Drummer Boy
[Marble Corridor]
There was that justification again, but for some reason or another Seilaan couldn't—or didn't want to—accept it. But it was... fair enough. Not really something she could argue with, even if she personally felt that it was a cop-out. Before she could dwell on it long enough to think of a way to argue with it (against her better judgment, she knew, but she just couldn't help it), the change of scenery provided a welcome distraction.
"Ooh, your childhood home?" She jumped down from the window. "Actually... hold on." In a split second, Seilaan's clothes cycled through a dizzying array of shapes and colors before settling on her usual red and gold, but with more decorative layers than her original set. "There. Now it's visiting time. I suppose you should lead the way."
[Cemetery]
"You do?" Friedrich scratched his head. Sighed. He felt like he was sighing a lot. "Yeah, it's... sometimes you just have to remember that you're not just in this thing for yourself. Sometimes you have to make sacrifices. Even if what you're giving up is part of yourself."
"But at the same time, I—" He stopped. So did Abadal. The child sat on top of a gravestone, staring intently at Iveya. "I always tell this to new Eyes members. Don't completely forget about yourself, okay? You may have to suffer to help the ones you care about, but you're usually not much use to them dead. Or insane. And I understand if you don't buy any of that, since it's coming from the man whose soul isn't entirely his own anymore, but you know. Every unique situation needs is own discrete rationalization process, yeah? It's a hard balance, there are no concrete answers or a magic formula, or—"
Holy fuck what was he even doing. This was rambling. This was stupid. God.
"Welp, that's enough of me being an incoherent, patronizing old fart." He quickly turned and started walking again, shoulders hunched, but Abadal stayed and continued to watch Iveya. "Sorry."
[Ritter Clinic (parlor)]
"Well..." Heinrich scratched his chin and stared into the fireplace. "I suppose the very first thing I did before I came here was climb out of the river. Which obviously raises the question of what I was doing there to begin with. I do take walks in the forest quite often. I used to go there with—with my wife." He made a strained smile. "Elise spent her whole life in the city before she married me, and even after so many years of living right next to the forest, it was sort of a novelty for her. I was taking our old path by the river, and I know I was thinking about her. It was the my younger son's second birthday—the two-year anniversary of her passing. I'd just visited the cemetery with the rest of the family, and we went back to town for lunch, and after that, Friedrich went to take a nap, as usual, and I went out again to—just to think by myself for a while. Wh—why do you ask, Henry?"
The last battle's curtains will open on stage!
[Snow Castle (1st Floor)]
Adam wasted no time getting to work. He carefully began to wrap Glioslem's arms and wings, making sure he didn't hurt her even more.
Jackson paced back and forth, still trying to wrap his head around what the hell just happened. As he did so, the gems started to glow even brighter, making him stop in his tracks.
"What the hell...?" he said.
Soon, a bright light appeared, and it seemed to take a form of a person. When the light slowly dimmed, it revealed a black girl, with long wavy hair, purple eyes (her left eye covered with an eyepatch), and freckles around her cheeks. She was wearing a bright pink dress and multicolored flowers in her hair.
Nick, Adam, and Jackson blinked several times.
"...Marie?" they said in unison.
Marie blinked as well, looking around her surroundings.
"Guys?" she said, "Wait...this isn't our camp site!" She looked over at the others, quirking an eyebrow, "Who the heck are you people?"
edited 17th Apr '17 7:46:31 PM by Masterofchaos
Drummer Boy
[Forest —> Farm]
Josef became aware at some point while wandering the forest in his coronation ceremony finery that he was dreaming. He wasn't particularly pleased or displeased by this revelation. In fact, he wasn't even really surprised. It seemed terribly unimportant compared to the dreadful inconvenience of traversing the forest in these thrice-accursed clothes.
Well, this was a dream. If he imagined new clothes hard enough—
In the blink of an eye, his clothes transformed. He was now wearing a white shirt and cravat with a navy blue jacket, waistcoat, and trousers. However, the blue wool tunic embroidered with gold thread and the golden circlet, shaped like a crown of laurels, lay nearby. Josef kicked them aside and continued on his way, only to trip on them not a moment later.
"All right, fine," he snarled, snatching them up. "They'll yell at me if I get these dirty anyway."
Soon, the trees began to thin out, and Josef found himself staring at a farm.
Maybe... this was a test, like those stupid fairy tales. That was something that could happen in a dream, right? He had read those stories before, so his subconscious was totally capable of constructing a similar situation. He couldn't get rid of the tunic and crown before because he just carelessly tossed them aside. That wasn't the "right" way to get rid of them. He had to give them to a random farmer who could sell them and feed his family, and the moral of the story was—
No, he was thinking too much. This was stupid. It was just a dream. Whatever happened, happened.
The stocky nineteen-year-old strode towards Vince and Tsadro, the crown hanging from one arm and the folded tunic tucked under another. His neatly cut hair was the color of cinnamon.
"Excuse me, sirs." He had no idea what to make of Tsadro (was this what his subconscious thought a Shijounese tribal might look like?) so to avoid being transfixed in a rude stare, he focused on the other man. His bright blue eyes shone intently. "I..."
What was it that he wanted? Was it something that these people could even provide?
"I think I'm lost." That was true enough, in more ways than one. "Would you mind if I stayed awhile to get my bearings?"
Yes. That was a fair start. A nice, peaceful farm was a good place for thinking. As long as they didn't mind him hanging around, at least.
edited 10th Apr '17 10:52:19 PM by SnowyFoxes
The last battle's curtains will open on stage!
It's a bird.
Snow Castle (Gwenafer, Rin)
Gwenafer continued down the corridor back to the tea room. Why hadn't Rin or Alice shown up to the fight? The sounds must have echoed through the whole building...
