[PQ+] you quack me up

I've done nothing wrong
Except for all the atrocities

New season, new land to terrorize partake in…festivities. Or so the saying went, in the Honeybee’s mind. Fresh off irritating the fuck out of Stormbreak, she ventured back into the Hollowed Grounds, eyeing the remnants and ghosts of long before, and marveling over the newer foundations. Maybe some of these citizens, and anyone else laden within, would be willing to play and partake in amusements. Far better than the Karens of the floating isle anyway.

It took several more hours than she’d counted on, but between her companions, herself, and chaotic recruitment styles, the demigod had enticed some of the townsfolk, who’d likely already been irritated with the fresh fallen snow, and set up necessary portions.

Standing on a box to appear taller, and over by the bonfire because that shit was awesome, she started calling people over, explaining the ‘rules’. “Hello! Welcome to the Duck Hunting Game!” A few immediately left, rolling their eyes and hauling off wares elsewhere. So they’d be sorry, no biggie. “Within the Inner Quarter, my companions have hidden twenty rubber ducks! Your goal, using your abilities, items, and whatever else you have, is to find as many as you can!” She gave a very wide Cheshire grin, enticed by the thought of competition and being an outright shit – hopefully compelling others to do the same. “There’s even a grand prize available for the winner.” Winking at the crowd, she started handing out bags to place the ducks within. When everyone was ready, she clapped her hands loudly. “Off you go!”

--

Welcome to the Duck Hunting Game PQ+! This thread must be finished by February 1st.

Your characters will be competing against each other, NPCs, or even animals, to find twenty rubber ducks hidden within the Inner Quarter. You may use any magic, shifts, items, etc. to try and find, beat, steal, etc. from one another. NPCs will be involved and may also be trying the same thing.

Current Places to look for this round:
- Near the bonfire
- On roofs
- Along merchant kiosks

Characters may look in the same places as one another! No post order!

1. Melita
2. Dantalion
3. Sohalia
4. Nova

the honeybee

Besides that
I'm innocent

// you knew who I was //

What in the unapproved, chaos-mongering fuck is going on, Danta has no idea. But he's fuuuuuuucking here for it.

Having appeared somewhere between Duck Hunting Game! and grand prize available, the Maverick stands with his arms folded across his chest and a broad, fanged grin on his face. Dressed warmly beneath the red leather coat that Deimos had handily enchanted for him and with flakes of snow settling in his hair, his cold blue eyes glimmer with amusement and competition both.

"Consider it done," he calls as he accepts a bag from a passing citizen, glancing up towards the rooftops already. Promptly shifting into black feathers and a curved, wicked beak, gore crow!Danta grabs the bag in his talons and promptly flaps away to investigate.

---

Danta grabs a bag, shifts into a gore crow, and goes to look on the rooftops!

Dantalion

// with every step that I ran to you //

you gotta get bruised before you get mad
you gotta fall down before you fight back

At this point, when it comes to Melita, Sohalia was used to pretty much anything.

So when the redhead announced a duck hunting game in the Inner Quarter, Soh kind of just shrugged and went with it. She didn't have anything immediately going on, after all, so she might as well spend her time searching for ducks. At least they were rubber ducks and, therefore, less likely to fly away during the middle of the game.

Waving hello to Mel and offering a rather befuddled grin, Soh gathered a bag and made her way through the crowd to the merchant tables, where she poked around here and there with the non-pointy end of the glaive she carried. Perhaps there would be one or two hidden under or around the stalls.

---

Soh searches around the merchant kiosks.

was feeling so weak but baby i'm strong
little did i know i'm a champion

Sohalia

You need chaos in your soul

Having found herself wandering alone again, Nova ended up exactly where she'd always dreamed of going: the Bonfire of the Inner Quarter. Like an enchanted moth she wove her way through the crowd, eyes wide with wonder. The light. The sparkle. The COLORS. She was in love. 

