Keychain's throat constricted. The place it seemed too much like a fairy tale. One that her mother use to tell her when she was little. Could she have fallen into her own mind? No, that would be impossible. Keychain, however, could not miss the discoloration change in the man.

"Wait," she shouted, placing her hands up in the air, one foot forward. "Please, I just want to get back. Back to where Masa is, or even to Aqua! And-and I would like it soon. Please don't leave so soon!"

It had to be all fake. Keychain concluded that it couldn't have been another realm, a secret world inside the tunnel or even just a hideaway for ghosts who use to live in the house before it was ever used for the party. Her ears rang from all the silence. Even winter nights weren't as silent as this. The wind would hollow too loud.

Keychain could go insane if she stayed too long.

The woman could have been fake, but their eyes showed some mortality in them. Beckoning, asking. Come join us, come join us. Keychain shook her head wildly. No! She can't get pulled in, she just can't. But the more she stared, the more she could feel her body being pulled in as her brain shouted in protest. Her body started to move as she felt numb, cold. One foot forward, the other following shortly after.

Keychain snapped her eyes shut, turning her body away from them. "This can't be happening, this just can't be happening," she mumbled to herself.

Masa stood at the entrance of the dungeon, his mouth slightly agape. What is this Goron talking about? I look sort of healthy? That's kinda rude... The Mage jumped down, making sure that the door that he had just opened was still so. He had he hand gripping the knob tightly - he heard of those eerie stories where the door from whence one came just shut...that would only panic them both. Besides, this Goron was clueless of this situation as he was.

He listened silently as Eberron talked endlessly, but the few words that caught in his ears were Zeze, pale young man, and a hole.

"Alright, Eberron, let's make a deal. I'll tell you my name and tell you what happened to me, but in return you need to promise me that you'll tell me what happened to you, and that you'll stop asking me so many questions.

My name is Masakazu, and I am Zeze's brother. I think I know what pale man you're talking about. I saw him beside the food table, and I thought him rather suspicious...but it didn't seem important to me at the time. Keychain and I - she's a girl from the party...I don't know if you know her? - went through a dark passageway behind the tapestry when she suddenly disappeared without a trace. And that's not possible, you know? She couldn't have run faster than me, because I am pretty sure the cave structure was one way."

Masa breathed in softly, the slow panic starting to get to him. His stomach was churning unpleasantly, and as he talked about it, he began to feel more and more nervous. There was something supernatural going on - it wasn't the work of a person, a person like him or Eberron. That was why it was so frightening. How can they work against a force that made people disappear? And it was strange; the pattern was almost identical. From what he had guessed so far, Eberron and Zeze were together when Zeze was whisked out of sight while Eberron was led into the dungeon as Masakazu was.

His gaze flickered to the skeletons strewn across the dusty floor, his lips becoming dry. Did...that thing that led us here want us dead? He stared at Eberron, wondering if he should tell him his suspicions. No - he doesn't look like a bright lad... I might just end up scaring him.

_____________________

Zeze walked, entranced, as the young man led her deeper and deeper into the house. Had she been in her clear mind, she would've noticed that the blond was standing in front of a large wooden entrance. It was composed of two doors, reaching up to a height almost to the ceiling. The man stepped aside quickly, pulling at the knobs with no effort at all. Instead of going inside with Zeze, he grabbed her wrist and pushed her inside...

flash

The Bard screamed - whether in shock that the beautiful melody had stopped or the fact that she was being warped into another dimension, she couldn't decide. Zeze was being twirled by a supernatural force in the void.

"YYARRRRRGGGGGG!!!!!"

When her lips had uttered the last "g" of her cry, she felt a small thump as she landed into the same land where Keychain was. Zeze stood up, her mouth ajar. What the...why in the world would such beautiful young women stand in a big group? She stepped closer, pushing aside the women roughly. Besides, she wasn't in a good mood; she had been enjoying the party when some stupid thing decided that no, it would put her in an idiotic place with birdbrained women.

"And who the hell may you be?!"

Zeze had reached the transparent young man, her vitality contrasting greatly with his ephemeral beauty. The man gazed at her silently, his pale blue eyes the color of a washed out shade of the sky. She stood, her eyes squinted. He looks oddly familiar. She scrunched her face, trying to think....oh yes! He was almost identical to the pale young man - well, that young man wasn't so pale compared to this brat here, but was pretty pale compared to her - who had such a beautiful melody about him.

