3481/The Fourth One

The Fourth One
Date of Scene:	04 December 2015
Location:	Omelas (The Collapse)
Synopsis:	An initial examination of The Book of Unification.
Cast of Characters:	Kotone Yamakawa, Arthur Lowell, Staren, Priscilla, 183, 236, 238, 253, 255, Theo Morrison, Riva Banari, Eryl Fairfax, 626, 847
Tinyplot:	The Book of Unification

---

Mizuki (183) has posed:
    For those of you who have never been here before: welcome to the Quiet World. For all others, welcome back.

    The Silent City has passed on into Winter, now. Snow blankets the rooftops of apartment complexes and skyscrapers alike, and fewer vehicles than ever travel along the eternally darkened streets. Those who have not visited this place previously may be surprised, though, to find that this particular realm seems to muffle all sound from its local environment: that's to say, people walk along the sidewalks, but no voices nor footsteps can be heard. Not even when two people are caught in conversation with one another do any syllables seem to fall from their lips. One might say this place is two parts peaceful and three parts eerie, but for better or for worse there simply isn't time to delve too far into this urban center's mystique. It wouldn't do to keep the hostess waiting, after all.

    Silent Night, the library to which Mizuki has requested all her friends and acquaintances from the Multiverse gather, is incredibly hard to miss. A towering Gothic steeple punctuated by a brilliant stained glass window pane sets it apart from all the other buildings in its midst, and this is to say of the massive garden that encapsulates its form, further spacing it from the rest of the skyline.

    The doors have already been propped open by some unseen force to welcome all visitors, allowing some errant flecks of snow to meander on to the carpet by the entryway. Mizuki, the lady of the hour - or hours as it were - is where she traditionally has been when meeting people here: seated on the rim of the marble fountain flowing at the heart of this cardinal room. She has her eyes closed as if in sleep and her hands folded on her lap, making her seemingly oblivious to the arrival of the group at first. It's only when a bespectacled girl with creamy brown hair points her finger in their direction and announces their arrival that she stirs, rubbing at her eyes before bowing her head in welcome. "Thank you for joining me on such short notice," She wisps.

    Palora, a girl with vibrant pink hair who happens to be clad in vestments so discordant and modern as a hoodie and oversized jeans, has arrived in Psyber's company. She sighs a bit at the sight of Mizuki and makes a shrugging gesture, lamenting, "Ah, man, why'd you have to wake her up? I was gonna go over and clap my hands in her face or somethin'. Give her a scare. It would've been great." Mizuki sneers at her. "I think we've all made more than enough jokes at my expense lately, and -you- in particular. If you do not wish for our compatriots to see you clad in just the most ornate gown I have forced upon you yet, then I suggest you find it in you to, as they say, 'shut the hell up'." Palora's eyes widen. After a moment of tense silence, she sighs. "F-Fine, fine, geez. No need to get violent."

    Mizuki rolls her eyes before finally addressing the group properly. "All that inanity aside," She begins, "I presume you all want to know why I've asked you to join me here today. Simply put, I've found another book for our perusal. It isn't just any book, though: it's another like the Books of Heaven, The Past, and The Future that some of you may recall. It seems to have been designed by one of my, shall we say, past incarnations as a sort of test. I'm afraid I'm unable to access it without a sizable group of people, hence why I have brought you all here."

Mizuki (183) has posed:
    "If my language seems a bit oblique," She continues, "then I will say for the sake of clarity: this book is obviously not the sort you all are likely accustomed to. It's a condensed world, so to say; a portal to another reality that we can interact with just as we would with this one. We can speak with the people there, for instance, explore it as we would some more earnestly physical realm. I'll admit I'm rather completely unaware of the nature of the universe this particular book contains, but intuition tells me it is one I would be loath to ignore. And as some of my closer friends should know very well, it is rarely a good idea for me to ignore said intuition."

    "This book is hidden away rather deep in the library, however, which should tidily explain why I have not happened upon it before now. It's upstairs in a very particular corner. I will forewarn that it's rather easy to get lost up there, so unless you fancy a run-in with some proverbial Minotaur, please follow me closely. I have ways of recovering lost library goers, certainly, though recovery can still take some time. I'm sure you all understand." She gives a bit of a smile at that. Is she trying to be funny? Yeah, she's... probably trying to be funny, here. "But, yes. If you aren't comfortable with the idea of either becoming lost in a labyrinth of pages, or if you are for whatever reason apprehensive about the idea of traipsing inside of a potentially mortally dangerous condensed reality, please say so now. I mind not at all if there is anyone here who would prefer to 'bow out', as it were; I doubt a group thirteen strong is necessary to access the novel."

    "For all those who choose to remain, though," She finally stands, dusting off the skirt of her dress. "Follow me please, if you would." With that she starts off in the direction of the rear of the library, slowly making her way up the stairs before hanging a left in the second floor's hallway.

Setsuko Kaminagi (255) has posed:
    Flying in silence is a peculiar sensation for Setsuko. She's grown used to the wind whistling past her ears, the sounds of cities or wilderness below her. This... this is entirely eerie to the demigod. It's her first time really entering Mizuki's world, and it's definitely leaving an impression.

    "Of course," the swordswoman replies simply to Mizuki as she steps into the cathedral; her landing is quiet, her steps brisk, and her tone businesslike - but not unkind. "You're an ally. And I sleep perhaps once a week, if that. I'm always 'on duty', doubly so for comrades in arms." She regards Palora and the bespectacled girl curiously, but doesn't speak further. Mizuki's explanations take priority, and the swordswoman is a quiet listener, at least until she comes up with any particularly pressing questions. And for the time being, she has none - 'We're about to enter a world within a book, and I have no idea what it contains' answers just about every query she might come up with.

    So she simply falls in step. It's all the answer she really needs to give, after all.

Psyber (253) has posed:
    Psyber is, in fact, here along with Palora. Though, in going with his theme of being the opposite of Mizuki, he has dressed Palora up as dudebro as he possibly can. This means that the pink-haired avatar of some thought of Mizuki is currently wearing... semi-baggy and ripped-and-torn jeans and a massively oversized Patriots jersey that reads 'Edelman' on the back above an '11'. He's also dressed her up with a Red Sox baseball cap atop her head. It is the least elegant sort of outfit that Palora has probably ever worn.

    Besides himself and Palora, he's brought whoever from the office wanted to tag along with him (And specifically invited Theo). He mostly raises his hand to Mizuki and waves to her, "Yo Mizuki, you know how I am. You call, I answer, it's how the system works. How's the Evelyn project coming along?"

    "Crazy book world sounds pretty heavy, though. I'll chip in where I can and do whatever I can to help," He notes, scratching the back of his head in a somewhat laid back fashion and finishing off a cigarette that was dangling from the corner of his mouth with a heavy exhalation of smoke.

    Then he starts tagging along after Mizuki when she leads.

Beli Klum (238) has posed:
    Beli has found her way here after some word over the radio, familiar enough with this world after a visit or two to not be to taken aback by the oddness. It's actually kind of nice, the snow and cold and silence...something she's always liked about the winter, even more apparent now in this strange place.

    A wave and smile are given to Mizuki, a quick hug stolen from Psyber, a wave to Setsuko, and then the rephaite is standing at the ready with hands behind her back, listening intently to the situation.

    "Oh, I do not think I will be retreating now," Beli remarks with a soft, bell-like laugh. "It has been long enough since I have been helpful, and I have been quite interested in visiting these books of yours. You will surely have my assistance."

Staren has posed:
    Staren flies in, because /why wouldn't you/, smiling and waving to Mizuki & Pals. Folks he's seen recently get nods of acknowledgement -- those he hasn't seen in awhile get a cheerful 'Hey, long time no see!'

    At Mizuki's warning, Staren shrugs, "If we were afraid to try stuff because it's dangerous if we mess up, we'd never get anything done! Although... how to prepare for a world I know nothing about..." he cocks his head to the side thoughtfully, then holds his hand to his chin for several seconds, then nods to himself. Something about him... changes, and then there's a blur and he's clad in a suit of high-tech armor. "I can always take it off if I don't need it." he explains.

    And then he follows. "Wow. You could spend lifetimes just exploring this place and reading all the books..."

Kyra Hyral (626) has posed:
    Kyra, white mage, follower of rebellion, and eventual doctor has never breached the Quiet World before. As a member of Heaven or Hell, she was privy to snatches of conversation about the efforts to resolve issues in Mizuki's world. Her understanding of its construction and the characters inhabiting the richly developed place is minimal at best and mostly originating from conversations with her substitute big sister Riva Banari.

    As most visitors to libraries, Kyra is here in the pursuit of knowledge. That and promised 'magical adventures' from Psyber. She will gladly tag along with the half-angle and Palora (whom Kyra decides she likes, if only because of the hoodie), into the massive library of Silent Night. Quietly, she draws comparisons of its size to the Infinity Library she's visited on Njorun. As per usual Kyra Protocol, she sneaks a few pictures of it with her phone-especially the lovely fountain and statues found in the very center.

    Mizuki explains why she's drawn them here: a new book containing an unexplored reality. "I am interested in this, yes." Kyra offers boldly, "I've never been /inside/ a book world before. Though...one question..."

    She tilts her head to the side, "Mizuki, what's the title of the book?"

Auron (236) has posed:
    For once Auron's presence is not announced by the soft thud of his boots. But then again, that's because of that eerie silence effect. Still, indeed it's rude to keep the hostess waiting. So he heads for the library with the others. He's in his typical outfit. That is to say, red coat, breastplate, pants, boots, etc. Though he has discarded the collar long ago.

    The exchange between Mizuki and Palora gets a bit of a smirk. However it's likely that the clothing's symbolism, if there is any, is lost upon Auron. He doesn't know Palora. But he greets those who appear with a nod of greeting.

    Though as Mizuki begins to speak, he pays attention. A new world, in a book? Auron had missed the events of the last bit of storytelling, so this is all new to him. He does, however, take her warning of the possibility of getting lost to heart. So as she starts off, he keeps pace with her as best as he can.

    Much like Setsuko, the explanation doesn't bring to his mind any particular questions. He remains quiet for now. Though he is silently pleased he brought a sword, as it sounds like this might be dangerous. If not, he'll be a bit overprepared, but it's better to have and not need than need and not have.

    For the time being he just follows Mizuki quietly, trying not to get lost in the library. It's true, there's a lot of knowledge contained here and any other time he might not mind so much getting lost, but today that would just be inconvenient.

Riva Banari has posed:
Riva's been here before. This doesn't keep her from dancing like no one's watching. More accurately, she almost prances along the streets, twirling like a bright red flower along the somber black and white and grays of Silent Night. She might be dragging Konoe and Kyra along gleefully.

She arrives in the library, shaking off snowflakes as she enters, straightening out her ponytail as she smiles. "Mizuuuukiiiiii!" She calls out in a singsong, practically pouncing on Mizuki and picking her up to give her a hug and a twirl, which probably completely ruins the dignified appearance Mizuki attempts to project as Riva puts her back down. "It's so good to see you again!" Riva says, winking. She also turns to Palora, and gives her a peace-sign. "Hey Pally, great to see you out and about too. Don't forget to leave us some tormenting, eh?" She chuckles, and listens in. "Aw, you have a Minotaur here? Man, why didn't you say so? I bet he's adorable."

Is she completely incapable of taking /anything/ seriously right now? "Okay, so let's head into THE FUTURE! Or whatever this book is going to be. It's gotta be weird, Mizuki, having a book around that you haven't read like a million times. Or maybe you just forgot? Can you even do that now?"

Kotone Yamakawa has posed:
Kotone Yamakawa had not been to Mizuki's world in some time, yet she always felt herself drawn back to the place. Once you go to mizuki's world one always seem to come back at some later point. Still she take sa moment looking out over the Silent City, it's winter there's a good deal of snow but it doesn't bother her so much realy. There's not one bit of sound here yet she wsn't too shocked about it it doesn't take long for her to find Mizuki she looked at her for a moment as she brings up the subject of books.

"SO anotehr adventure into one of the books? I do recall the previous runs I admit but if you need help I'm happy to Mizuki."

She will fall in with Mizuki as she heads out nd she takes count of everyone whose arrives there's quite a few people she knows and some she does not. She takes note of Staren, Kyra and Pysber. She's about to greet them when Kyra asks a very good question, what is the book's title?. That was a very goods questions.

"Staren, Psyber, Kyra nad hey Riva, I guess we're doing it again are we not?"

Mizuki (183) has posed:
    Mizuki inclines her head softly and courteously in thanks to Setsuko, but just before she's capable of giving her any more substantive, verbal reply, she catches something out of the corner of her eye. It's Palora. She's wearing torn clothes - yes, torn clothes, in *Silent bloody Night* - and a baseball cap. This flies in the face of all that is good and right in her world or any world, and to say nothing of the stark defiance toward decorum's decree that a hat worn inside constitutes. In particular when the headpiece being worn is -that- ratty monstrosity, ugh!

