Anybody home? [closed]

[harper]

Riley wasn't exactly sure what had happened. Just a few seconds ago she had been praying at a Buddhist temple in Kamakura Japan, and when she had opened her eyes she found herself in the middle of a snow-littered forest, barefoot. For a few moments she had thought it was just another elaborate dream of hers, and thus properly p[inched herself to see if she had fallen asleep. However the detailed pain that coursed through her body, and the distinct pins-and-needles prickling her snow covered feet quickly assured her that this was not a dream. She was not in Japan anymore, or, at least if she was, she had somehow transported to another area during prayer.

The slender redhead knew she needed to immediately find shelter or risk frostbite, something she had experienced before and found to be not entirely pleasant. She took a few moments to check herself over, just in case she was missing a limb or something. The Harry Potter books briefly came to mind and she outwardly smiled. Ah, if magic, in that sense, was only real. Still, she had to admit she had teleported somewhere, which was either the work of magic or highly advanced technology. Upon inspection of her body, Riley came across the tattoo of an Irish Stoat nestled upon the outside of her right ankle. A small frown crossed her delicate features. Riley certainly didn't remember getting a tattoo. Had this been a prank of some sort? Had her friends from Ireland followed her in some way?

Riley traced her fingers over the stoat briefly, reveling in how fluid that tattoo looked, almost as if it were alive and writhing beneath her skin. Then, without much further contemplation, the female set out through the woods in search of some sort of shelter. She wasn't, after all, very much dressed for the occasion. An ankle length pastel yellow and green tie-dyed skirt flowed about her waist, paired with a tank top and a brown, light leather jacket. While Riley didn't so much mind the cold, she would have welcomed the warmth of a heavier jacket at that moment. Still, she would make due.

It didn't take her long to spot the gigantic cave. It was a giant, somewhat intimidating mouth that sparkled quite brilliantly in the daylight. Riley was impressed. She had never seen something so magnificent, and her pace quickened as she approached it, eager to explore the cave's beauty. However, upon reaching the entrance, Riley paused. She dropped down into a crouching position and ran her fingers lightly over the cave's floor. Smooth jade. Somehow Riley doubted that was a natural occurrence. The freckled female hesitated a few moments, assessing her situation. She was itching to dive right into the cave to explore, but her more logical side insisted that she proceed with caution. In the end Riley decided to compromise. With her feet aching for release from the cold, Riley gingerly took a few steps into the mouth of the cave, her fingers trailing across the quartz littered wall to her right, "Hello?"

[Kyte]

The throbs of an obviously painful headache caused Kyte to groan as he rolled around on unfamiliar and uncomfortable ground. Squinting his eyes, he cracked them open a tiny bit, and was relieved to see that there was no bright light available to cripple him. As he sat up, he swayed like a stray leaf in the wind, somewhat sleepy still and a bit confused. He rolled his eyes as he struggled without much success to stand. Finally, after a few long and agonizing minutes, Kyte was finally able to stand, though somewhat precariously as he stumbled around like a drunk. Last night happened to be the worst night that he could remember, which was not much there to remember because of his bothersome headache. It took a rather long time of steadying his breath and calming his nerves before the pain was reduced to a bearable level; unfortunately, he was still uncomfortably sore.

Finally, Kyte was able to examine where he was situated. Strangely he could not remember how he had entered a cave, but having a somewhat drunk night wasn’t exactly helpful when things were blacked out. Grimacing, he sighed as the pulses of his blood caused his migraine to come and go. He really did hate hangovers. A breeze swirled past him, farther into the cave; he was wearing warm clothes though he really had no idea why, so it was rather nice weather. The light to the left of him peaked his interest and he headed in the general direction, stumbling around like a intoxicated person. Straightening his coat, he was almost to the entrance when he heard a voice and saw a figure.

“Hello?”

Kyte frowned, pausing mid-step, but the light was obscuring his view so he rolled his eyes and headed into the light. As the light turned from blinding to tolerable, the figure he had seen was a woman. His first thought. Dang, she’s pretty. Mentally kicking himself from being somewhat rude and introduced himself. “Hello there,” Kyte waved, standing there somewhat awkwardly. “Aren’t you at all cold?”

