Rwar!, Continued from Fell "Archives"

[Zayreih]

((Here's the link to the previous thread, for our convenience as well as yours ^^))


Zayreih wrenched his gaze off the concrete tile to bear into Nicara's. He stepped away from the door and let the hand grasping the knob fall to his side. "You don't care, huh?" he smirked, continuing to advance forward and finally reaching the foot of the stairs. "Well, you better prepare yourself for company because I am coming." He finished this statement while on the same step as Nicara, yet didn't stop his feet from carrying him further. Zayreih climbed higher up the staircase, leaving Nicara in his dust several feet behind.

He didn't know what had possessed him to agree to this excursion. He had thoroughly been planning on turning that doorknob, his escape from further inflicted pain, and leaving the Red holder to her own. Yet the way she forced on him that she couldn't care less whether he followed or not seemed just that-- forced. Like her denying the truth was actually her way of confirming it; and Zayreih wanted to know why. His curiosity was building a gate in his mind, blocking out Kiari and his past, allowing a chance for him to forget about it. That chance may only last for a second, but he didn't seem to care. As long as he could promise himself that at some point in time, he was able to put it behind him, where it belongs, he'd be alright.

"You coming or what?" Zayreih called behind him, reflecting Nicara's words right back at her.

[Nicara]

"What? You little..." Nicara didn't get to finish her sentence as she bounded up the stairs, skipping two at a time, racing Zayreih to the top of the tower. Although the two darks weren't exactly sure how long the trip up the goddamned spiral was, they kept racing. Little did they know, it was quite a lengthy climb...

The red took deep breaths as she continued the trek up to the towers. "What is this?" she asked no one in particular. "I'm sure we would have gone up a few flights by now..." Nicara leaned against the curved wall in the center, regaining her breathing pattern. "No one told me it'd be this long." She looked up towards the empty darkness, wondering how much further the top was. Damn it all.

She peered over at Zayreih. "The spiral doesn't seem this high up from outside, does it?"

[Zayreih]

Zayreih took a sidelong glance at Nicara. She sounded like she was about to fall over and die. "You outta shape or what?" he joked, his breath coming out practically normal. True, he had never been one to go out for sports, but he did know how to sprint like mad. "Actually, I don't think I've ever noticed it," he said in reply to her remark of the tower, continuing up the neverending stairs. We have been climbing for a heck of a long time, though, he thought, a bit peeved that he even decided to come. If he'd known all they were going to do was walk a mile upstairs, he would've passed in a heartbeat.

"So..." Zayreih started, figuring they might as well pass the time with something besides awkward silence. "Why do you want to go up there?" He nodded up at the darkness, another question in and of itself: what the heck was even up there? Nicara had said something about a weird shadow inhabiting the tower-- that it played tricks on your mind's memories of your past. He couldn't think of any reason why anybody would want to go through that. He knew he surely didn't. "Yeah, so you said you were 'just curious', whatever the hell that's supposed to mean," Zayreih continued, beginning to get a bit frustrated with her and her subtleness, "but there's more than that. I know there is."

Without realizing it, he had stopped walking and was frozen on a step a couple ahead of Nicara's. Turning his head over his shoulder, he stared down at Nicara, his earlier expression of sarcasm gone from his face. His light brown eyes bore into her purple ones. He was sick of tricks and lies and schemes. He wanted answers, truths... trust. And even though he wasn't specifically looking for this from Nicara, anyone's trust was a start.

[Nicara]

Nicara threw Zayreih a glare. Although not a completely unfriendly one-- just one of those, 'If you're so smart, why don't you go figure it out?' sort of looks. "Hn. Like I said, I was just curious. Nothing more." She is such a bad liar. Seriously. Nicara had always been one of those devious people, despite the fact that she's never really had the brains to back up her actions. No, she wasn't stupid. The dark was actually in the smart department, as far as education goes. The main problem is that Nicara had never been schooled in anything in her life.

"That spector... I want to know what it's doing up there." She crossed her arms, as she usually did before making a smart-ass comment. "There. You know why I'm going up. And what are you doing? There's got to be some reason you're wasting your time to climb this hell's fleet of stairs in order to join me. Hmm?" Nicara knew something was up with Zayreih. And that strange blonde bouncing about the hallway, acting as chipper and giddy as ever. It was actually kind of creepy. Never thought anyone could be that happy in Fell...

[Zayreih]

Zayreih shrugged at her inquisition and turned his head back around to face the growing darkness. "You asked," he replied simply, peeling his feet off the step and continuing upward. He was still not content with Nicara's answer to the same question, but he let it go for the moment. If she was going to skirt around the truth twice in a row, he figured either she didn't know how to answer or didn't want to answer; which led him back to his previous thoughts.

