Tower of Eternity - IC

[The_J]

The beasts' emergence worried Hazel. If that was what could come through the tower even now, what could they expect in the future? It had taken that poor girl, and she had no idea what might happen to her inside there. Something torturous, no doubt. She tried to push it out of her attention as she focused on getting to the apartment.

Next to the door, she found herself blocked by the gruff man, the one who owned the apartment. He and others were asking, demanding that she explain what was going on. She paid him no heed and simply shoved past, moving into his front room and gazing around to look at all of those present, each coming down off an adrenaline high in their own ways. Her steely eyes rested finally on the gruff man who'd tried to block her path. She leaned against one of the walls before she spoke.
"All of you, I strongly suspect, are different to most" she began, looking at each of them in turn.
"If my suspicions are correct, all of you should have died shortly before the tower appeared. Yet here you are. Maybe they aren't strong enough yet for you to realise, but each one of you should have developed some sort of strange power. Like how I can form several copies of myself. I've seen deathless, people like you, who could cover a whole crowd in searing flames, see for miles through solid stone, even throw themselves across a city in a single leap. You won't approach such power for a long time, however.
Before I explain further, I need your names. I want to know who you are if we're going to be working together. You can call me Hazel."
That said, she waited for the first one to pipe up, her stern gaze roving the room once more.

 

[Applo]

Sarah Pendleton

---

Sarah followed the girl who grabbed her arm without resistance. She wasn't certain that the people around her were the same group she'd seen approach the tower, but the promise of an explanation was too tempting a proposition to resist.

After filing into the pokey apartment that appeared to be the groups destination near the back of the group, Sarah found a spot of wall that was still unoccupied to lean against, waving off the offer of a cereal bar as she pondered in her mind exactly what was the right question to ask now. How did you broach the topic of 'I think I have superpowers and I heard that other people have them, and also I heard that those people died and came back life.' That was the type of statement that required most of the people around you to have had a skinful and then some if you wanted to be taken even somewhat seriously seriously.

A knock at the door halted Sarah's train of thought as she instinctively turned to see who was on the other side. If she had been a cartoon character Sarah would have made a comical 'WHU' sound at the sight of the girl standing on the other side of the threshold who looked in every single way identical to the girl who had grabbed her arm. The sight of that girl then seeming to almost dissolve into thin air would have made her blink several times and then comically rub her eyes. Since she wasn't a nineties Saturday morning TV character, Sarah simply goggled at the sights in front of her, mouth hanging slightly open as her brain became occupied with more important things than mundane muscle control.

She had so many questions, and for the first time in days it felt like she'd found someone who could answer them; well apart from all the drunk people who now seemed to litter the city streets and would shout their truths at anyone who stood still for too long. From the way the rest of group turned on the sort of newcomer Sarah guessed that she had promised them answers too. The tone of their question had Sarah worried for a moment that the girl would simply turn and walk away, as it turned out however they seemed to be made of tougher stuff, barging their way past the flats owner and into the room. The explanation that followed was a little light on details for Sarah's taste but it was a start. Still there was one thing that Sarah knew she needed to know more about right now.

"Sarah" she said, monopolising the silence that followed Hazels speech before anyone else could muscle in on it. "What exactly do you mean by deathless?"​

---

 

[RJS]

Belle​

Belle snorted derisively at Leah. "So they didn't even make you boring, you were just born that way? That's tragic." Belle already had a pretty good read on the girl as far as she could be. Tiresome, dull and bland. The last person you'd want to bring with you if you were doing anything fun. Her expression, already sour, twisted even more at Hazel's non-answer. "Well, Hazel, my name's Belle and as far as I'm concerned you have one more chance to make me care about staying here and listening to you before I walk out the door. Us working together? I'm gonna need a really good reason for that considering how useful you were earlier. I mean, what did you actually do that we couldn't have done without you there?"

Folding her arms into a confrontational pose, she glared at the woman. "Ready whenever you are."

