[center][img]https://txt.1001fonts.net/img/txt/dHRmLjEwNi4wNjhjOGUuVEdsc1lTQkNiR0ZqYTNkdmIyUSwuMA,,/gritluefdemo.regular.webp[/img][/center] [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/MyKmatB.png[/img][/center] [center][img]https://txt.1001fonts.net/img/txt/dHRmLjExNi5lNzA4ZjMuUlhabGJIbHViaUJCYm00Z1UyVnlaVzVsYkdsbmFIUSwuMA,,/georganodemo.regular.webp[/img][/center] [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/YkGhDeq.png[/img][/center] [right][code]Victorian Village[/code][/right] [center][b]Interactions:[/b] [i][b]NONE[/b][/i] [/center][hr] [color=F08080]“You dressed,”[/color] Lynn shouted through the bathroom door, [color=F08080]“mine is perfect.”[/color] Lila smiled in response. She had her costume on, and she was excited to wear it out to the festival. It has been a long time since she had done something like this. Before the sealing, she had to always consider that she’d have a massive murder following her around. Sure, since the sealing she still had a massive murder, even bigger than before, but this was more normal now. These had to be regular crows and not a mystical, magical murder that the Maiden made available to her. A regular murder, numbering in the thousands, that followed her every move and watched her at every moment of the day. And it just so happened that this murder still did things for her when she asked. The Maiden was sealed. There was no way that these crows were anything but normal. [color=DA70D6]“Yes, and I think I’ll need to commission Faith myself for more costumes,”[/color] Lila paused as she checked herself out in the mirror. She had her buttercup costume on. It was much alike the show version however the skirt only fell to her upper thigh. She made sure to wear some bicycle shorts because the wind would be her enemy. Overtop the costume she had a black biker jacket, and her hands had fingerless leather gloves with a cutout heart on top. Black fishnets covered her legs while the black choker around her neck complemented both the ensemble, and the faint green makeup and glasses that framed her face. Lila checked herself in the bathroom mirror, before she turned her attention towards the door. [color=DA70D6]“I bet you look hot.”[/color]. Lila turned back to the mirror and saw the maiden standing behind her, arm stretched out. [color=DA70D6]“Jesus fucking Christ,”[/color] Lila shouted as she spun around. The room was empty behind her, and as she turned towards the mirror again it reflected the same. The door swung open and Lynn quickly rushed in. Her blossom costume was more traditional. She had a red jacket on top, and had white thigh highs on her legs. A giant red bow overtop the meticulously styled hair. [color=F08080]“What’s wrong,”[/color] Lynn asked as she looked around the room. She quickly saw Lila looking into the mirror with a look of fear strewn across her face. [color=DA70D6]“I saw,”[/color] Lila paused as she took a deep breath, and looked around the room, [color=DA70D6]“the maiden in the mirror”[/color] [color=F08080]“Babe, are you sure everything is okay? You keep seeing her, the crows keep doing stuff, and-”[/color] [color=DA70D6]“No, no everything is okay. I think I just have some lingering issues, where ever the maiden took me was… no no no I’m fine, I’m good, I’m okay”[/color] Lila paused as she remembered back to that night. To the realm of the Maiden. A tear began to well in her eyes. [color=F08080]“You need to talk to this therapist I found, I just scheduled an appointment for later in the week. They deal with us weird people, I can get you her information”[/color] Lynn paused as she walked up to Lila and gave her a hug, [color=F08080]“I’m here for you though, that place sounds awful even if you won’t describe it.”[/color] [color=DA70D6]“Thank you,”[/color] Lila responded as she returned the hug, [color=DA70D6]“You look cute.”[/color] [color=F08080]“And you look hot,”[/color] Lynn paused as she pulled back and placed her hands on Lila’s shoulder, [color=F08080]“let’s get drinking, get a small buzz going. I can not wait to see the boys”[/color] The two exited the bathroom and went to the living room to take a high number of photos together while knocking back some mixed drinks. Lynn was excited. The savage attack by Linqian had left a mark, but it had healed well thus far. She was able to conceal it enough that one would be able to tell she was hurt. Lynn truly hoped that Linqian would not come to the festival. Lynn truly hoped that she would instead spend the day under whatever bridge that troll called home, alone, and without anything that brings her happiness. And Lynn hoped that she would see that her attack did not phase her, and that she’d still have a good time tonight regardless of everything that happened. Lila was not excited. Even now she could see the maiden in the mirror. She could feel the maiden reaching out to her, wanting something. How could this happen? Lila thought once the maiden was sealed it would make everything better. That she’d never have to worry about a fucking murder following her every step, or about a cheap horror movie jumpscare? Why was the maiden still present? For the first time, Lila wondered if something went wrong with the sealing. [color=F08080]“So.. how were your dreams last night?”[/color] Lynn asked as she drank some tea. [color=DA70D6]“You had one too?”[/color] Lila responded as she groaned. [color=DA70D6]“Raven, the pit…. The snake?”[/color] [color=F08080]”The very same,”[/color] Lynn sighed. Dreaming was very much a forgotten experience. Every night she drank enough to truly never dream, at least remember the dreams. And this one was clear, even if the message behind it was not. [color=F08080]”I wonder if anyone else had the dream, and I wonder if anyone knows a Raven Jones.”[/color] Eventually an Uber notification pinged her phone pulling their focus from the conversation. Their ride was here, and it was time to head to the ferry. [hr][hr] [right][code]The Ferry[/code][/right] [color=FF4500]“Those costumes turned out so good,”[/color] Sypha spoke as they slid into the seat opposite Lila and Lynn. They were dressed as Jackie Kennedy, their pink suit completely accurate to the one worn on that fateful day. For some reason Sypha was carrying a small section of sheet metal. [color=FF4500]“Did the boys chicken out?”