Testing the Waters (Darren)

by **Vala** on June 27th, 2011, 4:24 am

She was surprised but she still managed to grit her teeth closed. Hugging was strange enough, but lips pressing against hers? The bile managed to make it all the way to her mouth before she could swallow the burning bitterness.

Though her throat felt like it was on fire, Vala was grateful the bile had come. The desperate need to be comforted quickly dissipated, leaving Vala weak and angry. He was still clutching her tightly and she didn’t have the energy to fight, but she did have the lucidity to speak. “Let me go! Let me go you disgusting brute. Stop molesting me you sick freak! Stop it. Her fingers released their death grip on his shirt as the traveled up to begin clawing at his face. ”Let me go! LET ME GO! Let me…” Vala trailed off when her ears pricked at the sound of moaning and sobbing down the warren. For the third time that day, Vala’s arms fell limp to her side as she tried to curl up. Vala believed in monsters. They were real and they could eat her. It would be stupid to not be afraid. ”Darren what is that? Darren? Let’s go… please. I’m scared.” Vala asked from the safety of his embrace. His touch was now bearable, even in her lucidity.

Fear of being eaten alive > Fear of touch

“Help… please help…” A voice called out. The voice was raspy and high, the dull echo reaching the two’s ears with cloying clarity. “Anyone? Please?...” Coughing, wet sticky coughs, soon followed the pleas. Vala curled up tighter into Darren.

Vala’s voice shrunk as she tried to make her entire body smaller. ”Darren we need to go! It’s going to eat us. It’s trying to lure us into the shadows! It’s going to eat us… Vala began to hyperventilate, her breath putrid from her vomit. She began to feel faint again.

by **Darren** on June 27th, 2011, 11:43 pm

Hmm. I wonder if I may have done something wrong here... Darren thought as his eyes glazed over. The words that came next confirmed his worries, along with some scratches for his face. Sigh* Great... I really don't blame her for feeling like I'm some eccentric, weirdo foreigner he thought as he the scratches on his face accumulating. "Alright! Alright!" he shouted back as he threw his arms up in surrender. Looking at where the source of the noise down the warrens his eyes nearly lighted up in appreciation.

"Thank goodness" he murmured low, "Erm- I mean. I have no idea! Let's go find out! You can cower behind Dare-Bear" he said bravely. As Vala reattached herself to him Darren frowned a bit peeved by the wishy washy nature of the redhead. Make up your mind already he thought condescendingly as he positioned himself between Vala and the voice. It sounded pleasant enough, and it was only asking for help...

"Hehe, sure thing!" he replied back as he turned back to Vala with a crafty look. "MY FRIEND AND I are here to rescue you! Be heroes!" he said. It was a bit hard to not laugh. Here Vala was all superstitious and scared. Shouldn't he be the one scared? I mean I even believed in mountain sickness and big giant birds that eat people he thought as he tried pulling Vala along. "Nonsense! If someone is hungry we HAVE to go help!"

We should right? Just a joke. Nothing to be afraid of Darren mused as he enthusiastically moved towards the voice. By now it was already starting to get a bit darker as they walked through the unfamiliar Inner Warrens. And if it's not I'm more then prepared... he complentated as he laughed darkly. "Oh my... it's getting dark" he said in a sarcastic tone. "Too bad I left my torch at Avanthal... if only we had something to light the way" he said looking at Vala. He was pretty sure she was already frightened by now. Only right to poke fun at her, it's what friends do right? "Hmm oh well. Where are you stranger?" he asked in a soft voice. Looking down the tunnels he saw only darkness as his eyes tried to grow accustom to the lack of lick

by **Vala** on June 30th, 2011, 4:51 am

Vala wanted to run away, but her legs were too numb to move. She had wasted most of her energy trying to claw her way out of Darren’s clutches only to latch right back on. Shiny tears trickled down her face, one after the other. Even her nose began to ooze disgusting human fluids. Vala was a mess. Darren basically just dragged her dead weight along.

The groaning grew louder as they neared, only to suddenly stop after a few seconds. There was a bend in the hall. The moaning had come from right around the corner. Darren continued to yell out obscenely into the unknown, even taunting Vala though she was too busy building herself a mental asylum to hear him. Only a few slivers of wavering light reached where the form lay crumpled. The closet inset torch had been yards away. There were no more lit torches after the bend. There was only darkness.

It shifted. Then it began to moan again. Something lifted around the end. A head? It was still too dark to see. It was too dark to see anything. Suddenly a light flared up, so intense, it could have burned someone’s retinas if they had been looking directly at it. It had come from another edge of the form. The glow was fleeting, it was too bright to be sustained, especially by one so weak. It was probably accidental. Now only a trickle of illumination continued to flow from the source. The source was his right hand. Or was it a woman? It was still too dark to tell. The form shivered. The moaning intensified. “Help me…” It rasped weakly. “Help me…” It called again. “…Please.”

