Suspicious Rabbit Hole [Nalani Rosa|Alphabet Chocolate]

Taverns were warm and places full of energy, with people laughing and shouting, maybe even making a fool of themselves in their drunken state as drinks were handed out throughout the night. People came, people went, and some people honestly had little interest into what was going on inside and more to what was going on outside. And that person today was none other than Nalani, who found herself leaned up against the front of the tavern, watching both players and a couple npcs enter the building with an observant but also distracted gaze, keeping her eyes open for her little friend with which was meeting up with.

There had been talk about a suspicious looking rabbit hole behind the tavern that could only be entered by two people. Nalani had heard about it once or twice, and had even checked it out once, only to be met by the same wall and message that everyone else received. At the time, she didn't have any in game friends, so she had continued on and made a mental note to come back to it later, also marking it down on her map. It wasn't until she met Alpha and one day was studying her map that the idea of exploring popped back into her brain, and she immediately contacted the younger girl asking if she had ever heard of it. Obviously, she had gotten pretty fired up over Nalani's idea, and the two scheduled a time in which they were going to check out whatever was up.

It was about that time, and Nalani was excited. She'd been branching out more and more as the game went along, and found herself getting even more into the mechanics and the aspects of the game. She'd missed gaming so much when she was little, and though she had to admit she had, and was still, decently newbish, she was picking up on things quick and her skills were increasing. She was actually pretty proud of herself to say the least, and she couldn't wait to go somewhere where little to no adventurers had been before.

Pushing off the wall and walking away from the tavern slightly, she looked up and down the path with a curious expression, It's about time... Where is she?

@Alphabet Chocolate @Hecatus​

 

Alpha rushed through the streets, dashing and knocking more than a few people's items down with her speedy jaunt. Terry followed behind her, a wide smile on his dogged face as he snatched a falling hotdog that had made its way to the ground. Alpha swept through the town like a storm, causing a mess of chaos as she passed by. By the time she had reached the tavern, she suspected that at least half the town would look like a tornado had visited just now.

"C'mon Terry, it's just up ahead!" she sped up, eyes gleaming as her target was in sight. Terry grinned toothily, tail wagging fast, as the enthusiasm to see their friend was shared. At last, when Alpha had run up to the back of the tavern, she saw the back of the person in question; Nalani had not looked the slightest bit different. She took a deep breath, finally getting the precious oxygen that her lungs were screaming and pounding her for, and put on the biggest smile that has ever graced a humanoid face. Then, she ran. Straight for Nalani.

Terry tailed her with the same intent she had and they locked onto the blonde woman, arms outstretch (or not, in Terry's case). "Nalani!" she laughed on the top of her lungs, flinging herself over the woman and pulling her into a tight, friendly embrace. "Guess who's here!" she shouted, her voice capable of breaking eardrums at this point. Terry followed Alpha's example and stood on two paws, putting all his weight in leaning into Nalani. He gave her face a big, slobbery lick.

"We missed you!" she smiled, nuzzling Nalani's hair. It's been so long since she had seen her friend.

@Nalani Rosa

 

(Please position your characters to the hole when convenient and have them descend into the instance! Tag me when you're ready!)

@Nalani Rosa @Alphabet Chocolate

 

Not gonna lie, Alpha did scare the absolute crap out of Nalani, but she was mostly used to the random jump scares given by the energetic younger girl. She laughed softly and patted her head with her metal arm, quickly getting over the initial shock. She winced a little bit at how loud her voice was, but ignored it, "Alpha, Terry, great to see you guys again~" The dingos slobers were met with another laugh and a grin as her face was absolutely covered in gunk, moving her hands to pat the dingo gently before allowing her to get down, "I missed you guys too."

It had been awhile since she'd seen her little friend and her dingo, mostly because real life was getting a hold of her again. As things got harder, the more she wanted to waste her time away with video games. The raid was coming up soon, however, and she wanted to make some time for that, so working hard was a must. That, and PAX. She was super stoked about both, but just kept think that she really needed to earn her keep, "Well, Alpha, let's say we get this show on the road. I've been curious about this rabbit hole for a bit now, and I wanna figure out what's hidden inside." she explained, changing the subject to their mission almost automatically. She really needed to play.

"It's back here, right around the side and hidden behind some bushes. Come, come~" And with that, she moved away from Alpha and Terry, turning around the side of the building and following along to the back, then turning until she reached the clump of bushes that covered the hole in the ground. She didn't move them yet, however, as she waited for Alpha to reach her, "Are you ready?"

