Liana Skye
Location: Canseliet Clinic
Phase: Evening Phase
Date: 10.09.1994 (SAT)
Weather: Storm
For a moment, Dorothy simply gazed at Liana's face, her eyes full of unknown emotions and experience of years that far surpassed any human in the sheer amount. While her usually languidly mischievous attitude made her seem like a cheeky cat at times, the truth of the matter was always that this "Auntie" standing before Liana... she was an elf. No, not just an elf. Judging by her words, she was an elf from a region very old and very venerable.
The role of elves in Norse myths was not mere tricksters. They were of hero blood, dangerous enemies and fierce warriors.
They had much more in common with the jötnar and gods than fairies of the British isles.
--- And in a moment like this, when those inhuman eyes gazed deep into Liana, it was easy to realize this.
"I arrived to this land because it called me. This piece of Midgard, still existing, built around the Grove of Fetters. And I've been here for a long time. Long enough to see the aftermath of the battle between us invaders and the spirits and gods of this place. If you've seen the hotel, child, you know what sort of protections were built back then - great rituals to keep out those who would reclaim their land," Dorothy spoke, her tone serious and without mirth. "They're not to keep us out. They're to keep the native spirits of this land at bay. And they've been strengthened by the lord of that manor, and his complicated, pitiable past. And they're just a single example of the many, many signs those who came from afar have left here."
Turning around, the good doctor used her sleeved hand to open the door and pull it back, revealing the doorway beyond it. She stood in the doorway for a moment, staring into the darkness of her own house and listening to the sounds of people inside. The quiet murmurings, chatting and tired sighs of those people who had been caught in this same spiral of mysteries and death, darkness that seemed to be looming in every single crevice of the town. Like a stranglehold of vengeance that refused to let them go.
"Child... that 'orphanage' was one of these examples, these remnants, as well. And hardly an orphanage. You would think of it better as a... school. They had dormitory for sure, but it was still a school. Unfortunately, while stories make it easy to think of those wishing to stay separate from governing authorities as courageous rebels, truth... can be anything but," Dorothy paused for a moment, humourless smile floating on her face. "Sometimes, people are isolated for a reason. Or sometimes, people isolate to enforce their own logic to others."
In other words...
A group might be isolated because they're dangerous.
---- Or because they're a cult.
"About two decades ago, that dormitory and school existed here. And about two decades ago, it gave birth to a tragedy. A clash between blind, arrogant ideals... uncontrollable bestial rage... and unflinching devotion to duty. None of them faultless, none of them in the right," Dorothy continued, shadows of the doorway hiding her expression. "... So yes. I've met her. Twice. Long ago by your human reckoning. I lived in this town, after all. And this..."
She glanced over her shoulder at Liana, and while her mouth was smiling, her eyes were not.
"... This is the town where Sora Hikari died, twenty-one years ago."
And with that, the fae headed inside.
Elise Marie Pelltier
Location: Big Boy's Gas Station - Bar
Phase: Evening Phase
Date: 10.09.1994 (SAT)
Weather: Storm
Billie chuckled warmly.
"Hah, don't worry about it, kiddo," she said with a grin, taking a swig from her drink. "Mind you, I don't know much about the make of these things, but I do know that the lighthouse is made from volcanic rock from... err, was it Mt. Saint Helens? Yeah, I think so. So yeah, I figure that the raven would be made from the same thing. But aside from that, I don't really---"
A sudden groan from the other end of the counter cut Billie off and drew the eyes of the pair towards its source. A source which happened to be an older brunette of a woman with unkempt hair, messed clothes and a rather clear hangover written all over her face. As it turned out, she hadn't been just sleeping - she had had her face buried in a drink that was like pitch black tar, one that she had apparently now finished.
The woman frowned at the two, looking like she was somewhere between sloshed and migraine'd.
"Thas... the raven... ish the norse symbol. The owl... issshh... native," the woman slurred, swaying from side to side. "It'shh... like... like a... like a clan shhhymbol. Hah! Haha! W-wear your colourssh and all that... jazzzzz...!"
Billie frowned at the sight of the other woman and shook her head, muttering a quiet apology under her breath.
"Iiii... I think *hic* ish a shhet! A shhhet of tree! The two ravenshh... and the old man!" The drunk woman continued, looking a bit smug. "But they nnnevver got rid off the old man... toooo ssschared, ssshince he was keeping watch! Aha, ahahaha~"
Billie, finally, let out a sound between a groan and a sigh and scratched the back of her head.
