The Theatre

[quillpleasant]

The Theatre

Somewhere, there's a Theatre. It's hard to find if you're looking for it, since it never seems to be in the same place twice. Sometimes it's Inside, sometimes Outside, sometimes Riverside, there on a street corner one day and gone the next. The trick, of course, is setting out with the vague intent of arriving there, and meandering until it finds its way to you.

The building is dark and disused, with brick walls that look on the verge of collapse, the mortar crumbling into cracks and holes. It's hard to tell how long ago it was made, whether the quaint Art Deco styling is genuine or just meant to resemble a bygone time. A faded marquee stands proudly above the entrance, surrounded by burnt out bulbs that might once have flickered and beckoned audiences from afar. Now it's a skeleton of its former self, and the faded black letters are peeling off. They currently read:

S RR WVIL E EATR
NOW S OWING: "T E AUD ENT V ID"

Despite the broken windows, the weeds that grow along the base of the walls, the grime that covers the ticketbooth and makes it all but impossible to see inside- there's something about these features that seems somehow intentional. It doesn't feel old so much as timeless, as if it came into being in this state of dilapidation rather than acquiring it naturally through the years. It's an uncomfortable feeling, a feeling not just of being watched, but of being drawn in. The feeling a lobster might feel looking at a cage on the seafloor, if it were only more cognizant of the world around it.

There's something bitter about this place. Something hungry.

But the sun shines down, and there's no sound within. And the door stands open and inviting. Surely you want to come inside?

► SHOW SPOILER

This is the weird old theater that Darko calls home. It's full of alien monsters "Wizards" and is a somewhat self aware extra dimensional space in its own right. Although it'll mostly feature in plots I'm running, if someone does see this and is interested in sending in an urban explorer or having someone stumble across it, feel free to send me a message. Or don't I'm not your dad :]

---

To See the Wizards

Darko leads his friends through the streets, turning seemingly at random. He's taken them through a number of side allies, and doubled back at least a couple times. Despite having been walking for at least a half hour, from all the twists and turns it seems like they're scarcely more than a few blocks from where they started out. Still, the boy walks with utter confidence despite the nonsensical route, his breath clouding before his face as he hums quietly.

And then, after one more turn, the Theatre is visible ahead. It's sandwiched between a general store and a bustling coffee shop, and although there's a few people walking about, none of them seem to even notice the grand, crumbling building. There's no lights visible from inside, and the jagged windows are darker than pitch.

"Here we are! No place like home," says Darko cheerfully. He leads them, not to the front door, but around the left side, in the narrow alley between Theatre and coffee shop. There's a metal side door that he walks up to. Although it doesn't have a handle, Darko knocks on it, and it swings outward of its own volition.

"After you," he says with a smile, gesturing grandly at the darkness within.

[Keeper]

To See the Wizards

Rowan and Ratticus exchange a look immediately at the sight of the Theater.
”Sorrowville theater? The…aud-something void?” He has no idea what that middle word is but everything else is not giving good vibes.
Ratticus looks Rowan in the eye and makes a motion of opening and closing his paws like flashing lights. ”Danger. Danger Will Robinson.” he mutters quietly. Though if that’s an observation or a guess on what kind of show it might have been is anyone’s guess.
Rowan guesses the former.

Meanwhile, he has to really squeeze to fit in the alley and the size of the door isn’t encouraging him. Why did Granny have to make him so big? Most people don’t build with nine foot tall dragons in mind. But he endures this and says only, ”It just needs a little paint, I’m sure.” For Darko’s benefit. Personally he thinks it needs a wrecking ball and probably an exorcist. But he’s here to fight fire with fire maybe, so without further complaint he attempts to fit through the door to get inside.

[[brackets lover]]

[To See the Wizards]

Asami doesn't complain much on the way. She seems greatly bothered by the cold, shivering and hunched over. However, she was intent on quietly enduring it, pressing on to reach the theatre as soon as possible.

When they arrive, she doesn't pay the appearence of the theatre much mind, raising an eyebrow at Rowan. "Sparrowville," she corrects flatly.

