abraxaslogs | ( closed ) this year taught me how it feels to be lost and ambitious

[ they find none along the way, despite annabeth trying very hard to do her best to think like a doll. she's sort of figuring out what that means on the go. they've dealt with a lot of weird shit as demigods, but possessed dolls have until now been unavailable for their resumes. ]

[ she crosses her arms as she studies the school, squinting at it like she can see the through the walls. it's not like her school experience is much better, having been out of them for half her life, but she doesn't wait for either of them before she walks straight for the building to head inside. after school protocols? don't know them. ]

I guess we'll find out. We could try being subtle about it, but if they're haunted dolls maybe they have a magic warning system. [ she is taking the haunted part very seriously. also, percy is not usually very subtle anyway. ]

[ she just assumes cassian and percy will follow her as she strolls up to the door and jiggles the handle, finding it unlocked. hm. suspicious, perhaps? but not enough to deter her from stepping into the building. ]

Do you think there's a playroom? Arts-and-crafts? [ she walks up to the first door she sees and peers through the window. ]

There's no upper hand if they're just dolls.

[ He can't help but let out a bit of a sigh; the notion is still clearly ridiculous to him. But unfortunately his penchant not to turn anyone down when they're in need of help hasn't worn away with time quite yet. Which is exactly how he finds himself embarking on a very Scooby Doo esque search sequence with the pair of them.

As they stand outside the school his statement from earlier still stands. A better use of their time would be trying to figure out how to get into the locked school...which quickly turns out to be unlocked. He's quick to follow after her inside and move past her to the second door trying to make as quick of work of this as possible. ]

It's a school so there's probably something like that.

[ The second door doesn't yield anything but a classroom that seems as still and empty as can be. Just as he's about to turn and check the next a giggle faintly echoes down the darkened hall. Slowly his head turns in that direction before down the hall. As wry as his voice sounds there's still a level of caution to his body language. ]

Maybe you were right about the magic warning system.

Uh-huh. You say that now — [ is in response to Cassian, because you should never underestimate the power of a really creepy, tiny thing that could gnaw your ankles off, then climb on top of you to make quick work on your face.

And if there's more than one of them ... well, you're gonna want all the advantage you can get. Being tall isn't gonna cut it.

He's last to enter the school though, bringing up the rear and closing the door softly behind them. No point in having the dolls just rush out into the world wreaking even more havoc, right? ]

Oh, jeez. [ Percy exhales, his senses on high alert. He's pretty sure he isn't the only one who heard that creepy little doll-laugh, and somehow this is suddenly scarier than facing down a Minotaur at twelve. From somewhere to his left, there's the soft fabric pitter-patter of footsteps running down the hall. ] Why is it always the giggle?

I know this always ends badly in horror movies, but should we split up? Unlike the guys in Scream, we are all ... you know, experienced with fighting stuff.

[ annabeth stiffens when she hears the giggle, because it so very clearly was not either of the boys, letting her eyes give a cursory scan of the hallway, but it's hard to get a sense of the direction it came from. when she hears the footsteps soon after too, she doesn't jump, but she simultaneously grabs percy's arm and grabs for a knife that is not attached to her leg, so her hand curls into a fist instead. ]

[ there is no logical reason to argue against percy's plan. they're not in a horror movie. it's a school, after hours, and she has been in plenty of places she shouldn't be after hours. ]

We can each take a room. Go in, take a peek, stay close enough that we can still hear each other. [ she gestures at a few of the doors nearby to each other. they can split up, but she deems it better to still stay close. almost as if on cue, from somewhere down the hall comes the echo of a door slamming shut. she stares for a moment in the direction of the noise. ]

If anything it's just magic. [ she says it so firmly, like she's daring the door to slam again. ] I'm gonna check this one.

[ and she opens the door behind her to sweep inside. she casts a little fire spell on one of the candles at the wall, stepping further into the room - only a few seconds later the candle goes out. she lights it again, but it fizzles out the same way. ]

[ of fucking course she mutters under her breath. it's not quite what she's used to, but there are still tables for desks and chairs, with just enough light from the windows that she can at least see. assuming cassian and percy will be scavenging their own rooms, annabeth just starts looking around. there are drawers to open, baskets to pilfer through. ]

Edited 2024-10-30 17:22 (UTC)

[ The soft patter of footsteps can't be mistaken for either Annabeth's or Percy's considering they're still within his field of view. And while the giggle and the footsteps could absolutely still be of the supernatural sort, Cassian simply refuses to rule this out as children who are simply capitalizing on the spooky nature of the season and sneaking into the school after hours for a game of hide and seek. That's the only reason he doesn't reach for his dagger that is tucked securely around his thigh.

