awashlogs | into the woods

Entry tags:

dave strider,
keith

into the woods

WHO: Dave Strider & Keith. Keith like Madonna, there's just the one name that matters.
WHERE: the well --> the forest, because dumb teens
WHEN: Noon on the 18th onwards
WHAT: "yes we are going to have a nice chat and perhaps tea" several hours later "OH GOD WE WERE ATTACKED BY SHADOW MONSTERS AND WILL NEVER FEEL HUMAN WARMTH AGAIN" that seems to sum it up, so you know what.
WARNINGS: the aforementioned idiocy, dave is liable to swear, they don't even bother to have their gray food snacks probably

[ noon at the well, because it's the creepy easiest location to find and meet by (they need better landmarks) and then "away from the well, because yeah". this is the entirety of the plan they'd made the other day, although dave had mentioned tea they definitely don't have and meant water they do. spending time conversing with someone not yourself is probably better than wandering around an empty house ignoring the impulse to check your eyes, ignoring the knotted scars under your shirt. at least, dave figures that's probably the case? and keith is weird and kind of reminds him a little of a less talkative karkat, and has a cat mecha in another world, apparently. he might also be dead, too.

so keith's a good option for "let's be losers in the same vicinity and thereby be not so loser-y" and dave shows up with the painstaking punctuality of a time player at the well.

there's a certain deliberate carelessness involved in perching on the side of said well, but it's not like he has to worry about falling in. flight helps, there.

whenever keith shows up, dave lifts his left hand in an absent wave. ]

Yo. So, I didn't actually gather up any gray food or water for this, but we can go find some if you want?? Or we can like...attempt to be semi-useful and do some more explorations. There's that huge-ass forest, maybe there's a bush with berries on it somewhere. Not that I know the difference between poisonous berries and not poisonous ones, but I'm pretty sure someone here should know...or we could test it on an animal we plan to eat. Wait, shit, that sounds mean actually? Not that it'd matter in the long run if you were gonna eat the animal. Except if it died of poison I think then you wouldn't eat it and it'd be for like, no cause? I'm rambling, sorry, hey, how're you today.

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[Keith sticks by the door, keeping it open enough that he can peek out, watching, sword still in hand.]

Yeah so they're coming closer now.

[For informational purposes only. He casts a glance back over his shoulder at the room. Books.

Well you know what. He slams the door shut and grabs up the nearest book to leaf through it...]

...this one's blank. Did we just find the world's worst library?

[ dave's sword disappears into his sylladex and he flips open a book, frowning. ]

This one, too. Why would - oh, for fuck's sake. [ there were signs in the district, but...but had he seen any other writing? ] It has to be the ink. No color, no ink. That's so...utterly stupid? Unless everyone here just writes in invisible ink for the hell of it. But I don't have lemon juice on me, or however you're supposed to make that appear.

Edited 2018-03-20 13:32 (UTC)

If it's the ink... depending on how it was printed, there might be some impression, right? They call it a printing press right?

[Unless they're new like. Laser printed? Keith doesn't know this is above his pay grade.]

Anyway. Maybe we could find a way to read them. It might be worth it to take them with us if we can carry a few. And don't get torn apart by those things out there for our trouble.

We can always experiment with them to see - but carrying isn't a problem. [ abruptly, the book in dave's hands disappears. ] I can take - not all of these, but maybe ten or more? Pile of books - anyway, my 'dex is mostly empty right now.

[Whoa. Okay that just happened.]

Your wha-- [A pause.] Nope, you know what? Whatever it is, perfect. Grab what you can.

[And Keith will start tearing through the rest of the little cabin to see if there's anything non-literary worth grbbing.]

I'll cram as much in as I can. Let me know if there's anything else we need to grab -

[ though it seems like only food is available, really.

WHICH IS, LIKE, A PRIZE but ]

I mean. There's food... but do we want creepy cottage in the woods food? I feel like that ends bad for people.

[He's not a fairy tale expert. But it sounds like a bad idea in general. And since his tossing the place is turning up nothing of value, Keith goes to check the door and promptly slams it shut again.] They're right on top of us.

[Awesome.]

I think it ends bad if it's candy and there's a witch who wants to eat naughty children.

[ but. cool. dave lets his sword drop out of his sylladex into his hand again. ]

I didn't see another way out - did you? Or are we gonna have to break for it?

Suppose so. I think I'll stick with the canned goods back in the town though.

[But more importantly. They've got to get out of here or food won't matter at all. A flash of violet and Keith's dagger is back in its sword form.]

I don't see another door. I think we're gonna have to fight our way out. Let's, you know, try not to get eaten by shadow monsters.

[Ready? Keith is ready. Keith is ready to shred monsters with his sword. ...Keith is not ready for how disappointed he's going to be when that fails miserably.]

