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Ice Meadow
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“N-No need to apologize…” You reply to her with a sniffle, a little smirk on your face trying to attest to your wellbeing “You saved me there; thank you for the help.”
“I’d be happy to go to your home.” By now you’ve managed to stem your tears, although the redness of your eyes betrays what little façade you manage to put up. “Please, lead the way.”
Tabitha’s face lit up, a grin revealing her canines, a bolstering of her crestfallen mood “You won’t regret it, I swear.”
“C’mon, let’s get out of here.” She laughs, grabbing you by the hand and tugging you forward once more, but this time it’s a playful pull “My house is only a few more blocks away, not too far at all!”
You go along willingly, somberly looking back for a moment at that silent alley, that unremarkable place where you murdered another human being. It quickly melts away in the urban landscape, forgotten amidst the hundreds of thousands of other alleyways just like it.
As she leads you on the streets become wider, turning into avenues, the houses becoming older and farther spread apart. You meet fewer and fewer people as the neighborhoods get nicer; you can only deduce you’re leaving the epicenter of the event and everyone else has caught on and decided to barricade themselves in, or perhaps it’s simply gotten that late, or maybe in these sorts of neighborhoods no one goes out at night. In the distance you can see plumes of smoke being licked by orange flame, and occasionally an explosion tears through the air, but regardless of what’s happening, you can tell you’re getting farther and farther away.
Eventually you reach a neighborhood where all the residences are truly old, the haunts of the aristocratic, more akin to manors than houses. Tabitha eventually leads you to one of the largest ones, a walled off residence lined with hedges, at its center a towering three story mansion. It gives off the air of an abandoned home, but you can tell someone’s inside, by the presence of lights in some windows and smoke billowing from a chimney.
“Come in, come in!” She urges as we step up to a small side gate, using a little key to open the padlock.
Tentatively you step in first, only to be amazed by what you see: an old courtyard made of stone, overgrown with vines and weeds, a little fountain filled with stagnant water, a rose garden overgrown with thorns. Standing prominently before you was that ancient manor, appearing more imposing and intimidating than it originally appeared outside.
“Mikelus is waiting,” Tabitha tugs at your sleeve, snapping it out of your awe. “I want to catch him before he falls asleep.”
Without giving you a chance to respond she leads on once more, opening a pair of old oaken doors. The foyer is what you would expect from a ridiculous mansion; vast and expansive, a marble floor and a great chandelier hanging above, the second floor looming down upon all those that entered. To the left and right were great portals that led to the auditorium and dining area. There was sparse artwork or displays upon the floor; the bare ebony walls were testimony to that.
Again, Tabitha pulls out of your wonder by dragging you up the stairs and to the second floor, a room to the right. Leading you down a maze of hallways you eventually end at another pair of great oaken doors. She pushes them open gently, as though measuring to see whether or not her intrusion would be seen.
“You’re a bit late, Tabitha.” A voice calls out, from what you can gather of its volume and timbre, it probably belonged to a boy.
“Sorry Mikelus, something terrible happened…” She responds, fully opening the door and stepping into the firelight. “And I picked up someone new.”
From the vast array of shelves of books, walls lined with tomes so high as to require a ladder to reach them, you can only assume this is the library. At the room’s far end was a great roaring fire, at which several thrones stood. In one of them was a boy, you guess your age, perhaps younger, intent on scrying a manuscript.
“Someone new? Do come in then.” He urges, setting his book down and finally giving you some modicum of attention “She looks like she just came off the streets, Tabitha.”
“Well, she did. At least, I think she did.” Tabitha replied, taking her coat off and hanging it from a nearby coat hanger, leaving her foci on a shelf and letting it scurry off to some corner of the library. “You can leave your sack right there.”
You do as you’re told, leaving your sack full of clothing and assorted fruits at the coat hanger’s base before addressing the boy “My name is Samantha Kerrinton…”
“Samantha, hmm? Cute name.” He ponders for a moment as Tabitha strode over “I am Mikelus Deus. Might I ask what your little friend’s name is?”
“Ah, erm, this is Professor Cattington…” You introduce, displaying the doll, but he remains silent. “C’mon Cattington, say something…”
“Hrm, that’s curious, but it’s fine. I’m sure my Tartarus is laying about here somewhere.” He chuckles, then beckons me to come closer “Here, come closer, where the fire is warm, I’m sure you’re quite chilly in those rags.”
“Sorry love, I didn’t find it.” Tabitha interrupts, kissing Mikelus on the cheek “Samantha on the other hand, we’re fortunate we found her. Rather terrible things are happening in the city. She has no idea at all about anything.”
“I-I only found The Professor today, not more than a few hours ago, so…” You add on as you approach, enjoying the heat from the flame. “…You could say I was just born…”
“Ah, I see. Well, you can tell me about whatever’s going on outside later.” Mikelus leans back in his chair, leaning against his cheek, Tabitha standing to his side “For now, I’m sure you’ve got many questions and no answers, if your partner’s silence is any indication.”
“Well, I was wondering…” You begin, squeezing Professor Cattington with a tinge of annoyance.
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