040 Back In Time

[Evangeline is working! …which really means she\’s hunting someone down to tell them \”something imporant\”!] -01:13 Aug 31

Evangeline: *…Except for when she gets sidetracked by sticky fly paper. It was probably a trap! Who covers a room in nothing but sticky paper? …. Oh! That’d be a great idea to take back to Oracle for the trainees!* This is silly! I just wanted to talk! -01:20 Aug 31

Silence! No wait, there was the voice! Very tiny and barely audible. “I am so, so busy, and have no time for chatter. I have no TIME at all. Do come back another century.”

Evangeline: Really, that is just the thing I wanted to talk abo- Crickets! It just doesn’t come off! *Blast, she had just pulled that sticky paper off her hand only to lean against the wall. Now her arm was stuck!* …you haven’t stuck yourself to your own paper have you? -01:24 Aug 31

Another silent pause. “….Yes. But so is the Flying Wolverine, thus everything is perfectly undercontrol.” The voice still seemed tiny, but it followed with a riiiiiiipping sound!

Evangeline: Wolver-… eh? *Well, Hopefully that stayed stuck!* Now see, you wouldn’t have wolverines if you would stop opening time portals! I insist that you talk with me a moment, and we- Oh! You’re not calling one up right now are you! Are you listening at all! -01:29 Aug 31

No, the voice wasn’t listening at all! In fact the voice, which seemed to be attached to a man only three and a half feet tall, was punching in code to a weird little device! It was humming as a seal appeared on the wall. “There we go! Now we’ll just send this Flying Wolverine back and pick up some shoes from the 1700s!”

Evangeline: *With this man’s luck, it probably wasn’t the 1700s at all, but Mars! Evangeline tugged herself off the wall with a quick jerk!* That’s it! You are a danger to yourself and everyone in this room! *wolverine and herself! She scooted to chase the man down and steal his… travel spell device!* -01:37 Aug 31

The little man didn’t even run! He just pressed a button on the device and hole opened up in the floor under Evangeline! “I’m much too busy! Leave a Message with my Dungeon Clerk!”

Evangeline: *Sudden hole! A startled shriek before she grasped on to the edge! Dratted man! She should have brought Meri! But Meri was having so much fun with Dark today. And Gabriel was busy! …but she didn’t want to know what was at the bottom of this hole either!* You pull me back up here before I… I call my cranky husband! -01:43 Aug 31

“No time for husbands! You are wasting my precious moments. Scoot, scoot!” Not even looking down, he was using his foot to nudge her fingers off the ledge, while he continued imputting his spell. “Unless you want to take a trip! My, do you like dinosaurs? Yes, lets introduce you to dinosaurs!”

Evangeline: I don’t want to meet dinosaurs! *She replied incredulously, trying to move her fingers out of the way of his nudging! And Gabriel seemed to think she was strange! Well, she wanted him to talk to this man and maybe he wouldn’t think her own thoughts were so scattered! This man was a little nutty!* -01:59 Aug 31

[Gabriel was right in the middle of something!] -02:05 Aug 31

“They’d want to meet you! You’re just the right size for a snack.” AH HA! There it went! The seal on the wall swirled until it looked very much like an open window. Only, it was opened up to a lot of trees with suspicious roaring in the distance. “There we are! Give me your hand, then! I am going to show you why Raptors are far more dangerous than Tyranasaurus!”

Evangeline: I take it back. I think I will help myself out of this hole, thank you. *Evangeline attempted to swat him away, but that nearly resulted in slipping!* …bother this! *Would you be terribly upset if dinosaurs had me for dinner…?* -02:09 Aug 31

Gabriel: *He appeared right behind of the man and kicked him toward that portal!* … Terribly upset is not what I would use to describe it. -02:11 Aug 31

Kicked and nearly right through his own portal! The little man lost his grip on his device, and was now scampering to go pry it off one of the sticky walls! “What’s this?! More guests! There is no time for this! I have things to do!”

Gabriel: *But Gabriel was already diving for Evangeline’s hand!* -02:14 Aug 31

Evangeline: Then I suppose it wouldn’t be a good idea to fall in this hole either! *Ack! And she almost did too! Luckily she grasped on to Gabriel!* He’s dreadfully unreaonable, and I think slightly batty! -02:15 Aug 31

“All of these interuptions, while time is just slipping by. Now I know dinosaurs aren’t popular these days, perhaps we can try Travel Roullette! Everyone likes surprises!” Using his foot for leverage he pulled his device off the wall. …only to have his foot stuck. No matter, he was switching the coordinates for the spell and making the seal churn again!

Gabriel: *As soon as he had her hand, he was pulling her up! One hand moved and his gun appeared to aim for that device the man was fiddling with and fire!* -02:18 Aug 31

BLAM! The little man looked a little confused… and then incredibly paniced! His device now had a big hole in it, and without it, he couldn’t continue or even control the spells anymore! Which meant… now his seal on the wall was swirling faster… and trying to suck everything from the room in to it!

