[???] Amenities

[cibarium]

Although it was populated by all manner of unusual creatures, Other Ashdown was still fundamentally a town, with streets and sewers and buildings. Some buildings on this side were even occupied by unusual creatures, if not having a magic entirely of their own. This may have been why one morning you woke up with an address clear in your mind -- with a casual urgency that suggested you'd been meaning to pay it a visit for weeks.

It turns out to be an old and slightly worn residential hotel that no longer exists in regular Ashdown, built from dark-colored bricks and boasting nicely sized windows. Whatever reason you're here isn't clear, except you know it has something to do with blood. And possibly magic.

Trying the front entrance will reveal that it's unlocked and leading to a comfortable (albeit dusty) lobby area with a light, minty color scheme and a collection of fake potted plants.

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blade kuroda

shun

daekie

ashton

lizbot

america

endejester

zac

due to the fluid time of OAD you can assume everyone got here at more or less the same time

 

[endejester]

Drab white sneakers scuffed against the ground as he eyed the place, His hair tucked up under a black knit beanie, his shoulders slumped under a charcoal colored denim shirt and dark jeans.

This was where he was supposed to come, that was it, that was all, he was here, all was as it should be.

He took a sip of his coffee and tried the door to the front entrance, it opened. While there was a tremendous amount of dust in his casual opinion, and a color scheme that reminded him of toothpaste. He started humming ‘Hotel California’ as he took another sip of his drink.

cibarium

 

[Blade Kuroda]

It wasn't the first time that Shun woke up with a rather pressing sensation in his head, calling him out to a certain location in Other Ashdown. He didn't think of it at all as he appeared before the hotel that stood before him.

Why was he here again? He couldn't quite recall.

Did he need to cut someone? There was something about blood here...

Furrowing his brow, he went ahead and entered, looking around the lobby area. It was pretty dusty in here. With a tilt of his head, he looked around for traces of any activity coming through the place recently.  

[Daekie]

There were ugly blotches of color on Ashton's cheeks from persistent blushing, slight traces of acne at her temples, and dark circles under her eyes -- she had achieved approximately none of her old pretense at respectability, which seemed so silly now, really. Hadn't she always been like this? All this photos of her from earlier in the year, awkwardly almost-dour, felt like they were of someone else with the same face and name.

Maybe that was just the stress of school. Maybe it was just because her parents kept!! Looking at her like she'd gone totally insane!! And she'd scared herself too much to talk to Temperance, and ended up in a bawling heap for almost half an hour, and everything seemed so big and scary so - when the pull came, to head to the otherworld, she welcomed it. Left her phone at home, to avoid any fearful contacts from people who knew her; and just gone, because she could, because it would be okay and red and red and red.

That was the theme for today, anyways. Some sort of oversized dorky Minecraft shirt she'd picked up for cheap, red-and-yellow pajama pants emblazoned with brilliantly aggressive paisley, those flip flops with the clear plastic straps and the fake flowers tied to them - her wrists felt awkwardly bare, so she'd grabbed armwarmers before heading out, some old Hot Topic purchase that'd gone forgotten for years, black with obnoxiously neon splotches.

"K-kid Mercer, hi -" the words burst from Ashton's throat as she waved excitedly at Zac, "d-did --" she choked on her own words. Had to stop. Swallow. It was an entirely undignified noise. "D-did you feel it too?"

cibarium

endejester

 

[lizbot]

Bundled in layers of shirts and a sweater and a large comfortable scarf that she could, and did, bury her face into to avoid eye contact, America arrived and didn't have a hello to say to anybody. Despite people's shows of concern, it started to feel like maybe they didn't really ever care for her. Just an idea of her that she could never live up to. After the conference, she didn't bother telling anyone else that she was staying in Other Ashdown, didn't try to pass a message on to Taym. She'd left while Bitterberry was distracted with other things.

Nothing really mattered anymore. Nobody cared about anything and maybe there was nothing really worth caring for anyway. Except maybe the Red, as Bitterberry called it. There was so something compelling about it, so powerful in blood and it was something everyone had, wasn't it? Even a girl like her.

It felt like a solution. Being here felt like an answer, maybe the only real answer, to all of America's many problems.  

[cibarium]

The lighting levels here were unnaturally accommodating in spite of the lack of functioning bulbs or lamps or candles.

Eventually someone would notice there was an elevator -- one of those very old, rickety ones with a sliding gate, the door to it left ajar. There was an arrow leading up to it cut into the carpet, seemingly in lieu of a written sign. Along with a basement floor and the main floor they were in, there were buttons on the panel within for four more levels above them. There was a mark on the fourth floor button made in blood.

Pressing that button sure felt like the right thing to do here.

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blade kuroda

shun

daekie

ashton

lizbot

america

endejester

zac

 

[Blade Kuroda]

Shun turned, noting Zac, America, and Ashton were all here as well. He looked them all briefly before he spotted the elevator across the lobby. The door was slightly ajar.

With a tilt of his head, he quietly made his way closer, spotting the arrow cut into the carpet.

Between that and the button that had been marked with blood, it was fairly obvious where something wanted them to go.

"Well. This gotta be a trap," he idly remarked, examining the bloodied button, trying to determine how fresh it was, "Whose blood do you think that is? I don't see other blotches around... think someone like sliced open their thumb and pushed it or something? Or did someone just like... point at the button and conjure blood out of nowhere because magic."

cibarium

 

[Daekie]

"Shun," Ashton yelped, near-hysterical from what she perceived as Zac ignoring her; she was almost head-over-heels for a second, slipping on flat ground, before her flesh shifted and bones ground and a wolverine took her place.

