Toxoglossa 2026/06/27(Sat)01:09 No. 1128617 ID: d10be1
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“A year!? We just go back!” Kol shouts, throwing his arms up and sloshing in a circle. “Casey, there’s no way we’re-“

Casey holds up a hand to shush him, keeping here eyes on the angel.

“There is no sense in arguing with the wisdom of the Seers. Their visions are inevitable. You might as well try to tell the sun not to rise.” The winged creature turns gently to address both mice. “ Besides, this is a great honor. You will be guests of the most powerful court in all the planes. Few mortals are ever extended such an invitation.” The word “mortal” slips off Reprise’s telepathic tongue like something sticky and unpleasant.

Casey folds her arms and plants herself. “So you’re saying: by tomorrow morning, the royal barge will sail away, from the city?”

”Yes.”

“And that the three mice will be guests? Meaning no harm will come to them?”

”Yes.”

“Good. That’s all we need to know.”

“Casey, you’re serious? We’re supposed to-“

Before Kol can finish, the binder’s fur blazes white. Pouring her indignation into her aura, Casey lets her body run wild, changing into the most radiant and fearsome angel she can imagine. Her voice booms against the walls of the extra-dimensional bathroom as she rises out of the water.

“You bring a message to your court from us: the Spirit Guardians are not servants to be summoned at a whim. We’ll make sure your prophecy is fulfilled as long as your masters never darken the doorsteps of our city with their ridiculous boat again.”

You should offer irrational terms to match their irrational request. Something along the lines of "one-in-sixteen Fae shall compute the approximate value of PI in decimal format, until the calculation is granted to mortals in readable format on a device of volume exactly 1/300,000,000m^3, accurate to the 10e943049234683403532432th decimal."

>>1128617
Aw yeah Casey with the big brain move.

Hot damn, Casey learned well from Argus!

This makes me wonder what else the Court's Seers foresaw. If they want to keep us prisoner and off the playing field for such a specific length of time, that tells me that something happens within a year's time that the Court either doesn't want us to do, or doesn't want us to interfere with. Something that, after a year's time, the Court doesn't think we'll be a threat anymore.

That's the kind of speculation that needs to wait until after Reprise fucks off back to their masters, though.

Now THAT is beauty, That is how you really twist and unbind your form.

We should probably plan to... honestly a lot of things.
To unbind this angel (and other pranking of this court), The Moon (which, given the CLEAR SKY COURT, might be trivial, maybe ask through the angel), make sure Mariana continues to get baked sweets because you can, that the city gets more safeguards in case of Fuckery, Maybe something with Augus to make messing with us TOO much painful.

Toxoglossa 2026/06/28(Sun)02:08 No. 1128664 ID: d10be1
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Casey’s body pulls itself back to it original shape as she floats back down into the water. She looks over her shoulder at the messenger and asks, “What? Are you still here?”

”That form… that symbol: I know what you are and I know what you did to acquire it. Never have I seen such a perversion of angelic magic.” Reprise’s anger rips through the air like a loose band-saw, their glare full of biblically accurate hatred.

The mouse arches her back and lifts her tail for the many eyes to see; beckoning the angel with a finger in mocking flirtation. “You wanna see perversion? Come on down here and join us~ My partners and I’ll show you how perverse we can get.”

”And risk what you… ‘guardians’ did to poor, lost Litany? I would sooner die than suffer such indignity. No, I will take your message to the court, as is my duty. And I will await your presence at the water’s edge at sunrise.”

The angel flaps its wings and the world around it seems to open like an iris, pulling them through before sealing itself shut behind them.

Technically we didn't "do" anything to Litany. We just helped them get their message back after it was lost. The destruction of their codex was completely incidental.

Though I'm sure Reprise wouldn't appreciate that distinction even if we cared enough to point it out before they left.

Ooh wouldn't it be a treat to 'corrupt' another angel? If the opportunity presents itself

>>1128664
Let's go find some changelings or dopplegangers to fulfill that dumb prophecy.

As fun as personally corrupting her sounds, they probably have a special, secret someone with them at the Court. They seem too proud at their job, otherwise.

Casey you appear to be the only angel that doesn't suck

Ironically, Litany wasn't the source. MUCH more reasonable than the actual source, sadly you can't even joke about it.

