hadriel | Accidental Video; Breakdown (Backdated to the 10th)

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Accidental Video; Breakdown (Backdated to the 10th)

[The first thing that is seen when the camera turns on is one bright, beady, avian eye. Fetch has been watching this device for months, and while he may not understand entirely how it works, he's out of options right now. He stares and pecks at it for a moment, then grumbles out a throaty Cawww! For anyone who understands the language of the birds, it's basically a cry for help, for he's become very worried about his companion. He picks up the device in his claws and turns it around.

The view is of the house Ushahin and Shadow share, but it looks as though someone has completely wrecked it. Things are broken on the floor, flung all over the place, the shades are drawn, leaving the room in shadows, and there in the corner the half-man is curled up, his back against the wall with his knees in front of him. His voice is hoarse as though he's been talking for hours.]

Gone. All gone. I should have known. Nothing ever lasts. They leave me, all of them, no matter what. Yes, this is my fate. Of course. That's the pattern Calanthrag showed me.

[For anyone who ever wondered what Ushahin meant when he said he wasn't entirely sane, this is what he was referring to. Those moments that happen where he entirely breaks down, sinking into the madness that clouded his thoughts. Though it is hard to see in the gloom, there is a dark helm right next to Ushahin's figure. This is the Helm of Shadows, a mighty piece of magic that amplifies the powers of a psychic. He traces one of his long fingers over it.]

I can't stand it. Not any longer.

[Fetch seems to know something is coming, and for the first time in his life, he defies his friend. Flying at him, he tries to get him to stop this course of action, trying to claw and peck at him. But it is too late. Ushahin's mind is made up. He bats away the raven and places the helm on his head.]

They will all know what it feels like.

[Then, his powers amplified by the helm, he broadcasts all that he feels to the residents of Hadriel. It won't affect all of them, but it will reach quite a few. There's pain, madness, despair, fear, and everything else that the Dreamer has experienced over the past year of his long life. Losing his best friend had just been the tipping point. The experience won't last for long, only a minute at the most, but it is a minute of sheer agony. When he is finished, he wrenches the helm off, and tosses it to the side. His eyes close, and while he isn't asleep, his strength is spent. At least the madness in his mind has been quieted.]

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[Ravens are exceptionally bright and clever birds - and Fetch all the more so, being Ushahin's companion and touched by magic. Amos understands both the distressed vocalization and the bird's anxious thoughts flaring at the edge of his range. Pocking his phone without waiting to see the rest of the broadcast, he hurries to where Ushahin lives, jogging hastily down the streets.]

[He doesn't get there before Ushahin unleashes the psychic assault. Amos has absolutely no mental protection.]

[It takes him several long minutes, after it's all over, to drag himself back up to his feet, wiping at his face and reeling for mental balance. He finds two of the jays and one of the fennec foxes have come to find him, upset and worried. Calming them helps him calm down, the pressure of an imminent panic attack easing off. The jays follow along and the fox rides in the crook of his arm, nose tucked in the hollow of his throat, as Amos heads again for Ushahin's place, snuffling a little as he goes. Crying always makes his nose run something awful.]

[And probably it's a bad idea to visit an upset psychic friend when he's been thrown into a bad state of mind himself, but Amos has to check on them both, Ushahin and Fetch. He tells both the fox and the jays to run along before he knocks on Ushahin's door: he doesn't want to cause conflict between them and Fetch.]

Ushahin? Fetch?

[Ushahin is unresponsive to the knock at the door, still lost in the unstable contents of his own mind. He's curled up, still hoarsely talking to himself in phrases that are nonsensical.

Fetch is the one who finally comes over, hopping back to his feet, and winging his way over to the door. The bird had been able to save himself from the brunt of the attack, having his own psychic abilities that allowed him to shield himself.]

Mrrrahhh! [He grumbles to Amos, telling of how he was glad someone had responded to his call for help. His friend was in bad shape and the raven can't fix him. At least the door is unlocked. His little bird feet can't turn handles. He lets out a loud Harrumph!, saying that he tried to stop the psychic attack before it happened.]

Edited 2017-06-15 01:22 (UTC)

[WOW USHAHIN. Talk about rude.]

What the hell, dude.

[Jason has enough of those feelings of his own, thanks.]

Is everyone here some kind of metahuman?

[There's no response at first from Ushahin. He's still trying to gather up the little pieces of himself that he can gather a hold of in his mind. Then he realizes the phone is turned on. Funny, he didn't remember turning it on.

Fetch. Of course. Clever bird. Though it did make him wonder how many of Hadriel's residents had just been witness to his breakdown.]

