[They go through the archway! Everything in their vision goes white(r than usual), but when the light fades, they'll find themselves... standing on the outskirts of a village. It's a little more old-fashioned than what they'd be used to, but it's still standing, which is also more than what they can say hailing from the apocalypse. It's surrounded by forests, but not the ominous kind of forest they were in some nebulous time ago.
Congrats, it's not a postapocalyptic hellscape! It's not, like, completely idyllic, but it seems peaceful enough... Well, minus the red tinging the edges of the sky, in the distance.
Also, now that they're out of the Time Channels, they will suddenly be hit with a wave of dehydration and starvation.]
[ yeah excuse him while he stumbles when they get back out, because it's so much harder to hold up a sword on a maybe still lightly nommed ankle when you are also suffering from dehydration and starvation! wow! it is also hard even if his ankle isn't nommed. it's a big sword.
he's got a hand to his head and he tries not to pant too much. wow! this fucking sucks! time travel is the WORST ]
... Won't know until we try. C'mon.
[ it takes him a second but he'll lead them into the village, sure! this is a great plan! villages LOVE helping strangers who look weird and probably don't have money!! ]
[Yeah, it's now time to play out 10 tag rounds of Sebastian being cute at people.
No, thankfully, he doesn't have to do that. People give them suspicious looks as the two walk in, because like. Who are you??? Where did you come from????
But eventually, while the others are sort of giving them a wide berth, they'll be approached by a young girl—younger than Sebastian, at least—with dark hair and perhaps oddly glassy eyes. She looks a little distressed, because yikes, you two look bad.]
[ honestly he's probably loopy enough right now that he doesn't notice anything weird about the eyes. seems like a nice kid.
the upside of looking like crap right now is that he probably just has instant pity factor without even trying. ]
O-oh, um. We've just been traveling for a long time, and... [ also glances at cloud's ankle. ] ...yeah, he's hurt, and we haven't had food or water. Do you know any place we could go?
[ cloud has learned from a lot of experience that talking to strangers will net him absolutely zero points, he is terrible at playing nice to get free shit, and that if he opens his mouth right now he will probably say something inadvertently rude. or on purpose rude.
so he doesn't, looking at sebastian and letting him do the talking, trying to look less wary of this random girl and more like he is exhausted and hurt. and you know what! he is, so it's easy for that part! yay! ]
[Glad Sebastian and Cloud don't even need to try and fake it.
The girl nods.]
We... don't have an inn anymore, since this village doesn't get travelers now. We've isolated ourselves from the rest of the world, to try and survive the fiends... Or, at the very least, avoid ████████'s attention.
[So, unfortunately, it sounds as though Sebastian and Cloud haven't gone back in time far enough—████████ has already reached the peak of their power, maybe. But they probably have bigger priorities right now, like not dying.]
So you can stay at my place for now! I'm... um, I'm not a very good cook! But I'll try, and I have water, and beds for you two...
[ he hates time travel he hates time travel he hates time travel
he shoots sebastian a look that says "fuck", but they need to make sure they don't die right this second so. fuck it. ]
... This point, I'd take moldy bread. Doesn't matter. [ he says it quietly but the deadpan is there. look. it's not THAT rude. it's fine. ] Lead the way. We'll be out of your hair shortly.
[ so they can find a fucking new time travel hole, he guesses! stupid time chambers!!! ]
[She'll begin leading the way, taking them down a street, but she looks over her shoulder at them as she walks which is probably very safe.]
What? Where are you going? It's dangerous out there! At this point, no one enters the forests makes it out alive. Or if they do, they've become corrupted...
[ he just gives sebastian a look back, shrugging a shoulder. who the fuck knows! ]
... Us staying here might put this village in danger. [ is what he says. which is probably true! it is probably true. ] We don't want to linger too long. We'll find our own way once we're better.
[The girl's about to say something, but then. Speak of the devil (danger), and it will appear!
Suddenly, there's what sounds like some kind of... energy blast? The ground shakes, and as though hit by a psychic wave, the building that these three happen to be walking by... explodes! Shards and planks of wood, along with furniture and the like, are sent flying at them.
The girl exclaims in surprise, instinctively reaching to cover her head. Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah???
