The First Age

Mr. Vega, sounds so formal. Roza giggled. She leaned up into Esper's ear. "I love that idea!" She giggle in her friends ear with a soft whisper. "But you can't choose the obvious one."

Roza offered her hand to Cruz and he pulled her to her feet and they both offered a hand to Esper. "My darling, Narcissus*" Roza's eyes twinkled with mischief wondering what all that big time schooling brought Cruz. The daffodil was Rosa's favorite flower, and they represented Esper in her life in everything. She loved the trumpeted flowers and she loved Esper.

She clapped her hands together and giggled softly. "What's mine? And where shall we make Mr. Vega take us?" She looked to Rena and grinned. "Would you like a flower name too?"

---

* Narcissus is the scientific name for Daffodil and means honesty and truth, something that Esper means to Rosa.

Uh oh. This was getting in deeper. He liked these girls and now there was a third. He was never so popular. Not that they were anything more than flirting acquaintances, he didn't even know there names. And the two girls from the Carnival were quite particular about that.

The giggly one proffered Narcissus for her friend and it took Cruz much longer than it should have to realize the girl was being a smarty pants and trying to catch him. He gave her a happy smile and nodded. "If she agrees, then Narcissus, the scientific name of the daffodil it is." He gave the other one a pointed look while he continued to offer his hand to the newly named Narcissus. It was a bit much, he might have to shorten it a bit.

He gave Rena a smile and a glance. "It's Cruz, Mr. Vega is my grandfather. And I am not my grandfather. Care to go dancing with us?" He asked including her once the girls had.

Rena’s emotions were fragile and sour-tasting, primed with a deep-rooted pain Esper could not decide whether she favoured or not. There was a questing shyness to the girl that Esper thought she might easily crush by accident, and yet she had a soft spot for those straddling two worlds. The compliment made her laugh, not unkindly. But she only really had eyes for Roza.

The name bestowed plucked a knowing smile to her lips, shared like a secret, because she knew well enough why Roza had picked it. She gave a graceful bow of acceptance, as courtly as a knight, holding Roza’s gaze the entire time. “Camellia,” she named in return. The bright and beautiful queen of the winter flowers, currently painted in pink and red miniature up the curve of Esper’s cheeks. Meanwhile Cruz demonstrated his knowledge of what narcissus was, and Esper barely heard. Though the spell broke its hold a moment later.

Cruz must think it was his birthday, which amused Esper greatly. In her own experience, you did not find a place for yourself, you made it. Rena was as tentative as a lamb amongst wolves. She didn’t need to be given the choice. She needed the claiming. Esper obliged. “Of course she’s coming with us.” With a mischievous twinkle in her eyes, she reached for Rena’s hand and slipped it into the palm Cruz had laid open in expectation of her own. A sly, sultry wink followed.

She didn’t take Roza’s hand either, but did move to slip her arm about her waist. She was peripherally aware that Renáta was still watching them. “To our favourite place,” she said, to the query of where he ought to take them. Which was to say, Cruz should rise to the challenge of surprising them. No pressure. Her smile laid down the gauntlet.

Rena hesitated on a moment. The irony was not lost on her. In her life, she had been an outsider, it was true, even among her people. But fear had never held her back. She knew what she want and she went for what she wanted. She wasn't one to hold back. 

So why had she been hesitant? She wasn't sure. Only, that she felt curiously exposed in a way she never had even when on the runway in the filmiest of gowns, unashamed at the way her breasts were visible to all the onlookers with their cameras, strident and proud. But here, she felt unsure. As if maybe she didn't fit this world anymore.

Narcissus- she preferred daffodil. Sounded less ancient- stood and simple took Rena's hand and put it in Vega's and swept her up in their group. She didn't know the situation between the two girls. They certainly seemed to enjoy flirting with Vega. But there was a connection between the two that she couldn't define. Perhaps Vega- Cruz, rather- was barking up the wrong tree. Then again, maybe it was just girls having fun. She knew that.

Why am I hesitant? She didn't know. She truly didn't. But Daffodil seemed to take charge and push her into their group. That was enough for her. For now. They didn't seem to have any expectation for her. Which she liked. She wasn't sure she ever remembered be treated like that.

She smiled at Cruz and Daffodil and Camelia. "I'm game," letting them lead the way.

Roza giggled and clapped her hands they were going to a club. She didn't care where, or how. Or even if the made it to go dancing at all. It wasn't about that. It was all about stringing Cruz along into the Cult of Ezekeil. And he didn't even know he was along for the ride. She pulled out a dark shimmery sticker with a long stretched face screaming like it had seen the most horrible thing alive and peeled the back off and plastered it on the middle of Cruz's shirt as she skipped and twirled around in front of them. Dancing and humming to her own internal melody. She smiled brightly at Esper and spun around several more times.

