[Shadow Milk takes in the scene. Some fool has succumbed to the whispers of the door and wrenched it open. He's some how ...showing weird Shadow Milk-like traits. He sees the way he's struggling to hold his head up, how he's blue and sparkly. He does not understand the HOWs of this situation, but he sees that the reason he was not alerted to the breach before he got to the door must have something to do with him being able to mimic him.]
[That kind of pisses him off!! And now the door was open and Creators know what the fuck that will mean.]
Oooooh no, little gnat. You should be much more worried about you.
[The shadows incrouch around them, leaving them in darkness, instead Genya will see eyes open up all around him. Blue and slitted, just covering every surface of this room all staring down at him.]
Do you have any idea what you've done, you fool
Edited (forgot some words oops) Date: 2025-11-05 09:11 am (UTC)
[The shadows press in, almost suffocating in their wrath. Genya should be afraid, any normal human would be. But this, at least, is similar enough to the monsters he has faced before. He twists sharply, facing down one of the eyes. His finger twitches toward the trigger, but he resists the urge to fire blindly for now. He gets the feeling it wouldn't do a damn thing.]
T-that person - she said this place was an abomination -
[There's so much he doesn't understand, not about the spirits, not about Shadow Milk, and certainly not about whoever it was he just confronted.]
Were you keeping them trapped in there? Elder Faerie said you were bad news, so -
[Oops, Genya, you hit a nerve when he was already mad. The entire room practically shakes with his anger. But then. After a moment something changes. The shadows seem to take a breath, inhale- exhale. All at once the recede back, returning the room to it's natural state.]
[Shadow Milk hasn't moved from where he entered from the portal and he is doing some kind of deep breathing, give him a moment.]
[when he speaks again, he sounds frustrated in tired, but less murderous.]
Of course this place is an abomination, it defies the natural world in ways I cannot fathom. These spirits aren't trapped, they're being held back. You opened the door to this place's underworld.
( lily eyes the spirit warily before sighing softly, reaching out to take one of shadow milk's hands. what's gotten him so much more furious? gently, she squeezes. )
... Genya... ah, we have something in common, now.
[Naturally, Genya bristles right back at Shadow Milk. His instincts flare beneath that fury, and though the ground shakes, he steps forward without showing his fear.]
Clearly he knows somethin', if all of this is your first response!
[Though his hand is far from the trigger, it doesn't mean he isn't waving his gun about frantically, motioning to where the shadows had only just been. At least, that is until Lily speaks up. He'd sensed her presence, but with everything happening, had largely forgotten about her.]
I'm fine. [He tilts his head toward her, but doesn't dare break eye contact with Shadow Milk.] Did you know about this place, too? Why not tell people so they knew better?
[If he had any idea there was an actual danger beyond "Don't touch this weird place", then maybe he would have had the sense to avoid it. Sure there were wards, but given Shadow Milk's... everything, it was only wise to think he was hiding something, right?
But before he can really lay in about that matter, the gravity of Lily's question sets in.]
[With a grumble, Shadow Milk at least relays this conversation to Lily telepathically, so she can hear this gnat speaking to them. It's on a slight delay, but at least this way she can hear. Her touch settles him down considerably, and when he speaks again his tone is even, though there is something icy about it.]
Because telling people invites curiosity, or worse, doubters. Self-righteous people who storm into places under the pretense of doing what is "right" because a simple "Off-Limits" ward is not worthy of being respected just because I have a reputation in my homeworld. I see that you are here after hours, after all. Hoping to find something to condemn me, I'm sure.
I see a simple "Keep Away" was not enough in the end, but perhaps that's my own fault for not anticipating such bad-faith behavior.
... It was- for the best that it was warded. There as a similar door like this, back home. A door to the Other-Realm, and it had claimed lives when opened.
( she's quiet for a moment before she realizes just how ominous that was- quickly, she tries to ammend herself, speaking softly and with fluster. )
Ah, sorry- that is, I want to know about the mist and you've been in it longest, so you are the best to ask. We all want to prevent a tragedy... I don't sense anything happening yet. But... in times like this, 'yet' is the key word.
