Riverside 22: Better the demon you know?

[Arkhosia]

[Into the Looking Glass]

There's a flicker of doubt and concern in Anastasia's expression as Siana brushes off what had clearly worried her so much that she chose to excuse herself from the table - however, the foxgirl doesn't press it further, and she responds with a nod. "Well um, if there's anything I can do..." the teenager offers with a querying glance.

Siana's question, however, seems to take Ana by surprise. "Oh, um... well, it's not being in a cave exactly, no - I mean, I'm not really that big a fan of tight spaces, but those are usually alright? But I'm pretty sure what Ms. Trued was referring to is like, the fey underworld. I think it's like, the place bad memories gather when you die?" She hesitates briefly. "I... don't really recall much about it but... I know that what I am is tied to it somehow, and- um, I don't really like that part of me very much," Anastasia tries to explain, glancing down at her feet.

[Ironsmith]

[Into the Looking Glass]

"Why not?" Siana asks, staring back at the other girl blankly. Despite knowing relatively little about the situation, her voice doesn't have quite that dash of naivety Ana might expect from the question. She already suspects the answer. But for some reason, she wants Ana to articulate it anyway.

As if underpinning the purpose of this question, Siana briefly allows her glamour to drop, letting Ana catch and ever-so-short glimpse at the increasingly-hideous transformation taking place underneath. Maybe this is intended to be comforting... Siana has parts of her she doesn't like showing off, either, but is willing to bring up in front of a friend. Whether that has the intended effect is a whole other matter.

[Arkhosia]

Into the Looking Glass

Anastasia looks back up at Siana with surprise - both from the question itself, and the tone and spirit she sense behind it. Seeing her true form certainly imparts no small amount of paling skin and a brief shiver, but the unnerving sight doesn't quite end up scaring the foxgirl away.

"W-well, um... I'm not really a kitsune- at least, I don't think I am. Honestly I'm not fully sure what I am," Ana explains, "But, well... you're like, some kind of vampire or ghoul, right? B-because whatever I am, it... um, has similar wants, a-and its... like, I'm getting help to suppress it, but it's not fun to deal with them."

There's a beat, before she looks back towards Siana. "It's um, something I keep really private - l-like, not even Eliseo knows, a-and I've told him a lot of personal secret stuff, so - just, don't tell anyone, okay? Seriously, my moms would kill me if they knew I'd said anything." Anastasia's always come across as a little nervous - but now, she truly seems vulnerable.

[Ironsmith]

[Into the Looking Glass]

"Strigoi." Siana confirms with a nod, when Ana asks what she is. "So, vampire, yes."

It's a bit simpler an explanation.

When Ana finishes explaining, Siana (well, more "glides slightly") forward and puts a hand on the foxgirl's shoulder. "It's okay." She says, in what she hopes is a reassuring tone. "I won't pretend to know exactly what you're going through... I've never even heard of a kit-sew-nay before tonight... but you're not alone, okay?" She smiles slightly, allowing her canines to poke out from under her upper lip. "It's hard to control sometimes. I don't even have a complete handle on it... and when it goes bad, it goes bad, I..."

...Maybe she shouldn't elaborate on that. Telling Ana that she could pin most of her recent misfortune on one night of poorly monitoring her appetite would likely be less reassuring than she would hope.

"...I can sympathize, is what I'm saying." She says finally, stopping just short of pulling Ana into a hug. "...What exactly is it you end up needing to eat? Everything I have regenerates. If, while we're here, something goes wrong..." She trails off, slowly realizing how weird that has to sound.

[Arkhosia]

Into the Looking Glass

The tension in Anastasia's shoulders relaxes as Siana moves to comfort her, and she offers a slight smile when Siana shows the foxgirl a glimpse of her fangs. "It's... really not what kitsune do, even," she tries to explain. "We're - um, they're like, fox fey. They don't do the whole, um, eating people thing. One of my moms is one, and she's never experienced anything like it in her entire life," she elaborates.

Unfortunately, Siana's offer is taken less calmly. Anastasia pales, looking at the other girl with horror. "O-oh gosh, no I- I really couldn't do that. I don't even know what it is I feed on in the first place!" After a moment, she realizes how that might have come across. "Sorry- I um, appreciate it a lot, really. That's- like, super kind of you to offer, I just- I don't want to feed on someone ever again." She shivers, looking away. If there ever was a time for Siana to offer a hug, it might just be now.

