( Red always really appreciates Fei's ability to get directly to the point instead of dancing around it like some would. Red's often like a bulldozer herself. )
( Red laughs a little in surprise because she had kind of forgot she even used the term. )
Well, it's a pretty famous story in my world that got told over and over in a lot of different ways. This guy- an outlaw hero named Robin Hood steals from the rich and gives to the poor. It's his whole thing.
[Diego and Emilia head off on their adventures, and Allison agrees to stick around in town while they're gone to keep an eye on the wolves. In a weird way, she's kind of missed the Graces, their continuous entourage is something of a comfort in a world that's always changing.
She has not missed Five complaining about them though. It's been replaced with Five complaining about the ridiculous texts Diego is sending to check in, but at least that is entertaining.
She also is getting to know the people that Diego and Emilia are sharing their space with. Magnus and Hermione are at least familiar faces, but Red is new. And if Red is trusted with the Graces, then Diego clearly has faith in her. Tracking the girl down, she offers a smile and jerks her thumb back towards the kitchen.]
( Red is still trying to adjust to this - living with other people, living, having friends and people who care and who look out for each other. And it's all fucking weird.
But also really cool and amazing and too-good-to-be-true except they're also in a freaky place, but it's better than the Underworld. Not that that's hard. Red lifts her head when Allison enters the room, and- and she takes a moment to register it all: inhuman, magical glow-y like Diego- nothing like she's ever felt before, sharp reds and deceptive warmth, like the smell of something hot and simmering, and then- then this awkward-ish feeling too. The auras people have here are so unique, so strong, so overwhelming and moving and vibrant- it's strange, but cool too. )
I'm basically always hungry now, and I've got no idea how to cook. So. Yeah. One hundred percent. Please, let me join you. ( She hops up to her feet from where she'd been sitting, taking notes on what her next... etiquette class will consist of. ) You're Diego's sister, right?
[She remembers her first time out on her own. She definitely cheated when it came to food, either rumoring people into making it for her, or ordering out until she could make it on her own, but she eventually did learn.]
If you want I could teach you a few things? I'm not a five star chef or anything, but I can help with the basics.
Understandable! That keen needs to earn its way back.
I'm very okay, though I'm disappointed to report that I did not, in fact, unwind. I mean I did go through it, it just wasn't relaxing. The synonym for unwind. Their marketing for this whole thing was completely inaccurate. Terrible PR campaign!
Fuck yeah it does. I won't make it easy on that keen.
Good. I know you're well traveled and all, but doesn't mean you're immune from being worried about. You're right though. Some false advertising there. No relaxation to be found. Speaking of how well traveled and smart you are, any thoughts on what actually happened?
[ It's too hard to say goodbye in person, because it's too tempting to stay.
Before Vanessa leaves, she'll have a letter sent to Red, alongside a small and minimalistic cigarette tin wrapped with care. Inside the lid, Red's name is engraved.
The letter reads: ]
My dear Red, I do not know if we will ever meet again, but I know that so long as these memories remain mine, then I will carry the image of you with me until the end.
I wonder, have you seen yourself? You are burdened with the Sight of others, to understand another person's soul before you even know their thoughts. I worry that it keeps you from knowing the vision of your own soul as another might see it.
I bore witness to a creature so radiant that I have been in awe for it. I saw a heart so tender that I wept. I felt a violence that was stunning. I think that if you set your mind to the path you desire, then nothing will stop you. I only wish that I could see what you will become, but I know that no matter where it finds you, you will be loved for it.
Please, never forget your passion, for your vibrancy inspired me. I will miss you.
( Red knew Vanessa was going to go through the beacon. They talked about it. It's the reason why she knows as soon as she sees the envelope with Vanessa's handwriting on it that she's gone. The beacon is being activated right now. Red's avoiding it like she can somehow avoid her fate, but the collar she was given for her help with the city is proof that isn't so. Even here.
And Vanessa's gone. She must already be gone, and what the hell can she do anyway? Stop her? Try to take away her choice? They only have so many in these worlds. Vanessa is one of the only other individuals who knows what it's like to struggle with this idea of identity (how fucking mixed up it can get when gods are involved).
