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 Posted: Thu Sep 10, 2009 8:27 pm
three can keep a secret,
if two of them are dead.
THANK YOU CHIRI AND THANK YOU ANYA AND THANK YOU PALES AND SHIORI TONBO AND THANK YOU SILVY AND THANK YOU KOTA AND THANK YOU EVERYONE WHO BELIEVED IN ME AND OMG CAN I NEVER EVER SLEEP AGAIN???????
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Posted: Thu Sep 10, 2009 8:52 pm
name meaning none
past life angerona, protective deity of Rome, foster mother of Romulus, devotio of fear and anxiety, goddess of the winter solstice, goddess of secrets
link to mythbase x
personality Zaoll has an indomitable take-no-s**t personality. She is a single-minded brute of a girl who'd as soon be subtle as slit her own wrists, cannot take a joke properly, and values her own ability to control herself. Extremely skilled at presenting a stable front, Zaoll is very aware of her own limits. If an obstacle presents itself, she will stare it down or bust through it.
Her aggression can be triggered quickly and disappear just as fast, and never appears against someone who is not threatening her. She is nevertheless an honorable person who keeps her word; even though she's not exactly subtle she always keeps a secret, unless it might hurt someone else. And even then she'll normally keep it unless she really likes the person who's gonna get hurt.
She usually demonstrates a reactive personality as compared to an aggressive, forward-moving one. Even though she doesn't talk much, she enjoys being around people, especially people who know what they're going for or else have a similar personality and drive. She doesn't like being bossed around, and in fact won't get bossed unless someone knows her real name, at which point they'll be able to make her do whatever they want.
Zaoll sets goals and then achieves them, like clockwork. However, it's somewhat rare that she has a remarkable goal, since she likes to exist in a comfortable, normal medium. Change is not much her style. She likes it when things are orderly and neat, but doesn't really like boring and repetitive tasks, such as making her bed. Most of her cleaning gets done as she wanders through an area, so it doesn't fall under "repetitive" since she never cleans anything the same way twice.
She depends greatly on her ability to take an absurd amount of damage before anything else. It's far more common to see her cramming for an exam than to see her pacing herself, for instance, since going one night without sleep won't phase her too much. Likewise, when necessary, she will place herself between someone and their aggressor because she knows she can take the damage and the other person probably can't.
Even though she lives in close quarters with people, no one is aware of her powers except for Zaoll. Zaoll is a very good secret-keeper.
appearance
glasses and statuesque coloring
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Posted: Thu Sep 10, 2009 8:53 pm
Every so often - in fact, every winter solstice - the Romans would hold a festival that was called the Angeronalia, or the Divalia, or the Divaila Angeronae, in the Curia Acculeia, except for the one time it was performed in the Temple of Volupa, which almost was very bad because Verrius Flaccus sort of accidentally revealed her real name. But that was all right, there were some pretty hardcore mobs around that day willing to tear some poor bastards apart. Nothing accomplishes the goals of the Angeronalia (lightening the spirit, freeing it from anguish and anxiety) like a good-old-fashioned lynching, right?
Now, it also happens that some of her other names were Lara and Lala, which coincidentally were also the names of the foster mother of Romulus, one of the founders of Rome! This also made her the mother of all Romans, which sort of explains why she was the protective deity even though she is really otherwise a goddess of sneaky secrets and bringing on fear and winter solstices and stuff.
After she'd been the goddess of Rome for a while, Angerona happened to overhear Jupiter planning to cheat on his wife by raping Angerona's sister Juturna. Now, Angerona was a goddess of secrets, but letting the King of the Gods rape her sister did not quite fall under a secret she was dying to keep, if you know what I mean. So she of course went and told Juturna all about Jupiter's evil plan, and then just in case, she told Juno too.
This didn't go over too well with Jupiter, who decided that if Angerona just couldn't talk he wouldn't have had this problem, so he ripped out her tongue and bound her mouth shut. Then he told Mercurius the messenger god to lead her on to Hades, where Mercurius decided to have some fun and raped Angerona. Unluckily, Angerona became pregnant and bore the Lares Compitales, who were the guardian spirits of crossroads. Lovely.
And she kind of hung out in Hades for a while, as the city she was supposed to be protecting kind of wasted away, which didn't go over too well with her, especially because when Rome got sacked, so did she. This was so majorly not cool she attempted to demand a chance to properly defend Rome next time through. By the time a new city was built atop the ruins, Angerona had long faded away.
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Posted: Thu Sep 10, 2009 9:03 pm
Stone Affinity (Child)
As a defense mechanism, Zaoll can meld into stone, effectively merging with it until she decides to come out. She cannot communicate with it, or talk to others while inside stone. Nor is she very fast at passing through; it's like trying to walk through a wall of molasses - possible, but extremely slow going. The stone must have a mass equal to or greater than hers.
Angerona was the protective deity of Rome, Rome's major structures were mostly made of marble, marble is stone. Hiding in stone is a reference to how everyone knew Angerona protected them, but no one knew her name.
Frost (Inborn)
Within a ten foot radius of herself, she can cause moisture to condense into a layer of ice. With time and practice, she may expand this ability to freeze people in place.
The Angeronalia was celebrated on the Winter Solstice, thus making her a minor winter/rebirth goddess. Ice powers sort of make sense.
Hiding (Teen/Youth?)
Rather like a disillusionment from Harry Potter, if Zaoll chooses to and stands perfectly still, she can conceal herself in plain sight. If she moves at all, the 'spell' is broken.
Angerona was the Goddess of Secrecy, secrets are hiding things.
Endurance (Inborn)
Zaoll can take a lot of punishment before she falls unconscious; in addition, her bones seem to be relatively impossible to break. She can go for a very long time without food, water, or sleep. It's not that she can't get hurt. It's just that it's REALLY HARD for her to get hurt.
Roman influence persists even today, even though the original city that she was meant to protect has ended. The city also lasted, like, for ******** ever during its decline.
Emotional Control (Child)
She has an almost negligible ability to soothe anguish and anxiety, as a throwback to how her Solstice ritual was said to dispel fear. This ability can increase with practice, but it's unlikely she'll be curious enough as to its workings to actually practice it.
Her power as an Ancient would be something along the lines of: If someone tells her a secret, the only way for anyone else to find out would be for she herself to reveal it. Even if another person knew, they would find themselves unable to speak of it unless Zaoll herself gave permission. She would also be able to create a kind of solid shield to protect her and those around her from physical harm.
Weaknesses
True Name (Quest)
Zaoll is not her real name, and someone who knows her real name will be able to control her, even to order her to stop breathing. Even Zaoll does not yet know her real name yet, but she's working on it.
Voice (Quest)
When she's born, she has a perfectly normal voice. As she grows, she slowly becomes mute, culminating in her Youth quest, which will involve her tongue getting ripped out... again. (Juturna, you suck.)
Lack of Tongue
Probably makes it hard to eat. (Note to self: how -does- she get nutrition after her tongue gets ripped out and her mouth sealed shut? Does this ever get "fixed"?)
Slow Speed
It's not that Zaoll is large or unwieldy. She's just slow-moving. (Rome was huge. Armies were slow.)
Heat
She does not do well with high temperatures re: goddess of the winter solstice.
Protective Instinct
I count this as a weakness because she cannot control it. When surrounded by those she bonds/makes friends with, she cannot stop herself from physically protecting them from harm.
Oathbound
Zaoll, when she hears a secret, must keep it. If she tries to reveal it, she chokes up and can't speak. This is inconvenient, to say the least, but there's one loophole: if she's not told, directly or indirectly, that it's a secret, then she's free to tell.
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Posted: Thu Sep 10, 2009 9:10 pm
Lost Child Guardian
Elsbeth van Helsing is a high school history teacher-slash-seamstress on Earth. She is the sentimental type - keeps her old uniform, has all her yearbooks, keeps her class ring in a box so she doesn't lose it - and sort of a recluse, having not dated for years and mostly keeping in contact with her old school friends through email. Her house looks like a museum, full of old useless knickknacks and the occasional extremely expensive relic. Because she was once a member of her college's fencing club (though never quite distinguished in it) she is especially interested in medieval weaponry, and her fascination with medieval history provides her a way to ensure she's getting the real thing when she purchases something. Though she mostly prefers to buy things in real life, sometimes when she sees an irresistible object online she can't help but purchase it. She has always had a fondness for odd names, and in fact owns three cats named Aine, Enoka and Nomi. So Zaoll for a child was not that far a leap.
(Elsbeth occasionally calls Zaoll "Owl", which pisses Zaoll off to no end. Owls, she thinks, are creepy. Zaoll's favorite cat is Aine, because Aine is almost as pale as Zaoll.)
Most people would say Elsbeth is the kind of person who could not care for a child; that she cares more for antiques than she does people, and would prioritize the past over the child in the present. They're not entirely wrong. She's got this very firmly entrenched view of family life, which involves ideas like the mother being the perfectly nurturing type and daughters being as housebound as the mother unless they're teachers or maybe nurses and also she feels that all women need to have babies. This is why she kept Zaoll, because Elsbeth is getting on in years (she is nearing fifty and looks like she's approaching seventy) and yet she has no children and especially no grandchildren.
Elsbeth homeschools Zaoll, makes all of Zaoll's clothes, the whole nine yards, everything that is supposed to make a psychokiller. Luckily, Zaoll seems to be more social and quiet than psychokiller, which probably would have broken Elsbeth's heart (or her spine). She tries especially hard to keep Zaoll from doing things that are "dangerous"; rock climbing, driving a car, and learning to fire a gun are "dangerous" things. Her desire to be the perfect, responsible, protective mother wars with Zaoll's personality, which tells Zaoll that she can take care of herself.
Second Generation Guardian
Mhin Hae-min (23 April) is an internationally recognized landscape designer, having had widely recognized success in her work for various country clubs, corporate inner sanctums, and public parks. She is also an arcane researcher and possessor of three separate grimoires; she works part-time as a secretary-c**-housekeeper for her younger brother at Daemonolgie, because she believes he would not be able to take care of himself otherwise. Her main career is that of a freelance floral and landscape designer.
Like her Tae-yul, Hae-min is a native of Korea; she studied under the same uncle as he until Mhin Dong-ji's untimely death. At that point, she was discovered to lack sufficient power to summon true demons, but she had never desired to work as a contractor or summoner; what had always fascinated her was the spirit world and the powers involved, which lead to a fruitful sideline career in the studies of the occult world. Her hobbies beyond the obvious are cooking, cleaning, and gardening, but she also enjoys a good shopping expedition.
She, unlike many who practice the dark arts, is polite to a fault; her personality is the same sort of sweet that most would associate with strawberries; a little bit tart, but mostly sweet and easy to love. It seems that her light and airy personality is hard to resist; her presence seems to inspire a feeling of protectiveness in most people, because there is no way someone like her can be anything harmful. It's said she shares her brother's temper, but no one has seen it to prove it; if she does, her fuse is certainly much longer.
Though she does not have the personal power to switch a contract or bind a particular powerful demon of her own, she is quite reliable in terms of knowledge and is the best person at Daemonolgie to approach for matters such as possession, exorcism, haunting, and location spells. She is also enjoys the pursuit of literomancy and is always willing to give divination a try.
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Posted: Thu Sep 10, 2009 9:12 pm
Lost Child: World
Zaoll and Elsbeth come from present-day Earth, specifically Europe, with a summer home in Marseilles and their winter home in Rome. Both of these houses have been in the family for generations, and while they are not big they're definitely worth living in, since they're in prime real estate. Zaoll much prefers the winter home, since she feels like the marble is welcoming her. Incidentally, Zaoll also does not like fish, which comprises most of the Marseilles diet. The salary Elsbeth earns is small, but her retirement fund is enormous, so there's no worries about maintaining both homes as she gets closer to retiring.
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Posted: Thu Sep 10, 2009 9:29 pm
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Posted: Thu Sep 10, 2009 9:31 pm
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Posted: Sat Sep 12, 2009 6:04 pm
round one
Silverah This was not the ship. Well, it was a ship, but it wasn't a ship, and it certainly wasn't where he had been before. As he stepped towards them, the walls around Astor warped, became quicksilver, and melted away. They vanished through a grate in the floor, and then the floor vanished through the grate, and then the grate vanished into itself as well, which was truly strange to watch. It was almost how he imagined black holes to look right as they swallowed a planet, something large growing smaller and smaller until nothing at all remained.
