The Expedition into Ephraim's Labyrinth [EPIC QUEST/NOIR/PRIVATE]

Water splashed as Noir and Haku landed, instantly wetting her clothes and his fur. The magician felt silly for landing right at the fountain but it felt thrilling! The wonderful food smell felt more robust, she could almost imagine eating the food as her nostril continued to pick up the scent. Haku growled softly, seemingly tempted by the food inside of the cooking pot. However, he was a behaved good boy and he held himself back from losing control of his glutton. Even Noir gulped as she saw the pastries, but it was not time to eat, yet... and the whole situation felt like someone was preparing a banquet. She wouldn't want to ruin someone's banquet by stealing some of their food right? Oh well, now would be the time for more exploring.

After noticing how lively the kitchen was, Noir wondered about the cook. Perhaps if she tried to explore more, she might be able to find them. The magician would get up and look around the kitchen, hoping to find anything, including the path to the next area or even anything interesting!

As both Noir and Haku would begin to explore more of the kitchen and got closer to the vast array of ingredients some things would begin to stick out to them. Amongst all the familiar things there were pieces of food and seasoning that both of them would be unable to identify, they were peculiar, to say the least. If they were to take their time and look at any of them they would see that they were similar to some of the foods they knew, but changed as if they had been altered or evolved under weird conditions.

Though as they got closer and could see more through the delicious-smelling steam they would see that there were three doors at the end of the wall that they now approached. One was an iron door with a glass frosted-over window and a big lever handle on it, next to it was a big wooden door with an unlocked lock hanging from its latch, and finally near the corner of the wall was a normal sliding door made of wood that looked like it would go into the corner. It was definitely a large and well-stocked kitchen but with three more doors it only created more mysteries for them both.

"Don't go in the pantry.." A voice would break the tension of her exploration coming from behind the iron door, a hand raising up to leave an impression on the frost before sliding down. Their voice was muffled, but it was clear that whoever was beyond it was straining to make sure they were heard from beyond. "It might be busy, open up the freezer there's no handle inside."

Haku would likely smell something beyond the wooden door next to the freezer, it smelled like old clothing and mothballs as though someone had entered a closet that hadn't been used in a long time. However, there was also a scent approaching from the door at the end near the corner. It smelled like roses and burnt herbs mixed with spring water, it was a rather curious blend but events were occurring rather quickly.

It was strange for Noir to see the foods in the kitchen and she got curious about how familiar but different those foods were... perhaps when she found the cook, she could ask what kind of wonder they put on the food.

But for now, the assistant professor noticed several paths available for her. For a moment, she would stand still, observing the three doors... Each door had its own differences, but Noir wasn't sure which one she wanted to pick.

Not only that, the voice that was coming from behind the iron door prompted her to open the freezer and that confused her a little bit. "I'm sorry, are you trapped there?" She would quickly respond to the voice though, sounding her concern. Because, if someone got trapped inside a freezer and somehow, didn't have anything like magic or some tool to keep them warm, they might be in danger right?

As she was waiting for the voice to answer, it seemed Haku had something to say. He would get close to the wooden door and sliding door, then go back to Noir to nudge her with his nose and growl softly. At this point, the magician would feed some magoi into her Beast Tamer's bracelet, activating Beast Speak skill so she could communicate with Haku.

The liger would mention what he smelled from the doors to Noir, which made the latter wonder even more about which doors she had to choose. Moreover, Haku also stated he wasn't sure which door they should pick and let Noir decide for both of them.

Well, it didn't take long for Noir to decide, especially with some concern she had for the person trapped behind the freezer. So, she approached the iron door and pulled the big lever handle, hoping it wasn't too late to let the person in the freezer out.

---

Magoi: 530/570

Item & Skill used:

"Y-yes the door is supposed to be propped open but it broke and there's no handle inside." The voice returned, the weight of the door and their condition making it hard to distinguish anything about the voice at the moment. It would start to weaken a bit and there was a thud against the door. "But be careful we aren't alone."

