Night 56: The Grand Ballroom

[witchoftruth]

[ from here ]

That feeling of vertigo that came with using the ring seemed to be getting worse with each trip, Erika thought, as she saw the world spin around her and felt that tugging sensation pulling all three of them. Well prepared this time, Erika braced herself as she felt wind roaring in her ears and saw the surroundings change into that familiar ballroom, getting ready to land -

"Ow!"

Landing gracefully this time was her idea, but she realized the thing she was landing on was not the floor, but on Sync once again. It seemed like she was the last one to fall despite being the one to destroy the ring, a curious constant that might have had more of her attention if it weren't for the fact that Erika was certain she landed against an elbow this time and that she still had no idea where the other boy was. Heaven forbid she landed on both of them, she might have killed one.

"Where is..." Ah, there he was. The other boy had landed a few feet away from them, though whether he was awake or not, she couldn't tell. Instead of checking on either of her companions, Erika took the moment to search around for her belongings, trying to find where the bag landed. It wasn't too far, but she noted with displeasure that several items had scattered onto the floor, including her katana and that gun. Clearly, those were her first priority, and Erika ignored the two behind her to get her things.

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[sasuke-of-sound.livejournal.com]

[[from here (http://damned.livejournal.com/1104746.html?thread=78082666#t78082666)]]

Sasuke had thought that it might be easier to get used to the ring's effects, but they didn't seem to be abating over time -- or perhaps they were growing worse, and tolerance made it seem the same? Still, at least there was nothing as dire as Aidou had suspected in store. In the short term, which was of the main concern for their particular mission. Letting go of Sai's hand, Sasuke redistributed the weapons in his hand and took his bearings.

If Sasuke recalled correctly, he'd bled just enough from that scrape last night to set the ring again, and indeed he sensed that particular underground smell as soon as his senses cleared from the ring. From the foot of the stairs to the doors across the room, where Landel had been gloating about whatever trick or trap he'd left -- a brief trip, and one he'd already explained to those who needed it.

"Sakura, the shield," he said as soon as they'd reached the other side, hefting the sword that had been won so long ago at the same time.

[idolism]

The noble kept his mouth shut rather than voice thoughts that would, likely, fly over the heads of the other four. That Sakura had also had her things returned to her would have to wait, too. The ring and its potential abilities was enough to focus on at the moment, though apparently the tall, ill-fitting one was acting as no more than a warm body on the trip.

He watched Sasuke display the ring, expression hard. Some shortcut. There were powers that only a small handful deserved to wield--like purebloods.

… But on the surface, a shortcut was what the ring provided.

Aidou wasn’t a stranger to travelling great distance by special means, but in this case finding himself in the ballroom a floor below was accompanied by physical discomfort, a kind shared in part by the others, by the looks of things. He made a dour face at the woozy sensation and slipped his hand out of the girl’s. Unsurprising that his body reacted poorly, he supposed. But the ring had done what Landel said it would. Would they always, though? Surely their creator was still tied to them?

At the very least, the vampire was otherwise unaffected by the transition, or so it seemed so far.

The southernmost door was the one everyone wanted, and on the way there, he kept his eyes on the room at large. He couldn’t sense any threat nearby, either. Another good thing. Looking back over his shoulder at the other end of the ballroom where the northern doors sat, he considered their rough facade silently. Those were, of course, another mystery. For now there was the investigation at hand and all the assembled tools to (hopefully) complete it--a group of people, and the sword and shield.

[see-my-back.livejournal.com]

The trip was a dizzying one, and Sakura had to move quickly not to be left behind. If Brook's stuttered outburst was anything to judge by, she wasn't the only one. The sudden change in scenery was enough to put her on her guard, but just as before, they all ended up in the large room in the basement. She'd heard little about the ring that was able to do such a thing and she had her reservations about using a tool left them by their enemy, but now that things had changed, maybe it mattered less? Who knew.

It was a little disappointing that she didn't get to grab hold of Sasuke as well, but at least she no longer had to beg and plead and poke and prod at him just to come along. Before her thoughts could trail any further though, Sasuke's commanding voice calling her name shook her out of it.

"I'm on it," she replied quickly, pulling the small shield from the belt at her hip and moving to affix it to the other indentation on the door. It fit, just as expected, as if the door had been made for it. Most likely was, of course. She pushed onward, through the doors and into the dark hall beyond.

[to here (http://damned.livejournal.com/1119653.html)]