Ezophyr closed his eyes and then the voice whispered. "The Wall." His eyes opened and he began to move in the direction of the wall. As he does so the voice resonates further information into his mind. He needs to find something to help build the wall. Ezophyr begins his task by searching for materials. There was a flashlight.. and a brick. And then there are flowers. It seemed more obvious to pick the brick-- however he doesn't. His eyes stare at the flowers-- observing it quietly before he bends down to pick them up. A small quirked up on his lips before it's disrupted by a quick memory.
Sitting quietly in a dark corner, the flowers may not seem the best sort of building material at first, but upon closer inspection, the seem perfect. They seem necessary. Important, even. It doesn't take long to find a place for them upon the wall, a large beaker gleaming invitingly on top of a pile of rubble.
You place the flowers into the make-do vase and look up into the eyes of a nervous man, his face earnest and good-natured. In a careful tone, you speak, "Tell you what, Ben. You can help me with my button pushing thing. And then I can go with you on your mission, and help you with your looking around thing. Sound good?" He grows more nervous, and you proceed to flirt and bargain. It feels good, despite all your fears, it feels right to finally have this, to allow it to happen. You deserve this. You deserve love.
You look down at your desk, but it's been replaced by an operating table. A familiar face stares lifelessly up at you amid the various remains. You smile wryly at him and then pick up the scalpel. You deserve this. You never could hold on to anything good.
He let out a sharp gasps and clutched the flowers tightly. The memory, which was not of his own, invaded his mind. However it quickly faded into a dark scene that plagued his mind.
You look up and the scene has shifted to one of your own memories, of a time when you lost hope. A time where you had your love standing in front of you. They smiled at you so sweetly before it was ripped away from you as if it were nothing but a mere dream. The dream then turned into a nightmare in which the beloved one is laying before you and dying.
The Goddess Protection (Paranoia) leans over him, smelling the flowers and then drew back with a gentle smile. "Such a terrible thing," she whispered into his ear. "You don't need such pain. Not anymore. Not ever again." She opened her mouth and inhaled deeply, drawing a thin wisp of something out of his own. As the memory faded away into nothing, he saw her bend over the flowers and exhaled, colour and life filled them. The Goddess soon slipped away, leaving him with a sense of safety and warm affection.
The Wall continues to keep all the terrible things at bay.
Posted: Sun Aug 11, 2013 9:22 am
Safety. Yes. That was important. She had to protect everyone, or at least do her part to try. The wall...it had to be reinforced, built higher, forever higher, to keep the bad things at bay. To continue on the way she was, and the way everyone around her was, the wall had to stay strong. Without a second thought Marati had gone off in search of materials, wandering aimlessly though the area for something, anything, that would help aid them build.
The only thing she could easily find was a bouquet of flowers. Dried ones, even. Not good enough to even be alive. She thought to pass them by, but then she took a good look at it, kneeling down to slide her hand under the crusted old sleeve that held them together. No, no this was perfect. This would do; it had a sleeve to protect it, and therefore it could protect the wall. It was small, but it was a start; her little piece of aid in the grand scheme of things.
She looked around for something else, and was rewarded by the sight of a vase, sitting there waiting for her. It was destiny; a glass sheath to protect the sleeve and the flowers within. Perfection. To make it easier to carry, Marati slipped the bouquet into the vase, and as she looked up, she startled to find someone there.
Words tumbled out of her mouth that weren't entirely hers, but the nervous man seemed to eventually accept it. She looked down again and the vase was gone, the flowers vanished, and in their place remained an operating table, and the Pain Spike in her hand had morphed into a scalpel. She recognized the face staring up at her through the flesh and bone, the sinew and wreckage...but that was as far as it went. There was no accompanying feelings, no regret or remorse. Nothing.
Her gaze lifted again, but the table was gone. The scalpel was gone. She knew there were things around her; a room with tubes, machines that clicked and dialed, and even a handful of people, and yet she couldn't see them. The only thing she could see was the blue smoke in one of the tubes, her ears registering nothing but the thrill screams of pain that eventually faded into a song.
Then, finally, the long walk down a too long hallway into a room that was white. Too white. Sterile. Bright and uncomfortable, draining and hopeless. She began to curl in to herself, about to crouch into the fetal position in despair, when she was saved. Warmth returned, hope returned, and a soothing voice promised that it was over.
She didn't need it.
The flowers came to life and Marati smiled at them, feeling like she was missing something and yet unable to find herself caring. Everything was well again, she was happy...and the wall remained intact.
