[ACRO] Outside VIII: We cater birthday parties

[Lex-Kat]

{Poplar Island}

Melody pulls out her distaff and begins to murmur the ancient words Gersemi taught her, trying to see the threads of the weave over Gersemi.

[happyturtle]

[Poplar Island]

As soon as Melody begins the incantation, Gersemi awakes, eyes wild.

She tries to say something, but the fabric between her teeth keeps it from being intelligible. She starts thrashing. "Ohhhh!"

[Recaiden]

[Ashna's World]

Brendan raises an eyebrow, then chuckles. "Looks like it's for playing hide-and-seek." He shakes his head. "We should probably hurry up and catch up..."

[Yeah, there]

Ashna shrugs. Yeah. I wonder who else is playing.

They agree. Hey, what's taking you guys so long? This is important! comes a voice. So Ashna at least goes to hurry up the stairs.

[Lex-Kat]

[Poplar Island]

As soon as Melody begins the incantation, Gersemi awakes, eyes wild.

She tries to say something, but the fabric between her teeth keeps it from being intelligible. She starts thrashing. "Ohhhh!"

Not wishing to hurt Gersemi, Melody stops and carefully removes the gag.

[happyturtle]

[Poplar Island]

"Don't look. Don't look at it. Don't..." Her eyes roll back in her head and she starts to seize.

[Lex-Kat]

{Poplar Island}

Melody grabs Gersemi's shoulders. Don't look at the weave? What should I do, Seidhkona?

[The Bushranger]

[Ashna's World - Here, there and everywhere]

Good question, but perhaps best saved for another time...
Brendan looks back at the hatch, smirks, and whispers. Good luck. Before hurrying after Ashna!

[Recaiden]

[Valencis' House]

The hatch remains still and silent.
At the top of the stairs, it looks to be a living room. This actually does have pictures on the wall, an air vent, a light, a blue rug, chairs and a sofa. There are the creepy students, sitting down, another guard, and 3 other people.
A somewhat short man with black hair who's looking at you suspiciously.
A sad looking lady sitting on the green sofa.
And clearly the person they're looking for. A happy looking lady surrounded by fire. As similar as the kids said. Long blond hair in a braid, clear blue eyes. Much less athletic.
Ashna. How interesting that you show up now. And who is this with you?

[The Bushranger]

[Valencis' House]

Brendan comes to attention, and bows as formally as he can.
"My name's Brendan, Brendan Drake, ma'am."

[Recaiden]

[Valencis' House]

Told you Brown was a fake name.

I'm Luna Valenci.
And what was your old last name?
You can't shock me into remembering. Nice try. And this would be my husband Charles. And that's Anaa. You can meet the rest of us later.

You all seem to know me already.

So why are you here? Did Peter reach the citadel already? Or is this about why you've suddenly reappeared? And what's this I hear about you 2, Mr. Drake? That really is one of the least likely things I've heard for a long while.

[The Bushranger]

Brendan does his best to take in the situation, and cleared his throat.

Yes, Aiden Brown was an alias, because I was supposed to be her security guard, not her boyfriend." He shrugs. "I, at least, have no idea who Peter is, or anything that's going on here. I just know we were looking for somebody who was a lot like Ashna is." He goes to put an arm protectively around her shoulders. "From the looks of things, I'd say we found her."

((Dinner))

[Reinholdt]

{Poplar Island}

Melody grabs Gersemi's shoulders. Don't look at the weave? What should I do, Seidhkona?

"If she's particularly attuned to her magic and looking at the Weave at it were, she may not be able to stop looking. We should consider finding a way to reduce her ability to use the Weave. At least temporarily. Like anti-magic or a psychic dampener, but for this instead."

He pauses. "Of course I could be way off and completely wrong."

[Recaiden]

Well, stranger things have happened. And it's good. Now, they say they've explained some of it to you. Since you must be here to see what you are.
Peter was the 3rd one of us left. Now it's just the two of us. But he should be returned to life soon. He's gone to see your leaders, who would be able to restore him.
Really, I could have gone without seeing that. Those people... She shudders, remembering something.
Anyway, look at this map. She takes out a map of the continent.
You've seen the inspirational, with their glowing eyes? And they come from a group descended here. Points out a place.
And here is the Waffle Matrix. You know all about that from church, right? A second place.

We all do. The Atadian spirits, Saint Tiin, Nightmare and Haru and so on.

Right here, is where it happened a 3rd time. With fire, instead of dreams or darkness. And right here, she points to a spot just millimeters away, is where, ... you know...

Oh. We were the only 3 who lived? Ashna is clearly shocked.

Sadly Of course, it's heritable, like the others. So with my family there's more of us now. A small smile.

[Lex-Kat]

{Poplar Island}

"If she's particularly attuned to her magic and looking at the Weave at it were, she may not be able to stop looking. We should consider finding a way to reduce her ability to use the Weave. At least temporarily. Like anti-magic or a psychic dampener, but for this instead."

