Welcoming Arrivals and Explaining the Three Gifts.

[Mandaz]

The far off island hidden within a fold of reality nearly glowed with excitement and a welcoming aura. The land was a reflection of its ruler’s emotions, after all. As ships arrived in the harbors, the guests would be greeted by a crowd of islanders, smiling and eager to welcome them. They would be met with laughter, music, and an intoxicating smell in the air. The island’s air was sweet, and would fill each and every guest with a soft feeling of comfort and warmth. The natives seemed accustomed to it, and would hum and dance to complete the almost surreal atmosphere. The newcomers would be allowed to mingle along the docks while the other guests arrived, soon to be met by the voice of an unknown speaker. She was a smaller, thinner girl, yet had a booming voice that would echo across the crowd. Dressed in a flowing skirt and her chest covered by soft strips of fabric, she looked like a child of the earth, she even had designs painted along her exposed flesh, much like the other natives of the land. Even though she was shouting, one would be able to hear the serenity and happiness in her tone as she spoke to them.

“Welcome esteemed guests! Old friends and new! Welcome! Welcome to the island of Persistencia! You’ve all been invited by our holy and benevolent lord and master Edric: King of the Rift. Each of your invitations was touched by his hand personally! He is already enjoying the festivities within the Palace, awaiting your arrival. You will know him by his holy appearance and grace, and his infectious smile. Before we adjourn to the celebration, allow me to make clear some confusion as well as provide you with new information.

First of all the Gala is centralized within the Palace of Vice. Inside you will find feasts upon feasts awaiting in the dining room, music and dancing within the grand hall, smaller, more intimate rooms to sample Persistencia’s finest goods, and every facility set to fit any human need or desire you may have. The King is a wonderfully social creature, and will attempt to make contact with everyone here. I hope you enjoy his company; after all he is your host.

To make the day interesting, our majesty has agreed to offer gifts to special attendees of the event. Blessings from our lord are rewards to be cherished, if you’re lucky enough to have them bestowed upon you. Any guest who can make a lasting impression on our lord will be offered one of these gifts, so make sure you are a delight in his company as much as he is a delight in yours!

The first gift that you may receive is a very personal and sought after treasure on our island. A kiss from our lord. The king is a creature not of this world. A touch of his lips will bless you with a warm feeling of euphoria. I’m sure if you’re new to the island you can feel this slight sensation already, but to experience it in such a strong wave is unlike anything I can fully explain. The sensation may last a few minutes if kissed upon the hand or wrist, a few hours if upon the neck, cheek, or head, or for the duration of the party and then some if lucky enough to steal a kiss from his lips.

The second gift is awarded to guests who the king has become comfortable with and has built a feeling of trust. The gift of a feather from his angelic wings will allow any guest the right to travel to and from Persistencia as they please, without formal invitation as you have all received today. Master Edric’s feathers were once signs his followers carried to show their faith. Now they are rare treasures that will help keep Persistencia in your heart long after all of you return home.

The third gift is something not even the citizens of Persistencia have been allowed to control. A gem, sculpted by the hands of the king while he created his Palace. A small yet powerful jewel, infused with a bit of the master’s power. He refers to it lovingly as Paca Lolo. This blue stone will allow whoever holds it to use power similar to that of the king. To create beauty within the minds of men! You will have to meet our lord to fully comprehend what this jewel can do, but it is a priceless treasure nonetheless. This is a prize to the guest whom our lord deems worthy, brave, and pure enough to hold such power.

All are welcome to any part of the island you wish to travel. Enjoy the beaches, the forests, the plantations, and sight seeing as you see fit, but the real celebration is inside the Palace of Vice. Well. Don’t allow me to keep you! Please, enjoy your stay! If you have any questions, please ask any of the citizens, we’d be more than happy to direct you around the island! Again, welcome to our land!”

[Shin]

Arc ---

The feeling was intoxicating, the very essence of the island made Arc feel a sense of ... well he didn't know what it was, but he liked it. It was similar to being under the effects of a spell, but somehow more natural. He leaned on the rail of the boat carrying him to this hard to get to island. He didn't know how he got the invitation, it was simply in his pack when he awoke one morning.