"Well, Nicara," Zayreih began, slowing down his pace for her to catch up to him, "by you asking me to accompany you up your agonizing trip up to nowhere, you also inevitably asked to withstand the many questions I am going to put you through." The sapphire knew the only way to gain her trust would be to fire off one question after another. Conniving, maybe, but it was his last resort. Of course, he knew she'd be doing the same thing as soon as he was finished (that was just who she was), but that was the price to pay. "So!" Zayreih glanced across at her to see what her expression had to say, but her hair had fallen across her face. He continued on anyway. "We'll start with an easy one: who are you?"

((Hah, this'll be one way for you to figure out Nicara! Your welcome ~_^))

[Nicara]

Nicara rolled her eyes-- this was bound to end well. Hn. Fine. I'll play his little game. She took a few stray steps up the twisted staircase. "I'm Nicara, of course. Who else? You ought to know that by now." There was more to Zayreih's question, she was sure, but there was nothing she could properly answer, much less want to answer.

The dark mage took another step, figuring that if she didn't show fatigue, her companion would have nothing more to laugh at. "Your turn. Who exactly are you?" It seemed almost overly cliche-- throwing the guy's question back at him. After all, Zayreih probably knew much more about his own past than Nicara would ever find out about hers. Yet, it seemed almost proper-- not that Nicara ever cared about manners. Life, itself, was ironic to her.

((Can't think.
Brain numb.
Inspiration won't come.
Few thoughts.
Can't fend.
That's all!
Amen!
))

[Zayreih]

((Who am I.... 24601!!!!!!!!!!!))

"I'm Zayreih, of course," he mimicked her, "You should know that by now." Smirking, he rolled his eyes, thinking how that was so like her. Why would she have answered more? She obviously hated talking about herself-- unusual for someone so full of themself. But if she couldn't even stand talking about it, how would she be able to listen to it? Unless he was under the wrong impression, that sentinel would make a fool out of her past. Why would she put herself through that?

Frustrated with Nicara, he unconsciously quickened his pace, making like June up the staircase until suddenly there was nothing more to step up to. This caught him off guard, as he was expecting to step on higher ground, and so nearly tripped over his feet. "Finally," he muttered, his legs feeling like jelly beneath him. Zayreih spun around to take in his surroundings and noticed a single black door to his right. He walked over to it then turned his head to find Nicara. "Ladies first," he simpered, smiling widely and bowing to let her pass and open it.

[Nicara]

This guy is unbelievable irritating when he puts his mind to it... Nicara seethed mentally. Not that she expected Zayreih to answer the question. After all, why should he have to reply to her inquiry when she didn't answer it appropriately herself? As if I could..! she thought bitterly, taking a second to brush dark bangs from her eyes. Grr...

But, hopefully, this problem would be taken care of once the two arrived at the very top of the spires. The dark shade residing in the tower had the ability to revive Nicara's lost memories, however haunting they may be. She didn't care anymore. Anything about her past would be better than nothing... right now, the dark mage was just an empty shell, full of bitter emotions, mostly sorrow and spite. She was lost.

Nicara looked past Zayreih to see that the next stair... just wasn't there! It was strange, almost. She hung onto the railing, while peering down. Just darkness. Nothing but pure, untamed darkness. What now? Apparently, the Sapphire had discovered another path-- a door. A simple door with a rusty, round doorknob. Should they go in? It looked almost forbidding...

Bah! I'm not getting any where by waiting! The Red stalked past Zayreih and turned the handle in one fluid movement, swinging the door into the darkness of the next room. Without waiting for consent or another comment, Nicara took a step inside.

[Fate]

Lo and behold the specter who haunts the forgotten spire. It is a timid creature of no particular gender and it thrives on the fear of others. He can only work with one person at a time however, or he becomes confused and confusion does not suit it. But the creature knew that there were intruders in the long twisting stairway that went on forever, yet ultimately had an end. It knew that two people were coming, which left it with a dilemma. Which way would it flee?

There was always the window from which Daxx had flown the coop, chased by the black jewel for no obvious reason. Then there was the front door, a way by which he might be able to steal a little fear from the hearts that were chasing him. He sucks the stench of fright from their bodies and grows with it, feeds with it, and the specter made his decision.

He fled through the door running first into Nicara and his shape shifted into her own. Her mind was crowded and the uppermost fear on her mind was herself, so it became her image. Second, it met Zayreih and his thoughts were more defined. The specter became the image of his father for a few seconds before it vanished down the stairs entirely.

[Zayreih]

Before Zayreih could even step behind Nicara to follow her into what he assumed to be a room (God forbid it be another staircase), he was shoved against the hall by Nicara. No, it couldn't be her, she was still standing in the doorway. But it was the spitting image... before he could make heads or tails of the illusion, however, he was pushed further against the wall, his eyes widening in fear. His father. Standing right in front of him. Within arm's reach. Within arm's reach... Zayreih's fist swung out away from him, anticipating the feeling of his flesh against his knuckles. His fear had quickly vanished in the place of anger, rage, revenge. The only thing his fist caught, though, was thin air.

