p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"I woke up to a bed far too small for me. I had to carefully reach down beside my bed and scoop up my glasses. This prescription would be near impossible to get currently, and while I was not entirely blind without them, reading would be nigh-impossible, which, given that it was currently my job, would likely leave me thrown out./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"Yawning, I put my shirt on and made a mental note that I would need to buy some pajamas and a few more pairs of clothes. The shirt may be slightly itchy compared to my pants, but I would need more than one pair of clothes./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"Walking downstairs, I saw Ms. Morland reading a newspaper with two plates of food on the table. She looked up at me and seemed to make a few mental notes before nodding her head at the food./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true""You'll need a shave and a trim tonight; head to the barbers a block down and tell him Morland sent you," she said in a tone that brokered no disobeyed so while I had been trying to grow out a proper mustache for almost half a year I nodded my head and sat down./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"The food was good even if it was somewhat cold, it had eggs which I was not the biggest fan of, but complaining about food to Ms. Morland, who had taken me in, would be a very assholish thing to do, so I merely ate the food./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true""Thank you, that was very good," I said truthfully; while I may have disliked the eggs, the rest of the food was good. "Thank you," Ms. Morland replied as she picked up her plate, with me following along./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"We then placed it in what appeared to be a dishwasher, causing me to look at it closely. I had no clue when the dishwasher was invited, but given how the cars were, I would guess the early 1900s, which I thought was before the dishwasher; nonetheless, I would not be complaining./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true""Now you have a half hour before you need to open, so I recommend getting familiar with the shelves. You may also read while there are no customers, but when they step inside, I expect to see the book put away," she said in that same no-nonsense tone, and just like before, when I nodded, her expression softened slightly as she patted me on the shoulder and moved passed me./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"I then headed to the front of this house/store mix and started poking around the shelves. By the time eight rolled around, I was developing a slight headache but had managed to get a somewhat decent idea of where certain books were, as well as snagging a small book I could read while I waited./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"My shift was twelve hours, and I was a fast reader, which meant I would likely need to snag more books, but until then, I would sit on the stool behind the counter and wait for people to come in./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"That was how the first few hours passed. I had flipped the sign around to show that Morland's Shop was open, but nobody even gave it a passing look, so I buried myself in the book while still keeping an ear out for somebody else./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"I eventually heard the small bell at the entrance tingle and quickly tucked the book under the counter. Walking up to the counter was a towering man with wrought iron muscles that looked like they could easily pop my head off./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true""I wish to speak to a Morland," he said, to which I nodded and tapped the bell that rang gently, "Of course, sir, she'll be out soon," I said and looked up at him as she leaned back on his heels and folded his arms./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"A few minutes later, Morland left the back rooms and gave me a slight nod, "Come on," she said to the massive man and jerked her head, directing him to follow him back, which he did./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"Time then continued to pass, with a few people coming in and asking my help to find a few books, which I did my best to point out. Nobody else asked for Morland, and when I flipped the sign closed and locked the door, I saw Morland leaving a basement./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true""I will be cooking dinner; when you get back from the barber, your food will be on the counter," she said, holding out a hand for the key which I placed in her hand. "Understood, Ms. Morland," I said, giving her a polite nod before heading out./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"Thankfully, her directions were simple, and I found the barber in the middle of cutting a customer's hair. "One moment, sir!" the very thin and immaculately groomed man said as he made a few more cuts./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"I sat down in one of the few chairs, and around twenty minutes later, money exchanged hands as the man in the chair left, seemingly content with his haircut./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true""How can I help you, sir," the man said with a hard-to-place accent; however, I pushed that out of my mind. "I need a trim and shave, Ms. Morland sent me," I told him, feeling somewhat sheepish about not having money./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"The man then laughed as he gestured for me to sit down, "Ah, Madame Morland, how is she doing," he asked as he got to work. I didn't quite like how close the sharp blades were getting to my face, but they wouldn't have all the implements I knew from the future here, so I pushed aside my discomfort./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true""She is doing wonderful; took me in and offered me a job," I said truthfully. I