Many people here have powers, it is true. I was born with mine.

[Dry as a goddamn desert:] You don't say. Tell me, were many of the people here also born without the capacity for feelings? Or maybe they just all lived incredibly charmed and perfect lives. 'Cause otherwise, that whole ... thing you just did was one hell of a dick move.

Edited 2017-06-15 01:31 (UTC)

[Ushahin opens his eyes back up, the uneven one blazing with his fractured state of mind. He feels nothing right now but the culmination of a lifetime of painful memories.]

I have the pain of a thousand years in my head, pain that was magnified when everyone I loved and everything I cared about was taken away from me one year ago today. Forgive me when I say that I care very little what you think, young one.

[Fortunately, he's too tired to strike out, or Jason would likely be in a comatose state right now.]

Ohh, well. A thousand years obviously makes you the expert here. Clearly no one else could possibly understand what it feels like to lose everyone they -

[Everyone they love. Jason cuts himself off from completing that sentence. It's been mere days since Jason faced Bruce, bared his wounded heart to his mentor, asked him just this once to stop the Joker forever, because he took me away from you. Watched him stare Jason down, impassive under that damn cowl, refuse, turn and walk away.

It's too soon. Jason had five long years to prepare for that night, and if he lives another five years, he thinks it still won't be enough time to dull the pain of that loss even a fractional amount.

But Ushahin doesn't need to know that. Jason scoffs quietly, voice hardened with resolve as he returns to his words.]

Whatever. Do yourself a favor, old man - stay outta my head.

[Ushahin's eyes gleam like he's looking right inside Jason's head and seeing all that lies within there. Maybe he is, catching glimpses of the pain this man has gone through. Maybe he isn't, too tired and spent by his actions to travel outside the confines of his own mind today. Certainly, he'll never tell.]

That only I could, Jason. That only I could.

[He should really quit this, end this conversation, walk away. He isn't, though.]

Cute trick, but I'm not impressed. If you think picking out my name's gonna rattle me, you better think again. I'm not scared of you.

[He's seen and done entirely too much to find something like this frightening.]

[Ordinarily, he might have taken that as a challenge from an insolent little whelp. But today he feels tired, so tired in both body and soul.]

You should be, young one. I can see right through to the things that keep you up in the middle of the night. I can make sure they never end. [He pauses and shrugs.] Or I can make sure you never experience them again. The choice is yours.

[Sorry, Ushahin, Jason's laughing - a dark, dry, entirely unfunny sound, the sort of thing that skirts the edge of hysterics but manages to just barely pull back.]

Oh, I seriously doubt you've got anything on the things that keep me up at night.

[Mostly it's the memory of being beaten nearly to death with a crowbar, the sound of the Joker's maniacal laughter ringing against the walls of the warehouse, the emptiness and fear of knowing, in the seconds before the explosion that killed him, that he was alone, that no one was coming to save him, that he was already dead and he was powerless to prevent it. It already torments Jason endlessly; the threat of making it continue offers no change, so it's meaningless.]

I mean it. Stay out of my head.

You clearly have no idea who you are speaking to. [Normally, Ushahin would have a higher tolerance level for such a fool, but it has been a hell of a day.] I shall teach you a lesson in fear and respect, young pup.

[Then Ushahin delves into Jason's head. There's less finesse than he normally has, for he is weary and has not done this in a while. His fears are easy to find, for they lie close to the surface. He brings them out, and for Jason, it will feel like every agonizing moment of his death is replayed over and over again for what feels like an eternity. It is a painful lesson: don't mess with a madman who has psychic abilities.]

[Unfortunately, it's not a lesson Jason is receptive to learning at this particular juncture. No one ever accused him of being the smartest Robin, after all, and he's just stubborn enough to refuse to quit. It's painful, yes, but it's not painful enough to shut him up. He's breathing heavily, still stinging from the mental assault.]

Is that ... all you've got, old man? [He laughs.] Gonna have to ... do better than that ... if you wanna earn my fear ... or my respect.

Edited 2017-07-10 02:15 (UTC)

My, my, aren't we the tough one? [Ushahin is mildly impressed that Jason is still even able to talk, let alone taunt him. Clearly, the boy has some resilience to him.] I wonder how long this will last.

[His eye gleams with malicious intent. Then he delves back into Jason's head, bringing up memories of a painful nature. Batman, the closest thing he ever had to a father, and all that he represented to Jason. He pulls up that last and worst memory, Bruce turning his back on his former protégé, choosing his own moral code over what his son had meant to him. Ushahin's mental voice, old and full of power, rings in his head.] This ends when you want it to end.

