( ᴠɪᴅᴇᴏ ) ɢᴏᴏᴅ ᴛɪᴅɪɴɢs | ( ɴᴘᴄ ᴘᴏsᴛ )

[acatastoria]

[ there is a sudden sparking that emits from your magical watches and a hologram appears, showing a petit woman with dark hair. her eyes seem to hold a certain amount of mischief and light, and when she speaks, you listen. it's something about her; you are captivated by her presence, and you can't help but give her your attention. ]

Hello, hello, hello~! ♥

[ it's a trill of a voice, light and airy. ]

I know you've all just arrived~♥ but I wanted to introduce myself! To those who haven't met me, my name is Astoria! I know many of you are likely unhappy with being found here, and I understand. But the need is urgent, and dire, and I am in desperate need of your help, as is the universe in which we reside. There is much darkness, in this universe . . . plenty of worlds on the brink of collapse, or at the precipice of something great. It is my job -- our job -- to help where needed. Like superheroes, but a little less flashy!

[ she pauses. ]

No offense to the superheroes. -- but anyway! I want to let you know were we're going to go first.

[ she takes in a D E E P breath!! ]

There is a city, by the name of El Minha. It's beautiful, an oasis in the desert. There are many shops and stalls and the entire city is bustling, but El Minha is facing a difficult path. Transitions of power are hard, you know? And they have a new King, who is . . . probably nice, but the people there are suffering. Crime is at an all-time high, and King Kathashun can only do so much . . . if he's doing anything at all.

[ she brushes a loose piece of hair behind her ear, and astoria smiles a little. it is obvious, by now, that she's definitely bubbly and full of spirit, but she is deadly serious about her mission. ]

I truly believe that we have the ability to help those who need it most, and those people are in desperate need. So we're going to go there, explore, and talk to them! And maybe, just maybe, we can affect some good in this world, and change the tide for the better for these poor people.

[ she pauses. ]

So that's where we're going first! But before that, I'm here to greet you, to support you, and welcome you to my beautiful Temple. Please, please, please make yourselves at home! I'll be here if you have any questions. ♥

[ astoria pauses before lifting up a single finger, as if she's forgotten something important. ]

Oh, and please let me know if you find anything interesting or important or otherwise peculiar in the Temple! The Forest of the Fey is a magical place, and I'm keeping a careful eye on all of you explorers to make sure you don't get too lost, but my dear friends within the forest may like playing with you all, so be respectful of the wildlife! It may fight back. ♥

[ is she serious? the world may never know. ]

Comments

[acatastoria]

[ her brow furrows slightly, at the comment, and she lets out a long breath, her cheeks puffing out slightly. ]

I guess that's a word for it. [ it has been lonely, being stuck here. she's not entirely sure how long she's been trapped, but it's been long enough for the balance to start to shift . . . keeping track of time here is hard, at the best of times. ] It is nice to see people, again. I usually spend time on other worlds, making sure everything is alright . . . it's been awhile since I've been able to do that.

[buff_for_a_nerd]

[ The slightly rueful smile that Sam responds with is clearly sympathetic. As wary as he is of forces beyond his comprehension, his instincts are telling him that she's being as honest about all of this as she can be. And being human isn't a requirement for having feelings, after all, not in his book. ]

What changed? That ended up keeping you linked to this place, I mean.

[acatastoria]

I don't know.

[ she purses her lips. ]

It's been happening steadily, over time, I think. The magic in this world is supposed to . . . do what I say, but it's not really giving me the opportunity to talk to the Temple or the Forest like I used to. Something is all clogged up, and every time I try to leave, it's -- the world stops me.

[buff_for_a_nerd]

[ Sam nods distractedly. Something is definitely throwing off the balance, but it's not like his own recent experience with the Darkness, which had a very obvious source, even if that didn't make it much easier to deal with until they worked out the underlying issues. ]

It might be protecting you.

[ Whatever's doing this, it seems likely that it's not friendly. Whether or not it's any intentional force keeping her here, it's reasonable to assume that she's safer here. ]

We'll fix this. I doubt it'll be easy, but I've made it through some pretty impossible situations before.

[acatastoria]

[ she pauses. ]

-- maybe.

[ she hadn't thought of it that way before, and she almost sounds a little more hopeful, now. ]

That's a nicer thought than the world suddenly not working . . . protecting me means I didn't do something wrong to make it angry.