01<@Ardweden> [Day: Monday/Tuesday, September 20/21. Time: Midnight.] 01<@Ardweden> [You awaken in the Haven. It is as you left it, except the light coming through the stained glass windows is unusually bright (in that much light's coming through at all). Not much more to say here.] 01<@Ardweden> [Session Start!] 06* Imp groans as he gets up, stretching, hopping around. 06* Kali wakes up in the haven as well. Her upper right arm reaches for her sword and draws it as she checks it over and the resheathes it. It seems almost subconscious. 06* Hien is pacing around, claws clicking on the floor. If the floor wasn't made of something that claws would click against before, it is now! 01<@Ardweden> [The floor is marble tile, so she's good!] So now what dragon face? 06* Kali notices Hien pacing and speaks out, ignoring Imp. "Hey, relax. This is just the first few nights, right? We've got time if it's like the others..." We 'ad best not wait too long, 'owever. 06* Susano-o surfaces near a pillar, and straightens in his armor, looking about the space. Seems normal enough. 06* Hien snorts a bit of smoke. "Well, we go out there and scout... and yeah, I know. At the very least we can do some recon." Do you really want us all in her dreams? Exactly. We've got to know what we're up against. You're better than the alternative. 06* Kali then looks directly at Imp with that statement. Piercing into his *soul*. 01<@Ardweden> [Kali's look doesn't actually pierce Imp's soul. She hasn't bought that attack yet.] The downside, of course, is that this involves me actually needing to know where we're going. 06* Hien gives a gravelly chuckle. No, the downside is us in the dreams. You should have went alone yourself. 06* Hien looks at Imp. "If you don't want to come, you can wake up." Otherwise, I actually appreciate the help. This is a thing that might be too big for me to face alone, and I'd rather have backup and a better chance of knowing we'll succeed. I don't want to take chances. 06* Kali looks over at Imp. "You *really* gotta stop telling people what they should and shouldn't do, Imp." Or would you rather we let you take care of Tony's dream by yourself? You 'ave my sword, if it 'elps. 06* Susano-o nods to Hien. "That's fine. If you want us there, we're there." No, just saying it's early and who knows what I'll see in there. 06* Kali nods and half smiles at Hien. "You have me by your side, if you want me, Hien." 06* Hien looks at the rest of them. "Thanks, guys. I really do appreciate it." She smiles, which may or may not be all that comforting because, hey, really sharp teeth. 06* Hien then looks at Imp. "If you see something that looks like a closet, let me go in first." 06* Imp breaks out laughing. "Skeletons or your sister in that closet, which is worse? You got me. I promise not to use this in the real world." 06* Susano-o looks nonplussed at Hien's comment, and then somewhat unsettled. 06* Hien rolls her eyes at Imp, then heads for the door. "Okay, let's go." 06* Susano-o follows behind! 06* Kali looks over at Imp with a bit of a look of half-disappointment. Really bad joke there. 01<@Ardweden> [Just as Hien puts her hand on the handle, you hear someone clearing their throat behind you.] 06* Joan follows Hien! 06* Joan doesn't follow Hien yet! 06* Imp spins around to look! 06* Kali makes her way to step through the door, then stops and checks behind her. 06* Hien does not turn the handle, and instead turns around. 01<@Ardweden> [The Walrus is there! Only it's a cat in a hat! Well, ANYWAY, he's standing there, both paws on his cane and tail twitching behind him. "I would be careful tonight if I were you. It is quite dangerous if you're unprepared."] 06* Kali looks at the Walrus for a moment and considers that. "Something to do with the night or the area?" Is it something specific? 06* Susano-o turns around as well, concerned. 06* Imp doesn't fling a fireball at the walrus. Instead he just glares daggers. 06* Joan partially bows. "Monsieur Walrus." 01<@Ardweden> [He removes his plumed hat and bows with a flourish to Joan. "Madame d'Arc." His hat goes back on his head. "Just that walls are... weaker tonight. I'm not sure how to explain it, but imaginations are bleeding more than usual. I was just working on cleaning it when you showed up." He smiles, showing his sharp kitty teeth. "I figured I would warn you."] 01<@Ardweden> [Meanwhile, Imp glares, and between him and the Walrus, a pair of sharp daggers appear in the air, right about Imp-face level, pointy end at the cat. They clatter to the ground. The Walrus pays them no mind.] 06* Kali nods and bows her head a little. "It's appreciated. Thank you." 06* Imp clenches his jaw together and forces out "Thank You". 06* Joan eyes them. "I see. Can we 'elp?" 06* Hien blinks at the daggers, then looks at the Walrus. "Wacky. Thank you for the warning. Is there anything we can do about it?" 06* Susano-o looks startled at the daggerfall, and stares at the daggers. 