@Alphabet Chocolate​

 

Alpha pouted as Nalani seemed to pay more attention to Terry than her and, spitefully, Alpha stuck her tongue out at the dog who returned the favor (she wouldn't admit that it was slightly unnerving to see Terry's creepily long tongue stick out like that). She rolled her eyes; maybe it was a bad idea to teach Terry how to do all that stuff. Still, she understood Terry's feelings exactly as Nalani's hasn't been online that much recently and it's been awhile since they've actually met up (they hadn't really talked much since the time that they had a three-way conversation with that jerk on the world chat). Alpha hoped she'd never see that guy again.

As their meeting continued, Nalani seemed to be really dead-set on the rabbit hole thing and Alpha could empathize; it's been a while since Nalani actually played and she must be so excited for it! The game was pretty cool, too! It would be terrible if Alpha delayed any longer. So, Alpha piped down and followed Nalani as she pushed the bushes away to reveal a hole in the ground. Alpha stared at it with odd fascination, closely examining and inspecting the hole.

"Huh? Oh yeah, of course Nalani! Let's go!" she cheered enthusiastically, Terry barking beside her to show his own excitement. Then, without further ado, Alpha attempted to pull Nalani down the hole with her.

@Nalani Rosa @Hecatus

 

Upon descending into the hole, your visuals distort slightly as the fabric between space and time warp. Given a second or so, your sight clears as a dimly lit room comes into view. The walls are scattered with various shelves lined with books and a single oil lamp can be seen on the opposite side of the room. Sitting next to that lamp in a rather comfy looking chair appears to be an oversized, thin and gaunt looking bunny dressed in what appears to be a purple tuxedo. (It’s statute mirrors most closely to those of the fae race.) Upon further inspection, there appears to be a door situated behind the sole chair in the room.

The creature pauses mid page flip of the tome it’s currently browsing, only to look up at the pair with a glint of surprise in his eyes. “Wonderful! Oh how wonderful. It’s been years since I’ve had some proper guests. Please forgive the mess. In all honesty, I wasn’t expecting any visitors – not that I’ve got an adequate amount of furnishings for the two of you anyway.”

The strange figure shuffles over and raises a paw to eagerly shake both of your hands with an uncanny vigor. His nose twitches with pleasure as it wriggles uncontrollably. That said, despite his desperate appearance, it appears as though a surprising bit of strength still remains in this old hare’s bones.

“Well? To what reason do I owe a lovely visit from such a beauty, a darling girl... and a her pup? I’d love to offer you some crumpets, but I’m afraid the tin’s been empty since last year…” The creature’s stomach rumbles uncontrollably after this last sentence as he clutches his gut with an embarrassed expression.



@Nalani Rosa @Alphabet Chocolate

 

@Alphabet Chocolate @Nalani Rosa

 

Everything got really strange real quick. As Nalani was dragged down into the hole, her vision was distorted for a quick moment before returning to normal, and as she blinked to get her vision used to the room they entered, she realized that they were not in Brisshal anymore... Well, at least, maybe they were, but this didn't look like anything she would've seen in Brisshal. She took a quick glance around the room as she inspected their surroundings, before resting her gaze on the strange looking rabbit, cocking her head to the side with curiousity before looking down at Alphabet, hoping to exchange equal looks of 'where in the world are we'.

However, she became pleasantly surprised when the bunny got to his feet, making his way over to them to introduce himself. She managed a gentle smile, hiding her unease as he shook her hand so much that her arm grew a little sore, and nodded in greeting, "It's nice to meet you, Mister Rabbit sir, we actually just came here when we found..." she paused for a moment, about to say quest, but realizing the npc probably didn't know what that was, and she rather not break the fourth wall and accidentally break his brain. So, with an easy smile and ignoring her small pause, she continued on, "Well, we came upon your hole and decided to wander in. I hope we're not intruding on your book." she said, apologizing quickly for their sudden arrival, before her eyebrows creased together in thought, How skinny is this guy?

"Say, Mister Rabbit... When was the last time you ate something?" she asked, taking note of his comment on the tin being empty since last year. Had the guy been stuck in this room for so long with nothing to eat, Oh... Poor thing.

@Alphabet Chocolate @Hecatus​

 

Alpha looked around, bewildered and disorientated. She was just beginning to grasp what was happening when Terry snarled. Not the usual angry sound he does when he sees strangers; it was the hungry kind. Maybe there was a fish stick around or something. After a few long blinks and an attempt to stabilize her dizzy head, Alpha sat up and stretched, opening her eyes too see the most peculiar thing. Her eyes glittered with amazement and a smile stretched her mouth wide open. "It's a bunny!" she tugged Nalani's sleeve, pointing at the literate rabbit with her other hand. "Look Nalani!"

