Void Rift (rp) - Intermission

"Open the palace to me, and you'll see." Tenebrae says, smiling warmly.

Eve doesn't respond, other than a sigh.


"How about you come to my gardens, where we can relax over tea?" Gaia suggests, trying to divert her counterpart's attention.

 

Petunia sighs, rolling her eyes.
"Okay, I may be batshit crazy but we both know you want us to open up the palace so you can go kill nice people. Also, I cleaned the palace out of cake and batter again while you were trying to coax me to let you in. You just ate your own child, I'm not gonna trust some infanticidal demon-goddess with perfectly good cake!"

"Seriously, I'm sick of the facade. Do something!" Iris growls.


"I... I want to accept, but I thought I could trust Tenebrae. I don't know who I can trust here anymore." Gaia sighs, hesitant.
"But... I can't do anything anyways. I guess I can come."

 

Tenebrae narrows her eyes again.

"Then what will it take you?" Tenebrae asks, still trying to sound happy.

Eve doesn't respond, staying steadfast in her position.


Vines begin to wrap around Gaia, before a large flower forms around her, closing up and dragging her down.


Gaia blooms from the flower near to a table and chairs in an overgrown forest. Her counterpart sits with a decorated green teapot, flowers blooming all over it, with a similarly styled pair cups. A wooden chair seems to be accustomed for Gaia's form, looking rather inviting.

 

"Actually, I think we're done here. Right, Ihra?" Petunia asks, turning to Ihra.
"Yeah, though she can still get around it by killing herself."
"Perfect." Petunia says, turning back to Tenebrae and smiling. "You are really truly and absolutely out of rainbow sprinkles, though. For the next century."

"Okay, fine. Stay still, I dare you." Iris grumbles, her axe turning into an even bigger axe.


She sits down in her golemic form, expression forlorn as she looks towards her counterpart.
"I'm sorry, I..." She trails off, thoughts appearing to cause her pain.

 

"Then I suggest you leave." Tenebrae says, stern.

Eve stays where she is, though she plays with a bit of dust on the ground, causing it to fly about.


Gaia pushes her golemic counterpart a cup of tea, a small lily-like flower floating in the steaming cup.

"Please, drink. It will calm you down." Gaia says, taking a sip from her own cup.

 

"Oh, no, I meant me." Petunia says, appearing all around Tenebrae.
"I get those things backwards all the time." She giggles, flicking a single rainbow sprinkle towards Tenebrae.

"No, Iris and I aren't leaving until you prove you're worth enough to continue pushing us around like pawns."

"I vowed not to let love rule my heart, yet here I am. Holding the godslayer of darkness towards the heartless." Sivius growls at Tenebrae telepathically. "You are immortal, not immune to the consequences of your actions."

Iris sits down, rolling her eyes.
"One track mind, huh..."


"Where's Artemis?" Gaia asks quietly, eyeing the flower.

 

"Then leave." Tenebrae says, patience exhausted.

Eve just sits where she is, quiet.


"With Ph-Praecantatia." Gaia responds.

The flower has slightly yellow white petals, with a pink centre; sitting atop three green leaves.

 

"Hmm..." Petunia hums.
"...I'll do you one more favor. Sivius, don't you dare."
"Stop me if y-" Sivius tries to growl.
Petunia vanishes suddenly, along with Sivius. The portals don't vanish, though.

"You give us no reason to listen to you. You act as much like a child as the rest of us. I won't let you take Aj that easily too." Ihra growls, gripping her staff combatively.
"Alice was right, it's not the shadows that are monsters; it's you. Come on, keep proving her right."

"You died years ago. Now you die again. Why'd you let her do it?" Iris asks, not expecting an answer.


"I... was worried you'd say that." Gaia says.
"Anyhow... I guess... sure." She sighs, downing the cup of tea.

 

I put a finger to my ear.
“Voidfiller.”
Pause.
“Bullshit.”
Pause.
“Why do you need a pedicure?”
Longer pause.
“I need transportation and I need you to see if Gaia is free.”
Pause.
“AJ’s.”
Pause.
“Because you have nothing better to do.”
Pause.
“Can you check if Crystal does?”
Pause.
“Please.”
Long pause.
“Thanks.”
I take my finger off my ear, readdressing Scurn.
“We need to make our way back to Xlentia’s domain.”

 

"Oh. I sleep-talk? That's pretty funny."

 

Seeing Petunia and Sivius vanish, Tenebrae seems to lose all composure; the guards going back to their duties as she sits down, exhausted. Eve still stays where she is, though her eyes change back to normal; seemingly just part of an act.

