[ you are walking through the fog today when suddenly, you are not walking in the fog at all.
actually, you walk... out of a pentagram. It’s really quite well drawn. interesting. that's fun. maybe not unexpected in scawwy, this place is nuts.
but the room you walk into is so much nicer than anything else you've seen so far. in fact, one could go so far as to say it's lavish. ornate. maybe a bit gaudy, if you're not into expensive velvet and red marble. it's candlelit, and it's hot here. humid.
in this room, you can see one door ahead of you that seems to lead to what looks like a dining hall. a large circular table that could probably seat nine people at minimum sits in the middle of the room. it's absolutely filthy with plates, filled with leftover rotting food, stacked so high you can barely see the mahogany underneath it. one of the chairs is shattered into bits, there's food on the floor, old bones and molding fruit scattered across the ground. behind the table is an enormous fireplace that's burning away merrily, and above that fireplace is a huge portrait of a red-skinned man with horns in a fancy doublet, smirking down at you. he looks like a dickhead, you find yourself thinking.
a skeleton looking guy is sweeping the same spot over and over, not actually doing any cleaning at all. i cannot believe this is the second cyoa lavi has been on where there's a cleaning skeleton i promise this wasn't on purpose. you can hear chatter past this dining room, in the halls beyond, faintly.
oh, and - once you've got your bearings? you'll realize something hurts. something inside you. in your chest, there's something that feels cold and hot all at once, thudding away painfully. it's not overwhelming, but it's present, always there. and it makes you feel... a little hungry, maybe. not for food, for something else that you can't quite reach.
[ okay. let me tell you. it is extremely disorienting to walk into the fog and walk into this place. not because it's the village and then clearly something new, but because suddenly it's like he just walked into the castle in Edoras in hell again. huh! weird! wonder why that is!
which....well!!!
looking around from left to right, it occurs to rondo that Something May Have Just Happened, and the hot sticky humidity sure is familiar. he immediately reaches for his sword, realizes it's not there, and then turns his head to - ]
Oh. [ oh n ] -- Mathis, Lavi, Miss Ashlyn... are you all alright?
[ bad. hey, bad! the urge to protect comes before the urge to pay attention to his surroundings beyond that, almost immediately tense and on edge. ]
[oh. OH, OKAY. sometimes you have the week from hell and then this. that's fine. that is the story of his life.
mathis is not remotely dressed for the heat with his fancy-boy clothes, so he's feeling the effects of the temperature and humidity very quickly, reaching up to wipe at his brow as he stands here, taking it all in. the aesthetic would be nice, maybe, if not for... the details, the skeletons, the state of it all.]
I- wh-where...
[he keeps his voice low, with the sound of that faint chatter, then-
presses a hand to his chest with a sharp little intake of breath, eyes wide.
[ okay, sure. this might as well be happening. ashlyn finds herself in the creepy dining room and—actually kind of just ignores the other two, just raising one hand like she's shushing them? fucking rude.
but her reflex is to listen closer, to get a better idea of what's around them. any monsters that might try and catch them off guard. ]
[imagine Lavi was like HEYA YEAH I'M OKAY and gives Ashlyn a reason to kick him outta this room.
but no, he is also here and also like 'haha! so bad!! incredibly bad!!' while also a little bit of 'oh cool a skeleton'. he makes a thumbs-up gesture at Rondo, he's totally fine! (physically, emotionally? time will tell) and then grips Mathis's shoulder with his other hand, the gesture meant to help comfort him, despite the pain in his own chest, beating away.
while ashlyn is Listening for Danger, he'll move closer towards the skeleton because.... cool...... what's it working so hard for huh, how's its day going]
starting this off with sisi's horrible roll - not only does rondo not see shit except for his friends, he also experiences a very bright and burning, horrible pain in his chest. right where his heart is. for just a second it feels like he might - throw up? or choke, or explode. and then it's gone. but it was an intense and horrible pain, and he's left sort of shaky afterwards.
mathis is okay! his heart still hurts, in that dull sort of way. he can hear something faint that sounds like mumbling from the other room. it's indistinct, though, he can't make out words. just that something is moaning in pain down the hallway. the smell of this place is bad, too, as you might expect.
ashlyn hears this too - she doesn't hear any monsters or anything, just shuffling, and people talking. the general tone is sad, though there are some notes of panic in some of them. her heart feels okay. still dull and throbbing, but nothing worse. for a second, when she looks at the table of food, it looks... nice? a huge feast is laid out on it, mouthwatering and warm. and then there's just ruin again.
lavi with his perfect 0/20 vision sees a little flash of something bright and small shaped near him, around a corner? something is watching him, and it ducks out of view when he catches it. the skeleton, however, ignores him. in fact, it's just sweeping over and over, not really doing anything other than that, like it's maybe stalled or something. there's not a lot of life in it. he can hear everything above as well, and also his heart actually feels a little less horrible. for now!]
