A Memory of Vespertine Part 1

A Memory of Vespertine Part 1
Date of Scene:	24 June 2013
Location:	Castle Oblivion
Synopsis:	Feige has lured the TDA with some allies into the Castle Oblivion, what awaits them there? Memories, of a world now dead. It's not just any world either it is the world that Isaac calls home. His friends now start to understand the depths of what was lost...and the creeping horror of how this world died.
Cast of Characters:	Deidra, Will Sherman, Mercade Alexander, Avira (Aka: Rosalie Levine), Celina Duvalis, Albireo Albark (Aka: Tower Of Oblivion), Emi Dennou, Isaac Hanlon, Artemis Eurus

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Tower Of Oblivion has posed:
CASTLE OBLIVION

This is the place of miseries past. These looming parapets hovering in the void house no rooms; the windows reflect nothing but the shadows of the nothingness around. Occasionally, out of the corner of your eye, little lights flicker in the windows, as though there were candles passing from place to place; they illuminate nothing, no silhouettes attached to their effervescent, luminous aura. There is nothing in this Castle; it is Oblivion, Nothingness, the Gaping Void. It is a house built for one purpose, and one purpose only - dredging forth the shadows called 'memories' from the hearts of men and beasts. Why someone would build it - if someone even did - is as much mystery as how it functions.

Within these (un?)hallowed halls, the nightmares are real. They dance, flitting from place to place, waiting for the next mind to give them shape, the next heart to fill them and give them reality.

That is why you are here. You are here to fill the nightmares. You are here to raise the ghosts of a long-dead world, to revive the miseries of the Long Night Of The Soul, of the End of Days, and try perhaps to find something worth dredging up those horrors for.

The Castle's drawbridge falls of its own accord as you make your way towards it. There is no noise, no thump, no great echoing WHUMPF of dust and air being displaced by the great gnarled wood; only silence falls with the drawbridge, a deafening, echoing silence that fills the gaping void around the Castle with a roaring certainty, a roaring need to be heard. It seems that even noise is not real within Castle Oblivion.

The only truth here is what you bring with you. The only fact is what you make of it. The only reality is the one you carry.

Welcome To Castle Oblivion.

Isaac Hanlon has posed:
The Castle looms. The past beckons.

And Isaac Hanlon, the Twilight Detective Agency's resident sorcerer, has no desire to answer the call.

Imi is depending on them, though. On /him/. If Feige is using her, threatening her, and if this is how they get her back... well, sometimes you've just gotta do what you've gotta do.

Isaac is dressed in his old standby. His long black coat hangs open, the sleeve mended and the pockets heavy with electronics. Black slacks, black shoes, and a white collared shirt, complete with dark, nondescript tie, make up the rest of his attire. His glasses are clean; his expression is grim. Still, he moves forward, walking with a definite tension, a stiffness that he has never really allowed to show, no matter the circumstance.

He looks like a man about to attend his own funeral.

"I should've said something earlier," he says, his voice low, as if afraid to break the all-consuming silence. "I was going to, but I should've --" He just shakes his head. Isaac continues forward, his left hand clenched into a tight fist. His right is closed, but not tightly; it's a dull grey, the metallic prosthetic moving more stiffly than his real hand does. It's a prototype, he said. It works, but not as well as he wants it to.

"We aren't going to Manhattan," Isaac announces. "We're almost definitely going somewhere else. There's going to be... there might be some complications." He sounds unsure, suddenly. He keeps the grief out of his tone, only just. "Be ready."

Isaac doesn't say why. He thinks they'll figure it out soon enough.

Avira has posed:
Avira is not a stranger to Oblivion. In both previous cases, she did not recall really /coming/ here-or at least the part of arriving within the white walls was hazy. Did it call to her? Did it lure her and her companions here? Regardless of the truth, the outcome was unpleasant in both cases, forced to relive memories that she wished to sooner forget.

They weren't even exact memories either. Those that had been trapped with her managed to alter them in some form.

When she had heard of the demands placed upon Isaac, her first instinct was to join him immediately. Only afterwards did the niggling doubt of experiencing something traumatic occur in the back of her mind. There was a temptation to back out. Avira did not. Isaac mattered a lot to her, as did the Dennous, so clearly this mission would be a matter of sucking it up and dealing with it. (And hoping her very presence didn't cause things to go awry.)

Those that have not encountered Avira since her trip through the darkness will notice she's a bit more subdued and aware of what's going around her than before. More conspiciously, there was a white streak in her hair now-though given what she's recently learned about her mother, it may as well been caused by genetics instead of shock.

"...what kind of complications?" Avira asks softly.

Celina Duvalis has posed:
Celina's here!

Wait, where the <GOOSEHONK> did she come from?

She slowly looks at Isaac for a few long moments, then back at Mercade, her pale eyes thoughtfully looking at the leader of the TDA then back to the Sorcerer. She lifts a hand quietly as she observes them all, before she finally speaks up, her voice crisp.

"You don't want to go." She says, simply. "Do not fear, Isaac."

Mercade Alexander has posed:
Mercade Alexander is here. He would bleed for Hanlon, that much is obvious, much like he would for any member of the TDA. The sorceror has always been... a little different from the others, however. There was an edge about him that he did not understand. Something different, that he couldn't put his finger on.

Well, there were a couple things he figured out, but there's a difference between knowing and /knowing/. The Detective might be getting a chance to find that out. He looks up at Castle Oblivion's gates. Ominous. Nothing is the same. Can anything be the same? He wonders... But it doesn't matter.

They're here and there is only one path forward. He checks his gun, the pearl-handled stage revolver that he continues to carry, a mysterious gun from a mysterious person, a reminder of times past.

He spins the drum in the gun, and then eases the hammer down before holstering the weapon. He glances over to Isaac. "We'll do what we can, Isaac. It's all we can." He says quietly. He makes a mental note to ask Avira about the hairstreak sometime, though, as he faces the maw of Oblivion.

Deidra has posed:
Deidra has heard of this place but never ventured to it she's heard many thing but how much was true? How much was not the Gargoyle didn't know but she had this feeling of aprehention about this place it was strange she wasn?t sure. Given the place's supposed purpose it would bring up memories would it reveal her own? There's no turning back now, there is none at all. At least if she's with friend people she's trust she looks up to. they have to get going she looks at Isaac as he's a bit ahead of them. She knows Imi is in trouble and she's owes it to the Network to help them rescue her.. She's not dressed up much if anything just what she normally does wear as she looks at Isaac for a moment and she frowns.

"Given the reputation of this place...I think I see.

So many of them have come. What will they find within? She has no idea but she looks to Isaac and says "Hey your not alone, Isaac. We're with you in this."

She looks down what lays ahead and it would be a lie that there's not some measure of fear.

Emi Dennou has posed:
Emi agreed to stay out of this investigation due to the possibility of Feigedickery.

Ami made no such promise. She is, characteristically, quiet. She has a big frown on her face and seems determined. She is, after all, Imi's partner--the same way Umi and Omi were, in theory, a team.

Nevertheless, she glances to Isaac and seems--concerned--and then looks to Avira with a knowing a look.

And that's about it. She nods once, takes in a long, deep breath, and gets ready to head on in.

Artemis Eurus has posed:
Perhaps her presence would seem rather strange, at least at first, as she appears walking toward the group about to enter Castle Oblivion. The statuesque blonde samurai is fully outfitted for battle with her blue and gold lacquered armor, sword by her side as always, matching mask fitted neatly to cover the upper portion of her face. Her long hair is tied tightly in a braid, then wound up and pinned to keep it out of her way.

