shellphones | Seeking Interested Parties

Entry tags:

Seeking Interested Parties | VIDEO

Type: Video
Sender ID: forgeabettertomorrow | (Darin Altway)
To: Public
Subject: Darin and Zelda have an IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT to make
Warnings: N/A

[As the video blips on, Darin walks onto screen from the left. He looks…anxious? Excited? Definitely more energized than usual. He leans forward, the top of the frame cutting off his head so you have a close-up of his torso and not much else.]

Did I do this thing right, Sunshine? I kinda wanna frame this up right.

[ The video feed wobbles a little, the camera going out of focus. Zelda's voice is audible from somewhere off screen. ]

Almost! Don't forget to activate this setting here.

[ The video feed wobbles again, the camera coming back into focus. ]

Alright. Alright, let’s do this.

…Oh holy crap, we’re already recording.

[Darin immediately stiffens as he realizes that he is, in fact, broadcasting.]

Damn piece of— whatever, just go. Okay! Hey everyone! So, I wanted to put this out there publicly because…Zelda and I have some exciting news.

[Darin takes a step back and reaches towards Zelda to take her hand with a wide, excited grin on his face.]

So…I’ve been working on a…on a project. An experiment, really. About the rifts that brought us all here.

[If you were waiting with bated breath for a certain matrimonial announcement, sorry, this isn’t gonna be that. It’s gonna be BETTER. It’s gonna be about SCIENCE.]

I…I’ve made no real secret of the fact that I want to figure the rifts out for…obvious, personal reasons. So, over the last couple of months, I designed something.

[Darin reaches off screen and returns holding what looks like a wireframe cube with a spherical chamber suspended in the center by eight converging rods anchored to the cube’s points.]

This. I call it the Beacon Box. I figured that the Rifts were too…potentially volatile to be controlled but hey, like any other force of nature, you don’t try and tame it, right? You learn to navigate it. I won’t…bore you with the science of it but the short version is I imbued it with an essence of me and my world with the help of the Leviathans and had it cast into the rift. I wasn’t expecting much but…

[Darin excitedly looks at Zelda.]

But we got some data. Zelda got some readings that we’re still parsing but…well, I’ll let her tell you.

[ Zelda, grinning just as excitedly as Darin, gives a little wave to the camera with one hand. In the other, she's holding the Purah Pad. ]

It took a little bit of doing, but I was able to program the Purah Pad to receive periodic transmissions from the Beacon Box while it traversed the Rifts. I believe a number of us have conducted research on the Rifts before, myself included, and a prevailing theory I came across was that the Rifts are related to the Leviathans-- possibly even created by them. So I expected that the energy signature of the Rifts would resemble that of the Leviathans.

[ And here, her grin gets wider. She looks like she's almost vibrating as she clutches the Purah Pad with both hands. ]

But that is not the case at all! Now, these remain preliminary readings, but the energy signature detected from the Rifts differs significantly from that of the Leviathans. Nor do they match any other signatures I've recorded in this world. The Rifts are far, far more powerful.

But that's not all! We recorded a few sudden influxes of energy-- "spikes," if you will-- the timing of which seem to align with the arrival of a few new riftfarers. I believe these spikes are indicative of people-- or even objects-- passing through the rifts. I posit that the same spikes occur with departures as well, although these are rather more difficult to verify.

Now, I've been examining the data produced by these spikes to see if I can't find any patterns or measurable specificity-- things which might help us determine when a passage through the Rifts will occur, or if any of these readings might indicate the world to which they are connecting-- a "world signature." As of now, I've not found any, but employing additional Beacon Boxes will expand the data pool significantly and allow for a much more thorough study of it.

[Darin chimes in now, tossing the Beacon Box back and forth in his hands like a kid waiting his turn to give a presentation.]

I know…it doesn’t sound like much. But it’s a start and this is where I want some help. Creating a Beacon Box requires…well…it requires you to give up something of deep, personal value. Something that can tether you to your world and can, in turn, call out to it. But…if I’m right?

If I’m right, people we’ve lost might be able to find their way back. And the people who want to go home? They might be able to do just that. But like Zelda said, we need more data. If you want to be a part of the project, please reach out to me or Zelda. I’ll be offering the construction of these boxes for free for anyone interested and if there’s anyone out there with even a passing interest in…dimensional space and time rifts? I’d love to work with you.

