[More than that... how? They're still a bad person. They try to be a good person, but it doesn't change anything. They know what they did. They know they could still do it again, if they let themselves. It would be so easy, too. That's horrifying.
They know better than to spill their guts, though, so they just. Glance up for all of one (1) second. Look back down. Grind a mirror shard on the floor with their boot. Need to try harder to be good, but first—]
[ he doesn't know the extent of frisk's thoughts or past, and he's not sure if he ever will know. but what's important at the moment is that they look uncomfortable and alone, and steven doesn't want that. ]
Of course we can. Let's go.
[ he'll rise from his kneeling position, but not before offering a hand for them to take. they can choose not to, but it's available. ]
[in her experience, interesting and dangerous go hand in hand. she really doesn't feel comfortable with leading someone so young into a situation like that - but really, she has no way to know if going downwards is the more hazardous path. she pauses for a moment.]
If you'd like to go down, I will accompany you, but please promise me that you'll be as cautious as possible.
[It's not so much magic being fantastical to them, as it is the fact that a human is using it. Or, well — someone is shaped like a human. They're far too used to magic being a monster only thing.
Now that they've stopped, though............... It's really a miracle that they don't give in and sit down. Their legs are way to short for this. Their lungs feel like they're going to pop. But, hey, at least they're not dead and/or dying. So they give him a slightly wheezy thumbs up.]
'M good. Can't feel my legs, but not sick. Means it was... a good workout.
[Kaz looked somewhat bemused. What a weird kid. Surely they were too young to be going through a bodybuilder type phase...?]
Uh, more like you pushed yourself too hard, geeze. [He looked about himself cautiously - no monsters were in view, so he supposed they could take a quick breather] Hey, we'll sit and rest for a bit, alright? If you still can't feel your legs in ten minutes I'll heal 'em up.
[He squatted down, leaning his back up against the wall as he playfully wriggled his fingers in the kid's direction. It was easy to compartmentalise and ignore the horrible uneasy panic sitting in his stomach if he focused on looking after this kid. It was always easy to dwarf his problems before someone else's]
True, healing isn't my main thing, but I'll be able to put you back into running form. You might have some serious muscle cramps later, though, not gonna lie.
Never said I was good. [Wrinkling their nose at her, though. She said she wanted favors.] ... 'Sides, talking's not as good as doing.
[But at least they get fruit and something they can use as a salve, so. No more complaints from them. And the granadillas look pretty good, even if if the mangosteen look questionable. Why is it purple?
Oh, well. They look at the fruit, then the yarrow, and finally at her. Really, really look at her. They're staring, actually. Frisk, cut that out.]
[Viridi wrinkles up her face and sticks out her tongue as he stares.]
We made a deal. I keep my end of the bargain. That's how deals work. If everyone reneged on their deals, nothing would ever get done! We'd just be backstabbing each other all the time, and the whole world would go to pieces.
Not to mention the callouses from having to train with a knife. I don't do melee combat.
[ hawke's got her sword slung on her back, the sleeves to her plaid shirt rolled to her elbows, and her jeans are covered in dirt and blood. she's not the happiest camper but she's making due. she wishes she had her armor but it's never flexible enough for cerealia and you know, being trapped out here gives her the same problem -- no protection, but plenty of maneuverability.
weirdly enough, she actually stops because her sneaker is untied, crouching down to lace the thing when she hears the sound of frustration from close by. her head jerks up and she spots frisk, her eyebrows furrowing as frisk begins to step on their mask. they're trying to break it, she can tell that much but they're obviously not succeeding. hawke feels... sympathetic.
so it doesn't take much for hawke to finish lacing her shoe, shoving her hands into her pockets and striding right over. when frisk stops stomping on their mask, they'll see another foot step right in and in one swift stomp, hawke shatters the mask into a bunch of tiny little pieces. it'll come together again, of course it will, but for now it's shattered. ]
[Well. That was unexpected. They take a step back as the mask is crushed, their reflexes telling them to back up. This isn't a magic bullet, though. It's not even a weapon. It's just a regular, ol' human foot. One strong enough to do what their kind of unimpressive 10-year-old body couldn't do, of course, but still just a human foot.
They glance up at her, more than just a little startled, and kind of... blink. Not sure how to react for like — three seconds? And then they're blinking again and shaking themselves out of it. Look, Hawke is a Very Tall and Very Ripped grownup. They have a right to gawk.]
Y—... Yes. Thank you...?
[Is thanking her the right thing to do? THAT WAS SUDDEN. THEY'RE STILL STARTLED.]
