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Rhys frowned looking at the swamp he’d wanted to come by himself mostly because he felt that arriving on his motorcycle would be a much better entrance then arriving in Merci’s van … especially with Dio in his current costume. Rhys looked sharp tonight; he was wearing a full suit, a fancy pair of cuff links, and a new expensive pair of shoes. Rhys costume was a secret agent, in addition to the classy look he was toting a cigarette case that just carried a money clip with some spare cash instead of actual smokes and a small concealed handgun which much to Cinder’s amusement was fake, originally she was just going to give him one of the smaller guns in the house arsenal but after a few words with Sarraqa they had instead went about getting him a fake one. He’d been relieved for the most part, despite his rather rocky past and his mother’s interest in arming him Rhys had never been all that interested in firearms. Stretching slightly he finally hung his helmet up on the handle of the bike and started toward the strange haunted house.

Tek dropped down from the shadow of Rhys wing, his eyes wide as he looked ahead toward the swamp, the child had decided on a simple costume at first he hadn’t really seen the need for a costume at all but in the end a small green cape and mask of the same color had been added to his ensemble and he’d come as a super hero. What the name of the hero was Tek wasn’t so sure but he was enjoying the swish of his cape.

Pausing a moment Rhys looked up at the place and then from side to side at the door, there were ambient sounds from the house but he couldn’t actually see anyone. Rhys wings flattened against his shoulders, “I suppose we just go in.” Tek dashed up to the door, yes we do! The fiend had been excited to get to see others of his kind and experience this thing haunted house thing. Tek pushed the door open, Rhys not wanting to lose sight of his Tek and alternatively not wanting to give Tek time alone to get into trouble darted up the stairs after him. As the two rushed inside the door snapped shut behind them.

Rhys froze wincing as the lighting had changed; a strobe light flickered throughout the room, looking over he saw Tek moving in stop motion as he the fiend turned toward him looking generally as confused as he was. Tek had never experience a strobe light and Rhys had only briefly muttering slightly Rhys looked over the room and started forward. The walls were a tile design, pausing Rhys frowned as he looked at them, they were a blend of yellow, green, and pink fluorescent colors the patterning he knew well though they were patterned like the walls at the Lighthouse, the institute he had been created in. Even in colors that the tiles originally would have never been put in Rhys started to feel uneasy just noting them. From where he was at it looked as if the room was pretty small, “hello?” his voice was soft something about the place brought him on the side of caution. Tek wasn’t really paying attention to the walls but had paused and was splitting his tail into three parts and then melding them back into one watching them curiously under the strobe. Rhys unease drew Tek’s attention from his current interest and the fiend darted toward his guardian, don’t worry….I’ll protect you! I’m a hero. Glancing over toward Tek Rhys grinned slightly despite himself. Walking slowly along the wall he realized that what appeared to be solid wall was actually an opening. “Looks like we have to find our way through…” Not wanting to waste time Rhys stepped into the opening finding him in a hall of the tiled walls looking from one end to the other they appeared to go on forever, “it’s a maze – I think.”

Oh a maze…I am good at those! Tek’s experience with mazes of course extended to figuring on the kiddie mazes on the back of menus. To Tek being able to do those little kiddie mazes made him an expert, puffing his chest up a bit Tek started down the hall ready to prove his abilities. Before the little fiend got too far the image of a person with the same patterning on them as the walls came out from the wall and started to walk toward the two, the movement was fractured and strange under the strobe. One moment the form was at the end of the hall and the next it was a few feet closer. Rhys couldn’t help it he backed up in startle ment, part of his brain wished Cinder had just given him a real gun and the other part reasoned that he wasn’t actually in any real danger so it was better that he didn’t have one. Even with the voice of reason going Rhys didn’t relax, “lets go down the other way…now.” Turning quickly Rhys started down the hall away from the human form that was moving toward him and Tek, Tek actually followed along with his guardian worried over Rhys’ sense of dread. Rhys was actually hurrying down the hall when another figure came out of the wall at the other end and started toward the two; the boy stopped in his tracks and looked between the two advancing figures. “It’s got to be someone…dressed up or something, glancing over to Tek – let’s turn the table on them.”

Oh! We can capture them! Tek’s tail swished in excitement as he looked toward the closest figure to them. Waiting for the strobe to switch off, Rhys darted toward the closest figure reaching out and grabbing it.

Rhys was almost too shocked to say anything, looking down a the candy in his hand he murmured a thank you. He relaxed greatly, it was a game - even with all the strangeness in the end it wasn't real, Rhys had much too much of realness in his life and relaxed greatly he could do this and have fun. There were similar festivals in other parts of the galaxy but this was the first one he'd ever gotten to actually take part in. Tek waved manically to Mystic, his little tail flickering and splitting into multiples before rejoining and splitting at random, even though Mystic hadn't been there long it was a new fiend which excited the child greatly.

Tek hovered a little higher to get a look at what Rhys had in his hand, Oh! Let me hold it let me!

"You don't even have any pockets...clothing by the way comes with that." Despite his argument Rhys gave the candy to Tek to hold onto, "so it's a game - lets go get the other two pieces, I bet the other wall things are Reyna and Hawk." Rhys grinned slightly looking over at Tek, "we so got this."

Turning Rhys looked back the way they'd come only to find the other humanoid figure that had been moving toward them wasn't there anymore, "hrm, they must have moved...lets see if we can get farther along in the maze."

Moving along the wall Rhys soon found another opening leading deeper within the room and maze, "I think this is the right way..." As the two turned the corner one of the wall creatures jumped out toward them, crying out in surprise Rhys almost forgot to grab the figure but remember Mystic from before he reached and grabbed a hold; Tek now getting the idea of things attempted to grab a hold as well.

