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Dec 5, 2017

> Vel + RL : Dramatic Conclusion pt 1

CO: When Vel shows up, Ringleader's just outside the burned and ruined church. He's leaning against one of the still barely remaining pillars that held up the place during it's hayday. It's early, early predawn, just early enough that things are starting to look just a little bit brighter than a normal moonlit night. He looks over the scalded and eroded remains, tear tracks down his face in soft, blurred lines. Apparently, he's been Mourning.

FO: Velius is not entirely capable of mourning in the same way -- as evidenced by his usual ball-of-nervous-energy self -- but he does his best. There's a small teardrop added to his paint, and when he arrives he spends just a moment assessing the situation and letting his fins shift around, before he comes close and tries to collect a hug. Hi RL. It's Vel Time. A little.

CO: Ringleader gives his small friend a carefully tight hug, that involves some lifting because it's rude to hug your friends right to your dick. There's a part of him that expects to have to indulge in a little more tears, but it helps that the smell of ozone has long washed away with rain and time.

FO: Velius hugged him back, and floated away when released, looking up at the much larger clown. "...Your paint's sad," he observed.

CO: "It happens sometimes," he nods. Not going to deny that, that's what the tear is for even.

TA: Hey. Hey Vel. This way.

TA: Shiiiinnyyyy.

FO: Velius reached up to squeeze Ringleader's hand, and looked in the shiny direction as if he'd heard something.

CO: ... He takes the hand to squeeze back a bit. Give One whole affection, in the form of brushing his lips across knuckles. .... And then he'll look where Vel's looking. "Yeah. This is the old church.."

FO: The knuckle kiss made Velus blush enough to show on the backs of his fins.

FO: "It's big," shiny.

CO: He looks over the remnants. "Used to be bigger, but yeah. It's pretty fuckin big." Not all of it is utterly collapsed, but a lot of it is damaged to the point of unlivability.

FO: "..Gonna build a new one?" He had to walk slowly towards the shiny, he didn't want to lose it.

CO: Ringleader will follow Vel as he begins walking in, even passing him up and beginning to lead after a moment or two. "Gods, I hope so. ... So much takes priority, but I want to."

FO: "..the church has big hearts an a whole lotta freedom they didnt used to have. I bet it'll work out."

FO: Shiny... ...he followed, even if Ringleader led in the wrong direction, but his eyes were in the vague direction of ... Things. He wished he had any idea where his senses were leading. He remembered vaguely having had plans to practice scrying on a nuke, but he'd never gotten around to it..

CO: "So long as I live to see it, brother. Fuck knows when I'll get shot at." He walks into the old throne room. His throne was wood, and has long since burned and blown away. .... But some of the color on the floor faintly remains.

TA: Wow there was something past here. A little deeper. Toward the Burned part. Tug.

FO: "...Hopefully naut soon," ..he checked the horizon for snipers, ust in case. Shiny things weren't always good.

FO: "...but I bet the.. rebuildy bit, ... I bet you'll be able to put shit together."

FO: "--Huh, I bet Muralist would like."

FO: Vague gestures.

CO: "... Honestly, you're probably right. I should talk to him about it. ... And maybe Arlequin, he'd have pretty decent advice. .... Wonder if we can make it more defensible against exactly this sorta shit...."

CO: Everything is so burned. He rubs his fuckened arm.

FO: "Probably -- I bet Juryrigg'd be into makin the scariest best-defended sort a sanctuary anybody ever had,"

FO: Velius trailed along after Ringleader, watching the path ahead and occasionally glancing up to him.

CO: ".... We could have figured out a way to defend ourselves, I think.... If we weren't so convinced psionics wouldn't dare, that they were lesser...."

FO: "An if you could mush em together without pissin eachother off, Arlequin has a Zahhak too, an he'd probably enjoy any project you throw at him."

CO: "You think they'd be likely to piss eachother off?" He looks over.

FO: Velius looked up at Ringleader for a second.

FO: "... Imagine putting Juryrigg in the same room as himself from four hundred sweeps before he spent four hundred sweeps surrounded by clowns."

CO: "Fuckin hilarious, let's do it."

