The darkness was starting to get to her, though she was never one to stay up during the night she had come to adore watching the stars on the balcony with Roman. These days there was no daylight. The ghosts seemed to linger at the edge of the castle, and nothing felt right since she and Romulus had explored the crystal garden. Where she was mostly unaffected Roman was.. Off. Though she didn’t have any idea how bad he really was.

Spring was supposed to have sprung, but the land was filled with a chill darkness that threatened to remain. Lillith had been so excited about the upcoming trip she was taking with Roman, and now as she looked out over the endless night she realized then there would be a delay. Slate touched ears lowered to her skull and her arnet gaze became downcast as she lifted herself from her seat by the hall’s window and made her way to the main hall and the warm fire that was built there. One of the few sources of light she had come to appreciate even more.

"Speech"

Romulus was fucked. Totally fucked. Well and truly fucked up beyond all recognition. The silver and slate brute sat in the dark and quiet pharmacy, breathing hard as he tried not to panic. Steely eyes glared at the shimmering crystals that had somehow sprouted out of his skin on his paw where he had cut himself on that crystal not too long ago. At first, he'd thought he'd just gotten some fragments or shards of the crystal in the wound, but when rinsing it out hadn't cleared them, he'd resorted to more drastic measures. He'd found a dagger in the armory, sanitized it, and the cut the small crystals out. The process had been painful, but effective.

That had been three days ago. Now, when he removed the bandage from his paw, he was horrified to find the crystals had returned, and were larger and more noticeable. An odd itching had begun along the ridge of his spine down his back as well, and though he couldn't see or reach it, he had a sinking suspicion that there would be small crystal shards beginning to poke through his skin and fur on his back as well. How the fuck was this happening?! This was illogical, impossible, unfathomable! None of this made sense! Crystals couldn't grow out of a body like this! There had to be an explanation; an answer that fit within the realms of possibility! But what?

Roman sucked in a sharp breath as he applied more antiseptic ointment over the wound, hoping perhaps some blend of herbs and alcohols would kill the crystal-like growths. He wrapped his paw in a fresh bandage, hoping to conceal the crystals some, then slipped back out of the pharmacy, glancing around to make sure no one else had seen him. The castle had gotten strangely quiet since the world changed, almost as if the Hallows had become a ghost town. Everyone kept to themselves, and after the feast, it was like they ere quarantining themselves away. Wandering back to the foyer, Roman had intended to sneak stealthily back upstairs and hide away in his room under the guise of feeling sick so he wouldn't have to encounter anyone—except that plan died the moment he saw Lillith descending the stairs in the direction of the great hall. "Lil!" he exclaimed with surprise, silver eyes wide as dinner plates while he tried to obscure his infected paw, oblivious to the small bluish crystals popping from his spine like stegosaurus plates.

"Speech"

Lilith was worried about Roman, she hadn’t really seen him much in the last three days and that was really unusual for the boy she had so easily fallen for. She didn’t realize the affliction that was now gripping him, only knew that he had mostly been holed up in his room. He hadn’t been particularly snuggly, but she made sure he ate and drank his water. She’d check on him again later, or planned to when her garnet gaze lifted to see him standing at the hall towards the infirmary.

The girl tilted her head curiously as he greeted her, and her eyes widened as much as his did. Though he was startled at being caught her jaw dropped at the sight that greeted her. Roman’s back was glowing, and she could see crystals beginning to break through skin and fur. She only barely withheld a frightened whine. Suddenly deathly afraid for the boy in front of her.

"Romulus!” She whispered softly and rushed forward, concern written over her features as she looked him over. Too concerned with his back to really see what was under the bandage by his paw. "What.. Where.. How did this happen?” She stammered out as one dainty white paw reached towards the crystals rising from his spine.

"Speech"

Lillith's shocked expression when they crossed paths told Romulus all he needed to know about how bad his condition had gotten. He backpedaled a couple of steps down the stairs, looking at his lover with shock and dread. He hadn't wanted her to see him like this, but realistically, what was he going to do? Avoid her indefinitely until his condition improved? Who knew how long that would take—or if it would ever change? He'd done his best to try and quarantine himself away from Lil, refusing snuggles and kisses under the guise of not feeling well and not wanting to jeopardize her already fragile immune system. He didn't know what was going on with him, but he definitely didn't want Lil catching it!