[HUH. It's possible they might all do that, but honestly? Frisk hasn't let their own mask do what it wants to since it showed up. Even less, when it started to show those bloody fingerprints.
They glance down at their own mask for a moment, and then look at her.]
My mask, or your? Well, I think they're both kind of interesting in their own ways. I've kind of been wondering about what the different patterns might mean.
[Bloody fingerprints... really, why on a little kid like this? It's no wonder they're upset.]
No. [STERNLY. Or as sternly as a 10-year-old in a sp00ky place can be.] Humans capable of this are just... human. 'S how it is.
[They get that monsters from their world are not the same as monsters from other worlds. Doesn't mean they feel comfortable when "monster" is used as synonymous of a number of unpleasant things. Humans are humans, and humans are capable of bad things like this. It's reality.]
... I'm sorry. [Genuinely. They can't imagine how it would feel to recognize some of the things on the altar.] We'll find who did this. Stop them, too. Can't let them do this forever.
[How many more are going to be killed there before the one responsible is stopped, though...?]
[ He gives them a curious look - they're sure adamant about that whole monster thing, huh? He can kind of see their point, though he hadn't thought of it that way before. Monsters didn't equate something bad. Just look at the Multibear.
But then his features fall. Any time he starts to feel comfortable, any time he starts to feel like he knows what's going on, something like this comes along to remind him just how horrible this place can be. ]
...I know. I'm sorry, too. It's hard not to feel like we could have done something to stop this, but...how could we have even known? All we can do is try to make the future different.
[Being grasped by their shoulders isn't something they expect, no matter how much it's telegraphed, and they stiffen for a second before they realize — ah. It's just a guy. Not someone who's attacking them with magic bullets. Just a human guy.
They force themselves to take a deep breath. Exhale. Grip the sleeve of their sweater nervously. Guiltily. It's all the same.]
[ Yu's eyes search Frisk's face for one more moment, wondering what must have happened in the life of a child so small to have witnessed something like that. To have ... been its cause? What exactly had happened there?
There's no time to dwell. Yu straightens with a nod. ]
Come on. [ He'll head for the door, wrenching it open again and holding it for Frisk. ]
Don't look back.
[ He says it calmly, carefully, but his eyes are on the mirrors over Frisk's head. They're starting to brighten again, play something new. He's not sure who the memory will belong to, but he doesn't want to find out. ]
[Welp. They're stopping. Immediately. Doesn't matter if they were mid-stomp. They're just going to stop, almost like they're startled but not exactly. And when they look up, it's slowly. Like they're not sure what they're going to find once they make eye-contact.]
... Ah.
[Just a human. They think? Maybe... not? The white part of his eye isn't white, so they're not sure. Either way, they proceed to break eye-contact, lowering their foot and looking pretty dang ashamed of themselves. They're throwing a tantrum, they know that, but that doesn't mean they wanted someone else to see.]
Sorry.
[Sorry that he had to see that, more specifically.]
[ chat's response to that isn't judgement, but a careful tilt of the head. he doesn't think there's any reason to be ashamed; he's gotten pretty used to dealing with people in panic, hysterics or otherwise during particularly trying times, and even without the superhero get-up he wouldn't admonish anyone.
he crouches down, not moving to pick up their mask yet; rather, he's doing it so they don't have to look up at him. ]
Hey, no problem. Everyone gets frustrated sometimes... Especially when we're in a spot like this.
[Not being allowed to run past is... a big problem. And though they don't try to force their way through this person, they do look obviously jittery and unwell as they stop. Force themselves to take a deep breath. Fail to take a deep breath. End up coughing because they breathed in way too fast in an attempt to be allowed out of here as quickly as possible.]
Not— [Covering their mouth. Still kind of coughing.] Not working. Need to go.
[ His hairears twitch in concern. As long as they don't go too far, he can keep an eye on them. It'd be the best option, though he's loathe to allow it. But if it gets Frisk to breathe normally, to get out of any potential danger... it's worth it. ]
Will you take my hand, at least? Don't worry. I can keep you safe, I'm well-armed, you see?
[ Raising an arm, he shows his white and gold sheathed vessel hanging off of his waist. ]
Though I don't know the way out of here, at least let me protect you for a while, until you can catch your breath.
You're older. Thought older meant smarter, too. [F R I S K. That's not a nice thing to say. Granted, they started it by calling them a brat.] Clean the cuts with the water. Then... cover them up.
[Glances down at Chara's feet. Judging.]
... Your feet aren't that big. You can use my socks. Haven't gotten them dirty yet.
