Susan
*Oh, dear.*

The Rook feels the world close in around him once more as his voice sounds quieted even to himself, *Oh, dear...* 

In the nothingness, it feels that even the built-up energy he has just unleashed onto the door ceased to be effective, granting him absolutely no benefit in shedding light to his surroundings. Surely – surely, like before, someone will answer, right...? Or perhaps, that's simply desperation speaking. The Rook is up against an enemy he understands nothing about, nor can even seem to comprehend... Perhaps, it's a remotely-controlled spell? Is that even a thing? No, The Rook would have no idea.

Yet, in the midst of all this silence, and what falls around him specifically.. *Clank*.

*That's armor.* The Rook recognizes. Yes, it makes a sound like his own..

*Oh, dear.*

With armor comes the potential for a knight – someone perhaps unfriendly, or maybe someone amicable. Yet, the guard's words linger in his head. 


"𝘐𝘧 𝘪𝘵 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘧𝘶𝘳𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘴, 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘨𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘰 𝘴𝘰."

*No. No, surely this is all okay..*


At last, a voice comes from the door as The Rook trains his eyes on what he could only *Assume* Was the way he came, putting his back fully onto the door so that there was no possible way to sneak up *Behind* Him – a helpful maneuver taught by, of course, Iota Talitha. The only way for the assumed danger to come at him is now only *Towards* Him as he lowers his voice, being aware that despite how *He* Perceives sound, that may not be true for the person behind the door.

_ _
"I just need to know what is *Going on*." He says, raising his armored fist towards the street, rearing it back so that he may clock the stalker *Hard* Should they come at him, consciously choosing to not bear an arm in defense. No, this can still be solved peacefully, right..?

"I do not even *Look* Like royalty," He speaks behind him to whoever may be on the other side of the door, wholly unaware of any coincidences that may actually exist between him and the guardians of this floor. It's likely that physically he towers over them as he did the guardian of the wall, yet also equally likely that he doesn't. "I do not know *What* I'm doing here, I do not know what's happening to my eyes and ears, and I would just like the armored *Thing* Chasing me to stop." He hisses out, still trying to keep a friendly undertone to his message despite overlapping it with apparent fear. In a situation like this, The Rook's only natural defenses are stripped away from him, leaving only dull remains, his armor and his fists.

"What...?" He asks in reply, "I-I, do not know what that is..??"
Guadalupe
*...*

There is a pause, and a subsequent series of faint noises beyond the door. The sound of paper rustling, the sound of swift paces across the floor, the sound of an object sliding across the floor — each had grown audible due to his proximity with the building, yet were each equally suppressed in the odd silence of the darkened night within the village.

**ᵗʰᵘᵈ**
*ʳᵃᵗᵗˡᵉ . . .*

Something within the building collides against the ground in a distant noise, and a closer noise echoes through the door with a metallic rattle to it. Heard beyond the sealed wooden frame of the residence, there resounded the audible noise of someone scrambling through its midst.

***`Fₗᵤₜₜₑᵣ!`***

As faint as it was, one could hear a noise vaguely reminiscent of what seemed to be cloth being aired and spread. An airy fluttering, and the silent touch of something pressing against the ground in the moment to follow — all such noises came shortly one-after-another, a clear indicator of a task being performed in reckless haste within the midst of the sealed residence. Both the outsider's presence and the faint sound of the metallic greaves' echo in the distance seemed to both individually originate reason for disquietedness within the one who was behind the door, as, unseen, they seemed to be covering something up at a hurried pace.

*"ᴰᵃᵐⁿ, ˢᵗⁱˡˡ ᵒⁿ ᵐʸ ᵈᵒᵒʳˢᵗᵉᵖ?! ᵂʰᵃᵗ'ʳᵉ ʸᵒᵘ ᵗʳʸⁱⁿᵍ ᵗᵒ ⁱᵐᵖʳᵉˢˢ ᵒⁿ ᵗʰᵉ ʷⁱᵗⁿᵉˢˢ? ᴴᵉˡˡˢ⁻ᵗᵃᵏᵉ⁻ᵐᵉ, ⁱᶠ ᵗʰᵃᵗ ..."*

...