And then she was angry. So. Very. Angry. She wasn't even sure that they were connected, but just the fact that this lady's man looked so similar to that lady's man infuriated her to no ends. Unlike Sakiko, her temper ran high and uncontrolled. The Bard jumped into the air, her leg jutting out as if to kick him. However, her foot stopped almost an inch from his face, as if it had been blocked by a barrier of woven...wall? She kicked again, this time out of curiosity. Yes...there was definitely some very tight wall of fabric blocking her. The man smiled softly, but there was a hint of malice in it.

The Bard shrugged and pointed to the man,

"I'm gonna find some way to kill you so wipe that smile off your face!"

She ran towards the back of the crowd, cursing herself for not carrying a needle. I could just unwind that whole wall around him... Zeze looked down at her fingernails, a look of pure joy on her face. She began to look for a patch of gray...ah yes, it could found on a nearby woman. The Bard walked towards her with a look of slight apology and began to pluck her hair. A few strands of gray string began to unfurl towards the ground, slithering down like a snake. She murmured,

"I just need some gray..."

The woman shrugged her shoulders, her eyes still watching the godly man. It's as if she's on drugs or something...

Listening intently to the man who had introduced himself as Masakazu, Eberron's face was consumed with an unusually serious look. Taking in everything that was said, he began to pace around the chamber, stopping every now and then to directly address this new acquaintance.

"Yes... interesting, that's very similar to what happened to me. Zeze and I... she had been showing me dancing, we'd been laughing and having fun and then... Well, then he came by. It was like she was suddenly not herself. Perhaps she wasn't..."

Stopping and looking intently at the skeletons lying unceremoniously on the ground he muttered to himself as he continued to think. His eyes began to mist over slightly, though not through tears. Something deep was stirring within him.

"Perhaps you too were caught up in this some time ago... I'll come back and bury you once this is over. I promise."

Turning back to look intently at Masakazu his face was a picture of concentration as he returned to the matter at hand.

"So yes. Very similar. Two victims, female, both disappear... One clearly due to the presence of this 'pale man' and the other... well I think we can safely assume he had something to do with it. We can also safely assume that he wants us out of the way, for reasons known only to him. Whatever he is... You say you came through a passage? Behind a tapestry? If this is anything like father's stories of hauntings and ancient spirits then an old house seems like the perfect research point at which to start... If we could find that tapestry, or something similar, we might find clues as to the house and the motives of our 'pale man'."

As if a light bulb had been turned off, Eberron snapped back. His eyes became clear and his usual grin spread across his face.

"So what should we do? What do you think? I hope this all sounds likely, it sounds more and more like some of Father's stories of his travels... And he was so very clever."

His grin spreading further Eberron walked up and looked past the door where Masakazu had entered.

"Did you get lost that way? Looks scary... Perhaps there's a way back?"

Masakazu sighed, getting more and more stressed after hearing Eberron's situation. It was just as he had presumed; the pattern had repeated, and no one could say for sure that it was not to be repeated again. Their situation was one thing, but he thought of the crowds of people in the party room, which seemed so many miles away. And besides, they could die in here. His despair was slightly alleviated, however, by the spark of intelligence that had come out of nowhere in Eberron. At least he didn't seem like the lumbering Goron that he had wrongfully judged him to be - well, at least that was what he was thinking at the moment.

The Mage looked around, hoping to find a door stopper for the exit of the dungeon. He kicked at a nearby skull, curving the pathway of his foot so that the skull arched towards him. He grabbed it with a grimace, not too happy that he had to deal with dead, rotten bones - besides, this could have been him. With the door now slightly ajar, he could look around the dungeon.

Masakazu stepped towards Eberron.

"OK, this is what I think. The pale man is definitely the cause of all this. You truly did see him lead Zeze away, right? And she suddenly became not herself? That must mean he has some weird power to mess up with people's minds. I hope you agree with me that in order to prevent further kidnapping, we need to catch him. Like you said, he has an ulterior motive than flirting with the ladies."

