The red lady looked down at the weeping, broken Elf showing no expression on her face. But her eyes, green and catlike, showed her care and compassion...bright and sharp. The huntress knelt down in front of her beast, and watched as it cried like it was stuck in its cage for too long...wanting to be released...wanting to be her side again. Then, like the softest satin, words that flowed smoother than silk, the woman spoke with a voice that compassionate, yet belittling...charitable, yet demanding. Like a master would to a beast that is punishing it with kindness.<br/><br/>"My poor, sweet champion...The withdrawal from my presence after so long has done so much to you...the damage..." A hand came up to touch Lilith's head, fingers softly going through her hair. With this gentle touch, it was both pleasant and painful for the warped Elf,"The damage...is almost too much to repair...your slowly slipping into a shadow of your former self...an empty shell only holding the face of whom you were." That hand slowly went down to cup Lilith on the cheek, thump caressing the side of her head,"It is...painful, to see you like this, my pet...it truly does."<br/><br/>The care and affection in her words were genuine...the pained undertone was there; wasn't even bothered to be masked,"I fear you do not have long, my love...before you are no longer yourself...but something else entirely...something less of you..."<br/><br/>***********************************<br/><br/>While Tyora had tried her best to find her way, she would find that there was nothing...nothing at all. There was no life to detect...it was as if she was truly, truly alone in the world. No words to hear, no foreign flesh to feel, no perfumes or odors to sniff, no people brushing past her to feel...it was like life had ended, and she was the last. The lights around her stayed alight, but they flickered in an almost hypnotic fashion...almost begging her to walk into the houses to embrace their warmth.<br/><br/>"That will do you no good..."<br/><br/>Behind her, underneath a lamppost, she would find a sight she could not make up at any other time. There was a little girl, wearing a pristine dress of dark purple and black. It looked stylish, though the colors were gloomy and depressing...it looked even more depressing when you consider that while it did look regal in a way...it was very blunt with being simple. The only other things considered stylish on her were the purple and black stockings, the black mini-heeled platform shoes, and a purple bonnet that held dark black hair done up in an intricate fashion of loops and buns. She also, oddly enough, had a fresh white bandage over her left eye, her right a deep, empty blue.<br/><br/>The odd thing though...was that she had a stuffed bunny that looked ragged and worn...that was as tall as a man and was carrying her, instead of the other way around. She sat in his arms bridal style, looking directly at her with a sorrowful gaze that gave no sympathy nor care.<br/><br/>"This place...it stagnates one's mind...makes on...impure...unclean...unwanted...It feeds from a person...on their everything. Their words and thoughts...their actions and stillness. It thrives on their fears and courage, joy and misery, anger and calm...it feeds upon them until they are no longer themselves...empty husks that have no mind of their own..." The giant stuffed bunny, which had buttons for eyes...though there were six of them, all different colors...walked forwards, walking past the Elf. The little girl continued to speak.<br/><br/>"You are lost...and alone...it will feast upon you. This place will only allow you to not be lost once it is done with you...and by then it will be too late. You are not simply trapped in this city...this city is what is trapping you." The bunny continued to walk onward, not caring if Tyora followed or not.<br/><br/>********<br/><br/>While Dawn was working on her project and Foran was looking around the house, they would both be stopped at hearing something odd. It sounded like...music. Music that you would hear in a pre-recording from a music box...while such a tune would be welcome and warm...in this dark, quiet place it was foreboding and menacing. For a long while the music continued on by itself until they heard a voice. It was angelic in its sounding, so clear and so innocent...but it was that very same sounding that made it dark and hostile. It was far too cheerful in a little girl's voice as it hung in the air both outside and inside.<br/><br/>"Paint it up black and red<br/>Black and red<br/>Black and red<br/><br/>Paint it up black and red<br/>My fair lady..."<br/><br/>For them, the lights of the city would flare up again. Only, they weren't distorted by window panes...and they looked much larger than candles. Again, the voice sang out:<br/><br/>"Burn it to ash and soot<br/>Ash and soot<br/>Ash and soot<br/><br/>Burn it to ash and soot<br/>My fair lady..."<br/><br/>Heavy clangs could also be heard form a distance as the fires started to move...right towards their location as the song continued:<br/><br/>"Time to bleed 'em dry<br/>Bleed 'em dry<br/>Bleed 'em dry<br/><br/>Time to bleed 'em dry<br/>My fair lady..."<div class="messageTextEndMarker"> </div>