[color=FFB6C1]"Wow,"[/color] the Guide mumbled to herself, sliding her sandal off and back on slowly, watching the solitary Prime Entity, [color=FFB6C1]"she can really see 'em through all that. Pretty crazy."[/color] Placidity only lasted a moment, doomed as it seemed in the presence of the Hollow Egress. The Priestess had sat upright, scrambling backward with rapidity, slamming her eyes shut against the world before her and let out a piercing scream. 

 With that, Rose flowed into motion, hopping down the steps after one last repetition with her sandal. She didn't exactly see what had caused the Dream's reaction, but figured it had something to do with a spike in perception or a momentary recollection of the Slaughter Doll's actions. [color=FFB6C1]"Hey,"[/color] she called out, lazily waving with her approach, [color=FFB6C1]"ya ok, there, Priestess? Ya look pretty shook up, ya know!"[/color] Rose smiled, hoping to put the girl at ease, and slowed her pace to keep a respectful distance between them.  [color=FFB6C1]"Ain't really much out here to be worried about, though. Take a breather, we'll talk when ya ready, ok?"[/color]

 She lowered herself to the grass, as she had done several times in the recent past, present and future, and observed the girl in earnest; her head tilted slightly and her smile steady.


Rosemary kept her eyes closed for a long while, just allowing herself to sit in the darkness. She feared that which would show before her if she opened them. [i]Was this what death felt like? Was she dead? No, she couldn't be. She could still feel, and touch, and smell, and... hear?[/i] The girl flicked her eyes open at the noise... Though it was more than a noise. [i]A voice?[/i]

What appeared before her was not the black and wispy mass that had first greeted her in death. This time around, her vision was coveted by another woman. [i]Surprisingly modern-looking for an Angel of Death...[/i] She wore everyday clothes not much different than an outfit Rosemary might wear herself on a day like this one. What stood out, though, was the flow of pink locks rolling uncluttered down her face. Every detail about her appearance looked almost preplanned and perfectly neat. The setting Rosemary found herself in would still make the girl before her an imposing sight to behold, but it was by all means a welcome sight after her past two encounters.

[color=mediumorchid]"Wh-Who are you?"[/color] It took Rosemary a long moment to muster up the courage to speak, and even then, she wasn't fully ready. Such was evident through her bewildered gaze and constant stammering over her own words. The woman's warm gaze and pleasant smile did little to calm a still stiff to the bone Rosemary. [color=mediumorchid]"Where am I?"[/color] She halted her tongue at that. It seemed those two questions would be the thoughts of any sane person in such a scenario, and it was time Rosemary vocalized them.

Being stared at was part of the usual process, the Dreams noting her appearance and demeanor almost always at the forefront. It was part of why she looked like she did. Though, if she were pressed about it, mint green was always more appealing to her than pink. Still, it felt like there was more going on the Priestess' head. Death always got people to thinking about things, whether they were truly important or not. Even though silence, too, was usually a part of the process; Rose hated it. More than anything, she had come to hate those quiet moments. 

 Thankfully, her own increasingly errant thoughts were reigned in when the girl finally spoke. Her canter and tone were nearly heartbreaking, Rose's eyes taking a cast of sadness as she listened. Her own tone, when issued, was much the same as always; though her voice had softened considerably, at least with the first few words. [color=FFB6C1]"Man, Prime Entites always manage to hit me right in the soft-spot. Me, though? I'm Rose! I'm ya Guide, here, in Navain. To answer the question that comes next, though, Navain is this world. This Reality."[/color] The Guide sighed, rocking back and forth a little, [color=FFB6C1]"Thinkin' about it, though, nobody ever really asks what I am, ya know? Not that I can really talk about it, anyway, but still."[/color] Catching herself, she giggled. [color=FFB6C1]"Sorry, sorry, that ain't proper of me, Priestess; this meeting is supposed to be about who ya are and what ya gonna accomplish. S'nice to meet ya, for real! I, uh, hope what happened back in ya Corporeal Reality ain't...uh, y'know, ain't hurt too much."[/color]

 Her hands came up to rest against her cheeks as she stared back at the Priestess of Phantoms. There was something there that felt different, to Rose, something almost personal that she imagined existing. She smiled more broadly, hoping it to be a soothing action; though she knew her propensity for grinning almost constantly could be offputting to some.

