TEST DRIVE: SEPTEMBER

[empevents]

— TEST DRIVE: SEPTEMBER —

Welcome to empatheias' test drive meme. This test drive is to help interested players test their characters in the game's environment. We've included a few prompts that incorporate specific elements of the game, though you'll find all of them have a lot of leeway for players to get as creative as necessary. Before diving in, here are a few things we'd like to remind everyone about the game in general:

• Date reminders. Reserves open Thursday, August 25 and Applications (Canon | OC) open Thursday, September 1st.
  
  
• OC Reminder! Just a quick reminder that original characters are currently allowed. Those interested can also use the test drive. OCs do not need to be reserved.
  
  
• Emotions are key! Empatheias' premise focuses on how anyone's emotions can affect their environment, be it big or small. While not every emotion will cause a reaction, significant ones definitely will. How much effect a character will have will ultimately be up to you, the player. Also, while we're giving a lot of leeway for the test drive, keep in mind that there will be some limits in the actual game.
  
  
• Everyone has an amulet. All characters have a unique amulet that is specialized for them. It will contain all of their emotion drops and it serves as the network device. Remember, communication is telepathic. Otherwise, it works basically the same.
  
  
• Assume the character is already in the game. Because "OMG WHERE AM I IS THIS REAL LIFE" threads aren't going to be very helpful in this test drive! Plus those are going to happen in-game, anyway. So to make things easier, just assume that they've been around at least a week or so. Still learning the ropes, but not a complete "first day" experience.
  
  
• First or third person allowed. Your threads can be in either first or third, but we'd advise being flexible about it. Remember, these threads can also be used in your application for samples! Reminder: We only require one sample and it can be done in either format. We have also made a change to our sample requirements, so look over the Applications page!

Now with that out of the way, here are some prompts you guys can work from!


PROMPTS

• Prompt A: How about giving the emotions a try?

• Prompt B: Refer to the Task Board and choose a task your character may be interested in taking up. For this prompt, you could have your character ask for help, already be in the middle of the job, or react to it in some way. Perhaps they were an unfortunate victim or want to create a job countering an existing one. You could even have a prompt making a job request. Creating jobs for the purpose of the test drive is absolutely doable.

• Prompt C: How about giving the amulets a go? Start a telepathic conversation and see how it works. Remember, the amulets are sending out the owner's thoughts so might want to be careful about how the stream of consciousness goes...

• Prompt D: EVENT SPECIAL. Based on the upcoming/current Piphron event, you are on your way to confront that crabby Arehtei who refuses to trust in anyone but himself. However, before you can even get there, you have to journey deep into the mountains and follow constantly changing and winding tunnels. Yes, you read that right—the paths and tunnels change, never actually going in the same direction. This makes getting lost and splitting up from your travel partner fairly easily. What's more, the labyrinth proves to be one giant trust exercise. The atmosphere is filled with doubt and suspicion, little voices whispering and digging into your deepest fears of betrayal and uncertainty. Is the person you're with really that trustworthy? How do you know they won't just leave you or worse—stab you in the back? Literally. Those who are strong of faith will be able to resist, but even they may waver. To get past the labyrinth, strong bonds will either need to already exist or quickly form, particularly between strangers. Those strong in trust will be able to better persuade and convince those who are susceptible to the suspicions. But other obstacles and challenges lay in wait. Steep walls to climb up or down, giant gaps to cross, a random but precarious rope bridge that could break at any step. And everything here is influenced by emotions. The stronger the will to believe, the more likely they are to pass safely. But when those doubts start to take hold...when it becomes too great to bear, then you will slowly turn to stone.


• Prompt E: The Empatheias-Shaarnath-Otherworlder Collaborative Expeditions need otherworlder crews to venture out into the desolate wasteland of the planet’s surface, and that means YOU. On an airship with several otherworlder allies, you’ve ventured forth on a several-day journey to explore uncharted territory. It’s hot, dry, and deadly if you slip away from your dunamis protection, but absolutely necessary if anyone is ever to find what’s left out there.

