The troubled, weary look in the elf’s eyes was a contrast to the life they held when he first saaw her at the campfire outside Daggerford. The beauty of her eyes remained, but it was now tempered by a weariness that seemed to run deep, though her eyes were still radiant and captivating. Vice meets Juniper’s eyes over the table, she has a somewhat hopeful expression on her. Feeling the tips of his ears burning, he clears his throat awkwardly. “Sorry. I didn’t know elves… dreamed.” But wanting to wake up but unable to, wanting to scream but finds your mouth sealed shut? He knows the feeling. The corner of his lips lifted wryly. “It’s certainly poetic, right? The nameless evil in the temple probably is the same force that’s keeping us captive here in the house.”
“I heard something last time, when I was keeping watch.” The half-elf continues, “Someone was moving around in the house, but when I went to check, there’s no one. There's definitely something else going on in the house. We can’t stay here another night.” He looks up again, the cold glint in his eyes sharp. “We find out a way out of here today, no matter what.”
Juniper notices Vice’s ears burning momentarily. Of course he already knows about elves. Here I am preaching to the chorus. I’d be annoyed if I were him. But, no. Is he embarrassed by what I said?
“That… makes sense,” she replies, a line of concentration etched between her brows as she digests Vice’s theory about her dream and tries unsuccessfully to read his emotions. When he describes what he heard overnight, she queries for more information. “You heard… someone else? Another ghost?”
Juniper glances around the table, carefully studying each of the others for a moment as Vice urges them all to action.
“He’s right,” she concludes. “But where to begin? We have already searched through every room for a way out. There isn’t one. At least not one we could see.
“But, the secret door we found. Maybe there’s another secret way out. And Star, that key… even if it doesn’t fit in the front door, maybe there’s another door it would fit. One that opens to the outside.
“We need to search, room by room, for hidden keys, doors, and locks. Starting on this floor and then going up if we need to, leaving no spot untouched.
“And, stay together. If another suit of armor comes to life – or those wolves, or who knows what – we have more power in numbers.”
The young elf pauses, leaving the question open, her glance circling the table once again, giving up the floor to assent or dissent, or other ideas.
"An eventful night to be sure," Star says between mouthfuls. "Dreams and strange noises. Myself, I experienced both. Is that a blessing or curse, who can say? I dreamed of the armour we fought, but in my dream it won, I was pushed from the stairs, only to fall into endless darkness. So dark it was as if nothing existed, had ever existed, just me falling with the constant fear of a final landing, until it became the hope of landing, as it would at least be an end to the fall." His face is downcast, staring at his plate, lost in thought, then suddenly he perks up, "It was most strange!" And takes another bite, before pushing his plate away. "I could not eat another bite! Emma, you are a chef of legendary talents!"
"No! I'm-" Emma's face turns slightly red from embarrassment, and although she wants to explain why Star is overrating her, she stops before saying any other word. She wasn't such an esteemed chef, yet it felt nice to be praised for something that at least has some base to it. "Thank you." She adds after a brief pause, then resuming eating while looking down at her plate, actively avoiding eye contact, simply because she's embarrassed.
The way Emma eats might be a little strange. She looks like she's trying to appear well-mannered, but only knows the basics of manners during mealtime. Occasionally, she might start doing something ill-mannered, then stop and correct herself, very conscious of her every action. But that's also why she appears only as one trying to be well-mannered, and not as one who is well-mannered. Aside from all that, she eats slowly, and perhaps surprisingly, not as much as one would expect. It seems she's focusing more on enjoying the taste of the food than actually attempting to satisfy her hunger. Or, maybe, she just doesn't eat as much as one would expect, despite her height and solid frame.
Regarding the discussion going on about strange occurrences during the night, Emma stays silent. She experienced the same, as she told Juniper before, but feels no need to share it. She does however feel relief, knowing that she probably didn't nearly fall asleep during her watch. It was just the house playing tricks on her. When did she come to accept such strange phenomena? "If we find no door... we could use a window." Emma gestures to the windows on the western side of the room. "They will open, one way or another."
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Vice glances at the suddenly silent tabaxi, a concerned and confused line between his brows. He didn’t think the tabaxi was capable of feeling gloomy. However, just as quickly as Star’s mood changed, he perks up again, erasing Vice’s worries.
"Yeah," Vice exhales, a hint of relief in his voice, "Thank you for the meal, Emma."
