The House of the Night - Ice and Mirrors - RPLOG
Participants
Date
7/7/478
Log
Fenris did not send out a call today. In fact, there was no job posting, no rumors, no one even talking about the House of Night today in Firmament. Nevertheless a select few seem drawn to the place anyway. In the narrow chasm that holds the entrance, the solid stone door stands closed in the glow of blue crystals.
Cassidy slips out of the sky, landing before the door, a hand touched to her hat to keep it on. She straightens up and adjusts her bow tie before folding her hands behind her back, glancing around to see who else might be coming, aside from herself and Natska.
Zuri walks up to the entrance, coming to a stop as the stone door comes into view. He turns back to smile at Rokarion and urge him forwards. "This way!" He watches Cassidy descend before racing down to meet her. "Hi miss Cassidy!"
Bao approaches cautiously. He's heard rumours about this place, about the strange experiences intrepid beings have had within. He did not, though, expect himself to be here. One moment he was stepping out of the Royal Ranger outpost in Saltide, walking briskly...and then he was walking here. He's not sure whether he actually walked all of the intervening distance, and there's wary confusion on the sea lion's face.
Natska touches down next to Cassidy, and almost immediately the shadows begin to thicken and gather about the pair as Cassidy scans the area for threats. Satisfied that it is safe enough, she releases her magic and nods her head to the pair of Beings. "Hello." She looks back and forth, then nudges Cass. "Here, do you think? Or further in?"
The door stands, silent and imposing with its strange carvings and images of a long lost civilization etched on its surface. It almost seems to be waiting for someone to come and swings silently open, revealing a well lit, empty room with only one door on the far side, marked with a symbol like a swirling water drop.
Cassidy flashes a little grin at Zuri from behind her mask. "Hello there, Zuri. NIce to see you," she says, nodding at Bao as well. "Looks like we were expected. Let's not keep them waiting, then, hm?" She says, smiling and stepping forward to make her way towards the water door. "What do you mean, Natska?"
Zuri peers up at the door before returning his gaze to Cassidy and Natska. "Fancy meeting you two here!" And uh.. everyone else too." He blinks as the door starts opening on its own, and actually takes a step back. "Huh.. yea, expected." He looks back at Rokarion, whom has since moved down to join the other beings. "I.. guess we should go in then. I'll keep an eye out for traps and bad things as usual, I guess." He starts to walk forward, peering ahead into the passage that opened before them.
Bao, tall as he is, does not have to look as far up to the top of the door as his fellows, but he does so anyway, craning his neck to stare up into the darkness. "Aye. It's rude t'stand on the doorstep when you've been invited in." He steps forward confidently, but with a surprisingly light tread.
Natska inclines her head and then falls into step behind the others, making her way inside. "Such a strange place," she muses.
The room really is bare, aside from the far door, marked with the water symbol. The walls of this chamber are made up of intricate bas reliefs, depicting strange and wonderous figures, some of which are recognizable as familiar Spirits. It seems as if the water door is the only way forward.
Then a voice comes from somewhere in the room. "Oh give them a choice at least!" comes a booming voice with a two ton laugh, "Can't hog all the fun, Snake!" Then, suddenly, there is another door in the wall. No flash of light, no sense of movement. Just a door marked with a cornucopia and grapes where there was a blank wall a heartbeat ago.
Cassidy chuckles quietly as she approaches the door- Wait, there are two doors now. She pauses and hums. "Why wouldn't we, Zuri? We've been here so far. There's much to learn and know, so of course we'd be here." She settles her hands on her hips and glances between the doors.
Zuri stops halfway through crossing the threshold of the water door as the loud voice puts him on instant alert. He turns aside, looking about to try and find the source of the voice, but all he finds is an entirely new door. He blinks, clearly having missed the door before, or so he figures. The salamander walks up to the new door, peering up at it curiously and admiring the cornucopia. "I didn't know grapes were a magic thing." He turns around. "Rokarion, are grapes a magic thing? Is fruit magic a thing?"
A loud shout is heard, followed by a certain plainly dressed feline descending down from said rope. As soon as she gets close to the ground, she leaps off and lands on the ground, hunched over. As she stands back up she looks to everyone else already assembled and takes the war hammer from her back, "So, which door are we going to this time?"
