OoC: http://fierytemper101.deviantart.com/ar ... -131501621 He's so cute! :3 (Just for those who may not know about the chipmunk topic in the talk forum)

IC: "What the--" Aqua was abruptly stopped when the tapestry closed. "No! What the hell!" She pulled at the decorative hanging. It wouldn't budge. Angry, she kicked at the wall. Nothing happened. All Aqua go was an aching foot and a temper even higher than what it was before.

But it wasn't for the reasons people would have thought.

"An adventure without me? Now that's just cruel," whined Aqua, hitting the wall with her fist.

Keychain felt Masa's hand grab hers. But shortly it was gone. The party with loud people chattering to one another disappeared. The light made her squint enough for her to cover her face with her arm to block the light. Suddenly, she felt her body snap downward. It felt like the first time she had ever climbed a tree. Feeling so light headed as she climbed higher and higher, she never heard the snap of the branch until she was falling from the tree.

Keychain wanted to shout from the constriction but it felt like her lungs had done the same thing. Her body came in contact with the ground, the wind knocked from her lungs. Recovering from her dazed state, Keychain stood up slowly and examined where she was. It was nothing like the house. She wasn't even sure if she was still in the house.

"I don't believe it," grumbled Keychain as she saw the single man. She shook her head. Her feet wobbled as she tried to walk. "Um, excuse me. E--ex--excuse me. Could you tell me where I am at?" Keychain waved her arms, trying to get their attention. Then she realized it.

Her shoes were missing.

Inside the barrel, two blue eyes blinked solemnly, a little of the familiar light fading from them. Burlo moved from the hole, unable to watch the scene. This pain...I've seen it before...I hope he does not suffer the same fate.

He closed his eyes, his thoughts turning in his mind. A tune reached his ears; a little uncertain, a little shaky, but...

He made up his mind. In a few seconds the massive girth of Burlo was gone, and through the tiny hole emerged a small ball of light, which immediately took off over the roofs, traveling a few hundred feet before alighting on the windowsill of a bakery. A few seconds later, and suddenly the chef could only watch in surprise as a pastry, drizzled with chocolate, began to float away, up above the rooftops. Landing above Alpha and Arrika, the ball of light hung a bit longer, and then the pastry dropped, landing a few feet from the two Sheikah.

Turning back to his human form, Burlo put away his staff and crawled slowly backward, hopefully out of sight along the creaking boards, where he listened to the remainder of the scene.

OOC: Grr, you guys just HAVE to put me in a position where I wouldn't forgive myself if I didn't post.

...

Keep up the good work. It's your awesomeness that keeps me active.

OoC: I have missed thee, Saber.
This time, Papercut by Linkin Park. I will probably listen to it for the next few posts too.

IC: In the inky darkness of the town, the ball of light immediately caught Arrika's eye, and the song caught in her throat. She watched it hover and disappear. What was that? A fairy or a sprite? Shaking her head slightly, she resumed her soft lullaby. She set down the full wine glass, none of which, of course, had been spilled thanks to her refined dexterity.

That mysterious elderly man... who was he? His appearance had startled her greatly. He obviously knew Alpha, and very well, and was probably a Sheikah due to his ruby eyes and the silent way he had come and gone.

I'd leave him, if I were you.

Why, though? Was her close contact with Alpha making it worse?

I'll continue watching him if you wish to return inside; else I'll leave him in your care, Arrika.

So it wasn't a threat, nor an ultimatum. The old man had given her a choice.

The thief briefly considered leaving Alpha- there was something going on that did not benefit her intrusion, something she still did not fully grasp. Why was Alpha like this in the first place? Who had betrayed his trust? Maybe she should just stay out of it, run back to the party, laugh and get drunk and pretend nothing had just happened.

She gazed at Alpha, his entire body continuing to tremble and shudder as if something were torturing him in his dreams. She couldn't leave him here, alone, and at the moment, helpless. Being a thief did not make her so cold hearted.

At that moment the hovering light returned. Something fell from the sky. Her body responded immediately, shifting quickly to shield Alpha from the great offender-

-which was... a pastry? A chocolate one, at that.

Puzzled, she continued to watch it warily. Meanwhile, as her attention was distracted, the ball of light had disappeared. After a long 10 seconds of critical analysis of the strange food lying on the ground, she came to conclusion- it was, in fact, a mere baked confection. Slowly she picked it up, brushing off a few small shards of pebbles that had stuck to the bottom. Luckily it had landed on a rather clean cobblestone.

. . . unconsciousness? Well that was no fun!

