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Riva Banari The mirrors have been dark and full of Shadows in the absence of Alexis. A pride of Drachenblatt, her talent with voice could possibly send her to the stars.

However, now she has gone. Some people say she must be sick. Others say she may have fallen in with some bad kids. Still others just look into the distance and turn away, pretending to not notice or care.

And yet the shadows churn, forming dark images and impressions that only a precious few can see. Short on manpower and desperate for help to face the horrors they have already tasted, August and Hoshi have called for assistance to meet at a library, and travel from there to a realm of fantasy... And danger.

Once all have gathered in the Library and made ther introductions, they leave the librarians behind to go look into the back room where a full-size standing mirror waits. It looks like something that would better fit in the corner of a princess' room, inexplicable and yet fitting.

When touched, the mirror ripples silver reflections, yielding with the coolness of mercurial madness.

On the other side, the eye is assaulted with gleaming silver reflection. Each stands within a forest, the bark geometric mirror shards that would dazzle the eye, the twisting bougs reaching overhead with thick masses of gleaming leaves. However, the eye is spared, as the sky bears the appearance of hanging between day and night, a twilight where the moon and stars are just becoming visible, a time to rest by the fire and talk about the day, to tell stories to the edge of sleep, as the wind whistles through the boughs in harmony. This is the time of the Bard, lasting eternal. And deep within the darkness betwixt the boughs, there is a sense that something else is out there, always watching. Always waiting.

The area is a small clearing, the center of the area a silvery pool that still ripples with the movement of one's passage. Twisting paths seem to lead in all directions from the clearing. Near one path, a small snuffling white Over the clearing, making small, piggish noises as it seems to plumb the roots of the mirrored trees for delights. a faint sound can be heard, a lilting voice, wordless and hopeful, but also full of sadness at the same time.

                      == PERSONA: WERE THE WORLD MINE ==                      
             === BOOK ONE: THE COUNTESS WHO SANG TO THE STARS ===              
Landon al Cid      It's eerie.

     Landon al Cid is not the kind of person to express that he finds things /eerie/. But this is *eerie*. It was eerier than the so-called 'sun' that loomed over the planet (a /ball/ of *bombs*!), eerier than the creaky little-town aesthetic that's long since vanshed from Ramuh.

     And he feels naked. He doesn't have his armor. How would he walk around in full plate mail in a small town without attracting attention? No, Landon has had to come in his uniform, and for someone who's used to being encased in metal, that leaves a lot to be desired in...this place.

     This forest of mirrors.

     Landon suppresses a shiver as he looks around. He's unwilling to talk, as if talking might disturb...something. The pig catches his attention, but it's just one more WEIRD thing in a world full of strangeness.
Ayako Hasekawa     Ayako is of course here. Having cheerfully made her introductions to everyone in the library and quietly glanced about. There's definitely an odd atmosphere here... and that huge mirror-no, how the mirror could be entered? Now that was definitely eerie.

    Once she enters, her eyes blink quickly at the forest of mirrors that exist on the other side of the mirror. She glances around quickly-and stays quite close to Landon! "I... well... I didn't expect this..."
Kotone Yamakawa Kotone Yamakawa had suspected something was up and well Hoshi may not be very happy with Kotone but here Kotone is she seems to be looking the mirror over with a very wary eye here. She's got experiance with the occult more than she'd like to admit but here she is. She wondered if the two young people she'd met were mixed up in this? She honestly hoped they were not. They seemed like good kids they didn't need to go crawling into stuff like this.

She takes a deep breath and enters on to the other side, she looks about concerned and takes a moment to look to Landon and Ayoko.

"I haven't seen anything like this and I have been to Kingsmouth..."

She does notice the pig now and she stares at this she's clearly keeping to the group that has arrived, she does not want to get lost here. She's also clad in some high hightech armour of some sort as well.

"Kyra..."
Jeanne d'Arc      Jeanne d'Arc is the patron saint of martyrs, captives, and women working in the forces, and, well, France. She's also a powerful Saber Servant in the Apocrypha Grail War, and to be frank, it's quiet in her world, so she is seeking out others that need help. To hear of a woman gone missing, well, sure, Jeanne was going to come;

     Why not?

     Dressed in a modest black gown, when they get to the eventual location of... strange things - and Jeanne certainly does think going through a mirror is strange - she flexes her hands slightly as her armor wraps around her, battle standard in her grip.

