THE LOST DAYS... Round 2.

[mind_blown]

It's all darkness.

The feeling of nothingness, of being nothing. Of not existing. You have no thoughts, you will never have any thoughts again. While that fact is not comforting, because you cannot be comforted anymore, it is true.

There's a certain rest to being... nothing. And to both knowing and not knowing, that your time is done.

So it's all the more unfortunate when you feel, because you shouldn't feel. And the feeling is burning in your lungs, which you shouldn't have. Because you are- or were- nothing.

And then, you inhale a desperate gasp of air and open your eyes...

Comments

[mind_blown]

You don't have to help. And frankly, you don't look like you're doing hot. Either of you.

So regardless of if I'm Talon's brother [a head incline to Rye] or someone you can help [back to Arya], I think I got a responsibility to call it when someone's in over their heads.

And my demons are pretty bad.

[protectshisown]

.... [The deepest sigh and he pushes himself up.] Here's where I'm at.

You have a foreign thing in you. Whatever those flowers are, its clear they don't belong. And they made me angry and bitter and if it makes me feel like that? That's bad. 'Cause I don't do bitterness, I barely do anger. And if this green water is you, then those flowers, plus this thing? That's a bad time. That's a bad time for a lot of people out there, and for you, and its powered by something that needs to be removed because it doesn't belong.

I can take near death experiences, I get flirted by a guy whose tried multiple times to murder me. I forgave an enemy whose helped burn my village more times than that. Near death is nothing. I will sass would be murderers until I'm blue in the face because fuck 'em. Only reason I was upset is because Arya is my rival who hasn't tried to murder me and that is a sacred relationship. It was not the murder attempt, it was the tarnishing of that and fear for her.

Actual death....okay, that is different, I won't lie. I have no idea what I will do with that, but that is trauma that is my own. But there is Pep and Sensitiv and people who will bully me to deal with it. Either way, the trauma is my own and me, and I can recover naturally.

You're fighting something that is forcibly changing you.

Out of us, you have the potential for a lot more longterm harm for you and those around you.

Now if you're worried, what you could do is give information and tools and ways to avoid a direct on confrontation because I'm all for making traps and tricks do the work for me. I far prefer the least amount of direct combat if at all possible.

[dumbjockenergy]

[ She hates that Jason has a point. In over her head is something Arya rarely lets herself admit to feeling, if ever. From the very start, she's been blindsided by everything going on.

But-- They can't just let Jason suffer. ]

Rye's right. This happened because we came in unprepared. If there's a way we can handle this more indirectly, we should. You're my teammate, and I want to help you.

And besides, I have my pride. I'm not leaving here letting whatever is going on think it got the better of me.

[mind_blown]

[god. he rubs his face. he'd almost laugh if he wasn't so tired.]

Well, I can't get near the stuff.

[he finally acknowledges after a long moment.]

But if you kill the source, Hood, whenever he wakes up, can take care of the rest.

[protectshisown]

Then we kill the source. The flowers were going down those stairs. Think that's it?

They also hated fire extinguishers, so something works. Should be able to make a bomb version of that and as long as the container doesn't make a ton of shrapnel, damage to other stuff should be minimal.

Hope saw a Robin run off, and I know Batman is around, so even if you can't give us a lot of help, those two might have stuff and Batman was at least the other way.

[dumbjockenergy]

Okay, wait--

[ deep breaths, Arya. ]

I just want to make sure I have this all right. It's...been a lot. There was a coffin and then that creep and the pit--

[ she's a little bit behind everyone, unfortunately. ]

So there are flowers, and we need to destroy the source of them?

I lost my staff when we fell, but if I can find something else to fight with, Rye can lead the way.

[mind_blown]

[he doesn't want to engage the idea of 'batman' and so, he continues.]

Rage is something I'm used to engaging. Red Hood, me, we could figure it out, if we needed to.

So this isn't a think I'm eager to make you do anything. I could send you both back to bed.