Gabriel: You wished to play with time, mortal. Enjoy. *The gun disappeared and then he was pulling Evangeline against him! When they started sliding toward the portal, he pulled out his sword and stabbed the blade into a crack in the floor, then held onto it!* -02:25 Aug 31

Evangeline: *Evangeline took a deep breath and then…. looked very confused, followed by nibbling on her bottom lip! That portal part was exactly what she was supposed to be worried about in the first place! She held on to Gabriel.* I think I made a mistake! -02:27 Aug 31

[Evangeline might have made a smidge time misjudgment with her vision! Ironic!] -05:18 Sep 02

[Gabriel held tightly onto Evangeline!] -05:23 Sep 02

Gabriel: *His grip on the sword was slipping, though. And the longer that portal stayed open–the stronger the pull got.* Evangeline, I need to close the portal -05:24 Sep 02

Evangeline: I am not sure that is the best of ideas! There’s dinosaurs and flying wolverines! *Time portals had to be tricky! She couldn’t even imagine how the man managed to get one open in the first place!* -05:27 Sep 02

Speaking of the tiny man and his flying wolverine, first the wolverine riiiiipped off the sticky paper and was sucked inside! The man was still fussing with his device when his shoe popped off and he too went PLOP~!

Gabriel: … The vortex is getting stronger. *He pulled himself up toward the sword.* Hold onto the sword. I will be awhile for … some time. -05:30 Sep 02

Evangeline: *She looked a little confused before she suddenly made sure she was clinging to him tight.* Don’t you dare let go! You might not come back! -05:32 Sep 02

Gabriel: *away awhile -05:36 Sep 02

Gabriel: You are insane. I cannot take you with me. I do not know where I will be taken. -05:36 Sep 02

Evangeline: If you let go I am going to be mad forever. *..and then she was going to a time travel machine herself and chase him down, where she will proceed to NOT give him any petting or kisses for a good week!* -05:40 Sep 02

Gabriel: … Evangeline. *There was that serious tone in his voice! There were times he didn’t know what to do with her–and this was one of them!* -05:43 Sep 02

Evangeline: Then I will let go first! *Who was to say it would close after him anyway! She absolutely refused to spent any more time with anyway and wondering where he was! And to make her point, she suddenly released him!* -05:48 Sep 02

Gabriel: *He growled as he bit his wrist! Then he pulled the sword out and dove in after her!* -05:52 Sep 02

FWIIIISH~! The vortex was a strang thing, almost seeming to pull in every direction! There was no sound or color, just very intense pressure as something was being bent to allow passage. Suddenly, the pressure released! Color came to slowly, dim stars a bright moon, trees… and a short many fighting with a broken portal device!

Evangeline: *That might not have been the best of ideas! She wasn’t quite sure what was worse. The pressure of the vortex, the sudden vertigo of falling, …or that restrained rage from Gabriel!* …! This is strange…! -06:00 Sep 02

Gabriel: *Falling … falling … And then suddenly they were outside! Gabriel was up on his feet in no time and when he saw Evangeline, he growled and started to pace!* -06:05 Sep 02

“Disasterous! Days to fix and there is no time! I need a blacksmith!” Clearly the little man didn’t seem to care much that he had time traveling guests!

Evangeline: *Still sitting, she hadn’t quite grasped her barings yet. The world was so… silent! Even the way the energy flowed was completly different. It was disorienting! ….and Gabriel was absolutely furious!* You can’t stay upset with me, I am sure you would not let me jump in a vortex by myself either! *She paused.* …and you didn’t… But that is not the point! -06:10 Sep 02

Gabriel: *Gabriel growled.* The point being you put yourself in unnecessary danger. I wanted you to stay in our time so you would be taken care of. Caroline, Dark, the Greys, Oracle … our time, Evangeline. -06:12 Sep 02

Evangeline: *Evangeline huffed! She couldn’t very well argue with him on the ground. She climbed to her feet and dust herself off. Even standing made her a little dizzy! It was going to take a bit to get used to the world like this!* You were going to jump in to a time portal! What if you were gone for weeks or months or worse! Even days would be too long. -06:15 Sep 02

Gabriel: *But instead of answering, he was still pacing and growling!* -06:19 Sep 02

Evangeline: *At least he was growling at her! That was better than the silent treatment, though if he got any more upset, he might do that too.* There isn’t any reason to panic! It’s just a little time traveling. As long as we don’t touch anything or mess with anything we will only have to find a way back to the proper time! *Speaking of which, where did that mini wizard go!* -06:23 Sep 02

The little wizard was gone! He definitely didn’t time travel out, or even teleport. He must have just ran off in to the trees!

