GOODBYE CATS. They begin to meow and yowl forlornly as their new and interesting toy zooms up out of reach of them. A few still try to leap up at her, but they cannot reach her from her vantage point.
Yussa looks fine physically, but he seems a bit frazzled and exasperated. She can't seem to tell what his intentions may or may not be. The lever is lifted, but there isn't any signage or design that indicates what it's for.
"Death," Yussa says. "Your soul can't find the Astral Plane, so you're here. Did you fall into the pit? I shouldn't be surprised."
He appraises Kate's spiritual self with strangely wise, keen eyes. He lifts a hand and reaches out to her, and she begins to slowly get pulled in the hand's direction.
"Did the rest of you die as well? The Halls of Halas inside of the Heirloom Sphere are very dangerous."
[ death? no... no! even if she'd already died before, this feels different. it's strange and scary, and she's alone.
she tries to resist the pull. she's not even sure if she should. what is she going to do, stay with the cats forever? but she doesn't know if he'll do something even worse to her. panic grips her.
I don't know. Yes, I fell. What -- what are you doing? ]
His voice draws her in more, his hand still outstretched. She resists for a few moments, furiously flitting in the opposite direction, but ever so slowly, she is pulled toward his long fingers and hand.
She can feel the full of herself cradled in his palm, almost like he is brushing her cheek. He doesn't grip her or crush her, merely holds her there carefully.
"If your compatriots are dead, we will need to find their souls. If they're alive, they will have a terrible day going through the door beneath the clock. I can return you to your body, but it comes with a cost."
"They will run into something that not many people leave an encounter from alive."
Simple, taciturn. It's fine probably. Maybe they haven't come out of the mirror yet, and maybe Gojo is helping them instead of being very gay in a pool.
"The price of life is death. You understand, don't you?"
[ i hope gojo is having a good time being gay in a pool. unfortunately, kate would instead assume he went for the door, or that he was trying to help the others get out of the mirrors. anything other than the very insane thing that he actually did.
I don't understand... If I'm already dead, how could I pay that cost? ]
Yussa continues to hold her little spirit in the palm of his hand. He doesn't seem as rushed as before, but maybe that's because she is only a tiny ball of spirit and cannot do anything terrible to him.
They haven't moved just yet. They are still standing at the opening on the wall by the lever. She can hear the meows and sometimes hisses from the many cats down below.
"I can't allow a soul to wander around the Halls and cause trouble. I'm studying them. The Sphere is too dangerous for just anyone to have. You were there to steal it, weren't you? That's the only reason.
"Decide. Your companions might be meeting a similar fate as we speak."
Yussa opens his hand a little wider, and Kate can feel herself ascend a few inches from within it.
"It is Life in which I return to thee," he chants quietly, "and Death is giveth in price to see."
He reaches up with his other hand and flips the switch down. Kate can just barely see the opposite edge of the floor below. It swings away, leaving behind nothing but that same sort of void of darkness she had fallen into before. It must be the entire floor because as soon as it happens, a crescendo of cat yowls rise up, and then very slowly echo away as they all fall into the shadowy chasm below.
Kate begins to glow brighter, and the edges of her twist and stretch and warble. She vibrates, and she can feel physical mass return to herself once more. Two feet are standing on the floor in the opening near Yussa - two feet, her legs, her body, her arms, and her head, too. She is herself as she was, only marked by the injuries she had before.
her body comes together, forming into its proper shape. she stands, wobbling for a moment, then finding her balance. her robe, too, forms over her body like a sailor moon transformation sequence. but a hand flies up over her mouth as she turns to look at the void where the cats once were. ]
Wh...
[ oh god. ]
Weren't those your cats? Did... did it have to be all of them?
"They weren't mine. The Halls don't belong to me. The Mighty Nein are the ones who initially brought me the Heirloom Sphere, and I am researching it on their behalf."
He really peers at the edge of the opening without leaning over exactly like a quiet, but haughty elf. Goodbye to all of those cats.
