[A walk through the woods is all good for reconnecting with nature...until a river runs red. The vibrant coloring looks like the result of an active murder scene, especially with handfuls of hair and strips of skin floating through it all. Without the any accompanying screams in the distance, maybe someone's trying to dispose of a body.
Dara is all for ritual cleansing with water. In fact, the nearby waterfall is one of her favorite places to meditate and process things. However...the situation is much more extreme than her usual behavior.
With several pumice stones occupying four of her hands, she seems to be scrubbing viciously at her bare skin and scales. Her tail hardly takes a beating, but that can't be said about her upper body. Thick rivulets of blood stream from the self-inflicted wounds from her persistent exfoliation; the god seems to purposely work at sloughing off skin despite it immediately healing back to normal in a few seconds. Practically pristine once she wipes over the spots. Rinse & Repeat. The last two hands pull at her long black hair, gathering it up and slicing through with a knife. Fistfuls of it float down the river, yet every time she seems to chop the majority of it off, it grows back as if nothing happened.
Dissatisfied, Dara's unhappy expression persists while continuing the thorough "cleansing" of her entire exposed body. It's going to take awhile considering the length of her tail still submerged underwater.]
[Well. Richard certainly didn't have a rivers of blood in his bingo-card when he had left for the woods this morning. The sight of red didn't really bother nor surprise him that much, assuming that it must be a case where an animal or one of the monsters have fallen down and gotten injured. However, what catches his attention are the long dark strands of hair floating along the river current, making him to think that this might actually be more serious case than what he had initially thought.
So, driven by both curiosity and mild concern, Richard decides to investigate further, hand gripping tightly around the handle of his bow as he strides forward. From the corner of his eye he can see a very familiar white fur-coat moving in the shade of the bushes. It does seem like Whitey had decided to stalk Richard for this trip to forest. Well, it didn't matter much to him as long as the boar didn't accidentally do anything stupid and get himself in trouble.
Following the bloodied river current it doesn't take too long for Richard to find the source of it all. And just when he arrives close enough for the waterfall to swim to his visions Richard stops on his tracks, freezing still with his breath getting trapped in his lungs. With wide eyes full of disbelief and fear he stares at the sight in front of him.
The woman-- no, the being is like a vision come to alive straight from the old scripts and stories describing the demonic creatures. Something that will come and eat you alive, steal your soul. "That's why you can't go into the woods alone. The terrifying witch will get you," he hears a sharp hiss in the wind, rustling alongside the leaves. Silently, he raises his shaking arm, draws an arrow from his case and places it in its right place. Richard inhales deep through his nostrils, holds the air for a heavy second before letting it out, calming himself down.
Then, with sharp and focused eyes he takes aim, pointing the arrow at the demon's back]
[How unfortunate for Richard that he couldn't control that initial spark of fear. It filters through the air while he regains his composure, and Dara's hands stop for a split second as the arrow is notched. He may be in her blind spot, but she knows someone is there. Nonetheless, the god takes her time to finish peeling off one last layer of skin while simultaneously sheathing the knife. The weapon goes back down her throat.
All during her unbothered movements, Dara debates the real question: what to do TO this person? If he had chosen to make himself known, then this wouldn't have become an issue. It's all poor timing-- her blood is still boiling from Sha-Ming's emotional backstabbing, and while the exfoliation process did help a bit, now she has to deal with this situation. She needs to know what she's dealing with.
With unnatural speed, the curse god practically melts into the water as she sinks herself. The blood, the disturbance of the falls, and the depth of the river provides a good amount of coverage to zip along with the current. It's the illusion of fleeing that allows her to begin the hunt.
Unbeknownst to Richard, miasma begins to permeate through the forest. Invisible and scentless to those without supernatural senses, the spiritual contamination is meant to heighten any fears. Dara intends to observe his reaction from amongst the treetops. It's been quite some time since she has decided to start a haunting.]
[Richard releases the arrow on the instant he sees the demon in front of him move. But it's too slow and the sharp end of the arrow hits the hard stone wall around the waterfall. He does not waste time to draw out another arrow and swiftly sets it in place but alas, it's once again too late as the creature has vanished.