"Ah geez... sorry, I think I need to take Carrie to bed," she said as she walked out from behind the counter. "She's been having a bit of tough time lately and now she's just been drinking non-stop..."
Making her way to the other woman who she apparently knew pretty well, Billie hoisted her up gently but firmly, like throwing a kitten over her shoulder. While it was slightly hard to see from behind the counter, Billie really was way strong - stronger than even your average man. If anything, just looking at her like this, standing in her full height and carrying this "Carrie" over her shoulder like it was nothing, well it begged the question...
... How the hell had this woman become such a beast of a human?
"I'll go put her to bed, so we'll have to take a raincheck for a moment. Though, hm..." Billie rubbed her chin for a moment, thinking back to Elise's question. "I'm pretty sure there were two. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, that is. Just that they were, yeah, pretty interchangeable. I think they were siblings or something, but if I'm honest, I never really interacted with them too much."
A lopsided grin appeared on the owner's face.
"Like said, it's that old theater joke of switching their actors mid-play without anybody noticing," she added. "That's how little impression they tended to leave on others."
And with that, she turned around and headed into the backroom stairscase of the pub, leaving Elise alone with her drink and her demon.
Colt Davin
Location: Forest Ranger Cabin
Phase: Evening Phase
Date: 10.09.1994 (SAT)
Weather: Storm
Nevada gave him a quiet nod.
"... Yeah. You could say that."
He wasn't even bothering to hide it. Then again, considering what he had talked about so far, and how he had reacted to this whole situation, it was impossible to think that the older guy was in any way normal. He had to be neck deep in Turnside, just like the woman who had been with him. After all, they had taken the sight of bloodied cat-person and Colt from earlier in a stride.
So, there was no use in even hiding it at this point.
"We're..... remnants. You could say," he added. "Too stubborn to quit. Like others did."
In that moment, the door leading to the rest of the building slammed open.
"What he means is that we haven't given up yet."
Sounding rather annoyed (and like she had been waiting until the topic had changed in the living room so she could enter), the semi-familiar sight of a certain purple-haired older woman entered Colt's field of vision. She was a striking lady, that's for sure, though "lady" might have been a bit too much. If anything, she was more of a tomboy, her expressions and mannerisms rough and almost manly, same as the way she spoke.
In a weird way, she made a good contrast to the quiet and reserved Nevada.
--- So, this was Ranger Max Savage.
What a name.
"Your cat friend's not the weirdest thing we've seen at Road's End. She's fine, by the way, but I doubt she'll be moving out of that bed any time soon. Go see her if you want," Ranger Savage informed Colt as she strode over to the kitchen to pour herself some tea. "This place's a hotbed for weird stuff, has been since time immemorial. From the norse settlers to the Lady's View Lighthouse to local werewolves, we've got it all. And unlike cowards like Albert and Tommy, we're not pretending we don't know they're out there. We still remember, and we'll never forget."
Having poured herself two cups for some reason, Max walked over to Colt and handed him the other one - and once the boy took it, ruffled his hair like it had been the most logical thing to do. It was almost like the woman had decided he needed it right now, and that's why she did it. Not like a gentle older sister, but a rough older brother who was telling him to cheer up a bit already.
With that, the ranger walked over to one of the armchairs and sat down, throwing one leg over the other and slurping down on her steaming beverage.
"We're also not stupid enough to trust anyone in the town. The amount of lies that permeat that place is staggering. So we keep to the outskirts, we watch and we plan - until it's time to strike," she continued, snorting. "But it's not easy. Information here is scarce. Your current predicament, us seven years ago, the massacre twenty-one years ago... McLampet's downfall in the 60's, the air force activity in the 40's, the lighthouse in the 1800's, the early settlers... it's hard to say where it truly starts, and what's just build-up. So, for now, we're focusing on what bothers us the most."
Nevada frowned at his friend.
"Max..." He grunted, as if warning her.
But she simply snorted.
"What, I think he deserves to know it. After all, it involves him too," she answered. "It's the kid's sister, for God's sake."
And with that, she looked back at Colt.
"So yeah, right now, we're after Remmie's killer."
Words that were spoken in an almost frighteningly casual way.