Cloud may dodge or get hit as he likes, but Sebastian is not so lucky. A piece of wood bonks him right in the head, and so down he goes, out cold. RIP.]
cloud has the same reflex to just protect his head and not try to take out a sword against an explosion, because that's dumb, ducking a little and covering himself. he would try to dodge but he's suffering from so many levels of exhaustion, so instead he gets hit by debris but not enough to knock him out, yaaaay. after it's done; ]
But it seems like she can't spend too much time fretting over Sebastian, as she turns to face the source of the blast—now somewhat visible, given that there is no longer a building blocking their view! In the distance, Cloud can see what looks to be... an identical girl, except this one has white hair.]
Sister, please stop—!
[The other villagers, who realize this is clearly a bigger priority than averting their eyes from the suspicious two newcomers, begin clamoring.]
We have to kill her now...
How do you expect us to get near her?
We have to try! She'll kill us all at this rate...
But what about Sen? That's her sister...
[For the record, there is no meaning to Sen rhyming with Ben. Jan is just uncreative with names.
But just as about the dark-haired girl—Sen—is about to try and run towards the other girl, despite her own injuries, the other girl shoots everyone a murderous look and then vanishes. For a few moments, Sen looks crestfallen, before she turns back to Cloud.]
[ ... god he hates dealing with people's backstories...
but he notes that to tell sebastian when he ever wakes up, so he'll bend down to pick him up and carry him to the house. sure. he is probably not a corpse and even if he was it'd be rude to leave him there. ]
... Alright. Lead the way. [ though while they're walking, aware that he is the only one awake to make conversation, in the most reluctant tone possible; ] Family problems?
[Yeah, this is what you get when the cute social one is unconscious, Cloud.
Sen stares at the ground as they walk.]
... I'm sorry you got caught up in that. Ren is... Please understand that she's not a bad person. She hasn't become a fiend yet either! I know I can stop her... I just need to be able to reach her.
—Oh, but the villagers aren't bad people either! They accepted spirits like us, even though we aren't human. They knew the risk...
[It doesn't take long before they reach Sen's home, at least. It's a small house, but when they step inside, it was clearly meant for two, at least. Two beds, a table with two chairs.]
anyway, he steps inside and he is going to abandon sebastian on a bed because the dude may not be heavy but cloud is FUCKING TIRED, thank you, and now he can ask about the plot and suffer ]
... So ... that's how fiends happen? They all... used to be spirits? [ hello this is relevant to his life (make-believe life) so much more than the family drama ]
Sen at least gets around to fetching water for Cloud and preparing some food.]
... Yes and no. Fiends are those who get corrupted. Sometimes it's those who become evil spirits, usually out of despair... but it's possible for humans to be contaminated as well. At least for humans, if it's in the beginning stages, there's a possible cure, but...
[ he is immediately drinking the water while she talks. oh my god. he does not drink it too fast because i'm not here for puking.
sebastian will still be dehydrated because i don't know how to make an unconscious person drink ]
... No, I'm not. Allergic. [ he answers that, first, which is very polite of him when what he really wants to talk about is; ] What's the possible cure? Is it that hard to get?
Look. I'm a mercenary, and he's... [ there's a long pause as he looks at sebastian ] been helping me. We're strong. We want to help. I'm not going to use this against you if the cure is the souls of the innocent or some bullshit like that.
She's quiet for a bit, chopping away at vegetables—actually, she pauses in that to grab some ice, put it in a bag, and place it on the unconscious Sebastian's head. There, for him. She will also go and fetch bandages for Cloud, before she goes back to preparing food.
She also seems a little dubious at the notion of Sebastian being strong but she will not comment on it.]
... If a spirit has become powerful enough to fully materialize—like Ren and I have—then... if you destroy them, the residue from their body can be used as a cure, for a limited amount.
That's why I have to stop Ren myself—before this village decides she's too dangerous and kills her for that reason.
[ he was lying about sebastian being strong, he's glad he is not called out on it. he wraps the bandages around his ow ouch owie ankle and frowns because he KNEW it was going to be some garbage!! it's always some garbage!!! ]
... Wouldn't that create more fiends in the long run? Sure, it cures a human or two, but you said spirits who fall to despair can turn into fiends. I'd say murdering powerful spirits left and right would be enough for that.
[ i'm sorry that he's so blunt about it, but also, >:| ]
[She gives him a small smile. Apparently, she doesn't mind Cloud being a blunt butthead.]
You're probably not wrong. I can't really blame them for their way of thinking... Times have always been hard, and they're getting harder now. What with ████████ out there... We haven't had any news from the outside for a while until you came along, but it sounds like the world's getting much worse.
So, people are desperate. I just... Ren's my family. I have to save her, even if it costs me. That's what we do for the people we love.
