And What We Found There

[lilbooth]

Teresa was quite flattered when her request for help returned such a provocative response. "Oh merci, merci." She said as a handful of volunteers rushed forward. Soon though there was a fight to determine whom it was that would help her. Teresa simply smiled and egged them on with little winks. She pouted once she librarian stepped in to stop them. Now she had no help with her books. Before she had time to look for someone else to help she felt the ground shaking beneath her. Then a snap, she glanced up and screamed as the chandelier came crashing down towards her. After she had realized she was not dead, or at least she had decided that the afterlife was exactly the same as her current life albeit a bit colder, she thoroughly checked herself to ensure she was not injured. "Oui, I am OK. Just a fright, and this cold." She said rubbing her hands on her arms. "Are you alright madame?" She offered back towards the other student. "I heard that it was quite dark in England but this seems awfully strange?" She continued in a questioning tone. "You said this has happened before? What caused it, and why are we the only ones still here?" She asked, echoing the other student's questions.

[devilbird]

Josephine only had a moment to be pleased with her discovery before reality itself seemed to break. The earth began to shake and trees looked as if they were being stretched by the increasing wind. Finally, the void claimed her, and she floated adrift in a sea of nothing. When she opened her eyes, she examined her surroundings before even thinking of examining herself. The world didn't seem right at the moment, and then she realized that it was night. Josephine cursed as she realized how late it was. With the shard of metal in her possession, the young woman decided it was time to get back before she drew unwanted attention to herself. She crept through the forest, trying to find her trail without being spotted by anything that might prowl the forest at night. She needed to get back to her dorm without being spotted by security as well.

[exalted]

When I was just a little girl, I ask my mother what would I be...

Adelaide kept her eyes closed in the darkness, letting the world creep away. Was this death? Had it all ended already?

Will I be pretty? will I be rich?

She didn't know where the song in her head came from, perhaps a piece of rubble had tumbled from the ceiling and knocked something loose before crushing her. It didn't matter, the voice was comforting and soothed her, she didn't have to feel anything here, she could just be at piece and float away.

Here's what my mother said to me....

Mother?

She felt something wet upon her cheek and reached with her hand to touch it....

Que Sera Sera, what ever will be, will be....

Pain!

She gripped her shoulder, the flaring ache from crashing into the wall from the rumbling ground mixed with the scraps on her knees and elbows from the fall. Biting her lip, she stood back up without a word or exclamation of the ache it caused, the weight of her mask pulling down her head until she had fully righted. Something was wrong, was all she could think as the floating lights twinkled unnaturally around her. She winced silently as she took a step, and then another until the stiffness had left her limbs and she started to run.

She had to get back to Penelope, now was not a time for dignified walking and she would pay any price required if it got her back to her Mistress before something bad happened. Her tights were torn at the knees and her shirt ripped on the left elbow, it didn't matter that her skirt flapped as she ran.

[Blue56]

Bridgette's good spirits were only somewhat dampened by the subject changing back to their poor test scores. She let Madeline answer for the both of them, only chiming in with "I'm sure you'll do fine Victoria." Before resuming her poking fun at Professor Gray's love of nuns. The conundrum of the Irish nun is one that sadly would have to go unexplored for now as they are interrupted by the sudden rumbling and shaking of the building. Bridgette leaps to her feet and surveys the scene of chaos that erupts throughout the dining hall, frantically searching for an escape route.

Before she could react, students were already slipping through the cracks and being crushed by falling chandeliers. She barely heard Madeline shout for them to get under the table over the commotion, but what good would that do if the building collapsed on them? In the end, Bridgette had been paralyzed with fear and indecision and the world faded to black with her having ultimately done nothing to prevent her fate. She had never thought much about what the afterlife had been like, and this floating in nothingness was not quite what she imagined. Was this heaven, hell, or were the two nonexistant after all? Was her father here somewhere? Would she just float on here for the rest of eternity?

The answer seemed to be none of these as Bridgette was able to open her eyes eventually and saw.... The dining hall. Completely unharmed. This made no sense, and it only got stranger as she looked around to see that it was somehow night now and that nearly everyone else was gone. She looked to Madeline as she asked if they were alright, the experience had left Bridgette wide eyed and breathing heavily as she struggled to process it all. "I... I'm alright as I can be in this situation I suppose." She eventually answers. "You... You both saw all that, right? Er, sorry." Bridgette asks, apologizing to Victoria afterwards for her poor choice of words.

Once she's determined that her friends are okay, Bridgette turns her attention to the other two people in the room, the servant and the girl with the bear. "Are you two alright?" She calls out as she approaches. "I don't suppose the college has some sort of protocol for situations like this? A shelter to evacuate to in emergencies? Surely this qualifies as an emergency." She mostly directs this question at the servant, since the college's staff would be more knowledgeable about such things than students who've only just started attending classes.

[Littlemankitten]

Victoria nodded along to Madeline's words, knowing full well what she was talking about, even if she couldn't exactly see the people she knew Grey would be attracted to. Just as she was about to respond, the room began shaking. Victoria sort of felt it before it even happened, the tiniest of rumbles going through her body, but she ignored it up until the point it became more than evident that this had to be an earthquake of some kind. Victoria fell of the seat due to the shaking and could barely manage to start standing back up before it suddenly felt like there was nothing. She couldn't hear anything, or really feel anything either... Did something fall on her? She would of thought she would of felt it but perhaps a piece of the ceiling so large fell on her it just instantly crushed her. Was she did then? No, that can't be, she was still thinking these thoughts. She could still feel herself existing and seeing absolutely nothing.

