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Happy Dreams- The Second Day, Day of Lament
The night sky would once again hang over the city gently as something ominous seemed to begin stirring within a monument out in front of what seemed to be a small garden. The monument was that of a fountain that normally was filled with clear, fresh water.
Today, however, the water would seem dark and smokey like a thick miasma of sorts. Anyone who stared into it might notice occasionally that it seemed as though something was starring up from within the water.
The smell the liquid gave of would be reminiscent of both blood and alcohol as it's very existence seemed to pollute the world. A large tree within the garden would also seem to be rotting from the inside out as if affected directly by the liquid somehow.
A young girl wanders through the night, she'd glance up at the stars with a grin on her face as the city lights gleam off in the distance. All in all, it's a peaceful night. Nice outside, quiet... Or it was, until she walks up to a fountain that smells of blood and booze. She'd just sigh and stand in front of it.
"Of course, last night it was that weird portal. And now tonight this, but if I had to guess this is the path into that dream again right? So how's it work..."
Homura may have power, but she doesn't deal in symbolic dreams generally, so, for now, she'd simply look in over the edge and aim to find some way into that world once again.
nearby a tall, grey-haired man would be calmly resting in an area near the monument, leaning against whatever he may. The man twitches for a moment, as though finally feeling something strange, and opening his eyes. It takes him a moment to truly wake up, but when he does the man yawns and walks towards the fountain, standing by Homura
"You know kid, I don't know what this stuff is, but its probably not good to be breathing. Think of it like tar, you might wanna back away"
A large man paces throughout the city with a sharpness in his eyes. He kept his head on a constant swivel as he moved under the night sky.
His searching finally brings up a result, a strange fountain and a familiar girl. He jogs over to the scene.
"Yo! Homura, what's going on?"
Upon arriving he'd make note of the odd smell and even stranger look. He then notices the sensation of being watched from within and shudders.
As if sensing others near it the liquid within the fountain would begin to part. Oddly, it would seem to be much deeper than it appeared as it opened into a path of sorts that seemed to extend downwards on a staircase made out of strange looking violet stone.
The staircase almost seemed to call to them in a similar way the allure of sleep would call to a person.
The tree at the same time seemed to begin shifting and twisting as on its trunk the image of a birthday cake seemed to form out of its decaying bark.
The strange green haired girl would be drawn to the place after smelling something she thought delicious. Drawn by the madness that immenated off of the liquid she would come to the fountain and find herself at the staircase. Looking around as she noticed the other people she nervously looked around.
"I-I'll be brave for mommy." She steeled herself as she walked down the stairs to see where they would take her.
Homura looks to the grey-haired stranger for a moment, she might be a child but she doesn't really need minding. The girl stares up at him with a neutral look over her face, glasses gleaming in the dim light of street lamps.
"Don't worry about it, I'm not sure on the exact details. But I'm a bit harder to hurt than most people, and I have an idea of what it might do. Which is important, if I'm right."
Upon Kalib's arrival she'd turn and wave to him, a smile forming as her tone suddenly goes far more cheerful than moments ago.
"Oh hey! And uh if I'm guessing right about this, I think it's how we're getting back to that place..."
As the stairs form, she smirks and begins walking down them. Sure that her guess was right on the money. Only to notice a young girl wandering down the stairs alongside her, Homura would turn to the girl with a kind smile even as she keeps descending.
"You should go home I think, this place is... Not safe, and it's not fun either. Where we're about to go is a twisted mess, but well there's someone in it who needs my help. And I can't exactly suggest coming along to try and help with me."
Kalib notices the tree shifting out of the corner of his eye and looks over to see it. Trees definitely don't just do that, so he makes a mental note of the design upon the tree.
Looking back to the group alongside him causes him to shake his head.
"You may be onto something there Homura. Once more unto the breach. We'll have to keep an eye on the others if they choose to come with us. We at least have something close to an idea as to how this place works."
With that he enters the fountain and begins heading downwards.
Nicola looks back at Homura with a sigh and shakes his head
seems there're an awful lot of kids who like acting all grown up around. Trust me, not as great as it sounds.
Noticing another kid slipped by him with Homura, Nicola starts walking after them, rather slowly, he turns to Kalib, picking up the pace a little to catch up to the rest of the group
Alright, I don't know who any of you are, but if stuff gets too bad I'd like to ask you to make a break for it. Long as the situation's in control then its all good, any big monsters show up, you get the kids and leave. No reason to worry about me, alright?
Though his voice is rather rough, almost angry sounding, Nicola raises an eyebrow at the stranger, hopefully they have a bit more of a sense of responsibility than a lot of the others he's found, it'd be easier to handle the situation with a little help, especially a more... Sociable one.
As everyone made there way down the stairs they'd notice that the air would grow warmer and a soft but familiar melody was slowly growing louder. Most would recognize it as the song that was often played on someone's birthday.
The warmth would grow as the melody seemed to grow. Finally, all at once the tunnel would seem to get smaller as before they knew it they would all end up drifting off to another world.
When they finally wok back up they'd be in a place Homura and Kalib would recognize well. They were in front of three identical and square looking white buildings.
The entire area was surrounded by green hills and the area itself was similar to a grassy green plain with a brick pathway that seemed to lead to each of the buildings as well as another building on the far right. The brick path would also continue on to the north as if leading somewhere else.
The one in the middle would have a mailbox in front of it that read Russell. On closer inspection, there would be a couple pieces of paper sticking out of the mailbox today. The house that would be left from the one in the middle would also be slightly different.
Above its door, two yellow glowing symbols resembling eyes would be flashing with a red arrow pointing downward.
Even further left from the three houses, the young man that Homura and Kalib would recognize as Tabasa would be feeding a flock of odd looking sheep. He seemed very focused on his work and thus wouldn't have noticed any of the group yet.
He turns to Nicola with a frown.
"Nobody gets left behind if things don't work out. That isn't how I roll. And the name's Kalib, pleased to meetcha!"
Kalib would then approach Russell's house after looking around. The house with eyes was definitely suspicious, but Kalib was more concerned as to learning all this world had to share. Starting with Russ' mailbox.
He saw Tabasa, but didn't want to approach just yet. He didn't know how the world treated him yet, and he wasn't ready to find out.
So this is it again, well there's no sense worrying about the old man who seems to think she'd in dire need of protecting. He means well enough most likely after all. The girl though...
"Well, it seems as if we're here now. Homura Akemi, nice to meet you all and welcome to a world of dreams. It's not nearly as pleasant as it sounds I can assure you. And I'm with Kalib, I may not be grown up or anything... But I'm not leaving people to die, never."
She'd sigh and look back to the girl, it does feel a bit foolish to take her along. But it also seems there might be no stopping it. Either way, Homura walks up toward Tabasa and greets him with a cheerful wave.
"Hi! so how's it going over there? Seems like you've got some cool animals!"
Unlike Kalib, she's all too willing to find out where they stand in this mess. Even if it might well sting.
Nicola closes his eyes with a sigh, before smiling back at Kalib before he goes
Suit yourself Kalib. Name's Nicola Adel. I'll trust your judgement for now.
Nicola shrugs and looks back to Homura, yeah, makes sense especially considering how old they are. He should probably avoid talking down like that, no sense in making a mood worse, even if that's what he's best at instead he simply makes an attempt at chuckling
Oh don't worry, I'm not planning on dying anytime soon. Whatever happens, I'll definitely be seeing you back out of here. That, I promise.
After that, he'd easily let Kalib go... Do whatever he's doing with the mailbox, instead opting to stand a little ways back and keep an eye on everyone. Hopefully everything's as nice as it seems, but he can't really afford to go to sleep yet. Considering the alleyway incident, and his own unfamiliarity with the place, it'd be a pain to fall out at a bad time
Kamoana would hear the girls introduction and introduce herself as well.
"I-I'm Kamoana. It's nice to meet everyone." She would nervously say before the group seemed to disband. Not wanting to be left alone and seeing the closest to her age was the black haired girl who named herself Homura she followed her over to the sheep.
"Whoa! I've never seen real sheep before. They are so adorable. Do you mind if I pet them?" she would ask as she looked up to the one feeding them
Kalib would find two different flyers in Russell's mailbox. The first of these two flyers would advertise a new shop that had opened in town:
"Open today!
Information Shop 'InfoMashun!'
Look for the sky blue roof!"
Another flyer would seem to be a warning of some kind telling of a recent sighting of an ominous monster near the town.
Tabasa would notice Homura first and look up from what he was doing.
Tabasa: Oh, it's you guys. Didn't know you were still here. I thought you'd be with Russell. He already left for the day. SOmething about a new shop opening today. Well, anyway, I was just doing my daily errands. I usually feed on the animals near the town and water all the public community crops.
Oh yeah, Russell was looking pretty tired, guess that's my fault for dragging you guys around so much yesterday, sorry about that. Uh, actually there's one more thing I might need help with if you wouldn't mind.
If anyone was to take a closer look at the sheep they might notice their eyes which were somewhat odd. They almost looked crazed and they all seemed to be smiling. Even the noise they made almost sounded like laughing.
Tabasa would notice the other unfamiliar girl and greet her as well.
"Sure, as long as they let you. These sheep are usually pretty friendly towards people. I guess that's because they belong to the town."
Kamoana didn't even think about there crazed appearance before she started to happily pet their fleece. Back where she came from she never saw them before so seeing their current state wouldn't really raise any alarms in her head.
"Their so soft! Do you like it when I rub here." she said to the sheep with a big smile
Something is strange about those sheep, in fact beyond the odd noises there's just something about those eyes... Regardless, she smiles at Tabasa and nods.
