#Day 6: Drop | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

clonedchaos · 2 months ago

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Machine Memories- Day 6: Drop

Summary:

A few things seem to carry over with each cycle. For Henry, the fear of plunging into dark depths was one of them.

Rating: G/PG

“Let’s hope Allison and Tom are near the bunker this time,” Audrey chuckled, papers nestled in the crook of her arm.

Henry strode next to her at a leisurely pace. When was the last time he had done this? To merely take his time with no fear of danger closing in behind him— well, for the most part. Many things had changed ever since Audrey had come to the cycle, many good things. And they’d continue working hard to keep things growing and improving.

First thing on the bulletin of course of action today- Bring some files from the Gent building to Allison and Tom’s bunker for examination and safe keeping.

“I wouldn’t mind missing Tom’s sour snout so early in the morning,” Henry remarked lightly, carrying two cups of steaming, black coffee.

“Oh, come now, Henry. He’s not that bad,” Audrey glanced over with a smile before taking a right at the fork in the hallway. “He’s just a bit… stone-cold. Like my brother.”

Henry grunted in agreement. Sometimes he couldn’t quite grasp that the Ink Demon-- and by extension, Bendy-- was related by blood to Audrey. They quite factually couldn’t be any different from each other than they already were. But Audrey had seemed to make some form of progress with him, as did Henry. It was a nice change not to be stalked everywhere he went— except, of course, when the Ink Demon found it necessary to tease him. Henry hadn’t been sent back to the Dark Puddles for quite some time; not an experience he fondly missed.

“If I recall correctly, it’s just past these doors and we’ll take the elevator down towards the bunker’s level. Spotting it is always a fun game,” Audrey instructed, side stepping a hole in the flooring.

“We can thank Heidi for that,” Henry acknowledged. They headed past a set of double doors and reached the elevator. Audrey pressed the call button and the two waited in comfortable silence. The only sound came from the creaking gears of the elevator as it rose from the floor below. The doors slid open with a ding!

It was in a far better shape than the older models he had come across in the studio. Audrey stepped in, coaxing Henry to follow suit. The doors slid shut. They were cornered in on every angle. It was a tight fit and impossible to see outside as they began to descend.

His heart suddenly began to pound like a bird fluttering restlessly in its cage. Sweat beaded on his brow. With a trembling hand, he reached up and wiped it away.

The world seemed to drip away like a melting oil painting. He was falling, falling fast. A pit formed in his stomach. How far down did this studio go? Boris was there, huddling against him with his head in his hands. Over the screeching of gears and acrid tang of metal, Henry could faintly hear the wolf whimpering in fear.

Henry reached for him and wrapped an arm protectively around his shoulders. He would protect him, now and after the crash— if they survive. “Boris, look at me!” Boris kept his head in his gloves.

”You’re gonna be okay, Henry!” A voice echoed. Henry chanced a look around. That didn’t sound like Alice.

Then, the impact sent them sprawling onto the floor. Henry hit his head against metal. The immense pain was brief before he passed out.

When his vision finally came too, Boris was shaking him. He groaned. His head was pounding. Ink rolled down from his forehead, obscuring most of his vision in his right eye.

A figure approached. No, he’s been here before. Over and over again this had happened— hadn’t it?

Henry shakily reached up and clutched Boris’s arm. He tried to speak, but the pain was too great. Then, Boris was wrenched from his hand and dragged into the darkness. He wanted to scream, to fight back. But he couldn’t make a sound.

”Henry! Henry!” As he laid his head against the ground, that voice sounded in his ears as clear as day. Perhaps his swimming vision was making him delusional…

”Henry! I’m here!”

He closed his eyes and opened them again. He was with Audrey now, the coffee mugs lying shattered in pieces across the grated floors. The young woman stood before him, brows furrowed in worry. With a hand, she turned and repetitively pressed the button to open the sliding doors.

He couldn’t breathe, he was suffocating. He clawed at his chest. What was wrong with him?

The doors finally opened. Audrey set gentle hands on his shoulders and steered him out and over towards a wall in the hallway. She then sat him down and moved to sit across from him.

”Henry, focus on me. Breathe.” She took a deep breath and let it out. She repeated the action continuously until Henry forced himself to catch on.

His chest gradually eased, and his limbs slackened and lost their tension. He focused on Audrey and her breathing exercise until he could breathe normally again.

”Is there anything you need?” She asked softly, golden eyes scanning his features.

”Water, please,” Henry croaked. His throat was dry, and his hands were still a bit clammy. His stomach churned, an unwelcome effect of a sudden onset of nausea.

Audrey reached into her satchel and pulled out a canister of the liquid bliss. She handed it over and Henry began to involuntarily chug it.

”Feeling a little better?” Audrey asked as he handed the empty canister back over to her.

