Florence Alcott's Story

Florence drifted through the halls of the mansion, flitting in and out of various rooms. The other ghouls had been abuzz with the news that there were new Wanderers coming today, their eyes alight at the prospect of haunting them. Florence wondered if this Western Wanderer would know anything about Julian, and let out a loud sigh, a noise like wind whistling past a tree's branches. She heard one of the more recent ghouls wail, and she floated down to comfort her. The poor dear was having such a hard time adjusting, she'd left behind three little children.

As Florence patted her back, she thought about whether or not her parents had felt sorrow at losing her, nearly a century and a decade ago. The other ghoul's cries increased, and Florence rubbed her back soothingly.

"Hush," she murmured. "I'm sure the wee lambs will be fine, just fine, with your husband there for them."

A small smile appeared on Florence's face as her sobs subsided into child-like sniffles. Suddenly, the house grew louder with the sound of the house creatures's excitement. Florence's face turned stoic once more, and she rose up to her full height, as if anticipating something. The Wanderers had arrived.

((@yeastyy- I hope you don't mind that I've made up an NPC ghoul and that I fast forwarded to the arrival of the Wanderers! If it's a problem, I will edit my post as soon as possible.))

Ellabelle stood on the lawn in front of the mansion, her trainers tapping on the ground as she waited. Her bright blue and pink hair was tied up in a messy bun of sorts, and her amber eyes looked it up and down, whilst her ears heard ghouls and ghosts wailing and howling. She wasn't sure if she wanted to do this, but she'd been chosen and had to carry this through. She looked down at her outfit, making sure everything looked okay. Her bikini top was tight, her cargo pants were baggy, and her ribbon was tied up nicely. She looked at the wanderers around her, and could tell this was going to be interesting. Ellabelle's hair was misbehaving, so she reached up and untied her hair.

But just as the bubblegum coloured hair tumbled freely down her back, the doors opened to reveal a rather handsome ginger young man. Ellabelle's hair stopped just past her hips, but the blue and pink hair still bounced ever so slightly, and a strand or two fell in her face. People always said her hair looked prettier like this, but she just thought it was a pain and a nuisance, and now she couldn't really tie it back up without seeming rude to the young man who appeared to be master of the house. She looked up at him through lowered eyelids, blushing from the embarrassment of her hair and the warm breeze flowing by her. Her lids were lowered, as she was tired from the journey to the mansion, and her hair was blowing in the wind a little. God this was an awkward situation, she was total mess. Luckily she hadn't eaten too much on the way, and her bare belly wasn't too bulgy. She didn't realise it, but Ellabelle was looking really stunning, but she thought she looked horrid,

Ellabelle smiled softly at the House Master, shy and unsure of what was ahead. She adjusted the straps on her bikini top, and spoke up. "Hi. So... You're the master of the house then?" She smiled as wide as she could, she was kinda scared and shy of what was going to happen next, or what she might face in the house. She hadn't talked to any of the wanderers yet, so it was going to be slightly harder to make alliances, if they were needed, but there was always the ghouls and ghosts she'd heard about. Ellabelle scratched her arm awkwardly, already feeling the oncoming pull of the full moon arriving in a few days. She was going to be itching a lot over the next few days. But she knew this whole ordeal was gonna take a lot longer.

Florence watched silently from the staircase as Love thrust the doors wide open. "He always did have a bit of dramatic flair," she thought to herself. Just past Love's and Mayor's heads, she could see the Wanderers, some looking scared, and others merely nervous. As Love boomed his salutations to the group, a bubblegum-haired girl fidgeted slightly. Florence gazed down passively, scanning the group.

There was one that caught her eye, a small, blonde girl from the West, who looked absolutely terrified. Florence would have to say hello sometime, and see if she'd heard anything about Julian. There was a rather heavy silence as Love finished his opening words. Florence hated this period of time, the silence even made her feel uncomfortable. The girl with the bright pink hair played with the straps of her bikini, and she opened her mouth to speak. Florence's eyes widened. She did not remember ever seeing a Wanderer brave enough to actually speak as soon as they got to the mansion.

