The Muse

~ Welcome to Sanctuary ~

	The Mayor’s Secretary | Amy Ross

10pm

Back stage, hidden from the crowd behind a maroon curtain, Amy looked down at her watch as the band finally finished setting up their equipment. They were thirty minutes behind on schedule! Who knew getting the second stage and band set up would've taken so long?! The festival was supposed to be half way into the show and wrapping up by now! She hoped the nearby locals wouldn't mind the noise for another hour and hopefully the mayor wouldn't hear any complaints tomorrow. As if being late wasn't enough, it seemed like the lead singer of the band was wasted as well - Amy could smell the bitter scent of alcohol wafting off the girl from ten feet away. It was a bit irksome, but there were no other options for the live music show tonight. In truth, Amy hadn't been able to nail down another band for the festival before she reached out to the Snype siblings. She had known they could be trouble around town, but she took the risk anyway. At least she'd heard a few good things here and there about the way their music sounded. Plus, the Fox Hole Tavern seemed to host them all the time. So the locals must like their music!

"Ready?" Amy asked, directing her question at Zach, the person she had set this all up with. He gave her a nod of approval as he picked up his guitar and Amy grinned and looked toward the sound engineers. Giving them her own nod of approval to turn on the wireless mic in her hand, Amy walked out from behind the curtains excitedly. The crowd before her, a sea of eager faces, was buzzing with anticipation.

"Ladies and gentlemen! Are you ready for the crescendo to our festival tonight?!" The crowd cheered, their enthusiasm a heartwarming reward for the hard work she had put into organizing this whole event. "I'm sure many of you already know them, but I am thrilled to introduce to you a local gem," Amy continued, a bright smile spread across her face. "Their music truly reflects their talent, passion, and a love for what they do. Without further ado, please give a warm welcome to... 'Vermillion Ablaze'!"

The stage lights shifted to a deep, fiery red, and the crowd burst into cheers and whistles as the band members ran out from behind the curtain and took their places on stage. Amy jogged back behind the curtain once more as Emily aggressively took hold of the standing mic, confidence exuding from her.

“Step inside
Walk this way
You and me babe
Hey hey!!”

Amy raised a brow as the other two band members began to chime in with the recognizable melody of "Pour Some Sugar On Me". That wasn't really what Amy had expected the locals to be so excited about, but hey - they sounded great!

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The first song of the set: Cover of "Pour Some Sugar on Me" by Def Leppard

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_{Interactions: Zach & Em @Viciousmarrow & Kitty @LovelyComplex}

Adventure Awaits! - Prompt Voting CYOA (Always Open)

@Light My vote goes to...

"Wait. We should get reinforcements in case this proves too dangerous."

That way, we can kill three birds with one stone: We can get her back to her master without resistance from Aika, we can gather more information on the dragon and why taking the heart is so important to Aika (and make sure that we won't be starting some apocalypse by releasing it), and we can ensure that Aika doesn't get herself killed by ensuring we have actually have reinforcements we can trust.

@Guardian Angel Haruki

I second this. :)

The Nameless City

Alora sighed as she watched Ergen disappear down the hallway, her heart beating fast against her chest from the previous confrontation. Historically it was hard to shake Alora’s constitution, but Ergen had proven himself to be proficient at such a task many times over. 'You're hopeless.' She thought, unsure if she was talking about herself or Ergen at that moment.

Shaking her head, she turned the other direction and entered into her own bedroom which was right on the other side of his. Closing the door behind her, Alora made her way to a makeshift wooden chest that she had carefully crafted herself with a few trial and errors. Carpentry did not turn out to be her strong suit, especially with proper materials being so difficult to find, but this had been her first and final work which she treasured. On its face was a large security ikon painted in dried blood, the deep crimson color having seeped into the wooden crevices years ago. Kneeling down, Alora gently swiped two fingers along the ikon in an intricate pattern only known to her. Without entering this pattern the wood would remain sealed. If someone tried to destroy the chest or happened to swipe two more incorrect patterns the ikon would detonate itself.

