Boreal

And yet, the Pontiff could not help but feel a surge of euphoria, beholding her kneeling before him, trapped in the cage of her own shredded heart.

   “Oh, ye child of gods…” His voice was as it always was – a nightmarish abyss, soft and yet holding a tone of command, like that of icy iron. Reaching forward with a slender arm, he placed a hand upon the dome of the Dancer’s head, feeling the silken fabric of her veil touch upon his fingers. This form, this curse…this writhing upon the floor. All for him. All due to his actions, his power. That was euphoric.

   “Fret not, fret not…I am with you. ” He continued to speak, his words holding a sinister, yet soothing quality to them. Indeed, when he’d seen her last, she had not fallen nearly this far, not turned into such an animal. Was it not his duty as Pontiff of the Deep to guide his subjects, to deliver them from their pain, to give them purpose? 

Oh, of course. That was a lie.

His voice grated against her, almost made her shudder. Abhorrent tones that she heard of a deep level; it disgusted her, yet it was so compelling. Digits wrapped in metal scraped briefly against stone as he felt her hand touch her, closed fists the height of what she could manage. 

It was like whispering madness in her head, those urges amplified tenfold merely by his presence. She wanted to be somewhere far away, yet sickeningly there was some part of her that was glad he was here, with her. His presence was anything but soothing, yet an unnatural calm almost crept into her.

She rose slightly, trying not to look directly at him yet unable to pull her eyes away. It only took moments for her to bow her head once more.

“The moon still sets in Irithyll...”

“The Boreal Valley... I... Irithyll will always be my home...” She steadied slightly, the mantra was good for one thing, at least. “You are... You...” Too kind, she couldn’t bring herself to say it, not those words. 

“You are not the one that protects. I am still loyal, I will always be loyal to Irithyll...”

Her head raised suddenly, turning to look behind her hunched form as she remembered; those people. If they were still following her- she had to leave, they had to leave.

“It is... Not safe here. We should leave.”

 She, at least, seemed to lack malevolence; she suffered from something she didn’t deserve. Perhaps she had earned it some time long ago, but if so, she had nothing but regret and pain. He couldn’t have said the same; at least, not anymore. He had done what he had felt necessary, and millions had died. He wasn’t sure if he’d ever come to regret it.

Nothing further could be done to him, for better or worse. Maybe the same could be said of this woman, but even if so, he would try. He needed to. Why, he still didn’t understand. He might never, in, fact. Right now, that possibility didn’t bother him at all. 

What if she didn’t want his help? That was always a possibility. Some were dragged so far into their own self-despair, they refused to ever leave it. They wrapped themselves in pain and claimed it as a comfort, something to protect from further damage. If she proved to refuse him, there was only so much that he could possibly do. Anything could be turned to darkness, if you were desperate enough to drown in it.

That didn’t help her with summoning an appropriate response. 

“It is not easy.”

She leaned forward- close, her shrouded visage close to his as she placed one of her hands on the ground beside him to steady herself. 

“But so few things are, and no; I am not seeking pity.” She pulled back slightly, granting him more space. “There are scarce few who can even remember me, let alone fear.” Distancing herself would be the wise move, and almost certainly more beneficial to one if not both of them. Yet, here she remained. After such time, even conversation was hard to let go.

“You are either seeking redemption, or you are a kind soul. It is unlikely I can satisfy either of those.” She held up a thin hand, as if to halt any incoming justifications. 

“How exactly, do you propose to do that? Even my senses are not entirely my own. If that misfortune was to befall you, then you can at least know who- or what I am.” She placed a hand on her chest, lowering her head for a moment, almost in thought.

❝Uh…sure?❞ The volleyball player says questioningly and looks over to who handed him the soda to thank them politely. His eyes nearly pop out of their sockets as his gaze falls on a gargantuan humanoid creature towering over him. (It’s definitely larger than the talking skeleton he encountered some days ago.)

Jesus, this is something someone sees in a boss battle for crying out loud!

Yamaguchi swallows down his own saliva. Calm down. It’s just another day in Hive City and he’s 100% sure there’s probably a lot of other creatures that look like they just crawled out of videogame boss battles. Right. Also, it’s very rude to stare.

She stared in silence as he spoke, then pointed slowly at her hand, then to the can. Slowly, her hand reached out, a single digit extending. Once she was satisfied he would not flee in terror, her claw like finger scratched impotently against the top of the can, unable to find purchase or grip the ring. 

“You see?”

“Yet you cared enough to clarify.”

