Confectionary Fun (C-rank mission)

[Kasimir Sewik]

Kaz helped Amie to his feet, and didn't fail to miss the other's wince of pain. So he offered himself as a crutch again. They needed to get out of here eventually, and hopefully their clue lead to civilization. A civilized civilization would be even better. Mainly because his hands were full with Amie, Kaz left the gingerbread house on the ground. Amie thought it was 'sinister', but Kaz wasn't completely sure of that. Strange, certainly, but most things that were dangerous tended to be more clear about being dangerous. Still, better to be safe than sorry, so Kaz agreed with Amie's caution for the most part.

Amie even offered to buy Kaz a gingerbread house, which made Kaz laugh a bit. “I'm not sure what I'd actually do with the thing, outside of eat it, so that's alright,” he dismissed. “Although, all this talk about pastry treats is making me hungry, maybe a bakery visit would be a nice change,” he sighed. They were out in the middle of nowhere, as far as he could tell, unless their last clue lead them to somewhere.

They took it slowly, walking together like this. Kaz had actually found the strange gingerbread house fairly close. So even at a slower pace, it only took a few minutes. “I think it was somewhere around here...” Kaz thought out loud, looking about. Of course, picking out the exact spot, in a place where most trees looked pretty similar, was going to be difficult. As he was looking around, something on the grass caught his eye.

It looked like... a chocolate chip cookie. Kaz stared at it, somewhat stunned... before realizing that another cookie was placed a bit farther, and yet another farther like that. It was literally a trail of cookies, seeming to lead towards a particular direction. “Maybe someone really is sprinkling treats from the sky...” Now even Kaz was suspicious. This seemed too much to just be a coincidence. “I'm... starting to have second thoughts. Maybe investigating isn't such a good idea, and we should head back the way we came.” If they really were being stalked, following their stalker would probably be a bad idea.

[Ambrose Wilder]

Sure, Amie was in pain, sure, he was probably hurting himself by walking around at all, but what other option did he have? Sit and moan about it for a while? No, he definitely wasn’t going to do that. He didn’t need to gather dust, and he didn’t think Kaz would agree to sit with him while he acted weak and helpless. Amie was a rough and tumble guy, and he liked to rush into danger, not sit quietly and heal. Sure, he would certainly be sitting and healing up when he got back to Lamia Scale, but for now, he had a nice shoulder to lean on.

“But isn’t eating it worth the price?” Amie asked, smiling. Even if he was in pain, he could rely on Kaz, and he could make him laugh. He never liked to dwell on the confusing feelings he had regarding Kaz, but he could still stay pretty happy in the younger man’s company. “Besides, if I even got you to laugh, it’d be worth me buying you a pile of sugary treats.” There was that charming friendliness most people saw. Teasing, and yet being serious. At least most people found it charming, he really didn’t know what Kaz thought of him or how he acted. He was usually too busy being thrown off, tipsy, or angrily injured to act like himself around the brunette. That was no way to be. Even if he was fairly stingy with his money, he definitely would have spent it to make Kaz happy. And to get out of these woods…

When they reached the right location Kaz started looking around. Amie could have walked on his own, but his pace would have been much slower, and more potentially harmful. No matter how good the bandaging was, it would only serve to hold the blood in, not keep him from bleeding if he strained himself. He did keep close to Kaz though, happy for the friendly company and the feeling of stability. He usually didn’t need it, but with his current state, it was pleasant. Spotting a cooking was less pleasant.

“… Do what?” They both realized it was a trail of cookies leading away from the area. “Were these here before?” he asked. That was seriously creepy. But it was a trail. And oh, oh Amie so felt his sinister senses tingling again. Kaz’s sinister senses seemed to finally have turned on, because he was having second thoughts. “Oh, come on! Its just starting to get good. I thought you wanted to see if this led us to civilization? It sure seems to be leading us somewhere… and besides,” he gave Kaz a smile, knowing how ironic this would sound with Amie’s injuries, “if anything bad happens. I promise to keep you safe.” It was nice to be able to tease, and not get caught up in all his worries.

[Kasimir Sewik]

Kaz was momentarily struck speechless. That had been a lot less subtle than Amie's last flirtatious remarks. This was also the first time Amie initiated it first, instead of responding to Kaz. Or. Maybe Amie didn't realize he was flirting... No, that seemed unlikely. "You treated me last time," Kaz managed to find his voice. "And here I thought I laughed easily around you as it is. One of the nice things about traveling is trying out all the different foods. You might want to be careful what you offer, in case I decide to take you up on it," he chuckled. Amie's somewhat out of place comments helped lighten the original tension Kaz felt. The forest was starting to feel creepy, especially with strange pastries appearing from nowhere. Yet being so close to Amie, even though Kaz was mainly supporting him so he could walk... made him feel a lot safer somehow, instead of more vulnerable.

But that cookie trail... that was more unsettling. Somehow Amie's and Kaz's roles had reversed. Now Kaz was the one having second thoughts, while Amie wanted to pursue trouble. Kaz was interested in finding out what this was all about... but if it turned out to be some mystery stalker... Kaz would rather stay away. Ominous or benign, a mystery stalker who baked treats just seemed downright creepy. "This definitely wasn't there before," Kaz insisted. Certainly he would have noticed a trail of cookies by the gingerbread house. Which meant... this trail had been made recently; in a matter of minutes. Did they know that Kaz and Amie would head back to this location? Kaz didn't want to think about it.

"Hey, I thought we just had a conversation about me not being a damsel in distress," Kaz grinned wryly when the injured Amie promised to keep him safe. Although honestly, the comment had him a little worried. Amie had just gotten out of a bad fight... he couldn't afford another close encounter. Kaz lacked confidence in himself, at least when facing an unknown enemy. He would have to be extra careful, for Amie's sake. If Kaz messed up when he was alone... he was the only one who got hurt. But Amie was here now, which meant double the odds, both for winning and losing. "Fine, we'll check it out," Kaz sighed, hoping he wouldn't regret the decision. Still staying close to Amie and matching his pace, Kaz began following the trail of cookies.

