"Once upon a time, there was a man who died..." - Autor first ep

[herr_bookman]

“—and that’s why you’ll never be any good at the piano!” Autor says, smirking triumphantly.

Then, he opens his eyes. He sees some scantily clad women. He sees some scantily clad men. He sees some--oh, my God what is this did someone spike my tea--*things*, which may or may not be scantily clad.

In the back of his mind, he files away that he thinks he’s in a tavern. Most of his mental resources are busy containing a potential freak-out, so that fact doesn’t register as important.

“Okay,” Autor says, as quietly and calmly and as detached as he can manage. He takes a deep breath, adjusts his glasses, and prepares to bolt.

He turns on his heel, intent on getting back to where things make sense. Instead, he smashes face first into a wall--there had to be a door there, right? Ahh! My nose! It’s bleeding!--and lands gracelessly on his butt.

Comments

[gorgonfondness]

There is at least one of each to be found, though the Window might be best left alone.

But if search he must, who is Mia to stand in his way?

"You'll learn sooner or later that I'm a terrible liar. Be careful if you take the door to the grounds. There are demon rabbits in the woods and a man-eating mermaid in the lake."

[herr_bookman]

He cocks an eyebrow at her and sniffs, regaining a fraction of his old swagger.

"Man-eating mermaid? Did I not just spend most of this conversation with you telling you that we're in Goldkrone?" he says, and makes his way over to the Window of Observation. "Honest-"

He sees stars collide with one another, erupting with fission and fusion in a battle of the Titans. He sees molten color; gaseous planets forming and de-forming like a painter's palate. He sees a background of pitch, the stuff of nightmares.

He thinks he may hear howling.

"--ly," he whispers, and his skin burns.

For a second, a moment, but also possibly infinity, Autor stares into the abyss. The abyss stares back at him.

Of course he does the sensible thing and faints dead away.

[gorgonfondness]

Well, that was probably for the best.

Once it was clear Autor wasn't going to wake up, Mia waves her owl over to fetch the carpet. She alternates between pacing and shaking her head the entire wait, wondering how Duck and Fakir were faring.

When Croix returns, she unrolls the carpet and carefully pulls Autor on to be carried upstairs.

"You'll need some time to digest everything," she tells the unconscious young man before beginning their trip up the stairs. "Everyone always does at first."

A key to a vacant room is obtained and Mia writes a note to attach to it, jotting down the rules and the gorgon on her door.

Everything secure, the Guildmaster takes her leave.

[herr_bookman]

Sleep is a strange and elusive creature to Autor. He often pulls an all-nighter writing essays, reading, or researching. And, every other weekend he stays awake for three days to meditate. Family tradition.

To say Autor isn't caught up on his sleep is like saying Goldkrone Academy produces ballet students.

He might thank Mia, were he awake. And not terrified of her, of course.

He might be panicked for entirely different reasons when he wakes up...