As she made one final downward swipe, the wood came to life and shifted with audible creaks and cracks before fully separating itself. Alora pushed open the top of the chest and reached inside to pull out a tattered black cloak. She dusted it off a few times before tying it around her shoulders and pulling the hood up over her ears, feeling a familiar sense of safety enveloping her. This cloak had been with her ever since she had parted from the second ring and had been useful more times than she could count; especially considering her acquired sensitivity to sunlight. It was nostalgic to her at this point and one of the items she had become most attached to.

Tapping the chest twice with the heel of her black boots, the wooden chest creaked and sealed itself off to the outside world once more. Walking over to a nearby desk, Alora grabbed a small glass bottle filled with clay and dropped it into the inner pocket lining of her cloak. It never hurt to walk around with something she could use at a moment's notice to create ikons, especially on a day like today. If the protection ikons already written on Ergen didn’t work, perhaps she could save him with more.

Exiting her room and locking the door behind her, Alora made her way down the decrepit hallway. She knew the general area that Ergen was headed to and she intended to be nearby if he needed her to be. Not too much further down the building walls began to deteriorate; wooden beams rested on the floor, windows shattered, and entire walls had caved in after years of neglect and becoming exposed to the elements of the storms. As the roof disappeared overhead, Alora looked up towards the sky. “Storm clouds.” She whispered to herself, taking in the sight of the gathering darkness. It seemed that Ergen had been right in his predictions after all.

Turning her attention back towards the streets, Alora noticed people gathering outside and marveling at the sky themselves; fear in their eyes. Seeing a couple standing nearby with a newborn baby in the mothers arms, Alora frowned and approached them. Laying a hand on the mothers shoulder, Alora met her with caring eyes. “It isn’t safe out here, please find cover somewhere soon.” She warned with a soft voice, giving the woman's shoulder a gentle squeeze before moving on.

Carefully climbing up a large pile of concrete rubble, Alora looked down at the gathering crowd. “Everyone!” Alora raised her voice for the crowd to hear her over the growing murmur of voices. “Please find cover. The storm approaches!” She looked over the crowd from beneath her hood, wishing she could take away their fear. There was no way to tell how bad this storm would be, especially since it had been a full moon cycle since that last one. “Be with your loved ones.” She sensed that some of the people in the streets did not fully believe her, but she felt no obligation to prove herself to them. She did what she could for the time being and it would have to be enough. Her healing expertise would likely be put to use for them after the storm - assuming the fourth ring wasn’t about to be consumed. Hopping down from the rubble, Alora continued on her way towards where she believed Ergen to be.

~ Welcome to Sanctuary ~

"I have a kit in my truck, I could have cleaned and found a light bandage if you asked. I'm trained."

Reya smiled at Talie’s concern, but shook her head to decline the offer. "I’m okay, really." She shrugged and settled back into her seat. "It’s funny looking back at it now. I know who I’m calling if I ever need a serious distraction." She laughed a little at the memory of Talie barreling into her on purpose. "I assume you were trying to save me from Zach?" She questioned, raising a brow and glancing over at Talie curiously.

"Shall we see if you can get a backstage date, those two look ruggedly handsome. If you like them that way. Older, little more rough round edges but also more experienced."

Reya turned her attention back towards the stage, finding two familiar but unexpected faces on stage carrying around music equipment. "Oh, that’s Barry and Mitch, I know them." She said, eyeing the two as they crossed the stage and joked with one another. Why in the world were they setting up all the equipment for the band? Did Zach hire them? Barry was typically a regular in the tavern, but Reya hadn’t seen him in some time which was unfortunate; she enjoyed his company. She had never considered him to be someone in her dating pool, especially since he was more than ten years her senior, but there was no denying that he was ruggedly handsome. Still, the thought of such a thing was… odd. Mitch was at least her age, but Reya had never thought of being more than just friends with them. They were definitely attractive, but Mitch had never shown any interest and neither had Reya. Why ruin a perfectly good friendship? "I can introduce you, if you like." Reya smirked and looked back over at Talie who was offering her a bite of waffles.

"Uhh, hello there! Is this table open? I'm kinda new in town and I'm still adjusting my bearings a little bit. I'm Candrawati, but you can just call me Candra for short.”