OOC
Character name: Marati Character appearance: A basic grey form with a yellow core and a skull pin glowing on her lapel. She is holding a glowing yellow spike. Link to Heart LogHere Current HP 50/50 Current weapon equippedPain Spike
Enoh Love
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Blade Kuroda
Militant Raider
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Posted: Sun Aug 11, 2013 9:23 am
Nush heard the whisperings of the goddess as he approached the wall. It needed to be built higher, apparently. The goddess shall get what she wants. He made his way over and looked upwards. It was already incredibly high; it loomed over him and just about anyone else. And yet at the same time, it didn't seem high enough. It was many things at once, but it was still a wall. A wall that was to be built.
Without a word, he went to search for materials.
After some searching, he found a sticky brick. There were a few weird lumps stuck to it as well. While a little messy, it would suit the wall well enough. With this in hand, he made his way back to the wall, where he found a section of bricks similar to what he had in hand. There was a hole there, where he slide in the one perfectly.
Suddenly, he found himself striking someone's head with it. He struck again, cracking a helmet open. There was a shrill screech of sorts, which was quickly followed up by a thunderous boom.
Flesh and blood began to rain down onto him. He could feel the warm, wet, materials splatter down against his form. They were out to kill him. He looked out into the ocean, and soon found himself somewhere else. He had just found out that an enemy had been masquerading as the one he loved for awhile. The enemy was everywhere. They had ways to hide themselves among his people. Strangers were not to be trusted. Any of them could be such an enemy in disguise, waiting for the opportune moment...
He shook his head, hearing stone scraping against stone. A pair of arms had emerged, wrapping themselves around him in a strange sort of embrace.
The goddess's voice whispered into his ear, telling him he can trust her, if no one else. In that moment, the memory dulled away...
There was only the wall. And the protection it brought.
OOC
Character name: Nush Character appearance: A plain grey form with a blue heart; this core occassionally shifts yellow. A brilliant skull pin shows on his chest. Link to Heart LogHere Current HP 50 Current weapon equipped
Posted: Sun Aug 11, 2013 9:48 am
Reap looked up at the wall, it was enormous - almost impossibly so – and yet they had to build it still higher. He didn’t question it, somehow it felt right, felt proper to build walls to keep evil out, it made sense in the grand scheme of things. “I will help keep them at bay.” He repeated, almost robotic as he eyed the dizzying height that was also never high enough. It changed the more he looked at it and was many things rather than one solid structure. This too, felt somehow right and proper.
He sought materials to build it still higher, to do as he was asked and to keep the horrible things at bay. He couldn’t bear to have more of the glimmering fragments of pain and sadness infiltrate the nearest approximation to a home he possessed.
When he found the flowers, that old ache around his core seemed to return, vague and unfathomable to him, but an instinctual indicator that these were what he was looking for. They were not bricks and in fact were not conventional materials in the least, but they were what he needed right now. They would build the wall higher, keep the fear at bay. As he reached to place them in the beaker, it was with immense caution, the crisp dried petals subject to the whim of even a breeze. He didn’t want to screw it up.
The memories came unbidden, as they always did, bright sharp flickers of memory in the haze of obliviousness, a memory of indulgence, of hope and of a reminder why nice things could never happen. As the twinned memories faded, he found himself seized, dragged down, pulled further. He had nothing left. Nothing at all. Hunched foetal, knees pulled up to his chin. He hated her. Hated her with every fibre of his being, she had no right to go and die, she had no right to leave. He wasn’t ready for the world, he wasn’t ready to be alone. Even though she’d never protected him, not when he needed her to keep the circling wolves at bay, she’d been an anchor, a focus for his hate. She had made herself the center of his universe, the single point he orbited around. Everything he did, every crime, every heinous thing, he did so she would see him.
Now she’d never see anything again.
They’d come for him, they’d blame him that they had nothing to sate their twisted lusts upon. It would be horrible. He was so afraid, so so afraid and now there was nothing to blame. No one to shift the blame to but himself. He’d caused this. He’d been the thing that drove her to drugs, she told him once, one late drawn out night. She’d said she had dreams, she had hopes for her life before she got pregnant. He’d been a parasite that took all that was light in her and pushed her down into the dark.
And now she was dead. And it was his fault.
He’d fished out her gear, a syringe set in foil. There was still enough junk left for a hit. The hit to end all hits, it would let him join her, be near her again. Maybe he’d die and it would be over, too late but a penance for what he’d wrought simply by existing. He had nothing to live for but the relentless drudgery of a life without its meaning. He was young but he felt old, decades beyond his years, and it was too much. Too much.
Scrunching his eyes closed he picked up the needle and pressed it to his skin, wondering if there was anything of her left in it. Maybe she was sick, maybe he’d get sick too.