"---- We're after Guildenstern."
Lucille Faraday & John Dove
Location: Pinefall High Dormitory
Phase: Evening Phase
Date: 10.09.1994 (SAT)
Weather: Storm
In the end, the group waited for only couple of minutes while Lucille and Xeni got their stuff.
Despite her clear fatigue from last night, the shapeshifter seemed more determined than ever to assist everyone in the search for Souma. Perhaps it was because she felt indebted to Lucille and the way she had treated her, or perhaps it was because everyone had seen her in her real shape now, but whatever the case, a fire was apparently lit within her heart. And while the two girls got their things, the three boys stared out into the darkness of the storm and planned. Hwan kept a hawk-like glare out towards the campus area, while Kean fiddled with something that looked like a...
... What even was that handheld device?
"Short range scanner," he explained. "At the end of the day I'm an information gathering-and-erasure unit. I have a few tricks up my sleeve."
However, according to the silver-haired boy right afterwards, there was not much he could pick up. The rain was muddying up his detection capabilities, and aside from the five of them (and a certain foul-mouthed someone in their room), the dorms were devoid of people.
So, once Lucille and Xeni were back, the group took off into the rain, determined to split up and cover more ground in their search.
Or, at the very least, that was the plan.
Until Hwan opened his mouth.
"Wait..."
His magenta eyes narrowed.
"Kean. Did you leave the main building door open?"
Slowly, the Irish boy shook his head... and turned to look at the door in question. As did everyone else.
There, in the distance, it was quite unmistakeable. The heavy double doors leading into the main building were... open. Not open wide like someone had stormed out, but slightly ajar like somebody had sneaked through and forgot to close them properly... or perhaps avoided slamming the doors shut so as to not alert anyone who was at the dorms at the time. But nevertheless, they were, without a doubt, open.
And if Kean nor Hwan had done so, then...
--- Who did?
"... Let's check that out first. Carefully," Hwan muttered, and his eyes seemed to crackle with energy. "I'll take the front."
The group, now with a new heading, slowly made their way to the main building, carefully keeping an eye out for any would be shapes or silhouettes hiding in the shadows or the rain. Thanks to the fury of the storm, it was hard to see and even harder to hear. However, it was not overly cacophonic, even on the outside. As said, had someone thrown open the doors in a hurry, they would have alerted anyone in the lobby, be it Kean, Hwan, Lucille, Xeni, or even John.
The fact that somebody had went out of their way to avoid that was suspicious in itself.
Just as suspicious as the sudden smell they could all sense as they got to the doors.
It was a familiar scent for all of them, from the looks of it.
--- Kean and Hwan frowned.
--- John could remember it from that night when moon hung low.
--- Lucille immediately had a momentary flashback of the pool building and Mercedes.
--- Xeni averted her eyes.
And as Kean carefully opened the door...
They all saw the droplets staining the hallway floor.
"Relatively fresh..."
Hwan muttered that as he gazed down on the scattered, small bloodstains here and there in the lobby.
Hisa Momoi & Prushka
Location: McLampet Saw Mill
Phase: Evening Phase
Date: 10.09.1994 (SAT)
Weather: Storm
And thus, it came to a close.
The long and arduous fight for one's freedom. Not just the physical freedom, but the freedom of one's heart. From uncontrollable fury, from unending courage. The right to feel peace, the right to be afraid... the right to choose for one's self. How long had the journey been? In a way, it felt like it had always been there. And for the two young men, it was part of their lives that they had not been able to shake... not until now.
Not until they met these two girls.
--- The ones now standing under pouring rain that felt much gentler than it had previously been.
The world of subconscious was gone. As two people had touched the innermost souls of their partners, they had broken them free of their last cage - their last bit of hesitation. They had given them the courage to move forward, and thus... the world was no longer needed. The power of Asserting the Innermost Truth faded away. The light of the real world returned and shattered through the shores of subconscious. The regal clothing of the azure star faded away, leaving behind just Hisa Momoi. The crackling lightning of Destati disappeared, leaving behind just Prushka. Yet neither of them felt any lesser for it - for they still carried themselves with the pride of knowing what they had done.
They had saved these two. Saved them from their pasts... and their selves.
