*W hat is r e a l anymore..?

          ☛ If you aren’t the sort to mind a questionable source, I may be able to assist you in filling up those empty rooms. As it stands now    at least from what I have seen so far    school-level science can be conducted with your laboratory. That is not a bad thing, for schools tend to under-use and misuse the equipment they are given–however

✋ And he was at quite a loss as so what to say after that however. Rather, there were quite a few things he could say, it was all a matter of deciding which thing to to put sign. This resulted in a sizable pause; as this pause stretched on, he decided that, for now, he had said enough. It was followed up by a hands-only shrug before the two appendages disappeared.

˚̩͙⚛ The room also seemed to be perhaps one of the few that was more commonly used. An open case on a nearby counter that held a few carefully constructed skeletons of small birds was evidence of that. Seeing as how one of the skeletons looked to have been in the middle of being put back together.

*C ondsidering my past supplier, I would not be c o m p l e t e l y against the offer of continuing construction of the lab. It would be rather pleasant actually.. as there really is only so much I can do with what I have now..

˚̩͙⚛ Four-Eyes seemed to have given what sounded like a soft chuckle after the hands faded away. They had noticed that it was always common for him to shrug whenever he didn’t have anything further to say. Which amused them greatly.

*I have been doing alright these days.. though I had to p u r g e my house of tinsel a little while back but everything seems to have settled down by now..

          ☛ I will keep in mind not to wake him up in the future.

✋ Getting shown up by a bird, once upon a time, had been embarrassing enough–the thing on the table couldn’t even fly. After sending Besnik one last, quick, slightly less than amiable glance (he was not going to admit that it was kind of cute when it wasn’t hissing), Gaster turned his attention to the laboratory and then, afterward, to the illusionist. 

          ☛ Now, I really must commend you on your laboratory. This greatly exceeded my expectations.

✋ Which admittedly hadn’t been very high. Home-based labs, in both his opinion and assumption, were usually more akin to store-bought (or human-dropped) children’s science kits. With a little bit of borrowing the place could become a respectable location for high science. Not the highest, but close enough.

˚̩͙⚛ Bensik on the other hand simply laid on his pillow. His eyes settled on Gaster while the tip of his tail twitched. Was he contemplating on falling back asleep? Maybe not given the fact that the moment the scientist looked away to speak to Four-Eyes, the mink lifted his head and slowly pulled himself up to stretch out with a yawn.

*W hy thank you.. it is always s a t i s f y i n g to hear something like that, especially with this place.

˚̩͙⚛ Of course they weren’t sure how high his expectations were but they wouldn’t question that. It would spoil a bit of their pleasant mood and they would rather keep it at least a little above neutral.

*A bsolutely. Although, this lab is not as large in s c a l e to the Royal one but there are a few empty rooms that would have had some additional equipment had things not been cut short.

˚̩͙⚛ Their top set of eyes did shift back up to the other though upon hearing a new location. Needless to say, they were immediately interested in it.

✋ And teeth.

✋ Teeth whose sharpness he didn’t want to experience first had so when the little thing hissed at him Gaster immediately backed off. That hand of his disappeared nigh immediately, lest it face the critter’s wrath. Startled though he was, he refused to be surprised by this development. Animals tended to hate him. Not that he could fathom why.

*A h I see you have w o k e n Besnik..

˚̩͙⚛ They gave a soft hum as the little creature leaned into the hand that was scratching it before it disappeared. Besnik yawned and stretched out- only to lay there on his stomach. Seems like someone wasn’t quite ready to be woken up yet.

*D o not mind him too much.. he can be rather g r u m p y when woken suddenly but other than that, he’s a rather gentle soul..

*T hat is quite alright.. take your t i m e with it, there is honestly no need to rush..

˚̩͙⚛ They chuckled again and took another sip of their drink. Their bottom set of eyes opened once more to look around the place. Getting a better feel of the area before they spoke up once more.

✋ Gaster stared at the furry thing from a distance, at first. After sending a short glance at Four-Eyes to check and see where they were looking, however, that distance changed to a distinct lack of it; in what might as well have been described as a blink he was beside the small table, stooped down, eye-level with the fur-ball that had caught his curiosity.

˚̩͙⚛ The little pile of fur didn’t seem to budge when the scientist was suddenly beside them. Though it did seem to twitch the longer it was stared at and soon enough it was disturbed from its sleep. No poking necessary it would seem as its head lifted up with a yawn. Revealing to be a white mink but its eyes were two different colors of goldenrod and red. The same color as Four-Eye’s own.

*O h but s p a c i n g out is one of my many talents..

˚̩͙⚛ Was that a joke or a bit of truth? Perhaps a mix of both? Whatever the reason they seemed rather amused enough. Though their gaze lowered to their cup as they took another sip of the warm drink before answering his question pertaining to their name.

*I do but you are free to call me by whatever you d e s i r e .. 

Mike simply gives them a nod of his head at the first query, letting them continue before speaking again. “Well, when one comes to a place like this its for one of two reasons: you’re either lost, or don’t want to be found. And someone has to make sure they don’t lose the path.” He says with a shrug, giving off a ‘you know what I mean?’ smile.

˚̩͙⚛ Yes they were well aware of that but they were sure they didn’t have as much of a connection to this place as he did.

*T hat is very t r u e .. but I am sure there are those rare occasions that one simply desires to marvel at the surroundings..

˚̩͙⚛ Which was exactly what they had been doing. But they weren’t going to admit that at the moment. They did however, tilt their head just a smidgen to the side when he gave them his name.

