FAM, MEET FAM

"I guess we're doing shots..."

Trita shrugs, pulling out more bottles, eyeing Shand a bit as she slides him an entire new bottle just for himself but she doesn't openly question his request. As she sets glasses out, Luna commits and steps behind the bar with her, leaning on it and snapping her fingers, sparking flames out of boredom.

"Hell yeah! My man!"

Laughing, Axel pulls Lancer and Hito to join him in accompanying Dolan and the others with this new endeavor. Lancer smiles though he has no clue why Luna is needed for these drinks, never having even heard of these before. Hito, on the other hand, looks like he's seen a ghost and is reliving terrible flashbacks.

"I'm just a walking party trick... I studied for over a hundred years to control different elements and here I am now. How could this happen to me?"

The mage's eyes watch each glass as Trita sets them down on the bar.

"I completely understand."

Ploy sighs across from the bar, resting her face in her palm.

"I have a feeling drunkenness is going to spark some interest in 'magic tricks' and illusions."

The two share sympathetic looks for each other's situation.

Nameless watches Shand down the vodka like water, taking in each change in his expression. Something about the warping of his face fascinates the creature just a little bit more than his conversation with Lunath, though he still responds.

"Dragons? Not in the past five-hundred years or so. My recent run-in was with a power-hungry near god-like creature set on enslavement and massacre. She doesn't breathe fire, instead corrupts freewill and steals the ability to feel emotions, so I guess she's a little different. Guess each world has its differences."

“Hmmm.” Lunath hums to himself as he settles back in the chair comfortably. “Perhaps so, and yet perhaps not. Maybe some day you will tell me what it’s like to be eaten alive and spat back out soulless.” Lunath’s eyes flash again, dulling the normal bright green. “We can compare accounts.” As he gives that same toothy, predatory smile, he makes sure to cast his gaze over the group at the bar, getting a good look at all their eyes. Lunath’s hands start to tingle, almost in protest, but he folds them neatly and easily, like squashing a bug.

Shand has gotten to the point of completely ignoring everything around him. His only goal is to quell the buzz, to stop the aching running through his spine and his shoulders with increasing intensity. Since Lunath has started speaking, the top of his head feels light, like it will just float off at will. It all usually takes much longer to reach the breaking point, but he feels like he’s hurtling toward it at break-neck speed. He keeps taking long pulls of the vodka, with every swallow willing back down everything pushing at the edges of his brain, trying to take over, to get out.

“Yeah, see, we got a few folks who know what a good time is,” Dolan keeps checking on Shand periodically, and taking inventory of the tenseness of his shoulders. It hasn’t decreased at all yet. Strange.

“I’m not condoning any of this,” Kvanne warns as the shots are poured.

“Kvanne, have you ever done a flaming absinthe shot?” Dolan waggles his eyebrows temptingly. “It’s literally on fire when you put it in your mouth. It’s a thrill. Like you’re breaking the laws of nature and defying death simultaneously.”

“Sometimes I️ think I️ live among cavemen.” Aoife is utterly bored at her section of the bar, with everyone congregated mostly around Dolan and his beloved shots. Thrandr is even craning his neck over to keep tabs on the action.

"I know very well what it's like to wake up a complete being with the capability to feel and then an hour later not even remember what happiness, anger, or sadness feels like. It's essentially like losing your soul in a way. I'd love to exchange stories but, and I feel the need to add this for good measure, Fengari is my charge. I don't mind you tormenting the others but I, fortunately, or unfortunately, do have to watch over her. So please don't spur me to action, I am just here to enjoy bonding with my new friend."

He keeps his unnaturally icy blue eyes trained on Lunath but smacks a large paw onto Shand's arm when he references him, not caring that it could send a wave of shock and possibly pain throughout the human next to him.

"If you decide to mess with Shand, at least make sure I'm watching so I can study his expression. Then we can regroup after and exchange notes."

Any time someone even remotely turns in the direction of the bizarre conversation, something regains their attention at the bar. This time it's Trita placing the final finishing touches on the drinks then lining them up for people to grab. She nods at Luna who can only sigh before sparking a flame and lighting each glass.

"Alright, alright, everyone take your shot. We can make more after this first round if you're feeling up to it."

The offer is mostly second-nature as Trita is used to having to wait on people in this setting.

"You guys could at least give me something in return? Like a jewel, a coin... I'd even take candy or food. Or maybe Trita was right and I should start charging sweet-talk and see how good you all are at being charming. Guess is not too great."

Luna, on the other hand, is not.

"Awh, come on! It's fine! It's not like we're going to take fifty rounds or something."

Lancer attempts to smooth over the situation but she is not having any of his friendly smiles. Instead, she huffs and turns to carry on a conversation with Ploy and Eidolon. Ivor sits with them too but he's watching the loud group of alcohol-enthusiasts quietly, observing them like a spectacle he's not used to witnessing.

"Okay, enough talk lets just do this! Wait too long and the flame will lose its appeal to the weak-minded."

Axel quickly snatches a glass to lead the group.

“Don’t think just drink,” Dolan calls out, so easily filling the outlandish role so far from his normal personality. But hey, flaming absinthe shots bring out every inch of his normally lacking enthusiasm.

As Dolan downs a flaming shot and slams the empty shot glass down on the bar, Kvanne’s expression remains horrified. Dolan gasps slightly at the burn.

