The Lacuna Coil

[Trillian]

"No," she answered.  His reasoning wasn't sound, but it wasn't phrased as a question, so she remained silent.  His questions were very peculiar, considering he was asking questions to which she'd already given him answers.  "The walkway doesn't have to be maintained, the walkway will maintain itself."  She wasn't satisfied with her own answer, and knew it was because his intention with the question hadn't been how it had sounded, so she tried again.  "You do not have to maintain the walkway."  That hadn't felt right either, so she tried again.  "The walkway leads from your entry to the doors."  There!  She sighed with relief.

[Existentially Odd]

Again, his gaze was drawn to the doors and he found himself examining them closely, observing the wood they were made of, imagining opening them and what he might see on the other side.  It likely wouldn't be safe, Bralik had said as much, but... he was a creature that didn't need air, he was exceptionally strong and mentally talented, what could it hurt to pass through and-

"You have been here for ten minutes."

Her voice pierced his odd preoccupation with the doors and he blinked at her, frowning lightly.  "Why do you keep telling me how long I've been here?" he asked, then looked down at the progress he'd made with organising everything.  For ten minutes' worth of visiting, he hadn't accomplished much and he began to debate just how long he'd spend on this task.  The guardian had said she was organised... sadly, the room wasn't.

[Trillian]

Her answer was succinct, if not somewhat repetitive.

"Because I am the Timekeeper.  I am here to tell you how much time you have spent with your treasures."

[Existentially Odd]

"Why does it matter how much time I've spent with my treasures?" he asked in exasperation.  "Is my time here limited?"

[Trillian]

"I am here to ensure you don't lose track of time whilst you are with your treasures," she explained.  "No," she said shortly after.

[Existentially Odd]

He frowned at her, thinking it increasingly odd that she would keep track of time for him, if there was no time limit.  Her presence was beginning to bother him altogether, really; the way she was limited with regard to answering him - though she wouldn't lie - the way she was telling him the time he'd spent, the way she said things over again but didn't really manage to clarify.  It seemed she would answer questions, but not demands and she would never expand on anything he didn't fully understand.

"Are there things you haven't told me yet?" he asked, after giving it a bit of thought.  He needed to be a bit more tactical about talking to her, it felt like.  It was probably just the way she was designed, he didn't blame her but the longer their association went on, the more things began to niggle at him.  "What don't I know?"

[Trillian]

"Yes," she replied, for his first question was specific enough to answer.  The second, however, was not.  She didn't frown, as she had a way of answering.

"There are many things you do not know.  Nobody can know all things."

[Existentially Odd]

His lips thinned, but he persevered.  "What features of this room and of you haven't you explained to me yet?"

[Trillian]

"This room is independent of all planes.  This room is created for a single keybearer.  This room will expand as needed.  This room can be manipulated to look as you wish.  This room can be used to store all manner of treasures, artificial or living.  This room has an exit into any or every plane.  This room has a Guardian whose soul purpose is to stand watch over your treasures.  The Guardian has been created for this room.  The Guardian is an echo.  The Guardian contains all information required for the use of this room.  The Guardian is not to be attacked or the key will be removed from your possession.  The Guardian can account for the whereabouts of your treasures.  The Guardian cannot touch your treasure, but can bring it to you, or you to it.  The Timekeeper is a convenience afforded to you due to the nature of planar travel.  The Timekeeper will remind you of time passed upon request, mention or if lack thereof, every five minutes that pass."

She fell silent.

[Existentially Odd]

Kerr asked her to repeat each bit of information again, more slowly, with a pause in between the ones that were important (in his opinion).  After hearing it all rattled off at him quickly the first time, he was excited but he wasn't sure he'd heard her accurately; the second time he knew and it left him grinning.

"You can bring treasures to me!" he exclaimed, putting the things he was holding down.  "So it doesn't matter if things are arranged!  I can just come in here, tell you I want something and you'll get it for me, right?"

[Trillian]

"Yes," she said.  In the middle of her recount back to him, she'd told him fifteen minutes had passed, and now they were drawing closer to twenty.

[Existentially Odd]

Knowing that they were approaching twenty minutes and feeling very pleased with himself for finally unlocking the mysteries of this room, Kerr didn't think there was much point in staying in here (the idea that this room was a way to access every plane was about as intriguing as those doors had ever got but he'd spent enough needless time pondering this room's mysteries).  He had just one more question.

"How do I get back to my own plane?" he smiled.

[Trillian]

"The same way you came in.  You cannot see the portal on this side, but it is there."  She pointed to it, her arm gracefully lowering once Kerr had looked in that direction.

[Existentially Odd]

Kerr smiled graciously at her, inclining his head as he moved buoyantly towards his exit, pleased to have accomplished all he'd set out to do and now be on the homeward bound track to his loves - and his unstable city.  There was much to be done and with this task out of the way, he needed to get to it!

"Thank you for your help, Guardian," he told her cheerfully as he stuck his hand into where he thought the portal should be.  He laughed jubilantly as he felt the familiar pulling sensation and, with a final glance back at her, he ceased to exist in the dimensional vault.

[Existentially Odd]

Just a little bump to reveal this topic so you all can know what Kerr got up to when he left the city with that infamous book...

To the start of the thread!