Cassandra (
feudalladyshandmaid) wrote in
kaisou2022-06-11 03:24 pm
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Entry tags:
Action | Open
WHO: Cassandra and YOU
WHERE: Her labyrinth and Kaisou proper
WHEN: 6/5
WHAT: A woman faces her fears in a new world
WARNINGS: Parental neglect/abuse, mentions of injury.
[A: Lost in your own mind | cw: parental issues, mentions of injury]
[The last thing Cassandra recalls is the mine cart she and Rapunzel had been escaping in from that monstrous mole, down endless tunnels long-forgotten by Corona. And then... a blur. Like a piece of the world had been plucked out, leaving empty space in its wake, and Cassandra to pick up the pieces.
And she tries. As she comes into clarity, it's obvious that something is terribly wrong.
After all, cave systems aren't made of mirrors.]
What...
[She turns sharply. No sign of the cart she was tumbling from, or of Rapunzel. It's just her, alone, with no discernible way out of here other than continuing forward down this strange corridor of reflections. But even as she starts taking her first steps, she starts to notice... these aren't reflections of her. Not how she is now. No.
One bent visage displays her as she is now, stranded on a ledge, chunks of dark stone raining down around her. All she can do is weakly lower her head to the stone- No.]
No. This isn't real. It can't be.
[It's a trick. A track. She has to escape.
She walks, then runs, faster and faster. Trying to avoid the images following wherever she went; memories of her, throughout her life. One wall displays her collapsed on the ground, clutching her arm in pain as the princess walks on. She's alone. She's in pain. In the moment, that was fine to her. On another, a young girl, barely four, is reprimanded by her mother for simply wanting to go outside.
And no matter where Cassandra turns, she finds more of herself in this maze, wrapped in these moments of torment. It grates on her heart and, finally, she skids to a stop.
Right in front of her, a young girl sobs for her mother as guards sadly carry her away. It hurts no less now than when she first experienced it. Cassandra grits her teeth, hands clenched as she wills the Moonstone on her chest to do her bidding...
Nothing. No rocks heed her call, despite pouring her will into the stone.]
Crescent high above...!
[She recites it, the words she knows now by heart. Still, nothing.
The crying grates on her heart. So, Cassandra does all she can think to do. She still has her sword, and it makes for a very efficient bludgeon as she swings it with all her might at the glass.]
[B: In the big city]
[Eventually, Cassandra escapes. She's a resourceful one and, perhaps even more, unerringly stubborn. What did a few shattered mirrors matter? So long as she found her way out, that's all that matters. The less time spent trapped in that nightmare the better.
Too bad she's lost in another nightmare now... and this one was a whole lot bigger.]
Okay, just...
[She doesn't want to be lost, but she is. Terribly lost in this strange kingdom of steel and glass. It's altogether nothing like anything she's ever seen before, and if she was aware of how clearly that showed in her expressions, she'd hate it.]
There's gotta be a way around her- No, it's another street.
[Frustration is mounting. This woman, with bright blue hair and armor of black stone, sticks out like a fucking sore thumb. Not that she cares, her mind is too distracted at the moment. Enough so that she marches out into the middle of the road-
HONK
And a car comes to a skidding stop right in front of this sword-wielding lady who snarls over the horn.]
Watch it!
WHERE: Her labyrinth and Kaisou proper
WHEN: 6/5
WHAT: A woman faces her fears in a new world
WARNINGS: Parental neglect/abuse, mentions of injury.
[A: Lost in your own mind | cw: parental issues, mentions of injury]
[The last thing Cassandra recalls is the mine cart she and Rapunzel had been escaping in from that monstrous mole, down endless tunnels long-forgotten by Corona. And then... a blur. Like a piece of the world had been plucked out, leaving empty space in its wake, and Cassandra to pick up the pieces.
And she tries. As she comes into clarity, it's obvious that something is terribly wrong.
After all, cave systems aren't made of mirrors.]
What...
[She turns sharply. No sign of the cart she was tumbling from, or of Rapunzel. It's just her, alone, with no discernible way out of here other than continuing forward down this strange corridor of reflections. But even as she starts taking her first steps, she starts to notice... these aren't reflections of her. Not how she is now. No.
One bent visage displays her as she is now, stranded on a ledge, chunks of dark stone raining down around her. All she can do is weakly lower her head to the stone- No.]
No. This isn't real. It can't be.
[It's a trick. A track. She has to escape.