[At this point, Darin turns to Zelda, grinning from ear to ear. Unable to contain his excitement anymore, he sweeps her up into a giant bear hug, twirling her off screen to cries of “I did it!”]

(OOC NOTE: This is the start of the EXTREMELY LONG RUNNING BEACON BOX PLOT. ALL ARE WELCOME TO PARTICIPATE. I'll draft up an OOC write-up later but the short version is that Darin is looking for ways to navigate the rifts. If you have any questions, please feel free to DM me here, hit me up at Bitterbearface n Discord, or ping me on plurk at bitterbearface For the purposes of this post, please place in the subject line if you'd like to speak with DARIN or ZELDA specifically. If you have no preference, leave it blank!)

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Her eyes widen at the mention of the rifts. Had Cidolfus told him about that? Someone else? She did not think that she was so obvious about it, but perhaps he's figured it out himself. Either way, she drops the paper so that she can reach for her sword.]

No.

[She is a cornered animal with little options, or that is how she feels at the moment, and looks ready to strike.]

No! I do not care for the reasons they were opened. I do not care about traversing worlds or finding a way home. We cannot go back, and I cannot let you risk that.

[Cannot let anyone jeopardize the thing that she and Cid worked so hard for. This second chance that, in the snap of a finger, could all come crashing down around her.

She throws an erratic wind at him that bangs on the windows again and sends things crashing to the floor as a warning.]

Benedikta, I'm not going to fight you!

[The wind causes him to stagger back a pace. To find his footing. Dammit, whatever's going on with her, they can't do this here. They need to get out of the town. It's been just about two years since Garuda descended on this town and the last thing either of them want or need is for the townspeople to get caught up in another disaster. He has to contain this before it gets out of hand and he has to keep her from using her magic!]

[She wanted the boxes, right? He only had a couple constructed to be ready for any potential volunteers. His eyes dart to his left, to a locked supply closet where he kept his more important projects. He moves sharply to his left and kicks the door in. He steps out of sight for a moment then returns with a completed Beacon Box.]

You wanted this, right? It's the only other one I've completed aside from the one I already cast into the rift.

[He holds the box up above his head defiantly.]

If you want it so badly you're gonna have to run me down for it!

[He takes a few quick steps out of the smithy and tears off down the street, box tucked protectively under his arm like a football. He knows Benedikta is smarter than this. She can probably tell he's leading her away from the town. But he's hoping she's at least desperate enough to bite. To run him down and they can settle up where no one else stands to get hurt.]

[Though, this might mean she'll be using her magic...]

[Dammit, I'm sorry Benedikta! Cid!]

[

[She draws her sword at the movement, yet she remains on the defensive. Her eyes follow him, and she makes for the cabinet, too slow on the roll by only a mere few seconds when he gets there first. There is clear conflict beneath the shadow in her eyes, a voice of both uncertainty and decency that sound an awful lot like Cidolfus in the back of her head telling her not to do this...

But it's shoved back by the more desperate one at the forefront. Her own.

Her own that tells her that she has no choice. That anyone, friend or foe, who seeks to touch the rifts only makes themselves an even bigger threat. An enemy. Darin was a good man, too good she thinks, but that is where the fault lies in people like him. As she stares at the box, she is reminded of how doing good hardly gets people anywhere. Help one person and hurt another.

A low growl leaves her throat, and as she sees Darin retreat to the door, her wings come out, spreading wide and knocking things around. She picks up the blueprints again, and as she kicks off the ground on the wind, she leaves a trail of white feathers in her wake, as well as a great big mess, the sound of steel clattering being the only thing she hears as she flies out the door after him.

She tries not to, but in moments like this, it is difficult to push down the simmering aether. Perhaps because she knows what Darin is capable of, her magic—both of this world and of hers—work together, and as he tries to escape, she will catch up to him, and when she does, her skin is aglow with the green streaks of aether, her eyes a bright, glowing blue that hold all the fury in the world.]

I ought to same the same to you.

[The wind shifts, beating around the corners as she tries to slow him down and pick him up off his feet.]

