[IC] Haven for the Inhuman

[Aristocles]

Ophion didn't exactly get a straight answer, but he could overhear from the others that this manor was indeed the place mentioned in his letter. As per its contents, he headed inside, trusting that it would indeed be a place he could stay. He hadn't gotten more than a few steps into the manor before he over heard Pike talking to Marrok and Adara.

"That is if we ever meet our mysterious host. Have either of you even seen an employee walking around?"

Ophion interjected, curious to know as well. "Not one. This place might be one of those haunted mansions I've heard so much about. Perhaps I ought to sleep with my sword by my side." He chuckled, as he was joking, but it was a possibility which he couldn't entirely rule out. "If this had been a Dracon manor, we'd have been greeted by a butler by now, or at least a maid." He addressed anyone who was willing and able to listen.

"My name is Ophion, of the Dracon Lands. As you might have guessed, I'm a Dracon, hatched to Dracon parents. I know I look much like a half-dragon, but I assure you, I am not. I'd say more about myself, but I'd much rather reserve that until I get to know some of you better. It is indeed a dangerous thing to tell too much about oneself to others, especially when we don't know who has invited us and why. I just hope that whoever lives here doesn't mind dragon prints on the floor." Ophion wasn't normally a dirty Dracon, but he couldn't help but to track some dirt after such a long trip to the manor.

[Raditz]

The skeleton's glare shifted upward as the orc approached him. Almost counter-intuitively, the undead warrior seemed to relax more as Goroth drew near; the frightened woman didn't seem to be imperiled any longer. Eventually the remaining tension was disrupted by the others nearby. From the sounds of things, nobody trusted anyone else. Gino couldn't say he was surprised. Humankind did not create a world that engendered trust from other species, even in each other.

Gino stepped away from Goroth, tucking his invitation away and resuming his trek towards the doors at a slow pace. For the first time since he'd arrived, the skeleton finally spoke, his voice soft, but masculine, with a faint, echoed, warbling, betraying the magic nature of his existence.
"My name is Gino." his jaw seemed to move a little as he spoke, no doubt mimicking the movement it would make when he spoke in life. "It seems our mysterious host has been rude, and has failed to greet us properly. If they won't come out, then I guess someone will have to dig them out, eh?" he said, a hint of haste in his words. The skeleton pushed his way inside the foyer, throwing the open doors wide, and his empty eyes began to scan the first room. The only ones occupying it were the human-looking ones he'd seen enter earlier.
"I'm going to find our host." he seemed to announce. He marched past Adara, Pike, and Marrok and turned left on the stairs. Gino deduced that he had less to lose than the others if this truly was a trap, and he wasn't afraid of taking point.
Gino was a little surprised with himself. Why had he become so quickly invested in this idea? Was it out of convenience, or perhaps guilt? In any case, the motivation was refreshing, and Gino rode it headlong into the manor.

[jasbraq]

Adara

Location: Manor
Interactions: @RedXIII@LazyBoy@Aristocles

---

Adara let out a sigh of disappointment as he refused to answer her question but understanding why he would keep it a secret for her, letting him know with a comforting smile. "I know how dangerous it can be, revealing your true nature to others.. Seeing how it changes the peoples opinion of you in an instant can be very scary." She said in a warm tone to try and sooth the young man in trusting her at least a little bit. She turns over the pages on her book till she finds a clean page before writing the name "Pike" on the top of the page, closing it with a smile on her face.

The vampire tried to respond to his comments before hearing a dragon-like being intertwining in their conversation, making her rather annoyed by the fact that such a being could have the gall to interrupt her. The girl began to find humor in hearing his world, almost sounding like those snobby nobles she had met previously, making her scatter out a couple chuckles. "A dragon boy living in a manor and having a butler even. I might even ask why you would come to this place if your people lived such a cushy lifestyle, so cushy in fact that it almost seems like your people are barely in contact with any humans at all." Her smile turned a bit darker as she thought about the subject matter a bit more. "Are you perhaps here to laugh at the other monsters here who didn't have such a nice life? Those that always had to hide who they are.... Those who had to flee for days on end just to live another day.. If so... You young man, make me sick. She looked as if she got angrier by the second. "You seem very proud to be a Dracon or whatever you might be, so perhaps you're just seeking to impress with how prestigious your race can be"