It did indeed seem to be a trail, clearly leading in a particular direction. The woods around them became denser instead of lighter, and Kaz seriously doubted they were headed towards civilization. Abruptly the trees thinned, and in the clearing... was a small cottage. But just from appearance alone, the cottage was clearly abnormal. It looked like... a gingerbread house. The resemblance to the smaller version he'd found was uncanny, and Kaz wish he had the original gingerbread house to check and see if they were identical. But at first glance, the life-sized cottage appeared to be made of confectionaries. The trail had apparently ended, no more cookies visible. The cottage 'door' was closed, so it didn't seem like anyone was out there waiting for them. But certainly the trail had led them here...

[Ambrose Wilder]

Amie was accused of flirting more often than he understood. He learned to tone himself down in the company of women who wanted him to flirt with them. Often times women were capable of hanging out with him and knowing he just didn’t see himself as flirtatious. Those were his friends, or just friendly women. He never got that friendly with men. Maybe it was because some part of him realized there might be some truth to the accusations. Even if he wasn’t trying to do that right now, he might have to admit he probably was. Although he might twitch a little at being informed of the fact. He chuckled as well when Kaz said he laughed more around him, “I don’t offer things I’m not fully prepared to own up to later. Besides, sweets and you around, not seeing the downside there.” It was possible that part of his lighthearted behavior was to ease his worries. To distract from the stress of the day, the injuries, and the general odd atmosphere. Also from the knowledge Kaz would run off again sometime soon. What did it matter? He was having fun and they were investigating phantom sweets.

Yes, when Kaz said the cookies hadn’t been there, it was a bit creepy. Amie had this very laid back way of dealing with situations. He could be laughing between punching someone into unconsciousness, or making jokes while taking blows himself. It wasn’t as if it distracted him, it was just how he functioned. Within that general atmosphere he had an amount of seriousness within him. It didn’t manifest noticeably, but if it came to protecting someone, or defending himself, Amie was at the very least paying more attention than he let on.

The non-damsel reminded Amie of his position, and Amie just laughed, “I know, sorry. Just my natural response I guess.” At least Kaz didn’t continue arguing. They were heading that direction, and Amie assured himself that they would be fine. They were wizards, what could really go that wrong? Ignore all the events from earlier in the day, shhh, those didn’t count.

As they walked Amie almost wanted to hum to himself. He probably would have had it not been for Kaz. He probably wouldn’t appreciate some odd silence filling noises just to entertain Amie, right in his ear. The idea to hum vanished as did the trees. It was almost as excluded as his old home had been, and he knew people living like this did it for a reason. Except his family wouldn’t have lured people there, which definitely got his brow furrowed as he looked around, taking it all a bit more seriously. “The recluses I’ve known didn’t exactly send out cookie invitations… I hope they’re at least pleasant…” he said quietly. He forced himself to stand up a bit more, separating himself from Kaz enough so that he would have to walk on his own. He didn’t want to look like he was injured around strangers he could easily wish them harm. Amie looked around suspiciously, examining every detail of the house, and the surrounding trees, to see if he could spot anyone watching them. Approaching the house really wasn’t his first inclination.

[Kasimir Sewik]

Kaz laughed again as Amie continued to flirt. Kaz wondered if this didn't seem childish, being offered candy at his age. Or too effeminate. Oh whatever, everyone liked candy, girls and guys alike. Kaz would take the candy if that's what Amie would offer. "Come on, you're going to make me blush at this rate," Kaz teased back. It was partially true though - he wasn't used to someone speaking to him like that. Inevitably, though, Kaz forced his attention back to their task at hand. Kaz let Amie separate, not insisting that the other be careful. Kaz understood. If this was an enemy, they didn't want to show any obvious weakness.

A strange confectionary house was before them. That warranted cautiousness. Kaz also looked around the area, searching for anything out of place. Honestly, without Amie, Kaz wouldn't have done much more than a preliminary check before knocking on the door. The strange trail and destination made him nervous; and when he was nervous, he wanted to get whatever trouble there was out of the way. Kaz couldn't find anything out of the ordinary... except for the house, of course. There was a window close to ground level, but when Kaz tried to peer through it, it was like the glass was tinted or something... he couldn't make out anything. He retreated again quickly, trying not to stare, just in case the occupants could see him even though he couldn't see inside.

When Kaz returned back to where he and Amie had first entered... something caught Kaz's eye. "?" Looking closer, he saw a crow pecking at the last cookie that had led them to the location. It gobbled up the cookie with voracious appetite. When Kaz came closer, the bird panicked and flew quickly away. Just the faintest of crumbs were left on the grass. Looking back... Kaz couldn't see any more cookies. The trail had disappeared as quickly as it came. He hoped the bird was just a coincidence, and nothing he needed to worry about. He was really starting to feel paranoid now.

"Hey, Amie," Kaz turned to his friend. Kaz's brow was furrowed; he clearly wasn't happy with their current situation. "Maybe we should split up? I'll try knocking on the door and see if anyone answers. Assuming I'm not attacked or anything, I'll see what happens. You can stay here, make sure we're not being watched, or catch anyone else trying to sneak up," he suggested. That was all partially true. But Kaz was also worried if another fight did indeed break out... Amie was far from recovered. Kaz would rather have him stay out of it, and staying behind was likely safer than going inside. Plus... Kaz had a sinking feeling that whoever the stalker was, was after him and not Amie. Kaz had been the one to find the original gingerbread house.... and the cookies where he'd been exploring. There was a chance that the baker had yet to even know about Amie's presence.

