eswareinmal | Action: Come one, come all!

Entry tags:

Action: Come one, come all!

Characters: ALL THE PEOPLE
Open? Yes.
Where: The Palace
When: The night of the 3RD
What: A masquerade ball and a very deep sleep.
Warnings: Part of a comm-wide plot!

The Prince Sif has felled an unknown beast, and presented its stuffed head to the King. This would be reason enough for a ball, but there are victories to celebrate. More heroes arrive every day. The kingdom was aptly defended when the forest wall fell. No one has tried to assassinate the king in several days.

All told, a good night for a party. The theme of the ball is a masquerade, and shops in town have been surprisingly (almost suspiciously) able to provide gowns and masks in ready supply.

The palace has been opened to heroes and townspeople alike, provided they can present themselves appropriately. The heroes have been strongly encouraged to attend, and those who do not come voluntarily may well be greeted with royal retainers at their doorstep, outfit and dance card in hand. Expect a very full dance card, heroes.

The banquet table is stacked full of food – roasts and cheeses, summer fruits and vegetables, rivers of wine and more ornate desserts than should be permitted in a time or war. This evening is about success – best to enjoy it.

In the center of the ball sits the beast’s head. A scaly, purple thing. Its eyes have been taken out and replaced with rubies, its mouth twisted in the same sort of anguished look on its face as when Sif killed it. There has never been a beast like this in Schwanheim before – if you like, come closer and take a look. The king is very generous with his gifts.

[ooc: The party is a LIE. Well. No, it isn’t! Enjoy the party. Your characters will be expected to wear full masquerade gear, or they will be shunted aside and dressed properly.

After the attendees go home, they will be plagued with dreams more tangible than they have ever felt. More information here]

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...oh god.

Giles had just been keeping a lookout for the girl in the dragon mask when he catches a glimpse of someone else. Someone with dark hair and a familiar, massive dog at their side.

It can't be right. It can't. He must be seeing things. She's wearing a mask, like all the rest, and large dogs are common enough around the town. But as she moves about the party, Giles finds himself looking towards her more than once, but never closely enough to be certain one way or another. It's maddening and frustrating and he's not sure which possibility he wants.

Even so, not knowing is the worst part, and so he moves towards her. He tries not to walk through people or let people walk through him, and so his progress is slow, but, eventually, Ginia will find her path blocked by an older man wearing a mask in the style of an owl, as he slides around a chattering couple. "E-Excuse me, miss..."

And then, for a second, Giles simply stares at her. The memory of his breathing sounds impossibly loud in the din of the crowd. That close together, he knows.

And then, almost before he knows what he's doing, he closes his eyes and blinks out of sight.

It only takes a few minutes for Ginia to realize she's being watched, and that realization instantly puts her on edge. She knows there could be innocent reasons for it, Odin certainly stands out in the crowd, but it makes her uneasy. It's mostly because it's unknown territory and she's trying to find her bearings without all her usual resources. She's confident enough she'll be able to get resources and figure things out, but it's the sort of thing that takes time.

Ginia glances around, seeing only a sea of unknown faces, and moves on, never quite shaking the feeling as she makes her way around the room. She keeps a hand close to Odin, fingers scratching behind his ears or holding onto his collar. He's calm so far, a good sign, and she'll take her canine companion's lead.

When someone stops in front of her and speaks, Ginia looks at the owl-masked man. In the same second it takes for him to recognize her, she wonders. A taller older man, that familiar English accent and stutter she can pick out even with two words, she wonders and dares to hope even when she knows it's impossible. She's not in Luceti anymore. He's long dead. There are plenty of older, tall Englishmen in the world.

But then he disappears and Ginia wonders if she was hearing or seeing things, if maybe she was tired and the oddity of the day was messing with her mind. Odin sits down and cocks his head to the side, sniffing at the air before he growls, then gives one solid, loud bark.

Oh, right.

Dogs. Very sensitive to the supernatural, dogs.

It's not as though he even smells the same. Odin has no reason to trust him being anywhere near Ginia...if the dog even remembers him at all. If his mistress even remembers him at all. She didn't seem to, but, then again, the world has taken on that slight edge it does when he's not letting anyone see him, so it's likely his own fault.

...it should be the easiest thing in the world to step back into sight and just let her get a proper look at him, but...then he'll have to explain what he is, and that will hurt them both. Giles almost wishes that Odin would take the choice away from him.

