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 Posted: Sat Feb 16, 2013 3:57 pm
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"Well, that's just not cricket," K'anpo quipped, yelping and leaping out of the way just before the Princess poured out all the nice, hot tea and took off with the teapot. And some fish lady already took off with all the biscuits as well. Huffing and crossing his arms over his chest, he took a seat anyway. "My dear Doctor, I'm starting to wonder if this 'games' lady has taken our compatriots' manners as well? Depriving two poor gentlecolts of their proper tea and biscuits."
-----
Well, best to follow instinct in these situations; and if anyone knew how to get out of here, maybe those fireflies did. The trip through the brambles was far from pleasant, but if it meant getting out of here, then so be it. Kane was no stranger to pain anyway, and this was nothing. His mother might have something to say about the clothes when he returned them, but under the circumstances, he felt it'd be justified in the end. Even if he wasn't looking forward to the look on her face...
The macabre garden that welcomed them on the other side actually offered more options than he would have expected from such a place. Kane's attention was immediately drawn to the gardening tools. They were old and worn, but better than nothing. He knew better than to expect them to work on the hedge maze itself; if something magical were keeping him from flying or shape-shifting, he didn't think they'd make it that easy to get out of here. But, with a little ingenuity... He grabbed an old gardening hoe from the pile, noting some splintering in the wood just above the metal end. Bracing the metal end against the ground, the staff firmly in both hands, he took careful aim, then put all his weight into a downward strike with his foot, completing the break with a snap of splintering wood. He picked up the now-lighter wooden staff, jagged and splintered at one end, but it would do for a weapon if necessary.
Before leaving the area, he paused and looked strangely at a purple feather lying at his feet, then bent over to pick it up. He held it to his nose, normally so sensitive, yet now...nothing. He couldn't tell anything about where the feather had come from. Maybe it had been here longer than he thought, and all scents were washed away by time and the elements. Frowning, he pushed the thought away for now to see what his companion was doing.
"What the hell are you thinking," he snapped, returning in time to see Opal grabbing all the biscuits from the table. He snarled, snatching one from her hand to wave it in her face. "Ever think they might be poisoned or something, stupid?!?" Kane didn't like this situation already, but if his partner was about to start doing stupid things that might get them both killed...ugh. "We don't know WHAT might be a trap, woman!" He sneered, looking at the biscuit in his hand. It seemed normal enough...but that didn't really mean anything here, did it? He sniffed at it experimentally...smelled fresh, just a bit sweet...but nothing that clued that there might be anything 'off' about it to the demon.
Well, if his idiot partner was going to take them all anyway, he'd like to at least know what she was dragging along with them. He pinched off a corner of the biscuit, questioning his sanity in doing so, and tasted it. |
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Posted: Sat Feb 16, 2013 4:13 pm
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Azure frowned at Brandy feeling insulted that she had gotten after him for picking up the feather, it was blue! He held onto it anyways, he had already wasted so much precious time picking it up, it would just take him longer to put it back down. The male cowered away from Brandi, "She was really nice... and she asked nicely." he responded meekly in his defense "Maybe you could learn something from her" he mumbled almost incoherently. He crossed his arms, well even if her hair wasn't going to light up this path, it still seemed like the better way to go. "Come on." he said a little more forcefully, trying not to cower down to her again. He really didn't want to spend all this time with her, he was absolutely miserable, she was the last pae he wanted to get lost with. Azure wondered for a moment if this might be a bit more romantic if he had gotten lost with Dyas. He sighed, and looked at Brandi, I think this will get us out of here, its the least obvious..." |
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Posted: Sat Feb 16, 2013 4:17 pm
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Xanthea followed Elizabeth's lead, so very thankful her companion was more calm and knowledgeable in this situation. All she wanted to do was curl up and close her eyes, hoping to wake up in her own safe bed. When Elizabeth spotted the shiny thing in the dirt, she bent to help, but was distracted by her own natural curiosity watching the other Pae'il who had crawled through the hedge tunnel. In crisis situations, Pae sure got greedy. One took the entire food supply, even though she'd never eat anything so suspicious, and another just completely wasted hot tea to take the pot and cups. She watched one grab a pot full of something stinky --she assumed based on the fancier ones reaction-- and she tipped her head in confusing why the brown faun with horse hooves seemed at first delighted to be here, then his disappointment came from an unexpected source: watching the waste of tea. Was he stupid to trust it and think the scary host of this game was hospitable? And then the striped demon just broke one of the garden tools. "Elizabeth, I think everyone's going nuts, we need to get out of here."
