[Being "put out for a while" doesn't sound very promising, but it probably wouldn't be worse than anything he's had to endure in the lab. :) Henry isn't as hesitant as he should be, but Henry Creel is so very rarely hesitant about anything, these days.
He flashes her one of his usual grins.]
Be be right back, then.
[You know, ideally.
Anyway, he wanders off towards the little bridge over the pond, a casual stride.]
[Amelia keeps her distance, sharp green eyes following Henry as he walks up to the creature...
When he's close enough, the man with the skull turns to face him, blocking the other man from crossing the bridge. The skull remains tucked under his arm by his side. Notably, his eyes are very, very dark, to the point where it looks like no light pierces them. Unlike Emil's obsidian golem eyes which have been designed to let a semblance of life and personality shine through, this creature's personality is less human and more hungry. For what? Who can say, except for suffering?
He doesn't offer just yet, however. He speaks to Henry with a placid tone.]
[He comes to a stop when the man blocks his path, not that he had much of a choice. Henry blinks at them, playing casual, playing innocent. He notices the strange eyes he has, how dark they seem. How there's something off about him in general already, something inhuman.]
Thirsty?
[-he asks, as if he doesn't already know where this is going.
Can Henry use his powers to gently sweep over this creature's mind? Get an idea of just what's really going on here?]
[The thoughts sound like words, almost human, but barely. The voice from the skull and its sloshing sludge contents that have a blue sheen in the light is harsh on the ears.]
[Oh, those thoughts. They would rake against the human mind, but Henry isn’t fully human anymore, despite the body. Is this weird eldritch-to-eldritch communication? How funny.
He’s no fool, though. While his mental defenses are already strong, he bulwarks them just a bit more, in case.
He returns a thought to the skull:]
Stop talking or I’ll shatter you into pieces.
[And then to the man:]
Before I think about drinking to cool me off, can I ask you a question first?
[While Henry holds the attention of the skull creature, Amelia has been casting misdirection charms around the bridge and pond so no stray park visitors can happen upon the supernatural confrontation. The witch glances over at them, too far to really hear what Henry is saying aloud.
She'll wait for now until she sees she has to intervene.
Both man and skull are silent, staring at the psychic for a long moment. The man's mouth opens to speak once again.]
"Why don't you have a drink? See if it agrees with you?"
[The skull vibrates in the man's hand and he holds it up, giving the impression that he's letting the thing glance around the park.]
"None of his children will drink. They know too much. They won't let us learn, they won't learn from us. So we learn from whoever accepts. But they're too weak to learn back.
You don't seem weak. You can drink."
[The skull is held out to Henry once again and the contents drip, down it's sides, black and slick like oil with a blue sheen. There is certainly a pull, stronger than ever trying to compel Henry. He's walking forward now, right up to his face.]
[He wants to remark that there is nothing that resonates in his head like that which would "agree" with him. Entities like this surely only want to overtake, to devour — Henry would know! In a way, he’s the same.
Thankfully, his mental barriers hold, even though he can feel the skull’s influence trying to claw at those steel walls he’s shored up in his mind. Little good that does when the man forcefully invades his space, pushing the awful-looking thing close to him, dripping with that equally awful-looking, oily liquid. It’s not enough to make Henry’s stomach turn—not much is, these days—but he does tilt his head away in distaste.]
No.
[And with that, a telekinetic push, hard, to make the man stagger away from him. He turns his head and smiles again.]
Maybe none of his “children” drink for a reason. How about you give the skull to me, instead, and let me deal with it? Whatever you’re going to accomplish, it’s not going to work now that I’m here.
[Time to see what this man “forcefully” does to make him drink, he supposes. Should be interesting.]
[The man staggers and the oily contents spill to the ground. Snarling, the man takes out a knife. At the same time, the skull opens its mouth and both of them speak at the same time in the guttural inhuman language. ]
[Amelia's voice cuts through its words. The creature lunges for Henry, knife in hand but finds himself bouncing back, immobilized by a circle of emerald green runes that had snaked its way unknowingly around him. Amelia is on the opposite side of the bridge, behind the monster. It turns around with its dark inhuman eyes and the skull shaking wildly in midair.]