Rounding a corner, she immediately got an answer to that question.
"Oh, shit..." she mumbled to herself as she ran over to the collapsed admiral. "What happened to you?"
Gwenafer knelt down next to Rin, carefully flipped the unconscious woman to her side, and began to check for a pulse. While she wasn't exactly calm, her hands still moved with the determined purpose of someone who was clearly used to this kind of situation.
"Can you hear me?"
Still a great "screw depression" song even after seven years.
[Farm] (Fuwa)
The creature named Fuwa had gotten lost in the foggy forest, having gotten separated from her caretaker. Now, after loosing track of how much time she spent wandering the woods with an injured body that had been insufficiently treated, she limped out of the trees and into a clearing, favoring her right leg.
She had a lanky, humanoid body, with a slightly noticeable feminine form and mostly covered with blue fur, with her belly, chest and face covered in white fur. Gold eyes rimmed with black fur were set in a round face framed by tufted ears and bright blue hair that extended to her mid-back. Cream colored scales covered the backs of her hands and forearms, her feet and shins, and formed a collar protecting her neck and the upper part of her chest. Sharp claws tipped her fingers and toes. A blue, bushy tail hung limply behind her. Light glinted off an enigmatic blue gemstone that was set in her navel.
A look of discomfort was etched onto Fuwa's face as she continued to limp across the clearing towards the farm house sitting in the middle of it, attracted by the sounds of animals and the smell of food as her stomach softly growled with hunger. She was looking forward to finding something to eat and then curling up in a quite corner to rest.
Attempting to hop the fence around the farm, Fuwa stumbled over the top and hit the ground hard, reopening the wound in her right shoulder in the process. The girl let a pained yelp that betrayed her presence before pressing a hand to her wound.
[Cemetery]
Iveya considered Friedrich with a slight frown, but then nodded. "I've already hit you over the head like a Xayusa priestess on Yothic tea. So we're even on lectures, then." And the frown turned into the barest hint of a tight smile. "But you are right. If I stress myself to death, after all, I can't die gloriously in battle, can I?" She seemed satisfied for a few moments but — likely perceiving some shock or confusion in Friedrich, hurriedly said, "er, I wasn't serious about wanting to die gloriously in battle. Uelane humor." She bit her lip. "Probably doesn't translate very well."
She might have explained her lame "joke" — properly a meme, and like most memes, dreadfully unfunny — but she suddenly noticed a particular gravestone. "Friedrich? Was that always here?"
It certainly wasn't. The sandstone stele — how could neither of them have not noticed it before — stood about five feet tall, an upright disc. Carved on the stele was a highly stylized relief portraying a starved-looking, naked man in broken chains, and a towering, balding man in a kilt. The starved man was wielding a gaudily-decorated sword that had been used to disembowel the giant, complete with entrails spilling from his guts, while the giant himself had, at his side, an empty scabbard whose shape and style matched the very blade used to kill him.
And laying before the stele was the very sword depicted, resting in its scabbard. Seen proper, it was sleek, curved weapon. If one took a katana, showed it to a master sword smith of medieval Persia, and asked him to make a weapon in the same style, the result would probably look a lot like the sword in question in general shape. If the master had any self-respect, however, the sword would not look as painfully tacky as the weapon that lay before the stele: it had a hilt covered in a thin layer of gold, with four large sapphires and four similarly hefty rubies encircling the pommel in an alternating pattern, and eight small diamonds glittering in the crossguard. The scabbard was carved and filigreed in abstract patterns, to a level that might be euphemistically called "baroque", but more honestly called overwhelming.
Iveya didn't say anything immediately, but judging by her utterly shocked, befuddled expression, she was familiar with the blade.
edited 13th Apr '17 4:11:52 PM by KillerClowns
Drummer Boy
[Cemetery]
"Uh... wow." Friedrich struggled to process what he was looking at. That's quite a tableau. And what nouveau-riche bastard commissioned that weapon?
"Nope, and I don't recall Father Schroeder announcing any plans to redecorate." He stepped over to take a closer look. "So what's going on here? Liberation? Killing your master with their own weapon?" A fitting end for the kind of person who'd proudly carry such a blade, Friedrich thought. "This thing is so ornamental that I'm surprised it could even cut someone. Looks almost like a goddamn toy."
Abadal clutched his stomach with one hand and closed his eyes.
The last battle's curtains will open on stage!
Friendly Neighborhood Lich
Snow Castle - Hallway (Megumi, Nick, Jackson, Adam, Marie, Gliosem)
Gliosem dared not move while Megumi and Adam bandaged her up, except to make her foot more accessible, and to wipe away the tears still leaking out of her eyes on her long sleeve. But at least the painkiller seemed to help - though it did make her feel a slight bit tired.
While Adam was patching up the wounds on her backnote , she saw a flash of light nearby, and from it emerged a girl who also reminded Gliosem a bit of Amiluet with the flowers in her hair - though her hair was worn down, her skin was darker, her dress was pink, her eyes were violet - or eye rather given the patch. She introduced herself as Marie, though Gliosem found it odd that she would consider only two foreignersnote sufficient to constitute "you people".
"Gliosem Baoshra, lead singer of the Four Bardic Sisters..." the injured sumiri managed to say, though her voice was a tiny bit more faint than it usually was. "...Do excuse the mess, we... just recovered from a dangerous accident." She dared not call it an attack - and besides, the tiredness was growing a bit worse, accompanied by a feeling of detachment from her surroundings - though unlike some Zuremic herbs, nothing too disorienting.
