[Yet more bizarre and terrifying noises in the garden. Anyone in the necessities is likely to hear a sharp, sudden cry of pain, shifting to an almost animalistic growl of pain and frustration.

If you investigate... you'll see Larry, with a bit of a change. Her arms, covered in brown fur; her hands, tipped with razor sharp claws. Also, short little furry ears coming out of the top of her head.

Larry herself looks horribly, incredibly confused. No tears, no anger... yet. Just utter bewilderment.]

What... just...?

[ Video ]
[A plump, shapely woman who seems part plant is standing on a background recognizable as the gardens. Her dress appears highly ceremonial, consisting of many colored cloth pieces stuck together in a flowing wave of 'feathers' to the ground.]

My, I like those things. Amazing what they can get plants to do here!

Oh, yes, there're people listening already. I'm really surprised that I've ended up here. If I was a servant of another god, I might say that there's a purpose for us to be here, and that I would find my purpose. But my own Goddess, Zeyphr the Mother of Spring, Whirlwind of Possibilities, and Herald of Chaos, has taught me that no such thing as inherent purpose exists. There's only the purpose one creates for oneself. And even if inherent purpose existed, the chances of it fulfilling itself are slim.

So I'll just do what I like and through that learn what purpose strikes my fancy here. I look forward to what the unpredictable future might bring me.

In the meantime, you're all invited to a welcome party. I'm afraid I can't supply so many drinks or foods, so I'll produce what I can and anyone coming can bring something. I look forward to sharing what I'm sure will be exotic refreshments with each other! And I'm sure some of you can explain this to me better than that scroll. This situation is so peculiar I could almost believe it another prank or whim by Zephyr.

Okay, that's all. Thank you vine, I'll make sure to water and nourish you nicely...

[The video ends.]

[ Action, in the Gardens ]
[Already, unfamiliar fruit-bearing plants are swelling next to Melia. Those... almost looks like mutant fruit-bearing grass. Some of the fruits seem to have fermented, and she is squeezing their juices into hollowed out gourds of some sort. Nearby are tables and seating being grown out of the nearby shrubbery. She's been working on this setup for a fair while before even sending out the video message.]

[The 'mirror' turns on, revealing...Tenshi. Well, it clearly is Tenshi, since she has her hat and dress. That's pretty much what Tenshi looks like, right?

Granted, normally, Tenshi isn't covered in silvery snake-like scales from head to toe, nor does she have claws]

ALRIGHT, VERY FUNNY. [Tenshi glared at the mirror]

Whoever did this, fess up. NOW.

[❀ video]

[She is a nation with a great deal of pride. Vietnam tells herself to keep this in mind. She must be prideful! She must remember who she is and what she represents, even if... her body is distorting into something bizarre and horrific.

The lower half of the woman's body has mutated into the muscular hind legs of a tiger, contorted painfully so that she can barely stand upright on them. There is really no point in pants right now, okay. She'll worry about her modesty later! The mutation seems to have stopped around her hips, with the tiger fur fading gently into bare skin. Even as the video films her, though, it's starting to look like the fur is spreading very, very slowly upwards on her body. She's wearing a black singlet but nothing other than that, and her hair is swept up into a loose bun at the base of her neck. She looks pale and is in a cold sweat- she's obviously in some degree of pain- but she's somehow managing to keep it together.]

Ơi, let's not panic. I am sure that there is a reasonable explanation for this and that it will stop, soon. Has anyone considered that it may be one of those strange effects...? The ones that occur randomly. Though I have not seen them happen to so many at once... It's- [Her sentence ends abruptly as she clutches painfully at her side, wincing.] Tch... [Her sharp eyes flick back up to the mirror.] This is happening to most of us, isn't it? There is no reason we should not deal with this together. I will be in the Pagoda if anyone would like to... [Stares down at her body.] ...compare notes.

[❀ action]

[As she had said, Vietnam is waiting in the Pagoda. The Chinese-inspired architecture is very similar to what she is used to in her own home, and so the atmosphere is comforting to her. This is, of course, where she's relocated ever since it became available in the Necessities. She's not in the room, though; she sits on the front steps of the building before the entrance hall. Her tiger's legs are splayed somewhat awkwardly on the steps, and she's trying to adjust to a position that's more comfortable, though it doesn't seem to be working.

Behind her, interestingly enough, is that statue of the dragon woman. Vietnam keeps giving it wary glances.]

[Voice]

[Anyone who's spoken to Saber more than once before should be able to recognize her, but her voice is distinctly more guttural, and only part of that is from pain and anger.]

Can the Mother of Monsters hear us like this?

...I don't care whose duty it is to fight her originally. This is an insult to my honor. If I could maintain a stance with my sword...


[Action]


[Anyone who's nearby will note that she's struggling to stand upright. Her deformed posture and arms are clearly meant for a quadruped but she refuses to even consider going around on her hands and knees for a thing like comfort, so she's pretty badly hunchbacked and having trouble with her balance. Her hair's gone completely wild and become more of a mane than anything, and her face is stretched out in such a way that is honestly convenient for snarling in rage.

She has a golden-brown tail with a tuft at the end, though thankfully her dress hides it.]

MIERDA!!

[ The mirror reflects a frightened-looking Spaniard amongst broken utensils and scattered ingredients, staring in horror at her now scaly hands. A long snake-like tail emerged from under her skirt, and two large, leathery wings spread from her back, tearing a sizable hole in her blouse. ]

Dios, mierda, what's happening??

[Yukari, for her part, appears completely unaffected]

I don't suppose we have anyone with a hundred eyes, do we?

[voice]

This-does she think that heart is equated with physicality? That's completely-

[And she stops with a sharp gasp of pain, followed by a long pause.]

I refuse! You can't-

[She cuts herself off with a short scream, and her tone shifts from challenging to fractured as she struggles to speak.]

No...I...please, I can't...not this...

Anna is in Creche Alpha, now covered in vines, and her skin is... pale. Very pale, and almost gelatinous. Her eyes, too, are larger, and cloudy, and her head... she's damn near bald, and it's gotten bulbous, and her hand ends in suckers...

She seems to notice that the Vine is broadcasting, and she chuckles.

Silly me. Of course being a cartoon wasn't good enough for Echidna.

Of course not.

So she made me like the Enemy. Or as close to it as she could get from my dreams about them.

Fuck you, Echidna. Fuck you and all your progeny for seven generations running.