RADIO | NPC | THE BITE OF A GUARD DOG

[ironrule]

[Yes, you read that right. An NPC has gotten hold of a radio handset, and is broadcasting a message to the Foreigners -- and hopefully only the Foreigners.

Specifically, for anyone in a position to recognise her voice, it's Meisheng, Yunxu's former right-hand who vanished after Milyn's death two months ago. She sounds harried and rushed, but otherwise confident and unafraid.]

Yunxu ordered the hit. Milyn poisoned Shudder. They've both done unconscionable things aside from that, and I've been -- well, keeping quiet for much too long.

[There's a pause.]

I can't for the life of me understand why anyone thought he was innocent.

[And another pause.]

I have twenty minutes. If you want to know more, I'll tell you all I can.

Comments

[redlightgreenlight]

[The shadows shiver, but Valdis herself doesn't move]

We were asked.

[Her voice wavers with uncertain undertones.]

Do not interfere.

[gistful]

[It sounds--almost afraid. Anton stops by the bed, looking down at her, ignoring the shadows.]

Valdis would not have asked you to take possession of her. A lack of focus and an excess of uncertainty is not consent. Leave.

[redlightgreenlight]

[The shadows retreat further, allowing the light to brighten again. For a moment, a low hissing filled the air, slowly fading into silence, then Valdis blinked and turned her head to look at him.]

Anton?

[it was a bit disconcerting to have him looming over her, especially considering she hadn't even noticed him enter the room.

What's wrong?

[gistful]

[The change is perceptible, even without the shadows. Anton exhales, and inhales, and exhales again; and then he sits beside her and pulls her into a hug.

[It's one thing to know the Void is there. But he can't remember it having taken her over so easily like that. Or maybe he just hadn't known.]

[redlightgreenlight]

[Valdis' eyes widened. She couldn't remember him initiating a hug like this before, so she sat for several seconds without returning the embrace, too surprised to do anything.]

Anton?

[gistful]

[She didn't even remember. Anton exhaled again.]

The Void possessed you. What do you last remember?

[redlightgreenlight]

[She froze. Every muscle stiffening. The Void wouldn't have, couldn't have...unless she had done something to enable it by accident.]

Milyn mentioned flaws.

[gistful]

It was congratulating her.

[It didn't say it, in so many words, but that was what it amounted to.]

Has this--does this happen often?

[redlightgreenlight]

No.

[The word came quickly, harshly and without much thought behind it.]

I would have told you if I was having memory lapses again.

[She took a breath. But...there were times, before She had had her soul back, when she would let the Void take over her senses in order to judge her prey...but she had always conscious of it. Had she accidentally enabled that because of the situation?]

It was congratulating her?

[gistful]

Not in so many words--but yes, essentially.

[After a moment Anton pulls back and finds his handset to show her the broadcast, and the part of it Valdis had missed.]

[redlightgreenlight]

I...

[Valdis stared at the conversation, able to pinpoint the exact moment when the Void had taken over. But the shift seemed almost seamless and she doubted that anyone but Anton would have noticed it, well, perhaps Bakura might have.]

Why did it let go?

[gistful]

I told it to.

[It isn't until after the words come out that Anton realises how strange it sounds, and frowns.]

It argued, but not with a great deal of certainty.

[redlightgreenlight]

[She looked down, confused, worried and perhaps a bit relieved, so she said nothing, letting the silence stretch out as she worked through what she was hearing.

She almost couldn't believe that the Void would listen to Anton, much less act with uncertainty. It had feared Wan, always retreating when the man was around, but Wan had been host to Raava, a spirit of light. What if...

She slowly uncrossed her legs and stood up, walking to the corner where Revelations glowed softly. It grew brighter as she approached, and the gem lit up when she grasped the hilt. Turning around she walked back to Anton and offered him the blade.]

Take it.

[gistful]

[The silence stretches on long enough that Anton reaches out to touch her shoulder.]

Valdis?

[But she's already up and moving, and the brush is lost; Anton watches her cross the room with a furrowed brow. He hesitates when she offers him the sword. He knows only enough to know that touching it is dangerous--like trying to touch a necromancer's item--but those could be touched with permission, and Valdis was giving him that. After a moment Anton lifts his hand to take it, but warily.]

[redlightgreenlight]

[The instant she released the blade to Anton, the light faded away and for a brief moment, Revelations looked like any other sword. Then it returned, blazing with such intense brightness that Valdis had to close her eyes until it dulled to it's normal steady glow.

She knew how it felt when she held the blade. Peaceful and powerful, with a warmth that spread to her very soul. The Void always retreated when she used the sword, fearing that light and the power it possessed.]

It did that when Wan held it too.

[Her voice was quiet as she wondered what Anton was feeling.]

[gistful]

[The light makes Anton have to close his eyes with a surprised grunt, and his breath catches as he draws it in. For a moment he feels as though the gist isn't there, or has been shoved away; as though that turmoil inside of him has been superseded by tranquility.

[The truly unnerving thing is that he can't tell whether it came from the sword, or from inside himself. It shouldn't be able to come from inside himself. Surely it didn't exist inside him.

[But it makes him ache with clarity of feeling, of what he isn't feeling, and his voice is raw as he says quietly:]

Please take it back.

[Bad enough that he's going to lose it, as soon as he puts down the sword. Better get it over with now. Before he gets too used to the feeling.]

[redlightgreenlight]

[The first thing she noticed was that the feeling of the gist faded, its rage floating to the outskirts of her senses. But the peace, the feeling that gave her strength, only seemed to upset Anton. She snatched the sword from his hands before he had finished his sentence and quickly sheathed it, hiding the glowing blade from view.]

I'm sorry...I didn't think of it until I remembered that you once used Revelations against the Void.

[Continued here]