Focus Aurora, no getting confused with that book. Seriously, that science fiction novel is so well written it's occasionally hard to remember it's fiction!
Alright. Vehicle. The fact that it hasn't left yet means that either they're all out or they're waiting for these guys to get Aurora. Assume the latter so as to be prepared.
What door are they coming through, or are they going through all of them at once?
They seem to have split into two groups, one currently applying brute physical force to the front entrance of the house, and other circling and looking for an alternate entrance.
Still sitting in the tree, Eins watched the house for whatever would happen next.
Eins/Zwei watched intently as the house rose into the air almost out of sight-at the apex, it begin to spin faster and faster until it sort of...blinked out of existence in a puff of time-stuff, in a flash of light so bright she/they had to close their eyes.
Only upon opening them, did the pair realize the tree they were sitting in was no longer in Farfield. In fact, neither were they there, or alone any longer. It seems jumping out of an active time-travel field has some strange consequences...Eins finds herself staring out at an untouched, empty wilderness-pristine, with the cleanest, coldest air she's even tasted-a land stretching as far as her eyes can see...Well, it's almost empty. The tree they are in seems a lot more crowded, as well.
There are about two dozen figures, looking wildly around at one another with various degrees of umbrage. About half look exactly like Eins-young girls with ratty blonde hair, dark blue eyes and an impetuous look about them. Some seem slightly younger, or a good deal older-the eldest looking about twenty five, at most. The rest are much odder, though all with some human traits-a being that resembles an ambulatory flower flaps her petals nervously, and a spider-Eins tries to climb higher into the tree on eight spindly legs and a rope of webbing-a distinctly feline-Eins is spotted with furry ears. and possibly a tail-there's another Eins made of a watery liquid, facing off with one that seems to be made of fire (the fire-eins is currently burning the tree down, while the water-eins is trying to extinguish the flames). One of them distinctly resembles a humanoid sort of dinosaur, bearing sharp claws, slit eyes, and pebbled, scaly skin. Another wears a ratty cloak, has pale skin, and long vampire-fangs-she seems to be sparkling in the sunlight, trying to hide her face with her cape in a panic. Yet another seems to be entirely carved of stone, arms crossed, her face engraved in a frown.
And, each of them have a horn, or horns-some on the left, some on the right, some in the center. A few of them even have three or four horns. None of them feel like being the first one to speak, apparently.
Hmm.
"Crystal? I believe I've got just the thing for you. I have a large crystal chandelier hanging in the back of the store; I could retrieve it for you. I shan't be but quick. And I know you said money was no object, but it wouldn't feel right charging so much as my listed price for such a large thing, and I was looking to get it bought anyway, so I'll give you a discount."
"Uh...I could use something smaller. Unless you're also selling sledgehammers! I could use one of those as well..." She says, oddly.
Wymond can only detect some sort of quiet panic in her. She's surely experiencing something off...but, desperately trying to rationalize everything-unwilling to leave the dream, as it were. He can have some sympathy, since he felt much the same way himself after he first found the inscription on the shield.
Half an hour later, she's pretty certain she's an idiot. This isn't a plan. This isn't even a plan by the local standards.
Half an our later, things happen.
It is quite interesting from a certain point of view-one of the garbage grabbers vans (which have always seemed oddly over-armored to us, as if they transporting valuable metals and currency rather than waste byproducts) careens down the street, really going quite fast. The line of garbage cans doesn't slow them in the slightest-they plow right through them, raining trash all over the street, and veering into a sharp turn, speeding off toward the oceanside.
Which leaves the mayor watching the devastation from a nearby window with inhuman eyes, as one old man (Jeremiah Oglethorpe, the local dentist) picks up a broom and begins tidying up the massive mess, as if nothing at all was amiss. He even waves to us.
It did not help of course but it did give him resolve, he had to go and find her. He couldn't go back to living the life he did before this, he just couldn't. Slowly he walked towards the door and opened it, striding out into the outside world. Underneath the illusion he was nervous but nothing of that inner fear was reflected in the man that the outside world saw, a bright smile on his face as he got a taxi heading towards the docks.
Half an hour later, and he's still confused.
He expected the ship to be gone, like a picture from a dramatic story-an empty quay, a missing piece of the puzzle, a hole in life, metaphorical and literal.
But, the Left Hook is still docked where it's always been. A search of the ship reveals a few unsettling clues-he finds her things-the puce purse she carries (he notes a small loaded pistol inside he never knew she carried, safety still on), a gym-bag stuffed with clothing and essential (with FARFIELD BOXING CLUB stenciled on the side in bright red letters), and a thermos of coffee, still warm-Lilly's addicted to coffee, and has been drinking a lot more of it lately than usual. Her keys are even in the boats ignition, as if she was ready to go. Yet she is no where to be found, and there's no sign of struggle.
It's as if she vanished off the face of Farfield...
Lillian has the smallest of frowns for the briefest of moments as she notes his glazed-over eyes. The frown goes away, as she puts on a small smile, happy to see her friend anyway.
"It's quite alright, Mr. Ledford. I can wait. I was just looking at a rather interesting piece anyway." She picks up a porcelain doll dressed in a elegant, yet simple black dress, looking at it appreciatively.
The doll twitches in her hand, and rolls it's mechanical eyes in Lillian's direction-it croaks out in a mechanical, and slightly disturbing voice.
'WiLl yoU be my friENd?'
It's one of those toys.
And so Johnathan crept into the quarry.
John runs into someone he knows. Well, the man was works for him-William Pace. A young man, he works hard and speaks little-but, John has always suspected he's more clever than he looks. Sometimes he wonders if the man is awakened...but, hasn't up till now confronted him about it.
William makes no effort to hide himself. He merely paces (pardon the pun) the ground of the quarry relentlessly, as if waiting for someone to show up. He doesn't seem to have noticed John-if anything, he's lost in thought, oblivious to the world at large.
It takes another moment for John to realize the piece of the Stoneheart he was looking for is actually with this man-not
bonded to him, whispers a voice in the back of his mind-but, nestled in his left front pocket. The more John concentrates, the more it shines out to him-like a glowing ember, in the dark.
Author
Topic: The Second Son (IC thread) (Issue #1: Farfield, Page 2: Kleptomania ) (Read 9464 times)