Roza's purse was filled with stickers. She pulled a fancy shimmering unicorn from the pile and stuck it gingerly on their new friend. "We shall call you Lavender." Rosa pulled a dried bit of lavender from her bag and tucked it behind Lavender's ear. "Doesn't she look like a Lavender Cis?" Narcissus was too hard to say and Roza wanted playful and fun and Cis was perfectly shortened.

Cruz was peeling the sticker from his shirt and Roza stepped in and stopped their forward progression and pressed the sticker back down. "You'll ruin it. Stop!"

Rena's hand was slide into his and he held it awkwardly. She hadn't offered her hand, it had been given by Narcisus, though Cis did feel better in the mouth and he grinned when Camellia offered it as a variety. And calling Rena lavender. He wasn't sure when he remembered her name, but it seems like something he should have remembered if he hadn't been consumed by the other two.

Camellia flitted about like she had. Cis seemed to find it amusing and stickers and flowers flowed from the girls purse like she was handing out candy at a fair. Maybe she did that too. She was exuberant and full of life and there was never not a smile on her face. It was infectious. Until he he looked down at the image she'd stuck to his chest. What the fuck!

The image of had been haunting him since he'd returned the coin to Ezekeil back at the rundown refuge church. Where had she gotten this? "Where..." Cruz started to peel the sticker from his shirt and Camellia forced him to stop walking and pressed her hand hard into his chest with a scowl and a frown and dreaded determination to not ruin the horrid sticker she'd placed on his shirt. There was terror and horror and anger in her once happy voice. She stared up at him with a fire in his eyes that made him take a step back and press the sticky paper back to his shirt, it curled slightly at the edges.

She pouted. "You ruined it!" She turned on her heels and stomped away from the group. Cruz stood there staring after her mouth agap and wondering what the fuck just happened.

“Bellissima,” Esper agreed of the bestowed name, voice rolling low and sultry over her mother tongue. Rena was still hesitant, but she’d come around. Meanwhile Roza flitted around them like a butterfly at play, and Esper’s eyes followed. Cruz’s distress at the sticker was palpable. As well it should be, though of course neither Esper nor Roza betrayed recognition of the demon-face now squashed on the front of his shirt.

Roza’s anger was all for show, but Esper was the only one who’d know it. Her large eyes turned to Cruz in surprise as the other girl stormed away. “Why did you do that?” she asked accusingly.

The Carnival came alive under the moonlit sky, its vibrant colors and enchanting music resonating through the air. Brightly decorated stands adorned with intricate paintings and sparkling lights formed a whimsical labyrinth, beckoning visitors to step into a realm of mystique and wonder. It was within this realm of reverly, a peculiar figure known as Sámiel dwelled.

Sámiel, a tall and ethereal man, possessed an otherworldly aura that seemed to radiate from his very core. His piercing hazel eyes held ancient knowledge, as if they had witnessed a glimpse of things that others did not. Tonight, he leaned next to the entrance of his haunted attraction, aptly named "The Veil's Embrace," where shadows danced and secrets whispered.

Clad in an exquisite coat of midnight blue velvet that draped the snug shorts around his thighs like a curtain, it was adorned with silver symbols that glistened in the moonlight, makeup that darkened his eyes, and high-heel boots that trailed up his calves, Sámiel watched as a group of visitors approached. The flickering glow of LED lamps cast eerie shadows upon their faces, revealing a mix of trepidation and excitement. His lips curled into a knowing smile, for he understood the primal desires that drew mortals to embrace the thrill of the unknown.

As the visitors drew nearer, Sámiel raised a hand, beckoning them closer with an elegant and graceful motion. His voice, a haunting melody woven with a hint of mischief, broke the silence that enveloped the carnival. Unless, perhaps, it was the noise that cowered before his voice.

"Welcome, seekers of the extraordinary," Sámiel's words drifted like whispers on the wind. "Step into the embrace of shadows, where reality blends with the ethereal. Dare to traverse the Veil and discover what lies beyond the realm of the living." His arms opened wide as though sweeping them into the dark portal of the tent.

Curiosity mingled with apprehension among the visitors as they exchanged glances, their eyes reflecting a flicker of uncertainty. Yet, something compelled them to surrender to the allure of Sámiel's invitation. With an unspoken agreement, they took a collective breath and ventured forward, crossing the threshold into a realm where boundaries blurred and the supernatural danced in harmony with the living.

Sámiel watched with an almost parental pride as the visitors disappeared into the labyrinthine corridors of his creation. Each step they took, each beat of their hearts quickened, only deepening their enthrallment with the unknown. Shadows twisted and writhed, as if responding to the pulse of their anticipation, guiding them deeper into the darkness. Soon after, screams of fright erupted inside.