His hand shook. He couldn’t do it. He couldn’t. He couldn’t wear her mantle, he couldn’t live her life. People wouldn’t care for him the way the men pretended to care for her. He’d become like them. With a clatter it dropped to the floor and rolled off in an erratic arc to halt under the bed, aimed at him like an accusing finger.
He’d never be her. He’d never be a man, he’d never be anything at all.
Tears wouldn’t even come any longer, just a raw and ragged ache in their place, welled up grief without an outlet that choked him like oppressive hands. It was hopeless.
And then, like that he was free from those stifling feelings, drawn into reassuring arms, arms that held him close and safe. The tears came then, no longer chained by the weight of the memory. He didn’t know why he wept for those things, he didn’t understand, and as she took the memories from him he gave them gladly.
In the hollowness and gentle warmth afterwards, he tried to calm himself, but it felt like his own demons paced incessantly outside the wall too. And in some far off distant way, he could still hear them howl.
OOC
* Character name: Reap Character appearance: Yellow core, shifting grey shape with a long flowing coat like garment. Link to Heart LogJournal Current HP 50 HP (2d10 - 6) Current weapon equipped Pain Spike
He liked being safe, and he liked pleasing his goddess, and so he looked around for the materials to build up the wall with. He wasn't the only one. He could see others hauling materials, working on the wall, and so, he joined them.
There were a few options for him to use, but he picked up just a brick, one that was a bit sticky and stained, but perfect for putting into the wall. He walked down a bit, finding a place that looked perfect for his brick.
He slid it into place, hearing a loud smack as he pushed.
Smack!
Brick raised high in your hand, you bring it down on the other person's helmet with another hard smack! Their helmet finally cracking, the muffled screaming reached a new, higher pitch, until it was cut short and then boom!
Pieces of flesh and blood and bone rain down on your own helmet in a soft, wet, spatter. Breathing heavily, you sit back on the sand and stare out into the foggy ocean, uncaring of the red streaks now obscuring the view. They were going to kill you. Everyone was going to kill you.
If you let them.
If you didn't kill them first.
The tide grew stronger, louder and when he looked up, he saw his older brother. "I know it was you," his voice said, low and dangerous, angry, looking down at him.
He cowered.
The sound of scraping rocks pulled him out of his memory, and a pair of arms wrapped around him, a voice whispering in his ear. "You don't need that, you're safe now. You never have to trust in anyone," The arms tightened and sank through him, drawing tighter around something inside him. "Except me. As long as you trust in me, I'll keep you safe."
The arms withdrew, and his memory faded, filling him instead with the feeling of power and safety. Yes, he was safe. The goddess protects him, the wall protects them.
It keeps all the terrible things at bay.
Character name: Rizetmer'yl Character appearance: The grey figure is average height but slender, with what might be slightly pointed ears. There is a shining white skull pin pinned to his pants, and a spear weapon slung across his back. His core is red. Link to Heart LogHeart Log Current HP 40hp Current weapon equipped Simple Pride (2D8-6)
Posted: Sun Aug 11, 2013 11:23 am
The wall. Ixb looked up at it warily. With new defined form, new memories, he wondered if it was all worth it.
But the wall needed to be built. For the Goddess.
Another brick in the wall.. One of those snippets of sound that made no sense. A fragment of something he had no connection too. But thelogic was there. Building blocks. Ixb picked up the brick and stared at it. The chunks stuck to side.
"AHHH!" Smack. He couldn't help it. He had to.
No words this time. Just another thud of brick against helmet- head. The wash of the surf was background noise. The beach sounds drew his mind away, a distraction, from the reality of it.
Smack.
Something wet rained down on his head. It rang dully in his head as his helmet was struck. It was him or them. It was a job.
He'd almost burned holes in the dorm carpet as he powered his way to his dorm. He knew she was with him but for the moment, that wasn't his focus. He was cold, wrapped only in a sheet. His body ached from the healed wounds. How long had he lay on the slab? How long had he been dead?
It was like a cold panic when he found his door. All he needed to do was open it. It was his room, his home, his safe place. Oliver Queen stared intensely from the picture and he put his hand on it for a moment. A shakey breath.
When the door opened it was empty. Cold terror clutched his chest. Panic rose in his throat. His eyes widened.
His things. His safe place.
Gone.
"No no no.." His mind whirled and he could barely hear her trying to reassure him through the blood pounding through his head.
Someone had taken his things. His safe place had been violated. No trust. No comfort. No safety.
A panic attack was in full effect. Who could he trust when death wasn't even reliable?