The Mage began to dig through the bones - although he felt like he was committing some sacrilege - to look for anything he could use. Meanwhile, Masa talked over his shoulder,

"Yes; like you have suggested, we need a base to provide a foundation for our 'research'... I'm almost definite that we can find our way back to the tapestry easily with some light. So, let's grab a candle and a weapon and get out of here."

Maskazu, much to his disappointment, did not find any knives. However, he decided that a very long femur would do. Wielding himself with this savage device - and indeed he felt savage for even holding it - he grabbed a candle from the wall. As he did so, a loud screeching noise was heard from the distance.

Masa whipped around, all the hairs from his body rising. He shivered - it was the sound of metal grinding against metal... his ears still prickling from the cacophony, he pushed on the door with his back.

"Shall we?"

_______________________

Meanwhile, the pale young man was drifting back into the warm party room that was lit splendidly in golden light. The clinking of wine glass and the cheerful chatter of the crowd filled the room, and none of the revelers noticed the absence of the missing guests. His golden hair was no longer pale; indeed, it was even more brilliant than the sparkling lights.

His bored eyes swept the room, wondering - ah ha!

The young man's cold expression was replaced by one of pleasant warmth and suavity. He had spotted Shada, and her beauty was truly...charming. Her cheerful personality and vitality was absolutely delicious to behold.

He offered his hand, his perfect face very close to hers. No words were spoken; truly, his charm was radiating from every inch of his body. His eyes gazed at her seductively, his lips curled into a smile.

Well, it was certainly an odd feeling, having your shadow hijacked. Perhaps Burlo couldn't really feel it, but by Nayru he saw it happen and that was more than enough to send a shiver down his spine.

Now, how to help Zaris hide? This was certainly a conundrum. The Cleric himself looked extremely out of place, and there was no way he could outmaneuver or outwit the Sheikah.

So he did the most natural thing he could think of--eyelids closing and mouth dropping open, he fell asleep on his feet, the most unpleasant snores escaping his alcohol-lined lungs with regulated blasts of pungent air.

Keychain's mouth dropped open when she saw Zeze appear. "Zeze!? What--how--why are you here? Actually, I'm glad that you are here. I'm also trying to get out of this place. Maybe we could--what are you doing?" Keychain stared at Zeze oddly as she kicked the woven barrier. Just as she had thought, they were stuck in some place that had to be a fantasy world, or tried to be.

Watching Zeze, Keychain was confused. Why did she need gray? Her shoes had gray straps on them, but they were most likely back with Aqua. Or Masa, wherever he was. Rubbing her head, Keychain examined the world around her more closely. Could it be a realm of spirits? Where an envious man who cared too much for looks swept women away to? Shaking her head, Keychain concluded that was too out of the world.

"Why do you need gray?" Keychain questioned as she walked up to Zeze. "Is there a reason why do you? My mother use to tell me stories about situations like this. Only they always ended with either a witch saving the day or a heroic knight." Shrugging her shoulders, Keychain smiled. "But it won't end like that. I--I'm really not sure how to get out of here."

She gripped Zeze's arm. "Is it just me, or does everyone seem to be in a trance that they can't snap out of? And why is there only one man? Is he that desperate for a woman?"

Eberron stared at Masakazu quietly as he grabbed the skull and moved towards him and gave his explanation and plan of attack.

"Please don't touch that..."

Eberron muttered quietly, barely hearing himself. He was also beginning to lose sense of what Masakazu was saying, but he managed to pick out something to do with Zeze and controlling minds or... flirting? That word sounded familiar, but he couldn't place it. Whatever it was, from the way he said it, Eberron presumed that the man who had taken Zeze away had some unpleasant motive. He was beginning to focus once again on the problem at hand, and his smile began to return to his face until he saw Masakazu begin to dig through the bones. Instantly the smile dropped. Sudden flashes of his father's corpse blazed through his mind like a fire through a forest, setting old memories that he had hoped wouldn't need visiting again for some time now alight. Burning images into his mind, Eberron looked down at the man ferreting through the bones and felt a deep anger flooding his heart and threatening to consume him. To Eberron's horror, Masakazu finally stood up saying something about candles and weapons, holding a bone from the dead in his hand like some kind of cudgel. Stepping calmly forwards, Eberron's eyes had a strange tint to them as he looked directly at Masakazu, his hand gripping the man's shoulder perhaps a little too tightly.

