Pepper was watching Laine as she threw the piece of bone, and she felt her whole soul nearly leave her body as it flicked to the ground. She looked up at the creature, sure that it was going to rush forward and consume them. Instead, it stayed where it was, hands thumping against the ground in time. The beating continued without any further movement toward them. It. Hadn’t moved.
This was either unbelievable luck, or maybe it was something to do with Laine. Pepper chose to believe it was Laine. She leaned her body toward Laine, and as quietly as she could muster, she whispered, “Do that again.”
She leaned back slowly and fixed her eyes on the creature again. Laine might have figured something out, or if she hadn’t, Pepper certainly was on the verge of something.
And to those Gods I will speak bluntly, We have an accord if you ever touch or harm him Please rest assured, you may not fear a man, But by the end to a woman, you'll kneel and plead Because I'm more than my mom taught me to be.
There was no response from the creature. That was interesting, Laine thought. She was not sure what to do with this interesting fact, because she was not a researcher.
Fortunately, she had one with her. Pepper leaned in - without contact this time - and whispered, very softly, a suggestion.
Laine nodded as Pepper leaned back again, letting Pepper watch the creature as she measured out the rhythm, another fragment of bone in between her fingers. It didn't belong with the first one, or it hadn't before, but now it was all broken and it didn't belong with anything, so Laine supposed that didn't matter. She tossed it again, timing the arc and the fall so that it hit the ground once more in time with the flailing of unseen limbs.
Her voice was always quiet, but this time the words were spaced, precisely, each syllable paired with another in a cadence with the creature's rhythm: beat, afterbeat. "Perhaps... we can... make it... in time."
The bone hit the ground, and once again the beast didn’t react. Pepper took in a sharp breath and let it out slowly. She closed her eyes and started to tap her hand against her leg in time. Besides her, Laine offered a solution. Pepper nodded, although Laine couldn't see that, and whispered back, “I think… you might… be right.”
Slowly Pepper got to her feet, trying to avoid touching the fleshy rock they had been hiding behind. She decided to test their theory before they went forward with it. On the beat, she took a step forward. Then on the second beat, she took another. The beast didn't react to her steps. In fact, it turned away from them, as though it had sensed something else. Pepper wanted to cry with relief, but she didn’t. Instead, she said, in a less quiet voice, “I think… we can… make it.”
And to those Gods I will speak bluntly, We have an accord if you ever touch or harm him Please rest assured, you may not fear a man, But by the end to a woman, you'll kneel and plead Because I'm more than my mom taught me to be.
Laine offered a nod, silent. She was good at being patient, but there was not much sense in being patient right now. Perhaps another time she could have waited until the creature found other things to do, but that was not the purpose of this excursion and a certain degree of promptness in return was expected.
Besides, Dr. Redd would be concerned if Pepper did not return on time.
Pepper was adequate at measuring the time, at least as far as the creature was concerned. That simplified things a great deal. If she had been temporally disadvantaged, Laine would have had to figure out how to keep the time for both of them. It was not necessarily impossible, but it seemed like the sort of stretch that she would be far more comfortable asking for permission about. Anomalies were like that. It was important not to justify overuse, because one justification led to another, and too many justifications led to a breach.
Laine did not like it when those happened.
Her hand was on Pepper's sleeve, or perhaps it had never left, because in this place it most definitely belonged there. "You lead. I'll move - with you." Every step at the same time, but that was simple enough. Anomalous, but in a way that only affected Laine and was for the benefit of Dr. Krasniqi and therefore the Foundation. That made it acceptable.
Post by xXxStitchesxXx on Aug 8, 2023 16:06:11 GMT
With that, Pepper started to move, keeping time with the beast’s hands. There was something oddly familiar She couldn’t quite place it, but it made her want to hum something. She did so in her head, humming along to the beat. Then it hit her. It was the exact beat pattern of “Heart Shaped Box” by Nirvana. What the actual hell was that supposed to mean?
Still, she moved with it, and the grew closer and closer to the beast. Then, came a choice. They could either skirt around its mouth, which was much closer to the doorway, or they could go down the long way around its tail and leave the Path. Pepper looked at Laine’s hand on her sleeve and nodded to herself. They would take the long way around. She started to head that way, avoiding its razor-sharp teeth.
“We’re going… around its… tail. Don’t want… to risk… its mouth.”
And to those Gods I will speak bluntly, We have an accord if you ever touch or harm him Please rest assured, you may not fear a man, But by the end to a woman, you'll kneel and plead Because I'm more than my mom taught me to be.
Laine didn't need to say anything in response to Pepper's decision. Pepper was the expert here, so it made sense that she would be the one deciding things. Laine gave her a nod to show that she understood and acknowledged, and followed along with Pepper's steps as she changed direction.
There was a step, and it was wrong.
