RP:The Unheard Song

From HollowWiki
Ancient Snow Covered Gates

The area clears slightly of the thick trees, and you find yourself standing before two huge gates. The gates are destroyed and forced open, bent, and rusted. Once beautiful you imagine, the now beaten pathway looks deserted and wrecked. You can clearly tell that this path and whatever is beyond the gates has not be travelled in many years. Strangely the trees around the gates are as well dead and decaying, they look twisted and deformed. You may enter the path to the west, or you can head east into the thick woods.

A Sign That Reads "No Trespassers Beyond This Point" is here.



Kirien is dancing. It is the best way to describe his movements as he winds his way back and forth across the snowfields before the old gate with graceful spins and sharp, snapping gestures of his arms, following the rhythm of some song that remains unheard and yet, at the same time, is heard everywhere around the terramancer. Drifting like a wandering ghost's melody, the light music ripples ever at the edges of the senses as little more than background noise, only becoming more prominent when Kirien begins to hum along with it. He raises his voice to shatter the muffled silence brought upon by the shroud of gentle snowfall, though he does not sing in any language known on the surface or below it. The sound is eerily familiar to any who hear it, though, like a lullaby that surfaces from the shadowed depths of childhood memories - the song of the earth and the world itself, which Kirien breathes into Frostmaw's frigid air like it is some form of catharsis to him. Moving in time with this soulful, lively beat, he turns the wasteland into his playground, his dance floor; and the rock rolls along with him in a slow, rumbling tremor, and the wind whistling through the gate grants the old ruin its own voice as it moans and wails into the evening sky.


Daisy is a bit farther into Frostmaw than she has ever been before. This time, she is truly lost. Not that being lost is a huge problem for her. Nah. She doesn't mind so much. But in a place like this, there could be problems if she doesn't find some sort of shelter - and soon. So she walks and walks and... What's that up ahead? She knows that figure. And he's dancing. You know, those who dance appear mad to those who can't hear the music. But Daisy...Daisy hears. She can only stare at the beauty that is Kirien, in awe of the moment. That stare doesn't last long before a wide grin spreads, exploding out of her eyes. She doesn't call out his name before running and joining his dance. Her limbs mime his, following along easily to match his rhythm. Maybe she's too small, but she seems to fit anyway - bending as he bends, curving back when he curves forward. Giggles fill the air, complimenting the absence of music that others might not hear.


In truth, everything moves in sync with this song and its unheard notes, though many will never realise it or even be granted a chance to hear the tune their existence flows along to. Daisy might be smaller than Kirien but she fits just as well to the melody as he does, and the empath cannot help but crack a skewed smile when he catches her arriving and moulding herself smoothly into his dance. He bends and twists, back arched, vulpine tail swaying behind him as a russet banner; a step here, a pivot there, and they'll paint out a mirroring pattern of footprints in the snow, synchronised, enlivened, and connected solidly with the earth. Kirien takes a leap, bounces up onto his toes then rocks back on his heels, spiraling left - an arm swings out and from his mouth he breathes a syllable that hisses and crackles as it emerges newborn into the air, taking flight on golden wings to summon a great shake and roar in the ground underfoot. The earthquake might knock the balance of anyone else nearby but the terramancer and possibly Daisy too will continue their dance unscathed, for they move to the very beat guiding that tremor, melding seamlessly to the rupturing stone and its guttural growl. This is Kirien's world, as much an insight into the empath himself as it is to the intrinsic movement of rock and earth.


Daisy never thought she'd just stumble upon something so lovely out here in the middle of Nowherefrostmaw. That isn't true. There is plenty of lovely in Frostmaw. But this. This is beyond amazing. With every turn Kirien makes, she follows just as easily. Dancing is about the only thing the little kitten is not clumsy at, surprisingly enough. She has that grace, coupled beautifully with Kirien's, like a feline should. The earthquake doesn't bother her as it normally would. She is too wrapped up in the dance to stumble. She is not too wrapped up, however, to throw some colour over the area. Spots of colour dot the area in thick clusters. Pansies sway with their own dance, beaming their own sweet faces of red, yellow, pink, purple, blue, and orange. That flower doesn't mind the snow at all. Loves it, in fact.