But to Percy's point, ankle-height creatures or beings that used biting and gnawing as their primary form of attack is something that shouldn't be so lightly taken. And that was speaking from personal experience.

In spite of all these reassurances and rationalizations he's making in his mind, the sudden loud noise doesn't stop him from jolting slightly all the same. His eyes shut for a moment as he admonishes himself silently before nodding towards the pair of them. ]

Shout if you need anything.

[ His room brings up nothing too wildly out of place. It's what he would have expected from a classroom though it's a little difficult to tell when there's a distinct lack of light save for the moonlight streaming through the windows. He's diligent in his search but well aware of the hairs on the back of his neck that seem to raise the longer he spends in here. Drawers turn up nothing and the small coat closet also has nothing but a stray coat left behind by one of the children that will undoubtedly be picked up tomorrow.

As he exits his room he neglects to see the pair of unblinking glass eyes that peer at him from across the hall before ducking back down out of view the moment he glances over. Walking over to the room Percy had strolled into he calls out - ]

There was nothing in that classroom. Did either of you find anything?

Yeah, you got it.

[ And off he goes traipsing into the next room just down the hall, at a safe-ish enough distance away from the footsteps and giggling but near enough that there's still a high probability that something could turn up. It's what he wants, right? It's what they all want?

(Man, Percy has no idea anymore. This place is rightfully giving him the Halloween experience he never had growing up because trick-or-treating seemed like the perfect opportunity for a monster not in costume to grab at an unsuspecting kid like him.)

His search around the room seems harmless enough, and he isn't sure whether to count his blessings or voice his disappointment when something suddenly wooshes past him with a huff of laughter, too fast to see with any clarity. And then a cupboard door slams, resonating within the silent room, causing Percy to jump and screech (loudly) like a startled pup. ]

Agh!

[ He swears under his breath in ancient Greek, clutching at his chest. He's going to blame it on the creepy tension in this room, and his adrenaline, because this stuff shouldn't scare him. ]

Uh, guys? I think I found something!

[ annabeth ducks down to look underneath furniture in her room, even going so far as to sweep her hand into the dark spaces despite the unnerving feeling that has sunken into her spine and will not leave. the most she's going to find is a doll. the worst she'll find is a spider. all she does is find nothing, which only makes her frustrated. ]

[ then percy screeches and annabeth moves without thinking. it might very well be a funny sound, but she's jittery herself, so she hurries from her own classroom and darts across the hall, nearly colliding with cassian as she shoves herself through the doorway inside. upon finding percy fine and just spooked, she also feels silly for her mad dash in, but before she can tease him about it, one of the chairs at the back of the classroom skids a few inches across the floor. ]

[ she lets out a quieter eep and once again nearly crashes into cassian when she startles. ]

Okay, so there's one here. [ and it's moving. it's fine, it's objectively not the scariest thing she's ever come across in her life. this is starting to feel a little ridiculous. ]

Cassian, close the door so it can't get out. [ she tries to cast the spell again to light one of the candles, and this time it stays lit - though it's not very bright, leaving the room dim. honestly it makes the shadows move a bit as the flame flickers, so maybe that's backfired. ]

We just have to grab it. It's probably on a chair, one that's not pushed in.

[ never mind the cupboard slam percy also heard. she didn't catch that one! annabeth just starts walking towards the first chair she sees that's askew. sure enough, there's a doll sitting on the chair like it's simply a student ready and waiting to learn. she swallows nervously despite herself and hesitates for a moment, before reaching out to grab it. it's just a toy! gods. ]

Apparently this one just wants an education.

[ Cassian arrives at the door leading to Percy's room when the teen lets out a high pitched screech that has him halting in his tracks and reaching once again for his dagger. A blonde streak that is Annabeth rushes by him and his eyes flutter shut as he draws in a quick breath that is both an attempt to steady his heart and keep his growing exasperation in check before following her inside.

Well. Sort of. He reaches out catching a hold of her as she collides with him and the chair teeters, falling to the floor with a crash. ]

Are we buying into the theory that they're alive now?

[ But once he's certain that she isn't in danger of falling over he moves back to the door to shut it. Movement from across the classroom in the hall catches his eye - a flash of red pigtails tied in braids that looks like it could more or less comes up to his ankles which causes Cassian to pause...before slowly closing the door and grabbing a nearby chair to shove it under the doorknob. ]

I think there's another one across the hall. We'll want to go there after.