[Evangeline was trying to reassure Gabriel that this wasn\’t as bad as it looked… even if the midget wizard DID manage to escape when she wasn\’t looking.] -12:59 Sep 27

[Gabriel attempted to summon Vlamerias! … But it didn\’t work!] -01:01 Sep 27

Gabriel: *Of course, it didn’t work! Few bonds could cross over time and–from the looks of things–space as well. He and Vlamerias’ bond was not that strong yet. He sniffed the air. He couldn’t even smell that human wizard either.* -01:02 Sep 27

Evangeline: I don’t believe you can summon someone that doesn’t exist yet. *…and she probably didn’t need to tell him that, but he was still angry and she needed to hear at least one of them speaking!* I am going to find that wizard. That thingy of his can be fixed, most likely! *She turned around for a minute before she picked a direction and walked!* -01:03 Sep 27

Gabriel: *He considered throwing her over his shoulder and locking her up somewhere, anywhere at this point. But instead, he followed after her and attempted to figure out where and when they were exactly but they were in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by trees and brush on an open plain somewhere. He’d just have to wait until they reached a human settlement.* -01:06 Sep 27

Evangeline: *Trees, more trees… there were so many! It had been a long time since there were so many trees! She had not had to weave around so many since she was trying to search for Gabriel! The world was empty like this, how far in time did they go?* …I do hope there aren’t any dinosaurs. I think think there are. … I think there’s vikings, though. Somewhere in Europe, maybe? …Or are you so angry that you are going to let me speak to myself until you find a tower to lock me in! -01:10 Sep 27

Gabriel: *Gabriel avoided snorting. It would be his luck there was no tower strong enough to accomplish such a task. Evangeline was stubborn and very resourceful. She’d probably find a way to escape before he’d gotten even a mile away from wherever he put her.* -01:13 Sep 27

Evangeline: *… it was so hard to take his anger seriously when he thought things like that out loud! She tried to remain unsmiling.* I would, you know. These old buildings are filled with holes! *She turned around to walk backwards and clasp her hands behind her back.* With that in mind, you already know I would not let you jump back in time without me. It’s best to forgive me so I don’t have to talk to myself while we look for that wizard! -01:18 Sep 27

Gabriel: *He tilted his head slightly at he and after a few minutes of silence, he spoke.* You infuriate me so many times and yet fascinate me as well. It makes for a complicated situation. -01:25 Sep 27

Evangeline: Would you have loved me if I was less infuriating? *She was curious! Gabriel had spent a lifetime on his own, for him to pick her out of all the much better choices was strange in itself! Ms. Grey would have made a good wife, or even Miss Caroline!* There is a village at the end of the forest, I think. -01:30 Sep 27

Gabriel: It is part of your charm. I would believe you are ill if you were not. *He kept following her. Something was not right. Something was messing with his senses. He felt weaker somehow and that did not sit well with him.* -01:34 Sep 27

Evangeline: Does that mean I am always infuriating? *He was concerned, and it was worrysome… but this was also a different time period and everything was different. Even her own senses were off balance while she tried to connect! ….at least she could tell were that village was!* Don’t worry so much. The wizard is probably at the village trying to get supplies. Unless he was eaten by that thing in the woods, but I think he runs too fast to get himself captured. -01:38 Sep 27

Gabriel: …Indeed. *He replied. He slowed when they came in sight of the village. The homes were made of the crudest material. The wizard had mentioned a blacksmith. It appeared they had to go closer and possibly circle around to find one.* -01:46 Sep 27

Evangeline: *Evangeline didn’t slow, though! The sooner they found that wizard and fixed his thingy, the sooner they could get back home! …Maybe next time they could plan a vacation in time traveling! She pulled her scrying crystal out of her pocket to help her look!* At least even if we stay a few days, we’ll still go home at the proper time! -01:51 Sep 27

Gabriel: … Evangeline. *He took her by the hand to stop her.* We cannot walk into the village, dressed as we are. We walk around and find something to put over our clothes. *Humans feared something new in their midst and what they feared, they often sought to destroy. He did not need someone calling Evangeline a witch and attempting to execute her.* -02:02 Sep 27

Evangeline: I suppose that is a better idea. *That’s right, some periods in time were really strange about things like that!* But where to get the clothes? We won’t sneak in to someone’s home will we? -02:06 Sep 27

Gabriel: *Still holding her hand, Gabriel started circling around.* We should not have to. *It took a few minutes but then he found what he was looking for. Some clothes hung out to dry, draped over a rope between two of the houses. He released Evangeline for a moment and moved for the clothes.* -02:17 Sep 27

“RAAAAAAGGH!” hopping out from under an overturned basket was a monsterous…. little boy! Who looked pretty confused when it wasn’t who he expected to scare! “You’re not Mommy!”

Gabriel: *He raised an eyebrow at the child. So much for things being simple … * I require some clothes. May I take some of yours. *He was more than ready to grab the child and gag him if he needed to. But that would complicate things more.* -02:26 Sep 27

Evangeline: *Evangeline leaned to listen! Gabriel wouldn’t hurt a little kid, but she wouldn’t put it past him to hang him up on the line by his underwear!* -02:27 Sep 27

“You’re too big to fit in my clothes.” said the kid, who was now holding up his toy sword and preparing to do battle! “You’ll have to fight me for them! If I win, I get your stuff!”

Gabriel: *He tilted his head slightly at him.* You will fight someone unarmed while you hold a sword. How would the winner be decided, the one who forces the other on his back? -02:31 Sep 27

“Okay! But we have to hurry, cause I have to go to bed.” The kid seemed sure of what he was doing, because the first thing he did was pick up one of the extra laundry lines from the ground and was spinning around Gabriel’s legs!