[There we go, the barely-there polite facade of the man sliding off the moment Henry forcefully rejects him. He's nearly happy to see it -- the way that knife suddenly gleams in the daylight, and he can only think to himself: That's it?
But before he can make an effort to defend himself psionically, Amelia is prepared. The sharp point of the blade reflects off of shimmering green magic, and Henry actually laughs, light but a little more cruel than usual.
Seems like they've reached the point of no return. He's weirdly pleased that Amelia seems to be a woman who will do what it takes to get this done; just as she said she would.]
Both skull and man?
[He asks first, lightly, and probably a little ominously. But hey, if they don't wanna salvage this weird skull, either-]
[The man is bashing himself against the wards and staggering back every time. The contents of the skull spill some more and it appears to dissolve into smoke when it makes contact with her green magic.]
[Henry doesn't have to take very long at all. Even with his powers not at their full capacity, this part is easy: his focus becomes pointed, fixated on a certain part of the man's body. And then, with a tilt of his neck, the sound of bones snapping -- the man's, his neck cracking loud and hard.]
[The effect is instantaneous. Amelia's brow just makes the slightest furrow at the sickening crack of bone and the sight of the man's neck snapping at an angle. The skull drops and rolls away from the body as it falls, leaning against the erected barrier. The knife clatters on the wooden planks of the bridge.
The body is dead and useless but the skull is rolling back and forth and the oily substance is bubbling. If Henry tries to hone in on its thoughts there are no longer words, just gibberish.]
[It's a little disturbing, maybe -- Henry's smile as the body crumples to the ground, or the way he loses interest in it just as quickly, eyes slotting over to the skull and its gibberish reflecting in his mind.]
...Hm. Nothing but nonsense. Do you think I could delve into its memory?
It might give us more insight as to exactly what this skull wants. Nothing good, I'm sure, but why not indulge ourselves?
[A beat.]
My powers aren't what they should be, of course, so I might not be able to linger long. Keep an eye out, though, all right? I won't be able to tell what's going on around me physically.
Go ahead then. No one will be passing by here any time soon so I'll look after you.
[And Amelia will figure out what to do with the body. Burning it is probably the best option (or feeding it to the creature in the lake but it's not the season for it shhh).]
If there's nothing of note, I'll just lock it away and dispose of it later too.
Then it sees the Earth. Oh, the oceans are so blue, there are so many plants, flowers, animals, humans, and life. Colors, pain, joy, air, fire, so much paint, so much to play with. Only one thought prevails:
HOW DO I TAKE THIS?
"It's simple!"
Somehow it is able to meet with this world's overseer. The image is fuzzy, and hard to make out but it remembers red, such a vivid red, and eyes that are darker than the canvas of the stars beyond. Even in this faint memory, one can make out a smile, a laugh full of insincere mirth.
"You need to learn about them, about all of this."
"Learn?"
"Yes, learn."
"How do I learn?"
"However you wish."
"You would let me learn from your children?"
Everything is starting to fade but it remembers his words in their final moments. It remembers that smile, that self-satisfied smirk.
"If you don't learn, you wouldn't understand why this is all mine. Why they're all mine."
"I don't understand."
"Then learn! Oh, but..."
The final whisper sounds vicious but excited.
"You'll find that my children do not tolerate guests who take and give nothing in return."
And so the creature enters as a guest, trying to learn. It gets the most reaction in the form of fear, in the form of entering their bodies, warm and full of life. But his children and not even hers want nothing from it and reject what it has to give. Those who belong to neither are easier to compel but there is little to learn from them and they are too weak.
Those who reject, it will take their blood and learn from that instead.]
[It would never be able to take it all because it couldn't understand. It tried to understand but no one would give it anything because it didn't have anything to give in return.
It just wanted something of its own.
It wanted to understand what made this world beautiful.
To become something more, something whole—...]
... Mr. Creel? Henry. Henry?
[Amelia's voice tries to reach the psychic to see if he's done trying to probe for the creature's memories. The skull has stopped being active and there's nothing but still sludge that no longer has life in it.]
[He isn't sure what he's seeing at first, the memory unlike any he's experienced -- detached from the world below, teeming with life. Swirling with blue and wisps of white. But Henry can make out the sense of two... somethings speaking. Entities? The skull and another. A bright flash of crimson red.