[Ironsmith]

[Into the Looking Glass]

glump!

Siana wraps her arms around the foxgirl and gives her a reassuring squeeze. "It's no trouble." She replies quietly. "...I'm sorry if that sounded like too much. My whole family, my whole homeland are... vampires, too. It's the solution we worked out among ourselves; if someone is hungry, and you have enough to spare, feed them. I... I just thought I'd extend that to you." Maybe that would make her sound less like a bizarre reverse-cannibal.

She gives the other girl a gentle pat on the back as she continues. "I'm... not sure how much that applies to you at all. If you need to eat the way we do. But... I, um..."

How exactly is she supposed to say "offer still stands" in this context?

"...If you need anything while we're here, don't hesitate to ask, okay?" She pulls back just enough to look Ana in the eye. "...And, um... if you need anything when we're not here..." She reaches into the little satchel at her side and pulls out a pen and paper, quickly scrawling down a series of digits and tearing the page out, offering it to Ana. "...That's what friends do, right? Support each other."

[Shadowcaller]

[Into the Looking Glass]

As Siana and Ana are talking something is watching them.
Not the pawns of course, they respect their privacy.
Fusago? Perhaps, but they were inside them so that was always possible.
But what is watching them isn't some invisible presence, its a small but fully visible creature which just sits there on the floor. A centipede seemingly made of human teeth that seems to have simply materialized there at some point. It stares at them until the point the point either of them spots it where it will start to skitter away on its legs which are made up of the elongated roots of the teeth that makes up the creature.

Almost as if it wanted to be seen.

[Arkhosia]

[Into the Looking Glass]

Anastasia squeaks in surprise when Siana pulls her into a hug - but she doesn't have to worry about it being a sign of discomfort, as Ana relaxes into it pretty quickly, even returning the gesture herself. "Hah, that sounds... weirdly nice, I guess. To have everyone looking out for each other." She smiles, a little amused. "I... really don't know how I work either, honestly. But um, I will. Probably won't be that, but - well, I could always use another friend."

The girl smiles, accepting the number. She reaches into a pocket to pull out her phone and jot it down in her contacts, only to realize that it's not on her - huh, strange. She never goes anywhere without her phone. "Here, I'll jot mine down for you too, in case I lose this."

It's only after the two exchange numbers that Anastasia spots the skittering thing on the floor near them. She shrieks, startled, and backs up a few steps before checking if Siana is seeing the same thing she sees.

[Ironsmith]

[Into the Looking Glass]

"It... it is, yeah." Siana smiles. She may never have been in town during Maesda's fall, but if the people there were anything like her uncle, she can only conclude it was heaven on earth, even during its last days.

Her smile gets a little wider when Ana gives her number in turn, and she tucks the paper away in her satchel. "Well, yeah. I don't think anyone's ever complained that too many people care about them." She jokes.

Of course, her mood does a half turn when Ana screams. She pivots on her... well, not her heels, but her dress's wheels do a good job of turning her around on a dime. In the same motion, her hand flies to her cane, drawing her sword and holding it in a ready position. The rest of her cane is still in her other hand, holding it with a reverse grip. She's ready in case of anything-

...Except that.

"...What the hell is that doing here?" Siana growls, still standing ready to fight despite the fact that the little yokai is fleeing.

[Arkhosia]

[Into the Looking Glass]

"I don't know!" Anastasia responds simply, grabbing at Siana's arm out of reflex before letting it go when she realizes there's a blade in her hand. Her eyes widen a little, but this time she's interested rather than frightened. She's a swordswoman?

[Shadowcaller]

[Into the Looking Glass]

As soon as Siana draws her weapon she feels a tension in the air and it suddenly feels as if the walls are coming in on her as she's getting a sense of vertigo. A bit like what she first felt before falling down the hole leading to here but this time it feels more dangerous.
Like a warning.

The creature continues skittering away and will soon disappear unless Siana decides to chase after it.

