Takes place IC on November 2

From her nest of cushions, Nis stared down at a very old, and very worn box that she’d found, quite literally, digging around. She’d been trying for weeks now to get it open and each attempt had been stymied by the lock’s refusal to cooperate. She’d tried bobby pins, actual lockpicks and, on one memorable day, a ******** goddamned rock. And yet, the lock had held each time. Actually, she was mildly impressed that the box itself hadn’t shattered or crumbled to a fine, chalky dust when she’d tried to batter the lock open with the rock. It did look a bit worse for wear though, so brute force probably wouldn’t be the best thing for it if she wanted to keep the box itself intact. It was, she thought, a rather pretty box. Clearly ancient and made of a wood she couldn’t identify. It had been varnished at one point, little ragged bits of said varnish still clung to the silvery-purple wood. There were even traces of painted designs. Though after being buried for so long, she couldn’t make heads nor tails of it. But it was the lock that stood out. In spite of the millenia, the lock wasn’t rusted or otherwise corroded. The silvery metal was a bit tarnished, and when Nis had tried to clean it up a little, the metal seemed more pearlescent than metallic underneath the grime.

Groaning a little, the Cosmos knight rose from her cushions and began to pace the little apartment. She could hear small splashing sounds coming from the lake. Tagg was clearly enjoying himself. She was half tempted to go and join him in the water, perhaps investigate those glowing flowers of hers, but the box wouldn’t release its hold on her mind. She was running out of options and thought about the two little cards she had tucked away. She could always use one to call on Almadel. The Merchant had been around for who actually knew how long. If anyone would have a way to open a weird lock, it would be him.

But then, she’d be out a calling card. And that would only annoy her if he was able to get it open easily. No, she needed to fully exhaust all possibilities before she turned to him. Growling in irritation, Nis strode from the little room, marching down to the beach. She’d take a walk outside, amidst the trees. Clear her mind. Maybe see if she was able to spot anything new. Because there had been new creatures appearing. She was certain that she’d heard birdsong on the last visit. She wouldn’t swim though. She’d take the ‘back door’. The walk would be good for her.

The tunnel was chill but dry, which was a mercy. As she walked, she could hear small scrabbling noises in the earth around her. Some of it was simply time and gravity doing what they did. But some of it, she was certain, were little creatures. She just hadn’t reached the point where she felt comfortable really looking. If it turned out to be weird bugs, she'd end up with nightmares for a month. I really need to get some torches or candles set up through here, she thought. Then, she wouldn’t have to worry and wonder about giant bugs all in her space.

Coming out into the dim, soft light, Nis sighed in content. She could smell the trees and plants now. And while she couldn’t say they were thriving, they were definitely alive and making a comeback. As were other things. She knew that there were tiny cricket-like insects in the woods. She’d heard them plenty of times. She’d seen something mothlike not too long ago and she’d found evidence in the woods of small mammal types. Someday, she hoped that they’d let her see them. As it was, she was happy enough to let life move around her, without the need to disturb it. Taking a deep breath, she detected a faint, almost spicy scent. Almost like cinnamon, but not quite. She’d really have to find whatever it was that made the scent. If it was plant life, she’d look into drying and trying to preserve the smell that way. Then, she could hang bundles of dried flowers and such through her cave. Or I can just find a craft store and haul up some holiday pinecones, she thought, chuckling. She was still chuckling when her eye caught the tiniest metallic glint in the underbrush. Pausing, she moved closer and crouched down, carefully sifting through the plantlife. Entwined within a sort of ivy plant was a small, vaguely key-shaped bit of metal. If the key had been smashed flat under a steamroller anyway. She would have left it there had her mind not drifted back to the box she’d found. Picking the odd key up, she frowned. It didn’t really look like much of anything, but she’d tried everything else so far. Why not give it a go? Weighing the key in her hand, she stared off into space, thinking hard. After a moment, her grip tightened and she nodded.

Right.

Her walk forgotten, Nis turned and made her way back to the tunnel, hurrying through until she made it back into her cave. Practically running to where she left the box, she moved the key towards the lock, yelping in surprise as the key-like thing began to glow and morph in her hand. Within seconds, a key that seemed to perfectly match the metal of the lock lay in her palm. Wasting no time, she slid it into the lock and turned, hearing a soft, satisfying click. The moment it was withdrawn, the key changed back to what it had been when she’d found it, but that was all right. The box was open now. And inside was a very old scroll…

Oh my, Nis thought weakly. It looked like she’d be needing Almadel’s assistance after all.

Word Count = 998