“That is for sure not coffee, and thank God it isn’t. Want one, Kvanne?”

“You’ve gone certifiably insane.” Kvanne continues to watch in judgment but doesn’t prevent the spectacle any further. Suddenly, something else dawns on him. “Has anyone seen Aleric?”

Meanwhile, Lunath’s smile only increases at Nameless. “How sweet is that. You’re pals now. I️ suppose you would recognize another animal when you see him. But then again, you missed me.”

Shand has been sputtering for a moment to catch his breath after Nameless’s good-natured pat caused some complications with his vodka consumption. The interruption is beneficial, though, as Shand looks around the room again for the first time since starting the first bottle. The migraine behind his eyes has subsided, but the electric tension running down his arms has not. Then, from nowhere, he sees the smallest of bright white-blue sparks jolt from his fingertip and lurch up the main vein of his arm before disappearing. His face goes ashen in shock and he practically sits on his hands.

He looks up and catches Dolan’s eye and mouths, “We got a code red, Pops.”

Lunath giggles nearby, the quality of it strangely childlike. “What do you think of fireworks, Fox? I️ hope you’re as fond of them as you are of your new friend.”

Nameless's ears twitch forward to attention and his lips pull back over his teeth, revealing a full mouth of dangerous teeth and fangs in a sinister forced smile.

"Oh, I love them. You better make them flashy if you want to impress me."

Luna glances over at the creature and his expression sends a chill down her spine. Slowly, she stands and walks towards Ivor, tapping his arm wordlessly. He follows her gaze to Nameless and panic begins to build every second he takes in the fox's posture. The two exchange worried glances.

Yvaine sits with her back to everyone, appearing to be ignoring the scene but she's oddly rigid, sensing some sort of tension in the air she can't place, trying to catch a fleeting glimpse of a near future she doesn't understand.

More glasses slam down on the bar as everyone follows Dolan's example. Trita reaches for the glasses to refill them only now noticing Luna is no longer at her side. She shoots Luna and Ivor a quizzical glance but they instantly hide their expressions, Luna turning her back to the group and Ivor hiding behind her to obstruct their view of him.

The two know that something is brewing just based on Nameless alone yet they don't know how to act so they converse, discussing any and all plans they had previously made around the potential situation of Nameless going rogue, just hoping one applies to this moment.

"Are you not going to make another round?"

Lied watches Trita with a clueless frown, motioning to Lancer and Axel's jittery waiting hands.

"Is another round a good idea? I mean it was just brought up that someone is missing."

Eidolon's eyes sweep over the room several times looking for any sign of the missing man.

Lunath giggles again. “Oh, it’s not for me to decide, Mr. Fox. Better take it up with your pal, the savior, the marked one. How does he feel about lighting the room all up pretty as he burns?”

Dolan pushes away the second shot in front of him as the carefree act drains away. Whatever code red was, he’s never seen it before and he’s pretty sure he doesn’t want to.

“Kvanne, why don’t you take Aoife and Thrandr and go look for Aleric? I’m sure he just got lost exploring or something. That sounds like him.”

“Why exactly so we have to go with him?” Aoife demands, always seeing insult wherever she can possibly perceive it.

“I️ thought it would be smartest to send all our most efficient people,” Dolan takes care to keep his expression flat as he addresses her. Overt flattery seldom does the job. “As far as I️ know, the Intertwined are still a pretty big deal and Aleric’s half of that, so.”

“Fine.” Kvanne motions for Aoife and Thrandr to join him as they leave the building. “If you get in trouble with that alcohol, though, Dolan, I️ swear to everything holy-“

“Yeah yeah, it’ll all be fine, don’t worry. What could happen.” Dolan ushers them out the door and winds his way around to Shand.

“What is going on over here?” He half-hisses

“I️ feel like I’m about to go any second.” Shand’s voice is constricted and hollow in a strange way, but his expression is well-practiced calm, almost void. “It’s just the-“

The sparks fly from Shand’s fingertips again, this time lingering longer as they engulf his veins up to his shoulders and he nearly glows white hot blue. But the electricity dies in an instant like a flame being blown out, and the fire atop the next round of flaming absinthe shots all whip out to nothingness suddenly, as if they’ve all been hit by an invisible gust of wind.

“Any chance there’s a third bottle of this vodka behind there anywhere?”

Sent from Topic'it App

"Awh, man, come on, Luna! You don't have to be so upset you ruin our fun!"

Angrily, Axel nearly throws his now unlit shot on the table, spilling quite a bit of its contents, blaming her for the vanishing flame. She turns in response to defend herself just in time to catch sight of Nameless.

He stands on the stool and hops over the bar counter. Trita raises an eyebrow at him but doesn't question him, rather steps out of the way as he searches the lower cabinets. When he can next be seen he has three different bottles of alcohol gently held in his mouth be the necks of the bottles. Standing on his hind legs, front paws on the counter, he sets all three down in front of Shand. Each alcohol is different from each other and what he had previously been drinking, Nameless doesn't know enough about mixology to match flavors, but still, he tried.

Luna points at Axel's shot and a rather large flame explodes on top of it before settling down, nearly catching his jacket on fire. With him pacified, she storms over and tugs on Nameless's ear, pulling it towards her mouth and whispering something in a completely different language. The creature listens closely for a few seconds before calmly responding in the same language. A brief flash of light and he's gone, except this time he doesn't return immediately. He leaves for several minutes and, when he does come back, he's in his smaller form, resting on Shand's shoulder again without warning.