 

[Astroblaze]

[fieldbox="Leah McCloyd, #2AE, solid"]

fright

#2AE Date: 3 days after the EMP
Time: late afternoon
Location: Philadelphia, PA—Max's apartment
Tags: Belle (@RJS), Hazel (@The_J)
Character Profile

Folding her arms, Leah rolled her eyes at Belle's harsh words, quickly tiring of the turquoise-haired girl's baseless insults. Perhaps a sharp refutation would shut her up.

"Oh lovely," she responded sarcastically, "guess you're just going to be that way. I'm sure we're going to get along splendidly. Tell me, Belle, if I'm so awfully bland and boring, how do you think I gained the guts and skill to draw a gun on an eldritch horror and the stamina to sprint several blocks getting away from said eldritch horror while only needing a moment to catch my breath? And then I proceeded to be prepared for this situation despite its unexpectedness—" pointedly she observed that the other girl was carrying nothing but her nasty attitude—"and your knee-jerk reaction to my attempt at kindness is embarrassingly groundless character judgments." Her brow furrowing, she shook her head. "Yeah, I really don't see the logic there. I really don't."

However Belle would inevitably try to fight back, Leah felt that she had made her point and turned her attention to Hazel, considering her words. Of course: she had not arrived in time to overhear the introductions.

"I'm Leah—Leah McCloyd," she spoke up after the newcomer—Sarah—blurted her own introduction and question, this time using her full name. "I think I mentioned this earlier but I've discovered I can phase through things to a small degree. I don't really know how to control it right now, but I guess that's probably what happened when I fell through that snake monster earlier?"

But how did Hazel even know all of these things that she was talking about? Leah was rapidly growing suspicious of this girl who was so stubbornly refusing to answer any questions and clearly had connections to whatever demonic structure that tower was. She involuntarily glanced to Stanley, recalling how horrifically the spire had affected him, whatever on Earth—or off of it—it had done to him.

"How do you know all of that though?" she demanded. "Sorry to be rude, but you're acting really suspicious right now. We need answers, and I doubt any of us is going to stand for a second more of your dodging."[/fieldbox]

 

[Greenie]

"Right... just what we need, stupid arguments because we don't have enough trouble already." Sean decided to screw resisting the urge to keep a straight face, scowling as he rolled his eyes. He was sure the others knew this was a bad situation they were in, and hell, someone had probably died. Was it that hard to just talk like a normal, considerate person? "How about we just do what the clone lady said and maybe then we'll get some answers?"

Goddamn, looks like I should take my own advice. He let out an impatient sigh before taking a calming breath. "Like I said just a bit before you came in, I'm Sean Tucker." That done, he took a gulp of water from the bottle provided by the man whose apartment they were in. "Thanks, by the way."

Through all this talk, Chani remained quiet. She had already introduced herself twice in Hazel's presence and didn't feel the need to anymore. In fact, she figured it was probably best to remain silent and let her rescuer do the talking. The latter obviously knew what was happening or had some information about it, and there was no reason for Hazel to have gone out of her way to guide the rest of them if she wasn't going to enlighten them in the near future.

It didn't hurt anyone to have a little patience, and that's the route Chani decided to take.​

 

[Spekkun]

"Thank you." Satele took the water bottle from Max with an appreciative smile, wasting no time in twisting the cap off and taking a long drink of water from it. She had to make herself stop to breathe, lest she ended up gulping down the whole damn bottle in one go. Somewhat satisfied for now, she wiped at her mouth with the back of her hand, twisting the cap back onto the bottle at least halfway while she listened to the conversations being had.

She hadn't come to the conclusion right away that everyone else here had died before, just as she did. The information was oddly comforting, as bad as it might have sounded. When Hazel spoke of powers, she felt the need to laugh a little. Not because she didn't believe, she'd seen the clones first hand, and after what they saw at the tower, the benefit of the doubt was owed. It all just seemed like a book or movie to her, which would have been better than the reality of what was happening.

