RP:A Twisted Tale of Traded Tails

Faux Twilight Cavern

Satoshi sits on the eastern banks of the cavern's lake a short distance from the gathering of graves. Across the kit's lap as well as scattered around her are a variety of papers covered in runes, papers she's carefully examining while she chews absently on the end of her raven-feather quill. The light from the wisps of holy fire sheathing the fluorite headstones serves well to provide easy reading, even if Satoshi didn't have innate night-vision already. Grumbling suddenly, the magus scratches out a rune with the quill and scratches a rough, vaguely similar one beside it before once more inspecting the complex pattern she's developing.

Svilfon had decided today would be the day he hunts down the snow queen. He'd left her alone following the news Aurelia was slain, knowing she would be surrounded in those offering condolences, and knowing too she would be resolute in remaining steadfast to her role as the leader of Frostmaw. But today was different, he was sure. So with a jovial whistle that contrasts against the now-solemn room, Svil enters the cave. He spends just a moment staring around, taking in the changes as his whistles fades, before he wanders over to Satoshi and sits down beside her. Taking one look at what she's doing he shakes his head, before pointing, "Lady icicle... Over -then- under. Doing it that way won't work." In truth, he isn't entirely sure what he's looking at. But she didn't need to know that.

Satoshi has a sneaking suspicion the wizard isn't entirely sure what he's commenting on, but if he's anything, he's a lucky bastard, and luck would just so have it he's (unwittingly?) pointed out a fatal flaw in the formula. "Aha~," the kit chirps, hurriedly crossing out the string of glyphs Svilfon's pointed at and remakes the line with his suggestion. Although the piece is far from finished, Satoshi sets the pile down at this point, tucks the quill into her hair--once the ink's been frozen, and turns to look at the wizard with the ghost of a smile. "You always show up at just the right moment, don't you? Really could have made a fantastic knight, if you hadn't taken the magic route. Although... not sure how your dragonish wife would approve of that..."

Svilfon nods his head sagely as she makes the suggested changes. His suspicion that Satoshi knows the truth is hidden beneath a whispering smile that just briefly flashes his gaps and fangs to the snow queen, before he speaks again. "It's an old hunter's trick." Not that he was ever a hunter. "And what do you mean could have?!" A rather scrawny chest is puffed out then, before the wizard speaks in a deep, knightly (he hopes) voice, "I am a wizard-knight!" He grins, before tipping his hat, "And I think considering these," he points at rather pointy fangs, "her approval over my profession is the least of my worries." He snickers quietly, refraining from asking what she's doing, not wanting to betray the fact he has no idea, before he speaks again. "How are you, lady icicle?"

Satoshi retrieves the quill from her hair so that it can be used to jab the wizard in his knightly chest. "Here, strutting crow, you lost a feather," she adds playfully, even as her ears twitch to catch his words before she makes to respond with a smile that doesn't entirely reach her eyes--albeit, the haunted notes have receded to mere ghostly remnants by now. "Well enough, wizard." A pause, then, "-Knight. And what of you? I don't think we've had a proper time since running into that Eboric fellow in the ruins." Speaking the barbarian's name causes Satoshi to involuntarily glance toward her paperwork as a slight frown crosses her expression.

Svilfon snickers again, the irony of Satoshi calling anyone a strutting crow is too much even for him. His laugh is rich with good humour; rare as it is for sadness to linger long in the wizard's mind. If he notices the smile failing to reach her eyes, he makes no mention of it. She'd be smiling properly soon enough! It was vacation time. "No, we've not. I've been... preparing for something I think you can help me with. And yes, Eboric. I hear he's been doing well in the fights..." For just a moment the wizard pauses - that was a mystery he'd not yet solved - before he carries on in his usual jovial tones, "But that's for another day, queen of frost and snow. You and I have things to do today!" He stands then with a wide grin on his face. "Though, it'll mean you leaving Frostmaw..."

Satoshi glances between the wizard and her papers repeatedly before, with a feigned reluctance, she gathers up the scraps into a single neat pile to be stowed in her satchel. Rising to her feet then, the kit offers Svilfon a grin that's a tad more genuine. "In all honesty, I'd love to escape for a bit. Tournaments, nuisances, assassins, oathmakers, and," her voice hardens faintly here, "dragons, have me decidedly worn out. I'd ask what 'things' you have in store, but so long as it serves as a break from this chaos, I don't -care- what they are."

Svilfon grins brightly at those words. This was the Satoshi he remembered! "I cannot quite promise a break from the chaos..." The wizard would probably be the high priest to any chaos gods, if such existed, "But I can promise a break from... this." He waves his hand in an excited gesture, taking in all of the cave and Frostmaw beyond. "I have prepared for it, though..." He doesn't quite mention he'll be teleporting them to the location... he'd leave that as a surprise. The wizard steps back a pace, before beginning to mutter a quiet spell. The words layer over themselves in convoluted patterns, before he points out to the entrance to the cave. In the distance it seems Satoshi is walking with a purpose to an unknown goal. It was an illusionary spell that would fail miserably at close inspection, but designed to always remain far away, it'd fool those who are in Frostmaw into thinking she was still around. "There, no one will know... Are you ready, lady icicle?" Those words are unconsciously ominious coming from the wizard, but he does manage a bright smile in their wake... not that that probably helps!

