player-42

[player-42]

Morning comes too fast, and after Illux crashes on his couch, she's up bright and early.

"Do you want some breakfast?" Lethe offers her, but she shakes her head.

"I gotta get going," she says, and watches in real time how his face seems to fall like that of a kicked puppy. "I gotta figure out how to get you outta here, soldier boy." It's an old nickname that Lethe, thankfully, doesn't question. "And that'll take some time. But of course, I'll make it happen. Wanna walk me to the edge of the fog?"

Lethe, whose voice is thick with emotion, agrees to it. They walk together down the path, through the woods.

"I walk down to this lake a lot," Lethe tells her as they continue to trek together. "It's very nice. I go swimming in it sometimes, too. It has a lot of good memories. Even though this feels like limbo, sometimes, interferences from the outside world and other people make it so much less lonely. And - thank you. Thank you for working so hard to get me out of here. I appreciate that a lot, 'lux."

Illux had grabbed at the bottom of her shirt, the old nickname causing her breath to catch. "Yeah," she agrees, and blinks back tears. "Of course, Lethe. It's my fault you were in here, after all. So I gotta get you out. And if I can't get you out for a bit, I'll just start kidnapping people to come visit you so that you can have fun, okay?"

"Okay," Lethe agrees, with that soft sort of smile he always wore when he was placating her - but this time, it's mixed with this sort of hungry desire she hasn't seen on his face in a long while. "Of course." He wants to see more people, clearly.

They walk in silence until they reach of the edge of the fog. Illux pokes a finger into it, and it puffs around her finger. She laughs. "It's sort of cold, isn't it? It's not that bad to walk through, thou-" She barely has time to get the rest of her sentence out before her brother is grabbing her and pulling her into a hug, those tight hugs that he used to give her after she came back from doing something stupid. Don't fucking do that to me again, he had muttered as he had squeezed her so hard she thought her bones were going to break. Now, he tells her-

"Please, come back."

"Yeah, of course I will," she promises.

They don't let go for an amount of time that could have been minutes, maybe hours. But when they do, Lethe looks away, blinking back his own tears.

"It was good to see you again," he tells her.

"You too, Lethe."

He watches her disappear into the fog, and prays that she will come back, just like she promised.

(I won't abandon you this time, Lethe.)

It takes her so, so long to track him down. Finding him is one of the hardest things she's ever done in her life. The Watchers are thorough with their work in the code, after all - isolating him as punishment and making sure that people don't get through so that they can revel in the solitary punishment and the sorrow, she can already imagine it. (It makes a part of her heart squeeze - leaving him behind, running away like that, how cowardly - she's Illux, she's unstoppable, unbeatable, she's more than that. And yet, in that moment, she had fled. How pathetic.)

It doesn't matter, though, because she's found him, after all this time of searching. Wandering through the fog and bashing through every single piece of code that tries to stop her, making a path through and forcing it aside through sheer force of will - that is what brought Illux to, finally, the other end. She knows she's near, heartbeat thrumming and fluttering like that of a hummingbird's in anticipation as she sees the first clearings of the fog up above. She's been checking the code every other second to make sure she's still moving forwards, still moving towards him. The anxiety makes her almost ready to puke - so many hours of work, all leading up to this moment where they will finally be reunited.

She pushes through the last remnants of the fog, and makes a break through it, the fog dispersing around her form as she steps through onto grass that is much less green than it should be. The Pale Garden eats away at the colour of things, turns them lifeless, saps the energy from them - Illux knows this well. She's been researching this place, after all. Her boots crush the grass as she approaches, pushing past brushes and trees.

It's a beautiful day outside. The sun shines through the branches, the sound of crows are chirping - and those must be his. Illux remembers that he always inexplicably seemed to have them gather around. She pushes through, step after step, hands shaking with the effort. And then, there it is - the sound of his voice. He is singing.

Illux chases.

(We will be reunited.)

[player-42]

Everything comes to a sickening halt, when Lethe asks her that question. It's like the world has fallen, shattered into pieces before her very eyes. Lethe doesn't look at her with that recognition that he usually has - he's staring at her with wide, confused eyes. He's so genuine, too - who are you? There's no way They could have taken his memories, too. And his eyes, dear Gods his eyes - purple, the same shade that They had. Is this his punishment? The punishment he had to take in place of her? To be wiped to almost a clean slate? How ironic - his eyes are purple, because they watch. A permanent reminder of her failure.

"Lethe," she breathes, shaky. She's started to tremble as she stumbles towards him. She expects for him to run away, to step backwards, but in a moment, he's in front of her, grasping her hands.

"Hey, it's okay, I'm here," he soothes her. He shouldn't be soothing her. She should be helping him. He's always been the one helping her, over and over and over again, being her anchor, the voice of reason. "It's okay."