Arc, despite the relaxing atmosphere was more nervous then he had ever been. He knew well of Edric, as a bard he had studied the tales of gods and their angels... dating all the way back as far back as the bard college could teach him. Because he had pretty much neglected any self defense classes in pursuit of this sort of knowledge he had extensive knowledge on the obscure, much more so then other graduates.

Finally, the boat docked and the first stream of people began to filter out to where several were gathered. It wasn't but a moment after he stepped off the ship that a man began to talk. Gifts, three of them? To simply meet Edric would be a gift enough in itself... and there was a chance that you could meet the host, Arc was exctied beyond belief.

When they were dismissed Arc didn't know what to do or where to go first, so overwhelmed by the sights and sounds he merely wandered about. Taking interest in anything exotic and new to him, there was enough here to quench even this young bards quest for knowledge .... for now...

Drakketh --

He cursed the sun and he cursed the boat that had brought him here. Drow did not belong on boats, they did not belong on the surface, yet, here he was in the presence of both! He cursed his luck, but most of all Drakketh just cursed. He pulled his Piwafwi, a magicl cloak used to help conceal its wearer, tighter around him and sunk into the darkest spot on the ship he could find.

He watched, for thats all there was to do, the different people and races aboard the ship. So they had all been invited, interesting. Drakketh didn't know why he was invited, but here he was. He didn't know why he came, but now that he was here he was almost thankful. He pushed very darkly tinted glasses closer to his face, specially designed to lessen the light his sensitve eyes took in.

He could smell the intoxicating aromas, no novice to such drugs he suddenly obtained a new purpose to being here. The collection of such substances could only help widen his aresenal, make him a more deadly opponent in the game he called life. He lingered within the middle of the crowd as they pooled off the ship, gloved hands and the cowl pulled low only helped to conceal himself, which didn't matter much, it seemed half the people here wished to hide themselves in some way or another, only helping Drakketh to fit in.

When the speech was done, something he half-listened to because his eyes were busy taking in all the sights of the island, he began to move off directly towards the main chamber... from there he would find his way.

[littlebean]

It took a long while to be here. Just getting here was a long and difficult ordeal, just getting the information and communicating what was being said between Edric's follower and Emli was a chore. At first it started off as a standard day, but a bizarre man approached him with a letter which was illegible due to Emli's poor vision and inability to see the small print. When he turned around and asked the man what the letter was, still there were complications because Emli's hearing was poor, and the messenger had to yell all of his words at Emli. The experience was frustrating for both parties no doubt, but in the end the basic idea was that he was invited to a party, he ought to go to it, and bring a gift for a young lady. It wasn't particularly part of his plan but as soon as he heard of it, he just walked, until he arrived at a ferry.

The ferry ride seriously didn't feel like it would be worth the trip. Emli was a mole, moles didn't swim. In fact, there had never been a time in his life where Emli's feet weren't firmly planted on the ground. Not only was he at complete unease, he was terrified, horrifically terrified of the vast blueness around him. The ocean smelled great but did little to upset his sea sick stomach and eventually, he upchucked right into his gas mask, all over his face burning it and paralyzing it with his own toxic saliva until his muscles in his face became so paralyzed it was like he was undergone intense botox treatment.

He also spat up a lot of blood because the wound in his mouth couldn't handle being burned by his stomach acids so badly. But now he stood in line next to a man he recognized from the ferry ride (Arc) recovering from his horrible ordeal. Despite the fact that his face was paralyzed and that his yellow shirt was still wet with blood and vomit, Emli felt great. He felt great being here, and he couldn't quite put his finger on how or why. Through the foggy conditions of his brain completely clouded with an inexplainable joy he tried to recall another time when he had felt so good, but couldn't come up with any. This was quite literally the best Emli had ever felt in his whole life.

His welcoming into the surface world had been a bizarre experience to say the least, but despite the apocalypse happening and the death of thousands (which Emli was pleasantly unaware of) the surface world was leaving a very very good first impression. This would be Emli's very first party. He had never been to a party before, in his life ever. While he stood there he wondered what parties were all about, because he never had the opportunity to do what he wanted. With that kind of freedom, his mind wandered with all of the possibilities. He stood there, listening to the girl's speech, completely excited. Her voice carried well and was nice and loud, easy for his tiny ears to hear, and he liked all of what he was hearing.