And in those final moments of the internal world, they both could sense it. The distant sight of a familiar, hooded figure in a misty forest, cheering for them. And how, at that very moment, something within that clearing changed. For Prushka, it was the appearance of seven, small wooden figures on the tree stump. And for Hisa, it was the appearance of two dolls, reflections of a girl and a lion, sitting together. Permanent additions of their very own internal sceneries, almost as if...
As if they had managed to forge a bond so strong that time itself could no longer break it.
--- But what of the real world, in the meanwhile?
As both Hisa and Prushka stood under the rain and gazed upon the real world they had shunted away for the moment, what did they see?
A most surprising scenery, to be exact.
The ground was... destroyed, for the lack of a better word for it. Signs of battle were everywhere. The two bodies had continued their combat while their internal words were being healed. And because of that, two more people had stepped forward to ensure that their friends would be safe as well. The two giants, the two armored lions, could be seen at the center of the clearing... but they weren't alone.
For one, the trees were littered with strange hexagrams, forming patterns that seemed to surround the area and the two lions. These same hexagrams continued as a grand, spiraling pattern on the ground itself. At the edge of this strange magic circle was the fluffy form of Alpa Baghda, looking exhausted but smiling happily all the same as she saw both Prushka and Hisa.
"Y-you... you two are alright... thank the heavens..." she spoke out, breathing heavily. "Thank the heavens..."
And as if to answer her joy...
"Muuu..."
Another fatigued sound.
This one coming from between the two armored titans.
After all there, grappling both as if she had been holding them back from pummeling each other... was Gradient. Looking slightly beat up and with mud all over her clothes... but with a big grin on her face as she stared at Hisa and Prushka.
"M-muu...!"
It sounded like she wanted to give them both a big, crushing hug - only she couldn't at the moment, thanks to holding back both armored Lionhearts.
Yes, while Hisa and Prushka had dove deep into the hearts of the two brothers, it seemed that these two, who were left back in the physical world with the two giants, had also gotten caught in the conflict. They had done well to mitigate the collateral damage and to hold back the two brothers from tearing up the mill and the surrounding area even more, but pure relief was clear from both of their faces.
Hisa and Prushka had made it in time, for their sakes as well, it seemed.
Still...
--- What of the two brothers?
What of the two armored forms that Gradient was still grappling?
As the wind blew, their massive frames started to fade away. Magical energies disintegrated and disappeared, the armors of black, silver and gold fading from the view. What was revealed from beneath them were the far more familiar appearances of the two lions. Pyry Leijonamieli and Ahti Jalopeura. Both with signs of their former battle clear on their faces and bodies. Both with messed up and torn clothes. Both looking like they had just spent the last ten minutes pummeling the everliving daylights out of each other. Even Pyry's overwhelming healing abilites hadn't been able to perfectly keep up - while Ahti had no such thing to begin with.
Sure enough, they'd probably both look like excessively unlucky boxers come tomorrow.
But they were still alive.
They were still standing there, staring at each other with strange looks - almost confused looks.
Together, these two slowly turned their heads, towards the direction where Gradient was looking.
Pyry's eyes met Hisa's.
Ahti's eye met Prushka's.
The silence grew ever longer as the wind howled around them.
Seconds seemed to tick away in absolute quiet, aside from the storm. It was as if nobody really knew what to say.
Not until...
".............. *snort.*"
Which one was it? Ahti? Pyry?
One of the two boys let out a sound that was akin to a chortle. A weirdly amused grunt they just couldn't hold back.
"Snrrk..."
And the other boy responded in kind.
Both had an expression they could barely contain, like they were holding back blurting something out that they really didn't want to... but the longer the moment of silence dragged, the harder it got. Eventually their faces started to warp from the effort, and they started turning somewhat red on their cheeks from trying so hard. They held on, just for a few seconds more. They did the best they could.
But eventually...!
Neither could take it anymore.
-------------- In perfect unison, the Brothers Lionheart bursted out in roaring laughter and fell backwards like a couple of toppled towers, dropping onto the muddy ground on their backs.
But it was no laughter to make light of the situation, no.
It was laughter of pure joy, of relief, of happiness knowing that their long nightmare was over.
So were the tears streaming down their faces as they continued cackling, staring up at the sky.
They had been saved.
Something neither had ever believed to be possible.
And thus, the only thing they could do was to laugh. Laugh and cry at the same time.
--- With the Strength of Seven Men.
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Originally Posted by A friend, ages ago