( though, the thought of genya going this far... ... she hates that she can understand it if all he knows is elder faerie's own opinion. )
[Genya's mouth snaps closed, hard enough that his elongated teeth clack together. Murderer he had been about to say, before the word had turned rotten in his mouth. He turns his head away, glancing back toward his mother, then off into the distance.
Throwing that particular word around hadn't gone well for him historically, now had it?]
Fine. Whatever. I guess I get it.
[He knows heroes too. He can picture one in particular even as he speaks. It's better than the direction his previous thoughts had been going, at the very least.]
'm fine. I'm just blue because of... [He motions to Shadow Milk, as if that will explain anything.] Unless I'm seein' shit. I've been seein' my mom. Heard her too, but that was before all of this. And there was this big lady walkin' around, too.
[Which... does remind him.]
They said somethin' about using this abomination "against their domain" as an opportunity.
[Now that he's thinking about it rationally, that he isn't blinded by the presence of his family, his stomach twists. There's an ominous quality to those words that he hadn't considered up until this point.]
[Yeah? Yeah? What were you going to say? Call him a monster, too, just-]
[Any posturing he might have been doing in anticipation of those words deflate once Genya holds his tongue. This boy is lucky he is not the cookie he was a year ago, or else he would have torn him apart without a thought.]
[As it is, he's not going to let this backslide him when they have more important things to worry about. He turns to lily.]
He does not appear to have been peeled from his physical form, despite being at ground zero, but that does mean this situation is very unpredictable.
[He steps forward, but to walk closer to the door so long as Genya does not get in his way. He extends a hand out. Time to try and close this thing! He tries to call the fucking meager pool of magic he has to try and shut the thing again. Lets see how badly this goes for him.]
The door is completely still, the mist harmless, and yet something lashes out, flashes of colorless light flaring like a whip crack as it flings Shadow Milk away towards a wall.
( she doesn't have her staff so casting hurts, but a surge of flowers blooms across the floor and walls, cushioning shadow milk if he doesn't manage to save himself. regardless, she's racing to his side immediately, panicked and eyes wide- teary, even- as she takes hold of him again. )
Shadow Milk will feel burning yet freezing sensations anywhere the lights touched him, and will feel generally weak and fatigued for several hours. Longer yet if he tries again.
[Genya moves without thinking. He positions himself between the two cookies and the door, handle of the gun in one hand and the barrel in the other. He isn't sure if this place is going to lash out again, but like hell is he going to let it hurt White Lily.
[The backlash is fast and Shadow Milk doesn’t see it coming like he probably should have. He is, after all, 90% ego. It cracks him like a whip and sends him flying back, stunned enough that Lily’s quick thinking is probably the only reason his bones are not dust.]
CRUMBS!
[OUGH, everything hurts SO MUCH. He practically snarls, but he is struggling to get back up.]
You’re lucky this body is so crumbling weak! If I had my full power I would have banished you TEN times over!
[Some part of Genya balks at being told what to do. The guilt in his chest, however, keeps him from actually arguing. He simply gives a short nod, and moves to step out of the room.
... He doesn't make it far, mind you. He catches sight of his mother and finds himself hesitating. It lasts but a second, long enough for him to step toward her and wrap his arms around her small frame.]
'm sorry I can't stay. I... have to help.
[If there's even a chance that he's put everyone at danger, then he needs to put it right. If she's still there when he's back, then maybe he can say what he really wants to.
So for now he ducks out of the room, as fast as his legs will take him.]
( lily watches the boy go, quiet and contemplative. she remembers being a little girl, opening the door for far more selfish reasons- being alone until she managed to make her way out, and pure vanilla being there.
there is much for them to talk about now, it seems.
she turns back around, gently cupping shadow milk's face in one of her bare hands. )
Let me help.
