[open] based on the hit sondheim musical

[uuuh]

WHO: Berserker/Frankenstein & open
WHERE: Flavo, the border of the woods
WHEN: Approximately the last 10-14 days of the month.
WHAT: A variety of spooky forest-based prompts both during Event 21 and outside it, for all of your being suspicious of the forest needs. It's a bad place and she doesn't trust it, and there's lots of things to do with places you don't trust.
WARNINGS: Nothing I can think of that needs a content warning. There could be some violence or self-overexertion depending on where things go.

i. the one during the event;

[Some time around the 25th or 26th, Berserker has gone so long without knowing what it is to feel calm that she has reached an untenable level of frenzy.

(And of course, there’s a fear there beneath the inability for her mind to rest. She cannot remember what calm is, so perhaps if she ever did experience it, it wasn’t real. A monstrous, fake emotion for a monstrous, fake form of life, a failure even at that.)

To her, the cause seems obvious. The forest is ominous and threatening and always has been. It feels…it smells…innately weird, a truly dangerous thing.

And that’s why, on one of these days late in the month, it is possible to encounter a very fast flutter of white launching into the trees with an angry howl as Berserker herself tries to run into the forest, without any mind paid to the danger and without any pausing to plan. There’s just yelling, and running, and slamming into the dangerous trees, repeated and repeated.

She can be followed, joined, or maybe even convinced to return to town, but she doesn’t seem to be paying attention to anything else at the moment, and it might take some trying to get through to her.]

((For this prompt, be aware she won’t be going too deep into the woods solely on account of not having a forest scenario, but she will be making an attempt.))

ii. the one outside of the event;

[This time, she’s having a staring contest with an opponent that can’t even stare back.

Even with no clear enemy to follow into the forest (and therefore no reason to go running in), it’s still just too suspicious for Berserker to deal with. And there’s nothing else for her to do, no one who needs her, and she is so often by herself anyway—

So even when everyone’s emotions are intact, her suspicions don’t wane. She spends hours staring into the colorless abyss, tense but otherwise immobile, her eyes expressionless and fixed. A small animal weaves its way between her legs, even, and Berserker doesn’t even move then.

The only thing that will make her react at all is if someone else approaches the border of the forest, either coming out or going in. Maybe she doesn’t make eye contact right away, but it’s obvious that’s where her attention is because after a moment, she lets out a sound.]

…Sto p.

iii. the one that can take place at either time;

[After so long of staring down an opponent that doesn’t even seem to exist, the danger of the forest has finally caught up with her. Berserker’s holding onto consciousness by a thread. Her sheer tenacity is probably the only thing that’s kept her from being overwhelmed.

As Servants go, she’s a rather weak one, isn’t she? It’s pretty pathetic…

She wants to go home. It isn’t the cottage in Flavo that she thinks of first as “home,” but that is where she’s going to have to go, isn’t it? Where is home? Ah, perhaps she never had one, but she’d come close enough when she was contracted to that boy.

She doesn’t make it to the cottage she shares with Riku and Mami. And that’s how it’s possible to stumble upon her sitting somewhere in the middle of road in Flavo, her eyes closed, still partially upright but slumping to the side like some discarded toy.]

iv. the improv one;

[For wildcards. Hit me up at antiquating]

Comments

i. hello roomie

[yuugure]

[ That flash of white just bolting past goes too fast for him to really know who it is, but the sounds that come out of it are worrying. He can't just leave it alone.

He drops what he's doing and turns towards the forest to bolt after the fluttering dress, calling out: ]

Hey! What are you doing?!

[uuuh]

[She pauses just long enough to look back at him, stopping so quickly that she skids along the ground.

She has so few close bonds here; perhaps living with Riku for even such a short time has been enough to make her trust him more than some of the others here. She has so few connections as it is, solitary and abhorred in life, taken early from the war as a Servant.]

Uuhh...! [He has to feel it too, doesn't he? The dangers in this place...everything about it is all wrong.]

[yuugure]

[ Identifying her as his housemate makes him more worried. She'd been lashing around like an injured fish, fully distressed. He needs to help her calm down in spite of the ominous air around them. He frowns at her, approaching but keeping a fair distance. ]

Are you in pain...? Is it because of this place?

[uuuh]

Augh...

[It isn't pain, really, though when she stops long enough to actually feel it, the strain her energy's taken from constantly being on the offensive all week is hard to ignore.

She looks away from Riku, back to the forest, and her muscles immediately tense again. When she switches back to looking at him again her teeth are bared. She growls softly, whole-body shaking with just how much she feels like she has to keep moving.]

[yuugure]

[ She looks like a spring trap ready to snap. He can tell that, right now, stopping her isn't an option though he'll give it a try. Push comes to shove, he'll follow along with her. He couldn't deal with the guilt of letting her go in and get gobbled up by that place. ]

It's not safe in there. That's what I've been told. You should turn back home... there's probably not much you can do about it right now.

iii

[troubadamsel]

[This is the third person unconscious person Mari's found this month! jfc.]