Artemis approaches the group, then stops and bows in greeting. "Hail, companions. It seems I will be accompanying you on this journey. Ami of the Network has requested my aid. I am Artemis," she says by way of introduction. She believes the only people she knows here are Avira, Ami, and Will Sherman, all who get a more personal nod of greeting.

Artemis' green eyes look upward toward the castle, repressing a shiver. She knows nothing of this place. She has no idea what it is they will be facing.

What she does know, is that she swore and oath to repay a debt. She may be many things, but an oath-breaker is not one of them.

Will Sherman has posed:
Will joins, because the Dennou's are like sisters to him.

Feige is messing with his family, and he is becoming quickly intolerant of this. Feige is putting herself into a lion's mouth, she thinks she knows what she is doing, she is no doubt sure that Will will not do what he has said he will do.

However, he is here with Isaac...to have to expose his personal pain to save Imi...Will is even more frustraited now than before. He shakes his head, "No man, it's alright...we don't blame you for not..." He shrugs... "Only thank you for doing what you can to save Imi."

Will puts a hand on Ami's shoulder. He doesn't say anything, but he only gives her a reassuring hand. It's...all he can do.

Tower Of Oblivion has posed:
The Castle bends, twists, and distorts, as Isaac steps inside. He is the first of you, and the Castle bends to reflect what he dreams of. What will it become; what will these halls transform into, as you enter through the Drawbridge? Will it be a black tower? A burning city? The moment before the Heartless consumed his world, frozen for all time in his guilt like a fossil locked in amber, to turn over and over and over on his chain of memories and reinforce the lessons he learned from that moment?

What fresh horror awaits you, as you step across the threshold-

-and through a pair of very old-style wooden doors, the like of which hasn't been seen in fashion since the Prohibition - the essential doors of detective fiction, complete with a smoked-glass eye in the center. A line draws through the eye, transforming it into a setting sun; the words TWILIGHT DETECTIVE AGENCY are stamped into the glass underneath it, though of course they are reversed, given what side you are standing on. The office itself is a beautiful affair: red velvet carpet covers the floor, with delightfully smooth jazz playing over the sounds of the city outside. A big oaken desk sits on the far end, next to another old-style door; upon it hangs a golden nameplate that simply reads THE BOSS. There's a series of wanted posters hanging by the door, but none of the faces or names are familiar; people you don't know, never knew, and never will know. On second glance, the names are jumbled; on third glance, they un-scramble, as Isaac's memory asserts itself wholly.

There is a person sitting at the desk; a head of blue hair is bent over what looks like paperwork, a long feathery blue quill clenched in very slender fingers. It dips the quill in ink, scratches something down, then stands up and straightes.

A beautiful face meets you - too beautiful, too perfect, to be truly human. Blue eyes stare out at you, crystalline and impossible; they catch the light of the hanging lamp and bounce it back as a smile grows across that too-beautiful face, a thin and knowing smile - but not a happy or kind one.

"Well now - /you're/ late."

The man(?) moves around the desk slowly, trailing his slender fingers along it as his blue overcoat trails behind him. He moves to the fore of it, then places his hand over his chest and bows. "Welcome, Honored Guests, Deserving Sheep, And Devoted Friends, to the Castle Oblivion. I will be your host, your guide, your all-knowing friend, your frankly perfect companion, the Virgil to your delightfully dilapidated Dantes as you walk through Inferno towards Paradiso in this Divine Comedy. Welcome To Fantasy Island."

The man straightens, that too-thin smile spreading a little further than it really should be able to. "I," he says, putting a great amount of aplomb and pomposity behind the letter, as though the concept of 'I' in regards to him was more important than You by a wide, wide margin, "Am Albireo Amadeus Aloicious Alessandros Andrews-Alonso Albark."

Sapphire eyes glint.

"And I know the Plot."

Emi Dennou has posed:
Ami nods to Artemis, giving her a small, thankful smile. "Thank you." She says. She doesn't even shrink up a bit, she seems pretty focused on the job at hand. She gives Will a small nod in thanks as well. She then turns her head and notices--the world has changed. Wooden doors? Not quite like the TDA buildings she knows of. She looks at the ground and her eyes widen faintly. And then she glances around towards the wanted posters, then to the nameplate. She remembers The Boss anyway.

She then looks toward THAT MAN. She squints. She doesn't recognize him and in fact tells Artemis this.

"This one doesn't know who this one is." She says before looking back to Albireo.

... ... ..

"Hello Albireo Amadeus Aloicious Alessandros Andrews-Alonso Albark, The Network greets with the full name out of spite."

Isaac Hanlon has posed:
Isaac glances back over his shoulder. He accepts the encouragement and the criticism, but he doesn't say anything about what they'll face. He isn't sure he knows how to articulate it without it sunding... especially strange. When Artemis shows up, he frowns somewhat, casting a quick glance to their friendly neighborhood Dennou, as if to confirm this arrangement. He isn't sure he wants to bring friends here, nevermind acquaintances and strangers.

Then, Isaac steps across the threshold. The world changes --

"..."

Isaac stops, several steps in the door. He looks around slowly, taking in every detail. He's surprised, clearly, by where they are. Isaac inhales deeply, taking in the smells as much as the sights. It's all very... familiar. Very, very familiar. Perfectly reconstructed. "Not what I was..." He trails off.

The sorcerer's eyes flick back across the room. "Albireo," Isaac says, almost reflexively, "Lena is going to kill you if you've changed the order of anything at all."

It strikes him what he's said. He grimaces, turning away from the man and back to the doors. He looks outside, doing so with a sense of familiarity to the procedure. It's like he's had to check the nature of reality with these doors before.

Celina Duvalis has posed:
They've found the fourth wall.

Actually, wait. They've found the person /behind/ the fourth wall who likes playing with it. And with a name like that? Celina actually pauses to sigh and facepalm briefly. Whyyyyy. Then the radio conversation happens.

Whyyyyyyyyy.

"Lena?" She asks Isaac.

Rosalie Levine has posed:
Anything can happen here. Avira swallows and braces herself, following after the technomancer.

The threshold is passed. A familiar sight geets her, though familiar in ways that she suddenly finds herself having a hard time to grasp. She's seen this place before, arranged just exactly so, culled from Isaac's memories in a place where nothing was supposed to exist.

"Ugh..." The woman, now devoid of scars, squints her eyes shut and clutches her head with one hand. "What is..."

Rosalie Levine looks up, a terribly confused expression on her face. "...no I..." Her gaze falls up Albireo and she freezes, staring blankly at the incredibly smug man for a terribly long moment of time before, perhaps instinctively, shrinking back towards Mercade. "What the crap is going on?"

Mercade Alexander has posed:
Mercade steps fomr Oblivion, into the Twilight Detective Agen- what?

The office is perfect. It's like what he always envisioned the TDA should be like, but he only attempted to replicate. It exudes a sense of timelessness where everything is in its place, where mysteries are solved, and the hard-boiled life is preeminent.

But then there's the guy at the desk. Mercade stares for a moment, trying to take in the details instinctively. His mind races through possibilities, automatic with trained reflexes... And come with with more questiosn than answers.

But one thing is for sure, this is no ordinary man... And then he tightens his jaw slightly. "Well then, nice to meet you." He says to Albireo... And then he glances over to Isaac, and back to Albireo. Huh. He moves towards Avira, giving her support with his proximity as he nods... And then he notices the changes. "I think a lot of things are changing." Mercade says. "But less than we might expect... Or hope."