As Haku shared his information with Noir and she made her decision to open the door there was a sudden burst of movement as the freezer door had been opened. A sudden blur of white and some black came as whoever was behind the door rolled out their weight and force suddenly carried as they seemingly weren't expected for the door to open at that time. She had already seen unexpected things in her life and in this place so what she was to find next surely couldn't have been a surprise. Standing a bit shorter than her but still taller than normal was a humanoid-looking cat dressed in chef-wear.

"Thank you..." Their voice was wary but gruff and masculine though they were obviously weakened from their time in the freezer as they began to rub the frost off their fur.

Inside the freezer they would see a similar case as the rest of the kitchen, there was a variety of familiar things, slightly similar things, and completely different ones in the forms of meats and other sensitive foods that needed to be kept frozen to prevent their spoiling. Although there was more to catch her attention, the three of them wouldn't get any slack in time as soon enough both other doors began to move, both a bit too slow for the normal fanfare. From the pantry, there would also be an intense spicy scent that would fill the air as the door began to move.

Noir's eyes sparkled the moment she saw the figure exiting the freezer, it was a humanoid-looking cat! She was holding back her urge to get closer to the chef and instead, responding to his gratitude politely with a slight bow, "We are glad we can help. It is nice to meet you, my name is Noir and my companion here is Haku."

The magician would take a peek at what was inside the freezer, but everything was normal, so she would shift her glance toward the other two doors. "Hmm... one of the doors smells like mothballs... the other one smells like spice... a very intense one it seems."

Noir would slowly approach the door in the middle and stand in front of it. "This door might lead us to our next destination, I think..." The black-haired girl tapped her chin, doing some thinking. "Do you think we should enter this door, Sir?"

The feline seemed cautious of the place he found himself in, looking around as he made sure he was alright as though he was looking for something, or maybe even someone. As he heard the introduction he would turn back to her so he could look at her and meet his gaze to Noir's.

"I am Chef Fell Lynne, you may call me Chef, Chef Fell, or Chef Lynne." He would state a bit proudly before letting out a cough, a bit of fog coming out as his insides seemed to be a bit too cool, although he was warming up slowly. "We need to get out of here before the others find us, this place is insane."

He walked over to the boiling soup, checking it with a wooden spoon before pulling out a second waterskin and a ladle to fill it up with the soup. Once Lynne was done he would walk back over to the pair as though he was ready to go anywhere but here, it was weird how he was so eager to get out of there but didn't immediately offer any information on what he was trying to escape from. Although, everything here was odd so far.

"Wait! Don't open that door one of them is in there!" He said as he ran quickly forward to try and block it with his body, but as soon as he got close to it his body would be flung forward as it swung into him like a club striking its target.

What came out was to be expected from the weirdness of this place so far, but out of place for the specific room that she found herself in at the moment. It was in the simplest of words, a giant moth dressed in a lace dress with a ruby pendant around her neck. The creature stared at them all with nary a word before there was a sudden rush at the door in the corner. A group of three odd-looking amphibian creatures in well-tailored robes would be standing in there with them now. Lynne stared at them all and his ears flattened but neither he, nor they made a move instead held in place by tension waiting to see what the mage and her beast would do.

Chef Fell Lynne:

The feline chef seemed worried about something and urged them to get out right at that moment, but Noir's curiosity bested Chef Lynne's plead and the moment he warned her to not open the door, it was too late. The magician had already reached the door handle and pulled it open, revealing another creature from the inside.

Judging from how they dressed, Noir had to assume their role. "Are they the guest for the feast, Chef Lynne?"

Noir decided not to enter the room, she would even take a step back, either to be cautious or to give them some space just in case they want to get out. At the moment, she didn't know what to do. The chef seemed wary about the moth lady and the three amphibian gentlemen... But just staying quiet wouldn't be good, maybe it was necessary to break the silence. "Greetings, everyone. The food made by the chef smells really good, no?"