"Thank you both," she said to Adam and Megumi. "Though Megumi, you appear to have injured your arm as well - though not terribly." On the surface, the wound might have looked rather gnarly, but the aural disturbance Gliosem saw around it had a much calmer appearance than that she saw in her foot before the morphine hit. She knew that this indicated that she was distracted from the pain in it - if she had been paying attention, it would have been the same thing she saw in herself while she was singing moments ago. "I-I still feel sorry for Magdalene though. In the very end I saw something in her aura - s-something hinting at inner torment revolving around the use of her magic. A-and besides, why would you provoke someone you know is that powerful in the first place?"
Come, my child of the devil. Your mother is calling you. Hear my call in Hell's grand hall, where all our dreams come true.
Mr ship
[Clinic-Parlor/Henry]
"Heh sounds like my wife." Henry started remembering Lauren. "She grew up in San Francisco back in the 60s. How she didn't become a hippie is beyond me." He took another cigarette out of his jacket. " I blame her grandfather." He then lit the cigarette. "Before I say why can I ask what year was it when you decided to go out?"
[San Francisco-Safon Warehouse~1989/Lauren]
"Trust me the CIA is too incompetent for that." Lauren snarked at June as she looked at the dog thinking about whether or not to shoo it off the couch before deciding it wasn't worth it. She went to one of the dressers and dug thought it for a blazer. After going through it's pockets frantically she breathed a sigh of relief when she found a pack of cigarettes in one of the pockets.
"Oh thank god." She said as she lit one. Once she took a couple of hits she looked at the others. "There's no actual light switch. They're connected to the main breaker."
She then looked at the machine in the center sighing as she remembered what Henry was doing. "As for the machine there. It's my husband's 15 year drug trip given corporeal form. It opens holes into alternate universes. Henry was trying to reach a dimension of what he called 'gods' when the thing blew and sent us to this dream world."
Sighing she went through her pockets until she found a key. "As for why I thought we should go here...." She told the others snickering as she headed towards the locked up corner of the building. "Inside this room are numerous weapons that we have acquired over the years. From handguns to shotguns. Hell we even have a few RP Gs stashed away here. I figured that we could flee here to recuperate and stock up on weapons before retaliating."
[farm]
"Of course you can! Stay as long as you'd like."
A sound behind Josef caught his attention. Vince peered over Josef's shoulder, catching just a glimpse of red in the being's blue fur. Before he could even look at Tsadro, the other man had already run off, one of Vince's cloaks in hand, to check on their new visitor.
Vince glanced away from the scene back to Josef. "Excuse me," he slipped in. "Lise, stay." Something drew him towards one of the trees- his first-aid kit had moved itself out of the barn, and into a hollow in the tree's trunk. As he retrieved his medical supplies, Tsadro took stock of the scene.
It was... some kind of humanoid snowcat? With scales?
Unsure of how human this being was or how she might react, Tsadro moved around to her front to let her know he was there. Should she let him help her, he was ready to help her to her feet, drape the cloak over her shoulders, and walk her back over to Vince at once.
While all of this went down, Lise obediently sat on her haunches next to Josef, exchanging looks with him occasionally as the scene unfolded.
edited 17th Apr '17 5:29:25 AM by CrystalGlacia
"Jack, you have debauched my sloth."
Friendly Neighborhood Lich
SF Warehouse (Lauren, Amiluet, June)
One moment Amiluet was scowling at June's remark about the lights, the next she was giggling her pigtailed head off at Lauren's remark about gods. "Funny how you say that," she said to the latter. "because technically, the dream world is the realm of the gods! Why, on Orenya, it's quite a pastime to astral project to one of four celestial holy shrines, which we call 'moons'. And dreaming is certainly a form of astral projection - wouldn't you agree, Queen June?"
Then when she heard Lauren's explanation of the weapons, she fretted. "I thought we were coming here to escape from the war! And besides, like I told you, I've never held a weapon of any sort in my life - musical instruments aren't weapons, right? I haven't even heard of those three weapons you just mentioned. And besides, with this new power I have, I bet I don't even need weapons!" She turned to June and winked.
Graveyard (Golden Being/Armory Knight, Patches, Moreena, Sentinel/Spirit, Gabe/Nemol, Caleb/Half, Sinistrina/Friedrich)
All this time, Friedrich had been listening to the conversation between Moreena, Sinistrina, and the Dark Priest; and had been watching the Sentinel's re-awakening and the combined efforts of her and Sinistrina. It was odd, thought the small remaining part of his self, that the two who had seemed so entirely different and opposite in intent were now working towards the same goal. But the rest of him, that was not completely him, knew exactly what to expect, especially from Sinistrina's perspective. For the most part, her thoughts were now his own.
So instead he found himself looking over at Gabe, who was just now rising into standing, but still not completely there. As if inclined to somehow, he walked towards the angelic fashionista, looking up to his tall form as the black mists that were coursing throughout his body more strongly than ever magically held his plumed hat on his head. "Are you all right?" the doll asked. "That was clever thinking of you, speaking directly to the Golden Being's own realm, though in a way you are a golden being yourself. But I do have some good news for you: Misery Manor has been destroyed, though regrettably, not by your hand." He glanced over to the decrepit wooden house, which appeared much closer than it did before. The zombie butler was walking back towards the still-intact cellar as he looked. Meanwhile, his small spark of self was bewildered that he knew that Gabe had wanted to destroy the manor - as only Sinistrina and Half had been in his presence then.
Meanwhile, when the spirit associated with the Sentinel asked for the other bottle the butler was carrying, Sinistrina obliged as part of her thanks, momentarily surrendering some small aspect of her control over him to the spirit's request. She did have to smirk at the way he poured the blood onto the Sentinel's head, remembering how he had cluelessly done that to another zombie many whiles ago at a gathering at the manor. The Sentinel did seem disgruntled, not to mention hesitant about helping Armory Knight out, but nonetheless, she spoke of repairing his memories and his spirit, and called Sinistrina's spell a "spiritual linchpin".