Suddenly though, she felt the floor rush back to her, though the silence still prevailed for a moment before she heard Madeline and Bridgette speak. Slowly getting back up, she looked around despite being unable to see anything and nodded. "Y-yes, I feel fine, thank you... What... Exactly happened? Was it an earth quake? Why is it so quiet if so?" Even with the blindfold the worry on her face would of probably of been very evident. She walked towards Bridgette's voice as she talked to a few others apparently, walking slowly and carefully, expecting there to be rubble of some kind on the ground, but the floor was as spotless as ever, how strange.

[RandomRoninKitten]

[quote="mrblah"]
RandomRoninKitten

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Mister Doggo Borkinson had wanted the souls of the damned children stuck on the pathway between life and hell, and when this was repeated to the maid, she merely impassively nodded with an 'understood' as if this were a common and totally normal request. She had seemed a little taken off guard by the ask for her name. "Name, you say? You wish to know the name of this simple maid? I'm no one special, really." She seemed to pause for a moment, a hand to her chin as she adopted a blank expression... or, well, she already had one from the beginning. "Très bien. I see no issue with telling you my name. Once, I was called—"

Before the maid could even get the first syllable of her name out, the room shook with all the force of a crumbling tower. She had to steady herself on Ninette's table with a wide-eyed look. "This is... Ms. Nirendranath!" Suddenly, the maid lunged towards Ninette with her arms outstretched, tackling her to the floor as a piece of the ceiling came crashing down on where she had been. The force of the tackle had almost knocked Mister Doggo Borkinson away, who laughed maniacally. "IT BEGINS. IT BEGINS. THE HOUR OF DOOM."

All around them, the dining hall seemed to devolve into chaos. Panicking students screamed in terror as the room seemed to crack and break apart. Students at their tables would fall from their benches to the harsh floor as would servants, and the chandeliers above would shake and break off from the ceiling to crush any unfortunate soul beneath them. All the while, the maid clung onto Ninette as the world seemed to come crashing down, and soon... at some point, there was nothing but darkness and coldness.

It felt like she was drifting in nothingness. Ninette couldn't feel her legs. Or her feet, or her arms, or anything, not even her clothes. She couldn't feel Mister Doggo Borkinson. She couldn't feel the ground beneath her. Just a cold feeling, like she'd been thrown out into the wind nude. Then, she heard a familiar chuckling, and remembered... right, she closed her eyes. Ninette opened them to see the world. Mister Doggo Borkinson was laughing in her arms. The maid was by her side with a hand to her head. The dining hall was... completely fine. No chandeliers were broken, no tables had been smashed, no blood had been spilled. The only difference between then and now were the firefly-like balls of light floating in the room just about everywhere and the moonlight coming in from the shattered windows. Wasn't it midday last she checked outside?

Everyone seemed to be gone, except for Ninette herself, Mister Doggo Borkinson, the maid, and three woman at a table.

Ninette started to say that she highly doubted that she 'was called Ms Nirendranath', but was interrupted by the Maid tackling her out of her seat and onto the floor, at which point she had started to panic, however her iron grip on Avenging Destruction God of Soul-Reaving and Eternal Torment Within the 9th Circle prevented him from being knocked out of her grip, thankfully. The collapsing building and Avenging Destruction God of Soul-Reaving and Eternal Torment Within the 9th Circle laughter, and announcement that the hour of doom had come actually gave her hope that this was the case. If the wind hadn't just just been knocked out of her, she would have joined in.

When the darkness and coldness came over her, she wondered if this was what ascending felt like, however she understood that it hadn't happened when she couldn't feel Avenging Destruction God of Soul-Reaving and Eternal Torment Within the 9th Circle, and started to panic again, however the world came back around her and everything was once again, boring and normal. Well, aside from all of the missing people, which Ninette found weird. She clutched Avenging Destruction God of Soul-Reaving and Eternal Torment Within the 9th Circle to her chest and sat up, whispering "Mister Doggo Borkinson, I don't think it happened, people are still here." trying to be quiet enough that nobody else could hear her mumbling.

As much as she enjoyed the the maid being this close to her, she gently pushed her enough so that she can stand. "Is your head alright?" she asks, prying her hand away from it so that she can check, after which she asks Avenging Destruction God of Soul-Reaving and Eternal Torment Within the 9th Circle whether or not she should go speak with the women, and do so if he says yes, instructing the maid to come with her.

[mrblah]

A dark presence settles into the College of Lacuna... the air feels more humid.

MiscChaos and lilbooth

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

[Charisma contest; need to beat 16. Sasha = 15. Teresa = 17.]

"... I meant that I have frequent blackouts and this seemed like one of them, not that I knew what was happening." It was an off-handed and casual response that seemed to ring true in the ears of Sasha... but Teresa narrowly noticed the brief pause and hesitation from the librarian. There was something she wasn't telling them. "In any case, we likely should find some help from one of the faculty, right? This situation doesn't seem normal, and I'm betting one of the more Arcane aware professors here could shed some light on the situation."