She finished her words for him as she quickly returned to Pike. "Sorry for that sudden outburst. It's completely fine to hide your origins." Her face became a lot lighter with the warm smile coming back. "I do hope we'll be able to start a quiet life here without being hunted on a weekly basis. Adara chuckled a bit before taking a quick sprint, having her stand close to him as she whispered. "I saw how pained you looked when not revealing anything to me so if you ever want to talk about such things, know that I'm here young man." The vampire whistled as if nothing was said before. "Not that I've seen... They may still be resting I guess"

[Aristocles]

@jasbraq

"Hmm. I assure you that most Dracons don't live a life like that. Yes, I had a comfortable existence at home, and had I stayed, I would always have had a place in my family's manor, but not much else. Maybe I would have been given a job in a business run by an older brother of mine, or if I was lucky, an officer position in the army of my kingdom. In both cases, I'd have been a glorified servant, not a master. And frankly, a life of comfort is really something female Dracons want. No male of my species ever boasted about living a cushy life. We're expected to go out and do things. If it helps, I'm certainly not here to laugh at anyone from a less wealthy family, and I have been called a monster myself on occasion during my journeys. If you want me to impress you, I'd be happy to demonstrate my magic, my swordplay, and my brute strength. I'm not lacking in any of those departments, I assure you."

He had noticed that Adara had fangs, as he did. Not precisely the same type as his, as she had needle-like canines, as opposed to his somewhat more conical crocodile-like teeth. If only she had claws, horns, and a tail, she might begin look like a normal person, at least to his eyes.

"Also, aren't you a bit young to be speaking that way? I've been around humans enough to tell that you aren't as large as an adult. You wouldn't happen to be a halfling, would you?"

[Cotton]

@Ypnosi

Yus

<Ground Floor Hallway>

Leaving through the western door of the foyer, Yus enters into a long hallway. The lower walls of the hallway are lined with wooden panels, each about a square meter in size, with green wallpaper above it. Occasionally, a painting adorns the wall, depicting either starry skies or beautiful landscapes. Beyond the paintings, the only things on the walls are lamps, seemingly spaced evenly along the wall - three panels between each lamp, each holding a strange orb giving off just enough light to illuminate the hall. A few lamps are spaced a bit unevenly compared to the others, yet they all look identical. There is also one window, on the southern end of the hallway, looking out over the front yard.

But, there are still no other signs of life so far, not even within the paintings themselves.

From where she's standing, Yus can see four more doors on the western side of the hallway, with it seeming to curve to the left at the end, and one door to the right, sandwiched between two forks in the hallway. All but one door are closed - the one across from her seems to be slightly ajar, but not far enough for her to peek inside without opening it further.

Ground Floor Map Update

@LazyBoy@jasbraq@RedXIII@Aristocles

Pike - Adara - Marrok - Ophion

<Foyer>

Even as the group in the foyer continues to talk to themselves, no host or staff seems to make their presence known. Nobody comes down the stairs to greet them, and nobody enters through the east door either. It is just them, so far.

Then the sounds of doors slamming shut to their right, followed by the eastern door opening. Slowly it swings open... but there's nobody there. The door was properly closed before, the wind could not have pushed it open, yet there's no sign of anyone there. Perhaps Ophion's statement about this place being haunted was correct? Or maybe the host is simply hiding from their sight...

@Raditz

Gino

<First Floor Hallway>

Going up the creaking stairs of the foyer to the first floor, Gino, too ends up in a hallway. It, too, is lined with evenly-spaced lamps holding dimly-glowing orbs, the only feature of note on the dull green wallpaper. There are no paintings here, but there are many doors here. On the western wall, eight doors. On the eastern, two to his right and one to his left. Besides this, he can see that the hallway also extends to the right, with one more door, followed by two splits in the hallway, and a staircase leading down. There also seems to be at least one window, on the southern end of the hallway, looking out over the front yard, and the guests still waiting among the birds.

First Floor Map

@Conscripts@Roundabout

Goroth - Tova

<Outside>

Outside, meanwhile, the fair weather that had so far made their stay outside rather pleasant seemed to be making way for... less enjoyable weather, as the sound of approaching thunder was audible in the distance. Slowly, more and more of the birds seemed to be making their way to either the rear of the manor, or the roof of the building.

Though, if they are paying attention, they might briefly make out what appears to be a figure, walking past a window inside on the eastern side of the building. Perhaps it's their host, waiting for them inside?