Sinistrina nodded to her. "Indeed. Working with the memories of one with a broken soul might damage the soul even further, if that is possible at this point. And the memories themselves are an important aspect of it." Then she looked to the Golden Being. "Memories are powerful tools for focusing the soul when it becomes detached or fragmented. What I am about to do with Armory Knight's soul is almost the exact thing I did with my own, though instead of in photographs of said memories, it will be inside his body. Though I am quite confident that with her enchantment," and here she nodded over towards the Sentinel, "his body will not deteriorate in the process."
Then she looked back to the Sentinel. "I'm willing to venture a guess that the Beyond would answer kindly to forgiveness, wouldn't you agree?" She focused back on the shadowy hands that were, even now, slowly blending together the fragments of Armory Knight's soul around what would be its container. "I am ready whenever you are."
Come, my child of the devil. Your mother is calling you. Hear my call in Hell's grand hall, where all our dreams come true.
[Yukijou-minato ~ Snow Castle (Main Keep 1st Floor ~ Hallway)] (Rin, Gwenafer)
Rin felt someone roll her over, allowing her to see who it was. Gwenafer had knelt down besides the paralyzed Admiral. All she could do in return was stare helplessly frightened at the woman, struggling to speak, only coming out as a gurgle.
The shadows in the corners of her vision retreated, slipping under the walls. Still, the paralysis persisted, locking her in this nightmare. This reoccurring nightmare that had plagued her for the past several months. Always the same; her, reduced to helplessly watching the shadows torment her. And now others where going to be dragged into it...
[San Francisco Docks ~ Warehouse] (June, Lauren, Amiluet)
"Yeah, the CIA can sometimes firmly grasp the idiot ball and make a mess of things. Then again, nobody's perfect, so when haven't we all done something like that?" June said, grinning. As Lauren smoked her cigarette, June carried on idling by.
When Lauren mentioned her room full of weapons, June broke out into an ecstatic smile. "Dibs on a shotgun," she said, eagerly tapping her fingers together, "today, I'm feeling extra generous, so allow me to make some... modifications. Also, we're in a dream! You shouldn't be afraid to dream a little bigger," she said, grinning.
The enigmatic woman turned to nod in agreement with what Amiluet said about dreaming. "Right you are, little one. We are in two places at once, the first being where and when ever we laid our heads down to sleep, and the other is this ever changing landscape that we call a dream."
June smiled during the discussion about weapons, "Oh, on the contrary, musical instruments can be all kinds of weapons. Just need to be clever with 'em," she said, tapping her chin. "As for me needing a weapon... as you know, I could just make my own. Then again, here in a dream, so can you," she said with a grin.
[Cemetery]
Iveya shook her head and said, "that... that stele belongs in my clan's courtyard. I don't know how in Ethoya's name it got here. And that," she looked down incredulously, "has to be my clan-sword." She was awestruck at its sudden appearance in this foreign land. It was covered in snow. It belonged in a desert, and it was covered in snow. Somehow, this seemed funny to her. "And yes," she said as she regained her composure and saw Friedrich's dubious expression, "I know the sword is a bit..." she paused, "egregious". She tapped the liberated slave on the stele and said, "that would be my ancestor, Oramus. And the brute? His former slave-lord, until, well, you see. So the sword has sentimental value." She then considered the stele. "Although things didn't quite happen this way." She paused here. Dropping an entire histoy lesson, unbidden, on Friedrich seemed improper, so she decided to let him ask if he was curious. Or perhaps he wasn't; that would be perfectly fair.
Instead she took the sword and said, "my mother said this — along with all the rights and privileges of clan matriarch — was to go to my sister." Glancing once again at the improbable stele, she said, "the Xayu seems to disagree. Unsurprising." She slung the sheathed blade over her shoulder. "I'm not sure what to make of this... I... no matter. We didn't come here for this." In fact, she suddenly seemed almost too eager to let the impossible situation pass without further discussion. She looked at the rest of the graveyard, seeing here on only foreign tomb markers. "Your brother's grave awaits us, does it not?"
edited 13th Apr '17 8:24:50 PM by KillerClowns
It's a bird.
Snow Castle (Gwenafer, Rin)
Well, the woman was alive at least. Gwenafer let out a sigh of relief, before adjusting Rin's position to make it easier for her to breath. That gurgling sound couldn't be a good sign though.
She sat up straight, feeling the hairs on her neck rise. Something was seriously wrong here. She turned her head, but the corridor was empty. She shook her head, and looked back in the direction of Megumi and the boys.
"Hey!" she yelled. "Could use some help over here. The admiral's knocked out!"
Still a great "screw depression" song even after seven years.
[Snow Castle (1st Floor)]
Marie blinked several times.
"...What the hell happened?" he asked, looking at her friends, "Why are you guys practically injured?"
"It's a long story." Nick said, putting his hands on her shoulder, "How the hell did you get here?"
"I don't know! I was asleep, and then the gems started glowing and woke me up, and when I went to check on them...I'm here!" She scratched the back of her head, "God, it's like every five minutes something weird happens with us."
Adam was just about done wrapping Gilosem's wing when Gwen called for them. Apparently, Rin was unconscious, which made all four of the teens worried.
"H-hold on!" Jackson yelled, "We're on our way!" He looked apologetically at Marie, "I promise we'll explain everything as soon as we can. Right now, we have to help Rin."
Marie blinked again as she followed her friends. "Who's Rin?"
