The Inn Grounds

The three children were all inexplicably lost into the gap. Seemingly at random these children happened to be the few that slipped out of reality...

Here on the precipice of two worlds, they were lost- utterly removed from the confines of logic. All they had was a feeling, an attraction. From the initial darkness, the glow of the lights playing against the dancing shadows of an immense, colorful building drew the scared, but curious children in like fireflies to the flame. For some reason, each child found himself or herself looking up at the hulking building before them, only somewhat conscious of the others around them. They stood in the stone pavilion, lanterns burning and a sweet incense's aroma mixed with that of the flower garden wafting through the air. An orange moon, full and lonely in a starless sky bathed all below it in a smooth light, surprisingly gentle for the intensity of the glow.

The building soared up almost endlessly into the sky, and stretched out farther than their eyes could follow. It had an odd style - a weird sort of architecture that rang a bell (Eastern Asian perhaps?) but at the same time seemed impossible. Verandas were suspended seemingly without support, parts of the roof narrowed, widened, then tapered off again, trapping their minds in paradoxical puzzles.

It loomed over them, seemingly its own entity. It radiated with an unplaceable aura; a sort of pulse carried the feeling into the hearts and souls of the young bystanders. A rhythm that beat like a creature, slipping into them, synchronizing their hearts to its own and creating a perfect metronome of life.

They were so overcome they did not notice the body of a stooped old woman waddling toward them. It wasn't until a birdlike "Squawk!" pierced their ears that they noticed the creature. The old woman stood in an old, flowery dress several yards away, yet her sharp, beady little eyes bore right into Addy's from behind glasses only inches from her face. The body was attached to the head via an incredibly long, serpentine, navy blue neck. It curled about with sharp, cautious jerks as the wrinkled face which, rather than a nose and mouth, had a large sharp beak tilted about looking over the children. Her wispy gray hair puffed out in all directions like an angry little storm cloud clinging to the end of the tempestuous weather. "Ah... you are... UGLY! SQUAWK! What vile creatures are you? Speak now! I can sense you're not spirits. My eyes may be old, but my Sense is never wrong! What are you?!" She pecked viciously in Naoko's direction. "SQUAWK! Speak! Or can you vile creatures not?" The beak lurched at Sage, pushing him backwards. The boy fell to the ground, his fall only cushioned by a thin layer of moss and grass creeping through the spaces in the stones. "Answer Kameyo! Identify yourselves, ugly filth!"

Naoko’s large dark gray eyes stared up at the large building in awe, not yet taking notice to her fellow adventurers. Still new to the outside world she was fascinated by its size and towering features, all she could utter was a simple “Wow.” She inhaled a long whiff of the scents that surrounded her, a floral and sweet smell mixed together would give anyone a pleasant feel. She almost forgot about the fact she was in a strange, unknown place. “Outside is even better than I thought!” She exclaimed throwing her arms outward and jumped in the air full of joy.

Almost violently being pulled from her joy, Naoko’s attention was drawn to the loud noise that pierced her ears uncomfortably. Naoko looked up at the old woman, but Naoko had never seen a woman let alone a human that looked like her. She started to wonder if this was all part of the act still or she had gotten knocked out and entered her vivid imagination once again.

Naoko jumped back once the head jerked in her direction, almost losing her balance. Its aggressive tone scared Naoko and she cowered back, holding her arms close to her chest for protection, her lip quivering. She looked to the boy who had fallen to the ground and gulped lightly.

The other girl that was there, older than Naoko, spoke up first in an equally aggressive voice. The woman was about to poke at Naoko again but the girl stood in the way bravely; Naoko looked up at her in relief but was still terrified. She looked back at Naoko with a kind look of reassurance which actually helped settle Naoko’s heart. Not knowing anything else to do, she stood behind her protector peeking her head out to still view the matter at hand.

Addy sharp words threw the creature that identified itself as Kameyo into a rage. "Cheeky girl!" she cried, her voice screechy and grating on the ears. "How dare you speak to me in such a way! When I'm through with you, you'll know your place and speak with respect for your superiors! SQUAWK!" Her head reared back, and her sharp beak opened in preparation for a strike. She lunged at Addy, only to stop just short of her face when the lovely voice of what sounded like a young woman rang out across the courtyard.

"Kameyo! Please stop harassing our guests!" Two women, one with a feather duster waving wildly in her hand, came running down the steps from the building. "Forgive me," she muttered quickly at the trio. "Kameyo, please allow Jennifer to escort you back to your room." The other woman, Jennifer, who was holding the feather duster, grabbed the bird creature's arm and began to lead her back to her room.

"Don't touch me you little brat!" Kameyo yelled as she snatched her arm away, but continued to move forward with Jennifer. The long neck turned back to give Addy in particular an angry glare.

"Sorry about that," the other woman said. She pushed some of her dark brown hair from her eyes and finally turned toward the three children. The woman was exceptionally beautiful - almost flawless. Beauty seemed to flow from her, and every move she made, no matter how small, exuded grace. "So what kind of spirits are you?" she asked, pulling out a pen and paper a beginning to write. "You're a group I presume? Shall you have separate rooms? What baths shall you have? What kind of spirits did you say you were again?" She rambled off her questions quickly at the trio, finally pausing and waiting expectantly for an answer.

Naoko feared for the girl in front of her when the woman lunged for her again but stopped short when a woman’s voice called out. Naoko stepped out from behind her protective wall to see two young women run up to them. The one known as 'Jennifer' took hold of the bird woman and dragged her back towards the building, though she resisted all the way.

The dark haired woman that stayed behind apologized to the trio; Naoko was amazed by her beauty and mature features. She caught them off guard when she asked what kind of 'spirits' they were. Naoko didn't understand what she meant by that and had to ask, though she preferred to keep her mouth shut "S-spirits? I'm not a spirit and my name is Naoko. Can you please tell us where we are?" She asked in a low but soft voice.

She was much more willing to speak to this woman, feeling a better sense of security around her and with that creature gone she didn't have to worry. But her guard was still up; this was a foreign place as far as Naoko was concerned, though everything outside of her house was foreign to her before today.