[002. The Wail of the Banshee -- Part 1?]

[lydiascreams]

(OOC: Banshee scream below! It takes place on the Deck. Feel free to have your characters react to hearing it and let me know if you have any questions.)

[Action Spam -- Open]

[Lydia has been working on this little by little every day since she got to the Barge. She's been hearing all of the deaths and taking notes on her phone of names, murderer and murdered as a way to keep track of who could hurt them as well as how they chose to hurt them. Some of them showed up several times and she knows she needs to warn Stiles and Scott of those, at least.

She knows she's reaching breaking point. After each flashback, it becomes harder to hold back the scream. And that's why she chooses to go up on the Deck today. Because she figures at least she will be the furthest away from the rooms if she can't hold back anymore.

Except she doesn't expect the deck to hit her as hard as it does.

Once she gets there, she feels like she's being slammed with memories. There are so many of them all over the place, she feels like her head is going to explode. There's someone being strangled. Skeletal animals torn someone else apart. Another man's soul is splintered apart. A boy about her age has his throat slit open by a girl. One dies after a fight with the same man who strangled the first and the man whose soul got splintered kills another with a back stab.

It's too much, she can barely make sense of it all. Her hands are covering her ears and it's loud. So loud.

Before she can help it, Lydia screams. It's a loud, agonizing scream that makes her entire body shake and it feels like it's going on forever. She's never screamed for so long before, with the pain of so many.

Once it's over, her knees give under her and she kneels on the floor, hands trembling as she rubs them over her face, trying to catch her breath.]

-------------------

[Delayed filters below]


[Stiles & Scott]
I'm so sorry, Scott. I'm okay. I just couldn't hold back.


[Wynter]
I want to start training. As soon as you're available.

Comments

Stiles | Lydia | Scott

[voluntaryapnea]

What did I miss?

Stiles | Lydia | Scott

[lydiascreams]

A scream.

Stiles | Lydia | Scott

[voluntaryapnea]

Are you sure you're okay?

Stiles | Lydia | Scott

[lydiascreams]

Yeah. Just... overloaded.

[Banshee Spam]

[forsaken_queen]

[She hears a sound that is familiar. Intimately familiar. She's made that sound before. Often. That sound resonates inside of her constantly, echoing in her mind and soul.

One of her own is here somewhere.

She's moving fast as her namesake advertises, following the sound to its source. What she finds when she gets to the deck is a living human girl. And nothing else. No spirit.

Suspicious, she circles Lydia, giving her a wide berth. When she does finally speak, it's with that voice of hers, echoing, haunted, resonant.]

What are you?

[Banshee Spam]

[lydiascreams]

[She doesn't realize the woman approaching at first, she doesn't really notice her at all until a chill runs up her spine. It makes her drop her hands from over her face instantly and she sees her circling her.

Lydia gets back on her feet despite her shaky legs. The woman is intimidating and there is something about her. Something powerful, frightening and, well, chilling.

It doesn't mean she's intimidated enough to answer her right away, however. At least she can think straight now that the scream is out.]

Who are you?

Re: [Banshee Spam]

[forsaken_queen]

[She considers not answering. She asked first. But there were uses to introductions.]

I am Lady Sylvanas Windrunner, Queen of the Banshee, Ruler of the Forsaken. And if you are what you've made me think you are, then you owe me your allegiance.

Re: [Banshee Spam]

[lydiascreams]

Then you already know what I am.

[She's sufficiently intimidated not to add a why bother asking? after that. That and the fact that she's never met another Banshee before. Yes, she knows there are others because she can hear them, but she never actually met them face to face.

Lydia is used to being in charge of not only herself but most people around her, so demanding her allegiance isn't going to work out too well.]

Queen of the Banshee? I wasn't told we had a hierarchy. I actually never met another before and-- your name doesn't sound familiar.

[mistconduct]

[down in his room on level eight, Chris swears loudly to himself, holding a pillow over his head and cringing into a ball as his two dogs begin to bay and howl]

shut up shut up shut the fuck up!

spam

[semifreakingnormal]

[He hears it. It makes him flinch, floors away, but he still runs toward her, because he's never known anyone else to make a sound like that. And she's never done it without good reason. His heart thuds dully from adrenaline though not exertion as he pounds up the steps to the deck, skidding to stop a couple yards away. His whole head swims as the scream fades, and he looks around, kicking himself for not checking with her sooner.]

Lydia?

[He approaches, slowly now instead of the bat-out-of-hell run it was a moment ago.]

What is it?

[lydiascreams]

[She's pulling herself together by the time he gets to her, she already left him and Stiles a message but apparently he was already on his way there. And of course he was. It's Scott and no matter how much her scream might have hurt him, he always wants to make sure everyone is okay.]

I'm okay. I'm so sorry I couldn't hold it back. It's nothing that is going to happen, just... past deaths.

[semifreakingnormal]

[He'll see the text later and join in, but on a ship this small, it's so much more comforting to see (hear touch smell) in person that everything is all right.]

It's okay.

[The forgiveness is almost immediate, as is the relief.] It's not a big deal. I just--

[He breaks off, looking around the deck.]

Past deaths up here?

[lydiascreams]

[She feels guilty at his quick forgiveness. Because she should have told him. Obviously she should have told him what was happening.

But she's still getting used to telling people about her problems instead of keeping them all to herself just so no one will see how messed up she really is.

With a sigh, she rubs her hands over her face then nods at him.]

