{ FINALE } Go Back to Sleep - Let's go Home. Page 91.

[its me debz]

Ash's smile brightened in response to Thackery's. His oversized fang resulted a bit of a goofy look, and he gave up his steady gait and broke into a run.

He dropped to his knees at Thackery's side, pulling him close, large arms around his slight form.

"Thackery," he breathed, fingers sliding easily against the brown-black locks. Others chose to leave, but Ashford had no intentions of going before Thackery was ready.

"It has been quite some time since we have spoken properly," he murmured low against the boil's throat, his voice a rasp, and he hid his face against caramel skin-- for tears pricked at Ash's eyes.

He laughed, and laughed, and laughed, an unfamiliar and foreign sound.

"You are the one," the Pyramid Head said between gusts of laughter, his shoulders shaking. "I am so sorry-- I--You'll never be alone again. No longer will I be physically present but mentally unavailable. It is gone. I am free, unchained, unbound, unbidden. I am yours, again, if you would take me again."

 

[medigel]

Halloween cannot die. He had been but a first year when the phrase first cropped up as a mantra, a factual declaration, a proud assessment of their heritage - but he had not participated in the shouts at her funeral and instead chose to hang back in silence and awe at the way the students had come together for the ceremony. Back then he had died for the first time in his unlife and became frightened of battle and the violence it brought. Back then he could not proudly declare himself a true Halloweener, not when he feared something no true denizen had to worry about: after all, it wasn't a true death, only a process to find a new place to return anew.

One year later, in the heart of the place he had first died, now that same zomboil offered up himself willingly in spite of the risk of truly dying. What was death to him now that he had glimpsed it as the insanity hunter and tasted it as Red's first regeneration. There he was still, hand out, fragment proffered, eager to be taken for the sake of others. This was the chance to finally be useful, to be one of the heroes who would help Red defeat the hunter leader once and for all. And what touched him was the support non-Initiates had given as well, healing and defending their professor, offering to take her to see the moon again regardless of the outcome. Even if she was an abomination, there were still some who cared. That was the good note he wanted to leave on, that was the hope he wanted to take with him into the darkness.

It was easier to focus on that than the despairing pair of eyes he left behind at least, as much as it pained him to think so. She would understand his reasons eventually, that it stemmed past his usual hooked line to the heroics, that it diverged into something more, something that demanded it be them, else others would die to feed the cause; their fragments would protect them, he was sure, just as surely as he had come back from the dead. He had made his peace when he had first given his Fear to Red and had died enough to have finished with final words. Now he knew it first hand: Halloween really and truly could not die.

Yes, in this decision, Mort felt in the right. This was how things needed to be. His only real regret was that he didn't say everything he wanted to in such a short amount of time, that what he should have said only came to him now as the werewolf howled, a soft and simple Oh. That's right. Like a little scareling who had remembered something important to do just before bedtime, but who had been tucked in and was already growing heavy with sleep.

Jack. Sleep had never sounded so good to the boil who did not need to rest.

Yet even so he managed to lift a swiftly fading hand to brofist Alex and Aymet with a tired smile, as if to say, Job well done. And Shehk would be given one as well the next time he was able, because they were coming back, because they had to . . . Because even as he disappeared, even in spite of the damage and fragmenting and Insanity, Mort had to cling to the idea of a traditional happy ending, that all good deeds were rewarded in some way. Perhaps if Belladonna knew, she wouldn't be so distraught; but then, perhaps she would come to that same conclusion eventually. Everything was always alright in the end, and if it wasn't then you made it so. She had taught him that.

So it was that he was done with laments and done with final thoughts. There was no true end after all, only another path, another call like the soft note that even now enticed him onward, coaxed his Fear to new and better purpose. And with the howl's final hum in his ears, he held close the belief that everything would be just fine as he had told her, closed his eyes, and plunged forward into the unknown without fear of death.

It was simply what heroes did.  

[revenant aria]

"O-okay." The trainee's voice was subdued, anxiously throwing looks back at Caelis. They shouldnt leave him-- They really shouldn't be leaving a division leader behind, especially for tactical reasons. They should be rescuing him, where was all the other division leaders and assistants, leaving Caelius behind really wasn't a good idea, regardless. But without the other divisions and only retreating hunters on the field, the ratio of halloweeners seemed infinite.

