thisavrou_log | If You Listen Close, You'll Hear the Sound / of All the Ghosts That Bring Us Down

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original character: darin altway

If You Listen Close, You'll Hear the Sound / of All the Ghosts That Bring Us Down

Who: Darin, Open to Close and Semi-Close CR!
When: This week
Where: Kauto: Region 5 Hospital
What: Darin's been comatose since his bout with his shadow and it's time to wake him up with SCIENCE
Warnings: Probable blood and physical trauma

While his condition has stabilized since the shadows were officially defeated, Darin definitely isn't in the best of shape. His wounds are taking much longer to heal than they normally should, his skin is pale, and he's showing no signs of any real mental activity. In short: he's comatose. But, there's a glimmer of light in this dark cloud. Using experimental technology, someone (or a group of someones) can reach into Darin's consciousness and maybe try and pull him out of it. The problem? This might not work at all. Or things could go from bad to worse for everyone involved.

What's the worst that could happen?

I-The Hallway-
Interestingly enough, Darin's head isn't just a massive void of empty space peppered with memories of some really great explosions. Nor is it a palace with massive golden statues proclaiming just how amazing he is. It's just...a really long hallway. Each door is unmarked and unlocked, but if you put your ears to them, you can hear muffled voices coming from within. The hallway doesn't seem to have an end though. Pick a door, who knows what you'll find?

II-The Night It All Went to Hell-
One of the doors leads to a rather quaint hillock overlooking a quiet port town. It's dark out, but there's plenty of light from the spattering of stars and the twin moons; red and white respectively, giving the scenery and almost ethereal violet hue. There's a modest home on the hillock itself...which seems to be the source of some commotion. There's the sound of a fight, then some yelling. And then, finally, the spark of a fire being started...

III-Life Goes On-
This door leads to a bustling street in the port town itself. At the end of the street is a rather large smithy, and there appears to be a full garrison of knights standing about the premises, waiting impatiently. The sea are brings the fresh smell of salt on the breeze, and some of the knights are complaining to an older, stout looking gentleman about the rust on their gear. Meanwhile, a beleaguered, blue haired youth, no more than ten years old, is doing his best to measure up an impatient knight for some new armor. Except he's gone and tripped himself up with the measuring tape and fallen into one of the large barrels of water, sending a mixture of laughs and groans rippling through the platoon.

"Why do you even keep this kid around, Acteon?! He's more trouble than he's worth!"

IV-Something's Not Quite Right-
This door leads to an even larger marketplace...not just a port side town anymore. No, this is a huge bazaar in some forgotten nation's capital. There's stalls selling any kind of wares you can imagine: exotic fruits and spices, weapons and armor, fine silks and furs, if you can dream it, it's likely being sold here! Some well armored and equally armed guards push by you quickly though and head towards what seems to be a throng of people circling up. Follow them and you'll see a large man looming over that stout smithy from the previous door, who is in turn standing in front of a gangly-armed, teenage Darin.

"What's all this about?"

"Your brat! He comes up to my stall and he...he breaks my weapons right in front of my paying customers!"

"Look, I was just showing these fine folk what inferior gear looks li--" Darin is cut off by the larger weaponsmith.

"MY GEAR IS THE BEST IN THIS REALM!! ACTEON, EITHER REEL YOUR FREAK IN, OR I'LL HAVE HIM IN CHAINS!"

Darin's smug look turns enraged, and he's already jumping over Acteon to try and throttle the man.

"WHAT'D YOU CALL ME YOU SECOND-RATE--"

The guards are already dogpiling on Darin which...doesn't necessarily slow him down. He pushes through them, and instead of attacking, just turns and runs for the nearest alleyway.

V-Chain of Command-
This door leads to...almost nothing, really. In fact, all that can be seen in this low light is what appears to be a massive steel gate. The bars reach up seemingly forever, and beyond the gate, there is nothing but blackness. The doors to the gate are pushed open slightly, but they're not fully open yet. Something appears to be keeping the doors themselves from being forced ajar completely. That something is Darin, hanging and covered in hundreds of chains, all of which are wrapped around the many massive iron bars. He appears to be hanging limp, but upon closer inspection, his arms are pulled taut, the muscles flexed and tight. As if, though unconscious, he's fighting to keep the iron gates shut.

-WILDCARD-

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"And what's wrong with us knowing things about you?" She wants to point out that he passes harsher judgment on himself than anyone else here, but -- first impressions are hard to shake, aren't they? And in addition to that, it could just as easily the opposite, that he's worried about them sympathizing with him.

"They are only memories, after all. Painful ones, embarrassing ones -- we all have them! And more to the point, if you calmed down for a moment, perhaps I actually could help you!"