I got your back.

[ HOWEVER, NEITHER OF THEM HAS GOT THIS. dave goes to open the door, though, sword in one hand, and steps outside. ]

[Nope. Neither of them has this at all. Though since he doesn't know that yet, Keith pushes the door open and goes full on space-ninja at the nearest shadow, darting out, swooping low, bringing his sword swinging straight through it.

And it goes straight through it with no resistance, and the shadow just reforms like nothing.]

Quiznak. Dave, we've got a problem! [They're gonna have to run for it.]

Fuck! [ fuck, okay. dave can run faster than - well, most humans? but he also won't ditch keith, and while he's immediately discovered the same formless issue he half-turns to see if keith is still okay. ] I can fly -

[ but the trees overhead are a ceiling that doesn't seem to have any break, like they're specifically trapping the boys, and dave falters even as he speaks. ]

Then go! Get out of here!

[Keith makes another slash through another shadow and still nothing. So this has never happened before. He does not like it at all. Swords solve problems how is his sword not solving this problem.]

Get yourself and those books to safety!

[And Keith will see if he can't make his way out the old fashioned way. By swinging his sword wildly and dodging between the shadowy figures as best he can. Except there's a bunch of them.]

I'm not gonna just leave you! [ and there's something fierce about the way that he snaps that out, for a guy who isn't usually fierce. because he failed jade, didn't he, just before he died - and he's not going to let someone else die or be hurt by him not being there.

so he doesn't lift off, doesn't even really consider it, because the only option had been if he flew off with keith ]

[Keith curses under his breath. He doesn't want Dave sticking around and getting hurt because he can't handle himself. But they might both be in over their heads here. He makes his way over to where Dave is standing. Or tries.

Except one the shadows gets a hold of him, and it doesn't seem to have any trouble with its grip -- despite being completely unaffected by having a sword swung through it. Why is this his life.]

Get... off! [This is a problem.]

Hang on - [ dave knows swords don't work but maybe at least - he tries to swipe at it to distract it, but then one of them touches him, and

dave hasn't felt this cold in ever. not even on lofaf. it's like ice seeping into his veins and he gasps, quietly, and tries to pull back. ]

[The chill is enough to stop Keith in his tracks. It feels like all the air is just sucked out of his lungs it's so cold, like every muscle in his body just tenses and locks up all at once.

He feels dizzy. This is not a good sign.

And he's already looking for Dave, ready to yell some warning but it's clearly too late. Damn it. His vision is swimming. This seems like a really disappointing way to die, out in the middle of the woods having his life sucked out of him by a shadow thing. ...and having dragged someone else with him. That's the worst part.]

small>[ yep. this is the end.

and dave thinks that to himself, and thinks fuck, john and terezi will get so mad at him -

but the end, after life fizzles out in ice cold nothingness, actually continues.

to waking up blearily outside the forest again, on the ground. ]

[Not... dead. Keith is honestly surprise when he opens his eyes to find himself staring at. Well. Colorless grass and dirt and... he's a crumpled mess on the ground, isn't he? But he's up quickly because,]

Dave?

[Oh hey okay. He's there too. And breathing? ...they're out of the woods. What. In the hell. was that.] ...you okay?

Never better, dude. [ this would be more believable if he didn't just let himself remain sprawled on his back, staring up at the grey sky from behind his shades. ]

What the actual fuck was that.

I... I have no idea. But it was messed up.

[Super messed up. And Keith is still sitting. He feels like he got the wind knocked out of his lungs.]

...did it get a lot colder out here? [Or is it just him? It might be just him. Here goes the shivering starting up.]

I think - no. I think it's us. [ he's looking at his own hand as he drags himself into a sitting position. dave kind of feels like he's on lofaf again, befre jade lit the forge, all the snow and ice around him.

but he's not. ]

When they - touched us, I felt cold, back then. You?

Yeah. I... think so. I was a little worried my life was flashing before my eyes. But yeah, really cold.

[Somehow even colder than he feels now which honestly doesn't seem like it ought to be possible. He shakes his head to clear it. A deep breath. Okay. Well. They're alive, so there's that.]

Why'd they let us go?

...Maybe it was just a, uh, really dramatic way to say "hey, keep the fuck out"?

[ since...yeah. they could have been killed, but for some reason they weren't.

Yeah. Really dramatic.

[And look Keith is the guy who sets off explosions and shows up wearing a bandanna as a mask and kung-fuing people in rescue attempts. So he knows drama. And this is beyond even him.]

There's definitely something out there they don' t want us to find.

[There is no way in hell he doesn't go straight back out here at some point.] We should probably try to get back. Think you can make it?

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alas small tags my ENEMY

Re: alas small tags my ENEMY

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