Parties and Perils 2 (1/2)

“I think Daddy was sad back there. In the workshop, I mean.”

Threadbare studied Celia’s face, bringing the teacup up to his muzzle every now and then. He didn’t know exactly why he was doing it, but the toys Celia had woken up were doing it, and she seemed happier with that.

Of course the rest of them were doing it in unison, but she didn’t mind if he was a little out of synch.

Celia lay back, her princess crown slipped half off her head, cushioning her back against a spray of pillows borrowed from the bed. “I mean, not about the workshop, not really. There’s nothing in there a few mend spells won’t fix, right? Okay, a lot of mend spells, but you know what I mean, right?”

Threadbear considered his options. She was looking at him again, turning her eyes toward him with that little wrinkle around her forehead. That probably meant he should nod. So he nodded.

CHA +1

“Yeah! So I don’t know why he’s sad. He doesn’t- he doesn’t tell me. A lot of things. And normally when I get a present from him it always makes him happy to see me enjoy it. It’s why I act really excited even when it’s a lousy present. But he wasn’t happy this time. Uh, not that I mean you’re a lousy present. Honestly you’re pretty great.”

Threadbare nodded. Celia snorted to see it. “Geeze, I give you one top hat and you think you’re all that, huh?”

Threadbare kept on nodding. It seemed to be working.

“We’ll see. I’ll put you through some tests later, buster!” Her grin turned manic.

He didn’t know what tone and her visual cues were something he hadn’t run across before so he stopped nodding. Across the table the toys raised their teacups and took a solemn sip. He followed suit.

Celia sat up, and crossed her legs, resting her head on her hands and resting her elbows on her knees“I really am glad you’re here. I mean, I can make toy friends, but they only last for a little while. Not even a full hour yet, not until I’m level six, that’s what daddy says. And then they de-animate. And I have to put them in my party to get them to do stuff without telling them to do each and every little thing. You? You’re smart. You’re the smartest teddy bear ever!” She swept him up and hugged him, before he could react.

Threadbare froze. Was hugging a thing in this situation? He wasn’t sure how the top hat and tea cup factored into things.

He reached up and bumped the teacup against her lips.

“Hahaha! That’s so cute!”

Your Adorable Skill is now Level 4!

The little girl put him back down in his chair. “Why no, mister bear, I shan’t have any more tea. But thankyew, thankyew, my dear chap.”

Threadbare reached over for the empty honey jar again, and upended it over his teacup. It had made her laugh the last time he did it, and felt right somehow, so maybe doing it again would help him understand her reactions a little better.

But instead of laughing more, she sighed, and her eyes got wetter. “It’s lonely out here. I’m really lonely. I’m glad you’re here, okay?”

There was that look again. Threadbare nodded.

CHA +1

Celia hugged her knees. “I mean, it’s just Daddy and me out here, and Emmet I guess but he has to stand still most of the time so he doesn’t break stuff, and there’s Mister Mordecai but he only stops by to visit once a week, and Daddy ‘s been sad and angry lately and I don’t know why and he doesn’t want to tell me and he doesn’t tell me a lot of things and I don’t have anyone to.. talk… to…” Tears poured down as the little girl spoke, and she drew a heaving sob, before she shoved her face down into the nest of her arms, and wailed.

Oh, oh this was bad. The little golem had never seen tears before, never heard noises like this before. It ran through its options, checked its newfound hat-enhanced social instincts, and decided to go with what it knew best.

In a flash Threadbare was out of the chair, waddling over to her, and locking his arms around her in the tightest hug it could manage. And Celia seized him up, held him to her face, and cried freely into his fluffy belly.

+1 CHA

The tears smelled… strange.

+1 PER

Your Scents and Sensibility Skill is now Level 2!

It was like her and yet not like her regular smell at the same time. Perhaps different people had different smells when they felt bad? He didn’t know the answer to that question, and it made him curious to find out.

+1 INT

Finally the little girl cried herself out. “Thank you,” she said, holding him at arm’s length. “I have a friend now.” She sighed, as she saw the state of his fur. Mending had put him together, but he’d gotten pretty dirty during his scuffle in the workshop, and her tears and snot hadn’t helped matters. “Okay. Tea party’s over. Time to clean up.”