It was curious. The girl before Rosemary held herself with a knowing demeanor, as if the whole process of Rosemary's awakening in this strange place had played out like a movie she had seen all too many times before. Rosemary's silence continued as her 'guide' came to give what could at best be called the most vague explanation possible. Rosemary exhaled sharply, trying her best to grip the situation she found herself in. [i]Navain... An interesting alternative, but it was no Heaven...[/i] As the guide continued to talk, Rosemary held herself from interjecting despite the surge of questions that flooded her mind and would not cease growing in size as more time past.

[color=mediumorchid]"I suppose the question that comes after that is whether or not someone can go back?"[/color] There was a certain inquiry to her tone, but Rosemary showed no sign of identifying with the will to return that she spoke of. To her, it was already a hopeless impossibility. As her words left her lips, she tried to hold herself back, but the only logical course of action would be to ask more questions. Surely Rose knew that was coming. At least, that was if Rosemary was sure this was some sort of 'land of the dead' like she'd inferred. 

Two more things nagged her mind purely sprouting from the limited dialogue that Rose had given to her. She couldn't hold herself back any longer, despite how cliche she felt the constant questioning was. [color=mediumorchid]"Well... What am I going to accomplish then? And what do you mean 'Priestess'?"[/color]


[color=FFB6C1]"Goin' back? Yeah, that's mostly the point'a this for the Dreams...uh, their goal, anyway. I dunno, it's kind of the best incentive my boss could think of,"[/color] Rose reclined, ceasing her rocking, putting her hands behind her head and staring up at a cloud-stolen expanse of sky, wondering distantly about the girl's turn in tone [color=FFB6C1]"but, yeah, for sure ya can go back. Problem is ya don't always get to stay. I shoulda explained the 'Priestess' bit, earlier, but I never know what to call people when they show up, 'cept by their Titles. Ya happen to be the 'Priestess of Phantoms'. It's pretty much always reflective of ya Manifestation, which is an ability ya possess. I'm, uh, pretty useless on that end, though, ya kinda supposed to figure it out as things go on."[/color]

 'Useless' was a harsh term for the Guide to say or swallow, so it was almost always used with a measure of chagrin. There were rarely any truly useless things in the expanse of Realities that composed both Corporeal and Esoteric spaces, unless they were simply designed to be so. The truth of it, Rose knew, was that she was quite near useless in most regards; but that had not yet stalled her. Moving forward was the only option available to her, regardless of how it felt like her existence was a perpetual test in drudgery. Scribe had taken notice of her, true, but that was hardly any sort of honor. Her place was one of punishment. Of penance. Just as it was for the Pariah Dreams.

 She scratched at her nose, lightly, before sitting upright again. [color=FFB6C1]"What ya gonna accomplish is really up to how effectively you and the other Pariah Dreams manage to work together, and how much work Scribe really expects outta ya."[/color] Smiling, still, she continued. [color=FFB6C1]"I'm askin' ya to go into that building over there, the Hollow Egress, and risk ya 'current' existence  to obtain an item, an Anchor, that'll let ya go home. That ain't really all it does, but, uh, I can't talk about that until after ya have it in ya hands."[/color] Rose stood, once again removing her sandal with a deliberate slowness; eyes focused solely on the action as she spoke. [color=FFB6C1]"I know pretty much everything I say brings up more questions, but for the most part I can't answer 'em right now. That comes after. If ya willin' to help, that is...uh" She took her eyes from the sandal, placing her foot back in as her focus shifted to the Priestess, "uh...what [i]is[/i] ya name, anyway?"[/color]

[i]Going back, huh? An incentive... eh? She was a captive in death and life was an incentive...[/i] Most of the fear had melted off of Rosemary's face at this point, though a frown lingered all throughout the next bout of cryptic riddles and responses Rose gave her. [i]Now she had a title and some sort of ability. There were 'Dreams'? None of it made sense.[/i] Rosemary knew that it wasn't going to get any more clear no matter how much more she questioned. 

