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 Posted: Sun Sep 13, 2009 12:15 am
Loch felt bad for Annis's situation, he really did. But he couldn't dispel the thought that this was some sort of karmic retribution for all her questionable actions. Of course, after having laughed at her, he didn't dare mention this to her face.
However small her face might be now.
But upon watching Annis try to fly and subsequently fail, he was struck by a sudden sense of fear. A loss of flight was a bird's greatest worry. While he imagined it would be especially traumatizing for Annis concerning her current stature, he couldn't shake that thought from his own head. When Annis suddenly leapt onto his arm and climbed upon his shoulder, he hesitated a moment. Carefully, he reached up to his shoulder and grasped Annis gingerly around her torso and under her wings and lifted her off and up in front of him. "I'm sorry about this...let me try flying as well. Perhaps your size is preventing you from getting lift." The flapping of his wings would knock her off, and from a standing position that could be potentially catastrophic. He held her in front of him with both hands as he tried gaining lift with a flap of his wings. Nothing.
Well, it was worth a shot.
He set her back down upon his shoulder, taking a second to glance over at her to see if she was okay. It was interesting being able to take in her full form like this. Now is not the time to be admiring her, Loch! She's not pretty-- I mean, she's pretty, but not like this! She seemed frightened - anyone in that situation would be, honestly - but she was okay. "Hold on, I do not want to shake you loose with my movement."
With that, he set out at a brisk pace, leaping onto the first bar when he'd reached it.
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Posted: Sun Sep 13, 2009 8:50 am
→→→→→→The hands I'd kept clean→→→→→→Now look dirty→→→→→→Before I can doubt my memories→→→→→→My memories are doubting me...Annis was still comfortably perched when--hey, hold on!--Loch's arm was around her stomach, fingers underneath her chest, and he lifted her off of his shoulder. Annis tried hard not to, but the sudden squeezing pressure against her sides made her squeak, and at the sound, her face turned red and she immediately busied herself with smoothing her hair out with her hands, trying to hide her red complexion.
"I'm sorry about this... let me try flying as well. Perhaps your size is preventing you from getting lift."
"Normal birds--ones that are smaller than I am now--can fly on a regular basis, Loch..." Annis muttered, though as she did not feel herself lifting any higher into the air, her chest seized up for a second. Loch couldn't fly either. A heron and a raven, whose biggest assets were flight and the benefits derived from that ability, grounded onto the earth.
...Doubly boned.
Annis clutched onto Loch's shoulder once she was safely settled on his shoulder again, her wings flapping once in agitation before folding tightly to her back. "R-Right," she mumbled. Her face seemed a little paler than usual. The raven tightened her hold as Loch moved forwards and leaped right up to the first bar. Perhaps it was her size, because suddenly he felt like he was moving much faster than normal. Annis dug her fingers into the fabric of his jacket and watched his progression with wide eyes, keeping silent for once.
Meanwhile, perched upon the edges of the walls, the full extent of their height shrouded in darkness, a trio of jet-black birds the size of dogs studied the duo attempting this second challenge in contemplation. Their white eyes, an identical white to that of parchment, gleamed... We're mirrors, both of us←←←←←←
Reflecting each other's karma←←←←←←
Our dirty hands will touch←←←←←←
And we'll know its shape...←←←←←←
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Posted: Tue Sep 15, 2009 1:33 am
It was a little difficult not to focus on tiny Annis clinging to his robe. But those thoughts had to be pushed aside as he clung to each bar, swinging back and forth between each. Loch, admittedly, had a fair bit of upper body strength. Back when he'd lost his transformation ability and before he'd taken up magic, a regime had been taken up as a just-in-case kind of thing. That was two hundred or so years ago, though. He hadn't been entirely devoted to the program since then. He was starting to break a sweat.
If they made it out of here, he was going to get back into shape.
Of course, every movement of his arm made him painfully aware that there wasn't much room for Annis to hang on as his arms were raised and currently devoted to hanging on and not dying. He had to pause halfway across the gap, carefully timing one of the platforms hovering eerily over the gap so that he could drop down onto it, all to give her a chance to reposition herself. "Are you okay, Annis?" Only when he was certain she was positioned safely did he leap and grab onto the bars once again. And a short time later, they were safely planted upon the ground once again. "I...er, have pockets, if you think they would be more secure..."
