The Dreamscape: Fading Memory

[LimeSkeleton]

"Find your memories, and in so doing, find yourself."

She stands, surrounded by whispering trees. Their branches, heavily laden with ice, clink softly against one another, creating a melancholy, yet calming, music. Although the trees are not particularly tall, their branches stretch far, encapsulating the grove with a net of bark and crystal. No ornamentation hangs from the trees; they are entirely bare, aside from their onerous sheathe of crystalline ice. The rhythmic sounds of wind and clinking ice are only interrupted by the occasional ominous creaking, which warn of the waning strength behind the facade of fortitude.

Several feet away, the grove abruptly breaks open, revealing the shore of an immense lake, stretching nearly into the horizon. The distant shore is barely visible, with dancing light glinting off of the icy trees that mark the edge of vision. The bitingly frigid wind blasts across the lake's surface, sending puffs of snow cascading through the air, only to collapse as the breeze dies once more. The heavily-clouded sky provides a grey, subdued kind of light; a hue that seems to exaggerate the natural colorlessness of winter.

A single rock, black, smooth and flat, sits patiently on the shore closest to her, waiting. In a sea of gray and white, the obsidian-colored stone provides a stark contrast, almost seeming to glow.

A flash of memory, emerging from the haze.

"Her brother turns, a smile on his face. He takes the black rock in his left hand and reels his arm back, preparing to throw. Suddenly, he releases the stone, sending it flying across the shining surface of the lake. It touches the blue, mirror-like exterior of the water, then bounces again and again. After several hops, it sinks into the abyssal depths, leaving a widening circle of ripples.

He turns to her, his blonde hair blowing across his face, his brown eyes meeting hers for a moment. With a small laugh, he presses another stone into her hand, motioning for her to throw."

It fades as suddenly as it arrives, leaving her memory as clouded as before.

[The Belly King]

She breathes in a cool, fresh, icy breath of air and looks up at the sky. The heavy clouds have been blocking the sun all day: her only source of time. She figures it'd be a good idea to start to look for shelter for the night whether it be one or fives hours near, just to be safe.

As she was just about to turn her back to the lake, she spots the flat, smooth rock again. Slowly, she moves closer to the rock remembering once more of her brother advising her to toss it. She removes her mitten off her hand in order to hold the rock correctly. The rock is cold, freezing, against her exposed skin but she is unable to be fully aware of the temperature of the rock once she focused her attention to the lake.

With one swift motion, she throws her arm forward, horizontal with the lake, and allows the rock to slide off her index finger into the lake. It skips, just the was she recalls it had done once before for her, again and again and again until she is unable to see it.

Staring into the lake, she waits for the lake to curve, and a current to form, but the lake remains more still than ever.

Finally, after a couple minutes of staring into the lake, she turns around to leave. The trees start clanking faster as the wind blows harder. She turns around to see the lake edges curve up and the water start to move, just as it happened so long ago; however, this time she notices something additional happening. As the water moves around the lake in a circular motion, it drains once it gets to the middle. Just within a mere 6 minutes, she watches her lake disappear.

Looking at the now empty lake, she realizes she is now standing in front of a large bowl with a wide hole in the middle. Her sense of adventure washes over her. She heads towards the lake to check out the hole.

Spending a resonance point to drain the lake and create a hold in its center

__________________

[LimeSkeleton]

As the girl approaches the drained lake, she hears the wind begin to howl. The trees behind her begin shaking, bits of ice tinkling and shattering as they are buffeted by the strengthening breeze. Every step she takes towards the drained lake seems to give the wind just a little more power, and, before long, she finds herself tumbling over the cold, smooth stone bottom in a direct course toward the abyss in its center, her limbs flailing helplessly in the gale-force winds.

She gets one last look at the sky as she tumbles through the air into the hole, spotting a break in the thick clouds, revealing a magnificent aurora. Then, her body twists as she plummets, revealing only blackness around her, along with the sound of howling winds. Moments pass with her body still in free-fall, slowly steadying into a downward-facing position. Before long, the blackness begins to give way to small motes of light against what would appear to be the walls of the pit; squinting closely at them reveals them to be strange, luminescent fungi, glowing with an aquamarine hue. However, she does not have time to investigate further, as her fall soon comes to an end.

