Unnamed Vampire Prologue

[22:18]	<GMOwen>	The Shepherd… How he entered this world is a mystery; how he left it is a question.
[22:19]	<GMOwen>	His adversary… name, creed, motivations unknown; powers over time, space, and mind incomprehensible.
[22:19]	<GMOwen>	Their battle, forever an enigma, closeted within a room of stone, and a maelstrom of inter-dimensional wonder…
[22:19]	<GMOwen>	The four ladies—Judith, Leticia, Phrine, and Joule—explored the castle of this old foe, meeting strange women with strange customs. Their revenge, however, was cut short when before their eyes the castle began to sink, room by room, into a strange vortex to a universe unknown.
[22:19]	<GMOwen>	They barely managed to escape the destruction, and watched from the shade of the nearby forest as the edifice vanished, and with it their master and his enemy. None had the faintest clue what had just happened. But there could be no doubt, for they all felt their hearts being released from that contract of blood they all shared: their Shepherd was no more.
[22:21]	* Joule	looks on. A little confused.
[22:21]	* Phrine	might be wondering what the bloody hell just happened, if she was not already too busy always wondering what the bloody hell just happened.
[22:22]	<Phrine>	"...Soooooo... What, umm... what?"
[22:24]	<Leticia>	"Shepard..."
[22:24]	<Joule>	...This will have some interesting implications on physical theory. If only I could run tests on something of this scale...
[22:25]	* Leticia	looks on the scene not so much with sorrow as thoughtfulness.
[22:25]	* Phrine	twirls her hair. Castles aren't supposed to do that... are they?
[22:25]	<[PYG]Judith>	"Rrgh! I didn't even get a chance to tear that bastard's throat out!"
[22:25]	* Phrine	looks at Judith. Maybe she should be angry, like Mom!
[22:26]	<Leticia>	"It is a shame, isn't it, Judith?"
[22:26]	<Phrine>	"Yeah! Who gave that cast-tell permissions to go all running away?!"
[22:26]	* Phrine	mimes strangling a neck.
[22:26]	<Phrine>	"I'd wanna wring that castle's neck out!"
[22:27]	* Joule	seems to realize something.
[22:27]	<[PYG]Judith>	"Yes, it is...You're taking this well, Letty."
[22:27]	<Joule>	"Oh, bother it. I forgot to check that lab for things of interest!"
[22:28]	* Joule	scratches her head, knocking her glasses askew, before they suddenly appear in place again.
[22:29]	<Leticia>	"I wanted to spill his blood just as much as you did. Outward anger will not change anything, though."
[22:29]	* Phrine	watches the parapets sink into the void. It's just like a sinking ship, which she also hasn't seen!
[22:31]	* [PYG]Judith	clicks her tongue, knowing Leticia is quite correct.
[22:32]	* Phrine	throws a few pieces of grass at the portal before finding out that the portal is quite too far away. She sits down and thinks...
[22:32]	<Joule>	"I've felt like that before. I'm not sure I can empathize in full, but... my condolences to all of you."
[22:32]	* [PYG]Judith	scratches the back of her head in annoyance.
[22:33]	<[PYG]Judith>	"Well, we can't hang around here for long, the sun will be up."
[22:33]	<Phrine>	"Oh... I, just..."
[22:33]	* Phrine	tugs on Judith's sleeve.
[22:33]	<Leticia>	"Where to now?"
[22:33]	<[PYG]Judith>	"I don't kn--Hmm? What is it, Phrine?"
[22:33]	<Phrine>	"Mom... mom... mom... mom..."
[22:34]	* [PYG]Judith	squats down next to her.
[22:34]	* Phrine	doesn't hear Judith the first time.
[22:34]	<[PYG]Judith>	"Yes?"
[22:34]	* Phrine	gnaws on her lip, unsure of something.
[22:34]	<Phrine>	"...Shhhh. Shepard."
[22:35]	<Phrine>	"Isn't he..."
[22:36]	<Leticia>	"Dead. Truly dead, this time."
[22:36]	* Phrine	points to the castle, the sky, the castle, the woods, and a lot of other random places.
[22:37]	* Joule	taps her foot, mulling it over. She hadn't known him for so long, but still...
[22:37]	<[PYG]Judith>	"Wherever that castle went, he may as well be."
[22:37]	* Phrine	looks at the now barely-open portal.
[22:38]	<Phrine>	"That's not looking like a very happy place, naah..."
[22:38]	<Leticia>	"In all honestly, he was not a very happy man."
[22:40]	* Phrine	thinks about that.
[22:40]	<Phrine>	"Good point... Why'd we follow him around again~?"
[22:41]	<[PYG]Judith>	"Only to get revenge on the son of a bitch who almost destroyed us."
[22:42]	* Phrine	sticks out her tongue.
[22:42]	<Phrine>	"That's a boring reason that's boring."
[22:42]	* [PYG]Judith	thinks about what she said and goes quiet.
[22:42]	* Leticia	nods
[22:42]	<Joule>	"I suppose that does account for it. But now that that's done..."
[22:43]	* Phrine	lays down on the grass and looks at the stars. Sheppy gone, bad guy gone... well, now they could do just about anything!
[22:43]	<Leticia>	"It might be to you. It was all the world to me."
[22:44]	<[PYG]Judith>	"Yes..."
[22:45]	<Phrine>	"Umm... isn't WAS not IS, so WAS is gone and IS is here?"
[22:45]	<[PYG]Judith>	"I don't even feel relief."
[22:46]	<Leticia>	"It is definitely not how I would have wished it."
[22:46]	* Phrine	has no idea that she has no idea what she's saying.
[22:47]	<Leticia>	"...But Phrine is right. We must look forward."
