07-31-2017, 08:12 AM
Malon grew concerned as Strazio and the newcomer - Dane Regan, if she'd gotten his name right? - started to bump their heads. Well, of course Dante's Abyss had been something that had sparked up conflict and likely created hostilities between many Primes, not just these two, and it was something from the very recent past: the memories were still fresh.
Tearen did not seem to mind the conflict too much though, and everyone present at the table looked like they could handle themselves if things were to escalate. She was unable to hide her nervousness though and glanced back and forth between everyone, as if to catch one of them drawing a weapon out of nowhere. Just then Karkat adjusted the knife on his plate, where its angle made the sun reflect a beam of light into Malon's eyes for a moment and she reflexively raised her hand to block it. It was then that a picture formed before her mental eye: a metal speartip, glimmering in the sun just like the knife... and holding the spear was a man whose head just turned as he caught sight of her. A grin of dirty and missing teeth spreaded across his face, then the picture shifted as she turned to run away the way she'd come from.
After this snippet the dam broke and a flood of memories invaded her mind: the short time at the Nexus, the meeting with Alexander Anderson and the vampire, the days - weeks? - spent as a prisoner of the Silverhand bandits, the anthropomorph fox called Carmelita, and Sera! She tried to hold onto that name, but the memory flood tore her along, and within moments the haze that had fogged her memories of Dante's Abyss lifted itself fully. Everything came back to her down to the last detail that she hadn't remembered. People, places, actions, events, emotions, feelings, objects, words, thoughts, plans, relationships, explanations, names. Everything came so fast, she had no idea if it was even in the right order!
Slowly her vision cleared up. She saw the faces of Dane, Strazio, Gamzee, Karkat and Tearen looking at her from their seats, with visible concern in their eyes: it would seem that Strazio had forgotten about his hostility towards Dane for a moment, even. She heard loud breathing and her vision was strangely clouded. Then she realized that it was she who was breathing this loud. She was hyperventilating, her entire body tense like a bowstring. And she had tears in her eyes that were clouding her vision.
"Maru? Is everything okay?" Tearen asked eventually, breaking the tense silence.
"I... yes, I..." She scrambled, trying to gather her thoughts. Her gaze fell on the almost-empty bowl before her. "I must've bitten down on some chili seeds! My mouth is burning!" She grabbed a handkerchief and a large spoonful of coconut milk that she promptly stuffed into her mouth while wiping the tears from her eyes. The intense taste of coconut filled her mouth and she felt pulled back to the present. "Sorry about that... I, ehm. I'll excuse myself, just a moment. Mr. Re- I mean, Dane, he needs a plate too!"
"I've got one right here", Dane replied awkwardly and pointed at an empty plate he'd just set down where he intended to sit. Indeed, apparently Tearen had foreseen that more people may come for the meal and had prepared a self-service stack of extra plates and cutlery.
"I mean, the spoon! I stuffed the only spoon that we have for the coconut milk into my mouth! I'll go get a new one!" She stood up so briskly that the chair behind her almost fell to the ground, though some invisible force tipped it back into place, and she rushed off into the forest, into a wholely different direction than where the kitchen tent with the spare cutlery was located. She had no idea what happened at the table after that, because she felt the world spin around her as she ran deep enough into the forest that she was out of earshot and couldn't see anyone at the edge of the clearing, or be seen from there.
Sera! Carmelita! How could she have forgotten about them?! Carmelita... only vague memories of the fox had crossed her mind up until then, and Sera? She had no memory at all of her! Her stomach twisted, she felt like she would throw up the curry that she had just eaten, but some more deep breaths prevented that. Dante's Abyss... they must have seen her there. Known that she slid into the event by accident, and that she died there. Right? Regardless... she had been asked by the Camelot guards to stay in Minas Tirith because they needed to take her statements against the Silverhand bandits. And she had promised to Sera that she'd stick with her for a while. She needed to let her know... right now.
But the others were no doubt suspicious after her outburst, which she realized must've made her look more than strange. She would explain herself to them later... right now she had to just make her way back. It was a very welcome coincidence that she'd witnessed Dane's usage of an ability to become invisible... for some reason she was able to replicate those abilities for a limited time! Her body vanished as she focused to mimic his trick and she snuck back to the camp, along the edge of the forest where they may have seen her if she was visible, but she was far away enough that they couldn't hear her - although she thought to see Tearen lifting his head for just an instant, but that may have been her imagination. Once she had the tents between them and her she slipped back out of stealth, into the kitchen tent and grabbed her crystal ball from her backpack. She could only hope that Sera was reachable somehow... the guard had lent them communicators so that they could call them when necessary, maybe she could track that one down?