"Satele," She repeated her name as well, keeping herself from asking any questions. She had plenty to ask but she was sure she'd get the answers in due time, and the room seemed tense enough, so she went back to drinking her water, sipping on it slowly this time. Her eyes were focused on Hazel though, her attention completely on whatever the woman would say next.

 

[Starlighter]

@The_J

---

Stanley carefully set the empty soup bowl down on the floor where it would be out of the way. He slowly eased back on the couch and laced his hands behind his head, feet propped up on the armrest. Surrounded by strangers who were bickering, he felt anything but relaxed - too bad he couldn't manage to nod off and just tune it all out. That would be nice.

One eyebrow rose slightly as Belle tore into Not-A-Girl-Scout-Gal. Rude as all get out, but damn. That chick had some mean insult skills. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught Leah glancing in his direction for the second time, sending a subtle shiver of discomfort through him. Is there something on my face, or...? Abruptly self-conscious, he sat up a little straighter, purposely directing his gaze anywhere but at her.

"My name is Stanley - " he caught himself, deciding in the moment that he'd rather not have the inevitably awkward 'is that really your last name' conversation. Like the rest, he slowly turned to look at Hazel. Before he could think twice about speaking up he said, "So if we all died and came back, that means the girl who... um..." he faltered, searching for a polite term, "got left behind, she'll be fine?"

 

[Joan]

fright

Layen Carsen
Interactions: Hazel (@The_J)

---

Layen listened silently to what Hazel had to say, a slight frown on his face. The power she describes...all I can do is make my shadow move. But...she's seen people like us before all this? I thought the tower caused it or something like that...strange.

The rest of the room proceeded to introduce themselves, though some were calmer than most. He quickly picked up on some tension between Leah and Belle, along with their shared suspicion of Hazel. He raised an eyebrow slightly when Leah went so far as to describe her powers, only to then express her mistrust of Hazel. Really? Huh.

As for the others Sarah and Stanley were asking questions, Chani and Satele remained largely quiet, and Sean tried to calm the two angry women down...He felt like he was getting a decent read on the personalities here. Only the man who had tried to block Hazel's way remained silent. They spoke of a girl who had been left behind at the tower, and he could tell Stanley was concerned for her. So not everybody made it...I'm sure I'll find out what happened soon enough.

The room quieted again, and Layen took the opportunity to introduce himself. "Layen. Those deathless you mentioned that you've seen before...they existed before all this? How did they get so powerful?"

 

[The_J]

Hazel groaned quietly, her fingers pinching the brow of her nose in frustration. This "Belle" was already causing an upset, making a nuisance of herself by being incredibly brash towards the others in the group, and Hazel didn't like how she talked to her either. Leah definitely didn't help herself in her response, just giving Belle more ammunition and sounding like even more of a "girl scout" than before. Hazel appreciated someone being prepared, but she obviously didn't quite know how to respond to someone like Belle. At least the others were either trying to calm it all down or just ignoring the issue.
"I'm just getting to that part, Belle," she began, "I'll answer your questions first, though. Leah, you can choose to be suspicious of me or not, but right now I'm the one with the know-how to keep you all alive and actually tell you what's even happening right now."
"Sarah, a deathless is someone like you. Unable to die normally, and possessing some sort of superhuman power. Controlling flames, flying, duplicating oneself, et cetera."
"Stanley, I'm honestly not sure. The good outcome is that she died, and will wake up tomorrow. The bad outcome is that she didn't die, and whatever is inside that tower is where she's being held. Hell, maybe she died inside there and that bypassed her ability as a deathless. There's no way to know until we see a body, living or dead.
Layen, you didn't have powers before you died, yes? Well, that's because every time you die, your powers get stronger. It sounds like an easy way to become powerful, but that couldn't be further from it. The first death is always the easiest, but trust me, after that it becomes excruciating. Intense pain, without feeling like there's anywhere for the pain to be. It's just... within you. You can barely sense anything outside of it, and you can't get used to it. It gets worse and worse every time.
There's a reason that all of you got your powers around the same time that the tower erupted from the ground. A long, long time ago, the first deathless came about. She was called Belial, and she and her other, deathless lieutenants tried to conquer the entire world. This is going to sound far-fetched, but she tried to merge the world of the dead with our own, controlling legions of the undead. Our side of deathless, that they called "angels" to her "demons", fought against her and the other deathless, trying to seal Belial away since they couldn't kill her, but they..."
Hazel looked blank for a moment, her expression void.
"But they failed. The seal was imperfect, and now Belial's broken free, using monsters like the ones you saw to do... well, I'm not sure what, other than defending the tower. She's obviously using it as the point to merge the two worlds from, so whatever we do, we need to destroy it, somehow.
This is a lot to take in, I know. You were already probably sceptical, and I doubt it's easy to believe all of this either, but it's the only explanation, and I swear by every word of it. I'm willing to answer questions."