[22:48]	* Phrine	looks forward. She sees a moat the doesn't protect anything.
[22:48]	* Joule	lays her hand open with the palm up; she creates an agglomeration of constantly changing electric bolts just above it and looks into it, thinking.
[22:52]	<Phrine>	"How forward is forward this time?"
[22:52]	<Leticia>	"We have forever ahead of us, Phrine."
[22:53]	* Phrine	points to Leticia with both hands.
[22:53]	<Phrine>	"Good point~"
[22:53]	<[PYG]Judith>	"Forever of what? This?"
[22:54]	* Phrine	observes:
[22:55]	<Phrine>	"This has only been this for, like, five minutes...?"
[22:55]	<Phrine>	"This is whatever we want this to be~!"
[22:57]	* Phrine	springs back up and wraps her arms around Judith's shoulders from behind.
[22:58]	* Joule	closes her hand on the electricity, looking back up and smiling.
[22:59]	<Phrine>	"Plus someone broke our old castle place, buuuut... Yeah, that was a not fun house."
[23:00]	<Phrine>	"Can we live in a more fun house this time mom?"
[23:00]	* Phrine	nestles her head into Judith's neck.
[23:00]	<[PYG]Judith>	"Oh, sure. If we can find it."
[23:03]	<Phrine>	"Where should we be finding, again~?"
[23:04]	<Leticia>	"Let's search. We have time."
[23:05]	<Joule>	"I thought you'd all planned to go to America?"
[23:05]	<Phrine>	"...we did~?"
[23:05]	* Joule	shrugs.
[23:05]	* Phrine	stares at Joule.
[23:05]	<Leticia>	"That new land? It doesn't sound bad."
[23:07]	<Joule>	I'll be content if I can still perform studies, receive journals and submit papers to academia... There are enough institutions in America to give me no trouble.
[23:08]	<Phrine>	"What's... America again? I forgot... again."
[23:10]	* Phrine	may or may not have actually forgotten, but it's too hard to remember.
[23:10]	<[PYG]Judith>	"I've only heard little bits. It's across the ocean, apparently."
[23:13]	<Phrine>	"Ooo, ocean sounds fun. Wait... no..."
[23:13]	* Phrine	frowns.
[23:13]	<Phrine>	"Boats? I hate boats, boats are dangerous..."
[23:13]	* Phrine	:T
[23:13]	<Leticia>	"Would you rather try flying?"
[23:14]	* Leticia	smiles.
[23:14]	<Joule>	"You've only heard a little? It's like you see it as something out of myth..."
[23:14]	<Leticia>	"Not a myth, but definitely unfamiliar."
[23:15]	<[PYG]Judith>	"I was stuck in a cave outside a tiny village. I'm lucky any merchant comes along to sell things and talk about what he's heard on his travels."
[23:16]	<Joule>	"I've visited twice or so, once to speak and once to covertly attend a conference. Good man Watt made travel so easy lately..."
[23:20]	* Phrine	focuses on Joule. She's in the know!
[23:21]	<Phrine>	"Is Am-err-Eecah fun, Jewel~?"
[23:23]	<Joule>	"My trips... had their moments."
[23:24]	* Phrine	has no idea what that implies!
[23:24]	<Phrine>	"...are moments fun, Jewel~?"
[23:26]	* [PYG]Judith	notices the orange-y tint past the mountains in the distance.
[23:26]	* Joule	chuckles.
[23:26]	<Joule>	"You could say that."
[23:27]	<[PYG]Judith>	"I really think we should find some place to stay. Sun's finally coming up."
[23:27]	* Phrine	sticks out her tongue.
[23:28]	<Phrine>	"Bleh. One day we needa, like, fix that."
[23:28]	<Leticia>	"Good idea."
[23:28]	* Phrine	wonders if wearing her sunglasses would help.
[23:31]	<Joule>	"Hm... And I wound up never needing that Sharps... Well, let's go. Are we walking?"
[23:33]	* Phrine	thinks that is a stupid question.
[23:33]	<Phrine>	"...can't we, umm... fly?"
[23:34]	<Leticia>	"We can."
[23:34]	* Phrine	throws her hands up in the air.
[23:34]	<Phrine>	"Whee~!"
[23:34]	<Joule>	"Well... I can't! Not very high, anyway, unless I charge up..."
[23:35]	* Joule	tries hovering some fraction of a meter above the ground. Even that seems to be causing her some trouble.
[23:36]	* Phrine	puts her hands down.
[23:37]	<Phrine>	"Boo~!"
[23:37]	<Leticia>	"I can carry you... can't I?"
[23:37]	* [PYG]Judith	breaks into a swarm of bats.
[23:37]	<Phrine>	"But she's a ghost! Boo~! BOO~!"
[23:38]	* Phrine	wiggles her fingers at Letty and goes boo.
[23:40]	* Phrine	dissolves into mist and swirls around Letty, being like a ghost! Boo!
[23:41]	* [PYG]Judith	's bats speak.
[23:41]	<[PYG]Judith>	"WHEre's the closEST Town?"
[23:43]	* Leticia	likewise becomes a whorl of ravens.
[23:47]	* Phrine	cannot talk in Mist-Mode! If she cared about practicing, then one day maybe!
[23:48]	* Joule	looks at the three, then tries to remember in which direction they came from.
[23:53]	* Phrine	just starts wandering away from the castle. There's no time to waste, right?
[23:54]	<[PYG]Judith>	"PHRIne, don't GO WANdering on your own!"
[23:54]	* [PYG]Judith	's bats pursue the mist.
[23:55]	* Leticia	follows the bats.
[23:57]	* Joule	shrugs, walking after the other three.
[23:59]	<GMOwen>	And so begins the new beginning of the retelling of the retelling of an old, worn-out tale.