The heat licked at her cheeks, making her thick purple coat and red leggings feel overwhelming, but she quickly dismissed it as she admired the way the colors glittered across the cobblestones like stained glass. Giggling and humming to herself, she had to rip her eyes from the fiery display when she heard the word 'game' echo from a nearby woman standing on a box. Others seemed to get involved, supposedly seeking out 'ducks'? She didn't know if that was code for something, but either way, Nova had discovered that she was competitive. 

Content to search around her current location, the young woman with a pink streak dyed in her blonde hair snagged a bag of her own and skipped around the licking flames. Her giggles could be heard echoing the plaza while her eyes glittered in the light of the colorful bonfire. 

---

Nova claims the bonfire!

Nova

to give birth to a dancing star.

With the Hollowed Grounds’ alterations in landscape, some of the animals have grown a bit wilder. A bit bolder.

So while it may surprise some, and others not at all, a crow swoops down, snatching at clothing and bags with sharp, irritating, and annoying talons. Maybe you just lost a piece of bread, or a valuable keepsake!

Whoops. Best go try to get it back!

I've done nothing wrong
Except for all the atrocities

The rush of chaos was a fine thing – participants willing to embrace and embody the aspects so wondrously – and of course, why not, in the company of Dygra’s own? Melita was the epitome of glee; a raucous gremlin as she aspired to briefly try and cheat (no, Sila and Fangorn wouldn’t tell her where things had been placed), as she raced off to join the ongoing charade.

The Honeybee scurried up a rooftop, but couldn’t be quicker than the crow (Dantalion) well in front of her. And perhaps that was just as well, for as she scaled one home, the Theocrat made for another – his hands nearly grabbing hold of a miniature blue duck.

Except, his age-old nemesis came into play. With a squawk of its own malice and menace, the resident Grounds’ shithead snagged the duck with his beak, fully intending to hasten off with its new prize. Unless, of course, Dantalion decided to do something about it.

Sohalia, in all her kindness and composure, would find nothing at the merchant kiosks. A few laughs maybe, from the resident workers – and someone nearby. A young child, probably no more than ten, wearing shorts in the winter (could it be due to the nearby bonfire or just…one of those kid things), hastened towards something Sohalia would no doubt see when it was too late. “Haha! Got it!” was heard through the turmoil, as the boy reached aloft, holding up a bright orange duck with #13 written on the side.

And Nova, new to the experience but clearly loving every moment of it, would have the easiest time thus far. Searching around the bonfire, as Melita had figured many would do, ensured that the young demigod’s fingertips snatched at a turquoise duck with a mohawk, embedded with #7. Hopefully no one saw that…

--

Melita has found nothing.

Dantaliion has found a duck but that damned crow has gotten hold of it.

Sohalia has found nothing, but the NPC shorts kid has found a duck (#13).

Nova has found #7.

You may:
- Attempt to fleece NPCs for their ducks
- Look elsewhere (available now are more merchant kiosks, more roofs, or a snow-encrusted garden nearby)
- Attempt to fleece your competitors

Ducks Currently in Possession:
NPC Shorts Kid: #13
Nova: #7

No post order!

the honeybee

Besides that
I'm innocent

you gotta get bruised before you get mad
you gotta fall down before you fight back

Sohalia continued to search, smiling sheepishly at the chuckles she earned from the merchants. Luckily, none of them seemed to mind her poking and prodding at the kiosks. She tried to be as discreet as possible, and perhaps it was to her detriment, for she noticed the duck only after the boy in shorts - and, honestly, who wore shorts in the winter? - had snagged it. In all her kindness and composure (and much to Heather's chagrin), she couldn't bring herself to try and steal his prize. She watched as he pranced away, holding the duck aloft.

Fortunately or unfortunately, Sohalia's companion did not have the same moral compass that she did. With a screech that sounded far scarier than it was, Tarak descended from where he'd been soaring overhead to attempt to snatch the duck from the child's outstretched hand.

