un: sweet lily of the hidden valley; voice

[bearshermark]

[Eleven's voice comes through hushed, yet tinged with urgency]

This one is asking for a mirror.

[A different, fainter voice, words heavy and slurred as through from disuse] Take me to mirror..

[Eleven audibly hesitates, his attention turning briefly away from the network as his voice lowers, softer] Are- are there more of them? The one on the ship shattered..

[A halting pause from the other side] ..End pain..

[Grief, bleeding through compassion] I will. If I can't help you, I promise.

[Eleven takes in a deep breath and clears his throat] ..I know it's probably too much to hope there's another mirror we could easily find, but he seems convinced it would help. It was said the body in the lake had a similar aura. I didn't think much of it then, but now I wonder...

Comments

un: blushing beads of heft and beauty | audio

[paperbutterflies]

Eleven? Where are you?

Are you on your own with - them? You shouldn't go out alone...

[ He miiight not know about the bank heist mirror, so that leaves primary concern: this. ]

[bearshermark]

Just outside the Citadel, now. I'm not alone; Hendrik is with me.

[paperbutterflies]

... still, you need to be careful. Whatever is happening, it might change at a moment's notice.

[bearshermark]

[He's getting worried, Sizhui]

..Did something happen at the Farm?

[paperbutterflies]

No! Not that I know of - I was just thinking about how the two dead people that the miners talk about came back to life with no warning. So those that have been grasped... we still don't know what to expect.

un: first blush of tender youth: first blush of tender youth | audio

[somebadnews]

[ You know what... El has been a helpful kid and all, but it seems like that's about to take a turn. (He could have waited to listen and gotten his answers that way if he didn't expect this to get... unnecessary.) ]

And who is 'this one'?

[bearshermark]

An undead. It seems like he's.. uh, unfreezing.

[somebadnews]

[ Okay. ]

So you thought... what, exactly? That if you could get one of them on our side, we could clear up this whole misunderstanding?

[bearshermark]

..No. I thought if we can help them, we should.

un: tender core of the waiting spring blossom | audio.

[corvis]

Forget the mirror, just put him out of his misery.

There is nothing in the entire citadel that is like that mirror that shattered, right now, aside from the body.

[bearshermark]

[Just gonna. Entirely ignore that first bit there]

I wonder what the link between the body in the lake and the mirror could be.

[corvis]

[ ugh, kids. This is so everyday-life for Gil. ]

Will taking him to the body be enough or does he actually need the mirror?

[bearshermark]

[Very agreeable]

I don't think there's a way to know that without knowing what it's meant to do.

un: heart-fluttering hummingbird

[downswing]

Call, if they require euthanasia.

[bearshermark]

Thanks, but I can handle it.

[downswing]

You need not.

[bearshermark]

I do.

Action

[unswervingcompanion]

Hendrik woke up to the sound of the Luminary speaking. Who was he talking to? And when did he allow himself to doze off?

Moving himself to an upright sitting position he didn't know what the voices were other than the Luminary's, but he was determined to find out what was going on. So he moved as quietly as possible (thankfully he'd learned not to sleep in his armor) and got up.

Walking over towards his charge, the knight placed a hand on Eleven's shoulder. "What are you attempting to do?"

Stars knew the boy was always up to something.

[bearshermark]

Eleven started, but glanced back to Hendrik with a short, sheepish smile. A shambling, undead figure crouched near him, ungainly, stiff, and not looking all that present of mind.

"I would have woken you, but in the end, he asked for help. I think.. there might be something we can do to help."

[unswervingcompanion]

Hendrik forced himself not to immediately reach for his axe and shield. The undead were something of an enigma and one that the knight did not want to ever get to know. Bluish eyes raked over the undead with disbelief and doubt, but he turned his gaze towards the boy.

"And what course of action is that?"

[bearshermark]

Eleven hummed a thoughtful note. He'd spoken to a few people while Hendrik rested.

"He was asking for a mirror. We don't have one, but someone did say the body in the lake radiated a similar aura, so I wonder what would happen if we brought him there."

un: deft hand of little deaths [Voice]

[scrapgege]

A mirror? Like the one on the boat?

Did he say anything else?

[bearshermark]

He isn't very forthcoming, no. But I imagine he isn't talking about an ordinary mirror.

[scrapgege]

Why would anyone want to go in front of one of these? it is not a pleasant time.

[bearshermark]

Maybe it acts differently for one of the undead.