Ginia will hear a soft "snap" in the air just above Odin's nose. And that's because Giles has just snapped his fingers over Odin's nose, trying to get a sense on if the large dog actually recognizes him at all.

Ginia's hand rests on her dog's head as she looks ahead of her. Odin continues to sniff at the air, giving the occasional light growl and tilt of his head. He's confused and unsettled, and that worries Ginia as well, but as he seems determined to hold his ground, she remains at his side. A few of the other party-goers glance at her direction, but she ignores their stares and whispers as she looks around, trying to gather her thoughts. They're thoughts she doesn't like because she knows they're foolish. Once, there was a village where everyone had wings. Once, there was a man in that village she loved very much. Both were things in the past. Why were they coming up now?

At the light snap, Ginia tenses and Odin hops up to his feet and snaps at the air above his nose. He pads forward in a light circle around Giles, sniffing and whining slightly before he ends up where he started and sits back down. His head tilts again before he raises his paw and holds it out, expecting a shake.

Giles can't help it. He laughs. He presses a hand to his mouth to stifle the sound, but he laughs, and in that moment he is revealed. His voice doesn't vanish just because he does, after all.

"Clever boy," he murmurs to Odin. It's the only praise he can give, right now.

It's an almighty effort and it takes all his concentration, but - with one last nervous glance up at Ginia - Giles pushes aside his owl mask and will himself visible again. Visually, it's much like someone tugging aside a blanket painted like the space in front of her, and beneath it is Giles, as though he'd been standing there the entire time.

And so he stands before her, visible and easily identifiable and all the more anxious for it. It's only been a week or so, for him. After speaking with Helios, he has no way of knowing how long it's been for her. But if Odin remembers...

"...h-hello, Ginia."

The sound of his laughter, his laughter, is enough to confirm his identity for Ginia. She pales behind her mask, her eyes grow wide, and she stares because it's not possible. It shouldn't be possible. Yet hadn't Luceti proved even the most impossible things were simply improbable, and hadn't her own career shown nothing was impossible with the right tools and ideas?

Odin gives a disappointed whine when there's no handshake, but he sets his paw down as his tail wags happily, also recognizing Giles' voice. It's different for dogs, different in ways that can't be explained.

When he reveals himself, Ginia gives a small gasp and steps back. She hears him, she sees him, and though she held onto to belief he would come back, though she knows how possible impossible things can be, she can't believe it. It's a new world, a new place, who knows what lies and trickery could be here. Maybe it's a trick of the party, showing her someone she wants to see. But Odin trusts him and the wisdom of animals is something she puts more stock into, even if it's possible he could be made up of falsehoods too.

Her head lowers as her fingers close into tight fists. Ginia takes a few deep inhales and exhales as she tries to clear her mind. When she looks back up, her eyes are hard, her lips a thin line, a cool facade for her own protection. She unclenches her hands and signs at him, carefully choosing her words.

/How do I know this isn't a trick?/

Giles looks back at her, the sound of her fancy, borrowed gown giving her movements away even when his attention is otherwise quite focused on Odin. And then his face falls slightly as she signs at him. "Y-Your necklace..." he begins, finally seeing that she's not wearing it. "Oh, good lord, if they t-took it away because it, it didn't match the dress, or something idiotic like that, I-I'll give the king such a..."

...well, he doesn't know what he'll do. Not much he can do. Maybe just sing rude songs all night and stop him getting any sleep, although he seems the sort of ruler who'd enjoy that.

"I don't know," he says, as he calms down and realizes what she's just said. Her doubt stings him, but he certainly can't begrudge it. An entirely new world, and they two people who have never known one another without wings. And so Giles gives a helpless shrug. "Test me. I, um, I'd say I can, um, probably measure up."

Her hands betray her as her right hand goes up to touch her neck. Gone is the silver cross and the gold necklace she wore for so long in Luceti, replaced by the orb given to her upon her arrival. In truth it'd been over a year since she had that very special necklace. Was it still in Luceti? Oh god, how much time has passed in Luceti? She blanches for a moment as the realization she's left Luceti finally kicks in. She left Helios, Grune, oh god.

And yet, she finds it in her to laugh, the soft huffs of air that were so familiar to her. He knows about the necklace, that is one bit of proof she can hold onto, and she feels she'll owe him an apology in the end. Maybe her paranoia can be forgiven, but she knows how he can be when it comes to doubt and not being remembered.

