Vestibule of Darkness [Nayru/Veigue]
Nov 1, 2016 14:28:09 GMT -6
Post by Nayru Al-Saiduq on Nov 1, 2016 14:28:09 GMT -6
[2015 'Best Duo Topic' Black Ticket]
For approximately the 1,573,592th time today, Nayru seriously reconsidered just turning around and walking to the nearest bar to drown herself in whatever was most likely to get her shitfaced drunk enough to stop thinking permanently. That was the problem with thinking, usually it was harmless or helpful, but when you tried to stop you realized you weren't really in control at all, that you didn't control your thoughts as much as they controlled you. That they could just go on with or without you. She was definitely overstating it, but it felt like being in a prison formed of her own mind. Not literally of course, but being faced with one's own lack of control of themselves was never a nice feeling. Admittedly, Nayru had never quite been the, ah, pinnacle of self-control as dragons went, but she had SOME pride as a dragon, and in general she had always tried to have as much control as possible over herself. Being faced with reality instead was quite discomfiting.
Still... here she was. Against her own better judgement. Against her own cowardice. Trying to push down the fear inside her own heart. She wanted to say that she had come here through self-mastery and bravery, in a dogged pursuit of the truth that brooked no disagreement or weakness, but in truth Nayru knew that she was only really hear from a mix of stubbornness and fear of the consequences of cowering within herself. She didn't have the luxury of leaving the past hidden in shadows and mist anymore. Not after what she had done against the chimera. Even if not for that, the simple fact that the beast had come to life at all, that it had been linked to her in some way, had made that decision for her - but Nayru had also been forced to recognize that she could no longer ignore her own truth. She wasn't much of a dragon... but the terrible power that had haunted her for her entire life only continued to grow, and by now she knew that it was something other than just twisted draconic power. Perhaps she had always known and refused to admit it from false humility, or perhaps it had only come to light after meeting so many other dragons, but... while she didn't have the control and mentality of most, she had far too much raw power. More than anyone she had ever met. It had to come from somewhere, SHE had to come from somewhere.
And she couldn't run from it forever.
Nayru still wasn't sure if she was glad Veigue was there or not. She knew she could trust him, but... it was hard not to worry for his safety. She didn't know what was in there, and now, staring at the ruined doors of their target, smelling the stench of corrupted shadow pouring from it, tasting the raw magic in the atmosphere, it was difficult not to second guess herself even more than usual. The medallion had led her to this place, some sort of ruin that appeared to have been recently unearthed by a landslide. Ugh. They couldn't very well turn around now, and the dragon knew all too well from personal experience that trying to get Veigue to back out now would be a complete waste of both of their time, but it was still tempting to try.
She also wasn't sure if she really wanted to be alone or REALLY wanted to not be alone, either, which ironically enough probably frustrated her more than the rest of the situation combined. Was she really so broken of a person that she honestly couldn't tell if she wanted to wallow in her own failure away from prying eyes, or risk a friend's life just to have them at her side when facing her own weakness? She didn't exactly have a lot of spare friends these days, and Nayru for one didn't particularly want to lose the few she had.
Pocketing the medallion, its purpose complete, she walked towards the battered doors, noting the dense stone that comprised them, the fact that they clearly would not open normally anymore... and the fact that there were deep impacts in both of them, places where the stone had bent and broken outwards. The doors were still intact, nothing had actually escaped them, but something had tried very hard indeed - and nearly succeeded. She wasn't sure if that made it all the more imperative that they investigated, or suggested that they leave well enough the f**k alone, but she did know one thing for damn sure now. They didn't have the luxury of just taking a peek anymore.
"...Veigue." She had been getting progressively moodier and more withdrawn for much of this hike so it was the first exchange they had actually had beyond short, one or two word communications in a bit. The weight of the situation, and the truth, weighed on her and her words in equal part; there was none of her usual (questionable) attempts at wit and humor. "If we open these doors, there's no going back. There is old magic here, dark magic, at levels that shouldn't be possible in Elibe." And oddly familiar, she didn't add. It smelled too... right for how wrong it was. She knew the scent of this place, even if she didn't know what much else, and that was a worrying quality indeed. "There may be beasts akin to the chimera here, and we cannot let them loose on Elibe."
