[Kitsumi]

Crux was here on business. Ethereal, unseen by any of those who had gathered near the well, he was able to stealthily keep an eye on a specific winter eladrin who was currently drinking water and spitting out coins. It would have been easy to do the deed here... but there were far too many witnesses. Crux couldn't risk it here; what if somebody had True Sight? He would wait until the eladrin left the well and the crowd, before taking his life and picking up the bounty money.

(raffle post)

[Freezair]

It had been a day, and Damien was back. He hadn't bothered to cast any spells yet, since it probably hadn't worked. He stood there, still and cold, his hands in his pockets, his breath misting in front of him, and his eyes on the ground.

Then they darted left and right, scanning the area around him. No one was watching him from the left. No one was watching him from the right.

Slowly, he lifted one hand out of his pocket. He snapped his fingers.

There was a whiff of brimstone, and a cup of hot chocolate appeared in his hands.

He gave it a tentative sip.

And he tasted chocolate and peppermint.

((Raffle Post))

[crow]

A young man with an unreadable smile on his face approached the well. In his hand he had a coin, which he tossed into the air, catching it in his open palm and then flipping it up again. It danced in the air, and then between his fingers, flowing over and under like a minnow in a stream, winter sunlight gleaming along its surface.

Once he reached the edge, he tossed it in. "Don't know who's the big power here, but I'll trouble you to look after an old friend of mine, if you're listening," he said, speaking to the well as if he expected it to answer... or at least to hear.

(Raffle post)

[amanda784]

Nala found a good spot to sit down and people watch. Nala enjoyed watching other's wishing. She noticed that they often came to this place with their faces toward the ground and shoulders slumped. When they left, they often had a small smile and walked proudly. Hopeless people came to this place and left with hope. Even if their wishes didn't come true at least their hope would be restored.

Nala took a sip of her chai latte and smiled to herself. Maybe she came her as a little hope refresher too. Her life was changing so fast it was easy to become discouraged.

((Raffle Post))

[Sarah]

Kail circled the well. He was suspicious of these new rumors. A few different sorts from the castle had come out already. All had returned with similar reports. It seemed too strange to be real. Kail had come to find out for himself if these raffle tickets were a real thing.
(Raffle Post)

[FrostWynd]

That was pretty much exactly what Jayden figured as he remained quiet and still, lingering perhaps an extra minute or two just to be sure that he could assure both Bacca and Kassia that, yes, he did make absolute sure to check the well and listen.

He had listened, and given it a fair enough chance to show him otherwise that whatever was going on here wasn't just some old creaky well that was barely holding together at this point. And his assessment was that the thing was completely normal. End of story.

Satisfied that he had done more than enough to prove that the kits were just imagining things, he'd turn to leave, with nothing being gained besides wasting his time.

Or maybe so he thought...

After he'd left the building behind him, his ears would shift to pick up on a faint sound. He did look back, wondering if he'd actually heard something, but would still continue on his way. Being the less inquisitive cat of his group, he simply chalked it up to it just being a bird singing somewhere further away from here, and left it at that.

(Raffle Post)

[Jaykobell]

Oh, what a day! It had started earlier than usual, and at the dreadful sight of an issue at work. They hadn't been able to go in! And they had something so urgent to handle! To think a day would come when they would be upset about being given a forced day off from work...

But things hadn't been all bad. They had managed to get some other things done, and they had settled on a plan for the time being. Tomorrow would be the day that would seal the deal, something they had been waiting on for a while, and which was delaying the whole process.

Ah, but for now, something simple: and a small Keystone fell into the well.

[Raffle Post]

[Kitsumi]

She had come without her brother, wanting some privacy. Myrymsaaria knew that wherever Sorin went, he managed to draw a crowd. Right now, she wanted the comfort of quiet isolation... however, it seemed that she had come to the wrong spot for that.

When she spotted the people crowding around the well, the drow sighed. Why had so many people gathered here all of the sudden? From what she had heard, the place was supposed to be practically abandoned. Yet now, many people had gathered. What was so special about the well, that they would line up in order to take turns peering into it?

Well, she certainly wasn't going to stay here long enough to figure it out. With her cape swishing behind her, Myrym turned on her heel and stalked away. She would have to find another spot to fulfil her desire to be alone for a few hours.

(Raffle Post)

[Jedi]

Taszeis

"Look," he said as he started picking up the coins from the cobblestone floor. "If you don't understand how this works, then don't bother questioning it, you bumbling fool." He tossed them back in the well, then turned to the tall man with the bucket. "This is a wishing well. For example, I wish for you to do as I say." He watched intently, waiting for him to pick up on what he said. "Now follow me. I could use the muscle." The hulking Eladrin named Nalfros began following behind, enchanted by the magic of the well.