1. Living on an airship in crowded conditions makes for close friends and fierce rivalries. Are you handling the pressure well? Do you seek out others to get to know them, or try to find a place on the ship where no one can bother you?
   
   
2. What’s that in the distance? Is it -- a large terraced pyramid? Do you venture into it, or catalogue it and retreat away to let stronger souls venture within? And if your fellow otherworlders really want to explore, do you go with them? Or try to talk them out of it?
   
   
3. Of course, the wasteland can still suffer fluctuations of emotion—which means that a simple trip off the ship has turned into disaster as the ground beneath you comes alive with writhing black tentacles! Though not large, they are numerous and hungry for blood and flesh. Better hurry back to safety—unless you need to rescue someone else! Or need rescuing yourself...

• Prompt F: With all of the current, living Arehtei now gathered, the next step is to start working on the world at large—and that's not going to be an easy feat when it's basically a giant wasteland, deteriorating with every passing second. So tests must be done first to study how effective efforts can be—and perhaps dunamis may be the key. In a protective area just outside of Shaarnath, those who wish to try and practice their emotions on the actual barren ground are allowed in. These are the types of tasks they can try to accomplish:

1. Make any type of plant grow and see how long it lasts. This could be a flower, grass, a small tree, or even some kind of crop.
   
   
2. With the aid of a water core, create a small pool of water and have it last as long as possible before the dry earth sucks it all in.
   
3. Change the temperature from dry heat to something more comfortable and maintain it for as long as possible.
   
   
4. With the aid of an air core, create pure cloud cover. As a side-challenge, alter the clouds to make it rain, but not storm. The rain should be one fueled by positive emotions, not negative (so no grumpy lightning or gloomy clouds).

And anything else a character may think of that is in relation to "restoring the land." The only thing not available to test is a living creature. Note: This is going to be very difficult and will require a great amount of effort and concentration. Small successes are more likely.


• Prompt G: Make your own! It could include balloons and/or fire ants.

For your threads, put the Character Name and the Canon in the subject line to help readily identify them. You're also welcome to use more than one prompt for respondents to choose from. If you have any questions or want to brush up on the game information, refer to the Game Information entry. Otherwise, tag around and have fun!

Comments

[shivmeabreak]

[Had Rose chance to see Dezel and his homemade cloud of gloom, she would have laughed him right back to the house. But business, while not as brisk as it was a bit ago, still holds her attention. You can't make good sales if your mind wanders all the time! She at least thanks Dezel for each balloon, even if his glowering goes ignored.]

[It's one of the missed balloon cues that brings her around to face him, hands on her hips. Her complaint tapers off once she catches his expression, though. Dezel may be her target of choice for teasing and badgering, but his skills aren't to be taken lightly. Certainly not where danger is involved.]

What? What're you talking about?

[lukeim_yurlin]

[The breeze moves warily about them both, spreading out over the crowd, Dezel quiet a moment before answering.]

The food is making some of them sick. They're getting angry. I can feel the air temperature changing...

[Getting up off the crate, he loops the strings of the remaining balloons around a nearby cart handle.]

Unless you feel like dishing out refunds, I suggest you get ready to leave in a hurry.

[Relations between the locals and Otherworlders have never been particularly good while Dezel's been on Empatheias. Sometimes better than others, but...tension of some degree has felt like a near constant. That doesn't mean business can't be conducted between the two sides, though when something goes wrong it might go really wrong. And Dezel, being the pessimist realist that he is, expects the worst.]

[shivmeabreak]

What? No way! I followed the recipe exactly!

[Hurriedly and with an eye on the crowd, Rose digs through one of her pouches for a paper covered in her scrawl. She skims over it, eyes darting from the ingredient list to the empty packages stashed behind the stall. Halfway down the page, she makes a strangled noise, her surprise causing the buns to fall over as though they're feigning dead.]