She was about to enter first when Rowan ridiculously attempts to squeeze in ahead of her. She sighs with annoyance, rolling her eyes. Feeling impatient, she turns to Darko and gets on her tiptoes, grabbing onto his coat and attempting to pull him down to eye level. Without any further explanation, she presses the side of her face directly against his own in order to warm up.

[quillpleasant]

To See the Wizards

Ratticus earns a confused look from Darko. He has no idea who Will Robinson is, or what about this place seems dangerous. It's perfectly normal to him.

"Sparrowville, yeah. Where I grew up." He's actually a little surprised, and pleased, that Asami remembered that. He holds the door as Rowan squeezes inside- only for Asami to grab him. What? He doesn't push her away, but he does freeze in a minor panic.

"Ack." For a moment he thought she was trying to kiss him, of all things. But this is almost weirder. "Aaaah what are you doing?" He gestures after Rowan frantically. "It's warmer inside! You can go inside!" His face, already pink from the cold, turns a darker shade of red.

Meanwhile, Rowan finds that this door seems to lead into a green room, likely somewhere behind the main stage of the Theatre. It is in fact warmer in here- still drafty, but it's a lot better than being outside. The space is dimly lit by yellow bulbs set into the ceiling, which flicker occasionally. It's a little eerie, but there's nothing too ominous here. In fact, this seems to be Darko's room.

A large sagging couch stands along one wall, old and threadbare. It's covered in a ramshackle pile of blankets and pillows, halfway between a fort and a nest. Books are strewn on the floor around it, and there's a basket next to the couch full of shiny green apples. A garbage can in the corner is full of apple cores, leaving little doubt as to what Darko's diet mostly consists of. A couple chairs have been pushed together in the middle of the room to serve as a table, with a pile of unfinished homework on it.

Hanging on the wall opposite is a large whiteboard covered with notes and drawings - a class schedule, a list of checked out library books, what appears to be the steps to some magic tricks, and several stick figures. Judging by their appearances, they seem to be crude drawings of different people Darko has met in the Nexus, including both Asami and Rowan, the latter with a tiny blob of a rat perched on his shoulder.

On one side of the room is a moveable clothing rack, which is hung with a variety of elaborate stage costumes. The other side has a short flight of stairs leading to a heavy wooden door. An open doorway to the right of the couch leads into what looks like dressing rooms, judging by the huge mirrors that run along their walls.

[Keeper]

To See the Wizards

For Rowan, it's likely that he's less of a stick figure and more of a circle figure. Now that they're indoors, the fact that Rowan seems to take the warmth and the blueberry-pie-smell with him is more apparent.
"Um. It's cozy but...is the rest of the place a little bigger?" Rowan asks, clearly having to stoop to fit into this room. Poor guy is just really big.

[[brackets lover]]

[To See the Wizards]

Asami feels a bit bad for making Darko blush like that. But still, watching him freak out like that is just too funny. She wonders if she's doing too much in the way of teasing him, rationalizing that friends messing with each other only brings them closer together or something.

As soon as the ordeal of Rowan getting through the door passes, Asami heads in as well after having broken away from Darko. She appears in awe at the room, impressedly gazing at the decorum. "Ooh... This is actually pretty nice." Asami doesn't really feel like she's in much of a position to pity Darko anymore. He has a place. People to take care of him. The only place Asami really has to stay is in her dorm at PREP, and even that's only temporary. Asami felt a sense of powerlessness and loss of control unlike anything she's ever felt.

As an immediate response to her feelings, Asami immediately smirks and replies to Rowan in a mocking manner, "Maybe you should try being normal-sized."

[quillpleasant]

To See the Wizards

Darko breathes a sigh of relief as he's released by Asami. Her usual insults are a lot easier to deal with than that. Following his friends inside, he shuts the door with a clicking sound.

"Oh, thanks! It's comfortable enough, when the ceiling isn't leaking." It's old, and dusty, and there's definitely a couple cockroaches on the wall. But it's more than a lot of people have.