She followed Ryan into the portal, hurrying in her steps to catch up with his longer stride. She was worried, reflecting that it seemed like all the wrong decisions had been made, with the worst twist of insanity that she could imagine. The thought was immensely tiring, exhausting when she realized what they would have to report. Weaponless and leaderless.

Also .. Prompto.

Cut off from him, worry seeped into the fiber of her being. She was worried about everything, Caelius, Ryan, Locke, the situation-- everything was exhausting.

There was nothing left in her to keep fighting at the moment. There were no possible options where she couldn't foresee her death. So she stepped in the portal, next to Ryan.

oniongrump

 

[AyeAvast]

It felt nice, in a selfish and oddly grotesque way, to just let herself cry out in the open like this. Everyone had their own things in which to react to, that Belladonna felt, in a disjointed manner as she really wasn't thinking in any rational manner beyond experiencing a deep pain, that it was alright to just sob. No one would notice, she was small and curled up and broken, it was fine.
Except it wasn't fine, and someone had noticed. A pair of cool hands touched the witch and it ached something fierce because they weren't the chill hands she wanted, but they still gave. They were still kind. The first sentence let the witch know it was Professor Selene, for who else had such a sweet, soft voice but her? Yet her words sunk in, were not the monotonous regurgitation Belladonna had expected. As the howl permeated through her senses she sat up, eyes wide and still leaking as she looked first at the teacher, then at the nearby student who shared her sorrow. A hand covered her mouth, for she feared she might begin to scream again and now that someone was paying attention, she felt downright sheepish for her actions.

But a strange "I'm sorry" bubbled through her fingers as the witch shook her head, letting her hand come away for a moment to speak. It wasn't very clear, as every few words was interjected with a sob or a cough or a gasp for breath, but eventually Belladonna managed to stammer out, "I never turned in my homework and you're being so kind and I am so, so sorry."
It wasn't clear as she leaned forward to press her face into the woman's shoulder whether she was apologizing for her late homework, or her loud sobs, or the fact that she hadn't been able to do more to prevent her own sorrow. Still, she was glad someone was here for her, and as she gave herself over to more tears, Belladonna found it appropriate that the professor who was named after the moon, which gave light and protected witches, would be the one to comfort her.

Nio Love

Bloodlust Dante

emotion_kirakira

 

[Nio Love]

Selene was ready to admonish the ghoul for apologizing, but the reason for the apology stopped her short. Her eyes widened, before a soft, sad little laugh escaped her. It was such a trivial thing to think of at a time like this, homework. It almost made the world seem like a lighter place, as if that was all they had to worry about.

"You have nothing to apologize for, little darling." Selene whispered into Bella's hair, as she brushed it back with her hand. "Think of nothing but this moment. Of your sorrow. Of your joy. Remember it, but do not let it define you." Selene knew exactly what Belladonna was going through. And she also knew how easily the ghoul could lose herself to her pain. So many years wasted.. she was determined to keep the ghoul from making her mistake.

Her hold wasn't strong, as she had no strength to give. But Selene held her, and rocked her, and allowed her to pour her feelings out freely into her. "There is no one so lucky, and so vulnerable, as one who's known love." She had no idea just how much the ghoul felt for the boil that had given up his life for Red - but she guessed it was enough to know love. She pulled the ghoul away so she could look directly into her eyes. Selene's own, unblinking black eyes were warm, and filled with serenity. "Cherish it. Mourn it. But never hold back."

AyeAvast

 

[prolixity]

A fight he could handle, standing with a friend - and then the fog reached out and wound around them all and took Ferros away, ripping out all the intricate, delicate connections Jordan and Ferros had worked to build.

The human saw what happened, would remember it, understand it. But it was a hollow-eyed and shock-blank figure that moved mechanically back through the portal.

[EXIT]  

[Seussi]

The zomboils foot steps felt heavier then usual with every step that took him closer to Red, and further away from the one whom he'd entrusted with the task of informing his family if things should go horribly wrong. His hand had reached into his pocket, searching for the skull pin that he had tucked safely within, pausing on something else, something small, flat, round, and somehow warm before pushing it to the side and wrapping fingers around what he had initially sought, pulling it free. Even as he continued his steady shamble forwards, he began fiddling with the object, working the crystal out from within and palming it while slipping the skull pin itself back in it's rightful place on his tie, it's eye sockets now void and empty. He stood, with Mort, and Aymet, hand extended with theirs, offering up to Red something precious, something that belonged only to each of them. A fragmented piece of themselves, an extension of their own Fear cores, something to give her the power to end this, so that they could all finally go home.

