EVENT #10: AFFLICTION - IC POST

[abraxasmods]

Event #10 - Affliction

go to the OOC event info & plotting post

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With tensions heavy across Abraxas and all the destruction that's happened, it's no surprise that the dark shadows which sweep over the land go unnoticed...at first.

Winds initially stir in Solvunn, where the influence of the Old Gods remains the strongest. Slowly each Herald infects Thorne and the Free Cities, as well. The Summoned are the first to feel its effects and are the most heavily impacted.

Though no one will realize it until well afterwards, Nocwich remains unaffected. After all, the Summoned don't reside there.

NOTE: This event will deal with themes of death (people and animal) and horror imagery.

Emergence

It begins sometime in mid-October, around the 18th. Not everyone will experience it at the same time. You might even believe you're spared until days afterwards when you're visited by an unusually vivid dream.

The dream starts the same for everyone: you are going somewhere, anywhere, walking to your bedroom or enjoying a stroll on the beach. You might be driving down a familiar neighborhood. Wherever you're headed, you eventually come upon a stone tablet engraved with your Arcana. Laid on the tablet are three objects:

◎ A dead moth trapped inside a wilted rose, symbolizing Koth of Festering Lands
◎ A teacup inside which sits a single nightshade berry, symbolizing Adlewyrd of Poisoned Tongues
◎ An ornate cracked hand mirror that contains no reflection, symbolizing Sannleikr of Many Faces

Make a choice. Something inside your soul will be drawn towards one of the objects. Maybe you spend hours in the dream deliberating, but sooner or later, you'll pick one of the items up. The moment you do, the other objects vanish and the chosen Herald appears before you. Where one might expect a god to seek subservience, the strange figure instead extends a friendly hand towards you - as though it's greeting you as an equal.

Whispered around you, you hear its name. Then it fades and with it the dream. You awaken.

Affliction

You go about your day as usual. That's when you realize something isn't right. Creatures and people around you behave strangely. You begin to sense that you are the cause.

Depending on your chosen Herald, you'll experience at least one of its afflictions. The effects might start small, then grow. They might rush you all at once. You can't shake what haunts you, though you can try. Spells, potions, and willpower can help keep the afflictions at bay but you won't ever be completely free.

As the afflictions seep into your mind, you start to find shadows of it following you: a dead moth here, a nightshade bloom there, a cracked mirror elsewhere. You may even wonder if it's following you in the first place. What if instead, you are the one leaving these signs behind?

Corruption

The first time you inflict your ability on someone else, you don't mean to. It might be a stranger, some unsuspecting soul, or it might be another Summoned. Regardless, the afflictions that ail you seem to spread through you into another. Someone falls down as if in the throes of an invisible death or secrets spill. You brush by someone and they're suddenly upset and confused.

The more this happens, intentionally or not, the better you feel. You may grow full of life and energy, gain a renewed strength of heart, or radiate a charm that turns heads and garners compliments. The afflictions haunting you could even start to fade or completely vanish. And if you use your newfound power deliberately? You'll feel better even faster for longer. Of course, these boons are temporary, lasting at most an hour or so. When the feeling wanes, you might miss having it.

You are not possessed. You can't control this power that spreads through you, but how you respond or behave is up to you. You could be attracted to the allure of power, enjoy the boons you are granted, or realize you can gain relief from your afflictions if you choose a victim. Not everyone will fall headfirst into the pull. Some are not easily swayed by power, some struggle to overcome their dark impulses, and others would rather endure their suffering than inflict it on someone else. But others still might succumb to temptation and turn on those around them with purpose: once, twice, multiple times. The choice you make is yours alone.

Blight

With the call of the Herald at your fingertips, the world around you twists. No one knows whether this stems from you and your newly imbued afflictions, or if the Heralds are exerting power on their own. It's for sure easier to think of what occurs as the influence of something monstrous beyond your control. No matter the cause, the earth is changed all the same.

Omens

The omens arrive shortly after the initial Summoned receive their dreams, but they don't come to every faction at once. SOLVUNN is first, being home to the Old Gods' shrines, before THORNE and the FREE CITIES follow only days afterwards. Depending on where you are, the omens will affect things a bit differently.

Solvunn

In Solvunn, the ground stirs. A desiccated hand breaks through the grass, a cloven hoof. Human or animal, they crawl forth, animated against their will. Some might attack, but most do not. At the same time, crops around the settlements begin to fail. Some chickens lay rotten eggs while cows produce spoiled milk. Any livestock that perishes overnight will surface in the mornings with empty eye sockets - pecked out by crows or gnawed on by rats. From a distance, the ocean can be seen bubbling as leviathans beneath thrash.

Worth noting is that many of the dead are concentrated around the shrines, especially the ones deep in the woods. They're too decayed to recognize, and some might not even move from the site, as though they are waiting for the earth to take them again...or as though they once chose to give up their life at this very spot.