[It's been far too long since she had ever felt the presence of a psi this strongly. The pain would have been intense, almost unbearable if she were alive and human. As it is, she is not -- and she regards the psychic assault with more curiosity than anything else.

[Because of this, it doesn't take long for Ravine to find the source of the energy. She doesn't even need the aid of the network to be aware, as his thoughts and agony are loud enough to be a beacon.

[When Ravine appears within the confines of Ushahin's home, she does not intend to be seen right away. However, given the psychic prowess he possesses, her presence is no doubt immediately known to him.

[She stands in front of a window, leaning against the sill. There is no sound of her intrusion; she simply appears to be in the blink of an eye.]

Was that really necessary?

[The agony he feels inside his mind is like a shattered pane of glass. He's hurting down to his very core and the mental anguish he'd unleashed on the cave had only lessened it slightly. He barely stirs at the sound of someone else's voice. He wasn't sure how this woman had gotten in, but he was beyond a point of caring how or what about anything.

Beside him lies the Helm of Shadows, its dark energy radiating outwards, able to be felt by even individuals without psychic awareness. It is a very powerful and old weapon from the early days of Urulat. It wouldn't be wise to touch it.]

Leave me be.

[The words are said with an intense weariness. Fetch hops towards Ravine, head cocked curiously. He projects something into her head, not so much an image as a feeling, almost like he's broadcasting a large question mark. Who are you and can you help his friend? That's what the glossy-feathered black bird wants to know.]

[ The video startles her to begin with but what's a direct result of his mad ramblings and non-cohesive mental state is an even bigger shock. It isn't the first time Rose has had her head messed with though she hopes it'll be the last. It's been too long that now her mind has been a warzone without outisde assistance. She is someone intimately familiar with suffering but to have it thrust upon her so suddenly, so forcefully is another thing entirely.

Still. For as agonizing as it is, Rose isn't worried about herself in this moment. She never seems to be in any moment, really, but especially not now. Through tears burning her eyes and head pounding, the blond sets off towards his abode without time to take care of herself beyond recognizing that she was alright enough to head out. It doesn't take her long to sniff out her friend. He has such a unique scent, after all. ] Ushahin, [ she says, outside his home. ] Let me in, dude.

[Ushahin doesn't even hear her, so sunk back into misery, insanity, and despair as he is. But Fetch does. The little raven flutters over to the door. Fortunately, the handle is one of the long ones that's tripped by applying pressure rather than a round doorknob that needs to be turned to open.

It opens and there is a very large black raven on the other side, peering around at Rosie, and grumbling all sorts of things in the back of his throat. He just wants his friend back to normal. Please help?]

Thanks, dude, [ she coos to the raven that gives her entrance. ] Let's see what I can do.

[ Being part animal herself, she can definitely sense the distress in the poor bird's tone. While Rose isn't about to make any promises she can't keep, she... She wants to help Ushahin if she can. So she shadows through the home until she finds him. Her voice is quiet, gentle, ]

One helluva way to get our attention, man.

[ and of course she has to try and make light of the situation because she's Rose. ]

[Fetch follows her at a distance, waiting to see what she will do. He's worried about how Ushahin might react, considering what had just happened a few minutes ago. Hopefully, her mind is up for anything.

Ushahin has his head sunk down onto his knees, the picture of abject misery. He looks up at Rosie with eyes red from crying and a voice hoarse from talking to himself for hours.]

Did I hurt anyone?

[He's been trying so hard not to over the past few months, but as with everything he tries to do, it's one step forward, two steps back.]

[ Oh, Ushahin. Rose thinks this but doesn't actually say it. He doesn't need her pity right now. He needs her help. ]

Depends on your definition of hurt, [ she hums thoughtfully. ] Gave me a pretty headache, I'll admit that much.

[ Had drowned her temporarily in the deepest, darkest recesses of her own sorrow. ]

What happened?

[Ushahin slips his hand into Rosie's, grateful for the small bit of contact. It helps to ground his head, maddened as it is by loss and grief.]

I just couldn't stand it any longer. I've lost so much. It's been a full year to the day since I lost my home, my family, and my god. And then to lose Shadow here.... [Hs voice breaks and he nearly starts to cry again.] ...it was too much to bear any longer.

[ It's a comfort to her, too, honestly... He might be distressed, but he's still in there - still her Ushahin, after all this - and she can deal with that.

