• Graded • CitW: The Waiting Place

[Patrick]

With it being as late Patrick had stayed at the Bronze Boar long enough to close shop, and then moved on in the direction of Dust Town as he grew up to call it. He had been amazed with how much that part of town had changed especially, given it was the very place he grew up with his older brother way back when. Knowing he could enjoy the stroll with it being a little safer, the bartender took his time with taking in the sights he passed by. Yet how many times did he think he saw something? A shadow of a figure? A spector or something out of the norm in plain sight no less? Things had gotten weirder than he was accustomed too after what happened in Scalvoris, things he didn't want to even begin to understand no less; only because of what it accosted him in the long run.

Knowing was one matter, but seeing things was another entirely. As he strolled on down a path he noticed down an alley, a strange glimmer in space that appeared... was it a tear much like a Rupturer's portal? No... His eyes narrowed at the scene as the fabric of reality warped, and a door had been created with some spectral form there. Yet again. But somehow the shape and appearance seemed far too coincidental! Still familiarity couldn't be denied and he gawked, memory fairly reminiscent of the wingless man he'd met before what concluded in the maze. "Anthropos?" He muttered with the crane of his head just a little, as he took a single step towards the alley this doorway manifested within. He then stopped of course...

"Oh shit..." He sighed as he realized what had to be going on. "Sorry pal, dunno if I'm gonna be any good this time." He remarked with a turn away from the path, his direction back down the street which led him towards Lake Lovalus. When he reached the edge of town though, his animal friend Lush the Lion seemed to be laying in the grass with eyes on the road. Had he been waiting for Patrick? "You do know people still freak out when they see lions right? You can't just be lioning around without me."

"Funny." The lion snorted a display of sarcasm with the tone. "Have you noticed anything weird?"

"Well yeah," Patrick remarked with a cross of his arms, "just the usual 'did I just see that' kind of thing... Why?" Suddenly it seemed like there was something amiss he should've noticed. Lush rose to a sit as Ri'ku fluttered out from the top of his mane.

"Lush awoke from a strange dream."

"I wake up to a lion, a fairy, and a lingering ghost in my house every trial. Tell me what's not strange about that."

The fairy flew up towards his nose and Patrick swore he felt a tiny kick from the creature. "This is serious Patrick!"

"Okay okay," He sighed with a gentle bat to shoo her away, "I thought I saw some door appear or something a short while ago... But I passed it up, treated it as some other 'weird shit' moment."

"Oh, joy." The sarcasm in Ri's voice was felt even by the stars.

"A door? Huh..." The lion's eyes narrowed as he looked past his right shoulder. "You mean that door?"

Pat looked past Ri as she spun around to see as well, and sure enough that same unusual phenomenon appeared again. A crack in air where a door manifested, and some 'figure' seemed to open the door for him to come inside. Patrick's stomach dropped a little as this time he saw not Anthropos, but a feminine figure who also looked fairly close to... "Seriously?" He started to sound annoyed and with another sigh, Patrick started to walk towards the door that awaited him. He slowed his approach the closer he got but sure enough, the moment he felt his hand touch this space of activity; became the moment he would be dragged into something far bigger than himself.



Upon stepping through he entered into an already busy little place, the cryptic feeling of the unknown already saturated in his mind. He had entered... a library? What was this place? Lush and Ri'ku were right behind him but the door he'd walked through was gone, almost as though he never even wandered in here. Who were all these people? Were they like him? This had to be real, though just how real was it? He immediately recognized Hart, hoping that he'd find a chance to socialize with the man; since they hardly had the chance to before he left Scalvoris. But hang on... just as he stepped forward there were so many other weird things, chairs around this odd piece of moving furniture? A talking caterpillar serving tea? Staircases with mood swings? Some sort of exit on the second level above?! A glowing desk?! Singing books?!

"What... the..." Wait everyone he'd seen were wearing an ensemble of bedtime clothes! Did he...? His hands checked to notice the plain white shirt covering his torso, with plaid brown pants that felt fuzzy underneath his hands. Something poked into his thigh and when he fished it out the pocket, he pulled out the objects from both pockets he wore. One was the crystal and mirror from the maze, as well as the notebook from before; but another being something he didn't have the first time. He remembered it though... Eliza had chosen it when he picked the compass, the moment their paths crossed for the first time in the maze. It was the feather which looked as black as night, reminiscent to the crow or raven that must've shed it.

"Hey look at that, you're wearing a headband too!" Ri'ku's observation led to Pat holding all items, poorly one might notice, within one arm as he felt whatever the hell was on his forehead. There was a headband there for sure but.... what on Idalos was the shape he felt over his ears? His fingers traced the outline and for a moment he worried, hopeful that he didn't wander into some obscene dream. But to his surprise the others had animal type things on theirs, so he had to presume that his had the ears of a.... "Looks like a bear."

"Cute..." He remarked with another irritated sigh as he looked back to his personal items. "What the fek man?"

"Oh this is the strangest thing you've seen?" Lush sounded amused, and when Pat looked around he saw Eliza and Eberhardt together.