[Ambrose Wilder]

Flirting. On purpose? Not Amie. Well, he couldn’t exactly deny it right now, but it wasn’t like he was doing too much. It was more like he was nervous about the situation. No, he wasn’t. He was concerned about the current situation. Kaz made him more nervous than weird confectionary houses in the woods, and that was saying something. A lot of things got Amie’s head a little buzzed, but Kaz did it in ways Amie usually tried to ignore. He laughed lightly at the comment that he would make Kaz blush, “I wouldn’t mind that.” Making Kaz blush, if he didn’t run away, sounded like something Amie really wouldn’t complain about. Still, they had to separate, and now they were standing in front of the house.

Sticking around was not what Amie considered a great plan, no, but he didn’t want to rush. Wait, what? Yes he did. What was he, becoming Kade? Plans were all well and good, but he did love just jumping into trouble. Wasn’t that how he and Kaz had met? That had worked out quite well. He looked around and saw the bird and the cookies. Oh, that wasn’t good. Sure, he could follow the general direction, and they would be no less lost… but… it was just unnatural. He didn’t like it. He kept an eye on Kaz, unwilling to let his own distraction endanger his friend.

The idea of splitting up seemed bad. “I don’t like it…” Amie mumbled. He wasn’t arguing, but he wasn’t happy. “You’re not going in there alone if you do. Got that?” Amie said. He knew Kaz didn’t like being babied or told what to do. He’d gotten hat impression on the job they did together, but he was not letting Kaz go into this house alone. Just not an option. He would tear his wound open in a second before he would hesitate and let Kaz go into danger alone. Still, he looked around, keeping watch as he’d been asked.

[Kasimir Sewik]

Of course Amie didn't mind making Kaz blush. Kaz was beginning to suspect that Amie had been trying to do that in the first place. The other seemed certainly comfortable in taking Kaz out of his own comfort zone. But, they had other things to worry about right now, like strange candy houses... Kaz crossed his arms as he waited for Amie's response. He could see the hesitation written all over Amie's face. True, walking up and knocking on the door of a potential trap could be a bad idea... but they said they were going to investigate. Kaz couldn't think of another option, outside of just leaving, which could also prove dangerous considering how far they were now... Hopefully someone wasn't watching at this very second.

"Well, unless you got a better idea, I'm not sure what else we can do," Kaz shrugged. "Except for turning back, of course..." He seriously doubted Amie would get cold feet now. Kaz was a little curious too, but not enough to run completely headfirst into danger. "But I got it," he grinned before Amie could think he was protesting. "Now find a good spot to watch my back." He waited for Amie to 'disappear', trusting his judgement for an appropriate hiding place. If nothing else, they would have some preparation before an attack.

When everything was set, Kaz approached the confectionary door. He waited a moment after approaching, as if to will something to happen. Nothing did. Taking a deep breath, Kaz knocked on the door. The sound was a bit muted, obviously not quite as clear-sounding as a wooden door. A few silent seconds ticked by. Kaz was starting to wonder what he'd do if no one answered... when the door opened. At first he thought no one was there. But then... he realized he had to direct his gaze down. A young girl had opened the door halfway.

Kaz had been trying to steel himself for many things. An old lady, some mysterious wizard, a murderous old lumberjack, or... something, he didn't know exactly what. But a child was not one of them. She stared up at him, with seemingly innocent eyes, as if asking silently what Kaz was doing here.... before settling on the large sword blatantly attached to his back. Suddenly he felt like the villain instead of the victim. "Hi," Kaz said, not really knowing how to start or handle the situation. "Um, w... I was in the area, funny story that, is uh... your Mom around?" Kaz had almost slipped said 'we', but remembered to change it at the last second. If he could just speak to someone... older, this wouldn't be much of a problem. He wasn't much good at handling kids.

"My stepmom hasn't been home for a while now," the girl shook her head.

"Oh, uh... W-well you see, this is gonna sound strange, but I found this trail of cookies that lead straight here," Kaz continued. Well maybe that wouldn't sound strange, considering the house looked like it was a pastry itself.

"When I go outside, I leave a trail so I can find my way back home," the girl said. "It helps so I don't get lost! It's been a while since anyone visited... since you came all the way here already, mister, won't you stay a little longer? I'm real good at baking!" She said happily. But Kaz was somewhat at a loss. He'd promised Amie he wouldn't go in alone... but he'd hate to disappoint a little girl...

[Ambrose Wilder]

Since Kaz was a guy who actually ended up ditching Amie at their first interaction, and walking off at a minor problem… nope, Amie didn’t mind making Kaz blush. It let him know Kaz was at least a little fond of him. He knew they got along, but Kaz was a confusing guy. He insisted on Amie hiding, and Amie wanted to cross his arms and pout. Unfortunately he was actually a bit more mature than that. Ugh. His jaw set as he walked without a limp. Man that hurt. He moved back around to hide behind a tree. Everything just felt eerie. Uncomfortably eerie.

Kaz knocked on the door and Amie tried to get a look around. He was far enough away he couldn’t hear them talking. It was annoying. He should work on a spell to improve his senses. That suited his magic, right? Sometimes his body magic was a bit limited. It wasn’t like he could snipe anyone with his magic, or blow things up. Hm, that would be a cool spell, exploding punch. Well, none of this was helping Kaz, and from Amie’s vantage point he could finally see a little girl. A girl? No, Amie didn’t trust children. He looked around, his jaw still set. He had too much experience with decoys.

Don’t you dare go in that house Kaz. This has to be a trap. Nothing is this convenient. Amie wished Kaz hadn’t told him to hide, he wanted to know what they were talking about. He couldn’t see anything suspicious, or more suspicious than the house and the girl, so maybe he should actually head back over there… it would be slow though, with his stupid leg.