He spun back towards the door.. he had to find his things he had to...
He was facing the wall again, clutching the brick. His breathing was harsh and erratic. Trembling he pressed his fingers to the bricks only to find them curl around his in an embrace.
"You don't need that, you're safe now. You never have to trust in anyone,"
Was that right? No trust? Ixb wasn't sure. It seemed against his nature not to trust.
"Except me. As long as you trust in me, I'll keep you safe."
"Ahh.." He smiled a little and closed his eyes. Yes.. some trust was okay. He'd trust the Goddesses. She held him and comforted and as she drew away, he felt stronger. What had his worry been about?
With a glance up at the wall he smiled brighter. She'd lightened his heart somehow and the Wall looked stronger too.
OOC
Character name: Ixb (pronounced Ib) Character appearance: A tall, lanky pale figure with a blue heart. A pendant bobbles at his chest. Link to Heart LogHere Current HP 40/40 Current weapon equipped Simple Revenge
Is there really a need for a wall? If the goddess said so, then it must be important... Lyzzi didn't find a need to question it, and as she was making her way towards the brick - a sturdy object for wall building - she spotted a bouquet of dried flowers, and gravitated towards that instead. How odd, spotting something this fragile here... You can't build a wall with flowers!
However, although that was how she thought, it was not how she felt. While this bouquet was not as sturdy as the brick, or even the half-melted flashlight, she couldn't shake the feeling that it was just as important. Picking it up, she made her way to a pile of rubble, and carefully transferred the flowers into a makeshift vase - a large beaker.
When she looked up, she saw the face of a man, smiling. There was something about the way he was smiling that prompted her to return the smile. Her flirting seemed to make him nervous, but soon they started to barter - I'll do this if you do that, no you'll do this first before I do that. She deserved to feel this way, to-
The cheerful voices had quickly faded away, and when she looked down, she saw the face of the same face, emotionless. Picking up a scalpel, she lowered it with a wry smile. Ah, that's what she gets for thinking that she deserved it. Deserved to feel that way, deserved to... To...
Deserved to-
He had promised that if they were to get through school together, one day maybe he'll bring it up after graduation. Maybe. But to her, maybe was good enough, especially since he didn't like to talk about such things very much. Maybe it was an issue with him. Maybe it was a boil issue. There were a lot of maybes in their relationship. She never did find out if that 'maybe' would ever came to pass... And she never will.
Maybe that's the way things work. Or maybe she's too selfish to... To deserve... To deserve that type of relations-
Her whole body started to shake uncontrollably as she teared up, lowering her head so that she was facing the ground. Behind her, the goddess approached, bending over to smell the flowers that she had prepared. Being in her presence gave her the courage to look up, and she was met with the goddess' gentle smile.
"I-"
The goddess had begun to speak, and so Lyzzi decided to keep quiet. She sniffled, calming down as the goddess' whisper filled her ears, her breath taking the ache off her chest so quickly that she found herself wondering what she was crying about. The goddess then breathed life back into the dried flowers, the once dried petals turning a pale pink. Without saying anything else, she then left, leaving Lyzzi feeling contented once again. Behind this wall, she felt a sense of security and warmth...
And so, she stayed behind the protective wall, by the flowers that felt really, really important to her, never wondering about what might lie beyond.
OOC
Character name: Lyzzi Character appearance: Grey figure with a blue heart; it has hints of yellow. Link to Heart LogHere Current HP 40 Current weapon equippedBroken Wings - Shields group members from auto damage for first round
Posted: Sun Aug 11, 2013 2:32 pm
The wall. It felt so high standing at the bottom of it, looking up forever above towards it thoughtfully. What purpose did the wall serve? Did it keep things out or did it keep them in? What was outside of it? Hekhis kept thinking about this as she began her own search for something to contribute to it, looking back to it again and again. She mouthed to herself if she should. If it would make a difference in the long run, but seeing the others all working silenced those thoughts.
While searching through things, she found there were several things that could be of use in building, and it was looking through those when she picked up the brick. Turning it over in her hands to inspect it, finding it sturdy, she then approached the wall, looking at brick after brick, until she found a spot that her brick could fit into. She slipped it in with a sturdy 'thump' as it settled.
Thump
Her hand went up above her head again, a noise of terror filling the air before she brought it down again with a loud, resounding crack. She brought it up again and swung it down again for good record.
It was hot, thick, wet, and it splattered all over her face in a red wave - blood, brain matter, maybe more fluids than even that. Panting, she looked out to the sea, watching it calmly. She was safe. She was free of their danger that had put her at risk of them.
