[color=a0410d]     Despite the apparent distance between them, the newly acquainted strangers made surprisingly good time towards the otherwise lonesome ruin; the crunch of sand and the light clattering of loose gravel betrayed their haste, yet whatever had caused the lighthouse to awaken in such a radiant blue splendor remained seemingly unaware of their arrival. It was a bit of a relief to Not be the one snuck upon, for once, and especially given Ifor's own condition[b]...[/b]

     The hunchback stopped; that was odd - after focusing solely upon the irritation in his arms, he had to note the severe Lack of pain and abominable throbbing that'd occupied them only[b]...[/b]some time, prior. Eyes sunken like the depths glanced curiously up into the twinkling night sky[b]...[/b]'day' sky? Time seemed to hold very little sway in this desolate place - yet another oddity he'd have to get used to for however long he'd be staying here; a myriad of visages flickered on by his restless train of thought, brief but billowing in the scope of questions engulfing his mind. Who, what, when, where and why fluttered about without restraint, yet not one of them seemed fit to provide their host with any meaningful conclusion to the conundrum: 

     [b]...[/b]Where WERE they? Was the population of this local aged, or recent? If recent, what was all of that witchcraft back on The Beach[b]...[/b]erhm[b]...[/b]the one before This Beach? If a beach stretched out long enough, did it count as one beach, or two? Who was in charge of the boundaries of these geographical decisions? Did they have people like them on This Beach? How far do you have to travel to escape the sun? This far, he supposed - but what exactly was the measurement of "This far"? Again, who was in charge of making those decisions? Could he get in contact with them? There had to be some sort of settlement nearby, as evidenced by the events that'd transpired over the course of their arrival, and most recently by his new 'friend'. That scythe wasn't made to cut wheat[b]...[/b]was it?

     Time held no sway; over the course of his mental ramblings, the cloaked pair had passed by several dozen meters of beach, about a couple dozen more of rocky incline, and now[b]...[/b]"that". A sea of fluorescent lights drifting under the influence of the breeze as far as the eye could see - and beyond this, the absolute confirmation of his suspicions over the possibility of local inhabitants. Now they passed gently between the soft glow, now up cracked and weathered steps worn by eons innumerable[b]...[/b]

     [b]...[/b]And now, the face of the moon was revealed to them once more[b]...[/b]although, smaller and more lively than she'd previously seemed; So this was where the golden-haired one had gotten off to[b]...[/b]

     [b]...[/b]And then the roof introduced itself to him - along with a handful of stairs, a couple stray timbers, several meters of dust-choked air, and only the finest hospitality provided by cobblestone flooring after landing shoulder-first into its welcoming embrace.

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[/b]
     [b]...[/b]Hm.

     [b]...[/b]Hmm.

     He could see the stars from here.

     [b]...[/b]That was nice.

     It wasn't actually that bad, laying on your back like this - especially when compared to being knocked off a couple flights of stairs like before. 

     [b]...[/b]This was nice. 

     Things felt[b]...[/b]'Nice', from down here.

     [b]...[/b]

          [b]......[/b]Pity that feeling was quickly being drowned out by all of this [i][b]u n y i E L D I N G R A G E.[/b][/i]

                                                                                                       [b] ---------[/b]

     As if fleeing from the scene, a rather hefty timber found itself soaring outwards from the cracked, cobblestone arch that marked the lighthouse's singular entry and exit. Dust trailed its lengthy passage, clouding the night air with a murky haze as the beam descended sharply, plowing a deep, viscous, claw-like mark into the dirt adjacent those desecrated stones. Up flew a small confetti of once-radiant fungi, now fading rapidly as they scattered haphazardly across the violated field. Out into the darkness stumbled a bestial figure, his breath coarse and heavy, eyes murderously hunting through the dim - the whole of his body arched e v e n l o w e r from the strain of trying to limp around his static, anchor-like right arm. Using the cold bricks of the wall as his crutch, he circled around the aged tower, eyes now turned from the ground towards the sky[b]...[/b]searching[b]...[/b]

     [b]...[/b]

     [b]...[/b]THERE - yet[b]...[/b]no[b]...[/b]no, it was so [i]f a r[/i] away now. Panic shackled his heart, and with a desperate, howling cry, the infuriated and bloody mess of a man roared after the fading shadow:[/color] [b]"...C O U H W U U A A A R R R R D D D A H H!!!!"[/b]

[color=a0410d]      [b]...[/b]But it was of little use; as quickly as it had come, it had gone - and he remained stuck, here, wounded and wronged, with his anguish tormentingly unavenged.

     [b]...[/b]He didn't even know what'd hit them.[/color]