"Please. Don't do that. The dead deserve respect."

Silently bending down to the pile of now scattered bones he carefully rearranged them into some form of pattern, separating as best as he could tell the parts that belonged to different people. Not completely satisfied, by deciding that it was the best he could do for now, Eberron stood up. Muttering something about how his friend was grateful for the gift even in death, only when he was completely done did Eberron pick a candle from the room, holding it in front of him, ignoring the odd metallic noise. As suddenly as the odd feeling had taken hold of him, it was gone and Eberron's eyes began to sparkle happily again. His face beamed at Masakazu as his usual grin spread across his face.

"Well then, let's go! Scary darkness ahead!"

Smiling in his cheerful, simple way, Eberron nodded at his companion.

"You came here, so I guess you know what to look for in a way back. I'll follow! We can be friends at least until this thing is over, right?"

OOC: A combination of surgery, recovery, beer and lack of receiving a topic reply notification has prevented me from actually posting here in 4 pages. Although none of you are directly responsible for any of the issues, It is my personal opinion that Alpha is to blame.

IC: Evidently, Kasei had been to focused on Silva's large...eyes...to notice any of the strange going-ons that were going on. Truthfully, it was not often that The Rebel Flame had an opportunity to dance with Silva, so he decided to enjoy it for now, twirling in a dance of fire and wind that was like a divine waltz to all that beheld it.

Meanwhile, elsewhere in the party, Denkou has been enjoying himself as he collected various items from the party-goers, every few minutes, however, Aria would catch up to the scoundrel, and forced him to return the objects to their owners.

Even more elsewhere, it would appear that Jack has, once again, stumbled upon Aqua. "Hello." He said, extending an ice-cold hand out to great her. "I do not believe I got a name from you before your dissapearance, I am Jack."

OoC: I'm trying, Saki >.> I can't be responsible for lack of 3rd party cooperation.

IC: "Alpha!" Arrika chased after the mage. Her eyes had not fully acclimated to the dark, and she cringed as she felt them flash to red then back to a dark coal color. That seemed to happen a lot more lately, usually with an insight to the past she had forgotten... whether by lack of coincidence or distracted by Alpha's odd behavior, no memories came flashing back to her of life with her mother in the picturesque cottage.

"Alpha!" she cried out again, running through the streets, and every now and then she thought she saw a flicker of his cloak just a few feet ahead of her. It wasn't safe to be alone at this time of night, with thieves running amuck- oh, who was she kidding, chances were she might mistake Alpha for a normal middle-class citizen and mug him if she had the chance.

All joking aside she began to realize how far away she was from the warmth and safety of the party- but she had to find Alpha! Strange, how loyal to him she'd suddenly become. If she had half a brain she'd turn right around and head back to the party that second. Who knew what crazy escapades she was missing?

=========

A woman in pink silks lumbered up and grabbed Key's shoulders, shaking her roughly. "You, girl, I saw you- at the party- how in Din's name did you end up here?!" she huffed in a hysterical tone.

Ooc: you had surgery? I hope you're feeling fine now...

dang, now i gotta edit...thanks arrika... hahahah jk... ^^

IC:

What...?

Masakazu stared with a dumbfound expression on his face as the Goron angrily grabbed his shoulder and muttered something to him - to the bones?! Then to top off the show, Eberron was all smiles and offers of friendly arrangements. Wasn't he supposed to be disgusted by Masa's behavior? Truly, the Mage had to admit that the whole femur thing was disrespectful to the dead; however, it was a matter of life and death for them at the moment.

He didn't know the history, the feelings, nor the thoughts of Eberron, and therefore he couldn't help but be confused at the almost bipolar nature of his new companion.
Because it couldn't be helped at the moment, Masa silently opened the door and put a finger to his lips. The Goron's voice was already echoing and bouncing off the walls... if there were things in the cave with them, they were pretty much screwed.

As Masa stepped outside into the dark, his lit candle suddenly was devoured by the dark. He stared - the flickering bright light that had given small warmth to him just a few seconds ago was now replaced by the blackness. He whipped around, and saw that Eberron's candle had also been blown out. It was not as if the cold wind had whipped off the small flame; no, he was pretty certain that it had just merely...disappeared... It was so dark that even if he had put his hand right in front of his face, he would not have seen it.

