Revision as of 07:21, 31 December 2013

Participants

• Edel
• Nuku

Date

31/12/2013

Log

Light ripples through the room in an everchanging pattern of tints and textures. Soft gray walls reflect the brilliant colors of the silk scarves that hang in the doorway, softening them to a subtle background hue. Small occasional tables and curio cabinets are scattered around the room, their sculpted lines and smooth polished wood offering a contrast to the soft hammocks and swing chairs that serve as seating. Knickknacks and figurines are arranged artfully on tabletops and shelves. A pair of tapestries hang on either side of an arch that leads deeper into the Web, and a second arch leads to the weaving room.

The previous room is gone, the door shut without remembering shutting it, though it remains, just behind edel, out of place in this new... room? The air is fresh, carrying a hint of incense, and the sound of wind chimes faintly drifts through.

Edel inhales deeply as she steps into the room, flashing a little smile. "This is a wonderous place. I like it. Quite pretty. Though I must ask the obvious question... What did you bring me here for, anyway?" She wanders around at a casual pace, observing the various trinkets. "I assume there's some purpose beyond observing me for your amusement or something. Oh! Thank you for the food, by the way. Quite thoughtful!"

"There's always a purpose," speaks a female voice as hands move to wrap around Edel from behind in a sudden embrace, "Hello! I'm..." she pauses, as if not sure. "What would you like to call me? Tonight, I am yours, in every way you could want it, and I will be your guide." The arms and hands are bare, human looking.

Edel raises her brow, tensing up for a moment before relaxing again. "Well. What would you like to be called, hmn? If you've no preference, how about I just call you... Friend, for now? We are being civil, afterall!" She tries to step forward and turn around to face the one that had hugged her. "A guide would be lovely! I have little clue as to what I'm to be doing here, afterall. It is not often that I go somewhere without a clear intent, so I am at a loss, here." Gesturing around, she asks, "What is this place, for one?"

A human from the waist up, a fox from the hips down. Female, and smiling. Her fur is a strange neon pink color, turning to vibrant dark blue at the tip of her tail and at her paw like feet. "Friend it is," she says agreeable, "Welcome. Father says you're special, and I am inclined to believe him more often than not. He also says you don't want to play like the others. Is that true, or is he playing a trick?"

Edel eyes the woman over, but rather than letting her eyes settle on the usual spots, she seems particularly interested in the fur colourings. "Hmm. Interesting indeed," she muses to herself before looking back up to meet her companion's eyes. "Your father is correct, at least about the truth of it. Special? That's a matter of philosophy, and I'm no philosopher. I have no interest in sex or pleasures of the flesh, but I delight in good conversation. There's no need to try to tempt me, if you do not wish to. I'm not quite sure where you, personally, lie on that kind of issue." Turning back to study the trinkets, she says, "Would your father happen to be one of the... Spirits, planar beings, or whatever they are called? I've seen a number of the shrines over time, and this is beginning to feel rather similar."

"He is..." she trails off again, "You have me stuck two times in as many minutes," she says with a soft huff, "You are definately special. He is here, and there, both places, always digging and looking for interesting things. Then he found your world, brimming with curious things. It took a long time to get a hole, but he did, and now you're here, visiting us." She gestures lightly, "You can take one, if you like, but you only get to keep one thing, so think hard. You may want to wait until later."

Edel leans back, stroking her chin. "Ah, take one? I think I will wait, yes. I was just looking. I'm not even certain of what they do." Turning back around again, she grins. "So! This is the home of one of the spirits, huh? Fascinating. I'm honoured to be here, certainly. You have all created quite a splash in our own world, you know. There are so many things I would ask, but I do not know where I would begin..."

She tilts her head at Edel a moment, as if considering something before she shakes her head, "We have barely begun to be present," she argues, "Father wishes to adopt a few of you, to take you into his embrace, as I am. Wouldn't that be lovely? Your world though, not like the others, already so free. I want to visit it."

Edel shakes her head. "Not you, specifically, of course. Spirits in general. There are several there already! The kitsunes, the phoenix, and even my recent patron." Tipping the brim of her hat up, she studies the foxwoman for a moment. "I am sure you will find no shortage of people to join you, though! Why can't you visit, anyway? Forgive me if it's an obvious question, but I am no expert on the matter."

"It's not obvious?" she asks, shaking her head as she moves past Edel, "Father loves us, and wants us safe. You have knives and guns and sharp claws. We can't be harmed here, within Him, even if we play at violence, but out there?"

Edel actually looks a little surprised by that. "Really? I wasn't sure if you played by the same rules as we did. That's interesting to learn, though. I can understand, though. I try my best to protect my own children, so I would probably do much the same, in his position." She begins to follow the other woman, tail twitching.

Her own tail sways leisurely left and right with each step as she moves ahead, then pauses, "You sure you're ready to move on? I should warn, some places will surprise you. I can't protect you, only guide you, but I won't abandon you either, promise." she says that with a bright smile.

