Fable - Ask The Gloomies

[Thraah]

During the day when they woke up several specific Initiates would find identical letters slipped under their Dorm room doors.
The letters were sealed with black wax and pressed in with a thumb print.

The letters all read thusly

" Dear Friend

You have been invited to the first meeting of "The Gloomies" to be held on the Fourth Ardsday of the Month at the stroke of midnight.
We shall convene in the attic loft of the Old Chapel.

DO NOT BE LATE!

Bring snacks.

Signed: A Friend"




Thraah had to resist nervous eating her piles of stolen sweet buns. It was almost Midnight and the excitement of her idea burned in her mind like wildfire. She had scorched the worst of the sticks and swept away larger piles of dust and dirt earlier. She was confident that at least some of them would come and even if nobody came she had a pile of sweet buns all to herself. That would not be so bad. She sat on the sill of the great oval window that cast its moonlight onto the greater ground floor.
Cobwebs held dark beads of spiders and in the rafters a mighty owl was finishing a mouse it snatched from the floor a few moments ago.
She picked a bun out of the bag she had them in and bit into it.
Thraah hated waiting for anything but something she had invested time and energy in? Waiting then was nothing short of torture.

The Initiates in question were:
Victoria Von Fleet
Kor
Fennec
Soleil Verdane
Zinnia
Lothar
Dahlia Hawthorne

 

[Victoria Von Fleet]

Victoria had received the note, and of course curiosity would lead her to follow. Though the demands for snacks irked her, she didn't like being told what to do. Well, not totally true, her friend Silas had become a very important person in her life. He put up with her in ways others neglected. Even if he sometimes told her no.

With a sigh, Victoria grabbed her pilfered toffees l, deciding sharing would probably help her along even if she didn't want to play nice. She made her way to the meeting spot, swinging her napsack with gusto.

Once she got there she grinned wide, her eyes following upon her very new friend who was very much one to feed into her chaotic nature.

"Why didn't you just say it was you little spider!"

Thraah

 

[Dahlia Hawthorne]

Dahlia had been perplexed when a letter had slipped beneath her door. She had been stationed at the academy for a few months while attending to help teach Archery classes. Looking over the letter by flipping it from one side to the other until she was satisfied there wasn’t some plant or trick. Taking her dagger, she slid it open and looked at the contents inside. The letter was short and sweet. A call to a meeting. Clicking her tongue against her teeth gently Dahlia shook her head. Clearly one of the students had assumed that she was an initiate at the academy and wanted them to meet for some reason or another.

She contemplated ignoring the letter and throwing it in the fire to never see the light of day. What was the worst that could happen if she did? What was the worst that could happen with a bunch of initiates meeting at midnight? A soft snarl escaped her lips as she brushed her fingers against her scarred and mutilated ears. Nonetheless, she pulled away her fingers and thought it best to attend. If for nothing to make sure that all those that attended weren’t about to be harmed in some form or fashion. With that in mind, Dahlia placed the letter on her desk and left for the day.

As the clock would strike midnight, Dahlia would make her way up the old cathedral which had left itself to ruin and reclamation. Pockets of moonlight breached through the wall from crumbled holes and broken windows. Inside litter and destroyed pews lay gathered in the center of the floor. It was clear someone was attempting to tidy this place up in their own time. Moving through quietly, her footfalls were silent until she ascended the creaky stairs which would give her away.

Her eyes of emerald would focus on the two other entities that were upon the attic loft. Dahlia knew them both by name. Without a word, Dahlia would raise the invitation to them as a sign that she was invited here. Followed by taking a rucksack and inside was a mix of candied fruits in jars. From apples, pears, peaches, oranges, and strawberries, everything was there. She would place this in the center of the floor for them to look at. Clearly wanting to bring a worthy addition to their desire for snacks.

“I think you misunderstood my position. I’m not an Initiate. But I’ll stick around nonetheless.”

Dahlia would speak softly, her voice smooth but cold in tone. She would then lean against a pillar, brushing away cobwebs and the odd spider beforehand.

Thraah
Victoria Von Fleet

 

[Thraah]

Thraah smiled in triumph. An impish grin that promised much unspeakably.
From her perch on the window she threw up her arms and jumped down with a cry of elation, landing on all fours before bolting to Vicky, the first to arrive, and sweeping her up in a great bear hug, spinning her about.
"You came, haha, you came I knew my letters would work I knew it."
After three spins she settled down and smiled widely at her.
"Uh, because if nobody came then you'd all know it was me and then I'd have to kill you, much easier this way."
She was kidding of course but that wasn't the point. The point was anonymity. If nobody came then nobody knew it was a failure, her failure specifically.
"You look great."

Then Dahlia arrived, with sweets no less and with it her explanation and Thraah visibly deflated a bit.
Then struck her palm to her face which she turned into a sweep of the hair.
"I guess that's fine... Just, eh. Yeah it's fine, it's fine."
She got herself together and clapped her hands.
"First things first. We gather the stash."
She went back to the window and dragged the small sack of sweet buns to the centre of the room.
"LIGHTS" she called and a few small dispersed candles lit with a wave of her hand.
"Come on, guys show your haul."
Opening the sack she displayed roughly half a dozen fist sized buns. Just this side of fresh.

Victoria Von Fleet Dahlia Hawthorne

 

[Zephyrine]

Surely this was some prank, she thought as she gingerly stepped near the doors to the Old Chapel. This was one of her hideouts when she needed to practice her magic, recreating some of the broken furniture that was always broken the next time she visited. Zeph had absolutely no clue who would even invite her, but snacks were brought along with her invitation that found it's way under her door.

She heard a loud voice celebrating at the top of the stairs, and the young Initiate tried her best to sneak up. The next step she took made the wood creak, and the jig was up. Zephyrine climbed the last few steps and poked her copper head up to peek in.

"Hi... there was a letter under my door and..." Thraah and Vicky. Those two together... this was a prank. She walked right into it too!

"Oh, uh... never mind that..." And the Initiate turned around, the pouch of biscuits now clutched up at her chest as she tried to find the steps in the dark. She did not even see Dahlia, a Dreadlord present for such a prank!

 

[Thraah]

It was a surprise to see Zeph. She was almost certain she wouldn't make it.
Wait, had she given her an invite?
She must have. Nobody would bother forging an invite or passing it on, would they?
"HEY!"
Thraah was up, standing tall (as she could at least).
"You can't do that!"
She pointed an accusing finger at Zephyrine.
"You can't show up WITH COOKIES and just take them away."
Throwing a stern glance at Vicky and Dahlia she let them know that wasn't how things were gonna work here.
"You're here and you brought food. So you're in."

Victoria Von Fleet Dahlia Hawthorne Zephyrine

 

[Victoria Von Fleet]

Victoria was startled by the sudden touch of Thraah. She was not used to it, nor was she used to being spun. It took all of her might not to retaliate in an aggressive manner. Silas had been encouraging her to try and make other friends, and so she was.

Victoria narrowed her eyes, it was hard for her to realize that Thraah was only jesting with her, and she eyed the exuberant girl with a careful measured look.

"You look good too?" She spoke it as a question, still trying to figure out how to people. Dahlia had made her appearance as well, and Victoria gave the dreadlord a smirk as the girl held aloft her invitation. It seemed there would always be an ever watching eye upon her and her activities.

The creak of the stares alerted to another person, and Victoria tilted her head with curiosity. Zephyrine, someone she was not too familiar with. She leapt into action as Thraah complained about leaving, blocking the stairs from a swift exit. If Thraah said she stayed, she stayed.

Thraah Dahlia Hawthorne Zephyrine