Welcome to Gaia! ::

Cymbeline stared at the ceiling as the others left. It always felt odd, leaving the familiar presence of her siblings, but since their return from the awful island of mist and insanity there hadn't been the constant threat that bound them together. Threat and blood and vaporous time, like ages and generations of pathetic human lifespans strung together. Little glittering beads, full of potential and yet utterly worthless...

She stared a door down. "Unassuming little thing..." With no further hesitation she tugged it open and stepped through, curious as to what sort of adventures awaited her.

((Exiting to join Group 3))

[Entering from Group 1]

It would be no surprise that the pair didn't bring the room down with them entirely when they re-entered the hub they'd been given permission to move through, his eyes darting up towards the ceiling and the doors there.

"Ingrates." he hissed underneath his breath, seething as visibly as he would be for the short time of passing through the hub, before looking up at the doors that rotated above head of them. He looked, focusing on one of them. It seemed to react to his beckoning - as Conquest would like it - and came to the floor, settling long enough to allow passage through it.

Perhaps this next door would be better.

[Exiting to Group 4]

(Entering from Group 4~)

Their second escapade had ended not nearly as bad as the first, but just as fruitless.

The large wooden door swung slowly open again not a few moments after the two had disappeared into it, the sound of footsteps echoing from the other side as they stepped back into the large, darkened room. Eris' body materialized soon after, tendrils of energy from the transport leaving her skin like steam as she walked calmly to the center of the room, turning when she'd gotten there to wait for Invictus. Thankfully, despite their lack of outcome, there was very little irritation in her expression, instead replaced by one of curious amusement, as if she had seen something funny. Which she had -- she wasn't sure she could claim to have ever seen students drop from the sky... that was a job for cats and dogs, not students.

Cupping her elbows, the horsewoman quirked an eyebrow at her companion, shifting her weight a bit to extend one well-shaped leg to the side, tilting her head. "I wonder if Professor Red is just playing with the students," she spoke up, the topic a little random, "I wouldn't be surprised -- she seemed in an especially foul mood... perhaps she just went crazy, like those silly rumors had said. I mean, how does sliding down slides or pushing blocks train a student against hunters, really?"

Reaching up, War curled a lock of hair around one finger, coiling it idly as her eyes drifted to the ceiling, eyeing the endless doors thoughtfully.

"Not that I would blame her. I think we should get a few of our own... perhaps the one with the hat from earlier~?"

It was hard to tell if she was teasing or not.

There were times when Invictus spoke that Eris had to stop and really think about what the heir of Conquest said. Not because what he said was confusing -- of their group, he was arguably the most sane of them all, additionally being the most rational and the most thought-provoking. Aisa was a close second, the heir of Death often offering practical answers to the questions they (they usually being Cym and herself) asked, but by far it was Invictus whom they could all rely on to be their center. They were, undoubtedly, his girls, and as such it seemed he always took the responsibility very seriously. Or perhaps it was just in his personality to be practical, always waiting for the most adventageous moment before acting or speaking. Regardless, it always seemed to take the horseman of War, whom was very spur-of-the-moment, a little by surprise, every once in a while giving her reason to pause. This was one of those times. Letting her eyes drift back down to the shorter horseman, Eris gave him a slightly thoughtful look, her eyebrows lifted slightly as he spoke.

"I suppose you're right," she replied after a good breath's wait, tone sounding contemplative, her finger unfurling from her hair to touch her cheek again, other cupping her elbow where it rested by her hip, "As a matter of fact, I may recall going through something similar when we were in school... although I recall us having a little less trouble."

Of course she would -- pride goeth before the fall.

The sound of gears grinding echoed a little through the tower as a door began to descend to where they were standing, making its way lazily from where it had been resting almost completely out of sight. As it settled onto the platform with a subtle thud of wood against metal, Eris took the few steps towards it, the door swinging open just as she was a step away to reveal the portal to take them to the next room. "Yes, the cowboy," she replied over her shoulder, even as she began to step through, "And you're exactly right... he seemed not to want to attract our attention... so naturally, we should give it to him~"

(Exit to Group 2! Clearly Eris likes to go in order~)

It was difficult to say exactly how long they had been there. "They" being two statues made out of copper, standing on raised pedestals set between two doors. The statues had the bodies of dogs and the heads of lions; they were Fu Dogs. Each one wore a different collar decorated with skulls; one had a collar that was red, the other a sky blue.

Each Fu Dog had one paw raised, resting on a sphere. Or is it a skull? It is difficult to tell. They move, their paws tightening around their treasures as you approach.

"Well met," they greet in unison. "Your trials are almost over, Students of Amityville. What you have gone through is a sample, a mere taste of what is expected of some on a daily basis. But you are not here for that."

They fall silent, looking down and studying each student carefully. The one with the light blue collar speaks first. "Your last trial awaits you. It will not be easy."

"You will get to choose," the red collared one says, "This is a choice for each of you to make."

"Not as a group."

"Not together."

"But individually," the two say in unison gravely. "You may only go through one door. Once you have made your choice and gone through it, you cannot back out."

"The doors are locked for now," the one with the red collar says. "They will unlock when the time is right."

"For now, consider your options," the sky blue collared one says. "You may change your mind before entering, but once you go through a door you cannot return."

The statues fall silent as they exchange a glance with each other. "To determine which door you pick, please tell us...

• Help someone else out.
  
  
  
• Help myself out.
  
  

(( Just a note because I'm a derp and forgot to mention it in your guys' prompt:

As soon as the horsemen go through a door, they will lose the pendant that enables them to jump from thread to thread. Once you pick a thread and your name has been added to its list of participants, you cannot leave it. ))

It seemed Aisa wouldn't be the only one who stepped through the door and returned to see the statues. In fact, it seemed it would be the only time that the ever so observant horseman would ever seem to be taken by surprise by something. Had those always been there? It was possible they had been. Yet there was a part of the Horseman's mind that wondered why he hadn't noticed the pair before.

The prompts seemed to not bother him in the least, looking at the pair of statues with a very tame look on his face. They were no problem to him - he knew the answer. He himself had admitted to being a highly selfish creature and it seemed that by merit at least one of his Horsewomen (yes, his) thought along the same line of things.

"I do not require heels, Aisa." Invictus chimed up as she finished speaking, but he didn't seemed bothered by the suggestion. Chances were that they would end up getting him into heels at some point in time, and he'd Haters-gonna-hate prance in them like a boss.

"The best thing I can do for the Horsemen is to take care of myself so that I am not the weakest link. Fate only helps those who help themselves." There was not a doubt in his mind. While yes, he probably would raise hell and back for the Horsewomen, it would have taken something significant to put them into the danger required for Conquest to need to do such a thing.

After all, they'd raise hell for themselves long before he did.