[ god. okay. well! rondo immediately reaches up and grips the front of his chest - this isn't even that unfamiliar of a pain. it's like being thrown back into hornburg throne room, feeling the burning, burning of the sacred flame before it -
- rondo takes a short, sharp breath and officially shuts the fuck up for ashlyn, hand curling right in his tabbard.
[that grip on his shoulder helps steady him, and lavi gets a grateful look before he keeps moving ahead of them--
but both the sound he hears and rondo's sharp inhale catch his attention, shooting rondo a brief look of concern before his gaze flicks back toward the hall.
he knows ashlyn said to shush, but he still speaks up, though he keeps it to a whisper.]
[ she lowers her hand, moving it instead to absently rub over her heart. SPEAK FREELY. (she is not in charge. speak freely all the time. please. please.) ]
I don't hear anything. Just people talking... Who's hurt?
[ IT'S NOT ONE OF US, IS IT. and let's just compartmentalize the flickering food. you can't appetize me, illusions. i'm too paranoid! ]
[ISN'T IT ONE OF US? Lavi is granted the only 20 he'll roll on this cyoa, which means he catches so much. so much stuff. he can hear the moaned pains he assumes Mathis is talking about, and Rondo's sharp inhale that he hopes doesn't mean anything bad (audience laughter)
and more importantly, the flash of something at the corner of his eye. he turns away from the skeleton, temporarily abandoning their bony friend,]
Someone down the hall. I can hear it too.
[but, he frowns, looking again at the corner, and moves towards that direction to see around it? will he roll another 20 and See what the Light is?]
[the talking continues. you might get the sense, all of you, that the talking is like multiple people but there's no cohesion. it's just maybe a couple of people talking to themselves.
that's not important just yet though. what is important is lavi walks down the hall, and finds... a lady! she's short. dwarf sized, or halfling. i think she's a dwarf. anyway it isn't important, just know that she's glowing slightly, and she looks startled when lavi walks up to her.]
You... [she starts.] Ohhh, no. You shouldn't be here, CURIOSITY KILLED THE CATS IT WON'T BE SO KIND TO YOU - shhhhh.
[there's the rattle of chains, distantly. she stares up at lavi with big eyes.]
Shhh, the jailor will hear, I shouldn't be talking to you...
[ okay. okay he's fine now! that was weird. familiar! but weird. cool.
rondo's on edge as hell now, and he super does not love not having his weapon, but he gives the others a quick, reassuring smile and tunes back in, looking at the little lady and down the hall.
with someone being hurt, too... quietly, to the others: ] Let's stay together. [ but he'll move to join lavi, too, going for more reassuring support behind him with a smile. ]
mathis is following down the hall like, immediately, because please let's not be separated he does NOT want to get lost here. oh god. he lingers behind them slightly, though; if ashlyn is following as well, then he's going to try to remain either with her or just at the rear. just in case.
he may not have a knife but he Does know he'd rather get backstabbed or something than have it happen to her in front of him, so!!
i'm sorry that's all he's got the social ones can handle the questioning because he's just going to keep an eye out as they speak with this lady.]
[ where the fuck are those rattling chains. sorry, she's so distracted by every single distant sound. her attention keeps getting pulled away, trying to isolate bits of what people are saying but probably not getting anything because it's just the spooky ambience.
she'll follow along with the others - sticking close to mathis to protect the baby. (he's older than her and also tried to knife someone the other day.)
and she is... not one of the social ones... so she's just covering her ears to dampen this lady's occasional unpredictable yelling. ]
[hmmm, this is a lot! judging by her surprise -- she's apparently not whatever was watching them back in the room? doubly bad. but Lavi will swing an arm around Rondo's shoulder, the picture of calm (though he keeps his arm light, in case he and Rondo have to move to intercept --). y'know, just a casual friend group that just left whatever party(?) is happening in the distance, haha, for sure.]
