so super nice and friendly and she could do cool tricks like jumping over that railing! Although, Seika guessed, all of them could play with Lupa... but still, it was pretty cool. The girl wondered where Lupa even came from. She wanted to ask her, but, honestly, she didn't speak whatever canine language the summon seemed to be barking in, and it could be rude to inquire about someone else's history at a first meeting, too. What was that saying again? Don't ask about the past of cats and hackers? Despite the fact that Lupa didn't seem very cat like, Seika supposed it still applied...

Oh, it seemed that she had blanked out momentarily. All of a sudden, Seika snapped out of her daydream to find a stranger with his arm apparently around her, talking away at her at a mile a minute. She blinked at him curiously and didn't say a word, still slightly dazed, until he materialized a camera and then gave it to her. "Ehh? For me? And you said you have pictures already on there... thank you, Mister, that's very kind of you! And pictures of Lupa? That's perfect! Let's take Lupa on lots of dates, okay? I want to take Lupa on a date!" Dating Lupa sounded like a great idea. Being around her 24/7 and being able to take the wolf summon everywhere was a perfect plan in Seika's mind. She didn't even know what dating was, except it meant that the daters were around each other a lot, like best friends, so, this seemed perfect. "Do you think if I fold one thousand origami cats, I could fold enough of each color that there will be a rainbow, and my wish will come true through the rainbow?"

She watched with wide eyes as Amaluuk pulled the stranger away, and she clapped and laughed slightly when Lupa and Ami had another one of their bark and interwoven talking conversations. Lupa was honestly such a cutie. Seika wistfully thought about the possibilities if she could understand and talk to Lupa herself. Quickly, though, she was distracted from those considerations by the sudden movement of the two of them. It was gentle, but it came as a surprise to Seika anyway. She ran her tongue along her teeth as she stared at Od.... Oddie... with mild interest, her fingers still threading their way over and over again through Lupa's pelt. "Wow, what's this, Mister?" Seika accepted the gift with interest and then held the card up to the light with her free hand before turning to him and saying, "Thank- oh!" Apparently there was no need to thank the man, since he already knew what he was doing was awesome. That was great! It meant that he was happy, right? "You really are awesome! Um, what's this?" The last few words were a bit muffled, since she had just caught the treat with her mouth and was holding it gingerly but securely. "Mmph, it, it smells good," she tried to get a better sniff while still holding it in her teeth and not having any free hands. While she wanted to bite down, Seika worried about the rest of it falling out of her mouth if she did try to do that.

2724 Words (5022 Total) -5000 for B-Rank Free Form, 22 New Total

Resetting WC for a new job

Seika blinked up at Arnaluuk, her expression wide with curiosity. "Bother what? You shouldn't ever do things that are a bother! That means they aren't fun, and if they aren't going to be good for you, what's the point?" She told the spirit as she reached carefully towards the spirit's face, almost making grabby hands. The expression across the woman's face was just so... she couldn't describe it, but it was sad. And Seika didn't like that.

Luckily, it seemed like Scorpio was ready to give her lots of love! Seika cheered and clapped when he gave her half of a hug, and as Lupa barked, Seika barked too. It was great. She wished she could shapeshift into a dog, but maybe that would come later? There was hope of anything, really. She nodded again as if understanding what Ami and Atsuai were saying, but in reality, she was lost deeply in her thoughts about possibly turning into a flying wolf some day. If that ended up being the case, she could fly with Lupa- just like Lupa! And it felt nice to fly... her head was warm. Just then, Seika realized that her head was warm because Atsuai was laying her hand on her head. "You're warm," she told her blatantly, tilting her head up a little bit, not looking straight up but at an angle just enough where she could barely see the spirit's arm. "Um, I love your family! I won't run away! Unless we're playing tag. Or if you tell me you're going to kill me. I might have to run away then, because, I don't know if I would actually die? But I think you're super beautiful, so, you wouldn't kill me, right?" Seika thought about the situation out loud, finally coming to the conclusion that this place was absolutely safe.

Sweetie was giving some suggestions that seemed to be absolutely wonderful. Clothes? And what else was she about to say? Armor? Seika was utterly obsessed with any kind of wearable... stuff, and she grew even more excited at the idea. "Really?? That would be amazing! I- Lupa! Oh my gosh, you're so adorable. Do you want the treat?" The girl had literally just figured out how to talk around the bite, but she spat it out of her mouth into the palm of her hand, the one that wasn't busy holding the amazing extraordinary limited time trading card. Which she would treasure forever, by the way. But uh, regardless of that, Seika put out her hand, holding the little bite out for Lupa. "Here you go girl! Best pupper!" She smiled at the wolf summon and laughed easily when Noel talked about Lupa not being a cat and- Ami? Being aware of that fact. "But everyone is a cat! I'm a cat too," she said proudly, glad that she had figured out by now that everyone was secretly from the feline family, thanks to Ami. Now she just had to figure out how to shapeshift and regain her cat form. But Seika was soon distracted from those thoughts yet again by Noel's laugh, which she couldn't help but squeal at. It was futile to resist the cuteness.