FO: "Right?" Velius had a wide grin.

CO: He grins right back at him.

TA: Hey, whoah, that hallway. That's sure a hallway.

FO: ! Velius was distracted again, peeking down the hall as if he was chasing something.

CO: ... He chirps. "... You aight, brother?" It's sure taken him exactly this long to Notice that Vel is distracted.

FO: "...Sorry, the bathroom's callin." Because phrasing it that way is apparently how he's decided to do this.

FO: "Or somethin. There's a thing, today's shiny. I don't know why."

CO: "... That why you wanted to come along?" He feels weird for feeling bad about that, they just had a conversation about manipulation.

FO: "I didn't know why you wanted to come, but I knew there was somethin here, and it's loud." He looked up at Ringleader apologetically.

CO: "Mostly cuz I'm a masochistic old man with a need to revisit my mistakes, apparently, but your thing's probably better."

FO: "Wanna do this thing then come back to the sad?"

FO: "Or other way around?"

FO: "..if we can."

CO: Snort. "I can multitask, if it comes down to it. Let's go see your thing."

FO: Velius chirped brightly, and sped off like a shot. Hallway!!

CO: Holy fucking shit. Apparently he's chasing after Vel at High Speeds.

TA: Wow. Yes. Hallway.

FO: Hallway!!

FO: More, hallway?

FO: .... Slowing down, look of consternation.

TA: Hey Door.

FO: --!! Door!

TA: That's a Door. That sure is.

FO: Hi door, new friend! Open door.

TA: ...Bathroom!

CO: He screeches to a stop, just a step or two past Vel, and backs up.

FO: "--Fuck your bathroom!"

TA: This one is Burned.

CO: .... Yep, that's.... sure one of the communal bathrooms.

FO: "I fucking hate you!" he shouts, at the bathroom, as if it was its fault.

CO: ".... What about my bathroom is fuckable?"

TA: Hey, tug. Look. Mirror. Remember me. Hi.

FO: Velius crossed his arms and stormed in, huffing.

CO: He'll follow, looking at Vel in amused bafflement.

FO: "It's fuckin, ..."

FO: "It's makin fun a me?" He asked, as if not certain.

TA: ...Noise? Soft sad noises that have abruptly stopped?

FO: ...ch...chirp?

FO: Fins spread a bit.. ...he slowly looked around, as if searching for something.

CO: .... His earfins do a slow twitch, and he looks towards the sound with a slow crane of his head.

TA: Mirror. Soft sniffle.

FO: ...slow sneaking over to mirror to peek.

CO: .... He goes to look at the mirror.

TA: ...Oh. Hey, that's. The Enforcer. Curled up in a miserable, terrified, sooty ball against the corner of the mirror's version of the burned wall, over by the door. He looks up and fucking freezes.

FO: "...shitterghost?" Velius whispered reverently.

CO: His eyes dilate, and he glares at the view of the Enforcer. ... But he can't take it too seriously when Vel is busy being Vel next to him, and he lets out an almost reluctant snort at his word. ... Knock on the mirror.

TA: Scrios shrinks away. He's seen the headlines, vaguely. Reversed. The Grand had returned, and had overthrown things, but... He's here.

FO: There was a very colorful painted face peeking just barely into view over what was left of the sink. ..Chirp?

FO: ..He peeked slightly more into view, and chirped again. "--Are you lost?"

TA: The voice is muffled, but he can just about hear it... He nodded. That was... One of the multiversal visitors. Right? He thinks.

TA: ...He's very lost. He clears his throat, and the muffled and croaky voice comes through. "very lo2t."

CO: "I'd fuckin say so," he says, still scowling. "Unless you meant to wind up in the place you destroyed."

TA: He flinches rather bodily. Turns his face away. The tear tracks cut through the soot of the burned church.

CO: What a coincidence, they both have tear tracks. His almost look like smeared coal.

CO: "...What are you doin here?"

TA: "i don't know. there wa2 light."

FO: Fins adjusted. Velius was absolutely captivated by the two.

CO: He tilts his head. And pulls a skull out of his dex. That sure is The Psionic's skull, alright, with half carved horns.

