The Flapdoodle
The portal closed.
Oram (and his entourage) took a moment to take stock, to look around. He saw the shades of purple, from a deep violet to pale lavender. As Oram looked about, he felt the gentle tickle of Rain on his face. Tiny drops fell on him (and, others might notice Expert Detection + , only him). Tiny purple droplets landed in a smattering on his face and arms and drops of shining purple glittered on him. Where it landed on clothes or skin, it left tiny marks, freckles of purple.
Objective Met: Oram found a small red marble ~ information on it in review! .
Meanwhile, Winston maintained his stance of non-violence and he chose to stand guard over the portal. It shimmered and closed in front of him in vibrant colour and sparkles. Cage turned to speak to him.
cont'd below
Objective Met: Winston found a small gold bell ~ information on it in review! .
Unlike WInston, though Kisaik did step through the portal. The world around him was purple and it danced in shades and hues as he looked. From his moderately unique vantage point, he saw the world from a different perspective and he spotted the rainbows around the waterfall, each of which was a rainbow in shades of purple and which - as he watched - danced with the mournful song of the woman sitting there. Her golden wings fluttered in the same beat. While the others might, if they looked Detection Competent +, spot her wings, only Kisaik saw the dancing rainbows of purple.
And he spoke to the woman with the golden wings.....
cont'd below
Nir'wei shuffled through the portal, old age making his bones creak and his joints ache. As he lost a tooth (or was it that? Was it his tooth? It must be, there was a gap.... but then why did it glow so?) he looked down at the floor where even the grass was tinged with purple and he heard the mournful song of the woman. And he - of all the people there - he understood that song. Not the words, exactly, but it was like he was old enough, or somehow he was able to ... comprehend it. Why he could might be apparent to Ashan's son. It was a song of freedom, from a creature who was trapped. It was a creature who was trapped here in this place, yearning for a world that she no longer remembered. A world she had once known when Sweetwine had been free, before the Induks had been captured and bound.
He would have maybe heard more, if her song had not been stopped as she turned to talk to Kisaik.....
Objective Met: Nir'wei found a silver tooth ~ more information in the review!.
Secret Objective Met: Nir'wei found a second item! ~ more information in the review!.
Secret Objective Met: Nir'wei found a second item! ~ more information in the review!.
cont'd below
None of the fae responded to his snarky comments, though he heard a snort which may have been a fairy making a derisive noise. Padding through on gentle paws, Balthazar stepped through the portal, but then held back. He stood and watched, choosing not to attack or defend or act just yet, but to observe. He saw a few things, but nothing specific. However, his sense of smell picked up something strange. The scent of metal- maybe copper? And it was directly below him which, should he look, was a small mound of earth.
Objective Met: Balthazar found a coin ~ but he left it behind! .
Before they stepped through the portal, Elisabeth picked up the coin Balthazar had dropped. It was strange, though, as she moved to pick it up, it wasn't there. It was like she'd just missed it, because it was a few inches to the left. Perhaps she'd think that she'd just mis-judged her grab with small arms and hands, but should she try again, it simply wouldn't be picked up. Cage chuckled and spoke in a language Elisabeth didn't understand - and the fairies laughed.
The child's block, however, she noticed and could grab. There was an E on one side of it and she noticed other letters on the other sides, there were also two sides which were engraved with an ornate "I", one with an "R", another with an "A" and the final one with an "F".
She, too, decided to hold back and as she did, she hummed. She tried to hum along with the woman but she did not have the skill Singing=Novice to keep up with the intricate and mournful tune. Yet, her voice was pretty and light - normally. Here, she sounded discordant and it jarred against the beautiful song. Why that might be wasn't clear.
Objective Met: Elisabeth found a child's letter block ~ information on it in review! .
Secret Objective Met: Elisabeth tried to help another with their item ~ more information in the review!.
Secret Objective Met: Elisabeth tried to help another with their item ~ more information in the review!.
cont'd
Oram, Zorohe's missed this round, but PM'd me to ask if he did that I'd write him going through., Balthazar and Elisabeth held back.
But Nir'wei and Kisaik did not. Nir'wei was still hearing the song, but then it stopped as the golden-winged woman stopped singing and turned to look at them. She was beautiful, in a very traditionally fairy way. Golden hair fell in waves down her back and her eyes were the same shade of gold as her hair and wings. Tears fell from those eyes and she looked at Kisaik as she answered him.
"I sing to the Flapdoodle," she said to him, quietly. Kisaik, as the person who asked her, understood her. Nir'wei understood her too, but to the others her voice was tinkling bells speaking in sadness. "Asking it to free me. But I can not be free, because I am afraid." She sighed and looked at Kisaik and then, she stood. As she stood, he - and the others - saw what had been hidden by distance. She was shackled to the floor by her ankles and her wrists.
"The flapdoodle is here, it is in me. It controls me," she said and she held out her hands. The shackles that Nir'wei and Kisaik saw were thin. Flimsy. Easily broken had she but tried. "It is my fear," she sighed and sat back down.
Having answered Kisaik's question, she looked at him, and then at Nir'wei. "The flapdoodle is fear," she said. "And I am too afraid. Will you help me?"
cont'd, in the Clearing
"Congratulations!" Cage announced to Winston. "You have defeated the Pinch!"
Winston might, understandably, be somewhat confused. Cage was quick to explain. "All three trials are here, and they are as follows," he said. "The flopdoodle is fear. One of our people, one of Sweetwine's fairies is through there and she is trapped still. When Sweetwine was freed, we were all released from our chains, but she was to afeared to leave. To afraid to be free. She binds herself now, in flopdoodles and she must overcome her flopdoodles. But we can't help her. Mortals can, but only fae can go where she is."
That was the trial of the flopdoodle, it seems. "The trial of the flopsy," he said, and then went on to explain exactly what that was I'm not telling! Secret PM sent!. "If they conquer that trial, that will be two of the three met. But here, you, you've met the Test of the Pinch." More cheers. "In a pinch, you have to be able to rely on someone to get you back," he said and, in his own very toothy way, he gave a big grin. "If I open this portal, then they've failed the Test of the Pinch. One of you needed to stay behind!"
Singing, cheering, clapping. Lots of it. Fairies knew how to have a good time.
"When you want to open the portal, just use this," he said and he bent to the ground and threw Balthazar's coin to Winston. It flipped through the air and landed at Winston's feet. "Rub the coin and make a wish," he nodded.
"Do you think they'll pass the flopsy?" Cage asked, and he seemed - genuinely - concerned. "We want our sister to be free, but the laws of fae forbid our direct intervention. If she's freed, she'll become the Blackberry." A dozen sets of suddenly serious eyes looked at him.
"Can they do it?" Cage wondered. "Can they overcome their flopsy?"
cont'd, outside Sweetwine.
Airea was a large white bear. Fluffy, but not entirely cute.
She heard approaching voices from her left. Maybe a hunting party, maybe people travelling or just talking while they took a walk. She couldn't tell a lot of details, but she'd hear maybe three or four people.
There were no birds and the insects made no sound.
All else, in fact, was silent.
OOC Things & Stuffies
I'll be posting Friday 23rd September
(I know, I know. But I'm good for that!)
Please post by end of day Thursday in order to ensure that your response is counted.
Talk to me if you need an extension!
(I know, I know. But I'm good for that!)
Please post by end of day Thursday in order to ensure that your response is counted.
Talk to me if you need an extension!