From where the floor had been, rough green carpet spread out, the sort they laid on ships to keep people from getting planetsick on long journeys. It only filled a brief circle around him, and Astor took a step forward, trying to see what lay over the edge of the carpet. As he moved, so did the surface, and so he could never quite reach the edge. Every time he did, another patch of green sprang up to meet his feet.
This was all very strange.
"Am I dead?" he asked aloud, and then pinched himself several times. Well, he didn't feel dead, and he reasoned that if he was dead then he ought to remember dying and all he remembered was falling asleep on the floor holding a firefly. That didn't add up to being dead. He took another step and looked up, scanning the horizon ahead for any clue of where he might be.
It was hard to focus on this land. The more attention he paid to a place, the more detail emerged, but as soon as he looked somewhere else, it all melted away. The longer he stared, the more aware he became that there were places that didn't fade, places that he could look at, and nothing happened to them. They existed independently of his own little patch of green.
The longer he stared, the more aware he became that there were other people in those patches.
Other people.
Astor paused.
The others?
He took a hesitant step forwards, and when the patch of real far in front of him did not fade, he took another step. As he walked, the green carpet gave way to the traction-coated metal plates of the bridge of a ship, but the consoles and chairs stubbornly refused to materialize. Astor didn't dwell on this too long - it wasn't like he knew what to do with those consoles, anyway.
Astor was not one for logistics. He wasn't quite sure where he was, but it was somewhere away from the nasty guard. And there were others here. Maybe - maybe they could tell him something he could tell the guard, and then the guard wouldn't kill him and his mom... That settled it. He had to get this person's attention. He had to talk to them and find out what they knew and when he woke up - because he reasoned this was a dream but it was dreams that had gotten him into all this, so who was to say dreams wouldn't get him out?
When he woke up, he would tell them what he'd found out, and everything would be okay again.
"Hello?" he called, hoping to maybe catch the mysterious person's attention. "Can you hear me?"
While he waited for a reply, he rubbed his arm. It worked just fine, but it still didn't feel right. He could feel the guard's lingering taint on it. Something cold and dirty and just a little bit off.
romantic wishes The scenery had changed when she opened her eyes, and since she hadn't eaten or drank anything for a while, she supposed it couldn't be drugs. Couldn't be drugs, but it couldn't be real, either, because she found herself in a misty place, empty and alone, with a feeling like she was slipping down a slick cliff face. At the end of the fall, she could see, was a thick, dark fog, and she could sense that if she slid too far down, she'd simply... disappear. Her stomach churned at the thought - she wasn't in the camp anymore, and she didn't want to go back. She knew, though she couldn't say how, that if she disappeared she would be back there, and come morning she would die, and querulous old Elsbeth too. Elsbeth, the only one who had been told about her dreams. The only one who could possibly have turned her over to these guards, and who would now die for it. That was not an option. Zaoll turned, to the opposite direction, where the mists seemed to fade into a path surrounded by stone buildings. How she'd longed for a stone surface to vanish into as she listened to the guards! If she could get to those, she could disappear, get as far from the mists as stone allowed. She would live, even if no one else did in the whole world, and alone she could depend upon her own ability to endure. Something gave her pause, a barely audible sound that strengthened as she focused on it. She could hear voices, each as urgent as the next. Could these voices be the 'others' the guards had been asking about? The ones who the guards were looking for... She had hoped that they might show up, that if she just could stay alive and not reveal the secret, they'd somehow find her and she could live. She so desperately wanted to live - without revealing the secret she didn't know, without leaving Elsbeth to die... Tentatively, she took a step towards the voice she had heard, then another and another, but each time, she came no closer to the voices and the sanctuary of stone. If anything, she slid further back, closer to the mist and the end it promised. "No," she said, a weak denial of something she couldn't change, and she ran for the sanctuary of stone. This s**t didn't happen, she thought, normal people did not slid into voracious black mists and get eaten by it. Only in fantasy books did someone get devoured by non-corporeal objects. Zaoll lived quite determinedly in the real world, thank you! When she opened her eyes, it was dark, but not fading away in the mist dark - the safe warmth of the inside of stone. Nothing could get at her when she hid like this, because nothing knew she was there - and suddenly, she was outside again, but this time on a patch of marble maybe five feet around, extending out from where she was, and out there were other people, rare people in their own points of light. Nearest to her was - a boy, with glowing lights in his hair. She squinted - her glasses had vanished sometime during her captivity - at him, leaning forward. Who knew what would happen if she stepped over the edge of this circle? Better to stay put, just in case - but she felt the ravine and the mist coming back, and that spurred her to move forward and lay one hand on the kid's shoulder. This close, she could tell the glowing lights were fireflies. The stone had faded as she approached, seeming to meld and flicker with the kid's... whatever that was, she didn't know, and in the moment of distraction, the ravine yawned and Zaoll pulled herself back to the present. It seemed like as long as she kept herself here in the moment, put her indomitable personality to keeping the mist away, it would stay away. "Hello? You called?" Her voice sounded wispy, but it was normal wispy, and not the empty denial of her flight from the mists. He looked foreign, maybe Spanish, but who could tell? They all looked foreign - the winged one she could barely see, someone else as white as she, another boy with a blackish thing for a tail, closer than the white one but only barely - so she used English, the language most foreigners spoke. The distraction called to the mists again. Zaoll focused again. "I heard you," she said in her stilted English, "My name is Zaoll." [Teen, girl, darkish monochrome hair I guess, really pale marble coloring/skin texture. Looks nearsighted. >: Has a Roman (aquiline) nose.]
Silverah Astor whirled around, and found himself looking at a girl.
"I guess I did," he said, slightly surprised. How had she gotten behind him without him noticing?
She was older than him, and they looked nothing alike. So much for his earlier guess about people with fireflies in their hair or people who could take themselves apart. "I'm Astor," he said, and paid no attention to her accent. Lots of people had accents. Practically every planet spoke a different kind of English.
"Are you one of the others?" he continued breathlessly. She didn't look like one, but, then again, you'd never know until you asked.
"Because if you are, I need you to help me. If you don't help me, they're gonna kill my mom and me. They're gonna rip me apart and put a bullet in every one of my bits and spread me out across the galaxy and I really, really don't want that to happen."
He didn't know if he'd still be alive after they did that.
"You know how bad that would be, right?" he asked, and hoped that she could see how desperate he was, because he was really desperate. Desperate with a capital D. She was older and she wasn't mean looking like the men who had captured him and maybe she could help him. Another kid wouldn't have made him feel better, but she comforted him on the virtue of her being older than him.
He had no friends his own age, anyway. He wouldn't know where to begin with a kid.
"I don't want to die," he said, and meant it.
He looked away from Zaoll for a moment to give more attention to the rest of his surroundings. Since setting his sights on her he hadn't paid attention to the rest of the figures, and now noticed a large group of them congregating a bit further away.
"Do you think maybe they can help, too?" he asked, pointing to them.
"And, um," he said, taking hold of his left forearm. He tugged it until with a neat pop, it separated cleanly from the rest of his body. No blood and no harm done. "Can you do this?"
romantic wishes She stepped back a bit, reaching again to adjust glasses that she had lost with a somewhat stymied look on her face. This kid's face! What were those dots? And the stripe down his nose - was that frostbite? Whoever he was, he'd had it rougher than she had. This time, as Zaoll had a hand in front of her face, she could see her extremities turn a little transparent as she began to freak out, which didn't help her calm down, but she clamped down on her emotions and just focused on calm. Once her mind was under control again, and she looked solid enough, she took a deep breath and said, "The others?" It was eerily close to a question she had been about to ask. Perhaps... if there really were others, the same thing could be happening to them in other countries, even other worlds. That was ridiculous. There was no such thing as other worlds. But then where was she now? She focused instead on Astor's words. They're gonna kill my mom and me. "Yeah, I know," she said, figuring her similar situation would be best kept under her hat for now. Perhaps, if she helped this kid out of the... strangely, disconcertingly analogous situation, she'd be better able to do the same for Elsbeth and herself. If she even wanted to save Elsbeth, since... it had to be Elsbeth who sold her out. Zaoll clenched her teeth. She wanted to get out of this situation, and right now, the best way look to be kind of roundabout. Help the kid, which helped herself... Not her normal way of handling things. "Neither do I. So let's not die. Easy goal, right?" Yes. She could focus on the goal of not being dead for now. Not falling into the mist and fading off. Easy enough. Her attention, drawn by Astor's words, went back to the people standing somewhat far off and she considered them. Could they help? Perhaps, and it didn't hurt to try. Zaoll took a few steps towards the others, stopped and turned when he spoke again. Pop, went his arm, and Zaoll stood there for a moment, the confused look from before coming back until she said, in a very loud, flat voice, "Mother <********>." Then, quieter, she said, " Put your arm back on." Deciding that she was not going to wait on him to do it - god that was so weird but at least he was one of the others as best she could figure it - she wrestled the limb away and pushed it back to his elbow joint, where it rejoined with his body with a similar pop. Calming down a little - she didn't even notice she hadn't faded at all during that freakout - she said in a passably normal voice, "No, I can't do that. But I can walk through stone. Let's go over there and see what those others know." Zaoll turned around and marched off to join the group that was quickly forming around the man with two pairs of firey wings. [Had Silv's permission to put Astor back together. :O]
Silverah The only other person who had ever taken serious charge over Astor's tendency to lose limbs was his mother. Under any other circumstances, Zaoll's unwitting imitation of her behavior might have annoyed him, but right now there was something comforting about it. She seemed willing to help him, at the very least, and to calm down.
Eyes wide, he asked, "You can walk through stone?"
In his experience that wouldn't have been a very useful power for someone who lived in a ship. (Not that his abilities were really suited to shipboard living, either.)
"Are you a planetsider?" he prodded, falling into step behind the girl. They had both agreed not to die and she was smarter than him and that was making him feel better. As long as he was with her he would be okay and together they would find the answers and escape. "Where are you from?"
Maybe when they were all done here and safe again, he'd go find her for real and thank her.
He stayed a few steps behind her, and every so often would look down and wonder at how their separate patches of real flowed together. His metal hit her stone and it exploded in little bursts of pyrotechnic and glittery dust. "Look at that," he said, pointing to the join, but did not have time to dwell on it any longer because he heard a voice from far away -
"Hey! Everybody over here!"
Astor looked up, over to where an orange-winged man seemed to be holding court, surrounded by smaller, fainter figures.
He reached forward and gave Zaoll a tap on the shoulder.
"Zaoll?" he asked hopefully. "Do you think them over there might know something?"
He pointed, indicating what exactly he meant. At the very least, it was worth a try.
kalindara Golden eyes opened slowly, roving from side to side. Something felt very different, very strange. Prickles ran up and down Roth's spine, his body screaming 'danger'. And Roth trusted his instincts. Snapping to attention, he pushed himself off the ground where he lay and tried to make sense of his surroundings. A cherry tree blossomed nearby, and he recognised it from his mu qin's gardens, but directly behind it was a wall he knew was part of his chambers in Hell. He turned, and blinked in surprise as the 'holy couch' from HQ came into view, complete with the knifings made by a tiny Dil and the dagger Roth had gifted him. Frowning, Roth turned back to find that the tree and wall had disappeared. "What in all Hells is this?" he growled to himself. The last thing he remembered was... was... Crap. Well, this just HAD to involve magic of some kind, because the only thing Roth could remember was a hazy mess, and a faint impression of... Had he been kidnapped?! Roth's tail began lashing back and forth. Of course, it was a plot against him! Kidnapped, possibly arranged by one of his rivals, and dumped into this strange place. Someone was out to get him. No wonder his instincts were screaming that his life was in danger. Roth would just have to be on his very best guard. Luckily his Lunar Spear still obeyed his commands, appearing in his hand when he 'reached' for it with his teleportation skill. Feeling much less naked with his weapon, Roth picked a random direction and began walking. "Just so you know," he called out to whomever might be listening in on him, "when I find you, I'm going to rip your spine out, dance on it, and feast on your heart."
Kyribird Prince, excuse my boldness, BUT SNAP OUT OF IT. The harsh voice of his adviser broke through his fit of paranoia and he hissed, eyes snapping open and body stilling. More people had arrived - they seemed to be congregating and moving and talking amongst themselves. Nobody seemed to be paying much mind to him. Ghytere didn't know whether to be relieved or pissed off that he wasn't immediately paid attention to.