Satoshi's whiskers give an involuntary twitch as the illusion is cast and promptly inspected, the kit's head tilting to one side to try and get a better view despite the distance of the spell--as much to examine the wizard's handy work as to admire an image of herself. Yes, those tails certainly look sleek enough to pass for a doppleganger. At least at a distance. A true admirer of the fox would undoubtedly spot the flaws.... Or so Satoshi is telling herself as she glances sidelong at Svilfon with a fanged grin. "I'm ready, yes."

Svilfon grins at the almost tangible feeling of vanity coming from the snow queen, before he steps forward, wraps his arms around her, and without waiting for her to accept an invitation unasked, he enacts his teleportation spell. For Svilfon, the teleporting trips are usually quick and... somewhat uneventful. But the wizard has never before attempted it with someone so closely tied to contrasting element of ice. Yes, he'd been practicing teleporting around large chunks of the frozen stuff all about Frostmaw, but it was poor preparation for the real thing... He was determined, though; it would work... Waves of fire twist and dance before his pale eyes, before the two vanish from the cave in a large cloud of steam. At first the wizard thinks it's worked fine, for he can sense both himself and the snow queen have arrived in a dry desert and thankfully not in the middle of some sort of fireball, as he'd feared... yet something is wrong... his face is itchy, his ears seem pointy, his back has... fluff? And why, in the name of Sven's balls, is it so damn cold?! Turning awkwardly in a circle he notices he is now possessed of some rather vulpine tails, three white, one black, and are those... whiskers... Oh no! Hands lift to a face far prettier than they're used to and for a moment all he can do is stare wide eyed, before he plomps onto the ground, his ears drooping low in a rather dejected fashion. He looks up to see before him a man wearing the most beautiful of all wizardly hats, some fur lined robes, and are those... gaps in his... oh gods... A sing-song voice comes from the kit-wizard, "Lady Ici... wait... Pointy-hat... no... Sviltoshi!" He pauses there for a moment, deciding that name might only make things worse, "I think something went wrong." He can't help his ears from drooping just a little lower, so much so it seems even his whiskers fall. "Sven's balls, I hope I don't keep mirrors in those robes..." He is quite sure the sight of her as him would cause her to panic so much she exploded... and in the body of Svilfon, that is a very real possibility! This was not going to plan at all...

Somewhere in the Venturil wastelands

Satoshi feels... incredibly off balance. As if the soles of her boots are far taller than they should be, putting her at a height and angle she's unaccustomed to. Not to mention she can't seem to stop herself from leaning forward, there seeming to be a serious lack of weight counterbalancing her from the other side. Who knew tails were so vital? Attempting to cease the imbalance, Satoshi takes a step and finds herself suddenly pitching forward and, without thought, she flails her arms in a futile move to stop her headlong crash into the sand. It's while she's falling that she realizes she just moved -both- arms, and that involuntary yelp she voiced is... most definitely not her melodious voice. A dreadful feeling of foreboding creeps up Satoshi's spine then, weighty enough to keep her from righting her fallen self as she mutters into the sand, "....-what- did you do?" Some instinct tells her she just should not look.

Svilfon meeps! "I... I mean..." His voice becomes higher in pitched, yet still remains euphoniously meloudious. "You were supposed..." He is going to go on, before he feels a rather strange feeling dancing around inside his robes... like tiny feet were stepping over his flesh. He begins to squirm and giggle, while trying to remain serious, before the tiny head of Aeron pops out from the top of Satoshi's rather snazzy coat. It takes one look at Svil and Satoshi, before leaping from the woman's body and scurrying the distance over to Svil's, apparently to see what's going on. Svil-as-Satie takes this time to squeel, "I can fix this!" He spends a moment looking around, before trying to lift his hands up to his face... but only one seems able to work. "We... I know where we are!" He grins brightly at that, flashing fangs and pearly teeth in equal measure... "We can fix this!"

Satoshi finally stops impersonating an ostrich when Aeron's cold, tiny nose jabs itself into her ear. At least, she assumes that's her ear, as it's a fair bit lower than where hers are typically located. But dammit! Cold is... -cold-! Squawking in objection to the unusual sensation, the vampire flails backwards out of the sand, and right back onto it a moment later in a sprawl, panting. It's too damned hot to move so much. And no ice in her veins to keep her cool, either. What cruel fate. While the kit-turned-wizard stares blankly up at the sky she finds her vision clouded by the ermine's face, beady black eyes peering down at her with an amused twinkle. "...You shut up, or I'll skin you and put you in a stew." Satoshi at least approves of the fact that threats sound a fair deal more 'threat-ish' when the words don't come out as lyrics. She listens to Svil-... toshi as he yammers on, unable to resist a grumbled, "Do I really sound so squeaky..?"

