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Post by Renathan on Feb 4, 2020 5:50:09 GMT -6
  Though neither of the individuals had a particular skill of feeling the beacon of magic in this area, it doesn't mean that someone can't get very lucky and stumble upon a crystal in the mansion grounds. A finely crafted rose sits near to it. |
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Post by Xentus on Feb 4, 2020 9:18:15 GMT -6
The fog of steam was thinning by the second as the open door allowed its escape. A way through, asks the knight.. A set of blue eyes scanned the walls to check for any such thing, but found none. "Not in here, no worry for rusting. That hall sounds to have the most promise of all options. It may lead to a stairway."
The mammalian man was beginning to turn away, when suddenly the ling around the his neck uncoiled itself, launching off his shoulder. He watched in surprise as it floated its way into the steamy spa room. What was the little noodle up to now? He felt piques of curiosity stemming from the creature, which was odd considering its wave of disgust at the fragrant hot air just moments before. It didn't seem to be completely running off on its own again. Besides, there wasn't much of anywhere to run to in here, unless he missed some small noodle-sized hole..
"Little ling!", Xentus called to creature, in a pleading tone. But the rambunctious noodle hardly recognized any form of name or recall command. It scampered and splashed in the water, ducking behind the tub before making a lap around it. He would have to go in after the creature. Ugh, but the strong scent of roses was not the most appealing to his sensitive nose. Despite the idea being much to his disdain, he went in after the noodly serpent.
"What is that..?", the leopard uttered at spying something purple and golden between the dragon's jaws. He approached the creature slowly with a set of paws ready to grab it. "Come now..." And of course, that would not be happening so easily. The playful creature immediately opted for a game of big cat and mouse as Xentus gave chase. A lap around the tub again, then out through the open door! And inattentively towards the armor-clad man.. Very much reminiscent of instance that happened none too long ago.
Feb - 6
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Post by Èdan on Feb 5, 2020 10:17:02 GMT -6
Okay, good, the hallway, yes. He would be lying if the fragrant washing room with the pool wasn't a sight he'd miss, but necessity dictated action.. After all, the armour isn't just heavy and metal, it is also layers upon layers of material and the washing room is already balmy at the door. Stepping into it would be like stepping into a sauna (which, he supposes, considering the steam wafting outward, wouldn't be entirely the wrong descriptor). He turns to begin heading towards the aforementioned hall when the noodle-dragon makes its break for it.
On the whole he considered himself a decent person (at least more so than most, no-one ever was truly a 'good' person, because they would simply not survive otherwise), he wasn't necessarily mean (unless the situation dictated it) and even happened to be generous on occasion.. (especially when it suited). So it was honestly really baffling why the Gods were laughing at him that day. The knight stops and turns back around, a silent witness to the antics of dragon and mammalian chasing themselves around the room, splashing water where feet fall and scampering for purchase where the stones make things slippery.
And then the thing bolts right at him again.
The knight side-steps fast this time around, to clear the way for the dragon - he is nothing if not in the habit of learning from one's previous mistakes - and backs up into the pedestal from before. The action goes unregistered for a moment, before his mind catches up to the realization the pedestal held a vase, did it no--?
The room fills with a shattering sound as the now-clay vase falls to the ground and into a hundred void-filled pieces.. save for a single shard that seems to be glowing a hazy light.
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Post by Xentus on Feb 6, 2020 20:23:35 GMT -6
A moist, shimmery noodle fresh out the steamy bathroom managed to zip right past the knight, thanks to his fast fancy footwork, and towards the open door to the hallway. It would have made it down the bookshelf-lined corridor, if not for the reflexive jump straight up into the air at the sudden sound of clay smashing on wood. The ling-ling's little legs froze pointed straight down as the creature floated, seemingly uncontrollably as it bumped against the top of the door frame. If one listened closely, they may have heard a soft 'eep', sort of sound emanate from it.
Xentus, mid-step in his pursuit, witnessed as it all unfolded, as if in slow motion. The dragon nearly clipping the knight. His subsequent step back. The vase tumbling to the floor, knocked from its perch. The shards of clay scattering across the floor. The dragon launching into the air.. It all happened very fast in reality, but it was certainly a scene to behold. Through a wince and clenched teeth at the noise, the leopard trotted his way into the room. His paws left wet tracks behind him and water trailed off his silken pants. His trod slowed to a careful walk to avoid any errant clay shards on the ground.
"Aaahh.. Unintentional as well?", he warily bantered to the armor-clad man with a cooked grin and a raised brow, a clawed finger pointing at the mess as he passed by. The peculiar crystal among the wreckage evaded his knowledge as he was more concerned about retrieving his ling from the door frame. Poor thing seemed a little stuck.
