Stephanie's Heart: The Archive

[reading_rainstorm]

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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[turntoash]

Metis fanned the cards in her hands, examining them. She decided on a course of action: though exploring more was tempting, it was also a violation of privacy.

Admittedly, something inside her suggested that this wasn't something she usually cared about, but this time it was a friend. She wasn't looking forward to explaining to Stephanie that she'd ended up in her soul and had seen some of her most emotional memories.

She also considered that this meant that she now knew more about Stephanie's past than her own.

Letting out a breath, Metis left the hall (after reshelving the book; she wasn't a monster) and went back to Ava. "Found 3 of them, now."

[reading_rainstorm]

Ava looks up from her book.

"Cool. That means the Hall of Fate is open, if you want to get to Steph. Just like...do her weird tarot thing or whatever."

[turntoash]

"Right, thanks. It's been a trip."

Metis knew for a fact that before this dream she had no idea what tarot was, let alone what Steph's 'weird tarot thing' was - and yet, in a corner of her head, the knowledge was there. She sat crosslegged on the floor and shuffled the cards facedown in her hands before revealing them one by one in front of her - one for the Past, one for the Present, and one for the Future.

[reading_rainstorm]

"You're doing it on the floor? We have a table for that in the main hall, you know?"

The cards as they reveal themselves to you are Emperor, Lovers, Strength.

[turntoash]

"Well, excuse me for trying to be efficient. This is supposed to open the Hall of Fate, is it? Because as far as I can tell I just dealt a hand and nothing happened."

Metis might have had a little less patience for Ava after seeing the scene in the hospital room.

[reading_rainstorm]

"Tch. No need to get snippy. It's probably unlocked after that little display, the big doors in the main hall. Can't miss 'em."

[turntoash]

"Great. Thanks." It was up to Ava whether that sounded genuine or not.

Either way, Metis left Ava behind (symbolism!) and marched back down to the main hall. She hadn't spent much time there yet, and she figured she'd at least see the sights after the Hall of Fate.

[reading_rainstorm]

The main hall remains as you left it. Books and papers stacked on tables. Shelves brimming with texts of all sorts. The Hall of Fate stands at its end. Now you see there are three sconces lit with lavender flame above it. On the table just beside it, three of six candles are lit with a similarly lavender flame around around a velvet cloth.

[turntoash]

Six cards, then. Lucky she was able to find half of them so quickly.

Metis steeled herself, placed the cards on the table beside the doors, and entered the Hall of Fate.

[reading_rainstorm]

The Hall of Fate looks to be be floored and papered entirely with pages upon pages upon pages of Stephanie's journals. Every inch of the place is covered with her hand writing. There are three stone doors along the walls of the corridor. Each bearing the image of the tarot cards Metis found. The Emperor, The Lovers and Strength. At the end of the hall is a final stone door. Emblazoned with the image of The High Priestess

[turntoash]

This was... well, not alarming, not after everything else that Metis had seen, but she didn't think of it as a good sign, certainly.

She'd never get anywhere trying to read all of the pages, Metis knew. And even odds the first three doors had more to do with the scenes she'd already seen. Plus, Ava had called Stephanie the High Priestess anyway...

Her mind made up, Metis made to open the final door.

[reading_rainstorm]

The High Priestess door is locked, and the door leaving the Hall of Fates has disappeared behind you. It seems you have sealed yours, for now.

[turntoash]

Of course. Nothing could be simple. She was getting tired of doors disappearing behind her. Metis looked to the ceiling and rolled her eyes. "Fine, I'll do it the long way!"

With that said, she made for the Emperor door instead.

[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 the child Stpehanie. They have shaggy brown hair and are dressed in dirty, threadbare clothing. They look to be eleven years old. They look up at you with a cold, empty look in their eyes.

"Hello, Metis. Thank you for returning my journal."

[turntoash]

"Oh... yeah, don't worry about it." There was a lot going on in this room for Metis to take in at once, but just as with last time, her attention is drawn first to the child. "Are you... okay, clearly you're not okay. But how can I help you? Even if it's just..."

She took her coat off and draped it across Stephanie's shoulders. No kid ever deserved to be cold.

[reading_rainstorm]

They wrap themselves in the cloak and smile weakly at you, nodding in thanks.

"All there is to do here...is wait."

Stephanie turns her gaze to the writing on the wall and 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.

[turntoash]

"What in the hell--?!" Metis knelt down on one leg, positioning herself between the child and the door. Her hands swept forward in a practiced motion and--

Nothing happened. When her mind caught up with her, Metis wondered why she'd done that.

At least she wouldn't have to wait long for everything to come to a head.

[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. Your coat has been put back on your shoulders, it still has child Stephanie's warmth on it.

[turntoash]

Metis remained kneeling as she processed what had just happened. She hadn't been shot dead, which was an immediate improvement over what she had assumed was going to happen mere moments ago. Stephanie's father hadn't been so lucky, and a small sense of regret over trying to rile him up earlier rose in her chest.

Gods above. She'd had to see her own father killed. Nobody should have had to go through that.

After a moment to catch her breath and brace herself for seeing Ava again, Metis entered the second door: the Lovers.

[reading_rainstorm]

No Ava yet, it seems. 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, it's you again. Sorry if that last one was rough. Should be relatively smooth sailing from here."

[turntoash]

"Oh." Metis blinked. "Uh, good to know. Sorry you had to live through that. Glad to see you're doing okay now."

She craned her head to see what Stephanie was carving.

[reading_rainstorm]

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?"

[turntoash]

Metis carefully didn't let her face show the maelstrom of thoughts that swarmed her head. "Honestly? I don't think she will, and that's her loss. Anyone who cares enough to carve a good luck charm by hand deserves someone good."

[reading_rainstorm]

Stephanie's face falls, saddened a little. 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.

[turntoash]

Metis looked at the ceiling. Not a good feeling, knowing what was going to happen and being unable to change it, even if it was in the past. Should she have lied?

A question with no answer, she supposed. She headed for the Strength door this time. Her hand hesitated above the handle - but then, ultimately, she stepped through.