Shadow of the Opera - RPLOG

Participants

• Aruc
• Cassidy
• Cirra
• Kazel
• Natska
• Reginald

Date

14/9/478

Log

Lightning crackles through the air of the cold night, shedding light on the otherwise dark streets of this area close to the harbor where the mysterious building is located. From the the outside it does look utterly abandoned. Wooden planks have been nailed across the windows and no light can be seen yet. The front door is closed, though what seems to be hastily removed planks of wood lie to its side.

Despite the poor weather overhead, there can be found a lynx slowly making his way through the backstreets of Firmament. Mind focussed on business just concluded, he only stops when this building of note stands before him. Uncertainty suddenly grasps the feline, as he decides to hold back and observe for a few moments.

Natska gives Cass'arm a small squeeze as they reach the mystery theater, her head tilted and ears perked. "Hmmmm. I think this is it. It doesn't look that strange yet though."

"Probably just some urchins or something playing around after dark, if you ask me," Cassidy says, hugging Natska's arm in return as she leans against the jaguar. "But I suppose we'll be finding out, huh?" She adjusts the collar of her dress, keeping her umbrella at the ready to shield from any inclement weather.

The nurse shark doesn't seem to mind the potential for inclement weather, though her gear reflects preparedness: an oilskin coat and a creator wetsuit. It's her normal gear, though. She is unarmed at this time, but two different water elementals (A bog standard elemental and a wisp) accompany her as she approaches. She's curious mainly, since it might be spirits but it might also be hooligans. Either option interests her.

Aruc strolls down the shadowed streets, his heterochromatic eyes scanning the shadows around him for any dangers. He stops as he notices a small group infront of an abandoned building, curious he approaches the bunch and greets them, "Hello there strangers, what seems to have caught your intrest here?"

Lightning hits something realtively close by and the thunder puts strain on everyone's eardrums. After the flash of the lightning there now is light in one of the windows in the back of the building. Wind whips about the assembled beings and around the building as the front doors break open, as if they were expecting the group to enter.

Reginald cowers for a moment in response to the lightning strike, cursing under his breath. As the entrance reveals itself, concern fills the feline - something seemed ... off. At this current time, he keeps an eye on each member of the impromptu group, making no attempt to hide from them, yet choosing to maintain some distance.

The jaguar's ears slowly stand back up, having folded in response to the thunder crash. She stares at the door for a long moment. "... dramatic." Then she glances over at Cassidy, and heads for the entrance.

Cassidy winces a little at the clap of thunder before moving for the building. "Let's just get in, before the storm somehow gets worse or something," she murmurs closing the umbrella as she crosses the door. "And yes, plenty dramatic. Maybe it's an actual -play- that's going on. Though odd season for spooky plays."

The light and sound momentarily overwhelm Cirra, but she shrugs it off soon after, curious about the open door. She walks up, poking her head inside. Her elementals stay nearby, alert for danger, though being mathemagical constructs they do not have any investment or interest. If clear, she enters fully.

Aruc shrugs at being ingnored the other. The wolf sighs and follows inside, if only to escape the rain.

Only moments after thee group as entered the foyer of the building the doors close on their own behind them. A quick check gives away that they are thankfully not locked. The foyer is relatively small, with a staircase leading up and a huge, double sided door that leads further in to the building. While the building is not is disrepair it does seem like there has nobody been here in ages. This is quickly disproven however as the booming sounds of an organ are heard loudly throughout the building.

Despite his better judgement, this cat lets his curiosity get the better of him, quickly slipping through the doors to join the group, before they close themselves. It is then that Reginald begins to regret his decision. With little to no natural light making its way in, and an unsettling noise emanating from deeper into the building, this lynx reaches into his pocket and retrieves a crystal, that, when pressed, begins to give off some white light, hopefully offering some illumination to the local area.

Natska holds still in the foyer, only turning enough to eye the door behind her. The fur on her neck bristles and she rests a hand on her sword's pommel, then looks over to Cassidy and raises her eyebrows.

Cassidy nods at Natska, giving her shoulder a squeeze. "It'll be fine. Keep on your guard, of course, but... If they were bandits or crooks, I doubt they'd be making their presence so known. I still maintain that it's probably just some urchins or vagrants trying to have a little fun."

The sound of the organ is strangely relieving to Cirra, since the sound of music, even eerie, is still music. She shrugs a bit, then takes a moment to cast a spell to protect herself and the others travelling with her.

