— 02 / open / will there ever be an end?

[morns]

🧙 WHO: Kate & OPEN
⚔️️ WHAT: Some quest / TDM shenanigans (Library, Sync Magic) & a lot of terrible coping mechanisms.
🕒 WHEN: Throughout the month
🗺️ WHERE: Various spots
⚠️ WARNINGS: Disordered drinking, possibly more. Will update as needed.


— in the library.
↪ closed to Louis.

( honestly, Kate thinks this talk about something being hidden in the library is probably just someone looking into things too hard. who really cares how shelves are arranged or what symbols are etched into them?

it's like some people have never seen graffiti before.

but whatever. it's something to do, and she's not the only person — uh, if you can call this dude a person — who thinks that. and while going into a job like this as a team has risks, it also has benefits. like another set of eyes to keep watch as they crouch atop the shelves, surveying the room as best they can in the dark. )

The hell do they think we're going to find, anyway?

( it's. a library. )

— sync magic; pair up.
↪ open to two threads.

( relaxing?

well, this won't be easy. but as she enters the tent, it begins to hum with the din of background conversations, the hustle and bustle of people which makes it easier to believe she's somewhere crowded and busy instead of in an empty little tent.

there's way too much incense going on, though. but at least it's warm enough to slip out of the cloak she's been bundled up in pretty much ever since she arrived. and now the only question is... how does she pass the time with nothing to occupy her but fake noises of a non-existent crowd?

well, whoever walks in will be treated to Kate, mid stretch session, in the process of drawing her foot up to meet the back of her head.

fancy joining in? )

— sync magic; chill out.
↪ open to anyone.

( after a couple of attempts to practice this synchronised magic, Kate is ready to leave. ready to get back to her usual day, without the need for others.

at least, that's the plan until she actually finds herself alone, and things grow restless. the silence deafening, the empty space around her cold, and there is a bonfire there. one which looks warm and unlike anything she's seen before.

so... what's the harm? it doesn't seem like she's the only person drawn to it, either, as a generous crowd has already formed around it. )

That what all fires look like here?

( sorry, rando, she's just gonna ask you a question without any attempt at introduction. or, perhaps, instead, you'll find her stretching her legs out in front of her and drawing them back up repeatedly, running her palms over her thighs as though trying to quell an urge she hasn't satisfied. some need for contact which is best serviced by herself for herself, right?

maybe not, but she isn't going to figure that out alone. )

— barhopping.
↪ open throughout the month.

( she'd be lying to say she's slept fine since the illusions in the cave. lying if she said she didn't see the life seeping out of her brother's eyes, the gradual shift of his flesh into stone. the image lingers at the back of her mind, the probability of a future that weighs her heart heavy with worry.

it's all too easy to make the wrong choices. to trust the wrong person and let them get too close. or simply to be overpowered. and sure, Marc is strong and tall and a detective, he's hardly the first person most would think of as "at risk" for ingesting bootleg Hepatestryl, but stranger things have happened. like her arrival in this place, for one. her familiar, for another.

(a woman who heralds death. surely that can't be an omen?)

but there's one way to numb her mind to those thoughts, to draw across them with white noise — drinking. drinking and the idle hum of strangers talking about things she doesn't care about.

which is why, throughout the month, her semi-regular visits of bars in the city becomes a near nightly ritual, where she pulls up a seat and alternates shots and beer until her body prickles with the effects and it becomes easier to gesture to anyone nearby and ask; )

Want a drink?

( c'mon, she's still got several rounds to go before she wakes up hungover. )

— wildcard.

( want to do something else? feel free to write your own starter or message me at isanghae / isanghae#8071! )

Comments

[disasdeer]

[ Louis thinks they may not find anything, and if they do, well - surprise. He's not here to prove something is sketchy, he's only here to investigate. He shifts his weight, careful to not make any sounds, and he starts moving. He's pretty light on his feet, with good reason, so getting around without making noise is easy.

