Sweet dreams are made of these...

[thespaceopera]

[ Calibration Rooms ]
( for A-M characters )

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ROOMS BY CHARACTER

A Abigail Hobbs Aiya/Gray Nightingale Adrasteius Anor'thalion Ahsoka Tano Alex Russo Allen Walker Anders Anthony Crowley Asteffiel Axel

B - D Belthazar Spellscry Beverly Crusher Bran Stark Caesar Zeppeli Cayde-6 Cheese Sandwich Clay Terran Coil Cole Davesprite Duke Pantarei

E - I Elecman.exe Elena Gilbert Elize Lutus Felix Harrowgate Fenris Finrod Haruka Tenoh/Sailor Uranus Imperator Furiosa Isabela Issac Lahey

J - M Jade Harley James Barnes/Jim James Barnes/Winter Joseph Joestar Katara Katniss Everdeen/Nova Kirito/Kazuto Kirigaya Kurt Wagner Leanne Loki Maladict(a) Max Caulfield Megaman Mordin Solus

Comments

[mortalcoil]

[he'd probably be frowning if he were able. he's still clearly unhappy that she's not leaving, but her question distracts him.

he forms the sign for 'forgot,' and shrugs. he had other things occupying his attention, more important than remembering to stoke a fire and stay warm.

it isn't exactly permission, but he's reluctant to leave his veiled project, so... just kind of stares at her uncertainly from where he stands.]

[child_of_bhaal]

[She blinks in bafflement. 'Forgot. How?' Her grammar in sign still isn't great, but she clunks her way through.

For the moment, his project is quite safe. She doesn't want to see what's under that sheet. Not at all. She'll only try to look if it somehow becomes necessary, in her mind. The important thing is getting this place warmer. She moves brusquely across the space, and immediately tries to tend the weak little fire.]

[mortalcoil]

[and as soon as her hand touches the poker, something strange happens.

the door that had locked behind her suddenly pops open with BANG, as it is very quickly caught by a secondary chain lock. it's only able to open by a couple of inches, and there still doesn't seem to be any way to actually undo the chain lock, but it's enough that sound and light from the other side can come spilling in through the little gap.

There's horrible, furious shouting from what sounds like a middle-aged woman, which drowns out a much smaller voice.

Coil is startled and shaken by this development enough to abandon his project under the sheet and go creeping carefully toward the door, though he hesitates to actually look through the gap.]

[child_of_bhaal]

[Her head whips around at the loud bang. It got her attention, as it was likely supposed to do, and she too gets up to investigate.

She hesitates at Coil's side for only a moment, long enough to see he's not going to move closer to look through the gap. But she will. She moves quietly up to that small opening and peers through
]

cw for basically EVERYTHING here. I'm so sorry.

[mortalcoil]

[yes, the way that the door is shoved open against the short length of chain by some invisible force does make it seem as if it's demanding attention. though, it's impossible to tell whether it's hoping that she is the one to acknowledge it, or Coil is.

beyond the door is some central room of what is likely an ancient manor, a dining hall perhaps, though the details outside the glow of the fire in the hearth are hard to make out. the attention is all on the woman haloed in the firelight-- tall and severe, with features that clearly show a family resemblance to Coil. and he's there too, with his missing eye bandaged, face red from sobbing.

he's saying something; he may be pleading by the way he practically grovels at her, trying to reach for sleeves or her hand or anything she's willing to offer him. but, maybe he has even lost his voice in his memories, because the sound is small and muddled, and she's not listening anyway. she keeps her arms folded and doesn't yield and inch as he begs.

"Forgive you?" she booms over the boy. "How do you expect to ever account for your transgressions? How can you ever offer enough penance for what you've done?"

he continues to plea, and the scene continues to warp and steal his voice. all that remains of the recollection are muffled, impotent murmurs. and as the woman hisses about how his unruliness, his incompetence and his treacherous tongue have ruined her, the whole scene becomes even more unclear.

in the next clear moment the woman's back is turned for one second. and in that moment, the boy finds a pair of serrated tongs and a boning knife on a nearby tray of torturous instruments that hadn't been in focus before. they're visible now, highlighted by the sick overcontrast that comes with riding high on adrenaline. because the boy is at the end of his rope, and the only answer he sees is lying on the tray.

mercifully, his back is turned toward the door when he sticks the tongs into his mouth. he pulls, and draws the knife across in one swift, numb motion.

if she isn't going to listen, all he has left is showing her his remorse. he'll cut out any treacherous thing if it will make her happy.

the gush of blood hitting the stone floor is what reclaims her attention. and she stares for only a moment before she's lunging at him, because she knows that he's not expecting to survive his little display... and she's not about to let another child of hers be ruined beyond repair. the feel of her silent, furious will rings off the wall around the real sounds--choking on blood, and the scrape of a poker dragging across the iron grate as she rips it out of the fire.

shoving the drowning boy back against the table until he's practically lying across it, she jams something else from the tray into his mouth to jack open his jaw... and in goes the poker, to seal the wound. the heated metal hits his lips on the way in, as he kicks and screams and struggles, and he will carry those scars for the rest of his life.

he will be maimed, rendered more useless than he'd been already, but she is not letting him get away with this.]

