[DROP] No time like the present

As Alistair answered the creature, his head turned to her and winked. A smile bloomed across her lips, her sapphire gaze lingering on him for a moment before he began to speak. As the image took hold, of a nude chicken running, she shook her head – her dark hair dancing across her chest with the movement. “I’d pay good money to see that, I hope you know.” She finally said, quietly stifling a laugh as she flashed a wink toward him. But the creature spoke again, asking if they were willing to jump from the bridge with assurances, if they would. She contemplated it for a moment, looking back to Alistair with a brilliant grin. “Tell me, Alistair.” Her voice was quiet, but it almost purred. “Do you jump like a nude chicken too?” She questioned, her grin shifting to a smirk before she moved slightly to look over the edge of the bridge. It was hard to see anything with the mist that hid anything underneath it, and she got a bit uneasy at the thought. Yet Rex looked back to the creature, inhaling deeply and deciding that looks could be deceiving, such as Frey for instance, and she nodded. “Sure.” Either the creature would make them do it, or wouldn’t and she’d look the fool. But it appeared as though the many others gathered that had also agreed would be foolish in doing so as well. At least she wouldn’t be alone. She looked back to Alistair then, reaching out to link her arm with his as she listened for his answer. time stops still and lends you hope that hazy due, so black so blue wash away that fear, a cloud of smoke whatever lets you cope

ALISTAIR Putting his faith in some unknown entity? Trusting he'd be safe by its word alone? Quite opposite to Kalt, once upon a time Alistair would have refused. He would have thought the whole thing madness...part of him still did. Yet he found himself stepping toward the edge, looking over at the arm Rexanna held out before linking his arm with hers, giving a mischievous smirk. "You'd have me stripped of my garbs and taking a leap of faith? Should he ask us to...you'll have it." He whispered in playful defiance to her challenge. Turning back toward the creature. "Sure..." He repeated just as she had in acceptance of faith.

Vanya’s blood ran cold at the sound of her name twisted into that voice. Her eyes widened just slightly, and her heart sped up, but her spine straightened as Ronin drew her closer. She didn’t take her eyes away from the hooded figure, but unease was curling in her chest, fluttering in her gut. How did it know my name? She stared for a long moment at it before she turned brown eyes up to the sudden change in Ronin’s tone. Captain.. Cobb? She blinked and turned to follow his gaze and, and there he was. She didn’t like the interaction between the former captains, and if she thought about it… the last time she had met the bloodfiend had been decided uncomfortable, and that dinner.. Ronin had refused to go. The osprey pursed her lips and stepped closer to him, her side perfect fitted to his as she kept a steady and unwavering gaze on Archebold. She nodded at his congratulations, but then… Vanya’s eyes hardened, and her shoulders squared as she stood just a bit straighter at Ronin’s side. ”I assure you that our family knows exactly what we’re living for,” she said with a voice of steel. She didn’t know if it was the stormy energy that seemed to crackle off of the man at her side or if it was those words the bloodfiend had used. ’You lost what was believed to be the remnants of your family back in Northaven …’ Her eyes narrowed as the former captain departed, only turning her attention back to the robed being when Ronin’s voice brought her to it. ”Yes, I would,” she said clearly and tersely. Of course she would - she could fly. vanya i will leave a light on.