Svilfon stops his yammering as Satie speaks. He composes himself for a moment, before adopting a regal air from his spot on the ground... he wasn't yet brave enough to attempt movement. "I am Satoshi, queen of Frostmaw!" The words sound quite daunting, mixed as they are with the lyrical tones always present in the frost singer's voice. "And I will freeze your blood within your body, before feeding you to a mighty sabretooth!" He could get used to this, he thinks! Until he remembers a certain Kensai who would tear him into tiny pieces if he discovered he was married to... Svilfon... With a musical 'ahem', the wizard attempts to stand. He staggers backwards, unused to the weight, and having only one hand to flail with certainly doesn't help! Before he over lurches forward, twisting his tails almost around themselves as they seek a degree of balance, until finally he plants his feet a little way from each other and remains still. With a nod that has an almost-as-wonderful-hat flopping down a touch, he speaks again. "Don't tell Kasyr about this..."

Satoshi levels a particularly frosty look at the wizard-in-her-clothing, quite a feat when she lacks the actual frost behind the gaze, and abruptly reaches down to tug at the robes gathered around her--his?--waist in a rudely suggestive gesture. "I am NOT telling him about THIS! But you better fix this fast, wizard. -Please-." The last word is almost desperate in tone, the kit on the brink of tears at seeing someone else sporting her wonderful features. While a tearful Satoshi is generally a sight considering both disarming and cute, it doesn't quite carry over on Svilfon's face, the expression likely to be dubbed pathetic or similar to a beaten dog's. (Or at least that's Satoshi's opinion, but she's slightly bitter right now).

Svilfon waves his hand about in a calming gesture as Satoshi's eyes begin to well with the beginning of tears. "But look!" He strikes a slightly awkward pose, having still not gotten used to those fluffy additions on his back. "Look how pretty I am! You are... I am..." He waves his hand again, giving up on working it out. He gives a little turn, before concentrating enough to give those whiskers a little twitch in a rather calming and altogether adorable fashion. "You can admire yourself as we -all- admire you... while I ensure we are were we are. It'll just take one moment." He grins again, before beginning to speak a spell in a voice quite different from usual... but the words die out. The first gesture was to bring both his thumbs together, and that wasn't happening... "Sven's balls, who needs a spell! We are in... southern Venturil, deep in the desert. I can hear the roar of a dinosaur." He twitches his ears. "So we are close, lady fireball, to where I wanted to go." Making the most of his newly acquired lyrical voice, he speaks the words of the poem that lead him there. "In the heart of the desert, surrounded by sand, lies the fallen man's temple, risen like a hand. Within its halls, guarded by hoards, lays the man's last gift, the Ularian orb." He nods, "That will fix us! Let's go." He extends a gloved hand, trying to ignore how freakin' freezing it is - no wonder she's the queen of snow - and offers it to himself.. her.. "It's not far!" He has no idea, but that's never stopped him before!

Satoshi gazes sullenly at the offered hand until she decides to sit up on her own, forcing Aeron to slide unceremoniously into her lap. "You'll fall over if it tried to help me up," she explains as she struggles to her feet, privately thankful for the use of two hands to aid in the tricky method of balance granted to humans. Aeron has since scurried up the robes to adopt a place on shoulders broader than she's used to, and seems content to glance between the swapped pair with a mixed look. Once Sato...fon? What a horrible name combination! Sviltoshi is much cuter! Anyway~, once the vampire (hah, that works) is relatively balanced and standing, she scrutinizes her stolen body closely, while speaking to the wizard harbored in it, "I swear if you break anything, I'm going to do that and worse to your own." She might be just a hint cranky, but who can blame her in this heat?

Svilfon nods their head in a calming motion, fighting off the desire to sneeze - he blames the whiskers - before letting Sviltoshi get to her feet. "You can trust me! What's the worst that could..." He grows a little paler after saying that; in light of their past, probably not the best thing to say. "I'll treat it like my own... No wait!" He looks about, tails contently swishing, "I'll not break anything. I promise." With a grin at the (wo)man, (s)he lays his hand on her shoulder and relaxes a touch, sending what he hopes is a nice cooling sensation into the wizard's body. He really has no idea how this ice stuff works, but what he does know is it's super nifty. Maybe he should delay fixing this... One look at the lady fireball, apparently reading his thoughts, sends this idea vanishing in a puff of smoke, before he turns rather gracefully - how did he ever live without tails? - and begins to walk off into the distance. "Not far, queen of... fire and ash?" He should stop pushing these things, he thinks. "We'll be back to normal in no time!" At least he can take some solace in the fact he couldn't have planned a more potent diversion from her problems if he'd tried.

Satoshi unsteadily follows after herself--if that isn't a disconcerting thought, having taken some heart in that brief presence of her beloved frost. Still, it's not enough to stop her from narrowing her eyes at the back of her covenmate's head before remarking, "Keep those up, and Kasyr won't be the only one known as ashen~." Oh yes, she totally just tried to sing-song words with the wizard's voice. It may not sound like her usual words, but Sparkles the Songstress does not disappoint completely! "What is this Orb you mentioned, anyway? I don't think I've heard of i- GAH! No! Bad fire!" Frantically the kit-wizard flails her arm in an attempt to shake off the flames licking at her sleeve like so many eager kittens being shown a fish. Apparently she got curious and decided to see if she could tap into Svilfon's magics as she is.