"So... you're the master of the house, then?" she asked.

Florence nearly smiled at the casual tone of her voice. She'd have to keep her eye on this one.

Love arched his brows, looking down at the timid Wanderers. One stepped forward, looking up directly towards him.
"Hi. So... You're the Master of the House then?" she said. Love looked over to Mayor, then they both looked down.

"My my! You are a brave little Wanderer, aren't you? Quite bold of you to speak up so soon!" Love looked over his shoulder, spotting Florence, one of the tamer house ghouls. "Florence! Come join Mayor and I, the Wanderers are looking more interesting than usual this year!" he beckoned, then turned to look back down at everyone. Some looked more timid than others, and some looked as if they were ready for whatever was ahead.

"Well, I'm Love, Master of this glorious House!" he beamed, "This is Mayor, my personal house ghoul! And Florence, another house ghoul! Don't tell the others, but..." he made a dramatic motion, covering his lips and speaking as if every ghoul in the house wasn't behind him, "They are my personal favorites. The others are a bit rowdy or gloomy, but don't worry if you run into these two!" he motioned to the Wanderers, "Now, you should all introduce yourselves! Starting with the brave Norhterner!" he pointed to Ellabelle, leaning in closer.

Ally stood on the front lawn of the House, barefoot, with nothing but a pleaded, violet skirt on that went down to her knees, a decorative, light brown belt that went around her waist, and a white, lace shirt that was tucked into her skirt. She was probably one of the most unprepared Wanderers of all time. Those were her exact thoughts, as she stood in front of the large mansion, trembling all over.

Even now she couldn't believe she'd been chosen to become a Wanderer. Yet, here she was crossing her arms, in front of the House of the Wanderers, attempting to look more stubborn and brave, two traits of which she was not. She was not only trying to look braver, and more stubborn, but she was also trying to make the trembling appear less obvious.

Ally flinches, as the doors to the house open. Out came a ginger haired boy, most referred to as the Master of the House.

"Welcome, To the House of the Wanderers!"

Ally only starred in return, still filled with fear, and disbelief. "So... you're the master of the house, then?" She looked over at the Northerner, who had been the one to ask the question.

"My my! You are a brave little Wanderer, aren't you? Quite bold of you to speak up so soon!" The Master of the House boomed, as he looked over his shoulder, spotting one of the house ghouls. "Florence! Come join Mayor and I, the Wanderers are looking more interesting than usual this year! Well, I'm Love, Master of this glorious House! This is Mayor, my personal house ghoul! And Florence, another house ghoul! Don't tell the others, but... They are my personal favorites. The others are a bit rowdy or gloomy, but don't worry if you run into these two! Now, you should all introduce yourselves! Starting with the brave Northerner!"

Ally looked over at the Northerner, who had bright amber eyes, and bubblegum colored hair.

Ellabelle grinned, and pulled her hair tie out of a pocket. "I'm Ellabelle Howleth, I'm from the Northern district, I'm not exactly sure if I want to be a wanderer, but I suppose I should take it in stride." She smiled at them all, tying her blue and pink hair back up, glad the waist length nuisance was under control for now. She saw a rather stubborn looking young girl, and decided to talk to her later, because she certainly knew that appearances weren't everything. She was about to finish up her introduction, when she decided to do something she would probably regret later when she would only eat meat. "Oh! And my dog wolf thingy form looks like this." And after furrowing her brow, Ellabelle's face started elongating, and her arms and legs got longer. Her body became bulkier, and the bubblegum blue hair was lost and replaced by an all over cover of night blue fur. Her amber eyes became larger, and she came down on all fours, her hands and feet turning into large paws, and her clothes appeared to melt into her skin and fur, disappearing completely. Soon, Ellabelle stood in front of them all as a massive blue wolf. She grinned well, wolfishly, and sat on her haunches, looking towards the westerner, feeling slightly queasy as she looked at her fishy features.

(OOC: I said fishy features because western provincers usually have gills and stuff, is Ally an exception?)

