[CLOSED] When the days turn dark and we start to fall

[burndownforwhat]

WHO: Jen/Yin/Yang & Divers
WHERE: ~it is a mystery~
WHEN: while Jen's mother is in town
WHAT: Dream Dives
WARNINGS: Discussions or depictions of violence, blood, dismemberment, drinking, abusive parenting, and angst in the darker threads.

The dive begins with you and others standing at the entranceway to a large circular room of some kind. It feels a bit like an amphitheater with the stage set on the side opposite of the door. The open air ceiling shows a featureless, overcast sky, it's grey clouds diffusing the light cast down upon the floor before you. Upon the high walls on all sides are bleachers protected by green glass. Though all the seats are empty, as is the floor, you cannot help but feel some sort of presence within the room. Turning to the others with you - there cannot be more than a half dozen or so in total - you can barely make out their darkened silhouettes, devoid of any fine features or colors. They may feel familiar, in that deja vu sort of way, but any attempt to speak with or touch them fills your senses with blinding, oppressive static. The same sort of static that crackles to life in the sound system of the auditorium once you've all gathered.

"I'll... keep this brief." It's a man's voice. Authoritative, curt, and lacking any particular emotion. The lights around you dim and a singular spotlight shines down upon the figure dressed in black, posed confidently behind a tall microphone stand and resting both hands tightly atop his cane. Pale skin and grey hair shine in contrast to his dark green scarf, and looking down upon you past small, dark lenses you cannot help but feel the only expression he is capable of is profound disappointment.

Or maybe that's just the way he carries himself as he walks down over the edge of the stage, heading right for you. You can try to move, approach him, avoid him, question him, but in the end he will not stop, will not budge, and will not hear anything save for your answer to his singular question.

"Who are you here for?"

He reaches his hand out into the air beside himself, his palm up expectantly. From the relative darkness another figure steps forward, announcing herself with the clack of her black heeled boots on the floor. She, too, was dressed in black and white with the only smattering of color on her clothes being the violet underside of her half-cape. It wafted about in the air as she moved to bring a small wooden box up into view and open the top. Inside were a set of keys, each silver or gold, with numbers printed on them. The numbers, it seemed, corresponded to doorways cut into the high walls around them. There are dozens of these doors but only a few keys. The numbers on said keys pulsed with each second of the timer on your hand. Best answer him quick, and choose your fate.

-----

The light on the stage cuts off once his question is answered and a key is taken. The floor below illuminates, with its center circle showing a yin-yang pattern; the dark half glows an ominous purple - coals with embers piled up and emanating that strange color instead of orange or red - and the white half shimmers as if reflecting off a mountain of gold coins. Within the spheres in the larger arcs of the design were two different designs. In the dark side was a bright, brilliant painting of a sun that seemed to generate a warm when approached though the surface was cold to the touch. In the white section was a black night sky with stars and the moon, except the moon had a large portion of it shattered. Like a porcelain dish thrown to the floor. It reeked of copper and ice but held no particular feeling upon contact.

Once a key is given, the corresponding door lights up. Depending on the number, the frame will either light up a dull silver or a soft gold, opening only to the one with the key and admitting only that person, as well. You can choose to take your time going through with it, but it is the only way out of this room. Exiting the path behind just leads you back into this main hall and though you cannot see past the doorway for the darkness beyond, if you wait and listen, you just may hear someone calling...

((OOC: I'll be writing prompts for each individual, and there's room for more, so if we haven't already plotted and you'd like in on saving her please PM me or hit me up on simplypip!))

Comments

SATSUKI > YIN > DARKNESS

[burndownforwhat]

"Who are you here for?"

[ the man asks again, tapping his cane impatiently against the floor. he has all the time in the world, but the woman you're here to save does not. ]

[me_matey]

Yin.