[harper]

Riley didn’t have to wait long for someone to answer her call. Although she had not expected another person to be in such close proximity, she was somewhat relieved to know that she was not the only one around. However, as she watched the somewhat ragged looking male emerge from the shadows, she raised a slender plucked eyebrow in amusement. Her sensitive nose immediately picked up the aftermath of what had probably been either a very good night or a very bad night, as was the case with alcohol. Normally another female in her case might find the stranger somewhat intimidating, dangerous even. Still, Riley was incredibly self-assured, and had no doubt in her abilities to escape any sort of sticky situation, should one arise.

His awkward positioning was cute, raising questions as to when his last human interaction had been. After all, at this moment, Riley assumed he was a human, though there was a striking beauty about him that she did not frequently see. She couldn’t help but smile as he spoke, and she rose a hand to tuck some hair behind her right ear, ”Your powers of observation astound me.” She poked fun at him gently, her voice trickling with a tint of laughter to it. Emboldened, Riley took a few more steps into the cave, ”Cold and lost, though very much intrigued.” Was it just her, or was the jade beneath her feet somewhat warmer than she would have expected? This was definitely turning out to be quite the adventure.

Riley curled her toes under in an effort to warm them as she cocked her head and surveyed the man before her. Although it seemed ludicrous to presume that he lived here, it was quite possible he would know of the location better than she, if his cognitive abilities were not too damaged from his obvious hangover. ”I’m Riley. Since introductions are always necessary, I offer my name this once and I implore you not to forget it. Now, what is this place?” Her voice had a somewhat no-nonsense tone to it, though there was no malice hidden. Riley simply had more pressing concerns than introductions, which she felt to be quite useless.

[Kyte]

It was quite embarrassing, Kyte had to admit. Usually he had a better handle on situations, but this time, he couldn’t help but feel somewhat slow and self-conscious. Sometimes things just made him mentally sluggish and this seemed to be one of those times, though a bit more extreme. Kyte blushed and muttered something under his breath when the young woman commented, or more like made fun of, him. What to do? He really had no idea where they were any better than she did. In fact, last night had been one strange night, finding himself in a random place that could have been anywhere. However, from what he could observe, it wasn’t anywhere he had ever heard of before or been; quite a mystery indeed. She did smile with some enthusiasm, and it just embarrassed him a bit more for no apparent reason other than being pretty.

“Well . . . my observation skills are very keen and I was able to totally make out that you were cold in an instant,” Kyte groaned inwardly at his fail proclamation. He was used to people telling him that his jokes were plain stupid or just not amusing, but he rarely stumbled with things to say normally. He glanced at Riley, who had just introduced herself and came to the decision that it would be the polite thing to offer his jacket. In fact, with all this embarrassing prattle going on, he was creating enough heat for himself from blushing.

“Since you are correct and proper introductions are need, my name is Kyte,” He gazed at his hand a moment before bringing it up to comb his hair into something more presentable. Then he stuffed them deep into his pocket but decided otherwise and let them drop awkwardly at his side. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Riley,” Kyte finally came up with a decision and removed his jacket, awkwardly staring at it before he held it out for her. “I suppose since you’re cold, you could borrow my coat, you know, if you want, since . . . its cold?”

Kyte really wanted to smack himself. Hangovers . . . never again; they messed with his speech patterns and his ability to create complete conversations that weren’t just plain embarrassing for him. “Anyways, I actually don’t really have a clue about where this is,” He smiled, trying his best to look . . . well, somewhat competent. “I was just about to explore, you know, to figure out just where we are.” Kyte paused. “Perhaps you would like to explore with me?”

[harper]

Riley waited patiently as the male stumbled over his words, inwardly smiling. She too knew how it felt to deal with a hangover. Her time in Korea had often left her dreading the morning. Soju was a nasty alcohol and once ingested, it struck hard and swift. Still, Riley knew several remedies for hangovers, none of which she could employ now. Pity.

”Kyte huh? Cute name.” Riley waited till he was done before she spoke. It was a disappointment that he too knew nothing of their whereabouts, though it did send a tremble of excitement down her spine, as adventure always did. Now she had someone to share it with. Honestly, traversing unknown territory, especially one filled with such splendor as this, was something that should be shared, if not for merely the pleasure of knowing someone else has the memories you do.