He then continues, "We should also search for any bandages or anything like that, in case we run into danger again." Though he doesn’t specify what they should do once they step out of the house and into the haunting mist. One step at a time.
“Why don’t we start at the kitchen?” Vice offers, seeing everyone’s pretty much done with breakfast. He’ll look through the pantry, the cupboards for anything useful.
Vice begins searching the pantry and cupboards in the kitchen. He manages just enough bandages, salves and splints from what is available to form one healer's kit.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
“The secret we should never let the gamemasters know is that they don't need any rules.” ― Gary Gygax
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Juniper nods in assent to Star & Vice.
“Emma, thank you!,” she adds, having sampled the meal, smiling warmly at the guilds woman.
It wasn’t really her kind of food, indeed its subtlety is mostly lost on her. But even a taste brought energy to her mind and body, and after her prior simple rations and the night’s rest, the sage-vested elf’s mood is bright, though not cheerful.
But her eyes light up with both hope and indignation when Emma mentions windows.
“We haven’t even tried…” Without a moment’s pause, Juniper steps around the table to the window Emma gestured to. Can she open it?
Kal glances at the window as well. "It seems to easy," he says. "The doors close themselves and lock, but let you break the windows to escape?" He shrugs. "On the other hand, it's certainly worth a shot. I'm more intrigued to see if we can find what that key goes to."
As Juniper approaches the window to try and open it, she sees that the fog is still surrounding the house. Then, try as she might, she fails to open the window.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
“The secret we should never let the gamemasters know is that they don't need any rules.” ― Gary Gygax
After discovering that her best efforts cannot force open the window, the slight-shouldered elf takes a step back, crosses her arms, and her lip curls slightly in contempt.
“Whoever has locked us in,” she says calmly, “better know a good carpenter.”
A half-moon of rigid leather is sewn to Juniper’s belt at one hip, and at the top of this pad is attached a metal loop, through which hangs a short cudgel, a shapely rod of hard wood topped with a simply-engraved head of black steel which rests against the half-moon pad. She takes this mace in hand, assumes a steadying stance, and makes a practice swing toward the window, lining up a forceful blow. She raises an eyebrow at the others. Objections?
At this moment, from upstairs the sounds of a crying infant can be heard throughout the house.
Lancelot also gets up from sleeping in his corner of the room and begins to pace around. Then he decides that what Juniper is doing looks interesting and sits down to watch her.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
“The secret we should never let the gamemasters know is that they don't need any rules.” ― Gary Gygax
Vice goes back to the group with his jury-rigged healer’s in time to see Juniper swinging the cudgel at the window. He grimaces, bracing himself for the sound and the shattering glass, when the infant’s cry sounds again from upstairs.
He nods to Star with agreement, then pauses a moment, an eerie thought coming to him. "What if… they reset everyday. The baby. The armor. The maid.”
Juniper turns to hear out Star’s poetic take, her expression flat but accepting, mace still raised, then looks back to the window, pulls the weapon back two feet, tenses, and… interrupts her swing at the unexpected sound of the crying baby.
The young druid steps back again, looking quickly toward the sound and then the others. She nods to Star and Vice in thoughtful agreement, and replies, “Or, maybe we got their attention.”
Then, her gaze shoots toward the center of the house, or seemingly, a point on the ceiling, before she shouts her response, gesturing with her mace.
“Have I got your attention now? Good, cuz I gotta tell you, toying with the sympathies of normal people for your own pleasure? It’s not even impressively evil. Totally run-of-the-mill!”
As she continues, she readies herself again, nostrils flaring in anger.
“I don’t know who you are…,” she aims her mace, “but, I am not buying it!,” and with her final words, follows through, smashing the window.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Juniper smashes the window with the mace. Bits of glass fly in all directions and some bits of the glass cuts into Juniper's bare skin.
(1 piercing damage.)
The temperature in the room drops as cold wind blows through the broken window and cools the air in the room. The crying of the infant stops, and it is quiet upstairs. The gap in the window is small, but it looks like there might be a way out of the house now. It will be a tight squeeze, and the jagged bits of window might scratch those who try to pass through the window.
Behind Juniper, Lancelot begins to whimper and he tries to make himself look small. The fog that has been surrounding the house begins to float in through the window. It slowly drifts in towards Juniper.