Beyond that, Red cares about her a great deal, respects and admires her. There's the connection that was forged in the Labyrinth between them, everything they've gone through here together. And just like that she's gone through the Beacon, gone as if she was never here at all, won't remember this place - none of them will when they return. But already there's this ache opening inside of her chest to know she'll never see Vanessa again. Here Red's been debating if she should ever return, face reality or bury her fucking head in the sand more, and Vanessa does not debate but acts despite the very clear danger Red knows waits for her.
She heads up the stairs, shuts the door behind her, and curls up in a corner of her room. She's the only one in this empty house, clutching the letter with shaky hands. Red pulls it out of the envelope, tries to read it. She can only read the first line before her eyes blur over with tears again and again, and she slides her hand over her mouth, a muffled sound is released there. Caught between anger and sadness. Of the group of them who arrived all together securing passports, how many are even left? Fei's gone, Vanessa, it-
Red shuts the letter and folds it up tight: once, twice, three times without reading the rest. The paper is pressed to her palm, and the first gift anyone's ever given to her - personally, just for her lies at her feet. )
[ Although it's been a matter of weeks since Vanessa's seen Red, the memory of missing her and the others spanned far less time by logistics' sake, and that disconnect is something she's still having to work through in her mind by the time they're forced onto the airship. When thinking back on her time in London now, it's as if her heartbreak retroactively bleeds into the wrong memories.
Now when thinking on it, it's clear that she's been missing them for weeks, but something had kept her from consciously knowing why. The losses of Sembene, Sir Malcolm, and Ethan were easy enough marks for her melancholy in that abandoned house, after all. Why look further? It's an insult to her core to have her memories so tampered with, especially when she already has a long history of inconvenient memory blocks.
With barely enough time to recuperate from both loss and recovery, Vanessa is too flustered to do much beyond follow the Doctor to the airship and let him hold her steady while she marvels mutely at the sight of Serthica growing smaller and smaller. It's something that could have made her grin in wonder, had she not ever returned to London.
It's while they're on the ship that Vanessa can tell that Red is near. Where exactly, she doesn't know, but Vanessa knows the feel of her vibrations better than almost anyone else in their company, aside from the Doctor. Yet she doesn't seek Red out, too afraid for the sight she makes, having rushed to tie her hair back and wearing the barest dress underneath her overcoat. She isn't vain, but she doesn't want the girl to worry more than she likely already has.
The flight is long, but it's early on when Vanessa tries to find a moment alone, and she finds it in a rather noisy party of the airship that others seem to avoid. She assumes it's near the engine. There, she'll sit on the floor and attempt to type out something resembling a letter to Red. Of course, she takes far too long deleting and re-writing, as nothing really sounds right.
She can't summon the encouragement that she'd had before leaving. ]
( It's overwhelming at first - her heightened senses, everyone's auras all smushed together in the airship. On top of that, there is the sensation of being in the sky, which is entirely new even though the mortal realm where she's from has airplanes. She has never been on one. It's the reason it takes her time to sort through it all, but eventually she feels that particular connection to Vanessa, senses that she's here too.
But that should be impossible. Unless-
Other people were spit back out of the beacon. Red thinks she hates the thought of being yanked back and forth like that. If she chooses to go through the Beacon, it had better just let her, but she can't help but feel selfishly grateful at the idea that Vanessa may have been yanked back. She still hasn't read her letter (like if she did then it would signal the last pieces of her that were left in this world), and so she keeps it on her, folded up, pressed into a pocket - near.
Red follows that feeling, follows her senses, her supernatural ability to track down anyone she has met before so long as they're actually here. And she is. Red finds the private spot, opening the door, breathing in sharp with worry at the very sight of her. It's clear from that one look she's been through some kind of hell, and her own hands clutch to the collar under her sleeve, fingertips digging into her skin. )
...you're here. ( It's said in such a quiet whisper. It's likely not heard over the loud rumble of the engine. )
[ Vanessa can feel her before the door opens, her last attempt at sending a message as the pocket watch is lowered into her lap. The relief that floods her at the sight of Red is selfish, but she bathes in it; that, and the guilt. How lucky she is to be able to see the people she cares for again. These people didn't abandon her. In turn, she had been the one to leave them behind, although not for lack of love.
Staying seated, she glances Red over in a subconscious sizing of her constitution. Her beautiful beast had been crying. In that case, Vanessa wants to bring her news that might cheer her, but the victory of Evil over Evil feels too hollow to celebrate.