Unnecessary? Almost definitely. But she held up her long slender digits to show she harboured no hostility. She was curious, however. A gem... Her mind instantly went to crystal; a blight on almost all it touched, that strange energy that twisted life. Was this creature a product of it, or was it something else entirely? If their little exchange had revealed anything, it was that answers would not be forthcoming. Perhaps then, she should leave.  The intimidation factor of her appearance could only afford her so much time.

“You carry yourself like a knight- like a soldier.”

No, not a thing, Revan realized suddenly. A she. A woman, once upon a long time ago. He couldn’t have said how he knew, but he did, without the slightest doubt. Perhaps she’d been beautiful once, too far long ago for anyone to remember, but now she had been forced to become… this.

And she was terrified. Terrified of Revan, and he hadn’t even done anything. (Yet.)

He had to wonder, now, how many lives he had ruined like hers. Not in the same way, of course; this was well beyond anything he’d ever done. But how many people had been so emotionally crushed, ruined, twisted by his actions? People he’d never even known existed? Even when his intentions had been pure, there must have been suffering at his hand that he’d utterly failed to notice.

There was nothing he could do about that now, he knew. And, quite possibly, nothing he would do, given the chance. There’d be far too much pain and suffering to even begin to heal. It’d be an endless task, in a universe that seemed to be forever lost to him. If he’d wanted to that, he should’ve started long ago. Should never have started in the first place, quite possibly never should have been a Jedi at all. Malak, Meetra.. Yet he’d done some good, hadn’t he? DId the slaughter of the Mandalorians outweigh their genocidal fury? He’d never been entirely sure, though he had managed to convince himself, for a time.

At the moment, he couldn’t feel any of the good he might have done.. Only the cruelty and pain he’d inflicted, willingly or otherwise. And a deep, raw sadness that tore at his chest.

But this, right and now - she was in front of him. This, at least, he could try to do something about.

“No, I… I don’t need your help.” The words were stilted, for some reason. Revan found it hard to put them together, to know what to say. It was a strange experience, like so many other things here. He’d long since drawn people to him, somehow, whether as friends or enemies. Why, then, was this so inexplicably different? Difficult? “I want… I want to help you . You don’t deserve this suffering. Nobody does.”

So she had helped them, soothed them with her soul, healed them with her light. Now... Now she knew not even the closest handmaiden’s could look at her.

Eurgh, the feeling of disgust ran rampant through her. Even the twisted visions of the dark eyes were more forgiving than this, at least she could lose herself to them.  Now she was all to aware of wretched she had truly become.

She looked down in silence at the figure. Pity, he pitied her. And why wouldn’t he? How would she feel were she to come into contact with something as sorry as herself. It did little to ease her mind. How was she to react to this? To a complete stranger approaching and professing his willingness to help because the sight of her was simply too low to ignore? How could she respond when the opportunity for help had long since passed.

“If you want to help me... You should think about yourself. Little fortune will come your way in my presence.”

“So do yourself a favour and leave me be. I am loath to drag you, or any other, down into something that is far too late to change.”

That should do it. While she missed conversation, it had quickly become apparent that was no longer for her. If this soul truly was kind, it was for the best he stay as far away from her as he could.

❝ Just someone looking to adapt. ❞

     An unquestionably ambiguous answer, but a completely unfabricated truth nevertheless. Though not at all averse to shamelessly demonstrating intrusive behavior by simply prying desirable details from intriguing minds, it is an enlightening conversation that is presently craved. Having just been successful in retrieving a particular piece of information through conventional means, it seems rather unnecessary to alter gears.

Because she couldn’t take it off, if that’s what she wanted to believe, because she couldn’t risk seeing what lay under it now. Sharp claws scraped at the edges of her mind as the black eyes whispered to her. She could feel it, that pull, that abyssal desire, that yearning from the deep.

No, no. She didn’t have to do that, she was better than this, she could still do what she wanted.

“Believe it or not Dancer i’m something the human would be consider as a “monster” also. The name is Heart. I’m searching for the abnormal because i am one and i think it’s about high time i get to know the abnormal in this city. It might not be a full blown war yet but paranoia being spread around this city you know? You have heard of the white fang demonstration?”

Ah, that made a bit more sense. So despite his appearance, by his own admission he was something else- abnormal, as he put it, the word made her wince slightly. White Fang... She had heard that name, yet with little context. 

“Not any ‘demonstration’ no. But I have heard the name.”