"I don't want your help!"

He yells it, planting his feet firmly as he gives her a little shove away.

"Don't you get it?! If I'm here then that means that Diomuhr can't leave! That means that my world, Thisavrou, effectively every world, is safe from him! Who the hell cares what it means for me?! This is so much bigger than just one stupid blacksmith from some podunk port town! Why can't you see that this is so much larger than any one person?! I can't put myself before so many others, so what gives you the right to?! Ah?!"

From a certain perspective, she shouldn't argue that logic. He's making a sacrifice for a mission that's greater than all of them. Isn't that something she believes in? And yet...

"Weren't you the one lecturing me about teamwork? What kind of team would we be if I were to turn around and leave you behind in this place by yourself?!"

"You already have your team, Princess. I was just temporary and you knew it as well as I do."

Somehow, that last bit stings him more than he cares to admit.

"Besides, you never really needed a bodyguard. But...thanks for the spot all the same."

He looks back, eyes glancing up towards the twin moons, like eyes in the sky.

"You should get going. But...hey, at least we got to say goodbye."

"Well, I'm not saying goodbye, because I will not be leaving. Even if you kick me out, I'll come waltzing right back in. I'm not going anywhere until this nap of yours is over."

She tries to shake him off another time.

"And why, oh why, do you think you were temporary at all? Because we didn't have another lion for you? I don't know how to break this to you, but none of the paladins have their lions! And neither do I!"

"Because we each have a job to do and mine lies back there." He thumbs at the sleet town of Kenmore, the town of his birth.

"My world needs me. And the best thing I can do for it is to make sure that Diomuhr never sets foot on it again. No matter the cost."

It's grim. And he would give anything to just be free of this so that maybe, just maybe, their paths didn't have to cross only temporarily.

"This has nothing to do with the fact that I can't do anything for you or for Voltron. Why can't you just let me do what I have to..?"

"Because if everything was reversed, you would never allow me to do this."

Yes, she's pulling that card.

"How did you put it? That maybe what's important... no, how did it go? What if finding a balance between who you are and what your job is -- is something you shouldn't be turning your back on?"

It's very awkwardly recited, but it should be familiar enough for him to recall his own words.

"Do you expect me to believe that 'who you are' is a hero with such a tragic story, one who can only end this as a sleeping martyr?"

"You're more important than me. To a lot more people."

His reply is a hushed one. One of resignation.

"You saw it yourself, my family is dead. I'm a wanted man in my own world and any semblance of a quiet life I may have once eked out was stolen from me the minute my brother rose from his grave and took it upon himself to end the world like we were meant to. Except he can't do that anymore if I'm here with my half of Diomuhr's soul. Who I am? I'm not a hero, Allura. Far from it. I'm just a man who was dealt a bad hand, a hand that he's doing his best to turn into something positive for every other person around him."

He sighs.

"You really think I'm happy with this? You think, for one second, that this is how I want my road to end? No, it's not. There's still so many things I want to learn, to experience, so many things I want to explore and so many things I want to say. But even someone as selfish as me knows that life doesn't work that way."

He takes a step back from her.

"I'm your bodyguard. Which means that it's my duty to keep you safe from harm. And I aim to do just that."

He takes another step back and the ground between them starts to churn, surging up into a wall between them.

"I'm sorry, Allura. If there's one thing I regret, it's not giving you more of a chance sooner."

"Darin, will you stop this?!"

She spins and starts banging on the wall with one fist.

"Do you actually think that it's nothing but our circumstances that determine who's important and who's not?! Or did you forget that you're not the only one here whose entire family is dead?!"

The wall is already up, and so the thought is burning in her mind that she might just be yelling at the void.

"If you don't want things to end this way, then stand up and fight it, instead!"

At least it's satisfying for her, anyway. She takes a step back -- then, approaches the wall again to give it one more kick, just to show her unhappiness.

I am fighting. I'm fighting all the time and this is the only way I can ensure yours and everyone's safety.

He doesn't respond to her, merely stares at the wall. He wants to lower it, he wants to just accept what she's saying as the truth, but he can feel his grip on Diomuhr is slipping the longer he extends his consciousness. He creates a door for Allura, in the wall itself, believing that this door should lead her out of his mind, then turns back towards his childhood home and heads off.

He feels like a coward. He would have loved to spend more time with her. But things don't always work out the way we want them.

The wall is still there. Clearly, he's not letting her back in, or else he would tear it down and show himself. But where does it lead then?

If it leads out, then I suppose I'll just have to go back in. I'll make a nuisance of myself if I have to.

