1476/Wrathborn's LOSAF Adventure

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Wrathborn's LOSAF Adventure
Date of Scene: 02 February 2015
Location: A Quiet World
Synopsis: Dear Warden,

I write to you from outside this Book of Heaven to beg for your mercy. We have never met, but fate has caused us to meet with one another in this way because of our natures and the natures of those within.

I speak of my friends, but primarily of Arthur Lowell, for my friends have come to you in order to seek him out. I admit, I do not know you. I do not know of your nature. Do you seek to give people their heaven out of love or hate? A wish for hope, or perhaps a perverse twist, I cannot tell, for I cannot view your pages.

I wish to believe the better of you, that you wish to truly provide happiness. But as people touch the lives of others, we create connections that cannot be easily forsaken. You are undoubtedly experiencing that now, and have experienced this before. The multiverse needs Arthur. Not just Afterus, but many other lands, including the world you reside in, depend on his knowledge, courage, and bravado in order to preserve themselves and find some semblance of peace. This is why he had come to your world in the first place. I do not know if you are cognizant of this, or if you care, but for someone to create a heaven, they have to be capable of some level of empathy, can they not?

We have come to find a release for Arthur. This is a fact that cannot be denied. The terms and nature of this release are up to you. I am fully capable of doing such if needed, however, if you push me and my friends to the limits. But there is no need for a confrontation, nor doe we have to come to dire ends. Anything is possible in this multiverse. If you care to name your price, perhaps we can find a way to come to agreeable terms. There has to be something we can do to solve your own problems, should they exist.

You may wonder why I seek to establish contact. Why I am working so hard when others are already working. I admit to a more... personal interest. I find Arthur to be a fascinating person. He is fun and exciting, and we share many interests. He shows surprising intelligence and maturity under the bravado, he is intelligent and handsome in his own coolkid way. I know there's a lot more under the shell he projects.

But I can tell hs is also in a lot of pain. He needs assistance, something that I do not believe he can receive in this world of heaven that you create. We cannot live in a Heaven forever. We will never grow, and become the kind of person we need to be in order to contribute to the world around us and make it a better place. I want to help him. I want to find a way to heal those scars and give him a way to face the infinite worlds, if not without regret, at least without pain.

I pray that you consider my words and that you will find it in your heart to relent. I am prepared to give a great deal to win his release from your land. This... Heaven.

I await your answer.

- Riva 
 
Cast of Characters: Arthur Lowell, 92, 183, 253, 274, 347, Riva Banari
Tinyplot: A Chime at the Precipice


Mizuki (183) has posed:
    Those entering the world would likely have come from a warpgate located along a long, flat cobblestone path that seems to stretch on into infinity in nigh every direction that one could look. Slightly to the northwest floats a city suspended in the air, the buildings atop its central mass battered beyond any sensible reckoning, but for the most part still standing. In every other direction excluding 'North' one would see bleak, white outlines of landscapes and citadels that look as lifeless as the entire world likely feels. Mercifully, though, one need not gaze so far to find the Clock Tower which Mizuki has asked those gathering this eve to come to: it lies directly in front of the most likely point of entry.

    The path from there is fairly straightforward. The front doors to the imposing Gothic affair are propped wide open in anticipation, and the 'elevator' would depart as soon as all had gathered upon it. This would bring them to the tower's peak where, in addition to those articles already listed, a moderately-sized marble top table would be placed in the heart of the room. The seats around it might house the forms of some who had already been here waiting, such as Mizuki herself and the small, silent, bespectacled young lady immediately beside her. Only the latter would wave as the guests arrive, the lady herself keeping her eyes fixed on a small, leather-bound book whose worn leaflets are only barely held together by an equally aged string.

    Though, something would eventually compel her to avert her gaze, at which point she would attempt to collect herself within a hasty apology. "O-Oh. Welcome." She would brush a lock of hair aside. "I'm sorry, I was... briefly enthralled by a few of my thoughts. Mostly those that bemoan the prospect of having to enter this thing again so shortly after leaving it. Heaven is a pleasant thing, but it becomes horribly rude and pervasive when you've had your fill of it I must say." She would exhale in a way that's likely too tinged by exasperation to achieve the good-natured effect she had been intending on, but hopefully the awkward smile she gives afterward will remedy that. Yes? ... no? Ah, well. There are more important things to be worrying about at the moment.

    "Though more seriously," A hand would move to hold her forehead, the other gesturing to the table, "this is the book. It will absorb the consciousness of any being within a foot or so that is unable to resist it. Arthur's physical and mental selves are currently stored in the book, and as we've discussed, they must be removed manually. Additionally, I will likely have to enter the book in some form for this to work as my presence is typically a prerequisite for any exchanges between it and the larger world. Fenestra - that's this young woman beside me - will keep a watch on things while I'm away."

    "As for the rest of you," She would glance to Psyber, Elliana, and Riva, "... I assume you'll find your own way of things. Elliana, I might be counting on you to remove Arthur and I from the book if my alternative personality proves reluctant, but I trust you will have no trouble occupying time in the meanwhile. Psyber, you may still be able to weasel into the pages on some technicality if something changes while I and the others are inside. And, Riva?" She would give her a long stare a moment. "... I will entrust the hard decisions and last resorts to you. If absolutely all else fails," She would glance to a candle perched perilously close to the tables edge, "then you know what to do."

    With another sigh, she would pinch the strings of the tiny novel with her fingers, keeping them held there. "When you all agree upon a time, you need only say the words, and I will pull these threads. Those of you who do not wish to be taken in by the tome would do well to put some distance between yourselves and this table before then if you believe it might impact you."

Psyber (253) has posed:
    "I'm sure I have an idea to weasel back into the book," Psyber says with an annoyed tone at the idea of being locked out in the first place. Worn on one hand is a red, armored gauntlet with an eye at the back of the hand. Psyber has his arms crossed over his chest to present the gauntlet on top.

    "If I can't, I'll work something out," He adds, before looking down at his gauntlet, "Hey Jude. Is there any way we can use Justice and Morality to brute force our way in? We're offense specced and this plays into some level of morality, right? Use this Strike Drivers circuitously and break down conceptual barriers or some shit."

Riva Banari has posed:
Riva was already here.

No, seriously, she came early. She's standing, though, not sitting, instead leaning over against one of the delightful Gothic columns and chewing on her thumb. Is it concern or anticipation? It's hard to tell at an initial glance. Either way, when Mizuki begins describing how this is going to go down, Riva waves to Fenestra, and pushes off of the convenient column to look over the others present. She smiles at those who arrive, nodding to each in turn.

Notably, she is staying some distance from the book. "I'm sure I can help you guys along in my own special way." She says, nodding. "We're all here for the same reason. Let's work together and make this happen. There's no room for error, there's too much on the line. And don't worry, I'm hoping it doesn't come to that. But if all else fails..." She nods, an odd expression of grimness on her face. "We'll see what happens." She watches Psyber and his Abstractum carefully, considering how it responds.

Abstractum.Net (347) has posed:
    The gauntlet's eye looks back up to Psyber. "I am unsure." Jude says, though as always even its uncertainty is expressed with a posture of mature dignity. "The book itself may be caught up in the effects. Justice cannot be selective. We can try, if you can think of a paradigm of morality that would apply only to your barrier and not to the medium of the book itself. We've certainly no shortage of power to put behind it."

Elliana Fairchild (92) has posed:
    It has been a while since Elliana really participated in much outside of matters with her own world or the Confederacy's internal matters. For this occasion, she's back in her more formal look, complete with flowing robes over the more practical fighter's garb. She still looks like a priestess, when she wants to, though the scar over her eye and the red iris of the injury sort of makes the look more difficult to pass off. She has Brilliant Dawn with her, of course, and is frowning a little at the idea of forcing into the book.

    She doesn't say anything about it right now, though. Instead, she nods quietly at Mizuki, surprisingly showing respect to the woman/concept. Perhaps it's just politeness due to being in her world. So she keeps it to a light nod. "Good evening. With any luck, my role here will be simple and subdued. I would like nothing more than to be a formality here." She pauses. "Attempting to use my abilities has a side effect, I should warn you. It will attempt to twist any dream-related entity into a corresponding nightmare. I would like to avoid using my powers as much as possible."

Abstractum.Net (347) has posed:
    Brilliant Dawn, the pendant that lies on a necklace around Elliana's neck, looks up at her. "You're underestimating how powerful you may be here." It says, without an ounce of malice to its voice. "It is a prison of good dreams. I'm sure the person we're trying to rescue will want to leave much more if we ruin his Heaven. Just... An option, to keep in mind if we need it." The posture of the necklace that the pendant's eye is strung on is mildly uneasy at the Abstractum's own words, but confident in saying them.

Herbert West (274) has posed:
West is not here tonight. He didn't show up. This is mostly because it was ELSA who was asked to be here, and despite her oddities he's fine with letting her handle the ARTHUR SITUATION by herself. Which means the green-haired elfin girl who does not look like a robot at all, surprisingly, dashes in without a second thought. She's dressed in that odd schoolgirl outfit, and her tonfas are tucked at her back. She huffs as if out of breath, panting and leaning over to brace on her knees. She also, for soem reason or another, has a piece of toast in her mouth.