Sensing more cattiness brewing between Asami and Rowan, he elects to keep moving things quickly along. "Yeah, the stage is a lot roomier, and that's where we're going anyway. Since it's where the Wizards come out." He beckons them over to the stairs, opening the wooden door and hurrying through.

Assuming they follow, they'll find themselves backstage, a large shadowy space of coiled rope, sandbags, and piles of ancient props. Masks peer out at them, half crumbling and monstrous, and some rustling in the dark corners leave no doubts as to just how many rats live in this place. It's quite dark, and Darko heads over to a stack of crates, picking up a candle that's melted onto a small saucer. With a pass of his hand, the wick is lit, casting a faint flickering light that only serves to make the shadows deeper.

"We have to go through the main curtain," he says, gesturing at an enormous wall of red velvet that separates them from the stage, "I usually just crawl underneath it because of how heavy it is, but maybe you can lift it Rowan?"

[Keeper]

To See the Wizards

"I was normal sized for twenty years. Granny said no." Rowan says bitterly, though that bitterness isn't aimed at Asami. He twirls his staff and the crystals starts to emit a soft glow so there's more than one light between them.

At Darko's request Rowan just nods, transferring his staff to hold under his arm so he can lift the curtains. He is quite literally monstrously strong despite his rotund appearance so if the curtain is not supernaturally heavy he should be able to lift it.

[[brackets lover]]

[To See the Wizards]

Asami mostly follows along quietly by now, having spaced out again. Still phased by the cold, she presses her knuckles against her cheeks and ruminates. Its so cold... I wish I could cuddle with Chea-chan right now. She has a bit of a dopey smile on her face as she daydreams, barely paying attention to her surroundings.

[quillpleasant]

To See the Wizards

The curtains are about as heavy as thick velvet is normally, so it's no problem for Rowan to lift them up. Darko steps smartly through the gap, beckoning for the others to follow. He's a little concerned by Asami's spaciness, since this was half her idea, but he doesn't say anything about it.

Before them is the stage, and it's quite large, more befitting a grand concert hall than a little theatre. The boards are smooth and dark, and seem to be in much better repair than the rest of the building. Here and there, pieces of colored tape are remnants of prop marking from long ago. High above, the stage lights provide a dim yellow glow, and the air is warm here, almost humid.

The empty auditorium looks significantly worse for wear. The ancient red chairs are dusty and faded, most of them ripped, rotting or completely torn out, leaving gaping holes in the rows of seating. Two balconies look down from above, one half collapsed. It has the look of being a minefield of nails and splinters, and definitely not a good place for a child to explore. The sound of water dripping from the ceiling echoes in the background.

"So yeah, here's where the Wizards are. Uh, usually I just wait, but they take a while to show up sometimes. It'd probably be easier if I called them." Darko walks over to the edge of the stage, where a series of curious objects are arranged.

There's a dog skull, a coiled green rope, a blue glass eye, a plastic easter egg, a pair of wing tip shoes, a porcupine quill, a silver pocket mirror, and a purple crystal. Darko frowns at the last one. "Weird, that's new." Shrugging, he indicates a couple of the objects.

"The Outcast and the Gamblers have been the nicest," he says, gesturing at the green rope and the shoes in turn, "But the ones who have been giving me the most trouble are the Skull Taker and the Skinless King." The skull and the glass eye are pointed to in turn. "So if you really think you can convince them, one of those two would be the best start."

[Keeper]

To See the Wizards

Luckily, Rowan has tough scaly feet which are immune to the perils of splinters. Until it becomes comedically relevant at least.
"Mold inspector would have a field day on this one." Ratticus mutters, but they continue apace.
"Alright. Well, I can't say I'm the most persuasive person but I'll try not to make the situation any worse."
He looks over at the purple crystal. "Do you think someone new is visiting?"

[[brackets lover]]

[To See the Wizards]

Just as luckily, Asami has something even better than tough scaly feet, shoes. At the mention of mold, Asami gets excited, exclaiming, "There's mold? Where!?"