”A little. Thank you, Audrey… I don’t know what came over me…” Henry murmured and ran a hand through his hair. Those thoughts, they were nothing but a distant memory of past cycles. Boris was safe now, spending most of his time hanging around Heidi or a Lost One named Dot.

"What's important is that you're okay now." Audrey gave a thin smile. "I had a friend at work do the same for me once. I got too overwhelmed with deadlines and started to panic. It's thanks to her I know how to deal with sudden attacks such as this."

"I'm sorry," Henry apologized. He was supposed to be the level-headed one around here. Audrey had enough on her plate as it was.

"Don't apologize," Audrey shook her head with sympathetic intonation. "We'll be here to help you get your bearings if you ever need it, Henry. For now... why don't we take the stairs?"

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lovesickeros · 1 year ago

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☆ even the gods bleed [ pt 2 ]

{☆} characters furina, neuvillette {☆} notes cult au, imposter au, multi-chapter, gender neutral reader {☆} warnings none {☆} word count 1.9k {☆} previous [ 1 ]

This had to be a punishment of some sort – some kind of divine punishment.

She was bored out of her mind just watching the sleeping body – she hadn't blinked once in the past five hours, her eyes were really starting to hurt. Yet they still hadn't moved so much as an inch since she sequestered them away to the only place she had known to be safe.

But it'd been almost a week since then.

The only solace she found was that Teyvat had seemed much less hellbent on collapsing in on itself like a dying star.

That counted for something.

Not much, but something!

..Even if their position was no better then it was a week ago.

There was, after all, still the issue of what to do about the false Creator – the actual imposter – and the Archons following them like blind lambs. The other Archons wouldn't listen if she tried to reason with them, and it would only risk the life of Divine One if she spoke of their location to anyone else.

She also was pretty fond of having her head still attached to her shoulders.

So she avoided them all together. Partially because she wasn't sure she wouldn't have a breakdown at the sight of them..she'd never been a fighter, and fighting an Archon? Easy pass.

Instead she was forced to babysit the sleeping Divine until they woke up while Neuvillette handled taking care of the nation and dealing with the other Archons – and by extension the false Creator.

Really though, she would almost think them dead if not for the subtle rise and fall of their chest.

Though..this also left her with a lot of time to herself. A lot of time to think.

She really didn't like it.

There wasn't a lot to occupy her mind and what little there was only distracted her for a scant few moments before her eyes drifted back to the Divine like she was locked in their orbit, unable to escape.

She closed the same book for the twelfth time – she kept count – and returned it to it's meticulously designed place within her bookcase. A low, barely audible huff of frustration escaped her lips before she could bite it down, her stare boring a hole into the body of the Divine One with a sharp intensity she rarely showed.

She was tired, bored and constantly on edge, fearing that at any moment someone would find out about their presence here.

That, at the drop of a hat, she would be powerless to stop the greatest tragedy of her time play out before her eyes.

Neuvillette would have scolded her for being so petulant, especially around the Divine One, if he were here.

But he wasn't.

He was out running her nation, instead.

And what was she doing? Nothing!

She grit her teeth, nails digging harshly into the palm of her hands as she took a deep breath – now was not the time to think about that. She had..much more pressing matters. Sulking and letting her thoughts spiral helped no one, least of all herself.

Yet her attention was caught by a harsh inhale, the rustle of fabric – were they finally waking up? She was exhausted, but it all vanished at the sudden drop of life within the otherwise deathly still body of the Divine.

Her eyes followed the subtle twitch of their fingers, watching as their brow furrowed and their features twisted in something almost like..pain.

..She wasn't ready.

What was she supposed to say?

Should she even say anything? Would that be considered impolite? Does she wait for them to speak first? Should she kneel? Bow?

She doesn't get much time to find her own answer before their lashes flutter, chest heaving with every strangled breath. Every single thought vanishes from her mind the moment she meets their eyes.

For a long, silent moment she thinks that her heart must have stopped.

Their eyes glow like the cresting of the sun over the horizon, painting the world in hues of gold – yet it also reminded her of the dipping of the moon below the waves, casting the briefest, most gentle of lights upon the world engulfed in darkness. In the depths of their eyes was the birth and death of stars in the infinite cosmos – glittering stars in a sea of empty, blank space that left her feeling lightheaded and breathless.

Beneath the splendor is a spark of recognition in their eyes so vibrant it was like a shooting star piercing through the dark night sky, leaving nothing but the wonder in the eyes of the observer as the only proof it ever existed – brilliant in it's beauty, however brief.

It is the most beautiful thing she has ever seen.

"Focalors?"

The lilt of their voice nearly made her knees buckle beneath her – euphoria so consuming it left her feeling she was starving swallowed her whole, her mind blanking in a moment of utter bliss. It was..an indescribable feeling that she doubted she could ever hope to put into words – not in a way that could properly express it, try as she might.

