[PRP] The Unfound (Temperance & ???)

[Ashdown Whaler]

The beast snarled into her face the moment she tried to fight back, a great paw slapping at her hands.

This was not nearly as nice as before, though oddly enough she was unharmed from his blow, and she was sent skidding across the muddy ground.

"You cannot cage what must exist!" His voice reverberated all around her. "You speak as if you know me, insult me with this tiny name! All things must end, foolish thing, and I am one of the those that brings the end."

The 5emblance of Unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

Her arms immediately wrapped around her ribs as she skidded to a stop. Luckily, nothing felt broken or anything. Could there be more than one destroyer?

"I'll call you whatever I want! And why are you here, then? This isn't the end!" Her eyes darted around at everything but the beast. Drawing in a deep breath, she screamed. "HELP!"

ashdown whaler

 

[Ashdown Whaler]

"It was for them! Their champion failed! Dawdled too long and that means they're mine." The beast prowled, watching her with its bright red eyes.

Temperance was swatted at again, once uninjured though she skidded across the muck.

The wind rustled through the trees, the faint sound of footsteps echoing.

The Semblance of Unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

"No," she said fiercely. "You didn't have to kill them!" She knew, though, tat she'd been too slow, too lost - she'd needed better focus, better directions, shoes, swifter legs. Temperance knew it was her fault, and it glittered harshly in her eyes, but she didn't have to be reminded of it by Per's murderer.

She grit her teeth. "T-that's not how this has to work!" Despite his teeth, his claws, he hadn't really hurt her. Why? "Why -why are you playing with me?!" Furiously, she picked up a sharp rock and hurled it at him. Her anger flowed out of her and towards him instead of at herself - that would come later.

"Why can't you just d-destroy yourself instead!" She immediately bit her tongue, horrified she'd said such a thing.

ashdown Whaler

 

[Ashdown Whaler]

"All things end, all things die." The rock was batted out of the air and he roared at her.

It was stalking towards her, tail lashing back and forth. When it's tail brushed against a tree, it splintered.

"... but there is no end for things that are always meant to be. Creation, destruction- they always exist."

Right as it was about to be there, about to pounce her, Temperance was grabbed. A hand pulled her up.

It was a man in a suit, a tall man with dark hair, though his face was not always there it seemed and he glowed faintly.

The beast snarled and took a step back.

The 5emblance of Unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

"Nothing ever ends!" she yelled, but her voice trembled. Temperance froze, eyes widening as the beast stalked closer. If things weren't meant to exist, than they wouldn't be, her mind screamed, but she shivered.

Then something, someone yanked her up and her jelly legs finally cooperated. She blinked up at him before whirling to face Dee (she had no better name for it, really, and it was of the same ilk). The beast stepped back. Keeping her eye on it, she spoke out of the corner of her mouth.

"Thanks. Who are you?" Proper thank yous could come later.

ashdown whaler

 

[Ashdown Whaler]

Voices spoke in Temperance's mind, something not heard aloud. We do not have a name but we heard your call.

"What," the beast said flatly, "are you doing here? Haven't I hurt your kind enough to make a point?"

It was ignored as Temperance was spoken to once more. The little ones had you get something for them. Do you have it?

The Semblance of Unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

"S-should I not speak aloud?" She could feel the words in her head, buzzing uncomfortably in multiple voices. It reminded her vaguely of the way the mannequins in the theater had spoke in her mind and she felt the pull of distrust. But she clamped down on it fiercely; she had no choice but to trust this semblance of a man. And Dee, the beast, seemed wary of him. That was definitely a point in his favor.

The beast got a wary eye from her. Never look away from something dangerous, she thought. Temperance swallowed down a wave a nausea. "Does it do nothing but kill? And yes, yes I have it," she said softly. It dug a hole into the soft flesh of her chest; Temperance supposed she should be glad she didn't have a metal allergy. "Do you need it?"

The little ones. She felt her eyes burn.

ashdown whaler

 

[Ashdown Whaler]

You are free to, we simply cannot. It is detrimental to do so. The faceless, for it was a faceless, kept Temperance close. It is destruction incarnate. Killing is the least of what it is capable of.

Odd eyes turned to look at her as the beast started to circle and prowl about them.

We do. The little ones cannot be saved but others can be. A hand was held out for her, the beast suddenly lunging forward only for it to crash unexpectedly into an invisible barrier.

It picked itself up with a laugh, red eyes glowing brighter. "Do you really think that will help? You know your barriers do not keep me out forever." Then it raised a paw and slowly dragged it's nails across it, sparks flying as the magic tried to keep it out.

The Semblance of Unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

It was like being stuck between a rock and a place that could potentially be quite soft or hard, depending on the angle. That is, while Temperance wasn't sure the man was helping her for her sake (rather than the object she held - how did he know, anyway?), she knew for sure Dee was not.

"Detrimental to speak?" Her hands clenched as he mentioned the little ones again, the taste in her mouth like ashes and dirt. But if others could be saved somehow... any way possible... Then, she flinched as the beast's claws dragged down the barrier. Without another thought, Temperance fished out the small metal medallion and dropped it, skin-warm, into the man's hand. "Here."

ashdown whaler

 

[Ashdown Whaler]

The voices are many are not meant to be heard by just one. It was the only response Temperance would get on the matter, the faceless taking the emblem offered into it's hand.

Thank you. Then it stepped away from her, watching as the beast continued to slowly break through the barrier it had up. The emblem glowed in the hand of the faceless, his appearance constantly shifting to there and not there to Temperance.

The beast snarled and slashed harder. "Don't think you can stop me! I will ruin you!" Yet so focused as it was on those in front of it, it did not realize that more suddenly appeared in the destruction around it. Others were stepping out, more faceless (appearing just as odd as the one next to Temperance) surrounding it.

The Semblance of Unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

Her eyes darted between the faceless (not-faceless - it flickered like a lamp in a bad storm) and the beast. "What are you doing?" Then, she caught sight of the other emerging to circle the beast... if it saw them.

"You ruin without purpose, without reason! Why do you think you can keep doing this?!" She yelled at Dee, for in her mind, they were too alike to be different, trying to keep its attention on her. Temperance hoped the barrier would hold until the man was done.

ashdown whaler

 

[Ashdown Whaler]

"BECAUSE I CAN!" It snarled back and seemed to realize that it was surrounded. One of the faceless came close and it lashed out, claws catching it across the face.

No answer came Temperance, not this time, and the faceless that was injured crumpled before picking itself back up. They approached and held their hands out. The barrier that was around Temperance and her savior was now turning the other direction.

The beast was starting to be enclosed within it. The emblem lifted into the air, pressed itself into the barrier, and the beast continued to snarl.

This times it's claws could not even penetrate it.

"This won't hold me!" Yet it was doing so. "I will end you all!"

The Semblance of Unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

She darted forward as one of the crumpled, but the mannequin continued to move and she was afraid of distracting it. But if it was hurt... As the barrier began to collapse in on it, she moved forward, eyes wide.

"It is holding you," she whispered. "It has to." Creation and destruction had their place and the beast overstepped his. Temperance wondered what Per, little Per would have thought about this.If they hadn't relied on her...

"Everything has a cage," she reminded herself. "I hope you rot in it."

ashdown whaler

 

[Ashdown Whaler]

A strange ichor bled from the faceless, though it was not quite so when Temperance looked it. If she wanted to help, she could because it fell once more.

Snarling again in fury, the words of the beast seemed to be shifting. They became higher pitched, sharper as the barrier pushed it down to the ground.

A thick haze filled the inside of the barrier, obscuring it from view as it shrunk down and down and down.

The Semblance of Unity