"Elsa is here to rescue darling, robo!" Elsa finally blurts out. She's suddenly not out of breath any more, and the toast is held in her off hand. "Hello... is Elsa on time to rescue? Elsa brought toast, robo!" She thrusts it out toward the nearest person, who happens to be Riva.

Psyber (253) has posed:
    "I'm not sure, truthfully. I could maybe levy Lex Talionis and attempt to shatter the barriers into the book as leveraged against the personal distress and emotional damage it has inflicted upon me, couldn't it?" Psyber asks to Adjudicator, clearly trying to puzzle out how to force himself into this book.

Elliana Fairchild (92) has posed:
    "Good evening, Elsa," Elliana says to the latecomer, quirking an amused smile at the offer to Riva. Very quickly she's on the problem at hand, though. "I understand that, Brilliant Dawn, but we do not want to do so before we find Sir Lowell. In any case, do you believe that we could Tandem with Adjudicator and perhaps use my own ability to enter dreams to aid in forcing his way through? You are excellent at finding loopholes, as I recall."

Abstractum.Net (347) has posed:
    Elsa's schoolgirl-ish outfit's hat is what speaks up, showing the Abstractum's hemispherical eye as it does. "Critical to this sort of thing, as always!" The hat makes a slight nodding motion, approvingly. Oddly, though, while Heart-On-Sleeve may be a very enthusiastic Abstractum, today it seems to have a more... Somber sort of tone. More serious? Or perhaps determined. Whereas Elsa might not have the social vocabulary needed to express grim determination, Heart-On-Sleeve is the one that shows it off. The whole outfit seems tense and almost intimidatingly determined.

Mizuki (183) has posed:
    Mizuki would give Psyber a pained look which is soon accompanied by a long sigh. "... sincerely, I wish that you could re-enter, but this is the Warden's way of keeping the realm 'pure'. She suspects that any who have entered before aside from myself would break free of her influence and, in so doing, be able to 'pollute' the realm with the wrong kind of foreign influence. By and large, her methods are... sadly successful." She would study the ground a moment before beginning the question, "Were you... actually able to convince my Heaven equivalent to aid you? Or...? No. No, I'll save inquiries of that nature for another time. Apologies."

    Riva would receive a more succinct response in the form of a single nod, and a mouthed 'Good luck'. There's not a lot more to be said between them that wasn't the last time they spoke. Next, though, is Elliana. If anything, she's pleasantly surprised by her. Where before she might have felt just the faintest hint of disdain - or imagined it from her otherwise - today... it's not as apparent if it is at all. Rather, she's extremely cordial; she won't sully the gesture by wondering whether it comes from her demeanor or cicumstance, either. "... I appreciate your restraint, then. I'm sure you noticed the moment you came in, but the fabric of this realm is extremely impressionable. I would say frail, but it's more like a rubber band than a twig. Naturally, though, no such world as this could exist were there not some presence of nightmares. There are many, though they are typically tucked out of sight. Any you 'convert' here will likely go to join the rest in the Catacombs, but if they do not... well. I suppose, between all of us, we'll manage them."

    Elsa would get a curious look, but not one so critical as she would normally be inclined. No, there's far too much on her mind tonight to scrutinize her company, so she follows Elliana's example and pays her as much respect as she is able. "H-Hello. I presume you're the daughter of Herbert West that I've been told about? You are quite on time, don't worry. Though now that we've all gathered," She would turn her attention back to the group as a whole, "I might consider opening this Pandora's box. Are you all prepared? Not to rush you, but there... is a bit of a precedent for a timely resolution here. Riva knows the full details of that, though all that I really need to say in that vein is that there will be less risk to Arthur the more speedily this is dealt with."

Abstractum.Net (347) has posed:
    Psyber gets an uneasy look. "I believe it is technically possible. My capacity to exploit such... Loopholes, though, or technical truths of the matter, is questionable. I am not sure if I will be able to."

    Elliana gets an affirmative gesture from her necklace. "Alright. I think I can give that a shot. Sword, I'll help with your User's idea. With a bit of my User's help and some of the loophole specialization I can give, we'll be able to cut through the rules." There's a soft green crackling light that shimmers between them as the Tandem Paradigm is established and Psyber gets a nod from his gauntlet. Brilliant Dawn speaks up to Psyber. "I can specialize your sword's efforts against the barrier specifically now." The idea of blatantly exploiting literally the fabric of morality itself for purely selfish ends doesn't sit well with Brilliant Dawn, but it keeps that to itself.

Riva Banari has posed:
Riva's determination and support get slightly strained with the appearance of Elsa for reasons that either have nothing ot everything to do with her, depending on your viewpoint. "R.... Robo..." Riva whispers quietly to herself.

Nevertheless, she takes the piece of toast from Elsa, holding it with some measure of confusion. "Thank you for coming." She replies to Elsa. "Also, the toast." She looks at it speculatively. What's Riva going to do with toast?

She has no idea either.

Her attention moves to the idea of Elliana working with Psyber on this, which does bring a quirky smile to her face again. Something about that seems to amuse her in some way. She says nothing though, instead, looking to Mizuki as she fills everything else out. She thinks for a moment, shuddering at Mizuki's oblique reference.

"The sooner the better, I agree." Riva says. "Good luck, all of you."

Elliana Fairchild (92) has posed:
    "Quite prepared," Elliana says. "If Psyber is certain he wants to do this. I think we do not require his help, but neither would it be unwelcome if he believes such." She turns to Riva and Mizuki and Fenestra. "Worry not, I give you my word that I will do my best to bring Sir Lowell out unharmed and unstained. This is a matter that requires precision, not the brute force application of power, I believe." She smiles, "Lady Elsa, I hope that you will be of use in this matter."

Herbert West (274) has posed:
Yes, Robo. Elsa is TOTALLY a robot, that makes it obvious, doesn't it. She claps her hands, but then her tonfas are out and twirling in her hands. "Elsa is ready, robo! Darling cannot hide from Elsa, even if it makes him happy!" She pauses, as if parsing that statement. "A-ah! Wait! Elsa is not Yandere! Elsa only wants what is best for darling, robo!" Oh well, she seems ready, her insistence upon speaking in tropes aside.

Heart-on-Sleeve's determination is good, as it seems to focus her a bit. She nods, bottom lip pouting out in a little determined expression of her own. She steps in closer to the book.

Mizuki (183) has posed:
    Mizuki would briefly pause, stealing a long look at Elsa when she's not paying attention. To Elliana, she might steathily inquire, "... what manner of being is she, exactly? Some artificial intelligence designed to pursue Arthur?" Another blink. "Either they knew not at all their folly, or they knew very well their evil. Still, I hope she manages to be helpful as well..."

Riva Banari has posed:
Riva is already eyetwitching a little in the background, but has not yet moved on to anger hashmarks.

Score one for self-control?

Psyber (253) has posed:
    "Necessary or not, from a moral standpoint I am somewhat- Hey Elsa- responsible for Arthur," Stopping mid-sentence to greet Elsa. He doesn't have anything against the robot girl, but he also hasn't extensively interacted with her, so his greeting is more generic. He continues talking to Elliana shortly after, "I just refuse to ride the pine when Arthur is trapped like this."

    Psyber doesn't object to staying outside the book, so much as he doesn't want to be left out of helping Arthur. The half-angel sighs, "Jude. Sword form. Let's do this plan," He says with a tired tone. He seems on board with the two Abstractum teaming up to get him in, at least.

    To Mizuki, Psyber nods his head, "I'm good to go."

    No reaction is given to Riva over her quirky smile at him and Elliana. Mostly because she transitions into other emotions too quickly.

Abstractum.Net (347) has posed:
    Heart-On-Sleeve is good at helping Elsa to express herself a bit more articulately and with fewer tropes. "We're not going to let people we care about get stuck in something like this." The outfit has a firm, calm posture. Where normally it's full of gusto and enthusiasm, this time it's acting as the serious voice under Elsa's words. Kinda uncanny. The cute little hat almost seems posed aggressively. No yandere here, though!

    Love only manifests as a giant hammer, not a kitche knife.

Abstractum.Net (347) has posed:
    "Powering Strife Drives." The gauntlet says. "Sword form." And with a single fluid motion, a gush of intensely burning fire and crackling lines of electricity-like energy rush down the gaunlet and then out of Psyber's hands, changing it from the gauntlet up to the greatsword form. It continues to burn and crackle with resonance power. "Morality Paradigm: Lex Talionis."

    "Subverting..." Brilliant Dawn burns more softly with its own gentle, flickering green fire, though Elliana will feel just a tiny bit of magical drain as it draws on her a bit. "Alright, sword. I've got your strike drivers and the morality paradigm locked in on just the barrier. When we enter, you should be able to strike the barrier exclusively."

Mizuki (183) has posed:
    After receiving everyone's go ahead, Mizuki would give them all a finalizing nod, take a breath, stare at the book's cover... and almost immediately relent. "Fenestra, if you would... please..." The girl would give a cheery nod, taking Mizuki's place as the girl puts just a smidge of distance between herself and the book. This is one of those occasions in which it's easier to allow a friend to peel the Band-Aid quickly than to remove it slowly and painfully yourself, apparently. Regardless, though, the tiny string binding the cover would come undone soon enough, allowing the book to explode into the same whirlwind of pages it had before.

