Fantasy Between

[RubyRose]

"You haven't missed much." Rye said quietly to Eury, moving closer to her so that she wouldn't have to strain to hear him. "How far behind were you?" He asked, wondering how he could have been so clueless as to not pay attention to where Eury was. He looked the girl over, a feeling of concern for the smaller, more seemingly fragile being. She had gone through a different kind of loss on top of the loss of Chase, and yet she was still just as plucki as she had been earlier. Even when she had been injured, she had remained spirited- though her hands must have burned from the pain of the cuts her own puppet gave her.


While half of his attention remained on the young cripple, part of his attention went to what Mist and Sapphire were up to. It sounded like Mist had a mission of sorts. He wasn't sure what Sapphire's part in it was, or what the two were up to, but he made sure to lower his barriers just in case one of them got hurt. He'd been keeping them up because the call of Alex's pain and Rye's inability to help was tearing at him, piece by piece. He'd never dealt with such a terrible injury before... and where he had thought he could heal any physical ailment,@Lovable Dark-side @CloudyBlueDay @Zelda18 @KingHink

 

[The One Called X]

Chastity watched Sapphire closely, trying to listen to what she didn't say as well as what she did. Sapphire seemed to relax a little when she told her about what she'd sensed- or rather not sensed- about Inter, and that was pretty much the most reassuring part of the brief conversation. There was no new information, no magic bullet- not that she'd been expecting one. The feelings were still inexplicable, confrontation remained inevitable. Sapphire was still nervous, which was... deeply, deeply unsettling. Sapphire didn't get nervous, she got mad. Anything else was... well. Chastity hoped that the others would have a harder time perceiving it. Still, she nodded decisively, doing her best to look reassured. "Thanks, O Leaderly One. I'll tell you right away if anything changes." She grinned, hoping that it looked normal and carefree instead of forced and tense.


She leaned back, watching Sapphire retreat to the house, and turned her words over in her head. "I think it might have to happen at some point in time." Hm. It didn't take a genius to figure that "some point in time" meant "much, much sooner than anyone would like." If Inter could find them at the last hideout, he could find them here- if he hadn't already. He was toying with them, that much was obvious. The earthquakes had been meant to scare them. It didn't make sense otherwise. Why would he blow his cover, so to speak, only to hit them with something that caused relatively few casualties, and then not even bother to clean up afterwards? He was a good planner (so she'd heard), and so was Chastity- and Chastity knew that, if she were him and she intended to wipe out her enemies, she'd do what he'd done- destroy their stronghold, flush them out into the open. But she would follow through where he hadn't- get them nice and confused and let them run directly into more danger. A perimeter, to keep them from escaping; like how people did with rats and rabbits and the like. Or, let them run to a trap, where- she froze.


A trap. Where they felt safe. And would be off their guard, and unsuspecting, and easy. And give her information- about who they trusted, how open they still were, how they moved and interacted. It was- it was brilliant, and bloody perfect, and she hoped to high heaven that she was just being paranoid. She swallowed, forced herself to start breathing again, and damn near fell off the fence at the sound of Patrick's voice. She sighed inwardly at the shortening of her name- first Eury, now him. What was so hard about her full name? It was three syllables long, and yeah, maybe it was kinda... antiquated, but it was hers and therefore she liked it; and she was perfectly okay with the way it seemed almost prophetic. There was absolutely nothing wrong with being eighteen and still waiting to hold hands with a boy in a romantic context for the first time.


Still, it felt kinda nice, that he was talking to her, even if it was just to get her to pass something along to Sapphire. That was almost even better, in a way, because he was asking her to do it, instead of using the walkie-talkie function of his portals. She chewed her lip a little, nodding though he'd already stepped through the portal. He'd looked... really really cool, with the altitude and the rifle and the sun on his hair. Strong. Like he could deal with stuff. The opposite of her, basically.