There wasn't much Emli could offer along the lines of expressing his happiness. It wasn't the idea of prizes that excited him, but being excited that just made him feel so gosh darned spectacular. If his feet would allow it he would go skipping through fields of daisies.

Let's get this party started bitches.

[Cork]

Cornelius:

Though he was on his way already, he couldn't believe he actually felt the desire to attend. Social functions were generally not his forte. He inwardly complained about everything he could think of, but it became harder and harder as he got closer and closer to the island. It was a massive effort for Cornelius to even keep the frown on his face - it was an inward struggle that most people would gladly give up. But other people didn't have the same kind of reputation that Cornelius did. Not many people would be proud of and try to uphold his kind of reputation. But any stubborn, pessimistic, dying bastard would do the same, or so Cornelius liked to think.

Despite having come all this way, Cornelius had absolutely no idea who or what Edric was. Of course the message had said he was the Angel of Lucidity, and the King of the Rift. Given his background, Cornelius was a little disenchanted with Angels. In addition to this, he'd never even heard of the rift. It was certainly possible, however, that such areas could pop up after partial world destruction.

Grimly he looked on to the island emanating happy thoughts and joyful feelings. Somehow he wasn't having any problems maintaining his unhappy composure anymore.

Nock:

Alhanoque had quite a different response to Edric's letter. Somehow, despite his lower intelligence and terrible memory, the name Edric stirred up happy thoughts. When he heard the name, he felt desire to see this wonderful friend of his again, and even without listening to the rest of the catchy invite, he knew where to go. Excited bouncing along he played ecstatic music, his poncho flapping up. It was an odd sight, like a seven-foot tall two year old with a new toy. He teetered to the left, and teetered to the right, all the while maintaining a mostly upward position and playing his violin.

The poor messenger was trying to tell him the important details that Nock could not hear due to his own uproar. Finally needing to abandon the song and shout. Nock nodded happily and in furious succession, he produced the rainbow resin, which looked as though it had not depleted by even a millimeter since he had obtained it, though he used it fairly often.
"Edric, met, before." he risked speaking, and as he did so seemed to shrink an inch.

Once on the boat he was still ecstatic, it had been quite some time since he had seen the Angel of Lucidity. Though he was a king now, was that someone important? Alhanoque was not very well versed on status or titles. Edric was simply Edric, and that Edric was the Edric he wanted to see.

He continued to serenade the passengers whether they enjoyed the music or not, and he seemed to grow an inch more.

[Portafortuna.]

One might think it strange to adhere to the calling of the sea. One might think it strange to allow oneself the ability to succumb to such a ‘grander scheme of things’ mindset. But, one might think it even stranger to stumble across a small floating object along the water’s surface out in the middle of the sea, just barely out of grasp, reflecting and glittering from the lights of the sky. So, who wouldn’t swim up to that object and investigate? And, upon investigating, wouldn’t one find it, oh I don’t know, strange that the object turned out to be paper and hadn’t been ruined by the water’s touch? Lastly, how strange would one find it that upon retrieving this floating paper that somehow remained dry, that it turned out to be an invitation addressed to the very person who had just received the paper? Well, this was a strange day for certain, and so it seemed the sea would call her elsewhere.


***





Even upon her arrival, not by boat or air, but by her own means, Kali found it interesting, even to herself, the woozy effects that the surroundings—and the invitation itself—seemed to be having on her. She felt as though she were floating in a vast sky of softness, and every touch…every sensation…was multiplied and magnified. All the sharp edges of objects took on a hazy rounded blur and she almost convinced herself she had been dreaming this whole time. Kali found it more interesting that as she left the water and began tracing the shoreline, she emerged from the waters as dry as the invitation she held and almost as instantly, her legs were revealed. It was as though she was not meant for everyone to see and realize just what she was, yet. Stranger still, as she followed the shoreline in bare feet, her dry form (even her hair dried quickly), she noticed her figure donned in a long, silken simple alabaster gown. Whatever powers that be wanted her nicely dressed. What, they couldn’t take care of her feet? No, she was still bare foot.

After departing from the water, she couldn’t help the after effects that the lapping currents had as she trekked quietly along the water’s edge, her exposed feet became wet and the bottom-most ends of her gown became dampened as well. It was no matter; it didn’t take her long to venture from the water and towards the sounds of voices, laughter, and good times. Still, she couldn’t shake the wobbly feeling her knees had, and that had nothing to do with trying to get used to her land legs, no, but rather this place…held something over her. She had thought the call of the sea was strong, but this place…this place offered a far stronger call, and far more interesting influences.