may have a few suspicions about why she took me in, but that didn't mean I would voice them, especially not to a friend of hers./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true""Ah, of course, she has always had an eye for talent," the man said, and after that was silence and the sound of a blade moving across my skin and a pair of scissors cutting./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"Thankfully, the main was skilled, and my long hair was trimmed slightly with my mustache shorne off soon after. "Thank you, sir," I said to the man as he showed me my face in a mirror./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"However, as I went to leave, he pressed a lock of hair into my hand. "A good luck charm; put it under your pillow," he said, to which I blinked before tucking it away./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true""Of course, I need all the luck I can get," I told him, causing him to laugh and pat me on the back. "Don't we all," he said as I left. I didn't know this costume, and while it niggled at the back of my mind, I decided to do it./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"There was no harm in it, and if magic was real here, then there was a chance this good luck charm was real. Walking the street over to Morland's Shop, I entered an empty main flow with a small meal sitting on the counter as she had promised./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"I ate it quickly and placed the dish in the dishwasher before heading upstairs. It was only eight, but getting a full ten hours of sleep would help, so I got undressed down to my underwear before tucking the hair under my pillow. Laying down, I was fast asleep almost immediately./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"em style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"That night, I dreamed a strange dream. I rooted in the soil of a deep and black woods. I was searching for something, but fat moths kept crawling out of my ears and down my throat as if to block my sight./em/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"em style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"I coughed, and my hands kept digging until they were raw, and I shed my skin to dig anew as my old skin melted into newborn moths that fluttered off, and I seized the scrap of bark./em/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"em style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"Reading the words on the bark, I saw and understood. I stood upright as I remembered fire and civilization. The moths fled my orifices as my hands were raw and red, and I awoke./em/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"I shot up in my bed with my head swimming and coughing. Stumbling out of my bed, I looked around with blurry eyes. I didn't remember most of that dream, but I thought for the briefest moments I could see strings at the ends of my fingers and coiled around my limbs and faint readings about a loom that braided hair./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"However, that memory faded like all dreams do, and I dropped back into my bed. I didn't know what the hell that was, but I was starting to guess; I didn't want to voice my thoughts because they sounded crazy. However, tomorrow morning, I will look around the shop for a few books on the occult, and if I am correct, I will find something./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"Taking a deep breath, I laid back down and threw the cover over me. However, before I went back to bed, I reached under my pillow for my lock of hair and found it empty. Frowning, I fluffed my pillow and closed my eyes before drifting off./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"Thankfully, I woke up what felt like a few minutes later with nothing waking me up but the sun rising outside the window. It was likely closer to six. I didn't know how to read time by the sun, but I could make a guess./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"Getting dressed and ready for the day, I headed downstairs, seeing Morland like the day before, reading a paper and drinking tea from a cup. She looked up at me and hummed before returning to the paper./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"I quickly ate the meal she had made, placing the dirty plate and silverware in the dishwasher. "Thank you, Ms. Morland," I said, receiving another hum as I walked past her./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"Checking the clock as I entered the shop proper, I saw that it was nearing half past seven, which meant I had more time to peruse the shelves. Doing just that, I familiarized myself with where the books were, along with searching for perhaps other more occult books./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"After a mere twenty minutes of perusing the shelves, I found a small book tucked away. It was plain, and the title was plain as well. Travelling at Night(Vol. 1) read the cover, but it caused my hands to shake./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"Holding it in my hand, I nabbed another book to read; this one, however, was not of the occult variety. I didn't want to be seen reading Travelling by Night during work, so I tucked it under the desk before flipping the sign to open./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"I would have liked to say the day passed quickly; however, it didn't. I was always bad at standing around, and while I had a chair to sit on and no clocks to stare out, it did seem like the hours dragged on./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"Thankfully, while people did trickle in from time to time, there was nobody who wished to speak to Morland directly, and soon enough, I was closing and locking the door./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"I then joined Morland for dinner after ensuring I had snuck Travelling by Night back to my room under the guise of removing my shoes, which was true but not the whole