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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[ Feeling someone's presence hovering over her, the small blond slowly looks up. Her prismatic hair is gone, and any features that came from two evolutions have been abandoned for much younger features. She looks a bit different--her face is a bit more round, even a shade or two paler than normal, and the freckles she had from being out in the sun were gone. She looked like she hardly ever got outside, if at all.

Lux looked up at him, and for a moment it seemed she might recognize him, but that moment quickly left as she sniffled a bit. ]

Who are you?

[ There was an interesting lilt to her voice, one that wasn't present when they talked before. The high-class magi spoke in a similar fashion.

The confidence she had before was also missing. ]

How did you get in here? Surely the guards would have seen someone pass through, if not one of the Growlithe...

[ Now she was just talking to herself. She shook her head, drawing her knees close again and resting her temple on top of them. ]

Father would be mad if I left.

What, you mean you haven't heard of me?

[ he springs to his feet and sweeps a bow so exaggerated that he even balances on one foot, his other leg going out behind him. ] I'm Jack Frost, the spirit of fun and adventure! I come to rescue children from boredom and rules. Parents and guards can't stop me when there's freedom to be spreading.

[ just for effect, he lets ferns of frost spread across the floor from his feet as he straightens up (he pretends to be losing his balance as he does, "luckily" landing steady) and then he twirls his staff around in his hands and points to her with the crook. ]

And you look like a princess in need of rescuing, Lux.

[ Little Lux shook her head simply. No, she hadn't heard of someone named Jack Frost. Should she have? He seemed whimsical, like someone she might have read about in one of her storybooks. She was reluctant to be charmed, however, that much was obvious. But manners were manners; she stood up, giving him a proper curtsy

Her whole demeanor changed once frost began to spread over the floorboards. Lux's eyes widened, staring down at the ground, then quickly looking up at the boy before her. That got her to smile, quite brightly in fact, her eyes sparkling. ]

A princess, me?

[ She looks mystified by this idea! But being the precocious, intelligent child that she was, she had something to say about that. ]

But princesses are only fairy tales. I'm no such thing.

[ Her own words knocked the wind out of her sails, just a bit. But she tries to recover, and at least be polite. ]

Mister Frost, how do you know my name? Only John calls me Lux.

Edited 2015-07-22 20:44 (UTC)

[ at least she's cheering up, even if it is going to take a bit more to get through to her; it seems like she wants to believe in his fairytale but she's too... what, mature? jaded? it makes him sad either way. this isn't how things are supposed to be for kids; no wonder she had envied his freedom, so much that she was heedless of the drawbacks that come with vagrancy. he almost wishes he had been able to meet her earlier in her life. ]

How would I know who needed my help if I didn't know their names? [ he makes it sound matter-of-fact, like it's simple. he can easily play the fey stranger here. ] Besides - a smart, pretty girl who longs for adventure, locked up in a tower? That sure sounds like a princess to me.

[ She gave him a skeptical look, unsure of what to think of the whole situation. ]

John sent you.

[ Lux was convinced. It was the only logical explanation, after all. No one else called her Lux--although she would like it if they did, even just once in a while. It was always "Luxanna," or "Miss Luxanna," or, in severe cases, "Lady Luxanna." She hated that. Luxanna was boring, helpless, trapped.

Maybe Lux was someone a bit stronger than she was? ]

But princesses need a prince or a knight to help them. They never do for themselves.

[ She would know, judging from all the fairy tale books she read. ]

Adventure is all well and good, but I hardly want to wait for someone to have one. If that's the case, than I would rather be something else.

[ Her confidence quickly faded, however, and she sat back down. ]

But every time I sneak out, I get caught. It doesn't matter anyway. Once I am married, I belong to my lord. He is a kind person but...

[ "But he does not love me, just as I do not love him." She wanted to say. ]

There are certain expectations. Certain obligations, Mister Frost. Even if I leave, I have to come back. This is the only life I know, and I...

Hey, hey!

[ he drops to his knees with her as soon as she sits, and he gently grasps her by the arms to get her attention. this is worse than he thought; most children he drags away from their parents are all too eager to neglect their duties in favour of playing games with a mysterious boy. ]

Listen, everybody needs help sometimes. If you need a prince or a knight or - [ he winks ] - a friendly spirit to break you out of your prison, that's okay. After that, the adventure is all yours, I promise. A princess can do just as much as anyone else.

[ the last thing she said is more important, though. this is the only life I know. ]

I'll let you in on a secret, though. [ and here he lowers his voice, cups a hand around his mouth like it really is important and confidential. ] I'm not supposed to tell you this, but one day, you're gonna be free of all this. You get to live the life you want and have all kinds of adventures and make your own choices about everything. I've seen it.