Save for the slight spook, at least all involved seemed to be just fine. Well, except for the vase. The leopard reached out for his rambunctious pet, cooing to the beast to calm it from its fright. It slowly floated down towards its owner after a few moments passed. And now, what was in its mouth exactly? With a bit of persuading and tugging, the glass rose was fished from the creature's mouth in one piece. Shiny... From dragon spit.
Feb - 8
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Post by Èdan on Feb 7, 2020 3:38:12 GMT -6
If it were not for the helmet shrouding most of his expression, the passing shadow of a wince would have been just as noticeable on the knight. As it stood, however, the only visible part was a furrow of the brow as he stared at the clay wreckage that was now the vase. Far too much out of practise.. Clumsiness like that could mean the difference between keeping your head or losing it. He'll need to be more careful about flinch reactions from here-on out.
The jab went over well, in that the knight simply lifted his head to watch the mammalian pass, seeming humourless but not wounded. "It was either the vase or the dragon," he simply replies, "I thought it better to risk the vase." There's a sense of directness in it, as if he wasn't quite aware the mammalian had tried to make a jest (though he rather appreciated the humour all the same). While the leopard was retrieving the dragon from the rafters, he turned back to the vase, crouching to pick up the differently glowing piece. This wasn't part of the vase.. It didn't even seem to be of any crystal he recognized (not even ones from before the scenery changed). But, there was a sense of power to it, subtle yet there. One didn't need to be able to be attuned to magic to know this shard was something else entirely.
Standing, he tucks the shard into a pouch, then turns to meet up with the leopard at the doorway. "I do not know where the hallway leads, but it appears to be the plainest of entrances at present. Perhaps it would also mean a way out? If this place is intended to trap, then tempting with novelty may be its method. The opposite, surely, would mean an exit?"
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Post by Xentus on Feb 7, 2020 23:08:15 GMT -6
Hm, either the vase or the dragon, eh? The leopard really wasn't quite sure if the knight was feigning intention or not, but he smirked at the notion regardless. There was sometimes a thin line between stoicism and sarcasm. The armor-clad man managed to walk it very finely. In the moments passing while wrangling the rose from the wet noodle's mouth, Xentus entertained the idea of just how many jests or jokes it would take to crack through the man's staunch demeanor. He knew a good few couple of jokes he had to tell when the opportunity presented itself. One in particular sprang to mind as his eyes looked over the glass flower as it finally came into his grasp. Musing to himself, he chuckled gently; the corners of his mouth edging upwards on his muzzle. Though it sort of just looked like he was oddly pleased with the spit-shined ornament.. Which, he actually was. Looked like something to add to his hoard.. Er, collection of various things. He slipped it into his pocket before the silvery white serpent, now coiled around his neck once more, could snatch it away again.
Now, back to main task at hand. Xentus gathered his thoughts about the knight's line of reasoning. Seemed sound. But then again, misdirection seemed to be the on going theme of the mansion. He figured the front door could be on the far side of a broom closet if it really wanted to be. But if the place wanted to be reasonable, the end of a hall would make for an okay entryway as well.
"Xentus would like to think so", he finally supposed with a shrug, "But it almost seems too simple to be the truth."
A pair of blue eyes wandered over the various curiosities adorning the shelves as the feline began to travel down the set path. Many a book, tool, and odd flask or two. Despite the overwhelming temptation to stop and poke and prod at the things, he tried to contain himself. Didn't want a repeat of the chalice, he reminded himself. His pace was slow, almost reluctantly stepping forward. It appealed all too much to his desire to collect. Whoever owned this manor had plenty of things that they probably wouldn't miss.
Feb - 10
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Post by Renathan on Feb 8, 2020 2:56:35 GMT -6
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Post by Èdan on Feb 8, 2020 11:08:53 GMT -6
The knight's reply wasn't so much a word as a sound - somewhere between a hum and a grunt, to acknowledge the leopard's reply. Ah, truth.. He rather liked truth, despite his habits, because contrary to popular belief, it was surprisingly malleable. And simplest things were the most easily and most often overlooked, making them ideal as mechanisms to hide things. Why that happened to be so went a little too deep in the souls of men for him to understand, but if this master of the house had even a passing understanding of those principles, well.. then the two of them had something in common.
The knight takes up position behind the leopard as they begin to cross the hallway. Of the things on the shelves and cupboards it would likely be the books to interest him most, though there's a strong suspicion most if not all of them aren't exactly 'real'. When one has the power to change the shape and very foundation of the mansion, what difficulty would it be to create some phantasmal books? But there is a growing sense of a theme about this redecoration. "Hm, it appears the master of the house has a taste for the esoteric," the knight makes an observation. "Do you suppose, that if the shifting of the house is not intended to dissuade trespassers with tempting traps, that it may instead be a form of test? A proving grounds of sorts?"
