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Event - The 25,000 Light Year View

The 25,000 Light Year View

The atmosphere in the lower level gym at ADI headquarters is… tense, to say the least. Nia, Neil, and Rae are present with the rest of those remaining at the organization (or willing to come when called by Neil and Rae for a final statement) seated in benches and chairs that have been dragged in. It's not the usual, orderly meetings that some might have gotten used to for mission briefings.

Neil speaks first. "Thank you, everyone, for coming in. Lot's been happening, but we've come to… an understanding about where we need to go. The artifacts that were in the Vault have all been accounted for or noted as destroyed in some manner with a few exceptions. We're still chasing- ADI is still chasing those down with help from anyone who might want to give it. Won't pretend this is going to be a kumbaya moment, so let's get down to brass tacks. There's an apocalypse on. Whatever this organizations stands for now, its original mission was to uncover and stop those. That's still my mission."

"Mine, too," Rae chimes in.

"It's one we all share," Nia adds.

Neil nods before continuing. "So, we stop this, and we go our separate ways. I'll be leaving ADI and starting my own organization. We've seen a large number of threats in the Appalachian region and a lot of folks heavily impacted by decisions ADI's made. I'll be taking my organization there. Already been in touch with our- with ADI's field agents in the region. Some will be joining me. Along with a certain newsperson who keeps sniffing around. We'll do what we can to do right by the people who've been hurt most. That's going to be our focus. Support and security. We're not feeding the Hunt anymore by running down threats."

Rae steps up next. "And I'll be going where I need to. Lot of threats out west. If you're looking to do some good that won't be working for the Hunt… maybe think about heading that way."

Nia is the last to speak. "And I'll be staying here in Gloucester. ADI will be staying. And I will be its final Warden. We're stopping Zyrian, then we're figuring out what the hell is going on with Dogtown to get all of you people from other worlds home. Or at least stop anyone else coming in. After that? I'm out. What happens after that is still in the works. But Neil's agreed to stay in touch to help with everything… once I'm gone." There's a flicker of emotion across Neil's stoic expression. Regret, frustration… grief. "But right now, we look to Wolf Trap. I-"

There's a pause, and Neil and Rae look to Nia in concern as she puts a hand to her temple. She recovers, though. "Huh… We look to Wolf Trap, Virginia. We'll have buses to get everyone down there. We'll be arriving just as Copernicus' launch of the New Horizon's project is underway. That's where Zyrian Steel's going to do his ritual. We need to find the server rooms at the event. Those are important."

Rae squints at Nia, "You sure?"

Nia nods. "Yeah. I'm real sure about that. It'll be dangerous, though, and that's not the- it's not the only threat that's gonna be there."

Neil's looking wary. "Nia?"

"There's something else. The Web? It's not just the Vast that's involved in this, I don't think. It would make sense, right?" She shakes her head. "We'll be facing multiple Entity threats down there, not just the Vast. And I'm sure Zyrian's gonna kick the ritual off on the last day, once he's had time for-for something… not sure what. But he's a dramatic bastard, if nothing else. And timing's everything."

Neil and Rae exchange uncertain looks before Neil speaks up again. "Coming is voluntary, like always, but we'll want boots on the ground to cover as much ground as possible. They'll be holding the biggest events and productions at the Filene Center stage. But we're expecting tech booths scattered all throughout the park. Be on your guard."

"And bring a gun," Rae advises.

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They really were charming from the very beginning, weren't they? The lopsided grin Eda gave Raine as she sat back up was as genuine as the first time around. Introducing herself, on the other, felt just a little silly.

"Alright! I'm Eda Clawthorne." She held out a hand, remembering with a mix of nostalgia and mild embarrassment how exciting it had been to meet a kid who seemed to care who she was.

How exciting it had been to meet Raine in general.

She did her best to lean into the memory before she started to worry about them again, but maybe it was too late. She knew they were actually somewhere at Steel's event, and she could only hope they were faring better than she was. And that she'd actually see them again.

"Raine Whispers!"