The librarian walked over to her desk and shuffled around in it. Teresa and Sasha saw her pull out a small pendant and put it in her pocket. She then turned back to address them. "Our best bet would be the Staff Lounge. Second to that, we could head someplace that's usually populated to see if there's anyone else stuck in this situation like us. I can't imagine any reason for us to be the only ones here... though, I also can't imagine why we're here in the first place." She was heading to the door as she spoke, clearly expecting the two other women to follow her. Just as she reached the doorway, she froze. Teresa and Sasha knew exactly why she did.

Dread filled their souls as a darkening presence settled over the dimly lit book treasure trove. Slithering shadows clung to the walls foretelling of an alien presence unseen and unheard, yet they could feel its hungry gaze. The air was moistened and humid as if a fresh morning rain poured through the room, but the cold horror the three felt made the experience less than refreshing.

... Needless to say, something was very, very wrong. "We need to leave." The librarian's voice was quiet, but both Teresa and Sasha could easily hear her through the silence in the room. Her voice was tight with a trace of fear lying underneath. "Walk slowly. Don't make any noise."

devilbird

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

[Craftiness check; easy. Craftiness is above 10. Automatic pass.]

Thanks to her initiative in leaving behind a trail, Josephine was able to safely navigate through the forest back to the college's entrance. She tried to approach from the side of the road to see if she could sneak past the guards, but to her surprise, the entrance was completely unguarded. The gates were wide open as if beckoning her inside. Most people would see it as a fortunate bout of luck that this would happen. Maybe the guards both had to go and accidentally left the gate open, or maybe they were on break and the other guards were taking their time to take position at the gate. Josephine, however, had a certain shadowy friend she could blame for any strange happenings that were in her benefit.

This was one time she didn't. Instead, she felt a feeling of apprehension from the wide open large doors of the college, like something truly heinous was lurking within the college, waiting for her to waltz in and fall victim to its dark trap... but her anxiety didn't necessarily need to be anything more than her imagination. Maybe it was just the bit of weirdness with the sudden nightfall that had her mind so hyperactive, and there was no danger waiting for her through those open doors.

In any case, the gate is still wide open with no guards around.

exalted

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Adelaide hadn't gotten too far from the study when the world flipped on itself, and the lack of occupants in the hall meant that she was able to run right through without any trouble. She hurried through the halls, taking sharp turns and twists with reckless abandon and no care for caution. So when she turned just one other corner, there was nothing to have stopped her from running face first into what felt like a brick wall. Adelaide fell to the ground.

"OH, EXCUSE ME MISS! I HAD NOT SEEN YOU COMING SO QUICKLY! YOU SHOULD KNOW NOT TO RUN IN THE HALLS, ESPECIALLY IN THIS TIME OF CRISIS!" The loud, booming deep voice told her who it was she ran into before she lifted her head. Alcott Armstrong, the 7'0" giant, stood in all his muscular glory looking down at her. "YOU WERE THE ONE WITH PENELOPE BEZZENBERGER, YES? YOU MUST BE ADELAIDE BEZZENBERGER! I AM PLEASED TO MAKE YOUR ACQUAINTANCE!" He held out a large, strong hand to help her up with. "NOW THAT WE'VE MET, WE CAN PROCEED TO SEARCH FOR THE OTHER SURVIVORS TOGETHER! THEN WE WILL FORM A COHESIVE UNIT, FIND THE MISSING FACULTY, AND EVACUATE THE PREMISES!"

Adelaide remembered that Alcott Armstrong had been with her mistress when she left, and likely was with her when everything went wrong. So why was he here alone..? He looked completely normal as she saw him last.

RandomRoninKitten

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

"CURSES. THIS MUST BE SOME FORM OF PURGATORY BEFORE ASCENSION. A TYPE OF LIMBO TO WEED OUT THE WEAK FROM THE STRONG. LISTEN, GIRL. WE MUST SURVIVE THIS." Mister Doggo Borkinson replied in his usual tone of voice. Thankfully, at least he seemed to be fine and normal. The maid, on the other hand, had a somewhat vacant and dazed expression on her face. She must still be reeling from whatever happened. Ninette had no trouble in pushing her away to stand. "NOTHING LESS THAN A GOD SLAYING ATTACK COULD EVER HOPE TO DAMAGE ME." Was his answer to Ninette's question. "AND YES. SPEAK TO THE OTHER WOMEN. THEY MUST ALL BE COMPETITION FOR THE POSITION OF ASCENDED LIFE FORM... IT LOOKS LIKE ONE'S APPROACHING NOW."

"Are you two alright?" Just as Mister Doggo Borkinson had brought attention to it, Ninette noticed one of the three women breaking off from the other two and coming over to them. The two behind her followed a few moments after, and they all eventually stood before Ninette and the maid. "I don't suppose the college has some sort of protocol for situations like this? A shelter to evacuate to in emergencies? Surely this qualifies as an emergency." She spoke first to the maid, who took a minute to reply.

"Je suis désolé... I was still a bit confused from what happened. The College of Lacuna has a wide range of evacuation protocols for various situations both Arcane and mundane, but never has anything like this happened. I'm afraid there's no standard evacuation protocol in place." She briefly bowed her head, but continued before anyone could get a word in. "However, in the case of something incredibly abnormal and unplanned for happens, it's generally best to find one of the professors. The College of Lacuna's professors are all versed in the Arcane to some degree, and they should know the best way to adapt to strange situations. Professor Ainsworth would be the best choice, for as you all must know, she teaches the Arcane subject."

"Professor Ainsworth?" The other redhead spoke up. "Do you know where we'd find her?" The maid pondered the question for a moment before she replied. "... I don't know of where her exact whereabouts would be, but the Staff Lounge or near her classroom would be my guesses."

