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Grue sounds unfun, honestly]
[Better go back for that lantern]
[Better go back for that lantern]
[ The instant your hand touches the lantern, the small flame blooms into a something huge and bright like an unfolding star, light flooding the Haven as well as your mind.
In that moment, the world disappears into that flash of light and it feels like the crackle and snap of a cheerful fire in a fire pit, the bright heat of the flame chasing off the chill of a winter evening, side by side you sit on pillows and roast marshmallows while sharing tales of warm memories with loved ones, you bathe in the soft glow of the candles and string lights around the balcony and you think that maybe this is magic;
it feels like someone who makes what you can only assume is a lifetime of discomfort into something so easy that it feels natural as you wrap your cloak around their shoulders and feel their weight against your chest, and you kiss the top of their head, their pale hair gleaming like spun gold against the snowy background that's as chilly as their namesake, but the warmth you feel is blooming from inside your chest, bright and big enough to swallow you both, and you feel so lucky for their presence in your arms as well as your life,
it feels like the smooth steps of a waltz at a masquerade, a clear sweet sound of a song sung just for you, your small hand in theirs on an adventure to an alien zoo, it feels like the smell of tea after a hard day and fresh-cut flowers;
it feels like love.
Your eyes adjust to the light and the Haven resolves back into place, right where you left it. The newly brightened lantern illuminates an even greater radius than before.]
In that moment, the world disappears into that flash of light and it feels like the crackle and snap of a cheerful fire in a fire pit, the bright heat of the flame chasing off the chill of a winter evening, side by side you sit on pillows and roast marshmallows while sharing tales of warm memories with loved ones, you bathe in the soft glow of the candles and string lights around the balcony and you think that maybe this is magic;
it feels like someone who makes what you can only assume is a lifetime of discomfort into something so easy that it feels natural as you wrap your cloak around their shoulders and feel their weight against your chest, and you kiss the top of their head, their pale hair gleaming like spun gold against the snowy background that's as chilly as their namesake, but the warmth you feel is blooming from inside your chest, bright and big enough to swallow you both, and you feel so lucky for their presence in your arms as well as your life,
it feels like the smooth steps of a waltz at a masquerade, a clear sweet sound of a song sung just for you, your small hand in theirs on an adventure to an alien zoo, it feels like the smell of tea after a hard day and fresh-cut flowers;
it feels like love.
Your eyes adjust to the light and the Haven resolves back into place, right where you left it. The newly brightened lantern illuminates an even greater radius than before.]
[ The instant your hand touches the lantern, the small flame blooms into a something huge and bright like an unfolding star, light flooding the Haven as well as your mind.
In that moment, the world disappears into that flash of light and it feels like beginnings, like the excitement of a series of Firsts as the world rolls past the windows of the van, a place that seems big and new and full of promise through the eyes of someone else, you fill your mouths with laughter and yakiniku until both your stomach and your heart are full to bursting, and you feel like you could live in this moment forever;
it feels the time when the carpet was yanked out from under your feet and you felt hollow and anxious, until a small hand and bright eyes reached for you and promised to protect you from harm, and in that moment, you believed it — this person, so tiny and fearless, would fight tooth and nail for your sake, and you realized it was mutual, and that you weren't alone after all, and maybe things were really going to be okay;
it feels like the snap of static electricity and mustard burgers, like a bed of pillows on a school room floor, like a crowd's worth of bombastic energy in one too-small body and the knowledge in your heart that you'd do anything to preserve that smile;
it feels like love.
Your eyes adjust to the light and the Haven resolves back into place, right where you left it. The newly brightened lantern illuminates an even greater radius than before.]
In that moment, the world disappears into that flash of light and it feels like beginnings, like the excitement of a series of Firsts as the world rolls past the windows of the van, a place that seems big and new and full of promise through the eyes of someone else, you fill your mouths with laughter and yakiniku until both your stomach and your heart are full to bursting, and you feel like you could live in this moment forever;
it feels the time when the carpet was yanked out from under your feet and you felt hollow and anxious, until a small hand and bright eyes reached for you and promised to protect you from harm, and in that moment, you believed it — this person, so tiny and fearless, would fight tooth and nail for your sake, and you realized it was mutual, and that you weren't alone after all, and maybe things were really going to be okay;
it feels like the snap of static electricity and mustard burgers, like a bed of pillows on a school room floor, like a crowd's worth of bombastic energy in one too-small body and the knowledge in your heart that you'd do anything to preserve that smile;
it feels like love.
