[RAVEN'S HEART GAME - SESSION THREE]

[selfpreservationist]

The first thing you hear is the sound of rain faintly hitting the exterior of the house. The soft pitter-patter is almost soothing, in a way, but it’s quickly followed up by rumbling thunder in the distance. You open your eyes, and for a second all you see is a flash of light--at first it seems like it’s lightning, but then you see something. A vision of a man dressed in rags, hunched over, waves of demonic power rolling over him. He howls, and something terrible starts to grow out of him: the bloody roots of a massive tree. An immense wave of panic hits you, and you can’t move, you can’t speak, you can’t breathe--

And then it’s over. It’s over. You’re fine.

The sound of rain returns. (This time it’s definitely soothing, compared to what you just saw.) You’re standing in the foyer of a mansion, a wide open living room in front of you. The door behind you is faintly ajar, leading outside.

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Comments

[failedsafe]

That's fair. I missed something happening with the mirror. The one thing I puzzled out was Nero's arm being used to open the trapdoor in the cellar, and seeing as how I haven't seen Shri in some time, I'm guessing that worked. Once isn't enough to establish a pattern, but it's more than I have and so it's possible things that need opening might not have their keys in the same room. Of course, I'll still be vigilant.

[failedsafe]

[Nero's, now!]

Re: UPSTAIRS

[softlyfalling]

[ well—she's just going to poke her head into the first door. ]

Re: DOOR ONE - THE LIBRARY

[softlyfalling]

...

[ she wants to touch the books, thanks ]

Re: DOOR THREE - THE BEDROOM

[idolpro]

"Not everything has to be symbolic. Sometimes it's just... something I enjoy. That makes me feel good."

He lifts a hand to place on her hip if she comes close enough, lowering his voice a tad.

"Or perhaps they're symbolic of... how much I enjoy being ravished and fucked by you while wearing your underwear?"

[rollplayinghouse]

Hopefully Shrike found something... There could be something outside, too.

Re: DOOR ONE - THE LIBRARY

[idolpro]

It's hard to tell what system of organization is being used here, because none of the shelves are labeled.

But you do find a familiar book.

[idolpro]

The book reads:

There is something very romantic about the idea of nursing an unrequited love for the rest of one’s days, and if I live long enough to pine for the days of my youth, I’m certain the one thread of lost love I’ll still be clinging onto is Nero’s. I have never been so proud and so ashamed as when I am with Nero. Proud that I could be a part of his life, proud that I could be someone he trusts, proud that I could call such a man my son, proud that I can support him, proud of who he has become and the strength he carries. And ashamed that I have hurt him, ashamed that I cannot banish my desires, ashamed that I cannot push them aside and want what is best for him, ashamed that I prefer to call him my brother instead of my son in the vain, selfish hopes that one day that could be a boundary he would be willing to cross. But these are feelings I’ve accepted, more or less, because more than anything else I want to be there to watch him grow and thrive and live a long, healthy life. If there is one Sparda who deserves everything the world has to offer, it must be Nero. I’ll never forgive anyone who tries to rob him of that right. On my deathbed, if the last thing I saw was Nero’s smile, I could die happily… or I could push myself to live just a little longer. Just to see it for a few seconds more.

[failedsafe]

Yeah, I'll probably head outside after the library. If I find anything, I'll let you know.

Re: DOOR ONE - THE LIBRARY

[softlyfalling]

[ she smiles; flips through it a little bit as she takes it over to the reading nook. surely she can hang out like this for a moment after doing a whole-ass boss fight.

ah, and there's Raven.

...she's going to skritch him on the head too. ]

Re: DOOR ONE - THE LIBRARY

[idolpro]

He makes a soft noise in his sleep, but otherwise doesn't stir.

The reading nook is very cozy.

[rollplayinghouse]

Yeah, same. I want to get everything fixed...

[failedsafe]

[is it easier for c/p purposes to say she'll read them all because she will]

Re: DOOR ONE - THE LIBRARY

[softlyfalling]

[ well, she's going to set the book down on the table in front of him, and tuck the blanket around his shoulders.

although she is going to try and gently jostle him awake, for the moment. ]

Raven? It's Shrike.

[failedsafe]

...Did he start forgetting too?

[idolpro]

YOU ASKED FOR THIS.

Dante: Originally, it was just a game. Even when I learned of what I am, where I came from, my feelings for Dante were like the shallow depths of a much greater sea I refused to wade further into. Oh, I’ve hated him, resented him, wanted to kill him, just as much as Vergil does, but I’m not as attached to those feelings anymore. How easy was it to bring him low, down to my level, when I saw how he looked at me? And he said it himself--I was everything about Vergil that he liked. So things took a different turn; I craved his attention, his affections, and somewhere along the line it became less of a game… it became something else. Something real. When did I start just enjoying myself around him? When did I start thinking of him as another half of my soul, the way twins should be? When did Dante become someone to seek solace in? I know it’s foolish. I know he shies from that kind of vulnerability just as much as Vergil, even moreso, and yet he comforts me. When I was dying, in my quiet moments of grief, I daydreamed of crawling inside his heart and resting there, safe and protected. If Vergil wouldn’t take back this frail human heart, perhaps Dante would.