[Ironsmith]

[Into the Looking Glass]

Siana doesn't put her weapon away immediately. The last time she saw that thing, it was accompanied by a few dozen friends, and she's not entirely convinced that isn't the case now. But she's not stupid enough to attack the creature, either; Fusago clearly wasn't about to let that happen. A minute after the monster is out of sight and Siana's reasonably certain they aren't about to spring an ambush, she re-sheathes her sword, turning back to Ana with a worried expression on her face. "...I... I think we might be in trouble." She says after a moment, warily glancing back at where the toothipede had been.

[Arkhosia]

[Into the Looking Glass]

"Trouble?" Anastasia looks between Siana and where the creature materialized, worried. "M-maybe it was just like, s-some sort of nightmare, or bad memory. T-those come from this place, I think?" She shrugs. "Still, we should - maybe we should rejoin the others."

[Ironsmith]

[Into the Looking Glass]

"...No. No, I don't think we should." Siana frowns, still gripping her cane. "If that thing is just a bad memory, then we probably ought to stay as far from that man in the mask as possible... I don't know why, but he gives me the creeps. And I'm not curious to see what sort of things keep him up at night. Ilpholin might be a mixed bag, too, come to think of it..." She waves the idea away. "On the other hand, if that thing was real, I'd very much like to know what it's doing here. And how to get out if we end up needing to."

They weren't likely to leave the way they came. That was far too... bizarre, for want of a better term.

"...And in either case, going back doesn't do the other guests much good. The most we can do is warn them that maybe we saw something freaky in the hallway. Which could be something as mundane as me catching a glimpse of my reflection." She grips her cane and moves forward. "I think we should find that creature. Are you coming with me?"

[Arkhosia]

[Into the Looking Glass]

Anastasia seems a little surprised as Siana speaks, having obviously not given anywhere near this same kind of thought towards threat analysis and such about the other party guests. "Y-yeah, he unnerves me a bit too for some reason, but - w-well um, whether these are nightmares or something else,if they start coming after us, I'd rather be surrounded by people who look like they can fight than just be stuck alone somewhere," Ana points out.

"But- um, yeah, I'll come along with you. I-I can't really do much if something happens, but - I mean, I'd rather be with you than left behind," She answers, moving to stay close and follow along. After a moment of quiet, she comments, "So... you know how to use a sword?"

[Ironsmith]

[Into the Looking Glass]

Siana smiles a little. "Better than nothing" isn't especially high praise, but considering it's a short walk back to the central room, Siana chooses to read "I trust you more than those other three" between the lines. Considering Ilpholin is one of those three and the second is someone nicknamed The General, that's a heck of a compliment, and clearly a sincere one.

"...Yeah. My uncle taught me." The strigoi explains as they start down the hall after the toothipede. "He's a good teacher. It took me a little longer than it should have to appreciate just how good. Why do you ask?"

[Reinholdt]

[Eew Showers]

Leah is mostly confused for several moments and by the time she realizes what's going on, her call of "Wai-" gets drowned out, probably a little too literally. She ends up quite still, mortified, traumatized, and looking like a drowned catgirl when all is said and done.

At least she's clean.

She definitely doesn't look happy though.

"Y-YOU!" Leah accusingly declares at the trash can. "You absolutely must stop doing things to people without their permission!!" Leah cries out indignantly, stamping her foot in unfiltered, barely bottled frustration, the image of which isn't... dampened in the slightest.

[Into the Looking Glass]

"Your civic generosity is truly exceptional," Ilpholin says, eyes watching Ana and Siana leave instead of their hostess. They were likely conspiring something together and the sympathetic guilt was just a show, a cover for the vampire and her familiar to excuse themselves. Malechenar and their games...

[Shadowcaller]

[Into the Looking Glass]

Anastasia seems a little surprised as Siana speaks, having obviously not given anywhere near this same kind of thought towards threat analysis and such about the other party guests. "Y-yeah, he unnerves me a bit too for some reason, but - w-well um, whether these are nightmares or something else,if they start coming after us, I'd rather be surrounded by people who look like they can fight than just be stuck alone somewhere," Ana points out.

"But- um, yeah, I'll come along with you. I-I can't really do much if something happens, but - I mean, I'd rather be with you than left behind," She answers, moving to stay close and follow along. After a moment of quiet, she comments, "So... you know how to use a sword?"