After her initial words, Alpha couldn't think of anything else to say. The incident had been so surreal, even after all the other miracles she had experienced in Terrasphere. It was a talking rabbit and wasn't that the coolest thing she'd ever seen? Terry, unfortunately, didn't share in her enthusiasm for the creature and instead occupied himself on thoughts of rabbit foot stew or some other sort of rabbit-based recipe. She sat idly as the rabbit and Nalani introduced themselves. Terry's mouth watered.

Then, to her dismay, she noticed the condition of the rabbit. Upon hearing his words, her feelings of sorrow and discomfort grew even more and she grew discontent with merely sitting by. She hastily jumped to her feet and ran towards the rabbit, attempting to scoop the poor creature in her arms. Regardless if it succeeded (if you take into account that a rabbit was a fast and fickle animal) she began to coo and sob over the poor rabbit's situation.

"Don't worry little bunny!" she cried, trying to snuggle in on the rabbit's fur. "We'll get you all the crumpets and stuff that you want!"

@Nalani Rosa @Hecatus

 

"Hmm... I'd say it's been about a year now? Around the same time the biscuits ran dry."

Their awkward attempts at formalities seemed to please the creature greatly as it began contentedly thumping a foot against the hardwood floor rather happily. The pacing behind each whack however would slowly decrease as the creature’s attention turned upon the hostile invader that dared to trespass upon his domain.

“Nope. No, no, no, no, no, no, no. Can’t be having this now.” With a clap of his large bunny paws, something strange would occur. The next moment would be met with silence as Terry the dingo was no longer by Alphabet’s side. It appeared to of vanished. A small notification window would pop up in the little girl’s interface, indicating what had happened.

Animal companion dismissed. It’s receiving belly rubs at the inn!​

A sigh of relief sounded from the rabbit, only to have its beady eyes open wide as it found itself being chased all about the room. “Are you insane little girl? Who feeds a rabbit biscuits? Bring me some carrots and I might let you squeeze the bunny butt! Do we have a deal?”

The game’s quest interface would let out small ring, notifying the players of an objective update.

The Suspicious Rabbit Hole: (Quest Objectives Updated!)
[ ] - Bring the rabbit some carrots.​

@Nalani Rosa @Alphabet Chocolate

 

Alpha giggled at the rabbit's antics. While she had worried herself about Terry's disappearance, she had been reassured that the little dingo was having the time of his life getting belly-rubs. It came at a lucky time too since even Alpha couldn't satisfy the dog with enough pats. Her hands had practically been rubbed raw and red by caressing that coat for hours on end. The only problem was that Nalani was too nice to truly keep Alpha grounded and her dog-turned-overseer was gone. If only metaphorically, the dog could be considered the restrictions that she placed on her behavior; her rational sense, as you would call it. Eyes glinting and practically shimmering next to the rabbit, she ignored the pop-up screen with a determined glint in her eyes and her hands wildly grasping, ready to jump the abnormally human-sized rabbit. It was gaunt and starved, so she hoped it wouldn't make too much of a struggle.

She lunged like a wolf, fingers and toes curled and a toothy grin staining her youthful features. Her hair seemed to grow wild and mussed, her eyes red-rimmed. She gave an innocent laugh which juxtaposed her current appearance. "I'm gonna keep you, Mister Bunny!"

Ever since she was little, Alpha had always wanted a pet bunny (especially after she saw the blu-ray version of Who Framed Roger Rabbit?).

@Nalani Rosa @Hecatus

 

Nalani's eyes widened. A year? How was this guy living? Was the game even out at that ti- Oh yah, it's a game. She seemed to look unimpressed for a moment, probably with herself, before turning her attention to the dingo that had just disappeared in the blink of an eye. She blinked once more in confusion before looking down at Alphabet. She didn't look too concerned with Terry's where abouts, so she decided not to worry about it for the moment, her confused look turning into an amused one as she watched the bunny get chased around the room, "Alphabet, don't chase him too much, you'll wear him out." But that was all she did... For the moment.

As a new objective popped up, Nalani looked over it quickly, pursing her lips in thought. Where were they going to get carrots? A farm? A market? Were any of those nearby? Maybe even... The tavern? She closed her menu and suddenly stepped forward, hooking her arms under Alpha's from behind and lifting the little girl into the air, smiling apologetically at the Rabbit, "Excuse her Mister Rabbit sir, she's a little... Mad." she almost giggled out loud at her obvious Alice in Wonderland reference, but just kept it to a wide smirk on her face as she turned continued to carry the smaller girl, raising an eyebrow as she looked over her head and directly at the old rabbit.

"Is there anything else then a squeeze of the bunny butt that we can get in return? As much as that is... Enticing, it's not a lot." She did have a point. Although she was never really one for doing things for a price, part of her was curious if this quest would have any loot other than Alphabet's satisfaction.