A low growl came up in the back of his throat. He'd settle for relief, at the moment. Anger didn't do much good when one was fighting for their lives. Certainly it fueled a fire but it also made one reckless. And, as far as Ghy was concerned, this was still a fight for his life.
The words the others were speaking he could not understand. It was like listening to a garbled message from a man who had had too much to drink and could not tell Amphrell from Mitanese. It was amusing when that happened - but right now it was just frustrating. Were they plotting against him? They were. He knew it. Again, panic was rising in his chest until Ukuna's voice was heard.
Prince, if I could be so bold...
"What, you haven't been bold enough?"
An amused look was passed to his charge, I was not within you when you arrived here, Prince.
"...So?" Not necessarily the quickest thing with a brain, was he?
We have always been. Except when you sleep.
"I'm awake. I'm talking to you. That alone proves I am not asleep."
It must be powerful magic at work to separate us, if that is the case.
...Right, tell the paranoid Fa'e that there was powerful magic at work. That was an incredibly bright thing to do when you were attempting to calm him down. "If you're trying to help, it's not working."
What he wouldn't give for his father, at that moment. The two of them had a rocky relationship at best - full of holes and pitfalls so large that it made the grand canyon look like a crack in the sidewalk. But he always felt more secure with that man guarding his back.
"Ghytere, I am always at your back, etali."
The voice had sounded plain as day - Common tongue, but it was Alijatra's voice. He turned, quickly, trying to find him - the world closest to him once more becoming the jungle floors as he thought of home. Alijatra made him think of home. The world was shifting again - before, he thought it was simply something to confuse him. This seemed...deliberate. On his end.
You're changing the floor, Prince.
"What do you mean I'M changing the floor?"
You thought of home, it became home.
Ghytere paused. He needed something more concrete than that. The palace. Forest became elaborate marble, expanding before him and creating the foyer. His thoughts shifted again, to the cold dismal room in Akori - the tiles seeming to fall away one by one to create the cool stone of his room.
"Holy s**t."
Well, at least he was thoroughly distracted from believing the others were out to get him! At least until a nearby voice, sounding none too happy, spoke about ripping out spines. Leave the small bit of English that Ghytere knew to be about violence.
"You."
Heavily accented voice, though an accent no doubt unfamiliar, called out. "You have weapon."
Broken, disjointed, but pleased. He had a weapon. Nobody else he had seen actually carried a weapon. Not that he could make out, anyway.
"Weapon...more?"
You sound like an uneducated savage trying to speak the common tongue.
"It's not like he knows Mitanese."
...Yeah, Ghy. Let people think you're talking to yourself. Smart.
Let me try.
"No."
((SORRY IF I MISSED ANYONE ACTUALLY TALKING TO GHY brain meats are scattered. I will edit if I did <3))
romantic wishes "Yes, but don't tell," said Zaoll, her eyes on the man with the wings. "It's a secret." And, she thought, if he were smart he would have kept his ability secret too, but it could be excused. He was just a little kid, and they were not notoriously skillful at secret-keeping; the obvious exception being herself, of course. She walked towards the group - it seemed the man with the wings knew at least something, or intended to get everyone together. It would be useful to hear what everyone else thought, she thought, to hear if anything else was so similar like her experiences. "Planetsider? I live on a planet. Is that what you mean?" On command, she looked down to the place where marble met steel and raised her eyebrows. That was interesting, and she tried to step away from it - she didn't feel like testing if her skin was flameproof yet. "That's where I've been going," she said to the inquiry, but just then- When I find you, I'm going to rip your spine out, dance on it, and feast on your heart.That voice did not sound at all friendly, and looking around for the source, she thought she saw a tall man holding a spear, with purple hair. If she had been able to blanch, no doubt she would have. As it was, she latched on to Astor's shoulder and interposed her body between him and the origin of the voice. The kid could come apart, but Zaoll could get hit by a car and emerge with only a bruise. In her mind, the two things were not at all comparable in this situation. "Stay close, all right?" There was a naked man over there. A blue, naked man. That was definitely one of the weirder things she'd seen here, not counting the whole Astor-taking-off-his-arm thing. And now in the other direction was... shouting? Approaching the angel did not look like a good idea, not with all the posturing going on, but he was the one calling for people to get together. It definitely didn't help her 'let's not die' pact with Astor to proceed directly towards the person threatening to dance on spines. Not at all. Still... She could endure being hit by a car. Astor could take himself apart. They were not entirely defenseless. So Zaoll grabbed on to Astor's hand. "Change of plans. This way," and she proceeded towards the black-skinned man. "Stay behind me." She had never tested her body's mettle against sharp steel, or whatever kind of metal that was, but this didn't quite seem like real life. Was it? At any rate, one spear versus... whatever was going on near the angel. Better to approach the demonic-looking one, since it would only be one thing to keep after. As they walked, she explained her choice. "Too much anger going on around the angel. If he can get everyone else to shut up long enough to explain something, we're not so far away we can't hear. And everyone is fighting, but here there's only one threat." She paused, then added, "Crazy Blue is not a threat." She stopped a safe distance from the spear-wielding man. "Hello," she said. "You're going to have a hard time getting to my spine, so hear me out. Were you captured by someone and threatened with death by the morning?" [I think after this I'll just start using names to keep things clearer. x - x;]
Silverah Astor swerved to follow Zaoll, his 'path' suddenly changing from metal back to the green carpet. Little rims licked at the edges of it, threatening to grow into the walls of a ship's corridor. He kept close to the girl, and winced a little bit as the sparks from where their distinct worlds met licked his ankles.
"Okay," he whispered, and tried not to stare as they passed the crazy, naked blue guy. What had happened to him? Had people threatened him, too?
"Are we all here for the same reason?" he asked, peering around her at the man in front of them. He understood her logic about how this guy was only one threat and all the loud, violent people were many threats, but...
If he got all scattered here, as he was prone to doing in bad situations, and some of his parts fell off his path, what would happen to them? Astor shuddered. It was not something he really wanted to think about.
He nearly crashed headlong to Zaoll when she stopped, and somehow still wound up clinging to her shirt and looking curiously around her, which was, he knew, a perfect recipe for getting his head knocked off.
After her question, he added hopefully, "Please don't eat our hearts!"
Heart. Heart. He was supposed to know something about his heart. Something from the dreams- He couldn't remember.
kalindara "You." Roth's head snapped up as a voice called out to him. Whirling in the direction of the newcomer, he lifted his spear up into attacking position. Was this the person responsible for his current situation? He blinked as the blue-skinned male moved closer and asked about weapons. Roth's lip lifted in a snarl. Was this an attempt to find out how many weapons Roth had at his disposal, before attacking him? "Oh, I have many weapons," he purred silkily. "But I'm not about to give away all my secrets. You won't know what the others are until they're embedded in your flesh." Ha, attack him at your own peril! Roth smirked, an expression that only deepened as the strange blue male began arguing with himself in another language. Or... was he communicating with whoever was behind all this? Some kind of communication device, like those tiny phones that could hide inside your ear? He peered at the stranger, trying to see if there was any kind of device like that on him. His inspection was interrupted by the arrival of more people. Roth quickly moved so he could keep an eye on all of them at once. Only three? Hah, easy. Whoever was behind this was obviously underestimating him! "Your spine isn't as well-protected as you think," he advised the girl who'd spoken. He paused slightly as she mentioned being attacked and threatened with death. His expression darkened, voice icing over. "So, you're taking credit for that, are you? Hardly wise. Don't tell me I've been kidnapped by amateurs." His voice dripped scorn. It was then that the last of three strangers spoke up. "Are we all here for the same reason?" Eyes narrowing, Roth straightened out of his attacking pose - just slightly. He was still ready to attack if needed. "You claim you were also kidnapped and awoke here?" One eyebrow rose. "You certainly do not appear able enough to be behind this scheme, but perhaps one or more of you is just pretending in order to catch me off my guard..." He ignored the angel yelling in the background. Ugh, like Mister Broken Ribs would be of any help in this situation. Still, at least he could be almost certain that the flaming (Roth snickered to himself) angel wasn't behind this. Perhaps Roth would go and compare notes once he could be sure these three weren't the ones trying to kill him.
Kyribird Okay, the pretty demon looking guy was talking now, and only a few words of the common could be made out. Ghytere stopped conversing with Ukuna and tried to concentrate on what Roth was saying. Many weapons was understood, secrets...embed. Oh. Oh. He was threatening him now, was he? Ghy's mouth opened to speak again, though was immediately interrupted by two more people showed up. He could barely understand what was going on...and the Fa'e really did not enjoy the fact that he couldn't figure it out. It did nothing to help quell the rising paranoia which was always just a stone's throw away with him.
He turned on a bias, keeping all three of them in his sights, eyes narrowed and shifting back and forth between the black skinned man who was threatening him, the girl attempting to converse with him, and the boy. Who was apparently asking about..eating hearts?
Oh for the love of.. Ukuna figured that this entire 'language barrier' was going to make things difficult - at least it was going to continue to put Ghytere on edge. And an on-edge Ghytere was a bad thing when things needed to come together to figure something out. Forgive me, Prince. It is for your own good.
"He does not understand what you are saying," Ukuna spoke, using Ghytere's mouth like he had done before when Ghytere had nearly lost himself. Being the diplomatic one in the head, he'd had to use his tongue to soothe ire a handful of times. Though as he spoke, Ghytere's voice changed - becoming more of a hiss than the solid words that the Fa'e used. Softer, more soothing. Like a serpent. "But I do. This is Ghytere." Clawed hand lifted to press a finger against his chest. "Please do forgive Prince, he has his issues."
An angry growl sounded in the back of his head and he ignored it, turning his eyes (which had hued to green) to Roth, "He wanted to know if you had a weapon he could borrow, not to use against you unless you are the one who caused this - which by your response, I am somewhat doubting." A pause. "He is skilled in combat. I suggest if it comes to it, you grant his wish for a weapon should it be in your power." Now attention went to the girl, opening his mouth to speak, though it was quickly shut. This would be so much easier if I had my own body.
"Ukuna." Ghytere growled, "Takes over." More broken English. "...You speak Mitanese?" It would be easier if they could all speak the same bloody language. "Only...few words. Common."
...And what the hell was that booming voice? Ghytere jumped, once more on guard, looking around for the source of it. How many people were even here? Who were the 'bad' guys so to speak. At least he seemed to be in the group that was on his side. If what Ukuna had translated was right, then this could possibly be the help that he'd hoped for. All for the same reason, he'd said. That little spark of hope was rekindled. At least the black one looked like he could fight.
"No eat heart." He assured the child. What threat was a mere child?
What, like what threat is a mortal? The thought came from nowhere - he didn't know why, but it definitely hit a nerve. He'd ignore it for now.
Kuuro Kitten This was frustrating, it was useless trying to get information from anyone that was just as trapped as she. How could anyone know what was going on? They all seemed on edge, more so the dark skinned man with a weapon of sorts. It looked sharp and every fiber of her being told Renshu to run away and find help elsewhere but despite those warning signs, if he had a weapon he could defend himself and maybe protect her.
But what if he was the one doing all this?
He definitely didn't fit the image of a man lost. Elaborate robes and tall physique, he even had a weapon and wasn't without qualms pointing it at the others. This man! He had to be the one that did all this. Growling, Renshu crouched low, tail swishing irritably. It wasn't like she could take him on or anything but if he had answers about her situation or knew where her papa was then she had to at least try right? ....Right?
Something in her screamed not to attack. Besides what could she -- a little girl -- do against someone like that. For a moment she imagined herself flipping and moving in the sky -- the Big Top, her home, her safe haven. She wanted to go home, return to bed and sleep away this horrible, horrible nightmare. She began to move, the image of a tight rope underfoot, with soft steps she imagined she was home performing. Lithe, agile, practiced and confident. It was just like at home, with a leap she landed gracefully. This wasn't so hard, just pretend she was on the tight rope and...
*Splat*
She tripped and fell landing right at the foot of the group. Looking up an awkward smile slipped across her face as she scratched her head, causing her headdress to shift on her head. Taking it off she hid behind it crouched in a sitting position. "I... um.." Well so much for attacking the scary man with a weapon. She couldn't hope to sneak up on him anyway. "Where's my papa!" She demanded suddenly, placing the headdress back atop her head. It wobbled, sitting haphazardly atop her head as she stood to her full height which was probably at the man's hip at best. "Did you take him? Is this your doing, it has to be...!" Well it had to it only made sense. He looked... DANGEROUS! Frowning she glared up at him tears welling in her ruby eyes but she would not dare let them spill not in the face of her captor. Not in front of any of them present. She had to be strong for her papa. He would be happy to find she hadn't cried for him. That she managed to assert herself in a difficult situation, she would do anything for her papa!
