MASKTOURN

Valerie wakes in a dark, square room. The floor is dirt, but she's sitting on a woven rug. The walls are stone brick, and enclose her on every side. There’s no way in, and no way out. The room is suffocatingly warm, dark and dry. Valerie would soon begin to feel thirst clawing at her throat. She'd wake on her side, and soon realize she's been chained- ankle cuffs ground her to the floor and prevent her from getting up or moving around. Before Valerie, sat a small, low table, covered by a rug similar to the one they sat upon. Two oil lamps flicker at either ends of the table, their small lights the only in the room. The only other objects on the table are three small wooden bowls, all filled with an unidentifiable liquid. The first is white, opaque and creamy. The second is glassy and clear, with a slight cloudy, brownish color to it. The third is just as opaque as the first, but is a deep, muddy red in color. Across from the table is the only other person in the room. A woman. She appears to be middle aged, with warm, pale skin and brown, graying curls spilling over her shoulders. She wears a simple, cream-colored dress, with a long red vest over it. Her gaze is melancholy, almost distant, as she makes eye contact with Valerie. The woman takes in a heavy breath, and finally speaks. Her voice is not that of the flaming apparition. “Welcome to the Halcyon Citadel.” @Cap | Eremurus + Valerie

Valerie groaned and blinked her eyes open. Where was she? She squinted her eyes, adjusting to the darkness before she sat up, rubbing her head. "What the fuck..?" She grunted. She looked at Albanes, narrowing her eyes at the other women. "Oh. It's you." She scowled. "What do you guys want again?" She growled annoyed. "I dealt with you lot before and I'll do it again if need be. What do you want from me." @innsjo | kyrie🪶+ darcy🖋+npcs

The woman flinched. "I think you have me mixed up with someone else." That was happening a lot lately. "I don't know you. We've never met before." @Cap | Eremurus + Valerie

"I make no mistake." Valeire bared her fangs. "Why am I here? Why do you want from me? I don't want any part in your weird cult again." @innsjo | kyrie🪶+ darcy🖋+npcs

"I don't know you." The woman maintained. "You're getting me mixed up with someone else. Maybe you know... some other version of me. But it's not me." They sighed. "I'm sorry. I had no part in bringing you here, and there's nothing I can do about it." @Cap | Eremurus + Valerie

"Great." Valerie grunted. "What the fuck do you want me here for then. Why am I even here in the first place?" She crossed her arms annoyed. "Get on with it." @innsjo | kyrie🪶+ darcy🖋+npcs

"I'm really sorry. I don't mean to cause you any harm. It's out of my hands." She said. "You're here for a tournament. My predecessor wants you to compete." @Cap | Eremurus + Valerie

"And if I don't participate?" Valerie asked raising her eyebrows. "And I don't listen to whatever you got going on?" @innsjo | kyrie🪶+ darcy🖋+npcs

"Then you will die." The woman said. At least, it looked like she was pained by saying it. "It is likely you will die anyways, but if you do not comply, your death will be certain. And it will likely not be kind." @Cap | Eremurus + Valerie

Valerie groaned and dragged her hands down her face. "Fan-fuckin-tastic." She squeezed her eyes shut. "Great. What do you want me to do now. When can I leave. How do I win." @innsjo | kyrie🪶+ darcy🖋+npcs

"Again- it's not me, doing this. I'm as unwilling as you are." The woman grimaced. "You're to compete. It's a tournament. The victor will leave, once everyone else is dead. I... believe my predecessor is also in the interest of giving the victor a prize. But only one can win." @Cap | Eremurus + Valerie

"And you're a cog in the machine so I don't care." Valerie frowned at her. "So great. Same shit as last time or whatever." Valerie drummed her fingers on the table. "Now what. Are we done? The interview process over?" @innsjo | kyrie🪶+ darcy🖋+npcs

"If you have any questions, I can answer them." She said. "Otherwise... we'd move on." She glanced to the bowls that sat between them. @Cap | Eremurus + Valerie

"All my questions you won't answer. Like why am I here. What is this. So what's the point." Valerie grunted. "You say you're not apart of it but you're still a cog in the machine so. Whatever. What's the point." She glanced to the bowls. "...Is this pick a poison type of shit. Oh how lovely." Her voice dripped with sarcasm. @innsjo | kyrie🪶+ darcy🖋+npcs