As Sámiel turned his attention back to the entrance, the carnival's nocturnal symphony swelled around him. The Romani musicians played a haunting melody on ancient instruments, their notes mingling with the distant echoes of laughter and howls of delight. The air became heavy with magic, an invisible thread connecting the realms of the living and the ethereal that he could almost see if he peered deep enough.

With a whisper carried on the wind, Sámiel murmured to the night sky and those living within its abyss, "Welcome to the carnival of enchantments, where the spirits of the past dance in harmony with the dreams of the future. Tonight, let us revel in the beautiful chaos that lies beyond the Veil's Embrace."

There he waited for the next group to dare pass him by.

Esper played along and Roza pulled her lips in to hide her smile as she let her facade continue as they walked through the Carnival. Sámiel's voice echoed on the air and Roza felt the pull of torment for Cruz's actions. He's ruined the sticker. Not that she didn't have a bag full of them to plaster around Cruz's stomping grounds. That it affected him so meant that Ezekeil's work was sinking in.

And Sámiel's show would only make it better. She skipped up to her friend and placed a kiss on his cheek with a giggle. "I have a favor to ask." She pulled a copy of the sticker out as she pressed it face down into his hand with a grin "Can you make this appear inside your show for my friends back there?"

She giggled loudly and turned to Esper. "Oh Cis, don't you think we should take them through the show? I think they will love it." She looked over at Cruz with fire in her eyes. "It's the least you can do for me, for ruining my pretty things."

Sámiel watched still as a statue as the Roza, a mischievous sparkle in her eyes, skipped up to him, her presence bringing a familiar warmth to his soul. She leaned in, planting a playful kiss on his cheek, and he couldn't help but smile gleefully at her infectious energy.

"I have a favor to ask," she said, her voice laced with anticipation. From her person, she retrieved a sticker, carefully pressing it face down into Sámiel's hand. “Can you make this appear inside your show for my friends back there?" The corners of his mouth curled up, realizing her intent.

With a knowing glimmer in his hazel eyes, Sámiel closed his hand around the sticker and nodded. "Consider it done,” he replied, his voice carrying an air of conspiratorial mischief.

As the girl rejoined her friends, Sámiel turned his attention to the tent that housed his haunted attraction, contemplating the illusion he would create.



The moment they stepped foot into the tent, a palpable shift in the atmosphere would send shivers down their spines. The air grew heavy with anticipation, as if the very walls were alive with secrets waiting to be unraveled.

The dimly lit space revealed a twisted labyrinth of corridors, leading deeper into darkness. Jagged shadows danced and writhed upon the fabric-laden walls, creating an unsettling tapestry of phantasmal faces that never really took recognizable form. The faint scent of decay lingered in the air, invoking a primal instinct to flee.

As the visitors cautiously ventured into the center, whispers seemed to follow their every step. The mystical faces emanated muffled voices, distorted and disembodied, whispering unsettling secrets just beyond their comprehension. The air grew colder, the temperature dropping with each passing moment, making their breath visible in the ethereal gloom.

Suddenly, a flicker of movement would catch their attention. Now in the center of the tent with seeming no further exit, a figure materialized, its surface bearing an uncanny resemblance to the sticker the girl had given Sámiel. It swirled around them before its mouth gaped wide and out spewed dozens more just like it. From each screaming mouth more poured. Finally, the haunting face stopped its movement and grew larger than life, its features twisted in anguish and terror. With an angry roar, it rushed forth, its jaw reaching impossibly large as though to swallow all of them whole.

Now inside the spectral figure, the visitors would found themselves immersed in the chaotic scene. Its colors bled together, warping and shifting, as if the screams trapped within the canvas had been unleashed upon the world.

Unsettling wails and distorted whispers would fill their ears, creating an atmosphere of sheer dread. The ground beneath their feet trembled, and the room seemed to tilt and spin, disorienting their senses. Faces hidden within the swirls of color appeared and disappeared, their tortured expressions searing into their minds.

Just as the visitors reached the height of their terror, the floor opened up from under their feet for a free fall into darkness. Following a moment of sheer dread, they would land on padded mattresses, safe and able to climb out of the experience to freedom. Outside once more, the air cleared, and the passage vanished, leaving behind only the faint scent of memories woven into the fabric of the carnival.

Sámiel watched from nearby shadows as the group stumbled out of the exit, their faces etched with a mix of awe and unease. He knew that their encounter with the haunted sticker had forever imprinted itself upon the souls of Roza’s friends, an unforgettable experience created by his powerful touch.


((ooc: He will have done his spell casting and channeling off-screen after the group entered the tent. He will have secretly followed them inside and sat on the ground to quickly channel as they moved through the experience. It is possible Cruz will have felt the presence of a nearby channeler. Up to you if you want to acknowledge that.))