He adjusts the brim of his hat. "All right then. Where do we go from here?"

Artemis Eurus has posed:
Artemis' gaze lingers on Ami as she follows the company inside, nodding softly to her. "Of course," she replies to the gratitude. As for the man, she gives him a look over, standing straight yet relaxed as he goes through his introduction. A brow merely raised at the long alliterate name, though it wouldn't even be noticed as the gesture is completely hidden by her mask. She's going to go with Albark. Or she could perhaps go with 'AAAAAAA'?

Artemis nods again to Ami, shaking her head to inform that she does not either. It seems that at least Isaac does, so she watches him for the time being.

The samurai's eyes turn to Avira then at the commotion, frowning gently as the girl....changes....she is unsure what to make of it, but this is an uncanny place, prone to be filled with uncanny people and bizarre events. Artemis is sure this is only the beginning. Sadly, she has not read the literature referred to by this Albark fellow, but she does understand that this is something like a game, likely constructed by the fae-like creature before them.

In response to the man's introduction, Artemis bows, remaining silent.

Deidra has posed:
Deidra wonders what awaits them? She enters the castle wrapping her wings about her body like a cloak. This is not what she expects it's the Twilight Detective Agency. She knows the Boss. She just looks about trying to place the faces. She knows nothing of them she does not know the person who is filling out the paper work the face is almost too hard to look at it. They know them? Who are they. His greeting doesn't seem to help her feelings of uneasy why is the Twilight Detective Agency here and this being seems to know them?

She tries to say something but her mouth hang open, she closes it she's not sure who THAT MAN is but damn he's so smug it's like he's radiating it. Then Isaac seems to know this Albireo Albark too and another name she does not know has come up and this leads her to realize the nightmare may be only beginning now.

Then something happens to Avira leaving her even more distressed as she looks to her friend and now she's no without her scars and behaving differently. She looks to Avira with some concern but Mercade already got her well taken care of. What have the TDA just entered into this day?

Will Sherman has posed:
Will just stares at him for a bit.

Will rubs his eyes, then stares some more.

BGM: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V0RJPFOpBlg

"Wh-..." Then he is told, "But wh-" then he is told again.

he frowns. And goes back to staring. He looks at Avira. Then back at Isaac, then at Albireo. Then he goes back to staring. "You shouldn't exist...like, heartless have strings that don't do this...and that's something.."

Emi Dennou has posed:
Ami turns her head towards 'Rosalie'. She says, "Your memories seem to be interfacing with Isaac's memories in some manner." She scratches at her cheek. "There may be some ...bugs?" She lowers her hand. Let's see. This guy knows the plot, but he ain't sharing. That's just fine. Ami doesn't need plot drops. She's just here for Imi. She'll be especially unhelpful when it comes to uncovering plot drops that require more than a base effort on her part.

"We are in a strange place. If it is not him, it may be the locale. This is memory. We may not want to trust our eyes too much."

Ami glances back to to Albireo. "Where is Imi and Feige Abramson, The Network inquires."

Albireo Albark has posed:
"Hello, Ami Dennou; not to worry. In the Castle Oblivion, you will find Answers aplenty. They may not be the Answers you seek, but they will /certainly/ be answers." Albireo taps the side of his head delightedly and turns away, staring exactly in the opposite direction. "I promise you that, if I promise nothing else."

"Isaac, come now. You know me better than that." Albireo waves his finger over his shoulder as he scolds the technomancer, picking up the paper he was just writing on in his hand; he runs his finger along it, drawing a pair of reading glasses from his coat to look at, and then goes quiet. "*I* live here. *You're* the one messing with the furniture."

"*Speaking* of furnishings, I see you've brought some very familiar guests!" Albireo suddenly pinwheels back to the other side, hurling the paper up into the air; letters fall like rain, ink splashing to the ground and staining the carpet a deep and ugly black - an impossibility for sure, but everything in the Castle Oblivion is an impossibility, isn't it? He steps over the ink splotches, walking towards the group; then he drapes his arm over Isaac's shoulder.

"I'm sorry for your loss," he says, and his voice even carries a real veneer of seriousness and sadness as he says it. He claps Isaac's shoulder again, then walks back to the desk. r
"Well. Well well well well well well well welly well well-y-well-well-well. Well. Well well well well - you know if you say /well/ enough it stops sounding like a real word. I think that's fascinating, don't you? If you repeat something enough times, it becomes true; but if you repeat a word enough, it rings false."

"I love that." Albireo exhales, delightedly. "I really do. It's marvelous. It's the same here, I think; I mean it's really, really marvelous, don't you?"

He spins out his arms, making his way over to Artemis and draping another arm over her shoulder. His free hand swings over Rosalie, and he looks between them with a broad grin on his face. "Feige Abramson and Imi Dennou. Feeiiige and Imi. Abramson and Dennou. What a pair they are. Those crazy kids could make it all the way up."

"Are you sure that's what you really want? Where you *really* want to start?"

Mercade Alexander has posed:
Mercade already kind of wants to rub his temples. "This is getting way more complicated than it needs to be. Seriously, people."

The Detective watches Albireo continue to needle Hanlon, and simply shakes his head. "Come on, guys, we need to focus. We're getting off track in the middle of the theatrics." He looks to isaac. "This is your show, Isaac. Where do you think Imi and Abramson are going to be? Let's head there, if you can remember how to get there."

Celina Duvalis has posed:
"Stop it." Celina says to Albiero -

- THAT GUY -

Flatly.

Will Sherman has posed:
Will crosses his arms.

"Al." He says, "Lets get on with it, you're dragging this out, and time is not on our side. As fun as it seems to be to be silly, there is someone's life on the line, and a Mad Evil Scientist to make sure she regrets existing."

"No offense."

Artemis Eurus has posed:
Artemis does not move when the strange being comes over and places an arm around her, despite her almost overpowering urge to break his arm then throw him through the wall. She thinks perhaps that would not go precisely the way it would with most uninvited touching. "I am quite sure that is where I would like to start. Now kindly remove your arm from my person, it is a bit touchy feely for a first meeting, is it not?" she asks, narrowing her eyes slightly toward Albark.

Deidra has posed:
Deidra wonders about the words said by Albireo to the Network she feels a bit outside something big is going on. She knows this this being if he's real clearly knows a lot of the TDA and their allies and seriously knows Isaac from the sounds of what he's saying. He watches as the papers go everywhere for a moment. Will's right as is Mercade

"Let's not get lost in the side show."

Isaac Hanlon has posed:
Isaac is standing at the doorway when Albireo steps over. The front door is open, showing a misty street, empty of people, and a bar across the way. It's exactly what he thought it would be. There was a chance it wouldn't be, a /chance/, but...

He restrains himself from going and trying to pick up the mess Albireo is leaving. One part of him knows that Lena will flip out, but another says that this isn't how it's supposed to be, either. Things aren't supposed to be this calm. This... sedate. In the end, it was fire and brimstone, the world tearing itself apart as the walls fell down. Maybe they're just... early.

Isaac shrugs Albireo's arm off, but not a moment before Albireo himself removes it. He shakes his head, looking out into the mist. He turns around, staring at the girl that replaced Avira. She looks a bit like her, but...

"Rosalie Levine," Isaac says, as if remembering. "She was in my comm class. Kinda cute, but not very talkative. I always got the feeling she knew more than she let on." Isaac turns all the way around, squaring his shoulders. He reaches out and puts both hands on her arms, looking 'Rosalie' square in the eyes.

"You are not Rosalie Levine," Isaac states, speaking as if it were an immutable fact. His eyes gleam for a moment. "You are, and have always been, Avira. You are you, not her." stares at her for a second longer.

