Kain Highwind (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
ajealouswind) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
towerofanimus2013-08-19 01:24 am
ajealouswind) wrote in towerofanimus2013-08-19 01:24 am
Entry tags:
04 - Mourn the Blue Planet
Characters: Kain Highwind and anyone.
Setting: Throughout the Tower, and ending at Floor 99's crystal caverns.
Format: Prose to start, will follow with whichever.
Summary: The shadows weigh heavily upon Kain's already burdened soul. And the weight eventually becomes too much for him to bear.
Warnings: Angst. Lots and lots of angst, capped off with death on the 17th.
[August 12th to 16th, Around the Tower]
Kain's sense of duty and burning need to be useful was potent, and had carried him on past many a trial before. Injury and death could be suffered through and put behind him. The plainly-provoking statue he received in his mailbox could be set aside at the bottom of his trunk. (Not thrown away. Never thrown away. Such an image, of Cecil and of Rosa, was too precious to be rid of, painful as it was.) And no end of bad thoughts could be purged via sweat and effort.
But this round of shadowing demons were not nearly so easy to banish. As he did his regular patrols along the floors, keeping the path clear for those that needed to pass, they trailed him, and they whispered and grinned. He was wary at first, for they greatly resembled the skittering shadows that had been so desperate to scuttle up the elevator shaft. But they didn't hinder him. Not at first. And by the time that they did hinder him, they were no longer something so mysterious. They were familiar.
'The moons... the moons, they crumble in the skies...'
'How could you? How could you, how could you...'
'You? The last of us? A joke. What a joke...'
Early in the week, he might well be able to save an imperiled tower resident from harm at the hands of monsters. Towards the end of it, he'll likely be too unsteady and haunted to do a proper job of it. But he'll try, if it's called for. Damn those shadows and damn those voices. He'll prove them wrong.
[August 17th, Floor 99's caverns]
He had been growing ever more tired and weak, alarmingly so. Before now, a small part of him existed that demanded that he ought to try to do something. Read. Drink. Eat a proper meal. Go get checked at the clinic. But the last spark of effort had departed him. The shadows were thick around him, distinct forms now, a half-dozen of them lingering nearby.
It had taken Kain almost all of his energy to get himself out of bed and to the washrooms. A bit of water splashed on his face gave him a faint hope that perhaps today was worth facing.
'It's not. You can't keep up anymore. You never could keep up.'
"Enough."
He resolved, at least, to not spend the day in his room, staring at the walls. So he had started for the elevator, reached for the button, then stopped himself.
'Afraid? You doubt yourself, as always....'
He clenched his teeth, hissed, and started for the stairs instead. He made it down to the crystal caverns before his legs gave and his head dipped. He sat, back against a flat pane of shining crystal, and closed his eyes.
"Please... I beg of you, leave me be. Isn't this enough? Isn't this enough?! Hate me, hate me if you must, I'll take your hate..."
'I could never hate you, Kain. I pity you.' Cecil's voice. Mournful, quiet.
'I'll hate him! Should've cut your throat when I had the chance!' Edge's words, this time.
'Why, Kain, why did you do it, Kain?' And Rosa, weeping, ever weeping...
His collar has the barest tinge of orange to it now. Much more of this, and there will be no more of him.
(OOC: The original prompt remains, but has been invalidated due to the turn of the thread with Diarmuid.)
Setting: Throughout the Tower, and ending at Floor 99's crystal caverns.
Format: Prose to start, will follow with whichever.
Summary: The shadows weigh heavily upon Kain's already burdened soul. And the weight eventually becomes too much for him to bear.
Warnings: Angst. Lots and lots of angst, capped off with death on the 17th.
[August 12th to 16th, Around the Tower]
Kain's sense of duty and burning need to be useful was potent, and had carried him on past many a trial before. Injury and death could be suffered through and put behind him. The plainly-provoking statue he received in his mailbox could be set aside at the bottom of his trunk. (Not thrown away. Never thrown away. Such an image, of Cecil and of Rosa, was too precious to be rid of, painful as it was.) And no end of bad thoughts could be purged via sweat and effort.
But this round of shadowing demons were not nearly so easy to banish. As he did his regular patrols along the floors, keeping the path clear for those that needed to pass, they trailed him, and they whispered and grinned. He was wary at first, for they greatly resembled the skittering shadows that had been so desperate to scuttle up the elevator shaft. But they didn't hinder him. Not at first. And by the time that they did hinder him, they were no longer something so mysterious. They were familiar.
'The moons... the moons, they crumble in the skies...'
'How could you? How could you, how could you...'
'You? The last of us? A joke. What a joke...'
Early in the week, he might well be able to save an imperiled tower resident from harm at the hands of monsters. Towards the end of it, he'll likely be too unsteady and haunted to do a proper job of it. But he'll try, if it's called for. Damn those shadows and damn those voices. He'll prove them wrong.
He had been growing ever more tired and weak, alarmingly so. Before now, a small part of him existed that demanded that he ought to try to do something. Read. Drink. Eat a proper meal. Go get checked at the clinic. But the last spark of effort had departed him. The shadows were thick around him, distinct forms now, a half-dozen of them lingering nearby.
It had taken Kain almost all of his energy to get himself out of bed and to the washrooms. A bit of water splashed on his face gave him a faint hope that perhaps today was worth facing.
'It's not. You can't keep up anymore. You never could keep up.'
"Enough."