Well. He's full alert now. With his eyes sharp and focused Richard takes a step back, holding his readied bow close to his body. He looks around the surroundings, trying to spot any trace of his prey -- unaware just how much their dynamic had flipped the moment he decides to draw his first arrow.
Because, oh boy. Is he an ideal target for Dara's haunting or what?
Despite managing to get his breathing under the control just a seconds ago, doesn't mean that the paranoia left his mind. No. Because the moment the fear and his demons stir in him and sink their hooks right into his mind, slowly pulling him into the dark depths of his own mind. So, when the miasma began to spread and pollute the air Richard can feel those hooks dig deeper almost immediately, the shy push becoming into a harsh shove.
"Richaaard, Richaard," the previous hissing voice turned into a deep demonic growling, hiding any other sounds underneath it. "Richard. Why did you come here again? What is a demon child looking for?"
Tensing up, Richard whips his head to look up at the sky. The normal blue sky is suddenly covered in the thick black veil and trees grow visibly in his eyes, extending the long and creaky claw-like branches towards him. Richard spins around his heels and releases his arrow into the unknown, desperate to hit something that isn't there. But as the arrow flies off aimlessly through the air, the voice begins to laugh the cackling filling the air.
The ground below Richard's feet opens up, revealing a dark abyss. Several skeletal hands sprout out of the depths to reach up to grab on Richard's body, latching on his limbs and torso, trying to pull him inside.
"Richard, Richard. What are you doing? Come down and join us! You belong in the darkness with us, little changeling. Down here you can dream all you want!"]
N-No! Stop---, [Richard screams as he tries to violently struggle against the constricting hands. He manages to get one of his hands free long enough that he can bring it to grab the hunting knife he keeps strapped against the small of his back. He quickly unsheathes the blade and begins to stab on the hands trying to pull him down into the depths of madness, earning only chorus of laughter for his efforts.
"You belong here with us, Richard! After all, the prophecy---"]
No! Don't! [Richard turns his knife at the ground, sinking it deep into the dirt. His own screams are growing only louder and becoming more desperate, as if he truly was fighting for his life. Well, in his mind he might as well be. While for Dara, or whoever might be around, he only appears to be grouching down on the ground while stabbing the grass.
Honestly, have fun watching struggle and flail?? However, not too far away from the scene there is a pair of small brown eyes staring up at the sky at Dara's direction. Seems like Whitey's on the watch!]
[Dara continues to watch silently from above as the madness breaks out as screams. Not unusual when it comes to her victims. The part that has her raising an eyebrow is that the young man doesn't flee. Typically the average person would be sprinting away-- did she somehow not control the concentration well enough? The way he grabs at his chest is almost similar to when bones are meant to break, but his chest? Usually it's the arms or legs to be targeted first.
...Maybe she shouldn't be surprised that a person who's quick to get stabby tried to also aim an arrow at her.
Richard poses a certain type of mystery with his reaction. The majority of people who stumbled upon her territory were not necessarily the violent OR armed type. Another factor could be that they're from different cultures; two worlds colliding is one thing, but ignoring that, he still pings as a foreigner in her brain. The part of her that thirsts for knowledge wants to experiment. And considering her recent discovery and following mood, Dara gives into that temptation by raising a hand to manipulate more--
Richard should be so thankful for his animal companion. Catching Whitey from the corner of her eye makes the curse god freeze and fully turn her attention to him. Subsequently, the miasma production fades quickly while Dara squints at the boar. Not a sign of aggression! More...confused than anything?]
Why do you look so familiar? [A headtilt as she stares at the pet.] You'd think I would've remembered that I'd seen you before, but I can't place it.
[WHO CARES ABOUT RICHARD WHEN Whitey is so much more interesting!!! Dara slips down from her perch with the giant serpent tail splitting and braiding into leg forms. She certainly isn't going to chase the boar (instead choosing to take a seat on the ground), but she sure is showing her back to Richard again. From the god's perspective, he isn't enough of a threat when he can be driven mad so easily.
Whitey on the other hand is a fun mystery. She has limited ability to communicate with the animals living within her territory, but she hasn't felt the need to try it out here.]
