"Well, now, doesn't this look interesting?" Jacinthe peers at one of the hanging metallic threads without touching it. "You guys know what it might be? Kids playing with baubles?"
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Jacinthe scuffs through the leaves, hands in her coat pockets, whistling softly. "Don't want any hunters thinking we're quarry and shooting us accidentally."
"I'm with you, sister," Jacinthe chirps agreeably, cocking her hat at an even jauntier angle and whistling an insufferably cheerful tune as they walk. She occasionally graces a bystander with a wave of her beautifully gloved hand, assuming that all eyes are on her.
Jacinthe takes a quick glance around and stuffs a few tasty tidbits into her bag for later, then follows the other two out, carefully locking the door behind her. "Where now, comrades?" She swaggers down the street as rear guard, utterly convinced it is by far the most dangerous (and important) position in the marching order.
Jacinthe admires the laden shelves, surreptitiously running a white-gloved finger along a table and checking for dust. "What. You don't like the house? I guess we can trade if you prefer mine." She squints at the jack.
Jacinthe whistles, strutting in the open door as if the entire episode at Aneon's place has been forgotten. "Wow, that's a lot of stuff! You've been busy." She gives Zith a keen look. "But you shouldn't leave the door open lest somebody make it into a terror lab."
"If we start at Zith's, we can work our way out to That Place to look for the civilians, but it really doesn't matter to me." Jacinthe heads out the door, making sure they lock it as they leave. "With any luck, it'll be a quick check of the rest. After all, how many mad priest's labs can be hidden under our houses?"
"Maybe..." Jacinthe's soft voice is nearly lost in the ambient noise before she clears her throat and straightens her glorious overcoat. Nose wrinkling, she wipes the goo off her rapier onto the bed covers, oblivious to the fact that this is Aneon's new bed. "Ahem. Yes. Well. That may not be a bad idea, Yel. After all, what's the point of kiting off into That Place when The Enemy could be right here in our own basements? We need a secure base to return to. The only thing I want in my cellar is some good wine and a handsome, muscular sommelier!" she declares, some of her usual vigor returning to her voice and manner as she sheathes her rapier. "Zith, any objections to checking out all of our houses first?"
"Upstairs... yes... burn it all...." Jacinthe meanders back up the stairs and walks straight to the nearest window, watching the streets outside.
"Burn it. Burn it all. Before somebody can use it." Jacinthe's staring eyes are clearly not seeing what is in the cellar.
"We should burn this place and leave it. Well, leave first, then burn. If you can't salvage anything useful, it should be destroyed. Who knows what manner of horrible things were done here? Strapping down... screaming... injections." Jacinthe's pale face is dappled with sweat. "We can't leave it here to happen again."
"Maybe he was supposed to. Maybe we should check our houses out... together."
Once the adrenaline rush of combat subsides and the carnivorg stops moving, Jacinthe seems to realize where she is and skitters out to the other room. "I'll watch the stairs. Yel, can you make out what that thing is?"
"I mean... yeah, it's a carnivorg. They eat. They... secrete." Jacinthe's rapier remains in her hand as she sticks to the doorway between the rooms, keeping an eye on both places.
The sight of Zith's blood helps Jacinthe focus, narrowing her vision to exclude the horrors of the room and simply act to preserve her friend. "Zith! No!" she cries as she springs into the room with her rapier, slashing at the air before she makes a mighty stab at the thing, "Begone, monster. You'll find no brains here!"
"It's not bluffing, people!"
"It... it... it eats brains." Jacinthe's voice is horror-touched. "And anything else it can get."
"C-c-c-carnivorg! Abomination! Kill it!" Yet Jacinthe stands frozen outside the 'lab'.
Retaining her grip on the prybar with her off hand, Jacinthe swiftly grabs her rapier and holds both before her, muttering soft curses. The appearance of the place seems to alarm her, even without any obvious threat.
Jacinthe sighs. "And you two are going to stand to battle against whatever comes out of there? What will you do, breathe at it? Give me that pry bar and step aside." Tucking her naked rapier under one arm, she accepts a pry bar from the first person who offers and leans into the simple machine once it's set under the door frame.
"It likes your voice, Zith."
"I can think of things to do with marbles that would be very painful, if not deadly," Jacinthe muses, "Besides, odd things have odd weaknesses. And I was asking, not saying. Didn't you hear the question marks?"
"So are these things left here as weapons against whatever is sealed inside? Think it's a good idea to break into the place now?"