She hopped down from the fence, dusting off the back of her skirt. She said goodbye to the sheep, promised to bring them something nice to eat later on, and trotted back to the house just in time to see Mist leaving it. She mumbled a suitably cheerful greeting to the other girl, and slipped inside to locate Sapphire. She shot the other occupants of the room her best everything's-fine-look-how-cavalier-I-am smile, before focusing on their leader. "Patrick said Lu's an idiot and he's going after her so she doesn't die from buddylessness." Nervousness made her a bit snarky, but she still considered her next words a bit carefully- no harm in trying to minimize the strife between Patrick and Sapphire. "He wanted me to tell you so you can decide what to do about the lookout situation." Good. It brought up the suggestion, while framing it in such a way that it didn't challenge her authority, and in fact seemed a little deferential. Deferential wasn't bad at all- Sapphire worked pretty hard, through a lot of stuff. She deserved a bit of deference from her subjects. She looked around, trying to observe the atmosphere of the room, and- she stiffened suddenly.


She had fainted like a normal person- from being outside in too much heat instead of from her ability- exactly one time in her entire life. Just before, she'd known she was about to, because her vision had gone strange. Everything seemed suddenly sharper, more vivid, like someone had turned up the saturation and contrast on the world. It was the closest thing she could think of to describe what had happened to the dust bunny. That, or taking off headphones in a noisy place- something muted suddenly becoming sharp. Headphones were normal, though, and this felt- strange.





Looking outside, she could see Mist jumping into a hole. That was certainly not there before. She wasn't even surprised by these things anymore. She didn't like underground. Underground was damp and dark and full of spiders. But... much as she hoped for another explanation for the sudden sharpness of the place's feel, it was the simplest explanation by far- and who was she to argue with Occam's Razor? She still couldn't get a solid handle on the dust bunny- but if she just got a little closer, she might be able to figure it out. "Ah... Sapphire? I kind of don't know what's going on, but I think I need to go down there with Mist. The... the feel, it got stronger when she did the thing. I think I might be able to figure out what I'm sensing if I go. I most likely won't get eaten by spiders probably so..." She shrugged. Why, oh why, was she only good with words when she wasn't talking about anything important?





@CloudyBlueDay

 

[CloudyBlueDay]

We're getting closeeeeee

Sapphire followed Mist outside. She watched as Mist pulled the ground apart, so deep Sapphire could barely see her once she jumped in. It was so dark. There was a stinging feeling in the back of her head, like a headache was coming on. The same as.. no. No, it was nothing. It was horrible to wait, to wonder if she'd fallen badly, or been hurt. Sapphire doubted they would be able to communicate, but she had faith in Mist. She would wait for a few minutes, to see if she came through. Then she would.. well, try to get down without breaking some bones. That would be nice.


Earth was rising upwards from the deep beat. Sapphire grinned. It definetly wasn't a ladder, but Mist wasn't hurt and Sapphire could get down safely. She heard the faintest yell from the pit. "D-done!" Sapphire barely heard it, but from what she did hear Mist didn't sound too good. Such a feat must have taken a lot of energy. Sapphire was proud. Maybe Rye or Eury could see that from her grin. They were talking among themselves, Rye getting Eury up to speed. Sapphire said nothing to them. If they wanted to watch, they could watch.


"Patrick said Lu's an idiot and he's going after her so she doesn't die from buddylessness. He wanted me to tell you so you can decide what to do about the lookout situation." Just as Sapphire had been getting ready to slid down the pit, Chastity appeared. Sapphire grinded her teeth together. "Damn it.." She muttered, scratching her forehead. "Rye, Eury. Keep a look out until I just check out.. whatever this is." She huffed. Patrick.. couldn't have just stuck to guard duty like he said he would, could he?


"Ah... Sapphire? I kind of don't know what's going on, but I think I need to go down there with Mist. The... the feel, it got stronger when she did the thing. I think I might be able to figure out what I'm sensing if I go. I most likely won't get eaten by spiders probably so..." Sapphire narrowed her eyes at Chastity. "Guess I can't say no to that." Sapphire muttered. "Careful, alright?"


