Mr.T was excited to see Alexandrea but was quickly flooded by the speech of others. First up was the small girl who seemed vaguely familiar to the stuffed bear but he couldn't quite put his paw on it, then there was the girl who obviously didn't trust Mr.T which was pretty surprising to the bear as he was trusted by almost everyone he knew which actually wasn't a lot now that he thought about it. "I'm Mr.Teddy or Mr.T as my friends call me and I'm stuck here just like you." he said, starting off confident in his speech but turning more timid towards the end.

Faira slowly relaxed her sword-wielding arm as the teddy bear spoke. She cast a suspicious glance between the two denizens of the house who apparently knew this new arrival. He seemed harmless and cute enough, especially in comparison to the horrors the mansion had thrown at her and her companions so far. And if he really was trapped, another alley in this asylum, no matter how small and ragged, should be welcomed.
“Mr. T.” She took a deep breath to try calming her nerves. She glanced between the bear and the stuffed animal still clutched in Alexandra’s arms, her brows furrowing. “How do you two know--”
“This Collector character must like crowds.”
The light, airy voice drew Faira’s attention back to the top of the stairs.
Soren leaned his elbow against the mystery boy, Nikolai at his side. His suit jacket draped over his back, leaving him in an off-white cotton undershirt. His first two fingers kept the jacket in place by the collar over his shoulder, while Nikolai’s hands rested in the pockets of his dark jeans. Both looked the group below them over, curiosity shining in Soren’s duo-colored eyes.
They could be residents of the house, Nikolai thought to Soren, his even expression and mental tone unreadable as his brother straightened.
Soren looked to Nikolai with a shrug. “The bear likes them. And who doesn’t trust a talking stuffed animal?”
Soren sauntered down the stairs. Nikolai followed in Soren’s shadow, his eyes still grazing over the others below them and taking in the layout of the entrance hall.
Faira took a cautious step away from the stairs, then looked down to Mr. T. “Are they with you?” she asked quietly.
“Something tells me there’ll be time for introductions later,” Soren addressed the group as he neared the end of the staircase. “Right now, I swear I heard someone mention a kitchen and food. Don’t know about any of you, but I could eat a horse.” He whinnied in emphasis, the sound flawlessly horse-like as it echoed around the room.

A slow tapping could be heard coming from the darkness of a hallway. tap....tap....tap. Eerily a figure appears from the shadows. First came an oak staff charred black with a white crystal affixed. A longsword with black grip and silver crossguard with a ruby affixed in the pommel hangs from his back. The white cloak he wears billowing behind him as he emerges. With every step his chainmail shirt clinks as he moves towards the group.

Stopping just before he reaches the main group Free plants his staff on his left side and grips the hilt of his sword with his right hand. His voice is cold and dry as he speaks "My name is Free the Magister. I am a spellsword here by my own volition, I have a personal grievance with the collector and I shall aid you in escape if you wish."

As Free spoke Adrian's demon side appears and he charges the newcomer roaring a challenge. Sidestepping Free draws the sword from his back levels it at Adrian. Adrian charges again and Free uses the flat of the blade to deflect a slash from the demons claws, next Adrian spewed black flames at Free, that were deflected around him by a sudden change in wind. Taking two steps forward Free's sword strikes like a viper opening up a crimson smile on the demon's throat.

Falling to his knees Adrian raises a hand towards the magister, blood flowing in a geyser from his neck. Slamming the staff into the side of Adrian's head Free silences the demon forever. Turning to look at the group again wind flows around Free making his cloak billow. "I would not advise attacking me or you shall share his fate." the mage says icily.

“Yes, bravo Free! Bravo! I never did like that annoying fool anyway.”

The voice came from below the group as the form of the adult Marianne appeared before them. As the younger one stumbled, losing consciousness almost immediately once again, her older incarnation seeped out of the floor as it the ground itself had swallowed her whole. Raising an eye, she strode past the newcomer to stand over Adrian’s corpse.

