sticksandbones | [CLOSED] Zahliyaquest...2

Entry tags:

[CLOSED] Zahliyaquest...2

Who: Zahliya, Luca, Joshua, Wolfwood, Dipper, Mamika, Siffrin, Loop, & Kiera
What: A gargoyle needs task-doers for character development
When: Mid-August, yes during the rainstorms, good luck
Where: ??? :)
Warnings: Typical Sticks trigger warnings apply, suicide, time loops resulting in multiple character deaths, Wolfwood just shot someone executioner style, more to be added

OOC notes, here is a rehash of your rules:

Mod tags will come either a) after everyone involved has tagged in or b) after 24 hours have passed since the last mod tag. This means if you are absent for any reason, the thread WILL move on without you.
Interaction in this log will be redeemable for MAIN AC, not just Bonus AC like most of our NPC threads.
This questline will shape Zahliya's outcome for the rest of the game, and may or may not result in an almost-full Corruption cure and therefore gamewide impact. I will let people know midway through the quest if he's currently aimed at aggression/confidence/staying in the Grove, or if he's on passive/indecisive/leaving the Grove.
The old OOC plotting post for this is here!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[... nah, sorry, kiera has at least one thing to live for. they're not in a hurry to scramble after loop.

though it turns out they don't need to. there's a blast of heat from the hall, and suddenly, loop is back in the room. kiera doesn't understand the concept of, say, video game respawning, but they're aware that folks in the grove have died and returned. though not so quickly.

they wait for something to come down the hall, ready to either fight or transform into something far more subtle. when that doesn't happen, they turn their attention back to the fallen star, as it were.]

... What was that?

[If whatever is in here doesn't kill them first, then these bright fucking lights will.

It is obliterating to the senses just how much visual noise has gone on in the last few moments. Between their arrival being such a clusterfuck of shit blinding them before they got just ported in unannounced, to Loop....deciding to make the actual worst decisions ever and just gunning it into the fray, which has resulted in them getting instantly vaporized by something in there because honestly Wolfwood does not get a good enough look to actually tell. He just barely makes it around the corner by the time Loop is already gone and the room is flooded with darkness and heat, which causes him to recoil backwards. If anyone was standing, like, immediately behind him, he's going to run into them sorry.]

Shit-

[His shades make the oppressive darkness worse in that moment, and it's like being blinded in a different way. Dark instead of light. As if his vision weren't already swimming badly enough.

He manages to get back into the room by the will of God because it's certainly not his eyesight getting him there, just as Kiera turns to Loop and says something he doesn't fully make out. But eventually he gets his bearings and manages to shake it off, and he's fully ready to whip around and ask Loop if they've had enough of just running in guns blazing because he hates to say he told you so but h-

It feels abruptly like his head explodes from the inside. And for a brief, terrifying moment, he thinks Loop's brought some sort of bullshittery onto them over their stunt. He has no clue this is a delayed aftershock from Dipper, several rooms over, who has connected himself unfortunately to Wolfwood's brain and, well...

He grips his head with one hand while the other lets the Punisher slide heavily to the floor behind him (it leans up against the wall, thankfully), going stonily silent as he fights through whatever the hell is happening to him now. Maybe it's for the best it prevents him from opening his mouth, otherwise they'd be here all day. He blinks hard, his vision still blurry, and it feels like he's crying and he doesn't know why. He's so numb to pain there's no way he'd be crying.

But no, no. It's blood. Coming from his nose and one of his eyes, because he can taste the bitter iron on his tongue as it gets onto his lips.]

[ ... well! This is alarmingy severe. In the span of mere seconds, one of their group has been effortlessly obliterated from existence - at least returning immediately, it seems, which is a sort of blessing so long as nothing is lost - and another has apparently been hit by some sort of debilitating attack. That bodes well for whatever the rest of this is.