Dorian sat in the musty study, sprawled on the single deceivingly comfortable chair in the room. A general buzz was in the air, like the House was full of static electricity. He knew that excitement. The master was anticipating new arrivals.

The text Dorian held fell upon his face as he was no longer focused enough to read. He inhaled deeply into the yellowed pages. Honest to god, he had been holding it in all day. But as the time drew nearer, the energy within the House was just enough to tick him off.

Dorian flung the book at the study's window in frustration. The glass shattered upon impact and the book sailed out into the open air outside the House. As much as it satisfied him to destroy the window, it quite possibly annoyed him even more when the glass pane pieced itself back together and the book materialized in its original spot on the study's bookshelves. Being dead meant holding little significance over the world outside the House. Often Dorian would glance outside and imagine taking off one day to blaze his own warpath.

With an exasperated huff he pushed himself up from his wooden seat. Standing in the stuffy study room with a corona of window-filtered sunlight striking his back, Dorian felt the House. All its pipes and cracks and floorboards. And the master nervous to greet the Wanderers.

Sooner than expected, the time was at hand. Dorian was in a small alcove when he heard Love at the House entrance greeting the Wanderers. Dorian himself wandered to one of the windows overlooking the front yard. "Shut it!" he barked at some whiny ghoul behind him and tried to listen to the exchange happening below.

Mayor and Florence had come down to greet the newcomers as well, and Love introduced them as among his favourites within the house. Dorian scoffed. He wouldn't count Mayor or Florence among his enemies, but he certainly did not see them as having much use above being obstacles.

Most notable of the Wanderers would have to be one Northerner with a positively ridiculous mop of annoying neon hair which she fumbled with excessively. For some reason she thought it necessary to show off her wolf form and seemed quite proud of herself. Dorian sneered and opened the window.

"Filthy dogs stay outside!" Dorian jeered from the second floor. "Be good and go dig yourself a lavatory in the gardens."

It was with no little trepidation that Oren Alberi stood outside the House of the Wanderers, gray eyes gazing up at the structure with undisguised discomfort, partially caused by the eerie and disconcerting noise emanating from within. He supposed that one could call the house large, not that he had much experience with homes himself, with several levels, windows apparently on nearly every surface, and superfluous bits of architecture surely meant to make the mansion look elegant or even homey. It didn't look very homey to Oren. In fact, it looked more like a cage, a pretty cage meant not to shelter but to ensnare. Did people really live in these things?

He honestly couldn't imagine having grown up where the only roof over his head had been a canopy of leaves or, if that failed, a cave or similar shelter from the elements. The very idea of living in that- that monstrosity filled him with almost as much anxiety as the grand reveal some days ago that he had been chosen as the Woodland Province's next Wanderer. Or sacrifice. To his people, the two terms might as well have been synonymous. Perhaps that was why he wasn't doing his best to seem fearless and willing like the others around her were attempting or succeeding at. Why should he? Die here, survive, his former life was over, wasn't it, so why worry about appearances?

Oren shifted his stance as the moans and wails from within the House of the Wanderers slowly faded away, glad at least for the greenery, however artificially placed and disturbingly neat, surrounding the building. Without the distraction of the ominous noise from inside, he allowed himself a moment to take a quick survey of those surrounding him. There was a young lady wearing far too little fiddling with her disturbingly bright two-tone hair. Another boy with thick layers of dark colored clothing, almost as if to contrast the previous girl, had wandered off on his own and was lurking in the shadows cast by the house. There were a few others, enough to represent each Province, waiting just as anxiously as himself, but attempting to mask it.

They all looked weird. Incredibly weird with their nice clothing and perfectly tamed hair. Then again, he was probably an oddity himself, or so he'd learned from the few foreigners that he'd met until now. His long, brown hair was pulled back into a low ponytail to disguise its tangled mess, his clothes were well-worn and practical, brown trousers stopping just at his knee to expose the gradual transformation of human legs into that of a goat's, fur the same color as his hair and the scruff on his face. He shifted once more on cloven hooves, eyes returning to the house's front door. Yes, they were all probably freaks to one another, as far as looks went, or maybe not. Maybe he was the only one who had been so sheltered and was thus perturbed by the people around him. Either way.