Rokarion followed Zuri as he led them to the House of Night, standing silent as he wrote down some words. When the new door appeared, Rokarion eyed Zuri and shook his head, "The symbol on the door is not representing magic but the spirit's 'abode', so to speak. So, the water symbol is for Ser'Ther." Rokarion said idly, "Which means that grapes are a symbol for the spirit behind that door, I do not recall any spirit having that kind of symbol, so I guess it is a new spirit." Rokarion said before shifting his attention to adding a few notes on his book.
"From the life court?" Bao hazards. "They *did* say they were going to be more involved. This is mostly over my head, but..." He shrugs. "I've gotten around a good bit the last few months." He looks at the water door. "And I hope that this door isn't as 'funny' as Ser'ther's fountain."
Natska quietly laughs. "Right. 'Funny'. His door was here when we arrived, that makes me think that he wanted to chat with us. Shall we?"
The two doors stand closed and silent, waiting for the group to make their decision.
"Ser'ther is elemental court. And as much as I'd love to investigate a new spirit..." Cassidy gestures towards the water door. "I feel like we should speak with him. I've been meaning to, for a bit. Though we should certainly come back to visit the other, later!"
Zuri pokes the new door. "Huh... so this is like the Spirit of Grapes or something? That's weird, but I'm not one to judge! Maybe we should go talk to him? I mean, Mister Ser'ther is a nice snake-thing, but does he have grapes?" He peers back at the other beings, as if having just asked a serious question.
Rokarion shrugs as he looks at the grape door before shaking his head, "Grapes here is obviously a symbol of wine, Zuri." Rokarion answered as he moved closer to the door, "I would not mind visiting a new spirit, I am guessing from the symbol that he might be a spirit of revelry and mirth. If he is one of the life court that is." the young plant being added in his usual nonchalant tone.
Bao takes up a spot between the two doors. "Ser'ther's not all that hard to find." His brow creases. "Leastwise, when he wants to be. I think we can prob'ly learn more new things from th'other. Whether he's got grapes or not." he adds with a wink to Zuri.
Natska makes a quiet noise, then looks over at Cassidy and shrugs. "I think we might be outvoted, love. Or do we split up?" she asks, tail curling back and forth.
Cara begins to scratch her chin with her free hand as she makes a decision, "We better see Ser'ther first. If he has business with us, then we better talk to him." At this point, the feline turns to everyone else, "I'm going with Cassidy to see Ser'ther. I still have a few things to ask him and I'm okay with splitting up."
The water marked door suddenly swings open. Looks like someone is impatient. Beyond the door the room is dimly lit, and seems to be lined with mirrors of all things.
Cassidy steps through Ser'ther's door, tail flicking as she takes in the mirrors. "Well then. I guess we'll go this way! We can meet up with the other spirit, later. I'm sure the door will be there," she says, nodding. "I want to see what Ser'ther wants."
Zuri whines. "Aww!" He pouts. "I wanted to meet the wine spirit." He sighs. "Oh well, next time!" He plods over towards the water door and peers inside once more, then stalks in, crossing the threshold to explore what's beyond.
Rokarion shrugs and juts down some more notes before shifting towards the now open door, "Looks like Ser'Ther is quite more impatient during the summer." Rokarion adds idly, "So tell me, what business do you have with the spirit, Natska and Cassidy." the plant being added as he entered the new room, looking around into the mirrors.
"I guess he wants to talk -now-. Fair 'nough." Bao says. He follows close behind Zuri into the mirrored room, trying not to be distracted by the reflections. Ser'ther has seemed trustworthy enough, after a fashion, but there's no way this will be as simple as being invited over for tea.
Natska gives Rokarion a small smile as they make their way into the chamber. "I think he's the one that called. And Cass said she had questions for him. I'm just here to learn, myself."
Cara turns to the grape and cornucopia covered door and shouts, "Sorry about this, but we have to see Ser'ther first. We can meet next time though or ask Ser'ther about you." Then, the feline proceeds to run through the water marked door with a smile on her face. As soon as she makes it inside, she skids to a stop, and looks at the mirrors for a moment, "This reminds me of the Temple of Balance."