    Also like before, the leftover bits and bobs would eventually reconvene at the epicenter of the storm to form a new book, this one in much finer condition. Its binding is held by a solid gold clamp, and every corner of its cover by ostentatious inlays of gems. A lock holding the secrets within would autonomously fly from its place, leaving the tome free to open itself to the audience. At this point, everyone in the room would feel a gust save for Psyber and any who have made an effort to distance themselves from the area-of-effect. This same force would absorb them, taking them into a world of figment and desire...

    ... but for that one it so unkindly exempts, Mizuki would give a signal. Or... not Mizuki. It's a telepathic message in a voice that sounds just like hers, but somehow smoother. Sweeter. He might realize who the source is when he finds Fenestra's eyes bearing into him with an expression of determination that should have been quite impossible for her to ever possess. "Psyber! Whatever you're going to do, do it now!" Despite the associated mystery, at least the message is clear.

    After all this has transpired, its pages would slowly shift closed, the lock safely hugging the not at all modest block of literature again. Riva and any others who have made the decision to would be left behind...

    ... while the rest would find themselves suspended in space. Something is clearly different this time, and the first indication is that all those who have gone into the book will find themselves together. A planet that they would all recognize as Afterus is floating far in the distance, and an old, analog computer monitor with a pesterchum window open is floating somewhat nearer to them. Were any to examine it more closely, some might see that Arthur had left a number of messages here. So he has likely passed through here, unless this is another of the Warden's tricks.

    For now, though, they would be left to acclimate to their surroundings. There seem to be access points for dream bubbles scattered about, but the more straightforward path to Afterus is likely the first one they would contemplate traveling.

Herbert West (274) has posed:
The tonfas that were a show of determination aren't really useful right now, so Elsa tucks them away upon appearing in space. "This is darling's home, robo?" She pauses, whrring softly. "Decompressing file: KADATH.DAT. Dream Sojourn mode active." With a faint click, she's back to her normal self. "Elsa is thinking we should be walking to Darling, rrobo. Darling will crash into Elsa again, this is Darling's heaven!"

Well... that logic isn't entirely wrong, but it sure makes some drastic assumptions about both Arthur and the nature of the world that they're in right now. It doesn't stop Elsa from taking action, though, immediately starting right down the path toward Afterus without even paying attention to the dream bubbles floating about the group.

Elliana Fairchild (92) has posed:
    Elliana answers Mizuki, finally, with a small statement. "A construct of some sort. I do not believe she had a purpose of being with Sir Lowell, but she fell for him nonetheless. Romantic, if you believe in such a thing." Believe in romance? That might be unclear.

    When Elliana appears in the false realm, there's a small change. Coiled around her body with its head on her shoulder is a large purple snake, its form vaguely blurry and whispy. It doesn't speak, but Elliana doesn't seem to notice it as she surveys the area. "Well, I suppose if time is of the essence we should not linger too long. We do not want to keep Lady Elsa waiting. Let me know if we need transportation."

Riva Banari has posed:
Most of the people in the room vanish in a flash of paper. Riva admits, it looked kind of cool.

In the aftermath, she is left standing there with a piece of toast and Fenestra. It's at this point that she lets most of her pretenses drop and she hurries over to the central table. Riva herself approaches now, heading closer to the book and looking it over intently. "Nice book," she concludes, then straigthtens and looks over to Fenestra. "Okay, so let me get this straight: The book pulls people in when it's opened with a number of people around it and Mizuki allows it, right? Am I in danger of this thing opening up and trying to eat me if I annoy it or something right now? Does it need to open to let them back out?"

Mizuki (183) has posed:
    On the way down, foggy images would resolve in the distance. Prospit and Derse can both be seen far behind Afterus, but they're... translucent; more like afterimages where Afterus is a much more solid, cohesive presence. Elsa, assuming she actually has some ability to sense Arthur's presence, would certainly feel the strongest hints of him coming from the surface of this planet as well. So she would be likely to stay her course until she were to reach the surface where a large congregation of turtles would be gathered around a single laptop that has had the back of its monitor shaped and decorated to resemble a squiddle.

    Naturally, the things they're muttering are far too incoherent to be considered language of any kind, and as could be expected their feet are shuffling in improbable ways that make it all too easy to trip over themselves. Many do, but the more dextrous among them would be loitering closer to the aforementioned computer where they are fervently smashing the enter key with merciless consistency. Thankfully, though, not a one of them seems to actually grasp that you have to write something before a message can send, so the would-be receiver gets off scott free. For now.

    But, oddly, it seems that this 'receiver' has sent a few messages of their own. They would read as follows:

>Well, that was ominous :/
>But if you're talking on here that means you're not dead right??
Um, Arthur?
Oh, come on! >< Don't leave me hanging like this again :( :( :(

    So apparently the consorts had a reason to be hyper beyond their own penchant for bumbling! Sorta.

Psyber (253) has posed:
    Given his signal, Psyber will slide forward with his sword in hand. The half-angel adjusts his 'stance', getting ready to go on the offensive. A moment later, with Brilliant Dawn properly attuning Adjudicator to the task at hand, Psyber steps in and grips the sword in both hands.

    "Now, Adjudicator! Break through!" Psyber swings his sword at whatever force may seek to keep him out. It's a cleaving swing that tries to cut through and bring Psyber inside the book along with the others.

    When he makes it through, he flicks the sword, "Gauntlet," He says as it folds up and along his arm. He tests the fingers a bit before looking over at Elliana, "Huh. Hey Wrathborn." He notes in an off-hand tone. His wings are out a moment later and he's flying towards Afterus to follow after Elsa.

Mizuki (183) has posed:
    Fenestra would just stare blankly at Riva a moment, tilting her head and gesturing rather uncomfortably to her lips. After a while, though, she would sigh, 'speaking' to her with her thoughts. Her lips still don't move, but that same voice - still eerily similar to Mizuki's - pierces her nevertheless. "Um. The way that I understand it, this book can only be opened from the inside now. Like, if someone in there who was cognisant of themselves decided that they wanted to leave, it would probably open for them... but..." She would pause a moment, tapping a shoe to the floor, "... but it probably wouldn't absorb you if it opened to do that, no. Why? Do you have an idea?"

    She lets that stand for now before looking back to the book itself appraisingly.

Abstractum.Net (347) has posed:
    Elliana gets a quick bit of talking from her Abstractu, who has followed her in. "There may be useful information around these dream-constructs." It says, gesturing with a slack bit of cord towards the dream bubbles. "We can head on, but seeing what the context we've got to work with right now might be a good idea too, to see where it'd be best to use our power. But we're on a time limit, no reason to slow down if you think the information won't be useful to you." Always about usefulness and power with this necklace, jeeze.

Abstractum.Net (347) has posed:
    Adjudicator, breaking through the barrier, manages to attack a purely conceptual element that prevents Psyber from entering, and break through, bringing both to the other side in a brilliant flash of red. But it seems to have exhausted the blade. "Right. Gauntlet is a little easier for me." It says, audibly "breathing" heavily from the exertion.

Mizuki (183) has posed:
    By now, 'Mizuki' - or, rather, something that looks like her perfect replica - would appear beside Arthur. It's unclear where they are, exactly, and it's likely too foggy for Arthur to tell. All he can say for certain is that something smells very... crispy. An awful lot like burnt Prospitian, in fact. A pretty specific smell to recognize straight away, sure, but he's probably well enough acquainted with it to know it when he sniffs it.

    A closer analysis would reveal the telltale checkered groundwork of Skaia. Craters are strewn about where meteors have chewed deep into the Earth, though most of them do not seem to be burning any longer. All is still and quiet in spite of the many dead strewn about, and it's very probable to suggest that Arthur and the Warden - Mizuki's twin - are the only ones still conscious down there.

    "How long are you going to sleep?" She would tilt her head at him. "Come, come. There's still so very much to see. I know we've an eternity for sightseeing, but I've only such a precious little time to guide you on your way."

Arthur Lowell has posed:
    Arthur Lowell startles "awake" in a sense. He was nodding off, sitting in front of that funny little iguana-shaped laptop. He looks up, and around at the world around them, remembering this as one of the many dream bubbles. "Huh? Oh. Well hey, sure." Arthur never met Mizuki before coming here, at least in his own memory right now, but the appearance is a trustworthy one to him. The scorched surface of Skaia is an unpleasant memory, but one Arthur won't distance himself from.

    "Sorry. Just lost track of time I guess." He says. As usual, since coming here, he's lost his trademark BRASH BOLDNESS to every other word. "What're we gonna go see?" He doesn't question what she's said about the time they have left, since, after all, time passes weirdly out here in Paradox Space.

Elliana Fairchild (92) has posed:
    The amulet has a point. Elliana glances down, then looks at the dream bubbles going by. Finally, she hits upon a solution when the snake at her shoulder says in a crisp, assertive voice, "Yo."

    Elliana gestures, and Wrathborn slides from her body and floats over... to head over to and wrap around Psyber, if he allows. "Wrathborn, go with Psyber. I am going to peek in here. I should be able to catch up shortly, if you are with them."

    Elliana herself just steps into one of the dream bubbles, while Wrathborn tries to coil around Psyber and flick his tongue. "I suppose it's good that she's showing curiosity, eh?"

