Hero

Of Blood and Magic

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In her rush to follow the rainbow tiger, Lilie had completely forgotten about Ben. Not literally--she had made sure to drag him along as she tried to keep up with it--but maybe not informing her blind count wasn't the best idea. Of course, she was also more focused on keeping up. It was pretty fast and she could only follow so quickly. Where was it going, anyway? It was definitely trying to lead her somewhere, and as much as she hoped it was the exit, she was starting to think she was being lead elsewhere.

"We're following a cat made out of water that lead us back to that challenge we failed and it absorbed the rainbow and turned into a tiger and now we're following it!" Lilie hastily explained as she made sure to keep an eye on it. She didn't miss the whispers growing, though she couldn't really make out what they were saying.

Once the tiger came to a stop so did Lilie, and she was glad to take a second to catch her breath. A hut? Oh no, another challenge, Ben said it was best to take what they could and just go. Did this count as disobeying? In her defense, she thought it was going to lead her to the way out or at least to the next riddle that would give them instructions or something. Well, since they were here anyway, there wasn't any harm in at least checking it out, right?

As the thought crossed her mind, though, suddenly the tiger was just gone, killed by lightning. She gasped, horrified, though she let out a squeak of surprise as she only then noticed the man when he spoke. When did he get there?! She backed up, bumping into Ben as she looked at where the tiger once was.

"Who--Who are you?" She asked nervously.

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Taking on the challenge with @Bert Macklin.

ᴏɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴩᴀᴛʜ ᴏꜰ ꜱᴩɪᴅᴇʀ ʟɪʟɪᴇꜱ

A wind would blow through the village, picking up the stray petals and letting them flutter to the ground on their own. What was once a multitude of color and variation, however, was now only one: petals fallen from a spider lily. Slowly, the grass painted itself scarlet, the color overtaking nearly all of Hikari's surroundings until it seemingly reached the sky. Orange and purples gave way to the red until it reached the clouds and sun, blotting it out and plunging him into a world of red.

"There you are." A voice called out to him, its direction indiscernible. The only thing uncolored was himself, as if someone had shined a light on him, and smaller lights started popping up all around, sprouting more spider lilies. Before he would have a chance to react, however, each lily exploded, showering him in petals until they clung to him. One after another they piled on, their small size quickly multiplying until he was covered head to toe. The darkness would claim him in that moment.

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A melody was hummed nearby, and when Hikari would come to, he would see himself in a room with wooden walls and doors. One wall bore a cage-like pattern, its door locked tight. He had been resting on a small, soft futon, a low desk next to him with an assortment of the possessions he carried on him organized neatly--the only exception was the opened and now empty red bag. A pitcher of water with a cup was placed on a seat on the other side of the cell, and a flickering torch gently lit the area up.

Through the bars he would see a pale, ethereal looking woman with hair nearly as white as her skin. Her kimono was unusual, its sash and lack of length almost unorthodox, and yet its quality was unquestionable--it looked like it could have easily been commissioned by a lord of the land. She paid no mind to him, focused instead on her reflection in an opened barrel of water. Her fingers delicately pinned her hair back, and as she lowered her arms, he would see the hair ornament previously gifted to him now in her hair.

"Perfect," She mused to herself, and after a few seconds looked up, meeting Hikari with an unusual pair of amber eyes. A red colored symbol sat on her forehead, a marking familiar to ones used in ceremonies long-passed in Shiorwa. "Good morning, little light. Still human, are you? A Lunari Priest through and through...although, not much of one if you managed to get dragged here so easily by Manjushage." Her voice was light and airy, almost mocking if one listened hard enough. "Ah, well... what Ajisai wants, Ajisai gets. And here you are!"

Persona: The Rod of Asclepius

Persona: The Rod of Asclepius

Persona ~ The Beholder

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Finding the way back was a lot easier said than done. The fog wasn't helping things, either, further fuddling both eyesight and sense of direction. Not that she really had any in the first place--she still used her GPS to find her way to the grocery store--but she wasn't about to tell Laurence that. What they needed to do was stay calm, and she had to admit that much wasn't too hard. The only thing that really made her uneasy was the fact that she had no idea where the right direction to go was. But if they wandered around long enough, they were bound to find something, right?

With that in mind, Cara took out her cellphone again. Even without service, there was supposed to be some sort of emergency line, wasn't there? After messing with it, however, she found it was just as useless. It was worth a shot. As she pocketed her phone again, she swore she heard music. She assumed she had left her music playing, but it wasn't coming from her.