"It was them or me...." she murmured to herself, dropping the brick.
Thump
They were all there, acting as if nothing had happened. No, not that nothing had happened. They made their accusations. They dragged whatever they had to through the mud in order to keep the air clean for them. It was all her fault. It was all their fault.
They sullied her name, claimed her guilty of a crime she had never committed, and now they were just waiting for anybody who was willing to speak the truth to try it so they could get rid of them. They wanted to get rid of them all - every student, every witness. Her hand went to the bracelet she wore, stroking the piece of bone on it angrily.
Nobody was safe. Speaking out loud was a horrible idea, and even amongst their own numbers were those who would speak suck horrible lies. Nobody knew the truth.
Nobody spoke the truth.
Distrust and anger began to fill her until wings slowly wrapped around her, arms, warmth. Paranoia. Protection. She didn't need to think about that, she said. There was no need to trust anybody but her.
Hekhis took a deep breath as the thoughts of anger, suspicion, distrust....they ebbed away. The wall would keep her safe. The goddess would keep her safe. Trust them first. Trust them always. Maybe she would give that a try.
The wall seemed ominous, and a little unnerving to the red-cored woman standing under it, watching the bodies flicker between the crags, placing the refuse and what have you to continue building it up. Continue making it safe - as the Goddess would say. Sighing out of her nose, she walked forward, attempting to find something that would fit on the wall. Something strong, reliable - there was no point in holes, or it would just lend towards her own Goddess, the one of ruin.
As she shuffled, she noticed a small dried up bouquet of flowers, eyebrows rising lightly as she went to bend down and pick them up, lightly brushing her hand in them. They crackled against her grey skin, but the thorns were still intact, and even the smallest stone could move a mountain, if given the right reason.
Turning back to the towering height behind her, she decided to go with what she had found, taking sure steps back, following the droves that went towards it to continue assisting with building the wall, before feeling that she was accosted with a strange, almost foggy thought.
Quote:
You place the flowers into the make-do vase and look up into the eyes of a nervous man, his face earnest and good-natured. In a careful tone, you speak, "Tell you what, Ben. You can help me with my button pushing thing. And then I can go with you on your mission, and help you with your looking around thing. Sound good?" He grows more nervous, and you proceed to flirt and bargain. It feels good, despite all your fears, it feels right to finally have this, to allow it to happen. You deserve this. You deserve love.
You look down at your desk, but it's been replaced by an operating table. A familiar face stares lifelessly up at you amid the various remains. You smile wryly at him and then pick up the scalpel. You deserve this. You never could hold on to anything good.
She turned up, expecting the Goddess to be there, confused by the memory that filtered through her mind - she was certain she had not known about a Ben - but another thought accosted her mind, something that felt familiar. Painful. A shock rolled through her mind and she turned down to regard her legs, feeling an old fear rip through, crystallization starting to creep up her legs, tearing the flesh and making her freeze up again, as if unaware of what to do.
It was so hard to have this memory relived, the feeling creeping up, a cold crawling over her body until she felt that she would never breathe again - and a secret fear, of losing someone so close to her, something she could not understand fully, the thought broke with a sudden dry sob, before feeling a pair of arms curl around her carefully.
Whispers of protection were promised, but she was still shaken up, allowing her heart to slow from racing, she felt the memory separate from her, being taken by the Goddess. Sure, the wall would be safe, but her faith in it was still flickering.
Posted: Sun Aug 11, 2013 4:14 pm
Tiletk picked up a brick because it seemed sturdy. Strong. Willing to withstand anything just like him. He went to place it into the wall where he had seen an opening. Like a vision it went through his mind and nibbled at sanity.
The brick was in his hand, it was almost soothing how the rhythm of working to crack open a skull was. The feeling of fear from betrayal by others filled him and made him loathe anything else coming near him.
They would hurt him if he had let them. Yes. He had to kill them first. Also true.
It was a sudden shift as the scenery ended on a soft roar of ocean tide...
Fourteen year old boys fall in love so easily. The soft giggle of a girl, the way her hair shines under the sun when they were outside, or even the simple kind gesture and a light flirty set of words. It just takes the right one to trigger the flustered sensations of a boy who believe they have found the one already at such a young age.
Lena was a little older. She smelled nice and giggled at all of his jokes. He was enraptured by her. Every bit of allowance he got he would buy her a gift or buy things to make her a gift when he couldn't afford the expensive things she truly desired. Lena seemed truly touched by the act. He thought he had a chance. A way in. They would be together forever. Get married. Have thirteen or more kids...