Now with the wizards seemingly arriving soon, Asami nervously straightens up her posture and snaps to attention, worriedly looking towards Darko. "W-why don't start with the Skinless King," Asami says with trepidation.

[quillpleasant]

To See the Wizards

Rowan's question earns a nervous shake of Darko's head. "Not sure. It wouldn't be the first time someone new showed up, but it hasn't happened in a couple years." Well, that's something he can investigate later. He's certainly not going to summon an unknown Wizard while his friends are here.

"I didn't know you liked mold! Yeah there's a couple patches down here but there's a whole room upstairs filled with black mold, it's awesome!" says Darko, sharing Asami's enthusiasm. It's like nature's pillow fluff.

But time for that later. "Okay, Skinless King it is. Now remember, he looks kinda scary, but he won't hurt you." Darko picks up the blue glass eye, walks back to the thick red curtains, and tosses it against them.

Rather that just bouncing off the velvet, the eye seems to disappear into the folds, vanishing. Darko steps back, smiling at his friends and giving a reassuring thumbs up.

At first, nothing happens. The curtains are still, and the faint howl of wind outside fills the silence.

Then the fabric rustles, subtly bowing out as if something huge is moving behind it. The movement becomes more dramatic, the curtains sliding forward across the stage a foot or so, before they part in the middle. It was definitely a single wall before, but now there's two curtains, and between them-

Between them is an enormous blue eye, peeking out. It stares unblinkingly forward from a good fifteen feet above the stage.

"Hey, I brought some friends to talk to you. Hope that's okay!" calls up Darko. The eye swivels about madly before settling on the three people on the stage. The curtain pushes aside a little more, revealing an enormous skeletal head. It looks like the skull of a giant, human save for its immense size. It's a dull, dirty yellow- save for the crazed blue eyeballs that fill its sockets. A jagged crown of rusty metal sits atop its cracked brow.

"Your majesty, meet Asami, Rowan, and Ratticus. Everyone, meet the Skinless King."

[Keeper]

To See the Wizards

It's okay. It's okay, Rowan. Darko is leaving this place anyway. Gods, he's not even old enough to drink in some places. How did he end up the responsible adult here?
...hm. Rowan hasn't even though about drinking in ages. Maybe he should take SImon out for some beers. Will he still like that? Or did Granny's influence make him like sugary sweet drinks? It'll take him an entire barrel to feel anything at this- oh my goodness.

Yeah. That's a guy, alright.

To Rowan's credit, the presence of the wizard changes his demeanor entirely. He stands up straight, clutching his glowing staff as he taps it gently against the ground. He takes a step forward, bowing in a proper way. He'd doff his hat if he had one. Wait, he never wears hats; why is he thinking about that?
"Your Highness. I am Rowan Elkthorn, scion of Grandmother Elkthorn. I come at the behest of your ward as he makes ready to temporarily depart this place as his residence in favor of his schooling." Rowan might have fumbled the syntax at the end there but he's pretty sure he made that sound good.

[[brackets lover]]

[To See the Wizards]

Asami beams at Darko, anticipating getting to see the mold. "Oooh! Are there insects too? What am I saying? Of course there!" She gets all bubbly and excited, though managing to calm down as the king appears before them.

She bows casually then attempts to look up to the king's eyes before giving up and looking straight ahead. "Hi," she greets curtly.

[quillpleasant]

To See the Wizards

Darko is observing his companion's reactions- he's never introduced anyone to a Wizard before, and he's a little nervous about it. Luckily they seem to be handling it in their own ways- Rowan with formality, and Asami by just shrugging it off. He's impressed- when Darko first saw them as a kid he was terrified. How silly!

The Skinless King, meanwhile, tilts its head to one side, eyes locking first on Rowan, then Asami. It pushes through the curtain, reaching out an immense skeletal hand that lands soundlessly on the boards. Either it has a noise dampening effect, or its not entirely physical. Another hand arm comes out, and it full enters the stage.

