this is Salem, a land filled with magic and maladies. It is a place where witches and their elemental familiars gather, a home to legend and
lore that predates time itself. Yet of all the wicked and wonderful stories the past can tell us of, the most magical are the ones yet to happen.
This is Salem - this is the start of your very own journey. Welcome to starfall
Starfall is an animaga witch roleplay set in mostly modern times. Members play as witches in a world plagued by monsters, where the only safe spots are walled cities. Starfall strives to be a character-driven roleplay with expansive lore and a highly interactive plotline. We want to allow members to
create and look back on a magical journey, and mold the site and its plot as their characters grow.
the dog bares its teeth, barks and lila winces as the sound reverberates off the alley walls. brilliant. just what she needs – a loud invitation for more people to come view this spectacle. the spectacle: a girl struggling to bend over as she tries to tempt the dog with a swollen belly and a leg’s fur matted dark red with blood.
the limp piece of meat hanging from lila’s hand does little to entice the dog. its body stays low and its hackles raised. the low, prickling growl is now a constant. lila already misses the pathetic whines that brought her attention to the alley the first time when the dog was a meek, shivering wreck trying to make itself seem a lot smaller than it was. now it’s a hostile, shivering wreck trying to make itself seem a lot larger than it is.
and with those sharp, yellow teeth, lila doesn’t want to take any chances. but worry only grows as she realises not only its hind leg bleeding. in light that struggles to penetrate the alley lila can see a sore above its right eye oozing pus.
”you stupid, stupid mutt,” comes the hiss through clenched teeth. lila almost wants to throw the meat at it.
[attr="class","lieinsidetext"]not giving it up to sing the world goodbye
[attr="class","lietags"]@hare 327 words
[attr="class","liebody"]
Ling peers down another dingy alleyway, eyes flitting over the grungy dumpsters with their trash bags haphazardly spilling out and the colourful scrawl of graffiti darkened by years of dirt. It looks kind of familiar... but so had the other thirty odd similar-looking alleys too, and look where that had gotten her. Lost in the not-so-reputable parts of Sundial City with only her familiar to keep her company, her guild is going to freak out if she doesn't return by sundown. Which, as it's looking, will be very likely.
She lets out a doleful sigh. Then turns back to try the other intersection. Maybe that'll be the one?
Any sane, reasonable person in Ling's situation would probably have headed in the opposite direction upon hearing low growls and barks coming from a a side alley. Of course, the thought barely crosses Ling's mind before she brushes it aside in favour of the concern flaring hot in her chest; she runs towards the sound with wide eyes and her heart in her mouth.
In the gloom of the shadows cast by high walls, it's difficult to make out the scene at first glance. There's a brown-haired woman holding a... a piece of meat? out to a hostile-looking dog, its fur bristled and its posture tense. Ling gasps as she makes out the red matting the dog's coat. "He's hurt!" she exclaims, a little redundantly. She can't help but take a few steps closer, brows creased in horror and concern. "Are you helping him? Do you need help?" she blurts out, eyes flicking back and forth between the stranger and the dog.
Without quite waiting for a response, Ling crouches down and averts her eyes slightly, holding out a hand towards the stray. "Hey boy, can you come closer? Can you come here so we can fix you up? Promise we won't hurt you, we just wanna help you get better," she coaxes, keeping her voice soft and reassuring. AN: I hope this is okay? If you want me to edit anything, feel free to PM me/Discord
if lila thought the dog was loud lila hadn’t anticipated the girl. she flinches in surprise, jerking her head up to the footsteps and voice. her retort is immediate and sharp, “watch out. it’s hostile.” the second redundant statement of the day. stupid, stupid. but this girl – chirpy, helpful, an immediate sore thumb in the hovels – nears the dog with little reproach. the dog swings around uneasily. it is just as surprised, letting out a nasty snarl as it bumps into the alleyway with its skittishness. its chest flutters with uneven breaths and its wide eyes say only one thing: cornered.
