"I CAN'T HEAR YOU!" Harmony was suddenly fluttering away to where an empty casette tape case was leaned against a shoe. He grabbed it from one end and started to scoot it back toward the circle of light. Luckily, his halo cast enough light to warn him about any intruding dust creatures.
"Er--yes." His first explanation hadn't been stellar. "I'm...I guess you could say a spirit. A guardian. A guide! Yes, a guide! Everyone has that voice inside them--one that tells them when something is right or wrong. I'm obviously the better one." He stopped near Ginko and flipped the tape case onto its side so that he could preen. "My brother is named Havoc. You can guess what he's like."
NOTHIN' LIKE DRAGGIN' SOMEBODY WHO ISN'T HERE TO DEFEND THEMSELVES. EVEN THOUGH THEY'RE WRONG.
"A... spirit?" Wow this was a lot to take in. Ginko's brow furrowed as he considered that. "...So, are you saying that everyone has... people who look like them, but not really, following them around?"
And watching their friends constantly. He won't even comment on the bit about Havoc.
"What else should we get to keep building? I can help move things."
Harmony made another face. He'd never explained this to another person before. Not someone who was JW and had to avoid squashing him. But it was also exciting because Ginko was the first person he'd seen at his own height in...well. It had been a long time since he'd left the Scape.
"James is an unusual case. We're always around, but usually only in here." He tapped his forehead. "Our Host fell through a rift and our worlds rubbed together too violently and a hole appeared. It's a long, complicated story."
But Ginko asked a good question. This was going to have to be quite the tower. He looked above at the hole and made a humming sound. His halo lit up.
"Right..." The whole thing still seemed a little odd, but he didn't see any real reason to disbelieve it. And he supposed that could explain the whole "watching him" thing, at least to some extent. "Guess now isn't really a good time for long stories, huh."
Because otherwise he would absolutely be asking.
"Got it." He looked around, for a pair of shoes if he couldn't find shoelaces on their own, and headed for whatever he could catch sight of.
With Harmony's light, they abandoned the pile of socks in search of shoes. There had to be at least one that hadn't been stripped for material. He paused at the end of a long cardboard tube and peered down its length to see if it led anywhere.
"You know, I have to admit, it's nice to finally meet you. Officially, I mean."
Ginko looked around, starting to point out a shoe before realizing that its laces had long been removed. He gave a frustrated huff and kept looking, giving Harmony a glance.
"Yeah? Good to meet you, too, I guess." Even though he had no idea Harmony existed until a few minutes ago.
And was promptly slammed face-down into the dust by yet another winged JW look-alike. This one dressed in a dark suit and outfitted with distinctly more draconic extremities, save the dainty hooves that were not planted right on Harmony's shoulders.
"What are you DOING!? You were only supposed to watch him! We're going to get in trouble!"
For a moment Harmony was still. His halo had fallen crooked and dust filled the circle of light. When his breath returned he glowered over his shoulder.
"Watch him get torn apart by dustbunnies? I don't think so. You know how important he is to the boss!"
Ginko jumped back, his eye going wide. He was fully expecting Harmony's attacker to go after him next - and was fully at a loss as to what to do about any of it - right up until Havoc spoke.
Bit by bit, Ginko relaxed, looking him over. "--Are you Havoc?"
He would just. Ignore that comment about 'the boss'. And hope that they didn't notice the faint flush rising to his face as he remembered that conversation with Deuteronomy.
Havoc turned away from his brother and for a moment, only a moment froze. He wasn't any more used to being seen than Harmony was. But then Awful Things started to happen because his face split into a too-wide, sharp-toothed grin.
"Heard of me already? The pleasure is aaaaall mine." He turned in place, stepping on Harmony as he did so, and extended a hand. He had claws and his eyes never left Ginko's face. He looked hungry.
Oh God that was terrifying, so much for Ginko relaxing.
He leaned back a little, wincing with sympathy for Harmony and eyeing Havoc's hand uncertainly for a moment before reaching out to shake it. "Uh, yeah... Harmony said you were his brother? He explained the whole... spirits thing."
"That sounds like Harm t'me, always lookin' for a chance to hear himself talk about himself! As much as I'd love to hang around and chat, we need to get your ass topside and fast."
Ginko kept on staying quiet on the whole... sibling rivalry thing, if that was what it was, because this was not something he was interested in getting sucked into. He just nodded in agreement with that second part.
"Sounds like a plan. We'd been looking for shoelaces to get out with... unless you've got another idea."
Havoc didn't get the chance to share his brilliant idea because Harmony finally decided he'd had enough. He wrenched himself into a roll and knocked Havoc down before standing up and brushing off.
"Now that there are two of us, I think we can lift you...Havoc, how did you distract him anyway?"
Havoc pouted as he stood himself back up and took care to make sure his tail was still straight. SOME PEOPLE liked to step on it for no good reason. "I hid the egg timer on top of the ceiling fan. He'll have to drag the ladder off the back porch to get to it when it goes off. We're literally running on borrowed time. I'm game if you are. Ginko?"