She remembered she was supposed to actually be helping Elizabeth with this. "Sorry, I just ... have you looked around? Pae are acting weird." She started pulling dirt away from the shiny object, passively wondering just how big this thing was. |
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Posted: Sat Feb 16, 2013 4:21 pm
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Posted: Sat Feb 16, 2013 4:52 pm
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Lugh had followed Lillison through the brambles, who was in turn following the fireflies. Maybe they knew a way out of here...right? The sight that awaited them on the other side certainly wasn't what he'd been expecting. "Wow...looks worse than my garden did until recently," he joked lamely, trying to keep the atmosphere light. Speaking of which...he chuckled softly at her choice of new headdress, reaching for a gold feather for himself. He tucked the feather behind his ear, noting with amusement it probably went well with his auburn hair. "How do I look?" he asked posing with a cheesy grin.
Silliness aside, he followed the Naiad as she crouched beneath a bush. Treasure? Here? Could they even trust it? Still, maybe there was something useful to be found. Shrugging, he knelt by the bush, no stranger to dirt under his nails, and started to help her dig.
-----
Moana kept a hand on Terran's arm, giving the floating box a wary stare. Really? Magic floating box in an enchanted maze? Like they were supposed to trust that? Besides, wasn't there a story about a magical box that turned out to be cursed or something and had all kinds of horrible things inside that got out?
Definitely a trap.
"Yeah, I wish I did too," she admitted, nodding towards the dimly-lit path. "Obviously though, we're not touching that box, right?" she asked, chuckling softly. The path ahead looked to be the best option. They should just keep going, and eventually they had to find a way out of here, right?
A voice from behind them caught her attention, mostly because it was calling her name...a moment later, she recognized it as her brother. Turning in surprise, she blurted, "Zo-Zo? What are you doing here?"
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Silvana's eyes scanned the room, noting Venus' request to the Mellons to find the other Goddesses. She had to still be here. "Pale blue, with paler spots, brown hair," she listed off to Dysmas distractedly. "Bow and arrows on her back, and curved horns like might, but double tines, and light silver. Oh, and silver hooves. Looks more like a Faun, I believe they're called." Then, calmly as if an after note, she added, "Also, she's Artemis, Goddess of the Hunt."
Taking a deep breath, she reached for Dysmas' hand to pull him along. "Come, she can't be far. Perhaps she knows more of what is going on if Lady Venus has also sent for her."
Artemis practically skidded into the room, bow and arrows already drawn and ready to take aim. The Mellons' message had been clear enough, but she wasn't sure what to expect when she arrived. Her first sight was her daughter, standing with an unusual teen male, eyes scanning the room until they met hers. She had little time to hesitate, but she was relieved to see that she at least was safe. She could only stop for a moment, but she knew her daughter would have questions. "Silvana!" The Goddess paused, hand on her daughter's shoulder. "Keep alert. There is trouble tonight and I cannot tell you exactly what to expect. Perhaps we have already seen the worst here, but I have duties to attend to elsewhere and cannot protect you while others are in certain danger."
"But who--?"
"A cruel trickster," Artemis answered quickly, frowning. "But more powerful than she should be. Watch yourself and your new friend, dear. I shall be back shortly." With no more time to spare, and all petty grievances pushed aside for the moment, Artemis hurried to Venus on the other side of the room near her throne. |
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Posted: Sat Feb 16, 2013 4:59 pm
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Well, not alone, but she just couldn't pass up this opportunity. Besides, the others all seemed to be busy losing their minds at the moment, greedily grabbing at things, breaking things, running off like mad creatures...likely no one would even notice her fun except her intended targets.
With a devious grin, the dark figure blinked, and suddenly a new form stood in her place. A tall white unicorn stallion, complete with torn formal-wear, looking rough and worn from the evening's events. 'He' cleared his throat, testing his voice. "Princess?" Perfect.