[Kasimir Sewik]

It took all of Kaz's willpower to not look back towards Amie. He wanted a second opinion. But as it was, he couldn't go back on his word. "I couldn't possibly impose," he told the girl. Her face looked visibly crestfallen. "I've got people waiting for me, so I can't stick around. I'm sorry."

"Okay....." She sighed, giving up, but clearly unhappy about it. "If you find yourself around here again, please stay longer next time, mister."

Kaz nodded, not really intending to come back anytime soon. He turned to head back to Amie, while the girl closed the door. When he reached the edge of the clearing, Kaz turned halfway to look back a the house - the door was still closed, the girl no longer visible, and seemed normal... outside of the being made of sweets part.

He was back at Amie's side as soon as he confirmed that he wasn't being watched... at least, not from what he could discern. "There was just a little girl there," he told Amie, in case the other hadn't seen past him. "She also said she was using those cookies as some kind of trail in case she got lost, to lead back to this house. Maybe we were just being paranoid?" He rubbed the back of his head. But his gaze softened a little on seeing Amie's condition. "Amie... I don't think we're going to find anyone else before nightfall. Should I go back and ask her to let us stay? I'm kind of limited as far as camping supplies go, and your leg must be hurting after all the walking we did." The strange pastry house was a little unnerving, but Kaz was starting to think they had bigger issues to worry about.

[Ambrose Wilder]

While Amie was busy anxiously watching his friend, he finally noticed the interaction ending. Good. He started to feel like alarms were sounding in his head. He could be wrong. He’d been attacked earlier today after being led into a trap, maybe he was just freaking out because of that. Maybe it was making him nostalgic and he didn’t realize not all innocent creatures were just a disguise for something more sinister. Either way, he cared about Kaz, and he didn’t wish bad things on him.

“Hey,” Amie said with a small nod, reliefed that the man wasn’t out there alone while Amie couldn’t reach him. Yes, he was a competent wizard, but it just made Amie anxious. A little girl, “Yeah, I noticed that… I don’t know, it just… if we’re paranoid, I’m more paranoid than I can ever remember being, and…. I’ve been pretty paranoid.” He paused, “Okay, I was more paranoid when I thought every person in the city was going to shank me, but… that was years ago.”

Kaz’s next comment made Amie worry. They did need to stay somewhere for the night. He could keep hobbling around all night, but he preferred not to have to do something that frustrating. “[bWell…[/b]” Kaz asking the girl if they could stay made Amie’s expression turn more serious again. He really wasn’t sure about this. Nothing said it was bad, except his entire life, “Look just… when I was a kid I was a pretty good decoy, because I looked innocent and helpless… to lure people into traps…” he looked around, not wanting to tell even this much of the story, but hoping it would explain how he was acting, “it might be fine, its just I don’t trust things that look this innocent. If you want to go back there, we can do that, just don’t let your guard down. Okay?” he hoped Kaz would at least understand, without finding it too crazy.

[Kasimir Sewik]

Kaz was relieved that Amie had remained unharmed. It would have been the worst possible result if something happened to him, while Kaz was busy dealing with the house's owner. Patiently Kaz listened. The hesitation was laced all throughout Amie's voice, and even made Kaz have second guesses about his second guess. There was something more raw about Amie's response than Kaz had expected, now he was talking about snippets of his past. From how their last conversation had gone, Kaz wouldn't be asking for any more details, even his lazy out-loud thoughts that weren't supposed to amount to anything. It was hard to imagine Amie acting as a decoy, even as a kid. But it certainly wasn't a scheme that a child would come up with themselves.

"I mean... what's she going to do, try and rob us?" Kaz rationalized, as much for his sake as for Amie's. "This place is too out of the way for that. And I seriously doubt she was with the guys who attacked you earlier. But... we'll be careful, and leave first thing tomorrow," he promised. Resisting the urge to help Amie, he instead matched his pace. If Amie pushed himself too much, the injury could become much more severe. Kaz wouldn't let him get a permanent injury due to carelessness.

Making it to the door again, Kaz rapped on it twice. They barely had to wait more than three seconds before it opened... it was as if the girl had been waiting there. Indeed, the same one from earlier was looking at the two with wide eyes. "Back so soon? Did you get lost?" She wondered, her eyes darting to Amie as she realized Kaz was not alone. "Ooh, you went to get your friend?"

"Y-yeah," Kaz managed to grin despite his nervousness. "Actually, since it's getting late out... if it's not too much trouble... We'd like to spend the night here, avoid the uh, monsters..." ...and bandits... "You don't need to feed us or anything, we can leave first thing tomorrow, uh..." He trailed off, realizing the girl was staring up and positively beaming.

"You will stay after all?! Then you really have to try out some of my baking! Oh please come in!" She swung open the door wider. Inside was what looked like to be a normal house, outside of everything being made of candy - at the very least, Kaz couldn't sense anything strange about the magic. "My name is Eleanor Bane," she grinned. "Pleased to meet you! And it's no trouble, please come in, come in~" She practically sang.

[Ambrose Wilder]

Yeah, Amie didn’t really want to start spilling old family secrets, but it seemed like a subject he should touch on. At least when a friend he really liked was making him this nervous. Not nervous how Kaz was apt to do day to day, but nervous in that he set off Amie’s “abort, abort, trap” senses. He hadn’t been worried about getting jumped while Kaz went to talk to a kid, but now that he was back, Amie was worried that he didn’t know what was happening. He was worried that he hadn’t learned anything in his whole life that was going to prevent something weird and bad from happening. Maybe he was paranoid. He was paranoid, beneath all those smiles. He enjoyed life, but he had to be paranoid, it kept him alive this long.

