Tartarean Strands: Chapter 1
Date: D-Day of the Collide
PE Fade Between
There, between two trees spaced so far apart or perhaps not, stood the five of them that had come through the portal which Gio had created. Now that portal was gone and they were on the path. Gilbert, moving to check and see what differences between the two choices down the roads might be see no differences. As if they are carbon copies of each other. There is no rise or fall of the land to make one think they are the same ones. Just twins of each other perhaps? Or mirror images? Not one in the same but still appearing as such. Yet, the pull of the Emendators Gilbert feels is both in the same direction, to the left (for simplicity of direction since one cannot know which way is north right now). Sophia, trying to hear or smell, to sense some difference is able to note a smell depending on which direction she faces. To the right is smells far more pure and clean while when facing the right it is more tainted and rotting. It is hard for her to make out as either isn't strong, even with her senses, but she can smell the difference if only just barely.
Now, while the road and such appear empty save for the few items of note and the group, they are not alone. Just off the road, in the fields there. There is a slight haze that builds up just at the edge of the road, a shimmering. It seems there is something moving in the haze, but one cannot be sure what it is as first. Like trying to see something coming towards you in the middle of a thick fog. Slowly it comes more into focus. A figure, a person perhaps? Coming through a portal? No, it doesn't seem like that but as the figure reaches the edge of the road and steps barefooted onto the road itself, the haze fades and the
figure becomes clear. A shorter woman, dressed in a simple faded gray gown, belted at the waist. Olive skin and dark hair fall to her shoulders. Her eyes are hidden behind a strip of cloth that wraps around her head. In one hand she carried a set of scales, in the other a scythe that she leans against just slightly.
"You must choose." Her voice was ethereal as she spoke. Pointing her scythe to the right.
"Peace." Resting the scythe's end back against the ground she gestured to the left with the scales.
"Or Punishment." Her head stayed facing just center as she brought the scales back towards her.
"Choose."
DttS Fade Between
Like others, this group was far from being completely alone. There was that wonderful skeleton statue of sorts that was just standing there as perhaps a warning, or just a wonderful decoration. One couldn't tell. Though as the group conversed among itself, there was a slight chuckle. Did the statue just laugh at them?
"You be long way from Zerzura sweet child." The voice was thick and deep, and held an distinct accent, that of the Caribbean. The voice came from the statue, didn't it? It sure sounded like it.
"Hell, Heaven, a playground." Though, after a moment, it was clear that the voice wasn't coming from the statue of bones but behind it as a puff of smoke trailed up and a hand came to rest on the skeletons shoulder. Slowly emerging a
man gave a grin towards the group. He held a cigar in his hand, a top hat on his head, and a snake slithering over his shoulders.
"Gods grant mercy? Gods know no such thing." His grin remained on his painted face as he took a puff from his cigar and ducked under the arm of the skeleton.
"I prefer the term bordello, tis more poetic." Righting himself in front of the skeleton he used a tall staff decorated flamboyantly to stand with.
"Creeps? Fear is good. Let's you know you're alive." He chuckled as he jumped down from the rocks and bones.
"And you are alive." Taking a few steps forward he kept chuckling and ran a thick tongue along his bottom lip.
"Which means you are not supposed to be here," he said shaking his head slowly.
"Unless of course, you wish to make a trade." There was a mischievous twinkle in the dark mans oddly bright eyes as he spread his arms and bowed slightly.
Evelina Lucas
Location: The In-Between: Evelina's Cave
Skills: N/A
Evelina rested her hand against the side of the cave and glanced towards Faith.
"Then get a therapist and deal with your abandonment issues." Sighing she shook her head turned her attention back to the outside of the cave.
"They knew as much as I. Save for a feeling I needed to help one like you. So I left. They are as much your family as I am. A mother should not feel guilty for letting family take care of her kids. Nor I for leaving you with other Emendators. So I don't. Family is family." She didn't. She did at one point. She questioned so much. What if she had done this or that. What if she had stayed to talk, what if she hadn't. After so long alone she had figured out one thing. Worrying about yesterday didn't change it. Worrying about tomorrow didn't stop it from coming. Here, now, the basics, that was all that mattered. At least to her anymore.
"I stopped a death, it was worth it." How she had she still was not sure but she stopped trying to figure it out a long time ago. A walk in the rain, she had found one. A choice was given, neither option was taken. It was the last time she had rolled her dice, or at least the last time she had felt the pull to do so.
The brow over her left eye shot up high as Faith mentioned Siduri.
"So she has come out of hiding? Figures," she said, sounding a little vexed.
"I was beginning to believe she had left sometime ago." Shaking her head a bit she looked back out of the cave once again.
"Alone you may have been but they are here now but so far away." Turning she walked back into the cave and sat down.
"You dry, we wait until it will be safer to travel. We have a ferry to catch, I am not swimming the waters." Pulling out her dagger she stoked the fire some with the tip of the blade.
"And hope he is feeling generous or you have something in that bag of yours he will take as payment."
Kyra Altham
Location: DtB Fade Between
Skills: Alertness
Kyra tilted her head to the side slightly as Robert spoke, a brow raising in the slightest before glancing around the area. She didn't answer him at first as she surveyed the land. It wasn't until she looked back at him that she spoke.
"Walk elsewhere then." Her solution, don't like where you are; walk to where you are not. Nothing was stopping him from leaving, at least not physically, from what she could tell. There was a motion from her hand and a nod to Mali's words. She agreed with her, the woman's bluntness reminded her of her a very long time ago. More words were spoken, questions.
Kyra's eyes closed slowly and she let out a slow breath as if she was annoyed.
"Newydd-ddyfodiaid," she muttered under her breath.
"Yes." A simple enough answer to food and water. There was. To Riley's question she nodded.
"Blights, Soul-Eaters. Around, somewhere." She looked towards Ash, who lifted his head and sniffed the air before resting his head back down.
"Not here." Ash seemed to whimper and she nodded as she blew out another breath, hard and through her lips this time.
"Follow me." She sounded like a mother at the end of a long day. Turning she started walking, no particular direction it seemed, just placing one foot in front of the other from where she stood.
"Story doesn't interest me." Ash stretched slightly before trotting up next to Kyra, his tail down as he walked. Kyra's hand coming out and resting on his back that stood higher than her waist. Chances were she could ride the wolf if she needed to.
"There," she pointed far off in the distance where the rocks seemed to jut out of the ground. It would take sometime to get there.