His stomach lurched painfully, cold fear gripping his heart. The dark was frightening. It was crushing down on him. It was going to devour him. His breathing increased rapidly, his pupils dilating quickly. Masakazu called out to Eberron,

"Reach out your arm!"

His voice was almost a shriek; he was afraid. He didn't know if he could make it all the way back to the tapestry anymore. Black despair was his puppeteer; he couldn't think clearly anymore and he even wondered if he was going to go crazy. He whispered hoarsely,

"Eberron...I can't walk...or see...help..."

He was afraid that some cold hand was going to grab at him, pull him away... it was almost like being frightened of ghosts, but it was more like the horror of the unexpected.
________________________________

Zeze's anger dissolved into the air, and her scowl had been replaced by a beam of delight at the sight of Keychain. However, she didn't cease in pulling out the strands of gray, scratching at some invisible weaved rug with her nails.

"Key-Key! Darling! How so pleasant to see you... I just need gray to make myself a sword... it doesn't have to be gray, of course, but it's just so traditional that way. I figure that if this whole world is made of this stuff, then we can weave it into some sorta item of our desire, and use it. It's an abstract thought, of course, but it's worth a try. Why don't you be a dear and pull out that lovely pink from the healthy looking woman there?"

The Bard scrunched up her eyebrows, hard at work. She had now completed her mission in getting a desirable amount of gray - the woman had now a patch of baldness on her head - and was wondering how to make a sword out of it.

She waved her arms around, testing out the "air". It felt as if she was lying on - but of course, she was standing...? - a patch of weaved fabric. She pushed the strand into another one, getting it to loop around the invisible patch. It was almost like cross stitching, except a lot harder because she didn't have any needles.

Zeze was never a tailor of any kind, and she kept messing up. Her mouth twisted into a frustrated grimace. Goddesses, I thought this would be a simple party - I need to get back to the festivity! I had some games planned for the couples... She punched the 'air', screaming out swear words on the top of her lungs. She was so angry! So many hours spent for planning on this simple party...and now all ruined!

Just as her anger was reaching the boiling point, the hysterical woman came lumbering towards her Key-Key and started shaking the innocent girl. That was the last straw; Zeze snapped,

"You, pink beast! What the hell do you think you're doing abusing a girl like that?! I don't even know why you're here in the first place... don't tell me the young man tried to seduce you?!"

OOC: Kasei, you surprise me. Being a member for as long as you have, I'd expect you to know that around here, we blame everything on KP.

IC:
Zaris couldn't help but snicker at Burlo's attempt at 'hiding' him - falling asleep while standing up was far from an inconspicuous action. Even so, it didn't much matter, as Alpha immediately took to the streets, shouting for his master in a hopeless plea for his return. Zaris knew it; Alpha knew it: he had already exposed himself far too much tonight, and unless he wanted to call a swarm of Hakiems onto the city of Ruto, it was best that the Golden Sheikah stayed hidden from sight for several days.

Still Alpha charged into the night, disregarding any safety concerns - honestly, if a thief came at him he could dispatch the annoyance in an instant - as well Arrika's pleas for him to stop. "Master!" he called again as he came to an intersection in the roads, slowing down for a moment as he analyzed the area and tried to think of which direction Zaris would have gone . . .

He kept slowing, his mind suddenly a whirl of excitement mixed with confusion . . .

And suddenly the realization hit him, the same one Zaris had acknowledged in the minutes before: 'He's not going to reveal himself.'

He came to a stop at last, standing in the direct center of the junction, slowly becoming aware of Arrika's cries as another one brushed past his ears. It was foolish of her to have followed him; she was a thief herself, and no doubt knew what kind of reception she would get from such vultures as those living in Ruto. If they saw a beautiful girl in a revealing dress running down the road, alone and not focusing on her surroundings, well . . . it shamed the Sheikah to think that he had caused her to place herself at such risk.

Even more shameful was how she had done it for someone like himself, a man she didn't even know that well. Here he was, trying to help the innocent survive and even thrive in this cruel reality, and he had given into his own selfish desires for a moment, endangering her as a result.

