Double doors open up to a spacious ballroom, lit by a series of smaller round chandeliers that float overhead. The domed ceilings are open and clear glass, boasting the view of a nebula in picture perfect detail. However, most interesting are the pedestals--some of them marble, others grandiose scuplted wood, and still others are plastic and metal barstools, probably from IKEA. All of them hold strange and marvelous relics from another time, as Genevieve said, the walls draped in fabrics and tapestries and cloaks--and, if you look closely enough, perhaps there is one that calls to mind a memory.
It is 8 PM.
The Barkeep offers you a glass of champagne as you step through the doors, but does not push the issue if you decline. There doesn’t appear to be much of a natural order for viewing the collection of artifacts in the main gallery, and none of them appear to be labelled with any immediately recognizable iconography. All corners of the gallery look to be available to explore, save a spiral staircase in the back corner of the room that looks to be roped off.
Should you come across an artifact belonging to your silver millenium self, you will feel a strange tingling behind your eyes, something that’s on the tip of your tongue but not quite ready to make itself known. Whatever this relic is, it was clearly something that meant something to you.
It is 9 PM.
Drinking the champagne, you notice that the flavors seem to shift with each and every sip, sometimes sweet, sometimes dry, but always smooth on the way down. It's the least magical property of the champagne by far--over time, you notice that the wonder seems a little less decrepit and rusty around the edges, and if you squint you can almost imagine where pastel banners would have run from ceiling to floor, emblazoned with six pointed stars.
The decor isn't the the only thing to start to change; around you, you start to notice more of the transparent figures, faded almost out of existence, most of them listless and searching. Like you, they're wearing gilded filigree and draped fabrics and masks, but unlike you, they don't seem to notice many of the artifacts of the gallery--they dance and chatter and move about through the center, seemingly unaware that there are two galas happening at once. You blink, and for just a moment the ceiling disappears, giving way to an open and starry sky above. One of the figures pauses in their dance to look at you. It's someone you've lost to time, and it seems clear from their expression that they know exactly who you are under your mask.
What was in that champagne?
You start to think...maybe you've been here before.
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What this means:
Characters choosing to participate in the past life portion may now begin play in the Silver Millenium gala, linked above. For the remainder of the gala, they will proceed to have flickers of memories from this event, as per the Golden Vial item. Characters not participating in the past life portion may see the shade of one person important to them from this lifetime who has died and interact with them freely. Other people may see the shade, but they are only interested in speaking with the person who 'invited' them back to the Gala. They may be aware that they're dead, but have no memory of the afterlife or what it feels like to be part of the cauldron. It only takes a single sip, but no champagne, no crazy effects! Sorry, folks! Of course, being sober means you get to make fun at the crazies talking to ghosts. This prompt will stay up for three days--look for the clock to strike 10 on Saturday evening!
It is 10 PM.
The night continues, the shades dance, and every time you look at the ceiling it starts to look more like open stars. The ghosts of the past are starting to notice and reach out to their loved ones, and for the first time, they’re starting to look more real than translucent. While not completely solid just yet, it seems like with every tick of the clock they appear more present and in the moment, Genevieve included. Meanwhile, those who started to remember the Eighth Gala are beginning to experience both in stereo, present and past garbled together. Those without focus may find that the two events begin to blur, smudging the line between who they are and who they were.
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What this means:
Characters who drank the champagne and see a deceased love one will be able to interact minimally with them--the shades may pick up small objects or provide small touches, but will still go through solid objects if forced. Characters who drank the champagne and were part of the Eighth Gala during the Silver Millenium will now start to have vivid flashbacks of the event during modern day. If focused, they can remember who and where they are, but some characters might have trouble distinguishing between the two. This stage lasts for three days--the next prompt will go up Tuesday, June 11th.
It is 11 PM.
The ghosts that began the evening as mere shades now mingle and dance though the halls, just as flesh and blood as the living. You are just as real as you've ever been, though perhaps you are no longer strictly 'you', as memories of the previous gala feel more real than your current life. Neither of the hosts are anywhere to be found, neither the small nor the tall, but the party continues on all the same, ticking ever closer to midnight.