-The name came without any real conscious thought on Satsuki's part, or even seemingly with her own voice, though it had been similar. Her eyes widen briefly in surprise, but it didn't take more than a moment's thought to realize why that voice had spoken, and why that name was familiar to her. That's right... those two... This was their story, too, wasn't it? Yin and May... They were part of this. It was undeniable anymore. They both knew those names. And it was time to solve once and for all who they were, wasn't it?-

[burndownforwhat]

[ the man's expression did change upon hearing that name. a pained look took hold of him as he accepted the silver key from his assistant(?). the woman, too, seemed disappointed in the choice but voiced no opposition.

they were facilitators and nothing more. their opinions, wherever they originated from, did not matter.

he handed Satsuki the key and gestured to one of the silver doors on the "dark" side of the room with his cane. ]

"Hurry."

[ from the darkness behind that door came the sound of moving traffic. cars, trucks, motorcycles, people, all kinds of noise one might expect of a busy highway exit, except it was all slowly flooded out by the sound of heavy rainfall and the occasional crack of thunder. the tumbling of engines became muted and even the rain itself was seemingly cut off by a sharp, loud ringing of bells.

Satsuki finds herself in the bright embrace of fluorescent lights, standing between the aisle of motor oils and a wall of various chips. an ice machine hums away in the corner next to a water fountain and the door to a "beer cave". the smell of fried finger foods, pizza, and gasoline permeates the air.

a figure in boots, jeans, a biker jacket and black helmet wanders in and waves to the cashier before they point down to a sign below the kiosk. "NO HELMETS OR HOODIES IN THE STORE". the young girl laughs before taking it off and shaking out her short bob of bright blonde hair. there's a glimmer of silver piercings in her ears as she does so. ]

Okay, okay, I get it! I'm the bike on pump 5. Cash, please!

[ as she waits for the clerk to ring her up, her blue eyes scan the store. it's always so bright in places like this, even when there's hardly anyone around. except this one woman who... kind of looks familiar? she blinks her eyes a few time, silently trying to piece together the feeling inside of her chest. ]

Huh.

[me_matey]

-Satsuki, once more, felt like she was taking a back seat in her own mind, watching as that other girl walked forward, the one that shared her soul...

May flashed a grin, stuffing her hands in her pockets as she leaned forward.-

Sup, sup, girl! You busy tonight? Didn't expect to see you out. -No, she did. She remembered all of this now. But she hadn't been there to personally witness it, but all of the pieces were falling into place, right down to Yin's look, the sight of her bike outside. This was that moment. The moment Yin's life changed.-

[burndownforwhat]

[ oh. it's May. of course! Yin smiled right back as the recognition snapped suddenly into place. she popped the helmet down under her arm. ] Oh, hey May! Fancy seeing you here, too.

Me? Just enjoying the summer air on the highway. Or I was before the clouds rolled in.

[ there was a crack of thunder making its point and she glowered at the view from the window. ] Rude!

[ she shrugged it off. whatever was happening with the weather seemed to be moving rather quickly. there's very little in the way of traffic on the road and time seemed to be moving rather fast, even by the clock on the wall. seconds passing like minutes until sunset was past. ]

What about you? Did you just jog out here? Need a lift?

[me_matey]

Fool what? In this kinda mess? -May gestured at the quickly worsening rain outside.-

Nah, let's just hold up here for a bit. I know the clerk, he's chill about it. But if you really gotta split, Imma come witchu. -Don't go. Please don't go. Don't put yourself out there. Don't put that girl through this again...-

[burndownforwhat]

[ Yin blinked, looking once more from May, to the clerk - who was giving them the "buy something or get out" kind of stare. no one would blame him. according to the clock it'd been a couple of hours already and Yin was only just now digging out the bills from her wallet to pay for her tank of gas. ]

Eh, I'd like to stick around longer and catch up but I do have to get home before it's so late. I don't want to make dad take away my riding privileges before school is back in session!

[ she rolls her helmet back and forth between her hands. outside the sound of the rainfall was dimming down to a gentle patter. Yin knew from her safety courses that the most dangerous time on the road was right at the start of a rainstorm, as opposed to after. she was also known to be a responsible driver despite the urge to really push her engine for all it was worth. ]

I don't have a second helmet yet either, so don't tell anyone I let you come with me, okay?