He pauses. "Of course I could be way off and completely wrong."

Melody nods. That sounds like a plan.

She places one hand over Gersemi's eyes. And begins to chant different words. Hoping that this will cut Gersemi from seeing the weave. Hopefully temporarily.

[FireFox]

[Meanwhile, somewhere else...]

A certain white-haired, black-leather-garbed ghost approaches a certain hideout.

The Hideout's entrance lets Arina come and go freely, and the Black Fox is staying inside.

[The Bushranger]

(Ashna's World)

Brendan listens...then clears his throat pointedly.
"Er...I'm glad you understand, dear. Because I haven't an absolute clue aside from a bunch of you seem to have been hit with a holy waffle iron that turned you into Human Torches..."

---

(BF's Hideout)

Arina, a smirk on her face, wanders into the hideout looking like the cat that ate the canary.

[FireFox]

What did you do now? He always seems to appear out of the spot she just considered vacant.

[The Bushranger]

(Hideout)

Arina spins around in startlement, then returns to her usual smirk. "Merely took a decent measure of revenge on some old adversaries I found setting up shop here. I'd hate to see their bill for new windows."

[Recaiden]

[Ashna's World]

No, it's to do with astronomy. Fire spirits, from the moon, got bonded to random people in Droma say, 30 years ago. This has happened before, with spirits of dreams and darkness. That's what the waffles were.

Are 26 years ago, in the war, Droma got...um...wiped off the map. Which is why there are only...

8 of us. Any questions you have, Mr. Drake? Ashna?

[The Bushranger]

"Er..." Brendan scratches his head a little. "Lots of questions, actually, so many I really don't know where to start." He chuckles a little self-consiously. "So, the fire...it's a bonding thing, like a symbiote, I knew it was...of its own mind, but you weren't born that way?"

[Recaiden]

I don't know. I've been like this as long as I can remember... Ashna frowns, trying to think back.

We might have been. Dream spirits only connected to adults, dark spirits only to unborn children. Anyone's guess about us three.

[The Bushranger]

"Ah." Brendan nods. "One of those things, then, where it's so far back nobody really knows?"

...BR will probably deadtime next post, since it's after 1am...

[Recaiden]

((Recaiden should really fix his clock. He thought it was an hour earlier. Goodnight BR.))

Something like that. That was why you two came here, right? To find out these things?

Ashna nods.

[The Bushranger]

((Next week it will be an hour earlier.
'Night!))

Brendan nods as well. "It's a quest to find out secret backstory exposition."

The fourth wall takes 2d6 damage.

[Recaiden]

2d6 might be enough to put a chip in it.

Oh. Well, I don't know many secrets. If you'd had a child you probably would have figured it out yourself; it changes things with the fire.

But no, you were all - what's the word - that's a good question, I don't think Throne has the right adjective. Terrifying might be close? Maybe?

Ashna is just confused.

[happyturtle]

{Poplar Island}


Melody nods. That sounds like a plan.

She places one hand over Gersemi's eyes. And begins to chant different words. Hoping that this will cut Gersemi from seeing the weave. Hopefully temporarily.

This seems to work. Gersemi shudders violently for a moment, and then her breathing grows more relaxed. She meets Melody's eyes. "Thank you..."

Will summarize the rest because of this. Gersemi looked at the weave of someone she shouldn't have, namely Thomas Mennifellow, and it drove her mad. Melody cut her off from the weave, so she's safe now. If Melody had looked directly at Gersemi's threads, it would have let her to Mennifellow's and shown her the same maddening sights. Since she didn't, it should still be safe for Melody to use the weave, as long as she's careful and immediately looks away if she encounters the edges of something that's beyond understanding.

Assume Gersemi manages to convey this to Melody, though it will probably take her a while to explain it all (and also, she doesn't know the name of the person she looked at).

Gersemi will stay here and recover from her ordeal.

[Reinholdt]

{Poplar Island}

Huh. That actually worked. Goodie. No need for a plan B, C, D... etc.

And there's even rapid plot exposition. Yay!
... I guess.

Wormholdt remains silent through all of this, there if Melody needs him for something.

[Recaiden]

[Ashna's World]

Hey! At no point could I have been described as terrifying. she protests.
Sure you could. You're you know... You.
So, it's really just astrology? Nothing horrible or special? Alright.

[The Bushranger]

(Ashna's World)

"I'd certainly think of a different word than terrifying," Brendan says with a soft smile. "More like intriguing."

[Recaiden]

[Ashna's World]

Well, I know you would. Ashna responds with a laugh.

Where did you say you were from Brendan? I mean, Dan's the only one who knows much, but we'd heard things. Might be because of the fleet, eh? Oh yeah.

((Deadtime for a little))