You presume to know things about this world and its magic, but you've no idea. We have no idea!

[Darin doesn't slow his charge. Merely, he changes direction. He snap-pivots and leaps to the sky, landing atop one of the many roofs and bounding to the next. He needs to make for the edge of town. To the beach. Anywhere that isn't populated. If this comes to blows, the last thing Benedikta needs is to have people see her as dangerous. He still remembers the promise he'd made, to keep her identity as Garuda a secret.]

[Still, as fast as he is, he know he can't outrun her forever. She has him beat on speed, especially since she could fly. If only he could as well, they could take their little tête-à-tête skyward. For now, he'd have to settle for shouting.]

Yeah! I know that! And that's the point! We need to learn about these things if we have any hope of getting everyone what they want! If you close them, then the people who have homes that need them will suffer! There has to be some sort of compromise that works for everyone involved!

[He takes one giant leap from the top of the most recent building he'd landed on. The beach was in sight, he just...needed to land.]

[Unfortunately, he knows that being airborne doesn't afford him a single advantage. He's an easy target up here.]

[Far too easy a target. With the wind on her side, she uses it to spear her through the air, and just as he leaps from the building to the beach, he'll feel something grab hold of him. A talon, much like Garuda's that had snared him over the water, this one made up entirely of magic, materializes in the air inches beneath his feet out of nowhere and wraps around him mid-jump.]

And you think tossing things into the rift is going to be that compromise? That it will not destabilize them further?

[With a swing of her arm, she does not wait to throw him, sending Darin barrelling down to the beach. She follows not long after before she banks to avoid hitting it, or him, whether he manages to break his landing or not.

As she lands and skids to a halt, she finds herself far more out of breath than she'd been hoping as pain sears through her shoulders where the curse had begun to spread, but she bites down, her jaw tightening against it, and her grip tightening on her sword as she screams at him over the wind and the sand that now rises up. The heat of something wells up in her eyes, blurring her vision.]

Do not pretend to know, do not pretend to give a shit about what we want.

[She's not going to listen. Not until she calms herself and he can prove to her that he actually cares very deeply for her and Cid.]

[But that's not going to happen with words alone at this point. Alright Darin, you managed to incense her enough that she's whipping up the sand on the beach. Using her magic is a foregone conclusion now. Now he just needs to make sure that Garuda doesn't make an appearance and that Benedikta keeps her magic use to a minimum. Which meant he didn't have time to waste on banter.]

[Darin hits the sand hard and rolls down towards the surf, protectively shielding the Beacon Box. He can make more, but he needs to keep up this act. That this sole box represents all of his resources and knowledge. Finally, he halts his roll with a booted foot in the sand and skids to a stop, using the foothold to push himself to his feet. He sets the box down in the sand and steps forward into the buffeting wind and sand. It stings his eyes but he marches forward nonetheless.]

[Darin hadn't been doing nothing since he tangled with Garuda two years ago. He'd spent that time training his body to better utilize his power. He'd done so in order to defeat a legendary evil; a Demon King who plagued the world of the love of his life. He didn't train to fight a friend.]

[He heaves a sigh nonetheless. He squares up. No weapon to his name save for his own limbs, but even so, pale blue arcs of magical energy rise from his body like a tesla coil. They split the sand in wide arcs, and where they strike, the sand is shaped into small glass formations. Darin's form is only a silhouette in the whirling sands, framed by arcing bolts of blue and golden pupils piercing the veil of the storm.]

I know what you want, Benedikta.

You don't want to die. You don't want Cid to die.

And I don't want you to die either. So I'm going to stop you. And when I do? You damn well better clean the sand out of those pretty ears of yours and get ready to listen.

Edited 2026-01-26 03:57 (UTC)

[She grits her teeth, watching the sand form into glass, reminded of the time that Cid had done so during their little spar on the beach a long, long time ago. A long time ago, before the vows and promises that she would fight for their lives, for their freedom, for their second chance. If anyone had told her then that she would be here now, fighting for that, she would have scoffed.

Yet here she is.