Even so, the hand with the proffered crystal trembled faintly. He had tried so very hard to convince himself that this was the right thing to do, that they were the only ones who should do it. He had told himself that it was something that surely they would survive, especially now that the burden would be shared among the three of them. But still, as the blood red crystal was plucked away from his upturned palm, he couldn't help but have his doubts, a niggling feeling in the pit of his cold, undead stomach that maybe he was wrong.

Red had turned away, the mist had begun to gather, the ground trembling beneath his feet, threatening to send him careening towards the ground. As it was he was pushed back, the fog forcing them to retreat, even though he fought against it.

And when that ended there was only silence, a moment to reflect on the fact that there really was no going back now. He had made his decision, had thrown himself forward for the sacrifice only to hope it wouldn't end in their slaughter. He could only be grateful that he would not be alone, that he had two friends next to him. It provided some level of comfort, though he also felt responsible for what might happen to them, especially as he'd asked them for their trust.

With Red's transformation complete, there was nothing more that the zomboil could do except wait for the inevitable, though he was not sure what to expect. Certainly he did not expect Red to bend down and retrieve yet another crystal from what appeared to be a fallen student, one that Alexander was startled to realize he recognized from the student council. He hadn't even known that there had been another initiate among them, had not gotten a chance to get to know many of the others yet. But there would still be that chance. Yes, if he continued to believe it then it would be so. This was not the end for them, but just another beginning, one of many that they would face.

It was sad, really, how long he continued to try and fool himself. Somewhere deep inside, however, he knew. Knew what the consequences of these actions were more likely to be. These feelings were only reinforced when a howl, long, loud, and enchanting rang in his ears, and that's when things began to change, his resolution along with it.

There was first a sense of something pulling, and instinctively, or perhaps just foolishly, he attempted to fight against it. But the feeling was insistent, not letting up, becoming stronger, too strong for him to disobey for longer then a few short seconds. A surge of panic replaced his calm facade of confidence, fear of the unknown digging it's claws deep inside of him. To his side a fist came into view, and he lifted his own hand, curling it into a fist of his own, to give a shaky bump against that of his zombro's, noticing now for the first time how he was beginning to fade away, they all three were, and yes, as he turned his head to watch he could see the ghoul was as well. They were all unraveling in time to Red's howl, and with that final tug that came with her crescendo, he gave in to the reality of what was to come, gave himself the chance to come to terms with it before the notes could fade and take him away with them.

This was the end, and he was the only one who should have been to blame. Of course, others would try to take it upon themselves to shoulder that responsibility, to say that they should have stopped him, that they could have done more, that his death was somehow their failure...but it was really and truly all on him. It had been his decision, and now it was his time. And while he might have flung himself into the gaping maw of the unknown, that did not mean that he did not have regrets. Deep, painful regrets that burned away at his slowly rotting insides and made his last moments all the more hellishly awful.

He should have said more. He should have done more. He should have expressed his love more thoroughly. He should have fought harder. He should have held on tighter. To Yin, his bonded, he should have just been better. A better friend, a better partner, a better everything. You only got so many chances, as he was now belatedly coming to realize, and he had made a mess of every single one. But perhaps this could be his final gift to the boil, perhaps it was the one that would have been best given from the start. Freedom. No more obligation towards him. A chance to not have to worry over him any more. Their commitment to each other could be well and truly severed, and Yin could finally move on.

He should have called more often. He should have made more of an effort. He should have tried harder. He should have been more thoughtful. To his family he should have just been better. A better son, a better role model, better at being grateful for everything they had provided him with. They had always been there for him, had given him comfort and solace when he needed it most, and offered him unconditional love and support. He could only hope that they would understand his final actions, that they would accept it and not be sad for too long.

The howl was coming to an end, the last note dying upon the air and in his ears. The end had come for a boil who, despite appearances and actions, was still nothing more then a just turned seventeen year old teenage boil who's unlife was filled with so much, and would have held room for so much more. It had been one hell of a past year, for him, and it was now time to blow out the candles on this cake and bring this party to it's end.

