#;asphodelmidwinter

what was this place? an altar? a temple? a tomb?

who knocks on an abandoned house's door?

"whose home is this? where am I?"

"that's not possible!" the man pressed asphodel against the wall. claw like fingernails dug into the flesh of her neck despite the fabric of her nightgown, but she did not balk. there was no denying what she heard. "I have been in hibernation for years." "how long?" he did not answer. it would seem he did not know. something told her that this man had not been here by choice. "who are you?" "I asked you first." "my name is asphodel midwinter, and I do not know why I am here." "hm, charming," he paused to study her before answering. "I am called dragos. dragos straud." the grip around her neck relaxed. "come, we should leave this place."

it was not just a cellar. behind a cobweb laden tarp, another ornate door sat as forgotten as the hollow it called home. when asphodel pushed through, a little nectar cellar sat more alive than the majority of the manor. it was as if this place had been visited far more recently. in fact, it seemed oddly familiar to her. at the sight of another bookcase, she did not hesitate to pull every title.

asphodel sat at the organ and began to play along to the song she'd been humming since waking up in this odd place. dragos hesitated as she continued a melody without flaw that no one else should know. after all, he composed the damned thing a lifetime ago. he stopped to listen as adept fingers continued. it would seem there was some truth to her impossibility. asphodel played passionately. perhaps too passionately as the beat of her heart became a far more prevalent serenade to the hungering beast.

something is strange about this bookshelf... but I can't put my finger on what- like there's a secret beyond the ink writ on the page.

asphodel couldn't get that melody or that suspicious bookshelf out of her mind. since there had been no luck in locating the violin, she decided to focus on inspecting the bookshelf a little more closely. a red, leather tome stood out amongst the victorian romances and hair-raising horror. when she reached for it, something clicked. what is this? a hidden cellar?