Tail swishing with the effort it took not to pound her small hands on his chest and demand her father's safe return, she continued to glare up at him. Ignoring those around her for now. He probably had them as his servants to do his bidding against their will. If she could save them too then they might help her find her papa. Yes! This all made sense now.
(( My second post... just for my reference. <3 And Renshu is now with Roth, Ghy, Astor and Zaoll. xD ))
romantic wishes Get the hell over here!Well yeah, like that was going to happen now. She did not like being ordered around. Or threatened. But more especially she did not like being bossed, and right now, it seemed like they'd have a better chance of survival and escape if joining someone who seemed to be able to handle a weapon, at the least. Sure, she could see the glint of metal from that direction if she squinted, but a spear had more range, didn't it? More cover, wasn't it? Zaoll spared a glance for the orange-winged man, then turned her attention back to the more immediate threat. Crazy Blue was still crazy, muttering to himself about who-knows-what, but now the man - she could see now that she was so close and squinting besides that he had horns, and purple... pearls? on his face - was talking to her. "It's protected enough," said Zaoll bluntly in her soft voice. And she listened to him for a moment - kidnapped by amateurs, what the hell? She was no kidnapper, she'd been kidnapped herself! Like Astor, though, the same situation. The same odd feeling of something not being right with this whole deal. It could be some kind of huge, orchestrated thing... but she doubted it. And she had to find out what was up if they were going to live, because she had to live. Had to. "We claim it because we were," she told Angry Black (as she decided she was going to call spear man for now). She stopped in the beginning stages of asking a question along the lines of 'Do you have any idea who the 'others' are' when Crazy Blue started talking perfect English, and... referring to himself in the third person? Maybe he really was crazy. It seemed likely that he was, when he was referring to an Ukuna and taking over in terrible, barely understandable English. What the hell was an Ukuna? No time for that! Other things had to be done! "Shut up," she said to Crazy Blue - Ghytere or whatever. "We don't have time for crazy talk. If you're in the same boat as us, you've got until morning too, so it's best if we all stop jumping at shadows and start trying to find a way out of this, preferably while escaping from whatever's back in the real world!" But this wasn't drugs. It wasn't a normal dream if it was a dream. And it wasn't like real life, either. Real life was... soaking wet, and without stone, and now she stood on marble. Astor was one of the Others that the men holding her captive were seeking. The dream itself, or whatever this place was, could be an avenue for escape... if only she knew what the Others were, and if there were some who could maybe do this! That'd be something, at least... A little girl tripped into the group and started yelling about her papa, and how Angry Black must have done something to him. "Look, if he did something to your papa, wouldn't your papa be here with you, since this is where Angry Black is?" Zaoll didn't seem to realize that she'd used her mental nickname for the spear-wielding person until after she'd finished talking, but even then there was no use in being embarrassed, and no time. It would be best, she decided, to always act as if she had no time. If this was just a dream, she could wake up at any time. [Fourth post, holding fifth back unless there's something super important I should respond to~]
Jiuu Dante froze, hearing a tumult of voices all around now, some near, some far. The little girl ahead of him disappeared behind the illusions, flashes of his room obscuring her face, disappearing in the black landscape. He turned around, to see only more flashes from Terra hiding the white boy from view. "Where'd they go...?" Did they disappear like he'd seen others do? Shaking his head frantically, hoping that wasn't the case, he looked around at the groups that were starting to form, seeing one being led, kinda, but a youth with large orange wings. There was another farther off, the details of the figures indistinct. But the closest one...The naked blue boy, two others, and... A Daimon! Or, at least, someone really close to one! Dante could see the horns and the tail, and though the purple haired figure had more horns then was normal, it wasn't like double pairs never happened on Frain. Trying to keep down the excited hope rising in him, he ran towards them, calling out [i"Hey!" as he approached. When he got closer, he slowed down to a cautious walk, coming up behind the naked man, watching the maybe-Daimon speaking with the other three. There was tension of some sort, but he couldn't tell why... He looked around again, noticing the different grounds underneath each of their feet, and glanced at his own. The brown stone rippled a little, but it was still there, a reminder of Terra's streets. Glancing back up, he could see images around the four figures, clashing with each other when they met. He could see the ones familiar to him sparking a little when he came up behind the group, attempting to mesh but instead almost canceling out. Looking back at the figures, his eyes again fell on the maybe-Daimon man. He felt almost familiar, as if Dante should be bowing or something, but he couldn't for the life of him tell why. Was it just because he had similar features? He was the only one Dante had seen so far that had horns, slanted ears and a tail, but that wouldn't make him feel like an underling or something, would it? It shouldn't, right? It's not like it felt wrong, but it was definitely...Confusing. Suddenly cautious, the child quietly shuffled up to the man, tugging on his sleeve, hoping to get his attention, make him look down, something."Can you understand me?"
kalindara Astaroth felt a tic developing in his eyebrow, it kept twitching as things became stranger and stranger. Not to mention all the accusations from these crazy people - all of whom were younger than Roth and they wouldn't respect the scary man with the sharp weapon, they could at least respect their elder. The crazy blue guy - either Ghytere or Prince, Roth wasn't sure, but perhaps he should explain to this guy the negative connotations associated with naming yourself "Prince" - wanted Roth's weapons? He scowled. "Get your own weapons. No one can use the Lunar Spear except for myself. And as I have yet to learn a method of gifting my powers to another, you're out of luck." Not that he'd share his powers even if he could. Who were these insane people? They clearly didn't know him at all... which did, in fact, lend credence to the claim that these kids had also been kidnapped. Musings on the possible truthfulness of the kids was interrupted when a small girl ran forward and fell flat on her face. Righting herself, she began screeching about her papa being stolen... by Roth? The demon pinched the bridge of his nose. "Screeching females give me a migraine, so kindly shut up before I rip your throat out," he spat, glaring at the tiny, energetic beast. "I am Astaroth, King of Hell, so unless your father is dead, I have not taken him anywhere. And unless you would like to visit my domain - permanently - you will desist from such baseless accusations." Maybe a title or two would spur this rabble into some respect for him. Not that he had any problems being taken for the bad guy, but there were bigger issues at stake right now, and so far the only sane person here apart from himself was the original female who'd said her spine was hard to get at. He gave her a nod at her defense of him, not quite sure why she would defend someone she didn't know, but pleased to have someone else attempting to quiet the small, tailed-girl down. "Alright, let's get some things straight," he ordered (Roth didn't believe in 'suggesting'). "Yesterday we were kidnapped, and today we woke up here. For myself, my memories appear somewhat fuzzy, though I have a strange recollection of being asked where 'the Others' are. Whomever they might be. Does this sound familiar to everyone? Any other details anyone can recall?" Running in 'General' mode was definitely the best bet for getting a clear picture of what was going on here. And if the enemy was indeed a third party, it was always best to have organised troops (and a clear chain of command) to take them on. Narrowed golden eyes stared at each of the four strangers in turn. Strange features, some weird skin colours... Roth was getting a bad feeling about this. Hoping he was wrong, he asked, "Anyone here have unusual powers? Possibly dreams of a different life before this one?" Waiting for replies, Roth strained his ears to listen to what was happening in the other groups. Very faintly, a voice he didn't recognise called out, "Riven!" Roth blinked and took a step forward. "Riven?" Did the unknown person mean the neutral Fa'e, he of the purples and greys and appreciating Roth's darkness? It would be nice to have a decent Fa'e here, not just that flaming (ha, Roth was definitely hanging on to this description) angel. Not to mention, the elder Fa'e was usually a very good source of knowledge and would hopefully know more about the current situation. Roth would have to wander over in the direction after he received some answers from this lot. "Hey!"Another stranger ran towards the group, speaking a language Roth had never heard before. The kid halted in front of Roth, babbling and tugging at the sleeve of Roth's robe. Roth cocked his head to one side. "I don't understand a word you are saying," he replied. "English, please. Or Mandarin," he added in his native tongue. Roth was NOT a walking translator.
Kyribird Ghytere was having a very difficult time trying to understand what Roth was saying...But he figured he was not going to get a weapon out of him. Which meant he was going to be relying on his claws and infection to get the job done. That was fine. A warrior knew how to fight dirty and without the aid of sharp pointed objects - to not know how to was a death sentence. And Ghy was not ready to die any time soon.
...The threats of violence to others, however, were understood causing a sharp-toothed grin to touch his lips. Oh yes, he liked this man. They spoke the same language! Well, not literally, which was one of the largest problems but violence was universal, wasn't it?
"A little help, Ukuna."
A sigh sounded in his head and the adviser began to translate into Mitanese for the Fa'e, tone droll and rather bored at that point. It would have been easier if Ghytere allowed him to take over - but he was certain that the blue man would not. He liked being in charge. It was one thing that had followed him through his death. And it would not stop.
Ghytere's brows furrowed. Powers? Dreams of another life...? Was that what those dreams were about? Had they actually happened? The need to ask was strong, but there was that one small problem that prevented that vital communication.
...If he could manipulate the ground, did that mean he could manipulate other things? Silence reigned on his end for a long moment as he concentrated, projecting a thought and hoping it manifested for others to hear - Hey, if he could change the ground from earth to snow to marble to stone in a mere thought, he could damn well make himself be heard.
There were many men, Ghy's voice came - wavering, at first. Unsure whether or not it would work - and because of his uncertainty, it could not be strong. It faded toward the end, but it had been there, and he was encouraged. He started again, this time firming his belief that it would work - the tone coming out as he spoke normally though his mouth did not move. My father and I took out a dozen before they managed to subdue us. I do not know where he is. He is not here. I fell asleep, and I am here. Apparently, I can change things by thinking them.
That sounded like a decent enough explanation. And if the others had the same experience (and it was looking more and more like this was correct) then they must be the 'others' that he had been asked about.
I have powers, yes. But like hell he was going to disclose what they were at that point. He was still untrusting of the demon - one who held violence so high could make a powerful ally...but an equally powerful enemy. Is that what the dreams are? Finally, he was able to ask the question he wanted to ask. Another life?
It would certainly make more sense than having nightmares of things that never happened. He'd at least feel a little less crazy if that were the case.
Sure, he was a paranoid man but without the voices making it worse, he wasn't that bad. At least he wasn't talking like an ill-educated tribesman now.
...Why do they want us? That was the million dollar question.
And then another thought!
I wonder how far this manipulation goes. Head lifted, eyes meeting Roth's since he was the only one with more of a standing presence...and women weren't anything of importance to him. Besides. He had a weapon. He likely knew how to use it. Try. His own voice held command - he didn't much like suggesting either. But Roth DID seem to have a better idea of what was going on. It was logical.
Jiuu The man was still arguing with the others, and appeared quite irritated, if not down right angry yet. He seemed to be arguing with the naked man about something, but the words were still unclear to the child's ears. He was so close to pulling his hair out, these silly language problems! The man had said something angry sounding, then swapped languages to another one that didn't sound much more recognizable. Oh...Oh... Dangit! He would have cursed his lack of knowledge concerning foul language, but instead held onto the man's sleeve stubbornly. There was finally someone who might be at least similar to Dante, and he wasn't gonna let him walk off, no sir! Not when he might be an anchor in this bleak, shifting landscape. Dante ignored the others around them, instead focusing on the stranger's face, concentrating and wishing he would be understood. "What are you?" He asked loudly, frowning up at the demon, images of Terra swirling around the boy before disappearing into darkness. The words sounded different, somehow, as if by forcing himself to focus on being understood, he maybe was....Was that how everything in this place worked? When he thought about it, it certainly seemed that way. The people with more control of themselves had more images floating around themselves that were actually similar, as opposed to random flashes of who knew what. And the ones that disappeared quickly, they barely had any ground beneath their feet, all looking terribly confused and weak before they vanished in the black, not like the steady textures beneath everyone Dante could see know. Was that the secret to this dreamscape? Keep yourself focused and strong and you won't disappear? The ones that were all showing firm and solid were certainly strong personalities, unlike the ones that had already disappeared in the emptiness. And that certainly seemed to describe some of those in this group. Strong willed. That was one way of putting it. Looking back up at the maybe-Daimon, who Dante was now thinking might possibly not be, he frowned, his tail flicking behind him, betraying his mixed emotions. "You look like me." The boy said simply, pointing at his horns with his free hand, a frown on his face. "I'm not letting go. You're different then the rest." Dante watched him cautiously, unsure if the man would shake him off or not; he didn't seem to be the sort with a great deal of patience, but given the situation, there probably weren't many that would be very calm. And if they were, well, something was probably wrong with them. And speaking of calm...He could hear loud voices off somewhere, near the red winged being that frightened him if he remembered the positions correctly. More and more voices were making themselves known, and to Dante at least, it felt as if their little "black world" was now filled with a steady hum of many different voices. Illusion or otherwise. Basically, it felt pretty noisy now.