One seeking to learn from "his" children. Who? The ones below? That other voice, so insincerely cheerful; in a way, he's reminded of himself, though perhaps to a lesser degree.
And that cannot mean anything good.
There's a sense of wanting to understand, to be whole again, but to always find everything and everyone lacking. And then, his name. ... Mr. Creel? Henry. Henry?
[With a concerned frown, Amelia gives him a once over. She surmises that he must have seen something puzzling.]
Are you alright? Did you see anything that was concerning?
[As for the skull she'll be kneeling down to briskly trace some runes around it. Her magic creates a cube to box it in so she can hold it in her hands without touching the oily sludge.]
I hope that wasn't too much effort to exert for you.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
recluserose) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
sunfloras2023-04-20 07:42 pm
no subject
Of course. And I’d be half as useful to you if I didn’t have my abilities, anyway.
[But back to business. He stops beside her, looking at the man in the distance.]
Waiting for someone to pay the figurative toll. I suppose this is my time to shine?
no subject
If I approach, he'll just disappear. Your chances are better.
And if he does offer you to drink from the skull, try to resist it. Whatever is in that skull will put you out for a while.
[She is aware of a particularly good healer but she can put off using his services for a while.]
Go ahead when you're ready then.
no subject
He flashes her one of his usual grins.]
Be be right back, then.
[You know, ideally.
Anyway, he wanders off towards the little bridge over the pond, a casual stride.]
no subject
When he's close enough, the man with the skull turns to face him, blocking the other man from crossing the bridge. The skull remains tucked under his arm by his side. Notably, his eyes are very, very dark, to the point where it looks like no light pierces them. Unlike Emil's obsidian golem eyes which have been designed to let a semblance of life and personality shine through, this creature's personality is less human and more hungry. For what? Who can say, except for suffering?
He doesn't offer just yet, however. He speaks to Henry with a placid tone.]
"Hello. Are you thirsty?"
no subject
Thirsty?
[-he asks, as if he doesn't already know where this is going.
Can Henry use his powers to gently sweep over this creature's mind? Get an idea of just what's really going on here?]
no subject
[The man tilts his head and makes one gesture with his free arm.]
"It's a beautiful day. The sun shines and you've been walking for so long."
[And then he holds out the skull. There are definitely thoughts but it does not come from the man holding the object. It's coming from the skull.]
ጋዪጎክኡ ጮቹ ረቹፕ ጮቹ ፏዪዐሠ ነዐ ጮልክሃ ፪ዐጋጎቹነ ፪፱ፕ ጎ ርልክክዐፕ ፏዪዐሠ ረቹፕ ጮቹ ፏዪዐሠ ጋዪጎክኡ ጮቹ
[The thoughts sound like words, almost human, but barely. The voice from the skull and its sloshing sludge contents that have a blue sheen in the light is harsh on the ears.]
"Please. Have a drink."
ጋዪጎክኡ ጮቹ ረቹፕ ጮቹ ፏዪዐሠ ነዐ ጮልክሃ ፪ዐጋጎቹነ ፪፱ፕ ጎ ርልክክዐፕ ፏዪዐሠ ረቹፕ ጮቹ ፏዪዐሠ ጋዪጎክኡ ጮቹ
ጋዪጎክኡ ጮቹ ረቹፕ ጮቹ ፏዪዐሠ ነዐ ጮልክሃ ፪ዐጋጎቹነ ፪፱ፕ ጎ ርልክክዐፕ ፏዪዐሠ ረቹፕ ጮቹ ፏዪዐሠ ጋዪጎክኡ ጮቹ
ጋዪጎክኡ ጮቹ ረቹፕ ጮቹ ፏዪዐሠ ነዐ ጮልክሃ ፪ዐጋጎቹነ ፪፱ፕ ጎ ርልክክዐፕ ፏዪዐሠ ረቹፕ ጮቹ ፏዪዐሠ ጋዪጎክኡ ጮቹ
no subject
He’s no fool, though. While his mental defenses are already strong, he bulwarks them just a bit more, in case.
He returns a thought to the skull:]
[And then to the man:]
Before I think about drinking to cool me off, can I ask you a question first?
no subject
"Ask. I will answer."
