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[ Bradley ]
[ Pools 2 / 4 ]
[ Effects: Fear, Youth (Age 2 cool ]

Bradley stared down at the poor girl who'd arrived at the red pool and gave her a sort of apologetic expression. She was not... not in a good place, that was for sure. He crouched down and gently patted her on the shoulder. "It'll be alright soon, don't worry." At the coaxing of his weapon, he left her alone to come out of whatever trip she was having.

He wandered to a pool like red apples and decided to drink from this one. Because clearly that was a good idea. He didn't get paranoid or anything. He didn't even feel that much different to be honest. Except his muscles were tighter than normal. Damn, not enough training clearly. He wiped his face clean and blinked.

Why... was there beard on his face. He looked back in the pool, and while there wasn't much difference, there was a beard. And a bit of grey in his hair.

So he was... older...?

[ Roll 2 ]

With heart pounding in his chest and a cold sweat breaking out across his skin, Finn found himself standing in front of a pool of yellow.

".......That better not be pee." He said out loud, as he walked with careful steps to it's edge.

He didn't want to drink it. What if it was acid. What if it burned all the way down his throat, killing him, choking him, just like he did to all of his friends in his dream?

Licking lips gone dry, he bent down, and slowly cupped his hand in the water, drawing it out and taking a small sip. Just a small one. That was all that was needed.

"Oh god..." He gasped, dropping what was left in his hand back into the pool before rubbing his hand off onto his pant leg. "But I have to kill them. I do. They stare at me with their judgmental eyes. They get under my skin, like worms, like bugs. They need to be burned, they need to be eradicated." He began ringing his hands together, biting his bottom lip, his gaze panicked as he looked from left to right.

Pools: 2/4

"Um… Maybe?" he said and looked at his own shirt at her question. "D…do you want it? Maybe it's not…shirt gnomes that EAT shirts…oh man, what if its…what if its gnomes that SWAP shirts!…Where did Mini Otto go?" He said and scratched at his head, becoming irritated with the longer hair and making a face. "I got no hair tie." He said. "I bet they ate it… or THEY stole it." He gave a malicious stare at no one in particular…well, in fact at no one at all though he seemed rather convinced that there was someone there.

“We should REALLY go… dun like it here anymore… I liked the first pool; I liked that a LOT…but not so much the others. I don’t wana see the things trying to be invisible anymore…and I feel –short.”


"Oh! HEY mini otto!! Yeah…pretty sure you're not a shirt gnome, you're still wearing one. Still onto you though…. you're a SHRINKIEDINK!"

He had a job to do. He was ten years old, and he was still talking like a kid trying to be an adult. She rolled her eyes, and eased him out of her arms, to let him go.

"Fine." She murmured, "Then do your job."

Her hand intertwined her larger fingers up with his, holding him steadfast. If he still had to drink, then at least she could stick around with him while he did it. "The water's going to ******** with your brain. Be ready for it."

Cami's voice called out nearby, and Maebe's head shot up, eyes widening with delight. She liked the way that sounded. "We're coming," She yelled out. "Just let him drink first. I've got him."

It was remarkable what a couple of years of maturity could do.

Hurrying out of the room with the yellow water, the corner of his eye twitching as his head jerked from side to side as he watched the others in the room carefully, but he didn't know any of them, not really at least, not beyond a passing recognition that he had seen them around before.

It didn't help that they weren't those he knew needed to die. In fact, it only made his paranoia worse as he made his way into another room, gripped with the panic fluttering in his chest, his breathing coming out in short gasps as he dropped next to a pool of red water next, a shaking hand dipping in for a drink.

With a slight whimpering sound, he closed his eyes and took a sip, opening them when something seemed to...shift. He felt different somehow, older, more..mature in a way. His fear wasn't quite as irrational as before, though it was still there.