Ginia pulls herself back toward and takes a small step in toward him. She raises her hands to her face and pulls her mask aside, bearing her face to him. It's only fair. She hasn't changed much at all. A year older, maybe a few new lines forming, but she hasn't changed much at all.

/How did we meet?/

Older than he left her, though. Noticeably older. More than three months.

But she's still Ginia. He was never worried that she'd be anyone else. Just...worried that she might have become someone else to him. But, no. The woman standing in front of him is unmistakable, and he thank whatever gods still have any mercy for him, because Giles knows that it's either blind luck or divine intervention that this is still the kiss.

If she'll owe him an apology, he'll owe her one in turn, for a great many things. As it stands, her paranoia is forgiven already. Giles was fairly suspicious himself, upon arrival, and he had no familiar faces to give explanations and nothing but anger and frustration to give them in turn.

She's not denying him, denying them. She remembers that they met. Odin remembers that he's good for a handshake. It's something. It's more than he should expect. So he can bear up. he can help her, as he helped her then.

Back then...

Still standing in front of Odin, Giles closes his eyes, massages his temples past his glasses, and remembers.

"In a village. Um, called Luceti. It, i-it was, um, New Feather season, a-and I was, well, just...listening for people. Keeping an eye out. I-I, um, of course I didn't mention at the time, but I'd...I'd only recently, um, returned from the dead, a-and I was eager to return to, t-to some sort of routine. F-Focusing on others made it...well, easier.

You, um, announced your presence in, well..." Here he smiles affectionately, even though he doesn't open his eyes. "...a, um, a numbered list, I think it was. Can't remember how many points but, um, we were soon, um, rather deep in discussion.

I offered to, um, sh-show you around. We met, a-and I brought you to the Welcome Center, s-so you could get some paper and pencils. A-And then I offered to, um, take you to Seventh Heaven, s-so we could talk a little further. At, at first glance, it seemed as though our worlds were actually a bit similar, a-and you, um, wanted to know how much.

...I, um, finally managed to distract you. Magic. Kipinn. That...w-was your first time seeing any, wasn't it?"

He hugs his shoulders, smiling sadly now. It seems so very twisted, now that he thinks about it. Because another memory has dogged Giles' steps for most of the night, the memory of the Christmas ball, where they'd realized for good and all, for better or worse, that they were two people in love. A couple of times, he'd caught himself wishing for her. It hadn't been the first time, but it had been the most intense.

And Schwanheim had seen fit to grant the wish of the ex-genie.

Edited 2012-05-23 04:32 (UTC)

Ginia hugs her arms as she listens to him, her expression remaining calm and reserved, but she can't help the smile creeping across her lips. The memories are a little faint in her mind, but she remembers them well enough. Walking upstream into the village, having a very good conversation with him, meeting him at the Welcome Center. He wasn't the first she spoke to, but the very first she'd met in person, and his kindness and intelligence had been a comfort.

She laughs again as she remembers her first encounter with magic. A tabletop twister, she'd poked it with her straw. How so long ago that had been. Was that why his departure had hurt so much? Not just because they were lovers, but because he'd always been there from the start?

/Name the first three times we kissed./ She presses on, gently probing his memory for more, and offering some confirmation she knows and acknowledges their relationship.

Easy. So easy. But these aren't test answers, to be rattled off like he's a student at university, just so he'll be given the chance to sit down again. These are important.

Even so, his face falls slightly. That wasn't enough? Had he not given her enough detail? He'd gotten it right, so why was she still asking him more?

"F-First," he begins. "I-It was, um, an experiment. The entire village had gone mad with...w-well, with fairy tales." The irony of the situation is not lost on him. Luceti had been behaving much like Schwanheim seemed to on a daily basis, and Giles was in his element now as he had been then. "Silly, really, but we were, um, caught up in a story. Swan Lake. A-And...well, unfortunately, we played it on until the end. Its, um, i-it's just a small mercy that we jumped into a fountain, f-for our romantic suicide, rather than the river. But we kissed, before we did. I-I, um, I remember.

S-Second. Well...it had, um, been an especially long experiment. W-We'd, um, we'd seen a lot of one another. And...well, I'd been wondering. I confess, I-I, um, I was surprised to learn you had been as well. We wanted to know if...i-if any of it had been real."

For a moment, they're back there, in a kitchen in Community Building 7. They'd just kissed, as themselves, and the world hadn't ended. But there'd been so many questions after that, so much to handle. The fact that they had, in the end, hadn't made it any less frightening to him.