[Yeahh, Richard is not really having good times at this Chilis. He continues to scream and flail on the ground, until his throat is raw and scratchy. Despite the miasma loosening its grip on him the nightmares does not stop plaguing him. The tears gather to the corners of his eyes as he shakes in the ground.
But yeah, Dara is absolutely right. Whitey is definitely more interesting than whatever Richard's going through.]
M-meep! [Whitey lets out a high-pitched noise and quickly ducks underneath the leaves when Dara turns her attention away from Richard to him. Sorry, he is always a forever coward. However, when Dara descents to the ground-level, taking notably less scarier appearance, he finds his courage enough to peek his head underneath the heavy bed of leaves. His pink snout shakes a little as he sniffs the air. There definitely is something very familiar about this lady, he thinks!
Curiously, he carefully steps outside of his hiding place and walks up to Dara.] Meep. [He grunts softly and tilts his head to side. Who knows! You're pretty familiar, lady!]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
traumaticus) wrote2022-08-15 11:44 pm
cw: self-harm
Dara is all for ritual cleansing with water. In fact, the nearby waterfall is one of her favorite places to meditate and process things. However...the situation is much more extreme than her usual behavior.
With several pumice stones occupying four of her hands, she seems to be scrubbing viciously at her bare skin and scales. Her tail hardly takes a beating, but that can't be said about her upper body. Thick rivulets of blood stream from the self-inflicted wounds from her persistent exfoliation; the god seems to purposely work at sloughing off skin despite it immediately healing back to normal in a few seconds. Practically pristine once she wipes over the spots. Rinse & Repeat. The last two hands pull at her long black hair, gathering it up and slicing through with a knife. Fistfuls of it float down the river, yet every time she seems to chop the majority of it off, it grows back as if nothing happened.
Dissatisfied, Dara's unhappy expression persists while continuing the thorough "cleansing" of her entire exposed body. It's going to take awhile considering the length of her tail still submerged underwater.]
cw: hearing voices
So, driven by both curiosity and mild concern, Richard decides to investigate further, hand gripping tightly around the handle of his bow as he strides forward. From the corner of his eye he can see a very familiar white fur-coat moving in the shade of the bushes. It does seem like Whitey had decided to stalk Richard for this trip to forest. Well, it didn't matter much to him as long as the boar didn't accidentally do anything stupid and get himself in trouble.
Following the bloodied river current it doesn't take too long for Richard to find the source of it all. And just when he arrives close enough for the waterfall to swim to his visions Richard stops on his tracks, freezing still with his breath getting trapped in his lungs. With wide eyes full of disbelief and fear he stares at the sight in front of him.
The woman-- no, the being is like a vision come to alive straight from the old scripts and stories describing the demonic creatures. Something that will come and eat you alive, steal your soul. "That's why you can't go into the woods alone. The terrifying witch will get you," he hears a sharp hiss in the wind, rustling alongside the leaves. Silently, he raises his shaking arm, draws an arrow from his case and places it in its right place. Richard inhales deep through his nostrils, holds the air for a heavy second before letting it out, calming himself down.
Then, with sharp and focused eyes he takes aim, pointing the arrow at the demon's back]
no subject
All during her unbothered movements, Dara debates the real question: what to do TO this person? If he had chosen to make himself known, then this wouldn't have become an issue. It's all poor timing-- her blood is still boiling from Sha-Ming's emotional backstabbing, and while the exfoliation process did help a bit, now she has to deal with this situation. She needs to know what she's dealing with.
With unnatural speed, the curse god practically melts into the water as she sinks herself. The blood, the disturbance of the falls, and the depth of the river provides a good amount of coverage to zip along with the current. It's the illusion of fleeing that allows her to begin the hunt.
Unbeknownst to Richard, miasma begins to permeate through the forest. Invisible and scentless to those without supernatural senses, the spiritual contamination is meant to heighten any fears. Dara intends to observe his reaction from amongst the treetops. It's been quite some time since she has decided to start a haunting.]
cw: hallucinations
Well. He's full alert now. With his eyes sharp and focused Richard takes a step back, holding his readied bow close to his body. He looks around the surroundings, trying to spot any trace of his prey -- unaware just how much their dynamic had flipped the moment he decides to draw his first arrow.
Because, oh boy. Is he an ideal target for Dara's haunting or what?
