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.

Comments

[reading_rainstorm]

This is my heart. You got to the core of it. What's out there. That's like...my psyche. Sometimes the wild magic likes to crack us open to give people a look around.

[turntoash]

"Ah. That's a little distressing, if I'm being honest. And while I'm being honest, I should say I saw a bunch of stuff you were probably keeping under wraps."

Metis had the grace to look apologetic.

[reading_rainstorm]

Stephanie smiles gently at her.

"The stuff you saw...certainly isn't comfortable to look at. I'm sorry you had to see some of that stuff just to get to me, being honest. I just...have been keeping my distance from it all. I guess it built a bit of a wall around me. I don't mind you seeing it though. I don't keep secrets."

[turntoash]

"Can't say I blame you. It's rough. I'm sorry you had to deal with all of that."

Metis approached the throne. "I didn't know much about you. I still don't. The headless lion is throwing me. But... you shouldn't have had to live through all that."

[reading_rainstorm]

"Ah right, I haven't gotten to tell you yet.

I'm cursed. Turning into a sphinx."

She points at the lion.

"Winged lion"

She points at herself.

"With the face of a woman."

[turntoash]

Metis had never before heard of a sphinx, but based on the description understood well enough that it wouldn't be ideal to turn into one.

"Is there... is there any way to stop the curse?"

[reading_rainstorm]

"We are working on one, me and some of the other magic users back in Tributary...If you want the full story on it though..."

She seems reluctant to say it.

"The Death card. If you can find that, I can show you. Or just wait till tomorrow and I'll tell you about it."

[turntoash]

"Sure. I can do that." Metis looked back to the door. "Before I give it a go, is Death one of the remaining three I didn't look for?"

[reading_rainstorm]

"It is. Death, The Hermit and The Tower are the only ones you haven't found...Don't go looking for The Tower. I'll tell you about it tomorrow. Neither of us are going to want to go through that one."

[turntoash]

"Gotcha. I'll catch you later then."

Metis heads for the door, then looks back to Stephanie.

"I'll do whatever I can to help."

With that said, Metis made her way back out. Time to see what she missed the first time. She approached the front desk and rang the bell.

[reading_rainstorm]

"Thank you, Metis."

Back in the main hall you ring the bell and a bright cheery voice responds

“Just a moment please!”

There is a sound of papers being rustled and a drawer closing before a figure rounds the corner of the card catalog drawers.

It is a woman carved entirely from wood wearing a brightly colored paisley dress. She shares a striking resemblance to Stephanie. Her brows are thinner and her lips rest in an easy smile. She moves strangely, like she is at a lower framerate than a living person, like she is being animated by stop motion.

"Oh hello Metis. I see you got the Hall of Fate opened. That's such good news."

[turntoash]

"Glad to help." Was this Stephanie's mother? Either that or a sister, maybe, but she doubted that one. "By any chance, do you have a lead on a Death card?"

[reading_rainstorm]

"Oh I've been looking all over for that one, I can't seem to get hide nor hair of it. Gene seems to think it's in the Remembered Rooms for some reason, but he isn't the one who was always able to find his wallet, now is he?"

She laughs at her own little joke. It occurs to you when she says the name Gene that is Stephanie's father's name.

[turntoash]

"Right. I'll head back in that direction. Thanks for the pointer."

Metis cracked her knuckles and prepared to speedrun: second floor, Remembered Room, quick wave to Gene, cheerful blue door.

[reading_rainstorm]

ou are in a finished attic room. It is very warm here. There are fairy lights strung up and a tapestry of the tarot card “The High Priestess” hangs above the mattress on the floor that has it’s sheets neatly made. This whole place would seem incredibly clean and organized if there wasn't a stack of books and papers spread across the desk opposite the bed and a trash can that needed to be emptied two days ago overflowing with energy drink cans right beside it. Along the wall is a window with a bookcase beside it, chock full of books.

[turntoash]

That all seemed pretty on brand. The papers on the desk were first for her to rifle through - maybe she could figure out what Stephanie was working on.

[reading_rainstorm]

You see homework, an essay on the fall of the Roman empire is on her desk, half finished. There's a to do list: Homework, Carving, Sewing, doctor's appointment, date with Ava.

[turntoash]

That gave Metis a timeline for where this fit into the other memories. Anything interesting on the bookshelf? Or in the trash?

[reading_rainstorm]

The bookshelf is all fantasy, science fiction, horror and mystery novels. Wow, she really likes whoever this Steven King guy is. The trash is all used scratch paper for math homework and energy drink cans. As you rifle around you hear someone coming up the stairs. It's Stephanie stomping upward followed by...a different dad? She's sniffling a little.

"Stephy. Please, I know it's hard."

"Shut up! 'It's hard.' I saw enough of that jackass at the cult I don't want to go to his fucking trial."

"Stephanie...you're a key witness."

"Why...why do I have to be the one to do this..."

Her father gives her a hug.

"It's the right thing to do dear. Your testimony will make sure he can't hurt more people."

[turntoash]

Ah. There was the memory, right on schedule. Metis sat on the bed, out of the way, to let it play out.

[reading_rainstorm]

"I want something..."

Her dad laughs.

"For going to that trial, anything for you."

"...How about a cloak. Winter's coming."

"A cloak? Not a coat?"

"Cloaks are cool!"

The memory fades from view, a sense of comfort and happiness settles over the room.

[turntoash]

Metis smiled. She hadn't been expecting it to end happily. She stood at let herself out of the attic...

...whereupon she was hit with inspiration.

Whatever tarot knowledge had been imparted to her as part of the dream, she had a basic idea of what each of the cards meant. The Death card, contrary to her first thought, actually represented change and new beginnings.

The Death card would be in a memory that represented such. And Metis was trans enough to take a guess as to what that would be.

She opened the Sun House door.

[reading_rainstorm]

If you are familiar with the interior of Sun House you would immediately recognize this place as its shrine room. Someone is tucked comfortably into the four mattress high bed, loom, spinning wheel are all exactly where they ought to be. There's something else here as well though, one of the bookshelves from the reading room is along the wall and there's a chair from the reading room as well. Sitting in the chair is...Stephanie? No, another wooden reproduction of Stephanie sits reading a book, unlike the other wooden people you've seen so far this one isn't self animated though, she seems to be puppeted by a figure made of pitch black smoke eyes with large black pupils. The figure and the puppet look up at you at the same time. She speaks with a soft, whispery voice.

“Oh, hello. I wasn't expecting visitors...”

[turntoash]

"Hey." This had, admittedly, caught Metis by surprise - and her mind fired into gear trying to figure out why this scene was so different from the rest. She slouched towards the bookcase and chair, glancing along the spines of the books. "Sorry to drop in unannounced. Uh... how's it going?"

[reading_rainstorm]

It's the trick bookcase, you recognize quickly. All the books here are from Sun House, in fact.


"I'm well...You seem troubled... Is something wrong, Metis?"