*"ˢᵒⁿ ᵒᶠ ᵃ ᵇⁱᵗᶜʰ..."*


***Click.***

What was, for the first time in the past several moments, an unsuppressed noise, sounded from the region about the door's knob. Metallic and clicky, it was indeed the sound of a lock being clicked open, followed shortly after by the sound of a thin chain's rattle, and finally a twist of the doorknob.

***SWING***

*—The door flings open.*
Robert
*And revealed behind it,* The figure of a gruff-seeming man, whose apparent demeanor was everything *But* Calm, confident, and cheerful. Nay; rather, he appeared angered, paranoid, distraught, and especially impatient. He, having swung the door open, was revealed in a sort of leaned way forward: and his eyes stared from his hobbled state in a very piqued glare at the outsider, both as if to see to whom he was speaking, and to convey all the kind of worry in his soul. 

There was frazzle in his breath, the man's hands raised to either side of his face as he stressed in clear emphasis, and while the air of first impression still besieged the two in their initial shared glances, he spoke in whisper-yell, throat and lungs both as though they were equally stressed as he:

"Get in, now!—I won't have anyone open lay sight on you infront of *My* Residence!"

Terrible and displeased as he seemed about the outsider's sudden appearance, more displeased was he of the possibility that the armor-clad fellow would be spotted in the general proximity of none other than his own house. *Trust* Wasn't exactly a word that could be used to describe the man whose tuckered stature and appearance might as well openly shout the word "Cynical", his silver eyes darting askance with every nervous breath taken inward. He peeked and poked his head from beyond the door, and took a good look through the unnatural dark of the night, and then rescinded himself back unto the confines of his home, again with the hurried gestures toward the outsider.
Susan
The Rook listens intently, assuming an attack to come quite shortly all things considered – something he did *Not* Want to be on the receiving end of should it indeed come true.

*Oh, dear. Oh, dear. Oh, dear.* The Rook's worriedness and discomfort finds a new peak as the shuffling of armor remains distant. Seeing as all seemed muted to him, surely this entity is *Not* Far. Perhaps, even, they have eyes on him now. Perhaps he's endangering this potential person's life, perhaps-

*No. No, everything is okay. I am strong. I can do this.* The Rook takes a shakey breath, refusing to allow a drop in ""Stance"" No matter how potentially ineffective it proves to be.

A sound emanates from nearby. Something is being stuck into the ground. Perhaps the assailant has finally found its mark.

*No.* The Rook mentally repeats, *No. It's inside.*

But what if the enemy *Is* Inside?

*No. They could have stabbed me by now. Right?

Impress on the witness?* What is a witness? 

"Sorry, I-" 

*Click. Swoosh.* With The Rook's back firmly planted on the door, the only thing keeping him from tumbling atop the person inside is his incredible size, forcing him to *Wiggle __CAREFULLY__* Inside. The Rook swiftly turns around, facing his back towards the street in a move fueled only by sheer unawareness both natural and magical. His fists remain at the ready should the inhabitant be armed and poised to attack.

*He does not have a weapon.*

*"Get in, now!"*

The Rook turns back towards the street, sharing one swift glance of worry upon realizing his back had been exposed to whatever is lingering in the darkness, before he quickly hunches down and squeezes through the doorway – likely a rather tight fit for his stature – following the owner in and swiftly closing the door behind him, taking a long sigh in attempt to steel his nerves.

_ _
The normally somewhat confident (or, naive rather) Rook, reduced to a malleable putty of uncertainty, opens his mouth to speak, choosing a level of noise close to that of the man who had allowed him in. "I'm sorry, I-I do not know what's happening or, or.." He takes a deep breath. "I.. Don't know what is going on, I- can't see well, my ears are not working well, I..."