Prompt 15 (Woven in Mystery): Everyone has their own seasonal decorations that come out this time of year. Maybe you found it in some sort of thrift sale, maybe you just spotted it hanging up while you were out and about, maybe it’s at a friend’s house–wherever you are, a holiday tapestry catches your attention. It’s beautiful and someone clearly put a lot of effort into making it. You won’t find this mass produced–it looks like it’s vintage and handmade, with careful embroidery and beads. There’s something incredibly alluring about it–and something sinister. Out of the corner of your eye it might seem as though something is moving. Maybe it happens while you aren’t looking at all. When it doesn't have your full attention, the image on the tapestry changes. It isn’t just that small details change, large parts of the tapestry change, forming whole new images. Sometimes the threads even change to leave vague or threatening messages. It always seems to change too quickly for you to get a picture of, or to even point out to anyone else. Even when the tapestry isn’t moving, it feels like there are eyes on you.
Desiree sat flicking her tail as she waited for Liam to join her on her adventure through this new home. It had been a few days here since they'd found the music room and piano and she wanted to see what else they could find now that someone had come through and handled a bit of the dust. She hadn't liked the idea of a stranger coming in but it had apparently been someone that was on the family's books for a while. This latest room she sat in seemed like a storage area, full of dusty boxes and old tapestries that hung from the walls. The boxes themselves had the same dusty and musty smell so they had to be more of the same but she still wanted to look and find out which meant she needed Liam's help unless she wanted to waste her precious hour of time as a human for the day on this.
"Maybe there are more books in here too, wouldn't it be interesting to see if there is anything about the Sharps in here?" Calling out as they neared the room she was in, she circled once more, hopped down from the box, and scrambled towards the open door.
Posted: Fri Jan 05, 2024 8:25 pm
"I wouldn't be too surprised if there were things about the family here, perhaps a family history." Since they did seem like the sort of family to have a written history somewhere, that they all knew, it was just a feeling he got with the family. It wasn't something he minded though, he rather liked it, at least they knew there family and where they came from. He did too but he hadn't for the longest time. Family and history, the matter of where you came from, was important to him because he'd never had that growing up. He still didn't know much about his family. Though to be fair Liam was certain he didn't want to know anything about his mother and her side of the family...not if they were anything like her and her other children and husband. The whole lot of them were far more than he could handle, and he was glad he didn't need to any more.
His mother had a month ago apssed away, the cancer had gotten her before a match could be found, and he wasn't at all bothered by it. Truth be told he hadn't even told anyone and he'd kept from thinking about it. He did wonder if Melody knew, he was certain she out of the two siblings would have heard about it, but Melody had been oddly silent on it. She hadn't brought it up at all and asked if he'd heard, which normally he you'd expect he wouldn't have.
It was a sibling, well half sibling really, who had come to bother him on his way home from school one evening. They had been red in the face, as if they'd been crying for a while, and had shouted at him for being the cause of it - that their mother was dead because of him. They'd further gone on to say he wasn't invited to the funeral - as if he'd go. They had than turned and left just as suddenly as they'd turned up.
He'd been shaken by it but had quickly brushed it off. They were family in blood but that was it and he was fine with that, though he did wish they didn't even share genetics in common with them. They were everything Aloysius and his siter weren't and he was thankful for that. He didn't think he could handle living with a family like them, even if the siblings didn't get along well. He could handle this, and had been thus far, he was good at playing the go between.
"Have you been able to look into any of the boxes yet or should I start opening them for you to peek at?" He questioned stepping into the room and wrinking his nose at the smell...this room needed a cleaning - badly.
Sleet Tempest Snape
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Sara Draconia
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Posted: Fri Jan 05, 2024 8:50 pm
Nodding, she walked over to the box she had been sitting on, the one that had little strands of fabric peeking out from between the closed flaps of it. "This one first, I think there might be more of those tapestries in here. Maybe we can toss some in the wash and I can nap on one?" If they were nice and big, she could drag them under the bed where she hid and make a little nest for herself when hiding. If she could manage to find some interesting things in the boxes as well, that would just make this little exploration that much better.
Liam was very helpful in this and she quite liked that too, it was easy to keep him occupied and busy so she could also keep an eye on him just as Aloysius had asked. If only Aloysius could relax as easily as they could though, he hadn't been sleeping much at all since coming here and it was starting to show. "Maybe we can also find some old photos of the siblings too? I wonder if he was always that tall and thin...." Though they had filled in a bit since Liam had come around which was good.
Posted: Fri Jan 05, 2024 9:07 pm
"You know if you're looking for a bed made of blankets just ask. I'll order you some blankets, whatever color and fabrics you want." She did not need to go looking for stuff here, though he was curious about whatever the tapistry might depict, so he did pull the tarp away so they could look at it. "I would expect he's always been tall but not so thin, that wouldn't make much sense, though I suspectg he was on the slender side always." It was just a more balanced sort of build he was sure - right?
"I did promise you bedding didn't I?" He questioned with a fond smile at the mauvian. He really did like her, she was good company while Aloysius was at work and he was off school. Though he too, like Desiree, had noticed the decline in Aloysius sleep habits and needed to work to correct that. "I wonder if we can't find a way to get Aloysius to sleep more...since we're on the topic of sleep and beds...." Trailing off as he pondered this. Clearly there was a reason and it was linked to here...and no douibt things which had happened here.
"I'd opt for drugging him, nothing serious, but I don't like that idea at all. It's a matter of trust. But he does need to sleep."
Sleet Tempest Snape
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Sara Draconia
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Posted: Fri Jan 05, 2024 9:45 pm
"I'd like it more if it was related to him, I used to steal his scarves and sleep in a pile of them until he figured out where I hid them. Though I appreciate the offer." She had even gone so far as to replicate one of their scarves when programming her glamour.