    Mizuki's eyes immediately squeeze themselves shut. She pinches the bridge of her nose, meaning that she isn't made to bear witness to the miserable scene of Palora offering Psyber a high-five directly; no, her ears are just pierced by the insipid noise of clapping generated thereof. When Mizuki finally calms herself enough to speak again, though, she only has this to say:

    "I see that your time with Psyber has corrupted you irrevocably, Palora. I believe you may have been away from home long enough. Perhaps it's time you went on a little 'vacation', hm? Checked in for a bit of... convalescent education?" Palora flicks a toothpick out of her mouth on to the ground. Mizuki promptly incinerates it with her thoughts.

    "Sure, Mimi. When I'm sure you're not gonna murder me. Or Psyber. Prolly wouldn't want you to kill him either."

Theo Morrison has posed:
Theo got his coat and came to go on a magical adventure. Psyber's good for that kind of thing, apparently.

He is also dressed totally normally, rather than having deliberately changed into his more durable-seeming adventuring gear. It's kind of silly that he changes at all, given that his favorite shirt is more or less bulletproof. There's something about a theme, though...

All things considered, Theo is starting to wonder if he should have anyway. He has a sort of flashback to the last time he went library-delving, and it turned out that some kind of shadow-monster had possessed the place and tried to murder them all with an increasingly large amount of old and remarkably solid tomes. He shivers a little bit, tugging on his sleeves and glancing at Psyber.

Then he raises his hand, kind of unnecessarily. "It isn't going to turn out to be some kind of book-trap for an old and powerful wizard that's been waiting for someone to take their place, or... something less weirdly specific, is it?"

Meanwhile, Kickotron, who is also here, is taking in the architecture. The myr is kind of staring owlishly (robowlishly?) around the library, silent as usual. The true hero of these kinds of stories never says a word, you know.

Konoe Kanno (847) has posed:
     Ah, this place. Konoe hadn't been back here since that initial opening language lesson five centuries ago.

     ...Okay it wasn't five centuries, but close enough.

     She knew the way over, now that she'd been here previously, and it was a simple matter of arriving, and flying through the Silent City. "Library...library...oh I remember..." Yeah, no way to miss that place. Before long, she set down in front of the opened doors and stepped inside quietly, trying not to draw too much attention to herself. "Hello Mizuki-sensei. It's nice to see you in person again."

     The youkai managed a small smile before listening to what was said. ...Needless to say, most of it flew over her head. But...Maybe, maybe she'd get it if she just went along with it? Confused as ever, Konoe just nodded slowly. "I...don't get it, but...I'll stay. I'm curious."

     Surely curiosity doesn't actually kill cats now.

Mizuki (183) has posed:
    Mizuki's eyes eventually reopen and her mouth fixes into an immaculate, unmoving grin. Some people may aptly call this her 'murder grin', and the expression stays trained on Psyber for some time hence. When she snaps out of this rage-induced trance state, however, she bats her lashes several times and looks to Beli. "Miss Klum," She says. "Yes, I'm exceedingly glad of your company. You are one of the very few people who have actually been to the second floor of this library previously, but I do not believe even you have seen the labyrinth. Just the siderooms and the artifact chambers, correct? Well, this will likely be far more interesting for you, then. Or I can only hope." Thankfully, her smile settles into a form slightly less eerie in the course of this dialogue.

    Then, Staren. When he dons his armor, Mizuki waves her hand a bit. "Oh, well, no. I can say for certain that your armor will not be necessary, at least not at first. While I know nothing of the world itself, the book first delivers us to a sort of interstitial realm between here and there. I know enough of that realm to say that it is quite placid, if a bit cramped." And to the comment on the library's contents, she answers, "Oh, yes. Many lifetimes. These books are anthologies detailing the birth and death of many worlds, after all; as such, many of them have information that would quite literally take a whole lifetime for anyone to read. This is why I eventually devised a way to experience them more, say, directly. In a setting where I could hasten or slow time for effect."

Eryl Fairfax has posed:
    Not-crunching through the snow is Eryl, and boy is that making his head hurt. He can appreciate Mizuki's love of the quiet, but snow is meant to make noise underfoot. The fact that it is not is agitating Original Face, making the diplomat's face into a pained grimace.

    Thankfully, he no longer has to deal with it upon reaching the library proper. He takes care to wipe his feet and dust snow off his head and shoulders before entering inside, the grimace fading back into that easygoing smile once more.

    At the hostess' snippy response, he raises an eyebrow. "You're agitated," he notes. "It must be unsettling, I understand. But do not fear. Whatever it is, we shall all get to the bottom of it." And so, careful attention is paid as she explains! "The trilogy is in fact a quadrilogy then? And the fact that you can only access it with allies... a test you can only take if you have formed alliances. Interesting."

    Her final explanation draws a chuckle from his mouth. "A library that is almost literally carnivorous. How befitting of you Mizuki. Not to worry, I'll stick close." And indeed he does as he follows her to the book, sidestepping that incinerated toothpick on the way.

Mizuki (183) has posed:
    Mizuki's arms fold neatly behind her back as she regards Kyra. With a newly-budding smile and a subtle rosiness at her cheeks, she replies, "You are Miss Hyral, I presume. I have heard many good things about you~." If that isn't one of the more ominous compliments she has ever given, but okay. "Ah, ah, and someone who asks the important questions, I see. Well, that question will be answered in due time. Which is to say the next time I am able to address the entirety of our group at once -- I would hate to have to say the title thirteen separate times. Its title is quite long, after all. Bit of a tongue twister. It would drain my nonexistent lungs quite wholly." She wags a finger. "Tsk, tsk. No, that would never do. I need that imaginary air for other things this evening."

    She could've just said 'yeah, later', but noo~ooo.

    It's at that point that Auron catches Mizuki's eye. As it was with Setsuko, she offers him a quiet, polite bow in return for his respectful silence. Smiling, she comments, "It is quite nice to know that -some- of those present remember that the silence of libraries is meant to be sacred. Thank you, again, for joining us this evening."

Mizuki (183) has posed:
    "Riiivaaa~."

    Mizuki tries to float her voice and call back in response to Riva, but it comes out rather... awkwardly. It sounds strangely deadpan, and the final few syllables taper out as though she were a singer losing her breath on the final notes of music. She recognizes her folly immediately, closing her mouth abruptly, locking a hand around her wrist, and of course allowing a bit more pink to appear on her cheeks. Why on -Earth- had she tried to respond to her that way in the first place? ... well, clearly, she has infected her with this repugnant cheeriness of hers. Absolutely unconscionable. Yes, it's a disease of a psychological kind -- one Mizuki will have to purge herself of. Yes... later. Perhaps. If she feels like it! We'll see.

    The Minotaur is a good side-topic, at least. Making something of a sweatdrop gesture, she folds her hands at her waist and clarifies, "There... is no Minotaur here, Miss Banari; it would never fit through the doors and its hooves wouldn't fit the steps. If there is any such thing in this world, I assure you it resides quite exclusively in the Township." And please, never horrify her with the thought of a Minotaur in her library again. -Please-.

    "Forget?" Mizuki cants her head in thought. "... well, as I understand it most of my other incarnations invented some way to store their memories outside of their own minds once they came of a certain age. In that way, I can likely forget -- by selectively removing memories and putting them elsewhere for later use. Seeing as I've had no need to do so thus far, however, I'm afraid not. I..." Mizuki narrows her eyes, concealing her mouth with her sleeve in a gesture of mischief.

    "I simply remember ~everything~."

Psyber (253) has posed:
    Psyber is totally high-fiving Palora. It's pretty awesome. It's the best high-five you'll see to close out 2015. We're talking like... full-on Top Gun windmill high-five in slow motion and shit. Or it's just a regular high-five before he goes back to following shortly behind her. Also Beli is allowed to hug Psyber, he's not gonna stop that.

    To Theo, he remarks, "I dunno, the Book of Heaven WAS a trap, so I'm not sure how legit this is. But I don't think Mizuki would WILLINGLY spring a trap on us. She doesn't strike me as the type."

Kyra Hyral (626) has posed:
    "Doing what again?" Kyra asks Kotone, looking confused. The thought hits her moments later-Kotone was involved with the other three volumes, wasn't she? "Oh, again for you maybe! Officially this would be my first time hopping /in/ to a magical book. Usually I just open them and read them." Briefly, her thoughts drift back to Marisa and her recent offer to make some magical drinks from the Fel Tome of Cooking they recovered from the Forbidden section at the Academy's library. A small grin graces her face at that.

    Mizuki correctly identifies her; Kyra's not too surprised, she is pretty vocal! "Just Kyra is fine, Mizuki." Kyra tries, half expecting that request would be discarded as it usually was by the more formal members of the Union. Trying to disassociate from the family name was nigh impossible it seems but at least the name Hyral lacked context outside of Galianda. At least most people won't hear it and immediately think 'devout followers of a religion that kicked Kyra out'. "Good things, eh?" Kyra's all too happy to interpret the compliment devoid of ominous meaning so she can feed her ego. Faux humility follows, "Well, I try..."

    But the answer Mizuki presents about the title draws a frown from the white mage, "Quite long? Well that's unsual, given that the other three books are named Heaven, The Past, and The Future. Unless those are just shortened versions of their full titles...?"

    Kyra grows a little suspicious.

Mizuki (183) has posed:
    "And I'm happy to have you along, Miss Kotone." She smiles, straightening her posture somewhat. "Even if I -am- admittedly amazed at your wherewithal; I can't imagine many people in your position would've emerged from the, erm. 'Incidents' last time without any more, how you say. 'Mental scarring'." Another sweatdrop, or some approximation thereof, is given.

    Konoe is given another bow, though this one is a more proper forty-five degree bow -- precisely the kind a teacher might give their student. It seems she's finally begun to embrace the role, somewhat. "Kanno-Kouhai." She blinks at herself, again, as if astonished to hear the words emerging from her mouth. "T-That... is the proper phrasing, is it not? I do hope that I'm not embarrassing myself, here. I apologize if I am. Truly." And then she butchers her own image by getting flustered again, somehow. Sigh. When she says she'll stay, though, Mizuki nods. "Understood. Really, things shouldn't get that dangerous until much later. You've nothing to worry about for the time being."

Beli Klum (238) has posed:
    Beli, despite noticing Mizuki's creepy smile, avoids remarking on it at all. Her smile grows a little awkward, but she still walks along, otherwise calm and composed. "Ah...no, I do not think I have seen the labyrinth myself yet. I believe it will be quite exciting, too, so I am certainly looking forward to it all."

    The mentions of the Book of Heaven to get her a little anxious, but...she missed all that, so she can't really say much about that situation. It should all be fine, right? Right?

    The rephaite starts drifting a little closer to Psyber nonetheless.

Staren has posed:
    "Oh." Staren's armor goes away, and something changes again.

    Staren nods to Kotone, "Yup."

    Theo gets a shrug. "I dunno. That doesn't sound like something even past-Mizuki would do, but who knows what's going on. By the way, welcome to Mizuki's world! It is super cool, you should hang out here sometime." He sweeps a hand over his head. "Imaaagination!" He doesn't try to make the word appear this time, though. Showing that stuff off would distract from the quest ahead.

Arthur Lowell has posed:
    Arthur is here! He's around, vaguely, and in some ambiguous fashion. Riva, Psyber, Kyra, the usual subjects of his intense reactions have probably gotten a greeting. The others, less so, but with that standard elevated intensity. And of course, he's doing that usual RPG protagonist thing of following close behind Mizuki and examining things as he goes through. His Mage of Space outfit is a little winterized, with some fuzzy, cozy fur linings and such, and it's not discarded even in the warmth of the library.

    He'll be following along and presumably eventually jumping into the book when it's time, of course. Just less descriptively granularly.

Mizuki (183) has posed:
    Mizuki was not lying when she called this second floor mazelike. The mesmerizing, black-white checkers of the hallway floor are only the inception of an ordeal that becomes far more vexing once one enters the library proper. This level is laden with cream walls that are barely visible for the forest of bookcases that, in all frankness, create corridors so narrow that it's a wonder they're navigable at all. The only hints to one's direction are fine, silken tapestries and rugs that give more character to the walls and floors respectively, serving as reference points and placemarkers for one's location. Hopefully, though, they won't be necessary - Mizuki is traveling at a fairly gradual pace that should allow all those who follow to keep with her.

    Let it never be said that the capricious marvel of the interior design is not without mercy, however, for the trial does eventually reach an end when Mizuki arrives at a ludicrously cramped crevice of the region. There perched upon a marble pedestal is a book at least three-quarters her height and surely more thick than fits the bounds of human reason. Emblazoned upon its cover are the words 'The Book of Unification', wrought in a finely-woven, golden calligraphy that would make deacons of the Vatican scorn it for supposed mimicry of an angel's penmanship. Mizuki dauntlessly plucks the thing from its resting place without any concern for its obvious girth, blowing the dust from its surface and brushing off the remains with her hand.

    "Here we are," She says, though when she looks again and realizes just how cramped this space has become, her expression immediately falls into what some might call a 'sweatdrop'. "Oh, but there's nowhere near enough space for a mass portal entry here, is there?" So her hand meanders to her chin in thought. When she ascertains some silent epiphany on the matter, she gives a flick of her wrist that quite literally drives six different bookcases into the ground with a decidedly unnerving rumble of the architecture. This act creates a clearing in the grove of literature where Mizuki quickly retreats, laying the book flat on the ground, opened halfway through its contents. Within several seconds a rippling vortex of violet-tinged pitch swirls out of the binding, 'inviting' all those who appraise it inside.

    Though before anyone actually heads inside, Mizuki has a few more words. "I have been inside this book twice before now, so I at least know where we will emerge. The portal will deliver us to a small and unforgivably cluttered mess of a room populated by two individuals. One is a visibly average girl with a decidedly sporadic memory, and the other is a mask-clad entity whom I presume to be a woman by the sound of their voice. The latter seems to be our 'guide' of sorts, so she will likely be the one to prompt you once we arrive. But!" She claps her hands together, "Assuming there are no further questions, I will lead us onward. Don't worry, I can assure you that this portal is perfectly safe. The sensation inherent to its usage may be strange if you aren't already accustomed to teleportation, but it is, at the very least, harmless."

    With that, Mizuki quite literally walks on top of the book in demonstration. In the bat of an eyelash her form is gone, and without any fanfare whatsoever; it's so jarring that it may well force one to look twice or three times to confirm that she is no longer there. Presumably, though, others can follow and they will be transferred by the same method. As people set about doing so, Palora leans casually against the side of a bookcase, giving the group a small wave of her hand -- an informal 'wave' if ever there was one. "Good luck," She says, "but I'm not going in one of those things. Kinda had a bad experience with one, once, so. Never again, man," She shakes her head, "never again."

    And her face is probably the last thing you'll see before reaching the other side.

Mizuki (183) has posed:
    The experience of teleportation in this case is comparable to what one feels when they undergo surgery influenced by anesthesia: one moment you are there, and the next you are elsewhere. There's an abrupt change of temperature and scenery punctuated by the telltale crackling of wood in a hearth across the room. When one acclimates more fully, they'll also notice two figures. As promised, the first of them is a small girl huddled by the fire on what would appear to be a bean bag chair, too focused on a sketchpad to pay the new arrivals any mind. The other of them is a a hooded figure in a pure, glaringly immaculate alabaster robe seated in a nearby rocking chair. This figure, clearly the more observant of the two, looks back at the group some moments later, appraising them with a gaze entirely obfuscated by an ivory facade. The mask is likewise without expression, its only details being small, thin slits for the eyes and the mouth.

    "Yo," The figure calls over, completely unfazed by the incredible number of people now gracing what is presumably her home. This calls the girl to attention, too, and she turns to face the group all of a sudden. Her eyes likely lock on Priscilla first before meandering over to Psyber, then Riva, after which her gaze goes as wide as the massive circle forming at her mouth. "WOW!!" Her yell is only made all the more painful in contrast to the relative quiet of the room. "I KNOW we told you to come back with more people and all, but this is a lot! Like, a lot a lot! I don't think I've ever seen this many people in my whole life!" At that, she shuts her sketchbook, tucking it to the side of the fireplace where it isn't as likely to be hit by an errant ember. She stows her pencil behind her ear before leaping to her feet, rocking back and forth in place.

    And then there is likely to be a long, long silence, at least before the Masked Lady says, "So, uh. If you're here, you must want to go deeper into the book, right? ... well, hey, there are some other things you're gonna need to know first, so. Get cozy."

Mizuki (183) has posed:
    Mizuki makes a shrugging gesture on the way to the book, turning her gaze back at Theo. "I'm afraid I can't say for sure," She answers, "but at the least I know the pattern of these novels in the specific context of this world. And that pattern would suggest that this book will incarnate as more of a 'trial' than a 'trap'. A gauntlet over a dungeon, yes?" Lowering her hands back to her sides, she says, "Though I won't fault you at all for your caution. Were I you, I would be reluctant to enter the book at all. I am someone you do not know from a strange world you have never been to, likely never even heard of, so really, that you are here at all bespeaks a great level of faith if not informed trust. I want you to know that I appreciate it."

Mizuki (183) has posed:
    To Eryl, Mizuki scoffs. "I am no such thing; I have no reason to be nervous in my own domain. What madness that would be!" As he goes on about trilogies and 'quadrilogies', though, she actually winces. "Y-Yes, but the latter term is such an affront to my senses. Even if it is not necessarily the most accurate of phrases, I would prefer that we call them a 'quartet' or some such less officious thing. Please and thank you."

    And at the other comments? Really, she can only smile. He may do it in the most odd fashion imaginable, sometimes, but what he says is often quite flattering.

Setsuko Kaminagi (255) has posed:
    A maze is not an intimidating thing when one has a guide who knows it by heart. Setsuko has that, so she's relaxed about walking along no matter how twisty and turny the pathway gets. Granted, she's also memorizing the path as best she can.

    "That... is a very large book," is the first thing she says when they reach their destination, staring at it in mild surprise. She had expected a magical tome to be... smaller, somehow. And the area is suddenly much less cramped while she stares, giving the swordswoman an opportunity to step to one side and be less pressed-in. This gives her a prime view of the opening of the vortex, which she watches with interest. There are a few last words from Mizuki, to which Setsuko responds with a simple nod, and then she steps forward herself, onto-slash-into the book.

    A brief moment of disorientation clears up quickly, and the demigod immediately begins sizing up the hooded woman in the rocking chair. "Whatever you have to tell us, we're listening."

Beli Klum (238) has posed:
    Beli blinks in surprise as the book is finally shown. The Book of...Unification? Strange, definitely, but Beli decides not to ask about that just yet. Perhaps it'll be a little more obvious upon arrival.

    The teleportation into the book isn't too strange for her, at least. She's gone through Purgatorio, Inferno, and Paradiso enough for the strange twisting displacement feeling to go barely noticed. The arrival, however, is stranger: an unfamiliar location always is, really.

    Beli's wings and halos aren't present, but she definitely looks pretty out of place herself. Even then, she stares at the two people in this location - at least until the apparently younger one speaks, forcing her to wince and clap her hands over her ears briefly as if a stick of dynamite just exploded nearby.

    Once that's done, she has to take a moment to flick her ears briefly to make sure she can actaully hear properly before she offers a smile to the new people. "Thank you very much, ma'am. I believe explanation will be necessary, but some...simplicity may also be appreciated for those of us less familiar with the situation. I am Beli Klum, by the way; a pleasure."

    The rephaite sinks down briefly, crossing her legs under herself as she listens to what the woman has to say.

Mizuki (183) has posed:
    The masked lady regards Beli a moment before giving a nod. "Sure. I mean, I'll make it as simple as I can, but you probably know by now that the, uh. Person? People. Yeah, let's go with people, that made these things were kinda obsessed with making things as needlessly convoluted as possible. So, yeah, advance warning. Sorry."

Auron (236) has posed:
    Auron returns the nod from Mizuki. "Of course," he says quietly, in response to the remark about libraries and silence. As for her thanks? "You're welcome. I'll assist as much as I can." Again keeping his voice quiet. He's fairly sure Mizuki will still hear him, after all. She's basically a goddess, if he understood things right, and this is her realm. He's pretty sure very little that goes on in here escapes her notice.

    He merely follows along through the mazelike area of the second floor of the library. Truth be told, Auron does have an uncomfortable realization. "...This looks almost like a Cloister of Trials in a Spiran temple," he notes quietly. A mazelike area? Bevelle's Cloister, anyone? All that's missing are the moving machina floor plates.

    However, Auron can clearly see that there's not enough room there. So he keeps to a side area until Mizuki opens the area for more people. Only then does he enter the 'clearing'. He waits before entering, when Mizuki speaks up again. The information is appreciated, and Auron nods in thanks. Palora's words draw a smirk. "Take care, then," he offers to her, before following Mizuki and the others into the book-portal.

    The teleportation is indeed kind of jarring, but Auron does manage not to fall over. Though his confusion is clear when he arrives, in the way his brow furrows and he looks around as if he doesn't know where he is. Which he... kind of doesn't. He recovers from it soon enough though.

    He looks at the girl with the sketchpad, seeing her first, and then at the figure in the mask. He blinks. Things they need to know? Setsuko speaks his thoughts on it, and he looks to her a moment before looking to the figure in the mask again.

Kotone Yamakawa has posed:
Kotone Yamakawa says "I'm not sure but.... about it myself I admit."

She seems fine but seems to have endured it better than Mizuki might have expecteded. She had wonderd how had she come out of that without so much trauma? IT's something even Kotone is not entirely certain on but she's thanful for it to be sure and now she's doomed to join the Riva train. The group progresses into the maze and she takes note of it, she's actually having her implants make a map as they go, though it might be of little use given this is a world of thought after all. Still the party reaches the book without much trouble and she's more than a bit awed at how oranate it is.

"That certainly is quite the book."

with that she'll head on in with the rest of the party.

IT takes her a moment to right herself. She nows to the figure smiling a little bit.

"Glad to be of help and yes we're planning to go deeper, though if you have information for us? Please share I'm all ears."

It's also at this point she's caught sight of Theo also being along on this crazy adventure along with Earyl as well. Shje settles in to listen to what needs to be said.

Psyber (253) has posed:
    Psyber physically winces as the one yells. He only lets it show for a brief moment before taking a relaxing breath and then learning to just deal with the pain of it. He rubs at an ear with a finger in a vague and lazy gesture before making a flat sort of 'keep it rolling' gesture with one of his hands.

    "Sure, sure. Necessary info, exposition, I know how the whole nine yards works when it comes to Mizuki's subconscious." He notes, taking the chance to tease Mizuki again before looking back towards the Masked Woman, "So I'm good to go, let's hear it all."

Staren has posed:
    Mizuki quests sure do involve a lot of /walking/ to places. Staren sometimes hovers for a bit, or switches to cat or pony form to walk on four legs for a bit.

    At last, they're there! Staren squints at the book. "The Book of Unification? That's... vague..." and then everyone's crowding around and he switches to cat form to take up less space. He cocks his head one way and then the other as Mizuki disappears into the book, then nods to Palora before bounding into the book himself!

    Cat-Staren huddles down as he looks around the abruptly-different room, taking it in and looking at the mysterious figures.

    Staren cocks his head. "Your entire life? You don't get out much, huh?" his voice is high and squeaky. There's also a hint of pity in his tone.

    And then, it's announced the're gonna know stuff. "Oh boy, exposition!" Staren sits, cat-style, ears forward as he listens to the Masked Lady.

Mizuki (183) has posed:
    The masked lady's reply to Setsuko is quite literally a simple turn of the head to face her, a moment's pause, followed by the words, "Sure, cool, thanks."

    Kinda abrupt, isn't she?

Riva Banari has posed:
TRAVEL TIIIIIIME. THE RIVA RTRAIN HAS NO BRAKES CHOO CHOO

Riva looks around at the library as they pass through it. Well, she probably wouldn't mind getting lost in here a little bit, hmm hmm hmm~

However, they reach the book, and Riva watches Mizuki casually rearrange the area for the sake of making room for the unusual tomeworld. "Allllll righty then. Let's get this going." As Mizuki opens up the book and heads through, Riva can't help but wonder for a moment what horrible experience Palora must have had...
5rAt least, before she's shifting between worlds, and she is already tipping forward in the book-strewn mess. With a yelp, she flips down and hits the ground, throwing up a pile of loose and torn paper. She holds up a hand, pointing upwards from where she fell. "I'm fine! I'm not dead!" She calls, muffled as she didn't even bother lifting her face from the books.

She flops over and sits up, drawing her knees up to her chest as she looks around the room, pondering for a moment. "Huh. This place looks familiar." She comments, before her gaze is drawn to the two mysterious women. "Hi there!" Riva smiles, waving. "Nice to meet you both! I'm Riva." She says, and then with a shrug, kind of burrows down into the floor debris a bit to get a better seat as she waits for the explanation of what's up.

