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

(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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Scott lifts his shoulders in a helpless shrug at Stiles' look: he's holding out hope, even if he doubts they'll do it.

Drawing in a deep breath, Scott lets it go slowly; this part is going to be rough. If it wasn't likely they were going into this, Scott wouldn't tell them. But he won't let them walk in unprepared.]

Yeah, there are other signs. That Barge was kind of...falling apart. The Admiral was out of commission - wasn't talking to anyone, wasn't letting anyone leave or bringing on new people. Only a few wardens were allowed to leave when he made port, and we had to rely on them for food and stuff. And there was this...door, on deck. Not attached to anything, totally locked, just hanging out in the middle of the deck. And the death toll was...off. People were coming back way too slowly, or coming back not healed, or - it was looking bad. And at the end of the flood, the door opened. I don't remember much after that. I think it ended after a few people went through.

[He turns to Stiles, nods and then shrugs.] I think cabins were safe, but I didn't really try to break them down. It depended on who lived there, and their wardens, I think. A lot of wardens didn't care if other people roughed up their inmates.

[Yeah, that sounds absolutely terrifying. Worse than she expected. Especially about the death toll, because now she was actually scared. Even if death hurt here, at least they knew for sure they could come back. But there is something else she needs to know.

Lydia twists her fingers together and takes a step forward.]

When you say the death toll was off... was there anyone who died there that didn't make it back on the regular barge when the flood ended?

[She's fairly sure he can hear her heart speeding up.]

Because if there is, then-- we just lock ourselves into a cabin now, together and we don't come out until it's over. If we need to knock one of us out, we will do it, but at least we will know we'll all be alive by the end of it.

[So basically it was about as worst case scenario as things could get. He understands now, why people were suggesting putting together individual med kits and food and water just in case this is what they're headed for. Yeah. He'll be starting on that first thing in the morning.

He grimaces at the mention of the uncaring wardens and the death toll and shakes his head a little, gaze traveling to Lydia as he notices the fear on her face. He's been so afraid for so long now that this possibility hardly even registers on his own radar. Not when it comes to his own life, anyway. As long as the two of them are okay...

Stiles falls silent, wishing he had answers because he has a feeling Scott is approaching the end of his own answers for their questions. He does, however, know that there's no way that Scott will lock himself in a cabin if there's chaos and people are in trouble. He seriously doubts that Lydia will either, when it comes down to it. His friends are heroes, even if they started out being so rather reluctantly.]

Knocking me unconscious probably wouldn't cut it. [His voice is quiet and he doesn't look at them again. If he's nogitsune-possessed again, it definitely won't. Pretending otherwise is pointless and dangerous.]

No, everyone came back. We didn't lose anyone.

[He banishes whatever uncertainty he feels, because if nothing else, as the one with the most experience here, he feels responsible for them. Stiles's quietness pulls at him, and he stands, reaching out to put a hand on his friend's shoulder and squeezing.]

Look - it's going to be bad. It's going to be ugly. But we've seen bad and ugly before.

[This is Lydia, he remembers saying. I'm here to save my best friend. It didn't work then. He's not going to let anything happen to them now.]

We'll have mountain ash, I'll try to get silver if it's really necessary, but we're going to be okay. No matter who's affected, no matter what's happening on the other Barge. The Admiral's gonna bring us back.

[She can breathe again when Scott confirms that everyone got back. Normally she wouldn't care much about what happens to her as long as the two of them were okay, but she knows none of them can handle losing anyone else. Besides, she needs to be okay so she can finish up her deal and fix things back home.

It's not until Scott approaches Stiles that she fully realizes that she needs to pull herself together. That they both do, for his sake. Because he's still the most fragile and he is the one who will be the most dangerous if something happens to him.

Lydia takes a step forward, closer to the two of them and nods.]

We'll all be back here and okay, then . It will be just be a bumpy period. We've dealt with those before. It doesn't matter what happens, it will be over and we'll be back to normal eventually.

While we're there, we'll just do our best to protect each other but the most important thing will be to keep that in mind. That it will be over. [That it's just a trick.]

[And he wishes that he found that more assuring than he does, but he doesn't. Not really. He looks up and blinks a couple of times when Scott's hand rests on his shoulder and he holds his breath for a minute. They have seen bad and ugly before. A lot. Most recently they've seen about as bad and ugly as things can possibly get.

He grimaces before he can suppress it even as he nods. It'll be like bardo all over again -- yet another trick even if he doesn't remember that it was a trick. Scott told him it was. What a wonderful reminder, really.]

How long did it last, Scott? Last time? [Because he's definitely going to need a point of reference for this if he's miraculously unaffected.]

[Just like bardo. Except this time, if anything happens - if anyone dies - it will pass. It will pass. Scott swallows past the tightness in his throat, and nods at Lydia.]

A week, maybe. Probably less, like five days. We just have to get through five days, man.

[He doesn't let go of Stiles' shoulder, doesn't want to remove the tangible proof that he's here, that they're all here. They can get through this together, like they always have.]

[Lydia reaches out and wraps a hand around Stiles' and another around Scott's both because she wants to comfort them and because she wants the comfort herself. She doesn't know if it's because they are pack, if it's because of all they've lost or if it's just because she's always been a tactile person, but it helps.]

We'll be okay.

[They have to be. So they can come back here. So they can finish up their deals and go home. So they can save Allison.]

[Five days. Regardless of what happens, they can get through five days. He hopes. He looks up at Lydia when she takes his hand and looks between her and Scott. Then he nods slightly.]

We can do this.

[Scott's hand closes on hers, and for a minute, he finally feels like it won't be so bad this time. They'll handle it together. For a moment he's silent, just nodding. They'll be fine. Then he squeezes both points of contact, and lets go.]

Okay. We need to get mountain ash. The Admiral should be able to get you some, if you don't have any. And I'll talk to Dean about - anything else.

[His voice is steady, and confident. He's not thinking about the people they've lost. He won't let himself right now.]

[She assumes it must be a pack thing, because she feels like all three of them seem to be standing straighter and Scott's confidence certainly helps, too.]

We will both keep some on us and once we get there, we will check in with each other. And whatever happens, it's just five days. [She has to repeat that. To remind everyone, just in case.]

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

Pack Spam!

Pack Spam!

Pack Spam!

Pack Spam!

Pack Spam!

Pack Spam!

Pack Spam!

Pack Spam!

Pack Spam!

Pack Spam!

Pack Spam!