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Post by Jack on Feb 29, 2020 22:01:32 GMT -6
Aww, how sweet, a box of chocolates! And beside it, a black rose.
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Post by Èdan on Feb 29, 2020 22:21:24 GMT -6
There is a sentence in the leopard's reply that, bar none of the others, would require a considerable amount of unpacking to process, but the man decides to put that aside for later (summon a portal using roses that resulted in sweets? Really?) in order to focus on the important right now - the path out. Proverbial or literal, the manor was littered in these glass roses and perhaps following the trail of where they showed up, the two might actually get to some semblance of exit. Although at this particular point he really wouldn't mind a banquet hall either. At least there they could find some real food (or fake real, which at this point was just as good, as long as it made them feel fake full).
The knight politely declines the offer of sweets, shaking his head, "I have no sweet tooth, but I thank you. In the north, our treats tend to be more salt and bark." A scattering of faint noises passed as the star bear and black dove scampered and fluttered about briefly, still making themselves evident of existing despite efforts to lose them, while the knight continued to explain, "I found this one in the room here," indicating towards the lantern space, "If the roses form a path, then, surely, the next one near here would indicate the direction. What do you suppose, mister Xentus?"
. 39 . February: 57
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Post by Xentus on Feb 29, 2020 23:04:51 GMT -6
No love for leopards or sugary confectioneries in the knight's heart. Shame. A simple shrug and slight look of disgust was the feline's response to the first half of the knight's reply. Salt and.. Bark? Like bark from a tree? That did not sound appetizing in the slightest, but it did decidedly mean more sugar for himself. One pointy ear turned to listen in on the tiny animal sounds, the other towards the man to consider the rest of what they had to say. He took a moment to consider the logic, unwrapping the rejected sweet and popping it into his mouth. A few thoughtful chews, a glance to the room then rest of the atrium. The ling-ling around his neck was thankfully too distracted by the noise to try to swipe away the sugary treat.
"It is certainly a sound thought. Any desert dweller would do the same", he decided with a nod after swallowing the morsel, "There were no further roses up where this one went, so perhaps another would prefer this level or side of the area.." He glanced briefly up the stairs towards the altar room he wandered to, then down among the other nooks and paths offered on the ground floor of the atrium. There were also the the hidden spaces up the stairs to consider.. His eyes trailed a bird flittering away beyond a twisting staircase.
"Xentus will check up there", he motioned to where the dove once was, "Mind searching elsewhere down here?" The leopard already began to follow after the small creature on a curious hunch, leaving no chance for the man to refuse. He figured he would spare the knight a trip up and down the stairs. It couldn't have been easy on them walking around fully dressed in armor all this time. How were they not tired?
Feb - 58
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Post by Èdan on Feb 29, 2020 23:22:45 GMT -6
The helmet does a lot to hide away too clear of a facial tell. In this instance, the knight's mouth manages to open with the beginning of a reply but unable to bring the voice to bear before the leopard is already off towards the stairs. There's a pause, a slight incline of the head and the mouth closes. Well, then. That doesn't happen all too often, but he guesses this is what it feels like when it does. He turns to search the ground floor, at the knightly measured, calm pace.
In truth, he is being a lot of things by that point and tired certainly pushes itself into the top five. The search for escape is going on for a fourth hour and the pressure to perform truly as the knight is certainly mounting (it rarely happens to be a problem like this, but then, he rarely, if ever, has a house poke around in his mind to begin with). If anything, the armour is a strange source of comfort not unlike the dragon happens to be to the leopard - it is both familiar and an extension. It also helps that it just happens to be a metallic shell between himself and whatever entity held control over the manor.
The knight peeks into another room down the hallway, this time seeing a row of large flower pots situated in the middle of the space. The plants growing out of the pots are about as grey and dismal as the rest of the manor, though he cannot tell them to be dead things, merely grim in appearance. And among them a small sparkle of gold against a black that would otherwise go completely amiss.
. 40 . (counted) February: 59
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Post by Xentus on Feb 29, 2020 23:46:27 GMT -6
Now, where did that little birdy go? Xentus was light on his feet making his way up the staircase, looking around for some semblance of the black dove. Much like the arrangement on the other side, this set of stairs branched off into two paths; one into a nook, the other upwards to the next level. The opening among the books certainly did garner more attention though. Unlike most of the manor, the room seemed to be in quite a bit of disarray. Papers were strewn about on the floor, many holes of missing books in the shelves that made up the walls. It was like a small tornado winded its way through here. Did the little bird somehow manage to do this?
