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Post by Xentus on Feb 27, 2020 16:51:43 GMT -6
A set of blue eyes trail the fallen ring as it bounces to the knight, thought after being assured that the armored man had the escapee under control, he tuned his attention back to the objects in hand. The rose was already quite a familiar sight, but the ring. This was new. Seeing that touching the ring didn't seem to cause some new and unexpected event, the leopard felt confident enough to handle it. Silver serpents embedded with what looked to be amethyst gems. It matched his spots, though the snakes weren't quite to his personal taste. Somehow. Sure, the ling-ling was serpentine, and he did have a particular fondness for reptiles, but snakes weren't quite his vibe.
"Curious indeed", he affirmed, twirling the jewelry piece between his thumb and finger, "An odd thematic, but this seems to be in line with the eccentricities thus far."
Xentus wasn't above pocketing some loose silver. Sure, it might be worth something, but his favor for shiny things meant that this piece was going in his ever growing hoard. Who knows what kind of stories the twin serpents had to tell. And a deeper part of him teased himself about the connection it could represent with the knight with them having the other half of the matching set.
"This one will tell if he sees anything else. Apologies for the detour."
It wasn't all too often that it was more than just himself wandering about some place. Well, aside from his pets. But they never cared too much for varying paths taken. Another person, though, might have some qualms about following a wayward feline who's curiosity often led him astray. He'd have to be more mindful, but it didn't seem like the knight wad bothered too much anyway. Xentus set off again to return to the claw-marks to follow them back to the entryway.
Feb - 44
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Post by Èdan on Feb 29, 2020 6:22:48 GMT -6
The ring is turned around between gloved fingers, under some scrutiny, though no more than what appears mostly curiosity. In truth, he was admiring the craftwork. Jewellery like this was not exactly common where he came from, mostly because you had to be quite a wealthy bastard to afford even one such ring. It wasn't the material cost so much as the hours and skills that went into making it. Here, though? He has glimpsed the market stalls and a few of the various shops and workshops around town and the tools are quite different. Machines and devices, for the most part, able to create objects at a fraction of the time it would take those old jewellers with their hand-tools. And at that much better in detail too.
Seeing the leopard pocket the other ring, the knight takes cue and does so as well (for he rather liked the style of it). "It is quite alright," he assures the detour concerns. "If we did not seek other alternatives, we may not find what we're looking for, after all." Once more, he takes up step behind the leopard as the scratch-mark trail is followed. For all they knew, stepping into another random aisle of books could land them in the bathroom again. At this point he would not have been surprised.
It's in that passing thought when a glance is given to a passing row that the knight stops, takes a few steps back and squints down the aisle. "Mister Xentus, I believe to see an atrium of sorts there." It was still lined with bookcases from what he could see from afar, but there was more natural light coming down from above, suggesting a skylight.
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Post by Renathan on Feb 29, 2020 11:01:47 GMT -6
 A single red glass rose twinkles nearby. |
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Post by Xentus on Feb 29, 2020 13:13:11 GMT -6
Chirrups and squeaks sounded as the silvery white ling-ling took the opportunity to make this boorish bumbling about more bemusing. It looped around the leopard's neck chasing itself, threatening to turn into an ouroboros. Every pass through the dangling white dreadlocks made it chirp as if in victory, bouncing up and tossing the corded hairs. Whispered words to the beast to cut it out and calm down were snuffed with chuckles. It tickled! Xentus was becoming increasingly distracted by the serpent, but was at least following the trail.
The leopard's pointy ears perked up at hearing 'Mister Xentus', catching his attention quite easily above the playtime with his pet. It took a moment to process it at first, but he rather liked the sound of that, he decided. Sure, it was probably a common courtesy of the knight to address others in such a way, but it wasn't really something he heard. A smile stayed curled up on his muzzle as he turned to check out what the man spotted, placing a hand on the noodle dragon to get it to stop squirming. His blue eyes peered down the row of books, spotting what seemed to be part of an opening. The only promise the library had to offer was more and more books, he felt. But curiosity urged him on to explore as much as the desire to find an exit did.
"Good catch. Shall we check it out?", he asked, but his actions showed he needed no real answer as he changed course towards the light, "Could lead somewhere, with hope."
His pet took to dangling the front half of its body over his shoulder, little grabby claws reaching back to the knight in a feeble attempt to garner more attention.