Looking up at Laurence, she could tell it wasn't coming from him, either. "Do you hear that?" She asked him, looking around. It was a familiar melody to her, sounding like it was a little muffled, but she swore it didn't sound too far away.

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_{Checking up on @LetMeDoStuff}

𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑫𝒊𝒂𝒎𝒐𝒏𝒅 & 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑹𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉

As Harun remained in the hallway for a moment, a pair of footsteps alerted him to someone else approaching. The same guard that had escorted Lakshmi away had returned. He no longer held the previous stress he had before, instead looking more impatient than anything. He briefly looked at the room for a moment before looking at Harun once again.

"Since you have time to loiter, you're clearly not utilizing your time wisely. I suggest you focus if you still want your pay at the end of the day," He stated harshly. "The heat has our guests feeling faint. You clearly have nothing better to do, so follow."

Turning without waiting for a response, the guard would lead Harun to a room occupied by the cities finest in both material possessions and people. While the rest of the palace wasn't lacking in opulence, it was clear this room was meant to impress. From fine rugs splayed about to the many statues placed precariously, there was an abundance of wealth in items alone. Some would argue that the people within did compare, however--finely dressed nobles from around the country were seated on a number of different couches with the exception of the sultan on his throne.

On one of the couches closest to the throne sat an olive skinned gentleman with sharp eyes and features. There was something about him that came off as insincere--his every movement seemed calculated, every word spoken only after a considerable amount of thought was put into it. Still, anyone that interacted with him seemed enraptured, a little afraid, even. Considering he was one of the sultan's most politically powerful men, perhaps his position held some weight.

He finished speaking to someone before bringing his attention to a very disinterested Lakshmi, whose eyes seemed to be staring at a particularly fascinating spot on the wall. He ran his hand under her chin, her eyes snapping to him with a dark look, though he seemed to enjoy it.

At that point, the guard shoved a large fan into Harun's hands. "The khedive needs refreshing. Go to him," He barked his order.

ᴏɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴩᴀᴛʜ ᴏꜰ ꜱᴩɪᴅᴇʀ ʟɪʟɪᴇꜱ

Amida was pleased to hear Hikari's resolve, letting out a hoarse-sounding chuckle before clearing his throat. "You needn't worry this time; you've done plenty," He reassured him. "Fortunately, you have the same spiritual prowess as your ascendant. The demons nearby would have to be bold to approach us now even if they had the numbers."

He gazed at the red hues in the sky for a moment before he turned back to the young man. "Even with other villages nearby, they've always seemed to have an eye on our humble home. I've always wondered why," He mused out loud. "They've tried time and time again, almost as if they were after something. At first we believed it had been one of our ancestor's heirlooms, but even after sending them away for safekeeping, the demons continue trying to get into Shiroiwa."

His expression darkened as he let out a sigh. "In our youth, your grandfather and I tried to solve this mystery. We and...what was that young lady's name again?" He paused, shaking his head. "I can't seem to remember. But the three of us felt there was something more to their attacks, some motivation that if resolved could bring our home peace. But after she disappeared, your grandfather let it be. I suppose I can't blame him; so long as the barrier keeps us safe, why go through all the hassle?"

Of Blood and Magic

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Enamored was one way to put it, but not the word Eris would've used. The blond had to admit he was a little more invested in finding out why his phone was blowing up instead of the conversation at hand. Or he was until Max made his comment. Either the kid was smarter than he thought or he was sticking his nose where it didn't belong. Since he did catch the kid with his tongue down Plant Boy's throat he wouldn't put it past him, but then again, trying to seduce Ismene was about as effective as trying to put the moves on a houseplant.

Maybe he was being presumptuous, not everyone was trying to get into other people's pants. But with his earlier warning and previous conversation, Eris could deduce that the kid wasn't a complete idiot. Initiative indeed, even if he didn't want to admit it. For someone who probably thought everything was a pain, the kid was sure a pain himself. Oh well, Eris would be lying if he didn't enjoy that.

This time he would respond to Ismene's latest email, though afterwards he gave Max his full attention, clearly intrigued. Instead of half-assing he should full-ass his playfulness, it was such a refreshing change from the usual grumpiness. "I'm offended, it's supposed to be Wells and Eric against the world, not you and her," He whined, throwing Max a pout. "If you're trying to make me jealous, it's working." He couldn't help but tease.

Text to Max from Ismene

> Maybe. I'm convinced it's yet another stipulation to entangle them further. I'll update you once I have more information.

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Blah blah blahing with @Scribe of Thoth

Scion: Children of Light

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Current Mood in One Gif