Void Rift (rp) - Intermission

"She's gone, a part of me once more; I cannot let go what no longer exists. She was an unfit ruler, along with Aj. I shall be taking their place here now, Praecantatia should have Aj and Artemis contained and ready for reclaiming. The girl is too dangerous to be left on her own, especially with her mother's connections to your reality." Tenebrae says, before turning her attention to Petunia.

"If you are truly capable of wiping your fathers memory, then I suggest you remove any memories he has of this reality, and it's connections to it." Tenebrae says with a commanding tone.

 

"Pets are still pets, I suppose."

 

“I have. He never knew you existed. What do you think I am, the enemy?” Petunia chuckles, wolfing down the rest of her cake before removing all of the paradoxium from Tenebrae’s dagger and starting to eat that.

Ihra smiles.
“You underestimate our resilience, Hive Mistress.” She says tauntingly, before snapping her fingers.

As expected, your bestial form doesn’t respond...
...but it does mumble “pets.” You seem to have gotten yourself to sleep-talk.

 

The dagger suddenly explodes into a mix of light and darkness, Tenebrae suppressing the light to prevent it from obliterating any nearby Shadows.

"Hive mistress?" Tenebrae asks, sounding offended.

The guards on the palace walls and in the gardens all turn to look directly at Ihra, eyes emotionless, staring at her cold.

"I'm a far more powerful goddess than he is." Tenebrae says, smiling evilly. A sound of heavy footsteps begins to approach Ihra.

 

“You may be more powerful than he is...” Ihra smirks.
“...but you’re both pitiful excuses of leaders that stain the face of their respective realities!” She shouts, Iris appearing to watch Ihra’s back with a wicked grin.
“Damn, don’t do Her Desperateness like that, girl!” Iris cackles.

Petunia catches a fair bit of the blast, eating it anyways.

 

The heavy footsteps grow closer.

"Petty, childish insults? I saw a lot more potential in you, Ihra. It's such a shame to see you like this, though I suppose I won't be seeing you for long." Tenebrae says, smiling unnervingly comfortably.

Eve bursts out of the palace doors, red eyes staring at Ihra and Iris.

"Threat detected." Eve says with a robotic tone.

 

“Ah, but you’ve always treated me like a child. Are you saying that I should stop acting the part before I get bit by the rabid dog in front of me?” She continues taunting.

“Sorry, can’t say the same.” Iris laughs, walking towards Eve.


Gaia stands up suddenly, trying to reach out to her counterpart as she stops emulating a mountain on Earth.
“H-hey, do you think you could help me leave, like, right now? Something’s going very wrong...”

 

Tenebrae pauses, seeming to think.

Eve shifts her attention from Ihra and Iris back to the palace, turning and heading that way.


"Oh! Hello!" Gaia responds happily, "Yes, I can contact Caelia to try and get you home if you want!"

 

“She’s telling Eve to go gank Gaia on Earth.” Petunia says.
“You know, if you can’t even handle three kids, then the Hive Master might actually be stronger than you.” Ihra taunts.

The moment Eve turns around, a portal to somewhere else seems to have replaced the palace doors.


“Fast. Tenebrae’s turned on Ihra. I don’t know how much time I have before I’m next.” She says urgently. “Please, I don’t want to have to leave my children so soon...”

 

Eve stops, waiting for the portal to disappear for a moment before seeking an alternative route.

"Quite the observant one, aren't you?" Tenebrae says, smiling.


"Oh. Um...I don't know if I can do that." Gaia responds.

 

As she waits, the portals spread to encompass the entirety of the palace.

"I want cake, not compliments." Petunia complains. "Besides, you hide things about as well as vanilla frosting hides rainbow sprinkl- ooh, is there cake with rainbow sprinkles in the palace?" She asks, mood turning around completely.

"I don't suppose you'll tell me at this point, but... why now? Why not just kill me when I was younger and dumber?" Ihra asks, still defiant but curious.


