[ action | closed ] terrible things happen to good people every day

[black_black_heart]

xxxxxxxxxx"Consequentially, I am not one of the good people.
xxxxxxxxxxI am one of the terrible things."

xxxxxxxxxx — Marianna Paige

Who: Cassian Lynch, Trahearne, Abel Nightroad, Tannusen (and possibly more, will add as needed)
What: Multiple threads involving the Quiet Minds event and its aftermath.
When: First thread is on Friday the 13th. Subsequent threads are anything from a few hours to over a week later.
Warnings: A LOT. Graphic violence and gore, on-screen character death and dismemberment, cannibalism, attempted sexual assault, mentions of past assault, and more angst in the aftermath than you can shake a tree at.

Comments

[treesus]

"A sylvari, something close to a dryad or ghillie dhu, as far as I understand it." Trahearne had been doing plenty of research on the matter himself. It was odd he might have more in common with Tannusen than the humans of this world.

"If he sent you back here, you should stay." Still, Trahearne took the note and opened it carefully. He was confused, at first. It was just a note he'd left in one of the books, explaining, in small, neat handwriting, that Tannusen might like the chapters he'd listed. He considered asking if Tannusen had said more about it but stopped himself. There was a sinking feeling in his stomach, there was more wrong than he'd feared.

"You're staying here," he said once he'd folded the note up again. It was an order and damn well sounded like one. "Don't try opening any of the doors to leave, you won't like what happens if you do."

[feckinboomstick]

"Most dryads are beautiful women." Just randomly said, but honestly he's met so many males of species that supposedly only had females that he's not too surprised anymore. If he wasn't so dead set on getting back to his house and trying to keep everyone in it from slaughtering each other, he'd be more fascinated with Trahearne.

As it was, he shook his head, trying to go for a door before he could be warned of it.

"I can't- They'll all die in there, you don't understand, I can't just let them-" The warning caused him to falter at the door.

His double in the house had the lions share of that stubbornness. The mouse inside this home pulled back from the door, nervous but torn.

"... Please, I can't let him die." Who though? Tannusen or his other half?

[treesus]

"There's little either of us can do about that," Trahearne replied, sadness and resignation in his voice. He was far too used to this kind of situation. He moved between Cassian and the door, trying to usher the priest away from it. The mark glowed violently green the closer Cassian was to it, a warning.

"I can't face Tannusen and if you could, he wouldn't have sent you here." And clearly Tannusen, or the good side of him, cared about Cassian enough to send him to someone he knew would keep him here and safe. As safe as he could be for now, waiting to see which side won that particular war. The marks on the doors were more to warn than to keep Tannusen out, there wasn't much he could do to stop the fae if he wanted inside.

"Sit down. Please. It's terrible to just have to wait, I know, but it's all we can do." He motioned to the couch but didn't move away from the door.

[feckinboomstick]

"He is going to die." Even if it wasn't at his dopplegangers hand, despite the house being stuffed to the gills with traps, then surely at that fouler version of the fae who'd been so dead set on locating the heretic in the attic. He allowed himself to be steered away from the door, not without some difficulty but still, a hell of a lot easier than it would have been if he wasn't in two separate halves right now.

"They're both going to die-" Not his fouler half of course, Cassian knew damn well that his other half was just as immune to fatal damage as he was. "You don't understand, he's been planning on finding him, he was going to-" Well actually... the less said of that the better, he knew himself well enough to know that if he'd been wiped of all morals, the first thing he'd do would be to set about lessening his own suffering. Even if it meant laying some down on someone else.

"There must be something else we can do, if we both went together perhaps or if we called someone to help, something!"

[treesus]

Trahearne kept herding Cassian away from the door and to the couch, he was a stubborn and surprisingly hard to push plant man.

"Sit. Please." He's a good bit taller and denser than Cassian. He might just pick him up if he has to. Only if he has do. But he might do it!

"If I thought I could face one of him, I would already be there facing them both. Right now we should focus on reducing the damage and that includes me keeping an eye on you. I don't know anyone with the strength necessary to handle him, if you do, I suggest you call them now. If you do not, sit. I'll get you something to drink."

