Esdel stood up straight, rolling his shoulders back and raising his chin. "Got it." The young duke to Chim. Placing a hand on his wand that sat snug in his waistband Esdel turned his attention towards the strange man, squinting his eyes at him trying to find something in his face.
Basil looks to Chim, confused. "Are you sure, Chim? Who knows if we can actually trust this guy," Basil says. Her knuckles have become white around her wand, which was shaking uncontrollably now.
Chim straightens his shoulders and clears his throat. "Well then, follow me." Chim says this in a voice that is hardly recognizable by his other two companions. He leans back slightly and whispers in a low voice, "If he tries anything, follow my lead, and prepare for the worst." Chimodo is clearly aware running is out of the option; they are already too deep in the situation.
A carrass of music drives them on seeming to never slow or stop. Discarded and uneaten food is strewn about and the smell of rancid, mulled cider stings the nose over top of even rotting flesh.
“Join me,” a voice says calm and even over the music. “Sit and talk with me, for I am too merry for my own good!”
A man sits in the corner of the room by himself, decked in ornate jewelry and surrounded by thick furs and golden coffers and stacks of coins that tilt and sometimes drop at the shifting of the half-ship. Of ll the patrons, he seems the most calm, the most sane. And more so, he seems to be the least dissolved in the myriad of death.
"Don't let them touch you. Are they zombies are just straight dead? Where are we, even," Basil questioned. her face was twisted in confusion and disgust. It was obvious the rotten skin and smell made her uneasy. She ducked under the shark and looked up a staircase into the only light in the room.
Chim looks around and his red cheeks slowly faded to white. He takes a few steps, his anxiety getting the best of him. A loud "bang" is heard when Chim smacks his head on the large shark. Out of embarrassment he scratches his head, then his shoulder, and spits out, "We-uh need to go. We need to leave now. Can you not see how incredibly macabre this is?"
The young duke stood frozen in his boots. Gripping the wand that sat in his waist band until his knuckles turned white, Esdel looked at Chim with eyes that showed all his anxiety. Pushing his bag from his side to his back, the duke cleared his throat attempting to prompt the party members to say something to lighten the mood. Fidgeting with his fingers on his right hand, Esdel peered at the party goers before his stomach grew uneasy and he gagged.
It is difficult to tell how long this party had been going, but benches are tossed, cobwebs are the main decoration, and candles are melted to the quick. With motion, the whole floor groans and shifts.
The same strange man waves you on eagerly. He is clearly not of your world and in this new light, the rot of his grey-white skin sits dully over bone.
“I looooove jokes! I hope you know good jokes! Master likes good jokes! Come, come, come! There is fun to be had!!” He squeals at you, shaking at his shoulders with gleeand climb up to disappear into a crowd.
The closer inspection reveals that each of the patrons dance in faded and ripped clothes of a a naval crew of some sort and the ladies are dressed in a classic Resveld style. They all seem wholly unaware that chunk of their flesh have rotten to the bone, some even smile somehow without attached bottom jaws.
"Alright chap, is this some sort of joke?" Chim is visibly getting agitated. He scoffs and runs his slender fingers through his soft hair as his anger creeps onto his cheeks, a red shade appearing; his eyebrows furrow and he lets out one last sigh.
Esdel's pace is slow and steady, wild eyes looking at his surrounding. Barely lifting his boots, the sound of leather against the ground was the only noise he made. Face pale but showing no emotion, Esdel swallowed.He looks back at the other party members.
Ahead and around damp cavernous walls the lad clicks his heels as he nearly runs with joy to where you might guess he means a party is happening.
What might have once been a ship teeters on the peak of a stone peak. It swivels and rocks with some invisible wind, but upon further inspection moves with the shifting tide of dancers and general boisterous skipping of some off party inside.
Music streams out loudly, an accordion, fiddle, and some obscure horn play in a band of merriment, but is very out of tune and mostly off beat.
Basil steps to even herself with Chimodo. She notices the look on the guys face and looks to Chim for confirmation, before joining the other guy from Elantris.
“You will, are gonna’, you’re coming with meeeeeeeeeeeeeeee,” he does in the same sing-song glee he started with. And without pause for reply, he turns in three or four circles on a heel and begins to skip away. He does not stop. He does not look back.
Esdel gets his wand out of his boot and puts it in his waist band. Chest out and standing tall Esdel approaches the man, but still leaves space between them. Turning back to the other members of the party Esdel tilts his head at them, trying to get them to step closer. Adjusting his bag, the clinks of potions bottles is the only noise he makes attempting to let the party know he has a plan.
"It's a trick. He's lying." Chimodo's voice is harsh as he spits out the statements. "What do you really want sir, we have no time for games." This side of Chimodo was very rare and often not shown, but his paranoia from the previous occurrences has left him on edge.
"Basil, what if it is serious. What if he attacks." Chimodo's voice is rough and louder now, but he doesn't lose eye contact from the strange man, preparing for the worst.