a s h e Ashe listened to the creature, watched it turn its attention the woman in Ronin’s grasp, she listened to it speak, to it’s question. Would she jump off a bridge because some creepy thing in a cloak holding a box told her it was okay? Ashe listened to the various answers, to everyone speak. Her mother’s was expected, most were expected. Ronin himself was in a foul mood now it seemed, but - shit. Was that Archebold? Yes, it most definitely was. The assassin pursed her lips and and glanced away. Of course he was in this new world. She let out a long breath through her nose, reminded herself that this really was a new world, and she wasn’t going to cower before anyone. She refocused on those speaking and then.. Kalt mentioned he wouldn’t because of his daughter, and she quickly snapped her eyes away from him, throat constricting. Not right now. She wasn’t thinking about that right - She saw him. Watched him link arms with.. Who was that? Better this way. Better, better, better, she told herself, breaking the crushing silence in her head as her breath suddenly became hard to catch. She snapped her eyes back towards the figure. Watched it move closer to the crowd. Again. Her eyes narrowed and her attention latched onto the robed thing (and that box) as it thinned even further, still holding that box as others gave their answers. That was enough of hanging back, then. Ashe hopped down nimbly from her perch, refusing to look at anyone as she weaved through the crowd. She was soon standing at the front, and.. It was Vervain she stood herself shoulder to shoulder with, Remi on her other side. The figure was suddenly a whole lot taller when looking closer, and she raised her chin in spite of herself. She didn’t look at her mother, or Remi, or her father. She glanced at the black box. At the bridge and mist swirling beyond, and she inhaled deeply. Did she trust this strange being, its word that she would be just fine, and rewarded? Did she honestly think she could throw herself over the side of this ominous bridge on the word of a strange entity and survive? No, she absolutely didn’t. ”Yes,” Ashe said, voice hollow and neutral. ”I would jump.”

She didn’t know... She didn’t like not knowing, being unsure... It was possibly her biggest annoyance. But now wasn’t the time to dwell on such things. Now, Cel watched the creature, how it thinned with each step it took in their direction. She felt the instinctive urge to turn and run, but she stayed with her gaze up and strong. Maybe stubborn was a better assumption about the former duchess. Her fiery, headstrong nature helped her in Northaven. Here? That remained to be seen. Still, she would only be able to see what this world had in store for her if she was in fact around to see it. Then again... The crimson in her eyes flared to life, attempting to look through the dense fog, knowing it was hopeless. Her gaze fell back to the creature, set in her answer. ”Yes,” she said firmly. ”Life without risk is meaningless. It’s worth the gamble.” She sincerely hoped she wouldn’t be asked to follow through with it, but hey, she never went back on her word. celosia Bride of Darkness

Random Event Like the end of a Hitchcock movie, a little dark and a lot confusing The answers were as the creature had expected. Some would foolishly take the risk, others wanted to play it safe. Some had nothing to live for and thus nothing really to risk. Others knew that there was no immediate danger even if it was all just a ruse. Some even lied. Ahh well. The creature had expected nothing more and it was not disappointed. Stepping forward one more step, the creature held the box between twisted and bony-white fingers. For a moment its cape swirled and billowed, and then dropped entirely revealing... ..nothing. The creature was suddenly gone, if it had ever been there at all. The box floated towards the bridge and as it landed, the lid suddenly snapped open. A flash of light veiled the area for a moment, before several orbs of light floated towards. They came to Remi, Edrei, Ronin, Vervain, Archebold, Kalt, Desmond, Rexanna, Alistair, Vanya, Ashetta, and Celosia. Gleaming, the balls of light would enter into the Abandoned, Ascended and Attuned, while the Accepted would see their light materialize into a shape before them. Those who had said that they would indeed take the leap if asked, were given an additional gift. "Until the last leaf falls, those with the courage to tempt fate and leap at my bequest shall be able to do so with impunity..." Attreas, Devrum, and Bastien are all disqualified for failing to post! For the remainder of Leafchange (until Dec 31), Remi, Ronin, Archie, Desmond, Rex, Alistair, Vanya, Ashe, and Cel have all received a temporary ability! if they fall from any height, they will do so slowly, always landing on their feet and taking no damage. Your prizes are as follows: If you are an ascended your prize will be a custom body upgrade If you are an abandoned your prize will be a custom magic slot with magic OR an upgrade If you are an accepted your prize will be a custom magical item If you are an attuned your prize will be a new animal shape OR a regular companion Please post in the character records update section (aka: Character Account Updates to cash in your prize!) This concludes the Drop! Congratulations everyone! Feel free to post a reaction if you like.

