QUIET MOUNDS - STEF HEART

[abardacttofollow]

You find yourself in a stone room that looks like some sort of medieval dungeon. There are (thankfully), no torture instruments, but there is a man strung up here. One large manacle is around his neck, chaining him stiffly to the door. His hands are free, but each foot is manacled to the matching bottom corner of the doorframe. There is a visible lock on each of the three manacles.

It's Stefen, and there's a knife in his chest. Despite that, he's alive, apparently alert, and doesn't look to be in pain, perhaps due to the lulling, sense-dulling music that seems to be coming from nowhere at all—in fact, if you were in pain before you entered, it's gone here. His wound is bleeding, but only a little, and he smiles his usual bright smile at you.

Behind him, but in front of the closed door he's bound to, you can see three double sets of strings running vertically. Where they meet the floor, they are fastened, and then each runs across the floor to the three doors on the opposite wall, then under them.

There is nothing else in this room.

((OOC: Here's how this will work! Since we're doing individual runs, rather than me putting up individual top levels for areas, just jump the post itself, and I'll run everything for you within your one thread. If you're wanting to do a run with someone else, just stay in the same thread together.))

Comments

[twicebonded]

[how unpleasant . . .]

[shields himself very carefully, reaching out to carefully wrap a hand around it if it Feels safe to do so]

[abardacttofollow]

It seems safe, with the precautions you've taken. It slides free.

[twicebonded]

[does anything seem . . . different?]

[abardacttofollow]

No—at least, nothing that you can see from here. the performance outside goes on without a care, the room still smells sweet. Everything here seems to be genuinely lovely, except that one thing.

[twicebonded]

[goes to try to put the knife on the scale]

[abardacttofollow]

Click. The door unlocks.

[twicebonded]

[BUT WHAT DID THAT MEAN]

[s-steps inside]

The Gift 3

[abardacttofollow]

The last room you enter is… well, not a room, but you're also not going to be leaving it, not safely.

You are on a cracked icy ledge about ten feet wide that extends about twenty feet forward. To your right is a sheer cliff face leading up, coated with ice and snow. To the right is a blackened crater. It looks less like the natural continuation of a cliff and more like a crevasse caused by a horrific explosion of some kind. At your feet are bodies, some humans dressed like bandits, others twisted, unnatural creatures wearing armor. They are armed, and unpleasantly so, but quite dead. You see also abandoned riding tack, possibly blown off whatever poor creature might have been here. There is a lot of gear and there are a lot of bodies and if you wanted to look through everything it would take a while.

The cord winds forward, along the path, over a blackened patch that seems to have been the center of the explosion. Ash covers whatever might remain there, though you see a scrap of white cloth.

At the end, your way forward is blocked by a wall of fallen snow, like an avalanche. A man is standing there, quiet, holding the end of the cord in one hand and the key in the other. He looks like you, Vanyel, but you as you are now. He's in his mid to late thirties, his hair almost fully white and whipping around him in the cold wind. He is also quite visibly transparent, the scenery seen through him.

The other Vanyel says, softly, "I'm so sorry. Can you tell me the weight of duty now? I'll give you this key if you can."

[twicebonded]

. . .

[frozen, swallowing hard and looking around, face pale. he knows this place . . .]

I—

[his voice comes out as a croak]

[abardacttofollow]

Vanyel's brows crease. "You shouldn't have to see this yet," he says, aching. "You've seen enough of this already, haven't you? No, you know. You know the weight."

[twicebonded]

I do know. But we can't . . . change it.

[abardacttofollow]

Vanyel says, "My heart aches for you. For us. Please..." He holds out the key. "You don't need to trade anything else, and I think you know what Stefen promised."

[twicebonded]

. . . I know.

[he reaches a shaking hand out to take it]

[abardacttofollow]

He gives it to you, then leans down, kissing your head. It's almost an apology.

[twicebonded]

[. . . pulls a Stef and just. dissolves into bitter, bitter tears]

[abardacttofollow]

"Oh..." Vanyel looks just miserable about it. "I know. I know... but you still have your life ahead of you right now." He focuses to get enough physicality to hold your shoulders.

[twicebonded]

In this . . . divergent reality. Who even knows . . . I barely feel real. I feel like a figment of Stef's imagination sometimes. An imposter where I don't belong.

[abardacttofollow]

"Have you ever felt entirely real?" Vanyel asks you, a bit ruefully. He... sits, floating in the air. "In my reality, we'll be together again, he and I, even after this. That's our promise. In yours... well, you know your own reality best. But what do you think he'd say to you calling yourself an imposter?"

[twicebonded]

Together again . . .

[he grasps at that]

[abardacttofollow]

"I chose to stay in this world, even dead," Vanyel says. "So that, when Stefen has lived out his life, when he has done the task that has been set for him, we can guard this world together. I don't want another sudden ending. For either of us."

[twicebonded]

What about 'Lendel—

[looks horribly guilty as soon as that passes his lips]

[abardacttofollow]

Vanyel says, "I don't... have any way to know. Where he is, or what he's done. But life is long, especially when you're dead. I can only... hope."

After a moment, he adds wryly, "and since I'm just Stefen's understanding of me, I ... can't say more about my thoughts or feelings at the time about our 'Lendel. I wish I could. But ultimately, I'm just Stefen's feelings."

[twicebonded]

I. I know. Which makes it all the more callous for me to have said that.

[he rubs his face with his sleeve]

I love Stef . . . I just wish . . . I could do better by him.

[abardacttofollow]

"It's not callous to be torn up over your love," Vanyel says. "Stefen wouldn't think that."

[twicebonded]

But he's still so important. And I'm not comparing . . . I just want him to know I'm happy with him.