lifeaftr | I’ll take my throne, lay it on a mountain

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I’ll take my throne, lay it on a mountain

Who: Our volunteer mountaineers
What: Two parties split up to scale the mountain from two sides, planning to meet at it’s peak. Shenanigans occur along the way.
When: September 13th to 16th
Where: Group 1: G3, H2, G2 || Group 2: F3, F2, G2
Warnings: Please note any warnings in your subject headers!

Word spreads quickly in a small community such as this. What was originally intended to be a small party turned into something much larger- and on the day Chara planned to leave for the mountain, it’s not one, but two parties that make off for it’s peak.

Group 1, led by Chara, moves off during the early hours of the morning, seeking to search the furthest part of the mountain by following the river upwards. The path is longer and more winding- however, they are unhampered in when they can travel.

Group 2, led by Ardyn, takes off after the sun has set- due to the needs of multiple members to avoid the sun’s harsh glare. Their route takes them up the closest side of the mountain, which provides an easier path- however, they may only travel whilst the sun is set.

OOC: Welcome to the mountaineering open post! Keep in mind the following;

♆ RNG was happily done blind by our wonderful Guzma mun, with our animals RNG'd by Wade Wilson's! Thank them both for all your misfortune.

♆ Prompts have been provided for each group below! Simply toplevel wherever you wish and treat this like a normal open post!

♆ Since each group will generally be in close contact with one another, consider asking others if you can threadjack here and there; nothing says team-building like being a nosy parker.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[This would be so much easier if he wasn't here. So much easier if every- the potential for a strike to be aimed his way is worse, far worse, than potentially taking a blow themself. He's here, and F r i s k.

Chara. The use of their name, an uncommon thing, already something they're unused to, forces their attention. Look at me, he says.]

Leave. [Is the horse whisper he gets back. Their eyes meet; Chara's feel far too hot. Heat that spills over onto their cheeks as shouts and shrieks fill their ears- it's no just him anymore.

All of them. They're all coming. They're all here.]

Leave, Tim.

It's not real.

[The words pull from his throat, low and urgent. They're still looking over his shoulder at things that aren't there, hot beads welling up in the corners of their eyes. Trying to protect him from shadows of things visible only to them.]

[(Just to the left of them, Alex Kralie lifts the barrel of a gun, and Tim has to work not to flinch.)]

It's not real. I'm here, okay? [One hand to their shoulder (forgive me for this), a gentle squeeze to make his presence apparent.] Just keep looking at me.

Keep looking at me. Nothing's gonna come for you. Just keep looking at me.

[Muffet isn't there to see any of this, although there's some question as to what she'd even be able to do about it if she was.]

[As it is, she's moving quickly through the woods, still flinging the occasional bullet behind her. She was fortunate enough that two assumptions she'd made turned out to be true: one, that the Lungblossom would focus all it's attention on someone actively attacking it...]

[...and two, that it was a lot slower than she was.]

[Still, she doesn't want to try keeping this up forever. Risking a hasty glance back over her shoulder, she confirms that it's still following her as fast as it can.]

[She scans the terrain carefully, looking for something that fits... and there it is.]

[A gap between two trees, wide enough to fit through but narrow enough for her to easily string lines between. She readies the magic and casts it just as she jumps through, the lines of purple magic snapping into place behind her.]

[The plant creature lumbers into them at full speed and winds up thoroughly trapped. Muffet takes a deep breath, brushes herself off, and surveys its' confused thrashing grimly.]

[Animals don't give EXP, thankfully- all she gets from whittling it down bullet by bullet is the knowledge of a job well done.]

[She still makes it as quick as she can.]

[Lungblossom thankfully dead, she turns around and heads back to their makeshift campsite, glancing around warily and hoping nothing else has found them in the meantime.]

[They recoil, a low sound escaping them at the hand that grasps their shoulder. Hurts. Doesn't hurt. Hurts. Doesn't intend to hurt.

That's a lie. Everything intends to hurt.

But it's just Tim. It's just Tim, and he couldn't hurt them if he tried. They try, somewhat- haggard, gulping gasps of air as they attempt to keep looking at him- but now and again, their eyes dart to the side, behind him. And every time they do, the quakes resume at full force.]

It wasn't my fault. It wasn't my fault.

[Their voice drops to a strained whisper; something difficult for even Tim to hear, as close as he is.]

He wants to kill me.
Don't let him kill you.

I know.