01<@Ardweden> ["I would be delighted for some help! But I'm not certain how you'd be able to yet." He taps his chin with a paw. "Why don't you continue on your way for now, and if anything comes up, I'll let you know."] 01<@Ardweden> [They're a pair of plain looking but perfectly usable daggers.] 06* Susano-o goes to pick one of them up warily. 06* Joan nods. 01<@Ardweden> [It's got some decent weight to it!] Thanks, I'd appreciate that. We'll be extra careful tonight. 06* Hien does not look at Imp when she says that, oh no. I suppose we'd best get going then 06* Imp is ignoring the daggers and trying to ignore the cat in the hat, but he can't stop himself. Still, through clenched teeth, "Can you show the way?" 06* Susano-o looks at the Walrus curiously. "And can I take these?" 01<@Ardweden> ["And I appreciate the offer." He spins his cane, and it turns into a cat-sized broom on the third rotation. "And no, I'm afraid not - I'm much too busy right now. I'm wasting precious time just speaking with you. And they're not mine to give, Susano-O."] 01<@Ardweden> [That done, the Walrus reaches up into his hat and pulls himself in. The hat hovers in the air for a moment, then falls gently to the floor.] Zen we won't trouble you anymore. Adieu, monsieur Walruscat. 01<@Ardweden> ["My pleasure as always, Madame d'Arc!" the Walrus says (though the cat's no longer there), his voice echoing in the room.] 06* Susano-o picks up the other dagger. "Thanks." He hefts them. "So whose are they? Does anyone mind if I take them? They... they feel nice. Good heft." Take them. They didn't stab the horror from beyond. 06* Imp sounds disappointed, barely. 06* Hien lifts a hand, extends her claws, then retracts them. "I think I'm good on pointy weapon type things." 06* Susano-o smiles at Hien, and then nods. "Okay. So I'll take them. Should we go?" 06* Kali watches Susano-o for a moment then stands over near Hien. "Whatever it is, it doesn't sound good...I hope it's not affecting the dream..." We'll just have to be super-careful. If it looks really bad, we can turn back for tonight. NO. 06* Susano-o nods, then looks at the Imp, confused. "No?" 06* Hien reaches for the door handle again, and barring any- oh, wait, there's something. She turns and looks back at Imp. "What?" 06* Imp is now glaring at Hien. "No. If it's really bad we don't turn back. It means your sister is in danger." Fine. Thanks. 06* Hien turns back, turns the handle, and flings the door open. 01<@Ardweden> [Hien flings the door open, and instead of the familiar gray mist you all are used to, it's red. Like, glowing, alternating orange-ish, brown-ish red.] That looks really, really bad. 06* Kali frowns. "Imp has a bit of a point...but if we're in danger too..." 06* Susano-o looks at the color. "Yeah. That does look... sick." Let's hope it doesn't hiccup us out then. Let's go. 06* Hien growls a bit, then steps out into the mist. 06* Kali steps in shortly after Hien. 06* Susano-o holds the door for the others! 06* Imp follows. 06* Joan follows as well, and in addition to! 06* Susano-o heads through last! 01<@Ardweden> [You step out into the night and end up on the roof of what may well be a skyscraper. The wind screams around you, and lightning laces the sky. It's... precarious. All around you, the stars seem to literally be falling, the city - at least, that's what it looks like it is - a sea of sparkling lights below. On the horizon you see another sea.] 06* Susano-o opens his eyes wide, and squeezes the hilt one of the daggers. "Where did you take us, Hien?" 06* Imp hops back from the ledge and looks around. I'm not entirely sure I did this... 06* Kali blinks as her eyes adjust to the lights. She seems a bit transfixed for a moment and wobbles before taking her gaze away and looking around. "...okay, this is new." None of this looks looks familiar at all, but.... 06* Hien closes her eyes for a moment. "...I feel Natalie." Good. Where to? Down? 06* Hien points towards the city. "Somewhere down there." Her ears droop a bit. "I know that's not much to go on, but it's what I'm feeling at the moment." 01<@Ardweden> [The stars continue to fall, adding to the lights below... they don't seem to burn out when they hit the ground; instead, they burn even more brightly.] can you fly us? That's... down there? Not just in the building? It doesn't look so safe. With the stars. 06* Kali grips the edge of the building. "Maybe there's a way down through the building...?" She looks for a staircase down or something. I can, but I'd have to make multiple trips. A way down through the building sounds better. 06* Hien joins Kali in searching. 