...that wasn't curry.

[Now very certain Dezel has the right idea, Rose begins backing up towards him as the crowd surrounding them starts yelling. It's a miracle they haven't just torn down her flimsy stand and hauled her off yet. Kind of a self-fulfilling one, given that people coughing and retching are the only things keeping them safe.]

So, uh, what's the plan?

[lukeim_yurlin]

[Dezel turns narrowed eyes on Rose, even as the crowd starts to advance on the stand.]

It wasn't? What the hell did you--ungh, nevermind!

[They don't have a whole lot of time, even if the crowd is being stalled by all their own bad reactions to the mabo not-curry buns. The air is far too warm now, static crackling through it as the aggression level rises. With every angry, coughing interrupted shout, there's the chance something may literally catch fire.]

We're leaving, now!

[With only that as his warning, Dezel seizes Rose and hauls her up over one shoulder before jumping up onto the crate and then to a higher stack, the seraph making for the rooftops as quickly as he can. Sure, he knows Rose is fully capable of making a break for it on her own, but he also knows the sight of a human suddenly flying off by way of invisible force may also give an angry mob second thoughts about immediate pursuit.]

[shivmeabreak]

Hey, what're you doing?!

[When Rose had asked what their plan was, she honestly expected an actual answer, not to be unceremoniously slung over Dezel's shoulder like a sack of potatoes. A startled, indignant sack of potatoes with a set of lungs capable of leaving shockwaves in their wake as she thumps on his back with a fist.]

Put me down! Damn it, Dezel! My legs work just fine, y'know!

[It's a bit hard for her to appreciate being rescued when they're sailing over the now startled spectator's heads amid a flurry of gasps and shouts. This is so not how she wanted to make her mark on this place.]

[Yet once the riot is nothing but a dull roar in the distance, Rose stops flailing enough to slump over Dezel's shoulder with a defeated groan, watching the city fly beneath them. There's nothing for her to do but enjoy the ride, safe and secure as she is in his grasp.]

Going home, I take it?

[Her voice sounds tired, as though she's been running the whole time instead of Dezel. She can't figure out why at first, until a particularly hard landing sends a pain through her stomach, making her wince. One tiny little mistake should not have turned out like this...]

[lukeim_yurlin]

[If there is another advantage to Dezel doing the brunt of the work with a quick retreat, it's that he knows Verens like the backs of his own hands. It's without any hesitation that he runs, leaps and practically flies across and between rooftops, swiftly putting distance between them and the crowd in the square. Some quick windstepping here, some even faster windrushing there and before too long they're a good, safe distance away. It's only then that he comes to a halt, pausing to read the air currents carefully and glancing back once before he drags Rose off his shoulder to set her on her own two feet on the roof where he's stopped.]

Home is where we should head, but I don't see the point in carrying you all the way there as your legs do work just fine. I've only brought you this far because it was to our advantage.

[Granted, he once carried Edna in his arms from the Tree of Memories and Merchants Square all the way to the Glenwood house in the residential area, but that had been something of a dire situation. The earth seraph had been unable to walk, she was so emotionally compromised.]

[Though regarding the present situation... It's only as he finishes speaking that Dezel notices that something isn't quite right with Rose. She looks and sounded far more tired than she should for someone who just got to avoid doing a whole lot of literal legwork.]

You ate one of those bad curry buns earlier... You're getting sick, aren't you?

[shivmeabreak]

Am not.

[And yet once allowed the freedom to move about as she pleases, all Rose does is slide down to sit on the roof, tucking her head between her legs with an arm curled around her stomach. It can be annoying how right Dezel is about most things, but in this case he only gets half marks. Not that she's going to bring up what he's wrong about. Neither of them want that right now.]

[Without bothering to look up, she dismisses him with a wave of her free hand. Right now all she wants is for the ache to go away, and it won't happen if she keeps talking and moving about.]

You go on and head back first. I'll catch up with you when I'm ready.