[Into the Looking Glass]

Siana smiles a little. "Better than nothing" isn't especially high praise, but considering it's a short walk back to the central room, Siana chooses to read "I trust you more than those other three" between the lines. Considering Ilpholin is one of those three and the second is someone nicknamed The General, that's a heck of a compliment, and clearly a sincere one.

"...Yeah. My uncle taught me." The strigoi explains as they start down the hall after the toothipede. "He's a good teacher. It took me a little longer than it should have to appreciate just how good. Why do you ask?"

[Into the Looking Glass - Meeting the Cast]

What hall? They're still in the waiting room which only had a single door leading to the stairs up to the looking glass hall.

Had.

Since there's a wardrobe in the waiting room and they see that it now stands gleaned open, the toothipede disappearing into it a few moments ago.
Opening it reveals that while the hangers are absent of clothes the back of it stands adjar as its actually another door. A concealed one it seems as if it hadn't been opened it would have impossible to spot.
This secret door leads into a corridor which is lit by dimly glowing vines that cling to the ceiling and have grown down along the walls. The decor is still the same as in the waiting room so it's still a part of the same building, though the eerie blue lighting makes it look so much more intimidating.

Along this corridor are doors and they just see the toothipede disappear underneath one of them as they look out the secret door.

[Ironsmith]

[Eew Showers]

Leah is mostly confused for several moments and by the time she realizes what's going on, her call of "Wai-" gets drowned out, probably a little too literally. She ends up quite still, mortified, traumatized, and looking like a drowned catgirl when all is said and done.

At least she's clean.

She definitely doesn't look happy though.

"Y-YOU!" Leah accusingly declares at the trash can. "You absolutely must stop doing things to people without their permission!!" Leah cries out indignantly, stamping her foot in unfiltered, barely bottled frustration, the image of which isn't... dampened in the slightest.

[Eew Showers]

Well.

That didn't go as planned.

Tahara pokes her head out briefly to admire her handiwork while she's cleaning the catgirl, but at the unexpectedly vitriolic response she slowly lowers herself back in, just barely peeking out and looking up at Leah worriedly. "S.. sorry..." She whispers meekly. That's it, isn't it? Leah's going to throw her out now and tell her never to come back. She was already on thin ice before, but it seems like everything she does to help just makes Leah mad at her. Maybe she'd be less mad if Tahara dried her off? ...No, she hadn't given Tahara permission to do that. That would just make things even worse. She should just stay still and wait for Leah to make the next move... which will probably involve putting her out in the hallway.

[Morty]

[Into the Looking Glass]

"This still doesn't appear as though it overly concerns me," the King admits bluntly. "I have business in Riverside now and then but its inhabitants are not my responsibility. Perhaps this other reasoning you have might change it."

[Recaiden]

[Into the Looking Glass]

"If the city does change for the better, could it be without a great deal of fear and uncertainty? Riverside has always been rife with weakness and corruption, both supernatural, and the ordinary kind. Not so weak that it's easy to sway, exactly. But imagine, King, what chaos a real change would cause. You'd be right at home during any transition."
Not that The General thinks she can fix anything herself. Not with all they lost in the demon invasion, not yet. But Fusago could be quite a shock to the city.

"And Nye- Tender, what sort of people is your mate looking for? Or maybe he can show us again himself?"

[Reinholdt]

[Eew Showers]

Leah's next move is to grumble off into the wrecked bathroom to collect towels, grumble back into this room, and grumble as she tries to dry herself and the wet and messy floor.

Which now has all the filth and garbage Tahara left on Leah in the first place.

Leah scowls and hisses at the universe before turning towards the trash can Tahara is hiding in. "Are you able to get this filth out of the carpet without making things more dirty?"

[Ironsmith]

[Eew Showers]

"Um... well, yeah." Tahara replies, slowly poking her head out of the can. Of course she can do that. It's not even that hard. She lifts her hand as though to cast a spell, but stops mid-gesture and lowers herself back into the can. "Do I, um... is that you giving me permission?" She asks quietly. It seemed obvious, but then, so did dousing her in the first place and coming up to see her through the shower drain. She probably shouldn't just assume cleaning the carpet would be okay.