Mizuki (183) has posed:
    "Well," The Warden would begin, "you've been here for so long already, and yet you haven't so much as peeked at the person whom your wish saved. Would you like to see your friends? See how they've faired without you? It may be very enlightening." She would offer him her hand, and a small smile. "Ah, and I believe she is quite cross about your sparse communications. You might consider using that laptop of yours to say hello again at some point. Just to avoid any nasty feelings of abandonment."

    At this point, she would have opened a rift peering in at a separate section of Afterus. It's a plain with the backdrop of a deep blue sky. The only things to put a damper on the picturesque atmosphere are more of those turtles, but these seem to be... sunbathing? Well, yes. They have sunglasses, mirrors, the whole nine yards. The images are pretty obtrusive, but at least they aren't running around and being stupid like they could be.

    No iguanas, though. There haven't been any iguanas in all the time he's been here save for the one on that laptop.

Riva Banari has posed:
Riva seems to have forgotten that Fenestra is a mute telepath. This is a thing she will need to recall in the future. The voice in her head makes her wince slightly, but oddly enough, she seems to be used to hearing voices in her head.

Damn Bees.

"Oh good. That makes this simpler. I was wondering if I would have to lock it down some more." She turns and grabs a chair and scoots it over to the table, sitting down at it and folding her hands before her for a moment politely as she looks upon the book with a somewhat cattish smile. "Plan A." She states, and then reaches out to the book. "Knock knock." She says, straight up knocking on the cover. "Hey. I know you're in there. No, not the other people you've got inside you. You. Yeah, you. The Wizardess of Oz. The Woman Behind The Curtain. Can you hear me?"

She has no idea if this is going to work, but hey, it's Plan A.

Herbert West (274) has posed:
One would think a robot would be good with computers. That would be only half right, where Elsa is concerned. The robot girl almost walks right by the computer, but she does need to look for clues. "A CLUE!" No Robo? Well, she doesn't do it all the time. Absently trying to shove the little turtles aside, she eyes the console and rubs her chin as if deep in thought. This takes several minutes.

At last Elsa leans over and starts to type. Maybe this person has some information! Should be simple, right?

    > Hello. Have you seen darling Arthur? We are looking for him, robo.

Mizuki (183) has posed:
    Fenestra would shoot Riva a -very- quizzical look. Knocking on the book might not have been the worst plan, but even in a world characterized by mass hysteria and mania it seems that treating a book like a door could be considered a bit... silly? Yes, that would be a word. Still, she leaves for a long silence just in case she does receive some manner of reply, and...

    ... eventually, she does. It isn't a voice, though, but a wiggle. The book thrashes forward at Riva as if attempting to angrily push her away. Spunky! Or maybe it just has a bone to pick. It may even have it's own will separate from the Warden's! Heck, it may be the Warden's Pure!

    ... but probably not.

Arthur Lowell has posed:
    What Elliana encounters is unusual!

    Her innate understanding of dream mechanics and dreamspace will make her understand that this is a MEMORY BUBBLE, a dream-construct primarily created as a recreation of a person's memories part-for-part. it is also, bafflingly, not ARTHUR'S dream-bubble. It appears to belong to someone else entirely. Their spiritual signature has a bit of a sizzling white purity to it, leaves a bad taste in the mouth.

    This is a memory of the HADOU ESTATE, which establishes it in the relative memory-timeline as post-Sburb, at least. Psyber, Ariel, Al Azif, Herbert West, Elsa, Amalthea, Staren, Ruri and her staff, and Lila are all here. Arthur Lowell is not. There is an odd girl with a sort of dark brownish hair, with thin cheeks and a very unremarkable body, dressed in vaguely godly robes of white and yellow.

    Psyber and Elsa are fussing at her about something.

Psyber (253) has posed:
    Psyber doesn't STOP Wrathborn from wrapping around him and hanging out, but he is surprised by the gesture. He didn't think Elliana would allow the Shajem out of her sight, nor did he realize they were capable of diverging like this. But it is a dreamscape, so he guesses it makes sense.

    "And an altruistic curiosity, no less," Psyber remarks, floating along with Wrathborn as he approaches Afterus, "I certainly won't reject someone to fill in for Nathan and counter-weight my smashy approach to problems," He remarks to the snake.

    "Oh god, Consorts." Psyber blurts as he spots the turtles. He kicks a few turtles, "Get out of the way. Move. Grok grok or whatever dumbass thing the turtle version says. Here, go fetch," Psyber says, taking a large squeaking ball out of his jacket and squeezing it a few times before throwing it, hoping they'll get distracted.

    Either way, after wading through a sufficient amount of dumb amphibian and/or reptile, Psyber watches over Elsa's shoulder as she types to see the outcome, "That's some smooth detective work, Elsa."

Mizuki (183) has posed:
    The turtles edge out of the way at Elsa's approach, but they do not spare her copious moments of googly-eyed staring. All of them would train their eyes upon her as though they were the pod people in the cult classic INVASION OF THE BODYSNATCHERS. Ah! And one of them even raises their hand to point at her...

    ... or, rather, to point at the screen. It seems she's receied some manner of reply:

> Arthur!!!
>Oh my God we have to stop doing this weird pestertag thing! XO XO XO
>Wait
>ARTHUR WOULD NEVER SAY DARLING!
>Who are you and what have you done with my friend??
>Is this some sort of murder mystery? Are you going to hold me at ransom for ONE MILLION DOLLARS?
>Just kidding haha but seriously I haven't seen him :(
>He's been missing for a year now but I got this mysterious chat message from him a few days ago. And then he mysteriously stopped talking again! X(
>I don't know where he is but when we do he is totally gonna get a piece of my mind :/

Mizuki (183) has posed:
    Meanwhile, large numbers of the turtle consorts would dash off in hot pursuit of Psyber's ball. But one more steadfast consort would remain by the computer, staring deeply into the manifest of the guardian angel's soul.

    It slowly, knowingly, and absently licks its lips.

Arthur Lowell has posed:
    "...I don't want to intrude." Arthur says, casting his eyes down. "Other people got to properly earn the good ending of all this, I shouldn't mooch off their rewards or anything. I'm fine just watching from a distance at a couple people. You know how it is." He follows with a bit more of a happy posture as he reminds himself of things.

    He walks out onto Afterus. "Heheheheh. Heya, lil' guys. Doing some basking? These guys are cute. Never did get to take much of a look at Val's planet, actually, you know?" He wanders forward. "Just as long as she doesn't see me or anything." He says. "I don't wanna run her through the whole stressed-out rigmarole about this, you know? Let her stick to her happy ending and all that. So what's she doing? She sounded alright last I read." He continues following!

Riva Banari has posed:
Riva is a silly person. The knock was to get theit attention though, not expect it to open up.

Riva was not, however, expecting the book to wiggle back at her. And then push her back. "Hey!" She says as she gets pushed. "Well, I guess that's going to be a thing. Look, I know you want me to just butt out but you're going to need to just /sit down and deal/."

There is a sudden glint in her eyes as she stands up and stares intently at the book. "After all, that's what you do to everyone else right? They all sit down and deal. But we're not going to have a constructive dialogue like this."

She reaches into her coat and pulls out a sheaf of paper and an ink-pen. She taps it against her bottom lip for a moment, and then writes on it in the corner: 'Hi.'

She then reaches out for the book, trying to grip the resistant thing firmly, and stand it vertical. "Hold still for a second." She admonishes the book, and then attempts to slide the paper into the book. "The paper inside the book is all part of the stort, right? And they can write anything they want. Maybe if I can find a way to make something safely part of the book by putting it inside, and then remove it, we can talk instead of just getting wiggled at and pushed around."

Herbert West (274) has posed:
"Elsa has engaged detective routines, robo." She's staring hard at the screen though, and it almost seems like she's going to start yelling about who this strange person is and what relation they have with Arthur. But no, she seems more focused now, and nods at Psyber for his role in keeping the Consorts away.

    > Elsa is looking for Arthur. What did he say?

Psyber (253) has posed:
    Psyber takes a step back and away from that Consort as it stares at him, "What. What the fuck do you want? Stop that. Stop staring."

Mizuki (183) has posed:
    "She's looking for you." No, The Warden isn't going to spare his feelings here. Something about the last visit seems to have made her a bit more honest. "She's been looking for you for a multitude of years now. All your other friends have moved on. In a way, she has too -- she is not bound by the past or any such thing, but every month she will check pesterchum just to see if, perhaps, you have said something. When she finally saw that you did, I can only imagine what she must have felt. Elation of a very profound variety, no doubt. Even in this reality, you still have a presence whether you mean to or not."

    No sooner has she said this, though, than has she set a hand to rest on the boy's shoulder to effectively 'remove' his presence. "Though believe me," She would nod her head in understanding, "I know what it's like to wish to be an observer. We live in worlds where we may alter the fates of thousands with but the flick of a finger. An opportunity to have none of that responsibility can be a great gift." She would continue to walk until a beach comes into view. Several more turtles are there, but these aren't sunbathing. Rather, they're leaned against the shoulders of a girl with messy, wiry black hair and a rather modest physique. This would likely need no further explanation whatosever.

    "But it can be a curse, too. Occasionally you'll have a moment when you wish you could reach out, wipe someone's tears, embrace them..." She would slowly close her fists with her words. "... but alas, there is naught that you can do. It is a horrible melancholy, that existence. You intentions are noble, perhaps, but never forget that, sometimes, the kindest of meanings can breed the harshest of consequences." She would gently tilt her gaze in his direction, "Especially when you are, in fact, central to the story without your awareness."