[ Blinking a few times as he whispers to her, the young girl looks at the self-proclaimed friendly spirit. ]

I will?

[ Lux looks up at him through her bangs, her expression a bit uncertain but hopeful, and perhaps a bit worried. A bit more than a bit. She wasn't willing to admit out loud that she was a bit afraid, and for an instance she looks like her old self, bits of prismatic luminescence peeking through that head of bright, straw yellow hair. She almost seems to even recognize him; almost.

When she looks down again, it fades, and she smiles a bit sadly. ]

I... I'm not sure I can leave.

[ Her voice sounds level, a bit closer to how she might normally speak to him, the colors and details around the room a bit more muted. Maybe his words were reaching her after all. Maybe this all wasn't just a memory for her. ]

Even if I were to have some kind of grand adventure, I have to come back here. After all of that. It's what is expected of me. I can't escape it.

I hate it. I hate it all. Every last bit.

Why can't you escape it?

[ this shouldn't have been left to him. it should be someone else here, listening to her and comforting her, somebody who can sympathise with the things she's been through. a normal person. what could he understand about this? any plans that existed for him have been long discarded, and he's never known anything less than absolute freedom. all his restrictions have been self-imposed by fear and the nature of what he is.

but it is left to him, and he has to try. ]

Why should you have to be stuck with a life that you hate, huh? Just because your parents say so? 'Cause other people expect it of you? It's your life, Lux. Nobody else gets to make those choices for you. You deserve to be happy just as much as anyone. Would you ever tell someone else that they have to go back to this?

[ The illusion falling away bit by bit, her bedroom walls painted over the walls of the cavern, and the bed she sat against giving way to a larger stalagmite. It was still there, if only faintly. While her own physical appearance hadn't caught up to the change, her voice had, sounding a bit deeper, a bit more what he was used to. ]

I don't know how else to live. Even after all I've done, even after running away like I did. Even though I hate it so much... I'd never wish this upon anyone.

[ It was her life. Even if they tried to pervert any of the choices she made for herself, she could find a way to be happy. A way to reject the life her family tried to force on her. And maybe... maybe that tower of hers was more self-inflicted than she thought. ]

I want to live my own life. I don't want to be held back anymore.

[ While the illusionary room continued to fade away, both Lux and Jack would hear something click. The door. Still looking very distinctly real, it began to slowly open, letting a bit of light in. The blond stared at it in wonder. ]

[ it's working. there are still remnants of it that must be clinging to Lux's mind, the last traces of the illusion that she hasn't quite cast off yet, but it's actually working. Jack laughs, both disbelieving and delighted. ]

I think that's our cue!

[ he gets to his feet, picking up his staff along the way, and offers his hand out to Lux. ] You ready to get out of this place, princess?

[ That light... It felt nice. Warm, welcoming and somehow familiar. She didn't remember that door being locked, but watching it slowly swing open made her heart race.

Watchung her friendly helpful spirit jump to his feet, she looked at his hand for a moment. She gave him a smile.

Princesses stayed in their towers wishing, waiting to be saved. She didn't want to be that. Standing, she took his hand. ]

It's Lux.

[ She led him, instead of him leading her. Pulling open the door to the light, there was a sudden rush of wind before the world fell away.

She was back to normal, finally. Her head a bit hazy for a few seconds, she looked down to find herself still holding on to his hand; she let go without a secondition thought. Her brain finally catching up, alarm filled her face, quickly replaced with embarrassment.

He... saw all of that, didn't he? Oh Savior why would she let someone see that? She turned pink out to her ears. ]

Ah...

[ and there it is. he watches the expression on her face change as the realisation hits her, and he snickers, soft and not unkind. ]

Hey, there she is! Welcome back to the land of the creepy, dark caves. I guess now I can really get where you're coming from with what you said to me about travelling, huh?

[ She immediately covered her face with her hands with a gentle groan, both embarrassed and a bit mortified. Only two people in this world knew about any of that.

Three now.

Could she just... crawl under one of these rocks to die now? She drags her hands down a bit. ]

No one was supposed to see that... But I guess the purrloin is out of the bag, huh?

[ he laughs more clearly and taps her on the head with the crook of his staff. ]

Come on, princess, it's not even that bad. You were a cute kid!

[ She looks up at him in much the same way she did as a child. Because some things do not change. ]

You say that because it wasn't you.

[ Lux gives him a bit of a look. ]

And for the record, I'm not a princess, nor would I ever want to be. I've read enough stories to know that most of what they do is wait around for a prince to save them.

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Descent into Darkness

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