[center][h1][b]Fey Encounter[/b][/h1][/center]

[hr]

Which one moved her legs? Which one lifted her arms? Which one tilted her head and gazed around their surroundings? Though her body had been restored, it did not belong to her, and Fear remained a prisoner, trapped within the tumultuous confines of her fragmented mind. As Annoyance and Pride competed for complete dominance, the remaining weaker voices shrieked and warred with each other in the shadows where Fear had been shoved and had found no way of escaping.

Even as one prisoner among many, she was still given the unique privilege of being pulled forth by Annoyance to the fore of her being where she could watch as a spectator to the heinous acts her demonic self committed with her body. Annoyance and the parasite within her had an accord, as the latter found that while Annoyance provided the most delicious sustenance whenever she lied or murdered, it was not enough without the regret that Fear held in abundance.

Over the course of their journey, the possessed champion could not discern where they had traveled towards, only recognizing that they were still south of the dark ring and nowhere near Keltra. She was left wondering where they would go as she continued to follow Zima, how far, and what terrible suffering they would leave in their wake? She struggled to maintain any semblance of coherent thoughts as the cacophony of incoherent voices continued to scream as they assailed her sanity, and Fear allowed herself to surrender to them once again.

It was Annoyance that spoke aloud, dulcet and mocking with her sweet voice and forked tongue. [color=ed145b]“When are we going to plant this seed? Jeez, are you still lost and afraid? I’ve a few suggestions if you care to hear them, hmm.”[/color] She moved closer to the wraith, capering and humming with every step while internally lashing out at both Fear and Pride like a frenzied animal that howled with vicious laughter.

Zima seemed to drift in an unseen breeze as she walked, never turning her head back to glance at Annoyance. "To think you would be the one so dominant a personality." She grumbled. "I don't care to hear any suggestions, least of all from you. I know precisely where we are going, you would know that if you had any faculties that paid attention." She hissed.

Annoyance let out an amused chuckle while Fear wept, and pressed on. [color=ed145b]“I’m here because of you, brother. We’ve a special bond. The God of Hunger simply said beyond the desert, and we’re beyond the desert! Anywhere will do now, so…”[/color] With a flamboyant display of acrobatics, she languidly tumbled and somersaulted ahead of Zima. She alighted with agility and purpose, before gesturing all around. [color=ed145b]“Why not here?”[/color] She asked.

Zima didn't even look at her as she walked ahead of her. "These plains are far too open. Do you think the God of Hunger would be happy with us if any old mortal came and burned his seed if it was just left out in the open? Think for once, it needs natural defenses, a place it can grow to protect itself." She pointed ahead, and there in the distance came a rocky outcropping that jutted out from the earth, like a sword leaning sideways. "We shall plant it there and sit around for however long it takes for it to root. As per the Lord's wishes." She sighed.

[color=ed145b]“That was my second suggestion, ya. Seems very natural defenselike, I think. Well then, what are we waiting for!?!”[/color] Annoyance said as she leapt high into the air, and then fell back down, before she turned and began marching towards the chosen location with false nobility in her stride, like a drunk warrior about to walk into battle. [color=ed145b]“We can’t disappoint our Lord, lest I become terribly transformed and you find yourself facing his wrath. Oh it’d be awfully annoying if I lost the seed somehow.”[/color] The possessed champion cheerfully called back.

"A tragedy indeed." Zima confirmed. "Though I assure you, no transformation would save you from my own wrath." Zima skirted across the ground and out in front of Fear, gaining the lead as if she were a part of the wind. "Do not tally, and do try to be aware of your surroundings. Who knows, perhaps there might be a snack waiting for you." Zima then resumed her pace and before long they were before the great rock. A solitary hill formed rose with the rock, a great monument it could have been, now used for a more profane act.

"Plant the seed at the base of this rock." Zima pointed to where the hill smoothed out on top, right at the base of the towering behemoth. "Do it and I shall go scout the land for any… Inconveniences."

[color=ed145b]“You could say please…”[/color] Annoyance and Pride replied simultaneously, causing the possessed champion to falter for a moment, until she swiftly strode to where Zima directed, and began digging a small hole. Afterwards, she sank her hand into her chest and pulled out the seed so that she could bury it. In the end, the whole process was rather mundane, as she shoveled dirt roughly to where it was before, and Annoyance sang a short nonsensical song as she stood over her finished work.

