Post by Omni on Nov 4, 2010 21:36:31 GMT -5
Note: This is an RP between Torkie, PFA, and me. We are not accepting other RPers. In fact, this is a latter part of an RP that we are trying to wrap up and the primary reason why we're moving it here is to better facilitate our RPing during NaNo. However, feel free to still read. Thank you.
----------
Tired.
They had traveled through a swamp with more than enough difficulty, were met with bias and bigotry simply for cutting a path in said swamp and for being born they way they were. They were then pushed into a strange town where people were more than a little pushy, tricked, trapped, woken up in the middle of the night, and transported somewhere... Somewhere unpleasant.
That place... That place caused something to contort, spasm, and writhe inside of him. And the man with the ring of a silver snake... he made that thing inside him vibrate as well. It was far, far from a pleasant experience. Something that he hoped to never ever go through again.
And yet, why did it seem vaguely familiar?
In that experience, they had found and recovered two allies of theirs. At least that had gone fairly well. However, the time discrepancies were confusing. He had talked to one of those allies only two days ago. He didn't expect to learn that those allies had already been imprisoned for nearly a week. He would have to speak with them in the morning. In the meantime, he was so tired...
Music. The crew of the ship to move them to another world once again. Those notes of travel, mingling with those notes of darkness... The sound seemed to linger in his mind.
Or was he still hearing it?
The music... It might have been his imagination, brought about by his tired mind, but it seemed to call to him. Being barely conscious, he could do little more than follow it instinctively. He could hear it, and yet he couldn't hear it. It was strange. Perhaps, he thought, it will be clearer if I get closer...
And get clearer it did. The closer he got, the more easily he understood the words. Also, as he drew nearer, he could make out the singer's voice.
The singer's voice...
It was that voice!!
He could hear the singer. He could see the figure. It was that voice that was too familiar, and that face which he would rather not see. It was that person who he could not identify as either male or female, but who he associated with one thing: Darkness.
The person seemed to sense his presence, for they seemed to pause after one line, one line in specific, in order to turn to face him, to speak to him?
"Do you trust the music of the night?"
He drew himself out of his demi-trance, recalling his glare and giving a more-intense version to the figure. "You wrote that just for this, didn't you?"
"Actually, no. I heard it while you were sleeping soundly in that silly inn. Though you must admit, it is quite fitting."
He didn't comment. He wouldn't give the singer the pleasure of a comment. He chose to stay quiet, and to say as little as possible. If he was lucky, this person would tell him everything that he needed to know in order to escape.
The person seemed to pause in thought. "That color is fitting on you, Zero. You should wear it more often."
Color? He looked down at himself. What could that person possibly-
Oh. He was in his black armor. He wasn't sure how that happened - perhaps it was simply how he saw himself in his dream - but it wasn't something to be alarmed about. It had its advantages, and it had it's disadvantages, as anything did. However, in of itself, the black armor was nothing to be alarmed about.
"You are confused, are you not?"
Confused? He may have been briefly before, but now he was confused, and curious, as to why this mysterious person would say that.
"Do you not know why this has happened?"
Again, he did not comment.
"Your kind is so strange... It appears that your outside can change itself... to reflect what is inside."
NO!
He drew his Saber at the figure once again, but this time, the blade of green light was replaced by one of purple. "You... you're trying to trap me, aren't you? No. I won't give in. I'm not that kind of person. I'm not like you!"
The figure simply smiled. "No... No, you are not. Yes, we have our similarities, but there is one thing where we presently differ. Do you know what it is?"
"Of course I know what it is!!"
"I would not be so sure about that." The figure turned their head casually. "You see, you close your eyes... For your eyes will only tell the truth, and the truth isn't what you want to see!"
There it was again... That music, trying to lure him in. "Stop it... Stop that!"
"But Zero, why deny your own nature? In the dark, it is easy to pretend that the truth is what it ought to be."
"STOP!" he shouted- no... he commanded the figure. "I won't do it!"
"So stubborn... Ah well. That is not all there is to talk about. I have wasted enough time already." The figure look directly at his face. "Do you remember why I touched your dream last time?"
I don't care, but I get the feeling that you won't stop until you get what you want.
"A simple reminder: I am trapped-"
"No."
"I need assistance-"
"No."
"-to escape from this prison-"
"No."