"Sure, I'm always happy to help if I can. Though I do need to talk to Russel as well, it's... Well, I just feel like he could use a friend I guess, ya know?"
Gotta try and help him, regardless of what that strange version of Tabasa had said the last time around, giving up isn't really in her options. After she's done speaking, the girl would look around and take note of both the fliers put out. Hmm, an infoshop, and another dangerous monster... Both feel important.
Kalib reads over the contents of the mailbox in silence. Once he was finished he'd return them to the mailbox and walk back to Nicola.
"Well so long as you aren't running around with a death wish we should be fine!"
He flashes the man a grin before getting back to business.
"So another monster is on the loose around the same time a new shop opens up? That's mildly suspicious... eh, well that's fine. It just means we need to keep an eye out until we track down Russell."
With an idea of where to head to next, Kalib walks over to Homura and the sheep. Upon arriving he notices the odd behavior and shudders.
"Yeeesh... I have a baaaaaaad feeling already..."
The sheep would seem to laugh in response in a sheepish manner. It should also be noticed that a field with strange looking plants could be seen to the north of the sheep. It seemed to be a small farm of some sorts.
Sheep: Baahahahahaa!!
Tabasa would look back to Homura and smile before bringing back the hair ornament from the other day. He would try to hand the ornament to Homura before speaking on it more.
Tabasa: Could you return this hair ornament to Gardenia for me? She lives on the southeastern corner of the town after entering the main square. The pathway next to Russel's house should take you there if you follow it north. I think the infoshop is somewhere in the square too.
Oh yeah, you'll know her house when you see it. It's rather tasty looking if I'm being honest, I wouldn't recommend actually eating it though.
Tabasa would then turn to Kalib with a sigh.
Tabasa: Oh, the monster? Yeah, think Yumi was talking about it. She's the town sheriff, you'll probably recognize her by her hat and blonde hair. She's rather intimidating really so I don't really talk to her too much.
You should ask her about it if you want to know more.
Kalib laughs softly as Tabasa describes the sherriff.
"Intimidating, huh? Great... just what I needed today..."
He sighs before shaking it off.
"Well, so long as she's scarier than the monster I'll be fine! I doubt she has the time to deal with it herself too. Alrighty, I guess it's time we make tracks!"
He turns to Homura and Kamoana with a smile.
"You girls ready to head into town?"
Right then, a simple deliver this mission shouldn't be too hard! She'd take the hairclip and grin at Tabasa.
"Right, I'm sure I'll be able to find this house! And I guess we'll need to talk with this Yumi person too, if its anything like last time then monster hunting might just be how to find Russel anyways..."
With a wave the girl would begin walking after Kalib, and then there's the girl to worry with... Something about her feels strange, to say the least, but she's not evil or anything... Just very very strange.
"Yeah, let's get going Kalib. I'd like to move quickly, since we have something of a clue what's going on this time."
"Ah! W-wait! Don't leave me behind" she would get up and run after the black haired girl while waving back to the sheep. "Thank you for letting me pet you Mr. Sheep"
The town would be a little ways past Tabasa and Russel's homes. Upon entering what seemed to be the main part of town the group would notice that the road was now decorated with strange looking lamps that seemed to almost have branches similar to the arms of a cactus.
They'd find themselves in the east side of town with 3 houses and another field in the area. In order from left to right, the first and farthest house would almost seem to be shaped like a...potato? it even would have a small sprout just over its door. This home wouldn't have any sign but the mailbox out in front of it could be read from this distance:
"Gardenia's House"
The next house would be a strange Shinto looking building made of wood with a red roof. It seemed to be occupied currently with a sign out front.
The last and closest building would seem to be made to look like a slice of cake. It would seem as if nobody was home at the moment.
Otherwise, there was also a road that seemed to lead to the west side of town.
Upon entering the town Kalib would look around the rather colorful town. His eyes hover over each of the foodstuff looking domiciles before finally landing on the shinto style one. He'd blink several times as he attempts to understand the strange design choices.... he couldn't.
"Welp... we clearly aren't in Kansas anymore. I know that for an absolute fact now!"
He shakes his head in defeat before looking towards another road.
"That oughtta bring me deeper into town... hmmm..."
He turns around to face the girls.
"Hey Homura, I'm going to run ahead and ask the sheriff what she knows and see if I can spot Russ. You two should be able to return that without little old me, right?"
He flashes the pair a wink before turning and heading off down the next road.
The girl stares over at these strange houses... If it weren't a dream she'd question who would make such a thing, and why. As is, however, she simply walks up the house with the name they're looking for and knocks on the door. Hairclip in hands and a grin on her face as she waits, looking back to the other girl following her for a moment and deciding to finally introduce herself properly.
"So, how's it going over there? I'm Homura by the way in case you were wondering, and uh I realize I haven't been super welcoming up to now but this whole place makes me a bit tense... Still, it's nice to meet you!"
She'd then turn over to Kalib, nodding to him with a wry smile.
"Yeah, I think things should be fine. Though don't into any fights without me!"
Kamoana puts a big smile on her face after hearing Homura introduce herself.
"I'm Kamoana." She would tilt her head a little at what Homura said "This place makes you feel tense? I think it seems pretty fun. It even had sheep! I never saw sheep back at home!" She would say excitedly before seeing Kalib walk away and then wave to him.
"I can't wait to see what else is here.' she would say as she saw Kalib off
Upon arriving in the west part of town Kalib would see 4 buildings that were just as odd as the other side of town, though a lot less tasty looking.
On the leftmost side of town would be two buildings, one north and one south. The northern building would seem to be a wooden shack with a sign at the top reading:
"SOS?"
The wooden building would almost have a western feel to it as if straight out of a movie about cowboys or the Old West itself.
The southern house would be a rather ordinary building comparatively with white paint and a blue roof. The sign in front of it would indicate it as the information shop Kalib had ready about earlier.
The next set of buildings would be one right down the middle of the west side to the north. It would look like two golden buildings attached to one another with giant cross-like statues attached to their front walls. This building almost gave off the vibe of a church of some kind.
The final building in the town which was almost immediately to Kalib's right would be an upside-down L-shaped building with a glass beam under the ridge it made to support it. Within the glass seemed to be a few giant eyeballs that seemed to come from no creature he's seen in this world yet.
After knocking on the door, Homura would eventually hear the voice of an energetic sounding girl. The voice sounded like it was shouting from a bit away past the door but it would be loud enough to make out.
???: Come right in! It should be open! I'm just finishing something else right now!
"Ah, don't worry about it too much Kamoana... I'm just a bit silly like that, and uh yes very cute sheep."
With that, she'd walk through the door after hearing a voice calling out from it. A grin on her face as she walks forward and begins looking around the house, upon finding whoever this person is she'd hold out the hairpin to them with a wave.
"Um hello, you're Gardenia, right? Homura Akemi. And Tabasa sent me to give this to you... Nice meeting you by the way, what's up with the house design anyways? I've never seen buildings made to look like food before. Is that just the style around this town?"
Kalib laughs softly to himself as he looks at the first three buildings.
"This place really is a dream. You wouldn't find places like this just littered around the real world..."
He'd look over to the last building and shivered upon seeing the foreign eyes.
"Ehehehe... yup! Par for the course here...."
The first building he chooses to investigate would be none other than the western looking building. The sign gets another laugh out of him as he approaches.
"SOS? Save our souls, huh? Well... a little to late for me then..."
With a sad smile he enters the building.
"Hello? Is Sheriff Yumi around?"
Upon entering, Homura would be greeted by the sight of a kitchen. At the far wall away from the door, a girl with white hair and a bright smile would be cooking what seemed to be vegetables in a worn looking frying pan.
Along with the stove would be a sink and several counters, an oven, and a fridge. It almost looked like a set-up that anyone with aspirations to be a chef would want. There was even a storage area for other ingredients on the right side of the house.
On the counter, there would also be a strange glass jar with what looked to be a carrot with arms, legs, and even a face squirming inside.
Gardenia would look back at Homura still smiling brightly. She'd place the cooked vegetables down now that they were finished cooking. Finally, she'd accept the hair ornament excitedly.
Gardenia: Oh, I was looking for this! Did you find it for me? Thank you! Uh, I don't really have much but...oh, I know! I'm an aspiring cook so I often cook things to seel later to the rest of the town! I just made this a little while ago!
The girl would hand Homura what seemed to be a take-out box made from cardboard.
Gardenia: It's a carrot salad made with carrots grown in town! It's really good for you!
The girl would seem excited before looking back at her pan for a moment with a sort of disappointment.
Gardenia: Uh, could I ask you for a small favour...It's nothing too hard, I promise, I just want to buy a new frying pan and I heard the Incarner market was finally opening back up. I bet they have a new frying pan there so...could you maybe go with me to take a look?
Tabasa's always telling me not to wander into the forest alone...
In the building Kalib entered he'd be introduced with a rather modern set-up for such an old looking building. It almost looked like the inside of a small police station. There was an empty receptionist desk immediately to his right and further up against the wall would be a bulletin board full of other flyers with reports of criminals and monsters and active cases.
A girl dressed up somewhere between a modern officer and an old-western sheriff would be looking over the board. Her bright blonde hair would be easily noticeable along with a hat one might normally be seen on a cowboy atop her head.
She'd turn to greet Kalib upon hearing his voice.
Yumi: Yes, that'd be me. What can I help you with today? Hmm, don't recognize ya. Are you new to town or something? Or maybe visiting from somewhere else.