@Alphabet Chocolate @Hecatus​

 

"Is there anything else then a squeeze of the bunny butt that we can get in return? As much as that is... Enticing, it's not a lot."

Caught off guard by the horribly timed insult, the rabbit would pause for a moment to stare indignantly at the young vixen with his jaw agape. He seemed slightly offended considering a quick pat on the tushie wasn’t quite enough for this overly greedy girl!

“Why I’ll have you know that my butt is grade A, certified and absolutely wonderful fluff—AAHHH”

The hare would find himself unfortunately interrupted however as he was immediately pounced upon by Alphabet in his moment of distraction. Slamming into the ground with a loud thud, he’d flail about wildly while kicking and screaming. After a few moments of struggle however… the creature seemed kind of pathetic. The aura of strength he had exuded moments ago quickly faded as only a saddening sight was left to behold.

“Damnit Sebastian! This wasn’t part of the deal. Duty be damned, I’m out!”

With a quick clap of his bunny paws, the rabbit would vanish into thin air, leaving the room entirely empty and silent once the antics had calmed down on the two females’ ends. The silence was short lived however as a deep and rumbling voice bellied out with a heavy and wicked laughter that echoed throughout the chamber with a terrifying reverberation.

"BAhAaahAAHahah. Goooood, good. His fear, I can taste it nyaaaaoww."
*Insert uncontrolled fit of coughing here*
"Ahem. Now."
"It's so... sooooo... Delicious...."​

No further words came from the mysterious voice as it subsided. The source was difficult to identify, coming from all directions and seeming to sound directly in each of your minds as if by telepathy.

--------------------------​

At this point, a soft ring sounded in each of your minds, indicating that their quest objectives had updated once again… In the corner if your interface, a strange currency icon with a carrot etched on one face appears. The game has indicated that five of these strange coins have been obtained by each of you! (+5 Carrot Coins!)

The Suspicious Rabbit Hole: (Quest Objectives Updated!)
[ ] - Explore what lies beyond the door...​

 

Alpha pouted as the rabbit vanished. She had been attached to the critter despite only knowing it for approximately one minute and had felt a dull sting in her chest after it had, apparently, disappeared without a trace of remorse. Not even a single goodbye! She immediately took her whines and disappointment to Nalani, kneeling down and hugging Nalani's leg and using it as a particularly large and reusable tissue. "Why didn't the bunny stay?" she cried. She didn't really like it when things didn't go her way and, well, Alpha never said that she wasn't a tad bit spoiled. Her childhood bunny, Mr. Rumples, had never been so rude, large, or talkative when her dad had gotten him for her at the tender age of fifteen.

The mood, however, didn't last long before the tentative silence was lifted with loud sounds, peculiar drawls, and the distinct sound of racking coughs. It seemed to echo all over the place and Alpha couldn't track it down. Curiously, she detached herself from Nalani to stand up and investigate, putting a hand behind her ear in an attempt to discern the sound's location. Soon after she had done so, a soft ring resounded in her ears and, in the game interface, there was something new. Alpha observed the new spectacle with confusion. Carrot Coins? She was stumped but, after a few moments of thinking, an idea struck her.

"Nalani!" she cheered, excited and ignoring the noise. She had finally solved this piece of the puzzle! "The bunny said he was hungry, right? What if Carrot Coins are made out of carrots! Maybe we can use it to buy him from the pet store or something!" she enthused.

@Nalani Rosa @Hecatus

 

Nalani was surprised by the sudden turn of events, watching as the bunny disappeared from view, leaving both Alphabet and herself alone in th room. The small girl took to clingy to both of her legs like a small child, which she... Well, she was, and Nalani gently patted her head in reply, looking around the room with a curious gaze, It wasn't long before another voice echoed throughout the room, and the Felis's eyebrow furrowed together in thought as she heard a small ping sound from the interface, opening it up to inspect the new quest objective and the coins that she obtained, and that Alpha probably obtained as well.

Explore what lies beyond the door... What did lie beyond the door? She turned her gaze upward and narrowed her eyes, stepping forward as she gently grabbed her companions arm while she moved, "I don't quite think that's what the coins are for, Alpha..." she said quietly, pausing as she inspected what had been blocked before. As much as her ideas were definitely interesting, she highly doubted that they'd be seeing the bunny anytime soon. She glanced down at her for a second, then looked back at the door, before making up her mind, "And I don't know about you, but I'm not gonna wait in this room to find out. Lets see..."

She rested her hand on the doorknob and gave it a good twist to try and open it, and maybe see what was on the other side. She didn't even know if it was unlocked, or what would be on the other side, but she wanted to find out.

@Alphabet Chocolate @Hecatus​