She hits a body of water with a gigantic splash, her body suddenly immersed in incredibly cold liquid. Scrambling to find her way up to the surface, she finds herself being tugged inexorably downwards, the soft, blue light from the fungi rapidly blurring and fading. Cold water fills her lungs, and she continues to fall to the bottom, expecting a solid surface to eventually meet her freezing form.

Suddenly, after what seems like hours, she is pulled with an incredible amount of force, directly downwards. She vaguely feels her body burst from a body of water, and she goes flying down... and then falls in the opposite direction. Beneath her body is warm sand, the previously-frigid water now a pleasant, balmy temperature, gently brushing up against her sodden form. Opening her eyes, she is nearly blinded by the shining radiance of the suns in the sky; two brilliant orbs, one yellow and the other orange, burning brightly in the bluish sky.

Looking around groggily, she finds herself in an oasis of sorts; a beautiful, nearly-tropical, grove filled with plant-life, buzzing insects, and plenty of fruit-bearing trees. However, her gaze is quickly pulled towards a nearby figure, sitting atop a mossy stump.

http://th05.deviantart.net/fs71/PRE/i/2010/296/9/9/old_man_frog_by_bonekrishna-d31dve6.jpg

He removes the wooden pipe from his mouth, letting out a draft of sweet-smelling smoke. "Hello there, lass. I'm not sure how you managed to pull yourself out of that Dreamgate, but it seems you're made of sturdy stuff. The name's Lief, by the way. Good to meetcha." Lief gives the girl a small smile, replacing the pipe between his lips.

[The Belly King]

At first, the girl could not get herself to speak with this frog. It seems silly, unrealistic. A talking frog with a pipe, sounds like a creature she invented as a child.

She begins to take off her jacket and gloves as she looks around. She becomes hypnotized by the beautiful trees that held fruit she has never seen before. Bright greens, purples, and blues covered the skins of these berry-shaped, but coconut-sized, fruits in a swirl. The sand under her boots, she observes, is almost as white as the snow was. The water, not icy or dark, but brightly lit and clear. Red striped and green striped and some purple striped fish glided through the water, seeming fearless of any predators.

The thought, almost startling herself, returns to her mind that a talking frog is still waiting for her reply. Feeling awkward, she still decides to speak with him. "Hello Lief. Good to meet you and everything. I cannot say I have ever met a creature like yourself...what did you say about a gate?"

[LimeSkeleton]

As she removes her jacket and gloves, she feels them begin to slip through her fingers, rapidly turning into grains of white sand that join the countless others on the ground. Seeing her hands again for the first time in a while, she notices a strange mark on her skin; a black spiral burned onto the back of her hand. Looking back at Lief to speak, she finds that he has since risen from his stump, and is hobbling about with a gnarled cane, his pipe still in his mouth.

"I'm not surprised you haven't, lass. Not too many of us Bullywugs are left living 'round these parts, I'm afraid. We don't fare so well in the desert, you see. Only places like these, nice and swampy areas, can really sustain us." Lief plucks a large, polka-dotted fruit from a low-hanging branch, giving it a long sniff. Then, after tamping out his pipe and placing it in the satchel hanging from his shoulder, he takes a large bite of the fruit, getting pink juice all over his rubbery skin. He then continues to speak between mouthfuls, keeping his eyes on the fruit. "Mmph.. A Dreamgate is sort of like a shortcut. It takes you a long distance without you having to walk across the whole intervening space. Mmm, delicious... Not everyone can manage to use them, though; they can be... Slurp... very deadly. They like to lead people astray, you see."

Lief finishes chewing, swallowing a large lump of pulpy fruit that makes his throat bulge as it descends. He then gestures at another low-hanging berry, this one the size of a watermelon. "Please, try some. You won't find fruit quite like it anywhere else." He pats his belly contentedly, his eyes closed.

[The Belly King]

It was not until Lief gestured at the large tropical fruit that she realizes that she hasn't eaten all day.

