605/Troubling Food

Troubling Food
Date of Scene:	25 May 2017
Location:	NYC - A Cafe
Synopsis:	Mercy and Violet O'Mara have a bite to eat at a local cafe; trouble of the magical variety appears.
Cast of Characters:	Mercy Thompson, Insect Queen (OMara)

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Mercy Thompson has posed:
Last we met Violet and Mercy, the two were heading to a cafe for a quick bite to eat ...

... That bite to eat is at a local cafe that serves sandwiches, soups and salads. All at a reasonable price thanks to the chain it belongs to. The cafe itself is a simple white facade for the outside, while the interior holds a bit more color. The walls, the tables and even the countertop and menus hanging behind the counter hold a variety of pastel peaches, blues and greens. It gives the room a soft, but hopefully bright appearance. With it being so close to lunch time the cafe is all but bustling with both customers and workers.

Thankfully, the line seems to be moving at a steady clip, when the two queue up.

Glancing aside to Violet, Mercy will add, "I've had just about everything on the menu, never tasted a bad thing. Order whatever you like, my treat." She says again, flashing a quick smile to the slight taller woman at her side.

And even as the two wait their turn Mercy will glance towards the available seating; it's going to be tight, but thankfully there's a few two-seater tables available still.

Insect Queen (OMara) has posed:
Violet O'Mara takes some time to admire the decor after walking in. The decor, the offers on display, and, yes, she spends more time than the average patron on checking out the pictures on the walls and other decorative paraphernalia.

"I like it," she finally says with a smile. "Simple, yet tasteful and with personality, but not going all the way to having an attitude. It's non-threatening, it says, 'I'm cheerful but cozy and harmless!'" She turns at Mercy. "...and after our last experience, cozy and harmless is exactly what I'm looking f- Oh, look! A two seater close to the window!" She says, pointing to behind Mercy's back. "I can't believe one of those is still free!" She scoots over, past Mercy, in an attempt to sit down to claim the table before anyone else does. Shall she succeed, she'll beckon to Mercy to join her.

Mercy Thompson has posed:
A light laugh can be heard from Mercy, when Violet gives this particular cafe a 'voice', "It does make you feel that way, doesn't? It's not trying to be too hip, or too trendy, just itself." She says in agreement, as her gaze turns towards the hustle and bustle within the four walls of the cafe.

Definitely a lot of people, but, not too bad all in all. Mercy has seen it worse, after all.

When Violet points towards the small table towards the window, Mercy will turn. "Oh good! Let's grab it." And with quick-footed Violet edging past the coyote and towards the table the claim is guaranteed. At a slower pace an amused Mercy will follow after the other woman.

Once the two are settled it'll only take a few minutes for a friendly (but harried) server to approach. Simple plastic-film menus will be offered, as she says, "Welcome to the cafe." While the server looks somewhat frazzled her tone is still quite polite and warm, "Can I start you off with drinks?" A small notepad and pen will be held in her hands as she looks between Mercy and Violet.

Mercy will turn a smile of greeting towards the server when she steps up, and with a nod, Mercy says, "Whatever diet soda you have and water too, please. One check also." And then the ball is lobbed towards Violet, to see what she wants.

Insect Queen (OMara) has posed:
Violet O'Mara looks up from turning the salt shaker in her hand. Apparently, she is particularly enthralled by the little object. It does have some kind of an interesting minimalistic aesthetic to it, so that may be it.

"I'll take the same. One diet soda, one water. And one glass of check too, I've never heard of that drink, and I'm curious about-" She shakes her head slightly in realization. "Wait, wait, what?" She turns to look at Mercy in surprise, and then waves in dismissal to the server. "...nevermind, make it just a diet soda, one water, and one 'please forget my blunder about the glass of check'. Unless the latter costs extra, in which case you can keep your memories about it."

"One check? Really?"

Mercy Thompson has posed:
Glass of check? At that random meandering of a thought, both Mercy and the server grin at Violet. "All right." Says the server, "Let me get those and then I'll come back for your orders." And just like that, the server whisks away and towards the back.

Mercy turns her gaze from the woman's retreating form and back to Violet, "Yup, one check. I said I'd treat and I will. Think of it as a business expense." Not that Mercy will right it off as one, but it's true in it's own way, "I'm a perspective customer looking for a perspective web designer. My treat so order what you want."

And no more arguing about it.