Head held low, he slowly turned around once he felt her presence enter the range of a few meters from him, sighing as he looked up with his crimson eyes. His face was an odd joining of remorse at bringing her this far from the party, and regret at not finding his master here. "Sorry . . ." he slowly stated, bowing his head to her in apology. When he looked back at her again, though, his mask had been firmly reattached, forcing himself to realize how futile his search had been and just taking comfort in the fact that Arrika had not been hurt as a result of his own stupidity. "Thought I'd finally found him," he said with a chuckle, though a bit of regret still lingering in his tone.

"We should head back to the party," he said firmly after a few more moments; this time it was not a suggestion, but a kindly spoken order. He was heading back regardless, to try and soothe his newly reopened spiritual wounds by surrounding himself with frivolity and happiness. He was still unaware of the harm that such surroundings could bring his soul, but even had he known he likely would have still returned, so saddened was he by missing the chance to reunite with Master Zaris. So he was going back . . . and he wasn't about to leave her out here alone.

He reached out and took her hand, leading his fellow Sheikah back the way they had come.

* * *

Although Shada had been all smiles for several minutes now, inwardly she was still so disappointed she could hardly think straight. The beer had obviously been even more potent than she had predicted, seeing as it had made Sakiko collapse on the ground. It was such a pain that she hadn't even had time for the alcohol to take effect and alter her mental state to the point where she'd have made a fool of herself! Well, at least she was well hidden from the sight of most party-goers; from the entrance of the building she could probably be seen fairly easily, but the decorations had all but shielded her small frame from the view of the main lobby.

It gave her plenty of time to think, without having dozens of people rushing to her side, trying to help her up. Unfortunately, it also meant that she would have to kill the girl in a subtle way, and that was no fun . . . heck, she probably shouldn't even wait for Sakiko to regain consciousness, but instead slay her right now. To think that the girl had dared take to the dance floor with Keyru! The nerve of some girls!

Come to think of it, she hadn't seen Keyru around for several minutes -

Abruptly, a man was standing before her, and the vision she gazed upon caused her mind to go completely numb, so awestruck was she by the ethereal being smiling her way. Where he had come from, she didn't know, nor did she suddenly care - his face was only a few inches from hers, allowing her to study it so closely that it sent her heart straight to her throat, leaving her incapable of speech for several long moments.

A blonde, a gorgeous man who so dazzled the chamber that he almost seemed to float in the light cascading out of him . . . that was the only way she could describe him. Her body react almost without her knowledge or understanding of the situation, a blush running throughout her face as her right hand slowly rose upwards to meet his own. She had no comprehension of anything else at the moment; it was though the entire world around her had gone black and white, and only this shining figure retained any need to be focused on.

And yet, for some reason, she stopped.

"I-I-I'm s-s-s-sorry," the words slowly slipped through her lips, again, unable to control her actions. Her hand froze, tugged between one subconscious desire to take his hand and an opposing force which commanded she leave it by her side. "I'm w-w-with someone, I'm af-afraid. I should wait for him t-t-to get back."

And immediately she felt a dagger of regret tearing through her side, so painful that she felt like collapsing to the ground. And yet her legs refused to give in, strengthened by the fact that if she fell, there was no way she could go with this man. And yet they refused to go with him, because of the single thought of her own that continued to resound through her head.

'Keyru . . . Keyru . . . Keyru . . . Keyru . . .'

Arrika let her arms fall to her sides, breathless. As if on the flip of a switch, Alpha had returned to his former, calm self.

"Sorry..."

It stung to see him act this way.

"No. It's alright. I... I understand." And that was the truth. "I've done the same."

As she let him lead her back to the party, her thoughts were less concentrated on the fact that she held his hand, but but more on how stupid she must have looked. Then again, this hadn't been the first time she'd run blindly into the dark after someone. How was it, in a moment that should have been light and cheerful, that memories of Kobas returned to plague her?

She loved holding Kobas' hand, or just being near him. Or, at least, she used to. There had been something about him... just the light pressure of his hand had given her the feeling that she would always be safe, that she would always have someone to come home to.

The thief couldn't help but compare Alpha to the blue-haired rogue. Kobas' hands were thinner, quicker, the joints more defined... the palms cooler than the mage's, and the grip never as tight. Maybe it was because Kobas was always sure that he never had to do much to make her obey him, just a simple nudge in any direction. Kobas was always right.