They took her hand to shake it, like normal, and something changed. Raine bristled- the hand didn't normally feel like a hand, after all, and they pulled their hand back.

"Ah!"

They held their hand for a moment, confused, and they scanned Eda. At this point the memory seemed to pause, to hold onto itself as they tried to wrestle with what exactly had just happened.

"Eda..? Are.. You really you this time?"

Edited (I hit the wrong button whoops. ) 2023-07-27 20:30 (UTC)

Eda's eyes widened a little as Raine's hand was more tangible than she expected, and more so when they asked if was really her.

She blinked in brief confusion before her face lit up. Soon she'd worry about the fact they were also trapped here, but right this moment she was happy they were here.

"Raine! Are you... you?" It was a little strange hearing her voice crack, still sounding like she did as a kid now that they weren't following the script of the memory.

She didn't really wait for any more confirmation before pulling them into a hug, if they let her.

"I am m-"

Raine didn't get to finish their sentence before they're being pulled into a hug. They return the embrace happily, though, and bury their face into her shoulder.

"I was so worried about you!" They exclaim, though their words are half muffled. "I was with John earlier but we...Got separated."

They pulled back, a relieved smile on their face.

"It's a little weird we're kids again, but honestly I'm just happy you're here."

Eda pulled them close and squeezed them, nuzzling into their hair. She was a little reluctant to let them pull away, but she didn't actually object.

"I was worried about you too," she admitted, not bothering to make any attempt to hide how relieved she was to see them.

"But... you're right. I mean, this was a weird age the first time around," she added. At the same time, there's something nice about reliving it, something comforting in the time when their biggest problems were strange school competitions and whether other kids liked them or not.

Some small part of her is pulled towards the idea of staying in this particular memory, for a while at least. No, focus.

Raine's smile softened. They were relieved she was worried about them as well, relieved to have her back in their arms. But something pulled at their mind. They didn't dislike their time at Hexside. In fact, sometimes they missed it a little too much. To see Eda again- young, and healthy. Her flame-coloured hair, unchanged by time and stress and the curse. It reflected back on them, and their own lack of greying hair, their own lack of fine lines and trauma.

It wasn't that they didn't love who Eda was now. They did. But memory called, and they felt a little too tired from fighting off Zyrian and encountering others to ignore it.

"It was. Though I.. Can't say I don't miss some of what we did at Hexside.." Raine's voice held a dreamy tone at the end of the sentence. They let themself slip back into the safety of remembering.

The scene begins to change. Raine's a little older now, and they're wearing a Hexside uniform. They're sitting in the Secret Room of Shortcuts, and faced away from Eda, listening in through one of the doors.

"See? You have to make sure that you're holding your finger on the string correctly," They swayed along with the music, before they shut the door, picked up their violin off the floor, and started playing a song to demonstrate.

"Holding down the smaller strings really hurts at first, but it gets easier!"

Eda blinked a few times as the scene changed, finding herself sitting cross-legged in the familiar old passageway, holding a violin. She was doing her best to mimic Raine, and finding they weren't kidding about the strings--at least when she hadn't built up any of the sort of callus that did make that easier.

Or rather... that was what she had been doing, when they'd really been here, years ago. She shook her head, trying to clear it and center herself. It was a good memory, but she wasn't sure she wanted to get lost in it. Not completely at any rate.

"Yeah... I can't say it was all bad," she admitted, setting the instrument down in her lap but giving Raine a sheepish grin. "Things around here sure got a lot better once a certain bard transferred in."

She hadn't expected them to hit it off the way they did, back at HECK, and she definitely hadn't expected the way Raine stayed a part of her life after that first day. The reminder conjures a soft, warm feeling in her chest, even despite the dire situation they're in back the real world.

Raine's smile wavered as they tried to make sense of what had just happened- they were in HECK, and now they're in Hexside. Their mind fought with reality and what they've made to protect them from the vastness of the Matrix.

