Haven't you seen a spindle before?

[paradisamods]

And haven't you seen how dull and dreary the castle seems of late? The white walls seem almost grey and the marble floors have lost their shine. Even the chandeliers seem made of grimy glass. Perhaps that drowsy spell has even the mighty castle in its grasp. What a thought!

But today the sleepers have risen, all of them feeling an indelible call to shuffle and stumble toward the Insolitus. There is something most precious to them hiding behind that named door, and they would do all they can to protect it. Their eyes may be closed shut, their movements hindered by sleep, but they are keenly aware of anyone seeking to harm their most beloved treasure.

Voices of many sleepers, all of them monotonous, speak in unison:

“ You should have let sleeping dogs lie. ”
LINKS: OUTSIDE THE DOOR | TALK TO THE ENEMY | FIGHT THE ENEMY (Keep this to one thread!) | Start your own as you please!

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OUTSIDE THE DOOR

[paradisamods]

The sleepers have convened here, standing in place or lying about the place. Being deep in slumber, they aren't likely to bother those only walking past but anyone moving to enter the door to Insolitus will meet some resistance. There is something very precious to them inside the room and they would give an arm and a leg to keep you from entering.

TALK TO THE ENEMY

[paradisamods]

You should be safe from the sleepers once you enter the door. The enemy prefers the silence. There was a reason it chose sleep as its weapon. It's sitting cross-legged on the floor, appearing very small compared to the three tall doors surrounding it. Just a little boy with a spindle in its hands, which it taps against its hands in a slow rhythm and a smile.

"Hello. I know who you are."

[ NOTE: This is for talking to the enemy only, threadjack to your heart's content! To fight the enemy, join the thread below this one. ]

FIGHT THE ENEMY

[paradisamods]

The sleepers won't find their way in here once you enter to find the enemy: a giggling little boy with a spindle in its hand. It seems so very smug (and so very young, so innocent). The cat that got all the mice in the world.

"You shouldn't have done that. All they did was sleep."

[ NOTE: This is for defeating the enemy. For continuity's sake, please keep to one thread, no tagging order. ]

[dgaf]

[ There are many sleepers more intent than Effy on protecting that door. Or so it seems.

All she does is sit with one shoulder leaning against the wall near the entrance, dark messy hair obscuring much of her face. Any bruises are gone by now, though the bandaged part of her arm might sometimes peek out from the sleeves of her leather jacket. As deep in slumber as she might seem, anyone unfortunate enough to come too close would see her extending one leg all of a sudden to trip them or to swiftly grab them with a deathly grip. ]

[onlyanapple]

[Crowley arches an eyebrow behind his shades, folding his arms and leaning against a wall nonchalantly. Of course, he knows that children are not as harmless as they look, even if he can't remember what Adam exactly looks like any more, he still knows the kid isn't all he appears. The same is likely true with this one.]

Do you now.

[i_rule_me]

[In David's minds eye, he's standing guard over the last bastion of peace in the Qortex Complex, keeping anyone who would invade his mind from getting near his last shred of sanity. In reality, He's standing with his shoulders hunched, eyes closed. Though he's showing no outward signs of the godlike power lurking beneath the surface, anyone who touches him will find their contact repelled with double the force, thanks to Non-Newtonian Annie's Zero-G Nullskin. Good luck getting past him.]

[stainedglassreflections]

[ Sion is sleepwalking pacing.

Still calling out for his friend to show up so he can save him, only now...

Now there's a black sword in his hand. ]

[hasmommyissues]

[Silva is curled up in a ball mumbling to himself. His eyes keep darting left and right ... on the look out for the prison guards.

I wouldn't touch him or go anywhere near him in his current state ... he's liable to attack in quite a frenzied and feral manner.]

[lord_wizard]

[Felix stands in the hallway with his right side pressed up against the wall, looking more like someone on the verge of a slight panic attack than a vigilant warrior. He knows very little, except for the fact that he has to keep watch - for what, exactly, changes from moment to moment. Sometimes it's Malkar. Sometimes it's Keeper. Sometimes it's Robert or Brother Orphelian. Either way, someone he does not want to see again. He doesn't want to hurt anyone again after Isaac, but he simply cannot let them through that door, and thus he's trapped here by the mere thought of being approached. But if he has to, he will.]