Svilfon was quite contently walking along acting all graceful. The fact he's in a desert and freezing cold is drowned beneath his excitement. "Keep up the threats, and it'll be me who tells Kasyr about you trying to... defrost me in the bedroom." He's sure she's aware he'd sacrifice his own body to a beating to win. The kit-wizard turns, then, and flashes a biggest smile he can as Satie; he'd stick out his tongue in a childish gesture, but those bloody annoying things get in his way... teeth! He's glad to be rid of them. "It apparently can heal any wound, or could... I am sure this qualifies! It was..." He's about to continue the explanation, when he sees Satoshi set his body on fire. "I'll save you!" Attempting a more violent version of his earlier touching, he focuses on the elemental ice that flows through Satoshi's veins and hums a rather lyrical tune. Triumph!- He thinks as he feels the ice collecting... but it doesn't stop collecting... it builds around his body until he's standing in the powerful armour she so often uses, and all that is heard is a faint, "Sven's balls..." before the structure of Satie-ice falls onto its back. How does she do these things?!

Satoshi gives her (his) hand a final shake before the fires burn out, having no fuel to devour in that flame-proof material. Sighing in relief, the wizardly kit glances toward her would-be savior and simply stares a moment. "You can't direct it with command only, y'know. It's all here," she gives her chest a tap near a beatless heart they both share, "It gets stubborn otherwise. And... it might know you're not me? Your fire tried to eat me just now, after all. Now then...." Leaning forward, she peers down at the trapped wizard-turned-fox with lips pressed in a thin, faintly curved line. "Ask it nicely to let you go~. And let's go find this thing that'll fix us. I've got sand in uncomfortable places, and I -really- don't want to have to clean it out as you."

Svilfon flashes a rather Svilfon-esque grin at the lady fireball, before half nodding his head within the prison of ice. To control the fire that burns through him requires command, strength; it's part of the reason the disorientation of teleporting often sets it off. The wizard controls it with sheer willpower, driving it to do what he needs... but her ice was different, he should have seen. Lids shut over amber-flecked eyes, before the wizard asks -nicely- for the ice to melt. He feels the frozen power seeming to accede to a wish honestly asked for, and slowly the kit-wizard is freed from the icy incarceration and left upon a patch of rather wet sand. It doesn't take him long to get to his feet, though. And with a nod to the queen after a thoughtful silence, he turns and begins to walk towards what is now but a small speck on the distant horizon. "We might have to fight our way in, queen." He figures that was the safest name to use. "Just be careful..." He turns and flashes her a crooked grin while his ears twitch about beneath the rim of his hat. "The fire sometimes demands a freedom that would level more than just our enemies... As Tiphareth learned." He gives a little shake, sending the tails twisting about, before carrying on their way.

Satoshi lifts her hands to stare at them while they walk as if she half-expects them to burst into flame out of the blue. No, after a moment's consideration, she won't be attempting to tap into Svilfon's brand of magic again, not when she has something far more useful that can't be taken away even when her body can be. Heeding the silent call, Asorial manifests into her hand (ugh, such a bare, furless, and clumsy thing it is) to reside there as a black-ice scythe glistening under the harsh sunlight. "I'll fight everything I have to, to set myself a-rights. If I can fight off Ishataulak with this, I can handle a few more hungry, flightless lizards." There's a decidedly Svil-ish fire burning in her eyes then, the disembodied magus utterly determined to return to herself and her beloved ice as quickly as possible.

Svilfon almost stops walking to stare at himself then. Where usually frosty determination would be found, there is the feisty fires burning. But he cannot be distracted by this. Instead he whispers a word to summon his Xalious wand. It appears beside him, where usually his right hand is, but considering the body he now possesses, all that happens is it ends up falling onto the sand. "You know, Satoshi-queen," he says this while he bends down to collect the powerful item. "I have a lot more respect for you after this." He nods and grins, before carrying on - not stopping until the two are behind a large sand dune. He crouches down, though it's kinda wasted when his tails remain flailing in the air behind him, before etching his way forward to peer over the sandy ridge. "All we gotta do is get into there, lady fireball." He turns to look at himself - was he always so fetching? Must be the undead thing. "How hard can it be?"

The Orb's Temple

Twisting out of the ground like a grotesque hand is a temple carved from a single piece of ebony. No life grows around the forsaken place, yet it is not as empty as it would seem. Ancient guardians, the inbred children of the original humans tasked to defend it, walk the hallowed halls, and a few stand in the blazing sun, armed with curved scimitars. All that's visible beneath the djellabas they wear are eyes that dance with maniacal insanity. For their life, their very existence, is bound to protect the Orb from any thief who seek to take it from this place of damnation... Though, it was not always so. Though rumored to be a large crystal, the orb is actually the skull of Doramir - a man who devoted his life to healing in a time when the world was drowning in war. When he was betrayed and slain, beheaded as he tried to save a fallen warrior, his skull was taken to this place and his followers bound themselves to protecting it. It is said it could heal any wound, though the truth of this myth has been lost to history... just like the original ideals of those who guard it, for there is little doubt evil stalks those halls... protecting in ignorance a relic of peace.

