[ Accordingly, Ai-Doll's gaze just slides right off the door a few times, unfocused and unseeing... but then something seems to click and she blinks rapidly before pulling in a sharp breath. ]
That's right, it's... mm, I can't quite see it, but...
[ She hurries over to Chaosbringer's side and imitates him, lifting up her hand. It takes her a few times to find it with her hand but when she splays her palm out on the door, she freezes. ]
[ As the two of them push on the door... there's no give. There's no handle, either, which would imply pushing is the right way to go — but nope. Nothing. There's not even the rattle of a lock.
Something does happen as they try and force the door open, though. Now Chaosbringer has his hands on it and can visualize the door properly... he remembers.
He's seen doors like this before. Every time he's come to try and find Crimson — there's been so many of them scattered around this eerie, distant dream. He just never realized before. He was never allowed to realize.
[Chaosbringer goes very still for a moment. His gloves hide the way his knuckles whiten as his fumbling against the door becomes a solid grip for that moment.]
[He's not surprised, mind. Mostly irritated that he'd never quite figured it out. Why else would they have awakened in a dream before, not knowing how they got to where they were? Of course they had gotten to that field of flowers in some way! Is this the first time he remembered fiddling with a door like this, or did he do so last time too and then forgot it? Or is he remembering now for another reason?]
I'm suddenly not feeling very charitable about this.
[One hand still on the door, he reaches over his shoulder to draw his weapon. Either the Sandglass will prove a key, or raw force will!]
[ Quite understandably, Ai-Doll splutters a bit. ]
Wh— hold on, wait! What's gotten into you all of a sudden?
[ She's not actually stopping him, mainly because... well, she knows Zeke well enough to guess that this is either just melodrama and not to be worried about or he's making a call that some force is required here. Neither of which she necessarily objects to, but she'd like to be brought on board, at least! ]
This place, these doors, are messing with our memory every time we come here. Chances are this isn't even the first time I realized this. So I'm gonna do something that gives me a chance of sticking it in my memory! You want to jump as high as you can, for this one, soon as I come down.
[As proof of his immense and abiding respect for Dreamer Ai-Doll, he actually waits for her to understand and agree before he just leaps into the air himself.]
[Zeke vaults into the air, bringing his sword back over his head to swing it in an arc for the ground.]
ULTIMATE LIGHTNING FURY SLASH MAAAAAAX!
[The sword slams into the water and the ground below, exploding lightning in the shape of 極 (and, as a sidenote, 改). Forked tongues of electricity rush out into the water, crackling like a web as Zeke mixes his own power with the natural conductivity of water. His target isn't the door they found, but the whole area! Let's see how many bloody invisi-doors he can find like this!]
[ It's a tricky little maneuver to pull off without electrocuting them both but against all odds, Ai-Doll times her jump into the air just so that she avoids the electricity coursing out over the water. As is probably expected, it fries most of the flowers still swaying in the water and as the energy spreads out further—
There's definitely more doors. There's a lot of doors. It's impossible to count, both because they vanish so quickly and because of the horrible feeling that descends over both of them.
The sense that something that absolutely should not be looking their way has suddenly taken notice of them. ]
[Yeah. That's what he thought. This is... if they assume Crimson is creating some form of Disturbance, then this is another layer to it. That explains why the other ones had multiple difference scenes, yet they'd only seen one from Crimson thus far.]
[Zeke rises from his crouch, lifting up his sword as he does with a slight tremble in the blade betraying his sudden nerves. No one would call him a coward, and perhaps some suspect he has no idea what fear is (or common sense)... but the sudden instinctual fear hits deep and hard, right in the solar plexus of the soul, knocking free its metaphorical breath before Chaosbringer can even bring up a defense.]
Ai-Doll. We need to get through a door or we need to wake up. Now. Your choice.
[Legend though she may be, she isn't Indestructible.]
[ It almost feels like a blow to the stomach. The searing gaze of something that shouldn't be looking at them — it's heavy enough that she feels half crushed, her breath all rushing out of her. This trip has already been strange enough as it is but now she's got the feeling they're stumbling even further than they'd initially planned.
Proceed or retreat. Push forward or wake up.
She swallows hard and pulls in a shallow breath so she can force her voice to stay steady when she answers. ]
Right now? We wake up. We have no idea what's on the other side of any of these doors even if we could get them open. We need to come back with a plan.
[Damn it. Of course she'd chosen the one he didn't want. Chaosbringer knows they've opened the doors, somehow, and one option as to what's on the other side at least. And even if he didn't, he'd charge ahead rather than be balked.]
[But he'd given her the choice, because he has no right to drag her into danger purely because he's a stubborn muttonhead, and he's going to respect that.]
[He jerks his head in a quick nod.] Do it. I'll cover you just in case something's weird, then follow you.