"The owner of the castle!" Adam said, "We have to help her! Come on, everyone!"
edited 15th Apr '17 11:01:41 AM by Masterofchaos
[Marble Corridor - Ji Estate (Seilaan, Mazra, Drix)]
Mazra turned to look at Seilaan with an incredulous expression on her face. Seriously? I've spent half my time in this dream trying to consciously affect things - and I'm actually a lucid dreamer! - and she just changes her whole outfit without blinking an eye. This thoroughly 'sucks'.
...Or I suppose her clothes could just do that naturally. It was a little beyond your normal smartcloth, but Seilaan could do magic.
"Right. Leading the way," she said, putting one hand on her field-sword hilt. "Er, I'd be careful if I were you. I have no idea why I'm here - this isn't the estate I've been living in for the last few years - but some of the dreams I've had before here have been a little... colorful."
She walked forward, and in a few moments noticed that the entire corridor had changed - both forward and behind - to match the details of the Ji estate. Curiously, though, she didn't notice any artwork apart from the zzym'-crusted ceiling bar. "We should come to actual rooms soon, but I'm not sure where exactly in the building we are right now," she told Seilaan, stopping and turning back to face the younger girl. "Normally there'd be portraits or statues or something."
She turned around and was immediately confronted by the sight of a two-meter green insect. Its body was roughly spherical in shape, with six thick legs supporting it; above was a head resembling an elongated disk with four faceted eyes and a pair of stubby antennae. It wore a weblike harness colored blue and orange that gave off a barely-visible glow.
Mazra blinked. "Drix?"
"Mistress Mazra!" the insectoid replied in a perfectly normal, if somewhat booming voice. "Welcome home! And a welcome to your guest as well." There was just enough emphasis on 'guest' to make it clear that Drix wanted, however politely, a few more details.
So is it real or just a figmen - right, protocol.
Mazra turned to Seilaan. "Um, this is 3rd Drix, one of House Ji's senior retainers. Drix, this is Seilaan of - House Ren, I think. They're not Corinarchi. She's a..."
Guest? Acquaintance? Sorceress? Definitely not 'friend'.
Maybe I should just let her answer that for herself.
Friendly Neighborhood Lich
Snow Castle - Hallway (Rin, Megumi, Gwenafer, Nick, Jackson, Adam, Marie, Gliosem)
As Adam finished bandaging Gliosem's wings, the morphine started to really kick in. She felt a sensation that was not quite calming, but more like drifting away from the pain in her wings, back wounds, and foot. "This works... quite well," she said to Megumi. "It feels similar to that of the taliendra root from Zurem, which is said to allow one to focus more on the soul than the body, thus reducing pain."
But then there was trouble; apparently now Rin was in danger, despite not having been anywhere near Magdalene during their scuffle. Now feeling at least able to move again thanks to the morphine, Gliosem rose to her knees, being careful to keep her injured foot still. "Coming..." she replied to Adam, though she knew that with the state of her foot and her wings, her mobility would be very limited for at least a half-silver monthnote . Though she had to wonder how different that would be in a dream.
By using her broken instrument as a makeshift cane, she managed to hobble over just enough to where she could see Rin, who was lying motionless on the floor with Gwenafer sitting by her. Fortunately though, she was not dead, as she still had a pronounced aura. However, said aura looked wavy, rippling over her body and periodically retracting back into it. This, she knew, was indication that the person was in distress - but not necessarily in pain. About the same time, the wooden frame of Gliosem's broken instrument snapped, leaving her to fall to her knees and lean in closer to Rin to get as close a look as she could get - though she was still a bit of a distance down the hall.
But not enough to be out of earshot. "She appears to be paralyzed. Most likely sleep paralysis provided none of you poisoned her. Usually it is caused by nightmares - in which case a remedy would be a more pleasant dream. Now if I have it..."
She tried to remember where she had put her herb stash, for she knew there was one that would help in this situation. She kept it in a jar, didn't she? And so she closed her eyes, trying to picture that jar in her mind. It was a glass jar, filled with thick white leaves that were shriveled from dehydration - and as she remembered, contained a piece of leaf-wrapping to contain the root of the same tree it came from, the same one responsible for her being in this dream in the first place. She cupped her hands before her. "Sai nendriyaki, kusa tei-bi elandi sao amino-me la drimari-nam bebei-ya. Drimari-nam, bebei-ya."note She figured a similar incantation to that she used to summon her cloak had to work. And indeed it did - soon enough she felt a glass jar in her hands. Opening her eyes and the jar, she looked to Megumi.
"These leaves are from the Tree of Dreams, the same tree whose bark sent me into this dream in the first place. The leaves have a milder effect, encouraging pleasant dreams. You seem good at making tea, so perhaps you could brew some of this for her? I could help her swallow it, and perhaps sing her a lullaby to help her sleep as I would not recommend using a drug for the latter. Just add the hot water and I'll be able to determine when it's done; I recommend using..." and she opened the jar, placing about a teaspoon of the leaves into her palm, "about this much. Though if someone could help me over to her," she added, looking around to the campers, "I'd appreciate it."
edited 15th Apr '17 12:59:27 PM by ladytanuki
Come, my child of the devil. Your mother is calling you. Hear my call in Hell's grand hall, where all our dreams come true.
The Prince of Foolish Relevations
Betwixt reality and delusion, fear blinds many (Ayako, The Midnight Stitcher?)
Before the sobbing girl, a soft thud rings out. Towering over her is the grey-skinned monster of a man, and at his feet- The bound form of Yuki? Her limbs 'pierced' through by black stitching, sewed immobile to her body and her mouth... W-what kind of monster is he? Grabbing Ayako by her hair and making her look towards the inhuman thing that is himself, the beast speaks in a soft growly way.