Laine didn't miss it, because that would be unprofessional, but she was very much aware the moment that they had left the path. The path was where they belonged. It was the place in this anomaly where they were supposed to be contained, and now they had breached their containment, and it was very wrong. Laine did not like it at all. She wondered, though, if this was something that others had noticed. The reports said that a researcher had once gotten lost, but they did not specify if she had known when she was not on the path.
The paperwork about ACF-7823 was rather lacking, in Laine's opinion. Perhaps she could suggest that Pepper update it, once they returned. Now was not the time to discuss paperwork, nor was it the time to discuss the fact that they were in the wrong place. It wasn't her decision, after all. Her responsibility was to follow Pepper and keep her safe through this dimension. That was what she would focus on.
Laine just hoped that they would get back to where they belonged quickly, because she did not like this.
Post by xXxStitchesxXx on Aug 9, 2023 21:49:28 GMT
Pepper didn’t like leaving the path. She’d left it a few times, but never by herself. Usually, it was with Mikulass, like when he took her to meet his babies for the first time, or when they took her to their shrine to the Dead God. But she’d always had a guide through the darkness. This time, she could barely see and was leading someone else.
To call her anxious would be an understatement.
Still, she led Laine through the rapidly encroaching darkness, until finally, they reached the end of the creature. Only for Pepper to look up and see another mouth. She suppressed her almost-scream of terror to a small squeak, right on beat. The mouth was open, breathing, and it breathed hot air on their faces.
Instead of stopping, Pepper chose to keep moving. Stopping when they were on the beat could be really bad. She wasn’t sure. She just knew that right at that moment, she wanted to be far away from either of its mouths.
And to those Gods I will speak bluntly, We have an accord if you ever touch or harm him Please rest assured, you may not fear a man, But by the end to a woman, you'll kneel and plead Because I'm more than my mom taught me to be.
The air moved. It was... breathing. Of course it was. That fit here. A motion in time. Pepper had said that they were going around the tail of the creature, and tails did not generally breathe. It was not impossible, however - there were some species of sea slugs that Laine had read about. She read about many things. It was a good way of being patient.
And, of course, this was an anomaly. It could breathe however it wanted to, or not at all. Some anomalies were like that. Pepper had not stopped, and so Laine did not stop either. It was better that they move onward. The sooner they could move around this creature, the sooner they could get back to where they belonged. They were still outside the boundary, after all, and Laine didn't like that.
The creature had not reacted to sound before, so long as it had been on the beat, so it was likely that this remained the case. It was not impossible for it to be otherwise, but the probability was strong, and Laine decided that the risk assessment was worth it.
Her words were still soft, on the beat, a single question: "Pepper... can you... create... a path?"
Post by xXxStitchesxXx on Aug 11, 2023 16:47:17 GMT
As they walked, Laine asked a very interesting question. Could Pepper make a path? She had certainly never tried before. She couldn’t be sure that she couldn’t. It wasn’t impossible, surely. Where would she even start?
[attr="style","color: pink;text-shadow: 2px 2px 5px gold"] “You can do this. It is as easy as breathing.”
The thought rose up from deep within her and left her with a thick headache. But then, she knew what to do. In her mind, she picture the long unbroken line that was the Path. Then, she pulled it while she breathed in. It stretched, and the lights raced over toward the two women. Soon, the Path was fully curved around the giant beast, and back beneath their feet.
As quickly as the thought had arisen within her, it was taken away. It wasn’t as if she couldn’t recall it– it was as if it had never existed at all. There was a moment where she didn’t know how to change the Path, and then there was a moment where she knew how. Nothing existed between them. In fact, that single missing millisecond meant that she almost tripped over her own feet. She managed to stay upright and walk, somehow keeping to the beat.
“I… did it… I think.”
And to those Gods I will speak bluntly, We have an accord if you ever touch or harm him Please rest assured, you may not fear a man, But by the end to a woman, you'll kneel and plead Because I'm more than my mom taught me to be.
Laine wasn't quite sure how that had happened, but what was important that it had happened. Pepper had been responsible for it, she thought, because the path and Pepper went together in a certain sort of way.
"You did." Pepper didn't sound very sure about it, but Laine was. Pepper had fixed it, and they were back where they belonged. They still had to follow the path and get to where they were supposed to be, but at least they had been contained again.
Laine gave the situation a firm nod, much less concerned with it now. "This is... better. We're back... where we... belong."
Post by xXxStitchesxXx on Aug 11, 2023 21:11:39 GMT
Having the Path back was infinitely helpful. They could see where they had to step again. It was also detrimental, in a way, because Pepper could now see every one of the puffy hands that slapped the ground in rhythm. She saw the way the “ground” beneath it had bent and wondered if that would be permanent. That was important right then. No, what was important was the space they were putting between themselves and the creature. Slowly, they made their way to the doorway, which glowed brightly on the horizon. It took far longer than it normally would for them to make it to the open door, and it was painful to watch it inch slowly closer to them.