That is when she jumps to the next shelf. Well - he's going to try. So, he shifts his weight and leaps, less gracefully to the next one. He makes it, and even if he hadn't - he'd never make excuses for himself, anyway. He's as quiet as he can possibly be. ]

If it's nothing. It's nothing.

[ That's fine to him. ]

[morns]

( maybe they won't, but the phrase "no smoke without fire" has largely proven true in Kate's life, and so things like this leave a particular itch in the recesses of her brain. is she missing something? it seems absurd to make use of a place like this, but perhaps the absurdity is what makes it so plausible?

maybe she should just leave those thoughts for another time and concentrate on what she can do now. hypothesising was always Marc's strong suit, after all.

and she just turns her attention back to her partner in time to see him barely make it. yikes. that could be a problem. )

You sure?

( hm. there's gotta be a way to minimise that problem from occurring, right? )

[disasdeer]

Yeah, I'm sure.

[ Why was she - oh? The jump, huh. Yeah, it wasn't exactly a very solid jump, was it? Maybe he should be more careful about hopping across spaces after all. He's sure that his clunking about would eventually give them away. He shifts, tugging up his right pant leg to show his prosthetic. That does explain the jump, at least. ]

I'm a little slower. I'll be careful, though.

[ He wouldn't spoil this for someone else. He drops his pant leg. ]

[morns]

( ah.

alright then. that's going to make things more difficult than they already are, huh? )

Hm.

( hold please, she's looking around, scanning the tops of shelves for ideas. or an easier way through. )

Could pull you over.

( not that she's ever really tried to magically yank anyone yet, but there's no time like the present and he's a scrawny thing anyway, he can't be that exhausting to pull around. )

[disasdeer]

...Have you done it before?

[ Actually - ]

You know what, it doesn't matter. Why not? Let's go for it.

[ Because at worst, what could happen? She pulls him too hard or does something wrong and he becomes a blood splatter instead? He doesn't actually care. ]

[morns]

( not with people, but how much different can it be to moving an object, really? she almost says as much, but he continues and she doesn't see the point in wasting time with a debate if they're looking for an opening. )

Is this normal? ( she wonders aloud as the flood of light slowly makes its way down the aisle. ) Library guards.

( it's. books. why would you leave someone skulking around all night? )

[disasdeer]

No.

[ It's certainly not. So he goes quiet immediately because if the guards catch him, he's sure that this entire escapade is absolutely over. He ducks down, because he's sure that'll help - it won't. It won't if those flashlights move upwards.

But people don't always think to look up. ]

[morns]

( people not looking up is really all they can rely on at this point, isn't it? she can't say she's a fan, but it's not an unfamiliar sensation, either. sometimes all you have is the hope that you can move before someone looks this way.

god, this is a library. why does it feel so much like a warzone? as though they'll be torn to shreds if they're seen. )

C'mon.

( there's a small gap between the two shelves, just enough to jump and keep moving forwards. a little closer to the centre of the library. )

[disasdeer]

[ He'll hurry and get moving. He finds he is keeping up easily enough, even with some hiccups. Maybe it's because he just wants to see what he can get done without getting caught. Or before getting caught, since he supposes that's still a possibility. ]

Yeah.

[ He doubts they'll kill them or even really hurt them because surely someone would have ended up dead already, right? ]

[morns]

( there's nothing quite like trying to sneak through any place to make every noise suddenly sound fifty times louder to your own ears. her breath seems to rattle in her ribcage, even as she takes care to keep it even and silent. the thud of feet against bookshelves is unavoidable, but they seem to echo for all too long.

just a little further. they'll make it if they keep moving like this.

unfortunately, a precariously placed book seems to have other plans for them, as the shifting and shuffling as Kate moves to the other end does just enough to dislodge it and send it tumbling to the floor.