Shada's visage saddened noticeably as Sakiko collapsed by the railings of the staircase, admirably managing to hold in her body's natural desire to be rid of such a potent beverage. Was this all that happened when the witch got drunk? She passed out? What about the humiliation, the insults, the various details that would discredit her completely before her death at Shada's hands? The Sheikah sighed as she turned away; that hadn't gone nearly as well as predicted. But the girl probably wouldn't be waking up for a little while; at least she had a bit of time to think about how best to do away with her opponent.

* * *

All at once, the Sheikah mage's mouth hissed open, muttering a few words that could barely be heard by even Arrika, a message apparently meant to be heard only by the one in Alpha's nightmare:

"L-l-leave meee b-be, B-boar!"

At that moment the convulsion abruptly came to a halt, as if his words had actually been meant for someone, and the message received and complied with. Within seconds, the crimson eyes peaked out from beneath their covers, gazing up uncertainly as they waited for things to come into focus for the mage. When they did so, his face instantly changed into a look of skeptical confusion - it might have been thought humorous, given the sharp contrast with how tormented he had appeared not ten seconds before. "Arrika?"

Slowly the man sat up on his own accord, shaking his head as if to loose the last remnants of his prior . . . 'condition'. "What exactly brings you out here?" he queried as he hopped back to his feet, brushing off a bit of dust from his cape and clothing. "I hope this little problem of mine isn't what forced you to leave your party." Already he was back in the act that the elderly man had spoken of - giving the girl a heart-melting smile even as he courteously offered her assistance in rising from the ground. He certainly knew how to play the part of a perfect gentlemen; his stage directions had been spot on, with the script memorized to the point where the audience would have trouble distinguishing where the false stage ended and the audience of reality began.

Of course, his chivalry faltered slightly at the sight of her hand's newly found possession. ". . . is that . . . chocolate?" Hm, chock up another item on the list of food stuffs Alpha was apparently enraptured by.

* * *

OOC: And now, because Saber was so very disappointed by Arrika beating Burlo to Alpha . . .

IC:
Atop the building, Burlo may well have felt a familiar presence appear behind him - after all, he'd borne witness to the same presence but a few moments before. "I do wonder what you were attempting to do with that piece of cake, good Cleric," the elderly Sheikah said with a chuckle as he stepped to the edge of the roof, casually glancing down the deep descent without even raising his arms for balance.

Of course, he didn't have any arms, but that was hardly something that the Drunken Cleric could have ascertained by looking at his cloaked form.

Arrika cringed as Alpha's eyes snapped open, their red gleam unsettling in the dark.

"...Boar?" she mumbled to herself.

She watched in surprise as Alpha came to his feet as if there was nothing wrong with him. Her heart rate tripled as she took in his smile and courteous gestures, and more than willingly accepted his offered arm to stand.

The sudden change was too much. He had the art of deception perfected even more than she, and inside she knew that whatever was troubling was still there beneath the mask. Should she press him on it, or...?

...is that... chocolate?

"...umm. Yeah. Did you want some?" The thief tore off a chunk of it and held it out, right in front of his mouth. His sudden obsession with food was distracting from the main issue. "It's no trouble, really, I'm just glad to help," she said sincerely, although she wondered if she had really done any good at all. Probably not. "...are you alright?" she asked, even though she knew it was a stupid question. Of course not. But she didn't want to anger him by suddenly prying into his personal life, as curious as she was.

Before either one of them could blink, Alpha's mouth shot open and grabbed the piece of cake from Arrika's fingers, lips closing around both the chocolate and her digits in one quick strike. He pulled back at once, his face reflecting the same joy he had expressed earlier with the grapes as he savored the rich flavor running along his tongue. After a few seconds, he swallowed the pastry and his smile returned full force. "Apologies," he stated quite casually. "I suppose this offers evidence that the stomach is faster than the hand." Whatever that meant.

With a wave of his hand he attempted to dismiss her second question, though inside he knew it would only seem more suspicious to avoid it entirely. He obviously was not cognizant during the elder Sheikah's dia- er, monologue with Arrika; he didn't seem to suspect that she knew anything other than that he had passed out after a mere dance. "It's nothing to be concerned about; festivities like this have an odd sort of effect on me, I'm afraid, so I expect that will happen several more times throughout the evening. Each episode rarely lasts more than a few minutes, so as long as no assassins show up looking for me, it shouldn't be too big a deal."

He waved back towards the doorway, his face showing signs of embarrassment - was this discomfort real, caused by having said so much or by having dragged Arrika from a party in which she was one of the guests of honor? Or was it a carefully constructed portion of his mask as he tried to bring her back inside and away from such topics?

