Leon
He/Him
27
August 17th
Alto Mare
Heterosexual
'Financier'
Civilian
Time is money. You are a waste of both.
TAG WITH @leonsettentrione
Leon Settentrioné
PRISMATIC PENITENTIARY
POSTED ON May 14, 2024 20:14:15 GMT
shiv and mint frost like this
His teeth gritted. it was one of the few responses he was able to make, as his jaw had come out of the punishment more or less intact. He hated this. Hated being a burden. Hated seeing Aubre suffer and struggle. Hated to know that it was because of him, again. All he'd ever wanted was to make amends for his past mistakes, but it was quite evident in this moment that all he had succeeded in doing was dragging her down. He glanced at her face, lips agape as she gasped for air, the desperation and fear in her eyes. He could imagine what she was thinking, that she would never see Mikaela again, or her parents or pokémon. That she would never be happy again. His mind and stomach roiled at the thoughts, and he hung his head, now gray locks falling over his face as the mask slipped off virtually unnoticed.
When they finally reached the elevator his gaze turned up; first to the gleaming automaton wreaking carnage, then to the offal and detritus it was leaving in its wake. The images seared into his mind, not out of revulsion or horror, but shame. Once more he looked at his wife, blue eyes tracing the delicate curve of her face, the sight far more potent than what had come before. He realized why she had become so distant, so torn. This was what she believed him to be; a blood soaked mass murderer, incapable of feeling even as he slaughtered people by the dozens. It was incorrect, of course, but that did little to change the fact. His wife saw him as a monster, and it was for that reason that her every gaze was filled with the fear that she might be next.
The metallic floor shuddered and jolted downwards, moving far, far too slowly for Leon's liking. He knew it would be only a matter of time before the powers that be regrouped; over the past week they had quite ably demonstrated their potency, if not their intelligence. All the worse, in fact. A dumb beast did not know fear, did not know when to halt. All it knew was blind rage and hunger, and it had not the wit to retreat. They would be coming, and soon; he could feel it in his very core.
Unfortunately, when they arrived at the ward below, everyone seemed to scatter, looking for their friends or simply socializing; in the middle of a prison riot aboard and alien installation no less. He was about to protest the delay when he heard his wife's name being called, and his eyes snapped to in the direction of the unfamiliar voice. From his motions he appeared to feel some sort of authority, and from Leon's observations of their interaction it appeared that his chain had manifested into some sort of healing effect. Aubre placed him down as the conversation continued, his brow furrowing as the pain went entirely unnoticed. She knew him, they seemed to be quite familiar with each other. And he had absolutely no clue who Leon was. Likewise he had never seen nor heard of the man before. It seemed quite apparent that Aubre had deliberately never told him; and, perhaps, had deliberately not told him of her marriage. His mind churned again.
Leon barely noticed the manhandling and ministrations of the doctor, so embroiled was he in his own internal struggle. Nevertheless he did notice life beginning to return to his body, flames burning from the inside out as shredded muscles reattached to newly reformed bones. It was excruciating, but he made no indication of it. Instead he merely nodded. "Thanks, Rapunzel." His hackles were raised, and he observed their parting and the man's departure, eyes of ice following his every step until he faded into the crowd once more.
Fortunately, whatever magicks had been worked upon him allowed him to now stand on his own, though his body was still weak and burning within. It was as they all stagged back onto the platform, the rusted metal jerking back into motion, that he realized it was not from the healing, however. His gaze was drawn upwards at the sound if a voice above and, though he could not locate the source, he was quite certain it spelled only trouble. The words spoken were mostly lost through the clamor of explosions, but he could nontheless still feel the collar around his throat tighten in response; and it was now he noticed the throbbing pain within his chest, beating in time to the staccato rhythm of the shells exploding above. It seemed his unwilling binging was taking effect, and the poison was beginning to burn through his veins. But it was more than that. With every shot of the sentinel above, he felt the pain rip through him, as though, unable to redirect the pain of those who it had shielded, it was draining his very life to continue its slaughter. His life, clearly, was not a priority for the creature.
Finally they come to a rest at the bottom of the shaft, just above the wretched pit housing the aliens' pet beastie. The entrance had been blown wider, and indeed there was now an opening even further down, a hole rent into the floor of the chamber. It did not take a genius to determine that the only way forward was down, and with the rest he began the descent, his eyes on Aubre all the way. Unfortunately, his limbs were still weak and fragile, and the poison ripping through him did nothing to aid that. Leon was only partway down when his arms gave way and he slammed to the ground below with a dull thud and a pained grunt. This he pushed aside, however, as there were more important matters to attended to.
Dragging himself to his feet he looked once more for Aubre, immediately moving to her side when he located her. "Come. We have to keep going." Though he rather doubted the next attempt would go any better, descending past the feeding pit seemed to be the only path open to them.