The dim light shows a room that is relatively small, compared to some of the massive spaces that have been in the House of Night before. Remarkably, in each mirror each being can see only themselves reflected, though the reflection is different in each mirror. Like a fun house, only stranger. In one mirror is a reflection of a skeleton, another shows a being with strange, glowing geometries on the flesh or fur, another shows each being an image of themselves with motherly proportions or disheveled with yellowed, rotting teeth. Each mirror a very different image, though all recognizable to each as their own visage. "Choose the truth," comes a voice from all sides.
Cara looks at the reflections for a moment and her eyes widen, "Hey, these all look like the marks of beings who are actively dedicated to spirits." She quickly turns to everyone else and asks, "Do you guys agree with me?"
Cassidy looks around at each mirror, brow furrowing. "Yes, that's what they are, Cara," she says, reaching up to adjust her hat. "But what does the truth imply?" She glances around, seeking out a mirror that looks like herself, if only... Exceptionally clean. The mark of Ser'ther.
Rokarion yawned as he continued to idly walk around the mirrors, looking for one that would show his reflection naturally with no added effects, "That it seems. So, Ser'ther, what do you hope to gain out of this? Wouldn't you spirits already know each others' dedications?" Rokarion asked in his usual cold tone.
Bao closes his eyes and listens. He can't hear the reflections, obviously, but he can hear the words of the other beings as they share their theories and experiences. Plus, it's easier to think without a hundred different...hims...staring back at him. Ser'ther's temple had been about persistence, its hierophant a man of practical rather than metaphysical responsibilities.
Natska makes a quiet noise as she slowly makes her way around the room, eyeing the images in each mirror. Then she shakes her head, turning to Rokarion. "Truth is subjective. 'Truth' requires meaning, and meaning requires perspective." She calls out louder, "Or is that off the mark?"
There are many mirrors, somehow more than it seems should fit on the surfaces of the room. Strange renditions of all kinds follow the movements of the beings in the room. Some larger than life, some younger, older, fatter, thinner, wearing all kinds of strange and wonderful clothing, even one in which they stand completely nude, wings wrapped around their bodies. The voice does not answer and more questions. Apparently, a decision must be made.
Zuri walks from mirror to mirror, admiring himself on all the reflections to see what each spirit does to him. "Wow! I had no idea spirits would give you weird tattoos and stuff!" He says as he stands before the mirror that apparently gives him a marking of a flame on his forehead, completely replacing the more abstract spots that normally decorate his skin. "This is fun!" He bites his lip. "I wonder what the purpose of this place is tho..." He turns around to see what Rokarion is doing.
Cara continues looking at an odd image of herself with tusks and shudders, "No way is this the one. That can't be the truth." Her ears twitch as she hears Natska speak and then she turns to face Natska, "Wait, Natska, you're right. Are you onto something?"
Rokarion shakes his head at Natska, "I am aware of truth as an abstract concept, Miss Natska. My question is for the spirit and its intentions, but apparently it won't answer, typical." he says as he continues to jut down notes on each of the mirrors that he sees before finally stiffling a yawn and moving to lean on one of the room's walls, busying himself with his work, apparently intent on ignoring the spirit's request.
Cassidy tucks her hands in her trouser pockets as she moves from mirror to mirror, seeking something that stands out. So many interesting things. "Well, at least it's nice to know what I'd look like with different spirits in my alignment. Honestly, I'm not sure what truth would imply for me. I don't really intend on finding any spirit, yet. I've not yet met one that seems... Appropriate. I need to speak with the air one again."
Bao is not a philosopher. Before he opens his eyes, he pictures himself as reflected in still water. He knows it's not perfect, but it seems as close as he's likely to get. Holding that mental image, he looks for the one that best matches it.
Natska's ear flicks and she turns her head, a bit of motion catching her attention. "A blooming staff. This one, do you think, Cass?" she asks, walking up to touch the edge of the mirror. "And I should hope pacting is more than a fashion statement... although I would be amused, in a way, if that is all it was. Some prank that would be."