"Eda..?" Their tone is shaky at first, but they push back out of the memory for now. They still sound unsure of themself, however, and looked around. "How did we get here?"

Their eyes landed on Eda, but they pulled their body closer to themself.

"None of this makes any sense, I.."

They closed their eyes. Any attempt they made to sort out whatever was happening in their head just made it harder. That is what Zyrian wanted, but with Eda pulling them out, things were... Difficult.

Eda had been finding herself slipping more earlier, so she understood as soon as she thought about it, but she was still a little bit surprised at how lost Raine seemed.

She reached to squeeze their shoulder gently, giving them a moment before she started to explain.

"You must have been thinking about this... or maybe just thinking about Hexside was enough," she pointed out, looking around briefly again.

"We need to focus," she added. Her tone was still gentle, but she was worried about what would happen if neither of them managed. "Otherwise it's hard to stay in one place."

It took another moment for Raine to regain more lucidity. They unraveled a little more, and took a deep breath.

"I'm sorry. It's been difficult since Zyrian tried to lift the damn Titan."

They pinched the bridge of their nose, and took a breath. They leaned into Eda's touch, and opened their eyes again.

"I need a better way to focus, but Eda, how are we going to get out of here?" Their arms wrapped around Eda. "I've been trying. But.."

The bury their face in her shoulder.

Edited 2023-08-21 23:01 (UTC)

"I don't know how we're gonna get out of here," Eda admitted, wishing she didn't have to. But she didn't want to lie about having a plan, either.

When Raine buried their face in her shoulder she wrapped her arms around them, giving them a tight squeeze, and then ran her fingers through their hair a few times, trying to calm them before she went on.

"But I can take us somewhere more... uh, stable?" She offered, looking oddly awkward about it. After one more squeeze she let go of Raine.

She turned to one of the doors, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. She took a moment to focus before she reached out and opened it.

They might or might not immediately understand the significance of the scene the door opened on—a forest of trees, each with framed portraits. They varied in size, and health, and in the plants and vines that happened to surround them; in a few cases, snapdragons.

The portraits varied too. Some were crisp, some faded and weathered, some scratched and destroyed as if by an animal. But all of them featured Eda, in one way or another.

Edited 2023-08-25 07:33 (UTC)

Raine melted into Eda's touch. The way she held them and pet their hair- it was reminiscent of now, but being held as a kid, when Eda was also her younger self? It felt good. Raine didn't exactly know why, but they tried to keep focus away from the warm, fuzzy feeling. They didn't want to cause them both to move somewhere else again. Luckily, the discussion of their escape was enough to do it.

Raine lifted their head when Eda pulled away. They squinted at the door, and their eyes danced over the trees, the portraits, the snapdragons. They went wide with surprise, and fell back to Eda.

"That's your.. That's your mind, and memories I.." Raine shifted uncomfortably, knees pulled back to their chest. "..I don't want to intrude."

Mostly, they worried about seeing memories Eda didn't want them to see. They were worried about having to relive things that hurt both of them, and what it might cause. Raine didn't know how the mindscapes worked in this realm, but they also didn't want to find out. They were getting tired, which was dangerous in this space. Wherever they were.

Eda looked even more awkward, when Raine hesitated. While she wasn't entirely comfortable with the idea herself, it was a show of trust, and it felt like a better idea than just letting both their minds wander.

She glanced through the door again, then back at Raine.

"It is but... not really, I don't think?" She shrugged, not entirely certain. She hoped the same kind of damage wasn't a risk, but she couldn't be sure. But it wasn't like Raine was going to try to damage anything.

"But anyway, I'm inviting you. Just don't, y'know, go into any without asking." Not that she thought they would, of course. But seeing the images in the portraits is... fine, probably. It's probably fine. It's enough to let them avoid things they don't want to relive and maybe find things that they do.

It was nice that Eda trusted them enough to let them into such a literally personal part of her. They sat in their discomfort, waffling over whether or not it not technically being her mind even mattered to them. Being a kid again for a while was quite comfortable. They liked being able to sit in the safety of old memories, and technically that's what they'd be doing anyways with Eda's mindscape.