She did not want to fight either. She would have been fine with destroying everything, and she still has his blueprints and his notes stowed away in her rings, but if he is going to put up a fight... If he is going to insist and insist that this is the right thing to do, then she has no choice. It goes directly against her own motives, her own aspirations, and she would not have them stamped out by anyone ever again.

Survival. That was all she ever fought for and would continue to fight for. Only this time, it isn't just her own.]

Do not speak as if you know me!

[Except that he is right. She doesn't want to die. She doesn't want to go back to whatever is waiting for her on the other side. She does not want to find out what it is, what the face of death looks like, or the chilling bite of it.

And it only angers her more that he is right.

Still, it is a risk she is not willing to take, so if he is not going to hand over the box, then she will have to force him to give it all up completely.

Which is why she does not hesitate to rush into the storm, unafraid of it. She has weathered many before. Using the same trick she'd used against Cid, she uses her winds to shatter the glass that surrounds them with a high-pitched scream, creating a small bubble of air around herself to shield from the shards that scatter as she flies at the silhouette of him.

Reckless, yes, but she has not been thinking straight since she heard the news. She is not thinking straight now, her vision searing with red hot rage. When she appears through the sand, she has both claws out, the talons almost as big as he is, the feathers crawling up her arms as they form. The difference is that these are not hers, but Garuda's, her aether and her own magic mingling as one now, and she moves to strike him with them as she banks to the left.]

And stop demanding things of me like I'm the same man you dealt with two years ago.

[His voice is calm. It has to be. Not just because meeting her anger with rage of his own will only balloon this conflict into something that could encompass the island, but because he needs to keep his emotions his check, lest the power coursing through him spike beyond his control. He's never used his powers like this before— he's never had a reason to. He can feel his body changing slightly with the energy running through him. His muscles swell, his senses sharpen. There's something else too. Something tugging at the edge of his consciousness that he can't quite parse.]

[Pale blue chains appear like brands on his skin and constrict. Even over the howling winds, the sound of metal grinding on metal can be heard. When Darin raises an arm to block the incoming talon strikes, the sound of chains snapping can be heard over the force of the strike. Darin spins wildly from the force, landing on all fours before launching at Benedikta to try and tackle her to the ground.]

I know you want to have your life with Cid, Benedikta! And I want that for you too! Aren't others allowed to pursue their own dreams as well?! What if I could make it so we all have our happily ever afters?! Instead of trying to stop me, help me!

[Where he lacks in speed, he does not lack in strength. Even with her magic, he is physically stronger than she is, so when he launches himself at her, she is not quick enough. He gets a hold on her and manages to slam her into the sand, the impact and the wind shoving her back and making her slide until her claws can dig in and force them to stop.

She flails and kicks and screams under him, one claw gripping his arm while the other pierces the sand, taking a handful of it to fling at his face while she uses her wings to try pushing herself back to her feet if he will let her.]

Not at the cost of mine!

[But as she blinks her eyes open, he'll see the tears that stream down her face, wet trails staining the sand that clings to her skin.]

You do not understand what it is like! To live with that fear each day.

[Or maybe he does, she doesn't know. She doesn't care at this point. Not about him, or anyone.]

'Don't understand..?'

[The sight of her tears catches him off guard. With sand in his face, he stumbles back, allowing for Benedikta to begin flapping away from him. But when she uttered those words, something else overtakes him. He echoes her words in disbelief and his arm shoots out to catch her ankle.]

Don't understand?!

[The words slice through him cleaner than any talon or blade. The lines of blood raked across his body from her talons arc sharply with blue, magical energy, suturing the wounds shut. Cid, Benedikta, Clive, Jill, Joshua...from word one he believed them to be kindred spirits. People who knew what it was like to have a power inside of them that they never wanted. The raw power of a god that could be used to hurt— to kill thousands. To call into question his understanding of their plight is to call into question their shared burdens.]

[He remembers how happy he was when he first learned about the Dominants. How Cid welcomed him and wanted him to join his crew. How Zelda was willing, at the time, to let him be with people who understood him rather than be with her. Never in his life did he ever believe he'd find someone who understood him. And now, Benedikta, in her anger and fear, claims he doesn't?]

[He pivots sharply and swings Benedikta down into the sand as if he were wielding a bird shaped hammer.]

DON'T UNDERSTAND?! YOU THINK I'M DOING THIS FOR FUN?! THAT I'M DOING THIS TO SCREW YOU OVER AND ROB YOU OF THE LIFE YOU WANT?! I WANT THE SAME THING YOU WANT! A LIFE WITH THE PERSON I LOVE! A FUTURE! A FAMILY! I HAVE LIVED MY LIFE BELIEVING I WAS A CURSE! A MONSTER! SOMEONE WHO DIDN'T DESERVE TO LIVE LET ALONE HAVE A CHANCE AT A HAPPY LIFE!

[He picots and swings her, hurling her inland before rushing her down to continue the barrage of words and fists.]

I WAS ALWAYS MY OWN WORST ENEMY! A SABOTEUR THAT LURKED, WAITING TO DESTROY MY OWN HAPPINESS WITH MY OWN GODSDAMNED FEARS, EXACTLY LIKE YOU'RE DOING NOW! BUT FOR ONCE, I HAVE SOMEONE TO LIVE FOR! AND I NEED TO DO THIS, BECAUSE IF I DON'T, SHE IS GOING TO DESTROY HERSELF BECAUSE THERE WON'T BE ANYONE THERE TO FIGHT FOR HER. TO CHAMPION HER HEART!

[Raw power rises like heat on a summer day from his frame, warping the air around him in a haze of heat.]

YOU THINK I DON'T UNDERSTAND?! GET THE HELL OFF OF YOUR PEDESTAL, OR I'LL TEAR DOWN THE SKY TO BRING YOU BACK DOWN TO EARTH, BENEDIKTA!! WE WANT THE SAME THING!! THE ONLY DIFFERENCE IS THAT I WANT TO SAVE YOU AND CID TOO!! FROM THE MOMENT I LEARNED ABOUT YOUR FATES, I WANTED TO SAVE YOU!! AND CLIVE! AND JILL! AND JOSHUA!!

[With a burst of strength and speed, he barrels into her, aiming to pin her wings.]

BUT I CAN'T DO THAT IF YOU DON'T LET ME TRY!! STOP TRYING TO DO EVERYTHING ALONE!

[Her claw helps to break her fall against the sand, but there is the telltale taste of copper on her lips when she recovers. Or tries to. The talons dig deep into the sand in an attempt to stop any further movement, and despite the way that her wings feel like they are ready to give out beneath her, she can feel her magic pushing against the edges of her skin, growing and boiling and close to its tipping point.

She shrieks at him, tries to grab him when he swings her around, and there is some resistance from the wind and the sand. The claws scratch at him, nicking the skin and clothes anywhere that she can reach. The swing won't come easy, and she'll drag him a few feet before she lets go, which probably helps some of that momentum when he follows after her.

She can hear him—hear his words and his shouts over the whipping of the wind, but there is something else in her head, too. Something ringing in the back of it, a familiar screaming that grows closer and closer, as if the harpy herself is soaring over the water to come to her rescue. And that frightens her, more than Darin's strength, more than the rifts, more than anything, the closeness of her Eikon pressing to her consciousness scares her.

It is difficult to forget what happened the last two times that she had appeared, and Benedikta takes the beating rather than call upon her for protection.

No, no, no...

This cannot happen. Not after she worked so damn hard to separate herself from her.

But she cannot push her away. Not as she soars through the sky, only just barely managing to pivot herself so that she doesn't sail into a building of bricks. One of her wings must have gotten caught up in the mess because it doesn't move quite right, half of it bent and unable to move without pain ripping through her shoulders.

That is why when he goes to pin her down by her wings, there will be no wings to pin her down with. Only sand and claws much too big for him to get his hands on.

And why she freezes in place.

When he is there in front of her, she only screams one thing, and her eyes snap open, the blue gone and replaced with yellow glow, the magic that lines and pulses across her body blazing brighter before it begins to blink away.]

Stop! Stop it!

[Her talons slice through cloth and flesh alike, and while Darin certainly feels the pain, the sheer adrenaline from using his powers sends him into a battle-high. There's little in way of response save for the odd curse or the roar of defiance. Pale blue sutures of magical energy criss-cross the wounds, healing them several times faster than even his normal accelerated healing would be able to.]