"I'm Illux," Illux says, hands still shaking. "I'm your sister." She watches in real time as his eyes widen, watches how he realizes. She's from his before, before everything happened, before she had that stupid idea, before she fucked everything up. Before. Before, before, before she'd gotten him trapped here.

"My... my sister?" Lethe asks, voice also beginning to falter. "You're my sister, Illux?"

"Yeah," Illux says, and then takes in a deep breath. A deep, deep breath in. "We used to travel with one another to all sorts of servers, before that event happened. But - that's not the point. I'm here. I'm here and I'm going to get you out, okay? I've figured out a way to get me in and out, and I might have to ask someone else for help, but I'm going to get you out of here."

It takes her so, so long to track him down. Finding him is one of the hardest things she's ever done in her life. The Watchers are thorough with their work in the code, after all - isolating him as punishment and making sure that people don't get through so that they can revel in the solitary punishment and the sorrow, she can already imagine it. (It makes a part of her heart squeeze - leaving him behind, running away like that, how cowardly - she's Illux, she's unstoppable, unbeatable, she's more than that. And yet, in that moment, she had fled. How pathetic.)

It doesn't matter, though, because she's found him, after all this time of searching. Wandering through the fog and bashing through every single piece of code that tries to stop her, making a path through and forcing it aside through sheer force of will - that is what brought Illux to, finally, the other end. She knows she's near, heartbeat thrumming and fluttering like that of a hummingbird's in anticipation as she sees the first clearings of the fog up above. She's been checking the code every other second to make sure she's still moving forwards, still moving towards him. The anxiety makes her almost ready to puke - so many hours of work, all leading up to this moment where they will finally be reunited.

She pushes through the last remnants of the fog, and makes a break through it, the fog dispersing around her form as she steps through onto grass that is much less green than it should be. The Pale Garden eats away at the colour of things, turns them lifeless, saps the energy from them - Illux knows this well. She's been researching this place, after all. Her boots crush the grass as she approaches, pushing past brushes and trees.

It's a beautiful day outside. The sun shines through the branches, the sound of crows are chirping - and those must be his. Illux remembers that he always inexplicably seemed to have them gather around. She pushes through, step after step, hands shaking with the effort. And then, there it is - the sound of his voice. He is singing.

Illux chases.

(We will be reunited.)

[player-42]

It takes her so, so long to track him down. Finding him is one of the hardest things she's ever done in her life. The Watchers are thorough with their work in the code, after all - isolating him as punishment and making sure that people don't get through so that they can revel in the solitary punishment and the sorrow, she can already imagine it. (It makes a part of her heart squeeze - leaving him behind, running away like that, how cowardly - she's Illux, she's unstoppable, unbeatable, she's more than that. And yet, in that moment, she had fled. How pathetic.)

It doesn't matter, though, because she's found him, after all this time of searching. Wandering through the fog and bashing through every single piece of code that tries to stop her, making a path through and forcing it aside through sheer force of will - that is what brought Illux to, finally, the other end. She knows she's near, heartbeat thrumming and fluttering like that of a hummingbird's in anticipation as she sees the first clearings of the fog up above. She's been checking the code every other second to make sure she's still moving forwards, still moving towards him. The anxiety makes her almost ready to puke - so many hours of work, all leading up to this moment where they will finally be reunited.

She pushes through the last remnants of the fog, and makes a break through it, the fog dispersing around her form as she steps through onto grass that is much less green than it should be. The Pale Garden eats away at the colour of things, turns them lifeless, saps the energy from them - Illux knows this well. She's been researching this place, after all. Her boots crush the grass as she approaches, pushing past brushes and trees.

It's a beautiful day outside. The sun shines through the branches, the sound of crows are chirping - and those must be his. Illux remembers that he always inexplicably seemed to have them gather around. She pushes through, step after step, hands shaking with the effort. And then, there it is - the sound of his voice. He is singing.

Illux chases.

(We will be reunited.)

[player-42]

By the time that the pop-up has shown up, Illux has already swung her scythe with a gleeful cackle. The cut is clean - perfect - slicing through his neck with an efficiency and accuracy that speaks to how both the fact that she has done this before, and also her skill in the art of murder.

Martyn's head goes clean off just a moment after he's frozen in place, and blood splatters against Illux's face, delight in her smile that's a little too wide to be comfortable. His head hits the ground and rolls before turning into a puff, signalling a respawn.

He had been terrified. The look on his face had been glorious.

Illux throws her head back and laughs.

Written in perfectly printed text - entirely anonymous, with no hints to who the sender is, this is written.

Martyn, I know where your wither is. Should you wish to have him returned to you, please head to the coordinates of 44, 68, 110. He will be there, safe, and ready to go home with you.

[Martyn stared at the note. Was this Pearl? That’d make no sense, Pearl has very distinct handwriting, maybe someone kidnapped Steve?]

[Yeah, that’s it. Martyn scowled, he’d teach them quite a few lessons in that case. One of which was how bad getting your head chopped off hurts.]

