[SE] Small and tender things

Darkness had settled over King's End in the wake of the Feast of Bells. Tal had been relieved that the festival had been so near to their home; it made it easy to slip away when the merriment became too much for their somber mood, and between Alys's lantern and his Goggles they were able to make it safely in their door.

The first floor of the house stood empty for the week. The two shops that filled the space - one for collecting deliveries, one for interpreting futures - were dark and shuttered, the doors locked and barred against the cold and dark. Upstairs, however, hidden behind heavy curtains and thick walls, the fireplaces burned cheerfully to warm the cozy rooms. Lanterns holding thick candles lit the tables where the fires' light didn't reach, and their larder and ice box had been filled with food and drink to last the week of night.

Alys, who had lived in the Grounds and Tal, who had grown up in Halo, had their own reasons for making their home a fortress this week and staying safe and warm within it.

But that didn't mean their thoughts had to linger on those old fears and wounds.

"I got y'somethin'," the courier offered shyly as he brought the filled wine glasses back to the couch where they had built a little nest of blankets. He had palmed the small black gift box while getting the drinks, and as he settled back beneath the mantle of furs and knitted throws he held it out to his partner. It couldn't replace the hole in their hearts where the small companion had been, but it was more important than ever to him to give Alys more to live for, more to look forward to, now that Sascha was gone.

You made yourself a bed
At the bottom of the blackest hole

Alys had welcomed the darkness as it swallowed the land; it seemed more fitting of her mood than daylight and sunshine had. She grieved, of course, but worse than that was that she was slowly growing used to Sasha’s absence, and day by day she felt her numbness starting to recede. Some days were worse than others, but ever since she had spoken with Elizabeth about her loss, she’d somehow begun healing in a way that had previously seemed unimaginable. And that slow revelation was enough to send her down a rabbit hole of guilt. Sascha was dead, and there was nothing she could do to change that, and finding a way past her pain was… unfair, somehow, in a way that she couldn’t quite explain.

But she was trying to look forward, knowing that her companion would have wanted her to live a full and happy life, and no matter what her thoughts were on the matter, she owed it to Sascha to try.

More than that, she owed it to Tal and Boreal, too, who were still here and who had watched her wither away in the wake of Sascha’s death until her clothes clung to a too-thin frame and permanent circles seemed tattooed under her eyes. Enough time had passed that Alys had realized that her depression was something to be addressed, and so she’d been forcing herself to eat and breathe and live until she had some semblance of a daily routine, steadily climbing out of the black hole that seemed to have swallowed her in an effort to return to the land of the living.

So when LongNight fell, Alys had curled up with Tal in their nest of blankets, grumbling only a little when he left for food or drinks, and given herself permission, for the first time since Sascha’s death, to feel something other than pain, or guilt, or loss. If anything, Sascha’s loss had brought into sharp relief for Alys that relationships were precious, and hers with Tal more so than any other left in her life. So she loved, and she loved fiercely, trying her best to reassure her partner that while she wasn’t in the best mindset, she was still here.

When Tal returned from one such trip to get wine, Alys held out a hand to accept a refilled wine glass and offered a small smile to her partner, eyeing the small black gift box with curiosity. ”You didn’t have to do that,” she said, shrugging out of the blankets she’d wrapped around her shoulders and sitting up a little straighter to accept the gift. ”What is it?” she asked, peering first at the box and then at her partner, a little more life in her eyes in recent days than had been since Sascha’s death.

And convinced yourself that
It's not the reason you don't see the sun anymore

Alys

Boreal had abandoned her bed to curl up in Sascha's even though the little bear's soft pillow was too small for the burly dragon. She refused to let either human take it away, no less stubborn than they were. Even now she was sleeping on it in front of the fire, a quiet snore filling the undercurrent of Tal's thoughts in counterpoint to the silence that now held sway in Alys's heart. He couldn't fill that silence or the hole it emanated from, but he did what he could to let his partner feel his love for her and his unwavering support for the unthinkable trauma she was surviving.

Her smile lifted his own heart; each small sign of her healing gave him hope - and reminded him to work on his own healing, that he was allowed to have moments that weren't filled with grieving for what they had lost. That they were allowed to look at a future, even if it held only the memory of Sascha in it.

"Well, remember back when we met? An' we'd just known each other for a little while? We went t'this same place t'gether an'... well. It wasn't our first meetin', but it was th'first one we have somethin' t'remember it by so... I wanted t'get y'somethin' t'kind of, y'know, commemorate it," he explained, finding himself a little nervous about whether or not she'd like the pendant that he'd had made to match her ring after all. His fingertips pressed against the wineglass in his hand and he took a bigger gulp than he'd intended as he watched her hopefully, wanting to catch her reaction when she saw what the box held.

