004 | voice, tw: references to psychological torture

[dracobin]

[The post is the first word from anyone in Team 7 since a few days before the 13th, and unusual for Temeraire in more than a few ways: the feed is audio only, for one, and when he speaks, for another, his voice is hesitant, slow, and clearly shaken.]

This is--

This is hardly the best time to say this, in light of all our recent difficulties, with these creatures, and I do not know where to begin--I must beg your pardon, but--

--it came for us.

[He falls silent. An astute listener might notice significantly less trilling coming from the feed than most broadcasts on the network: he has been taking out his frustration on the tribbles, and his apartment is, for the moment, mostly tribble-free. Well, mostly free of living tribbles. Pity, really, since it sounds like he might have needed the calming effect.

He takes a deep breath, and tries again.]

We were in the palace--there were interrogations to be conducted, on behalf of Evandau--and it came for us. It took us--

[Silence again. Clearly he is choosing all the wrong places to begin, and it is some time before he resumes with:] Annabeth spoke of a realm of Death, in her last post, and what I saw, for a moment, was very like her description. In any case--there is no question that is its country; that it may do whatever it likes to whomever is unfortunate enough to enter it; and that what occurs in that realm, however fleeting the event, feels as real and vivid as if it had occurred in this reality.

I know that we must fight it regardless, but I fear I cannot imagine how.

[And this time there is only a moment of silence before he lets out a quavering breath, and cuts the feed. Any responses to the post come several hours later.]

[Private to Team 7, standard encryption, French text:]
Pray respond at once; I must know if you have come to harm.

Comments

[voice | private]

[poeticverses]

Dear God. Was anyone harmed? I was beginning to worry, having not heard from anyone since the turtle recovered...

[voice | private]

[dracobin]

I do not know, we were separated--I could not see anything, and I have only just found Laurence--

[Breathe. Breathing is good. That crunching noise is probably his tail flinging a tribble into a wall. Try to ignore it.]

--I do not know how much time passed while we were there.

[Team Seven, French Text]

[solo_patria]

I am well, Temeraire.

[Four words of lies if there ever were. Which is probably why it is so short.]

Would you like for me to come to you that you can see for yourself?

[NOT that he needs to see for himself. Of course not.]

[Team Seven, French Text]

[dracobin]

I would.

Text; French; standard encryption to team 7; hours later than any of the others

[inseine]

Did the lot of you receive a written order?

Text; French

[dracobin]

An order? From whom?

Team 7, French text

[philosophe]

I am well enough for now, Temeraire.

Are you?

Team 7, French text

[dracobin]

I am uninjured, and Laurence as well, which is as much as I might ask for at present.

video;

[browbeater]

[dragons. Korra wasn't kidding. Dragons! For a second, Mako doesn't even process that the dragon is saying something related to Annabeth's last post-- but once he does he--sort of- staunches the excited feeling of seeing a real dragon.

dragons.]

You mean this thing fights in illusions?

video;

[dracobin]

[Truth be told, Temeraire does not wish to be on video at all: his scales are dull and his eyes are veined from lack of sleep, and the apartment behind him is the picture of chaos. But this young man is on video, and he supposes it is only polite to respond in kind.]

It does in part: one thing I saw, at least, could not possibly have happened. But as for the rest--the chains that bound me were real enough to leave some mark. [More quietly:] I do not know what was illusion, and what was not.

[kazilik]

[WHAT THE WHAT SOMEONE HAS HURT HER BRO. THIS WILL NOT STAND. So here is Iskierka looking fairly furious, lashing her tail and knocking more than a few pieces of furniture over in the process.]

Oh! Oh, tell me where it is, I shall find it and give it a piece of my mind!

[dracobin]

[The fact that Temeraire responds with bone-deep exhaustion in his voice rather than exasperation is proof, if anything, that something has gone terribly wrong.]

You cannot find it, unless it wishes to be found: and even if you did, you would be at its mercy.

video;

[saisamour]

[okay he looks fairly panicked, because he's not heard from Enjolras or the others either and he's assuming they were with Temeraire]

Took you? Oh, but—how are the others? Are they with you now?

video;

[dracobin]

[Temeraire looks like crap, to be honest: dull colour, drooping whiskers, bruised scales where he struggled too hard against half-illusory chains.]