Before the last ringing of the howl that had lingered in the air was through, a peaceful calm had finally washed over him, and his face split into one last smile, his eyelids closing as he let everything go, the flash of his teeth the last part of him to fade from view.  

[poke mattix]

Jason had seen so much pain and loss today. It was hard to know what to, what to think, what to feel. His mind was numb, unable to understand and comprehend the events that unfurled before him.

All weapons, reduced to mered slabs of stone.

Caelius had been torn to shreds.

Red, throwing the body away.

Did he feel any sadness for the Death leader? Not really. The guy had been a brutal a**, uncaring and unforgiving. But he had been a leader, a strong individual.

Too see someone like that brought down, meant they were pretty ******** the monsters told them to run, the moon trainee did not think twice, stumbling away and towards the portal.

[Exit!]  

[Huni Pi]

Tro would never learn of his fellow Halloweener's valiant effort to save him or of Red's return or of their victory over the Hunters. If he had some inkling, some notion of it, perhaps he would have kept fighting. He would have continued to force himself to stay awake, to stave off the numbing cold long enough for the barriers to fall. But there was only the darkness and the heavy weight of limbs turning into stone.

Memories of his Clan flit through his mind, of family members cajoling him into a game, of brightly colored festivals with music and dancing. Memories of school quickly followed, promises he'd made, classes he'd attended, the figure of twin ghouls and a celestial dragon wavering in his vision. He wanted to reach out to them as he'd done when his mane turned silver, perhaps that would ground him some.

Instead, he simply let out one soft breath: Home.

And he was gone.

----------------------

Before had shut down. Completely and utterly shut down. He'd lost his Bro. The very first friend he'd made since waking. The very first person whom he risked his life for during their memory-less trials. The only person who risked their life to save his own worthless, miserable hide.

And the reality that his fellow Hunters played a huge role in it broke him. In spite of his anger and Ofelia's plea to lay all the blame on her, Before simply found himself kneeling in the ground, propped behind Vanna's large form. He didn't know if he'd survive looking like a sitting duck. In reality he didn't care.

Through the Halloween-b***h's return and Caelius' own rampage, Before had remained as unmoving and catatonic as if gripped in death himself. It was only when he felt the only thing he had to reassure himself with forcibly torn from him did he stir. And teal eyes stared in horror and disbelief at the world around him.

It was mechanical and automatic for him to pick up his weapon's tablet and make a dash for it. He only mourned for his Bro. ******** Caelius.

((exit))  

[Noir Songbird]

Chryses scanned the battlefield for anyone he knew. He spotted Xiu, and gave her a small wave of acknowledgement, but there was someone he was more interested in. He had seen Alex near Red, offering the werewolf something, before she had frenzied and shredded that lead Hunter apart.

The demon intended to praise his bravery and willingness to step up, and to thank him, belatedly, for his protection from the insanity monsters in the Haunted House. But he was nowhere to be found.

No. No no no. Chryses could not accept the idea that something might have happened to the zomboil. Surely he was just dissipated, and would be reappearing any moment...

But the dark certainty that settled in his chest said it wasn't true. Alex was gone. It had been a long time since something had sent him spiraling into despair like this, not since...well, not since his parents had informed him that Dmitri was never coming back and he was the family's heir now. It was strange, that a zomboil he had barely known would rate as highly as his brother, but Alex had protected him and Maggie at the cost of his own safety. Alex had dissipated for him, had risked the call of Home to help two first-years.

He owed Alex a debt, and it was really not fair that the zomboil went and died before he could repay it. And he had died to protect everyone else, to allow Red to finish this ridiculous, horrible battle.

Chryses was s**t with names. Most people simply blended together, names not quite important enough to recall.

Alexander van Rotte? His name, Chryses Aurelius would never forget.  

[naggeela]

When the fog had reduced her weapon back to his tablet form, Tori felt that something too had been taken along with her weapon. She felt cold and numb two important people had been taken from her, one that she would never see again and the other she didn't know if he would come back. Tori felt like the puppet that she had long ago left in her past.

Seeing the death of Caelius didn't effect her as much it has with Bix's death but she would at least remember Caelius a little and to the things that she had learned from him even if he had been uncaring and unforgiving person.