Vala lifted her head at the pleading. The whispers had slithered into her ears, demanding her attention. She turned her head to try and catch a glimpse without compromising her position. She could only make out a matted tuft of ruddy red, which was probably its hair. Pale slivers of wrinkled flesh could be seen between the cracks of hair and blood. The res fire that still spilled from the bloody palm of its hand was coming out slower now. The light it cast was unnaturally tinted. It made the scene even more ghastly.

Vala hated reimancers.

by **Darren** on July 1st, 2011, 1:52 am

I'm really finding it hard to see how someone would even put be in this position he mused silently as he took a look at his surroundings. Dark, deary hall, hot, scared out of her mind girl, and even a less then approachable person... This is great! He laughed quietly to himself as he poked his head around the corner. "Come on, he's over here!" he said as he looked back to Vala.

"...Ew" he muttered as he looked back at the sniveling Vala...who was latching on to him like she was a part of him. He pursed his lips together in as he let out an annoyed grunt at the manner that Vala was giving. How is she doing that? She's holding onto me tighter then I thought humanely possible he thought as she tried to otherwise calm the alarmed Inarta. "Don't worry Darren is here. Dare will protect you! ...please get off" he twitched slightly annoyed as he moved to clear up the bodily fluids off her face before trying to shake Vala off eased him."Again, you can cower behind Dare-Dare" he joked as he led them towards the brooding figure, slightly discouraged by the his inability to remove himself from the hitchhiker.. "Um... if you want. Get torch and come back?" he offered as he took a step towards the figure. This isn't TOO bad... she's pretty light he rationalized as he watched a moment for Vala's answer.

But there was no need for it as a sudden light flared up behind them. At this Darren looked surprised, a bit more tense now as he realized what the other person was capable of. Reinmancy. Having only bad experiences with it's practitioners it was instinctual to for him to cover Vala as the two made their way forward. Having to go through the awkward motion of only approaching the man with one side of his body Darren was unable to see whether the figure was a man or a woman. "Sure thing... is it Sir or Madam?" he said as he offered his hand to the Reinmancer.

The different hues of fire it was giving was starting to bother Darren as he leaned closer. "Eh... Stop that" he said with a less then amused face as he stared at the fire the reinmancer was casting. "Come on Vala... Doctor time" he urged silently as once again tried to pry the petite redhead off his persons. Darren didn't hide his strong desire to help others as he looked quietly at Vala. "Please Vala... let's help?" he asked as signs of his face started to show his slight irritation. She might not understand his want to help others but now wasn't the time to explain. Right now this person might need help their help and he would offer it if it was necessary. "What do you say Vala? Give a hand?"

by **Vala** on July 3rd, 2011, 7:35 pm

Help… Help? That reimancer didn’t need help, it needed to be put out of its misery. Vala had only been up close and personal with one mage who had overgiven before, but that experience had been burned well enough into her retinas that she knew the symptoms by heart. The reimancer wasn’t producing the light voluntarily. It was coming out in spurts now, as if following its weakening heart beat.

It stirred at Darren’s voice, but it did not appear to realize he was there to help her. It probably didn’t understand Common. It did not react to Darren’s outstretched hand. Though she was still scared out of her wits, Vala was starting to quell her fear with rage. Rage at the crumpled pathetic thing before her. Rage at the foreigner who had put her in such a compromising position. Rage at herself for her impotency.

Still too physically weak to unlatch herself, her muscles frozen from fatigue, Vala forced herself to at least stop sobbing, well, at least try, so she could get a couple words out. “Stop Darren. Don’t touch it.” She swallowed the growing pain; each word was a struggle. “It is a fire reimancer. The fire… it’s not…. Its not voluntary. It can’t control…. Don’t touch it. After getting the most important info across, Vala allowed herself a second to release the pent up sobs. She was shaking violently as sweat dripped down her brow. It was growing very hot. The darkness was stifling. The shadows danced in wait. Once she was done with her display of weakness, Vala tried to communicate some more. She didn’t care about the thing dying, but she did care if Darren got hurt. If he got hurt, she would be stuck with the thing; she wasn’t sure if she had the energy to even crawl out. If you touch it… It might hurt you. It can’t hear us. Vala smirked; a thought popped up. “Hey you! Reimancer! Are you dying?” Her yells were raspy, barely projecting a few feet. The reimancer stirred and moaned, but said nothing. ”See? We should just leave it… Skyinarta will take care of her…” The fear was now properly reigned, masked by conceited anger. Vala looked on at the bloody figure with distaste. For a second, just a fleeting moment, a hint of pity could have been seen in the quivering of her dilated pupils, but then it was gone, barely registered by her consciousness.

