manhattan ♔ there is no knot so steadfast | it won't go broke in the middle of monsoons

[silvermaid]

♬ two years before the mast - astronautalis

WHO || Violet Reedhym, Luthir Reedhym, Myrilandel de Tanos, Finnick Odair, Anastacia O'Keefe, Faith O'Keefe, Nicholas Starkweather
WHAT || The Knights attempt to free Vi from the influence of the Nightmare God Malaak'a
WHERE || Manhattan, New York
WHEN || June 7th, 2014
HOW || Actionspam. Single thread.

Some choices are almost impossible to make. For a year, the Knights have watched Violet fading, the way she always does with the winter thanks to her connection to her mother Persephone. Except in this case, there was no getting better with the arrival of spring. If anything, she's only spiraled further into depression, and it's clear that if this continues, it will spell the end of her sooner than later.

Keijen Blade appeared to several of the Knights in their dreams, to caution them of Vi's impending fate, and to tell them that their plan to save her will end in blood. Of course, he had his own alternative to offer: that she take a deal from Malaak'a that would allow the god to see through her eyes into this world. Realizing that the plan offered by Sehanine to use Faith O'Keefe's dreamwalking ability to sever the connection might simply result in someone giving their life to save hers, Vi agreed to take the offer in one month. However, on the evening of their wedding, Luthir talked her into going through with the goddess' plan, promising not to go into her dream with them.

Their car pulls up in front of Des' horrible rundown apartment building, where they're meant to track down Nicholas Starkweather - a friend of Des', who is apparently also a unicorn. Look, he knows people.

Comments

[desperatewarning]

[Nick prances steps away from the shadow blood and slams his horn into another mirror. (atk 22, dmg 17)]

[moonheart]

[ faith backs up to stand by vi's side again to get away from it too, but the blood is creeping around the circumference of the room, and she winds up backing up straight into a puddle of it. like lightning, it courses up her leg, winds around her torso, and then as she opens her mouth to scream, it floods into her mouth, a disturbing amount of it as her eyes go wide in horror ]

[graveflowers]

No! Faith! [ vi doesn't even think, just reaches out to grab her. she doesn't know what to do but she can't just idly stand there and watch. ]

[desperatewarning]

[Nick abandons his stabbity, because DESCENDANT OF LURUE IN TROUBLE. MUST HELP. He casts a magic circle against evil, which... hopefully will protect faith and vi from the shadow blood.] I'll keep her safe. Go with Luthir.

[graveflowers]

I... [ she can't just leave faith, she's the whole reason faith is in danger in the first place. keijen's words tumble through her mind before she darts toward luthir. she's going to end this once and for all and then the combined force of clerics in nick's apartment can fix faith. they just need to get her out of there first. ]

[luthir]

[ luthir turns around to look at what nick is telling him to 'go' towards, and oh hey look. all those mirrors they shattered on the wall? now look like broken windows, that lead into a garden. and the rest of that shadow shit that isn't lapping around the edges of nick's circle, is all climbing up and out and into that beautiful garden out there. ]

[desperatewarning]

[Now safe in the circle, Nick casts a look at Vi and Luthir and works to try a cure moderate wounds spell on Faith to see if that purges her of the nastiness.]

[graveflowers]

A garden. [ her mouth twists in a sarcastic smile. ] Cute. Come on, elf, you know I can't resist a garden.

[moonheart]

[ as the unicorn casts the spell, faith suddenly takes a deep gasping breath and stands up tall again, eyes searching the room frantically before landing on him. she pats herself all over, looking disoriented, before she turns horrified eyes on nick. ] It's gone. But it--

It went through me.

[desperatewarning]

[GURL, THAT SHIT AIN'T RIGHT.]

It what?

[moonheart]

I'm our conduit to the waking world. And it-- [ oh no ]

My mom and the others!

[desperatewarning]

[Oh dear.]

Oh no. [NOT REASSURING, NICHOLAS.] I'm sure it will be fine. Your mother's a very strong woman. I don't think there's anything she can't handle.

[moonheart]

That thing--

It was talking. Nonsense. It sounded... crazy.

[desperatewarning]

[Nick glances towards the broken mirrors where Vi and Luthir exited and then looks back down at Faith.]

What was it saying?

[moonheart]

Nothing that made any sense. I couldn't-- I couldn't focus on it or I felt like I would lose my own mind. It kept saying things about-- about killing itself, and things like 'where were you' 'you did this' 'not enough'. [ she frowns, shaking her head as she looks to see that the rest of the shadow shit is gone, all out the window by now. ] It was a nightmare.

[desperatewarning]

Her nightmare.

[as the shadow stuff leaves, Nick pulls down his circle.] Do you think we should follow them?

[moonheart]

We can't. If we leave, Vi loses the powers I've granted her. She'll only have one chance at this.

[desperatewarning]

Then all that's left to do is hope for the best. And believe that she can beat this.

[He shakes his head.] Good luck, Vi.

[moonheart]

She doesn't need luck. She's got this.