A quick glance will be given to the menu, but Mercy knows what she's going to order. Soup and sandwich. A good standby for a hungry coyote.

The menu itself holds a wide range of selections. Simple salads, high calorie salads, half sandwiches, full sandwiches, soups, drinks and even a very small dessert section. Mostly pies.

And while the two women have a nice lunch elsewhere at the local post office a package is picked up by a man. It's a small box wrapped in bland brown paper. When shaken the soft thump of something can be heard within. He waits until he's outside before he opens it and when he does an unseen light shines upon his face. Unseen to him, at least, and to those around him. The small glass bauble, won through an online auction, sits within a next of cellophane and bubble-wrap. To the man it looks like a simple snow globe and while the fantastical city held within the water and glass is beautiful, it's really quite deadly.

Eagerly the young man will pull the globe out and with a smile of happiness, he says, "She's going to love this!" Clearly someone he knows is a fan or collector of snow globes. And while he may not be a collector of snow globes that doesn't stop him from giving it a great big shake -

- The little bits of snow that were settled upon the bottom swirl upward in a haphazard whirlwind and while not felt by him, with his touch and that shake a spell activated. A destructive spell and with reaching fingers of malice the spell begins to leach outward towards the street the cafe sits upon.

Insect Queen (OMara) has posed:
Violet O'Mara finishes looking at the menu. "...I think I'll have a half sandwich and a dessert, when the server comes back? This pie, here, looks interesting."

She looks up at Mercy. "Anyway, I-" She looks down. "The salt shaker. What happened to the salt shaker? It was here a moment ago!" says Violet, looking all over the table. "It can't be just disappeared in thin air! Things don't just disappear- Oh, nevermind. There it is." She says, and picks up the little item and returns to study it. "Well, uh, what can I say but 'thanks', then? I mean, I know that look on a face. It means that the point is not up for negotiation. And I don't really thing it's the case to get into a fight over a check. Well, ok, I don't think it's the case to get into a fight about anything, really."

Mercy Thompson has posed:
A grin tugs a corner of Mercy's mouth upward when Violet 'loses' the salt shaker. For a moment at the very least. When it's found the world is back to being right and the conversation flows back to the merits of pie and checks.

"It does." Comes Mercy's prompt response her eyes automatically turning towards the other woman's menu and the pie so denoted, "Their apple pie is good too, especially if you like a dutch crust." And who doesn't like that crumbly top, no one! Or if you do then you /must/ be evil. Seriously.

The topic of the check and not arguing earns a nod from Mercy, as she flashes a quick smile to Violet. "Glad we can agree." Begins the coyote and while she was just about to say something else those words die within her throat -

- Outside the magic swells and it's enough that the coyote's senses have suddenly flared with the mystical energies. "What in the -" Murmurs Mercy now as her eyes turn towards the window and the sidewalks and streets outside, "- Something isn't right."

Perhaps an odd statement from Mercy, but it can't quite be helped, thanks to the touch of that spell.

Outside chaos is beginning to form. Near the man who holds the snow globe sits a mailbox. When the spell touches it, the metallic box will shiver, before it moves. Yes, that's right, it moves. While it doesn't form an actual face the mouth of the mailbox will open and emit a vague hollow growl. That growl is enough to cause the man with the snow globe to blink, pause in his shaking and turn. When his eyes see the moving mailbox and hear that growl, he can't quite help the surprised blink, then when the shock fades, he screams.

Wouldn't you? A mailbox is growling!

The growl isn't all the mailbox does either as its 'four feet' suddenly yank themselves free from the bolts that secure it to the sidewalk. It's going to be walking in a minute.

That's not the only thing changed either. The stray animals found within the alleyways between buildings, scavenging for food, will find themselves offered an invisible pet. A stroke, even a pat, by the spell. With each touch the animal will undergo a change; adding weight and size to each, sharpening and lengthening teeth and claws and when the change has completed, their eerily howls will suddenly fill the air.

The first to step from the alleway was once an orange tabby cat, now he looks more closely related to a sabertooth; if a sabertooth had glowing red eyes and fangs that dripped a viscous fluid.

With a howl between cat and wolf, the once orange tabby cat streaks towards a woman, its clawed raised for an attack.

At this point the outside world finally erupts into chaos as the populace realize that not all is right in the world.

Those within the cafe aren't protected anymore than those outside as suddenly a certain salt shaker suddenly becomes animated. While it has no teeth to bite the woman that holds it, it will try to rattle and bounce its way out of Violet's hands.