Tearen did not seem to mind the conflict too much though, and everyone present at the table looked like they could handle themselves if things were to escalate. She was unable to hide her nervousness though and glanced back and forth between everyone, as if to catch one of them drawing a weapon out of nowhere. Just then Karkat adjusted the knife on his plate, where its angle made the sun reflect a beam of light into Malon's eyes for a moment and she reflexively raised her hand to block it. It was then that a picture formed before her mental eye: a metal speartip, glimmering in the sun just like the knife... and holding the spear was a man whose head just turned as he caught sight of her. A grin of dirty and missing teeth spreaded across his face, then the picture shifted as she turned to run away the way she'd come from.
After this snippet the dam broke and a flood of memories invaded her mind: the short time at the Nexus, the meeting with Alexander Anderson and the vampire, the days - weeks? - spent as a prisoner of the Silverhand bandits, the anthropomorph fox called Carmelita, and Sera! She tried to hold onto that name, but the memory flood tore her along, and within moments the haze that had fogged her memories of Dante's Abyss lifted itself fully. Everything came back to her down to the last detail that she hadn't remembered. People, places, actions, events, emotions, feelings, objects, words, thoughts, plans, relationships, explanations, names. Everything came so fast, she had no idea if it was even in the right order!
Slowly her vision cleared up. She saw the faces of Dane, Strazio, Gamzee, Karkat and Tearen looking at her from their seats, with visible concern in their eyes: it would seem that Strazio had forgotten about his hostility towards Dane for a moment, even. She heard loud breathing and her vision was strangely clouded. Then she realized that it was she who was breathing this loud. She was hyperventilating, her entire body tense like a bowstring. And she had tears in her eyes that were clouding her vision.
"Maru? Is everything okay?" Tearen asked eventually, breaking the tense silence.
"I... yes, I..." She scrambled, trying to gather her thoughts. Her gaze fell on the almost-empty bowl before her. "I must've bitten down on some chili seeds! My mouth is burning!" She grabbed a handkerchief and a large spoonful of coconut milk that she promptly stuffed into her mouth while wiping the tears from her eyes. The intense taste of coconut filled her mouth and she felt pulled back to the present. "Sorry about that... I, ehm. I'll excuse myself, just a moment. Mr. Re- I mean, Dane, he needs a plate too!"
"I've got one right here", Dane replied awkwardly and pointed at an empty plate he'd just set down where he intended to sit. Indeed, apparently Tearen had foreseen that more people may come for the meal and had prepared a self-service stack of extra plates and cutlery.
"I mean, the spoon! I stuffed the only spoon that we have for the coconut milk into my mouth! I'll go get a new one!" She stood up so briskly that the chair behind her almost fell to the ground, though some invisible force tipped it back into place, and she rushed off into the forest, into a wholely different direction than where the kitchen tent with the spare cutlery was located. She had no idea what happened at the table after that, because she felt the world spin around her as she ran deep enough into the forest that she was out of earshot and couldn't see anyone at the edge of the clearing, or be seen from there.
Sera! Carmelita! How could she have forgotten about them?! Carmelita... only vague memories of the fox had crossed her mind up until then, and Sera? She had no memory at all of her! Her stomach twisted, she felt like she would throw up the curry that she had just eaten, but some more deep breaths prevented that. Dante's Abyss... they must have seen her there. Known that she slid into the event by accident, and that she died there. Right? Regardless... she had been asked by the Camelot guards to stay in Minas Tirith because they needed to take her statements against the Silverhand bandits. And she had promised to Sera that she'd stick with her for a while. She needed to let her know... right now.
But the others were no doubt suspicious after her outburst, which she realized must've made her look more than strange. She would explain herself to them later... right now she had to just make her way back. It was a very welcome coincidence that she'd witnessed Dane's usage of an ability to become invisible... for some reason she was able to replicate those abilities for a limited time! Her body vanished as she focused to mimic his trick and she snuck back to the camp, along the edge of the forest where they may have seen her if she was visible, but she was far away enough that they couldn't hear her - although she thought to see Tearen lifting his head for just an instant, but that may have been her imagination. Once she had the tents between them and her she slipped back out of stealth, into the kitchen tent and grabbed her crystal ball from her backpack. She could only hope that Sera was reachable somehow... the guard had lent them communicators so that they could call them when necessary, maybe she could track that one down?