Aruc looks around the area, the haunting music plays through his mind reminding him of his childhood. he mumbles aloud as he stalks through the dark and dingy halls, "Ahh what a wonderful nolstalgic feeling this situation brings." he then looks to the others, "I am known simply as Aruc, what may I call all of you?"

The music continues to play, forming an eerie, yet beautiful melody. A booming voice sets itself above the sounds of the organ, "Is it true? Do I have guests? Welcome strangers, welcome! Come in and listen!"

Reginald lets his light crystal hang down from the front of his jacket, attached by a short chain. Taking a moment to look about himself, the lynx stops dead upon hearing the voice speak. Hand instinctively reaching for his sword, the feline, however, does not draw it. Instead, he peers in the direction of the call ...

Natska's ears perk and she looks around again, then calls out. "It seemed like we were invited in, and it would be rude of guests to turn that down." She smiles, then moves further into the building, looking for the organ.

Cassidy checkes one of the knives under her sleeve before nodding. "Yes, it would," she says, moving after the jaguar. "Should be interesting to see what's going on, at least, hmm? I'm curious now."

Cirra gives a wave to Aruc, signing to him, not speaking. <I am Cirra Stormborn.> She hopes this catches the wolf's attention. She keeps her wisp close, relying on its mathemagical glow. She earperks at the voice, curious, but unable to respond until within visual distance.

Natska blinks, then looks over at Aurc for a moment, and gives him a quick smile and a nod of the head. "Apologies, I was... enthralled. I'm Natska Solacious, and this is my wife, Cassidy." She grins, then nods at Cirra. "Cirra."

Aruc grins and nods to natska, he then turns to cirra, trying in vain to decipher her hand movements. "Im sorry... Cirra, I don't know what that means... perhaps you could write something down?" he the continues ahead, "Well, let us meet the lord of this lovely estate, shall we?"

The group follows the invitation and opens up the heavy door leading further into the building and find themselves surprised. The room is well lit by candles and there are no cobwebs and dust to be seen. The curtains hide the stage, but the music seems to come from behind them. An assumption that is quickly proven when the curtains pull back to reveal a small sized organ, behind which a man can be seen. The being is very tall, about six feet and is wearing a tuxedo, complete with a top hat. His face is hidden behind a classical white mask with a sad expression. He stands up and starts talking in his deep voice. "How wonderful to have guests. But sadly, I am afraid I am not yet ready for the opening night. What brings you here?"

Reginald , as he enters the well lit room with the group, reaches down to turn off his light crystal. Casting a glance over to the nurse shark and the wolf, he offers up an explanation "She says her name is Cirra Stormborn ... And since we're taking this moment to get acquainted, the name's Reginald." The lynx offers a quick nod in greeting to the group, before turning to the masked being, "I'm sorry if we've intruded. Would you mind sharing your name with us?"

Natska inclines her head. "Reginald." Then she gives the being in the mask a wide smile. "I see! I love the ambiance you have here, sir. We were out in the street and then the door opened, so in we came. We can take our leave though, if we're a bother."

"We came to see what was going on, yea," Cassidy says, nodding at Natska before looking towards Aruc. "Yes, as she said, I am Cassidy. Nice to meet you," she offers with a small bow of her head before looking back towards the being at the organ.

The nurse shark facepalms, taking out her chalkboard and chalk. She keeps it around for underwater speaking, since most beings don't understand sign. /What they said. I'm Cirra Stormborn./ She shrugs, then wipes the board, raising it for the masked being. /Sorry to intrude. It was quite wonderful music./

Aruc smiles and takes a seat among the first row, turning back to quikly nod to cirra. He then faces the mystery man and states, "I am but a humble traveler seeking refuge from the weather who stumbled across this location and your wonderful music. Perhaps you would not mind my being here a bit longer until the weather clears? In return I could do some odd jobs for you, say like tidying up the front areas and such?"

The man takes a slight bow. "Thank you for your kind words. You are welcome to stay as long as you like, though I am afraid I can't provide the proper entertainment." He pauses for a moment and then shakes his head. "Do not bother yourself with any kind of payback, it would not be right of me to accept anything from you."

Concern starts to return to the lynx's face, the masked being choosing not to reveal his name. Circling out to the side of the group, Reginald looks over the being before them, and cannot shake the feeling that something just doesn't sit right. The feline, discreetly, keeps a hand within distance of his sword, as he nods and poses a further question. "I hope you don't mind me saying, but this theatre seems to have been long abandoned ... are you its new owner?"

Natska smiles at the being and bows her head, then lets her attention wander, looking about the room and taking note of its state. "Are you opening soon?"

