Fantasy Keepers of Reality

[Reynarda]

Everyone knows the two sides that war unseen--the two sides that attempt to drag organic flesh into their bickering. They are Good and Evil. Heaven and Hell. Angels and Demons.

But few have noticed the tireless toils of the neutral party. They are those who dwell in the Between and Keep reality. Certainly, there are stories of the Grim Reaper, the Sandman, Mother Earth, and Madam Fate. But few thank the endless work of Time, Chaos, or Imagination. None but the magically inclined who daily attempt to wrestle the order of reality from the hands of the Keepers even consider them. If a mage was Lucky, the Keeper would be dealing with another problem elsewhere--Keepers were no more omnipresent than a single entity of Good or Evil, after all--and the spell would go off without a hitch. If Lady Luck was off busying herself with someone else, well, the Keeper would catch them, and the spell would flop. And so it continued. The magi, witches, wizards, and warlocks of the world dragged at reality, and the Keepers pulled it back. A few of the Keepers were more inclined to help out the magical--Luck, Chaos, Art, and the like--but others seemed to ignore their pleas altogether. Neither side would give in, and so the push and pull continued with the organics barely being able to warp reality.

Until.

There were rumors. Rumors of an old mage who had been condemned to die by a chaos curse. But she had not died, and best everyone knew, the chaos curse was still active. But the mage had escaped because she knew something no other organic creature knew. She knew the true name of Death. Death might come knocking, but the woman would just order him away--or so they said. And, they said even Time was gracious to her for Death's sake.

Since the rumors had spread, magi of every stripe have hunted for tell of the Keepers' true names. For a century, no progress was made. There were not enough stories, and no one knew how or why Death had been so careless. It seemed no other Keeper had been. They walked in the Between, only slipping into reality to deal with problems. The magi had tried luring them and catching them, but the Keepers were too slippery. One was very slippery when one controlled reality.

But then, a young witch accidentally fell into the Between. It took them a while, but the wizard order was able to replicate the accident. Magi kind began to traverse the Between. To this day, many wander in the mists still. The Between has no obvious layout--it is timeless, deathless, lightless. Nothing but grey, curling mists.

Luck--always the helpful one--smiled on a coven of witches. They discovered that the Keepers left trails of energy for a brief second when they passed from reality to the Between. They could be followed.

According to the stories, the Keepers have an annual gathering--a Winter's Ball, some say--during the Winter Solstice. During this gathering, the Keepers check in with one another and make sure the world is as it should be. Often the two warring sides turn up as well--either to check in, stir the pot, or attempt to recruit Keepers to their cause. While they are not entirely welcome, they are tolerated and treated with polite respect. Every Keeper does not know all the entities on the two sides, and no one would ever expect to see a fleshling in the Mists of the Between. Besides, being neutral does not mean they are perfect. Light's and Dark's spat is legendary. They get on each other's nerves, stray out of the bounds of their aspect of reality, trod on toes. The Winter's Ball is the perfect time to go hunting for the Keeper's names.

This year, it is Death's turn to host. All Keepers are slipping from their worldly duties back into the Mists to attend the Ball, and many organics and Good and Evil entities are also journeying to attend.

 

[Reynarda]

The Ball was at Death's place, which meant Time was buzzing through the halls, removing the cobwebs, dusting mantles, and asking him why he needed so many skulls.

"Sets the mood," Death said cheerfully from the couch he was lounging on. "Everyone does expect my place to be like this, love."

Time shot a glare at him from over the shoulder. "This place is a mess. Honestly, if you were human, I'd suggest a housekeeper."

Time was short, and her long white hair was pulled up in a prim bun at the back of her head. Her skin was a deep tan, and her eyes a sharp black. Ticking thundered from various clocks and watches she carried--none of them were set to the same Time. She was dressed in smart black trousers and a black waistcoat for her attempt at cleaning up Death's place.

Death chewed contemplatively on a pastry he had brought back from Reality. He didn't need to eat, of course, but he loved sweet things. He had limp black hair that fell around sunken eyes and sharp cheekbones. His skin was nearly translucent, and he wore a motheaten tux with ripped tails. His eyes were so light blue they were nearly white.

Death was far more laid back than his counterpart. Few realized Time was the true taskmaster and Death was merely the release from her schedule. But the pair's duties often crossed paths, and so they could often been found together. Time was the bossy one, but Death honestly did not mind. She was fun to mess with.

In this case, the more she cleaned, the dustier the room became.

"Where does this dust even come from?" Time muttered. "This is the Between. We don't have dust."

"Beats me," Death said, licking his fingers as if he did not create it for ambiance. Death had actually tried to help clean, but Time had gotten testy at his method. Time would march on unhindered, so it was best to just let her go at it. Or, mess with her while she went at it. He wasn't recreating the cobwebs, at least.

Death stood. "The guest should arrive any minute now," he said, towering over the shorter Keeper with his lanky frame. "You should get changed."

Time shifted, and a dress with a corseted black bodice and a white skirt fell around her. Watches still laced her arms and several pocket watch chains crosses her dress.

"You look Timeless, my dear," Death said with a wink. He spun the scythe that had been leaning against the couch, and it turned into a small necklace. He draped that around his neck and held his arm out to Time.

Time rolled her eyes at him but took his arm.

