capeandcowllogs | Illusions versus fear

Things were going less according to routine for Keith Anyan. Which was bad, since he was a man of routine. Getting dumped into a strange city on what appeared to be a Mu-contaminated version of Terra was not in his routine. Neither was reading back through the network of imPorts to said City and discovering, of all people, Soldier Blue talking there. It was unmistakably him from the videos: Keith had met him only twice, but Blue wasn't the kind of man one forgot. Especially under the circumstances Keith had met him.

He gave up on staying inside, after that. The idea of the dead coming back here in the City, now confirmed by the sight of Blue, bothered him on more levels than one, and he didn't want to admit that to himself. So he emerged from his apartment in the M.A.C., having taken off his military jacket first, so he simply looked like he was wearing a black undershirt over dress pants. No sense standing out more than he needed to. But, of course, he kept his earrings on. Even if they did stand out a little.

He made his way down the street, absorbing himself in taking in his new surroundings rather than dwelling too much on his own thoughts, and he wondered, idly, if any of the people he'd upset with his earlier post were watching him. In retrospect, it had been a bad idea. He'd been more disoriented by his circumstances than he realized. But he didn't want to dwell on that either. It was better to simply tell himself that, even if it was poorly phrased due to the shock of his arrival, it had been a necessary communication to make.

Lyra noticed the man walking out of the MAC- and with the memory of that video post to the the network still fresh in her mind, Lyra and her daemon changed course abruptly, keeping some distance from the man, but staying close enough to keep him in her line of sight.

Suddenly, an idea flashed into her mind, and her lips quirked. She knew Pantalaimon didn't like it- not because he thought is was wrong, but because it was reckless. He didn't like the man any more than Lyra did, and Blue thought he was someone to worry about...

Lyra's lips quirked, as she began another illusion- a low, indistinct murmuring at Keith's ears that sounded like it was coming from very close by. If he payed close attention, he might realize it was a grocery list- Lyra's, actually- being read by an older man.

Lyra's grin slowly began to creep across her face. Start small, she reminded herself.

Naturally Keith paid attention; he was that kind of guy. But that didn't make the words make any more sense to him than a string of nonsense phrases consisting of antiquated household necessities. He was not a man who'd ever had to do his own grocery shopping, after all.

He slowed down, then stopped as the sound started. There was no sign of actual alarm on his face--at best, a faintly puzzled look as he glanced around. "Who's there?" His voice was still calm. He almost seemed relaxed.

But to those who could tell such things, the pose he'd relaxed into was the precursor to a combat stance.

'Ring around the rosies, a pocket full of posies, ashes, ashes'

This voice could best be described as 'a creepy little child', reciting nursery rhymes over the droning of the grocery list. Then a woman's voice, singing a lullaby, and finally, someone laughing.

Then Lyra did something a little more complicated. Pale, indistinct figures began to rise out of the ground, each about the height of a grown man. If he tried to touch them, he'd find they were about as solid as mist.

And that was even less comprehensible to Keith. So was the lullaby--Mother Eliza had never sung such things to him, after all. It wasn't within a computer's purview. The laughing was the last straw. It was clear that someone--or something--was toying with his mind. But who? A Mu who recognized him, or simply someone he'd upset with his earlier post? Or was this his own power manifesting somehow? He had no way of knowing, and that made it worse.

So he was already tense when the figures first rose out of the ground. That was why he did something he'd normally restrain himself from, at least at first. He attacked. One hand sliced out in a vicious jab at chin-height, and a leg swept around in a kick designed to knock an opponent's legs from under them. It was a serious, calculated, well-trained move, and it might well have worked, had these figures been solid, but they weren't. Keith was left stumbling slightly, with the figures still coming at him.

He could feel a tension building inside him, but he checked it. If there was a person behind these sensations, he wouldn't allow them the satisfaction of provoking him, and if it was something else, panicking would only make things worse. Instead, he focused, trying to make out any sounds below the low murmuring din of illusion that might indicate a real presence, any sights beyond the apparitions that might give away a clue as to what was causing them.

