The Time (started, but still you can join)

Spoiler

It's not sci-fi. Can have elements of it, as well as steampunk, though, and pretty much everything else

The back story ~

Spoiler

For their crimes, the Questers-to-be are sentenced to die.
They don't all come from the same time and place, though.
Some of them are from the modern times, some are from future and some are from past, though really it's hard to tell which is which, isn't it?
On the night they are to die, a mysterious person appears to them, the time stops and they are offered a choice - they will either die, as planned, or will be moved to a time they know nothing about and saved.
But there's a catch.
They will remain the same person, but everyone they ever knew will forget them, as if they were deleted from the history. Also, each of them will be given a quest, which they will have one year to complete. If they don't make it, they will be switched to another time again, for another year, and so on. Also, if they fail, all their progress will be lost, and in another time (maybe even place too) they will have to start it all over again. If they manage, however, they will have the right to, from the Time Master whom they made a deal with, ask to be moved in any time period, along with everyone they name as important (friends, family or such)

What this Storybook is about ~

Spoiler

All of the characters happen to find themselves in the same time - the Victorian London - in a new year of the Questers' quests. For some of them, it would be the first year. For some, it may be the fifth or the hundredth, as none of them ages during their quest.

There are roles you can play~

Spoiler

The Questers - during the quests, they can't die of old age, but can be killed - and if they are, they will be deleted from the history completely, including the progress in the quest, and someone of the people named as their loved ones (those they said would take along to any time if they finish the quest) would take their role

The New Questers - just what I mentioned above. People who took the role of their family member or friend after he/she died. The NQs, however, have no memories of their past, only of their name, personality and normal human knowledge, and of the quest they must complete if they ever want to set things right again. They also don't age during the quest.

The Victorians - regular people from London of the time, who may or may not find out something as the story progresses. They do age normally, but they also can have memories of Questers passing by before, so they could answer some questions. You can have as many of them as you wish, just don't forget to make them mean something. If you only need a person for one scene, don't make the whole character and profile, ok?

The Clockworks - they aren't people at all, or at least not anymore, but more like puppets of the Time Master they serve. Their job would is to watch over the quests' progress, but they are forbidden to reveal themselves to the Questers (they can reveal to each other, though). They have the right, however, to mess things up for the Questers who made their deals with other Masters (nothing too much, as they too must follow the rules). The number of them is limited to three (and one taken by me), and may vary depending on how many other characters there will be.

As for the quests..
When enough Questers characters are posted, I or Tale (TheTaleAsOldAsTime, who's a co-founder of this SB) will send you a message with your quest written in it. The characters shouldn't know of each others' quests, because it wouldn't be so interesting then. But we will take care to actually involve pieces of profiles into the quests (like, if one person mentions that his character's sister has a teddy bear the never leaves, the other character's quest could be, though not in the exact words, to get the teddy bear).. So the POVs will overlap
Actually, all of the characters should be mentioning each other, at least after a while, as they would all cross each others' path more than once.

As you probably see by now, the whole SB will pretty much challenge the brain, as all of you will have to surpass a whole lot of troubles.. But I'm sure it will also be a lot of fun ^_^

Here are the profiles to fill in..

Questers

Name (and gender if it's not clear):
Age (when you started the quest):
Where and When are you from:
How long are you on the quest:
Appearance:
Personality:
History:
Who have you named as the ones you'll take along when you finish your quest (can be just "brother and a friend", just mention names later in your POVs):
Skills (nothing crazy. But maybe you come from the past and have the knowledge of Alchemy, or you come from the future and know how to build some gadget out of nothing, or maybe you are highly intelligent.. or good at cooking):
Other (everything I haven't thought of):

Slots:
1. Alvarin ~ Katherine Bryce
2. CactusGirl ~ Demetheus
3. FermentingFruit ~ Alex York
4. RedBird ~ Quinn Varnix (f)
5. ReisePiecey ~ Radius (m)
6. Alvarin ~ Aksel Wolf

New Questers (NQs)

Name (and gender if it's not clear, again):
Age (when you started the quest):
How are you on the quest:
Appearance:
Personality:
What you tell about yourself if asked:
Skills:
Other:

Slots:
1. AriaAdams ~ Valérie Voltaire
2. North ~ Gillian North
3. Venividiandvici ~ Franziska Isabeau d'Arcy
...