What was the point of warning everyone... Honestly.

[With a sigh, she begins to do what she did with the others - making an effort to try and lift Fran onto her horse to take her home.

... Effort being the key word here.]

Oof...

i'm screaming i didn't realize she had her horse

[uuuh]

[It doesn't matter if there were warnings or not: The place is a danger, and she had wanted so badly to find the source of that horrible feeling...

She would have gone anyway.

Berserker is a little heavier than she looks, so it might be even harder than lifting a normal person. She come around mid-wrangle, still feeling pursued and watched and in a little bit of pain.]

Uh?! [She's weakened from whatever happened--it's impossible to remember--but that's what keeps her from immediately fighting back or lashing out, though she does begin squirming immediately anyway.]

without it she'd be a neigh-sayer

[troubadamsel]

Ah... please tell me you're waking up.

[She wasn't about to give up, but she is relieved that gets to stop, and gently begins to let go.]

Are you injured?

[uuuh]

[She drops to the ground heavily, resting on one knee for a second, worrying that the horse might spook at her monstrous presence.]

Uhhh... [No, she's fine.

She's not willing to admit that she's still worn down from the experience; a Servant should never reveal their vulnerabilities.

But when she stands up, she looks somewhat nauseated.]

[troubadamsel]

[Sigh.]

I told people not go to to the forest unprepared! Look at you, you can barely stand.

[She takes her horse by the reigns and pulls them in closer.]

Here. See if you can climb on, I will take you to your home.

ii

[heartsteals]

[ as it turns out, he's neither going in nor out (thankfully this is after the event - there's no guarantee he'd have had the presence of mind not to run into the woods if it were during), but going straight for the border. Where this girl is standing, actually. It's unnatural to see someone simply staring off into the darkness of the forest, and seeing as there have been a few incidents lately, he's worried something got to her.

When she tells him to stop, he stops where he stands, pausing before dipping into a shallow bow. ]

Good evening, mademoiselle. I'm not bothering you, am I?

[uuuh]

[It was tiring enough to articulate that single word, so once Berserker has his attention she's satisfied enough with the energy she spent on that communication.

Though her cheeks turn a little darker when he bows to her, she shakes her head emphatically, the meaning double: First, he isn't bothering her. Second, he should really stay away from the forest. If he isn't prepared before going in there, it could really do harm.]

Ah-uh.

[heartsteals]

[ Ah. Can't talk? Not well, at least. After spending time with Dextera, he's gotten a little better at recognizing the signs and sounds. ]

That's a relief to hear. Unfortunately, I'm going to have to trouble you a little bit if you're planning on heading in there alone. It's dangerous.

[ this situation is ironic and he doesn't even know it. ]

A friend of mine passed out just going near the border not long ago; I'd not stand so close for so long if I were you.

[uuuh]

Hmph. [She glances away from him, almost as if she's a little bit embarrassed. It seems like she might have taken his comment as an assumption of weakness.

Then, Berserker's voice grows darker, her next grunt elongated and suspicious.] Uuuh...

[There's something horrible out there in the forest. There has to be. It should be obvious to everyone.]

[heartsteals]

[ she really can't talk, it seems. This might be hard - but what kind of gentleman thief would he be if he couldn't handle an unusual woman? Time for a bit of charades.

Whether or not she's weak doesn't cross his mind, frankly - he's just been here long enough to know that going into the forest alone is basically certain death. ]

You're worried about the way the trees are creeping up on the town? Or just about the forest in general...? Not that I can blame you.

iii

[rebeliune]

[ From behind Berserker comes a voice. ]

Don't just sit in the middle of the road, dummy.

[ Not that this place has cars, or anything that might pose a risk to her... but even so. Gently, she puts a hand on Berserker's shoulder and shakes her a little, as if making sure she's actually conscious, and not... dead? Switched off? (They might have at least one thing in common, but it occurs to Mordred that she doesn't know all that much about Berserker besides a name and an inhuman body.) ]

Come on, stand up. Did you get lost or something? If you're not busy, you can walk with me for a while.

[ She's fully expecting a rejection — but she's not asking for the sake of her own ego, but out of genuine concern for the other girl. If nobody does anything, Berserker will probably just sit there by herself for hours, and that's no good at all. ]

[uuuh]

Uuuh?

[The only thing that was keeping Berserker from continuing to pursue everything was exhaustion. Despite being on the brink of unconsciousness, she still hadn't been able to feel calm.

The voice speaking out from behind her brings a small, but almost instant change to her mindset. There's a little bit more clarity, a little less impulse to keep going and going, to struggle on with no peace or slowing.

It doesn't make any sense, to feel the calmest she has in a week around the Servant who could be called her mortal enemy. But maybe even that rivalry has some meaning.