Your eyes adjust to the light and the Haven resolves back into place, right where you left it. The newly brightened lantern illuminates an even greater radius than before.]
[ The instant your hand touches the lantern, the small flame blooms into a something huge and bright like an unfolding star, light flooding the Haven as well as your mind.
In that moment, the world disappears into that flash of light and it feels like fresh air and the crunch of snow, light glittering thorough bare branches as you pick your way up a mountain path in a world that feels like you own, for you are the only two people in it, and it's more beautiful than you could have ever imagined — your fingers tangle with theirs and your smile is so big it threatens to split your face in two, and your joy is so absolute it threatens to light you on fire from within, such is the power and energy and heat you somehow manage to contain;
it feels like a cramped and dingy apartment bright with too many lamps and overflowing with the smell of old paperbacks with tattered covers, you flop onto a squeaky bed with a pleasant drowsiness in your eyes, drape an arm across their waist and press your face into their side, and the rest of the world melts away because everything you need and care about in life is here, and the safety you feel is absolute;
it feels like hot water across your bare shoulders, the sting of that new weight in your ear that hurts but you embrace it with both hands and your whole heart, as you do as well for the person in front of you, and the water disguises the tears of joy that streak your face;
it feels like the smell of leaves on a hot summer day, the droning of cicadas and the feel of starched fabric, your face is hot not from the sun but from the force of overwhelming emotion as you slip a ring on that small finger that's crisscrossed with tiny silvery scars, as you bind your heart to theirs, you have never been so certain of anything in your life, that this is the light you want to bask in for the rest of your days, and you're so happy you could weep;
it feels like smoke and dust in a strip mall office firm, coffee and fresh-baked bread, glossy fanart prints and the weight of a fine golden chain around your neck, like dancing under a yawning, star-dappled sky and picnics and improbable fields of flowers, like the depth and conviction of an ocean, like devotion as hot and steadfast as the sun, like the press of a small shoulder leaning against yours, and the smell of their hair, and kisses that could burn you straight to the ground and you'd thank them for it with every breath you take for the rest of your life;
it feels like love.
It feels like all your love, now until forever.
Your eyes adjust to the light and the Haven resolves back into place, right where you left it. The newly brightened lantern illuminates an even greater radius than before.]
In that moment, the world disappears into that flash of light and it feels like fresh air and the crunch of snow, light glittering thorough bare branches as you pick your way up a mountain path in a world that feels like you own, for you are the only two people in it, and it's more beautiful than you could have ever imagined — your fingers tangle with theirs and your smile is so big it threatens to split your face in two, and your joy is so absolute it threatens to light you on fire from within, such is the power and energy and heat you somehow manage to contain;
it feels like a cramped and dingy apartment bright with too many lamps and overflowing with the smell of old paperbacks with tattered covers, you flop onto a squeaky bed with a pleasant drowsiness in your eyes, drape an arm across their waist and press your face into their side, and the rest of the world melts away because everything you need and care about in life is here, and the safety you feel is absolute;
it feels like hot water across your bare shoulders, the sting of that new weight in your ear that hurts but you embrace it with both hands and your whole heart, as you do as well for the person in front of you, and the water disguises the tears of joy that streak your face;
it feels like the smell of leaves on a hot summer day, the droning of cicadas and the feel of starched fabric, your face is hot not from the sun but from the force of overwhelming emotion as you slip a ring on that small finger that's crisscrossed with tiny silvery scars, as you bind your heart to theirs, you have never been so certain of anything in your life, that this is the light you want to bask in for the rest of your days, and you're so happy you could weep;
it feels like smoke and dust in a strip mall office firm, coffee and fresh-baked bread, glossy fanart prints and the weight of a fine golden chain around your neck, like dancing under a yawning, star-dappled sky and picnics and improbable fields of flowers, like the depth and conviction of an ocean, like devotion as hot and steadfast as the sun, like the press of a small shoulder leaning against yours, and the smell of their hair, and kisses that could burn you straight to the ground and you'd thank them for it with every breath you take for the rest of your life;
it feels like love.
It feels like all your love, now until forever.
Your eyes adjust to the light and the Haven resolves back into place, right where you left it. The newly brightened lantern illuminates an even greater radius than before.]
[hand to her chest for a beat]
Thank you.
[ok, maybe more than a beat but eventually going to peek around the edges with the lantern]
Thank you.