[The weird code weapon was unreliable, so he quickly grabbed an axe from Ren’s collection, the blade was blunt but with enough force and a few whacks it’d get the job done.]

[He also gathered his army of a skeletal dog and axolotl. Yes, this display of strength would really show the kidnapper not to mess with him.]

[Martyn set off, he could make the distance on foot as it wasn’t too far. He soon arrived at the coordinates on the letter, squinting at them, and then at his communicator for confirmation. Yep. This was the place.]

[player-42]

"Aww, that's cute," Illux coos, incredibly patronizing. "That's adorable. It's so cute that you think you can walk out of this without any consequences. Y'see, Martyn," and every step is deliberate, controlled perfectly to inspire fear. Code crackles and breaks at her fingertips, a void of hungry nothingness splitting open, neon red at the edges. "You're not the only one who has access to the code."

The way it gnaws at the fabric of reality is controlled, precisely so - an incredible amount of pull and sway over the code (and concentration, as she advances, like a predator hungry for the blood of its prey) as it opens up, numbers to wood and metal. Illux's hands grasp the handle of a weapon, and the world behind her opens up, collapsing momentarily to make room for the sheer size of the weapon that she wishes to create. It's like lightning, the way it seizes and churns and twists and turns, forming into something it shouldn't.

The handle is perfect in Illux's hands as the last of the code fits into place to reveal a massive scythe, made out of dark oak and wicked metal. She handles it with practised ease, having clearly done this a hundred times before, and in the sunlight, instead of reflecting light off of it, it glows the same red as her eyes. The smile on her face is wild as she brandishes her weapon, giving it a twirl just for the sake of it.

"Tell your Doctor that I say hello, and that I've just been dying for the chance to rip into his throat." She laughs, the sound coming out all wrong all horrible and all pure amusement. Illux is taking pleasure in his misery. Illux is thriving off of his fear, and she wants him to know it right down to his bone marrow.

Written in perfectly printed text - entirely anonymous, with no hints to who the sender is, this is written.

Martyn, I know where your wither is. Should you wish to have him returned to you, please head to the coordinates of 44, 68, 110. He will be there, safe, and ready to go home with you.

[Martyn stared at the note. Was this Pearl? That’d make no sense, Pearl has very distinct handwriting, maybe someone kidnapped Steve?]

[Yeah, that’s it. Martyn scowled, he’d teach them quite a few lessons in that case. One of which was how bad getting your head chopped off hurts.]

[The weird code weapon was unreliable, so he quickly grabbed an axe from Ren’s collection, the blade was blunt but with enough force and a few whacks it’d get the job done.]

[He also gathered his army of a skeletal dog and axolotl. Yes, this display of strength would really show the kidnapper not to mess with him.]

[Martyn set off, he could make the distance on foot as it wasn’t too far. He soon arrived at the coordinates on the letter, squinting at them, and then at his communicator for confirmation. Yep. This was the place.]

[player-42]

"Well, how should I know that?" Illux drawled, letting the lock of hair she'd been twirling around fall. "I don't have him. Your precious little Steve is safe and sound though, I promise. I heard that someone else has him."

She looks at the assortment of pets Martyn has around him, and she can't help but laugh. "Awee, you got a doggy. A cute little doggy. Y'think that tiny little thing can rip me to shreds?" Illux could almost be offended... almost. However, she doesn't feel like killing an animal, even if it's all... gross, and skeletal. "I'm feeling nice... you should tell your little dog to run away. I'm not in the business of harming pets, after all. The poor things!" She pouts.

For all of Martyn's threatening, she seems entirely unbothered. She doesn't even take out a weapon in retaliation to his threats, instead smiling more, finding it more amusing than anything else.

"That axe though... that's cute. You think you can beat me with that?" Illux sighs, crossing her arms over her chest. "I was expecting something a little... more, but oh well. Your performance the other week," she says, drawing more near. "Against the goat man. Doc. You pulled an axe out of nowhere. Quite the little feat, Martyn. How did you do it?" Curiosity goes first, after all, even though she knows exactly how he did it, Illux wants to know how he'll respond. That'll make for a more... entertaining buildup, after all.

Written in perfectly printed text - entirely anonymous, with no hints to who the sender is, this is written.

Martyn, I know where your wither is. Should you wish to have him returned to you, please head to the coordinates of 44, 68, 110. He will be there, safe, and ready to go home with you.

[Martyn stared at the note. Was this Pearl? That’d make no sense, Pearl has very distinct handwriting, maybe someone kidnapped Steve?]

[Yeah, that’s it. Martyn scowled, he’d teach them quite a few lessons in that case. One of which was how bad getting your head chopped off hurts.]

[The weird code weapon was unreliable, so he quickly grabbed an axe from Ren’s collection, the blade was blunt but with enough force and a few whacks it’d get the job done.]

[He also gathered his army of a skeletal dog and axolotl. Yes, this display of strength would really show the kidnapper not to mess with him.]