Victorians

Name:
Age:
Appearance:
Personality:
History:
How much do you know (if you wish, you can only write about it in your POVs, and not say it here yet):
Skills (don't go too far. You are from the Victorian time, so you can have knowledge of something from any other time only if some Quester has taught you that once):
Other:

Slots:
1. AriaAdams ~ Beth Grey
2.
3.
...

Clockworks (Clocks for short)

Name:
Appearance (you don't need to look human, but consider the ups and downs of being other species):
Personality:
History (optional, but it may help if you happen to meet other Clocks and need to talk about something):
Skills (can be anything, really. Time traveling and all that I mentioned above comes naturally, but you can't manipulate it too much, so, again, don't overdo it in this section):
Other:

Slots:
1. AriaAdams ~ Jareth
2. LoyalHeart ~ Aria Sirius
3. venividiandvici ~ Lynus "Lyn" Reinagle
4. LouisCypher ~

Spoiler

The Clocks will get a message too, telling them which Quester(s) they mustn't mess with, and who's quest(s) they have the right to try to sabotage. Don't, however, ever forget the rules.

If you have any other ideas for characters, feel free to post them too (just don't forget that no one can be the Time Master). You can add a note to other characters in your profile, in case you feel like there's the need for that. Same goes for the quests - if you have an idea for yourself, or for a quest in general, feel free to message me

There could be love between the characters, too, if both sides agree (or if the lovers are controlled by the same person), but without much more than kisses and nice words (keeping it family-friendly).
One person is encouraged to control more than one character, but don't do more than three. You can, however, have as many side-characters related somehow to the MC of every POV - just don't take more than you can handle.
What else is important? Be your character. Make him or her live. And watch out - people from the medieval times, the Victorian era and the future shouldn't be talking or thinking in quite the same way, and same goes for cultural differences
And don't forget to be original with them!

The Rules:

Spoiler

1. No God-modding (killing, changing or drastically interfering with somebody else's characters) - Clocks can interfere with the quests, in ways no worse than giving false information or hiding a person/object a character is looking for. You can't cut them off all the possibilities to finish their quests, though
2. Keep swearing to minimum. If you need to, you can write "he muttered a word I'd never let my kids hear" or such. We will all get it.
3. No sex scenes. Or if you're going there, blur the view as you make it clear enough (they went to bed together. We got it, no need to carry on.)
4. No gore. You can have fights and violence occasionally, if you feel the need. But don't get too descriptive.
5. Write. The more the better.
6. Interact with each other. Your quests will force you to do it sometimes, but do try to talk to each other and collab, ok? Teamwork is great outside of the SB too.
7. ...what was it? Oh. Enjoy!

I can't tell what it may turn out to be like, but for now I think I'll rate it 12+
Which means that it's not my fault if you get traumatized by this if you decide to join and you're younger.

For any questions, please contact me or write in the DT (http://www.youngwriterssociety.com/viewtopic.php?f=200&t=96331).. I apologize for making this so long, but you can see it's pretty complex, right? I tried to make it as short as I could, with the spoiler tags and all..

Yours,
Aria

Name: Aria Sirus

Age 117, but she stopped aging at 19

Gender: Female

Appearance:

Spoiler

This is Aria Sirus

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Personality: Aria is cruel, always planning cold and calculating. She's become the top of the servants. Considered one of the strongest of the Clockworks, aside from her cruelty, she is a team player. But she will go off on her own if she believes she has a plan to kill, always knowing what reactions she needs to see happen.

History: Aria is a former Quester who completed her quest, she was able to travail though time, once she finally learned to control her powers, she did amazing things though out time, but she finally challenged the Time Master to battle using her newly acquired powers. The battle was short as the Time Master used his Master over time, and quick and painlessly defeated her. Due to her defeat, she was turned into a clockwork. And has since risen though the ranks of Clockworks, kill one Quester at a time, when you see a flurry of Plasma, electricity, and light coming your way you best get moving. But as the story progresses, she's shown to have exterior motives.