---

Satoshi follows her example--it's -her- body, shut up--and crouches down behind the dune while working to get a view of what Svilfon's indicating. The temple is a horrendous sight that sends shivers down even Satoshi's spine, the place oozing with malevolence, greed, and insanity. Oddly enough, however, Asorial seems to pulse as it senses the corrupt aura, the leylines coursing through its icy body flooded with a peculiar, unnatural black light--a light that doesn't so much as shine, as it seems to swallow all around it like an all-consuming void. Satoshi regards the weapon thoughtfully, "Hungry, huh?" Another shadow pulse ripples across the scythe's surface in response, causing its owner to glance toward Svilfon with a grim smirk, "Well then, let's go eat."

Svilfon is not entirely pleased with the image of that altogether feral smirk plastered across his own lips, while his hand holds a weapon he has an irrational dislike for. But when life is as confusing as these two make it, sometimes all you can do is offer a dainty one-armed shrug and nod in agreement. "Bet I can get more than you." With a crooked smile that he hopes would dazzle her with its sheer perfection (she was looking at herself after all), the kit-wizard gets to his feet and begins to stalk around the dune, moving so the sun is behind him in a bid to continue to obscure him from view. He waits just a moment, before humming a polite melody to the ice he hopes would serve him. Around the Xalious-wood wand, a small spear of ice solidifies into existence, having been drawn from whatever liquid was close enough. It wasn't exactly a formidable weapon, but now he was an older vampire, he wanted to see what he could do. (Don't worry, he'll protect her face!) With a snarl he begins to run forward. It's not quite as graceful as he'd like, running with one arm and tails isn't easy! (And she still beat him in their race!) But he wasn't to be shaken. He comes across the first guard, easily ducking beneath an altogether surprised swipe of the scimitar, before in one motion stabbing the man in the stomach while fangs snap into his neck. The warmth of blood tastes weird entering a frozen body, and the twang of maniacal servitude makes the meal more strange than enjoyable... but still, he'd gotten his first, and also, he'd later remind her, hadn't spilt a drop from his bite...

Satoshi huffs, the exasperated sigh not quite as cute coming from the wizard as it is when she does it herself, and begins to stalk after her stolen self. Asorial bounces with an almost maniacal delight upon her shoulder with every step--each slightly less awkward than the last as she begins to adapt slowly. In all honesty, Satoshi is more than happy to let Svilfon scurry ahead, maul the outside guards, and carve a path straight in the temple. Fighting with compromised balance -on sand- is not what she calls a good time, nor is Asorial interested in the guards themselves. It's what lurks in the building they want, that cacophony of malignant energy that whispers insidious promises of a satisfying meal. Nonetheless, that doesn't quite stop the kit-made-wizard or her murderous weapon from lashing out at a guard that charges them flailing his scimitar and screeching foreign obscenities, curses that are cut off mid-word when Asorial is sent cleaving through his skull with an almost lazy flick. Satoshi sidesteps the corpse then as it runs past her, its death having not yet informed the rest of the body, and she carries on after her wayward partner.

Svilfon stops to flash Sviltoshi an altogether feral look; no drops of blood are on his face, and only a few stain the teeth his tongue isn't used to having to clean. He was enjoying himself, damnit; their awkward fate wasn't enough to keep him from reverting to his usual jovial self. Few guards remain outside, it'd been a long time since anyone tried to enter here, and they are dispatched by the kit-wizard with a speed and strength he's not quite used to, but altogether liking. And those tails! He makes a silent promise to look into getting himself some - balance alone was worth having to deal with the fluff -, but that'd wait for another day. With a twitch of his whiskers and an excited twist of said tails, the vampire moves forward again, coming to doors that are entirely dried out in the desert heat. He is about to shove his shoulder into them, before he stops and turns to Sviltoshi. "Think you can... set them.. and just them!.. on fire?" He moves carefully away; whether she uses his magic or her weapon, it was going to be messy.

Satoshi eyes the doors, then her free hand, then Asorial, running the figurative numbers in her head before she too backs up to stand alongside her (shorter) partner in crime. "Wakey-wakey, temple~," she trills in a Sparkles-esque manner as the scythe is raised above her head--where it briefly knocks into that fantastic hat--and then promptly brought down in an executioner's slash. While the blade itself is embedded into the sand with the force of the swing, it's the crescent of raw energy propelled from Asorial by the motion that's desired as it's driven straight for the base of the temple doors with all due haste. The dried wood splinters under the force of the blow then, nearly cloven clear through and spraying shards everywhere, as the rest of the door shudders and groans in protest. Satoshi is far behind the blade of energy, having hefted Asorial up and promptly charged forward with shoulder lowered, fully intending on slamming into the weakened doors. While she'd never risk her much frailer self in such a tackle, Satoshi's fairly confident Svilfon's larger size and heavier build is more than adequate to slam open a pair of doors when fueled by vampiric speed and strength.