With that, Sapphire began to slide down. The deeper she got, the more her head hurt. She kept one hand on one of her sword's hilts, but kept on wincing or flinching as the pain worsened. When Sapphire made it down all the way, she was panting and gasping. "Ah..ahrg.." She muttered, leaning against the wall of dirt and trying to recollect herself. Her head hurt. Bad. But Sapphire stood anyway, making out the figure of Mist and nodding. "Do you.. nng.. sense anything else, Mist?"


@Lovable Dark\-side

 

[Kal]

A light cough, out of nowhere. Lu felt a shock run through her spine, there was nothing but sheep around for--


"We just got attacked a few hours ago, lass."


Ah, the teleporter. Both confirmed by the voice and by sight as she turned to face him midst his sentence. She looked past him to the house, her eyes following a path from the door to her feet. That was quite a distance he covered... From what Lu had seen in the past, he'd used his portals only for short distances. Then this proved he had a greater sort of range, no? .Which lead her to come up with a reason for why he didn't use it as a main mode of moving.


Back in their previous hideout, when it had been caving in, Patrick had sustained a set of portals. That had seemed to take a lot out of him... so, then, did increasing the distance which he set two portals apart do the same? He certainly didn't have a bloody nose this time around, and from her limited ability to tell by his face, she couldn't see anything off. Still, perhaps it was safe to tentatively surmise that his portals favored shorter distances, and quickly being dispersed? Hmm...


"Not your brightest move, walking away from the rest of us."


Lu never minded Patrick. Mainly because she didn't have to guess around him. Nine times outta ten, he was some shade of angry. Even now, he was frowning. Adding to that he wasn't one to beat around the bush with his words, it made communications with him simple. Not that she'd really ever found herself in a one-on-one conversation with him. Well, she could say that about a lot of the team, save Alex. But this one, wasn't he always on some outside mission or the other for Sapphire?


"I was just going into the town, grab a few things," she said. Besides, based on her calculations, it would be inefficient of Inter to focus on her. This was based on a few assumptions, true: One, because of how it seemed he had conducted himself, that the man toying, playing, like a big game. She could go further to assume his aim was hurting Sapphire's moral first and foremost, with destruction and casualties being collateral damage, but this required a little more evidence before it sat solidly with Lu, and two, he, from how they had kept moving from base to base, and still ended up being found, had more inside knowledge of the team than he should have. She wasn't sure how much the man knew about the team, but since the last fiasco, Lu was more willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. From that, she just couldn't see herself being singled out to be picked off by Inter. Logically, it would be a very small hit to the Protectors. Perhaps, in a sense, a hit to their morale, but a tiny hit. Considering, on top of that, the powers the remaining Protectors, and her lack of emotional lies, it would be something they'd be able to recover from quickly.


Putting that aside, for its flaws and generous amounts of assumptions, there was still the fact of her power: Unless he had a way of cornering her, her affinity to the air allowed her easy escape. It'd be a waste of effort, like a panther going after a hummingbird, the energy inputted not at all worth the rewards reaped.


Lu could be seventy-percent sure of her safety. Truly low, but good enough for the wind-manipulator. But Lu didn't give Patrick any of her reasoning, or her roughly calculated statistics, for she was certain saying any of this would just get her yelled at by the protective Protector. Which would delay her heading away from the house even more, entirely counterproductive from her goal. Instead, she thought of another angle.


"Perhaps we should go together, then?" she spoke, "Strength in numbers, right?" she reiterated, copying something another Protector had said, though at this moment she couldn't remember who. Hopefully that was enough, but past knowledge compiled told her he could possibly ask what was so important it required a town run, or perhaps bring up another compelling reason to return back.


Which, of all things, Lu was not inclined towards.


"Shall we?" she once again began walking towards town, hoping he'd follow, even if he argued. Which she roughly calculated to be a forty-five percent chance.