Plus, Eda was inviting them.

"I wouldn't do that," Raine uncoiled, and crawled over to Eda. "I'm going to stay by you anyways. In case we find your inner self- and because I don't really want to lose you."

Eda waited, glancing through the door again for a moment but not wanting to rush them when they were already seeming disoriented.

"I didn't think you would," she pointed out, with an awkward chuckle. She probably wouldn't have invited them if she did.

"But... that sounds like a good idea." She wasn't sure if her inner self would be a thing here—or if the owlbeast would, but she didn't want to get separated, either way. She gave them a sheepish smile and reached for their hand.

Raine blushed, and returned her smile. Of course, they knew Eda trusted them, but part of them still wanted to reassure her.

"You can lead the way."

They took her hand, and crawled closer. They were silent for a beat, but leaned over and gave Eda a kiss on the cheek. It felt a bit strange to do it looking like a kid again, but they reasoned that they weren't really one.

"Let's focus on getting out of here."

While Eda didn't entirely feel the age that she looked, she didn't quite feel like her usual self, either. Which was probably why the kiss on the cheek got a flustered giggle and a blush, even while she was trying to focus on more serious things.

She gave Raine a very quick peck on the forehead, before tugging their hand lightly as she crossed through the door.

She glanced around, as she stepped into the forest.

"I don't know if I've got an inner self in here. Or if stuff all works the same way it would if we really... went in using magic."

Honestly, she hopes it's not the same. That there's less chance of damaging anything, or running into her own emotions personified... or into the Owlbeast. Though she's pretty certain the latter would behave, at least.

Raine squeaked in a way that only this version of Raine could when Eda returned the kiss on her cheek with a peck on their forehead. They didn't particularly know why, but a part of them felt the same shyness when their relationship began to become much more affectionate. Still, Raine needed to be serious.

They followed close behind Eda, held her hand somewhat firmly to stay close. Raine couldn't help looking around, though. They'd never experienced being in an actual mindscape before- they'd toyed with the idea of doing it to Belos with Darius and Eber, but it hadn't ever come to fruition because they'd disappeared.

"If you do have an inner self here, we need to be careful. It might get angry if we've done something it doesn't like," Raine kept their voice low when they spoke to Eda.

"But, I don't know if there would be one in here.. this is part of Zyrian's machine even though you made it. All of the memories I've been through, I couldn't touch or interact with the people past how I remember the memory going.."

Raine lingered on a memory that had caught their eye as they finished talking, and they'd slowed walking to get a better view of it. They don't say anything about it yet, however.

As serious as the situation was, it was hard not to smile at that little squeak. But she paid more attention as they made their way through the door.

She nodded, not sure exactly what they'd be likely to do that would make her inner self angry, but to be honest, she could definitely see it happening. Especially with her already on edge about all of this.

"That's... mostly how it's been for me too. But I haven't really tried to change anything, either." It didn't seem like the best idea.

It took Eda a moment to notice that Raine's attention had been caught by a specific memory. She looked over when they slowed, though, and suddenly smiled faintly.

The portrait in question featured a slightly older version of Eda and Raine than the last, though still quite young. Eda sat next to Raine, her chin leaned on their shoulder as they held a block of wood that was beginning to take on the vague shape of a fox.

She had a hand on theirs, and from what she recalled she'd been correcting them slightly on how to hold the small carving knife. Raine was the expert when it came to musical instruments, but she was the expert when it came to this.

Something stirred deep within Raine as they watched the memory. A flurry of nostalgia, and grief over a memory that meant so much to them, but held so much weight on their heart. They were grateful that Eda had taught them how to carve their palisman. They loved him dearly, but hiding him away had been traumatic- Raine was scared, and guilty. They worried he'd be found out, and that he'd never forgive them if they couldn't bring him back.

Never telling Eda they'd gone to her father without her knowledge m made their guilt, and sorrows only stronger.

