T - Vyn, Kari, Bee

[Kitty]

Everything was so empty that it gave both males the creeps. Normally this was a busy place with enough people that you'd always bump into at least one person even late at night. Well, depending where you were in the palace of course. And then there was this chill that had been creeping up on them, that disturbed the canine the most. He shouldn't be getting cold, much less shivering like this. There had to be magic involved, had to be. He highly doubted even a Corvie could come up with this sort of thing.

At the sound of the voices Jerome was a little more apprehensive. That could either be real people who were just as weirded out as they were, or a trap. Jarvis seemed to be a little more optimistic the whole thing, until that sense of foreboding grew even stronger. The chipmunk hesitated a little and they both stopped for a moment.

And that's when they heard another set of footsteps and.... a voice? Jerome peered up at the Jack before putting his ears back and focusing on the steps again. The look on the biped's face was enough to confirm that he really didn't' think that was The Queen's voice. Perfect .....

Jarvis was the one who answered the voice, which the Akita was perfectly fine with.

His Excellence Jarvis, and a .... friend, Jerome. We are trying to figure out what has befallen the rest of the court.

It was funny how the chipmunk's voice shifted and he stood straighter. Well, at least the man had some training him, good... they might need that. just in case though, the Akita summoned his little friend and spoke softly to him in Solandrian, ordering the little beast to go on ahead and scout things.

After a bit of insisting the creature went off down the hall to where the voices were and he would be the one to greet Zeki. The critter blinked at the taur in mild surprise before looking back down the hall where he'd come from. A hint maybe?

[Vyn]

Wulfram had noticed the chill, but never so deeply until Devika mentioned it. Her words seemed to spawn a sudden intensity in the air that cut straight through the crow's feathers to his very core. Deeper than any normal chill should cut and with swiftness that struck him as terribly ominous in the cursed Palace.

"Ja," he muttered in absent response, "I believe it is." Somewhere beyond the low mutter of voices, rose a new sound like footsteps echoing in the vast hallways. Wulfram's red eyes narrowed into wary slits, turning back toward the hallway briefly before his attention returned to Devika. "Let's continue our search... but keep your senses sharp, Devika. I have e bad feeling about zhis unusual chill."

He ushered the child-woman ahead slightly and delved deeper into the room at hand. It was large and richly decorated in colors of obvious Highland inspiration -- red and gold, swirled and ridiculously intricate metal working incorporated whenever possible -- and the highlight of the room seemed to be the ornate four-post bed lavished in plush blankets and elegant drapery. In contrast to the number of Torquehelm individuals adorning the portraits on the walls, it all looked overly polished. As if the decadence hid a darker secret, Wulfram would not have been surprised -- it often did.

He found himself eyeing a chest near the bottom of the bed, ornate like everything else, though the carvings seemed to suggest something more sentimental that the general over-decorating of the rest of the room and half cracked open from a doll carelessly shoved back inside. He opened the chest and found a few items of sentiment -- albums recording family memories, a couple childhood toys, an odd glass bauble with an intriguing sheen that struck him as Bog Design and the offending doll which appeared to be a simple Torquehelm doll of the feline persuasion. Nothing of real interest to the crow, so the tucked the doll back inside and moved on.

[Kari Muffin]

Devika's feathers ruffled at the comment. At least she wasn't imagining it. She gave a small nod making sure to stay close to the crow. As she looked around the highly decorative rooms she could feel a sense of something trickling into her thoughts.

She found some freshly cut roses and a broken vase, a few trinkets in the drawers, toys that clearly belonged to children, but nothing of any great interest as she inspected the room. When she pulled off one of the many blankets of bed to wrap herself in, something rolled to her feet. Of course she poked it and tried to open it. The jar lid didn't budge, even when she chomped down on it and tried the turn it.

When Wulfram seemed to be finished searching she made her discovery known. "I found something. I can't open it." She announced before picking it up in her beak awkwardly and and offering it to the man. He could at least carry it, or make sense of it. It seemed strangely out of place in the room.

[Nathalia]

((The far reaches of this chamber are away from the front doors indeed...can't hear any of the newcomers out here...there are however, some interesting items they have found:))

Worm that Walks (1): What an odd little thing...looks like part of a mask carved from bone and glass fused together. It tingles when touched and if held for too long an eerie whispering will fill the owner's mind, though there isn't much they can make out from it.
What on earth could it be?
This item is part of a 3-piece set that may be found in other threads by other people. They will only function when all together...Careful, though. Once altogether, your SD will NEVER look the same again...

