If the voice had carried with it a tone of fear or terror, Sasha would have felt more inclined to open up the casket. There was no upset in the girlish voice, and so Sasha merely kept her distance.
Brow furrowing, Sasha chewed briefly on her lip. She turned slightly, gazing behind her at the rows of statues that bracketed the room before turning back to the casket, tightening her grip on Nona. She cleared her throat before she spoke.
"I'm.. a knight, I guess."
Posted: Thu May 02, 2013 9:37 pm
A pause and then, "Are you here to rescue me, Ser, or slay the monsters?"
Sasha felt a trickle of cool sweat traverse down the column of her back. She shifted on her feet, weighing her options.
"I'm.." Sasha faltered. It felt as if there could only be one proper answer, and she had no idea how to respond.
"I'm... here to..."
Nona's presence grew weighted, agitated, nervous.
"I'm here to rescue you."
Sasha's stomach dropped. She couldn't help but feel as if that'd been the wrong answer.
Posted: Thu May 02, 2013 10:00 pm
An even longer pause this time, finally broken by the sound of stone grating against stone as the coffin's lid slowly slid back. Peering up through the gap were a pair of bright blue eyes, wide and staring in a pale face. The gap widened further, revealing a petite young woman of indeterminate age, swaying in a thin, white night gown. For a moment Sasha experienced that strange sensation of looking into a mirror, warped and not reflective of her current self.
The figure giggled and then twirled, disappearing down into darkness in a swirl of frothy lace. The bottom of the casket held several small items, old and in tattered disrepair. The gaudy little bull, chipped and cracked. Several bangles, dented and scratched. A glass unicorn prancing on three legs. The colorful paper remains of some sort of banner. A white arrow, streaked with flaking brown. Besides the odd collection of items, it also contained a square hole, from which the top of a ladder poked through.
Her brow knit in confusion, Sasha couldn't draw her gaze away from the young-looking blue-eyed woman. It was like the moment she'd gotten close enough to the house to catch a glimpse of something, a reflection, a brief moment where it had felt as if she'd been peering at herself and yet not at the same time.
As the figure disappeared, Sasha rushed forward just in time to catch a final swish of lace. She took a moment to take in the sight of the baubles left behind - broken, dented, scratched, chipped, cracked - before gauging the size of the hole. For the briefest, briefest moment, Sasha was tempted to touch this or that, but she decided against it. Doing her best to memorize everything that was in the casket, Sasha warred with herself.
Did she follow? Stay behind? Maybe there was a way out through the bottom of the casket. Then again, maybe there wasn't.
With a growling sigh, Sasha desummoned Nona so that she could squeeze through the square hole, gripping the ladder tightly as she eased her way down.
lizbot
Posted: Fri May 03, 2013 4:12 am
Without Nona's light, Sasha found herself in total darkness. It grew colder and colder, and the climb down seemed to go on past forever. Soon a soft giggle could be heard below her, and without further warning, a small cold hand gripped her ankle and dragged her violently off the ladder.
When Sasha next awoke, it was to the morning sunrise creeping over the horizon, the damp of her mossy bed seeping into her clothing. Touching her head she'd find dried blood and something else, a crown of flowers, woven skillfully into her hair.
The last thing Sasha remembered was the touch of that cold, small hand clutching her ankle.
Sasha's sudden realization that she was back at the tree came as a complete surprise. Gingerly she lifted a hand to touch the crusted blood that had wept through her hair, eyes squeezing shut as she tried to gauge the damage. It didn't seem too awful, really, and Sasha relaxed for a moment, exhaling loudly. The flowers were left as they were - she was simply too exhausted to fuss with them for the time being.
Her hand fluttered down to rest against her chest, seeking Nona's totem so that she might soothe herself.
It wasn't there.
Nona?!
There was no answer that she could hear.
Sasha sat up quickly, pain arcing through her skull. However, the ache that resounded through her skull was in no way compared to the solitude of her own mind.
It had been so long since she'd been really and truly alone that she'd forgotten what it felt like.
Trembling, Sasha scrambled out of the hidey-hole. Her jacket caught around her legs, and in her disjointedness, Sasha fell to her knees, silent tears tracking down her face.
No, no, no!
Lifting her head, Sasha peered around with wild blue eyes. She felt frantic, her thoughts wrenching around.
