"My elven heritage consists of a tavern back in Vista and a few nicer physical traits," Ariana replies with a light laugh.

ooc:
I'm presuming Arthur follows Aust for the sake of convenience. If he doesn't go inside, just ignore the description after that.

Though you've been up for less than a third of a day, the persistent near-darkness has been a bit strenuous on your eyes, and the heaviness of your meal at the inn is catching up with you. You do feel a bit tired, though you could keep going a while longer if needed.

Aust leads you up to a small, curtained archway near one end of the building. Pushing the curtain aside, he walks through, into the barracks.

Inside, several elves sit in meditation, while others busy themselves with various tasks. A few half-elven folk rest in beds along one wall. Near the far end of the room, a gnome sits on a table, conversing with an elven woman wearing a brightly-glowing orange band around her neck. The gnome looks somewhat familiar.

"Back already?" one of the elves asks, walking up to Aust while settling a cloak over his shirtless and lightly tanned torso. His raven-black hair outlines two sharply pointed ears, one of which has a notch scar near the tip. "Who's your friend?"

Aust replies casually, "He's a paladin from the hunting mission I mentioned earlier. I was surprised when I ran into him a little while ago, but he seems to be doing alright. Arthur," he says, stepping aside so he can see both you and the elf, "this is Nillurain. Nillurain, Arthur."

Pvednes

Thomas lifts the rope over your heads as you draw near. The setting sun paints the sky in orange and golden hues. A tall lad with a sleak, well-muscled form, Thomas gazes down at you through hazel eyes, an innocent grin on his face.

"I knew my parents, and they knew theirs," Ariana replies curtly, crossing her arms. "They lived in Vista, and my father still does, same as I do... or did. So whatever heritage you think I should have, I assure you I have no relation to any of this city's elders, nor any reason to know them. And if your closets don't have doors, then tell me, what does have doors in this house?"

"Maybe it would be easier if I just showed you the room in question actually."

Taylen heads back towards the closet he found Ara in.

Ariana follows a few paces behind Taylen and Silvan, looking down at the floor, and brushing at the piled dust with her feet.

Other than slightly overgrown curtains, the decay of the glow bulbs, and copious quantities of dust, your home looks as you remember it. Taylen leads you through the hallway past your parents' room, coming to a stop at the closed door of your father's laboratory. Any dust within several feet of the door has either been pounded down or pushed aside.

The door looks exactly as you remember it; dull silvervine with a simple key latch fastened onto it. Oftentimes as a child, you wondered what the inside of his lab looked like. He never took you inside, however, even when teaching you the ins and outs of proper spellcasting. Your father used to keep the key with him, and though you looked for a spare key several times, you never found one.

Beside the door, you notice the orc armor that Taylen had been carrying around for over a day.

Taylen

When you arrive at the door, you are met with a significant surprise. Aside from a lack of dust around its base, the door looks exactly as it did the last time you approached it. The lock is undamaged, and the door is closed. The armor you left near it is still present, and appears undisturbed.

On impulse, Taylen tries carefully to open the door.

The door is locked. Unlike last time, it seems to have a bit of play to it, possibly the result of having been broken, though the difference may be due to a lack of burglar on the other side.

After a moment of searching, you find the broken door handle on the floor beneath your backpack, which you wedged behind the armor when you pulled out your handaxe earlier.

"I already said I was looking for you. What more do you... wait, the door fixed itself? What kind of crazy funhouse is this?"

Tilting her head, Ara gazes idly at the door. She replies to Silvan, "This city doesn't seem to care much for locksmiths. It's a fairly standard two-tumbler with an overplate. That sort of thing doesn't keep most people out; it only gives a moment's delay." She turns to Taylen, and after a few seconds, responds, "I suppose that's certainly possible. Magic doors are rather new to me."

The elven visage of Ariana steps over to the door, and pulls out a pair of thin metal prongs. She holds them up between her fingers. "You know, we could just open it again, then both of you could see inside. I may not know much about magic, but doors are a talent of mine; I could open a lock this simple with my eyes closed... with the owner's permission, of course," she says, making a small curtsey towards Silvan.

"Say, Ara, think you could show me how to do that? In case you ever get stuck again."

"I suppose I could try to teach you, but it took me a while to learn, so I don't know if you'll pick it up. Pardon the pun." Kneeling down beside the door, Ariana slips one of the thin prongs into the lock, and shifts it around for a moment to position the tumblers, before inserting the other. After a soft click, she slowly pulls the door open with the picks, until it opens far enough to reach her fingers around the edge. "It's all yours," she says, shifting her weight slightly.

"Alright," the woman responds, hopping to her feet. She steps around behind Taylen, curious to see if anything has changed, and eager to point out if it hasn't.

With the door opened, you see darkness behind it. Not poor lighting, not a back wall, total darkness.

"Sure thing," Ariana responds to Taylen's request. She walks around to the door again, setting her pack down to the side, then wraps both hands around the door's edge. "Okay, I've got it."

It doesn't take long at all to encounter a barrier. Your arms only get elbow-deep into the darkness when your hand hits wood. Then you hear a scuffling behind you, as Ariana barely manages to brace her leg against the door frame, with her shoulder and arm to the door.

Reyolen

Taylen puts his arms ahead of him, and walks through the doorway. Then he stops, his arms elbow-deep in the darkness. Ariana swings around ahead of the door, and braces herself against it, with one foot against the doorframe. Though you cannot be certain whether the door closed on its own or whether she pushed it, her current position would be very precarious to hold against a free-swinging door.

As your fingers slowly scan the walls, they repeatedly find indications of a single seam, roughly the shape of a door. The possible door's texture matches that of the wall, however, and you can find no indication whatsoever of any keyhole, doorknob, or other means of opening a door. "Whatever you're doing," you hear Ara complain in a strained voice, "you'd better hurry up. This door's getting - hrmph - pushy."

Reyolen

As Taylen moves partially in and out of the darkness, Ara holds the door open. Her grounded foot slides back to meet the base of the doorframe, and slowly, the door gains ground, narrowing the gap through which you can watch the visible parts of Taylen. "Whatever you're doing," Ara complains in a strained voice, completely lacking the elven accent she generally uses for her guise as Ariana, "you'd better hurry up. This door's getting - hrmph - pushy." She gives the door a shove, and quickly shifts her weight, bracing the backs of her shoulders against the door in place of her single shoulder and arm.

Taylen pushes at the area he thinks is a door gently all over the surface, feeling for any give in it.