Elliana Fairchild (92) has posed:
    Wrathborn sighs, "I hope you are right, and that is what it is." That's an odd thing for the snake to say, but he sounds a little morose right now. "You're on your own with the turtles, I'm afraid. Unless Elliana lends me more power, I can't really manifest much beyond this."

    Speaking of Elliana, she's unsure what she's seeing here, because she wasn't all that involved in the actual specifics of this. Peripherally, she knows most of these people through Heaven or Hell or her own personal acquaintance. What they are here for, she has no idea. "Hmn. Well." It's a memory bubble, maybe this will help. Elliana sidles up toward Psyber and Elsa, to try to get a better idea of what they're talking about. Her instictive understanding of dreams can tell her it's a memory, but she does not yet know if they'll react to her.

Mizuki (183) has posed:
    More messages would turn up on pesterchum for Elsa:

>I said it was stupid how he died and he was all like
>'Yeah, haha, I guess it was'
>He wasn't doing the usual BIG, COOL words thing so it actually made me worry a little :(
>I hate how he feels like he has to do that but it's like
>The only time he doesn't is when he's actually upset :/
>You know what I mean? >.>;
>But I don't really know more than that sorry :( I'm in my land right now

>I guess you could poke around LOSAF if you wanted? :O But I've already done that a bunch already...

Psyber (253) has posed:
    "LOSAF, huh." Psyber says, before immediately saying to Elsa (and Wrathborn), "Land of Spires and Frogs. The Sburb deathgame world Arthur operated out of. It's not a bad idea to start with," Psyber agrees, rubbing under his chin ith a hand.

    "I wish you could manifest a bit more and just eat that creepy one," Psyber says to Wrathborn, edging away from the staring creature a bit.

    "Hey Elsa, why don't you pick up the laptop and take it with us?"

Mizuki (183) has posed:
    The turtle would just continue to stare at Psyber for a spell, slack-jawed, before eventually tugging on his sleeve and attempting to drag him to a certain destination beyond the crowd. Assuming the he elects to follow it, he would be lead to a plaque beneath a massive statue. They would continue to flick their tongue rhythmically before pointing to the plaque, fixedly. It would read thusly:

    ARTHUR LOWELL

    The COOLEST OF COOL and the ZENITH of ROCKET POWERED JERKERY. This statue will stand forever in honor of his NUCLEAR HEROISM.

    Beneath this, Fiora, Summer, and a 'Valentine Turner' would have signed their names. Each would have left their personal message in their preferred color and with all the same speech quirks that they would use on pesterchum. Valetine's specifically, would read:

    I know you're out there somewhere, Arthur! One of these days I'll find you chilling with your Iguanas somewhere on this big stupid orb and I'll never let you run away like this again! XO

Arthur Lowell has posed:
    Elliana seems to fit, very roughly, into the dream-bubble's logic. Psyber does react to her, giving her his traditional casually encouraging greetings, and goes back to fussing over what he refers to as his "time daughter", calling her "Val". It looks like this is some kind of celebratory icecream event for something Ariel and Al Azif did. Elsa considers Elliana long enough to determine her to not be a rival and goes back to fussing with the mysterious girl. Amalthea and all the others give their traditionally lightly cautious but overall rather friendly greetings and socialization, of course.

    This isn't the important part. The most important part is that this person seems to know Elliana. She's also very expressive. "Heya!" :D "Glad you could make it Elliana!" :) "How's your stuff been? I heard there was some big thing about a general?" :O "I hope it went well!" ^_^

    The relatively high resolution of this interaction seems to indicate that she's the owner of this Memory Bubble. She appears to be a member of Heaven or Hell, judging by how Psyber treats her and by how she knows Elliana just about as well as Elliana and Arthur know each other, which is to say, vaguely and somewhat distantly. Oddly, Elsa appears to have targeted her as well. She doesn't look the least bit like Arthur, though, wearing completely different colors and with completely different mannerisms.

Herbert West (274) has posed:
Well that is concerning. Elsa glances over her shoulder. She quickly types:

    > Arthur is alive. Elsa will find him, robo! Who can Elsa say is waiting?

Having reassured the mysterious person that everything is okay, Elsa straightens... and yeah, that's a good idea. She grabs the laptop, tucks it under her arm, and then looks up toward Psyber. "Then we go that way! Elsa is ready to fight increasingly difficult enemies before reaching the correct fortress, robo!"

Mizuki (183) has posed:
    It's no small feat to get that book to say still, and even for someone like Riva it would likely seem a bit like wrangling with a particularly obstinate bear. The thing would push, and shove, and flail, and put up all manner of violent resistance before finally caving and allowing the paper slip to fall inside its pages.

    MEANWHILE, inside the book, Elsa would likely feel a tug at her sleeve. Another consort holds out the very same paper to her, waving it around like an impatient mail carrier until she either takes it or otherwise gets it out of his hands. Ah... wait. This one isn't just -LIKE- a mail carrier -- it is one! That's to say, it's wearing the official mail carrier cap and everything. Apparently some of these things have genuine occupations!

    Back with Riva again, a small row of lights a bit like an upside down Aurora Borealis would sneak out of its pages. These lights fade over time, but it's likely enough to let her know that she had accomplished /something/. Even if what that something was is horribly unclear.

Arthur Lowell has posed:
    "It's not about responsibility." Arthur says, hanging his head a bit. "It's about what I deserve and what other people deserve." He leans a bit into he hand pressed against his shoulder, preferring to feel the presence removed just slightly more. "She earned what she got. Why should I go mooch off her? I don't deserve any of that, she should get to have as much of it as she can. Otherwise all that happens is she'll try to find me, and have me share it."

    He walks over the beach, the shoes and socks of his god-tier robes abruptly disappearing to let him feel the sand. "Mmmnh. She's like that. Generous. But I don't deserve it." He's going to continue following, until the pair comes to a stop, but he's just gonna watch if he can help it, just to see that she's OK.

Herbert West (274) has posed:
Elsa eyes the paper.

Elsa takes the paper.

Elsa reads the paper.

Elsa scribbles on the paper: 'Hello, robo.'

Elsa hands the paper back to the courior.

Riva Banari has posed:
Riva probably looks excessively silly as she wrestles with the book. "God dammit, you're supposed to be a book of heaven, not the goddamn Necromomicon!" She yells, getting yanked around in a very Campbell-esque manner. It is quite probably making a mess, but Riva is paying enough attention to keep the book away from the fire for now.

For now.

"God dammit, I just... Want... TO TALK!" She hisses, pushing the paper inside.

Finally, there is some shiny lights. "Ooooh. Shiny." She says.

She tries to keep the book in a bearhug at the moment, waiting for a minute before trying to pull the paper back out. Or maybe remove it and see if she got a response from the Warden or something.

Mizuki (183) has posed:
    "Perhaps you don't." The Warden would fix her gaze on the ocean. Valerie would slowly close her laptop after some time not receiving a response, fold her arms over its lid, and rest her face in-between them. She's... resting? Sleeping? Crying? It's hard to tell from where he's standing, probably, but from the infinitesimal glance he was able to steal she looked as though as was on the verge of tears. The Warden would be standing very nearly to her immediately left, though somehow she would not be noticed in any capacity. Rather, she would only continue speaking.

    "But is there really any objective measure of 'deserving' or 'undeserving'? Perhaps in this universe, she made as many mistakes as you. Perhaps in this universe, you died protecting her." She would pause a moment, folding her arms behind her back. "But regardless of all of this, by what metric do you judge your worth? You each played the hands you were dealt. Contributed how you could. She might have seemed selfless to you, but even that," She would look to him exactly, "is a preconception born within your own mind. Consider that it may not be up to you to decide your 'worth'. After all," She would smirk, "it seems a bit ironic that you could have such faith in your assessment of your own person if you were truly so inconsequential."

    She would let those words carry for a while, allowing the conversation to yield to the ebb and flow of the ocean. Eventually, 'Val' would raise her gaze to the ocean, idly patting one of the consorts beside her. Only then would The Warden again look to her and say, "There are times when angels may come to love demons. And at those times, sometimes the most noble thing one can do is to consider the feelings of the angel," She would look to Arthur again, pointedly, "over what they believe the feelings of that angel to be."

Elliana Fairchild (92) has posed:
    Hmm. "The matter has been resolved, thank you for your concern. Though I am wondering why the celebration?" Something about this is VERY familiar. She didn't really intend to linger here long, but this seems to be important. "You seem pleased with yourself. Do not mind me, I am only here to... deliver some news to Psyber."

Mizuki (183) has posed:
    The courier, telegram in hand, would give an awkward salute with its hand before waddling off to a nearby post office. There, it is sent into a pneumatic tube which, though some quite supernatural mechanism, would send the message back to Riva. A paper would come flying out of the top of the book like a piece of toast from a toaster oven when it's finished... well. Toasting! Suddenly, the earlier offering of fluffy bread product may actually seem to have some relevance, especially considering the apparent source of the message -- the speech quirk likely leaves very little the imagination.