Skills: Her powers are accompanied by the ability to manipulate time to move back and forth to stalk the Questers though the quest, aside from this she can use powerful plasma, electrical, and light energies. Using them in rapid fire, to cause a huge amount of destruction, she won't hesitate to kill on sight despite the rule of only interfering in the quest. Despite the brutality, if she see's another way to kill she will use it. Most of the time making it look like an accident.

Other: Up for love: Bisexual, Theme: Hell's Bells

Name: Jareth

Appearance: He currently looks like a human, tall and pale young man of not quite determinable age. Everything on him is black and white - from clothes, which would fit the nobles of the Victorian era perfectly, to hair. It's long and tied with a small bow on the back of his head, mostly black, with white strands and now and there in this braids. Only his eyes are different: they're reversed from those of normal humans - his irises are black, and his pupils are dark green/blue. They are not very visible, though, thanks to bangs falling over them.

Personality: He's serious, cold, often lost in his thoughts and not at all a fan of people. He mostly keeps for himself, though he does follow his TM's orders and takes care of little Althea. Exploring human kind, he managed to become a sarcastic artist, particularly fond of music and drawing. He's very charming when he needs to be, though, but he also knows that he doesn't belong to the world around him, and that no human could stay alive for as long as he will (except if he or she accepts to become a Clock to).

History: Jareth is a child of a Time Master. Which isn't as simple as being anyone else's child, as he wasn't so much born as much made. He doesn't have a history of being one thing, as from young age he'd been traveling around and learning. His parent wasn't particularly happy that he was born, as arrival of a new potential TM means the soon death of one of the current ones, so Jareth is often sent to complicated missions, along with being a tutor to new Clocks his parent creates.

Skills: Very much unpleasant for him, but he can't control time in almost any way until his parent dies. He can move through time and mess with the quests, and stop time for not very long, but he can't really change anything else. However, he does have the ability to see all the possible consequences of every choice, and he can manipulate time in a way that will not change the main chain of events (or will change them to something they were supposed to be - will be better explained in his POVs). He can also recognize other Clocks, but they can't know who he is (unless they've met or they've heard of him), and he can take another person on a time-trip with him (to show him/her something, but he almost never does that).

Other: He travels with his little Clock Apprentice, named Althea. She's also pale, and her eyes are big, rounded and light blue (sometimes seeming purple), in contrast to red/blonde, wavy, shoulder-length hair. She was the one and only Clock he was given the permission to create, and though he did manage to make her follow his every order, she tends to act too much like a little human girl. One could try to be friends with him or even make him fall in love (straight at that point), but be careful - his parent may not approve of that.

Note: The Clocks shouldn't all be so close to a TM. Why am I? Because there are things that will make the story more interesting as it progresses, and no one but someone very connected to a TM could know about certain facts. This is my way to, as a founder, make sure you guys get all your answers while we're all in our characters. I could, of course, tell you all that I thought of now, but I think, just as it will be interesting for me to read about your adventures, that you'd be happier if I keep a few things a secret for now thanks for understanding.

Spoiler

@LoyalHeart ~ a boy playing a girl and a girl playing a boy. This should be interesting.

Reserving a spot as quester, will post profile tomorrow

Name: Katherine Bryce
Age: 22
Where and When are you from: Dublin, Ireland. 1941
How long are you on the quest: 6 years

Appearance: Long, almost waist-length, wavy auburn hair. Pale and slender, looks fragile. Dresses only in green or blue, since they are her favorite colors. Mostly walking dresses, since they are easier to move in.

Spoiler

Spoiler

Spoiler

Personality: Extremely stubborn and headstrong. Very protective of the people she cares about. If you've treated her badly you'd better watch out, 'cause she will get her revenge, one way or another. Generally friendly. Not easy to impress. Observant and quick-witted.