She hesitated as he held out his jacket, it took her a moment to realise he was trying to hand it to her. It had been too long since she had experienced a gesture even close, but she waved it back with a hand. “I do not feel the cold.” Chilled air wafted from behind her grill as if to highlight her point.

“I can assume then, that this White Fang had something to do with creating the air of unrest..?” She fell silent, starting to piece together an idea of why he may be here

“Well, Heart, I am quite ‘abnormal’ as you can see.” A bitter taste “You have come seeking I, and speak of a paranoid state in the city, hinting that we may not be so different...

This time, however, he certainly disrupted the trip of a unique-looking individual, clad in full armor, as tall as Priscilla but certainly quite thinner. He wouldn’t ask why. Clearly, he had been rude enough this night.

“I apologize. I should have watched where I was going.” He knelt down, holding out one of his giant hands to help pull this frightened soul back up, should his support be needed. “You are in the presence of the Nightmare Knight. I must-” With a jolt, he noticed something cold touch his knee from beneath his shifting cape, and he followed the trail leading to a bag nearby.

“You were in no wrong. I should not have reacted like that.” Her head fell slightly, she was all too familiar with that reaction.

“Nightmare Knight...” So, he was a knight? That was something to grasp on to. Almost forgetting herself, she bowed slightly. “I am the Dancer of the Boreal Valley... Dancer is fine.” Her shrouded gaze was drawn back to what remained of her bag on the floor and a creeping anxiety took her. She needed that. Whatever sorry state it was in, perhaps she could recover it after he’s gone... She didn’t want to look any more pitiable. 

Revan had seen plenty of strange things in this inexplicable City. He’d already taken to simply walking and looking. Sightseeing, as it were, like a tourist. He’d always liked to learn about a new world, but here, things weren’t quite so simple. This place was quite unlike any other.

But so far, at least, most things were fairly simple. The vehicles had wheels and ran on foul-smelling liquids, but they were vehicles. The people dressed in strange and unique ways, and had such a variety of weapons that HK-47 would’ve been frothing at his speakers, if he were here. (And if he could frothe.) But they were still people.

The figure that caught his eye was… not so much a person. It might’ve been, once, but likely long ago. He didn’t need a connection to the Force, any kind of power, to feel nearly crushed by the immense wave of sadness he felt just by looking at this… this thing.

Perhaps it was only himself, his imagination. But this, whatever it was, felt to Revan like a piteous creature. Horrendous and misshapen, yes, and huge if he gauged that hunched tangle correctly. Dangerous, quite likely. And a twisted remnant of a faraway land, something broken by a fate well beyond its own power.

He felt drawn to it - rather literally, because he’d stepped right into traffic without looking, crossing the street slowly and deliberately. He never looked away from the beast, not even as cars whizzed past within feet or screeched to a sudden halt, horns blaring indignantly. Revan stopped a few feet away, just on the white cement, still just staring at it.

Revan had done more than his share of cruel, horrible things in his own time. Ended more lives than he could begin to count, and tortured plenty more. Some for good reasons, some because they stood in his way, and - in all true honesty - some just for the pleasure of ending a specific life.

But those were (in most senses) the worst things that he had ever done. He hadn’t ever done something like… this to another being. He never had, never would. Never could.

And space, space enough for her to actually move, to stretch her stretched appearance and if she so chose, to dance. And sometimes she did.

But she’d stayed there too long, and so she had grown hungry. At the very least it was a hunger she could understand. Not that deep, yearning driven by those dark eyes. She shook her head slightly, reminding herself this was no place for such thoughts, surrounded by people.

At least they gave her a wide berth, moving through them was no more physically painful than normal. But their averted eyes, fear or even the occasional glance of horror, that hurt more. 

She heard the sounds of the angered traffic, and thought for a moment she was somewhere she should not have been, she turned on reflex, ready to shift away if necessary. Instead, she saw a masked figure, a masked figure looking right at her. The hood, the mask- it almost looked like- 

She started, almost jumping back and raising a hand before her. But, no. It wasn’t him. But her heart was already pounding. 

What have they done to you

Like a saw against bone. She got lost for a moment, turning her hand slowly and looking at the impossibly slender limb and digits. Looking closely, you might just see the vague remnants of a ring melded into the metal. She felt disgust, anger that this was indeed the sorry state she was left in, shame that it was so easily perceived by others.

“Not they, him.”

Her voice was like winter’s breath, the air around her was unmistakably cold.

