atlantis ♔ bury anchors in our ghosts

[cigam]

♬ Buried in Water - Dead Man's Bones

WHO || Amara, Zatanna, Lila, David, Emma, Hook
WHAT || The Knights head to the lost city of Atlantis to discover the truth about the curse of the Homo Magi
WHERE || Atlantis
WHEN || April 10th, 2015 [backdated].
HOW || Actionspam. Single thread.

It's been two years since a mission in the Bermuda Triangle led to the discovery of the hidden home of the race known as the Homo Magi - the original race of pure-blooded sorcerers.  Inflicted with a curse that causes them to fall in love at first sight with any mortal they see, they had secluded themselves there, taking slaves of those who were lost in the Triangle to help defend their city.  On that ill-fated mission, the Homo Magi Amara fell victim to the curse, falling in "love" with David Charming and defecting from her people in order to have the chance to be with him.  Now a danger to herself and potentially others, the Knights have sought a way to free her of her curse, so far to no avail.  Lila, however, has finally convinced Amara herself to help, convincing her that the only way to prove that her love for David is real is to prove that the curse has no bearing on it.  Amara has uncovered the location of the Homo Magi's original home: the lost city of Atlantis, where she believes they can uncover the truth about the curse's origins, and in so doing, a way to reverse it, and free her people of it once and for all.

To this end, the Knights are drifting out into the Atlantic Ocean in Hook's ship, seeking the whirlpool that will supposedly take them to the underwater city.

Comments

[bittersweeter]

[ as the shackles reform around her wrists, she reflexively yanks at them, ignoring david's conciliatory pleas because they're angering her off even more. emma's words draws her attention though and she shakes her head stubbornly, but before she can protest, poseidon is speaking again.

no, that still sounds like a horrible plan, but trying to talk emma out of anything is like trying to persuade a brick wall. another curse is not what they fucking need, especially one from poseidon who apparently thinks free will doesn't exist. ]

Does that mean... you leave with us? [ she's addressing emma, because fuck poseidon. ]

[uncurse]

[ She moved her hand, squeezing Lila's and looking back down at her. ]

Sounds like it. Either way, if it means getting all of you out of here … it's worth it. [ When she said 'all of you,' it was pretty apparent in the thickness of her voice that she meant Lila specifically. She released Lila and stepped back, looking to Amara, David, then up at the light at the top of the temple. She shouted over the temple's quaking. ]

I'll pay it! Just let them out of here!

[generaldavideus]

[David knows the value of making a sale and will not speak until Poseidon agrees one way or another. The first person who speaks in a deal usually loses, he just wants to make sure that everyone gets what they want so they get out of here alive.

He just hopes that everyone else is just as sensible about it.]

[besmitten]

[ ♬ human - of monsters and men

"So be it. Until the Mother of all Magic is satisfied, you will carry this burden by nightfall, that you may learn some respect for the power of the sea." with that, another blast of light appears, coursing all around emma, through her, all the way to the ceiling as the rumbling continues. the light seems to fill her, to expand, until the cream of her skin pales to white. the green of her eyes glows brighter, practically emerald, and her hair splays up around her, waving in the water as it changes, deepens to green, until it's indistinguishable from seaweed. there's a sound like thunder as the light retracts sharply into her, and an inhuman howl would make its way out of her lips. for a moment, she seems to change shapes again and again: to a mass of nothing but that dark seaweed, to a creature that looks something like a horse, but with those terrible green eyes and a weedy mane, and then once more to the deathly pale form that looks most like her. emma would feel a hunger course through her, a dark, angry spike of hatred accompanying it, and in that moment, she would know precisely what her punishment was: she was cursed to turn into a kelpie by night, a shape-changing aquatic creature fused with the spirit of the darkest waters. if she refuses to take solace in the waves before the sun touched down, she will find herself losing her mind to the monstrous nature of what she is, turned into her dark horse form, and be compelled to hunt and devour those of dry land.

in her nighttime kelpie form, whether humanish, or otherwise, she gains some abilities. in the meantime, lila's shackles dissolve into liquid, and she is freed. amara stares at emma in shock. ] What has he done to her?

[uncurse]

[ As the transformation came over her, Emma let out a yell, but what passed her lips was not her voice. She doubled over, fingers curling into the seaweed of her hair, tearing at it in an attempt to dispel the rage without lashing out at her friends. A staggered step carried her away from them, and she flinched away from Amara's demands, all too aware of the monster she'd become. ]

What he said he would. [ Slowly, she lowered her hands, looking on at them with her sunken eyes through hair like weeds. ] This is the price of leaving the temple. He made me into a monster.

[unhand]

Emma...

[Killian pauses for a moment, looking towards Lila quickly to make sure the chains are gone. They are, which means Emma's transformation is now the biggest thing he has to worry about. He steps towards her, holding out a hand.

She may be a monster, but she's still Emma Swan. Love may not break enchantments in this world, but he still believes it to be more powerful than any curse, and he does love her.]

It's just another curse we'll have to overcome. You're still you.

[cigam]

What do you say we get out of here before we manage to offend another higher power? [ zatanna urges, glancing anxiously around as rubble starts to cascade down around them. ] We know the source of the homo magi's curse now. And I might know what we have to do next, but I can't do it here.