[Or maybe Frisk just has big feet for a 10-year-old? IT'S A MYSTERY.]
[ OH, SO THE NUGGET REALLY CAN BE MEAN. that's pleasant. ]
I don't want your smelly socks.
[ yes they're fighting on this why wouldn't they. ]
Don't you have anything better? In your... pulling-stuff-out-of-nowhere space? [ look. the term "hammerspace" is not one they are particularly acquainted with. ]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
» event 026.
steven.
[More than that... how? They're still a bad person. They try to be a good person, but it doesn't change anything. They know what they did. They know they could still do it again, if they let themselves. It would be so easy, too. That's horrifying.
They know better than to spill their guts, though, so they just. Glance up for all of one (1) second. Look back down. Grind a mirror shard on the floor with their boot. Need to try harder to be good, but first—]
... Can we leave? Don't like mirrors.
no subject
Of course we can. Let's go.
[ he'll rise from his kneeling position, but not before offering a hand for them to take. they can choose not to, but it's available. ]
(no subject)
(no subject)
adelina.
Pe... Perilous.
[That means... dangerous, right? It sounds like dangerous from the context, at least.]
Not sure which way's less dangerous, either, but... Important stuff's usually down.
no subject
If you'd like to go down, I will accompany you, but please promise me that you'll be as cautious as possible.
(no subject)
kazuya.
[It's not so much magic being fantastical to them, as it is the fact that a human is using it. Or, well — someone is shaped like a human. They're far too used to magic being a monster only thing.
Now that they've stopped, though............... It's really a miracle that they don't give in and sit down. Their legs are way to short for this. Their lungs feel like they're going to pop. But, hey, at least they're not dead and/or dying. So they give him a slightly wheezy thumbs up.]
'M good. Can't feel my legs, but not sick. Means it was... a good workout.
no subject
[Kaz looked somewhat bemused. What a weird kid. Surely they were too young to be going through a bodybuilder type phase...?]
Uh, more like you pushed yourself too hard, geeze. [He looked about himself cautiously - no monsters were in view, so he supposed they could take a quick breather] Hey, we'll sit and rest for a bit, alright? If you still can't feel your legs in ten minutes I'll heal 'em up.
[He squatted down, leaning his back up against the wall as he playfully wriggled his fingers in the kid's direction. It was easy to compartmentalise and ignore the horrible uneasy panic sitting in his stomach if he focused on looking after this kid. It was always easy to dwarf his problems before someone else's]
True, healing isn't my main thing, but I'll be able to put you back into running form. You might have some serious muscle cramps later, though, not gonna lie.
(no subject)
(no subject)
viridi.
Never said I was good. [Wrinkling their nose at her, though. She said she wanted favors.] ... 'Sides, talking's not as good as doing.
[But at least they get fruit and something they can use as a salve, so. No more complaints from them. And the granadillas look pretty good, even if if the mangosteen look questionable. Why is it purple?
Oh, well. They look at the fruit, then the yarrow, and finally at her. Really, really look at her. They're staring, actually. Frisk, cut that out.]
Thank you. You're actually... nice.
[Frisk, don't say that like it's breaking news.]
no subject
[Viridi wrinkles up her face and sticks out her tongue as he stares.]
We made a deal. I keep my end of the bargain. That's how deals work. If everyone reneged on their deals, nothing would ever get done! We'd just be backstabbing each other all the time, and the whole world would go to pieces.
Not to mention the callouses from having to train with a knife. I don't do melee combat.
(no subject)
(no subject)
bonus it up, bruh
weirdly enough, she actually stops because her sneaker is untied, crouching down to lace the thing when she hears the sound of frustration from close by. her head jerks up and she spots frisk, her eyebrows furrowing as frisk begins to step on their mask. they're trying to break it, she can tell that much but they're obviously not succeeding. hawke feels... sympathetic.
so it doesn't take much for hawke to finish lacing her shoe, shoving her hands into her pockets and striding right over. when frisk stops stomping on their mask, they'll see another foot step right in and in one swift stomp, hawke shatters the mask into a bunch of tiny little pieces. it'll come together again, of course it will, but for now it's shattered. ]
That certainly looks much better, doesn't it?
no subject
They glance up at her, more than just a little startled, and kind of... blink. Not sure how to react for like — three seconds? And then they're blinking again and shaking themselves out of it. Look, Hawke is a Very Tall and Very Ripped grownup. They have a right to gawk.]
Y—... Yes. Thank you...?
[Is thanking her the right thing to do? THAT WAS SUDDEN. THEY'RE STILL STARTLED.]
