GREYBURN - INTO THE LABYRINTH

[◊◊BLOODBEASTER◊◊]

Anselm-
"Yes, it is zcary, I don't know how hard he is before.
Maybe better to practice running, I don't know how
you get in a zword fight vith him...
Maybe a big gun, but I feel nervous for it too, now."

They walked to the cathedral, their sharp senses picking up the distant sound of swooping wings and night creatures tittering away. Somewhere Ausmiller was having a hearty chuckle, and Anselm cast a funny look that way.

  
Anselm-
"I never see you in 'dhe film, do you play a vampire?
I vonder how movie is vith zo beautiful actors!"

The cathedral's spires shot up into the sky, a million times grander than Zero's old ruins, but far more severe and imposing.

Anselm-
"It's vonderful. Are you happy to ztay here?"

[DKender]

Babette cocked her head at the laughter, regretting that she'd missed the joke that inspired it. Being a vampire made her feel like a voyeur sometimes. She could hear so well and hide in shadows!

  

"I'll find you a copy of Lychgate right away! And ... and sign it! Better practice, right? If you can believe it, Ru was the vampire in our movie. He killed me in the end. It's chilling how prophetic the plot was. A self-fulfilling prophesy, since its theme attracted Wilhelm."

She kicked a pebble in front of them as they walked. It was reflex training!

"I do like it here. Especially now that Aubrey is ... well ... out of commission. Such an atmospheric place. Isolated, grand, and aging. Plus, Clovis and Ausmiller are lovely - their company really livens things up. Are you all close?"

[◊◊BLOODBEASTER◊◊]

Anselm-
"Vilhelm alvays likes a dark movie! I do too, but I like comedy and action, he 'dhinks it is, mn, un...artful?"

Anselm-
"You don't like your progen? I hear he iss a strange man. Doess he really have a dead people sausage?"

They walked a path around the cathedral, over cobblestones and through a barren garden. Eerie statues kept watch, with moldy dried tears running down their faces.

 
Anselm-
"Ausmiller is nice, zhe and Clovis are zome of 'dhe first vampires I meet.
Vhen I am born, it's only me, I don't get movie friends so I become friends
vith older vampires like Finsterwalds."

[DKender]

"I'm glad to hear they treated you well. It couldn't have been easy."



Ausmiller might be the coolest person I've sorta lived with. I think she's my inspiration, Anselm. Is that strange? It sounds strange now that I say it out loud."



"Actually, I ... don't dislike Aubrey. It's hard to explain. The world would be a better place without him, but he's also a product of this world. Sometimes enlightened or inspired. Other times hideously depraved. It's a bit poetic. Plus, without him, my imaginary friend would disappear. His name is Billy, and he comes from Aubrey's mind."

[◊◊BLOODBEASTER◊◊]

Anselm-
"Ausmiller is very glamorous, you haff a similar voice!
Zhe hass a more gothic style before, now zhe is zo solemn.
I find her a bit intimidate, but I like ztill!"

Anselm-
"I like to meet progens, zometimes 'dhey are terrible people, but zo cann a turn vampire.
In my life, vorst is turn vampire, but here it is different for you.
Maybe for me it is safer, because respect among progens.
It's an interesting story, as you say, poetry. A vampire like Insana is beautiful,
and too is corrupted, but vithout a human life of pain she cann be... mn, boring."

Anselm looked unperturbed about the talk about Billy.

Anselm-
"Is Billy an animal friend for you?"

He seemed to be scoping the stone walls, many of which were choked at the base with overgrown bushes and weeds. He found a barer patch and patted it with his palm.

[DKender]

"Heheh. He's a dummy with two button eyes. Very cute - like when you have an imaginary friend as a child, but from another person's imagination."



She squinted, remembering ...

"Actually, I think Ru might have done something like that when he was younger. He made a bunch of imaginary characters and played with other people online."



Babette stood back and crossed her arms, watching Anselm inspect the building. It would be fun to go way up high. Vampire parkour couldn't be beat!

"You're still planning to meet Lord Greyburn tonight, aren't you? I ... might have picked up on some sneaky hints you were giving me earlier."

[◊◊BLOODBEASTER◊◊]

Anselm didn't seem to follow her conversation about Billy, but nodded dutifully.

Anselm-
"Does he liff here? I vant to meet it..."

He found a spot with a good landing zone, and dusted it off with his palm.

 
Anselm-
"Babette, do you know to climb or be a bird? I don't vant you to tear a dress..."

He leaned his back against the wall, and pulled his knee up like he was about to tie his shoe. Then he pulled his other knee up, until he was sitting on the wall, like gravity had shifted 90 degrees.

  
Anselm-
"Heheh, you are right. Maybe vee get on top of a cathedral, and find vhere Ellen goes.
'Dhen vee escape inside..."

He held out his hand again and began crawling backwards up the wall. Does Babette use some kind of power to join him, or let him lift her?