He resolved, at least, to not spend the day in his room, staring at the walls. So he had started for the elevator, reached for the button, then stopped himself.
'Afraid? You doubt yourself, as always....'
He clenched his teeth, hissed, and started for the stairs instead. He made it down to the crystal caverns before his legs gave and his head dipped. He sat, back against a flat pane of shining crystal, and closed his eyes.
"Please... I beg of you, leave me be. Isn't this enough? Isn't this enough?! Hate me, hate me if you must, I'll take your hate..."
'I could never hate you, Kain. I pity you.' Cecil's voice. Mournful, quiet.
'I'll hate him! Should've cut your throat when I had the chance!' Edge's words, this time.
'Why, Kain, why did you do it, Kain?' And Rosa, weeping, ever weeping...
His collar has the barest tinge of orange to it now. Much more of this, and there will be no more of him.
(OOC: The original prompt remains, but has been invalidated due to the turn of the thread with Diarmuid.)
no subject
~Only you would hear such a story and still feel such hatred, Kain. That envy will be the end of you. It was the end of us...~
[Hadn't he left those shadows behind? But no, they were still trailing behind them on the stairs. And those words were like a blow. Worse, in that his already pale collar went even whiter. Kain's steps faltered. Without Diarmuid's support, he'd fall to his knees.]
...let yourself be angry! You rage because you have reason to rage! You... [He swallows hard, tries to press a hand against the floor, tries to push himself to rise.] ...so perfect it's a flaw. That's... you can't understand. I can't...
[Maybe he had seemed delirious before, maybe not. But he certainly was now.]
no subject
[Diarmuid had been about to argue. To try and find another way to make the dragoon understand just how imperfect he is and how wrong it is that he feels the anger that he does, but all thoughts of that are driven away when Kain collapses. Diarmuid goes to his knees besides the other man, his eyes narrowing as he looks toward the staircase and sees that even though they have been quiet, the shadows are still following them.
At least, Kain's are. Despite looking, Diarmuid doesn't see his shadow among them. What does that mean?
He ponders that for only a second before shaking his head and turning his focus back to Kain.]
We can discuss this later. There is so much more than that to speak of. For now, we have to get you away from them. Please, I know that it is embarrassing, but let me carry you for a few floors. I can easily out run them and it will let us get you away from them so you can rest and recover.
And FINALLY I come back to this....
[He grunts, he struggles, he tries to stand on his own power, and makes some progress, managing to rise but not stabilize himself. He couldn't bear to rely on Diarmuid any more than this. Not to be carried. Never that.]
'Bitter until the very end, you are.'
[And then he gasps sharply and goes limp, the last of the color in his collar beginning to fade away. With what little strength he has left, he lifts his head to regard the shadow that suddenly awaits them further up the stairs. It's huge, broad-shouldered and looming. At least to Kain, anyway.]
'What use was all of Cecil's forgiveness, if this is all that remains of us?'
"You..."
'If you were once useful, you're nothing of the sort now.'
"Golbez...!"
[There's an incredible anger that strangled shout, and Kain reaches forward as though to violently grasp at the shadow. Maybe that consumed the last of his strength. But whatever the cause, his voice broke, a long breath left him, and Kain collapsed entirely.]
:-D
[Diarmuid turns, startled, in the direction of Kain's shout. He expects to see someone there and is preparing to fight even as he turns. Somehow, though, seeing that it is only another shadow makes him even madder than if it had been a real person.
Without thinking about what he's doing, Diarmuid's spear leaves his hand, aimed at the shadow Kain had named 'Golbez.' At the same time, he moves to wave back the others that have come up behind them. Not that he can actually hurt any of them, but if he can get them to back off even a little that may gain them some time.
Of course, when he looks back to Kain and sees how weak the man is and how faded his collar is, he can't help but think that it might already be too late...]
Kain! Stay with me!
[Diarmuid kneels by the dragoon's side, preparing to pull him into his arms despite the man's previous refusal. Diarmuid might not be sure if he can save Kain at this point, but he is going to try.
Let the man be angry with him. Diarmuid will take the anger as long as Kain is alive.]
no subject
He vocalizes something faintly when Diarmuid pulls at him, but does not move. To move seems utterly impossible. His limbs won't react. He can barely muster the strength to open his eyes. To give in seems to be the only option. But there's still that blasted Diarmuid calling out for him...]
W'ld you... just...
[Diarmuid will be able to pick the dragoon up without resistance. And even carry him without issue. But while it's at first because Kain hasn't the strength to do a thing, it quickly becomes that he's not breathing. And that there's no pulse. And that there's no color left in his collar. Kain Highwind has, sadly, succumbed.]
no subject
Despite the fact that the body is only a body, Diarmuid will not allow anything to happen to it. Where better to leave it until the retrieval units come for it than the safety of the dragoon's room? Besides, it seems fitting to end things here. It had been where they had been trying to get to.
Carefully, and with the respect Diarmuid would give any fallen warrior, he places Kain's body onto the bed. As he does, he whispers softly.]
I'm sorry.
[Once done, he bows to Kain's body and turns to stand solemn guard until the units come. His remains alone in his task for several minutes until a lone shadow slips its way into the room and stands next to him.]
Failed again, did you? I'm not surprised. It's what you do best.
[Diarmuid doesn't look at his shadow. Right now, he has no will to fight it. He knows he has failed. Not only Kain, but Cecil as well.]
I'm sorry...