Sorry -- didn't mean to disturb. We all kinda got lost on our way here.
[that's not a lie because they really did get lost and wander here damn]
[oh, no, she was what was watching them. she just seems surprised that he's here, or perhaps, that he can see her. she stares up at them both, eyes flicking a little frantically between rondo and lavi. and then she looks behind them at mathis and ashlyn, frowning.]
I have to go, it'll hear... [she flickers in and out.] I should go, YOU should go, you should turn around and leave, it'll HURT, HEADS WILL ROLL.
[she looks over her shoulder, and then back at them, fidgeting in a frenetic, sharp way.]
[ oh, boy. rondo goes along with that easily, letting lavi pull him in (and feeling that lightness with a sense of gratitude, though he doesn't show it.) when the woman yells, rondo doesn't flinch, but he almost steps a little backwards like he could try and block some of the sound for ashlyn....poor ashlyn. ]
...The portal, miss? [ this behavior isn't that an unusual for a hell denizen, so rondo is patient and polite as always, and he looks back behind them, briefly. before returning his attention immediately to the woman, just in case. ]
after this woman mentions the portal, mathis blinks, turning to look behind them too as if they just. missed a fucking portal when they came in. MAYBE THEY DID, EVEN WITH LAVI'S 20, you never know... it's more a reflex than anything.
in the meantime he's just gonna help. cover her ears for her. listen, if he takes one side and she takes the other one then Both of them have a hand free, right? right.]
[okay listen something that will hurt them DOES SOUND IMPORTANT but if going through whatever portal this is means they'll also avoid "heads rolling" then Lavi will take it, he does move his arm off Rondo's shoulder though, because clearly the 'oh no haha we're just lost' schtick isn't really working when this lady is clearly so anxious?]
Point us in the direction and we'll get outta your hair.
[is it really behind them, damn. so much for 0/20 vision]
The portal? The big, straight-lined, fancy pentagram? You came through it? Behind you? You did come through it.
[a beat.]
You don't even know where you are. That's worse! That's very funny! As funny as ALL OF OUR FLESH GETTING BURNED TO A CRISP BY THE FLAMES OF AVERNUS oh no. Oh! Shhh. The jailor again, it's going to start the torture...
I've got to go, please, I'm going to hurt again. Everyone hates this. Hates me...
[she's starting to flicker in and out like a ghost, like - a projection, maybe? you get the sense that you can probably get answers out of her if you can calm her down a little though. or you can just say fuck her if you want i'm not your mom.]
[ oh - avernus. rondo's eyes widen, briefly in realization, and. hmm. he's just going to forget about the (perfect, straight-lined) pentagram for now with that name and this poor lady's hysteria. someone else can handle that, if they want to... this poor projection/lady is clearly struggling...? ]
Oh... ma'am, no - it's alright, please. [ immediate, sincere, and warm, with that Pure Hearted Rondo TM face. look at him. he's just a sweet baby. ] I certainly don't hate you. In fact - we're very grateful, for your assistance. All of us are. If we could help to protect you, could you stay with us for a little longer? Just for a few more questions.
With our super fancy magic that's also super strong!
[brightly, as Lavi nods like he's not full of shit. yeah!!!! he is turning to look at how far away the pentagram is, trying to gauge the distance and do the mental math of if rondo picks up ashlyn and lavi picks up mathis and they both run at xx miles per hour then how fast can they reach the pentagram without getting any heads chopped off]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
PART ONE
actually, you walk... out of a pentagram. It’s really quite well drawn. interesting. that's fun. maybe not unexpected in scawwy, this place is nuts.
but the room you walk into is so much nicer than anything else you've seen so far. in fact, one could go so far as to say it's lavish. ornate. maybe a bit gaudy, if you're not into expensive velvet and red marble. it's candlelit, and it's hot here. humid.
in this room, you can see one door ahead of you that seems to lead to what looks like a dining hall. a large circular table that could probably seat nine people at minimum sits in the middle of the room. it's absolutely filthy with plates, filled with leftover rotting food, stacked so high you can barely see the mahogany underneath it. one of the chairs is shattered into bits, there's food on the floor, old bones and molding fruit scattered across the ground. behind the table is an enormous fireplace that's burning away merrily, and above that fireplace is a huge portrait of a red-skinned man with horns in a fancy doublet, smirking down at you. he looks like a dickhead, you find yourself thinking.