[He has to strain to hear them. It's overpowering, no doubt. They're straining to make themself heard beyond the roar of what they're looking at. He wants to kill me. They've had no practice with this sort of thing - no practice, learning to sort what makes you scream into something that just makes you flinch and shiver, packing it away into that which you can compartmentalize and ignore.]

[On a good day.]

[Muffet is looping back. That'll mean the thing is finally dead, or sufficiently out of their way. Too bad the effect of its gas remains.]

Just breathe, okay?

[Just breathe.]

[He can't do much at all. He can't do much but pull them close, try to blot out whatever they're seeing with his own bulk, hope it won't hurt, hope that won't ache with every impulse that's been firing off as it stirred awake. Forgive him for this.]

[Forgive him for this.]

[Muffet arrives at the edge of their campsite in time to hear Chara's strained voice, before it drops to a whisper she can't make out. No, whatever it was, she doubts it was their fault at all. Hers, perhaps, for not pulling the creature away fast enough, not reacting in time.]

[She pauses there, standing quietly at the clearing's boarder, looking warily around for further threats or other people in need of help. Her first instinct is to go right to them, to offer comfort to a hurt child, but she has no reason to think they know her as anything more than a recent passing acquaintance, and she knows that humans tend to find her appearance unnerving at the best of times. The last thing she wants to do is add a new arachnophobic element to whatever they must be seeing right now.]

[No he doesn't. He thinks he does, but he doesn't know, he has no idea. He continues crouching before them, blocking their view- penning them in. There's a high, tinny sound ringing in their ears; it doesn't make breathing any easier.

And when they catch sight of Muffet out of the corner of their eye- what else can they do?

They burst into laughter.]

[They start to laugh. Of course they do. He glances up once Muffet draws nearer, jerking his chin.]

Everyone out?

[He's sorry, kid. He's so, so sorry. There's no way to help that's guaranteed to work, and he knows it. The most he can do is minimize it. Keep them shielded from the sights and sounds burning down their ears. When all he's really doing, he knows, is pinning them down, limiting their ability to fight back.]

[The words, when he utters them, are quiet. Almost inaudible.]

I'm sorry.

[And he hooks one arm under their legs, the other braced along their back, and lifts them from the ground.]

[Muffet nods, expression solemn and eyes still fixed on Chara.]

Yes. And that thing is... mulch. I don't know if there are any more around here, I didn't see any, but that one at least shouldn't be coming back to trouble us again.

[The moment his arm hooks behind their knees, their laugh chokes off. Hand flying to his shoulder, clawing both fabric and skin as they seek to gain a purchase- to the floor, the ceiling- the roof, even. He's only lucky their other hand gets pinned between them, jerking with the urge to get their knife.

Muffet speaks. And their shoulders shake, words coming between stifled giggles.]

Thirty-three, thirty-four, thirty-five, thirty-six

sixty-two,

seventy-eight.

One hundred and three.

[They're starting to count, in between the laughter. He might very well get himself pricked for this, but at the moment, he can't bring himself to care. Not now. He has a priority, and that priority is to get them out.]

Then let's go.

[Moving quickly, without further hesitation. They just need to get out of here. Once they're somewhere no one else can hear them, where no one else might hear what they have the chance to let slip, they can work from there.]

[Right now, all he can do is move as swiftly as possible away from the remnants of that thick, pea-soup gas.]

It's okay. It's okay, kid. [It's a lie, like everything else he's ever said in his damn life.] Just breathe.

[Muffet follows them wordlessly, falling into step beside Tim. She's keeping more than one eye out for trouble, scanning the area cautiously for any other dangers, but her gaze keeps returning to Chara.]

[She doesn't know why they're counting, but something about the numbers... nags at her, strangely uncomfortable in way that goes beyond her concern at seeing a child suffer, an unease that doesn't come from anywhere she can place.]

[It's okay, says Tim, and they don't know why he even bothers. Why bother, when they're both fully aware he's lying? For their sake?

No. It's a paltry, thin thing. The only one getting anything from it would be Muffet.

This is too constrictive.]

Tim. Ha ha. Tim. Put me down.

[Put them down. Put them down.

Just drop them. Let the demon hit the floor, haha.]

We're not out of the woods yet, kid. We need to keep going.

[Put me down.]

[That's one thing he never should have done. That's one thing he never should have felt like he had to do, tricked himself into thinking he had to do. Restrain them with physical force. Pick them up, carry them, try and move them with force. Move it with force? What choice is there?]