On the other hand, she shouldn't assume all doors lead outside, either.

She approaches it slowly, cautiously, as if sizing up whether or not the door is going to bite her. Even when she does open the door and peek inside, she seems to be on the alert. Not because she's afraid something is going to attack her, but because she's not completely sold on going through.

Well, the door doesn't lead outside, that much is for certain. This time, it leads to a bustling city street, a block or so down from a city square. A man wanders by, wearing a long and tattered cloak with the hood pulled up and low. The only telltale sign that this man is Darin is the shock of blue hair peeking out from under hood itself. He appears to be making his way away from the central square but stops by an alley, as if something has piqued his interest.

He wanders in warily and disappears out of sight.

So, you tell me to leave and keep out of your memories, and then... you send me straight into another memory?

Wait, no. Didn't he say Diomuhr was the one dredging up these memories? Or maybe he's blaming him for that, when it's actually his own recollection? No, you know what, guessing is stupid. This world is chaotic and confusing, so she'll have to learn to roll with it for a while before she can properly navigate.

So, she tags along, adjusting her color a little to blend in better. On one hand, she doesn't think anyone here can see her. On the other, she doesn't want Darin to spot her that easily and kick her out again.

Darin makes his way down the alley and into another back street. Finally, he stops in front of a door to a little lean-to. He appears to be looking at a card in his hand, then at a sign.

'Madame Iris' Fortune Telling'

"Are you serious...I'm gonna go back and punch that barkeep out. Reliable information my ass..."

He's about to turn and walk away when the door to the lean-to flies open.

A young woman, no older than her earlier twenties peers out. She's about a head short than Darin, with thick brown hair and scarlet eyes. She's wearing robes and a gown underneath to give the appearance of regality, so her frame is a little hard to discern, but she's very pretty and seems to regard Darin with an intense look.

Darin takes a step back and pulls his hood down a little lower.

"Did I just hear you say something about reliable information? Because you've come to the right place! Come on in!"

Darin, about to protest, gets hooked by the arm and yanked inside the lean-to with alarming strength. He helps as the door creaks partially shut.

More people I've never heard of?

That really shouldn't seem as odd as it does. After all, Darin lived an entire life in another world. It's not like he spent those years as a hermit on a mountain, never interacting with his own species.

But somehow, it's like when someone in your family brings you along to meet their friends for the first time, and you become aware of just how much of their life you weren't in. Like it would be if they ever were to visit Earth, and Allura met the friends and family that the paladins left behind.

The door didn't shut all the way. Based on what she knows, there's no reason for Allura to be sneaking around the scene, but -- nevertheless, she opens it slowly and cautiously, trying to get inside without making any noise. Like an alien ninja.

The young woman leads Darin to a small table a glittery, incredibly tacky tablecloth draped over it. In the center, a 'crystal' ball, which anyone with any sense can tell is just cheap glass. She forcibly plants Darin on a stool on one side of the table then scampers to the other side and plops down on a rather plush chair.

She leans forward to examine Darin, who is deadeyeing her from beneath his hood. Hoooo boy is he deadeyeing her. 'Madame Iris' places her chin in her hands and watches him with an eager smile.

"You came to me to help you on your journey~. It seems you need a guiding light, a beacon to part the fog that clouds your path~" she waggles her fingers for effect.

The silence is deafening.

"Nnnnnnnope." Darin stands abruptly and makes for the door. "Nope. Nuh uh. I'm out. The finger wiggling was the line."

Allura also has a deadeye expression on her face.

Right now, she's sort of hoping that this is Diomuhr's doing, because if encountering Allura somehow reminded Darin's unconscious mind of this? Then she thinks she's insulted.

Wait. Why am I worried about that? I have nothing in common with this woman, besides being a woman! I might have some crystals of my own, but those are real, authentic Altean jewelry! Not this awful imitation!

Of course, when see sees him coming, she attempts to duck out of sight, off to the side of the doorway. Even though she thinks he can't see her. It's alien ninja reflexes, okay?

He's almost to the door when Iris nabs him again, and before he realizes what's going on, she's lifted him up and plopped him back onto his stool.

"What the--"

"Just give me a chance!" She protests.

"I can help you! I know I can! If I can't prove myself to you, the fortune telling will be free and I'll even throw in some good luck charms! That's like a value of a hundred gold right there!"

With a resigned sigh, Darin drops his hand into his chin, tapping impatiently on the table.

"Fine. S'not like I have any other options."

"Fantastic!" She snaps her hands forward and yanks his hands toward her, holding them palms up and running her thumbs lightly over the lines, ignoring the fact that the sudden motion just sent Darin's head smashing into the table.