Caution is key, then. As he figured. With a sigh, he lifts one hand to manifest a handkerchief, holding it out to Wolfwood. No, he doesn't want it back later, ew. Once it's taken, he crosses his arms, tapping his fingers against his elbow thoughtfully. ]

So, clearly, rushing into things isn't the way to do it. Though, I can't say I'd react calmly if I got viciously attacked out of nowhere, either. I'm a little concerned about those designs on the floor, though... This is certainly a puzzle.

[ At least he likes puzzles! ]

Probably best if Loop and Wolfwood take a moment to recoup. That didn't look like a pleasant experience. Kiera, what do you say we play a little game of Detective? They can join along once they're settled.

[Loop is still quivering on the floor, doubled over and curled in on themselves. It's hard to tell if it's a response to Kiera's question, or Wolfwood's sudden psychic attack, or something else entirely, but—a sound bubbles up from their chest, rasped out between laboured breaths.]

Ha... haha! Hahahahahahahahahahaha!! Seriously?! Seriously?!? Hahahaha, oh, that's rich, you're killing me, you think you're so blinding funny, don't you?!

[they're so normal right now they're cry-laughing into the floor, it's fine. totally nothing bad happened in there. they're fine. super fine! never been better!!

They rise to their feet with surprising ease, a manic look in their eyes. They barely even glance at their party members, gaze already fixated on the exit once more.]

Just like riding a bike! Hah, not that I'd remember that! This is so much easier!!

[Back to the stage. They've got a weapon to find.

... yeah, they're going to march straight back into the vaporizing room if someone doesn't stop them.]

[As irritated and disoriented as Wolfwood still is, he will take the handkerchief and haphazardly wipe his face with it, because as it stands he still has no clue what happened to him. He's assuming it has to do with what Loop just did, and maybe because he was the only one to actually round the corner, he got hit with the residual blast. That's what he's being led to believe anyway, though he's honestly shocked he didn't get his own face melted off (and he would be ten times more pissed off if that was what had happened, let's be real here).

Blood smears across his cheek as he tries to blink it out of his eyes, currently only really able to see out of one of them as Loop starts hysterically shriek-laughing into the floor. His gaze shifts from them, to Josh, to Kiera, and for once he's fine with just sitting his ass here for a few minutes while Josh and Kiera do some more careful looking around.

Or, he would have been, if he didn't catch Loop getting up and starting to go right back where they came from HELLO--

He snarls under his breath, and since the Punisher is too far away, he'll just grab for his revolver under his blazer instead, the gun making an audible click when he pulls the hammer back.]

I am going to blast your brains out if you don't fucking stop.

[This is a promise, not a threat.]

[The gun does make them pause, but this is probably not the reaction Wolfwood was hoping for.]

Pfffftt, seriously?? Forget what I said last time, you're hilarious! A real comedian! Well? Go on, then! Don't tell me you're all talk.

[still walking away, bye. blow their fucking brains out see if they care]

[No it is not, but honestly it's not a surprising one to him either. And unlike if this were Vash he was trying to make stop, he doesn't hesitate. He won't hesitate. He didn't hesitate when it was Rollo, and he won't here. Especially not when Loop is putting them all in explicit danger by just?? Doing whatever the fuck they want. No bothering to consult with the group or figure anything out, no, just guns blazing let's fucking go try and stab the evil deity again that went so well the first time!

So he'll fire three times in rapid succession the moment Loop turns their back to him and starts trying for that room again.]

[HELLO???? HE ACTUALLY DID IT??

kiera flinches -- not exactly at the fact that wolfwood is shooting at an ally, more that he is just shooting -- and whirls toward wolfwood. not approaching, just glaring!]

We're in a tiny room! Don't fucking fire your loud-ass metal bow!

[Wolfwood lowers his arm, the tip of the gun still smoking, and looks over at Kiera out of the corner of his eye as Loop's form dissolves. They'll be back in a second, he figures, but this at least gives him enough time to respond.]

Oh I'm sorry, did you have a better idea? I don't think they were gonna be receptive to bein' grabbed and held back!!

[He actually...isn't sure that they can be, but he wasn't going to be the one to put his hands on them to test that theory.]

