Personification Life, the Universe, & Everything [IC]

[The World Capitalist Confederation]

Lobby

The front desk cultist looked up from his book as a wind swept through the lobby. In a shower of glitter and rare tropical flower petals, Dax Liebsturk appeared, with all the luggage he would need and a customary "Welcome" unicorn plushie.

"Good to have you, Mister Liebsturk," the man at the check-in desk greeted. "We've been expecting you. Please, come over and receive your keys, and I'll show you to a social event our current residents are hosting."

"Alright then..." *He took his keys, confused at this 'social event'

"What's this social event about? *He cringed inside, thinking about his often anti-sociability...* Also, it's Dr. Liebsturk, but I perhaps realise that you may have not known that and-" He cut himself off, as he often did when he ran off with a sentence. The scars of childhood left him almost unable to act like a regular person.

"Please, sir, lead the way." Dax cringed again, knowing that he said sir, but he then promptly ignored it.

[Northwest Slobovia]

Frozen Rain: A Glitch in Time Saves Nine

"Holy, fucking, shit," he hissed quietly, raising his hands in both emphasis and demonstration. "You're here too? It's me, Willow! And Sterling too!" He tried to slap his own face with his hands, as if that might prove his claim. "We got sucked in here by magic and turned out like this! How did you get here?"

"Willow...?" Ford stood slack-jawed for a few seconds, as the gears in his mind raced. (Or the gears might have ground; hard to say with Naomi's work.) He reached out to touch Willow, not quite believing what he was hearing, before realizing that touch would tell him no more than any of his other senses.

“Magic brought you here? We... we need to talk. I got a card from... um-- I'm not quite Sandy. I'm Ford. I'm... I'm one of Naomi's paper people... like Sallow. He was with Naomi's crude copy of Giovenith. She gave me a card, and here I am."

A thought struck him, and looked the ex-Equestrians over. “Are you guys OK? Near the end of World War Two isn't the safest place to wander around.

“We should find some shelter and compare notes. There's not much left of this village, but I... We should get under cover, there could be snipers. This store is burned out, but it will do in a pinch.”


Holiday Feast

"Good afternoon, everyone," she greeted, approaching the small group, cupcake tray in hand. "Talking about drinks? Can't have that without some munchies to fill you up!"

Amanda took a cupcake with a polite smile and a thank-you, neglecting to mention that slowing the alcohol sometimes defeated the point of drinking. She took a bite, wondering whether Giovenith's baking would be ambrosia or practically poison.

[MB] hopped over to Sandy, who seemed least occupied, and pointed questioningly again at the fruit sorbet popsicles, then waving his ears around to encompass the small cluster of people.

Sandy looked down at him, a warm smile on his face. “Hello, MB!” He got the rabbit's meaning, a why-not frown flashed across his face, he took a red popsicle, and gave it a taste.

[Giovenith]

Lobby

OOC: No *asterisks* please.

The man at the desk had already returned to his book, leaning back in his seat. From this angle, one might notice that instead of a bellhop's uniform, he seemed to be wearing some kind of soldier's suit. He unceremoniously pointed a thumb towards ones of the doorways, where the chatter of a few voices could be heard and the smell of snacks wafted through.

Giovenith's cupcakes were just that, tiny cupcakes, baked perfectly according to Easy Bake instructions. Normally she would have brought leftovers made by Willow, but obviously, that hadn't worked out.

Something else caught her attention though, and she turned around to find something very unexpected: an unfamiliar face carefully wandering in, 'welcome' gifts in tow. A sudden elation spread through her - a new arrival! After all this time!

Dax was quickly approached by a shorter young woman in her early twenties. She had short, messy white hair and was wearing a well-worn pink sweater-dress. She was all smiles and held out a hand.

"Well hello," Giovenith greeted. "A new neighbor, great to see you! You came just in time! My name is Giovenith, what's yours?"

[Monfrox]

Feast

Well, if the Belas were handling the wine then there must've been something that Lidev could do. She was caught off guard by Amanda's sudden question before she could come up with anything.

"Oh, no. I've not been here in..." She trailed off, unsure of how to put the events of the past, both inside and away from the Building, into words. Failing that, she went with a small excuse. "...I'm just a visitor. I don't stick around. No time to, what with my day job and all."