Feb - 46
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Post by Èdan on Feb 29, 2020 16:27:50 GMT -6
It has taken him a bit of time, but he thinks to have begun to understand the appeal of these beasts everyone keeps carrying around. Oh, sure, there's the easily understood notion of protection (or intimidation) and all manner of practical, utility functions (as mounts or pack animals), but the smaller ones seem less attractive compared to the time investment needed to keep them engaged. The noodle dragon certainly kept proving that every time it made a run for something (usually his feet).. and yet the leopard none the less keeps coddling it. Handfuls with benefits, these small ones. Not for show like prized breeds, not for use like utility breeds, but just as companions, something to have around and exist.
The knight takes a step back to allow the leopard the way towards the new area and catches sight of the dragon doing its little reaching in the passing. Strange.. usually the creatures are anything but approachful towards him, something about the him fundamentally bothering them. But, he supposes, time spent around each other can make acquaintances of strange people, even if one such person happens to be a noodle. The leopard's back turned, he briefly raises a hand to allow the little dragon to scrabble at the gloved finger, then resumed in step behind the mammalian. He doesn't particularly like dragons. He supposes noodles are okay.
"If nothing else, some light to see better is a blessing," he adds as they enter the new area, craning the neck to look up and above them towards the skylight. "And if that is to not suffice, perhaps a window to climb out if there truly are no doors."
. 34 .
February: 47
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Post by Xentus on Feb 29, 2020 17:31:55 GMT -6
A pleased trill sounded from the serpent, glad to spread it's playful nature to anyone willing. It had been around the company of the armored man enough to not think him as a threat. Not that it ever really did. The carefree ling-ling was likely oblivious to the possibility. If its owner didn't feel uneasy, it had no reason to either. The squirmy living scarf radiated its happiness, satisfied with the offered glove, then took to nipping at the leopard's white hair when the hand withdrew. That garnered a couple of winces from the feline, his own hand coming up to scruff its mane. Perfect, a new play target.
Coming upon the atrium was a nice change of pace from the enclosed maze of the winding bookshelves. The soft light from above made this space inviting; better lit as the knight remarked.
"Let us see if there are any alternatives to that", Xentus chuckled in response, looking to the blue tinted windows above. He wasn't exactly keen on trying to make his way up there, but they could offer an escape he supposed. If only he had his wings.. Bah. Who would've have guessed they'd come in handy indoors. He resigned himself to searching about new options offered by the atrium. The stairs were inviting, but seemed to only have routes upward. Considering the manors habits though, up could lead to a way down. He opted to take a set of stairs nearest to him on the left, curious to see what would be hidden beyond the books.
They opened up to a branching path, one going into a room within the books, and the other continuing to the upper levels. Peering into the opening, he could see something akin to an altar in its center, dressed with a decorative cloth and an unlit candelabra on top. Maybe a place to summon a portal? He smirked to himself and stepped in to check it out.
Feb - 48
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Post by Èdan on Feb 29, 2020 17:53:09 GMT -6
"Quite so," the knight slowly intones, taking in the general layout of the new place. "I would not prefer the window. There is no real knowing what floor we are on at present and the way down could be long." For all he knew, they could be beneath the ground and the skylight be a trick of illusion.
There is quite a lot of place to cover here, so while the panther took the stair up, the knight takes to looking into a space or room on the ground level nearby. The inside is lined with books just as much as the outside, making one think it almost to replace wallpaper at this point, were they not actual physical (albeit blank) tomes. For furniture there is a table and some simple chairs, the design made to look as if the wood had shaped itself into the form rather than a crafter's hand being at work. Aside a simple black cloth covering the table, the only other item in the room not made of wood or paper in some combination is another piece of red glass sitting atop the table. The knight walks over and picks up the rose, able to properly take a closer look at a red one. No rings attached to this one, though he considers a moment and takes out the black rose from the pouch, comparing the two.
A portal to an exit, summoned by roses. It is certainly an outlandish idea, but compared to all they have experienced so far, not exactly insane. Question is, though, how many roses is enough to prove it true or false?
. 35 .
February: 49
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Post by Xentus on Feb 29, 2020 18:55:10 GMT -6
With nobody to watch but his pet, the mammalian made himself busy. Maybe it was silly, but the idea of summoning something with the roses did linger around in his mind long enough for him to want to play pretend. Just for his own amusement. The leopard fished out the roses he had collected from his pockets and arranged them around the candelabra atop the iron-lined wooden altar. The noodly serpent around his neck watched with wonderment at its owners actions, chittering questions he could never understand or answer. Or maybe it was passing judgement on his rose placement. Xentus stepped back to review the scene.