[ok, maybe more than a beat but eventually going to peek around the edges with the lantern]
[ In this larger, brighter, expanded circle of light, you can see more of the immediate surroundings beyond the edge of the Haven. You see the skeletons of bushes. What once was lush grass is now crisp, dry tufts, crinkled over bare dirt. The naked trunks of what used to be conifers extend overhead and vanish into darkness. ]
[ One side of the platform-shaped Haven slopes gently down to the ground. From there, a dirt path winds off into the trees. ]
[ One side of the platform-shaped Haven slopes gently down to the ground. From there, a dirt path winds off into the trees. ]
[oh no. He clears his throat, blinking away the prickling at his eyes]
Right. Let's see what's out there.
[He walks to the edge of the haven and peers out]
Right. Let's see what's out there.
[He walks to the edge of the haven and peers out]
[ In this larger, brighter, expanded circle of light, you can see more of the immediate surroundings beyond the edge of the Haven. You see the skeletons of bushes. What once was lush grass is now crisp, dry tufts, crinkled over bare dirt. The naked trunks of what used to be conifers extend overhead and vanish into darkness. ]
[ One side of the platform-shaped Haven slopes gently down to the ground. From there, a dirt path winds off into the trees. ]
[ One side of the platform-shaped Haven slopes gently down to the ground. From there, a dirt path winds off into the trees. ]
[ ... hm.
picking up the lantern, sure, as she considers that feeling-- that she might be eaten. That something out there is waiting to get her.
It's novel. ]
picking up the lantern, sure, as she considers that feeling-- that she might be eaten. That something out there is waiting to get her.
It's novel. ]
[ The instant your hand touches the lantern, the small flame blooms into a something huge and bright like an unfolding star, light flooding the Haven as well as your mind.
In that moment, the world disappears into that flash of light and it feels like camaraderie, someone else with the same large, tawny, rosette-spotted problem as you that makes you feel less alone, that makes your heart ache with a sense of companionship and you reach out your hand and your pajamas and a bed to sleep in the way you'd reach out your whiskers in the dark, inviting all of this into your life and hoping it stays a while;
it feels like that bright giddiness of the return of someone you missed, someone you thought of fondly, who you thought was beautiful, who you feared was gone forever, that familiar face that you've seen in your dreams like it happened in another life, someone who's suddenly here again and it's all you can do not to jump all over them like the energetic puppy you've suddenly become;
it feels like crisp cold sake in the heat of an onsen, a prickle on your skin as the hot water melts away both your tension and your sense of caution, and it's heady and fresh and it's hard to say for sure if it's the heat or the alcohol or the company that's making you swoon;
it feels like love.
Your eyes adjust to the light and the Haven resolves back into place, right where you left it. The newly brightened lantern illuminates an even greater radius than before.]
In that moment, the world disappears into that flash of light and it feels like camaraderie, someone else with the same large, tawny, rosette-spotted problem as you that makes you feel less alone, that makes your heart ache with a sense of companionship and you reach out your hand and your pajamas and a bed to sleep in the way you'd reach out your whiskers in the dark, inviting all of this into your life and hoping it stays a while;
it feels like that bright giddiness of the return of someone you missed, someone you thought of fondly, who you thought was beautiful, who you feared was gone forever, that familiar face that you've seen in your dreams like it happened in another life, someone who's suddenly here again and it's all you can do not to jump all over them like the energetic puppy you've suddenly become;
it feels like crisp cold sake in the heat of an onsen, a prickle on your skin as the hot water melts away both your tension and your sense of caution, and it's heady and fresh and it's hard to say for sure if it's the heat or the alcohol or the company that's making you swoon;
it feels like love.
Your eyes adjust to the light and the Haven resolves back into place, right where you left it. The newly brightened lantern illuminates an even greater radius than before.]
[considering the stars and sky, is this normal night or forever night? then going down the slope]
[A deep breath. There's actually things out there, thank the Six.
Down the slope he goes, walking down the path with trusty lantern]
Down the slope he goes, walking down the path with trusty lantern]
Whoa. . .
[The feeling is both familiar and unfamiliar -- it's a warmth she knows, but she's never felt its absence in contrast.
She takes a couple hesitant steps forward, raising the lantern as high as she can to cast the light farther (which to be fair isn't all that high because she's damn short, but) and peering into the darkness.]
[The feeling is both familiar and unfamiliar -- it's a warmth she knows, but she's never felt its absence in contrast.
She takes a couple hesitant steps forward, raising the lantern as high as she can to cast the light farther (which to be fair isn't all that high because she's damn short, but) and peering into the darkness.]
[There are no stars to be seen. It's just profound, absolute black.]