Svilfon would later remember to remind Satoshi of what he did next; the moment that powerful pulse of Asorial's energy slams into the door, he raises his hand holding the short spear up to her face and turns away, ensuring very carefully that not a single splintering shard comes close to marring it. He looks back in time to see himself charging head long at the doors, glad she's taking equal care of his body as he is hers, but considering not so long ago she saw him head butt a rather large bull, he's not all that surprised. It was a relative thing, after all. The wood, weakened already by Asorial's blast, splinters apart, opening up into a wide hall filled with cloth-covered men and women in the midst of praying to an engraved box set in a pedestal at the far end of the temple. Not wasting any time on the feeling of malignant energy that seems to whoosh out of the sealed building, Svil-as-Satie leaps in, twisting about with her small weapon, stabbing it into a face here, a stomach there, careful as he is not to let the swinging weapons come too close. Laughter begins to sound then; contrasting to the evil energy that twirls at the far end, it is musical in its free joviality; an almost tangible enjoyment made possible by the singing nature of Satoshi's magic. Blood sprays about, bodies slump to the ground, and it's not until so many have fallen their blood has melted his spear back to just a wand, that the kit-wizard, panting from the one armed exertion, turns to try and find his companion...

Satoshi, quite honestly, just sits back and watches the show, admiring the little whirlwind of destruction she could be with the simplest of weapons in hand. Oh yes, this wizard can definitely do the kit justice in mass-murder, there's no doubt about that. But while Satoshi might content to merely observe, the blood bath is far too inviting a thing for Asorial and vampiric senses, quickly drawing them in to join in the murderous little song and dance Svilfon has already started. A flick of the scythe across a stomach here, a burying of broad fingers in eyes there, a flash of fangs in neck every few steps, it's a macabre display Satoshi puts on with the wizard's body under her control and Asorial so eager to slay, facts that entwine to weave a state of dark delight on her mind. As she delves deeper into the battle-lust, Satoshi can feel the stirrings of the wizard's magic hidden within and, without thinking, she reaches out to take hold of it, feeling it writhe wildly against her grasp until claws sink in and enforce her frigid will to momentarily still it. Only for as long as it takes her to inhale deeply, face a handful of the remaining worshipers, and quite simply exhale, releasing the trapped magic along with the breath in a glorious burst of blue flames. A roar emits from the fires and they begin to shape themselves into the gaping maw of a dragon as they bear down on their target with fiery fangs, determined to envelope them all in one fell swoop. Whether she succeeds or not, Satoshi doesn't know, having stumbled to a knee in a half-faint from the sudden, unexpected exertion, with only Asorial there to keep her from falling flat on the wizard's face.

Svilfon cannot stop himself adopting a rather cute wide-eyed expression as the lady fireball puts her twist upon the magics that are buried deep within his body. Though he quietly considers himself a graceful dancer, never has he seen himself weave such pernicious destruction as when Satoshi was in control. The roaring dragon, a mixture of himself and her, bears down on those guards with odious intent. Their fate is sealed as a cavernous maw that seems to open in the fires of hell itself consumes them with its fury; claws devouring bodies already dead until nothing but the shattered husks of smoldering corpses remain. A silence fills the hall. No moans of agony come from those left in this pair's wake, for their hunting skills are too well honed to leave behind anything but bodies. For just a moment the wizard forgets himself - he takes an awkward step forward, almost tripping from the unbalance caused by his new tails, before he rests a slender hand on his own shoulder. "Lady fireball?" The concern in his voice is evident, but not quite as potent as when he's worried about her body, not his. "Remind me never to piss myself off." He grins then, and though his face is more pretty, his teeth more intact, the look is entirely Svilfon-esque in its crooked enjoyment of the situation. All that was left was the box, entombed within the malignant energies, holding within what would hopefully be the cure. But he'd wait a minute before stepping forward - this was something he could deal with. Him being her, well... you know what I mean! Moreso with Asorial in hand...

Satoshi tilts her head to blink absently at her reflection before reaching up to deliver that wizardly tip of the hat in response. "Likewise. I don't ever want to meet that fire myself." She manages a smile then that quickly transforms into a grimace as she hauls herself back to her feet before shaking the soot, blood, wood splinters, and other murder-scene debris from Svilfon's robes. Within her hand Asorial has been trembling with what seems like suppressed excitement and now reshapes itself into its pipefox form, coiling its sleek length around Satoshi's wrist while it begins to twitch and jerk violently, striving to tug the fox-turned-wizard toward the box waiting ahead. The warped energies pouring off it are nearly tangible, feeling like a shadowy shroud ever writhing and spilling forth. Tentatively, Satoshi stretches out her hand to bring Asorial closer to its target, the pipefox a-quiver as it comes within reach of the strange energies. Without delay, the serpentine creature slithers out of the vampire's hand and plops down atop the box even as its maw opens to reveal viper fangs and starts striking out with a cobra's speed to snap up fragments of the dark essence in a gluttonous frenzy.

