reading_rainstorm | Stephanie's Heart: The Archive

In your dreams you are in a thick and foggy forest. It could be mistaken for the woods around Tributary if you don’t know your plants. You are on a trail leading into a clearing, in the center of which is a simple, concrete structure with a single door. A chaos star has been spray painted on it with a stencil.

You approach the structure. Looking over your shoulder you see a large shape lurking in the fog, obscured by the foliage. Two shining Feline eyes peer at you from the brush. You feel your heart rate spike as you turn the knob and find an old fashioned elevator tucked neatly inside with an accordion grate standing between you and the ornate, gilded interior. It creaks open as the presence behind you steps into the clearing. It is a sphinx, an eight foot tall lioness with the face of a woman and the large brown wings of an eagle on her back . The feminine face and olive skin tone of a Greek woman from antiquity smiles as she readies herself to to pounce, the wings on her back stretching and give a few readying flaps.You back into the elevator and close the gate with shaking hands as the sphinx leaps at the elevator. Her claws twisting and shearing the metal of the grate slowly, but she is too late. The elevator springs to life and you descend.

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A small light above flickers on as it illuminates your view outside the exposed elevator as you sink into the concrete structure. You descend for a few moments before an opening in the concrete gives you the view of an observation deck on a hill, looking down on the sprawling suburbs and campus of a college town. The elevator continues downward. The concrete gives way to old, dusty marble as you continue sinking. You see a vast maze stretch far and away that gets nearer and nearer. This has to be it, right? Your destination? No. You plunge further down, past the walls of the maze and the marble is replaced again by well polished wood. Beautiful stained mahogany rises past you as your descent finally starts to slow. You are greeted by another grate that creaks open for you. Entreating you to enter.

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From:

morel_support

[He lets himself in and closes the door behind him.]

Hey, Stephanie. Am I interrupting something?

From:

reading_rainstorm

Stephanie's head snaps to you. She still looks rather nervous.

"Heh. Funny you should pop up in this one. I'm about to-"

A man in business casual with a dark bushy beard streaked with white strides past you as if you aren't there at all.

"Stephanie! Sorry for running a bit late. Your e-mail said you needed to discuss your progress in the masters program?"

"Y-yeah, Dr. Sledge...I have been very stressed about it and I've been thinking...I think I need to drop out."

From:

morel_support

[Well, that's his cue to shut up and observe, he supposes. He steps back out of the way and watches quietly.]

From:

reading_rainstorm

Dr. Sledge frowns and there is a tense silence for a few moments. Stephanie sweats under his gaze but continues to stand tall.

"Is there any way I can convince you to stick with it Miss Spiros? You know the promise I see in your work."

"I-I know, Xav- Dr. Sledge, but I'm quite certain about this decisions."

"Is money the problem? I can help you find grants if-"

"No...not entirely. I...I have research that I feel I need to pursue that would not be accepted in the halls of academia."

Xavier sighs and gives Stephanie a sympathetic smile.

"Well. I certainly can't stop you. There was a time I was in your shoes. You aren't the type to make a decision like this without thinking. I only have one request, Stephanie."

"What's that?"

"Tell me how this research of yours goes. I know you are capable of incredible things."

Stephanie gets a wobbly little smile before she hugs her mentor, and you are deposited back into the hall of fate.

From:

morel_support

...I think your Dr. Sledge and my Professor Drugamy would have something to talk about.

[Is the High Priestess door unlocked, or will he need to check out the other doors first?]

From:

reading_rainstorm

High Priestess is still locked.

From:

morel_support

[Right, let's check the Emperor door then.]

From:

reading_rainstorm

You open the door and you are in a grey, cement room of decent size with nothing in it except for a beat up futon mattress. There is a large, heavy metal door that you know is locked. Sitting in front of a wall with “I WISH ENOCH’S PROMISE WAS DESTROYED” written in what is clearly drying blood is a child with shaggy brown hair dressed in dirty, threadbare clothing. They look to be eleven years old.

