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.

Watch on YouTube

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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only | Expand All

From:

maskformask

Hey. That's okay. Who is he to you?

From:

reading_rainstorm

"He's one of my professors and my-"

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:

maskformask

[falls silent to watch the scene with protective concern]

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:

maskformask

Ohhh. That was cute.

[grimaces. Can he get away with not going. Yes, probably, but he won't do that. Tower time.]

From:

reading_rainstorm

You are in a darkened tile hallway, at the far end of it you see a stairwell leading upward, the light above, the only seeming bit of warmth in the memory. The youngest Stephanie you've seen so far, around seven or eight years old, sits in a chair outside a door labeled “Morgue”.

From:

maskformask

[crouches by her] Hey, sweetheart.

From:

reading_rainstorm

Child Steph looks at you weakly.

"Stay close to me."

The door opens and two men step out. One is Gene, Stephanie's father, he looks distraught. The other a uniformed police officer.

"I'm sorry for your loss sir."

"How am I supposed to...to take care of- (He says something but its static to you. You get the sense it's the child's name as they look up) "

"Dad...what's wrong..."

Gene is not able to look the Stephanie in her eye, he just breaks down sobbing. The door remains open. The officer continues consoling the Gene and little Stephanie slips past them into the morgue pulling you in tow. You recognize the woman on the viewing table beyond the window. It's Harmony.

You are back in the hall of fate. You still feel the warmth of little Steph's hand in yours.

From:

maskformask

[squeezes that sensation, like he could comfort her through time like that]

[quiet] I don't know what that grief is like first-hand, but I'm sorry you had to find it out yourself.

[lets out a little breath and then will head for the Emperor.]

From:

reading_rainstorm

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 another little Steph with shaggy brown hair dressed in dirty, threadbare clothing. She looks to be eleven years old.

From:

maskformask

Miserable way to be treated.

[sits heavily with her. Does she appear injured/the source of the blood?]

From:

reading_rainstorm

She's bruised and battered. Bleeding from her nose. She doesn't stop staring at the writing on the wall.

"It was. Four years. I learned more than they taught me."

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:

maskformask

[he realizes. Stephanie gets out, so they're not coming to kill her. But she gets out, which means...]

I wish you didn't have to see this.

From:

reading_rainstorm

"I wish you didn't either."

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:

maskformask

[shudders, shaking his head. Taking a moment to recover.]

[then heading to Lovers]

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, Louis. Sorry if this has really put you through the ringer. Should be relatively smooth sailing from here."

From:

maskformask

Hey, Steph. [comes over, smiling back at her] It's okay. None of this is mine to claim, I'm just squeamish about dead bodies and over-inclined to imagine how it would feel for someone who does have claim to it.

What're you working on?

From:

reading_rainstorm

It's an eagle. Nowhere near as good as the ones you've seen about this place. Around the base are little constellations.

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

From:

maskformask

I think... that we can sway luck, but we can never decide it for certain. I think it's a good idea to try, but if something still happens, that doesn't mean it doesn't work. Like getting a flu shot. Still worth getting the flu shot, but then it entirely depends on the strain. The flu shot's still doing its job either way.

But... if it were me, I'd like that someone I loved was doing that for me.

From:

reading_rainstorm

Stephanie cocks a curious eyebrow at you with a smile.

"A very measured answer."

The 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:

maskformask

Ughhh... you two are cute... I'm sorry it didn't work out...

[he says to the hall, but like, it's all Stephanie, isn't it?]

[Strength, then]

From:

reading_rainstorm

It's All Stephanie.

You are in a high-school hallway. Stephanie is taking things from her locker, you can see she's got a black eye that's on the mend. She flinches hearing you approach and whips around with a look of fear and anger, then she sighs.

"Ah, Louis...This is your grand finale before the real deal I guess."

From:

maskformask

[looks around a little curiously, because he was homeschooled to the end. Never went to high school.]

[grimaces] I think I see where this is going. I want... to interfere. Though I know there's no changing it. I can't undo things that have been done to you. I don't want to just act for my own satisfaction. But you deserve to have people who stand up for you.

From:

reading_rainstorm

Stephanie smiles and chuckles a little.

"What, this? I think you know I've been through worse. It wasn't fun, but-oh here they come, stage left."

Looking over your shoulder, Stephanie shuts the locker and a troupe of large high-school boys round the corner. They all get horrible grins on their face as they see her.

"Well well, if it ain't the grimy Grimoire. Don't you know it's dangerous for you to stay late."

Stephanie looks at you with a smirk and a wink. "You're gonna like what comes next." She turns her attention to the one that spoke to her. "Just going home, Zeb. Don't you have a girlfriend to cheat on?"

Zeb continues walking up to Stephanie. Getting right in her face. The are equal height. Stephanie doesn't seem to move in defense or care about his aggressive posture.

Suddenly, a hardback book whips right by your face, hitting Zeb right in the head. You hear Ava's voice call from the books origin.

"Leave her alone you douchebags! Jesus christ, everyone knows who gave her that black eye. You think the principal is gonna look the other way when a valedictorian gets a broken arm?"

Stephanie turns to see Ava, seemingly totally surprised by this. It dawns you...this came before the last memory. Stephanie doesn't even know Ava's name here.

Stephanie takes Ava's distraction to stomp on Zeb's foot and runs to Ava. She takes her yet to be girlfriend by the arm and runs around the corner.

You are back in the Hall of Fate.