thing, and while I didn't like it, if what I suspected was true then my days staying here in this shop were likely numbered./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"We were soon sitting down for dinner, and I ate it with the gratefulness of somebody receiving this for free. "Thank you, this is wonderful once again," I tell her, to which Ms. Morland smiles in that small way. I was coming to understand just how she smiled./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true""Thank you. It is always good to have one's food appreciated," she said as we both stood up and cleaned the dishes. It was approaching nine, which gave me an hour to read the book I had smuggled upstairs, which, given its size, meant I should be able to do so easily./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"Settling in my bed a few minutes later, I jammed the pillow where my back met my neck and cracked open the book. The first words I read caused my throat to tighten./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"The Wood lies outside the walls of the Mansus. As any student of Histories knows, the Mansus has no walls. That was what was on the inside of the cover, and it set my heart thumping./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"Flipping through the small book, it was easy to tell that it was less a proper book and more a collection of notes that had been gone over and annotated later./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"However, it truly proved to me where I was, London 1920, in one of the five Histories. This was very bad; while from the comfort of home, I was fascinated by the lore and adored the game, the world itself was deadly./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"This was not helped by the fact that I knew enough to immediately get my feet wet while not knowing enough to have all that many cheat codes. I knew, for example, about things like the Frangiclave or Teresa Galmier, but that knowledge didn't translate out of the game very well./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"However, I didn't really have any recourse, but to keep moving forward, I wanted to head home someday, so I needed to climb the House of the Sun, and what better way to start than learning the basics of Moth?/span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"I flipped the book open and started to read through it once again, this time keeping an eye open for the more Moth-touched phrases and passages./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"It was hard because while Christopher Illopoly may be known as the only readable occultist, his dream journals were interspersed with ramblings and a fair few poems about The Baldomerian, who I knew to be Teresa Galmier, his lover and Name, and holder of perhaps the best romance in the world of Cultist Simulator. /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"Thankfully, I did manage to find the scrap that contained the usable information and slipped out of my bed. Creeping into the small bathroom in the hall, I retrieved the small pair of scissors I had found this morning and cut off a tiny bit of my hair./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"Returning to my room after tucking the scissors away, I placed the book on the floor next to my bed with my glasses perched atop it. Tucking the hair under my pillow, I lay back under the covers and closed my eyes. /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"Christopher had described trying to dream your way into the Mansus as trying to think your way to love, but his notes provided a way to do just that; the trick was simply not to think./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"Bury a lock of freshly cut hair under your pillow and let your thoughts flit about through your mind, and when you drift off, your mind will come to dwell outside the House of the Sun./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"em style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"I awoke within the Woods, a smile on my lips; I was dreaming and was officially one of the Know even if I knew much much more. I moved through the trees, ducking low almost on all fours to avoid the birch-like branches from scrapping me up too bad./em/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"em style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"I wandered through the Woods before stumbling across a massive rock which I knew of. It was the Temple of the Wheel the Hour that the Moth usupred from within and stole its skin. Walking closer, I could see that massive and jagged rock that served as a memorial for dead gods in much clearer light./em/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"em style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"Walking around, it placed a hand on its cracked and weathered surface allowing them to split like wounds I stepped through. Standing inside this memorial with what I knew, I could hear the faint beating of a Heart before I awoke./em/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"I shot up in bed, my heart in my chest moving a smidge bit faster as the door to my room opened slightly. Hopping out of bed with a smile on my face, I attempted to close my door to no avail./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"I had explored the Woods without being devoured by the spirits that dwelled within or even gaining the attention of the Velvet, who no doubt would take notice of my many secrets./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"However, my energy and the door in front of me refusing to close all the way showed that I had managed to pick up the base influences, and while I didn't remember their names, it proved I could successfully move forward./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"With a smile on my lips, I headed downstairs with a faint pop in my step before almost tripping over my unlaced shoes. Knowing it would be futile to tie them before the influence faded, I kept