"They still need to die." He muttered, taking in deep, calming breaths as though to get past the fear that gripped him. Grey hairs peppered the dark brown along the sides of his head, his face changed, adding just a few wrinkles to the corners of his eyes and around his mouth. It wasn't a huge difference, and only vaguely noticeable.

One last deep breath, and he was walking back out into the open, searching for a final pool to drink from.

Pools: 3/4

Pools Found: 4
Current: Fear

Slowly Sammy tugged herself out of the pool, her oversized jacket soaking wet as she blinked lazily at everyone near by yelling hooting, crying. It was all very confusing, at least she wasn't afraid of the hunters any more.

She took a step forward in slightly heavy boots weighed down by purple water before falling over again squeaking helplessly. "Whu wha why is... so dizzy...."

Stumbling along she paused staring at bitty Otto tilting her head, "Aren't you.... taller?" She made a semi flailing gesture for height before stumbling past him wobbling with each step in her giant boots.

Wobbly wobbly giggle giggle Sammy made her way to a pretty blue pool. "You look like.... Ixxy..." On her knees she scooted closer slowly dipping her left hand in, not thinking, and failing to lift the water up because bones make really crappy spoons to scoop with.

A few failed attempts and she finally just stuffed her head into the pool drinking deep.

And that was when the pool became very deep. Pulling back she gasped falling backwards entirely. The whole world was spinning and closing in on it's self and she was scrambling about towards the bushes. The bushes where moving, they had vines, grey vines insanity vines. She let out a whimper and started to crawl the other way. Noises and movement caused her to jump and scream stumbling drunkenly terrified towards the center of the room. Gota get out get out get out get out get out. Fingers clawed at the door, bone ones leaving tiny scratches as she shoved her way through falling into the next room back in her normal form and age, but still terrified of something she never fully could recall.

It might have been the image of the pool, the pool that suddenly looked like a cliff which had had a very large insanity dragon crawling out of it...

exit

Hanna was still running and screaming, though she registered Cami's words.

Another pool? She should find another pool? Something gold caught her eye, and she stopped abruptly. All noise, everything. "The color of my eyes," she said, touching her face and jumping at her own touch. "This pool is my eyes. This pool is me. This pool..."

Golden water splashed onto the tile. The surface of the pool rippled. Because Hanna had just jumped into the Pool of Insanity.

She remained submerged for a few minutes and then surfaced, deathly still. Slowly, carefully, Hanna crawled back onto the tile, her hair dripping wet, clothes askew. There was no expression on her face, just a stoic blankness. Her limbs vibrated with three doses of fear, the drunkenness of sleep, the erratic feelings of her 18-year-old self, and a healthy dose of just plain ******** crazy.

The people she loved most were her enemies. It was clear as day. How had she never seen it? Which meant one enemy was nearby and needed to be destroyed. Golden eyes locked on the curvaceous, dark-skinned, redheaded girl who was one of her closest friends -- and definitely her closest friend in here. Her addled mind saw only danger.

Hanna marched up to Cami, spun her around, and then slapped her across the face repeatedly with every word she emphasized: "Friendship is a PARASITE that must be REMOVED. Love is the OPIATE OF THE MASSES. I will NOT be CONTROLLED by your AFFECTION."

Pool of Youth
Pool of Sleep
Pool of Fear
Pool of Fear
Pool of Fear
Pool of Insanity

4/4 pools found!

Otto drank, and Maebe waited. She wasn't very surprised when he pulled away from the water as if it shocked him, and buried himself against her. She, still under the after-effects that lingered from her last drink, could have sworn the water was in fact sparking with electricity. She was certainly not going to drink anymore.

"It's okay. Shh." She bent down awkwardly, patting him over the head. Mature or not, Maebe wasn't used to comforting children. Or. Anyone, really. "Remember what I said. It's just a trick. Don't let anything convince you otherwise. You're too smart for that."

She pressed her head against his, and continued to brush the back of his hair with one hand while he recovered. She remained until he was ready, only letting go when he needed it. She hoped that was how this sort of thing was done.