Silhouette of Moon

[Twilight Path]

Sarah's eyes opened a little, looking towards what looked to be a ceiling. She could vaguely hear the clicks of a clock, her hands laying almost parallel to her. Her glasses had fallen a little off for her eyes, the actual surface quite blurry. Her body tried to get back up, her body still quite exhausted. "A-Acteur..." Her eyes closed, not sure what to do. Where was she? Where was Acteur? She had been holding his hand...

[Secondary Characters]

"Is she gonna be okay?" a voice would be speaking nearby. It was husky, deep, the voice of an overweight man. Clearly, the owner was concerned over whomever this "she" was.

"Shhh, I think she's waking up..." a younger sounding voice, but well-spoken, possibly belonging to an intelligent youth. Evidence here indicated that the "she" earlier spoken of was the still dazed Sarah.

"Aye... the lass stirs..." another voice, still. This one was older, wiser. Also, it was in the opposite direction. Maybe the owner was more the type to spend time on his own?

"So, what do we DO about it?" asked a final voice, belonging to a teenaged type voice. This one was closer, maybe overhead? But all these would be secondary to a much more... in-your-face presence. A large, doglike creature suddenly leapt forward, licking at the girl's face excitedly. ...Doglike to a degree anyway. This was clearly not your ordinary canine.

[Twilight Path]

Sarah's body moved rather slowly, one hand trying to keep her glasses on. Of course, to her disappointment they fell from her face along with her hat. Now whatever was in front of her and whoever else spoke were strange blobs that she couldn't distinguish. "Now I'm blind..." She muttered, trying to reach around the blob touching her to either tell it off or find her spectacles. Certainly if a voice she heard was Acteur's it would be obvious. However, none of them had his distinct voice.

[Acteur de la Noir]

Children of the night, those who now surrounded Sarah Appleton...guardians from times of old, who had so often devoted their formidable prowess and cunning to protecting those who belonged to the day. A lonely and thankless task it was--all too often, these supernatural creatures were feared and mistreated by those they watched over. And why were they despised? For the same reason as, inevitably, always...they were nocturnal, dwelling in the night and appearing as demons. And yet, despite it all, these warriors had pressed onward, sleeping in stone by day and holding their eternal watch by night. And so it was that they had come across the fallen musician...that beauty who presently stood in the twilight, embracing neither side so that she could remain with her love...and yet, retain that which made her so special.

Not that the gargoyles had any way of knowing this, at the time. All they would know was that this young lady was dazed, weak, and most assuredly in some form of distress...but from what?

A few moments later, the answer would seem to present itself as an eerie whoosh rent the air--a nocturnal wind blowing on a bewitching Halloween midnight. With this sound, the darkness rent space apart, materializing in thin air as a swirling vortex of inky black that was rimmed with dusky, penumbral purple. As the spiraling darkness grew with uncanny swiftness, it would rapidly become clear that this was a work of sorcery...and the sort that came from the nocturnal plane. More precisely, it was a portal--with the way it had grown to the height and width of a more mundane door, and from the shadowy figure that was wreathed in its depths, surely it could be nothing else!

Before any of the gargoyles could make a move towards this Corridor of Darkness--to do anything to greet or prevent the otherworldy visitor--that figure stepped forth, emerging from the dark portal with ballet-esque grace and setting foot upon the artificially-created surface (pavement, or whatever the present case was). To the younger, rasher eyes, this newcomer was both eccentric and bizzarre--a figure in Victorian garb of dusky purple, wrapped in black cape and wearing a theatrical mask that was framed by tangled silver-gray hair. But the older one--and, perhaps, their feral counter part--might gaze into the ghostly yellow eyes that dwelled behind the mask, and discern the truth.

This creature was no mere human...and, from the shadows that swirled and oozed along his jester's shoes--inky blackness that danced of its own accord--there could be little doubt as to what element embodied him best. As those eerie yellow eyes fell upon the human, the enigmatic creature laughed softly, the haunting timbre of his voice turning it into a sound equally mysterious..and, to the ears of those who didn't know him, a thing that bordered on sinister, however elegant his voice might be.

