Shaheen stirred from unconsciousness with a small twitching of limbs and a head slowly tilting from one side to the other, her brow furrowed and her eyelids suddenly clenching down tight, and then casually peeking open as she lifted a hand to press against her lightly throbbing forehead. The last thing she had remembered was wandering through the fog with both Shikoba and Yuzhi, and how the voices in her head had returned full force, threatening to carry her away once more....
....And now here, wherever "here" was. And silence. Sweet, sweet silence like that which she had wanted for months now, which meant that her insanity had somehow been swept away again. But in place of those voices, a new feeling. There was a hallow and aching emptiness inside of her that she could not explain, as though something had been torn away. Slowly the war chieftain pushed herself up into a sitting position, her wings which had laid spread out beneath her, ruffled and unkempt, beginning to fold in neatly behind her, pressing firmly against her back. She could not sit and dwell on this aching lonliness. She needed to move, had to find the others.
Fog still swirled around, and she sat upon cold floorboards, a pretty clear indication that she was still in the heart of the insanity, and likely within the Haunted House now as well. She began pushing herself to her feet, hesitating for just a moment before calling out. "Hello? Shikoba? Yuzhi?" She couldn't see either of them, but the fog was thick. They may very well have been nearby and she just didn't know it yet.
She hoped her voice would not bring down something unsavory upon her, but if it did she would deal with it.
She took a step forward, dark brown eyes sweeping around, and something crunched against the bottom of her foot. With a small hiss under her breath she stooped down to see what it was she had stepped on. Glass, and a liquid spreading out and seeping into the floor. She recognized it faintly as one of those vials from Medea's tent, the very thing that Shik had used to cure her earlier. Well, it was too late to save this one, and she would have to be more careful where she tread after this. Her foot had been barely left uncut by the scant strip of leather that adorned it, protecting it from the sharp shards of glass.
Ol-j-man
Pales
kurotomato
Blade Kuroda
Posted: Thu Oct 11, 2012 10:32 pm
Upon awakening Yuzhi didn't recall too much of what was going on beyond following Shikoba and Shaheen around to find ... something. Her head gave a heavy throb of pain as she tried to recollect her memories far too soon for the brain's liking and she just sat there pulling her knees to her chest for the time being.
She wanted to recollect herself before she wanted to go out searching for anyone. No one seemed to be near her or if they were she didn't see them for all the fog about. Suddenly a voice though it seemed like it almost fell flat against the foggy air that surrounded her. It sounded like Shaheen? Pulling herself to her feet she almost felt hopeful she walked forward, small slipper-covered feet crunching against something almost piercing the sole of her shoes making her step back and walk around it more cautiously as she peered down at it for a good look, it almost felt sad that such a thing went to waste, how many of these things were shattered?
Hmm.
Yuzhi drew closer toward the voice she could make out the figure of Shaheen, "Shaheen! You are alright." She sounded relieved despite barely knowing the taller War clanswoman.
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Posted: Thu Oct 11, 2012 11:10 pm
Tseng wasn't quite sure what had happened just then. He had been dealing with Senga with some others at first, but had blacked out at some point in time. Now upon awakening, he found himself in a rather strange place. He thought he might have been alone, if he hadn't heard some voices far off. They sounded a little distant.
One potentially belonged to his dear little sister.
"Dear Yuzhi! Is that you? Your brother, Tseng! Is here!" he called, finding his voice falling a little flat. How odd! He hoped this wasn't going to dampen his ability to call out attacks too. Making his way towards the voices, he could spot out two shadows in the fog once he was considerably closer. A moment later, he managed to find his sister and another clansmen.
"There you are!"
Posted: Fri Oct 12, 2012 12:29 pm
When he awoke, it was to silence.
Slowly - and with a great deal of effort - Mengyao opened his eyes. All around him he could see fog, thick, whitish grey, curling fog that spread out across as far as the eye could see. And that was all he could make out.
That, and silence.