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What This Means:
'Genevieve' is nowhere to be found. Chauvet was seen in the Gallery running up a flight of stairs to a private office. Neither of them appears to be accessible for the moment. If your character is interacting with one of the summoned ghosts, they will find that all ghosts are now fully corporeal and just as real as anyone else! Ghosts have the innate understanding that this is not a permanent summoning, so if anyone has any closure to seek, now is the time. To clarify: all ghosts should be loved ones from within living memory, and cannot be Silver Millennium shades. If your character is reliving their experience at the Eighth Gala, they now experience it so completely that they have difficulty seeing anything else. The sky above them looks like stars, they believe they are the previous versions of themselves. Characters with exceptional focus will be able to parse between both memory sets, but should only recall Eighth Gala memories from the Silver Millennium unless they also have supplemented memories from homeworlds or golden vials. Additionally, to clarify: Characters should experience only one of these paths to their conclusion. All characters can see the shades as people now, and characters who drank champagne may get familiar flickers of the previous Chauvet gala, but for the purposes of the champagne effect, characters should either interact with a loved one or experience the full vision, not both. If you have any questions about the prompt, please reach out via PM or discord! Midnight strikes in three days, so look out for the final prompt on Sunday, June 16th.
Posted: Mon Jun 03, 2019 9:33 pm
Relics on display:
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A cask of aged mead. The wooden barrel is intricately carved with honeycomb patterns and the symbol of Jupiter across its planks, as well as a cask and cork date that has long since smudged away.
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A pair of winged golden sandals.
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A piece of art that is a combination of what looks to be one's insides but it's made out of the universe instead
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An elegant old tome of black leather with a pattern of thorns around the edge and silver caps at the corners and purple edged paper. It seems to suggest it's one volume out of a set if those are actual roman numerals on the spine.
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A huge wall tapestry, woven in luminous pastel and metallic thread, depicting a dark-haired man in lilac, viewed from behind, standing at the prow of a ship, looking out over a wide blue sky.
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A gold-painted maypole, wooden with elaborate engraved whorls, wrapped in plaited ribbons in faded sky blue, medium violet and soft fuschia.
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A mosaic piece inlaid in a circle of about two feet in diameter. It depicts a sea turtle.
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A group of smooth gemstones (ranging in size from the size of a pinky nail to the approximate weight and size of a small apple), held in red and gold cloth and kept in a small white-marble box.
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Multiple strings of buttercups, and thin strands of pale silk, woven into an ornate flower crown.
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A set of mahogany interior doors with gilded accents and stained glass inlay.
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A high fashion cloak in Saturn's characteristic style. Silvery runes glow on it to illustrate its protective magics.
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A silver stand-telescope, on what appears to be an ebony wood tripod. The Telescope is embossed with gold suns, and gemmed star patterns.
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A musical manuscript, bound in elegant burgundy leather with the name of the piece, the author, and the date embossed on the front in Silver, in Ancient Valetudan script. It is on a clear stand, open, so that the cover and two pages of the music within can be seen. Anyone who can read music would get a feel for the piece... Energetic, bright, it comes across as something sung in times of great joy. Or possibly in times of great sorrow, to help bring back the joy.
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A very fancy blown glass plate.
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A fancy pipe that has obviously never, ever been lit.
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A portrait of an important citizen, dressed in purple robes with glowing patterns. Their hair is kept in a traditional style, down and beyond the shoulders, where it cascades. They're smiling in a genial manner, but perhaps due to the inks used, it might actually seem a little creepy. For one, their amethyst eyes are actually glowing…
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A long robe made of an ancient blend of alien material in a magenta purple shade. The robe has been knit with bioluminescent fabrics and dyes in swirling, elaborate patterns in varying shades of blue, purple, and green. The edges of it are lined with white. It looks like it may have been created for someone important.
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A soft, plush sitting pillow designed with patterns of silvery trees and plants against a dark background, with silvery pinpricks in the background likely to be stars. It seems well-loved.
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An elegant, ceramic water pitcher with a detailed design etched all around the middle. There is a stamp on the bottom of the pitcher, marking it as a creation by a well-known sculptor. Near the bottom of the pitcher there is a single line of ancient text that was never translated.