     Barrier Maiden is on duty. "This is... strange." She says, her voice soft.
Kyra Hyral     Despite having roamed the Multiverse for over a year now, Kyra still finds that there are plenty of things to surprise her. Take Drachenblatt and the strange alternate reality two of the students have breached through the mirror. This forest, with all its mirrored surfaces, is unlike anything Kyra has encountered before. As she moves with the others, she tucks her right hand under her left arm, though this brings her no comfort.

    Normally, this is where she keeps one of her guns. Since she knew ahead of time that this world had gun laws and a minor (though technically today IS Kyra's birthday) running around with firearms would attract suspicion. In fact, it doesn't look like she has ANY of her usual materials on her at the moment. No bandoliers. Only one belt. No CURE-ALL. None of her three other guns. Landon will notice that she's taken to wearing slightly gauntlet-like fingerless gloves, though-a development that occured shortly after Red Saber was summoned.

    She still has her Alexander Academy uniform on, though her hoodie is worn over top of it. For all intents and purposes, she looks like a visiting schoolgirl and clearly a classmate of Landon.

    "Hey." she says quietly, eyes roaming in the direction of the Pig. "I think I might hear singing. Not sure where it's coming from though."
August Kohler No matter how many times you enter the Forest, it does not stop being unsettling. As he steps through the mirror, August Kohler shudders, summoning his spoon to his hand, where he begins twirling it. "...Welcome to the Mirror Forest. Be on guard. It is /not/ safe here." Indeed, August readies his weapon, a claw hammer, for incase any shadows arrive.

Spotting the pig, August peers forward, as he begins to step towards it. "Hey...a pig! Haven't seen this before...hey little piggie, nobody's going to hurt you. Where did you come from?"
Bertram Silent Bertram has been quietly following along. He's wearing his white mage's garb, but like so often when he is in other worlds, helping with their problems, he follows and does not offer advice unless requested. He's holding on to his staff and keeping his eyes open. Unlike Kyra, he's not so afraid to attract suspicion. The one cop who asked he simply told in his most convincing voice that he's a 'Monk of the Sacred Church of Rhalgr' and was religiously required to be garbed as such.

Once inside, he frowns, and says simply one thing, "Hydaelyn's grace..." There's uncertainty and worry, but he tries to hide that. Poorly.
Hoshi Amakasu      EARLIER THAT DAY...

    Hoshi stared with wide, horrified eyes as the mirror in her locker began to darken before her eyes again--but this time, when she blinked, it wouldn't go away. She'd felt trapped, like she'd been watched all day. Now her instincts were screaming that trouble was happening. Plus the rumors about the singer suddenly disappearing...! With a slam, she shuts her locket and flees down the hallway, racing for home. Something told her she'd need her gear today. As she ran and collected her things, she made sure to contact the Union before she left, making her way to the library with her huge sack of gear, panting and sweating.

    NOW...

    Hoshi is grateful to see some familiar faces, but she offers a terse little smile and nod to everyone before they stepped in. As the others entered, Hoshi froze for a moment, before scowling and pushing her way through the reflective surface.

    As soon as they enter, Hoshi had her bokken in hand and is moving towards the front. Her lips thin into a tight line as she looks over that grim, alien forest of glass. "Like August said--be careful, and let me stay out front. We have to move quickly... I hope the wolf doesn't catch our scent." And speaking of scent... Hoshi pauses and tilts her head curiously at the pig. "... Why hasn't it attacked us? What even is that thing? There's no way a normal pig would survive in here."
Scarlet Everille     To speak of school uniforms, Scarlet has hers on instead. Not for lack of alternative, but for the fact that a visiting student from another school would probably pass by more easily than some random girl in street clothes, though her definition of "street clothes" to begin with might still be a little much. That said though, the academy is a nice place, definitely upscale, and so there is no further issue, except for perhaps the fact that it actually feels a little bit odd for her to be dealing with the issues of people very roughly her own age for a change.

    Scarlet actually seems to take the mirror forest almost as well in stride as contemporary Germany. Weird landscapes seem to be a thing with her adventures. She spares a few moments to tap the heel of her shoe against the ground, examine her reflection in the nearest tree, and scribble some design with the point of her finger in a fog of her breath, before deciding it is what it looks like. Of course she's had no issues coming fully "armed", so her worry seems to be at a minimum.

    "So this is what you meant? It's a little more literal than I expected. Pretty though! In a way. I could think of much worse places to be stuck with." Optimism or reassurance, take your pick. She decides the arena is unusual enough that it warrants a more serious vigilance though, and so cranks up her ongoing sensory magic to roughly phase 4, strong enough to perceive anything that isn't being deliberately well hidden, but still sustainable for a couple of hours before the drain becomes impractical. Needless to say she'll be carefully examining anything out of place from here on out, starting with that pig. "Do either of you know Alexis enough to tell us whether that's her voice?" If it is, she'll be content to ignore the apparently native fauna, but otherwise she's not chasing after some siren's song.

    "Wolf?" She then looks to August. "Is that what all that was about?"
Landon al Cid      Landon doesn't seem to mind Ayako's closeness. He offers a smile, as is the correct thing for a courtly knight to do when a lady is distressed. "I don't believe any of us expected this, milady."

     He moves a little bit in front of Ayako to protect her, Kyra, and Scarlet. Landon's the tank, tanking is his job, and he's totally down to soak hits and be the tank whenever necessary.

     Besides, in fairy tales the knights were supposed to protect the girls.
August Kohler August diverts his attention briefly from the pig, turning towards Scarlet. "Y-yeah. Sorry about that. It was...probably the scariest thing I've ever dealt with."
Riva Banari The seekers entered the Forest to seek out the missing woman. There were so many people who entered the Forest, looking for the Countess, that it even surprised the Pig.

The Pig was just looking for lunch. What would it care about those who passed, unless they wished to make a meal of him? but they did not seem hungry. The Pig approached them, looking up with his wide Pig Eyes and cried out in a Pig voice of greeting, "Oink! Oink!"

And yet the humans and the spirits there could not listen. For how could they understand a simple Pig? Their minds were concerned with greater, bigger things. But the Pig would show them things, perhaps. New things. As the Pig squirmed and snuffled around the Tin Soldier, it looked up with his great Pig eyes once more and poked him once with his Pig nose, before turning and snuffling towards the path.

While the Pig was its Piggy self, the Red Sorceress cast a spell, for the Red Sorceress knew many spells and was very wise. She would find the dangers of the Forest, she believed. She would look into the shadows between the trees, and under the hills, and over the rivers. She even looked at the Pig! But the Pig was the Pig, and thankfully not a monster who thought it was a Pig.

The Darkness, however, was also not a Pig, and the Darkness looked back to the Red Sorceress and whispered to her. "We see you." The Darkness said. "And we will wait for you among the branches, under the hills, and over the rivers. And we will eat you up."

And the Darkness smiled.
Jeanne d'Arc Jeanne turns to look at Hoshi.

"For everything there is a reason, and a time and purpose under Heaven."

That's a bit cryptic, d'Arc.

Jeanne moves towards the center of the crowd, before there's a solid thump as the Saint strikes the ground thrice with the bottom of her silver STandard.
Kotone Yamakawa Kotone Yamakawa sees Hoshi with the rest of the group and she pauses.

"This is pretty much why you said for me to keep out of those rumours. After meeting you an August I couldn't help but dig in to it a bit. I seen occult things turn entire area's into living nightmares. I don't want to see that happen here."

At times like this she hated her cyberbrain's near perfect recall as memories of Kingsmouth drift to the surface.

She looked over to Ayako and seems very glad to see her.

"It's good to see you here, Ayako."

Scarlet is new to Kotone and she gives her a look over but if she's here she has to know what she's doing and she's already asking the right question.

Jeanne is given a look over and nope, Kotone has no idea whom she really is Bertam is also mostly unknown to her and Landon is only known by reputation through Kyra.

"I'm Kotone by the way."

At the mention of the wolf and pig over the comm, Kotone seems lost in thought for a moment.

This does not last long as the pig is greeting them with an oink oink. What else should she expected yet the pig seemed to be clearly smarter than abnormal pig but she see its got it's interest focused on August.

She takes the small drone and lets it lose the rotor whirrs to life and Kotone forms a remote links to it seeing what information she could get out of it. She doesn't expect to get much or it to last long.

She looks to Jeanne for a moment and she nods.

"I think I know that passage...? Still lets keep wary we have no idea what's out there but it's aware we are here.
Hoshi Amakasu     Hoshi flashes Kotone a sad smile. Even though she'd told her not to get involved, she did it anyway. "I tried to warn you... Please be careful."