[Roundabout]

@Conscripts

As the others moved into the manor, leaving just Tova and her new associate outside, a cold wind picked up and ruffled the locks of her hair and made the thin chain connecting two of her ear piercings clink softly. A shiver went up her spine and she turned to look behind her, unconsciously moving even closer to the orc. There was nothing there but the empty path and the birds.

Just as she was about to turn back forward, a bird took flight and she followed it with her eyes as it flew towards the roof, its eerie black form reflecting in the windows. Suddenly, something moved behind the glass, making Tova jump with a frightened yelp. “Hey!” She smacked her hand against the orc’s armor – the loud clang almost making her jump again – to get his attention, still staring with wide eyes where she’d seen the shape, “T-there’s something in there! I saw something in the window! I think – I think we should leave. This place is giving me the creeps!”

Then again, most things outside her village gave her the creeps, weather she liked it or not. She was too worked up at the moment to ignore her instincts, though, irrational as they might be.

[Conscripts]

Almost just as Goroth figured out what these people are up to, the feet shuffling was quickly swapped back to his normal walking stance. It appeared as if they're indeed upkeeping their end of the deal, regardless of species and whatever animosity they had towards each other non-humans. But that still did not discount the fact that they were still different species with different clashing ideologies. And what do you know, tension already broke out between the Dracon named Ophion and this...small person. Her features were human-like, but her fangs weren't. Probably that's why she's here with that invitation. Regardless, when this arrogant and spoiled dracon referred to the small girl as a child, Goroth already doubted Ophion's claim to having been around humans. That's not a child-like speaking pattern. Her expressions and choices of words are not indicative of someone of younger stature. Either she had also been spoiled to the core, even more than this dracon, or she just looked so.

"Tch. Aren't you a little too spoiled to be speaking that way?" Goroth scoffed. His claim to be skilled in magic, swordplay or brute strength is just as valid as his heart-sobbing story of personal growth. In fact, the orc would love more than anything to have a clash of swords with this dracon. It would be thrilling and no less satisfying to show him his place.

That'd have to wait, however. As everybody proceeded inside the manor, Goroth still found himself wondering about the mage that sent the letter. No one here apparently is that individual in particular, and just as clueless as he is. Fine. That can wait. What could not wait is the faun earlier banging on his armor. The hell does she want? Something in the house? Goroth looked over to where she indicated. Huh, she wasn't wrong. He did see someone, or something, but he couldn't discern from this distance.

"Where are we going to leave to? Look." Goroth pointed upward as the distant sound of thunder followed his echoes. "Wanna be drenched like a rat? If not then follow closely."

Looks like they're gonna be staying in this manor tonight whether they liked it or not. Goroth wouldn't want to have to drench the water in his armor anytime soon, so he made his way to the eastern side of the building. He let the faun check out the windows, because he was in a weird position of being too tall for the first floor windows, needing to bend down for it, while being too short for the second floor. So instead he checked if there was any side-entrance.

@Roundabout@Aristocles

[Raditz]

The skeleton was staggered by the sheer number of doors that stretched out before him. He thought through it for a moment and concluded that this was evidence that the host had the means to house a lot of people here. He approached the door directly across from the stairway he'd just climbed and attempted to open it to confirm his suspicions, but before he could budge the door, he stopped himself.

"Is anyone in there?" he rapped his knuckle bones against the door a couple times. He didn't want to intrude if others were already living in these rooms. Gino stepped away from the door for a moment to take another look down the halls. The lamps suggested that the place wasn't abandoned. There were also no signs of grievous disrepair, either. Indeed, someone had been here recently at the very least. He took a few short steps back towards the door he'd knocked on.

"I'm coming in." he announced as he attempted to open the door, for real this time.

[Aristocles]

@Conscripts

"If I had wanted to be spoiled, I would have stayed home with my family. Not that my father let my brothers and I indulge too much, but my sisters-" He closed his eyes for a moment, imagining them right now. "Let's just say you haven't seen spoiled until you've lived with upper-class female dracons. It's like they compete with each other for who's the most useless, if you know what I mean. I could tell you quite a few stories about them." Ophion's words were cut short when he heard the sound of doors slamming shut. He looked in the direction of the sound, but couldn't find anyone. Perhaps his joke about the place being haunted wasn't such a joke after all. It wouldn't be the first time he had visited a house with ghosts in it. Not that he had exorcised that residence, as divine magic simply wasn't he skillset.