"You wouldn't mind showing me that again, would you?"

But the question is interrupted.

"Do you mind if I step out for some air?"

Yvaine calls over towards Nameless when she seems him reappear. Without acknowledging her, the door expands open again and, almost like she's being chased, she quickly stands from her table and rushes out the door.

"Why are all these people so weird?"

Mumbling, Lied tugs on Ploy's arm, seeming afraid of the new company they've decided to spend time with. Ploy just eyes her as if to say that's a big accusation coming from her but keeps her thoughts locked in her head.

"Ok but it no one going to talk about what just happened with Shand's arms?"

Eidolon whispers to Ploy who then looks across the bar at Shand to see nothing out of the usual now that the moment has passed. She tells him she doesn't see anything, much to his disappointment, and all he can do is encourage her to keep an eye out in case it should happen again.

“This’ll do.” Shand selects a bottle from the three varieties Nameless has placed in front of him, throws the cap on the floor, and takes a long drink. He swallows hard and inhales deeply.

“So I️’m supposing, you saw... that?” Shand flutters his fingers back and forth to mimic the electricity. “It’s never happened in front of people before. I️ thought it was in my head.”

Dolan mops his forehead with his hand momentarily, more for stress release than anything else. “Well one day it’s going to happen while Kvanne isn’t conveniently sent out of the room and then cold hell breaks loose.”

Lunath bobs his head back and forth in the corner, as if he’s swaying to a mental song. “The best it yet to come, the best is yet to come. You ain’t seen nothing yet, the best is yet to come.”

After he hums a final note, the boy’s back stretches suddenly, and when he settles back down, he’s left with a perplexed look on his freckled face. He stares down at his hands as he moves them slowly, and swallows, eyes darting uncomfortably around the room.

“What’s that, kid?” Dolan turns to ask Lunath, thinking he should have been keeping a better eye on him, but probably can’t be blamed for not.

“Nothing,” Lunath mumbles in his quiet voice, pulling his legs into his chest again and resting his chin on his knees.

Dakara eyes Shand from her place at the bar where she hasn’t moved. He catches her look.

“What?” He asks, almost a moan. “You know why we can’t tell Kvanne.”

“And you know all the reasons why it’s the best thing for you to do.” She turns around in the middle of her sentence, dismissively, like a fed-up mother to a rebellious child. “I’m going to drink this shot, and it’s your fault.”

Shand sighs as Dakara throws her shot back, showing surprise at her liking of it.

“I️ don’t know how to do it again.” Shand finally addresses the much-smaller Nameless. “I️ don’t even know what it was, or is, or what’s going on. I️ just know that this normally happens after, not before.” Shand cringes at the words that have slipped out of his mouth. He immediately takes another sip from the bottle, as if trying to wash his mouth of any more words. “Maybe I’ll take one of those shots too.. couldn’t hurt, yeah?”

"Hmm... I think you forget that I don't really care about how this impacts you other than it's a new phenomenon that I've never seen so I want to study it and figure it out for research purposes. Compassion, sympathy, and concern are far outside my realm of comprehension. Though I do find human's use of addiction fascinating, so that's an added bonus of observing you."

Nameless takes note of all the various bottles he put before Shand, doing a quick calculation in his head of what he knows is healthy for the human body, quickly seeing this goes far beyond it but it doesn't spur him to say anything.

"Buuuuuut, if you're concerned with people seeing you that may care in any capacity, I'd keep my eyes on Eidolon, Ploy, and Luna. They're all very observant people. Two of the three already can tell something is wrong, one of them having actually witnessed your little show himself."

As he speaks, Trita walks over and sets a shot down in front of Shand. She makes intentional eye-contact with both Shand and Nameless before walking away without a word.

"I would say look out for her too, but, with her various jobs, she's used to keeping her mouth shut so she probably won't say anything even if she sees you combust. The others don't have that kind of filter. Just be warned that if someone comes to her with a high enough bid, she will sell whatever information she has on you."

The creature's observations seem to be correct. Only Ploy and Eidolon seem focused on Shand at the moment. Trita intentionally looks at anyone but the two and Luna glances at Nameless every three seconds on the dot. The rest of the group seems blissfully ignorant of anything going on outside of their merry drinking.

"Then again, if you don't mind the world seeing, I guess you could let my companions in on the fun, but they probably won't enjoy it as much as I am."

As if on cue, Luna walks over to set Shand's shot on fire. She intentionally works slower on his to give her a couple of seconds to get a good look at him. Satisfied, or at least as much as she can be by just looking at him, she snaps her fingers and lights his drink. Throwing one quick glance at Nameless, she steps back and looks away but doesn't walk to a different part of the bar. She stays in that general area while looking off to people several seats down.

"If it makes you feel better, she's much more concerned with what I may be doing or saying to you than what may be going on with you."

Nameless whispers, swishing his tail over the flame though, amazingly, his fur doesn't catch on fire.

“Well that makes two of because at this point, I’m beyond being upset about whatever this is and stuck on just hoping it isn’t killing me, but who’s to know. Certainly not me.” Shand throws back the shot and nods as he swallows. “That actually doesn’t burn as much as I was anticipating, what with it being on fire and all.”