8]

[child_of_bhaal]

[When she sees him taking up the knife and tongs, she knows what the intention is. And despite logic she tries to force the door, with obvious results. There's no changing the past.

She witnesses the rest, feeling frustration at her inability to intervene. When it's over she turns back the Coil in the room with her. She doesn't look horrified, or disgusted. She looks sad.]

You shouldn't have done that to yourself.

[She doesn't ask why. She doesn't need to. The need to please a parent, no matter what it costs or the futility of it, is one she understands.]

[mortalcoil]

[he doesn't argue her, but he doesn't agree either. he just hangs his head, looking appropriately shaken and wounded by the scene he's just witnessed.

whether he regrets his decision or not, he already knows that he's ruined himself further by doing it. he's heard those same words a thousand times since that night. he'd never been allowed to live it down.

scooting around Syeira, he shoves the door closed.

and when he steps back again, he suddenly looks a little confused... and begins to pull the bandages off of his mouth. he winces like the effort is causing him pain, but the skin underneath looks unharmed--no bruising, no burns or scars across his lips.]

[child_of_bhaal]

[She had meant more he shouldn't have don't such a thing for that woman. She was clearly the type that would never be pleased with anything. But how could you tell a devoted child that? She's never listen, why should he?

Knowing what she does now, the reveal of his unscarred face gives her pause.]

Are you able to speak in this place then?

[mortalcoil]

[he seems as surprised about it as she does, just staring down at the bandages once they fall away. he moves his jaw around a little bit, and runs fingertips over where the scars should be.

when it finally comes time for him to answer, he can't help but find himself afraid. he'd revoked his own right to speech for so long, even when it is mysteriously granted back to him, he can't help but feel that it's wrong to even attempt it.

he opens his mouth and hesitates, before finally answering in a very rough little whisper.]

...I guess so.

[child_of_bhaal]

[This feels momentous. How long had it been since he could use his voice? And she was the one hearing it. But she doesn't know what to really do with it. The feeling might possibly be mutual.]

I'm sorry, Coil. I know you didn't want this shared with me.

[mortalcoil]

[he just nods--sullen and awkward. and he opens his mouth to say something else, but a sharp knock on the door interrupts him.

he startles a little but seems to calm quickly, even when it turns out to be his mother's voice muffled on the other side, barking demands to let her in.

stepping up to the door, he stands on tiptoe so he can slide aside a metal shutter from across a peephole, and peer outside. but he only needs to look for a second before shutting it again, and double-checking the interior locks.

they might be locked in from the outside, but he wants to make sure that nothing else can join them.]

[child_of_bhaal]

[She doesn't startle at the sudden pounding on the door, but she does tense, her body going on alert. Someone beating on the door is never a good thing. And her instinct is obviously justified as he makes sure the door stays bolted.]

If she gets in, that will be bad?

[She's just looking for confirmation, not an explanation. She doesn't really know what could happen here. It's his space, not hers. She has no idea what the rules are.]

[mortalcoil]

[he nods, and gestures around the room before pointing insistently at himself... and only several seconds later remembers that he can actually use words now.

so, he follows up with a raspy-sounding--] Mine.

[he nudges a tray across the floor with his boot, pushing it under one of the ceiling leaks.]

Everyone needs to stay out.

[child_of_bhaal]

[That only makes sense. She's not really a fan of people wandering through her mind space either.]

How do we get me out without letting her in?

[Because solving one problem by making another doesn't really sit well with her.]

[mortalcoil]

Don't know.

[it could be because there is someone currently in his room, setting him on edge, or he might always be full of busy energy, because he continues to putter around the room once the tray is slid under the dripping stream of water. maybe this is just a space that he constantly needs to maintain. he shuffles a stack of papers into a neater pile, puts a few of the arcane trinkets together in a decorative bowl, lights a candle that has sputtered out on the altar.]

...She'll go away, though.

[and sure enough, a minute or so later, there is silence on the other side of the door.]

[child_of_bhaal]

[The silence is almost is vaguely unsettling. Gone but not forgotten.

Syeira isn't quite sure what to do with herself. So she looks around, hunting for a way out, other than the door. Though she crosses her arms, to keep from touching anything she shouldn't. It makes the searching both awkward and slow.]

