HAUNTED GARDEN: West Gate {5/5}

OWEN :
"Not sure? Something? Someone?" If you manage to catch Lenne's face in the moonlight, she'd have a brow raised at you in confusion. "...a reminder of what, kid? Your...past life...?" She mutters something incoherent under her breath as you suddenly come to a stop, jerking her back with you. In the silence of the night, you can hear a soft slap on her cheek as she hits herself for her insensitivity. "I'm sorry I asked, I guess we all have reason to be here, yea,"

She sighs softly as she mutters a quick "come on", trying to pull you onward slowly forward. "I, too, am lookin' for sum'n, Owen..." She pauses for a bit, and all you hear is metal scraping against bramble as she walks on. "...he might be just an urban legend to some, but...."

"...I'm lookin' for The Man in the Bowler Hat."

---

WALTER :
((SOBS CAN I HOLD THIS CHILD AND CARE FOR HIM AND WIPE HIS TEARS ; A ; ))

As you wipe your tears, you would find that the path you have chosen would continue straight for a distance before coming to an abrupt end. It's funny that what's blocking your path isn't another area of hedge or bramble, but a rather flowery bush. With no thorns. If you are alert enough, perhaps you might be able to find your way around, or even, through it. Otherwise...it's the end of this road for you.

[ Walter to do d20 dice roll + WIS Stat! If he rolls 10 and above, he manages to figure out a way through the flower bush. If he rolls > 15, he manages to find a certain clue in the bush as he finds a way through it... (will be mentioned in the next post)
If his result is under 10, he has run into a dead end in the maze. ]

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MAXWELL, SIENNA & STANLEY :

The pale boy eyes the chrysanthemum in Maxwell's hand, quickly scampering after the tiny gold flower as Maxwell carelessly tosses it over his shoulder as if it is a piece of actual gold. He cradled it in his small hands like treasure, finally looking visibly relieved. He reaches out to want to tug on Maxwell's coat, but seems to suddenly decide against it, tugging on the hem of Sienna's Alice costume instead. "W-we shall all get out together. You t-too, Mister..." He stares pleadingly at Sienna, then Stanley, then turns his gaze nervously to Maxwell. "Before he-"

Clink. Swish. Clink. Swish. The sound is faint, as if it is coming from a distance. But in the still silence of the hedge maze, it can be heard by those with keen hearing...which is what the pale Apprentice seems to have. He stands rooted to the ground, as if he doesn't dare to look behind his shoulder, as if he's...afraid. Of what he might see behind him.

"....h-he's...h-here..."

"The Man...in the b-bowler h-hat."

((Yes it is a very very TuT for the Bunny this Halloween))
((You probably should Nikki cuz I think he might need a good cuddle and a very large cup of tea when he gets back from this thing....))


Walter, still sniffling every now and then, followed the path to roads end which appeared to be one great big bush.

d20 rolled = 7 + 2 WIS = 9

However, instead of using what logical sense of reasoning and sense of adventure he had available to him to simply wander through the bush he gave in to the despairingly feeling of betraying his best friend into a death trap, letting out a proper wail fitting of his ghostly costume. “_uuuuuu^uuUUUU^UUUWAAHH^HHHHH!!!!!”

After a good minute of sitting on the ground feeling utterly terrible about everything Walter got back up on his feet, having just about enough reasoning power to drag his feet back the way he had come the straight clean path, abet still whimpering with the occasional little ghost howl of “u^uuuuUUU^UaaAAHH”.

OWEN:

"Wehh. Guess ya haven't heard o' this one from your kind yet, eh…" Lenne lets out a breathy sigh as she continues forward. "Yes, and yes to both of those. I mean…my 'sight' isn't as good as…others. But he seems to be one of ya… I mean. In the…threadless sense. At least, I think so…" She scratches her head, pursing her lips a little. If you can see her face in the moonlight, you'll find that she looks troubled.

"He used to be one o' 'em creepypasta figures, ya know? Ok maybe ya don't know. Creepypastas are like…short horror stories posted online, made up by people," Her dark hair billows in the breeze as her expression remains grim. "That's the thing. They're supposed to be made-up. Fictional. Stories. But this one…" She shakes her head as she continues, "…I'm convinced…this one…is real. I'm positive. It's cuz I- WHOA-"

The scratching sound of her lantern against the brambles comes to an abrupt stop as she nearly loses her balance, tipping on her left foot. Quickly catching herself in time, she blinks at a gaping hole in the hedge on her left. A left turn! "Hey! Another path…" She turns to you and gestures to the path. "What say you, Owen? Should we take this or continue straight?"

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WALTER :

((YES FRAN AND NIKNIK WILL CRADLE HIM AND HOLD THIS CHILD CLOSE. SOBS FOR THIS POOR BOY ; v ; ))

Your wailing and whimpering is loud enough to be heard by anyone in the vicinity (Maxwell, Sienna and Stanley, but not Owen), and it's a long walk back where you came from. As you pass the previous hole in the hedge that you missed earlier, there is a distinct rustling of the branches in the hedge. Are you observant enough to pick up on it? Or does the sound of your wailing drown out the soft rustling?