She walks, then runs, faster and faster. Trying to avoid the images following wherever she went; memories of her, throughout her life. One wall displays her collapsed on the ground, clutching her arm in pain as the princess walks on. She's alone. She's in pain. In the moment, that was fine to her. On another, a young girl, barely four, is reprimanded by her mother for simply wanting to go outside.
And no matter where Cassandra turns, she finds more of herself in this maze, wrapped in these moments of torment. It grates on her heart and, finally, she skids to a stop.
Right in front of her, a young girl sobs for her mother as guards sadly carry her away. It hurts no less now than when she first experienced it. Cassandra grits her teeth, hands clenched as she wills the Moonstone on her chest to do her bidding...
Nothing. No rocks heed her call, despite pouring her will into the stone.]
Crescent high above...!
[She recites it, the words she knows now by heart. Still, nothing.
The crying grates on her heart. So, Cassandra does all she can think to do. She still has her sword, and it makes for a very efficient bludgeon as she swings it with all her might at the glass.]
[B: In the big city]
[Eventually, Cassandra escapes. She's a resourceful one and, perhaps even more, unerringly stubborn. What did a few shattered mirrors matter? So long as she found her way out, that's all that matters. The less time spent trapped in that nightmare the better.
Too bad she's lost in another nightmare now... and this one was a whole lot bigger.]
Okay, just...
[She doesn't want to be lost, but she is. Terribly lost in this strange kingdom of steel and glass. It's altogether nothing like anything she's ever seen before, and if she was aware of how clearly that showed in her expressions, she'd hate it.]
There's gotta be a way around her- No, it's another street.
[Frustration is mounting. This woman, with bright blue hair and armor of black stone, sticks out like a fucking sore thumb. Not that she cares, her mind is too distracted at the moment. Enough so that she marches out into the middle of the road-
HONK
And a car comes to a skidding stop right in front of this sword-wielding lady who snarls over the horn.]
Watch it!
B - A Sheep...
Or at least, that was what she had planned when she hears a loud swerve and several people yelping. She turned her attention to the commotion and saw a woman, with blue hair and a sword,
A sword. Oh boy. This had Spirit Realm shenanigans written all over it.
She hurried over while the driver was yelling incoherently about danger and knew if she didn't say something fast, the police absolutely WOULD be involved.
"C-cousin Willow!" Luz said loudly, linking an arm around Cassandra. "I got separated from you, sorry! Oh, there's my cosplay sword! I thought I left it at the con, thank you so much!"
She looked at the driver apologetically. "Sorry, she was in such a rush to give it to me she didn't see you, sorry! At least no accident happened! We'll be more careful next time, promise!"
People who stopped to stare seemed to be losing interest now, and Luz kept the smile plastered on her face until people were turning away, then turned to the new woman.
"Hey, um. I'm gonna guess you just escaped the labyrinth thing. You're in a new world now, and they might have a problem with you walking around with a big ol' unsheathed sword. They'll take it away and then they'll take YOU away. Believe me, don't want that."
no subject
Only it would. Because, before Cassandra realizes what's happening, a... kid? A kid. A kid is looping arms with her, and that makes it fairly difficult to keep the correct sword stance.
Crisis averted, Luz. For not. As the driver simmers, Cassandra's attention is forced down to the younger woman's level. Her brow knitting in increasing confusion.
"Wait, you know about the lab - Wait, new world?" she can't even be angry about it. She's shocked. "Whoa, whoa. What are you talking about?"
no subject
Still, Luz is not about to be daunted, and kept the smile up, waving at people, then turned to the girl with the cool blue hair.
"A lot of us came here the same way. You did take a look at this place before you started swinging your sword around, right? Does this place look like the world you're from?"
In Luz's case, technically, yes, it did, but that was what immediately alerted her to the fact that something was wrong.
no subject
Granted, she was swinging her sword around back home, too. But that's not a point she feels like bringing up now.
"I'm trying to find my way out of here, you know? To get back home? It's kind of important."
no subject
Luz motioned for her to put the sword back in its scabbard. It wouldn't do her any good to have it out now, that was for sure.
"And I'm telling that you're not going to do that by freaking everyone out, especially since, well, no one knows why you're doing that or what you're talking about. See, I'm gonna guess that you got here through this strange labyrinth, right? Well most of the people here are locals, and they can't even SEE that, or will know what you're talking about. The reason I know, and why some of us do? Is because we were brought here the same way. I'm also not from this world. My name's Luz."
no subject
"Yeah. I get it, okay? I'm far, far away from home. And something tells me it's going to be less easy to leave then it is to get here."
