beyondthedoor | || slipping slipping slipping

Entry tags:

|| slipping slipping slipping

[He can see tiny silvery branches stretching through the darkness. He follows them, though he can't explain how, and shivers as the light blue leaves brush his cheeks. At last, his hands touch the core. He is engulfed by a warm light, though without the humming he sometimes dreams about, and then there is fire. And then there is nothing at all.

The strange dream is only a prelude to something stranger. Expecting to wake up at an inn, Luke's sprawled out on cold, hard ground. The natural grass here is dry and itchy, and the sky is overcast. It's also missing the band of fonstones that can be seen night and day in Auldrant.

He sits up quickly and looks around. To the north is a gathering of white mountains, shrouded by clouds. To the east is a swamp and a line of more mountains. Otherwise, the land is gentle and not too hilly. Feels like he's sitting on something--

-- oh, hell. It's his /replica/. It's his replica and they've both been kidnapped this time. Luke rolls off and frantically shakes his shoulders.]

Ugh. Wake up, you idiot!

[He can't tell underneath all that hair, but they are both certainly gifted with some new... features.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[It's like cracked glass in reverse - the cracks are the only thing that's solid, until there's leaves and the cracks are branches, and then - the dream burns.

He comes to fuzzily, something on his chest rolling off, and then someone is shaking him awake. A couple of grudging blinks and grumbles; Ember pushes off Luke's arm automatically to prop himself on his elbows.]

I'm up, I'm up, keep your pants on -

[Wait. Back up. Ember blinks harder before glancing around in a panic. This isn't the inn where he fell asleep, propped half against Sync's bed, and the person shaking him has a face that's familiar in a wholly different why than that of his best friend.]

- Where the hell are we?

[He goes to stand up, but there's this weight on his back that's unfamiliar, and practically as soon as he's gotten up into a crouch, Ember topples back over in a mess of hair, coat, and feathers.]

The fuck?!

[He stares at Ember's mass of crimson feathers. Luke is preoccupied with trying to orient himself as well, but he only gets as far as his knees when he notices his own extra appendages.]

What...

[His wings puff out crookedly.]

What the hell happened? I'm not half bird! And you sure as hell aren't either!

[And then he hits himself in the face with one, because he's not sure how to control them yet and he was trying to get a closer look.]

[Ember manages to sit up, only to nearly get beaned in the head by Luke's wing himself - only, you guessed it, dropping back to the ground get him out of the way.

Maybe he should just stay down here for a while. Yeah.]

This is stupid. This is the stupidest thing ever. This is stupider than the time Dist got drunk and -

[He keeps mumbling the list of stupidities under his breath as he goes over, but nope, wings are apparently not good for rolling on, at least not when they're halfway spread and you have no idea how they work.

Soft, though. Ember flops back onto his back, and manages to get the two foreign limbs to at least flap a little at his sides.]

Stupid and weird, did I mention weird?

[A hand dragged through his bangs, with an exhale that's almost a sigh.]

...Luke, I want to wake up now, this dream sucks.

[Luke stretches his wings out properly, then tucks them neatly against his back. He's not very happy with this development, but what's more important is that they were in the middle of, you know, wrapping things up so they could face Van and...

He runs his hand through his bangs.]

Since when do we have lucid dreams together? I don't need to share every aspect of my life with you, you know.

[He gets to his feet from a crouch. Carefully, so that he doesn't lose his balance.]

We need to find a city. Maybe someone there can explain what's going on.

If anyone did, it'd be us.

[It's in a half-joking tone, but really, he agrees. Ember pulls himself into a sitting position, fluttering his wings for a minute or two while he tries to figure out how to fold them away. Okay, so it's kind of like tucking in your elbows, except not your elbows.]

Forget cities, we should probably start with a road.

[Or any indication that there's people around other than the two of them, really.

Standing more slowly means he doesn't fall on his butt this time, luckily, but Ember can't escape the feeling that he's got to lean forward in order to stand up straight. His back is going to ache like a bitch by the end of the day, he can already tell.]

That, too.

[He rubs at the back of his neck, then looks north.]

I think our best bet might be those mountains. If anything, it's a good landmark.