    Hoshi looks over the pig dubiously as it keeps snuffling around without a care to the armed and dangerous party that had suddenly invaded it's home. She made a note of the strange little spoon in August's hand. Something reflective. Her hand digs under her shirt to pull out her silver locket and click it open, letting the little mirror inside see out into the forest around them. Rosamond's presence in her mind serves to help calm her feelings of dread a bit, and she eases up a bit as she glances around.

    "I don't know if that's Alexis' voice or not," Hoshi says with a quiet sigh. "I've never really heard her sing. I just knew about her... But if this is actually a story, then we're probably going to have to go towards it anyway." Jeanne's comment gets a bemused blink. "I thought the Christian God didn't care about heathens," she asks quietly, though without malice. "Sorry, I don't really know much about it..."

    Sadly, this... wasn't really getting them anywhere. Hoshi trots over to Kohler leans over a bit. "I don't like the idea of wandering through the forest without any idea where we're going. Should we... Try to follow the pig? Can we believe that there's something that ISN'T hostile here?"
Kyra Hyral     The pig does not speak.

    Not that Kyra was really expecting the pig to speak. She's not all too sure what to expect in this strange, fairytale-bent world since she is ninety percent sure that the fairytales between her world and this differ quite a bit. "Three Little Pigs?" Kyra repeats, mostly to herself from the radio conversation, "There's only one here though. Hmm." Watching the pig's reaction, she frowns. "It seems like it wants to lead us somewhere though?"

    She glances to Scarlet, having sensed that she had used some of her diagnostic magic on their surroundings and the pig itself. "So..." she asks cautiously. "Do you think we can trust the pig?"

    She pauses to reflect on that, "Not a sentence I thought I'd be saying today. Oh yeah, and we should probably stick together and not split up here." Falling silent after that, Kyra strains to listen to the voice, trying her best to pinpoint the location. She sticks close to Landon. Although he doesn't have his armor, Kyra knows his skills well enough to know that she'd be well-tanked nearby him.
Landon al Cid      The forest sets Landon ill at ease in a way very *very* little else ever has. The pig, though, at least appears to be friendly.

     "I think we have little choice," Landon admits to Kyra, "Else we'll simply wander around through this place without any guidance."

     "Do you, erm, have a way out?" Landon adds at the Persona-users.
Ayako Hasekawa     Ayako cheerfully pets the pig on the head when it gets close to her. And then notes it trying to push August in a direction by bumping him with it's nose. "A-Hmm... maybe... the pig wants us to go in a certain direction?" Her head inclines to the side.

    She smiles cheerfully at Kotone. "Well, I hope I can be of some help in a... strange place like this."

    "I think... we should try following the pig. I mean... do we have any other leads right now?"
August Kohler August remains silent as the pig inspects him, smiling as he pats its head. "Hey, you're a friend, aren't you? Want to lead us somewhere?" As it travels off, August is following it, looking to see where it's going. "We can either follow it and possibly get thrown into a trap, or not follow it, get lost, and likely get ambushed by Shadows. I prefer the first option." Despite this, he does clench his spoon tighter, listening for the voice.

"I've heard her...once or twice? I think this is her, but I'm not sure. But this is odd. If she's being hunted by the Wolf...why is she singing? She should be running for her life, ready to get a Persona." It doesn't make sense. But, August does know one thing. They have to get her out.
Bertram Silent "Bertram Silent of the White." Bertram introduces himself to Kotone softly, his deep voice kept fairly soft as though he's afraid it will cause him to miss clues that he would otherwise sense. He's holding his staff and looking at the pig, but otherwise not speculating. Instead, he asks August a simple question. "Is this normal?"
Jeanne d'Arc "If it is insisting on us following, then let us lead where it may. It may not be an angel, but I certainly understand... the importance of following symbols, so to say." She glances at Hoshi, then shakes her head. "This isn't a conversation for here, but know that He loves everyone, I believe in that undeniably." There is a strength behind that phrase, before Jeanne glances over at August.

"Excuse me. I think if we're going to do this we should form a battle party, and you or I at the front and the other in the back..." The armored woman says dryly. "Not because I don't believe everyone else here is dangerous, but... we do have the majority of the weapons here, it seems."
Hoshi Amakasu     Hoshi's expression goes grim at the mention of their possibilities... and the implications they were receiving weren't much better. "You're right... This is weird. This can't be the same as us, otherwise... they wolf would've gotten her by now. And the song doesn't sound like it's moving." She stands straight and taps her palms against her cheeks quickly. "Alright. Screw it. We follow the pig."