Havoc's hungry look was finally replaced with one of well-placed urgency.
Ginko hesitated, but only for a moment. Then he looked back at the high-up opening, their paltry escape supplies... and the darkness where more of those dust creatures could well be lying in wait.
With his permission, both brothers hooked their arms under Ginko's. Then, at once, they took off like an awkward four winged, six armed and six-legged beast. Harmony's gaze was locked on the hole above, his jaw set in grim determination. Havoc, however, kept glancing back at Ginko and flashing him grins that edged on just this side of mischievous.
The hole neared and the Underbed's unique gravity tugged at the tips of the brothers' wings. The Underbed wanted to keep its prize.
Ginko tried very hard not to look down. Of course, he was also trying not to acknowledge the looks Havoc kept giving him. In the end he ended up just keeping his gaze stubbornly fixed on the hole above them as he tried to wrestle down the little pinpoint of fear that he had already been struggling to ignore.
He winced a little at the strange pull from below them, gritting his teeth. But there wasn't a whole lot he could do to help.
The hole grew closer and closer but their progress grew slower and slower. Harmony's face was turning red and Havoc had finally started actually concentrating.
"Harm, I think we're gonna have t'throw 'em, he's gettin' heavy. No offence, Ginko."
"As much as I hate to say this, you're right. Sir, you're going to have to get ready."
And it was so, because while the hole was now nearly within reach, the world's physics were changing and Ginko was starting to return to his original form. Havoc and Harmony remained the same.
The brothers gave one another a significant look over the top of the mushi master's head before suddenly taking their arms out from under his. They caught either of his hands and started swinging him back and forth. Once Ginko had gained enough momentum, shouting or no shouting, they threw him toward the light with all of their strength.
The Underbed gravity lost its grip on him and the darkness peeled away from him like thick swamp mud. The little room was just as Ginko had left it, though if he looked the floor was now speckled with the teeniest feathers left behind by Harmony who'd had a breakdown the moment he saw Ginko disappear earlier.
There was no egg timer buzzing coming from downstairs.
"Uh-- okay--" There wasn't really time to protest the idea of them just throwing him, and he wasn't sure it would be a good idea even if there were. They didn't really have a lot of options here.
And the next thing he knew he was being held by the hands and swung back and forth and holy crap he had not signed up for this today. He finally just squeezed his eyes shut, and tried very hard not to think about the many ways this could go wrong, and--
--and then he was on the floor again. It took a few moments for it to fully sink in that he wasn't in that strange space anymore, and once he did he stumbled to his feet, staring warily at the hole in the little brick wall. "...damn."
Then he was joined by a pair of voices coming from the floor. JW's better and worser halves were standing with drooping wings at the edge of the hole. They were only six or so inches high and looked exhausted.
They quietly congratulated one another before turning their attention back to their guest. Harmony shuffled his sandals awkwardly but Havoc continued to beam.
"I don't hear the buzzer...that must mean we made good time," said Harmony.
Ginko stared at the two for a moment - despite everything that had just happened, seeing them so small still came as a bit of a surprise. Then, despite his wariness of the hole, he crouched down to get closer to their eye level.
"Guess so... thanks for that, by the way. Pretty sure I couldn't've gotten out of there on my own."
He wasn't sure he would have survived past running into that first dust creature on his own.
"Not that fast anyway." Havoc shoved his hands into his pockets and rocked back onto his furry heels. "If you could keep from mentioning us, that'd be great."
Suddenly there were footfalls on the stairs, buzzer or no buzzer. The brothers both let out high-pitched sounds of alarm and darted across the bed and dove into the narrow crack between the mattress and the wall.
The door quietly opened and JW poked his head in as stealthily as he could--the way you do when you're checking on a person who may be asleep and not wanting to wake them.
But then there's Ginko's ass just standing in the middle of the floor and there is also a pile of bricks next to him. JW's eyes move from the bricks to Ginko.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
goldeneyeball) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
theattic2015-08-13 03:59 pm
no subject
"Er--yes." His first explanation hadn't been stellar. "I'm...I guess you could say a spirit. A guardian. A guide! Yes, a guide! Everyone has that voice inside them--one that tells them when something is right or wrong. I'm obviously the better one." He stopped near Ginko and flipped the tape case onto its side so that he could preen. "My brother is named Havoc. You can guess what he's like."
NOTHIN' LIKE DRAGGIN' SOMEBODY WHO ISN'T HERE TO DEFEND THEMSELVES. EVEN THOUGH THEY'RE WRONG.
no subject
And watching their friends constantly. He won't even comment on the bit about Havoc.
"What else should we get to keep building? I can help move things."
no subject
"James is an unusual case. We're always around, but usually only in here." He tapped his forehead. "Our Host fell through a rift and our worlds rubbed together too violently and a hole appeared. It's a long, complicated story."
But Ginko asked a good question. This was going to have to be quite the tower. He looked above at the hole and made a humming sound. His halo lit up.