“A shame really. He would have been a nice addition to ultimately helping you lot. Oh well,” Marianne said freely as the same pale white arms sprung up from the demon’s pool of blood. Each of them latched onto the body before slowly dragging what was left of Adrian into the very floor itself. No funeral service would be given in the domain of the Collector.

“Oh? You must be Soren and Nikolai,” said Marianne as she turned her crimson-eyed gaze onto the two twins. “Yes, you two are quite a nuisance on your own. Do be kind dears and don’t annoy me too much. You can ask Faira dear over here why I am not someone to be threatened with.”

The grin she gave made even Scarlet shudder, the vampire not liking the feeling of dread this woman always to carry with her. And yet, there was something familiar of her that only drew her interest out more and more. Shaking her head to dismiss this idling thoughts, the vampire rallied up anyone that wanted to follow her before heading towards the kitchen area.

"No. I-I don't know them." Mr.T said averting his gaze from Faira's, the woman scared him and in fact everyone in the room scared Mr.T except for Alexandrea but she seemed off a little which did no good for the bear's nerves. His nerves didn't get better as the demon rushed the new comer who reminded Mr.T of a cartoon character he had once saw on TV and got cut down. Mr.T cowered back but had nowhere to his due to the more open layout of his current position. Next came the scare of the two new additions to the roster being two eerie boys. The whole stress of the situation was already beginning to take its toll on the small bear so when Scarlet began rounding up people to head to the kitchen, Mr.T used his only power of speed to run right around Faira and towards Scarlet but keeping a cautious distance.

Faira spun around as the gentle tapping sound echoed around the room. She raised the sword once more. A meager flame sparked from her fingers as a figure emerged from the shadows of a hall and introduced himself.
Who in their right mind-- Before she could finish the thought, she gasped and jumped aside as Adrian lunged at the newcomer, his body shifting into his demonic form. She tripped on her own feet and stumbled to the floor, landing hard.
An open-mouthed grin spread over Soren’s face at the demon as he stopped on the last stair, Nikolai stepping beside his brother to get a better look at the happenings. In a single swift movement as the demon charged, Soren drew his coat from behind has back and gripped it in both hands. As soon as his fingers touched the fabric, the coat tore apart at the center and retreated into his hands, changing into a set of pompoms of the same color as the jacket.
“Go, demon-guy!” Soren shouted, standing on one leg and thrusting the pompoms into the air above his head.
Twenty bucks on the demon, Soren thought.
Nikolai snorted. You’re on.
Faira’s stomach churned as she watched the fight. She scurried to her feet and called out Adrian’s name, horror on her face as Free brought Adrian to his knees. She took a couple staggered steps back. Her free hand rose to her mouth and she looked quickly away from the bloody mess of Adrian as Free struck his final blow.
With a smug look, Nikolai grabbed one of Soren’s pompoms, and it morphed into a boxing bell of similar colors. Its loud, metallic ding rang through the room in a quick succession of three.
“I vote a rematch!” Soren pulled a bill from his pocket, handed it to Nikolai, and took the bell from his brother as Free spoke his icy warning. He crossed his arms loosely over his chest and a mischievous gleam entered the fae’s eyes as he slowly stepped onto the room’s floor, his gaze on Free. “Well. Aren’t you mister high-and-mighty?”
Before he could take another step forward, Marianne drew his attention. Nikolai glanced over as the child collapsed before shifting most of his focus to the woman who had suddenly appeared.
Faira swore her heart stopped a moment, a chill crawling down her spine at the sound of the woman’s voice, and anger creeping around her at the words it formed. She swallowed hard as the eerie pale arms drug the demon’s corpse into the floor.
Soren grinned as the woman addressed him and Nikolai, mock flattery at being recognized settling on his face. He clapped the bell and pompom together, and the two items meshed before turning into an overly large top hat.
“The ones and only.” Soren gave an over-dramatized bow, brandishing his hat to his side. He straightened as the woman continued speaking.
A sense of unease crept over his skin at the woman’s grin, and Nikolai spared Soren a quick glance. Even so, both hid their discomfort well.
“That's mighty kind of ya to say," Soren answered in a country accent, "but I make no promises, ma’am." The hat reverted back into his jacket, which he swung over his shoulder by the collar. "Now who," he continued, his voice normal, "pray tell, might you be?"
A slight sense of relief of no longer holding the item’s change settled in his already empty stomach, which grumbled as soon as Scarlet mentioned the kitchen.
“To be continued.” Soren glanced between Marianne and Free, smirking at the Magister before he and Nikolai bounded after the others heading to the kitchen.
Keeping an eye on both Marianne and Free, Faira stepped back toward Rosaline. She hesitated as she noticed the unconscious child, the thought of the other, now missing young girl crossing her mind.
She wanted to kill Ann before. Taking a deep breath, Faira tilted her head toward Marianne, not wanting to look directly at the woman.
“I don’t suppose you know where Little Ann’s gone, do you?” she asked quietly, her words stiff and holding a slight air of accusation despite her attempt at making the question sound innocently casual. The thought of whatever ill fate Marianne may have bestowed on the child made Faira’s skin prickle. The last thing she wanted was to find out that they had lost someone else, let alone one so young. That she might have been lost to Marianne... She shook her head, hoping to dispel the thought.
Anything could have happened, she told herself. She could have wondered off somehow. Maybe running away from the danger.