For several moments he lay there, trying to discern what felt distinctly off, what felt distinctly different. It was only after he pushed himself upwards, and got to his feet again, that he realized what exactly it was.
The voices were gone.
He had heard the voices in his head since the day of the destruction of the Isles. It had been something ingrained into his mind so fervently, gentle whispers and soft rustlings invading his thoughts, that it had been difficult to remember what exactly it had been like before the Insanity had taken ahold of him.
Now he remembered.
Mengyao lifted a hand, rubbing at his forehead, pressing long, grey fingers against his temple. His skin was still discolored, but the voices...the voices were no longer present.
Was this a blessing, or a curse, he wondered, lowering his hand and staring at it without really seeing it. There was a notable sense of hollowness inside of him, as though he were missing something crucial, an ache that would not leave. Automatically his mind went to Lifen, and then to Lan, and a gut wrenching, awful, guilt pervaded his senses, reminding him of what exactly had happened before he had woken up here.
He'd attacked Lifen. He'd attacked Lan, and their friend. He'd let the Insanity consume him.
Mengyao's hand clenched into a fist. He tucked both hands into their sleeves and stood silently, surveying the landscape around him once more.
He could hear voices now, but not inside of his head.
Quietly, he made his way towards them, his fingers itching for the fan that he no longer had, his mind still on the two figures he had last been with, even as the source of the voices in question came into view and he found himself stepping into sight of none other than Yuzhi and Tseng, along with a War horsewoman that he did not know.
"Yuzhi."
kuropeco
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medigel
Anxious Spirit
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Posted: Fri Oct 12, 2012 6:19 pm
Who had two thumbs and was late to the party? This guy.
In all honesty though, Shik had been a little separated from the group once the Insanity had begun to corrupt him back at the Haunted House. Something had begun to dig into his heart and call him away, and in a series of confusing moments - anger, shock, bitterness, and a seeping chill - he had awakened alone on the floor in an unknown place.
Huh. And he hadn't even gotten drunk for it.
Gods, but there had been a new ache in his body settling in as he staggered back onto his feet and moved through the strange area of fog, though his spirit had been comforted by the fact that there had been no more annoying whispers trying to bring him Home. That was what Shaheen dealt with every day? No wonder the woman was crazy.
So all in all, the reason Shik was last? His stubborn pride and lack of direction, that's why.
"Already replaced me, ladies?" he greeted once he saw the four figures stick out of the mist after who knew how long, wings rustling as they brushed fog away. "And with Conquest, no less. I'm wounded." But he vaguely recognized the two new additions from different encounters and gave them both a curt nod before turning to everyone as a whole. "So, as I was investigating the fog for a way out, have any of you come up with the next step? Or shall we all skip along and see if chance favors us?"
At first she was only met with silence to her call, but she was not completely surprised by this, considering how muffled and flat her voice had sounded the moment the words had left her mouth. The war chieftain took a few more steps forward, head slowly swiveling, trying to catch a glimpse of something..anything! She thought that she caught a glimpse of a light through the swirling mass of fog, but it was quickly smothered from sight as yet more tendrils of mist obscured her view. She stopped in her movements, frowning, her eyes casting back down towards the floor, her dark eyes catching sight of something stained and unraveled. Closer inspection revealed these to be some kind of bandage like material, used and useless to her, so she straightened back up, only to hear a voice behind her.
She turned, the dark and short figure in the fog approaching, revealing her shape. "Yuzhi." Shaheen actually sounded quite relieved herself."Yes, I..am still fine. Better then before, in a way." She frowned, wondering if that broken vial she had stepped on had anything to do with why she was now able to think without whispers constantly pestering her, just out of true hearing.
"Have you seen anything?" She asked, not wasting any more time on pleasantries. They needed to figure out where they were, and what was going on. She took a few steps past the conquest woman, hand waving back and forth the clear the air in front of her, eyes downcast on the floor once more before she knelt down, reaching out towards something and holding it up to inspect it. Small, round, orange... It had been sitting next to another just like it, only the other was broken in half and dissolved..Was she supposed to know what this was? Another voice startled her out of her thoughts, and she found herself turning again, dagger flickering to her hand. One couldn't be too careful, after all.