[ Following your response to this prompt, please do a Forum Dice Roll (it's on the options in the toolbars). The event that follows after your response will depend on the number that you roll. ]

e.g.

SlzQqdmN

Maxwell didn't make any rush to get far ahead of those he left behind. The Rainbow Hatter was still giggling over his full body acupuncture via Rose Hedge. Moving about was going to be tender for a while, though at the very least he could be thankful for the willingness to where his dapper shoes today. He didn't want to imagine the pain of walking, had he stepped on any of those thorns bare foot. He'd crossed fire and broken glass with ease in the past, his soles rough and hardened by decades of shoeless ventures. Though He'd never catch up to his Bunny rabbit with sore soles.

Speaking of bunny's Maxwell's ears alighted to the not so distant howling from over the hedge. A sad and forlorn noise that pulled his smile taut across his cheeks. His giggles intensified, deepening as Maxwell took quicker strides to follow the fading cries. Hurrying to find a passage into the next path over and investigate it's source. "Maaaarcoooo~", He'd call once more, laughing expectantly for a reply. "MAAAARCOOOOO~OhoHOhohoo"

OWEN :

Lenne nods silently at you, and holds your sleeve as she leads the way to the nearly-hidden path on the left. You are now faced with a 3-way split, one leading to the left, one to the right, and one leading straight ahead. She sighs and stops in her tracks, looking down at you to answer your question as a distraction from the choice you both would soon have to make.

"…The Man…in the Bowler Hat. It's said tha' he goes after people who can clearly see him. People who can see the dead. People like…me…" Her right hand unconsciously moves to the belt on her jeans as she grips the 'precaution' she had brought along for this trip to the Gardens, as if ascertaining that it is there with her. Her smile is grim and tight.

"I know cuz…he got someone close to me. And if he's not stopped…he's gonna git more of us. Till we're all..."

Shaking her head suddenly as if trying to physically shake certain thoughts out of her head, she looks down at you with a patronising smile, gesturing to the three paths before the both of you. "So…you choose or I choose this time?"

[ If Owen doesn't wish to choose and wants to leave it up to Lenne, you may roll a dice in the Forum by typing [ roll ] without the spaces, and Lenne will play Eeny-meeny-miny-mo to decide which path to take. ]

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MAXWELL & SIENNA :

The pale boy shoots the both of you an exasperated look, but does as Sienna tells him, to stay put as the both of you venture forward.

As you move forward, you will soon come to a fork. The night air is still enough for you to hear otherwise camouflaged sounds more clearly. A clear, audible wail can be heard coming from the right--taking the right fork will probably lead you closer to the source of it. A fainter "Clink. Swish. Clink. Swish," as rhythmic as a metronome can be heard to be coming from the left, though the source still seems to be a distance away. The source of the wail is definitely closer to you.

Which path will you take? Or would you prefer to stay put where you are?

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STANLEY :

As you strain your ears to listen, you will find that the odd rhythmic sound of the "clink" and the "swish" seems to be coming from straight ahead of you. In fact, it seems to be coming a little from the left, in front of you. The sound is still relatively faint, but seems to be getting closer…

The pale boy grips the chrysanthemum in his hands, looking as if he is about to cry, but bites down on his lip to keep himself from doing so. It appears that he has finally registered that none of you are going to back down and escape with him back to HQ. The thought worries him greatly, but he struggles to speak calmly.

"I-I'll go back and get help, Mister. I'll get Miss Inkidortes, I'll get Fran… I-I'll get help. I'll come back with b-backup!" He begins to rip at the petals of the flower in his shaking hands, before raising a small hand to point straight ahead.

"U-up ahead, if you keep walking straight, you will come to a f-fork. Please d-don't, DON'T, take the Left Fork. I-it's where I came from… It's...wh-where h-he is…"

He gulps audibly, looking up at you, his face sick with worry.

"Pl-please stay safe, Mister. I'll c-come back. I'll come back for you."

After hearing the mystery man targeted those who were spiritually aware, something clicked inside Owen. He was like her once, privvy to Death's affairs, and was worse off for it. He wanted to protect her from all this. It was not fair on her to be caught up in the mess of those already dead. He looked over to the bird on his shoulder. He was out of birdseed now, and instead he used his free hand to keep the crow occupied with the shiny coin he had. Boy and bird exchanged looks every now and again, both seemingly unsure and timid given the tension in the air.

"The someone who was close to you could see me too?" He asked, though it was obvious. Perhaps he forgot the question the instant he asked it, being asked a question in return. The path forked out before them. With some newfound drive and initiative, Owen took Lenne's arm towards the left path. "People who can see me are special. I want to protect special people."