“To be fair, sitting in a near vacant forest with no others around is also a little suspect.” Mike admits to them. “It helps that the forest seem to like you.”

˚̩͙⚛ Their silence is broken with a gentle hum in response to his words. A little sign to show that they were paying attention to the conversation. Though when mention of the forest, one of their closed eyes cracked open to join the other two as they stared at him with mild curiosity.

*T he forest has.. taken a l i k i n g to me..?

˚̩͙⚛ An odd thing to say but they’ll take it as a compliment either way. Their third eye that had opened shut once more and a nod was given to him.

*G ood to h e a r then..

*A g u i d e though.. an interesting choice in path, I must say..

˚̩͙⚛ Like they were one to talk. If anything an Illusionist was perhaps probably the most off the wall thing out there so far. To be able to warp reality and manipulate the mind of another enough to confuse what was real and what was a mere illusion. Yes that was certainly something out there. Either way they seemed interested nonetheless.

Silently did he take a sip of his own hot chocolate, the hot brew enough to shake off the chill. His pack still layed open next to him, some books and a journal the only visible items inside. There was also something long wrapped up in a sheet next to the pack. A weapon perhaps? Won’t really get an answer until he unwraps it (and even then it’d take awhile).

Just as Mike was about to dismiss the hum as his own imagination, he saw them. Mike’s brow shot up under his cap’s brim as he witnessed the hands come into existence. His jaw dropped some centimeters once the owner of said hands popped into being as well. Needless to say but, this was certainly new for him.

˚̩͙⚛ The smile is returned, albeit a little hard to tell with their peculiar jagged shaped mouth. But it was there nonetheless. All four of their eyes stared at the other before the bottom set closed while they took a sip of their drink.

*P erhaps but I will admit I was a little h e s i t a n t to appear..

*M ore so due to the fact that you never know what i n t e n t i o n s others hold when someone shows up from almost nowhere. 

˚̩͙⚛ They shifted slightly and gave what looked like a half-hearted shrug. Another soft laugh slipping from them again.

*Y et at the same time c u r i o s i t y seems to have bested me once more..

*I hope you do not m i n d my presence..

✋ Which would have to wait. After the pretty crystalline light-show he returned the short glance Four-Eyes sent back at him and accompanied it with a small nod. If he had had the ability to say so, he would’ve quipped about not having any step-capable limbs to mind, but alas!–and as it would have been a safety hazard to bring forth hands directly in front of someone going down a flight of stairs… Well, it would be left unsigned, too.

˚̩͙⚛ Inside was a rather large room that held a decent amount of equipment that perhaps could have made the place look as though it was a second branch off off of the Core’s science facility. The lights were a little dim but that soon changed as a hand came forth and tampered with the dial located at the doorway. Making things a bit brighter so it was easier to see everything.

Michael finally picks up the kettle, his free hand reaching into the pack next to his person. The orange light continues to dance about the area, the cold wind being it cooperative partner. His expression is unreadable, the shadow of his cap covering his eyes. Just what are your intentions sir?

˚̩͙⚛ Whatever the case they did silently continue forward to stand at the very edge of the light’s reach. Their step as silent as ever as that invisible veil draped over them to further hide the illusionist from sight as they evaluated the possible danger should they proceed. Which lead them to catch sight of the other fussing over something. Only to be greeted by the sight of two mugs. One which had been placed away from the other.

˚̩͙⚛ Had he heard them earlier? Well, given what they saw, perhaps so. It was unusual for them to be greeted in such a manner but they felt that it would be rude to turn such a thing down. Though they still remained under their veil as they slipped further into the area.

˚̩͙⚛ It wasn’t until they found a suitable spot on the other side of the fire, across from the monster before them. Did two of their hands shift into existence to carefully pick up the mug that had been offered. Shortly after did they allow that curtain around them to drop, finally letting themselves be known with a gentle hum.

@forgotten-illusions

There’s a reason why forests are held on high as natures mazes of mystery. Secrets could be found deep within, and no one would know about it unless they’ve been there themselves. Mike should know, he’s met his fair share of them.

˚̩͙⚛ Their form seemed to meld well within the scenery and could perhaps be mistaken as a smaller tree to any that just glanced at them. The only thing that seemed to really give their presence away was the gentle hum that sounded from them. They were deep enough in that they felt no one would hear them. Comfortable to allow themselves just this little vulnerable moment to enjoy for themselves.

✋ It almost inspired him, really, to come back and tinsel the place back up. Sadly he had used the last of that stuff on another poor sap’s abode–and he doubted a second go would be received with as little turbulence as it had been the first time. Four-Eyes had probably spent a while on the clean-up, too, and they had a certain flair for re-organizing what was left of the sparkly strands.

✋ He nearly collided with them when they reached the door. As he backed up quickly to both give them some space and to further prevent such a thing from occurring, he failed to catch their whispering, barring the tail end. The lab was locked. Should he ever have mind to sneak in, he’d have to remember that.

˚̩͙⚛ Carefully the crystal was fitted into the indent and one of the now free hands tapped each of the outlining crystals in a code-like pattern. After the last touch, each one illuminated softly with their own light of different colors that drained into the larger crystal. Filling its empty core with light until it was full.

˚̩͙⚛ The door made an audible click but, rather than opening, it seemed to fade away from existence. Leaving the five- now floating crystals behind as they slowly shifted aside to grant the two access to the stairwell that laid behind the locked door.

*D o mind your s t e p ...