Gabriel: *Gabriel’s knife was out and then he was grabbing the rope, jerking the kid forward while severing the rope between his legs and the piece he held!* -02:37 Sep 27

“Hey! You said you didn’t have a weapon! That’s cheating!” the little boy didn’t miss a beat, though, he was dashing behind Gabriel and taking a swing at his rear with his toy sword!

Evangeline: Don’t cheat, Gabriel! *Evangeline clasped her hands behind her back and leaned on her heels with a grin! How cute!* -02:41 Sep 27

Gabriel: I said I was unarmed. I did not say I was without a weapon and you did not ask. *The boy’s swing hit but Gabriel took the opportunity to trip the boy by grabbing his sword and hitting the back of his knees.* -02:52 Sep 27

“You did so-” PLOMP! With a thump he fell backs and sat up quick, and for a moment he looked like he was going to pout and cry, but shrugged off it. “I guess you beat me. …Can we play again tomorrow?”

Gabriel: If I am still here, we may. My name is Gabriel. *He handed the boy back his sword, hilt first.* -03:00 Sep 27

“I know lots of Gabriels!” he took his sword and stuffed it in his belt when he stood, now taking interest in Evangeline. “Girls shouldn’t be outside when it gets dark. That’s when the monsters come out!”

Evangeline: Is there a lot of monsters around here? *There was a beastie out in the forest, but it wasn’t the type that’d like coming in to a village full of people!* -03:05 Sep 27

Gabriel: *Gabriel wondered if that meant they were in a time period where he already existed. That was, however, impossible so he took one of the larger pieces of clothing from off the line and wrapped it around Evangeline.* -03:07 Sep 27

“Yeah, there’s a whole bunch of them. Mommy says they eat up everything they catch at night.” he looked curious for a minute and shuffled on his feet. “You’re not the monsters, are you?”

Evangeline: We definitely aren’t monsters. *But the thought of monsters in this village was disconcerning… if they meddled, they might change history, but if they didn’t meddle what would happen? These were not decisions she liked to make!* Maybe we should find somewhere safe tonight? -03:13 Sep 27

Gabriel: We will have to either find safe shelter in the woods somewhere or find a lodging here. *However, his powers weren’t up to their usual capacity so doing the former was risky as any wards he cast would be weaker. The sooner they returned to their present the better.* -03:22 Sep 27

The little boy moved to tug on Gabriel’s pants. “There’s an inn in the village or I could ask my mom! Cause they eat people in the woods too. They ate uncle henry, and Mister Argus, and Lady Chantal and sometimes cows.”

Gabriel: Thank you. I do not suppose your inn would take a finely crafted sword for lodging. *Because, quite frankly, he did not carry any sort of money on him at anytime!* -03:30 Sep 27

“I dunno. Doncha have any money? I bet you could work for the night. I’ll show you where it is!” he started hopping off, but stopped. “…um… well, it’s too dark and I have to go. But it’s down the street, that way with a big boot on the sign!”

Evangeline: I may have things in my pockets. *Probably not appropriate money, but she always had stones and some of them might be precious enough!* You might need your weapons later. -03:33 Sep 27

Gabriel: *Gabriel nodded.* My thanks. *He watched the boy disappear inside and then they started walking for the inn.* Indeed. *He said, especially since he had no intention of letting the monsters attack go without doing something.* There must be a city of some sort nearby. It would make no sense for monsters to prey on a single village far off from other food sources. -03:37 Sep 27

Evangeline: It would be strange is this was Caroline’s village. *Thankfully it wasn’t… that would be a timeline disaster of mass proportions! In fact that was making her head hurt just thinking about how that might change the universe! She focused on holding his hand and trying to see if she could feel any monsters nearby instead.* There’s so much empty space here, it’s hard to see beyond the trees. Maybe they stay only at this village? -03:41 Sep 27

Gabriel: *Stay at a single village and depelete their resources here, then perhaps move on to the next village and do the same thing.* We are at the inn. *He said instead. He opened the door under the sign with the boot.* We seek lodging for the night. How much do you charge? *He asked the large man who was starting the fire in the fireplace.* -03:45 Sep 27

Evangeline: You have had this experience before. *She said softly, and left it at that! There we lots of his memories of things and stories he’d tell. They’d have to be careful here! …and hope that wizard didn’t get himself eaten!* -03:48 Sep 27

Gabriel: *He paused and turned to look at her! Neither the village, the child, none of it was familiar.* … I have never been here before. *His eyes narrowed slightly. Yes, he was certain. Very certain. All of this was new to him.* -03:51 Sep 27

The man at the fireplace turned and cast them a suspicious look. It was strange to get outsiders so late – especially lately! There hadn’t been anyone new come across their town for months, not even traders! “There’s no rooms available.”