"That's one task done." Zima said, hands folded behind her back. "Now we wait in boredom for it to sprout." She looked at Fear. "Once that is done we shall be free to travel where we choose. I have half a mind to return to Keltra to enact some revenge but that would be foolish. If that owl survived," she shot Fear a dark glance, "They may already be looking for us. I've a feeling the next we meet your sister’s it will be out here," she vaguely gestured at the horizon, "Somewhere." She spun and began to pace. "We shall have to be ready for that. Tell me… What secrets might there be to share? What makes the honorable tick?" Her eyes narrowed in devilish intent.

[color=ed145b]“Hmm… I would say that our names convey much, but is that true? Courage and Curiosity never kept secrets, and Wanderer would say the strangest things when she did speak. It’s a shame I’ve severed my bond with most of them, or you could just ask them yourself. Only little Pride remains, and soon I’ll kill her as well.”[/color] Annoyance answered nonchalantly. [color=ed145b]“It doesn’t matter… Fear wasn’t very honorable, so how should we know?”[/color]

"I'm sure Fear keeps secrets, even from you. But no, Fear was not honorable. She tried but failed and now only a coward remains. Say," Zima raised an eyebrow, "Why is that of all your countless personas, only you remain at the forefront? Where is anger or hate? Greed or lust? Why Annoyance? Surely not because I named you that?"

[color=ed145b]“As I’ve said before; I’m here because of you. Names like Anger and Hate have no meaning when I’m with you. Eh, are you disappointed? Would you prefer someone else? That’s rather rude!”[/color] Annoyance feigned hurt, crossing her arms and turning her gaze away from Zima. She then close her eyes and sought where Fear and Pride had sequestered themselves because torturing them would improve her mood, not that she was irked or anything like that, she told herself. With a mental gesture, she summoned forth Anger, Hatred, Greed, and Lust, and commanded them to seek out the missing pieces of her mind and unleash all of their cruelty upon them before bringing them back before her. Externally, Annoyance began to giggle.

"If only…" the wraith murmured. "Don't do anything foolish while I'm away." 

It was in the distance that life betrayed its presence in the darkness of Galbar’s night. It started, simply enough, with a spark. A dark red, unnerving flame that seemingly floated by itself as it traveled along the plains at a surprisingly quick speed. 

It was joined by other flames coming out of the darkness, all the same disturbing dark red color manifesting an aura of unease into the night. While none of them seemed to share a point of origin, they all appeared to be heading in the same direction. A strange sight to be sure… and mortals would almost certainly have been freaked out by it if any were present to witness it by itself. But it was soon joined by a melody that drifted on the wind, finding a welcome stage in the silence of night. [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SN7-qe6JzS0]A slow, melancholic yet strangely upbeat and energetic tune that sounded like the very wind itself made it.[/url]

Annoyance looked back and forth between the red flames and Zima before she shrugged. [color=ed145b]“Speak of devils, and they shall appear. My family can be rather dramatic. Hmm… would you rather face them or hide?”[/color] She asked, speaking softly.

Zima strode past her and looked out at the peculiar sight. Her brow furrowed. "I doubt this is the work of your siblings. Unless they've suddenly become fleeting flames. Most curious all the same, Annoyance. We should not leave the seed but what if our mere presence beside it were enough to draw attention? Decisions decisions." She mused, gripping her chin with a hand.

While the traveling flames were fleeting in their appearance and the tune on the air faded away, they would prove to be merely the prologue of strange things to appear on this cold and otherwise quiet night. It was the creaking of wooden wheels that was first to be heard, but out of the darkness itself a wagon was pulled. 

Its appearance was strange for a few reasons, but the one that would almost certainly be sending a warning into Zima’s head above all else was the fact that there had been no trace of it coming into sight. One moment the plains had been empty apart from the sound of creaking wood… and seemingly within a moment in which neither Zima or the many personalities within the body of what formerly belonged to Fear had been looking at the same spot it had appeared, moving at a steady pace but slowly coming to a stop in front of the pair of them.

Had either of them cared about mortal designs or even just the local mortal cultures they might have registered some decorative and design choices that would have easily exposed that this wagon wasn’t built locally, from the timber used from non-local trees to the black and red coloration the wood appeared to have been colored with. However, even without the knowledge of local customs and designs the steed in question would reveal its outlandish origins, because bugs generally didn’t grow that big here.