"Hi Candra, pleasure to meet you." Reya replied with a warm smile, making eye contact with the beautifully dark haired woman who made herself comfortable at their table. Introductions to strangers came naturally to Reya after working at the tavern for so long, so luckily she did not feel too awkward with this random interruption. Plus, it wasn’t in her to turn a cold shoulder or tell the woman to sit somewhere else. "I’m Reya, and this is my friend Talie." She gestured over to the other brunette. "The band is Vermillion Ablaze. It looks like they should be ready to start soon."

Looking over the newcomer, Reya was surprised to see how nicely dressed and manicured the woman appeared. A suit worn to a summer festival seemed like a strange choice in this rural town. What corporation did she work for? Maybe she was someone new in the Mayor’s office trying to make a good first impression? Usually Reya would have heard about a new hire there by now; many of the older crowd that worked in City Hall attended the tavern for lunch and they loved to gossip. "Did you just move here?" She inquired, wondering if the woman was just passing through or not.

Glancing over at the stage, Reya briefly wondered where Stella was. It had been a while since she had left for the bathroom, which was concerning since Stella was drunk. What if she was lost? Maybe she was throwing up… No, the line was probably just long. Yes, that had to be it. Reya decided to wait a little longer before gathering a search party and returned her attention back to the women at the table.

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_{Interactions: Talie @PrinceAlexus & Candra @Kumbaris
Mentions: Barry, Mitch @BeastofDestiny & Stella @LovelyComplex}

Adventure Awaits! - Prompt Voting CYOA (Always Open)

I wasn't super invested in trying to figure out the puzzle if I'm honest, but I am still interested in the story over all!

~ Welcome to Sanctuary ~

Despite Ana having told herself that she would no longer associate herself with the cold, calm, and calculatingly devious types, here she was standing next to a man who fit that exact description. It was as if she couldn't help herself; these types of men pulled her like a magnet. Somehow, out of everyone in this town, Ana had found her way to him. The air about Moxi was almost intoxicating. It scared her, especially given her recent trauma, but something about the danger made her excited. She knew she was moving into quicksand and yet she stepped forward willingly. Clearly, the lesson she was meant to learn had not fully sunk in.

_{“You’re looking for chaos because you don’t know any other way to live, Ana.”}

She could hear her old therapist's voice in the back of her mind, chiming in after Ana had expressed confusion and frustration on why she continued to stay with her ex-husband and his abuse year after year.

“Zat look vill not vorrrk viz me,”

But god did it feel good when she could get the distant “bad boys” to play nice - for her. He said the look wouldn’t work, and yet it clearly had. Ana let a faint smirk rise onto her lips as she bit the inside of her bottom lip, her blue eyes fixated on the mysterious man as he stood. She wanted to know more of him.

"Thank you, you’re the sweetest." She said, beginning to follow Moxi to the nearest alcohol vendor. Suddenly Ana felt Lily’s hand grip her shoulder and yank her to a stop, immediately snapping Ana out of her fascination with Moxi.

“What are you doing?! You can’t date that guy! He’s bad news!” Ana’s coy smile dropped as she met eyes with Lily who was clearly very worried and nervous. She listened closely to all the rumors that had been levied against Moxi, which wasn’t very surprising to her in this small town. Hell, even Ana had wondered if Moxi was in an inappropriate relationship with that young red-headed girl earlier in the day. Maybe that was her intuition giving her a red flag and she ignored it?

As Lily shook her and then aggressively pulled her into a hug, Ana tensed for a brief moment as she processed what was happening. It had been a very long time since she had been touched by someone in a caring way, much less by a complete stranger. Ana relaxed eventually and returned the embrace, wrapping her arms tightly around Lily. The hug and her kind words had meant more to Ana than she would ever let Lily know. Lily was probably right, and Ana would heed her words, but… Ana had always been much better at taking care of others than she was at taking care of herself.

"Don’t worry," Ana grinned and stepped out of Lily’s embrace, keeping her voice at a whisper. "I can take care of myself." Reaching out, Ana grabbed Lily’s hand and took a few slow steps back toward where Moxi had walked off towards. "Come on, we’re here for free drinks. Why not have a little fun? You deserve it." She winked at Lily and turned back to follow Moxi with Lily in tow.