The volume of her internal monologue rose, silently shrieking for her weapon. Slowly lifting to her feet, Sasha began stumbling around, looking for anything that might give her a clue as to what to do next - or a hint as to how long she'd been sleeping.
Posted: Fri May 03, 2013 12:40 pm
Checking her phone, Sasha would find herself now on the fourth day of her stay. There were two deep grooves in the ground, as if something long, thin, and heavy had been dragged along. The tracks led back to the castle.
Four days. Four. She'd gone into the chapel on her second day, and here she was on her fourth. How long had Nona been gone?
Her mind filled with frantic thoughts, Sasha finally caught sight of the grooves in the ground. If she'd been thinking clearly, she might have given pause to moving ahead on her own without weapons. As it was, clarity was the complete polar opposite as to what Sasha was feeling, and the intense ache in her skull didn't help her decision-making process, either.
Sasha took a stumbling step forward, and then another, following the grooves in the ground. Nona's name was chanted in her head, a mantra of sorts, as if Sasha could summon the weapon back to her merely by repeating her name.
Lonely. So, so lonely now with Nona missing. It hurt to think, it hurt to move.
Nona, Nona. Nona, Nona. Nona, Nona.
Posted: Fri May 03, 2013 9:21 pm
The morning light was shining against the castle entry, keeping it's shadow's at bay. As she approached, a bright, sweet voice sang.
The song was one she'd never heard, but the voice was utterly familiar.
Sasha hated that voice.
Even still, upon hearing it she was filled with some odd, broken sort of hope that Nona was near. Near and whole, and proof that Sasha wasn't really alone, so alone, just as she had been before bonding with the alkonost.
Moving slowly, sluggishly, Sasha hovered at the entrance to the castle. She felt exposed, weak, stupid, and entirely terrified as to what she might find if she entered.
Gritting her teeth, Sasha knocked on the door. It seemed the only proper thing to do - and Sasha didn't want to piss anyone off more than she already had.
lizbot
Posted: Sat May 04, 2013 12:55 pm
The heavy door swung open several inches. Within, shafts of sunlight cut through the castle's shadows. A set of stairs were visible on the far side of the entryway, on the landing, the morning sun illuminated a massive painting. Within it, the familiar reflection she'd seen on the first day stared down at her with a dreamlike expression.
The shadows began to shift and seethe.
To get across the room, Sasha must run from one spot of light to another. Roll 1 d10 1-5: she gets caught by shadows on her way and loses 8 hp before she reaches the next point. 6-10: no hp loss.
To reach the stairs there are 4 spots of light. To go up to the first landing, there are 2 more spots. To go up to the next floor, there are 3 more spots.
If at any point she wants to go back out of the castle, she must go through the same ordeal.
As the door opened, Sasha stepped inside. Her gaze was immediately drawn to the large painting - and she felt a moment of utter confusion as she peered up into her almost-reflection.
It was that lack of attention that caused her to slip into the grasp of the shadows, fingers seeming to claw at her ankles and calves. As she realized what, exactly, was going on - and what she had to do in order to move further into the house, Sasha let out a small whimper of dismay.
Despite how loudly she called for her weapon, there was no answer, and Sasha broke free from the grasping shadows into a small glimmering pool of sunlight.
The pounding in Sasha's head grew louder, the ache in her skull throbbing. She stood in the middle of that small, sacred pool of light and lifted a hand to brush her hair from her face. Her fingers tangled in the small chain of flowers, and almost defiantly Sasha began to tear the blossoms out of her hair. They littered the ground about her, and she didn't stop until they were gone.
After she'd finished, Sasha felt slightly foolish, but the removal of the flowers made her feel better - which disappeared entirely the moment she tried to move forward once again.
The shadows roiled around her ankles, clawing and grasping, and it took her quite some time to make it to the nearest ray of sunshine.
The dot of light Sasha stood in suddenly vanished, and she was left with nothing more than clutching, ravenous shadows. She could feel herself growing weaker, and Sasha hated herself for it.
She could pendant out. She could tell the Doctor that she wasn't the right person for the job, and then bury herself in her research. She could be a failure, if that's what it took to survive. Maybe a more powerful hunter could come in, find her weapon, bring Nona back. It was safe.
The option was there, but it was one that Sasha would not take. There were too many questions now, and Sasha was not going to abandon her weapon.
By the time she made her way to the next puddle of sunlight, Sasha was breathing hard, a cold sweat glistening on her skin.
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