. . . in the end, it was impossible to tell.

Eberron let out a rather embarrasing cry of fear as he fell through the air down into the seemingly endless pit. He almost felt relief when he hit the ground, at least he knew there was a bottom. An endless pit was certainly a scary idea. He shouldn't scare himself like that. Such thoughts soon escaped his mind on his realisation that he was in a great deal of pain.

"Owww..."

Eberron pulled himself up and brushed the dust off him. There was no time to feel sorry for himself, he had to concentrate on what to do next. That man who had taken Zeze... he was definitely not normal. Some kind of magic perhaps? Or maybe he just had set up traps all over the building, though that didn't explain how he had managed to control Zeze like that.

or maybe she just hadn't actually liked you at all...

Eberron shook his head. Still not the time to feel sorry for himself. Definitely not the time. Taking his surroundings in for the first time, Eberron realised that he was quite possibly in the creepiest place he had ever experienced. The candle light created a miasma of light that gave everything an eary glow. Shivering slightly, Eberron turned to the remains of whoever had previously entered this room. Rather then fear or horror, Eberron felt a great sadness filling his heart. Unable to dig into the ground and create a proper grave, he reached as a reflax towards his back to draw out some rocks to leave a mark of respect, before realising he had left his bag back at the party. Sighing, Eberron said a few gentle words and bowed respectfully. Looking around once more, he decided that it was time to find a way out of here and back to Zeze or at least someone more capable of helping back at the party. Running around, he took in the whole room desperate to find some form of hidden passage, before realising that there was a door to check as well. Charging up to the door he checked if it was locked.

OOC: Insight insight insight insight insight...

Him?!?!?

The Cleric's mouth dropped open in shock, though none could really see so behind his hair. He hadn't really caught when the tortured mage had said it, but as the thief repeated the words...there was no way. Are they connected? Before he could answer himself--

"I do wonder what you were attempting to do with that piece of cake, good Cleric."

Burlo nearly fell off the the roof with fright at the sudden appearance of the Sheikah. My, there certainly were Sheikah everywhere today, weren't there? He probably should have been able to sense Zaris coming, but some of the typical powers bestowed upon mages had been compromised by his...lifestyle. "'s you..." he mumbled in awe. There was no fear; even if the Cleric wasn't usually inebriated enough to be unaffected by such feelings, he knew this man could be trusted.

"Choc'la's good fer deh 'eart." He explained, looking down at the scene below as well. Things seemed better now. "'elps wit' deh good feelin's 'n' the concientinous."

OOC: I am finally back home, and God does it feel good. Ahhh...now back to RPing...

OoC: You can do the dungeon, Saki.

IC: Before Arrika had time to blink, the pastry in her hand had disappeared into Alpha's mouth. A shiver ran down her arm as she felt his tongue brush against her fingertips, and down her spine when she locked eyes with him. Once again, the moment was too fleeting.

What kind of a person gets sick from a party?

"...are you sure you want to go back inside, then, if you're sure this could happen again? We could- I mean you- No one's forcing you to stay," she said in a rush, tripping over her words, and hoping secretly he would not decide to just leave.

The thief noticed the wine glass still sitting on the ground beside them. She picked it up and offered it to Alpha. "Here, this might warm you up a bit more." Although he looked just as lively as ever, she could not help but feel concerned. She glanced down at the ground. "Maybe I should... is my being here hurting you?" She bit her lip, immediately regretting it. Some questions were better left unanswered, but she did not want to be the cause of his next breakdown.

============

The strange place Keychain had landed in was very peculiar. The coloring was somewhat distorted, as if in patches, and if she were to look closer everything seemed to be made of a wiry, ropey substance. ...Embroidery? The lone man glanced her way, fading to a grayish shadow all the while. His hair shone like spun gold, but even its brilliance began to fade.

There is no wind in this world, and although a sun shines above her the rays do not seem to reach her, producing no warmth and little light, despite the day scenery. Everything is completely still, and near silent. Even the other women seem lifeless compared to Key, but some of them gaze at her with intelligent eyes, beckoning her to join them.

"...are you sure you want to go back inside, then, if you're sure this could happen again? We could- I mean you- No one's forcing you to stay."

Her words came in a rush of uncertainty, as if she was saying them out of concern for his well being rather than because she wanted him to leave. It was a welcome feeling to the mage; so often in his life no one had cared if he was present, or even wanted him gone - and in many cases, dead. In response, he reached out and placed in hands on her shoulders, smiling all the while, and waited a moment before replying verbally. "It's fine," he said, emphasizing the second word in a reassuring manner. "I absolutely could not forgive myself if I left a celebration like this so abruptly. It would be an insult to the guests of honor - and I refuse to commit such a crime against two beautiful women like yourselves."