( ... she has always been able to see through his lies, after all. )
[He watches the boy go, satisfied that at least he won't sacrifice the Grove's safety for his own pride. Good. Hate him all you want, but don't let it be to the detriment of everyone else. Not that he cares of course.]
[Anyway he sighs as Lily cups his face, eyes fluttering shut for a moment.]
For a spooky door, it had a heck of a right hook. I guess I'll give it that.
[He will not fight against her fussing, in fact it looks a lot like his strength has left him enough that he couldn't if he wanted to. Weakly he gestures with his hand.]
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2025-11-05 05:22 am (UTC)[That kind of pisses him off!! And now the door was open and Creators know what the fuck that will mean.]
Oooooh no, little gnat. You should be much more worried about you.
[The shadows incrouch around them, leaving them in darkness, instead Genya will see eyes open up all around him. Blue and slitted, just covering every surface of this room all staring down at him.]
Do you have any idea what you've done, you fool
no subject
Date: 2025-11-05 05:22 pm (UTC)T-that person - she said this place was an abomination -
[There's so much he doesn't understand, not about the spirits, not about Shadow Milk, and certainly not about whoever it was he just confronted.]
Were you keeping them trapped in there? Elder Faerie said you were bad news, so -
1/2
Date: 2025-11-05 08:33 pm (UTC)[Oops, Genya, you hit a nerve when he was already mad. The entire room practically shakes with his anger. But then. After a moment something changes. The shadows seem to take a breath, inhale- exhale. All at once the recede back, returning the room to it's natural state.]
no subject
Date: 2025-11-05 08:38 pm (UTC)[when he speaks again, he sounds frustrated in tired, but less murderous.]
Of course this place is an abomination, it defies the natural world in ways I cannot fathom. These spirits aren't trapped, they're being held back. You opened the door to this place's underworld.
no subject
Date: 2025-11-05 11:02 pm (UTC)... Genya... ah, we have something in common, now.
Do you feel affected by the mist at all?
no subject
Date: 2025-11-05 11:19 pm (UTC)Clearly he knows somethin', if all of this is your first response!
[Though his hand is far from the trigger, it doesn't mean he isn't waving his gun about frantically, motioning to where the shadows had only just been. At least, that is until Lily speaks up. He'd sensed her presence, but with everything happening, had largely forgotten about her.]
I'm fine. [He tilts his head toward her, but doesn't dare break eye contact with Shadow Milk.] Did you know about this place, too? Why not tell people so they knew better?
[If he had any idea there was an actual danger beyond "Don't touch this weird place", then maybe he would have had the sense to avoid it. Sure there were wards, but given Shadow Milk's... everything, it was only wise to think he was hiding something, right?
But before he can really lay in about that matter, the gravity of Lily's question sets in.]
The mist - is it dangerous? What about the town?
no subject
Date: 2025-11-05 11:37 pm (UTC)Because telling people invites curiosity, or worse, doubters. Self-righteous people who storm into places under the pretense of doing what is "right" because a simple "Off-Limits" ward is not worthy of being respected just because I have a reputation in my homeworld. I see that you are here after hours, after all. Hoping to find something to condemn me, I'm sure.
I see a simple "Keep Away" was not enough in the end, but perhaps that's my own fault for not anticipating such bad-faith behavior.
no subject
Date: 2025-11-05 11:47 pm (UTC)( she's quiet for a moment before she realizes just how ominous that was- quickly, she tries to ammend herself, speaking softly and with fluster. )
Ah, sorry- that is, I want to know about the mist and you've been in it longest, so you are the best to ask. We all want to prevent a tragedy... I don't sense anything happening yet. But... in times like this, 'yet' is the key word.
( though, the thought of genya going this far... ... she hates that she can understand it if all he knows is elder faerie's own opinion. )
no subject
Date: 2025-11-06 12:10 am (UTC)[Genya's mouth snaps closed, hard enough that his elongated teeth clack together. Murderer he had been about to say, before the word had turned rotten in his mouth. He turns his head away, glancing back toward his mother, then off into the distance.
Throwing that particular word around hadn't gone well for him historically, now had it?]