[/color] [color=F08080]“They really did, and no, the boys are coming. They’re just running a little late. You going to the festival alone?”[/color] [color=FF4500]“I am not,”[/color] Sypha paused as she pointed behind Lynn and Lila. There were four members of the 317 on the ferry with them. Alex, Zeri, Thomas, and Lori. Alex was dressed up as Bob Ross, complete with fake facial hair and the wig. Zeri was dressed up as a plague doctor, and it was obvious that it was more of a renaissance fair outfit as it looked quite expensive. Thomas was in a cheap wizard costume with a wobbly plastic staff, and finally Lori was dressed up as the White Violin from the umbrella academy. [color=FF4500]“They had to finish up a project but now that they’re done, they’re free to join everyone else!”[/color] [color=DA70D6]“Exciting,”[/color] Lila said with a small sigh. Her eyes had drifted to the window of the ferry and was watching as the murder made a halo over the top of the ferry. Why? [color=FF4500]“Anyway,”[/color] Sypha paused as she pulled out a business card. The front side was just ‘317’ and the back had Sypha’s name, and all of the socials for the 317. [color=FF4500]“If you take a group photo feel free to tag us, get us trending! I’ll get back to the children but it was nice seeing you both,”[/color] Sypha stood up, gave the two a weak wave, before she returned to the rest of her group. [color=F08080]“Jasper just texted. They’re at the dock waiting for the next ferry,”[/color] Lynn smiled. [color=F08080]“Lila we’ll need to talk to Jasper about his manners. He won’t send me any photos.”[/color] Lila simply smiled, then laughed, and returned to her phone to take another photo herself. [hr][hr] [right][code] The Festival[/code][/right] [color=F08080]“Fuck,”[/color] Lynn said as she huddled up to Lila. [color=DA70D6]“What,”[/color] Lila asked as she turned in towards Lynn. [color=F08080]“I’m cold,”[/color] Lynn responded as she tried to get closer to Lila. Lila frog blinked at Lynn. [color=DA70D6]“You were the one who suggested these costumes. I should’ve thought these costumes through, asked for more layers,”[/color] Lila paused as she looked around, spotting the 8th street plotting nearby. Great. The one group that Lila hoped would not show up. The one group that could turn a good day into a bad one. Then she saw Emily in the dragon costume. The one person that deserved to look stupid. The one person who’s misfortune could turn a bad day into a good one. She turned her attention back to Lynn [color=DA70D6]“hopefully a couple drinks will make us feel warmer,”[/color] she smirked as she finished. They may have been at the back of this specific drink line but it was moving fast. And nothing made Lila feel more excited than overpriced drinks while wearing costumes. [color=F08080]“And hopefully the boys get here soon. I bet they’re warm.”[/color] [color=DA70D6]“And I bet they look amazing,”[/color] Lila smirked at the thought. [color=F08080]“Oh they do, Jasper texted me ‘get ready’ and still refuses to send any photos,”[/color] Lynn said as she pulled out her phone. [color=DA70D6]“Jasper was really quick to get on board with the whole costume idea,”[/color] Lila responded as she shifted her legs in place trying to warm them up. [color=F08080]“I think he’s been wanting to show off his legs for a while. This was his chance,”[/color] Lynn laughed as she finished, [color=F08080]“I’m worried about the two of them.[/color] [color=DA70D6]“Me too, me too,”[/color], like exhaled and looked around, [color=DA70D6]“I wish they were just being gay together. And I wish they trusted enough to tell us what is going on.”[/color] [color=F08080]“They do trust us, but they can’t tell us for some reason. At least if the future is to be believed, I’ve been wrong before. I’m still trying to figure out what the fuck is going on.”[/color] Lynn paused as she lost her smile. She wished she could figure this out alone, but, she did not want to leave it to chance. She looked around and also spotted the 8th street nearby. [color=F08080]“I’ll tell you what. I’ll keep trying to figure it out, but if it isn’t clear to me soon I’ll ask around. Maybe Britney, maybe Jack…maybe Sloane.”[/color] [color=DA70D6]“We’d never be able to tell him,”[/color] Lila responded as she shot Lynn a side eye. [color=F08080]“It’d be a secret,”[/color] Lynn returned the gaze. A chorus of caws from the area around the area pulled Lynn’s attention. [color=F08080]“Lila…”[/color] She had noticed the murder the day after the sealing, she’s noticed it every day since, she noticed them as they got into the Uber, and she noticed it as they took the ferry. Something was wrong here, and the future was much more certain as to why. [color=F08080]“Talk to Britney, promise me you’ll talk to Britney.[/color] Lila looked around the top of the stalls, building, and trees spotting the murder once again. In her mind she felt that something was pushing against some invisible wall, trying its hardest to come out. She knew that there was something wrong. Something went wrong with the sealing. Something had to be wrong. Yet, those thoughts did not last for long. Lila did not let them linger for long. [color=DA70D6]“I don’t think I need to, the bitch is sealed. I’m fine.”[/color] [color=F08080]“I’m worried, and I don’t want to worry about you and the boys at the same time. Just trust me, talk to Britney and see what she says. Okay? Please?”[/color] Lynn paused as she smiled a weak smile. [color=DA70D6]“It’s a waste of time,”[/color] Lila paused as she looked down, [color=DA70D6]“but I promise.”[/color] The line moved further and Lila and Lynn took another step forward. Lynn heard a ping on their phone. [color=F08080]“Jasper and Luca are here, but they’re grabbing food… they’ll make their way to us after. Dicks.”[/color] The night was still very young, and there was a hope of great fun ahead of them.