"At last," Acteur de la Noir mused as he walked towards the gargoyles, his eyes gleaming behind his mask. "To think that I almost lost track of her..." A pause, and that eerie gaze leapt to take in the young lady's rescuers, punctuated by a chuckle of elegant wit. "And that I would find her in the company of my fellow creatures of the night."

[Secondary Characters]

The instant this new person appeared, a flurry of motion would take place. The massive doglike creature whirled on the spot, its eyes glowing as it began to growl, standing between Sarah and the newcomer. As quickly as this happened, the younger one would swoop down and wrap an arm around its neck gently. "Woah, easy, Bronx! Easy..." he said, then looked up at the stranger in the room with a disapproving look.

"Take it easy, will ya?" came the husky one again, now striding into view with a sandwhich in his hands. He'd reach over with his free hand to lightly bat at "Bronx"s nose. "Quit gettin' so worked up..."

Another would join, poking his head through the darkness right next to Acteur, leaning in to observe him closely. "I dunno, guys... if Bronx is actin' up there's gotta be something up with this guy..." spoke the teenaged sounding one, obviously with a birdlike beak.

"Aye, agreed..." the elder chimed in, from a different location than before. He was right behind Acteur, his large tummy tapping him should he back up even in the slightest. He stood there, tall with his arms crossed and looking disapproving. Obviously he was the elder of many battles, his eye scarred and his features white. "It's suspicious this magick you used to get here... Be you a wizard??" he demanded, his hand falling to his belt, where a nasty, curved blade waited...

"Calm yourselves..." a booming voice spoke overhead, and when eyes were lifted would be revealled as belonging to a strong persona, a well-built creature with his wings draped over his shoulders like a cloak. He stood sillouhetted against the face of the clock they called home, looking down on the scene from a crossway. "Let him speak... Explain yourself stranger... before we grow impatient with the intrusion on our home..."

[Twilight Path]

"Acteur?" Sarah spoke, smiling at the voice she heard. It was such a welcoming sight and sound to behold. Though the sight was mostly a blur since her glasses were not near enough for her to grasp them. She slowly began to stand up when a stronger voice spoke out towards Acteur. Part of her body wanted to turn back to see who it was, but her vision was in no condition to even see whatever the dog like creature that had been licking at her. She began to try and get up, her tired body protesting every step of the way. She attempted to move towards the direction of his voice, tripping a little over the dog like creature to the point she was holding onto it rather tightly.

[Acteur de la Noir]

Acteur de la Noir was silent for a moment, looking between each of the gargoyles with a thoughtful gleam in those eerie yellow eyes. A truly unique cast, this modern-day clan...that wiry youth of vibrant crimson, the stout and reliable girth of the teal hulk, the veteran soldier who still carried the gleam of a warrior in his remaining eye, the growling and alert beast...and, of course, their leader, that tall and resolute figure with the sable mane. Any one of them would be a formidable opponent, Acteur suspected...but together? Even for one of his talents, it would be a performance that he might be hard-pressed to counter

Might being the term of importance, there. But unnecessary, quite unnecessary...

With that, the enigmatic figure threw his cape wide, revealing his eccentric Victorian garb and the madcap grin on his mask. "What am I, you ask?" the Heartless puppeteer asked with cavalier nonchalance, tilting his head to and fro in a fashion most quizzical. "Ah, but what is anyone, really? T'is all subjective...one nation's villain is another's hero, after all." He paused, one forefinger shooting out to point to them dramatically. "You, of all people, should know of this...you who dwell in the night, undoubtedly feared by those who walk in the day. And yet, to hold true to one's convictions in the face of such adversity...an admirable trait, if ever there was one!"

Then the enigmatic puppetmaster laughed, rolling his lanky shoulders in a grand shrug. "Ah, but I digress...allow me to present myself." He took off his hat and swept into a bow, silver-gray hair tumbling around his masked visage. "Acteur de la Noir at your service, monsieurs! I am many things, to many people...". One hand rose, a finger lifting to mark off each option. "Trickster...poet...magician...manipulator..." A pause, and he lifted his head from the shadows...and, somehow, his mask's features had changed, becoming utmost solemn.