Death's place was a towering gothic manshion that looked decidedly unkept. But as Keepers created their places out of the mists, it was obvious that Death wanted it that way. Not even Time could change it. It rose out of the mists, backlit by a pale light.

Death and Time waited at the entryway to usher guests inside. The entryway led directly into a large ballroom that had music playing from nowhere and everywhere. It was decorated with anemic light that filtered around the blacks and stark whites of the walls and floor.

A large clock--a gift from Time--chimed in the hall, and Death smiled. "Who do you think will be punctual?"

"The only reason you are punctual is you are the host," Time said. "And even then because I came over to make sure you were ready."

Death grinned at her. "You would be so bored without me."

 

[Mikotsuhime]

“Your hair is a mess,” the angel said, disapproval dripping from his voice as he looked at the small demon standing in front of him.

May scrunched up his nose as his friend began to fuss over him, fluffing up his hair with his hands. He tolerated it for about one minute before quickly swiping Agni's hands away.

"Ok! Ok, enough," he said firmly, glaring at the angel who was giving him a very unimpressed look. "It's supposed to be messy. It's, like, a style, or something. Isn't messy hair a style? It's a human style."

Agni did not look convinced, but May had no intention of wasting time trying to talk to him when he could be using that time getting ready instead. This was the one time of the year that he actually had an agenda to do dark demony things, and he had to make a good impression. Having an angel fussing over him like his mom was not going to make a good impression. It definitely did not lend to the cool and edgy independant look that he was going for.

He didn't actually know why Agni was so caught up with him, anyways. The angel had started out by demanding a fight almost a decade ago, and May had spent the better part of the time avoiding him, before their chases became more amicable than anything. May had been the first one to extend an olive branch, by offering to slack off on the whole tempting humans into sin thing in Agni's territory, and Agni had accepted said branch by not trying to smite him anymore.

Which, frankly, did not seem like a very good deal to May, but he was happy for the chance to relax every now and then. And then, over the course of five years, the two of them had become friends. Or rather, Agni had dutifully declared himself May's keeper, and May his attendant, which May very firmly disagreed with. But once Agni got an idea in his head, it was almost impossible to get it out of it, so May reluctantly relented.

"You have to at least look presentable," Agni said firmly as he gave May's short blond hair one last purposeful fluff. Truly, the two did look quite different from one another; May's tanned skin was several shades lighter than Agni's, and the angel's hair was a dark auburn red rather than May's platinum blond. May was smaller than Agni, though the both of them were on the shorter side of five feet, far from the powerful and imposing beings that they actually were. Agni wore a dark red suit, whereas May was wearing a white shirt and pants with a pastel blue vest. Agni had ruby earrings in his ears, whereas May wore bright pink studs, the only flash of colour that Agni had allowed when they were planning their outfits together.

Truly, at first glance, it was hard to tell who was the angel and who was the demon. Agni found that absolutely absurd, because he oozed goodness out of his very pores. May thought he was full of himself, and told him so to his face. Regardless, the two of them each had their own missions for the evening, on their own sides of the eternal war. May wasn't sure what Agni's was, and vice versa. Neither of them felt like talking about it, either, leaving it just another mystery to be solved over the course of the night.

"Ok, ok, it's fine," May insisted as he stepped away from Agni and looked at his reflection in the mirror of his small apartment's bathroom. Agni looked far too regal to be standing next to the toilet the way he was, and May found himself choking down a giggle as he headed back into the living room. "So. You show up ten minutes after me, ok? We can't look like we're going together or anything."

Agni scrunched up his nose, clearly disagreeing.

"You would ask me to be late for such an important event?" He asked with disdain, and May rolled his eyes.

"By, like, ten minutes. Ok, five, happy?"

Agni's frown said he very much wasn't, but he at least relented as May stepped in between, showing up at Death's mansion with a wide smile on his face. Sure, he wasn't exactly an invited guest, but he could at least be charming as he rung the doorbell.

 

[Simple_Traveler]

Welp, today was the big day. The day where Dark and Light tried to one up each other in their eternal pissing contest while the Keepers tried to play referee. The day of the Winter Ball.
Inside the homily stone and wood structure that contained the famous (some say infamous) tavern, 7th Heaven, it's owner scowled dismally. She was currently packing various drinks and mixers into a wooden box that was larger on the inside and hovering four feet off the cherry wood floor. At first glance this woman didn't appear all that special, with her fair skin, spikey brown hair that went down to her lower back and olive green eyes. She wore an outfit typical of a barkeep: white dress shirt with rolled up sleeves, grey waist coat, pair of crisp, black slacks and two shiny dress shoes. However, despite her mortal appearance this woman is anything but normal. For she is in fact Ezravail, an archangel that once sent lesser devils screaming back into Hell with a single utterance of her name. A warrior of light that once commanded hundreds of angels and was a role model to many through her "nobel" deeds.
That was century ago. For reasons known only to herself and a scant few Ezravail left the side of Light, refusing to participate it any way, shape, or form and is now but a humble barkeep. Many angels and archangels tried to get her to come back while a few demons tried to temp her to their side. She only had two things to say to them.
"Piss off,"
And so Ezravail enjoyed a simple life, serving drinks and making several human friends out of her regulars. Yep, life was good. Until Death paid her tavern a visit with an invitation in hand to the Winter Ball. At first she'd vehemently refused, but the Keeper was persistent. Eventually wearing her down until the archangel reluctantly agreed, so long as he paid her as well as he promised.
And so here Ezravail was, grumpliy setting drinks and syrups into her "travel box" until she deemed it the right amount. She looked forlonly at her mostly bare shelves. For Death's sake, he better reimburse her for the amount of stock she was thowing into this damned ball. Once she snapped the lid closed Ezravail stolled into the Between with the boozed fillef box trailing several inches behind. Death's mansion loomed before her and Ezravail couldn't help but scoff at the gothic exterior. It seemed abit...much, atleast to her. As the archangel made her way up to the front door there was already someone there. A short, blonde man in a blue waistcoat. Then Ezravail quickly replaced the word "man" with "demon" once she was close enough to sense his aura. Fantastic. Of course the first entity she comes across is an old enemy. And with how powerful her own aura is he probably felt her presence the second she entered the Between. Just lovely.
And so Ezravail akwardly stood a few feet behind the demon, hoping against hope that he wouldn't be the type to pick a fight with her. She really shouldn't have come here.
Mikotsuhime