[ she turned to the door, the little bell jingling in proper time as the clock stopped winding ahead at super speed. ] C'mon! Let's go.

LINA > JEN > DARKNESS

[burndownforwhat]

"Who are you here for?"

[ the man asks again, tapping his cane impatiently against the floor. he has all the time in the world, but the woman you're here to save does not. ]

[breakingvoice]

[Lina doesn't know how she got here from the place she fell through, but she knows the timer on her hand is glowing red and none of this looks familiar and the person asking who she's here for certainly isn't making any sense, but. there's only one person she can really think of.]

Jen.

[she says it confidently, not knowing if it's the right answer, but if there's one person Lina needs to reach out for now more than ever, it's her roommate. the woman who rekindled her spark and made her brave again.]

[burndownforwhat]

[ the man levels his steady gaze down at the young woman. he's soon handed a silver key by his helper, which he hesitates in passing on to her. ]

"Tread carefully." [ that's his only advice before completing the transaction. the silver outline of a door on the dark side of the room glows to life, numbered the same as the key.

the sound within is the quiet sound of late night news filtering in through the darkness. the white and blue and green light of the broadcast illuminating a narrow corridor. a hallway. pictures line the walls, difficult to make out without turning on a light. there is one room at the end of the hall ajar with a soft orange light spilling out as well. the other end, presumably the entranceway from the presence of a hanger for coats and a rack for shoes, springs to life with noise of people outside of the heavier door.

the voices are of two women trying (and failing) to be quiet. their laughter is unrestrained even as one tries to shush the other, and one of them is struggling with getting the right key into the lock. somehow, they do manage it, but in trying to open the door too quick they cause another stir as the chain denies them entry. ]

"Ohh, damn it! I bet the babysitter did this-"

"Don't worry honey. Look, look look... I'll try to reach through and get it..."

"No, dummy! It won't work - I didn't pay, hic, good money for shitty locks."

[breakingvoice]

[this isn't a familiar scene for Lina, and she's not sure it's something that's ever even come up with Jen before, but as she opens the door and walks into this... memory? of something that she shouldn't be seeing, she can feel her heart climb into her throat. the warning of treading carefully gets to her; can she actually do damage here? can she change who Jen is? she doesn't... want that. at all. she wasn't even expecting to end up in this situation; she thought the man with the tiny glasses and the woman who looked about as schoolmarmish as they came were the ones taking care of Jen.]

[and now the responsibility lies on. her? maybe? she recognizes one of the voices, though it's still new to her ears, and something does click as her breath hitches. whatever's going to happen next, she needs to find Jen. and in her mind, Jen is warmth, so of course she's at the end of the hallway with the orange light. she moves quickly, quietly, and pushes the door open carefully with one hand on the knob and another on the side of the door.]

Jen?

[she just has to check on her. she just has to make sure she's safe. she can figure out what to do next, with her clearly drunk mother on her way inside, once she knows that Jen is okay.]

[burndownforwhat]

[ the door almost opens by itself at the slightest touch, revealing the source of the soft glow as a small lamp on a nearby nightstand. it's obviously a child's room, if the smattering of toys on the floor and the decorations around are any indicators. stars of phosphorescent paint dot the walls and ceiling, a pattern interrupted by ribbons and medals and photographs pinned with oversized plastic tacks. they are all larger than they ought to be, with one such photograph at the far end almost scaled 1:1 making the image of the two adults and the baby cradled in their arms look like something reflected in a mirror. the woman's features are strikingly familiar though obviously much younger; it's certainly Jen's mother. the man ought to be the father from the way he's posed but his face is a blurred out mess save for the smudges of color that might be a receding hairline and a pair of glasses. oh, and his smile that shone brighter than the mother's by far. it's quite clear where Jen got that from. ] Mommy? Amanda? [ speaking of Jen. the sleepy voice called out from underneath a huge pile of blankets on the bed. it was set up in kind of a tent, with a baseball bat holding up the fabric, visible when she finally peeked her head out from where she was working on a coloring book with crayons. big blue eyes framed by messy blonde bangs stared up at the stranger with more curiosity and awe than fear. she ought to be afraid. a stranger was in her room now, but oddly, she didn't shrink away. ] ...you're not- "Amanda! Come unlatch the chain this instant!" [ time seemed to slow to a crawl now, with the colorful clock on the nightstand ticking only one every five or so seconds. it seems it was time to make a choice. does one stay with the confused child, or go placate the mother? ]