It's apparent at this point that the King has no legs, as it walks on its hands, movements jerky and erratic, somehow birdlike. Its body is covered with a tattered cloak of red velvet that drags on the ground behind it, matching the stage curtain, but hints of a rib cage and spine can be seen within. It begins to circle the three, jaw opening and closing, making a clicking sound.

"Uh..." Darko seems a bit discouraged by its lack of response. He would much rather be looking at mold and bugs with Asami than dealing with this awkwardness.

The King, not ceasing its erratic pacing about the stage, opens its mouth wide. A whistling, distorted voice comes out, sounding like a bad radio connection. The jaw doesn't move as it talks, remaining wide and empty. "He's... not ready... to leave. Bad things... will happen. He is... dangerous." It finally pauses its movement, tilting forward to peer down at Rowan and Asami. "We will... make him safe. But we... need more... time."

[Keeper]

To See the Wizards

Ratticus climbs up Rowan's side to take his special place on top of Rowan's head. He whispers something into the dragon's ear, but Rowan doesn't reply directly.
"Darko told me about you dealing with his magic. But the school he is at specializes in children with fantastic powers. And you are not his parents. He has the right to choose who he turns to for help on the matter."
And also you're an extremely suspicious elder being shaped like a Dark Souls boss and Rowan doesn't trust you have anyone's best intentions taking that power.

[[brackets lover]]

[To See the Wizards]

Asami frowns at Rowan. "What the hell's the matter with you?" she asks, irate, "I'm so sorry about him, King-san. We're not here to question your authority. And, if it were up to me, I'd keep him holed up in here all the time anyways! But, as I understand it, its already been decided that he's moving out. I just hope I can put your mind at ease here. My own power is peerless, so, I can solve a lot of the bad things."

[quillpleasant]

To See the Wizards

The Skinless King stares at Rowan and Asami in turn as they speak- a somewhat unnerving gaze what with the lack of eyelids to blink. It crouches further down, elbows bending until it's just a couple feet off the stage. From this distance it's hard to ignore the fact that it's big enough to eat the children in a single bite. Rowan would surely be more difficult though.

"You should know better... warlock. This school... doesn't know... where his power... comes from," it rasps, "The other children... will be... in danger."

Darko, standing off to the side, gives a little shrug as if to say 'he's got a point'.

The King's eyes roll wildly for a moment before fixing on Asami. "You speak... wise words. If you are... so powerful... perhaps you can... step in if he... gets out of hand." Silently, it pushes itself up, rising and straightening to look down, the stage lights glinting off its skull. "Perhaps a... demonstration... would ease my mind."

The shadows around the stage and particularly in the curtain seem to lengthen, growing darker and more oddly shaped. There's the distinct feeling that the King isn't the only one watching.

[Keeper]

To See the Wizards

Rowan stiffens. For a moment, his lip curls. His teeth are awfully sharp. The skeleton does not intimidate Rowan. In fact, he steps forward, looking it in the eye without a hint of fear. His own shadow doesn't seem to be behaving any more than the ones of the stage.
"This is about a friend of mine. I think perhaps your mind is not the only one that could be put at ease. You must understand, your majesty, how all of this looks. But you seem to have everyone's best interests at heart, and Darko has spoken nothing but glowing praise of your care for him. Clearly I am simply jumping at shadows. Since I am acting in ignorance, perhaps the assembled audience can educate me on the nature of Darko's magic and your unique ability to deal with it. After all, you might be entirely right and he shouldn't be leaving at all." One of the coins Darko gave him dances on his fingers as he withdraws it from his apron. Particularly when he says "all of this," as he gestures in general around him.

"And of course, by all means, go ahead and fix all the problems you can. I simply wasn't told that was on the table." he says, waving a hand to Asami, who is now an arrogant insufferable brat in his book. Peerless? If she's peerless why doesn't she just neutralize Darko's magic and solve the problem right now as the god she clearly is? Or unmake the wizard? Who she apparently totally trusts, despite being the single most suspicious entity besides Granny he has ever spoken to. And let it be known the girl promised she'd let him speak before she did, which lasted all of six seconds.

Rowan is seriously considering how trusting Darko can possibly be to like any of these people. Even he should be considered with a lot more scrutiny than he's gotten.

