Castle Hydra: Next Generation

[frostmourne]

Adrian looked at Kenan like he was speaking a foreign language. "What?" "Save the intensive questioning for later Adrian. It's morphine." Jared called over. "Did you kn-" "I don't know what ever scientific jargon you're going to tell me and I don't want to know." Adrian said, picking up another roll of gauze. "Is the morphine working yet? I want to start closing this wound. And Jared, make a splint or something for that wrist." "How? She won't let go."

The scene changed. It was bleak landscape, unbroken by trees or rocks. A ghostly white tower stood proudly in the distance. She ran towards it, and stopped when she reached the garden. The trees seemed to be made out of black wire with hundreds of bloodshot eyes imbedded in the trunks. She ran and ran, but the trees never ended. She stopped when she heard a silver bell like voice. A wood thrush.

[lycrawaterz14]

"A little... I guess..." he said, and seemed depressed. "She really likes you, you know..." he murmured to Jared.

[frostmourne]

"I know." Jared murmured, wincing as her grip tightened. He smiled a little, but it was a smile haunted by sorrow. Adrian's jaw dropped to nearly his collarbone when he sensed the turmoil of emotions. "Go on Adrian. Laugh. Only I don't see what's so funny about it." he snapped, voice uncharacteristically harsh. Adrian immediately closed his mouth and went back to work. He pulled out a suturing kit and began to stitch. There was a long silence between the two. "I'm sorry." Adrian murmured, voice quieter than a soft breeze. Jared sighed and shook his head.

The horrible trees and the song disappeared. There was nothing but blinding white. It didn't dim and didn't grow. It had no source but it was there. It seemed determined to banish all darkness from existence. There was no one to hear her screams.

Edited October 10, 2011 by frostmourne

[lycrawaterz14]

"Is it mutual?" He asked, trying to keep his mind off the pain.

[frostmourne]

Caught off guard by the question, Jared hesitated before responding. "I-I am very fond of Aza." he muttered. A nearby daisy flushed bright pink. Adrian reached over and duct taped his own mouth shut. He turned away and there was some muffled coughing sounds before he resumed stitching. Very fond indeed. What a touchy subject. I really don't know why everyone's so interested in her. Jared wouldn't make eye contact with anyone. He seemed to have become very interested studying the marble floor.

Edited October 10, 2011 by frostmourne

[lycrawaterz14]

"I am as well..." Kenan muttered. "You're better for her though." he sighed and turned to Adrian. "If you weren't related to her, you would also be fond of her. She's beautiful and strong, and charismatic, and..." he shook his head and tried to stand. He fell onto his knee and just sighed.

[frostmourne]

"And annoying and impatient and grumpy and naïve and silly and stubborn." Adrian muttered through the duct tape. Jared gave a hollow laugh. "It doesn't matter." He paused for a moment and opened his mouth to say something. "No, that was centuries ago. She probably didn't understand what she was saying." he muttered to himself. A primrose bloomed a few feet away. " How fitting." Adrian chortled. "The only flower that would be more appropriate would be a yellow tulip." Edited October 10, 2011 by frostmourne

[lycrawaterz14]

"I'm blind..." Kenan grumbled. "What does what mean? And how is this fitting." He sighed. "What happened."

[frostmourne]

"The primrose means 'I can't live without you' and the yellow tulip can either mean 'there's sunshine in your smile' or hopeless love. As for the event Jared has so foolishly brought up..." Adrian grinned wickedly. "I'll start making your coffin." Jared muttered. "Oh fine. He does deserve to know, though." Adrian said. "Adrian..." "Alright, alright." He finished his suturing and replaced the bandages. "Now let me see that wrist. We might have to pry her fingers off of it." he muttered. He pulled and tugged, but she just wouldn't let go. "Wouldn't it be funny if she could hear us right now?" Jared grimaced at the idea.