"I still have him." Raine replied, after a long, long silence. Their hand tightened around Eda's, though they don't make eye contact. They just stare, straight ahead, a tension in their shoulders still as they watched Eda's hand guide theirs.

They'd never quite grasped carving as much as they'd liked to, but they were always so fascinated at how easy it was for Eda.

"I can show you. If you'd like me to...he's been with me the whole time."

Raine finally glanced at Eda, in all of their guilt and discomfort.

"I wanted to protect him so I hid him away."

It didn't take long for Eda's sudden fondness at the memory to be replaced by a cold, sinking feeling in her chest. She hadn't seen Raine's palisman in years, and it felt easy to guess why. It wasn't something she wanted to think about, and she wasn't sure whether to say anything.

Which meant that she blinked in surprise when Raine said they still had the fox. Her expression lifted instantly, but then she saw theirs. Her brow furrowed in worry, and there was a slight pause before she answered.

"Of course I want to see the little guy," she began. She'd missed him, and Owlbert probably had, too. "Is he... alright?"

Raine hiding their palisman made sense, but they were making it seem like there was something more to it. Not to mention she was surprised if he was here specifically. Surprised, and confused that it hadn't come up earlier.

"Yes, he is," Raine replied, and tried to give Eda their best reassuring look, but internally they felt all...bad. They didn't want to show Eda. They didn't want to reveal that he'd been there, with them, the entire time. Not because Raine didn't trust her, or didn't think she deserved to know.

But rather, the guilt extended past just having to hide Crash away. It extended deep into their feelings towards Eda and how much had changed, how much went unspoken, how at the end so many things had to go under her radar for Raine and their Palisman to be safe.

Showing Eda would put so much out on display just by the questions it would bring up. But, there wasn't much sense in stalling.

Raine drew a spell circle, and summoned their violin. They looked down at it, and very timidly held the neck of the violin out to Eda.

"Um. He's here."

Eda was glad when Raine confirmed their palisman was alright, but even with them trying to be reassuring something felt just a little bit off.

She was mildly surprised when they summoned their violin, and it took her a few seconds to realise exactly what they meant.

"Oh... Oh." Eda took the violin and turned it over in her hands once or twice, before gently running her thumb over the snout of the stylised fox head.

"Hey, Crash. It's been a while," she said, softly. Though she wasn't sure how aware he actually was. When palismen were in staff form they could hear, but this was something more than that.

"That's... that's really clever," she said, though she couldn't help feeling bad for fox, too. But it was better than the alternative.

"Why didn't you say something sooner?" Eda asked, glancing back up at Raine. It made sense to keep him this way back home, but here he'd be--well, maybe not safe, but no more in danger than the rest of them.

Raine watched Eda look over their violin, and a wave of anxiety settled over their shoulders like a wet cloak of witch's wool. It should be comforting but. It was cold, and kind of hurt to wear. She seemed to take it well, but the question... It didn't help.

"Because, um. I just.. I couldn't think of a good time to do it."

Raine tried hard not to let it seem like they were stressed about it, but it was hard to hide that from Eda. They knew it was.

"He's been like that for so long and I.. wasn't exactly sure if it could be undone. Because if it can't, and he breaks I..know you can fix him, but.."

There was something else they wouldn't say- it was apparent by the way they'd tensed up, and the way they fidgeted with their hands.

Edited 2023-10-10 03:44 (UTC)

Eda really did know Raine a bit too well. The reasons they were giving made sense, and they clearly were justifiably worried about them. But she could tell they were avoiding something.

"I ought to be able to undo it," Eda said, though it would take looking at how it had been done a lot more than this cursory glance told her.

"And I ought to be able to fix him if anything happens," she added. She didn't want to make promises she wasn't certain of, but she wanted to try to be reassuring.

"I fixed Flapjack here, even without my stuff from home."

There was a small pause, before she shifted the violin to one hand and put the other on their arm lightly.

"But... I can tell when you're not telling me something, Rainstorm." She seemed more concerned than annoyed, but, well, she wanted to know.

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