Insect Queen (OMara) has posed:
"It's decided then! I'll have the apple pie! I /love/ the Dutch crust... but, as you've said, it goes without saying. Really, this place is amazing. I don't know how they manage to keep their prices so low with-"

Violet looks up from the menu at Mercy's words. The artist simply stops and stares at what is going on outside. She notices animated objects outside, unrealistically large animals, chaos erupting, in a progressively increasing state of shock as events unfold. "Cozy and harmless, it was supposed to be cozy and harmless!" she whimpers. "How can- EEEEEEK!" She instinctively drops the just now animated salt shaker, her forearms pulling close to her body, so that the back of her hands touch her shoulders.

"It's alive! That thing is alive! Or possessed! Or both!" She turns to Mercy, with a worried expression on her face. "...is this the reason why this place is so cheap?"

Mercy Thompson has posed:
The salt shaker continues to rattle and bounce and before too long the metallic top pops off! Now salt rains down, or is that snows down, across the tabletop. With that shriek, surprised eyes will turn to Violet now, as Mercy says, "What?!" Yup, even the coyote is shocked at what's happening. Though she really shouldn't be. Not with all the magical hijinks she's been around lately. Either way, Mercy will turn her brown eyes towards those little flecks of salt upon the tabletop and stare. Ten seconds pass, fifteen, finally twenty go by, but all the salt does is lay there (thankfully) as the shaker continues its rabid little dance. At least the salt didn't animate; that's something at least.

By this time other salt and pepper shakes have fallen into line and the interior of the cafe now fills with shrieks and cries of surprise.

"Not good." Is all Mercy can say for a long second as her gaze turns towards the people jumping from their tables and the servers dropping dishes that suddenly want to crush their fingers. Her attention will find its way back to Violet when she asks those series of questions and with a flash of amusement, the coyote will shake her head, "I promise, this has never happened before." Well, at this cafe she means. "This cafe really is a great spot." Then she's rising from her seat, as her gaze returns to the outside, "This might sound crazy, but I promise it's not, someone cast a spell outside and that's what's causing all of this. It's something about change, or replacement, or exchange -" Her eyes narrow as she tries to get the taste of the spell, "- something like that." And again, she looks back to Violet, "We need to stop it."

Outside it continues to be crazy. The woman is attacked by that feral cat gone extreme feral. With a swipe of its claws the woman screams in pain and goes down. While the cat would have finished the job, it doesn't, as it simply goes to the next person. This person, a man, was close enough to the woman to see the attack coming. It's enough warning for him to start running and close behind him is the cat. The two streak past the window that Mercy and Violet are near. "We need to help. If we can find the source of the spell we might be able to stop it." And she can too, it's just going to take a few minutes. A few minutes they don't have, as suddenly the door leading into the cafe shatters inward.

When the glass and metal clears a creature that looks a cross between a wolf and a fictional dire-wolf stands there.

Insect Queen (OMara) has posed:
"We?! How can /I/ help in all this? I'm just... just..."

She doesn't finish the sentence, be it for sense of guilt, or inability to lie. A quick, frantic, possibly flawed scheme starts forming in her head. A quick dash to the restroom. Find an empty stall. Change there. In the confusion, people will not notice the change. Wait, no, what if there is a line? There's /always/ a line for the restroom. There's not enough time to wait for your turn. And those people may have been waiting in line too long to give up now, magical insanity or not. Wait, what if /restroom items/ are animated?!

Mercifully, Violet's train of thought is interrupted right at the right moment, jsut before things start getting unsavoury, by the appearance of the half-dire-half-not-wolf, standing there, in all its terrifying glory.

Violet, seeing death so close, doesn't stop or think twice. She reaches for her scarab pendant, and gives it a push.

She hunches over, groans in suppressed discomfort, and her form blows up into the Insect Queen's in a moment, ending in a barely suppressed scream. Luckily, almost all people in the bar were too busy being distracted by fearsome changes that a slightly less fearsome one barely registered on their radar. Just a random unknown woman of entierely forgettable features turning into someone else.

Unluckily for Violet, Mercy does /not/ fit that description... so the werecoyote may very well be aware of the Insect Queen's secret identity by now.