[Martyn set off, he could make the distance on foot as it wasn’t too far. He soon arrived at the coordinates on the letter, squinting at them, and then at his communicator for confirmation. Yep. This was the place.]

[player-42]

Ah, and here he was, like a fool, walking blindly into a very obvious trap. Having a skeletal dog and an axolotl didn't mean jack shit in the face of Illux's wrath.

It starts out as a giggle, before descending into a series of laughs that sounds like it could come right out of a horror movie. Watching him stand in the middle of a clearing, looking around like an idiot? Now this - this was prime entertainment material.

It starts with red. Red gleaming from between tree branches, peering at him from high, and then low. Flashes of glowing red 'x's peer at Martyn from all sides, an all-encompassing feeling of dread coming with them as they seem to come closer, and closer, and closer, and then-

"Hello, Martyn," she says, stepping out from the trees and into the clearing, twirling a lock of green and black hair around her finger idly. She holds no weapon in her hands, but the smile on her face is truly a wicked thing, as she gazes at him like he is something to be devoured, to be eaten, to be hunted-

To be killed.

"I'm so excited to meet you," she purrs, slinking closer, step after step. There is something familiar about her. Something terrifying about the smile. She looks like some sort of witch - beautiful, yet absolutely without a shred of sanity in every fibre of her being, everything that makes up her code. "I've been waiting for some time to come and see you, after all."

Written in perfectly printed text - entirely anonymous, with no hints to who the sender is, this is written.

Martyn, I know where your wither is. Should you wish to have him returned to you, please head to the coordinates of 44, 68, 110. He will be there, safe, and ready to go home with you.

[Martyn stared at the note. Was this Pearl? That’d make no sense, Pearl has very distinct handwriting, maybe someone kidnapped Steve?]

[Yeah, that’s it. Martyn scowled, he’d teach them quite a few lessons in that case. One of which was how bad getting your head chopped off hurts.]

[The weird code weapon was unreliable, so he quickly grabbed an axe from Ren’s collection, the blade was blunt but with enough force and a few whacks it’d get the job done.]

[He also gathered his army of a skeletal dog and axolotl. Yes, this display of strength would really show the kidnapper not to mess with him.]

[Martyn set off, he could make the distance on foot as it wasn’t too far. He soon arrived at the coordinates on the letter, squinting at them, and then at his communicator for confirmation. Yep. This was the place.]

[player-42]

Illux grins so wide she swears it hurts her face.

"On it."

This is going to be good.

Word gets around quick.

There was something about what he heard, some idea creeping in the back of his head. Wrong as he knew it was, he couldn’t deny— it was enticing. Enticing to be able to show this prick Martyn Littlewood what it meant to start a war with people other than himself.

Doc held the name tag in his hand.

And with a swift motion, something sprang into view.

I don’t know if this is too far, but… I’ve been thinking up a way to lure him somewhere. Care to listen?

@docs-mailbox

There's a tug in the code, and Illux is being pulled through it to appear before Doc, axe still in hand. She had been cutting down a few trees (honestly for the fun of it) and had been hanging around by herself in the small cabin she'd built in the woods for herself - if she was going to be staying, best to make a residence. However, she appears with a grin on her face, knowing exactly what this is about if she's been called by Doc.

"Too far? I doubt many things in this situation are too far, considering the base that Martyn has laid out for me in terms of how far he's willing to go. What's your plan, Doc?" The axe is exchanged for a piece of bread that she begins to gnaw on, tilting her head expectantly for him to explain his plan.

[player-42]

It's funny, how excited Doc is to pull this off - but Illux can't judge, she's just as excited with the way that she nearly rips the pen out of his hands, before taking the paper a little more carefully. She doesn't want to rip it, after all. Her grin is just as evil as she finds a nearby surface to write on. "I am also very, very excited," she informs him in a gleeful tone as she begins to write, slow, but dedicated. "This is going to be the best thing ever. It's gonna go down in the most dramatic way possible," she pauses to look over her handwriting before she continues. "There'll be so much... well, excitement to be had." With deliberate strokes, she crafts her letter to Martyn, and although she nearly wants to shake with excitement and bounce around the room, Illux forces herself to focus. She writes, and then, she hands over the letter to Doc to look over.

"Does this seem good?"

Word gets around quick.

There was something about what he heard, some idea creeping in the back of his head. Wrong as he knew it was, he couldn’t deny— it was enticing. Enticing to be able to show this prick Martyn Littlewood what it meant to start a war with people other than himself.

Doc held the name tag in his hand.

And with a swift motion, something sprang into view.

I don’t know if this is too far, but… I’ve been thinking up a way to lure him somewhere. Care to listen?

@docs-mailbox

There's a tug in the code, and Illux is being pulled through it to appear before Doc, axe still in hand. She had been cutting down a few trees (honestly for the fun of it) and had been hanging around by herself in the small cabin she'd built in the woods for herself - if she was going to be staying, best to make a residence. However, she appears with a grin on her face, knowing exactly what this is about if she's been called by Doc.