CO: And... More importantly, a slight damage to the browbone, to the cheekbone, to his jaw.

TA: ...Back more into the corner. He looks terrified. In a way that the other one had never quite been.

CO: "Cmere."

TA: ...Is this his fate? He doesn't know. He slowly stands, moves toward the mirror. Possibly phasing through Ringleader's own reflection, because where he was it didn't exist.

TA: He's trembling, but he tries hard to stand straight. His eyes are glowing.

CO: Wow, that's really weird. He takes a step back, just to make sure that Psii isn't still... In Him.

TA: His reflection moves back. Psii does not.

FO: Velius's fins adjusted, but he kept watching from waist level, eyes wide. He was too interested to liveblog. He'd be kicking himself about that later.

FO: ...He took a few pictures though. Quietly. And turned on a video record. Computer glasses were awesome.

CO: .... He looks between the skull and the troll in front of him. Leans past Psii to look at his own reflection. ... It sure is... Still reflected, still opposite. Look at the Skull. It's.... Definitely opposite.

CO: ".... What side are your scars on," he vaguely murmurs at the mirror.

TA: He keeps side-eyeing the skull. That was his reflection's. It had to be. It's absolutely fucking strange, and terrifying, and he reaches for his jaw unconsciously to rub gentle fingers over the two scars just underneath it.

TA: ...On the left.

CO: "... Why do you feel more right than he does..." The skull disappears.

TA: "h-he pulled me in and... took my place." Thank fuck the skull was gone.

FO: Velius chirped very softly.

FO: "When?"

TA: "i don't know, a while? time is... hard."

CO: "What's the last thing you remember doin?"

FO: Fins adjusted with interest.

TA: "waking up, my no2e wa2 bleeding, i took a 2hower... got out, wiped off the mirror and ju2t... wanted to touch it."

TA: "...he pulled me in, and i wa2 2tuck... then there wa2 2haking."

CO: "..." His ears flick. He should leave him in there. Shouldn't he?

FO: "...so, you obviously missed the rebellion."

CO: ..... He was just talking about what he wanted the Empress to be...

CO: He tries to poke at the mirror with his mind, eyes glowing soft purple.

TA: ...His ears fell a little. He looks a little scared again. "...ive. 2een the headline2, a little. i looked out a 2hop window for a bit..."

TA: There sure is a Wall in front of the mind inside the mirror. Though Psii flinches again away from the purple in Ringleader's eyes.

FO: "Do you remember burnin a carnival?"

TA: "no, no i didn't, i'd never... i... not anymore." He feels like curling up again.

CO: ".... Vel, can you get in?" He doesn't trust him.

FO: .. Velius opened his mind enough to Look at the mirror, with all of his senses. And into it, just enough.

TA: Wow, fuck, that sure is Shiny as shit. The same wall exists, but there is definitely a scared, repentant Mind behind it.

FO: "He's thinky," Velius said, which was hopefully enough. He asked the Enforcer another question, this time watching his responses in more ways. "D'you remember goin after the castle servants again?"

TA: "i... no. i was expecting more 2hipment2 from grand. i wa2 going to change thing2, i had the council on my 2ide..." The tears are threatening to fall again.

FO: Velius let one hand make a thumbs up, out of the mirror's view.

CO: He stares at Enforcer still, eyes flicking to the thumb only for a moment. "Well, isn't this interesting..."

CO: His eyes stopped glowing at 'He's thinky', which is probably for the best.

FO: "I can't think of any other stuff to ask."

FO: "About Time."

TA: He glances away, hands wrapping around his ribs gently. Holding himself together. These were the first people who'd talked to him, besides the child who had screamed.

FO: "...Oh. Hi, I'm Terrible. I've been avoidin talkin to you for a while. I figure you know him though."

TA: "...ye2."

FO: "Your descendant's a good kid, and they are all fine."

CO: He bows at the waist, a grand, sweeping thing--scrape, abrupt collapse. Ow fuck horns.

TA: "oh thank fu-" He... Looks at Ringleader for a moment. The thin trace of a smile plays across his lips. Fucking clowns...