Arthur Lowell has posed:
    "YO!" Arthur calls out to the girl and her drawing. "WHAT UP? You still got the FUNKY HALF-ART? I wanna see whatever COOL THING you DREW, that shit be a HELL AWESOME VISUAL AESTHETIC." Arthur says, brightly and eagerly to the girl at the beanbag chair first. He figures that treating her well is probably a good way to be respectful to "M" more than anything else. "HELL YEAH we came with a LOT OF PEOPLE. You know I told you I BRING THE PARTY." He does one of those wild gesticulations and then, slightly more sheepishly, "And, you know, a bunch of other people brought their friends." Don't take credit for what other people did!

    And then when asked to Get Cozy, Arthur does so. Any other chairs? Arthur is just gonna plop on in them like he owns the place, completely relaxed. "ALRIGHT, M!" He says, "I'm ready to get the LOWDOWN on THIS SHIT. Now we got ENOUGH DUDES to get through to MORE STUFF."

Kyra Hyral (626) has posed:
    While having never personally experienced anesthesia, Kyra does know what it's like to be one place one moment and then just suddenly somewhere else the next. The recent carbonite incident illustated that for her well. Still, it's a little disorienting to be teleported so abruptly into the small, cozy room related to this mysterious fourth volume.

    Kyra looks from the masked figure to the small girl, taking a moment to try to assess the small girl's age visually.

    Without really alerting anyone, Kyra casts some of her diagnostic magic-Scan-at both of the people in the room just to see what happens. As she does, she speaks, perhaps to allay any suspicion, "That's exactly why we're here, actually."

Konoe Kanno (847) has posed:
     Mizuki's greeting, followed by flustered doubt is met with a slowly growing smile of amusement. "You did fine." She brought a hand over her mouth to muffle the laugh that threatened to come out. She sobered up soon after and nodded. "Well, if it's not dangerous, then I don't have to worry." For now anyway. She had no idea what this was even all about, but they said it would be a MAGICAL ADVENTURE, and she wanted to know what MAGICAL ADVENTURE even meant.

     Once they got up to the second floor, Konoe mentally balked at the sheer scale of the place. She was tempted to just fly, but that might have been rude. So the miko kept her feet to the ground, following after Mizuki closely. Getting lost in here would have been unfortunate. To say the least.

     Eventually it does come to an end however, and they all arrive at a rather overdone pedestal bearing a single book. "....?" That's it? But what were they going to do? And especially in this cramped space? Maybe she should just fl-oh. Okay nevermind. Apparently being the master of your own world meant you could alter the architecture at your own leisure.

     How convenient.

     Feeling less like a fish in a glass bowl, Konoe stepped aside to get a little more space from the others and watched as the portal opened over the book itself. Curious. She nodded to Mizuki's explanation, and then watched as she vanished into the book. "....." Well that was kind of unsettling. She said it was harmless, but it was still unsettling all the same.

     Well, nothing to do but go in. Unless she'd rather keep the company of Palora. ...Nah. In she went, and after eperiencing the strange sensation of teleportation, they arrived. ...Inside someone's house? The girl with the sketchpad was so loud. It made her wince. At least the other one wasn't so...spirited? A mercy for her ears?

     But what else did they need to know?

Theo Morrison has posed:
Theo is mostly hearing that it probably isn't an /intentional/ trap-book, but that maybe he should be careful anyway. He nods at Psyber, accepting that he's got a good read on the situation, and then shoots a glance and a quick grin in Staren's direction. "I'll take your word for it. Not getting attacked by books is a good start, though. Libraries keep /doing/ that."

He falls into step with the group, giving Mizuki a curious look on the way. "Well... I kind of see it like this: at least two friends of mine," Theo makes vague gestures at the nearby Psyber and Staren, "are vouching for you. You're on the same line I am, and you've never really struck me as the seriously sinister type. Plus, I'm a planeswalker, so going to strange new worlds I've barely ever heard of is kind of my thing. So as long as it isn't step-outside-reality-and-punch-cthulhu levels of dangerous, I can probably deal."

"Anyway, what I'm saying is, I'm glad to be here, and I'm glad to actually meet you, circumstances of potential peril aside." Theo smiles. "If you want, you can show your appreciation by showing me around sometime."

And then, TELEPORTATION. Theo blinks once on the way in and once on the far side, feeling... well, pretty okay, honestly. Portals and stuff don't tend to bother him. The change in scenery would be better if it wasn't so crowded, but he appreciates the coziness of it anyway. "Hi," he greets, lifting a hand a little awkwardly. "Uh, sorry to barge in." He looks around, trying to find a place to stand that isn't in the way of someone else. It doesn't work out so well.

Kickotron, being a precocious little scamp (read: is mostly composed of nose), wanders his short, metal bird-butt over to the tucked-away sketchpad and tries to get a look.

Mizuki (183) has posed:
    Using scan on the younger girl might give Kyra something of a migraine. To picture it visually, a pair of cards displaying numbers first displays the number 'twelve'. Some moments later, though, the cards seem to multiply at an absolutely mindbending speed, the numbers on the cards constantly flipping without ever finding place to rest. They constantly fluctuate between larger numbers and smaller, but for some reason she absolutely can't get a fix on her age. Maybe book characters like her just don't have ages? ... or maybe it's a bit more complicated than that? Ah, well. She'll likely have many more opportunities to learn about her in the future if they have to come through here every time they want to get to the deeper world.

    As far as the more holistic scan for the younger girl is concerned, she gives no reading whatsoever for health. Her magical rating is well below those of average civilians with no magical aptitude at all, but she can pinpoint a definite weakness: as Mizuki had claimed, it pertains to her memory. As far as the masked woman is concerned, she likewise gives no health rating, though her magical aptitude is... substantial. Likely only several degrees between that of many elites she has encountered, but still well within the realm of what could be considered elite. Huh.

Eryl Fairfax has posed:
    The diplomat snickers at Mizuki's protest. "There really is no proper word for a series of four is there? Hm." One of those things that should have a word but doesn't.

    Eryl is no stranger to squeezing through narrow places. When your world is rubble and your job is to go around in it, it tends to come up. But no ruins have ever been as orderly as this library. Perhaps not as cramped either.

    Upon arriving at their destination, Eryl immediately squeezes his eyes shut as Mizuki considers the issue of space. Watching shelves just sink into the floor with no apparent mechanisms would not be good for his head in the slightest. But he must open his eyes eventually and yes that is a big book that is turning its own pages and glowing.

    UNPERCIEVABLE FORCES DETECTED
    'It's just hidden mechanism. Come on, look at the size of it, you could hide all sorts of things in there.'
    UNPERCIEV-
    'HIDDEN. MECHANISMS.'

    Due to this internal melodrama, he was only half-listening to Mizuki's explanation, but his implants recorded it all. A young girl and a masked figure, very good. He glances to Palora and nods his understanding as he approaches it. "As you like. Wish us luck."

    And then he's elsewhere. Original Face... actually doesn't have an issue with this. Teleporters did exist in the Before Times, so it can understand this much. The room is very strange and the occupants stranger still. But that does not excuse poor manners.

    "Greetings to you both," he says, that pitch-perfect pleasant smile upon his face. "I am Eryl Fairfax, diplomat for the ReGenesis Corporation. A pleasure to make your acquaintances."

Mizuki (183) has posed:
    The younger girl perks up when Arthur mentions 'half-art'. "Oh oh oh, yeah! I drew another one after your left!" She runs back to fetch the sketchpad again, flipping through until she finds a half-finished image of... well, Arthur. It's drawn entirely in pencil but the linework and shading look almost professional. The expression on his face is one of brazen confidence that is almost eerily perfect an impression for someone so unused to him to have rendered. His body is inclined somewhat back as though he would be leaning against a wall, and one of his hands is risen, his hand making a thumbs-up gesture. The lower body isn't complete, but there are still some eraser marks; leftovers from lines drawn with far too much pressure. At best they look like stick figure legs.

Mizuki (183) has posed:
    Mizuki quirks her brow at Theo. "Planeswalker, you say? Interesting. I suppose that might be an apt word to describe who and-or what I am, although I very much doubt I share any of your more specific talents. Still, curious. I might be interested to learn more about you in recompense if I decide to give you the 'grand tour', as it were." After a moment's pause, she goes on, "And, likewise. It is always a pleasure to meet people with like tastes. You seem fairly articulate as well! As you can well imagine knowing me to be the owner of several libraries, that is something I appreciate very much."

    That said, she yields discussion to the masked woman. She'll bug Theo more later.

Arthur Lowell has posed:
    "HAH!" Arthur says, grinning wide and, well, pretty much replicating the image on the notepad. "I LOVE IT, kiddo! That's AWESOME." He snaps briefly, and his legs are consumed by a strange light. When it's done, it looks like he's hastily formed up some stick-figure legs! His ability to shift his shape is pretty, uh, not great, but that's probably fitting! The stardust forming the legs is shaky, but the thought is what's important! Arthur seems to now be matching the picture. "And HEY, it's REALLY ACCURATE!" :D

    Yeah, that'll revert pretty soon.

Mizuki (183) has posed:
    The masked lady clears her throat to be sure that she has everyone's attention. Once a quick glance around the room proves this true, she nods her head and begins in earnest. "So here's a basic rundown: this book is called The Book of Unification. That the name has anything to do with the the unification that happens in the world... worlds... whatever that you all come from is a total coinkidink, probably, but when you live in a place where literally everyone has time powers, I guess you can never know for sure." She lays one palm flat in a half-shrug. "But incidental or not, the name pertains more to, like... your humanity. How well you're able to work together and understand eachother and all that mushy crap. -That's- the sort of unification we're talking about here."

    "So yeah," She continues, "this is essentially a test of your humanity. This book was designed as a kinda quiz to prove to the writer whether or not certain groups of people are capable of using the better parts of humanity to overcome every challenge thrown their way, or whether the worst parts would eat them alive in the process. So hey, if you go deeper into the world and you find yourself confronting, like. A guy who is really obviously modeled after what you hate about yourself, yeah, your head isn't playing tricks on you. If you go in here, you do that knowing that this book is going to pick and prod your brain and use as many memories as it can against you. So really, you're kinda testing yourself more than the book is testing you. Get it?"

    She shrugs again. "Still, if you ask me?" She lifts her gaze slightly, or at least she appears to. "This test could be a whole hell of a lot harder than it is. Even if the book takes stuff from your head, it can only throw it in front of you to scare you. But you're still the one who makes it scary, right? So just take a deep breath, keep cool, and you'll be able to handle whatever this book throws at ya." Her hands fall idle at her sides again.

    "But at this point you're probably wondering, why the heck are we doing this anyway when we could be, I don't know, flying around and stopping robbers from hitting banks or something. The short answer is this: there -is- a world in this book beyond what you guys give it, or at least there -was-. If you guys finish this test and pass, you'll be redeeming them, kinda. I doubt that you'll actually be able to resurrect the whole planet or whatever, but you'll be letting a couple billion souls move on to the afterlife. So that's still a pretty good thing you would be doing, in case you were worried about karmic payoff. But uh, there's really not gonna be any way to tell whether somebody is one of your brawnspawns or the wandering soul of a dead guy unless the person who recognizes them says so. About the former, I mean. So you may wanna take responsibility for your asshole shadows when you can; it's kinda hard for other people to do that for you."

    "Now I'll get all the boring crap out of the way. Yeah, you can die in here like you can anywhere else. Yeah, whatever you do in one reading session carries over to the next one, and there's no way to backtrack if you screw up somewhere. And yeah, most of these people are probably living beings with souls, if that makes a difference for you. I know some dudes treat dream people the same as anybody else even if they just go away when you wake up."

Mizuki (183) has posed:
    She wraps her arms around the back of her head, lounging a bit. "Annnnd I think that's about all I got, actu -- oh, wait, yeah, there's one other thing." Her arms fall back to her sides rather abruptly. "The world needs to, like. Get built before you can actually go in, and that takes a while. You know how if you get a pet fish you can't just stick it right into the tank? You have to kinda float their baggy on the top of the tank a while so they can adjust to the water, right? Well, hey, the world is a fish and you guys are the water. If you guys could leave me something you own that can help the world grow itself, I'd really appreciate that. It can be anything, really. Got a spare pen? That works. Really, it doesn't matter as long as it's something you brought in here from the, uh. 'Real world'. That's what most people would call it, I guess. But as long as it fits those criteria, you're good."

    And -now- she can cradle her head in her arms like she was trying to do before. "So yeah, hate to break it to you but you can't exactly go rushing in right now. I know, I know, you were so excited and garbage, but the world hasn't even been conceived of yet. After you guys leave we'll probably have, like, a seed, and then I'll call you guys back when it's ready to germinate. Or -she- will," She gestures to Mizuki. "I can't exactly talk with you unless you deliberately come meet me here. And trust me, that's boring and you don't wanna have to do that anymore than necessary. Total honesty." She takes a deep, deep breath, standing on the tips of her toes a second before her feet bounce back down to the ground in concert with a rapid exhalation. "So! Uh. Any questions? I know I kinda talk fast, so if you've got anything, go for it."