[ You follow the path through a forest long dead. ]
[ Out here, the air tastes bitter and caustic. The unnatural silence is occasionally punctuated by sounds: a distant, echoing crash of something crisp and wooden getting broken. A lonely groan from an inhuman throat. The intermittent scrape of dry leaves, disturbed by feet that skitter away before your circle of light can touch them. ]
[ As you walk, the path starts to climb up a slope, leading you through several switchbacks. The trees thin out, and the sky seems to lighten a few shades, like something up ahead is illuminating the very air. ]
[ You can see light glinting off boulders and tree trunks, guiding you forward like a beacon. ]
[ You have to scrabble over some rocks, picking your way upward. Then you look over a ridge and there it is:
—The ugliest city you’ve ever seen in your life. ]
[ The city is on the far side of a huge expanse of cobblestone — which, now that you’re looking at it, appears to be a parking lot. ]
[ After all that climbing, you have a better vantage point of where you just came from. Behind you is a steep drop into a vast canyon. You climbed out of there somehow, but from here it looks like a huge cleft in the earth that someone poured an ocean of heavy, dark fog into. ]
[ You follow the path through a forest long dead. ]
[ Out here, the air tastes bitter and caustic. The unnatural silence is occasionally punctuated by sounds: a distant, echoing crash of something crisp and wooden getting broken. A lonely groan from an inhuman throat. The intermittent scrape of dry leaves, disturbed by feet that skitter away before your circle of light can touch them. ]
[ As you walk, the path starts to climb up a slope, leading you through several switchbacks. The trees thin out, and the sky seems to lighten a few shades, like something up ahead is illuminating the very air. ]
[ You can see light glinting off boulders and tree trunks, guiding you forward like a beacon. ]
[ You have to scrabble over some rocks, picking your way upward. Then you look over a ridge and there it is:
—The ugliest city you’ve ever seen in your life. ]
[ The city is on the far side of a huge expanse of cobblestone — which, now that you’re looking at it, appears to be a parking lot. ]
[ After all that climbing, you have a better vantage point of where you just came from. Behind you is a steep drop into a vast canyon. You climbed out of there somehow, but from here it looks like a huge cleft in the earth that someone poured an ocean of heavy, dark fog into. ]
[SERIOUSLY]
[DOESN'T THIS MEAN THE DARK WAS PROBABLY FINE FOR ME THE WHOLE TIME]
[DOESN'T THIS MEAN THE DARK WAS PROBABLY FINE FOR ME THE WHOLE TIME]
[resists the urge to spike the lantern on the ground in embarrassment]
[It just clonks onto the ground. It's okay. It understands.]
[It's fine, though, it will take a lot more than that to damage it.]
[It's fine, though, it will take a lot more than that to damage it.]
[ You follow the path through a forest long dead. ]
[ Out here, the air tastes bitter and caustic. The unnatural silence is occasionally punctuated by sounds: a distant, echoing crash of something crisp and wooden getting broken. A lonely groan from an inhuman throat. The intermittent scrape of dry leaves, disturbed by feet that skitter away before your circle of light can touch them. ]
[ As you walk, the path starts to climb up a slope, leading you through several switchbacks. The trees thin out, and the sky seems to lighten a few shades, like something up ahead is illuminating the very air. ]
[ You can see light glinting off boulders and tree trunks, guiding you forward like a beacon. ]
[ You have to scrabble over some rocks, picking your way upward. Then you look over a ridge and there it is:
—The ugliest city you’ve ever seen in your life. ]
[ The city is on the far side of a huge expanse of cobblestone — which, now that you’re looking at it, appears to be a parking lot. ]
[ After all that climbing, you have a better vantage point of where you just came from. Behind you is a steep drop into a vast canyon. You climbed out of there somehow, but from here it looks like a huge cleft in the earth that someone poured an ocean of heavy, dark fog into. ]
[ Out here, the air tastes bitter and caustic. The unnatural silence is occasionally punctuated by sounds: a distant, echoing crash of something crisp and wooden getting broken. A lonely groan from an inhuman throat. The intermittent scrape of dry leaves, disturbed by feet that skitter away before your circle of light can touch them. ]
[ As you walk, the path starts to climb up a slope, leading you through several switchbacks. The trees thin out, and the sky seems to lighten a few shades, like something up ahead is illuminating the very air. ]
[ You can see light glinting off boulders and tree trunks, guiding you forward like a beacon. ]
[ You have to scrabble over some rocks, picking your way upward. Then you look over a ridge and there it is:
—The ugliest city you’ve ever seen in your life. ]
[ The city is on the far side of a huge expanse of cobblestone — which, now that you’re looking at it, appears to be a parking lot. ]
[ After all that climbing, you have a better vantage point of where you just came from. Behind you is a steep drop into a vast canyon. You climbed out of there somehow, but from here it looks like a huge cleft in the earth that someone poured an ocean of heavy, dark fog into. ]
[ In this larger, brighter, expanded circle of light, you can see more of the immediate surroundings beyond the edge of the Haven. You see the skeletons of bushes. What once was lush grass is now crisp, dry tufts, crinkled over bare dirt. The naked trunks of what used to be conifers extend overhead and vanish into darkness. ]
[ One side of the platform-shaped Haven slopes gently down to the ground. From there, a dirt path winds off into the trees. ]
[ One side of the platform-shaped Haven slopes gently down to the ground. From there, a dirt path winds off into the trees. ]
[There, there. Fortunately, nobody is here to see!]