Whereupon arriving with the other guests, Kali caught the tail-end of a speech from a girl, something about gifts and enjoying their stay, and the party of course. She had heard the female’s voice lingering and pulling her forth when she first came from the water, having been loud, but delightful enough to guide her in her travels. The aromas, oh the smells that drifted through the air and under her nostrils as she inhaled the sweet scent of euphoria. If anyone had ever wondered what it might be like to the mind in a drug-induced coma—this might be it.

And so, Kali made her way forward with the others, keeping a low profile for now, not necessarily taking great lengths to make her presence known, and into the party she went. Who knows if watery footprints and a dripping trail from the hem of her gown would be left in her wake, and who would notice such things.

[supernal]

Unlike so many others who had received the great King Edric’s invitation, whether to be discovered inexplicably placed upon their persons or hand delivered to them by way of personal courier, as was the case with Fifteen and his beloved, this man was ecstatic about the unfolding circumstances before reaching the island. Even as the chartered ferry, which carried no more than seven people (himself, his betrothed, the captain, and four common laborers), chugged persistently along the profound ocean blue, the man’s excitement was evident in the shine of his golden eyes. He sat himself in a posh, plush, red-velvet chair while practicing the meticulous grooming habits so befitting a noble.

“I do hope the young lady will enjoy her gift.” He cast his scrutinous gaze to the rather large chest that lay less than 20 feet away, anchored to the spot by a tangle of ropes and hooks. “I’d hate to think that we went through all that trouble to procure the thing just to have it tossed aside like garbage. You know how some people are darling, they fail to see the grandeur of it all.”

Somewhere between the start of his dialogue and the end of it the man had managed to wrap slender fingers along the stem of a half-full wine glass, which he proceeded to swirl about in hypnotic fashion until he was positive that the flavor had not all settled to the bottom. Moments before the ferry had crashed into the shoreline, the man had managed to drain the glass of its contents, so when the empty wine glass tipped away from his grasp, he could ignore the chaos.

“It seems we’ve arrived. Make sure that you’re proper, it’s imperative that we make a lasting impression on his lordship.”

Moments later he was gracefully dismounting from the edge of the ferry, the laborers still on deck as they argued amongst themselves the best way to bring the chest down off of the boat with the least amount of damage to the treasure that lay inside, and Fifteen extended his left hand outwards and upwards, always the proper gentlemen and waiting to help Arethusa down to his level.

“Oh, and we shall be walking to the Palace of Vice.”

[nocturne]

The calmness of the sea they crossed to their sojourn in Persistencia was reflected in her blue eyes, but Arethusa was no less elated than her love. She was seated cross legged beside Fifteen, where she always belonged, as the ferry lived up to what they had paid for smooth sailing (or what the captain and his men might have paid had their ride been less than pleasant). Her posture was straight, hands folded in her lap; she did not groom, since Arethusa knew she was perfect, but she did watch Fifteen out of the corner of her eyes with a bemused smile.

"I'd hate to think that as well," she replied coolly, "but remember, dear, royalty hates to think in general." Arethusa assumed the little girl they had acquired a present for was an important figure, political or otherwise, since she was a part of the King's decree. Islanders also tended to be naive in their dealings with outsiders. She hadn't even heard of this place until the courier had come, which made her wonder how isolated their people were.

Their landing was not quite as graceful as their journey. For a moment, Arethusa thought she saw a girl swimming to the island in the distance and excitement flashed across her visage. Was she drowning? Attacked by a shark? She was returned to reality by Fifteen's voice and a cursory glance along the shore revealed nothing.

"Yes, my lord," Arethusa curtsied as she took his hand, then dismounted the ferry. "Proper, as always. You may lead the way." She felt clammy as the warm air emanating from the island collided with the sea breeze. A walk would be refreshing.

[Mandaz]

“Seems most of our esteemed guests have arrived. Let us make our way to the true celebration!” The woman cheered, throwing up her arms joyfully before turning to lead the crowd up a path to a hill. Several of the citizens held large baskets of colorful flower petals and now proceeded to toss them onto the dirt path. Other citizens moved amongst the crowd to escort and talk and show hospitality to the guests.