OOC Notes :

by **Darren** on July 12th, 2011, 1:04 am

I have to admit I am starting to get worried here... Darren paused as he considered what Vala just said. Uncontrolled reinmancy... and fire to add to the danger. Would I be able to handle it? He listened for a moment as the sobs of the timid maiden reached his ears. It wouldn't be wrong to focus to attending to the stable one first right? "Well somewhat stable" he muttered as he stroked Vala's hair.

However her shouts to the Reinmancer only made this that much harder to do. To be out of control. With magic of all things. Such a fate is appalling... he gritted mentally as he took a hurried step back. The SkyInarta will take care of her? How long will it take for them to get there? We don't even know how we got here. How would this man fare? He shut his eyes in a mixture of anger and disgust. Both aimed at the man,at Vala but mostly himself for being so damn unsure of what to do! This was just a bit too much, especially for his first day here.

"Vala..." he whispered tenderly as he walked a pace to the wall. Strangely enough he was starting to get used to her holding on to him so tightly. I could get used to this... but having it like this isn't right at all he thought somberly as he croutched down. Trying to sit her on the ground he gingerly tried to pry her hand loose. But still she hung on to him tighter then he still humanely possible. He shrugged as he worked on first removing her pinky from him, and then her ring finger and down the rest in order. He wanted to hold her hand, something to for her to squeeze as tightly as she could. This fear had to be expressed, whether if she liked it or not.

"Listen... You are scared. I understand. But I... have to do something.A man is in trouble and I need to help him. There is no one else that can help. Please... if you are can't help, let me. First help you then him. he whispered. The tension in the situation was getting worse as the man's condition degraded, his body moved without his consent, sparks flew from his fingers as the very hall they stood on shook unsteady. Resting his head on hers he tried his best to look composed as this went on. "Close eyes. Look away. Leave it to me" he said patiently as his hand went to move her away from him.

Granted he would have liked it if she let go of her own free will but there wasn't much time. If it came down to it he would have to squeeze a bit tighter, maybe even slap some sense into her but after he would make sure she would still be comfortable. Make sure she understood that he wasn't going to leave her, he would come back. Back after dealing with the man. If she wasn't going to let him take him back with them the least they could do was put him out of his misery. Looking at the shape he was in now, bleeding from his nose, arms partially on fire Darren might be able to learn a bit about reinmancy afterall.

by **Vala** on July 12th, 2011, 4:30 am

This was getting ridiculous.

Vala snapped. “Close eyes. Look away. Leave it to me.” She mouthed to imitate Darren as he spoke; her cool gray eyes boring into his. She couldn’t see Darren anymore, not his physicality anyway. His tormented aura screamed to her, his touch intensifying each desperate call. She knew what he wanted; as well as if he was shouting it in her ear. She could feel what he felt; he filled every inch of her, until everything she was, just disappeared into the shadows.

Vala was gone. A shell was left.

The shell, the bony sack of repressed memories, shoved Darren away from it, with a strength Vala had believed to be drained. The shell crumpled to the ground, hard. It closed itself off, mouth agape with silenced shrieks. It forced Darren’s will, life, energy, aura, emotion, loves, cares, hates, fears, everything about him, out of its empty, cavernous core: Nothing remained.

Control.

With grotesque angularity, the thing that had once been Vala slithered, crawling its way to the prostrate form a few feet away. Her rasping breath, the sound of each pull of flesh on jagged rock, and the pitiful pleas from the dying thing resonated ten fold in the narrow hallway. The shadows drew in, as if to aid the shell in its determined journey. It moved slowly without pause, each bloody claw shooting out at a methodical pace to drag her limp body across the short expanse.

It pushed itself up, onto its haunches. A fiery waterfall of silk soft tresses shielded both their faces – both reimancers. A hand so steady, without hesitation, reached out slowly to gently brush away the matted hair from the fallen creature’s face. It was a man, a dirty man, aged faster than his true years. It was a dirty bloody man about to die.

His aura was flickering, puttering out. It irritated the shell to be so close to it; it was draining just to be in its presence.

Though the shell had pushed all of Darren from its core, the purpose had remained: Put the man out of his misery.

It was never clear, whether it was working because Darren had imprinted into it, or whether it would have done it on its own, but that doesn’t matter – only its actions mattered.

Vala’s body closed its paper thin lids, allowing the darkness to consume its senses. The hand that had so gently brushed away the blood, the dirt, the filth to expose the wrinkled visage, now gently cupped the man’s face. Its small palm could barely cover the nose and open mouth, but it did, just barely. The shell knew the consequences: it had weighed the pros and cons without fear or anger to mar its decision. This needed to be finished.

