bravenewworld | 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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The sound of her, the look she gave him, even the arcanine suddenly appearing before her, all this gave him pause. Made him look down at himself and realize, with a brief sigh, because all things considered it was no surprise she was intimidated. Perhaps even frightened.

He didn't step closer and into her room, making no move that might be interpreted as a threat by her or her pokémon companion.

"My name is Thorin." And what was he supposed to do for the rest of this explanation? If he had more of a way with words, perhaps. "I heard someone crying, and went to see what was wrong."

As he spoke, something about him shifted to better fit him into the scenery. His clothes, while still travel-stained, still Calderan in pattern and design, changed into something richer than they were, more elaborate, more vibrantly colored.

She wasn't sure if she had seen anyone so tall in her life. Her father, her brother, both were large, their shoulders wide and their presence demanding respect. This man was the same, but there was something else--he was like something out of her fairy tale books. A prince. A king.

Her breath caught in her throat as she watched him, his attire seeming to change before her very eyes. They widened a bit, and the child was caught at least a little slack-jawed. Surely this couldn't be real... right? The style of his doublet was foreign and unfamiliar to her, and his hair was kept far too long for a nobleman of Union. He didn't seem to wear an insignia on him either, which gave her pause.

Uncertainty gave way to curiosity, the young blond taking a few steps away from her bed. "Thorin?" She asked, and for a moment her voice sounded familiar, like she had somehow tasted that name on her lips before. Still, she didn't seem to recognize him, stopping and looking down. "You... may have, yes."

The lithe in her voice was different, not quite the cadence of a normal Unionite. It was a bit stilted, and not nearly as lively as she usually spoke. "Are you a guest of my father's? I... am not certain that I recognize your name."

Now that she was brave, or perhaps curious enough to approach, he finally stepped into her room, nodding confirmation as she repeated his name back to him.

"Yes, I am a guest here." Not so much of her father's, of course, and not exactly invited. Close enough to the truth, still. Thorin crouched to be at eyelevel with her. Perhaps she was a noble child, but she was a child all the same, and she was still Lux. Somewhere in there, anyway. That much was impossible to miss.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, young lady."

He was strange, unusual, not at all like the nobility that she met at her family's fancy parties, nor the men of the Swords. With him at eye level, she could get a better look at him, see the weathered lines on his face. He saw the world, and she saw it in his eyes. In some ways, it scared her, especially after she saw him change before her eyes; but at the same time, she felt her heart race in excitement.

This man wasn't from a world she knew, Lux was sure of it.

She nodded, a bit shyly. Where were her manners? Floating out the window, like she wanted to be. "What brings you here? If--if you don't mind me being so forward?" She asked, tentatively.

He had seen the world, or parts of it at least. Not nearly all of them were pleasant. Thorin wasn't sure what she could see, what she did see in him, but he was glad, if nothing else, that she was no longer frightened. How to answer her question, though... he dropped his gaze to the floor a moment before responding, gathering his thoughts. For all that he could tell a tale well enough, he wasn't gifted a mind to make them up. But did he need to?

"You're free to ask whatever you like. I'm here because I'm looking for someone. My nephew's gone missing, and I might need help if I'm to find him again."

No need for feigned concern here, when there was plenty of it and genuine, weighing on him even here in someone else's imaginings.

"Your nephew?" The young girl blinked a few times, her head tilting curiously. He was looking for help here? How curious. Perhaps he was looking for her brother, or her cousin, to assist him. Both were strong, courageous, and in many ways what she wanted to be.

But somehow, that didn't seem quite right. Garen was training with the Swords, much like Ky, and both spent most of their time there. "I... I wonder if I could be of some assistance. Although my father would never allow me to leave without permission..." For a moment, she sounded hopeful, but that quickly faded as she reminded herself of her own limitations. "He is very angry with me right now, so I doubt that he would."

So that was what it was. Thorin remembered her talking about her family before, the things they did and did not approve of. Apparently it still troubled her enough for these caves to bring it up again, if the way she faltered was any indication at all.

"I would be honored if you did. Might I asked why he is angry with you?"

If he didn't know, by now, what this was, he would not interfere in someone else's family matters. This, though, was different. Or so he preferred to believe at least.

She brightened slightly, for a brief moment, at the thought of being useful. He would be honored, he said. This strange, magical man wanted her help, as if that would make all the difference in the world. She wanted to help, but was also very aware of what was expected of her.

Young Lux looked down, a somewhat complicated look on her face. "I yelled at him, told him that I would not do what I was told to do. What is expected of me." The blond started, drawing her lips together. "He... he has given my hand in marriage, in the hopes that our families may both reap the benefits of our union."

Arranged marriage wasn't entirely unheard of in Caldera. However, lacking actual royalty, it wasn't common, and Thorin's family in particular had given up on the custom generations ago, all of them too stubborn by half to ever accept such a thing. So he watched the child as she faltered and frowned, kept his own expression guarded. Every place had its customs. Was it his business or his place to interfere, really?

"So he did not think to ask you first." A statement rather than a question. That much was obvious.

"No," She said simply, shaking her head before lowering it gently. "It was decided when I was still young, by both families. The Flourite house wishes for their eldest son, Fai, to marry someone who will give him a psychic and fairy typed child."

That was her purpose here, she knew. Even at such a young age, she understood what her role was. And she hated it.

Edited (word choice) 2015-08-13 05:01 (UTC)

Descent into Darkness

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