bravenewworld | Descent into Darkness

Descent into Darkness

As the characters arrive, they will find what appears to be a rather deep cavern. Upon entering, the caverns are quite narrow, with twists and turns everywhere and different tunnels that all seem to be interconnected. As characters travel deeper within the caverns, reality around them will start to warp, they will start to see and hear things that aren’t necessarily there - images of old enemies, past failures, voices of condemnation, visions that strike at the soul and core of the characters. Once this begins, it will only increase in power and volume, demanding it be confronted, lest they be trapped within these caves forever.

[OOC: This event will run for a week. All characters who enter the caves will be subject to some of their deepest fears, darkest demons, and most abject failures. To overcome them, characters must help each other out, finding their purpose through strength of character and resolve to move forward. In general, these visions should require characters to come to grips with themselves. Illusory images and voices can and will appear and can take any number of forms, depending on what is most appropriate to a character. Additionally, characters may thread with each other and are encouraged to help each other out to overcome these personal demons. For those who wish to take part, they are able and encouraged to narrate their own personal demons, which will be on display for everyone who enters their thread. IC threads may be made in this post.]

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[ Whoops. Haruka backs down and away from her partner, thinking. Michiru can't see her. She may or may not be seeing something else in Haruka's place. Should Haruka refuse to engage, then? Should she look for a way to break the illusion independently? Did Michiru bring her mirror? But that would still involve Haruka managing to get a hold of it to show herself to Michiru....and assuming it'd work...

She smirks, since it beats all the alternatives. ] ...That's a no, then.

[ Haruka has never been on the receiving end of one of those angry, suspicious looks before. There's a power there she can't help but appreciate, but that's also not conducive to fixing their problem. ] Try not to kill me before we figure this out.

[she stares hard for another moment, before blinking and looking around again. Where'd it go...?]

Voir. [Michiru nods, still staring into the empty space next to you, and then turns to continue down the path they were going before. The solution to all of this has to be at the end, right?

She slows down a bit, letting Waltz lead her, as she pulls out her mirror to take a look. There's a moment when she almost comes to a stop, just staring into the mirror, but then she just sighs and puts it away.]

[ Trying to engage with Michiru without a plan looks like it'll only cause more problems, not solve the one they've got. Haruka therefore sends Rushing Wind ahead to scope out the ruined cityscape but keeps World Shaking behind her, walking a few paces behind Michiru, far enough away they couldn't touch even if she'd wanted to. They've looked out for themselves first and foremost before. This isn't an impossible situation.

She's going to keep telling herself that so she doesn't have to think about the look on Michiru's face when the other woman had discovered her "missing". No, because of that look, she has to stay calm and get to the bottom of this. They'll work on it together. (If separately). ] Let's not do caves again.

[ Now, is anything else moving out there? Watching them? Or has she effectively left Michiru alone in a vision of Union destroyed....?

...She wasn't going to think about things like that. ]

[the silence is oppressive. The crunch of stone under her boots are muffled somehow, and even that eventually fades. Waltz's grip on her arm gets tighter as the Pokemon moves closer, though the only sign Michiru is showing is a tightening of her jawline.

It must be a pretty boring vision though, because for a while, she just walks. And walks. And then finally, she slows down to a stop:] This is futile, isn't it?

[she's either referring to the walking or to the fact that she's apparently being shown a future where nothing matters because she can't even protect one person. If she can't even do that, what's the point of fighting anything?

She laughs, speaking if only to break the silence.] Is that the point? That there isn't one?

[Waltz didn't even have a chance to look worried before Michiru summons her Noivern. Nocturne shuffles a little, trying to make herself look smaller before bumping her nose against Michiru's outstretched hand.] Would you take a look around, please?

[Nocturne nods, and then wings her way into the air with an impressive leap. Waltz closes her eyes and looks away. Tch. Showoff.]

[ Rushing Wind hears Nocturne coming and turns around, having discovered nothing of interest. She flaps a greeting and tries a hesitant trill. Do you know who she is....?

Hearing her Pidgeot's hesitation, Haruka grits her teeth. This isn't feasible. Whatever's making an illusion this complicated isn't going to be discovered so easily.

Frustrated, she lashes out against the illusion itself: will Michiru notice that, at least? If she pounds an Earthquake into the wreckage? This attack does make distinctive craters. She might not trust whatever's conjuring this, but she does trust her partner. Michiru! She's here!

She's here and she's trying to break things. What a troublesome soldier. ]

[Nocturne blows right past Rushing Wind, unseeing. The crashing noises from behind her draws her attention and she turns, hesitating for a heartbeat zooming back. Training or not, the situation has changed.

Michiru starts, turning quickly towards the noise. When the dust settles though:]

...Haruka?

[there's a hesitancy to her voice, as if she's afraid to get her hopes up. There are, technically speaking, many other things that will Earthquake wreckage out of frustration.]