She worries, only for a second, that if this Dreamgate were so dangerous, then she may never be able to return to home. But her worries soon drain out of her; the thought being tossed away. She gazes at the mystical talking frog, the fruit, the water, the trees, the sun. Never before has she felt so at home, so safe, so relaxed, so free. She imagines the palm trees to the north, at the far side of the lake, leading to old ruined houses, stores and churches: towns for her to explore. To the east she fantasizes mountains and caves for her to climb and dig through, to find old treasures and tools, stories and tasks. To the south, just behind the frog she was facing, she dreams of talking war-like creatures, in an assortment of different reds, greens and blues, waiting for fate to one day bring them together to battle. Lastly, behind the first set of palm trees she laid her eyes on, to the west she envisions wide open space filled with the softest of grasses, room for her to retire and rest whenever she pleases.

She turns to the wise, foolish looking frog, hoping that he will one day soon share with her the secrets of this new, glorious world. "Thank you Leaf, I'm starving! Names Evita. I'm certainly glad you're the first creature I stumbled upon in this strange world!" and Evita ripped off the fruit from the tree, teared it open with her nails, and dug her face into its fresh, sweet juices; the wild, she believes, has no need for table manners.

[LimeSkeleton]

The two eat in silence for a while, the air filled with the sounds of chomping, slurping, and tearing. Taking a final bite of his meal, Lief takes a moment to clean the juice from his fingers, licking every bit of fruity goodness off his webbed hands. A long tongue snakes its way out of his mouth, carefully gathering every stray bit of food on his face--even a morsel that had somehow found its way to above his eye. Then, with a loud, satisfied belch, the old frog takes a seat on the grass, leaning against a tree, his eyes half-closed. His breaths become slower and more rhythmic, his body still, relaxed, and peaceful. However, it becomes clear that he's not sleeping when he suddenly speaks, his voice somewhat more mellow than before. "I hope you'll find the rest of this world as much to your liking as you found that fruit to be, lass. It's a strange place, full of strange creatures, but there really isn't a better place to live." He stretches his arms, putting them behind his head, and then gives a long, noisy yawn.

He opens one eye fully, fixing it directly on Evita."I will give you one warning though, lass, before you go traipsing off into Arcadia: Beware the Silver Serpent." With one final, lazy nod, Lief drifts off into slumber with surprising swiftness, the grove quickly becoming filled with the sounds of his deep, rumbling snoring.

[The Belly King]

"Arcadia..." Evita wispers to herself: a name she feels that she has once spoken of in a dream.

The fruit, although tasty and satisfying, has made her to grow tired. She finds herself a nice soft bit of grass to rest on and stares upon the sky. The sun drifts this way and that, the sky starts to move in ripples, the clouds grow in size and color; she happily knew she was drifting to a deep, peaceful slumber. Her last thoughts before finally closing her eyes: One day I will have the strength and knowledge to slave this Silver Serpent , still without a clue on the capabilities the monster possess.
***
She awakens to almost pure darkness, only a bit of light peeking through the trees of the east. But, Evita is fully awake and ready to explore. She picks up her jacket and ties its sleeves around her waist. She then starts picking the bright orange berries taking over a nearby bush and fills both of her gloves with them, then putting both gloves into the security of her pouch.

Evita begins to walk along the outside of the lake, heading to the trees of the north. She’s excited to examine old villages and towns to gather materials and weapons, not quite remembering that she only made up this possibility of abandoned homes. Before entering the tropical woods, she bends down to the lake and splashes her face with a bit of water to cool herself off. Finally, she removes herself from the security of the lake and enters into the mysterious tree-land: The real parts of Arcadia?

[LimeSkeleton]

Heading north through the dark landscape, Evita quickly begins to notice a strange metamorphosis in her surroundings. Although Lief's little "slice of paradise" was tropical, with colorful flora and various low-hanging fruits, heading out of the area for only a few minutes results in a very different environment. There are still trees around, but they are much taller than before, stretching even higher than skyscrapers. Through the thick canopy above, Evita can barely make out what appears to be two moons in the sky, one a brilliant shade of blue, the other a tranquil green shade. With every step, the trees seem to be getting thicker, the trunks seem to be getting wider, and the branches seem to be getting longer. Before long, she's forced to clamber onto a low branch and begin trekking across the trees themselves, walking and jumping from bough to bough. Every once in a while, she spots a strange animal, such as a giant scorpion with a snake for a tail, or a bat with two sets of wings. Her exploration of the forest takes up a few hours of careful navigation in the darkness, leading her to increasingly large arboreal specimens.

