Alone in the Light

[Ebonywood Hellscythe]

Wanted OM to buy a move, and also figured we should probably have a travel post considering it's some miles and Ebony is a slow walker. It seems unreasonable to brush it off, but I think I've covered it entirely with this post (I know you wanna get to the Steppes quick).

Did an edit to change the vehicle. 

Ebony had clambered to her feet using her scythe as a support. She looked towards Morene in silence. Morene was nice. Morene felt safe, like her scythe but physically colder. Using her hands, Ebony brushed back her hair - temporarily lowering her hood to do so. She was a mess.

Her belts were out of place, some overlapping completely and others angled too much; her choker was twisted sideways, the buckle being too far to the right; her cloak and shirt were crumpled, small creases and clumps of fabric were shown on each - her lower stomach showing from the raised fabric causing one of the cold metal belt buckles to touch it; her fingerless gloves had started to shift down her hand, slack forming between her fingers slowed her usually dexterous hand movements; her hair was rugged prior to it being fixed, stray strands curling off to the sides and in front of her eyes blocking her vision.

While Morene seemed anxious to move onwards, Ebony was not. There were just things she had to sort out first, a girl gotta have priorities and exploring or travelling the world looking as she did was not one of them. Ebony had to look cool at all times. Starting the process, she placed the warm staff of the scythe between her thighs, just above the knees, to hold it steady and out of the way. From there Ebony lowered her belts slightly giving her the room to yank down her form-fitting shirt, pulling it snugly around her shoulders and chest; the fabric was soft and the outfit designed for her measurements so it didn't need to stretch. Slack was nonexistent. Carrying on, she pulled up her hood, adjusted her belts, straightened cloak and choker, and lastly pulled her gloves taunt with a satisfying smack.

Dry tears still stained her face but were hidden by the shade of her cloak. Glowing red eyes still shined through the darkness, drawing the attention of anyone who might look. Ebony pushed forwards with an unsteady clamber (part sprint, part skip, part walk) to catch up with Morene, who had slowly started drifting away towards the distant gate but was considerate enough to not stray too far - even if she really wanted to get moving. The hard soles of her boots and the wooden bottom of her scythe clapped against the floor with her irregular, yet still not particularly fast, movement speed. The general manoeuvre wasn't any more effective than a brisk walk.

Ebony thought over Morene's words as the duo walked forwards. She looked up to the woman already. Ebony was often too scared, too insecure, too unconfident to protect people. But Morene has achieved all of that with a few words, words that comforted her. While Ebonywood Hellscythe was written to be a lone hero, she had no complex about it, and neither did Ebony. There was no shame in accepting help, friendship, assistance, or someone to protect you and watch your back. Ebony just hoped she could do the same to Morene sometime. She didn't want to be a burden. She couldn't stop the ship from sinking in the storm, and shortly into the walk, she'd decided she didn't want anything like that to happen to her new friend. Assuming they were friends. It was hard to tell, and Ebony lacked the drive to ask the question. It was hard to be the first person to talk in a conversation. 

She wasn't a fast walker, and Morene has likely noticed this. She was probably mulling over ideas for speeding the pair up. After each step, Ebony's mind became slightly clearer and her body showed fewer signs of fear. She still hugged her scythe, but the shivers were gone. That didn't remove the acidic taste in her mouth, nor the growing dull ache of sadness. She may have been walking, but it didn't feel like she was moving forwards. If anything, she felt further away from home than she did back at the fountain, even if she really disliked that place along with everything else that was bathed with the dull white Nexus light. It left her feeling exposed and vulnerable, even under her cloak. The fountain felt like a point of connection to home. It was where she came here, so she considered trying to jump back in and going through. Morene didn't mention anything, maybe she had tried that.

While adventuring sounded cool, Ebony still clung onto her old home, even though the back of her mind suggested that it would be gone even if she could go back. She suppressed it. Hope. She didn't want to give up. She might not know what to do or where to go, but perhaps she could learn something while following Morene. Ebony's pace slowed further due to her thoughts, with Morene having to stop and wait for her occasionally.

"Ebony, dear. We've got some miles to go so I'm going to get us a ride."

"Huh? How." Ebony looked around the near empty white plane from the artificial safety of her cloak. 

"Just stand and watch." Morene paused for a short moment, seeming to think to herself before glancing in the direction of the gate and focusing.