It's not certain how Violet will react to her secret having possibly been discovered, but the Insect Queen is being oddly nonchalant about it. She glances down at herself. "Ah, it's good to be back to normal again!" She smirks and stretches. "Being stuck as that vermin is /so/ humiliating!" And then she narrows her eyes in disapproval at the beast that just leapt through the door. "And, look. Somebody provided entertainment." She smirks. "And, if we're lucky, some meat." She turns to look at Mercy. "Not that the sandwiches and pies would have been bad, but..." She narrows her eyes. "I /hate/ Dutch crust."

Mercy Thompson has posed:
"Dammit." Mutters Mercy at the sight of that dire wolf standing there so. It's clear that the beast is surveying those inside as its red eyes roam around the whole room. Its appearance was enough to cause the people within to subside to a shocked silence, but soon enough that shock fades and then turns into fear. Once the fear hits the people within offer a variety of shrieks, screams and cries. There's an almost stampede rush away from the beast, as most people react instinctively to the death before them.

While Mercy can't quite deny she feels fear upon seeing the critter, that doesn't stop her for reaching for her chair. It'll be a somewhat ineffective club, but it's all she has and for now, it's what she'll use.

Before she can go off clubbing (and not in the fun sense of the word) Violet's groans will snag her attention. She'll watch the other woman change and when the metamorphous is complete, the coyote can only offer, dryly, "So, you two are the same person." Her head will tilt slightly as she considers the Insect Queen and while more questions should be asked (on both their parts) the wolf brings an end to that possibility.

Raising its muzzle upward it'll let loose with a howl that curls around the room. It's an almost solid sound as it burrows deep within a person's eardrums, rattling inside their head and sparking a harsh bright slash of pain when heard. For Mercy it's even worse, as her keen ears hear ten times better than the average person. With a gasp of pain the chair she holds drops from hands as Mercy claps her hands over them. "Holy crud! Don't let it howl!"

Those people nearest the beast likewise slap their hands over their ears as they too feel the brunt of that call.

With so many prey immobilized by that pain the beast moves. The howl ends, but the pain and ringing within the affected ears doesn't. It'll take a few minutes and that few minutes is enough for the wolf to attack. A leap, a growl, and the beast is going for an elderly man near it.

Insect Queen (OMara) has posed:
The Insect Queen would reply, but, suddenly, ear-splitting howl.

She falls to her knees, two of her hands slapped firmly onto her ears, eyes shut. Unlike Mercy, she still has two hands free to grab a chair.

But she doesn't grab a chair.

Instead, she starts growing chitinous spikes on the back of her gauntlets, vaguely reminescent of bayonets for hand-to-hand combat. And doesn't do that good a job at it, too crippled and incapacitated by the howling to do anything properly. The spikes and up being irregular and not completely straight, zigzaging all the way.

But they'll do

When the howling finally subsides, and she can manage to think straight again (even if her ears are ringing like crazy), she'll narrow her eyes at Mercy and go,

"...WHAT?"

Until the wolf attacks the elderly man. She jumps to stab the wolf with her gauntlet spikes, covered in recently secreted green goo. Hopefully a sedative.

Mercy Thompson has posed:
Nauseating. That's what the howl is for Mercy. Normally she loves her keen senses but with that howl, it's just a detractor.

While Insect Queen seems to recover from the effects, Mercy is still reeling. Her gaze is unfocused, even as she turns towards the six armed woman so near her. That WHAT is heard in a muffled sort of way, but for the moment, Mercy's struggling.

And while Insect Queen is likely used to always having the upper hand (hands?) in this type of situation, she might now find herself evenly matched. Magic is slippery and slick and its given these constructs that same sort of power. The wolf's sensitive ears, nose, sight and reflexes allows it to sense that leap of an attack by Insect Queen. It's enough that the wolf aborts its attack upon the old man so that it can literally throw itself sideways. Instead of flesh those spikes only encounter air and now the wolf turns, it's magma colored eyes smoldering as it focuses upon Insect Queen. While the wolf can't quite smirk an air of smugness might permeate its being and with a toss of its head backwards, it once again howls.

Behind Insect Queen, Mercy shouts, "Dammit!" And for her to swear a second time .. that's saying a lot, since one of Mercy's rules is to not swear.

Staggering away, Mercy will careen into table and when her hands drop from her ears to the table she'll growl. An almost coyote sound and with that growl Mercy lifts the table upward (with ease) and toss it straight at the wolf.

Hopefully it'll the wolf before any attack by Insect Queen; otherwise there might be some apologizing later.