Picking up her own weapon's tablet trying to keep from crying any more than she had already and she will remember everything eventually. Tori quickly follow the rest of the hunters thought the portal holding her weapon's tablet close to her chest as she ran.

((EXIT))  

[ramenli]

Alexander was stupid.

He had not even seemed to want to protect the professor when she had appeared, and then he went and just gave up everything for her. Just sacrificed himself completely to someone he did not even know. Yin had several feelings toward people at that moment, but toward Alexander, perhaps to wall off the hurt, the ache that he was shoving aside because he did not know how to deal with it, he just thought he was stupid.

Yin hated Red. He did. Dissipation was one thing, killing someone was one thing, but absorbing them? Did people come back from being absorbed? Mort had come back, but she had cast something aside, and he had not seen her cast anything aside yet. So yes, there was hope. There was a chance. But so long as she had the students absorbed, he hated her.

And if she did not give them back? He was going to kill her. It was a conviction that settled over him as he sat on the ground, staring at nothing. He would dissipate her and see if her Fear particles would lose their grip on the others. He had no doubts that he could not do it now, but he was going to become stronger. If it took a 100 Octobers. 1000. He was going to kill her. He would spar with anyone, even go to the house that always seemed to have hunters in it, fighting them until he could kill them, each dissipation just one more step to becoming strong enough.

And if he never became strong enough? There were others that wanted to kill her. Those that offered strength for a very heavy price. They just took two at a time, just two, but he could be one of those two. If it meant killing the abomination it was worth it. His mother...would be angry with him. Her friend was his target now, but that was okay. He would just have to hide his intentions and live with the consequences.

He stood, not weakly, not timidly. Determined. He made his way over to Frost in the Storm, seeing the ghouls near him but really just focused on the wolfos for now. He was a warrior, he could be one of those he turned to. One that would not know his intentions but could still help him toward his goal. He looked at him, gaze level, voice soft, firm, and if one was looking for it: flat. "When we get back to school will you spar with me?"  

[chiickadee]

Danny leaned into Gene's touch, wrapping her arms around the ghoul in a hug and then letting go again. "She's not supposed to be here," Danny whispered. "She was dead Gene- I mean really dead."

She sucked in a big gulp of air, and let it out slowly, attempting to control her shaking hands. "Did you see Rikki? Or Roch? Amphi, Yin?" She still hadn't seen any of them since Fright Night really, except Rikki. After what happened to Alex ... well any of them could be like that.

carhop calvalier

 

[Kaiyumi]

Alex was...he was...where was he? The baku had yet to grasp what had really happened, her eyes wide with panic as she continued to search for the tall zomboil among all the other students. There was a small pause as her gaze fell on Chryses, and she returned his wave with a weak smile, relieved to see that the demon seemed unharmed, and then she went back to searching.

Xiu had seen him. She had seen him approach Red with two of the other students--Mort and Aymet--and she had seen him hand something to her. What had that something been? From the distance she had been standing at, it hadn't been so clear, but it was shortly after Red had accepted these objects that they...

She had to ask. Quietly, the baku made her way up to Red, trying to slip past some of the other students in order to grasp at the figure's cloak and give a very light tug in an attempt to catch her attention. "Red, I um...about those students just now..." She hesitated, shifting her weight from one foot to the other, "The ones who had offered to help you, are they...? T-they'll be back, won't they?"

Marushii

 

[Blade Kuroda]

While they were waiting, and things dying down a bit, a few thoughts were returning to Shun. This was a victory, yes, but quite frankly, he hadn't really done anything useful to help with that. He grimaced at the thought, then looked back towards Mitsu. A couple things were running through his head about this whole thing. He hadn't been particularly useful in keeping her safe for one.

Furrowing his brow, he let out a breath while trying not to think too hard on these things. Instead, he turned his attention towards Xiu and Red, hearing the question she presented. Ah yes. In the chaos, a few of the students had been taken into her. Though, he wasn't too worried about it. She had absorbed Mort earlier, but returned him.

There were a few other things as well. Red likely was still filled with Insanity. But she seemed far more control than any of them had been while under its influence. He supposed it wouldn't hurt to be cautious nonetheless, but her threat level towards them was not too high considering everything. He had other things to worry about.