auroraexpress | The Twenty-Third Trial

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The Twenty-Third Trial

Who: trialgoers etc!
When: Day 50, morning
Where: the ~trial zone~

[Another morning, another Trial! Ugh.

At least this one seems normal, starting out with a shake and the Hermit’s booming voice:]

"Good morning, Heroes. You can guess why you're being called, but before we begin I have an official statement. The Prince of Stars and associates were not responsible for yesterday's Trial. It appears the system was copied by a Malicious entity -- we apologize for any confusion and are doing our best to locate this entity and find a way to prevent any such incidents in the future.

In the meantime, we've scheduled a low-stress Trial for today to lift your spirits. With teamwork and a little silliness, let's search for unity and peace within ourselves."

[The Hermit's tent is in the clearing, awaiting your arrival.]

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[ She basically gets a flash of anger, regret, possessiveness and self-hatred, along with a sense of acute dysphoria before Felix unfurls his massive wings and takes to the sky with a defensive snarl. ]

Don't touch me!

[Hm, that's hard to parse without a memory. So she needs more than a brief touch.]

I actually like Felix. Far as I'm concerned, he's one of the few nice people who actually backs up what he says.

And if you're messing with him, then you and I got a problem.

So I'm going to get my answer.

[And there's going to be a telekinetic hold reaching out to grab his wings to keep him from flying away and bring him down.]

[She won't let him slam into the ground, but it'd be a rough landing if he doesn't have a defense or break her concentration first.]

[ She can well grab him, but the second he feels her power, he's going to be summoning sharp purplish-black spikes of ice from the ground beneath her. ]

I am protecting us! Get off!

Whoa-

[POP]

[And she appears a few feet away from the purple spikes, glaring up at him as the magic lashes out to grab at him again.]

I don't believe you! Where's Felix?!

[ He retaliates with his magic in turn, summoning even more spikes this time, even as he tries to frantically fight off her hold with frenzied wing beats. ]

I have no reason to lie to you, Solar Flare! I won't tell you again!

You're hiding Felix! A kidnapper has every reason to lie!

[Of course teleporting and doing telekinesis at once is pretty much impossible. She's able to avoid the ice, but she can't keep the hold.]

[Though after the third time, an idea hits.]

[And gosh, she just vanishes from sight with that pop.]

[.....mostly because she teleported above him, she is determined for a longer touch.]

Edited 2019-12-08 06:34 (UTC)

[ He's not prepared for that so gets her the lovely but highly jumbled memory of Felix getting the ever-loving shit beat out of him by someone. And also noticeably not fighting back other than shouting something with an agonized, confused expression on his face. Unfortunately, the memory is too much of a mess to make out what he's saying or even the face of the person he's fighting. But mixed somewhere into the memory in a way that doesn't feel quite integrated with the rest is an overwhelming wave of pure hate, tinged with something murderous.

In the real world, Felix lashes out at her with a desperate slap of his wing. ]

[Listen]

[These memories are hard when you're from a magical land where your race isn't highly aggressive. Most abuses are more emotional than physical, if they exist. So seeing someone just beating and someone just taking it, to be confused instead of knowing it's a predator is like ice in her veins]

[There's a slap of the wing and-]

[Arms are wrapped tight around his body after she half falls off. Telekinesis is great for grabbing things, but not so much for holding onto things.]

[Hands, however, are a lot better at holding on than hoofs, especially when her hands can grab onto each other. But she's keeping hold.]

[WHERE'S FELIX NOW?]

[Focusing on that want, that question, she can deal with....with whatever else later, she needs FELIX.]

[ Felix snarls again and rears back a clawed hand, as he fights to stay in the air with the added weight, flying more haphazardly now. ]

Release me or I will make you!

[ The whole idea of her falling from this height isn't really on his mental priorities in his frenzy after being magically touched. And his tone is both furious and cracked, old fears slipping into it. ]

Then show me where Felix is!

[And there's a flash of red and gold, the pony ears appearing on her head, hair extending into a tail as her hand shifts from his middle to grabbing at his wrist, still searching, pushing deeper to find where he's hidden Felix's mind? Soul? He has to be somewhere.]

GET OUT OF MY HEAD!

[ Felix tries to fling her to the side, assailing her with his wings again, frantic to escape her touch. But if she's searching, she might catch a trace of dormant presence. It's strong but also seems to be sleeping soundly or something very similar. ]

[THERE]

FELIX!

[And she's reaching for that presence and this....this is definitely less of a digging deep to read.]

[This is definitely more of an invasion of a mindscape entirely as she tries to reach out and grab onto Felix himself, trying to get him to respond.]