Dolan watches Shand and watches Nameless watch Shand and stifles a chuckle. “If you’re here for research and experimentation, you’re gonna have a field day with this bunch.”

“Please, Pops, stop acting like you’re the anomaly of normalcy in this freak show. If you were still made of solid magic like back in the good ol days, this furry delight would be hanging off you instead.”

“And now you understand my reasoning in giving it up.” Dolan keeps an eye trained on Nameless and, deeming Shand in a more fit state to be left alone, sits down at the table with Lunath.

Now that Dolan’s left, Dakara seizes her chance. While Shand’s occupied with draining the next liquor bottle, she slides as close to Nameless as she can get without arousing Shand’s suspicion.

“We all know now that you don’t care about Shand’s feelings or anything, and truth be told he doesn’t really either, but someone’s got to, and I’ve taken that job upon myself. So listen up and listen good. There’s been enough experimentation on Shand already, so you better keep it light and harmless or else. I️ know I️ don’t look like much and you’re not threatened by me at all, but so help me. Just know I’m not going to let you hurt him just because you don’t feel anything.” Her grey eyes burn with enough intense feeling through her speech to make up for Nameless’s lack of it, and by the end of her rant, she’s actually waving her finger in Nameless’s face. Once she notices this over indulgence, she chuckles sheepishly and clasps her hands behind her back, obviously a little carried away.

“Did you happen to see Aleric when we all came in?” Dolan is asking Lunath, craning his neck to search the place. “I️t was kind of handy for getting rid of Kvanne and his entourage, but now I’m actually kind of worried.”

“I️ didn’t see anything,” Lunath answers, shrugging. “I️ don’t even know what’s been going on.”

“Aw, bud.” Dolan ruffles Lunath’s mousy hair. “Maybe you’ll make some friends in this weird new group of folks. I️ think a few of them want to get to know you. You’ve just gotta our yourself out there. Not like this is the blind leading the blind or anything.”

Lunath’s lips pull tight as he tries to mask a smile. “Yeah, okay.”

Nameless just stares blankly, clearly indifferent to the threat and aggressive words.

"There are so many things I could say to you. For starters: I may be emotionless but I have a sense of right and wrong. If experimenting on Shand doesn't get me closer to what is best for the whole of existence, then I would not and will not bother. He is merely a fun way to pass the time in this limbo we've found ourselves in. Secondly: Even if I was planning on torturing him, I cannot feel anything, including fear, so your threat would be lost on me. And, finally..."

He flicks his tail in her face rather aggressively, glancing at her from the side with his head held high, eyes aglow with some sort of supernatural energy.

"Only in your wildest dreams could you ever even hope to harm me."

A dish rag comes flying from a few feet away, smacking the creature in the face. Luna stands with another rag in hand at the ready, not here to put up with the fox's antics today.

"Sorry... He's... A lot to handle sometimes. He's not used to interacting with others anymore."

She smiles apologetically Dakara but there's a sort of tired warning in her deep blue eyes, as if she's used to this sort of behavior and having to guard people from it.

"Ok, ok, round three. Luna, you ready?"

Trita preps the glasses again as Lancer and Axel bang loudly on the bar demanding more.

"Eido, you want in on this?"

Lancer claps the other man's shoulder but the white-haired man brushes his friend's hand off of him coldly.

"I told you not to call me that. And no. I'll take a rum and coke or whiskey and coke, but that's about it. You know that."

"Yeah, yeah, you're a loser. I forgot."

Lancer, energetic as always, sticks his tongue out at Eidolon in protest but turns away to focus on his next round.

"Dolan, you in? Sorry some of us are kind of lame."

“Ooh, I️ don’t care if you’re scared of me or not, I’d really like to slice you up and feed you to something right now. I just want you to know that.” Dakara scowls at the fox.

Dolan scratches at the back of his head, “Honestly, without Kvanne here, I️ lean more toward lame myself. Sorry, guys. Any coffee back there?” He asks Trita, peering over behind the bar.

Shand finishes off the final liquor bottle on the bar in front of him and sets it down gently and precisely, leaning forward and resting his elbows on the bar. His head feels clearer, his eyes better able to focus. But for some reason, he is still exhausted.

“Are you two fighting?” He asks Dakara incredulously. “You’re fighting with a sociopathic fox from another dimension. I promise you, things are not that bad.”

There is a blip suddenly in Shand’s vision, like static striking down across his sights. From nowhere, there is a wolf standing in the doorframe, snapping gigantic and bloody jaws.

Shand practically jumps off the seat. But he blinks, and it’s gone. His face turns sheet white as he scans the bar, realizing that no one else is paying the slightest bit of attention.

“Uh, do you think you could create some kind of back room to this bar so I️ can go lay down or something? It’ll be much easier than pretending to be drunk.”

"Hmmm... Well, I'm not maid-service or your servant but I suppose I can help you out. Go to the back hallway then first door on your left. Don't go in the one on the right. You've been substantially warned."

Nameless looks towards a little out cove that has suddenly appeared, showing Shand the way to go.

"Do you need me to tuck you in?"

He mocks, yet doesn't jump off his shoulder, intending on following him, at least for a few minutes.

Trita looks around behind the bar a bit, making a face at what she first finds.

"There's only instant."