Pockets were currently unnecessary, though, as the second part of this challenge now faced them. It seemed to require more on the part of the shrunken participant, as upon a glance the larger of the two would be barred by a great gate. There was a smaller hole to the side where, presumably, the smaller one would be forced to cross through in order to navigate a set of obstacles and activate a switch that would allow clearance for the other.
"Well..." he said, gently grasping her and setting her down upon the ground, "It would appear as though this is your trial."
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Posted: Tue Sep 15, 2009 4:02 pm
→→→→→→The hands I'd kept clean→→→→→→Now look dirty→→→→→→Before I can doubt my memories→→→→→→My memories are doubting me...Annis rode in silence, fingers clutching onto large handfuls of the material of his robe. It was rather surprising to see him crossing the metal bars with ease, though as he began to swing harder, sending his arms pumping, Annis practically had to clutch onto the space between his neck and shoulder to keep from flying off into the distance. And without her flight... Annis shuddered.
Annis didn't answer Loch when he landed on a platform, only settling onto his shoulders near his neck, holding onto his jacket more securely. When he finally got to solid ground, Annis released a long, high-pitched sigh and sank against the soft fabric of his jacket. She could feel his hair brushing against her body. It struck her that it was incredibly soft, in what places it touched bare skin, such as at her shoulders or on her face.
Annis shook her head. "No, I'm fine with your shoulder," she murmured, putting one hand absently against a lock of hair near her body. It was about at that point that she noticed the hole.
"Well..." Annis squeaked in surprise as he very suddenly lifted her up--well, it was more like a shocked cry, but with her size, it certainly sounded like a squeak, "It would appear as if this is your trial."
Annis studied the hole, then turned to Loch. "...It would appear so..." Annis sighed, took a deep breath as she approached the hole, and took a dive through the opening and into the darkness.
Whatever magic had turned this book into a test of skills must have been used to implement this mysterious darkness; Annis could still hear the faint crackle of torches, though presumably smaller for this area. There was also... a very strange sound. As if something was moving overhead. A bird...? Annis looked up, and at that instant, the lights strengthened and cast away the darkness.
It wasn't just one bird. It wasn't two, or three, or even a dozen--The entire ceiling was carpeted with green, blue, yellow, red. Feathers were everywhere as budgerigars fluttered about, twining and weaving about each other. There were no perches for them on the walls or floor; just straight walls until the ceiling was hit.
Annis looked around; the budgerigars were ignoring her for the time being, even if she served as a sort of perch for the more tired individuals. There was a hole on the wall nearby, right under a torch, shaped like some sort of odd, jagged triangle. "I need a rock... or a key, or..." Annis' eyes drifted up as she caught something metal flashing in the lamplight.
A particularly small budgerigar, a little white thing with red-tipped wings, was carrying a metal object of the exact same shape as the hole in its claws.
Annis stared. "...Are you kidding me?" she muttered. They were far overhead, out of reach, and without her own ability to fly, she could only hop in place and lunge at them. Just drive it home, guys, that I can't fly. Thanks. Annis sat down on the ground and stared at the birds flying overhead. Every so often, the white bird from before flitted into sight, still carrying the key.
Or maybe...
Annis drew her remaining dagger and aimed it the bird carrying the key. She did her best to aim while the bird was flying about, even as it filtered in between all of the other birds. Finally, as the white budgerigar appeared again, Annis threw the dagger.
It struck the little bird right in the heart, and with a little jerk, it fell to the floor, the key hitting the floor.
It was at that point that all the other birds realized that an intruder was in the room. Not to mention that she had just killed one of her own. The birds all trilled in unison, right as Annis knelt down to pick up the key. As her hands closed around the metal object, dozens and dozens of claws were scraping at her face and arms, even in places where skin wasn't visible. Annis yelled, flailing her hands to try to get the birds to leave her alone. It wasn't a simple matter; the birds all came up about halfway up her body, to the bottom of her ribcage. Simply put, the things were comparatively huge.
Annis wrapped her wings around her as she rushed for the wall, struggling to get away from the sharp talons and--ow, ow!--now beaks. Annis ran right into the wall, dazing her for a few moments, but a particularly sharp scratch against her back made her snap back to her senses. She shoved the key into the proper hole in the wall.
