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Inertia
Jun 30, 2022 20:17:52 GMT -6
Post by Silver on Jun 30, 2022 20:17:52 GMT -6
It was truly a maze, too. The path was winding all about the room in such a way that there was no way to travel forward without twisting around. It almost felt like it was set up deliberately with dead ends and winding turns in order to confuse travellers. Every time they approached a floating candle, Eddie shouted out to make sure they didn’t bump into it. Whether or not the dripping wax was hot, the flames surely were, and she didn’t want either of them to get burned. Together they could avoid catastrophe, if only for a few moments at a time.
Finally, they made it to the other side of the room. Silver cautiously opened the door, and looked behind them one last time before going through it. Even though they didn’t particularly want to be in the room with the candles, it did feel weird to leave. Perhaps the next room would be something even more unusual.
9 [141.75; 3.8]
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Inertia
Jun 30, 2022 20:22:19 GMT -6
Post by Silver on Jun 30, 2022 20:22:19 GMT -6
To their surprise, the door led into an empty hallway. The long hallway was bare except a torch bearing light every so often, and a long line of paintings against the wall. Silver cautiously stepped into the room and looked around. It really was as empty as it appeared.
"Hmm...." Eddie said, touching her hand to her chin. Silver looked over at her and cracked a smile, amused that she said exactly what they were going to say.
Eddie tilted her head while looking at the painting to their right. It was a painting of fireworks going off over the water. She found it very beautiful, but a bit strange. There was something about it that was trying to get her attention, but she couldn't put her finger on it.
"Ah, did you want to, to see it?" Silver said, stepping forward so she could get closer to the painting. She reached out as if she was going to touch it, but snapped her hand back right away, realising that she probably shouldn't.
10 [141.8; 4]
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Inertia
Jul 6, 2022 10:08:43 GMT -6
Post by Fiera Ferella on Jul 6, 2022 10:08:43 GMT -6
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Inertia
Dec 31, 2022 22:19:20 GMT -6
Post by Silver on Dec 31, 2022 22:19:20 GMT -6
The bitter winds of winter were already creeping in. Chill hung low in the air as it cut through the sparse leaves still clinging to the trees. It was the time of year where everything settled down to sleep, waiting for the great cold lull of winter. The people of the city had finished their harvest celebrations, and now their attention turned to preparing for the harsh times ahead. The buzz in the city quieted down into a faint whisper. Hardly anyone could be seen in the streets, especially compared to how it was during the Vai Min Mur celebrations not so long ago. In a way, Silver enjoyed this time of year when everything was quiet. It felt peaceful, lacking in the constant low level buzz of activity. It allowed them to slow down and really think about things. One thing they considered was that it had been a while since they went out to explore. 1[144.95, 0.2]
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Inertia
Dec 31, 2022 22:22:11 GMT -6
Post by Silver on Dec 31, 2022 22:22:11 GMT -6
The old mansion on the outskirts of the city was an easy choice for a quick adventure. It wasn’t too far, so the stakes were low. It allowed them to see something novel each time they went, somehow, yet it was close enough to home that they could return in time to sleep in their own bed. Perfect for a quick adventure to soothe their restless mind. They did always have trouble staying still for too long, perhaps because of the necessity of travel in their past.
While the city hadn’t quite caught up to the winter weather yet, they were sure that the mansion grounds would be absolutely frigid. Therefore, if they wanted a creature for companionship, they would have to bring someone who didn’t mind the cold. A fluffy creature seemed like an obvious choice, so they started there, only to ultimately choose a creature who happened to be ethereal and fluffy.
2 [145, 0.4]
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Inertia
Dec 31, 2022 22:22:43 GMT -6
Post by Silver on Dec 31, 2022 22:22:43 GMT -6
Viking the Balgor was probably their largest ethereal creature, and he was always a bit of a mystery to them. Perhaps this would give them the chance to get to know each other better. Silver had a lot of experience with intangible creatures - Zii, Quin, even Lumie - but Viking was a bit different. For one, his species was not usually ethereal. For some reason, the specter breed was different from the rest. Perhaps this would give them a chance to get to know more about him.