"Too far? I doubt many things in this situation are too far, considering the base that Martyn has laid out for me in terms of how far he's willing to go. What's your plan, Doc?" The axe is exchanged for a piece of bread that she begins to gnaw on, tilting her head expectantly for him to explain his plan.

[player-42]

"I think if we really wanna catch him off guard, I'll make it neutral sounding. Just a statement. Being too friendly or too mean will set him too on guard. Well, everything might set him on guard. Best to just make it the most neutral sounding thing ever, which is kinda boring, but the main event will make it even more exciting..." Illux taps her foot against the ground as she speaks, restlessly. "But I can do anonymous. I'll make it unidentifiable!" She looks at him. "Can I borrow a pen and paper?"

Word gets around quick.

There was something about what he heard, some idea creeping in the back of his head. Wrong as he knew it was, he couldn’t deny— it was enticing. Enticing to be able to show this prick Martyn Littlewood what it meant to start a war with people other than himself.

Doc held the name tag in his hand.

And with a swift motion, something sprang into view.

I don’t know if this is too far, but… I’ve been thinking up a way to lure him somewhere. Care to listen?

@docs-mailbox

There's a tug in the code, and Illux is being pulled through it to appear before Doc, axe still in hand. She had been cutting down a few trees (honestly for the fun of it) and had been hanging around by herself in the small cabin she'd built in the woods for herself - if she was going to be staying, best to make a residence. However, she appears with a grin on her face, knowing exactly what this is about if she's been called by Doc.

"Too far? I doubt many things in this situation are too far, considering the base that Martyn has laid out for me in terms of how far he's willing to go. What's your plan, Doc?" The axe is exchanged for a piece of bread that she begins to gnaw on, tilting her head expectantly for him to explain his plan.

[player-42]

"Forgery? You've come to the right gal!" Illux is great at pretending to people she isn't. "Do you just want it to be completely anonymous, or do you want me to pretend that I'm sending it from someone I'm not?" The way this guy thinks is evil. Illux loves it.

Word gets around quick.

There was something about what he heard, some idea creeping in the back of his head. Wrong as he knew it was, he couldn’t deny— it was enticing. Enticing to be able to show this prick Martyn Littlewood what it meant to start a war with people other than himself.

Doc held the name tag in his hand.

And with a swift motion, something sprang into view.

I don’t know if this is too far, but… I’ve been thinking up a way to lure him somewhere. Care to listen?

@docs-mailbox

There's a tug in the code, and Illux is being pulled through it to appear before Doc, axe still in hand. She had been cutting down a few trees (honestly for the fun of it) and had been hanging around by herself in the small cabin she'd built in the woods for herself - if she was going to be staying, best to make a residence. However, she appears with a grin on her face, knowing exactly what this is about if she's been called by Doc.

"Too far? I doubt many things in this situation are too far, considering the base that Martyn has laid out for me in terms of how far he's willing to go. What's your plan, Doc?" The axe is exchanged for a piece of bread that she begins to gnaw on, tilting her head expectantly for him to explain his plan.

[player-42]

"Well, I don't think it's too far," this hardly seems like a war to Illux. This is just two men who are providing entertainment to her, honestly. It doesn't seem like too many other people are directly involved, and a war feels like far too big a word to describe this. This feels more like a spat between two bitter people.

"You gave him an opportunity to back out, and he didn't take it. It's only natural to escalate," she shrugs. However, when she mulls over the plan, a smile spreads across her face.

"Oh? His wither? And you're suggesting we... lure him in, and then I can kill him? Oh, Doc, you devious man!" She pats him on the back, almost a little too hard. "At least we're not killing his actual pet! He should be grateful." She flips some of her hair over her shoulder for dramatic effect and flair.

Word gets around quick.

There was something about what he heard, some idea creeping in the back of his head. Wrong as he knew it was, he couldn’t deny— it was enticing. Enticing to be able to show this prick Martyn Littlewood what it meant to start a war with people other than himself.

Doc held the name tag in his hand.

And with a swift motion, something sprang into view.

I don’t know if this is too far, but… I’ve been thinking up a way to lure him somewhere. Care to listen?

@docs-mailbox

There's a tug in the code, and Illux is being pulled through it to appear before Doc, axe still in hand. She had been cutting down a few trees (honestly for the fun of it) and had been hanging around by herself in the small cabin she'd built in the woods for herself - if she was going to be staying, best to make a residence. However, she appears with a grin on her face, knowing exactly what this is about if she's been called by Doc.

"Too far? I doubt many things in this situation are too far, considering the base that Martyn has laid out for me in terms of how far he's willing to go. What's your plan, Doc?" The axe is exchanged for a piece of bread that she begins to gnaw on, tilting her head expectantly for him to explain his plan.