    LOSAF, for its part, would be found somewhere to the right once they return to space. It's hard to tell from space, but when one gets in close, it could easily be called... well, dreary. Many of the mighty spires dotting the landscape have been broken into halves, and where the water is shallow enough the debris will sometimes peek out of the water. Likewise, the bridges the used to connect these spires have fallen into states of phenomenal disrepair. There is not a single iguana in sight, and there's a definite presence of finality. That's to say, it feels like there was a war here. A war that had no conclusive victor, but many definite losers.

    Atop one of the spires near the entrance, though, one might find something akin to an encampment. A small, pink-patterned blanket is lain out there, several plush animals gathered around a picnic basket that has apparently been done up to serve as their bed. A telescope lies at the edge of this impromptu observation post, though it is pointed at the planet rather than the stars. In all likelihood, the 'Val' person was using this as a lookout post of some variety.

    And speaking of her, it doesn't seem like she's sent a message in a while. Or there haven't been many pesterchum beeps, at least.

Mizuki (183) has posed:
    It is also worth noting that, with how she is currently handling the book, the emerging note is likely to smack Riva square in the nose.

    Didn't wanna forget that.

Arthur Lowell has posed:
    Arthur Lowell watches Valentine Turner grapple with the same inarticulable grief he distantly remembers, though he can't exactly recall why he remembers it.

    "What do you... What do you mean 'this universe'?" He gives her an uneasy, uncomfortable look. He shakes his head, feeling like he shouldn't think about it. "It doesn't matter. What's done is done. Trying to... Trying to set things right is just gonna be pain for both of us. Maybe I'm not qualified to judge but I'm the only judge I got." He shudders a bit, unhappily. "She'll be 'happier'. But it won't be better for her. I exited the stage. Hanging around is just going to mess up the story."

    "Besides, remember, I'm dead. Was anyone ever happier 'cause of being haunted by a ghost?" Arthur gives a half-hearted laugh to his own joke and wraps his own arms around himself in a self-comforting gesture. "Lady, who are you anyway? A friend of Val's? She deserves them more than me, you don't need tp push yourself to do things like this."

Psyber (253) has posed:
    "Wow, this is a depressing LOSAF. Wow," Psyber comments, hands going to his pockets as he and Elsa arrive via whatever means of flight or locomotion occurred. The half-angel scowls a bit and says, "I'm not fully sure how to proceed. We could sequence break and crack the planet, hope that disrupts the dream scape enough to cause an effect. Or we can poke around some."

    "If DL were here, he'd probably recommend whatever method circumvented as much as possible. If there's a clue, it's going to stand out garrishly, I'd think. What do you think here, Elsa?" Psyber brings a hand out of his pocket to rub at the back of his head.

    He wanders over to check out that telescope and see if it was looking at anything specific.

Arthur Lowell has posed:
    "Good to hear!" :D "Ruri invited us to an ice-cream party to celebrate my time-cousin Ariel finishing Al Azif!" :O "She's a magical book or something. I'm gonna be honest, I haven't been paying a lot of attention." <_<; "But I helped out and we all got things dealt with!" :D "Psyber would know more, I was mostly here to help him, since he helped me out so so so much in Sburb" >_< "Especially right at the end there. You can ask him when you talk to him!" :D "He was huge help back then and he's probably being a huge help now!"

    When Elliana goes to talk to Psyber, it's more weird "low-resolution" interactions. She gets to deliver her "news", of course, with minimal issue. She can leave now, or keep on going and hassling these weird dream-shades!

Riva Banari has posed:
You know, she should have expected that. The page smacks her squarein the nose, and the surprise makes her let go of the book. "WAAAAAAGH!" She yells, but she does grab the page and opens it up, reading it.

She frowns...

But then she ponders, tapping it at the side of her head.

"Well, it's worth a shot." She says, and stands up, heading back to the table. She sets the book down and lets go, letting it sit there and do its thing while she gets out the pen and begins scribbling something.

Something long. She stops several times, staring at the page with intensity, and then sets back to writing furiously.

When she's done, she folds the page up.

And then she folds another paper in a precise manner, creating an envelope to put it in.

She then writes, 'TO THE WARDEN' on it. All she can do is hope Elsa isn't in the mood to read other people's mail.

She stands, holding the envelope, and looks over at the book.

"You've got mail." she comments, probably having to chase the book and wrestle with it again in order to stuff the letter into the book.

Herbert West (274) has posed:
Elsa may think weirdly, but she is not stupid. The blanket and effects are obviously important to this little delusion, and she's getting the idea of such. So she drops the laptop on there, scoops everything else onto the blanket, then rolls it all up and grabs a stick of some sort(probably a tewer shaft) and ties the blanket to the end. Hooking it over her shoulder, she leaves only the telescope for now.

"Elsa says we should take this and go to where the telescope points, hobo."

Mizuki (183) has posed:
    "I mean only what I said, Arthur." She would keep her gaze on him for the moment. "You should know better than most how variable these things are, and how many parallel occurrences can exist in tandem. You should also know that, with as foggy as your thoughts happen to be, this reality could just as easily be a part of a doomed timeline as it could be the primary one." She would look at him... sadly, for a moment. "This world is only your reality if you wish for it to be. This world exists because of your guilt, your grief, and, hard as it may be to hear," She would point a single, rigid finger at his chest, "your desires. Not Valentine's, and not anyone else's. Yours." She would gradually lower her finger, returning her arms to their place behind her back. "You may interpret this however you will, but know that these words are the truth. Unequivocally."

    To his next words, she would simply return with another question. "Have you ever heard the saying 'they're watching over me', said in reference to a departed loved one?" She would pause a few moments. "Many people derive comfort in knowing that they have a spiritual guardian. In fact, in some other continuum, perhaps this is how Val would be related to you. Perhaps she would cheer for you every time you drew your broom. Perhaps, at the World Martial Arts Tournament," Another phrase that may ring some bells, "she yet lingers in some seemingly empty row with her consorts. She would be happy watching you through these things, I'm sure, but not in watching you berate yourself."

    She would turn around fully, now. "How might she put it...? I believe she would want you to 'quit moping and actually try to do something different instead of being a dumb brat about it'. If you feel you are unworthy and you have an opportunity to make yourself so, it not only harms your sense of self to not take that opportunity, but also the spirit of all those who lay their faith in you. And even if you are but a phantom, there are many who are invested in your well-being at this very moment. People who would see that you have these opportunities, and who would urge you to take them. For you are not going to honor Valentine's memory by wishing she your situations were reversed, but by immortalizing her through the good your hands are capable of bringing into this world."

    But! She's made him wait long enough for the last thing. "I am but a reflection of your desires, or, to be more precise, the reflection of one who wants you to fulfill your desires in a way that will leave you happy. Truly happy -- satisfied with yourself. Self-actualized. And even in my blindness, even in my own delusion, I can see: this is not a Heaven. This is a funeral hymn that has written itself and played continually for too many years hence."

    Something about the exact way in which she said the word Heaven was particularly odd.

Elliana Fairchild (92) has posed:
    Wrathborn sighs, "That girl ain't right." Looks like even away from Elliana, he's keeping that weird personality he's developwed. The snake slithers along Psyber's arm and over to his other shoulder, tongue flicking out. "She's probably right. Psyber, what do your sharp Angel Eyes see?"

    Elliana meanwhile will be rejoining shortly. "I see..." She smiles to Val and turns around. "If you will excuse me..." She's heading right for the exit, because screw hanging around with these dream buddies. This place is rather oppressive for her, thanks to the vague holy nature of it. She's going to be sore for days, if she doesn't leave now.

Mizuki (183) has posed:
    The book is actually strangely receptive to the mail this time. It accepts it with little more than a dejected incline of its peak, sending it to the mail courier, who soon appears beside Elsa. How? Well, balloon travel! As in, the same courier from before is literally floating through the use of at least thirty different, rather vividly colored balloons that clash horribly with the atmosphere on LOSAF. They would offer the envelope to her before pointing to the telescope... which Psyber is apparently already looking out of.

    The courier would float into the aperture of the telescope, likely so close on its first attempt that its eye would be all that the paranormal investigator could see. Soon, though, it would back away, indicating a distant island -- a tiny oval housing no more than a single palm tree -- on the horizon. The hints probably aren't going to get any more overt than that, and the consort appears to think so too as they begin their looong flight back to Afterus immediately after they are sure the angel gets their drift.

    Now, they could be good little boys and girls ignore the envelope... or they could open it. Whatever works. Its sender would likely be very appreciative if the former option were chosen, but meh.

Arthur Lowell has posed:
    Exiting the memory bubble is as easy as it was to enter it, just walk away and willpower yourself out of it.

    Well that was unpleasant. Elliana may cough up some weird white smoke after she gets out of the book of heaven. In the meantime, she can get more data out of other nearby bubbles -- able to distinguish now between those formed from the memories of this 'Val' and those that are from others -- or she could move on and follow Psyber and Elsa herself easily.

Psyber (253) has posed:
    "MOVE OUT OF THE WAY OF THE FUCKING TELESCOPE!" Psyber bellows at the courier the first time he moves in front of it and utterly blocks the half-angel's view. Psyber is SO tired of consorts. He had figured he would be done with them after Sburb, but no. They plague his life even now, "It's that shit with the Nakkadiles all over again, I swear."

    "It's pointing at an island. We should head that way, I agree," Psyber says along with Elsa. It also lets him answer Wrathborn, though Psyber also gives the nightmare snake a faint shrug, "What's weird is that her style of handling this place is almost exactly what I did and it got me the most optimal results. Anything based off Sburb encourages you to just wing it all the way."