I have only seen my captain: but I have heard from Enjolras and Combeferre, now, if not from M. Javert, and they are on their way, so they must be well enough to travel, at least.

[Physically unharmed, at least.]

[saved7]

If it is real in that realm, it can be fought.

[dracobin]

Of course it might. [More bravado in those words than he feels, and it vanishes quickly.] But on its own terms, and they are not generous ones.

[mopirates_moproblems]

What came for you, exactly?

[dracobin]

[He doesn't have the heart to be cross right now.]

The--[Thing. Being. Monster.]--creature we were meant to fight. I do not know what to call it: it took a human shape, but its skin changed, like scales one moment and marble the next, and one could not help but feel it was much, much larger than that.

[heartofgraces]

...[Asbel hit the key to respond but for once can't think of anything to say. He has so many questions but they all seem...painful to ask of Temeraire right now. So listen to the sounds of trilling coming through (and then a faint crunching noise as a strange...swan-lizard-beast eats a tribble) before Asbel finally says something.]

Temeraire...are you...injured?

[He can do something about physical injury, even if it's only finding a ridiculous amount of bandages and bringing them. He'll start with that.]

[dracobin]

Only a very little: nothing more than a few bruises. I suppose that means it was not strictly an illusion after all.

audio; private

[amonfire]

[ Amon is slowly realising he caught a break in his own run-in with anything related to the Malicant as the experiences of the other teams started coming to light. ]

Temeraire, are you well?

audio; private

[dracobin]

As well as can be expected, I suppose. [That is of course a no.]

You--you were investigating as well, were you not? Did you hear or see of anything out of the ordinary?

[audio]

[cantbewalled]

It? [Sorry but "it" doesn't make any sense.] What the hell did "it" do?

[audio]

[dracobin]

It...ate away at the world. [He pauses, trying to find the right words.]

We were in the Emperor's audience chamber, speaking to the palace staff: then a fog rolled in, and it rotted and broke everything it touched, and separated us so we could not see each other, at all.

And then-- [A rustle of wings that might be a half-hearted shrug.] --it spoke to me, and showed me things. It must have spoken to all of us.

[Video]

[superoverachiever]

If it -- we can fight there. They never said it would be easy.

You okay?

[Video]

[dracobin]

I knew from the start it would not be easy: what I did not expect was for its power to be so absolute. It is bad enough if we must fight it here, but to venture into its lair to confront it cannot possibly be a sound strategy.

[He hesitates.] I am well enough.

voice | 100% encryption

[sophos]

[There are so many things she could and wants to ask right now, but for once in her life, Annabeth remembers tact and remembers to hold back.]

Are you okay, Temeraire? [She might not have seen the Malicant himself, but she experienced the realm, and there's a level of understanding in her tone for that much. The pressure, the fear more intense than anything she'd ever felt. She's suddenly more than grateful her team managed to get in and out without getting more than just Malicant's distant attention.] How long were you there?

voice | 100% encryption

[dracobin]

I am--okay. [Annabeth should understand a little, at least, if she has been there herself, and for that she gets a little more out of Temeraire.] You saw the realm of Death, as well? The markings in the palace? They must have been connected, somehow--they may have been how it got inside to begin with--

[He is distantly aware that he has begun to babble, and he shakes his head.] I am not sure. I awoke in my apartment this morning, but when he was there time did not seem to flow as reliably as I thought it might.

voice;

[cmdreffingshepard]

Are you all okay?

[She's concerned, but also determined.]

There's always a way to fight it. It may be that the loss of hope is one of its weapons. Don't let it use that against you.

voice;

[dracobin]

We are--uninjured. [Which, in the end, is all they can ask for.]

I think that is easier said than done, miss--?

[bindsthedead]

Temeraire, what happened?

You- you saw our enemy?

[dracobin]

I did. We all did, and it was not helpful at all, and we did not accomplish anything, in the end.