History: During world war two her twin brother joined the British army and went of to war. She was left to care for her mentally ill mother and two younger siblings. During the bombing of Dublin her family died when her home was destroyed. Since she couldn't get hold of her brother and had no other relatives left she was forced to live on the street. She was starving, so she stole some bread from a bakery. Unfortunately the shop-owner saw her and chased her into an alley where he pulled a knife. Before he had time to kill her the Time Master showed up and she became a quester. If she succeeds she wants to bring her twin brother, Jarred, with her.

Skills: Very observant and intelligent. Surprisingly agile and quick. Can pick almost any lock.

Other: Up for love, straight.

Reserving a spot as a New Quester...will post the profile as soon as humanly possible!

Spoiler

Changed to Quester

Name: Quinn Varnix (female)

Age: 18 when started.

How many years of questing: In her second year of questing.

How are you on the quest: Quinn is from the future (a possible future, as there are many outcomes possible). In her future, war has left the world mostly in wasteland, and she used to be a slave in a mining settlement. She escaped at 16, but had recently been recaptured, and because of this had been sent to the fighting pits. She was about to be put in a fixed fight, that is, ten seasoned fighters against her. She is good, but not that good, and had just accepted her death when the Time Master came to her with a proposition: complete a quest, and live. She, obviously, chose the quest. Halfway through her first year, another quester, whom her predecessor had informed of her history, sought her out and gave her back her memories of slavery and the wastelands.

Appearance: Quinn is tall, about 5' 11", and sinewy from her time in the wastes. She has bright blue eyes, and olive skin. Her hair is dark brown and cropped short. She wears sturdy clothing: a shirt and leather jerkin, and canvas pants and calf-leather boots. She has a long scar across her left cheek, from eye to ear, and a brand on her right arm from when she was a slave. Also, the pinky finger on her left hand was cut off in an accident with mining equipment.

Personality: Quinn can seem distant, because she has learned that making attachments with people often ends in pain and loss. However, once you get to know her, she can be quite talkative, and is fiercely loyal to friends. She can occasionally be bitter, and is prone to sarcasm. She has an analytical mind, and always makes a plan rather than just charging into a situation unprepared. The only exception to this is if she gets angry. When this occurs (not often) she can make rash decisions.

Who you will bring back once the quest is finished: She is honestly not sure, as she wasn't close to anyone.

What you tell about yourself if asked: Quinn is not one to dwell in the past, but will tell others briefly about her enslavement and life in the wastes. She will not tell others what happened to her parents, although this will be important to her story arc. Nor will she reveal her quest.

Skills: Quinn is skilled in the use of various blades and in hand-to-hand combat. She can also use crossbows and guns (which she calls firelocks). She works well with animals of almost any sort and has a pet raven who she raised from an egg, named Cressida.

Other: Up for love, but will want to take it slow.

Name: Demetheus (Male)

Age: 17

Where and When are you from: 4783 A.D.

How long are you on the quest: This is his third year

Appearance: Demetheus has reddish brown hair that reaches his chin and frames his somewhat angular and pale face. He looks plain and would easily blend in if not for his deep brown eyes that often creep out those around him. He has a splash of light freckles across his nose and he wears whatever is easily available to him, though he does have an attachment to a worn and ragged camouflage army jacket with many visible and hidden pockets. He is of an average height and weight.

Personality: Demetheus does not speak much and is somewhat reserved and awkward around other people. He has an irrational fear of all cats. He is fairly smart but often does not show his full capabilities. He is not easily angered but when he is he can be more dangerous than a bomb.

History: Demetheus was an artist who didn't like computers- which was the only way to create artwork in the 4700s. His brother was one of the only mentally disabled children of the future, and was often picked on and seen as a huge disgrace in his family. He was often subjected to beatings, and out of fierce loyalty to his brother Demetheus through a computer at his father. The computer killed him, and the worst crime that can be committed in his society is murder of a parent. He was offered a quest before his death by torture and was given two quests, both of which he failed (one in the time of the Western Roman Empire and the other in 1845 in South Africa).

