Event Fourteen.

[awashmods]

Roses bloom and cease to be, But we shall the Christ-child see.

t's very, very cold. It's cold enough that you'll see your breath fog in the air before you, that goosebumps appear on your arms and legs and a chill goes up your spine. You're inside, in a huge palace with sweeping arches and rooms, but it's no real shelter from the cold -- it's just as cold inside as out. There's a throne room, a kitchen, various rooms and even a dungeon to be explored -- and outside, a frigid, frozen garden, a lake that's naturally frozen over, and miles, and miles of snow as far as the eye can see. But be careful while you explore. The snowflake soldiers are naturally dangerous, but even more dangerous than that...there's that creeping sensation of numbness going up your arm, a pang through your chest, and the slow, slow freezing from the inside out. Try not to leave any of your friends behind, okay? Even if they might look a bit too uncannily like some of the statues hanging around for decoration when they're frozen over. Welcome to Awash's fourteenth event log, everyone! Further information on this event can be found here at the OOC post. You are welcome to make your own logs for this event, but please keep in mind the lack of laptop function during this event when it comes to forum posts! If there are any questions, please ask them here. Thank you!

Comments

1/2

[queenofminiskirts]

[...that's definitely the voice of someone who has, for one reason or another, seen Shiho's Black Side.]

You'll have to tell me why Shiho pulled out her flamethrower later. [Or she'll have to ask Shiho herself later.]

2/2

[queenofminiskirts]

[But okay. Let's see what she can do about this throne! She's never cracked an ice block this size before, but it can't be that different from breaking apart a stone block. But it was magic so she probably shouldn't go easy on it.

She holds out one hand.]

Psychic Ice Breaker!

[She pushes down wither her powers and...nothing happens? So she brings up her other hand and pushes harder. The floor around it cracks, but the throne is fine.]

...that can't possibly be ice!

[She's not out of ideas yet but like. She just wants to complain a bit. Because this really is unfair!? What the hell is this throne made of!?]

[fineprinted]

Eh? Is there something wrong with that?

[ oh god what if he's being too forward -- but then vriska snuggles closer and his heartrate ticks up juuust a tad. aaaaa aaaahhh okay, he can handle this. ]

I forgot I needed to do this for the quest I saw in my laptop. Better late than never, I suppose. [ shrugs ] You seem kind of cold yourself too, so I just approached the first person I'm familiar with, so here we are.

[fineprinted]

She cried warm tears that melted his heart and the splinter along with it... The story's quite romantic too; I've had chills reading it again! Er, the good kind of chills and not the one we're experiencing right now...

[ but at riku's other question, uh. ]

Oh, no, I can't cry on cue. I'm just that defective of a human being~ [ stop ] Though if I had to choose, I'd rather shed tears than kiss someone... I'd only offend the other party with the latter.

[scooptimistic]

... [ Oof. ]

Well, it's not great. Luckily, you happen to have Maya Amano on the case!

[ And without any warning whatsoever, she's murmuring something under her breath, sliding her palms under his. The air shimmers around her, and then a silvery feminine figure manifests from within, floating calmly over their heads. As the figure beckons, a soft blue-green light wraps around him (because if his fingers look like that, Maya figures the toes might also be a problem) and sinks into his body. It's a soft, warm feeling, though it dissipates quickly once the figure disappears, frostbite resolved. ]

There we go.

[hypertoxic]

[ Honestly, for all that Vriska complains, she has a tendency to lump everyone who looks human into the same category, so she really can't actually talk. Pyra's nice, though, thoughtful enough to get a pass. ]

A little! You could say I have an eye for detail. So what's going on there? If it's ok for me to ask.

[queenofminiskirts]

[Yay! It worked!] Maribelle! [She doesn't dare pull Maribelle into a embrace yet, but she leans over and buries her face against her chest.]

I'm so glad that worked!

[She wouldn't cry before, because she couldn't be weak like that. But now? Now there are definitely tears in her eyes. Crying from relief is okay.]

[queenofminiskirts]

[It's because she's been teasing Shiho about how she should date Minato.

She takes his hand and uses her power to pick him up so he wasn't touching the ground either. It's less cold that way!]