 

[Red Thunder]

The rifle strap was slung comfortably across his chest, the rifle itself hanging across his back, barrel pointed up past his right shoulder. At his observation, Lu had looked ... pensive about something. But he couldn't blame her; he was the black sheep of the group, he thought. But the woman had responded positively. So Patrick nodded.


"Aye. The sooner we get this ... errand over with, the happier or glorious leader will likely be."


He waited for her to step off again then followed. His eyes, alert for danger, roved as he walked. As unsafe as the Irishman had felt at Sam's house, it had at least been shelter. Been a place of potential safety. Out here, exposed in the open?


The sunlight did nothing to dispel the darkness that flooded his memory, and the wholesome scent of the grassy field did nothing to negate the memory of gunpowder and viscera. They had been in an open place then, too: a warehouse, supposedly empty. It was a risky maneuver but supposed to be worth it: the IRA would have made serious headway in their fight for Irish freedom. The weapons they'd have secured would have ensured that. But his crew had been betrayed; it was the only explanation that made sense to him. M4s before and behind them, friends and allies about him losing limbs and organs in a veritable wall of gunfire, and there was absolutely nothing he could do for anyone but himself. There'd been a flash of golden light, and Patrick had found himself outside, a good half mile from the massacre, leaning up against a pub he'd noted on the way. And he'd ran in shame. His breathing grew heavy as his memory ended, but he remained silent, contemplating both his past with the IRA and his present and future with the Protectors.


@Kal

 

[Lovable Dark-side]

Euryale watched as the her blue haired leader walked out of the kitchen following their local earth bending extraordinaire Misty. She started to follow but stops commanding Dawn mind transmission. They wouldn't really need her would they? She thought creasing her brow and stared at the titled kitchen floor for a second, before looking up and smiling, turning back to the others who stayed in the kitchen. They could probably use my company more than Mist and Sapphire at the moment. She looked to Rye then Percy a small air of silence filling the air, feeling like a wet cloth covering the room, suffocating those stuck under it. It reminded Eury of something she read in one of her Father's strategy books a while back, about how if the military or pretty much anyone wanted information or a reaction from an unwilling source then they would lock them up in a room filled with complete and utter silence. The quiet didn't stick for long, the sound of baaing sheep and dirt being tore from the ground quickly shooing it away from the small group in the Kitchen.


"You haven't missed much," Rye spoke, then turned to asking questions," How far back were you?"


"Well I couldn't have been more then...We'll maybe a couple short yards behind you guys. Probably less." She readjusted herself in Dawns arms before finally just sending the doll the command to put her down on the floor. Her almost eye contact with Rye is broken as the wooden marionette sets her down on the floor and places her, so her back is using Dawn's oaken legs as a back of a chair. She catches Rye looking at Percy for a second and then he returns his gaze upon her, an strange look in his eye.


"Do you buy your puppets from somewhere? Make them yourself? Will you be able to replace Rudi?" He asked kinda out of the blue, catching the small girl off guard, a small dark cloud filling her greenish grey eyes as he mentions replacing Rudi.


She opens her mouth to answer his questions, her eyebrows knitting together closely a small frown upon her lips," Umm,.... I don't buy my puppets I usually make them out whatever material is handy. That's why there are multiple marionettes made of different thinks. Such as Rudi being glass while Dawn in wooden. And no there is no replacing Rudi." She paused trying to find the words," I mean he's not just a doll Rye he isn't a toy you can replace with something new and shiny a week later." A drop of venom creeping into her voice. Eury looked up at the blonde hair man. "I mean you said that as if he was just some inanimate object that can be recreated willy nilly. That's not how things work. You can just bring someone back to life with a hot glue gun and some magic. Rudi isn't any different."


@RubyRose

 

[RubyRose]

Rye shifted his weight a little nervously when Eury was set onto the floor. Was he expected to crouch? Perhaps he should get a chair for her? He wasn't sure what to do in this instance- a fairly often occurrence it seemed as of late. This whole last week seemed to have thrown Rye off balance, which might have been why he blurted so many questions at Eury. He just wanted to make sure the girl was ok, and see if she had needed any help. He asked because he wanted to offer help in rebuilding her puppets- he could understand the importance of such things on a sort of primitive level, and wanted to be of service to the girl that he couldn't help the way he wished he could.