[breakingvoice]

[Lina isn't... no, Jen isn't... okay. okay, she thinks she's starting to piece things together. she doesn't know how and she doesn't know why and she still has no idea who those first two people were, but this is like the dream that she'd had. that Jen had ended up in, that she'd saved her from. except this isn't the same. it's.]

[oh. Lina doesn't like how this is playing out in her head. she doesn't know what this memory is like or why Jen is being forced to relive it right now, but she's heard about this happening and seen the aftermath of it more times than she prefers to remember, even though she's been lucky enough never to experience it herself. is it going to go exactly how she envisions? probably not. but her first goal should be placating Jen's mother. and if it escalates from there... she'll do what she has to.]

I'll be right back.

[she says it quickly, not sure if it actually comes out in the strange sense of dilated time she's feeling, and leaves Jen's room with the door open. her steps are purposeful and her eyes are... as she leaves they're anything but friendly, but she lets herself soften up. lets the unfamiliar mask of customer service fall over her face so she's not immediately eager to start yelling at Jen's mother for things that haven't happened yet.]

[without a word, she closes the door just enough to pull the chain off, then opens it wide. if they're looking for Amanda, she can assume they won't find her, but she answers sweetly anyway, content to play this role for as long as it takes.]

Welcome back!

[burndownforwhat]

[ the girl doesn't so much as blink as she silently watches the stranger leave her behind in the room. it certainly looked more comfortable and warm and safe than the entire rest of the apartment, which now seemed to echo every sound with a certain sharpness to it. the two older women are no doubt surprised to see Lina there but ... not in the way she might expect. they are both dressed up and made up, and reek of booze and cigarettes and perfume. it must have been some party or other as they seemed to be having a good enough time on their own, all smiles and unrestrained laughter. reserved for one another, that is. woman #1 - the taller one - was holding the other under her arms to support her efforts in getting the door unlocked. she was dressed in warm colors and her face and figure had a roundness to it that positively radiated kindness along with the soft glow of her makeup. it's too bad she marred the whole look with the almost aggressive way she looked Lina up and down. ] "This is your babysitter...? What is happening with kids these days." "Oh, hush. It was the best I could do on such short notice." [ woman #2 - okay, she needs no introduction. given the time difference she's still a spitting image of the very same mother that Lina has already spoken all of two words to during their apartment inspection. she was hanging off the first lady, straps of her heels dangling from her raised hand while a heavy bundle of keys weighed down the other. the biggest difference here is that her hair was loose about her face rather than tied back, making the resemblance to Jen even starker than before. her cheekbones could still cut glass, as could the look from her eyes. it lends the cool colors of her outfit an almost palpable chill. she rolls her brilliant blue eyes and gestures with the keys. ] "Move out of the way, Amanda, I need to - is that the TV I hear?"

VERA > YANG > DARKNESS

[burndownforwhat]

[ this is the only time where the man does not ask any questions. he recognizes the young woman, though her current state may deny that connection on a fundamental level, he can only see her as one person. ]

"Miss Schnee."

[ the woman - Glynda - hands him the last silver key from the collection. she gives the girl - Weiss - a confident nod and steps back. with the key in his hand held as if it was some important artifact, the presenter - Ozpin - pauses. ]

"I will entrust this duty to you. Do not fail."

[ then and only then does he give her the key, no matter what protests may arise. the number on it and the corresponding silver door light up once it's in her grasp, and the sound filters out through the entire hall even before the door is opened. the connection is perhaps the strongest here, to this place, to these people.