 

[Reynarda]

As the first knock arrived, Time frowned. It was not a Keeper. "Who did you invite this time?"

"Just a few friends," Death said breezily.

Time's scowl deepened. Death considered just about everyone his friend--except mass murderers as they made him work too hard. And, to be fair, he disliked War quite a lot. Time, however, had exactly two friends who were not Keepers (and even the Keepers were more acquaintances).

Death pulled the door open cheerily. "Good evening!" he said, even though the Between had no Time other than the lady next to him. "May, good to see you." His expression brightened as he spotted the archangel behind the little demon. "Ezravail! This is the one I was telling you about, love," he said, dipping his head to address his companion. "She makes amazing drinks. I know just the one for you."

Time just blinked, wondering how Death had crossed paths with a disillusioned angel and a demon all while getting their names out of them. "Are we going to leave them on the stoop?"

Death spun out of the way, dragging Time with him. "Of course not! Come in, come in."

 

[Canth]

Over the past century, good days were hard to come by, let alone weeks. This had been a good week, and she wanted to keep it that way. As the world developed, awareness became more wide-spread, and Evil’s influence tampered with the balance innocence had once maintained. It was this very imbalance that Chaos wrestled with every day of her life, some days more than others.

You have degraded since they last saw you. Who are you to believe they even want you there?

Chaos shook her head against the voice, checking herself in the mirror for the twentieth time. What had she worn to the last gathering? Did it even matter?

Of course it matters. You’ll be the laughingstock of the party if you’re under-or-overdressed.

“Eris, not now, please,” Chaos hissed, shutting her eyes tight as she sucked in a sharp breath and held it. She waited until her lungs tightened and her head began to throb, before opening her eyes and giving her lungs relief.

Ignore her, a second voice chimed in. No one will laugh at you.

“You don’t know that,” Chaos reasoned, but resisted the urge to spend the next fifteen minutes fussing over her look. She was already running a few minutes late, and she never liked being late. When the smallest of things could alter Fate and Reality, being late was something Chaos could not afford.

“Alright, I think I’m ready…” Chaos tugged at her dress as she glanced about the small cabin she called home.

You sure?

Shut up, Eris!

Piss off!

Chaos paused as the two bickered, and then pushed her shoulders back in a sort of mock confidence.

They’ll see right through you, Eris nagged.

“I’m sure they will. Now, shush, I need to concentrate.” Chaos waited a few seconds to be sure both Eris and Harmonia had done as asked, before leaving her cabin and making for the Between.

The transition from the corporeal world to the Between was the one time Chaos found solace in silence. It was not even a second’s worth of time, but it was enough. A reset, a few milliseconds of peace.

Miss us?

Eris, please, she is about to be surrounded by enough people to make a sane person want to run and hide. She does not need you breathing down her neck.

“That doesn’t make me feel any better,” Chaos frowned, but it was too late; she was here. Chaos did her best to push Eris and Harmonia aside, adjusting her dress yet again before reaching out and knocking on Death’s door.

 

[Sarahspn]

The evening light peeked through the bottom of blacked-out curtains and into a disaster of what one would consider an apartment. In the dim light, a large black and white cat dodged the clutter of spellbooks, potions, and various pieces of clothing to get the large bed in the center of the tiny room. The cat jumped onto the bed and began kneading a large lump underneath the covers. A faint groan could be heard and the lump started moving and unveiled a girl. "What do you want, Bella?" mumbled the girl, running her hands through her messy red hair. The cat meowed back in response and moved to sit on the bedside table where a clock sat. The girl glanced at the time and immediately shot out of bed. "Why didn't you wake me up sooner? I'm going to be late for the ball!" The girl, Seraphina, groaned while flipping on a dim light. She grabbed a small black dress and ran to her bathroom. After a quick shower, Seraphina quickly got ready and started heading out the door, satchel and heels in hand. As she was walking out the door, a loud meow stopped her in her tracks. "You've got to be kidding me! I JUST fed you." Her cat, Bella, meowed again, standing next to her bowl. Seraphina let out a groaned and grabbed her wand out of her bag. She cast a spell at the bowl and it overflowed with food. "Happy now? I'll be back soon. I might stop by Ezravail's bar on the way home so don't wait up. I love you." She blew a kiss and headed into the streets.