moving, ready to start my third day in this world, just a bit more ready to face the world./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"Yawning, I put my shirt on and made a mental note that I would need to buy some pajamas and a few more pairs of clothes. The shirt may be slightly itchy compared to my pants, but I would need more than one pair of clothes./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"Walking downstairs, I saw Ms. Morland reading a newspaper with two plates of food on the table. She looked up at me and seemed to make a few mental notes before nodding her head at the food./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true""You'll need a shave and a trim tonight; head to the barbers a block down and tell him Morland sent you," she said in a tone that brokered no disobeyed so while I had been trying to grow out a proper mustache for almost half a year I nodded my head and sat down./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"The food was good even if it was somewhat cold, it had eggs which I was not the biggest fan of, but complaining about food to Ms. Morland, who had taken me in, would be a very assholish thing to do, so I merely ate the food./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true""Thank you, that was very good," I said truthfully; while I may have disliked the eggs, the rest of the food was good. "Thank you," Ms. Morland replied as she picked up her plate, with me following along./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"We then placed it in what appeared to be a dishwasher, causing me to look at it closely. I had no clue when the dishwasher was invited, but given how the cars were, I would guess the early 1900s, which I thought was before the dishwasher; nonetheless, I would not be complaining./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true""Now you have a half hour before you need to open, so I recommend getting familiar with the shelves. You may also read while there are no customers, but when they step inside, I expect to see the book put away," she said in that same no-nonsense tone, and just like before, when I nodded, her expression softened slightly as she patted me on the shoulder and moved passed me./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"I then headed to the front of this house/store mix and started poking around the shelves. By the time eight rolled around, I was developing a slight headache but had managed to get a somewhat decent idea of where certain books were, as well as snagging a small book I could read while I waited./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"My shift was twelve hours, and I was a fast reader, which meant I would likely need to snag more books, but until then, I would sit on the stool behind the counter and wait for people to come in./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"That was how the first few hours passed. I had flipped the sign around to show that Morland's Shop was open, but nobody even gave it a passing look, so I buried myself in the book while still keeping an ear out for somebody else./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"I eventually heard the small bell at the entrance tingle and quickly tucked the book under the counter. Walking up to the counter was a towering man with wrought iron muscles that looked like they could easily pop my head off./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true""I wish to speak to a Morland," he said, to which I nodded and tapped the bell that rang gently, "Of course, sir, she'll be out soon," I said and looked up at him as she leaned back on his heels and folded his arms./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"A few minutes later, Morland left the back rooms and gave me a slight nod, "Come on," she said to the massive man and jerked her head, directing him to follow him back, which he did./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"Time then continued to pass, with a few people coming in and asking my help to find a few books, which I did my best to point out. Nobody else asked for Morland, and when I flipped the sign closed and locked the door, I saw Morland leaving a basement./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true""I will be cooking dinner; when you get back from the barber, your food will be on the counter," she said, holding out a hand for the key which I placed in her hand. "Understood, Ms. Morland," I said, giving her a polite nod before heading out./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"Thankfully, her directions were simple, and I found the barber in the middle of cutting a customer's hair. "One moment, sir!" the very thin and immaculately groomed man said as he made a few more cuts./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"I sat down in one of the few chairs, and around twenty minutes later, money exchanged hands as the man in the chair left, seemingly content with his haircut./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true""How can I help you, sir," the man said with a hard-to-place accent; however, I pushed that out of my mind. "I need a trim and shave, Ms. Morland sent me," I told him, feeling somewhat sheepish about not having money./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"The man then laughed as he gestured for me to sit down, "Ah, Madame Morland, how is she doing," he asked as he got to work. I didn't quite like how close the sharp blades were getting to my face, but they wouldn't have all the implements I knew from the future here, so I pushed aside my discomfort./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true""She is doing wonderful; took me in and offered me a job," I said truthfully. I may have a few suspicions about why she took me in, but that didn't mean I would voice them, especially not to a friend of hers./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true""Ah, of course, she has always had an eye for talent," the man said, and after that was silence and the sound