Peering around the corner revealed that the royal couple had entered the macabre garden (quite lovely, actually) and seemed unsure about what to do next. Wonderful. The white stallion strode around the corner, appearing out of breath as if he had been running and only now rejoining the others. Looking up at the pair, he called out, "Cadence?" He seemed confused, looking between the two of them with concern in his expression. "Cadence! What are you doing? Get away from him!" |
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Posted: Sat Feb 16, 2013 5:02 pm
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He held Fraise's hand tight, not wanting to chance her disappearing again. "I have a brother too, but he's ... working. If we get out of here, I can introduce you to my family." He wasn't sure how to address her "I don't have anyone" comment because he wasn't sure if that was unfortunate or just normal for angels. Though her "You're lucky" comment kind of gave him a hint. "You live alone?" he asked casually as they headed towards the dim light, following behind the group.
They finally caught up to the rest of the group that went the same direction. "Moana! Thank the waters. Mom convinced me that the ball was the best thing to do in light of current happenings, but that's why I wanted to talk to you. Do you think ... this is where dad is? You think he and the Queen were snatched up too?" his heart skipped a beat as a dreadful thought occurred to him, "What about mom, she won't be able to handle us being missing too." This situation just felt infinitely worse. Such a bad time to be trying to impress a girl.
He noticed the glowing magical box was being passed around between a few of the couples. He tried to keep an eye on it to see what was in it, because when he'd seen the choices for paths, he didn't trust either of them. On the other hand, a suspicious box with a glowing sign that practically said 'open me' couldn't have been a bigger trap.
"What do you want to do, Fraise? See what's in the box, go down the lit path or the dark path?" He didn't trust his instincts on this one cuz all three options felt wrong. Maybe since Fraise is an angel, she'll have better intuition on these things. He hoped. It was times like this he wished he had his dad's abilities to sense danger.
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Posted: Sat Feb 16, 2013 5:36 pm
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'Hmm...doesn't taste bad. Certainly not poisoned. A little dry though,' he thought to himself, still eyeing the rest of the biscuit. He was mostly ignoring his companion's mad flailing, but he did pick up on one thing. She was going to throw them at people? Really? What sort of weapon was that?
He opened his mouth to turn on her and question how she thought it was going to be a useful option to throw biscuits at the enemy unless they were ravenously hungry rats or something...
...but the only thing that came out when he started to shout at her was, "...mew!"
Eyes wide as dinner plates, Kane snapped his mouth closed, looking completely horrified. What the...?!? Almost scared to try again, he stared at the biscuit as if it had just bitten him. Okay, THIS was not what he'd been expecting as a horrible side-effect. Sure, he didn't think he was going to die from this...but if he had his way, someone else might.
Growling deep in his chest, he snarled and whirled around, throwing the accursed biscuit into a nearby bush. He really, really, REALLY wanted to rage on something with his new-found weapon now. |
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Posted: Sat Feb 16, 2013 5:48 pm
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Shining sighed and frowned as he looked down upon his torn suit. All that hard work and dedication Rarity went through to make it. But with looks aside, his top priority was now set into guard mode. He'd worry about looks and appearances once everyone was safe and sound back at the tree.
He shrugged softly to his bride's inquiry and knelt down to investigate the gleaming object. With gentle fingers he brushed aside the dirt - testing the waters, he supposed - and retrieved the gleaming object into closer examination. Perhaps it would aid him in giving him some sort of a clue as to why they were here or how to get... out...?
He turned to the sound of... his own voice? Confused, Shining spun himself into a stance of alert only to find himself staring at.... himself?! What the--...?!?!
Out of instinct, he quickly stepped forward and gently gripped Cadence's arm, ushering her behind him as he made swift movements to place himself between her and this... strange exact replica of himself.
"Don't listen to him, sweety." he stated firmly, yet as calmly as he could muster. His guard was now at full capacity. Memories of their wedding day flooding back to him with mixed anger. Could it be possible that whatever creature they had encountered then was also here and now toying with them?!
Whatever the purpose or reason, Shining wasn't about to stand for it. His eyes narrowed and he concentrated. Hard. Small sparks and sputters of his pale blue magic glow began to emit from the tip of his horn, but it was pointless... Whatever magic that had brought them to this labyrinth had further weakened his ability to use his protection spell.
"Who are you, or what are you?!" he finally asked, giving in to the fact that he'd have to protect the love of his life the hard way. "Is this some sort of a test to get out of here or something?"
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