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Post by Èdan on Sept 29, 2021 4:40:25 GMT -6
The hedge continues much like it has before - A shallow, well-trodden path with greenery on either side tall enough as to go past their ability to see across. Just wide enough for both courier and foal to be comfortable, but likewise just close enough to make that suspicious part at the back of the head let him know that could change at a moment's notice and there would be little room to improvise. Bends and twists continue on this path as well, and at least on those he can keep track of the general northerly direction (With heel scuffs left in the wake as direction, in case they end up looped back around or have to backtrack).
Along the way, the boot even scuffs over another of those glass eyes, revealing it from the dirt. By the looks of things they ought to be plentiful, if they can be found on trampled ground like this. Stowing it into the pouch, the two continue onwards, hoping to see the exit to the maze soon enough.
. 35 . Chalceus: 9 (0/5) September: 35 Serpent's Dawn
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Post by Èdan on Sept 30, 2021 14:03:54 GMT -6
'Soon enough' ends up taking the better part of an hour. The maze twists and turns, which isn't surprising (After all, it's what it's designed to do), but as the man tried to keep a mental map of the overall progress, he can't help but feel that some twist and turns are a little.. Out of place. For example, if one kept taking the leftmost path for several turns in a row, each growing more and more tighter of a turn, surely the destination would be a dead end, for the path is simply coiling in on itself. But no, instead, it suddenly branches off to the right at the very end, into a whole new path that physically speaking shouldn't exist.
Enough to give a mathematician a headache, much less someone with far simpler pursuits (Though no less ambitious). The only saving grace is perhaps that he doesn't encounter any scuff marks in the ground (Though, that could also be considered a bad thing, depending on how one looked at it).
. 36 . Chalceus: 9 (1/5) September: 36 Serpent's Dawn
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Post by Èdan on Sept 30, 2021 14:11:52 GMT -6
In the end, the path suddenly opens up as a corridor of the hedge runs off into the distance, with nothing but a pleasant backdrop of clear sky. Or, well, semi-clear, as the weather is getting rather muggy, but none the less distinctly lacking in said hedge (Which is a welcome sight all on its own). He lets the relief in for that short moment, willing to latch onto any sort of progress on the matter, however short lived it might end up being. It's those small victories, sometimes.. And none so much as when it comes to dealing with the manor.
The man walks his way through that last bit of corridor with foal close on heels, and eventually they step out of the accursed maze and onto tilled ground. No smack of branches, no sudden closing of hedge doors or gates.. The two, seemingly, allowed to leave that trap of a decoration and onto new grounds.
. 37 . Chalceus: 9 (2/5) September: 37 Serpent's Dawn
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Post by Èdan on Sept 30, 2021 14:17:32 GMT -6
A whole new ground, somewhat literally - The field before them is surrounded by a distance fence, but by and far is about the flattest piece of nondescript land one could find. Tilled soil runs from end to end, fresh and loamy, with the only distinctive description of the area giving it some colour being rows upon rows of pumpkins. Most of them as tall as his knee, while others fall shorter on the scale, some even small enough to be considered a mere snack for the foal. A rare few, however, stretch taller than the rest, though few and far between, almost trees onto their own among the rest.
The copper eyes survey the area casually (In both instinct and reflex. A new terrain means new problems, new threats.. but also new opportunities, possibilities.. The trick was figuring out which is which). As far as he can tell, they're as alone as ever, entourage of goat and annoying bird not withstanding.
. 38 . Chalceus: 9 (3/5) September: 38 Serpent's Dawn
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Post by Èdan on Sept 30, 2021 14:23:23 GMT -6
A positive start to this new stretch of exploration. Given previous encounters here, he's not all too sure if the foal's the type to survive any particular encounters (Especially considering how many times that pup ended up going missing. It's very much a conscious thought that makes the grip on the lead that little bit tighter - The thing cost quite a bit to get, he's not about to lose it to a random mistake leading to a mansion's snide fancies). At least the air in the field is a good deal fresher than in the hedge rows, although that could have been perception of entrapment just as much as actual cloying dampness.