[feckinboomstick]

Trees have been nothing but good friends to him while he was drunk and in need of things to lean on so yes, he knows how much trees do not give when you push on them. He's not surprised, but he sounds pretty upset nevertheless.

"How can I even relax knowing what's going to happen in there?"

"The entire house is one big trap, everything can go off either with a wrong move or the right word, the house will kill them if they don't murder each other!" NO HE IS NOT GOING TO HAVE A DRINK, HE'S WORRIED.

[treesus]

"And if we rush in there to save what might be left, we will only add to the tragedy. I'm not asking you to relax but I do ask you to think carefully about the situation at hand. Tannusen, or part of him, knows the damage to come and has done what he can to reduce your pain. I advise you not squander that." He still wasn't moving out of the way of the door and the sliding glass doors to the porch were even more well covered in glyphs, not welcoming.

"If the worst does happen, he will return, hopefully whole. We can wait for that and be prepared to aid him in case there is any lasting damage. That is what I intend to do." Trahearne is very worried too! He's just getting good at hiding it.

[feckinboomstick]

Okay he... he had a point there, didn't he? "I don't want him to be hurt..." Was that the apology? For causing him this pain anyway? He didn't want to apology, he wanted Tannusen, whole and safe, right here. That's it. It wasn't so much to ask now, was it?

"... I feel like I am helpless."

[treesus]

"I know," he replied, voice softer now Cassian seemed to be relenting. Trahearne was already tense to have to defend himself and his cats from the risk of Tannusen's worse half winning and coming back here... But now he had to watch Tannusen's friend as well. He'd watched after more, much more, though those times he had an army at his back.

"Where we can help comes in later, when this is over and there is cleanup to do. If there is cleanup to do. Let's make it as easy for everyone involved as we can and rest now." They might need every bit of their strength should the good half of the tiger fail.

[feckinboomstick]

"I should have disabled some of the wards before he spoke to me. I should have shut them all off." His other half didn't want the good side of him getting hurt, but... Well this particular half was personally disgusted from what he knew of his doppleganger. Better off that he die in there, right?

As long as Tannusen stayed in one piece.

[treesus]

Trahearne didn't know the house in question or the wards or exactly what was happening other than it was bad. Bad enough that he doubted Cassian had much time to do anything. Tannusen wouldn't give him much time, he figured.

"Should anything of the sort happen again, you will have a better idea what to do then. Right now, you'll do yourself no good by finding faults in your actions in a desperate situation. Best we think of what we will do when this blows over. Please, sit down." He was going to keep asking that until Cassian actually sat down. He wasn't moving away from Cassian until then, he couldn't risk him bolting from the door and ending up hit by the fear spell in those marks.

[feckinboomstick]

Yeah it was bad, it was real bad. He had a house full of booby traps that could be activated on voice by a guy who took no issue with carving out human hearts and eating them raw, it was bad.

He was still pacing as Trahearne spoke, clearly unwilling to actually take a seat any time soon. "I can't. I cannot sit down, I'm sorry."

[treesus]

Trahearne crossed his arms and watched Cassian go. Well he couldn't blame him for needing to move, Trahearne would kill to have more to do than just wait. He'd drag Tannusen back by the scruff of his neck if he thought he could that without getting an arm ripped off.

"We can talk, if it helps. About something else."

[feckinboomstick]

"What on earth else is there to talk about?!" He scrubs his hands through his now short, poorly cut hair, trying to clear his mind.

"What on earth can we possibly talk about, there's nothing to talk about!"

[treesus]

"It was a suggestion, nothing more." Trahearne shook his head and turned to go to the kitchen, he needed to pick up all that glass.

[feckinboomstick]

... Well now he feels bad. Maybe he should like.. go in after him and apologize for being ru-

Door's unblocked. Apparently, his unpleasant half also got the lions share of problem solving skills, because he heads right for that door and then

Trahearne might be treated to a stuttering shriek, a few things toppling over, and now Cassian is back in the couch bed with every possible blanket pulled up over him.

Well. That went well.

[treesus]

Trahearne couldn't say that wasn't exactly what he was expecting to happen. Nothing cut a meltdown in half like a fear spell, even if it created its own, unique kind of meltdown in the process. He calmly dumped the glass on the dustpan into the trash can, set it and the broom down, and went out into the living room again. At least he hadn't knocked over Caladbolg on its stand in a corner, that would've hurt. The house plants could be replaced.