Edel takes a little breath and nods. "Am I ready? Well, that I do not know. But we must move on to see the end of our journey, don't we? So move on we shall! Sometimes you have to take a chance and hope for the best. Though if you could give me a heads up of what surprises might be coming, that'd be excellent."

Moving forward, Edel finds:

Trees sparsely grow here, yet the light still seems to be blocked, stuggling to reach your eyes. Nasty-looking patches of brambles dot the open spaces, their branches reaching out to snag any loose piece of cloth or fur on wicked barbs. Shreds and tufts belonging to past travellers long gone mark the roads in this part.

A bittersweet aroma hangs in this piece of the woods, and manages to enter all but the most insensitive noses. As the mists seem to part for your questing eyes, blotches of mushrooms growing inbetween the underbrush are spotted. Their image looks tasty, as is their inviting scent, yet somehow, where the mushrooms grow, the brambles don't...

The appearance of the guide changes dramatically as the former place gives way abruptly to this untamed wild. Her fur sweeps out over the rest of her body and her claws and teeth grow dangerously large, adopting the appearance of a crazed lycanthrope, even growing and drooling a little as she goes.

Taking only a moment to observe the changes to the fox, Edel's eyes focus largely on the brambles and mushrooms. "Oh dear." Another look is spared to her fancy gown. "At least it's... Easily repaired. Well. What's the plan here, friend? Some kind of test, or...?"

She turns a, now much larger, and fuzzier, ear towards Edel, "Everything is a test, including getting this far. Did I surprise you?" she asks, licking over her furry lips as if hungry, "I can answer questions from this point on, but you have to choose where you want to go and where you want to be."

Edel chuckles softly, folding her arms as she surveys the area. "I suppose that is true, isn't it? Life itself is a test, I suppose. I suppose my next question... Is what is my objective? My goal? If this is an obstacle course of sorts, no problem!" She doesn't go for the mushrooms, but instead for the brambles, approaching slowly.

She shakes her head, "It could be," she says rather cryptically. Some guide! She's friendly at least. She moves to start following instead of leading, her breath felt as she gives little dangerous sounding growls with every few paces.

Edel glances over her shoulder, pausing for a moment before she cautiously begins trying to cross the grambles, wincing. "You're not about to attack me or something, are you? That would be a mostly unfriendly thing to do, without giving me a heads up first! I'm not sure where we're supposed to be going, anyway... Hopefully this is the right direction."

The brambles catch on delicate cloth, pulling and tugging with sharp thorns that seem almost actively malign, even finding purchase on fur and flesh beyond. The stalking fox girl seems unmolested by them, always close, breathing, growling. She does not reply to the question not exactly posed.

Edel gives a wry little smirk before she presses on, tugging up her dress a little, for all the good it'll do. "This kind of sucks, to be sure. I've faced worst in my training, though, I reckon! Must say, I prefer the room we were in before." She's not really expecting a reply at this point, but it keeps her mind off the brambles, at least a little.

One step too far, and a foot finds nothing under it, suddenly plunging into prickly darkness. Thorns rush past Edel in a stream of lacerations as they tumble feet first deeper into the strange place with nothing to show for it but ripped clothing and hide.

Spilling out onto stone suddenly, Edel finds himself in a new place:

This room at one point served as a resting place of the dead, it also lists at a drunken angle, due to an overflowed fountain at one corner of the room that's softened the earth under the large slabs of stone that make up the floor. the underground graves have risen a bit near the fountain, the bones of the long deceased seem to dance under the ripples of the clear water. The coffins of stone have tumbled out of the shelves made for them over the years, powdery rock and equally fragile bone litter the ground underfoot, perhaps causing an unwary traveler to trip into the ice cold waters from the fountain.

Friend, the guide, arrives dramatically when one of the coffins rumbles, then shatters, admitting her into the place, her body returned to its original shape, mostly. Her flesh has become pallid and grey, her eyes sunken but burning with a red malfeasance. Her formerly bushy fox tail has become ragged, with bones peeking out at places.

On the way down, Edel uttered a long string of very unladylike words, before finally going silent upon landing. "Guh. Well, you were right about surprises, that's for sure." She licks one of her fingers and brushes it against a scratch, hissing a little. "Cripes that stings." She turns her attention to her companion and frowns. "You're looking a little worse for the wear, too, huh? What's the test of this room, hm?"

She looks around slowly, "Well, it could be many things, but I am not as wise as Father. Maybe..." she says, reaching to hold her stringy tail, "He wonders if you fear death anymore. I heard you die less easily in your world than in some others?"

Edel takes a breath and plops down on the ground, cherishing the moment to take a breather. "Good question. Once upon a time, if you had asked me that I would have said no. But now that I have children, it's not about just me, anymore, is it? I have a certain curiosity about what death brings, and while I'm not really... Eager to die, I'm not quaking either. I suppose it'd be more accurate to say I'm scared of what I'll leave behind if I do die."

She nods her head, "That seems very..." She tenses, then suddenly coughs violently, hacking up a wad of tarry goo that splatters on the ground, bubbling and hissing, "Reasonable."