All of this was put to the back of his mind when Eury began to answer his poorly chosen questions. With the information that she builds them, Rye was about to offer to take her shopping. Perhaps they could get the materials needed to make another Rudi. It also explained why one was glass while one was wooden. Perhaps Eury could get something made out of a stronger material- something that wouldn't shatter that could properly protect her. As he thought about this, his gaze at fixed on the puppet named Dawn though he wasn't really seeing her. His gaze tore back to Eury when she said she couldn't replace Rudi, confusion flashing across his features until she began to explain.


"Now wait, that's not-" Rye started but stopped as Eury continued to speak. He hadn't been thinking of the puppet as a toy. Though he supposed he wasn't think of it as much more than a tool of Eury's, something she could remake. He was slightly offended when a touch of anger entered her voice. Rye's mouth opened and shut a few times as he tried to think of what to say. He knew very well that a person couldn't be brought back with a hot glue gun but he had never considered Eury's puppet's 'people' either.


Guilt fed Rye's anger. How dare she be upset with him, even if it was only a little. He was just trying to help, that's all. As the anger creeped slowly through him, Rye crossed his arms over his chest. It was a protective maneuver, it cut him off from Eury in body communication. It set up a barrier that she couldn't cross with her words, and made him slightly more intimidating- or at least that's what Rye was thinking it did.


"Rudi is different." Rye replied, thinking of Chase. A doll could be built to replace Rudi and it would work just as fine as any of her other dolls. Better, perhaps. "I didn't think of Rudi as a toy or an inanimate object. But he was a tool. A tool you built with your own hands. One that you can and will replace." Rye replied. His attention broke from the puppet manipulating girl when Sapphire gave orders to them to keep lookout.


"Yes, Sapphire." Rye said, to show he had heard her. He glanced down at Eury. "Do you want me to fetch you a chair to keep lookout in?" Rye's voice was a little more chilled then it usually was- the only show that his emotions were getting the better of him as he kept an expressionless face. "I'll carry you to it as well, if you wish. Wouldn't want to break the last of your puppets since their irreplaceable." The chill grew, just a little more, before Rye caught himself. His cheeks reddened in embarrassment at his 'outburst.'


"I apologize, Eury. I don't have the connection to your creations that you do. I don't see why it would be so difficult to build another to take Rudi's stead. Even if it's not Rudi, surely you can build another. And I'm here to help you, you know... if you still wish to speak to me after this." Rye said, forcing a small, sad little smile as a form of apology. "Do the puppets have some sort of soul or personality?" Rye couldn't help but ask out of curiosity. Whether Eury had chosen to accept his help or not, Rye had done what was needed and was now standing lookout over the hole that Mist had created- doing as Sapphire requested and keeping look out. He didn't like the way the cells muffled, thanks to the distance placed between him and the duo underground. The expanse of dirt between them made it feel like he was shouting at the cells through a closed door. Though, that was still better then the cells that wouldn't even speak to him.


@Lovable Dark-side @CloudyBlueDay

 

[Zelda18]

Mist listened anxiously to Sapphire sliding down her homemade mountain, pessimistically waiting for the sound of her tumbling or even falling of the edge. But she made it to the bottom unscathed, landing a little clumsily on her feet. Mist let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding as Sapphire leaned against the slide of dirt, trying to recollect her breath. "Ah..ahrg.. Do you.. nng.. sense anything else, Mist?"





Mist opened her mouth to reply when she was interrupted by the sound of another person sliding down the pile of dirt. She shielded her eyes as dirt rained down on her and Sapphire, waiting until the slider landed lithely on their feet to uncover them. Mist nodded absently at Chastity as she realized who had joined them, not thinking that the girl would be unlikely to see the gesture in the dark. "One minute? I'll concentrate," Mist said in reply to Sapphire. She eyed her leader wearily before sliding her eyes shut, ignoring her body's screams of protest as she focused on locating any anomalies about them. Sapphire looked about twice as bad as she felt at the moment. If she could keep going and come down here with her when she obviously didn't want to, Mist could do this for her.