of a blade moving across my skin and a pair of scissors cutting./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"Thankfully, the main was skilled, and my long hair was trimmed slightly with my mustache shorne off soon after. "Thank you, sir," I said to the man as he showed me my face in a mirror./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"However, as I went to leave, he pressed a lock of hair into my hand. "A good luck charm; put it under your pillow," he said, to which I blinked before tucking it away./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true""Of course, I need all the luck I can get," I told him, causing him to laugh and pat me on the back. "Don't we all," he said as I left. I didn't know this costume, and while it niggled at the back of my mind, I decided to do it./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"There was no harm in it, and if magic was real here, then there was a chance this good luck charm was real. Walking the street over to Morland's Shop, I entered an empty main flow with a small meal sitting on the counter as she had promised./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"I ate it quickly and placed the dish in the dishwasher before heading upstairs. It was only eight, but getting a full ten hours of sleep would help, so I got undressed down to my underwear before tucking the hair under my pillow. Laying down, I was fast asleep almost immediately./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"em style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"That night, I dreamed a strange dream. I rooted in the soil of a deep and black woods. I was searching for something, but fat moths kept crawling out of my ears and down my throat as if to block my sight./em/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"em style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"I coughed, and my hands kept digging until they were raw, and I shed my skin to dig anew as my old skin melted into newborn moths that fluttered off, and I seized the scrap of bark./em/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"em style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"Reading the words on the bark, I saw and understood. I stood upright as I remembered fire and civilization. The moths fled my orifices as my hands were raw and red, and I awoke./em/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"I shot up in my bed with my head swimming and coughing. Stumbling out of my bed, I looked around with blurry eyes. I didn't remember most of that dream, but I thought for the briefest moments I could see strings at the ends of my fingers and coiled around my limbs and faint readings about a loom that braided hair./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"However, that memory faded like all dreams do, and I dropped back into my bed. I didn't know what the hell that was, but I was starting to guess; I didn't want to voice my thoughts because they sounded crazy. However, tomorrow morning, I will look around the shop for a few books on the occult, and if I am correct, I will find something./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"Taking a deep breath, I laid back down and threw the cover over me. However, before I went back to bed, I reached under my pillow for my lock of hair and found it empty. Frowning, I fluffed my pillow and closed my eyes before drifting off./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"Thankfully, I woke up what felt like a few minutes later with nothing waking me up but the sun rising outside the window. It was likely closer to six. I didn't know how to read time by the sun, but I could make a guess./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"Getting dressed and ready for the day, I headed downstairs, seeing Morland like the day before, reading a paper and drinking tea from a cup. She looked up at me and hummed before returning to the paper./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"I quickly ate the meal she had made, placing the dirty plate and silverware in the dishwasher. "Thank you, Ms. Morland," I said, receiving another hum as I walked past her./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"Checking the clock as I entered the shop proper, I saw that it was nearing half past seven, which meant I had more time to peruse the shelves. Doing just that, I familiarized myself with where the books were, along with searching for perhaps other more occult books./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"After a mere twenty minutes of perusing the shelves, I found a small book tucked away. It was plain, and the title was plain as well. Travelling at Night(Vol. 1) read the cover, but it caused my hands to shake./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"Holding it in my hand, I nabbed another book to read; this one, however, was not of the occult variety. I didn't want to be seen reading Travelling by Night during work, so I tucked it under the desk before flipping the sign to open./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"I would have liked to say the day passed quickly; however, it didn't. I was always bad at standing around, and while I had a chair to sit on and no clocks to stare out, it did seem like the hours dragged on./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"Thankfully, while people did trickle in from time to time, there was nobody who wished to speak to Morland directly, and soon enough, I was closing and locking the door./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"I then joined Morland for dinner after ensuring I had snuck Travelling by Night back to my room under the guise of removing my shoes, which was true but not the whole thing, and while I didn't like it, if what I suspected was true then my days staying here in this shop were likely numbered./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"We were soon sitting down for dinner, and I ate it with the gratefulness of somebody receiving this for free. "Thank