--

Two young twin girls with baskets of petals shyly made their way to each side of Arc, softly whispering to each other and laughing quietly. They kept a few feet behind him, though each one pushed the other closer and closer in a friendly battle to force the other to talk to him.
“Welcome” they both muttered out through their giggling, slightly blushing. They were both around the same age as Arc, and had identical beauty behind their flushing cheeks. The two each looped their arms around his in a single act of bravery. “I’ll escort you.” They chirped in tandem, doing their best to stifle their nervousness.

--

Drakketh for the most part went unnoticed by the celebrating people. He seemed to be a particular individual who would make his presence known when he was ready. That didn’t mean that he wouldn’t have at least one or two citizens smiling in his direction or offering their arm to escort him, however. The citizens could be ignored and wouldn’t raise a fuss; they seemed to be too calm and understanding to cause a disturbance just because they were unneeded.

--

A barefooted young miss with a crown of flowers surrounding her long brown hair rushed up to the strange, short, being with the all encompassing face mask. She gasped when she came within range of Emli, she bent down to be at eye level with him, she was at least half a foot taller.

“Oh you poor thing!” she cooed, placing her hand on his shoulder. “Sick on the travel, were you? That’s alright, not everyone is suited for the sea. I much prefer the firm ground, myself. O-oh but your clothes are so stained! Your mask doesn’t look very clean either. Here, come with me. There’s a place in the palace where we can get you cleaned up.” She stood up and extended her hand toward Emli, gesturing for him to take it and follow her.

--

“Why the long face?” A voice echoed from behind Cornelius. Soon he’d find his arm held by a young woman, in her teens at most, but still attempted to seem like an older girl. She wore a loose shirt that was cut extremely low at her chest, and a short skirt made of different patches fabrics. Her arms were covered in colorful strings and bands, and her hair was tied up in ribbons and braids. She pressed herself against Cornelius, holding his arm in a strong and almost loving grip. “It’s not every day the island gets visitors! You’re lucky lucky! The king is a great guy, I’m sure he’d like to meet you! Are you like, a war hero or something? Those guys always look so grumpy. Smile Smile!”

--

Almost immediately after Nock had set foot on the island, he had drawn attention by some of the local native children. They clamored and grouped around him, amazed at his towering stature. The children were dressed similarly to the older islanders, in that their clothes were flowing, all hand made, and their small arms and cheeks were smeared with paint in little designs.

“Ahh! Wow! Look at him! So tall! So colorful! I wonder what’s under the mask? Hey hey! Mister! Can I hold your hand? No I want to, I want to! Let’s all take him.”

A few of them reached up to try and touch his hand, stretching their small bodies in vain to touch his fingers. They giggled and pleaded for him to come with them as they traveled to the palace.

--
Kali’s approach from the beach would have gone unnoticed by the welcoming committee. There was no reason to ever think that she was different from the other human guests that crowded on the harbor. It would have been easy to loose sight of one specific person with all of the commotion, but one islander had spotted Kali, picked her out from the others, and trailed her a bit before calling out.

“Miss!”

He had what looked to be a crude drawing of the sun over his chest, painted in red that matched his wild hair. He was a taller young man, tanned and toned, possibly a farmer or a fisherman. He met her eyes briefly before turning his head down to his hands which were busy at work tying strings together in a lanyard.

“Do you need an escort? We’re supposed to help each guest with whatever they need while traveling to the palace.” He shyly stammered, seemed he was more focused in the small ropes he was tying in loops, but in reality he was just reserved.

--

“Look. What a fine boat. A noble, yes? Like our king? That’s exciting.”

Already a crowd of natives had started to group and gawk at the new ship. By the way they acted it was fairly obvious to tell that they had little contact with people outside of their island and the Rift. A few of the excited watchers in their sun faded clothes and painted bodies approached Fifteen and his beloved with excited and nervous smiles. “Welcome to the island, can we help you with your things? Or escort you to the Palace? I bet our Master will be excited to meet you!”

