RE: THIS PROGRAM HAS BEEN CANCELED [S!1][ROUND THREE: PORT CERIDWEN]
05-26-2018, 02:05 AM
A gap in space, a leap across a gateway you couldn't see the edges of, a stoma of twilit buildings and cobblestones that grew and swallowed them and their feet touched stone and their lungs breathed air and a feeling like all her neurons being grabbed and tugged like they were one big leash lanced through Bennie's skull.
Stop them from removing Freefall by any means necessary.
What, Bennie wanted to say, but it was pretty obvious, even with half your mind wrapped around the fist of an angry god, the little superheroes, color-coded , out-of-place, here to save the day. And besides, she doubted this was a two-way channel. BroStAuth didn't think like that.
The grip released and Bennie's self snapped back together. Of course, of course. Can't let go of—the talent! She staggered, reached to steady herself on Tschic, who sensibly dodged it and allowed the much more solid Ace to catch her.
Ace. The blue and red figure resolved, flexible fabric and form-fitting body armor, into the mentor-leader-peer figure Freefall had idly rattled on about, had so desperately needed the approval of even when speaking of him in passing. The metallic METAL, serious and dependable. And Magenta...
I'm really starting to get you, Freefall, she thought woozily as light and love herself—pink as she should be—passed fingers over Bennie's head—or her aura, maybe—and asked her what on this plane of existence had happened to her.
“Dunno,” Bennie said, clumsily swatting the hands away and struggling to use Ace as a crutch more effectively, “'llbefine innasec.”
“That was a psionic attack. You should--” Ace grunted as Bennie elbowed his trapezius, “Let Maggie help.”
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“--To, to help p-people b-b-but sometimes, they d-don’t want to be helped--y-yy-you get--I go-I go-got, used to to this kind of, misund-d-der--mist-trea--these kinds of mm-mistakes.”
The china-blue twilight of Port Ceridwen had faded. Lights were coming on down below. From where Kriok sat, up above it, the sky mackerel-patterned and still bereft of stars, the town sparkling with lanterns and windows, it was like the world was turned upside down. A clammy wind blew up from the streets and she ruffled her feathers.
Kriok had climbed her way up to the top of what she assumed was an old decommissioned lighthouse, abandoned in favor of new, better-built ones. Leon had followed her, and she hadn’t cared enough to tell him--whatever it was that would change his mind about following an old woman up a crumbling tower to watch her be alone. She had thought he might leave in shock after she had neatly broke and then entered, but he had talked himself into being ok with it by the second flight, just like he was now attempting to talk himself into being ok with being hated by most of the people he met.
Kriok thought, if I spoke kindly to him he’d never leave my side.
Kriok said, “This city is doomed.”
“Wh-what?”
A thought--a feeling--something staring up out of darkness between the stars of the miniature cosmos below--tiredness--déjà vu--plain old pessimism--Kriok rifled through the answers and realized that as usual she didn’t really care. It had felt true enough coming out of her mouth. Hardly a bad bet considering what happened everywhere else they all went. She clacked her beak. Leon fell silent.
Stop them from removing Freefall by any means necessary.
What, Bennie wanted to say, but it was pretty obvious, even with half your mind wrapped around the fist of an angry god, the little superheroes, color-coded , out-of-place, here to save the day. And besides, she doubted this was a two-way channel. BroStAuth didn't think like that.
The grip released and Bennie's self snapped back together. Of course, of course. Can't let go of—the talent! She staggered, reached to steady herself on Tschic, who sensibly dodged it and allowed the much more solid Ace to catch her.
Ace. The blue and red figure resolved, flexible fabric and form-fitting body armor, into the mentor-leader-peer figure Freefall had idly rattled on about, had so desperately needed the approval of even when speaking of him in passing. The metallic METAL, serious and dependable. And Magenta...
I'm really starting to get you, Freefall, she thought woozily as light and love herself—pink as she should be—passed fingers over Bennie's head—or her aura, maybe—and asked her what on this plane of existence had happened to her.
“Dunno,” Bennie said, clumsily swatting the hands away and struggling to use Ace as a crutch more effectively, “'llbefine innasec.”
“That was a psionic attack. You should--” Ace grunted as Bennie elbowed his trapezius, “Let Maggie help.”
--------
“--To, to help p-people b-b-but sometimes, they d-don’t want to be helped--y-yy-you get--I go-I go-got, used to to this kind of, misund-d-der--mist-trea--these kinds of mm-mistakes.”
The china-blue twilight of Port Ceridwen had faded. Lights were coming on down below. From where Kriok sat, up above it, the sky mackerel-patterned and still bereft of stars, the town sparkling with lanterns and windows, it was like the world was turned upside down. A clammy wind blew up from the streets and she ruffled her feathers.
Kriok had climbed her way up to the top of what she assumed was an old decommissioned lighthouse, abandoned in favor of new, better-built ones. Leon had followed her, and she hadn’t cared enough to tell him--whatever it was that would change his mind about following an old woman up a crumbling tower to watch her be alone. She had thought he might leave in shock after she had neatly broke and then entered, but he had talked himself into being ok with it by the second flight, just like he was now attempting to talk himself into being ok with being hated by most of the people he met.
Kriok thought, if I spoke kindly to him he’d never leave my side.
Kriok said, “This city is doomed.”
“Wh-what?”
A thought--a feeling--something staring up out of darkness between the stars of the miniature cosmos below--tiredness--déjà vu--plain old pessimism--Kriok rifled through the answers and realized that as usual she didn’t really care. It had felt true enough coming out of her mouth. Hardly a bad bet considering what happened everywhere else they all went. She clacked her beak. Leon fell silent.