She asked how this had happened, but Roman gave no response. He had no answer to give her when he had no idea himself. Wide, frightened silver eyes pleaded for her to stay back from him, but she approached all the same. "Don't touch them!" he snapped abruptly and backpedaled so quickly he slipped and tumbled a couple steps down on his rump, mostly unharmed other than a slight bruising. "Lil, I'm... I'm sorry, just... please don't touch them. I don't want you getting them as well." While not outright painful on their own, the crystal growths did feel strange, and the compulsion to pick and claw at them was overwhelming. The healer side of his brain knew better though, and despite the grating irritation it caused, he did his best to resist.

Roman lifted his bandaged paw to keep Lil arm's length away from him, feeling more and more like a leper of some kind. He had to protect her from himself and whatever the hell was doing this to him. "Please, don't tell anyone," he begged her with pleading eyes. The last thing he wanted was word getting around to the Aegis, and having Artorias force him into a cell for quarantining or something.

"Speech"

Lillith rushed forward with concern, but even as she did Romulus moved to keep away from her. Backing away from her with horror similarly written on his features. Lil hesitated, her expression distressed and he couldn’t keep away from her as they reached the base of the stair. She couldn’t help herself as she approached again, the healer in her was strong but more than that. She was in love with Roman, the worry in her bubbled up and overwhelmed any concern for herself but he still snapped as he paw lifted towards the crystal. She pulled her paw back in, listening to him, but very much not wanting to.

He slipped down the last of the stairs and fell back on his cute rump, surprise and worry all over his expression as he tried to keep himself from her. It wasn’t until he spoke again that she even realized what he was doing. He was sorry, but also didn’t want her to catch whatever was going on. Her brow furrowed, her heart sick with worry.

Roman lifted his paw, which was bandaged and Lil thought it was the one he had sliced on the crystal that day. Had their adventure really caused this? He begged her not to tell anyone either. Lillith hoped this was some cruel joke where she couldn’t help or touch the boy she loved, but here they were, him holding her at arm's length. It was sweet and caring but hurt at the same time.

"I won’t…” She told him hesitantly. "But we have to do something! I… I…” Tears welled in her eyes, there were many times in her life she felt helpless but this was a new level. "I need you.” She didn’t want to be separated, she didn’t want to love a crystal, she wanted Romulus.

"Speech"

Firefly Shoppe- Lillith

It comes for us all... but you are safe... for now.

Your attention blurs and refocuses. It feels as if you are in a dream as you find yourself alone in the mist. Fireflies gather and light the way to a table with a figure waiting behind it. On the table lay three items, with their prices beside them. "Choose w̶̢̧͉̥̻̟͈͙̽̉̆̿̈͒͋̓̇̍͌̇̎͠͝ì̵̢̝̄͐́͆̓̚ṣ̶̛͙̟͎̤̞̤͎̹̙̭̪͔̓̐̾̂͆̄͆͌̈̈́̏̚͜͝͠ȩ̴͔̱̗̜̾̉̀̓̀͆͛̊̂̍̕̚̚̚ͅl̵̢̦̲̼̠̖̜̺̮̜̺͋̈́y̴̧̨̧̪̗̥̘͇̾͑͗͜͠, and only choose o̷͕̭̊̃̌̊̏̀ņ̸̼͚͉͔̒͐̊e̵̮̯͛̔̀̑͜," the figure says, looming over the table as his eyes seem to peer into your soul. Are they... moving? "If you can afford it, that is. Beware, however, for there are many d̷̡̯͉̎̊̈́͐͠á̴̬̪̣̝̞̅̀̈́̄ṉ̸̢̠̤̹̥̙̜͋͆̚g̷̛͍̹̣̬̙͖̝̘̃̈e̷͓͕̖͓̝̤̿͐͐͜͠ŗ̵̤͚͔̟̹̳̽̒͝ş̸̛͓͔̩̥̦͛̊̈̾̐̒̓ ̴̺͔̃̇̆ahead." He does not seem like he's in the negotiating mood...


I̵̜̖͎͓͒̑̕n̸͓̗̘̫͉̗̻͐̔̿̊͆̋͝v̵̦̹̠͉̖̼̮̎̌͆ȩ̸͕̦͔̳̩̈́͜n̶͍̝̙̯̣̹̫̩͋t̶̟͈̟̲̜̙̣̋̿̓̆̅͊͝͝ŏ̶̼͊r̶̖͎̙͔̥͎͙͈̊̍͝͠y̴̧͔̭͒͆̉̕͝:

• Opaque Sack of Mushrooms/Crystals- 1 /
  Running out of event currency and not sure what else to spend it on? Gamble on this mysterious pouch and potentially find more mushrooms/crystals within it! Or perhaps something else!
  