Gio had approached with cupcakes, but Lidev was even more unsure of how to respond. Amanda had taken one but the godling had soon gone to the new arrival, and Lidev let out a breath she didn't realize she had held. She fiddled with her turtleneck and eyepatch a little.

"So...if you are handling the wine, then...hmmm..."

[The World Capitalist Confederation]

Lobby
Dax noticed her 'oversociality' and began to attempt to think of a way out of the situation...but before then..."Very much- I mean thank you for your gifts and your welcomes. I cannot overstate the amount of gratitude I..." His mind continued racking over what to do next...He grabbed some alcohol, taking a swig of it before speaking again.."Very nice cupcakes, I see. I'm not a fan of those, but I'm sure they were made very nicely. I'm more of a "steak with red wine" kind of person, you know? I remember the time I had a...what was it again? I had a steak, wait no, I had a roast chicken drumstick and then, after finishing my meal, I ate a few truffles - not too much as I wasn't rich - but it tasted amazing. I'm really running away with the conversation aren't I? I can't tell whether I'm talking too much or I'm trying to dump my entire personality on you at once! Well, either way, I'm saying this as you seem to be a woman of cooking. Very interesting profession, I've covered a cook or two myself, although I'm more on the political section." He had just felt his insides burst into flames at his clear social awkwardness, a result of years of abuse by his own parents. He had gotten ready for a response...

[Northwest Slobovia]

Holiday Feast

"Oh, no. I've not been here in..." [...] "...I'm just a visitor. I don't stick around."

Amanda shook her head, puzzled. "A visitor? I'm not sure I understand. Who let you in?"

"So...if you are handling the wine, then...hmmm..."

"Oh, well, if you want to play hostess, ask Sandy for some of his stock. He brought a few bottles with him, and what he didn't bring, he can conjure."

[Holy Lykos]

Frozen Rain

Where in Tartarus had another resident come from? This was almost too convenient! "Yeah, its us. We've been fine, worst we've gotten was a bit hungry, bit cold, and I had a scrap of metal in me for a bit, but otherwise we've been fine. We woke up along a road, completely alone and just kept wandering until we found some people we could talk to. Our uniforms say something like... film crew was it, Willow? So they haven't expected us to fight."

He shrugged, then sighed, "We're looking for Brit. We haven't seen her, but she was in the same room as us when all this went down. As far as we can tell she may have been here longer, or is convinced she's a native here. Some sort of scout specialist? She was ordered towards here, and those weird three mentioned some female American had been through, so I guess we're on the right track..."

Finally, Sterling thought of something. "Wait, are you still made of paper here? We were turned into humans so maybe...?"

[Giovenith]

Feast

The young lady gently held up a hand to Dax, steadying his rambling. She blinked at him with a knowing smile—despite her young age, it was evident that she wasn't a stranger to the insecurity Dax was clearly showing. She gestured to one of the many seats in the dining room.

"Why don't you take a seat?" Giovenith offered. "You can tell me more about how you found yourself here and snack some more."

She lead him to a table, urging him to sit before grabbing a small cup of fruit juice and handing it over. She waited for him to seem more settled.

"So," she started. "I assume the desk guy told you why you're here?"


Frozen Rain

Willow carefully reached out to touch Ford's arm, confirming what the fellow resident had said: he was a paper person. It didn't make much of a difference to him, a fellow resident was a fellow resident, but it did lend weight to Sterling's question. Why would their non-human status be changed but not Ford's?

He shook his head. "Let's move while we talk, you can't stand still for long in winter," he said, shifting the things he was carrying and leading on ahead. "But yes, what Sterling said. Brit is apparently missing somewhere in this place. She was captured by a tribe of humans called Germans. Something else really weird is going on here..." Willow winced and bent a branch back from swatting him in the eye. "... the people we talked to, the 'Americans' I think, they acted like they've known Brit for a long time, like she's always been part of this war. They said she used to talk about me and Sterling too, as if we've also been here, and as if we were always human. Whatever pulled us here, it must be affecting the memories of the people. It must be responsible for why Brit was captured too, since we arrived here without her."

He didn't mention how Brit was allegedly cross with him, at least according to Heartling. There was no time for interpersonal drama while everyone was still in danger. However, Willow was starting to gain more hope with another set of hands on their team. Three was hardly ideal, but was better than two.

That was when they found the door.