Running errands? On the one hand, this feels like it's moving away from the goal entirely, on the other hand even if this person's just a dream that doesn't mean she isn't a person.
"Alright then, I'll go ahead and help you out! Though I also need to go into town, gotta catch up with another friend of mine... And make sure he doesn't get himself into anything stupid without me around too. Anyways though, let's get going!"
The girl would quickly turn around and begin walking out the door, looking over to the younger girl as she does so.
"Well, I guess I'm helping out Gardenia some more, feel free to come along if you'd like!"
Kamoana would nod her head energetically and follow behind while looking at everything. She'd never been to a dream world before so she would enjoy herself to the fullest.
Kalib smiles as he laughs awkwardly at Yumi's question.
"Eh... well where I come from is kinda far away. I guess you could say I got lost something fierce. But the people I've met so far have made me come to like this town of your's, Sheriff!"
He takes a breath and his smile fades to a more serious expression.
"I saw there was a notice going around about some monster. If you have any information I'd like to go after it. Granted, from that board I suppose this monster is just the tip of the iceberg, huh?"
He walks over towards Yumi and the board as he quickly reads over a few different monster files.
"Seems pretty busy."
Gardenia would quickly follow after Homura.
Gardenia: Wait! I'll come with you, I need to pass through the west side of town to head into the forest anyway. Besides, I, uh, well I don't have many customers today...
She would almost look a little sad while saying this as if she didn't want to be left by herself.
As Kalib tried to look over the files he could almost feel his mind seem to pulsate before the files became a blurry jumbled mess of letters and numbers. It was as if the files were rejecting him from reading them. Yumi would approach him before beginning to speak once more.
Yumi: Don't bother with those. Just a bunch of old cases that never led anywhere. Now, as for this current report, it's nothing too get too excited about. Someone reported seeing an ominous shadowy monster near the town while on a walk.
Nobodies been hurt yet but for a monster to be this close and for none of to have seen it aside from Kantera, that's a cause for some concern. For now I just out those flyers you probably saw around warning about the monster. If you really want to know more then you can speak to Kantera about it but doesn't seem like there's any leads to follow yet.
Kantera is the town doctor if your wondering. Lives in that old looking house on the other side of town.
Kalib lets out a brief sigh as he whispers to himself.
"Oh joy... more walking..."
He smiles once again and sticks out a hand to Yumi.
"Thanks for the info! I'm Kalib by the way! You'll probably be seeing more of me for some time. I'll do my best not to cause you any hassle!"
Homura would laugh as Gardenia begins freaking out, geez this girl really doesn't wanna be alone... Huh, kinda reminds her of an old friend.
"Don't worry, I was gonna wait on you. I'm not about to let someone go wandering off by themselves, that'd just be rude when you're asking for company!"
With a grin and a bit less speed, the girl begins setting off for the town. Clearly moving slower so that their new companion doesn't think she's being ditched, again. Though that reaction does raise some questions, it's likely best to simply let it stay untouched.
Kamoana would continue to follow behind while looking around
"Hey hey. Aren't forest really dangerous. Are we really going to be alright?" She asked with a little worry on her face but despite that she still followed behind
Yumi would accept Kalib's hand with a smile. She seemed to accept him even if he wasn't from the town itself.
Yumi: Alright, I'll be holding you accountable for that claim then, Kalib. Don't be a stranger now and try to be careful. Things haven't been quite right lately.
Eventually, Homura, Kamoana, and Gardenia would reach the west side of town. They'd see the four buildings that Kalib had seen before. They would have a choice between the strange lopsided building, the church, the sheriff's office, and the information shop.
"Trust me Sheriff... I've already been well acquainted with the strangeness of this place. Anyways, I'll do my best to be careful."
He breaks off the shake and turns to leave.
"I hope you'll follow your own advice too. Well, catch you later!"
He offers a wave and exits the building.
"Right... best check that Infomashun place first, and then Kantera's! Who knows, maybe I'll find what I need from the first stop. Then again seeing a nurse would be nice too~!"
He laughs to himself as he walks over to the building with the sky blue roof and goes to enter.
(edited by imtherealklib)
Homura shrugs, forests might be a bit dangerous but it's not really anything major from her point of view.
"Don't worry too much, I'm a lot stronger than I look. Besides, wilds aren't nearly as bad as people often think they are, a forest's animals aren't really much more dangerous than a city full of people if you don't do anything to provoke them."
Of course, now that they've reached the town it's not really an issue...
"Hmm, I think I need to check out the infoshop. Call it a gut feeling, but I've just got this strange sense I might find something important there."
And with that, she'd set off for the building. Looking around curiously as she enters, wondering what exactly an 'infoshop' would even look like. Or why Russel's mind would conjure up such a thing for that matter.
Kamoana would follow more specifically because she didn't like being left by her self.
"I-I'm coming too." she said speeding up her walking speed to catch up with homura as she looked around, grabbing onto the back of homura's shirt as if she was afraid she'd get lost. She'd then look towards Gardenia.
"What are you going to do?"
Gardenia would turn to Kamoana briefly with a nervous look on her face. She almost looked confused as if she wasn't supposed to enter the shop but even so, she felt her feet moving for her in an attempt to follow Homura.
Gardenia: I'll come too, I'm just...a little nervous...I'm sure it will be fine though!
The inside of the infoshop would be a light shade of blue, in fact, almost all of the furniture in the room was the same bright shade of blue. The walls were covered with posters that mostly seemed to be advertisements for the store. There would be bookshelves between the posters with strange looking and almost mystic looking books.
One of the books even seemed to be covered in heavy chains with a mysterious looking lock. There was even a blue couch, most likely for reading.
In the center of the room was a table with a couple of chairs. In the middle of the table was a flower basket with a bottle of a light brown liquid of some sort. There were also glasses on either side of the table. The side closer to the group would have an empty glass that was still dry.
While the other side of the table had a glass that looked to be almost empty. The oddest thing of all would be who was sitting on either side of the table. On the side with the dry glass would be a Russell. On the side with the almost empty glass would be Russell again, only this Russell seemed a bit different. His undershirt was black instead of white, his eyes were green rather than blue, and to top it all off he had a smug smile on his face as if he already had all the answers before you even spoke to him.
Informant: Ah, looks like your "friends" have arrived, Russell. Sooner than I expected but I suppose I can't really predict something from outside your dream. I suppose our chat will have to end here.
Russell, as usual, would show no emotion in his expression, opting to remain silent for now.
"Not quite velvet, but certainly a room..."
Kalib mutters to himself before noticing Homura and the others.
"Oh! When did you guys get here? And is that Gardenia? Pleased to meetcha, I'm Kalib!"
He finally notices the table and the other familiar face...s? Two Russells? He cocked his head to the side in confusion at the scene before him. Upon hearing the second Russell's words he approaches.
"Howdy Russ, fancy meeting you here! Didn't mean to interrupt your little pow wow."
He approaches the table and stands next to Russ so he could get a clear view of the other one.
"Hey there, nice to meet ya! I'm Kalib, but you probably knew that. So what exactly is this place?"
Two of him... Homura can't help going into a mockingly serious tone up seeing such a scene, shadows suddenly casting themselves over the girl's face as she begins intoning towards the green-eyed Russel.
"Let me guess, 'I am a Shadow, the true self! And I'll crush anything that tries to get in my way!'?"
The girl giggles as she stares at him, the shadows vanishing just as suddenly as they appeared and her voice returning to normal.
"Anyways, hello Russel. And another Russel who I'm sure represents something I don't quite understand yet. I'm going to assume that the first of you I met came here seeking information of some sort. And am entirely curious as to what it might be, but that doesn't seem like something to focus on for now. Anyway, it's good to see you again despite how... Brief past our meetings have been, Russel."
How strange to be trying to help someone like this, he hardly seems the type who'd want or need it. But even so, she can't help offering him a small smile and trying to help despite her better judgment.
Her eyes raced around the room before they settled on the two.
"Twins?"
She would comment before finding her interest being taken by the book with the chains. She wondered off from the group as she headed towards it with the intent of opening it more out of curiosity than anything else. Hopefully her super human strength didn't break anything. She never liked being scolded after all.
The other Russel would just continue smiling as he had been. First, he'd address Kalib.
Informant: Didn't you read the sign outside? This is an information shop. I do a service here in which I provide Russell and any he might associate with, with any information they need. Specifically the information of what you should do to progress through the day and escape this world. Well, escape it until it calls you back in.
The informant would almost look amused by Homura's antics as if he expected them in some form.
Informant: A shadow would be an inaccurate description. It would be more accurate to call me the true master of Russell's mind. I am in a sense Russell, after all, who better to provide information on Russell than Russell himself. There's no better informant than me.
The book would come off the shelf easily but even with super strength, the chain as if by magic wouldn't break. Upon looking at the book you might notice it's title:
"The Guide-Selling Old Lady"
The Informant would quickly look over.
Informant: I'd be careful with that. It's a rather dangerous book that leads somewhere you might not find too fun.
Kalib shrugs with a smile.
"I take it your services come at a steep price then? One who holds all the answers wouldn't be willing to work pro bono."
He looks down at Russ and goes to speak, but opts not to before looking back at the Informant.
"So fill me in. How does this all work? I may be clever, but if this is a service that is necessary for Russell, then I figure there isn't any harm in partaking myself."
In a sense Russel? The same could be said of a Shadow though, couldn't it?
"Sounds a bit like a Shadow to me at least, they're in a sense the person they're made from too. All a matter of perspective though I guess, you feel like... Something more than just one of those, but a reflection of some stripe all the same."