The man that came into view seemed to know Yuzhi, however, so she let her stance relax, slipping the small round pill like object into a small pouch that hung from her side. Another from conquest she guessed, just from his attire alone. She was about to open her mouth to introduce herself when another arrived, and this one she did actually recognize, though the last time she had seen him hadn't been under the best of circumstances. She hadn't even gotten to ask him his name, then. He as well seemed to know Yuzhi, making the chieftains eyes flicker back towards her. "My, aren't you popular." Her tone was dry, and then she was directing her attention back to the new comers once more.
"I'm Shaheen." She announced, by way of introduction. "I don't suppose either of you have seen anything....."
And yet another interruption, though this one actually sent a feeling of relief coursing through her as her head turned slightly towards the voice, her lips quirking up into a small smile. "Replace you? It don't imagine it would be all that difficult to do so." She joked, her tone not holding the biting edge it normally did when dealing with the man she had known nearly her entire life.
He pretty much just asked the same question she had been getting to, so she shrugged, indicating she had not yet thought about what to do next. "I thought I saw a light. It is hard to tell, with all of...this." She waved her hand in the air. "It might be worth investigating, but it might also be something to be wary of." A trap of some sort. Light to lure them in. Everything about this seemed so dangerous and off she didn't feel like putting her trust in much right now.
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kurotomato
Ol-j-man
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Posted: Fri Oct 12, 2012 8:05 pm
Before too long, two other horsemen had come by to their little growing group. Mengyao and another war horseman. Tseng nodded lightly to the former, then turned towards the latter.
"Have you an issue with the great clan of Conquest?" he asked with a slight huff. The War horsemen had almost said it as an insult after all! Shaking his head, he bowed down to the strangers.
"Tseng Lee at your service! No, I had not seen a single thing! There are some lights but I say we leave them. Make our own! We shall shine our own path," he insisted.
Stats:
Name: Tseng Lee HP: 40 FEAR Strength: 100% Insanity Strength: 0% Items: RP Blurb: Horsemen of conquest wearing a teal tunic.
Posted: Sat Oct 13, 2012 1:47 am
"I haven't really seen much of anything yet," She admitted to Shaheen, "I'd only just awoken..."
It was kind of sudden how everyone appeared after she approached Shaheen. First it was her brother, which made her somber face actually light up a bit as she waved toward him feeling actual relief and joy. "Hello brother!" Sorry, she couldn't tsundere very well when Tseng was involved.
She was about to introduce him to Shaheen when there was another addition to the group in from of Mengyao. Her expression flickered about rather amusingly not sure if she should hug him, swat him, or just berate him like usual but instead she gave her usual cool greeting of, "Idiot Cousin, I am glad to see that you aren't dead, saves me the trouble of finding you a shoebox," at the core of her cool greeting there was a warmth to it - a warmth that likely only Mengyao knew was there. At the comment of her popularity she just glanced at Shaheen and smirked, "A brother and a cousin hardly make me popular. This one is Mengyao," she indicated the more recent conquest newcomer since her brother introduced himself.
...Then Shikoba. She just peered over at him, "Yes, and at least one of us defeated you in a spar a long while back, believe it was me, Giant. Don't sneer too much," she said haughtily with just a hint of teasing.
As for questions about plans and what not she shrugged gazing around til she finally spotted a light and maybe another one as well she wasn't too sure, "...Mmm," she was about to talk but then Tseng spoke up and she face palmed, "Brother, we how shall we make our own light, hmm?" Maybe he could enlighten her....
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kuropeco
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Posted: Sat Oct 13, 2012 10:48 am
Shikoba he recognized, but could not recall the name. Mengyao stood silently with his hands tucked into his draping sleeves, which were looking more than a little worse for the wear, his expression one of agitation and frustration. Uncharacteristically, he was not making any of his usual snide remarks, nor was he attempting to act in his usual manner - however, he did not introduce himself to anyone else. Instead he remained quite stoic, stepping soundlessly through the fog to stand in front of Yuzhi and Tseng. For a long moment he said nothing, his eyes roaming through the masses of grey and white that surrounded them.