At least until he found her with his Brother. Onyx. Onyx took things from him all the time. Ever since he could remember his older sibling took things from him, broke them, or both. Now he took Lena and he knew his brother wasn't treating her right. Onyx never treated the girls right, he mistreated them, cheated on them, and took advantage of them.
Kettil knew these things. Kettil hated his brother for how he behaved toward the world. Onyx pretended like he wanted to be a noble protector of the world, but everyone knew that he only cared for himself.
It wasn't that Lena was going around with his brother that hurt him, though it shattered his hopes and dreams, teenaged boys are resilient as they learn about the pitfalls of young love.
What bothered Kettil was that Onyx had known about the affections his younger brother had for the girl. Onyx knew about it and maliciously seduced her with promises and lies just to hurt his younger brother.
He'd expected Onyx to do many things but not to be apart of his very first heartbreak...
It hurt. He moved on but it still hurt. Kettil never told who it was that took Lena away, out of his grasp, he didn't even want Lena anymore after Onyx had her. Maybe he did feel some spite toward the girl but the hatred he felt for his brother was greater...
The Goddess managed to drag him out of the stupor of memories. He felt raw as if the heartache was as recent as that very moment, like he relived something buried away. Was that really him? Did that happen to him? That seemed like ages ago. Eons.
The event seemed so ... miniscule and apart of some weird drama.
"You're right," he murmured dreamily. He didn't need this anymore. Tiletk felt the arms tighten and then...
"Trust you always. You will keep me safe," he agreed almost dreamily, a small slow smile appeared on his lips.
Pales
Demonic Gatekeeper
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Seussi
Ice-Cold Hunter
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Posted: Sun Aug 11, 2013 4:35 pm
The whispering called to her, the goddesses voice enticing her to draw near. It spoke of a wall, and of safety in it's growth, in building it higher. How could she resist the words of Paranoia, the goddess that had become her own, that's yellow glow matched her own fiercely shining core? She could not, and she would not, and so she was drawn in.
The wall itself was an unfathomable mystery to behold, that left her with more questions that she wished to ask. She bit her tongue against it however, for who was she to question the will of the goddess and what she would have Sheenah do in her service? Instead she simply nodded to show that she would do what she could to help, and moved away to find something, anything, that would have been suitable for the task of rebuilding the wall.
She hadn't moved far off when a brick caught her eye. A brick, an item that was surely for building, because what else could it be use for? She retrieved it, ignoring the stickiness, the hardened lumps, ignoring the texture completely. All she had to do was find a place to put it.....
She walked along the wall, watching it change and fluctuate, until it became brick, and a hole appeared on it's surface. A hole, the perfect size and shape, and just what she needed! She slid her's in place with satisfaction, slid it until it stopped with a heavy smack.
And suddenly it was as though she were in another world. A brick raised in her hand, only to come down and smash against a head adorned with a helmet repeatedly. The brick came down until she heard the cracking of bones, the steely ring of the helmet until it split and blood and bone and other things began to splatter against her. She sat down and stared out at the ocean....
Another scene, this time different. She was smaller here, and there was color. She was holding a sword, but it was heavy in her tiny hands, clumsy and awkward. She was but a child, a small child, but an eager one, one that wished to learn the ways of war, one that wanted desperately to prove something to two people in her life that did nothing but make her feel even smaller then this.
They were near a rivers edge, she was so small. One of those that should have nurtured her and protected her knocked her in with a wing, scowling at her in a stern manner, telling her that what she was doing was wrong. She should have been stronger then that. Should have been better then that.
Gulp fulls of water, she couldn't breathe. It hurt so much, and if they didn't help her out she was going to....
Suddenly nothing but darkness, her body torn completely apart. They had watched her drown, and they had done nothing to help. They had later, when she had awoken, called it punishment for not following their instruction more closely, and that she had better learn from this experience.
A scraping sound jarred her back to her senses, the scene in front of her now back to where she had started from. The goddess was there, her whispers calming, soothing, as she wrapped arms around Sheenah, arms that sunk through the fog and shadows that made up her body, but still held her, held something deep inside.
She spoke of trust, and Sheenah nodded in agreement. There was no need to trust anyone, and she never would trust anyone again. Just the goddess, she was the only one who deserved that trust.
As the goddess moved away, something was withdrawn with her, but Sheenah felt no different then she had before, save for the loss of the memories she had only just regained. No different, until the arms withdrew back into the wall completely.
The wall was so much stronger now, and so, in turn, was Sheenah. She felt safe, she felt more content then she had since awakening in this world.
"Thank you, goddess." She whispered towards where the goddess had disappeared from sight, knowing that she would hear.