Who have you named as the ones you'll take along when you finish your quest: His brother

Skills: Can create an almost exact replica of any statue, painting, face, etc. if he has the tools and is a good cook (though you will never catch him cooking unless absolutely necessary)

Other: Is up for love, though sexuality is undetermined.

Name: Alex York

Age: 29

Where and When are you from: Modern day America

How long are you on the quest: 3rd year

Appearance: The face looks slightly like this, but with sharper cheeks, more hardened, if you know what I mean:

Spoiler

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Alex stands at 6'3, 180 pounds of muscle. He is a force to be reckoned with.

Personality: Although very large, Alex is also quite smart. Not Harvard smart, but if he were in high school he'd be in the honors classes. Quick witted, he is quick to make plans, and planned to be an engineer. Follows a code of chivalry, so to speak, which includes bravery, courtesy, honor, and politeness toward women. He may seem intimidating, but he is a nice person, but he has a quick temper and holds grudges. He may be nice, as long as you aren't on his bad side. He never tells what he did that would make him executed. (Unless you can get really close to him)

History: A U.S Marine, Alex had it good. A guaranteed job, good pay, good benefits, he had his whole life ahead of him. He had a wife, many friends, and a baby on the way. Some would say he had it all. He planned to be an engineer after he left the military. He never was very close to his family.

Who have you named as the ones you'll take along when you finish your quest: His wife and best friend.

Skills: Good at hand to hand combat. Not sure if this is a skill, but he carries a camera with him at all times, which could come in handy.

Other: Final answer, not up for love, married, they can remember people, they just don't remember them, I get it now, wow, this is a lot of commas, right? Can also say rash things without thinking.

(NQ)
Name: Valérie Voltaire

Age: 15

How are you on the quest: She took the place of her sister, or at least that's what the TM told her when he/she appeared, but she has no memories of her past at all.

Appearance: Valérie is relatively short for her age. Her skin seems transparent, as she never spent much time in the sun, her hair is light brown, wavy, and falls all the way to her low back. She never ties it (or doesn't remember ever doing it). Her eyes are also light, green, she has full lips and a bit pointy nose and chin, and she likes wearing brown, orange and other sepia colors.

Personality: She has no idea where and when she'd learned English, nor what time she comes from. Therefore, it wasn't hard for her to adapt, especially since she liked the dresses women wear and the way everyone speaks. She loves to read, especially about subjects such as flying to the moon and whatever is popular so she can get to it, and is very happy when playing piano (which she also obviously already learned somewhere). Generally, she's a positive person, thinking more of how could she explore different times than of the quest she has to finish, but gets lonely when thinking about family she doesn't have (and never has had, as far as she knows).

What you tell about yourself if asked: "I don't know much about my past. My mother died giving birth to me, and my father left before that. I was raised in an orphanage, when one day someone told me I have inherited some money. I bought a ticket on a ship to London, and here I am, very grateful to Mr Joseph Wells and Ms Sarah Neal for the opportunity of being their daughter's and sons' playmate and baby son's nanny."

Skills: Valérie is very good in making people trust her, though she does it without even realizing it. Besides being a piano player, she's very skilled in making things with her hands (when the Moore girl is sad, she often makes her paper animals and such)

Other: She would love to meet her knight in shining armor, possibly an artist or a magician from another world, who could take her on a magnificent journey.

*


(Victorian)

Name: Elisabeth (Beth) Grey

Age: 21

Appearance: Beth is of average height, too skinny (though it's obvious she used to be much chunkier), has dark red hair and brown eyes. She dresses in whatever she manages to buy, but keeps one fancy dress at home, for special occasions (if there ever appears one such)

Personality: Her head is often in clouds, more or less so she'd protect herself from reality she's forced to live in. Though she's still young, she's the eldest of the girls in her street, therefore often protective and careful. Her greatest desire is to make enough money to afford herself a clean home and better job, and possibly pay a tutor for her son. She loves making up stories, and learns how to read and write whenever she catches time.

