[Beta Round] Discovery, Doors, and Dolls

[beldam_buttons]

It would seem, to the outside observer, that it is a day without anything to lend it particular significance - but, curiously, in basements and attics, in kitchens and closets, something a little bit peculiar is going on

Comments

[daidaizoku]

[[[jing would like you to pardon his mun's EPIC LAG. XD]]

That was more than a bit weird, the doll - especially considering the thing with Benedictine in Campari's dream. Jing actually had this urge to look around for a red-haired man wearing eerie theatrical makeup, even though he highly doubted that punking people was the conjurer's style. You never could tell - it he was whimsical enough to have a carnival in his mind in spite of his former melancholy, who knew? Maybe Campari had a hidden loopy sense of humour to boot.

It didn't feel like him, though. Things that appeared around and because of Campari had a depth to them that this didn't. It was difficult to explain (so was Campari), but the feeling this doll had was different

[custom icon forthcoming]

[beldam_buttons]

There was nothing in the immediate vicinity to suggest strangeness aside from the doll and its accompanying key; it seemed a normal day (at least, as normal as it ever was when the Bandit King was involved). A black-haired man in glasses glanced sidelong at Jing and smiled to himself. Closer to the edge of the cluster of market stalls, a dark-skinned, veiled woman was telling fortunes.

The only thing that might be construed as odd was the almost unnatural quietness down a particular alley half-hung with colorful drapery. There didn't seem to be a soul in sight - and the fabric blocked the other end from view.

[more icons forthcoming! XD; same boat, we is in one?]

[daidaizoku]

Peering down the alley, Jing through of Kirsche and her take on that curiosity thing

[quite! XD that one shot of the memory crystal is hard to work with, and i = leery of mangascan]

[beldam_buttons]

The alley did indeed branch, though sometimes that led to doorways and other times it didn't. Someone's laundry dripped a bit where it was hung up above (though it didn't move, as there wasn't a breeze). A pair of crows were perched on the line, squawking at each other companionably.

Half-hidden behind drapes in a shallow alcove was a small door, perhaps knee-to-thigh high depending on how tall the person looking at it was. It was unassuming at first glance aside from its size, though certainly visible to one with a keen eye. It was, should one have cared to check the keyhole it was equipped with, quite thoroughly locked.

[flychaser]

Shilo and her father had an arrangement, though they'd never actively spoken on it. It sort of fell into place the way puzzle pieces did, forming a cracked whole that served its purpose as well as it could. She wasn't sure what he thought of it, but she had her own thoughts to keep her company

[flychaser]

The torch was exactly where she'd left it. Before stepping into the part of the tunnel with free-flowing air, she pulled her mask over her head and settled it into place. The breathing filters were in good order, she'd checked. It was the work of a moment to light the torch and step out into the passage.

Her mother's tomb was lit from outside, mostly, though it was easily enough light to read by. She'd done it hundreds of times. Of course, she never went out there (but hadn't she? dad said she wasn't outside, but she knew she could smell the corpses, and there was that weird guy among the graves) to get better lighting. It was quieter inside.

Regardless of light or the lack of it, she knew the inside of the mausoleum like the back of her hand. Thus, when she saw the tiny door, she paused mid-step and stared at it. That hadn't been there yesterday

[beldam_buttons]

The house that Shilo emerged into was bright, spotlessly clean, and smelled faintly of flowers (courtesy of the enormous bouquets on the tables in the front hall). Another scent wove between the fragrances of roses and forget-me-nots; one of something baking floating on a draft from the kitchen.

Someone was in there, singing in a clear, strong female voice.

[flychaser]

With a feeling of deep confusion reflected on her face, Shilo crept to the kitchen entrance and peered in.

"Oh my god," she breathed. "Mom?"

[lsilvertongue]

Lyra was bored. It had been a long time since she'd felt boredom, but she certainly hadn't forgotten how much she loathed it. So she took to wandering Jordan once more, looking to occupy herself until she moved on to St. Sophia's. Oddly enough, she found herself back in the dining hall, her pine marten dӕmon Pantalaimon following her irritably. "Honestly Lyra, you do remember what happened last time we did this? I don't even know why I came along

[lsilvertongue]

There was no one in there, and this time there wasn't likely to be. Even so, Lyra shut the door carefully and looked around the room in the fading afternoon light. The more comfortable chairs were in the darker corners of the room, so she crossed the room to go find a seat nearer the window. However, she never quite got there, because something else caught her eye. Next to the very wardrobe she'd once hidden in was a small door

[beldam_buttons]

"Ah! Lyra, darling!"

Perfectly coiffed and attired in every way, a woman who looked precisely like Lyra's mother (aside from big, shiny black buttons where her eyes should be) descended the last few steps and offered a brilliant smile.

"You're finally here."

[lsilvertongue]

If Lyra was expecting anyone at all, it certainly wasn't her mother. And even if she had expected to find her mother there, the woman shouldn't have been acting like she was supposed to be there. Lyra couldn't help but take a step back, quickly surveying the situation. Pantalaimon bristled in her arms at the sight of the golden monkey, and she clutched him more tightly.

"...Mrs. Coulter? What are you doing here?" She inched back some more, careful to keep a distance between them and an eye on her mother's dӕmon. "...And what's wrong with your eyes?"