[She finishes making the food (do not question how this was done in record time) and hands the bowls over to Cloud and also for Sebastian when he wakes up. It's just, like, a basic salad and soup and bread but it's fine.]
You two can stay here until you recover. [Especially, uh, Sebastian.] You said you were trying to head somewhere, right?
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
guestservices) wrote2022-07-10 05:39 pm
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Congrats, it's not a postapocalyptic hellscape! It's not, like, completely idyllic, but it seems peaceful enough... Well, minus the red tinging the edges of the sky, in the distance.
Also, now that they're out of the Time Channels, they will suddenly be hit with a wave of dehydration and starvation.]
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[ and then oh man all of that hits him and he feels terrible and kind of doubles over. ]
Oh jeez... can we stop and get some food and stuff before we— wait, are they going to accept our money here?
[ does he have to go look sad and cute and beg for money, which he is apparently good at in this reality... ]
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he's got a hand to his head and he tries not to pant too much. wow! this fucking sucks! time travel is the WORST ]
... Won't know until we try. C'mon.
[ it takes him a second but he'll lead them into the village, sure! this is a great plan! villages LOVE helping strangers who look weird and probably don't have money!! ]
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No, thankfully, he doesn't have to do that. People give them suspicious looks as the two walk in, because like. Who are you??? Where did you come from????
But eventually, while the others are sort of giving them a wide berth, they'll be approached by a young girl—younger than Sebastian, at least—with dark hair and perhaps oddly glassy eyes. She looks a little distressed, because yikes, you two look bad.]
Are you two okay?
[She looks at Cloud's nommed ankle.]
You're hurt...
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the upside of looking like crap right now is that he probably just has instant pity factor without even trying. ]
O-oh, um. We've just been traveling for a long time, and... [ also glances at cloud's ankle. ] ...yeah, he's hurt, and we haven't had food or water. Do you know any place we could go?
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so he doesn't, looking at sebastian and letting him do the talking, trying to look less wary of this random girl and more like he is exhausted and hurt. and you know what! he is, so it's easy for that part! yay! ]
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The girl nods.]
We... don't have an inn anymore, since this village doesn't get travelers now. We've isolated ourselves from the rest of the world, to try and survive the fiends... Or, at the very least, avoid ████████'s attention.
[So, unfortunately, it sounds as though Sebastian and Cloud haven't gone back in time far enough—████████ has already reached the peak of their power, maybe. But they probably have bigger priorities right now, like not dying.]
So you can stay at my place for now! I'm... um, I'm not a very good cook! But I'll try, and I have water, and beds for you two...
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but yeah he's too hungry to worry about that right now. and bless this girl. ]
Really? [ this almost seems too easy, but. ] Thanks, that's really nice of you! And, uh, we won't need anything too fancy.
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he shoots sebastian a look that says "fuck", but they need to make sure they don't die right this second so. fuck it. ]
... This point, I'd take moldy bread. Doesn't matter. [ he says it quietly but the deadpan is there. look. it's not THAT rude. it's fine. ] Lead the way. We'll be out of your hair shortly.
[ so they can find a fucking new time travel hole, he guesses! stupid time chambers!!! ]
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What? Where are you going? It's dangerous out there! At this point, no one enters the forests makes it out alive. Or if they do, they've become corrupted...
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Y-yeah, the place we came from got really messed up, so, um... we're just... trying to find a way to help it.
[ technically not even a lie... because he could not think of one. ]
I don't... think we know exactly where we're going.
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... Us staying here might put this village in danger. [ is what he says. which is probably true! it is probably true. ] We don't want to linger too long. We'll find our own way once we're better.
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Suddenly, there's what sounds like some kind of... energy blast? The ground shakes, and as though hit by a psychic wave, the building that these three happen to be walking by... explodes! Shards and planks of wood, along with furniture and the like, are sent flying at them.
The girl exclaims in surprise, instinctively reaching to cover her head. Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah???
Cloud may dodge or get hit as he likes, but Sebastian is not so lucky. A piece of wood bonks him right in the head, and so down he goes, out cold. RIP.]
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cloud has the same reflex to just protect his head and not try to take out a sword against an explosion, because that's dumb, ducking a little and covering himself. he would try to dodge but he's suffering from so many levels of exhaustion, so instead he gets hit by debris but not enough to knock him out, yaaaay. after it's done; ]
Everyone okay?
