castaside | [Heart Game] From the ashes we can build

When you touch the staff, you don’t get a memory. What you do get are echoing screams that startle you and are so loud that they hurt your now-sensitive ears. Covering them is a help, if you do, but it can’t block the screams out entirely.

Below the staff, where the hill just was, is Macaque, lying supine, writhing on the ground. The staff is jammed through his right eye which is trickling blood. Pull the staff out, and the trickle will become a gush.

In order to progress, you’ll need to yank the staff out. You’ll have to effectively, symbolically, kill him.

This is Macaque’s soul, of course. He won’t really be dying if you do this. But, as Macaque looks so real and his screams thunder through you, good luck telling yourself that.

Well, this is why we make noise cancelling headphones, now don't we? With the sudden loud noise, they shut off toe block out the sounds.

Well, as well as one can block out magical hearing, but it keeps him from flinching too badly, his arms tightening around MK and-

Oh.

Oh fuck.

No. NO! This...MK's eyes widen as he heard the screams. They can't be shut out. He stared at Macaque writhing and screaming under him. He couldn't turn off his hearing! He tried but it wouldn't cut out the sounds of those SCREAMS! MK's hands shook as he gripped the staff. He couldn't move. He could only stare. This was how it happened? This was how he died?! Screaming in pain and the staff had to come out. It had to.

Blood. There was blood everywhere. All of the blood. So much.

Tears fell as he started down at Macaque. It hurt. His ears hurt but his heart hurt more.

"I...I'm sorry!" He tried to cry back over the screams. He pulled the staff. He pulled it out.

"I'M SORRY!"

Just before the staff comes out, Macaque's screams plead with you not to. But they're screaming Wukong's name.

When the staff comes out, it's with a small spray of blood and viscera. And then the blood starts flowing, and Macaque's screams fade into stillness.

He remains on the ground after he bleeds out, his corpse's face going slack and turning so his one-eyed gaze is locked on the elevator.

Donnie sees the scene. Of course he does. He can't really look away from it.

But its a big thing. A horrifying thing. And its already thrown into the pit, a clattering of puzzles of unprocessed feelings, the sight Korone saw months ago. The feelings are too big, too great, and he cannot afford to shut down.

So he doesn't.

He looks at the situation.

He looks at what he can do.

And he does it.

As MK pulls, he pulls back, an arm wrapped around his middle still, but the other moves up to cover MK's eyes. Spare him what little he can of this memory.

It was everywhere. It felt like it was everywhere. MK didn't notice anyone else right now. The screams, the fear, the way he went still and his head looked at the elevator. MK's hand trembled as he held the staff close to his chest. He killed him. He killed him. Why did it have to be like this?

Donnie's hand was over his eyes. He felt the shell against his back. MK closed his eyes and all he could see was the blood and Macaque screaming. Begging Monkey King to stop but he didn't. It didn't stop until...

"E-Elevator. We need...we need to fix the hole...." He said weakly in the turtle's arms. Donnie would feel the tears against his three fingered hand.

"We're going to the elevator," Donnie said. His voice is fairly flat. Its quieter. Its the best he can do for empathy in moments like this. His own breakdown will be later. Much later. Right now, he has to help his team and as long as he focuses on that, he can go forward.

He flies back from the hillside. Its not until he feels a hand on his shoulder that he's able to look away from the sight himself.

He doesn't let go of MK. Its the closest thing he can offer to a hug right now.

That was a thing Wukong was not equpped to deal with, so he shuffled the oddness of Donnie's lack of reaction to the back of the pile. "Leave MK to me and go take care of the others," he said, keeping his own turmoil in check. He needed to keep focus, keep reminding himself that's not how it literally went, even if that's no comfort at all. It may as well have been.

But right now this was to fix Macaque, to save him. So they just had to deal for now.

"I'll figure out the hole."

Donnie stares for a few beats, before he nods. "Okay," he said, moving to hand MK over to Wukong.

There is a pause. "Its a memory. Likely a dramatization of one. Death memories can be very big in hearts, especially if you've only done it once. It isn't a real death," he said. Its the logic he can provide. The best at comfort he can manage.

Re: Level C cw: blood, death, gagging

noodleboi - 2024-03-09 21:09 (UTC) - Expand

Re: Level C cw: blood, death, gagging

retirementsnotsopeachy - 2024-03-09 21:26 (UTC) - Expand

Re: Level C cw: blood, death, gagging

noodleboi - 2024-03-09 21:52 (UTC) - Expand

Re: Level C cw: blood, death, gagging

retirementsnotsopeachy - 2024-03-09 22:00 (UTC) - Expand

Re: Level C cw: blood, death, gagging

castaside - 2024-03-09 22:02 (UTC) - Expand

Re: Level C cw: blood, death, gagging

noodleboi - 2024-03-09 22:07 (UTC) - Expand

[ The screams hurt.

… But nothing hurts worse than seeing Macaque in such pain, writing in agony.

Korone pushes through and yeets herself to him, so fast she may as well have teleported, skidding to her knees by his side. ]

Sensei-!

No more shards fly out of the sky when you touch the ground. Macaque is laying there screaming WUkong's name, pleading with him not to... something. Yank the staff out, probably.

He doesn't appear to be comforted by your presence, sadly. This is the past. You weren't there, so he can't perceive you.

[ Even so, she tries to take his hand.

Maybe it's futile. She wasn't there — there's no going back and saving him from this, or changing it, or anything.

All the same, she can't just leave him. Not like this. The very least she can do is stay with him until he's gone. Then she'll get back up, and she'll keep fighting for his future. ]

Macaque he bleeds out from his now-hollow eye socket. He doesn't seem to see you or perceive you in any way, but you've got a front row seat for his screams fading into silence and his body going slack.

[ … He's gone.

Korone closes her eyes. Breathes in. Four. Holds. Four. Breathes out. Four. She gently lets go of his hand and pulls herself back up to her feet, scrubbing her cheek with her sleeve to clear away some of the splashes of blood that sprayed on her. ]

Wash wraps an arm around her shoulders.

Pulls her close.

"We should get to the elevator," he said, voice flat, but with a tinge of care.

Yeah ...

[ She wraps an arm around his waist. Best she can when he's a brickhouse and wearing armor, at least. ]

We need to figure out which memory to use for the new hole.

[ One step after the other. The sound of her teacher's ... her dad's screams echo in her ears, as they no doubt will for a long, long, long time to come. But she can keep moving. This isn't the first time she's seen death, and it won't be the last. ]

[ This is only the beginning ... ]