He looked at the skeleton in the hall. If he counted as a create who could haunt a place, the house was officially in need of an exorcist, not that he cared to do such a thing; not all undead were inherently hostile.

[Roundabout]

@Conscripts @RedXIII

It was true that Tova wasn’t particularly keen on spending the night out in the rain. Not that it would’ve been the first time she’d been forced to sleep without shelter in the last two years that she’d been living on her own. She’d been lucky enough to find a dry cave to stay in for the first few months of being alone, but after an unfortunate encounter with a bear she’d been forced to leave. Since then, she’d slept wherever she could find and never stayed in one place for too long. The prospect of having roof over her head had been one of the reasons why she’d decided to go to the manor, so turning back now when nothing bad hadn’t even happened yet was indeed kind of stupid. The orc’s advice of staying was her best bet, but that didn’t mean she had to like it.

The orc left the main entrance and started walking down the side of the building. Tova hesitated for a moment, wondering if it would be better to just go inside, but then looked inside the now unobscured door and was reminded that the foyer was still filled with what to her looked like a bunch of humans and a giant lizard. And let’s not forget the walking dead who had disappeared somewhere further inside the building. No thank you.

Though, as she swept her gaze over the occupants of the foyer, it caught on one of them – the man with dark hair. Friend, her instincts whispered, to her great surprise and dismay. Oh hell no. No human was a friend of hers and she’d learned that the hard way. She’d thought that was one thing she and her instincts agreed on, but apparently not because it was insisting that the man was trustworthy. Based on absolutely nothing. Tova glared at him, concluding that he must be casting some kind of spell.

That definitely sealed the deal on not going inside, so she instead hurried after the orc. Who she was getting tired of calling ‘the orc’, so once she’d caught up, she asked, “So what’s your name? Mine’s Tova.”

As they walked, she kept a watchful eye through the ground floor windows.

[Red7VII]

Location: Manor | Interactions: Open

"Mmm." The stoic grunt was Marrok's signal that he was paying attention, taking in all the names and information, but also lost in thought. The biggest concern filling the room seemed to be the whereabouts and intentions of their mysterious host. He looked on as a couple of these recently made acquaintances seemed to splinter off in search for answers. The mutt's inquisitive nature certainly tempted him to do the same, to scratch that itch of curiosity and venture into the unknown in hopes of finding their reclusive proprietor.

Marrok's stomach rumbled a bit. He looked down with a small frown, as if embarrassed by the fact that he hadn't feasted in some time. The wildlife in the wood should certainly provide ample meals in the days to come, but Marrok wanted something now. Therefore there was only one destination of import: the kitchen.

Marrok flexed his nostrils as he took in breaths of air, attempting to track and pick up the smell of meats and morsels. The manor's unknown, but certainly substantial, age gave the halls their own overpowering fragrance. It was the sort of smell you attribute to antique artifacts. The aroma of time. Such a sent did a good job of masking and hiding all the others, making Marrok's task all the more difficult as he tried to locate a pantry.

He had hardly ever seen a kitchen reside on an ascended story, so he silently made up his mind to stay on the ground level and go east to see what he could behold.

[Ypnosi]

Yus glanced around the hallway, frowning. Hm, magic lamps of some kind. She debated for a moment whether to break it open to see what was inside or not, but that would probably attract too much attention, either from the other house-goers, or from... whatever else may, or may not, be present in the house. Right now, it was probably safest to just check out the rooms, maybe she could find out what these places were. Hopefully bedrooms, and hopefully enough of them for everyone. She wasn't really interested in sharing a room with someone.

And thus, she 'deduced' her best bet would just be to head over to the slightly ajar door, and carefully creak it open to peek inside, trying to get a view of the room without alerting whoever may or may not be inside, glancing around to get as much of a view of the room as she could, studying it as she slowly opened the door to try and avoid the hinges creaking, holding her breath to make as little noise as she possibly could. Was she being too paranoid? Perhaps, but paranoia was justified when most of the worlds population wanted you dead.

[Conscripts]

Goroth looked around the eastern side of the building for any signs of the thing that the faun was indicating earlier. There was nothing in particular outside that he could call as a sign of life, aside from the soothing treeline along the cobblestone wall lining the barrier between artificial and natural. It would be a nice area to work out in the morning, but his concern right now was still about the building. There is a door he found after walking a little deeper into the side of the building. Though it was higher than the windows, it was still shorter than what his species are. He still needed to bend over for the entrance.