Silence reigns in the room. Apparently, Ser'Ther, or whatever Spirit reigns here is waiting for someone to make a decision out loud.
Cara's ears perk once more as she overhears the information, "Well, that takes care of that problem." The feline instantly runs over to the magical trio, still keeping her war hammer in one free hand and smiles, "Yes, let's go through this one. Who knows. Maybe these doors just lead to the rooms of other spirits."
Zuri giggles. "So we're supposed to make pacts here? That sounds pretty dubious! A pact should be something that takes consideration I think. Can't just go ahead and do it willy nilly.. hm..." He bites his lip. "Hmm.. " He walks over to Rokarion, watching what the plant being is doing. "Hm.. Rokarion, you don't suppose Mister Ser'Ther is waiting for one of us to dedicate to someone before he lets us through? That seems silly."
Cassidy glances towards Natska and moves over to invesitgate the mirror she's at. "Mmm. Yes, I would say so. I don't know what the real goal is here, but I do think that's Ser'ther's staff. I've seen Angus with it at times, I believe..." She gives a little not and ceases her wandering to stand by Natska and the mirror instead.
Rokarion perks his hear as he hears Cassidy and Natska comment on their mirror, deciding to move over to it, "Hmmm, well I guess it is possible that the 'truth' is what Ser'ther chooses in this case." he answers as he stands next to the two, one could be amazed that the plant could even appear cleaner than usual!
Bao growls audibly. "None of these are me. None of them are true." He crosses the room to where the others stand, staring at one particular version of himself. "But this might be as good as anything."
Zuri follows Rokarion over to the Ser'Ther mirror, smiling at his reflection. "Now who's that handsome salamander? Oh wait, it's me, Zuri!" He giggles, then pauses, biting his lip. "Hmm.. you say this is the one for Ser'Ther huh?" He reaches into his satchel to bring out a fist-sized, ovoid rock, covered in strange scribbles and markings. "Mister Ser'Ther left this behind when we first met. I wonder if I should give it back or something.."
Natska smiles a little then bows her head to the mirror. "Ser'ther, please share your truth with us."
A sigh fills the room. "Perhaps it is too much to ask," a voice says and the mirrors suddenly evaporate into mist, "Welcome, I am Ser'Ther. Why do you come to the House of Night?" The mist coalesces into the form of a large serpent curled around the perimeter of the room, its huge head bobbing above the gathered beings.
Cara turns her head slightly as to that question, "Didn't you ask someone to come here for something?" The feline instantly puts her hammer down and asks, "Well, I do have a question that came about as we got here. Who was going to be behind that door with the grapes if we went through it?"
Rokarion eyes the now materialized spirit, before doing what he had done before with all spirits, move closer to the serpent's head and begin to draw a sketch of him, "Here for exploration purposes, however if you are willing to answer questions, then I would not mind asking some."
Cassidy stretches out a little and nods, watching the mirrors vanish. "Yes. I'm here to learn, really. Not much more, for me! I'm just curious and eager to know more about the spirits in general."
Natska smiles. The jaguar clasps her hand together in front of herself, turns to face Ser'ther, and gives him a bow. She restrains her initial question, and instead she answers, "Thank you. Why the mirrors?"
Zuri plods next to Rokarion, still holding the ovoid stone. He smiles up at the spirit, then gets up on his tiptoes to peek at Rokarion's drawing. He plops back down after Cassidy's question, and nods. "Yea! Like Miss Cassidy said, we'd like to know more about spirits. Also why some beings seem to think you're all out to get us, and are nothing but trouble."
"I was hopin'" Bao says, "that maybe you could tell me why I'm here, sir. Something pulled me here today. Seemed uncivil and honestly kinda foolish to ignore it, but that don't mean I know what it was."
Ser'Ther notices Rokarion's sketching and subtly poses, probably showing the Jasmine what he thinks is his best side. "I may not speak of the others in this place," he says, "It is theirs as much as it is mine. Only that the Spirit who spoke to you is eager to enter the world again. If you have questions, only ask and I will answer if I can. Ever have I watched over the children of this world!" His coils rustle against each other, which is strange in a being composed wholly of water. "My domain is water," he says, "But my work is to watch over the measure and potential of the beings of this world. That is what the mirrors are for. They were -are- things and people you might become."