[But even through that haze, Benedikta's cry cuts through. It brings his senses crashing down— brings him back to the moment.]

[His own yellow-gold eyes lock with Benedikta's. Or rather, with Garuda's. And while it might sound like she's screaming at him to belay his assault, he knows it's aimed at the Eikon inside of her, screaming to free herself.]

[It's the worst case scenario. And while Darin knows he's leagues stronger than he was two years ago, he's more worried about the repercussions to Benedikta and the rest of the island. He reaches out and places his hands against the massive talons, keeping them at bay as if he were forcing two sides of a chasm apart.]

Benedikta! You have to stop!

[How can he calm her down? Give her strength? His muscles are straining just to keep Garuda's talons away. What could even get through in this moment when she's so angry and scared and—]

[...She's scared.]

[And what did Zelda do for him all of those times when he was scared? When he fought her off, tooth and nail, to try and spare her the pain of being near him? Of being wrapped up in this cursed maelstrom of a life?]

...Benedikta. Benedikta, please listen to me.

[He takes a steadying breath.]

I'm sorry. I'm sorry that the world is so unkind and so unfair to you and to Cid that you have to put yourself through this just to protect that ounce of happiness you've secured for yourself! I'm sorry that it feels like it's you against the world!

[When Darin was in pain, when Darin was suffering with the weight of his own life, Zelda did something that only a scant few people ever did for him. She validated him. Made him feel like his burdens weren't just his. That it was alright to feel the things he was feeling. How many times did she accept his apologies when they both knew he'd done nothing wrong? How much forgiveness had she offered up when all he did in thanks was push her away?]

I knew what you and Cid were aiming for. I should have approached you both first rather than blindside you with that announcement. If I had, you could have told me these things sooner! About your fears! I want to share the burden, Benedikta! Tell Garuda that I'm not your enemy! I don't want to fight you!

[He steels himself, feet crushing into the earth against the winds of an angry god. Muscles heave and bones creak in protest. He sucks in one final breath, to roar above the raging winds.]

SO LET ME SHARE IN YOUR PAIN! YOUR FEARS AND YOUR HEARTACHE!! TELL ME YOUR STORY AND I PROMISE I'LL REWRITE THE ENDING!!

[All she tastes is the sand and her own blood, and she can't tell if the wetness on her face is that or the tears, or a terrible mix of both. If the burning under her skin is her magic or Garuda's. If the screams that she belts out despite her coarse throat belong to her or the Eikon. When she sees him there, she tries to fight him off, kicking and throwing claws about, albeit weakly, as if all the strength that she had left has been sucked away and all that she has is this empty husk of fear and desperation without the fight that she showed up here with.

After a few ragged breaths, she lets out a sob, loud and high and one that shatters through the winds that still beat around them.

But then the magic fades, her semi-primed form dwindling to make way for her own, the pulsing glows on her skin disappearing and making way for the tears that stream down her face, unbidden, no matter how hard she works to stop them.]

If you—

[She tries again to shove him, to break him, to do whatever she can, but her limbs fail her. She searches the sand for her sword, but it's been left behind somewhere, so all she has left are her breathless, loud, shrill words.]

If you open the rifts, if you touch them and we go back... There is nothing left for us! We will die. We are dead!

[And she can hear Cid's voice in the back of her head reminding her that they are not dead here, but with all this newfound research into the rifts—into traveling them and controlling them—they might as well be if things go wrong. And while there is a small possibility, the fact that there is a possibility at all is the terrifying thing. She tries not to live with that fear, tries to move on, but sometimes it rears its head and attacks with a full on assault like it has today.

She tries to push herself up. Fails. Falls back to the sand.]

I cannot—I will not pay for someone else's life with my own! Not again! Not anymore! It is mine!

[Not Darin's. Not this woman that he loves. Not anyone else's in this world. Not Hugo's or Barnabas's. No longer is she just a pawn in someone else's wars, wishes, and dreams, and even if no one else sees her that way, toying with something so dangerous might as well be toying with her life. Holding it in their hands when it should be in her own.

That is how she views it, anyway.

A burden that she has shouldered alone since the day that she learned about her fate.]

