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Post by Èdan on Oct 17, 2021 7:32:48 GMT -6
One would think imaginary graves are a source of comfort in this rather stressful environment, but no. (Largely because he knows better, or thinks that he does, which isn't necessarily distinctive from one another). The manor might not use real names for the headstones, but he's already had two all too real experiences of something that remains deeply troubling. Some things of people can be inferred, based on their manner, their speech, what they say and even more so from what they don't. But the manor has never bothered to have a conversation with him, and yet something has dredged up two visions with disturbing connections to something that no-one should know.
So he moves through the graveyard, foal in tow, with outward calm, belying the inward tension. The courier's eyes might look this way and that with forced casualness, but they're sharp to any indication of trouble, however small, all too aware that the manor is nothing more than another stage, on a much, MUCH grander scale.
. 48 . Chalceus: 11 (3/5) October: 8 Vai Min Mur
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Post by Èdan on Oct 17, 2021 7:39:54 GMT -6
Of course, all of life could be seen as a stage of sorts as well, but where generally those live plays involve actors largely blind to the scripts of others, someone here seems to have a copy of a specific chapter that was long-since burned. (And if they have that, what else do they know? Are these visions just to toy, to prove how much someone knows? A threat?) Or, perhaps, the manor is not so self-aware at all, and is instead made by the external. Only taking and showing what is brought into it, reflected back by whatever measure it knows how.
Well, that last part would be an interesting philosophical point of contention, although if that were true, a graveyard is certainly the last place he'd want to imagine himself having a lazy afternoon stroll through, with a horse that's barely trained to follow, much less defend itself. One would think it would be easier to imagine an exit and have it appear, considering how intent he is on leaving said graveyard.
. 49 . Chalceus: 11 (4/5) October: 9 Vai Min Mur
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Post by Èdan on Oct 17, 2021 7:45:43 GMT -6
Alas, no such magical solution appears. Both man and foal reach the dry fountain, and despite intent, expectation, hope or spite, it remains quietly sitting there, overgrown with weeds and blackened vines. To every direction, the graveyard continues, with only a shadow of a house to one side, although that had been there from the beginning (And he's pretty sure it keeps shifting). Instead, what they do find is another pumpkin, settled on the edge of the fountain's rim.
The foal, still quite intent on having a snack on something, makes a move for it before he has a chance to stop her. Before she has a chance to snatch at the thing, however, the pumpkin decides to make its own move, suddenly standing up on vined legs and turning around to stare at them with a red-glowing face. To the foal's credit, this does take her back some, meaning there's hope yet for some instinct of self-preservation, although it doesn't exactly address the issue of there being a pumpkin on legs and red eyes. (Just something new every time, isn't it? Just when he assumed it couldn't get stranger).
. 50 . (added) Chalceus: 12 (0/5) October: 10 Vai Min Mur
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Post by Silver on Oct 18, 2021 19:19:44 GMT -6
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Post by Èdan on Oct 19, 2021 16:02:09 GMT -6
An attach doesn't immediately follow, so between that and the thing's size, he considers it safe to assume it falls more in the wheat-goat category of encounters. Which, most likely, means it's going to be just another addition to the already increasing entourage following them. (Perhaps it wouldn't be so bad to have the foal eat at least one of them.. But no, they might be useful for something and he's loathe to discard anything with that potential). Sure as rain, the thing hisses, then scambers off to the side and remains leering at them from a distance. If the glow of it's pumpkin held a little more light, he could perhaps use it as a flashlight.
Not that he needed to, it just made distinguishing some things easier if they were in colour.
In its place is left behind a leaf, though to call it that would really strain the stretch of the word's meaning.
. 51 . Chalceus: 12 (1/5) October: 11 Vai Min Mur
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Post by Èdan on Oct 19, 2021 16:10:18 GMT -6
He feel the texture between his fingers. It's not exactly solid, but not rigid either, with almost a wax-like coat. If anything, it feels as though the leaf is more carved from a single sheet of waxy material, than anything naturally occurring (As much as anything in the manor could be called 'natural'). He considers it a moment, before pocketing it, figuring there's bound to be art snobs around town who could be interested in this type of find.
