There are a lot of broken stone walls in the fields outside Village Kurai. Most of the old ruins were taken apart to patch up the buildings in town, or construct new ones, but that still left plenty of old ones littering the Rughrat fields. They don't provide much shelter, but do allow those of shorter stature keep out of sight of the town. Which is handy when dealing with a magical box of horrors.

Evening is encroaching, so Trilup helpfully lights one of the lamps they brought with them. "I hope this doesn't put us off our suppers," the youngest Akwavi notes. "I'm not sure it'd taste as good coming up as going down, y'know?"

"Just remember," Aviri says, leaning against a precarious wall, ready to catch himself should the wall suddenly decide it doesn't want to stay up anymore, "it's illusions. Or ... is essentially illusions. I still don't think it can directly hurt us."

"Except it doesn't feel like ilusions while it's happenin'," Lin says, "They're really good ilusions." She sets out a sheet of paper and writing tools on a waist-high section of wall.

"We could certainly try turning the dial to see if it works again," Aviri says. "And yes, they're good illusions, but still ... not real. At least the physical effects aren't." He rubs his arms, indicating they were dry.

Aviri snerks. "Doubt that'd make a difference," he says. "Though ... might be interesting to test that, too."

Lin looks around to make sure they're out of view of Kurai. "What, ya think it's singlin' me out?" Lin asks, indignant. "It's an enchanted box of trials an doom. Of course it's gonna do weird stuff!"

"Ahhh! Nonono," the little otter goes, waving her hands. "I ain't touching it! I don't wanna melt!"

Aviri chuckles at Trilup's reaction. He holds out his hand. "I could certainly try," he says.

Lin's eyes go wide. ""You- You actually want to- Well sure!" She chirps, "I've already been chased by the box, bled on, turned inta soup, an' duplicated. Maybe you'll get somethin' with flowers!"

Trilup says, "Or.. you know.. we'll all lose our voices or something so we can't bug him.."

"How 'bout we all think of somethin' specific while he finds the symbol." Lin sugests and hands over the box. "Might be a psykick box."

"I don't want to be kicked in my psy.." Trilup agrees. "What should we think about? Fish? I can do fish really good."

Aviri accepts the box and sits down on the ground, back to the wall. He begins fiddling with it, grinning at their conversation. "Try to think of what would happen if you thought of fish," he says. "Do we become fish, flopping helplessly on the ground?" He raises an ear at her.

The Lapi shrugs. "I don't think it'll matter. The effects of the box line up with the symbols we reveal. And I doubt thinking of fishy princesses'll effect what's carved into the lock."

As usual, bits of the wooden surface of the box slide and rotate and occasionally move in ways that shouldn't be possible, but magic allows for a lot of impossible things. Eventually, Aviri reveals a glowing yellow star symbol.

Linyala holds out the bag just in case Aviri wants to divest himself of the box.

This action reveals a problem. Because Lin's body remains where it was when the star was revealed, but she still moved her arms.. they're just a bit transparent.

"This is interesting," Silv notes, looking very solid now as she sits on the top of the wall.

Aviri looks around, holding the box. He moves to stand up, noticing that he's ... still there. "Oh, this is fun," he says, breaking into almost-manic laughter as he sees Silv, solid, on the wall.

Lin looks at her arms for a moment then tries stepping out of her body. "I had a dream like this once." She mutters.

Silv hops down, and then pinches Aviri on his spectral butt. "Yup, yer ghosts. I can touch ya and everything!"

Still laughing, Aviri shakes his head. "No, it's just illusion, remember?" he says. "Hey, Silv ... how's it feel to be real?"

Trilup is still a bit panicked and hopping about. "You don't get it!" she wails. "We have to turn the dial to stop it, right? How can we do that now? What if we're like this 'til our bodies die?"

Aviri's laugher dies down, replaced by a very worried look in response to Silv's grin. "I guess we'll just have to wait this one out," he says. "Unless any of us can interact with the box."

Lin bounces forward and hugs Silver. "It's so cool to actually get to meet you. You know, not as a ghost. Or all as ghosts."

"Don't try yet!" Trilup says, and hurries back to her body. "I bet we have to be in our own bodies when it ends.."

Silv hugs Lin back.. but in this case, she is the one still wearing the pirate hat. "It's nice t'be able to touch someone again, I'll admit!" the raccoon notes, and laughs.