Edited 2026-01-28 02:25 (UTC)

[With Garuda withdrawn, Darin staggers back and drops onto his backside on the sand in front of Benedikta, heaving a sigh of relief. That was one hurdle cleared. But the true problem yet remained and now the missing piece to all of this has fallen into place. Now Darin understands. Asking Benedikta to entrust her life, her happiness to another is just...it's not fair to her. Darin may not know a lot of Benedika's past, but he knows anguish and betrayal when he hears it. Expecting her to acquiesce when all he has for proof to offer is a "trust me," especially when the stakes are so high and the margin for success so improbable? He doesn't blame her. He can't.]

[He bows his head and crosses his arms. Is...this really it then? Either shut the project down or fight with Benedikta at every turn? Are those really his only two options?]

[Is this what it was like to lead? The knowledge that every decision you made carried the weight of lives upon it? That it was impossible to make everyone happy? In such cases, the needs of the many should outweigh the wants of the few, right? But in a case like this...it's a death sentence. He's essentially cosigning their death certificate. Clive already went back once. And if Cid and Benedikta went back...]

[Gods dammit...! How is this fair? How the hell can he make this choice?! And what about Zelda?! With everything she's endured, shouldn't she be allowed her own happiness?! She's always given up so that others could be provided for! As her champion, shouldn't he protect that desire?! Fight for her wants and needs?!]

[He scratches and tussles his hair with both hands in frustration. This was impossible! His options are to either cancel the project or tell Benedikta and the rest of the Dominants that he didn't care that they died! Why couldn't there be a way to both pursue the life he's dreamed of with Zelda and protect the—]

...Protect...

[Darin freezes in place. What if...?]

Benedikta...I won't ask you to pay that price.

[He lifts his head, his face resolute.]

What if I said I could find a way to shield you, Cid, and the rest of the Dominants from the rifts?

[There is a growl, the sound low and feral in the back of her throat, and she grits her blood-stained teeth, and the wind picks up yet again with a sharp change in direction, picking up not only sand but water this time.]

I do not want your shield, or your protection!

[She winces back, the mere movement making pain shoot up through her arms and into her shoulders where she feels the stone curse already prickling. She swallows past the growing lump in her throat, knowing that feeling too well. She has only ever felt it twice before, but she recognizes the consequence of using her aether. It was not for long, but it was a lot, and the only reason that she is even still able to move and talk with how the wind protected her.

And how it tries to protect her now, because while she cannot get up, it does try to shove him away from her.

Benedikta meets his gaze, determination and fury raging still in her amber-coloured eyes.]

I do not need you to shield me. Not anyone.

[That is a sort of power that she wishes no one to have over her. A debt that she does not want to pay. She has spent most of her life "indebted" to someone else under the guise of their protection and safety, a shield from the worst that the world had to offer, but she knows what that means.

Power. Power to lord over her, to turn against her when the time is right. And while Darin may not use it, that does not mean that someone else won't.

She would not bend or give anyone an inch to have that.]

... Nor can you stop me.

[There is the sound of something cutting through the air—steel singing as it flies towards them, and the wind drops her sword beside her.]

You go ahead and find your way through the rifts to be with your beloved and save her. But do not think for a moment that I will not fight for my own. I do not want your help, I do not need it. Do not presume to know what I have been through. What I am going through!

[That is the thing with these hero types, isn't it? Always wishing to help when they know nothing of what is in front of them. How hard she has fought, tooth and nail and then some, to get here. It was why she hated Cidolfus for so long, and why she still cannot quite come to terms with the others of the Hideaway. They don't understand.

No one understands.

She picks up her sword, her hands trembling despite the facade of bravery she puts on In reality, she really is scared. Terrified of where this may lead, but there is nothing scarier than what lies beyond if she does not do this. Or does not do this herself.]

I will find my own way, and I will cut you all down if need be. By whatever means necessary.

[Darin doesn't budge. He doesn't sit up, nor does he flinch when the steel slices the air near him. He keeps his gaze firmly locked on Benedikta.]

[A year ago, he professed to the world to be its Champion. That he'd light up the night sky like a shooting star— a beacon of hope for all to pin their wishes on. Darin has worn many titles and monikers, many bestowed upon him, others he's inflicted on himself. But no title has ever truly conveyed the spirit of who he is.]

