[CLOSED] always a mystery, not what it seems to be

[aquaveiled]

Who: Himeka, Link, & Emet-Selch
What: An investigation ensues after Himeka realizes she's forgotten her stay at a mysterious disappearing house in the woods
Where: Roads between Primary and Secondary Settlements
When: Late January
Warnings: TBD

[ When she isn't busying herself with errands in town, Himeka does like to take time to explore a bit as she moves between the different settlements. While she spends most of her energy in the Primary simply due to the fact the family she has thrown her lot in with is there, she finds it equally important to keep herself integrated on every front that she can. Besides, half of the fun is the journey and the open air in Solvunn is something she is ever grateful for, no matter some the reservations she has about their lot.

It is on one such journey along one of the dirt paths between settlements that Himeka starts to feel the telltale pangs of deja vu. Not entirely out of place given that she has this way once before, but what begin with inklings of familiarity become the telltale signs of something else.

The sharp pains of a sudden migraine hits her full on and Himeka falls to her knees, holding her head in her hands. Her vision blurs as the road beneath her turns dark, flashes of the are at night fly through her mind.

Her lantern is out, but there's another light--

--a house? In this area? With nothing else around--

--it's not a normal house, not with the thick and oppressive air she feels inside of it--

--there's a hand that she doesn't recognize--

--and she's on the road, alone in the early morning.

She gasps as her vision finally clears, like she's taking a breath for the first time in a good minute. Pangs of her headache will linger for sometime, but this--it was definitely the Echo, but not a normal vision. They usually play out as complete scenes in front of her, not disjointed fragments needing to be pieced together. It...it's troubling. Because while she doesn't remember, she knows what she saw--

Her own past.

Here. In Solvunn.

After a moment to collect herself, Himeka continues her way into town, expression less lofty and more serious than it usually is when she's enjoying her wanderings. Though she was meaning to find more work, she feels there is something else she needs to attend to first.

...And there is just the person to help her out with that. Himeka waves to the young Elezen Elf. ]

Link!

Comments

[unnecessaryflourishes]

[Emet-Selch does, if nothing else, have the advantage in being able to tolerate waiting. One of the advantages of having lived for as long as he has - what are a few hours, compared to even the turn of a century and never mind millennia? Admittedly, his usual inclination would be to nap, but given that would risk missing the arrival of whatever it is they happen to be waiting for. Instead, he settles for simply watching Himeka as she finds ways to fill the time - and occasionally offering pointers, as he deems necessary.

The sudden flurry of noise and motion, however, has him standing up from where he'd been half-leaning against a tree. And once the shape draws close enough to be visible, he has to admit it's not anything like what he'd expected - though a house capable of shambling along legs does explain some of how it gets around. And perhaps also some of why the brush and smaller trees had been in the state of disarray they'd been in.

Still, he casts a half-suspicious gaze over it, as it settles down, and one that only seems to deepen once an old woman comes all but gliding out; rather than directly answer the question - or the beckoning finger - he turns instead to Himeka. The search is hers, and for now he will follow her lead.]

[aquaveiled]

[ Patience is a virtue or something, isn't it? And waiting, in this case, bares some substantial fruit. Himeka also stands when she hears it, at first, wondering if they are going to need to fight off some larger beast during their vigil. Yet instead she's rewarded with a house--

--a house on legs.

The edges of her memory start to fill in, small details--the siding of the house, yes that's right. The feathers--it's the legs! They come from the legs, there weren't chickens or wolves...it was the house itself.

She isn't crazy!

But...at what cost? What excitement she has is quickly overwritten with concern. Everything about this feels wrong. Even the quaint smoke from the chimney and warm light from the windows. The voice, garbled and hitting strange notes that vibrate in her horns, and the hand all ring alarm bells.

She trades a glance with Emet-Selch.

And steps forward.

The only way to unravel this mystery is to meet it, isn't it? ]

Not quite...not yet.

[ Tired, that is. The woman...she can't recall the face, but it feels familiar none the less. ]

We've met before, haven't we? I stayed here once.