“i-i don’t need help,” lila protests almost immediately. but she’s wincing, struggling to bend down, and after a short moment – a dart of eyes between the bleeding dog and the newcomer – she throws the meat at it. the dog recoils and, as it twists its body, its protruding belly is exposed to the light. pregnant. lila bites her lip.
“and i think he’s a she.”
but the dog takes the lull to snap up the limp piece of ham from the ground. now, its eyes rest on the crouching girl. its posture relaxes and v-shaped ears prickling at the soft, low voice. lila watches quietly, envy settling into her stomach at the easy movement. her own leg and back are aching at the strain of bending. lila straightens her back.
“i–” it’s hard to say. “i don’t need help, but it does.”actually, i need help helping. but lila doesn’t say that. “i’ve got some more ham here–” a pause to nudge a brown, paper bag beside her feet, “– and a vial or two of hyacinth.” lila doesn’t want to use a pregnant, bleeding dog as a guinea pig for some of her own more unique concoctions. “will you help me apply it?”
lila bends down to pick up the bag. as she does so, the stray is taking its own steps forward. there’s a distant but experiment but distant sniff of the girl’s hand. it has stopped growling but its body is still low, teeth still showing
líng lù-xī (omg, no, it's absolutely perfect & ling is so sweet <3 also i can't decide what breed the dog is... give me a moment to deliberate over that ;a;)
[attr="class","lieinsidetext"]not giving it up to sing the world goodbye
[attr="class","lietags"]@hare 392 words
[attr="class","liebody"]
Her focus is fixated squarely on coaxing the dog to her, right up until she notices the woman wince as she attempts to bend down. 'Do you need help? Are you okay?' Ling opens her mouth to ask, only to be preemptively beaten to the punch with the woman's "I don't need help."
'Are you sure?' she wants to ask, biting her lip as she watches the stranger with concern, but despite what some may think, Ling does know how to respect other's decisions. Sometimes. So she settles for worried looks and a silent promise to offer help again if the woman seems to struggle again, and turns back to the dog with more soft enticements on her lips.
In doing so, Ling completely misses the other's tossing motion and is as surprised as the wild dog is when the piece of meat comes flying past and lands at his feet.
"Eep!" she squeaks, before slapping her hands over her mouth to stifle her startled exclamation. She turns wide eyes onto the woman, fading shock still written in the slackness of her features, only to stop and stare at the dog again at the woman’s next words. “He's a girl? How can you tell?”
“Oh wait, nevermind,” Ling says sheepishly as she catches sight of the dog’s protruding belly. She sticks her hand out, palm side up again. “Hey girl, sorry I called you a boy earlier, bet you're kinda scared huh. Come on, come over here and let us help you. I promise we won't hurt you, yeah?”
The stray looks at her, tense and wary and ready to flee at any moment. An encouraging note enters Ling’s coaxing. “Come on girl, come over, that's it.” She's careful not to look her in the eyes though, careful to come off as non-threatening as possible.
“Of course I'll help!” She beams up at the woman. “You're an alchemist healer? That's so cool!”
The stray chooses that moment to take a tentative step forwards, and an equally as hesitating sniff at her hand. Yes! Progress! The only outwards sign of her inner elation is the wide smile spreading across her face however. She doesn't want to startle the dog away, after all. Another step forwards.