Atsuai seemed to be saying something again, but Seika just could not focus on it or comprehend even a single bit of it, because the spirit's face was so close to her own. "Oh my gosh, so pretty..." she breathed, blinking at her face with awe. When Atsuai also made a short laughing sound, Seika almost vibrated with happiness. She was just so cool; Seika definitely wanted to be friends with Atsuai and visit her in her... where had she asked her to see before? The girl was having trouble remembering. Fortunately, it seemed like there was no time to worry about that now, since suddenly she was peppered with origami animals from above. Bending down to pick one of them up, Seika eyed it for a moment before deciding that it was a swan. "Wow, Mister, um," here Seika completely had forgotten his name and stumbled over the correct address before continuing on valiantly, "I really love your swans! You are, um, super great!" She applauded genuinely, accidentally dropping the trading card in the process but quickly noticing and dropping to her knees to grab it. "Ah, oops! Sorry Mister," she apologized to the image on the card, which had landed face down.

"A date with you?" Seika tapped her finger against her chin as she thought about Scorpio's words. "Okay, let's have a day where we go shopping for presents for Lupa! And maybe we can buy Sweetie some clothes?" It sounded like a great idea! A friend had once told her that dates were for playing together or going outside together. Seika thought shopping at an outdoor mall or center sounded like a lot of fun. Play dates with Lupa were her first priority, of course, but she was sure that she could fit shopping time with Scorpio in there somewhere! Did she even have a schedule again? While considering all of this, Seika once again completely ignored everything the spirits were talking about. The human looking man was also babbling away, and Seika stared at him hard, not listening to anything he said for the most part but instead just observing him. He wasn't that much taller than her, she decided with satisfaction. He also didn't look super old. Therefore, he would make a great friend! "Join you?" She caught the last part of what he was saying. "Yeah! Let's be friends! Hug on it!" Seika held out her arms in a 'hug me' sort of way. "I say aye!" She told Noel happily as well, extending her arms even wider. "Noel! Hug!" Seika demanded. She tried to put on the most serious, insistent face possible, but it was difficult thanks to Noel's absolutely adorable laugh.

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Seika waved goodbye cheerfully to Arnaluuk. She would miss the woman! Still, it was going to be fun with everyone else regardless. The mage wanted to go over to the small crystals that the spirit had dropped on her way out, but she was distracted by Atsuai. "Okay! I won't worry! Cold is good, I like cold things!" Fire and hot things were much better, of course, but Seika didn't judge! After all, she liked to sleep in cold places. They could be really nice, and relaxing. Suddenly, she was disrupted when Lupa tackled her friend to the ground. Pouting, Seika went to try and hug Atsuai, when Noel began speaking. Naturally, she gravitated towards him, listening intently.

Even if the girl was more focused on how adorable he was than the actual words that came out of his mouth, her focus was definitely on the skeletal spirit. "Yay!" She began clapping as the humanie man waved around his limbs. Seika could not understand a word that was being said, particularly because she did not want to. However, Noel was laughing, and that was a good enough reason to give a round of applause. That gray haired guy was pretty cool, and smiley and stuff, but Seika was more interested in Lupa and the spirits. Even when he began talking, and talking, and talking, the girl barely paid him any attention. Sure, her eyes were on his face, but she was blinking blankly as he went on about uh... something. Lupa barked, and the girl pushed up her glasses, reaching over to scratch the summon on her back.

"You are the cutest puppy ever!" She cheered. Suddenly, she noticed a picture blink into existence. Oohing and aahing, Seika reached up to touch it, but her fingers passed right through. "Aww... she made a noise of disappointment, before her eyes widened when the hologram like thing began to shift colors, changing more than several times per second. "Um... woah..." trying to tear herself away from the gradients, Seika barely caught the last part of his words. Just tell him where she wants her markers to be? And in what colors? She wanted markers in all colors, so that she could use them anywhere and draw any picture! "Rainbow! I want it to be that shiny silver color where when the light hits it it turns into all of the colors," she beamed at the idea of a single marker that she could use to color something all of the different hues at once. That would be such a useful marker! It was so nice of the... oh, she forgot his name again. But it was so nice of the man to give her a free marker that had universal color options like that! Um... as for where she wanted it to be... she wanted to use it! Seika stuck out her arm expectantly, waiting for him to hand her the marker he had promised.

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