A grinding noise could be heard as the gate that barred Loch slowly pulled itself into the wall. The budgerigars all froze in mid-air, and with a small pop of magical energy, disappeared. A single white feather was left on the ground. Annis swept it up into her hand and rushed out of the new opening in the far wall, diving out and tucking into a roll.
"G-Goddess, I thought that'd never end," Annis muttered. There was a deep scratch across her cheek, drawing blood, and numerous ones on her arms and shoulders, over half of those also bleeding, albeit very little. She looked to the feather in her hand; it was suddenly much smaller than before. "I think one of those birds really got me goo--"
Annis froze. Wait. Small feather. Annis looked to the side, then looked herself over. She looked over to the torch on the wall; the handle was large enough to fit comfortably in her hand. "Yes! I'm back to normal size! Loch, this--"
She paused again. She didn't see his face before hers. She slowly tilted her head down until she saw Loch, the same size as she was before, standing on the ground.
She was silent for a few long moments. The torches flickered, the flames popping once. Finally, dropping the budgerigar feather, her scratches bleeding, Annis started laughing.
[[No I'm not Kurai what are you talking about]] We're mirrors, both of us←←←←←←
Reflecting each other's karma←←←←←←
Our dirty hands will touch←←←←←←
And we'll know its shape...←←←←←←
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Posted: Tue Sep 15, 2009 5:43 pm
Loch watched forlornly as Annis entered the hole by herself. Several ideas passed through his head as he waited - he had Thoron on him, he could blow through the gate. He couldn't fly, but he could climb. Judging from how he'd exerted himself swinging across, though, that wouldn't be a very productive idea. So that left Thoron, and he didn't really care to try using it again since he'd just fired it off twice in a row and that had a tendency to drain a person. Besides, the gate looked fashioned of stone, and it seemed a fair bit sturdier than those aged statues.
His patience turned to worry as he heard screams, chirps, and fluttering from within the wall. "Annis!" he cried. He knelt down, trying to see something through the hole, but there were turns in the way that kept from seeing too far. And without sight he couldn't light a spell in there, which would probably be a bad idea, too. But suddenly the shrieks stopped, and that left Loch laying upon the ground as the gate pulled itself into the wall. And he heard Annis's voice, which was very much comforting.
But when he stood up, he immediately noticed things were different. Okay, so I teased her about her size. This must be my retribution... He was roughly the same size she was before, or at least he assumed so. The only judge he had of his own height was her towering form before him, and that wasn't very helpful at all. And she was laughing at him.
His worry had quickly turned to humiliation as he flushed red and remained silent.
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Posted: Tue Sep 15, 2009 5:59 pm
→→→→→→The hands I'd kept clean→→→→→→Now look dirty→→→→→→Before I can doubt my memories→→→→→→My memories are doubting me...Annis slowly quieted, smiling wide. She was still bleeding, she couldn't fly, they were still trapped in here, but dammit, at least Loch knew how it felt now to suddenly be the same size as a house cat. She wiped her eyes dry, wincing as a tear hit the open cut on her cheek, and knelt down to Loch's height. "So... are... you okay?" she asked, stifling down a lone snicker.
Annis looked over silently to the final obstacle in the hall--the floor was simple enough, littered with what looked to be tree vines growing out of the floor and creating more than enough nooks for clumsy visitors to break their neck upon tripping, but the floor was cracked all over, ramping the eeriness up to eleven. "I think... I think the floor will crack away if we step on it too much, so... we'll need to be careful," Annis murmured. She turned to Loch, then picked him up in both hands. She took extra care to be gentle; it wouldn't exactly be friendly to accidentally damage one of his wings. "I don't... I don't have extra cloth for you to grab onto. I have my dagger holsters, but they aren't big enough..."
Annis started to walk. "So... uhm... here, sit on my head... or something..." the raven awkwardly placed him upon her scalp. "Grab onto my hair... don't care if you tug, just don't yank it out of my head." With that, Annis started to walk; even her lightest footsteps left behind ominous cracks from the floor.
