Open Lost in a Maze

[Khristian]

21 Spring 513, The Smoldering Embrace Khristian stared warily at the entrance into the maze. He had been here before, but never alone. Directional sense had never been one of his strong suits, and he was sure to get horribly lost. Determination however, he had in spades and he had decided to find his way to the center, and gosh darn it, he would! Puffing up his chest, Khristian steeled himself. I’m going to do it. I’m going to enter! He stayed firmly in place. ...Okay, now I’m going to do it! Still no movement. His nerves were getting to him, making it seem almost impossible to move his feet. But Khristian was determined, borderline stubborn, and he would stand there until the sun rose if that was what was needed to will himself to move. Finally, almost as if a string had snapped, his feet moved forward. And again, and again, until he was walking into the maze. Here we go. Upon entrance, Khristian glanced around. So far, nothing seemed too complicated. Alright, I can do this. Heart a little lighter, he pushed forward, trying to memorize the path as he went. He didn’t want to get lost. Okay, left here. And then I guess I’ll take a right? Eventually he came to a fork in the road, where the road split into three. Khristian examined them closely. The wooden walls all looked the same to him. Deciding to trust his intuition, he chose to walk down the path to the left. His confidence soared as he walked further. Khristian grinned. He had yet to get lost and he’d make it to the center soon, he was sure of it. Walking with a spring in his step, he took a right straight into...! A dead end. Sighing, he turned to retrace his steps, only to find that he had no idea what steps he had taken to get here. In his excitement, he had lost track of which direction he was turning and where. "Oh great..." Khristian muttered. He was completely and utterly lost.

[Yousef]

Blindly, Yousef groped the walls as if waiting for a secret door to open, he pressed his face to a wall and knocked on it and he waited a few ticks before he went on doing the same thing to the wall opposite it. He’d been there since the park had opened but he didn’t expect to be doing what he was now. Silarial had informed him days earlier that the Smoldering Embrace was a popular place with hidden prizes and a big party in the middle. Yousef, enjoyed parties and he missed the thrill of attending one. Partaking in celebrations and gatherings ran in his blood and he wouldn’t want to turn down the opportunity of being in a festivity, even if he was a foreigner. The excitement of attending a foreign Masha was evident in his face—he couldn’t stop smiling as he made his way to the park. He chose to come there early so he’d arrive at the start of the party, but Silarial had missed an important tidbit of information, the Smoldering Embrace was—sigh—a maze. It’s not like he disliked mazes, he enjoyed exploring after all, but—though he’d never admit it to himself—navigation was never his strong point. It wasn’t long before he took a few wrong turns and that did it for him. After getting himself lost, he decided to just look for the hidden prizes instead, hence the knocking and the groping. He only hoped not to run into anybody as he did such a thing. “Not here either…” he murmured under his breath. He kept heading north, telling himself that south was where the entrance was—or was it east? Never mind the details, he was determined to get something out of this night, he walked a little further then placed his cheek against the wall again and knocked on it, listening for a sign of hollowness. But instead he was met with footsteps, did I find it? He wondered and knocked on the wall, a little more forcefully this time. What Yousef didn’t realize was that the footsteps came from elsewhere.

[Khristian]

Khristian had now decided that he hated mazes. Never again would he be caught in a maze. Mazes would rue the day they had ever trapped him within their confusing confines. He growled at the walls. It had been at least an hour since Khristian had lost his way, and as time went on he only became more and more frustrated. This was a horrible idea. Why did I ever want to do this? I’m a moron. This was the worst place to come to. Narrowing his eyes at the smooth wooden walls, he promised revenge upon them. And it would happen. He just wasn’t sure how at the moment. Suddenly, inspiration hit him. Khristian clenched his fist and pulled back his arm. “This’ll show you!” He then proceeded to punch the wall. This proved to be a bad idea. “Oooowww! Owowowowow!!” Khristian hopped around, holding his hand in pain. Crouching down in the corner with watering eyes, he examined his knuckles. They were definitely going to bruise. He cringed. “Ouch.” Straightening himself out, Khristian rubbed his hand as he looked around once more. It would probably be bad if he got lost in here for too long. He froze. Oh Morwen, what if I’m in here for days! What... What if I die in here!? Eying the surrounding walls, he curled in a bit on himself while mumbling, “I don’t want to die in here...” He glanced around like a madman for a bit, before shaking his head. “No! I’ve just got to get out of here. I’ll be fine.” Nodding to himself, Khristian set his sights on surviving and moved forward. He walked for at least another half an hour. Sighing, he hung his arms limply and walked. This was ridiculous. The maze had never seemed this large and evil on his previous visits. Of course, then he’d been with others who knew their way then. But his mind stubbornly refused to bring up that point. As he walked, Khristian began to hear a feint knocking noise. Wait, knocking means people... People means I’m almost out of this maze! Finally! He’d found his way to the center! Listening closely, he followed the sound of the knocking. It sounded surprisingly close. In fact, it sounded to be just around the corner! Khristian grinned. He rushed around the corner and was met by the sight of a strange young man. He had his faced pressed against the wall, while he felt the wood with one hand and knocked with the other. Khristian stared blankly, not sure what to do. The stranger, with his very tan skin and bundled clothes, didn’t appear to be Vantha. Khristian rarely met non-Vanthas. How would he address him? Did he understand Vani? Perhaps he should play it safe and speak in Common? Khristian considered this. It would probably be best. Finally, he opened his mouth. “Uhm... Excuse me?” Khristian hoped he wasn’t being to forward in interrupting the stranger. ”Do you know the way out of here?” He fidgeted with his hands for a bit, before stopping himself. Didn’t want to appear nervous.”I have kind of managed to get lost...” Muttering, he added, ”And I’m really bad with directions.”

[Sera]

OOCI couldn't resist... :3 So, it was an evening unlike any other... except, it really wasn't. Sera had decided to go to the maze. Alright, she followed Khristian there out of boredom, but she really DID want to go. It was always a fun place to wander aimlessly in. She kept her distance when she watched her brother enter the maze. The girl waited until the count of twenty, before heading in after him. Though, for some reason once the Vantha entered the maze, she had no want to find her way out again. Somehow, on her first try she made it to the middle section, but that just wouldn't do. Wasn't the maze supposed to provide that adrenaline rsh of never getting out again?! Wasn't it supposed to make one fearful for their life? Wasn't it supposed to create a story to tell about? Well... even if it wasn't, Sera decided to head back in. After taking several random turns, she situated herself in a dead end. The girl sat with her back against the wooden wall. It was just too much fun watching people walk around lost. It was so sweet seeing younger kids racing through to the middle. And this seemed like a great place to observe who was wandering around. Several people found the corner she sat in. Sera just pointed different directions giving random wanderers false advice. It was fun to see such high spirits. Well, to be fair she wasn't too sure which way was "in" or "out" for that matter. It wasn't like she could get find her way again even if she tried. So, why not just enjoy the time to relax? After a while lost in her own thoughts, she heard a familiar voice. She narrowed her eyes. Khristian? She tilted her head to the side, listening. Speaking common? Well, that's different... She leaned back, resting her head against the wall as well and continued to wait. Wait... if he's talking to someone, that meant he found someone. Well, at least he's not wandering around all alone. She pondered getting up and following his voice to find out, but it seemed like he was nearby, which meant, in all likeliness he'd run into her eventually. With a smile, she waited, and watched, keeping a lookout for her brother and his companion.