She turns her head away with a soft, confused grunt. What did Saber do to her?]

[rebeliune]

[ Mordred raises her eyebrows. ]

Huh? I didn't do anything. [ Her confusion is clearly genuine. Thinking that Berserker is accusing her of something, she continues: ] I already told you, we aren't enemies here. I'm not gonna attack you.

[ Again, the fact she manages to interpret a few noises as full sentences doesn't even seem to register. She moves so she can look Berserker in the eyes again (as much as she can, anyway, with her bangs in the way), and crouches down to her height. ]

That's a promise from a knight, okay? So you don't have to worry. [ Idly, she gestures into the distance. ] In this place, we can do whatever we want, instead of acting as Servants. ... Well, I understand if you're still mad at me, though. [ lmao... ]

[uuuh]

Uuuuuhhh... [She turns her head to the side a little bit, doing what she can to avoid some of the eye contact. She's a little shaken, if only because the shift in what she had been feeling to what she's feeling now was so sudden and strong.

Finally, after a few moments of awkward shifting, she shakes her head 'no' just slightly.] Uhhh... [She isn't still angry. Really, how little anger she feels right now is just surprising. It's weird.

Though Berserker is still teetering weakly on the brink of consciousness after lingering too long near the forest, she has a sudden moment of energy. Her gaze jerks back toward the woods, then back toward Mordred, and though it's a struggle, she scrambles up to her feet quickly.]

Huu... [So it's still possible to feel calm like this.]

[rebeliune]

[ She's surprised to hear that Berserker isn't mad at her — she'd have every right to be — and manages to grin about it. ]

That's good. I'll try not to make you angry.

[ Which is pretty rare, considering she usually doesn't give a shit if people get mad at her or not. Quite the opposite. She's taken pride in it plenty of times, more prone to inspiring hate or fear with her reputation than anything positive.

When Berserker hurriedly gets to her feet, Mordred follows, staring at the woods as if trying to discern the problem. Nothing immediately presents itself, so she shrugs and moves on. ]

Are you tired? I can take you home if you want. ... Oh, but you'll have to show me which one is yours. I guess you might not be comfortable with that.

[ Again, she normally wouldn't give a damn — she found Artoria's house by stalking following her, and if need be, would happily kick in random doors until she found the person she was looking for. But she doesn't feel like she has the right to intrude on Berserker's life (or death) any more than she already has. ]

iii;

[neronian]

[ Were she in her normal state, Nero would bound over, peering over the other young woman's nearly-unconscious body with curiosity and eyes both full of concern and yet life at the same time. Instead, her emotions have dulled, and she looks upon Berserker's listless form with the same sort of stoicness that one would expect out of her blue counterpart, not Nero Claudius. ]

......

[ ...But simply losing her happiness does not mean she has lost her humanity, her good intentions, or her whole idea of acting with beauty and grace. So she approaches, and lays a hand on Berserker's shoulder, giving it a shake with little gentleness but not enough firmness so as to hurt her either. ]

Berserker. These streets are no place for you to rest.

[uuuh]

Huuuuhhhhhh... [Tell her something she doesn't know.

It's pained and tired, but that can't mask the anger deep in it. If anything, Berserker just sounds frustrated that she can't be back on her feet and acting again, like some wild animal that's been trapped in a net.

She growls, making a new effort to return to her feet as soon as she's aware of her surroundings again. The only thing that stopped her before was that she was incapacitated.]

Uuh. [She isn't done with the forest yet.]

[neronian]

[ Nero thought so too, but well, look what happened to her. The last thing Berserker needs is to end up like the emperor. It is still care, albeit in a much colder and distant way than one would expect of her, after seeing her around exuding energy. ]

Believe me, I do not like unfinished business either. But it is better that you rest.

[ She does not think of Fran as a burden, but with the slight frown on Nero's face, it's hard to tell, and easy to misunderstand. ]

[uuuh]

[It is better. The words are true, even if Saber's happiness is gone and it makes her tone sound almost accusatory. The deviation from her normal energetic nature only drives that home.]

Hrrrgh...! [It isn't over; she can still fight! She protests, turning her head to the side. Saber can't underestimate her.

Never mind that the thing she's looking for in the forest isn't there to fight. Of course, there are enemies and battles, but they all seem trivial when paired against the overpowering feeling of being watched.

[neronian]

[ That's how a Berserker thinks, she supposes. Raring for a physical fight, but not quite able to comprehend that sometimes, the strongest things to fight can't be punched out. ]

All your physical strength will be for naught if what you seek to fight does not have a material body.

[ It's true. They can, at least, punch ghosts because they're sort-of-ghosts themselves, it's true, but take it from the Servant with bad mental resistance, magic is Weird and hard to fight without a magus at one's side. She makes a firm grab for Fran's shoulder, to try to forcefully turn her away from the forest. ]