Then, he releases her, turning again, and strides out the door into the misty night. He stops almost as soon as he gets fully into the fog. He desperately wants to stop across the street, to see them all one more time while he's here -- but --

Isaac shakes his head. "We should go to the Tower. They'll be there." He doesn't sound like he likes to admit it.

Rosalie Levine has posed:
Rosalie looks exactly like Avira-or at least a slightly younger version of the scarred huntress. She also looks increasingly confused and increasingly put off by Albireo's continuous mouth-running. So many words came out of this guy's mouth and yet NONE of them meant anything to her.

Isaac steals her attention and her eyes widen in recogition, "Oh! I..it's you."

It's not easy on Isaac. The chains of memories want to hold onto this one and he can feel the power of this place pushing back on him, insisting his memories are correct. Yet Rosalie seems to show signs of doubt, "I'm.." He lets go and she stands there, rubbing her head again, eyes squinted shut, "I'm not...I'm not a part of..."

With each passing second, she shudders, face scrunched up in pain until, with the blink of an eye, it /seems/ like she's back to normal. The scars are there and in all the right places. The white streak in her hair is there. Avira looks...older, in fact, older than she did two weeks ago before she was thrown into the corridors.

Albireo Albark has posed:
Saying 'stop that' to Albireo is about as futile as spitting at God; it's going to fall back on your face and do very little. He just gives Celina a long, lingering smile, then turns his attention to Will.

"You really aren't in a position to threaten me. But don't worry; today is frozen. It's locked away in a nice little cube of ice until you decide to move onwards. It's only you who stir this fantasy; I'm merely the tour guide, the voice in your speakers through the fabulous world of Isaac Hanlon's No Good Terrible Very Bad Day." He shakes Artemis a little, heedless of her warning. "Oh, please! Lighten up! You're so grim and grumpy and grouchy. If you make that face the whole way through here your face is going to freeze like that. Or you'll wind up falling on your sword. You're not prepared for what you'rea about to see, I can tell."

Albireo nonetheless releases Artemis, draping both arms around Rosalie and hanging off her shoulder. "He liked you better when your hair was green," Albireo observes cheerfully into her ear, hanging there to tilt her head towards Mercade. "...oh. Hold on. I'm sorry, you're not...oh. Well, anyway, he likes green hair and full figures, in case you're curious. I think you crazy kids have got what it takes to go all the way, assuming..."

Albireo leaves it trailing, then, unravelling himself from Rosalie and wandering through the room over to the doors. They split open; cold, misty night air comes pouring in, and Albireo fakes(?) a shudder, wrapping his arms around himself. "It's a very chilly night. A good night for some warm food and a stiff drink, don't you think? Might as well ring in the end of all time with a good drink."

Celina Duvalis has posed:
"whyyyyyyyyyy"

Things don't make sense, Celina hates that. Albiero gives her a long, lingering smile, and she narrows her eyes right back at him, her lips pursed tightly. She isn't exactly sure what is going on here, nor does she want to exactly know what or why things are going on now, but --

She is getting vaguely upset.

Will Sherman has posed:
Will suddenly starts shoving Mercade's wallet towards Albireo.

The moment passes, and then he starts following Isaac out to the street, looking back at the returned Avira...her strings are less creepy now.

"Okay, sorry, it's a touchy subject AL. With what the little girl and the mad scientist.

Will now has a book. he blinks. He opens it up because why not.

Emi Dennou has posed:
Ami says, "...He likes green hair and full figures, The Network stores this information away for later." Then Ami frowns. "Oh stop, Emi." The Network doesn't even have a chinese dress.

"Alright." She looks to Isaac. "We trust you to the lead the way. We will follow you." She looks towards Mercade--who seems to think similarly--and then ...

..she tries to sneak a peek at Will's book-no! She stops herself! FOCUS AMI. She smacks herself in the face twice.

Avira has posed:
"Oh Faram it was happening." Avira murmurs, her eyes opening once more. The past few moments were nothing but a jumble of memories that felt like they belonged to three seperate people. "Freaking Castle Oblivion-" She tenses up when Albireo drapes himself around her and murmurs something confusing into her ear. "But I've never had..."

She looks to Mercade. "...green hair and full figures?" Her shoulders stiffen and she shoves Albireo's arms off of him. "Don't be stupid. He likes /me/ just fine."

Albireo Albark has posed:
Albireo pats Avira on the shoulder. "Of course he does, honey. You're just /fine/ the way you are. There's *nothing* wrong with you."

Artemis Eurus has posed:
What face? The absolutely neutral expression she is making? Well, alright. Artemis' lips curve into a small, not entirely friendly smile. "No, I do not know. Suppose I will be walking into the unknown then. It would not be the first time," she says, shrugging her shoulders, letting out a deep breath through her nose.

Artemis looks to Isaac, the spark of this dream. "Sir Isaac, if you would turn the bloody page?" she asks, motioning for him to lead them.

Avira has posed:
Avira tenses further at the patronizing words from their motormouthed guide...then her shoulders slump. "I'm sorry." she murmurs to...who exactly is unclear.

The arm attached to the shoulder that's currently being patted comes up, forearm winching inward so she can stab her pointy, pointy elbow backwards at Albireo's face.

Mercade Alexander has posed:
"Stop taunting Avira." Mercade says. "She is who she is, and she doesn't need to change for me. I like her for who she is." He says shortly to Albireo. "Stop trying to conflate me for someone I am not." Though he does watch Avira with concern on his face, wondering about the horrible... effect... she was caught in. Can that happen to anyone? Or is it just Isaac's and his willpower that is keeping this from happening to everyone here? He can't tell.

He grimaces. All he can do is move forward. "ISaac." He says simply. "I'll follow you wherever you think we need to go. This... This isn't what I know." Despite this, he feels like, somehow, he's walking over a grave.

Isaac Hanlon has posed:
Isaac stands in the street. He sticks his flesh and blood hand into his pocket, shielding it against the cold. He opens and closes the mechanical one, very slowly, staring at the door across the street. He's aware he's being told to lead on, but he also knows that this entire thing, if it's his nightmares, his memories, will be sharp as a knife. He can feel it twisting already.

"Right. Turn the page. Let's..." He exhales. Isaac pulls something out of his pocket. It glints slightly in the light from the lamps along the street. He clumsily maneuvers it onto his thumb, and then looks back to Mercade. "I know it a little too well, I suppose," he replies. Then, he flips the coin.

He doesn't catch it. It falls down onto the sidewalk, rolling along the edge and falling onto one face with a little noise. He looks down, but the mist is thick; he probably can't make it out where he's standing.

Isaac strides across the street, moving as if he's afraid his destination is going to disappear when he gets there. It isn't to the Tower at all. He leaves the coin where it fell.

Deidra has posed:
Deidra looks as Albireo lets Artemis go and now looks at Albireo he's rapidly not making any friends honestly. Then again this strange being isn't setting out to do so. She just holds her wings closer and pauses at the mention of the sorts of girls that Isaac likes not sure if it's true, to not but well she thinks Albireo is just trying to get everyone pissed off at this point. She's not happy but so far the mysterious man hasn't hit any of her own persona buttons directly.

"We should go..."

There goes Avira she can't blame her at all for wanting to knock his block off.

"All right Isaac this ... place.."

Her tail swishes about a little nervously for a moment. She's just unsettled about this place, and she'll moe right after Isaac.

Albireo Albark has posed:
Isaac opens the door, and there they are.