[abraxasnpcs]

[ The old woman's smile broadens, giving off the impression that there may be too many teeth to logically fit in her mouth. She taps on her own nose and points that gnarled finger back at Himeka. ]



Ç̴̩͇͔͎̍̓ͅl̶̨̛̙̹̜̭̱̟͎̹̥͙̰̏̒̓͗̇͘͝͝͝ë̶͍͓̰͕͇̪̲̗̩́̅͛̒̀͑́͠v̷̫͉̓̎͒̇̄̕͘͝ẹ̶̛̘̯̭̰̄̑̌͛̎̓̏̋̍͝r̵̡̢̲̜̱̜̘̯̜͔̮̔͐̆̐͑͒̈̍̈͆̔̅̓̚̕͜,̴͇̬͈͕̔̆̽͒̎̊̉̓͛̃̑͛̀̀̃ ̴̢̧͙̺͔͓̼̆̓̔̍̃͋̉̓̀́̔́̈́̅̋k̶̰̦̟̰͛͐̓̓̏̆̿ĭ̴̦̮̠̝̘͈̝͒n̸͙̰̤̂̉̂̓̇̈̒͗̑͝͝d̸̪̼̘̳̻̭̞̙̖͇̣́̈́̿̐͌̀̐͘̚ ̵̨̝͈̱̳͇̋̐͐̒̈͋̈͘͘g̵̢̩͓̦̜͉͍͖̖͉̪̹̦͓̑͊͝į̷̳̘̘͚͆̈́̋̈́̿͊͊̽̓̀̚͠͝ŗ̴̠̝̺̦̟̼͈̤̤͗͋͠l̷̡̧̜̱̖̼̟̙͇̤͔̘̤̦̅͌̃͗̈͐͌̊̎̔͂͝.̶̡̛̟̝̼͌̈́̅̓͌̓͆̃̌͛̂̄̎͘ ̸͓͚̘͍͚̭̙̮̘̓̇͌̃̊͜͝C̸̫͂̐͒͆̌̈́̆͐̏̔̓̊̿͘͘ǫ̴̛̯̪̳̰͕͖͙̗̦̝̂́̇͑͋͘m̴̡̛̞̯̟̪̤̣̟̮̯̜̽̾͗̿͜ͅě̴͕͙͇̖͔̘̘͓̙̻̱̭͉̝͑̈́̆̚͠,̷̻̖̪̼͎̱͉͖̟̒́̀̈́͗̋͜ ̸̛̰̮̻̟̥̙͕̩̰̏́͌̈̀͗̒͌͗b̶̘̮̺͙̰͕̯͇̞̪̪̠̆̓̈́̕͠e̶̩̣̲̻̦̯͔̖̘̝̖͕̭̓̀̂̔̍̍̿̋̎̀̕͝f̶͙͖͓̃́̕ŏ̶̮̯̟̘͔̤͌̐r̵̡̨̮̳͍̹͚̦͙̦̥̬̺̾̋̈̔̌ę̶̣̝̰͖̜͋̈́́ ̴̢̩̜̦̞͖̣͙̩̣̟̂̓t̵̢̢̧̛̹͍̳̥̤̺͉̽̎͋̽͑̈́͆͗͠h̵̜͓̓ì̶͎̫̩͕͋͑͛́͗́̈́͂̽̂͆̐̚͝n̷̨͇̩͖͍̑̓͋̃̍͛͊͑g̸̞͇̖͔̬̺̜͋͂́̄̑͒̈́̊͋̉s̷̼̗̼͓̖̯̖̞̈́̓͆̋͘͜ ̶̨̹͚̫͕͓̦͎͖̞̤͍́̇́̓̃͋̅͋͋̈́̊̌̌̋͠w̸͓̱̤̹̳̏̌ͅì̷̢̹̭͚̮̥̺̼̰̠̅̈̓͋t̵̜̯̟̜̩̠̠̤̳͉̓͒̈̂̾̄͗͑̉̒̓̑̊͝ḧ̸̨̧̜͔̦̯̣̟͈̹̞̬̯̈́̿̓̍́͐̃̕͠ ̷̡͔̪̞̪͉̩̫̟̻̫͙̠͆̇͋̇͒͊͂́̾̾̎̚b̷̼͊̾̾͋̚ī̶̛͓̳̘͚͎̯̑̒̍̀͠g̷̝̥͌̓g̶̟̈́͋̔̊͘͝ę̷̛̛͓̼̙̞̱̳͎͎̭̲͇̹̘̀̄͆͐͐̈́̅̈͛̕͝r̸̨͈͉̟̳̓́͋̾ ̸̧̳̭̘͍͉̭̟̞̟̠̫̅̂̓͗͋͐͛͛̕͠t̸̨̻́̋̈͐̋̇͋̽̒͝e̸̯̦̯̖͇͈̭͕̿͒̐̋̔͐̇̉̐̆̈́͝͝ͅe̴̛̩̦͕̙̪̺͈̗̙̩̗͔͚̭̋̈́̈́̒͘ͅt̴̬̥̓̀͊̇̾̿͛̾̕h̸̙͖͓̞͙͚̥̼̠̠͗̈́̄͌̈́̈́͘͜ ̷̱̺̫͓̫͔͎̹͓̱̗̱̠̏́̍̿̆̌̂́̏̋͘ŝ̸̡̬͚̱̤̩̳̞͚̹̑͌ţ̵̧̭͇̳̪̤̜̗̗̱̏́́̃̚͜į̶̢̛͕̺̰͚͍̻̩̲͉́̈́̆̅̃̅̇̄͘r̵̡͖̥̲̫͉͓͍̜̳̘̲̱̘͚̃͑̽̌̀̀̃̅̌̄͠ ̸̡̧͈̝̤̣̱̞̪̯́ą̵̖̜̱͙̪̜̩́͋͊̈͗͛͠ẁ̷̰̰̰̻̝a̵̝̞̹͚̦̹̩͕̘̥̝̩̅̀ͅk̷̨̥͚̫̭͚͎̠̗͔̺̦̰̾͝e̶̲̞̝͔͌̐͗̈̾͊͆̍͘̚͜,̵̡̛̭̝͙͙͙͎̭̳̎͌̐͑͗̋̉̕͝͠ ̷͐̈́̉̆͂͂̇̐͌̿̈́̄͋̚͘͜h̷̩͙̼̩̺̦̉̕m̵̻̞̤͉̳̪̬͓͚̓̈́̾͂̎͆̆̅̍̅͂m̸̟͍͎̒̑̍͑͑̽́̿͐̏̈̽͑̕̕?̵͙͖̤̫̳̟̩̜͎̖̩̽͝