--

A few more of the islanders scattered the path with petals, leading the way up towards the hill. The palace itself was not too far from the harbor. After a small travel over the hill it would come into view. The entire structure shimmered in the sunlight, seemingly constructed of crystal or colored glass. More music and an overall air of merriment radiated off of the towering building. The tall structures and towers were decorated with flags and banners each painted with a new intricate and beautiful design. Edric’s castle was a mix of different artistic masterpieces, nearly glowing with excitement. After a short, three minute walk the guests would arrive at the gates, free to wander around the castle and enjoy whatever their heart desired. Edric, himself, was located in the throne room, dressed in his strange robes with overly long sleeves, wild smile on his face. The room to his right contained tables and tables of strange cuisine and the room on his left broke off into several smaller rooms where colorful, thick smoke pours from under the cracks in the doors.

[Shin]

Arc --
Since Arc had been walking rather slow he had kept to the side to let anyone with actual buisness pass by without having him be in the way. He hummed to himself as he smiled and waved to each person in response to their waving or smiling at him.

Luckily for Arc to rather beautiful girls had seemed to tak an interest in him, if left to wander the city he might have never made it to the grand event. He barely got a smile off between him noticing them and them takingh im by the arms.

Aren't I lucky! He told himself as they two escorted him to...to wherever it was they were taking him, he could only assume to where everyone else was going. Twins on top of that? A sly smirk played it's way across his face, he hadn't even had to sing yet and several girls showed interest in him.

"Im Arc, you two are?" He flashed a brilliant smile to each of them as they walked off.



-- Drakketh

Drakketh was finding it harder and harder to stay in his normally fowl and suspicious mood, one that had served him wellt he many years of his life. The very atmosphere was intoxicating, and while not new to such substances these were...different. They made him feel good, but not at the cost of any of his senses.

After several minutesof walking he began to feel joyful, the feeling was not something he had encountered often. Many times he mistook joy for lust or the satisfaction of a job well done. But that was neither in this case.

He followed the pack as people tossed out petals and escorts took guests by the arm giggling and laughing. While he had no need for any of that and would promptly refuse anyone who neered him he did pull back the cowl of his cloak. Unlike most drow Drakkeths hair was cut short and partially covered the upper portion on the left side of his face, it did nothing to detract from his flawless obsidian complexion and abnormal (for drow) ice blue eyes. His face was stuck in the same half-cocked smile that flashed arogance. His steps quickened and pace lengthened and for the time being he did not skulk from shadow to shadow, but carried himself like the noble born drow he was.

[Cork]

Cornelius:

As he progressed, making his way through the crowd, he felt a woman's touch on his arm. Jolting very slightly, he did not want to cause any sort of scene, and nor did this place exude any sort of malevolence. When he turned, he saw what appeared to be a young teenage girl holding onto her arm. It was probably worse than if it had been a troll slobbering on his half eaten arm. He forced himself to smile, but it came out mixed with a sneer.

"I don't do happy very well. And I have no money, if that's what you're after. I could certainly offer you some extra cloth patches from my cloak, since your skirt looks like it needs a little more length to it. Unless, of course, you enjoy the draft."

His angered expression was usually enough to dissuade unwanted company, but somehow this young girl had braved it. He didn't, for the life of him, know why she had grabbed him. Perhaps she was chosen as a guide for the guests. But.. did they need to be this friendly with him? He just had to dig and find something to annoy her, then she may leave him alone. Of course, if she managed to keep up, he would have no other choice but to respect her will.

Alhanoque:

Nock let out an ecstatic whistle and spun as the children surrounded him. He bent down and patted their heads as if in a petting zoo, grabbing outstretched hands at random. He lifted them off the ground simply by standing up straight and tall, then swung them gently around. Though it was not technically, children's laughter sounded like music to him. Joyful innocence, like the pure newborn souls - these children were full of it. As they led him on, he would pick them up and carry them a few steps, setting them down carefully to pick up yet another child.

He blindly followed them, temporarily forgetting their location and their destination.

[Portafortuna.]

As Kali made her way towards the citizens of the island, and towards the obvious fellow guests of the party, she quietly thought over the invitation to herself. How had it just so happened found her? Addressed to her, no less. And most important of all, why had she been invited here? There was nothing special or grandly important of her. She wasn’t some hero, wasn’t a noble of any sort, and certainly never tried to make her existence much known to much of anyone. Yet, somehow they had known where to find her, in the water, her secret known.