Kuuro Kitten The reprimand came off in a harsh tone, Renshu knew she had a way of gnawing on one's nerves, if the former response were any indication. Likened to being silenced she glared up through teary eyes at the man. Was this his way of dealing with children? To bark threats at them even knowing they were scared? She frowned, puffing cheeks out at the idea. "Screw you!" She spat firmly. There was no need to treat her as an invalid. Telling her to simply 'shut up' would have been just as effective. Cocking her head to the side curiously she realized the King of Hell was well winded. A toothy grin would greet him the next time he graced her with a glance. Thankfully he seemed to have a few theories about their situation. Perking up, she listened with ears eager to drink in any new information.
"I too... I was kidnapped with papa. They asked many question but I not know who the others are." She responded, ruby eyes shifting from one form to the next. "I dreamed. They were... strange dreams, a place I have never seen but it felt like home. People who I've never spoken too and yet they are familiar in my mind." She grew quiet for a moment to think but thoughts did not form, "I told others but they not believe me."
Sighing to herself, Renshu crouched low to the ground her tail flicking back and forth as a means of comfort. The ground under her feet was no longer the tight rope she loved but the familiar sand and dirt of the Big Top. Curling her knees to her chest she looked up at the others, wrapping her tail around her safe circle. "What do we do now?" She questioned curious to know what fate lay ahead of them. There was a bug that suddenly scuttled across her feet, wiggling them it soon disappeared as if never there. Aww. Anything to distract from the fear would have been welcomed. With a heavy sigh she looked around taking in those that she had yet to acknowledge.
It seemed they all had the same story if not a little convoluted. Kidnapped along with their guardian/parent, asked questions they knew nothing about, then thrown into this dark abyss -- a hell in and of itself. Apparently they all had strange appearances or abilities of some sort. While she could only fathom a thought about possible abilities she had, she only knew that she was different in her world. That being "different" meant many things but they weren't always well received. Carted off to concentration camps, hindered from traveling or even forming families, the most horrifying was death. This was nothing new, her whole life from infancy to now had been living on eggshells, wondering and waiting for those horrible people to find them and snatch her up. When this whole thing started she was certain this was it, that she would be taken away and killed for her differences but when death didn't come and rather question upon agonizing question was asked of her she simply shook her head, hanging it low and flicking her tail irritably at her captors.
Those people were mean.
These people were not so kind either but they were suffering the same as she.
Maybe they knew a way out, maybe they had answers... and maybe she could finally get an answer in return. A nagging question she held in her heart. Who am I?
(( My third post so far. Time for bed then I'll be back up for another post if needed. )) Silverah Astor refused to linger behind Zaoll any longer. He knew she had told him to stay put, but no one else here was doing that and some of them were scarcely older than he was. The monkey girl looked younger. As grateful as he was to the older girl for helping him calm down and find his way here (he certainly hadn't had his wits about him to do it himself), he was starting to feel a bit better and certainly starting to understand the rules that governed this place.
He glanced over at Crazy Blue and decided he did not like disembodied voices and that they were sort of creepy. He had, of course, been more scared in the last twenty-four hours than he was now, because there didn't seem to be any sort of immediate danger anymore, but Crazy Blue... Crazy Blue was just a little bit freaky.
"My mom's a navigator on a ship," he piped up, and then clarified, "Starship. Freight and transport vessels. We were just in port at a station near Jupiter and must've picked them up there."
After all, big men with body armor and guns didn't come out of nowhere and they certainly hadn't been aboard before. Usually Astor liked to watch load-in, but this time he'd been distracted by a Martian cat that gave birth to six kittens down in the engine room. Or was that eight kittens? Two of them, he remembered, had had two heads.
His enthusiasm fizzled as he got into remembering being captured.
"They grabbed me. I was minding my own business and they grabbed me and locked me in a closet. There were a few of them. Three or four. They told me to tell them everything I knew about the others and I didn't know anything and they knocked me out and took me to a different cell where there was only one guard and he told me he'd take me apart and put a bullet in every piece of me and scatter me across the galaxy if I didn't tell him what I know about the others."
He was frantic now.
"And I don't know anything about the others except that you're them but if I find out some things about you and tell them what I find out then they won't kill me or my mom and--"
He reached up and, with a slight popping sound, took off his own head.
"Can you do this?" asked the disembodied head, resting comfortably in the arms of the boy it belonged to. "Because them who got me say it's unnatural and Zaoll says she can't. And I had dreams - I had dreams and they say that's how they found me."
King of hell or not, this Astaroth fellow seemed to know what he was doing, which was better than Astor and Zaoll combined.
"My name's Astor," he added. Not being attached to a body did not seem to have any effect on his ability to speak. "Astor Bonheur. And I really, really, really don't want to die."
He looked down. The surface beneath him had changed from green carpet to some sort of packed earth. He'd dreampt about this. It was-- he couldn't quite recall what it was, but it was important.
He put his head back on. That was enough demonstrating and if he didn't do it then Zaoll would probably do it for him like she had his arm. romantic wishes Astaroth, King of Hell. Zaoll tucked that into the back of her mind; it certainly suited her more to keep calling him Angry Black but if he was a king, then... She didn't follow a king, did she? It was the Emperors - What am I talking about. She shook her head to clear out the cobwebs and focused again. For all the fact he looked rather fearsome, he hadn't yet done anything but threaten and try to figure things out, as best she could tell it. It seemed like everyone near the angel - she supposed it had to be an angel - was still getting oriented while this group was starting to figure this out. "Yes," she said to his question, but she didn't want to elaborate. Those were a secret, and what had just happened with the kidnapping and the ending up here meant they were supposed to be a secret. Zaoll had already told Astor some of it, and it seemed to make sense that she should tell Astaroth too. "I am Zaoll, and... I can walk through stone." She did herself a favor and didn't watch Astor remove his head, and sank ankle-deep into her marble floor. As she pulled herself free of the rock, she felt... almost as if someone was trying to talk to her, but she was too far away to properly hear. She shook her head again. Was she going crazy? "Astor, we are not going to die. Remember? Please put your head back on." The weird sensation of someone talking when she couldn't hear them continued as she watched the demonic-looking child (Timid Black? maybe. Required more thought.) without comment. She couldn't understand him, so what could she say? It didn't even sound like a familiar language to her, not like Crazy Blue's ukunaspeak or Astor's strangely-accented-but-still-understandable English. And, since Angry Black did not seem inclined to lop off the child's head right then, she simply remained where she was. Then, Loud Monkey of the tail and poor English, spoke up - in the same boat as the lot of them, which meant they had to stick together. At least for now, until they knew how to get out... At least Timid Horns (much better than timid black, which threatened confusion with Astaroth) was speaking English now. To Astaroth, she said, "Since you are the most knowledgeable, I'll listen to your advice." [Establishing that Zaoll (and maybe Astor, by extension? IDK) will just do as Astaroth says (if necessary) until the start of Round 2, if she makes it that far. XD Post five and now I get the popcorn~]
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Posted: Sun Sep 13, 2009 11:35 am
Fa'e Dream Contest round twoSilverah Astor looked up. Did he hear something? A cry, far away? He wasn't sure. He looked back to the others, meaning to ask, but then - it happened in the blink of an eye. Monkey Girl, Crazy Blue, and Jabbery Demon Kid were gone.
Astor took a step back, tumbling into Zaoll.
"Did you see that?" he asked hoarsely. Beneath him, the packed earth became metal again, and he still didn't remember what the packed earth was important from. And the others - the others! They were just gone. Were they dead? What had just happened? Had whoever had them gotten to them? Was that going to happen to him next?
He looked at Zaoll and reminded himself that they were not going to die. They had promised they were not going to die. And then he heard the voice.
“Only one of the Fa'e children is calling for help. But pushing such a plea across such a distance has swept along so many, and in this realm, overwhelmed their own minds! There are some of you, I know, who are real. Some are bystanders who think they are in danger. And some of you are not real at all, only my imagination! But only one of you truly has come to seek help. There is not enough time - forgive me, I must sort out which....”
Who- who was that? Astor's eyes went wide just in time to see the world around him shift. Walls sprang up - metal, grease-stained, worn - and the ship details that had stubbornly refused to fall into place finally materialized - a meter away, a huge engine structure appeared, and the way it hummed and spun told him this was a ship in motion. He knew this engine. Rory O'Tate worked this engine. Astor had spoken to him this morning. He'd been on his way back to the bridge when- when they captured him and all this started.
Astor took a step back. Engines in motion could be dangerous. He looked around. Zaoll was gone.
"Zaoll?" he called uncertainly. Maybe she was on the other side of the room? She hadn't faded, had she? She couldn't have. "Zaoll!" he shouted. "Zaoll!"
He ran frantically from one end of the engine room to the other and found nothing, and then heard a muffled cry from beneath one of the generator casings.
"Zaoll!" he yelled again, thinking it might be her and she might have gotten caught up beneath it in the shift. (He really hoped she hadn't.) Astor found the source of the noise and knelt down to investigate the cranny. A pair of bright blue eyes stared back at him - a Martian cat, with six (or eight?) kittens nestled against its side.
"Mrow," said the cat.
Astor breathed a sigh of relief that it had not been Zaoll caught under there. She was no longer in the room. He looked around, and found the exit right where it ought to have been. She had to be somewhere else.
Something within the engine made a grinding sound, and then the whole thing began to shake. Astor backed away from it, uncertain as to what was happening, but when he began to hear popping sounds coming from the far end, he knew what was happening. The thing was off balance and set to explode.
"AAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUUUUUGHHHHHHH!" the boy yelled, and ran for the exit. The popping was getting louder, and now there were sparks. He swerved into the hallway and pounded the walls madly, looking for the blast door release, and couldn't find it.
It was here somewhere. He knew it was here somewhere.
Behind him, the engine roared like an angry dragon. He found the release and mashed it with all his might.
"Close, close, close," he whispered urgently, squinting back at the overheating engine room. Flames shot up. This was bad. He pounded the release again. "Close!" he yelled at it.
The blast door slammed shut, just ahead of the growing inferno. Astor collapsed against the wall, panting. That was a close one. Poor kitties. But he was alive for the time being.
His fingers curled against the floor surface. It wasn't anything familiar. He looked down. Wood? There was no wood on ships. The boy frowned, shook his head in consternation, and got to his feet. This looked half familiar, like somewhere he had visited with Mom once. He took a shaky step forward, and then another (going back certainly wasn't an option).
"Zaoll?" he called. She couldn't possibly be that far away. They'd been right next to each other. He'd practically been sitting on her feet. "Zaoll?" He was going to find her, and then they were going to find that voice. The full implication of her words hadn't sunk in yet, but Astor knew as much as to believe he wasn't one of the ones who didn't really exist. After all, Mom always said "I think, therefore I am," and he was doing a lot of thinking right now.
That meant that either he or Zaoll was really in danger, and while he couldn't know for certain, he had a deep suspicion that it was him. Everything that had happened was too clear in his mind to just be a dream.
"Zaoll!" he yelled, continuing forward at a cautious pace. He needed to find her. They were going to get out together. They'd said so and they would and he desperately needed this much to be true. ((OOC: Long post is looooooong.)) Honey Gee Until the bookworm had declared it to be, it had never occurred to her that this place might be some kind of dreamland. The bookworm's logic, however, evaded her- how could they (any of them) possibly be sure? Enough of the others seemed real to her, and while the Angel and Sei and Riven did appear to be a little more concrete, Nina refused to believe that this -all of this- was some figment of her subconscious imagination. Not that she knew what a subconscious was.
There were perfectly realistic explanations for the sudden materializations and disappearances of everything she kept seeing, and then not seeing. It was like magic; her magic. Back on Zor, she'd loved to scare the living daylights out of poor, unassuming Tromes with various and sudden apparitions of giant thingamajigs. They never lasted very long, because her magic wasn't strong enough to make them stay, but it was still always worth a good chuckle. Wasn't it possible that this was real, and that the a*****e responsible for it all could also do magic?