[ This mindscape looks like the center of an elaborate medieval garden, though thick clouds of gray fog obscure everything but an elaborate stone fountain. The likeness of two female figures are carved onto either side of the main pillar, both seeming to be in their late teens, one bearing angelic wings and the other ringed in some sort of aura. It should also be noted that the water flowing from the fountain is red. Blood red even.

Leaning against the fountain is a young man that looks like Felix, only his hair is trimmed to his neck, his attire is the ornate design one would associate with royalty and the vermilion wings at his back are leathery like a bat's. His golden eyes glow as he looks up from the figure resting in his lap, a figure that could well be his twin save the lack of wings and distinctly Thyme outfit. The entire mindscape trembles, as not!Felix bares his fangs. ]

How did you get here? You are not allowed to be here.

[And Solar is here, looking to be made of red and gold sparkles, still in her half ponied form, though there's a flicker of something at her back. The vague form of wings, that sputter in and out of view, though whether they were bat like or other is hard to tell in their vagueness.]

[She's....very much not going to pay attention to that blood fountain because Nope.]

....listen, if I knew how these powers worked, I'd have a lot less traumatic memories floating in my head right now. [She has been Having A Time, but yet she keeps doing this.]

Edited 2019-12-08 08:03 (UTC)

[ Not!Felix shifts so he can set the still sleeping Felix on the ground, concentrating hard to force the cobblestone surface into a grassy field, before climbing smoothly to his feet, completely unhampered by his large wings. His already sharp claws extend further. ]

You will go. This place belongs to me. And I will not suffer intruders.

I'm not here for you.

I'm here to help Felix.

[A flicker of the wings at her back, something more like flames over bat.]

Why are you suppressing him like this?

I am doing what he will not. I am taking care of us. Now, get out.

What do you mean you're taking care of you?

[ He practically roars at her in a sound that's half avian and half mammalian. ]

It means what it means. I do not have to answer to you, someone who takes what they want by force.

Really? Really? You want to play that card? [Her own magic flares a bit, and she steps forward, glaring and determined.]

Then what do you call that? [Pointing at Felix.] You're keeping him asleep, doing what you want without him even being aware. At least I told you I'd find out myself if you wouldn't tell me about the person I was worried about.

At least I gave you a chance to be peaceful about it. What choice are you giving him?!

Edited 2019-12-08 08:30 (UTC)

[ Not!Felix's wrings flare out, ice spikes appearing around them. ]

I did not do this! That trial did. His team did. I stepped in because he poisoned himself so badly that he could not stop his own teammate from maiming him. Why should I give him the chance to do that again?

[ He growls lowly again. ]

I am not keeping him asleep. It is a side effect.

And why should I believe you?!

You get violently hostile because a person wants to make sure he's okay! [Her fists curl at her side, the wings forming something more solid, looking to be made of fire now, red splashing across her face.]

I wanted to know where he was, I wanted to know if he was okay. [She steps forward.] You refused to even tell me where he was, what was wrong, and when I pushed, when I fought to find out what happened, to see if he needed help, you still refused to tell me a thing.

That doesn't sound like a protector, that sounds like a kidnapper!

I have protected us since he was a child! I AM NOT A KIDNAPPER!

[ And there goes those ice spikes straight at her as he unleashes another bestial roar ]

[Ohshi-]

[The ice connects, but it's met with a strong wall of force. Solar can't control her mental powers, but they come with strong defenses built in. She may not be able to keep memories out effectively, but more hostile effects are guarded against. And right now, she's friendshipping hard enough for her power to be holding strong.]

[The ice that would have pierced her melts almost on contact. There's enough force to make her stumble back, but she's at least not injured as she would have been if this wasn't her mental construct.]

Then what are you going to do?

You won't 'give him the chance to do that?' How are you going to do that?

Keep him locked away, keep him asleep, use his body how you will while you keep him in isolation? Never free to act, to do anything again? Just your pretty little bird to keep locked in a sunless cage?

Edited 2019-12-08 09:01 (UTC)

[ Not!Felix screeches more than roars this time, the ground beneath them splitting to create a chasm between Solar and the Felixes. The sky turns pitch black instead of the somber gray it had been before. ]

He's not a pet! YOU UNDERSTAND NOTHING!

[ He beats his wings to lift himself into the sky. He's not using anyone. He's not. She doesn't know what she's talking about. He's just keeping them safe. Like he's always done. Things are just different here. He has to do this. That last trial proved that beyond any doubt. ]

GET OUT!

[ He brings his wings together in front of him this time, launching yet another onslaught of spikes and simultaneously calling them forth from the ground beneath Solar. ]

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