Aviri ambles back to his body, wary of their Rath-ani companion now that Silv can interact with them all. He tries to pick up the box, still clutched in his body's hands.

Nothing moves. It's like there's nothing there.. on in this case, like he's nothing. His hands just pass through.

"What if we have to go get help?" Trilup asks, sitting in her own lap, effectively. "Can the kitties see us?"

Lin looks back and forth between Silver and Aviri. "Maybe it's simple." She chirps. "If the box made us ghosts, maybe it made Silver more corporeal. Or into a more powerful ghost. The kind that kin move things."

Aviri stands up, deciding the box is a lost cause. "The other things ended of their own accord," he says. He looks to Silv. "You look nice ... decorpsified," he grins.

"I still got it," Silv says proudly. Then saunters over and starts poking at the box. Her finger doesn't go through the surface of it.. so she tries moving things. "I can almost feel it.. but the box is ghost-proof anyway.."

Aviri spins around. "Hey!" he says sharply. "That's me you're talking about! Nobody's posessing me but me!" He looks warningly at Silv ... or what he thinks is warningly at any rate. He's not had much experience with warning looks.

"Hmm, possession.." Silv says, and winks at Aviri.. before going over to Lin's body instead! "This could be a tight fit," she comments.

"I did have to shrink the hat just a little." Lin agrees, "Give it a try, I sure like it!"

Aviri looks wide-eyed at Lin, then shrugs. At least she didn't mind being posessed, it seemed!

It looks odd. Silv is bigger than Lin.. in every way. And since spirits look more solid now, it's as if Lin's body has just vanished into Silv's.. who wears a look of extreme concentration..

Finally, Silv seems to fade into Lin's body.. but then Lin's body begins to change. Her tail floofs out a bit.. and so do her curves (such as they were). There's going to be a problem with her clothes at this rate, if she keeps inflating.

"If your body explodes, then we'll have two ghosts haunting us," Trilup notes to Linyala.

"Hey!" Lin barks, "I was fine the way I was. Don't gotta go changing my... Me." She leans from foot to foot and wrings her hands. "If my body explodes, it should go back to normal once this wears off, right?"

Aviri takes a step back, as though an exploding body would get bits of Linyala on his ghost. "Of course it will," he says, the confidence levels of his tone leaving much to be desired. "I think the ... changes'll be temporary anyway."

The inflating stops thankfully, leaving Lin's body looking a bit more mature but not completely un-Akwavi. "Oooo, why do you wear such tight clothing?" Silv says, her voice coming out of Lin's mouth. "Talk about riding up.." She does get to her feet and try some stretches. "Limber though! I was young like this once.. for a short time.."

"Maybe we can do this too," Trilup says, biting her lip. "Just not with our own bodies.."

Aviri shivers, stepping clear of his own body to allow LinSilv access to it. "I'm fine like this, thanks," he says to Trilup. "LinSilv ... feel free to take the box and dial that thing in. It's a star, by the way." He casts a glance toward the town, as he's now beyond the protection of the wall. But ... also a ghost.

Lin walks around her body, inspecting it. "I'm not complainin' but I kinda thought I'd get older by growin' up." She says, still adjusting to her new changes. "The clothes were bigger. Or I was smaller. I was smaller."

After undoing some buttons for comfort, LinSilv goes to the box and lifts it up out of Aviri's inert hands. She turns it this way and that, and makes sure the dial moves. "Alright, I think I can do this," the possessed girl notes. "Therefore there's no hurry right? Think they serve booze at that inn?"

Aviri blinks, grins, and shrugs. "Maybe," he tells LinSilv. "I'm fine being like this for a while." He steps toward ghost-Linyala and says quietly to her, "Though, if I were you I'd be worried what she'd do with your body."

"Ground rules!" Lin exclaims. "No getting me drunk, laid, or drugged. Don't make me come in there an' evict ya."

"But.. those are all the things I miss most!" Silv complains. "Haven't you ever done any of that? Besides, you can't expect me to pay for my own drinks! I've never done that!"

"You could shop-owner her," Trilup suggests. "You know.. go with her, like," and points to Aviri's body.