"Uh. Hang on a tick." Jacinthe runs back upstairs and fetches the leather, the bowl and the marbles, then returns to hold the leather up next to the symbol. "Oh boy."
"Wait, what's that say on the door? Probably something like 'dead inside, do not open." Jacinthe points out the sigils on the portal. "Can you read it, Yel?"
"Don't you think if it were a victim, they'd be calling for help? That's not what I heard. You could be as easily releasing a monster as rescuing a victim. These doors have been stuck for a long, long time. Do you really think there's a prisoner? Be reasonable. What's wrong with checking what went on here first so we might have a clue what's behind that door?" Jacinthe kicks the baubles closer to the stuck door so there's light in the area.
"Do you comprehend what it is to be part of a team, Yel? To work for the good of others rather than yourself?" Jacinthe retreats to the bottom of the stairs, weapon still in hand.
"I doubt it. I think some research is in order. Like who lived here before the house was given to Aneon. We shouldn't go barging in willy-nilly."
"Yeah. No. Maybe we should just close this place back up. Fill it with baubles. Or fire." Jacinthe prances a bit nervously. "Nothing to see here, people."
"Nothing interesting here. Just some tables with shackles, like you find in any basement," Jacinthe calls up, "I don't see what made the noise." She peeks around a bit more and moves to the door to listen.
"We need light." Jacinthe pulls the two baubles given to her by Aneon and his thuman and tosses them down the stairs, peering into the dim light before she heads down.
"Great." Jacinthe draws her rapier. "Now who was volunteering to go first?"
"What? Are we going to go cleaning everyone's basement? I think not!" Jacinthe waves the scroll through the air. "We have places to go, things to do, people to find - starting with one of our own!"
"Why are we exploring the basement when we know Aneon wasn't here? Besides, it smells bad. We can't go around looking mucky."
"Oh. Huh. I see." Jacinthe follows Yel's advice, though she plainly does not see.
"Huh? Oh, sure..." Jacinthe absently pumps at the prybar, "I hope he didn't decide to go to That Place without us. After all, we're a team. There's no glory in finding something yourself. Hey, we need a name, too. Any ideas?" Her efforts do little as the prybar slips and slides around the edges of the trapdoor.
Jacinthe follows absently. "What? It's stuck. Leave it be. What is the bracelet you took? How could it be useful?"
"It's probably for Aneon. But then, why didn't the cleaners clean around it? And who would have known it was for him? More likely, it was for whatever new Warden got this house. And we're Wardens," Jacinthe points out, munching on a dried, salted something she's found in the cabinet.
"Not unless he thought there might be baubles he'd have to share, and I think he knows better than that," Jacinthe opines, seeming to sober somewhat with Aeon's absence.
Jacinthe wanders from room to room, looking for any trace of Aneon.
Jacinthe barges right in as well. "Aneon! Thuman! Anyone home?"
Jacinthe leans forward to peer at Yel around Zith. "Huh? Why would they?" She seems genuinely befuddled, but this is Jacinthe.
Jacinthe nods to Yel. "Lead on. I'll lock up as we leave. She ushers her guests outside and carefully secures her domicile, then joins the rest of the crew on the way to Aneon's. "I bet that place will really be filled with baubles sooner rather than later. Say, Yel. Do the baubles bother your "hearing" like I do?" Her path is rather straight, all things considered.
Jacinthe nods. "Definitely. If we can find Aneon, we can find anyone."
Jacinthe's eyes go wide. "You think so? I guess it could be. I've heard of things like that. Like the dead walk and things. We'll have to be prepared." She pats the bejeweled rapier hilt and nods decisively, then looks to the silent party. "Zith, what do you think?"
"Let's see. Azuron goes out without Maril. There's trouble. A lover's spat? Then Azuron's rival, Helt, follows Maril. Then the loner Paiark, forager Marissa, and salvager Jendo." Jacinthe ponders blearily. "Azuron left after a quarrel with Maril. Maril followed, only to be killed by Azuron. Helt finds Azuron with Maril's body and kills him. Then, while covering up her crime, is discovered by the other three and kills them, then flees." Jacinthe frowns and nods. "Yes, sounds right. At least we can recover the bodies. Maybe we can even catch the murdering Maril."
Jacinthe lays the role of the missing on the table. "Recognize anybody?"
Jacinthe looks suspiciously at her two cups and sets them both down on the empty table, puzzling at its emptiness. "I should eat something." She starts banging through the pantry, which is bare. "Think we should look for the missing people first?"
Jacinthe looks in some bafflement at the cup in each hand and, shrugging, takes a sip from each. "Handy, that."
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