Her thoughts didn’t stick with her long; for a man that appeared to match the visual age of her trailed behind her, and she felt herself aware of his presence, his focus directed primarily at her and not just floating around along everyone as it seemed everyone else’s attentions had been. She trailed in the sand slowly until he called out to her, at which time she turned on her heel to look at him. She watched as he approached, and noticed the painting on his chest and smiled. Her eyes glittered in the actual sun as she eyed his painting for a moment before speaking.

“That’s a beautiful painting you have there.”

At his proposal, her smile only continued to blossom along her countenance. Truth was, an escort would be nice. She’d gladly take him up on his offer, and nodded. By then she had stopped as he came upon her and she waited for his lead. She noticed as he toyed with ropes and wondered just what he was trying to do, but she spoke of nothing about it. Instead—

“Yes, I’d love an escort, thank you! Quite the party your king has here…”

Kali felt as though her feet, although in sand, were frolicking upon the clouds. As she walked with her new escort along the hill and toward the palace over the hill, she watched the flower petals fluttering to the ground beneath her. She felt as though she were caught in a cloud of invisible mist. She even took note to the sensation and feel of her bare feet treading lightly on the delicate petals beneath her; she absolutely adored flowers.. Everything was perfect.

“Why is your king throwing this party, anyway?” Kali found even her own words starting to sound far away to her, must’ve been something in the water.

As they grew closer to the actual palace, Kali couldn’t help but feel towered and engulfed by the scents and…feelings…that seemed to be wavering about. The place was so beautiful that she found herself unable to even comment on its beauty to her new escort.

[supernal]

Shortly after helping Arethusa dismount from the ferry, Fifteen brought her hand directly before him and patted the back of it in a reassuring way. When next he spoke, he did so in a low and idle muttering. His words were meant for no ears other than hers, the tone of his voice suggesting that he was speaking without even really thinking, that his speech was reflexive in some way.

“My, what a curious collection of creatures have decided to attend. Is that a drow I spy not too far from here? Why, I havent’ seen one of the Underdark folk in nearly half a decade. And…and is that some kind of mole-man?! OH yes,” Fifteen turned to her with a wide smile, one that was foreign on his lips, for his was a countenance clearly unaccustomed to expressing such a level of revelry. “Tonight will be memorable.”

He managed to tear his eyes away from the guests just in time to see the group advancing towards them. By the time they were close enough to speak, Fifteen’s demeanor had seamlessly melted into something easier, something much more amiable; from the way he carried himself to the sparkle of sunlight in his eyes, he seemed to ooze a subtle charisma.

“You want to do what?” A look of utter disbelief drained Fifteen’s face of what little color it held claim to. He moved his arm slightly, interlocking it with Arethusa’s, and when he was assured that his grasp was an intricate one he stepped forward while his eyes flitted from one native to the other to the other. “You want to help carry our things? Oh, don’t be silly. That’s why I hired these virile young men.” He motioned lazily behind him at the four men that had only now managed to come ashore and that were shouldering the parallel bars which allowed them to heft the weight box. “An escort, however, sounds like a grand idea. Please, lead the way.”

He paused politely in dialogue for the time being. It was rude to completely dominate any facet of a conversation, and it simply would not do to be viewed as haughty by any of these indigenous people. When he felt that a proper gap had passed him by, Fifteen cleared his throat to announce his intent and spoke yet again.

“I don’t suppose any of you would know to whom our gift is dedicated towards?”

[nocturne]

"What?" Arethusa asked with obvious disbelief and shifted her gaze across the crowd, picking out each and every strange creature Fifteen had pointed out. She was aware of the Underdark and well acquainted with the reputation of its denizens, but wasn't it too sunny out for a black skinned cave elf? It was wonder that the drow could even see the path in front of it. And a mole man? A composite between a gopher and a dwarf entered her imagination and she immediately spotted it, then grinned widely. "With this crowd, I wonder what kind of entertainment the King could possibly arrange to trump this spectacle."

She turned towards the direction of their greeting party in unison with Fifteen and stifled her expression of wild amusement to a smile, though it was no less dazzling. Arethusa had been right: the inhabitants of Rift weren't quite sure how to express themselves to nobles, though it was to be expected that many in Persistencia would find themselves lacking in the presence of such grandeur.