Kyra Hyral (626) has posed:
    Kyra makes a face of pain. While she does accept that people of the multiverse don't always 'play well' with standard white magic, this is one of the more headache-inducing results she's received from a Scan. This is including the horrible eldrich god she's used her spell on before-both of them, though one is a tiny sample she's only allowed to look at for five minutes a day.

    Still, the information gathered on the pair is pretty interesting. She keeps it to herself: mostly.

    She turns to stare at the masked woman, "Wow, your magic ability...it's pretty...mmm.." She searches for the right word to use here, "...vast. Let's go with vast. Yes." Beyond that, Kyra attentively listens for more details about the mystterious fourth book world.

Mizuki (183) has posed:
    The masked lady glances to Kyra after taking an audible breath. The girl may almost sense a smile when she retorts, "What, does my reputation precede me or something? Or are you some kinda psychic?" After a moment, though, she waves her hand dismissively. "Nah, though, I'm really nothin' much. You're not gonna have to fight me or whatever -- I'm not really part of the story, just a guide. Another fixture, but not one here to obstruct you. You know? Whatever powers I've got are just leftovers. From someplace else, probably."

Staren has posed:
    "Literally everyone has time powers?" Staren asks when that comes up.

    "Hm." he grunts at the comment about the book testing them with their own minds. When she asks for an object -- he briefly returns to his normal form in the cramped space, pulls a spare com-unit from his pocket, and then sets it down while returning to compact cat-size.

    "So," Staren cocks his head to one side. "One, everyone has time powers? And two, about taking responsibility for our asshole shadows... you mean the stuff from our heads might go marauding the countryside and hurting people? So we gotta find it and stop it ASAP?"

Beli Klum (238) has posed:
    Concern begins to settle over Beli's features at the mention of exactly what this world is built for. She's certainly had...issues in the past, even now. She'll have to take responsibility for those if anyone else takes note of them here. She'll have to address them, and make sure not to allow them to weigh down on her through the course of every event.

    Something she's already done a good bit of so far, but...whether she /wants/ to do even more is certainly another question. Then again, if the ability for these people - even who she's never met - to pass into their afterlife is the result, then...

    The rephaite sighs softly, then lifts up to her feet and folds her arms over her chest. "...well. It certainly sounds like an ordeal, from the sound of things. I believe we should be able to handle it, however, with a certain level of dedication." Her head tilts slightly to one side as she ponders for a moment more. "Will the situations in this world be...well, scripted, shall we say? Shall we be running into various specific events, or must we remain attentive and analyze the world we step into for what issues may be in it for us to solve? Or-" Another pause when Staren speaks; a frown settles over her features. "...may our own 'shadows' be the ones causing trouble here?"

Kotone Yamakawa has posed:
Kotone Yamakawa listens intently to the masked lady to hear what she has to say to them. It's pretty intense all things considered as she hears them lay out on the table that this is a test of thier humanity. She wonders about that topic and looks a bit conerned wondeirng what might come crawling out of the depths of her ghost, yet she's not running away from this.

"I thank you for the warning and ... that many souls?"

She looks more than a little bit humbled at this whole affair it's not about any one of them as far as she's cocnerned it's mroe about helping these people move on. She also wonders about restoring the world and it's people. Given whose here she's not going to dicount it but gets the warning.

"Thank you for the warning and all the information."

The comments on times powers does get her pausing to think for a moment.

Mizuki (183) has posed:
    Miss M - that's the masked lady, naturally - turns to Staren. The sense of her quirking an eyebrow is palpable when she realizes that she's speaking to, well. A cat, but she doesn't stress it too much. That aside, she holds up a single finger with her answers. "One," She begins, "not everyone has time powers. In fact, I don't think most anyone in this world will unless one of you is a chronomancer who happens to generate one as a jerk shadow. Jerkadow? Sure, yeah, let's go with Jerkadow, make it a proper noun." She clears her throat before raising a second finger. "And two... well, yeah. As soon as you realize that they're not native to the world you should probably get rid of them as soon as possible. I mean, if they're malicious. I seriously doubt all of them will be. Some of them might even help ya."

Setsuko Kaminagi (255) has posed:
    There is a lot to take in. Setsuko listens with her eyes closed, arms folded over her chest, head slightly lowered. This is... an interesting situation. A difficult one. And yet the prospect of, if not saving people, then at least redeeming them and helping them to rest peacefully... no, that's not even an 'at least'. To Setsuko, that in and of itself is a worthy goal; she has many of her own dead to redeem, after all. No matter what trial she might face, it's worth it. Forcing the dead to linger like that is nothing less than an injustice.

    "...we must create a world, and then test ourselves in it," she murmurs, to herself as much as anyone else. The question on her part becomes one of what she should leave with the two girls here. Briefly, she considers Zanjintou itself... but no. That would be leaving behind the majority of her power, and she's not sure it would be wise to imbue this new world with the power of a god of war. What, then, should she...

    Ah, that would work.

    After a moment of fishing around in her pockets, Setsuko pulls out a small, black carrying case, with the crest of the Kaminagi clan etched into the top. Briefly, she pops it open, exposing its contents - a pair of chopsticks, each of which is disassembled into two halves so as to save space. A soldier's pair, made to be kept on hand on the battlefield. "I hope that I'll get these back," she says simply, closing the case and handing it over. "I don't spend money on small indulgences like that often."

Psyber (253) has posed:
    For the sake of brevity in posing, most of what Psyber does is carefully nod his head as he listens. There's the occasional vocalization of a non-word like 'huh' or 'uh huh' or 'aahh' out of him as certain materials are understood, others somewhat escape him, and as a whole he tries to keep track of what is a pretty meaty dump of information that is given to him. He'll have to think over it all later.

    What he does catch is that they need to leave behind a personal object. That's easy enough for him to do. He reaches inside of his jacket and pulls out one of the several flasks he keeps in there, this one a plain polished steel. He shakes it a couple times to make sure it's MOSTLY empty before under-hand tossing it towards the Masked Woman, "There ya go. You can keep that one for however long you need it."

Mizuki (183) has posed:
    Then Miss M moves on to Beli. "It's gonna stop being scripted the second you guys go in there," She says, "so that's a pretty big 'no'. You guys are the element of difference, here. You're the only things capable of breaking the cycle present in the narrative because, well. Lemme put it this way: if it hasn't self-corrected by now, it isn't gonna. Period." Folding her arms, she continues, "So, yeah. Stay on your toes 'n such. These are real people - or at least characters that act a heck of a lot like real people - so you're gonna want to treat them as carefully as you would... well, real people. You can't just say whatever and expect them to stay benign like some kinda video game, y'know? They have feelings and garbage. And yeah, I know, that totally sucks."

    "Oh," She goes on, "and you'll probably have a few trouble shadows. Hopefully not too many. But, uh, the worst one..." Again, one can -feel- her wincing as she turns her head to Mizuki. "... you'll... you'll know that one when you see it. That's the one you need to worry about, mainly, and I kinda doubt you'll be able to off them right away."

Priscilla has posed:
    Priscilla is here. She was from the start. There is absolutely no way her player was sick and then had to read 17k words of backscroll. She would never be so drastically late to a Mizuki adventure.

    Predictably, the Silent City in winter is pretty much perfect for her. Even without knowledge of her background, her general appearance and air does lend itself exceedingly easily to thoughts of quiet, snowy nights. Less so than it may have before, with the new getup, perhaps, especially with the odd pendant hanging from her throat as a new addition; a helical lattice of finely woven black titanite wires, cradling a perfectly spherical blue gemstone that seems very much like looking into a human eye, vacuous and yet intense. These trophies are becoming something of a habit, aren't they?

    The greetings are exchanged, the Author followed, the portal stepped through with no small amount of misgiving, the ears shielded against the over-excitable child, and the deadpan stare and obvious question of "Why art thee currently a cat." levelled at the obvious Elite. Her surprise seems more genuine that 'Miss M' would speak more closely to Palora than Mizuki, given the aesthetic at work here, but then this is an oddity of a book. "I see. Another matter of populating an exercise with our experiences. At the very least, such is up front and genuine this time. And thou sayest this will release a great many souls . . . how, precisely?"

Mizuki (183) has posed:
    Looking to Kotone, Miss M replies, "Yup, that many souls. I think the average planet has, like. Four billion of whatever sapient race it happens to play host to, if it plays host to any sapient species? So, yeah. This one is actually a bit on the underpopulated side, especially for its size. I think you'll see why that is... was... when you get there."

Beli Klum (238) has posed:
    Beli just gives a soft sigh at that response. Well, it's about what she expected. "No, that is understandable. I will certainly do my best not to upset them." She pauses, then allows one of her black-feathered wings to extend from her back. A large feather is plucked free - with a pained little wince - which she then hands over to the masked woman. "Here. This should do, I think; I do not carry much with me, anyway."

    A glance is given to Mizuki. The rephaite pauses, but still offers a soft, warm smile to the girl. So maybe that shadow is Mizuki's; whatever, Beli obviously doesn't care that much.

Kyra Hyral (626) has posed:
    "Magic." Kyra explains, "Diagnostic magic. I'm a white mage so some of my spells involve checking on the health of people. It can also shows me a number of other things." She slowly frowns, "Not part of the story? But you're in the book, right? Doesn't that make you a part of it...?"

    She actually seems a little distressed by this assertion. Like the masked lady views herself as an unimportant leftover of something else! "I dunno, you seem to have more magic than some of the Elites I've met."

Auron (236) has posed:
    There's a lot of information. A /lot/. But Auron listens -- he's good at that. So, the world is going to mess with their heads and there's no take-backsies? That's to be expected of a book-world that was made as a test. The note about people being held and unable to move on makes him pause a moment. Hearing that, now he really wants to help. He's been in that state before, and he doesn't recommend it for anyone.

    An item from the real world? Auron doesn't really keep much on his person, honestly. Just his sword and a handful of necessary supplies. What could he possibly offer --

    Oh. That's an idea.

    Auron draws from his coat a round blue orb with a golden base. It's a Spiran memory sphere. After all, in a world-book where memories are stored, what could be more valuable than a memory? "Will this do?" he inquires.

    The sphere is actually watchable. And if watched, the memory recorded on this sphere is of him as a young man, on Braska's Pilgrimage. Young Auron appears to be recording the aftermath of one of Jecht's drunken stupors, from the looks of it.

    Also Auron was kind of an ass as a young man, so... yeah...

Mizuki (183) has posed:
    The masked lady is about to say thanks to Setsuko and take the chopsticks off of her hands, but then the other girl swoops by and snatches them in something of a reckless manner. Still, once they're in her hands she cradles them as one would a young animal, or a precious gem. "CHOPSTICKS!" She announces. "And these are so pretty! Oh my gosh, you have absolutely NO IDEA how much I love chopsticks. You can put them in your hair, or poke people with them, or make pictures out of them, or or or... y'know, eat with them..." She bounces on her heels a little, looking up to Setsuko with a pair of gleaming azure spheres. "Don't worry! I'll take really, really good care of them! It would make me really happy if I could maybe use them in the meantime, though." She puffs up her cheeks. "We have, like. Nothing fun here at all..."

Riva Banari has posed:
While the exposition is going on, Staren might have a strange feeling of someone looming over him. With a sudd motion, hands pick him up and pull him in for a hug. "Oh my God, Staren, you're such a /cute cat/." Riva squees, carrying him back to her little book-nest and lavishing scritches and pets on him. It's kind of like a cat massage, really.

Despite her hands being on catomatic, she chuckles at Arthur. "Well then, you've still got it, Arthur, making an impression everywhere you go. Good work!"

The explanation causes Riva to blink. "A test of humanity, huh?" Riva glances over towards Mizuki, and then back to the masked woman. "And what's inside is what we bring with us, to a degree, huh? That's going to be a thing." Riva looks down at Staren, and pets him some more. "Maybe we'll find more cats." She wonders aloud.

This could be your future, Konoe.

At the request for something from the real world, Riva ponders, and rummages around in her coat. "Something I could leave here, something...." She hums, and hoists Staren, rucking him into the hollow ofo ne arm while she produces a silver bracelet with an ivy-leaf motif inscribed on it. "Here, take this. It's one of my favorites." For some reason. She smiles, and steps back to give Miss M room. "You seem a lot more direct than most people I've met in Mizuki's world. Reminds me of Arthur, kind of."

And then she looks to the other girl, the sketcher. "And you... I like you. You do good work!" Riva smiles brightly. "Have you been sketching for a long time?" She does giggle at the response the girl has to chopsticks, of course. "You've got a lot of energy, too! I think we're going to get along just fine."

