Gravity City

Through the doors deep in the maze that Escher designed lies a quiet little village. "Little", in this case, is a physical term. The village actually has enough cobblestone streets, quaint thatched houses, and markets to be a full-blown city. The only catch is that as one falls toward it (the doors open into a long drop) the gravity increases exponentially. The entire city is actually a little larger than a quarter, but the dimensional grift resizes a body as it falls so accurately that the owner wouldn't even be able to tell, other than seeing a door roughly the size of the sun in the clear, blue sky. The villagers are usually quiet, but they don't like outsiders, mostly because they drop in unexpected, in a literal sense.

Lady Adara rose from her chair and walked through the back doors. She could tell it was night because of the fewer sounds in the air. Stepping out of her shoes she walked gracefully down the stairs and onto the grass. The grass was slightly wet and felt cool and soft on her feet. Taking a moment to relish at her connection to the Earth she started to walk towards her garden. Feeling for her favorite bush she reached in and pulled out a rose. Wincing slightly as she pricked herself once on a thorn she held the flower close and smelled it's sweet perfume.
She looked up at the sky and held her rose to her side. Someday soon someone will come.

John Lockheart strode down the street in Gravity City. He usually slept around this time, but tonight, for some reason, he just couldn't stay in bed. He sighed, wondering if Fenrus was okay. There wasn't much he could do for the innate psychological trauma of being kidnapped and almost sacrificed, especially not for a savant which he could barely empathize with in the first place, and it killed him to think that. All he could do anymore was make sure nothing would hurt the boy again, and thus, he patrolled. He noticed a girl picking a rose from a bush nearby. He knew who she was, but not many people in the town didn't. She was the Oracle, the teller of fate. Practically a celebrity. He wondered why she was up so late. Had she had a vision?

He stopped for a moment, deciding that it wasn't really of his concern and continuing his stroll. What would he want from the future? He was having enough trouble with the present. Besides, she probably wouldn't want to have anything to do with him, he was just another face in the sea of a city.

Adara turned to face the sound of footsteps. They were not walking toward her though they did hesitate before walking on. He walks the city at night frequently. Smiling to herself she turns back to her home.
Maybe one day he will come to see me. She thinks as she steps back on the stone steps. I grow so tired of people treating me the way they do. Either they think I need help only for the fact that I can not see or they revere me as a mystic because of this . . . ability. For once I wish someone treated me like a normal girl.
sighing she put her shoes back on and went to her chair. Knowing she would be unable to sleep she sat down and had a servant bring her tea.
Maybe I'll be able to feel the world outside of this city. Someday . . .

The next night, John Lockheart went out for another walk. He wondered why sleep was taken from him lately. As his footsteps hit the ground, he continued to think, but this time it was about his past: The Bloodhounds, his nickname, and his biggest rival.

That stuff is old news.

He held his forehead.

"Why do you still haunt me? That life is over!"

He groaned, and then realized he had yelled aloud.

"Well, shit. Hope I didn't wake anyone up."

Lady Adara looked up from her rose bush when she heard him shout. Looking in the direction of the voice Adara could feel the pain that filled it. Standing she wished to put him at ease, but was not sure how to say it. Deciding on something she said quietly to the wind "Memories can never leave. They only huant you if you let those memories fill you with hatred and anger. This was who you were, not who you are." hoping the wind will carry it to his ears.

John looked around.

"Who..."

was that?

He wondered if he was just going crazy or something. The voice sounded distantly familiar.

Smiling to herself Adara knew the wind had carried her voice.
Maybe I could . . . Adara started to walk towards the voice but stopped when her feet reached ground they did not know.
Sighing she stopped and stood there as her empty eyes gaze at the ground.

"Hello?"

John was confused. He was trying so hard to put a face to the voice, but it was right at the tip of his tongue...

"I am here." Adara said to the wondering voice. Smiling softly she looked in his direction.

He looked up, and in that second, tied the face to the voice.

"... Oracle?"

He blinked.

"Uh, sorry I woke you up. I'm just... thinkin' about a couple things, y'know?"

He put a hand to the back of his head and smiled.

"Err, you can go back to bed. Sorry!"

"I was not asleep. Do not worry. Please, what is on your mind that you have been wondering our streets at night so often?" Adara tapped her foot on the ground and followed the vibrations back to where he was standing. He was not very far away, perhaps he will wish to talk for a while.