"Thank you for your kind offer," she said when her beloved paused, then continued after his latest question was posed. "Yes, we would be honored to know the name of the Lady for whom we have acquired a most exquisite gift," Arethusa hinted that what was inside the chest was of immense, perhaps unfathomable, value.

[littlebean]

For the time being Emli was standing in the crowd, hopefully unoticeable to everyone else (even though there were people pointing and talking about him he was too hard of hearing to notice) thinking and pondering about the event, his happiness and excitement building til he felt like he wouldburst rainbows and butterflies. He wondered to himself if this was the scent he smelled. Thinking was growing to be more and more difficult on the island, but after some thought he decided, no this isn't the smell, it is much sweeter than the other one.

But his thoughts were broken by yet another scent, an alluring sweet scent that reminded him of fresh baked cookies, soft and fresh from the oven. The smell grew stronger and when it arrived, it was a beautiful woman. The woman herself was a bit blurry, but from what his eyes could see she was indeed pretty, but most importantly he could smell that she was absolutely gorgeous. Having never been approached by a woman before, nevermind a beautiful one Emli became quite intimidated, and began blushing beneath his gas mask.

As if that wasn't enough, the woman actually spoke to him! The physical contact made his heart flutter and dance in his chest, but sadly when she spoke it wasn't quite loud enough and he couldn't hear much of it. He caught the words Poor, sick, the sea, prefer, ground, stained, and cleaned up. The words alone gave him enough to work with and piece together. She knew he was sick from the trip here and wanted to get him cleaned up. The soft humming vibrating of her voice in his ears also told him thatshe was speaking to him in a kind soft tone. Completely astounded and taken away by his new friend, he thanked her and followed her, taking her tiny hand in his huge mole like paws, being careful not to hurt her.

"FANK YOU VERY MUH!"

[Baleron87]

"You sure there's something out here, sonny? I've been fishing these waters for nigh onto 15 years, and I ain't never seen an island housing no angel king."

The gruff, grinding voice of the small boat's captain rang clear out over the fresh, warm day, his rough words being balanced with the calm waves lapping up against the hull of the old fishing vessel. His muscled arm, toned from years at sea, came up to scratch at the back of his neck as he looked to the man standing on the deck. He had thought it odd that such an mysterious fellow had showed up and asked permission for use of his boat to travel to an island that didn't exist, but the man had paid in more gold coins then he had seen in his entire career, and asked no further questions after that. But, as hours had passed and the noon sun was upon them, he was beginning to wonder why he had let himself be so easily bought out. When no answer came from the man, he reached up and grabbed a firm hold of the bell, shaking it loudly and bringing the man out of his thoughts. The man inclined his head toward the captain, smirking softly from under his mask.

"The invitation I recieved has a special magic on it, that probably allows the bearer to find this island at will. At this point, the feeling I've had since this message first fell into my hands is strong enough that I no longer need to hold the card to know which way to go. That being said, I would suggest you stop looking at me and start looking at where you're directing this craft, lest you want to end up on the beach."

The captain stared at the man for a few moments in confusion before his mind wrapped itself around his words. Quickly, he looked toward the front of the boat and saw the large expansive island that the man had said would be there. He was quite breathtaken by the sheer beauty of the place, and only barely noticed a splash off the port side of the boat. His confusion rising, he moved back away from the wheel and looked over the edge of the railing to watch the man swimming toward the island. Almost as soon as the man had gotten a few yards ahead of the ship, the air shimmered and the island disappeared from sight. The captain continued to watch in disbelief, questioning whether any of what he saw was real.

For the man who had jumped from the boat, the experience was becoming more real as he came closer and closer to the island. It only took a few minutes of slow swimming for him to reach the solid ground, plodding his way through the sand before turning around and falling on his back, breathing slowly while trying to recover his energy. He had never really liked swimming, as he tended to breath at the wrong moments and make the whole experience more painful then it needed to be. A gentle breeze blew over his body, making him realize that he had somehow become completely dry, and he slowly sat up, brushing the sand off of his torso before standing completely and doing the same to his pants. The feeling of euphoria here gave everything an amazing new feeling, but a dark thought still loomed in his mind, and he grasped the hilt of his old guard's sword, sighing softly.

"If she doesn't come here, then I just have to accept the fact that she died... Gods, I hope you show up, Caela..."