Cassidy glances between the others asking questions before leaning against Natska, nodding. "Yes. This seems like an odd place to set up shop. I'm a little disappointed to see its state of disrepair. Have you considered one of the other theatres? It'd take some time to get this place spruced up."

Cirra pauses at the being, glad for a second that the strange being doesn't know her name as she would say it. Granted, that might just be superstition about how spirit magic works. Still she decides to look around, careful to avoid getting on the stage proper, wondering what the odd being is up to beyond playing the organ. She undoes a few straps on her gloves and coat, revealing flat surfaces with etched grids on them.

The being sighs. "I am well aware and no, I do not own this establishment. I have nowhere else to perform and compose though and so far nobody has seemed to mind. I am afraid I am not fit to play on the big stages, sadly." He brushes a hand across his mask, sadness in his voice.

Reginald , whilst not entirely pacified, does drop his guard a little. "I'm sorry to hear that, as you seem to have some talent with your instrument. Have you tried approaching a noble for patronage?" The lynx does his best to discern any possible reaction from the other being, but the task is not made easy by his attire.

Natska tilts her head as her attention moves back to the being. "Why not, I enjoyed the music." She pauses, then frowns softly. "When phrased properly, all manner of things may be passed off as unique quirks."

"And why aren't you fit for a big stage, huh?" Cassidy asks, tilting her head. "I thought it sounded nice, too. If nothing else, maybe this place can be fixed up at least. Turn it into a proper theatre you can play at."

Cirra shrugs and throws caution to the wind, moving to sit on the stage so she can look at the being and watch the others. She can hear them perfectly well, but she's not really able to talk with him, so she's going to try to observe as much as possible, and study the action.

The tall man shakes his head. "I have not. The likes of me are not welcome at the noble's court. They do not understand. Nobody does. It is nothing that can be done of as a quirk. But lets not get into it. I would not want to bother my first guests with my personal issues. I will stay here until the owner or someone else complains."

Reginald nods again, feeling some sympathy for the other being's plight. However, he still has questions unanswered. "... you keep referring to yourself in such a way as to distance you from others, and, please don't take this the wrong way, but I can't help but wonder why?"

Natska lets her ear flick, then looks over at Reginald. "It is rude to pry." She smiles then. "Do you have a name you would care to be called, our host?"

Cassidy tilts her head to the side, frowning. "You are among two nobles now. You already have a foot in the door. So yes, why do you wish to remain... Away? You look fine to me, you play music well. And you have a suit. That's marketable stuff right there!"

The nurse shark remains silent, though that's not hard, given that she's mute. But she watches, curious about the interaction going down. A patronage, perhaps?

The musician shakes his head again. "Names are meaningless. And I would not be welcome anyway, patronage or not. I am not like most of my kind and neither like yours. I refuse to be shackled, but I am not violent. I never did a wrong in the whole of my life, but yet I am an outcast." A deep sigh escapes the lips behind the mask.

Reginald tenses upon hearing a certain part of the being's response, and mumbles it back to himself "I am not like most of my kind and neither like yours." The lynx exhales, taking the moment to ponder the sentence, before directing a simple question back at him, calm but firm. "What are you?"

Natska shoots Reginald a frown, then shakes her head. She looks around the room again, then begins circling, getting a look at the organ.

Cassidy folds her arms, ears flicking as she listens. "I see. Well, I certainly hope you are not a Creator. Because this would get all kinds of awkward if you were," she says, lofting a brow.

Cirra shrugs a bit. She's been an outcast before, though it was mostly self imposed. She's unsure how to move forward, though she's almost completely eliminated the idea that it is a being.

Aruc breaks his silence in order to interject, "Does to really matter who he is? I for one care not." he then relaxes back into his seat.

The man offers a nod to the wolf before he speaks. "I agree, it matters not. I am a simple musician who just wants to be free and to play the music I love. I can assure you however, that I am not a creator, far from it, actually."

The middle-aged lynx's discontent with the masked being's answer was clearly displayed on his face. Having been burned in the past, Reginald was no about to take any chances. Slowly reaching to his side, the feline draws his sword, yet, he does not raise it, instead letting it hang at his side and point to the ground. "I'll ask again - what are you?" The slightest hint of a threatening growl can be heard in his voice.

"I have only recently learned the piano, h-" Natska starts to ask, then falls silent as Reginald draws his sword. She turns to face the lynx, and her hand moves to the scabbard of her own blade. "Truly?"