"...And, to the young lady whom you have rescued...that most talented musician, who sees the beauty in the dark as much as the light...I am both guide and beloved...to my own infinite surprise, and delight."

[Secondary Characters]

"So..." spoke the deep-voiced creature above, "...she and you are together?" he asked, then leapt over the handrailing of the crosswalk on which he stood. His wings spread and caught the air, lowering him to the ground gracefully. He landed, and the others would walk toward him, prefering to be at his side. Clearly, this was the leader of their group.

"I am Goliath..." he said, his arms crossing as he watched both Sarah and Acteur. "I know not how you came here... nor if you can be trusted with the knowledge of our clan..." he continued, seeming to be mulling over this intrusion as he spoke. "But if what you say is true... then take your companion and go... Never speak of what you saw here... We'll know..." he warned, his eyes glowing to punctuate his point...

Meanwhile, the youngest of the group, a small gargoyle who had wings along his sides rather than at his back like the others, had located the girl's glasses and returned them to her. She had just as much right to see as anyone, right?

[Twilight Path]

Sarah blinked, standing up on her legs the best she could to place her spectacles on her face. "Thank you." She spoke softly to the small creature, blinking for a moment. The sight of what looked to be creatures that were supposed to be on towers like Notre Dame Cathedral confused her. She had already seen a machine that pretty much worked on its own, as far as she knew... Now there were a bunch of stone creatures coming alive?! For some reason the creatures didn't bother her as much. In fact, it was much like being around Acteur, more comfortable than having other humans around. "I apologize." She spoke towards the one who had spoken, their leader.

"I am the one responsible for accidentally transporting here through a corridor." Her body ached, wanting to fall down again. She had to remain strong so that he understood that it had not been in any way to disrupt their lives. She looked once towards Acteur, relieved to see his actual form and not a blob with that voice. Her eyes relaxed visibly, able to stand up with more effort. A smile, relieved, went across her face. "I thank you for the hospitality you have offered to the one I love the most and myself."

[Acteur de la Noir]

As he looked upon Sarah and listened to her words, Acteur brought his nobleman's hat--still held in his fingers by the brim after his elegant salute to the gargoyles--to his wooden chest, hidden beneath black silk shirt and suit jacket of purple velvet. "I must extend my thanks as well," said he to the tall gargoyle with the mane of jet black. "Monsieur Goliath, was it not? You and your clan have shown a most noble concern for my apprentice. Had you not come across her, and offered your care..." He brought his hat up to the crown of his head--and when the purple velvet had crossed his mask, the crescent smile had been replaced with a frown most fretful. "...Well, perhaps t'is better not to speak of it. Suffice to say that those who dwell in the day sometimes stalk the night, with intentions most unrefined."

Saying thus, Acteur de la Noir then crossed a few steps to Sarah, sweeping a gloved palm across his mask to (most mysteriously) restore the crescent-moon smile to those porcelain features. Then his palm came out to the twilight musician, offering her a hand to her feet. "A relief beyond all others, to see you unharmed...and if I may, you have quite a knack for finding those who give the night its true meaning," he remarked with surprising warmth, his eerie eyes glittering as they found her pale amethyst pools. "Those of enigma and complexity, who turn the darkness into more than the destructive void that so many presume it to be."

As he helped Sarah to her feet, Acteur paused, as though struck by a thought, and turned back towards the gargoyles who were watching them. "And fear not, my fellow residents of wondrous nocturne," the Phantom Puppeteer added with mischievous cavalier. "Word of where you have made your sanctuary shall not cross my lips."

[Secondary Characters]

"It had not..." spoke Goliath to Acteur, then spared a glance to the lady who had claimed the puppet as her lover. "Many strange things exist in the night... the least of which is a love between two unmatched. You both have my permission to go. Do not return..." he warned, then turned away and stepped into the darkness, gesturing to the others.

"Come. We have work to do this night..." Goliath spoke, ushering the others to follow.

Of the retreating gargoyles, one in particular would move a tad slower. The elder from before would turn just as they were leaving to watch the two, frowning a bit. He didn't trust the newcomers... especially the one that was... somewhat out of his time.