Ozpin and Glynda stand there and stare expectantly as the girl approaches the door but vanish in a flash of fire and smoke. the smell of which persists through the air as the door flings itself open and darkness envelops everything. the other doors all disappear, as do all the other shadowy figures in the room, replaced with piles of ash where they stood. pillars of the room collapse, walls crack and break but do not shatter, and the floor is like scorched concrete.

the sky above darkens from all the smoke - supposedly from the surrounding structure - and there is the glow of fires raging in unseen corridors. the stage is gone now, replaced with a doorway that leads down another hall into a room littered with debris; stone and wood, torn banners and singed carpets.

then. there's a gunshot, echoing down from around that corner. ]

STOP!

[ another gunshot. then three. ]

I SAID STOP! GET AWAY!

[ that's a familiar voice, though younger. it shouts in desperation, gripped by raw fear and hopelessness. best hurry on your way, Huntress. ]

[heiroglyphs]

[Vera wants so badly to protest all of this, to insist that she isn't Weiss Schnee, to berate this silver-haired authority figure who speaks like he knows everything there is to know, but deep down in the back of her mind she knows that it's all pointless. Whoever these people are, they know who Weiss is, and know enough about her to make that connection. This could be Retrospec, or an illusion, or somebody actually from her other life, but none of that changes the fact that she's here, with a key, standing at a locked door. She turns back to give the pair one final acknowledgement, some biting aside that even if she's doing what they want, she doesn't want to, but by the time she goes to move, all that remains is smoke.

Right.

From the other side of the door, the world is instantly recognizable, from the shape of the buildings, to the sprawling courtyards, to the insignia on the banners burning on the walls. This is Beacon Academy, and it's being destroyed. She remembers what it was like before this, and some small flashes of its ruin as well. She isn't sure what caused this, but she remembers this as the place Weiss performed her first summoning, an act of desperation to save a fellow student.

She doesn't have long to take it all in, however, as a familiar voice echoes from down the hall.]

Jen...? [She sounds scared, angry, and in pain, like an animal backed against the wall. She grips Myrtenaster tight, spinning the chamber to bring her ice dust into play as she rushes in the direction of the yelling.] Jen!?

[burndownforwhat]

[ there's no response but another series of gunshots. once Vera is finally in view of the action, the most obvious thing to note is the other girl standing close to a wall with her hands up in a defensive posture. they're both flesh and bone, save for the two massive yellow bracer-like apertures worn on each forearm. barrels on the front of them smoke like recently fired pistols and spent shotgun shells lay about her feet. her eyes burn red but not nearly as fiercely as the glow from the figure standing at the opposite end of the ruined cafeteria.

this figure - a man - was calmly walking toward her. it's hard to see all the details as he wore black from his neck to his toes, but peeks of pale skin and a bleached bone half-mask stand out against the backdrop of destruction. the red markings on the mask share the same sinister glow as the highlights of his hair, and some small sliver of color on the soles of his boots.

oh and his smirk. a damnable, sadistic expression that shook the girl to her core and left her hands twitching uncertainly in the air. ]

I- I mean it! S-stay back!!

[heiroglyphs]

Shit. [She has no idea who this sword-wielding edgelord is, but he definitely has it out for Jen. Or at least it looks like Jen, there's hardly time to examine her now.

She rushes into the room, but still keeps her distance from the girl. That sword should give him some serious reach, so it would be better to split his attention rather than bunch up. Who knows what else he's capable of? Driving the tip of her sword into the ground, she creates a glyph of ice beneath the encroaching swordsman. Should he not react quick enough, he'll find himself encased in a block of ice.]

AVA > YIN > LIGHT

[longwei2go]

[ looking this young woman up and down, the man taps his cane rhythmically against the floor. the recognition is there in his gaze but also brief confusion. a glance to his side shows that there are few options remaining for keys.

for her, he doesn't ask twice. things are already in motion elsewhere and various doors are closed off, their locks disappearing and glow subsided. the light half of the floor's design pulses faintly and he nods as if in agreement with it.

he picks up one of the golden keys and presents it to Ava. ]

"Remember all that you learn here."