As everyone was talking, Ninette noticed the dining hall door moving out of the corner of her eye. She turned her head to spot a blonde woman with religious paraphernalia entering the room. She was probably a nun judging from the habit.

Blue56

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Madeline nodded slowly to Bridgette's question. "I don't know what exactly that was, but yes, I saw it too." The Irishwoman looked around the room in confusion, noting the lack of damage to anything they'd saw ruined, and how much emptier the dining hall had become. "Y-yes, I feel fine, thank you... What... Exactly happened? Was it an earth quake? Why is it so quiet if so?" When Victoria had voiced her concerns, Madeline had turned to reply to the blind woman and try to explain the situation to her. As she was doing this, Bridgette noticed the others in the room and had moved to approach them. Madeline and Victoria followed after her a moment later.

The servant seemed to be in a bit of a daze at the time, and the girl was just looking over to regard Bridgette as she approached them. When she asked her question, the maid had taken a minute's pause before she replied. "Je suis désolé... I was still a bit confused from what happened. The College of Lacuna has a wide range of evacuation protocols for various situations both Arcane and mundane, but never has anything like this happened. I'm afraid there's no standard evacuation protocol in place." The news was disappointing. With no set plan of action, it looked like they'd have to come up with something on their own; yet, before Bridgette could consider this thought any further, the maid continued. "However, in the case of something incredibly abnormal and unplanned for happens, it's generally best to find one of the professors. The College of Lacuna's professors are all versed in the Arcane to some degree, and they should know the best way to adapt to strange situations. Professor Ainsworth would be the best choice, for as you all must know, she teaches the Arcane subject."

"Professor Ainsworth?" Madeline spoke up from behind her, joining into the conversation. "Do you know where we'd find her?" The maid pondered the question for a moment before she replied. "... I don't know of where her exact whereabouts would be, but the Staff Lounge or near her classroom would be my guesses."

Littlemankitten

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

"I don't know what exactly that was, but yes, I saw it too." That was Madeline's voice. She sounded somewhat worried, likely about the situation. Silence came from the two of them as Victoria voiced her question, but only for a few seconds until she heard Madeline's voice replying to her. "I don't know what it was exactly, but it looked like an earthquake. The whole room was just falling apart, and then... well, we're here. But now everyone's missing and it's suddenly night." That explains the sudden quietness after the earthquake. One would expect the dining hall to have gotten even louder from people panicking during the aftermath.

A warm weight suddenly settled on her shoulder. Victoria registered it as a small, dainty hand. "It'll be fine, Victoria. I'm sure there's some answer for what's happening. We're all unharmed for now, so we can put our heads together and come up with a plan too." Madeline's voice had a lighter tone to it, indicating that she was trying to placate Victoria's worries. It was just as likely that she was saying those words to herself too. There was a bit of tremor in her hands. "Oh, it looks like Bridgette found some others. We'd better head over there."

Madeline stuck close to Victoria as they followed after Bridgette. Though the redhead wasn't touching her, the blind woman could still hear the subtle breathing coming from her through the stiffening silence in the room, as well as hear the accompanying footsteps to her right. When hers stopped, Victoria knew to stop too. "I don't suppose the college has some sort of protocol for situations like this? A shelter to evacuate to in emergencies? Surely this qualifies as an emergency." Bridgette must have been speaking to one of them, whoever they were. Obviously, she couldn't see them, and they were being very still as well. "Je suis désolé," a familiar voice began in an apologetic tone, "I was still a bit confused from what happened. The College of Lacuna has a wide range of evacuation protocols for various situations both Arcane and mundane, but never has anything like this happened. I'm afraid there's no standard evacuation protocol in place."

Victoria recognized the voice as that one peculiar maid with the sharp, clicking footsteps. She was always kind, concise, and stern, just like how her footsteps sounded. "However, in the case of something incredibly abnormal and unplanned for happens, it's generally best to find one of the professors. The College of Lacuna's professors are all versed in the Arcane to some degree, and they should know the best way to adapt to strange situations. Professor Ainsworth would be the best choice, for as you all must know, she teaches the Arcane subject." Another voice spoke up just after the maid. "Professor Ainsworth?" Madeline. "Do you know where we'd find her?" There was silence from the maid, but it ended as she replied with some hesitance. "... I don't know of where her exact whereabouts would be, but the Staff Lounge or near her classroom would be my guesses."

Mark3000

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Margaret enjoyed a calming walk through the moonlit hallway. It was a short one, of course, as she'd already been close to the dining hall at the time of the mysterious crisis. She couldn't hear anything as she tried to listen for any sounds of life, but as she pushed the door open, she saw a small group of women far from the entrance door. A maid, a redhead, a short girl with a creepy teddy bear, a woman with a blindfold on, and a somewhat familiar Irishwoman. Margaret half remembered her from a few brief interactions, though they were only just acquaintances. Her name was Madeline Brooks, if she recalled.

The five of them were likely conversing about the strange situation they all found themselves in. Just as Margaret was closing the door, she saw the girl with the teddy bear looking over to her.

[exalted]

Adelaide rubbed her head where she had rammed into the twice damned lug of a man, glaring daggers up at him.

Ignoring his hand, she nimbly picked herself up and started to dust herself off.

"'Fortune', Adelaide 'Fortune'," She corrected the lummox, turning her back to him, "I am the ward of, and work for the Bezzenbergers."