Then as everyone stands there watching, the window begins to fix itself. The glass fragments continue to lie on the floor scattered around Juniper's feet. However, the glass in the window slowly shifts and warps back into a solid glass window. Before anyone can react, the window doesn't even look like it was ever broken by Juniper's mace.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
“The secret we should never let the gamemasters know is that they don't need any rules.” ― Gary Gygax
The sound of Juniper's mace smashing through the window is like a gunshot in the silent room. The shattered glass tinkles like a thousand tiny bells, as it showers around them like a glittering rain. Vice’s heart skips a beat in worry, as he sees the glass cutting into Juniper's skin, red droplets of her blood staining the broken shards.
Cold mist begins to drift in through the broken window, like a ghostly apparition searching for its prey. It seems to snake its way toward Juniper, as if it knows she is its target. Vice feels a cold shiver run down his spine, like the icy grip of a winter wind. He rushes to Juniper’s side and pulls her back. The house seems to pulse with a strange energy, as if it is alive and aware of their every move.
“Here,” He says, pulling out a bandage and starts wrapping it around Juniper’s wound. “I found it in the kitchen.” As he works to bandage her, Vice's mind races with a thousand different thoughts. He's worried about Juniper's well-being, of course, but he's also worried about their situation. The mist is creeping in, and with every passing second, it feels like they are running out of options, but at least they have a way out now.
He looks down at Lancelot, whimpering in fright. As he looks up again, to his surprise, the window begins to fix itself. The glass fragments on the floor seem to crawl and writhe, like a thousand little creatures reassembling themselves. The window warps back into place, leaving no trace of the damage it had sustained. He can feel the frustration and the tension mounting inside him as he glares at the newly repaired glass. It is as if the house is taunting them, teasing them with an escape route that is never really available. His gaze shifts to Juniper, who is wincing in pain from the cuts on her skin caused by the shattered glass. A wave of anger and protectiveness washes over him. He cannot fathom why they are being kept here, played with like pawns in some sick game. The anger inside him turns to a boiling rage, and he can feel the heat rising in his body as he clenches his fists. His eyes lock on the source of the malevolent force that seems to be holding them captive, and he calls out, "You are keeping us here, playing with us, for what? What do you want from us?"
"Now that's an idea," Kal says in response to Vice's comment. He watches impassively as Juniper smashes the window, but groans quietly when it starts to repair itself. As it does so, he stands and walks back up the stairs to get a look at whether the statue has returned to where it started, or if it's still in parts on the floor. If it is back in one piece, he keeps his distance.
Kal climbs back up stairs to the third floor. Up here on the balcony Kal finds the suit of armour scattered across the floor. Each part of the armour is exactly where it was left after it was defeated the day before.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
“The secret we should never let the gamemasters know is that they don't need any rules.” ― Gary Gygax
“Chrysanthemum!,” Juniper shouts as the glass unexpectedly crashes around her, one heavy shard knifing across her forearm and drawing a thick line of blood.
The momentary victory supplanted instantly by defeat plays with her features like a child with its cloth doll, which dances in joy then sobs angrily at its owner’s whim.
Her jaw is clenched in frustration when Vice offers to bandage her wound, and she pulls her arm away furiously, glaring venomously at the fighter.
“Leave it!!”
But she takes a deep breath, turns back, and her eyes slowly drift back up to Vice’s, blazing furnaces shifting back to dark, soft pools.
“Sorry. I’m just…”
At a loss for words, she can’t seem to complete the thought, and just shakes her head slowly, beaded braids clicking dryly.
Emma - who's been taking the dishes off the table after her suggestion to open the windows - returns just in time to see the window shattered, and then all that follows. In disbelief, she carefully walks across the room - making sure she doesn't step on the glass despite wearing shoes - and touches the restored window as if to make sure it's real. "So... now what?" She asks nobody in particular, with frightened and desperate tones in her voice. "Are we stuck here... forever?"
The troubled, weary look in the elf’s eyes was a contrast to the life they held when he first saaw her at the campfire outside Daggerford. The beauty of her eyes remained, but it was now tempered by a weariness that seemed to run deep, though her eyes were still radiant and captivating. Vice meets Juniper’s eyes over the table, she has a somewhat hopeful expression on her. Feeling the tips of his ears burning, he clears his throat awkwardly. “Sorry. I didn’t know elves… dreamed.” But wanting to wake up but unable to, wanting to scream but finds your mouth sealed shut? He knows the feeling. The corner of his lips lifted wryly. “It’s certainly poetic, right? The nameless evil in the temple probably is the same force that’s keeping us captive here in the house.”