After further searching, she finds a coffee pot but still no decent grounds, much to her frustration. She ushers Luna to help her and, between the two of them, they finally find one bag of good coffee but, like all the alcohol, it's unlabeled. She tosses the bag to Dolan.

"Take a look and see if this is even worth making. Seems kind of sketchy to me but if you want it I'll make a pot."

Eidolon stands and Ploy looks at him. He motions over to Lunath still sitting mostly to himself. She nods and the two walk over casually, not causing a huge scene, unlike their two friends.

"Hey, mind if we sit with you?"

The two smile and, unlike most people so far in this odd group, the expressions are actually genuine and soft. They don't take a seat until they get an answer, okay with walking away if Lunath were to refuse... Probably because the two of them appear to be introverts themselves so they understand the need for space, even if it's not for Lunath's same exact reason(s).

"I'm ever so appreciative... of the maid-service, not the tucking in," Shand smirks at the fox humorously, although his face is still full of weariness. "So.. why not the right one? You know that makes me want to go in the right one." Shand sets off for the set of back rooms, surprised at the creature's lingering presence on his shoulder but not caring so much as to insist it go. Even if he did, he's pretty sure he doesn't have a say in the matter. At this point, all he really wants is sleep and to have a moment away from the others.

Dolan suspiciously takes the unmarked bag of ground coffee from Trita and opens it cautiously. He takes a whiff from the top of the opened bag and looks off into the distance, considering. "Well, it's definitely coffee. And definitely not instant. Let's do it. I'm feeling adventurous. Probably all those shots." Dakara joins Dolan as they anticipate the coffee.

"Uhh... sure." Lunath says to Eidolon and Ploy, glancing up at them awkwardly and avoiding eye contact with them. He glances off to the side for an instant, as if he's heard something in the corner, but then turns back with a bit of a paranoid, cagey look to him and his shoulders slightly hunched.

"Hell is a nice way to put it. When I create isolated dimensions, there's always a part of the new reality that's corrupted. It's what powers the rest of the closed space but is also a mess itself. A swirling vortex of chaotic but necessary power. Consider it very disorganized behind the scenes or backstage of a temporarily functioning play. You're free to look if you want, but it may burn you, evaporate you, or it may just spirit you away. It likes to change things up from time to time."

As the two turn into the back hall, a crackling sound can be heard behind the right door like an uncontrolled fire and a dark blackish-purple light seeps out from the gaps in the door frame. Nameless looks at it, watching the light fade in and out of intensity.

"If you survive seeing it, it's pretty fascinating. I've lived through quite a few in my many years. This one is pretty weak since it's only powering this building. I didn't create this limbo. But, still dangerous. You've been overly warned now."

The door rattles but not loud enough for the others in the main room to hear.

Trita nods, setting up the coffee pot to get everything started. She seems a bit wary of the unmarked coffee but trusts that Dolan knows what he's doing. As the water heats up, her eyes flick up to him, taking in his appearance, always taking note of anything that stands out.

"You know... For being Shand's father, you don't look that old. Good genetics or magic? Neither would surprise me at this point."

The sound of two chairs sliding echoes in the room but no one seems to notice as they're all caught up in their own conversations. Both Ploy and Eidolon sit down but keep quiet for a long second, waiting for Lunath to start the conversation. When it's obvious that he won't, Ploy clears her throat to break the silence a bit.

"You don't have to speak to us if you don't want, but if you're ok with it, maybe we could chat? Like... I don't know... Play a game? Two truths, one lie? Basically: Someone will tell two truths and one lie about themselves and the others have to guess which is the lie."

Her eyes snap to Eidolon, looking for confirmation in her plan. He doesn't seem to know entirely what to do either, so he nods to encourage her to continue.

"I'll start as an example. I have never lived with my parents, my illusions are all controlled by eye contact, and... Uh, oh, I've never stolen anything during a mission for Safeguard. If you want to play, you can go ahead and guess first."

"You know what, I'm feeling like taking chances and being reckless, how about you?" A sideways smile lights up Shand's tired face as he reaches for the doorknob of the room with the suspicious glow under the door. Before he offers any more time for any more warnings, Shand pushes open the door.

The room is engulfed in a very dark, smoke-like substance that glows, but only lasts for a moment. Shand blinks, and the room changes. The walls, floor, and ceiling turn stark white and incredibly flat and smooth, almost lacking dimension. The room is impossibly bright, but with no apparent source of light. And in the direct center of the room, is that huge, cold steel chair with its idle restraints. Shand turns to look for Nameless, but doesn't see him on his shoulder or elsewhere. Neither can Shand locate a door or anyway in or out of this mental prison. Nameless had been right in calling it hell. Shand opens his mouth to scream, but nothing comes out.

"That old?" Dolan's eyebrow arches. "Could be both- genetics, magic- Aleric and I️ had the most powerful magic in our world until, oh I️ don't know, twenty or so years ago. Might've been that. Could have something to do with the daily ritual bathing in the blood of my victims. Who knows." Dolan takes a moment and endures a chastising look from Dakara and sighs, adding flatly, "I'm kidding, obviously. I️ never collected any of my victims' blood. That would have been gross."

"I️ guess so," Lunath agrees reluctantly, looking up. "I'm not that good at that sort of thing... what happens if I'm wrong? Because I️ don't think you've never stolen anything. But then again I️ don't know you at all." Saying that part out loud seems to give Lunath a little extra pause.