 

[Greenie]

It was indeed a lot to take in at a single moment. Sean nursed his water bottle in his hands, tilting it this way and that as he watched the bubbles forming and disappearing in the water as it moved from on direction to the other. There was just so much to be asked to understand, leave alone actually believe. Superpowers? Demons? Angels? They were all part of some ancient battle that had to get rid of some crazy bitch who was no longer sealed? This frankly sounded like something he might've read in a supernatural novel, or seen in TV show or an anime.

Yet there was the undeniable fact that he had died... and yet he was still alive. And there had been that urge to come here, to Philadelphia of all places, to the damned tower, were freaking monsters showed up.

Sean wasn't really what someone would call the religious type, he'd always been something of an agnostic, neither believing nor disbelieving, living life the best way he could despite all the crap he had been through. But this wasn't something he could just forget. He had seen what he had, nightmare fodder, and it would probably only increase with what Hazel was saying, and end up worse

Could they even do anything about it? A ragtag group like this who'd have to die to get stronger?

How many times did she die? If she's able to do something like make multiple clones of herself, then... Sean looked to the woman before looking back to the water, unsure. One death had been bad enough and there was no way he would purposely put himself through that unbearable torment once again.

And if that was the case with most sane people, then weren't they just sitting ducks waiting for the apocalypse?

It was strange, but Chani on the other hand seemed to actually feel a little calmer than she had before. She had believed coming here was a divine sign and in a way, she hadn't really been wrong. Hazel's words were unbelievable, but they were still giving her some sort of reason rather than the nothing she had before. Angel? She didn't think she was anything of the sort. As for demons... she hardly knew what to think of those, but it was clear though that the others here, apart from Layen, had clearly seen terrible creatures while they were at the tower.

How were the supposed to do anything though? Chani looked to Hazel, clearing her throat a little before speaking up. "Uhm... if what you're saying is true... how are we supposed to do any of that? Destroying the tower? Like... someone already died, right? I don't want to sound like a downer..." She paused, fiddling awkwardly with the bottom of her jacket. "... How are we supposed to help without getting stronger? Is if possible without again?"

Because if that was the only way, well, Chani wasn't sure she could bring herself to face that, belief or no belief.

​

@The_J

 

[RJS]

Belle​

Belle's mouth twisted. She knew that this Hazel was holding shit back. So much history that wasn't recorded anywhere. So many stories. The thing about powers, she knew for sure, deep down inside. Maybe that was why the creature had turned back when she had yelled at it. So much of what she said rang true, and yet there was a gap unfilled, a truth unspoken. "So you're demanding we trust you, and yet you're still holding shit back from us? Why the fuck should I trust you if you aren't gonna say the full truth?" She turned and headed to the door, muttering under her breath. "Waste of my fuckin' time."