Aza was tired as the scene changed again. She was in the middle of a deserted ballroom. She noticed she was holding something. She immediately dropped it when she realized it was a long thin bone.

 

Edited October 10, 2011 by frostmourne

[lycrawaterz14]

"She can't. I can't see her. Her consciousness isn't here." he said quietly, and kept rubbing his shoulder.

[frostmourne]

"Well, we can't fix your wrist until she lets go, so shall we get started on breaking that mirror?" Adrian said. He tooked the mirror and threw it against the wall. Nothing happened, except a bone fell out. "Relax, it's not hers. Probably just a part of whatever illusion she's dreaming about." He put it down and dropped a rock on it. A masquerade mask fell out. "A bone and a masquerade mask. Some imagination." He attempted to snap the mirror in half, and the tip of the scythe that tumbled out nearly poked his eye out. "I won't comment on that..." Jared rolled his eyes and ducked as the mirror was thrown towards his head. This time it was a purple azalea blossom that floated through. Edited October 10, 2011 by frostmourne

[lycrawaterz14]

Kenan stood and held out his hand, silently asking for it.

[frostmourne]

The blossom silently rose and glided into his open palm. Adrian nodded in Jared's direction and continued to hammer away at the mirror. Within minutes he was buried with black wires. He untangled himself and hit the mirror again. Instead of an object, and voice came out. "It itches!" yelped a high pitched voice that clearly wasn't Aza's. "What in the world is she dreaming about?" Adrian complained. He dropped the mirror again and jumped as a gigantic mosquito flew out. "Anyone have a giant flyswatter?" he joked half-heartedly. He put the mirror down and sighed. "How do you break this thing? Burn it? Freeze it? Drop it in boiling water?"

Edited October 10, 2011 by frostmourne

[lycrawaterz14]

Kenan dropped the flower. "The mirror please." He sighed, and took off his shoe. "Here. Hit it with this. Bugs always lose versus shoes." He shrugged, and took the mirror. He tossed it up into the air before slamming it into the ground. "How are we supposed to break this?"

Edited October 10, 2011 by lycrawaterz14

[frostmourne]

The mosquito abruptly flew off as soon as it saw the shoe. It happened to fly right into a Venus flytrap, where it was quickly snapped up. "Showoff." Adrian muttered. "I guess we could always wait it out. " Jared shook his head and had a tree fall on top of it. When he picked it up with his free hand and looked at it again, it seemed unharmed except for a tiny piece of dirt caked to the surface. "Maybe she has to break it from the inside." he murmured, glancing back at Aza.

At first Aza thought she had woken up. She was in the same castle, in the drawing room. She smiled when she saw a bowl of goldfish in the corner and picked it up. She screamed when she saw a tree falling down and then Jared's puzzled expression instead of fish.

"Am I going crazy or did someone scream?" Adrian asked, picking up the mirror.

[lycrawaterz14]

"I heard it too." Kenan nodded. "I hope she gets out soon."

[frostmourne]

A face resolvedon the mirror, but not the face Jared had been hoping to see. "I'll be nice this time. Guard her well puppies." Skulni chuckled. Aza jerked awake, eyes wide with terror. She released her hold on Jared's wrist reluctantly and shakily stood up. She would have fallen if Jared hadn't jumped up in time to steady her. The mirror shattered a few seconds after she woke. Aza wrapped her arms around Kenan and refused to let go. She was shaking madly and didn't close her eyes, as if afraid of what she might see if she did. "Please. Don't." she murmured, looking like a deer in the headlights. Jared looked puzzled, upset, and clearly alarmed. Aza almost never sought out physical comfort, and she never begged. She demanded. He thought about asking her what she saw, but almost immediately dismissed the idea. Adrian just stood around, looking uncomfortable. "Please..." she whimpered, eyes glassy and hollow.

[lycrawaterz14]

Kenan grunted, and bit his lip. "Gah..." He grumbled, and pat her hair, trying not to scream. "It's gone. Honest." He managed to get out. "He's not going to bother you anymore... for now..." Kenan blinked, and hugged her back a little. He immediately changed his mind and held her tightly.