FO: Velius gave Enforcer a scoldiing look, and a quick silent 'sh', before bending to help Ringleader a moment.

CO: He clutches at his head for a second, groaning softly. Ow. Ow ow he doesn't deserve this.

TA: He just nods, and the smile drops. Because. Well, he realizes that it's his fault. As per fucking usual.

FO: "...dude, high ceilins. work on that."

CO: There's a small set of twin gouges in the sooty wall.

FO: ..Pat pat RL.

CO: "I don't wanna step three fuckin feet away to bend over," he whines.

FO: "Well, you gotta, or you're gonna donk your noggin,"

CO: Another whine.

FO: "Coulda stayed streamlined," he passed a hand over his own head, "--but noo.."

CO: "I wanted em," he huffs, trying to rub the tip of a horn. Is it chipped? Is he good?

CO: ... o... okay, he's good. He might want wicked to look at em, but....

FO: Pat pat.

FO: ..he looked back to Enforcer.

TA: He watches. Silent and still moderately scared. "...i'm 2orry."

FO: ...Fin raise?

CO: Ew. Gross. Don't apologize, that means he has to feel bad.

CO: Oh wait, he doesn't have to feel bad, he can Choose! Fuck that.

CO: He stands up, slowly.

TA: Wow Ringleader is too fucking tall. Little shrink, submissive ears and posture.

FO: "..You remember the independance day fireworks?"

TA: "ye2."

CO: .... Slow grin.

FO: "...that gives a window at least."

CO: "The nose bleeds sound like the week everythin happened, before, brother."

TA: "i... my blog, i po2ted. i wa2 talking to murali2t."

CO: "... The next shipment sounds like... the night before."

FO: "oh, shit! yeah! When she was gettin shouty!"

CO: "Yeeeep."

TA: "...he left, and came back. and then the ca2tle 2hook, and he left again."

FO: "Dualscar crashed a boat into it,"

TA: Muttermutter something something fucking pirates.

FO: "It didn't like that so much."

CO: "And then I fought you." He waves with his newly fuckened arm.

TA: "...not me."

FO: Velius looked up at Ringleader.

FO: "..There's two,"

FO: "... You gave up one, but there's two."

TA: ...Gave up? Confusion and fear. What does that mean?

CO: His expression abruptly sharpens.

CO: He Wants.

CO: .... He reaches out to touch the mirror, trying to see if he can get through it at all.

TA: ...Not quite, though Psii puts his hand against the mirror on the other side. The warmth is just... Just perceptible.

FO: Velius looked to Enforcer. "..He had this whole plan, but they argued about it. The ocean wanted you dead an he had to give you up so it could do that. ...but that one's dead now, an they only bargained for one."

FO: "...A lota dudes don't like you."

TA: "...a lot of people have rea2on not to like me."

CO: .... He presses his hand flat against the mirror.

CO: Let him in.... :o(

FO: "Do you get visions and headaches in there?"

TA: "ju2t dream2. memorie2."

FO: Velius's gaze slowly strayed from Enforcer, up the mirror itself, as he started searching its pattern... There had to be some kind of clue, some sort of catch or release, some part of it that was Shinier than the rest...

CO: "Of what?"

TA: Rl is so close, he can feel the warm of Enforcer's hand pressing flat on the other side. "of thing2 ive done. wrong2 ive committed."

TA: "...im 2orry. not ju2t for the horn2. not ju2t for you. for everything."

TA: "i was wrong."

CO: "You don't think a 'sorry' is gonna fix everythin, do you?"

CO: He's trying not to relate to this.

FO: ..Nothing felt shinier. Everything was just right, exactly how it was supposed to be, and Velius sat and absorbed the quiet for a moment.

TA: The mirror is Thinner, when he says his apology. Like a dent in a soap bubble. "no. it wont. i will never, ever rever2e the wrong2 ive committed."

CO: He rolls his eyes. .... But presses a little. Come on. Just a little more. "What a fuckin cop out that is."

FO: Velius's fins spread, and he started holding his breath, coverng his mouth.

FO: ..he stepped just barely out of the way.