"I am not dead yet, no," he said quietly, still not looking at her. Unseen by anyone else, his fingers twitched inside his voluminous sleeves, and he wished dearly he had the fan with him, if only to give him something to do with his hands. Distractedly, he turned slowly where he stood, still looking around them.
He could not get used to the silence in his head. It was unnerving, pulling at the corners of his thoughts, a sort of ache filling his stomach, seeping up into his chest. Mengyao felt cold and uncertain and he wished more than anything that he was not here right now, that he was anywhere else than where he was.
Sounding as though it were from somewhere far away, he could hear Tseng's voice, and Mengyao dragged himself free of his own confusing thoughts to give a blank look towards the colt, blinking slowly as though awakening from a great sleep.
"Yes, sounds right," he said, obviously distracted, and turned to look outwards once more and ignoring the lights.
blade kuroda
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Posted: Sun Oct 14, 2012 12:32 am
"A tease, horned one, a tease," Shik responded with more ease than the situation probably warranted. "We can discuss at length what makes War superior, but at the moment we have more pressing problems. Like your greetings." He shot the women a little smirk as a collective answer for them both. Shaheen still looked whole like she had after the vial, so at least something good still persisted about this whole situation.
"Half this group knows me already, but it's Shikoba. Shik if you'd rather. What /I/ would rather is to get out, however, so shall we get going to...wherever it is Tseng has in mind?" If they'd rather ignore the lights, fine by him; it was hard to know what they could trust beyond each other anyway.
He did, though, cast the tallest horseman among them an aside glance. "This would be easier if you kept your head in the game, you know," he commented a bit loudly to try and break his reverie. "We have enough fog to deal with without having clouded minds as well."
(( Apologies for lateness! Issues with wifi /phone post ))
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kurotomato
medigel
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Posted: Sun Oct 14, 2012 12:53 am
"And how would you expect me to greet you?" Was her reply to Shik, with her usual smirk lifting her lips. He knew as well as she that the best way to tell that she was fine was by the fact that she could still participate in the light banter between the two of them. Though she felt an aching emptiness inside, and an odd sense akin to loss at the voices in her head ceasing, she filled those voids with her usual cocky self confidence, and a hope that perhaps when this was all over she could remain insanity free.
She then cast her glance down towards Yuzhi. "You defeated Shikoba in battle?" Her dark gaze flickered back towards Shik as her smirk spread wider. "I like you more and more all of the time." But that was enough taking digs at her fellow war clansmen for now. They needed to make a decision, and move on from where they were all standing. At the moment they made too easy and large of a target for any enemies that might come upon them.
"Not towards the lights then. Let's move"She agreed with the majority, feeling somewhat relieved at the decision. She turned away from where she had thought she had spotted the light, and gestured with her dagger, which still rested in her hand. She liked the feel of it, liked the small amount of comfort it brought to be holding her personal weapon. It helped to chase away the bizarre pain that continued to plague her from deep within.
"Stay close. It would be best if we did not lose anyone." She readily took on a role of leadership, glancing towards Shik once more and giving him a nod, hopefully indicating that he should bring up the rear of their party of five, to keep an eye out for anything that might strike from behind.
And then she moved on into the fog, assuming the rest would follow.
Pales
Blade Kuroda
kurotomato
Ol-j-man
Posted: Sun Oct 14, 2012 9:59 am
"Simple, my dear sister. We shine with our glory! It is a little bit of a metaphor," he grinned to her. Tseng turned towards the others and nodded. Good good, they all agreed with this plan of action. Nodding to them, he looked towards each one in turn. Oh? His little sister had defeated this war horsemen? The Imperial soldier swelled up with pride for Yuzhi, and he beamed at her as a result.
