~|The Darkness Rises|~ (Rise of the Guardians RP)

[~NeonTanzy~]

((Hey guys, thanks so much for continuing with this! I've been unbelievably busy with work too, so no need to worry about that. I'm really sorry that I haven't replied yet but I'm not sure when I'll be able to write something as long as I would like to. Just post when you have the time. ))

[SmaugTheGolden]

>>> No problem Issy, I couldn't just let the thread die

[~NeonTanzy~]

Ignis shrugged. “We try to, though this past year- since the whole battle thing- things have been boring.” She could tell that the kid wasn’t quite comfortable being in their company so she didn’t care to elaborate. Statistically, most people were bound to feel slightly uncomfortable when talking to aggressive sociopaths so she couldn’t really blame him. Bozo’s looks being as pleasant as a papercut weren’t exactly helping either, aided with his magnificently clinging personality so that he tediously attempted to mimic her. If it wasn’t for his talent in brawls, she’d have gotten rid of him a long way back- she would take Josh if only he could fight properly. Plus, Bozo was loyal despite every other annoyance, which was a hard trait to come by in a group of megalomaniac misfits trying to chip in in world domination. She began to wonder the point of it besides the off chance that she would be able to kill someone. She doubted Pitch even had a plan for afterwards if he managed to cast the world into darkness with the shadow of his massively deluded head. She blamed that dratted Man in the Moon for everything, for making her the way she was- a violent, cold and ruthless immortal who could only relate to her centre. Of course she was bitter. It’s not as if she chose to come back with a trait that defined immortals’ expectations of her.

This naïve, presumptuous little boy in front of her knew nothing of the stigma others thought she should bear. He made people better and she made them worse. Great. It shouldn’t take a genius to find out who would get credited for that at the end of the day. Josh had it easy and simple. There was little to no doubt in her mind that the kid would join the Guardians and live happily ever after in their sickeningly perfect world while she instigated death and destruction where it needed to be. Maybe even someone from Pitch’s side would run through the clichéd redemption arc and help the Guardians defeat them once and for all. Ignis wanted to roll her eyes at how the narrative was bound to play out as it had always done. The problem, of course, was Pitch. Arrogant being a light way of describing his temperament, his downfall was mostly down to himself.

Managing to leave her train of thought, she asked curiously, "What kind of fun do you have then? I mean, your centre doesn't sound, you know, exciting to be frank."

***

Sorrow mentally prodded himself to make a new line of conversation, though trying to think of something that he could see through without them breaking off into another awkward silence was a chief concern. He found himself staring at Nera, trying to read the faraway look in her eye. He almost asked her what she was thinking about but decided against it. Although he was undeniably interested in her, there was a wariness that lingered too close for him to act. It wasn’t just because of the trouble he had gotten himself into either; it was the fact that Nera had a past, something to clutch to in times of loneliness and longing. He had no such feelings, only a cold and despairing emptiness. He couldn’t know whether it was worse or not that he couldn’t relate to the past, good or bad, and just feel. Those such as Queenie obviously saw it as a weakness but he wanted to know what Nera thought. He wondered how she reacted to her past before she became an everlasting entity, both blessed and cursed to roam the earth without companionship. There was one thing he was certain of: she most likely wasn’t prone to as much to feeling sorry for himself as he was. By meeting her he’d gradually become more self-aware and seen how much of his immortal life had been wasted by wallowing in the fact that he possessed no discernible history. He wondered if the state that the immortals were in was like a purgatory and discovering their past was a way to access the paradise of peace of mind… at least to an extent. Still, he wasn’t too sure that he was ready to find out how he died. He was almost certain that it had ended vicious and bloody. Admittedly, an inkling wasn’t much to go on in all fairness, but it was all he had.

He opened his mouth to say something about it to Nera but saw how deep in her thoughts she was and instead took a silent curiosity in her contemplation with the moon. He looked it over for a moment, eyes running over the pure form. With all the evil surrounding the two, it was hard not to question how its radiant vitality stayed untainted when overseeing such chaos. In fact, he hadn’t really looked at the moon properly before that moment, being somehow different to how it had been before. There was a strange way it glowed that night in a way that was impossible to describe. Even in his incredulous nature, he swore its gaze was directed towards the two of them as if it were communicating. Was it aimed at Sorrow, or Nera, or even the both of them? The young immortal was convinced that there was some meaning behind it, even if it were too obscure for him to solely discover. For a moment he turned his head back to Nera to see what she was thinking but found himself unable to not look back at the moon, utterly perplexed as to what was happening.

Unable to keep this foreign sensation to himself, he moved towards his friend, eyes still trained on the unbelievable sight before them. “You have to see how weirdly the moon’s shining, right?” he asked with bated breath. “I… I’ve never seen anything like it.”

***

Spike grinned her wide, toothy grin and hurriedly snatched up her container, feeling pride at owning something that actually belonged to her instead of it being stolen. She ran her fingers over the elaborate patterns and colours like she had with the last before finding the small engrained picture of herself on it. Her face brightened at that and she looked up to her friend excitedly as the world before her disintegrated rather beautifully into an array of memories chosen by the creatures for her to witness…

[pugshark99]

"I...er-...fun..?" As simply stated as the question had been, Josh had an unusual struggle with the question. It came into his mind that he rarely thought of living his life according to his own enjoyment. When it came down to it, most of his immortal life had consisted of isolating himself away from his proper duties; an avoidance of actively presenting his 'gift' of forgiveness to those in need of it. Of course he knew he was in the wrong by not fulfilling his job he was brought back to do, but it felt almost taunting every time he had done so. Lack of forgiveness brought him to his ill fate, and he was supposed to be helping people by giving them what he never came to have; his very centre.

There was something that lay deeper down in him that didn't want to be like those other, righteous guardians. It was what kept him from keeping company with any of them. They all seemed to take joy in blessing people with their centres, but why? He never understood what enjoyment it brought them.

Studying the pair in front of him, Joshua found a new interest arise in him. They both seemed to be taking their powers into their own hands, and using it in ways he could just imagine. Perhaps if he was able to stick around, he may find other uses of his given 'gift'
A slight smile spread across his face, one with an underlying root of curiosity. "Well, I suppose I am still searching for what can bring me entertainment around here," he replied, looking around them as he spoke.