what has four legs and a dullahan fetish?

[indoorscholar]

Who: Shinra and you!
When: 2/6, any time
Where: the forest
Style: action/prose/baby you can have whatever you like
Status: open

[Shinra is not Shinra.

Shinra doesn't have a powerful feline body, complete with tan hide and immense paws. Shinra doesn't have his familiar human head attached to said feline body.
Shinra is not a sphinx.

Except...]

Just a dream. Just a bizarre dream. This is biologically impossible. You must have fallen asleep somewhere, and now you're dreaming about things that don't exist. Wake up. Come on. Wake up!

[Nope. Nothing.
Damn it!
Well, could be worse -- at least he knows some good riddles. He pads across a narrow game trail, slender tail swishing with irritation.]

This place is really, truly, batshit insane...

[Test your luck if you dare, he won't bite!

Well, actually...]

Comments

[saiyan_prince]

[Vegeta's increased desire to climb things landed him in the forest eventually. He stares down at the thing with the human head. What was that? Would it taste good?]

What the hell are you?

[indoorscholar]

[What was that?
Shinra peers up above him, squinting through his glasses. Of course he'd get a full lion body but still have the vision of a sun-blinded bat.]

Kishitani Shinra, underground doctor turned sphinx at your service! Well, actually, I guess you'd be at my service.

[His stomach grumbles lightly. Interesting.]

[saiyan_prince]

Sphinx.

[Nope, Vegeta doesn't know what it is. He very nearly hangs from the tree by his tail before correcting this behavior, leaning down to peer closer instead.]

You look like someone sewed a human head on a cat's body.

[Which is to say he thinks Shinra looks ridiculous.]

[indoorscholar]

A creature with the head of a human and the body of a lion? They're quite revered in the Near East for their wisdom.

[That's right, keep getting closer. Shinra trods forward in turn, his tail bristling ever so slightly in response to the jab at his appearance.]

And what exactly are you supposed to be?

I know DBZ was huge in Japan, so if he knows what that is, that's cool

[saiyan_prince]

A Saiyan.

[It's a simple answer. Vegeta hasn't changed as far as he can tell, he ALWAYS had a monkey's tail. Not that it's advisable to say that to his face.]

Is this one of those curses? The entire area is different.

[Saiyans are the kings of their own jungle, and so he has no trepidation against jumping down to address Shinra more directly. At 5'4", he doesn't strike a particularly imposing figure.]

mkay (:

[indoorscholar]

[Saiyan...sounds strangely familiar. This guy doesn't seem to be anything more than a spiky-haired ball of muscle mass with a tail -- although, under any other circumstances, that would probably be strange enough.]

A curse? So this isn't the first time something crazy like this has happened?

[Shinra sinks to his haunches, still tensed to pounce if the monkey-man tries anything funny.]

[saiyan_prince]

Supposedly not. There have been posts on the network about the curses.

[Sure, Vegeta has a rage problem, but he knows how to gather information and control himself when he absolutely has to! He hasn't gotten himself killed by Frieza just yet, after all.]

This one seems to be larger in scope than normal. It's over the city, not just something that individuals are experiencing.

[He's sniffing Shinra from where he is. Smells like predator. Without his scouter, Vegeta has no way of knowing if he can beat this guy or not. Oh well, dinner will have to be something else...]

[indoorscholar]

[Ah, the SFC. That would have been smart to check...if he still had opposable thumbs.
Shinra has his fair share of experience with the supernatural, but just because he's willing to accept this turn of events certainly doesn't mean he's happy about it.]

Yeah, it looks like the whole bubble's being affected by this...'curse'. I guess we have no choice but to go with it until something gives.

[He leans closer to the saiyan, his stare somewhat unsettling given his current appearance.]

Unless you know anything else about what's going on?

[saiyan_prince]

[See that? That's Vegeta's personal bubble, and you are now in it. He lets out a grunt, bringing up the post the station master made for Shinra to see with a derogatory look towards Shinra's paws.]

Read it for yourself.

[He holds it up in the doctor's face.]

[tangledlocks]

[Jack decided to wander into the forest himself to check things out. Shinra may or may not mistake him for a girl since his nicely fixed ground length hair isn't helping anything.

