CLOSETLAND [Trapped in the Closet] 2/19-2/26

Cassidy squeezed Jude's hand tightly before bringing it up to his lips. He lets the kiss linger for a moment before bringing it back down to their waists. His worried frown reluctantly curls up into a smile. She was amazing. She was worried about him, and she was trying to get a laugh out of him. It worked. 

"I mean a beautiful thing like you being near me? How could that not help, eh?"

He pulls her in for a hug.

"It's just tough. Finding out you're going to go against the things that haunted you as a kid... It's just got me spooked. Enough about me though. What about you. Grandfather is gone. You must be worried."

If she wasn't, he sure was. He was worried about facing the things that go bump in the night. He was worried about these kids. He was worried about Solomon, Gloria, Gutenberg, Crux, and Jude. This was turning into a real nightmare. 

The inhabitants of the village - children all, in various stages of transformation into ragdolls - go about their business with a moderate amount of gawking at the 'grown ups'. All things considered, they seem pretty well-adjusted to this whole experience. Kids... more resilient than people give them credit for. They've built a whole society down here; farms and shops and everything you would expect from a settlement - through the lens of a child's eye, of course.

Helena stayed behind in the music box, talking to the Ballerina. After a while she emerges and starts mingling throughout the village, asking questions, learning everything she can. She's really good with kids; they seem to trust her implicitly, like they do with the butterflies and the Ballerina herself. This place radiates security in what is otherwise a hostile land; you have time here - time to regroup and prepare. How much time, you can't be sure, but it definitely doesn't flow like it does in the real world.

Jude was a little startled at the statement, but then smiled and laughed. "Oh..,well thanks? You can show me how attracted when we get out of here, yeah?"

The life mage's expression changed rapidly from amused to suspicious as Cassidy spoke. She let go of his hand to cross her arms. "First, what is it that you're going to do? What are the costs to you amd the consequences? Also, what exactly would happen to me? Secondly, you do know I am more resilient than I look yes? I had rather you use your abilities to help our friends."

Cassidy's face turned serious. He knew he couldn't laugh this off. This was an important decision. For both of them. 

"I've seen you in a fight. I know very well how resilient you are, but you are still mortal. Crux, Vic, Al, Gutenberg. They're all supernatural. They're harder to kill by default. All it would take is one lucky shock and I... We could loose you. If that happened I'm not sure what I would do or if I could come back from rage like it... What I want to do is a simple ceremony. It would take time from me and give it to you, extending your natural life. If something were to hurt you enough to kill you it would simply shatter that time giving you a get out of death free card, and leaving you to go about your normal life. It is a forbidden art so it is a sin against my synergy, but that can recover. The time I can give you is a drop in the bucket. There are Sin Eaters who have lived for centuries. It's honestly nothing in exchange for a lot. It won't hurt me or cause any lasting harm. I promise."

He looks over his friends. He smiles weakly.

"I'd be more than willing to do it for everyone else, but the ceremony gets dicey when it comes to supernaturals... I'm not sure how that works with Cinnamon, but she's not here so I can't help there anyway... Bottom line... I know you can handle yourself, and that you are more than meets the eye. I just don't want to take any chance we don't have to. You're important to me. I want to help you in the best way I know I can. You know besides dissolving people with my blood."