01<@Ardweden> [There is a door in from the roof, yes.] 06* Joan points at it. "Per'aps zis way?" Yes. I'd rather not randomly teleport into the floor making my way down the quick way. 06* Hien nods and walks over to the door. 06* Susano-o shudders. "Yeah. We can handle stairs." He looks at Hien uncertainly. "At least, most of us." 06* Imp shrugs. "Fine if you want to do it the boring way." Fine. You go the exciting way. No one's stopping you. Hit a falling star on your way down, why don'tcha? 06* Imp shrugs and heads over to the edge and dives off. 06* Susano-o heads over to the door to hold it again for people. 06* Kali looks at Hien. "If you can't fit, you can go that way too...we'll try and meet you down below." She goes through the doorway, ducking to enter if need be." 06* Joan heads thataway. If they can fit in, she probably can too. 01<@Ardweden> [Hien could fit, but not easily. It'd be a little uncomfortable, really.] 06* Hien eyes the stairs. "Yeah, that might not be the best idea for me. Meet you at the bottom." 06* Susano-o nods. "Okay. Be safe, Hien." 06* Susano-o heads down the stairs behind the girls! 01<@Ardweden> [Susano-O, Kali, and Joan head down the stairs! There's a mist there, too, but instead of barring the way and obstructing all view like it normally does, it's kind of... lying low, a foot off of each step, like some sort of bizarre low-lying indoor fog. More seems to bleed out from the corners of the walls and ceilings, but it never rises much, for some reason.] 06* Hien heads to the edge of the building, spreads her wings, and takes off. 06* Joan heads down the stairs, peering at it thoughtfully. "Hmm." 06* Kali frowns a little and looks at the stairwell. Is it like a building stairwell going back and forth as it makes its way down? 06* Susano-o waits just inside the door for a beat, then starts down towards Kali. Have to get down somehow. 01<@Ardweden> [It's just like a building stairwell, at least right now, lit with a dull yellow light. There are doors to different floors, but the numbers are jumbled something fierce.] 06* Kali ports down a level or two, sticking to where she can see, to see if the fog changes any. 06* Susano-o sighs a little, and takes up the rear. 01<@Ardweden> [Kali ends up in a place where the fog turned from brownish to orangeish, and she's struck by the humidity, which is cranked up to eleven. Unpleasant.] 06* Kali frowns. "It's getting worse..." 06* Susano-o calls down, "Does it seem safe?" Safe enough...just...not comfortable. Okay. Well. We still have to go down, though. 06* Susano-o keeps walking down towards her. 06* Kali nods and ports down the stairwell further. 01<@Ardweden> [As Susano-O and Joan reach the humid floor, Kali reaches a floor that's far more comfortable (good), but she can hear snarling and growling (bad) coming from the door to the hallway. It makes her hair stand on end.] 06* Susano-o puts both daggers in one hand and tries to adjust the armor to be somewhat cooler rather unsuccessfully. 01<@Ardweden> [It's pretty darned uncomfortable for both Susano-O and Joan, what with the heavy armor and all. :/] 06* Kali frowns a little. Susano-O can hear her drawing her swords from down below. 06* Susano-o tries to hurry on, anyway. "Are you okay?" Zis is somewhat uncomfortable. 06* Kali 's eyes narrow and she has a bit of a low determination in her voice. "I'm fine...but there's growling." 01<@Ardweden> [The door on Kali's floor shakes violently as something crashes into it. Both Joan and Susano-O hear that.] 06* Joan frowns, drawing her sword. It's shiny. 06* Kali steps back away from the door towards the corner of the stairwell at that level, eying the door and prepared to strike. 06* Susano-o starts hurrying faster, then, taking the steps two at a time. He turns to one side to let Joan go ahead, and then unslings his bow. 01<@Ardweden> [Just as Susano-O and Joan get around a corner to the platform immediately above Kali's, the door is thrown off its hinges and a hulking, snarling werewolf of a thing bursts through with it. It stands, all mottled fur, sharp claws, and sharper teeth, and howls.] 06* Susano-o widens his eyes, sets the daggers aside, and takes out an arrow. "Kali! We're almost there!" 06* Joan dives off the platform as soon as she's able, descending on the werewolf with a falling slash. 01<@Ardweden> [Joan slices right through the werewolf's side with a brilliant flash, landing solidly on her feet as it howls again, this time bringing its hands to its eyes.] 06* Kali shields her eyes from the flash as well, holding her sword arm (well one of them) in front of her eyes for a moment. 06* Susano-o just comes down behind them, trying to find a better position to loose from. 06* Kali looks hard at the wolf, muttering. "I can take care of myself too, thanks." She steps forward and suddenly she's not there! But behind the werewolf, slashing him upward and then following up with a teleport above-hand and a downward strike. 01<@Ardweden> [The werewolf growls and literally rips into Joan with a nasty combination of swipes. Its claws look (and are) sharp enough to cleave mostly through her armor. Kali's attacks land cleanly, and it bleeds just like any other creature should, but it just seems to get angrier if anything.] 