The Way The String Goes - Dungeons And Dragons

Back In Motion

While some of their comrades stayed behind, Sirdan and Abel walked further back in the tavern, one of them, the lanky black-haired half-elf they knew as Sirdan had one thing on his mind, get high, so high he wouldn't have to deal with this, he was feeling uneasy and anxious, but his long time friend, Abel was following close behind, he knew what Sirdan was trying to do so he hoped maybe the company could distract him, he usually just looked the other way when his friend did this, he knew this thing, his addiction was stronger than him, but it was only when he did it out of habit, unconsciously, but now? he just had a bad feeling about him using the drugs as solutions to numb his feelings.

The half-elf took a right trying to find the bathroom but both of them stopped dead in their tracks when a foul smell assaulted their nose, then a noise that sounded like coughing, a violent one and Sirdan laughed softly as his ginger friend gagged, —Shit someone is dying in there.

The situation was enough to distract the half-elf from his anxiety and they just went upstairs while almost bumping into a man that looked a bit green around the gills they looked at him confused, — Maybe the food went bad? This is the third person I've seen sick today.

— Really? oh man... I wanted to have some spicy camaron for lunch, I guess I'll go to sleep with an empty stomach — the sounds and smells made the usually dark-skinned human look pale and with a soft pout, he dragged his friend back to their room to finally put that horrible day to rest.

The next morning started silent and early for some, and a bit late due to nightmares for others, as it was the case for Evan'geline, after that conversation with Rajeem that she was still replaying over and over in her mind she said goodnight and went ahead to start her bedtime ritual, once alone in her room she placed Evan on a chair with him facing the wall and covered with a blanket, then went ahead to shed her clothes and folding them meticulously on another chair, the memory of a few days back when Rajeem came to ask her about something distracted her

— Oh no. — she muttered remembering how she opened the door with a blanket haphazardly covering her, her face went completely red, and flopped on the bed, — Oh gods, that's what he meant for sure... I might just die from embarrassment now. — slowly she crept under the covers and prayed that her dreams would let her rest.

But they wouldn't. In my dreams I saw a door, a red one, inside this room I'd grown so accustomed to, it seemed innocent enough so I just went ahead and opened it. It took me to another place, somewhere with a cool saline breeze coming through its small windows, a tower. I couldn't see myself so I had some kind of omnipotent view of space, I liked that kind of dream, it wasn't any memory of mine so I could relax for once, there seemed to be something like a bird bath in the middle of the space with a clear liquid, though I cannot say it was water because before I could look closer an old man entered the scene, seemingly annoyed and using a voice that seemed familiar to me, saying he didn't have time to play and then a second voice, sounding deeply disappointed stayed on the door, it was a little girl, no more than ten, I was curious, this felt familiar yet not.

— WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING? — Evan's voice made the whole tower tremble as my view seemed to be dragged from this tower to a room darker than dark.

— What happened? Was that you? — I asked, disoriented looking around not trying to find anything in particular.

— We agreed you wouldn't PRY — Oh he seemed upset, I've never seen him like this, and I wasn't seeing him at all.

— I didn't mean to! It was just a dream! I wasn't looking for it! — I started to sound desperate, almost as if I was afraid of him, which I didn't appreciate. He was my friend, I shouldn't be scared of him when he gets upset.

— Do not do it again. — He said a bit calmer now, appearing in this dark space as the doll I'm accustomed to, sitting on a chair, — Just, do as we agreed, learn, become powerful, and let me become more and more independent.

As he said this, my ventriloquist's dummy friend got up and jumped down from the chair, and walked away into the darkness. I opened my eyes and noticed the sun was starting to rise and groaned exhaustedly, then just turned and covered my head with a pillow and fell asleep again.

The next morning found them rising at different times and without much of a known course of action, while Rajeem was downstairs cleaning his cello and waiting for the rest to appear, Abel was walking upstairs to drag Sirdan out of bed and see what was taking Evan'geline so long, on his way to his shared room with his friend he noticed that the woman's door was barely ajar, which he found strange, he gently pushed the door open while peaking through, it didn't even creak.

— Evan'geline? are-are you h-here? W-we have to get together to know... — he trailed off to see she was still mildly wrapped in her bedsheets, he didn't know why or when or how, but he was now inside the room with the door closed behind him, nervously, he turned and tried to open the now stuck door and felt a piercing gaze on the back of his neck, a low chuckle and an almost guttural voice calling his name.

Abel turned shaking like a leaf, expecting to see his female companion ready to skin him alive. Still, instead, he noticed Evan, sitting on a chair in front of him on the other side of the room, he hadn't noticed the doll there before, and for some reason, he greeted him awkwardly with a wave.

— Geeeeeeeeeet OOOUuuuuutttttt — a loud yet breathy voice coming from the doll seemed to push him and the door behind him suddenly opened, almost making something he deeply cared about fall from his tunic so he caught it and put it back in place around his hip before trying to close the door.

It must've looked really bad because his eyes met with Rajeem, he ho was mostly calm, stoic, and sad now seemed like he was ready to unplug his ginger head from his shoulders, he could've sworn the pale man's eyes were bloody red, in a panic Abel just laughed nervously and said — S-she's asleep, I'll go check on Sirdan! — and removed himself from that situation.

Still with a handful of unwanted and confusing feelings in his stomach, Rajeem knocked on the door, — Evan'geline, are you ok?

A moment of silence was followed by a soft curse before some rustling and tumbling was heard — Sorry! I overslept just give me... agk — a thump was heard and it just made him chuckle and shake his head and then the door opened, she had just gotten up and yet managed to look freshly radiant, as Sirdan said, it really was a crime that Evan had her pose as a man to hide her beauty, she smiled awkwardly — I'm ready, sorry, rough night.

He just chuckled and walked downstairs with her, followed by Abel and Sirdan, Joseph was having a breakfast ale while waiting for them.

—So? what now? — The big bear-like man asked looking at the group.

— Now, I say we go to the place where Crowley went to never return, we go to the whispering cave. — Announced Evan'geline followed with her compatriots' agreement.