And the birds, the glowing, menacing birds from before, perched themselves nearby, watching Loch now with an eerie manner about them, feathers ruffling and beaks opening and closing soundlessly... We're mirrors, both of us←←←←←←
Reflecting each other's karma←←←←←←
Our dirty hands will touch←←←←←←
And we'll know its shape...←←←←←←
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Posted: Tue Sep 15, 2009 9:03 pm
"Me? I-I'm perfectly fine..." He found he had to speak up a little louder than his normal tone. "I could, er...ask you that...I would offer to heal your injuries again, but..." Casually withdrawing a Mend staff that to her was virtually the size of a toothpick, he realized that it just wouldn't work.
Okay, nothing was screwed. He just put the staff away. A hand rummaged through his robe and, okay, Thoron was still there. And he murmured the incantation of Elwind, and it worked. Well, adjusting for size. Which pretty much equated to useless to anyone normal size. And flapping his wings...yeah, still couldn't fly. Much like Annis had been, he was in bad shape. And, okay, that was very much awkward when Annis picked him up. He imagined it must have been the same for her when he'd picked her up in that position. Well, at least her fingers were soft?
"Er, r-right..." He clutched onto the strands of her hair when he was placed there. These strands of hair were way too large, and that dandruff was freakishly large to one of his size. Of course, he wasn't going to bring that up, not right now. "I am secured, you may continue..." His words weren't very strong, but she wasn't going to get much more out of him right now. He just sat in silence as she moved on. There wasn't anything to say. He just sat awkwardly up there, waiting for this whole thing to be over.
The birds that he was not aware of, however, seemed to have other intentions in mind. Upon Annis reaching closer to them, both took off simultaneously, circling above.
And Loch didn't even notice them until one had swept and cleanly picked him up in its talons. Loch let out little more than a surprised grunt, as the talons were tightly locked around his ribcage, choking him.
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Posted: Wed Sep 16, 2009 3:43 pm
→→→→→→The hands I'd kept clean→→→→→→Now look dirty→→→→→→Before I can doubt my memories→→→→→→My memories are doubting me...Annis shook her head. "No, I'm fine," she insisted at the mention of healing her wounds. The scratches stung, yes, they were bleeding, yes, but they weren't anywhere near serious. They would surely stop bleeding after a few minutes. She tried not to tilt her head up, as if that would allow her to see Loch up there in her hair.
The labyrinth seemed to have other ideas beyond just giving the two dangerous ground to walk upon--Annis had barely walked three feet when a deep rumbling came through the area, causing her to nearly pitch over and hit the weak flooring. The raven barely managed to keep her balance, but when she had righted herself again, a sharp spear of ice hit her thoughts, widening her eyes.
Where was Loch's weight on her head?
Annis put one hand to her scalp, then looked to the floor. "Loch?" she questioned, twisting around to look behind her. Nowhere below her, nowhere on her person, so the only other place to look was... up...
Annis turned her eyes to the ceiling; sure enough, there was Loch in the air, going higher and higher... and some gigantic crow-looking bird with him in its claws. She could see the hunger in its beady eye, not to mention its buddy circling overhead. They were going for the kill.
Oh, hell no!
Annis leaped up towards the bird and swiped one hand. She brushed Loch's feet, but didn't manage to get a hold on him. The sudden retaliation of the raven was enough to startle the bird and cause it to lower a little, but even as Annis managed to regain her balance and not break through the floor, when she tried again, the bird rose right up so her fingertips whisked against the fabric of his jacket.
"Hell's bells...!" Annis whispered. She lunged again for Loch, missing once more. "Dammit! If I could fly, or if I had my dagger again, but no...!" Annis stared up at Loch, readying herself to jump again. The bird was well out of her reach, but she had to try, or the heron was doomed. This isn't good...!
Annis was sure that Loch would be birdfood until, well, there was a comparatively large burst of electrical power from around the heron, considering his current size. Annis released a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. And then Loch was falling. "s**t, s**t!" Annis leaped up towards the dropping heron, managing to pull him against her chest, wrapping his arms around him. The ground shook again right as she landed on her left foot, and she screamed at the sudden crack of pain deep in the bone.
The birds were intent on finishing the job, and as Annis struggled to get to her feet and keep moving, as she felt the ground quaking and cracking below her, she could feel more talons and beaks trying to gouge into her back and arms. Annis shielded Loch, holding her arms around him against her chest, and half-limped, half-ran for the door, teeth gritted against the pain. As one of the birds pecked her back rather violently, grazing against the bone of her wing, Annis barely held back a yell, speeding her pace. As the third tremor came, Annis tripped and fell against the door into the safe room, barely keeping herself from crushing Loch.