Instead of Death's ball, Seraphina was attending her covens winter solstice ball. Her coven was small and never came into contact with Keepers so they would host their own ball in hope of being able to travel into the Between one day. She ran up the stairs of a large house and knocked on the door. A small blonde girl opened the door and glared at Seraphina. "You're late. The ball started an hour ago." The girl snarled, looking Seraphina up and down. Seraphina's short black dress and stilettos were not suitable ball attire but it was the only dress she had. "Whatever, I know I'm late. I was up all night practicing spells and my cat didn't wake me up in time." Seraphina said, rolling her eyes. She tried to get past the blonde named Ash. Ash grabbed Seraphina's shoulder and stopped her. "You know you'll be the worst witch in this coven so why even bother practicing?" Ash laughed. Seraphina smiled and Ash's long blue dress caught on fire. "I may not be perfect at spells, but controlling fire is my specialty. I would try to find water if I were you." Seraphina said sweetly and pushed Ash who was frantically trying to put out the small fire.

 

[Huntertabbysandshark3]

Change​

Change a strange being it’s ever-changing form and mind made it rather hard to deal with powerful when it could be convinced to help and a horrific enemy to face if angered its fickle and warping nature made it a hard guest to entertain it current form was that of a large suit of armour that seemed to ooze a black substance why it chose this form was lost to only it arriving at deaths manor in its usual way a warping storm in the mists the strange armored form hitting whatever was the ground “hello everyone I do hope we are not late I am not late i am late I was late so.. so many different options no?” It said in a warping tone that changed constantly as it spoke the helmet opening up into a smile as it greeted death and time, its presence would either be welcomed or lamented

 

[Mikotsuhime]

At first, May had thought that Agni had ignored his instructions to lay low and wait a few minutes before coming over, and he turned around to give him an earful right as he noticed that the angelic presence was far too powerful. It almost made his ears buzz and his teeth rattle, and he swallowed thickly as he looked back at the woman it originated from.

Great, she was totally out of his league. If this turned into a brawl or something, as these things usually did, he would be totally at a disadvantage. The ball hadn’t even started yet and his anxiety levels were already spiking. He half wished he hadn’t told Agni to stay behind.

Fidgeting awkwardly in the few minutes between the knock and the door opening, as soon as Death appeared he quickly skittered into the mansion and what he considered a safe distance from the potential threat.

“Yes, hi!” He exclaimed, his voice a little higher than usual. “I mean, hello, Mr Death, I am very delighted that you invited me tonight, I think, to your fancy party,” he said politely before awkwardly turning to Ezravail.

“I, uh, hope that we can maybe keep the smiting to a minimum tonight? I was looking forward to dancing so I didn’t really wear very practical running shoes and I don’t really want to be running for my life or anything, miss. I get really bad blisters, and it’s really unpleasant, so if you plan on trying to kill me maybe we could get that out in the open now so I know to, maybe, you know, avoid you and stuff?”

( Reynarda Simple_Traveler

 

[Canth]

A drink in hand, Mother Earth moved through Death’s home, her hips swaying with just the right amount of movement beneath the fashion-forward slip that hung from her tanned shoulders. Her feet were bare, and her hair fell in bright, auburn ringlets that cascaded past her shoulders and down to her waist. Bright, inhuman emerald eyes looked upon the home and its occupants with sharp, calculating suspicion. She came back to the main waiting area, where it seemed everyone was enjoying a light cocktail hour as the guests trickled in from various parts of the world. Mother Earth took a temporary perch in a corner taking stock of those Death had invited before deciding to engage.

If there was one other Keeper that Mother Earth had any sort of respect for, it was Time. The woman was a force of nature in every sense of the word, and Mother Earth found her presence enticing. They did not always see eye-to-eye, and Mother Earth thought Time could use a few deep breaths every once in a while, but otherwise Mother Earth enjoyed the woman’s company. There were few she actively tolerated.

Mother Earth managed to procure a glass of white wine, and came up beside Time. She tossed Death a polite smile, and then turned her full attention on the Time Keeper, holding the wine out.

“Somehow, I sense more of your touch than Death’s in this home,” Mother Earth sipped at her whiskey, watching Time over the rim of her glass.

~

Chaos kept her hands neatly tucked away in the custom pockets sewn into her skirt. Bright eyes focused first on the home itself, finding Death’s decor oddly comforting. Maybe it was how certain and final the room felt. Either way, with fewer people, Chaos might find this an optimum place to relax and unwind. Of course, the home was starting to buzz with people.

Stop standing around like an idiot and talk to someone!

Take your time, dear, no need to rush into things.

Stop coddling her! No wonder she’s such a mess, you’re always treating her like a child. She needs to grow the hell up and start learning to fend for herself!

Chaos had perfected the art of maintaining an even expression. She blinked a few times when Eris’s voice rose above comfortable levels, but otherwise kept her discomfort from showing upon her face. She managed to ignore them for now, and turned her eyes on the crowd, searching for someone she might recognize.

To Chaos’s surprise, there were about as many outsiders as there were Keepers in Death’s home. That was something she had not expected. Unfortunately, that limited the amount of people she knew significantly, and she feared she would have to try and meet someone new tonight.

Hera, this’ll be fun to watch, Eris snickered. When was the last time you tried to talk to a stranger?

“Yesterday,” Chaos mumbled beneath her breath. “At the grocery store.”

The grocer doesn’t count, Eris sighed. They have to talk to you.