[Only there's always a choice. There's always a choice, and Tim always chooses wrong.]

And I'm not leaving you back there.
So - please.
Please.

Can you walk, do you think, if one of us guides you?

[Muffet speaks up for the first time since leaving their makeshift camp, her voice gentle and soft. There's absolutely no way they can just leave the child behind, but if they can keep walking then maybe they could just hold onto someone's hand and follow, instead of having to be picked up in a way that is clearly upsetting them.]

[Even if her voice is gentle, it isn't particularly wanted. The look they shoot her way is more than proof to that, smile wide and words all too sharp.]

If you touch me, I'll kill you.

[If she touches them again- ever again. If she touches... ha ha. Chara shudders violently, twisting in Tim's hold. Not so much struggling out of Tim's arms as they are to see what's around them, tremors returning.]

Where are they?

My P- where is Kittu?

We're gonna find them.

[That's priority number two. And if Muffet wants to help - she can help. He glances up in her direction, trying for firm and ending up more in the realm of anxious.]

Kittu. Kid with a bun. Striped shirt. You know them?

[She knows them.]

[She never lived in the sunbeamed flagstones and the misted-over skies fraught with black shadows. She knows them, even if it's subconsciously, because her mind was never scalded clean with the gleaming torch of something nestled in the crags beneath a bridge.]

[The words are urgent.]

We need to find them. Now.

[Their voice goes... strange, for a moment. It feels bizarre, and yet Muffet has a nagging feeling that she should know it, that this sound touches on something fundamental, that some part of her can't help but recognize deep down.]

[But now isn't the time to wonder about that. It isn't important compared to getting everyone through this safely.]

[She responds calmly, making no move to get closer to them:]

I won't, if you don't want me to. You could hold Tim's sleeve, perhaps, if you'd like him to guide you without touching you.

[She does know them, although it's still questionable how well. But that's another thing for later.]

Yes, we do. The last time I remember seeing the rest of the expedition, they were at the other end of the camp, outside of that plant creature's range. I didn't see any of them once I returned from luring it away, but they likely haven't gone far- we can rule out the direction I ran, at least.

I could try casting some magic upwards, like a flare, if you think it would get their attention?

[Hold onto Tim's sleeve- because they need to rely on him to take care of them. They laugh shrilly; with plenty to say of that observation- she has no idea, the things they have done to keep him close, keep him safe. No idea at all.

Perhaps it's lucky for everyone, that they're quickly distracted. And their attempts to remove themself from Tim's grip becomes positively frenzied, not even bothering to stop themself from hitting the ground hard, the moment they untangle their body from his arms.

Lurching upright, red flickers across their chest, SOUL bursting forth and coming to rest on trembling, outstretched hands; a response to the soul gleaming in the distance.

Demons come when they're called. They barely manage to take a step, before stumbling right back against Tim, breathing ragged.

Looks like Frisk will have to take up that mantle, for a moment.]

Edited 2017-10-14 12:23 (UTC)

As Lup and Kittu search the area around the camp hand in hand, illuminated by the child's brightly glowing soul, she thinks she hears a tinny, panicked burst of laughter in the distance. She can't even tell if it's another illusion but she zeroes in on it anyway, heart in her throat all over again with worry but they need to find something, someone, finally.

And then another light flickers to life in the dark, a twin of the one held aloft by Kittu, and relief washes over Lup. "Kittu, look!" she gasps and speeds up, ready for them to let go of her hand so they can run to their sibling, reassure themselves they're whole and okay.

Only, when she gets closer, they don't look okay at all. Even in the dim light they're ghastly pale, hunched, trembling like a trapped animal. They've come too late to save them from the worst, and she hates it, and the thought of Taako cowering somewhere in the woods like this, terrified and alone, is overwhelming. She's got to go, can't waste another moment, no matter how much she wants to make sure the kids are as safe as they can be now. She glances over at the others gathered, Muffet and a man she doesn't know, but Kidwun has their back to him and that's good enough for her. "You got this?" she demands, and the look she's giving them suggests they had better not fail these children.

((as always feel free to keep bracketing my dudes))

[A moment before the dark peal of laughter, the light over Frisk's chest sputters tumultuously, and they look over just as it sounds. Squeezing her hand again -- this time out of anxiety, not reassurance -- they take off the very moment she does, releasing her as soon as the twin glow of red lights up the distant dark.]