"Xentus doesn't suppose you breathe fire, do you little ling?", he asked his pet, glancing at the chatty beast. It wasn't the most impressive set up; four glass roses, one mismatched in color, surrounding an unlit candelabra. It was definitely missing some roses and some fire. And a magic book to read a chant from. Maybe some fog for flare.. Xentus frowned slightly, almost disappointed at the lack of components for his imaginary spell.
Well, at least there were plenty of books to choose from to fill in the magic book part. He turned and perused the overwhelming selection of tomes. Red cover with metal bands, volume 12? Or branded leather spine issue 42.. Red, a magic book would definitely be red. A careful claw pulled the book from the shelf and brought it to the altar, splaying it open to a random empty page. There, now it looked a bit more proper of an arrangement. Not very magical still, but he was sufficiently amused by his effort.
Feb - 50
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Post by Jack on Feb 29, 2020 19:04:07 GMT -6
  A pretty little jar of caramels sits next to a lovely rose. |
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Post by Èdan on Feb 29, 2020 19:44:06 GMT -6
By one theory, seeing as nothing had manifested before them thus far, there were not yet enough roses. By another, it might not even work. He places the roses back into the pouch, careful to avoid the glass chipping against itself and steps back out of the book room. The leopard is spotted briefly still fumbling about with something in the other room, so he walks along the cross section a little further down, spotting another archway in the middle of the shelves themselves. A faint light emits from within and he takes a careful look inside.
The books here are stacked up like a wall of bricks, rather than neatly in shelves. It creates a strange effect, as if the 'wall' was painted with spines, rather than being spines of tomes themselves, though the more peculiar feature is a set of lanterns hanging from the ceiling. Like glowing crystal teardrops suspended in the middle of the air, a fine thin line holding each aloft, while the lanterns themselves hover stock-still in the space, each one a different height to the other. The knight regards the room with.. a healthy amount of suspicion, but he also spots a bit of purple in the middle of the black carpet within - another rose. Right, well.. if they need roses, then they'd be one richer. He steps inside, carefully avoiding brushing up against any of the lanterns or their lines.
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Post by Xentus on Feb 29, 2020 20:14:08 GMT -6
The finer details of the arrangement on the alter were adjusted as the leopard saw fit. The grimoire was obviously on the wrong page, so it was flipped a few chapters over to a more centered page. And the roses were aligned in a line along the table instead of a circle. Turn the candelabra clockwise a touch.. And place the serpent ring on the book. Yes, this looked good. Still lacking in his opinion, but given the materials he had to work with, it was the best he was going to get, short of sacrificing his pet. A tentative set of blue eyes glanced down at the serpent around his neck again. Hmm..
.. No, no. Too cute to sacrifice to the portal gods. But perhaps dragon hair would suffice. He combed the serpent's mane with his claws, garnering a few loose strands of fur to offer to the altar. The ling-ling was none the wiser, only pleased to receive more affection. What else would a portal summoning ritual need.. A magic word.
"Shazam"
With a silly, toothy grin, Xentus flared his hands at the altar to complete his imaginary spell. In response, the candles flickered to life. A dull rumble emanated from the altar and a flash of light sparked before him. He quickly shielded his eyes with his hands, alarmed by the response when he expected none. It all happened in but a brief moment. The rumble stopped, and he peeked between his fingers at whatever decided wanted to happen just before him. Wisps of smoke were all that remained of the fire, and in place of the offered strands of fur was a.. Jar of candy? The only escape this spell had to offer was a sweet one.
Feb - 52
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Post by Èdan on Feb 29, 2020 20:32:07 GMT -6
There are traps and then there are bad life choices. The line between them runs unimaginably (and annoyingly) thin. To many, it even sounds one and the same, but to a trained mind there is a distinct difference - traps are a choice of risk and reward. Bad life choices, on the other hand, only come with the risk and usually all of the punishment. The man isn't in the habit of making a lot of those.