Amie listened as Kazz asked if she was going to rob them. Or more reasoned that she probably wasn’t, “Who knows. Maybe her parents will. Maybe someone kidnapped her and raised her to be a little decoy…” Okay, that sounded creepy. Not even his parents had done that, “Nevermind, that’s weird…” he said, recounting that last statement. He’d agreed to go along with what Kaz wanted, and that was what they were going. They walked, slowly, back to the door. Amie felt like a liability, and had he not been so serious about this matter, he would have been busy swearing at himself for getting injured in such a way. He did not need to be a liability, and if a fight broke out, he would do what he always did. Completely disregard his injury beyond the blinding pain it might be causing.

Kaz knocked on the door, and it opened uncomfortable quick. Was it awkward that Amie didn’t trust innocent little children alone in the woods? Well he didn’t. She happily inquired about Kaz, and mentioning his friend, Amie. Amie put on a more subdued look, appearing somewhat friendly, but not exactly thrilled. He didn’t want to paste a fake smile on his face, but he was pretty sure he could if he’d tried. Kaz was grinning at least.

They had a brief conversation, where Amie was notably silent, and then the pair walked inside. It was like a sugary replica of a real home. Or what Amie had learned real homes looked like. He forced his shoulders to relax, as the girl beamingly introduced herself. “Eleanor Bane…. That’s a nice name,” Amie said, his tone friendly, “I’m Ambrose, nice to meet you.” He looked around, not sure if he should actually sit on candy… “Who do you live here with?”

[Kasimir Sewik]

Kaz had only faltered when Amie mentioned parents raising the girl to be some decoy. That sounded unusually dark. Given Amie's past experience, Kaz didn't blame him. But he was a little worried about what was going on in Amie's imagination. This was going to be an uncomfortable ride no matter how they approached it, even supposing they ignored the house and just traipsed through the woods. At least when the girl answered and introduced herself, Amie could act civil, despite his misgivings. Kaz's smile was more along the 'I don't know what to do, so I'm going to grin like an idiot' mentality. On most people it didn't work so well, but children seemed less acute to these kind of things, so he hoped he could get away with it.

"And I'm Kasimir," Kaz introduced himself, not missing that Amie had used his full name as well. He recalled that they had a conversation about names back when they first met - nicknames were for friends. This girl, they didn't know her yet. Even by Kaz's senses, things were a bit off - enough that he'd be using his full name around her. Even if they slipped and called each other 'Kaz' or 'Amie', it wouldn't be that bad. They were obviously derived from their fuller names. It was more the principle of giving out the shorter version than anything else.

"Thanks!" Eleanor beamed when Amie complimented her name. She stopped in the family room, which seemed to be the center of the house. Like Amie had noted, the house seemed almost a carbon copy of what a house 'should' be, with a few simple rooms, albeit everything was made of candy. The staircase looked like wafers, stools of lollipops, the wall gingerbread, among others. Absentmindedly Kaz thought that the house smelled and looked really, really tasty. Not that he was about to chomp on the owner's furniture. "I live here by myself," Eleanor answered Amie, seemingly proud of that fact. "My stepmother used to be here too, but she left a long time ago. So now it's just me."

While the two talked, Kaz walked around the family room to look around. Tentatively, Kaz touched the staircase railing, which was made of candy canes. Although it looked like candy, it left no sugary residue on his hand. Was it even real candy? Kaz pushed on it a little harder...

“So your names are Kasimir and Ambrose?” Eleanor asked curiously. “Don't you have last names?” While she was talking, Kaz had accidentally pushed too hard on the candy cane railing. The bar he was messing around with snapped, the noise thankfully very quiet since it had been while Eleanor was talking. But the horror of what he'd done was still pretty painful on Kaz's face.

Hastily he hid the bar behind his back, standing right in front of it so that it wouldn't be visible to Eleanor. And not a second too soon, because her head was turning to face him. “No, um... not exactly,” Kaz looked to Amie for help. Silently begging him to take control of the conversation and give him time to put back what he'd just broke. That and the question was a hard one to skirt around - he didn't have a last name, not exactly. Eleanor had asked innocently enough, but it would be easier to track them with last names, and outright refusing seemed a little suspicious.

[Ambrose Wilder]

Did it sound unusually dark? Well, Ambrose’ past was unusually dark. It was downright shady. Still, it colored his perceptions enough that they were helpful at times. Would it help that he was paranoid of a little girl? Probably not. But would it hurt? He didn’t think so. Kaz was grinning like he had no idea what to say, but this Eleanor creature seemed to like it. Did Amie like children? Sure. Did he really want to deal with this one? No, but he could play along.

The use of their formal names seemed strange. For Amie he had a special association with his name. Kasimir… well he didn’t know about that one. Ambrose was a name his parents would have liked him to go by, but they always lapsed into the casual. They were high class, maybe, but they weren’t stuffy. That was something Percy liked to express. Names were a touchy subject for someone whose family as infamous. The strange child went ahead and said that she lived here by herself. “That’s quite a feat for someone your age,” Amie noted with what sounded like respect. He was still anxious. Why would she be here all alone? A long time ago? “And how do you get food for yourself?” That was a better question. Even when he had been on his own, he had been around people. He could just find food. What could she do here? Hunt? He didn’t see that as likely.

Amie was engaging the child while Kaz was… breaking things? He almost twitched at the sight of that, but recovered into a much more lax expression. Why did she need their last names? It was suspicious. Okay, so she could breathe and he would have found it suspicious. It had to be a child, didn’t it? “Wilder. Ambrose Wilder,” he said. He hadn’t even told Kaz his last name. He hadn’t told many people, but if she was just some child in the woods, it didn’t matter. She had no reason to know about him. He doubted her step-mother would have told her about some old criminals. Kaz had said he didn’t exactly have a last name. That was weird, but Amie was trying to draw her attention away while Kaz fixed what he broke. “Doesn’t it get quiet in the woods alone?” He still wasn’t sure he believed that part, but oh well, he needed to keep her attention on him.