“Then let’s go, shall we?” Without another word Riley gracefully plucked the coat from his outstretched hand and wrapped it around her, slipping her slender arms through the sleeves as she stepped gingerly past him and deeper into the cave. She didn’t stop to wait for him to follow, though her steps were shallow and slow. The welcome warmth of the jacket enveloped her quickly, and though she was grateful for it, she did not voice her gratitude. It was partially her way of toying with him. Chivalry was something Riley found most entertaining.

As she traipsed further inward, not particularly paying attention to Kyte, she allowed her fingers to traverse the side of the cave. Though the area was dark the crystals seemed to overwhelm the shadows. Their peculiar shape, along with the odd floor beneath her feet had lead Riley to the conclusion that this place was either man made, or quite possibly created by magic. Riley had never seen something of similar magnificence. She hummed beneath her breath for a second and her body came to an abrupt stop. She looked to Kyte, ”Say, you don’t happen to have a new tattoo somewhere on your body now do you?”

[Kyte]

Riley was definitely not making it easier to stop being embarrassed. Kyte’s faced reddened a bit and wondered if it was the hangover working on him. Why was it that he’d never gotten drunk enough to have a hangover before? There were times that he’d had way more to drink. Must have been the strange shift that brought him here, perhaps it was just emotional feelings. Shivering, Kyte shoved his thoughts away and returned to the present situation.

“Of course,” Kyte muttered, following Riley farther into the cavern. His gaze followed Riley’s fingers as she brushed the strange wall. It was strange, the way it seemed to be made, not by natural causes, but more of by magic. Kyte frowned and examined the wall more closely as they continued deeper into the unknown. She was humming, and it seemed like a nice tune, so Kyte neglected to say anything. Music was always nice. Reaching out to touch the wall, he was snapped back into reality when Riley spoke all of a sudden while abruptly stopping, causing Kyte skidded to a halt behind her.

“Say, you don’t happen to have a new tattoo somewhere on your body now do you?”

The fae shrugged. “I don’t really know, I haven’t had time to check.” Rolling up his sleeves he shook his head. “Nothing so far.” He sighed with exasperation and undid his plaid shirt to check. At first he was certain that there was nothing there to see, and then he noticed a slight mark on his side. While he couldn’t see onto his back, he could tell that it extend onto a large part of his back. “I guess I do, what does it look like to you?”

[harper]

Riley didn't seem at all bothered by the man practically disrobing before her. Instead her eyes darted quickly across his flesh, catching sight of the marking before he did. In her thirst to see what it was, she reached out with her petite hand and gingerly went to rotate him with one hand pulling on his shoulder, the other lifting back his shirt. Upon seeing the tattoo she dropped her hand from his shoulder and traced her fingers gently over the skin. The tattoo was similar to hers in definition and the way it seemed to almost crawl beneath the skin. Her curiosity satisfied, Riley dropped his shirt and shifted back, "A golden jackal from the looks of it." Not her favorite species of jackal, but definitely up there on her list of favorite animals. She could prattle off a hundred different facts about the animal, but she decided to stay her tongue lest he ask for it, "Your favorite animal perhaps?" She inquired as she lifted up her skirt slightly and stuck out her right foot to show him the Irish Stoat now etched upon her flesh. She didn't speak, as she figured he would at least be smart enough to decipher what she was implying.

She allowed him only a glimpse before she dropped her foot back down and released her skirt. Riley gnawed gently on her lower lip for a moment in contemplation before she spoke, "I'm going to go with my gut inclination here, because it's always right." She appeared to have no shame in her declaration as she looked him straight in the eye, "One," she held up a neatly manicured finger, "We're not on Earth anymore. That is, assuming you're from Earth." She smirked a bit at that, "Two. Magic is somehow involved in both the implementation of our tattoos and our magical teleportation to this area." This, to her, was a fact, not an assumption, "And three, this cave we're in? Made by magic." Then, without waiting for really any answer from him, Riley turned again and started down the cave passageway, "And I'll bet you your coat that the same ones who made this cave also dwell in it." She twisted her head and shot him a brief grin. Riley was confident in her deductions. After all, she had a habit of being right. Her skills of observation quickly lead her to assumptions that often turned out to be reality. She was a modern Sherlock Holmes.