"-between worlds. You know, you are quite rude," the figure said, placing its hands on its hips. "At the very least, you could wait for me to finish my sentences."
"I don't take orders from you," he stated firmly.
"It was not-"
"I don't even take requests or lessons from you!"
"Tsk!" the figure clicked. "You simply will not listen, will you?"
He would not give them the pleasure of a comment.
"Hmm... Perhaps it would be easier if I showed you."
...What?
The figure turned... stretching its hand out... letting music flow from its cursed lips again...
Its words stirred something within him again, calling him as before. But this time, there was something different. This time, he could see things. He saw...
The figure. Of course.
But this time, he could see the figure lit more clearly, as well as what was obviously a laboratory or study room of some such. The figure perused a book, jotted down notes, crushed a few herbs, and chanted something.
"You see, I am a warlock of sorts..."
The voice did not come from the figure at the desk, as he had assumed it would. He jumped, turning toward the source of the voice. He saw another copy of the figure standing beside him. Apparently, the scene in front of him was crafted, being little more than an illusion. But then again, was any of this real?
The figure continued. "I studied mostly in darkness... my natural born element, as yours is."
"Shut up."
"No comments on your elemental alignment... I will continue with the showing." The figure cleared their throat. "Unfortunately, one of my studies was my own undoing. There must have been a miscalculation, as in the end, I found myself here."
The light faded suddenly, entirely. The floor disappeared from beneath him, and he found himself suspended in an environment even darker than the dream that the figure had drawn him from.
"This realm... It is not just of darkness. No, it is of non-sensation. Sight, touch, taste, smell... None of those exist here. And, unfortunately, with not east, nor west, nor even ground to stand on, many of my abilities are limited. I tried to cry out, to reach out, but I found that my power could not help me with something that had been effortless before."
The area lightened back to the still-dark dream of before. "This is where you, that hound, that ship, and others come in. You see, while my powers could not work normally, I could still reach - yes, I know you are tired of hearing this, but it is true - I could reach others like me."
He sneered.
"That will not intimidate me, Zero. Anyway, the problem was that I could only touch you - and those that resonate with you - very subtly, as you try to block the nature that I can connect with, in one way or another..."
"...So you want me to give in so you can be free."
"Precisely."
"No."
"Zero," the figure said firmly, looking him straight in the eye, "the simple facts are that I cannot leave here, and that I will not let you return until I am free."
"How do I know that you're not just trying to trick me?" he accused. "How do I know there isn't something you're holding back?"
"What choice do you have?"
"You'd be surprised what kinds of choices one can come up with in a bad situation."
"But what about your world? Your whole team is trapped along with the ship. What do you think will happen if you are away from your world for too long?"
He nearly recoiled. The figure was right. What if something terrible happened while the Maverick Hunters were away? He doubted that his world would be able to handle it.
"Zero..." The figure was very firm and serious. "I need you to open up to the darkness that is a part of you. As it is, I can only connect when you let down your guard against it."
"Go away."
"It is who you are."
"I am who I choose to be!"
"You use it even now."
"Shut up. Shut, up!"
But the figure wouldn't relent. The figure only continued to sing once more.
"Stop it! Leave me alone!"
But the figure still continued.
He had had it. He had had more than enough.
Enraged, he let go of all restraint that he showed to the character. Swiftly, suddenly, he took his dream Saber, and cut the figure's image clean in two. Broken, the world around him seemed to fade, and his eyes opened, revealing that he was still back on the ship, lying in one of the beds of the guest room.
Sighing, groaning, he sat up slowly. If there was any truth to what the singer said, any speck at all... then they were faced with a terrible dilemma.
Distressed, he threw back the covers and turned to get out of the bed. He wanted to return to the deck. He wanted to stand in the morning light... or any natural light really.
And yet, he found himself sitting there, his mind hung on the first question that crossed through it.
... Why am I holding a teddy bear?
----------
Tired.
They had traveled through a swamp with more than enough difficulty, were met with bias and bigotry simply for cutting a path in said swamp and for being born they way they were. They were then pushed into a strange town where people were more than a little pushy, tricked, trapped, woken up in the middle of the night, and transported somewhere... Somewhere unpleasant.
That place... That place caused something to contort, spasm, and writhe inside of him. And the man with the ring of a silver snake... he made that thing inside him vibrate as well. It was far, far from a pleasant experience. Something that he hoped to never ever go through again.