Giles raises his fingers to his lips for a second, lost in his own memories and happy to be there.

"Th-Third." Now he sounds a bit like a student giving answers before a schoolteacher, but he's starting to get a headache from keeping himself so tightly under control. "Th-That one, um, I confess I...really hadn't been expecting. You, um, had a way with that. There was the one, um, during the draft, and all that, but...this, um, you'd called me to the Battle Dome. We, we were just thinking of...gods, forming a band. For the club. Might have made it, but for Derek.

You m-made a music studio. Everything, um, everything worked beautifully. Shame we, w-we never seemed to be able k-eep everyone together that long."

There's a hitch in his voice, now, as he desperately gives her everything he can, as proof, that he remembers and he's real and...

"...'I love you'. Th-That's, um...I said it, to you, th-that day. Properly."

And then the wall cracks and he adds, all in a rush, "A-And after the experiment with the fairy tales, I, I wrote a poem about you. A-As a knight, killing rats in the basement, s-slaying wicked dragons, rescuing people. I, I hadn't written any in years, but...s-some days, um, I just couldn't stop myself. A-And, and I kept them all in my journal, a-and I left them to you when I was sent home. I, I think they're the only secret I ever kept from you that long, a-and in the end I never even managed that."

Edited 2012-05-23 05:05 (UTC)

It's cruel making him answer more questions and she knows it's distressing him, but she has to know. She needs confirmation as much for that it's really him, but also for what they had. Or was it have? Could they continue on as they had been, proceed as normally? How she wished they could, but she knew it wasn't that easy. Time was a great chasm to crawl over and maybe there had been some small changes. They needed to talk, to get figure out where they stood, see if they could go on.

Besides, in a world of fairy tales, didn't the brave hero have to pass a test? Answer questions three and so you shall proceed? Maybe it was fitting, though Ginia had all the confirmation she needed. It really was Giles, her Giles, the man she was so deeply in love with. She smiles too as he recalls the memory, finding all the moments of happiness to comfort herself with. Even if their first kiss together had been during an event, it was everything that came after, all the realness there. It'd been real, it'd all mattered.

/I remember that poem. All the poems. After you left, I'd read them every night before I went to bed. I even tried writing music as a result. For you./ She blushes at that last admission. It was a simple melody, something she was slowly working on and would have been for his ears only.

/I never stopped loving you, Rupert./ No, that wasn't entirely true. In Luceti, she loved him deeply and continuously, waiting and hoping for him to return, but all it'd taken was being sent home to forget about everything and everyone. Returning here triggered it all back, but god, did that terrify her. Her memories were fragile enough, she couldn't bear to lose anymore, especially not things so important. He gave her confirmation through his words, a much needed jog of her memory.

Edited 2012-05-23 05:20 (UTC)

"For..."

For him. Once upon a time, no one even knew he played music. And here she had written something for him. Would he ever get to hear it, in this place?

Giles is touched, and sad, and overjoyed, and terrified all at the same time.

"...n-neither did I, Ginia." But it means less coming from him. Much less. Only a few days. Not months. Not years. He almost wishes she had. It would have been...fair, somehow, some fair recompense for her having to mourn him for as long as she had. He could have stayed out of the way. He could have stayed invisible.

Or so he tells himself.

But he'd always had a good memory. He would have had that much, at least. He just doesn't know that she'd been sent home while he'd been away, and that all their plans really had been for nothing. He just doesn't know that now Helios is alone.

"I'm...it's, i-it's wonderful to see you again." Giles gives her a smile of such utter happiness and love, as though she's just returned from a long mission, and all that's left to do now is make tea and talk and let her know that she's welcome home. "I'd, um...it's, it's only been a few days, for me, but...even so, I, I missed you."

Days against her months and years. It's almost unfair for her to go through so much and him so little, but she knows she can't hold it against him. Time works differently, that was one thing everyone knew in Luceti. He'd gone here instead of home, she could be somewhat happy for that. Somewhat if only because he was still so far from everyone he knew in Luceti, but at least he was living again, or so she thought. But there was nothing lost between them. This was a good thing. Ginia could be selfish enough to focus on them and forget everything else for the time being. Giles was a familiar face, already it made things all the more bearable.

The urge to hold him, kiss him, feel his body tight against her own grew overwhelming. They'd been intimate and she would be lying if she didn't admit to nights of sexual frustration after he was sent away. She missed every aspect of him, his mind, his kindness, his strength, but her physical want for him was strong. Fingers compared little to his hot kisses and sexual prowess, to being held by him and cuddling as they caught their breath. Waking up next to him was bliss in itself. Her mind began to wander, a familiar mischievous smile on her face. They left one party early during a beautiful December evening. Perhaps they could leave this one too.