[Kyte]

“I see, so a golden jackal huh?” Kyte nodded to himself. A smile flashed across his face, though not the usual kind. The smile hinted at something unknown, something secret that no one else knew about. A picture of a jackal came into Kyte’s mind and he remembered his early childhood and his obsession with jackals. Strange creatures they were, indeed, they peaked his interest. Strange how now, after so many years, he would have that same creature mysteriously tattooed onto his back.

“Yeah, something close to my favorite animal.” He said, glancing, and taking such an obvious observation to note after seeing Riley’s tattoo and her understandable silence.

Kyte listened closely to what Riley said and it made sense, either it was something that made complete sense, or something that he himself had already thought of. “Well, from what I can tell, it’d be quite obvious that we’re not on Earth anymore,” He paused to let that sink in to show that he wasfrom Earth, giving a sharp smile. “But I agree with you, everything that has happened to us, what we have said, or what not, when you’ve eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.” Kyte said. “Don’t you agree?”

[harper]

Riley rose an eyebrow at his little miniature speech. It seemed as if the male had finally gotten his wits about him, and now he was onto attempting tongue twisters in her presence. A small smile crossed her lips, genuine. She found his comedic attempt --if it was such-- cute. Although Riley considered nearly every living human and creature her friend merely by the nature of the fact that they were alive, she was, after all, human, and thus had her preferences. Wit was one of them. Over the years Riley had attracted dozens of friends from various backgrounds, all with one thing in common: smarts. However, it had to be more than book smart. Anyone could be book smart if they studied hard enough. No. Riley always sought people with intuitive intelligence, people born with the makings of genius in even just one category. While she was reluctant to coin Kyte as a genius, his way with words made her inwardly giggle. At least his tongue was smart.

She didn't immediately answer his question as she traversed the cave's length, merely expecting him to keep up with her. As the warmth of the cave deepened and her toes began to tingle with life, Riley gave several small skips, graceful as one would expect from someone trained extensively in martial arts and gymnastics. Upon landing gently after her last leap, Riley suddenly hesitated, her brow furrowing. If her ears weren't deceiving her --and she was quite sure they were not-- there was noise up ahead. Riley shot a look towards Kyte and cocked her head, "Shall we proceed as lions, or tiptoe as mice?"

[Kyte]

From the smallest movement of Riley’s eyebrow, gave Kyte an idea of how he did. There was enough from that single eyebrow raise for the fae to know that she was at least possibly laughing. After all, from someone who hid so much emotion away to toy with others, a small movement could give a lot away. He found that Riley was a fun person to talk to, and he was beginning to love her witty words and smiles.

Perhaps it was because arriving in a strange land and meeting a strange, yet oddly compelling woman had an odd way, at least for him, to bond with people. But it was true, that Riley was possibly the only person that didn’t comment on his statements, jokes or otherwise, as stupid. That was something for a change. He noticed the sounds about the same time she commented.

“Lions or mice you ask?” Kyte pondered this question while they stood there. There was always a chance of danger and charging in head on might prove deadly. But there were times that required showing strength and courage. A sudden arrival of an idea popped into his mind, causing him to flash a millisecond smile. Since when was there only two choices?

“Instead of lions or mice, how about we do something that’s not among those choices yet are probably better fit for us?” Kyte winked, patting Riley lightly on the shoulder. “How about we prowl like a wolf, one who is both silent and deadly?” He paused and grinned. “Or . . . a jackal perhaps?”

[harper]

Riley's light pink lips parted into a broad smile at Kyte's response. She reached open to poke him in the nose, "I like the way you think kid." Even though he was quite possibly older than her, Riley often used the term 'kid' to express affection towards those she found intriguing enough. Her somewhat sage-like qualities often made her seem older than others, and she felt that way as well, which attributed to the nickname. Her other friends, all referred to as 'kids' often jokingly addressed her as mother. Riley was that type of person. Still, her thirst for adventure at times pushed her other interests aside, which is why she always joked with her mother that she would never have actual children for fear that they would weigh her down.