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A waist high topiary; multiple slender, tree-like plants in a smooth marble pot have been grown into an intricate lattice-work of intertwining trunks and branches. The pattern is too regular and elegant to be natural, and the leaves it puts out are multiple jewel colors and so thin light shows through them.
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An ornate bowl; made out of a sturdy clay that has been gold leafed and painted ornately in rich warm orange, yellows and brown tones. The images depicted a delicately hand painted leaves, flowers and scrolling designs. There is a small smudge on the inside that looks oddly like a paw print.
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Unknown if it's for fashion or another purpose but it was either a bracelet or a necklace. The silk and copper like metals come from mysterious origins.
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A small decorated cask of really ******** good artisanal mead.
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A symbolic pendant made of a strange alloy long lost to ages past.
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A large (read: very lorge) shawl that would wrap an adult man twice over due to its sheer size. The fabric is a tough, wool-like material of red, brownish gold, and white painstakingly stitched together from quarter-sized geometric pieces to form a strange symbol at its center. The patterning around the symbol displays an abstract retelling of an unknown myth. Curious purveyors may be able to discern a pair of deer creatures chasing a hound (if you, like, turn your head a certain angle and squint really hard).
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A curved, fossilized claw.
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A large marble and gold disk with one side depicting a deer head with purple gems for eyes and a three star infinity symbol on its forehead and the other side depicting a tree with different colored gems making up its leaves, the gems seem to glow.
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A bottle of pure light.
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An ornate long sword with unreadable glowing runes etched into the blade.
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A gold chrysanthemum that never wilts.
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An black adamant locked cask etched with scenes of violent deaths.
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A broken iron spear head with what looks like lightning etched into the blade.
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A 5’ tall spiral of white, meticulously polished branching stone tubes which, upon close inspection, appears to be made entirely of an unbroken piece of coral grown into shape.
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An ornate looking fan. While it looks delicate and fragile, it seems to be made of the sturdiest... candy materials, somehow.
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A blown glass piece of art, in the shape of a luna moth mid-flight.
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A set of metal hair chopsticks with gems. They are clearly more than just accessories with how sharp those ends are.
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A set of ruby earrings and matching pendant, both wirewrapped in a silver wire. Nothing magical about either.
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A transparent robe, decorated with stars and constellations.
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A glass water lily.
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A pair of soft toe shoes with ribbons. Sand still can be found in the little crevises and creases.
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A traditional headpiece made of silver and colored beads warn during celebrations and dances.
Through the doors, Chauvet heard the screech of Toxic pumped through speakers and snorted to herself in spite of her dour mood. She lingered at the edge of the gallery, her eyes drifting back towards a spiral staircase in the corner of the room like it might offer her refuge. The fur cloak rested heavy on her shoulders, as did the mask, but neither was so draining to carry as watching her cousin prattle on and pretend to be someone she wasn't, or was, or something in between. It was confusing. Chauvet didn't like to be confused.
Crossing her arms, she waited for the guests to file in and prayed that no one would notice her.
Posted: Mon Jun 03, 2019 11:31 pm
La Cadenza She came up the stairs and into the Gallery, or the ballroom as it might be more properly termed? She was unsure, though the music had her rolling her eyes in disbelief. She loved music in it's many and varied forms, but she had little tolerance for such pop nonsense as this. Give her something classical, or something rock, and she would be much happier.
She looked around, and spotted the young woman who was the new Squire Chauvet. She seemed to be standing in a defensive manner, and for a moment, La Cadenza considered leaving her be, to go examine the many artifacts. Just a moment, though, and then she decided that instead, she would try to see if she could make the poor star of the hour feel any better.
Maybe she would make a new friend. Or get a chance to steal a few kisses from a cutie. Even if all she did was make the other woman feel better, it would be enough.
She walked over and winked lightly. "Hello there. Congratulations on making Squire... Your Wonder is gorgeous, and it is delightful to meet you." Her tone was genuine, and she held her hand out to Chauvet. "For tonight, I am La Cadenza."