"You seriously think I could ever get that clean?" Bao says before he can catch himself. He clamps his mouth shut and looks apologetically at the spirit. "I mean, I prob'ly could, but it'd...well. Life'd have to be different."
"Water takes many forms," Natska muses. Bao's outburst causes her to smile and she looks around again, slowly taking in the images once more.
The huge serpent suddenly focuses in on Bao. "I see you, Bao of House Solacious," he says, "My Spirit calls to you. The purity of wild water and power of the waves. We could help one another." The huge head moves to turn a glowing blue eye at the sea lion.
Cara clears her throat for a moment, "Could you tell me some about the Craige by any chance? Like any weak points by any chance? If that doesn't work than can you tell me a little bit more about how the spirits came into being in the first place?"
Rokarion continues to finish his sketch as he eyes the spirit, noticing its posing and mentally noting vanity among Ser'ther's characteristics. "Very well, tell us more about yourself kind then. How long have you lived on Promise, and what made a lot of you return now? Don't use the craige excuse, It is obvious that not all of you are concerned with that." the plant being asked again.
Zuri scratches his head. "I dunno Mister Ser'Ther. I figure most beings will be happy just the way they are. Or if they wanna change, they probably want to change more than having a fancy drawing on their forehead. I guess the question is what kind of change do the spirits represent - it's more than just superficial, more than what a mirror could show."
He glances at some of the mirrors before continuing. "I mean, look at all the others. A scholar or magister is smart like Rokarion, and studied lots to be that way. A knight has earned his recognition through valor in combat, or deeds to those around him. They don't just wear the trappings of their profession, they are their profession, so... " He nibbles on his lip before asking. "So what do the spirits represent to the beings of Promise, deep down, beyond the immediately visible?"
Natska perks her ears, then smiles happily at Zuri, nodding her head. Her attention moves back to Ser'ther and she steps close to Cassidy's side, listening.
Ser'Ther frowns at Cara's question. "Are you with the nosy furball?" he asks sourly, "I have told him my conditions and will say no more on the subject." There is a mutter on the edge of hearing that might be, 'Silver-tongued bastard,' but it is hard to tell. He turns to look at Rokarion, though it is obvious he wants to keep his attention on Bao. "We have always been here," he says, "We are servants as much as we are masters. We slept while this world lay empty, but now we are slowly waking. The breaking of the prison, the moon you call Raquestia unleashed our imprisoned bretheren, and so we too return to the world." His gaze moves to Zuri. "Clever words, little one," he says, "We are what we do. I am Water, I am Flow. And when We are You, all of us are greater for it."
Bao is glad that the spirit's attention is partially diverted--not just because he's intimidated by the size of the serpent, but because there's attraction there, too. More than blood drew the ranger to the water clan. Restless as the ocean, with the quiet energy and music of a mountain stream. Even the rich depths of the swamp. For the moment, he holds his tongue, afraid of what he might offer if he speaks.
Natska raises her hand, a pair of fingers extended. "The nosy furball did not see fit to share what you told him, aside from 'no'," she replies with a slight smile. "But I assume that business is for you and he." She looks around again. "Very impressive. And... deep."
Cassidy nods along, ears perked and attentive. "Yes, there's a lot that goes into such a thing, I'd imagine..." She peers at Ser'ther and shrugs. "Yes, I'm not here on business of his. I came for my own reasons."
Ser'Ther looks just a little surprised. "He has not told anyone?" he asks, then seems thoughtful, "Maybe I underestimated him. But that is my own business for another time. What more would you have of me?" This question seems pointed most toward Bao, as if the Spirit is just waiting for something from the Sea Lion.
Cara sighs for a moment, "Neither was I on his business either, whoever this nosy furball is. Anyway, I have one more question though, Ser'ther. Do you know anything this guy named Ethelberd by any chance? He mentioned something about someone directing him and it had me a little curious."
