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Post by Nadia on Aug 6, 2021 15:40:42 GMT -6
What was going on? Nadia found herself staring at the knight with increasing anxiety, trying to decipher what was causing him bother. No matter how she tried, she could not hear anything - was it another of the mansion's tricks, designed to throw them into further peril? Dylan was not quite as bothered, with his natural aversion to Sarv, but he had turned to look at him too, undoubtedly wondering why they had stopped. "What is it? Can you put it into words?" Her hand itched to reach out and touch him. Shaking him out of it was not the best strategy, but if there was even a slight chance... but the courage for such an action had not built in her yet. "Sir? Sarv...?" What little she could see of his expression was all wrong. Eyes staring blankly off into the middle distance; she followed his line of sight towards the brush, but saw only foliage, swaying in the light breeze that had picked up. "Is something there...?" [11]
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Post by Èdan on Aug 6, 2021 15:56:02 GMT -6
There isn't. (And there is. The lines entwine and mingle, cascading forth like a brilliant tether, humming and resonating to the tune of the melody now taking hold of the mind. It didn't matter that the tune is sombre, it didn't matter that the summer-sweetness is fabricated. It had found something to latch to). The man's shoulders relax when he rises back onto his feet, the posture distinctly un-knightly. Even the glaive slips from the grasp and lands in the sands with a small soft thud.
And he begins to walk.
(The music floods all else - The sounds of the sea, the whisper of the wind, a voice of someone familiar yet so distant now, even anything he'd hear within. It just has one command, one purpose - Follow.. Follow.. Follow.. And he does). He reaches the brush and pushes past it, away from the beach and into the treeline. Even so, the beach doesn't seem to end here, as shallow puddles and pools dot the sand-soil landscape beyond. He passes them, taking a beeline towards something much more distant, a mere silhouette against the palm-tree backdrop, seemingly not paying attention to what lays between him and whatever destination - Still awake, but certainly not all there. (Following that soft, lovely tune, and the familiar silver-gold strings).
. 48 . August: 12
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Post by Jack on Aug 6, 2021 17:37:41 GMT -6
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Post by Nadia on Aug 7, 2021 7:49:09 GMT -6
No, no. It was all wrong - Nadia watched in horror as the glaive dropped from the knight's grip, landing with an unceremonious thud in the sand. He would never do that. On his honour, he would never abandon his post in that manner, not on his life. Their acquaintanceship had been brief, but she knew enough to be sure that she was right about that much. Dylan whined pitifully. The pup had to be set down, to walk at the woman's heel, as she scrambled for what to do. "Sarv! Can... can you hear me?" While she fumbled for a plan, she followed him as he went, trying her best to bob up and interrupt his line of sight. What manner of bewitchment could this be? His weapon had to be left abandoned, in her fear that she would accidentally misuse it. Her hands moved automatically, pushing foliage and branches aside, clearing the path to wherever they were headed. "Do you see something? Sarv!" [13]
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Post by Èdan on Aug 7, 2021 8:19:52 GMT -6
The knight hadn't been the most vocal conversationalist at the best of times, but in this particular moment it really put the previous manner to shame. His eyes stare only forwards, regardless of if anything is trying to break whatever line he's aiming for. The steps aren't in a rush, seeming almost sleepwalking, if it weren't for the fact the eyes remain awake and unblinking. And if the lady should feel slighted at the lack of regard given, nothing else in the path received any, either - He steps through the edge of a puddle with a splash, brushes past a branch as it scrapes against the sleeve, nearly steps into the two seabirds clashing on the sands, as if none of it was even there. A fallen log is only missed by happenstance, the stride allowing him to step over it rather than on it.
(And all the while, everything else around continues to bleed and blur into something closer to inconsequence. Only the silver-gold strands matter, drawing ever closer to something. He doesn't know what, he doesn't know who, but the tether pulls up bits and pieces of memories like bait, urging ever forward. He knows something waits at the end, and he knows it's familiar. Important. Somehow..)