Chaos shrugged, deciding it was good enough for her, even if Eris did not agree.

Go on, dear, you’ll be fine.

Chaos drew in a breath, pushed her shoulders back, and set her mind to her task. Before she could change her mind, she turned her eyes from the floor and marched towards the first person her gaze fell upon. Not a person, a...demon?

Chaos stepped up to the demon who was attempting to make nice with the...archangel. It was an odd bunch of people Death had invited--it was like he was trying to stir things up. Chaos hesitated, waiting for an opening, and then pushed a hand out to the demon.

"Chaos," she introduced. So far, so good.

Reynarda Mikotsuhime

 

[Reynarda]

"There will be no smiting," Time said, her tone brooking no argument. Keepers were not as powerful as angels and demons, but Time's expression suggested she would have no problem smiting both parties should they begin fighting.

Death did not doubt his short companion would immediately begin knocking heads together should this continue much longer, so he slid his arm around her waist said quite easily, "Oh, yes, no fighting, please. This is a party, after all."

Time narrowed her eyes up at her companion in such a way that blamed him for causing threat of smiting to occur. This wouldn’t happen if Death wouldn’t invite everyone he knew—which was pretty much everyone. Death got around, after all.

Death just winked back, and Time got the sneaking suspicion he was trying to get Good and Evil to kiss and make up. Again. Why the Great Constant was a freaking optimist, Time would never know. No, that was a lie, she did know. She didn’t have enough Time to sigh in resignation as someone appeared at her elbow.

Time extricated herself from Death’s clutches and accepted the glass from Mother Earth. “I do what I can to keep the Grim Reaper organized,” she said with a wry smile before sipping her wine. “It is a losing battle. You are a spot of color in this place,” she added as if her own home were not black and white.

Death pulled a slight face once Mother Earth appeared. Not that he didn’t like her—quite the contrary. It was just that when he touched something of hers, it... well... it tended to die. Which made him sad, and Death did not like being sad. He had once tried to keep a bright red orchid. Time had found him moaning face-down on the ground next to a very decayed flower. She had taken pity on him and it now sat above the mantle in his favorite room, frozen in Time.

Instead of deal with the reality that he tended to claim what she coaxed to life, Death tugged a strand of hair lose from Time’s prim bun. When she turned to glare up at him, he grinned. “I’d better go be a host, but the first dance is mine.”

Time thought she might kick Death in the shins, but he danced away as if sensing her thoughts. She turned back to Mother Earth and sighed. “You see what I have to work with? He’s incorrigible.”

 

[Huntertabbysandshark3]

change looked around it’s strange unending form that currently resided as some armoured suit it spotted chaos if Change could “like” it was chaos as chaos brought change and change brought chaos what a harmonious synergy no? The innumerable voices of the creature laughed at the thought filling the room with eldrich laughter it’s hand laying on chaos’s shoulder “hello old, new, good, bad friend how have things been”

Canth

 

[Mikotsuhime]

May breathed a sigh of relief at the ‘no smiting’ rule. Definitely made him feel a lot better about the whole thing.

“Whew, ok, because I am so not about fighting tonight. Not that I’m really about fighting any time of the year, you know, because I’m not. I’m a pacifist, or something.”

Ok that was a bit of a big lie, but nobody had to know that. May didn’t even really enjoy the fighting aspect of fighting, he just liked to blow things up. Cause a bit of chaos, and such.

Speaking of, the keeper of chaos was speaking to him. He jumped a little bit, not really expecting anyone to talk to him tonight besides maybe Agni, as this was not their ball, but he was pleasantly surprised. He grinned and vigorously shook the hand presented to him.

“Wow, cool! I’m May. Big fan of your work. Or, you know, something. How are you doing tonight? I just got here but it already feels like tonight is gonna be crazy, you know?”

 

[Canth]

Bright and mischievous eyes followed Death, who had chosen to slip away instead of face her. Mother Earth could hardly blame the man, she prided herself on her ability to strike fear in the hearts of all she came across. Whether or not that was his reason for leaving, she hardly cared.

“You know you enjoy the challenge. If anyone can stand against Death, it is Time.” Mother Earth sipped at her drink as she turned her eyes on the room. “Quite the mix of beings Death has gathered,” she observed. “Makes one wonder what his plans are for them. Ah, and look, Chaos is already infiltrating his unsuspecting guests. I give it thirty minutes before a fight breaks out.”

~

Chaos glanced over at Change, who she had always found a tad off-putting, despite Change being such an essential aspect of Chaos.

“Chaotic,” she replied, a half-smile gracing her lips at her joke.

I think I just threw up a little, Eris grumbled.

Chaos turned her attention back to May when he took her hand. She was not expecting the exuberant welcome the demon offered her. Fan? Love and Wealth and Mother Earth had fans, not Chaos. Her cheeks flushed at the compliment.

Sheesh, why don’t you marry him already?

“I—“ Chaos halted her response to Eris’s jab, a chill shooting down her spine in her horror. Stupidstupidstupid!

“I’m fine,” she finally replied, gathering herself with a slow exhale.

Hera, could you be any more weird?

Ignore her, Harmonia’s soothing voice cooed in her mind. You are doing well.

“Yes, I know,” she found her conversational skills rusty, and racked her brain in an attempt to determine what people were talking about these days. The weather? “Demon, yes? I find it odd that Death has invited beings other than Keepers this year. Might I ask if he gave a reason to his invitation?”