[ He's so tired. Why did he agree to do this again? ]

Uh, yeah. They're very alive, Cass. [ Why is this giving him that creepy-crawly under-his-skin feeling? They're just fabric dolls, they're not real in the way that all the monsters he'd fought were definitely real. Gods, Percy, get a grip.

Percy lets out a steadying breath, deliberately looking away from where Annabeth has just picked up the doll off the seat. ] Pretty sure one just ran past me, and that one wasn't there when I came in either. They might be rounding up, plotting something.

[ They're definitely plotting something.

So they don't have nets or maybe protective jars to keep them from touching each other and becoming one conglomerate doom doll or whatever, but Percy had thought to bring a sack (with drawstring) with him to keep these dolls in one place at least so they don't have to go around town walking around with them or risk a doll suddenly growing teeth and gnawing on their hands.

He holds it open now so Annabeth can deposit the doll and then gestures with his chin to the place where he'd heard the slamming of a cupboard door. ]

There's one in that cupboard.

[ annabeth drops the doll into the bag, then does a double take to squint at it, like she's daring it to move. ]

It could still be magic.

[ sometimes it's easier to just roll with that's happening in front of you and then try to figure it out after, when more of the pieces are there. with the knowledge that there's one in the cupboard, annabeth walks over to it with an almost stubborn air to her step. she stares at the door handle for two long seconds, before yanking it open. ]

[ the doll falls out unexpectedly and she shrieks, jumping back and letting it crash land into the floor. she swears in ancient greek, something about hades's balls, then leans over to swipe the doll with an aggressive clutch. she was in fucking tartarus! she should not be getting spooked by dolls so easily. ]

[ with annoyance, she comes back over and drops the second doll into the bag. ]

Three dolls. You know, that kind of checks out for us. The Greeks love things in threes.

[ she's just running on the assumption that the doll cassian says is across the hall is the last one. ]

You think they're trying to corral us? I do still have that lasso spell. Uno Reverse.

There's a difference between being alive and it being magical.

[ That's a phrase he didn't think he'd say in his lifetime. And yet here he is, hunting down magical dolls that enjoy mischief. As rational as he's trying to be, that doesn't stop him from being attentive to everything going on around them.

And from flinching again when Annabeth lets out a shrill shriek. ]

If they're trying to corral us they're not doing a good job of it.

[ After all, here they all were in one room while the remaining doll was across the hall. But almost immediately as soon as he says it, a little laugh chitters around them as if it were somehow in here with them when he knows that's impossible. They were dolls. They were just fabric. He straightens himself up, casting a look at the drawstring bag that seems to move just slightly when he does.

Telling himself that it's a figment of his imagination he readies to move the chair out of the way and places his hand on the doorknob. ]

We'll rush into that classroom and shut the door behind us so it can't get out. On the count of three.

[ And at that he holds up his fingers, counting down before flinging the door open and darting across the hallway into the empty classroom. ]

I dunno man, that sounds pretty alive to me.

[ Magical and alive, in this case, might as well be synonymous with each other for all Percy cares. Because either way, he hates it.

The sooner they get that last one the better, because they can leave this creepy school behind and get the dolls back to where they belong.

He nods at Cassian's plan, waits for the count to get to three before he follows suit, bounding for the empty classroom just after his friend makes it in. He knows full well that Annabeth won't be far behind. ]

[ so, she's definitely all about that plan. trap and release, like they're hunting wild animals and not children's toys. given her placement in the room, she'll be the last one out and thus will be the person to shut the door. ]

[ she does not make it there and shut the door as per cassian's plan. ]

[ there's another giggle from somewhere in the room just as annabeth breaks into a run, and it's enough to stop her in place, to look behind her on the chance they missed another doll. that's about when the door to this room slams in her face. she blinks at it for a second, then grabs the doorknob only to find it locked. ]

Are you serious right now?

[ she jostles the door handle but nothing happens. there's another giggle, though this one sounds like it's outside the room. ]

I know how to pick a lock! [ she has lowered herself to yelling at dolls, neat. the door handle shakes again, though not by her doing and she jumps back from it and swears again under her breath. ]

Edited 2024-11-03 18:08 (UTC)

[ By the time he's run into the room and realized what's happened it's too late because conveniently the door slams shut behind Percy too. The walls aren't impervious to noise so of course they hear Annabeth's shout of frustration. In any other situation this might be funny and something he can tease her about but for now he taps on the glass for the window, raising his voice. ]

Just work on getting out. We'll find the one in here.