“I heard something last time, when I was keeping watch.” The half-elf continues, “Someone was moving around in the house, but when I went to check, there’s no one. There's definitely something else going on in the house. We can’t stay here another night.” He looks up again, the cold glint in his eyes sharp. “We find out a way out of here today, no matter what.”
Juniper notices Vice’s ears burning momentarily. Of course he already knows about elves. Here I am preaching to the chorus. I’d be annoyed if I were him. But, no. Is he embarrassed by what I said?
“That… makes sense,” she replies, a line of concentration etched between her brows as she digests Vice’s theory about her dream and tries unsuccessfully to read his emotions. When he describes what he heard overnight, she queries for more information. “You heard… someone else? Another ghost?”
Juniper glances around the table, carefully studying each of the others for a moment as Vice urges them all to action.
“He’s right,” she concludes. “But where to begin? We have already searched through every room for a way out. There isn’t one. At least not one we could see.
“But, the secret door we found. Maybe there’s another secret way out. And Star, that key… even if it doesn’t fit in the front door, maybe there’s another door it would fit. One that opens to the outside.
“We need to search, room by room, for hidden keys, doors, and locks. Starting on this floor and then going up if we need to, leaving no spot untouched.
“And, stay together. If another suit of armor comes to life – or those wolves, or who knows what – we have more power in numbers.”
The young elf pauses, leaving the question open, her glance circling the table once again, giving up the floor to assent or dissent, or other ideas.
DM for Candlekeep Mysteries // Dev Hornd in Curious Critters // Eclipse Faraway in Gallows Dancer
"An eventful night to be sure," Star says between mouthfuls. "Dreams and strange noises. Myself, I experienced both. Is that a blessing or curse, who can say? I dreamed of the armour we fought, but in my dream it won, I was pushed from the stairs, only to fall into endless darkness. So dark it was as if nothing existed, had ever existed, just me falling with the constant fear of a final landing, until it became the hope of landing, as it would at least be an end to the fall." His face is downcast, staring at his plate, lost in thought, then suddenly he perks up, "It was most strange!" And takes another bite, before pushing his plate away. "I could not eat another bite! Emma, you are a chef of legendary talents!"
DM - Storm King's Thunder
DM - Torosevia (WIP homebrew world)
Kelytha Meliamne - Matti Silverstorm - Silver - Star-Setting-In-The-East - Tor Baltos
"No! I'm-" Emma's face turns slightly red from embarrassment, and although she wants to explain why Star is overrating her, she stops before saying any other word. She wasn't such an esteemed chef, yet it felt nice to be praised for something that at least has some base to it. "Thank you." She adds after a brief pause, then resuming eating while looking down at her plate, actively avoiding eye contact, simply because she's embarrassed.
The way Emma eats might be a little strange. She looks like she's trying to appear well-mannered, but only knows the basics of manners during mealtime. Occasionally, she might start doing something ill-mannered, then stop and correct herself, very conscious of her every action. But that's also why she appears only as one trying to be well-mannered, and not as one who is well-mannered. Aside from all that, she eats slowly, and perhaps surprisingly, not as much as one would expect. It seems she's focusing more on enjoying the taste of the food than actually attempting to satisfy her hunger. Or, maybe, she just doesn't eat as much as one would expect, despite her height and solid frame.
Regarding the discussion going on about strange occurrences during the night, Emma stays silent. She experienced the same, as she told Juniper before, but feels no need to share it. She does however feel relief, knowing that she probably didn't nearly fall asleep during her watch. It was just the house playing tricks on her. When did she come to accept such strange phenomena? "If we find no door... we could use a window." Emma gestures to the windows on the western side of the room. "They will open, one way or another."
Varielky
Vice glances at the suddenly silent tabaxi, a concerned and confused line between his brows. He didn’t think the tabaxi was capable of feeling gloomy. However, just as quickly as Star’s mood changed, he perks up again, erasing Vice’s worries.
"Yeah," Vice exhales, a hint of relief in his voice, "Thank you for the meal, Emma."
He then continues, "We should also search for any bandages or anything like that, in case we run into danger again." Though he doesn’t specify what they should do once they step out of the house and into the haunting mist. One step at a time.
“Why don’t we start at the kitchen?” Vice offers, seeing everyone’s pretty much done with breakfast. He’ll look through the pantry, the cupboards for anything useful.
Investigation: 15
Vice begins searching the pantry and cupboards in the kitchen. He manages just enough bandages, salves and splints from what is available to form one healer's kit.