And then, he heard the screeching of the metal gate opening, and he was instantly alerted that the situation was quite immediately dire. "Hurry."
He felt the heat rush into the chamber, the cold, wet air burned away in seconds. The flames licking under the door illuminated their surroundings, showing the water logged mochi and other, more concerning things. Again he pushed these aside, his mind categorizing them as of lesser importance. Though he did not yet known exactly what had been done to the creature, if it even was the same one, he knew what the flames meant for Aubre. He knew that she would not be able cope, to make it on from here. Ever since that night her mind had shut down at even the tiniest spark, and what now emerged from the side chamber was a raging inferno.
For a third time his jaw clenched and he hesitated, not knowing what he could do in this state but knowing that he had to do something. It was then that the automaton flashed into being behind her, its brilliant skin seemingly soaking in the fire as the light reflected off it in permanent symmetry. And then, he knew. Once more Leon stood before Aubre, wreathed in an aura of distant flame as though he were Sauron striding forth. Rather than a mask of black steel, he wore one of calm. Leon smiled at his wife, drinking in her face one more time, before he leaned in and kissed her, pouring all his love and regret into the motion. Pulling back a bit he rested his forehead to her's, eyes closed. "I love you, Aubre. Tell Mikaela the same, and give her a kiss from me." And then the warmth of her body was gone, the metallic creature scooping her into its arms and leaping forth into the pit, carrying her away from the terror to come.
His eyes remained closed a few moments more, before they turned to scan the feeding pit, taking in the clamor as some tried to save or assault their attacker. They turned upwards, searching for some sign of their other doom approaching, but he could see nothing through the darkness and dust. For now, it seemed, they had only to contend with the ogre, small comfort as it was. Realistically they should evade it as there was little chance of it managed to make any meaningful pursuit along the paths open to them. He knew, however, that a significant number would not; there was the 'Dummy Ward', afterall. Part of him felt likewise, none too pleased with having been so frequently assaulted by the beast throughout the week. Returning some portion of that would be rather satisfying. Yet he knew that, one the slim chance any of them survived this, Aubre would not be appreciative of the fact.
Quickly he looked around the chamber, trying to spot something that may be of use, but it was largely barren of anything that might be an aid. The stealth rocks were also an impediment, though fortunately his inability to move with any speed made them rather more easy to dodge. Of the space jellyfish he again knew nothing, but he could nonetheless categorize them as a secondary priority. Had he known of his wife's previous encounter, however, that assessment would have changed dramatically but, alas, it was yet one more thing she had kept from him. Eyeing the beast he can see little beyond the flaming mask, but the flailing tendrils of thorned ivy are just visible as they whip through the inferno. How they managed to keep from igniting themselves he did not know, but it gave him an idea.
Kneeling down he jerked off a piece of bone from one of the scattered skeletons, grunting a bit from the needed force. He stood with the shattered marrow and began to stagger forward, carefully moving around the floating shards of stone as he went. A few times he nearly went to his knees, the stamping of the ogre and storm of attacks directed both at it and the humans a storm it was difficult to resist. Once near the others he stopped, waiting for the proper moment. This close the heat was intense, almost unbearable, but it was something he was once well accustomed to, and discomfort was not hard to push aside. When one of the tendrils lashed out, striking him in the chest and drawing another pained groan, he swiftly grabbed it, his other hand coming down with the jagged bone and severing a portion of the fleshy, grasslike appendage. For a moment he stood still, gasping for breath both due to the blow he'd received and the continuing spread of poison through his body. Once recovered he stummbled forward once more, angling behind it where he came in close. The vine he looped around it's neck like a garrote, and the bone he wound into the length to provide a better grip. The thorns still dug into his palms, but it was now much easier to maintain the hold, especially with the leverage that was provided as he pressed his leg into its back. Once more pushing away the pain, now including the searing as his skin began to cook, he turned to the others nearby, teeth gritted once more. "If you are going to do something then do it. We do not have the luxury of time here." Even if they managed to subdue it, rather than being roasted alive or simply pulped, there was a greater threat looming. If any of them were to survive they needed to flee, as soon as possible, whether the pokémon was with them or not. Though it could, he briefly mused, provide a decent distraction. If any of them made it that far. ⚰︎ divider made by milky!
*@aubremckenna John Sullivan *Oh no feelings *Oh no a handsome charming doctor *Gives Aubre a kiss and a wish, just before she's absconded with *Is worried about what's coming for them *Nonetheless tries to aid the relief effort with a bit of stabbing and strangulation *The defensive aura is now covering those attempting to help the Ogerpon, as well as Aubre pjgiwnr_ ··
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