[ Panicking and trying to get her out of there would be counterproductive to how far they'd come. And they couldn't very well risk the dolls that they did have running away. Turning to Percy he motions to the side of the classroom nearest him. ]

Take that side.

[ But what would a quest be without something happening to all of the mystery gang? As soon as he turns around something launches at Cassian clamping onto his face. With a muffled shout he staggers backwards ramming his shin into the child-sized desk and chair earning an angry curse that is drowned in childlike laughter from the doll on his face.

A little help Percy? ]

Annabeth!

[ Okay, so none of this plan is exactly going the way that it should so far. If any of this ever gets out to the rest of the Camp for whatever reasons, or however those reasons may be, Percy and Annabeth would never live it down.

Also? He effing hates these dolls. So much. ]

Are you sure we can't just throw them into a fire-pit somewhere?

[ And maybe it's that sentence, that threat, that spurs the doll on into some kind of a Chuckie-vibed frenzy, because from one second to the next, the last doll of the batch launches itself at Cassian, clinging to his visage like a squishy, fabric vice, resembling the alien from Alien. ]

What the —

[ Percy frantically looks around for something to use, a tool, or a set of really long tongs, a taser ... ]

Uh. Hold on, Cass!

[ He finds a small sweeping broom, the kind meant to clean countertops and sweep dust into a dustpan. And, like, he's seen how badly this goes in the cartoons but he's desperate, okay, so he picks up the broom and carefully comes up behind the doll chortling while attached to Cassian's face. It's a quick motion and not particularly forceful when Percy thwaps the bristles forward, doll and his friend's face and all. ]

[ Sadly, Aliens did get the face huggers right to a certain extent. There were creatures in the galaxy that did that. Cassian just hadn't expected it to happen here. In a magic-fuelled territory powered by a sentient rock.

Actually, when you put it that way, it checks out.

If he had full function of his mouth he'd probably shout that he was definitely not trying to hold onto this doll. In fact, he'd love it if it fell right off his face and into the bag so they could be done with this ordeal. Instead it comes out something more like: MRMPHHH!!!

With his shin still smarting and blooming into a bruise he grips the doll with both of his hands in an attempt to try and throw it off of him. Unfortunately for him the doll has a vice-like grip and impeccable timing. The only reason Cassian is able to remove the doll in the first place is because it chooses to release its hold on him. And it happens just as the broom Percy launches at the doll connects with his face instead.

It doesn't hurt. Not really. But one of the bristles does poke him square in the eye which does hurt and causes him to release his hold on the doll with one of his hands to clutch his face. At least with his mouth free he can now swear as freely as he'd like. ]

Kriffing doll - [ He looks up to Percy with a look of weary indignation that the doll takes absolute glee in as it swings harmlessly towards Percy. ] I thought you went to camp to learn how to swing a sword.

Crap, sorry! Swinging broomsticks at tiny moving demonic dolls was not part of the curriculum, dude!

[ Cassian's face does look a little blushed from being flogged by a bristled broom, and his eye's probably gonna need some drops or something later, but at least the doll's released him. Which is kind of part of the plan? (Of the new plan anyway.)

Except that like a bat out of hell, the possessed bundle of fabric and stringy hair flies straight for Percy this time, likely part of its revenge plot for threatening to throw it in the fire.

For the record: he still wants to do it. ]

Whoa!

[ Percy manages to grab at it just before it affixes itself to his face in a similar fashion, struggling against the surprising strength of force that this haunted doll possesses with both hands held out before him, gripping at the wriggling doll with all of his demigod-imbued might. ]

You know — [ he grunts ] — this always looked so fake in the movies! But I get it now! This thing — [ another huff of breath ] — is stronger than it looks! Can you get the bag? Quick!

[ There's probably something to be said here about it being the journey not the destination. But Cassian has neither the philosophical patience nor the lightheartedness left in him after being sent on a goose chase for these haunted dolls. And what little part of him that might have had that in him had been effectively swatted out of him by the broom to the face.

Try as he might to hold onto the doll it uses its gleeful, maniacal momentum to launch itself at Percy. An attempt to catch it has him grasping air but thankfully this doesn't turn into a comedy of errors with him needing to wield the broom. With his one good eye he locates the bag still slung over Percy's shoulder.

Getting the bag isn't the problem. It's opening it wide enough for Percy to stuff the doll he's wrestling into it without letting the other two out. And while they should still be nothing more than magic-infused dolls and certainly not sentient ones, the fight of their demonic sister seems to incite them, jostling the cloth bag around. He opens the top of the bag just enough before holding it out towards Percy - ]

They're trying to get out - you have to move quickly.