"What a fool, that you would keep pretending to be a human... She gets it, how pointless it is acting like them. Hatred, arrogance, desire... Those disgusting things don't deserve our respect 'mage girl', all they see us as? Tools to be used, beasts to placate, living nightmares to slaughter when we don't obey."
Throwing Ayako to the ground, the stitching used to bind Yuki rise up- Putting her in front of that human imitation, looking her over with bored curiosity. "Humans are quick to demand that their betters serve them or die. So quick to deem us as things, monsters, sub-human... Those disgusting things are just waiting for an excuse to kill you, Ayako. Your little 'friend' here was just doing what's natural when in the presence of a slave like you."
Moving Yuki out of his way, the monster man's gold and crimson eyes fully bear down on Ayako's visage. "No matter who you work for or where you go, there won't be a human alive to treat people like us with respect- Killers, slaves, corpses, that's all they see. I allow you to live today because freaks like us must prove those humans they're out of their depth. Yet, I will tear through anyone who believes in the so-called 'righteousness' of humanity..."
The Eldritch Factory ~ Cerebral Dungeon (Durnem, Ayako, The Midnight Stitcher)
Looking perplexed as Durnem stands around in thought, he's still rather confused upon suggesting he doesn't feel okay. "I don't understand what she's getting at... Is a human suppose to be disturbed by this area?" Still, as he mulled over what to say, the not-quite-human man looks over in Ayako's direction.
Lightly startled by the mage girl's behavior, The Midnight Stitcher looks back to Durnem. His eyes turning back to gold & crimson before Durnem could look back at him, the strange man watches as she brings her staff close. Though upon offering her hand, he examines it in much confusion. "Am I... Suppose to shake her hand?"
Gripping Durnem's hand gently and shaking it, if she looked it would be obvious the greyish man completely failed to understand. Still, he finally speaks up as the hand shaking gets a bit awkward. "I haven't been down here before, though my senses are very keen. Should I pick up Ayako though? She doesn't seem ready to move."
However, a familiarly playful voice rings out- Vita Exosso. "Goodness, I didn't think you idiots would follow! Was it the 'fabled' treasure I mentioned? Or maybe that utter nonsense I spewed about a baby sister. Ha, as if! I don't mind knocking boots with tall dark and handsome though~" The Midnight Stitcher snarling at the sudden voice, it would be impossible to determine where her voice is coming from.
"I like that name however, the Cerebral Dungeon! Still though, we're freaking Eldritchians, the hell you assuming there's a rational theme here? I mean geez, little meguca there is a child, having a breakdown is only natural you finned moron. Or, does the Oradamin have a strict 'must be this stupid to join' clause? I suppose that's only natural for a bloodsucking mermaid like you~"
The stuff happening in 'reality' shouldn't be reaching Ayako, since Psyche-chan is trying to stick her into a full-on illusion world. Regarding Illusory Stitcher, grabbing intangible things is a (difficult) learnable magical feat. As for Durnem, she would of withdrawn from Durnem's mind upon detecting her plan. The resulting 'Vita Exosso' is actually Psyche-chan using her telekinesis to produce the sounds.
"The Omniverse is the collection of all possibilities, and all possibilities must eventually come to pass."
[Yukijou-minato ~ Snow Castle (Main Keep 1st Floor ~ Hallway)] (Megumi, Rin, Gwenafer, Adam, Jackson, Marie, Nick, Gliosem)
The process of injecting Gliosem with morphine went off with out a hitch, and the injured sumiri was on her way to being mostly pain free. The maid cast an aside glance; Adam seemed to know what he was doing while patching up Gliosem's wings, Megumi noted.
While they were tending to Gliosem's wounds, someone familiar to the boys appeared. Oh, look, another one... This girl was apparently named Marie, going by what the boys said. Standing up, Megumi bowed toward the girl, "I am Megumi, chief maid here." She gestured around her, "This place is called Yukijō, welcome."
When Gwenafer called out about something being wrong with the Admiral, Megumi's blood turned to ice. "M'lady..." she whispered, before rushing to get to her master's side. In an instant, she cleared the hallway, kneeling beside Gwenafer.
"M'lady...!" she said, staring into Rin's eyes. The Admiral's eyes twitched in response, but the paralyzed woman wasn't able to respond. The maid turned to face Gwenafer, "Help me carry her back into the parlor," requested Megumi.
The maid gently cradled the Admiral's head, before turning towards Gliosem as the sumiri's crutch collapsed under her weight, sending her to the floor down the hall. Then the winged woman summoned a jar, which she said contained a herb that could be used to sooth the Admiral's panicked state. Megumi nodded at her, "You shouldn't be walking on that foot of yours! Boys, help her, get her to the parlor."
She glanced at the jar, "I shall start some tea for her after we get this all settled," she added.
[Dream within a dream ~ Psychic Illusion] (Ayako, Phantom Stitcher)
Ayako recoiled in horror at the prone form of Yuki. Trembling, she slowly glanced up at the Midnight Stitcher. "Why...?" she squeaked, clutching her umbrella and putting it between her and this... entity, but to no avail. She was grabbed by her hair and lifted off the ground as if she were a pillow.
The magical girl squirmed in the Stitcher's grasp, only to frown at him. "I'm not pretending to be human, I am human!" she squeak-shouted, resenting the Midnight Stitcher's words.
The Midnight Stitcher hurled the distraught girl to the ground. Shakily rolling to her feet, Ayako morphed her umbrella into a M1 Garand battle rifle before taking aim at the man's head.
"Yuki is my friend. If anything, she'd be closer to a monster than I, but she's still human! She wouldn't normally act this way... she..." Ayako wobbled with uncertainty, doubting her own words. Yuki did attack her... but it wasn't in her nature... but she attacked her.. but...
