>>5272773“Let’s not linger here.” You say, beckoning for Carmen to follow. The Porcelain Shrike seizes Chloe’s hand, but the young girl refuses to budge.
“I can’t leave her!” The little one protests, pointing at the ethereal specter cringing nearby, with every violent footfall serving to make her curl in on herself, diminishing her very presence.
“Chloe, she’s not-“ Carmen begins before you stride over to Dorian’s sister.
“Hey, are you able to follow us out of here?” You ask, hands on your knees to bring you to level with the spirit’s averted eyes. She barely registers you’re there, and when the footfalls approach the stairwell and the voices intensify, she darts off and through Chloe, hiding behind the couch in the adjoining room. Her, Dorian’s father, and whatever else haunts these halls…
…they’re just going through the motions of a house rotting from within.
“Let’s go, you two.” You say gently, ushering the pair to follow you as you lead the way out of this wretched place. Reaching to close the door, you catch a glimpse of a lean and blood-soaked form darting down the stairs before you snap the thing firmly shut, breathing a sigh of a relief as the palpable tensions and despair of that place release you from their clutches.
“Thank you for this.” Carmen says, her crimson eyes boring into yours even as she clutches Chloe to her off-white robes. “For all of this. I think I’ll take it from here.”
“You’re welcome.” You say with a firm nod, making your way down the steps before turning to look back up at the mother-daughter pair. “You should be able to make contact with the other Dream Daughters that’re in here with a bit of work, and there’s a library made by one of the Daughters adjacent that would make for a good place to chill. Also, I’ll make sure that you’ll be able to contact the other ones in your group soon enough.”
“That’s more than I deserve, Shu.” Carmen says, her cool voice strained like piano wire as her hold on her daughter tightens accordingly.
“That’s not for me to decide.” You shoot back as the little girl leans forward to shout down at you.
“Thanks for finding my Mama!” Chloe waves, and you return the gesture with a knowing wink at Carmen before you depart for the grove of trees, the scene dissolving around you as Dorian and Julia’s concerned faces fill your field of view when your eyes futter open.
“Are y-you okay?” Are the first words out of Julia’s mouth, with Dorian’s consternation plan on his handsome features. You wave off their concerns as you rise unsteadily to your feet, your back-and-forth between the waking and dreaming worlds taking more of a toll than you’d bargained for…
…but you’re not done quite yet.
(Continued)