[center]They argued, they stared, they questioned, they mingled; and one had taken the first step. The Ghost Girl watched it all with her usual placidity, while Tabitha watched her; giving the others only the slightest bit of her peripheral attention. With the Sun of Irriss at her back, in the nameless field she had brought them to, Tabitha waited patiently for the answer she wanted. She already knew what it was, the Semblance held lightly between her palms. [color=FF7F50][i]Looks like Koda ain't doin' so hot.[/i][/color] She wondered if that was what awaited all of them. [color=FF7F50][i]Shit's nasty. Blood on the flowers, blood on the grass.[/i][/color]

 The hippy lady had approached him, her kind nature showing through as she questioned his well being to a being that probably couldn't care less. It made her reconsider wanting to put the Mask on. Another part of her laughed at that. [color=FF7F50][i]Like I ain't gonna throw this thing on. Far as I get it, this is our tie to this place. Without it, we ain't here. If we ain't here, we're dead.[/i][/color]

 [color=708090]"Do not concern yourself, Stormy Jeans. What you see before you is a glorious metamorphosis."[/color] The words crushed the atmosphere like a rain of concrete blocks. [color=708090]"What happens next,"[/color] the Ghost Girl said, once again interrupting Tabitha's train of thought and demanding her attention without true use of force, [color=708090]"is each of you comes to discover yourself."[/color] She pointed a digit at Koda's retching form without her usual sloth. This time it seemed imperious.

 [color=708090]"Koda Yuhashira is the first to undergo the change. His Semblance is now being drawn into his soul. Much the same will happen with the rest of you. Once the merger is complete you will find yourselves imbued with a strength far beyond the Mortals of this world, or your own."[/color] While her cadence had not changed, the words sent a shiver through Tabitha; something felt different, now that they were in [i]her world[/i]. It wasn't just the way the pleasant field suddenly felt like a facade, to Tabitha, it was the idea that she had really come this far. [color=708090]"Don them when you feel yourself to be ready. Here, you are not restricted in terms of time. I, however, am."[/color]

 Her eyes shifted over the group, watching as they broke into pairs or small groups, talking and reflecting; judging. [color=708090]"As you make your choice, I will inform you of my next request."[/color]

 Tabitha struggled to find her voice. Her eyes drifted to the ground, uncertainty sinking claws deep into her chest and stomach.

 [color=FF7F50]"Request, eh? That don't sound like somethin' ya'd do. With the truth bein' 'invariable' and all, s'more like ya gonna [i]tell[/i] us what to do next. Right?"[/color] Tabitha held her Semblance aloft, staring into the slits of its eyes again; recalling the jagged and uneven surface behind the attractive facade. [color=FF7F50][i]Guess I'm gonna do it, too. Now or never, right? Will, I hope ya got my back.[/i][/color] She wasn't entirely ready, not yet, but she brought the thing closer to her face. 

 Then, she faltered. Realizing something she had fought down, finally, on the surface level. [color=FF7F50][i]I'm afraid. Fuck.[/i][/color] Irriss was real. Standing in front of the train hadn't simply been an easy way to avoid saying she had wanted to die. [color=FF7F50][i]Still, I always believed her. Why did it make so much sense, when she told me all that shit? Why'd she have to be right?[/i][/color] Her fingers trembled, sliding uneasily along the jagged edges of the Semblance. The train had been nothing. This was something altogether different. This meant that they were going to have to be a part of this world. It meant that-

[color=FF7F50][i]I already knew this shit. No need to freak out, now. Fuck it. I got this![/i][/color]

[color=708090]"Your assumption is incorrect, Tabitha. I have yet to demand anything of those gathered here."[/color] She felt eyes of void on her, and could see, just above the crest of her Semblance, that the Ghost Girl was looking at her, [color=708090]"Each of you possesses a will that I can not alter. If you choose to deny my request, there will be no repercussions. Save for that the path you walk will be a longer one. One without my guidance. As you said, the truth is invariable. Regardless of where you go, eventually you will arrive where you are intended to."[/color]

 While minute, it seemed that her demeanor had shifted again to the more languid Ghost Girl the assemblage had come to know. Her voice sounded softer, her motions without the tinge  of dominance Tabitha thought she had briefly witnessed. [color=708090]"I ask that you travel along this path,"[/color] for emphasis, she gave a slow point to the stretch of dirt Tabitha had noticed earlier, [color=708090]"to the south. You will find a town called 'Silverbrook'. There is where your guide awaits."[/color] 

 [color=FF7F50]"What guide ya talkin' about? How we gonna know who it is?"[/color] Tabitha brought the Semblance closer, cradling it against her chest. [color=FF7F50][i]I can't do it, yet. I need to listen. Ask some questions. Figure this shit out.[/i][/color] It touched against the rise of her chest and small warmth spread to her. [color=FF7F50][i]The hell? It's warm, it's-[/i][/color] Tears formed at the corner of her eyes, unbidden and senseless. The thoughts that followed were much the same. [color=FF7F50][i]It's alone. Just like me. It's askin' me to put it on. So we ain't gotta be alone, anymore.[/i][/color]

 [color=708090]"He is a whimsical creature. An Unfettered who calls himself 'Magician'. The locals of Silverbrook will direct you to him. For a time, Magician will be your companion."[/color] Tabitha opened her mouth slightly, before the Ghost Girl continued, [color=708090]"He will familiarize you with aspects of Irriss, as well as aspects of your new-found power."[/color] She shifted her stance, looking once again over the group. [color=708090]"I am sorry that I will not be able to accompany you, for a small measure of time. My presence, should it be noted, will put all of you in terrible danger."[/color]

 [color=FF7F50][i]She seems...[/i][/color] Tabitha struggled to find the words. Before, there existed nothing like sympathy for the thing that wore a human shape. Now she wasn't so sure. [color=FF7F50][i]She seems sad. Does she really care about us? I can't buy that. There's somethin' here that I ain't get, yet.[/i][/color]

 At her chest, the Semblance let its warmth spread. Tabitha Calvicante couldn't resist it, the second time. The strange moment of empathy that existed between her and the Mask had wrenched something free in her. Tears still slowly flowing down her face, Tabitha quickly turned the mask and placed her face into it. 

 As she had expected, the uneven surface bit into her flesh. 

 What she did not expect was the flare of overwhelming light that came from within her. The wall she had built against the world broke in an instant, setting loose a flood of emotion. Her thoughts, usually so loud, became a jumble of whispers; overtaken by the sheer ectasy of expression. The Semblance gripped her head with a gentle, disintegrating vice; some pieces surged down her throat like a glass of boiling water. Her body convulsed as she cried, doubling over and finally dropping onto her ass. Her sobs turned to laughter, as the light faded and she found herself with her gaze pointed to the sky; a smile plastered across her face, wrapped in warmth.

[color=FF7F50][i]And somethin' else! The hell is this?[/i][/color]

 She found herself clad in a harlequin's garb. Her hoodie replaced by a corset that exposed her midriff and striped sleeves of green and purple. Her legs felt exposed, despite the soft mesh that had enveloped them. Around her neck was draped the ludicrously long tendrils of a hat that she discovered by accident. Attempting to wipe away an upward-fleeing tear had revealed it. The thing was huge, bearing two points; instead of a jester's four. Her eyes had taken a silver cast, and her normally dark hair had become a pleasing neon green; perhaps longer than it had been before.

 Tabitha wanted to say something, but she couldn't. Laughter, harder than any she had produced before, poured out each time she wanted to open her mouth.

 [color=708090]"Though I must depart, soon, I am aware that many of you expect answers from me. It would be wise to put them forward, now."[/color][/center]