---

Tarak tries to steal the duck from the boy in shorts!

was feeling so weak but baby i'm strong
little did i know i'm a champion

Sohalia

You need chaos in your soul

Much to her delight, Nova spotted a turquoise duck with particular style among the stones of the bonfire. She snagged it in her hands before tucking it into her large jacket pocket. Continuing her giggles, she did another sweep of the vibrantly warm bonfire before something at the edge of her vision caught her eye.

Snow. 

She still had limited experience with the stuff, so the fluffy white texture drew her towards the garden. Bouncing on her toes, she skipped into the garden like the early (brutal) arrival of spring, knocking snow from bushes and branches in a burst of color. Her eyes took in the sparkling surface, noticing each hidden gem of reflective rainbows.

---

Nova searches the garden!

Nova

to give birth to a dancing star.

// you knew who I was //

Uh, yes Danta plans to do something about it. His talons have just been about to close on his prize when a familiar bastard comes to interrupt, and the people below will be treated to the angry croaking of a gore crow as he flaps hard and takes flight after the smaller corvid. With blood (and ducks) on his mind, he's entirely forgotten his bag, the other contenders, or any other ducks that might be available in lieu of this miniature blue fuck snatched away by a thief.

Should he be able to catch up to the crow, there will be no feinting and dodging - Danta intends to fully collide with it for an aerial scuffle, trying to force it to surrender its stolen goods so the Maverick can claim them for himself. It's the decent thing to do, no?

---

Danta goes for crow revenge.

Dantalion

// with every step that I ran to you //

I've done nothing wrong
Except for all the atrocities

The disorder and commotion continued to be alive and well, with an array of shouts from the crowds as they searched through kiosks and stalls, trying to catch any glimpse of something duck-like.

Melita continued to stroll across the rooftops, going the opposite direction from whatever was going down over there, and happened to spy a red, Ancient depicted one (complete with horns) sitting on top of a chimney. Snatching it ,#4, she tucked it within her bag and ducked down, finding a ladder and hastening towards her next perusal.

And while Sohalia had no intention of bullying, Tarak was no slouch. No sooner had the child felt triumphant and gleeful, than the griffin plucked the toy straight out of his hands. This prompted a rather unnecessary blubbering and wild mess of tears from the young shorts boy, absolutely despondent and pointing towards the griffin as his mother came running over. Best uh, move along?

Nova, incredibly fortunate and having not been spied upon yet, made her way towards the old garden. She must’ve had luck on her side, because as she dug, she’d be able to spot another crimson hued duck, its bill sticking out of the ice and rime.

Then there was the crow dogfight. Dantalion and his arch-nemesis managed to catch quite a few onlookers in their aerial pursuits, dodging, ducking, dipping, diving, and..dodging again (at least by the smaller crow) until the Ancient ultimately collided with the other bird. It had every right to be affronted, squawk, and drop the duck, flying off with nothing more than outright fear.

But that meant the duck was falling, right into the path of the other participants.

--

Melita has found Duck #4!

Tarak has taken Duck #13 from Shorts Boy and his mom is comin.

Nova has found a duck in the snow!

Dantalion has beat up the small crow, but now the duck is falling towards other participants.

You may:
- Continue to bully NPCs
- Look elsewhere (available now are more merchant kiosks, more roofs, the snow-encrusted garden, or a nice fountain)
- Attempt to fleece your competitors

Ducks Currently in Possession:
Sohalia: #13
Nova: #7
Melita: #4

the honeybee

Besides that
I'm innocent

// you knew who I was //

Oblivious to the other contenders and their luck (or lack thereof, shorts boy), Danta is only triumphant when he succeeds in scaring the other crow off, cawing after it with a victorious beat of his wings.

Of course, it's only after that point that he realises the whole point of the fight is now plummeting towards the onlookers, which, absolutely fucking not. Croaking his upset at potentially losing the duck, Danta plummets downwards in a dive (and a dip and a dodge...), talons outstretched for it.

And if anyone gets in the way, accidentally or otherwise, they'll absolutely come to learn what it feels like to have a large gore crow land upon their head and shoulders. And more fool them for it, honestly.