"No..." He admitted much to his surprise, albeit this cut it awfully close for sure. "Anthropos or... Something's brought us back though." Back to where? He could only guess Emea, since that was the standard fallback last time. But why? What role did he have to play in being here? "Let's just check things out for now." The bartender wandered past a winged woman and moved closer towards the object with chairs around it. When he glimpsed inside he saw within... There was his brother Dominek, but also another there with him. Her... She almost appeared silhouetted when he approached the doorway to this place, but plain as day Patrick could see Lexi and Dom with him. They were all together just like old times, all smiles and happy as though they never drifted apart as suddenly as they did.

"See anything interesting?" Ri'ku inquired as there was already Ithecal investigating the object as well, though he seemed more affected than Pat did. He and another both had to have saw something else, since they were both affected in a way much similar to Pat.

"Just a ghost of the past is all..." He remarked as he peered away to notice the others, his eyes quickly searched for Lush since the lion went elsewhere. He sat next to the table where a gingerly woman stood, a whole bunch of adorned snacks available for the gathering guests. "Lush must be hungry, let's go check out the entree." He shrugged as he went over to the table to see all the foodstuff, it looked as though the redhead claimed the ice cream bowl already. Go figure... Patrick tried to avoid eyeing her for the sake of looking scornful, with a finger and thumb pressed at his chin while he perused the options.

Hang on... Was that a man in women's bedclothes? Patrick's hand drifted down onto the table as he watched in utter confusion, his fingertips brushed against the table briefly before he felt something between them. Huh... it felt real enough to eat... Patrick picked up the cupcake and observed it, surprised to see the swirly icing topped with it. For a random dream to walk in on, this had to be as real as it got... hang on. He hesitated but then opened to bite into it, the rich sugary taste of vanilla in passing over his tongue as he chewed. Yep. This was real. Real. Weird. Shit. "Sharing is caring you know." Lush reminded him as he licked his maw with yearnful eyes, which also felt slightly terrifying given he was a large predator.

Did he want to share? Not really. Did lions like to eat cupcakes? Probably not. Regardless Patrick tore a chunk off and scrapped the icing off his bit, feeding that whole globule to Lush as he delicately licked it from Pat's fingers. The bartender grimaced at the big kitty spittle on his fingers and wiped that off, the rest of his cupcake stuffed inside his mouth as he enjoyed the sweetness it dissolved into.

"Pat", "Ri", "Dom", "Lush", "NPC"

!	Message from: Peg
	Patrick's actions have been noted and will be responded to in the next mod-post.

[Rabu]

It was a quiet night in Yaralon with only the gentle song of crickets filling the crisp night air. Rabu was inspecting the long grass, following the crude melody in search of the musical creatures, when his eyes fell upon a peculiar sight. It started out as a small illuminated crack in the air that expanded into the shape of a door way bathed in bright light. Beyond the doorway was an ever-changing silhouette, one moment it would resemble a boy, then a massive Ithecal before shrinking to the size of the smallest Tunawa.

There was little question that Rabu would walk through the doorway, Curiosity flowed steadily through his sap and it pulled him towards the mysterious opening like he was bound by invisible strings. Instead of meeting the strange figure, Rabu found himself in a library where the stairs were emotional, caterpillars offered you tea and the books sang a beautiful melody. In other words a welcoming place, were people wore pyjamas and lounged about without worries.

Rabu followed the dress code like the others, and had a soft and warm cotton onesie on. It was dyed the colour of lilac flowers and was covered in large embroidered eyes that seemed to peer into the soul of anyone who gazed upon them. If one were to stare long enough the eyes might blink or look at something of interest like they had a mind of their own. On the back was another embroidered picture of Rabu with a head band with patch work rabbit ears that all the guests were wearing. On his back side were a bundle of white socks that should have been on his currently bear feet but were instead made to look like a cottony rabbit tail.

“I like your hat.” The floating imaginary rabbit head known as Yah drifted into view behind Rabu. Her three eyes pooped out of their sockets and rolled around her purple fur to get a good look at the surroundings before nestling back into their original homes.

“Hat?” Rabu replied in confusion as he placed his hands on his scalp to feel the soft felt hat that had been placed there. Adorning the Tunawa’s head was a brightly colourful hat of felt that was sculpted like an exotic fruit with a curl at the top. There were thankfully holes that accommodated Rabu’s rabbit ear shaped growths like it had been made specifically for him.

“It looks like it would taste good, mind if I munch on it a teensy wittle bit?” The floating rabbit head opened her mouth and moved into chomp down on the exotic fashion accessory.

“Quit it!” Rabu dodged her attempt and swatted at her. “Theres a whole table of food over there next to the handsome man and the squid lady.” Rabu gestured at the table with a frown.

“..But that stuff all looks gross.” Yah frowned and stuck out her pokey dot tongue at the cakes and fruit.

“Keep your voice down the host might hear us and be sad.” Rabu’s arms flailed about it panic. Rabu hadn’t been to many parties and he didn’t want Yah to ruin it for him, The catapiller already seemed flustered as it was.