The nebula glanced away from the newcomers to address the child before her. “That’s not true Marianne. I’m sure she’s just scared, most of us are. Fear does funny things to humans.” Rosaline cooed, trying to calm the young girl.

Alexandrea dropped the voiceless teddy bear, her arms dropping limply by her sides. She finally realized why the bear had stopped speaking all those years ago. “I-I thought he was…I thought he was you, but-but you’re you.” She replied, guilt flooding her features. For a brief moment she wondered where he had been all this time. Had he ever gotten out, or had he really been here all along? What if she had left him, forgotten to search for him?

With the new arrivals came tension, distrust, and the standard introductions. Rosaline had not been expecting their demonic ‘friend’ to be slain however. She hardly cared about the man but his killer made her slightly uneasy. Normally she would have no issue fending for herself, but at the moment she was unable to walk and her powers were too weak to really fight anything yet. Her gaze locked onto him until she noticed Marianne start to fall.

Rosaline quickly reached out and caught the child, keeping her from hitting the floor. Something about these blackout spells of hers reminded her of something, but she kept it to herself. The nebula pulled her close, wanting to be able to protect her if need be.

“Faira, I’m sure little Ann is fine. She’s obviously been here longer than we have, she might just be hiding after our last battle.” Rosaline sighed, looking up at the human.

Alexandrea walked over to Mr. T, crouching down to pick him up. She had missed him, had missed talking to him. The shapeshifter wouldn’t pick him up without his permission though.

The boy had remained silent the entire time, looking extremely uncomfortable around these strangers. He slowly walked down the stairs, looking from one person to another with silver eyes. This whole ordeal had been so strange

Rosaline shifted her gaze to the mystery boy once again. “Who are you?”

“U-umm… I’m Walter. W-who a-a-are all of you?” he asked.

Marianne watched as the twins dispersed from the scene to follow Scarlet. Her eyes seemed to linger on their fading forms before they flickered onto Faira. Hearing her question, a twinkle of amusement sparked in Marianne’s eyes. Well then, it seemed things were always destined to get interesting.

