(( I'll play along. ))



Her feet ached. Her back ached. The straps of her pack dug into her shoulders and with each step she would wince in pain; it seemed as though this horrible experience would never end. Why had she ever agreed to go camping with her friends? They had disappeared before she awoke this morning and left her alone at the campsite with only her tent and supplies. It was a good thing she was an experienced camper but still it had been totally uncalled for! These weren't even the same woods that she normally camped in.

She was lost - there wasn't any other explanation for why she was still stumbling along occasionally calling out the names of her friends in hopes that they would save her from this madness.

Surely there was someone or something out there that could aid her in her ... journey? Yes, journey.

But there! There in the distance she could see the warm, glowing lights of a building! Like a beacon it summoned her closer and closer and slowly her feet began to ache less - the straps of her pack no longer dug into her shoulders and by the time she reached the building she was smiling and humming to herself. What a difference hope could make!

Belle wasted no time in entering the stone building but she didn't fail to note the wild beauty of the gardens nor the sign that hung above the door. Once inside it was easy to see her features that had been blurred and hidden in the night outside; of average height for a woman and with long dark hair braided into a single tail, her bright green eyes caught the light and reflected it back. She was certainly not pale but neither was she dark.

Blinded by the sudden light, she raised a hand up to cover her eyes and called out to the room, "Hello, is there anyone here?"