NATALIA > YANG > LIGHT

[burndownforwhat]

[ when it's Natalia's turn in the line, the number of keys is dwindling. the man seems to consider the choices heavily before the woman with him just hands him one. time is of the essence and there is none to waste.

he takes it and turns to Natalia, giving it over with a resigned sigh. ]

"Try not to be late."

[ he offers her a gesture in the direction of one of the few remaining doors, lined in gold.

don't get lost in the crowd of teenagers on the other side, is what he should have said, or one might get trampled trying to get through the corridor leading to the lower observation deck under what must be a massive airship. the view below is of a city being left behind as it floats serenely on over a large lake, flanked on the sides by tall, sheer cliffs.

everyone looks strangely featureless. like shadows of normal people but still fully outlined and detailed for the clothes they wore or items they had on them. most were armed in some fashion; some even had animal features, like tall rabbit ears or horns or tails, but those were few and far between and honestly they seemed to keep to themselves - or, more accurately, people have elected to leave them to their own spaces.

the few bright spots of color on the glass-enclosed deck would be a big puff of golden hair some ways through the crowd, and a quick blur of red right beside her.

suddenly, the short red-tipped hair on the pale girl's head came popping up above the crowd as she struggled to get free of the blonde's grasp. a familiar voice, though young and vibrant, was clear above the din of the gathered teens. ]

Ooooh, I can't believe my baby sister's going to Beacon Academy with me! This is the best day EVER!!

[nachetanya]

[ Try not to be late...? The guy did look so exasperated, and honestly, Natalia is glad to be free to the terminal, to step out past it and into the next room. She's just i na nice blouse with pants, though she does have the small bejeweled rapier at her belt there, ready to be drawn and harness all of her abilities if necessary. She takes the key in hand (her right, bio hand) and steps on through to the door and-

... Uh, huh.

Honestly, the sight of it all amazes her, and she looks around with bright read eyes at the sights of it. If she's bothered by the extras it doesn't show. Instead she's humming with no small amount of pleasure at the people who have less human features. It makes her wonder if she would be taken differently if she had the rabbit ears in. that said...

The voice does make her turn. There's a few things she notices immediately - that she carries herself a little different, that she looks a little younger (more round in the face) and perhaps most pressingly: two bio arms. But all the same, she smiles and, ignoring that she probably wasn't the one addressed, responds, ]

You've been waiting for her?

[burndownforwhat]

[ no doubt the smaller girl was welcoming the reprieve when Natalia approached to speak to the taller sister. Yang turned and smile, only briefly passing over the look of recognition in favor of some imagined connection. ] Oh, yep! I've been looking forward to this day for a long time. Of course, I didn't imagine it would happen this soon...

[ she ruffled the head of black hair, barely dodging the attempts to discourage the action from her sister. ] But my little sister Ruby is just that awesome!

"Oh my gods, would you just stop already! You're embarrassing me!"

Hahaha, I'm just being honest!

[ then she looks over at the stranger(?) and gives her a look over. ] So, are you as excited as we are to get to campus?

[nachetanya]

[ Some vague backstory does flash into her mind, something that Natalia doesn't... connect to. After all, she did once try to reject some other brainwashing, right? So she just laughs it off, brushing back some blonde hair and rocking on her feet. ]

Yeah! Honestly, I'm going in blind!

[ To the campus, that is. ] I've never seen it before.

[burndownforwhat]

Oh, really? Well... [ that's a little odd. Yang reaches up to run her fingers through her hair, but wipes away the uncertain look with a smile just as quickly as it had appeared. ]

Then let's go find a spot at the window. [ she held her hand out. ] C'mon!

[nachetanya]

I'm from a ways out. [ She lied.

But yeah, the window? she's all over the window. she smiles a little apologetically at the dark haired girl and then, well, she makes to take Yang's hand with her own right (bio) hand. It's in this moment she realizes entirely- ah. This woman who looks a little like younger Jen has both arms.

just like her in the other world. Maybe this was- no, she had that arm replacement from Retrospec-- well, it could have been lost? ]