A heavy, suffocating sensation of being watched blankets the little home as Alys and Tal sit near their fire. The quiet murmur of the night is interrupted by an inexplicable chill that crawls along their skin—a silent, pervasive gaze that seems to emanate from every shadow, as if unseen eyes are tracking their every movement.

Then, breaking the oppressive silence, a scraping sound reverberates against the window panes—a slow, deliberate sound like elongated, bony nails dragging along cold glass. The noise grows steadily, echoing through the corridors of their home with an almost rhythmic persistence that will set their hearts pounding.

Coding base by Sky!

A scattering of stones catches your eye, arranged in neat clusters across the ground. Crouching to examine them, you hear a soft intake of breath behind you. Heart pounding, you spin around to find only open grass. An oppressive watchfulness hangs thick in the air, as though the land itself is keeping tabs on you.

---

This does not count as a Random Event for levelling or MP. There will be no further admin/re intervention.

You made yourself a bed
At the bottom of the blackest hole

Boreal’s insistence on sleeping on Sascha’s pillow by the fire warmed Alys’s broken heart even as it ripped it further into pieces. A small, insidious voice in the back of her mind wanted to shriek and claw the little bed from the dragon’s grasp, laying claim to it like a child in need of their favorite toy. But that, she knew, was her grief talking, and it wasn’t real. What she really felt was a strange mixture of sadness that Boreal had lost her cub and joy that the dragon had loved Sascha so well.

Such was her life these days - odd combinations of feelings that she couldn’t begin to name or describe. She was learning to sit with them, to honor them, and - slowly, so slowly - to let them go.

”Of course I remember,” she said, tearing her gaze from Boreal, her eyes softening as she looked once more at the box. She opened it without much fanfare, but as soon as her eyes lit on the pendant inside, she gasped. ”Oh, Tal! It’s beautiful.” She held the box in one hand, her other tracing along the lines of the new jewelry with awe. It matched her ring perfectly, and she looked up at her partner with a face alight with a quiet joy even in the depths of grief. ”I love it. Will you help me put it on?”

No sooner had he done so than the strangest feeling overtook the seer. Their home had been warm and inviting even in the depths of LongNight, but it suddenly felt cold - a heavy, oppressive presence had Alys’s hackles rising, and she was on her feet before she really knew what she was expecting to find. ”Do you feel -“ she started, reaching for anything she could use as a weapon and finding nothing, only to ready her magic instead.

That was when the screeching began, a scraping, scratching noise at the windowsills that made the hair on the back of Alys’s neck raise. She paled, her eyes wide in her face. Perhaps she’d been foolish to think herself safe here with Tal - or perhaps she was finally going mad. ”You hear that, right?” she whispered to her partner, her eyes darting around to every shadow and each window, terror coursing through her veins at what might be there that she couldn’t see.

And convinced yourself that
It's not the reason you don't see the sun anymore

Alys

Warmth lit him up from within as she gasped at the pendant, the joy in her expression obvious enough that even the magicless courier could feel it. He beamed proudly as she asked for help in donning the memento of their first Longheat as friends, and cleared his throat. "I'd love to," he assured her happily, setting his wine glass aside so he could brush her hair gently away from her neck as he reached around her to hook the clasp. His fingers were surprisingly steady, though he had to bite his lip to keep from stealing glances at her face and basking in her approval of his gift. He let his hands rest on her shoulders when he was done, a sappy smile on his face--

She jumped to her feet like a scalded cat and Tal pulled his hands back hurriedly, even as every hair on his body stood straight out in a prickle of primal fear. He stood with her, half-tripping over a fallen blanket as he looked around at the shadows in the room, wide-eyed with surprise. "What--?" They spoke at the same time, but the courier's fear quickly shifted to anger as their home - their refuge from the world - was invaded by whatever the fuck thought it could ruin christmas LongNight.

"Boreal!" he barked out gruffly, but the dragon was already moving. There was no hesitation or sass in her now, only fierce business as she lunged out of the bed and made a dash for the bedroom and the items that had been left on his bedside table - his Dagger and Goggles, lying in reach of him while they slept but set aside in their days of peace.

"We hear it," he confirmed to his partner, one arm wrapping tightly around her so they couldn't be separated. Boreal bounded back into the room and flipped her head to toss Tal his weapon and goggles. He caught them one-handed and awkwardly pulled the eyewear over his head before gripping his blessed knife tight. "An' feel it. Can y'use your illusions t'hide us? Then we can start huntin' 'em back." His voice was hard, a crackle of pain laced through it as he thought of Sascha lying in the snow at a Void-yeti's feet. He hadn't seen it, but his imagination built the picture clearly in his mind, and suddenly the thought of having something to lash out at was fiercely attractive.