“You think I’ve had something to do with the child, yes? Such a fragile mind and lack of trust you have in me Faira dear,” the dark-willed girl chuckled. “But I can understand your doubts. Fret not. The child is still alive, though you may not wish it so later. After all, I often find myself quite fond of children…”

Rosaline seemed to share this notion, assuring Faira that nothing happened to Little Anne. If Marianne’s words didn’t satisfy Faira then maybe Rosaline’s would. Not that Marianne particularly cared in the end. It wasn’t her problem to deal with in the end. So she sat back in the shadows with crossed arms, studying the group with amusement.

Mr.T was hesitant as Alexandrea approached him, after all she seemed a little different than before, but from what she said he guess and hoped that she was still mostly the same person he had known from before. He let himself be picked up by the shape changer and got settled in her arms like he used to when he was last in the house. He then looked up at Alexandrea and then towards the mysterious boy standing around. This whole situation was so surreal for the small stuffed animal, not to long ago he was in here in the same situation and now he was sucked right back into the house of horrors.

Marianne’s words made Faira blink and turn slightly toward the woman, her brows furrowed. What’s that supposed to mean?
But she daren’t ask. She doubted she would get a straight, simple answer, anyway. Nothing about that wretched place had been simple so far, so why would it start now?
The girl looked to Rosaline as she gave the same reassurance, only without the riddle. Faira nodded at the living doll, before redirecting her attention to the boy, whom she had all but forgotten about. Just in case, she moved the sword slightly in front of her, ready to defend both herself and Rosaline as well as she could while fighting off the fatigue aching in every muscle.
She examined Walter for a moment. He looked normal enough--at least in comparison to the rest of their ever-growing ragtag group. Even so, she remained on edge, waiting for a second head to sprout from his shoulder, for him to start breathing acid, or any other of the innumerable possibilities of what about him could have caught the Collector’s attention.
“I’m Faira,” she answered slowly, her soft voice just managing to echo up the stairs.


“Food!” Soren shouted in an off-key sing-song voice as he emerged into the kitchen. “Glorious food!” He went to the nearest of the cabinets lining the walls and pulled it open. A hungry look glistened in his heterochromatic eyes.
Nikolai continued Soren’s tune in a hum that kept the notes far better as he went to another cabinet on the other side of an island in the center of the room.
“How about a peanut butter and ravioli sandwich?” Soren pulled a can of raviolis and a jar of peanut butter from the cabinet and tossed them over his shoulder. “With a layer of cheese and ketchup, if there is any.”
The labels on the containers fluttered to the side, forming wings that did little to lessen their fall to the island. They clattered against the tabletop. Their wings folded sluggishly as Soren started piling other canned and boxed foods in his arms, and Nikolai went to rummage through a fridge.
Nikolai tossed a pack of cheese onto the island.
“See if there’re any strawberries and whipped cream while you’re over there, would you?” Soren glanced over his shoulder at his twin. “I’d kill for a strawberry shortcake right about now.”

“You’re acting like you don’t miss this place,” Marianne commented as she noticed Mr. T’s confusion. Seeing the teddy bear elicit such expressions made a giggle appear in the dark-haired girl’s breath. Yes, she remembered the first batch of failures that had been brought to this nightmare house of horrors. What a fun time that was.

Back in the kitchen, Scarlet had to keep from rolling her eyes at the ecstatic nature of the two boys who had chosen to accompany her. She tried not to gag at the near disgusting choice of combinations they offered in terms of food. She herself could go for a simple drink of blood but her own hunger was sated enough where that wouldn’t be a problem.

“Just be sure to grab anything you can,” she told Soren and Nikolai. “We want to be able to cater to everyone’s tastes after all so better safe than sorry.”

As she said so, she began to notice the front of the kitchen as a certain sense of…wrongness slowly crept up to her. Frowning, she noticed that the awful feeling was coming from the sink. It almost felt like something living and breathing was close by.

“And whatever you do, don’t go near the sink.”

