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 Posted: Thu Oct 11, 2012 12:34 pm
Danny blinked her eyes open, only to be greeted with the sight of an insanity nightmare. Is this where you went when you died for good? A strange, insanity-like hell?
She was on the ground, but she sat up, putting her arms around her legs. There was a strange vial on the ground, but it had water in it, so she ignored it. Foggy expanses covered her vision, prickling her skin. Nothing was visible through the fog, shapes blurry.
Well she couldn't just sit here. Danny squeezed her legs and tried to find the motivation to get up. She had to keep moving, even if Roch, and Rikki and Yin ...
The sweatshirt around her torso seemed constricting now. Just focus on one foot in front of the other. She'd find a way to fix this mess. Even if she couldn't tell where she was at the moment. She was at least thankful for her tail, which acted as a beacon of light in the insanity mist. It provided some light for her to see the path that furled out in front of her. Just ... keep moving. Yeah.
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Posted: Thu Oct 11, 2012 3:12 pm
The first thing Rikki realized was that the voices were gone. They no longer cried a mantra in his head, pulling him to a home that didn't exist. He kept his eyes closed for a long moment, reveling in this realization. It was quiet, but it was such a welcome silence that he couldn't bring himself to wake up to reality just yet.
Just a few more minutes...
Those few minutes was all it took for layers of guilt to sink so far into his gut that he literally groaned with the weight of them. He remembered, so clearly, what he'd done, and it was a physical pain to understand he'd not just hurt Danny; he'd killed her. He sat up as he could no longer bear the guilt worming through his system and peered around. He could barely see past an arms length, but it didn't surprise him when a familiar form appeared.
Be it his luck that they seemed to naturally gravitate towards each other.
He couldn't bring himself to look up at her face, afraid of what he'd find there, so he stayed seated on the ground, arms around his legs tight, and stared at the surface under him.
"Hey, screech."
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Posted: Thu Oct 11, 2012 3:19 pm
Danny saw blurred shapes in the fog, black gates that seemed unhinged and nonsensically floating in the air. Big black buildings that loomed in the distance that she never seemed to reach. Above all else, shrouds of grey mist that screamed with insanity, terrifyingly so.
She whipped around at the sound of the voice, knowing it anywhere and any time. It was timid and guilt-ridden, a reflection of Rikki himself.
Fortunately, Danny's first thoughts weren't of anger, of betrayal. In fact, at first all she could think was how relieved she was that his color had returned, bright orange and blues standing out from the grey nothingness. "Rikki!" she called out, rushing towards him, only to catch herself. It could be a trap. She hated thinking that, but it was true. He could be hiding grey patches under his vestments. He might not have grey patches at all in fact- he could be a blank slate and still feeling the effects of insanity.
"Are you ... are you okay now?" she asked with trepidation, but voice laced with worry. The strange thing is that she wasn't worried for her own safety, but his. She'd had a small case of insanity after visiting the horseman islands- whispering voices and scary thoughts for a few days. She couldn't imagine what being fully engulfed in insanity entailed.
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Posted: Thu Oct 11, 2012 6:30 pm
Rikki flinched back. Not because he didn't want to be touched by Danny, because he could really use just the most comforting hug and some reassurance that she was okay, but he was afraid. Afraid she was angry. Afraid he wasn't okay. Afraid he'd look at her and see what he'd done every time. And he couldn't deal with that. Somehow he knew he couldn't cope.
So he rested his chin on his knees and kept his eyes downcast and considered her question. He wasn't okay, but that wasn't what she was asking. "I don't hear the..." he made a vague gesture around his head, pulling a face, "the voices. They're gone." He plucked at his chains a bit, taking comfort from the cold, hard metal. "Are you okay?"
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Posted: Thu Oct 11, 2012 6:44 pm
A decision had to be made. Could she trust what he was saying? She wanted to, sure, but what if he wasn't? She could die. Rikki could be a death trap. Worse yet, a hunter lure. Weaponization.
Her arms were around him in about two seconds flat, pulling him into a tight hug with her lips in his hair. "I'm fine," she whispered. "I'm sorry I couldn't ..." What was the best way to say it? It wasn't really her fault. She couldn't take responsibility for it. "I'll keep you safe, okay?"
