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Prime wakes up a day later, takes care of some business that includes checking up on how Cypress's ghost is being treated, making sure ex-demon hunters are not killing anyone, having a brief chat with his father and a hug, and other general administrative and personal affairs. Then, brief meal, and back to sleep.
It's uneventful. Cypress and Ice go to several more restaurants (most of which are pretty, in interesting and unique ways) and return to Prime's home to snuggle and - forget about the events that'll transpire when they get home. Cypress misses Vernaia, he tolerates her being away from him but just gone entirely is - it obviously bothers him. He'd suggest going the way of Prime and spending the next day in sleep, but he can't ask it of his wife. He snuggles her, instead, and they distract each other from the things that are obviously wrong.
Then, completely predictably, Prime wakes up. He checks his mana stores. He gets notes from Cypress and casts the language spell, since it's cheap.
"Ready," he informs, when he has recovered enough from three days of near non-stop sleep to be reasonably awake and functional. He has a spot picked out for the portal, already. He does a bit of writing in his own book of cheat sheets, and then the empty wall by the front door gets - what looks like a painting. Specifically, a painting of the other side of the portal - Pantheon. It looks like a painting, too, not like a photograph. If someone looks closely, they can see what looks to be brush strokes, and little hints of mess here and there.
He touches the portal, murmurs "Pantheon" and then it shifts. To something more - real, lifelike. Like you could step through it to the other side.
"Done. After you?"
darkest_evening
onthewind
"That'd be so great, I would tackle that first opportunity I get and then learn that magic and run away cackling into the night with it."
namesthesky
"It might be nice of you to, you know, stick around and collaborate some with whoever gave it to you."
onthewind
"Well, if that's possible, then yeah, I'd do that, too. But I'm - I'd want to see the edges of what the magic can do, like what are the boundaries of things that can be done with it and if I can push them to any interesting limits."
onthewind
"Well, yeah, I'm not going to use other people as test subjects or something. That would be bad."
darkest_evening
He leads on! There isn't a portal hub nearby, but there is a portal to a portal hub nearby. He leads them to it (its surface looks like gently rippling water) and then - portal hub.
Then they're in a circular, multi-level building with the ceiling open to the sky above, showing a pink sky that looks like it's a few minutes before sunset. Perpetually, considering where they are. It's noticeably warmer. From where they stand, they can see portals all along the walls, spaced evenly and with carved and subtly glowing labels above each. Below them, dug into the ground is another circle, portals all around its edge like the level above it. Above is a larger circle, with the same - though not every space built for holding a portal has one. It seems this hub's built for expansion. Stairs lead both up and down to each level, but there's also a few sets of portals between levels for people that are not stair-inclined.
"We're going to that one, above," says Prime, pointing at a portal a level above them.
Then they're in a circular, multi-level building with the ceiling open to the sky above, showing a pink sky that looks like it's a few minutes before sunset. Perpetually, considering where they are. It's noticeably warmer. From where they stand, they can see portals all along the walls, spaced evenly and with carved and subtly glowing labels above each. Below them, dug into the ground is another circle, portals all around its edge like the level above it. Above is a larger circle, with the same - though not every space built for holding a portal has one. It seems this hub's built for expansion. Stairs lead both up and down to each level, but there's also a few sets of portals between levels for people that are not stair-inclined.
"We're going to that one, above," says Prime, pointing at a portal a level above them.
darkest_evening
"There are portals that go to other levels. That one over there goes to the correct level," he informs, pointing.
onthewind
Idania, meanwhile, forgoes the stairs and portal both. She'll just fly through the open center, directly to the portal they're aiming for a level above. She waves, when she gets there.
darkest_evening
Prime follows! Exciting, they're all there now, hurray!
Through the portal they go, then.
"It'll still be a bit of a flight," says Prime. "Not as much of one, thanks to delightfully cheating magic, but - still a flight."
Through the portal they go, then.
"It'll still be a bit of a flight," says Prime. "Not as much of one, thanks to delightfully cheating magic, but - still a flight."
darkest_evening
The sun's easily visible from where they are - it's low in the sky, like it's early morning, but of course they know better. They're standing under a partially-translucent green cloth-like canvas, supported by ordinary looking pillars, leaving them in shade. Some light still bleeds through, though, and the light has an interesting subtle rainbow effect to it. Not overpowering, but it's there if you look. There are plants nearby, though they're a deep, light-swallowing purple, almost black. The ground's a mundane brown, and the plants sparse, but they add a bit of color to the place.
onthewind
"Finally," declares Idania, "plants that I am not guaranteed to kill eventually! Probably! Maybe! We'll see, it should be fun."
namesthesky
"If you have to look at other planets' flora to find plants you can keep alive, perhaps plant-keeping is not for you. Anyway, which way from here?"
darkest_evening
"This way," says Prime, and then he gives his staff a tap and starts floating in the appropriate direction.
onthewind
Idania doesn't have an applicable sound effect for flying! Insert appropriate sound effect here!