echoes and specters and ghosts of none the wiser

[extramural]

WHO: The Outsider and OPEN
WHAT: Dream wandering and more.
WHEN: Wintermarch
WHERE: in and around Skyhold & your dreams~*~
NOTES: Spoilers for Dishonored 2 possible. Open and closed prompts below, hit me up via PM or gadgetsandgears if you'd like one or start one of your own! Brackets or prose.

Comments

[circleprodigy]

As the abomination roars in pain and frustration at being temporarily thwarted, Inessa sways a little as her mind begins to clear. This incident...she wasn't living it, she had lived it. It was many years past, in her childhood. Seeing her ice strike it along with those thorns reminds her of her own power, a power that has been honed over a long time. She had passed her Harrowing, lived through the fall of the Circle; this abomination wasn't going to be her -their- end. For this time, she had a companion in these defiled halls. She wasn't alone.

Light briefly surrounds her, and when it clears she's not that much taller but definitely older, a composed young woman in Circle robes. Narrowing her eyes, she casts a Barrier over them quickly before trying to encase the abomination in ice, a more potent and disciplined attempt than of a moment ago.

[extramural]

Oh. Well, it had made sense for it to possibly be a child, but this makes sense as well. The Outsider nods once, ignoring the splatter as one chunk of abomination is, in fact, ripped off by the wind. Ice is creeping up upon it now, however, and he goes for his sword.

"Will it shatter, if I hit it?"

That seems an important thing to know, especially as the vine is being ripped apart.

[circleprodigy]

"It should--but abominations explode when they die, so be careful!" Even with the barrier, they might still be through back because of it. Inessa casts a Death Hex to make it easier to destroy the abomination, then braces herself for the end result.

[extramural]

Abominations explode when they die. Of all the things that he's seen in Thedas, for some reason this is the one that makes him momentarily pause, blinking in confusion. There's no time for that, though, and he strikes with his sword to make the thing shatter -- and explode.

Explode. What a nice little 'fuck you' to the world the demon had so badly wanted to enter.

[circleprodigy]

The explosion has Inessa staggering back, raising her arms to shield her face. She stumbles but doesn't fall, though her robes are a little singed. But she ignores them, straightening when the blast fades.

"...thank you. I don't know how much longer I would have been lost in my own memories without your help. Though just because they are memories doesn't mean we are safe. Not here."

[extramural]

The blast itself is surprising in its intensity. The Outsider brushes some bits of abomination off, wrinkling his nose; at least it's not real. No true burns, no true pits of gore in his hair.

"Are you often lost in them?" It's a personal question, he knows. Still -- she's just thanked him for wandering into her dream, and so it seems pertinent. "Do you think the basement is still the best location?"

[circleprodigy]

Inessa fights the urge to gag at the scent of the abomination's remain, just barely managing though she might look a little nauseous anyway. She keeps telling herself that it's not real, but that doesn't seem to help as much as it should. It's the Fade. Everything's real here, in a sense.

"...yes. If the Sentinels are functioning as they should, we ought to be safe. If they are not, defeating them in battle is usually enough to restore them to order. I would much rather fight them than the abominations and blood mages, at any rate."

[extramural]

There's a nod and the Outsider flicks his sword slightly, letting it dissolve into the dream. It'll be back in his hand, should he need it. For now...

"I must ask- why not go to the door? Why not leave?"

[circleprodigy]

She sighs, knowing there's a simple logic in that, but unfortunately, the Fade has its own twisted logic. "Because...when I do, sometimes it just triggers the situation to reset itself. I would rather avoid reverting to a frightened child, if possible. Sometimes there isn't even a door. And there are worse memories that I might expose you to."

Yes, even worse than this. She summons her wisp anew, trying to repress a shudder as growls and screams drift to her ears from further away. There's nothing she can do for the 'people' here, caught in this endless loop.

[extramural]

"You could wake up," he murmurs, even as he walks. The growls and screams are ignored; if they get any louder, he'll focus on them, but for now his focus is on Inessa and the dream. "Or do you only wake up when you reach the Sentinels?"

Dreams are- chaotic, by nature. It's why they're part of the Void, in his world, or so he's always thought. Thoughts, symbols, memories, pieces of the waking world twisted into something else -- dreams are more than just 'things that happen at night'. For Inessa, it seems they are a source of torture.

"Do you always dream of this?"

[circleprodigy]

"No...but often enough, I suppose." Inessa can't deny that, as self-conscious as it makes her. "Not that I would see reason for you to do so, but I would rather this not be shared with others. It's my burden to bear."

Upon reaching the door to the basement, she pauses. "If the Sentinels are calm or defeated, then it does seem easier to awaken then. I don't know why, exactly. We shall see." She holds the door open, her wisp floating in ahead of them.

[extramural]

Strange. A trick of the mind and the Fade, he supposes. The Outsider nods and follows, quiet as he thinks it all over. When the door is opened, he steps in, hand going to his side. If he needs his sword, it will be there.

He has no idea what these Sentinels might be, how they might react. He doesn't even know what to look for, and so he glances back toward Inessa and her wisp. It's her dream, after all.