[He obviously hadn't wanted to be in her company in the first place, given their strained relationship since her arrival a week ago. Honestly, she didn't get why he'd shown up to her crappy shop in the first place. Boredom? For amusement? Some misplaced sense of duty? It wasn't like he needed her in a world without Malevolence.]

[lukeim_yurlin]

[Dezel watches her, using both his eyes and the wind. Taking a few seconds to really throw some focus into the effort, he monitors her breathing, reads her external temperature through the air currents... It's possible that the food has nothing to do with what's wrong, but something is definitely amiss.]

...no, you aren't well. I'm not going to leave you up here.

[He hadn't wanted to carry her all the way back before, both because it'd be a pain in the ass and because it wouldn't do much for Rose's (remaining) dignity for the day. But both of those can be put aside in his mind if carrying her is actually necessary. It's a small price to pay in the end to make sure she's not feeling so unwell that she ends up falling in traversing the rooftops.]

[shivmeabreak]

I said I'm fine.

[Just to prove she isn't (completely) lying through her gritted teeth, Rose stands with some effort, wobbling slightly as she gets her balance. The stabbing pain is still there, but her irritation at Dezel's overprotectiveness makes it easier to ignore for a while.]

See? Nothing for you to worry about. Now let's go.

[She doesn't bother waiting for an answer to stride past him in the direction of their shared residence, gathering her strength a moment longer than usual before jumping to the next roof. It somewhat amazes her that she doesn't completely botch the landing, though her hand automatically presses against her stomach upon impact.]

Damn that smarts...

[lukeim_yurlin]

[Dezel huffs softly at the idea that Rose is at all "fine" right now, but doesn't interfere in her attempt to cross over to the neighboring roof. Rather, he follows after, looking more than a little tense as he watches his former vessel make the leap. Even as her feet clear the roof, he can tell she's got enough strength to cross the divide. Still, the landing apparently jolts Rose enough to cause more pain and Dezel can't help but grit his teeth his response.]

[While Rose takes a moment to deal with her pain, Dezel takes the last few steps to the edge of the roof at a run and jumps the gap. The arc he cuts through the air is a graceful one, the landing after smooth and quiet. As he straightens up after, the seraph casts as glance Rose's way before moving past her on his way across the roof in the right direction.]

I'll decide what I will and won't worry about, Rose. And I'm sticking by you until you make it back to the house.

[Hopefully one of the others is home, preferably Sorey or Lailah. Then one of them could deal with Rose and her issues, since she's so damn set on not keeping her guardian seraph in the loop.]

[shivmeabreak]

Suit yourself. But I don't feel like going back right now. I set up that stupid shop to get out of the house.

[As though to back her claim, Rose straightens up and pivots around on one foot towards another direction picked at random. She's got no idea whatsoever on where it leads or even where anything is in this city, but anywhere has to be better than the Glenwood residence. Being tied to one place for long periods of time isn't something she's used to, and in an unfamiliar world she feels more trapped than ever.]

[Once again she takes off without caring about Dezel's answer, this time running from roof to roof at full speed. Her landings are harsher than before and cause the occasional stagger, but she doesn't break stride, determined to channel the pain into putting as much distance between herself and Dezel as possible. If he cares so much about her well-being now, he'll just damn well have to keep up.]

[lukeim_yurlin]

[Well, that IS a sentiment Dezel can more than understand. Hell, he spends most of his time wandering around the city and outside of it just so he doesn't have to be home during the day. Not unless there's a specific reason to stay there, such as yard work or cleaning that needs to be done. Thus he offers no direct argument, though his somewhat disapproving frown remains. The idea of Rose jumping rooftops while she's suffering isn't one that strikes him as a good idea at all. Death on Empatheias may not often be permanent for Otherworlders, but as someone who has died? It's not a good time and is best avoided.]