He's just gonna...leave his head there. Let her do her thing.

"Let's see here...huh. This is interesting...you're a blacksmith. So why aren't you traveling with a merchant caravan...?"

Hmph...lucky guess. She can probably figure it out from the callouses on my hand.

"You're traveling alone, why else would you try and keep your identity hidden so well. Hmm...you're quite the interesting one, aren't you?" She continues, eyeing him a bit fondly. This stranger might be her ticket to adventure.

"Yeah huh. Good job. You divined the obvious." Darin grumbles, obviously unimpressed.

All right. She needs to get a closer look at what's going on, and see what this woman (who clearly has NOTHING in common with Allura) is actually doing to Darin.

She enters into the shop, and -- well, she's immediately distracted by the surroundings. What is all this junk? In some ways, it reminds her of the tools of her father's trade, to perform Altean alchemy. But it doesn't look right. Like someone with a vague understanding of their ways tried to recreate the tools from memory.

Then again, she's not using real crystals, either. So perhaps everything else is just for show as well?

... ... ...

Why was this important enough for Darin to remember?

She focuses her attention back on the fortune telling, peering over Darin's shoulder.

His huff of annoyance matches Allura's mood. This was getting him nowhere and in no particular hurry, and the longer he hung around in such a populated city, the greater the chance of him being recognized. Iris, on the other hand, bristles at his comments.

"Excuse you! Not just anyone can peer into the true hearts of man" she protests.

"Oh please." He retorts. "You're using context clues to make basic assumptions about your customers. Any con artist can do the same thing! You haven't told me anything about who I am that I don't already know, and you sure as hell haven't 'illuminated my path~'"

He starts to yank his hands away, but yells when she grabs him by the wrists and pins them down again, the table creaking under the force.

"Don't underestimate me! I really can see into your soul and I'll do it right now!" She growls as she clamps her hands about his wrists. She closes her eyes but then recoils from him a moment later. He cocks an eyebrow, confused, but before he can ask what gives, she whispers.

"Diomuhr?"

And with that all of the color leaves Darin's face.

Allura's taken aback, too.

Not over the Diomuhr detail, obviously. She already knew that. But apparently, this girl is less of a fake than expected.

"Can she actually see his soul?!"

Said aloud, with the expectation that it won't be heard like the last memory.

Even if she could be heard, Darin's far too invested in this girl who said a name that he thought only he knew. He eyes the exit. If he made a break for it right this instant, he can put this city behind him by sundown and--

He's shaken from his thoughts when Iris grabs his hands again from across the table, this time her eyes wide with wonder.

"It's true, isn't it?! You're soul is linked to Diomuhr?! Which means that you're part of the prophecy of this world, aren't you?! Hah! You can't deny it now, it's written all over your face! Your very existence effects the entire world! I knew coming to this city would be my ticket to adventure! Please, you have to take me with you! I can guide the rest of your journey! I promise I won't be a burden to you!"

Darin's horrified state melts into one of absolute confusion. What?!

This is absolutely an insult against her.

She heaves a sigh behind him, because she can see now why this memory came up. And Darin must have been responsible for it, somehow. And all she can do is fold her arms and look pouty behind him.

"Maybe it's you, Darin. Maybe if you weren't so difficult and stubborn about all this, we wouldn't invest so much of our energy trying to get you to come around. By the time anyone can realize you'll never see things from our side, it's too late."

She steps away from him. "Although, in the end... that's still on us, isn't it?" She leans against what she assumes is the wall of the shop, sulking.

Darin, oblivious to Allura's overall presence, begins to panic. She wants to what?! Who the hell is this loon?!. He jerks away from her, stammering some sort of excuse, that the prophecy she's taking about is just superstition.

"Look, you've got it all wro--"

"I've never felt a presence like yours before! You can change the world, and I want to be there to see it in person! I'm gonna take part in your quest, whether you like it or not!" Iris, by this point, has crawled into the table, effectively cornering Darin.

Cornering Darin on such a delicate issue is not a smart thing to do. Speaking of things that aren't smart, Darin, already in a considerable panic, grips the table and proceeds to launch it, and Iris, through the roof of the lean-to, the force effectively exploding the entire structure from the inside.

Darin stares up at the open sky and the airborne table with its passenger.

"...Not your finest moment, Darin Altway..."

"What did you do?!"

She runs forward to get under the hole in the roof so she can also gape at the person he just launched into the stratosphere. The girl had been grating on her nerves as well, admittedly, but...

"Surely, she didn't deserve that!"

And she looks at him, waiting to see what he does next. Waiting for some kind of reaction that isn't making smart remarks over his own mistakes.

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