I always have this much energy! But also I've been beating up snowknights.

[But mostly her secret is having a temperature regulating outfit...even if she only has socks and no shoes right now.]

[hypertoxic]

[ Vriska snorts. ]

So I was just a convenient target, huh? I'm hurt, Tsumugi. I should obviously have been your first choice for creepily-mandated cuddling.

[ gives him a nudge. she's just being rude, she doesn't mean it.......... ]

I am always kind of cold. Don't worry about it.

1/2

[espritdecorpse]

[ Oh well, he's had worse injuries. Probably. He's still looking at his fingers when Maya's silvery figure emerges, and so it startles him very much when he finally notices it. Is this the target practice she was threatening? He'd thought it was a joke! ]

Wait! Wait a minute, I—!

[espritdecorpse]

[ ...and then he's wrapped in a soft, warm, healing glow. His fingers and toes (and the tips of his ears and his nose) tingle a little and then it's over.

He holds his hands up, turning them over and marveling at them. ]

That's really useful!

[hypertoxic]

[ Despite all appearances of probably being fucking dead, Vriska jolts awake fairly easily when called to. She glances around wildly, taking a few moments to remember how she got here. She'll sigh out slowly and pull herself off the ground. ]

Ugh. Thanks. I hate this fucking place! [ Gives her head a shake as if trying to clear it. ] This keeps happening to me. I haaaaaaaate it.

[queenofminiskirts]

[She looks at the pile of snow again. She frowns.]

...well, they still shouldn't harass girls.

[But now she feels a bit bad.] Maybe we can lock them in the dungeon instead.

[provostsdog]

[She's woken up enough people who are on edge that she hops back quickly the moment she detects any movement.]

Don't worry. [She stands and gives a bit of a smile] I don't think any of us like it much. Y'doing all right?

[hypertoxic]

[ .... that's kind of weird. Vriska can't claim to know Maribelle well, but from what little she does know, this seems out of character. Her brow furrows, and with obvious difficulty she starts to push herself off the floor. Front flakes off her hair. ]

I mean yeah, but... what I'm saying is you don't seem like yourself.

[fineprinted]

[ oh dear... okay, he's got this. he'll stoop down on the floor, back facing her. he's not the strongest one out there, but if it's to give a little girl's feet some rest - ]

Here, I'll take you to wherever you need to go.

[espritdecorpse]

[ Elysium, where she and her kind were created. She isn't human. He's at a loss to say what she is, but the closest thing he can think of is that she's some sort of magical device. Righteous, celestial magic, most likely. Then this must be heaven. ]

Is this why...

[ Is this why you want to die? To return here? He can't ask that question, however, not like that. ]

Where you were created. Is it where you go to rest as well?

[ Death hadn't been like that for him. But it's not as if someone like him could ever hope to ascend. ]

[scooptimistic]

It sure is! I haven't had to use it in awhile, but it's handy in a pinch.

[ Thanks, Artemis. Even if icy powers aren't helpful here, at least she can heal. ]

Still, make sure to take care of yourself. There are some things I can't heal, and even with those I can, I have a limit.

[hypertoxic]

[ Vriska looks at him for a long moment, and despite her best efforts, her expression is a little sad.

Slowly she pulls off the coat he gave her, clearly intending to give it back. ]

You should really keep this. A ghost can't get warm, anyway.

[ She pauses, glancing down, but she looks up to meet his gaze again, somehow. ]

It means enough that you care. Seriously.

[flinty]

[ His hand has already frozen over, numb to any feeling or touch, so when Pyra's fingers envelope his own it's hardly noticeable. In fact the only reason he manages to realize she's holding onto him is when he sees that both her hands are holding his, grunting as he moves onto his feet and brings his hand to the nearest wall to keep himself steady.

Choubee feels weak and helpless -- everything he absolutely hates -- needing assistance to simply stand when usually he could power through anything despite his body being fatigued. It's different, he realizes, but he can't seem to come to any quick conclusion as to why this is all happening, or how to stop it. ]

The cell. It's made of ice too, isn't it? Shit, I can barely see... [ When one doesn't work just go to the one that does, huh. Magic is bullshit. ] We need somethin' to bust us out, is there anything in here?

