It always seemed strange to Alyssa that Rubinite anatomy texts devoted an entire chapter solely to the jawbone. That chapter had been her least favorite; full of luridly detailed illustrations and disturbing prose that made her feel... well, not entirely uncomfortable, but very peculiar for some time afterwards. Of course, the material had all been theoretical to her at that time. Now, having a chance to apply her knowledge in a more direct fashion, Alyssa finally appreciates the anatomists' work, and takes a moment to wish a quiet thanks to whomever had the wisdom to include that chapter. Maybe it would be worth studying those illustrations again, when she has the chance... Purely for academic purposes, of course.<br/><br/>It doesn't take more than a quick glance to confirm the efficacy of Alyssa's strike: slackjawed and unconscious, the large-bellied catgirl won't be swallowing Larynn or anyone else for quite some time. Confident that the immediate threat is taken care of, Alyssa dutifully turns away to avoid catching an eyeful - well, another eyeful of Larynn's accidental exposure. While she waits for the aasimar to recover her modesty, she searches the area for further threats, but finds none; all of the cats seem to be in retreat, save for those already fallen. With any luck, it'll be the last they see of them for the rest of the night.<br/><br/><div style="padding: 3px; background-color: #FFFFFF; border: 1px solid #d8d8d8; font-size: 1em;"><div style="text-transform: uppercase; border-bottom: 1px solid #CCCCCC; margin-bottom: 3px; font-size: 0.8em; font-weight: bold; display: block;"><span onclick="if (this.parentNode.parentNode.getElementsByTagName('div')[1].getElementsByTagName('div')[0].style.display != '') {  this.parentNode.parentNode.getElementsByTagName('div')[1].getElementsByTagName('div')[0].style.display = ''; this.innerHTML = '&lt;b&gt;Spoiler: &lt;/b&gt;&lt;a href=\'#\' onClick=\'return false;\'&gt;hide&lt;/a&gt;'; } else { this.parentNode.parentNode.getElementsByTagName('div')[1].getElementsByTagName('div')[0].style.display = 'none'; this.innerHTML = '&lt;b&gt;Spoiler: &lt;/b&gt;&lt;a href=\'#\' onClick=\'return false;\'&gt;show&lt;/a&gt;'; }"><b>Spoiler: </b><a href="#" onclick="return false;">show</a></span></div><div class="quotecontent"><div style="display: none;">Alyssa dispels <span style="font-style: italic">grease.</span><br/><br/>Driving check: 1d20 (take 10) + 2 = 12, success<br/>Alyssa slows down to match the other carriage's speed.<br/><br/>Heal check to assess driver's condition: 1d20 (8) + 15 = 23</div></div></div><br/>"Thank Rubin," Alyssa says, sighing in relief. Steadying herself on Big Belly, she wills the remaining grease off of the driver's bench before claiming a seat and guidjng the horses next to Dagnyr's carriage. "Is everyone alright? Miss Celaire? Sri Padma, Miss Rynn?" She pauses for a moment to check that the aasimar is free, upright and modest again before continuing. "I don't mean to trouble you, but how much longer will this spell last? I need to take care of this one soon, and it'll be much easier if I can see myself..." She jostles Big Belly's midsection slightly to convey her meaning, worrying as she does so about the decided lack of movement from within. As she tries to decide how best to go about rescuing their driver - or what's left of him, at any rate - Angel chimes in with her own less palatable suggestion:<br/><br/><blockquote><div><cite>Angel wrote:</cite>"So... Do either of you want her or do you mind if I help myself?"</div></blockquote><br/><br/>"Want her?"Alyssa asks. "You don't mean..." She gives Angel an incredulous look, forgetting for a moment that she remains invisible to the lupine, but a single glance at Angel's voracious expression is enough to dispel any doubt regardless.<br/><br/>"I'd prefer to keep her alive for the time being," she replies, working to hide her discomposure at Angel's suggestion. "We'll need someone to question about this attack after all. And we still have to rescue the driver-"<br/><br/><blockquote><div><cite>Angel wrote:</cite>"I doubt that getting the driver out is worthwhile, he's probably dead already and it'll just be a huge mess to fish out his remains."</div></blockquote><br/><br/>"Miss Celaire!" Alyssa recoils in horror, practically hugging Big Belly's bloated gut. Her reprimand comes out louder and sharper than she intended, certainly moreso than Angel deserved - after all, it wasn't as if she  meant to offend with her suggestion. Pausing for a moment, Alyssa takes a deep breath to compose herself before continuing.<br/><br/>"Miss Celaire," she tries again, steadier this time. "As an adjutant of the watch, I have a sworn duty to honor my fellow officers, in life as well as in death. Even if there's only a slim chance he'll survive - even if there's no chance at all - I won't let his life and as a meal for a criminal. I would hope he would do the same for me, if our situations were reversed."<br/><br/><div style="padding: 3px; background-color: #FFFFFF; border: 1px solid #d8d8d8; font-size: 1em;"><div style="text-transform: uppercase; border-bottom: 1px solid #CCCCCC; margin-bottom: 3px; font-size: 0.8em; font-weight: bold; display: block;"><span onclick="if (this.parentNode.parentNode.getElementsByTagName('div')[1].getElementsByTagName('div')[0].style.display != '') {  this.parentNode.parentNode.getElementsByTagName('div')[1].getElementsByTagName('div')[0].style.display = ''; this.innerHTML = '&lt;b&gt;Spoiler: &lt;/b&gt;&lt;a href=\'#\' onClick=\'return false;\'&gt;hide&lt;/a&gt;'; } else { this.parentNode.parentNode.getElementsByTagName('div')[1].getElementsByTagName('div')[0].style.display = 'none'; this.innerHTML = '&lt;b&gt;Spoiler: &lt;/b&gt;&lt;a href=\'#\' onClick=\'return false;\'&gt;show&lt;/a&gt;'; }"><b>Spoiler: </b><a href="#" onclick="return false;">show</a></span></div><div class="quotecontent"><div style="display: none;">I'm not sure exactly how one would go about rescuing another character from a stomach. Would it require a check at this point, or is it handwaved outside of combat?</div></div></div>