Though her form is still, her eyes are flicking about, assessing Red's features intimately even from here. Vanessa can hear her. She can see her.
What can Red see? ]
Am I?
[ Though prone to obscure poetical mutterings when suffering her melancholy, Vanessa's question isn't entirely rhetorical. Vanessa wants to reach out for Red, to pull her into her lap and stroke her hair and apologize for leaving, but she worries. What does Red see beyond her ashen skin and fragile bones? ]
[ Once Wrathion enough information, she'll get her magnet made up and sent to her. Wrathion used Kahl's electromagnet in his armour to charge the metal, so it should connect snappily to her chains -- she might just need to set it down, change, then move close to put one of the metal cuffs near it. Kahl has one that matches hers -- go magnet charm team! Since she has two forms, he will make sure hers has a loop at the top if she wants to wear it as a pendant when not in Big Beast mode.
The gem in its mouth will have a soft swirling red glow when it has enough charge to be active, and stay a dull black while recharging or at the end of the arc when it runs out! She can keep it past Alem, if she is into the aesthetic, it just won't trigger this specific spell anymore. Maybe it could be used for something else, however!
She can use it five times a day, for 5 minutes each, to sprout dark black wings which will allow her to glide either safely to the ground, or across a small space -- anywhere but upwards as they aren't strong enough to ascend. She can steer while gliding of course! The wings trail a slight golden sparkle, because Anduin helped enchant this and everything he touches Sparkles. I would not want to be the bad guy who has a winged cerberus descending upon them. One of the wings has B.P inscribed, which is Wrathion's usual signature. ]
( It is an absolutely beautiful magnet - her third gift ever (well, technically it's a commission, but it feels like an almost-gift anyway). Her finger traces over the wings, noting that the magnet is shaped like a dragon and he was in the Tower wanting to learn more about Irenia and his aura is like that of lava - so full of heat. It's... curious.
She does not get the chance to thank him before the battle takes off again, and she is thankfully able to use the magnet pretty swiftly to save herself from what surely would have been a hard fall to the floor. And she notes the wings (again, curious) that his magic comes with too, spreading out from Cerberus' back as she glides to safety but not before raining fiery terror and teeth from above on any harpies near.
Shortly after she rests from that battle, she'll send out a message to communicate her gratitude, and maybe to ask about the whole... dragon-ness of it all: )
Hey, just wanted to thank you sincerely. It worked - saved my neck... and well, the rest of me from a swift hit upon the ground. Also, as a bonus, it's the most beautiful fuckin' item I've ever owned.
...you take requests even in the middle of a siege?
Impressive.
What I received was perfect, but I might take you up on a request or two for something else too. ( Her smile quirks further before she... wonders how the fuck to even bring up the rest of what she wanted to say.
Shit. )
Can I ask you something with... the caveat that you don't have to respond if you don't want to?
Oh, sure. If I decide to set a woman chained to an altar free, I'm called irresponsible and raked over hot coals, but a bunch of old wizards can decide it's absolutely not dangerous that we suddenly have an undead dragon? Ugh.
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un: nutcracker (text)
[ Apropos of nothing and to the point. ]
un: nah.
Lay it on me.
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[ Don't ask how long she's been trying to make sense of the term. ]
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Well, it's a pretty famous story in my world that got told over and over in a lot of different ways. This guy- an outlaw hero named Robin Hood steals from the rich and gives to the poor. It's his whole thing.
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And the people thought he was a hero? What happened to him?
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ty for indulging me with this
ty for tagging lmaoo it's such a hilarious/cute thread
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action
She has not missed Five complaining about them though. It's been replaced with Five complaining about the ridiculous texts Diego is sending to check in, but at least that is entertaining.
She also is getting to know the people that Diego and Emilia are sharing their space with. Magnus and Hermione are at least familiar faces, but Red is new. And if Red is trusted with the Graces, then Diego clearly has faith in her. Tracking the girl down, she offers a smile and jerks her thumb back towards the kitchen.]
I was going to make some dinner. You hungry?