As funny a thought it was, given that he didn't hear any of the commotion happening, it was safe to say it likely was not the dove's doing. Xentus erred on the side of caution for once as he made his way into the room, eyes glancing about for whatever was the cause. But, he found nothing except the furnishings of an unkempt study. The ling-ling perked up at the feeling of wariness creeping from its owner, again trying to be on alert for whatever was to be alarmed of. It coiled a little more tightly to the feline's neck. Sort of made it hard to look around, but it wasn't too inconvenient.
Aside from the mess, there didn't seem to be anything of note until the leopard got closer to the large wooden desk near the wall. A lone black dove feather rested atop a round box of chocolates. The dove's doing? Yes, he liked that story. Dove chocolate. Eh.. Maybe that wasn't the most appealing if taken too literally.
Feb - 60
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Post by Jack on Feb 29, 2020 23:54:03 GMT -6
The wind whistled throughout the Mansion eerily, the sweet scent of candy on the breeze. Maybe it's a final goodbye to the month already?
[Nothing happens]
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Post by Èdan on Mar 31, 2020 16:40:45 GMT -6
More roses.. given how long the two have been walking this house, one would think they would have found enough of the things to cause something to happen. The man sighs, reaching for the rose and plucking it from the flower pot. A breeze rushes past then, stirring up dust from the shelves and dry dirt from the pots like fine pollen. He closes his eyes, shielding the face from any of it getting in the eyes or face, as a small ripple goes through the floor unnoticed. The moment is brief, but a few seconds, when the breeze dies down and the man swings the hand around to clear the last of the dust, coughing a few times. Damned place, now the dust was trying to kill them.
He turns and steps back out into the hallway. The usual 'thump' of a heavy boot does not come, however, and the knight pauses, senses catching up. He looks down. The floor, which had been wooden before, has turned into sturdy tiles, basked in brilliant light. He quickly looks up. The skylight, so dreary and dismal from before, has become a brilliant spectacle of pastels and bright shimmering tones. He looks around him, only to notice the library.. is not quite a library any more. The overall architecture of the place has remained somewhat the same, but the books on the shelves stand up-side-down or replaced entirely by any number of random objects, from table spoons to miniature chairs. The grand expanse seems to have shrunk into a smaller space, a doorway just off to the side clearly but a dozen feet away, but weirdly angled, as if the carpenter had properly and truly botched the job.
There's a pause as all this new information is processed, and he then calls out, "Mister Xentus.." though the voice does not carry well and comes quieter than most shouts, "The house.. has changed again."
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Post by Xentus on Sept 3, 2020 10:58:47 GMT -6
Just as Xentus reached to grab the chocolates, another violent breeze swept its way through the small study. Papers fluttered in the wind, threatening the mammalian with cuts if he wasn't careful. They swirled around him, encasing him in a blanket of white sheets as the wind picked up. Something was happening. Good or bad, he wasn't sure. The ling-ling wrapped itself tighter around his neck, waves of fright and alarm radiating from the creature. A gentle clawed hand rest upon the serpent's head in his best attempt to comfort it while enduring this torrent of paper, dust, and wind. As the seconds passed, the tornado swelled, engulfing the entirety of the room. What.. Was going on?!
It was.. Dizzying. Disorienting. He felt.. Faint. Was it harder to breathe? The swirling flurry of paper became blurry before his eyes. Standing was getting difficult. His head.. Hurt. As much as he tried to maintain a grip on reality, his senses finally failed him.
(Carry over - 2)
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Post by Xentus on Sept 3, 2020 11:06:55 GMT -6
...
What was that feeling? Warm and.. Wet. On the cheek. It was difficult to think. Something's there.. But it was impossible to move.
Nothing hurt. Surprisingly enough, it was the opposite. Everything was numb.
.. Slowly, he started to regain feeling. Starting from his cheek, radiating out to the rest of his face. One blue eye opened, then the other. It was hard to see anything at first. Vision blurred, unfocused. Then, his hearing came back. There was something rustling near.. On his chest? He could feel the weight of something pressing on top of him. More warm, wet wipes pressed against his face, and with a few more blinks, he could make out a familiar white shape. Ah, right, little ling. It was hard to see her, but her presence was a relieving one. As much as he wanted to reach a clawed hand up to pet that fuzzy mane, he still couldn't feel his fingers.