Toxoglossa 2026/06/29(Mon)23:36 No. 1128737 ID: d10be1
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Kol sloshes over and asks, “You’re not seriously considering going through with this? We just got home! We can’t get spirited away for another year!”

“Yeah, no shit.” She replies, “We’re going to send the changelings instead.”

“Oh, I honestly forgot about them with everything else going on… will that work?”

“It should, as long as they’re disguised. It will be what the dream seers 'saw': three mice crossing the stilled water, right?”

Kol hesitates, “Ahhhh, how are we going to convince them to do it?”

“We just unmask them, then they’ll have to follow our orders.” She grins to herself and chuckles. “Besides, three thieves given a year as guests of the one of the most rich and powerful courts in the feywild? I can’t imagine the kind of mayhem they’ll cause. It'll be a great opportunity for them.”

Caleb’s head pokes out from behind the curtain of the waterfall and asks, “Uh, are they gone? Even if this a ‘bath’, I didn’t want to risk getting accused of being in the ocean. Those court agents can be… aggressive when it comes to fey law. Ya know?”

>>1128737
Yep, you're safe.
I'm guessing there's no way to keep Angels out of a building is there? No kinds of wards or anything?

Hang on... Fennel is worried about Fey Rules and the ocean? Was this mentioned before? Is Fennel, a Water Elemental, banned from being in any ocean? That's incredibly cruel / bullshit and something that needs rectifying if true. It also makes the plan of bypassing the still waters with her help harder.

On the other hand, if the prophecy is fulfilled, the barge won't be an issue anymore. The Fey Court might try to loophole Caseys message to harass the town and mice in other ways though, but thats a problem for another chapter.

Main focus now should be getting Gaybe in on this plan and finding their two partners in crime (ideally before someone else unmasks and/or enslaves them, especially if they're in the form of the most fey-famous guardians in town). As well as finding Gabe himself whos currently on his own.

The plan also has to be a secret from any spying agents, otherwise they and the court will make sure the prophecy is fulfilled as they actually want it to by intervening or sabotaging the plan.

It also brings about a dangerous precedent - if the prophecy must/will be fulfilled, that means the court can justify extreme measures (kidnapping, injury) to get the mice to 'cross the stilled waters' (hell, by that exact wording, the mice might be carried across against their will/power, and any stilled water might count). The trio must be careful. Or be ready to yeet the doppelgangers across thr stilled waters if an issue arises.

Last order of business should be angel-proofing their house, since them just barging into their bathroom and complaining about perversion is very rude.

Edit: I mixed up Caleb with Fennel. Whoops.

>>1128737
Is the water here fresh? Kind of hard to argue it's an ocean if there's no salt.

They certainly added some salt to it after that reunion.

A thing I wonder is how do Fey know when another Fey is breaking rules, or under a rule? If Caleb went for an ocean swim against Fey rules but nobody saw it, wpuld he still get in trouble? Do other Fey know when a rule or contract gets broken directly?

Toxoglossa 2026/07/01(Wed)22:25 No. 1128836 ID: d10be1
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“Yeah, they’re gone. I don’t suppose there’s any way to keep angels from just dropping in, is there?” Kol tells him.

Caleb steps out of the waterfall and shakes his head. “Nah, they can travel anywhere, it’s part of their nature. And because they’re messengers, they’re exempt from any fey laws of invitation.” He shakes his shoulders, letting a trickle of pearl-sized dewdrops trace their way down his waterproof skin. “They aren’t allowed to convey anything more than messages: courts aren’t supposed to use them to spy or steal stuff. Apparently that didn’t used to always be the case and… that’s kinda why there aren’t many angels left these days. Well, one of the reasons, I guess.”

Kol gives his fiancé a hug and asks, “Would they really brand you, just for taking a bath?”

The sailor shrugs and sighs. “Hard to tell. The courts have a *lot* of power. You both know how many loopholes fey law has: well it’s a double edged sword. It can work for you or against you.” He waves a big, meaty hand and explains, “Even if you don’t get branded, you still have to defend yourself in court, which can take years if they decide to drag it out.”