Satin Sheets: Oooh! Lovely! Couldn't hurt to snag these...or at the very least to feel them, they're beautiful; a deep crimson and so soft to the touch.
Ow! Did...did it just shock you? Dang, shuffling across the carpet in socks, now were we?
The victims' hand will buzz slightly for 20 minutes before the sensation dies away.
Once a week, they are now able to cause their fur, skin, feathers, and covert looks to become the most amazingly attractive thing that one victim they focus on has ever seen in their lives.
The victim must be ranked King or lower for this spell to work; if they are, then they will become desperately attracted to the caster for a full minute, during which they will do anything in their power to impress the caster...in the hopes of being allowed to spend "time" with them. If anything is done to hurt this person (by the caster or someone they ordered to) while they are under the spell, PM the Admin.
Once the minute is up, however, they'll be back to normal...and likely a bit angry...

((Devika's find cannot be opened at all, and buzzes slightly when shaken.
Out in the hall, Zeki gives the guards a look and slumps slowly to the floor, unconscious, like his Vir.))

(Bee, when you want him back in, have him re-join the group and follow Jerome.)


~Nathalia

[Vyn]

A strange bauble caught his attention before he closed the chest lid. It appeared to be the piece of a mask of some sort and tingled strangely when touched. Intrigue won out over wariness and he pocketed it quietly before Devika's announcement drew his attention away.

"Oh?" Wulfram accepted the awkwardly presented item with an arched brow. He gave the lid a good twist, but it didn't budge. Curiously he turned it over and, upon finding no interesting or discerning marks, gave it a gentle shake. This produced a faint and possibly worrisome buzz. Perhaps it was good the thing did not open quite yet? He'd rather not be in a confined space if it turned out to be bees or something of the like. "Goot eye, Devi. I vill hold onto it until ve can figure out how to open it."

It was only once he'd finished investigating the jar that he noticed the girl had pulled a blanket down to wrap herself in. In light of the situation, the simple and somewhat childish action was surprisingly cute. The faintest hint of a smile fluttered over Wulfram's beak before he turned and made his way to one of the nearby doors.

A rather lavish bathroom spread before him, smelling strongly of flowers and decorated with frilly items, fluffy towels, and scented bath soaps. He felt no particular desire to go further in, but he made note of a razor laying by the sink. Were the need to arise, it would be useful in a fight.

[Kari Muffin]

She felt proud when he praised her, she puffed up a bit looking cheerful. They still had to keep searching though, right? Maybe they would find someone in the room still. It was quite huge. The bird noted the sheets that were now revealed. She reached out with a wing to poke them, they looked quite soft.

She yelped, shaking her wing as it tingled. What? Ugh what was wrong with her now? She shook her wing as she looked around for Wulfram. He had already slipped into the bathroom. Pouting for a few moments she went to pull the sheets off the bed, wrapping them around her instead. Softer than the blanket.

Stupid wing still felt weird.

She moved to a different room. There was a good deal of plush furniture, a nice wooden table in the center. There was a vase and a variety of books scattered on it. She couldn't particularly tell if things were out of place, though papers seemed to be scattered when she came closer.

It was strange that there was no one here. She pulled a stray article of clothing off a plush sofa. Wondering exactly what it was? Frilly and lacy and it didn't seem to look like it covered much. Setting the bra down she walked back to the Tulgey. There was so much more to investigate but she didn't want to go too far without him.

Where was Zeki? Was he still at the door? "There's a lot more to look at back here," she said to Wulfram.

[Bee]

(Juuuuuust jumpin' back in. Wheeeee, splash.)

There were a couple of things that happened and he tried not to dwell on them too long.

At some point he had found a finger, contained in a bottle. That was disgusting. He kept it near only because he was afraid it might become animated and--well, it wasn't a whole hand, so it couldn't choke anyone to death, but being poked to death well--well that was just irrational. Still. To be on the safe side.

Then there was a little tove, an adorable little summons, who seemed to want to direct him somewhere. Everything was seeming to want to direct him somewhere. He was beginning to think there was something big and possibly malevolent in the sky pulling his strings. (There was still, of course, Option Insane, which was looking all the likelier by the moment.) He looked down the hall and saw something huge and fluffy, and something green.

Then he passed out.

That was a weird thing.