[player-42]

Word gets around quick.

There was something about what he heard, some idea creeping in the back of his head. Wrong as he knew it was, he couldn’t deny— it was enticing. Enticing to be able to show this prick Martyn Littlewood what it meant to start a war with people other than himself.

Doc held the name tag in his hand.

And with a swift motion, something sprang into view.

I don’t know if this is too far, but… I’ve been thinking up a way to lure him somewhere. Care to listen?

@docs-mailbox

There's a tug in the code, and Illux is being pulled through it to appear before Doc, axe still in hand. She had been cutting down a few trees (honestly for the fun of it) and had been hanging around by herself in the small cabin she'd built in the woods for herself - if she was going to be staying, best to make a residence. However, she appears with a grin on her face, knowing exactly what this is about if she's been called by Doc.

"Too far? I doubt many things in this situation are too far, considering the base that Martyn has laid out for me in terms of how far he's willing to go. What's your plan, Doc?" The axe is exchanged for a piece of bread that she begins to gnaw on, tilting her head expectantly for him to explain his plan.

[player-42]

"We will," Illux agrees, watching him as he peers at the project. She knows when a conversation is over, and she's gotten what she's wished for. A source of entertainment. "Well, Docm77Candles, I'll be seeing you around, then." She turns around, pushing open the door so that she can exit.

Illux waves goodbye before she closes the door, not turning around to see if he waves back, and then, she is gone.

Whatever happens next will be entertaining. And that's all she needs.

[ there's a note left on a counter. the writing is a little smudged, having been done in a haste. ]

hello, the goat! i have a little game for you.

i've scattered a plethora of candles through your house. not just for fun, though. if you find them all, i'll give you a shiny, shiny gift! perhaps some ore... if you catch my drift. good luck, have fun!

[ a terrible smiley face stares at you from the bottom of the paper. ]

Seeing as he had no plans of leaving his house unattended for any reason, an activity such as this seemed perfect.

A nice, relaxing little break from whatever the fuck was going on with Martyn.

Right off the bat, he found a pink candle in the empty decorated pot he was intending to adorn with a flower. Easy find.

CANDLES COLLECTED: 1

There were a few more candles hidden in his line of sight in the main living area. One under his desk, one behind the monitor that wasn’t hooked up to anything yet, one on top of his dresser drawer, one hidden inside that false tree he was making to conceal the transition between the two building sections, and there was even one under the rug that he only noticed because it felt uneven walking on it. Who hides a candle under a rug?

CANDLES COLLECTED: 6

There was a candle in the area he marked out where he planned on putting his oven. Bit of an odd place to put a candle. Another easy find was… on the door handles? Whoever did this had replaced his door handles with door candles. Okay. Sure. Why not. There was a candle lodged impossibly within a glass bottle in his brewing stand. He had to break the bottle to get it out, and once he did, he noticed an orange candle right where he was meant to put the blaze powder.

A candle in the cupboards. There was a candle inside the leaves of a potted plant. A candle on the ceiling, somehow?

…did they replace some of my bricks with candles?!

CANDLES COLLECTED: 20

Curse him for putting so many storage compartments in his house. They were everywhere. He wasn’t even looking for candles, he was looking to finish his house, and there were more fucking candles. How many candles—?!

One peculiar placement was in his redstone chest. There was a red candle lodged into a redstone repeater, where a torch was meant to go. For what purpose?! What was this meant to achieve?!

CANDLES COLLECTED: 38

His tomato garden was not spared from this treatment. His pots? There were candles. His cherry tomatoes? There were candles. His fucking water streams?! Somehow, there were candles. And even then, he kept finding them in the most ridiculous places. Candles on windowsills. Candles in foliage. Candles on top of his miniature porcelain goat statues. Candles on the roof. Candles beneath rocks. In chests. Inside of door hinges. There was one in his Ender Chest, how the fuck was there a candle in his Ender Chest, who was hiding these?!

The final straw was when he felt an irritating sensation in his robotic arm. He opened a panel, and lo and behold…

A candle. A candle inside his arm. This was beyond explanation.

HOW MANY CANDLES—?!

CANDLES COLLECTED: 77

[player-42]

"I mean, I don't qualify as a Watcher," Illux puts her hands in her pockets, because unfortunately, she cannot peek into people's business and know what they're doing all the time, like how a Watcher could. They seem stuffy, though, and she's glad she's not one of them. "However, I think I could set up something like that. I'll give you an object, and if you destroy it, that'll summon me, so I can jump in."

She rifles through her inventory until she finds a nametag, and she pulls it out. She narrows her eyes, and wiggles her finger into the code of it, which must look strange from the outside, pushing her finger into the nametag, a wave from the impact rippling over its surface. She rigs a few things here and there, and then she's done, tossing it over to Doc. "Whatever you use to lure him is up to you. I'll just make sure that I get the job done."