Rokarion nods his head as his focus remains on the book he is holding, "So you are essentially saying that the beings of Promise should hold you in the same level of respect as your ancient followers for simply being what you are?" the plant being asked again, "Until now all spirits that I have met went with the same argument of 'We are constants of the universe, and thus part of what beings are, but our brethren in the other courts have simply strayed from the right path', are you denying that essentially the difference between all courts is how they view the universe, and basically political in nature?" the plant being, having finished drawing his sketch, opened another page and began jutting down some more notes.
Zuri nods at the spirit's words, thinking he understands them. He peers around to look at how the others are reacting while pocketing his shiny egg-rock again. He blinks at Rokarion's question, and slowly returns his gaze to Ser'Ther, awaiting his reply.
"We ARE the universe, little flower," Ser'Ther says, raising himself into a striking position, "But it is not my part to convince you of anything. I simply am. I do not answer to the fickle whims of my cousins of other courts. The Life Court can deal with its own petty squabbles."
Natska lets her ear flick, looking over at Zuri and Rokarion. After a moment, she looks back to Ser'ther. "What were the people before us like, Ser'ther?" she asks quietly. "And what happened to them?"
Bao squares his shoulders and draws a deep breath. "What can I help you with?" His hands aren't shaking, and neither is his voice, but there's an unsteadiness there nonetheless. He hasn't put it in fancy words, but he pretty clearly understands what he's offering.
Zuri shies away from the serpent as it begins to rear up, but stops short of diving for cover as the spirit prefers to speak rather than actually strike. The salamander composes himself and peers around at all the others. He waits for now. He is bubbling with questions himself, but doesn't want to interrupt the others.
The huge water serpent swings its head back around to look intently at Bao. "I have called you," he says, "In the roar of waves, in the song of the storm, and now we stand face to face. Will you make a pact with me? I will come when you call and you will come when I ask. I will be yours and you mine."
Rokarion raises his head to eye the spirit as he answers back in a menacing manner, "So I take it that you refuse to consider that notion, very well." the plant being says to Ser'ther before looking at Natska, and nodding his head as he moves away from the spirit to stand next to Zuri, deciding to let Bao and Ser'ther do their pact without voicing more of his thoughts on the subject.
Bao resists the urge to look away, meeting the water serpent's gaze as bravely as he can. "Aye. I'll do it. I will come when you call, and make common cause with you. For Promise and her people."
Ser'Ther does not look back to Rokarion, all his attention on Bao. The great head bobs once. "Then I bid you Purify! I offer you clarity and health. While you will be a paragon of my own crystal clearness, you will abide by and upkeep the perfection of disorder of the world. The natural order, messy as it may seem, is vital to the lifeblood and vitality of the world. Do you accept this pact?"
Bao nods again, a little more confidently. "Aye. I accept."
Natska stands next to Cassidy, remaining quiet as she observes the goings-on.
The serpent bobs its huge head, then suddenly lunges at Bao, its cavernous mouth open and icy fangs gleaming! The Sea Lion is seemingly devoured as Ser'Ther's watery mass crashes over him, but when the water subsides, he is left standing right where he was, suddenly holding a thick, wooden staff. "It is done," the Spirit says, returning to his passive coiling, "When you call, I shall come." The Spirit turns his eyes on the other beings. "Is there anything more you would have of Ser'Ther?" he asks, seeming rather pleased with himself at gaining a new caller.
Cassidy folds her arms over her chest, watching quietly until Natska's question, and her own, unvoiced one, can be answered. And when that pacting has passed, she asks it again. "We'd like to know more of those before. I hear that you enabled one to... Overcome death. That, in particular, I am curious of."
Cara eyes Ser'ther for a moment and smiles before turning to Cassidy and saying, "Thank you.", then turning to Ser'ther, "Could you tell us a little more about that, Ser'ther? It would be very kind of you to do so."
Natska quietly nods her head at Cassidy's words. "Yes," she agrees, curious to see if the spirit was in a good enough mood to answer.
Zuri watches the 'ceremony', blinking as the serpent seemingly blasts into Bao like a wave, and recedes. He peers up at Rokarion, giving him the 'did you see what I just see?'quirked eyebrow. He looks back at the great serpent. "I do have one question, Mister Ser'ther. This.. binding, this dedication. If the beings of Promise can become connected in this way to a spirit, what do you feel about those who choose to dedicate to others? Are they henceforth your enemies? Are they picking sides?"
