[CENTER][h1]Zavakri & Miizel[/h1] [h2]& The Dungeon Master[/h2][/CENTER] As Zavakri and Miizel make their way to the Hall of Illusions, they notice that the air around them seem brighter than before. The stars above them twinkle a little more so, and the people around them seem happier. When they reach the Hall of Illusions, they see that this large tent is painted with a mural of shifting images that show grinning faeries diving into pools of color. The helical stripes of the tent's pointed canopies rotate in spirals, and the whole display seems designed to befuddle onlookers. Near the Hall of Illusions, there is a wooden mannequin of a grinning, raven-haired young woman in witch's attire and a green flowing cape hovers inside a glass cabinet. At the top of the cabinet, a sign reads "Tasha the Wizard—Known for Her Hideous Laughter." Right now, a human witchlight hand stands near the entrance of the attraction with a ticket puncher ready. Miizel approaches the witchlight hand and presents his ticket. [color=f26522]"I’ve been told that a certain bugbear was last seen here.”[/color] Miizel casually mentions.[color=f26522] “Was it inside the Hall or the general area around it?”[/color] The Witchlight Hand tilts her head and she answers, clearly confused, "[color=pink]I'm...sorry? I'm a new Witchlight Hand, so I'm afraid I'm not sure what you're talking about. I'm just holding the fort here until Candlefoot comes back,[/color]" She then asks, "[color=pink]Oh! Are you here for the Hall of Illusions? Well, step right up and I'll punch your tickets for the attraction![/color]" Zavakri frowns slightly. Then severely. And finally she tilts her head a bit. "Do people [i]truly[/i] enjoy...Illusions? I can't fathom it, honestly. Willingly allowing yourself to be deceived? That's so mind boggling, that'd be like leaving the kettle on to boil then starting a chore only to forget that you had the kettle on in the first place and having to run back across the house to get at it as it screams at you the whole time. I like my world to be the way it's supposed to be, thank you very much!" She extends her ticket all the while, offering it to the attendant despite her diatribe. "Candlefoot? New Witchlight Hand? This is all so very interesting- who's Candlefoot?" The new Witchlight Hand tilts her head as she listens to Zavakri's biting words regarding illusions. She shrugs as she answers, "[color=pink]I mean...I guess it depends on the person? Plus, if you're told up front that you're about to see illusions, then is it really deception to begin with? In the kettle context, by informing fairgoers that they're going to see illusions, we'd be telling them to keep an eye on the kettle, right?[/color]" She then shrugs at her own questions, her own mood cheerful despite Zavakri's words. The mood is too good for anyone to take offense. The Witchlight Hand punches Miizel's and Zavakri's tickets as she answers, "[color=pink]Oh! Candlefoot is the mime. He [I]was[/I] here earlier, but then he took off running when he got his voice back! No doubt to see Palasha,[/color]" Miizel looks up at Zavakri with a puzzled expression, as if just now realizing that his companion is a little bit stuck up. He then turns back to the Witchlight Hand and says. [color=f26522]“Bah, don’t worry about it. Come on let’s go.” [/color] As they enter he’s going to say to Zavakri. [color=f26522]“You don’t have to think too much about the logic of a carnival attraction. Not everything needs to be philosophical.”[/color] As Miizel and Zavakri enter the Hall of Illusions, they see tall mirrors line the interior walls of the tent. The mirrors near the entrance reflect onlookers in their youth; the images grow steadily older, until the mirrors deep within the hall reflect onlookers in their twilight years. Miizel begins to look distracted as he stares into the interior of the Hall of Illusions. His brows furrow in confusion, trying to make sense of the memories, or lack thereof. It seemed like the Hall held answers to questions he didn't know he had. Miizel begins to enter the Hall without waiting for Zavakri. "It's not about the philosophy it's about-" She watches, briefly surprised by Miizel's sudden departure. She raises a hand as if her solitary source of stability in this uncertain world were slipping away, then rushes herself along with him. "I take it you're [i]fond[/i] of illusions then." She chimes. Miizel doesn’t hear what Zavakri says and instead takes a step forward. Then another, and another, and before long he was winding down the Hall. Each step and turn had purpose in them, as if he knew this place like the back of his hand. It even surprised him. As he passes by the mirrors, he could see a younger version of himself. Dozens upon dozens of reflections of a gnome child walking through these halls. He wasn’t even looking at where he was going anymore, his focus was on the reflection of a childhood long gone. Suddenly his feet came to an abrupt stop and looking forward he could see another mirror. Those around him still showed his younger self but the one in front was different. He couldn’t quite make out what it is but that it tugged at something on the furthest reaches of his memory. His heart was pounding and a cold sweat began to form. Miizel took several deep breaths and slowly reached out to touch it. As he slowly reaches out to touch it, the few seconds seem to pass agonizingly slow... His heartbeat pounds louder and louder, his hand shakes more and more, until finally....! ... ... His hand touches the mirror. It rests on the mirror surface. Nothing happened when Miizel touched the mirror. Confusion overtakes the gnome’s face as he puts his other hand against the mirror. He taps it a few times then begins looking around and behind it. The mirror surface remains just as solid when he places the other hand on the mirror surface. Nothing happens when he taps the mirror. He doesn't see anything odd or out of the ordinary around or behind the mirror. Miizel shakes his head and turns to look at Zavakri, an annoyed look on his face. [color=f26522]“Sorry. I don’t know what got into me. The moment we stepped into the Hall I felt something tugging at me. Pulling me forward and leading me…well…here.”[/color] He turns to motion at the mirror he was just inspecting. [color=f26522]“I’ve searched the mirror and the area around it but to no avail. Sorry for wasting your time.”[/color] Miizel shakes his head and turns to look at Zavakri, an annoyed look on his face. [color=f26522]“Sorry. I don’t know what got into me. The moment we stepped into the Hall I felt something tugging at me. Pulling me forward and leading me…well…here.”[/color] He turns to motion at the mirror he was just inspecting. [color=f26522]“I’ve searched the mirror and the area around it but to no avail. Sorry for wasting your time.”[/color] "Eh, what?" She blinks at him, severely distracted in her own right; this current mirror was annoyingly portraying her in all her teenaged glory... And it was not very flattering to her mind, what with her gangling limbs- and, drama!, how she needed to wash her hair more! She blinks several times before tearing her eyes away and looking to Miizel. She clears her throat, her mind digesting his words. "Oh, nonsense there chum; this place has some kind of power over us all, I'm sure of it. Each of us given a free ticket is here for a reason, though mine is plain enough. I raced off to where I felt drawn to; you did as well. To reference our conversation with Feathreen and the perceptions of time...You didn't waste my time, we're all here trying to regain some time we lost long ago." She smiles wanly and places a hand on her hip. "Frankly, friend, I'm terrified to go much further down this hall of mirrors. I don't think I'm ready to see myself as a crone. I already suspect I'll be needing glasses 'fore long, I'd hate to have a visual to back up that probability. We can stay here and look around as long as you need though! I'm not going anywhere." she offered supportively. [color=f26522]"I appreciate that. I'm good now, I'm sure it'll come back to me as we travel the carnival."[/color] He gives her a smile and puts his hands on his hips. [color=f26522]"Well, I suppose we should get going then."[/color] As Miizel and Zavakri head out of the Hall of Illusions, they hear the joyful sounds of the crowd bustling about outside. The carnival outside of this Hall seems to have become a much more welcoming place compared to this Hall... When they reach the outside, they see that a lot of the customers are heading for the Big Top! The next event is apparently taking place there. Within the hall, something lurks in the shadows, watching them leave before it vanishes.