That was all she could offer, really. "Have you seen Roch? Yin?" Worry painted its way across her lips. Maybe if Rikki was okay, they were okay too? They needed to find them, needed to ... needed to do something. She felt incredibly helpless clinging to Rikki like this, not knowing how everyone was doing, not knowing what to do with her given situation.
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Posted: Thu Oct 11, 2012 6:51 pm
With that decision taken out of his hands, he couldn't keep himself from falling into her embrace. Couldn't help that he began clinging to her like he was desperate. He gathered her up as gently as he could and deposited her in his lap, tangling them together so there was no way to tell were Rikki ended and Danny began. He buried his face in her neck and tried to take calming breaths, only cracking when he broke out in a bitter sob of a laugh. "I should have kept you safe."
"I haven't seen them since..." he trailed of, remembering exactly when he'd seen them. Yin, right before he'd become insane. Roch, as he took his own ghoulfriend's life. "They've got to be better now though, right? I'm better."
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Posted: Thu Oct 11, 2012 7:59 pm
That was better. She could hear the hurt in his voice, but all she could do was nuzzle the head on her shoulder while he calmed himself. "No it's okay," she said firmly, "You weren't ... you. Besides, I let you win. No way you could kick my butt that easily."
She tried to make a joke of the decision, but worry was thick in her tone. Rikki kept looking down and it didn't sit right. Her hand cupped his cheek and focused it upwards so he had to look at her. A smile crossed her face and she said, "Yeah, they're probably fine. Just like you." She brushed her nose with him in an eskimo kiss, and then leaned in for a proper one across his lips.
Cuddled up with Rikki was nice, but not in the middle of an insanity warzone. It just wasn't the time. Enough to comfort, but not enough to stay. "C'mon," she said, patting his cheek and wiggling to signal that she wanted to get up. "Gotta get out of here. Do you want your jacket back?"
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Posted: Thu Oct 11, 2012 9:07 pm
Rikki just hummed in agreement, until his face was forced up and he had nowhere else to look but her eyes. His own eyes hooded in shame and his heart constricted and he frowned, but she was being so kind. So understanding and honest. He smoothed out his worries until he could return her kiss with a sweep of his lips.
"Nah, keep the jacket. You need it more than me." He helped her off his lap before getting to his feet and brushing of his jeans, looking around at the walls of fog that surrounded them. "Where to, darklin?"
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Posted: Thu Oct 11, 2012 10:53 pm
Danny looked around, not really sure which way would be best. It was hard to find a way when there wasn't a path, a destination- she literally couldn't see anything in this fog. She took his hand confidently and squeezed. She knew nothing she could say would change his mind about the matter, but she really didn't blame Rikki. It was insanity. It had to be.
They wandered for more time than Danny would've liked to admit, but eventually a light shined in front of them. Two, actually.
Of course she was inclined for the warm light, shivering lightly even with the jacket she got to keep. Even though she kept it, Rikki had to be cold. At least her heat aura seemed to be kicking in finally- the more they walked, the better Rikki's color looked. It didn't keep her from rubbing his arm every once in a while to keep him warm.
"C'mon, let's go that way," she said, pulling him towards it. She just naturally gravitated towards the light- it made sense to her.
Going to the warm light~
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Posted: Fri Oct 12, 2012 6:35 pm
He'd be lying if he said he didn't appreciate the warmth both from Danny and from the light they headed towards. It was nice to get feeling back in his limbs and actually be able to move properly. As if to punctuate that thought, he stretched his arms over his head and worked some of the knots out of his muscles. He didn't feel 100%, but he was on the right path at least.
He couldn't say he was all that surprised that Danny had naturally stumbled toward what was probably the only fire in the vicinity. She had a knack for finding her element, and he wasn't going to complain when it felt so good to be near it. No sir, not at all.
He was popping his sore knuckles when he screeched and fell back from something sharp and pointy aimed in their direction. "WHOA THERE."
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Posted: Fri Oct 12, 2012 6:42 pm
Danny, on the other hand, was ecstatic. That was a fire! If anyone would know a fire, it would be her, right? FIREEEE.