[ he looks around, worried.
sebastian is dead ]
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[SEBASTIAN NO DON'T GO INTO THE LIGHT
But it seems like she can't spend too much time fretting over Sebastian, as she turns to face the source of the blast—now somewhat visible, given that there is no longer a building blocking their view! In the distance, Cloud can see what looks to be... an identical girl, except this one has white hair.]
Sister, please stop—!
[The other villagers, who realize this is clearly a bigger priority than averting their eyes from the suspicious two newcomers, begin clamoring.]
We have to kill her now...
How do you expect us to get near her?
We have to try! She'll kill us all at this rate...
But what about Sen? That's her sister...
[For the record, there is no meaning to Sen rhyming with Ben. Jan is just uncreative with names.
But just as about the dark-haired girl—Sen—is about to try and run towards the other girl, despite her own injuries, the other girl shoots everyone a murderous look and then vanishes. For a few moments, Sen looks crestfallen, before she turns back to Cloud.]
... Um. I can take you to my home now.
[Anyway!]
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but he notes that to tell sebastian when he ever wakes up, so he'll bend down to pick him up and carry him to the house. sure. he is probably not a corpse and even if he was it'd be rude to leave him there. ]
... Alright. Lead the way. [ though while they're walking, aware that he is the only one awake to make conversation, in the most reluctant tone possible; ] Family problems?
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Sen stares at the ground as they walk.]
... I'm sorry you got caught up in that. Ren is... Please understand that she's not a bad person. She hasn't become a fiend yet either! I know I can stop her... I just need to be able to reach her.
—Oh, but the villagers aren't bad people either! They accepted spirits like us, even though we aren't human. They knew the risk...
[It doesn't take long before they reach Sen's home, at least. It's a small house, but when they step inside, it was clearly meant for two, at least. Two beds, a table with two chairs.]
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anyway, he steps inside and he is going to abandon sebastian on a bed because the dude may not be heavy but cloud is FUCKING TIRED, thank you, and now he can ask about the plot and suffer ]
... So ... that's how fiends happen? They all... used to be spirits? [ hello this is relevant to his life (make-believe life) so much more than the family drama ]
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Sen at least gets around to fetching water for Cloud and preparing some food.]
... Yes and no. Fiends are those who get corrupted. Sometimes it's those who become evil spirits, usually out of despair... but it's possible for humans to be contaminated as well. At least for humans, if it's in the beginning stages, there's a possible cure, but...
[She shakes her head.]
A-Anyway! Are you, um... allergic to anything?
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sebastian will still be dehydrated because i don't know how to make an unconscious person drink ]
... No, I'm not. Allergic. [ he answers that, first, which is very polite of him when what he really wants to talk about is; ] What's the possible cure? Is it that hard to get?
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DO YOU HAVE ANY FAVOURITE FOODS.
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... No.
[ anyway; ]
Look. I'm a mercenary, and he's... [ there's a long pause as he looks at sebastian ] been helping me. We're strong. We want to help. I'm not going to use this against you if the cure is the souls of the innocent or some bullshit like that.
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She's quiet for a bit, chopping away at vegetables—actually, she pauses in that to grab some ice, put it in a bag, and place it on the unconscious Sebastian's head. There, for him. She will also go and fetch bandages for Cloud, before she goes back to preparing food.
She also seems a little dubious at the notion of Sebastian being strong but she will not comment on it.]
... If a spirit has become powerful enough to fully materialize—like Ren and I have—then... if you destroy them, the residue from their body can be used as a cure, for a limited amount.
That's why I have to stop Ren myself—before this village decides she's too dangerous and kills her for that reason.
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... Wouldn't that create more fiends in the long run? Sure, it cures a human or two, but you said spirits who fall to despair can turn into fiends. I'd say murdering powerful spirits left and right would be enough for that.
[ i'm sorry that he's so blunt about it, but also, >:| ]
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You're probably not wrong. I can't really blame them for their way of thinking... Times have always been hard, and they're getting harder now. What with ████████ out there... We haven't had any news from the outside for a while until you came along, but it sounds like the world's getting much worse.
So, people are desperate. I just... Ren's my family. I have to save her, even if it costs me. That's what we do for the people we love.
[She finishes making the food (do not question how this was done in record time) and hands the bowls over to Cloud and also for Sebastian when he wakes up. It's just, like, a basic salad and soup and bread but it's fine.]
You two can stay here until you recover. [Especially, uh, Sebastian.] You said you were trying to head somewhere, right?
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