The slender female spared her mother only a brief amount of thought. Although they were usually on good terms with one another, recently her mother had become quite snappish, and Riley's sister Audrey had informed her that she had even been slightly violent towards both her and their father. Riley had intended to return home after her trip to Japan, but now she was a little bit sidetracked--not by choice of course.

And so without further hesitation Riley erected herself completely and slipped forward, sticking close to the wall of the tunnel until it began to abruptly expand into what had to be one of the most beautiful work of art Riley had ever laid eyes on. The cavern itself was enormous, wrought with an unnatural forest of trees and roses. The sounds were clearer now, voices....voices of...

Riley paused along the way as she stared. Her eyes were not wide, nor was her face full of wonder, rather it was somewhat blank, thoughtful. Her brow furrowed ever so slightly and she bit her bottom lip as she often did while thinking. Before her was something her logical mind had thought would have never existed--at least not on Earth. Still, she had already concluded this was not Earth, and her hypotheses had been correct. The people...or creatures she mused as she watched a goblin garlanger shamble past, that created this place lived within it. With a smirk on her lips she kept her gae straight as she spoke, "Guess I'm keeping your jacket." It didn't matter that he hadn't exactly accepted her bet.

[Kyte]

He got poked on the nose. Kyte blinked a few times. But as he saw Riley break into a grin, he couldn’t help but grin along too. It was possible that talking and getting to know Riley made his day. Funny how he couldn’t really understand why he liked talking to her, she was clever and just having a conversation with her put a smile on his face. Especially when he got the chance to put out some witty remarks as well, it sure was entertaining.

Kyte decided to remain silent; after all, Riley looked as though she had something to think about. Instead, he thought into his own life before he had been brought here. Strange, was it that he had not spoken to either of his parents for a long time. One large argument had forever crippled his relationship with his father.

He thought back farther to when his mother had died. That surely had been one of the first cracks in his later bond with his father. In fact, it might have been the first point that broke them apart. Kyte sighed inwardly, thinking back to the good old times, when his mother had been alive and everyone had been happy. But everything good had to come to an end, and alas, it did.

Then he heard it, the voices, pausing at almost the exact same time as Riley. They both stared into the distance and found an extraordinary sight. Kyte glanced at his companion and almost broke into a huge grin at how she looked. Not bad, in fact, but kind of cute. A shiver past through his body and he tried to stop thinking.

“I would have insisted you keep the jacket anyways, after all, I don’t want a girl freezing anywhere,” He said. Kyte patted Riley lightly on the shoulder to indicate his understanding that she had been right. “You’ve got some amazing observation skills. But isn’t this something?”

[Jun]

Jun was bored. This happened quite often, but usually he was able to find something right away to ease his boredom. This was not the case tonight. With his brother off to explore the UnderDark and his mind plagued with an annoying case of writers block, Jun was stuck wandering the Unseelie court, lamenting over his boredom. He felt like plucking a garlanger out to play a game of chess with him, but with it being so early in the morning a lot of them were engaged with chores, and Jun didn't particularly feel like stopping them, especially not when breakfast was on the line. Speaking of breakfast....

"Hello." Jun had stumbled upon Riley and Kyte out of pure coincidence. In fact, he would have run directly into them had Kyte not spoken and redirected Jun's attention. The nimbus, dressed quite smartly for the day in a dark purple button down shirt with the sleeves rolled to his elbows, black vest, and black dress slacks, surveyed the two somewhat bedraggled duo in amusement. He offered them a warm, toothy smile, almost feline-like smile. It was inviting of course, as it always was. Jun was a very charming Fae, and it wasn't often that he lied in terms of his body language. Still, it was a Cheshire-cat-like grin, a smile that suggested something more, something not so genuine.

The female before him was a garlanger, there was no doubt about that. Had she been a nimbus he would have seen it in her eyes. While her beauty was somewhat comparable to some of the lesser nimbus he had seen traipsing around, she definitely was not full blooded. The male on the othe hand... Jun studied him a bit more carefully, though only for a few seconds. He was quite sure the other was a full-blooded Fae, a Sidhe. However his glow was faint, if even present, and Jun was quite curious as to why the male was content to hang around a garlanger, even if she was a pretty one.

"I don't believe I have seen you two around the court before." Jun made it his business to know anyone and everyone. Had they arrived a few days before he would have known it. He had his sources after all. No. These were new arrivals, and they had just drifted in. He could see it in the way they moved. "Can I help you?"