Summoned can assist by helping to cast spells or place warding charms around shrines, farms, and gardens to protect crops and livestock. As a commune, the Solvunnites will share their resources as much as possible and would appreciate those who might lend a hand bringing supplies, herbs, and offerings to neighbors who are lacking. The Summoned can also brew a common herbal remedy to aid any animals who have fallen ill or to help purify the well water.

Free Cities

In Libertas, the dead buried under the rubble dig themselves out. More crawl forth from graves in Cadens' cemeteries. Beasts and bandits slain in the desert wilds rise, hungry or searching for the ones who killed them. At the same time, dead fish wash up onto the shores of Aquila while birds fall dead from their perch, dropping like flies from an unknown illness. Vultures and other scavengers begin to prey upon the eyes of the dead, leaving behind hollowed-out corpses.

Worth noting is that in the Badlands, a few very old and skeletal corpses rise with a metal plate or two screwed onto their bones, which are also oddly elongated. Only one or two make their way near the city. The army is quick to dispose of them before many can notice. They will not disclose any information about this and will claim these are just monsters like anything else.

Summoned can assist by going on patrol with the soldiers to put down any risen dead. Merchant caravans are also hiring escorts for their journeys. Additionally, they can help look through any received supplies and packages to make sure the food isn't rotting or worse, use a special dissolving compound to purify the waters, and donate staple food items to refugees and the less fortunate who can't afford the rising prices.

Thorne

In Thorne, the dead emerge only from the outskirts of the castle city. Thanks to information from one of their Summoned and their recent monitoring of the Singularity, Thorne was able to act swiftly and was able to ward any royal or otherwise significant burial sites. Graves and tombs of less importance, though, will not be protected in the same way. There are fewer encounters with eyeless corpses, though some animals might appear outside the castle in such a state. Normally extravagant dishes from the Castle's kitchens use simpler ingredients as they struggle to ration their food stores.

Worth noting is that a few unexpected corpses make their way up from deep under the castle in places beyond the dungeons. These are twisted and mangled, missing limbs, heads, fingers. The castle guards are quick to dispose of them before they get too far into the rest of the castle, but one or two may be spotted.

Summoned can assist by contributing to the wards around Castle Thorne and the city, using spells to put down the dead without mangling the corpse, and taking inventory of food stores. Further, in Nott the situation is more dire for anyone who is traveling there to continue assisting with repairs following the attack. Nott will welcome help with any problems caused by the omens. It'll be clear the kingdom has neglected the city somewhat. Thorne will claim the Castle takes priority, of course, due to King and Queen residing there along with the entire royal court.

Apprehensions

Across the factions, locals are beginning to catch on that something isn't right with you, the Summoned. No one will say it outright, but there's an air of caution and wariness around you where you go. Merchants might be quick to hand you your wares so you'll leave or locals give you a bit of space when they walk by. Chatty innkeepers are more reluctant to hold lengthy conversations.

Much of the time, it may not be conscious. The natives might simply sense something off that instinctually makes them want to put some distance between them and you. The only exception? If you've chosen Sannleikr of Many Faces, you'll continue to exude your charm towards people you encounter. At least for as long as you continue to inflict that ability you've been gifted.

Displacement

Everyone responds differently while in the Horizon. You might exert better willpower over your afflictions or you might feel its effects more strongly. It all depends on the individual and their mindset. Regardless, the Heralds are only one part of the equation. There's a much bigger disturbance going on.

It could happen as soon as you enter or it might be as you're stepping over the threshold into another's domain. Whatever the case, you are suddenly not where you're supposed to be. Instead, you're in one of two places depending: transported into a domain you never meant to go into or in a foreign setting altogether.

Visitation

Whether you're the one transported or someone teleports unexpectedly into your space, the Horizon becomes unpredictable for the next little while. Rooms normally locked to strangers, areas you yourself may not even realize exists - you and your fellow Summoned continue to pop in and out despite your intentions.

The effect isn't painful, just disorienting, like missing a step you didn't see or stumbling through a door into a too-bright room. The person whose domain you've inadvertently visited might sense an unwanted presence, whether they're inside the Horizon or not, or they may be completely oblivious. This will depend on the strength of their connection to the Singularity and the Horizon.

Not to worry. You won't be trapped or anything in these cases...unless the domain you land in happens to seal from the inside. You might stumble on secrets you weren't meant to find, though, locked away in someone else's mind.

Ensnared

The less fortunate will be pulled into a space that they've never encountered before. The bizarreness of it resembles the glitchy visions that flashed through a few months ago, but rather than an image flickering by, you are now inside the space itself.

Trapped between minutes to hours, you can't use the Horizon's creation magic as normal. Attempts will falter or go sideways: trying to fly out might cause you to tumble, tools and objects are broken or not quite right, wounds don't vanish or heal completely, etc. More significantly, you can't seem to send or receive messages through your connection. Anything that manages to come through will be garbled and distorted. It's as though the place you are in is just out of the reach of your control.