Lynne stepped back as he took in a deep breath, he was uneasy, no he was frightened as his ears flattened against his head with his feline tail puffing up and curling around his leg as let out a deep breath before looking at those who had showed up, and then back to his savior once again. Once he was composed once again he would finally speak and respond to the question that had been posed to him. "They are the guests, and she.....is the host."

As if responding to their introductions the guests would step forward, all at once and in line with each other before they would even begin to speak in unison with one another. "We are the choeur de coassant, we are here to seal a deal with the great lady."

The giant moth would then turn and look at Lynne, giving him a nasty look, or well what could be assumed to be a nasty look coming from a gigantic moth woman. However, her expression would change as it turned to greet the magician who had come to crash their party. Her voice came out like a normal woman's, sensual and mature only to cause more contrast with her appearance. "I am Madame De'crux, this is my abode and who are you that I find you in my dinner party at this time of night, uninvited might I add?"

Lynn would walk up to Noir and hug her leg, he seemed genuinely worried although nothing dangerous was happening at the moment, nor did anyone seem like they were about to take violent action. It was tense and it would only keep getting tenser the longer there would be time between answers. The sound of the cooking food in the background filling the air as it began to echo through between their voices.

Noir was still oblivious to the chef's anxious gesture as he introduced the lady and her three guests. But it didn't take too long for the others to start introducing themselves to the magician. She noticed how the moth lady didn't seem to like Chef Lynne from the way she stared at him and that made her wonder what happened between them. Although it was not her business to pry into that matter, yet...


"It is a pleasure to meet you Madame. My name is Noir and my companion here is Haku." The black-haired girl would bow politely to the moth, "We apologize for coming uninvited. We are simply exploring the area and coincidentally stumbled upon the place."

The magician could feel something hugging her legs and she noticed it was Chef Lynne. He looked more nervous and Noir was a sucker for cute furry creatures, so she reached out her hand and petted the feline chef carefully.

"Would you be kind and show me where I should go to continue with my journey, Madame De'crux?"

As Noir spoke the Choeur would circle around them, staring at Lynne and then her with a vacant glare that carried a hard-to-read air making it difficult to tell how they were reacting to her presence. All the while Madame De'Crux continued her introduction with mixed feelings of apprehension and curiosity as she reached down to pull something from inside of her dress. All the while her large compound eyes met with Chef Lynne's making sure he knew that she was peering at him specifically, although she wouldn't say anything about it before her attention would snap to Noir so she could respond to her in kind.

"I would be happy to push you along your way, but I do have to say that politeness demands that I ask a favor of you." Her words almost seemed to hum a bit as they left her throat, vibrating against the air as she buzzed with her speech. "After all, you've interrupted our dinner I feel that it's only fair that I ask of one small thing before sending you on your way."

Chef Lynne tugged on her robes, trying to whisper up at her as to share important info with her without being caught by their host, his fear of her quite apparent. His fur puffed up on its ends as he spoke to her, his voice trembling as he did. "D-don't trust her, she said I would owe her one favor and now I'm still here."

"You're here because you kept eating the food while you cooked, and I told you that if you wanted to eat that you had to request a seat at the table like everyone else." Her words came out coldly as she turned her head back towards Noir, keeping the same cadence without skipping a bit as she focused on the magician. "It's simple, dinner is not yet over, since you have arrived as a late guest I hope you have brought something to the party for us to enjoy, or perhaps you could make us something?"

"A favor?" Noir repeated what the madame said to her and continued to listen to what she had to say. The raven-haired girl did feel bad for interrupting their dinner, but it couldn't be helped. Everything that was happening within this labyrinth was unpredictable, there was no way for Noir to notice that she was about to interrupt a dinner party. With that logical reason she input within her mind, she could feel less guilty.

However, the way Chef Lynne acted throughout the entire conversation made Noir question their relationship. Although both of them were kind enough to explain without needing Noir to ask. Despite her curiosity about what kind of favor the cook owed to the moth lady, it would be best for Noir to respond to the madame first.