The odd man sticks out his bottom lip to pout dramatically. "Alls I wanted to do'sya know is take you to a party..." He looks about to cry. "It's....it's a fun party..."
Placing one foot behind the other Esdel gripped the strap of his bag. Rugged breaths escaped his lips as his anxiety began to build up. Putting more space between himself, the woman and the other man Esdel tried to calm his breathing. Taking breaths in through his nose and out through his mouth he slowly began to collect himself. Shooting a glare at the strange man Esdel bit his tongue.
Chim quickly gets into battle stance as the strange man appears. His hand is gripping the purple handle of his sword and pulls half the blade from the sheath resting around his waist. He steps one foot in front of Basil and stares down the jester. "Get back." Chim mutters to Basil his pulse racing and sweat beads forming on his forehead.
Coming toward them is humming, song from some man, cheerily skipping over stone walkways. You might hear the scuffing of heels as he trots toward them, doing pirouettes and full leaps into the air as he comes.
As he nears, you see he is wearing a suit, but nearer the details of his jacket and lapels and collar come clearly as gnarled fabrics, stained with dried blood and grime.
“A party, a party,
A feast a feast.
I bet you chumps were expecting a beast!”
He cackles in an impressive speed of hard chets and chortles, ending in a long breath that turns to a snort. And at once, he stops.
Coming toward them is humming, song from some man, cheerily skipping over stone walkways. You might hear the scuffing of heels as he trots toward them, doing pirouettes and full leaps into the air as he comes.
As he nears, you see he is wearing a suit, but nearer the details of his jacket and lapels and collar come clearly as gnarled fabrics, stained with dried blood and grime.
“A party, a party,
A feast a feast.
I bet you chumps were expecting a beast!”
He cackles in an impressive speed of hard chets and chortles, ending in a long breath that turns to a snort. And at once, he stops.
Eyes glazed over and still smiling from Nira's words, Esdel turned his attention to the doorway. Esdel looked at the young woman after staring at the doorway for a moment and shrugged. Running his worn figures around Nira's gift the young duke began to zone off, clearly drained from the day's events.
Esdel stood up straight, rolling his shoulders back and raising his chin. "Got it." The young duke to Chim. Placing a hand on his wand that sat snug in his waistband Esdel turned his attention towards the strange man, squinting his eyes at him trying to find something in his face.
Basil looks to Chim, confused. "Are you sure, Chim? Who knows if we can actually trust this guy," Basil says. Her knuckles have become white around her wand, which was shaking uncontrollably now.
Chim straightens his shoulders and clears his throat. "Well then, follow me." Chim says this in a voice that is hardly recognizable by his other two companions. He leans back slightly and whispers in a low voice, "If he tries anything, follow my lead, and prepare for the worst." Chimodo is clearly aware running is out of the option; they are already too deep in the situation.
A carrass of music drives them on seeming to never slow or stop. Discarded and uneaten food is strewn about and the smell of rancid, mulled cider stings the nose over top of even rotting flesh.
“Join me,” a voice says calm and even over the music. “Sit and talk with me, for I am too merry for my own good!”
A man sits in the corner of the room by himself, decked in ornate jewelry and surrounded by thick furs and golden coffers and stacks of coins that tilt and sometimes drop at the shifting of the half-ship. Of ll the patrons, he seems the most calm, the most sane. And more so, he seems to be the least dissolved in the myriad of death.
"Don't let them touch you. Are they zombies are just straight dead? Where are we, even," Basil questioned. her face was twisted in confusion and disgust. It was obvious the rotten skin and smell made her uneasy. She ducked under the shark and looked up a staircase into the only light in the room.
Chim looks around and his red cheeks slowly faded to white. He takes a few steps, his anxiety getting the best of him. A loud "bang" is heard when Chim smacks his head on the large shark. Out of embarrassment he scratches his head, then his shoulder, and spits out, "We-uh need to go. We need to leave now. Can you not see how incredibly macabre this is?"
The young duke stood frozen in his boots. Gripping the wand that sat in his waist band until his knuckles turned white, Esdel looked at Chim with eyes that showed all his anxiety. Pushing his bag from his side to his back, the duke cleared his throat attempting to prompt the party members to say something to lighten the mood. Fidgeting with his fingers on his right hand, Esdel peered at the party goers before his stomach grew uneasy and he gagged.
It is difficult to tell how long this party had been going, but benches are tossed, cobwebs are the main decoration, and candles are melted to the quick. With motion, the whole floor groans and shifts.
The same strange man waves you on eagerly. He is clearly not of your world and in this new light, the rot of his grey-white skin sits dully over bone.
“I looooove jokes! I hope you know good jokes! Master likes good jokes! Come, come, come! There is fun to be had!!” He squeals at you, shaking at his shoulders with gleeand climb up to disappear into a crowd.