[ there's a note left on a counter. the writing is a little smudged, having been done in a haste. ]

hello, the goat! i have a little game for you.

i've scattered a plethora of candles through your house. not just for fun, though. if you find them all, i'll give you a shiny, shiny gift! perhaps some ore... if you catch my drift. good luck, have fun!

[ a terrible smiley face stares at you from the bottom of the paper. ]

Seeing as he had no plans of leaving his house unattended for any reason, an activity such as this seemed perfect.

A nice, relaxing little break from whatever the fuck was going on with Martyn.

Right off the bat, he found a pink candle in the empty decorated pot he was intending to adorn with a flower. Easy find.

CANDLES COLLECTED: 1

There were a few more candles hidden in his line of sight in the main living area. One under his desk, one behind the monitor that wasn’t hooked up to anything yet, one on top of his dresser drawer, one hidden inside that false tree he was making to conceal the transition between the two building sections, and there was even one under the rug that he only noticed because it felt uneven walking on it. Who hides a candle under a rug?

CANDLES COLLECTED: 6

There was a candle in the area he marked out where he planned on putting his oven. Bit of an odd place to put a candle. Another easy find was… on the door handles? Whoever did this had replaced his door handles with door candles. Okay. Sure. Why not. There was a candle lodged impossibly within a glass bottle in his brewing stand. He had to break the bottle to get it out, and once he did, he noticed an orange candle right where he was meant to put the blaze powder.

A candle in the cupboards. There was a candle inside the leaves of a potted plant. A candle on the ceiling, somehow?

…did they replace some of my bricks with candles?!

CANDLES COLLECTED: 20

Curse him for putting so many storage compartments in his house. They were everywhere. He wasn’t even looking for candles, he was looking to finish his house, and there were more fucking candles. How many candles—?!

One peculiar placement was in his redstone chest. There was a red candle lodged into a redstone repeater, where a torch was meant to go. For what purpose?! What was this meant to achieve?!

CANDLES COLLECTED: 38

His tomato garden was not spared from this treatment. His pots? There were candles. His cherry tomatoes? There were candles. His fucking water streams?! Somehow, there were candles. And even then, he kept finding them in the most ridiculous places. Candles on windowsills. Candles in foliage. Candles on top of his miniature porcelain goat statues. Candles on the roof. Candles beneath rocks. In chests. Inside of door hinges. There was one in his Ender Chest, how the fuck was there a candle in his Ender Chest, who was hiding these?!

The final straw was when he felt an irritating sensation in his robotic arm. He opened a panel, and lo and behold…

A candle. A candle inside his arm. This was beyond explanation.

HOW MANY CANDLES—?!

CANDLES COLLECTED: 77

[player-42]

"There are plenty of things that can be done, but I'm assuming you two have history," Illux taps a finger against her wrist when they let go of their handshake. "So you probably know to hit him where it hurts, if you want to do that. But in terms of me wanting to best him, we have to lure him out so that he can meet me. If I just send him a letter, there's no promise that he'll appear. Say, how do you think I could get him to come see me so I can chop off his head after summoning my axe from the void in an overly flashy manner?"

[ there's a note left on a counter. the writing is a little smudged, having been done in a haste. ]

hello, the goat! i have a little game for you.

i've scattered a plethora of candles through your house. not just for fun, though. if you find them all, i'll give you a shiny, shiny gift! perhaps some ore... if you catch my drift. good luck, have fun!

[ a terrible smiley face stares at you from the bottom of the paper. ]

Seeing as he had no plans of leaving his house unattended for any reason, an activity such as this seemed perfect.

A nice, relaxing little break from whatever the fuck was going on with Martyn.

Right off the bat, he found a pink candle in the empty decorated pot he was intending to adorn with a flower. Easy find.

CANDLES COLLECTED: 1

There were a few more candles hidden in his line of sight in the main living area. One under his desk, one behind the monitor that wasn’t hooked up to anything yet, one on top of his dresser drawer, one hidden inside that false tree he was making to conceal the transition between the two building sections, and there was even one under the rug that he only noticed because it felt uneven walking on it. Who hides a candle under a rug?

CANDLES COLLECTED: 6

There was a candle in the area he marked out where he planned on putting his oven. Bit of an odd place to put a candle. Another easy find was… on the door handles? Whoever did this had replaced his door handles with door candles. Okay. Sure. Why not. There was a candle lodged impossibly within a glass bottle in his brewing stand. He had to break the bottle to get it out, and once he did, he noticed an orange candle right where he was meant to put the blaze powder.

A candle in the cupboards. There was a candle inside the leaves of a potted plant. A candle on the ceiling, somehow?

…did they replace some of my bricks with candles?!

CANDLES COLLECTED: 20

Curse him for putting so many storage compartments in his house. They were everywhere. He wasn’t even looking for candles, he was looking to finish his house, and there were more fucking candles. How many candles—?!

One peculiar placement was in his redstone chest. There was a red candle lodged into a redstone repeater, where a torch was meant to go. For what purpose?! What was this meant to achieve?!