Startled at the sight of Alistair 's arm around Rexanna of all people, Remi glanced towards Vai with a concerned look on his face. Twisting around, he spied Ashetta in the crowd, which of course made things all the more confusing. "Vai .. wha-" He began in a low whisper, before the creature began to move. As light emanated around them, Remi shielded his eyes with one hand (which had defensively grown claws in the process). Blinking slowly, Remi flinched as a ball of light hovered before him and then seemed to bleed into him. Tensing as if expecting something to happen, Remi felt a magical rush in his system that made his breath catch in his throat. Running a hand through his curls, the alchemist exhaled a shaky breath before turning a concerned glance towards Vai, who had seemingly suffered the same fate. "Are you alright?" remi At another place in time, you were infinitely mine

It seemed their interaction with the mysterious creature was at an end, leaving Kalt with more questions than answers. What especially caught his attention was that box hovering over the bridge. It opened to release little balls of light, and while he was probably a fool to embrace it without question... Well, foolishness could be fun. He maneuvered his way to the front of the group that had gathered, his crystalline eyes peering around the bridge, fingers rubbing his palms by his side, as he looked at the box which had shockingly remained where it was - floating. Throwing a smirk over his shoulder if anyone was looking, Kalt stepped onto the bridge and took hold of the box. A street rat thief at heart, a magical floaty box was like candy for him. Besides, he needed a new cigar box. kalt give into the night.

a s h e Ashe had half expected the figure to command them all to then jump off the bridge.. But no such thing happened. She stood firm, and her foot moved forward just slightly it took a step forward once more, toward them, and her heart raced. Would it prove to be malicious? Had it gathered them all for something terrible within that box so black it absorbed all light? Ashe narrowed her eyes, and she braced herself as those dark robes swirled and moved and dropped… nothing. She blinked at the box left behind, averted her gaze from the flash of light and then.. Orbs of light rushed at everyone, so many of the people gathered absorbing them - she saw it enter Remi, her mother, Kalt. She moved toward her family, her heart lurching. ”Mom? Remi?” Were they alright? But then she was halted by a light of her own. Ashe tilted her head as it slowly moved forward, and she gared suspiciously at it as it began to take the shape of… something. It came closer, and its shape, the eight long lines extending from a fuzzy looking little ball.. No way. No way. The assassin held out her palms, watching with unabashed wonder as a little spider just about the size of a kitten materialized. Ashe let out a huff of air, her eyes going wide as the spider let out a hiccup and nearly stumbled off of her small hands, and she quickly angled her palm to keep his balance. ”Hello,” she said quietly. It was so round, a ball of jet black fuzz more like, that she almost couldn’t distinguish it’s eyes and tiny fangs peeking out from it. The spider angled himself to peer up at her on his wobbly legs, letting out chitters that sounded closer to squeaks. A wine spider. She’d gotten a damn wine spider. A soft smile, what felt like her first smile in a long time, flickered across her lips. ”You’re like a lump of soot with legs,” she murmured, maneuvering the spider until he hung comfortably onto one hand. The other raised to stroke slender fingers over the soft hair that covered his body, and she nodded to herself. ”Soot.” Ashe lifted the newly named Soot to her shoulder, and something in her practically melted as it clumsily clambered up, hanging on carefully to her cloak and settling himself close. ”We’ll find you something good, yeah?” She was looking out at the bridge just in time to see Kalt looking over his shoulder with a smirk, and.. He took the box. Idiot. She narrowed her eyes at him, but it was a smirk of her own she was hiding as she lifted her hand to her shoulder and lightly touched Soot - the spider chittered gently and ended it with a soft hiccup.

ALISTAIR Well...well that wasn't necessarily exprcted...through all the theatrics and tricks, Alistair looked over the others and to Rexanna and cleared his throat. Leap of faith...he was already at the edge and opened his big trap for the sake of bravado. Glancing down over the bridge he realized then heights from that distance weren't necessarily his forte. But it was too late now wasn't it, foot already in mouth, Alistair couldn't very well look the fool now could he? He smirked, turned his head to look at Ronin Vervain Ashetta and back to Rexanna...anyone who knew Alistair knew this couldn't be something he'd follow through with. "Right then..." He muttered quietly as he began undressing, maintaining eye contact with Rex. "I'm a man of my word. After all, what's the point of having one life if you don't take chances to live it right?" Even if one of those chances were risking ending it. "You want to live forever?" He asked with a wink, motioning over the bridge before stealing a kiss, standing fully exposed, clothes bunched in his arms and leaping off of the bridge, placing his trust in the creature he wouldn't go splat. He wasn't sure if she'd follow...but if anyone listened hard enough they would hear the echoes of his laughter from down below.