It gasped. Its head snapped back as her eyes rolled back into her head, the bloody whites glowing ghostly in the dim light. Shakes wracked her body, but there was no pain: it was past pain. Its mouth opened, the hinges of the jaw creaking. Words, a voice, a voice not like anything Vala could have ever made, escaped, polluting the air, worming straight into Darren’s defenseless subconscious. It was dead, a dead man’s voice. “It is done.” It smiled.

Before Darren could react, Vala’s body began to shudder violently. Her right palm was steady, so steady, over the dying Reimancer’s mouth and nose. Fluid res poured out of the reopened slit in Vala’s palm. Her own life blood soon followed, filling the dying man’s orifices with repulsive speed. Vala would never have been able to control such things; this was not Vala. It pushed and pushed, until the shell was spent. But not too drained to finish. With one last vigorous thrust of res, the shell alighted its djed until the man’s head began to melt from the inside out. The liquid skull collapsed into itself; the shell did not pull back its hand until the deed was done.

Vala collapsed.

OOC Note :

by **Darren** on July 13th, 2011, 2:15 am

"Erm okay? You understand yes?" he murmured low as he watched the sudden mood Vala had. Is she alright? he wondered as he shook her slightly, slightly feeling embarrassed by the amount of eye contact they were giving each other. He was tempted to look away abashed before Vala made her decision. She pushed him away, well she might have nudged him for all he knew, but Darren gave her space nonetheless. "That's it..." he muttered dejectedly as he stood up to leave.

But then Vala did something unexpected, she was actually going back to the reinnmancer. "Whoa hold up" he said aloud as he took a step towards her. "Don't worry, I'll..." he started before he stopped short, maybe she knew something after all? Now would be the time to spectate. At least for the moment. Well actually let me help her to the guy at the least he thought as he helped Vala towards the man. A short prod to the petite figure, followed by a slight push but all that it looked that she didn't need his help after all.

A mixture of pride and disappointment seethed inside of him. He was pretty happy he managed to lead Vala to face her fears...but at the same time he was a bit disappointed that he wouldn't be able to deal with the man. Maybe I'm just too good at this leadership role? he thought slightly amused as he watched the Inartas closely. He ust wanted to coddle Vala right now, jump her bones even, watching a once enfeebled woman take charge was all too exciting for him, alluring even.

As she closed her eyes, Darren leaned closer for a better view, finally something was going to happen. He inhaled nervously watching Vala's process, the hairs on the back of his head on end at hearing Vala's voice during the whole procedure and the whole shaking didn't help either. Taking a calculated step forward, he decided it was time to intervene. Rushing forward as he saw the frightening amount of res Vala was forcing out of her he pulled her back as she collapsed, all thoughts lost on the man's condition as he looked over Vala. Checking her pulse, Darren was relieved to see she was just tired after what she did. Whatever she did. Darren looked to see the frightening handiwork, swallowing nervously as he flexed his hand on instinct.

I would have rather snapped the neck and be done with it then this... he thought quietly to himself as he investigated the man's condition further. If anything this type of magica is...unstable at best. Sure it doesn't hurt one's body but rather their mind even more he concluded as he looked at the overall effects of overgiving. And at Vala. She knew Reinmancy also and she was... disturbed. In the end nothing I would covet anytime soon he reassured himself as he took a pace away. His hands quivered from all the excitement, his earlier disappointment being shown as the pathways of his djed moved in a frenzy trying to be free. "I think I have enough inner conflicts in anycase" he joked privately as he directed his flux back into equilibrium.

Moving from the energies from his arm he directed the overall flow to the entirety of his body, shuddering slightly as he slowly relaxed. There would be plenty of time to make use of that later he assured himself as he walked back to Vala. Maybe I can learn how to use it in a more unconvential manner he joked silently as he stood over Vala. He picked up the collapsed form, bringing her closer to him as he walked away from the scene. The last thing he wanted was to be seen next to a dead overgiven reinmancer. In the end he had what he wanted and more, someone to talk to about reinmancy and... Vala herself.

oocEnd thread? Maybe do one about the morning in my place later?

by **Phoenix** on September 10th, 2011, 7:32 pm

Character: Vala

Experience: Auristics- 5, Socialization- 5

Lores: Impatience keeps one busy, Practicing Auristics, Making friends with tons of Deks, Liar liar, Overreacting to Darren’s hand holding, Clinging to what she fears most, Being truly crazy, Backing away from the remains of an Overgiver, Melting the dying Reimancer

Character: Darren

Experience: Meditation- 5, Jump Kick- 5, Opening a Door- 5, Socialization- 5

Lores: Doors are hard, Making a new acquaintance in a new city, Hesitant about magic, Touching Vala is a bad idea, Helping others in need, Seeing the true Vala, Dealing with the spent shell that was Vala

The Method, The Fire: An interesting thread! It was a breath of fresh air, since hardly any magic like this goes on in Wind Reach on a regular basis. Good job, you two.

Any questions or concerns, please send me a PM and I'll be happy to help!