GREYBURN - INTO THE LABYRINTH

[DKender]

"It must be the cathedral. Or ... Corwin Goode's neglected parlour."

Babette picked up a shard of glass and held it in front of her eye, testing its edge with her fingertip.

"Can you transport through walls, Anselm? I ... hope the answer is 'yes' because the alternative might be terrifying. Then again, you did want to meet him."

[◊◊BLOODBEASTER◊◊]

Anselm-
"No, I'm zorry... How do vee come inside?
Does a vind push in? But how?"

The shard had a fine silver backing, and was sharp enough to slice Babette's finger. Otherwise, just simple glass.

Anselm-
"Lord Greyburn lives here?
How do vee meet? Do vee go to
'dhe castle labyrinth?"

[DKender]

"I'm not sure what brought us here. Don't trust your senses. Especially not your eyes!"

She crossed over to the closed door and put her ear against its wood.



"He's through here, perhaps. Hello? Can we come in? Knock, knock!"

True to her word, she rapped twice, sharply.

[◊◊BLOODBEASTER◊◊]

Anselm-
"Hmm, I trust Babette.
Maybe I'm good at a maze!"

Babette heard nothing but a low wind outside the door, and it rattled as she knocked on it, popping loose of its rusty latch. It opened on to a long stone-walled corridor that seemed oddly familiar... The end of the hall was obscured by darkness, though the rest was lit by an unnatural grey light.

Anselm-
"Ooh, exciting. Do vee begin?"

[DKender]

"Let's! This is wonderful - now, if Ellen is upset, we can honestly tell her that the labyrinth found us."



"... unfortunately, we may never see her again."



"I prefer your company anyway." As Babette started walking down the dimly lit corridor, heading towards the dark unknown, she stuck out her elbow. "We can stroll arm-in-arm if you like. It may stop us from being separated or falling prey to other horrors. I wonder: are you afraid of ghosts?"

[◊◊BLOODBEASTER◊◊]

Anselm eagerly linked arms with Babette, looking quite pleased to be walking an eerie, featureless corridor with her.

Anselm-
"I like your company too!
Hm, I never seen a ghost before--"

Anselm-
"Eh, not vhen I am sober..."

Anselm-
"Do you see a ghost before?
Maybe vee meet zomeone famous, hehe."

The light traveled with them, like it glowed from their bodies. The darkness in front of them never seemed to draw closer, but the view behind them was soon obscured completely. The stone floor tiles were crumbly and lumpy, and Babette's wet shoes squished with each step.

Anselm-
"Doesn't a maze haff a turn?"

Something shuffled behind them in the darkness, dry and dusty.

Anselm-
"..."

[DKender]

At the soft shuffling, Babette stood very still, as if playing a game of freeze tag. She turned her head, glancing at the corridor behind them with her bleary peripheral vision, afraid to look more directly at whatever might be lurking in the unnatural darkness. It could be rodents. Or ...

Didn't Aubrey once give her rancid perfume that belonged to a long-dead actress? What if the perfume wasn't the only remnant of that poor, damned woman?




"Billy? Is that you?"

[◊◊BLOODBEASTER◊◊]

The shuffling stopped as they did, nothing visible in the supernatural darkness. Nothing answered Babette's question.

Anselm-
"Lord Greyburn...?"

Anselm-
"_{Maybe vee should haff bring a sword...}"

Anselm nodded for Babette to continue on, as he watched over his shoulder.

Anselm-
"_{I hope it's just 'dhe invisible friend...}"

As they hurried through the hall, Babette spied an object leaning against the wall-- An old-fashioned straw broom.

[DKender]

"Billy - the imaginary friend - would never be so creepy. He's quite straightforward!"

She paused in front of the broom, pulling it away from the wall and holding it like a sword.




"The labyrinth wants us to have this, Anselm. Oh, no."



"I think Aubrey wants us to be his new maids. I can't imagine the messes he makes with all his crafts and bloodletting."

[◊◊BLOODBEASTER◊◊]

Anselm-
"Oh yeah, does Lord Greyburn really
haff a dead people saus--"



                                                                    Anselm-
                                                                         "!!!"

Billy-Quinn appeared in a puff of dust. He pulled Anselm away from Babette and pushed him to the stone floor with a burlap arm. Anselm quickly recovered, and hopped to his feet.

Anselm-
"Hey! Mean scarecrow!"                                         Billy-Quinn-
                                                                                       " "

[DKender]

Babette-
"No, no! Billy, don't be a bully! Anselm is our friend!"

She scrambled forward and waved the broom between them.


Babette-
"He came here to pay respects to Lord Greyburn, that's all. Anselm has protected the circle from Theodore. Why, just a few days ago, they fought! You shouldn't push a war hero. Okay? Won't you hug and make up?"

[◊◊BLOODBEASTER◊◊]

Billy pointed at the lipstick mark on Anselm's cheek and put his hands on his burlap hips.

Anselm-
"Vee just lost in a maze,
don't be mean."                                Billy-Quinn-
                                                                   " "

He snatched the broom from Babette's hands and smacked Anselm in the face with it. Dust puffed out into a comically exaggerated storm cloud.

Anselm-
"Hey!!"                                          Billy-Quinn-
                                                         " "

The dust continued to plume out into the air like a smoke bomb.

[DKender]

"Oh, no! Are you concerned about the lipstick? We aren't here to make out in the labyrinth! It was just a kiss between good buddies, Billy-quinn! Like they do in Bribeaux."

Yes, a Bribois kiss. Babette hopped around and waved her hand through the air, trying to disperse the dust stormcloud.

"Do you want one, too? It's been so long since we last met. I've missed your shiny button eyes, Darling!"

[◊◊BLOODBEASTER◊◊]

Anselm-
"Babette, are you sure?"             Billy-Quinn-
                                                                 " "

Billy took Babette in his arms, as though to give her a passionate smooch, and then began to run down the hall, dragging her along.

Anselm-
"Wh-what?! Stop!"

The light followed Babette, and Anselm struggled to keep up with Billy's lanky gait. He began to fall into the darkness...

[DKender]

Babette-
"No, no, we're going too fast! Anselm! I'm sorry! ;-; Billy, don't leave him behind! Please slow down a little!"

Babette ripped out her earrings, in case she had to drop them like scone crumbs. Then, she tried to channel a Marchese boy and push the darkness away from Anselm. August was already so talented with shadows.

Babette-
"Anselm, run! Oh, I wish you had your Motor-rade!"