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But also really cool and amazing and too-good-to-be-true except they're also in a freaky place, but it's better than the Underworld. Not that that's hard. Red lifts her head when Allison enters the room, and- and she takes a moment to register it all: inhuman, magical glow-y like Diego- nothing like she's ever felt before, sharp reds and deceptive warmth, like the smell of something hot and simmering, and then- then this awkward-ish feeling too. The auras people have here are so unique, so strong, so overwhelming and moving and vibrant- it's strange, but cool too. )
I'm basically always hungry now, and I've got no idea how to cook. So. Yeah. One hundred percent. Please, let me join you. ( She hops up to her feet from where she'd been sitting, taking notes on what her next... etiquette class will consist of. ) You're Diego's sister, right?
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[She remembers her first time out on her own. She definitely cheated when it came to food, either rumoring people into making it for her, or ordering out until she could make it on her own, but she eventually did learn.]
If you want I could teach you a few things? I'm not a five star chef or anything, but I can help with the basics.
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( Much as she may like to. She had no idea how tasty food was before, and then Emilia introduced her to her own, and bam. Life-? Changing. )
So how long have you been in like this world? I'm collecting advice from all the oldbies.
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Just to set a standard of expectation here, I am nowhere near Emilia's level of skill.
[This will not be delicious Italian food, this will be Allison teaches the basics.]
But it will be edible and have a good amount of flavor.
[But that being said:]
I've been here a little over a year now. Give or take.
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post-unwinding | un: dollhouse (text) (1/2)
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[ hold please; two second-pause ]
You okay? All appendages accounted for? No bad dreams? That was a bit of a thing, eh? Just checking.
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Oh, y'know. I'm peachy. Gonna withhold the keen this time, but all ten fingers and toes are there.
What about you? You okay? Cause yeah that was some fucked up stuff.
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I'm very okay, though I'm disappointed to report that I did not, in fact, unwind. I mean I did go through it, it just wasn't relaxing. The synonym for unwind. Their marketing for this whole thing was completely inaccurate. Terrible PR campaign!
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Good. I know you're well traveled and all, but doesn't mean you're immune from being worried about. You're right though. Some false advertising there. No relaxation to be found. Speaking of how well traveled and smart you are, any thoughts on what actually happened?
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Before Vanessa leaves, she'll have a letter sent to Red, alongside a small and minimalistic cigarette tin wrapped with care. Inside the lid, Red's name is engraved.
The letter reads: ]
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And Vanessa's gone. She must already be gone, and what the hell can she do anyway? Stop her? Try to take away her choice? They only have so many in these worlds. Vanessa is one of the only other individuals who knows what it's like to struggle with this idea of identity (how fucking mixed up it can get when gods are involved).
Beyond that, Red cares about her a great deal, respects and admires her. There's the connection that was forged in the Labyrinth between them, everything they've gone through here together. And just like that she's gone through the Beacon, gone as if she was never here at all, won't remember this place - none of them will when they return. But already there's this ache opening inside of her chest to know she'll never see Vanessa again. Here Red's been debating if she should ever return, face reality or bury her fucking head in the sand more, and Vanessa does not debate but acts despite the very clear danger Red knows waits for her.
She heads up the stairs, shuts the door behind her, and curls up in a corner of her room. She's the only one in this empty house, clutching the letter with shaky hands. Red pulls it out of the envelope, tries to read it. She can only read the first line before her eyes blur over with tears again and again, and she slides her hand over her mouth, a muffled sound is released there. Caught between anger and sadness. Of the group of them who arrived all together securing passports, how many are even left? Fei's gone, Vanessa, it-
Red shuts the letter and folds it up tight: once, twice, three times without reading the rest. The paper is pressed to her palm, and the first gift anyone's ever given to her - personally, just for her lies at her feet. )
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Now when thinking on it, it's clear that she's been missing them for weeks, but something had kept her from consciously knowing why. The losses of Sembene, Sir Malcolm, and Ethan were easy enough marks for her melancholy in that abandoned house, after all. Why look further? It's an insult to her core to have her memories so tampered with, especially when she already has a long history of inconvenient memory blocks.
With barely enough time to recuperate from both loss and recovery, Vanessa is too flustered to do much beyond follow the Doctor to the airship and let him hold her steady while she marvels mutely at the sight of Serthica growing smaller and smaller. It's something that could have made her grin in wonder, had she not ever returned to London.