"The illusion is you thinking you should and could save some cats, but not all of them. Not a single one of those cats is more valuable than the next." Weird elven wisdoms. "Let us go find out what has happened to your friends."
He will start walking down the hallway that's connected to the opening! It's a bit dark, but even so, there seems to be a small, soft, radiating light coming off Yussa which lights the way.
smoke rises from kate's head as she processes the cat-massacre and yussa's answer. is that wisdom? she's not exactly satisfied with that justification. but. ]
... Okay.
[ there's probably no use in trying to run or fight at this point. so she pulls the hood of her robe back up over her head and follows. the important thing is making sure she finds her friends alive. ]
NOT THOSE CATS. That would be funny. I hope Siz doesn't find out.
They don't really walk for what feels like very long, but the way the tunnel is made, is distributed, it seems like it should have taken a long time. The other end does not have any portal, or door, or even opening, and yet, the two of them somehow simply step out from the wall and into the room all four of them had initially been in with the giant clock, two mirrors, and two chests.
Gojo, of course, is nowhere to be seen. They are both on the platform with the large clock, and the hands are moving, the second hand ticking in its rotation. It's now 8:00 according to the time.
In the mirror on their platform, Kate can see some things happening with Lucas and Nona.
[ kate catches just the tail end of things. lucas charging at nona. the dire wolf lunging at him. she clasps a hand to her chest and steps forward, fearful of coming too close to the mirror, but even more fearful of what's happening inside. ]
We have to get them out of there!
[ but nona also just blinked out of existence so ???? ]
For a moment or two, Yussa does not intervene, but stands with Kate to watch the bit of what occurs as Nona disappears. He sighs quietly.
"I was only trying to enjoy some tea," he laments.
From within the confines of his golden robes, he brings out the cantaloupe-sized sphere again. The outside is turned between his fingers like before until the pieces lock into place, open, and glow faintly.
The entirety of the edge of the dimensional Plane begins to quake and shiver. It rumbles then, loud, the sound of something like paper shredding. The edges of reality start bending over and tumbling down toward the opened sphere in Yussa's hands, being sucked in by some unfelt gravitational force. It takes everything with it. It takes them, too. The whole room, Kate, Nona, Lucas maybe even Yussa.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
how is he looking? can she gather anything about his intentions or mood right now? or that lever?
she has no mouth. can she speak? she'll try to.
Wait. Please. What's happened to me? ]
no subject
Yussa looks fine physically, but he seems a bit frazzled and exasperated. She can't seem to tell what his intentions may or may not be. The lever is lifted, but there isn't any signage or design that indicates what it's for.
"Death," Yussa says. "Your soul can't find the Astral Plane, so you're here. Did you fall into the pit? I shouldn't be surprised."
He appraises Kate's spiritual self with strangely wise, keen eyes. He lifts a hand and reaches out to her, and she begins to slowly get pulled in the hand's direction.
"Did the rest of you die as well? The Halls of Halas inside of the Heirloom Sphere are very dangerous."
no subject
she tries to resist the pull. she's not even sure if she should. what is she going to do, stay with the cats forever? but she doesn't know if he'll do something even worse to her. panic grips her.
I don't know. Yes, I fell. What -- what are you doing? ]
no subject
His voice draws her in more, his hand still outstretched. She resists for a few moments, furiously flitting in the opposite direction, but ever so slowly, she is pulled toward his long fingers and hand.
She can feel the full of herself cradled in his palm, almost like he is brushing her cheek. He doesn't grip her or crush her, merely holds her there carefully.
"If your compatriots are dead, we will need to find their souls. If they're alive, they will have a terrible day going through the door beneath the clock. I can return you to your body, but it comes with a cost."
no subject
she's trying to understand. he wants to find them? she thought he'd just want to be rid of them.
What happens if they go through the door? ... What cost? ]
no subject
"They will run into something that not many people leave an encounter from alive."
Simple, taciturn. It's fine probably. Maybe they haven't come out of the mirror yet, and maybe Gojo is helping them instead of being very gay in a pool.
