Estylwen

The Dark Beyond: Adventures in Candyland (Prequel)

@Lexisheeps Maaaybe. You wanna pilot him?

Hm, maybe we'll keep it to the same post rotation. Days, Angel, then Lexi. Easy to remember. :)

The Dark Beyond: Adventures in Candyland (Prequel)

First post is up! How did y'all want to do the post rotation? :)

The Dark Beyond: Adventures in Candyland (Prequel)

The Dark Beyond: Adventures in Candyland (Prequel)

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"...How the most dangerous thing is to love..." Played over the radio as the tour bus traveled worn, uneven roads.

The hours struck midnight in Egypt. The sandy desert air cooled down from the intense heat of the day just hours before. There was an atmosphere of anticipation and hope. Hidden below the surface, though, played other notes. Guilt, anger, neglect. Quietly playing as the undertones as the bus made its way forward.

They had the entire bus to themselves. This was the way of the Louvre, of course. Always treating their agents finely while in the field, knowing the risks their people took every day to uncover the secrets of old. Thierry Claude de Villiers and his family, Sabrina, Aurélie, Theo, and Cosette, were the only inhabitants of the bus besides the bus driver. A Louvre staff, of course. Local to the area.

He hummed along with the radio, trying to keep the sleep out of his eyes. They had been traveling for some time, and he still had more driving to do after he dropped the de Villiers off at their destination. He glanced over at his passengers, feeling a loaded atmosphere. This family felt... different. Special, even.

Cosette sat in the middle of the bus in one of the window seats, parading her Hello Kitty flashlight across the window pane, pretending it was a doll. She had napped most of the way there, including the airplane, and felt quite refreshed. Her patience was starting to wear thin, and playing with her flashlight eventually just wouldn't cut it.

She got up, carefully navigating the bus aisle, before she found her mother's seat, Sabrina, and patted her knee. Her eyes were wide, her lip in a slight pout. "Momma, when will we get there?"

Almost on cue, the bus took a turn into a wide desert expanse, revealing a looming shadow silhouetted against the backdrop of a starry clear night. The Great Pyramid of Giza was waiting for them, patient and forthright on the horizon, its impressive shape making it stand as tall as a mountain in Cosette's eyes.

Soon enough, the bus stopped near the pyramid, a small, worn field of sand between them and the piles of stones. The bus driver turned to Thierry. "We're here, boss. Grab your things, there's another staff member waiting for you at the entrance."

It would take a short walk across the dark desert sand to the staircase etched into the side of the pyramid, mainly for tourists. It made getting to the entrance 20 feet up easier. At the entrance, an Egyptian man holding a flashlight stood, staring at the bus as it approached, waiting patiently for the scheduled archeologists.

The Dark Beyond

I legit can't wait. xD

The Dark Beyond: Adventures in Candyland (Prequel)

@Lexisheeps Love the CSs! Approved, feel free to move them to the CS tab!

Edit: The character dynamics at play are awesome.

With all the CSs done, I think we will be good to start the IC. I will have a post up tonight.

Iris Ascendis

Ciara Ventura

Wingram Academy, Main Building
@Nanaya

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Ciara looked with mild satisfaction at the directory. She had to assume it was Gulliver's fault they had been torn down in the first place, and now his sabotage was slowly being undone. Her chin jutted out, feeling a bit cross. The shallow-hearted noble deserved his fall from grace yesterday, and having as many of his shreds of evidence removed. It was good to see justice returning to Wingram.

"You didn't back down, did'ja? You had all 'o last night after ya took off, and yet, here you are with a look that betrays intent. Makin' enemies ain't gonna get you anywhere good 'n proper, y'hear? Heh."

She looked up at him, feeling a bit squeamish under his mischievous gaze. She had to remind herself that the janitor wasn't what he appeared to be, especially with how his aura had behaved yesterday, in their first encounter. He likely picked up on all sorts of things, things she would rather keep private. Betrays intent, huh?

Did she intend to make enemies with Iraleth? Is that what she was doing, what her end goal was? With how she admired the inherent light in the paladin, how could she even approach the thought of making enemies with her fr-

"Food, not friend. It will end up on your plate, just as intended."

The Voice was cold, lacking patience as it whispered in her ear.

She swallowed, her lips pressing in a tight line. "I won't hurt it."

"You're right. You're not going to hurt it. You're going to kill it."

A look of sickness passed over Ciara's face as she lost focus on Michael's words, her stomach flipping uncomfortably. She tried to mask it as she looked back up at Michael.

"I'd... do anything to keep myself safe... even if it meant making enemies." Her tone had a note of finality to it. She couldn't tell Michael the whole story, didn't dare to. But he might be one of the few who would understand why she would be fighting so voraciously later that day.

The janitor affirmed he'd be there to watch the match if his work was finished. "I'm not gonna be able to sleep right if I know that kids're killin' each other without me around to see the drama. Oh, and uh, I guess to make sure ya don't kill each other too. Guess that's important, eh?"

She stiffened a bit at that. Was he a mind reader? No. No, not possible. He wouldn't be so calm and collected if he could read the chaos going on in her mind. No one would. She had to take a breath to steady herself, trying to convince her guilty mind that Michael was unaware of the Voices intents with Iraleth. It went without saying that Michael had to be unaware of how far she was willing to go to ensure her safety, especially with how she wanted Iraleth's correspondence. He didn't know. Couldn't know...

Right?

She stared hesitantly at the hand outstretched to her. He would be there to ensure Iraleth didn't die.

"No one can stop us. We will have what we want, one way or another." The Voice was demanding and absolute in her mind.

A pause. Then, she reached out and shook his hand, strength in her grip. Michael was on her side, she had to believe that.

"I think so." She said, a slight smile on her face.

With her free hand, she offered him one of the two pastries she had. "Here, I have extra."

She would wait for the janitor's reply before giving him a slight bow, dismissing herself. She'd follow the directories now in the school, navigating the hallways until she found herself in front of room 103. And, with a breath to steady herself, she'd narrow her eyes and step inside.

The Dark Beyond: Adventures in Candyland (Prequel)

@Days Thank you! I've updated the CS, it looks lovely now. :)

The Dark Beyond

@Days Thank you! I'm happy to hear it! :> And your post looks amazing!

The Dark Beyond: Adventures in Candyland (Prequel)

@Days They look amazing! Feel free to move them to the CS tab whenever you want!

Iris Ascendis

Yay! I'll have a post up this evening!

Edit: Post is up! I also found this that kind of sounds like Ciara if she was talking to the ghost of her caretakers or something.