[generaldavideus]

[David's been watching all of this in silence, but at least it seems like they all can leave, which was the priority, in the end. As upset as he is about Emma's fate, it could have been worse, and they need to move.]

She's right. We need to get back to the ship.

[He extends one arm out, gesturing for the rest of them to move ahead of him as he brings up the rear.]

Let's go. We'll figure out the rest when we're back at sea level.

[besmitten]

[ amara looks conflicted, staring as emma as though she feels some guilt over all this, but then she just nods and starts towards the door. ] Assuming no more aboleths have tracked down their friend.

[bittersweeter]

[ lila seems too stricken to move for a moment as zatanna and david espouse the logic of it. the shackles that held her to the alter are gone, but guilt holds her there instead.

she'd only wanted to help amara, selfishly, so that every time she saw her she could stop being bombarded by the shame of remembering what she had done when she was cursed by shandra. she would think she was better and then there would be amara and lila could just feel it swell up inside her from this tangible reminder of greg and cassel.

they're no closer to saving amara and now she's ruined emma's life, too as amara starts to move though, she follows like attached by a tether, shamed gaze averting from emma. she has hook for comfort and if lila tried she would only make it worse. everything she touches turns to nightmares, she should have known better. ]

[uncurse]

[ Strained hints of hope burgeoned in Emma's gaze as she looked upon Hook. For a moment, her hand reached out for his, ready to take it, but David's words pierced that veil. In a panic, her hand shrunk back into her side, clumping in near her trunk like piled seaweed.

She could leave Atlantis with them, and she turned in a rush to follow Amara, Lila, and Zatanna onward, but she couldn't leave the ocean. Not like this. Not tonight. But that problem would be something to address after the ensured there were no more aboleths to deal with.

She offered no explanation to Hook for her standoffishness, gliding in a green mass towards the exit of the temple. ]

[cigam]

[ the cost seems clear as they reach the ship, although the quaking below the surface might have alerted more things to their presence. zee again suggests they don't dally, and urges hook to get the ship moving, lending what magical assistance she can to his pilot check. ]

[bittersweeter]

[ lila is the opposite of helpful, slumping against the side of the ship and absently rubbing her wrists like she can still feel the golden shackles against her skin. maybe if she rubs hard enough she'll stop feeling it. ]

[generaldavideus]

[David will follow everyone else on board as well, moving back to the cannon just in case they happen to need it again.

Judging the luck of this mission so far, they just might.]

[cigam]

[ as the ship starts to rise, Amara stands at the side of the ship, watching the lost city and its secrets recede away, as Zatanna moves towards the others, looking between them all, and saying in a low voice ]

It's not entirely unheard of, combating a gods curse. I... know somebody, somebody who might be able to help. [ she shakes her head, but she can't keep the fond smirk from entering her tone ]

You might say he's made magically undermining the divine practically into a lifestyle.

[uncurse]

I can't go with you.

[ Emma stays on the ship while it raises out of the water, but with every intention of diving back in once they surface. ]

It's still dark. If I leave the water before daybreak, I don't think I'll be able to control it.

[ She doesn't clarify what "it" is, but the hateful burn simmers just beneath her chest still. She can feel it aching to consume her. ]

[cigam]

It's fine. He's not an easy man to track down. It might take me some time.

[unhand]

[Killian's pilot check is a 15 + whatever Zatanna gave him, so they're probably doing okay. He gives Emma a soft look, but doesn't argue. She knows her own curse better than he would.]

Stay close, love. We can pull you back onto the ship when the sun rises.

[generaldavideus]

[David nods in acknowledgement, before glancing up to her. At least they have forward motion, at any rate.]

If there's anything I can do to help, let me know.

[He'd rather be useful than waiting.]

[cigam]

You could help by making sure Emma manages fine and keeping an eye on -- [ she glances at amara ] -- the situation. I know a few people that John checks in with once in awhile. Some day, I'll talk him into actually carrying a cellphone. It doesn't help that he's guarded by every anti-scrying spell he's ever been able to find, either.

[bittersweeter]

[ still sitting on the deck, lila's hands unfurl from their tight fists when she's dug her nails in to her palms hard enough to draw blood, dripping over her diamond ring and giving it the same tinge of red as her father's diamond. ]

There isn't some... message spell?

[generaldavideus]

[David follows her eyes to Amara and nods. That much he can do. He was going to do that anyway.]

If he's against scrying, it probably stands to reason that he doesn't like people sending him magical email either.

[Not that he knows whether there's a message spell or not, but it seems obvious enough.]

[cigam]

What David said. He's great at slipping under the radar, but I also know my way past a few of his defenses.

[bittersweeter]

[ quietly: ] Hope so.

[ maybe zee and her friend can fix the mess lila made. ]

[uncurse]

Hey. [ Emma reaches a seaweed-y hand out for Lila's shoulder. ] This doesn't change anything. One way or another, I promise you: we'll find a way to fix this. [ Her gaze skates to Amara. ] All of it.

[ But they're getting closer to the surface now, and Emma's out of time. She releases Lila and backs off, swimming out over the bulwark of Hook's ship. ]

I'll be nearby.