"We need some shoelaces! I can make a rope!"
no subject
Because otherwise he would absolutely be asking.
"Got it." He looked around, for a pair of shoes if he couldn't find shoelaces on their own, and headed for whatever he could catch sight of.
no subject
With Harmony's light, they abandoned the pile of socks in search of shoes. There had to be at least one that hadn't been stripped for material. He paused at the end of a long cardboard tube and peered down its length to see if it led anywhere.
"You know, I have to admit, it's nice to finally meet you. Officially, I mean."
no subject
"Yeah? Good to meet you, too, I guess." Even though he had no idea Harmony existed until a few minutes ago.
1/2
And was promptly slammed face-down into the dust by yet another winged JW look-alike. This one dressed in a dark suit and outfitted with distinctly more draconic extremities, save the dainty hooves that were not planted right on Harmony's shoulders.
"What are you DOING!? You were only supposed to watch him! We're going to get in trouble!"
2/2
"Watch him get torn apart by dustbunnies? I don't think so. You know how important he is to the boss!"
no subject
Bit by bit, Ginko relaxed, looking him over. "--Are you Havoc?"
He would just. Ignore that comment about 'the boss'. And hope that they didn't notice the faint flush rising to his face as he remembered that conversation with Deuteronomy.
no subject
"Heard of me already? The pleasure is aaaaall mine." He turned in place, stepping on Harmony as he did so, and extended a hand. He had claws and his eyes never left Ginko's face. He looked hungry.
no subject
He leaned back a little, wincing with sympathy for Harmony and eyeing Havoc's hand uncertainly for a moment before reaching out to shake it. "Uh, yeah... Harmony said you were his brother? He explained the whole... spirits thing."
no subject
"That sounds like Harm t'me, always lookin' for a chance to hear himself talk about himself! As much as I'd love to hang around and chat, we need to get your ass topside and fast."
no subject
"Sounds like a plan. We'd been looking for shoelaces to get out with... unless you've got another idea."
1/2
"Now that there are two of us, I think we can lift you...Havoc, how did you distract him anyway?"
2/2
Havoc's hungry look was finally replaced with one of well-placed urgency.
no subject
He nodded. "Alright. Let's try it."
no subject
The hole neared and the Underbed's unique gravity tugged at the tips of the brothers' wings. The Underbed wanted to keep its prize.
"Flap harder!"
"You flap harder!"
no subject
He winced a little at the strange pull from below them, gritting his teeth. But there wasn't a whole lot he could do to help.
no subject
"Harm, I think we're gonna have t'throw 'em, he's gettin' heavy. No offence, Ginko."
"As much as I hate to say this, you're right. Sir, you're going to have to get ready."
And it was so, because while the hole was now nearly within reach, the world's physics were changing and Ginko was starting to return to his original form. Havoc and Harmony remained the same.
The brothers gave one another a significant look over the top of the mushi master's head before suddenly taking their arms out from under his. They caught either of his hands and started swinging him back and forth. Once Ginko had gained enough momentum, shouting or no shouting, they threw him toward the light with all of their strength.
The Underbed gravity lost its grip on him and the darkness peeled away from him like thick swamp mud. The little room was just as Ginko had left it, though if he looked the floor was now speckled with the teeniest feathers left behind by Harmony who'd had a breakdown the moment he saw Ginko disappear earlier.
There was no egg timer buzzing coming from downstairs.
no subject
And the next thing he knew he was being held by the hands and swung back and forth and holy crap he had not signed up for this today. He finally just squeezed his eyes shut, and tried very hard not to think about the many ways this could go wrong, and--
--and then he was on the floor again. It took a few moments for it to fully sink in that he wasn't in that strange space anymore, and once he did he stumbled to his feet, staring warily at the hole in the little brick wall. "...damn."
That was one thing he never wanted to do again.
no subject
Then he was joined by a pair of voices coming from the floor. JW's better and worser halves were standing with drooping wings at the edge of the hole. They were only six or so inches high and looked exhausted.
They quietly congratulated one another before turning their attention back to their guest. Harmony shuffled his sandals awkwardly but Havoc continued to beam.
"I don't hear the buzzer...that must mean we made good time," said Harmony.
no subject
"Guess so... thanks for that, by the way. Pretty sure I couldn't've gotten out of there on my own."
He wasn't sure he would have survived past running into that first dust creature on his own.
no subject
Suddenly there were footfalls on the stairs, buzzer or no buzzer. The brothers both let out high-pitched sounds of alarm and darted across the bed and dove into the narrow crack between the mattress and the wall.
no subject
Ginko jumped at the sound of those footsteps, glancing uncertainly between the bed and the stairs. Crap crap crap crap crap--
In the end he ended up just standing there looking alarmed.
no subject
But then there's Ginko's ass just standing in the middle of the floor and there is also a pile of bricks next to him. JW's eyes move from the bricks to Ginko.
"Don't even think about it."
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
i think this is the first time i've used this icon in a thread
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)