"S-Sorry," she managed. One of the birds released an inhuman screech as Annis pulled one arm away from the doll-sized Loch and opened the door. She barely avoided a powerful talon swipe as she got both of them inside the midway room, slamming the door behind her.
Annis sank against the now-closed door, slowly releasing her hold on Loch against her torso. "Are... are you all right?" Annis asked. Even with her face pale, the mischievous expression was returning to her face. With Loch on her lap, she raised his left arm, then his right. "Lemme check," she told him, turning him around so as to face his back to her. She very gently spread his wings, then removed his jacket to check for injuries. Nope, nothing. "Like a dress-up doll," she murmured, putting his jacket back on his body. She looked at both legs, then placed him down on the stone floor.
"Yo-You're clear," she told him, grinning. As she let him go, though, she immediately pulled her left leg nearer to her body, taking the pressure off of her injured ankle. There didn't seem to be a clear break anywhere; her foot was angled inward slightly, but nothing more than what could happen normally. The swelling was visible just slightly under her boot, though. We're mirrors, both of us←←←←←←
Reflecting each other's karma←←←←←←
Our dirty hands will touch←←←←←←
And we'll know its shape...←←←←←←
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Posted: Wed Sep 16, 2009 6:30 pm
Loch grunted as he struggled to free himself from the massive claws. They had his arms pinned to his sides, were putting uncomfortable pressure on his wings, and were preventing his ribcage from expanding, effectively choking him. He was in a very bad position, indeed. They swept up higher and higher, and Loch quickly reaffirmed how small he was and how much a fall from this height would hurt him.
That is, if those birds didn't kill him first.
As he whirled around in circles, he caught a glimpse of Annis shrieking and swatting frantically at his form. He couldn't help but flinch every time the gigantic hand came at him again. Loch would have called out to her, but he couldn't breath. He was beginning to drift into unconsciousness partially from shock and partially from lack of oxygen. He never thought he'd go out like this...
A sudden jarring motion sent him back into consciousness, and he realized that he could once again move his arms! His head spun around, looking for Annis. She must have scored a lucky hit on the bird. Unfortunately, Loch and the bird were both still soaring out of reach. He seized the moment - grabbing the minuscule tome out of his robe, he uttered the incantation to release Thoron in its natural form. A globe of electricity surrounded him and the bird, crackling with intensity, and the bird released him in shock. He found himself falling, his wings flapping heavily to no avail--
And he was caught by a pair of gloved hands. He hardly had time to react as he was hugged closely into -- yeah, that was her chest, he realized with an unseen blush -- and then there was a scream of pain, making Loch's heart jump. And he couldn't really see what was going on, as he was still being clutched tightly, but there was lots of movement, a lot of screaming. As he was being thrashed back and forth, it seemed like it'd never end, but it finally ended with a massive thud.
It took a moment to realize he was on solid ground, and even then he swayed in place a bit, dizzied. Then he doubled over, conjecturing that toast and coffee usually tastes better the first time around. Once he'd regathered his bearings, he found himself staring up at Annis. She was grinning rather mischievously as she sat against the door they'd just come through. "Are you all right?"
"Annis, wha--"
She grabbed him, and before he knew it he found his limbs being forced into all sorts of positions. For the sake of "seeing if he was okay", sure. It was still humiliating as all get out, though, and he remained silent with a red face as he was manipulated, his arms raised, his wings spread, turned around, and his jacket removed. "Like a dress-up doll." Loch almost choked at those words, though Annis wouldn't hear him. She picked him up to put his jacket back onto him, and then he was set down again.
"Er...t-thank you?" he murmured, deciding it would be in his best interest to slowly back away from her.
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Posted: Wed Sep 16, 2009 7:08 pm
→→→→→→The hands I'd kept clean→→→→→→Now look dirty→→→→→→Before I can doubt my memories→→→→→→My memories are doubting me...Annis wasn't quite sure if she could blame her actions on a hazy delusion from pain--it was sort of a given that twisting your ankle badly, possibly even breaking it, if that crack was any indication--or just her typical attitude, but even as Loch began to move away from her, Annis leaned over and picked him back up. "Wa-Wait, hold on," she giggled. Her face was still chalky and paled, but she was smiling. "Lemme see... here, now you can fly," she told him after spreading out his wings. She held him carefully in both hands and dipped him up and down in the air as if he were little more than a toy airplane.