Soren smirked inwardly as he noticed Scarlet trying to suppress a gag.
“What?” He looked over his mound of packaged food at her with a look of overly animated shock. “Doesn’t everyone like cheese and ketchup on their BP&R sandwiches?” His lips pursed in contemplation. “I suppose horseradish is better.”
Nikolai turned from the fridge with a pack of strawberries and a can of whipped cream. There’s no mold, he thought to Soren, interest in his mental voice as he examined the container.
“How depressing.” Soren dumped his arm-full of foodstuffs onto the center island. A couple cans of soup rolled to the floor.
Nikolai raised an eyebrow. A bit excessive, don’t you think?
“When do you expect to run into another kitchen?” He grabbed a bag of cookies and tore it open as Scarlet gave her warning.
Nikolai turned his suspicious gaze to the sink.
The desire to go near it was rather overwhelming for Soren. “Think it’s a sinklapod? I had a sinklapod once. Cutest little thing. Until it decided to eat the house, then went on a jealous rampage murdering all the sinks in the neighborhood, even if they weren’t sinklapods. Man, I miss him.” He gave a mournful sigh. He munched on two cookies at once, then turned to Scarlet, the sink apparently forgotten. “Cookie?” He held the package out toward her and shook it.

Conna'Cel watched as things unfolded in front of him. The twins, the teddy bear and the child, the death of the angel/demon thing, it was all so exciting as he made comments here and there, such as "Well that doesn't look good," when Adrien got beheaded, and "Never thought I'd see something like that," when Mr. T. arrived. Scarlet and the twins then headed off to get food, leaving Faira, Mr. T, Alexandra, and the others alone.

Conna'Cel wondered what he should do now. Things have been so confusing lately, and it wasn't like he was of any use in the current situation. With nothing to do, Conna'Cel sat cross-legged on the floor, and his face plate began to dim as he entered standby mode to save battery. He'd be back at the first sign of danger, though.

---

Shawn groaned again for what seemed to be the millionth time.

Gorgonzolla was annoyed at this constant repetitious behavior and asked Shawn, Will you knock that off?

"I can't help it, Gorgy. I'm really hungry," Shawn replied. As if to emphasize the point, his stomach started to growl.

You know I despise the name 'Gorgy', Gorgonzolla said. So stop using it. Gorgonzolla then began muttering something about how humans were such annoying weaklings. Shawn, used to such words from Gorgonzolla by now, rubbed his stomach, which began to growl once more. Shawn sighed, then stopped in his tracks. Gorgonzolla, immediately noticing the change in behavior, was on his guard. What's wrong? Do you sense something? Gorgonzolla asked, not sensing anything himself.

Shawn then began to sniff the air and responded, "I smell food," then ran off toward the direction he thought the smell was coming from. Gorgonzolla, his irritation transforming into anger, yelled in Shawn's mind, Are you *#$&ing serious!? We're trapped in a prison of @&^% knows what, with dangers and obstacles of all kinds of crazy, and all you can think about right now is food??!!

"Food, food, food, food, food..." Shawn repeatedly chanted as he kept running, ignoring Gorgonzolla's rant, and Shawn soon arrived at a closed door. Turning the handle and pushing the door out of the way, slamming it against the wall, Shawn announced, "FOOD!!" Shawn had arrived in the kitchen, where he was greeted with the sight of the group. Shawn blinked a few times, not sure what he should do now. "Eh?" Shawn said blankly.

“No. No one likes…whatever you’re describing,” Scarlet muttered, trying to get the food out and fast. The two twins weren’t annoying per se, more so than they were obnoxious. Which…ended up not making that big of a difference in Scarlet’s mind to which she sighed to. Seeing the two of them linger near the sink only made her instincts work in overtime as she backed away.

“What? Yeah, sure,” she said, taking the cookie and quickly trying to direct the twins away from the sink. Whatever was living in it was starting to become aggravated, the bubbles spilling forth now and slowly moving out of the sink’s confines like a wave of foam.