Eryl Fairfax has posed:
    Eryl listens close to the explanation. 'Unification' in the sense of uniting for a cause. The world would shift to accommodate them, creating those who manifest from aspects of themselves... how concerning. "Will it be immediately obvious to us? Is there a sense of kinship between someone and what the book has created for them?" This is important to know. Should someone react oddly to meeting a resident, and this is the case? Well... that's useful information.

    "I disagree," he adds as the masked woman states her feelings on the difficulty of this test. "This is the Book of Unification, and entry requires a group. I do not think the main challenge is facing those undesirable parts of you. It springs from the fear that those you arrive with might realize those things about you. Everyone has those aspects they keep to themselves, and this test would drag them into the open."

    But, she has more explanation to offer. "So by winning this test, the souls within the book will be freed... what if that is undesirable? Suppose they... hm, no. We should meet them before considering that." He crosses his arms and taps his foot, as the final issue is presented. "Very well." With deft hands, he undoes his blue tie and offers it. "I hope this suffices."

Konoe Kanno (847) has posed:
     "Huh? Humanity?" Konoe tilted her head a tad at the opening rundown. A test of humanity? A few blinks were had before she mulled it over a little more. "Oh I get it. Working together and stuff." Still weird for this to be happening inside of a book. What sort of magician was bored enough to create something like this. she wondered...

     So this book was going too take their memories and throw them back at everyone? That...was both uncomfortable, and perhaps a tiny bit intriguing. But then again, it's not like she had a ton of memories to draw from. She could hardlt remember anything before....when was it...wow, was she forgetting even the time when she became aware of herself as a youkai?

     N-Nevermind. Dwelling of lack of memories would just sour her mood. Konoe looked towards the mask lady again, listening further. So completing this test would be beneficial to the souls of others in the long run? How convoluted. But more importantly... "You can die in here?" Konoe muttered awkwardly. Not that she died easy, but the thought was unsettling enough on it's own. "...I'll be careful then." It's not as if she would treat this world with any less respect than she treated others, just because it was a book.

     That sounded like it would be a pretty huge mistake to make. Better keep an open mind. "Thank you for informing us." The miko added at the end, bowing her head a bit before straightening up.

     Then she looks aside at Riva, brow twitching.

     Casually, she took a step away.

     Note to self: Do not assume cat form in Riva's presence.

Setsuko Kaminagi (255) has posed:
    "I wouldn't put those in your hair if I were you," Setsuko replies, a hint of amusement in her expression. "I use those to eat when I'm in the middle of nowhere. But so long as you clean them when you're done with them, I don't mind otherwise." The chopsticks themselves are fairly simplistic; the upper halves of each are black, and the lower halves white, and both chopsticks are made of a durable plastic material. They are reasonably well taken care of.

Mizuki (183) has posed:
    The masked lady catches it with a calm, gradual, fluid motion of her arm. "Nice toss," She comments, setting the flask down somewhere by the fireplace. Without looking at him, she offhandedly comments, "Trying to kick the bottle or something? Like, not literally, but I'm pretty sure you know what I mean. But, hey," She walks back over to him, holding a fist out in front of herself as if in offering. "I've got something for you, too. Your eyes only," She says. "Or you can just give it to the first person you meet once you leave here. I don't really care," She says. Should he hold his hands out to accept it, he would find that it's... a fortune cookie. For some reason this mysterious envoy of a world within tanned pages has just given Psyber a fortune cookie.

    Will wonders never cease.

Mizuki (183) has posed:
    The masked lady gives Kyra a long, long shrug. "Hey, you tell me. I'm in the book, but I'm giving you all this forward information and crap, aren't I? I'm a little too meta to actually be a part of the story if I have, like. Out-of-character knowledge of it. Nah, really, I'm just the guide. I'm a character in the book, but not a character in the story. And I think that's about as clear as I'm gonna be able to make this for ya." Her hands fall idle at her sides again. "Sorry 'bout that."

Psyber (253) has posed:
    "Nope, that's why I threw you a mostly empty," Psyber comments off-handedly in regards to quitting drinking, "And kept the others for myself." He opens the jacket to show about two more flasks on the inside, "Expendable." He then shuts the jacket and holds out his hand. A fortune cookie is deposited in it.

    He cracks open the cookie curiously, unafraid to simply munch the snack and read the sheet of paper within it.

Kyra Hyral (626) has posed:
    "Hmm. No, I get it. It's just that...well...it kind of sucks for /you/. You're stuck here on the outside, looking in, with all this knowledge about what's going to happen. You don't get to participate, you don't get to use your potential, you're just stuck watching, and I'm going to assume that you're not going to give us spoilers either." Kyra rests her hands on her hips, "It's a pretty crappy position for you to be in."

Staren has posed:
    A shadow looms over Staren... a shadow of...

    HUGS! He's startled and looks up at her like 'wha--' and then it clicks and he's like okay. He might be briefly embarassed but then oh gosh the scritching and the petting and everything and he just lays across her lap or arm once brought back to the book-nest and tries to listen to exposition while Riva lavishes pettings and scritchies on him. He actually does like this kind of attention sometime, as long as people don't start to think of him as more cat than man. Or everyone around him make a big embarassing deal about it. This is alright. Ears and tail flick lazily, and he asks his questions, and he will just make sure to change back and drop off that com-unit sometime before they go rather than awkwardly shift back in Riva's arms. "Maybe. There could be any kind of people in this world, I didn't hear much in the way of physical description."

Mizuki (183) has posed:
    Miss M scrolls her gaze over to Riva now, giving an 'informal' thumbsup wherein she doesn't bother expending the energy to fully close her fingers around her thumb. "Thanks, I guess," She says. "It's my life's mission to be a little less confusing than Miss Words over there. And Arthur's not bad. There are probably some people I'd rather be like, but he's p," And yes, she does say the 'p' out loud, "cool."

    As for the girl, she beams up at Riva, hugging the sketchpad against her check with the chopsticks. "Yeah, a really long time! ... I think. I'm actually not sure," She says. "I forget these things a lot. I forget how to draw sometimes, too... which is why I draw as much as I can when I remember. It's scary forgetting! So I like to have the drawings to remind me that I can really do good things, when I try." There's... the faintest hint of uncharacteristic melancholy in her tone, here, but it's probably nothing. Probably...

Arthur Lowell has posed:
    Arthur follows along and, honestly, seems to be perfectly fine with this. He doesn't say much, but he particulraly nods when M mentions people who one would... And he frowns a bit at the shadow. He didn't like the last Shadow Arthur(s). He won't like this one. He lets himself get distracted by Riva Banari. "HELL YEAH. I drop the STRAIGHEST FLOW up in EVERYWHERE, I'll make HUGE impressions!" His grin here has hints that he really enjoys the art made for him, not unlike Riva's contribution to his home!

    He then settles back into talking here. "SO, we CAN'T TAKE BACK MISTAKES, and we GOTTA TREAT PEOPLE RIGHT. Well, sounds like a WORLD to ME." He shrugs, good-naturedly, and seems to accept what's going on just fine. He dealt with a shadow before, he can deal again. "SO, we need some SEED STUFF to LEAVE HERE?" He decides to do what he did before again, and try to come up with something that makes the smaller girl happier, since M seems to be caring for her. He also glances to the conversation Setsuko Kaminagi's having right now. Need something to amuse her...? He flicks through his Sylladex, big panes of inventory slots flitting around. He plucks a leaf from his TREE MODUS, containing what looks like a tiny handheld console. "HEYA, if you want some FUN STUFF, I can DROP SOME IN HERE. All I got LOADED UP right now is a SPACEY BUILD GAME but maybe you can HAVE FUN WITH THAT." He offers it up, not moving from his relaxed, lounging position, assuming they'll handle conveying it.

Mizuki (183) has posed:
    Next, Eryl. Miss M leans against a wall of books, most likely against her better judgment, as she gives her response. "It'll be pretty damn obvious," She says. "You'll feel a sense of deja vu, then you'll feel like you're looking at yourself, and you'll always be the first one that they talk to if they engage your group. It's really just a mater of owning up to your connection to them," She says. "That's the harder part." As for his commentary on the 'difficulty'? Mask just spreads her arms wide in a shrug, shaking her head. "To each their own, kid. To each their own."

    Then his ambivalence on the other issue he doesn't fully broach. She's gonna go out on a limb and infer his meaning, here: "Guy, okay, trust me. If these people knew what was coming to them, they would really not want to stay here. It's a few months living in a pretty objectively miserable world followed by one day of absolute hellish terror before everything resets. They're about as 'happy' as anyone can be when they're fully adjusted to their pretty shit circumstances, but I can guaran-freaking-tee you they would rather move on if they knew better. Pinkie promise, cross my heart, et cetera. Cool?"

Mizuki (183) has posed:
    he masked lady turns to Konoe next. "You've been pretty quiet," She says, her tone... bizarrely gentler than it has been when regarding others. "It's a good sort of quiet, though. But, uh." She detects some conflict with the term 'humanity' still, so even though she mostly gets it, she clarifies: "As an abstract, I mean. Humanity is just how humans describe the specific condition of, like... sentience. You still have it, though, even though you're not human. Mostly not human. Whatever. So whenever we say 'humanity' here, it's a lil' more broad than just 'how humans think of humanity'. It's really the broader concept of... the spirit. The spirit of any 'higher thinking' things that can think and reason outside their present circumstances, remember thing vividly barring any genetic defects... but now I'm just gettin' too specific. I think you get me, though."

    As for the thank-you? Miss M just waves her hand. "Don't mention it," She says. "It's kinda my job."

Mizuki (183) has posed:
    The blond girl snickers a 'ihihihi~' at Setsuko. "There aren't any germs inside books, silly! And I mean, I uh... I'm not really... corporeal? Yeah, I think that's the word. Or I mean I am, but not in a way that that stuff can... rub off on me? So! I mean, it's okay if you ate with them! They won't get me dirty, and I won't get them dirty, so it's all happy!" After a pause, she perks back up to add, "Oh, oh! And -- thank you! Thanks a lot! For letting me use them, I mean! Really!"

Mizuki (183) has posed:
    "Pfff. Ah well," The masked lady just shakes her head at Psyber. "Whatever."

    As for the fortune, a slip of paper falls out when Psyber cracks it open to eat it. It reads, "Today is always the best day to tell your friends that you appreciate them." There's something else beneath that statement, written in pink. Only Psyber would know what that says, though.

Kotone Yamakawa has posed:
Kotone Yamakawa seems to get the gravity of the the whole situation though.

"I understand, at least as much as I am able until I see it."

The situation gets more and more heavy but she's not backing down she does however. This is a test of humanity and Kotone wonders if she's got any left in the back of her mind. She shakes the thought off for now however. She does look to Riva and then thinks about what she could leave here? This is something likely imporant but she thinks about just what to leave here. She's now rummaging through her pockets for the moment.

"I take it we need to leave something of at least moderate imporance behind?"

She asks of the masked woman.

Theo Morrison has posed:
Kickotron mills around while the explanation happens, poking his nose into things. Theo decides to talk to Mizuki again when he's not here for a sort of briefing about a new and exciting world -- and, man, it is /definitely/ both of those things. "This is kind of heavy," Theo remarks, kind of quietly. Souls moving on to the afterlife? Saving a world that might not be saved in the sense they think? Some kind of shadow-jerk nemesis?

Theo's chronomancy deck abruptly feels a little heavier than before. He shifts it in his pocket, clearing his throat quietly. Nope, no time controlling jerks coming at all. "Um..." Theo starts, as if he had a question. He shakes his head. "Sorry. This is kind of a lot to take in. I need a second."

Kickotron wanders back over when Theo beckons. He turns around, back to Theo, so he can access the (human-sized) backpack. Theo opens it up and starts fishing through it. Building blocks for the world and something fun for them, huh...?

Mizuki (183) has posed:
    The masked woman gives Beli something of a look. "Funny thing is," She starts, folding her arms at her chest, "I was about to joke and say people could, like. Cut off a bit of their hair if they had absolutely nothing else to give, right? Still, I wasn't expecting down." She accepts it from her, here. "Works, though."

    Idly, she muses, "Hey, I dunno if Mizuki has ever told you this, but like. I can sense two pretty strongly opposed magical forces comin' from you and garbage. Mizuki's sorta the same way, if you think about it. Ask her where the first Seekers came from, sometime."

    Pretty random, but okay.

Staren has posed:
    One of their hosts gushes about how boring being here is. Staren makes an offer: "I'll give you some videogames. Then you'll have something to do!" and, as an add-on to the response to their friendly neighborhood youkai, "I like saying 'person' instead of 'human' in this situation. I guess humanity becomes personhood? Seems a little awkward but it works."