Luckily, you may not be alone. Someone else may have gotten lost alongside you. They might already be there when you stumble through or they might arrive after you do. They might even fade out sooner than you, unintentionally leaving you behind.

Eventually, you'll be released back into the Horizon proper, spat out in a random place in the Horizon. While you're stuck, though, you can try to survive, explore, sit and wait it out, or make friends with your fellow trapped partner. Each area has its challenges and quirks that you'll need to deal with.

Scenes to Explore

JUSTICE ◎
FULL IMAGE

High in the clouds, these snowy peaks are as cold as they look. Giant marble hands reach out, though their sheer scale means you might not recognize them as hands from up close. You can scale the mountain, but if you try to go down, the hands will flip the mountain, which sends you tumbling to the top again.

It's up to you whether you can be injured when you fall. Maybe the snow will feel like marshmallows, or you'll break a bone on the jagged rocks. No two experiences are the same. If you have a partner, they could end up faring better than you despite being in the same place.

Conjure some warm clothes or a log cabin even if you wish - they might not manifest perfectly, but it'll be better than nothing. At least the view's fairly nice...while the sun is up. A blizzard will come through by nightfall. With it arrives a strange hovering light that entices you or your friend to follow it into the frozen darkness. What draws you out depends on you. It could be a familiar voice, an image, or a simple compulsion. If you're lucky, the person with you is unaffected and can try to stop you. Or maybe you're the one desperately chasing after the other person?

---

THE CHARIOT ◎
FULL IMAGE

From a distance, it's hard to tell if they're shipping containers or houses stacked atop each other. A gooey mess covers the ground below. Oddly, the smell isn't as unpleasant as the goo looks. It smells like bubblegum or cotton candy, artificial and sweet. When you first fall in, you might land inside one of the homes, on top of the stacked structure, or the ground. You can try to reach anyone else who's there with you, but be careful: the ooze is spreading. Climb if you must or move from room to room. If you don't keep moving, you risk getting sucked into its sticky mass.

Each block of a home is different. Some are furnished, whereas others are empty or filled with strange knickknacks. Some might even have subconscious creations spawned by you. Keep ahead of the gloopy substance, and you'll be fine, probably. Or you can try to fight it back or block its path by sealing yourself in a room or otherwise, which can slow it down significantly. Mostly, you'll have to hope you fade out before the pink mass completely consumes the landscape.

---

THE WORLD ◎
FULL IMAGE

The hazy neon glow obscures a nothingness that seems to extend forever. In the middle of the wet ground are several stacked television sets with wires plugged into nothing. Inexplicably, there's also a cat. At first, it appears perfectly normal, but keen observers will notice that its behavior is on a loop where it will walk a certain path, pause at specific intervals to lick its paws, and meow at set points. It does not acknowledge any of its intruders. You can break its loop by picking it up, at which point it'll go limp as a ragdoll. As soon as you set it down, it'll resume its actions as before.

While you can see the same images as someone else on the screens, it's also possible you'll each see something different despite being in the room together. What you see is up to you. It could be an old fuzzy movie, home videos of your childhood, trivia questions you have to answer correctly, or even a memory or vision you wouldn't want to share. Words or faces taunting you could appear between staticky flickers, or maybe your very thoughts are projected onto the screens for anyone with you to read.

Break the televisions if you want, but given a few short minutes, they'll reform between one blink and the next. Looks like you'll have to keep watching until you're released.

---

THE FOOL ◎
FULL IMAGE

Sprawling and massive, you're unlikely to recognize at first that you're trapped in a labyrinth. Stone walls rise around you, and your surroundings are pitchblack. Manifest a torch or a flashlight if you can, though these will be prone to going out at inopportune times. Escaping over the walls will only send you into another section in the maze.

As you navigate the twisting corridors, you'll encounter any variety of trials and troubles: gaps in the ground, spiked traps, haunting whispers, monsters, decaying corpses. Some of these might've formed from your mind, others might've spawned from anyone else who's trapped with you.

If you aren't alone, do your best to locate your fellow Summoned. Voices do carry and echo over the walls, and there could be landmarks that help you find each other. Finding the exit, however, is another matter. Walk and climb all you want. A way out is impossible until the Horizon chooses to set you free.

Players can pick any scenario that interests them from the four choices above. Unlike the visions from before, characters can accidentally be trapped in as many of the scenes as you want, as many times as you want. Another option is that they can stay trapped in only one scene while a variety of characters fade in and out to join them, or some combination of the two. Choose what works best for your plans.

Each scene will once again carry an associated Arcana etched somewhere inside it, which can change from person to person or instance to instance. It might be on a wall, a table, or on the ground. Characters with a stronger connection to the Horizon are likely to be trapped for longer but the extent of this is your choice and it won't ever exceed a few hours. It's also your choice whether the afflictions continue to haunt them or not. If you want characters to deal with both problems while stuck together, you're welcome to!