Her stomach fluttered briefly at the thought she might one day share the same name as her Master and Lady, but she quickly quashed it. It would never happen, she was a bastard, a fatherless bastard with a bastard name given to her by the church, the shame of her siring preventing her from even dishonoring her mother's Maiden name.

It took her a moment to snap out of her introspection and realize the Oaf had continued speaking over her, belching out his crude, brash confidence.

"No," she responded simply, her gaze hardening as she glared up into his eyes, "I must find my Mistress Penelope.... what have you done with her?"

[Mark3000]

While the walk was peaceful, it didn't distract from the eerie environment. But once she reached the dining hall, a small bit of relief fills Margaret as she finds the group of women. She'd seen a few of them in her classes, but the only one she had spoken to before was Madeline. Even though she hadn't been privy to their conversation, Margaret approached the group slowly.

"Hello, are you all alright?" Margaret said with concern. "I'm not really sure what happened. One minute I was walking through the halls, the next there was an earthquake and it was night. Would it be alright if I traveled with you for the time being?" Margaret asked politely, trying not to show her own fears rising to the surface. Though they were eased when the nun saw the short girl's teddy bear. Despite it's appearance, it did look rather cute. Though she hoped the short girl didn't catch her starring.

[Blue56]

Bridgette frowned as the maid didn't give quite the answer she was hoping for. "Right... Right, I suppose that makes sense." She eventually says, concluding that it would be difficult to have a procedure in place for this when they still weren't sure what exactly "this" is. At the very least, they had a lead in the form of Professor Ainsworth. This was no natural disaster, so it must be Arcane in nature. Although, a lot of people hadn't joined them in... wherever they were now, so who knew if the professor was actually somewhere they could reach her. That was a concern Bridgette kept to herself though, no sense worrying the others needlessly.

Before the conversation can go much further, a voice calls out from behind them and Bridgette turns to see the nun from their class earlier. "Oh, you're here too." She says, a little surprised but also relieved to see a familiar face. "We're.... uninjured at least. Glad to see you seem to be as well. And of course you can come with us. We're off to find Professor Ainsworth, if anyone can get us out of this, it would be her after all. We'll check her classroom or the Staff Lounge, whichever is closest, and then head to the other one if she's not there. It's probably best we all stay together, safety in numbers, right?" She replies, catching the nun up to speed. She had no doubt that Madeline and Victoria wouldn't object to bringing her along and would want them all to stick together anyway. That just left the other two. Bridgette turned back to the maid and the girl with the bear. "What about you? I won't force you to come with us if you'd rather not, and I'm open to suggestions if you think there's a better plan."

[MiscChaos]

While Sasha takes the librarian at her word, she does sort of wonder why the woman immediately goes to the Arcane for an explanation. After all, if this was just another blackout, then it wouldn't need such an explanation. Maybe she thinks the eerie atmosphere is based in the supernatural? But if she did, why didn't she lead with that? Questioning herself like this is getting her nowhere though. She'll just believe in the librarian for now and if further reason to doubt her comes up, she'll need to be interrogated for the greater good. Sasha won't enjoy it, but if the librarian is holding on to information that is important to their survival then they need to know ASAP.

Then that presence, so clearly evil and so unmistakably malevolent, makes itself known and all thoughts are shoved to the back of her mind. She doesn't need the librarian to tell her that they need to leave. She has no way of fighting off a monster capable of manifesting so suddenly and with such a thick aura and would much rather not be caught by it. Who knows what unclean things it would do to her body and soul, let alone the pure souls of those around her. She knows she herself is already soiled, dirtied by the touch of a man she does not consider her husband and the blood of that same man on her hands. If it comes down to it, she would much rather take that blow than either of these innocents. She could likely survive it after all. The harbinger of a new world cannot be so weak as to fall to a single malevolent one after all. But that is hopefully a problem that never comes to bear. For the time being, she carefully, slowly makes her way to the entrance of the library, keeps her senses alert for any further movement.

[lilbooth]

Teresa pouted slightly when the librarian had held back some of the truth. Whatever had caused this it wasn't good, and it had happened before. She began to approach the counter, her mind still set on retrieving some of her books. Just before she arrived a presence made itself known. It was already dark and cold, but now the air was thick and moist. It caused Teresa to start to shiver, something that was only magnified by the unease and hungry gaze. She was very intrigued, but also terrified. She dare not ask any questions, per the librarian's instructions. She grabbed the top four books from her stack and followed the librarian towards the door. Teresa kept her eyes on the shifting shadows that clung to walls, pondering if they were the other students that were here moments ago. She was on edge and ready flee at a moments notice. Though perhaps the arcane abilities of their professors could keep them safe.

[Littlemankitten]

Victoria tries to wrap her head around what it was Madeline said. That made absolutely no sense, but it couldn't of been a prank or a joke cause there is no way one could fake all of that shaking and then making everyone vanish like that. If everyone was just being quiet she would still be able to hear all of their collective breathing. Not to mention so a elaborate prank on the blind girl would be a whole new level of cruel. So Victoria just weakly nods, not really having anything to say, for the situation was unexplainable so she didn't bother asking for a explanation. Victoria looked towards Madeline when she put her hand on Victoria's shoulder. She gave Madeline another nod and a bit of a nervous smile. "Of course, I'm sure some of the teachers will know what is happening as well." With that, Victoria followed Madeline to the other group of people, stopping almost exactly when Madeline stopped and listening to the ensuing conversation intently.