06* Joan grimaces as she's slashed, countering by stabbing the thing through the gut. Or trying to, at least. 01<@Ardweden> [The sword goes straight into the largely-blind werewolf's gut. It reaches forward and grasps the blade, a shocked look on its furry face, until it turns... human. And female. And all Susanna, cut up and bleeding and naked from the waist up, staring blindly at Joan before she slumps lifeless over the sword.] 06* Kali lowers her blades and looks at the body. She seems surprised for a moment, then falls to her knees, covering her mouth with one of her non-sword hands. "Oh god..." Joan's eyes widen. She let's go of the sword, staring in blank shock, making a little choking sound. 06* Kali closes her eyes and gestures with her free hand. A healing light bathing Joan, but also trying to bathe the Susanna wolf. Just in case it's not too late. 06* Susano-o stares for a bit, then slings his bow back over, grabs his daggers, and comes closer. "That's..." 06* Kali glares up at Susano-o. "*Don't* say it. Don't you dare say it at all." 06* Joan falls to her knees, burying her face in gauntlets. "No," she whispers. "No no no no no..." 01<@Ardweden> [Susanna's wounds partially heal, though she still looks pretty dead (and a sword's still in her).] 06* Kali looks nervously back at the wolf. "I-it's a trick...it's gotta be a trick...the imagination thing the Walrus warned us about...this has gotta be it, right?" 06* Susano-o blanches, and doesn't look away from her for a few beats, until he sits heavily on one of the steps. "That's... maybe. It seems real. But dream things always seem real. When you're dreaming. Right?" 01<@Ardweden> [Someone else comes running up from the hallway Were-Susanna busted out from. "Hey, what're you doing! What happened to the test subject!"] 06* Kali drops her swords and hugs herself with all four of her arms, looking away from Susanna. "If it's a trick, we'll know when we wake up. If it isn't...there's nothing we can do...we..we have to move on." As the voice comes in the corridor, she's instantly on alert, grabbing her swords and standing up, pointing them at the person shouting. 06* Joan apparently doesn't hear this, too preoccupied with rocking back and forth unsteadily. 06* Susano-o steps by Joan, then, and unslings the bow once more. To be safe. 01<@Ardweden> [It's a teenage boy, a little younger than you are in the waking world: on the skinny side with short brown hair and too-long bangs in his eyes, blue eyes, freckles. No one you particularly recognize. He's wearing a white labcoat and goggles (they may do nothing), along with jeans and sneakers.] 01<@Ardweden> [His eyes widen at Kali and he holds up his hands. "Right, aheheh, sorry I interrupted?"] 06* Kali growls out at the boy. "Name and what you're doing here." She bears her teeth. "*Now*" 01<@Ardweden> ["Franklin and I was testing for a cure to werewolf but she got away and obviously one cure is death please don't hurt me!"] 01<@Ardweden> (Yes, he literally says "to werewolf") 01<@Ardweden> (He also may be wetting his pants.) (Kali has that effect on people!) 06* Susano-o looks unsure about this guy, but takes out an arrow, anyway. "You're researching on people?" 01<@Ardweden> [He looks at Susano-O and then Kali nervously.] 06* Kali sighs and lowers her weapons. Only in point, not putting them away, but at least they're aiming at the floor instead ofhim for the moment. "Alright. I'll believe you for now. But you've got to tell us how you found your subjects." 01<@Ardweden> ["What? The government caught them. Look, if you're not gonna kill me, I gotta go. There are a few more that I really have to watch so this doesn't happen again."] 06* Kali smiles at Franklin. There's teeth in it. "Not going to kill you right *now*. I reserve the right to change my mind depending on what you have to tell us." 01<@Ardweden> [He backs up a step. "Uh. Top secret?"] 06* Susano-o gestures down at Susanna without looking at her, grimacing. "Can't hurt to talk about secrets. Just now, anyway." 06* Kali frowns, then shouts at Susano-o. "Keep an arrow on him." She walks over to Joan and kneels next to her, putting a hand on her shoulder and keeping her voice low. "Hey. If you want to wake up and check...we'll understand..." 01<@Ardweden> [Kali goes to do that, and Franklin looks at Susano-O. He seems to be weighing his options.] 06* Susano-o nocks an arrow, and aims steadily. 01<@Ardweden> [He backs up a step, nervously.] 06* Joan looks up at Kali, blinding her. But only briefly, then she's gone. 06* Kali takes a breath, glancing at Susano-o for a moment. Then turns back around, readjusting her grips on her swords and cracking her neck to turn back on Franklin. She points one at him. "Show us." 01<@Ardweden> [Session End!]