Quote:
Character name: Sheenah Character appearance: Tall and grey with a yellow heart. There appears to be something at her back. Maybe wings? It is impossible to tell for sure. Link to Heart Log:x Current HP: 30 Current weapon equipped: ---
Posted: Sun Aug 11, 2013 5:50 pm
Ideih stared at the bouquet of flowers. Strange thing to use as a building material, but it seemed that they were important. She treated them with care, holding them in her hands. Suddenly she looked up and saw a face. A man's face. Ideih blinked, words escaped her before she even knew what she was doing. She was doing actions that she didn't expect. It felt..right but wrong. She deserved love. She wanted love.
Heidi had love, she was hearing her name so often. She wanted to find the love that Heidi had.
She deserved love.
Flirting with this man, as good as it felt, felt wrong.
She looked down, scalpel in hand. Oh..
Ideih looked up again. There was a brunette girl her size standing before her. Her hair was done, clearly a salon job; it was long, layered, and colored a rich brown that no girl could simply be born with. Something told her that this wasn't the natural color of this girl's hair. She was wearing makeup, so much makeup, and her attire was something Ideih's heart told her was not this girl's usual.
Ideih's chest ached, there was a lump in her throat. "But..you promised. We were going to go to Julliard together..." Her voice cracked as she spoke.
Beatrice frowned, scratching at her cheek. "Yeah..I...I know. But Aaron's going to a school here so..I'm gonna stay with him. I've got to, I promised him I would."
Tears rolled down Heidi's cheeks. "But you promised me first! You...we..we made that promise together! Four years ago! That's...why?"
The brunette groaned, making a move to rub her face and stopping when she remembered her makeup. "Look! I know! But I love Aaron--"
"You've known him four months!"
Beatrice's eyes narrowed. "So?! I love him! You've never been in love, Heidi. You wouldn't get it. I'm staying, okay? You don't even have the grades to go to Julliard anymo--" Her eyes widened again and her face looked horrified by what she had said. Heidi's fists clenched tightly. It was true. Stress and exhaustion were making her grades slip lately, she was about to lose her shot at a full-ride scholarship if she didn't get her act together, and there was no way she could pay for school on her own..
"Heidi I'm so sor--"
"Get out.."
"Wh-what?"
Heidi choked around a sob and pointed at her bedroom door. "Get OUT!" Beatrice's voice faded, she could hear a protest, but it was gone before Heidi could even look up again.
The goddess held Ideih, speaking softly and filling her with a warmth and comfort she needed while tears fell from the girl's eyes.
The memory faded.
She was still crying despite the contentment she was feeling.
There was a wall here. She had not seen it before, but the goddesses voice had lead her here to the structure that towered high over her head. Even if she looked up she could not see the top of the wall. It was overwhelming, and yet she felt a sense of safety from this place. She could hear the whisper of the goddesses voice telling her the wall was keeping the evil things at bay.
All around her were others bringing items to help build the wall further. She could see materials that could be used scattered around, and she went to pick one up. A brick. perfect. It made complete sense to use this, and she held it in her hands as she looked for a place to put it. Not far from where she stood was a section of just brick, complete with a hole just right for her own.
She hammered the brick into the hole. Into the skull of another. She brought the brick down again and again, their screams rang in her head but she continued her relentless onslaught until their cries for mercy stopped, followed shortly by a explosion. Gore rained down around her. She would not let them kill her-
The bullies in the schoolyard were bigger then she was. They would always pick on her. Her aunt had said not to trust them. They would continue to hurt her if she didn't fight back. Her right hand hurt where she had punched one in the face, and he had started crying. There was red stuff on her hand now from his nose which had started bleeding. He was crying now, and the other two were ganging up on her.
threw another small hand at them, her childish growls mingled with their shouts and cries-
She snapped back to her senses as strong hands enveloped her in a warm embrace. She didn't have to worry anymore, she only had to trust the goddess and she would be safe. The wall would keep her safe...
The shadow curled up against the side of the wall, feeling warm and secure.
Posted: Sun Aug 11, 2013 8:20 pm
The wall was mighty and relentless, and gave Naian a sense of hope... already, she'd lost something, but she wanted to feel safe. She didn't want to be covered in blood and traced with tears and not understand why. If this Wall would keep her safe... then Goddesses bless it.
She picked her way through the ruins, searching here and there until her eyes lit upon a small bundle of dried flowers. They were, really, the worst possible thing to build a wall out of, to even be involved in wall-building... and yet when she saw them, Longing ignited in her heart. She picked them up and inhaled their dusty and broken scent. Dust tickled her nose.
