(TRtH) The next Step

[Aurora]

I also agree there is nothing else to do but wait it out. And Aurora will agree that there either needs to be a coverup story...or people need to die. I'm ok with either a new scene or jumping ahead. I figured he'd want to chat with her...lol! :P

[Aeolus]

All right, so staying put until the effect end it is?

[Apollo]

Yep

[Aurora]

Yes

[Aeolus]

Minutes pass, then hours. The Paradox seemed to stretch the time Aurora and Apollo waited to days, moments only actually advancing every so often after a random amount of repeats. The Awakeneds' minds similarly circled around one topic: could they have stopped this? Could they have prevented it, or even handled the results better? Was the other one to blame? Was it their own fault?
Whatever they had attempted, it did little to nothing to change things.

Over the course of hours Katie had managed to reach the door, only to find it locked. Her expression of shock, slowly turning into horror and then resignation was not easier to witness the fifth time, nor the tenth. The hot topic teen would ultimately sink to the ground, her sobbing never quite sounding authentic in the irregular rewinds.
Stephanie similarly wound up lying on the floor, the broken bones in her face keeping her in a constant cycle of pain, passing out and waking up as Aurora's spell and the natural reactions of her body wrestled for control. At one point she started speaking, forcing words out in spite of the pain. Eventually, Apollo and Aurora could make out a complete sentence out of the fragments and stutters: "I only wanted to help them."

At some point the Mages' thoughts cleared - the fixation was a strong and present memory, but any questions they might have lacked the urgency now. A little later time - or rather: the Fallen concept thereof - seemed to fix itself. Gone was the constant pushing and pulling around them and it was then that they could appreciate what they might have taken for granted: the semblance of continuity.

With the item that might have caused all that destroyed (albeit scrutinized by Apollo) and the Sleepers just confused, barely responsive and shocked there was little else to investigate here. At least, nothing they didn't investigate, interrogate or scrutinize while being stuck in the Paradox-induced purgatory.
The road to Hell, it occurred to them, was indeed paved with good intentions.

All right, let's call it here due to overtime (for which I am fully to blame). You can have a post agreeing on how Apollo and/or Aurora were planning on maybe covering tracks (just so both of you are on the same page there) and there won't be any new useful information nor is there any chance that what they are attempting is going to fail (within reason, of course).

[Apollo]

Apollos plan is to play this off as a bad trip. Someone has clearly spiked the coffee. (Thats the short version) In the end when its all smoothed over and him and Aurora are walking off his question is "Your place or mine?"

[Aurora]

Aurora will offer up her place if Apollo is good with that. I can get a scene open if you like.

[Apollo]

Sounds like a plan

[Xander]

End scene!