The treeline is quick to grow sparse as the puddles and pools undertake more of the terrain, seeming more shallow water than land. And the shape of the 'something' in the distance becomes clearer, the closer they get - A ship. An old galleon, wrecked and marooned on land. Bleached timers halfway buried in the sands at an angle, while a large hole gapes in its hull on ground level, dark within save for an ever so faint haze of blueish light.
And the knight is walking directly towards it.
. 49 . August: 14
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Post by Nadia on Aug 7, 2021 8:50:42 GMT -6
There was a difference between not being chatty and not speaking at all, and Nadia was absolutely unnerved by the lack of response she was getting. Whether or not the knight enjoyed conversing, he would always have answered her questions - there was no doubt in her mind that something sinister was at work, and that knowledge brought along panic that threatened to swallow her. She could feel her feet beginning to sink into the sand. It was not perilous, but the moisture sucked at her boots; Dylan had taken to hopping every second step to avoid the unpleasant sensation. As torn between looking at the knight and minding where they were stepping as she was, she didn't notice what they were approaching until it was imminent. And then she shuddered. "Sarv, you must stop this!" Her voice took on a hard edge, and at last her hands clasped around his forearm, giving a sharp tug backwards. "You cannot go further! It is dangerous!" [15]
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Post by Èdan on Aug 7, 2021 9:09:27 GMT -6
(The strands lead directly into the wooden hollow within the ship, still floating, still dancing, drifting through the air light as feathers.) Though conventional eyes might not have seen far into the dimness within, that was not a problem for him - (The lines danced towards the circle in the middle of the ship, a sheer blue glass surface, untouched by wind and still as stone). But it was liquid - water - crystal clear and ringed in hazy blue glow, (Welcoming and sweet). A pleasant enough space for a swim.. if the middle wasn't a pitch darkness even his eyes couldn't see, impossibly deep, cold and hungry. (And the lines danced right into the middle, down and down and down).
Something discordant interrupted the tune, the body lurching backwards a few steps as it's tugged. (No, the song was too sweet. It was important. Something waited at the end. Someone.) "No.." he finally speaks, but the voice is low and raspy, not quite the knight's. The eyes still staring towards the entrance of the ship. (Follow. You must follow. You'll lose everything if you don't.) "Follow.." he repeats in the same voice, trying to keep walking despite her hold. "Follow.."
. 50 . (added) August: 16
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Post by Nadia on Aug 7, 2021 12:55:28 GMT -6
Whatever was lurking inside of that ship, Nadia wanted nothing to do with it. Something felt wrong, otherworldly - there was danger ahead, she was certain, and she could not let the knight walk straight into it. Her strength was meagre in comparison to his, but she threw her weight behind her next pull, practically dangling off of his arm in her attempt to pull it backwards. "Yes! Do you hear me, this is unnatural!" A voice high with borderline hysterics, nothing like that phantom song tempting the knight away. "You are abandoning your charge, sir-- you are abandoning me!" Dylan, distressed by Nadia's fear, growled. He didn't want to be anywhere near Sarv, but did dart into the path ahead of them; he stood his ground in the centre, head lowered and haunches up. Between the two of them, Nadia hoped they could break whatever spell had been cast - but they were only two small beings against the unquantifiable power of the mansion. [17]
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Post by Èdan on Aug 7, 2021 13:31:42 GMT -6
At the best of times the yank might not have moved him (A collision in a marketplace, braced and caught) but the daydream haze had left him blank, relaxed and soft of footing. He stumbles backwards, further than before and nearly falling, but manages to keep his balance at the last minute (As the tether's pleasant rhythm is disrupted once more, threads swung and scattered through the air as if caught in a sudden gust of gale. The melody tries to stabilize itself, something deep getting annoyed, but not yet willing to release its control).