His expression, although tense now, remained cool and only mildly perturbed.

Behind her illusions, Lyra shifted her stance- against a grown man who'd been actually trained, her attacks would most likely be ineffective, but she should at least get ready to dodge, though she was still grinning broadly at getting a reaction from him. And it had been a while since she'd played the 'make someone think they're haunted' game.

The figures started to encircle him, closing in and reaching out with hands that, if they weren't solid, could still be felt as a cold, damp breeze. If keith were to look at where their faces would normally be, he'd see nothing but a blank oval.

Unfortunately, Keith was a bad person to be playing that particular game against. He didn't think he was haunted--ghosts were just stories, just useful props for metaphor. He did, however, think that something bad was going on with his mind. And that was enough to worry him.

He looked at where the faces on the not-ghosts were supposed to be, just like he was meant to--and he showed no reaction. Of course they were designed to look creepy. That was the game, wasn't it? (Was this a game? Or was it something more dangerous? He couldn't know.)

Keith lifted his hands so they were spread, palms open, in front of him. "I'll give you this last chance to show yourself," he said coolly. He didn't know what he'd do after that, but he had the sense that he could do something. Like he'd found a new button inside himself that he could push. He knew full well that pushing it could be dangerous. But he refused to leave himself to the mercy of whatever was prying at his mind now.

He'd taken enough of that from the Mu.

Lyra was not one to give up, however. She was confident in her abilities- she'd spent a year mastering her illusions, after all. And she was determined to keep provoking Keith until she got more of a reaction out of him- or she got bored.

Lyra exhaled, and with a soft breeze the ghosts broke apart, becoming mist that swirled around the man. Then the sensation of an icy cold hand gripping his shoulder- let's see how he reacts to that, she thought.

Keith was, for once, not confident in his abilities. He didn't even know what they were in this place. But he was confident in his self-control. He had been for a long time now.

Rather than cry out at the sudden grip on his shoulder, he simply let his hands fall to his side and turned sharply--only to find no one there. His eyes narrowed just slightly. "It's time to find out, then," he said, his voice as cold as the hand he felt. "How this place has set its roots in me." And he lifted his hands once more and made the slightest outward pushing gesture. It felt right, somehow.

Something was released.

A wave rolled out from him. Not one made of physical forces, but to say it was made of emotions would be wrong as well. If anything, it was made from the lack of emotions. A cold iron will swept out around Keith, like an intangible machine bearing down on everything around him. No mercy, no pity, no humanity there, only a psychological weight that seemed to threaten to crush all in its path.

It added up to plain brutal terror.

Lyra froze. She'd had enough experience being utterly terrified not to fall to her knees, but her mind froze, and her illusions broke abruptly. She glanced to the side, seeing her dear, dear Pantalaimon as paralyzed as she was, his hair standing on end.

Mentally screaming at herself to move, attack, do something. Lyra was able to master her fear enough to keep from crying out and to hide some of her terror from her expression as she rapidly tried to summon the will to start using telekinesis- it was easier to use well when she was upset, unlike illusions which took more deliberate thought to really use effectively. She swore under her breath.

A flicker in the corner of his vision caught Keith's attention, and he turned, dropping into a combat stance again--only to see nothing but a child and a small animal. Familiar ones, at that; he recognized the girl and her not-pet from the network.

In other words, they most likely weren't a true threat. The concept of children playing around was foreign to Keith, but he knew it existed and it happened. He quickly searched himself for a way to turn the power he'd just invoked, whatever it was, off. From the girl's expression, it was nothing good, and he had no desire to commit the sins of the Mu for no reason at all.

In seconds, he'd found the "switch" and turned the aura back off.

Suddenly, Lyra found herself able to move again. Falling into a crouch, she gathered Pantalaimon into her arms, glaring at Keith.

While her fear might have begun to dissipate with the source removed, some of it still lingered- and with a grimace, she turned all of that panic to a different goal.

