GREYBURN - INTO THE LABYRINTH

[◊◊BLOODBEASTER◊◊]

Something lurked within the trees behind the bunman, a flash of red.

The Bunman-
"What, dude? You want me to call my whole crew? I'll do it, just try to--"

A stone arced through the trees and bopped the bunman on the head. TONK!

The Bunman-
Ow! Fuck!

Anselm (?)-
"Babette! Hurry, come vith me!"

The Bunman-
"What the fuck, bitch? I'll cut you both!"

The bunman hopped at the hooded figure, knife raised.

[DKender]

Babette-
"Babette!"

Anselm!



"How dare you call her a dog? You ... you rodent!"

Babette sprinted at the hooded figure, and in the process, she tried to punt the bunny-shaped f-bomb factory away, because she'd run out of f-bombs to give.

[◊◊BLOODBEASTER◊◊]

((lolll))

Babette planted her Anselm-shaped boot into the bunny's soft bum, launching it into the air.

The Bunman-
"Fuuuuuuu--"

It bopped headfirst into a tree trunk.

The hooded figure caught the knife as it spun through the air.

     
Anselm (?) -
"Eeeek! I hate 'dhese kind of knife!"

He (?) plunged it into the tree just above the dazed bunny man.

Anselm (?) -
"Vee must hurry, zcary man chases! Vhere to go, hide in a forest?"

[DKender]

Babette-
"You escaped Greyburn?! Oooh. Good job! The forest. Yes! There's nothing but water behind us. Where did you come from? We shouldn't retrace your steps."

She reached for his hand, afraid to be separated again.

"Maybe, we'll find a hiding spot in a large tree. Or in a cabin in the woods. They're fairly common, I hear. I could try to break your illusion, though that might take ages. Still. It's better than running forever."

[◊◊BLOODBEASTER◊◊]

Babette could be fairly certain this was the right guy, unless Aubrey was real up on his low Grau accents. Anselm took her hand eagerly.

Anselm-
"It's a scary house he takes me, ummm..."

He spun around, the woolen cape fluttering.

Anselm-
"I'm not sure vhich vay... Ohhh Babette, it's too zcary, I get zcared for you,
and zcared for me too!"

He sunk his Babette face against her Anselm shoulder.

Anselm-
"Ooh it's zo strange to comfort on myself. I'm too bony.
Not you-- I mean... oh you know."

[DKender]

    
Babette-
"There, there! Don't be afraid - you've got you."

She gave him an affectionate squeeze

"Can you become a bird flock? Have ... have you tried?"

[◊◊BLOODBEASTER◊◊]

Anselm-
"Mn, good idea. I vorry before he snatches 'dhem up,
but maybe I just send one for spy.

He raised his hand, and it transformed to a tiny bird which flitted into the sky. He tucked his odd stump-arm under the cape, and held Babette's hand tight with his remaining one. He began to follow it, into the wordy trees, slips of paper fluttering down like falling leaves.

Anselm-
"How do vee come here? Now I feel bad for taking you to it.
Ugh, I don't listen to varnings..."

Anselm-
"Do you stay safe? I hope you don't get too scared.
It's zo many strange 'dhings here..."

[DKender]

  

Babette spoke in a hushed, confidential tone.

Babette-
"I guarantee that I had a better time than you. Caught up with old friends, sang a few songs. Somebody did stab me in the lungs, but that's just her way of saying hello.'"

She kept glancing at the branches overhead, afraid to spy moths flitting among the forest of contorted pages.

 
Babette-
"Greyburn didn't try to put ... nails in your face, did he? Poor Darling."



"If your little bird self sees anything mirrored, that would be fantastic. I always use mirrors to practice illusions."

[◊◊BLOODBEASTER◊◊]

Anselm-
" 'Dhe lord takes me to a scary cabin to kiss me
but I zay I need to go to lady's room for lipstick and run avay!"

Wind rustled through the papery branches, always sounding a bit too much like moth's wings for comfort.

   
Anselm-
"Ah-- a lake! It's shiny! 'Dhis vay!"

He turned sharply, and stepped between the trees, on to more irregular ground, cords of bound paper formed rough roots and boulders printed with ancient words. The pair could glimpse silvery glimmers between the thick trees, and hurried toward it. Before they could make it through the clearing, a figure stepped out from behind a tree trunk. She held two broadswords, an impassive look on her face, even as blood trickled from a gory wound.

Anselm-
"Yahh! A zombie!"

       
                 The Fallen Warrior-
           "Listen to my tale of dread,
            and how I came to lose my head--
            endless silence sealed my fate,
            and left me in this grisly state.

            I've come here to test your resolve,
           and give you a tricky riddle to solve.
           Be thoughtful, honest and wise,
           and I will give to you a special prize."

[DKender]

  
Babette-
"Sophie!"

She put her free hand against her mouth, smothering a gasp. Could this be a ghost? Or something stranger?

Babette-
"It's okay, Anselm. I knew her, once. She was part of the movie crew ... costume design. Erm."

  
Babette-

"What is your riddle, bleeding ghost?
We must escape the scary host!
Greyburn. I mean Aubrey Greyburn.
Freedom is the only prize we yearn!"

[◊◊BLOODBEASTER◊◊]

  Anselm-
     "Ooh good Babette, you don't even haff animal friends to help you."

       
              The Fallen Warrior-
          "I'll ask this once, answer it right,
           if you're wrong, we'll have to fight.
 
          'In better times, what held my head on?' "


  Anselm-
     "Uhhh... _{^{I guess 'neck' is not right...}}"

[DKender]

  

Babette-
"Heh. heheh. You must mean your little bowtie. That's my final answer. Your cute little bowties!"

They were definitely gonna fight XO

[◊◊BLOODBEASTER◊◊]

       
              The Fallen Warrior-
                "It's quite true, you've won the prize,
               I hope this crown is the right size."

She adjusted her swords, and like a giant pair of scissors, sliced her own head off. It sailed through the air, up through the tree branches.

  Anselm-
     "Yuck!"

The head never landed, but a golden crown flipped through the branches, and landed on Babette's head perfectly.

The headless Sophie corpse bowed politely, and turned to trudge back to its rightful place in the bottom of the lake.

  Anselm-
"Hum, it's like how I get 'dhis cape. Zome puff hair blonde girl
makes me look into hell. It vass okay."

[DKender]

Babette-
"Who's the Prince now, baby?"

Puff hair blonde girl? Sounded familiar ...




Babette-
"Hell was just okay? I'm disappointed. In all my horr-romantic books, it's rather swanky, if you can overlook the hordes of screaming damned."

She approached the lake's edge, looking for her reflection.




Babette-
"This may be dangerous ... we're out in the open. Whatever happens, I'm sorry. I wish ... I wish this evening could have been more fun. Instead, the labyrinth had to make things weird. It always does this!"

It was still better than sword practice with Ellen.

[◊◊BLOODBEASTER◊◊]

Babette-
"It's okay, I'm happy to be vith you, and you rescue me. "

Babette approached the lake, which extended into the distance, ringed by thick, distant pines. The sky above was still a flat black, but the waters rippled like molten silver, glittering with ripples as the last bit of Sophie's corpse disappeared beneath it.

Babette didn't see her reflection in the metallic shimmering, not at first. She felt as though she could see a dark figure just beneath the surface. So close beneath, that perhaps, she could just catch it with her fingers and peel it away. Anselm came to stand next to her, and peered in the water too, holding on to her arm.

((once she's prepared herself, she can peel off her Anselm reflection, you can describe this as you like -- it will leave her back to her Babette graphics-- and two Babettes! ))