"If you recall, I did warn you that you wouldn't like what that did." He reset the mark on the door before going over to check on Cass. From a distance, it felt like the spell had passed but he couldn't say how exactly it would effect someone not from Tyria.

Lifting the edge of a blanket, he tried to peer under the pile at Cassian. "Are you alright?"

[feckinboomstick]

HE WAS WARNED. IT WAS A MISTAKE HE REGRETS EVERYTHING. He wants his other half back, full Cassian would have at least tested the door to see what kind of spell it was.

HE REGRETS EVERYTHING.

He's also super sorry about those house plants.

Trahearne would peer in to see a pair of skewed glasses on a bone white face, eyes as wide as saucers. It was less the fear now and more sheer surprise that anything could have that kind of effect on him that quickly.

Hell, he's so startled he doesn't even have time to fix his accent or wording.

"Aye..."

[treesus]

"The door is still warded, you should leave it alone. You should be fine now, the spell doesn't linger." It was kinda awkward to just stand there and wait so he let the blanket back down. Cassian could emerge in his own time, maybe fix his glasses first or something. That had to be embarrassing, it was never fun to be on the wrong end of a fear spell.

[feckinboomstick]

Yes. Yes it was. He's not entirely sure leaving this blanket is a good idea, actually. He kind of wishes maybe he could just like disappear into the mattress and maybe not come out or be seen in public.

... He does slowly leave it though, bright pink and fixing his glasses.

"Thank y... you. Sorry. I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking."

[treesus]

"It's understandable." He smiles warmly over at Cassian, no he's not very judgemental. He set that mark, he knows just how strong it is as well what kind of stress Cassian must be in. This extended vacation while his own world was in trouble was a special kind of hell for Trahearne some days.

"Now, I apologize for this, but who are you? I know you're friends with Tannusen and possibly responsible for the mood he's been in lately. Yet, other than that, I don't know much about you, even your name. He hasn't shared much with me about you." It wasn't even a sure thing that Tannusen had explained who he was.

[feckinboomstick]

Right well.. at least now his brain was a little clearer, startled from his panic by... well more panic. Funny how that worked.

"I'm not surprised. He's only ever referred to you as The Tree. I don't see anyone here fitting that description really." He sighed, running a hand through his hair again.

"My name is Cassian Lynch. I'm... sorry if I've put him in a mood, it's never really been my intention, I just like spending time with him. If I had any idea I was ever upsetting him-" Well okay we're getting in a bit deep now.

[treesus]

Trahearne's expression was very blandly polite as he listened, he didn't want to show any amusement. Well that would explain the mood, seems Tannusen hated admitted his feelings more so than Trahearne had thought, even after Cassian handed over the note. It was almost endearing if it wasn't so frustrating to deal with. Especially while he was off killing his other half like a maniac!

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you Cassian. I wouldn't worry that you've upset him, he handles many things in an odd way. Such as only calling you 'The Catholic', a term I wasn't even familiar with at first. I am Trahearne, so now we both at least know each other's names." He rubbed at the back of his neck and looked over to the kitchen. "Are you sure you don't want anything? There's not much I can provide in way of distraction right now unless you want food or a book."

[feckinboomstick]

Don't laugh, he's already pretty upset right now as it is, he's definitely not taking this entire situation as well as he could be. This was definitely not the stoic half of him... if... if there was any stoicism in him at all to begin with.

"The Catholic?" A beat, and then a soft sigh. "It's a religion. I'm a priest. I guess it... makes sense." Had both of him been together he'd probably be considerably less upset to know that Tannusen couldn't even bring himself to use his name. But then he did call Trahearne "the tree" so...

"... Food. Food would be nice."

[treesus]

"Food it is." Trahearne's not great at comforting people outside, well, just telling them they have to keep doing shit. That's all he was ever really told, so... He headed back to the kitchen, reasonably sure that Cassian wouldn't be making another break for the door.

"Do you have a preference for anything in particular?" he called from a rectangular opening in the wall that looked over a tiny bar, a couple of chairs, and into the main area.

"I can't really cook," he admitted, as an afterthought.