A flutter from the cupboard above causes him to quickly turn, glaive brought up defensive, but relaxing when the shape of the motion becomes clear. He lowers the weapon, "In either case, it appears the master has a fondness for animals." There's a pointing above them, "Star bears before, black doves now."
. 16 . February: 11
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Post by Xentus on Feb 9, 2020 11:44:10 GMT -6
Oh, philosophy again. Xentus took a moment to consider the knight's words. For someone who behaved with a rather disciplined and stoic demeanor on the outside, it seemed there was a lot of passing thoughts wandering through the man's head. One part observation, one part thinking aloud, his words seemed. There was a good amount of character to this person beyond the role they played as a knight. At least, that is what the leopard added into his mental profile of him. Whether or not the mansion was any kind of test, he wasn't sure. If anything, it was great at making conversation.
"A test for person's will versus madness?", the leopard mused, "Seems to be such."
The sound of wings disturbed by the passing duo made the leopard look up at the noise. A pair of little birds that almost looked like crows. He would've mistaken them as such, if not for the cooing. The birds flew about the hallway in an erratic pattern. It caught the attention of the ling-ling around his neck, who eyed the tiny creatures with wide pupils. Xentus could feel the creature tense up, the subtle feelings of curiosity and anticipation emanating from it. A clawed hand reached up to hold down the beast, lest it jump up and try to eat one of the things. The mammalian watched them for a bit. He noticed one of the birds knocking something from the shelf as it decided upon a perch. With a quick lurch forward, the fallen object was caught carefully by his free hand. He had quite enough of shattering of glass and things for the time being.
"Fond of animals and fine crafts, this one thinks", he said as he examined the glass rose. Another one of these.. This one was a little truer to the stereotypical rosy hue most people were familiar with. Oh, and that reminded him of his joke! A cheeky smile edged up the sides of his muzzle. He turned to face the knight, presenting the glass flower in his palm.
"Say, why was the thorn kicked off the rose?"
Feb - 12
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Post by Èdan on Feb 10, 2020 8:43:23 GMT -6
Though the knight doesn't react to the even more philosophical reply to the ponderous wondering, he has to admit the question itself is fair. If this is some mad house testing to see who could bear it, it is certainly doing a good job of it. He didn't know whether the two of them happening upon each other was something part of the plan or simply a happenstance the Mansion's forces couldn't anticipate, but there is a strong hope for the latter case - in which case, so long as they stuck together, there is a chance to escape.
With soft, quiet padding, the star bear is still plodding after them and it takes the knight a few moments to realize the second of the birds settles to land on a cupboard nearby. Both these creatures keep a distance, most likely out of some sense they couldn't understand (as it usually happened), but they are still close enough to make it obvious that neither were about to leave him (or the leopard) alone. These ones didn't react quite the same as the bigger beasts, however.. and he suspects they were, perhaps, not as bright.
"Hm?" the knights gaze turns back to the leopard. The brows raise a bit as the question is asked and he seems confused for a moment (because the knight would be humourless, after all). "I suppose.. it would not take too much effort to do so," he begins, slowly as if trying to puzzle something he simply cannot. "But a thorn-less rose would be safer to hold."
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Post by Xentus on Feb 10, 2020 10:13:55 GMT -6
"Noo, no~!", he chimed with a head shake an a growing, toothy grin. It seemed the intent behind his question went over the knight's head, which was more or less what he was expecting. The studious man treated it like an actual quandary to seriously ponder. Ha! To the leopard, that made it even funnier. The best part about riddles was witnessing others bumble about for the correct answer. Even though the joke was less of a riddle and more of a show of his sense of humor. Behind stifled laughter, he continued with the punchline.
"Because it was being a prick!"
Ba-dum tss.
The leopard was no comedian, that was for sure. He sure loved corny jokes though and proceeded to chuckle at his own. "Get it? Ahaha! Because the thorn is pointy and prickly, and pricks are rude, so it is kicked off the rose!" And continued on to over-explain it; more for his own amusement than anything. This is the part where he would watch the expression of his audience and take glee in the forced laughter or exasperated groan. There was not much to watch through the helmet of the armor-clad man though, aside from a small open sliver showing his eyes. Still, the leopard walked backwards a few paces just in case he might catch a face-palm or narrowed stare.
The ling-ling around his neck chittered curiously in response to the waves of glee it felt from its owner. It almost sounded like laughter. Rather, that's what what the leopard would like to think it sounded like. At least someone found his joke funny, right?