The rest of the fountain is quiet and largely empty of anything worth the attention. Shadows still creep along the ground from the shifting branches of bare trees, and the scent in the air is one of ongoing decay and promise of cold. If they don't hurry up, winter might arrive sooner than them being able to locate the exit. As it stands, looking along on the crossroads, no one path seems better than the other, with the manor's distant shadow drifting from sight to sight.
. 52 . Chalceus: 12 (2/5) October: 12 Vai Min Mur
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Post by Èdan on Oct 19, 2021 16:15:14 GMT -6
And worse than that, the hedge behind them has faded into the fencing in the distance, as if it had never been there to begin with. The sense of closure, of entrapment within this deadland is certainly rising, though he rather tries not to think about it. The mind is not so easily overcome, nor broken, so the manor will have to do a bit better than that to provoke a response.
The one thing worse than a devil's choice is the lack of one, and indecision is not something he's in the habit of. So he picks a direction, even if perhaps more randomly than usual, and starts down the alley of headstones and old candles, foal in tow. The air rustles with a breeze, the whisper of howls through the trees and tricks of wind and light around the area. (But it would have to do a lot better than that. Terror loses it's power once you've faced it enough times).
. 53 . Chalceus: 12 (3/5) October: 13 Vai Min Mur
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Post by Èdan on Oct 19, 2021 16:21:27 GMT -6
As they pass the stones, the names unintelligible before, seem to sharpen and focus. Candles seem to light before specific headstones, to cast their light on the residents there. Others shine in wrought iron lanterns the shades of red, yellow, purple and blue, painting the path ahead and behind with a sense of purpose (or perhaps and invitation to stay and see what secrets the tombs might yet hold). He needs but glance at the first couple of stones, to pick up the names upon them, to realize the style of the game afoot, and not look at any others.
Dead names. (Burnt names). Flecks of sparks drift around the air from the lanterns, as if fireflies made from flame, and there's a scent of smoke in the air. And yet, the man keeps walking, with eyes affixed ahead, and ensuring the foal remains at his side on the lead. (For this game dwells on the past, and that's a habit he shook a long time ago).
. 54 . Chalceus: 12 (4/5) October: 14 Vai Min Mur
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Post by Èdan on Oct 19, 2021 16:28:38 GMT -6
What horrors the graveyard is looking to promise doesn't find a hold in him (Though by no means from lack of trying), whether names on stones or the inviting light of the candles and lanterns. Instead, he keeps walking, and walking, past the distractions as if they are merely a crowd to avoid. Perhaps the manor felt the challenge, perhaps some force within it is looking to make things interesting, but the result ends up not the expected one.
For one, among all the hauntings around them, the man didn't expect to find an ooze crossing their path partway through. Even the foal seemed trepidatious about attempting to eat this one, given its rather strong colours of warning (Or perhaps the acridly sweet smell). Both pause, regarding the beast as it slows (Or rather, stops, as it was slow to begin with) and gradually regards them with an eyeless face. A face which seems all the more curious given there is another of the strange leaves stuck to one side of it, and another on its back.
. 55 . Chalceus: 13 (0/5) October: 15 Vai Min Mur
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Post by Nadia on Oct 20, 2021 4:00:35 GMT -6
A lone leaf drifts into your path.
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Post by Èdan on Oct 21, 2021 5:36:08 GMT -6
What in the name of the everloving Goddess.. Is that made of sugar? The stench of sweetness is certainly strong enough to suggest so, and while he understands that candies tend to be something of a tradition around this time of year, it rather looks like someone took a pile full, melted it down and performed a summoning ritual on it (Or an exorcism gone wrong). The ooze does not make a move towards then, and barely even seems aware of them.. (Perhaps not the sharpest of minds, even by beast standards).
