The Hidden Door-A Role Play (AKA The Most Dangerous Coffee Shop II)

[Cluckcluck1215]

Ciro was awkwardly existing in the background, trying not to impose on anyone's space. Again.
Not only had he undergone an unexpected growth spurt over the last three months that definitely had him topping 6', he'd really filled out. Probably more so a result of the strenuous battle training that they'd all undergone through rather than natural processing, his shoulders had broadened significantly, he'd developed way more muscles than he could've dreamed of attaining from scaling walls and sweeping floors, and his skin had darkened to a much richer olive than it'd been back on Earth- it was weird how powerful, yet still cool the Borealan sun managed to be. Even his direwolf, whom he'd finally dubbed Taquikkar -a beautiful, but lethal, Borealan vine- was thriving. She hadn't recovered her vision entirely, and likely never would, but Ciro was almost certain she retained the ability to see out of a few select areas of her eyes. In addition, she'd come to trust him entirely and he'd been able to retrain her to near complete independence because of that radical blind faith. He couldn't get over the sheer grace that the compromised lupine was able to move with, even now. But, even though she could function on her own four paws again, she never did leave his side, and had saved his tail far more times than he deserved.
And when they weren't all preoccupied with perilous questing to save the multiverse, he'd allowed himself to really get used to wearing the luxurious elvish tunics that the Borealins had supplied them with, and the rich green one he was currently clad in had become the favorite of his entire overflowing wardrobe. But the attire was barely the beginning. The food, the customs, the creatures, the people...
Once the oppression of darkness had been relieved, how any society could run so perfectly and keep everyone so happy was something out of the old Ciro's imagination.
But at the thought of how well they'd all been treated here, the converse reality that his family had to be living made itself known for not the first time today. Truth be told, the perpetual shadows beneath his eyes weren't ever from the universal threat of Olim.
If they really were going home, there'd never been a better time.
He looked down at his shaking hands and the network of angry, necrotic scars, some fresher than others, that equally festooned them both swarmed before his eyes- the permanent results of all the fleeting times he'd impulsively grabbed Aella's hand before thinking to check for active flames.
He'd never known he was such an impulsive hand-grabber until he'd met her.
Speaking of her, the crowd of remainders was rapidly thinning, and he couldn't go through without going to her first.
Because that's just how it was now.
And there she was, on the exact opposite edge of the group.
He made his way to her, moving far more like an elite warrior than the hulking klutz he imagined himself as, and cocked his head toward the abandoned life that was miraculously offering itself to them once more- with all its hurts, pressures, and responsibilities, and yet still more inviting than any doorway he'd ever come to. "You ready?"


Nat stood just to the left of the portal. A scimitar hung high from her right hip, a falchion from her left. She wore an array of magnificent knives as a jangling belt and her twin bows were worn snugly over each shoulder. Who knew what lay in the soles of her boots. To top it off, her slingshot was tucked beneath the tail of her part braid and dangled amidst her hair that had grown out into near even two-tonedness.
Unlike the others, she'd stubbornly clung to every weapon she'd ever laid a hand on.
Unfortunately, she was in a dress.
Oh, she was SO DONE with the conservative and confining clothing of this place.
She thought about pitching another futile fit about how behind the times they were here, and then realized that probably wouldn't be the best last impression to leave on this world.
And, judging by the very real disappearances happening before her eyes, she really was about to leave it...and all of its inhabitants...and Kyle...and Take...and all of its inhabitants...Korim...Korim...okay, so she might've limited "inhabitants" to pretty much just Korim.
Yeah, she'd had a crush on him.
Which was hopeless and useless and obviously moribund, so, of course, she cut it all off immediately.
Okay, so she maybe she wasn't over him. Instead of eradicating her useless feelings entirely, she'd just kept her distance and addressed him as "bro" a few too many times.
Okay, so maybe make that a few feet and a million too many times.
She looked at the beckoning vortex.
And promptly whirled around and marched right up to Korim, jingling all the way.
"Yo, bro," she blurted, trying to remember how she resolved to keep her eyes off of his...awesome...bright...orange...ones... but somehow she ended up there anyway. "Keep on being lit, alright? If you don't, I'll have to find a way to get my butt back here and set you straight, which neither of us want." Ha. Hahaha h a.