    He reaches up with a hand to pet the snake. Or if he can't touch Wrathborn, at least make a gesture of petting, "Still. Wonder what's out there. We should get moving, it's pretty far off."

Herbert West (274) has posed:
Elsa receives a letter! She holds it up, shakes it, and then looks at the writing on the front. Does she understand? Will she read it? She stares... "Processing. Error, recipient unknown. Delivery error?" At least she isn't opening it. Instead, she flips the letter around and tucks it into Heart-On-Sleeve's breast pocket for safekeeping.

Elliana Fairchild (92) has posed:
    Elliana coughs a little, then brushes herself off... even though the mild burns she has gained aren't something she can brush off. "I really dislike that sort of setting. Well, I think I know what this is about, knowing what little I know of matters." She concentrates, teleporting herself to where Wrathborn is. That is not normally something she can do, so there's some dream warpage to be expected here.

    So Elliana pops in just in time to see and hear Wrathborn remark, "Wow, you really have a hate on for those little guys." He chuckles, then flicks his tongue into Psyber's ear just for laughs before slithering over to wrap around Elliana again.

    Elliana states, "This Val person seems very important to this place. Pleasant enough girl, though... had an odd way of speaking."

Mizuki (183) has posed:
    Elliana would likely be able to communicate with Wrathborn to find her way to LOSAF, and subsequently to the same locale as Psyber and Elsa. There they would find exactly what it appeared they would: an island, filled to the brim with nothing, sand, a tree, a few flecks a grass, and a whole lot more nothing. However, upon closer inspection, there's one other thing of consequence that is likely to draw rather vehement feelings of hatred from Psyber: an iguana.

    All of the iguanas in the world died, but Psyber is apparently meeting the very last one.

    And it has its head in the ground.

    No, literally -- it has its head buried deep in a hole beneath the lone palm tree resting on the island. It would hold that position, occasionally fluttering its spindly little arms as the only indication that it's actually still alive. This bizarre scene would likely perpetuate just long enough for them to decide that this had all been either a ploy by the consorts, a wasted trip, or far more feasibly, both, which would serve as the World's Last Iguana's cue. It would draw its head out of the sand as beautiful locks of platinum blond hair arc around its body, and something that could only be identified as a drain stopper dangles from its nonexistent teeth. It would waddle over and drop said drain clog at Psyber's feet as a steadily growing sinkhole would draw in the palm tree, all the grass, and really most of the center of the island.

    Still, there's enough land left over after all this for the heroes of the piece to remain standing, and for the Iguana to persist in its antics. It would only begin spazzing, its legs beating with transcendental quickness against an unseen treadmill, -after- half the island had fallen into oblivion, pointing its tiny fingers at... something in the center of the island. Apparently, it's another pneumatic tube.

    The iguana would continue its mad convulsions with purpose, as if it were coaxing those present to do something. Hopefully they would know what that 'something' is.

Arthur Lowell has posed:
    Arthur keeps a somber posture. "Sure, maybe it was doomed. I don't... I met enough doomed versions of me. They were at peace. I'm at peace. But I don't know what me wishing for anything has to do with it." The rest of the Warden's words get a troubled look though. An uneasy one. "...I don't understand. I never... Was at the WMAT. She couldn't have..." It's pushing into his mind. Unfortunately, Arthur's rejecting it. It's gonna take something a little heavier, it looks like, strong words from Arthur's good friends most likely. This is... Wearing him down, though. Stressing him, a great deal.

    "Well what else could I want?! What kinda guy just sees..." He gestures at Val helplessly. "The stuff she's got, and goes, 'man, you know, I wish I had that instead'? She deserves it. Maybe the weird arbitrary demands of the alpha timeline say someone else does, but I think she does, and she doesn't deserve mooching from me. Much less... Some kinda swap. The kinda swap I'm sure she'd want, 'cause she's too damn nice for her own good." He shakes his head. "I did things. I did what I had my chance to do. I did what would make the world right."

    Gonna need a hefty bit of extra oomph to push him out of this awful self-defeating psychological rut, that's for sure.

Psyber (253) has posed:
    "Ack!" Psyber blurts out as Wrathborn flicks his tongue in his ear, "Augh. Bro, don't make this dynamic weird." Psyber rubs at his ear with his palm before watching the snake return to its rightful place.

    "The Consorts are idiots all, and this is..." Psyber waves a hand at the Consort having its head in the ground, "Just evidence of that." He watches the drain clog it dropped at his feet.

    "I guess there's some hair on the head of the iguana who should be dead with his top around the stop for the drain in the terrain to the bottom of the sea," Psyber says, being both factual and Sesame Street Referential. A powerful two-some.

    "I guess we go into the hole?"

Mizuki (183) has posed:
    It might not be enough to lift Arthur out of his rut, but somewhere in the distance, he might just notice a bizarre... whistling sound. Then he would hear grains of sand rustling, and might even notice some flecks of the stuff falling through his incorporeal appendages. The Warden would watch this phenomenon with the same, stoic expression she had maintained the whole night long, even when a tree comes flying out and arcs into the ocean beyond. Once the onslaught of mixed sediments completes its journey outwards, The Warden would walk over, peering into the hole.

    Unlike a certain someone, she keeps her face out of the line of fire.

Riva Banari has posed:
Riva got to deliver the letter easily. She admits, she was kind of surprised.

At the moment though, it's all she can to to wait. She pats the book comfortingly at least. It's clear there's a sapience within it... Her eyes draw towards that candle, wondering if it's already too late. Could it have eaten them all already? Surely not Mizuki too...

She furrows her brow. How long is too long? She fidgers nervously.

Herbert West (274) has posed:
Plug. Tube. Plug in tube. Easy enough. Elsa turns to Psyber, reaches down, and snags the plug. "We should just go, robo!" Elsa is in quite the hurry, so she has no problem with just... you know. Jumping in. If that's what it takes. Worst comes to worst, she'll just plug the hole manually.

A better result would be actually getting somewhere. Most likely she'll just get her foot stuck or something, because she really didn't think this through.

Mizuki (183) has posed:
    Even the iguana doesn't quite know how to react when Elsa... well. Tries to jump headlong into a tube that's probably a quarter of the diameter of her head in width. Only, out of nowhere, the thing increases its size! That would explain how it swallowed a whole tree, at least. As soon as it grows it's more than large enough to accommodate her travel, and the sojourn of the iguana that follows. The thing would steadily begin to shrink again once they've gone through, but everyone should have the time necessary to make the jump before it closes back up.

    Anyone who goes inside would find themselves on the same beach as Arthur, The Warden, and Val, though they would likely only see the latter two. Riva's letter might find its way free of Elsa's hands somewhere on this journey, making it free to float in The Warden's hands. She would quickly tear it open, glancing over its contents while the rest of the group gets their bearings, and the Final Iguana makes more frantic gestures in reference to a very invisible Arthur.

    The Warden's reaction to the letter would likely be somewhat... unprecedented. She would promptly lower it from her gaze when she finishes to regard the rest of the group more fully. "You may tell Miss Banari that I've no interest whatsoever in keeping Arthur here. I agree, you know -- his heaven is to be found elsewhere. There is very little I can give him that you all do not already, which is a commonality I have begun to see in many of your stories. Because Mizuki entered the book again, I was able to offer him some last words of advice, but that was all I had intended. Now, though..." She would turn to face the shoreline, "... the final decision of whether he will come or go rests with him. Will he return to you? Or will he remain here as a phantom?" She would look to the stars, now, closing her eyes in reverence. "Truly, I could see the mirth in either one. And this is precisely why I leave it to is discretion. I, too, am curious to see whether he seeks peace... or prosperity."

    As if speaking to the wind, she would continue "There is no right or wrong choice, Arthur. But I would be curious to hear if some of your friends have any input."

Psyber (253) has posed:
    Psyber jumps into the hole and comes out the other end, winding up on a beach.

    "Input?" Psyber says, staring down the Warden with a pretty blank look on his face. A crumpled pack of cigarettes is produced and Psyber shrugs a bit, putting one in his mouth and lighting it, "I dunno what input you want me to give. Anything I have to say is going to be..."

    Psyber assesses the current contents of the room. Elliana and Elsa are both here, so that's two. Three if we count Wrathborn. Four if Riva can observe what is happening from her external point. Of those four, three people's opinions are weighted enough so as to carry a level of impact to Psyber that he does not wish to change.

    Psyber shakes his head, "I won't give my input or opinion unless explicitly solicited after this warning: My opinion is not nice and will not be popular. I will keep it to myself unless sufficiently provoked into sharing."

Herbert West (274) has posed:
THUD! Elsa isn't intent on keeping the letter... it was after all in her pocket. She picks herself up and dusts herself off, carefully arranging Heart-On-Sleeve to be more presentable. She has no ability to see Arthur, so isn't sure he's there at all! She just hears a lot of talk about it. So it's time for her to make a speech!

"Elsa has come for Darling, robo! Elsa misses Darling Arthur, and Elsa thinks it is not right for Arthur to stay here. Arther's place is next to Elsa-robo... and I guess he also has that god stuff to do too." Well, we know where her priorities are.

Elliana Fairchild (92) has posed:
    "Ugh." Elliana does not like being sucked through tubes, and she also doesn't like being put on the spot. She actually looks like she's put out about having to state her opinion.