Evangeline: *No? Maybe she was confused. …no, she was pretty sure he had seen a place like this before. But of course it was silly to think think it’d be this time! …For the moment, the Innkeeper was telling stories. There wasn’t a single one of his rooms taken!* Are you sure…? I don’t think I would like to sleep outside. -03:57 Sep 27

Gabriel: *Ah yes, this was why he spent so much time away from human settlements prior to meeting Monique. The "hospitality."* It is simply for one night. We are searching for someone but because of the monsters are forced indoors. -04:03 Sep 27

He did seem to consider it for a moment. No one wants to throw some helpless woman out to the demons. “…There might. A hundred coppers and no less. Otherwise, you can sleep out with the animals.”

Evangeline: How big is one hundred? I don’t have any copper in coins. *Evangeline tugged on Gabriel’s sleeve and was fussing with trying to dig in her pockets and find those few copper stones… or maybe that bracelet she wears when there’s possessing ghosts around! Sleeping with animals didn’t sound too safe either!* -04:07 Sep 27

Gabriel: *Gabriel turned.* Chances are, you do not have the equivalent of a hundred coppers. *But there might be something the innkeeper would take instead of so many coins. He helped her search in her pockets.* -04:17 Sep 27

Evangeline: *Smiling was unavoidable and so was giggling at him going through her pockets. Sometimes it tickled! But she did managed to find that bracelet, a few nice stones, and even a piece of unrefined gold! Those were hard to get in polished stones, but Gabriel could find her a new one when they got back.* Gold is better than copper, isn’t it? Or.. oh! I have amethyst or lapis? And some peppermint candies… and one of Meri’s cookies. -04:21 Sep 27

This must not of been a sight the Innkeeper saw too often, as the entire thing perplexed him. He was scratching his head before he finally scoffed. “The gold’ll do. And that cookie. There’s a room upstairs in the back. I don’t reccomend stepping out until sunrise if you know what’s good for you.”

Gabriel: *He nodded and then he and Evangeline were walking to the back and for the stairs.* -04:30 Sep 27

“And if I find that woman’s body left behind, you’re in trouble!” he called after them and scuffled back to work!

Evangeline: Whose b-… Oh, me? *She wondered if that happened to the Innkeeper alot. Finding dead bodies in the beds come morning. ….That was a bit disturbing! Maybe sleeping out with the animals was a better idea after all. She didn’t want to wake up with dead bodies.* Were all villages like this? -04:34 Sep 27

Gabriel: I would not know. I did not spend much time in any of them. I merely killed the monsters and left. *A woman’s body left behind … that had a familiar twinge to it but he couldn’t place it.* -04:38 Sep 27

Evangeline: I don’t think this is a time period I like not being able to see in. *The room was found, and thankfully there didn’t seem to be any dead bodies. So she plopped on the bed and sighed!* I suppose the wizard will have to wait until morning. I’m not sure if we should slay monsters here or not… I mean we should but, then again maybe we really shouldn’t. …maybe we will be lucky and there won’t be any! -04:43 Sep 27

Gabriel: *It was a simple room. A little cube with a bed made of straw or hay and a window that gave a view of the forest outside of the village. He didn’t see any lights or fire but the monsters wouldn’t need them.* I assume it is vampires they face. *If it had been anything else, there wouldn’t be any trace of the body to discover in the morning.* -04:45 Sep 27

Evangeline: Since there is more than one, and only at night too… It is most likely turned ones if they cannot bare any sunlight. *She nibbled on her bottom lip and considered it. How long ago would that make sure? She had thought it was long before Gabriel, but that wasn’t so true… and recent enough for vampires to attack villages. She needed to learn her history better!* It wouldn’t do us any good if that wizard died, and he is not here in the Inn. Do you think we should fetch him before something happens to him? -04:49 Sep 27

Gabriel: *The wizard wasn’t Gabriel’s top priority at the moment but he might be their only chance back.* Stay here. I will find him. *He moved to the bed to kiss Evangeline’s forehead.* Do not leave this room until dawn. -04:57 Sep 27

Evangeline: I’ll try to. *After all, it was scary here alone and if he were in trouble, she was going to go fetch him. Or if something chased her. or if.. well, lots of things could happen!* You’ll try not to change history? -04:59 Sep 27

Gabriel: Perhaps what I do in this period is meant to happen. *Gabriel replied and then he was gone. Of course, he asked the innkeeper where the blacksmith was. The innkeeper gave him an odd look but gave him directions. He stepped out into the empty street which was little more than a wide path between houses and moved for the blacksmith’s shop.* -05:03 Sep 27

Evangeline: *Drats! Sometimes he was right! ….but did that mean she had visions of future memories, or was she confused again? Bother! She moved from bed to curl up next to the window. It’d be easy to feel for him there, or hear things if there was a fight on the streets.* -05:06 Sep 27

Like all of the other places in town, the Blacksmiths shop was all closed up! The doors were firmly locked, and there didn’t seem to be a single sight of the short wizard on the streets. …In fact, no one was on the streets! It looked almost like a ghost town!