At least this kid seems to be a bit more with it, she supposes. "... Cassandra."
no subject
Which was all true, but there was so much more going on for Luz than many realized, so it actually took some effort not to feel discouraged.
"I'm Luz! Nice to meet you, Cassandra. And as I've been here a few months, I can confirm it's going to be hard to get back, but I am working on it with a few people!"
B
Obviously he's going to stop and race over, but her wellbeing is secondary in his mind. Just for a second.]
Whoa! Flippin' heck! Okay, first off, that sword is totally sick!
[He jabs a grassy finger at her sword, and is promptly interrupted by the angry driver getting out of his car. Yikes, okay, Fern waves over at the sidewalk.]
Second, you should probably get outta the road.
no subject
She's actually got it raised up, prepared for a strike, until she's... distracted.]
...What.
[Talking grass person. Okay. That's new, even by her standards.
But it gives Cassandra pause to consider her surroundings. Like, the fact that she's standing in the middle of a road, and there are other metal carriages piling up behind the one stopped before her. Or that everyone's looking kind of angry.
...Maybe she should get out of the road.
With a soft grumble, she departs. Sword still in hand, though.]
Hey. Do you live around here?
no subject
What? The sword is extremely cool. He's never seen anything like it before - it doesn't even look like it's made out of metal. Sort of like how the Grass Sword was made out of grass, and that similarity really piques his interest.]
Um - yeah! Pretty much. Not from around here though. I guess you aren't either?
no subject
[The sword is cool, especially in the way Cassandra puts it back; the back of her armor shifting like a million little scales, coiling around the blade until they take the form of a sheath.]
The fact that I'm attacking people in the street?
no subject
[Kaisou is pretty safe, all things considered.]
Well, welcome to Kaisou. It's in some place called the United States, which is in some other world. It's a multiverse deal.
B
So it gets his attention when he can hear a ruckus from one nearby. Maybe one hit a tree and he can finally look inside the hood? That would be the best. He definitely wasn't expecting Cassandra in the middle of the road and he absolutely wasn't expecting her to still have the moonstone. ]
...Cass?
[He moves forward, carefully- he's definitely the same old Varian (admittedly with a monkey tail he is trying to ignore) but this...this isn't the same old Cass. Or maybe the problem is that she's too]
Cass. I can explain everything, but you've gotta put the sword down and get out of the road before trouble comes.
no subject
Varian?
[But yes, there he is. She spots him over the growing hubbub in the street. In the flesh... and... tail?]
...Wait. [The point of her sword lowers... towards him.] Are you really Varian?
no subject
Yeah, I'm really Varian, I-
[He glances behind him, and grimaces. Right. That.]
Ignore the tail. Magic is really strange here and has...complicated side effects. It's just...a thing. I'm trying to figure it out.
[Which isn't the easiest. Magic isn't his favourite wheelhouse, despite how often he gets dragged into it. ]
I've only been here a month, but I can try and explain what I know? I'm not going to hurt you. This just...well, it's not Corona. Obviously.
no subject
A month? But - how is that...
[Even possible? When they'd seen each other not too long ago, in Cassandra's tower?]
Of course it's not Corona. I just... I was just there, and, what? I've been kidnapped?
no subject
[He very almost tells her that the last he saw of her, she was heading off into the world and definitely didn't have the moonstone anymore. But he thinks better of it. That will categorically not help right now.]
Less kidnapped and more...fell through a dimensional rift. I think? I've been working on a portal to get us back. This is...uh. The future. In some city in...America? It's called Kaisou.
no subject
[She stops, and. Really, it's astounding how Cassandra seems to visibly deflate with each new round of information. Every punctuation driving home just how wildly insane this was, and the fact that home seemed further than it's ever been. It's enough to drive a woman mad.
But Cassandra was already mad. So, she'll settle on eye-rolling disappointment.]
Ugh, I'm not even sure I can care anymore.
[For the good of everyone else, this means Cassandra drags herself off the street. Plopping down on the curb, and seeing to inspecting her blade. Or her reflection in it.]
This is way more than I'm used to handling.
no subject
Sorry. It's uh- it's a lot, I get it.
[He dithers for a moment, before plopping himself down to sit beside her- not SUPER close- but close enough.]