As expected, it was freezing cold as soon as they stepped through the gate onto the mansion grounds. It was as if walking through the gate sent them into an entirely different world. Which might actually be the case for all they knew.
Silver and the mansion had an uneasy relationship at best. As much as they liked to explore and learn more about magic, rare creatures, and the trinkets that were strewn about the place, they also had a lot of reservations about getting too close to something so powerfully magical.
3 [145.05, 0.6]
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Inertia
Dec 31, 2022 22:23:15 GMT -6
Post by Silver on Dec 31, 2022 22:23:15 GMT -6
The presence of such overwhelming magic made them extremely cautious. They struggled to believe that something so intensely magical was not also a nasty trick at its core. Though they had been exploring the place for years and had never really figured it out. Each time they visited, they tried to learn just a little bit more about how it really worked.
Perhaps the person who set it all up was just an overzealous decorator, and the whole thing became infused with the magic of his enthusiasm over time. Whatever it was, it was certainly strange, and they could never quite shake the feeling that it was inherently unsafe.
Did bringing a large creature like Viking with them make them more safe… or less? Their instinct to protect him was probably stronger than his instinct to protect them, if it came down to it. Not that they wanted to test it either way. They would never be able to forgive themselves if they let their guard down and one of their creatures suffered for their choices.
4 [145.1, 0.8]
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Inertia
Dec 31, 2022 22:23:50 GMT -6
Post by Silver on Dec 31, 2022 22:23:50 GMT -6
Viking had no such trepidation, apparently, as he quietly walked through the gate and into the mansion grounds. Silver decided they could let him take the lead, and whatever happened would happen. They could never fully shake the little pang of anxiety in their gut, but they could press on and hope for the best. Perhaps Viking’s boldness would be contagious.
Quin seemed to think so, at least, as he flew off after the Balgor and landed in his large fluffy mane. To Quin’s delight, this creature was tangible (to him), and he was pleased to have someone new to play with. Viking didn’t seem to mind either way, and he slowly proceeded around the side of the mansion toward the back garden.
Silver wasn’t sure what they were looking for when they arrived, so they didn’t mind letting a creature lead them around. If they were honest, it was probably a large part of why they always brought one with them.
5 [145.15, 1]
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Inertia
Dec 31, 2022 22:24:18 GMT -6
Post by Silver on Dec 31, 2022 22:24:18 GMT -6
It helped them to keep their mind off of other things. Plus, they often had a different perspective, and could lead them to places they would not have otherwise gone to.
The feeling of their boots dragging through snow was not one that they missed. It caused them to slow down and think carefully about where they were stepping. They stopped for a moment to look at the trail of snow that was disturbed by their feet, then they looked over to where Viking was standing atop the snow. For some reason, they almost expected him to be followed by a trail of pawprints, even if they knew logically that he couldn’t possibly leave any.
When they got around to the back side of the building, Silver gasped, letting a little puff of visible breath out into the air. The usually lush garden was frozen over in a blanket of fresh snow, and it was decorated with intricate sculptures of ice.
6 [145.2, 1.2]
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Inertia
Dec 31, 2022 22:24:39 GMT -6
Post by Silver on Dec 31, 2022 22:24:39 GMT -6
It was shockingly beautiful and serene. They almost hated to disturb it, but they knew that it was all a careful illusion. No person had come here and built these by hand. At least, they were pretty sure that wasn’t the case.
Viking turned back and looked at Silver, as if he was waiting for them to make another move. He made a soft sound, as if encouraging them to go ahead. Quin perked up his head and moved first, floating over to one of the statues and landing on its head. It was shaped like a human wearing warm winter clothing and reaching out toward the sky with a hand wrapped in a mitten. Even the stitches in the knitted outerwear were detailed perfectly.