“Mmm, we’ll have to be careful with these guys then. Thank you for the wonderful bathroom, Caleb. Definitely looking forward to more, er, ‘bath-time’ later.”

The selkie pulls him into a kiss and grabs his ass affectionately. “You betcha. Tell you what, next time we’ll get yer other partners involved while we’re at it? Have a big mousey pile, and get you three all squeaky?”

“Hehe, sounds fun~ but we gotta sort out this prophecy bullshit first.”

Caleb nods and gives him one last smooch. “Go on then~ Give’m litchfire, honey. I’ll hold down the fort here and make sure we don’t have any thieves creeping in while no one’s looking.”

Toxoglossa 2026/07/01(Wed)22:25 No. 1128837 ID: d10be1
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“Ohw yeawh, why did yowu wawnt to see me, Caswey?” Fennel asks.

“Oh, sorry! We meant to ask earlier: the senders needed some help getting ships in and out of port. Would you be able to help out down by the harbor? We figured you might be able to help lift the through the shallows.” She offers the elemental a hand and they wade out of the surf onto shore. Oddly, despite being soaking wet, Casey finds that none of the sand sticks to her feet: most likely because of some enchantment included by the builder.

“I fhink so. The watewr comiwng fwom the wrivwewr is pwetty bwrackish, so I showuld be okawy for a whiwle. Too muwch sawlt watewr makes me feewl ickwy, but wifting a boawt is no pwobwem!” The undine blinks her murky eyespots and considers the task. “I pwobawbly am gonnaw neewd Niwxxy to helwp me see too.”

Right. We'll go get her on that, and retrieve the first doppleganger from her tender affections.

to Nixy, and to inform the changeling of this wonderful opportunity they're being volunteered for

Get some healing magic for Gaybe, in case he's... Drained and sore from Nixxy's affection. He'll need to be in tip top shape for the morning.

Another fun/lucrative idea could be using the changelings as personal spies within the Court. Send coded letters or other info of what happens on the barge and such, or if they're planning something sinister and big that could affect the mice trio - so long as they don't break hospitality rules doing so.

What pronouns do changelings / insectoid shapeshifters utilize exactly?

Toxoglossa 2026/07/03(Fri)00:35 No. 1128887 ID: d10be1
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“We’re going to need to talk to ‘Gaybe’ too anyway. Might as well head upstairs.” Kol says, toweling himself off.

The mice get dressed and the three of them head upstairs to find Nixxy still toying with the exhausted doppelgänger.

“Ahh! Good! You back! Help Gaybe! She gonna break my chitin!” The thief gasps.

“Alright, Nixxy. That’s enough fun. Fennel needs your help, okay?” Casey insists.

As if some switch were flipped, the big kelpie drops her “toy” and clambers out of bed to her girlfriend’s side. ”Nixxy help! What we doing?”

Pinch 'gaybe' on the ear and remind him he's supposed to have a piercing there

>>1128887
This plan might work.

Provided that the angels don't have any detection methods or equipment that can see through changeling magics, that would be my sole concern.

>>1128887
Tell Gaybe he could just say no if Nixxy was doing something he didn't like.
But also, we have a mission for him and his two compatriots. It involves them being honored Fey Guests for an entire year! They just have to pretend to be you three. Like he was doing already. We'll help with the disguise so it's flawless.

Ask Gaybe what he and his two other as-yet undiscovered friends would think of pulling the wool over the eyes of one of the oldest and richest fey courts, and to have it be completely legal under fey law, with a guarantee of personal safety

Toxoglossa 2026/07/03(Fri)23:32 No. 1128917 ID: d10be1
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In a patient tone, Casey goes over the plan “Fennel’s going to help move ships out of the harbor. She needs you to help guide her, okay? The senders will be down there directing things, so you should go see them first.”

”Okay! Nixxy know what to do now. We go help!” The big kelpie throws on her “clothes”, tying the borrowed rug around her waist with a sash cord. She tops it off with a firefighter’s helm, the weight of which seems to transform her: turning the whirlwind of chaotic, horsey energy into a focused, official fey on duty.

She holds out her hand for Fennel and lifts the undine onto her neck. Nixxy dips her head to fit through the doorway and turns to say, ”Goodbye, Gaybe! You is a fun bug, but Nixxy have to go help now! You be good or Nixxy eat you next time!”

