[spoiler]This one I'm not as much a fan of. It takes place after a shitty RP event I ran during a shitty series I was mostly improvising based off a vague idea for an overall shitty plot. Ann thought she was real but she was just another magic soul clone, I do still like the perpetual existential crisis shtick. The real deal is dead, she did a magic wrong and exploded. All these kiddos grew from the pieces. Oh, spoilers! [/spoiler]
The [i]Winter's Breath[/i] crashes through waves as the city grows smaller on the horizon with the sun setting behind it. Scylla passes the wheel to her second and descends the stares, inspecting her crews work before entering her cabin and locking the door behind her.
It's a cozy room cluttered with various odd trophies from adventures and expeditions. Opposite the door before the windows sits an ornate desk with a small bed to one side and a chest to the other. In the center is a large circular table with several maps scattered about. Here Ann sits facing the door, jacket slung across the back of her chair and sleeve rolled up as she cleans the wound in her shoulder.
"What exactly did you shoot me with?" Ann inquires, voice wavering. Scylla notes her hands are unsteady as she plucks the bullet out with two long nails.
"Nothing special, just a bullet," Scylla shrugs and grabs a small music box from a shelf, twists the crank, and sets it in the center of the table. A subtle wave of magic pulses from the box as the music plays and Ann's ruby eyes narrow.
"An anti magic field. Interesting."
"A useful tool for interrogating witches and preventing any mystical eavesdropping." Scylla draws her pistol and points it at Ann once again.
"You leeches usually heal faster from wounds like that," she says with a smile, "So let's you tell me what the Hell's is going on or I'll shoot your other shoulder and have you keel hauled."
What little color Ann had upon her pale face fades away and her eyes widen, "I am not who-"
"I know who you are, mum would'a just killed everyone there, but that don't mean I'm taking chances with the real deal. So why were you following me?"
"Well," Ann pulls her sleeve down, "I was looking for a ship to take me across the ocean when I came upon this one, my ship!"
"Not anymore love."
"So it seems. I saw you giving commands before departing and intended to talk to you there and then, but I saw Melinoe watching from an alley. So I shadowed her as she shadowed you."
"Now explain her deal."
"Ah, she wants to kill me an-"
"Who doesn't, why's she after me?"
"It's related, we're related!" Ann moves to stand and Scylla raises the pistol in warning to keep her seated, "She wants to kill all those of my blood to prevent the Shadow from escaping."
"Pff, 'Shadow,' so spooky!"
"Saying its name could summon an aspect of it into your mind."
"Oh. Well how about Sally instead? More insulting, yeah?"
"I suppose?"
"Yeah, it's Sally now," eyeing Ann's fangs, Scylla grins to flex her rows of shark like teeth, "Right so Melly wants Sally dead and to do that she's gonna take us all out?"
"I- yes? I think?"
"And you think your friends back there can handle her?"
"I think they fair better than either of us, especially after you shot me."
"Yeah about your bleeding all over my cabin, what's that about?"
"I'm not sure," suddenly self conscious, Ann starts gathering bloody rags, "I've felt weak since I awoke. I believe the shards of the orb were feeding upon me as I slept."
"You sure do love gabbing, huh? Telling me all your secrets and vulnerabilities," Scylla holsters her pistol and leans over the table, "Avoid that in the future, others would take advantage of it."
"I thought I'd closed this chapter of my life." Scylla sighs and rubs her scaly forehead, "Well then, where ya headed and how much ya got?"
Reaching for her satchel, Ann produces a small pouch and a folded map then tosses them onto the table. Scylla looks to her own maps and compares.
"Bout a month of travel, we'll need to make a stop for supplies," Scylla opens the pouch and pours the gems and coins out, "I guess this'll do. Fine, I'll help you out. After that I'm sticking to the depths."
English
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I think I remember the RP this was for. It's a nifty exposition dump, but it is kinda just an exposition dump, followed by a cliffhanger, so there's not too much to say about it. I haven't seen Scylla much, so this is kinda my first impression of her, and she seems pretty nifty. Very nonchalant about all the spooky evil things going on, and that's kinda fun!
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Yeah, there was going to be more to it but then other stuff happened and I dropped that plot line entirely. I think the second half was going to shift perspective to Melinoa being interrogated by some SCP types as a nod to Dr False, with a reveal that they have one of the other magic soul clones in custody. Then Melinoa would smile, hopefully implying that she wanted to be taken so she could get to them. That would also have led to another big event at a seemingly abandoned asylum!
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I like soul clones. They’re always really fun! I remember I enjoyed Melinoe as a villain, too, even though I didn’t see her too much.