Open All the World's a Stage

[Aenisa]

3rd of Spring - 517 AV

The small wall on which Aenisa was slowly making her way along towards the roof were made from ill-shaped rocks. The rocks had been losely stacked together to form the wall, no doubt it had been made by cheapest means. Arms stretched out like a big sail she took careful steps along the wall, from time to time she would wobble and almost fall over. Swinging her arms to regain her balance she would move along though, slowly, carefully. Her shorter height worked to her advantage as she stood on the wall, giving her a lower center of gravity. Carefully she was choosing each step that she took on the wall. Soon reaching the edge of a shed or some other building where the roof were at chest height, Aenisa decided that she would climb the roof.

“No stupid fox face to take bird up here.” Aenisa muttered passive-aggressively for herself as she planted her palms onto the edge of the roof and tried to just pull herself up. Lifting barely off the ground she soon had to admit defeat, her plan was flawed, she wasn’t that strong. She came slowly back down onto the rocky wall and pretended to act casual as the other scrawny looking woman was below her. Slowly Aenisa glanced over her shoulder at the woman and then flashed her a smile and said. “I will go to roof now.” As if she just wanted to let her know about this. Trying to sound confident, she told the woman this before she got an idea of what she might be able to do. A smirk crossed her features as she planted her hands again onto the edge of the roof, it was only at chest height but she needed some momentum.

Finding two rocks under her feet that were somewhat steady enough for a foundation. Aenisa bent her knee’s a little before she pushed herself up from the wall with her legs, jumping up, towards the ledge. She pulled with as much strength that she could muster as she came off the ground and locked her arms in place. It was strange how as soon as the roof came to waist height the entire action seemed to get a lot easier. Aenisa folded her chest onto the roof and then swung her legs onto the roof as well, laying flat on the roof. She was like an acrobat, or at least she felt like one when she stood up on the roof, Ignacio chirping away nervously. “Ignacio. Be calm, I jump.” She tried to tell her bird as if the bird could understand what she was saying, Ignacio continued chirping in the backpack.

Aenisa looked down at the woman again and gave her a small wave before she would have disappeared out of view from those on the street. The rooftop that she was on was like the smallest step on a staircase, it offered the view of some houses nearby and their rooftops but to fully view the entire street she would have to go higher. As she repeated the process, moving higher up the rooftops, Aenisa soon found herself standing on the edge of a rooftop that was overlooking the streets below. Had there been anyone still from the group at the center of the street she would have waved to them. “So, Lady Renee Kelling.” Aenisa started in that same annoying voice she had used earlier to mock the ghost in. “Where they are? You know all, they here?” She wasn’t sure if she could count on an answer from the ghost, she hadn’t felt much of her presence in a little while. Maybe the ghost needed some food or water to continue to function? Aenisa wasn’t sure how it all worked, it was worth a try at least to contact the ghost within.

OOCWanted to give Chameleon something to answer to, hence the quick post succession.
SPACER

[Chameleon]

The roof, where Aenisa stood, was small, not particularly special, but held her weight well. A large chimney rose up behind her, a sort of brick one although it seemed much larger than any normal one, big enough to fit even a human. The view was particularly strange too, with the streets seeming to all bend upwards towards her. The strange shift in perspective pulled the others in her group sharply into view, even those not from the centre of the street.

Even Madeira knocking on the door seemed to be visible. As Madeira knocked, shuffling could be heard inside, through the door. Surprisingly, it was very plain for Alvadas, the exposed wood not even painted. The only hint that it was a door from the city of illusions was the tiny glass shard embedded in the middle, a dark blue in a shape that couldn't be given a name even if you tried. Although the windows either side of the door revealed an empty room, dark and dusty with plain, minimal furniture, no sign of any inhabitants, the strange window on the door was a completely different matter.

For any who chose to peer through it, the scene behind would be distorted, but clearly not the same inside that the real windows showed. Instead, the viewer was met with a tiny corridor, the walls decorated in colourful paints, which could only be called blue although it was unclear whether that was their true colour or a mask the glass shard made.

And, hurrying up towards the door, was a man dressed in a fine suit, flower peering out of one pocket.

Throwing the door open, he started with a smile, then a bow, then ushered them in as quickly as they would come. "Hurry, before everyone starts flooding in!" he called out, remembering at the last moment to jump out of the house a little further and peer up towards the rooftops, where the red headed girl stood, seemingly talking to herself. "You too! Take the chimney, it'll be quicker!" With another ushering arm movement at everyone else - he almost dragged them in too, if they seemed to be taking forever - he slammed the door shut, leaving Aenisa to find her own way down.

At least the chimney was big enough. And not too ashy. And, as the woman clamoured (or fell) down it, she'd stumble across a ledge that would stop her from falling all the way, but catch her just before she broke something. On it, lay a nest, and in the nest, four tiny eggs. Clearly abandoned a long time ago, it was a wonder that there were still eggs in it. But they were there, fresh for the taking, and then having made that decision, she could continue her descent.