Using telekinesis to push Keith back. Hard.

At the sight of Lyra, Keith had dropped his guard about as much as he ever did. That is to say, not entirely--never entirely, not anymore--but enough that the sudden shove out of nowhere came as a surprise. He staggered back, catching himself on one heel just in time to keep himself from falling. But through all of this, the only emotion he showed was faint surprise and a hint of alarm: just a slight widening of his eyes and narrowing of his mouth. Nothing more.

Only when he had righted himself did he show more of an expression, and then it was a controlled one. He smiled distantly, without any trace of real warmth. "I see," he said. "We're both contaminated."

"Contaminated," Lyra repeated, with a dubious look on her face as she got up, still clutching Pantalaimon, who shared her expression, "Don't scare me like that again, or I'll throw you into a wall."

"Don't give me reason to," Keith said. "Provoking a man who didn't know what his powers were. Was that a good move?" He wasn't smiling any more, or indeed showing much emotion of any kind. In fact, he was thoroughly suppressing annoyance that he'd used such a power for no real reason. At least he hadn't lost control while doing it; that would be unacceptable.

"Well, now you do," Lyra told him bluntly, "It's being scary. And I was just messing around. If I'd wanted to hurt you I wouldn't have bothered with illusions."

"Is that so?" Keith regarded her as expressionlessly as ever. "Would you use your telekinesis?" He paused a beat. "Don't try it again. Either one."

"That, or just wait until you managed to get someone else angry enough to attack you," Lyra told him sourly.

"And fine. I won't," Which was a lie, but she wouldn't bother doing anything blatant with her powers around him unless she had a good reason.

"I have no intention of angering others," Keith said, calm as ever. "I've upset them already. It's enough."

He knew full well he had no way of knowing whether she'd keep to her word or not--and he didn't particularly expect her to. Promises were only as binding as the humans that made them wished them to be. But he trusted that the consequence of being found out--his power unleashed again--would be enough to keep her at bay as much as possible.

"Yeah, well, we were all scared when we first got here, but no one else suggested destroying the whole place," Lyra told him, before exchanging a glance with Pantalaimon.

"And I'm sorry. I should have stayed in control of myself and not shoved you, but I got angry. It's been a while since someone messed with my emotions," she told him, bowing her head in sincere apology.

Another flash of that cold, almost predatory smile, and Keith said, "You don't need to worry. Anything sent to destroy this place now would have to take me out too, and Grandmother can barely afford to lose me now." It was the closest he'd come to admitting his lofty position back home since he'd gotten here, and he didn't intend to follow up on it. "I'll protect it for now. It is Terra."

He turned to go, but as he did, he paused and said to Lyra, "Don't apologize for fighting back. That was natural. The illusions were the problem."

Lyra noted the comment, but didn't ask anything further, though she nodded to show that she had heard him.

"Well, only some of them, if you want to be precise- I was using illusions before I even noticed you- It's a lot easier to patrol if people don't realize you're there," she informed him with a shrug, "Although everyone works differently."

"I see." Keith did turn away this time. There was a great deal more he could ask about just how everyone worked, but he doubted she'd answer them, and he'd only come off looking suspicious. Instead he just said, "I hope others provoke fewer strangers on their patrols."

"Well, no. I wasn't supposed to do that, actually- I got a little carried away," she admitted, a little sheepishly.

"So unless you need directions to anywhere, or any questions like that, I'd better get going."

"Then, in the future. Don't get carried away." Keith had turned away by now; he wasn't even looking at Lyra. His tone was curt, but not angry. There'd never been any real anger in it, any real indication that she'd gotten through to him.

"There's no reason for you to stay," he added, with the same bluntness.

"Suit yourself."

Lyra shrugged, and keeping a neutral expression on her face, turned and walked away, vanishing behind an illusion about a block away as she resumed her patrol.

Illusions versus fear

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LJ, stop eating my comments!

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