She offered him a glass of wine, but he politely turned the gesture aside with a shake of his head. "It's alright, I'm doing just fine right now. Besides . . ." He paused, glancing down to study the thief's own outfit. "If anyone needs to be kept warm, I would imagine it to be you." He winked before turning back to the entrance.

"Maybe I should... is my being here hurting you?"

Alpha blinked in surprise at the statement, his mask suddenly cracking as he looked on his fellow Sheikah with an air of bewilderment. "Hurting me?" he queried, confusion evident in his tone. One hand left her shoulder and reached down to her chin, wrapping around it and lifting her gaze back up to meet his own eyes. "I . . . I'm afraid I've no idea what you mean by that!" His reply came with a laugh, but not one of the merry ones that would have suited his tone before; this one carried with it a note of confusion that he was hastily trying to cover up.

It should have hit Arrika about then, the truth behind Alpha's suddenly confused behavior - he didn't know. In fact, it would seem likely he had no idea of what was causing his 'illness' during social gatherings; he simply knew that it happened and accepted it as a condition he had to live with. That elderly man appeared to have imparted a special tidbit of knowledge to Arrika; details about Alpha's life that even Alpha himself was unaware of. Anyone watching the situation unfold would have to give pause and wonder how she would handle it: tell the man and risk the consequences, or not inform him and allow him to lead her back inside.

Lead her back inside seemed to be the mage's choice. "I think it's about time we returned. I'm sure several people are wondering where one of the guests of honor has gotten herself off too."

* * *

"Choc'la's good fer deh 'eart. 'elps wit' deh good feelin's 'n' the concientinous."

The Sheikah chuckled heartily at the Drunken Cleric's choice of explanations. "I suppose that is true," he agreed after a moment, nodding his consent with the statement. "Although I'm not entirely sure if Alpha is defined in such a way; his conscience doesn't play too big a role in his decisions and if he's anything like myself, is perfectly able to live without those good feelings you were speaking of."

He turned away as Alpha rose back to his feet, apparently having recovered completely. "Well, looks like he's doing fine for now. That's certainly good to see." It didn't seem like he had too much to say, so he stood back and waited to hear the cleric's response.

"...is perfectly able to live without those good feelings you were speaking of."

Burlo was silent, watching everything develop below. "'is life 'as ben 'un mess arfta er'nother, ain't it?" The Cleric marveled, his fingers tapping his wide hips arhythmically. "Mus' be terr'ble, not bein' able ter trust enny-un." A soft sniff was heard. "'sparshly a fadder." The broad shoulders began to droop, head sinking. Only a quick reaction saved his hat from falling to the ground below.

The drunk heaved a sigh, taking a deep breath which sucked in a few hairs. Chewing absentmindedly on the dark strands, he contemplated the surprising events of the last few minutes. "'n dat man what 'urted 'im...I's cain't berlief' 'twere...'ow 'as 'e 'ad a 'ard time o' findin' a buddy in 'yrule?" The subject change came suddenly, and the Cleric's posture straightened just as suddenly. He replaced the tophat, turning to Zaris. The armless man was wearing a smile, having dismissed Alpha's situation as resolved.

"'dere's s'many peoples 'ere. Yer obliviously in'ressted in 'im. 'e's got dat nice Arka takin' care o' 'im. I's swear, 'im 'n' Saber bo't dinna real'se 'oo dey got 'roundem." He nearly cast his massive bulk into the alley in his fit. "'ow many young'uns 's we gon' lose fer no raisin?"

Instinctively Arrika leaned into the hand that lightly held her face. Yes, now that he pointed it out, she was rather chilly- her dress seemed to be made more out of lace than anything. The recent events had somehow distracted her, and growing up on the streets naturally gave her a tolerance for the elements.

She wanted to look away, such was the strength of the vibrant gaze from his eyes, and the word that came to her mind was soul-searching... but she was reluctant to break such close contact with him or displease him somehow. And so she resolved to meet his eyes fearlessly.

His behavior was odd. Was he just a good liar? It was almost as if... he didn't know what was wrong with him. Was that possible? Maybe he didn't know the mysterious old man either.

If I was sick, I'd want someone to tell me exactly what I had. Even if I couldn't cure it.

"Alpha... I... need to tell you something. When you were... passed out, an old man came. I think he was a Sheikah. He told me something about your soul. Something happened to you a long ago, and it's why you got sick just now. Your soul, it's claustrophobic..." she halted uncertainly, realizing how juvenile and unsure she sounded, and immediately shut her mouth. He would surely think her crazy, laugh it off, and go back to the party without her.