[ The door opens wider of its own volition, the scent of fresh bread and rosemary wafting into the night. The Haggard glides aside, gesturing with a wide sweep of her arm. She abandons the broom, which continues to sweep on its own. ]

[unnecessaryflourishes]

[The wafting scent of fresh bread is... not any less suspicious to be perfectly honest. The broom sweeping of its own volition, on the other hand, is almost normal - he knows more than one spell that could manage that much and most of them are trivial enough to perform that they've seen some use on the Source and her shards.

(On the other hand, the implication that there are nastier things lurking in the darkness does fit reasonably well with some of the things he's heard out of Solvunn, assuming it's not something offered simply for the sake of getting them inside.)]

I presume you have some ability to keep people safe, then? Or will these 'things with bigger teeth' not seek those inside a building?

[That said, unless Himeka indicates that she wishes to head inside, neither will he.]

[aquaveiled]

[ The Haggard, in many ways, looks almost like an ordinary person, but the small differences are enough to be just on the edge unsettling. She isn't sure if the answer to Emet-Selch's question is one they can trust, but curiosity is enough to beckon her forward.

She nods in his direction before accepting the invitation and stepping inside, soaking in the warm glow and the smells that would otherwise indicate a welcome reception. ]

...This house doesn't have teeth, does it?

[ Not the sort of thing to ask after you've already entered, but it has legs of all things. ]

Whatever you're baking smells lovely.

[ Too lovely. The sort of delicious that makes her stomach growl despite herself. Himeka places her hands at her belly. ]

...I remember this. Were you cooking last time?