Neon Noir: The Ninth Beat

She looked around the party, trying to find Alessandro Gaudio, head of the Gaudio crime family in The City. Her contact said he should be relaxed in this setting and more apt to listen to her proposal. And yet, she didn’t dare leave her little corner of the room until she knew where he was. The minute she did, these men would be on her like a dog on a steak.

The Elysian: Twelfth Dream

I try to fly away, but I hear him strike again. There\'s no way to avoid it this time. I feel the vines snap around my leg. The jerk shakes my whole body. I try to become intangible again, but my heart is racing, and my emotions too ingrained to let go. I can\'t slip out of this. His whips retract and pull me toward the frightening visage that was his face. I see the vines move and squirm as it opens the gaping jaw he\'s made. He\'s gonna eat me!

Neon Noir: The Eighth Beat

This ‘Arcadia’ though is different. It’s supposed to be the place anyone in the neighborhood can get a drink. It’s not just bringing the booze back to the little people, but it might be the place Robert can bring down to get more resources from the city.

The Elysian: Tenth Dream

He reaches into his pocket and brings out that which I had been seeking. The key was the same size as the other two, but it had a fragile look to it. Like it was made out of a fallen leaf. I had already caught on to the way this world is working, so I didn\'t question it, but I still had so much to ask the strange man before me.

The Elysian: Ninth Dream

“Well you see, mortal-” “DON\'T \'MORTAL\' ME! You jerk! What are you trying to do to me!?” “Now it is with a chortle-” “Stop with the rhyming! I\'m done with it. Why in the hell do you rhyme?!” He gives me a dirty look. Still not as scared of him as Luna, but I do have to remember he is the spirit of the forest. Best not to trifle with such beings.

Neon Noir: The Seventh Beat

Out back, behind the building in the alley, Vash’s mind started working on what she’d do out here. Even assuming Mr. Shane survived, she doubted he’d be able to get her car pulled around quickly. And if the attack ended up being more than the one man, she couldn’t wait around.

The Elysian: Eighth Dream

I hear something. Something behind me. It starts low, like a gentle hum. But it grows as we move, getting louder and more violent. I stop and turn just for a second, just to see what follows us. Immediately, I realize the mistake, and seeing the dark cloud following us, I figure out pretty quickly what he summoned.

The Elysian: Seventh Dream

I don\'t know where we\'re running to, or what nasty tricks he\'ll throw at me along the way. He\'s right though, I did just kind of agree to this without thinking. Barely two minutes in, and I already got myself into a bit of a mess. This sideways forest, and the man who challenged me are complete mysteries. How do I know if I can keep up?

The Elysian: Sixth Dream

I drop to the ground, er, tree and clutch it for my dear afterlife. Did I really just make that joke? I\'ve been here far too long. I go from an innocuous room, to the middle of the universe and now I\'m in a sideways forest. When do I get to the tea party?