There was something down there, down even further than they were. "Another twenty feet below us," Mist said after a long lapse of silence, her eyes fluttering open. "No... thirty, there's metal. Iron? Maybe cobalt. I can't tell." She exhaled in a huff, mentally exhausted. "That's all I can see," she mumbled apologetically.


@CloudyBlueDay @The One Called X

 

[The One Called X]

"Guess I can't say no to that. Careful, alright?"


Chastity nodded. "Of course." She followed Sapphire out of the kitchen, feeling nervous energy coiling like a spring in her chest. She paused when they reached the pit, letting the leader go down first. She waited a few moments before following; ostensibly to give Sapphire a chance to get her bearings, but also due to her own trepidation. This was unknown territory, an unfamiliar impression in a place that was... dark.


Chastity did not like the dark.


She shook her head, noticing that she'd started unconsciously clenching her teeth again. She forced herself to relax her jaw, and took the plunge; and- miracle of miracles- somehow managed to land on her feet.


She could make out the figures of Sapphire and Mist, but only vaguely. Still, exhaustion was writ large over their silhouettes, plain as day. Sapphire in particular looked tense, and Chastity was about to ask what was wrong when she began to properly feel it. Her eyes widened, and she began speaking, the words spilling out almost of their own accord. "I was right, it is down here- whatever it is- it's strong, saturated, and there's a direction, now. It goes down, definitely down. And it's- it's bad, Sapphire. I don't know for sure how bad yet. There's- there's pain. Guilt. And-other things. I'm not sure yet. But they aren't- they... it's bad, that's all, and- weird." She wrapped her arms around herself. Every fiber of her being, every instinct and intuition in her, was screaming at her to run, fast and far; to put as much space between herself and this feel as possible. But she couldn't let the others down now; and even more than that, she needed to know. She had some of the information, and now she had to have the rest. It wasn't curiosity, really. It was raw, visceral desperation.


Still, there was danger. She took a steadying breath. "Do you think maybe we should get a couple more people? In case of stuff?"





@CloudyBlueDay @Zelda18

 

[Lovable Dark-side]

Eury winces with almost every chilled word that came out of Rye's mouth. Each one like a thin needle pricking her fingers and drawing blood. Yet...She guess she couldn't blame this man not many people if any understood what it was like with her and her puppets. They couldn't see the red strings of fate that connected her body to that of the dolls which she brought to life. In way Rye was right they were tools, things that did her bidding and never talked back. They were ways of making her life easier, but there was something more to it. She closes her eyes and breathes heavily out her nose, trying, no forcing herself to think. The words she chose her would have to be carefully placed.


After a few more verbal slaps and Rye had finally calmed down, she follows up on His snarky offer for a chair, though she doesn't let him carry her as he had "jokingly" said before. She waits patiently for the blonde hair man to bring the chair and then instructs Dawn to place her in it. The chair was roughly made and simple like the rest of the god forsaken house, but at least it wasn't white. A color she hated to see left alone, not because of the fact that it is plain, but more for that it has so many possibilities. She taps her fingers absently against the wooden sides of it with on slender hand, while running the second through her short brown hair. Then turns her notice back to Rye, letting herself give him a quick stare down. While the heavy tapping of her fingers against the chair continued. Tap. Tap. Tap. Echos through the entirety of the small house bouncing of the hollow walls and all across the kitchen. It was constant and somewhat comforting to her. Like the sound of people tinkering in a workshop. "Okay, look here." She says to him, her thin eyebrows once again knitting together, lips pursing slightly as she readies herself to answer Rye in all of his questions and to accept his apology that he had only moments ago made. Even though she trully didn't want to, they were part of a team a team that was already down one man. They didn't need another handicap.