"Goroth." The orc heard the faun's voice as she caught up with him. She also introduced herself as Tova. Not a bad name though. A little typical of fauns, but he'd take that. He thought it'd be something dumb instead. She also seemed a bit more comfortable around what is normally a predator to species like her. Hopefully she ain't as dumb as when they met.

As the orc looked at the door, preparing to get inside, he turned over to Tova for a curious questions.

"You like exploration?" If they were going in, in small spaces, if there were dangers, they better stick close. Him going first is just going to leave her behind.

@Roundabout

[LazyBoy]

Pike

@jasbraq

For a moment Pike felt a small weight be lifted off his shoulders as Adara seemed to understand his concerns without issue and resisted the urge to let out a sigh of relief. At least privacy is respected here, which considering the guest so far, is no big surprise. If they were all really non-humans then they all must understand the importance in secrecy just as much as Pike does. As Adara flipped another page in her book Pike took the chance to examine her, looking for some hint of what she was with a curious eye. A small frown of disappointment briefly flashed across his face as he failed before quickly turning his attention to one of the other guest, the Dracon Adara began addressing with a rather snobby tone. His smile arched up a bit in amusement at first before he noticed change in her tone and expression towards the Dracon. A small nervous chuckle escaped him as he glanced over to Adara, hoping she wouldn't push things with the Dracon too far and let things get out of control. To his luck though everyone here seemed sensible enough not to start a fight here so that was always a plus. A sigh of relief escaped him as things didn't look to be escalating and looked back to Adara with a small smile as she continued their conversation.

Pike gave a nod in agreement as she expressed her hope to start a quiet life and held back a bitter chuckle at the mention of not being hunted anymore. "That does sound appealing," he mused allowed with a small smile and spared a quick glance towards the second floor. Pike quickly returned his attention to Adara as she suddenly closed the distance between the two of them and felt his body grow tense, unsure what her intentions were. Ignoring the urge to step back he watched Adara with a curious eye as she spoke in a hushed tone. He was a bit taken back by her statement, arching a brow and tilting his head slightly with an amused smile as she tried to whistle away her words. Deciding to leave it be he gave a nod, a grateful glint flashing in his tired grey eyes before crossing his arms and letting out a sigh as she mentioned their hosts could be resting. "I'll admit I was hoping for something a bit more welcoming," he muttered before shaking away his disappointment and glancing up towards the stairs with a curious eye. "Well, we might as well explore if no one is going to show us around," he said before looking back to her and tilting his head towards the the stairs leading to the second floor. "Want to join me? Might come across something interesting," he offered with small smile.

[jasbraq]

Adara

Location: Manor
Interactions:@LazyBoy

---

Adara was a bit surprised by how tense he got at first hand when she approached him before realizing that maybe she shouldn't have sprinted at him at full speed just so she could whisper something in his ear, well no matter. Seeing the boy nod with a smile covering his face made her feel like she made the first steps of getting him to open up to her and well, having a person she could talk to about her previous life gave her a safe felling as well. "Well, in all honesty this is the most welcoming air I've felt in weeks. This is much better than just staying in a cave or behind a tavern..." The vampire responded with a slight chuckle, slowly starting to think about her old life again. She looks at the boy going up the stairs, getting a rather gleeful smile on her face as he offered her to join him on looking around the mansion before trying to act proper again. "That's sounds like a rather good idea, young man. Finding something interesting sounds quite fun but in all honesty I'd prefer to find my room so I can rest, running for all that time made me rather tired."

As the two made their way up the stairs they found a two paths that could lead to something interesting, seeing that the the left side had more to offer in terms of their side Adara pointed in that direction and walked a bit ahead of the boy. "Young man, this hallway is rather long isn't it... and do you feel that?" The vampire made a very crude pirouette-like movement before taking the air in in one big breath of air. "These lamps! It's been a while since I've felt that comfortably low amount of mana around me. They truly make me feel like I'm home once more." Walking with him to the hallway connected to the previous one with a almost childish composure. Adara looked around to see if it was just the two of them in close vicinity before stating. "I wouldn't mind telling you what I am, you know? I felt your gaze back at the foyer. The only thing I wish is that you would keep some secrecy about the things I will tell you."