[They feel it ͔̩̝͎̪͕̪c͘o҉ǹ̤n͚e̬͝ͅc͕̠̠t̯͚͖ͅ with an ugly, sparking twist of]

[ha ha]

[-- fall to their knees right in front of their Partner, one hand ungluing from its violent twist in their shirt so they can extend both trembling palms out to Chara. Their breaths are heaving despite only having run a short distance; it's the effort of maintaining a connection like this, the feeling of knives and pointed bone-shards inside them, the way their SOULs flicker like lightbulbs near the end of functionality.]

[Their eyes, shadowed and quiet, flicker up to Tim. Briefly. And then they're back down to Chara.]

[When they speak, however, their words are solely in response to Lup.]

Go.

[Find your brother.]

[They fight their way out of his grip with the tenacity and intensity of someone who's dying, someone who's panicking, with all of Jay's wiry, spider-legged strength. He can't keep them in his grasp, not with his brain clouded and muzzled with gas and the glint of Alex's glasses in the periphery of his vision and them fighting so hard, and they slip-tumble out, manage to land on their feet.]

[They fall back against him. He's already dropping down to meet them, half-crouching to allow for stability without the added invasion of physical restraint.]

[His throat is ragged and torn, but the words are steady. They come to him, instead. Linked by the red of their souls. He doesn't recognize the woman with them, but he can't say for certain that he should.]

Shh. It's okay. [It's mostly uttered to the kids, who might not be okay but can fake it like champs. Who learned to, longer back than he can say. He has to shutter his eyes and focus completely and entirely on them - or risk the intrusion of a man with a hood pulled over his features, the red, foolishly cartoonish frowning face slashed over black.] Breathe.

[Muffet tenses at the sight of their soul appearing, her eyes widening slightly in surprise. Is there another monster around, or are they doing this themselves somehow?]

[She relaxes very slightly on recognizing Lup, and a little more at the sight of the two children reuniting. She wants to reach out to them, but suspects that it would be cruel to intrude on what they're sharing now. Instead, she replies to Lup:]

The plant creature that attacked us is very dead, now. Did you run into any others? Those... spores that they throw seem to be some kind of hallucinogen.

Edited (Wrong icon.) 2017-10-24 00:04 (UTC)

[They don't have words, exhales long and ragged as their shoulders slump, as their fingers push between the spaces of Frisk's and they hold on for dear life. Head dropping forwards, resting against their Partner's shoulder as they close their eyes, keep them closed.

Their SOULs continue to burn, somehow, no matter how alarming the flickers of light may be. As Frisk lends them their strength, it's up to Chara to begin picking up the slack, fighting for some sense of normalcy. Slicing panic down into a sharp, angry blade they can use to- keep Frisk safe, somehow. Just keep them safe.

Whatever keeps them from considering what they'd seen-- and how having Frisk close brings both a swell of relief and pure terror.

Unfortunately, they're not up to speaking, at the moment. That might be upon the adults to handle.]

It's good of Kittu to voice what she's burning to do, to make the choice between responsibility for these children and her brother a little easier. But she hesitates anyway, alarmed by the way their souls seem to flicker so violently despite - or because of? - being reunited. She still doesn't understand what kind of magic this is, but it can't mean anything good.

Still though, right now she's trusting these kids to handle what's going on with that more than the adults. The dude looks like kind of a wreck, probably struggling with the same nightmares in his periphery as she does, and while Muffet's got a good strategic handle on things, she's standing to the side like an uninvited guest at a funeral. Lup runs a hand through her hair roughly, ears twitching wildly at the sound of Barry screaming for his life in the distance. Fuck all of this.

"Yeah, that thing fucked us up but good. Didn't see any others though. Listen, give 'em space but don't let them out of your sight until morning, alright?" God knows the last thing she'd want is some near stranger penning her in, if she were in Kidwun's shoes. That wouldn't end great for anyone.

She glances down at the twins again, locked in a desperate embrace as their breathing and the pulsing of their lights start to settle into a joint rhythm. She looks like she's about to say more, but the kids aren't listening and the adults wouldn't get it. So she simply turns on her heels and rushes back into the night to find her own other half.

fuck you and your white text

shhhhh

Bringing her back around to the camp now.

o7 cw: referenced child abuse.

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Now would be a good time for the others to come in. Also, sorry I'm late.

Lup and Frisk in after Chara reacts to Friskydoodle's ACTion

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