"Hm..." Noir started to think about what she could make for them, "Although I can cook a little bit, magic is my forte. So allow me to utilize it for you."

With a swing of her staff, a swarm of rukh started to appear and in an instant, a honeysuckle vine began to grow. "Honeysuckle's nectar is very tasty, I'd consider it a delicious sweet treat. Hope you enjoy it as much as I do, Madame."

Noir could only hope that the plant satisfied the madame. Time was ticking... and who knew how deep this labyrinth would be.

Chef Lynne was the first to react to the new Flora that had begun to pop up around them, he jumped up as he had been tightly wound by the Madame's presence. He flinched backward before leaning forward to give the plant a sniff, it seemed like he hadn't dealt with the plant before as he licked it up into his mouth with a gentle purr. He looked towards the magician with a gentle smile and quickly took another flower into his mouth.

The Choeur was next as they began to snap up the flowers into their mouth, one after another with less than a second between each other as they moved like a synchronized machine gobbling up some nearby flowers happily. The Madame seemingly intrigued at this point reached out chitinous fingers, grasping the purple-petaled flowers into her hands and twirling them around as though she were giving it a look through. Indeed she did give it a much more thorough look as it was felt, looked at, smelled, and then finally tasted as she first put a small bit into her mouth.

Mandibles would nibble and click before she would swallow up what was offered to her in a matter of seconds, savoring it as she leaned back with a soft coo. Her hands raised up to her face as she cupped her own cheek with a blissful moan as she enjoyed the natural treat that was given to them. Her voice although still insect-like was satisfied sounding as she spoke back to her. "Mm yes this is very good, it will do, I will lead you to the door, and in return you will make me enough of these to start a garden and never run out, yes?"

This is when Lynne would start to react again, swallowing the flowers that were in his mouth before going back to Noir and hiding behind her as he would look up and hiss at De'Crux before clenching his own paws as he shared his grievances. "See, she's going to keep making demands of you, you gotta find a way to give her what she wants at the last moment so you still get what you want."

Noir was pleased that everyone seemed happy with her "gift", although, the reaction she was looking forward the most was probably from Madame Decrux. Her other request that came afterward wasn't tricky, but if what Lynne said was true, then the Madame's request would be endless and Noir would stay there forever.

After being reminded for the second time by the feline chef, Noir took a second to think. She had to be smart about it...

"Actually, the vines are enough to start a garden, Madame. They grow very quickly." Noir began to give a short explanation of how to grow and cultivate the plant to the Madame. The magician was glad she read a book about plants and since Honeysuckle was one of the easiest plants, she had the experience to try growing it a long time ago.

Remembering Lynne's plea, Noir grabbed the chance to express her demand. "However, after you lead me to the door to the next area, I will present something even better for you."

Noir was smart with her planning, as the Madame seemed very interested in what she had to say as a second set of limbs came from inside her dress and began taking notes rapidly. It was clear that she wished to cultivate this garden that she was asking for, but Lynne was right when he said she was going to keep coming up with excuses to keep her there. As she had finished speaking she had begun to grab the stuff for gardening so she could have the magician help her.

"Oh?" The madame said as she stopped what she was doing at the mention of something even greater, and then it seemed as though she was thinking about something before letting out a deep sigh. "Well I suppose but it better be worth it for me to set up this garden myself."

She would start to walk towards the door that the Choeur came from opening it matter-of-factly and ushering them back through before she would turn to look at Noir. With all of her arms motioning for the door to invite them deeper into her place, to where the supposed exit would be. However, she did seem a bit impatient and her tone seemed a bit rushed as she continued. "Alright, this way then."

Before she could move Noir would feel a slight tug at the back of her outfit, trying to make sure that she would listen to what he had to say before she would follow to the exit. "I think she's telling the truth, but you gotta take me with you, I don't know how long I've been here."

"Of course." Noir confidently answered the madame. She had a solid plan in mind, this final gift would be great for what the madame wished. Not only that, it seem the feline chef was right. The madame would keep asking for more if Noir didn't try to give an ultimatum , she wondered how long she would be trapped there if not for the chef's warning.