"Well, is it one of the times that Ainsworth would have a class? If not she's mostly likely in the staff lounge." She said the obvious, but in a stressful situation sometimes even the obvious is lost to many. She is definitely victim to that during mid-terms and finals, forgetting even the most basic aspects of the subject when under the immense stress. Her head slowly snapped to the new voice that appeared seemingly out of nowhere, then to Bridgette who seemed to recognize the girl. She didn't know exactly who it was that appeared, but it wasn't any of the teachers or staff members that she could recognize, so it must be another student.

[devilbird]

She was able to find her way out of the forest with little trouble. However, the situation that she found herself in grew more suspicious with each passing moment. When Josephine arrived to the gate, she had expected there to be someone, anyone really, guarding it like usual. From the trees, she scouted the area for any signs of life, but none appeared. Furthermore, the school seemed sinister and malevolent compared to before, as if daring her to try and enter it's walls once more. She looked to the book bag that carried the strange metal from before. Whatever she had done, she felt that she would come to regret, as the coincidence of her actions being followed immediately by this cruel darkness was too far-fetched.

She thought about things for a moment before hurrying into the building once more. It was less important to hide her actions, and more important to research the consequences of them. She needed to make her way to the library and see if she could find any record of this metal or the tree it was stuck in. All the while, she was careful to be quiet with her movements. Something felt wrong, and Josephine didn't want to find out what until she was ready. Besides, if a guard caught her now, she would likely be held up and detained. She couldn't afford that when there was research to be done.

[RandomRoninKitten]

Ninette whispered back to Avenging Destruction God of Soul-Reaving and Eternal Torment Within the 9th Circle, as quietly as possible "Using the term competition loosely, of course." before the red-head had gotten to them. She quietly listened to their discussion, just trying to gather information, however her attention was immediately drawn to the blond woman with breasts that are much too large for anyone, and would quite possibly put someone in the hospital if she turned too quickly and accidentally struck them. At that moment, Ninette concluded she wanted to be as far from those dangerous weapons as possible, should she choose to follow these individuals around.

Her thought process was interrupted when the red-head asked whether or not they would like to travel with her. This was a perfect opportunity; She didn't have to follow them and spy on the supposed competition if they thought she was part of their group. Perfect. Avenging Destruction God of Soul-Reaving and Eternal Torment Within the 9th Circle would, no doubt, understand what she's doing once she accepts, and approve of this decision. As she's about to answer the red-head's question, she notices the Nun attached to a pair of planet-sized boobs staring at Avenging Destruction God of Soul-Reaving and Eternal Torment Within the 9th Circle and smiles at her "This is Mister Doggo Borkinson, I think he likes you, too~" she says to the pair of gigantic boobs, nodding assuredly, before turning back to the red-head "Well, Mister Doggo Borkinson thinks we'd be safer with you..." she says, standing up and huddling up against the red-head, so close that her head was actually touching her side "Thank you for taking us with you, Mister Doggo Borkinson appreciates it, too~" she says, happily and childishly.

[mrblah]

exalted

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Alcott looked confused. "I APOLOGIZE FOR GETTING YOUR NAME WRONG, ADELAIDE FORTUNE, BUT I'VE DONE NOTHING TO PENELOPE BEZZENBERGER! IN FACT, WHEN THIS STRANGENESS HAD BEGUN, I TRIED TO PROTECT HER BUT—" The almost-giant paused with a sharp cut off. His face showed brief surprise, before it cooled down to a slightly bashful look. "THIS SUDDEN INCIDENT HAD FLOORED ME AND I'D BEEN UNABLE TO GET OVER TO PENELOPE BEZZENBERGER IN TIME! WHEN I AWOKE, SHE HAD DISAPPEARED. I ASSUME SHE WENT OUT TO FETCH THE NURSE, OR PERHAPS A SERVANT TO MAKE SURE I WAS OKAY!" Adelaide knew Penelope well enough to know that there was no chance she'd ever help this man.

"WE CAN FIND PENELOPE BEZZENBERGER AT A LATER TIME, BUT FOR NOW, WE SHOULD MOBILIZE OUR EFFORTS TO FIND THE OTHERS AND EVACUATE!" Assertively, Alcott made to walk past her and gesture down the hall she came from. "THE EXIT IS OVER THERE, ADELAIDE FORTUNE. LET US MAKE HASTE!"

MiscChaos and lilbooth

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

[Sneak attempt; need to beat 6. Teresa = 21. Sasha = 20.]

... It seemed they escaped the malevolent presence as no attempt was made to impede their retreat out of the library. Once the three of them were through the doorway, the librarian led them away down the hall, further from the room and the unknown within. It wasn't until they'd put two rooms in between them and it did the librarian speak. "... Well, it's apparent now that this is a dangerous situation. Whatever we just escaped from is likely a product of whatever foulness is going on here. With it around, none of us are safe."

The three of them found themselves at a crossroads, but each of them were familiar enough with Lacuna to know which way led where. The path heading north led to the central quad of the college (which also doubled as a garden), the path to the south led in the direction of the dining hall and other such rooms, and the path west led to more classrooms and closer to the teacher's lounge. The librarian looked at each of the directions, humming to herself as if in thought. "We need to find more people to regroup, so I think we should split up for now and search each path. We can meet at the central quad in 20 minutes to reconvene. Thoughts?" She was awfully quick to come up with that plan.

devilbird

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Josephine traveled through the oddly empty halls of Lacuna on her way to the library. Things were just as quiet as they were outside, as if every single student attending the college up and vanished. She remembered the quickest route to the library and made haste to get over there. [Craftiness Save; difficult. Josephine = 23.]