It was easier, without words. Shun would protect her, right? He was strong, like she wasn't, he was so brave. He didn't mind so much.

She pressed up against his leg like a dog. It was distinctly unwolverinely behavior.

Blade Kuroda

 

[Blade Kuroda]

Hearing Ashton yelp out, Shun looked over at her only to see the moonwalker practically flip over and turn into a wolverine.

A wolverine that was now pressed up against his leg.

"Hey. Heeeeey. Easy, Ashton," he said while crouching down, patting her fur to try and get the skittish werewolverine to calm down a bit, "You're a ******** wolverine, yeah? Anything try to mess with us, you just take your claws and rip em to shreds. You can totally do it."

Daekie

 

[lizbot]

Shuffling behind Shun and Ashton, America let her bangs cover her face, wrapping her arms around herself as the other girl turned into something that looked wild and potentially mean, even if it was acting like a scared puppy at Shun's feet. There was a vague feeling of sympathy, but America felt like she'd lost another body between her and any lurking piece of violence.

They were being herded, but again, it felt right. The blood on the button gave her an anxious twist, it was exciting in that way you can't tell if it's good or bad, but you can't look away whatever it is. While Shun was distracted, America's arm reaches out in a flash and jabs at the button.

It's quiet click sounds thunderous to her in the hallway and America stepped back hurriedly, crossing her arms in front of herself and looking away, as if she could pretend that she hadn't done a thing despite the smear of red across her index finger.

blade kuroda

daekie

endejester

cibarium

 

[endejester]

He blinked, realizing he’d been addressed and finally turned a moment later to Ashton, whom had been in turn distracted by Shun, and turned into a Wolverine.

He arched his eyebrows.

“…Yeah, I felt it too.” He confirmed.

He rolled his eyes slightly at the idea of a trap.
“Why question it?” He shrugged. “It feels right. Although…” He glanced back towards the button. “Maybe fresh blood isn’t a bad idea.” He raised a hand almost distracted, biting at his own thumb as he considered the idea of someone having cut their own thumb open to bleed onto the button.

lizbot

blade kuroda

daekie

cibarium

 

[cibarium]

America had pressed the button before Zac's musings could be addressed -- and the elevator clanged to life, noisily and swayingly pulling them upwards. After a moment or so had passed they had been released to the fifth floor, which boasted a fewer and more widely-spaced doors than the floors below it would have. This was where the suites were, obviously.

"I... count four... Good. Welcome."

The voice was dry, with an occasional pop and crackle like an old phonograph recording. It was also coming from below them, slightly out of sight, but that changed quickly as a strange-yet-strangely-familiar figure closed one of the doors behind it and turned to appraise its visitors.

The being was short, no more than three feet tall, and it was difficult to tell what part of it was clothing and what part was its body (most likely, both were true). Light-colored fabric hung from some kind of flat, wide, round chitinous hat (head?), which also served as a cloak; there were also several long, many-jointed legs jutting out of its person that fluctuated in number and position every time you blinked.

"My symbionts did splendidly, helping you find your way here. Welcome," it said again. "Ixodi is my sounded name. Forgive the lack of signs, I hope... i'm quite illiterate. You all have lovely human faces."

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blade kuroda

shun

daekie

ashton

lizbot

america

endejester

zac

 

[Blade Kuroda]

Up they went. While they made their trip up, Shun went ahead and removed his eyepatch. He wasn't sure what was ahead, but perhaps having the other eye would help a bit. Something like black smoke slowly oozed out of his left eye.

Once the doors of the elevator opened up, he slowly stepped out and looked a round. He stood, a little tense as he heard the odd voice call out to them. There was a short figure nearby. It was an odd looking creature that seemed a bit like some sort of insect.

"Woah. Okay. So my little buggy bro... what are you and why'd you bring us here?" he asked, regarding Ixodi warily.

cibarium

If Ixodi has any 'inner darkness', Shun can see it with the shadow eye. Interpret as you will.

Lizbot

That goes for America too

Daekie

And Ashton

Endejester

Shun already saw Zacs

 

[Daekie]

Ashton whined like she was terrified, because she was, but moved from behind Shun's legs to nose at -- Ixodi? It would have been pronounceable as a human, but she would really rather not be on two legs as it was, so speaking was a moot point. She talked too much and kept putting her foot in her mouth, anyways, and it was so much easier to not at all.

So instead she nosed up at Ixodi's cloaks, claws clicking, testing out the scent of this mysterious newcomer. Trustworthy, already.

(Ashton's darkness, if it could be called that, looked like a skeletal overlay -- like all her bones were wrapped with thin metal overlays, knife-sharp, like she was made of needles. Perfectly-crafted, artificial, ball-jointed. Very pretty -- very much created.)

cibariunn

Blade Kuroda

 

[endejester]

“Man, I know someone who would think you were the coolest thing ever.” Zac mused and nodded. “You’re very um…” He waved a hand at a loss for the right word. “Eldritch? That’s not it.” He shrugged and gave up trying to find it.

“Symbionts” He added catching the word and looking thoughtful. “They have some really cool movies with those, creepy too. That’s pretty neat.”

lizbot

blade kuroda

daekie

cibarium