History: She was born the youngest of six, but all of her siblings, together with the parents, died in a fire. Little Elisabeth was ten at the time, and she lived on the streets for three years before her caretaker, Mrs Lottie, took her under her wing and taught her the "professional secrets". Ever since, Beth lives in a room above Mrs Lottie's tavern.

How much do you know: She'd gladly believe in time traveling, but she's seen and heard all kinds of nonsenses from all kinds of clients. One day, some years ago, a man appeared, told her all kinds of stories, made her a kid and disappeared again, leaving her a necklace as payment. She never gave it to Lottie, however, keeping it safe, because it reminded her of the only man she could ever call her lover.

Skills: Beth's intuition, as they often tell her, stays on border with magic, letting her predict how people will react, identify danger and so on. She's also a really good storyteller, but she never considered it to be a skill, and knows the dark and secret side of London like the back of her hand.

Other: She has a son Benjamin, age four (she was a young mother), who lives at the orphanage. She visits him whenever she can, and is a very good friend with a nun who takes care of him, but she knows she's far from a mother she should and would like to be. As for love, she sometimes still dreams of Ben's father reappearing, and she would like to have someone who'd be in love with her, but she doubts anyone would want to have anything with her.

Can I reserve a spot as a Quester please?

Spoiler

I admit right now that I got a bit carried away with this character xD.

Name: Radius, Male

Age: 21

Where and When are you from: Technologically superior future, in his time's equivalent of an Upper East Side

How long are you on the quest: 4 Years

Appearance: Raid is 5"11, with mahogany colored eyes, and pale skin. His left arm is covered entirely with zigzag white tattoo rings that both glow in the dark and change colors periodically once in the dark when he wants them to. He also has a moving tattoo of a time stamp on his left arm that serves as a watch and a tattoo of a bird that flies around on his skin, the bird's name is Centi. His hair is curly with both sides of his head shaved and most of his hair fallen forward into his face, the main color is black with the bottom part alternating between green, purple, blue, white, etc. Both of his ears are pierced six times, each hole with a small silver ring in it embellished with a single diamond, each diamond is a different color.

Spoiler

Personality: Radius is extremely eccentric, he's always moving around, always fiddling with something, always changing. He's as consistent as a river, nothing about him stays the same for more than a few minutes. His mind is everywhere all the time, racing, adding,formulating. He's sees the world as a scientific experiment, sees atoms instead of people, the periodic table in the place of buildings and machines. In his mind he is always building, always breaking something down to its core elements in order to see if he could successfully build it back up again.

Radius is a kind, though, he means no harm to anybody, he just gets carried away with all of the ideas bouncing around in his head. He's not conniving, and is in fact a bit naive. He's more honest than what is safe, and holds no secrets. He's an open book, loving, helpful, and more than a little crazy.

History: Radius first started experimenting on himself at the age of nine when he caught hold of his father's kits. His father is his time's equivalent of a plastic surgeon, but instead of bigger breasts and a different nose he gives people moving tattoos, glow in the dark skin, etc. Radius has always been interested in his fathers work, always been the kid who takes apart the remote to see if he could put it back together. It was only natural for him to see if he could further his projects into something more permanent than a toaster or microwave.

Radius grew up to quickly continue in his father's footsteps, starting at age sixteen, along the way he met Arris, a regular customer of his who now resembles - more or less - a creature from a bad sci-fi movie. He grew up privileged and loved for his quirky mind, but things went wrong when human alterations just wouldn't do. He started experimenting on different things, more dangerous procedures, and things steadily went wrong when he started using harmful materials in his surgeries, and infusing people with weapons against their will. He was quickly caught, detained, and sentenced to death.

Who have you named as the ones you'll take along when you finish your quest: His best friend Arris.

Skills: Radius is a down right genius, he can invent pretty much anything. He's a futuristic MacGyver.

Other (everything I haven't thought of): Up for love, no preferences. Radius has given himself, in his illegal experiments, acidic bodily fluids, razor sharp nails ( that he keeps covered with gloves), and night-vision eyes.

Name (and gender if it's not clear, again): Gillian North (F)

Age (when you started the quest): 17

How are you on the quest: Took the place of her mother, doesn't remember. She's a new quester.

