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

[silvermaid]

[ ana hones right in on that too, but shakes her head, eyes widening as she looks at faith ] We can't pull them out of there before they're ready. If Faith doesn't bring them all back, they could get trapped in Vi's dream.

[witchwoman]

We have to do something! What's happening to him?!

[Vi would never forgive her if she let something happen to her husband. She can't just sit there.]

[65]

Isn't there — surely there's some kind of spell one of you has that could help. [magic = duct tape right????]

[silvermaid]

Without knowing what's happening, I can't--

[ oh but hey, abruptly those black veins spread hella fast... and then violet cries out in her sleep, and before they know it, luthir's body changes before their eyes into black dust, crumbling away.

she told you things happen faster in the dream world. so fast, in fact, that at that very moment, faith, nick, and vi... wake up. ]

[graveflowers]

[ ocean breathes salty - modest mouse ]

No. [ it's the first nightmare she doesn't want to wake up from. faith yells hold on and violet doesn't want to. any nightmare, every nightmare, would be better than what she opens her eyes to. the rest of the room is unimportant. faith and nick and anastacia are forgotten, myri and finnick vague notions in the back of her mind.

all that matters is luthir and he's the only thing she can't get back. her hands tremble as her eyes drift down and she crumples, falling against the floor like a broken marionette, weeping. her thin arms curl around herself like she's her own life raft but she's still drowning. ]

[65]

[he doesn't need a wis check to realize that things didn't go very fucking well. seeing how luthir can now fit inside a dust buster. finnick moves to vi's side and gives her a hug, the same way he did when she first started having the nightmares almost a year ago. the same, yet different — stronger, tighter. because they're closer now, and the loss was real.]

[witchwoman]

[She should move to comfort her sister. She should be there for Vi. But all Myri can think about is the concert and Jade and way that she had watched that life slip away. She remembered how much it had ripped so many of them apart, but Vi's pain had been the hardest for her to witness. And now the life literally crumbling away was that of the man she had married just one day prior.

Falling to her knees, Myri tries and tries to will her magic to do something, anything to help this. She didn't know Luthir well, had never spoken to him much, but Vi loved him and he was that one piece of happiness for her that never seemed to fade.]

Stargods, please. [She calls out for deities that would not even answer her prayers when she was locked in a cell on Andres. If there was hope that they might listen now, she would beg for their help.] We cannot face this pain again.

[moonheart]

[ faith comes to and takes a staggering step backwards, clutching at her mom's arm with one hand, before looking back to where myri is begging to the gods. she casts a look at her mother, a knowing understanding of exactly what will and will not conspire as a result of myri's pleas.

she shakes her head, sticking to an explanation ] They faced Malaak'a. His presence in Vi's mind has been shattered. But the only way she managed to free her spirit was for Luthir to fend him off.

[desperatewarning]

[Somewhere in all of this Nick has resumed human form. He approaches the two O'Keefes and lays a hand gently on Faith's shoulder.]

He died to save her and their child. I don't think he could have asked for a better ending.

[Oh yeah btw she's also pregnant.

just thought you'd like to know.]

[65]

[finnick looks over at nick like WERWATEY???????????????

that's it. that's the tag.]

[graveflowers]

[ vi can't even begin to contribute to the explanation, nor viciously slap nick for daring to say that this was a good way to die. he should have died old, in his sleep with his arms wrapped around her and their entire lives, happy and full, behind them. she doesn't give one iota of a fuck about a baby that barely exists. she's too busy sobbing against finnick, nearly catatonic in her grief. ]

[witchwoman]

It's not an ending. Nothing is ending. [Things were supposed to get better now. She should have gone in there. She could have done something. But somewhere in her panic to try to fix this (because in the back of her mind she is very aware that a creature born of suicidal thoughts poured out of Vi's dreamworld, which terrifies her of what might happen if they can't bring Luthir back), she hears enough of what Nick says to turn her head towards him.]

Did you say..? [And she finally looks over at Vi.] Child?

[silvermaid]

She's pregnant? [ WOW WHY DIDN'T ANYONE MENTION THAT ONE GOING INTO THIS thinks anastacia ]

[graveflowers]

[ oh words, she found 'em, however quiet they may be and however fleeting they are before she's weeping again. ] I don't want it, I want him.

[witchwoman]

[Myri rocks back, all of this information sinking in. Oh god, she's going to be sick. This wasn't how this was supposed to happen.]

[graveflowers]

Keijen said this would happen, he said it would end in blood. Why didn't I listen? Why did it have to be Luthir?

[65]

[just gonna keep holding her rn.] I'm sorry, Vi.

[graveflowers]

Make him come back. I don't want do this anymore, I don't want do this without him. He said he'd stay as long as I needed him, he promised. I just want him back. [ she manages to lift her head from finnick's shoulder, looking up at nick and faith and anastacia, disconsolate. ] Bring him back. Please.

[moonheart]

[ faith looks at her mom, a helpless expression in her eyes as she explains hesitantly. ] They fought a shadow. And it... it turned him into one.

[desperatewarning]

[Nick just... looks at the floor.] I'm sorry, Vi.

[graveflowers]

Stop saying sorry! [ she jerks to her feet, wrenching out of finnick's arms. she's not exactly steady, she wants to throw up, or pass out, but she manages to stay on her feet. ] I don't want condolences! I want my fucking husband back! What is the point of your magic if it doesn't do anything!

[silvermaid]

If you'd like some of us to leave, we'll understand. [ after all, myri and finnick are like her family, but the o'keefes and nick are probably just bad reminders of what just happened right now. ]

[graveflowers]

[ just as abruptly as she stood, she sits, this time on the couch. everything hurts, breathing hurts. it's not the same as the crippling depression she slogged through for so many months. it's not standing on the edge of a chasm, too much effort to move in either direction but not giving a shit which way the wind blows. it hurts. she can feel herself falling apart like she's a doll and the thread holding her together is fraying.

she can feel everything. and not just emotionally, she can feel the tears that keep rolling down her cheeks, sticking to her eyelashes and making her lips taste like salt. she can hear her nails scratching against the couch. and all she can see, no matter where she looks, is luthir slumped against the ground fading into shadow. ] Can I use your phone? I need to call Wynn.

[desperatewarning]

Yes. Of course. [He goes to fetch a cordless phone off the desk and hands it off to her.]

[graveflowers]

[ this is gonna be hella awkward. she takes the phone without looking at nick. she can't muster the ability to feel bad about shouting at all of them even though she knows she should. there's too much grief and sorrow to allow any other emotion to see the light of day. she doesn't look at anyone, she can't.

but she dials the number, somehow remembering the +44 for international calls to england... it's the little things and she's singularly focuses on this one little thing. (wis 20 total) ring ring, bananaphone for the karthur institute. ]