Note to self; after this curse. Get haired trimmed. Though, Jack hears Shinra complaining and oh geez does he really need to attempt to explain Vatheon curses today.]

This place is truly a spectacle. [He sighs, hair sweeping and framing his face. Gosh Jack why so feminine? Also, I assume since this is a Male!Rapunzel WHY IS HE OUT OF HIS TOWER?]

[indoorscholar]

You can say that again.

[Shinra straightens up onto his fours as he takes stock of the newcomer, chewing the inside of his lip in a very un-feline way.

...Good heavens, is that a man or a woman?
The voice is definitely a little deep for a fair maiden, but that hair screams princess...
A potential victim with a riddle of his own, how interesting.]

So what brings you out to my literal neck of the woods?

and you know what. i am really sorry for this being so late. tell my life to stop getting in the way

[tangledlocks]

[However Jack is not one of the aforementioned princesses. He is simply a foreigner. With really long hair. And a very manly voice. Okay?]

Walking around like I usually do. I'm not really sure why I was in that strange tower. It's like my whole living room was picked up and placed in there!

Very unsettling..

don't worry about it!

[indoorscholar]

A tower, huh? How'd you get out?

[The scale's definitely tipping in the direction of 'male' now. Shinra's front paws crouch ever so slightly - adventurers taste much better than princesses, and boy is he hungry.]

u//u

[tangledlocks]

A dragon. What else?

[Jack took his sword with him. Do not even try that with him buddy.]

I appear to have returned the favor...apologies for the lateness!

[indoorscholar]

A dragon?

[An ideal riddle slips away from him as the word piques his curiosity. Was there a dragon nearby? They're known to be quite wise themselves, but probably not worth the fight...hmm.]

And it didn't manage to eat you? Impressive.

Quite okay!

[tangledlocks]

Well, yes. This place is full of strange miracles, you know?

[He laughs.] We had a small bargain. She was a very nice dragon actually.

[indoorscholar]

Hmm, I think I'd agree with you there.

[It certainly was a miracle that so many fools had slipped out of his clutches...maybe it's about time for him to update his riddle repertoire.]

...A bargain from a nice dragon? That's certainly a lucky break.

[Just the slightest hint of disbelief sneaks into the sphinx's voice. Dragons aren't his favorite creatures by a longshot - most of them are far too smug and greedy for his liking.]

[last_lombax]

Well well well, what have we here?

[And this is not Ratchet. The Lombax is normally only five foot one inches tall, mostly clothed, and not smirking like this. This creature is around six foot seven with a much larger frame and tattered pants as his only clothing. He gives a feral smirk at the Sphinx. Seems he found another strange character in the forest.]

[indoorscholar]

[Shinra straightens up as he hears a new voice, although his new feline build is still no match for the towering form before him. What the hell is this thing?]

I could say the same to you.

[last_lombax]

Why thank you. I'm just your friendly forest Big Bad Wolf. And what are you?

[indoorscholar]

An excellent question.

[With an elegant flick of his tail, Shinra makes a steady circle around the beast, a wry grin on his human face.]

I'm a sphinx -- wise guardian of the dead, worst fear of the wandering adventurer, master of the riddle.

[last_lombax]

Good thing I'm no adventurer then. But master of riddles. And what do I get if I get one right?

[indoorscholar]

[Right what he was about to address - perfect.]

If you answer a riddle correctly, you can walk away and continue doing whatever you were doing. Answer wrong, and...well, to put it lightly, things might not end as smoothly.
...Or you can choose not to hear a riddle at all.

[Sphinx or not, Shinra's fairly practical: he knows his odds against a seven-foot-tall monster aren't quite as favorable as those against a brainless explorer.
Still, all that lean muscle...he must be tasty.]

[last_lombax]

[The Big Bad Lombax only smirks, showing off his large teeth.]

Alright. Give me a riddle.

oh goodness this is so late ahhhh I'm so sorry!

[indoorscholar]

Ah, excellent.

[He chews on the inside of his lip for a moment, sifting through a wealth of clever quandaries for the perfect riddle. Ah, here's a good one!]

What's the difference between someone with a horrible toothache and a rainy day?