[So as Rose starts moving again, taking the next leap and continuing onward at a faster pace than before, Dezel puts boot soles to shingles and falls in behind her. His longer stride would allow him to catch her with not a whole lot of added effort, but knowing how irritated she is right now, he purposely hangs back about a good twenty or so feet. Should a mishap occur, he can always windrush to cover the distance in the blink of an eye.]

[Until Rose specifically tells him to get out of her life, this is the way it's going to be, with him shadowing her frequently, especially if something is amiss.]

[shivmeabreak]

[While Rose may not possess any extraordinary senses, she's become so acclimated to Dezel's presence that his footsteps, however light, reach her ears and provide security as they traverse the city skies. Each leap brings a freeing rush of air against her face and whips her hair about, just as it always did back home. If she closes her eyes, it's as though they never left, never went to Pendrago...]

[How long or how far this continues, Rose can't say. Her attention is focused inward among her thoughts while her body practically moves on its own, years of practice keeping her safe. It's a fine system for venting her frustration.]

[Or at least it is until a phantom pain straight through the stomach causes her to seize up mid-stride with a sharp gasp. Her vision goes black as her foot slips from the slanted shingles, sending her plummeting down the roof at breakneck speed.]

[lukeim_yurlin]

[As he runs along behind Rose, Dezel remains on edge, trying to watch his own step while monitoring Rose and the immediate area around them. Fortunately, he's got the wind on his side, the air currents continually whispering in his ears, keeping him informed of any potential dangers on the rooftops around them and on the streets below. Still, to be on the alert for an extended period of time means he'll be feeling worn later and it may be one of those nights where he'll be grateful for the time to actually sleep.]

[Then something happens ahead of him, Rose tensing and mis-stepping in an odd way. Before she's even lost her balance and footing, the air behind Dezel is sparking as his eyes widen in shock and horror. He doesn't call out, though. No, there's no point. It's a second of wasted time he can't afford to give up. So he simply moves, launching himself forward and directly into a windrush, the air around him swirling with green tendrils of energy.]

[A split second later, Dezel reappears mere feet from Rose, throwing himself bodily over her as she slides and rolls, getting one arm around her. Then the roof falls away as they reach the ledge, the momentum hurling them off and out over the street. Three stories up, their time is incredibly limited and Dezel does what he can to buy even just one more precious second of buffer time. The wind gusts up underneath them, the seraph lashing out with his free hand simultaneously and hurling one pendulum back toward the roof. As the weapon winds and hooks around an outcropping, Dezel snaps the line tight, the wind shifting at his command and pushing them back toward the side of the building.]

[Unfortunately, all doesn't go according to plan. As they swing back, Dezel finds he can't turn enough to let his boots hit the wall first. Instead, he slams back first into it. At the same time, the line goes taut as their combined weight drags down on it, jerking painfully at his shoulder socket. Still, he refuses to relent and simply drop. Teeth gritted, he lets the line out to control their descent, dropping down into a crouch on the ground below. A second later, he's got the wind pulling the line free from above, allowing him to retract it.]

[Forcing himself to his feet from there is difficult, but he knows he has no choice. He and Rose have already got people pointing their way, so he gets up with a grunt, carrying Rose off and down the nearest alley as quickly as he can...]

[shivmeabreak]

[In some faint awareness of her surroundings, Rose chokes back a cry while Dezel whisks them from the public eye to the relative seclusion of a back alley. His burden-laden footsteps echo dully between the darkened building walls, sounding all the more quiet as her breath comes out in labored, shaky gasps.]

D..Dezel...

[It's an imploring call of his name, just barely audible even in the oppressive silence. Rose can't see him or anything really, despite her eyelids fluttering open to reveal unfocused, almost gray eyes jerking towards every little sound. Where...?]

[When Dezel stops to rest, it becomes apparent Rose is mumbling one word over and over: don't. She shifts in his arms, like she wants to sit up, but instead curls in on herself with a scream. The scratched and bloodied hand resting on her stomach starts clawing at the fabric there, desperation mounting as she tries in vain to rid herself of the stabbing pain.]