Upon infoman's words to Kamoana, Homura would just turn with a sigh and shake her head.
"I think it'd be best to listen to the man, he seems fairly smart if perhaps a bit shady."
And yes, these services sound quite helpful... But for some reason, she doesn't think it's super easy to get his help.
After Kamoana hears the man she would pout a little, puffing out her cheeks before responding.
"T-then what inside the book. Can I please borrow the key mister."
The informant would seem to laugh at the mention of a price. He'd turn to Kalib with almost a sense of ego.
Informant: Steep price? And what would you pay me in? Walnuts? There isn't exactly much of an economy here if you didn't notice. Many here claim to be running stores but even if you picked up rocks off the ground and offered them I'm sure they'd give you something in exchange.
Ironically, walnuts actually would have a pretty high value to anyone according to the rules of this dream but for my service, there's no charge. Just don't expect me to give you all the answers at once.
Like today, for example, you should no your wild goose chase for some monster won't lead you anywhere. Not yet anyway, the monster you seek simply doesn't exist because Russell cannot yet see it. The rumours are simply Russell's mind still trying to come to terms with his guilt.
Your energy would best be spent helping Gardenia for now. I see that she's already with you. Poor thing though, she can barely function in my presence. My words must confuse her greatly but that's to be expected.
Finally, the informant would also notice what Homura and Kamoana were talking about.
Informant: You won't find a key for that book. Not yet anyway and even if you did you wouldn't get the most out of it yet. The only one here who I believe would benefit would be Kalib. Even then that's only a possibility.
Gardenia would, in fact, seem kinda confused and unaware while in this shop. Perhaps it was the reason she was hesitant to enter it in the first place. Finally, she would seem to notice something as she looked between the Informant and Russell.
Gardenia: Hey, you two look really similar. Are you brothers or something?
Russell would seem to sigh for a moment before answering.
Russell: Something like that. It's not important.
Kalib laughs at his own folly.
"Heh. I was too busy trying to figure out the rules of this place last time that the thought of an economy was pretty far from my mind. So I'll let that attitude of yours slide for now, if only for saving me the walk to see the doctor!"
He smiles at the Informant before walking back to Gardenia.
"So right now we need to help Gardenia, huh? That sounds easy peasy lemon squeezy! I'm something of an authority on helping strangers, hehe!"
Helping Gardenia then, alright they can focus on that for now...
"Come on everyone, Russel's connection to this guy isn't really something to focus on! Now, we needed to get you a pan right Gardenia?"
With a wink to Kalib and Russel, the girl walks out the door of this place and... Realizes she has no clue where she's actually going.
"Uh question though, where's this shop we're going to anyway? I realize I'm clueless about it in this case..."
Kamoana would pout for a little while before getting up and rushing back over to the group. She would wave to the two Russels.
"Bye bye. Maybe next time you can show me the book." A big smile on her face before following Homura out
The informant would handle an odd marble to Russell quickly.
Informant: I'm sure you know what to do with this. Use it when they eventually get stuck.
Russel would reluctantly nod before following the others out of the shop.
Russell would look to Homura and speak in a plain tone.
Russell: Near where we were yesterday in the forest, The Incarner's market should be open now. It'll be a lot different then what you may recall.
When Gardenia exited the shop she seemed to finally come back to her senses.
Gardenia: Oh, Russel, you're here! Are you here to help me get a new frying pan?
Russell would almost seem to smile a bit as if to say yes in some way.
Kalib's ears perk up at the mention of the Incarners. His excitement boiling over as he begins to talk.
"Hey! What do you think the odds are we'll see the Incarner we met yesterday? I still need to thank him for giving me such a useful item! Without it we might not have had such a... well happy isn't what I'd call the ending but uh...."
He trails off as remembering the previous day's events begin to sour his mood. His jovial expression being swapped for frown and a furrowed brow. Silence stuck to his tongue for a good long while as he began heading towards the given location.
Right then, that same place in the forest.
"Ah okay, I can lead us there easily enough then! Alright, everyone time to get moving."
The girl sets off, aiming to find her way back to the same place she'd been yesterday, and of course still walking at this hideously slow pace. Gah, running around on rooftops is so much more fun than walking like a human. But oh well, nothing to do but move normally with so many people following her. As for Kalib's comment on the end, hmm...
"It went as well as we could have hoped for Kalib, no one got hurt too badly in the end and that's all you can ask!"
Kamoana would look around confused at everyone's somber expression.
"Why does everyone look sad. Does your tummy hurt. Maybe eating something will make you both feel better." She would say after running to the front with a big smile hoping to lift the mood
The area they'd arrive at would be almost the same as yesterday with the forest clearing still holding the building that seemed to be made out of a wooden log and the strange cat people still guarding the path to the south.
The main differences would be the carpets and boxes set up around the area and the many Incarners wandering around.
In the center of the clearing was one Incarner hovering over a carpet with products of many shapes and sizes. They would seem to be shouting something to anyone who passed by.
Incarner: Welcome, Welcome, one and all...
It's cheap, it's cheap...
Buy now, buy something...
Gardenia would immediately run up to the Incarner excitedly as Russell seemed to follow close behind.
Gardenia: Ohhh! I bet they'll have a good frying pan here!
Kalib swallowed the bitterness inside of him as he nodded to Homura.
"You're right. I'm just overthinking things again..."
He then looks down at Kamoana and ruffles her hair.
"I'm fine now. Just forgot to eat breakfast so my stomach is pretty bummed out... but I'm impressed you picked up on that! You're pretty clever!"
Turning his attention to the market itself causes Kalib to smile. These Incarners instilled a sense of wonder in him as he watched them work. The entities were something beautifully foreign to him.
"Wow! Look at all of them! Though I must say their marketing slogans could use a touch up... hehe!"
At this point he would begin looking from vendor to vendor in an attempt to find the Incarner he met before.
Homura begins walking around the area, her eyes scanning over everything curiously. Perhaps she might find something worth looking into here?
"Hmm, quite a bit of stuff around here... Not so sure that any of it is strictly speaking something I'd find useful, but interesting none the less."
Indeed, strange objects abound at this market. But maybe if she's lucky she'll be able to find a freaking pan in all the clutter around here. Or just be attacked by monsters knowing her luck.
"Anyways, I think we'll find what we're looking for. If we get lucky it won't even take too long."
"I promise I won't get lost mommy" she said as she rushed around from one vendor to another with sparkles in her eyes.
It was obvious how interested she was at everything around here from the people to the items. So much so that it seemed like she had forgotten the whole reason they were even there to begin with.
Kalib would, unfortunately, have trouble finding the Incarner from before as they all seemed to look nearly identical. Even so, one that even remotely seemed like the one from before would be nowhere around the market. The only place left to check aside from the market would be the Incarner HQ house which was now noticeably open.
Homura and Kamoana would find all sorts of weapons that all seemed to have odd energies swirling around them. Some would be weapons one might typically see in a fantasy game as well, such as swords, magic staffs, and bows but at the same time, there were also more modern weapons such as rifles, combat knives, and pistols.
Aside from weaponry, there would also be a variety of seemingly random objects to the point where it almost looked like someone dropped off a bunch of their stuff and the Incarners decided to sell it.
As far as frying pans go the only thing Homura would find were square frying pans along with other tools for cooking of varying sizes and use.
Gardenia would look over to the square frying pans and begin speaking to the Incarner in the center.
Gardenia: Excuse me, do you have any ergonomic, long lasting frying pans? Specifically round ones.
The Incarner would turn back to Gardenia and begin speaking in its same sales pitch tone.
Incarner: No! We only have square frying pans for cooking eggs, every single one of them! Buy it! Buy it all!
Gardenia: Don't you have even one round frying pan?
Incarner: A round frying pan, I believe there was a place at headquarters that held round frying pans but access to that place is...withheld. As in we don't know how to access it. If you wish you may go and take a look.
Gardenia would look somewhat disappointed at this response.
Gardenia: Is that so? Uh, what should we do?
Kalib hangs his head as he walks away from the final vendor.
"Haaa... well this sucks... I had expected them to at least look notably different..."
He raises his head slowly and looks around once more.
"I mean... I'm not being mean if it's true... right?"
With another lengthy sigh he continues walking. Out of the corner of his eye he saw the large building once again, but it was open? Things were starting to look up!
With a new found pep in his step, Kalib continued his journey to track down his benefactor and entered into the large building. Once inside he'd commence his search from square one.
Well then, if they're looking for a place with round frying pans.
"What do we do? Simple really, we go find this place and figure out the way in! Or if there isn't one, we make our own way in!"
Indeed, Homura would turn to the Incarner near Gardenia with a grin on her face.
"Now then, point the way to this lair of frying pans for me! I shall overtake anything in my path with ease."
There's a goofy smile on her as she looks at Gardenia and Kamoana, despite any issues she may have with this place. It's not so bad right now, so might as well have fun with it right?
Kamoana would begin clapping at Homura's enthusiasm.
"Yeah. We can do anything!" she said following behind Homura
As Kalib entered he'd find himself in a room that almost looked like the inside of an empty living room. There was even a table on the right side of the room that seemed to be part of the ground. Two lamps would be standing in either corner away from the door and an Incarner would be floating just above the table with something in their hands.
It would noticeably look at Kalib as he entered.
Incarner: AH, IT IS YOU! HELLO, FRIEND! I NEVER GOT THE CHANCE TO PROPERLY THANK YOU FOR RIDDING US OF THAT MONSTER.