But it does bring gifts, if one could call it bringing (or call them gifts) - More of the waxy leaves with the rictus faces. The man leans down and plucks the one from the thing's head, to no objection on the ooze's part. Might be it didn't even realize the thing was there to begin with. There's a stickiness to it initially, which oddly fades the further from the ooze it gets.
. 56 . Chalceus: 13 (1/5) October: 16 Vai Min Mur
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Post by Èdan on Oct 21, 2021 5:40:32 GMT -6
Well.. There are worse things than oozes which clean up after themselves. And though the sweet scent is sure to wear thin given enough time, it at least masks the general stench of the graveyard as a whole, so that would only be a bonus. Perhaps this thing isn't too bad to have around after all.. If worse comes to it, he can just chuck it at anything attacking and they make a break for it while the thing tries to untangle itself from the goop. (Sometimes the simplest plans are the most effective, even if incredibly dumb in execution).
He peels off the other leaf as well, holding it out and waiting until the ooze coating has dissipated off of it, before pocketing both. The courier certainly does more of the down-and-dirty styles of jobs, but that doesn't mean he has an overabundance of spare clothes to go around for him. (That, and washing off melted sugar is a task he would certainly want to avoid).
. 57 . Chalceus: 13 (2/5) October: 17 Vai Min Mur
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Post by Èdan on Oct 21, 2021 6:25:30 GMT -6
Whether its the peculiar nature of the ooze or the overly sweet scent of candy prevailing through the air, but the overall tone of the scene has taken an escalation for the lighter. One could almost forget they are still in a graveyard, surrounded by tombs and headstones that look to haunt in more terms than one. Sluggish as the thing is, he can hardly pace them based on the ooze's speed, so the man simply upends the witch hat over it and when he pulls it back up, the ooze has stuck to the inside of it like a candy mold.
Well.. If nothing else it stops the things inside from tumbling out, so there's that. The tail coils around the hat again, holding it behind them, as they set off. With one hand in the pocket, the fingers trace the lines on the leaves there, absently. The mind is decidedly less absent as the evidence of their abundance can leave to a few different conclusions.
. 58 . Chalceus: 13 (3/5) October: 18 Vai Min Mur
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Post by Èdan on Oct 21, 2021 6:32:45 GMT -6
What was that a total of, now.. He counts up the finds of the past, trying to recall each. Motes of lights, then glass roses. Then bottled dreams (and walking nightmares), followed by fireflies? Then seashells, followed by glass eyes.. and now, wax leaves. Each time there's been a specific theme and each time the gifts seem to shape themselves to fit it. And then there was the well.. (Although he doesn't exactly feel comfortable thinking on that one. The pull towards he abyss was likely meant to be inviting, but it was anything but for him).
If the leaves are a form of currency in the manor, then he'd hate to find out what the toll is for. Much less what the next styling of gifts would bring, should they linger long enough to experience a shift. (Though, perhaps standing and waiting wasn't so bad an idea.. One way to escape the graveyard could have been to just outlast it until the shift swept it away).
. 59 . Chalceus: 13 (4/5) October: 19 Vai Min Mur
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Post by Èdan on Oct 21, 2021 6:47:07 GMT -6
..Assuming the manor would allow such a simple escape, of course. It could feel a need to escalate the situation for the next shift (And he hasn't been around long enough to know the true cycle of these things. Death and decay this time around might be bad enough, but if there is one constant in the world it's that things can always get worse).
Something drifts through the air, bringing the foal's attentions to it and breaking his. The philosophy of the leaves is a fine distraction from their grave surroundings, but only so far as it actually gets them anywhere. Another of the leaves seems to almost float through the air and land in the middle of the road (Though he knows that to be rather fake. They're certainly not light enough to drift, and yet the manor makes its rules as it will).
"Still not food," he says with a sigh, pulling lightly on the lead to keep the foal away from it. "You'll know it when you see it, trust me."
. 60 . (added) Chalceus: 14 (0/5) October: 20 Vai Min Mur
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