[ annabeth, stuck behind one door, simply watches through the window in pieces whatever the fuck is unfolding behind the other door between percy, cassian, and the final boss doll that seems to want to eat both their faces. the absurdity of it all holds her attention for a little too long before her own door shakes again, jarring her. mumbling and complaining under her breath, she unhooks the pin from her cloak and bends it out of place before dropping to her knees to pick at the lock. ]

[ it takes a little more effort than it should, given the door handle continues to shake through the whole process, but eventually annabeth unlocks it and shoves the door open, finding herself face to face with a doll laying flat on the floor outside in the hallway. ]

This is Toy Story bullshit. Don't even think about it.

[ she practically dive bombs the doll like it needs to be literally wrestled with, scooping it up in her arms. then she scrambles to her feet and shoulders the other door open to where percy and cassian are actually wrestling with the bag and the dolls. she takes three seconds to take in the situation before she's there with them, using her own doll like a bludgeon to shove down one of the others trying to get out. with all four inside, she and cassian manage to close the bag, and once it's sealed up, all the movement inside ceases immediately. ]

Okay.

[ she stares at the bag and takes a deep breath. ]

Four's enough, are we all in agreement?

Four's more than enough. I'm so ready to get outta here and get these dumb things back to where they belong.

[ Marking this down as one more reason to hate schools, tbh — and creepy dolls, honestly.

He rolls his shoulders, takes another breath, and reaches back for the bag if Annabeth would prefer that he handle it again. The dolls aren't moving anymore, at least, and he's pretty sure they don't have actual sharp teeth to gnaw their way out from the bag either, so they should be wrapped up tightly.

Of course, just for safety's sake, he ties the knot one more time and takes a last poke at them to test his observations. He's not taking any chances. The bag remains still.

As they head out of the school the way they'd come, everything has gone quiet, the hustle and bustle of the day having calmed down. Most of the shops not related to Eifstide activities have closed up by now too, but there are still a few restaurants opened — and, thankfully, the shopkeeper responsible for making these damned dolls is opened too. ]

Man, I'm starving.

[ That he has to try and catch his breath from wrestling with fucking dolls is something Cassian had never thought he'd have to do before. Even with the bag tied tight he still has to contend with the fact that he's pretty sure his eye is swelling thanks to the dust that probably hasn't been beaten out of that broom until it made contact with his face.

Without bacta gel, antiseptic or even a healing spell to his name however this is just something he'll have to deal with until they leave this place. Of course he'd be the one dealing with the lingering aftermath of all of this. ]

Four is more than I expected to deal with.

[ He keeps his eye on the bag until they've delivered the bag and it's no longer their problem. Thankfully aside from a couple of jostles from walking along the road, the bag itself doesn't seem to move. He can't say he's been more happy to see a bag of toys leave their possession before. ]

I need ice for my eye. And something to clean it with.

[ Nodding his head in the direction of a nearby tavern known for its soups. With the source of his irritation gone, it's mostly just weariness that fills his voice. ]

Should we get food before heading back? My treat - even though somebody [ And here he looks wryly at Percy. ] should work on their aim.

[ perhaps it's just nice to be tired after something so utterly absurd instead of something more actually traumatic. but it doesn't negate the tired! ]

[ she lets percy carry the bag without argument, and she would be quite content to never step back foot in the school again. it's a good thing she doesn't have to attend a regular school here in abraxas. returning the dolls is easily the best part of the whole ordeal as they all but dump the bag on the counter and exchange a few words, leaving out the worst of their struggles, but explaining the dolls are all still in fairly good shape. the bag remains still, even if they all keep squinting and giving it second looks the whole time, even as they walk out the door. ]

He's always been bad with archery. [ she says it without even looking at percy, too interested in the tavern cassian points at. she recognizes it, having been once or twice already, and easily nods. ]

I could go for soup.

[ with unexpected fatigue, the three of them slip into the tavern and pick one of the tables in the back corner. as soon as they're sitting down, it's like they deflate in their chairs. they sit in silence as they wait for their soups and remain in that silence after it's delivered. annabeth stretches her legs out under the table across percy's lap, while cassian puts the cold glass of mead against his eye and percy tiredly stirs the spoon in his bowl before taking a sip, dribbling a little down his chin. ]

[ at least the soup is good. ]

( closed ) this year taught me how it feels to be lost and ambitious

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