---

Danta dives after the duck!

Dantalion

// with every step that I ran to you //

you gotta get bruised before you get mad
you gotta fall down before you fight back

Tarak screeched again, pleased with his success, before flapping his way over to his bonded and landing proudly upon her shoulder. "Tarak!" she scolded him, "That was so mean!" And she might have returned the duck to the crying child if not for the appearance of an irate mother. As we all know, Soh is rather conflict avoidant, so she visibly paled before shifting into her snowy owl form, clutching the bag containing duck #13 in her talons, and taking to the skies.

From above, she saw chaos ensuing as people searched for more ducks. Spying a fountain nearby, Soh dropped from the clouds and shifted, landing gracefully beside the pretty stone. Once there, she looked in all the obvious places - upon the lip of the fountain, around the ground beside it, etc. - before beginning to search in all the nooks and crannies nearby.

---

Soh runs away and looks around the fountain.

was feeling so weak but baby i'm strong
little did i know i'm a champion

Sohalia

You need chaos in your soul

Nova gasped in excitement as she caught the flash of red in the snow. It certainly didn't look like a flower (not that there were many of those in this garden). She pounced on the patch of snow, humming along as she flung clumps of snow and ice from around the duck. Her ungloved fingers were cold, but it was a fleeting thought in the rush of adrenaline and determination. 

Being sure to make herself small, Nova pretended that she was an archeologist excavating an area, looking for treasure. - Or maybe that was pirates? Would Jack be considered a pirate? - Regardless, she brushed aside the snow to reveal the duck, stowing it away as soon as possible while she looked for other hints of treasure (or prior civilizations). Her grin was wide as she pushed aside small branches like they were vast trees in a tropical jungle, eyes scanning the expanse of 'untamed land.'

---

Nova digs in the snow to get the duck and keeps playing searching in the garden!

Nova

to give birth to a dancing star.

I've done nothing wrong
Except for all the atrocities

Melita scurried down from the ladder, ducking behind several merchant stalls, before remembering she could be clever about this. Rendering herself invisible, save for the bag that she was carrying, it was likely an odd sight to see a sack wandering about in the air, but she’d let it work for now. It achieved something, for as she approached the fountain, she spotted a normal yellow duck, nestled along the stone wares.

Dantalion and his efforts for the duck weren’t in vain – thriving on the chaos and violence, he managed to snag and bully several reaching and grabbing for it. Shouts of dismay reached and echoed, but the Theocrat would have the toy in his grasp – and some others on his tail. One very large man instantly launched for it right after Danta's triumph, and it would be up to the Ancient on what he’d do next.

Ordinarily, Sohalia and Tarak might have been able to blend into the crowd and escape the impending forces of a tattletale, but alas, Shorts Boy pointed them out instantly. "It was them!" came along with a few more sodden tears, blubbering, and a mother on the prowl – intercepting the Attuned in long strides, blocking her path to the fountain. ”Best give that back to my boy, girlie,” she added with a fair bit of menace.

And eventually, even Nova had run out of luck. While she dug, the frozen portions remained held fast, the little duck showing much more prominently, but not yet in her grasp. Perhaps she’d be able to smack it with something nearby – though her searching was starting to gain attention. A ragtag group of children ran by, then the ringleader turned back around. ”I think she found something!”

--

Melita has turned invisible and found a duck by the fountain.

Danta has secured #14, but a large man is trying to tackle him for it.

Sohalia and Tarak have been intercepted by Shorts Boy’s mother and she’s making demands.

Nova has attracted the attention of small nosey children and has yet to get the duck out.

You may:
- Bully or evade NPCs
- Look elsewhere (available now are snow-encrusted garden, nice fountain, or lamppost)
- Attempt to fleece your competitors

Ducks Currently In Possession:
Sohalia: #13
Nova: #7
Melita: #4
Dantalion: #14

the honeybee

Besides that
I'm innocent