you, this is wonderful once again," I tell her, to which Ms. Morland smiles in that small way. I was coming to understand just how she smiled./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true""Thank you. It is always good to have one's food appreciated," she said as we both stood up and cleaned the dishes. It was approaching nine, which gave me an hour to read the book I had smuggled upstairs, which, given its size, meant I should be able to do so easily./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"Settling in my bed a few minutes later, I jammed the pillow where my back met my neck and cracked open the book. The first words I read caused my throat to tighten./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"The Wood lies outside the walls of the Mansus. As any student of Histories knows, the Mansus has no walls. That was what was on the inside of the cover, and it set my heart thumping./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"Flipping through the small book, it was easy to tell that it was less a proper book and more a collection of notes that had been gone over and annotated later./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"However, it truly proved to me where I was, London 1920, in one of the five Histories. This was very bad; while from the comfort of home, I was fascinated by the lore and adored the game, the world itself was deadly./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"This was not helped by the fact that I knew enough to immediately get my feet wet while not knowing enough to have all that many cheat codes. I knew, for example, about things like the Frangiclave or Teresa Galmier, but that knowledge didn't translate out of the game very well./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"However, I didn't really have any recourse, but to keep moving forward, I wanted to head home someday, so I needed to climb the House of the Sun, and what better way to start than learning the basics of Moth?/span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"I flipped the book open and started to read through it once again, this time keeping an eye open for the more Moth-touched phrases and passages./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"It was hard because while Christopher Illopoly may be known as the only readable occultist, his dream journals were interspersed with ramblings and a fair few poems about The Baldomerian, who I knew to be Teresa Galmier, his lover and Name, and holder of perhaps the best romance in the world of Cultist Simulator. /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"Thankfully, I did manage to find the scrap that contained the usable information and slipped out of my bed. Creeping into the small bathroom in the hall, I retrieved the small pair of scissors I had found this morning and cut off a tiny bit of my hair./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"Returning to my room after tucking the scissors away, I placed the book on the floor next to my bed with my glasses perched atop it. Tucking the hair under my pillow, I lay back under the covers and closed my eyes. /span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"Christopher had described trying to dream your way into the Mansus as trying to think your way to love, but his notes provided a way to do just that; the trick was simply not to think./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"Bury a lock of freshly cut hair under your pillow and let your thoughts flit about through your mind, and when you drift off, your mind will come to dwell outside the House of the Sun./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"em style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"I awoke within the Woods, a smile on my lips; I was dreaming and was officially one of the Know even if I knew much much more. I moved through the trees, ducking low almost on all fours to avoid the birch-like branches from scrapping me up too bad./em/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"em style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"I wandered through the Woods before stumbling across a massive rock which I knew of. It was the Temple of the Wheel the Hour that the Moth usupred from within and stole its skin. Walking closer, I could see that massive and jagged rock that served as a memorial for dead gods in much clearer light./em/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"em style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"Walking around, it placed a hand on its cracked and weathered surface allowing them to split like wounds I stepped through. Standing inside this memorial with what I knew, I could hear the faint beating of a Heart before I awoke./em/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"I shot up in bed, my heart in my chest moving a smidge bit faster as the door to my room opened slightly. Hopping out of bed with a smile on my face, I attempted to close my door to no avail./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"I had explored the Woods without being devoured by the spirits that dwelled within or even gaining the attention of the Velvet, who no doubt would take notice of my many secrets./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"However, my energy and the door in front of me refusing to close all the way showed that I had managed to pick up the base influences, and while I didn't remember their names, it proved I could successfully move forward./span/p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p style="color: #0e101a; background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="background: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" data-preserver-spaces="true"With a smile on my lips, I headed downstairs with a faint pop in my step before almost tripping over my unlaced shoes. Knowing it would be futile to tie them before the influence faded, I kept moving, ready to start my third day in this world, just a bit more ready to face the world./span/p