The knight reaches the rose and all seems well. He leans down to pick it up and as soon as the glass piece is plucked from the floor.. nothing seems to happen. Perhaps one or two lanterns glint a bit brighter than the others, but that is largely it. Hmm. Not a trap, then. He carefully pockets the rose, gives the room one more look-over and cautiously turns, ensuring he isn't about to brush up against any of the lanterns on his exit. To use one of the local colloquialisms, it is not unlike a murp in a crystal shop, a saying ringing that much more truer due to the whole business of horns and lanterns. Measured step by measures step, the knight eventually manages to sneak his way back out of the room.
A thought occurs as he takes the rose back out again, looking it over. "Path of roses, huh.." and glances around the wide aisle and its numerous nooks and doorways.
. 37 .
February: 53
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Post by Xentus on Feb 29, 2020 21:13:08 GMT -6
Could he try that again? The components were mostly still there.. But he didn't want to push his luck. An incantation could turn into a curse if one wasn't careful. And being someone of no magic experience, it was hard to say if this was even a result of his own doings or just the mansion simply playing along. He hadn't even expected any kind of result in the first place. The jar of sweets would have to do. Xentus pocketed his roses and ring before opening the newfound container to fancy himself a treat. Mmm.. Caramel it smelled like. It wasn't too often that he had it. He didn't have a sweet tooth, but an opportunity for candy was one that he didn't refuse. A piece was plucked, unwrapped, and popped into his mouth without any caution as to if it were poison or actually weaver eggs in disguise. Smelled like candy, looked like candy, tasted like candy. Must be candy. Right? He shrugged off any concern of malicious intent behind the sweets and took the jar with him as he exited the altar room. Perhaps the knight would be interested in his curiously conjured confectionery.
The ling-ling seemed to take interest in the treats as well, stretching its neck out to try to get a whiff as the leopard made his way down the stairs. It was pushed away with a careful hand and given scratches instead. Sweets probably weren't good for noodle dragons. And even if it were okay, he didn't really want an already energetic beast to be hyped up on sugar.
The leopard catches the knight as they make a careful exit from a room, holding up his prize of sweets proudly.
"Look what Xentus has gotten", he chimes as he makes his way toward the armored man, "A jar of sweets."
Feb - 54
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Post by Èdan on Feb 29, 2020 21:33:49 GMT -6
The thought gets interrupted by the leopard's entrance (and just as well, the man was planning on finding the panther anyway). Now, out all the possible options of things one could reasonably find in the library (and even unreasonably, given the manor's tendency towards that more than the other), sweets.. weren't really something he expected. What sort of self-respecting manor married aspects of deathly gloom to sickly sweet? (Better not find the answer to that one, though.)
"A jar of.. sweets?" the knight questions, seeming take aback. Sure enough, if one was to describe such an object, the one the leopard was holding seemed to qualify for every possible aspect of it as if it were advertising it in five different dimensions - the shape, the colours, all the way down to the little ribbon creatively (but uselessly) tied around the jar. It was by that simple virtue, the man trusted nothing about it - make it smell, look, feel and taste like something to hide the truth was something of a speciality. The knight, however, seems mildly impressed, brows rising slightly beneath the helm, "I was not aware we might encounter food here. I do admit it has been some hours since a last meal, though.. perhaps sweets would not fill an empty stomach so easily." He then holds up the rose, in turn. "I have found another rose in the meantime, and came to thinking.. This path of roses you mentioned, perhaps if we follow these more directly?"
. 38 .
February: 55
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Post by Xentus on Feb 29, 2020 21:59:43 GMT -6
Indeed, a jar of sweets. The leopard nodded to affirm the knight's questioning tone and was tempted to ask them to guess what was inside it. But, it seemed a bit too obvious. He finished unsticking some remnant bits of caramel from his teeth and was already tempted to eat another piece. Somehow though, it seemed to be a bit rude of him to indulge alone considering the knight wasn't particularly keen on sating his appetite with sugar. Probably for the better. He still wasn't sure if these were actually poison.
Xentus transformed a smirk into a pleased smile, as the subject of a rose path came back to light, blue eyes gazing at the purple glass flower. He hadn't actually expected the knight to take him seriously, but the dutiful man kept to his word.
"Ah, this may be the case. This one supposes a more direct rose path would be more reasonable than a portal yes", he said thoughtfully with a nod, "He has tried to summon a portal with the few he has. Resulted only in candy."
The leopard's tone was nonchalant, as if actually trying to summon gateways to the outside world was something people normally did.
"Certain you would not like a piece?"
The words came with a small morsel offered in his palm as he fished one out of the jar.
Feb - 56
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