“Lovely gathering you planned, Mr Caterpillar sir..or uh Madam..” The Tunawa forced a smile at the caterpillar as he walked by towards the chairs he was instructed to sit at. As he got closer to the empty rows of chairs, he saw the strange sphere and was drawn to its peculiarity. Like the others who looked into it before him, Rabu saw someone special to him, his mother. She was making some kind of concoction and munching on a thick juicy grass hopper in the process. Rabu smiled, She never did take time to finish her meal when she was working.

!	Message from: Peg
	Rabu's actions have been noted and will be responded to in the next mod-post.

[Alistair]

He was asleep. Alistair dreamed things, then; remnants of vivid memories, quiet longing whispers that clung to his subconscious. Within the dreamscape, though surrounded by spires of darkness in the black city his mind had constructed, he witnessed a faint glow of light channel before him... before ripping outward into what looked almost like a Rupturer's portal. But not quite. The mage's eyes wandered upon its form, as it slowly pulled him in. He let go of the resistance of his feet upon the ground, and shut his eyes, basking in the affirming wrap that bound him. And then... he was within it. He saw a silhouette, one that he related to the form of a boy, perhaps a teenager or something of the like. He often dreamt of himself, but younger, and so his mind immediately went to this proposition; it was him, or so he thought. And then, coming closer, he saw something familiar. A face he'd seen in his peripheral, somehow, more than once. A repeating source of many deja vu, though one he somehow assumed to be an illusory image of his son's older complexion. Asher, come to age, no longer an infant that mewled and demanded the attentions of his father. Seeing the face of the silhouette, he smiled, and though the face did not smile back, it comforted him in the silence of its stare.

He stepped through the door, as if chasing after the figure, only to be pulled into what looked like a room. He... was awake now - really awake. Rubbing at the corner of his eyes, he yawned, only for a soft melody to fill in his ears with sound. There were... a lot of people here. Faces he recognized, actually, and a lot of them. The mage wanted to reach out and speak to some of them, though all of them appeared focused on the nature of the room, and truthfully he wondered if he was still not stuck in a loop of dreams. There were... strange, inanimate objects speaking to him. Stairs, and then -- a caterpillar? Had to be a dream. There was no way someone deigned to offer a caterpillar sentience, along with speech.

Alistair continued to rub his eyes, somewhat aggressively as he willed himself to wake. "Come on," he groaned. Then, he looked down, seeing the white linen shirt that pressed against his chest and the beige undergarments that ran to his knees, followed after by white socks. The clothes he wore when he first fell to slumber.

"Sodding nightmares," the man cursed. Reflexively, he looked for Abaddon, wondering if the Nitahi had been toying with him - and also, if he'd be willing to help break him free. The dream appeared to be lucid.

Wondering if this was a sort of puzzle-like scenario offered by his companion, Alistair observed the contents of the room, as the words of the very loud caterpillar funneled into his thoughts. You're here already, it exclaimed. It asked him - them - to wait. It wasn't prepared . . . but for what?

The vague notion that this may have not been a dream, but something else - perhaps more sinister - came to him. He searched his waist for his Domain Bag, hoping to pull Shadowsong from beside him, but though he slept with it beneath his pillow it was not here with him. The mage grit his teeth. He moved to run his hand through his hair, only to realize that he had a pair of bear-like ears stretching out from his scalp. He felt lower, to see that it was a headband that propped them up. Odd; he hadn't remembered going to sleep with anything like that. It made sense, he supposed, being a Shirvain...?

Also, as if it had faded from his conscious until now, he was holding a... actually, he didn't even know what it was. Some odd hooked stick. A crochet hook, in reality, but Alistair had never worked with such things. All things that might have required such an object had been knitted, weaved, whatever, for him. Instead, he viewed the hook as some semblance of a weapon, and gripped it firmly within his closed palm. At least he had something to shiv an Emean entity with, if it came to that point. Though... perhaps his fists were better in that regard -- right. Actually useless, enough so that he contemplated tossing it aside.

But... he didn't. Maybe it had some importance, he did not know.

Instead, he sat upon one of the seats available to him, and delved into the pages of the... "Big Book of Rune Deciphering" that laid before him. Alistair wondered if these runes might assist him in... well, leaving, but before making contact with any of them he made sure to know at least what they did, and how they interacted. Focusing his mind and forcing himself to awaken, he peered through the pages, hoping to understand what Rune might have done what, and what involvement the Runes might have had with this entire... odd, messy situation.

!	Message from: Peg
	As soon as Alistair touches the "Big Book of Rune Deciphering" all the other books in the room stop singing and start making a new noise.... oops? Actions will be responded to next mod-post

[Kesindir]

The end of Ashan. Much had happened over the past two Seasons. Some good, some bad, and some just plain weird. Out of the corner of his eyes he'd been haunted by phantoms, something or someone that was just there in his periphery, wholly unknown yet vaguely familiar. It haunted him while he walked and while he slept. Every time he turned his head to catch a glimpse of the mysterious figure, it was gone. Vanished as if it had never even been there. And he grew tired of it.