When he came to, Devika and Wulfram seemed to have vanished deeper into the rooms. He was slightly puzzled and alarmed that they would leave him alone and unconscious. Maybe Devika had wandered off and Wulfram needed to chase her. He bit his lip. That sounded like a good explanation. She would need more tending, wouldn't she. Wulfram had said something about searching more, hadn't he? Something about Zeki's mind...He shook his head. Probably he had a point. First voices, now blacking out.

"Hello," he called down to the men. "Are you guys all right?"

[Vyn]

Wulfram jerked around as she yelped, but the girl didn't do anything further so his posture relaxed once more. He did step into the bathroom and grab the razor, however. He inspected it briefly before folding the blade into the handle and tucking it safely in his pocket. One could really never be too careful.

Stepping out of the bathroom, he found Devi also peeking out of another room. He was glad she apparently had not gone too far. He paused for a moment at the entry way to the bedroom, listening for sounds coming from the office. It seemed quiet enough, though Wulfram didn't fully expect to be able to hear voices traveling all the way back here. "Zhese rooms go on forever. It's probably best we finish zhis one und zhen go check on Zeki."

The sitting room was actually rather cozy looking. Plush furniture everywhere and a scattered collection of books and papers that suggested the room was well used. Stepping further into the room, he collected a couple papers that had been swept onto the floor and returned it to the table. What little disarray there was didn't seem to lend itself to the same frustrations that accompanied the main rooms. In fact, a lacy bra over the arm of the couch suggested quite the opposite.

A small desk near the back of the room drew his attention. It seemed to serve multiple purposes for adults and children alike but what struck his attention the most was a set of ... hand puppets? He lifted one up to examine the intense likeness of The Queen of Hearts herself, in human form. The remaining puppets on the table sported a few recognizable faces but even more than he did not know but which he was undoubtedly certain must greatly resemble their living counterparts.

They were too well made to be a children's craft but far too ridiculous of a hobby to the pursuit of an adult. He lifted another, a surprisingly cute Villa en Miir Snake with a little purple tongue, and shook his head. Its words were even clearly embroidered in the smooth fabric, inspired in blue and blithe in pink. What strange person would waste their time on something like this?

[Kari Muffin]

"Okay," she said brightly as she followed the man. He seemed to take a closer look at things than she did, then again he probably knew what to look for. She was at a bit of a loss of what to do in such a big room. She noticed when the Tulgey picked something up.

It was utterly adorable and she let out a small chirp of delight, forgetting about her buzzing wing for a few moments as she peered over the desk. There was a good amount of the plush creations, she couldn't help but wonder if the person would miss one. Probably, but she was already taking the sheets right? Maybe she could sneak one away...

Her ears twitched, it was still chilly even with her covering. "Maybe we should go?" she said as she poked at the open lower drawer in the desk. It was slightly open and seemed to have nothing more than brightly colored paper and a few writing implements. She reached in with her beak to poke at the few brightly colored wax crayons, they promptly rolled behind the paper and out of her reach. Bah. "It's still cold in here and there's obviously no one around... maybe we should try some place else?"

[Vyn]

The chirp of delight caught him by surprise and he turned, still holding the Villa snake. "Like it?" He chuckled slightly before tossing it back onto the desk with the remaining assortment of bizarre plush creations. "Perhaps when all of this madness is over I will get you one? I'm sure whoever it is that makes these would take requests."

Wulfram had turned toward the girl, watching her with quiet interest as she continued to shuffle through the drawer. His pretty little abomination, so unusual... The crow's long fingers brushed gently through the puffin's hair and trailed along one of those long ears. He could think of a million other things he'd rather do than go back to playing leader but that would solve their problems any quicker.

"You're right. Ve should probably go check on Zeki as vell." When it got down to it, Wulfram couldn't help but wonder what had become of the man. Why hadn't he returned sooner? Had he encountered something unfriendly, as Wulfram had assumed?, or had he simply run off to find his dear beloved? Hm.

In the doorway to the main office, Wulfram could see that Zeki was no longer standing in the open door. "Zeki?" He prompted, eyes narrowed warily, but received no response. The crow sighed heavily. Of course.

Closer to the open door to the hallway, Wulfram could now hear the faint rise and fall of voices just out of sight. There didn't appear to be anything stressed about them, but Wulfram hung back slightly just in case. From his vantage point, he could just make out what was being said without fully needing to reveal himself. He motioned for Devi to stay quiet for a moment as well and allow them to appraise their situation.