Bao lets the sudden wave wash over him. It feels...different. Different enough that he returns to silence, trying to figure out how he's changed. He's glad the others have more practical questions, because he doesn't feel ready to ask any more of his own just yet.
Ser'Ther reluctantly looks away from his new Caller and narrows his eyes at Cassidy. "Who told you to ask about that?" the Spirit's growl sounds like distant thunder, "I will not give up my memento! It is all I have left of her!" His attention flops to Zuri. "Only some," he says, still in that thunderous growl, "I was in the right! She was wrong and so are all of her servants!" The room starts to feel colder.
Rokarion nods his head on Cassidy's comment, "If the Old One cultists are to be believed, the reason of enmity between the ciurts is becuase of this right?" the plant being asks before looking at tge serpent's reaction, "That answers my question." the plant being comments idly, preparing mentally to leave as the spirit seems to be going to kick them out soon anyway.
Cassidy shakes her head. "I'm not here to ask you to give it up," she says. "Quite the opposite. I want to find a way to... Defeat them. To break the cycles they represent, if possible. Someone did it before. I want to see if it can be done again. I have no love for the old ones or what they represent. If I can find a way to jab them in the ribs, then... All the better. But mostly I am curious."
Zuri blinks. "Uuh..." This is pretty much the scenario he had pictured in his head and filed under 'worst case'. "Mister Ser'Ther, is everything okay?" He peers up at Rokarion, and begins to shiver as the temperature begins to drop. "I don't think anyone mean to say anything bad.. should we go?"
Natska frowns as Ser'ther gets riled up, and gives her head a quick shake, her hands raised in front of her defensively. "Nobody told us to ask anything, nor are we asking for anything more than answers. Please. If we have outstayed our welcome, though, we can go."
Bao takes a step backward. The cold doesn't bother him as much as his new spirit patron's agitation. He's glad that nobody is choosing to press the issue.
Cara slowly frowns and begins to speak slowly, "I agree with Cassidy on this one, however if you want us to go, then please say so. There is no need for you to start freezing us."
"That would be best," Ser'Ther hisses, he looks with some interest at Cassidy, though. "I saved her from leaving before her time," he says, "That is all! I robbed no one! That washed up ghost is just petty and stupid and alone! She cannot understand what we had, and so she wanted to destroy it all!" There is a sound of crashing waves and rumbling thunder. "Now go!" the Spirit commands, "I will stand for no more questions!" There is a clap of thunder and Ser'Ther evaporates into a heavy mist. Behind the party, the door opens once more, revealing the exit into the cave they came from.
Cassidy raises her brow. "Well. So much for asking how to defeat Pyrrha, then," she says before shrugging and turning for the door. "I figured he'd have interest in helping someone do that. I suppose we'll have to figure it out on our own, then, Natska. Or maybe turn to the outside court that are looking to stir up some mischief."
Zuri rubs his head again, looking between all the beings present and finally stopping at Bao. He regards the sea lion with some wariness. "Y-yea, time to bolt, I think." The small salamader peers up at Rokarion, then hurries on towards the exit, wanting to put a healthy amount of space between this room and himself as quickly as possible.
Bao exhales a little too slowly to really count as a sigh. "What a damn day." He returns to the cave walking heavily, scarce noticing Zuri's extra attention. "I need a drink. Or a swim. You lot okay to get home?"
Natska makes a small, disgruntled noise, then takes Cassidy's arm in hers and heads for the exit. She draws shadows and silence around herself as she walks, sinking into her own thoughts on the matter.
Rokarion shakes hus head and moves tiwards the door, "As I said politics." he said, but in his mind spirits now proved more than ever to be children fighting over theur favourite toy. "It seems that you want to cheat death not defeat Phyrra, unless I misunderstood, Lady Solacious." he said to Cassidy before finally leaving the room.
The House of Night is silent once more. This has been an. . . interesting adventure, and maybe a little enlightening. It is certain that now that the doors are truly open, that there will be many adventures yet to come!