"Moxi, my love," She called after him playfully, "I’ll take a rum and coke, if you’d be so kind. And for my friend, Lily… " She looked up at the taller woman, ''What would you like, hun?"

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_{Interactions: Lily @Viciousmarrow & Moxi @Zora}

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	The Mayor’s Secretary | Amy Ross

"Hello. Are you perhaps the secretary to the mayor? I would like to make a donation of some $ 1,500 dollars to the charity auction, I understand that the auction is over, but if you would be so kind as to accept this little donation, I would be eternally grateful."

“AH!” Amy jumped in her seat and dropped her pen, startled by the sudden voice and person standing next to her. Looking up from the paperwork she had been filling out to count up all the charity money, Amy's brown eyes met the blue eyes of a woman she had never seen in town before. Given the women's professional attire, Amy briefly wondered if she was part of City Hall. That couldn’t be, though, Amy knew everyone in the office!

“Oh! Yes, that is me. Wow!” Amy sheepishly laughed at herself and beamed a smile at the newcomer, taking a mental note that the woman had referred to the donation as “little.” Clearly, she had money. “You are incredibly kind, thank you so much, miss! I wish the stage was still set up so that I could thank you in front of everyone.” Her eyes darted over to where the auction had been held, but the event crew had already torn down more than half of the platform and sound equipment. “We truly appreciate your generosity.”

“My name is Amy Ross. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” Amy reached out her hand for a handshake, her eyes then moving behind the woman to see the other stage across the festival grounds that were nearly finished being set up. “The show is about to start, it should be great! Definitely don’t miss out on that one!”

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_{Interactions:Candra @Kumbaris}

~ Welcome to Sanctuary ~

@Kumbaris Love her! Go ahead and put her in the character tab :)

~ Welcome to Sanctuary ~

@Kumbaris Here's the Discord link: discord.gg/uK52kY8C

We can catch you up on the important things. There's so much to read if you start from the beginning and some of it doesn't apply anymore due to characters leaving haha

~ Welcome to Sanctuary ~

@Kumbaris Definitely! We'd love to have you :)

~ Welcome to Sanctuary ~

"Is it always the quiet ones though? A little rope play perhaps?"

Reya burst out laughing, trying to erase the image of the sheriff tying up Talie in his bedroom. That was the last thing she wanted to imagine! "It is always the quiet ones, you’re right." She agreed, holding the smile on her face as she looked around for a free table to take their food to. A lot of people were beginning to gather in the area; some choosing to sit in the grass, some at tables, and some standing right in front of the stage. "Oh, there’s a good spot!" She pointed towards an empty table that was fairly close to the stage. "Let’s hurry before it gets taken."

“I realized… I have to pee! So hold this. Take care of her, Talie, I’ll be back.”

"Oh -" Reya took the food and water that Stella shoved into her hands, "Wait, you don’t want us to come with you?" She asked, confused, but it was too late. Stella was already hightailing it away from them before Reya could even finish the question. "What the heck is going on with her…" Reya muttered under her breath, wondering why Stella was being so flighty today.

"Well, let’s go grab the table at least.” Reya looked over at Talie and tilted her head in the direction of the table she had spotted as a gesture for Talie to follow. “Hopefully the line for the bathroom won’t be too long so she doesn’t miss the show.” Reya thought out loud as they made their way across the knoll area where people were beginning to post up.

Sitting down at the table, Reya slid Stella’s food and drink across from her at the table to save her seat. Looking up, Reya took in the view they had of the stage as the band began to set up their instruments. “Have you heard them play before?” Reya asked, looking over at Talie. “I think they are actually pretty good, usually.” She looked back at the stage, “I might be biased, though. I grew up with all of them so I’ve heard them play a lot.” She smiled, purposely leaving out the part about also having a giant crush on the guitar player who Talie tried to “save” her from earlier in the day. Thinking of that incident, Reya looked down at her leg which was all scraped up with bits of dried blood on it. “I think this is fitting for a rock concert. Fits the vibe.” She laughed, stretching out her leg so Talie could see her new accessory.

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_{Interactions: Stella @LovelyComplex & Talie @PrinceAlexus}