For everyone else, there was nothing special for them to take, but small mint the man offered with a sly grin on his face. With everyone inside, the man, who wore a bright azure suit, white daisy sitting in in the top breast pocket, turned and began to march sharply along the hallway, not bothering to check to see if everyone was coming. His face softened like putty to a younger form, a more idiotic face materialising for those who noticed, and the daisy shifted too, flickering to a bright pink before softening in colour again. One of his hands ran along the patterns on the wall - they were blue, it turned out, blue winding strips that resembled waves, or wind, or anything the onlooker wanted them to resemble - and there was a slight skip in his step, giving him a childlike appearance contrasting with the seriousness of the suit.

They moved into a larger room, although still fairly small compared to most, which held three paisley patterned seats, and a fireplace, from which Aenia, if all went well, and she didn't get stuck, would emerge. Once they got her out one way or another, he moved to the large door at the other side, this one far more impressive than the last. It was detailed with gold, and had on it painted three dancing ladies, all sporting dresses a similar colour to the suit. With the man's touch, they began to dance, cartwheeling, curtseying and sending kisses towards the two males in the group.

"Ladies and gentlemen, living and ghosts, I present to you...."

The door swung open, a tent rising from the doorway and spreading further than the eye could see. Music spilled out, colourful voices rising up over the noise of the wind from outside rushing across the fabric. In one corner, three women similar to the ones on the door, perfectly identical to each other from the polka dot suits they wore to the tiny expressions on their faces, contorted themselves into a human pyramid, twisting in ways they didn't know how. In another, a tall man and a tiny one were engaged in a deep and meaningful play about frogs, it seemed. In a third, a woman seemed to fall from the sky, delicate blond hair tangling with the silks she hung from. And illusions danced all around them, challenging them all to test what was real and what wasn't.

"The Inverted," came the words, not from the man's mouth, but from Aenisa's. Renee forced her way back, widening her host's eyes with amazement and letting the words spill out. She danced forward, giving a spin, a leap, and topping it with another look of amazement, before relinquishing control to Aenisa. Only just though, lingering at the surface. "Well, everyone here deserves to be called an Alvad, at the very least," she spoke a final time before disappearing altogether.

Because they did deserve to be called that. They had found the Inverted, and the Inverted was glad to have found them.

oocAenisa can choose to take any number of eggs - one for everyone or one for herself, or a mixture. Only, on her way down, she finds that all but one egg she decided to keep for herself break. So Aenisa gets to choose who gets an egg, but only gets to keep one for herself in case she gets greedy!
I'll let you know what the eggs are about later.
And for those who choose to take a mint? They're just mints

[Madeira Dusk]

Madeira wasn't expecting much when she knocked on the plain wooden door. She smoothed down the collar of her blouse and prepared to politely excuse herself when someone perfectly ordinary (for Alvadas) opened the door.

There came a curious shuffling from inside. Madeira looked around spuriously, lest anyone think her a peeping tom, before peering into what she expected to be a blue glass peephole. But inside was not the plain, dusty interior she was expecting at all, and the man who was bustling towards the door was not an ordinary man.

She managed to jump out of the way before the door swung open, and she was just about to introduce herself and the rest of the group when the the man bowed low and began almost pulling them inside with impatient words. The door shut with a snap behind them and the noise of the celebrating city seemed to disappear.

And then their host turned on his heel and left them in the doorway.

"Wait!" Madeira jogged a few steps and caught up with him, just in time to see his face deconstructed and into someone fresh and new, and the daisy in his lapel to flicker with a savage burst of colour. "Who are you?"

The question was not a demand, but rather a bafflement that was rapidly turning into a sparkling suspicion. Could this be?...

Either the man didn't hear her question, or declined to answer. Instead he turned and offered the group a bowl of mints.

You don't take food from strangers in Alvadas. And definitely not from strangers with such sly smiles. But Madeira dipped her fingers in the bowl anyway and popped the candy in her mouth. Today was not the day to be careful.

They met up again with Anesia in a cloud of ash in a richly appointed room before almost immediately moving on again. The door at the far end was a spectacle in gold filigree and painted women, and with a wave of their host's hand the little women began to frolic.

Something seemed to be uncoiling in Madeira's gut. It was a nervous kind of joy that started low in her belly and rose until it was pulling a smile across her pale cheeks. It was a childish voice in her mind saying: could this be it?

"Ladies and gentlemen, living and ghosts, I present to you..."

The door was pushed open with a flourish, and a small, bubbling sound of excitement rose from Madeira's chest. They had found the Inverted! Her eyes flashed across the spectacle laid out before them, hardly able to focus long enough to understand what she was seeing. Her world narrowed down to the blur of colour and music inside the tent.

Losing whatever composure she had left, Madeira ran to the nearest performers with a shout of laughter. The spindly tier of three lady contortionists had her attention and rapt wonder for the moment. She followed the lines of limbs, trying to figure out which of the tangle of arms and legs each belonged to.