She looked up when the others agreed with her, pleased that some of their number were finally thinking as clearly as she was. They needed to fight back. Her (well, she reasoned and glanced around at her fellows, it was actually their) captors had, whether they knew it or not, declared war. It was high time they got what they deserved.
When Bobgarbl unleashed his awful wail the hair on the back of Nina’s neck stood on end and she turned, in the direction of the appalling noise, just in time to see the strange purple creature vanish.
Her pulse quickened. Was he one of them? Was he a Fa’e?
If he was- then, why had he gone? Had he escaped? Or maybe his... (what had the Angel called it-?) guardian had been killed. Her stomach lurched uncomfortably at the thought and Nina’s hand rushed to cover her mouth as a precaution against the sudden uprise of bile.
Then, a thought that was not her own fluttered through her head, and the world started to change again. She swore loudly as the ground beneath her shifted and, with a great roar of falling garbage, two or three mountains of trash exploded out of the ashy sand at her feet. Nina clung to the back of her toilet, desperate to keep it there, but her frantic efforts were to no avail- Snyde’s Throne vanished and Nina was horror-struck to find herself hugging the base of a giant wine bottle.
“Holy s**t,” she wheezed and, slipping precariously on a plastic bag, landed flat on her back for the second time that day. Her head connected with the soft ash of the ground and Nina saw stars, but she was not hurt so badly that she could not think straight.
The dark-haired girl groaned, braced herself on her elbows and willed her vision to stop swimming. This was insane. Before, this little world she’d been unceremoniously thrust into had been pretty intimidating, if a little amusing, but now- this was utter chaos. Sounds, smells and sites that were both familiar and very strange to her were erupting all over the place, and her senses were suddenly, irrevocably, painfully overwhelmed. Nina was not, by her nature, much of a crier, but fury at the people responsible for putting her there, and frustration at her current predicament forced her to tears.
She sniffled and sucked them back with a great deal of effort, then yelped in shock as a titanic shard of broken glass flew out of the ground with a loud ‘pop,’ missing her leg by inches, and planted it's self in the ash-covered sand. It was followed by another and then another, until a miniature forest of vibrantly colored glass had built it’s self up behind her.
What kind of animals lived in there?
Nina blanched and wiped indignantly at her tear-streaked cheeks. This was no dream. It was a nightmare. romantic wishes Zaoll knew that this was the mist she had feared from her first arrival here, the thing that forced someone to just vanish. The terrible cry precluding it - it was like nothing she'd yet heard, and now she wished she could forget it. "Yes," she whispered, "I saw." “Only one of the Fa'e children is calling for help. But pushing such a plea across such a distance has swept along so many, and in this realm, overwhelmed their own minds! There are some of you, I know, who are real. Some are bystanders who think they are in danger. And some of you are not real at all, only my imagination! But only one of you truly has come to seek help. There is not enough time - forgive me, I must sort out which....”A wall slammed up between her and Astor, even though they were so close; the force with which it slammed into place sent her sprawling backwards, falling hard into... a plush carpet? Zaoll lifted herself onto her elbows and looked around. Angry Black, Astaroth, was gone, and so was Astor, probably the both of them hidden behind the wall or something. Someone was calling her from the other side of the wall - Astor, it had to be. The best thing to do would be to find a door - or a break in the wall - something. No time to think, just do it! She grabbed onto a chair (where had that come from?) and stood, catching her bearings - it looked like some weird, carpeted version of a Roman temple. Maybe the Curia Acculeia, which had felt so oddly homey when she had visited it with Elsbeth. The furnishings came from the Rome house... Astor kept calling her name. No time! Zaoll started to run, footsteps muffled and slowed by the deep carpeting. If the voice she had heard was right, and it had to be, only one of them was in danger. She felt very certain that it was her ---- Something exploded; Astor screamed. A chorus of pop noises sounded, definitely not so close to her as Astor was, and at the moment she was going to go with the familiar and, hopefully, still alive. She hit the end of the wall, grabbed it, and swung around. Her steps faltered as she hit wood instead of carpeting; Zaoll slammed into a wall, and failed to notice something dark slowly trickling into the joins of the floor boards behind her. Someone was still calling her name, so she picked herself up once more. Her ankle twinged, and Zaoll cursed. What a dumb way to get hurt, running into a wall! At least it didn't look bad. She shook herself. "Astor?" Her voice wasn't loud, had never been very loud, and it got worse as she got older. Like she was going mute, or something. But now it was worse, like the walls were leeching the volume from her voice. Nervously, Zaoll licked her lips and looked around. Astor had called her name several times, but now he'd fallen silent, and she couldn't tell which direction the voice had come from. She took a few steps towards the left, then paused. Maybe... There was no time for maybes! She had to pick a direction and go! Find the person who'd said she was sorting out who was really in trouble or not, because she was sure that the person in trouble was her, just because - because she remembered the floor, water-worn wood, and the guards of that place! She was not going back there. She would never go back there, never! Zaoll headed right, oblivious to the shadows flowing over the floor behind her. Occasionally, for a split second, they took shape; misshapen humans with long, clawed fingers, tongueless mouths gaping. She continued this way for a time, finally stopping when she encountered another child - not Astor, a little girl this time. The kid was crying, which gave Zaoll pause. There wasn't time to be crying, if you were the one in danger you could wake up any minute! Words to the wise, she thought, and she stared at the glass forest for a moment. Could it be that Astor was on the other side? No. It would not have been so clear; she had gone the wrong way- the wrong way to find Astor, at least. She peered around the wall from the wooden corridor; more carpets, and a stone wall. This would be better; with a regretful look at the girl, she turned down that hallway. After all, that girl... was just sitting there and crying. She had no drive, did she? It was like she didn't really want to escape. At least Astor, she knew, was desperate as she was. They could get somewhere together. And if she could find Angry Black, that'd be wonderful, too; she had a terrible feeling that they would all need weapons soon. The shadows snatched at her ankles, then followed her back onto the wooden floor. Meepfur ((Anyone can come play with Mik, if they want~))"MAAAARBLGARLBBLBBLRAARRLBBBBL!"What the HELL was that? No sooner did Mikhail whip around to see than it was gone, and when he turned around...one of the girls was gone as well. His first frantic thought was that they'd been too slow, that her guardian had died and and she was gone- "Only one of the Fa'e children is calling for help. But pushing such a plea across such a distance has swept along so many, and in this realm, overwhelmed their own minds! There are some of you, I know, who are real. Some are bystanders who think they are in danger. And some of you are not real at all, only my imagination! But only one of you truly has come to seek help. There is not enough time - forgive me, I must sort out which...."She hadn't...she hadn't been real? Only one of the strangers was? Only one of them was in danger, only one, so why did everyone think they were in danger, including those of them who were definitely real? Still, it was a comfort. Stefan was safe. He was safe...well, maybe. He still wasn't sure where exactly he was, but maybe the one with the writing on skin had been right. Maybe this was a dream. Either way, it didn't matter much right now; they had to find the real Fa'e. Even as he puzzled it out, he found himself no longer standing on a little patch of basement floor, surrounded by the strangeness of everyone's else's patches. Suddenly, the other Fa'e were gone, and even his little piece of gray. It went from from cement to dirt, and around him sprang up a jungle. A thick, thorny vine snaked out from underbrush to wrap around his ankle and pull. He yelped in surprise as it yanked him to the ground, thorns digging into his flesh. Honey Gee Rage, the likes of which she'd never felt before, or, at least, for a very long time, festered in the darkest bowels of her soul and turned foul with spite. She was not confined in any tight, cramped space, but the looming presence of the shiny glass forest and the mountains of trash that just kept on growing, seemed almost to breathe with the undisguised desire to keep her where she lay. It didn’t matter whether they meant to bury her there, to cut her in half, or frighten her so badly her heart actually stopped beating. This place seemed determined for to die.
Nina's eyes flashed red as she let herself be consumed by terror, and by anger and constant vexation. She was the best friggin' cheater around, and she’d be damned if she was going to let this nightmare of a place win without putting up a fight. It was going to have to suffer the consequences of taunting her with all of its abstract strangeness before she let it kill her.
A low rumbling started at the base of one of the trash mountains and, although her heart gave a little spasm of fear as the sound increased in rhythm and ferocity, Nina positively refused to flinch away from it. She was going to face whatever it was head on, and then it was going to be frightened of her.
After what felt like hours, but was really a couple of seconds in which Nina struggled to maintain her bitter courage, the trash mountain gave birth to a battered and rusted sandwich-maker the size of half a football field. It snapped its jaws threateningly and scampered towards her at a roaring pace, sprinkling random pieces of garbage and warm, liquid cheese in its wake.
Nina, eyes bulging with mixtures of awe and loathing, promptly spun on her heal and ran for her life. The sandwich-maker monster sizzled with irritated disapproval and, burners suddenly blazing red hot, charged.
They were headed in the direction from which, though Nina didn't know it, Zaoll had watched her cry. --- ((also open to playing with anyone! :3)) romantic wishes Very distantly, very faintly, somewhere behind her she heard Astor's voice, and she stopped. Since the crying girl, she'd seen no one. No one. Heard nothing except distant cries, perhaps other... Fa'e? But now the wooden floorboards were beginning to be adulterated by something green that she didn't have time to stop and examine in better detail. Every time she glanced over her shoulder the foreboding feeling that something bad was going to happen. The feeling got worse as she kept moving, but she managed to keep herself calm enough as the wood and marble gave away to... scrub, and someone yelped. Orange wings. It was the angel from before, and he was... getting... attacked by a vine? Something like a vine. She jumped practically on top of him, her dense bones likely not helping him physically while she grabbed onto the vine. It hurt, but it didn't puncture her skin. "Do you have a knife or something," she said, but her pathetically weak voice was drowned out by a growing roar. For a moment, Zaoll deluded herself into thinking that it was no big deal; weird noises came from everywhere these days and if she could save this guy from whatever was in the brush that was trying to eat him, then he could help her find out how to get out of here! Nothing was more important than that. With a frustrated noise that, due to lack of volume, didn't quite qualify as a scream, she transferred her weight to the vine. If it couldn't pull back, it couldn't yank him off into where-ever. This motion showed her two things: One, that she had been being followed by shadows that were now boiling into shapes that she couldn't quite see. Someone with good vision would notice the clawed fingers, gaping and tongueless mouths, but she only saw amorphous darkness. Two, that there was a ******** enormous sandwich maker a ways off yet. Zaoll bit her lip. "Move," she said, her voice more panicky than worried, and then her own personal nightmare was upon her. The claws from the shadows ripped towards her face, and the sandwich maker roared. For the first time that night, she froze up from fear, and then she reached up to shove the shadows away, ignoring the thin gouges on her face. She had to get free before the cheese-trailing machine got there! [COME JOIN THE PARTY, ROTH, WE HAVE THORNY SCRUB. D:<] Meepfur The weight of someone jumping on him, even if it was to help, was not welcome - dream-world or not, apparently his broken ribs had come right along with him. He bit back a cry of protest and shoved the pain away. Now was not the time for it. Taking the opportunity she gave, he sliced through the vine with his knife. Though part of it remained stubbornly wrapped around his ankle, the rest retracted, injured, back into the underbrush. Just in time for something hostile from her dream to come flying at them - clawing shadows and a vicious appliance?! The shadows, however, were the immediate problem. He tried slicing at them with his knife. ((sorrysorry. ;; Hard to get away from my brother sometimes, lol.))Honey Gee This sucked. Her feet throbbed. Her back ached. Her head pounded and, worst of all, her breath was coming shorter and shorter with every frenzied step she took, but, still, she ran. Adrenaline was running high in her bloodstream; forcing Nina’s body to move and her heart to pulse at a pace that would have been simply impossible otherwise.
The gears in her mind, as well, were racing at a speed that the teenager wasn’t used to. She was accustomed to thoughts and feelings revolved around gambling, and of garbage, and of Snyde. The panicked, spiked emotions inspired by this whole horrible ordeal wracked her soul; inside and out, so that she’d discovered a powerful love for her guardian and been reduced to something as lowly as tears within the span of what couldn’t even have been a day.
She could see no moon, nor any sun, and the watch Karee had given her for her birthday last summer was broken. Nina’s only concept of time was the unsteady, changeable beating of her own tortured heart.