• Elixir of agility- 3 /
  This bottle of milky blue liquid has a shoe etched onto it… whatever that means.
  
• Fun shroom- 1 /
  An ordinary everyday mushroom that just has a little handwritten tag on it that reads “eat me”. It seems pretty risky, but it might pay off in the end. Maybe...
  

Having to keep the girl he loved away from him was one of the most difficult things he'd ever had to do. Romulus, who had spent every moment since his arrival in Auster trying to support and empower Lillith, was now forced to keep her away from him for her own sake. He refused to jeopardize her already fragile health. Who knew what these crystals could do to her? He didn't care if they were all over him; he was healthy and his immune system was strong. He could withstand whatever demons were doing this threw at him. He would protect Lillith from all this one way or another.

The pain in her ruby eyes broke his heart, but he had to remain strong in his will. Roman didn't want to keep her at bay. He wanted to scoop her up and snuggle her by firelight and tell her everything was going to be okay. He had to do what he had to do though. An Armada followed his duty to his family first and foremost, and Lil was his family now. When she reluctantly agreed to stay back, he slowly dropped his paw, still fallen back into a seated position while he stared longingly at Lil, unable to think of anything else to do.

"Hey, hey... I'm not going anywhere," he said with a crooked smile, trying to reassure her. "I'm just a little more... spiky right now is all. We'll figure out a way to make me normal again. We just have to be strong, okay?" It was a gentle lie meant to soothe her fears. Roman had no idea what was happening to him. He could very well have been turning into a crystal himself, or the gem fragments could break off into his bloodstream and cut him up within, or his heart could fill with crystals and stop beating at any moment, or any other number of horrible evolutions this sickness could take. But he had to lie. He had to so Lil wouldn't break down.

"Speech"

In the moment she least wanted him to, Romulus put her illness above her wishes, and no matter how much it hurt she knew that he was right. Whatever was happening if she started sprouting crystals her body wouldn’t be able to fend them off as well as Roman. She would succumb before they could find a cure. Her tears didn’t sway him, not that she expected them to. Her emotions were genuine though, the first wolf she wanted to take comfort in from her distress was him, and he was the one holding her so far away.

