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Frozen Time (3) : Midnight is a magical time of night; parties, dancing, kisses--there are a number of rituals celebrated in the winter nights. Every night has a midnight, but this one is special. There is an old church and bell tower on the quiet outskirts of town, near a beautiful forest that has been decorated with lights to celebrate the season. Maybe you are alone, maybe you are with friends, or maybe you’re at a party celebrating one of the many events--whatever the case, small, delicate snowflakes have been falling lightly for the past hour. And then--suddenly--they stop. The clock strikes midnight and the bell echoes a low, metallic chime that feels like it can be heard for miles. By the second chime, you realize that nothing else is moving. Snowflakes are suspended in the air and all living creatures--plants, animals, and people alike--are completely frozen. The clock chimes twelve times and the world is still frozen. Suddenly, there’s no way to tell how much time has passed--but nothing moves. Maybe it feels like a moment, maybe it feels like an hour. You can try to leave the area but you can never go far enough that the church is out of sight. In an instant, time seems to snap back into motion. To everyone else, it feels like no time has passed. To you, you know. The church seems eerie and foreboding and if you return you feel uncomfortable, as though you have broken something and are unwelcome. If roleplaying with a partner, multiple characters can remain unfrozen as the world around them freezes!
Celadon was at a loss for what to do next. While she had been growing her skills and knowledge steadily, she still felt directionless. She still felt like she was as far away from solving her best friend's death as she ever was, and no manner of hint or sign had led her down a promising path.
Nor was she any closer to figuring out what to do with her Wonder. It was a dead plot of land, a burnt acreage left behind by a wildfire that likely happened long before her time. There were no residences there, no signs of prior life, no secrets that she had elucidated from its placid silence. She still hadn't seen a path ahead.
And Celadon was getting tired of searching. Craving for a sign, she gave up the patrol and picked a stretch of cement stair protected by an awning. She sat, hunched over, and the chill embedded in the surface eked its way into her body.
The streets remained silent. Somewhere far from there, a bell tolled.
Celadon summoned her weapon into her hands. She examined the javelin and the necklace that hung from it like a trophy. Her only points of reference for it were the Cybele symbols that she had once seen on the Princess's gown.
The bell chimed again. Two, three, four more times.
noir songbird
a start heart