[Raffle Post]

[Adelie]

Ven looks a little downcast at that. "Um, that's really cool but I was hoping for a ... name? Like, you don't have to give me your real name or anything if you're uncomfortable with it, but I kind of need something to call you besides just 'Interviewee.'"

"Oh," Wolf says. It's pretty sweet, actually, that Ven managed to predict her question before she even asked it - now the problem is that she's got to come up with a pseudonym for herself. The first name that pops up in her name is that of a popular idol; she'll take it, she supposes. It's not like that matters. "Just call me Jiwoo, I guess?"

"Cool!" Ven says, brightening considerably. "Okay, Jiwoo. I'm not sure how much of this you know already, or have heard of, but as a little background - basically, my investigation has been about two rumors. First, there's the existence of this wishing well itself - allegedly people come here, make a wish, and then it may or may not be granted. This is apparently a long-standing folktale, and my research says it's been around... well, pretty much as long as this town has been around." Wolf nods - she'd heard about this as well. "Second, there's been a recent rumor that people who come here to make wishes end up finding mysterious paper 'tickets' in their belongings after visiting. Is there anything you'd like to say about this - like corrections or additions?"

"Sounds like your information's about the same as mine."

(raffle post!)

[GrayGriffin]

The Shinzo slunk up to the well, a smirk on his face as he held out a Keystone, preparing to drop it.

"I'm not asking for much," he said softly. "All I want is for me and my dearest's next scheme to go well. Don't we deserve something good once in a while?"

[Raffle post]

[Celtic]

Welp, he had a one last errand to run in town today, might as well get 'er done quickly. The little striped quadriped hobbled over to the wishing well. He paused and took a look at his surroundings, seeing all the squalor around. Sighing, he thought back to his days running around this very same well as a child. Funny how carefree he was back then, even though he was starving and orphaned. He was just happy to be included. If only he could go back to that time. I'm just getting soft, life ain't too shabby. Not now at least. A smile appeared on his lips and he, a little clumsily, hopped up to the edge of the well, dropping in his keystone.

"Show me the money, baby!"

(Raffle)

[zapdragon555]

_{[Continued from...?]}

How Jigen had gotten into a mess like this, he truly couldn't fathom it. It could only be because of someone like Lupin that Jigen found himself arms-deep inside an ancient wishing well, his legs and body hugging the side of it with all of the terror of someone who knew falling inside would mean an impossibility getting out. No Lassies coming to save him. Jigen summoned all the breath in his lungs and cupped his hands around his mouth. "Luuuupiiiin!" he screamed down the well, shivering to hear not much echo back at him. Just how bottomless was this thing...?

It was frankly absolute hogwash to think that, if Lupin actually DID fall down this well, he was almost certainly dead already. Or halfway to Madrid, or wherever this mysterious passage led.

Jigen gasped as his hat slipped off his head, and he tried his darndest to grab it, but it was plummeting down the well's dark walls before he could get a grip of its rim. Jigen hung there for a moment, staring at the inky abyss, and let out a tense, slow sigh before pushing himself up and back to safety.

Not that he was going to be up here for long. He needed his hat. He could let Lupin die down there, if he really was down there, whatever—but he wasn't leaving this place without that hat.

[Raffle Post]

[SpringsSong]

Lana. Xyshari.

Again, Lana and Xyshari returned to the well, though expressions were still somber. They knew that wishes like what Xyshari was hoping for were unlikely at best; it was hard for those who had become a part of the Force to return - even those that remained for whatever reasons they remained. So, Xyshari's expression was one of practiced neutrality, instead of being crestfallen.

"Do you truly believe that your wish will be granted?" Lana asked, looking at her wife, and then at the space across from the well where Xyshari had kept her gaze fixed upon the past several days when they had come here to make their wish.

"I don't know. But I can hope," Xyshari said. "You know, he's one of the reasons I was even alive to meet you in the first place?"

"I believe you had mentioned that," Lana said, letting the keystones fall from her hand. "Even if it doesn't bring him back, I'd love to be able to talk to him the way you can. I feel like I should have gotten his permission as well as Ti's."

(Raffle post)

[Jaykobell]

A bit of a rocky night, a busy and annoying morning, a day that had been both slow and fast at the same time. Oh, and, wrapping up presents too, the few they had bought. It was very little, but after the kind of year this was... Ah, they didn't feel like dealing with the shopping and the figuring out what to buy, what to get, and all. The more time passed by, the more exhausting this became.

Ah, well. It was almost over.

They had lost count of how many Keystones had been dropped down here.

[Raffle Post]