The closer inspection reveals that each of the patrons dance in faded and ripped clothes of a a naval crew of some sort and the ladies are dressed in a classic Resveld style. They all seem wholly unaware that chunk of their flesh have rotten to the bone, some even smile somehow without attached bottom jaws.
"Alright chap, is this some sort of joke?" Chim is visibly getting agitated. He scoffs and runs his slender fingers through his soft hair as his anger creeps onto his cheeks, a red shade appearing; his eyebrows furrow and he lets out one last sigh.
"Some party, eh," Basil scoffs, looking to Chim. She then eyes the other guy, as if she doesn't know if she should trust him.
Esdel's pace is slow and steady, wild eyes looking at his surrounding. Barely lifting his boots, the sound of leather against the ground was the only noise he made. Face pale but showing no emotion, Esdel swallowed.He looks back at the other party members.
Ahead and around damp cavernous walls the lad clicks his heels as he nearly runs with joy to where you might guess he means a party is happening.
What might have once been a ship teeters on the peak of a stone peak. It swivels and rocks with some invisible wind, but upon further inspection moves with the shifting tide of dancers and general boisterous skipping of some off party inside.
Music streams out loudly, an accordion, fiddle, and some obscure horn play in a band of merriment, but is very out of tune and mostly off beat.
Chimodo winces as he spits out, "Basil-" then runs after the young girl. He trips over his own feet and stumbles up behind her.
Basil steps to even herself with Chimodo. She notices the look on the guys face and looks to Chim for confirmation, before joining the other guy from Elantris.
“You will, are gonna’, you’re coming with meeeeeeeeeeeeeeee,” he does in the same sing-song glee he started with. And without pause for reply, he turns in three or four circles on a heel and begins to skip away. He does not stop. He does not look back.
Esdel gets his wand out of his boot and puts it in his waist band. Chest out and standing tall Esdel approaches the man, but still leaves space between them. Turning back to the other members of the party Esdel tilts his head at them, trying to get them to step closer. Adjusting his bag, the clinks of potions bottles is the only noise he makes attempting to let the party know he has a plan.
"It's a trick. He's lying." Chimodo's voice is harsh as he spits out the statements. "What do you really want sir, we have no time for games." This side of Chimodo was very rare and often not shown, but his paranoia from the previous occurrences has left him on edge.
"Basil, what if it is serious. What if he attacks." Chimodo's voice is rough and louder now, but he doesn't lose eye contact from the strange man, preparing for the worst.
The odd man sticks out his bottom lip to pout dramatically. "Alls I wanted to do'sya know is take you to a party..." He looks about to cry. "It's....it's a fun party..."
Basil puts her hand on Chim's arm. She doubts this guy is serious but she readies her wand anyway.
"Guys maybe he's just a crazy man. Have you ever heard a serious threat call his opponents 'chumps'," Basil says, looking to Chim.
Placing one foot behind the other Esdel gripped the strap of his bag. Rugged breaths escaped his lips as his anxiety began to build up. Putting more space between himself, the woman and the other man Esdel tried to calm his breathing. Taking breaths in through his nose and out through his mouth he slowly began to collect himself. Shooting a glare at the strange man Esdel bit his tongue.
Chim quickly gets into battle stance as the strange man appears. His hand is gripping the purple handle of his sword and pulls half the blade from the sheath resting around his waist. He steps one foot in front of Basil and stares down the jester. "Get back." Chim mutters to Basil his pulse racing and sweat beads forming on his forehead.
Coming toward them is humming, song from some man, cheerily skipping over stone walkways. You might hear the scuffing of heels as he trots toward them, doing pirouettes and full leaps into the air as he comes.
As he nears, you see he is wearing a suit, but nearer the details of his jacket and lapels and collar come clearly as gnarled fabrics, stained with dried blood and grime.
“A party, a party,
A feast a feast.
I bet you chumps were expecting a beast!”
He cackles in an impressive speed of hard chets and chortles, ending in a long breath that turns to a snort. And at once, he stops.
Coming toward them is humming, song from some man, cheerily skipping over stone walkways. You might hear the scuffing of heels as he trots toward them, doing pirouettes and full leaps into the air as he comes.
As he nears, you see he is wearing a suit, but nearer the details of his jacket and lapels and collar come clearly as gnarled fabrics, stained with dried blood and grime.
“A party, a party,
A feast a feast.
I bet you chumps were expecting a beast!”
He cackles in an impressive speed of hard chets and chortles, ending in a long breath that turns to a snort. And at once, he stops.
Eyes glazed over and still smiling from Nira's words, Esdel turned his attention to the doorway. Esdel looked at the young woman after staring at the doorway for a moment and shrugged. Running his worn figures around Nira's gift the young duke began to zone off, clearly drained from the day's events.
Chim looks to the same boy from earlier, his curly hair forcing a cheeky smile onto Chimodo's still red face from all of the previous actions.
Basil finally drops Chim's hand. She sighs before saying, "What is that?" She sounded more annoyed than curious.