"I think... that it won't do any good to go chasing after him," Arrika said slowly, breaking the silence. "If he wants to reveal himself to you, he'll do so in his own time. I learned that the hard way."

A year wasted, almost two, spent fruitlessly searching for Kobas. And in the end, when she had found him- or rather, he found her... she wished she hadn't. Innocence was indeed bliss.

"So... not to pry... but what is so important about your Teacher to you?" The real question, one she dared not ask, was much more blunt- Is it worth it to chase after someone you may not even know?

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

The aforementioned 'pink beast' (LOL, SAKI) promptly dropped Key to the ground as if she were a sack of rubbish, and drew herself up to appear grander, of course only succeeding in making herself seem... wider. "I, my dear, am the Countess de Salisbury, and was not seduced." She spat out the last word as if it were exceedingly dirty. "I merely waltzed with the man. What a fine man he was, too. The rest is rather... a dream...." She drew a fan from her hip and waved it at her face furiously.

By now the silhouette of the man has disappeared, leaving behind a grayish imprint on the scenery and blue sky. The kneeling women rise, dazed and confused, like wandering ghosts. Some of them sit back down, as if exhausted by just the thought of moving around, but a few gather around the newcomers, firing questions at them.

"Who are you?"
"What year is it?!"
"Where has he gone? I simply can't live without him!"
"My dear, are you making... a sword?"

Alpha was silent for most of the way back to the building where the party was being hosted, even after Arrika had asked several questions that, by all rights, she probably deserved to have answered. After leading her off on this wild goose chase after a man that he probably should have known was long gone, it was the least he could do for the girl. Yet he really wasn't sure how or even if he should answer that particular question . . .

He came to a stop just a few meters from the door, still holding her by the hand as he turned to face her. "I'm sure you're right," he said after a few seconds. "In time, he'll return, when it is no longer an endangerment to others for him to be out in the open." His expression faltered, however, as he considered what that would mean. "But . . ." he slowly continued, conscious of the fact that he had not yet revealed the true reason for his search to anyone; even close allies like Dogura, Malciore, or Tayro had never been privy to his real motivation.

And yet he felt compelled to share it with the thief. Perhaps he'd have felt a similar feeling had the others ever asked the same question. ". . . I need his help. With his power, I can destroy, or at least repress, a curse that has haunted me for far too long." He stopped there; that was the basics behind what needed to be said, and if he delved too deep into the subject, darker truths would no doubt crop up, and he would either have to answer or make her highly suspicious of his motives. And he didn't want to someone as determined as a thief interested in something like his past.

In the midst of the silence that followed, he realized that he couldn't reenter the party with a gloomy face like the one he was wearing. With a deep breath, he shut his eyes and his features seemed to visibly change - this time it was a noticeable transformation, as it took several seconds longer and was therefore not as instantaneous for his mask to be firmly fixed over his face. As Arrika watched, she would see for herself how he forced his lips to spread out in the shape of a smile, how he worked to unfurrow his brow and rid it of the signs of heavy concentration, how his stance slowly became more erect and gentlemanly.

And then there he was again, no longer showing any remorse over the actions he had taken in the past few minutes, instead bearing a cheery smile that touched her soul, eyes locked on her own with a pleasantly warm and endearing gaze. "I should really thank you, Arrika," his voice said with a chipper note. "Your concern was unnecessary, but I do appreciate it. It means a lot to have such kindness and caring in a companion." His face turned seductively endearing once more, winking at her. "Especially one so beautiful as yourself."

With his cape fluttering behind him, the Sheikah strolled into the establishment once again, taking care to look around and take note of any changes that might have taken place since he'd last been in here. It must have been at least half an hour since he'd initially fallen unconscious . . . Most people were dancing or talking off to the side; even Shada, it seemed, was distracted from his return by a strange man, one who, to Alpha, just seemed to give off an odd vibe that made him somewhat uncomfortable . . .

Then his eyes fell on her. He pointed to the staircase, mouth dropping open in shock as he looked back to Arrika. "Is that Sakiko?!" he called to the thief, wanting confirmation before dashing to the girl passed out on the stairwell.