As the raven-haired magician took a step to follow the madame, the chef stopped her and asked her to take him. Well, considering how kind he had been from the start, perhaps taking him with her was the least she could do to repay his kindness. "I don't mind, it'll be nice to have more company." She motioned her hand to the chef, signaling him to follow her alongside Haku as she walked to the exit. At this moment, she could only hope that she was being guided to the right path...

"Was there many visitors before, Madame?" Noir would start a conversation, wanting to get more information.

The Madame didn't look to speak to Noir anymore instead she only focused on walking towards the path at the front, with the chouer sitting behind the pair, creating an awkward sandwich as they walked through the hall. There were a few doors, each one of them with unique scents that Haku would easily notice, there were animals in some of the rooms, and others were slaughter rooms as well. The slight crusting of blood near the bottom was the signifier that confirmed it.

"There's been too many to count, I consider myself a socialite making sure that all within the greater community are given at least one chance to come eat through here. In fact, it was the first time the three gentlemen' in the back were here themselves." She said her haughty voice filled with her confidence as she moved around her house with terrifying speed and precision. "I do love seeing what type of people come through and what they bring."

With each step through the house they passed by more rooms with clues in them and along the walls it seemed like her words held weight, there were portraits along the wall of her various animal-looking people. They were all off in some sort of way, as though they didn't follow the same formula of where the animal shape ended and the humanoid shape began. However, they wouldn't be given much time to ponder the clues as soon enough they would stop as the Madame stood in front of an ornate red door with a relief of a weeping mage carved delicately into the face of it.

"I've not seen this door before." The Chef whispered into Noir's ear as he hid behind her, seen but mostly ignored as he stared cautiously and worriedly at the door. "I-I don't like it."

"The exit dear guest, though I hate to see you leave I love the gifts you've brought me and hope to see you in the neighborhood sometime soon." Her words came out with twisting clicks as her mandibles clacked and whistled with anticipation. "You will come again won't you?"

As Noir followed the Madame, there were some things that caught her attention. Although she wasn't able to clearly figure out what was behind the closed doors, just the hint of it made the magician feel wary. She wondered about the sound of the animal,  but at the same time the other room with blood made her even more curious.  However this was where she drew the line, taking the curiosity that killed the cat.  The more she followed the moth lady, the more she felt immense suspicion. But she would follow silently,  hoping the Madame was true to her word and the exit was a safe, legit way for Noir to proceed to the next area.


By the time they arrived, the feline cook seemed uneasy. So far what he said had been very helpful to Noir so she should also take his other warning into consideration. The magician looked at the door, and wasn't entirely sure about where it would lead her. But at this point, there was nowhere else to go… 


After a minute of silence, Noir would step forward, stopping until she was in front of Madame DeCrux. "Thank you for your help, my lady." 


The magician closed her eyes  focusing her magoi to  her staff and soon, something that a seed was formed. It looked like an ordinary seed, but it was glowing with magoi. Then she would hand it over to Madame. "Here you go, a token of my appreciation. Just put it in the soil and the life magic I've infused within it would make this grow, it should help you to create the honeysuckle garden." 


After giving her final gift, Noir would proceed to approach the door. It was useless to take more time to ponder what would be behind the door… "Let's go, Haku, Lynne." She reached out her hand, opening the door,  bracing herself… 

There was a silence that was almost palpable as they stood in front of the door, Lynne stared up at Noir and the Madame stared at them too, but at first, there wasn't any reaction as no movement was made. That was until the Madame would take the gift she had received from her and would open the door. as she spoke. "Splendid, I guess it was alright to trust you this time around."

The door opened and the first thing they would all notice at first was the intense change in air pressure as a huge gust pulled from behind them, It was like they had changed position as light flooded, and outside they would see clouds. Once again this place was exhibiting odd qualities as below there was a forest with what looked like cottages made of wood and stone hidden away, given away by their smoke. The sky seemed orange as though a sun was setting but there was none to be seen, just ambient light galore, and then suddenly it would become clear just how far the ground below was.