Ginia moves forward to hold him, hug him tight and comfort him, kiss and love him as she always did, but his form proves to be deceptive. Where she expected a warm, tangible body, she found only air. Between her fancy dress, shoes, and pure surprise, Ginia felt only the floor against her hands and lips.

Edited 2012-05-23 12:31 (UTC)

Giles gasps as she passes through him, briefly breaking apart like the mist he is. He's gotten used to people moving through him on the streets, but the last time anyone was this direct about it, they'd been a horse, and he feels a stab of phantom pain and dizziness as he reforms himself.

when consciousness fully returns, Giles finds himself on his knees, breathing heavily just to steady himself. He can feel Ginia behind him, and Giles' heart twists agonizingly in his chest as he realizes what just happened.

"I wish you hadn't done that."

It was his fault, though. He should have warned her, from the start. He shouldn't have led her on, let her think that there was any possibility. It wasn't like with Helios, where he would never be the one to initiate any physical contact, where Giles had had the chance to gather up his nerves and show him. But it was just like possessing someone, really - if he didn't fool himself a bit, he'd go bad, and become one of those sad things that didn't even qualify as people anymore.

"S-Sorry."

Because, for all his memories, for how much he still lives her and always will...what does that matter, when he's no realer than air?

Giles words hurt more than falling onto the marble floor. She doesn't look at him as she scratches Odin behind the ears when he pads over and licks her face. Shouldn't have done that. What should she have done? Not want to hold her boyfriend, not want to love and feel him again, not want? Her hands ball up into fists and maybe it's good she can't touch him because she's tempted to slug him. It wouldn't be fair to do so though; he didn't do anything wrong and she has a feeling he would never wish to be a ghost.

It reminds her of another time, another mask, another moment where they were both intangible. They had the knowledge it was only temporary and this situation is nothing like that one, but she thinks of it anyway. Mostly she thinks of what she told an angry, scornful man. She loved him regardless of everything, even if he was dead. So she loved a dead man. It was no different than the rest of her life.

With composed dignity and grace, Ginia picks herself off the ground. She dusts off her dress and smooths down the skirt. She crosses around to stand in front of Giles and smiles sadly at him, snapping her fingers to get his attention.

/Get up off the ground. It doesn't suit you./

You're in love with a dead man.

Ginia had actually managed to get under his skin, that night, even with the Phanto Mask in place making him lash out and hurt anyone who got within arm's reach. If she hadn't been a ghost herself, at the time...well, Giles still feels a chill down his spine, thinking of what he might have done. She'd gotten under his skin, with her unspoken promises of love, and he'd hated her for it. He'd thought he could shove her away, with that revelation, but it hadn't worked.

...he was glad it hadn't.

Giles looks up, startled out of his dark thoughts, as Ginia snaps her fingers. Then he realizes why, and smiles apologetically as she signs.

"S-Sorry," he says, getting back to his feet. He dusts himself off, just for something to do with his hands. "I-I'm, um, going to have to get used to you, um, being without the necklace. Helios, um, might be able to make you a new one. Magic is, i-is different here, of course, but he has his own back."

Ginia's smile tightens. She doesn't deny how much easier it was being able to talk and she made very little mention of being mute after Helios gave her the necklace. Not out of any shame, but it seemed unnecessary to mention. It didn't change the fact sometimes she still wondered how people would react if they knew she was mute. It didn't change the fact sometimes she wonders if Giles likes her more when she can talk. When he has to hey used to being with a mute woman again.

But Ginia keeps it all to herself. There are more important things to focus on, namely, Helios.

/He's here? Helios? Is he well?/ That Helios also left Luceti is a saddening thought, but at least he and hooked are together.

He has to get used to it. But, when all is said and done, Ginia was probably just a bit better for him, when she couldn't talk. He had to pay attention. He had to look at her, no matter how embarrassed or anxious he was. Without her, well...needless to say, he's fallen into some of his bad conversational habits again.

But, to his possible credit, Giles notices the change in her expression, even if he doesn't quite get the cause of it, and he looks a bit shamefaced at having upset her somehow. He assumes that she's missing the necklace as well, and probably doesn't entirely appreciate him pointing out the obvious.