TA: "...no. it2 not. i was w-wrong, i hurt 2o many people, and i betrayed my b-be2t friend, and..." There's the tears again. Thinner and thinner, more like plastic wrap now, visibly caving inward. "people 2hould hate me..."

CO: "It is a goddamn copout. You don't go 'oh, i can't ever fix it', you fuckin try."

CO: He actually snaps at the figure in the mirror. But his fingers start scratching at the mirror now, let him in let him in let him in.

FO: Velius held his breath, and watched, enchanted -- and getting ready to immobilize a giant scary Captor with mind powers just in case that became a thing he suddenly needed to do.

TA: Psii cowers, but his hand wraps around Ringleader's. "...im 2cared i'll never be able to fix what ive done wrong."

TA: And the Mirror dissolves under Aeshma's hand.

CO: Yank.

CO: Get out here, motherfucker.

TA: Tumble.

TA: That was definitely super graceful.

CO: He catches the Captor, and then adjusts his grip to hold him close. No escape.

CO: Yank his lower half out of the mirror as well, over a sink. Very graceful.

TA: Over the broken sink, scratching his stomach and legs up in the process. But the first Real Touch he's had in a while, and he just fucking breaks down. He doesn't care that this is the Grand, for a minute. All he can do is cling to the coolness and sob.

CO: ..... W... well. That's... Not what he expected. He looks at Vel helplessly over Enforcer's head.

FO: Velius looked back at him, then gave a thumbs up and drew a fingertip down his cheek from his eye.

FO: "...Now you got the least likely cry buddy."

FO: ..Velius signed, { Let's get him contained. }

CO: He makes a dubious face, looking down at the psionic. ... But nods, after a second. He still... Has the cuff he stuck on the Other One. Click.

TA: He suddenly stiffens. Tries to spark up only to meet resistance. And now he's going to struggle, clawing at the arms holding him. How could he have fucking forgotten that this was the Grand?

CO: He grabs at wrists as quickly as he can, rumbling softly.

CO: "Hey, motherfucker, calm your ass."

FO: "...You're probably gonna be fine, dude," Velius interjected carefully.

TA: The look he gives Aesh is one of sheer, unbridled terror. He calms, but only enough so his wrists stop jerking in the highblood's grip.

CO: .... He revels in it for a moment, before sighing. He'll stick the hands by Psii's side. "If you're sorry, chill out. I'm not gonna torture you to death."

TA: He doesn't relax, but he does hold still. "...youd have every right. the people would 2upport you."

CO: He rolls his eyes. "I know, but then I'd be bein lame."

FO: Velius chirped softly, fins rising again.

CO: Sometimes, Vel's influence is obvious.

TA: "...w-where will you take me?" Somewhere not dark. Please.

CO: .... He rubs his face with one hand, letting Psii have exactly one. "Fuck, I dunno. Now I gotta make sure you won't be assassinated..."

CO: Mutter something about the sea.

TA: The hand stays where its left, but his claws twitch for a moment. "...that2 a di2tinct po22ibility.."

TA: Yeah he's really trying to keep the waver out of his voice.

FO: "...out a universe ...?"

FO: "..Until long term stuff with uh. Trust dudes. Can kinda.."

CO: "... What i'm thinkin, yeah."

TA: He flinches, a bit. "...no one out there like2 me either."

FO: "..Um hey, maybe the one guy from the one chat," How is anyone supposed to know you mean Maoltu.

CO: "What if you and wicked gained a hive mate for like a day or two..." What a fucking terrible idea that is.

CO: "....... Cave?"

FO: "... We could keep him safe pretty easy while you talked folks through the idea."

CO: "Yeah. Knowin Tarrat, he's got everythin prepped, if that's what we're gonna do."

FO: "... That sounds like him," Velius reluctantly admitted.

TA: "no cave2, plea2e."

CO: ".... Think I just might need Wicked a bit anyway."

CO: He puts a hand on Psii's face.

TA: Hard flinch.

CO: Hush, adults are talking.

FO: Velius looked to Psii, fins adjusting. He sounded more sympathetic. "... We don' live near any caves, an outta universe dudes aren't as stabby as you'd think."

CO: Some of them are.

FO: Some of them are.