    "Having been in just this position, I do know that it isn't easy," she says, sighing heavily. Then she remembers exactly who she's talking to, and takes a more forthright approach. "But really, it's better to just come with us, or else a bunch of awful assholes who turn the place into twisted nightmares by gallivanting about unrestrained will just barge in and ruin it anyway. Trust me, I know this from experience."

Abstractum.Net (347) has posed:
    Adjudicator, Psyber's blade, speaks up briefly, and an intensely mature tone, to Psyber. "A father does what is best for his child. Regardless of what those around him think, they do what is rightfully best. Such is their duty, Psyber." Quick, concise, simple.

    Elsa's Abstractum is actually beginning to grasp the full extent of Elsa's problem with social and emotional vocabulary, and seems to have an uneasy and distressed reaction, but expresses little for the moment. It gives Elsa the room to talk where she needs to here, at least.

Psyber (253) has posed:
    Psyber lets out a slightly annoyed 'tch' noise, mostly because Adjudicator is right. The half-angel shifts his footing and exhales some smoke, gathering his thoughts. He has opinions, they're just not the easiest to phrase, particularly in a crowd populated by people whose opinions matter to him.

    "I have never before held the thought that Arthur Lowell was a coward or a weakling. I understand to no small degree the amount of emotional pain his actions take upon himself and how he suffers with his failures, and often suffers even more with his successes," Psyber calmly notes, keeping his voice town chilled down to such a degree it could figuratively freeze water. His eyes half-narrow and he continues.

    "That said, the existence of this world and his simple acceptance of it is an act of such extreme escapism and cowardice that I find myself wondering if I did not make an incorrect assessment of him," He flicks some ash from his cigarette, taking another drag a moment later and exhaling another cloud of smoke, "Because I find myself so strikingly disappointed in him in this moment."

    He's not done, though. He continues on in that cold tone, "I understand the inherent desire for escapism that all people who have suffered sufficient trauma desire," A sidelong glance is shot at Elliana and Wrathborn. Psyber has to phrase his next part very carefully, "But I find the use of an imagined and pre-generated paradise in lieu of affecting tangible change to be an utter waste of potential."

    His red eyes lock onto the Warden again, "It, in its most basic nature, inherently discredits all the people who have ever suffered for you by telling them that the culminating point of their sacrifice and hard work, that the sum total of your relationship with those around you, is so easily discarded that you would exchange it for a falsehood. By its core nature, it devalues everyone you have known and impacted, because you are trading real people for an imagined world."

    "It is why, despite understanding such a desire, I cannot fully accept it," Psyber flicks his cigarette to the ground and slowly rubs it out under a toe, "I am willing to die for the things I believe in, for the people I believe in, and for those causes I have chosen. To think that those people would trade away all that I, or others, have done for them in order to pains me to my very core, both as a Guardian Angel and as a friend."

    He has one final thing to say. It's not nice, it's not pleasant, but it's a harsh reality and should surprise no one who truly knows the kind of person Psyber is, "If this is truly how Arthur wishes his story to come to an end, he should have died three years ago and not wasted my time and energy."

Mizuki (183) has posed:
    The Warden, for her part, would take a deep breath... and remain entirely silent. Her eyes would close, and though she would continue to smile her same, eternal smile, one could almost sense the world itself retching and convulsing. It's as subtle as a moment long tremor in a city where all have grown used to their weekly occurrence, but it would likely be enough to make most present feel a second of vertigo.

    Still, her expression is illegible. Even as her eyes reopen, there's no telling what Psyber's words might have actually made her feel.

Arthur Lowell has posed:
    Arthur is a little baffled at the sudden rush of sand, followed by a tree. He squints, confused. He's never seen anything like that before, in either his real memory or his faked-up memories. The sudden emergence of Psyber, Elsa, and Elliana gets a wide-eyed look. There's a faltering moment when he feels like he should flee again and go to some other Dream Bubble.

    But, no, he's not even in one right now. The mention of Riva -- WHY does he know that name? He certainly didn't meet her before dying in Sburb -- gets things rolling very harshly. Elsa's initial push here is something he can understand. As one who is constantly avoiding full emotional expression, this hits him a bit. Elliana's not well-known, but a bit of practicality goes a long way.

    Psyber's tearing down of his fragile emotional scaffolding has an effect. Were it not for the fact that he is invisible, the effect would be rather visible. Arthur seems to become extremely sick with a profound sort of misery. It's not entirely clear if Psyber is convincing him to leave by reminding him of ideals, or making him leave by turning the entire experience into one of misery. Either would, and perhaps do, have the same effect.

    "...I'm going. Thanks for... Thanks for trying." He says, with a desolate sort of tone, to the Warden. Elsa, at the very least, managed to pull his real memories up and legitimize the rest, while Elliana added a razor edge to Psyber's words with the prudence and experienced practicality. His eyes are cast down a bit. When he's brought back to visibility, or even to reality -- however the transitions may be done -- it's gonna be with a wretched, guilty look on his face, no cute dramatic tears or sudden change towards an upbeat spirit. But hey! Out of the book, at least.

Mizuki (183) has posed:
    The Warden would silently watch Arthur as he becomes visible again. Her final words are simple, quick, and almost too quiet to hear: "I release you unto the world of waking, and myself, to sleep. If I am never again to wake, then I thank you for the opportunity you have given me to gaze upon your spirits. Farewell."

    There would be no long fading sequence. In the bat of an eyelash, she would be gone. In the bat of another, the color will have drained from the scene of the beach. And in the bat of a final one, they'll all have woken, Fenestra and Riva there to greet them.

    Mizuki is seated in the same chair she stood behind at the night's inception. The look on her face must certainly transcend what could be encapsulated in any single word, or phrase, yet it is clear that the most prominent aspect of it could be easily summarized as 'bewilderment'.

    "I feel lightheaded," She would say to no one or thing in particular, a hand gently covering her left eye whilst the right looks to Arthur in the seat beside hers, "but I can see you have been successful. Good."

    "It's funny," She would eventually conclude, "because for the life of me I do not think I have ever understood the concept of tiredness so well as I might now."

Herbert West (274) has posed:
And they're back! Elsa is back, and Arthur is back. "DARLING! Elsa was there for you, robo!" Sure, she was... not very good at it, but none can deny that she really did have her 'heart' in it, right? With a pounce, she lunges at Arthur and attempts a big, affectionate hug!

This is immediately followed by trying to stuff a slice of toast in his mouth.

Riva Banari has posed:
Riva was just holding her hand over the candle, playing with the fire. Testing it. Examining where it becomes too hot to remain, looking for that perfect edge of heat and light and pain.

Her intensive investigation into the flame of a candle is interrupted when one moment, there is nothing, and then ext, they are present.

Riva starts in surprise, and looks to the book. Then she looks away from the book, looking over and checking to make sure everyone is present...

And most importantly to her, one specific person. "OH MY GOD, ARTHUR!" She calls out, the coolkid deity figure maybe not expecting a flying Riva to hurl herself towards him and give him a big hug. "Thank goodness! You're all right!"

A moment later, she blinks.

Something's different here.

Her head tilts as she looks around Arthut to see Elsa on the other side.

Oh wait, this might be about to get awkward.

Arthur Lowell has posed:
    There is precisely one human being in existence who could somehow, impossibly, manage to be depressed right after literally getting a tailor-made heaven for a week and then bending straight into getting attention and hugs from cute girls. It's this guy. You found him.

    But that means he's not gonna avoid the pounce from Elsa, of course. She may have an /extremely/ limited understanding of emotion, but... Hey, a hug's a hug. Riva gets roughly the same lack of resistance. Honestly we can probably skip the awkwardness for now. Both will be able to feel Arthur just sort of burying himself in the hug right now, for emotional support, and quietly whispering "Thank you." Once more he fails to handle his emotions productively, offering neither cute dramatic tears nor experiencing sudden emotional uplifting! Instead he chews on toast. Whole wheat will be our substitute for emotional health.

    And then he very visibly forces himself to get back into his upbeat coolkid persona after scarfing it down. "HAHAHA, HELL YEAH, 'TIRED' is pretty much the fuckin' DEFINITION of what's goin' on up in here. Shit was MEGA EXHAUSTING for EVERYONE, probably? Took a hell of a lot outta ME the first time, THAT'S for sure." Yep, back to pretending he's all okay and perfectly fine.

Psyber (253) has posed:
    Psyber, for his part, keeps a blank look on his face all throughout Arthur's reaction and the re-emergence into the real world.

    Whatever he's feeling, personally, is well-disguised. It's a poker face that could make a statue flinch. His hands fall into his jacket and he says, rather simply, "I'm going home," He says pretty evenly, tilting his head to watch the two girls hugging Arthur.

    "Arthur, if you need me, I have Pesterchum or my radio or whatever you want," And then the half-angel turns on his heels and starts heading towards what passes for an exit in Mizuki's strange and conceptual world.

Mizuki (183) has posed:
    Fenestra would quietly watch Psyber make his exit and the rest of them make merry, but she, too, soon takes her leave. Unfortunately, ghost librarians aren't much for prolonged social contact.

    But she does have the time to silently drape a blanket over Mizuki who, for the first time in anyone's recollection, could be found sleeping in her seat.

    Next time, be louder.