PLEASE WAIT RIGHT THERE. I HAVE SOMETHING TO GIVE YOU.
The Incarner would float over to Kalib and try to place something in his hands. It would be a bracelet of some kind with a mysterious energy surrounding it.
Incarner: THAT IS A DOUBT BRACELET. I WONDER HOW MUCH THE POWER OF DOUBT CAN PROTECT YOUR HEART?
The Incarner near Homura would point over to the tree like headquarters of the Incarners.
Incarner: That is where it once was but the entryway that used to allow access into that place is now gone.
Russell would begin walking over there will an odd marble in his hand.
Russell: I know the way to get where we're going. Follow me.
Right then, if he knows how to get into this place then there's no need for more... Intense methods.
"I see, I guess it figures that you'd know how to deal with this place huh. Personally, I don't get how it works around here at all, not really. I'm far more useful where things make some amount of sense."
A marble opening the path? Sounds like a fairytale of some kind to her. But what can you expect in a dream world? The girl simply walks forward over to the headquarters that is for some reason a tree? What the heck does Russel's mind do to come up with this stuff anyways... Except for all those drugs, of course, that might explain the weirdness even for a dream.
"Anyways, lead on fearless leader."
Kalib looks around the room briefly before a voice calls out to him. His face cracks into an excited smile as he finally finds the Incarner he was looking for.
"I couldn't have done it without my friends. That goes for you too! That ball you gave me was a lifesaver! It got us out of a nasty spot and secured us the win! So pat yourself on the back!"
He pauses and waits for the Incarner. He takes the item into his hands and inspects it briefly before placing it on his right wrist. The energy in particular was curious to him.
"Hm? A Doubt Bracelet?"
He looks down at it with a pained smile.
"Is it supposed to feed off of my doubts? 'Cause if that's the case then I got that in spades...heh..."
He looks back to the Incarner as his smile warms up.
"That being said, I'm sure this will work wonders to help me! After all, you haven't given me any reason to doubt your judgement! I'll believe in the choice you made! Thanks buddy!"
Kamoana would follow them to the tree as she looked at the whole thing with interest.
"It's a big treehouse" she would comment, a sparkle in her eyes
Russel would pull out the marble in front of the treehouse. In his hands, the marble would shift its form until it resembled a compass with an odd pattern that almost made it look like cake. The air around them would seem to darken slightly as the Informant's voice could be heard.
Compass: Russell...
Your birthday was sad, wasn't it?
No one came to celebrate your birth.
The sad birthday hid in the forest.
In a tree, under the carpet.
Go down the stairs to recall the sadness.
The area would become lit up again as the voice faded. Without any more hesitation, Russell would enter the tree house. Gardenia would follow behind him.
The Incarner would once more look at Kalib.
Incarner: DOUBT IS A FORCE THAT CAN PROTECT ITS USER HERE. AS LONG AS YOU DOUBT YOU WILL FIND THAT ENEMY ATTACKS HURT LESS. NORMALLY THIS POWER IS QUITE HARD TO USE FOR NORMAL HUMANS BUT WE INCARNERS HAVE THE GIFT OF INCARNATING THE MIND.
WE CAN PULL THE FRAGMENTS OF EMOTION THAT EXIST WITHIN THE MIND AND TURN THEM INTO ITEMS. THAT BRACELET SHOULD ATTUNE YOU TO THE POWER OF DOUBT, MEANING THE MORE YOU USE IT THE MORE YOU SHOULD LEARN TO WIELD THE POWER FOR YOURSELF.
I WISH YOU LUCK ON YOUR JOURNEYS.
Kalib might notice that the minute he put the bracelet on the energy seemed to surround his body. Anything that entered this energy would feel cushioned to him as long as he continued to express doubt in some form.
The Incarner would return to the table and begin looking over a piece of paper.
Suddenly, the Incarner would seem to vanish into thin air as a carpet that was once on the left side of the room would suddenly begin fading into black smoke, leaving a staircase in its wake. Kalib might already begin hearing what sounded like the birthday theme once more.
Right then, that was very very weird. But in the end there's nothing to do except follow after Russel and Gardenia, Homura would move forward and take great pains to make sure that the smaller girl didn't run off ahead of them.
"So then, I guess that's what this one is about huh... Not what I expected to find, after last time anyways."
Kamoana would look at the opening as the others walked in.
"Mommy says it might be dangerous. Is this really a good idea?" the girl would ask nervously before grabbing onto the him of Homura's clothes and following them inside.
"I-I won't be scared. I'm a brave girl." she would tell herself like a mantra as she continued forward
He smiles again and takes another look at the bracelet. The power surrounding him was pleasant. It was new and exciting, but most importantly, it would help him.
"So that's how it works... it's a conduit of sorts."
He looks back up just in time to see the Incarner vanish. Not soon after came the smoke effects and the birthday song. Kalib can't help but laugh a little as he begins climbing the stairs.
"Hehe! Well, it's safe to say my doubts of this place making a lick of sense have been firmly reassured!"
The others would find themselves within the room Kalib was just in while Kalib would end up in a corridor of what seemed to be an old mansion.
Russell: From here, I'll just follow along. I'm not too eager about entering this area.
Gardenia: I'm sure it will be fine, Russell. It's a little creepy but it's probably not so bad.
Gardenia would seem to immediately head down the stairs, humming all the while. Russell would stare at the others waiting to see what they do.
Candles would light the walls as the hall split into two paths before him, one to the right and one to the left. At the beginning of the split, the wall would have a picture of what seemed to be a tower at night with all its windows lit up.
The music would also have stopped as a sweet smell seemed to be emanating from the right pathway.
Right then, something tells her Russel has good cause to not want anything to do with this place. Even so, Homura would step in front of him and give the younger girl behind her.
"Don't worry about it, we'll be fine... And even if something happens, I'll make sure you're safe!"
With that, the girl's clothing suddenly shifts into a black dress with a dark blue and white overcoat over it. A shield taking shape in her hands as she looks forward.
"Anyways, might be best to let me go first for now. I'm pretty tough to hurt, despite any appearances otherwise."
Kalib makes his way down the corridor whistling softly along to the birthday tune. The atmosphere was notably odd, but that just seemed to be par for the course.
Eventually coming up to a split in the corridor he took a moment to look around. He immediately noticed the picture on the wall and looked it over. The second thing he noticed was the fragrance dancing along the rightmost corridor; his stomach growled in response.
However, the most haunting revelation would be the fact that the music stopped. So too did Kalib's whistling.
"Well then... we're doing this? Okay. I'll bite!"
Kalib would then begin marching down the right corridor towards the delicious smell.
Kamoana would look around the room as they entered. Cautious of what they might find. This place remind her of the prison she once found herself and some bitter memories that her mind would not let her know would begin to bubble from within. She held close to Homura, anxiety on her face and a voice telling her to remember what must not be remembered.
When Homura and Kamoana reached the end of the stairs with Russell following behind them, Gardenia would be nowhere to be found. It was as if she vanished into thin air as they reached the hallway.
They'd find themselves at the same split Kalib was at a moment ago. There was a path to the right and a path to the left but with no sweet scent from either way that Kalib had experienced before.
Russell: Whatever way you choose I'll follow but be careful, this house has a mind of its own in some ways.
Kalib would find yet another split, this time with the hall continuing on and a path to his left. There would also be a door on his left as well a little after the split into the hall. The sweet smell would still be in the air for him directly forward.
Kalib looks around cautiously as he reaches another junction. He peers down the left hall and notices a door.
"Hmm... what have we here? Well, I'll leave that for later!"
He turns his nose down the main corridor and takes a large whiff. A smile forming on his face as he continues walking.
"Wouldn't want to waste all the effort they went through just to get off the trail now! Onwards unto the breach! Heheh!"
She wasn't exactly a fan of enclosed spaces. Especially ones with long dark hallways on either side. The voices in her head telling her to be strong began to guide her steps. Even without noticing, she absentmindedly began to walk down the left path. Whether it was the voices or her hunger truly guiding her didn't know but none the less she walked. Hoping that by the end of all of this she could find some food to quell her instincts.
Homura moves after Kamoana down the right pathway, looking at the now silent girl curiously as she keeps her shield up. For now, she simply walks behind the child and attempts to see what might be ahead of them... Along with a pistol suddenly taking shape in her right hand, weapon aimed down at the ground as she speaks up.
"Right then, guess we're going this way... And um you might want to get back, I'm not sure how safe it is up there."
Kalib would be lead down a long stretch of hall that seemed to go on for a while longer than the others. The smell would grow stronger as he could hear sobbing in the distance. It sounded like the sobbing of an older man in despair.
As he went on he'd finally see a door at the end of the hall. The sobbing would grow louder the closer he got to the door and the smell of cake would become pungent as if it was right in front of him.
The left hall would only lead them to a wall that appeared to have the outline of a door along it's wall.
Russel would have still been following Homura and would begin looking at the wall before approaching and examining it. A sudden cry could be heard from the other side of the wall as if a child has suddenly burst into tears with Russell's approach.
He'd put his hand into a fist as he began leaning back on the wall. Suddenly, he'd begin knocking on the wall which seemed to stop the crying. A voice belonging to a child would begin speaking in an overly calm tone.
Child: Happy Birthday Russell. The utmost sadness lies behind the unopenable doors. But be careful. There are lots of sweets inside the box...and it's itching to hurt you.
...so give into sadness. So that you can better know your own mind."
A pained expression appeared on the boys face as a new energy seemed to flow into him. His eyes looked devastated as if he had just been hit in the stomach. It almost looked like tears would begin filling up in his eyes as he was overcome with [Sadness].