Generally speaking, there are no restrictions other than that they won't be able to communicate with anyone outside the area, they can't escape it until the Horizon chooses to release them, and their creation magic will go wrong just enough that it'll make things tricky.

Comments

steve harrington | solvunn | koth

[hairington]

[ plotting comment here, or message me at disarmingly ]

solvunn; ota

[hairington]

[ despite steve's years of experience with nightmares and ignored trauma, something about this dream has stuck with him. maybe it the oddness of it (how did his subconscious even come up with that), maybe it was the thought he had upon picking up the wilted rose (nancy, he was thinking about nancy, of course he was), or maybe it was the fact that when the strange, weird, freaky figure appeared in front of him and offered its hand, steve didn't even think before he reached forward and took it. shook it. should he have? probably not. but it was a dream. what was the worst that could happen?

koth of festering lands the whispers had echoed, and steve remembers thinking hmm, that...probably isn't good.

he feels like shit that next morning, but he chalks it up to the bad dream. to sleeping poorly. to the fact he's still not used to this straw bed or farming lifestyle. to the any number of reasons that make sense, to him, and he gets up anyway. heads in to help with the toddlers, like has become part of his routine.

but things seem to just get worse. food and drink all start to taste off, and then rancid. and steve can't shake the odd, terrible heaviness in his chest. he starts getting short, so much so that he takes off from helping with the children for a few days - especially when he starts hearing about zombies. freaking zombies. and he figures, you know, it could be worth letting off some steam and maybe zombies are the place to do it.

for those few days, steve kind of spends most - if not all - of his time at the shrines. he does try to help with the spells and placing charms (though he's less helpful with the spells part, and ends up more frustrated than anything. he goes out for supplies (usually when he's just trying to avoid other people, because he knows he'll snap at them, and after yelling at a couple of people he decides maybe he should just avoid them, instead). ]

horizon; ota

[hairington]

[ the worst part about this, steve thinks, is that it doesn't look all that different. the hawkins he remembers, the last version of hawkins he'd seen, it had been this version. it had been these woods, rotting and dark and wrong. it had been these roads, broken and crossed with vines. it had been this sky, dark and ominous, with erratic streaks of red lightning and a ground-shaking sort of thunder, promising something much worse on the horizon. steve doesn't remember the smell of rot and ruin being this strong, but then again, it makes sense if he tried to forget it. steve would never go as far as to say he was used to this, but after the lake and then going in after vecna, he at least knew what to do.

don't step on the vines. hide when the shaking starts. if you hear something amid the trees, run, run fast, and hide - it may not have noticed you. maybe.

if you find yourself somewhere out here, do not - whatever you do - linger. because that vision, right off in your peripheral, of a blossoming figure might not always look quite right. one moment, it will seem just as you may or may not have seen it before. but the next, it will look very different, and rather than standing off amongst the trees, it will turn to you and scream. run, before it catches you, because while this death may not be real, it certainly isn't something you want to experience.

if you happen to appear at the drive-through, it will be much of the same - empty cars, a corrupted movie, vines and dust and the prevailing smell of rot. but it's hardly safe, either, because the longer you linger, the more the erratic lightning will expose something much worse hovering right above the treetops. there is also, of course, scoops ahoy too - but this is a place you will most likely end up without meaning to, and it will look very, very different. instead you will find an oddly well-lit, cement room that does not appear to be affected by the vines or dust or rotting smell, with two empty chairs and a table full of 'medical equipment', though every now and then the lights may flicker, and with each flicker a new streak of blood will appear across the floor. if you search for long enough, though, you will find a door to an elevator, which will take you back up into the upside down, if that's really where you want to be. ]

ᴇʀᴀꜱᴇ ᴅᴀʀᴋɴᴇꜱꜱ 'ᴛɪʟ ᴛʜᴇ ʙʀᴇᴀᴋ ᴏꜰ ᴅᴀʏ

[tobeclosetohim]

[ When Jo opens her eyes inside the Horizon to a dark forest woods, her teeth near snap, and its reflex to try—one hand goes out, and her sword materializes in her hand. Even as her ears are pricked for the slightest change in the noise, she tilts her hand several ways, checking along the memorized lines and edges of her blade, the pommel, looking for malfunctions. But, for once, it's fine.

Jo doesn't trust the Horizon right now or anything of it,
but she'll keep it as long as she can. A weapon is better than none.

She'd half-assumed it was the Pergaforest, the one out back before The Bar and over The Bunker, the one they tell people not to wander into even while Horizon drunk—but it's not. She's spent enough time near it to recognize it doesn't look the same. (Doesn't feel the same.) But she's not sure this is better by any measure at all. Not their forest. Not Wanda's.