His musings of his own freak-of-nature status were cut short as the front door swung open.

"Welcome! To the House of the Wanderers!" Oren could only blink in reply, trying to take in the sight before him. There was a man, gazing expectantly at them as if he were expecting something. Well, he and his ethereal companion(Oren had no explanation for her and quickly decided that it would quickly become tedious if he were amazed by every little thing that was weird here) would be sorely disappointed. Only silence ensued until the brightly colored girl spoke up, beaming brightly as she guessed at who the odd man was.

The girl had been, as it turned out, absolutely correct. Really? That young man was the Master of the House of the Wanderers? Oren had assumed it would be some hardened old man, but, then again, they never did get any information about the House in the Woodland Province, the very place almost a taboo to discuss. After introducing himself, he went on to speak for two women or ghosts or whatever they were before asking them to introduce themselves.

The scantily-clad girl spoke up first, all smiles that didn't seem to quite fit the situation in Oren's mind, and then, out of all things, turned into a wolf. Oren staggered at the sight of the transformation, cloven hooves taking a step or two back. He'd heard stories of course, but someone had just turned into a wolf in front of him. A wolf! And she was just sitting there, pleased as could be. What was his life coming to?

"Filthy dogs stay outside! Be good and go dig yourself a lavatory in the gardens." Oren felt rather pleased with himself that he didn't jump at the sudden voice emanating from one of the upstairs windows. Apparently not all of the ghouls were as well-mannered as the Master's companions. The little note to stay away from him was rather unnecessary, Oren decided, but probably impossible. Sneaking a glance at the man or ghoul or whatever in the window, he was given the distinct impression that it wasn't so much keeping your distance that you had to worry about so much as hoping that he decided to leave you alone. Wonderful.

Ellabelle licked her paw, knowing she would regret this transformation later, but needed everyone to know what she looked like in both forms in case of emergencies. She knew the house would probably have a lack of meat, so she'd best transform back now that she had the time. She heard someone exclaim something from higher up in the house. "Filthy dogs stay outside!Be good and go dig yourself a lavatory in the gardens." She furrowed her brow, contemplating whether to reply or not. She wasn't the kind of person to make smarmy remarks back to people, but if she wanted to survive this place, she'd need to be a different person. She looked up, and saw the speaker. He was kind of creepy, and you could tell he was insane, but when he was living he must have been a real heartthrob to girls. Ellabelle, however, was not one of those girls. She smirked. "Perhaps the apparent prep boy would then be willing to behave for headmaster, who appears not to be pleased, but seeing as you mind so much..." She transformed back into human form, exactly the same as before, every wrinkle in her pants, every strand of her hair. Ellabelle bowed mockingly, then looked up, still bent at the waist with a hand in front and behind of her. "There, your Royal Uppitiness Dorian has been pleased. And I would advise you to be nice to dogs, because despite you being a ghoul, their bite is still a bite." She smirked and stood up. "Who's next to introduce themselves?" She said cheerfully, forgetting what she'd just done and what she'd just portrayed herself falsely as. Or, at least, putting it away in her mind for now.

Dorian glanced down at Love, the master with the pleasant autumn hair. He had obviously issued some warning. Dorian didn't mind, anything Love said, he probably deserved. He ignored it and replied, "Yes, Love, a splendid group indeed. You want to bet again on which one dies first?"

Of course, Love never did bet with Dorian on the groups that came to the House. But it was Dorian's personal mission to make Love seem less gracious than he was always trying to be. It always unnerved him that this master was so soft with the contestants. In earlier years, Dorian had really pushed Love, wanting him to become a much more harsh master. A few times he possibly pushed him too far.

Ellabelle the mutt-girl gave him a bit of a glower. She did not seem all too affected by his jab at her race. This was good, of course. No use in having anyone that broke too easily.

"Perhaps the apparent prep boy would then be willing to behave for headmaster, who appears not to be pleased, but seeing as you mind so much..." So the pup would stand up for itself. It was of no importance, simply a dumb animal yipping at a distraction.