Up here, all over the Barge. I've been hearing them since I got here. It's happened before back home, but it wasn't as intense as this.

[fearcutsdeeperthanswords]

[Arya spends a lot of her time in the CES. She can practice her water dancing there while Nymeria runs and hunts. The wolf is much bigger than the last time they were here, full grown and fiercer. It should probably worry Arya, but since they first reunited here, she has been the one in charge.

They're just coming out of the CES when Lydia screams.

Arya claps her hands over her ears, and the direwolf lifts her head and howls a pained song, pained and frustrated. She keeps howling a moment longer than Lydia screams, but when it ends and silence falls, Arya stares at the redhead.]

What'd you do that for?

[Her head is no longer quite bald: she hasn't bothered to keep it shaved, and short, britsley hairs have crown across her skull. She paints a strange picture, dressed in a dull brown dress of wool, standing besides a giant wolf she is barely taller than.]

[lydiascreams]

[At first, when she hears the howl, Lydia gets to her feet quickly, expecting to see a werewolf there rather than an actual wolf. A huge wolf. Not as big as Peter when he had the wolf form, but big enough for her to take a step back.

And then there is a little... girl? She's a mess and Lydia stares at her for a moment.]

I didn't mean to.

[She knows it must have hurt the wolf's ears a lot, and probably the girl's too.]

I'm sorry you heard it. Both of you.

[fearcutsdeeperthanswords]

[Nymeria growls briefly, less a threat and more a warning. Arya puts a hand on her ruff, grabbing a fistful of fur. Neither of them are good at forgiveness, but Arya is less willing to let the wolf run roughshod over her.]

You didn't mean to scream.

[She repeats it with a note of disbelief, scratching under Nymeria's chin. The wolf's big head partially hides her in the process, but Arya keeps her eyes open.]

Did someone scare you?

[lydiascreams]

[Well, Lydia relaxes a little when she realizes the girl doesn't seem to have noticed anything different about her scream. And at least the wolf doesn't seem to be ready to attack. She'd know.]

Something like that. I thought I heard something but clearly there's nothing here.

[givessweetness]

[Wynter heard the scream, but for the moment is chalking it up to another symptom of what's happening. Therefore he makes no mention of it when he responds to Lydia's message.]

Of course. I'll meet you at the gym.

[lydiascreams]

[Now that she feels more in control and considering the upcoming flood, she sees no reason to waste time.]

Thank you. I'm on my way.

[Spam]

[givessweetness]

[Wynter is waiting for her when she arrives. He cuts quite a figure: tall and pristine. He's wearing full armour, in colours of red with a cream outline, gloved and booted to match and a bronze chest plate that decorated quite beautifully and a holster, similarly decorated with a staser handle visible. The only thing that's missing is the ceremonial helmet, but as that's a red baseball-esque affair with a large feather coming out of it, Wynter has deemed it unnecessary.

His image is perhaps intimidating if it wasn't for the young face framed with sticky out ears and fluffy blond hair. His smile, even though it's not carefree by any means, is still one with a genuine core that suggests sincerity.

It's a pity he ended up in Gallifreyan politics where it all became something of a liberty.]

Hello, Lydia.

[Spam]

[lydiascreams]

[She's not expecting that. People certainly have a weird fashion sense on the barge. But his armor suddenly makes her feel very under-dressed in her black leggings, purple tank top and matching tennis shoes. Although she's not sure what kind of training to expect, she doesn't imagine moving in that armor would be easy. But, she's sure he's used to it given his posture.

She smiles back at him in for of greeting. She feels a lot better and finally able to focus on things after she screamed, but she still has a lot on her mind after meeting up with another of her kind -- sorta? -- and the boys.]

Hey Wynter. Thanks for meeting me so quickly.

[Not here]

[darknessb4me]

[Sylvanas. It has to be, doesn't it?

Arthas decides he doesn't care. Let her scream. He's done being concerned for her.]

[outofclothes]

[Stark comes up to the deck for a smoke fairly regularly. He's content to smoke in his room, of course, but his warden insists on him not becoming a complete and total hermit. It's an okay compromise.]

[Of course, he's immediately regretting it at the scream. Stark can feel that ripple through the aether more than just your average girl having a screaming fit to let her frustration out. He tells himself to not get involved, to just have his cigarette and let that be that. It's none of his business. But goddammit, there's a young girl looking like hell and no doubt it was her. Stark curses under his breath and tucks the cigarette back into its pack and the pack back into his duster's pocket.]

[Stark crouches beside her, but doesn't touch her. Even he's smart enough to know never to touch a wounded animal. And besides, with as scarred up as he is, God only knows if she thought he was looking to fuck with her or make whatever the hell is going on worse.]

You okay?

[lydiascreams]

[Lydia stills as he speaks next to her, her own ears are still ringing. Not because of the scream itself, but because of the voices she had been hearing earlier.

Slowly, she drops her hands to her lap and turns toward him, eying him for a second before nodding slowly. She's not afraid of him, if anything, she imagines he's afraid of her. She would be back when she didn't know anything about this supernatural mess and saw someone screaming like a lunatic. But at least he doesn't seem to be in pain, so he just might be lucky enough to be human and not have heard the full effect of her scream.]

I'm okay. Thank you.

[outofclothes]

[Stark is usually one to say he's fine when he's really not. He doesn't let others do the same quite as easily, however. Especially not after a scream like that.]

No offense, but that sure as hell didn't sound okay.