{I think since Phee has been invincible to everything so far, she should probably fall prey at least ONCE... after all she's only... human? lol! Plus it might be interesting to make her main weakness her desires... plus it makes sense concidering she's a fool for food and things like that =p}

Phee had been gripping onto Lusalma since they had been together, but now she felt as if her clutching hands had not simply been there to support her friend. For the first time tonight she felt as if she was looking for support as well as giving it, scared of the situation and of the invisible threat that seemed to be sucking in everyone one by one. Phee was rarely scared and always calm in situations that required her to help others. She had a deep rooted instinct that kicked in whenever she had to step up, but now it began to melt away as a familiar feeling began to surface.

This was odd, since Phoeniare suffered major amnesia from her first life or lives. She was a Phoenix, as far as she knew she had been reborn only once, but sometimes when she came into situations such as the one she was in now, images would flash up. She could feel darkness coming to the surface of her oceanic brain, memories coming up from thousands of years back, as ancient as she was. She could feel a heavy blade in her hand, leather wrapped around her body as well as chain mail, bloody, warm and sticky, on her fingertips and dotted on her muddy, tired face. She was so tired she could almost feel the bags under her eyes, and the dryness in her orbs began to itch. She could feel that everyone was the same as she, just as tired, but she tirelessly moved on. She could feel her heart beating harder, sure of victory, light backing her up and exploding against the evil feeling that felt exactly the same as those in the shops.

But a voice beckoned. Her memory fled her mind and was forgotten as soon as the voice entered her ears. Her eyes became a deeper gold, rich and ancient, and her hair became smoother, flicking by her mid back. She seemed more ancient, more ethereal, and an other worldly appearance seemed to surround her subtly. She looked up, seeing a face in the doorway, and followed, leaving Lusalma where she wanted to be, arms dropped down as she entered through the doorway without a second glance.

The most beautiful thing she had ever seen appeared before her.

An ancient room faced her, high ceilinged and filled with the smell of mahogany and sandalwood. Books lined the wall, ancient and filled with her past. She could feel them beckoning for her to read, calling and promising to share her memories with her. Carpets lined the floor, a four poster bed at the end of the room which faded into a rich, dense rainforest. She blinked, wondering how a room could meld into nature, but somehow it had happened. However, the best part was yet to come.

Roses promised love as they bloomed all around, and in front of her was the most handsome man she had ever seen, with the darkest look in his eye. She stood still, eyes wide, mouth slightly wide. Her pink lips simply opened to withdraw and expel air, as she seemed too dumbstruck to even think of words. Her eyes were locked on the man as she stood there, back straight and heart pounding.

{is it ok if I assume the demon dude’s gona be crazy hot? Lol =p since it’s desires... figured I’d bring up all of them XD}

((Just to let you know, when Lusalma is scared or in danger she goes calm, not panicky, when she's hyper she feels safe, when she's calm that's when she gets dangerous....and since this is music I'm sorry to say but it won't affect her if she doesn't want it to ^.^; but she is very impulsive so she might make a mistake ;P ))

Lusalma was mad...and scared. First Alana disappeared somewhere ahead of them and than Phee came to help her and they caught Alak, but he fought and escaped. Now Lusalma didn't know where he was and NOW Phee was gone...she just left. Wondering and slightly worried Lusalma shivered slightly and wrapped her arms around herself. She didn't want to move...

The herb shop was there, the sky seemed darker, and the eeriness of the environment twinged a warning against her instincts. Lusalma wanted to lean against the shadows and blend in, so that the scratching regard of someone nearby would slide away...but the shadows did not always help her. Stuck in indecision and shivering from a combination of loneliness and apprehension Lusalma stood still and listened.

First Lusalma heard music that was loud and haunting, dragging at her consciousness, but Lusalma didn't want to hear it so she ignored it. Than she heard a thrum, a beat, a pulse....surrounding her. Latching onto the heartbeat below Lusalma tuned out everything else and tranced into that one beat and listened to the calm, steady pulsations. This synced her heart and calmed her down while stilling and lessening the tension and fear of the last couple of minutes.

Calm and centered Lusalma slowly pulled to the edge of awareness away from the heartbeat below and tilting her head listened around her. First the haunting melodies dragging notes caught her attention but she didn't care for that....than other beings heartbeats caught her attention but there was so many...narrowing her focus she caught the heartbeats of 5 others, surrounding her closely.