Jo moves quietly and slowly through the rotting woods, looking in each direction. ]

[hairington]

[ she knows enough about what to expect from this sort of forest to walk with quiet steps, to always have a weapon on her. it will do her good to have that in hand, malfunctions or not, because there is nothing riskier than walking through these woods without anything.

thunder cracks above her, a streak of red lightning lighting the sky. she may, or may not, hear some distant rummaging - a creature out in the shadows that hasn't yet picked up on her presence, but there is no telling how long it will last. hopefully she knows to step over the vines, to avoid touching anything significant about the trees, because if she so much as grazes one, the creature will immediately sense her, will know exactly where she is.

if she keeps moving, though, she might hear the rumbling of a car. if she keeps safe for long enough, it may catch up to her, though it is up to her if she assumes it is a friend or foe. ]

[tobeclosetohim]

[ She'd always rather a gun, but that opens too many invitations. There are more malfunction possibilities to blow back on the user and run out without another piece on hand to replace it. Her blade might break or twist if the Horizon decrees its fuckery games to do so, but it'd still be a weapon in two pieces, with blades in, no matter how many.

The red lightning is creepy and reminds her of the red smoke in the second forest to take her this week. Forest Kidnappings, who knew they were so fond of trying to eat little girls who tasted nothing of sugar, spices, and everything nice and never went down tame or ever at all. There's no whistling, no cackling this time—yet—but it's not silent out there either; the crack of thunder defeating everything and then snapping it back in makes it easier to tell.

She's not the only thing out here. But she can decide on whether engagement is the better part of valor only after whatever's out there spots her rather than the other way around. It's not running. It's economy. There's like 5% of whatever it is the Horizon has out today isn't down for eating all her inner organs, and she's already lost them twice more than she wanted since this fuckall started raising hell in the waking world and the Horizon.

The sound of an engine, scattered debris only kicked up by tires, surprises her.

The odds don't change, but she's thinking of Ipala always outside the Roadhouse, and she starts making it that way, keeping careful listen on whether the other noise, the other whatever it is decides to stay put or starts following her, too. There's a slightly higher chance that there might be a person with the car, but she won't let that sink hooks into hope until she's got her own eyes on it. She's been made fool enough by the Horizon lately not to leap blind. ]

[hairington]

[ steve is speeding down the highway, uncertain of exactly where this new person is in his horizon domain, but knowing this place well enough to work his way through it. it's not someone he recognizes, that much he's certain, but at the same time that doesn't narrow things down. steve's more aware than anyone how small his circle is while he's here, and if it's not eddie, geralt, or wanda, steve isn't sure he'd actually be able to recognize them.

( well, maybe nero, but he hasn't actually hung out with nero here in the horizon, so he's not 100% sure. )

still, for now, he knows the direction. he knows the approximate area. so steve sets his bab into gear and speeds further a little faster, feeling the machine creak under him.

as the last moment, he swerves off the road, taking a side road further into the trees. it's not his normal route, not anythig he'd do if he was just driving through, but there is very little about all this that is normal at this point. for now, steve drives as far as he thinks he needs to go, pushing closer and closer to whatever it is he's feeling, until the very last minute.

jo, just ahead of her, will see an old (by her standards) bmw come into view, slamming on its breaks and drifting through the underbrush and dust. it doesn't seem all that worried about the vines as it drives over them, coming to a stop just ahead of her, as steve leans over and throws open the passenger door. ]

Get in! Let's go!

[ she doesn't know that this whole entrance is a lot cooler than anything steve would be willing to do in the real world, but hey. until he figures a way back home, there really isn't a real world, is there?

it does appear that steve picked the right time to do this, as moments after he calls out to her, there is a kind of roar from behind her. it seems the creature has picked up on her scent, and it's not slowing down. ]

[tobeclosetohim]

[ Jo's not out in the open, but close as she might get to it, as she braced for the appearance of the car. Or whatever else the fuck might appear, sounding like a car. The moment of reminder, things in the Horizon, in the Labyrinth, turned and twisted right now; even simple assumptions can be deadly. Her grip on her sword tightens as it gets close enough it'll break cover in seconds.

But then it's a car, and it's slamming across the roots and underbrush she'd been so careful to move through quietly, and there's a guy—some random guy, again—throwing open a door and telling her to run for it like there's fire behind her, and she hasn't noticed yet. She doesn't need a second order, but even as she thinks that and is bolting for the open door: she hears it.

There's a weird wrenching sound like something being pried open and then roaring. Jo's heard enough angry, monsters to know the chilling sound of something that's recognized you. Whether that 'you' is her or a super loud car, hey, that's not kibble she needs to split. Jo's feet are moving, and she's only got her eyes on the door. Throwing herself into the passenger seat with a tumble of petite and blonde hair and gleaming wicked silver sword more than half the height of her while already yelling at the new guy: ]

Go, go, go, go!