"Most people don't understand this," She pauses again searching for the word," Connection I have with my marionettes. So, I don't blame you for getting mad at me for snapping at you. But before I continue I have one thing to say." She looks up at him her eyes gleaming with a mellow anger, and seemed to have some water forming at the edges of them," If you ever talk to me or my puppets like that again I will animate your every scrap of clothing you have to stick to your skin like glue then restrict your movements to the point you will be a cripple like me for the rest of the day." Euryale then stops her tapping and flattens her palms against the fabric of her olive green jeans. The pain in her hands though dull was throbbing. "I think the only one in this whole group who would even slightly understand this is Percy over there," She jerks her chin to the thin blonde boy occupating the kitchen with them," They don't have a soul, when animated they are brought to life by my life source and will power which means if I activate for to long using my long term connection I could die. It also means that if they are injured in battle while properly connected to me it is transferred to me. Example, They break an arm. The bones in mine shatter like glass crushed by a falling boulder. Its a very tricky business and though there are ways of preloading them with my life force and preprogramming them with commands; in order for them to be actually useful they must be connected to my life source and conscious." Eury holds out her arm, showing the slender build of it," These tools as you have said are yes tools, but they are also part of my being in a way. As for the personality question. Yes, yes they do. Each and everyone of they act and react to my commands different and if I just give them free range without commanding them they all act differently, treat me different." She moves her arms and bends it toward her, and stretches it out. Dawn mimicking the movement before, Eury lets go of the command and just gives her some of her energy and a simple do as you wish. Dawn tilts her head slightly and moves away from her puppeteer and towards Rye, looking him straight in the eyes and then back to Eury.


( @RubyRose )


People mentioned: @KingHink

 

[RubyRose]

Rye stood diligently over the hole, only glancing back in Eury's direction when she said 'okay, look here.' Those are usually fighting words. Rye thought to himself, mentally preparing to take a verbal beating. The small girl wasn't as harsh as Rye had expected- well, up until the threat. He could feel it quite acutely when the blood left his face, and he only realized his jaw had dropped a moment after it had. Turning away, he recomposed himself, irritated with the threat but determined not to behave badly again. Still, this had all stemmed from Rye trying to help Eury and getting shot down for it. And then he took the time to apologize, and atone for his behavior, and she threatens him. Eury made it sound like he had yelled at her or spoke with a terrible, disgusting language in her presence. Rye couldn't help his lips pressing into a thin line as he continued to listen, his mind a little too stuck on the threat to really take interest in the rest that she had to say.


That being said, Rye did still catalog the information to the back of his mind to ponder over later. Having to take control of something by putting a piece of soul in it. Mind going back to the threat, Rye was shocked that the threat had been to make him a cripple like herself. What would that prove? Sure, Rye didn't know all the terrible situations that being a cripple put you into but it was hardly like he was challenging her handicappedness. He had been talking about the connection between puppets... It was a good thing that Rye didn't have a pet or animal companion of some sort. Because if he had, Eury might have been able to really prove her point.


Pushing his anger to the back of his mind, Rye focused on the task at hand. They were to keep lookout.. though Rye wasn't entirely sure for what. Motion out of the corner of his eye caught his attention and he noticed Eury was moving her arm up and down, and so was the puppet. A moment or two later, the puppet was stepping away from Eury an staring him right in the eye. Rye made an attempt not to look as nervous as he felt, but his eyes still widened and there was a trickle of fear that chilled the back of his neck on what the puppet might be capable of without Eury's command. Was it upset with him, too?


"Eury, I only wanted to offer my help." Rye finally said, gaze still locked on the puppet. "Next time, you can just say no." He suggested, voice smooth as he took a step back from the puppet so that he could look at Eury once more. Though upset with the girl, Rye wouldn't let them harm what meager bonding they had had as Protectors. Though Rye would keep in mind the trouble mentioning her puppets would cause... and he wasn't all that keen to be around her now, either. The idea of the curse lingered in his mind. He believed Eury could do it, and that she would as well. And he had no counter attack because he refused to mess with the girls cells in a negative way. She was already hurt enough as it was.