a skeleton looking guy is sweeping the same spot over and over, not actually doing any cleaning at all. i cannot believe this is the second cyoa lavi has been on where there's a cleaning skeleton i promise this wasn't on purpose. you can hear chatter past this dining room, in the halls beyond, faintly.
oh, and - once you've got your bearings? you'll realize something hurts. something inside you. in your chest, there's something that feels cold and hot all at once, thudding away painfully. it's not overwhelming, but it's present, always there. and it makes you feel... a little hungry, maybe. not for food, for something else that you can't quite reach.
what do you do!]
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which....well!!!
looking around from left to right, it occurs to rondo that Something May Have Just Happened, and the hot sticky humidity sure is familiar. he immediately reaches for his sword, realizes it's not there, and then turns his head to - ]
Oh. [ oh n ] -- Mathis, Lavi, Miss Ashlyn... are you all alright?
[ bad. hey, bad! the urge to protect comes before the urge to pay attention to his surroundings beyond that, almost immediately tense and on edge. ]
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mathis is not remotely dressed for the heat with his fancy-boy clothes, so he's feeling the effects of the temperature and humidity very quickly, reaching up to wipe at his brow as he stands here, taking it all in. the aesthetic would be nice, maybe, if not for... the details, the skeletons, the state of it all.]
I- wh-where...
[he keeps his voice low, with the sound of that faint chatter, then-
presses a hand to his chest with a sharp little intake of breath, eyes wide.
nope! he is not all right!]
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but her reflex is to listen closer, to get a better idea of what's around them. any monsters that might try and catch them off guard. ]
...
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but no, he is also here and also like 'haha! so bad!! incredibly bad!!' while also a little bit of 'oh cool a skeleton'. he makes a thumbs-up gesture at Rondo, he's totally fine! (physically, emotionally? time will tell) and then grips Mathis's shoulder with his other hand, the gesture meant to help comfort him, despite the pain in his own chest, beating away.
while ashlyn is Listening for Danger, he'll move closer towards the skeleton because.... cool...... what's it working so hard for huh, how's its day going]
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starting this off with sisi's horrible roll - not only does rondo not see shit except for his friends, he also experiences a very bright and burning, horrible pain in his chest. right where his heart is. for just a second it feels like he might - throw up? or choke, or explode. and then it's gone. but it was an intense and horrible pain, and he's left sort of shaky afterwards.
mathis is okay! his heart still hurts, in that dull sort of way. he can hear something faint that sounds like mumbling from the other room. it's indistinct, though, he can't make out words. just that something is moaning in pain down the hallway. the smell of this place is bad, too, as you might expect.
ashlyn hears this too - she doesn't hear any monsters or anything, just shuffling, and people talking. the general tone is sad, though there are some notes of panic in some of them. her heart feels okay. still dull and throbbing, but nothing worse. for a second, when she looks at the table of food, it looks... nice? a huge feast is laid out on it, mouthwatering and warm. and then there's just ruin again.
lavi with his perfect 0/20 vision sees a little flash of something bright and small shaped near him, around a corner? something is watching him, and it ducks out of view when he catches it. the skeleton, however, ignores him. in fact, it's just sweeping over and over, not really doing anything other than that, like it's maybe stalled or something. there's not a lot of life in it. he can hear everything above as well, and also his heart actually feels a little less horrible. for now!]
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- rondo takes a short, sharp breath and officially shuts the fuck up for ashlyn, hand curling right in his tabbard.
ow! ]
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but both the sound he hears and rondo's sharp inhale catch his attention, shooting rondo a brief look of concern before his gaze flicks back toward the hall.
he knows ashlyn said to shush, but he still speaks up, though he keeps it to a whisper.]
S-someone is hurt...
[shouldn't we go check that out,]
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I don't hear anything. Just people talking... Who's hurt?
[ IT'S NOT ONE OF US, IS IT. and let's just compartmentalize the flickering food. you can't appetize me, illusions. i'm too paranoid! ]
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and more importantly, the flash of something at the corner of his eye. he turns away from the skeleton, temporarily abandoning their bony friend,]
Someone down the hall. I can hear it too.