[DKender]

He was so smooth! She bet he could walk up the wall if he wanted, like gravity didn't even matter.

"Oh, watch! I've been practicing since our prank night."

She followed after Anselm as best she could, using her wall climbing skills to stay against the stone and holding his hand to prevent from falling.

"Promise me something! If we do meet Aubrey, can you occasionally whisper something sacrilegious in my ear? Sacrilegious ... it means un-god-like. See, I have a fear. Aubrey is so good at imitating people, and you are so fun, I am afraid that he will steal you and replace you with a pretend-Anselm. Luckily, Aubrey is also really into God. I don't think he would make pretend-Anselm anything but pious. Does that make sense?"

[◊◊BLOODBEASTER◊◊]

((What kind of shoes does Babette wear?))
Babette climbed after him, reasonably sure-footed. It felt like climbing up the steepest of hills, and it was steep, a sheer vertical wall! Anselm took it slow, creeping backwards like he was climbing a reverse ladder.

   
Anselm-
"Hm, I am ztupid for Glennish, but maybe I understand.
He does a copy Anselm, zo vee need a secret to know it's me?
Okay, hm, I know mostly bad god vords in Grauer.
Vhat's good to zay in Glen?"

They crested a large ridge in the wall that marked the first floor. It was a long ways up, but a longer way down with each step.

Anselm-
"But I love to vhisper to you anything... hehe."

[DKender]

"Heheh. Hey you. Don't want to make August jealous."

Babette almost fell off the wall in an attempt to make finger guns. It was worth it. Although ... she wished she'd learned Grauer in high school instead of that fancy Bribois stuff. At least the curses might ring a bell, since she did listen to some angry metal in Ru's music shop.



"Hmm. If I wanted to insult Karl Random in your language, how would you say it?"

[DKender]

((Oops! Forgot to add that Babette is wearing ballet flats, not super traction, but better for swordfighting than heels))

[◊◊BLOODBEASTER◊◊]

Anselm-
"Oooh, is August your boyfriend? Or my boyfriend?
I don't know, hee hee..."

Anselm-
"Hm, I like to insult Random Karl! Let's see...

Anselm-
"Du magst es nicht coole Dinge!
Dein Schreiben ist langweilig
und deine Ohren sind zu rosa!"

Anselm-
"Sorry, oh, it's a bit dirty. Grau is rude for nice Glens."

They crested the second floor and walked across a ledge to get to the next section. Dead leaves slimed its surface, and Anselm kicked a path for Babette to walk.

Anselm-
"You don't scare for heights?"

[DKender]

Babette lifted the hem of her dress to avoid catching any rogue leaves. It was probably unwise to wear a fancy dress every night, but the last two times Theodore had visited, he caught her in a nightgown (which was now ruined, thanks a lot). She didn't want to tragically perish in a bloody old nightgown!


Babette-
"Thank you. Oh, you are the *best* at curses in so many ways."

Anselm-
"Maybe I'm cursed for curses? Haha."

Karl Random would surely retract his article after that burn. She assumed it was a scathing criticism of his mother's newspaper.


Babette-
"To show my appreciation, I'll stop calling August your boyfriend. He's too much a ladies man, unfortunately."

Anselm-
"Yeah. *sigh* "

Babette peeked behind them, where the ledge dropped off, and laughed nervously.


Babette-
"Have you ever visited a carnival? Well, I'm scared of heights when I ride fast roller coasters, but I enjoy being on slow ferris wheels. It's the fall that scares me, perhaps. This is something I should work on - both of the Greyburn animals fly. Say, when you are a bird, do you ever want to build a nest?"

She was afraid that she'd spend all night throwing herself against a porch light if she ever became a moth.

[◊◊BLOODBEASTER◊◊]

Anselm-
"Do 'dhey haff a night carnival in Harlan?
Many 'dhings at night in Grauland, it's quiet here.
I take you to 'dhe top of Ferris Vheel and jump!
It's not zcary if it doesn't hurt to fall."

Anselm-
"Haha, maybe I build a nest if I haff
anozher bird to egg vith."

Anselm-
"Err, vampire vhich becomes a bird...
Like a... um, you know."

Anselm-
"Never mind."

Despite their best efforts, Babette's slippers became sodden with old rainwater and lost some of their traction. Anselm held both her arms with both of his, adding to the strange appearance of walking backwards up a sheer wall.

Anselm-
"Hm, maybe it's enough practice.
I fly you up to 'dhe top now?"

[DKender]

"This is better than a carnival ride. Let's fly. By that, I mean you fly, and I ... do nothing. Hu-rah!"

She quickly kicked off her dirty shoes, sending them to the distant ground, and clung to Anselm.



"Sometimes, it's better to be bare-foot. I'm sure I'll regret this when Aubrey introduces us to his thumbtack needle room."

Babette was only joking a little bit. He probably did have a room of sharp objects. Perhaps *many* rooms.