By mid day, a dot had appeared on the horizon. Another hour of travel, and it became obvious that it was a town. It looked like a modest collection of huts, but it had people, a modest bazaar, and a tavern.
It was this tavern that my rider pulled up next to, and dismounted at. He looped my bridle over a fence post, and tied a quick knot in it, and went inside. Judging from the cries that greeted him, he was apparently well known here.
"Now is my chance", I thought to myself. The knot looked far beyond my ability to untie, with my hands as clumsy wings, and all. But this beak of mine felt moderately sharp, and I figured I could probably just clip clean through it.
But the man would be so disappointed in me, if I ran off! Maybe I should just stay here and wait for him...
I shook my head. (Which still felt very weird, even after a day of having this head... The weight was all wrong, and I couldn't shake the feeling that I had entirely too much neck.) Why did I care if he was disappointed? I needed to figure a way out of this mess...
But if I stayed here, he'd come out and we could ride around some more...
I snorted. Why was I even wasting time thinking about this? I needed answers, or an escape, not more time playing horsey for this idiot out in the desert.
But he was so NICE!
Gradually, it dawned on me what was happening. Damien had even told me what he was going to do. He wasn't just making me play some monster. (Or in my case, a mount.) He had said something about making me act "in character" as well. Apparently, "in character" for me meant not abandoning my rider.
What was more surprising to me was the way the game enforced this. It didn't just prevent me from taking the action. It was actually messing with my head, and giving me feelings and instincts that I couldn't control, forcing me to stay right where I was. I was stuck!
I wrestled with them for a while. At one point, I even got my mouth, ok beak, around the bridle, but I couldn't bring myself to try to bite through. It felt like kicking a puppy, or punching a nun. Only more so. I knew that I was capable of it as an action, but seriously considering doing it just felt so wrong. I couldn't bring myself to do it. I was stuck.
There didn't seem to be anything else to do except stand around where I'd been tied up, and wait for the man to come back out of the tavern. Which, along with feeling extremely sorry for myself, is exactly what I did.
Eventually...