[And once again, he will absolutely do so. The first time he says that and doesn't follow through is the last time anyone will trust him.]
[ Ai-Doll stays just long enough to give him a firm nod before she vanishes back to the Waking World.
In the moment Chaosbringer is left alone, all that focus zeroes in on him. It's an absolutely crushing pressure, like something is descending out of the sky to get a closer look at him.
[ It takes too long. Much, much longer than it should. It feels like trying to swim through treacle. Usually intent is all it takes to whisk a Dreamer back to wakefulness but this time...
For a second, it almost feels like something is trying to drag him back. To close his eyes and keep him sleeping forever. But just as he's starting to get really, truly worried...
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
beautifuldreamermods) wrote2023-06-15 08:30 pm
no subject
That's right, it's... mm, I can't quite see it, but...
[ She hurries over to Chaosbringer's side and imitates him, lifting up her hand. It takes her a few times to find it with her hand but when she splays her palm out on the door, she freezes. ]
It is here... but where does it go?
no subject
Dreamer Ai-Doll! You know there's but one way to find out!
[There's got to be a knob or handle or something on this thing! All he has to do is find it! And push! Then pull! Or possibly lift!]
no subject
Something does happen as they try and force the door open, though. Now Chaosbringer has his hands on it and can visualize the door properly... he remembers.
He's seen doors like this before. Every time he's come to try and find Crimson — there's been so many of them scattered around this eerie, distant dream. He just never realized before. He was never allowed to realize.
Where on Earth could they lead? ]
no subject
[He's not surprised, mind. Mostly irritated that he'd never quite figured it out. Why else would they have awakened in a dream before, not knowing how they got to where they were? Of course they had gotten to that field of flowers in some way! Is this the first time he remembered fiddling with a door like this, or did he do so last time too and then forgot it? Or is he remembering now for another reason?]
I'm suddenly not feeling very charitable about this.
[One hand still on the door, he reaches over his shoulder to draw his weapon. Either the Sandglass will prove a key, or raw force will!]
no subject
Wh— hold on, wait! What's gotten into you all of a sudden?
[ She's not actually stopping him, mainly because... well, she knows Zeke well enough to guess that this is either just melodrama and not to be worried about or he's making a call that some force is required here. Neither of which she necessarily objects to, but she'd like to be brought on board, at least! ]
no subject
[As proof of his immense and abiding respect for Dreamer Ai-Doll, he actually waits for her to understand and agree before he just leaps into the air himself.]
no subject
[ ... or so she says, but she's preparing to leap even as she protests. When has something not being a good idea ever actually stopped Chaosbringer? ]
no subject
[Zeke vaults into the air, bringing his sword back over his head to swing it in an arc for the ground.]
ULTIMATE LIGHTNING FURY SLASH MAAAAAAX!
[The sword slams into the water and the ground below, exploding lightning in the shape of 極 (and, as a sidenote, 改). Forked tongues of electricity rush out into the water, crackling like a web as Zeke mixes his own power with the natural conductivity of water. His target isn't the door they found, but the whole area! Let's see how many bloody invisi-doors he can find like this!]
no subject
There's definitely more doors. There's a lot of doors. It's impossible to count, both because they vanish so quickly and because of the horrible feeling that descends over both of them.
The sense that something that absolutely should not be looking their way has suddenly taken notice of them. ]
no subject
[Zeke rises from his crouch, lifting up his sword as he does with a slight tremble in the blade betraying his sudden nerves. No one would call him a coward, and perhaps some suspect he has no idea what fear is (or common sense)... but the sudden instinctual fear hits deep and hard, right in the solar plexus of the soul, knocking free its metaphorical breath before Chaosbringer can even bring up a defense.]
Ai-Doll. We need to get through a door or we need to wake up. Now. Your choice.
[Legend though she may be, she isn't Indestructible.]
no subject
Proceed or retreat. Push forward or wake up.
She swallows hard and pulls in a shallow breath so she can force her voice to stay steady when she answers. ]
Right now? We wake up. We have no idea what's on the other side of any of these doors even if we could get them open. We need to come back with a plan.
no subject
[But he'd given her the choice, because he has no right to drag her into danger purely because he's a stubborn muttonhead, and he's going to respect that.]
[He jerks his head in a quick nod.] Do it. I'll cover you just in case something's weird, then follow you.
[And once again, he will absolutely do so. The first time he says that and doesn't follow through is the last time anyone will trust him.]
no subject
In the moment Chaosbringer is left alone, all that focus zeroes in on him. It's an absolutely crushing pressure, like something is descending out of the sky to get a closer look at him.
Does he leave? ]
no subject
[...plus he's legit scared, but he'll never admit that.]
1/2
The bad news is... ]
EXCURSION END
For a second, it almost feels like something is trying to drag him back. To close his eyes and keep him sleeping forever. But just as he's starting to get really, truly worried...
He wakes up. ]