"The price of life is death. You understand, don't you?"
no subject
I don't understand... If I'm already dead, how could I pay that cost? ]
no subject
Yussa continues to hold her little spirit in the palm of his hand. He doesn't seem as rushed as before, but maybe that's because she is only a tiny ball of spirit and cannot do anything terrible to him.
"Very easily. Do you want to be revived?"
no subject
are they moving? can she perceive anything about their surroundings?
How can it be easy? And... why would you help me? ]
no subject
"I can't allow a soul to wander around the Halls and cause trouble. I'm studying them. The Sphere is too dangerous for just anyone to have. You were there to steal it, weren't you? That's the only reason.
"Decide. Your companions might be meeting a similar fate as we speak."
no subject
she feels the weight of some kind of choice, and yet she still doesn't know what is meant by the "cost"... but...
I want to live. How do I go back? ]
no subject
"It is Life in which I return to thee," he chants quietly, "and Death is giveth in price to see."
He reaches up with his other hand and flips the switch down. Kate can just barely see the opposite edge of the floor below. It swings away, leaving behind nothing but that same sort of void of darkness she had fallen into before. It must be the entire floor because as soon as it happens, a crescendo of cat yowls rise up, and then very slowly echo away as they all fall into the shadowy chasm below.
Kate begins to glow brighter, and the edges of her twist and stretch and warble. She vibrates, and she can feel physical mass return to herself once more. Two feet are standing on the floor in the opening near Yussa - two feet, her legs, her body, her arms, and her head, too. She is herself as she was, only marked by the injuries she had before.
no subject
her body comes together, forming into its proper shape. she stands, wobbling for a moment, then finding her balance. her robe, too, forms over her body like a sailor moon transformation sequence. but a hand flies up over her mouth as she turns to look at the void where the cats once were. ]
Wh...
[ oh god. ]
Weren't those your cats? Did... did it have to be all of them?
no subject
"They weren't mine. The Halls don't belong to me. The Mighty Nein are the ones who initially brought me the Heirloom Sphere, and I am researching it on their behalf."
He really peers at the edge of the opening without leaning over exactly like a quiet, but haughty elf. Goodbye to all of those cats.
"The illusion is you thinking you should and could save some cats, but not all of them. Not a single one of those cats is more valuable than the next." Weird elven wisdoms. "Let us go find out what has happened to your friends."
He will start walking down the hallway that's connected to the opening! It's a bit dark, but even so, there seems to be a small, soft, radiating light coming off Yussa which lights the way.
no subject
smoke rises from kate's head as she processes the cat-massacre and yussa's answer. is that wisdom? she's not exactly satisfied with that justification. but. ]
... Okay.
[ there's probably no use in trying to run or fight at this point. so she pulls the hood of her robe back up over her head and follows. the important thing is making sure she finds her friends alive. ]
no subject
They don't really walk for what feels like very long, but the way the tunnel is made, is distributed, it seems like it should have taken a long time. The other end does not have any portal, or door, or even opening, and yet, the two of them somehow simply step out from the wall and into the room all four of them had initially been in with the giant clock, two mirrors, and two chests.
Gojo, of course, is nowhere to be seen. They are both on the platform with the large clock, and the hands are moving, the second hand ticking in its rotation. It's now 8:00 according to the time.
In the mirror on their platform, Kate can see some things happening with Lucas and Nona.
"My."
no subject
We have to get them out of there!
[ but nona also just blinked out of existence so ???? ]
no subject
"I was only trying to enjoy some tea," he laments.
From within the confines of his golden robes, he brings out the cantaloupe-sized sphere again. The outside is turned between his fingers like before until the pieces lock into place, open, and glow faintly.
The entirety of the edge of the dimensional Plane begins to quake and shiver. It rumbles then, loud, the sound of something like paper shredding. The edges of reality start bending over and tumbling down toward the opened sphere in Yussa's hands, being sucked in by some unfelt gravitational force. It takes everything with it. It takes them, too. The whole room, Kate, Nona, Lucas maybe even Yussa.
"See you, Foreign Travelers," Yussa says.
Everything goes dark.