"Shi-!" Willow flailed futilely at the arms that ripped him inside and flung him to the floor. He rolled over as quickly as he could (which wasn't very, considering his situation) and looked upward to face their attacker. She looked nasty. He looked nasty right back at her.

There wasn't much Willow could say without getting them into more trouble than they already were though, so he instead made his spite known by deliberately taking his sweet time to reach around for the winter hat that had dislodged when he'd hit the floor. Calmly, he propped on his knees and ran his fingers through his now-ruffled hair—a sensation, he admitted, was a lot more pleasant and cathartic than the same gesture done with hooves—and carefully tucked the cap back onto place, feeling around to make sure it was on just right. Once it was, he turned to make eye contact with the girl again and spit on the floor before getting up and marching to where she demanded, making sure to walk several paces ahead with a stride that implied that he was doing this on his own.

His demeanor cooled down a little once he saw the older man by the fire. Was this guy a prisoner too? There wasn't much time to dwell on this as yet another girl appeared, this one much more welcoming than the first. Things took a 180 degree turn. Willow was taken aback, not just by the unexpected treatment, but personally—with her hair and accommodating nature, this 'Candida' reminded him instantly of Giovenith. This caused him to bite back even more of his bitterness.

The conversation immediately took on a new interest: Brit. Willow perked.

"Uh, yeah!" he spoke up for the first time since being captured. "We're looking for Brit Nicholson. She's been captured. Who are you? Why are you all the way out here if you can speak..." What was the standard human language? "... English?"

[Northwest Slobovia]

Frozen Rain

Ford was pulled through the door with an incoherent shout, but at least he landed in something like good order, thanking Sandy for dimly-recalled hours in the dojo. The situation was so bizarre that he followed orders numbly, then sat with the others, but rather far from the fire.

Time to sort through the facts. Willow and Sterling seemed to be here, or alternatively, assuming they were part of some grand illusion didn't go anywhere useful, so it was best to assume they were real. They were also brought by 'magic', though Ford was pretty sure both of them were Blind, so that was probably Willow's supposition. Still, whatever it was that brought them must have been strange. I'll have to ask for a description.

Their descriptions of Brit and how she interacted with ... wherever they were now ... made more sense for the Freywold than anywhere else he could think of. There was no 'here', merely an illusion overlaid on wherever they really were, informed by Brit's memories. That brought two thoughts to mind, one chilling and one comforting: chilling, Amanda's persistent worries about telepaths; comforting, that the Belas would return to their apartment, find Ford lying just inside the door, and try to do something to help him.

Further reinforcing the idea of an illusory world were the color-coded good and bad girls, with names to match their hair. That seems like a hallmark of the Winter Court, tweaking them with something so obvious, but also equally obviously not helpful. But if it was the Winter Court's doing – with or without Mab's approval – how did they manage to do it in the Building? And if not them, who?

Ford sat back and waited for Willow's question to be answered, in the hope that it might shed more light on the situation.

[Monfrox]

Frozen Rain

Candida looked at Willow with a cocked head, and the most sincerest of confused expressions. Then her eyes widened a bit.

"Wait...you aren't with the 101st. You don't know..."

The old man sat up and hummed. His eyes opened slowly as he sat wrapped in a cloth blanket. He had a full beard that had long since grayed, but he looked to be in his 70's or so.

"It is in times like this that we seek our salvation. Our sanctuary. Far from the battle behind you, but in a battlefield all our own..."

Sable spoke up, her demeanor still as perpetually bitter like someone had pissed in her cheerios this morning.

"Fuckin' idiots. Didn't you see the bodies? Fuckin' shadow-people are all over this area. Sure they keep their distance from Bastogne and the surrounding lines, but out here they own the turf. And they'll eat you alive if you aren't careful."

"This isn't the first time this has happened. Throughout the war we've traveled as a trio. Sometimes the Americans give us shelter and food, but it's been a long time since we last stayed with them. When the shadow-people show up, we have to go into hiding. Lately, it's more desperate now than it's ever been for us." Candida's smile faded for the slightest of seconds before she perked back up. "But since Lieutenant Nicholson's arrival, we've been better off. She brought us some ammo to trade food for. It was strange though...she arrived with a full squad of men, but after a night she sent them off back to their line. Why was that? Do you have an idea, Denis?"