She took off at a sprint, leaving Rikki a few steps behind her, but before she could really get any gain on him, there was a spear pointed at the twosome. "Oh!" she cried in surprise, hands clenching in fists. If it was a fight they wanted, it was a fight they'd get. She had Rikki back now, and he was safe. Jack be damned if she let anything stop her now.
Maybe he really felt outmatched (probably not). Maybe he noted the mark on Danny's arm, and recognized it for what it was supposed to be. Whatever the reason, the figure lowered his weapon, and gestured them into the fiery area.
As much as she wanted to, Danny looked back hesitantly at her boilfriend. She pulled him lightly aside and whispered, "I don't really trust the ponies. They ... they're mean." The only three experiences she'd had was the horsemen being their usual grumpy self with her. She glanced at Rikki's arms, noting the goosebumps that had formed. She moved the palms of her hands up and down his arms in an attempt to create a little extra warmth and said, "But that fire sounds nice, huh?" A sigh, and then she said, "I'll do what you want."
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Posted: Sun Oct 14, 2012 10:15 pm
Rikki's nose scrunched up as he struggled to think through it logically, still somewhat unsettled by the horseman and his weapon. He gripped Danny's hand as she pulled him aside and shook his head. "I don't trust them either but..." he looked back over his shoulder to the waiting horseman and shrugged. "They're better than hunters though. I'm just glad we still have all our limbs."
He leaned into the touch and took another moment to think, and then shook his head again. "It's not that cold. We can manage. We should keep going, see if we can find Roch and Yin. I'm worried."
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Posted: Sun Oct 14, 2012 10:30 pm
She nodded, but not before biting her lip and taking the scarf around her neck and putting it onto his. Her bare skin felt naked, burning with the memory of Simon's guns, but she would deal. Rikki needed to be warm too, and the scarf only warmed her up so much. She'd prefer that he have it.
They wandered through the greyness for a while until they happened upon a scene not unlike their own fright night. A figure came and began speaking words rapidly, so rapidly that Danny couldn't pick up more than bits and pieces. He was offering them power, then saying they owed him.
Her eyes instead went to the figures behind the man. She knew those people. Taima, Moure, Gene, Bea ...
"Roch!" Danny called out, eyes wide in terror. "Rikki they have Roch-" Her claws dug into his arm, not purposefully, but merely out of worry for her friend. Maybe he wasn't captured at all. She waved her arms, calling out to him, but Roch didn't move. Danny was confused- what did that mean? Was he okay?
Her mind told her legs to move, but they were stuck. "What do you mean?" she asked, not sure how to go about bargaining with him. "What do you want?" The figure merely responded with a vague "you should know," which wasn't helpful at all.
She panicked. Before Rikki could say anything, she yelled, "Okay- okay! I'll give it back. I promise, we'll give it back." She had no clue what "it" was. She had no clue what it would take to get "it" back. All she could think about was Roch and how she wanted him safe.
Agree to give back what you've stolen.
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Posted: Sun Oct 14, 2012 11:05 pm
Rikki looked ridiculous in a scarf.
He followed Danny as always and nearly went cross-eyed in confusion as they were confronted with what seemed like even more enemies. He was going to get a migraine from all this. He was tired and he wanted to go home. He missed his bed.
He scanned the faces, called Roch's name. Called Yin's. Repeated them until his voice got so desperate he couldn't bare to hear himself anymore. He hissed a bit as Danny's claws dug into his skin, but it served as enough to get him to turn and listen to what she was saying to the man. "Danny stop. Think. Danny, we didn't even steal anyth-"
But the world washed out in a sea of white and they were left with no one around them. "Where did they go?" If he sounded a little panicked, well he was.
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Posted: Sun Oct 14, 2012 11:19 pm
More wandering. It seemed there was no end to this sea of insanity. They took a break here and there, sitting close to each other, reassuring one another that they were indeed still okay.
White faded in, out, her hands felt in the darkness, the brightness for Rikki, and found a wound. Rikki's hands were on it, Danny lunged to help him. "What- how did we-" Words fumbled out of her mouth. How did they get into this situation? Had they caused this?
The figure was dying, even Danny could tell. She couldn't even tell who this was. There wasn't anything they could do, but Danny didn't want to let him die. "What do we do?" She just threw the problem at Rikki, running away from it altogether.
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