[ video/action || night ]

[purpleprosed]

[ It's the middle of the night when something goes thud on the third floor of house six. The distinct sound of a body hitting the ground is captured on the PORTAL as well. From its position on the floor, the screen shows nothing but swirling black wisps. As they dissipate the body of a young girl is seen, the gaping hole in her stomach closed, but

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[gumshoewizard]

[Its technically Mouse that alerts him to Rose's presence first. He'd been trying so hard to avoid sleep and keep himself as awake as possible by writing and working in his lab that when he finally collapsed, it was on the single stool at his work table, head on the table and drooling a bit on a formula in a notebook

[purpleprosed]

[ Rose remained still as the strange man burst through the door, fixed her sash about her middle and then decided he wanted to cart her across the city. She was conscious enough to understand most of what was going on, but not entirely. Confusion was evident, leaking through the TENEKA and onto Harry even if she didn't want it to. Hell, she didn't even know it was happening.

Images of Jack Noir flashed in her mind, the fight that had transpired before her arrival, the body of her mother and John's father laying in pools of their own blood. And then John getting stabbed right in front of her. Horrorterrors and flashes of the furthest ring, Derse, a cornucopia of confusing images coming forth from her subconscious.

When he started yelling she opened her eyes, focused up on the dark sky for a moment before looking at him. ]

Who are you?

[ And of course, eventually, the young dark elf would arrive to cart them inside. ]

[gumshoewizard]

Lior---!

Hi, Harry Dresden, nice to meet you. You have a hole in your stomach, you should probably not try to talk too much. Your blood has already stained one of my favorite shirts.

Lior, hurry!

[purpleprosed]

[ SHE'S COMING. Geez, Impatient.

The dark elf, having already been awake, swings the door open to find Harry and some strange, bloody girl standing there. ] What happened?! [ Forget she asked, she's already trying to drag Harry inside. ]

J-Just put her on the couch for now.

---

[ The yelling does not help. As noted when Rose groans. ]

Rose Lalonde. I sincerely apologise for bleeding on your shirt. How terribly rude of me.

[gumshoewizard]

[Snark is an automatic reflex for Harry. Even as he puts her down on the couch.]

Hello, Rose. Dont they teach you youngsters anything now a days? When I went to school, we learned how to address our rescuers. Now all they teach you kids today is nuclear physics and kung-fu.

[purpleprosed]

[ As is for her, despite the gaping wound, the confusion, and the fact that she is not on Derse. Oh, and there's another human being here that isn't Jade, John or Dave. That's pretty trippy.

She remains still while the dark elf ( which she finds equally as strange, ) works her magic. ]

The educational systems are severely lackluster these days, it seems.

Where am I? This is not Derse.

[gumshoewizard]

[Keep her talking. Right now, even with Lior healing her, there's worry in his gut about her going into shock. But she seems ridiculously hearty for a girl that looks only fourteen. Then again, he should know looks arent everything. Especially with that power that was leaking out of her when he busted the door down.]

This is Promenade, the City of Dreams. Welcome to the prettiest hell you can imagine - literally.

[purpleprosed]

[ Eventually the wound closes, the gray in her skin now completely gone. She thanks the dark elf with a nod.

Eerily calm as she is, her mind is moving a mile a minute, trying to make sense of where she is and how she got there. When she dreams, she dreams of Derse, not Promenade.

She has never heard of Promenade, or of other humans being alive there...wherever it was. That fight with Jack could have lead to disastrous repercussions concerning the alpha timeline.

Unfortunately, that is not her area. ]

And what is so hellish about it?

[gumshoewizard]

You're trapped here. Trapped here with gods, aliens, dragons, ghosts and wizards with insane laws you have to follow and a King and Queen who remind me uncomfortably of June and Ward Cleaver. Its the Stepford Wives meets Mad Max meets Dragonlance.

[purpleprosed]

I can see how that wouldn't be very appealing.

And one cannot simply wake up from this hellish dream?

[gumshoewizard]

Wait until you meet Aphrodite.

Not in any way we've figured out. Some people have come and gone, but we cant even begin to figure out how they left.

[purpleprosed]

The Greek Goddess of Love?

There must be a way. But I will try and figure that out when I'm not sitting around in a bloody dress.

[gumshoewizard]

One and only. Also some Nordic ones around. Fenrir. Loki. The Devil.

[The girl's...pretty damn stoic. Harry's seen adults twice her apparent age flipping out over being in the city. And here she is, off handedly commenting about her dress.

Either she's used to this sort of thing, or she isn't what she appeared to be.

If the first one was correct, Harry was going to be pissed. If it was the second, Harry was going to be cautious. Considering that power he'd felt from her when he first saw her, he was leaning more towards the latter.]

One of the benefits of being in the City of Dreams, you can dream up anything you want, pretty much.

[purpleprosed]

[ Stoic, slightly paranoid and very untrusting. Yes, she knows you just saved her ass - technically -, Harry, but that does not mean much. There could be some underlying plot behind this. It all might just be part of the game...in fact, the mention of it being a city of dreams just has her wanting to ask more questions. This very well could have been an alternate world beside Derse and Prospit that no one found yet. Or maybe she really did break the game ... but this was the weirdest game over ever. ]

And none of them came to greet me. Here I was hoping one day I could shake hands with the devil. Alas.

Convenient. [ Pardon her while she does that. And while she's at it, she'll dream up her wands and her magic cue ball. Look, there's an emotion on her face now! Surprise! ]

[gumshoewizard]

I hear he takes walk-ins, so don't curse your luck yet.

[...you're like his long-lost daughter. Or little sister.

He eyes the wands and the cue ball. Both were...well, he didn't have to extend his wizard's senses to know those things were pretty damn powerful. Not that he was without his rings, necklace, and bracelet, but his blasting rod and staff were downstairs.]

Nice gear, knitting your fairy godmother a pumpkin cozy?

[purpleprosed]

Oh, thank goodness. I was worried for a moment there that I had missed my chance.

[ That's possible if this is an alternate timeline, dream-world whatever the hell. Who knows at this point. She certainly doesn't.

She quietly slips the wands into the sash of her new, clean dress, keeping her other hand secured around the cueball. Things weren't going as she planned at all. She needed to see what was happening, if she could get a hold of Dave. Or, hell, anyone. ]

Not quite. [ See that flash in her eyes, Harry? Not that it matters, because as soon as she looks into the cueball all she can see is the obnoxious scratch lines and then blackness. Helpful. ] But I may make one to pass the time later.