The eyes turned toward Irina, then went to Aoi, and Phillip. Turning back to look at something in the darkness. "Miya?"
A quite feminine voice answered from the dark. "Yes my lord."
The sound of soft foot falls and a door opening and closing was all that was heard after that before the eyes turned back toward the bowed Golem and three humans, all little more then children. The magenta gaze turned first to Irina.
"You could at least do yourself the favor of sitting down. Since you know were going to be here for a while. I'm sure that standing like that must be uncomfortable."

Ashi followed Kankei, only a few steps behind. She'd only have to show what she had picked up and tell what they'd seen, and then she could return to her quarters. Unless those children were still about, then she might have something to do. Either way, the day would end with a different twist than the usual.

Magic? Ice and... water? It made sense when Aoi thought about it. All those things had happened when she had wished for something to happen, or when her emotions got the best of her. But it seemed like where ever she was, magic, in this place, was not a good thing to have. And by the look of the other kid, he had no idea what was going on as well.
"Hopefully he'll just follow my lead," she thought as she took a step forward, head bowed low and she kneeled before the magenta eyes.
"My lord, I'm sorry for the trouble my friend and I have caused you, but I the... report about us is untrue. It is true that all of those things happened to your servant is correct. However, my friend and I did not cause any of these occurrences. We are merely traveling performers and got split up. Then we were captured." Aoi personally liked the last part, noticing that their clothes were slightly odd from everyone else's. She just prayed that Phillip would go along with it.

Kankei kept a swift pace as he walked, eager to get back and report what they'd seen. He didn't enjoy being out in the middle of nowhere, he preferred cities and crowds of people, there was always something interesting happening. Besides, Ashi was starting to make him nervous and he didn't know why. He was relieved to see their destination just a few yards off, and quickened his pace.

Phillip's head jerked up as soon as he heard the girl's voice, and his eyes widened at the words that were coming out of her mouth. Was she insane? Something told him that the person in front of them, whoever he was, was going to see straight through that story and they'd be lucky to make it out alive. But he couldn't just let her do it all by herself... It was worth a shot.
"M-my friend is telling the truth, sir." he stuttered, still kneeling but with his head held high, mostly to appear more confident than he really was.
"We had just arrived in the town and managed to lose track of each other. We weren't reunited until your servant captured us, and for that I thank him. But we honestly had nothing to do with any of the... supernatural occurrences, I assure you. We're incredibly sorry for any trouble this has caused you and would like to beg that this whole episode be forgotten."

His unsettling gaze settled on Aoi and then Phillip as they spoke. After a long tense silence the voice came again from the dark.
"Performers? Really.... Then I would like you to briefly entertain my court. It has been some time since it was entertained by performers from outside of the castle."
There was hint of amusement in the voice. The eyes briefly turned to watch Irina's expression. With a snap of gloved fingers they heard movement at the head of the room. Heavy feet and the sound of something made of wood being moved around. After several moments the eyes lowered as their owner seemed to sit down.
"Ardais."
With the verbal command the Golem stood. The metal surrounding Phillip retracted and disappeared into the recessed nozzles. Freeing him. Gently taking Irina by the arm he walked over to the side. Reaching up on of the finger like tendrils touched her mussel. The metal flowed away from her face and back into the finger. Once on the side of the rectangle of light the golem turned. Keeping Irina close as he watched.

"Do you require any supplies before you begin?" The voice asked Aoi and Phillip.

"I'm afraid that both my partner and I are caught with out our instruments Mine is a simple lyre of sorts but my friend's is a bit more obscure. You wouldn't by chance have an electric sousaphone would you, my lord?" Aoi was careful not to use names; it was proper manners not to do so when not asked to introduce themselves. "Please, please, just let me handle this," she prayed silently, hoping Phillip would understand.

A wooden lyre came flying out of the darkness toward Aoi. More then slow enough for her to catch. "I am unfamiliar with this instrument you speak of. If you could describe it, draw it, or tell me of a similar instrument I could replicate one."

Irina stood as still as she could, but she looked slightly nervous at the same time. Irina bit her lip, trying to think of a way that she could tell Aoi and Phillip to return home but she was not coming up with a plan that would easily be able to get them all out of there safely...

Aoi caught the lyre. She smiled apologetically at Diablo with a bit of foolish embarrassment. "I'm sorry, my lord, but I'm afraid neither of us are quiet sure how it works. It was given to us by a family friend and we've never seen another like it. And let me tell you, my lord, it's not easy trying to tune an instrument that you don't even know how it works," she said with a small laugh and dashing smile. She heard someone chuckle almost silently. "Well at least they're warming up," she thought.
"Therefore, my lord, I must humbly request to entertain you and your lovely court alone," she said with another sparkling smile.

"Can you play or do anything else?" The voice asked Phillip with a hint of a smile in his voice.

--On Earth

Ember sat in her computer chair again, munching some chips quietly. It had been some time since she had left that weird world.. or whatever it was.
She had done everything to not fall asleep again.. going back on the Internet to see what was new, playing some games.. including the one that had somehow sucked her in. Ember had paused on a level, stopping to get more food.
A knock came to her door, as the redhead grumbled, going to answer it, finding her little sister there. Ember sighed, "What do you want..?"
"If you give me ten bucks, I won't tell Mom you're up.." Danii grinned.
Ember grumbled, grabbing some money and handing it to her. Without another word, she closed the door and started back to her computer chair. She sat down again, her eyes on the game. She thought of Irina again, yawning for a moment. Her eyes slowly drooped..
Ember looked around, seeing Irina, Aoi, and Phillip. Along with the big metal thing and creepy, shadowy figures, "I think I fell asleep again.." She glanced to Irina, "Why haven't you told them to think of their homes yet?"
Ember laughed sheepishly, "I'll be leaving now..." She thought of her computer and everything else in her room, disappearing again in little sparks of fire.

