T - Bee, Dark, Nako, Vyn

[Dark]

Suha was disappointed--and irritated; mostly irritated--that the ledger offered no useful information. In fact, it offered no information what so ever! It was if someone had set up shoppe and then--just vanished. It filled her with a deep sense of unease, a feeling which only multiplied when Javaid noticed the trail of leaves and blood leading up the staircase. A structure that was barely illuminated by the gray light filtering into through the tall windows.

“The child mentioned her father was in the Court of Hearts,” Suha supplied, “Though she did not elaborate on whom her father was.” Only that he was, allegedly, a monster. Was he somehow responsible? If so, if seemed a rather elaborate plot to rid one’s self of an unwanted child; better to slip arsenic into a sweet, or drown it in the bath, or smother it in its sleep.

“I suppose we’ll be ascending the stairs,” Suha muttered bitterly. It was far too dark for her tastes.

[Bee]

Phaedra intoned that this was correct. "We did not long interact with Delaney before your arrival. You now know as much as we do."

Her mouth performed a little twist at Suha as they began the stairs.

"You can form the middle portion of our little train if you prefer," Phaedra said, with ever-so-slightly-snide gallantry. The woman had a near Shiftian ability to metaphorically ruffle her fur with every off comment, but it was untempered by the perverse attraction that was, probably, the only thing that had ever kept Phaedra from cutting off that dreadful woman's tongue as she slept. Actually, that was still not a bad idea. And additionally not a bad one in this situation either; Suha had a rather long tongue, ripe for snatching. "Javaid shall protect you at point and I shall cover your six. I should hate to see our dear companion ripped from our grasp."

She was too excited at the prospect of a clue to remain acerbic for long, however. Leaves and blood....perhaps not the best sign, all things considered, but a lead. She had to believe that they were not too late.

The little trail continued at the top of the staircase. Yes, she thought, how magnificent it would be if they could just follow this trail right to the girl!

(The prospect of perhaps having to fight for her had not fully sank in.)

[Vyn]

So, ultimately, they all knew nothing.

How very unhelpful.

Javaid's ears flattened down a little, a sign of his displeasure, but he moved steadily upward. He tuned out the snide remarks and did his best to focus on formulating a plan, or at least some vestige of understanding that may help them in their goal. "I've heard that the Courts have been known to employ underhanded methods to remove opponents from power... I suppose this could be one of them."

But how uselessly elaborate. Why not just kill the child outright, if that was their intention? Why kidnap her... numerous times... and use such foul magics to cover it all up?

Most likely because it had absolutely nothing to do with the current situation. The Esterberry had also been targeted and it appeared she had simply been there at the time of the attack.

"Though this probably goes far beyond underhanded politics, no?"

That this was potentially all random happenstance of some greater intention of ill will was even worse than the possibility of corrupt politics. May their ancestors be damned. He frowned, pausing briefly on one of the landings. It was elaborate like everything else in the strange building, with odd statues standing vigil on each corner post.

Each appeared to be some sort of beast, feline by the look of it, with tiny polished rubies for eyes. They, like everything else in this mist-saturated city, sent an odd chill of displeasure up his spine.

Shaking his head, he turned and continued up the vast stairwell. May the child be breathing at the end of this trail and her captors be absent. He did not relish fighting who or whatever was in charge here and in their own lair no less.

[Nathalia]

The stairs lead up to a long landing, the end of which is completely lost to view as the windows cease to be near the end of the hall, blotting it out in darkness.
Ahead of them, the staircase continues to wind upward.
To their left, this hall extends into blackness.
The blood and leaves seem scattered and extend no further in any direction, the complete lack of scents is becoming disturbing...
The hallway (as far as you can all see) consists of five doors and a plush-well-carpeted lead. The walls have decorative frames but...strange, there are no pictures in them, not a single one.
Empty frames?
Why would anyone do that?

(Please roll a d20 as you proceed to play.)

[Dark]

The growing darkness was most unwelcome, and Suha cast a longing look behind her shoulder towards more lit areas. She had never regretted being born a Heart, but it would have been extremely useful at this stage to be able to see in the dark. She glanced at Javaid.

"You are a Spade, are you not?" It was more of a statement than a question. "I am afraid you will have to be our eyes from this point on. Do keep a look out."

She ignored the man's thoughts regarding the Courts entirely--even if it were true (and it most assuredly was) what did a backwater desert-dweller know? the Courts were generally much more...elegant...in their solutions--and considered what she could see of the corridor, and then the staircase. Neither were options she particularly cared to pursue, but she suspected her companions might feel differently.

"I would suggest we start with this floor," Suha stated after a moment, "and continue upwards if it does not yield satisfactory results."

[9]

[Bee]

Phaedra was beginning to think it might not have anything to do with any sort of Court intrigue at all; it was entirely possible that Delaney's connection to a member of the Court of Hearts was simply a deceptively attractive clue trail. They had gotten so very little of her story, and their happenings seemed much more out of a horror story than a political caper.