Ithurtsithurtsithurts--!

[From somewhere on her person, Rose's voice emanates from her amulet straight into Dezel's mind even as her physical self continues screaming, bringing rise to a series of icy lances that thrust up from the ground, indiscriminately aiming for the hellion that isn't there. One sparkling blade shoots towards Dezel, stopping just at the tip hits skin before melting away.]

[lukeim_yurlin]

[The sudden screaming is alarming, and not just because it means Rose is in terrible pain, but because it may draw far too much attention their way. Then her agonized voice is in his head, driving him to act quickly to get it all to stop...provided he can do that before Rose accidentally summons up something that may kill them both. The ice spikes that suddenly appear and come close to skewering the seraph from one side are more than Dezel is prepared to deal with while both trying to protect and administer help to his former vessel.]

[Kneeling down and cradling Rose in one arm, her body braced against his legs, Dezel starts casting Concentrate, his free hand hovering over her midsection. Hopefully, the arte will do its job on both ends and not only heal Rose's injuries, but restore her focus and get her out of the lost, panicked state she seems to be trapped in at the moment. At the same time, Dezel puts what remains of his own focus into speaking to Rose telepathically.]

Rose, you have to calm down... I need you to be still.

[His "voice" trembles with concern, the surge of worry behind it also coursing with the deep desire to aid and protect.]

I promise I won't let anything happen to you, do you hear me? I will protect you. You are safe with me...

[shivmeabreak]

[Be it from sheer exhaustion or Dezel's efforts, Rose's voice eventually gives out, breaking down into strangled wheezes as the soothing wind pulls her consciousness away from the hellish memory and into his unyielding arms. ...still. She has to hold still.]

[Even though the meaning in his voice reaches her, she can't stop shaking, every inch of exposed skin covered in a cold sweat that sends chills through her weakened form. Her hands in particular twitch sporadically, as if they're being shocked by an unseen current.]

--out, get it out...

[Rose's head lolls to one side, the desperate plea reflected in the now focused stare she fixes on his face. It's trying to smother her, devour her... Yet she doesn't have the strength to call out to him in her mind; the best she can manage is to rest a trembling hand on the one Dezel is healing her with. He won't let the Malevolence take her... He promised...]

Please...!

[lukeim_yurlin]

[Godsdammit it all... When the screaming had started, when she's started to claw at her own stomach, he'd feared this had something to do with her physical and emotional state on arrival. Despite his best efforts to help her then, she's still suffering now. She's traumatized, heart still burdened by a weight not yet lifted because from her point of arrival, he has yet to give everything for her. To make up for what he put her through. To let her continue living.]

[The healing arte completes and Dezel shifts, sitting down on the ground with his back to the wall. Pulling Rose fully into his lap, he cradles her, cupping her cheek with one hand to keep her head turned toward him. All the while, he does what he can to send as many positive emotions across their connection as possible. In truth, he's not usually good at this. It's often hard enough for him drum up enough positive emotions for himself, let alone enough to share with another. If anything, logic is often Dezel's best weapon in talking someone out of a bad spot. But there is no room for that here. Not now. A damaged heart knows nothing of logic, just pain.]

There is no Malevolence here, Rose. There is none in you. Remember that you are Sorey's pure hearted Squire.

[Slowly, Dezel starts to take on a dim glow, a warm green in color. He closes his eyes, exhaling as he tries to pour all the he knows as a guardian into their link. Safety, protection, healing, undying loyalty...]

Focus on what I'm showing you, Rose. And on my voice. Come back to me, now... I know you can do this.

[shivmeabreak]

[For a moment it looks like Dezel's feelings are reaching her, but as her attention steadies on him and brings his face into perfect focus, a tremulous wave of emotion surges up from inside to drag her back into the darkness that threatens to consume her.]

[Betrayal.]