Rhys blushed dropping his hands immediately as Reyna spoke, Tek however hovered closer snatching the candy up and securing it in a little pocket he had sewn into his wrap. The demoness' speed looked even more impressive under the strobe light, one moment she was there and the next down the hall and then gone.

"So second piece, that means just one more..." as he spoke Rhys was already looking for the opening to more hallways hidden within the disorienting light display and wall coloring. "I'm guessing there will also be a door out of this room at some point..."

Tek darted to and fro happily he was very pleased over having yet another piece of candy. Pausing the fiend darted ahead into one of the hidden halls of the maze, We found it! We found it! Tek's voice echoed happily through Rhys' mind, turning Rhys had a moment of panic as he thought he'd lost the child; after a bit of stumbling he was able to find the opening and start down the new hall. The two walked for sometime before coming to a dead end..."Just our luck,"

Don't worry I'll find the next way - I'm the master! Tek darted back the way they'd come, Rhys turned hurrying along after him, the shadow was hard to keep track of with the strobe going and his glowing markings that tended to blend in with the walls.

Another path was found, and then another, and then a dead end but down each and after getting turned around, straightened out and then turned around again they didn't see anything that could be another.

Muttering Rhys took a turn and found yet another hall starting down it, as they started down he saw one of the forms come out from the wall. Glancing over to Tek he pointed ahead and without bothering with words the two ran up in an attempt to catch the wall creature.

((Just a post for my roll - forgot it add it in with my last post))

Tek clung to the last candy greedily not really listening to the Seer once it had been produced. Looking up Tek then noticed the change in the room and blinked his three eyes with a touch of confusion.

"Alright...so we have two doors which way should we go? Might be fun to continue on...I wonder what the rest of the rooms look like." Frowning Rhys turned and looked from one door to the other, "what do you think?"

We should eat the candy!

Smirking Rhys looked over to Tek, "not really the sort of feedback I was looking for - it's a fifty fifty chance lets go ... left." Without waiting for more advice from Tek Rhys turned and headed to the door.

Merci kept her hand on the wall as she walked, her eyes only open halfway in an attempt to cut the amount of light her eyes were exposed too. As with her ears her eyes were more sensitive then your average person. She was also totally thrilled with the fact that Dio seemed be be okay with this place. He was not giving her a strangle hold at the moment and was in fact floating next to her freely staring at his hands in wonder.

He was entirely fascinated by the fact that he seemed to move in leaps. The effect the strobe had was so outlandish to him that he was entertained simply by watching his hands as he floated along next to his guardian.

Merci felt the wall give way as another passage opened up to her right. She paused momentarily at the junction and glanced at her charge. He wasn't even paying attention, so she whistled and jerked her head, "Come on space case." Her booted feet turned and she started down the new hallway.

She froze when she thought she caught sight of movement at the end of the passageway. Maybe it wasn't going to be as easy as keeping your hand on a wall. The figure seemed to blend in with it's surroundings, and then she wasn't able to track movement. Had it turned down another hallway? Or was it just to well camouflaged?

When Merci stepped inside, she couldn't see Dio anywhere. It wasn't like he blended in exactly with the environment. She cast about for him and that was when she felt the panic rise. Mystic had warned them that nothing in this place could hurt them, that it was all illusions and games, but that didn't stop her from freaking out.

She walked blindly, yelling for her fiend. "Dio! Damnit Dio get out here now!" Her booted feet took her into the maze, and she wasn't paying attention to where she was going. He had to be in here somewhere.

Then she was suddenly stepping out into nothing, she felt her center of gravity shift and her body toppled over into a pit she could have sworn wasn't there moments before. It was like the floor had opened up to swallow her, literally.

When she landed on her a** it was back on the porch of the house. She could hear Dio 'Where are you Merci?' He sounded nervous but otherwise okay. 'Can you come in here I don't like being here alone.' The words echoed in her brain and she stood up, wincing. If her a** was bruised she was going to be mad, though not as mad as she might have been if she'd landed on her tail wrong and broke it.

She stood up and turned to look at the house. She seemed to have a staring contest with it. "You don't like me, I get that. My son is in there though, so you and I, we're going to tango. I promise you I'm going to win." With that gauntlet thrown, she pushed the door open and walked back inside.

Merci was highly relieved to see her boy waiting for her just inside the doorway. "Where did you go! Seriously do not run off without me."

Dio looked horribly confused for a moment, 'What are you talking about I've been waiting here for you to come back in here this whole time. Why are you yelling at me.' His hands twisted the hem of his skirt in his hands. It was obvious the teenager didn't like getting yelled at.

Merci paused for a moment when she thought she heard shuffling. At first she thought it was because she was trying to listen to hard, but at the end of the hallway she caught sight of another humanoid shape moving toward them. She started backing up as the creature seemed to appear and disappear with each strobe of the light. It was too much, she backpedaled and darted down through a side passage. She wasn't going to purposefully run into one of those things, not if they did what the things had done before and toss her out on her keister.

Dio was looking back behind them, watching to see if that thing was following her. 'I don't think it's there anymore. He was trying to be helpful, but in all honesty he didn't like these things any more then he did the horrible crap that had plagued them in the other place.

Unfortunately for her, it seemed there was more then one of these things wandering around. As she was bolting down the hallway something jumped out and grabbed her. She shrieked and turned to push at whatever it was, but when she opened her eyes she was on the porch again. Her hand was extended and pressed against the front door.

Her challenge had obviously been heard, and accepted. This place was going to fight her every step of the way.

Dio whined and curled himself around his guardian. 'Go inside go inside hurry please hurry.'

Merci growled and shook her fist at the house before she once again shoved her way inside. Her stubborn streak was showing, she was not going to be defeated. She marched right into the neon headache inducing maze with purpose.