Appearance: She's 5'7" and not as clean looking as in the picture. A little younger and messier hair. She's not very strong and blends into a crowd.

Spoiler

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Personality: She's very forward. She doesn't worry what others think of her so much and just goes for it. She's loud, even when she tries to be quiet. She's a very calm and logical thinker. She's not the friendliest person to strangers and can be very judgmental but can be a good friend too. She'll put finishing the quest above others, but will still make time for friends.

What you tell about yourself if asked: My name is Gillian North. I've lived in London my whole life. My family are all dead and I have a rich fiancée currently in Ireland doing business. No, you wouldn't have heard of him, he's new money.

Skills: She's logically smart, brave, and has a very good memory. She can also usually tell if people are hiding something, it's like a sixth sense.

Other:she's from around the year 2100, but she doesn't know that.

Spoiler

I hope this is okay.

Radius

I looked down at my wrist, eyes brimming with tears of frustration. There, glowing bright green in my darkened room, shined "December 31, 11:59 PM". Knowing I had once again failed put my stomach into knots. I ran my hands through my hair and put a hand over Centi, who was bothering me with her frantic flights around my neck. For the fifth time I would be transported into a new world, and would probably fail at my quest. This would be the fifth time. I ran my hands through my hair as the seconds turned, glanced over towards Benedict as he slept in the bed - it's hard to not form relationships when you're in one place for so long, and he was impressed by my tattoos and quirks, unlike the rest who simply screamed "Witch" and tried to kill me. I would miss him, just as I missed Ashley, Hank, and Courtney from before.

More tears were released at that thought, and I pressed a hand to my leaking eyes as the minute was half over.

"Benedict."

He roused sleepily in the bed and I let out a shuddered sigh.

"What, Raidi?"

"I love you, okay."

He made a noise that I decided to decipher as 'I love you too'. For a peasant boy he had a quick mind, and could keep up with my crazy ramblings most of the time. Yes, I would miss him, a lot, perhaps even more than my companions before, perhaps even more than Arris - definitely more than Arris. And I wish I could have finished my quest at least this time, just so I could take him with me. Just so he wouldn't forget me.

Ten seconds left and I was at Ben's side, I listened to his slow breathing, watched the steady rise and fall of his chest, and remembered his face down to the last detail. Five seconds and I kissed his forehead. Three.. Two...

"Goodbye."
--

I arrived on a hard, cobble-stone road. A carriage passed by, horses trotted proudly in front of it. Tall, elegant buildings, women in peticoats, pale skin. I sighed loudly and messed with my hair.

"Oh, are you with one of the circus'," a child asked excitedly, gesturing widly towards my hair and clothes. I smiled and did a backflip, watched as he marveled when my hair went from green to purple.

"Why, of course."

"How did you do that?!"

"Magic."

He ran back towards his mom and I pulled up my collar on my shirt, no Circus tale would be believable enough to explain Centi. I took maybe two steps before there was a crowd gathering around me, asking where the tent was and if I could juggle. I sighed but smiled weakly. At least they weren't chasing me with pitchforks and torches.

Jareth

I could have almost fallen in love with her, he thought as the woman's eyes filled with tears. Her stare pierced his heart - or at least he guessed that is how people may describe it - and the next moment she screamed, cried and turned to dust in front of his eyes. The wind carried it towards him, and he didn't move, not even when touched by what could have been a strand of her hair, her hand or her lips. Did she love me?
He watched as the world around him changed. Once again.


He didn't open his eyes until he was sure the world had stopped spinning.
He felt ill, worse than after any other journey, and he knew immediately this job will be one of the hardest yet. He lifted his hand, slowly moving his fingers, and sighed. At least, this time he's human again, reasonably tall and with the ability to speak.
That was good, but that didn't make the bad feelings go away.
This place, this time.. It was filled with travelers. He could see the prints the Questers have left as they passed, and feel the presence of other Clocks so clearly he was sure could follow them with his eyes closed.
But there was too many of them, more than he'd ever encountered.

