Ari had to shake her head bemusedly as Audrey named the doll. It just figured, didn't it? The animosity between those two was nearly legendary. Now she was even more determined to get back here, find the doll, and put it somewhere unexpected. And maybe make some scary noises, to boot...
She took some of the water, trying not to grimace (it did not taste pleasant; she definitely preferred the wine she had been drinking earlier) and left the others behind her to do the same as she headed deeper into the house.
The stairs creaked, but she found a room that suited her purposes eventually. At least it wasn't fully dark with the moonlight coming in through the window, and this seemed to be one of the rooms that retained any furniture. The fainting couch looked old, but serviceable enough, and it didn't seem rats had moved in.
She wasn't going to sit for fifteen minutes on the floor unless there was no other choice.
She spat the water in the corner and settled herself on the couch right in the middle of the room, mandolin across her lap, then strummed a few chords. Couldn't sing with a full mouth, after all. Little by little she watched her own limbs fade from view until the couch appeared empty.
There. She had hidden (and Hidden, which joke seemed utterly hilarious in her tipsy state; she struggled not to giggle).
She began counting down minutes. Five in, she thought everyone else would be tucked away. Now, to go down and move the doll... But right as she thought this, there was a shuffle outside the door. She froze. Had someone had the same idea? Damn it, had someone beaten her to it?
The door stood partially open, in the dark floor a tiny figure with a disproportionately large knife walked by. Its doll head turned a full ninety degrees, as though it was looking right at her.
Ari had to give herself credit -- she didn't make a sound. Actually, she didn't even breathe.
But her own unique version of magic -- which was not susceptible to spells the way a simple Vanish would be, stood the test. Slowly, eerily, the doll continued on its way.
Well then. Well then.
All things considered, maybe it was time to get the hell out of here. She'd go find Audrey.
The doll's steps had vanished down the hall as she crept in the opposite direction and down the stairs towards the kitchen.