... shit. )

[disasdeer]

[ They're totally busted, aren't they? Louis watches that book fall and he has a feeling it's over already. His eyes shoot up and he glances directly at Kate. He freezes in place as he watches the guards looking around. He swears, he swears that flashlight will move up towards them. He's prepared for it.

God -- please just let them get out of here without any problems.

He watches, quietly, as that light drifts upwards. ]

[morns]

( hell. she bites her tongue as the light begins to move, scanning the tops of the shelves for the source of the disturbance. moving is barely possible; the bookshelves aren't exactly made replete with places to hide, and the question of whether these things could handle two people (er, close enough) hanging off the sides of them without toppling over is one she doesn't feel like answering right this second.

this isn't good.

maybe they should get down, or back, and she gestures to Louis, pushing her hand down in a way that she hopes makes clear that she wants him flat against the shelf before that light gets any closer.

as for her, she's going to edge towards the other side of the shelf as carefully as possible, and hope that light doesn't cast any shadows. )

[disasdeer]

[ He sinks onto the shelf, he is slow and quiet so not to alert anyone with the flashlight. He's going to do what he can to not get caught. He even tries to ensure that his breathing isn't too loud to disrupt.

He's quiet, but watching her. Just in case he needs to run any back-up for her. Already pondering over what he can do just in case they do get caught and have to make an escape. He could do something to curse them. Their sight, their hearing. Anything that makes them slow down temporarily.

But, as they move with the flashlights, it seems they are missing them for now. But he doesn't want to do anything, not yet. Not until he knows they are gone. ]

[morns]

( the light drifts away and despite that, Kate doesn't feel relief. doesn't feel relaxed. her muscles are still taut, still tensed, and her breath remains in her throat until she looks over at Louis, and only then does she let it hiss out, quietly as she can.

they're so close now that failing would be worse than ever. and with each step, she finds herself less and less convinced that this is just time wasting. this is all so strange that there almost has to be something about it. surely no normal person patrols a library at night. they just lock it up and leave, right?

she doesn't dare speak right now, shifting herself back to the centre of the shelf and gesturing onwards. shall they keep going? or is she still waiting for them to slip up? )

[disasdeer]

[ He nods - keep going, right? What's the point of getting this far and not trying to finish it, right? But, he knows they have to be extra careful. He knows they have to take it slow. He knows that they have to be wary.

He doesn't want to get so far and then -- nothing.

There has to be a reason they're here. So, he starts to move. Inch, by inch, by inch. It's painful to watch, really, how slowly he's moving. He's putting effort into not getting caught or causing trouble, but his movement also says that he wants to go forward. ]

[morns]

( they're so close. they have to be close, right?

forward they go, one more shelf traversed, with Kate yanking Louis over so he doesn't risk falling (she realises, as the flare of magic leaves her, that they still have to get back after this, don't they? maybe they can just get caught on their way out and kicked out for simplicity's sake) and...

they're there. at a cavernous entrance that shouldn't, by all rights, exist. stairs curl downwards into darkness, and Kate chances a glance at Louis, then to the library behind them, looking for lights which might cause them problems. )

... Shall we?

( it's safe. there's no light near them, and they've come this far. )

i think we're nearing a close to this one~

[disasdeer]

May as well. I'll go first.

[ He answers fast because he has no sense of self preservation. He may as well go down here first, right? She did pull him along part of the way, it was only fair. He sees no reason to get here and not go for it, whatever is on the other side. He isn't too concerned, regardless.

He figures that they'll figure a way out once they're done with this.

He doesn't care if they get caught afterwards. All that matters is the job is done. Whatever they see won't be unseen, after all. ]

ye

[morns]

( after all of this, she has no objections to him going first. wasting time arguing over such things would simply increase their chances of being caught. so, with a nod, she follows him down

down into a dungeon, a maze of high walls and narrow corridors. Kate blinks, her hand instinctively reaching for one of the knives she keeps at her thigh. )

The hell...?

( whatever this is, it doesn't look good. not at all. )