Glory: Glory is, in the simplest terms, the greatest gift I’ve ever given to this family. It isn’t fair to take credit for that, and I know it, but I don’t think even she knows why I suggested it to her in the first place. Of course, I felt something in her that resonated with me; call us “kindred spirits” if you like. Of course, I wanted to fill that emptiness she felt. I love her, as my most trusted friend, as my sister, as my lover. But up until recently, I never thought of myself as having a future where I would be part of anyone’s family, not even my own. Ashes to ashes and dust to dust: thus was my fate, eventually. There’s no coming back from such a death, and if Vergil wouldn’t accept me anymore, my soul would just disappear. And I know all too well the damage that would have done. So, I made a contingency plan. Someone to take my place, to mend the hurt, to keep the rest of us fools together. An insurance policy, if you will. Glory was it. In a way, we were both outsiders to the family, but important in our own ways, so I thought she would be perfect. And she was, just not in the way I was prepared for. I should have known, after all; it was her love that saved me. I’m sure I’ll be repaying her for the rest of my life… of our life. Not that I mind. She deserves every ounce of love this world, or any other, has to give. I can only hope being part of this family gives her some sense of fulfillment.

Shrike: Oh, Shrike. My knight in shining armor. Sometimes I don’t know who I’m more envious of: her, or Nero, when I see the way they look at each other. For all her strengths, her compassion and kindness, I have seen the way she barely holds herself together with jagged, broken pieces, and I wish I could be the glue that pieces them back into one. I worry sometimes that I am not what she needs. But I am, after all, a greedy man. And as long as she will hold me in her arms I cannot bring myself to push her away. I’ll take everything she gives me and hoard it like precious gold, vain thing that I am. I’ll fumble through poems for her. I’ll even write my own clumsy verses, just so I can tell her what she means to me and have it mean something. And when her pieces fall again, I’ll hold her and cry with her. I long to see what she looks like walking down that aisle, robed all in white and satin. It is not that I wish to be the one she walks towards, or that I wish I could be her husband. I can only imagine how happy it will make her, and I want to be there to see her flourish, in all her radiant beauty. I want to watch it closely, and cherish the memory for the rest of my days. Like I said: I am, after all, a greedy man.

Noah: I’ll never forget the moment he told me. That his heart belonged to another, one from his world he’d always love and be beholden to, and yet he yearned for me anyway. He wanted me, wanted to cherish me, wanted to love me despite everything. I can think of no higher honor, especially not from someone as devoted as Raha. My Raha. It was a playful thing at first, making claim to him, but as time carried on I went from casually possessive to wanting to be by his side--not just as a lover, but as someone who could help him shoulder whatever burdens he possessed. His kindness, his generosity felt boundless at times, but I saw what the weight of sorrow did to him. For the first time since I awoke in this place, I felt the need to do something for someone else: not for my own sake, but for theirs. I consider myself a selfish, greedy man, but for Raha I learned what it was to be someone’s solace… and for that I can’t thank him enough. I want to be the kind of person he feels he never needs put on airs for. I want to be the kind of man he can confess his feelings to, even the ugly ones. That I’ve succeeded occasionally and seen glimpses of his heart, the parts of himself he’s held in check for so long, is immensely gratifying. Every day I am not with him feels like an ache that’s slowly growing, until it will carve out a hollow core inside me. But perhaps the next time we meet, I’ll have become someone he won’t even hesitate to lean on. Whoever his true love is, I hope they know what fortune they have. I know I certainly do.

Re: DOOR THREE - THE BEDROOM

[rollplayinghouse]

[her face is fully red now, but she leans close]

But it's so much better to hear you just say that.

[she tucks the panties into the waistband of his pants]

I can't do that right now, though. Stop distracting me.

Re: DOOR ONE - THE LIBRARY

[idolpro]

He makes a sleepy noise and his eyelids slowly flutter open.

"Hn...?"

He blinks a few times and when he registers who he's seeing, he jolts in surprise.

"Shrike...? What are you doing here?"

[rollplayinghouse]

Not that I noticed. But the Raven in the library said something was wrong, and I promised I'd fix everything.

Re: DOOR THREE - THE BEDROOM

[idolpro]

He grins and grabs her wrist so he can hold her hand to where she tucked the panties in.

"Make me."

Re: DOOR ONE - THE LIBRARY

[softlyfalling]

Mostly moving objects from one place to another and fighting demon lords so far.

It's fine. I don't want to disturb you much, if you're tired.

I DID AND IT'S GLORIOUS

[failedsafe]

[anyway she's going to leave and head to the library, door number one.

There was nothing there that she could use, after all. Not to help him, anyway.]

Re: DOOR ONE - THE LIBRARY

[idolpro]

He blinks again a few times, still drowsy, and then he reaches out to touch the wound on her thigh--but stops before he can make contact.

"... you're hurt."

Re: I DID AND IT'S GLORIOUS

[idolpro]

Door One

Re: DOOR ONE - THE LIBRARY

[softlyfalling]

It was a battle well-fought.

[ she takes his arm by the wrist to tug his hand down to rest gingerly on her thigh. ]

So, I think I can be proud of it, and my ally in fighting it.