The old man bowed his head solemnly.

"The girl certainly is aloof and self-centered at times, but...I feel it's because she thinks that only she must face her battles. You," He looked directly at Willow. "have been brought here for a reason, I'm sure you know. All of you have. I sense your waywardness, but now is the time to steel yourselves. Seek out what you are here to find, and the rest will come along."

"Tch. What a fuckin' joke..." Sable spat. "She's a fuckin' dumbass, going out there on her own. Even knew it was stupid when I told her, the fuckhead. Oh but don't listen to me, no that's totally fine. I ain't goin' to her funeral anyway."

Candida looked noticeably troubled about Sable's attitude, but made no effort to confront her about it. She looked back to the three.

"Your friend stayed with us for a night before she left, but she was in such a hurry when she went out after we told her about the shadow-people. She almost forgot her helmet until Sable chucked it at her. She seems to be a rather scatterbrained one when pressured. Maybe she forgot something else?"

Holiday Feast

"I uh...I've been here before but I..." Lidev didn't really know how exactly to put it.

Mon came up and touched her shoulder.

"Hey, we need that wine. Can you go get it?"

"Oh! Right! Uhm...right." Lidev left to find Sandy.

Mon leaned in as she watched Lidev until she was sure she was out of earshot, before turning to Amanda. "I don't wanna be rude right now, but you're digging where there's already holes. Not that you know, but that girl's definitely had a better time outside this place than when she was here. Understand?"

Lidev, in the meantime, came around Sandy's side. "I was told you had the wine?"

[Giovenith]

Frozen Rain

"No Nancy, I thought those were just sacks of marshmallows bleeding out there," Willow snapped at Sable, holding up his camera peevishly. "I was planning on taking holiday snapshots with the enemy, but gee, I didn't think they'd kill us. Thank you for your unique insight."

He might have gone on, but something about what Candida said caught his attention, other than the information about Brit.

"You're, not Americans?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. Willow supposed he didn't know any better, but he had kind of just assumed that anyone speaking Ponish English here was on the side of Brit's tribe. He'd assumed that these three must have been caught behind the line like she had. "Then who are you, why are you here?"

[Northwest Slobovia]

Frozen Rain

Ford mumbled, repeating Candida: "101st... Bastogne... Oh, shit!" His eyes locked on hers. "Back up, please. What's this about the '101st'? You mean the... the 101st Airborne, yes? And what don't we know, then?"

His eyes narrowed: somebody's memory is being rifled for details. Better it wasn't his; the last thing they needed was a real slaughter, like Normandy, Antietam, Cannae or the dozens of other battles Sandy knew in detail. "And 'shadow-people'? You mean like us, not from, um, around here?"

[Holy Lykos]

Frozen Rain

And here Sterling was once more being pulled around by strangers, like that was just the pastime here in this war-zone, abduct someone and set them on a quest to find someone. At least this time they had the decency to give them some food, and out from the cold. Once he had his bearings again, the former unicorn was happy to let the others do the talking. He'd been confused the moment they set foot in here.

But, all these things the elder human and two women were saying was concerning enough. Brit going alone into an area of intense danger? Shadow people? Strange goings on even for a war.

"You'll have to lead us on Earth details, Ford, neither of us are much caught up on its wars." Sterling mumbled to the paper person once he had a moment to. But to the whole group he spoke up a bit. "So, we need to find Brit before these shadows do, I'd hazard, and then we'll find how to get her home. Just one small thing," A weak smile, which broke into a frown. "These shadows, do weapons work on them or something else, like light?"

[Monfrox]

Frozen Rain

Sable glared. If she had been pissed before, she was fuming now.

"Keep talking, dickweed. I'm not gonna cry when you get ripped apart."

"Sable..." Candida said in an exasperated plea. "They are our guests."

"Fuck 'em. Sooner they leave the better."

Candida sighed and Sable hopped off the crates she was sitting on. She grabbed her Garand and walked off towards the steeple.

"I heard your dumbass Lieutenant crying to herself in the basement last night. Just thought you should know." She had venom in her words but that was all she said.

"She's always been like that. I'm not sure why, but we are who we are, I guess. Don't let her get to you, though. But we are here simply because we are, I guess."

"I think, and therefor I am..." Denis spoke up once again. "Sometimes there isn't any rhyme or reason to how things are...sometimes, that isn't where the answers lie either..."

Candida smiled to Ford. "The 101st Airborne are wonderful people. We've been keeping low along the way but they seem in a tight spot here in Belgium. I remember Brit saying she was here on a secret mission, though. One that could determine the fate of the war. She didn't say much else, though." She looked to Sterling. "Ah, the shadow-people. Well, that's what we call them at least. Their shadows have grown on them and seep into their skin. It's...not very pleasant. Sable said we should put them out of their misery before they kill us, so that's what we do. Your guns should work on them, but if you're going out I would suggest just trying to avoid them if you can."

[Giovenith]

Frozen Rain

Willow tracked Sable as she stormed off, raising an eyebrow slightly once she was out of sight. He was not particularly apologetic, but he was feeling increasingly confused at the implicit attention that was being placed on him by these people. He was brought here for a purpose, and also Sterling and Not-Sandy. Brit's alleged sorrow was thrown at him in anger, almost like an accusation. Of course Willow wasn't comfortable with that information, he wanted to find Brit and help her with whatever was going on — but why was this force that was driving them blaming him in particular? Was it for the pain they'd gone through in proto-Equestria? That might be reason enough... though he had been assuming up till that point that the same force here had been responsible for that as well.

There were more important things to dwell on. Hundred-and-first, Bastogne, shadow-people, it was all foreign to him, yet it seemed they would be facing most of it down soon enough. "You guys seem to know the most about what happen to the Lieutenant," he said. "And about what's going on here. Are the shadow-people working with the Germans? Where does the enemy keep their prisoners? And," He paused, resolving himself. "What do these shadow-people do?"

Willow had seen what shadows could do before, and he wasn't about to allow Sterling and Ford to suffer the same discovery.

"Please, give us every possible detail you can manage..."

[Monfrox]

Frozen Rain

Candida looked to Sable, then to Denis, then back to the trio.

"Your friend didn't give us a lot to go on, but if the mission was a secret as she said it was, she may have been sent to the bunker Southwest of here. The Germans have used it as a factory for chemical weapons before and they seemed to be wanting to use it to turn the tide of the battle. If she's anywhere but back at her own line, I'm sure she's there. I know the way. But the shadow-people are their own kind. They avoid the sound of battle, but prey on weaker people. Those who suffer their attack turn into one of them, doomed to roam for eternity. Their cries give me chills..."

[Northwest Slobovia]

Frozen Rain

Ford nodded as Willow asked follow-up questions; they were as insightful as he, er, Sandy remembered him asking back at home, years before. The answers only confirmed what he thought: this wasn't Kansas anymore, but may still be Galli.

“Uh, Candida, and...” He addressed the old man too, unsure of his name. “We got separated and just found each other again, um, in Villeroux. We'd like to get caught up, if you don't mind.” He caught the Equestrians' eyes and nodded towards the front of the church.

The three of them went off a bit, and Ford spoke in a low voice, not much above a whisper. “Since Sterling asked, I can tell you where and when we seem to be, but I don't think we've left... I don't think we're very far from home in, um, Bielefeld. That's a safe name; there's a city by that name not a few hundred miles from, uh, here.

“This all seems to be the end of the Second World War, an immense, brutal war fought on Earth about, uh, 75 years ago, as Amanda reckons time. Where and when we are specifically appears to be a village near Bastogne, a city at was besieged during a German counteroffensive in Winter 1944-45, or... almost 74 years to the day before I left the Building. It was early December, ironically, the anniversary of another attack in the same war.

“Many of the details these... people give match the time and place, as do the uniforms we're wearing.” He pointed to the shoulder patches he and Willow had. “Insignia of a unit one of Amanda's great uncles fought in. This is... Uh, Captain Blackwater fought in a war like this too, but maybe not the same one as the Belas' relatives. The Cultists back home sound and dress like the Germans from this war.”

He took a breath, eyes starting to go wide. “But, I don't think we're there. I hear... faint music constantly; no civilization on Earth at the time could have produced sourceless, omnipresent sound. These 'shadows' aren't part of my... Sandy's world either, but... I have a guess that this could be Mab's doing, or her Court's, but the hows and whys don't seem to fit, just the setting – cold, bleak, cruel to mortals – but either way, I think if it's not their trickery, it's something like it.