Look. I know you're in a...bad place right now. [He gestures at the whole...rock armour that he'd honestly thought he'd seen the back of.] But I'm here if you need me. I'll- I'll help you however I can.
no subject
[It's been a long, long day for Cassandra, not that Varian would be aware of that. He wasn't around for her little adventure into the depths beneath her old cottage, and the attempts at reconciliation she and Rapunzel faced. She's not completely there yet, it's a work in progress. But all of this is just enough to render her completely floored.
She'll let him sit down. She hung him outside her tower... Feels like it was so long ago.]
You sound like her. ["Her" being... well.] I did take you hostage, remember?
no subject
[After all, she's still handling coming here better than he did. He's better now he's lived here long enough to at least understand vaguely where he is. But at first? Hell no. He glances skywards at her first comment, she sure doesn't need to expand on that her.]
I guess she rubs off on everyone at some point. She's infectious like that.
[His tone is equal parts fond and frustrated for reasons he knows he doesn't have to explain to Cass of all people. He raises his shoulders in a careless shrug.]
I do, but I also tried to crush you with an automaton so I figure we're kinda on an even keel at this point.
A
She almost immediately wishes she hadn't.
It's not Cassandra she notices first, or the near-desperate chanting of the Moon Incantation. What catches her eye, what really sinks deep into her brain, is the image of Gothel. The scowling face of the woman who'd ruined both their lives, clutching a small bundle with a few tufts of golden blonde hair poking out of it, running away from a sobbing little girl.
There's an almost physical ache, a white-hot knife of pain stabbing straight into hear heart as she sees that little girl cry, the confusion and heartbreak and desperation clear in those watery eyes.
It's a mirror. Just a mirror. But Rapunzel still finds herself stepping forward, hand raised like she might be reaching out for that crying child.]
Cass...?
no subject
That's not the only Gothel, though. There's younger ones, painted across these strange walls. Lobbing insults at their daughter, mistreating her for perceived slights, and making demands. It's hard to find the barest fraction of compassion here.
All this to a child.
Off to the side, further down the tunnel, noise travels far. The sounds of shattering glass, and a woman's fury.]
no subject
This, though...
This is what makes Rapunzel hurt. To see the sneers, the rolling eyes, to hear the insults and the barking orders - to see this cruel, heartless abuse thrown at an innocent child makes her nauseous. To say this isn't the Gothel she knew is incorrect - she knows this is Gothel in her heart, the true form of the woman who only ever showed Rapunzel mask upon mask. But to actually see it, to witness what that woman was truly like and what her dearest friend had gone through... she can't look away. The sights and the sounds are pressing in on her-
Until the sound of glass shattering pulls her out of the spiral.
She knows it's Cassandra. There's no doubt about it. She doesn't even need that string in her chest that pulls her towards her friend (?) to know that this labyrinth is trapping her friend inside. So with all the strength she can muster, Rapunzel tears her sight away from these terrible mirrors and runs towards the sound, calling out.]
Cassandra! I'm here!
no subject
With Cassandra... there was no such limit. These memories made that clear; each one showcasing a particular point in time where Cassandra was left rejected, ignored, unloved. Never getting what she truly wanted. It crushes her, bit by bit. And she pushes on regardless.
But everyone has their limits. Rounding the bend, Rapunzel will see that herself - with Cassandra, crouched on the ground in a circle of shattered glass. The cracked remains of a painful memory playing all around her, as she desperately clutches her head.]
Just stop!
no subject
But that caution is thrown out the window, because she doesn't see the anger anymore. She just hears the grief, she sees the way Cass is hunched over, like she's hurting, and any sense of wariness is gone as Rapunzel closes the distance between them, taking only a moment to make sure she doesn't cut her feet on the scattered mirror shards, and drops to her knees besides her friend.]
Cass, it's okay! It's-
[She pauses, because... she can't just say it's not real, can she? Just from what she'd seen in the mirror back in the caves, and what she knows about Gothel... the things Cass is seeing could be more than true. And just that thought wants to make her sick.
She knows she probably shouldn't, but Rapunzel reaches out, grasping Cassandra by the shoulders. The spikes from that black rock armor dig into her palms, but she doesn't register the sting at all.]
Just- just look at me, okay? Look away from the mirrors.
no subject
Everywhere she looked, all she saw was the same thing: failure. Even as she laid there, eyes screwed tightly shut, there was no blocking out the walls around her, replaying it again and again and again. Not even the shattered remnants of the one she destroyed gave her any peace, no matter how hard she tried to force it all away.
