Like a Poem Said by a Lady in Red

[redlightgreenlight]

Who: Valdis and Open
What: Still trying to deal with Life
When: December
Where: Paradesium and around Pumpkin Hollow
Warning(s): In Headers



Hold Me in Your Heart Tonight | backdated to November 1st | Closed to Max

To be added

In the Magic of the Dark Moonlight | Paradesium | Open | CW: TBD

Her house stands empty without any word given to Fever, Erik, Crichton, Cassandra, Lina or Mulcahy, not even CT has been made aware of anything but for the fact that there is someone else currently directing the Constables. Quiet rumors fly about a black beast in Paradesium, hunting the larger fauna, elusive and difficult to track, but there are many dangerous creatures wandering Morrow Isle and few dare venture out to the depths at this time of year. Those who do speak of an ill feeling whenever they see the creature that lessens the more distance they give it. Sometimes eerie howls that send chills down their spines and fill their hearts with fear can be heard, but the offending animal is difficult to pinpoint.

Venture into Paradesium at your own risk.

[ooc: This is a good place for short threads with encounters and brief conversations that later CR can build on. Valdis will not be harming any that venture into her hunting grounds, and if they happen upon one of the many aggressive creatures that live there she will actually protect them.]

Save Me From this Empty Fight | Paradesium | Edgar and Daisy | CW: Blood, Violence, Depression, Self Harm, More to be Added

The bodies stay just as well as the wounds opened by every fight, vanishing with the various curses of both her own and Morrow isle, but the trail of death she leaves in her wake can be easily followed by the strong scent of blood. The sense of the Hunt and the End fill every breath she takes, along with the misery, the stranglehold she has on her humanity, trying to deprive it of what it needs to survive. Others are allowed to feel, can take out their emotions on the things around them, can drown their misery in drink, can talk to their loved ones without breaking.

Not her. No. She must drown in her own refusal to feel, must make her internal pain external. The creatures here are large, they fight back with tooth and claw, scoring bloody wounds deep into her flesh. That pain is far more acceptable. Just as the killing of those creatures fulfills her desire for vengeance, to rip and tear and End over and over again without a worry for those she cares for. They are far from her rage and sorrow.

Her bloody head lifts from her most recent kill, nostrils flaring as familiar souls approach. Her blood mixed with that of the large, horned beast she had just taken down, matting in her thick, black, filthy fur. There is nothing elegant or graceful about the Hound now, she looks ragged and thin, what can only be described as unhealthy.

Who dares to approach?

In the Game of Life | Pumpkin Hollow | Open | CW: TBD

To be added

Comments

[hadnoright]

"Good. That's all you have to do to start. Everything else comes later."

And it won't be easy, or quick, or pleasant, but there's no changing that. There's only doing what they can to make it through.

[hate_gettin_older]

"Good," Edgar says almost at the same time as Daisy, an overlapping echo.

"... I'll bring you something to eat. Tomorrow."

[redlightgreenlight]

Valdis hesitates, allowing Edgar to see her like this is one thing, her human form is another, but she had asked him to help and maybe not eating alone would help her actually be able to stomach food.

Alright. I'll see you then.

Her gaze falls back on Daisy.

I won't be far behind you, but I would prefer if you didn't wait."

[hadnoright]

"Alright. I'll just keep an ear out, then."

And she will. She's mostly sure Valdis means it and won't go right back to what she was doing, but it's not like she can turn the superhearing off in the first place.

"C'mon, Edgar."

There's a lot of aggressive wildlife down here still, safest to still make their way out at the same time.

[hate_gettin_older]

"Right with you," he says, low, and follows behind.

And, once they're probably out of Valdis's earshot, he hopes: "Thanks."

[hadnoright]

Daisy glances at him in her periphery, most of her attention on their surroundings but capable of splitting it without issue. "Think we did need the both of us. Or this might've gone very different."

A breath.

"Glad it worked."

[hate_gettin_older]

"Yeah," he agrees, "same."

A swift glance back over his shoulder, not long enough to really see anything.

"Think she'll be all right?"

[hadnoright]

"Eventually. As alright as any of us, anyway."

Which isn't necessarily completely alright, but these things are relative. Especially in a place like this.

"She'll make it back fine. Hasn't let anything kill her in two weeks down here. Won't start now."

[hate_gettin_older]

Something killing her isn't really what he's worried about. But Daisy's first words make clear that she knows that.

"Think we should get anyone else to help? Keep an eye on her, like?"

[hadnoright]

"Let's give her chance to make that call herself, first. If she doesn't. Then maybe."

They can give her the help they've already said they will, and Daisy will keep a supernatural ear on the situation, but she'd rather see if Valdis reaches out to her other loved ones herself than recruit them for her right off the bat.

Hard enough to get women like them to accept help in the first place. Can quickly backfire if you push the wrong way.

[hate_gettin_older]

He breathes out, and nods. "Yeah."

(A murmur in the back of his mind says, Curtis would know what to do. He's not as sure of that as he used to be, though; he thinks maybe Curtis would just do whatever he could at the time, and it would look like he knew what he was doing. Maybe that's all being an adult ever is.)

[hadnoright]

"Just got to take it one step at a time. Like anything else. First step's the hardest and that's done. Now we see."

Just waiting and hoping for the best is never her favourite course of action but there's no forcing it. You can only offer the tools you have. That's all anyone's ever been able to offer her.

"...Max would know we're doing what we can."

[hate_gettin_older]

For a moment there's no response but a sharp inhale (not a sniff, definitely not) and then a slow exhale.

"Yeah." Muffled. "Yeah, he'd know. We got to look out for each other."

[hadnoright]

"Exactly." She drags her tongue over her teeth and exhales, too. "...I miss him too."

If she were a more tactile person she might clap him on the back or shoulder, but she isn't, so she doesn't.

[hate_gettin_older]

"Just ... hope he's all right, back home." Edgar shoves his hands in his pockets, shoulders hunching.

He doesn't know whether he should hope that Max will remember them, or that he won't.

[hadnoright]

"He will be. He's figured a lot out, these last few years."

She can't let herself believe anything but that he will remember. Never liked resets.

[hate_gettin_older]

He has to clear his throat before he can say it out loud. "Yeah."

For the first time in what feels like forever, he thinks about Lucas. He's from that same world, isn't he? Maybe he'll be there.

The thought of heading back to the farmhouse alone is abruptly unbearable.

"Hey, d'you know -- is Radar around? Back at the big house?"

[hadnoright]

"Think so. I can listen in to be sure. Once we're back above ground."

Too far and under too much rock for even her ears, right now, but once they're back on the surface and heading into town she'll be able to tell.

[hate_gettin_older]

"Thanks."

He doesn't say anything else, watching the route ahead of them like it'll tell him something new if he pays close attention.

wrap, I think?

[hadnoright]

"'Course."

And she says nothing else, either. Need to focus on getting them out of here safely. One thing at a time.