[ Rushing Wind follows, also alert to crashes (if more sanguine about them: crashes just mean "Trainer" to her). World Shaking is also watching Haruka with interest, unsure whether he should join in. For now he will just stand and see what Trainer is doing.

Haruka waits until she can see Michiru looking...where she should be, then sends another Earthquake into the ground. She's here, Michiru. She's here. You just can't see her. ] I suppose I should be offended.

[ Having gotten her partner's attention, she begins walking towards Michiru again. Outsmarting situations may not come to her naturally, but she learned from the best. And the look on Michiru's face as she - as Michiru, the one who always reassures Haruka - had wondered whether everything was futile...

Haruka's willing to do whatever she has to, try anything she has to, to not see that look again. So here's a Gust, off to one side. How many things are both Ground and Flying-type? ]

[that's something she's noticing, yes. Nocturne swoops in silently, but lands next to Waltz at the other Pokemon's insistence. Something is going on...

Meanwhile, Michiru adopts her most neutral expression, eyes fixed on that indistinct figure. It's more of a shimmer of light than anything, as if the illusion doesn't quite know what to do with you.

And she's holding out her hand, palm up.]

[ Good plan. Haruka smiles, takes a deep breath, and stretches out her own hand.

This time, instead of grabbing insistently, her fingertips caress Michiru's palm before attempting to entwine their fingers together. She's here, Michiru. This is something only she would do. It's something only she would do with only you.

If Haruka manages to get her fingers all the way laced with Michiru's without the other woman pulling away, she'll give that hand a squeeze, holding her breath, willing her own nerves quiet. She's here.

It'd be cruel, wouldn't it, for one of them to leave for their own world? ]

[it fits. Of course it fits. She lets out a breath she didn't know she was holding and squeezes back in response.

And then she's looking up into your eyes, actually looking.] Hello.

[there may be little point in maintaining an illusion when somebody has broken it so thoroughly]

[ Haruka smiles too - is that? Does she? But of course she does. It's Michiru. ] Some mirror.

[ Say her lips. Her eyes say something completely different. Something very likely not conducive to continuing to remain on guard against an unseen enemy lurking in the depths of a cave conjuring apocalyptic wastelands, but they deserve this moment.

World Shaking has no idea what's going on, so he snorts loudly from behind Waltz and Nocturne. ]

[Nocturne jumps in surprise and immediately tries to hide behind Waltz. Waltz is also taken by surprise at the sudden appearance of World Shaking, but she's trying her best not to show it.]

Apparently - [she's already leaning in] - it doesn't wreck enough landscapes.

[she supposes she ought to start making contingency plans for this particular fear of hers]

I can handle that. [ Now and forever. Maybe another one of those promises is in order.

Or maybe they need to do the opposite and just never be apart again. Whatever the decision, they'll make it together. But right now, their lips are wasted on words.

Haruka closes the gap as World Shaking waddles up to the other Pokémon, oblivious to Nocturne's fright. He is still confused, but the humans are finally doing something he recognizes. Now they get to stand and wait for the humans to be done.

Rushing Wind, also familiar with this process, alights atop him to wait out this staple of human behavior. ]

[Michiru doesn't seem to be in any particular hurry, not the way her free hand is clutching at your shirt.

Waltz gives World Shaking and Rushing Wind a steady nod. All is....well. Mostly normal. Even when it comes to having a large dragon type trying to hide behind smaller Pokemon.]

[ That works just fine for Haruka. Her own free hand presses against Michiru's back, inviting their bodies to fit together the same way their lips have. She doesn't want you to have to feel that way ever again. She doesn't want to feel the way she felt when she saw it, either.

World Shaking makes a grating rumble sound that is probably assent. Rushing Wind fluffs herself up and would smile at Nocturne if beaks could smile. She's sorry they scared you. It wasn't their fault they disappeared. ] Geeee.

[that's finally a smile. Even when she pulls back, she stays right there in your arms.]

We should go. [together. And that makes all the difference.

For now, at any rate. She's going to have to confront this later.

Nocturne tries to pretend that Waltz is effectively hiding her, but when Waltz rolls her eyes and steps aside, Nocturne stares. And then dramatically sweeps open one large wing, the other one pressed against her chest, and bows dramatically. Oh no, she could never fault you for something as trivial as that, m'lady.]

Mm. [ Haruka will be happy to listen if she needs a sounding board. But for now, sticking together at all times sounds like a pretty good plan. So her arm stays wrapped around Michiru even as they begin venturing further into the cave.

The Pokémon appear to have been forgotten, at least by Haruka. World Shaking crunches forward, causing Rushing Wind to take flight again, but she bobs her head back to Nocturne - she didn't raise a Rotom in the bowels of the theater without some idea of what to do when people address her like that! You're too kind, so have no worries!

Now they should probably make sure they don't misplace the humans again... ]

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Descent into Darkness

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