Mercy Thompson has posed:
Outside people are still running around like mad. Even the man with the snow globe as he tries to escape the rabid mailbox.

Insect Queen (OMara) has posed:
There might be some apologizing later.

But, if there is, it will have nothing to do with the table Mercy just tossed; that one is flying unobstructed towards its target. The Insect Queen stood there in confusion for a moment, trying to come to terms with the impossibility of the beast's sideway motion. It is, however, registered that another attack is threatened.

"Two can play at this game, /mammal/," growls the Insect Queen, and, while she assumes a slightly crouched combat stance, ready to leap at the wolf, her own eyes turn red and flicker with yellow accents.

Someone doesn't like being upstaged, it appears.

Of course, the Insect Queen is not just bidding her time. She is telepathically probing the area around, for any clue. On non-insects, telepathy is dodgy, but it's worth a shot.

And if bad comes to worse, she can commune with the insects in the area. Are insects being affected too?

If they are... does it mean that /she/ is going to be affected too, soon?

The last question, however, is soon drowned by a much, much scarier one the insectoid managed to push away from her mind until now, but which has resurfaced in all its unsettling terror, pushing itself at the forerfront of her consciousness.

Have restroom items animated as well?

Mercy Thompson has posed:
With the wolf's attention so focused upon the Insect Queen, it had very little forewarning that the table was heading towards it. There was ENOUGH warning that it began to sidestep, but the sidestep is a hair too slow. So, while it doesn't crash completely into the wolf, it definitely nicks the hindequarters of the beast. A yelp of anger and pain can be heard from the beast as it now scrambles from beneath the edge of the table. It won't take long to get free -

- Not very long at all.

Telepathy with the creature will only afford static. Immense mental static. While this creature started off as a mammal the magic has changed it just enough to no longer read as 'animal'. Now it's simply a magical construct.

With further reach outward towards the bug population at large, Insect Queen will find pockets of normal insects and pockets of blankness. Where bugs should be, but aren't, because they too have been changed. Not size wise, but now their stingers administer little psychic shocks, versus actual venom.

The spell continues to curl lazily around the street and cafe and as it brushes near Mercy it'll stop. It can sense the animal within the woman and while it reaches out with needly fingers something stops it from actually touching the woman. The touch is near enough that Mercy will automatically whirl about, hands raised; she was expecting something to fight, not a tendril of magic. "Go away!" She shouts at it and while it doesn't necessarily react to her shout, it does retreat away from the coyote. Then it focuses upon the larger 'animal' so near. Insect Queen. Like a dart the magic heads towards the Insect Queen and as soon as it's close enough it'll reach out to the part of the woman that's more insect than human.

'Change'. The ghost of the spell whispers. 'Let us give you power.'.

It tries to curl around one of Insect Queen's other arms.

As to the restrooms, no, so far they remain unchanged. Let us all take comfort in that.

Insect Queen (OMara) has posed:
Tempting the Insect Queen with power? Does that magical entity think this is really going to work? Seriously?

"Finally! Someone who gives me power. Seriously, humans, how long does it take for you to recognise me as your supreme leader?" Babbles the Insect Queen, and the tendrils slowly work their way into her insectoid half, a proces she embraces wholeheartedly, under the promise of power.

The twisting and turning commences soon, with associated gloating and cackling. The woman grows further in size. Seven. Eight. Nine feet. Her shadow encompasses more and more of the cafe, darkening the pastel tones that made it so cozy and harmless.

When the growing has stopped, a primal abomination born of the mixed nature of the Insect Queen and Violet towers over Mercy. The Insect Queen's primal, terrifying ancestors gave the creature a gigantic spider-like appearance. Violet's primate heritage, however, makes each of the appendages end in a hairy hand, and a prehensile tail rising up from the abdomen.

Her face, is a grotesque mixture of insectoid and ape-like feature, still managing to look mostly humanoid, overall, but with ancestral rage all painted over it.

She lets out a roar-hiss, and her properly lava-like smouldering eyes focus on Mercy.

Mercy Thompson has posed:
There's a heart stopping moment for Mercy (and everyone, really) when that power wraps around Insect Queen and it changes her. Again, within that cafe the shouting, the screaming, the terror stops for a handful of seconds, as the people within stare at this new abomination.