He spun around to sprint after the bastard, but even his eyes caught only the air he breathed. Frustrated, he clenched his fingers into an even tighter ball, then wrenched his body around to face the brick. "Damnit!" the boy screamed, pounding it into the impenetrable substance, not even caring how it wrenched a chill all the way through his body. He let him get away. He let him get away!! The one chance he had to completely obliviate him, and he stood by and let him run. God, what if he goes after Kiari?

Zayreih pushed himself away from the wall, ready to wheel down the stairs to find her. If he lays a hand on her, I swear I'll-- he thought, already flying down the mile-long staircase, when he came to an abrupt stop. "...Some sort of shadow lurking in the darkness, toying with people's memories and worst nightmares..." The sapphire stared down into the abysmal darkness below, then collapsed onto the wooden steps beneath him. He rocked back and forth, his left hand cradling his head, his right hand mangled in his lap. And then, for the first time since his mother was taken away from him, a stray tear forced its way from his eyes, gliding down to drop from his chin.

[Nicara]

What the Fell?! This apparition standing before her was... well, her. The two made eye contact for a brief moment, although it seemed like an eternity to Nicara. She was surprised, yes, but frightened? Not quite. Of course, thinking about what would scare her made her a bit anxious. What was so forbiding about her past that prevented the very specter from taking its shape? Grr... Nicara glanced at the specter one last time before it shifted again, feeding off of Zayreih's greatest fears.

What..? The shadow took on the appearance of a strange man, possibly in his forties or fifties, Nicara had never seen before. Who is this? Not someone from the depths of Fell, I'm assuming... The sapphire had a never-before-seen fear glint across his blue eyes, which quickly dissipated into feelings of obvious anger? Regret? She couldn't quite put a finger on his emotions. There were too many and unleashed in such a short period of time.

In a dash of fury, Zayreih ran after the man, racing down the spiraling staircase, leaving Nicara in the pitch darkness. She looked at the door one last time, thinking if there would be anything else inside worth searching through, before forcing herself to turn on her heels and follow the dark mage. Everything seemed so utterly boring as she plodded down the stairs-- her trip had all been in vain. She had discovered nothing... absolutely nothing. Bah! Nicara scowled. Now she had to figure out what went wrong with Zayreih. I'm not trying to be compassionate! I just don't want him to go crazy-- who else can help me with stuff like this anyway?

[Zayreih]

Hearing Nicara's steps bounding down toward him, Zayreih quickly lifted his head from his hands and wiped away the few tears still clouding his vision. "Eei..." The salt from his eyes seeped into his bloody fist, causing it to sting. Wincing, he carefully rested it back on his lap. It was a miracle he had even been able to lift it. The blow had to have broken something, though; his fingers were so numb with pain they felt disconnected from his body. "Damnit," he said again, this time in a whisper.

How could he have been so dumb? So naive? Why the hell would his father be here? And after Kiari? If it had taken Zayreih this long to realize who she was, it would take his bastard of a father about five times as long, if it all. It just scared him was all. If this was any other place, that really could have happened. His father would want to track him down like a lion hunts his prey... just thinking about it made him want to put his head right back down in his hands and sit there all his life. Hidden. Where no one could harm him and he couldn't inflict any harm on those around him.

Maybe there was a reason he was sent to this hell hole. Maybe something or someone took him here for that exact reason. They knew about his father, they knew about his sister, they knew about him. If that's true, Zayreih thought dejectedly, then where the hell is Mom?

[Nicara]

Nicara continued down the stairs at a slower pace, not wanting to turn the corner and ram face first into another person. Ouch... that'd hurt. She found Zayreih sitting on one of the steps, hunched over in his sorrow. Eh? I've never seen him like this before... what the hell happened? He appeared to be desperate, wanting to discover, to know what was going on. Yet, he appeared to want to simply run away from it all-- just to escape the world and its problems.

Often times, Nicara felt the same way. She could almost sympathize with him... it was a strange feeling, something she'd never felt before. Empathy. Funny how things work, she mused sarcastically. I'm turning soft, aren't I? And for some demented reason, Nicara didn't seem to care what others thought anymore. A burning, but not completely uncomfortable feeling engulfed her neck. "Wh-what?" Her previously purple jewel glowed darker for a second, pulsing into a light shade of gray.

Eh? What allowed the gem to suddenly change, Nicara would probably never know. Then again, why would she even care? A twisted smile curved through her lips. So Fell wasn't all that bad, after all. The land had its quirks. Now, she needed to solve the Zayreih problem and things would get even slightly better.