[Kasimir Sewik]

Eleanor was sufficiently distracted with Amie to keep her occupied. Enough that Kaz was fairly certain she had yet to realize his blunder. "You have a pretty name, too. It sounds like a flower," she smiled happily at Amie. Maybe it wasn't quite the right compliment, but it seemed like she was trying. Kaz might have given out his last 'name' too in other circumstances, since it seemed unfair that he now knew Amie's but not the other way around. However, right now he was focusing on getting the candy cane back in place.

"It can get very quiet and lonely out here..." Eleanor even looked sad at the thought. "But, I'm glad when I can have guests! Please stay for a long time, mister!" She immediately cheered up, grinning widely again. At long last, Kaz had managed to find the perfect niche for the candy cane railing. It was balanced as if it was never broken, although if someone were to touch it, it would fall again. At least upon first appearance, however, it seemed perfectly stable. Kaz put his hands in his pockets and casually moved a little closer to the two.

"Food always has a way of just showing up here, so I don't have to worry about that," Eleanor answered Amie's earlier question.

"...What do you mean by that?" Kaz asked suspiciously. Eleanor had sounded innocent, but that was a strange way to put it.

"I mean, do you want anything to eat?" Eleanor looked back curiously at Kaz. "Maybe some cake or pie or something like that, I'm not much good at anything except baking."

[Ambrose Wilder]

Amie enjoyed being a distraction most of the time. Not because he was asked to be, but because how he acted could be distracting and that was fun. He chuckled when the girl said his name sounded like a flower. He didn’t trust any of this, but her compliment amused him all the same. “I don’t know of any flowers with that name. My parents wanted to give us kids fancy sounding names, so that we could be… respected or something. Social standing was very important,” he shrugged. She just didn’t make him worry about giving this information.

Amie would have liked to know more about Kaz, including his last name, but he didn’t think now was the time. For a long time… the girl wanted them to stay for a long time. “Well, we have to be out in the morning. I’ve got to get home and all, but we have tonight to visit.” He wanted to appease her, but also make very clear they were leaving. After all, it was Kaz being protective that kept them there even for the night.

Apparently Kaz no longer needed a distraction, so he headed over. Food also just showed up. Little girl who lived alone, lonely, in the woods. Food just showed up. Amie arched an eyebrow. That sounded like the sort of impossible answer he would have given as a child. His family just found money laying around, or something. It just didn’t add up. When Kaz asked about his she absolutely didn’t answer, instead asking if they wanted anything to eat. “I’m good right now,” Amie said slowly. Yeah, he was seriously hungry, but he didn’t want to just take food with that kind of answer. Paranoia was his friend. It kept him alive. He was injured because he’d trusted a seemingly innocent person. So he settled for paranoia. “Are the chairs safe to sit on?” he asked cautiously. His leg did still hurt.

[Kasimir Sewik]

Eleanor placed a finger to her chin, as if thinking about what Ambrose had said. "Hmm, it does sound like a fancy flower," she somehow combined what Amie had said earlier with her own interpretation. Her face turned into a clear pout when Amie mentioned not staying. "Do you have to? Can't you stay at least more than one day?" She begged.

Kaz would have asked for something ridiculous for food as a joke. But maybe that wasn't a good idea, in case she took it personally. Or if food really did show up from nowhere. If his ridiculous order actually came true, that might be bad. And then he'd be obligated to eat it. Magical food probably wasn't healthy. "We can't stay forever, Eleanor. But I'm sure it'll be fun while we're here, right?"

She nodded hesitantly, not arguing any further. Although she still didn't look completely happy, maybe she was trying to hold onto their words. "Okay... But I hope you change your mind later..." Although she cast Amie a confused glance when he mentioned the chairs. "Is there such a thing as dangerous chairs?" She gasped abruptly, seeming to realize something. "Oh! I need to get the rooms upstairs ready. Wait here!" She dashed up the stairs.

Kaz tensed as her hand was dangerously close to the broken railing, but she missed it and so the secret wasn't revealed yet. His stomach growled; thank goodness Eleanor wasn't there to hear. "I should've eaten that gingerbread house after all..." It was going to be a long night without food. Normally he kept a little with him, but he hadn't planned on getting lost in Worth Woodsea. "We should really change your bandages before we sleep, too. Should I ask her for some water and towels?" They still had more bandages, but had never really properly cleaned Amie's wounds. "I don't think hiding it at this point is really worth it."

[Ambrose Wilder]

Amie continued to find Eleanor’s fascination with his name amusing. She was a sweet girl on the surface, so for that he could appreciate it. She pouted at them and desperately wanted Amie and Kaz to stay some more. Amie turned to Kaz. Amie wasn’t thinking much about the food. He was, but not the intricacies of whether or not he should ask for something ridiculous to eat. He would have loved a lot of food to eat, and he could come up with specifics in an instant, but he tried to listen to Kaz instead.

She sort of agreed that they did have to leave. They’d have fun while they were there, apparently. Amie didn’t know what sort of fun they would have, or what either would suggest. Kaz clearly didn’t have a lot of experience with kids, so what would he have suggested? He asked if the chairs were safe to sit on, and Eleanor misunderstood. She really hadn’t answered him, so he just stood there, making no move to sit in the possibly unstable chairs. Actually if they were stable, but edible, he still didn’t want to sit in them. It was that simple. His clothes were disgusting enough already.