Hopping up, she took a look at the tapestry. It had gorgeous blue beading and small little details embroidered on its surface. It was hard to tell the overall design under all the dust though. "Maybe if we can hang it up somewhere we can see it better, or at least bring it into the light."
Curling her tail around her paws she frowned a bit at the mention of drugging Aloysius. "I'm not sure what happened here but maybe we can figure something out before he passes out from exhaustion. At least he's been eating so he's better off than he would be otherwise."
Posted: Sat Jan 06, 2024 8:01 pm
"So if I grabbe dyou some of his clothing you'd prefer that?" He questioend her. Could he perhaps gift her some of Aloysius' clothign and than purchase the other some new clothing to replace it? Nothing he couldn't replace but perhaps something? It would be something he could talk to Aloysius about, rather than just grabbing clothing to give to Desiree.
"Is there a reason why his clothing? So I can explain things to him perhaps?" Looking over the duty thing he wasn't really sure he wanted to touch it, there had to be a way to remove some of the duty from it. The orphanage used to have something made of wicker which they used to beat the rugs outside with so they could clean them....it wasn't the best but it got the dust and crumbs and such off them.
"Yes, I think we need to figure out something so he can sleep. Even if he's eating better, which is good to see, he still needs sleep - a lot of it. He needs his sleep so he can work properly and make it home safe as well." Since he was driving to get back here...and he worried he might be too tired behind the wheel. "We'll talk to him tonight...or I will."
Sleet Tempest Snape
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Sara Draconia
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Posted: Sat Jan 06, 2024 10:01 pm
Sitting on the tapestry, she noticed something moving on its surface and swatted at it. It looked like words almost but she couldn't tell. "I just..." Pausing as she tried to figure out how to explain things. She'd been so used to curling up by them without having to share. "Hrm...I got used to it when he was gone for long periods of time. That and his scarves are always so warm and soft. He can have them back here and there but I do really enjoy whatever fabric he has things made out of. There was this old ratty blanket too, the one from the cot but I don't know what happened to it." Circling a bit as she swatted at the tapestry, another cloud of dust floated off it and revealed a word in red.
Alone
It almost looked like the word was pulsing, breathing even. It shifted again as she pawed at the embroidered threads, moving towards the center of the thing where a small caged bird sat. It was surrounded by thorns and roses. She looked up at Liam and bopped the thing more. "I really think we need to move this."
The other topic was forgotten for the moment as she tried to figure out what this tapestry was doing and where it had come from, it certainly wasn't normal but she couldn't tell if it was dangerous.
Posted: Sun Jan 07, 2024 2:16 pm
"Oh, that blanket...." Damn it, he'd burned that as well. The whole damn set up was burned by him. "I can find out the material he uses and have blankets made for you." If he had to he'd have Aloysius roll about in them first, for scent or whatever, so Desiree would like them. He was already working on a mental list of things to do for the Mauvian. It wasn't like he was buying her off, and trying to keep her off the bed, buut rather now that she could talk they could find out how to make her more happy in the house. So he was looking to do just that.
He had noticed her smacking at the tapestry and stared now, blue eyes focused on the fabric and the beading. he caught the word as well and stared. "Y-yeah...I think we should move it as well. We should maybe tell Aloysius and perhaps Melody also...." That way something could be figured out with this thing. He didn't think either would appreciate something magiocal in the hosue, especially not when it could be dangerous, it was certainly creepy.
"Whatever the tapestry is showing now...I don't like it." And he sort of wondered if it wasn't talking about someone...thst it didn't look as slightly creepy, yet also innocent, as it did. No, there was more to it he was certain of it.
Sleet Tempest Snape
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Sara Draconia
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Posted: Mon Jan 08, 2024 2:27 pm
The way he trailed off made her pause, was it gone? It made a bit of sense from how messed up it was but she had really liked the thing. "Okay..." Sounding a bit sad as she hopped off the tapestry and pulled her keychain from subspace. Clicking the button, she stood next to Liam and grabbed the tapestry, sneezing as another cloud of dust came up off it. "Ah just help tell me where to go, I don't want to trip and fall." Sliding back, she really couldn't see over or around the thing as she held it up and faced outwards for the other to look at.
"Isn't there a songbird on Aloysius's family emblem? Maybe it's something old from his family but we can ask him and you can ask her. I still want to watch her a bit more before letting her know I exist. She seems less problematic but I really wonder if she's only being like that because you're hurt." It made sense if they were being nice for his sake and she wanted to make sure things played out well after Liam's arm healed.
Shuffling through the room, she avoided what she could as she made her way towards the light in the hall.
Posted: Tue Jan 16, 2024 6:13 pm
"I don't know about his family emblem, but I can ask Melody, it would be fitting if they had a song bird though." Given that the family was known for producing instraments, though for how many generations they'd done that he didn't know, he knew Melody would be able to help him. He didn't mention what had happened to that loved blanket, he'd replace it as soon as he could, he'd talk to Aloysius about it and see to it that more blankets were produced for Desiree so there would be several in various rooms for her to use.
"That's fine, I don't mind and I understand. Hopefully Melody knows, though I'm sure Aloysius would as well." Even if he didn't like certain things he was still a Sharp and would likely know just like Melody would.
"Let's get this moved and then we can clean it." Or he would clean it once it was some place safe for him to do so. Directing Desiree the blond led them out of the room they were in so they could get it outside, so he could beat the dust and dirt from it. Then he'd bring it back in, and he would try and do it one armed if he could, he didn't want to have Desiree do all the heavy lifting. "We can show this to Aloysius and then to Melody, or I'll show it to Melody, and see what they say about this thing."