Kesindir had been sleeping in his bunk aboard the sloop with Korva when the crack appeared. Lost in some wondrous dreamscape chasing an ever ellusive fish for his next big catch. The crack prevailed, even though he tried to ignore it. Much like the phantoms that had clouded his vision, the crack now became part of his dream. Something there that would never leave, and it grew. From a small fractured line to a glowing doorway, it took time but happened, and holding the door opened was that specter, that phantom that chased him trial in and trial out. It was his sister. He'd not seen her in arcs, and yet there she stood, in the middle of a doorway.

"Kiralla? Is that you?" A name he'd not spoken aloud in over four arcs felt weird on his lips, but the familiar sight brought back a wave of emotions he'd kept buried. A longing urge to rush in and give her a hug took him over, and so he did. He rushed towards the door, arms outstretched to gather his sister in his arms, and the moment he stepped across the threshold, he was there. Whatever there was. It definitely wasn't the pleasant unreality of his dreams where the fish were large and his skill unmatched. Now he was in a room filled with screaming - or was it screeching - books, people, some he recognized but the majority were unfamiliar, and a multitude of other things he wasn't able to readily explain.

Kesindir was no longer in his normal travelling clothes either, instead, loosely draped about his body was an off white toga made of wool, atop his head was a headband with hawk wings, and around his neck was a necklace that held a bronze skeleton keyl. He looked down at his new attire and shrugged. It was comfortable, albeit warm and a little itchy.

Kes looked about the room, his eyes shifting from person to person, object to object, noting a familiar face here and there. Hart, he knew but he looked different than the last time they'd met. He started to walk towards the mortalborn when his eyes landed on the Mer he'd become all to familiar with and his breath caught in his throat. Cirrina, the Mer that had chased him in many a dream, was here. He quickly averted his eyes and instead turned his attention to the small spherical object in the center of a group of chairs. A couple people already had their attention on the thing, but Kesindir was intrigued.

"Hey, caterpillar," Kesindir called, above the noise of the screeching, "what's this thing do?" He stepped up to the strange spinning object, an amalgamation of metal and glass, and inside the sphere he saw Horse. He's long dead companion whom he'd wept over for trials following an accident while riding. His hands reached, without so much as a second thought, and touched the sphere.

!

Message from: Pegasus

The moment that Kes touches the sphere, all the noises stop. There is a collective gasp from all the strange-talking-animals-bugs-bits-of-furniture-stairs-etc and the sphere shatters into, literally, thousands of pieces which land on the floor in a pool of silver. Those tiny silver bits land as silver liquid and quickly disappear into the floor. The sphere leaves behind it a simple wooden plinth / stand thing. Further information in the next mod-post

[Rakvald]

Rakvald, while everyone was busy doing things or coming out of dreams, was lying on the floor, snoring his throat out. He'd walked through the door some bits ago, thinking it was the door from his kitchen to his bedroom. Without even thinking about his surroundings, or the sounds of people chatting amongst each other, he collided with a chair, sitting down in it and promptly falling asleep. It was more comfy than his own arm chair, but he didn't question why. Never look a gift animal in the mouth.

So while everyone was busying themselves, he slept. In that time he was asleep, some left the room entirely, others investigating and asking questions, and maybe one or two meddling in things they didn't understand.

Rakvald was dressed in his simple night gown, which came down to his ankles. On his wrist was a golden bracelet, with an green garnet set into a molded pig's snout. Rakvald's mouth was open wide as he snored through his throat. But within a few bits of having set himself down, his snoring did stop. Eventually, the lack of ambient noise disturbed his sleep. He startled himself into wakefulness, beholding the great library he found himself in.

"What..." He muttered, giving everything and everyone nearby an incredulous look. When the caterpillar asked him if he wanted refreshment, he shrugged, reaching vaguely in its direction. Maybe this weird dream was the result of his diet being too rich in fat and too protein deficient. Some bug flesh would solve that. Without thinking, he shoved the green caterpillar into his mouth, and began chewing its carapace. All the while, he looked around, wondering what had everyone so quiet.

But then, it was a library afterall...

!	Message from: Pegasus
	Rakvald's actions have been noted and will be responded to in the next round. In the meantime, suffice it to say that the caterpillar is crunchy, Rakvald feels a little nauseous and, there, on the desk, another caterpillar.... or the same one... says "Well... that's.. just rude, pig-boy." (yes, those words)

[Rei'sari]

She was flying. The wind rushed through her hair as she soared above the clouds. Shadow flew beside her, and she was content; more than content, really. There was no better feeling in all the world. As they flew, her eyes marked the changing wind currents, and she used them to choose her path. It was a game of follow the leader, and she followed the direction the wind was blowing in, curious to see where it was going.

Beneath her, the fluffy white grey clouds gradually gave way to grey ones that grew increasingly dark. But Ari'sora was caught up in the sheer delight of flying, and she paid it no mind. And when lightning began to flash upwards at her instead of down to the ground below her, she danced among them, laughing in delight at the new game.

"Come and catch me, Shadow!" she cried happily.

"Come and catch me!"