Amie sighed when Eleanor was gone. “I guess…” He still didn’t like the idea of finding food that was just dropped near them. “I’ve lived with a lot worse injuries, without medical attention, for longer…. Okay maybe not a lot worse, but several more. I’m not really key on strangers knowing I’m injured,” he said as a small explanation. “If we need water and towels… We could ask for things to clean up. Wouldn’t that cover the basics?” Sure it hurt, but he just wanted to leave it be. “Its up to your judgment I guess. You’re the one with two good legs, you call the shots,” he teased. It was easier to joke around a bit than anything else. “I’m still not sitting on candy chairs…”

[Kasimir Sewik]

Kaz eyed Amie a little critically. Maybe it was because he knew Amie, but Kaz could tell the other was in a lot of pain. Then again, what was he comparing his observation skills against - the single digit aged girl? If it was anyone else, Kaz was pretty sure they would have noticed the way Amie favored one leg over the other, or was usually holding on to something for support. "Well, she said the chairs aren't dangerous..." He kept his tone light, matching Amie's tone. "But they might break, apparently candy isn't the sturdiest material, who'd have guessed." He sighed though after that. Maybe it was just instinct, or paranoia, but something about this place did feel dangerous. Like every decision they made could possibly kill them. "I'm not exactly the smartest cookie," he couldn't resist, nerves had the tendency to make him tell bad jokes. "But if you want me to call the shots, I'll try my best not to get us both killed. I'm not sure how easy it will be to hide bloody towels, but let's try it your way," he agreed. If nothing else, just to protect Amie's medical privacy.

"What kind of games do you think kids play?" Kaz added after a moment, remembering his earlier promise to Eleanor. He said they'd have fun, but he didn't know what a girl her age would want to be doing. "You think like... cards would be too advanced?" Somehow that bad feeling was getting worse the longer they were alone. Unconsciously he looked up the staircase to see if Eleanor was coming back... only to see that she was there, staring blankly at him. Kaz visibly jumped; he hadn't so much as heard a single sound from her. How long had she been back? Just now?

"You can both come up now," Eleanor said, her tone the same as when she'd been speaking to them earlier. But without any expression, something about it was a bit unnerving.

"Eleanor, you okay if we use some water and towels? You got running water here?" He asked, trying not to over-react.

"Yeah, sure. You can both come up now," she repeated, inflection precisely the same. "You're not going to take a bath together, right?"

[Ambrose Wilder]

Yes, Ambrose was not the most subtle person. Subtle was not one of his personality traits. Obvious and over the top, sure. He didn’t like to hold it together when he was in pain, but he couldn’t exactly lay down and start whining. Even if he had been safe at his guildhall, he wouldn’t want to stay in bed. He would want to go downstairs and talk to everyone. He wanted a cast. Then they could sign it. Actually no, he didn’t want anything that obvious, and he really didn’t like the idea of his clothing being messed up. He was just stuck here, injured, depending on a guy who hadn’t even wanted to run into him.

“You know what’s great for an injury?” Amie asked teasingly, “Sitting in and breaking a chair under my weight.” Kaz was making bad jokes, and Amie just smirked at him, “You’re an odd man, did you know that? I think… I’ll keep you.” Yes, that was a good thing to say right now. He was relaxing, easing up around Kaz, and not exactly saying bad things about this house. He chuckled when KAz asked about cards, “Well, when I was that age… I guess I played a lot of hide and seek, with my brother,” he shrugged. And some weapon fighting, and they played with things their parents stole. He didn’t mention that much. The smile went away quickly when Kaz jumped. Amie turned to see Eleanor, being seriously creepy. He swore under his breath. Now this was getting weird. Nope, not weird, this was creepy.

She told them they could go up, and Amie considered how bad of an idea it might be to go up a flight of stairs on his leg. This was going to suck. She sounded normal, but looking at her… nope, this wasn’t right. He kept close to Kaz, feeling no guilt about being seriously weirded out by a little kid. Kaz asked about running water and she confirmed. No… no, she said the exact same thing, just with some other words added in. It was almost predetermined sounding.

She asked if they were going to take a bath together, and instead of making a joke, or awkwarding, or caring really, Amie put a hand on Kaz’ shoulder, “You know… we could do that…” he really wasn’t sure what he was saying, he just needed to be talking, “but right now I need some air… and I’m going to… take Kaz and get some air. How’s that sounds?”

[Kasimir Sewik]

Kaz was honestly perplexed by Amie. It seemed the two had very different responses when it came to dealing with stress: Kaz froze and became awkward, Amie somehow shifted more naturally into flirtatious remarks. Quietly Kaz laughed when Amie mentioned keeping him - mainly because he wasn't sure what other response to give. Then Eleanor came out and started being all creepy.

When Amie put his hand on Kaz's shoulder, Kaz made no move to protest it. Since Amie refused to use a chair, it was only natural for him to use Kaz as support. And then suggest they might take a bath together. Wait, what? Kaz blushed furiously, momentarily forgetting his fear. That was not something they should say in front of a kid - demonic or otherwise. He shot a glare at Amie, but knew this wasn't the time to nitpick. Something strange was going on. "Er, yeah... Sounds good," He backed up Amie's opinion. They either needed to reevaluate their strategy here, or just get out while they could.

"What?! No!" Eleanor's blank gaze was broken, now appearing completely frantic. "You're leaving already?! You can't leave!" Her small fists curled into balls. Atop the staircase, it didn't seem likely that she'd fling any surprise spells on them, or pull out a hidden weapon, Kaz noted. He was ready in case she tried anything strange... then again, an entire house made of candy was certainly great magic that he couldn't replicate, and who knew what this girl could pull. "What about hide-and-seek?!" It seemed she'd been present long enough to hear at least that portion of their conversation...

[Ambrose Wilder]

Different responses for different personalities. Amie had been a good, obedient child. That meant when things went down he was silent. It went against his nature though. By nature he talked, when he was happy, or sad, or bored, or angry. Okay, less when he was angry. There, to get Amie to shut up, making him angry. Embarrassed also worked alright. Kaz certainly had a different take on the situation. He had a different take on a whole lot of things right now. It didn’t seem like Kaz was really hating their interaction at least, even though for the most part it was just friendly exchanges within an awkward situation.