    Landon's question is a good one, and Hoshi points back at the pool they had emerged from behind them. "That's our exit. I'd say we should draw a map, but it probably wouldn't do much good."

    A line of battle! That's a good idea. Hoshi raises her hand quickly. "I'll go in front. I have my kendo armor, so at least I can take some punishment. Not to mention, Rosamond and I fight best up close. Someone tough should watch behind us, too, in case something comes up behind us."
Scarlet Everille     Oddly, hearing August's admission of guilt seems to improve Scarlet's mood. She'd seemed a little detached when she had come here, but finding out that he'd just been scared by something legitimately frightening and wasn't, in fact, probably a total nutcase, appears to do wonder for her opinion of him. She really is much prettier when she smiles. Well, she was before in a typical sense, but now it somehow seems... difficult to fail to notice. "Don't worry about it~ You've barely had a couple of weeks to get to know any of this. At the very least, now we know what to look for." She places one hand on Landon's shoulder and one hand on Kyra's for a moment. "Besides, we have people here who are pretty good with monsters~"

    On the subject of monsters, the pig appears to be fine. She does give it a long, hard look-over, but it really does seem to be just a dumb pig. The other sense she gets though, the other "presence", is worth more wariness. A vague, mysterious frown briefly passes over her features as her stare passes over the distance, her eyes seemingly much brighter in her reflection than they should be. "Though, I doubt the wolf is the only thing we have to worry about. I think the real force at work here is a little more abstract than a big, furry monster." She'll deal with it for now. It's hardly her first time with mild, eldritch hallucinations, after the way she'd been raised.

    "I very much agree with Kyra. Splitting up or straying off any obvious paths would be a very bad idea. If the pig starts taking us in the opposite direction of the singing though, I vote we double back. We are here to rescue someone and not to indulge fairy tale parallels for the sake of it." She waves her hand outwards as if to signal someone behind her, but she's already at the rear of the group. Weird.
Bertram Silent After his last words, while listening... suddenly Bertram stumbles to his knee, apparently fainting without apparent cause. This spell doesn't last long, and when he pushes himself up he looks briefly disoriented, but his words come soon enough, and they leave little doubt. "A fluted jester led a woman down this path. She was wearing a school uniform at the time." He doesn't bother explaining how he knows this.
Ayako Hasekawa     Ayako glances about a bit nervously. This place is... unnerving. "Water Bubble!" A sphere of water surrounds each person for a moment, and then fades away. She then quickly makes her way to about the middle of where everyone is and thrusts her palms downwards. "Water Shield!" And an odd half-sphere of water materializes in front of everyone that follows their orientation!

    It's a slowing barrier, and not particularly strong, but... it's better than nothing! Besides... it's the best she could to do that would help everyone at the same time.

    Ayako takes a deep breath and... then... "A fluted jester?"
Landon al Cid      Landon can't just start deploying his barriers. They'd drain him quickly, and in the event of *actual combat*, Landon would like to very much be prepared. He does, however, raise one of his Law Cards. Blue light explodes through it in a strange pattern. It catches and reflects throughout the forest.

     The card erupts, transforming into the large, heavy-looking Judge Blade. Landon carries it over his shoulder casually despite its size.

     "Should anything happen, I will at least have this prepared."
Riva Banari And so the Seekers followed the Pig, for there were many Wonders the Pig could show them. They travelled, walking over a bridge of stone set over a river of silver, through the woods as the path closed in. but they were not afraid, not even the Red Sorceress, who had made preparations for when the Darkness would try to eat her up. The Young Rebel did not stray from the path, nor did the Woman Who Was Water.

Finally, as the light grew dim they came upon a cottage in the woods, formed of stone and tatched of roof. The Pig walked past the well, and then cried out in surprise as a loud trill was heard!

The Pig squealed, oh did it squeal as it raced to hide from the surprising sound, But there, sitting upon the roof of the house, was a man in a mask! A smiling mask, a friendly mask. He played upon a flute, dressed all in colors bright and gay. Bells jingled on his toes and his hat, and always smiling he slid to his feet and bowed to the Seekers.