CANDLES COLLECTED: 38

His tomato garden was not spared from this treatment. His pots? There were candles. His cherry tomatoes? There were candles. His fucking water streams?! Somehow, there were candles. And even then, he kept finding them in the most ridiculous places. Candles on windowsills. Candles in foliage. Candles on top of his miniature porcelain goat statues. Candles on the roof. Candles beneath rocks. In chests. Inside of door hinges. There was one in his Ender Chest, how the fuck was there a candle in his Ender Chest, who was hiding these?!

The final straw was when he felt an irritating sensation in his robotic arm. He opened a panel, and lo and behold…

A candle. A candle inside his arm. This was beyond explanation.

HOW MANY CANDLES—?!

CANDLES COLLECTED: 77

[player-42]

"I agree," Illux says, sounding all too-happy to be apart of this new, growing, grandiose scheme. "I think I should stop this egotistical man," she meets his gaze, and the glowing in the robotic eye feels almost like looking into a mirror - she can faintly see her own reflection in it, the way her smile curves.

For a moment, she sees it - a memory of her hands covered in blood, hollowed eyes, an empty smile in the wake of carnage, covered in it, drowning in it, red so deep that her eyes outshine it in the dark, pupils abnormal, inhuman, not quite a person.

"And it would be lovely if you helped me out," she continues. "I can help you out in return. An equal exchange in base on mutual interest," she extends her hand, shitty black nail polish that's almost completely come off waiting. Callused hands due to the amount of swings her axe has taken, how many times she's gripped it in her hands to slay yet another enemy, waits.

"Your redstone is interesting, by the way, Doc," she adds. "And your accomplishments are impressive. You are definitely a man worth his salt who knows what he's doing. Hey, even if we don't end up taking him down, by some miracle," she grins so hard that fangs show, and she wants to dig them into the bottom of her lips, draw blood. "At least we'll have fun, won't we?"

Illux loves having fun. It's one of the only things that makes her feel alive. Keeps her blood pumping. Emotions set her alight, negative, positive, although she prefers joy to sadness, but whatever it is, if it's stimulating, she wants it. If it's interesting, she wants it.

If it's chaos, she needs it.

[ there's a note left on a counter. the writing is a little smudged, having been done in a haste. ]

hello, the goat! i have a little game for you.

i've scattered a plethora of candles through your house. not just for fun, though. if you find them all, i'll give you a shiny, shiny gift! perhaps some ore... if you catch my drift. good luck, have fun!

[ a terrible smiley face stares at you from the bottom of the paper. ]

Seeing as he had no plans of leaving his house unattended for any reason, an activity such as this seemed perfect.

A nice, relaxing little break from whatever the fuck was going on with Martyn.

Right off the bat, he found a pink candle in the empty decorated pot he was intending to adorn with a flower. Easy find.

CANDLES COLLECTED: 1

There were a few more candles hidden in his line of sight in the main living area. One under his desk, one behind the monitor that wasn’t hooked up to anything yet, one on top of his dresser drawer, one hidden inside that false tree he was making to conceal the transition between the two building sections, and there was even one under the rug that he only noticed because it felt uneven walking on it. Who hides a candle under a rug?

CANDLES COLLECTED: 6

There was a candle in the area he marked out where he planned on putting his oven. Bit of an odd place to put a candle. Another easy find was… on the door handles? Whoever did this had replaced his door handles with door candles. Okay. Sure. Why not. There was a candle lodged impossibly within a glass bottle in his brewing stand. He had to break the bottle to get it out, and once he did, he noticed an orange candle right where he was meant to put the blaze powder.

A candle in the cupboards. There was a candle inside the leaves of a potted plant. A candle on the ceiling, somehow?

…did they replace some of my bricks with candles?!

CANDLES COLLECTED: 20

Curse him for putting so many storage compartments in his house. They were everywhere. He wasn’t even looking for candles, he was looking to finish his house, and there were more fucking candles. How many candles—?!

One peculiar placement was in his redstone chest. There was a red candle lodged into a redstone repeater, where a torch was meant to go. For what purpose?! What was this meant to achieve?!

CANDLES COLLECTED: 38

His tomato garden was not spared from this treatment. His pots? There were candles. His cherry tomatoes? There were candles. His fucking water streams?! Somehow, there were candles. And even then, he kept finding them in the most ridiculous places. Candles on windowsills. Candles in foliage. Candles on top of his miniature porcelain goat statues. Candles on the roof. Candles beneath rocks. In chests. Inside of door hinges. There was one in his Ender Chest, how the fuck was there a candle in his Ender Chest, who was hiding these?!

The final straw was when he felt an irritating sensation in his robotic arm. He opened a panel, and lo and behold…

A candle. A candle inside his arm. This was beyond explanation.

HOW MANY CANDLES—?!

CANDLES COLLECTED: 77