[hairington]

[ steve barely waits until she's made it through the door before he's shifting the gears and slamming his foot on the accelerator. because she does have a point - his car, these wheels, they're not made to avoid the root system. he's not looking to sneak, here, but rather outrun.

the engine roars to life, climbing in speed as steve weaves through what's left of the forest before his tires squeal over asphalt. once on the highway, steve's booking it even faster, and faster, because it's not a matter of avoiding detection - that much he's figured out. instead, it's about outrunning, because whatever's gone weird about his horizon, whatever it is this place has become, it always manages to stop just enough if he can get out of it.

so that's where he's going. or at least trying to go. because it's only a couple of minutes after that something large, and larger still, will burst through the treeline and onto the road. steve doesn't seem surprised by this, and instead will just lean forward a bit more and tap at his steering wheel, urging the car forward. ] C'mon, c'mon...

[ at the very least, he's got a decent soundtrack? ]

[tobeclosetohim]

[ Jo has no clue at all about what should or shouldn't be done in this place, just like she didn't in Wanda's. Ghouls came from every direction when she pulled out her sword and this place. Empty—and the whole area creepy as fuck dark, tendrils and roots everywhere, but none of them looking alive and growing right—and only empty until it suddenly wasn't.

Her sword vanished as it got between her clinging to the seat with one arm and going for the door, wildly flying open still with the other. She manages it, but she's about one-third of the way out of the door, getting that handle when the thing breaks through the trees: angry, and giant, and what the fuck is on its head?????

Bewildered panic doesn't slow her down as she gets that door closed. At the same time, the guy talks to his car, not looking a bit surprised about the monster or concerned with her existence suddenly in his car, even as she's turning to look through the back window at that monster definitely chasing them. ]

What the hell is that?

[hairington]

[ distantly, a part of steve recognizes that she is still struggling with the door. that he took off before even waiting to make sure it was closed. he should have been paying more attention, and he has the thought to reach over and grab for her to make sure she doesn't fall right out again, when she wrestles it closed.

once glance in the rear view mirror tells him that it's gotten out of the trees, and for a brief moment steve feels like he's back in the car with jonathan driving, just trying to get as far away from the mall, from that thing, and now...

steve blinks and swerves to stay on the road around a bend, hearing the tires squeak on the asphalt under him. he can feel the monster gaining on them, and he presses the accelerator down just a bit further. tries to get moving just a bit faster. the question catches him, and steve chances a glance over to her before turning his eyes back to the road. ]

It's not real- this is all Horizon stuff, so- [ she probably knows this already. steve cuts himself off ] I don't know- I think something's wrong with this place. I didn't- [ he glances to his side again as if to try and catch her eyes so she can understand how he's being honest, desperately so. ] I didn't make that.

[tobeclosetohim]

[ Lucky for him, Jo is quite good at taking care of herself and catching things on the fly. She never even noticed the consideration of needing to help her; just carrying her own in this part of her rescue from god knows where but some new shade of hell's armpit that sprouted out in the Horizon and kidnapped her from her bed instead of putting her in the Roadhouse.

When he looks at her, what she catches isn't so much the honesty as it is the fear, and under it, how fucking young the kid is. Not like an actually kid-kid, but young. Younger than her. If he's twenty, it's only barely. Why is he here, and why does he seem that afraid, are also good questions, but not as important as other things. ]

That not keeping him from existing back there.

What is it, and how do we stop it?

[ Rationally, simply, ordered.
The most important things. ]

[hairington]

[ steve's not entirely sure what she sees when they meet eyes, but he hopes it's something good. encouraging, maybe. something possibly supportive. he is terrified, and that's not a fact that is going to go away, but he's also able to at least keep moving, and as they speed around the next bend, he puts his car into the next gear forward, gaining a bit more speed as they go. usually, it shouldn't be much further until he can get them both out, but that is also up to how much the horizon wants to fold in on itself.

right now, steve doesn't want to think about that. he just puts his eyes back on the road in front of them and drives. ]

It's- it's a Mind Flayer. [ truthfully, he doesn't know what the hell it is. but that's the name that comes up, that Henderson always used, so that's what he's got going for them now. ] And there's no stopping it- not us. We have to outrun it. It won't follow us to the next domain.

[ the creature is still behind them, gaining on them ever so slightly. it does have a bit of an advantage, considering it just plows through the trees and power lines, instead of keeping to the road. steve grins down on his molars a bit. ]

Unless you have other ideas.

[carmesi]

[this place— is horrifying. it's the smell of rot and ruin. there are vines everywhere, and a voice in her head tells her don't touch them, echoing across her mind, so she is wary of it. it doesn't take long before she decides to levitate instead, especially when the shaking starts. something screams at her to hide, but.

but she's the scarlet witch. these kind of tactics don't so much scare her as unnerve her, and she's not about to lose her nerve that easily, either.

wanda notes that there is someone else here, though. that someone is more apprehensive about the circumstances here, a constant thrumming of fear and anxiety over an unknown something. she follows that mental trail, following the emotions, unawares that she is being followed from the distance by a grotesque figure, stalking amongst the trees, as if trying to ascertain how to tackle someone like her.

following this trail will lead her to a drive-through, and so she lands on a spot devoid of vines. she takes a few steps towards the displayed movie, looking around.]