The game came to an abrupt halt when lightning flashed directly in front of her path. It left a glowing crack in its wake, and through that crack, Ari'sora could see a very familiar winged man.

"Antherpos?" she asked softly as she pulled to a stop in mid air.

Although she had never reached the center of the Maze, and had never seen the man when everything was happening, ever since then she had caught frequent glimpses of the man in the corner of her eye. He was everywhere...and nowhere because every time she turned to see him, he was gone. Curiosity drove Ari'sora to fly through the crack in the sky, and see what the winged man wanted of her. And when she did...

She found herself awake. Maybe. Ari'sora found herself standing in what looked like a vast library. Shadow was perched on her shoulder, with the ribbon still firmly tied to the cat's neck. In one hand, she held the notebook she had had while she was in the maze. And in the other...was a ball of yarn. One that was of good size, but it fit comfortably in her hand. To say that it was blue would be true, but it would also be very simplistic. Her ball of yarn was a mixture of several shades of blue, ranging from so dark that it was nearly black to a very pale pastel blue. And as she watched it, it seemed to shimmer as if bathed in starlight.

"Ari'sora...what are you wearing?"

At the shocked tone in her companion's voice, Ari'sora looked down at herself, startled. She was wearing thick, soft, fuzzy pajamas that were the same color as her yarn. Her chest, and presumably her back were darker shades of blue that gradually lightened as it reached her sleeves. Those were a bright crystal blue. Her pajama bottoms were dark at the top, and the shades of blue grew lighter gradually as they reached her feet. Those were covered in twilight blue slipper feet that were attached to her pajama pants. The pajamas were comfortable, and easy to move in, and warm. Ari'sora had never seen them before, but she liked them a lot.

"Did you know that you have ears that look just like mine?"

Ari'sora raised her hand, and felt her head. Sure enough, she seemed to be wearing a headband with a pair of fuzzy ears attached to it. When she looked at the ears briefly before putting them back on her head, she thought that they did look like a cat's ears to a degree...but they looked bigger. Like they belonged to a large cat of some kind; perhaps a black panther since they were black.

The library she found herself in was nothing like the one in Scalvoris. As Ari'sora looked around, she was impressed by all of the books...but for once, she did not feel the urge to go read one. These books felt...alive somehow. She almost had the feeling that they were watching her. Waiting. And if that were the case, Ari'sora didn't really want to make them mad by touching them. Instead, she found herself drawn to a dark colored wooden desk that was inlaid with beautiful runes that glittered in the light.

Ari'sora was entranced by them. Hadn't she read somewhere that runes were a form of language? What did these ones say? Ari'sora couldn't read them, but there was a book on the desk called the Big Book Of Rune Deciphering. It seemed likely that it might help her learn what the runes meant. But if the other books in this place were alive, then it stood to reason that this one was too. She was leery of angering it, so she reluctantly turned aside. But not before touching one of the runes longingly, and wishing that she knew what they said.

There were chairs around a wooden...thing. Ari'sora wasn't sure what it was, but she made a note to look at it later if she could. For now, though, she moved towards the talking caterpillar.

"Hi. You seem to be in charge here. Would you be willing to tell me a little about this place? And why we are all here?" she asked politely.

!	Message from: Peg
	Ari'sora's actions have been noted and will be responded to in the next mod post.

[Nox Cross]

T’CHI, T’CHI, SCHHWAFF, TWANG

The merchant felt a sharp pain in his left leg, another crossbow bolt had found its way into his leg. He tried to run across the dark hallway.

Tick Tok, Tick Tok, Tick Tok, Ding Dong, Ding Dong, Ding Dong

The grandfather clock in the hallway chimes signalling midnight. It startled the merchant. He continued to press on. He could hear children’s laughter, a little girl singing a lullaby. It grew louder and louder. The merchant grew frantic; he forced his tired legs to run as fast as they could. He could see the light from the door at the end of the dark hallway. He was relieved when he reached the door. He pulled the door open. Two lifeless guards fell on top of him. It pinned the merchant down on the floor. Nox was there on the other side of the door, waiting for him with crossbow raised and pointed at him.

“Where is he?”

“Wh-who are you talking about?”

“You know who the fuck I mean”

TWANG

A crossbow bolt landed above the merchant’s head.

“Last chance, where is he?”

“I will never tell you, you fucking trai-”

SPLAT

A crossbow bolt embedded itself deep in the merchant’s forehead. A red ball came rolling toward Nox from the dark hallway. The sound of the patrol grew louder.

“Next time little one, next time. I’ll find you a new plaything next time”

He turned around and saw the same doorway appearing out of nowhere.

“Stop messing around! I said I’ll find you a new plaything next time!” Nox shouted

TWANG, TWANG, TWANG

Bolts of arrows landed on the walls beside him. The patrols have made their way into the upper level of the tower. Nox scanned the room for escape routes. The only option was jumping through the window, falling twenty stories high and into the ocean. It’s that or death by the hands of the guards. Well either could cause death, but jumping through the window have a higher chance of him being alive than in the hands of the guards.

TWANG, TWANG, TWANG

Another volley of arrows. One arrow flew by his ears.