[He's a blacksmith. Most would wonder how a blacksmith can ply their trade in a situation like this, but Darin would argue that a blacksmith might be the perfect person for the job. A smith sees the potential in all aspects of his creation. He sees the pieces, ascertains the best way they might fit together. If they don't, he can shape them into pieces that will.]

[And when the pieces are bent and broken, he can temper them. Strengthen and fix them so that they might endure.]

[Benedikta is twisted and cracked and the life she's led up to this point has left her afraid. Afraid to trust, afraid of the future. All that matters now is the moment. The present. Something as fleeting as the wind.]

[Appropriate.]

[Darin inhales slowly. Not in defeat or resignation, but to calm his mind. To center it from the thousands of paths and responses that lay before him.]

[In the end, he just smirks. Old habits, after all. He still can't stand being told that he can't do something.]

Then I expect you to come at me often. But I'll stop you every time.

[He'll be the villain in Benedikta's story if necessary. Better him than an actual one. And just to hammer his point home, he stands and taps at his temple.]

Because nothing short of killing me is going to stop me. Even if you destroyed my forge, the construction of the boxes are all up here. And unfortunately, my life isn't mine to give anymore. So I'm afraid I'll have to do some pushing back.

[Her winds die down along with her strength, and she lies there on the sand, one hand gripping her sword tight, the other curling into a fist, looking like a wild cat that might strike at any moment. Her shoulders pulse with a dull ache, and she wonders how far the curse has spread—she knows that it has, but how much? What price did she pay to be here today?

She spits the blood out of her mouth at his feet.]

I will not let you open those rifts, so let us hope that it does not come to that.

[A silent declaration of her own, the promise there in the way that she glares up at him. A challenge.

What is one more of those when one's entire life has just been one uphill climb? One obstacle after another? When happiness is just within her reach, it is snatched away, dragged higher by the forces that be, and the people in this world who act on the "greater good" or whatever other bullshit they spew. People like him who think they know best.

But Benedikta knows the cruelty of this world, and any world, and what fate has in store. She has lived through it before, so she is ready. Prepared to do it again if need be. There are just some things that are in her way that she either has to get ahead of, or fight against.

Fine.

She will close the rifts. Save herself. Save Cid. And if she has to damn everyone else in the process, then so be it.]

And I will have no need to call on Garuda this time to deal with you and your boxes and your merry band of friends. I will do it all myself.

[And that is her warning.

She clutches her sword close to her and allows her winds to slam against him, and to raise the sand that surrounds her into a mighty whirlwind of water and dust, a loud scream of her coming from somewhere within it.

And when it all fades, she is gone.]

Edited 2026-01-29 04:19 (UTC)

[Darin shields his eyes and braces himself as the winds slam into him. His muscles tense and he leans into the howling gales until they fade along with her scream.]

[When the winds calm and the night grows still, Darin pushes himself to his feet. He feels his muscles ache and his bones creak— he's still not used to "activating" his powers, even though he hadn't really pushed himself into that threshold quite yet. But he ignores the aches and pains. If anything, he's focused on the paths that lay before him.]

[Benedikta wasn't going to drop this. And while he believes Cid should know, running and tattling aren't his thing. The best course of action would be to wait and see what happened. Benedikta doesn't heal the way Darin does— Cid's bound to find out that something happened. Unfortunately, he doesn't know Benedikta well enough to know if she'd lie to him or not. He'd like to think she wouldn't but...she's not in a good frame of mind.]

[Regardless, focusing on defending himself and his project isn't the tack he'd choose. He'd already struck upon an idea during the fight; a third path that would benefit everyone:]

[Make the Dominants immune to the rifts. Anchor them here. Hide them from the rifts' pull. There's a handful of ways that Darin could think to accomplish this, but what he needs to work on his how.]

[He stretches and grins.]

[Yeah...he can do this.]

[He scoops up the box he'd abandoned in the sand and heads off.]

[There's a lot of work to do.]

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i hope this is ok!! figured i'd get em down there but can change if needed

This is totally okay! I was hoping for this!

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I hope this is okay! Let me know if you want me to change anything!

perfect!! she will come back around to all of this in a moment 👀

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