"Welcome, welcome one and all!" Called the Piper. "Perchance to provide a pence to placate and provender a poor piper?" He calls out, pointing to a small tin cup which lie upon the ground. "There have been no travelers since the Countess began singing to the stars, and the nights are cold and long."
Landon al Cid      The Piper is not an archetype known to Galianda. The Pied Piper is not an idea they have any association with. So Landon just sees a bard, and, since Bards figure prominently into stories (in old days Bards were often the ones telling them), Landon isn't bothered by this guy at all. He holds up a hand to the Piper and smiles, then digs into his pocket. Landon always carries a little spare cash, because he's the damn Prince of a prosperous and powerful economic empire, and if the Prince doesn't have some cash on hand then something is seriously wrng in said prosperous and powerful economic empire. Landon fishes out a few gil and drops the shiny coins in the cup.

     "There you are, sir. A few coins to keep the chill away. Where might we find this Countess, if you don't mind me asking?"
Kotone Yamakawa Kotone Yamakawa looks back to Hoshi for a moment snodding.

"I will be, I seen things before I can't run away from stuff like this."

Or more people might end up like her or worse. She knows she can't save everyone but that's not the point. She can help some way or so she hopes to be able to.

"Humm that's a story that's common on some earths.."

She looks back to Ayako and nods to her.

"Sounds like a plan."

She's clearly game to follow the pig.

She'll keep tabs on Hoshi and have the drone go ridng shotgun.

She glances to Bertram.

"Well met Bertram."

She follows the pig and after a while they end up somewhere stranger than before. She looks to them for a moment trying to get an idea for a moment and she nods to them. She'll put mix of change into the piper's cup as well.

"Though a countess singing to the stars must be quite the tale."

Landon seems to be on to something here.
Scarlet Everille     There's a lot to go over, so Scarlet keeps it brief and over the radio. Jeanne and Hoshi to the rear guard for rapid response, Landon and August at the vanguard for damage mitigation, Kotone and Bertram were meant to take second rank while she and Kyra took third, but seeing the man collapse causes her to prompt him to switch places until he recovers. Ayako is already doing her part, and Kyra has agreed to her scan rotation. Landon's barriers are too MP consuming for long-term use and August doesn't know the limits of his combat enhancement, so she's asked to keep them in reserve.

    All things arranged, she calculates that she'll have resources to spare for 4 mid-level augments, since she doesn't expect the path to be extremely long just by the proximity of the voice. Four times the air prickles and crawls from the center of the pack, the group's reflections in the crystal trees distorting unnaturally with each successive imposition on the realm.

    Landon and August are recipients of defensive wards, the former an orbital with a focused, kinetic barrier to serve as a secondary shield, and the latter a body-conforming, heatproof skin to greatly reduce what she sees as an inevitability. Both are invisible except to Kyra's scans, where they seem oddly appropriate, being vaguely crystalline in shape for Landon and something of a heat haze for August, though both make little sense and are hard to look at. Jeanne and Hoshi receive augments more subtle to everyone but themselves, who can immediately feel the effects, being focused enhancements to specifically combat related physical attributes. They're not quite on the level of one of Kyra's named buffs, but they cover a broader range of possible needs.

    Keeping that many running in her head at once in addition to her sight and command of her familiars is about the most Scarlet can do for the time. She's not going to "run out of magic" from it, but it's all she has the focus for without pushing herself. Being somewhat literally out of the woods would seem like a good place to call those preparations unnecessary, but she doesn't like the look of the "jester", especially not after Bertram's warning, which she implicitly trusts after working at Hydaelyn. Whereas Landon seems friendly right away (perhaps just a little friendlier than he actually should, but she'll keep that secret), Scarlet chooses to wear the face of someone terminally disinterested and best not to mess with, as if she refuses to dignify any use of alliteration with a response.

    "Kyra." she prompts simply enough, wanting the white mage to double check the analysis she herself is performing on the piper. The familiar capable of flight invisibly orbits over to the cottage, aiming to look through a window.
Kyra Hyral     The Piper's appearance gives Kyra the immediate impression of a Juggler though clearly with some Bard leanings. It doesn't strike her as too suspicious, except for two things. One, he has a mask with a smile on it, which looks just plain creepy. Two, Bertram did mention a /jester/ leading this girl down the path into this forest.