"Excellent work! But yes! Let's move on," he said cheerily while moving after Shaheen into the fog and away from the two lights. As he moved on along, he noticed that the mists were slowly shifting around him.
"It does not seem there is a great deal in this white mass, does it?" he asked no one in particularly while bringing a hand over his brow to try and peer through the fog. It didn't really help out all that much. But it was an effort in any case.
Stats:
Name: Tseng Lee HP: 40 FEAR Strength: 100% Insanity Strength: 0% Items: RP Blurb: Horsemen of conquest wearing a teal tunic.
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kuropeco
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Posted: Sun Oct 14, 2012 8:01 pm
Very slowly Mengyao turned his face towards Shikoba.
"It would be easier if you kept your comments to yourself," he responded, with a quiet flatness to his voice that was nothing like his usual airily confident self, which was usually accompanied by a smirk. This time Mengyao's face was impassive, but something flashed in his dual colored eyes that suggested he was in no mood for taunting right now.
His thoughts were still lingering on Lifen and Lan, and the ache in his chest that could not seem to be filled. He felt hollowed out, exposed to the world, and the feeling was unnerving and unsettling. Especially since just up ahead there seemed to be...music of a sort?
They were back at Fright Night - or what might have once been Fright Night, in a twisted, hazy mocking of the night. Mengyao's expression flickered, his heart hammering against his chest as he walked through the deserted stands, misty and dilapidated, no longer in use.
And then he was falling and there was a figure. Mengyao sucked in a breath, taking a step back and knocking into Yuzhi, his eyes wide.
"I have not stolen anything from you," he said firmly, righting himself and giving his cousins and the other horsemen a fleeting look.
blade kuroda
ol-j-man
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Posted: Sun Oct 14, 2012 8:27 pm
She rewarded Shaheen's praise with a small cheeky grin that she didn't often wear. It seemed the overall thought was to ignore the lights and just go along on their own, and honestly Yuzhi just didn't want to let her Brother and Cousin out of sight now that she was with them. Mengyao's behavior toward her and in general was unsettling she'd almost reached up to grasp at one of his sleeves but held back as she just tamped down the feel of concern.
It was alright. He was just having a difficult ordeal. He didn't need a runt clinging to him.
Tseng's optimism was met with a small uncertain smile and a bit of a nod, "Yes, of course. Shining."
So, when the time came to move along she was willing to follow staying close to her fellow horsemen but even closer to her familial kin. When the scenery seemed to change her expression turned troubled and it became worse as it unfolded before her distracting her from Tseng's inquiry. She'd stolen something? What? She did not understand. Was this true? The figure of Mengyao bumping her caused her to startle his response clear to her as he spoke it.
"No! I took nothing! I would never steal, I am not a thief!" she insisted stubbornly.
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kuromato
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medigel
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Posted: Mon Oct 15, 2012 9:29 am
Shik rolled his eyes. Oh yes, let's all celebrate winning a match each against him. Awards, all. Snorting softly, he took the rear and ignored Mengyao's flat response, as it didn't matter to him how bothersome he was so long as each member of the group was on alert.
Not that it mattered much, as they had found themselves in some sort of mockery of a festival, all colors leeches out and all shapes blurred by passing fog. The horseman gave these newly formed objects a small frown as they passed along, wondering what weak trickery this was supposed to be when they ran into something. Well, someone.
Shik was frankly tired of the fog by this time, and as Yuzhi and Mengyao insisted on their innocence (and the figure insisted otherwise), he grew more annoyed. What, was this meant to make them doubt? Even the pale figures behind him were poor imitations, he noted: Shaheen would never be so coy about eye contact, or so silent for the matter, for instance, and neither would the Imp. "Yes, I know what's missing," he answered the figure. And he waited until the feeling had returned to his hands before the executioner summoned his dagger and added, "A knife in your chest," and lunged -
- into nothing. The figure had disappeared too fast to land a hit, but as the mist lessened Shik felt a sharp pain in his side and saw that he now sported a large wound.
"Tch. Ridiculous..." If the fog had a heart, he wanted to stab it now.