Taking a moment to rest on a particularly wide branch (nearly twenty feet across!), Evita hears a strange clicking sound nearby. Stopping short to listen more carefully, she begins to hear more clearly, alerting her to the fact that the clicking is drawing closer, accompanied by a repeated crunch, like an object piercing a thick tree trunk. The sound grows louder and louder, until it becomes clear that whatever is making the noise is very near. Backing up to the trunk of the tree, Evita begins to notice that her branch is inexplicably bathed in a dim light from an unknown source, casting her shadow upon the bark. Slowly turning her head upwards, Evita spots a horrible, centipede-like creature hanging just above her head, its legs shoved a few inches into the bark. In its pale hand hangs a simple lantern, lit. For a few seconds, the two look at one another, Evita's eyes staring directly into the monstrosity's bandaged sockets. Its mouth slowly hangs open, its jaw unhinging and revealing a set of insect mandibles, which then slam together, producing the click sound Evita had heard earlier.

http://fc03.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2013/017/a/c/hybrid_by_unluckyth13teen-d5rt07n.png

Then, with a snarl, it lunges at her, its long, grasping fingers attempting to close around her throat.

[The Belly King]

Evita screams and manages to nearly dodge its claw-like fingers while falling to the ground in a panic. Keeping close to the ground, she then quickly crawls her way under a nearby, low hanging branch, much like the one she was resting on. Her cowardly escape on its first attack embarrasses her, the actions reminding her of the whimpering, helpless wild dogs she dreamt of hunting in her dream just the night before.

"Dammit!" Evita cries, realizing she should have made some weapons before entering unfamiliar woods, realizing that she may have to flee on her very first deadly encounter here in this new world. After her cry, she hears the clicking start up again and the monster's presence dangerously near. Evita crawls to the other side of the branch, springs back up and begins to run with the monster close on her tail.

Only after a few strides of dodging roots, jumping over branches, and missing trees she trips on a small rock carefully hidden behind one of the bigger roots. The creature was getting near, and before getting back up again she flicks her eyes back at the rock she tripped over, almost to wish hell upon it for tripping her, when suddenly she realizes the rock she tripped over was only a figment of her imagination. Instead she finds that she has tripped over the greatest miracle she could have ever possibly wished for, a long thin piece of metal with a beautifully crafted wooden handle. Without questioning its appearance, Evita picks up the sword and jabs it into the wild centipede's chest right before it tries to attack her for a second time.

Spending a resonance point to spawn a sword

[LimeSkeleton]

The creature shrieks in pain as the sword pierces its abdomen, its arms going limp at its sides. Dark, viscous blood dribbles out of the wound, dripping onto the thick branch with soft plipping sounds. Its mandibles click together repeatedly, dripping clear fluid onto Evita's skin, which immediately sizzles and burns, making her recoil instinctively. Without support from Evita's strength, the creature collapses onto the branch entirely, its mismatched legs splayed out and limp. Removing the blade from the monster's chest is a difficult process, but eventually Evita manages to work it free, revealing the sword in all its blood-splattered splendor.

With a small flick of her wrist and some careful wiping, she removes the majority of the discolored ichor from the sword, leaving it with a polished sheen. The silvery metal of the blade reflects the light from the twin moons above quite clearly, giving the weapon an eerie, yet powerful, appearance. With surprise, Evita notes a beautifully-decorated scabbard upon her hip-- a perfect size for the sword she just happened to trip over. Sliding her new sword into the scabbard, she takes a moment to survey her surroundings carefully. Now that the rush of battle has ended, she realizes that she's no longer standing on the same tree as before. The trees around her are entirely different; their bark a dark red hue, and their leaves a brighter, more verdant color. However, most notably, she spots a distant light, shining a good distance away, the light making the leaves light up with a pale green glow.

Making her way across branches once more, Evita finally reaches the source of the light. The sight of it makes her jaw drop.