Against Alys's other side Boreal crouched and growled, a ceaseless low rumble accompanying the smoke curling from her nostrils as she held her fire at the ready.

Suddenly, the relentless scraping is shattered by a deafening crash. A massive shape collides with one of the windows, shattering it into countless glinting shards. In that instant, a blast of icy, turbulent air roars into the room, snuffing out every candle and torch with an almost mocking finality. The sudden loss of light plunges the interior into a suffocating darkness, and the gust carries with it the faint, otherworldly scent of void energy and the sound of laughter.

Coding base by Sky!

You made yourself a bed
At the bottom of the blackest hole

A burst of fear from her side quickly turned to anger as Tal prepared to face whatever it was that invaded their home; Alys, on the other hand, merely felt fear. While Tal had faced the Void and come away relatively unscathed, she had done so to be rewarded with unimaginable loss. And while it wasn’t in her nature to compare and contrast trauma, it was perhaps understandable that her first instinct wasn’t to stand and fight, but to fucking run.

But they were backed into a corner. No doubt whatever lurked outside their windows would love for them to leave the safety of their home, and with nowhere to run, what else was there to do but fight?

Steeling herself - and determined that she most certainly would not lose Tal and Boreal, too - she called to her magic, following Tal’s instruction and casting an illusion to hide them from the ominous presence that lurked. And if the illusion was a bit stronger over her partner and his companion that it was around her own self, well, oops. She might not be able to stop whatever was coming for them, but she could and would try her best to protect her own.

She couldn’t run, and it was then that she realized she wouldn’t, even if she could. Not again.

A deafening crash sounded through the house, followed by a blast of icy wind that snuffed out every bit of light in the room. The darkness was suffocating, pressing in on Alys’s eyes as though it were a physical thing, leaving her shrinking against her partner, who had wrapped an arm around her to keep them together. She gripped him right back, attempting to stay out of the way in case he needed to wield his dagger - if he could even find a target in this endless, impenetrable black.

The muffled air around them echoed with the sound of laughter, sending a chill up Alys’s spine despite the magic that kept her shielded against the cold, and she gripped Tal harder, fumbling in the dark to reach any part of Boreal that she could find in an effort to reassure herself that her family was still with her. The scent of the Void - reminding her of the yeti - hung faintly in the air, and she struggled to contain a whimper of fear. Was this it, then? Had Sascha’s death been a warning of what was to come for them in the oppressive darkness of LongNight?

And convinced yourself that
It's not the reason you don't see the sun anymore

Alys

With his Goggles in place Tal couldn't tell how strong Alys's illusion was, or that she had cast it more strongly over everyone but herself. He simply trusted in her skills and her instincts and held on tight, taking strength from her own arm around him in turn. Whatever they were facing, they were facing together, and this time he was fighting to protect his family and his home instead of stumbling across trouble or running headfirst into it.

Though maybe there was more than a little vengeance in his heart, too.

The window smashed inward, flinging glass through the room and Tal instinctively twisted to shield Alys with his body, though he kept his eyes - protected by his Goggles - on the opening. Darkness snarled through the room but he was ready for it, lips pulling back in a scowl of immediate outrage at the damage done to their beautiful home. "Hey! Leave th'house outta this!" he snapped back at the stupid Voidy laughter that echoed through the night.

But since the window was already destroyed...

He lashed out with his Dagger, stabbing at the gaping maw of the window, toothy with clinging shards, and whatever was outside it.

Or trying to come in through it.

Boreal pushed her way into his thoughts, caught in the dark, and he let her borrow his eyes - and his magicked sight - so the dragon could aim her fire breath. She turned her head to the nearby fireplace, and let loose a small jet of fire to rekindle the logs and keep the oily darkness and whatever lurked in it at bay.

---

Type: Light | Style: Other | Level: Mastered
See-Right Goggles: Reinforced goggles capable of seeing with perfect clarity regardless of conditions, up to 30ft. This includes magical darkness. Can see through illusions at 5ft, and be aware of illusions under 10ft.

Type: Grey | Style: Offensive | Level: Mastered
Special Delivery Dagger | A carefully crafted dagger veined with crimson markings, decorated with the foot of a blink hare. Upon making a stabbing motion in the air, the dagger may damage a target up to 30ft away from the user.

Type: Dark | Style: Offensive | Level: Mastered
Honed by Nightmares | A curious silvery coating covers the Special Delivery Dagger. Causes extra physical damage at an Mastered level.