Six black legs gracefully and carefully walked the ground, poking out of a cloth like material that covered their body and swayed as it moved. The shape of its body under the strange cloth suggested the body of some kind of beetle, but its head rested at the top of a long, craning neck, hidden under what appeared to be some kind of white mask as it looked down at the pair of them. It was hooked up to pull the wagon… but there weren’t any signs of reins or a means for the driver of the wagon to control it.

Now that the cart had completely stopped, the ‘driver’ in question did in fact leap down from their position. They stood tall, draped in some kind of beautiful cloak and gazing at the pair of them with pure red eyes. There was a brief moment of silence… before the figure offered the pair of them a bow. “[color=9e0b0f]Wonderful… Wonderful! I was hoping to run into the stars of the westernlands dreamscape in all their dark, infamous glory. I didn’t expect to come across you so soon though. Still, hiccups are a part of any performance, no matter how planned or rehearsed they might be, and thus all we can do is push on. How are your evenings going, ladies?[/color]”  The figure spoke with a surprising energy. Some would find it dark and unsettling, but he seemed legitimately happy to see them.

[color=ed145b]“No, you’re definitely right... My sisters wouldn’t be involved in this… Well then, shall we kill them?”[/color] Annoyance asked, tilting her head as she peered beyond the stranger greeting them to the wagon itself, a predatory glitter in her eyes.

The stranger offered a small grin… before they seemed to move from where they had been standing to before the contested body of Fear in the blink of an eye, left hand pulled across his chest by his face and brought down swiftly and harshly against the cheek of Annoyance. There was a crack of something that wasn’t flesh and blood as the world seemed to get… hazy for a second. And then there were two as the personality known as Annoyance was flung away from the main body, for the first time having a form of her very own.

[color=ed145b]“Why were you seeking us?”[/color] Asked Pride with all hint of levity gone, addressing the stranger as she prevented Fear’s body from just collapsing, and choosing to ignore as Annoyance fell backwards until suddenly the second personality was soaring towards Zima and crashed into the spirit, crying aloud. “Oh dear, I seem to have slipped, catch me brother!”

Zima caught Annoyance and then let go once she was steady, "Patience." Zima commanded the personality. If at all any of it had intrigued or alarmed Zima, her face remained neutral as she looked at the newcomer. “You belong to the Keeper, don’t you?” she said with little emotion. “Such a devious trick.” Her eyes danced all around them, as if she saw something more but said nothing else. 

“[color=9e0b0f]I was empowered by the Creator of the Sea of Dreams, but my loyalties lay with another. While I don’t know the name Keeper, the fey deity does seem to enjoy changing their name at a whim.[/color]” the figure answered truthfully, before they turned to gaze at Pride. “[color=9e0b0f]My interest was purely that of curiosity. Between the carnage and survivors you’ve left in your collective wakes, your presence serves as a source of dread among the dreamers of this continent, twisted and morphed by story and attempts to explain the unknown. It’s still early days yet, but I have a feeling that the two of you will haunt mortal legends for a very, [i]very[/i] long time. Who wouldn’t want to meet such legendary figures in the flesh?[/color]”

There was a brief pause as the figure glanced towards Annoyance and Zima before adding with a small degree of amusement “[color=9e0b0f]...As a matter of speaking, of course.[/color]”  

"You fit well enough with what I imagine that deity could conjure, different names or not." Zima tilted her head, slightly narrowing her eyes at the strange being. "I have never heard of this Sea of Dreams but it seems we've left well enough an impression to drag out a seeker, as you say. Curious." She held her hands together letting them fall just below her waist. "Though you may know our names, introductions are in order. I am Zima and that is Fear. She has… She is a bit of a mess, apologies if any of her personas offend you. She will behave, won't she?" It wasn't so much a question but a veiled threat as Zima glanced between Fear and Annoyance. "And who or what, might you be?" She asked the newcomer. "I have never seen the likes of your kind before and this… Power you conjur."

For their part, the cloaked figure shook his head. “[color=9e0b0f]Oh no. Your names aren’t mentioned at all. It’s not like you’re in the habit of politely introducing yourselves to people who are going to survive the encounter after all. As for myself… I am Grimm.[/color]” There was a small bow with the usage of his name, though nowhere near the extent of the earlier, performance like bow from before. “[color=9e0b0f]Truth be told, I’m inclined to offer you both an invitation to the Troupe I’m putting together at the behest of my master. We always need new agents and performers… and I can personally attest to the fact that joining is a wonderful way to start anew with the weight of the past burned away.[/color]”

There was an earnest smile on his face as he decided to add “[color=9e0b0f]Of course, all of our recruits were damned in some way before they were brought into the Troupe. I’m afraid it would be difficult for any of you to empathize, since despite your current hardships Lady Zima… you passed the trials of the afterlife but decided to return.[/color]” The smile faded for a terrible moment of seriousness. “[color=9e0b0f]Those who fail don’t usually get the option to go back.[/color]”

"Intriguing. You knew not my name but know of that?" Her hands untangled from themselves and fell to her sides. "A creature of mystery indeed."