From:

morel_support

[Quietly, he goes over and sits on the floor next to the kid - presumably young Stephanie, even if she doesn't have that name yet.]

I'm gonna level with you, bud, I don't think these people deserve this card. I'm sorry you didn't get help sooner.

From:

reading_rainstorm

It is Stephanie. She looks to you weakly, leaning against you as she continues to stare at her writing on the wall.

"This is structure, authority, an evil man with the title 'Father'. "

You feel the time passing. Minutes, hours, days. Suddenly you can hear shouting coming from behind the door, not the door you entered but one that looks heavy and made of thick metal. A bell starts ringing, a raised alarm. Gunshots coming down the hallway.

From:

morel_support

[He wraps an arm around her.]

Claiming a title doesn't make him worthy of it.

[Arguing the point won't change what happened, though, so he just sits with her as the time passes and the noise rises outside the door.]

From:

reading_rainstorm

More gunshots. Louder and louder, ringing in your ear. Stephanie clings to you as she shudders in fear. The gunshots stop.

The door suddenly explodes inward. A man in SWAT gear leans around the doorway, checking the angles. He puts a finger to his ear.

"There's a kid in here, send medical down the east wing. He looks in rough shape."

You can see past the man, in the hallway Stephanie's father is on the ground. Shot dead.

You are in the Hall of Fates again.

From:

morel_support

[He holds her until help comes. He can do that much, at least.

Then he's back in the Hall of Fates, and he takes a deep breath, collecting himself, before turning to the Lovers door.]

From:

reading_rainstorm

A teenaged Stephanie is at a work bench carving something, a gentle smile on her face. She forgot to shave this morning.

She looks up from her work. "Oh hey, Much. Sorry if that last one was rough. This'll be a nice reprieve before your last door."

From:

morel_support

Don't worry about me, I'm just glad you got out of there.

[He walks over to get a better look at her carving.]

What'cha working on?

From:

reading_rainstorm

Stephanie offers the figure for you to look at.It's an eagle. Nowhere near as good as the ones you've seen about this place, not even the ones on the store shelves. Around the base are little constellations.

"What do you think? It's a luck charm...I think this one will work. We've been working on it all summer. You think she'll like it?"

From:

morel_support

Well, I don't know her, but I think it's lovely.

From:

reading_rainstorm

"Oh it's for-" before she can say more rhe door to the shed you're in creaks open a crack, and then bursts wide as a teenaged Ava rushes past you, seemingly not able to even notice your presence. She takes Stephanie into a hug and kisses her cheek.

"I got your text! Is it really done?" Ava looks at the carved Eagle in Stephanie's hand, she tears up a little, looking at it. "Steph...it's beautiful. Let's test it out!" Stephanie smiles and takes Ava's hand and you are standing in the Hall of Fate again.

From:

morel_support

[Aw, cute. Stephanie was right, this is a better note to move forward on.

Time to go try the High Priestess door again.]

From:

reading_rainstorm

Passing by the door to The Tower, you are able to enter the High Priestess door.

Behind it you see the main chamber of a temple. A black and white pillar suspend a floral patterned cloth behind a throne. On which, is Stephanie adorned with fine red and gold robes, headdress with a Chaos star like a halo behind her head. There is no trace of her usual cat features about her, but she has a golden gorget around her neck that is chained to a headless winged lion that sits at the foot of her throne. She looks up from the book in her lap. Smiling.

"Much! You made it!"

From:

morel_support

[Much grins, approaching the throne.]

Well, I did briefly consider disappearing into the stacks, never to be seen again...

From:

reading_rainstorm

She steps down from it, the winged lion follows behind on the chain.

"I wouldn't blame you! I know I've been tempted by libraries I've found in hearts before. I just hope it wouldn't have disappointed, only containing everything I know."

From:

morel_support

[He chuckles.] What, false modesty when you're dressed like that? Come on, Stephanie. Of course I wouldn't have been disappointed.

From:

reading_rainstorm

"I know it's gonna be hard to believe, but I did not pick the outfit. I guess my subconscious has more of a flair for the dramatic than I would have expected."