Time passed as Ebony did exactly what Morene said. She scratched her scythe, fingernails sliding down the smooth surface without denting it. She played her her cloak, idly flicking it and letting it sway forwards and backwards, colliding with the backs of her knees with each swing. Standing still made her conscious of how much her legs ached. Ebony was tired. She may have been lying on the ground, but the floor was hard and pushed against her. The whole process of her first moments up to when Vulre, Morene, and the stormtroopers came were much too stressful to be considered rest. The walking had at least made her feel less nauseous, even if she could still taste bile on the back of her tongue.

Ebony looked back towards Morene after having daydreamed for the past few minutes. A strange blue and silver metal construction sat on the ground, the body raised by a pair of wheels. Ebony examined the blocky body of the object, standing on the tips of her toes as she did so. There seemed to be a padded seat of sorts in a dip between the wheels. Upon further analysis, it looked like some kind of vehicle or cart, but without a horse to push it. From the context, Ebony guessed it probably could move some other way - she certainly didn't want her or Morene to have to push it. It also had a set of handles in front of the main seat. Ebony guessed they were to help the riders hold on, although they didn't seem to be connected by more than a thinner piece of metal. Maybe they help steer the thing? Like the wheel of the ship...

"Sweet. I didn't think it'd be that easy. Haven't tried to make one of these things before. Hopefully, it works as intended."

Morene hopped into the seat and shuffled, making room for the armour she still wore before grabbing on to the handles and giving them an experimental twist. The black rubbery wheel turned in sync. Ebony still didn't understand how Morene created it or how it was supposed to move, however. Nonetheless, she tentatively sat down behind the armoured woman - both legs hanging off the same side. While there didn't seem to be a proper second seat, there was padding behind the first one, enough for Ebony to sit down. Although, besides Morene, she had little to hold on to. And nowhere to really put her scythe.

"Hmm... let me take that for a second, honey." Morene gestured to Ebony's scythe and slowly moved one of her hands towards it. However, before she could clasp her hand around it, Ebony jerked it away and threw it to the side. It disintegrated into the air, the black wood and silver metal flaking off into harmless purple flames. Ebony's eyes returned to the usual green, the glowing effect gone. Less cool in her opinion, but she still took pride in her appearance. Besides her general build, her eyes were the only thing she didn't need to change to cosplay as her imaginary idol.

"...Well, I guess that would work too. Can you remake it?"

Ebony nodded, the fake cat ears on her hood flapped from the motion. Morene smiled from this, seeming somewhat reserved as if containing her excitement.

"Hold on to me dear, and get ready for a ride."

Tentatively, Ebony reached around Morene's waist until her gloved hands connected. The metal didn't feel as cold as she remembered it, and the frigid feel before was likely exaggerated by her fear. That didn't mean it was comfortable to touch, however. Nonetheless, as she pushed herself into Morene, her own heat was eventually absorbed by the metal causing it to warm and easing the cold feel.

The motorbike (as Ebony would later learn to call it) moved forwards slowly at first while Morene gradually accelerated. Ebony had no problem with the speed. In the past she'd regularly stood on top of the crow's nest of the ship, scanning the horizon and feeling the strong winds push against her face. It was initially loud while accelerating, but not too much so when at a constant reasonable speed. Or maybe it just felt like that to her as she got used to the noise.

Some conversation was made over the sound of the engine as they approached the gate, but for most topics, Ebony used her words sparingly as she replied. She was quiet, barely heard over the bike. There were too many new things. Too much to consider. Ebony just didn't know what to ask or even how to ask it. When she needed to talk back, there further wasn't much she could say. On a normal day with the right prompting Ebony was definitely capable of being talkative; but here, after finishing a reply, she often found herself thinking of things she missed, or something she should have said. Morene asked Ebony what her favourite animal was. "Panther" she had replied, no additional details to help the conversation along. She thought of plenty afterwards, such as asking the question back or clarifying reasons but adding words the newly formed empty air just didn't feel right. Even if her mind told her otherwise, she felt like she was imposing. 

Regardless, despite the awkward car chatter, Ebony was in a much better mental state than in her first hours. That was progress. As the minutes passed, the topless car eventually made its way to the gate. If Morene said anything regarding the place it led, it was lost on Ebony. She was out of it and hadn't been paying much attention. Home was what she thought of, and its absence left a non-physical pain. She didn't shiver or cry anymore, but that didn't stop it being sad. Nonetheless, she grasped onto her hope of return with the tips of her fingernails, aiming to pull it into a grip and willing it to manifest into reality.

Maybe she would get lucky. Maybe this gate would actually take her back there. But Morene didn't seem to think so. In fact, Ebony recalled her suggesting it was actually dangerous. She hoped it wasn't. She'd had enough fear to last a lifetime.

Still hugging Morene through her armour, and leaning her hooded head on the metal covered back, Ebony and Morene finally exited the Nexus.