[ Good morning. They can just be passing by somewhere, void unless you have a place in mind, when shadows can come eat them up. First, it's just darkness, but Laudna can hear two voices in the dark -- a younger boy and girl respectively, probably around their teens if you had to guess.
You didn't much want to talk about the kinds your parents partook in. For the usual reasons of course, but on top of that, the mere idea of talking such matters with Elise set your cheeks feeling a little warm. There were rules to talking to fine nobility, even as friendly as she was with you. You clear your throat and think of a different topic instead.
"Nothing interesting, really. B-but, they didn't practice this one, but as far as Sylvian rituals go, there's another one I know about. It's called the Marriage. It's called that because it's a marriage of the flesh. You and the other melt together and become bound as a singular being in one body. It's an older practice that's mostly died out in modern times because it's... well, it's a bit extreme, isn't it?"
A horrible thought, at least to you. An utter abomination of what love and intimacy should be. Elise had different ideas. She gasps, a teasingly scandalous tone to it.
"A Marriage! How morbid, but it's still romantic in a way, isn't it?"
She laughs beautifully, a dark strand trailing from where it was tucked behind her ear and now across her forehead. Though you found Her rituals revolting, you've never wanted to agree more if only for Elise.
"It's like a more occult take on 'till death do us part'. Or, do you think, that's where the saying came from to begin with? Either way, it's an eternal bond, is the gist of it, right? Being stitched together—ooh. The gods have much different definitions on things than we do."
The voices fade in away in lieu of colour and image, though what follows next is much less pleasant. ]
her eyes definitely bug out at this. absolutely she finds this completely morbidly fascinating, but she likes daan enough by this point that she doesn't immediately just jump into that mood. instead she's just watching him with a curious expression.]
...I see. The thing that you wanted to know, it's what became of her? Why she changed?
[ He opens his mouth as if he wants to say something first, object, explain something, anything -- but he can't. He's just quiet, silenced by the utter lack of knowing where or how he could start.
...He closes his mouth, holds back a fracture in his expression, and tries again. His voice is barely kept even. ]
No. Not quite -- the, she -- that body was a surprise.
I wanted to know why the Baron did that ritual at all. Why she died to begin with.
[daan... it's not affection week anymore, and she doesn't go to touch him or hold him. she's not warm or comfortable with her body and the idea that comfort would be welcome. she just sort of stands there in front of him, watches him struggle through his feelings, brow knit in concern.]
It's... it's what it looked like, wasn't it. Cause of death, bleeding out from cuts and wounds. All self-inflicted. No sign of any breaking and entering. N-no signs of resistance that would suggest a murder from an unknown person...
[ God. He's not a fucking detective, but the amount he'd wracked his brain over the details, trying to find answers. Anything. ]
[self-inflicted sounds like the answer to the question right there, but he also mentioned a ritual, so she knows it's not necessarily that straightforward. and even if it is, she understands at least enough to tell when someone else is focusing on the part that's bearable. the question of how, of information, not touching on some other painful possibility.]
You mentioned a ritual. I know a little of magic. [she's not studied like marina, but a little.]
[ She definitely seemed like a Gro-groroth type right off the bat. Frankly if she and Marina did not get along he would have eaten his shoe. ]
But unless you could tell me whose sigil it was I found carved in the basement floor, and again in an apartment room in Prehevil -- I'm afraid there's little you could do for me.
...It's not commonplace. The existence of magic isn't an every-day thing across most of Europa. Most consider it bogus, while others chase it under the impression that it's something mythical to attain.
Sure, I saw a couple of otherworldly things here and there in the war, but the majority of maiming and killing were done with swords and guns.
Prehevil was... is? A unique case. It's always been an old-fashioned backwaters town married to recherché ways. Traditional worship of Alll-mer was still practiced there, but dig through the surface layer of dust and I found out they celebrate and studied a lot more than just that.
And their Festival... just bad timing, on our part. I think. Surely something like that would've made the news by now if it'd been going on continuously, but we were told it was only the second Termina hosted so far. Alll-mer knows how many more were planned.
But damn, that sure is something. The phantom sensation of pain, of every wound inflicted -- and worst of all, the strangulation and choking of rope around the throat. His breath hitches and his body takes in air just to remind him that he still can. ]
[reexperiencing this is so alien to her; it's been so long since she was this girl. she's frightened of many things, but the terror and confusion that the girl felt is something she tries to distance herself from. she can't access any of those feelings, so she simply feels numb, too tired to feel much of anything.
but his question, the way he seems to say that with some significance, breaks through it, makes her nervous all over again.]
Did you speak to the four that arrived in bad shape last Thursday?
[ If it was JUST Briarwood then maybe he would've thought it a weird-ass coincidence. Briarwood isn't like, a one-in-a-million sort of surname, probably. But that plus the hanging and the dude biting necks is, you know. ]
[ I think they killed her. Maybe. I don't remember. ]
She's from your world? What?
[ Everyone said it like she was just some freak cultist running around on her own, which while hateful wouldn't be THAT surprising. This is a bit more than he's bargained for. ]
That she was the crazed person tormenting them all. Something about seeing -- well. Pickles had told me that he watched me strangle Mr. Matsuno, before getting hung on a tree with a number of others.