Type: Light | Style: Other | Level: Basic
Lucky you | A wishbone earring blessed by Mort, that when worn grants +5 luck. Must be included in all PQ/PQ+/KQ/DROP posts to be counted.

Tal’s magical dagger flashes in the darkness as he makes a desperate slash at the shattered window. In that fleeting moment, the echo of his swing is swallowed by a sudden, piercing scream—a sound that sends a chill deeper than the icy gusts. A woman’s voice, high and tremulous, slices through the chaos, followed by a sickening gurgle that cuts through the silence like a shard of ice.

For a heartbeat, time will seem to stall; was it the courier's strike that had dragged forth such a scream from the darkness, or had it been the creature outside?

Boreal will scent the sudden blooming of blood just outside of the window as fire warms the little space. Another gurgle is heard from outside the broken window, with the wind suddenly stilling as if to better allow to the sound to seem into the room.

Was it a trick? Or was there someone outside of the little house in need of help?

Coding base by Sky!

You made yourself a bed
At the bottom of the blackest hole

A scream pierced the darkness as Tal slashed out with his dagger, and Alys’s heart leapt into her throat at the sound. ”Tal -“ she gasped, clutching at him but remaining stationary. Even if she wanted to move, her body remained frozen, her magic still hiding them from view but her limbs seemingly locked in place. What - or who - had Tal managed to slash?

As Boreal lit the fire, Alys sent an illusion of the dragon scampering off into the house, hoping to distract whatever had broken the window so that it didn’t realize where they were in the room. She kept a tight hold on her partner, her stomach rolling as a gurgle sounded beyond the broken window. It was all she could do to smother a whimper of her own; whoever it was, it sounded like they needed help, and her magic could save them, if she could only -

Move, she willed herself, but her feet remained planted firmly on the ground.

She couldn’t do anything to save Sascha, but someone out there needed help. Was she really just going to sit here and let whatever it was that had burst through their window claim another life?

But what if it was a trap? If they were lured out of the house by the pitiful, gurgling death throes of a monster waiting to snare them…

”What do we do?” she whispered to Tal, hoping that his experience would guide them. ”We could save them, if -“ If there was even a them to save.

And convinced yourself that
It's not the reason you don't see the sun anymore

Alys

The scream sounded far too much like a person for Tal's comfort - not that anything about the last thirty seconds had been comfortable - but he'd heard about the illusions that the LongNight monsters of yore could cast--

Except this couldn't be one of those. They had died even before the Voice had and all that was left now was Void.

He swallowed hard, clinging to his anger and his bravado as Alys's whisper cut through the paralysis of uncertainty that had fallen over him. Her presence at his side - his need to protect them both - shivered through his chest and broke the ice in his lungs. He drew in a short, sharp gasp and then gave a jerky nod. "If it's not a trap," he whispered back in grim agreement. "Hail...we're on th'second floor. There couldn't've been anyone human out th'window..."

But what if...?

Before he could lose his nerve he shuffled forward, keeping himself between Alys and the window. Boreal slunk obediently at their heels, nostrils flaring as the blood reached her and she shared her senses with her human in return. Tal grimaced and gripped his Dagger tighter, then hurriedly stuck his head out the window to check first above and then below the jagged-toothed frame with his Goggles for any sign of--

Well. Whatever lurked in the long, cold dark.

As Tal slowly slides his head through the jagged opening, his magical goggles cut through the impenetrable dark outside. The world beyond the shattered window is a void of black, but his enchanted vision reveals grim details: Bloody fingerprints smear the window’s frame, mingling with shards of glass clinging precariously to the ledge. Below, in the snow, a body lies crumpled—a young woman; an animal trainer from up north. Bundled in layers meant to defy the bitter cold, she now lies motionless. A single, wide slash cuts across her throat, a wound that looks entirely consistent with Tal’s poisoned dagger. Thick, dark blood pools around her, slowly soaking into the snow. Her eyes, once bright, now flicker and fade, their final spark extinguished in the relentless darkness.

Before Tal could do anything (such as make his way down and inspect her neck for traces of his own poison), a monstrous silhouette shatters the eerie stillness. The creature—the very embodiment of the void—rushes forward with terrifying speed. It looms over the fallen trainer, its skeletal form draped in swirling purple void energy. In a horrifying, almost ritualistic motion, it draws near and drapes itself over her limp body. With a predatory precision, it reaches out with a gnarled, bony appendage and plucks her eyes from their sockets. As if absorbing their lingering light, the creature's body begins to stain hers with a sickly violet ichor. In that final, ghastly moment, the void creature dissolves back into the darkness, leaving behind nothing but the memory of its vile presence—and a silence that screams of lost life and unspeakable horrors.

---

Raelyn has been killed.

Coding base by Sky!