voicetest the voiceless

[focusedvoid]

They're not dead.

Less dead than they'd felt, at least. Their shell doesn't normally take so long to reform.

Then again. Their shell doesn't usually break of their own violation as they ascended in a boiling rage, ate at least one realm, a god, and all the Godseekers.

(That last point is debatable, actually. There's some odd sense, deep under their...shell? Void? Wherever they once stored things like Isma's Tear, much deeper now...that the sea-mind is still there, sluggish and held in a stasis. They're already adjusting enough, and they don't seem to be dying or trying to kill them, so that problem is neatly sorted as 'for later'.)

They push their body to stand. Their horn clangs uncomfortably loudly against the grate they've apparently woken up beneath. They're somewhere in the Royal Waterways. A quick check of the map--or, not so quick, as it takes time to locate where it had been--shows they've risen about halfway through, closer to the City of Tears than the White Palace. They'll go to the Stag Station in the City Storerooms next.

So they think. Complications arise on the way.

The Infection is gone, leaving dead Flukes, Pilflips, and Hwurmps in piles enough it takes time to force their way past. Their body seems too small. No, their body is fine--there's something wrong with perception itself. That will take time to adjust to.

Then, they discover the Monarch Wings now stretch and warp when used, twisting around the nearest pipes after landing before the Knight forcibly calls them back. Shade Wings, they decide to call these.

Once they're high enough to hear the rain above, they realize a noise they'd ascribed to water running in the distance is, in fact, something swirling behind their mask. Many somethings. All the fragments of Siblings with enough self left, staring out from their eyes. It's disconcerting.

By the time they actually get out of the Waterways, they're using their Shade Wings to grip ledges and drag themselves up, with those holding onto things better than their own arms are with the Mantis Claw. 

The Knight faceplants awkwardly onto the floor of the building Lemm's shop is in. If the City is the same as below, there's little left to try killing them in the area.

They'll just take a moment here, thanks.

Comments

[capitalcurator]

He wasn't sure they'd want to, with his strangely motivated attempts at career-bragging earlier that fell so woefully flat. Worth a try, though, he'd thought.

He stills as the Hollow Knight is quick to envelop his hand in theirs - huge, someone like this could tear him down the middle, but so could the Lord of Shades - and it brings a strange sweep of pride with it.

He remembers he's supposed to be initiating a second later, when the odd rush passes, and gives them a firm, rather businesslike handshake - it requires a little more effort than he was prepared for with the weight of it but he's quick to adjust.

Hasn't managed to mess this meeting up completely, then. Hornet notwithstanding.

What would someone else say? Take care? ... Lemm decides not to bother saying anything. Vessels get away with it. He just nods politely, then jerks his horn implicitly in the direction of the elevator.

[impure_void]

Their claws stay wrapped around his longer than strictly necessary. How long a handshake is intended to last is something they never gave attention to; yanking away could catch and cut through his shell.

Releasing him, after another moment of staring, the Hollow Knight bows, claws now in a fist against their chest. Not as deeply as old urges point them to, as they recall the Relic Seeker's own discomfort.

The wordless dismissal is understood.

Nail taken once more, they turn to slowly head to the elevator.

There will be a few new scars in the floor marking the way.

[capitalcurator]

He finds himself staring back. They might not meet again, as far as Lemm knows. He has no reason to believe so especially strongly. But they've met, now, and he takes his chance to memorise their face properly, as well as its differences to the statue outside.

They - they bow - Lemm is paralysed for a second, it's all very well knowing in theory how these things go but he is not a court bug and even the handshake was rare -

They have already turned around by the time Lemm thinks to bring his hand halfway up, and aborts the movement with a small flash of embarrassment.

He retreats just inside the door, leans on the wall, and sighs with the collective emotion of the entire visit.

Lemm stays quiet to listen to be sure the lift works smoothly, but after that he flips the door switch and goes to collapse in his seat.

It had been so hard not to say anything about the Knight. Even with them both their siblings Lemm suspects the Knight would not have wanted him to share that information. (Maybe they have! But he wouldn't risk being the first.)

Lemm puts his face in his hands and decompresses for a long time. Met the Hollow Knight. Met Hornet. Discovered to his absolute dismay that he is still fully capable of trying too hard, even after all this time. But it hadn't gone terribly.

...Back to waiting, now, strange as it feels. Lemm runs the point of his thumb down the side of the polished vase still on his desk amid the rest, suddenly more anxious than he was. The Knight had better be fine. Lemm has things to tell them.