She cast a glance at Suha when the woman spoke. Then she blinked as a thought rapidly popped into her head. She could remember Delaney's coloration so vividly. Perhaps it had been the choking that had addled her wits, or the curious lack of scent in general. She hardly ever used the talent but for tracking interviewees who for whatever reason did not wish to be interviewed, or professors who had gotten rather sick of her constant questions and barricaded themselves in some far-off supply closet.

"Wait. I have an idea," she said, and sniffed. She could only hope that whatever was causing the general scent block would not be able to blot out magic.

Colors Ability: This SD is now able to smell colors. Each has its own incredibly unique scent that is defined as clearly as a voice or picture in her mind. She can track a smell up to 3 hours old as though it was just made. She is unable to, however, track Hisstors, Lowlanders, or Mid-Rangers, or mixes with these Realms. They do not come to her as a smell. Josiggies she can track, but not distinguish, they all smell exactly the same to her. Golfams...give her a headache. Their colors smell toxic and being around one can now give her quite cataclysmic pains in her temples for hours...

(Also, rolled a 14.)

[Vyn]

The Morganberry's statement was met with a silent stare from the jackal. His rank and suit stood out clearly against his pale breast and he honestly felt any answer would be painfully redundant. He imagined she knew that before she said anything, though, so he sufficed with an acknowledging nod.

Searching each level before ascending further seemed like a good idea, especially since the trail seemed to end here.

And the Esterberry also had a plan, or at least something helpful to their situation. That was good to know. Javaid may have had a good deal of magical talents but none of them were particularly helpful for locating lost children. Well, aside from his ability to see in the dark, but they'd already acknowledged that.

As he waited for her go ahead to proceed, Javaid studied what he could see of the hallway. Picture frames lined the wall, all as empty as the next. Just like the empty ledger. It was almost as if someone had begun to design the illusion of a hotel and had simply grown bored along the way. Or perhaps, being of a bizarre plant-like persuasion, they simply did not know what was supposed to go inside ledgers and picture frames.

(6)

[Dark]

Suha had thought her suggestion rather solid--and she had even refrained from reminding them of the folly of their quest! for surely the child was dead by now--but apparently Phaedra had a 'better' idea. Which appeared to involve sniffing the air in what seemed to Suha an extremely exaggerated manner.

"Are you suddenly part bloodhound?" Suha quipped, wondering if the poor woman had quite suddenly lost her mind. The building smelled rather curiously of nothing, and Phaedra's sense of smell would have to be keen indeed if she could actually distinguish anything. Suha would have thought a canine--she glanced at Javaid in disappointment--more suited for tracking. (Such an unglamorous little chore).

Suha considered the corridor, staring speculatively into the gloom. The frames, holding no pictures, were of no interest to her. She cocked her head, listening to the building creak around them, and waited for Phaedra to finish whatever it was the woman was doing.

[Nathalia]

(You guys are brilliant. <3)

The sugar glider's senses suddenly seemed to explode!
The scent of the Avington girl is now as clear to her as her own front paws...too bad it follows to...and abruptly vanishes right before the next staircase.
It's as though the girl simply ceased existing once the staircase had been reached.
Though the scent of that vine continues upwards.
Phaedra is also the only one to notice a tiny...something sticking out of one of the picture frames.
It seems...impossible to move though, is it paper? Odd.
What's it to be then, this floor, or move on upwards?

[Bee]

She ignored Suha, and let her magic be her retort, though she was sorely tempted to let the woman know that while Phaedra was not part bloodhound, the bird might soon find herself part sugar glider via a well-placed fist in the noise orifice.

Bedevil it, it had been a while since she had done this. The sudden sharp, clear odor would have been enough to block out all other scents if there had been any other scents. She had a lock on the girl like looking down a sniper scope. The odor did not lead to any of the rooms they might have investigated, but rather to the stairs--where it abruptly stopped. She could have punched a conveniently-located Morganberry in frustration. But at least, she thought--at least they had a direction and didn't need to waste any more time!

But then something else intruded on her newly keen sense of smell. While Delaney's particular color perfume had vanished, the scent of the vines--the vines that had held the both of them--were still clear to her, leading up past where the girl had vanished. And didn't that tickle her sense of dread something fierce.

"Well, damn and double damn," she said. She pointed to the stairs. "The girl's up there somewhere, I'm sure of it. Her scent goes to the stairs. But I can smell the plants too, so it would be best to venture up prepared."

Something caught her attention from the corner of her eye, then. She wasn't sure why it stuck out to her--possibly because it literally stuck out, a scrap of something amid all the empty picture frames. She took a step toward it and tugged, trying to loosen it--it was paper, by the look and feel, but it wouldn't budge. She glared at it. How wretchedly silly. It was as though it were placed there to taunt her.

No. That way lies madness. She looked back to Suha and Javaid and the stairs, and nodded.