BREAK-IN: Flayn, Dimitri & Asch

[gatonina]

Comments

[overruns]

[ dimitri hops to grab the edge of the roof and pull himself up, enough that he can take a look over it all. good thing his friends are not contemplating violence in the meantime.

he drops himself with a sigh, brushing off his hands as he walks back over. ]

Well, I do not believe we'll have any luck with the roof—

[ ? what are they doing ]

[getdrekt]

[Flayn looks at him, and they just... click.

as one united being, Asch and Flayn charge the door, shoulder in shoulder.

HERE COMES THE PAIN TRAIN!!!!!!!!









as one united being, they bounce comedically off.]

[fishingforcompliments]

[OUCH.

flayn lands on her back and stares blearily up at the...

wait.




is that a bell?]

[overruns]

[ dimitri starts a little, even though he has also charged a few doors in his day. the doors here are evil and should be treated with caution? ]

Ah, wait!

[ nope. crash. there's a tiny, tiny chiming noise too, and he walks over as he follows flayn's eyes up to—

yeah, it's a bell. ]

—Oh.

[getdrekt]

[they're all looking up, at the lovely little bell, going tingaling--]

Huh.

[in a crumpled pile with Flayn, on the other hand, is giving her a lot of... feelings. mostly just angry and embarrassed at the moment, but also... just a little bit...

happy?

happy. because being invited to join flayn and dimitri on this... is making him a teensy weensy bit. happy.]

...Was that there before?

[fishingforcompliments]

Uh.

[hm.

flayn sits up and scoots away from asch, then looks up at the bell.]

...if it was, I did not notice it.

[it has absolutely been there the whole time.]

[overruns]

[ well, they're off to a great start. and the bell doesn't really seem like much of a lead, but if knocking and throwing themselves around didn't work, it's worth a shot.

so he steps up by his friend pile and reaches up to give the bell's tail a little pull, and it chimes cheerfully over them. ]

[gatonina]

[Terrible job everyone. After the abuse this poor cabin goes through, they seem to notice the bell and Dimitri rings the bell, a happy little chime rings out and the door unlocks, gently swinging open to grant them access. It's dark inside, the windows seemingly blocking out the light and while they can get the sense of some vague shapes, what they'll smell is something like fresh flowers.

Likewise, as they approach, they'll hear a a sound from the dark.

Approach?]

[getdrekt]

[oh

fresh flowers and piano. nice.

brushing himself off, he steps forward into the cabin, trying to peer through the liquid black.]

Where is that coming from...?

[babey's first breakin!!!]

[fishingforcompliments]

[...huh. that is pretty. flayn gets to her feet and brushes herself off, then takes a few steps into the cabin after him.]

...be careful. And no matter what happens or what we hear, we probably should not split up.

[that went badly last time she did that.]

[overruns]

[ Well, the sound is less offensive than it could be. But he's still on-guard as he steps inside. ]

Right, don't go too far without us, Asch. It didn't seem dangerous last time either.

[ He's the last one through, and he feels around the door for a light switch. ]

[gatonina]

[With all of them inside, the door closes behind them and they're thrown into darkness. Dimitri won't find a light switch, but perhaps that's alright. Almost instantly, three spotlights shine down from the ceiling, their soft golden glow encompassing the area around them.

It appears to be a stage, and if they look behind them there's something similar to a void there. The music grows a bit louder, and with the extra light they'll see a large field of flowers before them. Petals float in the wind, surrounding the three of them and giving them a sense of calm peace. The floor beneath them as they step sounds a bit hollow, however, as if it's wood. But the room seems to stretch ahead of them and there's the sound of two young children laughing that can be heard from above the music.

There seems to be two paths they can choose as well. They may go to the left, or they may go to the right. Likewise, they could ignore them both and venture ahead into the flower fields.]

[getdrekt]

[because it's flayn and dimitri, and ONLY because it's flayn and dimitri, asch actually stops in place, and waits for them to join him.

and the door CLOSES, and even he jumps, regardless of the lights.

two paths. and a field of flowers ahead.]

...What now?

[THIS SEEMS LIKE AN OPPORTUNE TIME TO SPLIT UP IN HIS HUMBLE OPINION?]

[fishingforcompliments]

[flayn's breath catches as the door shuts behind them abruptly, but she doesn't jump. to be fair, she's done this once before.

she looks from one path, to the other, and then toward the field of flowers.

then she looks to dimitri.

in the absence of the professor, a house leader should call the shots!]

[overruns]

[ What an unusual space... Even if he's surprised by the noise behind them, the petals swirl comfortingly around them. It'd be easy to let their guard down, if they're not careful.

also please do not leave decisions up to dimitri's rng oh my god ]

We have three paths, but I think we should stick together for now. [ he and asch take a different tack to these things, apparently. ] Perhaps we start from the left path and work our way from there? Or we could follow the voices...