[neronian]

Mm, it does not compare to the splendor of a hot bath, but this will suffice.

[ She flexes her fingers and wrists to further heat up some of the chillier parts. She glances around in the room, watching the floor melt away more. ]

This is property damage, isn't it? Well, it is not mine, and it will reform itself in time.

[ Insert shrugging emoji. ]

However, you have yet to tell me your name, young one, and that is a far more pressing matter. I cannot call you that forever.

[heartsteals]

It's a good word for the gem that stole a kiss from me while I was defenseless.

[ he teases, as if he hadn't just been turned to ice, or lost most of his emotions for the past few days - quite frankly, it's hard to concentrate on that right now. Lupin's a clever long-term thinker who never forgets his focus. If he wasn't, he wouldn't be a successful master thief. But he's also still young and boyish at heart, with a penchant for romance, and so while he hasn't forgotten about the situation (and his own, in particular), he's preoccupied with thoughts of Cairngorm, and kissing Cairngorm.

At least those thoughts are his own this time. It's frustrating that this has happened twice now - the two of them, forced onto one another by outside means, muddling the boundaries of their relationship in ways that leave both of them confused. Happy as he may be about what just happened, that dissatisfaction sitting in him like a lead weight only grows. If Cairngorm's going to kiss him, he wants them to do it on their own terms, not to break some curse. The teasing serves another purpose, then: to smooth things over, to keep things light, to try and keep them from feeling too uncomfortable. ]

... But you did save me. Thanks, Cairngorm.

[ still, he's selfish; he wants to bask in this moment just a little bit. Their cheek is quite literally cold as ice, and his fingers are losing sensation again even through his gloves, but he doesn't care. They're not swatting him away. So he doesn't move, either, gently tracing their cheekbone with the pad of his thumb and wondering at the way their skin darkens ever-so-slightly (are they blushing?) The strength to move and sit up has returned to him by now, but he doesn't want to leave this quite yet. If he weren't a gentleman, he'd kiss them back, he thinks. ]

... Gems probably don't do that much, do they? [ kissing, that is, but he's sensitive enough not to say it outright. ] Sorry. Hopefully, it wasn't too bad.

[flinty]

[ How does this fucker have enough tears to just keep crying like that --

Anyway, Choubee's more or less surprised when he sees Tsumugi across the way. Cheerful, he has enough adrenaline in him not to immediately respond with a furrowed brow and instead waves back rather nonchalantly. ] Oi, who ya callin' Aza-kun? Just say Choub --

[ He's caught mid-sentence when he turns to see the knight behind him, raising their sword above their head and bringing it downward. Choubee has a split second to dodge the attack, which he does successfully, before rotating the halberd in his grasp and cleanly slicing the knight in half.

Now back to what he was saying: ] What are you doin'? Hurry up and get in place!

[ "In place being"... beside him... shut the FUCK up. ]

[pyrafect]

....Mankind one lived here with their Creator in harmony, but then they were banished.

[ Now Pyra turns to him completely, her hand leaving the tree's bark, coming to rest at her side. Her smile isn't forced, but it does not reach her eyes as she looks at him. ] Returning here...would save my world. [ Her words are slow, careful; she doesn't answer his question directly, but neither does she ignore it completely. ]

Wei Ying. [ Her gaze continues to hold his, even, and her voice does not waver. Compared to the tears she had shed for him when he had been frozen, the way she looks at him now is far more distant. It's almost an insult to how much he may know of her now. ] If your world was about to end... wouldn't you do anything to save it?

[ And then: ] If you were about to lose someone precious to you-- [ Because she knows he already has, multiple times. It's an unfair question, perhaps even a cruel one given what she has felt from his flash of memories, to bring it up at this time. ] --would you not reach for their hand?

[hypertoxic]

[ A sigh. Slowly, feeling stiff, she'll climb to her feet. ]

Yeah, I'm fine. My species is just not accustomed to this kind of cold. My planet is much warmer! I'll be ok, it has just been impossible to get used to. If they don't let us leave soon, I'm going to find Mr. F and kick his ass myself.