It's while they're on the ship that Vanessa can tell that Red is near. Where exactly, she doesn't know, but Vanessa knows the feel of her vibrations better than almost anyone else in their company, aside from the Doctor. Yet she doesn't seek Red out, too afraid for the sight she makes, having rushed to tie her hair back and wearing the barest dress underneath her overcoat. She isn't vain, but she doesn't want the girl to worry more than she likely already has.
The flight is long, but it's early on when Vanessa tries to find a moment alone, and she finds it in a rather noisy party of the airship that others seem to avoid. She assumes it's near the engine. There, she'll sit on the floor and attempt to type out something resembling a letter to Red. Of course, she takes far too long deleting and re-writing, as nothing really sounds right.
She can't summon the encouragement that she'd had before leaving. ]
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But that should be impossible. Unless-
Other people were spit back out of the beacon. Red thinks she hates the thought of being yanked back and forth like that. If she chooses to go through the Beacon, it had better just let her, but she can't help but feel selfishly grateful at the idea that Vanessa may have been yanked back. She still hasn't read her letter (like if she did then it would signal the last pieces of her that were left in this world), and so she keeps it on her, folded up, pressed into a pocket - near.
Red follows that feeling, follows her senses, her supernatural ability to track down anyone she has met before so long as they're actually here. And she is. Red finds the private spot, opening the door, breathing in sharp with worry at the very sight of her. It's clear from that one look she's been through some kind of hell, and her own hands clutch to the collar under her sleeve, fingertips digging into her skin. )
...you're here. ( It's said in such a quiet whisper. It's likely not heard over the loud rumble of the engine. )
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Staying seated, she glances Red over in a subconscious sizing of her constitution. Her beautiful beast had been crying. In that case, Vanessa wants to bring her news that might cheer her, but the victory of Evil over Evil feels too hollow to celebrate.
Though her form is still, her eyes are flicking about, assessing Red's features intimately even from here. Vanessa can hear her. She can see her.
What can Red see? ]
Am I?
[ Though prone to obscure poetical mutterings when suffering her melancholy, Vanessa's question isn't entirely rhetorical. Vanessa wants to reach out for Red, to pull her into her lap and stroke her hair and apologize for leaving, but she worries. What does Red see beyond her ashen skin and fragile bones? ]
What is left of me?
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/the latest sobs
/somehow even laterrrrr
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Delivery;
The gem in its mouth will have a soft swirling red glow when it has enough charge to be active, and stay a dull black while recharging or at the end of the arc when it runs out! She can keep it past Alem, if she is into the aesthetic, it just won't trigger this specific spell anymore. Maybe it could be used for something else, however!
She can use it five times a day, for 5 minutes each, to sprout dark black wings which will allow her to glide either safely to the ground, or across a small space -- anywhere but upwards as they aren't strong enough to ascend. She can steer while gliding of course! The wings trail a slight golden sparkle, because Anduin helped enchant this and everything he touches Sparkles. I would not want to be the bad guy who has a winged cerberus descending upon them. One of the wings has B.P inscribed, which is Wrathion's usual signature. ]
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She does not get the chance to thank him before the battle takes off again, and she is thankfully able to use the magnet pretty swiftly to save herself from what surely would have been a hard fall to the floor. And she notes the wings (again, curious) that his magic comes with too, spreading out from Cerberus' back as she glides to safety but not before raining fiery terror and teeth from above on any harpies near.
Shortly after she rests from that battle, she'll send out a message to communicate her gratitude, and maybe to ask about the whole... dragon-ness of it all: )
Hey, just wanted to thank you sincerely. It worked - saved my neck... and well, the rest of me from a swift hit upon the ground. Also, as a bonus, it's the most beautiful fuckin' item I've ever owned.
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I'm glad it has served its purpose. If you require any adjustments, do let me know.
[ Then, with a hint of amusement: ]
Or if you'd like something else. I take requests.
[ Making decorative things is much more relaxing than thinking about everything else going on, honestly. ]
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Impressive.
What I received was perfect, but I might take you up on a request or two for something else too. ( Her smile quirks further before she... wonders how the fuck to even bring up the rest of what she wanted to say.
Shit. )
Can I ask you something with... the caveat that you don't have to respond if you don't want to?
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audio; dated to some times when it becomes clear that Irenia was seduced to their side