Eclipse's Heart Game ☉ Session #1

[idolpro]

You drift like you're floating in water. It's almost relaxing, actually. As long as you don't think too hard that what you're floating in may be bottomless, because under you lies only a deep darkness that only the ocean can provide.

Then, something grabs you and drags you deeper, down, down, down into the abyssal depths. You can't breathe, but that's not on the forefront of your mind now, is it?

There is a mounting sense of anxiety and dread.

Who do you want to become? Will you even get to see tomorrow? What if all roads lead to ████████? Can you still stay '███'? If people see the ████ you, will they think less of you? Will they feel cheated?

You want to live. Even if it's a ███, even if your hands must be covered in █████, you want to live. You want to be '███'.

Finally, a voice pierces through the darkness. It's a woman's voice.

"My, how unfortunate. Your journey ends before it even begins.

"... Just kidding. That would be terribly boring! I suppose I can do the boy a favour just this once."

You feel someone grab your arm and pull you up to the surface.

...

When you come to, you are standing somewhere else.

Comments

The Waterfront

[intheshade]

You are standing on an elevated broadwalk made of wood and stone. In front of you is a view of the sea. Behind you, the city stands tall and casts its long shadows over you and the port. It's not pitch darkness, but dark enough that you probably wish you had a little more light to see a little better, even with the distant glow of sunlight in the horizon.

In the sky above hangs a solar eclipse. Strangely enough, the sun does not seem to be reflected in the water.

There are a set of stairs that seem to let you head down to the beach. Further down along the broadwalk, the glow of blue lanterns outside a blue building catches your eye. In the opposite direction, you can see there's a path from the broadwalk that leads you into the city.

START

[intheshade]

You're not going to get to enjoy the view for long before light just...coalesces right in front of you, in the shape of a person. Then, it snaps its fingers and the light shatters like glass, 'pieces' of it falling off and disappearing to reveal a ...

... Young girl ... ? No, it's probably more right to say it's a short lady. Her white hair stands out against bronzed skin, her eyes bright like amber, and her fine clothes a verdant green. There's a blue veil draped over her head, trailing behind her like a curtain.

She doesn't bow, or give any kind of polite deference to you as a guest. In fact, she just smiles and spreads her arms wide.

"Welcome, interlopers."

And that is definitely the voice of whoever pulled you out earlier.

Re: START

[widenessofthesea]

[ short people with baby faces solidarity. still, though— ]

Interloper implies that I'm here on some nefarious purpose, doesn't it?

Re: START

[intheshade]

" 'Interloper' means being somewhere you shouldn't be, which as far as the boy's concerned, is here.

... So of course he has to deal with this now!"

Re: START

[widenessofthesea]

Do we look like troublemakers to you, ma'am?

Re: START

[intheshade]

She smiles.

"You seem like someone who would cause problems on purpose.

I can't say the same for the other one though, mostly because I have even less to work with for him."

Re: START

[widenessofthesea]

He's a gentle fellow. Therefore he'll only cause problems on accident, so pick your poison.

Re: START

[intheshade]

"Oh, I don't really get to pick, since you're both already here. A couple more problems won't harm the boy, anyway."

(You get the distinct impression that somewhere, said boy would deadeye this insinuation.)

"...And in any case, if either do cause real problems, the other ones will handle it."

Re: START

[widenessofthesea]

[ she just knows he would because she's met him like, twice. ]

I suppose I could fix a problem or two, as well, if there's call for it.

Re: START

[intheshade]

She taps her chin, thinking.

"If you ask me, one of his problems is that he doesn't like to share much of himself, so it would probably do some good for people to learn some things by themselves.

He has some other problems that could use some cleaning up. Or at least outside input."

[weenwoon]

[Interlopers? That's... a little bit rude, but maybe not entirely wrong. To be on the safe side, Levity does offer her a bow.]

I... believe we have you to thank for saving us?

[intheshade]

Wow, a polite guest!

"Ehehe, like I said, it'd be boring to just let it end in darkness."

[weenwoon]

[Levity wasn't raised in a cave - or so he hopes - so he does have some manners. But what he also has is curiousity.]

Rather than boring, would you not call it sad?

[intheshade]

"I suppose that's also true."

... So she says, but she doesn't seem to feel very sorry about the idea. "You're the one called Levity, yes?"

[weenwoon]

[Ma'am.......]

Yes. Forgive me for presuming, but... are you his guardian?

[intheshade]

She actually has to pause to think on this.

"It would be more accurate to say I'm something like his predecessor. Or rather, I'm based on his impressions of the real person he met only once."

[weenwoon]

[Oh.

Alright, he's not going to say that that person must have been kind of mean to him.]

Did it end in darkness for her, too?

[intheshade]

Levity is not wrong.

"A long, long time ago. Long before him and long before he even knew it mattered.

... Though I suppose he also gets to say he helped her move on."

[widenessofthesea]

What do you make of this, then?

[weenwoon]

[Oh hi Hope.]

Well... we were called upon to help. Are you acquainted with Eclipse much? I've met him briefly, and some of his unitmates, too.

[widenessofthesea]

He's a good kid. I don't know him terribly well, but from what I've seen of him I'm a little fond of him.

[weenwoon]

He struck me as such, too. But he was rather... serious, I suppose. If we can help him be happier, I would be glad to. What did his predecessor tell you?

[widenessofthesea]

Predecessor, is it...

Ah, that his name has started to fit uncomfortably upon his shoulders, and that he could use some help cleaning up problems, or some input on how to solve them. She directed me toward an archive in the city where I might be of use.

She is "Hope and Anxiety," and we are "Hope and Levity," so perhaps you'll bring a smile to his face with something you do.

[weenwoon]

...Ah. We do have quite a good team name, don't we?

[He smiles briefly, but then looks more serious.]

On my end... She told me that there are things underground that Eclipse keeps hidden. Terrible things--from his past, I gather. She warned me off from going there, but... how can I not if I know it hurts him?

[widenessofthesea]

Hm.

I'm sure she quite means it, from her manner, and from the fact that I know he's faced a great deal of difficulty and violence in his young life. But it's a good motivation.

Someone who I believe is also from his world said to me once that sometimes for deep pains, what one wants is not to be fixed, but to be understood. Perhaps that may serve you well, on your way.