Just before she could take another step towards the library, Josephine noticed that something was... off. Just beyond the point she'd have stepped into laid several shadows that just didn't look right. There was nothing that would have been casting them, yet... there they were, in the shape of what she could've guessed to be a tentacle. Or tendril? In any case, those dark shadows were just on the floor ahead. If she wants to get to the library without having to go around, she'll have to get through them somehow... or, again, she could ignore the shadows and go forward without thinking about them. That could be fun.

OPTIONS
[Key roll; 14. Unlock values; 13, 13, 12. All Options unlocked!]

Lighting the Path - Take a torch from the wall and use it to ward away the shadows.
Odds of Success: Unlikely | Checks: 1 (Bravery) + Save | Consumption: -6 Energy, -2 Sanity | Consequences of Failure: ??? State, Arousal Increases

Dancing with the Shadows - Try to tiptoe around the shadows.
Odds of Success: Very Likely | Checks: 1 (Charisma) + Save | Consumption: -12 Energy, -3 Sanity | Consequences of Failure: ??? State, Arousal Increases

Call for Help - Exactly as it sounds. Except this time, you'd be calling for your demon friend.
Odds of Success: ??? | Checks: 1 (Charisma) | Consumption: -2 Energy, -6 Sanity | Consequences of Failure: ??? State, Arousal Increases, Energy Decreases

Blue56 and Mark3000

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

"My next class wasn't hers, but I think it may have been for other students." Madeline spoke up to reply to Victoria's question. "Did any of you have Professor Ainsworth's class as your—oh!" At that point, Margaret had entered, and Madeline directed her attention to the recently appeared religious woman. She smiled at her as Bridgette spoke, nodding in agreement. "It's great to see you well Margaret, and I wouldn't mind if you joined us at all; in fact, I'd insist! Like Bridgette said, it's best we stuck together."

Bridgette then posed her offer to the maid and the student with the teddy bear. "Well, Mister Doggo Borkinson thinks we'd be safer with you..." Said the shorter student. Mister Doggo Borkinson must have been the name of her teddy bear... as the student spoke, she moved over to Margaret and huddled up to her side, with her head actually touching the redhead. "Thank you for taking us with you, Mister Doggo Borkinson appreciates it, too~" Further off at her same position, the maid offered a calm nod as she gave her own answer. "Bien sûr, it would be in our best interest to stay close. I will accompany you for as long as you need me."

With those replies, Madeline clapped her hands with a smile. "Alright, then it appears that we've all formed our little party! Then, as Victoria was saying, if none of us had Professor Ainsworth's class next, it may be best to find the teacher's lounge first to see if she's there... oh," Madeline turned to the maid, "I don't suppose you'd know her schedule, actually?" She seemed hopeful that maybe they could get a confirmation on their plan, but the maid shook her head. "Most of the staff aren't privy to that sort of knowledge as it doesn't affect our work. I apologize for the disappointment." She bowed her head to Madeline, who waved off the apology in a somewhat sheepish manner. "Well... in any case, it'd still be better to check their first anyway, I'd suppose."

RandomRoninKitten

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

"My next class wasn't hers, but I think it may have been for other students." Said one of the redheads to the blind woman when she asked her question. "Did any of you have Professor Ainsworth's class as your —" It was then that the nun had entered in. "THOSE ARE HUGE KNOCKERS." Mister Doggo Borkinson spoke up, interjecting into the conversation and stealing Ninette's attention away from the redheads' responses. "NEVER HAD I KNOWN THAT HUMANS COULD HAVE SUCH MASSIVE LUMPS OF FLESH ON THEIR CHEST, TOTALLY LACKING IN BONE AND SIMPLY HANGING OUT. THIS WOMAN MUST HAVE GREAT POWER TO SUPPORT THE WEIGHT OF SUCH BREASTS... BE CAUTIOUS AROUND HER." Ninette got the impression that he was both amazed and curious. "IT IS WORSE THAT THIS WOMAN RADIATES PURITY... SICKENING. I WISH TO STRIP HER OF HER CLOTHING AND SHOW HER TRUE WICKEDNESS, SO THAT SHE MAY COME TO UNDERSTAND THE BETTER SIDE. YES. IT WOULD BE GLORIOUS." Doggo Borkinson's rant would go on for a few moments longer, until Ninette moved over to Bridgette and practically hugged her. Then, with his close proximity to the Irishwoman, he had more things to perv over.

"Bien sûr, it would be in our best interest to stay close. I will accompany you for as long as you need me." The maid spoke up to answer Bridgette's offer, noticeably just after Ninette told hers. This was something Mister Doggo Borkinson was pleased with. "MORE SACRIFICES FOR THE ASCENSION... THOUGH, THIS ONE WILL BE LAST."

With those replies, Madeline clapped her hands with a smile. "Alright, then it appears that we've all formed our little party! Then, as Victoria was saying, if none of us had Professor Ainsworth's class next, it may be best to find the teacher's lounge first to see if she's there... oh," Madeline turned to the maid, "I don't suppose you'd know her schedule, actually?" She seemed hopeful that maybe they could get a confirmation on their plan, but the maid shook her head. "Most of the staff aren't privy to that sort of knowledge as it doesn't affect our work. I apologize for the disappointment." She bowed her head to Madeline, who waved off the apology in a somewhat sheepish manner. "Well... in any case, it'd still be better to check theer first anyway, I'd suppose."