"Woah, hold on, now," Aviri says, stepping between Linyala's ghost and his limp body, which had slumped over from Silv having taken the box. "No more posessing. We've got three bodies and four ghosts. If someone's gonna be left out, it should be the three of us. Silv's been a ghost long enough."

"Besides, there's no way one of you girls could handle a Lapi buck," LinSilv says with a grin. "You may think you've got self-control, but it ain't nothing compared to ol' flower power's here. You'd go nuts! But I'll compromise! We can all go, right? Nothing should happen to your bods out here. Rughrats don't eat people, last I recall."

"Well, it's only sort of me, rght." Lin says, poking and proding at LinSilv. "An' Silv prolly wouldn't get drunk 'cause she's just sort of in the body. Aviri, be a chaperone. Make sure she doesn't do anything too... Please?" She's pretty close to tears, getting morphed and ran around wasn't what she was execting at all.

Aviri nods, looking through his hands at Silv, and his own body. "... Oookay," he says. "Not quite sure what I could do to stop her, or anything ... 'less you want me to posess your body, Trilup." He shakes his head, ethereal ears flopping.

"I ain't never had a guy in me before," Trilup notes, but then cackles at her own joke. "I gotta wonder what'll it make me look like though. Will I get big ears?"

"I dunno!" Trilup says. "It bothers me seeing it just.. laying there.. being lazy without me gettin' no benefit from it! Or Lin could take it.. it wouldn't change much for her. Just be less cute."

Lin backs away from Aviri and Trilup a little. "I wonder if two ghosts could fit in one body. Ghost, spirit, whatever we are right now." She ponders.

Aviri shrugs cautiously. "I ... guess I'll try," he says, walking to Trilup's body, then looking at Silv. "Er ... how do I...?"

"You just sort of.. snuggle into it," the more experienced ghost says. "Like a blanket or a bathrobe or a hollowed out Rughrat on a cold night.."

Aviri looks at Silv like she's crazy, probably due to that last analogy, and then sits down into Trilup's body, trying to orient himself like she was, unsure of how to snuggle into a body as though it were a robe.

It feels like.. being underground. But also being claustrophobic, which is pretty rare for a Lapi. There's an urge to fold in on himself to fit.. and he wants to fit! He's got to fit into something after all. Aviri knows he's getting the hang of it when he starts to taste what Trilup had for dinner. The only thing that doesn't feel cramped is.. the tail.

Aviri smacks his lips upon the taste, finding it beyond odd to be tasting what someone else had for dinner. "Ugh, this is ... ngah!" He shivers, shaking as if that would free him from the odd sensations.

Lin looks down at Aviri. "So it works." She chirps, "Then what's stopping us from just posessing ourselves?"

And something shakes.. Trilup's head! He can still see Trilup's ghost standing over him though. "I don't see my ears getting longer," she notes.

"I kinda tried that," Trilup tells Lin. "If we could do that.. wouldn't we never have gotten to this?"

Aviri nods at Trilup. "Yeah, I noticed," he says. "It's ... tight, in here." He tries to wriggle deeper, willing himself smaller to fit within her body.

"Force of personality," LinSilv pipes up. "I made skinny Linny conform to me, because I got a forceful personality and all. Aviri.. uh.. is less so.."

Lin nods then her eyes glitther and the corners of her mouth pull up into a maniac grin. "We're spirits! Gravity means nothing to ghosts!" She flexes her legs and jumps, attempting to fly.

And up Lin shoots! Of course, it doesn't feel like flying, since there isn't much physical sensation at all as a ghost. But it does give a better view.

Aviri does wriggle the fingers and toes experimentally. It's beyond weird for him, now, but he's commited to the long haul at this point. He looks sharply at LinSilv, narrowing Trilups eyes at her as he settles in deeper.

Lin squees and flies all around, swooping and dodging over and through the crumbled walls.

Finally it seems to click for Aviri, and he doesn't feel like he's wearing weird clothes. Of course, being an otter girl is about as different as you can get from being a Lapi buck. There is an incredible urge to sneeze for some reason.

Aviri, in Trilup's body, sits up quickly, eyes half closing, and he sneezes loudly. "Ack ... sorry, Trilup," he says, blinking at his--or rather--her voice.

The sneeze propels him out of the body! Just like that! He finds himself floating in the air, next to a very surprised looking Trilup. "What was that?" she asks. "I sneezed you out? Is that all it takes?"