[He checks himself to make sure he still has his equipment. Oh, good. He still has his sword. That's important.]

Maybe we'll find the road on the way.

I hope so.

[Following Luke's example, Ember doublechecks his pockets - everything in order, but that's still not much. He'd been travelling light, after all.

When he turns around to look at those mountains, it's too quickly, and only a mostly-controlled flail of arms and wings keeps him from going over.]

...If we can manage to not fall over ourselves on the way there.

[Maybe it's a good thing no one's around. This is embarrassing and stupid, so at least it's only his original, just as bad off, that can see it.]

[Luke takes a step and nearly has the same reaction. He considers for a long, LONG moment. They need to cover some distance and quickly, but if they're constantly banging themselves up and rolling into ditches, this is going to take far too long.

His eyes narrow almost imperceptibly, and then he sticks out his hand.

He is not making eye contact. Pointedly avoiding it, in fact.]

[Blink. Blink blink. And then Ember clasps his hand into the offered one so that they can go side-by-side.]

Hey, at least we're not alone.

[You might be avoiding eye contact, Luke, but Ember is giving you a ridiculous grin whether you're looking at him or not. He gives that hand a tug - too gentle to risk pulling Luke over, but impatient anyway.]

Come on, if we're going to go, then we should go.

[He can feel his cheeks burning out of embarrassment. Ugh. And he doesn't have to look at Ember to know that his replica is enjoying every damn moment of this. Disgusting, really.]

Fine.

[He closes up-- not unexpected-- and starts forward, keeping an easy pace. It's a lot easier to walk forward when he has someone who can catch him, and someone he can catch. It's difficult to describe, but it's almost like... trust. Ember depends on him to be there, and he depends on Ember. That's just how it is.

When did things get to be this way?]

I don't see the Fonbelt anywhere, [he says after a while.] Even if we were way down south, it should still be visible.

[It /should/. That is, if they were still on Auldrant. Luke is beginning to have doubts.]

[And don't think that blush goes unnoticed, either, but he'll spare Luke's dignity and keep his chuckles to himself. Really, what's the big deal? Anyone passing will surely think they're brothers, and while they're a bit old for it it's not unheard of for brothers to do things like this.

Especially when it's to steady each other so they're not tripping over themselves everywhere. Ember doesn't take his eyes off where he's stepping until Luke speaks up - only then does he turn his head up at the sky.]

...You're right. The sky's clear. ...Looks kind of empty, really.

[Did that mean that there were no stars at night, too? Now that was a dark and lonely thought.]

We'll see what happens at night. [He knows that the stars aren't connected to the Fonbelt at all, but the thought that he might be looking at different moons tonight is still very unnerving. In fact, it's panic-inducing. What about Van? What about his fiancee? Everyone at home is depending on him-- on both of them-- to return.

But they're here. Wherever here is...]

... We might not be on Auldrant at all.

Yeah... The longer we're here, the more it seems like it.

[And Sync is going to wake up alone in that inn, thinking that his best friend has abandoned him... If he ever wakes up at all.

Ember's grip on Luke's hand tightens.]

Between the two of us, we've been just about everywhere, so one of us should have recognized something, right?

[But they don't, and everything feels strange, like he's caught up in a solid shell around his body, except there's nothing there.]

[Luke is silent at that last remark. Silent in agreement. He needs to keep a level head, because if he starts to panic, his replica might panic too. And panic never helped anyone.

But hyperresonance wouldn't send people to a different world, right? And so, he is deeply concerned about the people depending on him-- on both of them.

He squeezes Ember's hand in return, reminding him that he's there and reminding himself too.]

We'll find a way back. I don't care what world this is. We got here somehow, so logic serves that there's a way back.

[As they walk, the tall grass seems to part in a strange way up ahead. Closer inspection will reveal that it's a very old dirt road, though there are recent wagon tracks.]

Yeah...

[There's gotta be a way back. No matter what it is, they'll find it.

At the sight of the small road, Ember grins excitedly and tugs at Luke's hand again, pulling him over towards the wagon tracks.]

At least we know for sure that there's people here, now!

[That's definitely worth cheering up about, right? And who knows, maybe crazy wings are common and there will be someone to help them figure the things out. Or teach them to fly, even!]