“The people here... a 'good' woman and a 'bad' woman, conveniently color-coded white and black? Even their names fit the color-code: 'Candida' means white in Latin, a dead language, 'Sable' is an animal known for its black fur. And something about us being sent to do something? No, I... I think this isn't just a timestream we've been thrown into, this is being shown to us.

“Some details don't fit... Sable said 'dickweed'. That's a modern English insult: nobody during World War Two would have said it. I have a bad feeling somebody... something... is rifling Brit's memory for details and showing us an illusory world built from them. That fits the fae's reputation, but...” He shrugged. “Sorry for the lecture; this has been gnawing on me all day.”


Holiday Feast

Sandy decided that the popsicle was strawberry, and took a bigger bite. Not bad, not bad at all! He looked up at a touch. “Who...?” Catching Amanda's significant look, he concluded this must be one of the hosts. “Oh, certainly, the wine!”

Sandy picked up a bottle. “This is a California Sauvignon Blanc, a good year. An excellent wine for poultry. Very tasty. Uh, that's from our timestream, Amanda's and mine. Golden Telanaxis wine, a flower wine from some Earth's far future, goes well with practically everything.

“I've got a selection of reds, from a variety of times and places. Naxiote wine, from our distance past: absolutely wonderful if you let the taste develop. This is Corellian, from Maghrl's timestream, a full-bodied red. Uh... I've got a few others with me, but if you'd like something else, just ask. If I can't conjure it, I can probably get close.”

[Giovenith]

Frozen Rain

"Your entire planet went to war with itself, twice?!"

Was Willow's initial reaction to Ford's explanation in the church basement, perhaps not the most sensitive nor germane, but not something he could find it in himself to hold back. And he thought that war over the stupid apple was the worst humans got. God, he loved his human friends, but what the fuck was wrong with this species as a whole?

"That's like something I would make up to exaggerate-" Willow stopped. Slowly straightening his back, he took a moment to close his eyes and breathe deeply. In, out. Okay. This wasn't worth ranting about, it was all in humanity's past and wouldn't help their situation now. He shouldn't have been judging them so immediately either, he didn't know the context of these wars or what they meant to the people connected to it. That would be for another time. He opened his eyes and allowed Ford to continue.

There was a lot to take in. Firstly, this was where the cultists' mannerisms came from? He had always assumed their uniforms were just law-enforcement related or something. What did that mean for Rache? Willow grimaced and pinched his own uniform's shirt — not the same as the one his daemon friend wore. Rache was German? No, probably Hans was... but they were both good people, they wouldn't hurt anyone. Willow was left confused and deeply uncomfortable, but decided to push the thought away, for now.

"I don't know who Mab is," the pony-turned-young-man said, shifting the straps connected to his gun and camera equipment that were digging into him (yet more unexpected sensitivity of human flesh, how did they manage?). "Last time something like this happened to me, there were spirits involved, but they were unique to our world and I'm not sure how involved they were in starting the whole thing. There were also... shadows." He winced slightly, and fought back against the haze coming over his vision as he remembered- no Willow, don't freak out, don't freak out now, hold it in...

His hand sought out Sterling's arm. Not bothering to fight this body's instincts, he dug his fingers deeply into his friend's skin, though luckily for the former unicorn Willow wasn't strong enough to hurt him. He stayed there though, for a moment, eyes tightly shut as he struggled to reel himself out from the maelstrom of fear and shame that overpowered him every time he thought back to those caves.

It was so stupid. The umbrum hadn't even shown him anything that bad, at least not objectively. Willow was certain that if he told anyone they would groan or laugh at him, intensely judging the pettiness of the memories and visions. It wasn't even as if Willow had forgotten any of those moments up to that point. And yet there was something so, so... sick, about the whole thing, the way it had been done. He'd felt invaded, infected. He still felt that way now. It'd been nearly enough to get him to betray his friends, as he would have had he not been ironically rescued by the guy who tried to murder him ten minutes later (which certainly hadn't fucking helped matters). He'd been weak.

Steadily, Willow opened his eyes again and found himself looking up at Sterling. He listened to Ford's theory about Brit as he did, pupils shrinking and heart racing as he went over the details. The memories, the illusions, the darkness... it was hurting Brit now. It'd taken her, and it was infecting her. If Willow hadn't been able to take it, how would she? How would Sterling? That was who was left between the three of them, wasn't it? It, the umbrum, the mysterious force, the whatever, was coming for his friends.