[Yousef]

Come on, did I find it? He had his face pressed so firmly to the wall now that he looked quite comical. His left hand explored the creases and the bumps in the wall while his right continued to knock on it. Come on wall, give me a sig— “Uhm... Excuse me?” Yousef jumped. The wall had spoken to him. A rustle came from the corner and immediately he straightened up. It was a man. Oh. It was the man who spoke to him.“Do you know the way out of here?” The stranger was asking him for directions, Yousef tried to digest their situation as he continued to listen. But his thoughts were a mess and all he could think about was that the stranger had seen him groping a wall—of all things! He tried to stay focused though, directing his attention back to the Vantha. So the man was looking for the party as well—probably—but got side tracked and now he’s in front of Yousef asking for directions, no less. The Benshira stiffened, he wasn’t best with directions himself to be honest. How in Yahal’s name was he going to explain to this man that he was also lost—no not lost, side tracked—the other looked just about done with this place and he didn’t want to ruin the other’s evening any further. It took him a while to find his voice, “First of all, I’m not crazy or anything, I don’t um, have a thing for walls—or any inanimate object for that matter.” The other man stared at him in an odd way. Perfect start Yousef, really nice touch. He exhaled sharply before saying anything else again. “I, er, I’m not really sure myself of the way out of here…” he began, rubbing his nape awkwardly and averting his gaze when he observed the other’s face fall. “B-but I’m not lost either, okay? Just to make it clear, I’m, um, I’m… l-looking for treasure!” he declared, adding the last part hastily. He didn’t want to make the evening anymore miserable for the both of them, so covering up the part where they were both mislead shouldn’t be too bad. “A friend of min—no. An acquaintance told me that, er, prizes could be found behind these um,” his eyes scanned the surroundings nervously, then they landed on the wooden walls and he frantically gestured to them. “Walls! Yes. They have secret openings and they have chests and prizes and everything!” There, that should do it. Yousef thought, now the other man wouldn’t think he got himself lost and neither will he pester him for directions, the evening would turn out perfectly for both of them or so he hoped. He shot the Vantha a nervous grin and silently prayed for somebody to stumble in to them.

[Khristian]

Is he crazy? Khristian stared blankly at the man as he rambled. “First of all, I’m not crazy or anything, I don’t um, have a thing for walls—or any inanimate object for that matter.” Isn’t that something crazy people say? With an eye brow raised, he listened. “I, er, I’m not really sure myself of the way out of here…” Oh. So he didn’t know the way out either. I’m gonna be stuck in here forever, aren’t I? Quickly, the other added, “B-but I’m not lost either, okay? Just to make it clear, I’m, um, I’m… l-looking for treasure!” Treasure? Hadn’t he heard something like that before. He could almost recall his father mentioning such a thing as he lead the way through the maze. “A friend of min—no. An acquaintance told me that, er, prizes could be found behind these um,” He glanced around, nervous energy practically jumping off him. “Walls! Yes. They have secret openings and they have chests and prizes and everything!” Wow, the other man sure was acting nervous, if that grin were anything to go by. Khristian pondered for a second. He wasn’t intimidating, was he? Perhaps he should try to act more friendly. “Well, I have heard of there being treasure here...” He took a quick glance around the area before muttering, “Have no idea where it could be.” Biting his lip, he wracked his brain for something else to say. “But, um, good luck with that, by the way.” With a slight smile, he continued. “From what I have heard, you pretty much just stumble upon them.” Slightly intrigued, he was very tempted to join the other in listening on the walls. Wait... What was that noise? Khristian stood stock still and the area fell into complete silence as he listened closely for the noise. It sounded like... Laughter? And it was coming from nearby too. The sheer curiosity was too much. He turned back to the other. “Do you hear that?” Laughter rang quietly through the area again. An investigation was in order. Striding with purpose, Khristian headed towards the direction of the noise. It wasn’t a long walk, just a few turns in fact, before he was able to peek around a corner at the cause of the noise. “Sera?” He walked out into her view. “What are you doing here?” Khristian was gobsmacked. The one person he had never imagined running into here was his sister. What was she even doing here anyways? Last he’d seen her, she’d been at the hold. She had even waved to him as he’d left. “Wait...” Khristian paused as a thought hit him. “Did you follow me again?!” It wouldn’t be a surprise. Almost as if following him was the perfect past-time to curb boredom. With hands on his hips, he gave her a stern, brotherly look. “Didn’t you learn from what happened last time?” The previously dubbed ‘last time’ had been a disaster. In fact, the whole city of Avanthal was lucky that a whole portion of the city walls hadn’t collapsed.. He shuddered at the thought and turned his focus to the current situation. Sera appearing could be a good thing. “Anyways, do you know the way out of here?”She had always been better with directions. Perhaps she knew the way now? Khristian could only hope.