“The secret we should never let the gamemasters know is that they don't need any rules.” ― Gary Gygax
Juniper nods in assent to Star & Vice.
“Emma, thank you!,” she adds, having sampled the meal, smiling warmly at the guilds woman.
It wasn’t really her kind of food, indeed its subtlety is mostly lost on her. But even a taste brought energy to her mind and body, and after her prior simple rations and the night’s rest, the sage-vested elf’s mood is bright, though not cheerful.
But her eyes light up with both hope and indignation when Emma mentions windows.
“We haven’t even tried…” Without a moment’s pause, Juniper steps around the table to the window Emma gestured to. Can she open it?
(OOC: STR 10)
(OOC: Also: Does the fog remain outside?)
DM for Candlekeep Mysteries // Dev Hornd in Curious Critters // Eclipse Faraway in Gallows Dancer
Kal glances at the window as well. "It seems to easy," he says. "The doors close themselves and lock, but let you break the windows to escape?" He shrugs. "On the other hand, it's certainly worth a shot. I'm more intrigued to see if we can find what that key goes to."
As Juniper approaches the window to try and open it, she sees that the fog is still surrounding the house. Then, try as she might, she fails to open the window.
“The secret we should never let the gamemasters know is that they don't need any rules.” ― Gary Gygax
After discovering that her best efforts cannot force open the window, the slight-shouldered elf takes a step back, crosses her arms, and her lip curls slightly in contempt.
“Whoever has locked us in,” she says calmly, “better know a good carpenter.”
A half-moon of rigid leather is sewn to Juniper’s belt at one hip, and at the top of this pad is attached a metal loop, through which hangs a short cudgel, a shapely rod of hard wood topped with a simply-engraved head of black steel which rests against the half-moon pad. She takes this mace in hand, assumes a steadying stance, and makes a practice swing toward the window, lining up a forceful blow. She raises an eyebrow at the others. Objections?
DM for Candlekeep Mysteries // Dev Hornd in Curious Critters // Eclipse Faraway in Gallows Dancer
At this moment, from upstairs the sounds of a crying infant can be heard throughout the house.
Lancelot also gets up from sleeping in his corner of the room and begins to pace around. Then he decides that what Juniper is doing looks interesting and sits down to watch her.
“The secret we should never let the gamemasters know is that they don't need any rules.” ― Gary Gygax
Star watches the mace rather than Juniper, his eyes following its movement. He mutters a rhyme to himself,
"In house of death elf maid stood strong
Weapon raised to smite the curse
And bring an end to blight so wrong,
That dared her do her very worst."
He makes no sign as to whether he approves or disapproves, just watches to see what she will do.
At the sound of crying he jerks his head towards the door. "Perhaps we should try to ignore it?" he questions. "We know there is no child upstairs."
DM - Storm King's Thunder
DM - Torosevia (WIP homebrew world)
Kelytha Meliamne - Matti Silverstorm - Silver - Star-Setting-In-The-East - Tor Baltos
Vice goes back to the group with his jury-rigged healer’s in time to see Juniper swinging the cudgel at the window. He grimaces, bracing himself for the sound and the shattering glass, when the infant’s cry sounds again from upstairs.
He nods to Star with agreement, then pauses a moment, an eerie thought coming to him. "What if… they reset everyday. The baby. The armor. The maid.”
Juniper turns to hear out Star’s poetic take, her expression flat but accepting, mace still raised, then looks back to the window, pulls the weapon back two feet, tenses, and… interrupts her swing at the unexpected sound of the crying baby.
The young druid steps back again, looking quickly toward the sound and then the others. She nods to Star and Vice in thoughtful agreement, and replies, “Or, maybe we got their attention.”
Then, her gaze shoots toward the center of the house, or seemingly, a point on the ceiling, before she shouts her response, gesturing with her mace.
“Have I got your attention now? Good, cuz I gotta tell you, toying with the sympathies of normal people for your own pleasure? It’s not even impressively evil. Totally run-of-the-mill!”
As she continues, she readies herself again, nostrils flaring in anger.
“I don’t know who you are…,” she aims her mace, “but, I am not buying it!,” and with her final words, follows through, smashing the window.
(OOC: I won’t roll yet but await instructions.)
DM for Candlekeep Mysteries // Dev Hornd in Curious Critters // Eclipse Faraway in Gallows Dancer
Juniper smashes the window with the mace. Bits of glass fly in all directions and some bits of the glass cuts into Juniper's bare skin.
(1 piercing damage.)