Which way do you think they went?

[Luke perks up when he sees the wagon tracks.] H-- hey! I can see them, you don't have to drag me--

[Actually, this might be good. He kneels down so that he can inspect them further, letting go of his replica's hand to do so.]

The tracks on top were made a couple days ago, if not more recently. See the disturbed dirt? This would've settled or blown away.

[He carefully inches over toward the center of the road, looking for other tracks. He doesn't find the dinosaur-like prints he's expecting.]

Ember, over here. Do these look like the tracks of any service animal you've seen? Whatever they have pulling their wagon is big... and it has hooves. Like a cow.

[Now to figure out which way the hoof is facing. It's a little hard to tell on dry ground, and with total unfamiliarity...]

[After a bit of a wobble, he crouches down next to Luke. Ember runs a finger across one of the tracks for a moment before shaking his head.]

No, I don't recognize them either.

[If they're in a different world, though, wouldn't that make sense? Ember traces the hoofprint again.]

If they are like a cow, then I think they go this way?

[He inclines his head towards the path the road takes up towards the mountains.]

We might find people either way, but...

This road sees enough use that there should be a settlement at either end. Other than that, we don't know what to expect. [He sighs to himself. As exciting as getting out of the manor is, things like this... It's like being dumped in the middle of the desert without a map.

He gets to his feet-- carefully-- and offers his hand to help Ember up too.]

Then we'll head toward the mountains. Hopefully we'll find someone before we have to climb any. I didn't exactly pack for this.

Honestly, running into someone I don't share a face with will be plenty.

[Yup, he'll take that hand up, since he's still not all that used to the extra weight, yet.]

...Not that it's not a nice face, I mean...

[He rubs the back of his neck after letting go of Luke's hand.]

Still, if we stick to the road, it shouldn't be too hard... We might even find people who can point us the right way.

[He drops his hand from his neck and offers his hand to Luke again for walking. The road is easier than the hill, but it can't hurt, right?]

[Luke gives him a blank look.] You went from sounding self-deprecating to narcissistic in the span of three seconds.

[He glances at his replica, then the road. They still have some balance issues, so holding hands it is. No matter how sweaty theirs get.

Ugh, nasty.

He takes Ember's hand again, regardless.]

Yeah, let's go.

It's not narcissism if I'm complimenting you. ...I think.

[Whatever, not a big deal. More walking means more practice at balancing, which they're definitely going to need if they're here for any length of time at all. Which... Ember really hopes they aren't.]

The sooner we get going, the sooner we're out of here.

[And with another tug, he sets off down the road.]

[Unfortunately, they can only walk so fast. After an entire day of hoofing it, they can see the signs of a city engraved into the mountains, mostly by its flickering lights mirroring the stars. But it'll take many hours to get there, still. The sun begins to set and Luke suggests they make camp.

After everything is settled, they'll still be sleeping on hard ground, but at least they won't be cold. There's a campfire roaring and they've secured a nice couple of rocks to sit on.]

There haven't been any monsters, [he says, adjusting the spit made for the prairie chicken they caught.] I would've expected a bandit or two, but it's like everyone's hiding.

Yeah... It's weird. At least we were able to find some food, though.

[Ember is crouched and staring pretty shamelessly at that bird, yup. Walking all day, with extra weight to boot, makes for a hungry replica. Every so often, Ember flutters his wings slightly, as though he's not quite sure what to do with them.

He looks up towards the distant lights of city.]

There's gotta be people up there, though. So we're not totally alone here...

[Another fluff of his wings, before Ember sits back and folds them around himself against the cold. At least they're useful as blankets?]

I wonder if they look like us. [He glances back at his own wings, and tries not to dwell on how devouring chicken makes him feel like a cannibal.

Luke is focused on the food, but Ember might be able to detect something disturbing the grass beyond the halo of the fire. Like staggering footsteps.]

[It's not a surprise, really, that Luke doesn't notice the noise - he doesn't have nearly the combat training that his replica does, after all. In contrast to Luke's contented eating, Ember's head shoots up from his share of the food, looking in the direction of the sound - ]

Who's there!?

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject