Shrike's Heart (#3)

[idolpro]

The woman before you is beautiful—fair of features, with lovely golden skin and luxurious long black hair, petite. You have the immediate and distinct impression that she's just let go of your hand, and she steps back, and smiles.

It's not quite a happy smile.

"I'm sorry," she says. "There's just nothing I can do, as things are. But the way is there; it just needs to be lit."

You open your mouth—maybe to say something, or to express confusion—but you have to cough, and taste something metallic, spattering black blood onto the ground in front of you. Then you realize—blood seeps from opening wounds in your arms, your chest, your stomach, your face. It rims your eyes and trails from your nose and you feel like you're dissolving—

—and you fall through the ground like it's the surface of a lake, and go down, down, down.

> Wake Up

Comments

Re: THE RUINED TOWN

[handpuppets]

[ you ask the advice of THE NEVERBORN. the whispers rise around your ears.

sorrow, guilt, regret... all fade, past the end—let it fade.

let GO let GO let GO

mourning ends when you accept death.

You feel... at least, temporarily, somewhat fearless, after hearing that. ]

Re: THE RUINED TOWN

[calmthefoxdown]

[ Mmmm, looking back towards the shrines... ]

[ What if. Gently try to partly disassemble the shrine of the Baritones man. ]

[ For science. ]

Re: THE RUINED TOWN

[handpuppets]

[ you do that!

...it doesn't seem to do anything apparent, but you do get +1 WILLPOWER for taking the advice of the Neverborn. And also now you have a cute paper lantern; it looks like the kind your boyfriend was getting people to launch by the seaside. ]

Re: THE RUINED TOWN

[calmthefoxdown]

[ Hmm okay the world is not ruined somehow. ]

[ Going to do the same to each of the other shrines, only a partial disassembly, then look around for something to write a note with. ]

Re: THE RUINED TOWN

[handpuppets]

[ You disassemble them, a bit.

...you do note that the spear atop Cardigan's is, in fact The Avante Betrayal Spear(tm).

Next to the pile of unsorted objects is a roll of writing paper, a brush pen and a well of ink. ]

Re: THE RUINED TOWN

[calmthefoxdown]

[ Picking up the paper and writing out a note then. ]

[ Please decide for yourself if you wish to truly keep this or not. But at least consider the potential and feeling of not. You will have support through either way. ]

[ ... Going to repeat and attach that note to each of the shrines he messed with, pausing to look at the spear, mmmmm. ]

[ Should this... be here... ]

Re: THE RUINED TOWN

[handpuppets]

[ You attach the note to each of the shrines and feel like you've done something... maybe helpful, at least.

And yeah. Should that be there? Interesting philosophical question. ]

Re: THE RUINED TOWN

[calmthefoxdown]

[ What if... take away the weapons from each of the shrine with weapons and also place them in their own pile. Away from the shrines. ]

[ Only not-violent things now. ]

Re: THE RUINED TOWN

[handpuppets]

[ nice. giving peace a chance. you stack them in a pile away from the shrines, still tidily sorted, of course. ]

Re: THE RUINED TOWN

[calmthefoxdown]

[ Okay that feels like enough meddling now, taking a moment to give a small, respectful bow to the room, looking over his work again before leaving and looking/listening for the next way to head. ]

Re: THE RUINED TOWN

[handpuppets]

and away you go.