He couldn't be weak again.

Willow pushed himself away and shook his head, becoming vicious and alert once more. "I don't care who or what is doing it," he growled, clenching a fist. "If this isn't the real historical event, then we only have to worry about getting through. These aren't people. Let's just mow them down!" He stomped a booted foot, sending bristles up all over his tiny, irate body as he stared up at Ford.

[The World Capitalist Confederation]

Feast

The young lady gently held up a hand to Dax, steadying his rambling. She blinked at him with a knowing smile—despite her young age, it was evident that she wasn't a stranger to the insecurity Dax was clearly showing. She gestured to one of the many seats in the dining room.

"Why don't you take a seat?" Giovenith offered. "You can tell me more about how you found yourself here and snack some more."

She lead him to a table, urging him to sit before grabbing a small cup of fruit juice and handing it over. She waited for him to seem more settled.

"So," she started. "I assume the desk guy told you why you're here?"

Feast
*He sat down, still mildly trembling*

"I do not know why I am here, is this because I hold some special inner skill like the ones in those childish literature pieces that I always refused to review? All I am is a journalist - a successful one, sure, but not a special one." He drank from the fruit juice, his demeanour calming

"I was teleported here in a puff of dust...and then I'm just here. Is this for some story I'm supposed to cover? Well, you seem like you've been here a long time, why are we here?" Dax finished his slight rambling, continuing to drink.

[Holy Lykos]

Frozen Rain

Sterling himself was just confused. First by the idea of a 'world war', wars alone were a tough concept for him to understand regularly happening, then about how they could have ended up in what might as well be Brit's mind. He also was getting rapidly more concerned about Willow, these shadows certainly seemed to be setting him off. He winced as fingers dug into skin, but he let Willow do what he needed. Willow hadn't done anything like that before, that the unicorn could remember. Concerning. Concerns over the human's proclivity towards self-inflicted wars could come later.

"So... Stuck in what might be the mind of a friend being overwhelmed by shadow creatures and throwing itself through torment? She may need more help than just us once we get out, I doubt this is just some foreign invader's doing." Sterling mused once he had the chance to speak, once Willow was finished.

He cast a worried glance at Willow, before stepping over to hold onto his opposite shoulder in a half hug. "But I'd prefer not just... murdering everyone. Even if they aren't people, they may be aspects of Brit. Sable and Candida for instance could be aspects of her morality, along with the old man. Who knows what'll happen if we start just destroying things, it could provoke something like an immune reaction. This story we're being lead through is almost too set-piece, if you get me? If we follow along we'll find Brit, fighting against it could cause the world to turn against us entirely."

[Northwest Slobovia]

Frozen Rain

"If this isn't the real historical event, then we only have to worry about getting through. These aren't people. Let's just mow them down!" He stomped a booted foot, sending bristles up all over his tiny, irate body as he stared up at Ford.

Ford stood there, mouth agape, as he tried to come up with anything to say to that. Wait! He's got a death-grip on Sterling's arm...

[Sterling] cast a worried glance at Willow, before stepping over to hold onto his opposite shoulder in a half hug. "But I'd prefer not just... murdering everyone. Even if they aren't people, they may be aspects of Brit. Sable and Candida for instance could be aspects of her morality, along with the old man. [...] If we follow along we'll find Brit, fighting against it could cause the world to turn against us entirely."

Ford pulled his dangling jaw shut, and decided that adding that there could be other Residents here wouldn't help matters. He tried his best doctor voice... Sandy's best doctor voice. "Uh, Willow? Are you feeling OK? You look a little panicky. Ummm, when's the last time you guys had something to eat? Not eating enough can, er..." Ford let it die; '...whack out with violent fantasies' would help even less.

[Tiltjuice]

The popsicle had a soft, crisp touch of watermelon - cool to the palate but not freezing cold; a nice preamble to the warming effect from any alcohol, later on.

MB sat with uncharacteristic patience, waiting for Sandy to get through all the slush. At the end, as the last of the "tastefrost" disappeared, the stick gave off a soft whirring and twisted itself into a mini metallic Christmas tree.

Metal fix-it men idea, the rabbit signed, looking very uncharacteristically bemused by the tech-priests. Cuisine had no gift ideas, talked to them. Every stick different? Not sure. May be good for trade with other people.