 

[Reynarda]

Time's lip twitched. She did enjoy it. Few could challenge her as much as Death did. And he did everything in his power to irk her. She always set things back as they should be, but it kept her entertained.

At Mother Earth's observation, Time flicked her eyes to where Death was enthusiastically regailing a guest with some story or something. She smiled fondly before sighing. There was no way to explain.

People were always optimistic about Death. The humans all thought they would live forever. They thought they had plenty of Time. Thought they were masters of their own Fate and Death wouldn't come for them until they were ready for him. But he came. Whether they were ready--whether he was ready--the Grim Reaper came to ferry their souls on.

But with everything humans dealt with--with everything Death dealt with--they were endlessly Hopeful. It was contageous. And it was a survival mechanism. The strongest there was.

And so humans believed in peace. Time didn't. She had seen too much. Watched Reality tear itself to shreds too many Times. Listened as great minds postulated that she was an illusion--if they could free their minds from her, she would disappear.

But their misunderstanding of her core nature could not stop her.

And so she marched on. Because that was her job. Because Reality would crumble if she didn't.

But Death wasn't like that. In their great powers in Keeping Reality, they were still creatures. Creatures felt. And Death...

Time sighed again, the sadness quickly replaced by an inconvenienced frown. "Yes, well let's hope his mischief will not result in the destruction of this house. I spent a great deal of entropy tidying it."

She flicked her eyes back to the woman at her side. "And you? How have you been with all this industry? You've been busy, I'm sure."

Canth

 

[Huntertabbysandshark3]

change laughed again at chaos's responses "lovely lovely anyway gooooooodbye" change hopped away with a twirl turning towards death, time and mother nature change felt like talking to death? why did it feel like it? because change found it fun and well it was a change of scenery was it not? with a skip and a hop change appeared in front of death giving a small bow to the keeper "soo lad didn't expect you to be hosting its almost as bad an idea for myself to do it" it was true though one time change had had to host... and well it was a wild ride for everything and everyone invited "so how has...life death undeath rebirth yada yada been treat you? been a while hasn't it?"

Reynarda

 

[Sarahspn]

Seraphina made her way through the house, saying hello to the few witches that she liked and promptly ignoring the ones she didn't. She wasn't afraid to let people know her feelings towards them and didn't really care about what they thought of her. She entered the small ballroom and quickly made her way to the beverage bar full of spellbound drinks. Some alcoholic, some laced with unknown drugs, and some were just plain soda. She grabbed a drink at random and to her pleasure, it was alcohol.

After a few drinks and small talk with some of her coven sisters, Seraphina finally started dancing. Hours went by as she danced and drank the night away. The ball started dying down as witches left to cast Luck spells on themselves and their homes. Every Winter Solstice, witches all over would cast Luck spells in hope of attracting the famous Keeper that blessed magi with knowledge of a way to travel into the Between. Few would be so Lucky to meet them. There were only a handful of witches left and none were dancing anymore. Seraphina took this as her time to leave and she headed out , slightly stumbling. "Maybe I did have a little too much to drink", she laughed to herself. She slowly made her way down the street towards her house. "Screw the Luck spell. Keepers don't care about us lowly magi enough to even look our direction", she grumbled. Growing up, Seraphina dreamed of meeting a Keeper of any kind but Luck was never on her side. No matter how many spells she cast, charms she made, or potions she drank, she was never successful. She eventually gave up and stopped casting the spell years ago.

She passed by Ezravail's bar and noticed it was closed. "What? Its a weekend! You're NEVER closed.", she groaned. She really wanted one of Ezravail's special mixed drinks but would have to wait until a later date. Seraphina had time to kill before she went back to her dark apartment so she sat on a nearby bench and looked up at the clear sky. She couldn't really see the stars clearly due to the fact that she was still drunk but she could make out the basic shapes of the constellations. She quickly got bored and looked around at her surroundings. There weren't many people around and those who were, didn't pay any attention to Seraphina. In her town, normal people knew of magi and mostly didn't bother them."Screw it, I'll try ONE Luck spell. But that's it. I'm not getting my Hopes up.", she said to herself as she grabbed her spell book and wand out of her bag. She quickly looked over a spell and closed her eyes. She took a deep breath and gripped her wand. She started whispering the spell and a ring of fire surrounded her. Letters of an ancient language appeared in the fire's smoke, floating up into sky. As she cast the spell, the tips of her hair became burning embers and the surrounding fire quickly engulfed her entire body. "Keeper of Luck I summon the and demand your presence. If you refuse thy, I swear to Life and Death I'll seek revenge for this unlucky curse." She demanded, finishing the spell. The fire died and she opened her eyes.

 

[Canth]

Any Hope Time had of a calm and peaceful evening, Mother Earth found misplaced. One look at the room and the gathered guests (not to mention those who had yet to arrive) was enough to seal the Ball’s Fate. Eventually someone would find offense in another’s presence and say something untoward, and Chaos would most certainly ensue. Mother Earth had never liked the little mouse, always finding new and obscure ways to mess with her designs, and always followed by a meek and frightened apology as if she had not intended to Keep Chaos.

Mother Earth released a cleansing exhale and allowed her shoulders to loosen. There was no use worrying about what might happen, no matter how likely, and Mother Earth left it at that. She returned to her conversation.