    While Landon offers money, Kyra steps back to fall in next to Bertram, "Hey." she says quietly, "Are you alright?"

    While back there, she also tries to sneakily slip in a Scan on the scoundrel as Scarlet suggests. She doesn't need much other explanation from Scarlet to do so, immediately picking up on the tone and having sensed Scarlet's own magic moments before.
Hoshi Amakasu      Hoshi took her place in the back of the pack, offering a firm nod to Jeanne. Bokken firmly in hand, she watched the dark woods behind them as they traveled along. Though the air felt heavy and the darkness was oppressive, she felt comforted by having another fighter next to her. "I really hope you're right about what you said," Hoshi asides to Jeanne as they went along. "Either way--thanks for coming, at least." Suddenly, strange sensations fill her body, and she twists her head to vainly try to find it's source. A small grin splits her face as she starts tensing and relaxing her muscles slightly to savor the sensation.

    Their way came to an abrupt halt, and Hoshi spins around with bokken ready when she hears the trilling of the flute. "... Hey, wait... Isn't this the guy?..." Flute, bells, colors--all of it. She's about to raise her voice to object, but Landon offers his coin and his ear. Hoshi leans over to Jeanne again, lowering her voice. "Do you think he means Alexis? As a Countess? None of this makes any sense."
August Kohler A piper. There's definitely some sort of story-type thing going on here. While they could just start interrogating the Piper, and seeing what he knows, it might be easier to play along, and that's what August will try to do. He fakes a grin to the Piper, prancing up to the cup. "Well met, piper! That is some fine show! An artisan such as you must be loved dearly by the Countess, playing alongside her beautiful melody! Please, take my marks, for it is all but I have, as I am but a soldier. Tell me, where may the Countess be singing this fine evening? Oh, I just long to hear her voice!" August reaches into his pocket, pulling out several German coins, and dropping them into the cup. "Here! Use this to feed you and yours for the night!"
Bertram Silent Bertram eyes the Piper, a slight amount of distrust in his eyes, but he doesn't voice it. Instead, he simply calls upon his magics, the aether flowing around his allies to form protective barriers that suck the energy out of incoming attacks. The Proshell is a fairly potent defensive increase, though it ought not make the difference between victory and defeat in most circumstances. "Pray tell me, have you seen a young woman dressed in a school uniform around lately?" The question is asked innocously, any suspicioum hidden behind calm investigation.
Riva Banari The Piper plied his trade, the the Judging Prince and the Tin Soldier provided their money, paying the man. The Piper trilled with joy, for Joy he was and Laughter and many Other Things. The Young Rebel and the Red Sorceress looked upon him to seek out these Other Things, to look beneath the mask of the Jester. But the Jester did not mind, for he did so Love the Youth, and it is the Nature of the Sorceress to Question. How could a poor Jester disagree?

But beneath the Jester's mask was another mask, and another still. Masks beneath masks, some happy, some sad, some angry, some mad. Always with faint sparks dancing in those hollow, empty eyes that reveal nothing but Shadow.

But the Puppet Woman did not see the masks, nor did the Judging Prince or the Tin Soldier. Nor did the Woman Who Is Water or the Saint or the Man of White. Only they could see the masks, even as the Piper danced and laughed on the roof of the cottage.

The Man in White asked about a woman in a uniform, and the Piper laughed. "Lately? Many things have been seen of late or recent. Be cautious you do not join them in being late!" The Piper laughed at his joke, then turned to the Judging Prince and the Tin Soldier. "Generosity in gold, steadfastness in silver, caring in copper. Through little sacrifices many things are forged. Though you wish to see the Countess, it would be impossible to meet her, quite impossible." The Piper laughed.

"You see, the Countess sings to the stars, and the stars fall from the sky to be near her at the top of the Tower that Cannot be Climbed, which lies past the Brambles That Cannot Be Cut, which grow beyond the River That Cannot Be Crossed, and even more terrible things beseides. You should turn back and worry not about the Countess."
August Kohler As the Piper tells of the obstacles ahead, August sighs, but continues his smiling, nodding to the Piper. "Thank you, good sir! But I feel like I certainly must hear her song, and I will not let that stop me!" He bows to the Piper, before moving to group with the others. "Alright, guess we have some work ahead of us. We should...probably call it a night, gear up, investigate Alexis, and then come back soon to get her out of here. As fast as we can, of course." The spoon disappears from his hand, as he looks back at the piper. There's certainly a challenge ahead of them.
Hoshi Amakasu     The Piper's dancing, laughing, and chanting don't do much to offer much by way of concrete explainations. For a moment, Hoshi entertains the thought of breaking out from the group to demand answers--but she holds back. Acting petulantly or angrily won't make the situation much better either. "That's a lot of Things We Can't Do. If it's so impossible, how was the Countess able to get there?" She asks nobody in particular. Eventually she sighs and shrugs, releasing the tension from her shoulders.