Eberron felt a chill run down his spine as his candle began to fade and finally disappear from sight in a most unnatural way. Blinking in the pitch black, Eberron looked around himself calmly as if expecting to find some form of light shining around his surroundings that he had somehow missed. He heard his friend calling out to him, his voice lowering to a whisper that tugged at his heart.

"Don't worry."

Eberron felt a strange feeling of comfort, at least he could be of some use. He was reminded of himself not so many years ago. Left alone half the year every year in the dark to wait for his father's return, completely alone...

"You don't have to be scared. There's nothing here to be worried about. It's like the monster under the bed. Think, if our pale man had the power to harm us directly in the dark he'd have done it while you were alone earlier. He wouldn't have let us meet each other, and letting us meet was his biggest mistake."

Reaching out his arms and slowly moving them in his search for his friend Eberron continued to speak.

"I'm going to keep talking, so listen to where my voice is coming from and tell me if it sounds like I'm getting closer. Like a hot and cold game."

Despite himself Eberron chuckled. For all he knew Masakazu could be a couple of steps away from him and this whole thing seemed particularly silly to him suddenly.

"Hiding in the dark is the weapon of someone weak. Why hide and sneak in the dark? Why put someone in the dark? To scare them, and make them stupid and panic. So let's not do that eh? If someone here thinks they can scare me they've got another thing coming! I spent most of my life hiding alone in the dark, waiting for father. There's nothing left to scare me in the dark, especially as we're not alone."

Finally finding what he presumed was Masakazu, he lightly tapped him.

"It's me. Tag you're it."

Giggling childishly, he waved his spare hand before realising that even he couldn't see it so the action was rather futile.

"Sorry. Little joke. So let's think about this? Do you have anything on you that could show us some light briefly? I think this is the work of magic... I wish I could use magic. But that doesn't seem available to us now, though fire would be welcome at this point. Perhaps we can find the exit together? Hold onto me. I will reach out and lead us to a wall... Then we can follow the passage! After all, if there's a tapestry or exit here, it must be attached to a wall. We'll find our way out eventually. And heaven help this man when we find him, huh?"

Masakazu swallowed dryly, listening to Eberron's voice as carefully as a child would to the voice of his protector. He vaguely surmised that he would regret his actions later - after all, no grown man should shudder in such fright as the dark. But the dark - it wasn't the same as walking in the forest at night, when on could barely see his own feet - now, in this cave, the pitch black had something so artificial and planned about it...

He felt a warm wave of gratitude washing his entire being; he was glad that it was Eberron that he was stuck with at the moment. Had it been someone like...Sakiko... he shivered involuntarily; she would chastise him for his weakness. The light tap from the Goron did not surprise him at all. He found it comforting and strong; Eberron's own strength fortified him against the clawing panic that had begun to rise up again. He tried to forget his doubts and tried to focus on his goal, as Eberron was suggesting at the moment.

He knew that the Goron was near, and so he reached out his arm to grab his companion's. Masakazu murmured,

"Thanks, Eberron. You're a mysterious guy, you know that?"

Masakazu's steps began to lose its heaviness as they walked on in the darkness. He lost track of time - they had been walking for awhile, and what seemed to be in the right direction. It had not taken that much time before, but perhaps it was because he had been running?

SLAM!

Suddenly, Eberron felt bars of cold metal crash against his body. It felt like a cage, composed of long, thick iron barring them from further investigation. Masakazu released Eberron's arm, and carefully began to run his hands along the new discovery. It was cold...

He began to sob dryly, shaking the bars.

The entrance to the tapestry had been blocked.

_______________________

Zeze ignored the "Countess de Salisbury" and worked feverishly at the sword. She had at last looped the last strand of string to create a rather crooked weapon when the women around the young man began to rise.

She grabbed the sword, running towards where the man had been - had been?! She began to slash at the barrier in despaired fury, wondering what was going to happen to them now.

_________________

The young man's charming countenance was replaced immediately with one that of devilish malice. His eyes - now more colored and dark - narrowed, almost turning into slits. He said not a word, backing away with a slight hiss.

He disappeared into the dancing crowd, turning his head to give a last look at Shada. Or at least what one would hope to be the last he would ever give to the beautiful Sheikah.