Immersed in the heartbeat of that slow and steady pulse below her feet Lusalma turned slightly and headed slowly and deliberately towards the closest being. Safe, calm and tuned to that which was around her....lost in her music and serene to the coming events.

((lurk lurk <.< >.>))

{*lurks too* ... come on guys!!! lol!}

((@Phee, demon dude is hideous but can make himself look crazy hot. he's not a demon of desire but of despair/nightmares. though it is commonly said that desire breeds despair and so he and desire are both illusionary demons working together. go to occ for a question i have.))

Gowlemesh grinned, his lips parted into an insidious leer revealing gleaming white fangs. The expendable girl's nightmare appeared before him. He licked his lips, drinking in her rising tide of despair. It tasted like an ancient memory which piqued his curiosity. She was an incarni then? Incarni were not exactly humans and not exactly immortals. They could die, but they would reincarnate as the creature they once were. Some never realize they are incarni, but the ones one must be wary of are the ones that remember all of their past lives. Was this girl one of such incarni? No...her memory not only tasted old, but also hazy. As if it weren't quite complete. He looked into her name, Pheonaire, but the memory hinted that it was not her real name. He tried to "see" it, but to no avail. The memory did not reach so far. That was fine. Knowing her current name was enough.

Gowlemesh urged her closer while twisting the space around Mendira's shop. As annoying as the demoness was, he would not defy her in the midst of their hunt. If she was not interested in the incarni, then she was not to enter. So, although it seemed like she had entered the shop to the redhead, she had truly entered Gowlemesh's Mind Maze. That damned halfbreed may have broken his spell, but the demon would not make the same mistake again. Borrowing a bit of Mendira's power, he created a room for her desires. Then, he made himself into what he gleaned Pheonaire found attractive.

The room was filled with books. Waiting on his prey to appear in his web, he trailed a now elegant finger along the spine of a book. The pages were currently blank. There would be no writing in them unless Pheonaire wanted it. His sinister smile looked more inviting now. Gowlemesh reclined onto a fainting couch, one long leg crossed over the other, and pretended to read as he waited. Not long after, Pheonaire appeared. He smiled to her and beckoned her to sit beside him.

"Hello Phee," he said warmly. "I had a feeling I'd meet you here."

--------------------------------------------

((the music is only a lure and the initial hypnosis. now that she's fallen under the spell once, she is already "captured" all she need do is enter. it's why Mendira didn't want Alak to enter the shop again. he'd be caught, true, but she doesn't feed on men. basically, he'd be poisonous to her.))

Alak had been nearing Lusalma. He thought she saw him for a moment, but then she turned away. No! Was he still in that demon's trap then? He had thought that once he defeated the creature, he'd be released. That was how these things worked right?

A pout came to Alak's lips. He stood there, almost right in front of Lusalma and Phee and scratched his head.

"So you girls can't see or hear me, no?" At no reply from them he nodded. "I'll take that as a yes..."

A sudden glazed look came into Phee's eyes similar to the expression Alana had before entering the shop.

"Pheonaire!" Instinctively, he reached out for her at the same time as Lusalma. His arm passed right through the girl. In a matter of seconds she entered the shop. Or more accurately, her body passed straight through the door.

Alak stood astounded. He sensed the demon Gowlemesh's presence for a brief second. Then, it too was gone. So the creature had made another dimension to trap Phee in? Alak wasn't very familiar with demon magics, but it was similar to some dark magicians he had been unfortunate enough to stumble upon. Illusionary arts could be layered endlessly, as long as the owner had the stamina to maintain the illusion.

I have to think quickly...First, I need to get out of here...

Alak's eyes fell upon Lusalma who didn't seem too affected by the pull of the shop. She had grown strangely calm and closed her eyes.

"No time for a nap now Lusalma!" Alak said to the girl, not expecting a response. He didn't quite know what was going on with his companion, but he knew he needed to hurry before he lost them all one way or another.

Then, he heard footsteps approaching him. Immediately Alak had thought they belonged to Gowlemesh. He turned around, not quite sure if he'd should fight or flee. Alak wasn't sure he could take another trip down memory lane.