Fine. Whatever. I guess I get it.
[He knows heroes too. He can picture one in particular even as he speaks. It's better than the direction his previous thoughts had been going, at the very least.]
'm fine. I'm just blue because of... [He motions to Shadow Milk, as if that will explain anything.] Unless I'm seein' shit. I've been seein' my mom. Heard her too, but that was before all of this. And there was this big lady walkin' around, too.
[Which... does remind him.]
They said somethin' about using this abomination "against their domain" as an opportunity.
[Now that he's thinking about it rationally, that he isn't blinded by the presence of his family, his stomach twists. There's an ominous quality to those words that he hadn't considered up until this point.]
Shit.
no subject
Date: 2025-11-06 12:12 am (UTC)She can't. But she wishes she could.)
no subject
Date: 2025-11-06 12:23 am (UTC)[Any posturing he might have been doing in anticipation of those words deflate once Genya holds his tongue. This boy is lucky he is not the cookie he was a year ago, or else he would have torn him apart without a thought.]
[As it is, he's not going to let this backslide him when they have more important things to worry about. He turns to lily.]
He does not appear to have been peeled from his physical form, despite being at ground zero, but that does mean this situation is very unpredictable.
[He steps forward, but to walk closer to the door so long as Genya does not get in his way. He extends a hand out. Time to try and close this thing! He tries to call the fucking meager pool of magic he has to try and shut the thing again. Lets see how badly this goes for him.]
1/2
Date: 2025-11-06 12:28 am (UTC)Not. Yet.
The door is completely still, the mist harmless, and yet something lashes out, flashes of colorless light flaring like a whip crack as it flings Shadow Milk away towards a wall.
2/3
Date: 2025-11-06 12:33 am (UTC)( she doesn't have her staff so casting hurts, but a surge of flowers blooms across the floor and walls, cushioning shadow milk if he doesn't manage to save himself. regardless, she's racing to his side immediately, panicked and eyes wide- teary, even- as she takes hold of him again. )
Are you okay?!
3/3
Date: 2025-11-06 12:34 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2025-11-06 12:37 am (UTC)Or Shadow Milk. He guesses.]
Is he alright?!
no subject
Date: 2025-11-06 12:53 am (UTC)CRUMBS!
[OUGH, everything hurts SO MUCH. He practically snarls, but he is struggling to get back up.]
You’re lucky this body is so crumbling weak! If I had my full power I would have banished you TEN times over!
no subject
Date: 2025-11-06 01:05 am (UTC)Shadow...
( she'll let him get his yelling in and start examining him for any bruising or other wounds she can heal. )
no subject
Date: 2025-11-06 01:26 am (UTC)I’m fine, Lily-belle. Stupid door- stupid witch of the dead-
[Deceit. The cold is creeping through his limbs.]
[He juts a finger at Genya.]
You. Start knocking on doors, warn the Grove about what’s happened.
no subject
Date: 2025-11-06 01:35 am (UTC)... He doesn't make it far, mind you. He catches sight of his mother and finds himself hesitating. It lasts but a second, long enough for him to step toward her and wrap his arms around her small frame.]
'm sorry I can't stay. I... have to help.
[If there's even a chance that he's put everyone at danger, then he needs to put it right. If she's still there when he's back, then maybe he can say what he really wants to.
So for now he ducks out of the room, as fast as his legs will take him.]
no subject
Date: 2025-11-06 01:53 am (UTC)there is much for them to talk about now, it seems.
she turns back around, gently cupping shadow milk's face in one of her bare hands. )
Let me help.
( ... she has always been able to see through his lies, after all. )
no subject
Date: 2025-11-06 03:39 am (UTC)[Anyway he sighs as Lily cups his face, eyes fluttering shut for a moment.]
For a spooky door, it had a heck of a right hook. I guess I'll give it that.
[He will not fight against her fussing, in fact it looks a lot like his strength has left him enough that he couldn't if he wanted to. Weakly he gestures with his hand.]
We're gonna need a plan to get that door closed.