ቹነየቹዪ? ክዐ ሃዐ፱ ልዪቹ ክዐፕ ⶴቹዪ ርⶴጎረጋ, ሃዐ፱ ልዪቹ ልክ ዐዪየⶴልክ...
no subject
He ignores it once the voice fades.]
Why is that skull of yours so noisy?
no subject
She'll wait for now until she sees she has to intervene.
Both man and skull are silent, staring at the psychic for a long moment. The man's mouth opens to speak once again.]
"Why don't you have a drink? See if it agrees with you?"
[The skull vibrates in the man's hand and he holds it up, giving the impression that he's letting the thing glance around the park.]
"None of his children will drink. They know too much. They won't let us learn, they won't learn from us. So we learn from whoever accepts. But they're too weak to learn back.
You don't seem weak. You can drink."
[The skull is held out to Henry once again and the contents drip, down it's sides, black and slick like oil with a blue sheen. There is certainly a pull, stronger than ever trying to compel Henry. He's walking forward now, right up to his face.]
"DRINK."
ጋዪጎክኡ ጮቹ ረቹፕ ጮቹ ጎክ ረቹፕ ጮቹ ፕልኡቹ ዪዐዐፕ ጎ'ህቹ ነዐ ጮ፱ርⶴ ፕዐ ፏጎህቹ
no subject
Thankfully, his mental barriers hold, even though he can feel the skull’s influence trying to claw at those steel walls he’s shored up in his mind. Little good that does when the man forcefully invades his space, pushing the awful-looking thing close to him, dripping with that equally awful-looking, oily liquid. It’s not enough to make Henry’s stomach turn—not much is, these days—but he does tilt his head away in distaste.]
No.
[And with that, a telekinetic push, hard, to make the man stagger away from him. He turns his head and smiles again.]
Maybe none of his “children” drink for a reason. How about you give the skull to me, instead, and let me deal with it? Whatever you’re going to accomplish, it’s not going to work now that I’m here.
[Time to see what this man “forcefully” does to make him drink, he supposes. Should be interesting.]
no subject
ጎቻ ሃዐ፱ ጋዐ ክዐፕ ጋዪጎክኡ ሠቹ ሠጎረረ ፕልኡቹ, ፪ረዐዐጋ ቻዐዪ ፱ነ, ፪ረዐዐጋ ፕዐ ልጋጋ ፕዐ ዐ፱ዪ ጋዪጎክኡ ቻዐዪ ሠቹ ሠጎረረ ረቹልዪክ ልክጋ ፕልኡቹ—
HENRY!!
[Amelia's voice cuts through its words. The creature lunges for Henry, knife in hand but finds himself bouncing back, immobilized by a circle of emerald green runes that had snaked its way unknowingly around him. Amelia is on the opposite side of the bridge, behind the monster. It turns around with its dark inhuman eyes and the skull shaking wildly in midair.]
ቹጮቹዪልረጋ ሠጎፕርⶴ ሃዐ፱ ቻጎረፕⶴ ሃዐ፱ ልክጋ ሃዐ፱ዪ ቻልፕⶴቹዪ ፕዐሃ ሠጎፕⶴ ፱ነ ፕⶴቹዪቹ ጎነ ጮዐዪቹጮዐዪቹጮዐዪቹጮዐዪቹ ቻጎረፕⶴሃ ቹጮቹዪልረጋ ፱ነጎክፏ ፕⶴጎነ ዐዪየⶴልክ—!!
[The witch stands her ground, coldly glaring at the creature, and crosses her arms.]
I think I've let you slip away one too many times.
[Then she calls to Henry.]
Do what you must. I'll clean up.
[Stone cold. She's a witch who will give no quarter, and give no inch.]
no subject
But before he can make an effort to defend himself psionically, Amelia is prepared. The sharp point of the blade reflects off of shimmering green magic, and Henry actually laughs, light but a little more cruel than usual.
Seems like they've reached the point of no return. He's weirdly pleased that Amelia seems to be a woman who will do what it takes to get this done; just as she said she would.]
Both skull and man?
[He asks first, lightly, and probably a little ominously. But hey, if they don't wanna salvage this weird skull, either-]
no subject
[The man is bashing himself against the wards and staggering back every time. The contents of the skull spill some more and it appears to dissolve into smoke when it makes contact with her green magic.]