Masakazu began to break into a run, his face dripping with cold sweat. Panic arose in his throat and his heart raced like crazy. If only I can find the way back...if only I can find some exit...anything! His feet collided with the rough pathway obviously constructed of stone. Anyone would made this stupid cave thing was definitely out of his mind!

The dark almost became a physical reality, pressing down upon his skin. His breath came out in short rasps; he wasn't claustrophobic, but being in the pitch blackness for what seemed to be over thirty minutes could do something to your head.

Crack

Masakazu felt something similar to an iron buckle hit his ankle bone. He fell to his knees with a series of curses, but as he knelt eye-level with the iron buckle, he could see the faint glow of light between the cracks of what seemed to be a rough wooden door. Additionally, the iron buckle was not a buckle at all, but a knob-

BAM!

The Mage jumped away from his newest discovery; what the heck was that?! A sequence of loud banging and clanging against the door ensued, and Masakazu hesitantly lingered by the door. He knew that if he didn't open this door, he was going to rot away in the dark - that thought was enough to make him grab the cold doorknob and pull with all his strength.

A whoosh of air greeted him and a... Goron? In a tone of more shock than unfriendliness, Masa yelled,

"Who are you?!"

"Yes, quite messed up indeed," Zaris said softly, regretfully, pausing as remorse overtook him for a second. "It's all been necessary, I fear - the lessons he's learned come at a high price, but for a destiny like his . . . a destiny like mine . . . they prove to be invaluable." He glanced back at Burlo, giving the man a soft smile. Even though he stood here, conversing with the man as though they were lifelong friends, he had still abided by such lessons himself. He had not appeared before the man without a quick yet careful study of the Cleric; even now, with his back normally turned, he knew seven or eight completely different tactics he could use to kill the man in the space of a second.

He could never talk to anyone without making such an assessment. And though it was a bother, he'd have died long ago without it, and he knew it. Just as Alpha no doubt would, in time.

"It isn't such a matter, I fear, of knowing you've got allies you should be able to trust. Betrayal is a part of our lifestyle, I'm afraid." He sighed and moved to look over the side once more. "He has found he can't even trust me, in the end."

* * *

"Alpha... I... need to tell you something. When you were... passed out, an old man came. I think he was a Sheikah."

That was all that the mage heard; everything else went right past his ears, never so much as registering in his mind. "An old Sheikah?!" he suddenly exclaims, grabbing her at her elbows as his previous state of mind vanishes, replaced by a rushed, excited young man eager to learn more. "Graying beard and hair? Did he ever use his arms - or was he wearing a cloak that made it impossible to tell if he had arms or not? How long ago was this?!"

The man didn't even wait for an answer, abruptly releasing the thief and dashing out further into the streets. "Master? Master!"

* * *

High above, Zaris glanced down and then drew back in a playful style. "Oh dear, I didn't expect her to actually mention me to the boy. Hope you don't mind, Burlo, but . . ." The elderly Sheikah strolled on over to the Drunken Cleric, sitting himself down behind the man. "If you don't mind, I'd like your help in hiding."

The shadows cast out by Burlo's form abruptly rose from the rooftop, encompassing Alpha's master and quickly rendering him all but invisible. "If he ever comes up here, do me a favor and don't let him know I'm here," the now disembodied voice requested.

Eberron stopped and stared at the man in front of him in equal shock. Unsure of what to say he stood there for a few moments, staring at him. Suddenly realising he was being rude, Eberron scratched his head and looked away in embarrasment.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to be rude... just a bit shocked and..."

Suddenly an idea flashed across his mind. Looking at the stranger suspisciously, he edged closer and took a good look at him up close.

"You're not a pale skinned ghosty person are you? Or a bad person like the one who took Zeze..."

Obviously coming to a conclusion, Eberron stood back.

"No, I don't think so. You look healthy. Sort of. Living anyway. Hello! My name's Eberron."

Eberron grinned, his smile spreading across his face.

"What's your name? Do you know a way out of here, I fell down from a hole..."

Gesturing above him, Eberron realised he was being rude again by asking too many questions. In a spluttering fashion, he began to try and appologise, his hands animated as he stumbled over words.

"OH! Sorry, I'm being rude again, I don't mean to be it just happens sometimes, I just go on and on and I don't stop talking, sorry if I'm boring you, and sorry if I'm asking too many questions, it's important to know I suppose or else I could go on about asking too many questions when really I haven't asked enough and I should be working out more things about you and wherever we are, am I asking too many questions?"