So he jumps on the subject change. "Y-Yes, um, he is. And he's, um, here at the party, as well. The, th-the last I saw of him, he was around the feasting table. Not much sweets, here in Schwanheim, but the, th-the food is, um, good enough.

He's well. Unhurt. I, um, I think he even likes it here, a bit." It's been touch and go, once or twice, but so far Helios has gotten through his days here unharmed. And, well, Giles knows that the other man shares his excitement, living among fairy tales.

/I'll have to talk to him./ An utterly obvious statement. Of course she would talk to him. Helios was her best friend, her brother. She needed to see how he was, apologize for leaving if needed though she would never reveal it if he didn't know. The three of them in some strange world, she was comforted by the fact they were all together. They weren't together in Luceti, true, but at least they had each other here. That had to count for something.

/You two will have to get me up to speed. I heard what the old man had to say and what I could get out id the townsfolk, but I confess I'm still lost. A pity there's no guide or anything to rely on./

"Ah, um, yes. M-My apologies...I'm afraid with, um, w-with my thoughts as...scattered, as they are, I haven't been a terribly good guide thus far."

Giles gives her a bow, a proper bow with maybe just an undertone of humor and self mockery. "Welcome to Schwanheim. If, um, if there are any questions I can answer that the madman who woke you up didn't, then, um, of course you only have to say."

It can be like before. Maybe this can be a tradition with them. Maybe he can still be there for her. So he's still a bit shaky, but he's trying to act himself.

"Of course, I'm, I'm afraid you've come at just the worst time, as far as answering questions are concerned. Absolutely no one seems to know just what the head on the table used to belong to."

Ginia returns his bow with a curtsy befitting a lady and a smile that has always been for him. He wasn't her prince charming whisking her away on a great white stallion, though once when she was a princess, she wished he was. Rather, Giles was her equal, her partner, her confidant, her lover, all things better than a common prince.

/I wondered about that head. Fearsome thing. Will you accompany me? I want to take a closer look./ She offers her hand, aware he can't take it, but more for the symbolism of the gesture. Even if he was a ghost, she still loved and wanted him. They would have to adjust, but she still wanted to be with him. It would take much more for her to give up everything they had together.

/And my love, do not think for a moment I love you any less because I cannot touch you. I confess I would have you now if I could touch you, but I've always loved you for reasons beyond sex./

He can't take her hand, no. But you don't always have to touch someone to be close to them. Ginia showed him that as well, that night when their roles were quite reversed.

Giles appears solid enough, as long as no one's walking through him. Solid enough to blush very faintly at her words. "...I know you do," he says softly, and he does. But, despite the surface signs of embarrassment, decorum, and propriety, a very faint smile touches his lips. "And I know you would."

So would he. Expectations placed upon them be damned, he'd spirit her away just like he had at the last ball they'd attended together. But, instead, Giles guides her towards the monster's head, at its place of honor on the table, its sapphire eyes glittering malevolently in the light.

"It, um, it came from the, the Two Faced Forest. That's, um, what they call the local woods. And, if I may say, they, um, certainly live up to their name."

Ginia follows him to the monster, edging her through the people already gathered around the head until she can see it herself. Odin approaches the outer ring of people before giving a low growl, earning a few startled gasps from the party-goers, then lurks off to wait elsewhere, wanting nothing to do with the head.
Beast is a good description of what it is, monster too. It's grotesque and fascinating and Ginia decides she doesn't like it. It unsettles her and serves as her first introduction to the things that exist in this world. It's not Luceti, with its fairly safe forests and the most dangerous things being the other villages or the Third Party. She listens to Giles' explanation with a small frown on her face, committing the information to memory.

/I don't like it. It feels... I don't know. I don't like it. Are there other things like that in the Two Faced Forest?/

"I, um, I-I can confirm the presence of rocs, chimeras, and an irate witch in a, um...candy house."

From personal experience, although Giles trusts Ginia to know him well enough not to make him add that much.

"Only at night, of course. Um, during the day, it's the sort of place you'd expect to find people having a picnic. Of course, um, at night, it's, it's surrounded by a wall of thorns. Or...well, so I've been told. I've, um, only ever been on the night when the thorns failed to put in their scheduled appearance."

For Giles, this entire situation is resoundingly familiar. A beast to be identified before its kin can come down from the wilds and start eating people. If only he had halfway decent drawing skills, or the ability to actually read anything.

Still. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't a bit thrilled at the problem being posed by the mysterious woods.

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