A beautiful city, crafted from wood and suspended among the myriad branches of the arboreal wonderland. Strange, phosphorescent creatures flit about in the air like jellyfish, bumping against one another gently. Countless platforms and walkways bridge the gaps between large buildings, each decorated with an assortment of moving figures, milling about comfortably. The smell of cooked food, woodsmoke, and perfume wafts up from the area, creating a tantalizing aroma, reminiscent of some far-off, barely-remembered home.

http://th08.deviantart.net/fs70/PRE/f/2012/082/b/b/arbor_city_by_vonmurder-d4tnb5u.jpg

[The Belly King]

As the site of the city sinks in, she becomes eager to get ahold of its treasures. Like how one grows hungry for the finest of delicacies, Evita drools over stories and legends, weapons and potions, and connections and shelters. She envisions the city for, not what it appears to be, but a dangerous, criminalized area. She could try to pick out the rebels among these creatures and learn how to be allies with them. She might even have to hide away in old shops and dusty buildings in order to keep away from the superior kind of these creatures because, perhaps, they may think of her as a spy or danger to the city.

As she was thinking up a plan to sneak in, the food, wood smoke, and perfumes dance around her nose again and she shakes back into reality. The city suddenly looks peaceful to her, welcoming. Evita, slightly disappointingly, decides to walk into the city as her friendly self.

When she arrives in the city Evita tries to speak with the first floating creature she sees. If she spoke to a frog, why not try to communicate with these unusual souls?

[LimeSkeleton]

As she approaches the edge of a branch to engage one of the floating creatures in conversation, Evita spots a walkway connecting to the branches of a nearby tree and continuing deeper into the forest, away from the city. The torches along it are unlit, but the surface seems safe enough, should she wish to walk upon it. No people currently stroll on the wooden boards that make up said walkway, and the shadows cast upon it offer concealment from those who might wish her harm.

Her greeting to the first floating creature, a lilac-colored specimen with shimmering purple tentacles, seems to garner no response at first. However, as she continues standing near it, it begins to hum a single, undulating note, its "voice" wavering and slowly shifting into different tones. The sound, resonant and deep, reminds her of a memory, long since forgotten...

A blackened, singed piano sits alone in a forest. Rot has begun to overtake the fragile wooden frame, yet its keys seem untouched, save for the light dusting of black ash that has settled upon them. Night has fallen, and no moon or stars shine from the sky. A cold wind blows through the clearing feebly, bringing the scent of ash and decay. As she sits before the piano, Evita looks at her pale hands. They are withered and old--the hands of a dying woman. Still, they begin to fly across the keys. The notes she pries from the dying piano are deep, resonant, and hauntingly beautiful. As a song comes to her, unbidden, yet not unknown, she finds that a sad smile has overtaken her lips. The music spreads into the forest softly, although none are left to hear it. Still, she plays on.

Then, just as suddenly, Evita finds herself waking from her reverie, still standing atop the wide branch. The jellyfish creature has since begun to float away, still humming a mournful tune. As it rises higher, she hears a chorus of others join the first, the sounds of her forgotten song softly drifting among the trees, slowly fading away. Touching her hand to her face, Evita finds her face wet with tears.

Evita's Song (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pFVZsi0Wzo)
In addition, gain 1 Resonance Point for finding a memory. The humming of the creatures was the triggering Resonant part of the environment, by the way.

[The Belly King]

Evita, not feeling threatened by the floating creatures, decides to explore the city even further. Their song had made her tiresome and weak, but her curiosity of the peculiar city overcomes her sorrow, for now.

Evita had always preferred doing over pondering. To dwell over one thought or memory seemed useless to her, and a bit of a time waster; however, she has been noticing that in this world she daydreams and ponders a lot more often than usual. In fact, normally Evita is able to throw away useless thoughts and ideas, almost magically out of her brain whenever she felt was necessary. She believes that it is better to dispose of many useless thoughts to make room for tricks and skills or any useful ideas that could better her survival. The memory of her song however, she could not make herself throw away. Although she was able to ignore it, the memory stayed at the back of her mind.

Evita, growing board of exploring the city from the outside, decides to enter one of the buildings to see if any useful equipment or food is hidden upon its insides. Secretly, she is also quite curious if the building’s inner beauty is more magnificent than it’s outer.