Hello? Where are you?

[someone is here—but where?]

[hairington]

[ it's not the first time the creature has seen someone of wanda's calibur, though its experience is with a younger version, a child in comparison, but it knows to be wary. it knows to wait it out. it is part of the reason that it stalks in the back, why it bides its time and follows her, why it hunts, rather than attacks. it is used to working through veils, through dimensions, which already makes this easier. but still it is wary.

on the other hand, steve has been at the drive in the whole time - knowing, in a way he can't really explain, that this is where he needs to be. where it will all happen. he gets there and feels like he's early, so among his fear and worry is the need to do something about it - a kind of hurried, frantic preparing for the worst. he knows anyone could show up any moment, knows that whoever does won't be safe, so he has to do what he can.

or at least - that's until he sees wanda kind of. floating. down to the ground. it doesn't surprise him as much as it should, perhaps, but it does have him pausing, wondering what she's here for. why?

steve shakes himself out of the thought before it can settle. ]

Wanda? [ he calls, stepping out from his makeshift bunker, a kind of combination of the bus he and henderson, mayfield, and sinclair all hid in. did it have any reason to be at the drive in? no. but for as long as the dust particles and vines of the upside down live in his horizon domain, steve's not really going to question it. ] Over here!

[carmesi]

[steve—that's where the thread of familiarity stemmed from. he looks harried, and she can only so much follows his thoughts before she decides there's no point to it, though she remains curious as to why all this darkness is being embraced by someone like him?

is this perhaps one of those shared horizon spaces, like the maze and the building and the mountain she had been to before, trapped with another summoned? those were confined, however, whereas here seems to offer more. the look on her face shows her confusion as she approaches quickly, making sure to avoid any smaller vines along the way.]

What's going on here?

[there is this feeling she just can't rid herself of, and it's unnerving. like something's watching her. them?

into the makeshift bunker she goes, stepping in, and she's reminded of something she's seen in movies and tv shows.]

What is this place?

[hairington]

[ whether or not wanda remains calm through this, the moment she's close enough, steve will take her arm and tug her into the bus, closing the door tight behind them and checking quickly to make sure nothing has started. when he's comfortable enough with the eery silence of the space around them, he'll look back to her with a look somewhere between apologetic and exhausted. ]

Sorry- this is uh. [ Indiana? except that it's not. steve cuts himself off and looks a little confused, like he's trying to figure out exactly how he wants to go about this explanation, before letting out a breath. ] I think something is weird with the Horizon. This is usually my- what did you call it? Domain? But it's wrong. It's not what I tried to make with it.

[ it's that second question that has steve's eyes moving through the bus around them - the metal half-hazardly attached to the windows, the small details he couldn't help but keep around. dustin's radio, max's headphones. he shakes his head. ]

This place is from my home. I had to use it with some friends when we were fighting these things. It worked then, so I guess I thought it'd work here?

[carmesi]

[steve tells her a lot but also not enough. it's like trying to put together the pieces of two different puzzles together, and she can't help but feel silly for thinking that steve was from just indiana, a teenager simply working his way into whatever came after high school.

clearly, she was sorely mistaken. of course no one summoned gets to just have a normal, happy life with no conflict and horror.

after his half-explanations, wanda reaches a hand out to press against his temple, fingers feather-light, pushing back some of his hair. he's got a bruise there, a cut, perhaps from fumbling around the place, trying to escape whatever 'these things' are. she frowns.

(at this point in her magic, she really does not need to touch him to reach into his mind. the upside down stands out. demogorgons.)]

It has been acting up. [to reassure him that it's not something he's done unconsciously. she draws her hand back, looking at the trinkets around, the headphones, the radio. they feel like someone else's.] I have a feeling I've been followed.

[she turns back to him.]

Demogorgons. Are those the things out there?

[hairington]

[ steve, for reasons unbenknownst to him, suddenly feels a bit like he's let wanda down with that answer, and he has no idea why. but there's something in her eyes when she hears him, something in the feather-light brush of her fingers against his temple. he hadn't even realized he was bleeding, but her frown suddenly has him feeling a bit...what? self concious? worried?

( it reminds him, very suddenly and very overwhelmingly, of his mother. of the kind of cool, direct, immediate look she would get in her eyes. ) ]

Followed? By what? [ truthfully, he doesn't mind the touch of it. feels a bit self-conscious by how much he feels like he's missed that. but wanda is already turning and steve has to remind himself where he is, what is going on. while she looks around, his eyes are on the small slits out to the rest of the area, to the distant movie still playing, silent, up on the screen.

it catches him off-guard to hear her say the word - demogorgon - but at the same time, doesn't surprise him all that much. why wouldn't she know? ] Some of them, yeah. They're the ones that are roughly human-sized, if a little larger. But they're not the only things. [ a beat, and then he's looking back to her. ] Did you see what followed you?