Despite managing to get his breathing under the control just a seconds ago, doesn't mean that the paranoia left his mind. No. Because the moment the fear and his demons stir in him and sink their hooks right into his mind, slowly pulling him into the dark depths of his own mind. So, when the miasma began to spread and pollute the air Richard can feel those hooks dig deeper almost immediately, the shy push becoming into a harsh shove.
"Richaaard, Richaard," the previous hissing voice turned into a deep demonic growling, hiding any other sounds underneath it. "Richard. Why did you come here again? What is a demon child looking for?"
Tensing up, Richard whips his head to look up at the sky. The normal blue sky is suddenly covered in the thick black veil and trees grow visibly in his eyes, extending the long and creaky claw-like branches towards him. Richard spins around his heels and releases his arrow into the unknown, desperate to hit something that isn't there. But as the arrow flies off aimlessly through the air, the voice begins to laugh the cackling filling the air.
The ground below Richard's feet opens up, revealing a dark abyss. Several skeletal hands sprout out of the depths to reach up to grab on Richard's body, latching on his limbs and torso, trying to pull him inside.
"Richard, Richard. What are you doing? Come down and join us! You belong in the darkness with us, little changeling. Down here you can dream all you want!"]
N-No! Stop---, [Richard screams as he tries to violently struggle against the constricting hands. He manages to get one of his hands free long enough that he can bring it to grab the hunting knife he keeps strapped against the small of his back. He quickly unsheathes the blade and begins to stab on the hands trying to pull him down into the depths of madness, earning only chorus of laughter for his efforts.
"You belong here with us, Richard! After all, the prophecy---"]
No! Don't! [Richard turns his knife at the ground, sinking it deep into the dirt. His own screams are growing only louder and becoming more desperate, as if he truly was fighting for his life. Well, in his mind he might as well be. While for Dara, or whoever might be around, he only appears to be grouching down on the ground while stabbing the grass.
Honestly, have fun watching struggle and flail?? However, not too far away from the scene there is a pair of small brown eyes staring up at the sky at Dara's direction. Seems like Whitey's on the watch!]
no subject
...Maybe she shouldn't be surprised that a person who's quick to get stabby tried to also aim an arrow at her.
Richard poses a certain type of mystery with his reaction. The majority of people who stumbled upon her territory were not necessarily the violent OR armed type. Another factor could be that they're from different cultures; two worlds colliding is one thing, but ignoring that, he still pings as a foreigner in her brain. The part of her that thirsts for knowledge wants to experiment. And considering her recent discovery and following mood, Dara gives into that temptation by raising a hand to manipulate more--
Richard should be so thankful for his animal companion. Catching Whitey from the corner of her eye makes the curse god freeze and fully turn her attention to him. Subsequently, the miasma production fades quickly while Dara squints at the boar. Not a sign of aggression! More...confused than anything?]
Why do you look so familiar? [A headtilt as she stares at the pet.] You'd think I would've remembered that I'd seen you before, but I can't place it.
[WHO CARES ABOUT RICHARD WHEN Whitey is so much more interesting!!! Dara slips down from her perch with the giant serpent tail splitting and braiding into leg forms. She certainly isn't going to chase the boar (instead choosing to take a seat on the ground), but she sure is showing her back to Richard again. From the god's perspective, he isn't enough of a threat when he can be driven mad so easily.
Whitey on the other hand is a fun mystery. She has limited ability to communicate with the animals living within her territory, but she hasn't felt the need to try it out here.]
Hey you, come over here and nod if you know me.
no subject
But yeah, Dara is absolutely right. Whitey is definitely more interesting than whatever Richard's going through.]
M-meep! [Whitey lets out a high-pitched noise and quickly ducks underneath the leaves when Dara turns her attention away from Richard to him. Sorry, he is always a forever coward. However, when Dara descents to the ground-level, taking notably less scarier appearance, he finds his courage enough to peek his head underneath the heavy bed of leaves. His pink snout shakes a little as he sniffs the air. There definitely is something very familiar about this lady, he thinks!
Curiously, he carefully steps outside of his hiding place and walks up to Dara.] Meep. [He grunts softly and tilts his head to side. Who knows! You're pretty familiar, lady!]