Konoe Kanno (847) has posed:
     "Huh? Um..." And there the masked lady went into a tangent about humanity. But...well, Konoe did actually understand. "I think I actually get it. Humanity in terms of...well, a spiritual state of being, rather than...um, well, being human?" Was that it? It seemed like it. "I understand." She confirmed again, and then paused.

     "...Your job?" Do they stay here and tell absolutely everyone who comes here the same thing over and over?

     Must be tedious.

Mizuki (183) has posed:
    For a moment, Miss M keeps her eyes trained on Arthur, but the intensity of her gaze holds not a candle to the sheer exuberance behind the younger girl's irises. The latter accepts the game from Arthur with a marveling stare and twinkling eyes... though she doesn't do anything with the game console she's given asides staring at the buttons. Eventually after turning the thing around in her hands a few times she looks up at him and asks, blankly,

    "Uh... w-what do I do with this, exactly?"

Mizuki (183) has posed:
    For Kotone, the masked lady just shrugs. "Important, unimportant," She wavers a hand. "Doesn't really matter. Its relevance to you or to anything doesn't really factor anything, but the book will use it as a conduit to, like. Commune with you or whatever while it's building itself. So it might help if you've had this whatever-it-is for a while, at least." And suddenly she seems to remember something: "Oh, and yeah, don't be surprised if you have some weird-ass dreams in the near future. Communion with age-old, eldritch books tends to, uh. Incite those. Fair warning."

Beli Klum (238) has posed:
    Beli smiles a little sheepishly at the masked woman at that comment on the feather. She shrugs a little herself, folding her arms behind her back once the feather is accepted. "Ah, well...I do not often have much to give, so I do what I can. Perhaps it may be somewhat personal, a little twisted by many different worlds, but...maybe that will make our experience all the more special?"

    Bringin up Mizuki and the Seekers gains more of a look of surprise from Beli than mentioning her dual nature - something she's already pretty used to by now. A glance is given to Mizuki herself before she looks back to the masked woman. "Really? I...suppose I will have to ask that at some point, then. I am aware of some similarities, but I guess there could always be more, after all."

Theo Morrison has posed:
"You had to go and say 'eldritch,'" Theo says quietly, shaking his head. He's still rooting through his backpack. It's bigger on the inside.

Mizuki (183) has posed:
    Again, the masked lady waves a dismissive hand. "Take your time, man. No rush. In fact, probably better to get your thoughts in order now before you, uh. Get out there, start doing things that have the potential to really screw things up. Y'know?" She nods her head in answer to herself several times. "Yeah, I think you're goin' about this the right way."

Kyra Hyral (626) has posed:
    Kyra knows exactly what she'd /like/ to leave behind as a seed from herself. She'd leave behind one of her songs-her music! Except, she realizes, there is no possible way for the pair here to receive electronic files, is there? Neither of them were waving around cell phones and she sure as hell wasn't going to leave her mPhone behind. Kyra agonizes over this for a few minutes more before deciding to leave a completely different object of her own behind.

    She flips the back of her left hand over to reveal a circular device embedded in the fingerless glove she's taken to wearing (mostly to hide the command seals on her hand). From the device, an egg-shaped object emerges, which Kyra catches with her right hand.

    Sheepishly, Kyra offers the device, which is a grenade that releases liquid nitrogen that she crafted herself, to the masked lady. "Here. Uh. Don't push that button or it'll go off. I'm sorry I really can't share anything more personal like my music."

Staren has posed:
    "Eldritch stuff touching my dreams..." Staren's ears flatten slightly and his tail lashes. "I can't say that doesn't sound concerning. But it will be benign in this case?"

    Staren looks to Kyra. "Why can't you share your music?"

Kyra Hyral (626) has posed:
    "It's all electronic, Staren. I mean, I can link them to it on Youtube but I can't /give/ them something because nobody from my world carries removable media anymore besides the little SD cards on their phones." Kyra admits to Staren. "I don't suppose you have a mini-USB you could give them, do you?"

Arthur Lowell has posed:
    "BABIES." Arthur says, laughing. "You're BABIES. I've been dealing with NOBLE HORRORTERRORS gettin' their SLIMEY TENTACLES all up on my SUBCONSCIOUS for EONS, YO! You gotta MAN UP!" He laughs more there, seeming to think that this is really funny for some reason. Then, briefly, "For serious, though, it'll pro'lly be fine." And then he's focusing on the smaller girl. "Push some buttons! I mean, you'll probably only remember HALF the INSTRUCTIONS, so, just, y'know, TRY IT OUT. If you BREAK IT, I'll jus' ALCHEMIZE ANOTHER for ya. Flick the li'l SWITCH ON THE SIDE and then just TRY STUFF OUT, you know? You're a SMART KID! You'll FIGURE IT OUT. Or, at least, you'll HAVE FUN with NOT FIGURING IT OUT!" He's very... lax and casual about videogames. Fun's the only important part.

Mizuki (183) has posed:
    And it's only natural that Archlord Priscilla of all people would be curious as to the doings of souls.

    For her part, the masked lady is all too happy to indulge her curiosity with an extended reply. This question certainly does a lot to break the forming pattern. "So it's like this," She says. "A long time ago in a continuity far far away, the girl you know as Shiori locked this world in this book. You know how Shiori is, though, after what you've already been through: she leaves loopholes and builds things like puzzles so that, if someone really tries, they can break the cycle and set themselves free. She's done that here, too. See, something happened in this world that quite literally killed all of its residents and threw the entire local universe into unexistence."

    "Now usually this wouldn't have done anything to the souls, right? Souls are usually except from that nonexistence bullcrap. But in this case, one of Shiori's friends said, 'Wait, let's not watch it die and instead seal it in a book where it can still be quasi-real'. So long story short, Shiori liked that idea and bound what she was able to preserve from that world in a book. But as it so happens, her net caught, like. Ninety-eight percent of all the peoples' souls in the process and bound them inside the book, too. Since they were both bound in the same act, that means that you have to tinker with the world to free the souls. Any souls -- you can't just free one and not free the others, sorry to say."

    "So basically," She continues, wrapping around to a conclusion, "If you 'win', then you're going to let this world finish obliterating itself. That's probably not something you can stop, but it -IS- you guys, so I can't say for sure. Still, whatever happens with that, if time resumes properly then all the scattered souls will go wherever they were supposed to go before Shiori shoved them all inside the book. Make sense? What you're doing is pretty much opening a floodgate that's been holding back a tidal wave for eleventy-billion years. So, um, yeah," She swivels her hand in the air, "it's... it's kinda more time bullshit. I know, I know. You don't have to tell me, man."

Konoe Kanno (847) has posed:
     Well, with all of that questioning out of the way, there was still one thing she needed to do. Give them something. Hmn....Hmn..... She didn't have many personal belongings. Just some clothes, really. And a few dolls... And a lot of ofuda, but those weren't really belongings as they were more of a...oh nevermind. Maybe they'd do.

     With a feeling off uncertainty hanging over her, Konoe produced a stack of about twenty ofuda with a flick of her wrist. "....." Staring at them for a moment, she approached the masked lady and held them out. "Will these work? I don't really have much else that's relevant."

     Maybe she should have given her a ying yang orb instead, but those were kind of cumbersome when not floating around.

     ...Okay really cumbersome.

Mizuki (183) has posed:
    The little girl goes wide-eyed at Staren. "Vi-Video games? Those sound fun!" She gestures to the console in her hands. "Uhm, is -this- a video game? If so, how do I use it? I can't get it to do anything!"

Eryl Fairfax has posed:
    Eryl nods his understanding. "Very good to know, thank you," he replies to Miss M concerning the doppelgangers (or Jerkadows as they were coming to be known). "I did not mean to disparage your opinion, of course," he adds, inclining his head in an apologetic bow.

    Aha, he managed to wheedle some more information out of her. The world is in a miserable state, and loops constantly. "I understand. Thank you for clearing up my doubts." He means it, sincerely. Always nice to clear up these moral dilemmas early.

    Speaking of tackling things early, he address the crowd. "Everyone," he begins. "As our host has said, the confrontation of our personal demons is key to the completion of this test. Such a thing can be intimidating, daunting even. Should you require an attentive ear to talk to about them, reach out to me at any time. I can usually listen, at least."

    His face becomes stern and his voice firmer before continuing. "If not me, then someone if you feel that personal distress will hamper your ability to act. The lives of everyone within the book depend on our actions, and we must be at our best. If you are having trouble, find a way to cope."

Theo Morrison has posed:
"Staren could just leave one of these ecto things, right?" Theo asks, looking up at Kyra. He holds up an arm; he's got some kind of small screen stretched out like a big watch, apparently functioning as his radio and things. "That'd do it." He looks back down, getting his arm elbow-deep into the bag, frowning. "I don't know that I've got any particularly personal demons to talk about," Theo says quite incorrectly to Eryl at that offer, "but thanks."

"Aha." Theo pulls his hand out. He holds something up, a crystal globe glittering in the firelight. Suspended in the middle of it is a single flower petal, a dark, delicate purple that's black at the edges. It looks like it's still... well, fresh, more or less. There's a definite magical aura to it.

Theo holds out the englobed Lotus Petal. "Here. I was given this with the note that I'd know what it was for. This seems pretty appropriate, I think." He smiles a little at the confusion with the console. "I'll come back and teach you my favorite card game sometime soon. It didn't seem right to leave you pieces of it without any explanation."

Staren has posed:
    'Give me a moment.' Staren nuzzles Riva's hand then hops off her lap, resuming normal form. "Woah, it's crowded here." He walks over to the two girls, pulling items from his pockets. "This..." he pulls something like a flipphone or compact scouter from one pocket, "Is my spare com-unit and scanner. I mean, it's also a general-purpose computer, what I used before the ectos and before smartphones caught on as much in the Multiverse. So, it's loaded with a bunch of old videogames." Which were definately legally out of copyright in whatever world he got them from. "And /this/," he offers a tablet from his other pocket, "Is a bit more user-friendly and it's got an internet connection and I'm downloading Kyra's music on it right now, so..." he smiles, "Enjoy, alright?"

    Staren frowns a bit and his ears splay at the explanation that they're letting a world die. "Letting a world die doesn't sound like much of a victory... but like you said, it's us. Maybe we'll find a way to save it."

Mizuki (183) has posed:
    The masked lady nods in acknowledgment when Konoe says that she understands, but when she asks about her 'job', that seems to make her a bit more thoughtful. "It's actually..." She sighs, rubbing a hand over her face. "Y'know, the only thing that sucks more than the monotony of waiting here is that there is literally -NO FUCKING WAY- to make the stuff I have to tell you guys -not- sound stupid and cryptic. I swear to God, it is the curse of the person who made this book to deliberately make everything a clusterfuck. So sorry in advance," She says, letting her hand fall away again. "I really don't like having to sound like a pretentious jackass, I promise."

    "But to answer your question," She goes on, "in actuality I was just born when Mizuki first visited this book about a month back, but I have -memories- as far back as two-hundred years ago. This book made me a person, but also made it so that I know I'm fake. I mean seriously, can you even imagine how sadistic the person who made all this had to me?" She sighs. Deeply. "... but that's my problem, don't worry too much about that. Just, if you do find the person I'm talking about in there somewhere, please do me a favor and smack her around. Please? Thanks in advance." But, uh, back around to the actual topic at hand. "... so anyway, yeah, it's been a boring wait. But it also hasn't. I don't know."

Beli Klum (238) has posed:
    All the talk of Shiori and what's going on with the various souls in this book draw a sharp look of displeasure from Beli. Tampering with things like that is...not something the rephaite is fond of. Trapping people in this place, when they believed their souls should have moved on; how many of them would have chosen that? What would they have intended? What is it like there, now, when things have just...not ended when they should have?

    ...hard to say how to respond to this kind of situation without seeing it, but Beli already isn't liking Shiori's actions.

    Eryl calls attention to a point, and Beli's thoughts shift to him. She nods in agreement, her expression softening as she chimes in herself. "I would also be pleased to offer that support, if any need it. What I can offer may be sparse, but...it is likely we will find our greatest strength through this ordeal with each other, right? If not immediately, then after the fact, at least."

    Whether or not she'll actually follow that advice /herself/ is another matter.

Staren has posed:
    Staren attempts to hug the masked lady. "Aww, you're not fake. It doesn't matter how you came into existance -- like you said, you're a person."

Mizuki (183) has posed:
    The masked lady glances to Staren for a moment. "... so I guess you're the guy that'll promise to save me if I tell you that I'm gonna disappear if you finish the book, huh." She nods her head a few times. "Well, you did pretty good before, so I'll try to believe in you, kid. Thanks in advance for trying. And caring."

