[Quetz’s question seems to shake Liem a little from his hesitation, drawing his gaze for just a moment back to her when it had been caught previously by Juliana’s spitting image. The shadow creature draws closer moment by moment as they swoop in to land, but he still hasn’t so much as drawn a bolt from his quiver.]
I’m not sure if it’s possible, but… I think we should try.
[They’ll learn more about it that way, won’t they? At the very least, they might be able to learn just how slippery these things are—whether they can crawl back into the shadows once they’ve crawled out.
As they settle down to earth, he finally reaches for a quarrel. Juliana’s look-alike waves a hand, beckoning Liem as she starts to withdraw towards the trees.
“Hey, come with me! I found something you’ll want to see.”
He murmurs to Quetz,] I don’t suppose you brought any rope?
Oh… Nope. [ She slips the bag off her shoulder to leave it, but she gives it a pat with a sheepish laugh as she does. ] This is, um, all food, actually!
[ She could explain that it’s a much more literal fuel for her, but it’s Quetzalcoatl, pure of heart, dumb of ass, so. She does not. Liem is just left to assume that she’s a glutton… ]
But I can pin them down, yes. I have plenty of lucha moves for just that purpose.
[Liem’s not sure what to do with the information that Quetz brought an entire big sack of just food with her for their trip, so he opts to just not worry about it. She knows her own needs best; if this is what supplies for the next 24 hours means to her, then that’s just fine. He shrugs the smaller pack from his own shoulder as well, leaping down to land on the carpet of snow below.]
Well… We’ll make it work.
[“Tell your friend to wait here,” the shadow person is saying. She pouts a little, looking put out at having to share Liem’s attention after having been apart for so long. “Just for a little while, Liem. I wanna talk to you!”
Liem paces slowly away from the Quetzalcoatlus, drawing after her towards the trees. He has to remind himself not to call out to it with Juliana’s name.]
I’m not going to do that. [If he shoots her, will she bleed? Rather than consider this unsettling question, he calls on his magic; her movements suddenly seem clearer to him, her expressions more pronounced. Small discrepancies in “her” mannerisms begin to be obvious.] Come here.
[ Quetzalcoatl stays with her mount, since she trusts Liem enough to be able to handle himself. He doesn’t need her hovering over his shoulder, especially since this shadow would rather separate them, apparently. That makes her frown, but she waits patiently. She can be fast if she needs to be with a mana burst, even though she’d prefer to save that for something else if it’s needed…
But as she bolts, Quetzlacoatl makes a noise of affirmation and trots to Liem’s side and gives his shoulder a little squeeze. ]
It’ll be easier to follow on foot for a bit, yes.
[ She’s quick with her words, but assuming Liem seems prepared to do the same, she’ll take off in a sprint… Though she’ll at least match Liem’s pace. It’s a friend of his, so it’s better if he sets the pace of how they handle it too. ]
[If the shadow was hoping to evade them for long on foot, it will be disappointed. Even without the use of magic to enhance his speed, Liem is faster than “Juliana,” and his eyes easily follow her flight through the moonlit night. With a quick nod for Quetzalcoatl, he follows their quarry like a hound chasing a rabbit.
As they near the treeline, he considers slowing to take a shot at her. Injury might hamper her movements; it might tell him something about the extent of the imitation, if the likeness is only skin-deep. But…
As if sensing his intent, Juliana’s head turns back with a frown (he wouldn’t hurt her, would he?), and her lips move in incantation. Where once there was a single woman fleeing across the snowy field, now there are six, moving all in perfect synchrony. He recognizes the mirror image spell immediately.
But somehow, instead of making it easier to shoot at her, perhaps dispelling one of the five copies, the chance of hitting the “real” person makes the prospect even more difficult to stomach, taking him back to every occasion when an enemy had managed to pierce the illusion with blade or claw. Instead, as she slows to cast her spell, he steps through a fold in space to appear in front of her, catching her between him and Quetzalcoatl just as she’s about to reach the forest.
Only, the shadow double doesn’t stop. Instead she races straight for him.]
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no subject
I’m not sure if it’s possible, but… I think we should try.
[They’ll learn more about it that way, won’t they? At the very least, they might be able to learn just how slippery these things are—whether they can crawl back into the shadows once they’ve crawled out.
As they settle down to earth, he finally reaches for a quarrel. Juliana’s look-alike waves a hand, beckoning Liem as she starts to withdraw towards the trees.
“Hey, come with me! I found something you’ll want to see.”
He murmurs to Quetz,] I don’t suppose you brought any rope?
no subject
[ She could explain that it’s a much more literal fuel for her, but it’s Quetzalcoatl, pure of heart, dumb of ass, so. She does not. Liem is just left to assume that she’s a glutton… ]
But I can pin them down, yes. I have plenty of lucha moves for just that purpose.
[ That’s the same thing, right, ]
no subject
Well… We’ll make it work.
[“Tell your friend to wait here,” the shadow person is saying. She pouts a little, looking put out at having to share Liem’s attention after having been apart for so long. “Just for a little while, Liem. I wanna talk to you!”
Liem paces slowly away from the Quetzalcoatlus, drawing after her towards the trees. He has to remind himself not to call out to it with Juliana’s name.]
I’m not going to do that. [If he shoots her, will she bleed? Rather than consider this unsettling question, he calls on his magic; her movements suddenly seem clearer to him, her expressions more pronounced. Small discrepancies in “her” mannerisms begin to be obvious.] Come here.
[She doesn’t. Instead, laughing, she bolts.]
no subject
But as she bolts, Quetzlacoatl makes a noise of affirmation and trots to Liem’s side and gives his shoulder a little squeeze. ]
It’ll be easier to follow on foot for a bit, yes.
[ She’s quick with her words, but assuming Liem seems prepared to do the same, she’ll take off in a sprint… Though she’ll at least match Liem’s pace. It’s a friend of his, so it’s better if he sets the pace of how they handle it too. ]
no subject
As they near the treeline, he considers slowing to take a shot at her. Injury might hamper her movements; it might tell him something about the extent of the imitation, if the likeness is only skin-deep. But…
As if sensing his intent, Juliana’s head turns back with a frown (he wouldn’t hurt her, would he?), and her lips move in incantation. Where once there was a single woman fleeing across the snowy field, now there are six, moving all in perfect synchrony. He recognizes the mirror image spell immediately.
But somehow, instead of making it easier to shoot at her, perhaps dispelling one of the five copies, the chance of hitting the “real” person makes the prospect even more difficult to stomach, taking him back to every occasion when an enemy had managed to pierce the illusion with blade or claw. Instead, as she slows to cast her spell, he steps through a fold in space to appear in front of her, catching her between him and Quetzalcoatl just as she’s about to reach the forest.
Only, the shadow double doesn’t stop. Instead she races straight for him.]