PLAYER PLOT: fear is the mind-killer

[fullmoon]

CHARACTERS: You and all your least favorite things.
LOCATION: Shipwide.
WARNINGS: Violence, gore, monsters, psych trauma. (Please warn for any potential triggers—e.g. medical horror, eye stuff, recollection of past sexual trauma—in your subject lines.)
SUMMARY: Boggarts. See the plot post for a full timeline if you want to forward-date; otherwise, watch this space for updates.
NOTES: Whatever happens, however this ends, remember that it's Draco Malfoy's fault.

JAN 22

If you've been paying attention, you should already be on edge. Ward and Resnik have returned without many answers. There's the dead pirate again. The Tranquility is being pursued. People are talking about violent confrontation like it's inevitable, any cycle now. Any day. And now Morgoth is back, somewhere in the corridors.

If you keep an eye out, you won't find him. But you might find something else.

JAN 23

Never mind about Morgoth.

JAN 24

Despite very well-intended claims to the contrary (see above), the mounting evidence suggests that boggarts can be killed. Also, there's probably more than one. Sorry about that.

Comments

[fade_away]

[Enough to distract, and free Cole enough that he can move his feet once more, back into the quick moves that the rogue is good for. He turns sharply to look at Dorian, so completely wrapped up in his own fear that he actually hadn't sensed the other, but then he's moving again, darting in to strike at the Despair demon before moving back.

He is still terrified. Still filled with dread. He puts himself between Dorian and the demon just the same.]

[sparkler]

[He tries to distract himself enough that the creature can't fee off his fear. He doesn't want to see that thing again - and honestly, this is enough. The thought of Cole turning into something so twisted, so different... that is terrifying. Dorian does believe that Cole never would, that this is just another fear, but how can he know?]

Fight, Cole. You can do this.

[He swings his staff, blasting the creature with his magic.]

[fade_away]

[He can't know. Neither can Cole, really. That's why he's so afraid.

When Dorian sends the blast of magic, Cole dives in after it. He just barely misses being caught by friendly fire himself, instead using it as cover as he weaves around the stunned 'demon', briefly vanishing with the movement until he reappears as his daggers embed themselves in its back.]

[sparkler]

[That's more like it. And these things seem... weaker than they would be at home. Dorian is weaker too, so perhaps that's what causes it. Or perhaps these things are something else entirely. Currently, Dorian is leaning toward the second explanation, but he really isn't sure.

He steps forward, staff at the ready, gathering his power for another spell. It sank to the ground when Cole stabbed it...]

Is it dead?

[fade_away]

[It's probably dead.

That doesn't stop Cole from stabbing it a few more times, from cutting it's throat, just to be sure.]

Yes.

[Before? Probably. Now? Definitely. He's still shaking a little bit.]

[sparkler]

[He steps closer. He doesn't want to startle Cole - especially not with weapons in his hands - so he reaches out carefully, just to put a hand on Cole's shoulder.]

It wasn't you.

[fade_away]

[Cole's grip on his daggers goes slightly slack when Dorian touches his shoulder. A gesture meant to comfort. Dorian is concerned. Concerned for him. Cole's voice is soft, grieving.]

It could have been. It almost was. Not again, never again. I won't make that mistake again.

[sparkler]

You won't. And we'll be here too - it'll be much easier to stay on track with the Commander looking over your shoulder, don't you think?

[His voice is lighter, trying to cheer Cole up in Dorian's usual manner. Of course, he'll be watching Cole as well, both for the boy's sake and for everyone else's, but he imagines Cullen is probably a more apparent threat.]

[fade_away]

[Cullen is the more apparent threat. Even without lyrium, he's still a templar on the inside, a templar like Evangeline was. He has to protect mages from demons.]

Yes. He needs to kill me if that happens.

[sparkler]

We'll do our best to keep that from being necessary.

[But he'll do it if it comes to that. Dorian knows well that if it did, it would be for the best - for all of them.]