[Cotton]

@Ypnosi

Yus

<Ground Floor - Lounge>

A rush of wind blows past Yus as she peeks through the door followed by... silence. On the other side of the door is another room, it seems. A lounge or sitting room, of some kind, with a few cozy armchairs, a fireplace, and a low table of some kind. In addition, there also appear to be two tables, each with two chairs, flanking a shelf carrying writing supplies. A way to pass the time, perhaps?

Lying on the low table in the middle of the room appears to be a note of some kind. Written on the visible side is 'For the Guests', but nothing else. Perhaps the other side of the note holds more text?

---

@Raditz

Gino

<First Floor - Unclaimed Bedroom>

Gino's knocking on the door and calls go unanswered, and nothing stops him from opening the door. On the other side appears to be a bedroom. There's a comfortable-looking double bed with a nightstand, a dresser, a desk with an armchair, and two doors on the other side of the room. On the bed lies an envelope, with a brass key next to it with the number 3 carved into it. Perhaps it's the key to this bedroom?

The room is illuminated by a lamp hanging from the ceiling, with a cord hanging from it, alongside a lamp on the nightstand.

---

@LazyBoy - @jasbraq

Pike - Adara

<First Floor - Central Hallway>

Pike and Adara's journey up the stairs takes them past Gino as he opens the door to a bedroom, before leading them into what seems to be a hallway connecting the western to the eastern hallway. There appears to only be one door here, directly to their left, but at the end of the hallway there appears to be a set of stairs heading down to the ground floor. The part of the hallway they are in right now is more decorated than the rest, however, as four identical statues line the right wall; Marble statues of faceless knights, the only splash of colour they carry being the blue gem with a green core imbedded in each of their foreheads. Much like the lamps, these gems seem to radiate mana and give off some light. Are they just decorative, or do they carry a greater purpose?

---

@RedXIII

Marrok

<Ground Floor - Eastern Hallway>

As Marrok heads east, his nostrils can very vaguely pick up what certainly cells like meat coming from quite close by. It seems that he's made the right choice, heading east, as the vague scent of meat seems to be coming from the second door on the right side of the eastern hallway. Perhaps a kitchen, or simply a pantry? Either way, that's where the smell seems to be coming from, and there's only one way to know for sure what lies behind that door.

Whether or not the meat will turn out to have been preserved properly is another story entirely, however...

---

@Conscripts - @Roundabout

Goroth - Tova

<Ground Floor - Livingroom>

The doorway through which the Orc and faun pass seems to lead the two not into a hallway, but into a room. Comfortably furnished with some couches, a bookshelf, and a large table with some chairs, this room seems to be a livingroom of some kind. There are two other doors here, one to the right of where they entered, and one opposite of them. Lying on the table appears to be a letter of some kind, still sealed, but with a letter-opener lying next to it. It is adressed to 'The Guests', with no other names on it.

---

Ground Floor Map

First Floor Map

[Raditz]

The skeleton approached the bed and leaned over to pluck the envelope and key from their resting place. He heard the footsteps of two more coming up behind him, with chatter somewhat muted by the awkward accoustics. Gino glanced over his shoulder and took note of the two human-looking people rounding the corner; he still couldn't tell what made either of them 'inhuman', but noted that the hooded child he'd seen earlier had split up from what he'd assumed was her family. He overheard some of their conversation as they moved past the room.

"Young man, this hallway is rather long isn't it... and do you feel that? These lamps! It's been a while since I've felt that comfortably low amount of mana around me. They truly make me feel like I'm home once more."

Young man? She definitely looked younger than him; was it appropriate for her to call him that? And what in the nine hells was mana? Gino tried to hear more without approaching, but they were now too far for him to succeed. With his eavesdropping brought to a swift end, Gino turned his attention to the envelope in his boney hand, opening it and scanning its contents. With others spreading out to investigate the manor, the skeleton's earlier haste abated, and he began to relax a little.

[Roundabout]

"You like exploration?"

The orc - Goroth - asked, clearly indicating for her to go in first. Tova fidgeted for a moment, indecisive. In her heart, she did indeed like exploration, more so than what her village had deemed wise. But that inclination had also been what had gotten her burned in the past. Who knew what lied behind that door? Only one way to find out, her heart said, while her mind insisted on poisonous gas or faun-eating monsters.

Then again, she already met an actual faun-eating monster, and the worst thing he had done was act a bit gruff. With that in mind, she nodded and answered, "Sure." Trying to come off as more casual than she felt.