Svilfon beams brightly at that hat tip, and promptly reaches his hand out to give it a tug. Their shared smile at the reversed familiarity is fleeting, though, as Asorial shifts to its pipe-fox form and twists itself around the vampire's wrist. It is disconcerting for the kit-wizard; though him and the scythe have only crossed paths twice, his irrational fear and dislike for the weapon makes it require all his concentration not to reach out with his only arm and tear it from around his body, even though it wasn't around his body... This was all too confusing, but the end was in sight. Steeling himself with that resolve, he begins to unconsciously hum a small tune as he watches her odious weapon consume the malignant energies that dance around the protected box. The kit-wizard takes a step closer, but soon enough turns to stare up at his own face, "I think..." sensing the magic through the perceptions of an ice magus is strange and disconcerting, "I think I can take the box while Asorial feeds... but perhaps it would be better if you do it?" He lifts up a dainty glove that's covered in forgotten blood. "Wouldn't want you to lose the other one." He grins a little, then.

Satoshi hesitates a moment, offput enough by the malignant aura to consider letting another grab the box at the potential harm to her own body. No wait... either way it's potential harm to herself. Satoshi doesn't like these odds, but if it means she can get her proper body back, she'll do it. ...and -hope- the wizard doesn't lose an arm in the process. Thus it's with a steeling of nerves and eyes screwed shut that she abruptly reaches to take hold of the box and hug it to her chest. Asorial, perched atop it, looks thoroughly annoyed at being jostled so roughly after having just coiled in on itself to begin napping off its hefty meal. No mind is paid the pipefox however, what with the vampire's eyes being closed as she awaits some horrible fate for taking the sacred object.

Svilfon would usually use this time to speak ominous words in a scary voice - wizards were allowed their fun! - but with his voice so lyrical he knows it's an exercise in futility. So instead he reaches out and awkwardly takes the box, having dropped his Xalious wand and watched it vanish back to his rooms in the guild. Resting it between his hip and hand, he maneuvers it to a pew and carefully places it down. With a shove he pushes the pipefox off the lid, ignoring any looks of anger it may give him, before he mutters a quiet spell. It is strange drawing magic energies from a frozen body, but his concentration is enough that it does not fail. A brief flickering of light is enough to show the box is safe to open, and so, with just a hint of trepidation, he does. Nestled within dark-hued velvet is a skull worn by the ravages of time. Though protected from wind and water by its arcane prison, the object has been subjected to so much evil energies it is clear it's barely holding itself together. Great. They would get one shot at this. Were the stakes not so high, Svil would enjoy those odds, but in this situation he can only just hide the nerves that creep into his now-euphonious voice. "We... need to both touch it together... carefully." Already cracks are appearing on its surface, it's clear the magic holding it together is fleeing. "And quickly. Just... think about your own body, or something... try not to think of what we just did." Thoughts of killing lots of people probably won't help the process, even as their blood wafts to a nose which so enjoys the smell. "Are you ready, lady fireball?"

Satoshi follows after her foxish counterpart, likewise ignoring Asorial and its squeak of protest at being moved. Absently, she corrects his question with a quiet, "Lady Icicle" as she reaches out toward the skull. A steadying breath is taken and eyelids lower halfway as Satoshi seeks that state of singular concentration mages are so adept at acquiring. "On three? 1... 2... 3...." And with that the kit touches the preserved skull, feeling her fingers sink into the crumbling bone from even a touch as faint as hers, while all the while her mind flits through thoughts of Frostmaw, memories of snowstorms and elements, recollections of that natural balance created by -her- tails, and all that makes Satoshi the peculiar entity that she is. At the last moment however, she can't quite ward off a stray thought of what the wizard would do if he had his own tail... Hopefully he's more focused.

Svilfon whispers back, "Let's hope...", before nodding his head, removing his glove using his fangs, and counting with her. "1... 2... 3..." Dainty fingers extend forward and brush across the crumbling relic of bygone years. He focuses on himself; the fire that fuels his magic, his wonderful hat, the feeling of poking a tongue through gaps, not teeth. His fight against Tiphareth, loyalty to the captain, loyalty to... No! He keeps Satoshi as far away from his thoughts as possible. The plans he had made, the spell book he is writing, being a knight! All these things which make the wizard who he is... though, he surely would miss having a tail... As that last thought swishes through his mind, a bright light explodes from the skull placed between them. The temple shudders and strains to remain intact as the magic binding it together is devoured trying to heal the wound of sorts the wizard created. For a long moment Svilfon almost loses himself in the void of light; it seems to tear at his body, hurling his soul free to wander in a vast nothingness, before he feels the familiar tug of his magic seeking control. A breath is drawn, before the wizard coughs and splutters. During the process it seems the pair, minus the box and skull, were transported outside the confines of a temple that noisily crumbles to dust behind them. The man spends a moment collecting himself, before reaching in to remove the sand Satoshi thankfully didn't. Only then does he look around, trying to spot in the gathering dust the fate of lady icicle... never noticing the almost familiar swish of something behind him.