Dorian laughed freely, placing his hands behind his back and leaning just a further bit outside the window. "My dear, the master does not dictate how I behave. But you being so considerate as to shed your dog skin, how can I continue being so rude?"

Ellabelle then returned to her previous form. Dorian cocked an eyebrow at her oh-so-kind gesture, and smiled in response to her unprompted advise on the superiority of a canine's bite over the constitution of a ghoul. Dear weary travelers, may you expect dog meat on the menu some time soon.

(Ally still has 'fishy features', I forgot to mention it, sorry! >.<)

Ally watched as the Northerner, Ellabelle, introduced herself. She seemed pretty nice, and Ally considered making allies with her. She was pretty sure most of the people here didn't see teaming up with a Westerner as a bonus, but more as a minus. If so, Ellabelle was probably the one who didn't see it so much as a downgrade.

Ally flinched, as she heard one of the house ghouls shout down at them. "Filthy dogs stay outside!" He jeered. "Be good and go dig yourself a lavatory in the gardens." Right then and there, Ally knew to keep her distance from that one ghoul. The Master of the House, Love, seemed displeased by this 'Dorian' character. She would be too.

"Yes, Love, a splendid group indeed. You want to bet again on which one dies first?"

Ally ignored that remark.

She looked back over at Ellabelle, and watched as she turned back to human form, and asked who was going to introduce themselves next.

"Filthy dogs stay outside! Be good and dig a lavatory in the gardens!" Dorian called out snidely. Florence snarled quietly, a harsh, primal noise. There was no use getting defensive over her former province, but she had once been one of those "dogs" that Dorian referred to. She opened her mouth to chide him, but the other Northerner, Ellabelle, beat her to it. As Ellabelle shot back biting remarks at the rather unpleasant ghoul, Florence nearly smiled.

She looked around at the Wanderers, who were all looking at each other warily. Florence was well acquainted with that look. Those were calculating eyes, eyes that were assessing every single competitor. They were not just looking at each other, they were slowly thinking about who could be their most valuable ally. The worst part though, to Florence, was when their alliances all dissolved, and they were left to face each other.

Florence's graveness was replaced by shock as Dorian asked if they'd like to bet on who would die first. Her eyes widened, and she whirled around to look at Dorian. She knew that Dorian had been placing bets for quite some time, but she never expected him to tell every Wanderer that. "Dorian," she called out, with some trepidation. "Perhaps you'd like to frighten the new Wanderers at another time? After all, they do need to finish introducing themselves, and I'm sure they'd like to go inside soon." She flinched as she waited for Dorian to make a vicious remark, but then straightened her back again.

Love fiddled with his wristwatch and watched Ellabelle and Dorian interacting nervously. A few times brave Wanderers such as her had come through and spoke that way with Dorian- seldom did they return home to see their provinces. He opened his mouth, then closed it, unsure of what to say. He didn't want to upset the new Wanderers, and he certainly didn't want to upset a ghoul such as Dorian.

Then, Florence, spoke up, and he could practically feel all the hostility in the air.

Love attempted to fix the tension, opening his arms wide, "Now, now, no need to provoke anyone! Thank you , Florence! We haven't finished our introductions! Let us continue them inside, I'm sure you've all been itching to see what lies within this mysterious house!" he beckoned for everyone to step inside the wide open doors. With a flick of his wrist, the lanterns on the wall reignited themselves. He looked back up to the window where Dorian sat, nervously, then turned and walked into the house with the rest.

"This may turn ugly sooner than I want," he thought, biting his lip, "Pity, they seem like such lovely people."