Attempting to lighten the mood (if not Eury's then just his own), Rye tried to think of something they could talk about that wouldn't set either of them off. It was kind of an unspoken rule to Rye not to bring up people's families, and some of them had dark pasts. He now knew that puppets weren't a very happy subject, as well. Sighing, Rye fell on the age old favorite: "At least the whether is nice today." Rye said half heartedly.


"How's everything going down there?" Rye called over the lip of the hole, still on edge about not being able to freely communicate with their cells. Perhaps that's why his behavior had been terrible- because of his fear of what might happen while they were all down in that hole. Rye had become just a little claustrophobic after the whole business in the gym.


@Lovable Dark-side


@CloudyBlueDay


@Zelda18


@The One Called X

 

[CloudyBlueDay]

Sapphire gasped for air. She felt like there was a knife through her head, some kept on shoving it deeper.


Come on, Sapphire. Step closer. I dare you.





She reeled, eyes practically popping out of their sockets. Sapphire pushed herself up against the damp, dark dirt, panting with fear. This man had haunted her for countless years. Smashed everyone and everything she cared about into pieces. And now he was smashing her into pieces. Could you imagine how it felt, to have your worst enemy, your deepest dark fear, with you every moment of the day? Plaguing every movement. Taunting every step. He wanted to take away all she had. He let her rebuild the Protectors so he could truly break her, once and for all.


I won't let you.





"Another twenty feet below us, No... thirty, there's metal. Iron? Maybe cobalt. I can't tell." "I was right, it is down here- whatever it is- it's strong, saturated, and there's a direction, now. It goes down, definitely down. And it's- it's bad, Sapphire. I don't know for sure how bad yet. There's- there's pain. Guilt. And-other things. I'm not sure yet. But they aren't- they... it's bad, that's all, and- weird."


"Do you think maybe we should get a couple more people? In case of stuff?"


Sapphire bit her lip. Metal, huh. There was definetly something going on down there. Even Chastity verified it. She knew it was bad already, though. Pain, guilt, not good things. Certainly not good things. But more people, hmn? She'd put Rye and Eury on watch. Rye could be good if one of them got hurt, but probably not the best for this environment. Eury probably wouldn't be able to maneuver well underground. Alex couldn't move. Patrick and Lu were out somewhere and Percy, well.. Sapphire wanted to leave him out of it for as long as she could.


"No. It's just a metal box, hopefully. Some sort of clue Inter left us. We don't need the whole team." Sapphire said quietly. She stepped towards the end of the room, thinking she saw a little.. glimmer. Brushing away some dirt, a wall made out of a material that Sapphire didn't recognize was revealed. A handle, as well. Sapphire pulled. A door. To a staircase, down. It was dark. She couldn't see anything. Had they predicted Mist would be here, to sense it? Camouflaged it perfectly so she wouldn't notice. Even if they did, it wasn't hard to spot at all. What was this?


"He's just trying to scare us." Sapphire muttered firmly, only half to herself. "C'mon."

 

[The One Called X]

Chastity wrapped her arms more tightly around her middle. She was scared, now; really scared, but she couldn't back down. She couldn't let the others down like that. She'd come this far and she'd see this through.


Whatever the hell "this" was.


She took stock. She had to be calm. Mist seemed to be mostly okay. Sapphire... was not okay, but Chastity hadn't yet worked out what assistance she could offer, or a way to offer it that the older woman wouldn't reject out of hand. Rye had called down to them, someone should respond to him...


"We're mostly okay," she called back to him. "Um, there's a door. It leads down. I think... I think we're going to follow it."





She jumped at the sound of Sapphire's voice. "I don't like this, Sapphire, not at all. I... could he have known? That we'd come here? I guess it doesn't really matter... let's go, then." She set her jaw. She trusted Sapphire, and she'd follow where she led.


@CloudyBlueDay @Zelda18 @RubyRose