Kirien, still singing, begins to work more and more of his magic into the notes of his voice. Sparks of raw energy are let loose to swirl in a lazy trail, fizzling through the air like so many thousands of buzzing fireflies. Where they touch the ground, the snow begins to glow with a faintly golden aura, setting the world alight with a spreading carpet of shimmering lights. Kirien does not see this wondrous sight, not truly, but he does know it's there, and that seems to be enough for the terramancer. His art is far more than fighting, and there is simple yet fulfilling joy to be found in these beautiful dances. Limbs ripple through a series of powerful movements that stream together without missing a beat and retain their elegance despite it all, and then he comes to notice the plant life unfurling around their ankles to bring about a sudden blooming of colour amidst all this untouched white and grey. He does not see this, either. One thing Kirien really does miss about regular sight is the ability to view the world in spectrums other than monochrome, so he begins to work his way subtly in Daisy's direction. Their parallel movements draw them closer until their arms just barely brush, and then the terramancer spins again, curling an arm about Daisy's small shoulders and pulling them to an abrupt standstill as everything fades to silence. Through that contact, a momentary connection is established - something different from the threads that tie them both to the earth, and thus to each other. It might feel like a slight nudge at the mind, and if not resisted, Kirien will see the world blink into full colour before his eyes, seen through Daisy's own vision, briefly borrowed through an empathic bond. And he'll see the flowers flourish in all their glory, a myriad hues of red and pink, yellow and fiery orange, deep blues and magentas-- just for an instant.


Daisy comes to a stop when that arm reaches around her. She won't resist Kirien. She wouldn't ever resist Kirien. The feline leans into him and just takes in the land before them, letting him see what she sees. A paw reaches up to clasp that locket at her throat and flashing images of a boy dance over the snow. He looks like Daisy, only older. The hold on her locket tightens while her other hand clutches at Kirien's clothes. "Thank you." Her brother used to dance with her. It's been a long time since then.


Kirien has an affinity for echoes and those lingering cobwebs of an old memory; the kind that dust the backs of closets, always there but usually forgotten about. They haunt the world and he stumbles across them daily, and the feeling he perceives right now is similar to those echoes. He watches the apparition of a dancing boy he does not know but thinks he should recognise, and comes to realise that he must have been someone close to Daisy. Arms wind more fully about her shoulders as he embraces her from behind like an older brother would, wondering for a moment if that boy once wrapped her in similar hugs. "I believe I should be saying that. Thank you for letting me see those colours again." He missed those.


Daisy leans back against Kirien, embracing those arms around her. "I'll show you any time you want," she whispers. Her vision blurs for a moment then clears when the moisture leaves her eyes. Twin drops freeze on her cheeks, thanks to where they are. Don't worry, kitten. He can feel everything you are anyway. He's safe. You're safe. She rests her head back against Kirien's chest with a little sniff and smiles for him even though he can't see it. Maybe he can hear it in her heart.


Kirien finds a smile and allows it to spread across his features, edged with an easy sort of light-heartedness. "Thank you," he repeats as he leans over to press a soft kiss into her hair. Her emotions caress his psyche with a featherlike touch, honest and open but almost shy, and for once he does not try to brush them away. Instead, the empath submerges himself in the torrent rushing from Daisy's heart and simply is, feeling and breathing, untroubled. A deep contentment allows his muscles to relax as he indulges in the moment, wordless while the world keeps its silence around them and gold light fades back into snow white and grey clouds. Eventually, Kirien scrunches his nose some in an absent manner, and murmurs, "Tu have an interesting echo, there. The boy, I mean." The dancing phantom who was never really there so he saw him, like he sees all echoes; spots of faded and false colour amidst his grey and black vision.


Daisy shifts to press her locket in one of Kirien's hands. It opens and there is a picture of Daisy and that boy, but she won't open it. That tiny item bombards the empath with everything it represents. The love and need of the only family she ever knew. The fear and anguish when she lost it. The emptiness and sorrow from all the years after. She lets Kirien have these things, these emotions she keeps locked inside. Don't tell anyone, kitten. They'll only use it against you. Abuse your weakness. But she tells him because she knows when someone is good. "My brother."


Kirien often approaches precious items with caution, for the residual emotion tied to them can be overwhelming to the empath, their potency not always fully recognised until contact is actually made. When his fingers curl around the locket, he tumbles face-first into a churning ocean of sensation - caught between the immense love Daisy found in her brother and the heartbreaking terror when she lost him, he's strung along through each layer of emotion in turn, weighted down by years of loneliness that shackle his arms and tighten his throat. He does not open it, either. Taking a deep, shuddering breath, Kirien carefully returns the locket to its place around the feline's neck and says to her in a tone that hints to an understanding deeper than the feeling and experiencing of her emotion, "I'll keep your secret. Promise." His ability could allow him to turn this against her, yes, but Kirien would rather die than commit such a horrible act. She's trusting him with this. He won't make her regret it. That is his own personal song to her, unheard but still very much there in his every breath.


Daisy smiles and turns to slip her arms around Kirien's middle. She squeezes him close, burying her face into his chest. Comfort. That is what surrounds the empath. Warm, appreciative comfort. "Thank you."