[Sera]

Just like Sera had predicted, Khristian had made his way towards her. The girl bit her lower lip as she smiled. "Hi Khristian!" She exclaimed, before pushing herself to stand. He started asking a multitude of questions, in which Sera just folded her arms in front of her chest and listened to him, idly. "Does it really surprise you?" She shrugged. "You're very entertaining, after all." It was then when she noticed his companion. Realization hit her. Immediately her posture changed. She stumbled to the side as her heart began to beat harder in her chest. The Vantha's cheeks reddened. Her eyes widened. "Yousef?" She spoke his name with a heavy accent, making it sound more than just a name. "Oh... uh... hi!" She stumbled to speak, her eyes a dark emerald green. Nervously, she moved to stand next to her brother. 'Damnit girl! Don't act so weird. Stop it. You have problems. Stop it. Stop it!' She stomped her foot against the ground, trying to distract herself. 'I'll just lead them tot he middle. Yeah, that's what I'll do... Lead them to the middle. Just don't look at Yousef. Don't do it. Of course, as she thought that, she looked at him again. "He's so cute..." She whispered in Vani, before giving her brother a sheepish look. He probably thought she was crazy. Sera was never too interested in boys. Except recently, as in days before, when she had literally skated into Yousef on the lake, on her birthday. "Oh! Right!" Sera cringed slightly, "You want to know how to get to the middle, right?" She asked, speaking common so that Yousef could understand, yet she spoke directly to Khristian. "Uh... It's..." During the rustle and bustle of Khristian and Yousef appearing, Sera had turned herself around. She wasn't sure how she had made it through the first time. The girl looked to her brother and then Yousef, before pointing down one of the corridors. "It's that way!" If that was the actual direction, she wasn't even sure, but either way it would get them moving. Not allowing herself to act strangely again, she started walking. "Well, come on now!" She said.

[Ruby Majalenka]

During one of her leisurely strolls, Ruby saw a small girl, hair shimmering in a multitude of colors, orange, violet, blue and many others. Mistaking the girl for some kind of fairy — her first encounter with Vanthas — Ruby followed it out of curiosity into the Smoldering Embrace maze at a distance. But alas, she lost the fairy, and realized that she's lost herself, without a clue what the place was.

The silence is deafening, so much that she felt a slight choke. She could almost feel a pair of invisible, cold hands, approaching her neck-

"No, no. Focus. Don't play tricks on me, mind. I die, you die. Let's work together, okay ?" muttered Ruby to herself. Though she's calmed down a bit, her suvai was unsheathed, nonetheless. "Better safe than sorry... Besides, if I accidentally murder anyone, I'll try to make it look like an accident. Or hide the bodies. Yes. Wait, didn't I tell you not to play around, mind ?!"

Suddenly, she heard sounds. Muffled ones. If it was from the pathway ahead — or behind, she was sure that it would be clearer. Thus, she pressed her head to the walls and started listening. After a while, she found the best spot on the wall for eavesdropping.

The chatter was near, possibly just separated from her by this single wall. Two men conversing, one of them awkward and nervous, the other one shooting out inquiries. Ruby could just catch a few words — "crazy... a thing for walls... treasure... you... pretty..."

"Mercy, did I just stumble upon a secret lover's meeting ? And a homosexual at that. Seems like one is cheating ?" she gasped, half jokingly.

The conversation continued, then came a laughter from the distance. The two men's voices got more distant, and a girl joined in the merriment. One man put up a reprimanding tone, while the girl replied with shy, awkward remarks, similar to an embarrassed girl stumbling upon her crush.

"A love triangle ! Should I call out to them ? No, no, I'd hate to interrupt- Ah, damnit ! This is not a show ! I'd die if I get lost here !" Hesitatingly, Ruby called out for help over the walls.