(no subject)
hajime.
[HUH. It's possible they might all do that, but honestly? Frisk hasn't let their own mask do what it wants to since it showed up. Even less, when it started to show those bloody fingerprints.
They glance down at their own mask for a moment, and then look at her.]
... It doesn't bother you?
no subject
[Bloody fingerprints... really, why on a little kid like this? It's no wonder they're upset.]
dipper.
No. [STERNLY. Or as sternly as a 10-year-old in a sp00ky place can be.] Humans capable of this are just... human. 'S how it is.
[They get that monsters from their world are not the same as monsters from other worlds. Doesn't mean they feel comfortable when "monster" is used as synonymous of a number of unpleasant things. Humans are humans, and humans are capable of bad things like this. It's reality.]
... I'm sorry. [Genuinely. They can't imagine how it would feel to recognize some of the things on the altar.] We'll find who did this. Stop them, too. Can't let them do this forever.
[How many more are going to be killed there before the one responsible is stopped, though...?]
no subject
But then his features fall. Any time he starts to feel comfortable, any time he starts to feel like he knows what's going on, something like this comes along to remind him just how horrible this place can be. ]
...I know. I'm sorry, too. It's hard not to feel like we could have done something to stop this, but...how could we have even known? All we can do is try to make the future different.
(no subject)
(no subject)
yu.
[Being grasped by their shoulders isn't something they expect, no matter how much it's telegraphed, and they stiffen for a second before they realize — ah. It's just a guy. Not someone who's attacking them with magic bullets. Just a human guy.
They force themselves to take a deep breath. Exhale. Grip the sleeve of their sweater nervously. Guiltily. It's all the same.]
... Okay. Sounds okay.
[Get them away from the mirrors, please.]
no subject
There's no time to dwell. Yu straightens with a nod. ]
Come on. [ He'll head for the door, wrenching it open again and holding it for Frisk. ]
Don't look back.
[ He says it calmly, carefully, but his eyes are on the mirrors over Frisk's head. They're starting to brighten again, play something new. He's not sure who the memory will belong to, but he doesn't want to find out. ]
adrien.
[Welp. They're stopping. Immediately. Doesn't matter if they were mid-stomp. They're just going to stop, almost like they're startled but not exactly. And when they look up, it's slowly. Like they're not sure what they're going to find once they make eye-contact.]
... Ah.
[Just a human. They think? Maybe... not? The white part of his eye isn't white, so they're not sure. Either way, they proceed to break eye-contact, lowering their foot and looking pretty dang ashamed of themselves. They're throwing a tantrum, they know that, but that doesn't mean they wanted someone else to see.]
Sorry.
[Sorry that he had to see that, more specifically.]
no subject
he crouches down, not moving to pick up their mask yet; rather, he's doing it so they don't have to look up at him. ]
Hey, no problem. Everyone gets frustrated sometimes... Especially when we're in a spot like this.
[ so... ]
You okay?
(no subject)
kogitsunemaru.
[Not being allowed to run past is... a big problem. And though they don't try to force their way through this person, they do look obviously jittery and unwell as they stop. Force themselves to take a deep breath. Fail to take a deep breath. End up coughing because they breathed in way too fast in an attempt to be allowed out of here as quickly as possible.]
Not— [Covering their mouth. Still kind of coughing.] Not working. Need to go.
no subject
Will you take my hand, at least? Don't worry. I can keep you safe, I'm well-armed, you see?
[ Raising an arm, he shows his white and gold sheathed vessel hanging off of his waist. ]
Though I don't know the way out of here, at least let me protect you for a while, until you can catch your breath.
chara.
You're older. Thought older meant smarter, too. [F R I S K. That's not a nice thing to say. Granted, they started it by calling them a brat.] Clean the cuts with the water. Then... cover them up.
[Glances down at Chara's feet. Judging.]
... Your feet aren't that big. You can use my socks. Haven't gotten them dirty yet.
[Or maybe Frisk just has big feet for a 10-year-old? IT'S A MYSTERY.]
no subject
I don't want your smelly socks.
[ yes they're fighting on this why wouldn't they. ]
Don't you have anything better? In your... pulling-stuff-out-of-nowhere space? [ look. the term "hammerspace" is not one they are particularly acquainted with. ]
(no subject)
(no subject)
yuuri.
[They nod. They could be said that it's wisely, if not for the fact that they're 10-hecking-years-old.]
That's what I said. Could have dead stuff. Or... dirty socks.
no subject
Hopefully there's no dead things here. It's too dark to tell if there might be...