Hands are on her and, just for a second, she thinks it's her own somehow. Red shimmers across the blue on her armor for a fraction of a second. The words slowly register...]
R... Rapunzel...?
[Maybe it's a trick. Something conjured up to fool her again. But she still opens her eyes, just a crack. Enough for Rapunzel to see the magical blue in her irises.]
no subject
But the fear in them now stops Rapunzel's mind from wandering, and though all she wants to do is draw her once-friend in close and hug her until she stops shaking, she knows it might be too much, too soon. So for the moment, she lifts one hand from Cass's shoulders, slow enough so she can see and pull away if she wants to, and will attempt to place it on the side of Cass's head. A firm, warm point of contact, unhindered by the black rock armor.]
Yeah. It's really me, see?
[There's a waver to her voice. Rapunzel is scared; scared for her friend, scared of all these shadows of Gothel's true face... but she has to push that aside. She has to help Cass.]
Can you breathe along with me? Just... just to focus?
B
She tugs at her arm.]
Uhm. You need to get out of the road!
no subject
She's almost shocked by Catalina tugging on her arms. Not many kids - or people in general - would be brave enough to step out and directly confront her.]
What - Stay out of this. You don't want to get hurt out here.
[Oh but she does??]
no subject
You have to look both ways before crossing the street.
[And not uh, pull a sword out on them.]
no subject
[No, that's not true. She barely even knows what a "car" is.]
Anyway, I'm just trying to find my way out of here.
B
Ma'am? It's okay, everything is okay...can we put the sword away and talk? Please? [ She can see the driver in the car gesturing towards them, a mix of anger and fear in their expression, and Luisa holds up a hand to them, silently telling them to wait and let her handle it. ]
no subject
Not enough, it seems.] Everything is not okay, okay? I've been having an awful day since I woke up in... wherever this is!
no subject
I know...believe me, I understand. I went through something similar when I first arrived here too. But I can explain some things for you, if you'll let me.
Let's just...get out of the road, and put the sword away, and I'll tell you everything I can.
no subject
Least of all the woman trying to help and, or, stop her.]
Feels like I don't really have a choice. [She'll grumble, even as her sword disappears back into the shifting sheath that emerges from her back.] Ugh... Fine. We can talk, okay? I'm not going to destroy... whatever this is.
[But she will shoot the driver one last dirty look.]
no subject
My name is Luisa, by the way. I'm guessing you just showed up in some kind of maze before finding yourself in the city?
no subject
[She was about to give her name, but... Well, she's stubborn like that. It needs time. She's already made it to the sidewalk.]
Is that some kind of common thing around here? Ending up in a tunnel filled with [Your worst memories] annoying things?
no subject
More than there probably should be. There are actually a lot of us from different worlds that were brought here and went through one of those mazes.
B
Cosplayers don't usually bring traffic to a halt, though, and boy does that sword look sharp. Eda decides it's probably good to intervene before the poor girl has an angry driver to deal with. ]
Hey! Over here!
no subject
And the woman holding it looks genuinely pissed at her current state of affairs. Pissed, but easily distracted. You've gotten her attention, Eda.]
Oh, what now?
no subject
[ Eda already suspects this person might be a new otherworldly arrival at this point. Luckily, she's pretty good at dealing with magical shenanigans by now, so it's not hard to be chill about it. ]
no subject
But the moment passes. She's not about to attack the metal carriage now, not when someone's acting so... blase about it. So, sword still in hand, she makes her way off the road.]
...You people sure are okay with a lot of weird stuff happening.
no subject
Considering you're walking around swinging your big sword at cars - that's the metal box you just stood in front of - you're the one who looks weird in this place.
But also, we're kinda used to it. Some of us, at least.
no subject
[It's a foreign word on her lips. Clumsy. Bluh. Why not just a carriage? Where are all the horses?]
You're... used to all of this? [She gestures broadly, in disbelief.] I don't believe that.
no subject
[ The "duh" remains unspoken. ]
no subject
Well, some of us aren't used to it. And I don't want to stick around long enough for that.
no subject
[ Eda holds up a hand, index finger raised. ]
Problem is, you might not have much choice in that. People from other worlds just being dropped here against there will has been happening pretty frequently as of late. I know a few kids who are trying to get home. One of them is even trying to build a portal, but I haven't heard anything about him succeeding yet.