There was a small shrug. “[color=9e0b0f]You are a creature that is between the living and the dead. Considering the murderous fury towards the living that is a hallmark of your performance on the dream scape, this is not your natural state of being. Considering you lack the magical markings of having been raised from the dead by a third party, you came back on your own… and considering those that fail the trials of the afterlife are dumped into the Ashen Planes, you didn’t fail.[/color]” 

"Perceptive too." She murmured.

[color=ed145b]“I’m afraid we’ll have to decline your offer, Grimm, as we’ve other obligations elsewhere, and I’ve never been one to pretend the past is something so easily forgotten.”[/color] Pride quietly replied, remaining still where she stood before, as Annoyance had begun pacing back and forth excitedly. The second body of Fear came closer to the first with a malicious grin, playfully poking and prodding the back of her previous shape’s head, while the latter simply ignored her presence.

There was a second shrug, before a simple “[color=9e0b0f]If you ever change your mind, we’ll happily accept you. However, the night is young and I am needed elsewhere. I wish you good fortune with your endeavors ladies.[/color]” For the third time that evening, Grimm bowed before he turned to return to his wagon. He paused for a moment, looking over his shoulder as he added “[color=9e0b0f]Oh that reminds me. Do kindly leave the members of my Troupe alone as they go about their business. Death is meaningless to us, but we do have a schedule to keep and delays are annoying.[/color]” 

"Oh but of course." Zima said, giving a slight bow of her head. "Safe travels." She stared, watching him go. Pride bid him a faint farewell, while Annoyance idly waved once before turning her gaze to Zima and raising a hand as if seeking her attention through the noticeable gesture. [color=ed145b]“Question! Why are we letting this one speak for us? Joining could’ve been fun, you know.”[/color] She asked as she pouted.

Hopping up back onto the wagon, Grimm merely offered a small wave to the girls in question before his strange mount started to skitter away, pulling the wagon behind it. As more and more distance was put between the two parties, Annoyance would feel a firm pull on her person… [color=ed145b]“Seems my time is up.”[/color] She muttered. The pull was mild at first, but in time it became simply too great to ignore as she was recalled back into the tormented body of Fear to rejoin the rest of the offkey chorus.

Zima’s expression soured as the night returned to normal. She turned to Fear with a glowering expression. "Joining would have been counterintuitive. You'd be just another pawn, nothing more. But this little chance encounter does paint one thing in my mind. We need weapons, perhaps our own minions…" She grew silent.

“How pitiful.” Pride murmured, staring at Zima for a time before she shook her head and let out a sigh. It was an arduous effort, protecting Fear from Annoyance, as she also maintained command of their body, but the alternative was letting the latter regain control which would be much worse. The Keeper of Keltra was perhaps a little grateful to Grimm, as he had temporarily banished the worst among Fear’s inner demons from her body. There would be peace for Fear, for a little while.

"Pitiful indeed." Zima hissed back, before she flew off into the night. Off to go scout no doubt, leaving Fear to herselves. Fear was never alone after all, and Pride mentally consoled the one whom this body truly belonged to as she listened to her cry. Now they could only wait for Zima to return, and for the seed they had been given by Yesaris to grow.

[hider=Summary]-Fear has lost control of herself, and Annoyance becomes bored while wandering with Zima in search of a place to plant the seed given to them from Yesaris.

-There’s a rock outcropping that seems suitable, so they plant the seed there, and afterward have a brief conversation before being interrupted.

-The strange and ethereal arrival of Grimm occurs wherein he offers the two an invitation to join his troupe, but is refused.

-After he leaves, Zima flies off into the night, and Fear has become possessed by Pride.[/hider]
[hider=Spirit]

Fear gains 4 Spirit. (+1 minimum, +1 medium, +1 long, +1 collab)

Grimm gains 4 Spirit (+1 Minimum, +1 medium, +1 Long, +1 collab) 1 + 4 = 5 Total

Zima

25

+4

=29
[/hider]