"Come on," he gives the lead a light tug to get the foal moving after, and begins the trek across the field. Perceptions being what they are, who even knows when the furthest fence actually reaches them, but at least there's plenty of pumpkin cover to slip behind should anything unsavoury come across them.
. 39 . Chalceus: 9 (4/5) September: 39 Serpent's Dawn
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Post by Èdan on Sept 30, 2021 14:29:05 GMT -6
There isn't half as much sound in the patch as the orchard, given much of the vegetation here is firmly rooted to the ground. At best only the leaves of the largest pumpkins might flutter lightly in the breeze, but even then just barely. The courier winds his way through them, avoiding the bigger ones and trying to find the best walk-able path through the rest. They don't really impose much of an obstacle for himself, for it's simple enough matter to leap or climb over them, but the foal being small and spindly as she is meant taking some precautions. Not much of a jumper yet, that one, and although she could run up a storm, it hardly worked with pumpkins the size of herself in the way.
Only a matter of time until the obstacle course would produce its first casualty, and he is still very much intent on all of them making it home in one piece (For he's certainly not going to invite another visit to the temple if he can absolutely help it.)
. 40 . (added) Chalceus: 10 (0/5) September: 40 Serpent's Dawn
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Post by Nadia on Oct 6, 2021 13:02:30 GMT -6
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Post by Èdan on Oct 8, 2021 5:43:52 GMT -6
At least the patch isn't boring - On several occasions he keeps stumbling across more of the eyes stuck in the dirt, nearly as orange as the pumpkins that surround them. Save for the gloss and the size, one could not be faulted for mistaking them for one, either, although by happenstance or good eyesight, they end up finding quite a number to add to the pocket already laden with them. If they didn't form some manner of magic within the manor, he could have assumed them to be a form of marble, intended for some form of game.
Well, perhaps a more devious type of game on a much grander scale than a mere patch of ground, but none the less a game. No-one ever said games had to be fun for everyone. After all, hunting is considered a form of game where the hunters find it in good spirit and sport (But no-one ever asked the deers to play, much less what they thought about how it usually ended).
. 41 . Chalceus: 10 (1/5) October: 1 Vai Min Mur
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Post by Èdan on Oct 8, 2021 5:59:59 GMT -6
There is even a shrine of sorts among the oddities in the field. Where the man had considered the well to be largely the oddest feature, then seeing a shrine to one of the gods is certainly a step up from that. Not a large one, mind.. but the people here didn't appear so religious as some other places (Much less his own). The gods seemed more accessory to style and bedtime tales, than anything tangible and real enough to worship. Admittedly, it is rather difficult to worship something which slumbers, so he supposes the general populace is simply ones who have already forgotten them.
Not that the shrine caught his fancies any, as it seemed to be one to Harvest. But perhaps there's still people in the city who would be interested in it, so he grabs it along, before the foal decides the sprigs in the statue's outstretched hands might be worth a good nibble. It would be a valuable lesson to the foal about not poking one's nose into everything, but at the same time it's rather difficult to barter off something with bite marks on it.
. 42 . Chalceus: 10 (2/5) October: 2 Vai Min Mur
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Post by Èdan on Oct 8, 2021 6:32:03 GMT -6
In all this, neither man nor foal really notice the shift in the air, the subtle breeze and the coolness that descends, for those features seem befitting the season of Harvest as much as the reason of Dark. The transition is not all too different to how high and low tides would trade places during summer, although with considerably less contrast. By the time they reach the edge of the patch, where a wrought-iron gate opens up to a new area of the garden, it's almost commonplace to see the golden leave of before, now scattered along the ground, as if they had always been there.
As he pushes the gate open, and steps through, the vision beyond seems almost pleasant, if not a bit darker than before. The sun could be setting, the cloud cover could be getting stronger.. whichever the case, within the man's sight, little really changes. Things just get a little more grayscale than normal, which, compared to the relatively drab colours present in this part of the garden isn't saying much.