[ He's concerned why he hears children here and would ordinarily rush that way, but these places play tricks on the senses. ]

[gatonina]

[Dimitri begins to walk toward the left, but as they go the flowers swirl around them, swaddling them in their warmth and lovely scent. They spiral, corralling them closer together and as the lights shift the field opens up wider to reveal two figures in the distance. A young girl with fair-colored hair sits with her back toward them beside her is a young boy with long red hair. They seem oblivious to the three of them, working on something together with their heads bowed and close to one another. The petals in the wind around them are a soft pink color, and the sound of the girl's laughter echoes across the field.]

"Not like that. Do it like this."

[...hm.]

[getdrekt]

[Asch's breath catches audibly in his throat.

he was never good at it. she'd tried to teach him, but for all his tutelage, it didn't seem to stick. but every time, every broken chain, she'd reach in, and like magic, fix it for him.

maybe he'd never learned on purpose—just to keep her doing it.

like a moth to a flame, his feet move unconsciously, stepping away from the others, moving closer.]

[fishingforcompliments]

[oh. bad.]

Asch—

[don't split up, she'd said - but with dimitri heading for the left, and asch heading for the field, she's not sure what to do. she reaches out - one hand going to catch dimitri's sleeve, the other heading for asch's.

they'll both be treated to a healthy dose of intense worry, there.]

[overruns]

[ The flowers are intent to grab their attention, and Dimitri can't help but frown slightly as the petals flutter around them, insistent. It's not threatening, but it's not right, either.

Both the tug on his sleeve and Flayn's worries bleeding into his have him turning, casting her a concerned look before stepping after Asch too, reaching for his other arm. Between him and Flayn both, there's enough apprehension to go around, caution rising through him.

He's seen this before. It has to be a lie. ]

Asch... don't.

[gatonina]

[Strangely, the hollow sounds beneath their feet continues to echo, and there's a light swell of violins kicking in as Asch begins to walk and their worry begins to seep through to him. The petals seem to push them ahead, nudging them forward as if to encourage them to walk into the field. The lights shift, casting a glow on the two children ahead and singling out Asch. A path is lit before him to allow him to walk ahead, and soon he'll hear a voice that's not quite his own respond.]

"You do it then." [A small, clumsily-made chain of flowers is pushed into the girl's hands as the boy folds his arms over his chest, glaring at the flowers themselves. The grass beneath Asch, Flayn and Dimitri begins to gently brush over their shoes, swaying in the wind and the light focuses on the girl and on Asch. She scowls at the boy, hands quickly fixing the mess he's made to create a solid chain of flowers.]

"See? Like this. They have to be strong."

[getdrekt]

[he can hear them. feel their concern, worry, soaking into him as they try to pull him back—even knowing it's not real, knowing in his heart it can't be--

a backsurge of lonliness, longing, yearning for a simpler time rushes into Dimitri and Flayn, drowning the worry with the memory of a love so simple, straightforward, and pure, that he just can't look away, even with the knowledge it's a trick, a trap laid just for him.

he's never been good at avoiding his feelings.

Asch steps forward again, towards the duo in the soft grass, knowing just what she'll do with the chain next. his voice, a strained whisper, says her name like a prayer.]

Natalia.

[fishingforcompliments]

[It's a trap.

All of them know it's a trap, but - aren't they already ensnared in it? She lets go of his sleeve, but the longing lingers for a few seconds, and despite herself, she takes a few steps after him.

She should grab his arm and pull him away, she knows -

But she can't.]

[overruns]

[ The music rises with them, as does the strange hollow to their steps, and he knows something is wrong. That acknowledgment, the sense of dread, it moves through them too—but so does Asch's love for this simpler time when he still owned his life. Or maybe it's for the girl he's with.

Maybe both. It's enough that his heart aches after it, his hand tightening on Asch's forearm. He knows he has to let go—there's no way he can run them all off while Asch's feelings bleed into him—but for a moment his heart sways for longer than his mind does.

He at least tries to dig his heels in, but he's not stepping back. His voice loses some of its conviction. ]

...We can't stay, Asch.

[gatonina]

[There's a slow addition of wind instruments mixed into the sound playing around them, and if they look back the darkness seems to have followed them so the only light shed is from the spotlights. Asch approaches, and when he says her name Natalia turns to tilt her head and look up at him. The flower chain rests in her hands and she gives him a wide-eyed stare. The boy next to her, that replica, frowns in thought but doesn't speak again. The light around her has a soft red hue to it, glowing like the sunset and she holds the chain up for Asch to take.]

"Ready to try again?" [There's kindness in her eyes and her expression, attention focused on Asch for the moment as the chain rests against her palms, almost swaying tantalizingly in the breeze.] "Don't get frustrated."

[getdrekt]

[with one hand free, he's balanced enough to lean, then kneel down in the grass beside the minute Natalia, all attention focused on her. he can barely breath, as he reaches out to carefully, so carefully, take the chain from her hands.

it's happiness. it's contentment. it's everything he wants, ever wanted, everything he can never have. he can't look away.

Asch nods, completely fixated—and smiles.]

Yes.

Show me.