It was apparently a day for bad first impressions, Oren decided as he watched the little exchange unfold before him. From the jeering male ghoul apparently haunting the house to the over eager Master whose attempts to take back control over the situation were quickly unravelling and even one of the female ghoul's harsh snarls that were more than a little bit disturbing. Perhaps even more disturbing was the ghoul's little quip, "Yes, Love, a splendid group indeed. You want to bet again on which one dies first?" Either the ghoul was stirring up trouble, the Master wasn't quite as he appeared, or, as Oren was beginning to expect, a little bit of both. The other Wanderers- not, of course, his fellow Wanderers given that this wasn't a position he actually wanted or had even been given a choice in- seemed just as pleased to show off their character flaws before they'd all been introduced. Or at least, one Ellabelle certainly did. Any dignity that this meeting was supposed to have had vanished away leaving only awkwardness and bad feelings in its wake. It was like watching a train wreck as Love struggled to regain control of the situation and get the introductions back on track.

The wolf girl gave the animal equivalent of a smirk, and even if Oren hadn't recognized the expression her sneering words as she transformed back into a human( a sight that was just as disturbing if not as surprising as her original transformation) certainly sealed the deal. Then, as if she hadn't just managed to transform between two species in as many minutes, she continued talking, a casual threat slipping from her mouth with a mocking tone. A frown pulled at Oren's lips. Was this sort of behavior typical from other Provinces? Threats and apparently too much pride were not qualities deemed very acceptable in the Woodland Province. He felt a pang for his homeland then, even if he had been a stranger there for ages. At least that was familiar and people were predictable. Here and now, it was more like waiting for someone to slip and all Hell to break loose.

The ghoul- Dorian, Oren's mind supplied- was leaning further out the window now and there was a flash of recognition in his mind that quickly flickered away. Something about that face and the name attached to it- Dorian Cairr Wildereth… Why did that sound so utterly familiar? Well, if he survived long enough at the house, perhaps he'd figure it out. Either that or he'd simply stop caring, which seemed like the safe thing to do. Everything was silent now with the ghouls' bantering having slowly dissipated and no Wanderer's were rushing to introduce themselves. So, the Master finally speaking up seemed like a break in the tension of the moment, a sudden shift in tone.

"See, all better! Now, we can continue our lovely introductions inside! I'm sure you've all been itching to see what lies within this mysterious house!" Itching to see what was inside? Nothing was further from the truth. A creeping feeling of being trapped like a rabbit in a snare began to take over Oren for the moment because despite the wide open doors and the lanterns flickering to life, the house looked incredibly tiny and unappealing. He was expected to go in there, into too small spaces and cluttered rooms with furniture that was probably more ornamental than functional. He took a few steps closer to the house, trailing behind the others as they entered the mansion, but lingered at the doorway, reluctant to take the final step inside.

Ellabelle smiled as Florence got back at Dorian, and she furrowed her brow, something about the ghoul was familiar. She sniffed the air, there were all the scent of the others, the fish scent making her quite queasy, but then she smelt another scent. It was very very faint, but, could it be? Yes, despite her being dead for who knows how long, Ellabelle could just tell that Florence used to be from the Northern Province. She smiled, realising why Florence was defending her in the first place. Maybe they could be friends. Maybe the house would be too dangerous for that... Love announced that they would continue the introductions inside, and Ellabelle liked that idea. She wasn't the first person to step forward, but she decided to stay near the western province girl instead. She smiled softly at her, indicating she was trying to be friendly. But she had the feeling her transformation had had an impact on many of the wanderers, and it had an impact on her. She was already craving a steak or something, her bare belly starting to rumble quietly as so only she could hear.

Florence floated into the house, her aura practically crackling with nervous energy. She'd caused enough trouble today, she decided, so she ought to keep her mouth shut for a while. The House shifted ever so slightly with the coming of the new Wanderers, adjusting to their presences. The gentle light flickered, casting eerie shadows on the ground of the mansion.

((OOC: Sorry this is so short, I just thought that I ought to try to start this back up?))

Ally shuddered at the thought of going into the house. But the sad thing was, she had to. She bit her lip, and slowly walked towards the door, along with the others. She stayed near the back, still with hesitant steps. She still wasn't comfortable with the idea of being a wander, and still couldn't believe she was one; even though she was entering the house herself. Ally looked to her side, and saw the Northern province girl, Ellabelle, smiling at her. She was probably trying to be friendly; so Ally figured she might smile back. But her smile was small, and timid. It gave a hint of her fear of the House of Wanderers.