TA: "...nowhere dark. plea2e." Lean away from the hand, don't. Do that.

CO: ..... He sighs softly. "We're not stickin you any place terrible, for fucks sake."

TA: He doesn't understand why they wouldn't.

FO: "No dark," Velius promised.

TA: Psii nods at Vel, and gently tries to get his other hand out of the Grand's grip.

CO: What an interesting fear that he totally doesn't want to exploit.........

CO: Nope, that is his arm.

TA: A very, very soft and scared whine.

CO: It doesn't hurt. But it's sure not going to be removed.

TA: His free arm wraps around his ribs again.

CO: ".... i'm torn between you tellin wicked and me tellin wicked."

CO: .... He pulls out his phone.

FO: "Can I tell the internet?"

FO: "Because ladyface is already workin on that."

CO: "Uh.... I'm. Not sure about Dual, yet. Let's get a place for him first."

FO: "Okay."

FO: Velius looked back at Ringleader for a solid second and a half before getting bored, and looking to Enforcer again.

FO: "You were kind of a huge asshole, but you're sorry and I have the attention span of a gnat, so I'm gonna make sure you stay okay for the immediate future. Because basements are ass and I hate them."

FO: He offered his hand to shake.

CO: Psii has one hand to shake with and the other is trapped.

TA: ...Psii reached out his hand, and took Vel's gently for a little shake. It retreated quickly. "i am finding it a bit hard to believe, but. I d-don't have much 2ay in the matter."

FO: "Life's like that sometimes. Can't help it much."

TA: He tried to nod, but mostly just trembled. ...Tug his hand. :(

CO: Squeeze it a little bit, "This is mine."

FO: "... Are you hungry?"

CO: Just... Staring at his phone.

TA: "...i hadn't thought about it, but ye2. and thir2ty."

FO: Velius uncaptchalogued a plastic water bottle, took off the lid, and offered the soft container to Enforcer. "Don't be a dick."

FO: He had a weirdly piercing gaze, blankly staring up at him.

TA: ...He reaches, and takes it, and starts eagerly swallowing water.

FO: Velius gave a thumbs up, mainaining direct eye contact.

TA: Fucking fuck that's creepy.

TA: He drains almost the whole bottle, and splashes the last of it on his face and rubs away some of the soot.

FO: A pre-wrapped sandwich apeared in Velius's hands, and he unwrapped it, then offered it up next.

TA: He takes it, offering back the empty bottle. And then shoves food in his mouth with a soft sound.

TA: ...His reflection is sorta... Fading slowly into view.

FO: Velius took the bottle back, and disappeared it into thin air.

TA: Its horns are carved, and there's a lot of yellow blood soaking the back of its shirt. And there's horrifying bruises around its neck.

CO: .... Hot. He shoves his phone in his hammerspace. "Wicked's chill with it."

FO: ..Velius spared a glance for the mirror. ...Hhhhuh, that's gotta feel shitty.

TA: Psii has not noticed yet. The reflection is pale as shit though. He finishes the sandwich fucking fast, and his hand wraps around himself again.

CO: ... Sucks to suck.

FO: "..We'll get you settled dude." Velius had some Concerns about Enforcer's health, but he could wait for that until after Ringleader had left them semi alone.

FO: Velius looked up to Ringleader. "...Time to go? I could get a pad,"

TA: "where to? with you, terrible?"

CO: "... Yeah, please do. Wicked sent me coordinates."

FO: "Yeah, with me," Velius promised. A moment later, a transport pad appeared nearby.

FO: "You comin with, or you gonna find a dude first?"

CO: "i'm gonna... ... Come with. For just a bit. I wanna see everythin."

TA: A soft fearful whine. It's still very hard to tell himself he's not going to a torture basement.

FO: Velius chirped affirmation, and stepped onto the pad. It probably wouldn't hurt to have someone more than a fraction of Enforcer's size along to help ensure he went into where he needed to be.

CO: Poke at the thing to put in the coordinates, and then he steps on too.

TA: He's being dragged right along.

FO: And they disappear into thin air.

#ooc eyes only #mild injuries #tormentedannihilation #carnivalsorphans

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