The vampire narrowed her eyes before stiffening at once. Due to her nature, she could hear what most others could not. And what she heard truly disturbed her, a shudder running down her spine. What at first sounded like the chirping of birds soon became associated with the image of tiny mandibles snapping together and little legs running.

To Scarlet’s horror, she saw that the bubble were, in actuality, millions of millions of miniature spiders. Each “bubble” was an eye that regarded the trio with malice. Summoning a knife, Scarlet quickly grabbed what food she could and ran for the exit.

Back in the other room, Marianne sighed. This was starting to become a little boring. She glanced over at Faira, her favorite chew toy, and then onto Rose. She had at least expected one of them to do something by this point…oh well.

Hearing a distinct chattering sound, she looked up to see Scarlet being chased by what appeared to be bubbles. Watching the sight, Marianne grinned wickedly. Well then. At least something was happening.

For the love of Faerie, get away from there, Soren! Nikolai scolded his brother, following Scarlet’s lead as bubbles began to form in the sink. He pulled his jacket off, and the holes in it stitched themselves together to form a bag. He started shoving some of what Soren had dumped onto the counter inside, the bubbles starting to spill over.
Soren sighed. “Yeah, that’s not a sinklapod. Unless it’s rabid.” Despite his light tone as he stepped away and reached to open a drawer, he kept a wary eye on the foam. Then, the twins saw the same thing as Scarlet. “Definitely not a sinklapod.”
Nikolai, his body ever ready to take action, nimbly jumped over the island, slung his jacket-pack over his shoulder, grabbed Soren’s arm, and ran right behind Scarlet.
We wouldn’t stand a chance in this confined space!
The door slammed open, making the twins pause for a split second at the boy standing there, then they ran past.
Soren reached to grab the boy’s arm, to pull him along with them. “Fast food tonight, kid!”


When those from the kitchen came bursting out, Faira shouted and spun toward them. Her shadow spread out from beneath her shoes at the surge of emotional power, lapping at her feet in eager readiness to create a hiding place at her lightest of thoughts.
“What the freak?” she said slowly, raising her borrowed sword defensively at the sight of a swarm of foam flowing after them. She glanced to Rosaline, hoping she had some sort of answer, when she noticed spidery legs among the shimmering, bubbly eyes.
She let out a groan, and did her best to prepare herself, mentally and physically, to protect both herself and Rosaline from their newest, buggy opponents. At her silent command, sparks traveled down the blade and ignited into flames at its tip, the element burning with as little enthusiasm at the fight as its master. She felt it begging to be unleashed in full, nagging at the back of her skull to be let loose with in its raging glory, but she inhaled and did her best to ignore it, to maintain control of the feisty element.

--

Shawn did not know what that mess of bubbles that was coming from the sink was, but he sure wasn't sticking around to find out. Following the trio as he was grabbed, he ran like his life depended on it. The sounds that those bubbles were making were fading, but they were still terrifying, and they definitely did not sound like bubbles. "Why does this always have to happen to me?!" Shawn thought out loud.

You know those pesky insects back there are no match for us. A burst of my demonfire would destroy them, Gorgonzolla said in Shawn's mind. Shawn paid him no mind, instead following Scarlet and the twins.

Not too far away from the kitchen where the torrent of bubble spiders was rising up even now, the prisoners would find a few black feathers scattered about the floor. I looked like they belonged to raven that was perched atop a chandelier, cawing ominously until someone... anyone noticed it and then flying off to beak at another door as if it wanted them to open it.

Inside the room a girl with long platinum blond (or maybe white) hair was hanging, in a crucified pose, on the wall opposite to to the door. Fine chains, apparently made of partially tarnished silver, held her body of a little more than five feet height and a, seemingly, fragile build to the engraved wooden wall by her joined ankles and spread wrists, along her neck to bend forward limply under the weight of her head.