Damn, they are getting accurate

Nox rushed toward the window, with arms crossed shielding his face he slammed into the window.

This is it, a drop to death

A moment of cold wind hit himself and then there was no wind at all. Nox landed on solid ground, the temperature around is a bit warmer.

“Welcome. Welcome to the Waiting Place!”

It startled Nox. He opened his eyes and saw he was in a different room. It was a library. He reached for his crossbow but it’s not there. He looked down and saw that his attire and weapons are not there. A black and white tiled pyjamas replaced it. He scratched his head in confusion, only to find he is wearing some kind of headband with fox ears sticking out. He checked his pocket only to find a piece of a button.

“What the actual fuck?”

Nox scanned the room, there were other people at the centre of the room, circling around something, books on the floor and bookshelves, people eating something. There were also two people talking to the two staircases near him.

Talking staircases? What the actual fuck? This is strange even for Lyn’s trap rooms. Or maybe this is one of her rooms? It’s just dead silent here. Maybe something happened at the centre of the room. Everyone is in silly colourful attires, nobody seemed to be carrying weapons. Escape path, only the doorway labelled The Exit at the top of the stairway. Lyn would marked exits just so she could lure people into her traps, or maybe it’s the real exit? Fuck! Maybe I could make my way to the exit, alerting no one, they seem to focus to what happened at the centre of the room.


“Watcha thinking about? Take the grumpy stairs. The cheery one have too many teeth.” Lyn whispers in Nox’s ear.

“Fuck off” Nox replied

Nox made his way toward The Exit. He ascended the stairs. He climbed the cheery stair.

!	Message from: Peg
	Nox's actions have been noticed. The moment that he stepped onto the cheery stairs, he disappeared from view, along with any and all of his NPCs. This will be dealt with in the next mod post

[Sephira]

Her house creaked strangely in the night, the sounds certainly didn’t help her get to sleep. Sephira lay wide awake in her bed, her hands fidgeting nervously across her stomach with the fabric of her blanket. Ever since returning from Rynmere things had changed. There was a constant paranoia of being hunted and a constant fear that someone she cared for would be taken from her.

Rey’na had been abducted, tortured, and her Spark removed by the Order of the Mantis and Sephira had been unable to stop them. It had taken many trials before Rey’na was finally rescued, but by that time the damage was done. Part of the soul was always lost when a Spark was removed, and Rey had lost the connection to her emotions. After they had completed their mission for Scalvoris and left Andaris, Rey’na had decided to simply not come home. She had even asked Sephira to lie to her superiors and tell them that she had been killed in the line of duty. Of course the Special Assistant had accepted, it was the only thing she could do for Rey at that point. So she and Max had returned to the island together, and Rey’na was hundreds of miles away.

Even though she was home, it didn’t t take away the fear. She had lived as a hunted mage while in Rynmere during the last Cycle. Not a night had passed in that accursed city when Sephira hadn’t been startled awake by dreams of the Mantis coming to capture her and the rest of her team. Things had improved at least. The episodes of panic and paranoia came upon her far less often but that did nothing to prevent the occasional sleepless night.

“Still up?” A female voice asked with piqued interest. A pair of white ears perked up from the edge of Sephira’s bed. A trill later the fluffy head emerged before laying her snout down on the blanket. The white timber wolf gazed curiously at the soldier who slowly slid up into a sitting position. Sephira pinched the bridge of her nose with her slender fingers before looking down irritably at her canine roommate in the silvery dark of the room.

“I’m going for a walk.” The mage grumbled in response before swinging her legs over the edge of the bed, forcing Wyn to shuffle backwards.

“A walk!?” The wolf replied excitedly, her fluffy tail wagging happily in the assumption that she would be coming along. Despite the fact that Wyn was a talking wolf, she still retained some of her wolfish traits. Which included a love of long walks and chasing anything small enough to fit in her mouth.

Sephira glanced irritably at her Emean born companion while buttoning on a white undershirt and sliding into a pair of breeches. Wyn paced ecstatically near the door while her tail continued to swish back and forth.

While strapping on her boots the Special Assistant suddenly realized that the sound of Wyn pacing across the wooden floors of her cabin had ceased. Solid onyx black eyes flickered upwards away from her shoes to realize what had captured the canine’s attention. A crack had appeared just in front of the door leading out of her cottage. It flared and crackled strangely with brilliance and within it’s radiance stood the shifting yet familiar form.

The Wingless Man

Wyn looked back at Sephira expectantly, a silent plea in her amber gaze. Sephira’s entire demeanor had shifted, from irritability to curiosity. However her grumpy exterior snapped back into place when she looked down at the wolf.

“Fine, lets go...a walk sounded boring anyways” she said sardonically with a twitch of a grin., The sorceress snatched her sheathed saber off a peg on the wall, and grabbed the mirror and the journal from her previous jaunt in the Maze. They might come in handy again if this involved the Wingless Man. She then headed toward the crack in reality with Wyn following on her heels.