The doorhandle was cold and didn't make a sound as she carefully pulled it down. She paused to throw one last look at her companion - making sure he didn't ditch her - before inching the door open and peeking inside. When nothing immediately jumped out and tore her face off, she opened it further and let it slide fully open to allow Goroth to also see inside. She took a few steps forward, her hooves clacking on the polished wood floor. Past the door was a spacious room - larger than a room had any right to be, honestly - with a table, chairs and a few other strange chairs that seemed to be clad in some kind of fluffy, soft material. She walked further inside, taking everything in in awe, "So this is what human houses look like inside, huh." She said, mostly to herself. She walked to the strange chairs, pressing her hand into the soft material, and was fascinated by the way the fabric almost swallowed her hand whole. It was like a straw stuffed mattress but formed into a chair. Leaving the strange furniture, she was drawn to the bookshelf, studying the different colored spines of the books, all adorned with a neat row of letters. She traced one with her finger, sounding out the letters carefully. She could read passably well, but the education in her village had mostly been verbal though tales and songs passed down from generation to generation.

She turned back to Goroth, giving in the to the need to fill the silence by saying something, less it turn awkward, "Looks pretty neat, don't you think? And no signs of humans yet! Or, well...other than those other people. But they can't be human, can they? The letter was pretty clear on that, right? Maybe they're hiding their fur under their clothes. Oh, or maybe they're tiny orcs! Your long-lost cousins or something." She said the last part with a slightly nervous laugh, hoping Goroth would take it for the joke she meant for it to be.

@Conscripts

[Ypnosi]

Yus frowned, the wind rushing past her with... seemingly no source? The girl stepped into the room, closing it swiftly behind her, wincing as it made more noise than she had hoped for. A lounge of some kind... that sort of explained why the door had been opened, but didn't explain either the wind, or the door being open, but no one inside.

Though there was the nagging feeling in her that it could potentially still be a trap, Yus' curiousity was insatiable, and she stepped over cautiously, taking the note, and flipping it over to examine it, one hand fidgeting nervously as she shifted, reading the other side, assuming the other side indeed had... more text. She couldn't see any reason it wouldn't.

[ArmorPlated]

???

Manor Exterior > Manor Living-room

In the distance it could see the dark clouds of an encroaching thunderstorm, the boom of thunder promising a deluge of rain. The storm was already filling the air with a detestable humidity, and the winds were becoming less agreeable. The manor was already coming into view, the estate the only sign of 'civilization' in sight from the sky. The building's architecture was as unfamiliar as the rest of the lands surrounding it, but it was a vague promise of safety in a land filled with barbarians and violence. Lightning flashed in the distance, and the rumble of thunder followed soon after. With the storm bearing down, the creature's decision was made. Falling victim to a thunderstorm was a guarantee of suffering and loss that was wholly unacceptable after coming so far, and that made caution a luxury.

As it angled downwards into a dive, buffeted by the wind, it spotted movement. Two figures, one massive and the other comparatively tiny by a door on the east side of the manor, the door swinging open as the small one pulled. Seeing people came with a strange mixture of hope and fear. Caution is a luxury... It steepened it's dive and angled for the opened door. Despite its size the descent was controlled and quiet, but nothing could hide the shadow it cast upon the ground. The little one had already entered, but the giant had yet to enter. It closed in on the ground quickly, it's serpentine body as straight as it could manage. Before it could hit the ground, it pulled up, putting all of the downward momentum forward. Curving around the Orc, the sickly yellow creature catapulted itself into the Living-Room.

Without sufficient room to fully stop, the creature bumped into the wall with a soft thud before quickly collapsing to the floor, its body quickly pulling itself into a different shape even as it dove behind the couch furthest from the other two guests. Obscured from view, the sound of rustling and crinkling filled the room for a moment before the same sickly yellow peeked over the back. The shape of a head peeking from under the edge of a cloak rose for a moment, a misshapen green iris barely visible in the cloak's shadow, quickly glancing about the room and over the orc and fawn before it retreated behind the furniture once more. A rasping whisper-like voice chattered at the other two occupants of the room for a moment in a strange tongue.

"Jwih oce qeagh ijh hub'boch acs heeyh jhe bahjeg ot jwe wouhe'wozs."
"This one bears its summons and seeks the master of the household."
The familiar appearance of an invitation rose from behind the couch, unfolded and waving back and forth for only a moment before it too retreated.

These look so different from the ones before. This means it was a truth? Then why do I still feel this fear?it thought to itself.