He isn't the only one lately to be shaken by loss. ]

Well, I can't blame ya' for that, [ she offers, pitiful huff of a half-laugh escaping her. ] Feels like... feels like I've lost a lot of people lately too. But, hey, you still got me. I'm not gonna promise I'll always be here, I can't. But I am for now at least.

[He rubs his eyes with his free hand. They're red, sore, and stinging from too many salt tears pouring out of them.]

I suppose there is some small comfort in that. It is just a terrible to thing to know that I have lived so long, lost so much, and will continue on for much longer with my burdens to bear.

[ If Rose still had her soothing ice abilities, she'd use them to help the headache no doubt pounding his skull, the fire in his sinuses from crying. She's been in his position. She remembers crying so much it felt like her tear ducts might be permanently dry. She remembers the ache in her soul from it all, hollowly painful. ]

That kind of comes with the territory of longevity, I think. If it means anything, I think... I like you more because of it, y'know? So many long-lived people stop caring. They don't see the point anymore, when everything is so fleeting in comparison to them.

But you still do. You make attachments and you love people and, yeah, it hurts but. It's worth it, too.

I suppose you are right. I've seen those who have become numb to everything.

[The Ellyl of his world were that way. Beautiful and eternal, but with nothing warm beneath the surface, not even towards their fellow Ellyl. They were stagnant and destined to die out without any love for their fellow races.]

It turns them callous, cold, and cruel. That's no way to be.

It's not, [ she's quick to agree. ]

Because then you do things like try to kill your own daughter. Purge her from your bloodline because she's a black mark upon it, like my father did.

You're not like him. And I'm glad you're not.

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[The house is in complete disarray from Ushahin having thrown everything he could get his hands on across the rooms. It's also dark, the shades having been almost completely drawn. Ushahin is still huddled in the corner of the room, Fetch perched on an overturned chair, humming softly in the back of his feathery throat at the sight of how bad off his friend has become.

He senses Shadow's mind before he sees him, but his gaze falls across the hedgehog in an uncomprehending manner.]

No.

[How many times has he wished for his over the past couple of weeks? That his best friend would come strolling back into the house like nothing had happened. Just gone a couple of days like he always was on one of his patrols, no biggie, back again home safe and sound. He presses back up against the wall like he wishes to claw right through it.]

You're not here. You're not real.

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[It sounds so much like something Shadow would say and Ushahin is tempted to believe him. But he's seen too much to give into the temptation that everything is all right. Shadow was gone and he had not returned. Ushahin had cried enough tears already.]

No no no no. You have to go away. Just like everyone else all the other times.

[He's desperately clinging to his madness now, afraid of what might be the reality before him. He's lost so many other people. Could it be... can one of them finally returned to him?]

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[Ushahin sits there and just waits for Shadow to disappear the same way he's come. When that doesn't happen, he lifts his crippled left hand, shaking with tentative hope, and reaches towards Shadow. He fully expects it to go right through the hedgehog. Instead, he meets with solid flesh and a head full of spikes. Ushahin's eyes open wide.]

... Shadow?

[The one word is full of hope. Then he's flinging his arms around his friend in a tight embrace, sobbing as he repeats one phrase over and over again.]

You came back. You came back.

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[He's lost so many people in his life: his loved ones from home and friends from here that have disappeared forever. He'd considered Shadow among the latter and this had only added to the breakdown that had occurred.

To have Shadow back was enough to clear his head of the madness that has been clouding him. He holds onto his best friend like he'll never let him go ever again, unashamed of how he's openly weeping.]

I thought I would never see you again. After Sato killed you, I couldn't feel your mind anymore. [It had led him to use Godslayer for the first time ever. Such was his love for the hedgehog.] But here you are.

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[The mess of pain and madness in Ushahin's mind begins to lift as he listens to Shadow. With something to focus on, it gives him the clarity that so often he doesn't care about having within himself. He just gazes at Shadow, trying to memorize every curve of the hedgehog's face.]

I thought you were gone forever like so many others in my life. I suppose I must have done something good in all my years to have you come back into mine.

[He sends up a silent prayer to Satoris, his own compassionate god long dead, and whichever one in this cave was responsible for giving him back his friend.]

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Does anyone ever truly get used to the loss of the ones they love?

[Which is why to have Shadow back in his life now is truly a miracle. He might never let his little friend out of his sight again. After all, look what had happened the last time he'd done that?]

What happened when you returned home?

[He can sense the weight of added years upon Shadow's mind, an odd feeling seeing how short a span of time he'd been gone from the cave. But Ushahin was used to the disconnect among minds, so it didn't matter to him.]

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Accidental Video; Breakdown (Backdated to the 10th)

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