[ Briarwood. Hanging on a tree. The beats are just right, aren't they. ]
Obviously I couldn't have, I was around the camp the entire day. I thought it'd been some manner of hallucinations they'd experienced and that lady, some random different threat but...
Sounds like maybe it's another targeted thing. Just like these shadows.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
W2, monday
"Nothing interesting, really. B-but, they didn't practice this one, but as far as Sylvian rituals go, there's another one I know about. It's called the Marriage. It's called that because it's a marriage of the flesh. You and the other melt together and become bound as a singular being in one body. It's an older practice that's mostly died out in modern times because it's... well, it's a bit extreme, isn't it?"
A horrible thought, at least to you. An utter abomination of what love and intimacy should be. Elise had different ideas. She gasps, a teasingly scandalous tone to it.
"A Marriage! How morbid, but it's still romantic in a way, isn't it?"
She laughs beautifully, a dark strand trailing from where it was tucked behind her ear and now across her forehead. Though you found Her rituals revolting, you've never wanted to agree more if only for Elise.
"It's like a more occult take on 'till death do us part'. Or, do you think, that's where the saying came from to begin with? Either way, it's an eternal bond, is the gist of it, right? Being stitched together—ooh. The gods have much different definitions on things than we do."
The voices fade in away in lieu of colour and image, though what follows next is much less pleasant. ]
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her eyes definitely bug out at this. absolutely she finds this completely morbidly fascinating, but she likes daan enough by this point that she doesn't immediately just jump into that mood. instead she's just watching him with a curious expression.]
...I see. The thing that you wanted to know, it's what became of her? Why she changed?
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...He closes his mouth, holds back a fracture in his expression, and tries again. His voice is barely kept even. ]
No. Not quite -- the, she -- that body was a surprise.
I wanted to know why the Baron did that ritual at all. Why she died to begin with.
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The Baron...?
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My father-in-law.
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Her father? [oh, that's. ugly. bad.] He did this to her?
[she wants to ask why, but she understands - he doesn't know, either.]
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[ God. He's not a fucking detective, but the amount he'd wracked his brain over the details, trying to find answers. Anything. ]
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You mentioned a ritual. I know a little of magic. [she's not studied like marina, but a little.]
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[ She definitely seemed like a Gro-groroth type right off the bat. Frankly if she and Marina did not get along he would have eaten his shoe. ]
But unless you could tell me whose sigil it was I found carved in the basement floor, and again in an apartment room in Prehevil -- I'm afraid there's little you could do for me.
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[but it does sound horrible, not knowing.]
What happened? Your world, these undead creatures - why is it happening?
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Sure, I saw a couple of otherworldly things here and there in the war, but the majority of maiming and killing were done with swords and guns.
Prehevil was... is? A unique case. It's always been an old-fashioned backwaters town married to recherché ways. Traditional worship of Alll-mer was still practiced there, but dig through the surface layer of dust and I found out they celebrate and studied a lot more than just that.
And their Festival... just bad timing, on our part. I think. Surely something like that would've made the news by now if it'd been going on continuously, but we were told it was only the second Termina hosted so far. Alll-mer knows how many more were planned.
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[so that makes sense.]
So you find beings like that frequently enough? You simply didn't anticipate that it would be her.
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[ It's said like he's just put a brick wall between him and those words, a soft demand/plea to not say it like that. ]
Just some deranged... person. Cultist. The body was human by all means. Just some madwoman, and madman, yeah...
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[she doesn't want to hurt him, saying it like that. if he doesn't want to remember her that way, that's alright.
anyway, have a memshare]
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But damn, that sure is something. The phantom sensation of pain, of every wound inflicted -- and worst of all, the strangulation and choking of rope around the throat. His breath hitches and his body takes in air just to remind him that he still can. ]
-- Briarwood?
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but his question, the way he seems to say that with some significance, breaks through it, makes her nervous all over again.]
...Yes. Why?
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[ If it was JUST Briarwood then maybe he would've thought it a weird-ass coincidence. Briarwood isn't like, a one-in-a-million sort of surname, probably. But that plus the hanging and the dude biting necks is, you know. ]
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[she relaxes slightly. the way she doesn't even know what a player cyoa is so she just thinks delilah's ass is just hanging around.]
...Yes. I know. They saw her.
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She's from your world? What?
[ Everyone said it like she was just some freak cultist running around on her own, which while hateful wouldn't be THAT surprising. This is a bit more than he's bargained for. ]
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I know her, yes. But I didn't do this on purpose.
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...
I just don't like what that might imply, for our current situation.
[ He rolls it back a little bit, because it wasn't his intention to scare her. ]
I know you've made mention of how your life then and now aren't the same, but... I'm sorry that happened to you, regardless.
That felt terrifying.
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[but more hollowly; it's easier not to dwell when she can avoid thinking of it.]
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[ Matilda... it's a nice name, but he won't say that if Laudna prefers to be Laudna. ]
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...What did they tell you, about Delilah?
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[ Briarwood. Hanging on a tree. The beats are just right, aren't they. ]
Obviously I couldn't have, I was around the camp the entire day. I thought it'd been some manner of hallucinations they'd experienced and that lady, some random different threat but...
Sounds like maybe it's another targeted thing. Just like these shadows.
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