[LimeSkeleton]

Stealing into the small, yet ornate, building, Evita finds that the shadows around her seem to cling to her form, making her body blend into the sparsely-lit platforms of the city. Her feet steal soundlessly across the wood to the rounded door of the abode. Seeing that no lights are switched on inside, she tries the doorknob, which is carved in the shape of a tiger's head. Unsurprisingly, she finds that the knob refuses to yield to her deft fingers--it's locked up tight. However, she does manage to squeeze herself through a window by shimmying up a thin wooden pole. She lands in the room softly, rolling nimbly across a plush carpet. The room she finds herself in is surprisingly large, and quite elegant.

The room seems to be a bedroom of some sort, although nobody appears to be in it currently. Beautifully-crafted wooden furniture adorns the room, many pieces having the image of a tiger carved or painted onto them. A desk sits on the left side wall, entirely empty save for an open scroll of some sort. To Evita's right sits a magnificent bed, the curtains hanging around it embroidered with the image of a roaring tiger. Two wardrobes stand vigilant on either side of a closed door, nearly identical to one another. The only difference being that one bears the image of a shining sun, while the other bears an image of a full moon. One of the doors on the Moon-wardrobe is ajar, allowing Evita to see the various fine garments held inside.

On a small table sitting next to the bed, there sits a small, golden ring, molded into the shape of a snarling tiger. The eyes seem to be rubies, or some other lustrous red gemstone. It sparkles slightly in the pool of light projected into the room, glittering prettily.

As Evita searches the room more thoroughly, she's able to find some fine rope, a beautiful waterskin, as much fine clothing as she'd desire, a few daggers of illustrious make, and finally, strangely, an ivory piano key that feels cold to the touch. Among these various treasures, she finds a multitude of flat, square pieces of metal as well, each inscribed with numbers and the name of a particular species of tree.

http://www.bigjoesbikerrings.com/a_silver_rings_lge/rg0050s3.jpg

[The Belly King]

Evita feels she has overstayed her welcome. What a lovely inn, how glorious the presents they have left for me! Evita thinks, mocking the owner's ignorance of their burglary. Before snaking back out the window, Evita's eyes fall back to the small golden ring shining on the table.

It was easy for her to take the rope, to take the water skin, the clothes, and piano key. It was even easy for her to take the tree-naming pieces of metal, even though it had no use for her, it just interested her. But after thinking of taking the golden bear ring that lay on the nightstand, she felt nervous and wrongful to snatch such a treasure from a stranger whom she has no quarrels with.

On the other hand, the ring would give her a feel for power. She would no longer be a poor warrior, searching for trouble and adventure, but a warrior who, maybe, has once been of even higher importance; the ring could prove that to herself. Excited, she finally grabs the ring, putting her wants high over what’s left of her morals.

Evita leaves the room, surprisingly without taking a moment to breath in its beauty one last time.

Once out of the house, she decides to search for an older part of the city. She hopes to find an abandoned place, one she can label her home base.

[LimeSkeleton]

Shimmying back out of the bedroom window gracefully with the help of her newly-acquired rope, Evita's feet land on the wooden platform below with a soft thump. With a quick tug, she dislodges the rope from the windowsill, untying the knot in a single smooth gesture and winding the rope into a neat coil once more. Then, after getting her new possessions situated properly so they don't jingle or fall from her pockets, Evita steals away into the night, escaping from the property without anyone being the wiser.

Her explorations further into the city, in the hopes of locating a home base of sorts, soon expose her to further strange happenings within the settlement. Over her head, cube-shaped metal boxes zoom along across thick cables, the passengers within only visible as dim silhouettes. At her feet, Evita begins to notice that the wooden platform gradually seems to be changing color, leaving sections of alternating greens, blues, and browns in her path. Each hue of wood seems to elicit a slightly tone, giving even her soft, padded footsteps a melodious sound. Perhaps the most unusual of her observations, however, is the huge clocktower standing in the distance, its surface lit up dimly by some sort of intrinsic illumination. Several windows line its tall sides, and a some sort of statue serves as the point of the tower, rather than a traditional spire.

http://fc06.deviantart.net/fs47/i/2009/190/1/0/Night_Clocktower_by_hollywoodpunkprinces.jpg

As Evita continues toward her goal, the sights of the city change. Cable-cars and beautifully-painted wooden pathways slowly give way to decrepit structures--some of which are reinforced by stone--and faded, well-trod paths. She also begins to see that, in this portion of the city, many of the denizens are up and about, prowling through the streets even in the dead of night. The individuals walking about are a varied folk, and Evita manages to spot dozens of kinds of creatures she cannot remember ever seeing before. In addition, the majority of these citizens seem well-armed provisioned--almost as if they haven't been in the city for very long either.