Even the Dire Wolf pauses after it neatly slides out from beneath the edge of that table. Its own redden eyes will burrow into the new form of the Insect Queen and while it wasn't necessarily anticipating that change from the woman, it doesn't quite stop the wolf from attacking.

Before that wolf attacks, however, Mercy will have a chance to stare, shocked as much as anyone else. Then when shock abates to something she can handle, Mercy's horrified gaze will turn take in the other woman's new form. "Violet." She whispers, her voice sound just as horrified as her gaze, because really, who wouldn't be horrified? The spider portion of her new body trips just about every primal fear the primitive human brain has. "Fight this!" Mercy says next, her voice sounding stronger as she pushes through her fear, "You can do it!"

And while those words of Mercy's likely won't break through the spell hopefully she won't get attacked, as the wolf now takes its chance to attack. With an unearthly howl the wolf leaps!

It's aiming to leap upon the spider-monkey's back, intending to sink fangs deep within the woman's flesh. Carapace? Whatever!

Outside the man with the snow globe continues to run and while he has a straight path down the walkway that path soon becomes blocked as a woman falls before him. He's too close to avoid the woman and so, with an oomph and a ARG he trips. Down he goes and the globe within his hand is accidentally tossed upward. Like a glittering snowball the glass encased water rises up, up, up -

- and now down, down, down. It'll only be seconds before it shatters across the sidewalk.

Insect Queen (OMara) has posed:
The... what do you call that primal thing? The Spidermonkey Chieftainess? Whatever she is, she just keeps staring at Mercy for a while.

And then, three things happen at once.

Thing one, the giant spidermonkey lurches towards Mercy, with all her might, monkey hands twisted into murderous claws.

There definitely will be the apologizing whose possibility had been ventilated, later.

Thing two, when the claws are just inches far away from the actual impact, the smaller not-quite-dire-wolf manages to sink its teeth into the Spidermonkey Chieftainess's throat. No carapace in that area, at the moment.

Since magic is not bound to the pesky laws of physics, this causes the much larger spidermonkey to spin sideways, away from her original target, and lock into a barbaric fight with the canine. A show of teeth, growls, slashing motions of claws.

Thing three: the globe...

Mercy Thompson has posed:
The Dire Wolf clamping upon the woman's throat is enough to finally startle all the people held within its spell. Even MORE screaming and shouting can be heard as the stampede begins anew.

One hopes this poor place has good insurance. Is this considered an act of God? Likely.

Mercy, for her part, has the reflexes of a coyote and that's what saves her. It doesn't save her mechanic overalls, but it saves her. There's a rip, shred and tear as Mercy leaps away from those murderous claws and even as she lurches backwards, the front of her overalls is momentarily snared upon one claw. Seconds later the rip, shred and tear happens and Mercy is wildly back-pedaling into the table behind her.

The battle is fierce; dog and insect-monkey go around and round for several seconds and even as the wolf falls to the ground, its grip upon that throat lost, it doesn't stop it from jumping right back into the fray; uncaring of the claws that dig into its side.

Outside the globe finally lands and with a crackling *SMASH* the glass breaks and the water and snowflakes burst forth.

Like a bulb burst, the spell that had so ensnared so many animals (and one person) blinks off. The Dire Wolf shrinks in size, in shape and reveals itself to be a spotted black and white puppy. Whatever wounds it attained as a Dire Wolf vanished -

- Outside the mailbox creaks to a stop, before falling over, the rest of the animals follow the Dire Wolf, shrinking and going back to cat, dog, mouse, bird ... All is well? Perhaps in the basic of ways, yes, but mentally? Not for many people this day.

Insect Queen (OMara) has posed:
The spidermonkey, as well, shrinks back into the Insect Queen form, lying supine on the floor, and the fierce clawing and growling are dialed back a few notches into merely scratching the puppy's back (in three different points, one per hand), the top of its head (with the fourth hand). The vicious biting turns into a tiny tongue licking the Insect Queen face, and when the realization of what is happening hits, the Insect Queen grabs the puppy and places it on the ground next to her, brusquely, but at least not in a manner where the puppy will be hurt.

"The Insect Queen was not enjoying being smothered in mammal grub's saliva," she states, grumpily, crossing her arms and looking away. She stands up with as much dignity as possible, and raises her chin. "It was all an illusion of that evil spell."

The eyes dart down to Mercy. "You seem to know a lot about these things," she states, not whispering, but quietly enough that nobody will hear.

It seems like it is now inevitable.

More questions will be asked.