"What do you want me to do?" Ling asks the woman, voice soft, watching the stray from her peripheries. <3 <3 <3
the dog, still baring its crooked and yellow teeth, does not startle the girl but the thrown meat does. but it provides a strange, growing sense of relief in lila; a small comfort that this strange had some semblance of caution and wits about her. even if it meant she squealed at sudden movement which turned out to be a flaccid piece of ham. at least the girl seemed meek about her overreaction. the noise lila stifles is either an amused snort or a exasperated huff.
the best motion lila can make is a tilt of a head towards the dog’s belly. the girl realises soon enough and does not deter her effortless coaxing. lila stares on enviously as the dog takes another step forward. as it relaxes its jaw its sharp teeth disappear. now, its nose is only inches away from the palm, snuffling the air tensely.
it retracts a moment as the girl heaps sudden praise on lila. she can almost hear the exclamation points. startled, it hops back, the movement making it stumble, and lila lets out another frustrated sigh. maybe she should rethink the idea of a some semblance of wit. her expression does not mirror the beam. her face is furrowed brows and pursed lips as she lets a judgemental silence fill the alleyway. as the dog recovers, lila speaks softly but there is an edge of derision to her voice, “you’re really not from around here, are you?”
the broad smile across her face is out of place in the hovel. but the girl’s keeping her voice soft now and the dog returns to approaching her – slowly. lila decides to step forward as well. her gait is falters slightly as she walks but she holds out the bag of meat to the other, clearing her throat impatiently. the dog cringes beneath her shadow. lila notices.
“could you feed it some more?”
all too conscious, lila tries to crouch beside the girl. there’s another wince and she ends up having to sit against the dirty alley ground. there’s a small noise of disgust as she does so but perseveres in rifling through a small pouch at her waist.
“my clinic’s not far from here.” but lila casts a skeptical look over the dog. its tail is no longer between its legs and now its experimental sniffs are directed towards the brown paper bag.
“but i don’t think the dog will come there with me. it doesn’t like me.”but it likes you, go the unspoken words.
[attr="class","lieinsidetext"]not giving it up to sing the world goodbye
[attr="class","lietags"]@hare 470 words
[attr="class","liebody"]
“You’re really not from around here, are you?”
Ling pauses. She might be young and impulsive, and she might have no close and personal experience of the world's harshness, but she's not quite as oblivious as she often portrays herself to be. The derision lacing the undertone of the woman's voice shines as clear as day to her, as familiar as the coolness of winter's ice, a demon she is locked in combat against for the dawning of eternity merely for her choice of affinity. She... hates it, hates the trivialisation of something she so truly loves- but this isn't about runescripting. This is about her life experiences (or lack thereof), and she can deal with that.
It is true, after all.
"You're right, I'm not," Ling responds, grinning a little ruefully, a little sheepishly, still as cheerful as ever. Her eyes are clear though, sharp. "I don't come to this part of Sundial very often. But I may be... slightly lost today." And she offers the woman a shrug in a 'what-can-you-do' sort of gesture, and turns back to the dog.
The stray has crept closer, the tip of her nose almost brushing Ling's hand. 'Come on!' she mentally coaxes it, 'come here.'
And her patience pays off as there's a featherlight brush against her fingertips, nothing more than the barest of touches, but contact none the less.
Soft, faltering footsteps pick up behind her, sending the stray shrinking back a few steps into the shadows. She doesn't flee though, which Ling considers a good sign. Ling glances up at the woman, tilting her head in a silent question. The woman holds out a bag, filled with... meat?, and Ling accepts it with a nod. "How much of it?" she asks as she draws out a piece of ham and waves it enticingly in the dog's direction. She slinks forwards, ears pressed back against her skull but thankfully not growling.
As the woman bends down to crouch beside Ling, she seems to struggle, a grimace tugging the edges of her mouth down. "Are you okay?" Ling asks, her focus now redirected towards the woman. Her brows furrow in concern. She wants ask if the woman needs help getting up, but somehow Ling gets the impression that such an offer will not be appreciated. (It's also kinda sorta rude, now that she thinks about it.)
She perks up at the woman's next words, relief blossoming in her chest at this small way she can help without potentially antagonising the other. "I can lead her to your clinic," she offers, "if you lead the way." As if on cue, the dog brushes by her fingers again and snaps up the ham from her grasp, eyeing the brown paper bag with hungry eyes before she even finishes devouring the piece of meat. Sorry for the wait, got a bit stuck on this one