"I suppose that's one way of doing it..." Tenebrae says, sounding tired.

"I can't say it could've gone any better, that girl is a mystery. Hopefully 'insane' gods are enough to drive them away though." Temporus says, suddenly appearing behind Tenebrae along with Caelia.

"As I see, she is merely a child. We overestimated her. Perhaps intimidation tactics were too much." Caelia comments, narrowing her eyes at Temporus.

"We cannot risk the essence of our reality anymore than we already have. The fact she seems to control the hive master is good news. I suggest on her next visit, we try to gain her trust rather than drive her away." Temporus suggests.

Tenebrae nods along, looking fatigued.

"Her abilities seem to be tied to the rift somehow. She appears to be able to be everywhere at once, without being bound to our timeline." Caelia theorises.

"I have an artifact similar to that, perhaps we could employ it's use the next time she visits." Temporus suggests.

"Rebuilding our relationship seems more important than discovering the source of her power." Tenebrae adds.


"More tea?" Gaia asks, noticing her counterpart's cup empty.

 

Ihra throws her staff to the ground, leaving with a furious look as the portals collapse.

Iris sighs, handing Eve her sketchbook.
"Pencil's actually gone, but I just replaced the book with sand. Ihra made me promise not to damage things that aren't people, but that's still a work in progress."


Gaia's expression changes suddenly.
"Please. I... Ihra seems to be having a bit of a fit thrown at the moment. Apparently it was indeed a test. Are such things truly this commonplace around here?"

________________________________

You don't seem to make your bestial form sleep-talk any more, though you hear the gorgon head back downstairs.

"Do you have any means to better guarantee that I'm not going to be seen as an enemy there?"

 

Tenebrae puts her hand on the ground, before lifting it back up. Shadow Stephanie stands under it, looking well rested.

"I lost your weapon, but I shall make you a new one. You helped us out greatly." Tenebrae says appreciatively.

Shadow Stephanie bows to Tenebrae, "It was an honour, Lady Tenebrae." She says happily.


Eve takes her sketchbook and heads back inside the palace, going back to her room.


"It wasn't a test," Gaia says, shaking her head, "We were worried the Hive Master might try to come into this reality, so we thought if we could scare him or anyone close to him off, he wouldn't want to invade."

 

"Did you leave that thing any emotions other than depression?" Iris calls over towards the four, seeming indifferent about what just happened.


"Oh, you mean Petunia? She's more than a touch mad, but I suppose it's better to be insane towards frosted pastries than blood and conquest." Gaia giggles. "Though I can't blame you. I suppose if you worry about any of us being mind controlled, then you can't really afford to build any relations."

 

Shadow Stephanie heads over as the three gods talk among themselves.

"What thing?" Shadow Stephanie asks, putting a hand on her hip.


"Well, there's also the big hole in the Shadow Realm that could tear apart Temporus and Caelia if it gets out of control." Gaia says, sounding sad.

 

“Miss orphan who’s programmed to have her emotions stripped when you feel like having a killer robot slave instead of a killer robot friend.” Iris says, glancing towards Eve’s path of entry back into the Shadow Palace.


“Oh, is this your first rift? If it makes you feel any better, rifts never really do much until someone tries to close them. Then... well... it did tear things apart.”

 

"Oh please. She was acting along, and when Tenebrae found out Petunia was controlling the Hive Master's memories, she was called off. She asked me if she could do some drawing of the scene, and you destroyed her sketchbook and pencil," Shadow Stephanie says with an accusatory tone, "She's not programmed to have her emotions stripped, you just destroyed what was valuable to her, dick."


"But, it's a big entryway for the Hive Master to get in easily!" Gaia says, worried.

 

“Okay, I get that I’m still working on not destroying everything I look at. Work in progress, but you have to admit it’s better than accidentally disintegrating her. I’ve spent days trying to get it right!” Iris protests. “Sans Petunia, none of us knew it was an act, either. Ihra probably won’t be back for a while, though. She’s, like... me on a rampage levels of pissed right now. I hope you know how much you and your friends mean to her.”


“He has spies, and yes they’ve gotten in. However, he’s not stupid. He knows you’re all actively looking for him, and you have a weapon we didn’t; a god of time that’s still alive.”

 

"Great, so it was a waste of time," Shadow Stephanie says, groaning, "If she knew it was an act, then it was completely ineffective! The point was to scare her and her dad off!"

Shadow Stephanie seems to grab Temporus' attention.

"What did you say?" Temporus asks, looking at Iris.


"What? There are spies here!?" Gaia asks, terrified.

 

"I wonder what she'll think if she tries to open our barricaded door."