Cirra's eyes narrow, especially since the being is eluding questions. Her own hands hover over the diving spell on her left, and her sharkskin spell on her right. She waits to see what goes down, since she doesn't want anyone to get hurt.

Cassidy furrows her brow, flexing her fingers. "There's no need for violence here," she says, peering intently at Reginald before looking back towards the other being. "Not a spirit, are you?"

Aruc arches his eyebrows at the lynx, "You would draw your blade on an unarmed stranger for not responding to a question?! Are you daft? put that thing away fool, before you get yourself hurt."

The man raises his hands in defense. "Please, please. Listen to your friends. I mean no harm." He pauses for a moment and then sighs. "I have.. overlooked some of the previous questions, simply to protect myself. You see, I am one of those you call shadows. But I refuse to be shackled for crimes I did not commit, making me an outcast among yours as well as mine." He pauses again, drawing his hand over his mask. "I have only ever taken one body. This. The man was in agony, dying. It was an act of mercy." He pulls the mask off his face to reveal the horribly scarred and burned face of a canine, nearly all of his fur and hair gone.

Reginald hesitates, struggling to decide on a course of action. He had heard the stories, entire towns wiped out by such creatures. Yet, he knew first had that not all of them were simple murderous beasts, and it is that which guided his next reaction. Letting out a sharp exhale, the lynx throws his sword back into its scabbard, and, giving the shadow one last stern look, makes for the exit with haste, not wanting anything to do with the creature.

Natska frowns, her attention moving towards the organ-player. She ponders him for a long moment, then looks towards Cassidy for direction, moving back to her wife's side.

Cassidy watches Reginald go before looking towards the oregon player, giving a little sigh. "The shadow necklaces aren't just for you, you know. They're for us. Even in bodies... Shadows have an effect on beings without that necklace. It's not safe, you know. And if you have no intent on swapping bodies, why not take one?"

Cirra shrugs, now very glad she's back here by the stage. She dislikes that they feed on beings and needto ride in their bodies, but she also recognizes that it is not their choice, but their nature. She is a little frustrated that this one is endangering so many. But for now, she stays quiet, fueling a different spell than expected. She weaves her own recovery tale, targetting her friends and acquaintances that are still left. Granted, its' more a preparation for any actions that go forth, and to help ease whatever malaise the shadow might be causing.

Aruc nods at the pair, then looks to the shadow. "Im sorry to say that they are correct in that regard, long term exposure could have a large impact on the surrounding community, If you are not willing to get the amulet you will have to leave this area. Too many lives are at stake. Thats just how it is."

The shadow sighs, his eyes lingering on the organ. "It would seem I will be punished for crimes I have not committed and for what I am regardless of how I choose." He slowly puts the mask back on. "Do you think they would let me play on the big stages if I were shackled by one of those amulets?"

Reginald pauses at the door, his hand resting upon the handle, when his thoughts turn to a being he cares for ... cares for a lot.

"I do not know if what you say is true, of yourself or of that body ... but ... if it is, then get a pendant ... and do so before someone a lot less open minded finds you ..." And with that solemn statement, the lynx makes his exit.

Natska is quiet for a moment, then shrugs. "It is not a punishment. It is something to protect Beings from something dangerous and to let them know you mean no harm. And it is required in this city."

Cassidy nods at Natska. "Yes! It's no punishment at all. It's not going to keep you from doing anything but leaving the body. That's all. And if you didn't plan to do so anyway, then nothing is lost. If the body dies... You can leave then, just fine. But yes, if you had one you could certainly go and play on the big stages."

Aruc grins yo the shadow and states, you will be fine, besides having the amulet would only increase you changes of playing on the big stages."

The shadow sighs but nods after a moment. "Alright. I will have one put on me. I do not mean harm to anyone. I never did." He stares at his hands for a while before continuing. "If you would be so kind to leave me be for now, it would be greatly appreciated. I will see about the pendant at dawn."

Aruc shrugs, bowing politely before the shadow, "Thank you for the music kind sir, as you request I shall take my leave. Good luck to you." The wolf leaves the room, pulling his jacket to him tightly in preperation for the storm outside.

Natska bows her head to the performer. "Ask after me at the Solacious manor and I'll put in a good word with the bard's guild, or help in another way if desired. I think we all deserve to pursue our happiness, as long as it hurts nobody."

"Yes! Natska and I would be happy to do what we can to help," Cassidy says with a nod and a smile. "She's a singer! And I'm a violinist. So we know some faces around the Guild, but... For now, I wish you luck," she says, turning and offering her arm to Natska before starting for the door.