And yet, why did it seem vaguely familiar?
In that experience, they had found and recovered two allies of theirs. At least that had gone fairly well. However, the time discrepancies were confusing. He had talked to one of those allies only two days ago. He didn't expect to learn that those allies had already been imprisoned for nearly a week. He would have to speak with them in the morning. In the meantime, he was so tired...
Music. The crew of the ship to move them to another world once again. Those notes of travel, mingling with those notes of darkness... The sound seemed to linger in his mind.
Or was he still hearing it?
"Softly, deftly, music shall carress you
Hear it, feel it, secretly possess you
Open up your mind
Let your fantasies unwind..."
Hear it, feel it, secretly possess you
Open up your mind
Let your fantasies unwind..."
The music... It might have been his imagination, brought about by his tired mind, but it seemed to call to him. Being barely conscious, he could do little more than follow it instinctively. He could hear it, and yet he couldn't hear it. It was strange. Perhaps, he thought, it will be clearer if I get closer...
And get clearer it did. The closer he got, the more easily he understood the words. Also, as he drew nearer, he could make out the singer's voice.
The singer's voice...
It was that voice!!
"Slowly, gently, night unfurls its splendour
Grasp it, sense it, tremulous and tender
Hearing is believing
Music is deceiving
Hard as lightning, soft as candlelight..."
Grasp it, sense it, tremulous and tender
Hearing is believing
Music is deceiving
Hard as lightning, soft as candlelight..."
He could hear the singer. He could see the figure. It was that voice that was too familiar, and that face which he would rather not see. It was that person who he could not identify as either male or female, but who he associated with one thing: Darkness.
The person seemed to sense his presence, for they seemed to pause after one line, one line in specific, in order to turn to face him, to speak to him?
"Do you trust the music of the night?"
He drew himself out of his demi-trance, recalling his glare and giving a more-intense version to the figure. "You wrote that just for this, didn't you?"
"Actually, no. I heard it while you were sleeping soundly in that silly inn. Though you must admit, it is quite fitting."
He didn't comment. He wouldn't give the singer the pleasure of a comment. He chose to stay quiet, and to say as little as possible. If he was lucky, this person would tell him everything that he needed to know in order to escape.
The person seemed to pause in thought. "That color is fitting on you, Zero. You should wear it more often."
Color? He looked down at himself. What could that person possibly-
Oh. He was in his black armor. He wasn't sure how that happened - perhaps it was simply how he saw himself in his dream - but it wasn't something to be alarmed about. It had its advantages, and it had it's disadvantages, as anything did. However, in of itself, the black armor was nothing to be alarmed about.
"You are confused, are you not?"
Confused? He may have been briefly before, but now he was confused, and curious, as to why this mysterious person would say that.
"Do you not know why this has happened?"
Again, he did not comment.
"Your kind is so strange... It appears that your outside can change itself... to reflect what is inside."
NO!
He drew his Saber at the figure once again, but this time, the blade of green light was replaced by one of purple. "You... you're trying to trap me, aren't you? No. I won't give in. I'm not that kind of person. I'm not like you!"
The figure simply smiled. "No... No, you are not. Yes, we have our similarities, but there is one thing where we presently differ. Do you know what it is?"
"Of course I know what it is!!"
"I would not be so sure about that." The figure turned their head casually. "You see, you close your eyes... For your eyes will only tell the truth, and the truth isn't what you want to see!"
There it was again... That music, trying to lure him in. "Stop it... Stop that!"
"But Zero, why deny your own nature? In the dark, it is easy to pretend that the truth is what it ought to be."
"STOP!" he shouted- no... he commanded the figure. "I won't do it!"
"So stubborn... Ah well. That is not all there is to talk about. I have wasted enough time already." The figure look directly at his face. "Do you remember why I touched your dream last time?"
I don't care, but I get the feeling that you won't stop until you get what you want.
"A simple reminder: I am trapped-"
"No."
"I need assistance-"
"No."
"-to escape from this prison-"
"No."
"-between worlds. You know, you are quite rude," the figure said, placing its hands on its hips. "At the very least, you could wait for me to finish my sentences."
"I don't take orders from you," he stated firmly.
"It was not-"
"I don't even take requests or lessons from you!"