A bandaid...a bandaid is one of the worst means of healing a person. It seals the wound shut, allowing it to scab over naturally; but it itches, irritating, in the back of your mind. It's like...it's there, and you know it's there, and you want to pick and tug at it all the time but you know that you shouldn't. What if the wound isn't healed yet? You'll just be ripping it open, exposing it to the air once again.

Isaac tears off the bandaid and steps through the door.

And there they are. A young lady, about twenty-two, with blonde hair and red shades, dressed in a smart suit; a dark-skinned redhead wearing a dress with a neckline that /started/ at 'plunging' and ended at 'classily diving'; an older man in a wide-brimmed hat with a big bush blonde beard who looks a great deal like Tom; a handsome brown-haired man with his arm in a sling, standing by the bar; a green-haired woman whom Albireo's song describes quite well, with an unnatural look to her, like she's not quite human; a man with a wild-eyed stare *covered* from head-to-toe in paint; and a young man with a bandage over his cheek and a look of profound unluckiness.

The green-haired woman is the first to stand; she runs over to Mercade and throws her arms around him tight, embracing him in a very very tight hug. "You're alive! You're all alive! The Tower...you did it, didn't you? You destroyed it!"

Albireo trails behind the rest of the group, a smile on his face as he looks over at Avira, and whistles a bit of that tune from earlier. The barkeep stands up.

"I can't believe it. You guys..." He shakes his head and smiles. "I knew you could do it, Isaac. Will. Mercade. I knew you guys could do it."

"C'mon...pull up a stool and tell me about it. Drinks are on me."

Will Sherman has posed:
"...Uh..." Will looks blink. "Who's John?" Will asks, looking back at the others. He has no idea who these people are...why they recongize him...

"Soooo...yeah, I'm Will Sherman, nice to meet you folks." He says, he rubs his eyes again. Damn...it is like only being able to half see, it's disorientating for him. He's not used to this...he's just so used to seeing normally...

He looks at Ami, and then back to the rest of the guys. "I am hungry though.." he mutters, "Though memory food isn't very filling I think."

Celina Duvalis has posed:
Celina looks around. Something is off here, although not as off as seeing Mercade being hugged by... that. The witch blinks a few times, glancing around the room. It's no surprise to anyone that her eyes settle on the Tom-like figure, them narrowing slightly, b efore she steps towards Will.

"Are you going to be okay?" She asks him, her voice soft.

Avira has posed:
The telltale sound of bones snapping is music to Avira's ears as she feels her elbow impact directly upon the bridge of Albireo's nose. Her elbow does feel a bit tingly afterwards from the close to bone-on-bone impact but the pain is easy for her to ignore on her part. There's a satisfied smirk on her face as she follows after Isaac, making sure to walk directly next to Mercade.

They stroll into the unfamiliar bar filled with unfamiliar people. One of those unfamiliar people happens to be a green-haired lady with enormous....tracks of land. One that promptly flings herself onto Mercade, prompting the scarred woman to look on in shock. A glare is shot over at Albireo, one of her hands clenching into a fist.

A confused look is then shot at Isaac.

Emi Dennou has posed:
Ami glances towards Will. She is about as clueless as he is Here. Well, not entirely. "The people not in the new world..." She murmurs to herself. "Who did not make it."

She looks towards Leanan. "...Leanan Sidhe." She says before turning back to Will. "She is from our world as well, of course. She is a member of 'Endgame', as well." She shakes her head. "We like her because of her hair color."

...

She waves a hand to Leanan before adding, "The other you is John." Ami explains to WIll. "...I guess."

She stuffs her hands in her pockets shyly before adding, "...We did not expect to see her again."

She glances over towards Will and tries to explain this succinctly. "...For that matter, The Network did not expect to meet you again. Or Mercade. Or Isaac. Again."

Deidra has posed:
Deidra enters into the bar after Isaac and she really does look out of place but as many people none of which she knows seem to be coming for Isaac to greet him. Also shockingly they know Will and Mercade as well she looks about and she wonders was this woman a reference to what Albireo was talking about earlier. Well the cause of the reference.

She hangs back looking about not wanting to spook the locals as one glance and clearly hello non human here. Then the comment over the radio about what the woman with the green hair is makes her wonder or perhaps they won't even blink an eye at her. She relaxes a little bit and waves a taloned hand at the strangers.

"Hello."

She's not sure if this is the best idea but well? What's the worst thing that could happen. However she's starting tot think Al doesn't have the best of intents with what's going on over the com.

Artemis Eurus has posed:
Suddenly, a bar. People seem to know each other. There in uncanny resemblances. Artemis sighs, and moves toward the bar. She orders a drink. Whiskey.

She then hovers on the periphery, listening to the radio chatter and observing, her eyes scanning the room for any sign of Imi or this Feige person.

Mercade Alexander has posed:
Mercade could not have been prepared for this.

His expression goes from surprise to the edge of panic with direct application of succubus. "I..." He says, flushing red with embarassment. "Uh..." He stammers for a moment, and then reaches up to grasp Leanne on the shoulders and gently try to detatch her. "Leanan, Uh, um..." He thinks, trying to figure out a way to handle this. "This isn't what you think it is. I'm sorry, but... I'm not that man. He's still out there."

Isaac Hanlon has posed:
Isaac opens that door. He tears off the bandage.

It hurts more than he could ever imagine.

He sees them all, and listens to everything. To everyone here, and everyone whispering into his ear. He stares straight ahead, into the bar, at the scene and the people. He rocks on his feet, where he stands, letting Leanne rush past him and embrace Mercade. He doesn't seem to react when he gets shot looks and asked questions. He's transfixed.

The barkeep talks as if they saved the day. Isaac rocks backwards, very slightly, as if he'd been struck. His left hand tightens even more. His knuckles are white. His head hangs, his hair shadowing his eyes.

"More real than they are," he says, his voice a choked whisper. Spots of wetness appear on the floor in front of him. "This was a bad idea. This... We shouldn't have -- /I/ shouldn't have --" He raises his left hand, pressing his hand against his face.

Albireo Albark has posed:
Albireo looks enormously amused by the whole affair. He gestures gently at their surroundings before grabbing his nose and pushing it back together with a motion; there's neither a crack nor a pop. Avira's sure she felt an impact...does he just not have bones? "This is the most beautiful dream of all, isn't it, Isaac? It's like the song says; a dream is a wish your heart makes. This is what you've wanted. This is what you've wanted for longer than you've ever been alive. This is the wish your heart made when you stepped into Castle Oblivion. Here you are."

Albireo throws open his hands. "Your chance to change the world."

Leanne pushes up next to Mercade again, wrapping her arms around his. The smell of her perfume fills the room; it's...powerful, that's for sure. "Oh, please. I think I know the man I love when I see him, Mercade."

Artemis orders a whiskey; the barkeep smiles and grabs one from under the bar. "Here you go. Best I've got; it's good stuff. You'll enjoy it. Don't think we've met; I'm Michael Stanton. Call me Mike. This is the Ringside Arrangements; best little bar and grill in Vespertine City."

"HEY, JAMES! The TDA's back! They brought some new folks, too! Probably refugees; definitely first-timers! Whip up something to eat, huh? John's probably hungry."

Mike looks back at Isaac. "So...where are Bee and Ben? Did they..."

Leanne looks over at Ami; her arm snaps out, dragging Ami into part of a hug for a brief moment. "Ami! I just saw your sister not a few minutes ago; you're both growing up so beautiful. If you keep eating right you might even rival me o/""

Albireo walks through the crowd; nobody seems to even notice he's there. He stops in front of the big blonde bearded man who looks a great deal like Tom, waves his hands in front of the man's face, and then sighs and turns back to the group. "Poor Tommygun," he sighs to himself.