A palm punched his chest, pulling him out from his thoughts. He moved quickly, catching the girl's wrists and forcing her to calm herself, and she looked up at him.
"I hate you!"
"You're behaving unacceptably."
"Why did you let her go!? I liked her! She loved you! How could you do that to her, you son of a-"

He let go of her wrist, clutching his hand over her mouth. Her skin was so much warmer than his fingers, even though she wasn't a human either.
"Remember who's son I am", he hissed, "before addressing me anyhow but by my name." Her eyes widened, seeming dark purple of fear, though he didn't even raise his voice. He would never have to do that - little louder than whisper, that was all it ever took. "It doesn't concern you what happened. We left. You shall not mention it again. And you shall never talk to me in such manner again."
He moved his hand so she could answer. His eyes, so much different though at the same time so alike anyone else's, not for a moment left hers, but nevertheless he noticed light red marks his fingers left on her skin.
"Jareth", she said silently. "I won't. I apologize."

She wore a dark red dress, with more bows than he's seen in his lifetime on it, and she seemed so fragile, nothing different that little girls he could see around. People, old and young, stood in the city square as if made of wax, without a move or a sound. Children floated in the air, in the middle of their run, the bells of the near tower stood crooked in silence, and even the dead leaf next to Althea's leg seemed frozen in its fall.
Jareth was used to that. He would always stop the time for a moment when arriving to the new spot, even if it wouldn't be necessary, and mostly it would be a good call.

"Come," he told her, taking her hand and now speaking in less threatening way, as the scene around them slowly started to move again. No one noticed them appearing out of nowhere; it was always like that, as if two strangers falling from thin air was an everyday sight in whichever time they'd visit.
*

Beth

"Did you hear?"
One of the girls held her sleeve tightly, smiling from ear to ear, ignoring the man standing not ever three steps away.
"Did I hear what, Jane?"
"They say circus is in town!"
She giggled as a small girl, not letting her friend's sleeve even when she shook her hand.
"Those are the big news?" Elisabeth asked. "The gentleman is waiting to talk to you, honey."
"I have some money. I want to see it, I never saw one. Perhaps they have tigers."
I'd be more interested in magicians, Elisabeth couldn't stop thinking, as Jane didn't stop talking.
"I was wondering if you and Benjamin would like to come."
Elisabeth sighed. Of course they would like to come - her son probably much more than her, but she had other plans for her money.
"Let go of me, Jane. Go later if you wish.. Don't let the gentleman wait now."
*

Alex York:
Time to ring in the new year. Joy was in the air, joy from all but Alex. How could he have failed again? He looked over at Havel and forced a smile. Havel had been Alex's only real friend throughout this. Maybe it was because he was one of the only people that spoke English, but that didn't matter. In just a few minutes, Alex would move on to a new time, and he would never see Havel again, and vice versa. And the worst part was that Alex didn't tell Havel that he was a quester. He rubbed his hands up through his hair, trying to calm himself down. He turned to Havel. "Havel, I have something to say. You probably won't believe me, but this is true. I'm not here by accident, I'm here because—"

Alex woke on a cobblestone road. All around him, people were bustling here and there, and there he was, just sitting in the middle of the street. He rose, and walked until he could find a more suitable place to sit, a place to think.

"You must make sure it survives," the Time Master's words haunted him, because he was so close, so close. He almost completed his quest, but in the end, all he got out of it were a bunch of pictures from Germanic Rome. Alex felt tears welling in his eyes, but he pushed them away. This was a new year, and he was determined. Alex rose from his seat and tried to determine where he was. He walked and walked, and then he reached an open market. He pulled someone aside.

"Excuse me miss, where am I?" Alex asked the lady.

"You loon, we're in London! Now if you don't mind, I want to go see the circus!" And with that, she stormed away.

Hopefully they aren't all like that, Alex thought to himself, or this'll be a rough year. Oh well, it was the first day of the year, might as well enjoy it. Maybe I'll head to the circus, I do like lions, Alex thought to himself, but his legs were thinking before his brain, and he was already walking.