As she passed Leah, a glint of fire came into her eyes and she raised her head to stare her in the eyes. "By the way, Girl Scout, what exactly did your guts and skill achieve? You tickled it a little. Good fuckin' job. I'm sure that right now it's sobbing its eyes out over the humiliation. Nice to see you're a good little girl scout though. Personally, a big bag of shit ain't gonna help when one of those things is bearing down on you. I think running a little faster might be a better idea. Then again, maybe they'll be so disgusted by your bland-ass snacks that they'll turn tail and run. Try it out. See where it gets you."

She paused at the door. Going alone was a risky move, but how could she work if Hazel wasn't prepared to be fully open? She had to know it all before she made her decision. She fixed the woman with a glare. "Last fucking chance. Tell us everything, and I fucking mean everything. If I even suspect you're holding shit back from us, I'm walking. I'm not your fuckin' puppet."

 

[Joan]

fright

Layen Carsen
Interactions: Belle (@RJS), Hazel (@The_J)

---

Layen considered Hazel's words while Belle cursed up a storm and Chani asked timidly if dying was the only way to get stronger. So, there's this ancient deathless, and she's evil, and the ones on her side are "demons" and the ones against her are "angels", and she was sealed away but now she's not? And we have to stop her from, well, merging our world with the land of the dead? ...Not what I was expecting, really. It sounds a little like something out of a movie. And yet...

He lifted his arm and looked down at it. The shadow of his arm moved with it, hovering slightly over his arm, and he gazed down at it for a moment, still frowning. This is real. All these other people died the night of the EMP and have some kind of power, or they wouldn't be here, or they would be very, very confused about everything that's been said. So, if that much is true...why wouldn't the rest of it be?

He crossed his arms once again, and his shadow retreated behind his back. "Belle, she said she would answer questions. How about you let her before you accuse her of holding stuff back?" His tone was calm and even. "If this is as old as she says, then there's no way she can reasonably be expected to tell us everything in one go without overwhelming us." Without waiting for a response, he looked over at Hazel.

"Hazel, you said we were unable to die normally. What can permanently kill us? And if we can permanently be killed, why can't this Belial be killed the same way? Why does she even want to merge the land of the living and the land of the dead in the first place?

And...how many times have you died?"

He had more questions, of course. However, he figured those ones would serve as a decent starting point.

 

[Starlighter]

---

What in actual tarnation... Realizing his jaw might as well have been sitting on the floor, Stanley quickly closed his mouth and shifted back on the couch, arms crossed. Angels, demons, merging with the land of the dead? Sounded like this girl had gone a round or two with the inside of the looney bin. Frowning, he lowered his head and rubbed absently at his temples.

He hated this explanation, every bit of it - mostly because as things currently stood, there was no alternative. Hazel had shown herself to be competent and well put together when she came for them at the tower, which would indicate that she wasn't loopy - and while her story itself was ludicrous, so much about it seemed to fit. She had an answer that explained where the tower had come from and how they were all still alive - and while it was crazy enough that he was tempted to get up and run before getting drawn any further into the madness, anything that could explain a random tower of horrors sprouting out of the ground was bound to be nuts, right?

Every instinct screamed that he should get up and move to stand with Belle. If she was leaving, why not leave together? He tensed, about to stand up, but stopped. No… I can't do that. I did something idiotic, and as a result, someone could be trapped in a nightmare for all eternity. I can't just sit around let that kind of thing keep happening while I do nothing.

Stanley straightened, drilling Hazel with an intense, scrutinizing glare. "So, what are we supposed to do about it, then?" There were still dozens of questions that needed asking and answering, but first, he needed to know what Hazel was expecting of them beyond a nice little explanatory chat and her ambiguous comment about 'working together.' Sooner or later, they would have to decide how to act on what she'd told them, and he sure as hell wasn't going to be siding with this chick without knowing exactly what he was getting into.