It was her hope to catch up to Chauvet before the newly minted Squire would no doubt be swarmed. It was an event in her honor---but the knight was no where near the level of enthusiasm and sass she had witnessed during a crazy evening in a insane bottle dimension. That was concerning.
Sedna stepped into the Gallery, eyes scanning over the various items and to the people and then---ah. Blast. She picked out Chauvet quickly, but it appeared that someone had beat her to the punch. Well. No matter. She still felt compelled to check on the Squire.
Silently she approached, appearing much like a phantom at the Squire's side. She gave La Cadenza a polite smile, as she then proceeded to interject herself. One hand reached out to lightly touch at Chauvet's elbow, to let the woman know she was there. It was soon followed by Sedna leaning in, so that she could murmur to her:
"So are the new Squire duds made out of girlfriend material, too? Because this dress I'm wearing is still made out of mistress material." She let that hang for a moment before continuing. "And this isn't the red headed spitfire I met on a pirate ship." Sedna leaned back, straightening, and fingers briefly squeezed Chauvet's elbow reassuringly before her hand dropped. After she straightened and this time waited patiently.
Hyperborea entered the gallery, it was very impressive filled with all kinds artifacts. She could probably spend hours here. But she had something she needed to do first. She looked around and found the host in a conversation with the 'Miss' from earlier and another girl Hyperborea had not met yet.
It seemed as if both ladies were flirting with the host not that she could blame them the girl was cute but there was only room in Hyperborea's heart for one girl.
Waiting until they had stopped talking she made her way over. "Bonsoir. Its a pleasure to meet you Chauvet, and congratulations on reaching squire. I'm very happy to meet another Cosmos knight." She said with a friendly smile. "I would give you my name but your wonder seems to disapprove of that." She said with a chuckle. "So I am the iridescent doe for tonight."
Was she late? It felt a little like she was late. Ridley probably was a little late but maybe also a little lost in the moment and the whirlwind of it all. It had been one minute when she laid her hand on the really cool invitation and the next she was suddenly in space. SPACE! It had been so long since she had been to space, so long for many things of this manner to happen to her; these kinds of adventures that whisked you away that could only mean something magical was going to happen. Hopefully nothing bad like it sometimes had in the past. It seemed too pretty here to have something bad happen, but then again there was the last time.
The orange haired teen couldn't help but giddily bounce about, looking around when she first arrived in the foyer - in a really pretty dress and mask to boot - and despite the state of the Wonder, well it was all terribly exciting. This was for a Cosmos knight, apparently, which meant that one place she had come to many years ago. How this connected to that place she had to wonder. Though she didn't have too long as more exciting things were apparently to come, as their very cool, transparent and glowing host had made her grand announcements and seemed to usher all the guests (so many! Did she know any of them, despite the masks? These days there were so many new people to meet it seemed) to the gallery.
And a history lesson? Ridley hoped there wasn't going to be one. Old items could be cool but were they expected to learn things?
Either way. It brought her to now, glass in hand - she might be seventeen but she was going to take that drink thank you. It wasn't like it was going to be her first or anything (did space have a drinking age?) and taking in the awe of the new room she was stepping into. The domes, the tapestries and yes, there was indeed stuff there, all seated on their various pedestals and the sort. And a group of people already congregating. Well, naturally Ridley wandered her way over.
"Is this how knights and stuff upgrade? With really cool parties? This is pretty neat!" The teenager chirped and then turned her attention to the one girl that the others seemed to be addressing specifically, "congrats and all that good stuff!"
Could you be late when the event you were attending was of the magical persuasion? The Uranus knight wasn't entirely sure, but he as he arrived he was aware that the party had been going on for some time already, though wasn't at all sure how he knew that. Another time he might have puzzled more over the oddity of that,but he was more concerned with what, rather than how.
That answer wasn't terribly difficult to find the answer to. All he need do was listen to learn that he was at a wonder, and that the party he was in attendance of was for the current knight assigned to it. Or rather, squire. Not yet a knight, no longer a page.
Dark mask pulled down over his face, the man moved slowly through the crowd in keen perusal of the relics on display. They were fascinating to him, each and every one a piece of history, but not for any civilization he was privy to. He wished they came with information, a placard, something. Without he was left to speculate, which he supposed offered it's own appeal.