Gabriel: *The sky was getting darker and he couldn’t see as far as he usually could in the dark. He also couldn’t summon his sword, the Diablo Animus, or his guns which left him to improvise if things became drastic. Vampires. Did that mean Anthony was also here, perhaps the first of his so-called children?* -05:12 Sep 27

Not a sound could be heard, and if it were possible, the bleakness of night looked even darker than normal. Even the moon had been hidden behind a thick cloud. But far down at the edge of town there were a few solitary shadows! They moved so smoothly, they have even been floating on air!

Gabriel: *Gabriel began to wonder if it was a spell or just the time period itself that was playing havoc with his senses. With the blacksmith’s shop closed and the wizard nowhere to be found for the moment, he headed back to the inn and to Evangeline. He knew the innkeeper wouldn’t open the door for anything now so he’d have to take his chances with the animals until dawn.* -05:24 Sep 27

Yet those shadows weren’t so senseless. They knew someone was roaming around on their streets during their hours. They were quickly positioning themselves around the street to surround Gabriel. No bodies to be seen, but a feminine voiced echoed out in the black! “Great King, great King here alone is he. On these streets, in these lands, what an honor has we?” The other voices chimed in with laughter. Apparently none of them really thought it was an honor at all.

Gabriel: *He stopped. They were close enough for him to realize there weren’t as many as people assumed there were. However, he was still having trouble actually seeing them. Any thoughts he had didn’t show on his face.* I am looking for a short human male, in his middle ages, with a penchant for speaking to himself. Have you seen him. -05:38 Sep 27

“Did the little man belong to you, oh Great King? I do apologize.” The voice didn’t sound sorry at all. Something dark flew through the air and finally landed at Gabriel’s feet. It was one very drained and pale dead wizard! “Though, he was very good…”

Gabriel: I shall take your word for it, that he was. *Gabriel crouched down and searched the body. There was a chance the wizard had been able to repair what he’d needed to to open the portal back to his place and time.* I assume your hungers are not yet sated. *Great King? A case of mistaken identity. He looked very much like Anthony whom he figured they were mistaking him for.* -06:25 Sep 27

A sniff of the air and a delighted little purr! “There is something oh-so-sweet in the air. Tempting blood… Great King, did you think we feared you and would not dare to sample a treasure that smells so divine?” One of the shadows shifted, a woman’s sillouette stepped out. Though it was very dark, she was wearing slim clothing with skin as pale as the moonlight itself and long long fangs! “You are not better than us, Great King. We have grown strong on our own.”

Gabriel: *He stood. The wizard did not have the device so he might have left it with the blacksmith before he died. He pushed away the Seer’s words about having an experience like this before and how it could be related to these vampires calling him by a strange title.* You will leave that woman. She is mine. "Evangeline, they are coming for you. Get away from the window and hide." -06:36 Sep 27

Evangeline: *Hide! While he fought off danger alone? Oooh… she at least scooted away from the window and moved near the door. If it seemed bad, she was going to dash out and save him! How far from the Inn was he..?* -06:38 Sep 27

“What yours should be ours. Is that not the way it should be?” The woman was not in any hurry to move, yet some of her snickering shadowy followers had faded back and disappeared. “You are… so disappointing. From the Great King we expected so much… [i]more[/i].”

“What yours should be ours. Is that not the way it should be?” The woman was not in any hurry to move, yet some of her snickering shadowy followers had faded back and disappeared. “You are… so disappointing. From the Great King we expected so much… more.”

Gabriel: *Evangeline didn’t reply but he knew she wouldn’t listen to him.* "The wizard is dead and he did not have the device." Such will be the day when I care of your opinion … What was your name again, little one. -06:45 Sep 27

Evangeline: "That is the last thing to say when you want your woman to stay put." *See, now she was more worried. If was was hurt or killed, she would be there alone and that was unthinkable. Well… she would hide! But she wouldn’t hide in the room! Evangeline silently stepped out in to the hall and tiptoed in the dark!* -06:48 Sep 27

“They call me… Galisteu. Dark Princess.” The woman smiled, flashing bright teeth. “Soon, there will be no Great King and it will be I who will be called Mother to our kind. Is your precious treasure where you hide your power, Great King? She is close…”

Gabriel: "I have yet to find something I can say that will cause you to stay in one place. Or at the very least prevent you from coming after me." If power is all you seek, your hunger will never be sated. *He clenched his teeth. Mother … She couldn’t possibly be THE Mother! … Could she?* -06:57 Sep 27

Evangeline: "You could try, ‘Evangeline, I am helping this old lady across the street. I will return in a few moments with dinner.’ I would sit still for that." *She should not be speaking to him, but she was trying to place him. He must have been moving, he was certainly not staying put in one place. She paused suddenly when she heard a sound, and scooted low to the floor to wait.* -07:00 Sep 27

“I desire the world, Great King. The dark, the light, the heavens and the underworld. That is not beyond my reach.” A tilt of her head suggested she was listening for something… or searching! A frown crossed her face.