Even more raven feathers were scattered about her feet, though no bird other than the one from before was to be seen inside the alcove who, aside from the bizarre decoration of one of its walls, looked just like any unassuming antique reading room. A fireplace (still lit) on the wall to the girl's left, lots of books on the shelves lining the wall to her right, a comfy armchair over a supple carpet, with a side table holding an ash tray that had apparently been used recently, a few portraits adorned the wall besides the door and, as a last touch a bust of Pallas hung over the fireplace, between an antique clock and a dated globe.

The crow perched atop the bust of the Goddess of Old, over the shadows of the fireplace it's unnatural look was quite evident, as the crow cawed, flashing two way too smart pair of eyes to the group, at the same time as the girls lips curled silently in her unconsciousness. What was it that she was trying to say? Perhaps a word, who could say?

"Never... more...?"

---

@Scarifar@37 Cockatiels@Siaya Dragalorn@TheWindel@shi12

Marianne took notice of the swam of bubbly arachnids, her expression exclusive to that of a smug smirk. The group had converged together once again with food in their arsenal no less. Her mismatched gaze drew to Faira in particular. Faira, Faira, Faira…the human was almost reluctant to unleash her true power. It was pathetic.

“You know you could easily save them if you just L.E.T. I.T. G.O.” Marianne whispered in the human’s ear from afar. She did not move a muscle, yet her voice seemed to have carried into Faira’s ear, tickling her senses. The black-dressed girl merely shrugged to whatever response she would receive before twitching. What was this? Something new…

Scarlet took notice even as she hurled knife after knife into the onslaught pursuing them, red eyes tracing Marianne walking away from their group. The girl’s motions were either a promise of good token or an omen for all of them. Yet right now, her leading the way was better than staying her to be consumed by tap water.

“Follow her,” Scarlet said to her companions, pitching her voice up to be heard over the chatter of the bubble spiders. She walked slowly, making sure to keep the knives spewing from her wrist even as Marianne led the way. Their host narrowed her eyes to the form of feathers, a black bird cawing before leading them into a room.

A raven then. Marianne’s eyes twinkled in interest as she followed it towards-oh. So that’s who was making this ruckus. The grim girl cared not for the group that followed her, entering the room and staring at the crucified girl. At the same time Scarlet shut the door behind her as soon as everyone had ran in, barring it with her weight even as the chattering threatened to burn her ears off.

“Friend of yours?” she asked to Marianne with a roll of her eyes.

“Oh my…now how did you get into a place like this,” Marianne muttered, coming closer to the bound girl and reaching an arm up. She gently stroked Lusso’s cheek before trailing it down towards her throat, near hissing with delight and venom.

“Stealing my tricks? You of all people should know I don’t take lightly to F.A.K.E.R.S.”

How long has she been there? Hours, days, weeks, years? It didn’t matter. Petty notions such as time and space don’t matter at all on a place such as that mansion, Lusso knew that, she has been here for so long that she couldn’t even remember how much and yet it was so little that it looked like it was yesterday. What bothered Lusso the most was the position in which she had been placed after she fell unconscious because of God-knows-what-and-when. Being crucified like that was hardly pleasant, especially when made with something such as silver which made so that Lusso couldn’t get herself out of the binds on her own.

Thankfully, one of her ravens managed to catch the attention of a group of passing prisoners and guide them back to the alcove that served as Lusso’s temporary prison even while the witch had passed out. When Marianne touched Lusso’s face, gently caressing the witch’s cheeks, Lusso groaned the first words that came to her mind after the long dream, “Never… more?” But what did that meant? Something of the past, or perhaps the future?

However as soon as the deathly cold hands slid down reaching for her throat, Lusso gasped and her eyes started to open. “What!? Where am… what are you doing to me?” The witch tried to struggle against her silver binds once or twice, but seeing that it was useless, she gave up and scanned the room, not taking her attention out of Marianne for one single moment, in the mean while.

“Can any of you help me? I can’t get free of these chains on my own.” Lusso asked just before falling silent, waiting for anyone’s reply.