Aella stood to the side of the portal, watching it swirl and suck people into it's abyss. People that didn't nessicarily like her, but people she had fought beside and trained with and talked to for the past three months. People she'd miss.
If someone asked her three months ago, she'd be very willing to go back to familiar old New York. Now, she never wanted to leave. Sure, it was dangerous. Manticores, dragons, direwolves, flighty elven tribes and countless other dangers lurking about.
But that was the beauty in it. A dangerously beautiful planet, where the human, or mostly human, inhabitants were far kinder then those back home.
She even fit right in with the people. She was no longer frail and thin; constant, healthy meals left her stronger, healthier and far more filled out. Her once unhealthily pale skin was now a light tan, her face and arms scattered with freckles.
And she may or may not have adorned her wrists with several jeweled bracelets that she came across in the dragons den, and various small weapons hung from the side of her belt, a bow no longer slung over her shoulder, as she left it back in the village. Though the red and white feathered end of one was tucked into the braided updo of her hair.
She watched with a solemn expression as one by one people vanished into the spinning vortex, waving a slight farewell to each of them. At Ciro's approach, she looked over at him, smiling slightly. They'd had each other's back throughout their journey, and he'd became a closer friend then she'd had in a very long time, and he was another thing she'd miss greatly.
"I don't know if I'll ever be ready to leave this place." She beckoned to their surroundings. "But simple New York seems kind of nice right now."

 

[Yowza Wowza]

Blair searched his gaze, waiting for the moment he would say it was just a joke to freak her out. But she knew he wouldn't. It wasn't a joke; he wanted to stay. But what about us?
She pulled him into a hug, wrapping her arms around him tightly, as if it would make him stay. "Nothing I say or do is going to make you change your mind, is it?" She murmured softly. "I love you, and I won't argue with you because I don't want to fight..." she paused, her eyes shutting tightly. "Come see me soon."

Take returned her tight embrace, leaning his head into her neck and squeezing his eyes shut. “Pretty much” he whispered, “Je t’aime aussi Blair. I promise I’ll come see you soon, no matter what.” He rubbed her back, taking in her sweet floral scent that he cherished so much and wouldn’t be able to admire until the next time they were together. Something suddenly popped into his head, something he had forgotten about long ago when they first came to Borealis. He cupped her ear and whispered some words, almost as if it was a secret to everyone else.

 

[Amer]

Kipp looked around trying to decide which end was supposed to be the exit. The walls all looked the same.

"Don't these thing generally open from the outside? There's probably a Kyle sized door around here somewhere. But i'm not sure any of us are small enough to fit through."

“Door,” Cam said pointing to the door. A small, cat-sized door was next to it.
(By storage unit I mean this. Sorry for the confusion.

)
Cam pulled up the garage-type door, and Noah “helped” her lift it. Cam was startled by the darkness outside and the cool April breeze. She had admittedly forgotten about the date and time difference between the two worlds. She was also met by the unpleasant smell of exhaust.
How could I forget? she thought. Still. It smelled like Earth. Earth was where her family was. Borealis was beautiful but it could never be home.
She stared up at the familiar constellations as the breeze caressed the hem of her dress. This could be a moment.

 

[Butterscotchbitesfinger]

Kylan was, well, he was happy.
Here and on earth. But God, was he ready to go back to earth, to be with his parents.
This place had been a blessing in disguise, he'd met such great people like Aria, like Kevin, like Ciro, re-met Lilith and watched her learn how to live, and learned so, so much.
He really looked the part now, too. He wore a blood red shirt that was thin and loose on his body, orange trousers, and black leather boots. In his hands was a scythe that he'd been awarded as a weapon that was useful as both a blade and was designed for electrokinetics like him, so he could funnel his lightning through it. His backpack still hung on his back, now muddied, but carried so many valuables that he was bringing back from the land. His arms and legs were covered in scars, and his muscles had toned quite well. I really look like some adventurer from a storybook, eh?
Torin sat on his shoulders, peering down at all the others with happiness. The boy had grown shockingly close to all of them, even go as far as to call some of them "aunt" or "uncle" and then their names. He, now too, wore blue trousers, small boots, and a blue shirt.
Now Kylan stood before the portal, having said his goodbyes and practiced what he'd say to his parents. He threw one last look over his shoulder, eyes sparkling with joy. "Adios, mi amigos!"
With that, he took a dramatic step into the portal, into his home.
Except it wasn't his home.
And he had to swerve as to not hit Lilith who hadn't moved from the doorway, plus squeeze by Kevin and Aria.
"Uhh... Y'all get in the wrong portal?" He laughed, before glancing around. Well, great. "Hi? Again? Why're we here?"

Lilith nodded, reaching in her pant's back pocket and pulling out a black smartphone, clicking it onto the dial pad, and handing it to him. "Here, here you go."