[[brackets lover]]

[To See the Wizards]

Asami prepares to show off her power before Rowan continues, asking about Darko's power. She has her own suspicions about how it works, but decides not to speak on the subject in favor of hearing the wizards out in their entirety. As Rowan gestures to her, Asami gives a genuine thumbs up and a smile, her mood having swung to amicability. "Haha! I mean, I'll do all I can for Darko."

She turns back to the Skinless King and looks like she's gonna speak, but thinks better of it and closes her mouth. Darko's magic was asked about, and that looks like it'll require their full attention. In all likelihood, the king is gonna explain what he has in mind for demonstration afterwards, anyways.

[quillpleasant]

To See the Wizards

Rowan's defiant attitude makes the Skinless King stare at him for a few moments. One giant hand twitches suddenly, bony fingers tightening on thin air, as if it's holding itself back from reaching out to grab him. Darko looks helplessly between the two. Trusting he may be- but the truth is that he both hopes and expects the best of everyone, even or especially when they don't deserve it. The fact that it usually results in his friends hating each other is quite distressing. He glances at Asami, taking some slight comfort in the fact that she seems to be handling this extremely well.

But before things escalate further, the shadows around the stage swirl, seemingly answering Rowan's call for more audience participation. The curtain parts, a spotlight descends from the ceiling to illuminate the grand entrance of- something absolutely wretched.

The thing crawling onstage is a twisted, emaciated humanoid with pale, corpselike flesh. Its limbs twist and bend unnaturally, and it's so thin and lanky that it's a wonder it can support itself at all. It has no head, just a festering wound where a neck would be. However, floating in front of it is a skull that seems to shift and melt with each passing moment- now a wolf, now a horse, now a bird, now a horrible amalgamation of them all. It limps forward, its movement slow and twitchy, before slumping in the center of the stage, seemingly drained of energy.

The King breaks off its staring contest with Rowan and shuffles away, as if reluctant to get near the second Wizard. Darko, however, breaks into a relieved smile. "Hi Skull Taker!" he calls. The warped beast raises a claw in greeting.

"Hello, Dark Child. Rowan, Asami. I've heard much about you." The voice is deep and rich, entirely unexpected from the slight frame, and seems to issue from the floating skull. "Your concern is commendable. Trust me when I say that we will not prevent the child from leaving, regardless of what my compatriot might otherwise desire." At this, the King draws its red cloak more tightly over its arms.

"But as I have always done, I advise the Dark Child to reconsider. His magic is a living entity that can bend reality itself to its will. It cannot be controlled or tamed- and unless we are able to devour it, the consequences will be terrible. I have seen the future that is to come, and woe descends like a shroud." The pale beast scratches idly at the stage, like a child playing in the dirt. "Leaving here will accelerate the process. Though we can still potentially avert this tragedy, it will be like walking the edge of a razor."

[Keeper]

To See the Wizards

"Alright, but what is it about you that allows you to devour it?" Rowan dips his head.
"Please understand, this is no judgement of you. No suspicion. But you know what I am." He gestures at his staff. "You know precisely why I ask these kinds of questions when such great beings visit me."

[[brackets lover]]

[To See the Wizards]

Asami raises an eyebrow at Rowan. "Uhh... we're visiting them."

She suddenly looks exhausted, holding her hands behind her back and slouching forward with an awkward posture. "Ah... There are an amount of people here," Asami says worriedly, "My knees hurt."

Asami sits criss-cross applesauce, spoons in the bowl, though still slouching forward and looking remorseful. "Sorry... Child-brain," she says, disheartened, "This body is weird. I seem to be having some sort of negative emotion I can't identify."

[quillpleasant]

To See the Wizards

Seeing Asami almost collapse, Darko hurries over to her, kneeling on the stage. "Hey, do you want to go look at some mold while they're talking? Get away from this for a bit?" He knows that crowds freak her out, and Rowan would probably appreciate some uninterrupted time to debate the Wizards anyway. And Darko has already heard all of Skull Taker's warnings before.