[carmesi]

It was hiding from me.

[as she answers, wanda's hands have gravitated back unto each other, wringing one of her rings around, a gesture of uncertainty. sure, she could not see what was following her, but she could feel it; anyone who is being looked at as prey knows that feeling—that feeling of not being safe.]

This is your domain. Whatever is lurking here is something that you know. Demogorgons, or these other things.

[—this... nightmare world he's put together. these vines, the ashen quality of the air. wanda pulls her hands away from one another.]

What kills them?

[hairington]

It can probably tell you're a threat.

[ steve nods, like duh, of course whatever creature out there could tell from just a glance that wanda was not to be messed with. it didn't have to be a figment of steve's imagination for that to come through.

there's a noise out in the distance, and steve's attention turns to it for a moment - waiting to see what, if anything, will appear. when nothing does, he lets out a breath, shrugs, seems...not nervous, exactly, but there is a kind of restless energy to him. like staying here makes him feel a bit like bait. ]

Um. It depends? The demodogs don't take much, a good hit or two and some fire, mostly. With the demogorgons it has to be fire, everything else can slow them down, but not for long. If it's the...

[ that's when something moves, a loud noise that shakes the ground under them. the mind flayer. ]

[carmesi]

[wanda takes stock of what he says—how to kill the demodogs, the demogorgons, terrifying creatures that they are but not invincible. everything has a weak point, after all, even the terrifying scarlet witch, albeit in the shape of her terrified sons.

the ground beneath them shakes, however, and wanda holds fast to something, whatever, to keep herself steady. a thought passes from his mind unto hers.]

The Mind Flayer.

[wanda turns to him, feeling a dull... something, in her mind.]

Is that here? It might be trying to communicate.

[hairington]

[ as the ground shakes, steve’s hands shoot out - one to steady wanda, and the other to steady himself. there is no small amount of fear that shoots through him in the immediate aftermath of that shuddering, knowing that this bus turned bunker is in no way a safe haven if the mind flayer is out there.

he never gives it a name, but wanda knows, and while part of steve feels like that doesn’t make sense, the larger, louder part just nods. he’s more used to being in company that knows, more used to catching up and holding ground than being the source of information. which is why when wanda mentions communication, steve frowns. ]

What? No- no, it doesn’t- [ except that’s not right - billy, will, the hoard of bodies. it does communicate, it wants to make sure it’s purpose is know, that it is unstoppable, and always will be. steve shakes his head. ] You don’t want to communicate with it. It gets in your brain, possesses you, it kills most people it uses like that- no. We need to leave.

[carmesi]

Steve.

[this connection between them—the hand that shoots out to steady her as the ground shakes—lets wanda know exactly how he is feeling right now. it's erratic, this cacophony of panic, a multilayer of moments in time and events which would give anyone a clear understanding that the stakes are far too high, that the correct response is to run.

but they're in the horizon, messy as it is, and wanda's a powerful being herself.]

This Horizon is based on your thoughts, on your imagination. It is real — frighteningly so — but you're the one giving it the power to grow. [if he is aware of that, perhaps he will stop augmenting the powers of these creatures with his enlarged imaginings fueled by his fear for them. as if making a point, the ground shakes again.] And I know you may have known this without my telling you, but I'm a powerful witch. The Scarlet Witch.

[the title will mean nothing to him, but just as the mind flayer has a name, as the other creatures do, the sole mention of her title makes it real within his domain.]

I have had worse demons in me. [the darkhold, chthon—] We leave now, and you will hold your fear to the side, and we fight whatever is out there.

[boy, would steve and sam be proud.]

I will protect you.

[hairington]

[ the tone she takes when she says his name reminds him, shockingly so, of nancy. a firm, brave, surety that has whatever panic and worry and fear that had been building in his chest settle in place. it calms him down in a way he hadn't realized had such control over him, but that he's suddenly, very glad for.

and it all makes sense - wanda had been the one to initially explain to him what the horizon even was. the one who'd brought him in, showed him the ropes. what she's saying would of course be true, even if it accompanies a small amount of...what? shame? embarrassment?

he's the reason his horizon is this terrible. that the people who have showed up here have been so terrified. but wanda isn't - if anything, she is more sure and solid than anything else in this place, even as the ground shakes under them again. im the scarlet witch she says, and the title doesn't mean anything at all, but just like when eddie compares steve to his metal musicians, he doesn't need to know the details to know there is weight to the phrase itself.

the mention of demons does worry him, but not enough to draw him away from what she says next. the firm, confident words of their next plan. all steve can say is- ] Okay. [ because she's right. they will fight whatever it is that's out there.

and - even if steve doesn't really know why he knows this - she will protect him, and that feeling alone (no matter how foreign, how strange, how different it feels) is enough for him to believe it. ] Okay. [ he says again with a nod, letting go of the wall and grabbing for his bat. ] Just tell me when.