The fact that something had nearly battered through the thick stone doors separating them from their target spoke for itself, far more clearly than anything she had said.
For approximately the 1,573,592th time today, Nayru seriously reconsidered just turning around and walking to the nearest bar to drown herself in whatever was most likely to get her shitfaced drunk enough to stop thinking permanently. That was the problem with thinking, usually it was harmless or helpful, but when you tried to stop you realized you weren't really in control at all, that you didn't control your thoughts as much as they controlled you. That they could just go on with or without you. She was definitely overstating it, but it felt like being in a prison formed of her own mind. Not literally of course, but being faced with one's own lack of control of themselves was never a nice feeling. Admittedly, Nayru had never quite been the, ah, pinnacle of self-control as dragons went, but she had SOME pride as a dragon, and in general she had always tried to have as much control as possible over herself. Being faced with reality instead was quite discomfiting.
Still... here she was. Against her own better judgement. Against her own cowardice. Trying to push down the fear inside her own heart. She wanted to say that she had come here through self-mastery and bravery, in a dogged pursuit of the truth that brooked no disagreement or weakness, but in truth Nayru knew that she was only really hear from a mix of stubbornness and fear of the consequences of cowering within herself. She didn't have the luxury of leaving the past hidden in shadows and mist anymore. Not after what she had done against the chimera. Even if not for that, the simple fact that the beast had come to life at all, that it had been linked to her in some way, had made that decision for her - but Nayru had also been forced to recognize that she could no longer ignore her own truth. She wasn't much of a dragon... but the terrible power that had haunted her for her entire life only continued to grow, and by now she knew that it was something other than just twisted draconic power. Perhaps she had always known and refused to admit it from false humility, or perhaps it had only come to light after meeting so many other dragons, but... while she didn't have the control and mentality of most, she had far too much raw power. More than anyone she had ever met. It had to come from somewhere, SHE had to come from somewhere.
And she couldn't run from it forever.
Nayru still wasn't sure if she was glad Veigue was there or not. She knew she could trust him, but... it was hard not to worry for his safety. She didn't know what was in there, and now, staring at the ruined doors of their target, smelling the stench of corrupted shadow pouring from it, tasting the raw magic in the atmosphere, it was difficult not to second guess herself even more than usual. The medallion had led her to this place, some sort of ruin that appeared to have been recently unearthed by a landslide. Ugh. They couldn't very well turn around now, and the dragon knew all too well from personal experience that trying to get Veigue to back out now would be a complete waste of both of their time, but it was still tempting to try.
She also wasn't sure if she really wanted to be alone or REALLY wanted to not be alone, either, which ironically enough probably frustrated her more than the rest of the situation combined. Was she really so broken of a person that she honestly couldn't tell if she wanted to wallow in her own failure away from prying eyes, or risk a friend's life just to have them at her side when facing her own weakness? She didn't exactly have a lot of spare friends these days, and Nayru for one didn't particularly want to lose the few she had.
Pocketing the medallion, its purpose complete, she walked towards the battered doors, noting the dense stone that comprised them, the fact that they clearly would not open normally anymore... and the fact that there were deep impacts in both of them, places where the stone had bent and broken outwards. The doors were still intact, nothing had actually escaped them, but something had tried very hard indeed - and nearly succeeded. She wasn't sure if that made it all the more imperative that they investigated, or suggested that they leave well enough the f**k alone, but she did know one thing for damn sure now. They didn't have the luxury of just taking a peek anymore.
"...Veigue." She had been getting progressively moodier and more withdrawn for much of this hike so it was the first exchange they had actually had beyond short, one or two word communications in a bit. The weight of the situation, and the truth, weighed on her and her words in equal part; there was none of her usual (questionable) attempts at wit and humor. "If we open these doors, there's no going back. There is old magic here, dark magic, at levels that shouldn't be possible in Elibe." And oddly familiar, she didn't add. It smelled too... right for how wrong it was. She knew the scent of this place, even if she didn't know what much else, and that was a worrying quality indeed. "There may be beasts akin to the chimera here, and we cannot let them loose on Elibe."
The fact that something had nearly battered through the thick stone doors separating them from their target spoke for itself, far more clearly than anything she had said.