[log] Event: Howl [open]

[snowblindmods]

Characters: everyone
Location: The sort of location M.C. Escher wishes he'd thought up.
Date: nights 211 & 212
Summary: I hunt for you with bloody feet across the hallow'd ground
Warnings: potential for violence, death, and psychological horror; please note in subject lines if any specific warnings come up!

like some child possessed, the beast howls in my veins
I want to find you tear out all your tenderness

Comments

[armoured]

[A familiar voice! And even better, it seems to be someone that his subconscious intrinsically recognises as safe, a good partner for hunting the monsters down and making sure the light is saved.]

R-Right! Mr. Pierce, I'm so glad to see-- uh, to know you're here.

[He can't exactly see anything right now, nothing except the monsters.]

You're here to help, right?

[peacemongering]

[He was inexplicably drawn in the direction of Alphonse's clanking, but he came up short when the young man came into his view. That was certainly not the young man that he had wandered with briefly in the white maze, and that was a suit of armour. He found himself looking up - all the way up - and found no sign of the emaciated blond boy that he had met. The size was too much for a child to put into smooth motion unless with robotics.]

Are you... Alphonse Elric? Why are you in a suit of armour, son?

[Help, maybe. Once he assured himself that this wasn't yet another trick of this place. Psychological barriers only went so far after all.]

[armoured]

H-Huh?!

[The relief he felt over running into someone friendly dissipates pretty quickly now that he's reminder that Pierce has only ever seen his other body, and he starts giving a forced chuckle that isn't at all convincing.]

Oh, it's, um... it's actually part of my alchemy training, I just lost it for a while when we were in those tunnels. I wear it all the time.

[peacemongering]

[Alexander was certainly not convinced by the chuckle and the explanation seemed to be a bit far-fetched as well. He looked over the giant suit of armour, trying to decide how a hollow little voice was able to be produced. The young man he had seen could easily fit in it, but the metal would promote frostbite and hypothermia.]

That seems... highly inconvenient in this weather.

[armoured]

It's much better insulated than you might believe.

[He chuckles again, ever more awkwardly, and flashes a thumbs up in what he hopes is Pierce's general direction.]

[peacemongering]

I'll take your word for it.

[He smiled, but he tucked away his suspicions for now. They weren't important now that he had finally found a prophet; the risk of being killed was significantly less.]

Do you know how this works? I know you can apparently see the enemy but little else, and I can... see everything else but not the enemy?

[armoured]

Right.

[He's not really sure how or why that's how it works, but Pierce has hit the nail on the head.]

It's really strange, like seeing an outline of light and then, when I get closer, I can see the monster properly. I know there's definitely one over there.

[He points off to the right, where a mind-bending set of stairs block the way.]

[peacemongering]

[He had, admittedly, received his information from House, which he took with a grain of salt or at least expected confirmation from someone he trusted not to lie outright.

Alphonse happened to be one of those people. It was good that he ran across the young man. He looked in the direction of where Alphonse was pointing and considered the possibilities.]

Our path is impeded in that direction. What's in that direction? [He pointed the way that he had come which was rubble strewn paths with houses on either side.]

[armoured]

[He reaches out to gently find Pierce's arm and figure out which way he's pointing, before he turns in that direction to look.]

I think there might be something in the distance, but I can't really tell from this far away. Maybe we should head that way and check it out?

[He says we, just assuming they're sticking together now for the long haul.]

[peacemongering]

[So the blind thing was true and not entire a ruse? He wasn't about to believe House completely after all, but having to take around a blind person made his job a touch more difficult from his end. He had no doubt that Alphonse was self-sufficient otherwise, but the apparent dangers here might hear stumbling, crashing or their interesting ability to navigate.

It was also curious to force this kind of trust between two people. What was the point? Why force them together and force them all into a situation where they had to rely on each other? Was this some kind of rebellion against the system? Or purposeful?]

Yes, that would be for the best I think. [He reached out for Alphonse's big hand and set it upon his shoulder.] We'll take it slow first and once we're comfortable with directional instructions, we can speed up. Does that sound fair?

[armoured]

[The hand is made of stiff leather and yet it moves as flexibly as if it were Al's real hand, settling on Pierce's shoulder with just enough pressure to let himself be led without hurting the older man.]

Right.

[He'd rather go charging off there, but he can see the wisdom in taking it slow.]

Thanks for helping me again. It seems like every time I run into you, you help me out, Mr. Pierce.