Gabriel: *Gabriel watched her face. Her words … They were the conviction of a soul who would gladly spend a millenia scheming, hungering if it meant achieving her goal. But he kept that realization to himself. If Evangeline knew, she would come for him.* -07:47 Sep 27

“I see. Do you try to decieve us, Great King? To think we are not as skill in the old magics or illusion? You weaken yourself like this… You will not stop us here.” The frown faded and the smile returned. A wicked look as if she had figured out his entire plans! Her form shifted back to shadow. “We are going to take the precious thing, and you will not stop us, oh Great King.” The shadow, along with her snickering crew darted off in to the dark after what they were seeking!

Evangeline: *He was no better at hiding things from her as she was from him. Evangeline had tiptoed down the stairs out the back door, listening still. Had he managed to get all the way out of town? Something wasn’t quite right here, and she wouldn’t feel better until she had her hands on him!* -07:55 Sep 27

Gabriel: *Gabriel growled, fangs growing and swiftly followed as best he could. Weakened or not, he would keep them from Evangeline. And to hell with the repercussions of meddling with time!* -07:57 Sep 27

“Forgive me, Great King! The Dark Princess did it! She’s to blame! Not me!” “… Silence.” One flick of his wrist and the pathetic begging finally ended with one last gurgle. The body turned to ash and fell to the earth. They had gotten strong but Galisteu’s hunger would be the end of them all.

But they were quick and they knew exactly what they were looking for! At least the few shadows that stuck around… most seemed to be heading out of town, while a few remained to circle around the dark Inn! One of the shadows had stepped out in the back to catch Evangeline’s arms. He looked like a young man, barely even an adult! “Ma belle! Out so late at night! Look here at my eyes and I will take you somewhere safe.”

Evangeline: *Gabriel was going to be furious. Evangeline blinked and wiggled her way free.* That might be hard to do! But thank you anyway. *She scooted away to dash down the street. Wait… was he back that way? Darn it! He needed to stop moving around so fast!* -08:03 Sep 27

That young man was momentarily surprised, but there was more than one way to charm a human! “Ma belle! There is dangers in the night! Vampires are that way!” He made sure to catch up and take her hand to pull her back. Galisteu would not want the Great King’s precious to get away before she destroyed him!

Gabriel: *She would pay dearly. If she touched even a strand of Evangeline’s hair … if she so much as looked at her! He caught sight of the inn but suddenly a jolt of pain forced him to drop to the ground. He clenched his teeth. There was no one around, nothing had stabbed him … He forced himself to focus.* -08:10 Sep 27

Evangeline: Then that’s exactly where I want to go. *Gabriel should be where all the vampires are! …but this was a bit confusing. And she was perfectly aware this was a vampire too!* -08:13 Sep 27

The Great King’s precious was a weird little thing. The young vampire kept a good grip and pulled her close. “Are you running to him? Gabriel the Great King? No use, ma bella. Galisteu has discovered him weakened. He will not be Great for long.”

He looked around. One small village. So this is what it had come down to. She would be punished.

Evangeline: *She wasn’t sure what all this Great King business was, but she certainly wasn’t going to let someone eat him!* You’re in trouble, then! He’s never weak! *A quick swing of her hand and she poked him I the eyes! While he howled, she made to concentrate very hard! To push her own strength to him so he could fight and she could find him! Evangeline darted down the street again!* -08:23 Sep 27

Gabriel: *Gabriel drew a deep breath. The pain went away and he felt stronger now … Evangeline. It had to be. He looked down the street and found he could see better now. He wasn’t at full strength but it was a welcome change. He dashed forward, toward Evangeline whom he saw running to him.* -08:30 Sep 27

The young vampire was quick to recover, following after Evangeline and snatching her up off her feet. He looked startled when he saw what was coming though! Galisteu said the Great King wasn’t so close! He was turning around and dashing away with the human in his arms!

Evangeline: *A quick yelp at being so suddenly plucked off her feet!* Stoppit! Can’t any of you just eat me and not run in circles! *She had almost gotten to Gabriel! But now they were running at him? ..but he was behind them? But he was?* Grrr! You’re all making me dizzy! *Evangeline grabbed the vampires tie and yanked! She’d strangle him with it if she could!* -08:39 Sep 27

Gabriel: *He was bearing down on the vampire but not fast enough for his tastes! He pulled his two knives out and threw them at the vampire’s legs!* -08:39 Sep 27

Taking on the Great King alone, weakened or not was not a good idea! The vampire was nearly stumbled by a knife at his legs, so he made a sudden stop and spun around! He’d just take the human’s suggestion. Holding her in front of him like a shield, he was brushing her hair away from her neck and baring long pointy fangs! “This one will die if you come closer!”

Gabriel: *Gabriel skidded to a stop and stood.* You will wish you were dead if she does. However, if you release her, I will spare your life. -09:04 Sep 27

Every vampire knows you do not trust a vampire! If he released, he was likely to die anyway! And if not by the Great King, Galisteu for sure! “I do not think so! If I wait long enough, the others will come for you and I might get the first taste of your precious!”