The changeling buzzes nervously as the kelpie stomps down the stairs and leaves for the harbor.

Well, if Gaybe isn't cooperative with the plan, we can offer him the 'alternative' of remaining Nixxy's pet and risk terminal snu-snu and/or predation.

An important detail of the plan should be to ensure the disguised changelings and the mice they're imitating aren't seen together or in dofferent places (e.g. Kol and 'Kool' being seen together). Otherwise, snooping court agents might figure put their plan. Casey can shapeshift to disguise herself, but Kol will have to actively avoid his copy while in public (possibly with his spirit-jaunting).

Also, might be a good idea to establish clear coded phrases as identifiers, so the mice don't mix each other up in case the other two of the hive are much better at disguising themselves.

Once the hive is fully on board, a thorough training montage is in order. Especially in the carnal arts - the Fey have lots of poses to reference from the mind palace.

Are kelpies the natural predators of changelings or something? Or is that just a threat she's always ready and willing to pull out if needed?

In RL folklore, Kelpies are mythical amphibious horses who swim in lakes and lure people to ride them... So they can drown them and then devour them (leaving entrails behind on the shore).

When the crew first learned about Nixxy, they panicked and assumed she was gonna be a dangerous fey. We've seen Nixxy unsettlingly unhinge her jaw to eat a drumstick, so she's certainly a carnivore. The mice take her threats of eating people seriously - luckily she seems to prefer sex and is a playful sweetheart.

I imagine less adorable kelpies/violent fey engage in predation / hunting of people, possibly tricking them with fey law and masquerade rules to do so. But this is a lighthearted lewd comic, so we'll hopefully never meet such fey.

Let us be fair, as long as Fennel is anywhere near nearby (...and disagrees), no one is getting eaten... it just might get close.

Alright time to hunt down two more fey, quick question, where are they and why is one in the bakery?
Then again, how many places in this town are connected to our mice?

Time to give bug boy the sales pitch. Be nice, he seems timid and you don't have a lot of time if he gets scared off.

Toxoglossa 2026/07/06(Mon)01:26 No. 1129006 ID: d10be1
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“Relax, we’re not going to let her eat you.” Kol tells him. “By the way, Gabe has a piercing now on his left ear. Might want to adapt your camouflage.”

“Why you tell me this? Why make glamour stronger?” Gaybe cocks his head unnaturally at the mouse. As they watch, a hole appears in the lobe of their changeling’s ear.

“No, it’s bigger. More towards the top of the ear too. It’s from a dragon bite.” Kol points and stares as the gap in the ear migrates and expands. “It’s… because we need your help, and if it’s going to work, your glamours have to be accurate. It also might work out well for you three.”

Casey explains, “The Court of the Reflected Sky has demanded we live on their ship for one year. We don’t have time for something like that, but if you and your hive were to go in our stead…”

“Then we’re sure that enterprising thieves like yourselves could find something to steal; something to really make a name for yourselves?” Kol adds.

“Plus, you’d be guests! Safe from prosecution or harm for a whole year~”

“We wanted to claim wolf- lord’s shield…” Gaybe says with a buzzing sigh.

>>1129006
Tell him you need it. Sorry.

Well, the shield is unfortunately off the table. We need it, and we're probably going to leave it where we plan to on going with it, in a place where nobody, mortal or fey, will ever to able to claim it again.

I dunno, we probably won't need it critically after a year.

Wanted for some specific need, or just for the fame?

All these fey and angels need to seriously reprioritize, you literally need that thing to not die in space, and most of them seem to just want to play a clout game.

It'll be back in play when you're done, you three are MORTALS (mostly), wait your damn turns.

Them wanting the shield could be the equivalent of winning a fey bet for (high stakes) shits and giggles.

Maybe one can arrange to let them 'steal' the shield and then immediately give it back. Or arrange to give it away in a year?

Or maybe Gaybe is just a bit short-sighted about the offer / functions poorly without his hive members. The other members of the hive might be more accomodating to the plan / wiser / see the bigger picture better.

Maybe ask him to help find the others so he and his hive can put their heads together and consider the offer as a group rather than just Gaybe deciding on this.