The animated toys quickly picked up the table and teacups, and put them back in the closet. Their hats were handed in with solemnity, and Celia plucked the top hat from Threadbare’s head. “It was fun though, you did great Threadbare! Disband Party!”

Your party has been disbanded!

Threadbare reeled, as his charisma suddenly lost its boost. He patted his head, where the hat had been, but nothing happened.

“No, tea party hats are for tea parties,” Celia explained. “Everybody knows that. Now it’s laundry time, and you, Mister Bare, are getting a bath!” She scooped him up, paused, and scooped up the pile of scrolls on the bed as well. “Better put these back before Daddy notices. Uh, not that he’d mind. Probably. Maybe.”

They trekked downstairs, and this time, Threadbare shifted watched her feet carefully as she traipsed downward. He was amazed to find out that holy shit, you could bend your legs when you walked! That was a pretty novel idea!

INT +1

That would make things so much easier. He looked forward to trying it out.

Celia strolled through the leftmost door at the bottom of the stairs, into a crowded room full of shelves, books, and papers. It was about as messy as her room upstairs, but there seemed to be some order to it. She opened up a dark wooden rolltop desk, hauled out a book, and opened it to show the pages inside had a big hole cut into them.

Threadbare found himself deposited on the floor while she folded up the scrolls, and tucked them back into place in the fake book.

Threadbare watched for a bit, then tried practicing that bendy-leg walking thing.

Five tumbles and two knocked over piles of books later, he thought he might have figured it out.

AGL +1

“C’mon silly old bear,” Celia grabbed his arm, and ran out into the front room, skidding on the floor, then taking a sharp u-turn through the next doorway. “Let’s get you clean!”

The next room turned out to be the kitchen, not that the bear understood the notion, or knew what any of the objects scattered around might be. Bowls, pans, and strands of garlic wound around hooks set in the walls just under high cupboards, and a hand pump sat in a corner, with a large basin underneath. A pair of windows let in cheery light, and two closed doors indicated more rooms further in.

The garlic really caught Threadbare’s attention. The smell was overwhelming, and he covered his nose. A pressure started to build, behind his muzzle.

“Kff!” Air whooshed through his nose, and Celia dropped him, surprised.

“What’s wrong?”

“Kff! Kff!”

That went on for a bit, with Celia getting more and more worried. “You’re sneezing, why are you sneezing? Are you sick? Oh no!”

This wasn’t doing him any good, and the little bear was thoroughly annoyed at it. He wanted it to STOP.

Animalistic Interface Activated!

Instinctual activation and deactivation of BEAR job skills is now enabled.

He didn’t know what the words meant, but the smell was gone, and all the other smells were gone, too. But most importantly, the sneezing was over with, and both he and Celia were very relieved at that.

Celia sighed. “You had me worried there for a moment, Threadbare. Here, sit here.” She dropped him in the brass basin under the pump, and started hauling on the handle. There was a strange gurgling noise, and Threadbare stared up into the faucet, trying to get a look at whatever was making that noise.

Then, all of a sudden, water came flying out, hitting him smack dab in the face, and knocking him over. He flailed, found the water rising around him, and panicked. Scrambling for the edges of the tub, he tried to haul himself out.

You have unlocked the generic skill: Climb!

Your Climb skill is now level 1!

He almost made it too, before Celia grabbed his soggy fur, and tossed him back in. “No no Mister Bear! You need a bath!”

After a few more failed attempts, and Celia’s repeated insistence, the tiny golem settled down and accepted his fate. He felt bloated, as it seeped through his seems, and made his stuffing swell up inside him. His fur was soggy, and he was thoroughly miserable.

“Hm… water alone won’t do it. Wait here.” Celia went to one of the doors and opened it, revealing a dark stairway down. She reached up and tapped a crystal hanging from a small chain, and it lit up. “Back in a bit. Don’t go anywhere.”

She was back in a few minutes with a jar of powder. “Wow the rats are getting bad. Droppings all over the place down there.”