"Tsk!" the figure clicked. "You simply will not listen, will you?"
He would not give them the pleasure of a comment.
"Hmm... Perhaps it would be easier if I showed you."
...What?
The figure turned... stretching its hand out... letting music flow from its cursed lips again...
"Let the dream begin
Let your darker side give in
To the power of the music that I write..."
Let your darker side give in
To the power of the music that I write..."
Its words stirred something within him again, calling him as before. But this time, there was something different. This time, he could see things. He saw...
The figure. Of course.
But this time, he could see the figure lit more clearly, as well as what was obviously a laboratory or study room of some such. The figure perused a book, jotted down notes, crushed a few herbs, and chanted something.
"You see, I am a warlock of sorts..."
The voice did not come from the figure at the desk, as he had assumed it would. He jumped, turning toward the source of the voice. He saw another copy of the figure standing beside him. Apparently, the scene in front of him was crafted, being little more than an illusion. But then again, was any of this real?
The figure continued. "I studied mostly in darkness... my natural born element, as yours is."
"Shut up."
"No comments on your elemental alignment... I will continue with the showing." The figure cleared their throat. "Unfortunately, one of my studies was my own undoing. There must have been a miscalculation, as in the end, I found myself here."
The light faded suddenly, entirely. The floor disappeared from beneath him, and he found himself suspended in an environment even darker than the dream that the figure had drawn him from.
"This realm... It is not just of darkness. No, it is of non-sensation. Sight, touch, taste, smell... None of those exist here. And, unfortunately, with not east, nor west, nor even ground to stand on, many of my abilities are limited. I tried to cry out, to reach out, but I found that my power could not help me with something that had been effortless before."
The area lightened back to the still-dark dream of before. "This is where you, that hound, that ship, and others come in. You see, while my powers could not work normally, I could still reach - yes, I know you are tired of hearing this, but it is true - I could reach others like me."
He sneered.
"That will not intimidate me, Zero. Anyway, the problem was that I could only touch you - and those that resonate with you - very subtly, as you try to block the nature that I can connect with, in one way or another..."
"...So you want me to give in so you can be free."
"Precisely."
"No."
"Zero," the figure said firmly, looking him straight in the eye, "the simple facts are that I cannot leave here, and that I will not let you return until I am free."
"How do I know that you're not just trying to trick me?" he accused. "How do I know there isn't something you're holding back?"
"What choice do you have?"
"You'd be surprised what kinds of choices one can come up with in a bad situation."
"But what about your world? Your whole team is trapped along with the ship. What do you think will happen if you are away from your world for too long?"
He nearly recoiled. The figure was right. What if something terrible happened while the Maverick Hunters were away? He doubted that his world would be able to handle it.
"Zero..." The figure was very firm and serious. "I need you to open up to the darkness that is a part of you. As it is, I can only connect when you let down your guard against it."
"Go away."
"It is who you are."
"I am who I choose to be!"
"You use it even now."
"Shut up. Shut, up!"
But the figure wouldn't relent. The figure only continued to sing once more.
"Softly, deftly, music shall surround you...
Feel it, hear it, closing in around you...
Open up your mind, let your fantasies unwind,
in this darkness which you know you cannot fight-"
Feel it, hear it, closing in around you...
Open up your mind, let your fantasies unwind,
in this darkness which you know you cannot fight-"
"Stop it! Leave me alone!"
But the figure still continued.
"Let your mind start a journey through a strange, new world
Leave all thoughts of the world you knew before
Let your soul take you where you long to be-"
Leave all thoughts of the world you knew before
Let your soul take you where you long to be-"
He had had it. He had had more than enough.
Enraged, he let go of all restraint that he showed to the character. Swiftly, suddenly, he took his dream Saber, and cut the figure's image clean in two. Broken, the world around him seemed to fade, and his eyes opened, revealing that he was still back on the ship, lying in one of the beds of the guest room.
Sighing, groaning, he sat up slowly. If there was any truth to what the singer said, any speck at all... then they were faced with a terrible dilemma.
Distressed, he threw back the covers and turned to get out of the bed. He wanted to return to the deck. He wanted to stand in the morning light... or any natural light really.
And yet, he found himself sitting there, his mind hung on the first question that crossed through it.
... Why am I holding a teddy bear?