"I hope you don't mind the drop, I only ever need to fly down myself and I bring most guests up here myself, so I assume you have a way down." She said as she turned around rather abruptly leaving with her gift as to go add it to her garden, but as she did her massive wings would hit and knock Lynne out of the door to fall below. "Oh, well, I guess he doesn't"

"HEELLLLLLLLLPPPPPppppp!" Lynne began to scream as he fell down out, the combination of the wind and her wings carrying him easily as he lost his balance and began flailing, he didn't know much about magicians but believed Noir would save him from how she acted. "I'll make you a four course dinner!"

Noir wondered just how vast the realm inside the labyrinth, it felt like she was being transported into another world over and over again. But honestly, instead of feeling distraught, Noir felt her curiosity got even stronger. Every time she was on her way to a new area, she always had a thought, asking herself what kind of new thing would be waiting for her next.

Back to what was happening around her, it seemed the moth lady was satisfied with her gift and decided to open the door before taking her leave. But the mischievous lady seemed bored and wanted to get a little more excitement as she knocked Lynne out of the door.

Although the magician couldn't tell if the Madame did that on purpose or not, she had no time to think. As the feline chef asked for help, the girl was already on the move and cast Group Gravity Lift. The influence of gravity would help the cook to float in the middle of the air.

Noir and Haku would soon join the feline by using gravity to float to his side. Then as soon as she reached Lynne, she would slowly fly downward, trying to see if there was any place she could land together with her companion. "Are you okay?"

Magoi: 510/570

Skill:

Lynne was overcome with adrenaline and panic as he flew through the air to the point where he couldn't hold his sanity, Even as they were caught by the magic all he could do was scream and flail around. He did this for a good moment until his cries had turned into a hiss and he finally opened his eyes and began to look around him. The cat man's chest would rise and it filled with a deep breath before dropping as he let out a heavy sigh of relief as his traumatic experience had finally come to an end.

"Oh thank all fates."He said with an exasperated cry, clinging to the magician, The cook seemed of course overjoyed having gone from thinking his life was about to end to being caught by wonderful magic. "You truly are outstanding with this magic that you wield."

They would lower slowly into a field outside the cottages, next to a well, where there was a small patch of vegetables next to a couple of fruit trees. It was quaint, but what seemed more odd was how if they looked above they would see the door in the sky closing to leave nothing but, an open sky. No that couldn't be, surely it was an illusion of the labyrinth. This place just kept getting odder with each room she took deeper.

"Glad you are okay. We'd love to experience the four-course dinner that you've mentioned before." Noir would say playfully, although the furry chef might overlook that side of her because of her flat tone and expressionless face. However, it should be apparent enough for Lynne to notice the magician's good heart by now.

The raven-haired girl and her two companions would safely land on the ground. She noticed her surroundings, which seemed to be a farm... However, judging from the previous events in the other areas, this place needed more exploring. Surely they would be able to find something interesting as well.

Noir looked up to the sky, trying to find the door they had gone through previously. Her eyes would quickly find the door, although only for a second before the door vanished into thin air.

"It seems we have to move on." Noir would speak to both Lynne and Haku. "Do you know anything about this place, chef?"

As the situation began to calm down and Lynne found himself safe and able to analyze the situation he was in, first taking in all of her words and then the visual stimuli next. His expression would start to give away his answer before he could, his eyebrows raising and his eyes widening in shock until he would stare up at the sky, and then back down to where they stood. As the sky slowly shifted from blue to orange, and with the edges of night not too far off now.

"No, I'm not sure where we are at all this isn't where I left my village from, nor is it where the Madame brought me into her house, it was all different from this." He said as he walked over to her and sat down on the ground, holding his head with one paw as he seemed to be thinking. "Things have been weird since I left home, I keep going from weird place to weird place."