Suddenly, he got up and began walking back down the path.
Russell: Come on, let's go. There's nothing else here. Just more pain...
Kalib slowly approaches the door with an outstretched hand. The sound and the smell were getting slightly disorienting, but he pushed past that and reached for the handle. He didn't know what to expect, but he wouldn't let that stop him.
"Um, excuse me?"
He swallowed hard as he let his hand hover over the doorknob.
"Pardon the intrusion. I'm coming in now!"
With a brief announcement, he grabs the handle to open the door and step into the unknown.
Sadness... That does not bode well for her in the least bit, best not to get hit by it if possible.
"Right then, I assume this is something else important in some way... And frankly, it seems to be mostly pain around this place once you get past the surface level, not that I'm shocked by that."
With a sigh, the girl follows after Russel. There's no telling exactly what they'll be dealing with this time, but she can't help feeling that it'll be related to the theme of this place somehow. At any rate, no sense worrying too much even as she rushes forward to whatever this mess is.
Kamoana simply followed after Homura without saying anything. Her eyes a little unfocused as she trails behind.
Kalib would find himself in an, especially colourless room with three boxes in the middle that looked like presence one might receive on their birthday. Two of the boxes appeared to be shut tightly but the one in the very center, where the sobbing and smell seemed to be coming from, would already be unwrapped with the only thing being required to fully open it being to simply lift the top off.
Oddly enough, Kalib would see a familiar face already attempting to open the box with both their hands on the lid getting ready to remove it. Gardenia would be the there with an almost astonishing amount of curiosity on her face as if she had never seen anything like the presents.
Homura, Kamoana, and Russel would find themselves down the right hall now. There would be a path continuing forward, a path to the left, and a door right next to the left path from here. Russell didn't seem to lead the group any longer as they seemed to have no idea where to go next.
Grr, at this point there's an annoyed look on Homura's face as she begins rushing down the path going forward.
"Geez too many paths! I'd like to end this quickly ya know!"
She simply begins moving forward at a quick pace at this point, there's really nothing to but try and catch up with Kalib... If it's anything like last time, leaving him alone seems a poor choice to make at best.
"Please try not to lose me, we've already had two people vanish and we really need to catch up with them. Not get split up more."
Kalib doesn't have much time to take in his surroundings as his eyes are pulled to a seemingly innocent scene, if not for the fact that sounds and smells were coming from a gift box. He stepped forward slowly and held out his arms.
"Hey... Gardenia? I'm going to need you to do me a huge favor and step back from that box. I'm just as interested in seeing what's inside, but something tells me it'll be more trick than treat."
He edges closer to the girl.
"Whatever you do, just please don't open that box."
Kamoana looked around. Not really looking at any one specific thing. She continued to trail behind Homura not stopping her steps. Her stomach made a little noise as she continued.
"I'm hungry mommy. Should I eat?" she said to no one in particular as she continued on the path.
Homura and Kamoana would come up to a long stretch of hall that...suddenly split into three different paths. All three of the paths would grow darker as they extended onward making it impossible to view what was at the end of either of them.
Russell would suddenly grow distressed as if he knew this wasn't normal.
Russell: This isn't what's supposed to happen...What's going on?
Just as Kalib's words were able to reach Gardenia she had already pulled the lid off. She would look back at Kalib confused.
Gardenia: Oh, uh, too late, sorry. It just smelled so sweet I thought there's be baked good inside.
Once again, everyone in the room would hear a familiar tune play. It was the birthday song joined by a bubbling that seemed to be emanating from within the box.
A man's voice would begin singing. It sounded calm and full of love.
Man's Voice: Happy birthday to you...
Happy birthday to you...
Happy birthday dear...
Suddenly A large amount of frosting burst out of the box.
Gardenia would be knocked back against the wall as where the present once stood would now be a giant cake that seemed to form out of the box.
It looked to be an almost perfect birthday cake save for a large odd looking strawberry that seemed to habe many eyes all over it rather than seeds.
From the two present boxes besides it would burst out two different red ribbons that looked similar to hands.
Gardenia: W-what is that? Is that a birthday cake?
The girl groans out, her eyebrows twitching as she looks back at Russel.
"So even you don't know... Gah, this is driving me crazy! At this rate, we're never going to find Kalib..."
Either way, the girl sighs and begins walking down the path to the left. A flashlight bursting from her shield as she grabs hold and shines it down, looking to see if it can even do anything to make it visible past the thick darkness ahead of them.
"I really hope that we can figure out where we're going soon, so far it feels a bit like circles or something..."
The hairs on Kalib's neck raised in response to the sudden appearance of music. A chill that seemed to run rampant throughout his body until a wave of icing knocked Gardenia backwards, bringing Kalib to his senses.
"Gardenia! Stay back!"
Bringing his right hand to his waist, Kalib produces his short sword from its sheath. He twirls the blade around as he slowly inches himself around the cake and towards Gardenia.
"Whoever baked this bad boy must have used a wee bit too much baking soda... a cake should rise, just not rise against humanity!"
Kalib grins as he continues inching himself towards Gardenia.
"Well, I guess it can't be helped! Everyone loves an underdog story!"
"There's something here."
The green haired girl would say as her stomach began to rumble. Keeping close to Homura as they walk she wouldn't even look at Russel as he spoke. The path before them being the only thing that mattered. Despite her hunger she would be calmer than before. Her mothers voice reassuring her for the moment. She wasn't in danger but her instincts told her otherwise.
Gardenia would get up while trying to keep her distance to the birthday cake. It seemed as though the impact of being knocked back also bruised one of her shoulders as she had a slight amount of trouble moving it.
The two boxes with the ribbons bursting out of them that were placed next to the cake would suddenly have their ribbons begin moving as if alive. Both boxes would have two ribbon-like arms extending out of them each which would begin going directly for Kalib. One box would attempt to wrap up his legs to trip him up while the other would go for his arms to try and restrain his ability to use his sword.
Suddenly, a man's voice could once again be heard from the cake. It would sound distraught as if in a great amount of despair.
Man's Voice: Gardenia, I'll give you lots of happiness. My angel...Papa loves you.
...Oh, Gardenia. If only you had wings. If only you had wings then. You'd float in the air and fly to me...Ah...
The voice would soon be replaced with a sobbing that filled the air. It would fill the room with an oppressive, toxic aura that would make the eyes of any who stayed too close to the cake begin watering.
Oddly enough, the aura would seem to change when around Gardenia. It looked brighter around her only as her bruises from before seemed to almost completely vanish.
Homura and Kamoana would finally reach the door Kalib once had. They could hear a large amount of sobbing echoing from within the room before them. Russell would simply look ahead with deadpan eyes. His expression seemed oddly grim as if the sobbing was getting to him before even stepping into the room.
Kamoana would stop behind Homura as they came to the door. Her blank stare glued to Homura's back. Thoughts of taking a single bite floated through her mind but kept in check by the voices. She was a friend, not food. That distinction had already been made but the longer she stayed here, the more these dark halls reminded her of the temple she was imprisoned in, the more her hunger bit into her organs, and the more that line of distinction had begun to blur.
She took deep breaths in an attempt to calm down, staring at her friend in order to forget her fear and thus her hunger. A state of mind she would not be able to maintain much longer. Her thoughts were brought back as she heard the sobbing from the other side of the door. Not waiting anymore for Homura to lead, she would walk before her and before Homura had a chance to stop her she would open the door and peer inside.
Kalib kept his eyes darting from Gardenia to the monster until she was safely out of its reach. However his attention being split was just what the monster needed to get the jump on him.
Being much too slow to dodge the ribbons going for his legs he would once again find himself being tripped up. However, he wouldn't be going down without a fight. Using what little time he had before the creature would begin pulling in the slack to slash at the second ribbon.
"Grrr... this whole slow thing is getting old."
He'd then notice the shift in atmosphere as the voice stopped. The feeling was strong, but for the moment he seemed to be hanging in there.
"Gardenia, stay back! I don't know what exactly this thing is capable of but-"
He turned his head in the direction of the girl and was surprised by what he saw. She seemed to be spared from the oppressive force, protected even. But at present he didn't have time to worry about that.
The girl mutters a curse and rushes forward at high speed, not quite able to catch up to Kamoana. But still quickly rushing in after her and even stepping forward ahead of the smaller girl and staring at the scene before her.
"Dang it Kalib, what did I say about getting into fights without me huh!?"
She sighs upon coming into the room and spotting him, shattering a black card in moments as a shotgun takes shape in her hands. Homulilly would rush forward, long tendrils of darkness growing from her hands and rushing past Kalib to try and slam into the cake. Even as Homura herself hangs back and feels rather terrible from whatever this force is...
"Gah... What even is this thing? I haven't got a clue, but clearly, my Persona doesn't like it..."
Kamoana would peer inside to see Kalib fighting off what appeared to be a giant birthday cake and two presents with ribbons inside.
A sweet scent would fill the air as the cake would sob violently filling the air with a depressing aura.
Kalib would find the ribbons easy to cut through, almost as if they were made of cloth. They second presents ribbons would fall apart as the remnants that were still attached to the box would retreat back within as the box once again closed up tightly.
Gardenia would get back up with a worried look as she pulled out her old frying pan.
Gardenia: D-don't worry about me! I can still fight too!
She would begin holding the frying pan in front of her as green vegetables with arms and legs began appearing in the pan. There'd be a sizzling noise as the [Tasty Fried Veggies]
flew out of the pan surrounded with a green light.
