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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[reading_rainstorm]

"That is usually my line, so I am intrigued."

[turntoash]

Metis pulled a cigarette from her pocket and lit it with the lighter she'd purloined from the backpack. "Need a smoke? No? Don't mind me, then. Been a long night so far. So what can you tell me about this curse?"

[reading_rainstorm]

"I can tell you Stephanie is a fool to try to resist it. I can tell you that they still haven't a clue what causes me to grow. I can tell you that it isn't a curse."

[turntoash]

Metis exhaled a slow stream of smoke. "Yeah, from your perspective I can see how it wouldn't be a curse. What the hell, I'm open to having my opinion changed. Hit me with your best shot - convince me."

[reading_rainstorm]

"Well consider the fact that Stephanie is only able to use her little sigils and trinkets to do magic. At the height of our power, as me we are able to use regular magic freely. None of this endles carving and drawing and crafting. What's more we are stronger, immortal, and can fly. We are far more equipped to defend what is ours than she is."

[turntoash]

"But what if she just doesn't want to be a sphinx? You're a separate entity from her, I take it? I expect having someone else in my head would be exhausting."

[reading_rainstorm]

"Do I look very separate to you? I bear her face as my own. Better I can say than that other one who likes to muck around in our head."

[turntoash]

"Mm... touchy subject. Okay, okay. Don't keep me in suspense - who's the other one in y'all's head? Sounds like it's getting crowded."

Another drag on her cigarette. The grin did not leave her face.

[reading_rainstorm]

"She is not always around. Always coming and going as she or Stephanie wants. That shadow girl, Rowan."

[turntoash]

"Really? You're worried about Rowan? Rowan's great."

Metis had met Rowan exactly once, but she was not about to say that out loud.

"I dunno, seems to me you might be a little upset about Stephanie having someone who loves her and cares about her."

She flicked some ash from her cigarette, then met the Sphinx's gaze.

"What's the matter? Worried that Stephanie won't listen to you if she's got loved ones to fall back on?"

[reading_rainstorm]

The sphinx growls she beats her wings and suddenly she is in the shack with Metis.

"You think that silly little spirit is a threat to me? I am inevitable. Even now Stephanie will pull on my power, in defense of her. She knows as is now she is not enough to stand up to those who would threaten what they have.

And yet they play nice. Act like the two of them are normal it's sickening. They aught to do away with the farce and embrace the monsters they know themselves to be."

[turntoash]

If Metis was intimidated by the presence in the shack with her, she didn't show it. She just took another drag, that infuriating smile never leaving her face.

"I don't think I ever said you thought Rowan was a threat, but it jumped straight to your lips, didn't it? That's interesting, don't you think? See, I'm thinking that despite all your bluster about how she should embrace you, how much she needs you..."

The light hit Metis just right to make her eyes gleam.

"She doesn't need you at all, does she? There's a way to get rid of you and you don't want her to do it."

[reading_rainstorm]

The sphinx stares at Metis. Sizing her up, then she smiles.

"You are trying to make me mad to get information. That's funny. You're fun. Why don't you start this little ritual we did way back when and I'll let you get on your way. I hope we get to talk topside~"

[turntoash]

"I'm sure we will. Whether that'll be something you enjoy is a question for the future."

Metis flicked her cigarette to the ground and ground it out, and then -

She ignored the sphinx.

Rummaging again through the supplies in the shack, she looked up how to do the ritual.

[reading_rainstorm]

As you touch the supplies the basic shape of the ritual starts to take shape in your head. Symbolically burnt contracts, sigils to weaken the membrane between this world and the fae's circles of silver and iron to keep the entity in place.

[turntoash]

Metis takes careful note of the steps flowing through her mind, and she works through them, slowly and deliberately. Magic was easy to mess up, after all, and even in a memory she didn't want to take that chance.

[reading_rainstorm]

Focusing on the memories steps, Metis will find herself painting the sigils with the red ink around the circle of stones, drawing a circle with the silver. Then sigils in black then the iron circle. Your hand holds the contracts in one hand and the lighter in the other.

[turntoash]

Metis flicked the lighter open and watched the dance of the flame. A lost memory bumped up at the edges of her consciousness. Something about fire...

Not eager to interrogate the unease that filled her gut at the moment, Metis set the contracts ablaze.

[reading_rainstorm]

The contracts light and their flame turns a soft lavender hue. The smoke from them swirls around Metis to form two figures that start to take shape and definition. Stephanie standing rigid and sweat beading at her brow and an inhumanly tall and mint green skinned woman standing in the ritual circles that speaks to her with a smug tone.

"That was wrong again mortal. What should I take from you this time? How about...your warmth."

"Fine it is yours. My turn...

Eight brilliant scholars take their chairs;
I pray you, please observe them.
A steward's seat looks down on theirs
That he might better serve them. "

"...A place setting? Shining cuttlery and a plate?"

"Wrong. It is a menorah. Eight candles that are lit by a center one placed above the rest."

"Fine take the last mortal as your prize. We continue."

"Actually, since I have beaten you thrice, and you only twice. That's game. Best of three."

"What? I never agreed to-"

"You didn't I was the one who set the terms of the game though, and it remains my right to. The game is done."

"If you think you have gotten away with this disgrace mortal-"

Stephanie takes out a balled up rag and tosses it at one of the sigils, smudging it and breaking the spell. The woman in the circle disappears. Stephanie collapses to her knees and shivers.

[turntoash]

Huh. Going toe to toe with an immortal - Metis knew Stephanie was made of tough stuff, but this hammered it home. She knelt next to Stephanie and put her coat over Stephanie's shoulders.

"Hey," Metis said quietly.

[reading_rainstorm]

The wispy Stephanie smiles at her.

"Thanks. I should have brought my cloak this night. Didn't make that mistake again, heheh. You got a prize too."

She nods to where the ash of the contracts had collected. The card Death sticks out from the pile.

[turntoash]

Metis snagged the card and stored it in her jacket.

"You gonna be all right? Anything you need? I know it's a memory but I still don't like it."

[reading_rainstorm]

"I'll be alright. You've seen where things go from here. I didn't even know Florence before this."

As you slip the card in your pocket, you realize that all that is left of the luck charm you picked up is ash. Must have helped you get lucky with that ritual.

[turntoash]

"Yeah... I know. Take care, Stephanie."

With the Death card in hand (in pocket?), Metis made the trek back to the throne.

[reading_rainstorm]

As you enter the Hall of Fate with Death in your pocket you see a new door in the hall. Death. You can still open the door to Stephanie, but you know whatever Stephanie wanted you to see is behind the door with the grim reaper carved in stone.