[It just clonks onto the ground unceremoniously.]
[It's fine, though. It's strong. It'll take more than that to break anything.]
[It's fine, though. It's strong. It'll take more than that to break anything.]
[He takes a few shaky, uneven breaths - another couple, after that, to get it together again]
[If his eyes are damp at the corners, it doesn't count if there's no one there to see it, right?]
[He snatches up the lantern again, with a hand that shakes only a little, and sets out into the darkness]
[If his eyes are damp at the corners, it doesn't count if there's no one there to see it, right?]
[He snatches up the lantern again, with a hand that shakes only a little, and sets out into the darkness]
[ In this larger, brighter, expanded circle of light, you can see more of the immediate surroundings beyond the edge of the Haven. You see the skeletons of bushes. What once was lush grass is now crisp, dry tufts, crinkled over bare dirt. The naked trunks of what used to be conifers extend overhead and vanish into darkness. ]
[ One side of the platform-shaped Haven slopes gently down to the ground. From there, a dirt path winds off into the trees. ]
[ Confidently, plainly experiencing no emotions whatsoever (!), you follow the path through a forest long dead. ]
[ Out here, the air tastes bitter and caustic. The unnatural silence is occasionally punctuated by sounds: a distant, echoing crash of something crisp and wooden getting broken. A lonely groan from an inhuman throat. The intermittent scrape of dry leaves, disturbed by feet that skitter away before your circle of light can touch them. ]
[ As you walk, the path starts to climb up a slope, leading you through several switchbacks. The trees thin out, and the sky seems to lighten a few shades, like something up ahead is illuminating the very air. ]
[ You can see light glinting off boulders and tree trunks, guiding you forward like a beacon. ]
[ You have to scrabble over some rocks, picking your way upward. Then you look over a ridge and there it is:
—The ugliest city you’ve ever seen in your life. ]
[ The city is on the far side of a huge expanse of cobblestone — which, now that you’re looking at it, appears to be a parking lot. ]
[ After all that climbing, you have a better vantage point of where you just came from. Behind you is a steep drop into a vast canyon. You climbed out of there somehow, but from here it looks like a huge cleft in the earth that someone poured an ocean of heavy, dark fog into. ]
[ One side of the platform-shaped Haven slopes gently down to the ground. From there, a dirt path winds off into the trees. ]
[ Confidently, plainly experiencing no emotions whatsoever (!), you follow the path through a forest long dead. ]
[ Out here, the air tastes bitter and caustic. The unnatural silence is occasionally punctuated by sounds: a distant, echoing crash of something crisp and wooden getting broken. A lonely groan from an inhuman throat. The intermittent scrape of dry leaves, disturbed by feet that skitter away before your circle of light can touch them. ]
[ As you walk, the path starts to climb up a slope, leading you through several switchbacks. The trees thin out, and the sky seems to lighten a few shades, like something up ahead is illuminating the very air. ]
[ You can see light glinting off boulders and tree trunks, guiding you forward like a beacon. ]
[ You have to scrabble over some rocks, picking your way upward. Then you look over a ridge and there it is:
—The ugliest city you’ve ever seen in your life. ]
[ The city is on the far side of a huge expanse of cobblestone — which, now that you’re looking at it, appears to be a parking lot. ]
[ After all that climbing, you have a better vantage point of where you just came from. Behind you is a steep drop into a vast canyon. You climbed out of there somehow, but from here it looks like a huge cleft in the earth that someone poured an ocean of heavy, dark fog into. ]
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