Satoshi is vaguely reminded of that timeless moment spent being reconstructed by the Dragon Triarch of her homeland, of how they'd chosen to place her in a snowy realm of soft grays when she'd accepted, in exchange for her cherished feline nature, the role of a Figment of Balance, the Twilight to Riss' Day and Kasyr's Night. It had all passed in mere seconds, yet stretched on for an eternity, as every fragment of the Figment's essence, down to her frayed, battling core, had been built anew into the elemental vulpine existing now. This... this is not so different, with the same comforting chill of snow enveloping her. She dwells on the thought a moment longer until she realizes with a faint shock that the cold is coming from -her-, emanating from her in frosty waves of greeting as her essence is welcomed back to its proper home. Still, Satoshi's afraid to open her eyes, half-certain the sensations are merely fond-wishing and she'll still be trapped in the wizard's body. Certainly it's a -nice- body, but it isn't hers. Like before, the kit is drawn from her reluctance to accept fate by Aeron's sudden appearance, the ermine choosing that moment to sink tiny teeth into her ear. -Her ear-! That's a decidedly tall and elegant fox ear she feels the wintry weasel clinging to! Which would explain why Satoshi suddenly jumps up with a cry not of pain but delight and begins examining herself, ensuring everything is where it should be and the foxkin is properly herself before she looks toward the wizard. ...and does a double-take. "Ah. Erm. ...Ahem." She might have her dulcet voice back, but words elude her at the moment. Maybe it was just the dust billowing around that made it look like something had moved behind Svilfon...

Svilfon sends Satoshi a bright grin, proudly flashing -gaps- and fangs in equal measure. He even manages to somewhat tip his hat... though it's weird he did, considering both his hands are on the desert sands. And what the hell was so damn fluffy? Thinking he may not have been as successful as he thought, the wizard stands and over balances himself; his quick lessons with tails was fun, but he figured he'd be back to... I don't think normal is quite the way to describe Svil... but back to his usual self. Yet what was this? In a panic he begins to spin around himself, trying for the life of him to catch the furry limb that eludes his grasp, before, dizzy and confused, he stops and stares at the snow queen. "Lady icicle..." He runs both his hands over his face - he would not miss only having one arm - before speaking again in his usual voice. "What in the name of Sven's left ball is going on?" For it is no dust behind him, nor an illusion of the sands... Svil, it seems, has grown a dark-grey tail. Whether it was the stray thoughts the two shared, or perhaps Asorial's influence, coming as it was from Svilfon when feeding, the man has a new, strange limb - sticking from his robes like they were designed to house it. The wizard is about to speak again, when a familiar sight flashes across the sky. It seems an awfully confused couatl had picked up through his links to Satoshi a strange set of wizardly thoughts and was coming in to investigate. Giving up, Svil just stands there, staring at the queen of ice like she has all the answers. "At least we don't have to teleport back?" He flinches then, just in case.

Satoshi is again reminded of her dealings with the Dragon Triarch, for her rebirth had coincided with Kasyr's own and -his- had resulted in a humorous feline addition by the celestial beasts in the form of a calico tail. All the kit can do is shake her head. It'd seem her mutability rubs off on others after all. "I don't think there's an explanation for half the things I've seen, done, and been a part of, wizard. This included. It suits you, though," she adds with a foxish wink. Emiur's approach, and the anxious mental nudges that come with, draw her attention skyward then in time to watch the couatl wind through the clouds and make a spiral descent to land coiled in a large loop around them. After a moment spent glancing between the two, Emiur projects his psionic voice to them both, ::Would you like to explain those anomalies I felt coming from you? I lost a portion of scales attempting to get here as swif-:: Satoshi raises a hand, cutting Emiur off and proceeding to yank Aeron from her ear. "Not now. Please. I'll explain later. ...Much later. For now, can we go home?" A half-pleading look is turned on both serpent and wizard, as the kit has full use of her looks back and damn well intends to use them.

Svilfon spends a long moment eyeing Satoshi as she flicks him that wink, before he grins again. "At least the worst that could happen wasn't so bad." He'd have carried on were it not for the marvelous looking (He was sure to think that thought strongly) couatl wrapping around them both and demanding answers. As Satoshi speaks the wizard nods; though fun as it had been being a one armed, four tailed creature of ice, it had taken it out of the wizard. So with a contented swish of his newly acquired tail, the vampire proceeds to climb up Emiur's back. He cannot quite help adding to the Frostmaw queen, "You wanted distraction, lady icicle." He tips his hat as he offers his hand down to her, in case she wanted help climbing up, "And I have to quite proudly say you certainly got that!" He winks, grins, before patting Emiur on the scales. "Let's just not do that one again."

Satoshi, this time, accepts the offered hand without fear of toppling Svilfon due to mismatched weights and tricky balance. Once she's in place, she echoes both his grin and words, "Distraction indeed, not to be repeated~." Emiur turns an amber eye on the pair then, clearly frustrated by the minimal information he's gleaned off their surface thoughts. He knows trying to pester the story out of them will only turn it into a game for at least Satoshi however, and so the couatl resigns himself to waiting patiently as he prepares to carry them back home. ...Or at least to the foot of the cliffs of Frostmaw. If they aren't going to share, he's not going to fly into that blasted hellhole of ice. They can walk, thank you very much.

Satoshi fully intends to find Kasyr as soon as she's home and have him assure her a few times that she's still pretty, dammit.