Rosemary's eyes flick to the so-called 'Hollow Egress' as directed by her guide. [color=mediumorchid]"We have to go on a quest to find an anchor to go live again..."[/color] She spoke slightly sarcastically as she mused on the scenario that took place around her. Her head shook ever so slightly. Whether it was in disbelief or in pure confusion was not so easy to determine. Simultaneously, Rosemary began to stand up, on shaking legs at first. The world was all so new to her. It quite literally felt like a whole new world. [i]It quite probably was a whole new world...[/i] [color=mediumorchid]"My name? I-I'm Rosemary..."[/color] Rosemary held herself back, contemplating the words for a long time. It was almost as if she, herself, had forgotten until that very moment.

Her eyes fell back upon the distant building. [color=mediumorchid]"It's not like I had anything going on today anyways..."[/color]

 [color=FFB6C1]"Well, s'nice to meet ya, Rosemary,"[/color] the Guide nodded along with the words, turning to look upon the Hollow Egress as well, [color=FFB6C1]"and that's the right, uh, spirit, I guess. Once ya get in, the other folk'll be waitin' around...or, at least, they should be. I don't really have any way of knowing what's goin' on in there, given my circumstances."[/color] She sighed, sliding her hands into the pocket of her hoodie and began removing her sandal again. [color=FFB6C1]"At best I'll be able to give ya some insight if ya come across a Node. They'll look kinda like high-tech trash cans, all gold and blue, usually situated in an area of 'distortion'. Shouldn't be too hard to identify, y'know?"[/color]

Her foot grazed against the grass, and Rose let her gaze drift away from the building. It wasn't a favorite of the Guide's, and the events of 'today' had thusfar drained her of what little affinity she might have felt for the building. [color=FFB6C1]"But, yeah,"[/color] she said, her free foot still sliding across the soft growth, [color=FFB6C1]"it's not exactly safe, in there, so be sure ya prepared before crossing that threshold. There's not really a time limit, or anything, but we all got a lot ahead of us..."[/color] Her smile had faded, at some point, though Rose couldn't exactly recall when she had stopped putting conscious effort into it. There was certainly a feeling of [i]wrongness[/i] that had crept through her.

[color=FFB6C1]"I, uh, I'm sorry, Rosemary..."[/color] she didn't know why she felt the apology necessary, but forged ahead with the unbidden impulse anyway, [color=FFB6C1]"I know this ain't what anyone wants, in their first moments of visiting a new world...or, really, if anyone ever wants this to begin with. It ain't right, the way it works. The way Scribe works."[/color] With that, she smiled, [color=FFB6C1]"But Navain is a pretty great place! If ya want, I can show ya and the other Dreams around some of the nicer spots later on!"[/color]

[color=mediumorchid]"High-tech trash cans, eh? I suppose I'll be on the lookout then..."[/color] Rosemary's tone carried its usual unserious sarcasm. She rolled her shoulders as she began to push herself to her feet. There was a moment where her eyes swept across the world around her. It was the first time she was seeing this new environment that had become her reality, but that wasn't the purpose of her nervous gazing. Luckily, she'd spotted no more creatures of shadow and her eyes settled back upon Rose.

[i]It's not exactly safe... We got a lot ahead of us...[/i] The blankness of Rosemary's expression seemed to hold a deep-seated grimness. She noticed her guide's smile fade away into neutrality as well. The poor girl merely stood there for a moment. Between the events of the recent past, the cryptic attitude of the only person Rosemary had seen since then, and the foreboding thoughts that plagued her mind, Rosemary was left only to imagine what dangers lied ahead. No matter what they were, though, she knew they were coming. 

The long pause from Rosemary continued as her guide carried on talking. After her eyes finally settled upon her destination: the building, [i]or whatever Rose had called it[/i], she finally spoke up. [color=mediumorchid]"Then I shouldn't need to futilely bother you anymore..."[/color] Rosemary's words came in mumbles, as if it was more directed towards herself rather than Rose. If she felt she could have said nothing, she would have, but the world was all too foreign for her to forego a final parting word. Rosemary hadn't even given Rose the courtesy of a last glance. Her solemn eyes already deadset and focused. [color=mediumorchid]"I hope I don't owe you anything for... Rebirth..."[/color]

It was then that Rosemary moved towards the forefront of the ominous structure. It was time to delve into things. Confusing metaphors and riddles weren't to do her any good. Perhaps she was just too curious to wait any longer, but she sure didn't feel like it. She was just too focused on that biting feeling that left her so put off. Rosemary's last words were uttered with the wind as she started to move off, barely audible if even heard by the guide. [color=mediumorchid]"Find the anchor..."[/color]