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The door opened and Eric came in. "Sorry I'm late."
Derek pointed at him. "You're a jellyfish."
Eric blinked and looked mildly affronted. "Yeah, so?"
"I'm saying what everybody is. They're a tree and a sun and a dog."
"Oh. Got it." Eric grinned and sat down across the table. "Fun."
Tanrial gave Eric a smile and then back to Derek, “Yeah, real thrilling.” She mumbled.
"What were you doing, Eric?" Darian asked. "What took you so long?"
Eric loaded up his plate and started eating. "I forgot to feed my fish earlier."
"Oh, oops. Were they…..okay?"
"Yeah, they perked right up. I don't think they'd really mind if I missed a day, but it pays to stay on schedule."
Ryker began collecting plates. "Welp, time to head to bed, everyone."
"Awww!"
"Don't whine, now. Who wants to show our guests to their rooms?"
Keith lazily stood up. "I will."
(I gotta head to bed myself, now ^^ See you tomorrow!)
Tanrial stood up along with the others, “Thanks for the meal.” She said.
(Seeya ^^)
"Of course. Sleep well."
Keith led them out of the dining room and down the hall to the wing of bedrooms. He stopped at the near end and pointed to three doors on the left. "These are your rooms. The bathrooms are at the end of the hall and clearly labeled. There's not exactly a curfew here, but you're encouraged to have your lights out in about fifteen minutes. If you hear any weird noises, it's probably just me or my sis Cassie. We're both naturally nocturnal, and we're trying to shift to everyone else's schedule, but it's tough sometimes."
Tanrial nodded, “Alright, thanks and goodnight.” She said, giving Keith a smile
Keith nodded and turned away. "Night."
Bernon glanced at Mike and Tanrial. "Well, see you guys in the morning, I guess. If anything weird happens in the night, we'll be right nearby each other at least."
Tanrial nodded, “That’s true, night guys.” She said, heading to the bedroom furthest away.
The room, when she entered it, was airy and spacious, yet practical. It had a bed, closet, desk, bedside table, rug, wash basin, and a small fridge. Like most parts of the facility, it was lit by a combination of electric and natural light, both a clean blue-white color. The skylights were mostly dark right now, but a trace of moonlight must have been filtering through them for they glowed slightly. The only sound was the quiet whoosh of the air vents in the ceiling and the hum of the fridge. The air was cool and smelled of pines.
(brb, eating supper)
Tanrial ran hand over the edge of the bed. Soft, thick enough to provide enough warmth on the winter evening but thin enough one wouldn’t over heat in the summer. The air brought a slight chill to the room and she was glad that the covers were warm most likely warm enough to keep the chill from her bones. There was a set of night ware set out over a chair on the other side, strange as they were for a female and Ryker hadn’t known what room she was to be taking. Or whoever had laid them out. Pushing her curiosity to the side, she changed and headed to bed.
(Okay)
The night hours passed peacefully, and nothing disturbed her until, right at dawn, there was a gentle knock at her door.
Tanrial rolled over and climbed out of bed and headed to the door, opening it just a crack to see who was outside
Standing outside the door was Wren, fully dressed. "Hey," she whispered. "I know it's late, but…" she glanced around. "Listen. I heard you wanted to know if you can trust Ryker. Am I right?"
(gotta go now, seeya later ^^)
Tanrial opened the door a little more, “Yeah, who told you?” She asked, a frown forming on her face.
(Seeya later ^^)
She smiled thinly. "I have my ways. You'll find out in a minute, don't worry. But more importantly: Ryker showed you five levels of this place. There are two more lower down that I'm sure he didn't mention. Not even his kids know about them. Well, most of his kids." She folded her arms. "Wanna see them? Wake up your friends and come with me."
“Why would you you show us something that not even all of his kids know about? Surely as his kid yourself you’d want to keep it a secret if your dad told you so.” She replied, her eyes narrowing a little with suspicion.
She snorted. "Oh, he has no idea I know his little secret. If he did, I might not be standing here in front of you. I doubt he'd hurt me–he really does love us, in some weird way–but he'd probably lock me away in a nice safe room where I wouldn't be able to threaten his plans. I'm showing you because you should see what he's up to and judge for yourself whether it's justifiable. Eric and Jackie both know, and they seem to be okay with it, so maybe you will be too. But you deserve all the facts."
Tanrial was still a little suspicious but Wren was probably right, “Alright, let me change first.” She sht the door and grabbed a spare change of clothes she found, mainly all black bit it would do. She opened the door and stepped out to meet Wren.
Wren stepped over to Bernon's door. "Wake them too. I would, but I've seen how touchy your friend Mike is when a stranger gets too close. He broke a doctor's arm when he first arrived, you know."
Tanrial snorted, “That sounds like something he would do.” She knocked on Bernon’s door, “Bernon?”
After a few moments, Bernon opened the door, still half-asleep. "Tanrial? Wha's th' matter?"
“Get dressed, Wren has something to show us.” She explained, then going to Mikes door and knocking.
Mike must have heard their voices and already gotten up because he came out immediately. "What's going on?"
"I'm giving you the deluxe tour," Wren explained. "The one Dad doesn't want to give you. Then you can decide for yourself whether he's a "good man" or not."
"How do you know his secrets?" Bernon asked, fully awake now.
"I'll explain while we walk. Come on."
Tanrial followed, curious but wary.
They left the bedroom wing and started toward the main room. Wren walked on the balls of her feet, making almost no noise as she led them forward. "We probably won't meet anyone down here, but if we do get spotted I'll tell them that Ryker requested a meeting with you or something. They trust me."
Mike glanced at the walls and almost stopped. "Hey–what's with this? The murals look….different."
He was right. Although it was almost too dark to see, the intricate scenes around them seemed off somehow, as if another layer of color and texture lay beneath them.
"Oh, that's nothing." Wren went over to a switch nearby and flicked it The hall was flooded in a weird purplish light, and as it touched the walls, an entirely new mural sprang into view.
"Keith can see ultraviolet light," Wren said. "He added some special paintings as a surprise for those who get creeped out easily."
The new images were a bit unsettling. The creatures here were twisted and stretched, resembling strange monsters or aliens. Their gaping eyes and mouths stood out starkly against the ghostly greenish paint. Some had an unsettling amount of teeth, and others looked like they were crying.
"Keith has a weird sense of humor," Wren remarked, flipping off the switch. "A hallmark of a future master, some might say."
“I like it, gives it something extra.” She looked at the mural for a second longer then turned back to Wren, “Everyone has their own thing and if Keith’s is painting over murals with creepy things then so be it.”
"Hmm. I guess. It's a style." She kept walking. "We're almost to the stairs. The elevator's too risky at this hour. And I have an accomplice of mine waiting on the landing below us."
"Wait, an accomplice?" Bernon asked. "Who?"
"You'll meet him soon enough," Wren said without looking back. "Don't worry, this isn't an ambush, and anyway I'll bet you three could take us down blindfolded if you had to."
“You’re not wrong.” Tanrial muttered, falling into step with Bernon and Mike.