"So... this is it for me, then. I see... I truly have failed my children." She sighs.
"I hope you have enough mercy left to make my end quick, even though I will not hand you my last breaths."

 

"There certainly is, though I can't get it with all those portals there." Tenebrae says happily, ignoring Ihra.


"What? We're not going to kill you!" Gaia says, shocked.

 

"LIAR!" Petunia screams. "I ATE ALL OF THE RAINBOW SPRINKLES YESTERDAY!"

"Petunia, please siphon more important information."
"WHAT SHITTY GODDESS CAN'T KEEP TRACK OF HER RAINBOW SPRINKLES?!" Petunia shrieks, looking at Tenebrae with a crazed eye.


"I... I believe you... but they didn't tell you either, did they? Artemis is in danger, maybe even already gone. Aj is also on death's door. I'm stuck here, and if Tenebrae or who I assume to be Praecantatia have any say in this, I won't be long for life." Gaia confides.

 

Tenebrae narrows her eyes temporarily, before returning to a smiling state.

"Are you sure you found them all?" Tenebrae asks happily, quickly stealing a glance at Eve; still attempting to get into the palace.

Eve sits down by the portal-enclosed palace, taking a pencil and paper out from her chest compartment and beginning to draw.


"Really? I don't sense that Artemis is in danger...where did she go?" Gaia asks, sounding worried.

 

"Waitaminute..." Petunia says, returning to a somewhat normal look.
"...You have a secret stash, don't you?"
Pause.
"Wait, I ate those last week. Do you have a secret secret stash?" Petunia asks, confused. "Wait, no, you don't, I even checked your house. You really should get some furniture in there... or anything, really. You barely have working time. Ooh, you should get a bakery in there!"

Iris causes Eve's pencil and paper to disintegrate utterly.
"Come on, you've got a playmate right here."


"I assume Praecantatia's home, along with Aj. Tenebrae mentioned the two of them almost being ready for reclaiming, but I can only assume that spells their end."

 

Eve gets up and turns around to head back to the palace, before realising it's covered. She looks rather disappointed, sitting down and waiting for the portals to dissipate.

"I happen to know a secret place in the palace you didn't think to look. I can't get in there to give you the tastiest cake ever though, so I suppose you'll never get to try it." Tenebrae says, sounding disappointed.


"Oh, um. You don't need to worry about them! They'll be completely fine!" Gaia says happily.

 

"Aww, I want to try the tastiest cake ever..." Petunia complains, before giving Tenebrae a crazed grin.
"BUT I CAN'T BECAUSE I ATE THAT LAST WEEK TOO! EVEN THOUGH YOU'RE LYING!"

"Come on, missus killer robot slave." Iris groans. "We both have all... well, eternity."


"Shadow Stephanie no longer exists. Shadow Aj is next on Tenebrae's list. I want to trust you, I really do, but if this is another test, it's gone too far."

 

"How can you eat a cake that hasn't been completed yet?" Tenebrae asks smugly.

Eve stays where she is, looking depressed at the loss of her drawing equipment.


"Well...it's not a test." Gaia says nervously.

 

“I’m not surprised that Levi would want to know.”

 

"How can you complete a cake when I keep eating the batter?" Petunia asks in return, equally as smug.

"If it makes you feel any better, there was a dude who looked exactly that depressed last week when I razed his kingdom." Iris tells Eve.


"One of the people who have made a difference in our reality died at the hands of their own goddess turning on them, then..." Gaia sighs. "I... No, I know they're your children, but their actions make them my children too. As a mother, I cannot stand for this. I cannot tolerate the despair thrown onto my children anymore, not even ones that are only my children in my eyes. I need to do something..."
Pause.
"...But what good is the nothing I'm able to do...?"

Levi sulks, Scurn rolling his eyes.
"Are we going to get any details on the actual reason I brought you here?" Scurn asks.