The idea that he might not exactly like being treated like this didn't cross her mind. She buzzed her lips together before flinching and setting Loch down, grasping at her shin with a gasp in pain. "S-So you're not hurt," she told Loch. We're mirrors, both of us←←←←←←
Reflecting each other's karma←←←←←←
Our dirty hands will touch←←←←←←
And we'll know its shape...←←←←←←
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Posted: Wed Sep 16, 2009 7:29 pm
If Loch was in better spirits, he might have found a little humor at his expense funny. He might not have even minded being flown around, as long as it was making Annis feel better. But the taste of vomit was still in his mouth, Annis's teasing was really beginning to grate, and he was a frickin' foot tall. He was not a happy heron. Upon reaching closer to Annis's injured ankle, he suddenly lashed out and hit the tender flesh. It was enough to make her hiss in pain and drop him. "So you're not hurt?"
"Not physically," he said, glaring tiny daggers at her before dashing off in the opposite direction. Which wasn't very fast, considering his size, but suddenly became faster. Upon noticing the room was now normal size, he turned around, the expression on his face unreadable, to face Annis, once again tiny, sitting against the wall. Many thoughts entered his mind, few of them very nice, but deciding he had to be the better person he slowly took a couple of steps towards her. "Now that I'm big again, it would be wise for me to heal you before we continue on." His tone lacked the simple amusement it usually carried.
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Posted: Wed Sep 16, 2009 7:38 pm
→→→→→→The hands I'd kept clean→→→→→→Now look dirty→→→→→→Before I can doubt my memories→→→→→→My memories are doubting me...Annis slowly released her leg as Loch responded to her. ...I went too far, didn't I? she thought. She slowly pulled herself to her feet, watching the tiny Loch dart away from her, then very suddenly, as the torchlight flared to great heights, then dimmed away, she was watching a much larger Loch crossing the room. Annis blinked, trying to catch up to what happened.
...
...s**t.
Annis struggled to keep the pain out of her expression as she struggled to put weight down on her left ankle; it wasn't exactly working. Putting her foot down too hard made her entire body practically vibrate in pain. It wasn't like she had made Loch very happy with her after that, but she had assumed he would think it was funny. I mean, if my ankle wasn't injured, it'd be funny if it was me... I think.
"No, you don't," Annis muttered. She took a small step, then paused. Goddess that hurt. "I-I'm fine. I don't... I don't need it." Right. Right. You don't need healing.
Annis looked up at Loch for a moment, then ahead, feeling awkward at Loch towering over her. "Just... le-let's just keep moving." We're mirrors, both of us←←←←←←
Reflecting each other's karma←←←←←←
Our dirty hands will touch←←←←←←
And we'll know its shape...←←←←←←
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Posted: Wed Sep 16, 2009 8:06 pm
He took a step closer to her, watching her cower under him. "No. I intend to make it out of here alive, and I will be much more likely to do that if you are in proper shape." He took another step towards her. Annis tried to run, but she was hindered by her injured ankle and subsequently tripped. Loch seized the opportunity to snatch her up into his hand and sit down against the door. Annis was screaming and flailing within his hand.
"I-I told you I'm fine! Pu-Put me down-- Careful with the ankle! Be careful!"
Her cries went unanswered, however. Loch remained silent, attempting to straighten her twitching form into a laying position against his leg. The other hand obtained the Mend staff, and it was ready to use if she would just remain still. But Annis insisted on kicking and screaming, and finally Loch was tired of it.
"Stop-- writhing." His free hand tightly flattened against her torso, each fingertip pinning a limb in place. With her movement restricted, he raised the Mend to her injured ankle, let the crystal glow for a long moment, and put it away again before freeing her from his grasp. He stood up, set her down right by the door, and glanced down at her.
"Your ankle is healed. You may walk."
And with that comment, he paced the twenty-or-so feet across the midway room to the door of the next trial, his arms crossed as he watched and patiently waited for her to make her way over.