“Of course,” Silver said, pulling up their scarf to hide their smile. Seeing the scarf on the figure reminded them. Of all places, Quin landed on the sculpture’s head, just where he liked to rest when he was with Silver.
7 [145.25, 1.4]
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Inertia
Dec 31, 2022 22:25:12 GMT -6
Post by Silver on Dec 31, 2022 22:25:12 GMT -6
Now that they were here, they decided to explore the other carvings as well. “A Vulticus…” they said, looking closely at a four legged figure. It was small for a Vulticus, but they would recognize one anywhere.
“Is she yours? Is she friendly?” Silver said with a laugh, looking up at the humanoid figure. It was almost uncanny, being surrounded by things that were so lifelike, yet not. They were frozen in place, both figuratively and literally, but they were so detailed they seemed like they could get up and move at any second.
Another figure represented a smaller humanoid with elaborate wings. A fae of some kind? Silver was curious about that one. Did it depict someone real, someone living - or who was once alive - or was it a fabrication entirely out of nothing? They looked back at the Vulticus and the human, as if that would answer their question.
8 [145.3, 1.6]
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Inertia
Dec 31, 2022 22:26:48 GMT -6
Post by Silver on Dec 31, 2022 22:26:48 GMT -6
It was nice to see a fae and a human together, each one smiling and interacting with the environment peacefully. That was a trend that continued as they wove through the carvings and saw more and more of them. The sculptures depicted a diverse crowd of people, each one different in some way. They were varied in many ways, no two appearing quite the same.
Silver wondered about where they came from. Did they depict visitors? Someone the mansion owner used to know? Nobody at all? Just like many other things about this place, they supposed they never really would know the answer. They continued to wander through the garden, looking at all of the glittering scenery. It made them feel wistful and they were caught up in the story they told in their head about all of these individuals. They thought about who they were, if they were friends, what they did and why they were here.
9 [145.35, 1.8]
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Inertia
Dec 31, 2022 22:30:25 GMT -6
Post by Silver on Dec 31, 2022 22:30:25 GMT -6
So wrapped up in their own story, they were hardly paying attention to where they were going. Suddenly, Viking jumped in front of them and snarled loudly. Silver jumped back, startled by the sudden sound. "Ah! Viking, you scared me. Are you alright?" they said. They reached up to touch him for comfort, but slowly retracted their hand after it went through his flowing ethereal fur.
Viking looked down at his paws, causing Silver to do the same. They could see where the snow was disturbed from the last step they took. The snow had been brushed aside, and under it they could see that it was icy. Viking had somehow noticed the layer of ice under the snow and warned them before they could fall on their tail.
"Oh, thank you buddy, I guess... I guess I didn't notice." Silver looked back at the sculptures, their stories already fading from their mind.
10 [145.4, 2]
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Inertia
Dec 31, 2022 22:41:47 GMT -6
Post by Jack on Dec 31, 2022 22:41:47 GMT -6
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Inertia
Jan 31, 2023 21:27:29 GMT -6
Post by Silver on Jan 31, 2023 21:27:29 GMT -6
As soon as they had come, the stories and lives of the statues faded away. A moment ago they felt familiar, like old friends, but in an instant they were just strangers again. Silver felt a short pang of loss, as if they had actually forgotten someone they had cared about a long time ago. They shook their head, thinking that the strange feeling must just be a trick of the mansion’s wicked magic. It was very peculiar just how strongly they felt for a moment.
It was good that Viking was there to snap them out of it. At least one of the three of them should be paying attention, and it sure wasn’t Quin. He was sitting on the edge of the icy patch looking down at his own reflection. He stuck his head into the ice to see what was underneath only to pull it back out again quickly. He shook himself furiously like a dog trying to get water out of its fur.
1 [146, 2.2]
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