(Carry over - 3)
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Post by Xentus on Sept 3, 2020 11:15:24 GMT -6
His head was as fuzzy as his vision right now. It was hard to think. Hard to see. Hard to even move. As much as he struggled to right himself, his body didn't respond. It was like some kind of sleep paralysis, and instead of a nightmarish demon lurking in the edge of his sights, it was a concerned little ling-ling. The serpent whined, concerned for its master. He could feel its waves of concern and confusion. If he could tell it that he was ok, he would. But it seemed even using his voice was too difficult right now.
Ah.. Right, they were in that mansion. They were.. Traveling with someone. That knight. Did this happen to him too? Where was he..? The leopard struggled to turn his head in a feeble attempt to look around. But his body was still waking up. There was nothing to do but lay here for a while longer.
(Carry over - 4)
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Post by Xentus on Sept 3, 2020 11:36:15 GMT -6
It was uncertain how much time passed before he could think clearly. Or before he could see, or even move. At first, his vision returned to clarity, letting him see what seemed like a bright blue sky overhead. Of course, the white fluffy cloud was still pressing itself into his face, but if he had his wits about him, he was likely outside. The leopard's strength first returned to his fingers, traveling up his arm and radiating through his body. He endured a few more encouraging licks from the ling-ling while recovering, then made the attempt to slowly propped himself up. His head felt heavy still, but he feigned wellness to help assure the white serpent that he was fine. Groggily, he garnered himself a better look at his surroundings, laying witness to the exterior of the mansion.
They were outside. They.. Had escaped. Looking around, it seemed the knight wasn't so fortunate to have been ejected. Or maybe he had, just in a different time or place. Who knows how long its been.. It looked like he could only hope the knight would fare well. Perhaps they might meet again, another time..
(Carry over - 5)
> Exeunt Little Ling and Xentus
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Post by Nadia on Sept 3, 2020 13:13:08 GMT -6
A token from the month to come.
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Post by Xentus on Sept 3, 2020 15:15:12 GMT -6
Adventure #2 - Wandering Walker > Xentus, accompanied by...
Wanderlust brought him back to this strange place. He didn't think he'd find himself here again, considering how difficult it had been to leave. But there was a certain thrill that came with getting lost, trapped, and kept prisoner. Despite the trickery he faced, he never felt that he was in any real danger. Perhaps it was the company of the knight that gave him the feeling of security. There was a part of him that wondered about that man, who he was and how he fared now.. Of all the trinkets he found together with the knight, the serpent ring was the only one he kept. As a memento of the time spent wandering with him. Xentus was in the company of a fire golem for this venture. It was well mannered compared to the ling-ling, studiously trailing after him as he led the way.
Sep - 1
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Post by Xentus on Sept 3, 2020 15:21:23 GMT -6
The everchanging mansion offered the most bizarre arrangement for its halls and rooms this time, it seemed. Moments ago, he was 'outside' wandering a lush garden of vines. The path then led to a door encircled by tree roots, which opened up into a cozy cabin interior. Making sense of this place would only lead in headache. So, he tried his best not to. Instead, he was here to focus on the fun of exploring and discovery. The walker he had with him today would prove to provide the perfect company; something that was alert and would defend him should something decide that he looked like a susceptible target. And hopefully, it wouldn't care for the mansion's trickery. So far, it only had a rattle at a living squash that looked at them funny. Otherwise, the creature seemed to care little for whether they were inside or out or upside down.
Sep - 2
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Post by Xentus on Sept 3, 2020 15:25:22 GMT -6
The.. Dense nature of the golems was both a blessing and a curse. A blessing in that they weren't going to become too curious or wander off on their own. A trait that was going to be particularly handy in the confines of this manor. A curse in that it made them a little hard to understand and communicate with. The living vegetable they encountered earlier set it off and he had to spend a solid minute convincing it that the squash wasn't going to bring them any harm. Still, the leopard enjoyed the company of these strange beings. His efforts in raising the twelve he adopted from the labs was proving to be quite successful. It was a project which demanded a lot of his time and attention, but he had plenty of both to go around. As a result, half of his golems were already matured and fused! A feat not many have accomplished.
Sep - 3
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