Aviri sighs. "Dangnabbit," he mutters. He sidles back toward the body and starts over.

Lin floats over. "Maybe I should try?" She proposes, "I'm not a lot bigger than Tril an' am more the same shape. You should try flyin', it's awesome!"

Aviri waves her off. "I gotta try again," he says. "Plus, you want me to be the chaperone. Trilup's the only body that's left."

"Well.. there's still yours," Silv points out with a grin. "If Lin can't handle it.. well, I'll there to help."

Trilup is already up in the air now, hanging upside down. "Try not to sneeze this time," she advises.

"Try pressin' yer tongue against the soft part of the top of yer mouth." Lin suggests, "That usually works fer me." She floats over to Aviri's body and pokes its shoulder.

Aviri again wriggles in Trilup's body experimentally, sitting up more carefully, holding back the sneeze. "No fair," he says. "Sneezes are supposed to expell evil spirits. I'm not evil."

Lin screws up her face and sticks out her tongue. "It's like jelly. That could be evil."

Aviri stands up experimentally. "No," he decides. "This feels ... weird. You do this often, Silv?"

"Never had a chance before!" Silv says. "I think it makes a difference if the body's normal spirit is out and about.."

Trilup's body is a bit wobbily. The big tail and the very different center of gravity, along with the short limbs, make it tricky.

Aviri narrows its eyes suspiciously, wobbling into a stable balance. "Just ... same groundrules," he tells Lin, standing up straighter. "And I tend not to trust bodies, Silv," he says, suddenly flailing his arms to regain balance.

"Not even yer own?" the other possessed otter asks, then smacks her cheek. "Hah! Stupid question! Of course you don't trust yer own body!"

Linyala nods at Triviri then starts sizing up his body. "Just like a big, fluffy, housecoat." She says, grabing the body by the shoulder and making the same motion one would use to put on a bath robe, except it's Lin that moves instead of the body.

Aviri shakes Trilup's head. "No, I don't trust my own body," he says, nodding. He takes a step, wobbles, then stands upright again. "The towns-folk'll think I'm drunk already," he notes. "And if any remember Trilup, I doubt I'll pass as her."

"I'm sure they think all Awkwavi look alike," Silv claims. For Lin.. Aviri is roomy. It means she has to sort of stretch out to fill him up.

"You just gotta use the dimples," Trilup advises Aviri, and then smiles to show her dimples. Of course that exposes a lot of teeth. "You'll be like, the first shy Oggton."

Lin tries pulling in on the body instead, stretching feels too weird and thining.

Aviri nods uncertainly to Lin as he walks carefully around, getting the hang of the body's weight and power. "Never ... had to learn a new body before," he says.

Aviri's actual body.. sort of shrinks a bit. And looks slightly more girly by the time Lin gets it to 'fit' properly.

"I intend to try it now!" LinSilv says, and laughs. "I'm gonna stuff myself until I puke!"

Aviri looks at his--er, his old body and tries, and fails, to raise his ear suspiciously at it. He seems at a loss for what to do ... finally just falling back on tilting his head. "That'd better be back the way it was when you return it," he warns Lin. "And I can still taste dinner." Again he shakes his head.

Lin gives her shoulders an experimental wiggle. "I just so of, cinched the belt. If we're going with the housecoat idea." She explains, "I think you should be able to let it out again."

"Hey, don't turn the dial while we're like this," Trilup says. "Just in case! I don't wanna be stuck as a ghost while Aviri gets my body!"

"And I don't wanna be stuck in Tril's body!" Aviri says. He waddle-stumbles over to Silv, stopping halfway. "Though ... it's all illusionary, anyway," he says.

Lin stands up and tries walking around. "Seems," She rubs her shoulder and pulls on an ear, "More twitchy?"

It's tricky for Lin in Aviri's body. Center of gravity is way off, feet and legs are long.. and not tail to speak of. And everyone is shouting.

"Yes, very funny," Aviri says. "Dangit, so much for leaving us as ghosts..." He looks up at Trilup. "Sorry about this ... I'll make it up to you later. Big batch of clams." He holds his--or rather, her--hands apart to indicate a large bucket.

Lin wobbles and puts her paws over her ears. "Could you, be less loud please?" She asks quietly, "I don't think these ears are working properly."