Rex had no idea who all knew Alistair in this crowd. She also had no idea that his ex-wife was also there. All she knew, was that Alistair stood beside her, challenging her with his arm in his. She flashed him an amused grin, tilting her head slightly. “I might.” She replied back to him with a wink, replying to his word that if the creature made them jump he’d do so. Nude, of all things. Yet the creature began to move again, stepping forward and the creature was so quickly gone that Rex had blinked and missed it. Her brows furrowed together in confusion, when suddenly the box lid opened and orbs began to float out of it. She watched as some moved toward Remi, her heart lurching with the idea of him being punished again before more began to move toward her and Alistair. She paused to see it absorb into others, become other things entirely, and when it had reached her, the balls of light were nearly warm as it billowed and became one with her. She couldn’t marvel at it long before Alistair had gathered her attention again, her sapphire gaze snapping to him with a raised brow as he began to undress. “Alistair!” She chided, realizing the creature hadn’t made them jump and so it wasn’t that necessary he follow through. But he continued, undressing and bundling his clothes in his arms all while his dark eyes remained with hers. He spoke, and Rexanna wanted to laugh at the absurdity of his reasons. “You want to live forever?” He questioned her, winking, kissing her, then plummeting. Her eyes widened and air wooshed out of her chest as she moved to the side of the bone bridge, not even spending the time to look around at the others gathered to see if they had noticed. “Damn you, you idiot.” She hissed under her breath, peering into the fog to try and see a glimpse of him. When there was nothing, she shook her head, her heart beating a thunderous roar in her chest as she, too, stepped onto the side of the bridge. Pinching the bridge of her nose between her eyes, she counted to three rapidly and stepped off the bridge. She was a fool, but a fool who’d do anything to make sure those she cared for were okay. time stops still and lends you hope that hazy due, so black so blue wash away that fear, a cloud of smoke whatever lets you cope

Vervain heard her daughter’s voice but before she could turn to address her, the ball of light crept closer and closer and then, all at once, came rushing into her. She tingled all over and was filled with a deep warmth, one that eased the tension from her muscles and radiated out and through her fingertips. She didn’t know what it meant - hell, she didn’t know what any of this had been in aid of, but it didn’t seem to have caused her any damage. Blinking, Remi’s voice drew her back to the now, and she glanced across at him and smiled. ”Yes, I think so. No harm done as far as I can tell.” She nodded to him, turning her attention back to Ashe only to see her with what looked like one of the spiders from the Rathskeller. She laughed quietly and shook her head. ”Well, I wish I was surprised but I’m not. Soot, huh. He’s cute.” Glancing around to make sure the rest of her friends and family were okay, there didn’t seem much more to do than... well, go home and figure out what had ha— Oh, Alastair had jumped from the bridge. With a lady in tow. Well then. vervain I am always on your side

The creature’s words grated on Ronin in a way he really hadn’t expected, and as the light rushed out towards them he instinctively held Vanya a touch closer, in case it was meant to hurt them. In Ronin’s case, though, it merely hovered in front of him and he narrowed his eyes suspiciously, letting his lady go to face it properly. When it finally took shape, the ex-captain was faced with a sleek black glove that seemed made for him. Hesitantly he reached out to take it, slipping it onto his right hand and arching an eyebrow. When he clenched his hand into a fist, a set of ebony blades emerged from the knuckles, wicked sharp and with an odd sheen to them that Ronin wasn’t sure he liked. ”Oh,” he said. There wasn’t really much else to say. RONIN Darkness is a funny thing. It creeps up on you.