[They had found the seraph Dezel had been searching for, the one who drove him to keep going, who fueled his hatred. Finally she'd be able to help him put the past to rest. His true name had been ready on her lips so they could armatize and face her together. Yet Dezel had silenced her, robbing her soul of its control inside her own body instead of sharing the place she had made for him in her heart.]

[It's almost enough to break their connection entirely right there, were not for a small flicker of light reaching out from Rose, holding on to that which it treasures most.]

Why...?

[Her confused voice comes out hollow, as though calling from a distance. Why had he rejected her help the one time it counted most? Why did he throw himself at the hellion without any regard for his safety? ...didn't Dezel understand how important he is to her?]

[Rose almost doesn't want an answer- her own doubts may be less painful than the truth. Still. Even on the verge, she has to find out. Again she calls out, her hand blindly reaching for him.]

Why, Dezel...?

[lukeim_yurlin]

[At the question, that one single word, the warm glow about Dezel dies abruptly. It goes out like a candle flame under a cold gust of wind and in its place is an icy chill, one that starts to creep up the wall at his back as thin layer of frost. All the positive emotions he's been trying to funnel through their connection stop just as suddenly, immediately replaced with a hollow darkness as the wind seraph draws in on himself.]

...hate.

[The word springs to mind before he can think to respond with anything else. With it come guilt, regret, frustration and waves of self-hate, rolling forward like unchecked flood waters. On the outside, Dezel's head lowers, his eyes closing. This was not how he'd wanted to speak with her about this. An explanation is due along with an apology, but not like this. Not when Rose is already struggling so hard to pull herself together.]

[Still, how can he refuse her? To deny her further answers is to leave her in limbo, uncertain and unable to react properly. As she reaches for him, Dezel catches her hand in his to keep her from making contact with any other part of him. When he finally speaks again, the shame is his tone is clear.]

I let hate consume me and bloodlust drive me. All I wanted was to kill Symonne, any way I could... I told myself it should be me. Just me. It was my score to settle. But it wasn't and I was wrong... I screwed up...

[Though his eyes open again, he doesn't dare look at her and meet her gaze. Instead, Dezel keeps his eyes downcast, focused on his hand holding hers.]

I'm so sorry, Rose. I'm so very sorry.

[shivmeabreak]

[A keening whine escapes from Rose's pale lips as the storm of negative emotions threaten to douse her already fragile light. Her body seizes up again, seemingly choked from inside while she clings tighter to Dezel's hand with all the strength she can muster. Is this... what he'd been enduring the entire time? The secret he was so determined to keep?]

[She can scarcely blame him now; the emotions beating at her defenses aren't even hers and still she finds surrender a tempting option compared to the notion of them whittling away at her very existence day in and day out. Without a proper vessel, hellionization would have been a real possibility for anyone shouldering such a burden.]

[Silence falls over them once Dezel's apology comes across, a distant shining for her to follow, should she choose to. It assuages the resentment and hurt stirring just beneath the surface, allowing her breathing to steady as her slender form slumps in his arms. ...maybe this was the best outcome. Perhaps, in some small way, she had been able to bring Dezel some kind of peace. That wouldn't be so bad.]

...did you get it? Have your revenge? Did you kill her?

[Rose's resigned voice cuts through the darkness, closing in on the seraph's soul until it resounds right alongside him, a warmth embracing him.]

Was my life worth it?

[lukeim_yurlin]

[Even as Rose questions him again, needing the truth, Dezel is already working on trying to get his emotional barriers in place once more. The darkness that still resides in him is dangerous and he understands that far better than anyone. It's a threat to him a good part of the time, but to someone like Rose who is already struggling like this... It could do real damage.]

[Fortunately, Dezel recalls how Natsume was able to help him. Recalling better times, even if the memories are hazy, using those positive emotions to push back the wave of negativity and repair the crumbling walls. It's a temporary solution, yes, but it's one that Dezel seeks now. He knows this is not what Lafarga would have wanted, nor would Brad. If people like Sorey and Natsume and Kor were there right now, they would believe that he could do better. Their faith in Dezel has never faltered, which has been difficult for the seraph to understand, yet he knows their belief in him to be true. So he focuses on that, on the idea that he can make things right as much as possible and draws the darkness back.]