. 43 . Chalceus: 10 (3/5) October: 3 Vai Min Mur
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Post by Èdan on Oct 8, 2021 6:36:13 GMT -6
But where other senses might have missed the signs, the scent in the air does make him take a sharper look at things. The cloying sense of ripe fruits from before has a distinctly decaying flavour now, and he could swear the manor to the side of the garden looked more put together from the distance before. Brown to gray, blue to black, gold to brown.. Something's changed, and it's certainly in the air most of all. He doesn't necessarily know if it's for the better or worse yet, either..
Keeping the foal close, he guides her to follow along as they enter the garden. In the distance is a stone statue, one he eventually understands to form a part of a fountain, but much more immediately there's other, smaller, stoneworks around them as well. Where at first he assumed it to be fashionable, a closer inspection of one proves it to be functional as well, as unreadable names and dates are scrawled across each and every one.
. 44 . Chalceus: 10 (4/5) October: 4 Vai Min Mur
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Post by Èdan on Oct 8, 2021 6:41:19 GMT -6
A graveyard.. He backs up, distastefully taking in the magnitude of headstones around them. Great.. Certainly the last place they would want to be under the circumstances. (And for more than a multitude of reasons, some practical, some personal). At least the ground seems well overgrown with grass and weeds, suggesting it's not been in active use for some time. Perhaps a downside being it's unlikely anyone would be about to tend them, and thus able to point out a direction towards and exit. (But at the same time, making it somehow a lot less 'grave' and more 'yard' in the process. The cold air might not be the only chill felt at that moment).
He could tolerate the maze and not mind the pumpkin patch, but this is the first manor space where he would very much love to find the exit as soon as possible, as to avoid lingering among the tombstones as much as possible. Some things were just more easily handled than others.
. 45 . Chalceus: 11 (0/5) October: 5 Vai Min Mur
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Post by Nadia on Oct 8, 2021 8:39:10 GMT -6
A warm welcome from Vai Min Mur.
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Post by Èdan on Oct 14, 2021 3:01:21 GMT -6
For all the discomfort it offers him, the foal, yet again, seems blissfully unaware of anything being amiss. The restless knew grows and it is eventually her that steps forward, to bite at a dead candle lingering on some old headstone nearby. The man's quick to react, pulling her back with the lead, "No.. Leave those things alone." (Goddess knows, they didn't need the supernatural getting into the mix any more than it already was). He regards the field with a final look of distain, and a deep, preparing breath. (Brave fear not the dead.. Literal or otherwise). He steps forwards.
There is no specific sense of direction in the graveyard, aside the fountain in the distance that seems to almost form a needle of a compass, or the spike for a sundial. Maybe in some strange reality-bending sense it is. Everything needs a focal point, to affix the rest of the world around it, even the phantasmal. Otherwise they might all just as well be figments drifting on a breeze (And he didn't like that though too much).
. 46 . Chalceus: 11 (1/5) October: 6 Vai Min Mur
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Post by Èdan on Oct 17, 2021 7:24:35 GMT -6
By that measure, making a beeline for the fountain is the best course of action. Should it connect the rather liminal space, perhaps it can also reveal new paths only visible from its perspective. (Of course, it could also be a ruse, but when ever has that stopped him from trying something. Sometimes the best way forward is choosing the worst decision you can make). Unattended headstones poke out from the untrimmed grass left and right, some with texts so faded as to seem ancient. While most of them are readable, for the life of him he can't seem to read them. It's like his eyes understand the visual of the words, but the mind can't connect the meanings together.
If the imaginary graves are for imaginary people, then perhaps the manor isn't that interested in filling in the details, so much as filling in an aesthetic. Even so, there's still plenty of old and dud candles left around the place for the foal to be tempted by, so real or otherwise, he steers both himself and her to stick to the middle of the path, away from those.
. 47 . Chalceus: 11 (2/5) October: 7 Vai Min Mur
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