Feb - 14
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Post by Èdan on Feb 11, 2020 17:21:49 GMT -6
There's a lengthy pause as the knight doesn't seem to react. Whether because the joke, too, is passing over his head or he's simply taking time to process this 'prick' word is as much a mystery as his face beneath the helm. Though, to the leopard's credit, he was empathic enough to be merciful to the poor, solemn Sarv, who would dutifully laugh at anything his lord would jest with, regardless of if he understood it (and to be fair, the joke was pretty funny, to the point it might have caused him to pause and shake his head with a smirk if he ever remembered it again).
As for Sarv, the pause ends with an "Ah, I see," followed by another short moment, before he simply goes, "Play on words, yes, very good." It isn't an obvious twitch, but a close enough inspection of the face may have seen a corner of one eye close slightly, as if there may have been the smallest of smirks beneath the helm (he almost felt bad for this one, it seemed the leopard was genuinely trying to make a connection with the knight and running into a wall of stone after wall of stone). "I shall remember this one to retell to my lord. They should enjoy it quite a bit." (Perhaps that would help ease the passive reaction some).
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Post by Renathan on Feb 11, 2020 18:23:19 GMT -6
Suddenly, it grows dark, as if someone has turned off all of the lights. Giggling busts out across the room, as if two lovers have shared a secret. This particular bout of giggling seems to come from no where at first, but soon enough there is a distinct sensation of someone being in the room with you! The lights flicker, the giggles stop, and then the lights are on for good. Well, that was certainly weird, but no harm no foul?
...Wait, where is your pet?
[Your pet is lost! It cannot be roleplayed for the next 5 posts while you find it!]
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Post by Xentus on Feb 12, 2020 9:16:34 GMT -6
In the moment of silence from the knight, Xentus's toothy grin slowly became more strained. Not a groan or sigh, let alone chuckle, came as a result from his wonderful joke. It seems like his first attempt to break through that tough exterior of the dutiful man failed. No matter, this wasn't any kind of discouragement for the leopard. It only meant he had to try harder. Or less hard. He wasn't sure which tactic would be more effective here. He kept up his backward stride and awkward smile up until his reprieve finally came from the broken quiet. Took him that long to get it, huh? At least, he supposed, there was a joy to take in knowing a joke would get passed on to another.
And like an audience with too late of a reaction (somehow, even moreso than the knight's), it seemed the house had something to think of his joke as well. The hall suddenly shrouds itself in darkness, the light from the stained glass windows snuffed out as if day decided that night was a much better option. The dark was followed with the creeping sound of giggling seeming to come from any direction. Xentus uttered a curse under his breath, stopping in place with his head whipping around to try to catch a glance at whatever was causing this. The laughter was not that of the knight's, or so he hoped, sounding like a pair of people who had been eavesdropping. He could've sworn someone breathed directly behind his ear, making the ling-ling around his neck spook as he felt its weight vanish.
And as soon as the laughter stopped, the daylight resumed its normal activity. The hall was illuminated to reveal nothing more than what had been there before. But, there was something less. Xentus spun around, his blue eyes looking about the shelves and ceiling for his noodle. She was nowhere in his sight. Gone. A twang of panic passed through his chest.
"Little ling?!"
Feb - 16
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Post by Èdan on Feb 12, 2020 11:32:05 GMT -6
The pace is kept up in step with the leopard as they keep moving through the lengthy hallway. Good, it seems the passiveness wasn't too much this time around, and the leopard wouldn't simply abandon him for lacking too much sport. It'll be a fine line to walk, to be sure, and hopefully the exit will come up sooner than the end of said line.
No sooner does he get to the end of that train of thought when laughter is heard. The knight tenses once more, certain the hallway is empty, lest someone (or something) else has crept up behind them. Then, darkness falls without a warning, the laughter continuing every which way. A disorienting notion to the leopard, to be sure, but for the knight the world simply goes from colours to the different shades of grey. The contacts are well tinted, but even so, if one were to look close, face-to-face, they could see a gleam in the pupil, a reflection of minute light. He surveys their darkened surroundings but sees no-one. The sounds are certainly close enough to be in touch, but he is quite certain it's nothing more than another trick for the mind. That is.. until he spins around to face the leopard and sees the noodle-neck-tie simply get yanked into utter darkness.
When the lights come on, he is staring at the leopard, though what for is uncertain. The leopard doesn't even need to read his face to realize something is wrong, as the absence of the serpentine annoyance becomes apparent to them immediately. "It..." he begins. How do you even go about beginning to explain this.. "It may have been spooked by the noise.. It may be hiding? Does it tend to hide in specific places?" The noodle didn't hide, the noodle made breaks for it and ran people over. But that wasn't the kind of wording the leopard needed to hear right now.
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