“We don’t know. Apparently this is Kyles house” Aria explained

 

[Butterscotchbitesfinger]

(I missed a bunch of pages, so I hope I'm not too late)
Carson realized that they were about to go home. He felt a wave of relief go through him, then one of sadness. He turned to Ellie. "Well, I guess we can have that date now." He joked. He sighed. He wasn't sure if he actually wanted to go home yet. They had all been through so much together. Sure, most of the time he was just kind of chilling in the background, but he had gone through the same trials they had. This world was mysterious with so much to learn, but it was also dangerous, and that was probably the only reason why he was going to jump through that portal and go back home soon. And the fact that he missed his family and the zoo he worked at. Shaking himself out of his thoughts, he said, "Are you ready to go home?"
@Butterscotchbitesfinger

“100% YES”

 

[Butterscotchbitesfinger]

“Door,” Cam said pointing to the door. A small, cat-sized door was next to it.
(By storage unit I mean this. Sorry for the confusion. View attachment 2097761)
Cam pulled up the garage-type door, and Noah “helped” her lift it. Cam was startled by the darkness outside and the cool April breeze. She had admittedly forgotten about the date and time difference between the two worlds. She was also met by the unpleasant smell of exhaust.
How could I forget? she thought. Still. It smelled like Earth. Earth was where her family was. Borealis was beautiful but it could never be home.
She stared up at the familiar constellations as the breeze caressed the hem of her dress. This could be a moment.

“Oh thank goodness. We can actually get out” Fred cried

 

[RiverStorm]

“We don’t know. Apparently this is Kyles house” Aria explained

"Oh. Well, then." Kylan murmured, glancing at everyone. "I bet my phone works now, I could call my parents to come pick us all up and get y'all's families to come send for or get'cha."

“Door,” Cam said pointing to the door. A small, cat-sized door was next to it.
(By storage unit I mean this. Sorry for the confusion. View attachment 2097761)
Cam pulled up the garage-type door, and Noah “helped” her lift it. Cam was startled by the darkness outside and the cool April breeze. She had admittedly forgotten about the date and time difference between the two worlds. She was also met by the unpleasant smell of exhaust.
How could I forget? she thought. Still. It smelled like Earth. Earth was where her family was. Borealis was beautiful but it could never be home.
She stared up at the familiar constellations as the breeze caressed the hem of her dress. This could be a moment.

Never had Lilith weaved through a crowd so fast.
She skipped outside with a new luster, taking several long strides out as she flung her arms out like a ballerina, before stopping dead with closed eyes and feeling the breeze ram into her pale face. "I've never been so happy to be near humanity." She muttered, and her now shoulder length hair blew in the wind, whipping around her face as she reopened her eyes.

 

[LoveMyChickenBabies]

“100% YES”

He smiled. "I'll do my best to find you on Earth." He looked at the portal for a long moment. "Do you want to go through together?" He asked, holding out his hand

 

[Rose Quartz]

“Door,” Cam said pointing to the door. A small, cat-sized door was next to it.
(By storage unit I mean this. Sorry for the confusion. View attachment 2097761)
Cam pulled up the garage-type door, and Noah “helped” her lift it. Cam was startled by the darkness outside and the cool April breeze. She had admittedly forgotten about the date and time difference between the two worlds. She was also met by the unpleasant smell of exhaust.
How could I forget? she thought. Still. It smelled like Earth. Earth was where her family was. Borealis was beautiful but it could never be home.
She stared up at the familiar constellations as the breeze caressed the hem of her dress. This could be a moment.

Kipp rubbed a finger under his nose, hiding his pursed lips. Of course he'd recognized the door. Three concrete walls and one metal one was pretty obvious. But with Take gone, and Blair not here yet, he was the only one who could really see clearly where the door was. He just wanted an excuse for them to not split up right away.

"Oh. Well, then." Kylan murmured, glancing at everyone. "I bet my phone works now, I could call my parents to come pick us all up and get y'all's families to come send for or get'cha."

Never had Lilith weaved through a crowd so fast.
She skipped outside with a new luster, taking several long strides out as she flung her arms out like a ballerina, before stopping dead with closed eyes and feeling the breeze ram into her pale face. "I've never been so happy to be near humanity." She muttered, and her now shoulder length hair blew in the wind, whipping around her face as she reopened her eyes.

He raised an eyebrow at Kylan.

"Your battery's still alive after three months? Four? Four months? How long were we gone?" Kipp asked suddenly realizing he'd lost track.

 

[Butterscotchbitesfinger]

"Oh. Well, then." Kylan murmured, glancing at everyone. "I bet my phone works now, I could call my parents to come pick us all up and get y'all's families to come send for or get'cha."

Never had Lilith weaved through a crowd so fast.
She skipped outside with a new luster, taking several long strides out as she flung her arms out like a ballerina, before stopping dead with closed eyes and feeling the breeze ram into her pale face. "I've never been so happy to be near humanity." She muttered, and her now shoulder length hair blew in the wind, whipping around her face as she reopened her eyes.

“I don’t know if that’s such a brilliant idea” Aria whispered “can we get in and out the country?”