"Must follow.." he grumbles, something in the voice hinting desperation. (Must follow. You know the way. You know the call. The voice, the song, the lullaby sung long since past and the promises it brought. Turn now and those go away. Leave now and they disappear). He tries to step forward, even as Nadia clings to the arm, even as the pup growls ahead of him, desperation rising (Almost there. So desperate. Almost there.)
The threads flicker and glint against the sunlight as they seek to form a figure in the mouth of the ship, something to tempt further (Something to bait further. Almost there. Desperate, desperate.. Reckless). And as the face has finished forming, the shrill cry - "You are abandoning me!" - is mimicked by it, mirrored back in a haunting voice.
He stops, confused. (That wasn't.. right. That wasn't the memory. Those weren't the words). "No.. It was a choice.." he whispers, unsettled, as he stares ahead but seeming conflicted now.
. 51 . August: 18
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Post by Nadia on Aug 7, 2021 14:18:43 GMT -6
Nadia did not care if he was called to follow. She did not care about anything other than stopping him in his tracks and breaking the spell, whatever it look - whether he was severe with her, whether she had to drag him down to the ground with her. No matter how many times she turned her head to look at the ship, the gaping hole drawing the knight in, she could not see anything beckoning him. It was a trick. They had to halt. "A choice to leave me?" They weren't having the same conversation, and a part of her recognised that, but it was worth a shot to tether him to reality. "Is that how you behave, sir? Rushing off into the maw of the unknown and leaving me undefended? Shame on you!" To punctuate her words, Dylan barked. A houluh puppy wasn't very threatening, but he was doing his best, trying to puff up to appear larger. No one would pass! "Please, you can't..." A softer plea, as her hand slipped down his arm to find his fingers and squeeze them. "Look at me. I am here. There is nothing there, Sarv. Nothing but us." [19]
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Post by Èdan on Aug 7, 2021 14:47:43 GMT -6
There is confusion now. (The threads turn discordant, fraying on the edges and resisting.. But they had pulled too strongly, too hard on the anchor. Too desperate, as other sounds begin to swim back into the world in between the cracks of the melody broken up by it's own straining. That-which-was and that-which-is overlapping one another). The knight blinks, frowning briefly, trying to make sense of which thread to follow. (One runs sweet, one runs bitter. One is tempting, one is sorrow).
Her words swim up into his ears, even as his mind's still having trouble sorting the voice to a face. "No.." he mutters with a rasp, frown deepening, head shaking, "Not undefended.. Safe.." (Safer alone. Those were the words. That had been the choice. And, in the end, the sorrow). As he struggles, the music tries to restitch itself, to reassert its control, but before it could flood out the outer world, it's cut through by sudden sharp braying (A bark?), shrill and loud and (just as disruptive as he remembered. Now, as before). There's another series of blinks as he stares towards the pale figure, memories flooding back (For it drew too deep and too greedily. So desperate to bait, it found an unkindness.. And flecks of yellow and red begin to fray from the figure. Now, as before).
Now he remembers. And his head turns away from the figure, eyes closing. (Now, as before). He feels the hand in his, and the fingers curl around slowly, as there's a whisper, "Nothing else.. Only us." When the eyes open again, they seem to be looking directly at Nadia's face.. but also with new kind of wakeful confusion, as if he sees her for the first time.