Romulus tried to reassure, her to tell her everything was going to be okay. He was going to be right there. Lil knew he couldn’t possibly know that for sure, but she held onto hope because she couldn’t give up on him. Lilith nodded, but that was all the agreement she could give him before everything went dark.


~~~~

Lillith blinked open her garnet gaze to find her path illuminated by fireflies. Roman was gone, and fog blurred everything. Frightened and alone Lil navigated forward and found herself at the mystery bazaar. The bottle of beautiful light blue liquid sang to her, but as she looked to the currency at her paws she found only one mushroom and one crystal. She could not indeed afford the item that she truly desired.

Slate tipped ears fell to her skull in show of her internal disappointment but the girl said nothing for a moment as she debated the two more affordable choices. "”I would like to buy the opaque sack, please.” She didn’t know if this was some kind of crazy dream or if she was suddenly infected with the crystal sickness as well. In either case, she offered up her lone mushroom for the sack.

Lillith offers one mushroom for the Opaque Sack of Mushrooms/Crystals

"Speech"

Firefly Shoppe- Romulus

The sickness deepens... You get the runs. It glows.

Your attention blurs and refocuses. It feels as if you are in a dream as you find yourself alone in the mist. Fireflies gather and light the way to a table with a figure waiting behind it. On the table lay three items, with their prices beside them. "Choose w̶̢̧͉̥̻̟͈͙̽̉̆̿̈͒͋̓̇̍͌̇̎͠͝ì̵̢̝̄͐́͆̓̚ṣ̶̛͙̟͎̤̞̤͎̹̙̭̪͔̓̐̾̂͆̄͆͌̈̈́̏̚͜͝͠ȩ̴͔̱̗̜̾̉̀̓̀͆͛̊̂̍̕̚̚̚ͅl̵̢̦̲̼̠̖̜̺̮̜̺͋̈́y̴̧̨̧̪̗̥̘͇̾͑͗͜͠, and only choose o̷͕̭̊̃̌̊̏̀ņ̸̼͚͉͔̒͐̊e̵̮̯͛̔̀̑͜," the figure says, looming over the table as his eyes seem to peer into your soul. Are they... moving? "If you can afford it, that is. Beware, however, for there are many d̷̡̯͉̎̊̈́͐͠á̴̬̪̣̝̞̅̀̈́̄ṉ̸̢̠̤̹̥̙̜͋͆̚g̷̛͍̹̣̬̙͖̝̘̃̈e̷͓͕̖͓̝̤̿͐͐͜͠ŗ̵̤͚͔̟̹̳̽̒͝ş̸̛͓͔̩̥̦͛̊̈̾̐̒̓ ̴̺͔̃̇̆ahead." He does not seem like he's in the negotiating mood...


I̵̜̖͎͓͒̑̕n̸͓̗̘̫͉̗̻͐̔̿̊͆̋͝v̵̦̹̠͉̖̼̮̎̌͆ȩ̸͕̦͔̳̩̈́͜n̶͍̝̙̯̣̹̫̩͋t̶̟͈̟̲̜̙̣̋̿̓̆̅͊͝͝ŏ̶̼͊r̶̖͎̙͔̥͎͙͈̊̍͝͠y̴̧͔̭͒͆̉̕͝:

• Small unfleshed thought- 2 /
  This bottle contains whispers of what has passed, what is passing, and what has yet to pass. It looks kinda like a firefly….
  
• Fun shroom- 1 /
  An ordinary everyday mushroom that just has a little handwritten tag on it that reads “eat me”. It seems pretty risky, but it might pay off in the end. Maybe...
  
• Xtra Grow Potion- 2 /
  It comes in an extra large bottle. There’s way more than one drop!
  

Firefly Shoppe- Lillith

The wolf shot a look of disappointment, but nothing worth outwardly reacting to. The suggestion if greed wasn't, in itself, uncommon after all. She bought her wares and the figure gave her a light nod as if to tell her good choice before he vanished into the fog.


You gain:

• Opaque Sack of mushrooms/crystals- Running out of event currency and not sure what else to spend it on? Gamble on this mysterious pouch and potentially find more mushrooms/crystals within it! Or perhaps something else!
  

You lose:

• Currency (x1)- Used in Firefly's Shoppe, and perhaps elsewhere...
  
  

Things went from bad to strange for Romulus, as one moment the young wolf was looking at the tear-filled face of his girlfriend, and in the next blink of his eyes, he was in some sort of strange world. He was still in the castle, but an ethereal haze—almost like a bluish fog—had filled the corridors. Color seemed to be washed out from the world wherever he looked. Most disturbingly, Lillith was gone. Wholly and entirely gone. Roman spun around in a panic, looking for her whilst simultaneously trying to figure out where the hell he was. His stomach clenched and churned painfully, and a sharp stabbing pain hit him in the abdomen so hard it almost hurt. He grit his teeth and nearly doubled over, the pain finally releasing itself in a deluge of glowing feces across the ghostly castle floor. Unable to do anything while his bowels released the contents of his intestines where he stood, Romulus could only wait for the pain to subside before he shambled about the vacant corridors, making his way outside to the terrace.

Outside, the mist was even thicker, clouding the ground in a thick veil of impermeable fog. But at the edge of the terrace, a familiar figure with a familiar stall stood waiting for him. Silver eyes made contact with the entity's glowing blue, and Roman approached the stall less apprehensively than he had the first time he'd met the entity. Three new items were laid out on the stall for him. They were all intriguing in their own right, but the bottle shaped like a firefly drew his attention the most. It almost sounded like it was... whispering to him? Or was he hearing things now? Romulus' items had materialized into the ethereal realm beside him, allowing him to pick up two of his remaining mushrooms and place them on the stall while he lifted the bottle to inspect it closer. He had no idea what it was or what it did, but something about it called to him.

"What sort of dangers are ahead?" he asked curiously as he clutched the bottle close to his chest, almost protecting it. "Oh, and uh, you'll probably not wanna go into the castle until it's had a chance to air out." Glancing around the fog, a sudden more important question came to his mind. "Uh, do you know how I can get back to the normal world? Do I just, like, wish it really hard, or tap my heels together, or something?"

OOC: Romulus is purchasing the Small Unfleshed Thot Thought for 2 mushrooms.

"Speech"

Firefly Shoppe- Romulus

The figure slowly pushes the bottle toward Romulus in exchange for his two mushrooms, looking pleased by his choice- as pleased as a creature without a face can look, of course. "Very well then. Make sure you share you learn with those you love- it might help prepare you for what's to come." Without answering his final question, the cloaked figure disappears into the night, and Romulus is abruptly snapped back to reality, with his strange bottle and Lillith at his side.


You gain:

• Small Unfleshed Thought- This bottle contains whispers of what has passed, what is passing, and what has yet to pass. It looks kinda like a firefly….
  

You lose:

• Currency (x2)- Used in Firefly's Shoppe, and perhaps elsewhere...