They'd move towards Kalib and Homura who were in the room and began trying to force themselves into. Their mouths as if wanting to be eaten. As weird as the expierence might be if they did eat the vegetables they would immediately begin feeling better.
Russell would step into the room too but for now he wouldn't do much aside from pulling out his knife and pointing it at the cake.
The dark tendrils would push against the cake violently nearly tipping it over and causing some of the cream to spill out but it would seem to steady itself in a moment.
Suddenly as it had with the monster before the world would seem to darken and time would slow as Russell's voice could be heard clearly.
Russell's Voice: I was invited to a classmate's birthday party.
It wasn't like we were friendly. It was the whole class that was invited to the party, not just me.
Her family was rich, and her dad made many, many incredible meals for her. He made the birthday cake, too.
The world would return to normal again as the cake began to cry louder. Globs of frosting would suddenly begin floating in the air.
The globs would soon take on more ghostly forms of a man with tears in his eyes before two of them would fly down at a high speed and attempt to ram directly into Kalib and Homura.
Kamoana would slowly walk in. Despite everything that was happening it didn't seem as though the cake even saw her as an enemy. She would ignore everything else as she could feel herself salivate over the giant cake. If it was a normal cake she wouldn't have any interest but since it seemed to be a living being then that changed things. She would walk up to the cake as it seemed too distracted by the others to notice her. Afterwards the bulb attached to the back of her head would slam into the side of the cake, digging deep into its frosting before it began to drain whatever energy she could get. Even going as far as biting into it herself as if to the speed up the process.
Seeing how easy it was to cut through the first ribbon, Kalib quickly slashes at the ribbon binding his legs. Passing his sword between his legs to make quick work of it. He takes a moment to look back at Homura with a half smile.
"Ehehe... I can explain! I promise! But for now let's take this guy out! Out of the frying pan and into the fire it goes!"
Kalib stands up quickly and just in time for food to make its way into his mouth. He swallowed the food and felt the instant boost in energy.
"Delish! I doubt I'll have room for dessert after that!"
As the lights dimmed and time slowed down, Kalib knew what was going on. He simply stood at the ready and listened to the words. It was uncomfortable because he could figure out what it meant, but his mind was still focused on battle for the moment.
As time returned to normal he noticed the monster preparing two large projectiles and firing them off. Kalib stood with his blade held up in defense as he prepared for the coming impact.
Homura just mutters something in shock and eats the vegetable, barely even able to question anything considering this is after all just a dream.
"I just, I don't even know anymore. What is my life at this point?"
The girl rushes forward, darting with ease as her gun vanishes and she takes a stance in front of Kalib. Her shield would glow with bright purple energy which forms a small wall in front of herself and Kalib... Only for the girl's face to turn into shock as she spots Kamona rushing towards the thing. Only for Homulilly to rush toward it and aim her guillotine rod straight down the middle, the blade easily missing the small child by the cake, even as the Persona yanks it through and then begins pulling up and unleashing a blast of wind from the weapon in the center on her way up.
"Um, Kamona I don't really think being over there is a good idea! Just uh, try not to get hurt..."
The cake seemed to be holding completely still despite being attacked. Even the oppressive aura seemed to draw in closer to it as if being sucked into the frosting.
With the cake acting in such a way it seemed Komoana was free to continue devouring. She would be able to make quick work out of its side but with it's massive size it was hard to tell if even that made a dent in it.
The frosting ghost would slam into Kalib a s he was guarding it. This would severely lessen the impact but both he and his sword would be covered in frosting.
The other present would also have it's ribbon cut and quickly retreat the ribbon back into the box before closing tightly.
The slice the blade made would surprisingly have little impact with the frosting seeming to be able to hold the cake together despite any exterior damage. The wind however would cause more of the frosting to spill off the top.
The world would grow dark once more as Russell's voice sounded out.
Russell's Voice: ...Suddenly, I remembered something. I remembered today was my birthday, too.
Of course, no one knew that. So no one was celebrating me.
During the party, I saw that blessed girl alone, on a staircase landing. I approached her from behind. Could this blessed angel fly?
With a the world returning to normal Russell was visibly growing more nervous. His eyes full of despair as he stared the cake down unable to move.
Homura looks back towards Russel, it's obvious what happened here... She's not quite sure what to feel about it really, but just leaving him to suffer in despair hardly feels right.
"Listen, Russel... I'm not gonna claim that anything you've done is right. But if you want to change then I believe you can!"
She'd smile at the boy, pausing for a moment to look back towards their foe as Homulilly begins twirling her blade around and conjuring up a tornado that slams down into the cake and spins around in the frosting wildly. Homura herself satisfied for now and turning back to Russel.
"Don't let your life be ruled by the past and grief, I know where that kind of thinking leads and it's... Not pretty is putting it lightly. If you want to talk about it, well I guess I can try to help... Just, if you really want to do the right thing I don't think that endless torture is how it should go."
Despite the smile though, she can't deny being a bit worried about it. Murder is murder, and even if she'd like to think the best well. Keeping an eye out can't hurt by any means, right?
Kalib slides back slightly as the frosting collides with his blade. The spray of frosting coating most of his face and torso. He shudders as he wipes some frosting from his eyes.
"This feels like I'm covered in another kinda cake... but enough about that!"
As he prepares to continue fighting he notices the world change. Hearing Russell's voice again brought the shocking revelation that Kalib didn't want to hear, but that wasn't an option.
When the world went back to normal he looked over to Russell and saw how visibly shaken he is by all this.
"C'mon Russ! Head in the game! You may not like this one bit, but it's what you gotta do right? You wouldn't have went through with this if you were going to get cold feet. So let's see how dedicated you really are!"
After shouting to the stunned boy, he turned his attention back to the cake. Reaching into his pocket he produces a small ball and begins winding up his left arm for a toss.
"Let's give this a go, shall we? Bombs away!"
With that he tosses the small ball at the cake monster.
Kamoana would continue to eat through the side of the cake. Without being stopped she would continue to tunnel her way to its insides without looking back. Her hunger not subsiding at all as she continues.
The tornado would slam into the cake causing more frosting to spread around the room. It would be almost coated in the sweet substance now filling the whole room with it's scent.
The ball would start off as a normal throw hitting the cake and bouncing off it despite it's gooey surface. It's trail back to Kalib would seem normal until it seemingly bounced off the air before reaching Kalib and began to grow faster. It would continue growing in speed as it bounced off the cake and then off the air glowing with an almighty light that would splatter the cakes surface with each strike.
Nothing would be able to stop Kamoana until she eventually approached the cake's core. A thick hide that almost seemed to be made of compressed smoke blocked her path to the core of the cake. She would be able to hear a heartbeat from within.
Suddenly the oppressive aura would fade away as it was completely sucked into the core. The crying would stop for a moment as it became a faint wimper.
Suddenly, screams would fill the air as all the frosting in the room began floating. Hundreds upon hundreds of creamy phantoms would begin forming as the oppressive aura completely filled the room thicker than ever. The screams would grow louder and louder as the phantoms began to twirl around the room making a cyclone of sugary death. It was as if a [Poltergeist] of sorrowful souls was unleashed upon the group.
Both Russell and Gardenia would be thrown about by the cream giving them no chance to react.
Kamoana would stare at the hide that blocked her path. Her instincts told her the goal was right in front of her but this hide was blocking her path. The bulb on the back of her head would slam into it then open. Afterwards roots would slowly begin to crawl out of the bulb as it began to spread out over the hide. Like the roots of any plant they would begin to dig into this hide, weakening it as it drained energy from it and as the roots slowly broke through. This would take time however, time that Kamoana was honestly not worried about as she was completely oblivious to what was happening outside.
Homulilly rushes back as Homura herself moves in front of Kalib, a green light covering the party as their bodies begin to feel lighter and move faster. The girl holds her shield up, a large purple glow rushing from and forming into a wall that stands between herself, Kalib, and the attacks aimed at them.
"Geez, this thing is harder to kill than I'd have expected it would be... Think they're gonna get worse?"
Either way, she stands fast and strong against the attacks even as she aims to push forward a bit against them. With any luck, they'd be able to get fairly close to their target.
Kalib would catch his ball on the rebound and quickly return it to his pocket. The spattering of icing brought a smile to his face as his attack seemed to do something. That something turned out to be a bit more than he could swallow, luckily Homura came in and gave him the speed he needed to remain in the fight.
The oppressive aura and the souls were certainly taking the wind out of Kalib's sails. On top of that he was helpless to protect Russ or Gardenia from that last attack. He was beginning to panic, but hearing Homura's words brought him back down to earth.
"Heh... I highly doubt they'll be able to bring something that could take us down!"
As he stayed behind Homura, a thought occured to him.
"Maybe that's it... Homura, remember how Tabasa seemed to have that monkey's number in our last trip? You think Gardenia might be able to help us?"
He looks over to Gardenia.
"Either way, I can't leave her defenseless! Keep pressuring that thing!"
With that he'd dive out of cover and run towards Gardenia, slashing at any spirits that try to get in his way.
The spirits would seem to settle down as the cake's attack came to an end. It seemed as though it had used up all its power in that last attack with most of its frosting already starting to melt off.
Kamoana would have made progress with getting through the hide of the core but it would prove difficult as it was incredibly thick. It was as if the cake really did know about the intruder trying to reach its core and was defending itself purposely in such a way.
Homura would find herself about half-way to the cake when the phantoms finally stopped and fell back to the ground, coating the floor in the frosting.