[putuporshutup]

[Meg appears alongside Crowley, and look at that, she's actually got her shit together again. Sober, dressed, and everything! She's got a bad vibe off this kid, though she can't put her finger on why exactly. If she's learned anything, it's that she can't keep facing things alone, and she's not going to stand by while her friends do, either. She mimicks his casual demeanor, and looks the kid up and down, and expectantly waits for his answer.]

Re: OUTSIDE THE DOOR

[defyingfrigidity]

[There's a bit of a chill to the air, courtesy of the platinum-haired young woman currently sitting with her knees pulled up to her chest near the door.

Make no mistake, Elsa is scared of the approaching people - sometimes it's unclear who they are, though. Sometimes she sees the Duke's guards, their crossbows loaded and aimed at her heart. Sometimes it's Hans, looming over her with his sword raised. And sometimes it's just her subjects, the looks of fear and mistrust clear in their eyes.

She's scared, yes. She's terrified that all these people she sees approaching her will take away that thing most precious to her. But she's even more scared of losing control of her powers again. So she doesn't join those pacing and prowling before the door, waiting to defend their important thing. She stays here, with her back against the wall, trying to will away the frost slowly creeping along the floor.]

Re: TALK TO THE ENEMY

[freeslider]

[Wade made in here through sheer luck and no little part desperation. She's a little roughed up from the effort but there's no turning back now. She needs to know what is happening and what's at the center of it.

A small child is the last thing she expects.]

And...who are you?

Re: OUTSIDE THE DOOR

[teenagebadboy]

[Aaron had finally given in to the sleep plague. He fought back as much as he could but in the end he was overcome. He sits with his back resting against the wall and his head hanging. His dog Clyde lies next to him. The German Shepard is not affected by the plague but it's very worried over its owner and it has not been able to wake him up. The dog whines.

In Aaron's dream world he's sitting by Jackson's bedside. That's what he guard over and any attempt at getting into the Isolitus will be taken as an attack on his Jackson and he'll fight back. His grade of skill's low and about on the level of a ordinary bar brawl. That said, if he gets the upper hand his sheer ferocity can cause some damage.]

[paradisamods]

[ It giggles like a child, even placing the sharp end of that spindle to its lips to bite on it. ]

Yes! I know you and you and everyone! [ it points at each of them in turn. ]

[paradisamods]

[ It could've taken any form it wanted to. But this is convenient. It giggles. ]

Guess!

[deductiongeek]

[Conan is curled up against the wall with his hands wrapped around his knees. His breathing is light, and comes in quick pants. Almost as if he was frightened of having even such a small sound be heard.]

[lightbranded]

"Goodness," Will says mildly. "That's quite a thing to claim."

[onlyanapple]

[He hates this place, sometimes.]

Well, that's not creepy at all.

[He glances to Meg.] A bottle of vodka that it's an eldritch abomination.

[paradisamods]

It grins, biting on the tip of the spindle and tipping its head down bashfully. "Oh, I don't know. I see things."

[putuporshutup]

[Oh good, maybe he'll slip and stab himself in face with it. She could help with that, y'know.]

Eh. I've seen creepier. Pretty good though. Well played, Paradisa.

[She snorts] Guess I owe you a bottle of Vodka, this one's defintely a special snowflake.

[lightbranded]

"And what sorts of things are those?"

[paradisamods]

[ It scowls, rising to its feet to stand all three-feet tall. ]

Who're you calling eldritch? That's not my name.

[paradisamods]

"Pretty things, ugly things," it laughs some more, lowering its voice to tell him a secret. "Gross things too!"

[onlyanapple]

[Someone, it's so tiny. He resists the urge to punt it, no good can come of that.]

It's a big word, you probably wouldn't know it. But I'll bite, what is your name?

About as special as snowflakes get, I think.

[lightbranded]

"That is the pattern, I suppose," Will says vaguely. "The pretty and the ugly and the gross. The good and the noble and the cruel. All mixed up together, it is."