 

[Astroblaze]

[fieldbox="Leah McCloyd, #2AE, solid"]

fright

#2AE Date: 3 days after the EMP
Time: late afternoon
Location: Philadelphia, PA—Max's apartment
Tags: Belle (@RJS), Hazel (@The_J)
Character Profile

Okay, what on Earth was this girl's problem? With little to say herself, Leah just wanted to listen to what Hazel had to say and the discussion among the others—Hazel's explanation was insane but made a scary amount of sense and Leah's instinctive distrustfulness was beginning to wear away as she listened—but she was seriously starting to wish that Belle had never rejoined the group.

"Oh for God's sake, quit being such a drama queen!" Her voice rose from an irritated mutter to practically a shout in a sudden and rather uncharacteristic outburst of anger as she whirled on Belle, icy blue eyes meeting hers in a furious glare. "Stay or go but stop threatening us with it as though you think we should care. And as for what I achieved, sure I didn't do a lot but at least I stood my ground instead of turning tail like a selfish coward." She almost spat the last part. "If all you have to offer whatever the hell kind of group we are is a nasty attitude and a willingness to abandon the rest when things get ugly, why don't you just take both of them and keep on running? You've already shown how good you are at it, so why do you hesitate now?"

Even as she spoke, she noticed in a corner of her mind that she was getting sharp and a bit hateful. The combination of nearly overwhelming stresses was not doing any good for the introvert's emotional well-being; she should probably locate a removed space to recenter before she accidentally snapped at one of the others in the group. Closing her eyes, she took a deliberate breath in an attempt to remain as calm as she could for the time being until she could find such an opportunity. Attempting to distract herself from Belle, she considered what Hazel had explained thus far. She was curious about one thing in particular now that she thought about it.

"So, did we only become deathless because we died so soon after the EMP?" she addressed Hazel, surprising herself with how quiet and steady she was able to keep her voice. "If not, could everyone who dies become deathless until this... world-merging is undone or something?"[/fieldbox]

 

[Applo]

Sarah Pendleton

---

Hazel didn't have time to respond to Sarah's question, or more to the point the question had been hanging in the air around the one she had actually vocalized, before one of the other questions asked did that for her. Hazels answers merely rammed the truth home.

The more the raven haired girl spoke, the more Sarah felt like she had been punched in the stomach. God's knew the world had gone insane of late but the rational part of her brain hadn't wanted to believe the stories and rumours she'd heard. The rational part of her mind had put them down as the results of fearful and malicious imaginations, how could they be anything else. And yet, another part of her mind knew instinctively that this was the truth.

Most of the rest of what Hazel or anyone else had to say was lost to Sarah as her brain charged through thoughts and emotions like a careering bull while her hands fidgeted with her phone compulsively. One of the strange little thoughts that popped into her mind for a moment before being swept away was a strange jealousy of everyone who had managed to die normally, they couldn't worry about it even if they wanted to. They didn't have to think about how it was only by some freaky chance that they hadn't missed their last chance to hug their mum or throw stick for the dog with their dad.

As this train of thoughts rolled on Sarah was increasingly aware of a knotted feeling in the back of her throat and that her eye were feeling increasingly wet. Propelling herself up right she made her way to the flats kitchen, turning on the tap to run before looking for a halfway clean mug or glass. The water didn't really help the lump in her throat but the semi privacy of the kitchen was a small comfort. Once her mug was half empty Sarah topped it up and then moved as far away from everyone else as the architecture of the flat would allow and pulled out her phone. She didn't need to look to type in this number. After a few rings she was rewarded with the noise of the phone at the other end being picked up.

"Hey Mum, it's me."


"No, nothings wrong, I just wanted to talk."


"Sorry I forgot about the time difference."


"Oh nothing much, I just wanted to hear how you are. Hows dad? Hows the dog?"​

---

 

[Eru]

M A X

---

Hazel, Sarah, Belle, Leah, Sean, Satele, Stanley, Layen.