. 52 . August: 20
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Post by Nadia on Aug 7, 2021 16:05:20 GMT -6
Safe? It was not safe for either of them to be alone - the mansion was wicked, playing cruel tricks on them, and they'd be in far greater danger without one another. What had they done to deserve its brutality? Nadia prayed internally to any god that would listen, desperate for their mercy. There was only so long she would be able to contain him. If the knight willed it, she would not have the physical strength to stop him proceeding. But there was change. There was leeway, a break in the cycle, enough for her to creep in and direct his attention back to reality. Her hand stayed in his despite the needles of anxiety pricking at her skin. A physical anchor, to weigh him down. When the gaze broke, and the knight's eyes were back on her, she tried a smile. "Us, yes, us-- here, now..." Dylan pawed closer through the sand. His tail gave a cautious, optimistic wag. "There is naught to be found ahead." [21]
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Post by Èdan on Aug 7, 2021 16:29:57 GMT -6
What few shreds of the song remain fade into the backdrop, the that-which-is reasserting itself as the one true reality again. Even so, the confusion stays as the mind slowly turns itself back on, trying to flip through (a very concerning) series of foggy memories from the past.. however long it's been. Minutes? Hours? The eyes search her face and only find a severe sense of distress (She tries to hide it, but it's there, perhaps strongest he's seen it yet. Whatever happened must have been bad). One thought immediately leads into another and there's a quick look around, finding the pup still near them (So it wasn't something happening to the dog).. and them standing in a rather different setting.
By then the mind's back to it's usual speed, as he picks up increasingly more details of the current situation, including the lady's partly nervous, partly adamant grip on the arm. (Well.. faex, something's definitely happened again, and it's going to take a few days to process.. But that's for him to deal with. The knight exists in the here and now, and should really be saying something). The posture adjusts, somewhat awkwardly, to retain the familiar knightly stance once more, but he's not yet sure if he should let go of her hand (Or if it will even be released).
"I..." he starts in that northern drawl, the rasp gone. There's a pause, as he considers what even to say (The full situation isn't quite clear yet - His head is hurting, his ears are ringing and the lady seems about ready to collapse, again). "..don't know what happened.." he finally admits. It isn't exactly the best words, but best he could do at the moment.
. 53 . August: 22
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Post by Nadia on Aug 7, 2021 16:38:11 GMT -6
It was as bad as she feared. For him to have no memory of the event that transpired seconds ago... Nadia's adamant grip remained on his hand, even if it was to console herself more than to benefit him. Dylan padded up to pass around her ankles, leaning against her calf as a source of comfort. They were rather adapt at noticing distress. "I'm afraid I am not sure, either..." She was not as composed as she might've liked, but her words were coming out in a coherent string, so it would do for the moment. "You... seemed to be in a deep trance, a-and began making your way to... to this ship." It looked ominous even without the knight marching mindlessly towards it. The woman swallowed the lump in her throat. "You dropped your glaive, on the sands-- I'm so sorry, I didn't carry it for you, I was afraid that I would somehow maim you and you should never forgive me--" Too many words. A stilling breath, and she broke their eye contact, looking down at the pools of sea water around their feet. "Forgive me. Do you feel well?" [23]
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Post by Èdan on Aug 7, 2021 16:59:01 GMT -6
Foggy as it is (A different kind of, much more normal type of foggy, that is), he tries to follow along with her words. The trance part certainly feels like it tracks, since he more remembers the sensation than the visual acuity of what happened (And that wasn't something to unpack then and there at the best of times, much less the current decidedly 'worse' time). At the indication of the ship, he turns to look towards it, staring it down from sandy floorboards to the top of the tallest mast. A much clearer mind is able to make out the pool of water deeper within, almost seeming shyly shrouded in the dimness of the ship's wreck (And it fills him with a colder sense of unease, as the pieces begin to add up..)
A lot of missing information, and certainly a lot of pieces to fill 'fun' little gaps.. The knight doesn't quite seem to know what to make of it, but at the lady's last words, the focus draws back onto her. Even something as strange as this and she's still the one to apologize first.. "It's.. It's all right, you need not worry about the weapon." The head still feels like it's waking up from several restless nights with much too little coffee to compensate, but he pushes through. "I've.. felt better. But.. If what you say is true, then there must have been some spell or enchantment, drawing us all the way out here. And if it only affected me.." The distress, the nervousness, the clinging. Ah, it is adding up.
The knight lowers to one knee, her gripped hand brought against the helmet's brow, "..then I owe you my life for breaking me out of it."
. 54 . August: 24
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