"As long as I get to eat them in my body," Trilup says. "I'm coming with you guys too! Nobody else should be able to see me, right?"

"Oi!" Aviri says, "be careful with my ears. They work great, thank you very much." He sticks his finger in his own, as though to clear it. "Anyway," he says, "we should probably get going if Silv's wanting to ... party..."

"Yes!" Silv says, picking up the box and poofing out her tail even more. "To the tavern!"

Lin walks back and forth to get a better feel of her new body. She tries jumping and runing too. "This isn't as bad as I thought it would be." She chirps, "Let's go."

"Don't run into any walls," Trilup says, sort of drifting along behind like a slinky balloon.

Aviri walks along, keeping an eye on Silv and the box. "Just be careful with my body," he asks of Lin.

"I'm tough, you can't hurt my body!" Trilup chirps. "You don't even abuse your own so probably don't know how anyway! Only Silv really knows how.. but Lin suspects I think.."

Village Kurai
An old Sylvanian town has been reborn, though its original name has been lost to history. Now, as the signposts proclaim in several languages, this is the town of Kurai, named after the benefactor who granted the Savanites a place to call home as free people, beyond Xenea and the City of Hands. Old stone buildings sport new wooden rooftops and lighter patches on the walls where old masonry has been repaired, but the wooden grainaries and thatch-roofed cottages are of far more recent construction. Polished horn windows glow warmly, and sounds of music drift from the inn -- though no chatter.

"Ugh, how'm I supposed to hear the lively conversations of this place with these ears?" Aviri asks quietly as they near the town, rubbing the otter-ears. He grins at the others.

There are still a few solo felines in the Tavern, even if it's past the dinner hour. The mugs they have are steaming though. There are a few raised eyebrows as well, but most of those seem to be regarding the about-to-pop-out LinSilv instead of the slightly skinnier-than-before Lapi.

LinSilv picks out a lone Savanite guy who looks relatively young, and sits down next to him. "Hey there," she says, leaning over dangerously. "Whatcher drinkin'?"

Lin situates herself at the next table over, facing mostly sidelong to LinSilv so as not to apear to be deliberately watching them.

TrilViri takes a seat at LinSilv's table, deliberately and conspicuously watching them, but saying nothing, wriggling slightly in the too-small body.

Trilup.. just to be safe.. tries to hide inside of TrilViri, since she can't possess her own body. But apparently two spirits can overlap when there's a body involved. So Aviri gets the sensation of having Trilup inside of him while he's inside Trilup's body..

The startled Savanite raises a hand to signal the counter person, who brings over a steaming mug. She also sets two in front of TrilViri and Aviyala.

Aviyala sniffs at the contents of the mug and takes a tentative sip, using the action to monitor the other table.

TrilViri shivers as he feels Trilup slide into him. He tries to pass it off as a shiver of cold, cupping the hot mug between his hands and feeling the warmth seep through his skin. He takes a tentative sip, keeping an eye on LinSilv.

The mugs are filled with.. wine. It's hot, mulled wine, but still wine. It makes TrilViri's stomach gurgle. LinSilv just guzzles it right down.. maybe quaffs it. "Nice!" she comments, and burps.

At least of Anviyala.. the wine isn't a big surprise. Aviri's body handles it just fine.

In Aviri's 'head', Trilup suggests, "We should get some pepper, just in case. Oh.. wait.. if the others sneeze it'll look like they dropped dead.. that could cause a panic."

TrilViri nods, as though to himself. He accepts that he's gone crazy somewhere in the line of his life, but he still tries to hide it, and talking to oneself is sure to cast doubts on his sanity. Plus, it'd be Trilup's reputation being ruined. So he remains quiet, taking another sip of the hot wine.

LinSilv is leaning against the Savanite now, and asking about dancing.. and cake. "You guys have cake right? Cake and dancing.."

Aviyala squirms uncomfortably and adjusts her shirt. She turns her chair to keep a better eye on LinSilv.

At least hot wine doesn't have quite the same kick to it. Which is probably why nobody looks particularly tipsy. Trilup's the smallest, so it might affect her eventually. But Aviri (like everyone in Stonebarrow) is used to dealing with drunken Akwavi.