Evangeline: *Having her blood drained was no a feeling she wanted to experience again! But she wasn’t going to panic just yet. This vampire was scared and Gabriel was right here!* You should let go and run away, please? -09:09 Sep 27

To defeat an army, one required an army and that was precisely what he called on. Howls pierced the air. They weren’t wolves and they weren’t dogs either. But they resembled large wolves made of shifting shadow with manes and glowing red eyes! They ran forward in a straight line, side by side, on a mission to flush out and destroy vampires.

Howls were sounding! Terrifying howls! Galisteu was on her own! The young vampire released the human, jumping away on to the roof of the building looking for his quickest escape route!

Gabriel: *Gabriel was quick to dash for Evangeline, throwing her over his shoulder and headed back to the village.* The Mother. She is here. -09:31 Sep 27

Evangeline: *She was preparing to complain about being over his shoulder, but paused!* …she is here? But I thought she was not of this world? *Even as she felt out, there was none of that terrible sense of Mother… yet… Evangeline had never sensed her the first time either! Now she was trying not to panic!* It couldn’t be right! -09:34 Sep 27

Gabriel: *As soon as they got to the inn, he scaled the building and took shelter on the roof.* It is. In this time her name is Galisteu, the Dark Princess. They are all under the belief I am the Great King so she wishes to destroy me, destroy us. -09:43 Sep 27

Evangeline: Does she mean Anthony? *It couldn’t be anyone else. …she also didn’t like the idea of being up on the roof with vampires led around by Mother out to kill them, even if it was a different time period. … then there was the howling!* Can we not hide inside? -09:46 Sep 27

Galisteu’s vampires met the Great King’s army. It was an all-out war!

Gabriel: *With Evangeline over his shoulders, he moved off of the roof and next to a window on a narrow ledge. He managed to get it open and put her inside before he joined her.* No one has mentioned Anthony’s name or Carnatelli. Vampire lore states Anthony is the First but there is no mention of him facing an uprising made by a vampire so hungry for power. -09:52 Sep 27

Evangeline: He wouldn’t want to admit something like that and obviously, it didn’t do them any good if he still existed. *Being rightsideup again was always dizzying! She waited until he was inside before she snuck her arms around his waist to cling. The scope of this conversation was unsettling!* -09:58 Sep 27

Gabriel: *Gabriel did what he could to close the window, hopefully to muffle out the sounds of the fighting outside and the howling. Then he stroked her hair.* I did not mean to upset you, Evangeline. I am sorry. -10:01 Sep 27

Evangeline: I am not upset. I just wanted a hug, really! *Maybe it was an over active imagination, but if Mother existed in this world too, who knows when she might reappear again in their time! What if all of that could happen again? He didn’t know how much she needed him!* -10:03 Sep 27

Gabriel: *She was upset but he decided to change the topic.* You mentioned my having had this experience before. Can you tell me what you meant by that? -10:04 Sep 27

Evangeline: I’m not sure? It seemed like a memory but it never fit with the others, so it may have just been a vision too. But you said you have never been here, so I don’t know. *Visions weren’t so complicated, but nothing involved Gabriel had ever been easy either! She rest her head against his chest and sighed.* -10:07 Sep 27

Gabriel: I do not … remember being here before. There are many questions. It may simply be a memory of Mother’s imprinted on my mind when I was under her possession. -10:10 Sep 27

Evangeline: *Evangeline shook her head against his chest.* There is nothing left of her in you, I wouldn’t let there be. And I won’t let there be again. *And she meant it! Even if they were stuck here forever and she had to go beat a Dark Princess with a big stick!* -10:13 Sep 27

Gabriel: *He smiled at her and then his arms were around her.* Did they harm you? Are you well? -10:14 Sep 27

Evangeline: There was only that one, and he was so young he thought he could charm me with doe-eyes. *Not harmed at all, but she was scared. She had thought all of the worst things we long over, and today was just a simple day of chasing a wizard! His time traveling was the death of him after all!* -10:17 Sep 27

Gabriel: *Gabriel lifted his head.* As soon as dawn breaks, we will go to the blacksmith and find the wizard’s device. -10:29 Sep 27

Evangeline: What if it doesn’t work? We’ll have to find another way back. I’m not sure if living until then will work. -10:36 Sep 27

He followed the direwolves toward the village but one place in particular, caught his eye. There was a boot on the sign above the door. The inn. He stopped beside it and looked up at a window.

Gabriel: There is always a way. *He suddenly stopped as if sensing or hearing something and glanced over his shoulder, to the window. His eyes narrowed slightly.* -10:52 Sep 27

Evangeline: *She tightened her arms around him, in case he thought to jump off!* What is the matter? -10:57 Sep 27

Gabriel: *Gabriel shook his head.* You need to rest. *Then he was unwrapping her arms from around him so he could take her to the bed.* -11:10 Sep 27

Evangeline: That is Gabriel speak for you don’t want to tell me. *She allowed herself to be taken to bed, but she was still making sure to hold on to him.* You won’t leave me here alone, will you? -11:13 Sep 27

Gabriel: *Gabriel moved to lie down beside her.* No, I will not. *And then he pulled her close and nuzzled her neck gently, nipping her playfully to make her feel better.* -11:16 Sep 27