The dark-haired girl clutched at a stitch in her side and huffed as she pushed onwards, her body weakening with every step she took, and mind full of the murderous sandwich-maker monster that pursued her still. She could hear it, not too far behind her, snapping its metallic jaws, and accompanied by the gentle gurgle of oozing cheese. Finally, giving into the temptation to rest, even just for a moment, Nina dove for cover in the nearby trees and squeezed between two that were especially close together.
She was lucky. The moment she’d chosen to hide also happened to be simultaneous with the sandwhich-maker monster’s electrical cord tangling around one of its stumped legs, and the enormous machine tripped. The ground beneath it quaked with the weight, and the nature of Nina’s hiding place went unnoticed by the sandwich-maker. It had no hands with which to get back on its awkward feet and, thus, was left to writhe helplessly on what could only be described as its face; occasionally firing up with rage, and searing the leaves of nearby trees with its heat, but never moving very far.
It had occurred to Nina, during her swift passage from the forest of glass and into this lush jungle-like one, that she could try to escape by shifting. The angry sandwich-maker wouldn’t likely be able to find her if she turned into a mouse, or something else that might be easily missed amongst the rich green foliage, even though there was a chance it might eventually end up squishing her anyways. Nina would have been willing to take that risk, if it wasn’t for...
The idea, though she didn’t really understand why, made her nervous. There was something about the feel, and the nature of this place that forced her to hesitate regarding any impulsive abuse of her magic. Magic stole a lot of her energy, and she clearly needed whatever strength she had to escape the horrors of this awful place and just keep moving. She may not have been the smartest, but even Nina knew better than to gamble for her life with her life.
“I swear,” she wheezed, to no one in particular, eyeing the bark of the tree with newfound interest once she’d calmed down enough to realize she’d never actually seen one before, “If I get out of this alive, I will take up jogging, or bicycling, or something.”
Then, the sounds of voices from somewhere nearby, within the jungle caught her attention, and Nina headed towards the place where Mikhail and Zaoll wrestled with the shadows. If there was one useful thing she’d learned throughout this dreadful experience it was that there was safety in numbers.
Meanwhile, the trash mountains Nina had gratefully left behind, began to transform all over again. They did, indeed, seem to breathe; contracting and then relaxing, as some invisible force from within twisted and moved inside. Then, from the base of each of them, a virtual army burst forth and the mountains of garbage collapsed in on themselves, as broken toys; forgotten dolls with cracked limbs and sightless teddy-bears with stuffing falling out, accompanied by various trinkets one throws out of one’s house; singed sofas with missing springs, pissed off television sets with broken glass, and torn bed-sheets with attitude, clambered into being and marched into what soon would be hell. -- ((rawr. kinda long.)) romantic wishes The shadows were overwhelming - but when Mik slashed at them with his knife, the collapsed into a black oily substance that clung wetly to whatever it landed on. Striking at one seemed to strike at all of them, so one slice was enough to send it splattering over the surrounding area. Zaoll wiped at the shadow residue on her eyes, gasping. "In my mouth," she whispered, holding her arms away from her body. "In my mouth." They wanted to get in her mouth and the scratches around the lower part of her face testified to that. She opened her eyes, looking up to the approaching appliance. "How the hell can anyone fight that," Zaoll said. It wanted to get in my mouth. And now she was covered in filth, exploded shadow guts or something. Disgusting black goo. That wasn't debilitating at all, she told herself as she shakily got to her feet. She could totally work through this. She could! If she didn't, she'd be trapped back in that world with the guards and impending death, and she didn't want to die but the monsters had tried to get in her mouth and then they exploded and she was filthy. Suddenly it looked like the sandwich maker had vanished. It had fallen somewhere; she could see the glow of its fire, could vaguely hear something bubbling, but it was not moving towards her and she laughed a little with relief, her shoulders shaking violently. They weren't going to die. They weren't going to die! Now, if she could only get clean... She tried scraping off the goo, but it didn't work, and soon enough she was climbing to her feet. If she couldn't get clean, she had to keep moving, maybe it would rub off on the trees, and besides - she had to find the person who was looking, she thought, for her. Someone was coming through the bushes. She turned towards it, waiting for the thing to emerge. Another vine? More shadow monsters? A murderous blender?... No. It was Crying Girl. "You stopped crying," Zaoll said, and then abruptly: "We have to go." She didn't notice the residue from her own nightmare slowly beginning to gather itself. Without waiting to see if they would follow her, she turned and began heading doggedly in the opposite direction of the sandwich maker's 'corpse'. [whooo. @ w @ third post, oorah.] Meepfur ...in her mouth? Why would - nevermind. He didn't really need to know why she had crazy shadows or an angry sandwich maker after her. What he needed to know was if she was real or not! Or the other one, or...how were they supposed to figure it out anyway?! He needed to find another Fa'e, another real Fa'e, but he couldn't just leave these two. Dammit! He limped after the one who'd been chased by the appliance, assuming the other would follow, even as too-flexible branches reached out in an attempt to grab anyone they could get ahold of. Honey Gee When Nina stumbled into view and Zaoll declared that she’d stopped crying, the dark-haired teenager blubbered stupidly like a fish.
“W-what are you talking about? I didn’t cry!” She snapped indignantly; used to the lies, but not the insecurity roused by Zaoll’s seemingly innocent observation. How had the other girl known? Nina supposed that her discomfort with the issue had to do with this nightmare. Her nerves were frazzled, and she was exhausted from her encounter with the possessed sandwich-maker.
“Were you spying on me?” It was a heartfelt question and spoken softly; though she’d meant it to sound more like an accusation. Nina swore inwardly, frustrated with herself. It was no use. Despite her rude behavior and attitude towards the Angel previously, she was even pleased to see him. It simply felt so wonderful to have company again.
She didn’t argue as Zaoll led them away from the sandwich maker, which continued to sizzle and burn in the distance, and made to follow the others. There was a loud creaking sound, and a flurry of brown. Nina was too slow. She gasped with pain as a gnarly pair of branches seized her around the waist and squeezed. romantic wishes "You did," Zaoll said bluntly, still trying to rub the congealing shadow residue off her face. Her clothes were a lost cause, and she had shed something scarflike where they'd fought the root and the shadows. She stopped to wait for Mik, and after a moment's hesitation, offered an arm to him. He was limping pretty badly, she thought. Was it because she fell on him? If it was, she felt terrible. But what could you do about it? Feeling terrible was not good enough, but it was all she had right now. They continued that way, until Crying Girl asked her question. Zaoll looked that way, but didn't answer. It seemed like it would be a loaded question, and Zaoll did not answer loaded questions. Instead she grabbed for Nina's arm, only to have the girl snatched away by a tree. She shook off the lingering shakes and dug into the branches, meanwhile looking over to Mikhail and shouting as loud as she could, "We need your knife again!" Further into the woods, she could see glimmering crystals. Meepfur Mikhail didn't take the offered arm. He didn't need help! He just, y'know, needed to peel the damn vine off his leg, but he didn't really have time. It wasn't all that bad, so it could wait. Especially when the branches started grabbing. He managed to avoid being grabbed, whacking at them with his knife. It wasn't enough to cut through them, but it did deter them. "We need your knife again!"s**t! He hurried to the pair, slicing desperately at the branches. The plants were his, and he felt responsible for them, even if he didn't have control over them. Now that the branches had Nina, though, they weren't willing to give her up very easily. A knife wasn't going to be a enough. The angel grabbed onto a branch with his free hand and set it on fire, hoping it would let the girl go. He didn't want her to end up with burns, if he could help it. ((Up to you if it goes ahead and lets her go~))Honey Gee Nina wasn’t delicate by any means; her limbs were strong and thick. The branches’ strength was, admittedly, greater than hers but she was wide enough, and solid enough that it couldn’t snap her in two. Her chest heaved with the furious effort of breathing, and her skin started to turn blue where it was cutting off her circulation. The rough texture of the bark rubbed holes in the fabric of her t-shirt, and Nina hissed uncomfortably when her skin was exposed. She didn’t have to be a rocket scientist to know that there would be ugly scrapes -no, they’d probably feel more like burns- as well as some bruises there later.
She struggled with all of her might and used her eyes, because her mouth was too busy swallowing oxygen to speak, to plead with Zaoll and Mikhail as they rushed to her aid. Relief flooded her system as they united against the offending plant to rescue her. This was exactly why she’d chosen to follow their voices. Numbers. They meant safety.
Even if she couldn’t find a way out of this nightmare, it was good to know that the other Fa’e wouldn’t let her die.
When Mikhail used his hand to set their vegetarian foe on fire, Nina’s eyes blazed with astonishment. Flame consumed the branch and it shriveled, relinquishing its grip on Nina’s poor waist and shying back into the jungle with a hiss.
It was a few heartbeats before the dark-haired girl, who had fallen into a crumpled, wheezing heap on the jungle floor, could collect herself. Her chest ached, and her lungs couldn’t get enough air; they sucked it in greedily through her teeth. The pain was worst around her abandon, where the branch had squeezed her. Steeling herself, Nina looked down and exclaimed dramatically;
“You burned me!”
Her shirt was singed from Mikhail’s flame where the branch had forced holes into her shirt. The skin underneath was a soft shade of raw pink. It was nothing that a quick trip to the Trome's Healer couldn't fix. Nina wasn’t badly hurt and, considering what might have been, very lucky. She knew these things and was, despite the injuries, grateful.
Very-Hairy Karee’s voice whispered, at the rear of her memory, about good manners and making friends. Nina’s eyes prickled as thinking about her mother made her heart lurch, somewhat painfully, and she fought them back before she could face the pair in front of her.
Sufficiently composed and proud of herself for not breaking down this time, Nina smiled the best that she could and dusted herself off as she stood.
“Thank you,” her words were choked on a wince as she stretched her back, “for saving me. You know, its lucky for that branch you guys got to it when you did, ‘cause I was just about to annihilate it.” Meepfur Christ! He was doing his best, here, and someone was still mad at him! She was right, though - he had burned her, though he hadn't meant to, any more than he'd meant for someone to get caught in his nightmare. Despite his indignance about her pointing out continued inability to do anything exactly right, he responded with a genuinely apologetic, "Sorry."The maybe-Fa'e freed, Mikhail turned in the direction from which he'd heard a cry for help. Whether or not it was from the actual Fa'e, he had no idea, but if they needed help, they needed help. it wasn't where they'd been headed, but it wasn't like they'd been going anywhere in particular. Though his ribs were protesting all this physical activity, he set off to find whoever was calling, with a "Come on!" to the two already with him. Whether or not they listened was up to them. romantic wishes Fire sprung up on the branches and she dropped her hands to her side to avoid being burned. Orange Wings was right, the knife would not have been fast enough. The tree might have broken the girl's ribs or spine before then, and then - even though that would have sent her back, out of this nightmare, Zaoll didn't know if the injuries persisted after. Even though it would have made the girl safe, how could Crying Girl or anyone justify going to bed perfectly healthy and then waking up the next day injured? No, the others had to be kept safe, even though they weren't real. It hadn't looked like Crying Girl had been about to annihilate the tree. It had looked more like it was the other way around. "Do not wander," Zaoll said, even though she dearly wanted to inform Crying Girl that she had been about to get split in two by the tree and only Orange Wings' timely intervention had saved her from that horrible fate. Getting into a fight would not help the ultimate goal of surviving the dream and getting out of that hellhole, with Elsbeth if she had to. Come to think of it, since she had joined this group she had been slowed quite a bit. Admittedly, she would still be trapped with the clawing shadows if she hadn't stopped to help Orange Wings with his vine... But... She wasn't going to find the person who was trying to find her. And then she would die. Ugh, she had to get out of here! Zaoll stopped and looked back towards the crystals. There was something glowing over there, spots in a configuration she sort of recognized. Well... no harm in trying it, right? Zaoll looked after Orange Wings and Crying Girl for a moment, and then she plunged into the bushes. By some kind of luck, she made it to one of the sharp-edged crystals, and then - Well, finally. "Astor!" She lurched, somewhat unsteadily, out of the forest and towards the boy. She smiled with relief - there was one promise unbroken, and he was still unhurt - so when, if ever, he woke up he would be all right. "Still alive - I am glad." Then she looked to the rest of the group - the floating purple one, and the blond one with silver tracery across his body - and tensed. They looked... rather like nightmares to her. Silverah "She's about your age," Astor said to Sei. "Really pale. Dark hair." That was really about as much describing of Zaoll as he felt like he could do. She didn't have fireflies in her hair and couldn't take herself apart, so he wasn't sure what other sorts of features to highlight on. Well, there was always clothing.