"Welcome home, Isaac."

Artemis Eurus has posed:
Artemis takes her drink. She sips it, appreciating the taste. If it is all a dream, she knows well enough what good whiskey tastes like. If not...well then, its good whiskey and she won't have to pay the bill.

The world is about to end.

Artemis nods to the tender. "Mike, a pleasure. I am called Artemis," she replies, watching the others. She has at least a guess of what is happening here, and by all the chatter it is probably correct.

Her eyes mostly follow Albark curiously. "And what follows now? I'm along for this ride to keep an oath. The world ends? The page is turned again? Where is Imi--and Feige. I have a debt of blood to pay," she says to the blue-haired maniac.

Mercade Alexander has posed:
Mercade, intellectually, understands the concepts here. They are seeing reproductions of Isaac's memeory, brought to life. His sharp memories, so powerful and such an asset before, are made even more real here. He remembers everything. Every detail. That thing that served him so well in both of his lives... Now here, in this place where memories /were/ reality...

Feeling it, experiencing it in person, another life and another story, makes things so different. Mercade swallows, his mind reeling. The perfume is powerful, it invades his senses. It is something he knows he'd like. It smells of lilacs and danger. It would be so easy to slip into the role, to just be carried along and play the part.

But he is not that man.

"I cannot be that man." He mutters to himself. Others can likely hear it. He doesn't care. "I'm not him, Leanan. I look like him, maybe. I sound like him. But I'm not from this world. I'm from another world. Isaac brought us here to help him with something that needs to be done."

Avira has posed:
/Just memories/.

Avira turns away from Mercade and the succubus currently getting snuggly with her detective. At the end of the day, that woman was just a memory after all. Avira was -real-. She'd be the one ultimately getting snuggly. Slipping to the side, she joins Artemis at the bar.

"Hey Mike. Yeah, we're...world refugees of a sort." Avira comments, glancing over her shoulder at Mercade. A sigh of relief fills her and she looks back to the bartender. "We're mostly passing through. But a drink would be nice."

Emi Dennou has posed:
Ami closes her eyes for a few moments, taking in a sharp breathe as she's hugged. she leans into it. She really does feel very real. And yet-- yet however 'real' it might be, it's false. It's false... and... a detective, she thinks dimly of what Emi would say, a detective must seek out the truth.

"Leanne." Ami murmurs, her eyes suddenly wet. "...We're sorry."

"...We're sorry we were so standoffish. Perhaps had we not been, things would be different. Maybe we could have helped." She rests a hand on Leanan's shoulder. "My sister. You don't mean Imi, do you? Was she going to the tower?" Or was it another one? The one that died this day?

She glances over to Albireo. Maybe, she thinks. Maybe he has had to be quiet for so long he just feels the need to talk and talk and talk. She can understand that. MAybe he's just this way.

She then turns her head and looks right into Leanan's eyes. "...We will miss you. Cronus is better now, too."

She steps back a bit, looking towards Mercade, then to Leanan. "We're going to find out the truth." She tells her. "...I'm sorry. I'm not a good talker." She reddens faintly, looking away.

Mercade... Her Mercade...

She notices Artemis and Avira going over to the bar and getting drinks.

"..." Okay, maybe drinks aren't actually a bad idea.

"Isaac, we will not be giving you a pep talk. We believe in your choices. Our life is many time overs yours."

Deidra has posed:
Deidra looks at Michael and the rest it seems they have no issue with her. If they are memories she's finding it hard to realize the people are not really here and just a memory of once who once lived before the darkness claimed yet another world. Or perhaps they are more than that she's not sure at this point. She doesn't want to be rude, and yet she knows still on some level this is not real. She goes to join art at the bar as Avira joins her at this point for a moment.

She sits down at the bar and looks to Mike for a moment "Yes we are refugees of a sort I'll take a shot what you gave my friend already. If that's not too much trouble Michael."

She doesn't know why but she feels that much is right even if it's a dream a living dream. She looks to Avira and Art for a moment "This really is a lot to take in."

Will Sherman has posed:
Will shakes his head...

This is...

He is...no he is not.

"Sorry, But I am not the boy you are looking at." And it's true...Will is nothing like John. Will, even though he is impulsive and crazy is much more balanced by age and experience...he willingly sticks his foot forward blindly, but not because he was blind, but because the first step is the hardest...and people often needed to be pushed to make it.

Will also only contains a partially mad god, and not part of the True god.

Now things make more sense...he is curious to have met this other him...what they would do together...

It's a good thought, but an impossible one. He watches Isaac and Imi...this is their story. Will feels out of place here...and sad to see this. Sad to see another man's tortured soul flayed for all to see. It might be what he needs...but it's not what he deserves to have happen in this way.

Isaac is stronger...stronger than he ever thought before.

Albireo Albark has posed:
Leanne is very snuggly, but Avira's will is stronger. Ami talks, and Leanne smiles; she reaches out and puts hr hand on Ami's shoulder. "Thank you, dear. That's very sweet of you. I'm glad Cronus is feeling better; he always seemed like such a lost boy."

Mike smiles at Artemis and Avira as he slings Avira a drink. It's a mixed drink of some sort; it's fruity and bubbly, and it has a weird pink tinge to it, but it tastes like bananas and liquorice, and it's sweet and sour all at the same time as it goes down. He pours Deidra a shot of whiskey and passes it over to her; he doesn't even blink twice at her odd appearance. Nobody in the bar has, in fact. "Stranger things have happened around these parts. Welcome to Vespertine, ladies. It's not always this much of a mess; sometimes it's even quiet a whole night." Mike laughs as a stern, taciturn young man brings out a wide tray of food; it's sort of a hotel buffet-type arrangement. "First-timers eat on the house. Best way I know to keep people coming back is to give them a free sample; sure worked with John." He's a warm, jovial, friendly man, and his smile is as warm and jovial as he is.

Leanne returns her attention to Mercade. "What do you mean? There's only one Mercade Alexander. He's handsome and brave; he's willful, sometimes to the point of downright suicidal stupidity, and he's got a sense of justice better than anyone else in the world. I can tell just by looking at you; you're Mercade Alexander. You're handsome, brave, willful, suicidally courageous, and full of an unerring sense of right and wrong. Am I wrong? Are you *not* Mercade Alexander, and instead just some out-of-town phantom with his face and his name? Because that would be a very cruel game to play with my heart."

Mike pours a glass of soda and slides it to Will. "C'mon, John; it's not really funny. Where'd Melody go? Did she..." He waves his hand.

Artemis Eurus has posed:
Artemis nods to Avira. "May as well drink," she agrees. "Vespertine?" she asks as she looks back toward Mike. "I see," she says.

Ignored by Albark, Artemis shakes her head. There is nothing to it but to wait now? Very well. Artemis can wait. A hunter must have impeccable patience.

She listens to the talk on the radio, her expression turning thoughtful. Castle Oblivion. She knows exactly what she would be seeing--what this place would be for her. She'd stand at the place where her life fell into chaos--and she would change it somehow, and all would be well. Louis would never have joined the church--or if he did, he would never have been corrupted by it. He would certainly have never stained his hands with their father's blood, and she would certainly have never sworn an oath to avenge his death.

They'd live happily ever after.

Except then there would be no Ramza. No Zhou.

Artemis looks toward Isaac. If he could make out her eyes, he would find sympathy.