Back in his strange alternate reality, Shand is pushing on the walls and trying to find a way out. It feels like a vacuum, like he's having such a difficult time breathing and it's hard to know whether it's due to the quality of the room itself or just the natural consequence of being back in this place he's tried to banish from his mind forever. He tries to call out again, without any luck, and blinks hard.

When he opens his eyes, he's standing outside the door again, hand on the doorknob. The strange dark, purple light is emanating from under the door, the sound of winds rushing inside growing louder. Shand blinks again, but this time nothing changes and he's still outside the door having a strange sense of deja vu. "I've been standing here this whole time, haven't I️?"

"Physically, yes. But you were somewhere very far from here. I can't tell if I psyched you out with giving you the details so your mind jumped or if you were going down that path anyways and it was just coincidental timing. Either or, you saw something unpleasant.

Nameless's eyes stay trained on Shand's hand on the doorknob, waiting to see his next move in growing anticipation.

"This is what Fengari has been worrying over since I started talking with you. She was worried I'd show you this place. She's seen one before and you never like what you see. It's never pleasant. So she didn't want me to show you one, or anybody one for that matter. She's also concerned because, since I create these spaces, I can see what anyone who enters this vortex experiences and I think she's worried I'll gain some information against you."

He seems offended by the notion but, still, here he is eagerly waiting for Shand to step into the room.

"Well, I would just imagine someone with a son that old to look... Several years older than you appear. I'd believe in blood rituals at this point."

She smirks over at him, pressing a button on the coffee pot when it beeps and the machine whirs to life as it begins to brew.

"Just consider it a compliment, ok? You're an old man who doesn't look old."

Ploy nods, happy he's even willing to play along at this point. She holds up three fingers to signal his different chances to guess then folds one finger down to show him how many guesses remain.

"That's the point. This will help us introduce ourselves. And there's no punishment. It's just a game. So, you got that right, I have stolen on several missions before."

Lunath lets a short laugh escape his lips before pressing them together. "You don't look like someone who wouldn't steal. No offense.. Is it my turn or yours?" Lunath chances eye contact finally with Eidolon.

"Well." Shand stares at the doorknob in his hand, still reeling a bit from his experience. "I'm not going to waste time explaining the emotional reasoning behind it, but as long as you don't tell my father what you saw, we're all good. And before you go down that road, there's clearly no greater good for the world overall in telling him, or however else you would justify it." Shand looks back up at the fox on his shoulder, mentally shaking the occurrence off and squaring his shoulders again.
"And since that was the worst possible thing I️ could have seen... well, I'm up for round two." Shand turns the doorknob for real this time, taking special stock in the weight of it in his hand, cateloguing all the sensory details and filing them away in his mind as proof of the moment's realness.
Inside the door this time, the room is exactly as he'd seen it in those fleeting moments before. The fog filling the room swirls, moves in wave-like motions like the ocean, but sounds like wind and looks like smoke curling off an enormous open fire. It's chaos.
But this time, nothing more happens. Shand stands at the entrance and then gingerly takes two steps forward into the room and watches the smoke swirl around him, whipping his hair this way and that. After a few moments, the wind dies down around him and the smoke simply hangs. He looks over to Nameless. "Okay, what now?"

"You just keep using the word 'old' and then your face looks like that." Dolan mimics a slight, face-contorting grimace. "Also, hold on, are you telling me that you would believe that I'm into daily blood rituals? Do I️ have that look about me or something? A blood-ritual look?"

"No offense taken."

Ploy laughs and then motions to Eidolon. He sits up straight like he's at an interview, having to pause as he thinks.

"Okay, I think I've got it. The lie is that you have never lived with your parents. You did for the first couple of years of your life."

She puts her hand down with a quick nod.

"You got it. And, since you won, now you give your truths and lies."

Suddenly, Eidolon looks uncomfortable being put on the spot all of a sudden, clearly wishing he hadn't been right.

"Oh uh... Well, I've always been able to transform into a shadow, the company that raised me was actually a decent organization and treated me well, and... I, uh... I hated all of Safeguard when it was first established."

Nameless pats Shand's back with his tail, urging him to continue forward.

"You keep walking towards the center. It will probably show you memories you'd rather forget and painful fantasies and nightmares you try to repress. Once you get past those, if you do, in the middle of all of this, it typically gives you a small space of peace. It's a tiny little area blocked off from all outside influence to give the strong a moment of complete serenity. It may even give you something the alcohol can't, even if just for a split moment."

Trita eyes his face when he jokingly mimics hers, suddenly very aware of her own expression, overly thinking over her movements now.

"Well, if I've never seen a blood-ritual type of person before but, from my imagination, you fit the definition... And the more sarcastic you get, the more you seem to fit the mold. So, if you're looking for blood, I may know a couple of people with some to offer."

"So you told two lies?" Lunath asks Ploy with a thoughtful look on his face, then turns to Eidolon. "Did you tell two lies, too? Sorry." Lunath's face gets red toward his ears, slightly embarrassed at being so confused. "Because I️ think your lie is the second one, but I️'m still figuring out how this game works. I️ don't play a lot of games, really, I️ just read books, by myself really."

