To Be Taken with a Grain of Salt (Pain)

[Cadence]

Timestamp: It was a small, nondescript building. Made of dull, brown brick and coated with layers of age, the house did not stand out among the many in its row. Its windows were small and square, barely more than two feet in length and width – enough to let in the light and nothing more. There was no smoke coming from the chimney that jutted out from the sloping roof. There was no mat on the porch and no flower pots by the door. The house looked about as welcoming as a bear’s den. Despite its lack of notable features, Pain could be quite sure that it was the house she had been looking for. In its common way, Alvadas had twined its streets to its own pleasure, offering to assist a certain young woman for a moment. Since the moment Pain had decided to seek out the address of Karen Lynt, the streets had worked with her. Now, as she stood before the unremarkable building, she could be sure without a doubt that the man she sought resided within. Were she to inquire about Mr. Lynt, she would learn nothing of substance. Rumors spread in Alvadas quickly, but few of those rumors could ever be substantiated with any kind of proof. People had spoken of Lynt as if he were a grizzled old renegade, hiding out in Alvadas from old enemies. They had spoken of him as a revered old teacher who had settled in the city to care for plants and sick little puppies. Some were obviously afraid of him; others dismissed him without a second thought. But there was one thing the majority of Alvadas residents had in common: in some shape or form, they had all heard something of Karen Lynt. He seemed to be a minor sort of celebrity – one whose life never created enough gossip, but who lived in the backs of people’s minds nonetheless. The man’s appearance was also a matter of dispute among those who spoke of him. Some described him as elderly and withered, while others marinated that he was a healthy man in the prime of his life. The letter of recommendation which Doddel Asperenus had given Pain seemed to have the power of some sort of tracking devise. It hadn’t exactly pulled Pain toward the building, but it had certainly nudged her in the right direction. It was as if the paper was a dog on a leash, sniffing out a location of interest and straining toward it, with its owner following obediently at the other end of the rope. Were she an aurist, Pain could have sensed the faint aura of strangely discolored djed that emanated from the paper. And so, the letter had led her to the small, dead house. Three steps led up to a narrow porch, which culminated in a rather plain, anti-climactic brown door. The entire structure stood, unmoving and oddly permanent for the moment, as if it were giving Pain the chance to either enter now or turn away forever, allowing the streets to recalibrate themselves and hide the house once more. OOCLet me know what timestamp works for you, and I'll write it in.

[Elhaym]

Despite having vowed never to set foot into the cursed streets of Alvadas after getting so horribly lost for two days straight, it simply was not realistic. Pain had needed to eat once again, and thus had taken her worn leather satchel and ventured out. Tanny had stayed behind, having grown increasingly anxious when venturing out with Pain. She'd honestly forgotten about it. When Pain reached inside her satchel for a few coins to pay for some street food, she came out with the letter. She examined it briefly while munching the spicy roll she'd purchased, and decided she may as well see what this guy was all about. She still had a few days to kill before she was supposed to meet up with the others anyhow. The odd feeling that she was being guided was noticed quickly. Far too many hours had been spent wandering uselessly throughout the streets for the ease of which she found the house to be pure luck. "Well... guess if it was this easy to find, someone must actually want me to find it." Pain vocalized as she approached the door. The house was completely still. Of course, houses didn't jump around or move, but that was the only way Pain could describe it. Still. It was as if time had frozen in-between heartbeats, awaiting her decision to either move forward or back. Pain took a breath, and reached for the simple doorknob. She didn't bother knocking, simply twisting and pushing her way through. Before she could even take in her surroundings, she found herself calling out... "Hey! Anyone here!?" OOCThe 27th would be fine