[Chameleon]

Spotting that they had an audience, the contortionists began to shift in their position. The one on top of the pyramid pulled one leg over her head, the other under it, and twisted, spiralling as she did. As she toppled forward in a half-roll, half-leap, half-something, the two beneath her moved too, laying belly down on the ground and flipping their legs over their head. Suddenly, both women smiled, and thrust out their arms, catching the third in a strange inverted knot position.

The polka-dots on their outfits began to shift slowly, in what initially seemed to be random colours and patterns, but formed into an image, spreading across all three women. The city of Alvadas - at least, what had to be a version of the city, with its bright colours and outlandish buildings and shifting features even within this illusion - against a backdrop of mountains and sky.

There was a tapping on Madeira's shoulder. It was the man in the azure suit. "She seemed to disturb a nest of some sorts on her way down," he said quickly, and thrust forward smooth lump of pink into her hands. It was a tiny egg, about the same size as a circle made with her thumb and first finger. Plain, a duck egg sort of blue colour, with a slight sheen visible in certain lights. It felt fragile too, as if it could shatter with the lightest touch, but would actually withstand being dropped, if Madeira did slip. "Take good care of it! I'm more than certain that you'll be lucky to find whatever lies inside."

Then the azure suit man seemed to vanish from sight, leaving Madeira alone, surrounded by all the performers of the Inverted.

With each and every person who had managed to find their way to the Inverted, they too were met with the friendly tap on the shoulder and the tiny blue egg. The performances carried on throughout the night, with only illusions and amazement to be seen.

~~~

And thank you all for having me! I'm sorry for how long this dragged out towards the end, but it was really fun all the way!

Time for your rewards:

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Raylan Ramsey

Skills...

• Withheld until expenses are paid

Lores...

• Withheld until expenses are paid

Other...
Withheld until expenses are paid

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Madeira Craven

Skills...

• Negotiation: 1XP
• Socialisation: 2XP
• Medicine: 1XP
• Logic: 2XP
• Running: 1XP
• Acting: 1XP
• Observation: 2XP
• Land Navigation: 1XP
• Tracking: 1XP
• Deduction: 1XP
• Investigation: 2XP
• Interrogation: 1XP
  

Lores...

• "Foxface": An atrocious player
• Aenisa: Red-headed foreigner
• Lady Renee Kelling: A ghost
• Medicine: Checking for breathing and pulse
• Towers Idol Slanderer: Can speak
• Towers Idol Slanderer: Hearing everyone's insecurities
• Alvadas Location: The Underground
• Acting: Hiding your shame
• Tracking: Following a trail of footprints
  

Other...
...

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Aenisa

Skills...

• Observation: 4XP
• Planning: 1XP
• Socialisation: 4XP
• Land Navigation: 1XP
• Running: 1XP
• Unarmed Combat: 1XP
• Endurance: 1XP
• Birdkeeping: 1XP
• Tracking: 1XP
• Logic: 2XP
• Climbing: 2XP
• Acrobatics: 1XP
• Bodybulding: 1XP
• Investigation: 2XP
• Interrogation: 1XP

Lores...

• "Foxface": Sleeps in a tent
• Lady Renee Kelling: A ghost
• The feeling of possession
• Madeira: Displays confidence and a fine upbringing
• Possession: A strange feeling
• Possession: Fighting for control
• Alvadas: Keep left to go where you want?
• The Underground: Go down stairs
• Towers Idol Slanderer: Can speak and give insults
• Birdkeeping: Reassuring a frightened bird
• Socialisation: Mocking a ghost and a thief
• Tracking: Following a trail of footprints

Other...
Unrelated: Please specify which season your expenses are for in your ledger. I assumed you were referring to Spring 517 with the ones you paid, but it might not be clear, especially if you play for more seasons.

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Hurik

Skills...

• Materialisation: 1XP
• Possession: 1XP

Lores...

• "Foxface": Plays a mandolin
• Aenisa: Young, pretty red-head
• Ghosts can possess people
• Hypnotism: Experiencing a flash
• Lady Renee Kelling: A ghost
• Possession: Trying to gain control
• Towers Idol Slanderer: Gives out insults

Other...
...

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All

Lores...

• The Inverted: Ionu's theatre troupe

Other...
You each gain:
A tiny blue egg that will, if properly cared for, hatch late Summer/early Fall. The bird will be a cerulean coloured pigeon that will be ordinary in shape and form except for the fact that if released, it will fly straight towards the largest group of the Inverted, wherever they may be located.
If you join the Inverted, the pigeon's illusion is removed to reveal a similarly coloured falcon, which can perform aerial tricks on demand. With enough interaction with the Inverted, you may also ask the bird to guide you to a group of Inverted involved in a more secretive quest.
(PM a storyteller for permission to move to the next level)


And, as always, let me know if you have any queries or problems with these grades!