How had Zaoll been dressed? She was a planetsider, and they always dressed kind of funny, depending where they came from. And Zaoll - Zaoll had been all bundled up. "She was dressed like it was cold out," he said, "with a scarf." That was right. He remembered it because it was weird and not a lot of people he knew wore them.
He was starting to get worried about her. There were weird noises coming from all around. What if - what if something had gotten her? Surely if he had had to deal with an exploding engine, then it was possible she had run into some kind of trouble as well.
He was about to reiterate how important it was that they found her when he heard someone call his name. Astor turned just in time to see Zaoll lurch out of the trees.
"Zaoll!" he cried, and started towards her, only to hesitate a few steps later. If Sei had had someone who looked just like him, then -
He glanced back towards Sei and Riven and then looked her over again. Nothing - nothing seemed off about her. And - and - would a monster be smart enough to mimic his new friend? He decided it was worth the risk and ran the rest of the way to her, throwing his arms around her waist. "You found me! We were about to look for you! We didn't die!"
He let go of her and pointed to the two young men behind him. "Them're Sei and Riven," he explained. "They helped me. This is Zaoll! She found us!"
He helped her back towards the group. "I - where were you? I was in an engine room but then it exploded and I just barely outran it and then I came here and found Riven and we were attacked by this thing that looked like Sei but wasn't Sei and I lost my head but Sei and Riven helped me and--"
He paused, breathless, and looked her up and down. She looked like she'd had it just as rough as he had.
"Where's your scarf?" he asked, proving he definitely had his priorities in order. Zero Dream Sei got himself up when Astor ran off toward his friend, letting him go as he wished. He kind of doubted anyone else's thing was quite like his, and he didn't seem to react like there was something off about her... Well, that had ended up easier than he had thought ? The child seemed to be focusing wholly on his friend that was just fine. It gave him a moment to try to think about how to get out of here... ...And hope no one else saw him shirtless. That was embarassing. And potentially dangerous. He turned to Riven to ask a question... ((And that is my 7th ! /cliffhanger)) romantic wishes "Yes, I see you didn't die," she said, and for the rest of the speech she settled for making interested noises. Shaking off Astor''s helping arm, she informed him, "I don't need help." At worst it was a sprained ankle and then she had the scratches but they weren't bleeding or anything. Did she really look that bad? Zaoll looked up the pair of men for a moment and nodded barely, politely. If they'd helped Astor, they weren't a threat, and perhaps they could help her. She sighed. "My scarf got dirty." Come to think of it, she was rather dirty too - she shuddered convulsively and tried to pull the goo out of her hair. "So I threw it out." Standing there, Zaoll realized that she'd probably been over most of the area of this dreamland - house, temple, forest, and now a crystal field. It was like that one video game - next they just needed to find the castle and they'd be done. "We should keep moving," she said. [lame post but now i am done >:]
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Posted: Sun Sep 13, 2009 12:30 pm
Fa'e Dream Contest round threeFae HQ Somewhere, amidst the fighting and chaos, a gentle breeze stirred among the worlds. There was something on its scent, something fresh and clean as dew and dancing through with odd, pleasing spices, that seemed to spread an immediate calm throughout the creatures of this place, even if it might do little to cure the pounding hearts left in danger's wake. "That is enough. I can see you more clearly now...." And it was at this time that Fa'e began to disappear again - all of them. The chaotic dream world seemed fuzzy and ethereal now, as though viewed through a tight-meshed screen, and there was a sensation of being lifted away. Was this the finish? Was this what all the others had felt, had seen, in those moments of fading? It wasn't so bad, if so. It was so easy to see from here how little the things below meant, as though they were the monsters and playthings of children, living only in a world apart. For all the chaos it was while in it, now, it seemed so trivial. But for at least some of you, there is yet a nagging thought - because you know you are still in danger, still held against your will by those who mean to kill you soon. Others, though, are relieved of the painful thought now. You are not in danger, you were never in danger - go home, children. Morning is not so far off as you might think....[Zahra enters; not logged because, hey, no interaction with others] romantic wishes The goo covering her seemed to lose consistency and fall away to remain in the world behind as they were simply - lifted away. She felt a tremor of fear, but the clean scent seemed to signal that where they were going so different from the uncontrolled chaos they were leaving behind. A few moments of peace flooded her; it felt almost like it was all over, the horror and the panic. She was safe. And, if she was safe, then it hadn't been real. Then that meant that she wasn't the one in danger, and any moment now, she'd wake up in her bed. The sun would be shining through the window and she would know that it was just a dream. She found herself in the glade and, like a truck, it hit her that that brief reprieve was nothing. It was just a way to shift the ones who might still be in danger here, and that meant... that meant that she still wasn't okay. Something new was going to happen - one on one battles? Attacks on the purely mental plane? Things were still going to change and she wasn't out of the woods yet, not even close - literally and figuratively. "No," she said, despair making it a quiet moan. Elsbeth had betrayed her - she'd have to go back to that nightmare - to the water-eaten floorboards, to the laughter of the guards, to certain death unless these people, these others found her. What if this was all a lie, just her subconscious making up a happy last hour for her before the axe fell? There couldn't be any trust here, because whoever she had been trying to reach had spent so much time trying to determine whether she was real or not that morning had to be soon. It wasn't her nature to hand herself over to the goodwill of other people. But she had promised Astor that both of them would live. He would live, of a certainty, since he wasn't the one calling everyone into his experience. That was her. And she, Zaoll, was the one truly in danger. She couldn't forget that. Her hands shook; if anything had shown her she couldn't handle this on her own... there had been things clawing at her face. There had been danger from living trees and angry appliances that hadn't even been hunting her. It wasn't in her nature to feel vulnerable, but at this point, who wouldn't? The only reason she was even here was Orange Wings and his knife, because pushing and clawing at those amorphous shadows had not had the least effect; they had only clung harder. Zaoll pressed her hands into her face to stop the shaking, to block out the memory, and took a few deep breaths. She lifted her head and looked around; no one here in the trees, but she could see a soft misty light coming through the branches and vines before her. She could hear birdsong. Maybe Astor was there - or maybe he'd woken up and gone home. A shuddering sigh, and then she wiped the tears off her face; she hadn't noticed she'd been crying, and well enough, because she shouldn't be crying. There was work to do, a goal to achieve. Zaoll stepped out of the trees and looked around - alone, for now, except for a girl with long hair and wings on her head sitting beneath the gnarled tree, and then another standing there with a sword hanging useless by her side. She felt familiar, was not so hard-edged as the one sitting beneath the tree. There was no Astor, and she felt a moment's relief. Maybe he had woken up, gone back to his spaceship, back to the safety of his family. A brief moment of envy overcame her, for those who had found that it was just a terrible nightmare; and pity, as well, for those who were trapped like she was. But there was no time for pity, for herself or for others, and no temper left for envy. Just a tired determination - wake up to home, or be freed from the nightmare. She approached the elderly, gnarled tree, stepping over the small river onto the knoll and through flowers that she didn't want to look at, to kneel in front of the pale-haired girl. On closer examination, Zaoll could see the rainbow tints in her hair. Was this the girl who had been speaking to them? The one who had created that world of horrors she'd left so recently? Despite a weak, simmering kind of anger, she felt an absurd urge to bow, or offer some kind of honor, and throttled it back as she waited for the other to speak. Fae HQ The Dream Fa'e collected an aura of cool regality around herself. The children that were before her were terrified, angry after their trials! She could feel the turmoil of their emotions, and her heart cried sympathy. So many voices here, so injured and confused and scared! And this one that came before her now - older than her in body, but still so lost and young! How was Airi to explain delicately why she'd had to face what she faced tonight? But there was only one here whose anguish was justified, and would last beyond a simple bad dream. Just the one, and all others were a distraction - perhaps not even ever real. And until Airi could distinguish them with her eyes, she dared not touch them with her heart. "Zaoll. I am Airi," the girl intoned, her voice like a cold breeze. Something in her urged to reach out to the girl, lay a hand on her shoulder or cheek, show an ounce of empathy for what she had faced - but the child remained aloof, stony-faced but for an unspeakable sadness in her eyes. "The Fa'e live through my blood, though some live far from my body. Tonight, one among them has called out for help - but so many other voices took up the cry, thinking it was their own! You must convince me - Zaoll. Are you the voice, or the echo?" [s**t] romantic wishes Her name - how did Airi know? Zaoll gave no outward sign of her confusion, grabbing tightly onto what remained of her self-control to listen to what the other had to say. It was a question, a simple question, one that by now she could probably answer in her sleep. Nevertheless, it was one more time that she had to think it through - one more time, but this time aloud, this time to the cause of everything. This was not an occasion for her to hoard secrets, no matter what she thought. "I am the voice," she said, "I'm sure of it. But... I don't want to be. If I am the voice, then... I'll have to go back, won't I? Back to the guards and the cell and the-" She shuddered convulsively, set one hand to her head and then to the side of her face, as if to be sure she was still there. "I'm the voice, my guardian betrayed me, and she's one of the very few people I know, and she sold me out f-for I don't even know what and she said she l- loved me." Zaoll looked down, avoiding eye contact. "I know I'm the voice, but I don't want to be." [*relieved sigh* WHERE IS THE POPCORN I AM GOING TO EAT IT ALL.] [SEE ABOVE] Fae HQ Guardian... betrayed her? For a moment, the look of shock on the child's face was plain, melting unwillingly into a deep pity. Anya had once turned against her, but... it was out of love, misguided and hurtful though it might be for her Guardian to have tried to keep her from her desired path. To be truely betrayed.... But it was not enough to make up Airi's mind, not without hearing what the others had to offer. Wordlessly, the girl slid off her tree branch, taking Zaoll's hand briefly and inviting her, with a slight gesture, to sit in her place on the limb. The rainbow-haired Fa'e's work was hardly done. [s**t!] Fae HQ Each the Fa'e in turn spoke their piece, and Airi was unnervingly attentive to each one - not just with eyes and ears, but the whole of her essence in this place that was made nearly of nothing else. Their observations, in many ways, confirmed her own intuition. The Dream girl's doubts began to slip away, and the glade crackled with energy as she became more and more certain. Her mind was made. With an unembellished gratitude, Airi told the Fa'e who had helped her, "Thank you," and turned her attention aside from them. There were more things they would want to hear, answers they would want from her, and there would be time for talk later. But now, she had spent too much time already to achieve the information that she now knew to be true, and could afford no more waste. Morning was nearly arrived - it was time for the dreamers to awaken, and then they would know each for themselves what the truth was. But there was compassion now, tripping up her prudence as she set her attention back on those gathered. Their eyes were on her - the icy Raina's, the self-assured J'dyr's, the feisty Zahra's, and sitting by one another, the child Astor's and the determined Zaoll's - and her resolve, while not doubted, faltered. They were still fearful. They were unsure. These were the most convincing of the echoes, and the chances were strong that one or more might be Lost Children yet - and if they were not the ones calling for help tonight, what would that say of tomorrow? What would they make of this dream once they had awoken, and what dangers might be waiting if one of them should dare to speak of it? "... I have decided who." Airi spoke with a strange reluctance, disdaining her own responsibility, suddenly acting her apparent age. She was not... good at these delicate talks, but she couldn't cast these children out without a gentle word. Her hands folded behind her, and she swayed her body to one side. "But I feel certain that this is not my last meeting with some of you. And so I ask: When you awaken, do not speak of this dream. Keep quiet, and wait. And if we do not soon meet face-to-face, I promise you, we will meet again in our dreams." Her eyes hopped from one child to another, urging their faith in her promise. It would take time, it would be difficult, but they were her children. If any among them were real, she would find them! But there was one that she knew to be real. And her eyes fell on them now, and the childlike weakness faded into resolve. Her decision was made. And she would be right. "Zaoll. You do not need to be afraid. We will bring you home, safely - you and your Guardian, for better or worse," the girl promised, her voice going soft on naming the girl's potentially traitorous caretaker. "But you must go back now, Zaoll - close your eyes, and return. When you go, I will know where to find you, and we will bring you home...." It was the final promise, and the final word of the night. Morning was soon to come, after all, and there was much work to be done. The realm of the Dream Fa'e vanished now, scattering the spirits of its strange inhabitants back to wherever they had come from. s**t YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSS
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