"You coming, Hudson?" spoke the teenaged sounding one just ahead.

"Nay, Lad... You go on ahead. I think I'm going to stay in tonight..." Hudson muttered somewhat, a hand slipping around his belt and hefting it up. "I never much liked leaving the nest empty... Me and Bronx will be fine. You go on ahead with the others, Brooklyn..."

With that, the elder Hudson ushered the large doglike gargoyle to follow him off to a side room. Now, usually this is where the gray-bearded old one would sit and watch television (and maybe doze off), but tonight he opted to keep the door cracked slightly so that he could keep a wary eye on the travellers. Things of the dark weren't always as heroic as they, and with his past experience with wizards and other such things, he was well within his rights to be suspicious of Acteur and Sarah...

[Twilight Path]

Sarah could feel the warmth of Acteur's wooden hand as she stood up. "I'm glad that I didn't fall too far either." She considered Acteur finding her a sign she hadn't strayed far from the initial creation of the portal. Still, she couldn't muster up enough energy to make another corridor if she tried. Mental and physical exhaustion seemed to be her constant cycle lately. She leaned forward, but kept herself closer to his shoulder.

"Is there somewhere we need to go other than the opera house?" After a moment she realized her witch like hat had fallen off. She slowly let go of his hands, slowly grasping the item from the ground. She turned around once it was safely on her head again. She stood right in front of him hands together. Just seeing him was enough for her to relax completely. If the gargoyle that remained looked out, it would almost look like it was a slightly intimate moment.

[Atticus the Fallen]

As this happy reunion came to fruition, another of Acteur's closest associates would make contact with him through the shadows... whispering into his ear.

"Acteur..." spoke the voice of the Fallen. "I need you to come to Castle Oblivion. There's someone inside that I want you to deal with..." he said dangerously, hinting that Acteur's mission was more than a simple distraction...

"Now." it finished, then disappeared...

[Acteur de la Noir]

Acteur, madcap and theatrical though he might be, was hardly a fool (though he sometimes played such a role). He knew full well that his bizarre appearance and dark alignment would likely do little to engender trust on the behalf of others--particularly veteran warriors, like the elderly gargoyle who'd elected to remain behind. But it mattered not--gaining the confidence of these nocturnal guardians wasn't the drive for this performance of his.

The reason for it all stood before him now--Sarah Appleton. She, who had inspired such a dramatic reaction in him when she'd been stolen away by that presumptuous gambler. She, who'd seen the splendor in his darkness where others would see only a trickster demon. She, whose adherence to the ever-shifting mysteries of twilight--that subtle, bewitching middle ground between light and darkness--made her truly unique in the war between Light and Shadow. She, who had become important beyond compare in Acteur's little world.

There were only a handful of explanations that could explain the unexpected worth of this singular, talented woman. And only one, in particular, that really applied...but how was it possible for a Heartless to develop such an attachment...?

Then the shadows whispered, in the voice of the master. No further time left to dwell on the matter. Only to act, as one of his capabilities was capable of.

---------

In the side-room where he kept an eye on his clan's unexpected "guests," Hudson would behold the strange, scarecrow-esque figure--Acteur, he'd called himself--step forward and slip a Victorian-sleeved arm round the waist of his alleged apprentice--who, for her part, hardly seemed to object to the proximity. And, as the mysterious performer tipped his hat with his free hand, his elegant and haunting voice would clearly carry to the veteran soldier's keen ears:

"Let us be on our way, my love...the gathering night beckons."

And with that cryptic statement, the stranger opened one of those strange portals that had brought him here--that ominous mixture of eldritch magic and elemental darkness--and led his companion through it, holding her like a nobleman courting a lady at a royal ball. The swirling vortex engulfed them both, causing them to vanish into its depths...and then, with an eerie whoosh akin to a Halloween gale, the portal vanished entirely, leaving only empty air where two elegantly-dressed and mysterious performers had once stood.

While it seemed they had no further business here, an experienced soldier like Hudson must surely have wondered what this spooky couple were up to...even if they had no business here, what would come of letting them go? Good? Or ill...?

*To Castle Oblivion*