Chauvet knew it was her party. More than anyone else, she deserved to have fun and enjoy herself and drink herself silly until she could just forget, or at least that’s what she’d thought. What she’d learned from her predecessor was more the opposite--the planner got to have the least amount of fun and had to stay the most sober, which was in technical terms ‘the worst’. She watched others filter into the gallery with cups of champagne in hand and felt a soft pang of envy, which only made her cross her arms tighter, blowing a lock of hair out of her face. ‘Genevieve’ had insisted she wear it down, and so it sat in long waves framing her face and down her back, which only served to make her more uncomfortable, more flushed, more shut in and trapped.
She didn’t want to think about her wonder, or the situation, or Genevieve’s artifacts, and yet here she was, entertaining guests and pretending that not everything had gone to s**t.
Still, it wasn’t anyone else’s fault, and it was impossible for Chauvet to be mad when there were pretty ladies about. Her gaze softened when La Cadenza approached, and she rubbed her arm sheepishly. “Oh, uh...thanks,” Chauvet shrugged, shuffling about to keep the rainbow furred cloak on her shoulders. “I spent a lot of time cleaning and putting stuff up, so...yeah. Gotta dress to impress, you know?” She reached for La Candenza’s hand with her own, wearing a white opera glove. “I’m Carrot...uhh...I mean...well, you already know because you said it, hahahahaha…” She let her voice trail off. “It’s very nice to meet you, too.”
Chauvet blinked when she felt a touch to her arm, eyes widening when Mistress Material leaned in close. She gulped. “I--uhhhh--yeah, it’s--the duds are--I mean--they definitely are girlfriend material. Super girlfriend material. This material is ready for girls.” Under the gold of her mask, Chauvet’s pale freckled skin was starting to flush red.
“You came,” she added in softer tones, reaching out for Miss’s hand. She chewed her lip when she was accused of not being the same spitfire, and she glanced away. “Yeah, it’s...stuff. There’s some stuff. It’s not a big deal. It’s--cool. Cool. You look great, by the way.” She looked up at the Doe, and her eyes became saucers. That was a Cosmos knight--a Cosmos knight, like Hvergelmir or Gravina, which meant that she had to know. She had to know, and she was going to say something, and suddenly Chauvet wanted nothing more than to run. “Yeah, um, nice to--I have no idea whythewonderdoesthat, isn’t it funny?” She laughed nervously, but didn’t offer her hand, because she thought maybe if the Doe touched her, then she would feel her power level, or Cosmos would speak to her and know that she’d messed up, she’d done this all wrong somehow.
She gulped again, looked over at the cat-masked girl in yellow. “I guess some of them do,” she shrugged, rubbing the back of her head. “I don’t know, this is kind of...my first rodeo. Party. Thing. Is it warm in here to you guys?” There were too many people. She needed to...find less people. Less was the ideal, and then maybe she could think through how she was going to pull this off without everyone hating her.
“Blease enjoy the artifacts,” she stammered, and then she marched on in to the gallery, pretending to look fascinated by the shape of a fancy water pitcher.”
The initial response had been VERY pleasant, a hint that the other lady might be at all interested, and La Cadenza had smiled, been about to speak and respond, but then... Another came along, one who murmured in Chauvet's ear, and earned a flush from Chauvet, and a stuttered response about girlfriend material, who turned away from La Cadenza.
Her lips tightened, and a small frown appeared, because La Cadenza was not possessive, nor one to commit long term, but she WAS one to respect the idea that it was rude to horn in on another person's attempts at a flirtation. She felt disrespected and insulted by the stranger.
And then they were suddenly flooded with others... A girl who seemed to feel the need to use random French, and somehow, in La Cadenza's ears, it sounded very false, very fake... And also something about her put La Cadenza off. She frowned a little more, and turned towards the last girl, a hope at regaining some measure of grace and poise, and was disappointed to realize the other girl was far too young for a flirtation, and possibly for the champagne, but La Cadenza smiled at her, nonetheless... Her actions seemed the most innocent of the sudden three ruining her chance.