The reason for the hand on Kaz was more to avoid some bad situation. He was wholly uncomfortable, and he wanted to keep their numbers together. It was just something to do with his hand though. His hand needed to do something, and clearly his mouth agreed. Apparently Kaz took Amie way too seriously. The blushing was the first clue. Then it was the glare. What? he thought, looking innocent and confused. He meant nothing by it, and why would a kid think he meant something else? Why did Kaz think Amie meant something… What did Kaz think Amie meant?! He coughed a little and decided not to dwell on that. Apparently heading outside sounded like a grand ol’ plan, so they agreed. Eleanor did not agree.

She looked horrified and anxious. Oh boy. They couldn’t leave. Amie shifted, tired of standing, and uncomfortable from her desperation. And then… hide and seek? At first he thought they could “hide” and run, but then he felt bad. That would be mean. Maybe hiding from her for a while would be good? Except they’d be hiding from each other. Also he felt uncomfortable that she had heard that much. “Look, Eleanor… I just need some air. And… I mean, people do need company, why don’t you take a trip to town? There are lots of people there, kids even. I’m sure they’d love to play hide and seek…” he told her. He felt bad, except he felt more freaked out than anything.

[Kasimir Sewik]

Eleanor didn't look like she was buying anything that Amie said. If anything, she looked even more upset. "What does that have to do with you leaving?! As soon as you go outside, you won't want to come back!" She was quite fixated on the two of them, and even the promise of meeting new people didn't affect her. Closing her eyes, she began to shake lightly. Her body became encased in a strange glow, and then everything in the house - ranging from bookshelves, chairs, and others - shared the same strange hue. "We're all going to have a fun time, so please be my guest for a little longer."

Now Kaz was the one holding onto Amie's arm. Dealing with demonic children wasn't something he wanted to be part of. It seemed like they'd provoked too strong a reaction from here - and now agreeing to stay or leave seemed like a bad idea. "C-calm down, Eleanor," Kaz tried to reason with her. Suddenly knowing that they weren't allowed to leave was making him claustrophobic. Knowing that he was trapped instinctively made him want to get out. He wasn't sure he could handle playing along anymore and spending the night - not like this at least. Kaz should've listened to Amie after all and avoided this situation in the first place.

"Are you staying or not?!" She shrieked, glaring at the two of them. Whatever magical energy she was using must've been great; even Kaz could feel it. The eerie glow around everything didn't exactly help his nerves either.

[Ambrose Wilder]

Crazy girl was crazy, and scary, and really insane. Amie tried to smooth things over but she just kept shouting at him and being unrealistic. “Hey, now don’t go jumping to conclusions…” he trailed off. Okay, okay nope, she was glowing, the house was glowing. Had she said nothing else it would have just been freaky. Nope, she had to talk. They were going to have fun, she told them in a calm tone. “Nope, nevermind, changed my mind,” Amie mumbled. He was not reasoning with this anymore.

He felt worried and protective when Kaz held onto his arm. He wished they’d never come in here. They needed to leave. Kaz tried talking, but the house seemed to be answering his concerns with a resounding “no.” It refused to calm down, as did the girl. How powerful was she? Was this house even real? Was it… just her? He didn’t know, but he stepped back when she shrieked at them again, pulling Kaz with him, not wanting to leave him between crazy girl and Amie. He wouldn’t do that.

“No, sorry, can’t handle homicidal children, its bad for my health,” Amie said, his natural impulse to make jokes. He sounded at least somewhat light hearted, but he was quite serious. He tried the door, although it seemed stuck, and he really didn’t want to touch a glowing door too long. His first impulse was to knock it open, second was to kick it open. Neither of those sounded fun. He just backed up to the door, willing to injure himself to break out if need be, but hoping to see a more obvious option.

[Kasimir Sewik]

Kaz backed away with Amie, having no desire to be left behind either. Mentally he got a hold of himself a little better - if they couldn't run, they'd have to fight. The circumstances didn't matter when it came to survival. He turned halfway when Amie tried the glowing door... it wouldn't open, of course. And whatever last straw that was holding Eleanor back was snapped. The glowing objects began to levitate. Not just that, but parts of the house flickered oddly with shimmers. Kaz unsheathed his sword, stepping in front of Amie. Although Kaz doubted he could pull the blade on Eleanor - she was standing too far away even if he wanted to - he'd seen enough telekinesis to recognize the magic.

The first chair sped towards them, flung by an invisible force of magic. Kaz swung his sword, derailing the chair so that it harmlessly bounced to the side. Almost like baseball. Except this was going to hurt a lot more if it hit. Another chair came again, only to meet the same fate as the first, knocked away by Kaz's swing. The sword was big and definitely not an ideal 'bat'. Before he could pull his sword back, a third item slammed into him. An entire table. It knocked Kaz completely off balance; he was sent crashing to the ground from the impact.

Hysterical laughter echoed eerily around them. The world around them flickered even more uncertainly, the candy-like furniture instead becoming more like their traditional counterparts. "Catch me if you can~" Eleanor hummed happily. Whatever illusion magic that had once tied the world completely fell, revealing a dusty and abandoned structure of cold concrete. Perhaps once it had been a house, as there were remnants of cheap furniture that clearly had been out of use for some time. Eleanor had disappeared during sometime when the world had changed.

"Ugh..." Kaz shoved the offending table off him, sitting up halfway. It was dark. Really dark, especially compared to the glowing lights from before. The 'door' that Amie had been trying to open looked more like the entrance to a closet, than the actual exit to the house. "What just happened? Where are we?" He looked around at the now unfamiliar setting, now that his eyes were starting to adjust. Eleanor was nowhere in sight, which was somehow both comforting and terrifying at the same time.

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