There. There was the perfect place. Someone had prepared it just for her, just for these flowers. Someone else knew they belonged. Naian stumbled up to the beaker perched atop a pile of rubble and put the flowers reverently into the makeshift 'vase'.
When she looked up, it was into the eyes of someone she'd never seen - and yet a strange peace flooded her heart, and she felt her lips moving unbidden yet was not afraid. "Tell you what, Ben. You can help me with my button pushing thing. And then I can go with you on your mission, and help you with your looking around thing. Sound good?"
Love, that was what she sensed, a strange giddy feeling that motivated her actions, her words, her touches with this stranger she knew and did not know. Love would save her. Love was the Wall and the Wall was named Love. She would make herself safe. He would make her whole.
She looked down, then up to see him laid before her, still, waxy. Ashen. Unmoving. Where horror should have been in her mind was only a blank; Naian panicked, inside her mind, but her face only smiled wryly. Her hands picked up a scalpel. Of course. It was inevitable. Nothing lasted-
A blink.
Sh-shibey, wh... what..." She pulled her hands in to her chest, pressing them over her heart.
It was gone. Gone. Her sense of the earth beneath her feet, as faint as it had become... it was now gone.
< Good, now that's done, > Shibey said, as if she'd just lost a glove or something, instead of a piece of her identity.
Slowly, she dropped to her knees, burying her face in her hands; every time she tried to reach out, she found only emptiness. Worse; she found blackness, that boiling, unfamiliar curse-power-
The breath of the Goddess pulled it all away; she inhaled the pain, inhaled the loss, left Naian empty but safe. No, it was true. She didn't need those things. She was happier the way she was. She would be safe here.
The Wall was ---- was ---- was.... the Wall.
Sosiqui
Enduring Muse
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Face your demons
Magnetic Detective
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Posted: Sun Aug 11, 2013 8:36 pm
In the ruins, where she'd gone for a bit before, she came across The Wall. Whispering drew her to build, because the wall would protect her. That was what the voice said, anyway. Figures came to scale, build, to contribute. To make strong what would otherwise be weak.
She did understand that impulse, certainly.
"It just needs a little help," she said. "Just this once. So that it doesn't crumble."
For some reason, she passed over sturdier materials, while searching for the absolute sturdiest of all. Something with force, something with strength. Something that said I'll protect you. What she found, instead, was a bouquet of flowers. They drew her in, though she did not fully understand why. The flowers were perfect. They drew her to them, and she buried her face in the bouquet, as if the scent could soothe her nerves.
She was typically so calm, but something about the Wall made her feel as though awfulness was looming at their borders, stalking the fringes. "Right here. This is where you belong," she whispered to them, her voice uncharacteristically soft and gentle as she placed them on the wall. They seemed to make it happier, somehow, in that vase just sitting there. They belonged.
Her heart constricted. She was looking up into the eyes of someone nervous, and she felt herself wanting to calm him, too. She wanted to reassure him. Finally, after using that flick of her voice, that bow and dip that said she wanted something from him, she had what she'd aimed for: love, the wall that would keep the dark at bay.
The pulse that would protect her.
She looked down at the desk, but it was an operating table, and his face was so familiar. She smiled, but she didn't understand why; did the pain turn into amusement? Was it funny, that it hurt? It made a lot more sense: you were supposed to laugh at your pain. Laugh at it, until it went away.
It didn't go away. She deserved the pain, because she couldn't keep it: those feelings, the need to feel protected, the sheer joy of love. She could never protect those feelings. She turned them away, she shut them up, locked them deep and burned them alive.
When she looked up, she was at prom. She held something firm and plastic in her hand, and stared down at the screen. Her vision swam; all she could make out was something sweet. It said something sweet, didn't it?
So why did it hurt?
Because when she looked up, there was no one there. There were others, sure, but no one. She dropped the hard plastic, the unyielding and hateful device, into a bowl of punch. Discarded it. No more. And something inside her snapped, some far off, desperate piece of her snapped. A part of her she didn't know how to recover, because it had been a last ditch hope that it would work in the first place.
Who could ever love her? She couldn't love anyone else, certainly. And as she stood there, before anyone could rescue her inside the memory itself, Protection leaned over her: Such a terrible thing. And before Raumias could protest, before Amarus could protest, the pain was gone. Something drew out of her mouth, a wisp, and the memories slipped away from her.
She didn't know why she had been so sad, or felt so hopeless. There was no way to fix what was broken, no matter how much you wanted to. With Paranoia loving her, she didn't need to fix it. She was already whole again.
You just had to take away the broken parts.
"You look so familiar," she said, with a smile, and a shrug. The wall would protect them all.
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