The chef seemed like he was lamenting on something, but he didn't want to focus on it too long evidently as he pulled out a small bag that was hidden in his person. He pulled out a few pinches of some herb and stuck them into his mouth and began to chew slowly before he took another deep breath. He would slap his face before standing up and looking up at the magician and her beast.

"It's getting late, I can make that dinner for you guys and we can camp out here and figure out where we're going in the morning," Lynne spoke as he started to look around for wood for a campfire, he wanted their answer but he figured it would end up with that so they could save energy. "We just need to set up camp and I can scrounge up some equipment."

DM NOTES: Noir has now noticed that time is passing here faster than she might expect, she knows there's a map at the beginning that tracks where she goes but she'd have to find a way to return. After certain amount of posts out of combat (4-6 depending on what's going ) Night will fall and Noir will need to rest. As though following resting rules you can restore them, and also at the end of the day should you eat and sleep your values will be reset at the beginning of the day.

However, on the third night there on in the Labyrinth you will be required to make a roll to see if something happens.

After the furry cook mentioned about his home, Noir began to wonder about her new companion's origins. Each area had been very different and Noir wasn't able to figure out how people could go back home after they left to the next area. It was the same with Noir too, after all that happened, there was no hint that her adventure would end soon.

But it wasn't the right time to ask a question at the moment. Just as the cat mentioned, it seemed that they had to prepare to rest for the day. How strange... the sky was clear and bright just a moment ago. Maybe time progressed faster in this area?

Haku would help Noir to set up the camp while Lynne went to look for woods. It didn't take too long for them to be done as it was just a simple camp, enough for them to take a break and spend the night.

As Noir sat near the campfire right beside Haku, her curiosity about Lynne's background crossed her mind again. It seemed like a good time to get to know more about each other, so Noir began to ask, "So, where do you live, Chef? How did you end up in the madame's place?"

As they started to get settled down to eat Lynne was quick to get the camp set up for them, it was natural for him to start setting up rocks and logs to create a fire pit. He also seemed to be using some of the nearby foliage to try and conceal them a bit since he knew the smoke from above was likely to give them away a little bit. He ignited the kindling and blew on it to get a good fire going before he got a pot ready for them.

"My home isn't anything like this, the sky doesn't look nearly this real and is mostly a pretty dark place, to be honest." He spoke as he used his paws and claws to start gathering some nearby root vegetables to add with some of the ingredients he had snuck away from the madame. "It was lit with lamps and we lived in the cramped spaces with as many shops and houses, the madame had come from a doorway and was looking for people to help around her home and I was there ever since."

He was telling the truth, but he was definitely skipping details or at least leaving out part of the story at the moment, whether it was because he was cooking or didn't know the magician well enough yet, but it was clear he wasn't going to share it then and there. With his claws, he cut up some small pieces of garlic and drizzled oil into the pot before adding garlic, shallots, parsnips and some peppers to begin frying them up for their dinner.

"What about you, I've never seen someone with quite your abilities how did you get here?" He asked without looking away from the pot, using a ladle to stir around the simmering vegetables.

"I see..." Noir's eyes darted, watching how Lynne skillfully showcased his expertise by utilizing the ingredients. For some reason, the chef didn't continue his story, but Noir couldn't help but wonder if he missed his home. "Do you want to go back to your home?" If he said yes, then perhaps Noir might be able to help. Her photographic memory captured the sand map she saw when she just entered the labyrinth, so if the chef's hometown was listed on the map, then they should be able to find it.

The smell of whatever the chef was cooking was very tempting and those who were already hungry might not be able to resist it any longer. Luckily, Noir and Haku had good self-control, even though a loud growl coming from either of their stomachs could be heard alongside a sizzling and metal clanking sound.

Noir raised an eyebrow the moment she heard Lynne's words. If he said that then... there was no magician? Or maybe he just never came across them?

"I entered a labyrinth and ended up here." She would pause for a second, her eyes shifted from the pot to the feline cook. "You never see anyone else with similar ability before?"