Kalib would find both Russell and Gardenia had been knocked down by the attack. Russell had been able to get up first and offered Gardenia his hand. As she took it and began to get up Russell could only focus on the everpresent sobbing of the cake.
Russell: Gardenia...I-I'm sorry...
Gardenia: Hmmm? Sorry for what, Russell? I was the one who had us come here to get a new frying pan, remember? There's nothing for any of you to be sorry about!
Gardenia's words would cut Russell deeply. He wanted to tell her the truth, of what he did and why he was apologizing but he knew he couldn't. He knew that now wasn't the time, not yet.
Russell: Yeah...I-I...
Gardenia: Russell, don't worry about it! We're close now, I can feel it! Just a little more!
Russell would take a deep breath as his [Sadness] could even be seen forming around him as an aura. He so desperately wanted to cry the way the cake was but he had forgotten how long ago. The truth was he already knew the cake's true form, he knew what it was which only made what he had to do harder.
His sadness would focus on his knife as he held it in front of him. He would slash in a forward motion as the aura of sadness rushed forward and began to flow over the cake. The crying would suddenly grow louder as the cake's frosting seemed to grow loose.
Gardenia: Alright! I'm not gonna sit by and do nothing! We're all fighting together, after all!
Gardenia would hold her old pan out in front of her before initiating the motions involved in cooking. The pan would burst into flames as the same oddly living vegetables from before would fly out but this time with a red hue and screaming as they began to burn.
The vegetables would surround the cake and begin circling it before their aura seemed to all melt together into a fiery inferno that seemed to seep into the cake. The frosting would begin rapidly melting away, revealing a soft under crust.
Kamoana would immediately be able to sense a difference, as well as the thick hide, began softening even further as well. In mere moments it almost felt like normal skin.
As soon as the hide softened the roots from the bulb would almost rush at the opportunity as they quickly spread and seeped into the skin. Kamoana herself standing up and walking up to it, she would put her hand on it and without hesitation, would pull back her fist and let loose an attack containing all of her inhuman strength in an attempt to break through without any care for the roots that seemed almost as if they were now covering the hide. If the punch succeeded then she would begin tearing through it as she moved forward to the core. If not then she would continue to clumsily punch it over and over again, tearing some of her own roots off with each punch but they were quickly replaced in between the attack.
Homura rushes forward in a blur at this point, seeing a chance to kill her foe and taking it without even thinking. In her hands a black katana takes shape, Homulilly rushing forward as well while an inky black darkness takes shape around the girl's blade.
"Let's put an end to this thing before it does any more damage!"
She's careful enough to avoid the smaller girl near her foe, even as she quickly tears her way through the damn thing in a flurry of strikes from her blade. The Persona would send tendrils of darkness along the ground, taking a weak and half-formed shape until reaching right below her target. At which point they quickly shoot upwards, Homura's own blade moving to meet them and coating itself in the darkness to grow larger. In one final move, her Persona would rush behind the girl, Homura leaping up and being tossed higher as more dark magic gathers into her sword, before finally crashing down toward the center of the cake and hopefully slicing straight through as the darkness forms a spear at the tip of her blade.
Kalib grins as he stands alongside Russ and Gardenia.
"Alright! Now we're cooking with fire! Way to go you two!"
He quickly ruffles Gardenia's hair before stepping forward once again.
"Alright! Let's keep 'em on the defensive! Take this!"
Following up from Homura's assault, Kalib uses his enhanced speed to get behind the creature. After positioning himself he'd leap forward for a large horizontal slash at the back of the creature, being mindful of his comrades' attacks.
"Sorry, we'll try to finish this quickly! Impromptu Xross Slash! X marks the spot and all that!"
The frosting would be splattered across the ground at this point revealing the cake's inner crust.
The darkness would rise up and begin tearing the crust apart,
Slicing it into multiple pieces.
Finally, Kalib's strike would slice the pieces up evenly with one final slash causing the pieces to neatly stack up on the ground before turning into a thick dark smoke.
The core along with Kamoana would now be revealed as her punch broke right through the hide surrounding it, causing the cores outer layering to tear away and turn to a black smoke.
All that remained was the shadowy image of a man sitting down and sobbing into his hands. He seemed to be muttering something to himself between his sobbing.
Shadowy Man: G-gardenia...Papa loves you...Please Gardenia...come back to me...
Russell would just stand in spot for a moment before approaching the man. He'd look at them before turning to watch and see what the others would do.
Homura just winces and stares at the figure, her eyes watering up a bit as her clothes return to normal.
"I... I guess I knew something like that would happen. But geez it still hits kinda hard..."
This is just a dream, and the people inside save for Russel are... Well dead. She's really not sure what to say, simply staring a bit blankly as her blade and Persona vanish. She'd pull her glasses off and start wiping them clean.
"Anyways... I'm sure things will get better, I won't allow it to just stay like this."
With that, she tosses her glasses back on and gives Russel a look. Flames burning in her eyes as she smiles sadly at him.
Kamoana would simply stare at the dark figure as it sobs, not knowing what exactly she should do. Upon hearing the name Gardenia she would look back at the girl with the frying pan before looking back at the figure. Part of her instincts telling her to devour him but her memories of her mother prevented that.
"H-hey mister. No need to cry. Gardenia is here with us, see." she said, pointing at the girl with the frying pan.
Even now she noticed the pained expression on everyone's face but couldn't understand why.
"Mister. Don't cry. Okay mister." tears beginning to form in her eyes as her hunger slowly dissolved
Kalib quickly flicks his sword using the last bit of speed Homura gave him in order to clean his blade. After wiping the remainder of icing off on his pants, he sheathed his blade.
He didn't want to make any sort of contact with the shadowy man. It wasn't his place after all. However, he turned to face Russell and Gardenia.
"The pain won't get any easier Russ... but I'm not backing out as long as you continue down this path. You can do it."
Kalib would offer a warm smile to the pair before going silent and waiting for what happens next.
Gardenia would simply look around confused for a moment.
Gardenia: Why does everyone look so serious suddenly? We won, didn't we? There doesn't seem to be a frying pan though...
That's kinda unfortunate but everyone's alright! So it's fine!
It was as if the girl didn't even see the figure before her. The figure would just continue to sob, somehow knowing that the Gardenia in the room wasn't the true Gardenia.
Russel's expression would darken as he took the knife in his hand and tightened his grip on it.
He walked up to the figure slowly before holding up the knife and stabbing into the figure without any hesitation. The moment his knife made contact the crying stopped. The figure now only made a pained gasp as it called out once more.
Shadowy Figure:...Garde...nia...happy...birthday...
The figure dissolved into a black smoke as a new frying pan and an odd capsule dropped to the ground. Russell picked up the frying pan and brought it to Gardenia.
Gardenia: Oh, you found a frying pan! Thanks, Russell! That cake was sure something, huh? I like cake, but one that big would give me heartburn. How many do you all think it would feed anyway?
Russell: Probably everyone in town, we should head back now...
Russell would already begin walking back, leaving behind the odd capsule the figure dropped as well.
Kalib watched the boy finish the deed and swallowed hard. None of this was pleasant, but even still, Russell was still going so Kalib couldn't back out now. Even if he wanted to.
He watched as Russell began heading back before walking over to where the figure once was and grab the capsule.
"Odd... why would he leave this?"
Kalib would look over the capsule trying to find out what it could be.
Kamoana would look on with confusion, tears still hanging in her eyes. When Kalib walked over and picked up the capsule she sniffled a little as she tried to hold back her tears.
"I don't understand anything mister. Why....did this happen? Couldn't we have all just got along?" She asked not really expecting an answer in return. She would slowly begin to follow after the group as she looked back one last time.
"Goodbye mister." She said to no one and continued to follow behind the rest
Homura just begins walking off, looking back at Kalib absently for a moment. Wonder what that weird object for a moment. She'd then turn to Kamoana with a sad expression on her face.
"I'm... I just don't know the answer to that question Kamona, but hey at least we're alright for now..."
The girl begins walking away from this place, she'd look down at the ground and mutter something to herself while glancing up at the others now and then.
The capsule Kalib picked up would be plain with a white exterior. Only one phrase could be seen on it simply reading "OK".
After a bit of walking the group would finally return to the town. It seemed to be around evening now with all the villagers having returned to their homes. The group would eventually find themselves outside Gardenia's home.
Gardenia: Finally made it back! I want to thank you all properly! Oh, I know! I can make you all something to eat, it's around dinner time right now, right! You all must be hungry after a long fight like that!
Gardenia would open the door to her home, waiting for everyone to accept the invitation. Russell would enter after a moment of thought. His eyes almost looked dead but it was hard to tell if that was his normal expression or if it was due to the deed he had just performed.
Kamoana looked at everyone with a bit of a somber expression. Tears still slightly clinging to the edge of her eyes.
"I don't understand. That mister earlier was calling out to you. Why didn't you answer back? He would have been happy. You even act like nothing happened." she would say with a few sniffles as she held back, trying not to cry again.
"I'm sure he would have been happy." She muttered to herself, deciding not to follow the group inside.
It seems she still needed some time alone to digest what happened. Her age shining through despite her less than human body.
Homura herself just pulls off her glasses and looks down, sighing a bit as she walks along with the rest of the group.
"I... I'm not too sure, Kamoana. Nothing here really seems to make that much sense."
As the group reaches Gardenia's house, Homura would look up and throw her glasses back on. Walking into the place with a grateful nod, and a false smile forced over her face.
"Yeah, food... Sounds good I guess. I'm mostly just glad that it's over though, so at least there's that right?"