[Their brains do indeed get blasted. It looks a little a star exploding, lights shrinking back for a second before a blinding flash—nowhere near as bright as what happened before, but still painful to look at. Painful to feel, too! Wolfwood has good aim!

Before anyone can ask me the player what the insides of Loop's weird star-head looks like, they're already back to normal standing at the respawn point. They recover more quickly, this time, only a brief stumble as they adjust to the sudden loss and then regaining of balance.]

Hah! Not bad! I'm sooooo proud of you, good job, good job!!

So! What's your plan, then? Because we could do this aaaaall day, but I think we've got more important things to do than play chicken! [loop you LITERALLY started this shitshow]

[Just as he suspected, they're back faster than the time it probably took to process he shot them. And (maybe a bit less expected? maybe not? he isn't sure he even knows anymore), they return no less worse for wear, considering. If anything, he's being congratulated on actually going through with it.

He feels like he's going insane, genuinely. But at least with the way he drops the gun into his lap, still holding on just in case but you know, it's clear he won't try shooting Loop again. If anyone wants to stop them it'll have to be via other means next time, he isn't wasting all of his ammo here.]

Are you fuckin' stupid? What do you think's gonna happen if you just run back in there again? You wanna see if you can get blown up even faster a third time?!

Maybe!! Faster, slower, different approaches get different results! Come on, I know this isn't your first time in a death loop. Try to keep up!!

[At least they're not sprinting to the other room for a third time... but they're still moving in that direction, albeit a tad more relaxed. Why hurry? This will get boring if Wolfwood just keeps shooting them, anyway.]

There's only one way out of here, so we'll have to go in there eventually~ Now, do you want me to scout out a safe path through, or do you want to give it a try yourself, hmmm?

I can tell you right now, it's going to be a looooot worse for you than it is for me. Are you sure that's what you want?

Tch. You act like I ain't ever felt death before.

[Not counting the death-loop he was in during that dream...he's been "killed" hundreds of times, only to be brought back from the brink. He's probably the worst person to be asking that, in that regard.

But what he says next may not be what they're expecting, at least from a guy like him.]

I ain't worried about me. I'm worried about you puttin' everyone else in this buildin' in danger. Don't you care about that at all?

[Wolfwood doesn't think he has to gesture to his own bleeding face, but. He doubts Loop cares about him.

They do care about Siffrin, though, who is ostensibly still in the vicinity somewhere.]

[They scoff, clearly not that bothered by the bleeding. After all, it's pretty obvious—] That only happened because you tried to follow, didn't it? If you can't take the heat, don't stand next to the oven!

[They move to speak again, but an unexpected mental ring shakes their thoughts away from the conversation. They freeze, then quickly bring their hand up to their head, pinky and thumb sticking out.

They do care about Siffrin. They do, they do, they do]

Stardust, where are you?! Stardust? Stardust??

...

[They pull their hand-phone away, staring at it in a mix of distress and confusion. Why is this happening!!!!!]

[Wolfwood believes so, yes. But that doesn't mean that something worse won't happen if they poke the proverbial bear again. Loop has not been here long enough to know the raw power the Creature has. They could snap each of them out of existence so much as look at them, and then where would they be? Sure, Wolfwood didn't get a clear look of the form that was being tortured in that other room, but he didn't need to to know that whatever is in there needs to be treated with a delicate hand. It takes a lot for a guy like him to say that.

Fortunately, it seems like something clicks in Loop's brain in-between sentences. Wolfwood's still glowering at them, but seeing their frantic calling for Siffrin gives him the hook he needs.]

You see? You need to calm down. I ain't sayin' we're just gonna stay in this room all day, but if you keep rushin' ahead without us and gettin' yourself blasted apart, there's no tellin' what's gonna start happenin'. That might be a risk you're willin' to take, but I'm not.

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cw: uhh blood, specifically blood from the nose/eyes, thanks dipdop-

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cw: shooting to kill im so sorry

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cw: can we just put a big suicide/death/gore warning on this thread for awhile it's gonna be a night

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