Avira has posed:
She tries, really hard, to shut out the cooing of the succubus woman. Avira can't help but notice that Leanne does have Mercade down pretty well. This other Mercade she knew sounded remarkably a lot like her own Mercade. In a way, it's kind of nice to hear that across the universe, some things...didn't change.

"May as well." she mutters, "This is Isaac's fight. It's up to him to resist being trapped here forever. Maybe that's why Feige wanted him to come. He'd never want to leave." She doesn't confide this in anyone else besides Artemis, lacking confidence in this particular theory. There had to be some other reason.
RHanded a super girly drink, Avira looks shocked and perhaps even insulted by the extreme girliness exuded by the drink. At least it tastes good, she realizes, after sipping it. "Alcohol is so much better when it's sweet. Ah, thank you, Mike."

She swipes a bite-sized sandwich off the presented plate.

Deidra has posed:
In a very strange way the lack of reaction to what she is has been very comforting to the Gargoyle. The comment about Cronus makes he think about the young man and how he's turned his life about for a moment. As Mike gives her, a drink and she goes to sip at it.

"Thank you, I appreciate the welcome and it really is quite the bar you have here.. Same would work for Will I?ll bet." She's just for a moment forgetting just trying to think about something other than the nature of this world. The name Vespertine is one she won't forget this name of what she's experienced any time soon, that is if they ever find their way out of this place she has no idea about if they could. It's a powerful memory trap for those connected with it perhaps it's for the best she's got her connections to Isaac after the fact. She continues to enjoy her drink for the moment wondering what they will find when they find the missing sibling of Emi.

Isaac Hanlon has posed:
For a time, Isaac is quiet. He just listens, trying to contain the outpouring of emotions. He's trying not to shout, 'no, you idiots, it's over, it's all over!' He's trying not to make things /worse/. Dream or nightmare, this place is a Hell designed all for him... because that's what life was, before the end. Wasn't it?

Isaac raises his head. His cheeks are wet. He swipes the back of his hand across his face, clearing his throat and walking further into the bar. He doesn't smile. He looks to each and every person in the bar, remembering the good times over the bad. There were times when things looked bleak, but they always turned out okay -- right up until it was all finally over. The last part, though... this time, things are going to be different. He won't be haunted by the past anymore -- he'll dream of better days.

He has to.

Isaac stops at the bar. He looks at Mike, putting his hands on the bar in plain sight. His right is a clearly mechanical prosthesis, the metallic digits clicking on the bartop. He stares at Mike with a stare that says he's seen it all, that he's walked a thousand miles and all he's seen is terror -- but that, in the end, he'd keep going, because hope springs eternal. Isaac never used to look like that. He'd joke and laugh, and he'd talk about how things are going to be okay, and swear up and down that he knew a better way.

And, usually, he did. The last time he was here, he didn't. But this time...

"They're at the Tower," Isaac says, speaking clearly. His voice carries through the bar, just like it always did when he wanted to be heard. He gestures at Will and Mercade. "These aren't them. They're their counterparts from another world. I've been gone a few years, and stuck in another place, and I'm back here to find her sister," he gestures at Ami, "and fix something that went very wrong. Think of me as the John Connor, and don't ask too many questions, because wizard, seriously." He shrugs his shoulders, tilting his head a little momentarily, as if that explains everything.

"I just want to say --" He turns around, looking about the bar again. He smiles, something earnest yet bottled up, something he's wanted to let out for years and never could, not really. He's tearing up again, but it doesn't reach his voice for more than the barest quiver for the briefest instant. "-- I love you guys, and I miss you. I miss coming here, and I miss everything just being so -- perfect. I miss breakfast, and I miss the stupid arguments we'd have, and I miss Ben nearly killing himself with the poison you keep behind the bar he insists on drinking. I miss being able to go on the case and come back and know that, at the end of the day, no matter what happened, everything would be just like it was, and then we'd get up and do it again."

"But I can't do that again," Isaac says, his voice heavy. He looks down. "Not with everything else going on. Maybe when this is all over, I'll come back, and then... the good ol' days will be good again, maybe even compared to whatever else may come. But I can't do it. Not now. So I guess..." He shakes his head. "...this is the goodbye I never got to say."

Isaac lifts his head again. He stares straight ahead for the span of a breath. He's made his decision -- now it's time to stick by it. He pushes himself off the bar, shrugging his shoulders to let his coat fall just right. It's a familiar motion. His heart aches with even the smallest reminder. An old wound, but still open. He starts to turn to Albireo, but stops suddenly. He looks to the older Tom, sitting at the bar. He lifts his left hand --

-- and promptly slugs Tom in the shoulder. "I've always wanted to do that, you jerk," he says, fondly.

Isaac turns to their enigmatic guide. He looks him in the eye, meeting his gaze with a level one of his own. Five words, huh? Five words to set him laughing. Five simple words that he's been waiting for this whole time.

Easy.

"Take us to the Tower."

With his right hand, Isaac plucks a french fry off the sampler platter and pops it into his mouth. For a mere moment more, a span of heartbeats and breaths before they embark into a place of absolute terror, he remembers nirvana.

He holds onto that moment for as long as he can.

Celina Duvalis has posed:
Celina looks at the Tom-figure when Isaac hits him.

Yeah, that was more than likely a Tom.

She then delicately shrugs as things play out the way they do. She is proud of Isaac, though.

Albireo Albark has posed:
Everyone stops and stares at Isaac as he starts talking. He talks of the end of the world; he's crying, for reasons that none of them really seem to get, as everybody sort of turns to listen - except, of course, Albireo, his self-appointed Virgil, who is doing a very good job of not laughing at all yet. Some of them glance at Isaac's hand; some of them look at Isaac's face; some of them just nod quietly as Isaac talks about missing them and loving them. This is the hardest thing Isaac Hanlon has ever had to do in his life, in all likelihood, or at least very close to it; it's brutal and cruel and it hurts deep inside his heart, and even those in the room who don't really understand what's going on understand that much, understand /that/ little tiny bit.

Tom puts his hand own on Isaac's shoulder. "I understand," Old Tom replies, and that dispels any illusions that it wasn't Tom Magnusson behind that rugged beard, even if he's not as loud as he usually is. "Go do what you need to do."

Tom's punched; he laughs. It obviously didn't hurt him.

A bunch of them join together and say good-bye; there's some brief hugs, but nobody asks any questions. They know. They understand, and they trust Isaac Hanlon. They trusted him once before, too.

Isaac turns to Albireo, whom no one else can see. Albireo meets Isaac's gaze, and he smiles. "I understand."

Isaac takes a last taste, and the whole world changes as the group is jerked out of Heaven and dragged into Hell. One moment, they are at the warm and happy bar, surrounded by laughter and friendship and light and warmth; the next, they stand there, the lingering tastes of friendship and love and kindness, the dwindling smell of Leanne's lavendar perfume, in the middle of the mist. In front of them is...not that.

In front of them is horror. In front of them is a great black tower; it stretches higher than any skyscraper, breaking through the clouds and continuing on up and up and up endlessly. The mist around is colder than any you have ever experienced; it is as miasma, a poisonous cold that saps at your hope and your joy and your happy feelings, draining them and drinking them in and growing strong from your misery. Before you the Tower's gates swing open; before you, the great double doors swing open.

There is a very loud bang; a gunshot echoes through the Tower.

The body of Mercade Alexander falls to the ground at the gate, a gun in his head.

END PART ONE

WELCOME TO THE TOWER OF OBLIVION

Emi Dennou has posed:
Ami nods along with Isaac's comment. "That's right."