--On Ashi

Ashi followed Kankei in silence, glad when they were back inside the castle. Pulling out the stuff for their report, she spoke up to Kankei, "All we need to do now is report to Ardais and give him what we've found. Then we should be done."

Irina blinked and then ran quickly over to Aoi, figuring that the old plan was ruined at Ember's appearance. "You have to think of your home and wish yourself back there... If you wish hard enough... You should get home safely... Imagine yourself being in your home again and you'll get back safely... And hurry..."

The ground where Ember had appeared and disappeared only moments before exploded as lances of liquid metal tore through the stone floor. His reaction to the situation had been slowed by his amazement at the gall of the sorceress. No one had ever dared to teleport into and out of the castle like that unless they were working for the King.
He only recovered enough to react when the girl had finished speaking. Only to disappear moments before the metal tendrils could touch her.

Retracting the tendrils he pointed them this time at Irina. The liquid metal lanced out. Wrapping around her arms, legs, and neck. Jerking her away from Aoi as she finished speaking. The metal lattice and muzzle quickly wrapped around Irina again. The golem dumping her on the floor beside himself. Lifting his free arm Ardais lashed out at Aoi and Philip. His intent to recapture them in a less gentle manner.

Aoi leapt out of the way of the metal tendrils. "Phillip, think hard about Tokyo! Remember your room; think about yourself there and wish hard to be there!" Aoi rolled to her feet with a small smirk on her face. she spotted the oncoming tendrils out of the corner of her eye.
"Well, dear prince, it's been a lovely trip, but I think that I've had my fill of hell. Ja ne." Aoi knelt in a bow. The air rippled like water, and then she was gone from the throne room.
--On Earth

She landed on her back in Ember's room. "Ow.... Great, now where am I?"

--On Ashi

Irina screamed as the tendrils of metal grabbed her and jerked her away from Aoi. Irina struggled, trying to free herself. Irina tried franticly to free herself, she looked very scared. Irina tried to pull the muzzle off but the tendrils of metal held her arms in a place that made it to hard for her to reach. The girl whimpered and closed her eyes as her body glowed with a white light.

The floor again exploded into stone shards as Ardais again missed his target. His talons passing harmlessly through her liquid form just before she disappeared. With one target gone the Golem turned on Phillip. This time there was no mistaking his intent.
His other arm rose to point at Phillip. White light burning within each of the five nozzles.

Before Ardais could strike and burn him to ash like the beast he had called. Something jerked the young man well out of the way of the white fire. Dragging him halfway to the front of the room.
Wrapped around his body was simple length of rope. Which had been used by their host to pull him out of danger's way. The rope went limp and disappeared. Vanishing into thin air.
Standing just barely within the light was a young man with snow white hair and magenta eyes. He was looking down at Phillip much like a wolf does before it goes in for the kill.
Then he caught sight of Irina's growing glow. "Ardais!"

Noticing the boy being jerked away he turned to see who would dare interfere. He stopped when he saw who had lengthened Phillips life. Then Diablo's head turned and the Golem did as well. Noticing the glow coming from beside where he stood.

--On Earth

Ember rolled her chair over to Aoi, leaning over and waving down at her,
"Welcome to my house. Sorry if I don't attack you and tear you to shreds," She told the girl sarcastically. She rolled her chair back, giving Aoi room to sit up. Ember crossed her legs and leaned back in her chair.
"Have to be quiet, parents and little sister are sleeping. Where's that guy? Did he get out?" She asked.

--On Ashi

Phillip stumbled forward as the rope pulled him, then stared up at his rescuer with wide eyes. Everything had happened so suddenly he'd hardly had time to react to one thing before noticing another. He shook his head slowly to try and clear it, remembering Aoi had shouted something to him before she disappeared. But what had it been? His gaze suddenly shifted to the glowing form next to the golem, where everyone in the room seemed to be staring.

--On Earth

"I... I don't know..." Aoi said as she sat up. "I told him how to get out... Demo, it was kind of a tight situation. Speaking of which, why did you just randomly appear and disappear like that? You could have gotten all three of us killed."

Ember laughed sheepishly, "Well, I didn't have much of a choice of appearing. Fell asleep and just popped up, I guess cause I thought of all of you guys. And if you were all there, might as well make sure you knew how to get out."
Ember then smirked at Aoi, "Besides, from what I saw, you guys were screwed to begin with. And I wasn't about to stick around and play with that.. thing again."

--On Ashi

The metal tendrils and the metal lattice and muzzle fell off of Irina and clattered to the floor, the glowing around the girls stopped as she ran over to Phillip, taking his hand. "You have to get out of here! You have to think of your home and wish yourself back to where you live! You have to wish really hard... You'll get home safely then... You have to imagine yourself in your home again, in Tokyo... You have to get out of here now!" said Irina, she sounded rather scared and panicked.