____________________________________________________________________

“Damn.” The word left Sephira’s mouth as the haze cleared from her mind and she realized that her saber was gone from her grasp and she was no longer in a sensible shirt and pants. The obsidian eyed mage glanced down at her clothing. She was dressed in soft crimson hued cotton pants and an equally comfortable and colored shirt with fitted full length sleeves. Her feet were also now garbed in fluffy white socks. Then atop her head was a band decorated with a pair of dark brown mouse ears. The joke was not lost on her. Having spent a trial in the Vault transformed into a mouse had been one of the more memorable moments of her life.

This is what happens Blackwood when you go diving through random portals. The last time you ended up in a giant monster-filled large intestine that gave you enough nightmare-fuel to last a lifetime.

Someone is a glutton for punishment. :Her inner voice admonished as the woman turned toward the other inhabitants of the room she now found herself in. Wyn was thankfully at her side, the wolf seemed a little too excited and was sniffing the air happily.

Sephira turned slowly around, taking in the sight of the others as she felt a weight dislodge in the pocket of her pajamas. The Element reached down to retrieve whatever was there and her hand returned with a small wooden sphere.

Interesting.

Given the nature of the mirror and the journal from the Maze it would likely be wise to hang on to the sphere. These things were never given to them without reason.

Sephira’s attention was abruptly torn from the object in her hand as she caught sight of familiar faces across the room. There is one of course that aptly stood out from the others; given the situation.

Hart.

The mouse eared mage crossed the room, ignoring the greetings of the stairs to stand beside the mortal born that she had once briefly swapped powers with. He looked much the same, and beside him stood another face that Sephira recalled.

Anthropos Apteros, or at least what remained of him after Hart had brought him back as a child. Sephira inclined her head to the side before whispering to the mortalborn, low enough that hopefully Wren would not hear them.

“I saw him...in the crack.” There was little question of who she mean given the urgency in her voice.

“This all has to be connected to the Maze...somehow” The sorceress continued warily, her eyes slowly surveying the room.

“Keep yourselves safe.” Sephira cautioned; that same paranoia glimmering in her eyes that she had carried with her ever since her return from Rynmere.

“I’ll see if I can learn anything about this place.”

The Element stepped away from the mortalborn and the child. Allowing herself a moment to properly read the room. Wyn pranced nervously around her legs.

“You’re worried?” The wolf asked with a cocked head as she came to sit beside Sephira; her tail no longer wagging.

“I’m always worried.” The soldier replied grimly before sitting down in one of the chairs.

Ether swam into her grasp as he mage drew it forth gently. It gave her a modicum of comfort to sense her Sparks flare into life at her touch. The Attuner focused on her gentler Spark, feeding it with ether in order to reach out and begin inspecting the room.

What was most curious was the center of this place was a plinth that oddly looked as though something had been sitting there previously. Focusing her intent and her Attunement Spark on the plinth she began drawing forth the Frequency that still remained there. Frequencies were odd things. She often thought of them as afterimages left behind by souls and objects, like footprints in the sand.

They were echos of what was and what had been.


There had been something there recently...and it was still there in a way. The various Notes of the Frequency slowly descended into her mind, arriving as flavors on her tongue and in other moments like a song in her ears that for some reason she caught herself humming briefly as the Attunement completed.

The Note of Stillness arrived in her mind. This place, was a place of waiting and it immediately reminded her of the heart of the Maze. They’d had to remain still in order to move into the true center of the Maze. Perhaps this place was somehow similar.

Off Topic

Two actions: Sitting in the chair and attuning to the room/the spot where the sphere was.

Dialogue|Thoughts

!	Message from: Peg
	Sephira's actions have been noted and will be responded to in the mod post. However when she uses her attunement a slow and mournful song begins to play around the room. Different for each individual it is the sound of sorrow.

[Kura Wolfsdotter]

Kura had been asleep when the door had appeared before her. Or at least, she assumed she was asleep, as all there was a black void. Ever since the incident in the maze, Kura had taken to sleeping with Tinky T. Chicken, a small stuffed chicken that kept bad dreams at bay. However, in the place of these nightmares, she didn't seem to dream at all as far as she could tell, and her sleep wasn't as restful as it should have been. When the door appeared, the best solution somehow seemed to be going through the door, as beckoned by the figure in the door. Perhaps she sought a solution to the problem of dreams that the whole bloody world seemed to be having, perhaps she just wanted a relief from the black void, or perhaps even in this void she was operating on dream logic.

Either way, when she finally figured out how to float over to the door so she could get through it, a process the involved a surprising amount of effort on her part, she found herself in a new room, a room that all her sense said was impossible, and yet real. "Oh joyous. I guess we're in Emea proper this time?" she said, stepping in and looking around. Everyone else appeared to be in pajamas, and after a moment, she looked down at her own. Contrary to her usual dour wardrobe, Kura's pajamas were snow white and very fluffy. That seemed on point, as they actually were her pajamas, but the thick socks were unusual, and the black glove was even more unusual. After all, who slept with a glove or socks on? Just plain unusual that was. The headband, which she finally reached up to examine with some trepidation was unusual as well, a pair of white fluffy rabbit ears, one ear bent over so it just entered her field of vision. Rahmet had ears like that, now that she thought about it. After a moment, she heard a pair of wings behind her.