“It is as if the humans want their Earth to dry up and die, I can hardly keep up with their destructive tendencies. All those brains and all those degrees and not a single one has managed to find the solution to their decaying future. There are times I am tempted to just step back and let them continue on their course and seal their Fate as a species, but then what sort of Keeper would I be? I am not Mother Earth without an Earth.” She shrugged, a simple gesture for the complicated relationship that was Mother Earth and her children. Adopted children, she liked to remind others. Had it been up to her, she would have stopped at the ape, but Life and Evolution had had other ideas. She should have fought harder against their ideas before she was left to clean up their mess. Per usual.

“But, such has been my song for centuries. They take my trees, I give them spring. They drain my lakes, I give them rain. I do what I can to protect my forests and my rivers, and pray that the humans’ folly is not my downfall.”

Reynarda

 

[Reynarda]

Death placed a hand at his heart in exaggerated offense. “My dear Change, I am the perfect host for these parties. Honestly, it’s a wonder that they don’t let me do it more often.”

Change moved even too quickly for Death to keep up. They just moved so much that even he—extroverted as he was—wanted to rest his hands on Change’s shoulders and suggest they lie down for a rest.

He smiled easily. “I am just peachy, thank you for asking. And yourself?”



Time frowned slightly. As a Keeper, she was largely untouchable. Humans noticed her when she moved too quickly or too slowly. In many ways, she governed their lives, but they did not interact directly. They measured her passing by the day, year, second. They tried to divine her nature. As of yet, few but the wizards had been able to even come close to thwarting her.

The thought of mortals slowly killing a Keeper just by destroying what she kept made her shoulders twitch. The Keepers responded as Reality dictated, but it was not theirs to target specific humans. But these humans carelessly destroying one aspect of Reality made her almost think drowning the lot of them was a good plan.

And the mortals gave Good and Evil a playground. The lion did not know right from wrong. But the humans did. With no humans, Good and Evil might have stayed in their own dang plane.

Time sniffed. Humans wondered why Evolution seemed to have sudden bursts of diversification. That much was obvious to one who had watched the whole process. "Yes, well, Evolution was in cahoots with Luck. And Fate, probably. Hence, humans."

A small voice that sounded decidedly like Death's echoed in the back of her mind. Time scowled before letting out a sigh and conceding, "But I suppose Reality would be less interesting without the humans. And you have some who have noticed what they're doing to you. They may get their act together if they can look away from Greed for long enough."





Keepers were not typically ones to be summoned without use of their actual name.

But there were a few who were unconventional.

The woman who blinked into existence in front of Seraphina was tall and slender, with blonde hair that fell around her shoulders. She wore a red dress that fit too well and a white shawl that was draped across her shoulders. She looked about as human as any Keeper could, but something tugged at the observer’s mind. Something... off. Perhaps her scarlet eyes were a little too intense or her hair a little too blonde.

Lady Luck had been busy. No doubt they would miss her at the party. She would miss irritating her enemies and flirting with her allies.

But she was nearly done. And this little witch had summoned her. It wasn’t so much the summoning at that captured her attention as it was the magic the witch had expended.

She smiled down at Seraphina. “And what can I do for you child?”


Huntertabbysandshark3 , Canth , Sarahspn

 

[Sarahspn]

"Oh wow. You actually showed up." Seraphina said, slightly in shock. She looked Luck up and down and noticed how she looked almost.. normal. She was like any other human but something was off. Maybe it was the eyes but Seraphina didn't give it a second thought and stood up from the bench, trying to maintain her balance. As she stood, the remaining embers died and she noticed her fire left scorched marks on the ground. She smiled a little and turned her attention back towards the Keeper standing before her.

"All these years of casting those spells and doing anything I could to meet you, you show up when I'm drunk. What a great first impression I made." She asked, a little annoyed at herself but slightly thankful that the spell worked. "It's whatever. I'm Seraphina and I want you to take me to Death's ball in the Between. Not just open a way for me to travel through. I want to go with you"

Reynarda

 

[Fray Dracoheart]

Ursula looked down at the pocket watch she had linked to her belt at all times and hummed quietly, time was indeed passing but that was a normal feat for time to do at any given moment. The young magic found it amusing to watch time pass as see things move and grow but most of the time it was at a faster pace then it was right now, with a hand outstretched the Magi drew a casting circle around a small tree before uttering a small spell under her breath to help it grow tall and strong.

After the words were muttered the Magi stepped back slightly but kept one of her feet over the circle to cut it when the time was right, before her very eyes the tree started to grow quite fast and it grew strong. Once Ursula deemed the tree strong enough she kicked some of the dust that created the circle, stopping the flow of tone on the tree and spoke once more "Time waits for no one but bends to my will, may all who ask for time to pass meet me one way or another". With those words the chronomancer walked off back in the direction she came with a slight skip in her step, her hands reached up and pulled the dark velvet hood over her head as she went just in case someone was looking.

 

[Canth]

Less interesting, maybe, but Mother Earth did not see how any interest the humans provided was worth suffering through their insatiable need for power and things. These were their sole driving factors, and Mother Earth considered humans irredeemable for it.

“Perhaps,” Mother Earth relented, deciding that a party was not the place nor Time to discuss her viewpoints on humans and their place within Reality. “One of these days I’ll have to have a conversation with Lady Luck about her intentions. Where is she, anyway? It is not like her to go unnoticed at such a gathering.”