She swallowed the words that threatened to spill from her lips – she couldn't make a fool of herself. Not in front of them of all people. She'd never forgive herself.

"Divine One," She rasps, clearing her throat and covering her mouth with a hand to mask both her nervousness and the small smile that creeps across her face. She quickly regains her composure, hand resting on her hip as she puffs out her chest with every bit of pride she can manage. "I am sure you must be confused, but worry not– your most loyal acolyte has seen the truth!"

The silence is deafening.

She opens one eye, peaking at the bewildered and almost distraught expression of the Divine.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

That..she was not prepared for. Surely they knew who they were! Surely they knew. They had to– she's been praying to them for as long as she's breathed, she's dedicated every hour of her life to living up to their ideals, they can't just–!

"Lady Furina?"

Neuvillette, thankfully, spares her the embarrassment of having a meltdown in front of the Divine, the gentle rap of his knuckles against the door making her and the Divine pause, the soft lull of his voice soothing her nerves and yet setting her on edge at the same time.

"Neuvillette." She clears her throat again, her steps hurried as she marches to the door and pries it open none too gently, a forced smile pulling at her lips. She wastes no time tugging the man into the room, shutting the door behind him with a short huff. The silence is, somehow, even worse then before as the three of them stare at each other in absolute exasperation.

Neuvillette, for his part, manages to get his act together with a sharp clearing of his throat, bowing so low even she looks unnerved. She steals a brief glance at the Divine, and she's taken aback by the uncomfortability twisting their features into a grimace.

Their expression is schooled back into one of empty apathy when he stands back to his full height, but she saw it – she knows she did! Did they not like their worship? Were they not respectful enough? For a moment, she feared the Divine would smite Neuvillette down on the spot..but they just stared at him like he was a ghost.

"Why aren't you killing me?"

The defeated, resigned tone combined with the way their voice cracks makes her heart ache in her chest – it feels as though her entire world is crumbling down at her feet, and she cannot explain why she feels such emotions so strongly, but it is suffocating. It is almost as if Teyvat itself is weeping, bearing down upon her shoulders like a heavy weight.

She feels the urge to weep herself, but she powers through, gritting her teeth long enough for Neuvillette to take his place at the side of her – though it feels more like their – bed, kneeling like he was going to pray.

"Divine One," He offers a hand with a quiet rumble of his voice, the words slipping off his tongue like honey. It's like trying to soothe a stray cat..though she'd never voice such comparisons of the most Divine out loud. "I..we mean you no harm. I swear on my authority as the Iudex of Fontaine and Chief Justice that you are safe with us."

The skepticism she expected, but the reverence in which Neuvillette must convince them – or perhaps they are simply so tired that they simply did not care any longer if it was all some ploy to drive a knife between their ribs. She didn't expect them to actually place their hand in Neuvillette's.

He didn't either, judging by the way he visibly brightened – not that they'd notice, but she did.

..Not that she could really blame him, her heels clicking against the floorboards as she shifted her weight to the other foot with a nervous energy that was practically bursting at the seams, more then a little jealous of the attention he was receiving. She was the one who found them, she was the one who stayed with them the entire time..but he gets all the attention?

How unfair.

"O-of course! We would never lay a hand on our creator," She adds, her voice a little higher pitched then she would have liked as she placed her hands on her hips, puffing out her chest and brushing off the sting of jealousy. "Least of all I– your most loyal, most devout acolyte!"

She felt baffled when she heard the sound of their laughter, her shoulders hunching and her cheeks flushing on mere instinct – she was expecting mockery, but the look in their eyes, still dulled by a pain she cannot even begin to imagine, made her hesitate.

..It was, perhaps, the most genuine thing she'd heard from them ever since before the hunt began.

She wasn't sure why her heart hurt at such an idea, but it was enthralling to see the beginnings of a half hearted smile on their lips.

For a moment, her mask of theatrics was forgotten as she stared at them in a mixture of awe and adoration– and though she didn't look at Neuvillette, she could imagine he must've shared such an expression.

Had she any doubts that they were her Creator, that they alone were the most Divine..they would wiped clean now. There was no mistaking the way the world itself seemed to grow clearer as they glanced up at her like she was worth something.

For a moment, she realized how cold the false Creators gaze had been now that she has felt warmth so gentle it almost made her knees buckle beneath her. It felt like a pale imitation, now.

Nothing could compare to the warmth that spread through her body at the mere semblance of a smile upon their lips. She didn't even mind if it was her they were laughing at anymore, she just wanted to hear them laugh again.

She'd make a fool of herself, if she had to.

She'd never felt so..ravenous for such a thing, but just the briefest glimpse was addictive.

She simply couldn't help herself from striding across the room and clasping their free hand in her own, her smile wide enough to unnerve as she leaned her weight onto the bed. For a moment, she considered pulling away at the way they startled, but her mind was made up by then – there was no going back.

"Again."