(ooc: assuming Kyte's glow is not around...since it has not yet been mentioned. We should probably work it in somehow.)

[harper]

Had Riley not been the type of person who did not mind physical contact she would have chided Kyte on his invasion of her personal space. Instead the female ignored it and took it for its worth, a soft smile playing on her lips. She knew herself to be devastatingly charming, and her playful nature was often mistaken as flirting by the opposite sex. Kyte was interesting, yes, but Riley had not yet entertained any extra thoughts about him. In fact, though she was not oblivious to his semi-attraction towards her, she paid it no real regard. What happened in the future happened, they were only human –or so she thought- after all. Emotions were a part of their nature, and she embraced that. Riley did have to admit she found his presence welcoming, and she silently thanked her gods –as Riley believed in a multitude of other-worldly beings- for giving her the chance to meet yet another wonderful person.

Riley saw Jun approaching before he actually saw them. She recognized his facial features as distinctly Japanese, which Riley found to be quite ironic? Intriguing? The fact that the male seemed lost in thought was entertaining, and she was about to step out in front of him to capture his attention when he broke from his spell.

”Hello.”

A short amount of time passed between the greeting and Jun’s actual next words. Riley knew why. This male was an observer, very much like her. He chose to take his time assessing the situation before he spoke. So, while Jun looked her up and down, Riley took the opportunity to also assess him. The male was taller than she by a fair bit, though Riley had always been on the short side, and he held himself with an air of confidence, the air of a noble man wrought with a fair amount of history. Still, Riley caught the reality behind the mask of innocence the male wore and she inwardly smiled. Yes, a man with a history.

”Can I help you?”

Riley took the initiative to speak. She had, until now, been leading this little expedition, so she naturally thought it her duty to explain their dilemma. ”I fear that the two of us may be lost.” That was it, nothing more. Riley never offered more information than necessary. For now she would keep the fact that she and Kyte were practically strangers a secret, along with how they had gotten there and the tattoos now crafted onto their bodies. Riley was a trusting creature but she was not foolish. Still, Riley anticipated that Jun would see through her little game.

[Kyte]

He let Riley speak. It was definitely too irksome to be the leader. Somehow the hangover had expanded on his laziness to do anything that required extra energy. It really didn’t matter that much, after all, his companions seemed happy with leading. The fact was, if he really had to, he could – though only if urgently needed – take over the situation with a calm and understanding of everything that was happening. Perhaps he had led Riley astray with his acting. But it didn’t really matter. Kyte had watched Jun stumble around before he found them. Perchance that Riley had noticed before him, but he had been watching everything with a careful eye. Even when the fun was out to play, the serious one had to be ready to jump in for any situation. After all, it was dangerous, in unknown lands, he had to be ready for anything, though from first glance at Jun, he knew that he was somewhat like him.

For some reason, as the hangover slowly faded, he could feel his understanding and clarity of situations becoming apparent. His skills of deduction was coming back to him, and he felt more at ease; the change was quite dramatic, as if he had become a different person entirely. He was still had the fun in him, but now he understood and knew everything with increasing precision. With a somewhat small smile, he listened to the both of them – Riley and Jun that is – converse. While he felt that he should speak and say something, he decided to wait it out, Riley was on a role with her skills of a leader and he didn’t want to break the concentration that she had exhibited.

About the same time, he noticed his strange feelings flurry within him. But now Kyte understood. In the end, it must have been but a small infatuation and a bit of friendly love for someone so brilliant and upbeat. Glancing at Jun, he was able to make up that there were things that he knew and could possibly tell. But was he necessarily hiding it? Maybe he just didn’t have anything to say yet. So he waited it out. And finally he decided to speak with as much accuracy as he could.

“To be exact, we are somewhat mystified by such a place that we suddenly appeared to,” Kyte grinned. “After all, what else could this place be but a place full of incredible things? I would have thought, since I am such an avid explorer, I would have known about it, therefore, you can conclude that we are new from the way we straggled in and from that, asked if we needed help.” He paused, before continuing to speak to Jun. “And it is as Riley had previously said. We are a bit strained in thought about where we are.”