He waved invitingly at Lidev to take one as well, quirking his left ear inquisitively in an arc at the mention of wine.

[Giovenith]

Frozen Rain

Slowly but surely, Willow unwound as Sterling and Ford moved quickly to talk sense into him. His expression remained cloudy but his eyes softened and his spine loosened, and a sigh escaped him as he felt Sterling put an arm around him. Again, he closed his eyes for a moment to regain his composure.

"You're right, you're right," he admitted, holding up his hands insistently. "We should be more careful, I just got carried away for a moment there. Sorry."

Of course, they didn't want to give Brit an emotional concussion or something, that wouldn't help matters. But it seemed to put them right back at square one: stealth and urgency. It would have to do. Willow eyed Ford again at the latter's question, noting his semi-horrified expression. Willow didn't know Sandy Bela that well and if Sallow was anything to go by he would know Ford even less, but it was clear as day that the paper-magician wasn't thrilled with his outburst.

"Uh, Willow? Are you feeling OK? You look a little panicky. Ummm, when's the last time you guys had something to eat? Not eating enough can, er..."

Willow wasn't okay, to say the least. He knew that, and obviously Sterling and Ford knew it, but how could explain it? That was always sort of the trouble. Willow couldn't talk about these things because when he said them out loud they sounded mundane and ridiculous. 'Oh you see a few months ago I was tortured by evil spirits reminding me of a birthday party nopony came to' — pathetic. Especially with the real danger Brit was in now.

"I, haven't been feeling the best lately," he admitted, knowing he wouldn't able to lie about the situation. "It's not something food will help, and there isn't time to talk about it now. Maybe later, but right now, we only have tonight to find out what's going on here and get Brit out. Let's focus on a plan for that first. I'm okay enough to do it, I promise."

Feast

"Well, it's a bit hard to explain, given that it changes so often," Giovenith admitted, plucking one of her own cupcakes and nibbling on it. "And I don't want to scare you... but if you're here, it's because you've been chosen by the owner of this apartment to help protect the balance of this universe."

It sounded like something out of a Saturday morning cartoon, but the woman was serious-faced as she said it.

"There must be a reason for that. What sorts of things have you covered as a journalist?"

[Holy Lykos]

Frozen Rain

"Time is of the essence, indeed. We should get what we need from these manifestations in the other room, find the direction to go, and high-tail our flanks out there to get Brit and try to solve this strange situation her brain seems to be throwing us." Sterling nodded resolutely. Maybe just being fast, they could get their way home. They couldn't assume they couldn't permanently be hurt in here yet, even a mental plane could be dangerous. Especially if Brit got it into their head about something related to their group. Some misconception made to overwrite their actual being. Sterling didn't want to think about it, so he was trying to not.

Plus, Willow definitely needed help. Beyond just what his friends could do, more professional to work through some issues. For now, though, a focus on Brit.

"And maybe talk to her about her fantasies later, perhaps more rainbows and friendship might help. Less snowy tartarus."

[Northwest Slobovia]

Frozen Rain

"I, haven't been feeling the best lately," he admitted, knowing he wouldn't able to lie about the situation. "It's not something food will help, and there isn't time to talk about it now. Maybe later, but right now, we only have tonight to find out what's going on here and get Brit out. Let's focus on a plan for that first. I'm okay enough to do it, I promise."

Ford tried to look convinced, but failed, looking askance at him. "OK, we'll talk later."

Something clicked in Ford's mind; he suddenly looked baffled. "Why only tonight? Did somebody say that? When was the last time you saw Brit? And, um, what about these people you said seemed to know her? Who were--?"

Ford stopped himself, eyes pressed tightly shut. One. Thing. At. A. Time. He muttered under his breath, reeling off a string of curses about poor craftsmanship. "Let me try again."

He started again, speaking very slowly and deliberately, struggling to stay on track. "One, Willow, you said that you were brought here by magic. What kind of magic. Two, was Brit with you when you arrived? And if not, when was the last time you saw... Was it at the Building?" Ford stopped again, resumed his careful dictation. "Three, who seemed to be familiar with Brit? What did they say about her?"

He let out a breath, smiled sheepishly. "Sorry. I sometimes fall all over myself trying to think more than one thing at once."