The raccoon-possessed Akwavi winks at the Akwavi-possessed Lapi, and says, "Don't be jealous if I have more fun that you do." Then she burps again.. and this time it looks like a Rath'ani tail escapes through her mouth, before being sucked back in. Nobody else notices though.. maybe they're the only ones that can see the spirits involved, due to the box.

Aviyala nearly spits into her mug when she sees the tail flop out of her mouth. She swalows painfully and coughs.

TrilViri looks at his coughing body. "Don't die," he says, hoping Linyala doesn't suddenly decide to leave his body and cause a stir.

"You just need more wine," LinSilv claims, and turns to her companion to ask, "So.. you got a raspy tongue?" The Savanite just looks perpetually confused, as if afraid to answer any of the Akwavi's questions.

TrilViri decides it's time to come to the rescue of the poor Savanite Silv has decided to engage in what might ammount to conversation. "I'm sorry for my friend," he says. "She's ... not herself, today."

The man raises his eyebrows to TrilViri, and wiggles his ears (laughter?) in apparent agreement. Then LinSilv says, "Hey, wanna see a trick?" She takes in a deep breath.. putting severe strain on the remaining button of Lin's vest..

"This could be hilarious or really bad," Trilup whispers to Aviri. "Maybe we should.. tickle her or poke her or something before she pops?"

"Like the giggling that'd ensue wouldn't pop it?" Aviri whispers back, ... aloud, apparently forgetting (or forgoing) his attempt to remain sane. "Plus, I'd rather not ... egg her on," he says much more quietly, in his usual muttering-to-himself tone. He shifts farther away from the Savanite and grins plaintifly, taking another sip in the hopes that would cover up his mistake.

Aviyala spins her chair around and joins the rest at their table. "It might be a good idea to just go a dance or two with the lass, let 'er tire herself out, an' let us take har back to her home before she does anything she'll regret in the morning." She whispers in the cat's ear.

The Savanite is torn.. looking between the various clearly insane creatures. He then decides to 'defuse' things by.. kissing LinSilv! This.. has mixed results. TrilViri sneezes. Aviyala burps. And LinSilv.. well, it's a miracle the tablecloth does rise up, since she has a lot more deflating to deal with. Thus Lin finds herself being kissed by a Savanite, Aviri thinks his skin is going to break from stretching back out to normal, Trilup looks dazed.. and Silv hovers over the table cursing like a sailor. There's also a little click click click sound as the fifth dial on the box moves by itself to the star symbol.

Aviri sputters shaking his head and pulling at his ears. His own ears! Judging only by the look on his face one might think he'd just won some kind of lottery!

Lin grabs the back of the Savanite's head and pulls him back to arm's length. "A little enthusiatsic there but thanks." She says, catching her breath.

Things fit a lot looser on Linyala again, at least. And Aviri's pants aren't about to fall off. Trilup is just Trilup. "That wine was funky," she comments.

The Savanite blinks at Lin, wondering where the bigger otter went. He also sniffs his mug suspiciously.

Aviri, to put the final nail in the coffin of his sanity, starts laughing uncontrollably, quickly running out of air and chuckling on empty lungs. "Sorry about that, mister," he says, gasping for breath and pulling his mug closer to himself. "This has all been ... you ... we ..." he begins to regain control of himself. "We've been a little drunk," he says.

"Yeah, drunk.. and spit out.." Trilup says. Then she grins at Lin. "Oh, wow.. that was like the most epic fart too! Emmett would be jealous, Lin."

"A little." Lin deadpans, still holding onto the Savanite's scruff. She notices and lets go, then buttons her vest back up.

Trilup then leans against Aviri and hooks her arm with his. "We're like, ghost-married now right?" she asks him. Being on the receiving end of spice-breath is not as easy to take as having it.

Aviri's eyes widen, and he grips his left ear firmly. "Er ... not sure how that works, actually," he says, wary of the Savanite's proximity. "Very sorry about this fiasco," he says. "Thank you very much for the wine, though!" He sips at his mug, happy his body could take the drink without feeling queezy.

Lin stands up. "Alright you lot," She says sternly, "We've got what we were after, I need a good night's sleep after that." She tugs her vest into place and looks at the Savanite. "You, thanks for setting that right, good luck with whatever you're doing." She gives him a quick peck on the cheek before heading straight-ish for the stairs and up to their room.