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[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLkYGwBFud0[/youtube][/centre]

[color=Silver]	In the blight of the figure's awakening, they heard the sails begin to ride alongside a wind from an unknown source. A chilling, artificial temperature dampened the world around the vessel, leading it into a dark and twisted sea. Arctic spires passed by the port and starboard sides. Trails of fragmented ice littered the oceans around them. A fog obscured the way. A creak of steel, wood and iron echoed through the blackness. Beyond the confinement of the ship, only the thick mist hid the horizon. Crashing wave and curling tidal currents slammed against the hull and sprayed a frozen shower onto the deck. Two large masts of velvet sails dragged the motionless vessel through. Between them, three iron funnels lay in dormancy. No plumes of burnt coal puffed from its chimney, only the silent and deathly silence it carried with it. Across from the deck, a rectangular room, laced with glaciers of stained glass in 20 unfamiliar signs presented itself. Its door slowly opened, and inside it, the doings of two hidden individuals played out. First, circling the room in a twirling long-coat, a lean and fluid dance occupied the navy-toned [url=https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/3a9d7c9d-3b00-42a8-9aa1-19c0d86f1daf/ddc0odw-305c5038-0023-4928-a863-97d7a71fc35b.png?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOiIsImlzcyI6InVybjphcHA6Iiwib2JqIjpbW3sicGF0aCI6IlwvZlwvM2E5ZDdjOWQtM2IwMC00MmE4LTlhYTEtMTljMGQ4NmYxZGFmXC9kZGMwb2R3LTMwNWM1MDM4LTAwMjMtNDkyOC1hODYzLTk3ZDdhNzFmYzM1Yi5wbmcifV1dLCJhdWQiOlsidXJuOnNlcnZpY2U6ZmlsZS5kb3dubG9hZCJdfQ.K60JtYrOeH2cG_aKl9lw5M1Ju9bfgP3sktRshbAvsHc]Attendant[/url]. Their voice hummed a tune they'd never heard before, and yet it was instantly recognisable. Delicate harmonies battled against the raging waves outside, toying with the idea that perhaps there was more beauty inside the twisted world they inhabited than they'd realised. However, at the helm of the Captain's bridge, an odd figure stood, clad in a suit with a small Officer's Cap.

	[url=https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/480159680509771777/718535496179122216/Igor_1.png]Igor[/url] sat in delightful patience. The hour would soon be upon them. A course could finally be set, and the vessel left stranded in aimless hopelessness. He chuckled, a wheeze from behind his teeth and a snort exhaled from his pointed nostrils. As he spun, the Attendant looked back at him, halting their spin. Igor soon drew the final breath of his chuckle and wiped his eyes with the parade-gloved hands. Adjusting the hat placed upon him by the Attendant, he felt a slight irritation towards wearing it. Rolling his eyes at his assistant's gentle chuckle, he readjusted himself and composed his posture.[/color]

[color=0072bc][b]"Well, if it isn't a delight to finally begin the due process. All roads once...lead to their destinations eventually. Though, I must apologise for the restlessness of my [i]Attendee[/i], they've been waiting quite a long time."[/b][/color] [color=Silver]With a gestured hand, he laid an open palm towards the Naval-Clad Attendant. Their twirling flowed elegantly into a courteous bow, one that contrasted the stillness of the Captain's helm.[/color]

[color=Aqua][b]"I can only wait so long before I get bored. But you're here now, so that's all I can be thankful of!"[/b][/color]

[color=silver]	The hall fell silent as the Attendant led the shadowy figure towards the desk, standing them directly in front of Igor. One could've sworn they'd seen another face or two, but nothing of a crowd. Instead, they were met well with Igor's great eyes, staring them up and down unlike ever before. His scrutiny felt unmatched, a scanning gaze tearing through clothes, skin and bone, straight to their heart. It was a sensation unlike any other, somewhat fearful and anxiety-inducing. A tear into their soul finished in absolute quietness. A solitary churn came from deep within the ship. Somewhere, down in its bowels, the engine room seemed to scream for help, for alleviation from its course and vile static abandonment. Igor waved his hand in the sky, beckoning for the guest to ignore its brutalised pleas. An apparition of a card deck sparked before him as he chuckled, drowning out all ambience with the sombre tune of a piano, similar to that of the one hummed by the Attendant. Where the tune came from was unseen, yet it felt almost all around the room, almost as if it were a part of the room itself.[/color]