Everything was moving much too fast, but Max was able to catch his guests' names before his mind was caught up in a whirlwind of thought. Deathless. So that's what I am, now. He gave a hollow laugh, though it sounded more like a cough.

Other facts came forth as Hazel explained; Belial. A world of spirits, linked to their own. Pain, and death. Again, and again, and again, and again. That's what they had to look forward to. Max cringed visibly -- he didn't remember too much of his own helicopter accident, just a few short days ago, but he did not look forward to anything of the sort again. It made him feel cold, and clammy on the inside and out.

It was so much to take in, all at once, that Max had trouble understanding the size of it all, let alone hoping to remember every detail. All he could do was slump against the wall, listening with one ear as the discussion devolved into sharp words. Wait, what?

Belle moved to the door after her latest barbed threat, apparently resolved to act upon it. She was going to leave, while the rest of the room exploded into more and more questions. Max saw Sarah leave quickly to his kitchen from the corner of his eye, but he assumed she'd just left to take a breather; exactly what was necessary, he thought to himself.

"Alright, that's enough!!" Max roared at them all. "Now listen up! You're in my house, under my protection, and ain't nobody's going to leave it by themselves until we figure out what in the hell is going on here." He gave Belle a withering glance. "The way I figure it, we're all Deathless, aren't we? If we go out there, death's gonna come for us, then. Again, and again, and again. We need to stick it out and work together. I think this 'Belial' is counting on the opposite o' that, myself."

He paused to take a deep breath and clear his throat, now a bit raspy. "As for me, I don't need proof o' anything, other than the look on my commanding officer's face when she saw me alive again. That told me everything I needed to know." He gave the room a hard, and sad, stare. "We're not human, not no more. We're something else. And I think we need to respect what that means."

Turning again to Hazel, Max spoke once more. "The name's Max. Honestly, I've no idea in hell what we're going to be dealing with. But if you're willin' to lead us, I'm willin' to follow you. Seems you've got more of a head on your shoulders than some o' these other nutters. At least, till you lose that too."

---

@literallyeveryoneagain

 

[Applo]

When the line clicked off Sarah spent a moment gazing at the black phone screen. She felt strangely disconnected to the person she saw in the reflection. The sensation was similar to one she got when she looked at mirror while drunk. The person staring back her looked like a normal human being, not some kind of un-dead or whatever the fuck it was she was now freak of nature. Part of Sarah really regretted leaving her drink on back at the protest. Getting really spectacularly drunk seemed like an excellent option right now.

As tears began to well up in her eyes again Sarah slipped her phone into a pocket before draining the glass she'd be using down the drain and then splashing a little water from the tap over her face. There were times and places for having a cry, and the kitchenette of a flat full of complete strangers was not one of them regardless of whatever was going on. After drying her face, Sarah took a couple of deep breaths and then turned to rejoin the rest of the group.

The stony silence that greeted her in the living room reminded Sarah of some of the more awkward house parties she'd been to nearly ten years ago, which in turn reminded her how much she wanted a drink. She'd heard someone shout while she'd been on the phone, but she had just pressed a finger to her ear and ignored it as best she could. Now she wished she had paid it a bit of attention.

"Ok, who got caught copping off with someone they shouldn't have and how long are we going to stand around being weird about it." Sarah moved back to the spot that had been hers earlier and leant against the wall. Crossing her arms, she looked around at the rest of the group. "And for the love of god does anyone have a real drink?