Soon, they were close enough to see the other side of the portal. She could see the lobby of L-14, the place they had started this whole journey. She sighed, heavily. Off beat. Behind them, the creature shifted just the tiniest bit in their direction. Pepper watched it over her shoulder as they walked the rest of the way to the doorway, When they finally arrived, she turned back toward Laine.
“We’re… here.” Pepper took a step through the portal, her head easily clearing the top of the portal. She wanted to collapse on the ground the moment she felt the solid floor beneath them.
And to those Gods I will speak bluntly, We have an accord if you ever touch or harm him Please rest assured, you may not fear a man, But by the end to a woman, you'll kneel and plead Because I'm more than my mom taught me to be.
They did not move quickly, but Laine was very good at being patient. It was not necessary to be quick, as long as they arrived within a reasonable time frame. As the trip out had gone very well, they were still within reasonable parameters even given the detour.
Besides, it was easier now that they were where they belonged. On thinking about it further, Laine was now certain that she could follow the path even without Pepper. It was just a matter of staying where she belonged. The path, however, belonged to Pepper, and so if Pepper were not there then the path did not belong, and so Laine would not have belonged on it either.
This was why it was important to follow directions.
They drew closer to their destination, Pepper making a sigh out of time. This seemed to be a moment of uncertainty, but it passed without issue and Pepper guided them the rest of the way. Laine followed her through, and was back where she really belonged. She felt better immediately. The path was a place she could belong temporarily for a reason, much like the other location had been a place where she could belong temporarily for a reason, but neither of them were L-14.
Carefully, Laine reached up and undid the blindfold, blinking her eyes a few times. Perhaps it was to get used to the light again.
Post by xXxStitchesxXx on Aug 11, 2023 23:26:59 GMT
Pepper sighed a deep sigh of relief. Her shoulders sagged as she replied, “Yeah, that was. Not usual. Not usual at all. It’s been years since I last saw one of those giant hand creatures.”
She was just glad they had made it back to L-14 unscathed. Her last encounter with one of those monsters had nearly ended with her losing her leg. It was really a stroke of brilliance that Laine had figured out that the thing was finding them based on vibrations. Pepper never would have pieced that together on her own. And she was supposed to be the researcher.
“That was genius, by the way. You’re the only reason we got out of there and back here without getting hurt. I never would have noticed that. But, I have a question for you.” She paused and then hesitantly asked, “Did you also notice that it was the exact tempo of Heart-Shaped Box by Nirvana?”
And to those Gods I will speak bluntly, We have an accord if you ever touch or harm him Please rest assured, you may not fear a man, But by the end to a woman, you'll kneel and plead Because I'm more than my mom taught me to be.
"I am good at measurements," Laine said, by way of explanation. "But I would not mind if I did not have to measure that again." Both statements were true. Measuring the time had been simple, but knowing that it could very easily go wrong had been hard.
She hadn't liked being off the path, either. It wasn't just the not belonging, it was the worry that they might become lost. Pepper had said that she could find the way, but Laine had lost someone once before and did not want to do it again. She liked Pepper. Pepper was kind. Sometimes Pepper did things that Laine didn't like, but it was because she didn't understand. It was never on purpose. Laine knew enough to understand the difference. She had known that since she was very small, after all.
She listened carefully to Pepper's question, considering it as well as she could for a moment, then inquired, cautiously, "Is 'Nirvana' a collections team? I do not think I have read any of their reports."
Post by xXxStitchesxXx on Aug 11, 2023 23:57:17 GMT
The sense of relief that Pepper felt must have been affecting her ability to control herself, because the smile that she had meant to give Laine turned into a full-blown laugh. She laughed so hard that her stomach hurt. Laine and she might not have seen eye to eye on everything– who ever did– but she definitely liked Laine. Laine was straightforward and keen, and those were traits Pepper respected. She had a feeling they could be friends, at the very least.
“No, no, it’s a band. Early 90’s grunge era, my dad used to listen to them. I’m referencing a song. Maybe we can listen to it the next time I see you?”
It was subtle, but Pepper knew Laine was clever enough to figure it out. She was offering to be friends, to see each other again outside assignments, and to do things together. Maybe they could get along, despite their differences. But of course, if Laine turned her down, she wouldn’t be hurt. Even Pepper could tell that they didn’t fit together like puzzle pieces, but rather like parallel rungs on a ladder. They never intersected, never really touched, but they supported each other in their pattern. Maybe she and Laine could also support each other.
And to those Gods I will speak bluntly, We have an accord if you ever touch or harm him Please rest assured, you may not fear a man, But by the end to a woman, you'll kneel and plead Because I'm more than my mom taught me to be.