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Posted: Wed Sep 16, 2009 8:31 pm
→→→→→→The hands I'd kept clean→→→→→→Now look dirty→→→→→→Before I can doubt my memories→→→→→→My memories are doubting me...Annis breathed heavily underneath Loch's hand as he pressed her against his leg, face bright red and covered in indignation. The sudden exertion, not to mention getting through that past task, had left her breathless; her ankle was still hurting, and now he was treating her like she was nothing more than some sort of plaything! Holding her down like this...
I was doing that earlier, though, wasn't I?
Shut up.
Annis started to say something in protest, but instead let out a little relaxed breath and sank limply into Loch's leg as the magic of his Mend staff washed over her ankle. She sat up when he moved away his hand, started to move for his shoulder--and then he set her down by the door and went over to the other side of the room.
"Your ankle is healed. You may walk."
Annis stared at him, waaaay across the room, then at the door. Those twenty feet were a lot larger when you were the size of a cat. She pursed her lips, tempted to say something, but was silent. There wasn't any point in giving him the pleasure of her being angry.
There was a definite limp in her stride--her ankle was healed, but there was still an incessant twinge of pain--but Annis walked in silence to the door, keeping her face carefully neutral. It took her a considerably longer period of time to cross those twenty feet than it did Loch, but she didn't comment. Annis tilted her head up towards the door handle, wondering how to open the door. There was another message branded into the surface, glowing red.
This text is a realm where my law is upheld
Hopes to escape unscathed should be dispelled
Please tell me you're keeping your sights on your goal.
Annis wondered how she was going to open the door, trying not to pay attention to the message she couldn't read from this angle. The first part, at least, was easily solved, as the door swung open; Loch had opened the door for her? Annis looked away from him, a frustrated expression crossing her face, but she huffed out a silent breath and limped on through.
Annis sighed, waiting for the torchlight to flare up once more. Just a few seconds, and then everything would be visible again. Would Loch still be ticked, even after they had entered the next room? If they were expected to get through this alive, they had to be able to work together. Annis put her hands at her dagger holsters; of course, they were gone. That wasn't going to help things...
The raven paused, taking a few steps forward. The room was still dark. Shouldn't the room have lit up by now? She started to move to the left, where she knew the torches would be lining the walls. As she put one hand against the wall, she could practically feel the warm light hitting her cheeks.
But she saw nothing.
Nothing.
Annis halted right there, her breath hitching in her chest. She couldn't see anything. And now who knew what was in this challenge, or even where Loch was.
"...Loch...?" Annis called out hesitantly. Her voice cracked as she tried again, wings folding tightly to her back. "Loch, I can't... I ca-can't see you, where are you...?" We're mirrors, both of us←←←←←←
Reflecting each other's karma←←←←←←
Our dirty hands will touch←←←←←←
And we'll know its shape...←←←←←←
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Posted: Wed Sep 16, 2009 11:37 pm
Loch felt just the slightest twinge of pity as he watched the miniscule Annis walk the great distance he'd forced her to walk across the room. Lessons must be taught, I suppose... She was obviously avoiding his gaze, and Loch refrained from saying anything. Verbal taunts were Annis's game, and Loch had said all he'd needed to say through his actions. He waited patiently for her to pass across, then he opened the door for her to pass through. Once through, he assumed she'd be normal sized again and the awkwardness of this particular trial would be over.
Eyes casually wandered to the words etched upon the door before he entered himself. The words were growing more and more ominous by the trial, and he wondered just how many more they would have to face before they made it out. Shrugging, he passed through the open door, letting it shut behind him with a clang.
And now they found themselves in a rather straightforward room. It was open, and the exit was clearly visible on the other side. However, the final line of the message upon the door quickly became known as Annis suddenly cried out. He turned to her, a normal-sized Annis, and watched her spin about wildly in place. The random motion of her movement, the observation of her eyes not focusing on anything, all confirmed her words. She was blind. And she was helpless, her ability requiring her to see.
"Relax, Annis. I'm right here."
That is what he would have intended to say, were his words audible. He hesitated for a moment, and then tried to repeat it. Nothing. He was mute. An Agent without her sight and a Sage without his voice. Both were effectively useless.
Seeing no other option in mind, he strode over to her and put his arm tightly around her, holding her to his body. He couldn't speak to ease her worry, but he could feel her relaxing already. Loch was still mad at her, but now just wasn't the time to act upon that.
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