"Figured you'd have owl or wolf ears, not bunny ears." a grumpy, familiar voice said as Ornery landed on her shoulder. Kura grinned slightly before she felt something in her pockets and pulled out a mirror, a notebook, and a ribbon. Kura frowned at the ribbon in particular, then carefully wound it and put it safely in the notebook, before storing both items back in her pocket, along with the mirror, though the mirror went in the other pocket.

"Rahmet, my Sev'ryn familiar, he's got ears like this. Probably based off him." she said, earning a noncommital huff of air from Ornery. Pausing for a moment, Kura tried to call her familiars to her, even trying to reach Toddy, her Treedle. She figured the tortoise had to respond one of these days, but she was really hoping for Speck, Phelan, and Rahmet, if she could get them. For now, though she had business to attend too and she walked up to the desk, smiling slightly at their caterpillar host. "If I had known I would be early, I would have waited. It does not due to inconvenience your host. But yes, I would like some tea, with a bit of sugar if you don't mind." she said, her tone polite.

However, as she spoke, she looked at the runes on the desk for a moment, then reached down with one clawed finger and began to trace the runes. She wasn't touching the food, and others appeared to have the books and other objects well in hand, with one particularly rude woman threatening their host and another even eating him. Or perhaps eating his brother, and in either case it really was quite rude of both of them. Kura, however, felt that trying to interact with the runes themselves in some way might bear some unforeseen fruit and therefore put her effort there for the time being, while carrying on a conversation with their host if he felt so inclined.

Off Topic

Have Ornery, the ribbon, the mirror, and the notebook. Actions are talking to Caterpillar and tracing the runes.

!	Message from: Peg
	Kura's actions have been noted and will be responded to in the next round.

[Amaris]

A crack. A crack in the wall, glowing and ominous. It set Fiver on edge, and if Amaris was to remain candid, it did the same for them. That sensation of unease was validated when the crack turned into a rip, into a tear - into a door. Normal cracks in a wall didn't do such a thing. The mixed blood had only a trill to look over before Fiver leapt into their arms, wide-eyed and quite lively. "This is going to sound strange, but I think we're supposed to go in." Strange, indeed, but this was coming from the talking hare. It seemed a perfectly valid thing to stay away from, with all their experiences in mind. But they couldn't rightly say that Fiver was incorrect in what they were supposed to do.

Nerves, was all it was. It held them back as they stared the door down for a full bit, blinking as their eyes dried from being open so long. The decision, though, would need to be made. Reaching forward, they opened the door and stepped through. They made sure to keep Fiver close as they went through.



The first thing their eyes went to were the books. Or, well, one very big book in particular. They were moving before they even thought of it, socked feet padding forward at a brisk walk. They forewent the caterpillar and its offer for tea, disregarded the...soulful stairs and went straight for the book. There was already someone there - familiar, but they couldn't place where they had seen his face. They considered asking if they were interrupting, but figured there was enough space. It was a large book, after all. Meant decipher runes...they peered around for said runes, spotting them and Kura. A familiar face - one they knew now - was always a comforting sight. A grounding one, as well. The excitement of seeing the large tome had taken their focus and thus blinded them to the situation momentarily.

Amaris took a step back, brows furrowed. They clutched a notebook in their hand, one which they didn't remember grabbing along the way. It was the same one they'd had in the maze. A sinking feeling settled in their chest as they took a step back from the book. Something cold and metallic slid against their collarbones, forcing them to look down. The metal was a chain, but not the one from their tags. A silver locket rested against the black fabric on their chest. An ivy design crept around the locket, the clasp a closed bud. Opening it proved difficult, fingers fumbling with it. But there was another thing to be concerned about.

If things they had already possessed were with them, what else had been brought along? The locket dropped back against their chest as their hands flew to their head. The ribbon was still in place - that was surely not moving any time soon. But just above it was a headband. Solid, and perhaps not fused to their hair. Their fingers slid along it onto they settled on two soft protrusions atop it. Following the shape, they felt almost as if they were designed to be bat ears. Peculiar, but not as much as whatever they'd been given to wear.

It was a black - cardigan? shawl? They weren't entirely sure, but it seemed to match the rest of the clothing they had been given. If it could be considered that. The top was lacy and perhaps a little too close to a brassiere than they would have liked. The bottoms were not much better, but the whole ensemble was edged in lace. They drew the cardigan around them tighter, glancing down at the thick white socks on their feet. Fiver stood on his hind legs, paw resting on their calf as his nose twitched. "What say we go take a look at those runes?" The hare's suggestion was probably meant to distract and they would gratefully take it.

"Yes - let's."

They scurried forward to the runes and Kura, watching for a beat as she traced them. With the shock to their system of the oddity of the situation, they wondered if they could remember anything they'd read in the deciphering book before.

Off Topic

Fiver, notebook, ribbon. Actions were reading the deciphering book and looking at the runes.

Amaris | Fiver

!	Message from: Peg
	Amaris' actions have been noted and will be responded to in the next post