Littlemankitten

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

"My next class wasn't hers, but I think it may have been for other students." Madeline's voice sounded off in reply to Victoria's question, and continued to offer more to her answer. As she was talking, however, Victoria picked up the subtle noises of footsteps approaching their gathering. "Did any of you have Professor Ainsworth's class as your—oh!" It seemed Madeline had just noticed the new arrival as well. Bridgette seemed to take over from there, but Victoria soon heard Madeline's voice again as the other woman finished. "It's great to see you well Margaret, and I wouldn't mind if you joined us at all; in fact, I'd insist! Like Bridgette said, it's best we stuck together."

Afterwards, Bridgette posed an offer to the maid and the other student, with the other student agreeing and the maid speaking up to reply just after she did. "Bien sûr, it would be in our best interest to stay close. I will accompany you for as long as you need me." Victoria could practically picture the maid calmly nodding as she spoke... well, actually, no she couldn't. But she wouldn't be surprised if someone were to tell her that such happened. Then, Victoria heard a clap, and Madeline's cheerful voice spoke up. "Alright, then it appears that we've all formed our little party! Then, as Victoria was saying, if none of us had Professor Ainsworth's class next, it may be best to find the teacher's lounge first to see if she's there... oh, I don't suppose you'd know her schedule, actually?" Who was she referring to? "Most of the staff aren't privy to that sort of knowledge as it doesn't affect our work. I apologize for the disappointment." Ah. The French accented voice of the maid replied, so she must've been who Madeline questioned. "Well... in any case, it'd still be better to check there first anyway, I'd suppose."

[devilbird]

The situation was growing increasingly more worrisome as Josephine made headway to the library. It was dark, so she hadn't expected to see many people, but surely she should have at least seen a member of the staff by now. It was becoming vital that she discover any records of that tree and metal. She took a short cut that she knew of, and tried to cut down on the estimated time to her arrival. She was in such a hurry, that she almost stumbled into it.

Upon the floor was several impossible shadows dancing in the dark. The tendrils pulsed and throbbed, with no origin to speak of save the existence of their own merit. Not that she didn't already suspect it, but these shadows proved that these events were supernatural in origin. Josephine cursed Batlath'sel had tricked her. Usually his tasks were odd and pointless, so she should have suspected that the one time he lead her to something interesting, it was a trap. The next time she saw the demon, she would have to find a way to make its life a living hell. Still, in spite of her frustration at being deceived, Josephine was absolutely giddy. This was her first breakthrough in her research of Batlath'sel's world in a long time. She would be sure to take full advantage once her situation had stabilized.

However, that would require her to make it past this minor setback. Her first thought was to call in her otherworldly friend and force him to take responsibility for this mess. Unfortunately, she had little leverage over the demon, and would likely have to sacrifice something just to get his fickle cooperation. Her next thought was to try and light up the area to drive out the shadows. The problem was that she had no way of knowing if this would work. The shadows were cast without a source, so it wasn't an absence of light that caused it. Plus the light might just agitate the creature and have it lash out at her. In the end, Josephine decided it would be simplest to just avoid the tentacles. She would carefully step around them, all the while keeping an eye on them. She would need to be ready to evade if any of them moved.

[lilbooth]

Teresa sighed in relief as they made it out of the library. The unease was still in the air but they seemed to have evaded immediate danger. Then the librarian suggested that they split. Teresa took a quick step towards Sasha and hooked her arm under hers. "Non, je pense que c'est une idée terrible." She said while clutching to the other student shaking her head back and forth. "We will go to the teacher's lounge, yes. And then meet you at the courtyard." She said, glancing towards Sahsa, hoping for her to agree.

[Blue56]

Despite the situation, Bridgette couldn't help but smile as the small girl huddled up against her. "Of course, we wouldn't leave you and... Mister Doggo Borkinson behind. If you like, just stay close to me and we'll get through this soon." She reassures the girl, giving her a gentle pat on the head. "What's your name though? I'm Bridgette." Even after introducing herself, Bridgette can't help but feel something is odd. Was this childish girl really a student here? Having to look after her and Victoria would make things a little harder but there didn't seem to be much other choice. "The lounge seems as good a place as any. Even if we don't find Professor Ainsworth there, another teacher that could point us in the right direction might be there." Bridgette says in reply to Victoria and Madeline, trying to just get moving. Even the wrong choice was better than no choice at all in her experience, and this increasingly foreboding atmosphere told her nothing good would come of standing around chatting.

[MiscChaos]

Sasha also releases a sigh of relief, putting her hand on her chest as they escape the malevolent presence. She doesn't know how they're going to get out of this mockery of their own world, but not getting caught by such a clearly evil creature feels like step one. Ignoring the librarian's suggestion feels like step two. Separating means that they cannot assist one another if trouble comes calling. "I don't quite understand French, but I do agree the splitting up would be a terrible idea. If nothing else, having someone to run and get help could be the difference between a mere bad time and death. I would much rather check the teacher's lounge with... I don't believe I caught your name? I am Sasha Rogue. Anyways, I'd much rather investigate with her than do so by myself. I would suggest you follow along."