If she's given the go-ahead, the trash witch will lower herself back into the can as the wet, dirty spots on the carpet coalesce back into a number of globes of brackish water, which each make their way back to the sink and quickly shove themselves down the drain. That task done, the roach clusters on the wall will crawl back into the can, where Tahara will still be waiting, hugging her knees and rocking back and forth, clearly distressed.

[Arkhosia]

[Into the Looking Glass - Meeting the Cast]

"Oh! Um, that's pretty cool," Anastasia remarks. "My first parents were both adventurers - I uh, inherited the family sword from them when they passed, actually. They didn't teach me to use it, but like, I'm starting to learn how to use it now over at VIGIL." She offers Siana a shy smile - while she's come to terms with it enough to bring it up in conversation with people, it's still a little personal. It's also a little awkward to admit you're a novice swordswoman to someone who is apparently really, really good.

As the two move to follow, Anastasia blinks when she sees the wardrobe... and her eyes widen upon seeing the strange entrance within it. She looks between the eerie world beyond and Siana as she takes a step closer. "Are you- are you seeing that too?"

[Ironsmith]

[Meeting the Cast]

"That's wonderful!" Siana beams, giving Ana an encouraging little hug. "It's always good to hear someone else taking up the blade, you know? And following in your parents' footsteps at that. I'm sure they'd be proud."

Who wouldn't be proud of their daughter learning how to properly care for herself and others?

Of course, once they're in the wardrobe (Siana needs a moment to hike her dress over the rim), her focus is back on their present situation. "...Wow. Okay. That's... a lot of rooms to look over." She admits, her gaze catching the toothipede skittering away. "Guess we start with that one. If something happens, get ready to run, okay?" She wheels toward the offending room and slowly pushes the door open.

[Shadowcaller]

[Into the Looking Glass]

"Why, thank you miss Xar'Cha." Nye replies with a wry smile. "I try my best, which isn't always enough mind you." Her gaze then shifts to the King. "I shall address that question once we are in a more private setting. One ruler to another. For now though, we shall try to enjoy ourselves as constant business dulls the mind. Life is after all ultimately about pleasure. We might not always be able to gain it but it's what we long for."

She pauses and looks at Skye. "Ah, forgive me. I went on a little tangent there, didn't I? Well, to answer your questions, general. My mate isn't really looking for a specific sort of people, that's more of my domain. They're simply looking for people that won't shun them. That are willing to at least give them a chance. Fusago isn't not looking for worship, whatever the vision might have implied, they are looking for companionship. A relationship of mutual benefit."

She gestures at what now seems to be the wall. "But I will have my mate go into more details on that later on. For now, what about our first game and some appetizers? I will have one of the pawns go and check on Siana and Ana."

[Into the Looking Glass - Meeting the Cast]

As they go through the wardrobe they can feel a flowery scent in the air. It isn't especially strong but it seems to be everywhere. Though as they get closer to the room it changes slightly as they get hints of sea water.

But without letting the uneasy atmosphere stop them they push the door open revealing a dressing room with a hooded figure sitting at the far end of it facing the mirror of a vanity station.
As soon as they push it open the figure turns to them and they see that their face is completely covered by a mask.

Or perhaps 'it' is more accurate as a toothipede suddenly crawls out of the eye of the mask and let's out a loud hiss.

[Arkhosia]

[Into the Looking Glass - Meeting the Cast]

Anastasia blushes a little. "Yeah, I can only hope so. My moms are super supportive about it too, Kitty thinks it's really good for me to have another sport." She's happy to enter after Siana - though if she seems like she needs help, Ana won't mind going in first and helping the strigoi get over the first step.

"Um, yeah - just tell me if I need to, I'll follow your lead." The last thing Ana wants to do is get in Siana's way, but she's a little scared to run away from the only person she can see that she trusts is capable of keeping her safe in a fight - so she leaves room for her to potentially stay under the strigoi's aegis. The foxgirl peers over Siana's shoulder while the door creaks open, taking in the room nervously - and when the spooky figure turns around, Ana shrieks and jolts back.

[Reinholdt]

[Eew Showers]

Leah frowns a little. "Yes. Do it." The catgirl watches judgmentally as the filth gets removed and returned to its proper place. Leah still looks wet and frazzled, but she also looks somewhat relieved. Which is substantially better than mad.