 

[The_J]

Hazel stared at Belle, frustrated, as the others talked to her. She'd asked if any of them had questions, and the girl accused her of holding things back? There might've been some things she didn't want to share, but if they'd only asked. Still, she needed to answer the genuine questions that others had posed to her.
"Becoming deathless is a random pick, but yes, it seems like it happened just after the EMP hit. There might be a few more deathless coming from among the people that die in the coming weeks, but I can't say for certain. Most humans will remain mortal, though, I'm quite certain.
As far as I know, all she wants from merging the two worlds is to control them both. She already has incredible control over the land of the dead, and she wishes to extend that to the world in which she was born; ours.
I'll admit, Belle wasn't entirely wrong about me holding something back. I didn't want to have to explain this, but... I was one of the ones who fought Belial, so long ago. I don't even remember the exact year, but even history has forgotten it. We tried to seal the two worlds away from each other using our own lives, to make Belial mortal and harmless, but it didn't quite work. All of the deathless on our side perished then and there, sacrificing themselves, but I survived, and I've been waiting ever since to fight Belial. That, Layen, is the only way I've ever known for a deathless to die. Since then, I've lost count of every time I've died. It'd be maddening to try to remember every time. It's never anything but utterly excruciating, and the less I relive that the better.
I know what you're all thinking. Expecting you all to die for this... it'd be idiotic. You've all had this thrust upon you, and probably still have trouble believing me. I think there might be another way.
I don't know for certain, but if we can kill Belial inside the land of the dead, it might be permanent. A deathless draws their power from the land of the dead, and that's where we all go whenever we die. The longer we spend in there, the more our powers grow. If we can use the tower to get inside there, we'll both grow stronger for being there, and could well be able to kill Belial, for good. Of course, whilst stronger, we'd also probably be vulnerable to the same permanent death whilst inside the land of the dead, but we have to take risks. We could well all come out alive, for all we know."
Hazel felt stupid, asking this of them. She had no talent for leadership, she hated that she was the one who had to do this. She had had all of the weight of this responsibility thrust upon her, now she could only hope that the others accepted a similar call to action.

 

[RJS]

Belle​

"So wait. You want us to do what you couldn't. When you so coincidentally happened to be the one deathless apart from Belial who didn't die?" Belle's face took on an incredulous twist. "Damn fucking right it sounds idiotic, whether we do it that way or your way. You want us to fight someone as powerful as you, who controls those creatures we saw? You want us to go into this land of the dead to get stronger, but if this Belial is like us, surely she'll get stronger too!" Belle turned away, opening the door. "Fuck that. I know what I'm worth, and it's more than some bullshit suicide mission. I wasn't meant to die yesterday, and I sure as hell ain't doing it again. You need me to throw my existence away? Well, unfortunately for you, I need a goddamn drink and nobody here seems to have any of the proper stuff." Her eyes flicked to Leah. "Since I apparently bring nothing to the group, I'm sure you'll do just fine next time one of those creatures shows up. All of you are fuckin' welcome. Enjoy your little suicide pact." The door slammed shut behind her.

 

[Spekkun]

Satele had sat quietly in the corner the entire time, mulling over the information Hazel laid on them. It was a whole process for her, she'd mentally denied everything at first, it all seemed too much like a comic book, too fantasy to be real. But then she rationalized everything. They were all hit with an EMP, they all died and woke up the next day where they had started. They all saw the tower and the monster that came out of it and what it had done to that poor woman from before.

It was difficult for her to accept, but this was their reality now, her reality. She waited for Belle to finish her outburst before deciding to speak up. "She has a point...it is suicidal, but I see how it could work. The more of us there are, the better the odds." Even if Belial got stronger, by Hazel's plan, she would have to contend with eight Deathless, not just one. Sure, Belial may have those monsters on her side but if Hazel wasn't lying about the supposed powers everyone would have gained then the tides could be shifted.

"I guess the options are to stay here and hope that the people who do decide to go are enough to do the job or go yourself," Satele mumbled, shaking her head. "I'll do it." She told Hazel. "Just...you have to show me how to use my power or something. I'm not going anywhere unprepared or unarmed."

She was terrified of the idea of dying, and this time it seemed like it would stick, but she had a family to think about. Her choice affected them too. She only hoped that the others would make the same decision she did. Like she said, she could see the plan succeeding if there were enough of them. Numbers would break the stalemate, surely.

@YouJollyGoodFolks,You