    Slipping away her locket, Hoshi nods to August's idea. "It doesn't /sound/ like the wolf is actively hunting her, so... I guess we'll be okay. For now. Kohler--you and I need to start looking out for clues about how to reach Alexis, starting tomorrow. I'll be coming straight to your desk, so please don't disappear again."

    She flashes a quick smile to Jeanne. "So now we guide us out. Let's do this."
Kotone Yamakawa Kotone Yamakawa has keopt to the formation that Scarlet has suggested it was a goo idea an dit's the best thing to keep everyone safe or so she thinks. She thinks about for the comment on them being in a story they are right. so it's time to play the traveler as it were, she looks to their jester? If that's the right term and listen she does look ot see that Bertram is okay and he confims it over the radio.

the puppet woman does not see a mask she but sees the man dance she watches for a moment and the tale of the countess is told she looks with a slight bit of wonder and now wonders what is in store for all of them.

"I'm with you Hoshi, we need to find how to get to her."
Kyra Hyral     Kyra squints, staring at the Piper. She doesn't stop for a long while, sorting through what she sees, trying to make sense of it all to little avail. "All I see is masks." she whispers quietly to Scarlet, "Endless masks with empty eyes. It's creepy." Abruptly, she cuts off the vision so she no longer has to stare into the nature of the strange being.

    The decision is made to come back a second time now that the challenges have been laid out before them for the right of seeing Alexis in person. "I wonder if all that is literal. They almost sound like riddles, you know? A river that cannot be crossed. Hmmmm."
Scarlet Everille     Masks upon masks upon masks. Too many to be a deliberate attempt to hide itself from what Scarlet wants to know. It'd be an excessively wasteful kind of mental defence, or else one worth applauding in its impressive dedication to showmanship. No, the magus gets the idea. That this creature is masks all the way down. That the painted face embodies it through and through, of no substance of its own but that given by the expression it chooses to wear and the role it chooses to play. How appropriate, for a land of mirrors. Somehow, she almost approves. There's a kind of mutual respect she can give for someone so close to the root of what identity is, even if they are a Shadow.

    The severity in her expression eases, though whether naturally or artificially, it's impossible to say. She's only recently taken to carrying coins for use around worlds without fully digitally integrated currency, and so feels it appropriate to flip an English pound into its receptacle. Chump change for useful information. "We'll have to find her on a better day then. Tell me, would this happen to be where you live? It seems a shame for a piper to have no one to play for. Coins and Countesses bespeak of proper land to ply a trade, after all." She offers the kind of smile that implies someone would like to be friends, but isn't quite sure about it. Of course, she's already made up her mind.

    Scarlet's hand falls on Kyra's shoulder briefly. "These things are as literal as the limit of your imagination. They wouldn't be given the name if it wasn't the case for the common man, but the common man is an extra at best in a tale like this. Nothing should be impossible for the clever and well behaved."
Riva Banari The Red Sorceress called out then, over the pile of masks as she asked of the Piper. But to the wisdom of the Sorceress, the Piper simply replied, "Oh no, this is not my home at all! I travel the land in service to the Queen. I will be here and there, high and lo, to and fro. You will meet me again."

With a sweeping bow, the Piper rose and looked over the Seekers as they made ready. "By the by." The Piper called to the Tin Soldier as they left. "As a token from a foolish man, remember this: Beware when all lights go out and all sounds die. That is when it hunts."

With a laugh, the Piper leaped from the roof and was gone with a trill of his flute.

The Pig must have been afraid of the Piper, as the Pig quickly poked its head out of the trees and snuffled back around the group, looking up at the Tin Soldier. The Pig did not ask questions, for it was a Pig, and instead simply helped lead the way out, for Pigs know these things. Knowing when to leave is the best skill a Pig can learn, after all.

And so the Seekers returned to the clearing, perhaps ready to visit the Countess soon.