Reynarda

 

[Reynarda]

Lady Luck chuckled, her laugh soft and musical. Drunk humans were so funny. Why did they drink such things that affected them so? She wasn't sure, but Miss Fortune was active whenever alcohol was involved.

Few realized that Lady Luck had her own agenda. She enjoyed interacting with humans, and she certainly had favorites. But they always expected her to work for them. They called her fickle, but never realized she had her reasons.

Her scarlet eyes sparkled with amusement as the witchling made her demand. "And why would I help you do that?"




Time sighed, partly wishing she could be light and breezy like Death instead of immediately turning to serious and heavy topics. She scowled, however, at the mention of Luck. Time waved her hand dismissively. "Oh, she does as she pleases with little concern for any sort of structure or rules."

Time didn't much mind that Luck was missing. She was a nuisance in Time's opinion. But she was not about to say such things out loud. But Time would carefully order something, and then by some great stroke of Luck, that would all be destroyed. It was very annoying.

She cast about for some other topic that did not involve somber topics or Luck.

By some stroke of Luck, Time was saved from discussing the weather--oh, drat, that was a heavy topic--when the entire Between shuddered. Something screeched, like grinding metal upon metal. A crack split through space, spiderwebbing out from the center of the room. It hung there like an ugly scar, suspended in the air.

Death spun from talking to Change to look around, but Time was already stumbling towards the gash. As she inspected it, Death appeared at her side.

"What is it?" Death asked.

Inky blackness seemed to ooze out of the gash.

Time reached a hand towards the scar, but Death slapped it away.

"Don't touch it! You could get sucked in or something."

Time shot him a look. "Then you touch it."

"No, we need a stick or something. Oh!"

Death removed his scythe and spun it until it returned to its normal size. Next to him, Time ducked the spinning Death blade with practiced ease. Death lifted it, and poked at the crack with the end the scythe's shaft. It went straight through, and when he pulled it out again, the part that had been inside the crack was gone.

Death made a little grumble of surprise and spun the scythe. Nothing changed, so he did it again. When the end still did not reapear, he held it out to Time with his lower lip protruded just enough to make Time roll her eyes.

Flitting her fingers out, Time twirled her hand in a counter-clockwise direction over the end of the scythe. Nothing happened. Time cursed quietly to herself in a long forgotten language.

"Aw," Death complained, resting the end down on the ground. "Now it's too short. It's Time-sized."

The scythe was still taller than Time, but she had more to worry about. "Attach a skull to it or something. We have bigger problems."

Leaning on his scythe, Death eyed the crack. "It's in Reality, isn't it?" he asked in a tone Time hadn't heard since the last great War amongst the humans.

"That's what I'm afraid of."

"Hm, I'm going to have to move," Death mused, his light tone returning. "This does not go with my décor at all."

Instead of commenting, Time turned to eye the gathered Keepers and others. "We appear to have a slight issue. Anyone have any idea what exactly this is or what caused it?"

"Or how to fix it?" Death added.


Sarahspn , Canth , Huntertabbysandshark3

 

[Canth]

Chaos pulled reluctantly from her conversation with her apparent admirer when a distinct screeching and then gasps of surprise and awe filled the room. She turned, eyes dancing from one corner to the next until she found the center, where Time and Death now stood before what appeared to be a rip in Reality. Chaos’s first thought was one of admiration at how beautiful the webbed tear looked. Her second thought was—

Hera, what did you do?

I do not believe this was her

A rip in Reality? Seems pretty Chaotic to me. She is Chaos. They’re all thinking it

We don’t know that that’s even what it is.

Chaos froze and busied her mind with attempting to remember every thought and feeling she had had since entering Death’s home. Anything related to a rip? Wanting to tear down her Reality? Wanting to slice open a hole in Space and Time and escape with her dignity? Maybe, but she could not remember any solitary thoughts specific to this occurrence. She looked down upon her hands, fingers splayed, and wondered if they had been responsible.

“I could point a few fingers,” Mother Earth stepped forward, and bright eyes glanced sideways at Chaos for a brief moment. Chaos caught her gaze, and looked away, shuddering in her cowardice. Mother Earth kept her biased suspicions to herself for now however, and Chaos was allowed to breath once more. Instead, Mother Earth stepped forward, coming to stand before the thing, arms folded and eyes turned on it in thought. Had she ever seen anything like it? She did not think so.

“It might not be a Keeper,” she finally surmised. “I have been watching a few of the humans, the ones who call themselves magi. Witches, mages, practitioners of magic of all kinds. They have long sought power over our realms, perhaps this is their doing?”

 

[Sarahspn]

Seraphina paused for a moment, debating if she should tell Luck the truth. She sighed and sat down on the bench behind her. "I've heard whispers of a witch who can control Time. I'm not sure about her feelings towards Keepers but I suspect she might want to destroy Time or start another war. Whether it's true or not, I'm worried for Time." She confessed, looking at her feet. Seraphina has always wanted to be a dark witch but her heart was too pure and she could never bring herself to do things such as sacrificial rituals. "My mother was a prophet and a protector of Keepers. I was supposed to carry on the tradition but I've never came across a Keeper until now. So I want you to take me to the ball so I can attempt to protect Time." She continued, looking up at Lady Luck.