[Still, he knows he needs to answer to some degree...]

No...I didn't.

[Turning his hand, he lets his fingers intertwine with hers, holding her closer, his breath warm against her auburn hair while he turns his full attention on what must now be done - bringing Rose up out of the pit she's fallen into because of him.]

You didn't die, Rose. We did save you.

And I promise I'll tell you everything once you're stable again. Just please come back to me, now... Let go of the hurt as much as you can and focus on what light I can give you.

[It's hard won, but the dim glow around him slowly starts to return. All of Dezel's focus turns towards his feelings for Rose, his desperate want for her to be alright. Cautiously, he allows himself to surrender to that, letting his inner light ignite. He can't bring himself to tell her how much he loves her, but he can at least show her that on some level, despite all of his difficult ways, he cares deeply for her.]

[shivmeabreak]

[Though Rose finds herself drift towards the growing light, encouraged by its familiarity calling, Dezel's answer in the negative earns a twinge of... indignation? Or perhaps irritation is more apt. Whichever emotion it is, is strong enough to snap a nearby ice spike and send it shattering onto the ground. A harmless dusting of frost drifts across them, the cold making Rose's face scrunch up as a tired sigh comes from her physical and unconscious selves in tandem.]

...jerk.

[Without the strength to use her voice yet, she leaves the fond jab telepathic. Really, did he have to be such a nag about getting her up? She's tired, dammit. And every muscle burns as she squeezes the fingers interlocked with hers, struggling to open her eyes which are now almost back to their usual color.]

Five more minutes, m'kay...?

[It's like trying to wake from a deep, restless sleep after a night on the road and Rose is none too pleased. She wouldn't even have cared, really, were there not a warmth tickling her scalp. ...she doesn't have a dog or anything and no sane person would crawl into her bed uninvited, so it's cause for alarm. Rose strains to take in her surroundings, confusion evident as memories trickle in and she's able to piece together what just transpired.]

...Dezel?

[lukeim_yurlin]

[While Dezel's gaze shifts in the direction of the ice spike as it snaps, he doesn't move, otherwise. The little telepathic jab earns Rose a small, distant chuckle in turn, though. A tiny tinge of relief echoes along with it across their connection, Dezel knowing the response to be something more characteristic for Rose and thus a sign of improvement.]

[As Rose begins to regain full consciousness, Dezel eases his hand out and away from hers, carefully lowering her so there's a little more space between them. Her confusion is easy enough to read and he's not sure how she'll react to being in his lap, much less waking up to find that he's been holding her hand and a mere half inch from having his lips pressed to her hair. Still, even though he does what he can to present a neutral expression, a very small smile of relief manages to pull at his lips.]

Hey. Do you remember what happened?

[shivmeabreak]

Mmm... Screwed up.

[She did, that is. The exact details are still hazy, particularly after they'd reached their current location, but Rose is certain her obstinance has made Dezel's life more difficult than it needed to be. Her eyebrows furrow together as her gaze drops off to the ground, now wet with melted ice. In other circumstances she would have thought her display of emotional magic whatsit pretty damn awesome, but as is she can only remember how perilously close the blades had come to injuring him.]

...thanks.

[That one word, though spoken quietly, seems to echo shamefully in her ears. If she had just listened to him and gone home, this whole ordeal could've been avoided. Or she feels that would've been that case. It's hard for her to really say when her mind is still muddled by.... whatever it is that happened. Did she pass out? It felt like more than that, but nothing is making a lot of sense. She glances at Dezel's face briefly, then to his shoulder. Damn.]

Nice catch, by the way.

[For a joke that sure came out rueful. Biting her lip, Rose reaches up to try inspecting his arm through the jacket, careful not to pull the fabric in case it's more than a bruise.]