But don't take too long.
no subject
[How one might act without the other.]
All right, then.
[Henry doesn't have to take very long at all. Even with his powers not at their full capacity, this part is easy: his focus becomes pointed, fixated on a certain part of the man's body. And then, with a tilt of his neck, the sound of bones snapping -- the man's, his neck cracking loud and hard.]
no subject
The body is dead and useless but the skull is rolling back and forth and the oily substance is bubbling. If Henry tries to hone in on its thoughts there are no longer words, just gibberish.]
𝟑ጎቻ𝟗𝟗𝟗𝟒;ቻረፏል𝟑;፪ልረዪፏረኡቻጮጮጮነ...ሠክፏረልቻኡጋፏቻፏⶴቻⶴፓ—...!!!
[Amelia walks to the bridge and gives Henry a nod of acknowledgement]
Good. It's better this way. Now as for this thing... Is there anything you can sense from it?
no subject
...Hm. Nothing but nonsense. Do you think I could delve into its memory?
no subject
[Amelia was just aware of the telekinesis and telepathy/mindreading. Memory diving though? His suggestion intrigues her.]
If you think it's worth it.
[With a wave of her hand, the barrier shrinks so that it encases the skull. The body it used drops and dangles halfway off of the bridge.]
no subject
[A beat.]
My powers aren't what they should be, of course, so I might not be able to linger long. Keep an eye out, though, all right? I won't be able to tell what's going on around me physically.
no subject
[And Amelia will figure out what to do with the body. Burning it is probably the best option (or feeding it to the creature in the lake but it's not the season for it shhh).]
If there's nothing of note, I'll just lock it away and dispose of it later too.
no subject
So he nods.]
Here goes, then.
[Ans then, closing his eyes, he tries to dive into the skull’s memory — if it has any to share.
How successful is he?]
1/2
Then it sees the Earth. Oh, the oceans are so blue, there are so many plants, flowers, animals, humans, and life. Colors, pain, joy, air, fire, so much paint, so much to play with. Only one thought prevails:
HOW DO I TAKE THIS?
"It's simple!"
Somehow it is able to meet with this world's overseer. The image is fuzzy, and hard to make out but it remembers red, such a vivid red, and eyes that are darker than the canvas of the stars beyond. Even in this faint memory, one can make out a smile, a laugh full of insincere mirth.
"You need to learn about them, about all of this."
"Learn?"
"Yes, learn."
"How do I learn?"
"However you wish."
"You would let me learn from your children?"
Everything is starting to fade but it remembers his words in their final moments. It remembers that smile, that self-satisfied smirk.
"If you don't learn, you wouldn't understand why this is all mine. Why they're all mine."
"I don't understand."
"Then learn! Oh, but..."
The final whisper sounds vicious but excited.
"You'll find that my children do not tolerate guests who take and give nothing in return."
And so the creature enters as a guest, trying to learn. It gets the most reaction in the form of fear, in the form of entering their bodies, warm and full of life. But his children and not even hers want nothing from it and reject what it has to give. Those who belong to neither are easier to compel but there is little to learn from them and they are too weak.
Those who reject, it will take their blood and learn from that instead.]
no subject
It just wanted something of its own.
It wanted to understand what made this world beautiful.
To become something more, something whole—...]
... Mr. Creel? Henry. Henry?
[Amelia's voice tries to reach the psychic to see if he's done trying to probe for the creature's memories. The skull has stopped being active and there's nothing but still sludge that no longer has life in it.]
no subject
One seeking to learn from "his" children. Who? The ones below? That other voice, so insincerely cheerful; in a way, he's reminded of himself, though perhaps to a lesser degree.
And that cannot mean anything good.
There's a sense of wanting to understand, to be whole again, but to always find everything and everyone lacking. And then, his name. ... Mr. Creel? Henry. Henry?
Henry opens his eyes. His brow is pinched.]
I'm... here. I'm fine.
[What the actual fuck was that.]
no subject
Are you alright? Did you see anything that was concerning?
[As for the skull she'll be kneeling down to briskly trace some runes around it. Her magic creates a cube to box it in so she can hold it in her hands without touching the oily sludge.]
I hope that wasn't too much effort to exert for you.
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)