Staren has posed:
    Staren winces a little. "I'll /try/. But I can't say I've never failed.

Mizuki (183) has posed:
    The masked lady nods to Beli, resting her hands in a pair of pockets that had before then been cleverly concealed by the silk of her gown. "The rabbit hole can always go deeper," She says, "and whenever you're within any proximity of Mizuki, it usually does. Just keep that in mind. Probably the best tip I'll ever give anyone ever right there."

Mizuki (183) has posed:
    The masked lady glances over to Kyra again. "Yeah, actually," She starts, finally coming to look her in the eyes more fully, "the Internet here sucks. Which is to say, it doesn't exist. At all. Still, if you brought, like. An iPod or something, we would totally be able to use it. I'll keep your, uh," She squints. "... a freaking cryo grenade? Dude, are you serious? I have a hyperactive kid in here who is specifically obsessed with pushing buttons and overextending the led on her mechanical pencils." Then, without another word, she slips the thing into the same chameleon pocket from before. "I like your style," Is all she has to say in conclusion.

    Well, that took a turn.

Priscilla has posed:
    The subject matter juxtaposed with Miss M's manner of speaking, further juxtaposed with her already incongruous dress, and juxtaposed yet again against the usual order of operations in Mizuki's books, is a little bit dizzying for Priscilla. What it comes down to though, is Shiori being grotesquely irresponsible and leaving the resulting problem to some far-flung future generation to figure out via an elaborate back door wired into the system, possibly for the fun of it.

    So basically business as usual for that ancient witch. Figures.

    "As ungratifying as that is to hear, I believeth the two of thee art correct in assuming that this world wouldst most likely be grateful to simply be allowed to die and moveth on. A limbo such as this is not a fate many, if any, deserveth." It's not quite the same, but it hits close to home regardless. "I harbour no particular illusions about 'saving' something so far gone. It is mine duty to unstick the gears, not wind them back, as a matter of saying perhaps more appropriate. I will likewise begrudge thee not for such frank and faithful assessment, nor particularly thine assessment of the one formerly known as Shiori, Lady . . . ?"

    Regardless of whether she gets a proper name by now, her item of choice to produce is a well worn, but equally well cared for, white summoning soapstone, the cloth wrappings just recently replaced, handed over rather gingerly. It's not as if she particularly needs it for the foreseeable future, but there are a /lot/ of memories charged into that thing, as should go without saying. She doesn't enjoy the sound of more personal-demon related circumstances, but at this point she's starting to wonder if she's becoming hardened to the idea. Still though, the object lesson of 'Humanity' is one she's been working over hard all-too-recently, punctuated by the flicker of black and white flame summoned into her palm, affixed with twin staring eye-pricks. "Yes, the abstract definition of Humanity. Something mostly oddly, seldom coined by others than, or without the involvement of, humans, despite its broad applicability. As before, I wouldst asketh thee confused to simply imagine to thineselves a man that thou wouldst call inhuman, and ask him if he hath no humanity left in his soul, and then simply call to mind the reverse."

Kyra Hyral (626) has posed:
    "It's still a crappy way to live." Kyra murmurs, looking up to make eye contact with the masked lady, "Ah, yeah, I was afraid of that. My world does have iPod equivalents...I'd have to go buy one and-" Okay, the reaction to the cryogrenade leaves Kyra a little put out and she winds up not letting go of the device at all. She's going to put it right back in her Matter Manipulator, embarassed, "Okay, well, if it's too dangerous-" Hey, if she doesn't have to waste a grenade that won't get exploded, she'll gladly take it back. Except the lady takes it anyway.

    Kyra's left looking confused. "...what? Uh. Hey-" she gestures at Staren, "Looks like he's got you covered with the iPod thing though. Um..."

    Kyra digs around in the front pocket of her hoodie and pulls out a few things. Then she unzips the front of her hoodie and shrugs it off her shoulders, revealing the white tanktop with a red ribbon woven in the collar that she wears underneath. She's also got a bunch of pouches and belts at her waist and a gun in a holster under her left arm. The phone vanishes into one of those leather pouches. She folds her hoodie.

    "If you need something more, uh...sentimental...there's /this/..." she passes her folded hoodie to the masked lady. "...I can order replacements."

Mizuki (183) has posed:
    "S-Switch on the -side-??" The girl's mouth opens wide at Arthur, her eyes regarding him as though he were from outer space. The reality of the situation is actually a lot more nuanced and interesting, though, thankfully. When she follows his advice, though, she does indeed find a toggle on the side that, when flicked, causes the bright light of HUMAN PROGRESS to emanate from the screen. Her eyes just widen further and further until, finally, she can't contain herself anymore. "Oh my GOD!" She shakes the thing in her hands for no rational purpose whatosever but to contain herself. "This is like those things Miss M talks about all the time! They're...! They're called...!" She curls in her lips as though it's on the tip of her tongue, but in the end she looks over in deference to Miss M.

    "Like a TV," She says, helpfully.

    "YEAH!" The little one bursts out again. It's like a mini TV!!"

    God, wait until she's actually playing the stupid thing.

Mizuki (183) has posed:
    Regarding Konoe, the masked woman just shrugs again. "Sure, they work. I hope you don't mind if the little one draws on a couple of 'em, though -- we've been running low on sketchpads lately, and I think she's sick of using old book pages."

Kotone Yamakawa has posed:
Kotone Yamakawa now understands just what she has to do but isn't going to cheap out on things either. She seems thankful to the woman in the mask for explaining it.

"Thank you for putting up with my questions." She'll final fish out an interesting looking Keyfob it's of a small catroony figure of some sort with a big darn grin on their face. She'll go to dind a spot to leave the key fob behind it's also pretty old looking it looks like she's had it for a while.

Riva Banari has posed:
"Arthur is totally p-cool." Riva nods, agreeing with the woman. "Though you kind of also remind me Palora, too... Hmm hmm. I like it." She chuckles for a moment, but then she leans over to the sketching girl. "That's good. Sketching is a great way to remember." She seems a little less exuberant at the moment, her tone going soft. If Staren's gone cat again by now, She brings him along as she reaches out and gives her a hug. "We'll make everything okay, all right? How about you tell me your name, and we can help remember it if you forget. You, me, and Staren!" If Staren is still with her, she holds him up to her and wiggles his hands cutely. "See? He likes you too!"

Mizuki (183) has posed:
    "Let's just stick with 'M' for now, 'kay?" Is the masked lady's perhaps unceremonious reply when Priscilla tries to ask her name. "Better for everybody that we just stick with aliases for the time being. Make this a little more like a mysterious undercover job," She says. "Honest to God, though, the mystery is probably a lot more fun than the solution. I promise. So just roll with it for a while and eventually you'll know eeeverrryything you could ever wanna know. Pinkie swea -- er, I mean *promise*." She runs a hand across her face again. "Man, I've been stuck with this kid for too long."

    She accepts the soapstone almost eagerly, though, and before she shoves it into her pocket with the rest she observes, "Hey, shit, this matches my clothes! That's kinda awesome. But, uh, yeah. This works, thanks."

Mizuki (183) has posed:
    "Pff. 'Disparage'," The masked lady waves a hand at Eryl, again. "Don't worry about it. No offense taken and such, just... I have a really different impression of the difficulty when it comes to things like this, right? Kinda comes with the territory of being a guide randomly endowed with all the information I could ever need to help you win the game."

Mizuki (183) has posed:
    The masked lady takes the globe-clad petal into hand, turning the crystalline sphere around in her hand a few times. "Man," She says, "this is actually kinda really pretty. Time was, I could go outside and see petals like this whenever, but I'm kinda stuck here for the time being. I dunno if I'll ever see outside again, but hey, until I do? This'll probably help me out a lot, honestly. Thanks." She gingerly sets it down on a side table before taking a seat in her rocking chair again. "Oh, and yeah, it'll work as a conduit. You'll probably get an artsy bonus for it, too."

Konoe Kanno (847) has posed:
     At the mention of drawing on the offered ofuda, Konoe paused. "...I don't mind. If paper is low, then go ahead." She wouldn't tell them to give thanks to god or anything. In the first place, her ofuda had very little faith backing it to begin with. She still didn't know where it came from. They weren't important enough for her to be offended by such a thing.

     Whether that was self defeating or not, she wouldn't dwell on it.

Mizuki (183) has posed:
    But Staren has come bearing gifts! And it isn't even Christmas yet. The masked woman takes the com scanner into hand whilst the girl is quick to snatch up the tablet, practically throwing down her sketchpad to hug the tablet to her chest. "I don't know what this is," She says, "but it looks amazing! Does it light up like the other video game? Oh oh, and does it have a switch on its side?" Miss M spares Staren the need to reply, here: "Yes and yes, most likely," She asserts, much to her delight. She proceeds to hop around in a circle a bit for a while.

    This is either the start of something beautiful or horrible.

    But the masked lady eventually responds in kind. "Cool," She says. "I'll get this set up and stuff soon so you guys can give us a buzz if you ever feel like it. And hey," She says, lowering her tone into something subtly more serious for a moment, "thanks. Seriously. I probably don't need to tell you how happy this is making her." Looking over to Arthur, she adds, "That goes out to you, too, man."

Mizuki (183) has posed:
    "Nah," The masked lady says, regarding Kyra. "grenades are good. And hey, maybe this'll actually come up again some time in the future. Maybe when you're fighting some boss a rift will open in space-time and I'll be like, 'Hey, catch!' and chuck it at the guy and it'll save somebody's life. You never know, man," She shakes her head in tune with her words, "you never know."

    "But seriously," She concludes, "you can keep that. Really, it doesn't have to be sentimental or anything. It's just gotta have a little 'you' on it. Something the world can use to tap into your spirit a bit. And believe it or not, everything you touch has a little bit of that if only because your interaction with it made it a part of your 'story'. So it'll be fiiiinnneee."

    As one, last thing in supplement, she leans over and whispers, "And don't worry, I was mostly joking about her wanting to play with it. I think the techy gifts will keep her busy for a while, and even if she accidentally sets it off or whatever, we can't die. We're just astral projections conjured by a collective delusion you all are experiencing, anyway. We don't have lives to lose."

Mizuki (183) has posed:
    The masked lady cants her head. "Palora? That sounds like a total nerd's name. But hey, if they're anything like Arthur, then I guess I'm flattered."

    As for the little one, she briefly ceases twirling to regard Riva. "Emmy!" She says. "Or at least that's what Miss M calls me. It's short for something else! Maybe you know? If you know, yeah! It'd be really awesome if you could help me remember!"

Mizuki (183) has posed:
    Eventually, though, after some hours of conversation have elapsed, Mizuki finally meanders out of the corner of the room in which she had been tucked away. "Assuming everyone has bequeathed whatever item they wish to to 'Miss M', then I might be so bold as to remind you of the time." Before you ask, no, she doesn't seem to recognize the irony of that statement and her words roll on unhindered. "I don't believe there is a terrible lot more that can be done to advance things this evening, so now might be as good a time as any for you lot to return to your respective homes, or at the least to navigate out of this book. As lovely as it has been," She says, regarding the two natives, "it is, as you say, a bit cramped. I'm afraid I'm getting somewhat claustrophobic."

    "So I," She continues, "will make my way out. Just as soon as I figure out how to exit, that is." At that, Miss M gestures to the set of double doors across the room from the fireplace. "That'd be it," She says. "Only way in or out." Mizuki nods in acknowledgment. "Then yes, I will be making my way out now. The rest of you may follow me once you have settled whatever loose ends you might have here. For those of you less accustomed to travel in my realm, remember: the warp gate is directly in front of the Clock Tower that dominates the center of the world. Since this area, the Silent City, is directly due North of it, if you continue South you will eventually find your way."

    "So assuming there are no further inquiries?" Mizuki glances around, but this is of course entirely rhetorical. "Good, good. Then I will be in said Clock Tower taking a much needed rest. And of course steeling myself for the trials yet to come. Honestly, I've no idea why I continually subject myself to things like this, but alas. It is simply one of my many iniquities, and I've begun to fear that my penchant for disaster will never be curbed." She shakes her head as she opens the door and slips through it, though her performance completely obfuscates her more earnest state of mind.

    After some more time has passed on in silence, the small voice of the younger girl emanates again. "Um," She says, shuffling in place, "I'm... really gonna miss you guys. I hope you come back soon. It'll feel so empty when you're gone. I mean, I forget things, but sometimes I can actually tell the future! ... and I know that the future would be really bad if you weren't here." Miss Mask nods. "I'm with her, actually. You guys come back whenever. I think the world will be done cooking in about a week your time, but if you get the urge to talk to us before then, feel free. And hey, if we set that radio up you could talk to us that way, too. Maybe I'll tell Miss Words to forward that to you if we get it figured out."