He sighed.

"I'm just... Worried about an old job. That's all."

He moved closer to her, readjusting his coat.

"I don't ever want my little brother to get in trouble again, when all I can do is fucking nothing."

Groaning, he looked at her.

"Why worry about something that happened so long ago? An old job is an old job. Whatever it is, it does not need to define you unless you let it define you. Your brother is safe here. Everyone here is safe, mainly because of you John Lockheart." Smiling Adara's eyes go back and forth as if she was reading. "You need not let yourself worry."

His eyes widened as she said his name.

"Let's just hope you're right."

He coughed, and then looked her up and down.

"You seem a little less than happy yourself. What's got you down?"

He bent down a little bit, trying to look into her eyes.

Smiling Adara tilted her head to the side and clapped her hands. Listening to the vibrations she jumped a little at how close he had gotten.
"I only wish for people to talk with me as you are now. Treating me normal and not handicapped or mystical. Even the people I live with don't treat me normally."

"No shit, huh? I mean, I guess I understand what you mean. My little brother is a little weird too. He has almost no social skills and he's basically bipolar, but the guy can write music like no one's buisiness. It's like nothing I've ever heard before."

He sighed.

"Poor little guy. Blessed with a gift and people only ever treat it like a curse. You must feel the same way, then."

He chuckled.

"And here I thought you were spoiled rotten from being famous. Oughta teach me a thing or too, huh?"

"I would like to meet your brother if you don't mind. Both you and him are welcome in my home any time you wish. And you should try not to judge people based only on you can see." Adara said smirking.

John nodded.

"Well, he's sleeping now, but thank you. I'm sure he'll love to see you. He doesn't get out too much, either, y'know." He smiled pensively. "I hope you'll be friendly to him... If he's a little impolite, please don't treat him harshly for it."

He blinked.

"Wait, why aren't you asleep right now, Oracle?"

"I am not asleep because my thoughts will not allow me too. I wish to feel the world and someday soon someone is going to come here. And I am hoping to go with them away from here."
Adara smiled pensivly and hoped he would approve of her idea.

John blinked a bit.

"Where are you going to go, though? It sounds like a scary statement, y'know?"

His head flashed back to the wonder and horror of the world outside. He wondered if she had ever even seen it.

The sky around a rather particular are had grown quite almost black even. Lightning began to strike as the thunderous roar of the bolts was practically deafening. Anyone within a couple of miles would see this odd yet spectacular show. And if one paid close enough attention they'd see a figure drop out of the sky as if following a lightning bolt."AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH! OOOOOOOF!" Leon had landed and landed on the ground hard. He slowly tried to make his way to his feet but was pretty sure he broke his leg."AGH! Son of a bitch!" He looked down at his right leg and slowly ran a hand along it. He felt a bump, thankfully the bone didn't break through but his leg was broken. He started to look around and didn't recognize where he was." Damn where the hell am I? Well where ever I am, I'm not going anywhere soon. I just hope people are friendly around here. Although I kinda rode in on a lightning bolt. Well not much I can do with a broken leg either." Leon had separated two sections from his staff which seemed odd because it looked like one solid piece he then took off his belt and tore the sleeves off his shirt. He slowly and carefully straightened his leg out which hurt like hell because he felt the bone being pulled back into place."AGH! DAMN IT!" He then proceeded to fasten the make shift splint to his leg tying it tight enough to not allow movement but still allow circulation. Using his powers he sort of propelled himself up placing his weight on his left leg." Well time to figure out where the hell I am and find a doctor."

John Lockheart looked up, shouldering his sniper rifle.

"Oracle, I need the tallest building in town, right now."

He wasn't going to let anything get through this city with that entrance.

Leon had continued to walk, well limp would be more accurate. He stumbled onto one of the cobblestone streets of the city and looked around for a moment."Well guess I landed in town. Oh man, with the kind of entrance I made surprised no ones screaming, or something. Maybe I lucked out and no one noticed. Yeah and I'm the virgin Mary. Someone had to see that shit." He just continued to slowly make his way down the street."What I wouldn't give for a bottle of morphine right now."

"The tower in the center of the city is the tallest. If you run you can make it there in a few minutes. What was that? What has happened?" Adara asked John nervously.