❝ have you ever thought about how DELICATE a balance is? ❞

“I have thought about how easily and so often it is disrupted”

The hunched figure turned to look at the one that had seemingly addressed her at random, cold air wafting from the grill concealing her face.

@gravefandango

Heart was driving a stolen car though the sector as he park his car in front of a abandon area. Rumor said there was a huge monster that lurked in the area and after the white fang demonstration Heart finally decided to make his move as he out looking for new friends.

After all a revolution needs people, right?

He parked his car as he explored the area. This place was dark and seemed like a place full of sorrow as Heart arrive in a large room where the only source of light is the moon light from the window as he spotted the being he was looking for. The being make him look tiny as she wearing some kind of mask to cover her face as at the same time she spotted him also.

And there’d been so many people.

People she thought she’d be glad to see after so long, yet they only looked at her in fear, avoided her, made her feel like a true Outrider. That wasn’t what she wanted, no matter how true it was. So she’d found this place, and it offered solitude and space. Space enough to dance, if she so chose. Which is what she had been doing, practising her supple, liquid like movements through the air. That was until she heard sounds of movement.

She sat back into a hunched state, trying not to make her appearance seem so large and grotesque. Her veiled gaze lingered on the moonlight before eventually turning to face him.

She turned over her long hand before her face, looking at the impossibly slender digits almost distantly  “Yes, I suppose that must be me.”

Her voice was like winter’s breath, the cold air was visible. 

“Who are you? Why are you looking for a ‘monster’?” Her hand flexed nervously and she subtly tried to eye the exits. She tried not to let her unease show, if she still held the intimidation factor, that was something.

“…But nobody came.”

“I… I’ve changed my mind about all this. This isn’t a good idea anymore.”

“YOU! You’re standing in the way of everybody’s hopes and dreams!”

“I don’t want to break their hearts all over again. It’s better if they never see me.”    

“Despite everything, it’s still you.”

“Ah, the cactus. Truly the most tsundere of plants.”

“Go ahead. Prepare however you want. But when you step forward… I will KILL you.”

“It’s me, [name].”

“Wow! We haven’t even had our first date and I’m in the friendzone!”

“It pains me to say this, but… you should probably never come back here.”

“Maybe looking at this nice lamp will help you.”

“There is nothing left for us here. Let us erase this pointless world, and move on to the next.”

“They thought that he had killed the child.”

“Quit looking at me with that stupid expression. You’re pissing me off.”

“We’re all counting on you, kid. Good luck.”

“Nice day today, huh? Birds are singing, flowers are blooming… Perfect weather for a game of catch.”

“You can certainly find better than an old man/woman like me.” 

“I do not know if this is pathetic or endearing.”

“Oh. My god. I didn’t expect you to show up so soon! I haven’t showered, I’m barely dressed, it’s all messy, and…”

“You’re way better at dating than I am.”

“Get dunked on!”

“This is the power that the humans feared.”

“They must be here, playing a joke on me. I’ll just wait until one of them admits it…”

“…You really like hot animals, don’t you?”

“It was nice to meet you. …Goodbye.”

“On days like this, kids like you should be burning in Hell.”

“Remember. DON’T kill anyone. …I can’t believe this is a REAL thing I have to remind you.”

“…Why are you still here? Are you trying to keep me company?”

“You should be smiling, too. Aren’t you excited? Aren’t you happy?” 

“Don’t worry, my little monarch, my plan isn’t regicide. This is SO much more interesting.”

“What makes you think you’re in control?”

“Never come back here. You are not welcome.”

“Why does someone as great as me have to do so much to get recognition?!”

“You made your choice long ago.”

“Don’t you realize that being nice just makes you get hurt?”

“So you finally made it. The end of your journey is at hand.”

“I didn’t cry! I just… caught something in my eye!”

“You know what would be more valuable to everyone? IF YOU WERE DEAD!”

“Look. [Name] didn’t come to the meeting today. Say what you want about him/her/them. H/She’s/They’re weird, naive, self-absorbed. But [name] has NEVER missed a meeting. And no matter what time you call him/her/them on the phone… Night, day, afternoon, morning… He/she/they ALWAYS answers within the first two rings.”

“Anything you want to do is important enough. Even something as small as reading a book, or taking a walk… Please take your time.“

“[Name] hated humanity. Why they did, they never talked about it. But they felt very strongly about that.”

“WELL? Are you CHERISHING?! CHERISH HARDER!”

“If you… If you think I’m gonna give up hope, you’re wrong. ‘Cause I’ve got my friends behind me.”