 

He coughed after a few seconds. "You might want to apologize to Jared. You broke his wrist..."

Edited October 11, 2011 by lycrawaterz14

[frostmourne]

Aza only shuddered a bit more and loosened her hold slightly when she noticed he was in pain. "That was stupid. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have-" she muttered, reluctantly stepping away. "It was perfectly natural." Jared said, waving away her apology. She didn't respond, but pulled out a small knife and drew an x on her palm and gently grasped his wrist. When she released him, the blood was gone and the wrist had healed. She looked at Kenan's bandages and cut her palm again, deeper than the first time. She carefully peeled away the bandages and placed her hand lightly on he wounds. Once she was done she stepped back and drew a shaky breath. She noticed the pile of black wire in the corner and winced.

[lycrawaterz14]

"You're fine." Kenan said quietly. When she peeled away the bandages he winced, the air hitting them stinging. "...Where are we anyway?" He said, and stood by Aza. "And thank you..."

[frostmourne]

"Judging from the plants and the weather outside, probably somewhere in Russia. It's snowing outside." Jared said quietly, peering out of a castle window. Aza tentatively started to move towards the door and pushed it open. She would have smiled at the snow, but now the expression didn't come as easily. When she was out of sight, Adrian grinned. "How can you find this to be amusing Adrian?" "I've never seen Aza so openly afraid of everything. I keep asking myself, is this what she kept bottle up all that time? I disgust you, I know." Adrian chuckled. Jared walked outside, leaving Adrian alone. Once he got to the outside of the castle, he sat down on a log and watched as Aza walked through the snow dusted trees.

[lycrawaterz14]

Kenan frowned and popped Adrian in the back of the head. "Shuddup." He growled, and made his way beside Aza.

[frostmourne]

"Someone's crabby today." Adrian mumbled, still smiling. He also went outside, brushing off the light coating of snow on his cloak. "Why is he always so overprotective?" Jared turned around just in time to get hit with a snowball in the face. "Did you know in Greek mythology there is a plant known as the lotus tree?" Jared murmured, brushing snow out of his eyes. A large tree burst out of the snow, branches heavy with a strange fruit. Adrian opened his mouth to say something, and one of the flower shaped fruits fell into his mouth. Almost immediately a dazed dreamy look came over him and the tree shot back into the ground. "Much better."

[lycrawaterz14]

"Aza?" Kenan asked, and looked outside. Something dark flitted away and hid behind a part of the castle. "I'll... speak with you later." He said quickly, and darted outside. He watched where the thing had flicked away before silently approaching it, not even his footsteps in the snow making noise. There were small human-size footprints that weren't his own and he quietly followed them.

[frostmourne]

Aza's dark form was soon lost in a stand of looming pine trees. Knowing she would panic if left alone for too long, Jared followed. Adrian just stood with an idiotic grin on his face. Soon Jared couldn't find her at all. Even the pine trees he talked to didn't know. Aza stopped when she saw a marble bench in the middle of a clearing in the snow. The surface was clean and no snow had fallen on it. The castle,the bench, the snow, Skulni. She remembered this place well. She sat down numbly on the bench, thinking hard. The snow was falling steadily outside as a young boy perched on the window seat of a stuffy room. He grabbed the hand of a emotionless six year old girl standing at the doorway and pulled her outside, practically hopping up and down with excitement. He passed a young man with a book hiding his face as he dashed through the hallway. He pulled her to a small clearing in the forest with a crude marble block in the center. "I want to build a snowman." he said brightly, tugging on the girl's hand. She looked at the marble block and had a small shadow chip away at it. The boy gave up and began throwing snowballs at her, laughing at her complaints. Jared stopped at the edge of the clearing, spotting Aza. "You were with me the last time I came here, weren't you?" He nodded silently, looking a bit ashamed.