[but, he frowns, looking again at the corner, and moves towards that direction to see around it? will he roll another 20 and See what the Light is?]
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that's not important just yet though. what is important is lavi walks down the hall, and finds... a lady! she's short. dwarf sized, or halfling. i think she's a dwarf. anyway it isn't important, just know that she's glowing slightly, and she looks startled when lavi walks up to her.]
You... [she starts.] Ohhh, no. You shouldn't be here, CURIOSITY KILLED THE CATS IT WON'T BE SO KIND TO YOU - shhhhh.
[there's the rattle of chains, distantly. she stares up at lavi with big eyes.]
Shhh, the jailor will hear, I shouldn't be talking to you...
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rondo's on edge as hell now, and he super does not love not having his weapon, but he gives the others a quick, reassuring smile and tunes back in, looking at the little lady and down the hall.
with someone being hurt, too... quietly, to the others: ] Let's stay together. [ but he'll move to join lavi, too, going for more reassuring support behind him with a smile. ]
Jailor...?
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mathis is following down the hall like, immediately, because please let's not be separated he does NOT want to get lost here. oh god. he lingers behind them slightly, though; if ashlyn is following as well, then he's going to try to remain either with her or just at the rear. just in case.
he may not have a knife but he Does know he'd rather get backstabbed or something than have it happen to her in front of him, so!!
i'm sorry that's all he's got the social ones can handle the questioning because he's just going to keep an eye out as they speak with this lady.]
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she'll follow along with the others - sticking close to mathis to protect the baby. (he's older than her and also tried to knife someone the other day.)
and she is... not one of the social ones... so she's just covering her ears to dampen this lady's occasional unpredictable yelling. ]
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Sorry -- didn't mean to disturb. We all kinda got lost on our way here.
[that's not a lie because they really did get lost and wander here damn]
Can you show us which way's out?
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I have to go, it'll hear... [she flickers in and out.] I should go, YOU should go, you should turn around and leave, it'll HURT, HEADS WILL ROLL.
[she looks over her shoulder, and then back at them, fidgeting in a frenetic, sharp way.]
Go back through the portal?
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...The portal, miss? [ this behavior isn't that an unusual for a hell denizen, so rondo is patient and polite as always, and he looks back behind them, briefly. before returning his attention immediately to the woman, just in case. ]
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after this woman mentions the portal, mathis blinks, turning to look behind them too as if they just. missed a fucking portal when they came in. MAYBE THEY DID, EVEN WITH LAVI'S 20, you never know... it's more a reflex than anything.
in the meantime he's just gonna help. cover her ears for her. listen, if he takes one side and she takes the other one then Both of them have a hand free, right? right.]
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Wait, what will hear?
[ this thing that is going to hurt them sounds more important than the portal guys. GUYS. ]
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Point us in the direction and we'll get outta your hair.
[is it really behind them, damn. so much for 0/20 vision]
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[a beat.]
You don't even know where you are. That's worse! That's very funny! As funny as ALL OF OUR FLESH GETTING BURNED TO A CRISP BY THE FLAMES OF AVERNUS oh no. Oh! Shhh. The jailor again, it's going to start the torture...
I've got to go, please, I'm going to hurt again. Everyone hates this. Hates me...
[she's starting to flicker in and out like a ghost, like - a projection, maybe? you get the sense that you can probably get answers out of her if you can calm her down a little though. or you can just say fuck her if you want i'm not your mom.]
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Oh... ma'am, no - it's alright, please. [ immediate, sincere, and warm, with that Pure Hearted Rondo TM face. look at him. he's just a sweet baby. ] I certainly don't hate you. In fact - we're very grateful, for your assistance. All of us are. If we could help to protect you, could you stay with us for a little longer? Just for a few more questions.
[ shines warmly and pure-maiden-heartedly ]
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oh no oh no oh what?? oh n
okay. breathing. he is breathing.]
...right. R-right, we could, um... even if we can't help, we can... stay a little longer.
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Protect her? How?
[ we don't have weapons! and the 'jailor' doesn't sound promising when it's an it. ]
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[brightly, as Lavi nods like he's not full of shit. yeah!!!! he is turning to look at how far away the pentagram is, trying to gauge the distance and do the mental math of if rondo picks up ashlyn and lavi picks up mathis and they both run at xx miles per hour then how fast can they reach the pentagram without getting any heads chopped off]
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