"RAGH!" Ayako swung her rifle around wildly, before re-aiming it at the Midnight Stitcher. "SHUT UP! I am not a slave! And I will not stand for you harming my friend, even if she did try to kill me! If anything, you're the one who sounds like a freakin' monster!" She paced around him, "sure, people can be crappy sometimes, but they can be nice, too," she said, glaring at him.
This is all happening in her head. She's sitting in the middle of the floor, unresponsive.
edited 17th Apr '17 12:03:13 AM by WillDeRegio
Friendly Neighborhood Lich
Eldritch Factory - Cerebral Dungeon (Midnight Stitcher, Psychic Reaper, Ayako, Durnem)
The Midnight Stitcher definitely looked uneasy and uncertain now. Now that she knew him a little better (emphasis on a little), she was able to discern his aura from that of the Eldritch Factory more clearly, especially since he was not Eldritch himself. When he asked if it was a good idea to carry Ayako, she nodded. "That is a good idea. But first we need to find a way out of here. Your unease is understandable though. I am only able to resist it because I have been trained for this sort of thing. On Orenya, psychic abilities are ubiquitous, so the Oradamin deal with quite a few dangerous telepaths."
Just then, Vita Exosso appeared again - and since her aural signature could not be discerned so easily, Durnem didn't even realize who she really was. But the more she listened to her taunting words, the more annoyed she grew. Especially when she mentioned that M word...
She stomped her foot on the mushy floor, again as if to emphasize that she had legs. "I. Am. A. Fy. Lin. NOT a kruiyeh mermaid. Do you believe ocean water washes away the humi-no mind?! At least you are correct about the blood-sucking part, though I only do so from the fish I catch."note She glanced over toward Ayako. "And I never said that Ayako's distress was unreasonable." She glanced over at the magical girl, whose aura appeared a deep blue even in the dark, and was spasming on occasion. "What, do you expect me to act like her humi-no mother? Right now, getting these two out of a dangerous situation is more important, and it is my duty as one of the Oradamin to help them do so."
At the same time, a thought nagged at her, and she could not tell if it was the same intrusive one from before. Is your aggression really helping in this situation? Perhaps you should consider going back to your clan. With your newfound power, you could force them to recognize you as a better warrior than before.
Scowling, Durnem shook her head. No. I have chosen my path. Now more than ever, she was determined to leave this place. And she would not let any more mind games get to her, not if she could help it. The light in Watimari's crystal ball shone brighter, and as she waved the staff around, wisps of light not unlike an aurora pulsed outward from it in all directions until they reached the walls, where they undulated like smoke tendrils and provided illumination to the entire area within them. She looked around - there just had to be a way out besides the way in.
Come, my child of the devil. Your mother is calling you. Hear my call in Hell's grand hall, where all our dreams come true.
It's a bird.
Snow Castle (Gwenafer, Adam, Jackson, Marie, Nick, Gliosem, Megumi, Rin)
Sleep paralysis?
Gwenafer looked down at Rin. There were no obvious injuries, but she could clearly see the fear in the admiral's twitching eyes. With some effort, she helped Megumi lift the otherwise motionless woman off the floor, and the three of them slowly started making their way back to the tea room.
Glancing back for a second, Gwenafer noticed the girl with the eyepatch. People sure liked to show up out of nowhere in this place.
"This ain't the best of times..." Gwenafer said, struggling to get a better grip. "But hello there. Name's Gwenafer."
Still a great "screw depression" song even after seven years.
[Snow Catsle (What floor are we on again? I forgot lmao)]
Yep, this looked pretty bad.
Nick and Jackson quickly stepped in and helped the others carry Rin—both being extra careful not to further hurt her with their gloves.
Marie gave a quick curtsy. "Marie. Nice to meet you. Now, I believe we got an admiral to help." She looked around as she followed the others, "Man, whatever happened here, it must of been one hell of a battle!"
"...That shouldn't be possible, though." Adam said, visibly concerned, "She wasn't there when Maggie started attacking, so what could've..." He shook his head, "Could it really be sleep paralysis? How can that happen if she's already asleep?"
"I'm starting to doubt that we're all still asleep, buddy." Nick said, looking at Jackson, "Think about it; why do we feel real injuries if we're dreaming? How can Rin be like this if she's already asleep? I think our dream world theory is starting to fall apart."
"Yes...I've been considering that." Jackson said, "When Adam got sick, I started to doubt that this is truly a dream world. My best guess is-"
"Hey, I'm super sorry to interrupt," Marie said quickly, "But can we talk about this after Rin recovers? She looks to be in very bad shape."
Jackson nodded. "Right, of course." He turned to Adam, "Can you head in the main keep and get the pillows? We'll catch up with you soon."
Adam nodded, then raced ahead, taking off his shoes in the process.
Friendly Neighborhood Lich
Snow Castle - Hallway -> Tea Parlor (Rin, Megumi, Nick, Adam, Jackson, Marie, Gwenafer, Gliosem)
Gliosem watched with a surprised annoyance as Nick and Jackson left to help Gwenafer and Megumi carry Rin to the hall, Adam ran to fetch some pillows, and Marie followed them. Hadn't Megumi told the boys to carry her instead? "Fine, don't worry about me," she softly cried. "Humans are heavier than sumiri, so you four carry Rin while I..."
Struggling forward and planting her uninjured foot firmly on the floor, she stood up on it. As she had not put her sandals back on before flying in here, she found it a bit easier to balance on that foot, and holding her arms out helped as well. Then she hopped forward, using what little psychokinetic ability she had to push herself a couple of feet further along and then steady herself.