Dolan looks like he wants to fire back something witty, but his lips twitch for a second before he responds. "You know, I've probably had my fill of blood over the years. I'm looking more for it to stop than I️ am for more of it. But of course, old habits die hard. I️ did government contracted assassin work. It was all above board, but some people are still a little salty about it...how did you stumble into your chosen profession, then?" Dolan tries to picture the scenario in his mind, but comes up blank.

Shand pauses a moment and swallows hard before shrugging. "What's the worst that can happen, I️ guess." He continues toward the center of the room slowly, as if each new step could consequently change the sturdiness of the floor.

At first, nothing much seems amiss. He looks down and sees that instead of the dark cloudy swirls at his feet, he now walks in puddles of blood, pools of it clinging to his boots. When he looks up, the room has changed and everything looks like he's underwater. Dark swirls of blood float in front of his eyes, coming from his own head. He remembers this moment, but as he braces himself for the jolt of what he knows comes next, something pulls at the back of his shirt and yanks him out of the memory. His surroundings drip away like they're made of candle wax, replaced by something new.

This time, he's outside, surrounded by strong stone facade- a prison fortress he's more than familiar with. This memory plays out in rapid succession- the platform he stands on drops out, the noose around his neck closes, his breathing hitches and he swears he can hear his neck break.

And then, nothingness. Everything is black and heavy and oppressive like a wet cloth is over his mouth. And then the water pours in, choking him and he sputters. The blackness is ripped away like fabric being pulled off his face, and he sees Hadrian before him, rows and rows of vines behind him forming that valley vineyard and suddenly he knows what happens now. His spine shudders, but the memory is cut short, the time moves on before the worst can happen, and the memories start coming in a flood, one after the other so quickly that Shand can barely register one before the next whizzes by him.

He's reliving every time he's almost died.

Ploy blushes at her own mistake then looks off, refusing to make eye-contact with the other two.

"I guess I lose."

She puffs her cheeks out, more animated than she normally is, and the sight makes Eidolon laugh.

"Ok, so yes, she did tell two lies. As an added rule to this game: If you mess up and are caught in the act, then you lose. Looks like she forgot that. So, looks like it's just you and me until one of us finally wins."

He takes Ploy's job, putting up three of his fingers then folding one with Lunath's first guess.

"Nope, that second one is true. The organization that raised me actually treated me very well. Go ahead and guess again since Ploy can't."

Trita grabs a couple of mugs and pours out coffee. She sets them in front of Dolan and Dakara then leaves one for herself.

"It's a long story but I can attempt to summarize if you really want story time. Might want to get comfortable. Even a summary may seem kind of long because you may not find it interesting."

Nameless watches silently, allowing Shand to struggle through this by himself. But he does see it. He sees all of it. Everything Shand sees and perhaps even a bit more. He begins to wonder if Shand can make it to the center of all of this or if he should pull this human out of this heartless vortex and just encourage further drinking and sleeping instead. Fengari, and possibly several others, will no doubt want to kill him should something happen to Shand.

"No no, it's okay," Lunath insists, hating the idea that he may have caused Ploy to feel badly. "If I'd gone first I️ would have probably done the same thing. Uh..." Gaining a little more confidence, Lunath studies Eidolon, scrunching his mouth up in thought. "The first one then? About always being able to do the shadow thing you showed me?"

"Please, by all means. I️ doubt that I️ won't find it interesting. I'm rather a fan of long stories." Dolan takes a sip of the coffee and swishes it around his mouth. "This turned out surprisingly well for its dubious beginnings."

The most confusing memories of his life continue to swirl through and past Shand like a tornado, one after the other after the other, so fast he can barely process them. It becomes one huge, vicious vortex of his own mortality and with each memory, Shand feels the pain of the almost-death all over again. But strangely, the pain doesn't cut as deep as it had in reality, this much he remembers. Each memory is as real as it had been in the moment of its origin, but somehow they all feel like living dreams floating past in comparison to the white room Shand had imagined first.

Shand closes his eyes against the winds forming around him as the memories hurtle past.
Suddenly, a more recent memory thrusts itself upon him. Hadrian's standing over him with his pistol, poised to slam the end of it into Shand's skull. He remembers the throb, the ache, the loss of consciousness.
He doesn't want to relive this. To relive any of it. Who says he has to?

Shand grimaces, raises his hand to his face to shield himself from the winds. He opens his mouth to speak- what, he's not sure. He thinks he's about to yell at the memories to stop, or to tell the whole thing to shut down, but before he can say anything, a thunderous cackle of ice blue electricity bursts up from his feet, running through his body, bringing a static tingling that snakes instantly through his neck and sears his brain clean. The electric pulses roll like tides throughout his whole body, and there is a strange calm as the entire room explodes with a white light.

They are back in the room now, except instead of dark smoke rolling through it, the whole place glows the same icy blue, with a random, small strikes of lightning cracking in the corners of the room intermittently.

"I️ don't understand what just happened." Shand turns to Nameless again, then surveys up and down his body for any sign of damage and finds none. "Was that the big scary ominous thing that was supposed to happen, or....? I️ mean, did I️ pass or whatever?"

Eidolon smiles, shaking his head.

"Nope, sorry. The lie is that I hated all of Safeguard when it was first established. I hated just about all of them but there was one person I didn't despise."