"It's not poison. But you will have to, uh, pick one. To drink." Albanes hummed. @Cap | Eremurus + Valerie

"Why?" Valerie asked. "What will it do to me? And if I throw a drink in your face, then what? All hypothetical, of course." @innsjo | kyrie🪶+ darcy🖋+npcs

"You won't be able to leave til you drink one of them." Albanes said. "It will do nothing to you. You won't be harmed, I promise. But if you don't drink, I can't let you leave." @Cap | Eremurus + Valerie

"Why do I have choices then?" Valerie gestured towards them. "And what if dont want to leave?" She felt a small smile make its way to her face. "We'll be here aallllll day and allllll night." She placed her hands under her chin. "Hm?" @innsjo | kyrie🪶+ darcy🖋+npcs

"I promise you, I can wait longer than you can." Albanes said. She folded her hands neat in her lap and, well, began to wait. @Cap | Eremurus + Valerie

"Great." Valerie grunted. She sighed heavily and looked at the drinks. "Why do I have choices? Whats the point of that? They taste different?" @innsjo | kyrie🪶+ darcy🖋+npcs

"Consider it a kindness on the part of my predecessor and I, that you get to choose something." Albanes said. "They do taste different. They are different." @Cap | Eremurus + Valerie

"Hm." Valerie placed her cheek in her palm. "Well then miss Albanes. What do you think." She asked. "Oh come on bartender, put it on my tab." @innsjo | kyrie🪶+ darcy🖋+npcs

"Please, just choose one, and we can both be done with this." Albanes gestured to the bowls. She glanced slightly to the red one- perhaps an indication she thought Valerie would favor that bowl. @Cap | Eremurus + Valerie

"Fine." Valerie frowned as grabbed the red one. She looked down at it and sighed heavily, shrugging. Down the hatch, she guessed as she took a sip. @innsjo | kyrie🪶+ darcy🖋+npcs

It was blood- thick and metallic and unmistakable. Albanes watched as Valerie drank, though her expression betrayed none of her thoughts. @Cap | Eremurus + Valerie

"Blood?" Valerie asked. "Why on earth are you serving blood?" She looked down at the bowl. @innsjo | kyrie🪶+ darcy🖋+npcs

Albanes's brow furrowed. "Aren't you a vampire? I'd think you'd be used to it." @Cap | Eremurus + Valerie

"I am. I am just...surprised you serve it." Valerie continued to drink. "You are not a vampire, last time I checked, right?" @innsjo | kyrie🪶+ darcy🖋+npcs

"I'm not a vampire." Albanes shook her head. "But I'm, ah, not exactly human either. Not anymore. But that's getting ahead of myself- we're simply trying to be accomodating. You aren't the only one of your kind to be invited." @Cap | Eremurus + Valerie

"Oh goody! More vamps!" Valerie chirped happily. "But congrats on not being human?" She shrugged. "Good for you!" @innsjo | kyrie🪶+ darcy🖋+npcs

"Thank you." Albanes's voice was dry. "I think... we are just about done here." @Cap | Eremurus + Valerie

"Oh goody." Valerie forced a painfully fake smile to her face. "Yay." @innsjo | kyrie🪶+ darcy🖋+npcs

Albanes rose to her feet, and circled the table to where she could stand over Valerie. "I'm going to put you to sleep, til the tournament starts." @Cap | Eremurus + Valerie

"Touch me and I will bite your hand. This is a warning." Valerie growled. @innsjo | kyrie🪶+ darcy🖋+npcs

innsjo | kyrie🪶+ darcy🖋+npcs

used /r

# 22
Details:[d20+5 (17)]

@Cap | Eremurus + Valerie def

nat 100 baby i can do this

Cap | Eremurus + Valerie

used /r

# 3
Details:[d20+2 (1)]

.

7:38 PM

...........

7:38 PM

bye

7:38 PM

i quit

(rip)

Albanes placed her hand over Valerie's forehead, and she instantly fell into a deep, dreamless slumber. Goodnight! @Cap | Eremurus + Valerie

Bonk.