After a few successful hops, though, she involuntarily moved her wings to gain more lift, and though it was numbed a bit, she felt a sharp pain where the wing in question connected to her back, and sank back down into sitting. So she had no choice but to crawl the rest of the way, taking care to keep her injured foot off the floor in the process.
edited 18th Apr '17 12:11:09 AM by ladytanuki
Come, my child of the devil. Your mother is calling you. Hear my call in Hell's grand hall, where all our dreams come true.
[Farm] (Fuwa, Tsadro)
Fuwa scrambled to her feet, only to freeze in place when she noticed the stranger. She narrowed her eyes at the long-haired man, growling softly at him. The corners of her mouth twitched as she stayed in place. Pale blue arcs of electricity lept from her fur, only to cut out as she flinched in pain.
Ears twitching, Fuwa slumped her shoulders and allowed the man to put the cloak around her. He seemed nice, maybe he wanted to help her? Using her good arm, she clutched at the fabric and followed the man. Together, they approached a young gentleman and a white fluffy dog. Fuwa tilted her head at the two of them before retreating back into the cloak.
[Field of Souls] (Ruka, Tagui, Ferisen)
Initially, Ferisen was hesitant to let Ruka take control of her body. The ghostly woman nervously drifted around the soul sealing instrument, listening to Ferisen as she went on about her instrument. "So, I take it this latria of yours only absorbs souls when it's here?" Ruka noted, "If we were to take it elsewhere, would it strop trying to suck you in?"
With Tagui fixed on heading towards the mysterious building he seemed to be familiar with, Ferisen relented and granted Ruka access to her body. Ruka nodded in response, "Don't worry, I'll do my best! Now, give me a moment..."
The blue haired ghost, adopted a meditative state. Calmly breathing, Ruka's ghostly form condensed into a blue, wispy orb, which then floated towards Ferisen's body. The orb entered into Ferisen's chest, sending a ripple of energy through her body.
The first thing Ruka was aware of was a tingling sensation, especially in her forehead. Then came the complaints of stiffening muscles from a body that had been dragged around by its separated owner. Ruka took a moment to stretch and opened her eyes.
Ruka sat for a moment, staring at her, or rather Ferisen's hand as she wrapped her hand around what she was seeing. She could see the hand perfectly fine, it just was glowing, and it hadn't when she had been outside of the sumiri's body. Glancing up, she notice that Tagui was glowing, as was Ferisen's soul. And the latria. And the crystals...
"Whoa..." she said, amusing herself by waving Ferisen's hand about and watching the glow move. Less Quickly realizing she had gotten distracted, she clasped her hands together and sheepishly looked over at the others. "Sorry, your body is different from what I'm used to," Ruka said to Ferisen.
[Twilight Ball → San Francisco Docks ~ Warehouse] (June, Lauren, Amiluet)
June flashed a grin at Amiluet as the sumiri tried out her enhanced abilities, and then thanked the woman for the hairpin she gave her. "No probs!" she was more than happy to share her power with someone so young and vibrant. Turning to face more oncoming toops, June turned the area around them into an ice rink, and then froze one of the soldiers to the core. Her lupine companion dashed across the ice, bodily slamming into the frozen soldier, sending it sliding into several others.
With Lauren and Amiluet evacuated from this now hostile world, June provided the soldiers surrounding her an insolent avian hand gesture before ordering her hound through the portal. The dog complied, and with a flick of her wrist, June followed suit. The portal then proceeded to implode into an icy bloom of spikes.
On the other side, June held up a hand to block flakes of rime from hitting her face as her large dog shook the icy frost from its green coat. The dog then bounded over to the couch, making itself at home on one of the seats. It then glared at everyone else, as if daring them to attempt to chase it off the couch.
Arms crossed, June made her way around the network of computers. "So, interesting little thing you got here. What's it do, or did in this case?" she asked, before looking around at the rest of the place, "Oh, I've see and dealt with worse, so this all doesn't bother me that much."
The redhead leaned back to look at Amiluet when she asked about the lights. "The better to work in, m'dear," she said loudly enough to be heard across the room in a slightly teasing, singsong voice. Snapping her fingers, she spun around to face the sumiri, "I'm sure this building can qualify as a cave sometimes. Never know who or what might be lurking in the shadows," she said, grinning.
[Yukijou-minato ~ Snow Castle (Main Keep 1st Floor ~ Hallway)] (Megumi, Adam, Nick, Jackson, Gliosem)
Megumi swiftly returned, bearing a first aid kit. Ignoring her own wounds, the maid knelt down beside Gliosem and opened the kit before starting on tending to the injured sumiri's wounds. It took a few moments for her to have cleaned the winged woman's foot off with a damp cloth, before applying sterile bandaging around the wound.
She then pulled a pair of needles and vials from the kit. "I'm going to administer a dose of an opiate painkiller to relieve the pain, please hold still," she stated, before prepping one of the needles with a dose of morphine. She then motioned to inject Gliosem with it.
(Rin, Gwenafer)
She wasn't sure how long she had been laying there.
Rin couldn't move or speak, and she could swear she saw shadowy things moving in her peripheral vision. Wasn't Alice behind her? Shouldn't she have heard her fall in the hallway?
Her heart raced as chills went down her spine. She was sure there was something sitting on her back, but what she wasn't sure. Was the fighting still going on? What she wouldn't give to be able to do something other than helplessly lay here.
What seemed like an eternity passed before the weight vanished. Rin still couldn't do anything, but she was certain she could hear footsteps in the hall. Whomever it was she couldn't tell at the moment, but by judging from the fact that she could hear the footstep, it was definitely not Megumi.
edited 9th Apr '17 8:42:08 PM by WillDeRegio