But she's quiet otherwise. She listens to Isaac. It is incredibly painful to see DJ Zero like this. Isaac has always been there for them, and now--now what could they even do? What sort of act could The Network do to comfort him.

Ami breathes out a breath she hadn't even realized she was holding in. She approaches Isaac, raises a hand, lowers it, and then cocks her head to the left.

No, she thinks, it's his moment. Let him have it.

"It was nice seeing all of you." Ami says once there's a moment, bowing her head. "... ... Goodbye."

She turns her head, quickly, and then--

What they knew would happen. They even told Avira of this moment. But to see it doesn't make it any easier.

And in fact, seeing it makes everything worse. She whispers, "...We...remember..."

And then she grabs at her head and screams wordlessly, tears pouring from her eyes as she screams at the sight of Mercade's corpse, even though it's not his, over and over again.

Feige Abramson's downright maniacal laughter seems to echo from behind the gates.

Artemis Eurus has posed:
Artemis watches as Isaac makes his choice. It could not have been an easy one. She feels the temptation even now, that when this is all over...perhaps...for her...

No. The raw emotion touches her, even if these people are not close to her. How could she not feel close to the man when she was practically within his mind? His memories? She's a foreigner here, but she's been shown something so real, so /true/ that she can't just look away from it.

Isaac turns the page. The Tower looms. The Tower is never the card you want.

A body falls, a duplicate of one of the men she stands near. She knows what is happening. There isn't much to do but move forward and pull off her cloak, placing it over the fallen body as quickly as she can. She can't imagine what it must be to have to look at yourself, dead. Or the man you love.

It's all she can think to do.

When she hears that maniacal laughter, her hand strays toward the hilt of her blade as she looks to the gates. A moment, a deep breath, then she keeps walking toward the gates.

Celina Duvalis has posed:
"-- No!"

The cry comes from Celina's mouth before she can stop it, and she lifts one hand to her mouth. Even though she gets off a weak reply to Tom being terrible on the TDA radio - because it's Tom and he is a /terrible and awful person/ - she stares at the body of another Mercade Alexander.

Celina rustles into her small bag, and pulls out a utterly familiar rolled up newspaper, then she bops Albiero on the shoulder with it, anger in her pale eyes.

"You /asshole/."

Will Sherman has posed:
Will shakes his head.

This moment, he understands it. The need to say goodbye...the loss of love is never an easy one...he knows that one day he too...he too will lose everyone here. They will grow old and die...he will, at least, get to say goodbye. He doesn't blame Isaac, or think he's weird...he DOES get annoyed at being called fake, but then again, Al is trying to invoke response...and thought. IN a way he's more fool than he is. A troubling thought.

However, the time comes, Isaac gets...he gets to say goodbye, to settle something in his heart. Will sighs, he's sorry.

Sorry again, for watching this...

Then the world shifts. He stands upright, this...this feeling...

Loki almost immedaitely stirs, something in the air /itself/ rumbles the god into awareness...Will can't even hold it back if he wanted too, but Loki isn't wrestling control...he is awake because this place DEMANDS it.

Will's hands reflexivly glow, but he represses the aura...

"Rest, it's not time yet." he says, but it's still awake... he knows it won't sleep here..

He pulls Ami into a hug so she doesn't have to see...

Mercade. The sight before him...his blood goes cold, his eyes shoot wide open...

And then Feige...

"Ami, come on...we have to be strong now." he says, the voice modulating, "We have to be strong. Everyone of us...We're sorry you have to see this."

Avira has posed:
In mid-bite, Avira turns around to watch Isaac, listen to him say the goodbye that he never had the chance to say. She is, vaguely, aware of what had happened with Emi conveying some details later. The background only serves to make Isaac's speech all that much more heartbreaking.

Silently, she rubs at her eyes when she's done, offering no words, throwing all her willpower into the need to /not/ haul off and punch Albireo in the face again. She does start to go through the motions, though, setting down her drink and rising from the stool. Mercifully, she does not further aggrivate their Virgil. Away to the Tower they go.

Though she had been told that this had happened, she was not prepared to see it happen. A terrified gasp escapes her as she spots the body of the detective and, perhaps almost instinctively, she runs to him. Kneeling beside him, she draws the body up into her arms, hugging it, trembling. "No no no no no..."

Mercade Alexander has posed:
Mercade kind of winces as Leanne begins complimenting him. He never really felt like that kind of guy. The person she's describing... It feels like this guy is some kind of amazing person.

He never really believed he was any of those things. Maybe it's one of his assets, that he doesn't let his good points go to his head. On the other hand, maybe it leaves him too open to the other side of the coin. "I wish I was that awesome." Mercade chuckles. "But as Isaac said. I'm not the same Mercade as the one you love. I will tell you, though. He better treat you right, okay? Otherwise, punch me for me." He grins at that, and then looks over at the rest of the room, taking in the environment. It's so familiar, so right, and yet... It's not the same. It reminds him of the Cloud Nine.

He smiles, finally letting his guard down for a moment...

That's when reality shifts and kindly punches him in the gut. With love.

Oh wait, that's not love. That's not love at all.

Mercade is not prepared. Perhaps in another world, he had been steeling himself for this, but the reality confronts him, another incredible shock to his senses. The cold, the dead feeling of the Underworld and the pointed focus of the judgement and coming destruction of the world reel before him, daring him to attempt comprehension. Just standing in the shadow of the Tower forces him to use all of his will to remain on his feet.

Bang.

Mercade sees a blue of leather and white, a rumpled man fall.

And he looks at his own corpse.

He staggers backwards, falling to his knees and staring blankly even as Artemis kindly covers the corpse. He did not know what happened to the Mercade of this world. He tries to comprehend it. What stresses he must have been under...

But it doesn't matter, now.

Deidra has posed:
Deidra has never had whiskey this good before in her life and likely never will have so again. Not like this she savours it she enjoys it and then Isaac starts to talk. IT has an effect on Deidra more than anyone here would realize it makes he realize just how petty all her so called problems are. She's staring to realize the fact she pissed of that faye may have been one of the best things to heptane to her. She's not lost her world those she cares for even those she has to watch from afar now. She could try to go home with as much pain as that might cause but those people are there alive they are still there.

Isaacs world has been consumed by the darkness perhaps to never return. His memory has been a curse in a way he's been unable to forget a thing about those he cared for that he lost. His friends, here. Michael and the rest. Even being about the TDA might be agony to him on some level. They are all reminders with every word they speak every action they take of his friends whom he's lost.

The depths of the pain that he's feeling is something she can't even guess at. She sets the glass down on the bar for a moment she looks to Michael sadly for a moment she says nothing as Iassac says goodbye to his friends here and calls to go to the tower. She has a feeling of dread but she makes herself promise to not forget what she's seen of Isaac's world and those he lost.

Then as Tom reacts for a moment much like the Tom she knows in may ways and then comes the goodbyes on the other end. She tries to keep a brave face on and then as Isaac has his last taste of home they are now in the the depths of hell itself the horror before them is a huge tower. It is foreboding and horrible but what comes next is a thing of terror and horror as she sees Mercade dead, a gun in hand was it a self inflected wound she has no idea but the horror of seeing one of the first people to show her any kindness after her transformation fill her with feelings she can't even describe other than the worst form of despair and horror possible.

Then it gets worse as she hears Feige laughing she does not say a thing but her eyes glow red now and she starts to growl as she stalks towards the entrance Will seems to snap her out of it enough that she can press on with a clear hear but there will be ... a reckoning with the one who brought them all here.