His eyes trail to Ploy who seems oblivious to the look at first, still pouting, but the sudden silence causes her to turn. Eidolon blushes and looks away quickly, awkwardly laughing to bring up a new subject.

"Well, it's your turn. Two truths, one lie. We'll let Ploy back in on this round so it's not just me guessing since you seem okay with that."

Trita leans on the counter, hunching over her own mug, letting the steam rise up and hit her face.

"Well, I wasn't always the dark, brooding mean person you see before you today."

She smiles at herself before continuing.

"I actually grew up in quite the loving home. Two brothers and both parents. I was the middle child, go figure. Well, Mom got sick, died... Tragic, but not all that uncommon, right? I guess Dad couldn't handle it because he just lost it. Drinking, gambling, couldn't really take care of the children anymore while keeping p his bad habits so he sold us to some sketchy science organization. From about six to fifteen I lived as, literally, a test rabbit."

Motioning to her ears, she flicks them for extra emphasis.

"Anyways, it was when I was fifteen that a dubious thief broke into the lab. Axel found me in a testing area and broke me out of it. Of course, he didn't just do it out of the sweetness of his heart. I had to beg him and then promise I would work under him and do whatever task I needed as his apprentice. A foolish deal looking back, but I was desperate. Fortunately, he was actually a decent person and, when I was finally free but under his care, I learned how steal and con from the master himself. But the town didn't need two of those so I began to shift my focus to spying and buying and selling information."

Her eyes cut over at the decently drunk Axel, eyebrow twitching in frustration.

"But someone decided that by the age of nineteen I had learned enough and left me on my own. By a true miracle, I survived. Opened my own bar as a cover for my information and spy services while also getting some extra cash and that's how I got to where I am today. Mixing drinks for strangers I meet in limbo."

A heavy sigh escapes her lips and the response surprises her, not realizing she had been lost in a memory until that moment. She urgently sips on her coffee to bring her back to this moment in time, finger tapping on the ceramic to an off beat.

Nameless stares ahead at the blue lights, piecing things together quietly. He keeps Shand's question hanging for a long moment then slowly comes back to answering.

"Well, the space's response to everyone is different. It seems 'that big scary ominous thing' was its response to you and to your memories and emotions. You could think of that mass as a visual representation of you in this isolated dimension. You are the big scary ominous thing. I could go on as to my thoughts but... What do you think about that since that's really what matters? I believe you passed, that's why we're here now, so you should be safe for a short while."

Shand sighs deeply in thought. "I️ don't know. I️ mean, it was all stuff I've lived through before. I️... I️ expected it to be more intense, but it just made me remember.. none of those things really scared me the first time around, so this time it was just..." Shand struggles for words, probably more thrown off by the fact that he's trying to analyze his psychology to a talking fox. "I️ don't know, they were real things. Real things aren't an issue for me. What happened before I️ went in, that was a little different." Another lightning strike takes him by surprise off to his left.
"But really, what is going on with this room? It wasn't like this when I️ came in. Don't tell me this is the crazy awesome peaceful place I️ earned. I️ was picturing something much more like a tropical island and a big bottle of something super stiff."

Dolan nods, watching Trita work on her coffee. "We all do what we have to to survive, don't we?" He takes a long sip of his coffee also as he debates adding more. He fills his mouth with more coffee and then decides there's no harm. "I️, uh... I️ was actually in a similar situation with Shand. I️ raised him alone, his mother..." Dolan looks off and just shakes his head instead of finishing the statement. "I️ can understand the struggle and it really was just that, a huge struggle, but you do whatever needs to be done to protect your kids. I'm sorry your father couldn't make that happen for you."

Lunath uncurls a little from his chair, loosening his grip around his pulled in legs and sitting cross legged instead, his body language becoming slowly more open. "You seem a lot like my dad. I️ mean, Dolan, he's not really my dad. Well, maybe I️ shouldn't say too much more like that before my turn.... okay. Here goes. Sooo, I️ had an imaginary friend growing up, I️ lived in a cemetery for a while, and I've been kidnapped three times."

"I think it's supposed to be more peaceful than this... At least it was for Luna. Maybe you're not done yet? Or maybe you're focusing on something too much for the space to completely calm. Regardless, you're keeping yourself from it so you have no one to blame but yourself."

You'd expect that statement to inherently put some sort of malice in his tone but, instead, he just jumps from Shand's shoulder and walks forward several steps on his his own, looking around for some sign of this ending.

"If you want out, I can get you out of here right now or you can continue to search for your own way."

Trita slams her mug down with unintentional force, splashing some coffee out onto the counter. She stares at the small puddle with a far-off look, trying to find the correct words to say that won't unintentionally insult Dolan and how his family life turned out.

"If by couldn't handle the responsibility, you mean he condemned two children to death and the other to years as an experiment, then, yes, I guess he really dropped the ball on that one. My older brother was more of a father than that man could have hoped to be but Darcin didn't make it."

With a pause, she stands up, setting her mug to the side, and reaches for a rag to clean up her mess, relaxing her expression back to the forced calm of a professional con.

"Well, I guess that's how life goes. There are other people in life who share a similar story or one even worse than mine. At least I got out, right?"

Both Ploy and Eidolon exchange glances as if sizing each other up, trying to figure out one another's guesses. He motions for her to go first and her eyes flick back to Lunath with a competitive intensity.

"I'm really hoping it's that you've been kidnapped three times?"