[color=0072bc][b]"In times of dire circumstance, sometimes one must always hold a spare at hand. Sometimes it could be a spare tyre, a new sail or...a new awakening. Something will make its way to your doorstep in close proximity. Time will be against you. The world may be against you. You'll potentially find allies, but there will be foes in your way. I look forward to gambling on your journey to set a course through this vapid ocean you've created. Goodbye, for now. We'll meet once you hit the brick wall."[/b][/color] [color=Silver]And with a smile of giddy intent, the entire room collapsed into darkness, and the dream was soon subsided with that of blight. The world returned to how it once was. Dreams remained as dreams. Mysteries remained potently mysterious. The cryptic speech, however, lingered in the minds of the attentive.[/color]

[hr][centre][img]https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/546802855076429824/584803063366287391/Laurence.png[/img]

[img]https://fontmeme.com/permalink/190602/9979823ba7507764096f23773bbad6f8.png[/img]
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[color=Silver]	The alarm had been particularly annoying that dreary Monday morning. A thumping fist [url=https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/584093021222469648/588661892638048268/hqdefault.png]slammed down on the alarm[/url] clock. Its ever-growling screech pestered his dreams, giving him a return to reality. Grumbles and morning groans combated its wail right up until it turned off. He couldn't slack off anymore. The time was then and he had to get up, to shower and to do all things that normal people did. It should've been an exciting day. The second week of University starting off with a bang. Laurence wasn't timetabled any lessons on the Monday but going in to study and talk to whoever wanted to bother doing so was always a treat in some alternative universe. The routine of the morning went by sickly. His breakfast tasted stale, the toaster refused to work with him and the showerhead nearly detached itself from the wall for a second time in two days. Everything else about the flat was well kept, in good condition and fairly decent for the price he'd gotten it at.

	An hour ticked by. He finished, dressed himself and braved into the streets, a glum and emotionless gaze upon his face. He'd had a weird dream. It wasn't uncommon. There were faces in it of people he didn't know. A flurry of crowds occupied the streets as he took the journey as he always did. A cold September breeze violated the sky with the typical English weather. The sunshine had mostly gone and the downpour was right around the corner. At least he could make do of the Autumn atmosphere before going outside became more of a oceanic survival mission than a general stroll to university.

	Laurence passed by all the regular small shops and did to rekindle his senses. The vibrant smells of bakery produce, confectionery, bacon butties, hashbrowns and all things inbetween made for a wonderful reminder of what he didn't have. Eventually, he saw the pearly gates to his institution on the corner of his road, and he put on a smile. Inside, a bustle of faces he'd not seen before coated the outside and inside world. Freshers, of course. The usual university goers had already segmented themselves to early classes, social gatherings or private studies early on into the year. For Laurence, it was a case of brainstorming, finding a general distraction to get him away from the dark lingering cloud that held above his face.

	Moving past the crowds, he waved a silent hand to the few people who nodded in his direction, the courteous welcoming that everyone seemed to give, regardless of who it was. From there, entered the main building and indulged himself in the loving warmth of its interior heating. Blissful, definitely. And so, he moved to one of the many common areas, preferably the one with the least amount of individuals around him. Even in his desire to get straight to work, the contents of a peculiar dream had his imagination running wild. Whether or not it was a clever conjuration for a new film project or a spark of his conscience whispering to him, it didn't change who he was in the moment of it all. He truly believed that life would remain the same, a spiral upward that left no desire to satisfy himself with. There was no love at the top, just as there was at the very bottom. And, just as he had before, he truly believed that the rest of the day would go unnoticed, without a flicker of conversation, hope or surprise.[/color]