A pair huge, mantis-like creatures stalk through an alley, their mandibles clicking together, accompanied by a low grunting. Each has a roughly-made pack slung over a chitinous shoulder, bulging with various commodities. One clasps a gnarled wooden staff, the end of which is encrusted with smooth chunks of obsidian.

http://fc09.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2012/055/7/5/thri_kreen_mage_by_uncle_shaun-d4qtyek.jpg

A few minutes later, she passes by a magpie-headed humanoid figure, whose finger-like talons are clutching a scimitar tightly. Around its neck hang a variety of shiny baubles. As it passes Evita, it gives a long, appraising look, before nodding slightly in her direction and giving a polite "Evenin'." in a distinctly feminine voice.

http://fc07.deviantart.net/fs48/f/2009/183/b/a/Kenku_Rogue_by_D_MAC.jpg

Even the most human-looking of the individuals Evita passes is strangely alien. Immaculately dressed in finely-decorated robes, his strangely-colored skin and pale, white eyes give him a distinct air of otherworldiness. The clothes he wears bear several interesting designs, many of which feature feathered wings. Although his long hair is as white as his eyes, his face gives him the appearance of one no older then thirty. As he passes by, the smell of the smoke from his pipe briefly makes Evita feel dizzy, and her vision clouds slightly.

http://fc06.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2012/011/5/c/saranya_by_kimsokol-d4m12zc.jpg

However, despite all of the interesting things she encounters on her trip over, Evita soon finds herself standing before what is clearly quite the old structure. Although it seems on the verge of collapse, the strong, stone walls of the building make it seem quite sturdy at the same time. Opening up a creaky door, Evita steps into her new home, realizing that this is almost certainly the perfect place for her.

[The Belly King]

The first room she sees is what may have been once a kitchen. Up against the right wall stood an old, rotting wooden table with a few stone blocks, clearly once used as chairs, surrounding it. Different sized pots cluttered the counters, as if whoever was last here did not make an effort of putting things away. The biggest pot dangles over the fireplace, perhaps the only beauty the whole room possessed.

Yes, the fireplace was certainly what made the room feel rich. An arch made of a strange rock material, a cross between marble and granite, curved across the top of the fireplace. Thick and small spirals were carved along the fireplace's sides. A big leaf, on both sides, seemed to spill over from the very top. Lastly, the middle top of the fireplace holds five carefully crafted roses, making the allusion as if one was about to fall into the fireplace’s ashes. The fireplace itself could have easily belonged in an old mansion, but here was instead dressed down in an old, poor, abandoned home.

As Evita curiously opens up all the cupboards she finds that only small insects and spider webs took attention to the space. After examining the kitchen she opens up the door in the back of the kitchen to discover the only other room in the house: the bedroom. A small bed easily filled the room with a thin blanket and small pillow lying across the mattress. A small wooden table, also greening like the one in the kitchen, leaned against the bed for it was losing a couple legs. The room did at least have one small window, covered by an old rag that provided a small crack of light that lit up the room.

Evita fell in love with the place. The dusty cupboards and rotting wood gave her the belief that no one has visited the place in decades making it safe enough for her to sleep in.

Evita opens her pouch and spills her berries onto the table. Hungry, she quickly eats all the berries she saved for herself in order to satisfy her stomach. Evita realizes that perhaps, before she lays down for bed, that it might be wise to search the city for some food.

She leaves most of her treasures under the old bed for she became tired of caring them around. The only things she decides to keep with her is the water skin (in hopes to fill it with water), the pouch (too fill it with food), one of the daggers, and the ring which she fits snuggly on her finger.

Evita puts back on her jacket and leaves her house for the evening.