Meanwhile, the Skull Taker waives a claw dismissively at Rowan. "Of course you're suspicious, you'd be a fool not to be. You know trouble when you see it, and we feed on trouble." The floating skull morphs into a saber toothed cat, then shrinks to a crow, then into the familiar death's head of a human.

"We exist outside your slice of reality. What you witness is a shadow cast through and between, a sliver of our whole. The Dark Child's magic exists in the same dimension as we do, and so we can affect it, while others cannot. The people at this school might be able to treat the symptoms, but only we can cure the disease." It shrugs, with a creaking sound. "My purpose is to be a harbinger. I have warned, and will continue to warn. But if the Dark Child's foolishness results in the destruction I have foreseen, it will make no difference to me, even if some of my compatriots feel differently."

[Keeper]

To See the Wizards

Rowan glances between Darko and the wizards.
"Uh..." he is...not sure what to do about this.
Darko not being there means he could speak freely.
It ALSO means the wizards might just murder the hell out of him and tell Darko he left.
"I think it might be better if you were here. To help with the introductions." Yes. That.

[[brackets lover]]

[To See the Wizards]

"Y- ye-" Asami stutters, unable to really get an answer in before the conversation moves along. She frowns, however, at Rowan's insistence that Darko stay put. She fidgets with her hands absent-mindedly before turning to Skull Taker, giving a weak, nervous yet genuine smile and adding, "I'd love to see your dimension. Unless the sight would instantly drive me insane." Seeing through to other dimensions wouldn't even necessarily be above Asami, as her domain over sun extended down to even that which is conceptually related to sun, giving her supernal control over the sense of sight.

[quillpleasant]

To See the Wizards

"Don't worry," says Darko quickly, seeming to guess Rowan's hesitation, "We won't leave the room, we'll be in the audience." The auditorium is large enough for Asami to get away from the crowded stage for a bit while maintaining eye contact with everyone on the platform. Darko lightly touches Asami's shoulders and attempts to steer her down the steps at the edge of the stage and into the rows of broken seats.

"Our home would not break your mind, but few who see it can understand it," continues the Skull Taker, seemingly oblivious to their departure, "Just as a fish can see the sky and not comprehend its vastness, cannot imagine the varied creatures that call it home, in swarming droves. Creeping and scrawling. Scrawling on paper, ink drops in the sky. The nebulae of a thousand blotting papers. Eaten alive by termites." It seems to be rambling nonsense now, a crocodilian snout elongating from its ashen skull.

"Eating the wood. Woodworks, handcrafted. If you could be rid of your magic, wouldn't you, warlock?" The creature's voice suddenly snaps back from mumbling, and a bony claw is raised at Rowan. "We are not manipulating the boy, as you fear. We're trying to free him."

[Keeper]

To See the Wizards

"I'm pretty sure if you got rid of all my magic I would die within hours. I'm way, way too big and heavy to last if I actually obeyed the laws of physics." Rowan says flatly with a shrug. "I'd ditch Granny if I could, but it would have to be done expertly, by someone I trusted quite a lot."
"See yeah the thing is that I'm still not hearing the important parts: what this creature that stuck its power in the kid is, and what you get out of eating it." Ratticus pipes up at last, leaning on Rowan's horns. His voice carries more than you'd think but it's still rather quiet. Since he's a rat.
"C'mon mister, don't you pull that 'our mysterious ways you can't comprehend' crap on me. I've been in the Far Realms from before they invented dirt. Not your realms, but still. Mortal realm, fey realm, any realm. Whole buncha folks doin' something? Someone's getting something out of it." the rat shrugs, though he adjusts his hat and waves his little sceptre pointedly.
"And everyone knows to always raise an eyebrow when an immortal offers freedom. You never know what they mean."

[[brackets lover]]

[To See The Wizards]

Asami, as tired as she was, goes along with Darko without protest. She clicks her tongue as Skull Taker prattles, and again when Ratticus goes on about how long-lived he is. She looks absent-mindedly for a second before loudly butting in, "I invented light!"