The temperature in the room drops as cold wind blows through the broken window and cools the air in the room. The crying of the infant stops, and it is quiet upstairs. The gap in the window is small, but it looks like there might be a way out of the house now. It will be a tight squeeze, and the jagged bits of window might scratch those who try to pass through the window.
Behind Juniper, Lancelot begins to whimper and he tries to make himself look small. The fog that has been surrounding the house begins to float in through the window. It slowly drifts in towards Juniper.
Then as everyone stands there watching, the window begins to fix itself. The glass fragments continue to lie on the floor scattered around Juniper's feet. However, the glass in the window slowly shifts and warps back into a solid glass window. Before anyone can react, the window doesn't even look like it was ever broken by Juniper's mace.
“The secret we should never let the gamemasters know is that they don't need any rules.” ― Gary Gygax
The sound of Juniper's mace smashing through the window is like a gunshot in the silent room. The shattered glass tinkles like a thousand tiny bells, as it showers around them like a glittering rain. Vice’s heart skips a beat in worry, as he sees the glass cutting into Juniper's skin, red droplets of her blood staining the broken shards.
Cold mist begins to drift in through the broken window, like a ghostly apparition searching for its prey. It seems to snake its way toward Juniper, as if it knows she is its target. Vice feels a cold shiver run down his spine, like the icy grip of a winter wind. He rushes to Juniper’s side and pulls her back. The house seems to pulse with a strange energy, as if it is alive and aware of their every move.
“Here,” He says, pulling out a bandage and starts wrapping it around Juniper’s wound. “I found it in the kitchen.” As he works to bandage her, Vice's mind races with a thousand different thoughts. He's worried about Juniper's well-being, of course, but he's also worried about their situation. The mist is creeping in, and with every passing second, it feels like they are running out of options, but at least they have a way out now.
He looks down at Lancelot, whimpering in fright. As he looks up again, to his surprise, the window begins to fix itself. The glass fragments on the floor seem to crawl and writhe, like a thousand little creatures reassembling themselves. The window warps back into place, leaving no trace of the damage it had sustained. He can feel the frustration and the tension mounting inside him as he glares at the newly repaired glass. It is as if the house is taunting them, teasing them with an escape route that is never really available. His gaze shifts to Juniper, who is wincing in pain from the cuts on her skin caused by the shattered glass. A wave of anger and protectiveness washes over him. He cannot fathom why they are being kept here, played with like pawns in some sick game. The anger inside him turns to a boiling rage, and he can feel the heat rising in his body as he clenches his fists. His eyes lock on the source of the malevolent force that seems to be holding them captive, and he calls out, "You are keeping us here, playing with us, for what? What do you want from us?"
"Now that's an idea," Kal says in response to Vice's comment. He watches impassively as Juniper smashes the window, but groans quietly when it starts to repair itself. As it does so, he stands and walks back up the stairs to get a look at whether the statue has returned to where it started, or if it's still in parts on the floor. If it is back in one piece, he keeps his distance.
Kal climbs back up stairs to the third floor. Up here on the balcony Kal finds the suit of armour scattered across the floor. Each part of the armour is exactly where it was left after it was defeated the day before.
“The secret we should never let the gamemasters know is that they don't need any rules.” ― Gary Gygax
“Chrysanthemum!,” Juniper shouts as the glass unexpectedly crashes around her, one heavy shard knifing across her forearm and drawing a thick line of blood.
The momentary victory supplanted instantly by defeat plays with her features like a child with its cloth doll, which dances in joy then sobs angrily at its owner’s whim.
Her jaw is clenched in frustration when Vice offers to bandage her wound, and she pulls her arm away furiously, glaring venomously at the fighter.
“Leave it!!”
But she takes a deep breath, turns back, and her eyes slowly drift back up to Vice’s, blazing furnaces shifting back to dark, soft pools.
“Sorry. I’m just…”
At a loss for words, she can’t seem to complete the thought, and just shakes her head slowly, beaded braids clicking dryly.
DM for Candlekeep Mysteries // Dev Hornd in Curious Critters // Eclipse Faraway in Gallows Dancer
Emma - who's been taking the dishes off the table after her suggestion to open the windows - returns just in time to see the window shattered, and then all that follows. In disbelief, she carefully walks across the room - making sure she doesn't step on the glass despite wearing shoes - and touches the restored window as if to make sure it's real. "So... now what?" She asks nobody in particular, with frightened and desperate tones in her voice. "Are we stuck here... forever?"
Varielky