She runs a hand through her wet hair. "Well... you've already proven yourself a faster learner than any of my sisters... combined actually now that I think about it. So that's good. It's a good quality to have." It's a sort of praise for Tahara in an effort to smooth things over. If this were Leah and Rebekah, they'd still be screaming at each other.

[Into the Looking Glass]

Ilpholin raises an eyebrow at one of Nye's comments to the King in Rags. "You're a ruler as well? I thought you were a caretaker."

[Ironsmith]

[Into the Looking Glass - Meeting the Cast]

As they go through the wardrobe they can feel a flowery scent in the air. It isn't especially strong but it seems to be everywhere. Though as they get closer to the room it changes slightly as they get hints of sea water.

But without letting the uneasy atmosphere stop them they push the door open revealing a dressing room with a hooded figure sitting at the far end of it facing the mirror of a vanity station.
As soon as they push it open the figure turns to them and they see that their face is completely covered by a mask.

Or perhaps 'it' is more accurate as a toothipede suddenly crawls out of the eye of the mask and let's out a loud hiss.

[Into the Looking Glass - Meeting the Cast]

Anastasia blushes a little. "Yeah, I can only hope so. My moms are super supportive about it too, Kitty thinks it's really good for me to have another sport." She's happy to enter after Siana - though if she seems like she needs help, Ana won't mind going in first and helping the strigoi get over the first step.

"Um, yeah - just tell me if I need to, I'll follow your lead." The last thing Ana wants to do is get in Siana's way, but she's a little scared to run away from the only person she can see that she trusts is capable of keeping her safe in a fight - so she leaves room for her to potentially stay under the strigoi's aegis. The foxgirl peers over Siana's shoulder while the door creaks open, taking in the room nervously - and when the spooky figure turns around, Ana shrieks and jolts back.

[Meeting the Cast]

Siana jumps a little, too, but that has more to do with the frightened foxgirl screaming right next to her ear than the toothipede. She once again goes for her cane, but rather than draw her blade, simply holds it as if it's a weapon itself. Fusago might take a dim view of her potentially killing this thing, but a few smacks in self-defense are probably tolerable. More than it killing her would be, anyway. "What the hell are you doing here?" She demands of the creature. She isn't sure if it can understand her, or say anything back to her, but it may yet surprise her. At the very least, she wants to be able to say she tried.

[Eew Showers]

Leah frowns a little. "Yes. Do it." The catgirl watches judgmentally as the filth gets removed and returned to its proper place. Leah still looks wet and frazzled, but she also looks somewhat relieved. Which is substantially better than mad.

She runs a hand through her wet hair. "Well... you've already proven yourself a faster learner than any of my sisters... combined actually now that I think about it. So that's good. It's a good quality to have." It's a sort of praise for Tahara in an effort to smooth things over. If this were Leah and Rebekah, they'd still be screaming at each other.

[Eew Showers]

...Praise?

Kind of?

That's... not what Tahara was expecting.

The trash witch's head slowly peaks out from under the lid, looking up at Leah with wide eyes. "...So you aren't mad?" She asks timidly, poking her hands together as roaches crawl between them. "Er... I mean, you aren't... going to throw me away?"

Of course she is. Tahara's a literal pile of garbage. She should have known coming in that Leah wasn't going to want to have anything to do with her. Five minutes in to being her friend and she's already wrecked it. What did she think was going to happen? This whole plan was hilariously naive. Optimistic. Stupid. Leah's just taking her time getting rid of her is all. Just trying to be consideate about it. Just going to tell her that she really shouldn't feel bad, it's not her fault, things just aren't going to work out, they're not the type to get along. Just going to try to spare her feelings because she's still nice under all of that bristle, even if Tahara isn't good enough for her.

But that's okay. She can always try again some... some other time.

sniff

[Reinholdt]

[Eew Showers]

"Of course I'm mad," Leah clarifies. That bathroom's going to cost a lot. "I'm just... not going to hold it against you."

The catgirl continues to dry herself off with fluffy towels as she tries to understand Tahara's second question. "I... don't know? Like... what even are you? I can't just keep garbage in the house forever, it's very unhealthy and bad for well... me, mostly. Also, don't you have your own place to live? Like... even if we're friends, I don't usually keep friends in my house, you know?" Leah's very confused here.