“Perhaps we can reach a compromise. You still have something that I want.”

“Always wondered why people never use their strongest attack first.”

“No matter the struggles or hardships you faced… you strived to do the right thing. You refused to hurt anyone.”

“This is why I never make promises.”

“ …Why? Why are you being… so nice to me? I can’t understand. I can’t understand! I just can’t understand… “

“Honestly, fighting you IS pretty fun… So even if you ARE a sicko, I’ll take it!”

“Maybe you’d be better… at not killing anyone? Crazy idea, huh? Let me know how that one goes.” 

“Did I ever tell you about the time [name] flirted with me?”

“STOP PETTING THE ENEMY!”

“Now, I understand acting in self-defense. You were thrown into those situations against your will.”

“You’d better watch yourself, kid. Things are lookin’ real bad for you.”

“Are you ready? If you are not, I understand. I’m not ready either…”

“Oh my God! Will you two just smooch already?”

“Don’t you get it? There’s no such thing as happy endings. This is all that’s left…!”

“The internet! I’m quite popular there!”

“Do you think even the worst person can change…? That everyone can be a good person if they just try?”

“Don’t worry about it. Most of us have tried to kill [name] at one time or another.”

“Wowie! You did it! You didn’t do a violence!”

“Not everything can be resolved by being nice.”

“Don’t kill, and don’t be killed, alright? That’s the best you can strive for.” 

“Oh no! You’re meeting all of my standards!”

“Anime is real, RIGHT?!”

“Maybe you’re wondering if I ever get tired of winning… Wanna see my answer?”

“Sorry, I do not have much to say. It was nice to hear your voice, though.”

“This is all just a bad dream… and you’re NEVER waking up!”

“Down here, it’s kill or be killed!”

“I can’t come back. I just can’t, OK?”

“I so badly want to say, ‘would you like a cup of tea?’ But… You know how it is.”

“Would you smooch a ghost?”

“The truth is… [Name] wasn’t really the greatest person.” 

“Well, if I were you, I would have thrown in the towel by now. But you didn’t get this far by giving up, did you?” 

“You’re not really human, are you? No. You’re empty inside. Just like me.”

“Are you bored? I should have given a book to you. My apologies. Why not use your imagination to divert yourself?”

“I’ll hold victory in front of you, just within your reach… and then tear it away just before you grasp it.”

“Come on! Step forward and let’s end this!”

“Don’t you get it? This is all just a GAME.”

“Are those two robots…?”

“If you have some sort of special power… isn’t it your responsibility to do the right thing?”

“Stop plaguing my life with incidental music!”

“Self-defense? Please. You didn’t kill them because you had to. You killed them because it was easy for you. Because it was fun for you. Do you think it was fun when I found out…? Do you think it’s fun when people’s family members never come home? Is that fun? No. “

“I wish I had eight legs… so I could wear FOUR pairs of hot pants!”

“The more you kill, the easier it becomes to distance yourself. The more you distance yourself, the less you will hurt. The more easily you can bring yourself to hurt others.”

“RUN. INTO. THE BULLETS.”

“I can’t go to Hell. I’m all out of vacation days.”

“They just sort of showed up one day and…asserted themselves. The town’s gotten a lot more interesting since then.”

“Our king is really bad at names.”

“If it weren’t for you, I would’ve never gotten past him. But now, with your help, he’s DEAD.”

“Then why’d you kill my brother/sister?”

“I’ve done everything this world has to offer. I’ve read every book. I’ve burned every book. I’ve won every game. I’ve lost every game. I’ve appeased everyone. I’ve killed everyone.”

“What did you do to him? …What did you DO to him?!”

“…I don’t have the heart to tell her what you did. Do you know how she’d react?”

“You didn’t even need my help, which is great, ‘cause I love doing absolutely nothing.”

“I’m smiling and I hate it!”

“Do you wanna have a bad time? ‘Cause if you take another step forward… you are REALLY not going to like what happens next.”

“If we’re really friends… you won’t come back.”

“Did you really think I was gonna be satisfied… killing you only ONE time?”

“I remember when I first woke up here, in the garden. I was so scared. I couldn’t feel my arms or my legs…”

“Even after all this time, you’re still the only one that understands me.”

“Why do I always get the freaks?”

“It’s possible that you may have a problem.”

“What a terrible creature, torturing such a poor, innocent youth…”

“I’m nineteen years old and I’ve already wasted my entire life.”

“If you’re so scared, why do you keep winking?”

For a limited time only you can talk to a giant metal stick insect