However, when Chauvet basically fled the scene, La Cadenza gave the first spoiler of her fun a dirty look, and moved off to the cases, head high, leaving the others to choose what they did, or who they would follow.
Alexandria shuffled into the gallery and tried to make himself look less awkward and look like he was suppose to be there.
The key word there is tried.
He had taken the glass of champagne just to do something with his hands. He would be lying if he said he wasn't overwhelmed.. There were so many people. He wondered, vaguely, just who people were behind the masks. Not to mention the sheer sight of Chauvet's wonder as well. It was nothing like the Library on his wonder.
Giving the growing crowd around him one last glance, he turned his attention towards the relic, observing one after another.
a-disgruntled-dragon
SAVE THIS DUMBASS
Posted: Tue Jun 04, 2019 9:40 pm
The Windy Thing (Andronicus)
[ Entering from Foyer ]
The gallery took her breath away as she stepped inside. All manor of artifacts, trinkets, tapestries and other objects littered the room with little name placards. She passed masked face after face in between strolling the rose of relics. They were old, but well kept; the wonder itself must have kept them preserved all this time.
It brought a smile to her face as she rounded a corner.
The Windy Thing would have known him anywhere, no matter the face, the time, the energy signature. He didn't drip of the order that powered him, but that mattered little as The Librarian moved through the different relics. She could see in his uncomfortable shoulders, his awkward shuffle, his hair. So he'd come after all.
She touched his arm gently, lifting the mask briefly from her face to smile at him. She would have said his name, but it mutated into something completely different in her mind and decided it was better to not try.
"Hey, you made it," she said, emerald eyes smiling behind her mask as she fit it back into place. Honestly, she was surprised he was here. He seemed so... out of sorts with powering up sometimes. That, or he was running head long into danger and she was saving his a**.
But that was their dynamic, and she wouldn't have it any other way.
Hyperborea frowned as she watched the squire beat a hasty retreat. She seemed really freaked out by the transcended knight. The young knight wondered if she had done something to upset the girl.
A part of Hyperborea told her she should let the girl be but she couldn't bare the thought of having upset a fellow Cosmos knight. So she followed the girl.
"Hey I hope I'm not stepping over any boundaries but you seemed kinda of freak out back there." She said to the red head when she caught up to her near a fancy looking water pitcher. "I'm sorry if I said or did anything to upset you. Us Cosmos knights should look out for one another so if there's anything I can do to make it better please let me know." She said earnestly.
There was, much like there had been in the foyer, just something about the Gallery. Relics and IKEA looking furniture aside there was simply something majestic-feeling about the space that left Resilience in quiet wonder of it, wordlessly taking the offered champagne at the door and offering the barkeep nothing more than a polite nod of his had as both acknowledgement and thanks.
"I wonder who decorated this place," he said as he took his first steps inside the Gallery, eyes wandering, skimming over the crowd and the relics. He didn't see a laid out path like what IKEA had set up so they could decide where they wanted to go, who they wanted to talk to...if anyone. All he saw were strangers behind their masks, really, and he was never one for small talk at these kinds of gatherings. Not to mention if memory served the last time they were at something like this one of them got stabbed with a knife...or something to that effect.
And it still lingered as a horrid and displeasing memory.
Observer accepted the offered glass of champagne as they entered, softly murmuring a thank you, and her eyes took in the details of the room. The hand not holding the drink reached over and twined with Resilience's, taking both comfort and happiness from the gentle contact.
"A good question. It is a touch eclectic, but in some ways, I think I like it that way... It feels like regular people made it, not some Curator somewhere who is out of touch with the world, and reality. This fascinates me. I wonder where all of these amazing objects came from." She began to wander towards one of them, a beautiful topiary in colors like jewels. "Look at this... It's so stunning. Can you imagine the skill and years of learning it must have taken to learn how to make something like this?" She reached out towards it, with the hand holding her glass, though it stopped well shy of any potential barriers. Her pose simply communicated admiration and wonder.
![[Mistress Morbid]'s avatar](https://a1cdn.gaiaonline.com/dress-up/avatar/ava/3e/dd/5052589139dd3e_flip.png?t=1545372613_6.00_11)