[mortalcoil]

[this isn't all that different from the last time they were trapped in a cavelike space together. he continues to ignore her presence while busying himself with his work--though he sneaks little glances in her direction to keep track of her.

and while she searches for a way out, she'll likely come across the other door here. it's the sort of door that probably leads to a closet or other small space, and the wood is so waterlogged, it hardly seems very appealing.

but, at the very least, she'll probably recognize the heavy black coat hanging on the door. it unmistakably belongs to Zhas.]

[child_of_bhaal]

[It's all well and fine thinking that she'll just keep her hands to herself. If she doesn't touch anything, she doesn't have to get blindsided by anything. Right?

Except she runs across something that will get her to give in. She never usually refrains from touching stuff. And Zhas' coat hanging here raises curiosity. At least she realizes she's doing a not smart thing, even as she teaches out for the black fabric.]

[mortalcoil]

[and just as it had done with the earlier trigger, the door pops open again. it doesn't slam against its own chain this time, however. it hangs against the tether without much force, only waiting quietly.

and there isn't the angry glow of firelight spilling through the gap this time, either. it's dark out there, and the only sound coming through is of heavy footfalls crunching over broken glass.

Coil looks up at the sound, watches the door with a sad sort of wariness, but doesn't walk over to look. and he doesn't seem to mind if she sees, either. whatever is on the other side of the door, he doesn't hate.]

[child_of_bhaal]

[She sighs, mostly at herself. She knew she shouldn't touch anything. For a moment she wonders what would happen if she just waits. Would the scene play out with no one watching? Would that be best, over intruding on more private moments in Coil's life?

But on the other hand, she'd triggered something. It could have some kind of clue to getting her out of here. Witnessing it might be key.

She casts a glance at Coil, and when he doesn't seem to be overly vexed by this out her seeing it, she strides back to the door. Holding it open as far as it allows, she looks through the gap.]

[mortalcoil]

[it's the same manor as before, though perhaps a different room in it. it's a different view, and lit with nothing but moonlight peering in through a high window. the hall has been razed, with the toppled angles of broken furniture lying among the softer, fallen shapes of bodies. it's all wreckage, with very few things left unbroken.

and one of them is a familiar teenage boy with one moonglow eye. he's scrambling to his feet, tears streaming silently down his face, and staring up into a set of orange eyes that have the same light to them. the tall, skullfaced stranger is terrifying, but the man doesn't hurt him. instead, he motions for him to step forward, away from the bookcase he's cowering against. because, the skullfaced man has decided that he's worth saving.

the glow in his eye-- the color is brimming with a potential for power, a potential to understand. it's a spark he's only ever seen a couple of times in his life in anyone else. and as he watches the boy break his gaze to look over the still, ruined bodies of his family, it reminds him of too many things.

so, as the boy steps closer, Zhas shrugs off his jacket.

it's not the motion of something done on a whim, and it's not something with a great deal of weight to it. it just has to happen, so he does it with neither grudge nor grandiose gesture.

stepping forward just as certain, he swings the coat up and over the kid's shoulders. he pulls the collar forward to make sure it hangs well, reaches into an inside pocket to pull out a kit that he'll need later. And then he steps back, returning them to their separate boundaries.

"I'll need that back," he says, half-signing the words anyway, "Don't lose it."

and Coil looks so small. the coat makes him look like a child, with weights dragging down on his shoulders. as if the thing weighs a thousand pounds, it makes something about him buckle and crumble beneath it.

it's because the gesture brings reality pressing down. it's something sudden and tangible, and it isn't what he'd expected. it surprises him, hangs on him, pins him down to the present. everything is a little more real, then.

he's grounded now.

the heaviness helps still his shaking, it pulls him back together. as the man heads out of the room and leaves him with the finality of his surroundings, Coil steps and sinks back against the bookshelf again... but the coat keeps him on his feet.]

[child_of_bhaal]

[If fate was trying to make Syeira reconsider her feelings about Coil, this was doing the trick. She quietly shuts the door, stepping away.

She turns around looking toward Coil, but she can't think of anything to say. She'd known they were like family.]

He saved you.

[Well maybe she can think of something to say after all.]

[mortalcoil]

[he keeps his gaze lowered on whatever trinkets he's busying himself with at the table, but he nods. it's a shallow motion; a very quiet admission.

and after a pause, he remembers his voice again. the whisper is barely audible, this time.]

...When I lost my family.

[child_of_bhaal]

He gave you another.

[She nods too, a gesture he can't see with his back to her, but she does it all the same.]

I've judged you harshly. I'm sorry.

[mortalcoil]

[he glances back, at that--peering over his shoulder to get a look at her face. he's a little confused, maybe. or wary. he's got that carefully-guarded and neutral way about him, as he assesses what she means.]