Toxoglossa 2026/07/07(Tue)01:02 No. 1129048 ID: d10be1
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“Yeah that’s not happening.” Casey replies frankly. “Even if your hive partners managed to steal it, we could just ransom you for it back.”

“Really?” Kol asks.

The binder shrugs. “That’s how a fair amount of fey thefts get handled. There’s a whole legal system built around exchanges like that. They enjoy the drama and intrigue around it.”

“Huh.”

“Yeah, I mean they always treat hostages like a guests, so it’s acceptable, if maybe a bit rude. It’s why, in the old days, so many mortals would get spirited off to live in the feywild.”

Kol cocks an eyebrow and shakes his head. “I guess that makes sense. Still, it’s weird.”

“No argument here.” She turns back to the changeling and glares. “So what do you think? One way or another, someone’s gonna get on that boat. It was a seer’s prophecy.”

“A seer?” Gaybe looks up, suddenly interested. “We could be in a prophecy?” There’s a buzzing sound, as though someone was going “hmmm” into a broken speaker.

“Fey sing of prophecies… might make hive famous… okay, Gaybe help! Others though… maybe not? Have to talk to them.” The changeling buzzes.

“Where are they?” Casey asks.

“One went to harbor and look for big, selkie lover of mouse boy.”

“Ah shit, of course he would.” Kol groans.

“Other go find smart bird what live on big hill.”

>>1129048
Well, the one at the harbor isn't gonna find their objective... but being in a bad disguise in public is risky for our plan. Also if the one at the harbor looks like Kol, then people are going to realize he's in two places at once. Plus, not-Kol would immediately try to run away when the real Kol shows up.

Why don't we just split up? Kol can go check on Mr Ochre, and Casey can go to the harbor.

...ah, but we didn't get confirmation of what glamours they're using. *Is* the one at the harbor pretending to be Kol?

Toxoglossa 2026/07/08(Wed)02:08 No. 1129091 ID: d10be1
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“They’re going after Cecil? Spite me!” Kol groans, “Casey, we gotta split up to go after them! You check the harbor, I’ll go after the other one!”

“Kol, Cecil lives halfway up the Point!” Casey shakes her head and continues, “What, are you gonna run up a sheer cliff face? I can fly there in half the time! You check the harbor, instead.”

“Won’t it cause trouble if people see us with our own doppelgängers?”

“Not as much as if they get to Cecil or Gabe first!”

She goes to leave, her fur already glowing as she starts to transform. Casey pauses and points a finger at Gaybe and orders, “You! Stay here and don’t cause any trouble! Caleb will bend you into a pretzel if you step out of line, got it?”

Kol sighs as he dashes downstairs after his partner. “Running up the cliff face? Hmm, I wonder…”

Toxoglossa 2026/07/08(Wed)02:08 No. 1129092 ID: d10be1
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Casey stops in the street as the angelic transformation takes hold. Wings spin themselves out of light, and her body starts to float as her mass is converted to raw mana. Aiming herself skyward, the mouse kicks off the ground in a spiral and climbs until she has a vantage point of the whole city.

Spotting the cluster of expensive real estate that makes up Cecil’s neighborhood, Casey narrows her eyes and soars in that direction on glowing wings.

She so pretty.

Okay but really, you should just gate there, any question of who the real Gabe is should at least be immediately resolved, and you'll get there even faster than Casey.

At least Cecil is aware that you're back and also that people are absolutely gunning for you, hopefully he won't get taken in so easily...

>>1129096
Can't gate without Gabe.

>>1129092
See anything else from up there? Hmm, I wonder if there's anything near Cecil's estate that we can use for misdirection, since Casey will definitely be spotted by fey while in flight.

The doppelganger going to Cecil might be an issue, depending on a few factors.
1) Whether they're reasonable enough to wear clothes on arrival instead of streaking or being openly perverted.
2) Whether Cecil, any security measures he has, or his divine lover endanger the changeling.
3) Whether Cecil falls for the masquerade and get burdened by fey law.
4) Whether any court agents are currently watching the doppelganger (if in Caseys form).
5) Whether the doppelganger can shift to another form, like that of Cecil, on the fly to evade notice or capture by Casey.